idek anymore

Our town (~9,000 people) has a couple garages, but there's a big one on the main drag. My family has been going there for decades. I drive past it every day.

There used to be a huge pine tree on the corner of their lot, but last year it became a hazard and had to be taken down.

Shortly thereafter I drive by and see they've hired a guy to chainsaw sculpt the stump into a bald eagle.

Birds own my heart, but nationalism makes me twitchy. I withhold outright condemnation of the eagle, but I'm skeptical. (The original owner—an objectively Good Dude—sold the business to a younger couple a few years ago, and I don't have any knowledge of their whole deal.)

Then it turns out someone on staff is really into making costumes for the eagle. Every holiday. Every month. Stuffed turkey, witch costume, menorah headpiece, bunny ears. These people love to dress their bird.

The changing of the eagle suit becomes a source of joy every time I drive through town.

Until June, when the eagle is bare.

Now look, maybe I'm expecting too much asking my garage to celebrate Pride. But this is a small town. Every time I drive by that stupid eagle—this thing that has previously brought me so much joy—I feel hurt. I feel reminded that there are plenty of people in my liberal bubble who don't consider my community worthy of celebration. I drive to work, I feel bad. I drive home, I feel bad. The eagle is mocking me.

Then my A/C quits working.

So I book an appointent to bring my car in—and realize what I have to do.

I pick all this up at a thrift store for under ten bucks. I print the shirt with some weird heat-transfer fabric crayons I find in a cupboard. I loop gold elastic around the sunglasses and pray they'll fit on the eagle's head. (It is also important to draw your attention to the price of the feather boa.)

(Nice.)

My reasoning is thus: if I show up with a complete costume ready to go, someone will have to look me in the eye and say "We don't believe in that," at which point I'll be finding a new garage. But if they let me dress the eagle, then people in town get to have the joy I've been missing since the start of the month.

I listen to a lot of hype-up jams on my way over. I hate confrontation. I also don't wanna have to find another garage. I want to believe that this decision isn't actively antagonistic, but I'm not particularly hopeful.

I talk through the A/C issue with the guy at the desk, hand over my keys, then take a deep breath.

"Who's in charge of the eagle?"

"Oh, that's all Dylan. Second bay from the end."

I walk down the row of hydraulic lifts and find a disarmingly smiley middle-aged man pouring fluid through a funnel. I introduce myself and explain that, since the Pride parade is this Sunday and the eagle seems to be missing a costume, I have taken the liberty of making one myself, and can I get his blessing to go put it on?

Dylan grins this absolutely giant grin and goes

"Oh hell yeah."

So that's what's up now.

"Hey also: thanks for making that costume for the eagle. People can be touchy about it, but the guys love what you did. And it’s so smart to put "Love is love" on the shirt. Because we’re all for the LGBTQ community, but of course there's people who come in here who aren't. And what are they gonna do? Disagree with something like that?"

I admitted I’d been nervous to ask about it, and we had a laugh, and then he told me they actually have a monthly budget for the eagle now. There’s a spreadsheet full of holidays and everything.

IF IT DIDNT MATTER AT ALL WHY WOULD THEY SPEND SO MUCH TIME GERRYMANDERING THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYWHERE?? WHY CAN'T FELONS VOTE?? WHY CANT PUERTO RICO VOTE? WHY DO THEY KEEP SWITCHING DATES AND LAWS AND TIMES AND WHATEVER THEY POSSIBLY CAN TO STOP PEOPLE FROM VOTING?? WHY DO THEY MAKE EFFORT AT ALL??

A Plea for Help from Gaza: A Family Seeking Safety

Hello, I am Mohammed Alanqer, married to Enas Majed, and we have four wonderful children.

We live in the midst of the ongoing hellish war in Gaza, trapped between walls of fear and despair. I, Mohammed, am a father of four children and a husband to a woman who was two months pregnant when the war began.

We struggle daily to survive in an environment filled with threats and dangers.

I lost our sole source of livelihood when my tech startup, which I built with dedication and hard work, was destroyed in the war. My children, Layan, Sarah, and Adam, have been deprived of education after their schools were destroyed, severely threatening their future. Amidst these harsh circumstances, my wife gave birth to our fourth child, Amir, in the midst of the war, adding to our state of despair and hopelessness.

My wife, Enas, lives in constant anxiety due to the destruction of hospitals in our area. I have lost my job and source of income, leaving me unable to provide for my family's needs and safety. Our home was destroyed by the war, forcing us to flee repeatedly and rendering us homeless.

We now face extreme difficulty in providing a safe place to live, clean clothes, and food for our children. Additionally, our children have contracted diseases like measles, and our son Adam has been diagnosed with viral hepatitis.

Our only hope now is to escape this ongoing nightmare and find a safe haven for our family. However, this requires exorbitant financial costs; the coordination fees for crossing the borders amount to $5000 per adult and $2500 per child, a sum I cannot afford alone.

We urgently appeal for your moral and financial assistance to cover the necessary costs for escaping to a safe environment, where we can build a better future for our children and ensure our family's safety.

We are in desperate need of your support. Any donation, no matter how small, can help save our lives. Thank you for your attention and support during these harsh times.

GoFundMe Campaign Link ♥️ :

https://gofund.me/afbb2b7f

With deepest respect and gratitude,

Mohammed Alanqer 🌺🌹

🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉

Note :

My account vetted by :

@nabulsi ♥️ link vetted 🌺

@fairuzfan ♥️ Link vetted 🌺

@communistchilchuck ♥️ link vetted 🌺

@sar-soor ♥️ link vetted 🌺

@90-ghost ♥️ link vetted 🌺

@commissions4aid-international ♥️ link vetted 🌺

Dear Campaign Verification Team at Tumblr,

I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your assistance in bringing back my voice and my family's voice to life once again. Following the deactivation of my old account, I am eager to revive our campaign with its inspiring humanitarian message.

You are more than just a team; you are reliable friends in challenging times. I am grateful for your swift response and ongoing support. I look forward to working with you again to repost the message and reach as many people as possible.

Thanks to your efforts, together we can create new opportunities and spread goodness in the community. I am confident that your continued engagement will help us achieve this common goal.

I wanted to share some sad news with you: my old Tumblr account was deactivated without my knowledge. I had wonderful memories and meaningful interactions with you all, and I found the Tumblr community to be the most cooperative and helpful.🥺🥹

I am very happy to be here again, and I hope you can help me in reposting the post I was working on. This post is not just words, but a part of a fundraising campaign aimed at saving my family and supporting them in these difficult times.

I hope, as I always knew you, that you will extend a helping hand and assist in spreading this message to reach as many people as possible.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,