Date: 10/13/2024
Mood: Good Tired
Atlanta Pride~
Hello all! This weekend was the ATL pride celebration! We celebrate in October instead of June, and gosh am I glad... I'll take 85 degree weather over 105 degree weather any day... I wanted to go to the parade today, but it just wasn't in the cards for me, I went to the fair Saturday and the kickoff Friday though! The kickoff was in the GA aquarium, and that was AMAZING. I dressed up in my cutest club outfit, then put a sweater over it because aquariums are cold, but... I still looked cute.
There were... way more men than I thought there'd be, like it started out as about 25% women, 75% men, but by the end it was around 90% men (or masc presenting people, I didn't ask them their identities). It was so so crowded, and the music was super loud, and NO ONE WAS DANCING! Agggh, that's half the reason I wanted to go, was to dance, but nope... I got up in a window frame at one point, one of the ones you can climb on to look in the tanks, and danced a bit, but it was just me so it was kinda lame. The music was great though, and I did like the DJs they got, there were 3 of them, all in different areas.
I did get to see the fish though! Gosh it was wonderful, I spent most of my time just wandering the halls with Rin, looking at the different animals, which was fantastic.
I gotta say though, the only thing more fun than looking at animals, is looking at animals drunk... I... had a few. I haven't drank in, gosh, a long time, at least not like, drank drank, so when I saw that they were offering drinks, and I knew I was ubering home, I was... very happy. I had 4 cranberry and vodkas, and a jack and coke (one of the ones that comes in a can, it was really gross, I did NOT like it...). It started out fine, I had a couple, and felt good, then I had a couple more, and I was feeling buzzed, but the last one was the jack and coke and I needed to wash that ick out of my mouth, so I got a 5th one, a cranberry vodka, and was like "ok, rin, it closes in 20 minutes, let's beat the rush and get home!"
My last three drinks allll hit in the car home... Gosh, I barely remember any of it... We got home ok, and I sobered up after a mushroom burger and a shower, but I do NOT want to be that drunk again, good lord, the world was moving...
I had a poweraid, and ended up waking up without a hangover, really, which was lovely, and a vegan spamwich Saturday morning settled my tummy and we were off to the pride fair! I'd been to pride fairs before, but goooosh this one was sooooo massive... I didn't take pics of the fair itself, I thought that might be rude to the people there, but I did get some pride stuff and took pics of that!
I felt so so loved there, I just felt at peace and safe and seen and gosh, just so so happy to be a part of it... There were christians there, protesting, (and the cops were protecting them, ugh) but there were anti protesters, and waaaay more, just yelling "Happy pride!" and "You are loved!" and stuff like that over the protestors, and there were like 6 booths of churches that were there to show their support and show that like, not all christians are asshats. It was really nice, I got a blessing from one of them, and they anointed me with glitter, it was so cool!
Just being in that environment, seeing all the love and support and people expressing themselves and just there being SO MANY of us, it really made me happy, I felt like we do have a chance after all, and that I really will be ok in the long run. It can be hard to remember that we have the love and support we need from others, we just have to stop focusing on the people who hate us.
I will say though, I got pretty overwhelmed a few times, the festival area with the music was LOUD, and it stressed me out when we went down there in front of the stage, and there were SO MANY people in places that I felt like I was being pushed around, although I'll take more people than fewer at pride any day. There was also the smell, it was a mix of sweat, lotion, essential oils, weed, fried food, and garbage, and gosh did it get to me sometimes. Rin said it was how fairs smell, and yeah, ok, but gosh, I need a mask next time, I was getting nauseous. I do know my sense of smell (and taste) has changed in the past year, so that may also be it.
Anyhow, after that, we came home, then went to the store and got stuff for black olive naan bread pizzas, and we demolished them while watching scary movies, it was such a lovely end to a wonderful day, I think this is one of the best weekends I've had in a long time.
I'm all sore still, and really tired, so I'll leave you now, and go play video games with Rin for a bit, and try and rest from the past two crazy days, I hope all of you have a wonderful day!
Until next time,
Erica