MILK it baby!

Last week was a bit of a movie week for Gay Cafe. On Tuesday at our usual meeting time we watched the movie "Milk" about Harvey Milk and his work for LGBT rights and on Saturday we went to the movies and saw "Gravity". I've seen Milk once before and I remember feeling so empowered back then. That hasn't changed since then, I felt the message, and I felt the calling. It's especially moving and timely right now, as next week SETA has its annual meeting where half of the board is being elected and I'm one of the candidates for the open positions. I've been thinking about this since last spring and have talked about it with friends and gotten so much encouragement and it's something I feel like I should do. I need to do this. And as much as I want to affect change and be part of something bigger, I'm also terrified. But nothing worth having/getting is ever easy and it's time I step out of my comfort zone. Again.

One of the things I'd like to influence is activating the LGBT community. Whether it's participating in peer support groups, getting involved in their local SETA's, organizing parties or creating their own peer support groups, I want the community engaged. Engaged in the fight for all of our rights, engaged in creating communities around Finland, engaged in intelligent discussions and engaged in changing the attitudes towards us, especially in small towns.

The further away you go from Helsinki, and the smaller the towns get, the longer the distances become and the further away are the local SETA's where you can get the support and friendships you need. If we can get the LGBT people from those small towns to come out to their families, friends, co-workers and local politicians, maybe we can influence a change in their attitudes. It's going to be more difficult to deny people their rights when it's someone you know and love whose rights you are denying.

If I'm elected to be a board member at SETA, I'd like to work in getting people to become members of their local SETA, or even establish one n their home community. It might not be ideal or possible in some smaller communities, but unless we get more members and branch out all over Finland, it never will be possible.

I've thought about establishing a local SETA here, but right now, as things stand, we are far few people to do so. And Forssa and the surrounding area might be a just a little too small of an area for having one of our own. Maybe in the future when I can get more people to actively participate, then maybe. One viable option is to have one for Kanta-Häme. The population would be big enough, but the problem right now is that I don't know anyone from Hämeenlinna. I'f I'm elected to the board I hope to meet more of the local people who might be interested in local SETA. Forssa as an area isn't really attractive for people to move into, as people are losing jobs and factories are closing and after high school people tend to move into bigger cities, and if they are LGBT and get into the local SETA activities, getting them to move back to this small town is very difficult.

So, there's a lot of work to be done and I hope to be part of it, as a SETA board member or just a Gay Cafe leader/Forssa Pride organizer.

Pride stinks or how does the saying go?

And when I say Pride, I don't mean Forssa Pride, but my super-sized head that's about to burst from happiness from all this praise! Leena is writing a blog to city.fi about her year as a Miss Gay Finland and she just posted about Forssa Pride! And she might have, maybe, sort of, kind of mentioned me by name, so yeah…

I'm not saying that you should read the post, but you should probably read her post. If you can read Finnish, that is.

Forssa should hire Rakel and Leena as spokespeople for the city, since they have done more for Forssa's reputation than any ad firms have done with ad campaigns.

Have a super gay weekend, I'm going to go sweat this pride in the sauna!

Dare to dream!

No, really, I dare to you to dream and then make it a reality! Never in a million years did I think that I would get some of the biggest and hottest LGBT-names in Finland to come to my little shindig, but they did and it was amazing!

You know, there's always room for improvement and we definitely have that in regards to attendance but as far as the program part of Forssa Pride 3 goes, I can't complain. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. I had no doubt that Rakel would deliver, she's a pro at this. She's funny, she's articulate and she was the perfect hostess for the event. I listened carefully when Leena won her Miss Gay Finland crown and her speech after winning was something I could identify with. She wants to have an impact on the same things I do. The one part that I wasn't familiar with was Aleks, but I was really impressed with him. Not a lot of 19-year olds have to do that much self reflection nor are they ready to take on the task of changing peoples perception or fight for human rights. Aleks was very mature and his attitude of "you have to take bad with the good" was really impressive. You can't take everything personally and that's something we should all remember. On top of them bringing their A-game, they were all really lovely people and weren't bothered with all the "Can I get a picture with you" questions they heard throughout the night. I think Aleks with his recent stint in the Celebrity Big Brother house was the biggest hit of the night.

 Backstage beforehand.

 Showtime!

Me with the stars of the night.

The intellectual discussion was something that you don't really get in Forssa, at least not in public, and makes me think about all the things I'm missing. Also, makes me sad that not more people were interested in coming to hear them, because there was a lot of things that could have opened peoples eyes and really make them think about things and their own resources to impact a change, whether in their own lives, in Forssa or even more nationally. Listening to that discussion and also the questions that were posed, made me appreciate my own Gay Cafe group and the "more than a rainbow" group I go to at Pirkanmaan Seta.

On Sunday I heard people I don't personally know talking about Forssa Pride for the first time. I thought it was great, because I haven't heard anybody ever talking about anything LGBT related in Forssa before, and just few weeks ago I saw my first female couple holding hands in Forssa. What a sheltered life I've led so far!

I want to thank Green Whale for sponsoring this event and bar 54 for hosting us. I was also promised that there would be Forssa Pride 4, so I'll see you next Spring! Before that I'll be at Lahti Pride, Gay Cafe will be marching there and some of us were thinking about staying for the after party.

The irony

I think it's just swell how a year after (plus minus few days) I had to leave USA they passed marriage equality in the State of New York. Not that it would have helped me, but still. Then tomorrow, on the anniversary of being dumped it would be possible to get married in my home-state-away-from-home, New Jersey. And since DOMA is no longer in effect, this would actually help me.

I should probably send my application for the diversity visa lottery, because I'd probably get it too, now that it wouldn't matter at all anymore.

Is it really tomorrow?

I can't believe my little chat with Leena before Helsinki Pride Parade resulted in Leena, Aleks and Rakel coming to Forssa tomorrow to headline Forssa Pride! How crazy is that? One day you're imagining this little gay party and then year from it you have some of the biggest lgbt names from Finland coming to your party because you asked them! Asked! That's how easy it was.

I'm once again so happy and humbled and amazed what you can do when you dare to dream.

I'll see see you at Forssa Pride tomorrow!

Feedback feels good

I sometimes feel like I live in a vacuum and don't really see the impact that my actions have. One of the biggest reasons for me leading Gay Cafe and organizing Forssa Pride is to create a Community for people around the area. Sometimes, especially when I was doing everything by myself and no one would show up, I felt like I'm living in this bubble and no one else is around. Why am I doing this again? Only gay in the village

Then we get to Forssa Pride and people are having fun, telling me they've had some much fun and how grateful they are that I've organized it. Same with recurring people at Gay Cafe, or new ones coming in and telling me they had so much fun. It feels amazing to hear that what I've created is helping others.

Last time at Gay Cafe I had invited a friend to lead the discussion, we had a 4 page spread in a local news paper to open the discussion about lgbt people as customers in social services and health care and I invited directors of social services from the 5 local municipalities and none of them showed up and only one had the decency to decline the invitation. Then today I found out that one has also been an active volunteer at FSMS but couldn't even bother to decline or reach out. I feel slighted but at the same time I realize how much this is needed. I won't give up.

I also need to learn not to take these things personally. It's hard, because they're things I've come up with, things I KNOW need improving, things I am doing to improve them and no one is listening. No one is paying attention. We're not important enough. Once again, we are invisible, and I feel it's ME that's invisible. And because I feel invisible here, it's sometimes hard to believe in the positive feedback I get from outside Forssa from people who are doing these things in areas where they have a big organization behind them with like-minded people helping them.

I love what I'm doing, at its best it's so rewarding and at its worst it's so frustrating. And this isn't even anything I get paid to do. I must really love it or be totally bat shit crazy!

It's that time again

So, in case you didn't know, it's the time of the year again when Forssa Pride Party is fast approaching and Eino has, once again, made a fabulous poster for the party. It'll be all over Southern Finland in no time. He also made a badge model for it, which I turned into a t-shirt, which you can buy from here.

And here is the poster in all of its glory!

Our Facebook events page can be found here.

I hope to see many of you there, it's going to be amazing time! We are excited!

Best. week. ever!

That might be a recycled title for a post, but I don't care as I feel this has been the best week ever, and I doubt tomorrow will bring it down!

I had my 33rd birthday on Tuesday, which was also the first meeting of the fall season for Gay Cafe and we had a new person showing up who seems like will be returning.

After I came home from Gay Cafe, I had a message regarding the hosting job for Forssa Pride 3's program. All the people who I asked to participate, said yes, so as you might know, Miss Gay Finland 2013 Leena Luuri and Mr. Gay Finland 2013 Aleks Vehkala promised to do a discussion and Q&A-type of thing for Forssa Pride as well as participate in an extra Gay Cafe meeting we have that day! And, if you are in Finland, and have access to TV, you can check Aleks out in the new season of Celebrity Big Brother that started on Tuesday, just as I was announcing the stars for Forssa Pride! The hostess also said yes, but as I have yet to get a confirmation that I can use her name for promotional purposes, I will refrain from revealing it! Still, Happy Birthday to me!

On Friday I got my tax forms back. What was already a substantial amount of money (in my financial situation) became even bigger after my student loan payments and commuting costs for work were included. I feel like another shopping trip to the USA is in order!

And today, I got a phone call from the owner of a local jewelry company from whom I had asked their interest in sponsoring Forssa Pride 3. We have 3 guests coming from out of town whose travel and hotel costs need to be paid for. Green Whale Jewelry has booked and is paying for the hotel rooms!

I have said it before and I'll keep saying it till I'm blue in the face, I love this community so much! Organizing both Forssa Pride and Gay Cafe has really showed me what a community is and people's willingness to help always amazes me.

Tomorrow I will go get trained at SETA in Helsinki, so this week...be still my heart! Only way this week could get any better is if I find the love of my life tomorrow! :)

I hope to see some of you at Forssa Pride 3 and if you show up, come say hi!

Olympics in Sochi

For the last couple of weeks/months, the discussion on the Olympics in Sochi and the anti-LGBT laws in Russia have intensified.

It went from the International Olympic Committee announcing that athletes and fans would not be affected, to many Russian politicians saying it will, in fact, be in effect during the games, to IOC saying  it won't participate in politics etc.

In all likelihood, the games will be held in Russia, but I, for one, won't be watching. I would love it, if the games were transferred to another location, or if the athlete community would boycott it, or even countries at large. But I doubt it will happen.

The violence against lgbt people in Russia has intensified since the law was passed, and it seems like it is all the validation neo-nazis and other homophobes need to justify beating up innocent people for just being themselves.

It's not even about athletes being able to be themselves and feel proud about themselves. It will be very difficult to arrest international athletes without anyone noticing, or without it becoming a major news story and reflect badly on Russia. But who will defend the fans? Suspicion of gay propaganda is enough to arrest people, whether it's true or not. So who will make sure that the international fans will be treated right, or won't disappear in the dungeons of Russian prison system, or won't be beaten to death by locals defending this law? And what about the local LGBT community? How is any of this fair to them? The talk so far has been about the international community and ensuring their safety. Is it ok to beat and jail the locals then? And if a gay fan of an athlete is killed while there, was it worth for the athlete to participate, or to win? Is that olympic medal more valuable than the lives of others?

One of the arguments against boycotting has been that the athletes have trained for years for this. By all means then, the athletes have trained, they must compete. Go ahead Russia, carry on, beat and jail your gays and lesbians as long as the athletes won't be affected. LGBT athletes eligible to compete in these games, who decide to stay home won't really make much of a difference, since there are like 2 male athletes who are out. And there really is no way Johnny Weir will be mistaken as being straight. And his husband is Russian born...as a matter of fact, we share a family name. Maybe we are related?

I've also heard that you shouldn't mix sports and politics. Let the athletes compete and let the politicians do the politics and diplomacy. Once the games are over and done with in Russia, will the big countries remember the LGBT people in Russia? They'll be forgotten. So I will not have anything to do with the olympics as long as they are held in Russia. I will not support anything that would make it ok to put me in jail just because of who I am. I'm very disappointed with Obama as well, because he said USA will not boycott the games. He did elect to not go to Russia for a visit because of this, but still. Someone needs to step up.

I've been to Sochi back in 1991. I actually have two portraits of myself on my walls that were made by artist at a park in Sochi. They look totally different, but still are so me. I was few years younger in these, as you can see.

 The artist put the city and year in this one.

 This one was hard to take a picture of. Flash came up horrible, so this is not the clearest.

Few weeks ago, as part of my job, we do test fishing on 5 lakes this summer. Well, professional fishermen do it, I just go and take pictures. The purpose is to determine the state of the lakes fisheries as well as the water quality. There was a local news paper making a story about the first lake, so I thought it was the perfect gay propaganda photo op, especially since that macho LGBT hating president of Russia had just allegedly caught a "21kg" northern pike from somewhere in Siberia. I'd like to say that the fish I'm posing with is at least 23 kg, but I'd be lying, and we don't lie about my work so...it's just about 400g. Notice my Gay Cafe tee! Unfortunately my t-shirt did not make it to news paper article, but it was one of the most liked picture on Facebook I've posted.

So Russia and Putin, you can keep your olympics, you can keep your track and field World Championships and you can just go. to. hell. It's safe to say, we will not be meeting in the near future. If ever.

Gay Autumn in Forssa

I know it's way early to be thinking about fall as we have been having some amazing summer weather in Finland and it doesn't look like it's going away, but before we know it, it'll be my birthday and the fall semester for Gay Cafe will be fully on. So keeping that in mind, I had couple of friends over today to brainstorm for Forssa Pride Party and Gay Cafe.

There's really no limits for girl power. When it comes to the things I manage, I'm kind of a control freak, but it does become tedious if it's just me trying to come up with things. So as I'm keeping the leash close to me, I do accept some help. And these ladies came equipped with great ideas. We pretty much have the fall program set for Gay Cafe and Forssa Pride Party 3 is going to rock! We have a theme and we have a program, as long as the schedule clears. I'm super excited and can't wait to announce it, and my team is super excited! What we are doing now is pretty much what I envisioned when I was dreaming about a organizing gay parties in Forssa and it can only get better from here. I'm proud of us!

So stay tuned! I will post about both as soon as I have the all clear! (Which is funny, because I'm the boss, so basically if I wanted, I could tell you our ideas already!)

Wild cats

Back to reality from my week long Pride high! I had a Monday off to vacay from vacay. On Tuesday I came down with a migraine after the afternoon coffee break and had to come home in the middle of the day. I feel like cramming up and trying to finalize all my work before vacation as well, because both of my bosses are going to be off the next 3 weeks so there's no one to make decisions. So everything that needs an approval right now, has to be finished. And on top of that, tomorrow afternoon is the annual summer resident day in the municipality building, so I have to give a little presentation on how my projects are going. Not a public speaker, remember!

My cats were not happy that I left them home for a week to fend for themselves. Ybi was here every day feeding them and cleaning the little box, but my cats are afraid of him so they didn't get any human contact during that time. When I came home on Sunday, they were super excited, but just like toddlers they couldn't control their excitement and started fighting. They were wild.

Now, before my vacation, I was able to take Dunkin Donuts outside in her harness and walk around the building, TWICE in consecutive days! That's huge for my timid little scaredy cat! Then yesterday, I took Brooklyn outside for a walk and he walked at least 800m, about twice the usual little walk we make. And When I took DD outside, she didn't wanna come inside until there were some dogs outside who started barking and she got scared. But then she wanted outside again, so she started scratching the  door outside and tried to open the handle! Like I said, I'll have 2 dogs by the end of the summer! Balcony's not enough for them anymore.

Brooklyn has been extra cuddly lately and he's very jealous as well. He was yelling inside the whole time me and DD were outside, he could be heard in the hallway, and he gives me the evil eye when I brush or hold DD. And he yells constantly! Super bossy, that one.

I'm waiting for them to start bringing me their harnesses and leash, because they know which drawer to break into, and when they do, we are joining the circus!

Helsinki Pride 2013 was a blast!

I can honestly say that this was the best pride I've ever attended and I've been to 3 parades in NYC! I had the whole week to soak in on all the gay and that's exactly what I did! Starting from Monday with the roller derby, Tuesday with 2 lectures and a movie, Wednesday with Korkeasaari Zoo in the afternoon and almost gay walk around Helsinki (guide didn't have a micro- or megaphone and there was way too many people to hear anything so we decided to go for a drink instead) and the Miss Gay Finland final in the evening, Thursday with meeting with friends and Friday with Linnanmäki with Ella, a marriage equality lecture in the afternoon and Women's Party that night and the icing on the cake being yesterday's parade and picnic and the party at night...

One of my favorite part of this week was my talk with the new Miss Gay Finland, Leena Luuri before the parade started. Finland's got a woman who can represent the lesbian community and she was just as beautiful and sweet in person as she was on stage. Well spoken, and the fact that in her "coronation speech" she was talking about small towns and cities needing lgbt support groups and activities and how important it is to not forget those places just because they have small seta's or no seta's. Basically putting my thoughts into words. And that's what I told her when I went to speak to her. And when I told her about Gay Cafe and Forssa Pride, she offered to help if she could. I'm glad the panel chose her.

Finnish member of the parliament from my home town, Sanni Grahn-Laasonen walked with us. We had a really good discussion on how to promote Gay Cafe and how very important this group is for Forssa area. We also briefly touched on marriage equality and how she thinks the vote will go when the bill is introduced.

Our super amazing logo!

Kirsi and Toni at the rendezvous point chilling before the parade. Notice Kirsi's tuned tee!

 The whole Gay Cafe gang with few guest stars. One of my favorite pictures from the whole day!

Me in all my glory and Gay Cafe and Forssa Pride stuff.

I sent this picture of us to our home town newspaper as they publish readers pictures on Sundays and they published it today!

 Another picture from our photo shoot at the park!

Heidi has a birthday tomorrow so for her birthday her friend baked her a cake! How cool is this?

At 5:35 you can see Gay Cafe at the parade!

Yle Uutiset also had a segment about the pride. On their website they had few pictures from the parade and Gay Cafe's logo can clearly be seen from it, as well as Heidi and Ella. The US ambassador to Finland was also marching at the parade. He's a cool dude!

Like I said before, Gay Cafe was placed with the SETA member organizations and I'm so proud for that. All this is so huge for a small town group like ours. I'll post more pictures and clips if I find any. I can't post any more pictures, as I accidentally shot off my camera as it was transferring pictures to my computer and lost every. single. picture from my camera! Thankfully I uploaded them to Heidi's computer yesterday and she hadn't had a chance of deleting them yet, so she'll send me all of them on a memory stick.

Helsinki pride parade

I got an e-mail today from the parade organizer with a list of the march order. Gay Cafe has been put in with quite the group; we will be surrounded with all the different SETA organizations! And we'll be at the beginning of the the parade. Once again, I'm so proud of our group and what we've been able to achieve in such a short time. I'd still like to see more people participate in the group, but as far as recognition from around Finland goes, we've got it.

We will meet at the left side of the steps of the cathedral between 12:15 and 12:30 on Saturday if you'd like to march with us. You can find us from our Gay Cafe t-shirts and flags.

We went to see roller derby exhibition game today...from what I saw, wasn't really my thing. Tomorrow I'm going to listen a lecture on lgbtiq literature and then we'll go see a movie.  Part of my program for Wednesday is still open, but we are going to watch Miss Gay Finland that night. There are way too many great lectures and happenings going on at the same time to choose from so I'm having problems deciding! It's gonna be a great vacation, the only thing I'm sad about is not seeing my cats this week.

The wet t-shirt race

Suvi-ilta's marathon tomorrow is turning into a wet t-shirt competition. I have a white Forssa Pride t-shirt I'm wearing so if it's raining like it's supposed to...

Dunkin Donuts wants to participate as well.

My Gay Cafe t-shirts finally arrived today! YAY! And they are fabulous! I'm spending the whole week in Helsinki and will be wearing a GC t-shirt every day. Gotta represent! Now the question is, which one should I wear tomorrow for Pirkanmaan Pride?

I think the one in top left corner is my favorite.

All the gay

Gay Cafe had its last meeting for the spring this past Tuesday. We ended up tying the record attendance of 5 people, which I was really happy about. And if you don't include me, none of them were the people who started. I guess in a way it's sad, but it also shows that we have done something right and the word has gotten out.

We are going to Helsinki Pride as a group and we'll be visually pleasing. Not that we, as a people aren't, but we will have flags and and t-shirts with the logo on them. Charlie did a fantastic job with the t-shirts as well, and I might have bought 6...another person who's coming to march with us bought 2...And I've advertised it on the Facebook page as well as with people who have shown interest so we'll be seen. I'm really excited about it but also really proud of the little group we've gathered. And the ideas people have come up with for PR for our group has been really great. I don't see any reason why Gay Cafe wouldn't be around for years to come. And the community and sense of belonging has been great. What I visioned when I started with Forssa Pride and what is happening now through Gay Cafe is exactly what we need in Forssa. Small steps but we'll get there.

If you are so inclined, you can buy a Gay Cafe t-shirt from here. There are 5 different designs, at least 21 color options, t-shirt models for men, girly fit, zip up and pullover hoodies, v-necks etc. And even with the most absurd color matches, the logo comes out nicely. I bought 6 for now, but I will definitely buy hoodies for the fall. I don't get anything from the t-shirts, all proceeds go to the designer, but she has definitely earned every penny and I hope these will be a hit.

The radio interview I gave about Gay Cafe and Forssa Pride before FPP 2.0 was translated into Russian! The leader of the english speaking group I go to in Tampere is Russian and he told me about it. If you are Russian or speak Russian, here is the link for it. My Russian is so rusty these days that I didn't even try to read it. I just saw my name and Forssa and I was happy. And since my friend didn't tell me it saying anything bad, I'm pretty sure it's "straight up" translation of what was written in Finnish. Which at least in the beginning gave the impression I might be transgendered, but whatever. I can't be doing this and be afraid of labels, even if they are the wrong labels.

I'm going back in time in about a weeks time. Or back to the beginning in a way. Putting my gay advocate training in use and Mikko and I are going to a summer camp for 15-16 year olds to talk about sexual and gender minority issues. I had the training in March of 2011 and this will be my first session. I'm excited but also a little afraid. It'll be fine and Mikko is great, but it's the first time jitters.

Pirkanmaa Pride is in 2 weeks. I'm running the 10k in Forssa at 4pm and then head to Tampere for the party. Midsummer is in 3 weeks and my first stint of summer vacation starts from there. I'm heading to Helsinki for the Pride and staying for the week. I'm going to enjoy the hell out of this summer and all the gay I can. No regrets and no thinking about the money spent. You only live once! At the end of August I'm going to New Jersey and I'm not sure which will weigh more, me after I've eaten n all the places I wanna eat, or the luggage after the shopping spree I'm going for. Every day I send a place or restaurant to Candice and am like "We need to go here too" or "I wanna eat here too". There's no dieting while I'm there! And I'm organizing a MSU reunion as well. Everybody except one guy has said they're on board, so it'll be great!

The weather has been crazy in Finland for the past few weeks. We usually don't have this consistent heat wave even in July, and this started in May and is continuing for the foreseeable future. I love it, but  it's frigging hot in my apartment. But we do deserve this after the snowy and cold winters we've had for the past few years.

I'll post some pictures of my gay cafe t-shirts and from all the events I'm going this summer soon. Happy Pride month!

Gay Cafe Logo

Since I already posted them on Gay Cafe's Facebook page, here they are; the new look of Gay Cafe! Charlie is amazing and I couldn't be happier!

This is so cool! It's simple, it's mysterious and it's edgy! I already made badges from it!

 I love this look! It's so classy, understated but still clear on the meaning and also where. I'm blown away by Charlie's talent and if I'm ever in a position to send some business her way, I definitely will. This should be her profession!

I love the colors, I love the font, I love the look, I love 'em! 

Be on the look out for us at the Helsinki Pride parade! We'll be seen!

Woo hoo!

Charlie really came through and designed a logo for Gay Cafe that will live on for years! It is AH-MAZING! I can't wait to get the t-shirt and make the flag for Helsinki Pride and for people to see it! She really should be doing this professionally!

I'm so happy!

It's getting ridiculous

What is, you ask? The amount of posts I'm writing about being proud, excited, humbled etc etc...And once again...I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!

Yesterday was a Gay Cafe meeting day. I sat there alone until 6:30pm because nobody came earlier and someone had promised to come after work. Not only did we get a one new face but another one showed up as well, and this was hands down the best meeting I've had with Gay Cafe! We started to throw around ideas as to how we'll get people to participate and how we'll get noticed.

Cue the ideas! A little girl power, and now today I have signed up our group to march in the Helsinki Pride Parade as our own group and I contacted a super talented designer who's logos and t-shirts I have admired for awhile and asked her if she was willing to design a logo for us. Told her I couldn't pay her but she'll forever have my love and admiration. And she said yes! Of course she said yes! When you need your gays to come together, they do just that and then some! I absolutely LOVE this community. And now it's worldwide, because she's English! Hurray for the internet!

So, she asked for some ideas, what I wanted and I sent her an e-mail telling me what all I wanted to use the logo in. And told her some of the designs she's made that I liked. Gave her the words I wanted there, and told her to go with her creative instincts. I also contacted the organizations hosting our group and asked if they'd be willing to pay for the flag or banner we'd get made and she told me to make a proposal in writing with how much it would cost and she'll take it to the board. If they don't pay for it, I will. We're doing this people! So, if you want to march in the parade but don't have a group, come join us! You can either contact me here or on our Facebook page. The logo will be our Facebook picture as well and there are some other things I'm making, but those will be revealed in due time.

Once again, ask and you shall receive! I know asking for things, whatever they are, is sometimes really difficult, but during this time I've learned that most likely people will surprise you in a positive manner. I've gotten some jeers from some of my friends especially when it comes to anything Gay Cafe related, but all the positive feedback and talks that I've had more than make up for it. I'm 100% certain that this is important and I'm honored to be part of it.

Earlier yesterday I got a phone call to my work phone asking about Gay Cafe. They said it was needed and important and we should meet up to talk about it so yesterday really was a super gay day!

Another one bites the dust

Why do fictional lesbian couples happen to good people? Why?

So, I have 5 episodes of Glee I haven't watched and am not even sure I want to watch now. Last night was the season 4 finale of Glee, and what probably was the last episode for Heather Morris as Brittany S. Pierce. No more Brittany means no more Brittana and that's just unacceptable.

Even though TV representation of LGBT characters is a huge reason why gay rights movement has gained straight and political allies and why celebrities and athletes and other famous people, as well as people like me have felt brave enough to come out to the world, I sometimes seriously feel like lesbian couples should be banned from TV. Or if not that, writers should take an oath to honor and cherish their lesbian characters. From Tina and Bette on The L Word, to Callie and Arizona on Grey's Anatomy to now Brittany and Santana on Glee, the writers and creators have no fucking idea what they are doing with their characters. And how badly they assassin their characters. And how for so many people around the world, these characters might be the only thing keeping them from committing suicides or giving into the pressure from family and friends to be straight, or act like one.

Whenever I speak about Gay Cafe and what I personally am trying to accomplish with it, I think about the teenage me who felt different, who didn't understand the appeal of boys or boyfriends and who felt betrayed when my best friends started dating and forgot about their friends. I think about my huge huge girl crush on an athlete and how obsessed I was and how I didn't understand what I was feeling, and how it just might have helped me figure out my feelings and sexuality a lot sooner if there had been a lesbian or a lesbian couple on my TV 15 something years ago. And how these two cheerleaders from Lima, Ohio, have given teenagers and even older generation something to look up to. And how the writers totally fucked up the storyline and couldn't get their heads out of their asses and see the amazing natural chemistry these two have.

The writing has been on the wall ever since it was leaked a month ago that HeMo was pregnant and that finale, of which I've only seen the Brittana parts, pretty much solidified that Heather isn't coming back. They also alluded to the fact that Santana is dating in NYC and moving on. I'm not sure that even Naya's hotness and charm and quick witted lines can hold the Brittana shippers watching. And whoever they cast as the potential love interest better have amazing chemistry with Naya, because if they really want to sell this new romance to the lesbian and bi community, we need to see sparkle and we need to see character development and we need to see great writing and story lines, something that the writers have yet to produce.

If Heather comes back and they start putting Brittana back together, I'm not sure we're going to be able to buy it. The male presence in a lesbian relationship is something that every writer is trying to force on us, and ultimately is something that turns me off. Tina went off with Henry, Callie had "sorbet" with Mark and got pregnant and Brittany dated and "married" and had a cat family with Sam. The fandom talks about "endgame" and how the journey isn't important, it's the ending that counts and if Brittana ends up together, great! Well, I don't buy that. The L Word was kind of successful in restoring Tibette, by the 6th season I was fully on board the great Tibette ship and believed they could conquer everything and anything. The road to Callie and Arizona's lamest-lesbian-TV-wedding-ever was so bumpy that by the time they eventually got married and lived happily-ever-after, I wasn't buying them as a couple anymore. And as it turns out, happily ever after wasn't really ever-after after all, as in last nights episode Arizona cheated on Callie. So really, if they end up together after all this, can we believe it?

And season 4 of Glee. Really? Like I've said before, I do NOT believe a long distance to be a reason for a break up and that was basically the reason they gave for them to break up. And then afterwards, Santana was in Lima every other episode so really, long distance? And she was pining after Brittany and trying to get her back, so long distance wasn't a valid reason at all. And then they had the brilliant brilliant idea to have Brittany and Sam to date. Each other. And have Sam say stupid things like "you're my soulmate" and "I've always had a thing for you" when in his first season he proposed to Quinn in like 2 episodes and then last season was chasing after Mercedes and even dated Santana for awhile. And they they got fake married. And had absolutely no chemistry. And the storyline wasn't going anywhere. And now, in season finale, Brittany broke up with Sam. And then later said she loved him. And they friend zoned Brittany and Santana, again. As much as I want to have these two together, do I believe in them if Heather comes back after all this? Glee's going to have to hire some female writers, preferably a lesbian writer, who actually understands women and more importantly, lesbians! So much potential, so little sense.

I am going to bury myself in fan fiction and get what I need from it. If only some of the fandom's most talented writers would write a screenplay and get it produced. We could get some quality lesbian representation and with the right actresses, it could be epic.

(I should probably mention that Tina, Callie and Brittany are bisexuals so it's not outside of realm to have them go back to men. It just sucks that e v e r y t i m e I find a fictional TV couple I cheer for or identify with, one of them is bi and men interfere. Can't I just get a lez lez lesbian relationship where men are neither wanted nor needed?)

A community

We're on to something here, folks.

Forssa Pride came and went. There was far fewer people there, and not among them were any of my friends, so I had a lot of time to speak with people. And one thing was perfectly clear: We need this. We need Forssa Pride and we need Gay Cafe. We just need to figure out how to mobilize people. Get them out of their comfy closets and into the scary world of gay.

So how do we do this? How are we as a community coming together and making sure that we have a community? I need ideas, so if you have any, please feel free to share.

Today's interview

Here's a link to listen to my interview from Radio Häme later today. It starts at 4:15pm Finnish time (GMT+2). You should tune in at around 4, because last time it started a little early. I'll post the links when they are available after the interview has aired.

I also made a decision today that I'm vary excited about and even got an endorsment from somebody whose opinion I value very much! I can't say anything more, but you'll hear about it come Fall!

Happy Forssa Pride Party 2.0 day! I'll see you at Bar54!

Edited: Link to a small text version of my interview in Finnish.

Radio interview

I'll be on the airwaves tomorrow at 16:15 Finnish time talking about Forssa Pride Party 2.0 and Gay Cafe. The station is Radio Häme 96.0. And starting at around 10pm you can find me from Bar54 for Forssa Pride! See you there

Mail order biker chick

Supposedly it's spring time now, although you wouldn't necessarily get that from the weather we've been having but calendar says it is and if the lightness of my mood is any indication, it definitely is. As there are no lesbians in Forssa that I can see, nor do I think there are any biker chicks that are into women, I think I should order one from the mail? The increasing sun and slowly warming temperatures just make me feel like I should be on a bike. And since I don't own one, nor do I have the drivers license or the means to get one, the logical conclusion is to have a girlfriend who has one, right?

I went to body pump class today in my brand new Forssa Pride Party 2.0 training shirt. I originally was only gonna wear it for the 10k in June, but after talking with a friend she made me realize it would be a good way to advertise as well, since my gaydar peeps at some of the people there. Yesterday I also took a poster to my gym after the owner gave me a green light and it's the first thing you see when you enter the place. Hard to miss. I love it!

I went to Pirkanmaan Seta's english speaking rainbow group on Monday after missing it for the past 6 months and I gotta say, I felt and still feel the energy burst I got from talking with those guys. It's like the best possible pick-me-up and I feel sorry for the people who are sitting at their homes rather than finding the courage to come to our meetings in Forssa. I understand that I'm out and totally ok in my skin and that's not the case for many gays out there but still...As a closeted or questioning LGBT person living in Forssa area, there are no resources to help them accept themselves other than the internet and whatever information and friends you are able to find from chat rooms, message boards or tumblr. And then there's our Gay Cafe and the bi-annual Forssa Pride. And going to Forssa Pride if you're closeted is a huge step that not many is willing to take. We could help them find themselves or at least work towards that and if they are not taking this opportunity to use us now, it might be too late next fall. And I cannot emphasize the validation and joy you get from speaking with a like-minded people who understand what you are going through, what you are feeling and how terrifying it can be.

Volunteering at FSMS has brought new dimensions into my life and some people I might have not met was I not involved with this organizations. They are doing an amazing and selfless job that not many is willing to do. And tomorrow we're gathering for a spring welcoming meal together.

Forssa Pride Party 2.0 is 2 days away and I hope to see some of my readers there. If any of you are coming, could you come and talk to me and tell me why you are reading my blog? I'd really like to know.

Body switch

I don't know who this person is who's taken over my body, but I like her! Now when she leaves, I hope she'll leave me with a tone body...

I don't think I can emphasize enough how lazy I am. Like really. I believe in last minute panic and not doing things if I don't have to. (This is good to divulge now in case my soulmate reads this and later on accuses me of not giving a full disclosure.) And housework is the last thing I ever wanna do. Cleaning, dishes...yuck! But, this does not mean I have dirty dishes everywhere or trash on the floor, it just means that quite often my things don't find their way back to their places. Doesn't bother me until it does. Then it's a full on spring/x-mas/special occasion cleaning. Since I know myself, I have been trying to tackle some of these things in advance. My apartment was supposed to be clean for Forssa Pride so I could have my friends over, but since they're not coming, I don't have to be in as tip-top shape as I thought. So...maybe I'll clean, maybe I won't.

But, today is day 7 of my 7 day exercise week and I've mapped out a new route for my run. Originally the plan was to go to body pump class today but I thought since it's a gorgeous spring day with plenty of sun, why not go for a run? There's no way I'd ever be able to compete at a top level in any sport because I'm a quitter. Can't lie. I don't push myself hard enough when it comes to exercising and I am fully aware of it. So I'm super impressed with myself for sticking with this. Tomorrow I'm going to Tampere after work so it'll be a day off but on Tuesday and Thursday I'll go running and on Wednesday a body pump class. But today I've already gone grocery shopping, am about to go running, will do the dishes and cook 2 meals. Who does that? Not me! And I took the kitties outside for a walk with a friend and Brooklyn escaped and I had a heart attack...thankfully I was able to catch him but boy did he have fun while free. No treats for him today.

So, who ever this person doing these things is, I hope you stay for a long time or at least leave my body in a better condition than it was when you took over!

One hit wonder

Forssa Pride is one week away and the same worry and doubt I experienced before the first one is slowly creeping in. What if no one shows up? We have less people signed up than last time and all my friends are fleeing abroad or are not in the area that day (or are mom's to a month old). Last time We had no numbers to expect; We were fearing for the worst but hoping for the best and 184 people showed up. This time We have expectations, well I do at least. And I announced that We will try to outnumber Sirkka-Liisa Anttila's municipality elections vote count and have at least 219 in attendance. What if nobody shows up? What if Forssa Pride is a one hit wonder? And I have the absolute BEST idea for the 3rd party, if We're able to have it. Please people, show up!

Jenni of the year

I'm nominating myself for a "Jenni of the year"- award, because I totally deserve it!

I'm super lazy and if I can find an excuse to skip something I'm not exactly enthusiastic about, I will use it. This applies to cleaning, washing dishes and exercising. So today, I was once again alone at the peer group meeting and bummed out about it. I came home and opened my tax return envelope from last year and got some fabulous news! My mood switched from pissed off to great in a second!

I've set a mid goal for my getting into shape to run the 10km at Suvi-Ilta in June for Forssa Pride next (weeks) Friday. As I've said, I want some of the excess around my stomach to tighten up by then, and to be able to run a little longer than a minute. Well, today after all this, I went for a run and ran the whole 2,5km. The first half, running away I used the disappointment from peer group to fuel me and coming back I used the tax returns to keep me going. And it was raining!  Raining, I tell ya! And I ran and I ran and I ran...and I sweat. Since I have all kinds of things planned for next week and only 4 days before Forssa Pride, I decided, provided my body can take it, to exercise each of the 7 days of this week. Yesterday I went for body pump class, today I ran, tomorrow another body pump, on Thursday after the evening event at work to introduce the bike lane plans to the public, I'm planning on going for a jog, and then from Friday through Sunday more body pump classes. Next week I might only be able to do one body pump class and maybe go running twice, so it's crunch time. I'm focused. I'm ready. Six pack is just around the corner!

In another news... a former Forssa-dweller sent me a private message today on FB asking me about Forssa Pride and peer group etc. She said she heard a rumor there was FPP coming up but hadn't seen any ads for it and that she googled it and saw my interview and that's how she found me...I was curious as to what's out there on me and found a list of all the shows that Forssa Theater has done and found my name there! All of the 3 shows I did as a kid. The world doesn't know what it lost when I decided not to pursue acting as a serious career!

I'm going crazy

I think I've mentioned my serious distaste for both jogging and doing the dishes before, but in case I haven't: I hate jogging, it should be illegal and if I could, I would hire someone to do my dishes or if there was an ecological and economical way to use paper plates, I'd use them.

So why is it that I have done the dishes twice today, without running out of clean dish ware and have gone jogging? And now, at 8pm, when it's so nice and bright outside, I feel like I should go for another jog? What's wrong with me?

I've never really gone to the gym or exercised with a serious commitment during the weekend, but this was the third Saturday in a row when I went to the 11am Body Pump class and today I went for a jog. If you get into a rhythm with weekend gym, if and when you go out of town for a weekend and don't do your usual routine, you start feeling guilty about it. That's what happens to me anyway. But now, with the 10k looming in the not so distant future, and Forssa Pride Party 2.0 2 weeks away, and me still carrying this non-pregnancy, pregnancy ring around my buddha, I've increased the frequency and intensity of my exercising. And I'm thinking about adding a 4th Body Pump into my week for this week and maybe I need to go jogging every day as well if I want to see any serious progress before the 26th. It wouldn't hurt with the preparations for the 10k either, provided that my body can handle it.

Body issues, gotta hate 'em!

Next week we are introducing the bike lane plans to the public on Thursday. I'm all of a sudden super busy at work but that's good, the day(s) go faster. I feel like there's 2 days in my work week these days; Monday and Friday. Nothing exists in between.

Until next time...

What makes a parent?

Is it DNA? law? Intent? Marriage? Love?

One of the arguments the opposition uses to justify their stand on gay marriage is procreation. Same sex couples cannot create a child with both their DNA's, so they shouldn't be equally recognized in front of the law. Because there isn't enough people on this earth already. But I won't argue the "straight couples who can't have kids together shouldn't have the right to marry either" point here.

It seems that creating a child and not loving/supporting/taking care of them is made easier than wanting/loving and having one. And to be legally recognized as a parent isn't made easy either. Having a child that's legally recognized as the child of a same sex couple is made difficult, but it seems that having a child out of "wedlock" isn't the state preferred option either, even if the commitment, love , DNA and intent to be a parent are there.

My friend told me yesterday that because she and her fiance are not yet married, they have to go to a social worker to announce/admit the paternity. Until then the baby has her last name and I guess legally he's not the father? They've been together for forever, have a house together, are engaged and have a life together but that's not enough. I laughed. Told her they're treated as badly as a lesbian couple. I mean, obviously it's not the same as what I'd have to go through, but seriously? He was there when his son was born, couldn't he just announce his intent to be a father?

You know what does make a father int he eyes of the law? A marriage! And since marriage still is just between a man and a woman in Finland, I'm talking about fathers here. Had we a marriage that didn't need gender, I'd talk about parents. If a child is born in a marriage, even if the husband was not the biological father, his name will be on the birth certificate until they go and change it. Bureaucracy!

A lot of legal protection for children comes from their parents being married. I think this example just makes it so much more clearer why we need to fight for our rights. For my kids one day to be recognized as a child of their parents, legally, without any unnecessary bureaucratic hoops involved.

There are millions of kids around the world without parents, with single parents (when the other one left or wasn't around to begin with) or with parents that don't love them, didn't want them, and treat them badly. In our society, it's more preferable to keep a kid with their parents even in less than desirable conditions, because of DNA, than to make it easier for loving same sex couples to have a kid that's legally recognized as their own. I don't get it. I really don't.

A couple I knew in USA adopted 2 kids few months back after going through for what I can only imagine was a lot of legal hoops, money, bureaucracy and other crazy things. They were suffering from infertility and then became foster parents. Eventually they were able to adopt the kids in their care. If procreation is the only reason to be married, shouldn't they be denied the right to be married? Or if the infertility is found out after tying the knot, can they stay married? No one who meets them can't deny the love and commitment they have for each other, and I know those kids are super lucky to have them as their parents. DNA shouldn't play a part in it.

Love's what matters. Why can't people see it?

And even though I managed to make this post about my rights once again, it really is about my indignation over the way my friend is treated.

Outrageous!

I read this article and was instantaneously filled with righteous anger. Where is Forssa Pride on this list, huh? Forssa Pride should be like the first Pride fest you ever go to! Like seriously! I demand recount! The writers of out traveler should come to Forssa Pride on the 26th and experience this extravaganza first hand!

In other news, my friend had a baby boy few weeks ago and I'm going to go sniff him out tomorrow! I'm not sure if I should wear Forssa Pride t-shirt or Manchester United jersey, because on one hand it's good to educate 'em young (really, never too early, although his mom celebrated Forssa Pride with us in October so he'll know what's up) but on the other hand, his parents are Barcelona fans, and I've already named him Leo Messi before he was born because of that, so it would be a good thing for him to see the better side of football too!

My short term goal of getting "fit" for Forssa Pride Party isn't really seeing much progress. I've gone to Body Pump classes about 3 times a week and I've increased the weights and I'm mindful of my core not giving out on me and fucking up my back, but when I measured myself a year ago (hip, waist, chest) and yesterday, I've not seen the decrease I hoped for. Fucking thyroid. I need to have my thyroid tested in few weeks to see what the levels are, and I'm otherwise feeling good, but the weight isn't going down. My weight fluctuates about 1,5kg from day to day, so it's hard to see any progress, but I'll be happy if I don't have to see the numbers 5 and 9 next to each other. I'm aiming for 55, I think my usual 52 is not within reach anymore. Or it will require measures not healthy for me so let's aim for something I might be able to reach. Once it's actually good enough weather outside and I can start running, it shouldn't be this hard. And I'm thinking about buying a bike if I can find one somewhere cheap and start riding it to work. You're probably thinking who is this person? I speak crazy, I know!

Forssa Pride Party 2.0 t-shirts now available

If you're interested in getting one of these masterpieces, you can find them in here.

I designed one few weeks ago that only I have access to, the ones on sale are the round badge logo. Here's a picture of mine.

Too bad it's not exactly a t-shirt weather n Finland with all the snow...

Song of the day

Recently I've been listening to Maroon 5 and Justin Timberlake's latest CD's and where as Maroon 5's whole album clicked right away, I had to give it some time for JT's music to open up to me. I got Maroon 5's overexposed because One more night is the new abs workout song in Body Pump and it's the best abs regime ever. If I ever get the motivation to actually do it at home, I now have the song.

JT I got because I kept seeing people talking about it on Twitter and his last album hundreds of years ago was really good. I mean, it's JT. When I listen to it the first time I was like this all sounds the same. It's sounds like 4 minutes featuring Madonna...Nothing was standing out. But once I kept playing it in the background it started to speak to me. JT is a genius, plain and simple. So, for the song of the day, enjoy JT's mirrors

Jewelry étiquette

So what's the deal with jewelry from your ex? I mean obviously rings are a big no no, because there's a special societal meaning behind rings, but what about other stuff? I don't own a lot of jewelry and I'm one of those people that if I have to put something on and take it off a lot of times a day, sooner or later I will stop putting it on at all. And I don't really care about jewelry all that much, but I like to have a necklace and earrings on, and sometimes I wear a ring. But I ware the same thing, I don't change often.

For my 28th birthday my ex got me a necklace with a heart pendant, which I love. It's small, it's simple and I wore it for every day for about 4 years straight. At some point it did mean that we loved each other. After the break up, and especially lately, I've felt weird wearing it. If I wear it, it doesn't give out any secret meaning of me wanting her back, does it? Because I like it, and I'd like to wear it, but when I start dating I don't want her to think I'm stuck on the ex. 

I also have another necklace she gave me, with a cat pendant. I actually had to think about when and where I got it from, and it definitely does not spell love. Except my love for cats. But it still is from her. And the earrings she gave me are the nicest I've got and I wore them for the longest time as well. I guess it's not a problem now, but what about later? I really don't wanna go jewelry shopping, it's such a hassle.

Help?

Mixed feelings

So according to some trashy magazine and half of Tumblr and twitter, one half of the actresses playing my favorite lesbian (broken up) couple on TV is pregnant. Great news for her and her boyfriend.

But what about us? What about me, huh? Why does this ALWAYS happen to my favorite lesbian couples? Why? The show has sucked for awhile and they made them broke up for no real reason ( I do NOT consider long distance a valid reason) and the fans have asked and begged and prayed for them to get back together and now it looks like it might never happen. I divorced the show a few weeks back because it just wasn't going the way I wanted but damn, this is depressing. It would be so much better for my mental health for TV shows not to have any lesbian characters/couples. I get attached and then they get fucked up. I mean Xena and Gabrielle never made it. Bette cheated on Tina and even though they got back together and lived happily ever after, we never knew who killed Jenny. But I'm able to enjoy Grey's Anatomy these days as just entertainment as opposed to being a representative of lesbian love and something to aspire for since I got over my Callie and Arizona shipping. I'm not sure if I'm able to do this with Glee,  enjoy it as just a show among others, just because the quality of the show has gone down a LOT during this season.

Maybe I'll just stick with crime dramas with no relationship aspects so I won't get attached?

Is there a support group for this? I do know that my existential crisis over a fictional TV couple(s) is ridiculous. I'll mourn this today and be happy for HeMo tomorrow. And we don't even know how this will affect them, but I have a feeling it's done now.

Le sigh.

Furry babies

Here it is, like promised 700 years ago. Pictures of my furry babies. It's been a great gay couple of weeks both in Finland and in USA, but right now I'm focusing on my kittens.

My cats are like toddlers and they are in the midst of their terrible two's right now. They now the word no and what it means (in Finnish) but they either ignore me, or go right back whatever it was they were doing before. I have my old computer hooked on my TV in the bedroom so I can watch american DVD's and whatever shows I have on my computer. It's on a little table and Dunkin Donuts likes to stand on it and rub her face against the edges of the TV. Problem is, she's standing on my computer and I tell her no constantly. She jumps off, and as soon as I turn my back, she's at it again. Same with breaking and entering my drawers. I can tell her no and spray her face with water as many times as I want and she still goes right back to it. Any suggestions as to what I can do to prevent this? I'm thinking of getting lime or lemon juice and adding that to the water, they are not fans of citrus.

Brooklyn likes to jump on top of high things, whether the coat rag, on top of curtains or the doors. Every morning I come out of my bedroom to find my scarfs and hats and mittens on the floor after he's been hanging out at the coat rag.

My cats love being at the balcony. This is Brooklyn checking in.

Every once in a while I I look at this website for stuff for the cats. The heater beds sounded like a great idea, because they love to hang out by the heaters during the winter, but they didn't use these until maybe 2-3 months after I bought them.

My cats believe in free-raising (don't remember what the term is in english right now). Basically it means that every surface and nook and place in here is free for them to use as they see fit, which means that if and when I eat at my kitchen table, there's always audience ready to bounce. This is DD being stealth.

Brooklyn is my care bear. He has to have hugs at least 5 times a day or he might not survive. He's so cuddly. It's one of the reasons I can't sleep in the same room with them. At some point during the night Brooklyn will sit on my chest, purr really loudly and start licking my face. And when he's not doing that, he's practicing for cat agility and jumping on and off the bed. I think licking my face is his way of giving kisses, because I kiss the space between their eyes. 

No wonder my shirts are always full of cat hair, even when I've used the fabric brush and tape on them! They use my jackets as their personal climbing wall!

Brooklyn being cute.

Dunkin Donuts is an independent woman who doesn't need hugs often. It's maybe once a week that she comes to sit on my lap by herself and it usually happens just before I'm supposed to leave for work. What's being late a little when you can get hugs from this fur ball? 

Yesterday morning before 8:30am Dunking Donuts had gotten into my lap TWICE. I think she approves of these long weekends and me being at home and not rushing out soon after I wake up. Easter can't be bad if the first day you get plenty hugs early. It seems that DD would be more social if I was home more. 

Enjoying the outdoors.

Going to the bathroom is a family affair. If I close the door Brooklyn is sure to come and open it. I don't understand the allure of a bathroom but for the cats it's a must.

Of all the space and all the stuff I've bought for them, this is their absolute favorite. So much so that sometimes they can't wait for their turn and have to lay on it together.

The doors to my walk in closet and linen closet don't close properly and I don't want the cats to get into either one, so I had to do something about it. First I only had the upper one but when Brooklyn figured out how to wiggle it open (it's on my eye level) I had to get another one.

I love Dunking Donuts' stomach fur. It's so long and fluffy and silky smooth. I don't necessarily love it on my sheets and clothes and sofas and chairs and tables and rugs and...and...and...but that's the price you pay for having mid long haired cats.

Can't touch this! I can see and hear Brooklyn mocking me every time he's on top of a door and I can't reach him.

Brooklyn's just so cute!

Not the expensive cat beds but the 1€ plastic containers!

Dunkin Donuts being cute.

Dunking Donuts trying to blend in with the black sheets. Brilliant idea when you have cats with white fur!

Yogurt is their absolute favorite human food. I can't open a can in the bedroom without the cats hearing it in the living room. After that they stare at me and try to get a lick if I turn my back. Survival of the fittest and sneakiest in this household when it comes to yogurt. And you'd think that orange flavored wouldn't be a hit. 

Why did you lock me outside?

Cats wanted to take pictures with me.

Brooklyn coming for hugs and headbutts.

Bathroom fun.

Aren't they just the cutest?