table rock fire

boise's "fire season" is off to a spectacular start ... the widely beloved table rock

was ( presumably ) accidentally a-lit by folks ( illegally ) setting off fireworks

the blaze has elicited countless complaints about air quality, emotional 

postings to facebook and twitter feeds, and most of all : dramatic photos 

photo credit Jarrett R Mitchell

photo credit Doug Chapman

photo credit KTVB.com

... talk about theatrical ... 

but don't get me wrong : i love table rock too, i'm just not heartbroken ... 

every once in a while, things have to burn, and that's okay, and in a lot of 

cases it's actually better in the long run that things DO burn ... it sure is a 

shame that people lost homes in this fire ( that damn eyesore of a crucifix 

should have burned up instead ), but as far as i know nobody was physically

injured, and now everybody's a little more aware of fireworks safety as we 

approach the 4th ( that's my hope, anyway )

grieving for victims of the pulse attack

inverted pride flag hung at half mast outside boise city hall

the queer communities of boise have been shaken by the attack on the pulse nightclub in orlando ( naturally ), but the responses from within and from the community at large have been heartening so far

on sunday evening, an impromptu vigil came together on the steps of the capitol, where long-time queer ally rabbi dan fink spoke to honor the dead and wounded

donations for the families of the dead were collected at pride bingo, hosted by minerva jayne at the balcony ......... i imagine more donations will be collected over the weekend as boise's pride festivities get further underway

( at the lucky dog's traditional tuesday night karaoke, a regular patron dedicated a cello performance to the dead and wounded and their families ........ i'm going to start calling my drinking "journalism" )

pride flags have been hung all over the city, but the most notably ( and noticeable ) of all has been hung in front of city hall — upside-down

i'm curious as to whether this was done intentionally to indicate our distress, or accidentally, out of well-meaning ignorance ......... either way, it's fitting, and the sight of it makes me cry every time i walk past

there are undoubtedly tributes that i've missed already, and there are undoubtedly more tributes to come as pride 2016 unfolds, so you probably haven't heard the end of it just yet

cowboy's butts

lovely !! discovered in the men's restroom of 10th st station, beneath bombay grill

the biggest caucus in all the land

we've done it !! we've finally done it ... boise idaho has made national news for something cool

or ... kinda cool

the democratic caucus ( funded and organized by idaho democrats ) was held tonight

( the republican primary, funded by the state of idaho, was held on the 8th and favored ted cruz ( the zodiac killer ) )

people don't expect much from idaho's blue contingent !! but just like 2008, when over 20,000 idahoans turned out for barack obama, we set a new record in caucus attendance ... except this time, it was a national record

berning man

photo credit anthony loper

check out the turnout for bernie sanders at taco bell arena !! photos like this are clogging up my feed, but i'm glad they're so excited ... i'm less glad that i had to break through the lines of people zigzagging across boise state campus in order to get to work at the student union

( the arena can accommodate 12,644 people ... i wonder what his total body count will be )

bernie called us boy-zee, but judging by the continuous cheering i think he's already been forgiven

the idaho democratic caucus is tomorrow evening at the grove plaza !! i'll be there with quite a few of my friends, and if this many people turn up ........ well, won't that be interesting :)

hello, it's me

blogs don't really need dedication ... but all the same, i'm gonna take a moment to dedicate "i love boysee" to my grandmother, anna ( margerite ) diers geske

she died just a few months ago on 28 august 2015 ... she taught me most of the things that i value in life, and is very important to me

one of the things i learned from her is to appreciate and support your community, even when it's fucky and broken

she was born in iowa, but after graduate school she moved to ithaca, new york, where she lived for over 50 years

i'm fairly certain that she loved her city for every minute of it

because of her earnest enthusiasm for her community and its accomplishments, i love ithaca too, but i couldn't possibly live there ... it's just not my city

i live in boise, idaho, and i moved here from twin falls ( an actual armpit; if you don't believe me, you can ask just about anyone ) intending to earn a college degree and then leave for seattle or portland, the epicenters of pacific northwest-ness ........ but somewhere along the way i put down roots without even noticing

so now this is my city, for better or for worse, and i'm going to love it the best way that i can

here's an internet collage of all the ways i love my city, in the spirit of my grandmother anna, who was proud of her community, and who gave a great deal of herself to support its growth

anyway, be well, and take luck