Alan Mead

I met Alan Mead in high school.  When I realized his sense of humor was as wicked and well...sophomoric... as mine, we became fast friends. Truth be known, though, he was always funnier than me.   Because we were part of a tiny group of males in the predominately female drama class, we were cast in nearly every production...often doing several parts.  We became a team.   When Mrs. Husted read off  who would play what part in "U.S.A",  we were doing so many parts that she eventually just said that the part of so-and-so would be played by "AJ."   The crowning glory of my high school performing career was "Mark Twain Tonight."  Alan, who was even more of a Twain freak than I, immediately volunteered to do the makeup.  The makeup he designed turned out to be as much of a triumph as my performance.

Alan and I nearly died together once.  We went on an ill-conceived hike into the Rincon Mountains ...in the middle of summer.  We both wound up suffering extreme heat exhaustion.  Had it not been for the kindly park rangers who took pity on the idiot children passed out by the side of the road, we might never have made it back.  When we were in bed recuperating from our ordeal, my sister teased us that half of our bodies was white and half was red.  Alan's response was "we're part Indian."

When Alan's family moved to Mesa, he stayed with my family to continue going to High School in Tucson.  It was a slightly illegal situation, but it took the Man six months to catch us.  For that six months that we lived like brothers the laughter never stopped.

Alan moved to California after High School.  He visited, although not nearly as often as I would have liked.  On one of those visits he came out to me as gay.   I was totally surprised but he said not to worry.  He was surprised when he found out too.  Unfortunately, I was also sad to learn he was gay...not because there's another wrong with it...but because the friend I had loved all though years was gone and I would never see him again.  I grieved for one day until I was able to accept this new improved friend and get to know him. 

Years later I was able to return the favor by coming out to him as trans.  (I'm paraphrasing here of course.  Trans wasn't a word back then.)  His only response was to warn me not to make it public knowledge because it could be used against me.   His "sayings of sooth"  were tragically prophetic. 

In High School, Alan promised me that on Jan. 1st 2000, he would come to my psychiatrist office (that's what I wanted to be back then....ironic huh?)  and announce that had come to see the "Sakeeatrist."   I don't remember what prompted this or even where he had come up with the word, but he vowed he would do it.   I looked forward to that time and was heart broken when the millennium came and went and Alan never showed up.  Since I just learned that he recently committed suicide, I guess now I can stop waiting.  

I will always love you, O greatest friend of my youth

Alan Mead 1956-2016

Blue Galaxy

For a locally produced and original play, I was expecting "Blue Galaxy" to be little more than bunch of high schoolers saying "Hey, kids, let's put on a show." It was nothing of the sort. Kim Porter's play was a nuanced, moving, and at times heartbreaking story of the self-destructiveness that accompany being a "fat chick."

Elizabeth Mueller, was phenomenal as Lana. The part seemed almost created for her as she was stunningly lovely, but still tormented by her weight issues. Her presence was such that it was hard to look at much else when she was on stage, This was actually a detriment, as often two stories were going on at opposites sides of the stage and her side of the stage took focus away from the main story on the other side,

Miss Mueller's presence, singing, and acting almost completely eclipsed the other cast members. The notable exceptions were Doug Waldo's invalid and hateful Buddy Dale, Rodney Dickerman's delightful Betty (aka Steve's mom,) and Amy Carpenter's clueless but subtly underplayed transgender Tina. Tina was especially original and fresh, as there has NEVER been a trans character portrayed without at least some shock value. Tina was "just one of the girls" and had it not been for a clever bit of blocking, you would never have known she was anything else.

On a personal note: had this been a movie, it would have been a serious chick flick. Since I realized that I enjoyed it much more than the recent spat of superhero movies I seen, I decided that I guess that six years of HRT have finally taken their toll and changed my tastes in shows.

Blue Galaxy's final performances will be today and tomorrow at Space 55. Do not fear though, It was so good that I'm sure that it will eventually be played elsewhere.

Driving Miss Jimmye

If this gets out feminists will go ballistic and if you tell anyone about this I will find you and I will kill you, but ....when I was a man... I was a better driver.

Maybe it's the multitasking thing or something, I don't know. I just find myself easily distracted when before I could more easily focus on the task of driving. I no longer have a "turn" signal. I have a "I am turning" signal. And sometimes I even have a "I turned just then" signal.

On the other hand, if someone wants to cut in front of me, I let them. I no longer find myself saying, "Oh hell no. Look, Buddy, I don't know who you are. I don't know where your goin'. All I know is, you ain't gettin' there ahead of me!"

(Yes, my grammar is better now too.)