March 2021
Pisces Season by Chani Nicholas
This Pisces Season, I experienced the irony of becoming fully vaccinated and highly blessed while simultaneously turning 35 (approaching death). I experienced the life-affirming sensation of deleting my remaining social media accounts and the soul-crushing realization that I'm utterly alone. Just kidding! I already knew that! Let's start our recap.
I dyed my hair blonde, then temporarily purple, and back to blonde. My 35th birthday and first pandemic birthday was approaching (my birthday in 2020 was the last "normal" weekend we had before the world changed) and I was feeling itchy as I always do. So, I decided to go with the "gay in crisis" look.
Gay in Crisis
The original gay* in crisis, Zac Efron
More gay, less crisis.
My hair was only the beginning. We went upstate and spent my birthday weekend at Kate's Lazy Meadow, a Catskills motel owned by Kate Pierson of the B-52's. [Insert Love Shack reference here.]
We were finally able to get to Lindsay, Tom and Bea's new house to hang in the backyard and celebrate a year's worth of birthdays together. I made a funfetti cake, but I didn't take a picture of it so you'll just have to take my word for it.
By spring break, I had deleted my Instagram, I had nothing to scroll through besides the news - woof. So I decided to scroll through some highway! I was itching to hit the road for a change of scenery.
I went down to Asheville to see Stephen and Heather and we sat on their beautiful porch in the Smoky Mountains. I gave them a refresher on the Spice Girls, we talked about how we're making it through this madness, and it was like getting an inhaler of love straight to my lungs! Being 35 and unable to eat food like a normal person, they opened their gastrointestinal pharmacy to me and met my needs fabulously.
After that I went to see my parents and brother at home. Everybody's vaxxed and it is a whole new and yet familiar feeling to talk, hug, and share space without terror and anxiety hanging in the corner. I also got to see my high school friend Jamé and her husband. Having time away from my pandemic bunker really helped me literally get out of my head - I feel like our apartment has become a physical manifestation of my brain. I was able to put some space and distance between my experience over the last year with where I want to go.
Call me by THIS name
There are people on all sides of the "Return to Normal" fence. I do not want to go back to how life was before, personally. I'm still processing where I am right now and where I'd like to land as the pandemic's waves (goddess-willing-and-the-creek-don't-rise) fade, but I feel like the energy that resonates most strongly with me right now can be observed in Lil Nas X's response to "Christians" and this penguin with a machete.
Can't wait to return to normlacy!
March 2021 Playlist