FRIDAY OPEN THREAD: Welcome to the Brunch Appreciation Society

Hello, champagne flutes and celery stalks! Welcome to the Friday Open Thread, in which we laugh, cry, and sing each week to escape from the realities of the cold world. JK! It’s where we say silly stuff and post pictures of our pets. Here, me first!

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This week, I’m more excited than ever to be gathering here with you all today because this week, we get to talk about brunch. Tomorrow and Sunday, a bunch of y’all are headed to Autostraddle meet-ups in your cities (if you’re not, you should be, and click here to see if you can), which is so awesome! I’ve been to an Autostraddle Summer Brunch twice now, and I’m excited for Sunday to get to go one more time. How can you not love a massive gathering of people who totally get you where there is also the best meal ever of all time happening simultaneously? It’s literally impossible to turn that into a bad situation, if you ask me. But really, don’t.

So that gets me to the meat – or vegetarian sausage – of what we’re gonna talk about today. I wanna know everything about your brunch plans: Are you going to a meet-up for the first time? What are you wearing to brunch? Do you have a regular or standing brunch order, like moi? What’s your favorite brunch memory? Have you ever been to a brunch at all? Do you even enjoy the waking hours of the weekend?

Anything.

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Anything and everything about brunch is going right here. And come back all weekend to regale me with stories of how it went, duh. (Or you could just talk to me about life, meaning how your life is going. I really like that, too.)

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Carmen

Carmen spent six years at Autostraddle, ultimately serving as Straddleverse Director, Feminism Editor and Social Media Co-Director. She is now the Consulting Digital Editor at Ms. and writes regularly for DAME, the Women’s Media Center, the National Women’s History Museum and other prominent feminist platforms; her work has also been published in print and online by outlets like BuzzFeed, Bitch, Bust, CityLab, ElixHER, Feministing, Feminist Formations, GirlBoss, GrokNation, MEL, Mic and SIGNS, and she is a co-founder of Argot Magazine. You can find Carmen on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr or in the drive-thru line at the nearest In-N-Out.

Carmen has written 919 articles for us.

158 Comments

  1. IMPORTANT QUESTION: is there an official hashtag for brunch photos on Instagram etc?

    Sydney brunch in two hours, wheeeee!

  2. I’m not going to an OFFICIAL BRUNCH, because my closest is Sydney and that’s 2 hours too far to go for brunch, but my friend is up from Canberra for the weekend so we’re having unofficial catch-up brunch!
    (cat pictures to come when I get back from said brunch)

  3. I just returned to the UK from California and am feeling super confused because my body can’t decide whether or not it wants to sleep (I spent all of yesterday/most of today travelling and only slept a little on the plane) and/or eat. I was really tired earlier and then had a midnight snack because of sudden hunger and now I am wide awake again even though it’s past midnight here. SO CONFUSED. Any tips on how to un-confuse myself?

    Unfortunately, I probably can’t go to brunch because I will be recovering from travel-induced confusion and sorting things, but I do get to look forward to seeing friends and spending time in my home country for the first time since last summer. I hope there will be scones and cream tea.

    • How to unconfuse self because of travelling

      1. Try to sleep and eat when you can

      OR

      2. Stay up like 24 hours (7am to 7am)

      PS I end up doing #2 a lot of the time when I get back from the Philippines. Gives my body a good reset. LOL. IDK why it’s harder to adjust to time when you’ve returned from a trip. I think it’s because we miss our GFs.

    • My foolproof tips for beating jet lag:

      1. During the day, get outside and into the sun as much as you can. Sunlight resets your circadian rhythms, which brings you back into alignment with your actual time zone. If you can’t get outside, at least try to be by a window as much as you can.

      2. Try to keep to “reasonable” hours as much as you can. Practice good sleep hygiene – no screens within an hour of bed (the light confuses your circadian rhythms and they don’t need ANY HELP being confused right now), no food or exercise within a couple hours of bed, etc.

      3. If you can’t sleep, treat it like insomnia – get up and do something quiet and not too stimulating until you get sleepy. Reading a book is perfect for me.

      4. Keep doing that until your body remembers where the heck it is.

  4. I’m going to the Straddlers NYC brunch on Sunday! I’m psyched to meet some new faces and see other faces I met at A-Camp. Yay! I wonder what I should wear, ohmagosh.

    Tonight I’m in the Lower East Side getting my theatre junkie fix on with a NYC Fringe Fest play. It’s a brand new play written by a lady I know from college. Should be good.

    Solid weekend ahead.

    • Yooooo gonna see you there.

      I spent a good chunk of today picking out what shows I’m going to see when I go to Seattle in October. All of the legitimate thea-tre I’m going to see involves debauchery in some way. So excited.

  5. I tried to explain and come as genderqueer to my father yesterday and he didn’t get it. He used the word unisex, I used gender neutral. He then someone from my discussion got the idea I am bisexual. I told him that no, I really like women(though not bit about I plan to start estrogen to look more andro, and see if my breasts will finally come). He then proceeded to ask about my sexual history, which I told him none of his business. Also asked if I have done anything with my straddler friends(never told them they are into women also, again really none of his business). Finally, to get him of my back about this I had to agree with him. If only he understood how it hurts me when male pronouns are used towards me. Thankfully, I have this amazing site and the amazing friends I have made because of this site. <3

    Sadly not a picture of an adorable queer person, but it was taken my queer ol me yesterday.

      • It was a bit hard. Also last week I left a toy in the shower, which he may or may not have seen; and my mother found some hash I had in my room, again no words were said or questions asked. So, either both my parents think I am gay drug user or, weren’t sure what aforementioned items are. I want to say the latter(at least with my mother) as they got on my case a few years back for owning a hookah, which is part our culture. I had good excuses for both and it involves me lying about having a woman over for sex and she left the cannabis for legit back problems I have, and the toy was used for preventive measure.

    • Al, your Dad may not like the pronoun that you choose to use, but that is your Dad’s problem. That was a difficult conversation to have, and to manage carefully while keeping yourself safe and well. I hope that you are getting at least acknowledgement from your Dad that you are being honest, if he doesn’t appreciate that then again that is his problem. You can only be you, and you are doing great with that, and choosing to include your Dad in your life as you wish. You are doing great, Al, and I am sending you strength and support.

  6. the nearest brunch to me is four and a half hours away, so I shall not be attending one. I did however experiment with avocado hollandaise and made eggs benedict the other night cuz I just couldn’t handle it anymore after all the posts about brunch. that turned out pretty delicious. and maybe I’ll make pancakes this weekend?

    if I’m going out to brunch, the odds are pretty good that I’m gonna order either eggs benedict or french toast. I’d never had eggs benedict til last year. I ordered it in some random German restaurant some friends and I stumbled into after wandering around nola in the rain, and it was basically the best thing I’d ever eaten.

    in general, I am feeling super tired of everything. myself, all the bullshit going on in the world, people close to me being sad, the fact that there’s not a single decent place to go out where I live… all the complaints. I’m fun.

      • haha, yeah, that’s my other problem. basically all my friends have moved away. appreciate the suggestion though. :)

    • mmmmmmm make avocado centric brunch food all the time and i imagine it will be okay soon, to be honest. or at least i can promise i will come to eat it with you.

    • Sorry to hear you’re super tired of everything, CB. But the eggs benedict and awesome brunch — even if on your own — could definitely make you feel a bit better.

      Hey, in any case we can always make a virtual brunch via chat!!! Everyone makes their own breakfast and we eat in front of the computer while chatting haha. Could help those of us that have no brunch meetup happening closeby!.

  7. I AM SO HAPPY THAT LA IS HAVING A BRUNCH THING. And I told my parents I have a ‘meeting’ with work so I’m not leaving the house in PJs. xD I plan to getting steak and eggs because somehow steak in the morning tastes better than steak at dinner time. Also, how is everyone’s week? We all made it through the week right? I also got coilovers installed in my car so now it’s sitting nice and low. (It’s rubbing but I’m getting that checked sometime next week)

    Also, I’m really really really hoping my jpgs do well this week. Sometimes I think it’s my browser. Here’s my little museum of flight.

    Remember when I told you guys our cat hates pictures? Here’s further proof.

    But then the cat let us. SUPER CLOSE UP

    Soon you will be race car.

    • No Quattro? And do you actually plan to race it? Maybe we can have a straddler day at Willow Springs.

    • YES I NEED TO HEAR / SEE ALL ABOUT YOUR GEARHEAD CAR & MODS PLZ. All-caps level of interest in this, is what I’m trying to express here.

    • No to the quattro. Only fwd. Race? No not really. Haha. Maybe I can get a JDM (I’ve ALWAYS ALWAYS have dreamed of getting like a 2000 hatchback civic in light blue) when I pay this off. THAT I WOULD DEF RACE.

      I had Work Meister M1s put on with Yokohamas. Then my coilovers. I bought some bilsteins. Future plans would include front and rear lip and side skirts. Possible catback exhaust. Looking for a quad tip but that would mean I have to change the rear to accommodate the extra tips…Also a friend of mine on the A3 FB page showed some pix of the flat bottom steering wheel and while I know it’s just basically spending for like no reason it TOTES makes the car interior look nicer. lol. I’ll see if I can find pix.

      FUTURE FUTURE FUTURE plans would be some engine work. Maybe a chip, intake, MAYBE turbo? IDK how I feel about going air, probs not..also I kinda want the hood to be either matted or wrapped carbon. And I found some headlights that fit the car that have that new LED bar that goes around..much like their newer models. =)

      • No I get it, I almost spent the money to get and install an updated Infiniti steering wheel on my G35, because it had orang stitching. And I love the interior of the S and RS Audi’s partially because of the steering wheel(the seats are pretty neat too, at least they were in the 2002 S4 my cousin had). And why only FWD, the fun that can be had in Quattro is amazing(drove the S4 once and wow).

        If you do get a civic, maybe making it a Civette or Civic 2000 is an option. Or the standard B18 or K20C swap works too.

        • Well I actually got this car used. I really considered getting an audi in the first place but then it got expensive and at the time I just really started working. I just spent 6 or 8 months saving then this only had like 1900 miles used. It was certified pre owned etc. Thank God I didnt end up getting a jetta..hahaha. If I had the cash and knew how to drive stick (I KNOW IKNOW) i wouldve gotten a Suby. Im sure awd would be fun, I like to go up in the mountains to hike would be a good drive in the turns.

      • Also, I had another relative with a TT 220 Quattro. He boosted the turbo and upgrade some of the motor bits to a point he was making around 350-400hp. That is until his car overheated and burst into flames on Ventura Blvd. Tells me never to go that Audi/VW shop in north Valley because they messed up his motor(insurance actually concurred since he was smart enough to insure his mods, so they gave him more than his car was actually worth).

    • At first I was “OMG kitty!” Then I was “OMG A3”
      I am being a sensible adult and driving a Prius but sometimes I miss my camaro… Man, that car could run. But at the same time, so much gas…

        • 85 or 86 Camaro IROC t top
          Bright red
          It was the first car I bought when I moved to the US. In the end I donated it to charity cause it wouldn’t pass the smog check

    • I went to a VW festival last week and there were a few audis and seats there, as they are made by the same company. Some sweeeeeeet rides. No racing just show and shine. Queer gear heads club would be ace.

        • so jazzed to hear some of my fellow LA straddlers are also fellow gear heads! : )
          both my cars are filthy dirty right now because *drought* but it doesn’t mean I don’t love ’em… see you all in a couple of hours!

        • oh, and I have two because I can’t bear to give up my little miata despite the fact she’s no longer up for the rough n tumble of daily driving. most. fun. car. ever.

        • YES PLZ CAN WE HAVE A QUEER GEAR HEADS GROUP <333

          Vinzzz27 thx for the pics and text on your sweet ride; it looks great! I'm n00b so I am reading on some of the stuff you wrote to learn more. I grew up helping my dad work on cars (we had a GTO, a Chevy II and a 70's era Buick for a while; all pretty fast) and I miss it a bunch. Someday I will have a car to mess around with. Mine was a 67 VW bug so we mainly did maintenance stuff rather than performance mods, but it was so fun.

  8. #1 BRUNCH ORDER: Eggs benny with hashbrowns
    #2 BRUNCH ORDER: Some kind of egg sandwich with avocado
    #3 BRUNCH ORDER: Whatever omelet strikes my fancy
    #4 BRUNCH ORDER: idk shrimp and grits prolly

    Also Bloody Marys.

    I’m going to Oakland brunch see y’all weirdos there :)

    • All those things sound delicious! I think this means you should eat brunch 4 times this weekend so you can experience all of these wonderful options. Or just eat double brunch on Saturday and Sunday.

      • omg double brunch you beautiful genius.

        brunch for every meal of the day. every hobbit-meal.

        brunch forever

  9. I just moved to Louisville, and stumbled upon this great brunch place called The Monkey Wrench. They have vegetarian mushroom gravy, so I had to get the biscuits and gravy. Also! They have live banjo music every Sunday! Guys, I think I’m going to like Louisville.

  10. I got a new haircut this week which made it pretty great. Today was the first day back to school and I am overwhelmed by the number of assignments I already have, but I’m excited for the year which is a good feeling.

    • New haircuts are so exciting! I feel weird this year because a) I’m starting to grow my hair out and b) I’m not going to school for the first time since before kindergarten. So I’m living vicariously through your haircut/first day of school excitement!

      • I almost did that this summer/did grow it while I was in the woods of vermont, but I couldn’t take it anymore.

    • Your hair looks super amazing today! Really beautiful.

      Here’s to an amazing year of learning, growth and adventures for you.

  11. Sadly there is no Autostraddle brunch happening within 350 miles of me (hello, Atlanta, you are a 6 hour drive away)… but I probably will make an omelet for myself tomorrow. I just recently figured out how to make good omelets without burning half the eggs and undercooking the rest, so that’s definitely something to look forward to! Maybe I’ll even sleep in long enough so that I can call it brunch instead of breakfast.

    Or maybe I won’t turn the stove on all weekend, because all of a sudden it’s turned into REAL SUMMER here and I’m so sweaty and overheated sitting in my house refusing to rack up my electric bill with the A/C that I’m feeling too lethargic to actually do anything besides sit here on the Internet and drink beer.

    • that’s the dumb thing about the south. looked at your profile and I’m like oh memphis! that’s kinda close!

      …it’s still like 3 hours away.

      • Haha, yep! The good thing though, is that the South is a great place for summertime road trips. Everything may be far apart, but at least you can enjoy yourself getting from one place to another!

        • this is true at least! i actually kinda toyed around to driving to atlanta or nola for brunch. i’m so used to having to drive long distances to get anywhere decent that i don’t think much of it. ‘cept gas prices are a bummer.

      • I’m all about that brunch spirit. I’m going to go for a bike ride and by the end it will be an appropriate brunch hour. I plan to go to the Farmers’ Market and eat brunch in the park with whatever fine people I find to sit with (or pretend to sit with in the very likely situation that I won’t have any friends there).

    • I just want to point out that Hansen made that post about FLUFFY pancakes……..
      #justsayin

  12. Today our dog figured out how to open our living room window, presumably with his face.
    It’s going to be a long weekend.

      • Yes, thank you, that actually makes me feel a lot better!
        We have no idea how he did it and I don’t think we ever will.

        …I think he might be smarter than we are.

  13. Trying to pack for school, but I was inspired by Autostraddle to go and look up the gayest episodes of Xena and then watch them all instead. No regrets

  14. I had a good week. Last week, I was about to go home on a Friday after a challenging day at work where my sleeplessness caused me to be not as onto it as I normally am, and I managed to get my dumb self into a fight with my boss which wasn’t worth it, which I apologised for later but the reasons for it weren’t totally my doing. So that ended ok and the rest of the day my boss and I got along ok and ended up finishing well under time, which was great.

    I still felt like shit for being fairly criticised by my boss – my sensitivity to criticism increases with my lack of sleep :(

    so I am cleaning my cup in the staffroom when my Uber boss who is having lunch, just her and I in the staffroom, asks how I am. She is a cool woman. I say good and she asks if I have kids (she is pregnant) and I say no that my ovaries have about 5 minutes left on their clock. She then asks if I have a partner and even though this conversation is taking place in a public uncontrolled space where anyone could walk in any moment, it is only her and I in there so I say I was married but that is over and I am living here now. She asks me if I am looking for a partner and appreciates how difficult it is finding a partner in my small town. Anyway, I am seeing someone who works for the same large company I work for, in the same workplace. I don’t divulge this info, as we are keeping our professional and private lives as separate as we can. Also, in this same conversation with my Uber boss I had to correct her about her assumed belief that I was straight, which she apologised for making an assumption. She then says her best friend is lesbian but crazy as a cut snake, am I interested? I say nervously but clearly, um no thanks but thanks anyway, and then make an exit joking as this conversation is becoming more excruciating by the minute and my partner is waiting for me in the locker room, Um, if you know of anyone who comes in (as a patient) who you know is “family”, then give me a nudge/shove/wink and I’ll be grateful ;) Byee! and I escape.

    I tell my partner about this and we laugh thinking nothing will become of it and we will never have to manage this conversation again or its descendants. I am out at work, everyone knows pretty much Im lesbian, but they think I am single. Only two of our workmates know that their colleague and I are in a relationship.

    Come midweek and Uber boss rocks casually into my partners work space (just those two in the work space) and says to my partner, Heeyyyy I don’t want to matchmake but you know XXX (me), she’s nice, she’s a nice woman, and she’s lesbian, do you think she’s nice? Have you spoken with her? this day my partner was very busy and trying to block any further work coming her way as they were behind, and Uber boss is trying things on so my partner says We are there already, Uber boss! and has to shut the door literally so no one else can hear the conversation, and also to cut to the chase. to which Uber boss says (in light of my lie saying I am single but hell no Annalou moves fast) Oh, high five! that’s great! and my partner is kind of reeling but Uber boss is an ally. I then have guilts about not quite telling the truth to uber boss in the staffroom bc I was keeping things on the downlow. So yesterday I said to Uber boss I know that you know about XXX and me and that is great, we are just keeping things on the downlow so we are not gossiped about, and she smiles and says congrats and my lips are sealed!!

    From excruciating conversations that bite you in the ass, come allies, friends. Names and locations have been obscured to avoid identification. True story.

    • this is perfect

      so is the fact that you said “cleaning my cup” and for like, two minutes, i swore you meant diva cup

      • Lol Carmen, no it was just my coffee cup. I don’t know if there have been any organised female workstaff team building events such as Diva Cup Cleans in the tearoom sink, yet, but I will forthwith suggest it to Uber Boss.

      • No lie, I actually *did* clean my Diva Cup in the staffroom sink this week.

        In my defence, it was clean. We were talking about celebrities and how they’re actually human. As in, they still have to brush their teeth. And pay bills. Oh, and Ellaria says “have their periods”.

        Which led to a discussion on menstruation and me saying, oh have you heard about menstrual cups? they changed my life. Oh and here’s mine in my bag now. It’s clean. You can touch it. Look. You wash it like this!

        …so yeah, that happened…

  16. I’m going to my first meetup maybe… The DC brunch. Am I the only one who is afraid? Approximately 10,000 people are going and I feel overwhelmed. You guys are nice right?

    • um that’s MY meetup, sarah! of COURSE it is gonna be full of fun and nice! CAN’T WAIT C U SOON OK BFFLZ

    • I would think you would be fine, there is always one very nice straddler there who becomes your new friend you like.

    • Also maybe going to the DC meetup… also maybe a little afraid. I’m sure you’ll (we’ll?) be fine.

    • This is my first time too Sarah! Just moved to DC and don’t know people outside of my new job yet. There should be like a secret handshake or nod or something for Autostraddlers when we’re nervous so we can help each other out.

      Hope I meet you today!

  17. I had brunch this morning and it was great. I was full for hours. I had blueberry pancakes with lemon butter and marionberry sauce. I enjoyed meeting some new people and having a lovely time.
    It has been a really nice week overall. I’ve done everything in my power to enjoy each day. I went to a concert on Tuesday and had lots of fun. I had never gone to concert alone but it was great. The opening band had a guest singer, Maggie Koerner, and she has an amazing voice. I highly recommend checking out her music.

  18. I have been struggling with my sexuality a lot recently. For the last ten years (that counts as recent, right?). I’ve always just said bisexual, because it’s easiest, because I like girls and I like boys too. But lately more and more I keep wondering if I’m more asexual? I’ve been trying to date and put myself out there but I’m not getting anything out of dating guys, and I can’t seem to find any bi/lesbian girls in my area that are actually available. And IDK. I try to have these conversations with friends, and they kind of get it and kind of don’t, and I don’t think I’m even explaining myself fully or adequately.

    TL;DR SEXUALITY IS STUPID. HERE HAVE A PICTURE OF ONE OF MY ASSORTED CATS.


    Not sure about “The Angels have taken the TARDIS”, but “The cat has taken the chair” should definitely be a thing.

    • STOP WITH THE GORGEOUS CAT PICTURE. #catpawn

      Jac, labels are for jars, not people. You’re wonderful just the way you are.

      • Thank you. I’ve tried going without labels, but I need to be able to name it. I need to be able to say, yes, that is what I am, that describes how I feel. Not being able to name it is just frustrating.

    • Fistbump of solidarity from a fellow bisexual-ish, asexual-ish Straddler! It’s weird and frustrating sometimes, but honestly it’s just the only real way to be for me. I’m more inclined to being single than anything else anyway and, like someone else suggested, try not to get too fussed with labels, but it’s tough when some well-meaning (usually) relative or acquaintance is grilling me about why, at 35, I’m not married and don’t have kids. “Honey, are you *whispers* a lesbian?” Lol at even trying to explain the complexity and nuances of the full spectrum of human sexuality to people who can barely say the word lesbian out loud.

      • *fistbumps*
        I’m mostly okay with it, and then I have these moments where I just need to pinpoint one exact word that sums everything up because I just feel everything and nothing at the same and STRAIGHT PEOPLE HAVE IT SO EASY MAN.

    • Yeah I can kind of relate. I identify as queer and asexual but the ace part was slow in coming, and I only just really figured that out and became comfortable with it. I think I’m probably gay, but I do love to look at pretty men, so… who knows. Sexuality is weird. And every time I have to explain myself it just feels so awkward and label-y…

  20. Looking forward to the LA brunch on Sunday. Kinda nervous as well. Meeting new people makes me nervous, damn it.

    Wishing right now I had a special lady who loves The Simpsons as much as I do so that we could be watching marathon while eating vegan pizza and drinking beer all weekend. Because, fuck yeah.

    Now, I’m off to get back into the traffic I just got out of because I forgot I was suppose to meet with someone instead of coming home. :(

    Hi, I’m an absent-minded mess.

    • YAY I GET TO MEET YOU! Don’t be nervous, I’m sure no one will bite us. It’s my first time too! Also I should just say that I will probs fist bump you if I didn’t at camp. Did you go to camp? (Sorry if I don’t remember you) but I will fist bump every person there.

  21. Last week, Cleveland hosted the Gay Games and the city was transformed into a LGBTQ-welcoming, rainbow flag-waving town. It was ah-mah-zing. Why can’t it always be like that??

  22. I’m working! So I will miss brunch! :-( on the bright side, I have finally finished re-watching buffy from the very start till the very end. Now I’m trying to get into pretty little liars, 3 eps in so far…and I got my A+ sticker… All is going pretty well :)

  23. I’m going to my first AutoStraddle brunch tomorrow, and it’s actually my first time meeting people in the community (apart from friends who happen to be part of it already). I’m pretty excited!

    This week has been… I’m not even entirely sure how to describe it? The last time I posted in one of these threads I said that I was trying to realise the advice ‘if someone isn’t smart enough to love you back, they don’t deserve your love’ and well… it sunk in! I actually cut off contact with that person and I’m already feeling better. I didn’t realise how miserable I’ve been until I started feeling happy again.

    Now I’m looking at people I’m attracted to, and considering flirting and dating, and I feel confident and comfortable. I feel like me again.

    So that’s been great and I’m excited for brunch tomorrow! Whoo!

  24. My dear Straddlers! I have just left the queerest new play with a Latina and trans protaganist, a butch lesbian well rounded character, beautiful true storytelling, and it was all so much! The future of theatre is SO queer and I’m so happy! I’m gonna go write a review of it and process my feelings. Uh! It’s called I Am Not I and it’s part of NYC Fringe Festival. Look it up

  25. I’m so sad I can’t brunch with y’all this weekend!! I will be with my family and will probably make queer jokes to myself or something. Maybe I will play them the Brunchtastic playlist.

  26. Look straddlers, I’m going to get real with you. I’ve never really enjoyed a proper brunch. Nobody has ever invited me to a super beautiful brunch get-together special thing. Sometimes I wake up late and eat ribs and steak and waffles for breakfast but that doesn’t really count. I am a brunch virgin, and it makes me sad that I cannot participate in all the lovely brunch discussions on AS this month. I’m sorry.

    To make up for that lameness, I finally learnt how to tie a bowtie, and the dapper queer inside of me has grown significantly in strength. No longer must I rely on pre-tied bowties–no, I will move forward and pioneer a wardrobe filled with crooked bowties tied by my not so capable hands.
    Seriously though tying a bowtie is some special form of magic. The first few steps are so easy and then it gets to that step (you know the one) where it’s like-bam, bowtie!-and you have no idea what just happened.

    Additionally I started watching American Horror Story:Asylum and I’m already addicted. And I’m re-reading the Miseducation of Cameron Post because that novel is beautiful.

    Oh, and I may or may not have run screaming past a bunch of really loud cicadas due to the fact that they sounded like an angry bug gang that was out to get me as I tried to cross the bridge. Is cicada phobia a thing?

    • I have to agree with the steps in tying a bow tie. The first time I followed the steps my forearms hurt trying to make sure the right amount went through etc. Congrats on your bow tying! Come to next camp and we’ll take pix of our bow ties.

      Sorry about brunching. We will send you a heart shaped egg in toast.

      • I am with you on the cicada mafia gang front.

        Also walking to work in the winter in the dark (yes lots of dumb ideas there I had to do this to get to work when I starting working in Australia before I got a car)starting at 0630am under gum trees and getting the fright of my life when some evil Kookaburra and his mates start laughing their evil cavalier morning laughs. Frightened Kookaburra Morning laughs. It got me every time, I had just walked past their tree and they go all The Joker on me. (runs away)

  27. After work I went out for nachos with an old friend I haven’t seen in a while then to a retro screening of The Goonies with my girl. All in all a pretty good day.

    Won’t be attending any AS brunch situations since I’m working all day tomorrow and spending Sunday afternoon at an 80th birthday party for my girlfriend’s grandpa. And spending Sunday morning making pies and cheesecake and taco salad for said birthday (well, my girlfriend makes the taco salad, but still.)

    But we’ll be totally AS-brunching in spirit!

  28. I’m internally debating going to the Denver brunch tomorrow. I want to go, I’ve just had a lot of thoughts about my sexuality lately, like whether or not coming out was a good idea or not. Just the usual quarter-life crisis of trying to figure out how I fit in to this world.

  29. I’m only commenting here because cb is making me! First open thread post :)

    Oh, and I might go to the Atlanta brunch tomorrow. Anyone else here planning on going?

  30. Foster pup has had her surgery now it is ten long days of ohmahgodomg Little Pudge-a-Rina don’t tear your stitches. Be still Little Sausage and please don’t make such sad sounds during what is going to be your confinement because you won’t be able to keep your activity level down.

  31. Are there other straddlers in the Rochester, NY area? I didn’t host a brunch this year, because I’ll be running around this weekend and getting ready to go out of town for a work trip. But I’d totes host a brunch next year…if there are people near me to brunch with! I may wrangle my partner/spouse into a brunch date at some point this weekend, but nothing planned.

    My vegan brunch is usually a lot of carbs (oatmeal, breakfast potatoes, toast) and fruit. If we go to a fancy vegan place, I’m all over that vegan french toast and tofu scramble and tempeh bacon. YUM.

  32. Wait, brunch what

    I just wanted to apologize for not having replied to people on the last open thread. I’ve gotten really bad at that, and this week was really rough, and I’ve been sleeping lots.

    …. so on that topic of brunch if someone could just airlift in some french toast

    • Caitlin,

      You are so brave, strong and wonderful. I’m sorry this week was rough; look at you, it’s today and you are here. This Friday thread is better because you’re in it.

      I will happily make you French Toast, anyway you want it. And then we could either hang out, in silence if you want – I’ve got a great book I’m reading – or if you’re not up for that, then I’ll leave it on your doorstep and knock three times.

      One of my favourite poems is If by Rudyard Kipling . I love it so much, I’ve even got a tattoo. Anyway. I hope it encourages you as much as it has me.

      • One of my best friends always uses Pusheen to represent them, so every time I see it I always think of them, haha. Random thought but it made me smile. <3

  33. Straddlers. I’m just going to say it. Hoping you’ll still love me afterwards.

    *deep breaths*

    …I STRONGLY DISLIKE* EGGS…

    (unless used in baking or pancakes).

    I’m sorry. I just can’t. Just the very thought of eggs in any format makes me feel seriously ill. I do realise this makes me a lousy brunch buddy. But you do you, girl.

    This week work was hhhhaaaarrrrrddd. It was a student’s birthday and I promised that if she could go to all her mainstream classes, I would make her a special butterfly cake. Then she broke our deal at the last hurdle, and I had to follow through with the consequence. This, this, is why I’m not a parent. Because it seriously sucks to have to be the bad cop, so our kids can learn.

    I’m nearly finished knitting a pair of mittens for a lovely friend. I’ve been journaling the process at the same time, writing down thoughts/what I’ve watched/listened to, so I can give her a piece of my heart and the labours of my hands.

    Aaaannddd I’m also building a house. Which involved me being grown up and talking about the appropriate number of bedrooms and how big the kitchen needs to be and the importance of walk in pantries and is there enough of a backyard to plant fruit trees and grow veggies. It’s simultaneously joyful and terrifying.

    Lastly, tomorrow I’m going to the Stitch N’ Bitch meeting in Melbourne. Whilst it’s not brunch, if you’re reading this and you want to come along and meet awesome people, it’s on @ Hares n’ Hyenas, 63 Johnston Street, Fitzroy from 3.00 to 6.00 pm. And I’ll be there. So.

    *I avoid using the word ‘hate’ because I consider it a last resort word. We can express our feelings without using this word. Lord knows, there’s enough of it already in the world.

    • I TOO HATE EGGS! For some reason the texture really puts me off. But I really enjoy cooking omelets, which my girlfriend helpfully eats for me.

  34. No unconcealed eggs for me either, it’s a shame because they always look so good but one sniff and I’m gone.

    The Darling Girl is very fond of eggs so I’ve learned to make all the ways, I just don’t inhale while I’m near the stove.

    We’ll be out of the city this weekend so will have to organize brunch for ourselves.

    Have a great brunch meet-up everyone! Love to hear all about it later.

  35. Ok so I’ve missed a few open threads, here goes: Missus, dog-child and I went to beautiful Northumberland camping in the camper van last week and it was frickin awesome. More in love with my van than ever. We also went to a volkswagen festival which was cool, many pretty cars and churros. This week I went to see some lovely queer friends and their new baby and told them about the queer friendly book list posted on here and which ones I want to buy them :) Looking forward to belated AS meetup on Monday which is a Bank holiday here. Hmmmm brunch.

  36. I have to work today so I’m missing the Chicago installment of brunch, but I’ve just decided to make myself buckwheat crepes while listening to the playlist, so.

    I will probably be late. It will definitely be worth it.

  37. I’m sadly missing brunch due to this being my first week of law school and the homework I already have been assigned, but one of my cabin babes is staying over tonight, which is super exciting.

    In other news I have officially completed orientation week and school starts Monday. I’ve come out to most of my new friends (I tend to talk about my girlfriend at lot), and I’ve had no negative responses, so that’s great. I am stressed because there was a section to my financial aid I hadn’t filled out so one of my loans hasn’t been disbursed yet, meaning my school thinks I owe them money when really they owe me money, but hopefully that’ll be straightened out on Monday? They didn’t send out the email with all the steps you needed to complete until yesterday, so fingers crossed.

    My girlfriend has been camping with her family in the middle of nowhere for the past week so we’ve been out of contact and I’ve been missing her intensely. Not having her to talk to makes stress more stressful, but she’ll be back in civilization on Tuesday, yay!

  38. I can never really make it to these brunches because I work Sundays =/. Yes, some people do HAVE to work on Sundays. Well in happier news, I started school this week and pretty excited :)

      • in some places, kinda yes. I don’t think anywhere in the town I live in serves brunch except on Sunday. I live in a small town, though.

        • Hmm that would call for a kitchen invasion if I was there. As in someone volunteers to let me drag in my 4 slice toaster, my fryer and my favorite cooking utensils, the good cutting board and create an Auto-brunch.
          Rules: I must break you.

    • I’ve had to work too – really wish I could have made it to the London autostraddle brunch but am consoling myself by playing with the kitten I am looking after for the weekend!

    • New Orleans brunch was at Reginelli’s on Poydras. A gleaming metal and glass space warmed by the pointillist red race car covering the back wall, the friendly waitress with awesome hair, soft lighting and the use light coloured wood in the furniture and booth area.
      Three arrived first not sure of how many would come settled on the medium sized square table, but when a fourth arrived we upgraded to the exclusive round table.

      We took forever to settle on what to order even after a fifth person arrived, poor Olivia had risen early and had yet nary a bite of food. Hangry she ordered the Uptowner a sandwich composed of smoked turkey breast, melted provolone, avocado, roma tomatoes, sprouts and hot pepper relish all on focaccia. (Yes I just bascially copied off the menu just now)

      Getting the pizza ball rolling Sadie ordered the El Fresco minus the mushrooms. With it’s garlic sauce so garlic-y, fresh spinach so green, roma tomatoes so shiny, and extra feta I ate 3 slices more then I should have.
      Eventually I order a large custom with roasted garlic and pepperoni, I love their pepperoni. So little that when they come out the oven the heat has caused them to pop up like tiny bowls. Tiny meat bowls, flavourful tiny meat bowls.
      No one sat all awkward and quiet everyone joined in conversation. Topics ranged from the lack restriction on alcohol sales, athletics, who’s from where, how it doesn’t snow here, frozen boogers, the heat, handgrenades, the deadliness of daiquiris, the keeping of fish, I told my goldfish Katrina story, to the fact no one speaks really Acadian anymore, A-Camp, how the authors are real people, turning condoms into oral dams, the wonders of an all queer lady environment, how Mariana and Sadie were both at A-Camp but totally missed running into each other, gross apartment stuff, where in the city to get a hair cut.
      It was good, there was laughter and food of which I ate too much.
      We split the bill up and Sadie left our awesome haired and patient waitress a big tip.

      Those in attendance Chris from the Bronx, Olivia who got here last Sunday, Mariana from Brazil,and our host Sadie who lives much closer to me than I assumed.
      Oh and I mentioned Muses as a parade queer ladies would be most likely to enjoy. The krewe is made up of business women rather than society ladies who waive. What I didn’t mention is the Bearded Oysters who are a walking krewe that walk in Muses. I mean the Pussy Footers are great but c’mon the Bearded Oysters are clearly the queerest of fun.
      (But yes I do know a foot can be very queer, Syd Blakovich fan here)

        • That may be kindly robut person, but I missed a once in a life time chance to relevantly crack Knights of the Round Table jests. There was only one round table in the joint, a big one too. When will that happen again?
          I hang my head in shame. I say NI! To myself.

  40. I’m deeply sad to not have participated in or hosted a brunch this year. But, I have a good reason! I was busy documenting the Michigan Pride Rally and March, and meeting our Democratic candidate for Governor. It was the first time a gubernatorial candidate has ever appeared the Michigan Pride Rally! (I also really like saying the word gubernatorial because it includes the word “goober”, and I’m 5). :)

  41. Yesterday I accidentally went to my town’s PRIDE events, because I was downtown shopping and had completely forgotten about it. Wasn’t really my thing with all the loud music and extroverted people, but I was going to meet my oldest and dearest friend in a nearby cafe, so we got to queer people watch while we chatted, which was lovely! I was reminded of how lucky I am to have her in my life, even now that’s she’s finally moving out of our hometown for the first time in her life(!) and I will miss knowing she’s here for when I come home. We had a very satisfying chat about queerness and people not understanding, and I came out to her as ace and it was FANTASTIC. I am very lucky. <3

  42. Had brunch at the Oakland meet up and it was lovely. My table was full of very funny and talkative people and the food was pretty bomb. I thought about wandering to tables and introducing myself but I didn’t because I’m a bit shy at times and socially awkward haha. I’ll get over it eventually. I’m bisexual, which I think I mentioned at some point but didn’t really phase anyone. Nice to have a very open and understanding event. I live in Oakland and went to a restaraunt I haven’t tried yet and after that brisket hash and beignets I’ll have to go back again soon :P. Can’t wait for the next local event!

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