Air Born Designs

It's impossible to explain how the character of Pee-wee Herman has made a difference in my life, but here's how it all started. When my family was living in Tokyo in the 80’s, my Grandmother would send us VHS tapes that she recorded full of Saturday morning shows, tv movies, and all the latest content! Even though we were fascinated by local tv characters, our Japanese wasn't good enough to understand all of it. Grammy’s tapes were everything! She included all the best shows & commercials and made sure we didn’t miss out on pop culture for the fours years we lived overseas.

I’ve always loved making things and couldn’t get enough of Pee-wee’s silly charm and creativity. I was an instant fan! I wanted to jump into our magic screen and hang out at the Playhouse and make ice cream soup with him.

Happy Bi Visibility Day!

Animal Pictures, founded by Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne, produced a film last year called Crush, now streaming on Hulu. It’s an entertaining coming of age comedy I wish was around when I was growing up. It’s writing speaks to the sublime spectrum of sexuality while emphasizing how we’re here to express ourselves and find our people along the way.

There is a wonderful bi character in the film who is an artist and is somewhat private about both. AJ Campos played by Auli’i Cravalho is smart and perceptive. She feels real and more fully formed than your typical teen movie character. Honestly, I wanted her to be the protagonist or for us to have a starring spin-off to look forward to! Crush delivers on a lot of levels. Paige, it’s main character sets out to write an essay about her “happiest moment” to get into the Cal Arts summer program. While dealing with common themes from lots of movies, Crush solves this and other problems in completely new ways and is a total blast to watch! It’s the queer rom-com I didn’t know I needed!

I haven’t seen a high school queer comedy that provided this many laughs since But I’m A Cheerleader, starring Natasha Lyonne. That being said, I love that she chose to produce this one! This time the themes aren’t heavy like that 1999 satire about conversion therapy. In fact, it’s cool to be queer at the high school in Crush and the main character’s mom, played by Megan Mullally, is incredibly supportive. She even borders on too supportive, providing awkward comic relief. I love that this is a direction rom-coms are going in. It’s a genre I love to enjoy!

Yellowjackets, on Showtime, is one of my favorite shows on TV. The creators do a wonderful job of transporting the viewer to high school in the 90’s, and since I graduated in 1999, I was instantly on board. These characters are unique and nuanced in their attractions and I was thrilled to see the show’s cast includes at least four queer characters. “Van” or Vanessa Palmer is played by Lauren Ambrose and really won me over from the start. When we visit her in modern day, she owns a video store somewhere in PA. This show features some of my favorite music and movie references from the 90’s and really channels how media can bring us back to a very specific time and place.

I remember watching the mesmerizing Angelina Jolie in Gia (1998) on HBO and subsequently discovering Foxfire at the video store (1996) starring her, Jenny Shimizu, and Jenny Lewis. These films led me to find All Over Me (1997) starring Leisha Hailey before she was cast in The L Word. I still love listening to the soundtrack from Velvet Goldmine (1998). It transports me right back to seeing it’s colorful musical montages and costume changes for the first time! The world was different then, but we are still dealing with a lot of the same inequities today.

Most of my favorite queer films from the 90’s get progressively bleak as they play, and for good reason, times were tough. I do have a dark sense of humor, and maybe the repetitive nature with which I watched these films is partly why. Yellowjackets definitely translates some of the melancholy of the times, which is just as relevant now. But despite it’s heart-breaking subject matter, I really appreciate it’s celebration of female friendships and all of the women the show employs in front of and behind the camera.

I’m not afraid to admit that I’m more sensitive to watching the queer movies I mentioned from the 90’s now. Maybe it’s because times are still tough and possibly getting tougher. When rewatching, I’ve been known to stop or fast forward them to create the queer joy I need to see today.

That’s why finding a current film like Crush is so affirming and uplifting! I had to share it’s name with you, no matter what your age, because it shows queer women being dynamic and unique individuals! It shows us creating art, finding love, experiencing success like wonderfully complicated and creative human beings. Crush shows queer women supported by their friends and family. And above all, this movie really makes me laugh! Our stories can be fun and fulfilling to watch, over and over again through to the end! That's what I want for us…to see bi+ characters experiencing joy in wonderful ways at any age because that is the reality I want to live in!

Top 5 memoirs to inspire your own creative projects:

1. Just Kids by Patti Smith This book is a poetic masterpiece. It is a glimpse into a chapter of supreme creativity and artistic collaboration. Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith were fearless friends who helped each other develop their unique styles. You can imagine yourself sitting side by side with them in their room in the Chelsea Hotel while reading her vividly beautiful depictions. And it may even inspire you to make the most fearless work you've made yet! Thank you, Patti!

#pattismith #justkids #pattismithjustkids

2. How to Grow Up by Michelle Tea Michelle Tea has a distinct style and hilarious perspective on her life thus far and all the changes she has made to become who she. I enjoyed every page of this book and took it everywhere I went. On a day I was feeling especially alone visiting the conservative neighborhood my parents live in, the cover inspired a lovely queer couple to stop and talk to me saying they needed this book with a sarcastic yet knowing glance! And this is so what would happen when you are reading a Michelle Tea book. She inspires inclusivity, queer community building, celebration, and self love! And becasue of that, I got to share one of my favorite things about her; her part in the creation of Drag Queen Story Hour at libraries everywhere! The couple loved it! Michelle reminds us that the world needs all of our stories and to be brave and tell them today! Thanks Michelle!

#michelletea #howtogrowup #michelleteahowtogrowup

3. Drawing Blood by Molly Crabapple If you are craving travel without even leaving your home, this is the book for you. I was magically transported through Molly's colorful descriptions and details. And did I mention this book has pictures! Molly draws gorgeous illustrations and they are paired throughout the text in the most intreging ways. Go pick up this book at your local bookstore and share it with others. Molly's life is courageous and kind and it will have you making friends with your neighbors, going to protests together, and making your own advocacy art through her inspiration! You are one person but you can make a major difference in your own way and that is powerful. Thank you, Molly!

#mollycrabapple #drawingblood #mollycrabappledrawingblood

4. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore Wildflower is a collection of beautiful personal essays. I've been a life-long fan of Drew's work and this book is no exception. I bought the audiobook in addition to the hardcover at her book signing and am enamored by the writing she put together in this compilation! It has everything you want in a book; hilarity, sweetness, adventure, and heart. I even found out we have a soul connection in both being obsessed with Lake Winnipesauke! I spent nine life-changing summers on that lake at camp, some of which were the same years in the 90's she did. In another wonderfully watery story, Drew dives off the deck of a cruise ship into the open ocean and it's a must read! All of the essays speak to growth she has experienced in her life and I am so grateful she chose to share them so that we may be inspired to engage in similar ambitious pursuits. Thanks Drew!

#drewbarrymore #wildflower #drewbarrymorewildflower

5. Waking the Witch by Pam Grossman Pam's thoughtful memoir is wonderfully written and in addition to giving you a glimpse into the history of the archetype of the witch, it connected some dots for me. Pam's podcast, The Witch Wave, helped inspire a feminist roadtrip I took in 2019, the same year the book came out. I made my way to the home of Matilda Joslyn Gage, an abolitionist and stop on the Underground Railroad in Fayetteville, NY. Her nephew, L. Frank Baum wrote Wizard of Oz and she is thought to have been an inspiration for the character of Glinda the Good Witch! Waking the Witch is a magical read and I enjoyed the parts of Pam's story that were set in suburban New Jersey since this is also where i hail from. Hearing about her baby witch visits to the mall and later exploration of New York City transported me back to similarly formative times in my own life. Thank you, Pam!

You’ll definitely scream real loud when you see the Official Pee-wee Herman Fun Book!

Top 5 TV series to keep you entertained through this heatwave:

1. The After Party (Apple TV) A modern millennial whodunnit comedy set over the course of one night at a high school reunion and, you guessed it, the after party! The assemble cast is great. I don't typically love a Franco, but you're supposed to think he sucks, so it works. Ilana Glaser is adorable as always and I love this role for her. Ben Schwartz gets a musical episode and overall really shines as more than a John Ralphio 2D type character, even though I also adore when he does that as well! Tiffany Haddish has some incredible lines as the detective and without giving too much away, each character gets a backstory episode and I really love how they do this! Sam Richardson and Zoe Chao are popping up everywhere together (eh hem Senior Year on Netflix!) and I loved seeing their faces together again in this. They are super adorable in this will they, won't they dynamic. Go put it on and you'll definitely want to binge till the end to solve the mystery!

#theafterparty #ilanaglazer #benschwartz #tiffanyhaddish #samrichardson #zoechao

2. High Desert (Apple TV) Patricia Arquette plays Peggy, a Pioneertown actress turn private eye who after the death of her mother played by Bernadette Peters, is making her way in the world in gorgeous vintage westernwear and 70's sunglasses with a wonderful dead-pan sense of humor. I could pretty much watch Patricia Arquette do anything, and this series allows just that! You won't expect where it's going and to me this series is the perfect tone. The other casting is fantastic as well. Matt Dillon plays her ex and Christine Taylor plays her sister! It's wonderfully written, hilarious, and between the desert back drop and vintage prints I was so satisfied with how good and visually appealing this show is! Sad story that is didn't get renewed, but maybe we can start a petition to bring it back because I really want to see how this story evolves. If that doesn't work, I will happily rewatch this season since I found it to be really outstanding!

#highdesert #patriciaarquette #bernadettepeters #mattdillon #christinetaylor

3. Poker Face (Peacock) I know, I know, another mystery show and this time a role Jessica Fletcher would be jealous of? Natasha Lyonne's Poker Face is downright brilliant! She is so fun to watch as she interacts with tons of characters (including Judith Light) on her road trip or escape from which mountain? Not to give any spoilers, we'll just say she's driving a vintage car and each episode is kinda a different storyline. There is some continuity between the episodes but they all kinda stand on their own as well. I really liked this about it. It harkens back to the days of Murder She Wrote, Columbo, and maybe even 21 Jumpstreet! Her character, Charlie Cale's vintage looks are all so sweet and I really appreciated her wardrobe as it pertains to each new storyline. The acting is a real treat and you'll definitely want to pack snacks for this little roadside adventure.

#pokerface #natashalyonne #judithlight #murdershewrote

4. The Horror of Dolores Roach (Amazon Prime) This series has the tiniest bit of a slow start, but the promise of a Cyndi Lauper cameo plus an original song on the soundtrack made me stick with it and I'm so glad I did! This show is super original with has a wonderfully dark sense of humor. Dolores, played by Justina Machado is recently out of prison and uses her "magic hands" as a masseuse to land on her feet. The character Luis, comes us with creative ways to solve their problems and should be creepy from the start but comes across endearing as a real testament to the likability of the actor Alejandro Hernandez. I really loved seeing how this story evolved throughout the season.

#thehorrorofdoloresroach #doloresroach #justinamachado #alejandrohernandez #cyndilauper

5. Survival of the Thickest (Netflix) Michelle Buteau is a mood and her world is where I want to live all summer long! This show is a wonderful watch in every way! Michelle is so funny and the story is poignant while remaining silly and very rewatchable. I'm already starting it for the second time. My favorite episode is the last one, due to the beautiful story arc, so I'm just gonna have to watch them all again to get there! I'm so glad this series came out this summer. It is such a lovely tribute to friendship, working hard, having integrity, and above all fun! We need all the queer joy we can get right now! Thank you Michelle Buteau!