Gay in the Bay | Vol. 2023, Issue 7

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 February 12 - 18.

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.

Writing

Broke Ass Stuart

Most of the writing done this week has been in preparation for a potential job. If you’ve lived in the Bay Area for any amount of time (which is about as long as I’ve lived here now), you have definitely heard of the sassy Broke Ass Stuart (BAS for short).

BAS made a call for a writer, part time. I made the most humorous cover letter I could write and sent it to the Editor In Cheap. The Almighty Editors (my name for whomever responded) answered me and gave me a deadline for this week. I’ve answered it.

I have become a Game Master!

Chaos ensued and I stepped up to the plate! This past Wednesday I became a GM (Dungeon Master if that’s more familiar to you) at the New Parkway Theater. The usual GM was unable to attend tonight’s session, and there were about 15 people joining. The backup GM asked me if I could be in charge of the other game. I was more than happy to oblige.

Queer Superhero Novel

While writing for my book has been sparse this week, I’ve still written something. Outlining has been necessary in order to make this superhero story feel like an introductory novel; not just focusing on the main character. Because of that, I’m learning what tropes are expected in order to make something feel like a “superhero" story. Some are obvious (like costumes, the need/want to save people, insane ideas for world domination, et al), while others less so.

I’m introducing other characters. It just makes sense to me to include more heroes while more villains appear in front of the main character. But it still requires more planning to make everything feel coherent.

The End of the Internet?

I just watched a video by Legal Eagle on YouTube that talks briefly (20 minutes is honestly brief for this particular lawyer) about a Supreme Court Case. One that can spell out disastrous things for normal social media things like sharing your next drag show event on Facebook.

He was as brief as he could be, and I have a link to his video. This case is pretty complicated, but I’ll attempt to summarize it here.

A case was brought to the United States Supreme Court. This case dealt with a question that has massive ramifications: is Google responsible for its content on YouTube? This is certainly something that will affect everyone to varying degrees. I will follow this and see where it leads.

Oakland City Hall in State of Emergency

The city of Oakland was hit by a malware attack on February 8th a couple of weeks ago. The police department and other public officials are being somewhat transparent about the issue. They are acknowledging that it happened, but not indicating in what way. This could be a tactic to minimize damage being caused, or to minimize public panic, another reason entirely, or some combination of both.

This story is progressing, as they are still fighting the malware. As much as I’m not a fan of any police force, the police department appears to be the most forthcoming on information.

Oakland Police Dept. on the malware attack.

Mind Ghirardelli Square’s Dust

Ghirardelli Square is a fixture of San Francisco. I finally got to visit on February 14th, where I discovered a lot of the shops are currently closed. There are signs stating they will open up in the Summer of 2023. In just a few months, we’ll get even more chocolate options and see what they’ve been working on!

Berkley Throws in their chef’s hat for Best Pizza

Berkeley claims to have the best pizza in the Bay Area. Is the SF Eater article correct? Please let me know, in the comments or on Instagram! I take this as a personal challenge to venture in the wilds of Berkeley and scavenge their pizza selections.

National News

USA Today continues coverage of the officers charged with the death of Tyre Nichols from January 2023. The most frustrating part right now is that the court system will not start proceedings until May 2023. Paul Hagerman is the lead prosecutor, and is urging the courts to do what is right. Whether the officers are allowed back to work until then remains unclear. They go on to include the defense attorney claiming there should be justice for Tadarrius Bean (one of the officers charged for Nichols’ murder).

This whole situation calls for a complete overhaul of the police department. It has been clear for years that the entire system is questionable at best, and corrupt in every level at worst. But Memphis and the rest of Tennessee would rather kick the can down the road and focus on budget cuts or a new stadium instead of focusing on human rights. Did Martin Luther King, JR die for nothing in Memphis? My former hometown can and should do better.

The New York Times tripped this week

Major backlash has started following a New York Times Op Ed by Pamela Paul called In Defense of JK Rowling. If you decide to read the opinion, go for it. But this is most professional gaslighting I have yet to read.

To quote Bo Burnham: “The backlash to the backlash to the thing that’s just begun/ There it is again/ That funny feeling/ That funny feeling.”

Table Top Ideas

And now for more positive news…

I recently hosted my own game of D&D and loved it! I’m now looking for resources to help make things even more fun. There’s a lot of discourse on what’s better: analog vs. digital content. In the wake of the OGL debacle, the flames of chaos have been fanned as more lovers of lore and character sheets debate on the best way to play a table top game.

Personally, I love digital content. That’s not to say that screens dominate the table during the game. It just keeps things less cluttered. The biggest bonus is that a map (among character sheets and other small details) can be printed out and drawn over a million times over!

The coolest find this week is a fantasy map maker. Inkarnate is a website that allows any Game Creator to create a map to their own specifications. The range is tremendous; from world maps to furniture decorating a building, it has it all. My first impression: this caters to the medieval setting that most are used to seeing in D&D. My hope is that they accommodate other map aesthetics as well.

Color Coded Calendar

Each week I keep track of events so you don’t have to! This is amazing since I’m neurodivergent. But below are events that I really think you’ll enjoy…

Each week The New Parkway Theater in Oakland has a variety of events. The two that I love the most are Drinks & Dragons (Wednesdays) and Trivia (Thursdays) respectively. Check out The New Parkway website for further information on these and other events. You cannot go wrong no matter what day you show up.

Monthly Stuff

OmNomNom Burlesque will perform at Amado’s in the Mission District. This month’s theme is Afro Futurism.

998 Valencia St.

February 25th at 8.30pm

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.

This week a special mention must be made to the video below. Tennessee has done a lot of questionable things lately. But something UNquestionable was Clyde Stubblefield and his contribution to Hip Hop, among other genres of music.

A short documentary about Clyde Stubblefield.

  • I love dogs. NYC banned dogs on subways. This beautiful mess happened.

  • I was hanging out with friends after Poetry Slime, and we started talking about bands we listen to. I’ve always enjoyed the more mainstream stuff, but I took notes. I’m in love with these new-to-me bands:

    • Plumander

    • Destroy Boys

    • Illuminati Hotties

    • Japanther

    • Amyl and the Sniffers

Gay in the Bay | Vol. 2023, Issue 5

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 January 29 - February 4.

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.

Writing My Fiction

Since getting back from Las Vegas, writing has been slow. Even worse, I’ve had to dramatically cut down on the amount of coffee. Which is a real tragedy, since I’m one of those writers that drinks gallons of coffee while writing. Talk about extra…

All this to say: writing is slow this week. While I’ve been applying to jobs and recovering from jet lag, my story has been growing in my head. And I’m realizing that I’ve spoken about writing without saying what these projects actually are. I will rectify that in due time.

As if I needed more projects, there’s a new one announced below.

Goings On

I visited Chinatown SF yesterday. There’s a new Light Rail line that opened up in January 2023. The north end of the line brings you to Chinatown, and I was excited to explore more.

There is a tunnel that reaches underneath Stockton in Chinatown that can be seen all the way from Market St. I ended up on top of this tunnel, and explored the area taking photos. The best are featured here.

Live Performance

Live performance means many things to many people. This week’s post focuses on burlesque. Empowerment comes to my mind, but it may be different to you. Let’s explore that with these events. Special note: I am still new to the Bay Area; if you know of a show, let me know! I’m always up for attending a new show.

OmNomNom Burlesque has me feeling fomo, because I keep missing their shows. I hope to rectify this soon. Until then, their next show is February 25th at Amado’s in the SF Mission District. INSTAGRAM.

Beta Test Burlesque is new to the scene. If you have a performance that you’re working on, test it out here! Right now the best way to find this show is to look up #betatestburlesque. The next show is April 15th, with more details to follow.

History

KQED is spending 2023 covering the history of the Bay Area. You can find the initial article HERE. I found out about it through the Broke Ass Stuart website, whomst gives an oft-times humorous view on events in the Bay Area.

I’m very excited to learn more about this region-specific genre. I grew up in Memphis, the home of Blues and Rock’n’Roll, but moved to the Bay Area about a year ago. This has me wanting to write about historical Oakland figures of yore. For instance, the hiphop artist Too Short (stylized to Too $short) became notorious in his own rite in the 1980’s, and even has a film in post-production called Freaky Tales. You can follow the production of that collection of four stories HERE.

For now, I will figure out the structure of how I want to tell these stories. I am not the first to tell them, and I want to have fun while staying true to everyone’s voices. One particular story I want to look into is the migration of Blues to the Bay Area…

Color Coded Calendar

Each week I keep track of events so you don’t have to! This is amazing since I’m neurodivergent. But below are events that I really think you’ll enjoy…

Each week The New Parkway Theater in Oakland has a variety of events. The two that I love the most are Drinks & Dragons (Wednesdays) and Trivia (Thursdays) respectively. Check out The New Parkway website for further information on these and other events. You cannot go wrong no matter what day you show up.

Monthly Stuff

Sticking with The New Parkway, there is an event called Queer Classics; a monthly event that celebrates older movies that are either explicitly LGBT or produced/directed by folx in the Community. February is the Oscars Edition, with a February 19th showing of The Merry Widow (1934). Check out the Facebook Group here for updates. Samir the Curator has become a welcome guest to my podcast Queer Film Theory, which you can listen to here on the site or on Spotify.

At Milk SF there are two events that are near and dear to my heart.

Queer Bedtime Stories convenes every third Thursday of the month at 8pm. This is a safe event at a safe space where one can read LGBT poetry, memoir, literature, or even original works! If you don’t like standing in front of crowds, that’s perfect; you may simply enjoy the works read aloud. Each month is many things, but amazing tends to be the through line. INSTAGRAM.

Poetry Slime waxes poetic every third Saturday at 2pm. To quote their Instagram: “Like a slam, but also not at all like a slam in any way.” This event brings a delightfully queer chaos as each person reads either an original work, a work by another author, or an unhinged celebrity Instagram post. Wondering which celebrity I’m talking about? Show up and find out. INSTAGRAM.

Las Vegas Pictures

I mentioned Las Vegas last week and didn’t provide any proof. “Pics or it didn’t happen” is a phrase thrown around a lot, and I needed time to recover from traveling. So, without further ado…

A video of the Las Vegas Strip. By Josie Sweeney

A walkthrough of the Fremont Experience in Downtown Las Vegas. By Josie Sweeney

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.

  • An amazing article on M3GAN (2023), by Jake Warren.

  • Scream 1-5; I was never interested in these movies as they came out. Besides, I was too young to see (or appreciate) the first one in 1997. But I heard about #6 and became interested. I’ve now watched all five movies and can’t wait for the 6th installment!

  • Books and comic books; I want to read more and yesterday on the way to Chinatown I read a couple of comic books. I’m catching up on issues, volumes, and novels that have been upset and waiting on me to read them. I’m trying to make my relationship with this To Read pile better.

Gay in the Bay | Vol. 2023, Issue 3

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 January 15 - 21.

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.

Writing

Revisions began on the queer superhero novel last week. I’ve made progress on the beginning and veering into the middle. There is still much to figure out with this story, but it’s a good start.

One thing I’ve changed is the structure of chapters. I have renamed all chapters to “issues,” because I want this to be similar in structure to comic books. There is only a couple of big changes going on, but these categorical changes are resulting in many words at a time.

What happened this week…

This week has been eventful!

D&D OGL Updates

Each week I attend a D&D session at The New Parkway. But that was somewhat overshadowed by the continuing saga of the Open Gaming License (OGL), and the reaction against the Wizards of the Coast (WotC). As of today (January 22), the dust has settled for a few days. There are still videos published on YouTube that discuss and, in many cases, rightfully complain about the decisions made. There are several videos that do a good job explaining all of this, but the most recent one can be found HERE. The link goes to a DnD Shorts video. There is a lot of historical facts and contractual verbiage that he and other YouTubers are making understandable. This is not a simple matter.

Things To Do in the Bay Area

There are so many things going on in San Francisco. Milk SF on Valencia St. is a wonderful queer-friendly hub that supports two such events. And they are both on the third week of each month.

One of them is Queer Bedtime Stories. This is an event where everyone reads poetry, short stories, or snippets from provided books. This gives a spiritual air, though there is no emphasis on religion. Host Scott gives each attendant a chance to breathe and celebrate the queer culture around us. This is an event that I love attending each month.

On the third Saturday of each month, a very different type of event occurs at Milk SF. A pun on the idea of poetry slams, Poetry Slime is a two hour rush of poetry, prompts, and in-the-moment jokes. After moving to Oakland, this was one of the first events I attended. This is a wonderfully chaotic time and cannot say enough good things about Poetry Slime.

If you are interested in attending either of these events, please check out their Instagram accounts for up-to-date information. Queer Bedtime, Poetry Slime.

And the Rest

A friend had a house warming party. I got the chance to hang out and get to know some recent friends better. It was a great time. Folks in the Bay really know how to throw a party!

I closed the week out by recording an episode of Queer Film Theory covering the movie The Hunger (1983). As always, there was plenty to talk about. The next movie has already been announced at the New Parkway Theater. You can find more information HERE.

Weekly Pop Culture…

  • Early this week a newly published book arrived. I’m very excited to have begun The Tidings of Misfits by Jordan Dugdale.

  • I’ve largely listened to the same music while writing a big chapter. The Villain Mode playlist has been good, but I’ve also listened to my Hyperfixation list.

Thank you for reading this issue of Gay in the Bay. Just like my works of fiction, this is a work in progress. May your upcoming week be fabulous.

Review: The Painted Ladies Tour

I found out that you can tour one of the Painted Ladies the first time visiting Alamo Square Park.

The term “Painted Ladies” refers to Victorian and Edwardian houses being repainted in three or more colors that enhance the architectural details. This practice began in the 1960’s. This doesn’t specifically apply to the seven houses in famous commercials, movies, and tv shows. But when you hear Painted Ladies, most think of the background of the intro in Full House, or the beginning of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978).

When I visited the Alamo Square Park, I noticed everyone there were taking pictures and sitting to face the houses. As if the Tanner family were about to walk out and wave to their fans. It was surreal, and I found myself doing the exact same thing. Groupthink is very surreal sometimes. I walked over to another part of the park to take a picture that I believed approximated where Bob Saget and the rest of the family sat for their picnic, the Painted Ladies perfectly in the background as if joining them for sandwiches and tea.

Two of the Painted Laides have Instagram accounts. The Pink one has a sign in a window displaying this fact, so I looked it up (@PinkPaintedLady) and saw a second one (@BluePaintedLady). Blue shared that there are daily tours. So I had to take a tour.

To take a tour of one house covers the lifetimes of generations of a family. You learn the intricacies of the house, yes, but you also learn the quirks and traits of family members that once took charge of these Victorian Era houses. They may have all started out the same: Redwood Cherry, the same or similar molds, so much flourish and beauty. But these houses have adapted to many owners and so much more construction projects that it would be difficult to keep an accurate account of them all.

Enter George Horsefall. He is the historian that keeps up with it all. And does a wonderful job of it. And that’s what makes this tour a five star experience.

But I’m cutting myself short in this review. In most cases, you need to cover the actual history or material discussed. Not the vague statements I’ve provided you, dear reader, today. Well, I don’t want to steal the spotlight from what George loves to do. The price for entry at 4pm is more than worth. Plus, he invites you to have a glass of wine if you’re willing to share your own story. I can’t think of a better thing to do: sipping wine while listening to someone else’s condensed life story in a Victorian living room after a tour.