August Celebrations Part 1: Change Is Good

Uh-Oh, Did Someone Get a Haircut?

Aug 01, 2025

Today is August 1, and as such, it is the beginning of my birthday month. I am now counting up to the 28th which will mark another year in my life. That number puts me firmly in the realm of Virgo (my other signs are Libra and Libra, for anyone curious to know).

This year, I have decided to carry out micro-celebrations for every day leading up to my birthday. This means that everyone in my household will also benefit—impromptu chocolate, sudden cake attacks, breaking out in song and dance. It will also allow me to give myself a bit of grace against microaggressions (self-inflicted and perpetrated by others), stress, and anxiety.

More importantly, instead of moaning over what is wrong with my life, what is missing, and various other disappointments, I will indulge in the richness of what I have—healthy family and friends, well-fed cats and dogs, flourishing gardens, a supportive queer community, a magical home in the woods, a sweet and talented crew of musicians who perform with me on stage, and the benefit of not being racially profiled as a Brown immigrant and detained indefinitely in a detention center/concentration camp. (Sorry, that spiraled down a bit, but my anxiety these days keeps me a bit on edge.)

This first week will be glorious! Tomorrow, my band and I (Ancestral Tongue) perform at an event called Lammas Cotillion at the French House in Nashville, and it was at this very same event ten years ago where I met my husband MaxZine. So that’s a special day for sure. Next Tuesday, I perform at the Lipstick Lounge in East Nashville. It is now the oldest lesbian bar currently in operation in the entire country, and I always love playing in such an important and historic place.

Early every morning, as long as it is not raining, I will be out doing work in my garden. My cat Chopin supervises and follows me everywhere I go. This month is prime gardening time, and I will be out in full force.

Since today is the first day of the month, I decided to start my birthday countdown off with a bang.

This morning, I went to my barber at the town square in nearby Woodbury, TN. (Her name is Shamber, and she owns Mane-Tain Barbershop for anyone looking for someone good.)

I got a haircut.

Many of you know that I have grown my hair very long, and it was the longest it has ever been.

Well, it is time for a change. There was A LOT of hair chopped off.