I just submitted this letter to the editor to the Denver Post. We'll see if they respond. Last time I wrote one, they published it.
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Denver Post,

Not for the first time, I am disappointed in your representation of the LGBT community. Last June, your scanty coverage of the 2008 Pridefest celebration left me cold. This year, after reading your article about the comeback of drag in Denver, I’m feeling like you have missed the point yet again.

Your May 31, 2009 issue featured Nina Montaldo, Ginger Sexton, and other prominent Denver-area drag queens, and talked about how drag is “flashy, bold” again. This was exciting and inspiring. I went to high school with Ginger and was thrilled that her hard work over the years was finally being recognized. However, there was no mention anywhere about the charitable side of drag.

Through the “court” system set up by The Imperial Court of the Rocky Mountain Empire in 1973 (ICRME, www.denvercourt.org), drag queens, drag kings, and everyone in between are elected to raise money for charity, improve relationships between the LGBT community and local businesses and organizations, and generally help people in need. I’ve seen the advocacy at work with my own eyes, and the money raised for good causes has been substantial. According to the ICRME website, people in the drag community have “raised hundreds of thousands of dollars collectively to channel back into charitable, social, and political causes”.

Why was none of this mentioned in your article? While it was fabulous to see drag being talked about and even celebrated in your paper, the article was shallow and one-dimensional because it did not delve into the social, political, and economic impact that drag has had on the LGBT community and beyond.

Disappointed in the Post yet again,
Me

Well, I started the morning by getting stuck in the elevator at work. It malfunctioned while I was inside (alone), and my first thought was, "Oh my god, I'm going to plummet to the ground in this thing and my knees will break!!!" I pushed the alarm button, and the button that allows you to talk to someone, but neither of them worked. Thanks, old-ass work building! Eventually things sorted themselves out and I left in one piece, but I was pretty shaken up about it. Death by elevator is not on my list of fun things to do this summer.

Robert Pattinson is starring in a film where he plays Salvador Dali, and there are supposedly all kind of homoerotic moments in it, and I HAVE TO SEE IT. The film is called Little Ashes, and is only in the indie theaters here for a week, which means this is happening in the next few days. My friend Jennifer is going with me, and I seriously can't wait. Omg.

Speaking of friends that are girls, I'm trying to collect more of those. I've dropped several of my gay male friends (or they've dropped me, more accurately), and I'm realizing that I need women in my life. So now I have Ashley, Jennifer, Paige, Sara, and Shaina. This is a good thing.

I'm still keeping myself busy with movies, parties, and just general hangouts with friends. It's nice to have a social life during the summer and not have to worry about school or anything else except going to work. This is not to say that I'm not still dealing with all kinds of crap (if I could tell the story here, I would... maybe in a protected entry later), but I'm trying not to let shit get me down as much. Anyway, I have therapy on Thursday, so I can kind of unload on my therapist and hopefully leave it behind.

I think that's pretty much all I can squeeze out of myself for today. Why is blogging so much harder than it used to be?

Everything about today sucks. I got a bad dye job at the salon yesterday, and today my hair is bright red with undertones of pink and purple. It's garish and disgusting and I fucking hate it. I also woke up feeling sick, with really bad dizziness/vertigo, and my allergies have taken over my life. If my eyes aren't running and itchy and red and gross, it's not a day ending in Y. Plus I feel ugly and panic attacky,  and just generally like crap. I've tried calling people to talk, and after every call, I end up feeling worse instead of better. This sucks so bad. If I could just sleep the day away so it would be over sooner, I would, but even that is impossible because of the racing heart and panic bullshit.

I'm so miserable right now.

Xanga seems kind of pointless these days. I know in some ways I'm just avoiding it so I don't have to delve deeply into anything, but I've also been super busy with work and trying to have a social life, and I just haven't had time.

I will say that I have a super intense crush on a married guy at work (he has twin girls, too). Ugh. He's so fucking beautiful it hurts. He's tall and solid and manly and has a great ass, his voice is deep, he's ex-military (but not in a brainwashed sort of way at all), he's traveled all over the world, he's funny, he's sensitive (he called me at home after Ron moved, just wanting to make sure I would be ok because he knew it would be a rough day), he comes by my desk multiple times a day to chill, talk shit, etc., he argues with me (omg I love that), he sends me funny emails, he always wants to high five or pound fists or something else lame which means I touch him all the time, and it's just FUCKING AWFUL. I like him so much it tears me up inside sometimes. And it's so not like that with us at all. He's married, and I'd never want to go there. We're friends, you know? But he's the kind of friend I fantasize about and who can turn my insides into knots just by looking at him or hearing his voice. Crushes are the worst thing ever.

In other news, I have some cell phone pics to post, so here we go.

My new cousin (second cousin, I guess, but whatever) Ashlin Rose.

Ashlin with mom Amber and dad Michael.

TILLY!

And...

My dad's dog T-Bone. Aw.

Me, being a photo whore.

My face is SO asymmetrical. Oh my god.

Under eye bags + weird lighting = looking like I got punched in the face.

It would have been a cute-ish picture, except it's blurry. Oh well. Now it's fodder for the Xanga machine.

My personal favorite. I was not sunburned whatsoever, but for some reason my face is fucking PINK in this picture. Probably because of Nick's oddly neon (but awesome) orange sunglasses..

Indoor football team: the OMAHA BEEF. They have an all-male dance team called The Rumproasters. True fucking story. Bahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!

Best...shoes...ever. They're gold, they're bedazzled, they're being worn by someone with cankles, AND they're orthopedic! Amazing!!!

I simultaneously want to tell a whole bunch of people to fuck off really, really hard... and hug everyone else because I love them so much.

It has been too hard to post lately. I'm trying to avoid talking about my feelings (I'll leave that for therapy, for now), and am just keeping myself really busy instead. And we all know that having a life = not posting in Xanga as much.

Wtf. I have nothing else to day. This whole entry was fucking pointless except as a look at me! look at me! form of attention-getting maneuver.

Pshhh.

Ron left for Texas this morning. I got up early so I could tape a note to the windshield of the U-Haul, telling him goodbye. It turned out he was walking out of the door of his apartment at the exact moment I got out of my car, so no note was necessary. I hugged him, and then his sister said "you're going to make me cry!", at which point I started bawling and had to get out of there. I've been crying all day since. I'm crying right now. It feels like I'll never see him again or something. It feels like the end of the world. This hurts so bad.

I saw No Doubt with Paramore and The Sounds last night, and the concert was amazing. When I think about how I almost didn't go (panic attacks)...oh, man. Sadly we (Ron, Nick, Jon, Lanka, and I) didn't arrive in time to see The Sounds, which really sucks (this concert was so PUNCTUAL...wtf), but Paramore were good, and No Doubt were fucking amazing. I've had their music in my head all day. It was the perfect set. The people-watching was pretty fantastic too. Freaks of every size and shape, the worst fashion choices ever, etc. I love just sitting back and letting the citizens of this planet entertain me with how very human they all are. Plus being a snarky, outfit-critiquing bitch with Nick is always fun under any circumstances.

Tonight is Ron's last night in Colorado; he and his sister are leaving tomorrow morning. I'm going to have dinner with them in a couple of hours and try not to be emotional.

In other news, I am so not dealing with this week at all. I'm a fraction of an inch away from getting my period, for starters, and that never helps. I think knowing that Ron is leaving is really starting to sink in, too. Add lack of sleep, panic attacks every few hours, and missing my therapy appointment due to said panic attacks, and that will pretty much explain why I wasn't brave enough to go to work today, and why I decided to call out tomorrow too. I'll be running away to my grandmother's house in the country first thing tomorrow morning. Concert aside, things are really shitty for me at the moment.

The sky was grey and cloudy, it rained and poured, and we didn't get to barbecue at all. But it was still a good time. Greg took over in the kitchen and used 3 burners and my George Foreman grill to make the hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs and brats, and we all just ate inside or on my patio. It's funny because it wasn't cheerful-looking at all outside, and yet everyone seemed to be in a great mood. We didn't need no stinkin' sunshine.

A couple of my favorite photos (the rest are at http://shelly100.xanga.com/albums/065e9e05323d30/):

See how dark it was outside? It was only about 3pm or so. I was having a hot flash and was all red and sweaty. Wtf. Ron got his hair mohawked, and it looked cute.

He's got to be well over 7 feet tall with the hair, and she's 5 feet. Crazy.

The burgers were SO GOOD.

My sister and I, with Tilly. We both dye our hair, but I didn't realize it looks like exactly the same color!

Ron and Jon. Haha, they look like the denim twins, but Ron is only wearing my denim jacket because he was freezing. It was waaaay too big for him.

Nick, acting like a tard (and doing a very convincing job). I have video...

Nick and Paige, hanging out on the couch. They look so comfy.

There were about 12 people there, all in all. Nick took these excellent Polaroids, one of which has the whole group in it.

This is everyone except my sister and her boyfriend. How did they weasel their way out of that?

Dirty!

I just looked outside and it is raining yet again. Time to curl up in a blanket and watch crap tv. Ahhh.

Final grades are in, and I got an A and a B, like I thought. So instead of a 4.0 GPA, I have a 3.94. It doesn't sting as bad as I thought it would. In fact, I think I can live with this and not feel like a failure. This is a very good thing.

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Today I'm running around cleaning, cooking, and shopping for the Memorial Day potluck/BBQ I am having at my place tomorrow. I'm worried about the weather, because it has been raining in the afternoon all week (and tomorrow will be no exception), so I don't want the rain to spoil our frivolities. Fingers crossed, and (I'm sure) photos soon.

Bon week-end.

Oh my fucking god. Finals are done.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I decided to be ok with a B in my Java class rather than giving myself a nervous breakdown. This is BIG for me, the girl who has only had a couple of Bs in her entire life.

I probably got a 100% in my Chicana/o Literature class, because it was pathetically easy and I can write one hell of a good essay.

Ok, I'm so over rehashing it. Excuse me while I sleep for a week. Kthxbye.