Tag Archives: Queer

Up Way Too Early, Again

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is three fifty-one in the morning here in Seattle and I have been awake since around three o’clock in the morning. I wish I did not wake up this early, but I did. I ended up starting my period during the night when I was sleeping which sucks. To make matters worse my cramps are worse than normal. I am sure you the reader don’t want to hear about my period, so I am going to change the subject.

As much as I wish I could fast asleep this early in the morning on a Sunday, I am happy that my cat, Billie is so cuddly. As I cuddle with my cat, Billie, I have been reading. I have been reading a book that is in the dark fantasy and queer genres. In fact, I am reading a really good book series known as Fire & Brimstone by Nikole Knight. I am on the third book of this series, and I am grateful that I found this series as it is really good. It is a six-book series.

I do not have anything else to discuss or share or to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

A Day of Learning

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! It is a few minutes after three o’clock in the afternoon here in Seattle. I haven’t really done very much of anything due to not feeling well which means I have not left my apartment. I haven’t left my apartment as I don’t want to give other people in my apartment building or anybody else my cold. On a plus note at least my take home Covid test are all coming back negative which makes me so freaking happy.

Since I haven’t really left my apartment today due to not feeling well, I have been trying to stay productive with various educational opportunities and some personal growth opportunities as well as some training opportunities. I really enjoy being able to have learning and training opportunities as I enjoy being able to learn. As personal growth opportunities go, it can be quite challenging at times but well worth it in the long run.

Sadly, the training I was hoping to start and finish today, I could not do, due to a technical glitch that is not on my end. The training I was hoping to accomplish today is one for PAWS Cat City. It will allow me to learn more about cat behavior as well as being able to work with some cats who may be bit more socialization for various reasons. It is my hope that by the end of next year (2026) I can complete the various levels of training to be able to work with some of the sassier cats. On that note I am not sure if I have to wait a certain amount of time to take the next “level” of training and I am okay if I have to wait so I can get more hands-on experience after doing the online training.

Speaking of training, I did a continuing education course regarding my career path of being a peer specialist. I am not too sure about the course that I have been doing but I am learning something. Some of it is applicable to being a peer specialist and sadly I feel like the particular course I am taking is missing some vital information. I am hoping that when I finish the course that the vital information is discussed.

As far as the personal growth opportunity goes, I am doing a workbook for queer people who identify as trans or nonbinary, but I do know queer folks who do not identify as trans or nonbinary. The workbook’s focus is to build resiliency in your identity. Building resiliency can also be a part of other areas of life. The section I did today was quite challenging for me and I know it will ultimately help with accepting myself as well help me with my mental health recovery. I am grateful I have workbooks to do to help me improve myself.

I do not have anything else to discuss or write about in the particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated on my end that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Thankful For Busy Day Ahead Online

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It snowed once again in Seattle last night. Last night’s snow was a lot more and sticking around. I am not a big fan of snow but at least I do not have to go out in it today despite how busy I am going to be today. Thankfully the busy day is all online.

I am currently doing a volunteer shift with the Alley Cat Project. I am on the incoming calls team which means, I return phone calls, emails and online submissions. All of this is done online and I call people back from my personal phone. I am just grateful I can do this volunteer job in the comfort of my own home with my own cat, Billie in my lap.

On that note I also have an online virtual group therapy session today. The group is for queer people like me. I am happy that the mental health agency I am a client at has a safe space for the queer community who seek services from them. I am so glad that it is virtual for many reasons especially today with the snow.

I do not have anything else to discuss or write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Hello World!!! I don’t know how much I am up for blogging my weekly check-in today. I am just so overwhelmed with the election results. I am also overwhelmed by how other people’s behavior is affecting me due to the election. I am also angry and frustrated with myself for reacting the way I did when someone misgendered me again and it is the same person that keeps misgendering me. Sadly, I feel like this particular person gets away with shit but that is how I feel and I know I should not react the way I did.

On that note I went to therapy this past Wednesday and of course we discussed the election results as my last session with my therapist was the Wednesday before the election. I see my therapist every other week. We discussed the fact how I fear for my safety as a disabled non-binary person with a uterus that is a part of the LGBTQ+ community and queer communities due to the fact that America voted in someone who is full of hate. We discussed ways to cope and take a pause as I am having a tough time pausing at the moment.

One of the ways I will be coping is doing art work especially the way Seattle weather is currently with it being stormy and yucky outside which is normalish for this time of year. I have been doing diamond art/painting as it is something I can do inside with the yucky weather. I have also been cuddling with my cat, Billie. I love being able to cuddle with my cat especially when the weather gets yucky here in Seattle. I love my cat so very much.

I do not have much more to write about in my Weekly Check-In. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Daily Prompt; What Do You Do to Be Involved in the Community?

Posted on by Gertie
Daily writing prompt
What do you do to be involved in the community?
View all responses

Involvement in one’s community looks differently for each individual. For me getting involved in my multiple communities looks slightly different in each community. The one thing that is not different in each of my communities that I will mention is I volunteer my time. For instance I am involved with the animal welfare cause in many ways and the main way I do this is to volunteer my time at PAWS Cat City. I also help my neighbors with their pets when they need it as well.

As far as other ways I am involved with my community is that I am highly active in the recovery movement. I used to work as a peer specialist in the mental health field and I hope to go back to work in the field as my mental health continues to improve after a major trauma last summer. I am also helping plan for the Peer Pathways Conference by volunteering my time doing it. To me being involved in the peer and recovery communities helps me with my own recovery.

Another way I am involved in my community is being involved in multiple activities in the queer community. One way I am doing that is playing in a queer sports league for kickball. I am loving it and having fun as well as making friends. I am also apart of a queer book club where we read books by queer authors and/or books about queers. I am enjoying it and having fun with it as well as making friends just like kickball. I just applied last week to volunteer at Lambert House which is a community center for queer teens. I am hoping that I can volunteer at Lambert House.

The Importance of Respecting People’s Pronouns

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! I know it has been a while since my last post. I had a little bit of writer’s block however the writers block appears to be gone for now. The reason why writers block is gone for now is due to my pronouns being disrespected by one of the peer specialist at the mental health agency I am a client at. I have attempted to have several conversations with this peer specialist about my pronouns as my pronouns are they/them. Sadly, my conversations have fallen on deaf ears or it appears like it from my end of things. While scrolling Facebook, I came across a meme that best describes what a person is saying or doing when you ignore a person’s pronouns. Below is the meme:

I am hoping this helps people reading my blog on the importance of using the correct pronouns for any given person. I say this because people have felt hopeless and unseen when others misgender them especially when it is done on purpose.

I do not have anything else to discuss in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you, the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog.If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

A Catch Up Type of Post

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! It has been quite a while since I last posted. I don’t have any particular reason why I have not blogged nor do I have any legit excuses. I do know a lot has happened since I last blogged. Some bad things but some good things. The good things thankfully out way the bad things.

First and foremost, I joined a book club that is geared toward the queer community. To make it even better the book we are going to choose will be a queer fiction book. The book club I joined will meet on Thursday evenings starting this Thursday. We will get to know each other and choose a book this Thursday and I am looking forward to it. I looking forward to it because it will help me get social interaction within the queer community.

Secondly, I am now a part of a queer kickball league. I got assigned to a team called Resting Pitch Face and our first practice is tomorrow (Wednesday). Our first game is this Saturday. I am also looking forward to this as it will provide me some exercise and social interaction within the queer community.

In fact my therapist suggested that getting more involved within the queer community could help me with my recovery especially since she noticed how well I did when I worked at a queer mental health agency before it permanently closed. I have to agree that being within the queer community has helped me a great deal with my mental health recovery and I am looking forward to being more part of the queer community.

I do not have much more to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Tough Therapy Session W/Some Awesomeness

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! It is another Saturday evening here in Seattle and despite having a challenging day due to PTSD, I am grateful for the awesomeness of the people around me. Awesomeness that my therapist idea helped with at the end of my session with her yesterday (Friday).

Long story short, my session with my therapist was quite challenging yesterday (Friday). We discussed a lot of childhood trauma shit. Shit that was some of the hardest crap I dealt with as a child. Hell, it was some of the hardest shit I dealt with in my entire life that I shared with my therapist. Anyway, at the end of most of my sessions we discuss ways to take care of myself especially when it is a tough session. I brought up the book I am reading and how it is in the dark fantasy and gay fiction genre’s as well how it is a representation of being in the queer community. My therapist suggested that I find things to do in the queer community such as sports league like kickball or dodgeball. She suggested this since she knows I thrived when I worked a a mental health agency that was queer focused and sadly the agency went under due to the lack of funding. My therapist also gave me an idea to join a book club that is hopefully with other queer readers or a book that is queer related.

On that note, I reached out to the queer community via a Facebook group and asked about queer sports leagues involving kickball or dodgeball. I signed up for a kickball team yesterday (Friday) and will sign up for a dodgeball team when sign ups open up next Friday (March 1, 2024). I am so looking forward to participating in both a kickball team and a dodgeball team.

Since I received a great response regarding queer sporting leagues on Facebook, I reached out regarding book clubs. I am in fact currently looking at book clubs and the books they are reading. Representation in books is much needed.

I do not have much more to discuss in this particular blog post except that I am grateful for my therapist suggesting me getting more involved in the queer community in activities that I enjoy doing. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Having A Hard Morning

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! I am having a really challenging time right now. I had to call the crisis phone number that is through the mental health agency I am a client at about an hour and a half ago. I had to call because of the miscarriage is hitting me hard and sadly has increased the self-harm urges. Self-harm urges I wish I didn’t have. Self-harm urges that I will NOT act on. (NOTE: I am not suicidal and I will NOT act on the self-harm urges.)

Anyway, after talking with the crisis clinician, we came up with a safety plan for me to do to stay safe till one of my natural support persons is available to talk with. The plan is to enjoy the weather outside and go for a walk. Granted it is cold but at least the sun is out here in Seattle.

Another thing is to hang out at home with my cat as I read. I am reading an amazing book about a college aged kid who finds out he has guardian angels that he has crushes on. The college aged kid is also figuring out his sexuality. I am only half way through the book and it is the first book in a six book series.

I don’t have much to write about in this particular blog post except that I will not harm myself in any way. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Lunch at Red Robin with Junior and mutual friends
  • Spend time with Junior
  • Color
  • Read
  • Work on recover based workbooks

Monday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk
  • Attend Emerald House (a mental health clubhouse)
  • Color
  • Read
  • Work on recovery based workbooks

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk
  • Attend Emerald House (a mental health clubhouse)
  • Color
  • Read
  • Work on recovery based workbooks
  • Dinner with a good friend

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk
  • Emerald House virtual group
  • Read
  • Color
  • Work on recovery based workbooks
  • Attend a virtual 12 step meeting

Thursday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk
  • Emerald House virtual group
  • Lunch with a friend
  • Attend an LGBTQ+ virtual recovery group
  • Color
  • Read
  • Work on recovery based workbooks

Friday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk
  • Attend Emerald House (a mental health clubhouse)
  • Virtual appointment with psychiatric nurse practitioner
  • Dinner at Red Robin with Junior
  • Color
  • Read
  • Work on recovery based workbooks

Saturday

  • Mindfulness meditation practice
  • Morning walk
  • University District Farmers Market
  • Read
  • Color
  • Work on recovery based workbooks