Happy Pride Month!

View of southern tip of Manhattan from Empire State Building. I partook in a few touristy expeditions this trip. 

With June being Pride Month, and with said month coming to an end, I thought I'd share a few fabulous photos from this year's NYC Pride Parade in New York City on June 25th.  It just so happens that my husband and I always end up visiting NYC this time of the year due to the OrigamiUSA Convention being held during the same weekend as the parade (Husband Guy loves all things origami).  While we weren't coming to New York solely for the purpose of celebrating Pride weekend, it was still a welcome coincidence that these two events occurred at the same time!

 Who's sitting in the back of the car, waving? Cyndi F*CKING Lauper, that's who!

 A gentlemen couple together for 55 years!

To say a gay time was had by all would be a gross understatement.  I believe in my dotage my sense of sentimentality is increasing at an alarming rate.  Often I feel uncontrollably weepy at times when I really would rather not feel that way.  At this time last year I was all weepy at the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met.  This year I got all teary eyed when I saw the first group coming in the parade.  I mean, I wish my reaction to these types of things were more upbeat, like, Yay! Happiness! This is so great! ::SMILING::  But, No.  My reactions are more, I am so moved.  This makes my heart hurt.  ::HOLDING BACK TEARS::  I suppose there are worse problems to have than being overly sensitive, though.

Even though this was our 3rd visit to NYC during Pride weekend (for the origami convention), this is the first time I've watched the parade.  The first year we went, I had no idea it was Pride weekend.  The next year I didn't realize it until I saw all the peeps leaving the parade in their fanciful outfits.  So this year, I was so excited to learn all the details about the event months ahead of time and made sure I was there! <3

Found: A Tote for NYC

I leave this afternoon for New York City.  Husband Guy is going, too, to attend the annual OrigamiUSA convention.  I'm going for the gays and such as - it's pride weekend in NYC and I want show my support! :)  I will also be embarking on typical touristy adventures with a friend who is joining us.

Because I knew that my tiny everyday purse wouldn't cut it for the things we have planned, a month ago I was looking for a bag big enough to hold all my supplies (water bottle, guide book, etc.) for this trip.  I did purchase a bag that was on my list.  Well, kind of.  I found an exact copy of the vintage leather bag I had on my list, except it was 1/3 the price! Yay!  I did have to clean it up, but I think it will work out just fine.

I will return Monday evening, and will be back to work on Tuesday morning, answering messages and working on tags. :)

A Tote for NYC

For the past few years, my husband guy and I have attended the OrigamiUSA convention in New York City.  Well, my husband has done most the "attending." Origami is one of my husband's favorite hobbies, however, not so much mine.  In the past, while he was enjoying the convention, I'd either roam around the city by myself or work wherever we were staying. This was fine, I guess, but I couldn't travel too far away from the convention because I always wanted to link back up with my husband for lunch and dinner, and whenever he had a short break in between classes.

Luckily, this year I don't have to worry about being there for him during all his breaks.  My friend from Georgia (the same friend that accompanied me to Key West!) will be joining us in NYC.  This means I will have a friend with whom to roam around the city, and my husband guy won't have to worry about entertaining me on his breaks.  We can both go our separate ways each morning, and I'll see him later at bedtime.  That way he can fully focus on the convention and not have to worry about me being all sad and alone all day, and I can fully focus on enjoying myself in the city and not have to worry about being back at the convention at a certain time to meet up with my husband guy.

Since I am actually planning on being out in the city most of the day (and not in the hotel working like last year), I want to get a big bag to carry all my crap.  My current purse is tiny.  I only use it to hold my phone, keys, and wallet, so it really doesn't need to be big.  However, for this trip I will be adding an NYC guide book (I'm a tourist!), a camera, and a bottle of water.  I need a bigger bag. :(

I'm quite frugal when it comes to buying things like purses (I got my current tiny purse from WalMart for $9), so finding a cool, sturdy tote bag that is hella cheap has been a little difficult.

Also, I am a completely lost when it comes to what is in at the moment (I'm like a freaking moron when it comes to fashion), so below is my wish list for my dream tote bag:

-less than $30 (preferably including shipping)
-sturdy, but not so heavy it hurts my shoulder skin
-odd/weird looking?  I'll be in New York for f*ck's sake...
-room for all my stuff
-can wear on my shoulder comfortably

Below are my favs.

 Vintage Caramel Tooled Leather Handbag Tote ($24) from MetroVintage

 Vintage DVF Shoulder Bag Weekender Tote Teal ($30) from KissaPrince

 Vintage 1970's Straw Owls Handbag Purse Tote Colorful Birds ($8) from myalteredlife4u

 Vintage Hunter Green Suede Leather Tote ($28) from SimplyBorrowed

Nautical Nautical Fashion Shoulder Bag, White and Navy Purse ($25) from Etsplace

 Vintage Brown Vinyl Handbag ($19) from paisleyandpolyester

 Market Bag with Suede Straps ($20) from CheddyBaloogaVintage

I still need to drop by Goodwill first to see if I can scrounge up something.  If nothing amazing (and cheap!) is found, I'll probably be choosing from one of these bags.

*A little random: I kind of hate that Etsy now adds a row of "sponsored" items in the middle of the results page.  I'm scrolling down the page, see a bad ass bag, and then notice it is $200 over the limit I added to search criteria. :(

More Queens Than You Can Shake A Stick At

Earlier this month I went on my first ever adult gal pal trip.  It was just me and one of my dearest friends, exploring and galavanting around Key West, Florida, for 4 days.  Months before, my friend and I had decided we needed to take a trip together.  At the time, I told her that I didn't care where we went.  So, I allowed her to pick our trip's destination.  She chose Key West.  I was a little worried at first as I am not really into going to the beach or "hanging out" in public places.  Before this trip, it had been 7 years since the last time I laid out in the sun, and I had never been to a "club" before.  Fearing my skin burning off and complete social awkwardness, I was a little nervous....

I made these tags for my friend in preparation for our trip.  She is more obsessed with Lord of the Rings than I am, so I thought this quote by Bilbo Baggins (as said in the Fellowship movie) was perfect for our trip.  One might be wondering about the "Dildo Baggins"....one of the first things I bought off Etsy was this for the same friend that I made the tags for.  So it's kind of a joke between us.  It's nice to have friends that appreciate class. :)

However! I am happy to report that the trip was an absolute delight. I had the most fabulous time!  Tasteful amounts of alcohol probably helped ease the process and allowed me to really enjoy myself without giving a crap about looking stupid while I was dancing or carrying on a conversation. The best part of the trip was that every night we would go to drag shows. After attending a few, we determined that our favorite shows were held at Aqua.  The Queens there were so amazing and talented!

"Cher" invited me onstage to discuss my upcoming nuptials.  Her comments were not suitable for repeating here. ><

My absolute favorite at Aqua - Jessica!

When we weren't attending drag shows, we spent our afternoons taking in the "touristy" activities of Key West.

 We visited the Hemingway House (with the 6-toed cats).

 We scaled to the top of a lighthouse and saw a great view of the city....town?

We found the Southern Most Point in the United States.

  We partook in a sunset "booze cruise."

During our brief stay we also went snorkeling - unsuccessfully.  The seas were very rough, so I didn't see jack crap underwater, but I did swallow a gallon of seawater.  Bleh.  Later, we roamed around Duval Street and had Key Lime pie on a stick. It was good times indeed!

Being back home has been nice, though.  I missed my Catty and my fiance guy.  

Next trip --- honeymoon!