Sunday, July 16, 2017

Time Changes Things

Its been quite awhile since I last posted to the Hippie Road Trip, and my how time changes things! This past March I put a down payment on 2.5 acres of undeveloped forest land in Dent County, Missouri. I am purchasing the land through an owner-financed lease/purchase agreement. It will take Jennelle and I approximately 7 years to pay the land in full. The company we are purchasing the land through–for those who may be interested–is Homestead Crossing Inc. I assure you, for what it is worth, that they are a legitimate organization.

Here are some pictures of the land we purchased. As you can see the land is truly undeveloped and perhaps has never been developed in any way – just the way we wanted it!







The land is truly undeveloped. There is no water nor well; there is electricity run to the land but not installed; there are no structures; it is overgrown and filled with brush and trees and rocks; and there is not even a location upon which to park a vehicle without some sort of clearing work. It will truly be a major operation for us to make the land fit to live upon and grow/raise our own food, but we shall do it! There are no building restrictions and there is no zoning, if we should desire we could build a tree house or hobbit home to live in, and we just might! With wilderness there comes an enormous price, but there also comes enormous opportunity. We can essentially do what we desire, which is a large mark of freedom. Who could ever wish to live without that? And who would desire land if they could not have that?

Jennelle and I intend to move onto the land during the fall of 2018, if all goes well. We have also started a GoFundMe Campaign in order to raise financial support for the transition and move. If you are interested in helping in any way, your support will be greatly appreciated. Every dollar counts, do not think you can give too little. And every little bit of support will grant you our gratitude, respect, and thanks. You may donate to our Dream here:


We will be building a small homestead on our meager acreage, but this does not mean the Hippie Road Trip dream is dead! This is just one of the many ways I had originally conceived of living that dream. It can be done as a nomad or with a home base – it just so happens that the home base approach reared its head before any other. We will be purchasing a camper (or a used school bus) to live out of as we build our homestead which can then be used to allow us to travel about and live our free and loving life. Perhaps we will purchase more land in other locations as way-points during our travels? I do not know where the Great Spirit will lead us on this journey, but I am certain we will find happiness and resolve.

Until next time: peace, love, and happiness to you all!

Alraune

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Magic Bus Beginning

I must admit, I am truly prosperous to have a woman who loves me and would go just about anywhere with me. I am truly a lucky guy. And god knows I am intrigued by the magic bus trip and I truly do want to do it for at least a year just to see if I find it fulfilling. I want to do this, but I would be lying if I said I do not have reservations. That does not mean I should not go through with it, it only means I am more focused on my concerns over the trip than I am about the potential rewards. I do not like it when I go and do something stupid!

I truly do believe I would want to do this for the remainder of my life, if I just tasted it and learned enough to truly make it my own and to feel secure in it. So I think I truly do want to take this leap, but I do so with some fear and reservation, for it is something I have never done before. There is nothing wrong with that, I think.

But Jen has pushed the idea just a little – she gave a small nudge. I feel she did this because she feels it is right for both her and me. I trust her opinions. Her opinions are closer to my own than they are with most people; therefore, the degree in which I trust her can be directly measured against the amount of trust I would place in myself. That is a fair bit of trust!

Anyway, enough about my life consequences thoughts concerning the magic bus question. I do not think I could say I was ever truly happy with what I did with my life if I did not try to at least experience the potential rewards of such a journey.

So for a few weeks now, we have been having serious discussions about RVing for the remainder of our lives, or rather an extended period of time as yet to be defined. We looked over a few options and truly think the best option for us is to try to buy a used school bus and to convert it into a custom motor home.

There are a few reasons for this decision, not the least of which is affordability and sustainability. First of all, a school bus is one of the safest vehicles you could possibly live out of. The entire passenger compartment of the vehicle is a giant crash roll-cage designed with the safety of children in mind. Second – the economics – the law of supply and demand makes them affordable! Third, you can custom build it yourself, over the course of a period of time, and live out of it while you are doing it, so that you can build your home around your new life; which, is the much more intelligent, convenient, and personally satisfying option, I think. Building your home around your life could only lead to a happy and harmonious home, in my opinion, because it will always be the most sustainable home for you, and it will improve as your sustainability skills improve.

So we decided on a school bus. We already have an idea of what sort of school bus we want. We want a front wheel drive diesel powered and dog-nosed school bus, if such a bus is possible; otherwise we will settle for dog-nosed and diesel. We already determined the short buses are too small for two people, so we are going to toy with finding the correct size in the larger ones. For me, the shortest bus we can get, and still create a comfortable living experience, would be the best length bus. I truly hope to keep it under 30 feet, but I am beginning to think that is not going to happen.

Then I insisted that we purchase tire chains for the school bus (I lived in the Pocono Mountains when I went to school and rode buses with tire chains), and that we have a really good mechanic's tool chest and other necessary tools in the back. I got into security mode and started talking about having hanging areas for backpacks (in case we have to hoof it) and a bike rack on the back to carry one sturdy mountain bike for each of us (to get around without the bus). I went on about options for obtaining money and insisted we have space in the vehicle for folding tables to sell things at festivals.

Jen started talking about solar power, showers, room for beds, toilets, coaches, and desks. We both started talking about kitchens (probably because we both like to cook). So the conversation got onto the interior dimensions of any give bus, specifically the width.

I looked up the dimensions of a school bus, in general, and learned a few things. First, school buses are generally 8 feet wide with about 7 and a half feet of interior space, widthwise. Second, you can get a rough idea concerning the length of a school bus by countng windows. You count the number of windows and multiply by 25 inches, then divide by 12 to get the length in feet. The latter is neither here nor there though, it is only neat knowledge and really won't determine much for us.

So I am going to look up some school bus conversion floor plans today. Last night, I drew up a sort of rough draft, based on a 36 foot school bus with an interior floor area of 28 feet by 7 and a half feet. It turns out I could conceive of something satisfactory that would fit into that area. I would even be able to fit a queen size bed and a 3 foot by 7 and a half foot shed/garage area, along with a dining area, desk, coach, kitchen, shower and tub, a toilet, two closets, and storage area for clothing and odds and ends. It would even have a direct line of sight down the center of the bus and leave a walkway near the size of a normal hallway following the same course. Of course, the drawing did not account for the dimensions of walls and such – it was just a rough idea.

But we have many questions we need to ask and many things to find out. There is much learning to do! We need to know about drivers licenses, insurance, civil rights and classification differences concerning those rights, the possible conversion of the diesel bus into a veggie bus, power options, plumbing options, camping options, kitchen options, and other such things. And finally, for me to figure out whether or not I am "all talk," as Jen put it, or not.

Am I all talk? Can I do this? Can we do this? I want to find out.

Peace,

Alraune

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Back to the Roadtrip

I have enough knowledge about blogging to know what I should do here. I should write five hundred words or more, be specific, use keywords, and stick to a certain point, but most of the time I don't even give a damn. I really don't care. I just want to be me and damn the potential extra income from a secondary source that places advertisements in my blogs based on keywords and such.

You don't necessarily always want that, and neither do I!

I've been way off base lately and I could write a book, but why? What will it do for you? Ninety-percent of what I write is for someone else and not merely me! This is how I feel and have always felt...



It is nice to make a little extra money blogging, but to me writing what you feel is much more important, and it is what the "people" want anyway. If they "feel" what you are saying and it relates to an advertisement so they click on it and that "feeling" makes them "feel" they should buy it so you get a cut of the money, then so be it; otherwise, I don't care. I get how stuff works, but I really just want to be me!

This blog is about being me. I have been off base and I am not going to stay specific or use certain keywords. I've been on a vacation of the mind, soul, and body. There are no keywords to explain that! I simply needed to escape and it is time to come back around to the way I usually am. I guess I needed to go back into the Matrix for awhile to realize I still love certain parts of it, but I truly do not love it.

I am damn close to hating the Matrix, but I see something there... I am not a luddite, but I ought to be! I am a walking contradiction. I am not confused, merely at odds to my supposed choices of extremes. Could any more be expected from a guy who wants balance and harmony in all things?

So. here I am. I am back again! I have ideas and I am alive. Am I wrong somehow?

Peace,

Alraune

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Working for Walmart as an Unloader

Certainly, not all Walmarts are like the one I worked at for three years, are they? I worked as an unloader and back-up Backroom Supervisor at the Walmart (#2185) in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania from 2011 until 2014. This is my story...

First, I waited until the very last moment to apply to Walmart because I knew they would hire me if I needed a job for Christmas money, and I was right. I applied with them in November and was brought in for an interview at the very beginning of December. They rushed me through two interviews in the same day and gave me a job offer on-the-spot, provided that I passed their pre-employment drug screen. Naturally, I passed their test designed to invade my privacy and was immediately given a formal job offer!

I was hired as an unloader (receiving associate) and I was given thirty-two hours a week (you have to pull teeth for full-time at Walmart) of work at a whopping $7.80 an hour, which I later learned had recently been slashed from a starting pay of $8.20 an hour just three months before I started. My shift would be from 4pm until 1am with a one hour unpaid lunch, but first I would have to go through orientation.

My orientation was my first cult-like meeting where I learned all about how great Walmart is, heard untold praises of Sam Walton (who would probably puke if he were still alive), and was thoroughly and rigorously brainwashed the entire time on how evil unions are and how great it is not to have a union because they do everything to screw you while Walmart only rewards you for your hardwork and commitment. This all culminated with a meeting with the store manager, who went on and on about unions, and then was shown a video called "Protect Your Signature", which once again showed me just how evil unions are and how great Walmart is.

I made it through that brainwashing campaign and was set to begin work. They wanted me to start the next day, but I talked them into giving me one day off to readjust my sleep since I would be working from 4pm until 1am and I had just done a 7am to 4pm. They agreed and all was well. I worked two days later and didn't really mind it, I actually thought it was pretty easy.

The first thing that I realized about Walmart was that there were cameras everywhere (mostly focused on the employees) and everything, I mean everything, was locked and required a key, and there simply weren't enough tools available for anyone to efficiently do their job. In other words, my employer already did not trust me (they needed to spy on me like Big Brother) and they were hell bent on stressing me out by making it as difficult as possible to do my job (lack of tools, everything is locked and requires keys for access, no room to move, etc.). Being a somewhat intelligent guy who had been working since he was 12 years old (I am now 39), I was naturally apprehensive about what I may have gotten myself into.

I pushed forward and didn't mind it so much (I could deal with it) until about February 2012, when my local Walmart in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania decided it was going to change over into a Super Walmart. It was at this point that I had finally been at Walmart long enough to figure much of it out and to realize that this was going to be a nightmare of epic proportions! I had now been at Walmart for about three months and I was out of my probationary period. I was given my evaluation andto be totally honest (as you will eventually read about)I began to realize that I was very very much loved by management. This did not surprise me, as I am not afraid of work nor am I able to not work hard or stay busy – it simply bores me to even try.

When I started at Walmart the typical job of the unloader was thus: 1) You unload a 53' trailer by hand (no forklift or pallet jacks, with the exception of perhaps a few pallets); 2) You sort the boxes and stack them on pallets by hand (typically anywhere from 1000 to 2000 boxes) in accordance with the department the boxes go to; 3) you pull the pallets to the salesfloor; 4) You finish all of that and then pick merchandise from the back room and pull those pallets to the salesfloor. If there happens to be no truck (called a "no truck night") you stock shelves all day and then do "picks" at night until it is time to go home.

When I started at Walmart we would typically unload the truck for the first four hours of the shift, pull freight for the first two hours after lunch, and then pick merchandise for the remaining two hours of the day. There was a lot of walking involved (typically about 4-5 miles per day) while carrying or pulling weight. If you happened to be the person "throwing the truck" (which I would later become the regular for) you would be consistantly lifting between 1000 to 2000 boxes (pre Supercenter) for about 4 hours, which would equal about 250 boxes per hour at anywhere between a few ounces to as much as fifty pounds, with probably an average weight of ten pounds. That is four ten pound boxes per minute, or one every fifteen seconds for four hours straight. Most people are totally incapable of that feat, which is actually child's play to me anymore, but read on and see.

Between October and December all of this walking and work would double, for the holidays, because every night or nearly every night we would get in two large trucks. So for, $7.80 an hour one would be unloading two trailers and walking some 8-10 miles per day. Only seasoned backpackers (which I am one) or soldiers typically walk that far in a day, especially while carrying or pulling weight – it is actually quite far to walk and very tiring. Once we became a Supercenter we easily made that sort of milage 1½ to 2 times that distance (8-10 or as much as 16-20 miles per day, usually about 13-15 miles per day) a regular occurance. The "thrower" (almost always me) would be expected (once we became a Supercenter) to pick up no less than 1000 boxes per hour and place them on the line (at an average of ten pounds per box) and to finish each truck (regardless of the size) in two hours or less. That is about one box every 3 seconds which is bordering on doing ten pound repetitions with a dumbell for 2 hours straight (most weight-lifters cannot do that!). Remember! After that you would have to walk as much as ten miles. It was like a marathon every night for $8.60 an hour (which is the pay I finished with).

We would typically have 6 people unloading the truck by hand, which means (if all of them made an average of $8 an hour) they each got paid $16 to unload a 53' trailer of loose boxes, by hand, in two hours. Put that way... who wouldn't want to do that, or rather, who would say "sure, that sounds reasonable to me"? I mean, after all, you can buy a lot for $16, right?

So anyway, let me give you the highlights of my job. In August of 2012 we had to clear pallets out of the former Tire and Lube Express "pit" and haul pallets around the outside of the building, through the parking lot to the Tire and Lube Express to be put on clearance. Each trip was about mile (round-trip). We did this for 8 hours in 100 degree heat and humidity, with a heat index of 110F – we had to "beg" upper management to be given water. My boss, Chris, the back room supervisor at the time, was demoted that fall because he refused to get us to work harder and faster. In came Colby, who I called "Houdini" because he disappeared all day while I ran the crew as a back-up and did not receive pay as a supervisor. Colby was later promoted to a job as Zone Supervisor and then became an Assistant Manager.

When Colby was given the Zone Supervisor job the Back Room Supervisor job came open. I took the test and passed it, I had no coachings (not even a verbal), I was the second most senior unloader, I knew the job inside out and did it as back-up when the actual supervisor was not there. The job was given to an outsider and I wasn't even given an interview!!! Policy is that I should have at least gotten an interview, which is probably why they hurried to give me one after the fact. Was it because I sucked as an employee or that I could not lead? Nope. Read on and see how much they liked me and how good I was at whipping the team into shape.

As I said, all of upper management knew I pretty much ran the back room and did the job of supervisor – they even acknowledged this to me on numerous occassions. So why not give me the job? Because they wanted me "throwing" that truck! I threw truck every day I worked for two years straight. I got the team to listen. I coordinated the team. I made everyone laugh and gave them morale despite the depressing and stressful conditions.

I was up for Support Manager, and once again I was passed over because I had a verbal coaching for attendance. They told me if I would fix my attendance they would give me a promotion (two strikes for Walmart) – I was livid. I started calling off whenever I felt like it. Ultimately I came up for Support Manager again and was passed up for attendance reasons again (probably my fault this time, but three strikes – Walmart is out). I quite caring.

It took them a year to even give me a verbal coaching because they wanted me there that badly. They fired other employees for missing 6 days, but overlooked my 13 (no need for a union, right?). They wrote people up for all sorts of stuff but never said a word to me. It was unfair and wrong and that is Walmart!

Then, in April of 2014 my daughter was raped by her step-grandfather. I had to call off because she was having panic attacks. All of the sudden Walmart had an issue and eventually, they fired me in September. That is Walmart in a nutshell!

I worked my tail off for 3 years, got arthritis in my left shoulder, broke my glasses (and did not get reimbursed), received numerous cuts and scrapes and was hit in the head by numerous heavy boxes, got passed over for promotion, and ultimately was fired because my daughter needed me – that is Walmart. They even wrote my girlfriend up because a pallet jack ran over her foot and broke her toe, they said it was a "safety" issue! I also watched them fire an Assistant Manager (Scott) because he called-off to help his son who was stranded in another state. They asked him, "Which is more important to you, your job or family?" He said, "My family." and was fired. They also fired a Support Manager (Kevin) because he put in a two week notice that he would be working for Weis Markets (a competitor). The most recent Support Manager (Raymond) consistantly was written up because he had to take off for cancer treatments. A great family-oriented place, don't you think?

Oh, and don't get me going on safety! Unloading a Walmart truck is the most unsafe practice anyone can undertake. For starters, in the summer a trailer can be as much as 120F and you have to "throw" so many boxes per hour in that heat. My shirt was soaked in sweat nearly everyday. I'm certain video exists somewhere of it, since there are cameras everywhere. The trucks are stacked like crap with loose freight. The idiots at the distribution center will put heavy stuff on top of the stacks (usually stacks that are 7-8 feet high), a trailer once came in with writing on the wall that said, "What kind of stupid puts heavy stuff on top? Stop trying to kill us!" I have been hit in the head with 4 one gallon paint cans, a microwave, glass canning jars, canned dog food, furniture (a bookshelf, I think), and numerous other objects. I was lucky to dodge a loose claw hammer and also numerous loose kitchen knives. One day I had to run to the eyewash station because I got carpet cleaning powder in my eyes because it was spilled in a break pack and exploded everywhere when I placed it on the line. There are spills on nearly every truck: paint, bleach, ammonia (yes ammonia and bleach spills on the same truck), rancid food, bugs, etc. One former unloader (Justin) had paint spilled on him and his shoes and was told that he shouldn't go home and change, but rather put "booties" on his shoes so he wouldn't track paint through the store when pulling freight.

When we changed over from a regular Walmart to a Supercenter we had a temporary ramp outback in the receiving area. It was a grade I am fairly certain was more than is allowed by law, made of stones with a metal sheet over it, no railing, and a huge drop off to the one side (enough to flip a forklift). When I told management I was uncomfortable with driving on this ramp I was told to "Suck it up!"

I witnessed first-hand (and even did it myself) many employees, including members of management taking the power equipment onto the salesfloor without a spotter, and was told on more than one occassion to break company policy in order to get the job done. As a matter of fact, when we changed over from a regular Walmart to a Super Walmart we had an emergency door outback (in receiving) that was bolted shut on the outside and remained with the signage that it was an emergency door for several weeks before I even noticed it and reported it to management.

Aisles are routinely blocked off in the back room so handicapped persons could not possibly pass through them in the event of a fire. Everyone there knows this! If you work at Walmart you will be underpaid, underappreciated, and subjected to high levels of unnecessary stress and potentially hazardous conditions.

This has been my personal experience while working at the particular Walmart I worked at, during the period in which I worked at it, and I do not mean that every Walmart is to be construed as being like this, are they? However, in my opinion, one should 'Protect Your Signature' and never sign any document accepting employment with that store.

Who wouldn't want to work for Walmart? Walmart is a great corporation to work for with plenty of room for advancement (maybe if you are a lazy tyrant), great competitive pay (maybe if you are competing with five year olds slaving away for sixteen hours a day for pennies a day in some forgeign country), a pleasant and team-oriented work environment (maybe if you enjoy gossip, backstabbing, screwing-the-next-guy, souless crushing of peers for their "perceived" competition, and a "cult-like" atmosphere), so much love and care for employees and their safety that you need no union (which is probably why everyone is smiling from ear to ear – maybe NOT!), excellent benefits (that is, if you don't want dental work done and you are still eligible for welfare assistance, which they will be more than happy to help you obtain), and regular quarterly bonuses (unless a customer gets injured by a box of tissues that falls off the shelf – one accident that you have no control over and your bonus is completely gone or turns into a whopping $16).

I am "rehirable", and believe me they would take me back in a flash! The only reason I ever got fired was because I pushed the issue extremely far and local management was finally unable to stop the pressure coming from the top down. However, I will never work there again, nor will I ever shop there again (I used to all the time). I would rather eat out of a dumpster than work for or support that company in any way, shape, or form.

Peace and Knowledge,


Alraune

Coming to Terms With Sex and Sexuality

I am a sex fiend. I love sex and it is a large part of my life. I am an extremely sexual being and sex plays a major role in many things I do and many thoughts I have. It is not that I only think of sex, but sex and my sexuality play a major role in who I am, what I do, and what I enjoy. Sex is extremely important to me and I have come to terms with this fact.

I was raised to control my sexuality and to suppress it, but I have over the years decided that it is perefectly alright to control my sexuality, but to suppress it is harmful to me and very wrong. I do not believe I should suppress my sexuality, nor will I suppress it any longer where it is not harmful of myself or others.

Sex feels really good and it makes others feel really good. I am aware that some things which feel good can be wrong, but most things which feel good are right, and I think sex, the better part of the time, is one of those things which feels good and is right. I do not think anyone should suppress their sexuality or their sexual urges when they do no harm to them or to others.

I have a collection of pornography magazines and movies and books about sex and sexuality and I keep them hidden away, and I think that is messed up. Why should I have to hide my love for sex and my sexuality from others when it is a good thing and a right thing? Granted, it is not everyone's business, nor do I necessarily want it to be, but why should I feel the need to keep it all hidden away, and why does society teach that it should be hidden away?

Why do we display books that we read and movies that we watch openly in our homes, but we keep certain ones, particularly of the sexual variety, hidden away? Granted, some people and children should not see or read these things, but why do we not treat them as we do dangerous objects or tools? I wonder these things.

Certainly, it would make more for a conversational piece among most people if we openly displayed these things as well, without shame, and without care for what another finds sexually appealing or what another knows concerning such matters. Why do we, as adults, hide away such a major part of our lives?

I know why, yet I question as to whether or not is is right for us all or healthy for a society. Wouldn't we all be much happier if we could be more open about such and if others could catch a glimpse of such? Perhaps not if our families could, particularly of the religious or traditional kind, but among our friends or even many strangers? I wonder these things from time-to-time.

There is excitement in hidden things, but how much fulfillment can be gained from them? Is not fulfillment inter-relational? I think it is, and that is why I always insist on sharing my total and true sexuality with those I love and those whom I am sexually active with. But are we missing out on even more by not being more open around other adults? I wonder this.

Would not our sex lives be more fulfilling if others (perhaps friends, strangers, and certainly spouses) knew what things excite us sexually? Why is it shameful when there is nothing wrong with it?

Maybe I am just sick of the way society tries to hide every little thing and tries to control us all by isolating little pieces of ourselves from everyone else?

Peace,


Alraune

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

I Deserve Happiness

The other day Jen and I were talking about a campfire (our therapy sessions) and she said something that rang true with me. She said that I am afraid to "hope." She named it! She hit the disease I placed upon myself and all of my luck right on the head!

Once upon a time something happened that made me afraid to hope as I used to, and ever since my luck has been bad. No one cursed me, I hindered myself. I am a "hoper," but something went horribly wrong to distort my gift for hope.

That is why sometimes things go right and sometimes things go wrong that I hope for: I am psychologically making them and hindering them. I am cursing myself, for after all, a curse has no power if you do not make it so yourself!

I have the power of hope and it can both make and break. That one simple statement said so much and ran straight through me. She is so right! I love her so much. Why could no one else tell me this? Why could no one else tell me exactly what I needed to hear? Perhaps it is because she is my hope? Perhaps because I needed her to give me my hope back after I just had a little – a small flower of hope?

Now, certainly life can throw you curveballs, but it cannot break your hope unless you allow it too, and you never quit unless you give-up. I have ben giving up, and I never knew it, for it is totally against my will and my being, and SHE saw it.

She sees my strength. Jen sees how firm I am and all of the strength and energy that radiates through me and she does not wish to devour it, but wishes to make it larger. She is a true love and I deserve her! Damn it! I deserve all of her! I deserve every ounce of this beautiful spirit! I deserve her and I have her, and she deserves me in all I am.

Jen is not too good to be true, she is perfect. Jen is everything I always wanted and everything I could never express that I wanted. True love does exist and I will not be hurt by loving. It is okay to love and okay to hope. Even if she left me tomorrow, she is everything I deserve HERE and NOW. I need her and I love her, and I have hope for her, and I always did.

It is okay. It is okay. It is okay to hope. It is okay to have big dreams and to chase them. It is okay to dare to live and dare to love. It is okay.

"Life sometimes sucks, but it is going to be alright."

You can have the wildest and craziest dreams and "hope" does happen. Life hits you in the face and says, "I am unreal, but I am here."

Jen is something else, and she is living hope. She is my hope and I am her perpetual energy that cannot be contained. I am that energy. I am that something that moves her and propels her along, for some unknown reason. We are hope! God/dess I don't really know what I am saying, but I see it.

All I know is she is right, I became afraid to hope, and it needs to stop! I deseve Jen, she deserves me, and we deserve true and total hapiness – this I know.

Peace,


Alraune

Monday, June 2, 2014

25 Famous Bisexual People

Sometimes one can feel more comfortable being their self if they are sure they are not alone in how they feel, act, and behave. I am bisexual, as are many individuals in this world, but it can often seem to be a lonely or confusing state – an inbetween state even. Here is a list of fifty bisexual people (12 men and 13 women) to make you more comfortable, as I am, in your sexuality and sexual identity:

  1. Hans Christian Andersen (4/2/1805-8/4/1875) – writer
  2. Billie Joe Armstrong (born 2/17/1972) – singer, Green Day
  3. Drew Barrymore (born 2/22/1975) – actress
  4. David Bowie (born 1/8/1947) – musician
  5. Marlon Brando (4/3/1924-7/1/2004) – actor
  6. William S. Burroughs (2/5/1914-8/2/1997) – writer
  7. Margaret Cho (born 12/5/1968) – American Comedian
  8. Joan Crawford (3/23/1904-5/10/1977) -actress
  9. Aleister Crowley (10/12/1875-12/1/1947) – famous occultist
  10. Sammy Davis, Jr. (12/8/1925-5/16/1990) – entertainer
  11. James Dean (2/8/1931-9/30/1955) – American actor
  12. Fergie (Stacy Ann Ferguson) (born 3/27/1975) – singer, Black-eyed Peas
  13. Megan Fox (born 5/16/1986) – American actress
  14. Lady Gaga (born 3/28/1986) – singer
  15. Nathaniel Hawthorne (7/4/1804-5/19/1864) – writer
  16. Katharine Hepburn (5/12/1907-6/29/2003) – American actress
  17. Angelina Jolie (born 6/4/1975) – American actress
  18. Janis Joplin (1/19/1943-10/4/1970) – singer, Big Brother and the Holding Company
  19. Alfred Kinsey (6/23/1894-8/25/1956) – biologist and sexologist
  20. Calvin Klein (born11/19/1942) – fashion designer
  21. Lindsay Lohan (7/2/1986) – American actress
  22. Freddie Mercury (9/5/1946-11/24/1991) – singer, Queen
  23. Nicki Minaj (12/8/1983) – singer
  24. P!nk (born 9/8/1979) – singer
  25. Anna Nichole Smith (born 11/281967-2/8/2007) – actress

Being "bi" does not mean you are secretly homosexual or that you are somehow unable to choose your sexuality and sexual preference. It simply means that you prefer the company and companionship of both genders and that you are sexually attracted to both men and women. Most bisexuals prefer one gender more often than the other, but bisexuals such as myself, may also prefer both genders equally. How much one prefers one gender over the other may change over the course of the individual's lifetime, but that does not mean the individual is confused or in some sort of denial – it merely means that people change. Many bisexuals are in a constant state of flux, while others, such as myself, remain largely unchanged in their preferences.

For more information on bisexuality I suggest that you visit the Bisexual Center or go to bisexual.org, or you may find support through the LGBT.

Blessings,


Alraune