Queer Intro
Welcome to the Gay in the Bay Blog! I am Josie, a queer writer and videographer that loves to document what I see around me. This started out as a writing blog but has grown to include events that more people should know about.
This post is for the week of May 21 — 27.
Do you have a live event that needs filming? I’m a videographer! Please check out the Sweeney Media on your way to the About > Contact page. I look forward to working with you.
Moving
Question: When is the best time to move?
The widely accepted answer is “Never!” But the 21st Century seems to be a period of redefining well-established colloquialisms that don’t always have deserving or even applicable answers.
My lease is up. For the past month I have been stuffing my brand new car (Subaru Impreza, the gayest choice) with things ranging from kitchen utensils to Dalek cardboard cutouts. And let me tell you, it was insane.
Technically-speaking, it wasn’t dramatic or life-altering. Much like the last time I moved (which was from Memphis to Oakland) I downsized. This move has taught me what I truly consider essential, and which items are simply along for the ride.
I’m also moving in with roommates. There will be assigned spaces for food, storage, and bathrooms. There is shared space where I haven’t had to share things before.
The thing that hit me most after bringing up the last box was this: I’m in a new space, and I’m not anxious. Now, I’ve spoken about being neuro-spicy before, and it definitely takes me time to adjust to new living spaces. There will always be an adjustment period for my brain. Along with those time periods are moments of anxiety. My body feels like it doesn’t belong in new places for more than a few hours. But that hasn’t really happened in this new space. There’s still going to be an adjustment where my new roomies get used to me and vice versa. But I don’t feel quite as anxious as before. And there’s something liberating about that.
Writing
I’ve spent the better part of the month of May packing boxes, signing off of social media, and planning the spooky part of my book. To put it simply, I’m amazed to have kept up with this blog series, much less an iota of writing. That being said, progress is being made on Project Madison Flame and the ghost hunting crew that forms a band. And in order to talk about this week’s cryptid, I need to speak on the premise of one episodic story.
There is one episode that has the group going to the outskirts of my fictionalized city of New London, CA. There is a cave system hidden throughout an incredibly hilly portion of wild lands, just north of the city. And there have been rumors of vampires. But what they find is much more than they bargained for.
This is where they come across what is possibly vampires, and what could be shapeshifters. Buckle up for the next section, because I skim the surface on vampirism and its association with diseases.
American Vampires
Vampires are oftentimes thought to be purely a European folklore. But that simply isn’t true! Let’s take our Theater-of-the-Mind Camera Lens and zoom out a bit and shift focus to the Americas. There are creatures from both continents that have lasted for centuries as vampire-like in almost every way. There are simply too many to contain in one post, so I’ve included a Wikipedia link in the headline for further reading.
Vampires have always been associated in one way or another with disease. Vampirism is often believed to be associated with Consumption, or Tuberculosis in particular. There have even been cinematic parallels to vampirism and AIDS.
Yes, AIDS. If you haven’t noticed this trend before, it was especially prevalent in the mid-late-80s. The disease had already been associated with the LGBT Community. Some directors went even further than that by covertly creating the metaphor that if someone had AIDS, they were a vampire. The Hunger (1983) is a prime example of such, specifically with David Bowie’s character who suddenly begins to age rapidly.
Shapeshifter
In more modern times, we associate shapeshifting with it being an ability. For instance, both werewolves and vampires are shapeshifters. But werewolves only change from human-to-wolf, and back again. Vampires traditionally changed shape to more than just bats. Dracula (1931) shape shifts into a wolf and bat, among other creatures of the night.
Like with vampires, I’ve provided a link in the headline. They don’t get as an extensive description as vampires, but that’s likely because this is a nebulous state of being to talk about. There are certainly many shapeshifters in many different cultures (think Loki in the Norse mythology). But it doesn’t feel as specific as, say, Dracula or Carmilla.
Summary
My take on vampires and vampires: they show the sudden and unknowing change from the surface-level normalcy that is our everyday life. The young ghost hunters that want to know if urban legends are true are actually uncovering parts of the city’s history that people have buried in the past. There is an abandoned warehouse that was a makeshift AIDS hospital, but they don’t yet understand what they’ve uncovered when they first find it.
Similarly, being gay was (and unfortunately still is) seen as an abnormality. But the truth rears its ugly head in the form of these cryptids I present in the book. Life is more diverse than we know, and that diversity sometimes encompasses something beyond our scientific understanding. We dive into the unknown because we’re scared and want to understand. And that affects how we identify with ourselves and our environment.
Lesbian Bar Names (End for Now)
I looked at my list just now, fully expecting there to be more. But there doesn’t seem to be any more at present. I’ll have to research more bar names for the future. But for now, I need to rest after moving my life into a new place. Thank you for joining me on this ride of names. I have hopes and plans of continuing this research; especially if I can find the history behind a location. Until then, this mini-queery is finished.
Pop Culture
Each week I include media that I’ve enjoyed. If you’re a creator of any kind, please email me to be included in this list. I love discovering new artists; from singer-songwriters to upcoming directors, and beyond.
Subhumans — Found this band via a blue jean jacket with a million patches on it. Pretty rad.
This Irrationally Emotional Playlist — Found this on Mix, and had to give it a listen.
I recently shared a spooky story to Scared to Death Podcast. I hope to share it here eventually. I’m crossing my fingers they read my story in the near future.
Music has been a little lax as of late (one guess as to why from above), but during this week I’ll be on the lookout.