I can hardly believe it is almost July. So much has happened since my last entry...and here's where things stand:

1. Out of Work - Due to a mix of executive decisions and COVID-19, I'm out of work. After more than 6 years working at Advance America (and not even a year as Center Manager), my center shut down along with 5 other centers in the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This despite my division being among the top performers in the Region (Michigan). I'd like to get back to work, but with Unemployment being the way it is now, I'm not exactly in too much a rush to return to work (I mean, I'm earning almost twice as much through UI than I did with my job). It's not ideal, but what do you do when the other alternatives for jobs are very lackluster (or not necessarily safe, all things considered). With July around the corner now, I must step up my job search, but the good jobs are far and few between...my former job wasn't a dream job, but it earned enough to break even and then some. And with the extra UI benifits expected to expire at the end of July, and no solid indication that those benefits will be extended/improved upon before then with the current Congress, time is running out.

2. My Mate -  WolfgerLion64 is still stuck up here with me in Wisconsin while COVID-19 still has Trinidad and Tobago's borders closed to everyone, including nationals like himself. Not that I'm complaining; having his company and help in times like this have been truly a blessing~ With how things have been going with COVID-19, especially the recent debacle in the uptick in cases, I would not be surprised if he sees snow again before returning home. He's been with me since October, and was supposed to return before April came around; I even had a week planned out for the two of us to just have fun before his trip home...well that went flying out the window on a rocket in a hand basket to hell real fast when COVID-19 struck. Until it is safe, and until his country opens its borders, I'll just enjoy every moment I have with him.

3. SCOTUS Decision on Employment - No words can describe how happy (and frankly surprised) over the Court's decision that employees can't be fired for their sexual orientation, saying that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act includes sexual orientation as part of discriminating against sex. Though much like previous cases like United States v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges, I wished SCOTUS included mention of the 1st Amendment's Establishment Clause in their ruling, since most likely the firing of LGBTQ Employees are motivated by religious/faith beliefs about gay marriage (if not gays in general), so I think there's going to be cases where religious zealots still make lives for LGBTQ hell; not to mention the ruling only covers employment, not housing, credit, etc...so there's still a long ways to go. I'll still celebrate the decision as a victory, no less.

That's pretty much it for what's happening on my end. Stay safe, stay protected, and stay smart!