July 2023 Monthly Entry
It's been a pretty warm beginning to summer, averaging around 24-30C each day. There hasn't been any minor smoky haze our way from forest wildfires compared to last month. As usual, most fires are in the eastern and northern areas of the province, currently about 300 of them are raging. I feel bad for the BC residents who have to deal with it every summer.
I will be at Dore Alley weekend in SF from July 29-31. Michael & Donovan will be joining me for their first-ever Dore weekend. They will be arriving on the 28th via Amtrak all the way from Wisconsin while I will fly down that Saturday morning. We are staying at BEI San Francisco, which I chose after trying to find an alternative hotel that was suitable, but couldn't find any in the surrounding Market district. My write-up on the weekend should appear in early August. Vancouver Pride will be on August 6th with a new parade route. I'm not sure if I will be there to watch it but if I do, I'll get some pictures. I still haven't finalized my plans for next month's US travel. It will begin in Austin, not sure where I will go next for a night or two, then I'll be in Wisconsin for about a week, and it will end in Fresno. Next month's entry will be posted earlier and will have my travel plans.
Daddy David would have turned 75 yesterday if he had lived. Happy Birthday Avi! Love and miss you! Someday, I'll finish writing his biography.
The final couple weeks of June were a little intense. Students were doing art projects galore, the music room and computer lab was still being used (though thankfully the lab wasn't used in the final week at least!), and dealing with all the parties and extra garbage. My biggest worry will be in September because of the big shift. Change in furniture as expected, and the final room I clean each night will convert back into a classroom like it was a few years ago. Compared to being an EA room which was easier and less dirty, this will be an increase in the work load. I'm going to have to make major decisions on my cleaning routine if it becomes too difficult. As I mentioned before, we are getting a new Principal and I got to briefly meet her a couple weeks ago. She seems nice, but I'll reserve judgment on whether she is custodian-friendly or she will side with the teachers when a problem arises. Treats were given out amongst the staff as the year was coming to an end, but Jay and I were given next to none. On the second last week of school, the teachers did a week worth of different treats on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I only got anything left over on Friday, which was a nice slice of sugary cake. I did get a couple of nice notes and gifts from the teachers. Amy, the kindergarten teacher got me a bag that contained a nice big thermos and a bag of potato chips (which she knew I liked since last year). One of the other teachers got me chocolates -one of them shaped in two roses- for a year-end gift and a small note thanking me for keeping the school clean.
The summer scrub began at Montecito with a crew of about seven of us. We got a lot accomplished in the first week even though I was off on July 7th and 10th. I don't know how it ended since my foreman was so gung-ho in wanting the school done in FOUR DAYS! That seems ludicrous. Keep in mind that we had Monday, July 3rd as a holiday (leftover Canada Day), so I only had three days to help coordinate the crew with Jay and get as much done as possible. We couldn't wash the carpets and rugs as we had no machine to do so. But thankfully, we finally got floor wax this year! I don't think I've waxed my floors since the summer of 2020! Four classrooms in my upstairs run have tiled floors that can be waxed so before my vacation, I put two coats of wax in two classrooms. I don't know if the other two were waxed by the end of my school's scrub. Jay is currently taking his vacation time for the rest of the break so I don't know what the outcome of our school is. By the time I returned to work last Tuesday, I was sent to Burnaby Mountain and stayed there until yesterday. Last week I worked with a couple co-workers to help clean the second floor. Today, I was transferred to Cariboo Hill and will likely remain for the rest of the week. Some of the ladies I worked with before are there so things will get done quickly.
As I mentioned in my previous entry on my trip to Denver, I was told that Daddy Bradford Sparks of Palm Springs had suddenly passed away. I still don't know the cause of death, though he likely passed away in early July. There is currently no obituary and I don't think he has surviving family. He was born April 20, 1959 so he was 64 years old. I was first introduced to him by Leatherbear Rick Ruben during Leather Pride in 2018. I would see him again a couple times in 2019: at BiggerVegas and back at PS Leather Pride for about a couple hours for lunch in 2019. After the pandemic, the final time I saw him was Leather Pride last October. That one was most significant because he hosted me that weekend, for which I was truly grateful for. He had a beautiful beard at the time too WOOF! We did a lot of chatting about our backgrounds. I didn't divulge much on his younger years as the drag queen "Brenda Buffet", though I wish I did. He was raised in (Boise?) Idaho. I remember him showing me a picture of a past young lover of his that passed away many years ago. I do remember enjoying the conversations we had about our backgrounds, though I wish I could remember the finer details. He was one of the few bears that was truly into me and regrettably, we have not had sex with each other. He had a minor case of the sniffles when I last visited and so had to play it safe and abstain. I was hoping we would make some bearded love this year. Sigh... now I'll never know what it would have been like to have been intimate with him. I don't think we would have had a relationship, but we did love each other. He was such a nice man, and I am so grateful to have gotten to know him for just under five years. I always looked forward to seeing him with each visit to Palm Springs and now, it is going to feel sadder each time. There are still a few bear buds I know there, but Daddy Bradford was definitely one of my favourites. Goodbye Daddy, you were a sweet bear and a good friend!
I've made some good progress in The Last Story and will try to have it done by the end of the month. I've watched a little of Star Trek: TOS but haven't continued with Sailor Moon just yet.
Last Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (Theatrical), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (4K Blu-Ray)
Last Book: The C.S. Lewis Signature Classics - The Screwtape Letters
Last Game: Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
Current Book: The C.S. Lewis Signature Classics - Miracles
Current Games: The Last Story (Wii) & The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages (3DS Virtual Console - GBC)