I’m two stories away from completing the drafts of the 45 short stories. I still have to type them all up before declaring Phase 1 being complete. Nonetheless, I know what’s going to be happen for me is going to be similar to that of a wicked whirlwind. But, right now, I’m just staring into the eye of the hurricane with a smile on my face. I can’t wait to take it on.
life
My brother and I have been talking about my writing and compared me to a particular unsung Founding Father. I found it flattering but inaccurate. See, contrary to his popular belief of me, I do take breaks, especially after my mental exhaustion. But, he did make one thing clear. I do, in fact, work like I’m “running out of time”.
I have been working nonstop for the last two months – both as a teacher and a writer. I’m on SS #37 as I write this blog post and I’ve worked a grand total of 126 hours last month with the promised heads up that I would be scheduled for more. I didn’t realize until later on that I was suffering mental fatigue. It wasn’t a good feeling.
So, for Pride Month, I decided to spend every Friday creating a Top 10 List of anything LGBTQ+ that I can think of at that moment. Just something to change the pace and make everyone smile. (For the previous list, click here, here, and here). This week, I would like to tell you guys where I plan on going for Pride in the following years. I won’t be going alone and plan on going to them all, eventually. Just so you know…I don’t have it in a particular order because that’s too hard. ha ha!
- XLSIOR Festival
- Shanghai Gay Pride
- Buenos Aires Pride
- Tel Aviv Gay Pride
- Sao Paulo Gay Pride
- EuroPride
- Barcelona Gay Pride
- London Gay Pride
- Madrid Gay Pride
- Belfast Gay Pride
- Gay Pride Berlin
- Stockholm Pride
- Amsterdam Gay Pride
- WorldPride (where ever it is for that year)
- GayGames
- LGBTQ+ Film Festival outside of America
- A Gay Cruise of Any Kind
Now, please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2020. My goal is to read 100 books this year and I’m already at 77. Probably end up reading 120 before the year is out.
With everything that has happened in my home country regarding police brutality towards people of color, I thought it was time to put my two cents in on the topic. My brother advised against it because of my lack of negative interaction with law enforcement. However, I have to disagree. I think it’s because of my lack of interaction with the blue blood community is precisely why I can talk about it. So, allow me to express my opinion on the topic at hand.
The role of the reacher is of that of a parent but only on a smaller scale. As a teacher, we are tasked to not only teach kids to be intellectually progressive towards their education but, also, to be a respectable member of society. People seem to forget that school isn’t just for learning from books, but also to learn for the real world. Parents, especially, because they don’t seem to think that this is something to be of great importance. I learned that the hard way.
The fact that I’m back to teaching is something that fills my heart with so much joy. I can’t tell you how much I love teaching. All of my colleagues spend Sunday at an expat bar (bar owned by a foreign) to talk about our first full week back. I couldn’t be happier. Especially since I have been granted the nickname of “Tónghuà lǎoshī” (童话老师) which means Fairy Teacher which I will take because I used a Spider-man baton as my “wand”. But there’s something else we wanted to talk about at the bar: What we were going to do for Pride?
I am so happy right now for so many reasons. My school is opening up this week and my lesson plans are ready to go. This is going to be such a welcome relief because I don’t think I can go another week without teaching my kids. And, that’s not the only thing that made me ever so gitty. Wait for it…I’ve made new friends!!!
Well, I just got done with Short Story #24 and, that was AFTER I got done with three classes and a workout session. Needless to say, I feel delicious and want to swirl a chair around in a celebratory fashion. I’m definitely going to buy a computer desk and a swirly chair when I get done with finalizing my budget for my literary projects. But enough work talk, let me tell you something interesting that happened to me this week.