Learning Curves!

11 - Learning Curves.jpg

Hey ya’ll!!

After months of strategic and sometimes not so strategic planning Jonah, SahLeem and I are all in Miami and have successfully accomplished our first interview together as a trio.

Maybe it’s the cancer new moon, maybe it’s just the nature of kicking off a tour but our first day together/ coming together was hilarious and somewhat tumultuous.

Jonah left Austin, Texas yesterday by car at noon. They planned to meet us in Miami around 3 pm today. While driving Jonah was greeted by men toting guns outside of their car in the middle of Louisiana last night while they were sleeping, so they decided to drive through the night. They hit tons of traffic and didn’t make it to Miami until around 6:30 pm.

My morning started out by hanging out with my old friend, Natasha, in Charleston as she drove me to the airport and saying goodbye to her and my awesome roommates. I was unsurprisingly pulled aside by TSA because my packer always shows up when I walk through the hurricane x ray machine. I had to have a special and uncomfortable pat down for like 50th time.  I spent the next hour chatting with my friend in Chicago while waiting on my flight to board in SC and I decided to take my phone in the bathroom. I naturally dropped in it the toilet while I was peeing. I screamed and had to stop peeing abruptly and somehow didn’t damage my phone! But… did I mention that I peed on my phone?

When I got to Miami, SahLeem and I met up. We were thrilled to see one another and had to get an Uber and head to a Chase bank and cash a check. We caught up and talked about NYC Pride and what I missed in SC. After we cashed the check, we got another Uber and when the driver picked us up she didn’t realize that SahLeem wasn’t in the car and she ran over his foot! So, here’s a little known fact….many trans men, including myself, have small feet. Because SahLeem’s shoes were too big his toes were not crushed! But his shoe was.

We got to our Air Bnb and cleaned up a bit. I rested and he reeled from the fact that his foot had been run over. We met with Cameron shortly after, our first interview, at a Kava bar, which none of us knew was a Kava bar when planning to meet there, and had an awesome interview with him. Also, the kava bar was very fancy. It was infused with nitrous oxygen and bubbled like a witches brew. I thought it was cool but wondered if I should be drinking nitrous oxygen. Cameron’s interview was great and he opened up so much about his life and art! It was a really touching and wonderful time. I was so happy to connect with him and make friends!

After that, SahLeem, Jonah, and I found Indian food because I desperately wanted to eat some Indian food. Another little-known fact, I worked in an Indian kitchen for over five years. I had some phenomenal Malai Kofta! We all enjoyed our dinner.

After dinner, Jonah played their “Gay Trucker” playlist for us while we drove back to our room and I am very impressed by the quality, joy, and thought put into this playlist so far.

SO! To say the least, this was quite a first day on tour!! We’re all back at our Air BnB and bleary eyed but editing, writing, and organizing before bed. 

When sleep comes it will be well deserved and cherished.

Love,

Basil Soper

 

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