I blame Netflix.

I haven't worked much on set this last quarter/"semester", as you know. And as you also know, I'm really only happy when I'm working on set.

I managed to NOT slide into my standard winter SAD or any Depression, despite not working much on set. Probably because I picked up my crochet hooks, and because I started re-binge-watching The West Wing.

So now that the weather is improving and my breathing is worsening and I'm still not working enough and I'm caught up on all seven seasons of The West Wing, I seem to have become

a mashed couch potato.

So even though I have been meeting my nonFitbit-thingy's daily "step challenges", I haven't regularly hit 10,000 steps in a looooooooooong time. With my breathing/coughing/allergy issues in flare-up, I feel good about the step challenges but would really like to re-build my energy to the 10K level, which should help me tone up ^that^.

Now, this post is not in any way meant to body-shame you or anyone else you know. It's my own dissatisfaction with what I have allowed to happen to MY body('s shape). Pretty sure I was hoping/planning to get fit in the recent past/nearish future. I haven't, and

I Blame Netflix.

when Breathing is a difficult thing

It's becoming a chore, kids. It's a real drag. Some days, I struggle to fill my lungs to 75% capacity. Some days, I struggle to fill them to 50%.

And on days where the act of breathing isn't the problem, then I cough my fool head off. Or I clear my throat All. Day.

Here are "just the facts, Ma'am":

• we moved in October
• adjacent to our new building is a church that's been under construction for something like 4 years (timeframe per our upstairs neighbor)
• I started having shortness of breath issues in November
• I had health insurance through Warner Bros. until the end of November
• I called Kaiser on a 50% day to make an appointment; I was seen the next day as a walk-in to fill a cancellation void
• my appointment was likened to taking your noisy car to the mechanic but the car purrs like a kitten - my breathing that day was probably at 90 - 95%
• the doc found nothing physically wrong with me (I'm not sick, kids) but did prescribe for me a rescue inhaler of Albuterol, with the admonition that if things got worse in the next week or so, I should follow-up with him
• my rescue inhaler started with ~200 "hits"
• I no longer have health insurance
• the construction is nearing completion
• the weather has changed to warm, sunny days (from cold and wet)
• I'm down to fewer than 20 "hits" on my rescue inhaler
• BREATHING IS A DIFFICULT THING, OF LATE

We walked over to CVS yesterday, because my non-productive cough was worrying for Stephen. The lung capacity is more of an issue in my mind, but I understand that if my coughing keeps either or both of us awake, then our sleep is interrupted, and our next day is likely to be pretty crappy all around.

So we picked up some Mucinex DM, which is both an expectorant (to make my coughing productive) and a suppressant (to quiet me enough for us both to sleep). I have taken three dosings so far, and my cough is more productive. I do not know how long I will need to continue taking Guaifenesin (the active expectorant ingredient). According to my nonFitbit-thingy, I slept pretty damn well last night, and I guess I can blame the Dextromethorphan (cough suppressant) for that one. Also, I've been feeling a bit sleepy since about 9 p.m., so I'm thinking that one of the "inactive" ingredients may also be contributing something there.

But I have been unable to reach a person at Social Services to see if I qualify for Medi-Cal or if I'm supposed to be paying out of pocket for health insurance that I cannot afford at this time, and my inhaler has fewer than 20 hits left. The CVS pharmacist told me I could get the doc I saw to refill my Rx, or I could go to a CVS insta-clinic (he called it something else) or an Urgent Care center to get a new Rx, but without insurance, how much will that cost me? I just don't even know.

And right now, Breathing is a difficult thing.

What advice would you give me, since I'm pretty sure you can't just send me a cartridge of Albuterol or any Prednisone (steroids) to help open my airways?

I'm Ba-ack! (Maybe. We'll See)

So I worked a total of three days in January, and that was GLORIOUS. I mean, I really thought it meant I'd be working my "regular" shift of at least once per week, throughout 2017, until the Scripty gig for that show I'd worked in the late summer picked up for season two (which would mean MORE than once per week). So January left me feelin' pretty good about myself and my industry.

And after I marched in the #WomensMarch, I crocheted myself a Pussy Hat.

Then I crocheted a smaller version, thinking one of the young nieces (or nephews, 'cuz I won't say no) might want one. No takers, so I unraveled the thing and made another Moebius Scarflet to match my Pussy Hat. Because, why not?

Meanwhile, I kept looking for work. I ran into one of the actors from last summer's show, and he told me that he'd been contacted about going back to work in late March. It makes sense that they'd contact the cast before crew, because you have to build your shooting schedule around their availability. He also told me that the writer/director had gotten his SAG card in the meantime, so there was a good chance the project would be a SAG Signatory. That's great news for the cast, and it's not bad news for the crew, because IATSE Signatory comes next (usually by Season 3). So I shot an email off to the director/writer, checking in, congratulating him on his Union status, and hoping to hear back regarding crew scheduling soonish. This was February, so it's not like I had any worries. Just trying to do my own "due diligence".

But I did not work a single day in the month of February, and Depression crept in. I reached out to the producers on Friday (March 2), and the email response that I received, pretty quickly, was that they were all crewed up but thanks for checking in.

WaitOneFuckingMinute.
When they (the production) made the announcement that there would, in fact, BE a second season, one particular producer seemed to go out of his way to Promise Me the gig.
ButThePeopleWhoWorkForYouHiredSomeoneElse?
What.The.Fuck.Is.Up.With.That?

Now, if you know me at all, you know that ANGER is not one of my go-to emotional states. Sure, there are things that will piss me off, but I usually get over those things and get back to Optimism or Joy or at least OKAY. But for most of Friday, I was LIVID. I couldn't see straight. My world was burning.

And then, when I finally was able to focus enough on "now what?", I got really sad/upset/crying... about the fact that I had somehow done something to lose a "promised" gig.

So Now What?

I called Warner Bros., because when my temp assignment ended last year, I was told I should reach out to HR if I wanted to come back. The job I had done for them was listed on their careers website, so I went ahead and completed a new application. But the group assessment for potential new hires had just happened on Thursday, so my odds of "perfect timing" were 50/50.

And I continued submitting for other appropriate gigs, and Wouldn'tYouKnowIt? I booked work for tomorrow. It's a semicasual background role on the last day of the season for a show I've worked very sporadically in the past. It should be a pretty laid-back day, from what the casting director has said, and it should (hopefully) reboot my psyche back into "work begets work".

Aaaaaand I made another thing. It's amazing to me that crocheting has such an impact on my mood. I started this thing on Friday, and finished it today. It's a prototype, really, because I can't figure out when or where I will actually ever have a real opportunity to wear this rather-dressy-while-still-very-casual "summer sweater", out in the real world. But I made it myself, without a pattern, tweaking as I went along, and I'm pretty happy with it, for a first attempt at brain-vomiting a wearable thing.

Whatcha think? Should I go yarn shopping and make more things? Should I come back to blogging? Would YOU (or your female SO) wear the boobalicious bulky summer sweater above? WHERE would you (or your female SO) wear it?

A Week Later...

and I made another thing!

Okay, it's actually been almost a year since I'd set the crochet hooks down. Once I completed Emily's Moebius Scarflet, finished in February or March, but not in time for her to need it, I didn't mail hers to her until this Christmas. So in the meantime, I packed all of the handicrafts away for colder weather.  Then I recently picked it all back up, finished

the wrist gauntlets

that I had started with the small remainder of InnerHippie's yarn (but had kept connected to each other, making them impossible to actually wear), started a new something-or-other that turned into

a headband,

using more of Emily's yarn, and then pining for a bulky yarn like I'd had with

my own, original Moebius Scarflet,

but doing nothing about that yearning.

Then, last weekend, millions of men, women, and children marched in the #WomensMarch, and large numbers of them were wearing "(Grab 'em by the) Pussy Hats", mostly in pink, and ALL hand-knitted or -crocheted by the wearers or by crafters who couldn't physically march but could contribute warm headgear. I marched, but without the hat, because I hadn't gotten around to figuring out how to make one, or buying the appropriate yarn, or anything else.

See, prior to the march, all of my crocheting was single straight lines, back-and-forth, until I was ready to connect the thing to itself. Well, except for the gauntlets, which were essentially tubes, straight lines of stitches that spiraled until I was out of yarn. But really, I had no idea how to make anything that wasn't a straight line, and I didn't feel I had time to learn a new stitch. So I marched without any headgear.

However, upon my arrival at the subway station beneath the starting point of the march, I commented on one hat in particular, and indicated that I only knew straight-line crocheting. The wearer told me that you just stitch a big rectangle, fold it in half, and stitch the sides. The "corners" become "ears" once you put the thing on your head! Voilá! ... too bad I didn't know that two weeks ago. Hrmmm...

So. The march itself was super-energizing, even with the 1.5+ hours of standing still, waiting. I got home from it, blogged, and then found time to make a dummy hat with more of Emily's yarn, break the hook I was working with (I'd always used plastic, rather than metal hooks, and the finer the yarn, the smaller the hook, meaning the "weaker" the hook. I've broken two plastic crochet hooks in my time doing it; probably the same size. Thankfully, Jo-Ann has allowed me to replace the full sets each time). I completed my dummy purple hat (without "finishing" the stitches), tried it on my head, liked how it looked, for the most part, but ended up taking it apart (because an inspired dream gave me a better plan than "folded rectangle"). The purple-dummy-hat-rectangle is currently another Work-In-Progress, a soonish scarflike something.

When I returned the broken hook, I "upgraded" to a metal set. They are not as comfortable to work with, in my hands, so I'm glad that while I was at it, I also picked up a coupla skeins of really bulky "baby" yarn. This stuff is SO soft! And with it being "bulky", I get to use my larger (stronger) plastic hooks.

So here we are,

one completed "pussy hat" 

and one just started, in a smaller size, just in case any of my nieces would like to wear a soft pinkish kitty on her head!

Who wants one? I also have the super-soft bulky yarn in purple (of course, DUH!)

The last of the reviews (for awhile) PART TWO

Moonlight A timeless story of human self-discovery and connection, Moonlight chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.: It would have improved my viewing of this film (possibly our viewing? I dunno; you'd have to ask Stephen) to have read ^that^ little IMDb blurb before watching our screener. We had no idea what this fucking story was about, or who we were supposed to be rooting for (I mean, okay, we had an inkling) or who were the antagonists (again, the bullies were clearly "bad guys", but who else?), or where the hell the story was going (nowhere, truth be told). We did not care for this film. We were impressed with the casting, but other than that? Meh. You may hear otherwise. I have heard glowing praise. I also heard glowing praise for Fences. Didn't care for that one, either.

(the new) Ghostbusters Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat.: OMG, kids, if you have any love for the original, then you have to watch this one! It isn't a sequel; it isn't an "homage" (altho it does pay mad respect to the original); it is simply a different take on "what if there were ghosts invading New York City?"

It is So Much Fun, this film. Every character is FULLY defined, and the acting is So Good. We picked up our Blu-Ray at Target, both because it was on sale for $TEN (what?) and because Stephen had "won" a Target gift card at his place of employment, so we watched the flick on a night before I was booked for work, and then we watched all the special features on the following night, after we were both home from work. We laughed our asses off, probably the entire time. I don't think it's even up for any awards at this point, but so what? Acquire a copy to add to your collection, and prepare to laugh your ass off. <-- That is my recommendation. #ChrisHemsworthOMGSoFunny

Captain Fantastic In the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, challenging his idea of what it means to be a parent.: Okay, so I had to stream this over my laptop screen, because the #SAGAwards folks hadn't made it available on hard disk, and the one or two screenings I'd tried to attend didn't pan out. I may have said this before; I'm not a fan of streaming video. Every six seconds or so, it would do a micro-pause, which, of course, I got used to. But that is not optimal viewing, and everyone knows it. If I get my wish, next year, ALL of the films and shows that are up for even a single award will arrive in hard copy in my mailbox, WITHOUT all the extra mailers that are trying to get me to vote but are essentially wasted trees.

So. That said, this was another I had no idea before I watched it, what it would be about. Honestly, with its title, I thought it was an off-brand superhero film. I was looking forward to it. It had good moments, I won't lie, but overall, I'm not sure whose "side" I ended up on. There are some really difficult choices made, and there's no clear "good vs. evil" fight. So whilst watching, you sort of float along with the family, who are clearly more used to floating along than you are. Recommended IF you've ever wanted to live simply, off the land, and "home-school" your kids out in the wilderness, with an excellent library and minimal civilization. NOT Recommended IF the wilderness would kill you in your first week.

The Girl on the Train A divorcee becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that promises to send shockwaves throughout her life.: I started (streaming, yes, again) watching this under the impression that it was a thriller. And it is, sort of. There are definitely plot twists, and there's definitely a murder to solve, and there are definitely people to like or not like. But you follow along for a rather long time, not entirely sure if this person you kinda like is okay, or if this person you're kinda creeped out by isn't, in fact, heroic. So, yeah, thriller.

This film has been compared to Gone Girl
in its storytelling. I guess, maybe. We only liked Ben Affleck's character in that one (honestly, in our opinions, that was his #RoleOfALifetime). I don't see Emily Blunt in the #RoleOfALifetime here. Not that her character isn't full of depth and well-portrayed. I mean, you do kind of hate her, then pity her, then "root" for her. But this Girl film is not, in fact, anything like the other Girl film. So stop comparing them!

Ennyhoo. Recommended if you're a fan of 1) thrillers 2) trains 3) pretty people who are slightly psycho 4) murder mysteries 5) Emily Blunt. Otherwise, take it or leave it. I don't see it finding a space on our wall o' movies, unless it appears before us really super-fucking cheap, in which case, okay, fiiiiiiine.

And that's it. I dunno what I'll review for you next, as I've gotten through this #SAGAwards season's screenings and screeners. Think I'll take a break and find other shit to talk about. Tell me here what you'd love for me to talk about!

The last of the reviews (for awhile) PART ONE

Jackie Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband's historic legacy.: Okay, so the "plot" of this revolves around an interview Jackie Kennedy gave to a LIFE magazine reporter a week or so after the assassination of JFK. It's a real interview that she gave and the magazine printed, but it's told with many flashbacks, and Jackie is understandably emotional/not emotional (she's grieving, DUH). But there's a lot we're told that the reporter is not allowed to print. The moment that stands out for me, that made me question the script source (is it real or fantasy?), is when the reporter reads back to her something along the lines of "as she lit another cigarette, she...", Jackie responds "I don't smoke" (even though we and the reporter have been watching her chain-smoke). So, has the statute of limitations run out on Ms. Onassis' control over the subject matter, that we somehow now have access to the original notebooks the reporter filled? Because if so, maybe there should have been a tag "based on true events" or even a more complete "disclaimer" in the end credits. Hell, there may have been one, and I just didn't see it, because the movie left me feeling... meh. Natalie's portrayal of the new widow was fine. It was probably rather harrowing for the actress to embody such an iconic figure, capturing her speech patterns and other mannerisms, whilst also GRIEVING on camera.

But this film season has shown us plenty of GRIEF. I'm tired of it. Particularly in this one. Jackie is neither protagonist nor antagonist in this flick. She just happens to be the title character, living her life (or at least, we are led to believe that). So, if you happen to be a huge fan of 1) history 2) 1963 in American history 3) Jackie Kennedy (Onassis) or 4) Natalie Portman, then you will probably enjoy this movie more than I did. Most of the grief movies I've watched this season, I've shed a tear or two with the protagonist. Not during this one. I just didn't know if I was supposed to like her or not. Tough call. I can't recommend, but see ^above^ to decide for yourself.

Arrival When twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world, linguistics professor Louise Banks is tasked with interpreting the language of the apparent alien visitors.: The first time we saw this one, we saw it in a theater (at a screening), knowing only that it had to do with space aliens arriving, with all that wonderful "First Contact" stuff that sci-fi fans (like Stephen and myself) love. We LOVED this movie. The opening sequence had us (well, maybe us but possibly only me) crying, and then everything got so complicated and interesting from there. The lead characters are Louise (Amy Adams) and Ian (Jeremy Renner), so shout-out to my Daddy's neighbors and besties, Ian and Louise! Y'all are heroes!

Um, sorry (to the rest of you who are not Daddy or Ian and Louise). Where was I? Oh. How AWESOME this movie is! Yes, it is sci-fi. Yes, it's set in "present day". No, you can't just let it wash over you, even though there are some very interesting special effects here and there. You have to use your brain. You WILL root for the good guys. ALL of them (and there are many). After the film ends, you will have questions and thoughts, and you will discuss it amongst yourselves.

Recommendation: Hells, yeah. Just see it with at least one other person, so you don't have to discuss it alone with yourself (unless you're into that sorta thing).

The Crown The early reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is portrayed.: This is a series on Netflix, which we had managed to view the entire first season of prior to my attendance at the screening with Claire Foy and John Lithgow, as well as prior to our receipt of the very cool Netflix boxed set. We were riveted by every episode, so we managed to blaze through the series pretty quickly (without binge-watching in two or three nights). Epic.

At most screenings in LA, the guests who are featured in the Q&A that follows typically do not sit through the screening; rather, they wait in a green room somewhere away from the show. This can be for any number of reasons, including flight or drive-times delaying their arrival at the theater/screening room, having seen that particular episode or film so many times they are personally sick of it and to be gracious would be painful, not ever watching themselves on screen ever (like that Kylo Ren dude at the Paterson screening), etc. So no one expects the guest to have joined you, the audience, in the audience seats for the screening. But John Lithgow did, at the screening I attended. And he and Claire were incredibly gracious and funny and fun, and we all felt badly that Winston Churchill won't appear (much? #FingersCrossed he appears #AtAll) in Season Two. But we are looking forward to Season Two, and beyond, so if you need a recommendation, here it is: Hells, yeah. Check it out on Netflix, at your own pace.

Stranger Things When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief, and his friends must confront terrifying forces in order to get him back.: This one is another Netflix original series, and because it's set in the 1980's, it speaks on numerous levels to my generation. Winona's one of US, ya know? Portraying one of our MOMS, right? I mean, it's weird or meta or something not grody to the max.

But we loved this series. Season One is only eight episodes, so if you have the time and the energy, you can totally binge-watch it in, like, two days. Totally. I think that's what we did. The main story arc is compelling; the characters are very real; the acting and direction are superb. We can't wait for Season Two. So, It's Bitchin', Dude. Totally rad.

Here are #ThreeGoodThings (in no particular order):

1. I have watched all of the screeners I intend to watch this awards season. I thought I wanted to be on the Nominating Committee, but frankly, who has the time? I'm surprised I got through what I got through!
2. I have voted for the SAG Awards. My electronic ballot was due by this Friday at noon, and I got 'er done this afternoon. Yay, me!
3. I have made a pretty penny on set this week (short day on Monday, lots of "bumps" today;I could still book work on Friday or get rush-called for tomorrow). #IAmBlessedToWorkInThisBizILove

Whatcha got? Sumthin'? Ennythin'? C'mon! I love hearing from you!

Labels and -isms (Fair warning, this is a long one)

I am not what you might call a Feminist, nor an Environmentalist, nor an Activist. I often doubt that I am an Artist, although I think when I doubt that particular label, it's because my Depression is Lying to me.

I was, for most of my life, the most apolitical person I knew, and possibly the most apolitical person you knew. Then the presidential election process got jiggy in 2016, and while I still did not cast a vote (because I live in a state that I knew would overwhelmingly go to Hillary, I knew that any vote I cast for or against her would not essentially "count" in the overall process), I became somewhat more outspoken about my fears of if we, the U.S. of A., followed the Brexit path. (i.e., the American public elected the orange-faced monster)

I started re-tweeting all of the anti-Putin's Puppet stuff that crossed my Twitter timeline. Those tweets made it onto my Facebook page. I became angry and upset and even more frightened of the potential outcome.

When the popular election went to Hillary but the Electoral College initial result went to the Cheeto, I was even more convinced that my reasoning behind not voting was valid: my vote wouldn't count. I furiously re-tweeted anything that had to do with attempting to sway the EC voters to vote their consciences, rather than whatever their states had somehow mandated.

When the EC vote followed the old rules, I became even more intensely frustrated and angry. How was it possible that thinking citizens were allowing such an -ist to become MY president? He's proven himself to be "ableist" (when he blatantly mocked the disabled reporter and then lied about it), misogynist (when he talked about "grabbing 'em by the pussy"), racist (all the time, but specifically when he mentioned building a wall and having Mexico pay for it), elitist (regarding anything to do with the working class), etc. He is an outright LIAR, and he's breaking Constitutional Laws by not divesting himself from his businesses and releasing his taxes. The man is Not Fit to serve, and he's made it clear he has No Intention of Serving (us, the citizens of the United States).

But a few days ago (one or two before the inauguration), I decided that my online actions weren't doing anything positive. I was only becoming more angry and anxious by re-tweeting all of that negativity. So I made a vow to myself to focus my online energies towards positivity. If there was something that was Anti-HIM but FUNNY, I would give myself permission to RT because it made ME laugh, which meant maybe it would also help others to laugh.

I also decided that, if I were able, I would physically participate in the #WomensMarch, specifically the #WomensMarchLA. I went online to the "register for a local march" page and found that there were actually 3 marches in Los Angeles County. And even though Beverly Hills and Pasadena were both closer (geographically, as the crow flies) to my apartment in North Hollywood, the Downtown LA march was easier to reach. So I signed up, and there was only one thing (other than somehow working today) that would stop me from going: rain. Yes, I'm being honest. Rain would have stopped me (and likely ~100,000 others) from attending. Also, I was a little bummed that I hadn't crocheted myself a pink pussy hat (didn't know how to crochet in other than a straight line, and hadn't bought any pink yarn). Maybe somehow, I would acquire one at the march, if it didn't rain.

So I got up this morning with my standard 7:30 alarm (which, under normal circumstances, I would've just told to "shut up" and then gone back to sleep), got dressed, ate a little, and then walked over to the subway station to catch the 8:10 train to downtown. There were a lot of people at the subway station at 8 o'clock on a Saturday! There were people milling about on all levels (ground level and subterranean), including some Anti-#WomensMarch protesters. That was weird.

But I got downstairs and onto the platform, which was PACKED. When the train arrived, we were the last/first stop, so once it emptied, we FILLED it. I was going to take a picture, because it looked like a New York subway car, not an LA one. But I didn't, so you'll just have to imagine it. Or find Rene Auberjonois' tweet.

I knew where we were getting off, but I wanted to be more sure of how many stops it was. So I asked some of the ladies near me to check the map on the opposite wall, to count the stops. Everyone around me was buzzing with excitement, trying to assure me that there was no way we'd miss our stop, but they also followed through on my request. Then 3 people in the middle of the path to the map realized that, for whatever reason, they really didn't want to go to Pershing Square with all of us #NastyWomen, so they exited the car. Their spaces were quickly filled, though, and each stop our train made was met with a crowd. We only had room for "one more" at each of those stops. I dunno, but I hope the LA Metro system added a few trains this morning, just to get everyone there. I know the organizers of the event could not have predicted the attendance; I wonder if Metro could. They did allow all of us going to the event to ride for free, though, which was a nice thing! No driving, no parking, no paying for transpo TO! Yay!

Arrived at Pershing Square and was already impressed by the turnout. 8:30 - 8:45-ish, and these are just the folks getting off the trains with me (and queuing up for the porta-potties)

Then I made my way over to the "front" of the march. I passed a group of sign-makers in the middle of the street, and got their permission to take this photo:

Continuing on to the "front", I passed the motorcycle cops and then a motorcycle "gang" (that I will join, as soon as I have acquired my requisite motorcycle). They ride every Tuesday evening.

Finally found where the march was intended to begin, and worked past the folks holding the street-wide banner. The crowd was getting crowdier, and the one thing I really wanted to accomplish was capturing the scale. That desire was shared by the people I shared street space with, but alas, when you're 5'3" in the middle of an already-crowded street, there's just no hope of capturing the sheer number of people on a simple cellphone camera. Here are my attempts, though:

the living embodiment of the latest round of "hope" posters

This is Judy. She's looking for her friend Cambria, who she never finds.
She's with her other friend Nancy, and I stick with them for the march.

Original art by a German artist,
who didn't want his sign-holders
to show their faces in any
march photos. wtf, dude? :/

By 9:30, we were getting antsy. Wasn't this thing supposed to start at 9? I thought maybe, since there were so many more marchers than originally predicted, the organizers had pushed it to 10. Judy says there were speeches at 9, and the march was supposed to begin at 10. But we were at the "front" of the line; where were these supposed speeches? And Why? I came to participate by Moving Forward, not standing still and listening to rhetoric (not that I was anywhere near the alleged rhetoric). ... Shortly after 10 a.m., we "older" folks began complaining of pain in our knees, hips, and low backs. So the chants began "Begin the March! Begin the March!"

And then a firetruck arrived. Apparently, someone behind us had fallen, or something. The firemen were meant to lend assistance, but there were too many people blocking their path, and the trucks were blocking the path out of the way for US. Some celebrities showed up, led by organizers, and they were walked forward, past us and the trucks. Then some "groups" were led through. Then some of us who'd been waiting rebelled a bit and tucked in with those groups. Judy and Nancy and I made it past the banner. We made it past firetruck #1. We inched along and made it past firetruck #2.

Then a random dude with a megaphone prop and a lanyard and a non-march badge climbed up on top of firetruck #2 and started riling us up. He was SHOUTING, because his megaphone was nonfunctional, although he kept "acting" like it was working, even though he was only getting a response from those of us who could actually hear him. But his nefarious plan worked. The crowd started moving, like a march, forward, towards the "goal".

As a group, we were chanting. Leader: Show me what democracy looks like! Us: This is what democracy looks like! And then a little bit later, Men: Their bodies, their choice! Women: My body, my choice! And another bit later, Leader: Donald Trump! Us: You're FIRED! and so forth. 

We didn't actually move as a group until 10:39, so we were good and ready to not be standing still. But frankly, it was a good energy, at all times. There were so many people there; men and women and those identifying as such. Small children, old ladies, every color and shape and size and age and sex and such an amazing group filled with love. There was zero negativity, other than the #NotMyPresident sentiments. We were all there supporting each other. There were people moving forward, and people lining the sidewalks, not walking, but holding signs and wearing pussy hats and cat-onesies and pink and leather and whatnot. And SMILES. Everyone was "Pro" each other.

And today, I was a Feminist. And an Activist. It felt good, no matter how badly I'm going to ache tomorrow! ... and I still don't have a pink pussy hat, but I know how to make one now, if this sort of event shows up in my path again.

Have you ever participated in an -ism event? In what way did you participate, and what was the general outcome of your experience?