Tags
art, author, books, boston terrier, Bulldog, Cricket the French Bulldog, dogs, drag queen, french bulldog, gay, LGBT, Squeak the Boston Terrier, the gay road less traveled, writer
19 Wednesday Feb 2020
Posted Dogs is People Too, introducing, My Favorite Things, My Heart
in18 Tuesday Feb 2020
Posted Movies, My Heart, the Flaming Homosexual
inTags
art, author, books, cinema, dogs, gay, LGBT, memoir, movies, music, relationships, reviews, theater, writer
1990: Pretty Woman I always dreamed of Richard Gere, (or some other generic salt-and-pepper daddy), to sweep me off my feet and carry me away.
1991: My Own Private Idaho
1992: Fried Green Tomatoes
1993: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
1994: Fresh Superbly well-written and acted, a chess prodigy making real-life moves to save his and his sister’s lives
1995: Pulp Fiction
1996: Fargo
1997: The Ice Storm “The Ice Storm is about two dysfunctional New Canaan, Connecticut, upper-class families who are trying to deal with tumultuous social changes of the early 1970’s, and their escapism through alcohol, adultery, and sexual experimentation.” *starring one of my earliest, longest lasting crushes: Henry Czerny
1998: As Good as it Gets
1999: Shakespeare in Love
1996: Basquiat My most honorable mention and my favorite modern artist, with David Bowie as Andy Warhol
Other favorites: The Object of My Affection, The Joy Luck Club, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Grace of My Heart, (I was in love with Bruce Davison, right along with Illeana Douglas), Corrina, Corrina, White Men Can’t Jump, Crooklyn, Sabrina, Reality Bites, Poetic Justice, Muriel’s Wedding
10 Tuesday Jul 2018
Posted Dogs is People Too, My Favorite Things, My Heart
inTags
art, Basquiat, boston, boston terrier, Bulldog, Cricket the French Bulldog, daddy, frenchbulldog, gay, gay dad, LGBT, modern art, naive art, outsider art, pop art, Squeak the Boston Terrier, Warhol
starring my lovebugs Cricket and Squeak
25 Saturday Nov 2017
Tags
Arizona, Dallas, dance, depression, Game of Thrones, gay, Julia Roberts, LGBT, pretty woman, queer, Texas, Virginia, winter is coming
I have half-way fallen in love with someone I met online, the idea of him anyway…a guy I can’t even convince to come to Massachusetts. I always thought I was someone to be cherished, that one day my knight in shining armor would find me, like Richard Gere came for Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman (without the prostitution). My Texan/Virginian/Arizonian hoped-for savior has gone silent, and I’ve cried through Thanksgiving, with only a cold and miserable New England winter to look forward to.
25 Saturday Nov 2017
Posted I Love You Man, Mr. Right, My Heart, the Flaming Homosexual
inTags
barbara streisand, dating, drama, gay, LGBT, love, movies, queer, relationships, robert redford, sex, theater, unique
John: Katie/Carrie David: I hope not Hubble/Mr. Big
25 Saturday Nov 2017
Tags
dating, depression, gay, LGBT, Life, love, queer, relationships
David PM
If you want it
Come and get it
For crying out loud
The love that I would
Be giving you is
Never in doubt
25 Saturday Nov 2017
Tags
Alabama, chocolate, depression, family, foodie, gay, relationships, single, Thanksgiving
I spend my holidays with my family, so obviously alone…here is my awesome Thanksgiving dinner
08 Wednesday Nov 2017
Posted Dogs is People Too, My Favorite Things, My Heart
inTags
boston, boston terrier, Cricket the French Bulldog, dogs, french bulldog, gay, LGBT, Pensacola, pets, queer, Squeak the Boston Terrier
When Cricket was a baby, she chewed through my house while teething. Check out the coffee table in the pics below…
08 Wednesday Nov 2017
Posted Dogs is People Too, introducing, John Jernigan, My Heart
inTags
art, dating, dogs, gay, LGBT, love, Obama, Portugese Water Dog, relationships
Dave’s baby Tucker
12 Tuesday Sep 2017
Tags
adoption, bear, child abuse, Domestic Violence, health, Life, medical, mental health, News, relationships, science, social work, trauma
My class curriculum includes considerable time spent on trauma-informed care and helping my prospective adoptive families succeed in parenting children who have suffered abuse or neglect. I use the example of a Bear in the Woods (at the 8-minute mark in this Ted Talk video on Childhood Trauma by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris).
Significant damage to the emotional and physical health of children who are exposed to high levels of adversity/trauma occurs over time (chronic trauma). They are more likely to engage in high-risk behavior, and to develop heart disease or cancer. Our brains have a stress response system, in the hypothalamic and adrenal glands, that governs our fight or flight response in a situation. Imagine you’re walking in the forest and you see a bear. Immediately, your brain sends a response to your adrenal glands: Release stress hormones! Adrenal! Cortisol! Your heart starts to pound, your pupils dilate, your airways open up, and you are ready to either fight that bear or run from that bear! And that is wonderful, if you are in the forest, with a bear. The problem is what happens when the bear comes home every night, in the form of domestic violence, or physical abuse, or molestation. This system is activated over and over and over again, and it goes from being life-saving to health damaging. Children are especially sensitive to this repeated stress-activation, because their brains and bodies are just developing. High doses of adversity affect their brain structure and function, their developing immune systems and hormonal systems.
13 Thursday Jul 2017
Posted Dogs is People Too, Funny Shit, Music is the Answer, My Heart
in04 Saturday Mar 2017
26 Friday Aug 2016
Posted Mr. Right, Music is the Answer, My Heart, the Flaming Homosexual
inTags
boston, dance music, dating, electronic, gay, hope, LGBT, love, Moby, queer
For Gary
I read Moby’s memoir yesterday, and put some of his songs on to go to sleep to last night. In My Heart was playing as I feel asleep, and I dream-heard it throughout the night, thinking about the person who is finding my heart.
“Lord, I want to be up in my heart
Lord, I want to be up in my heart
Lord, I want to be up in my heart
Lord, I want to be up in my heart
Be, ohh, just in my heart, oh Lord
Just in my heart, oh Lord
Be, ohh, just in my heart, oh Lord
Just in my heart, oh Lord”
Read more: Moby – In My Heart Lyrics | MetroLyrics
15 Friday Jul 2016
Posted by johnjernigan | Filed under Funny Shit, My Heart, the Flaming Homosexual
15 Friday Jul 2016
Posted I Love You Man, My Heart, the Flaming Homosexual
inTags
Chelsea Handler, culture, cute, gay, LGBT, lifestyle, love, MSNBC, News, perspective, relationships, St. Petersburg
12 Tuesday Jul 2016
Posted Movies, My Heart, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
inTags
babies, beauty, canada, crime, documentary, law, love, movies, perspective, point of view, social work, theater
I have never had a movie make me this emotional, I am bawling like a baby…please everyone watch this documentary tonight or as soon as possible! I really feel it was a bit life changing for me.
07 Thursday Jul 2016
Tags
culture, equal rights, gay, Gay Rights, inspirational, Lesbian, LGBT, lifestyle, love, queer, social worker, trans, transgender
My agency’s campaign this year is #NOSHAME which is about fighting stigma, raising awareness and celebrating our differences. I had the pleasure of meeting Alex, who is a brave ambassador for this year’s No Shame campaign as a member of the transgender community. In talking to him, I explained that throughout my life I never really had any family support, and that all of the great friends I have made have been my family. I encouraged him to find his true family in his friends and those who support him for the beautiful soul that he is! also thank you to all of the great friends that I have had over the years, who were my family and loved me at different points in my life !
13 Monday Jun 2016
Tags
culture, Equality, gay, Gay Rights, gun laws, inspirational, LGBT, Muslim, Orlando, perspective, point of view, pulse
This has become an anthem for the tragedy in Orlando
12 Sunday Jun 2016
Posted Dogs is People Too, My Heart
inTags
culture, documentaries, dogs, football, Michael Vick, movies, NFL, pets, Philadelphia Eagles, pitbull, Pittsburgh Steelers, society
Just watched this great documentary, about the dogs that survived Michael Vick’s dogfighting ring. What a piece of shit he is, details from that time include him throwing his children’s small dogs in the ring to be killed and beating dogs’ heads into the concrete to kill them. All of the dogs in The Champions live with fear for the rest of their lives (the ones that animal control didn’t automatically kill). Two years after his prison release, he had signed a new $100 million dollar contract, re-signed with Nike and been given the keys to the city of Dallas..
08 Sunday May 2016
Tags
culture, funny, gay, humor, inspirational, LGBT, love, mother, perspective, point of view, relationships, Tampa Bay
13 Saturday Feb 2016
Tags
animals, book reviews, books, boston terrier, dogs, french bulldog, inspirational, love, perspective, pets, point of view
Bruce Cameron is my favorite dog author, both “A Dog’s Purpose” and “A Dog’s Journey” were read in 4-hour cover-to cover inhalations. I encourage anyone who loves dogs to read these 2 books, in fact as I am cutting and pasting quotes into this post I am crying just a bit.
Some Bruce Cameron quotes:
“You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him.”
“The job of a good dog was ultimately to be with them, remaining by their sides no matter what course their lives might take. All I could do now was offer him comfort, the assurance that as he left this life he was not alone but rather was tended by the dog who loved him more than anything in the whole world.”
“But humans drive the cars and decide when dogs eat and where dogs live and clearly this was something else in their power – they could find their dogs when they needed them.”
“I guess I had never bothered to consider that there might such a thing as a boy, but now that I had found one, I thought it was just about the most wonderful concept in the world. He smelled of mud and sugar and an animal I’d never scented before, and a faint meaty odor clung to his fingers, so I licked them.”
“Some people just don’t appreciate having a dog around. It’s sad to think there are people like that. I knew Gloria was that way—maybe that’s why she could never be truly happy.”
“You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him.”
“My dog’s name is Tucker, and his DNA is unidentifiable and suspect.”
“As I sat in the sun on the wooden dock that jutted out into the pond, I knew this to be true: my name was Buddy, and I was a good dog.”
“A bouquet of wonderful scents met my nose, and my heart leaped when I realized who I was smelling.
‘Molly!’ I heard someone call.
I whipped my head around everywhere and there they were, the people I’d been smelling. Everyone I’d ever loved in my life, standing at the edge of the water, smiling and clapping. I saw Ethan and Hannah and Trent and CJ standing in front, along with Andi and Maya and Jakob and all the others.
‘Bailey!’ Ethan yelled waving.
My names was Toby, and Buddy, and Molly and Max and Bailey and Ellie. I was a good dog, and this was my reward. Now I would get to be with the people I loved.
I turned, whimpering with you, and swam toward those golden shores.”
23 Saturday Jan 2016
Tags
adoption, culture, gay, gay adoption, Haiti, inspirational, LGBT, Miami, perspective, point of view, St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay
These pics are of maybe my favorite all-time child in my 10 years of social work. Her name is Joy, a little Haitian girl from Miami. She was on my caseload the whole time I was in south Florida and I spent a lot of time with her. I’ve since moved back to St. Petersburg. About 3 weeks ago I was so happy to find out that a family in Pinellas County had been matched with her for adoption and better yet my bestie Kristie Giancola had been assigned to complete their Adoption Home Study. Joy was getting adopted and I would get to see her again, yeah!!! Late last week the family called Kristie and told her they had changed their mind, they didn’t want to adopt Joy anymore, because they had concerns she “wasn’t smart enough” (apparently Joy had forgotten their bio daughter’s name in their phone conversation). Joy is still in a foster home in Miami, available for adoption. Social work in south Florida is so shitty. I was worried when I left that her new case manager wouldn’t have any sense of urgency in finding her a home, and that appears to be the case. I just looked on the Miami Dade Heart Gallery website and there is no picture or bio for Joy 😦 Some pretty horrible things happened to her that lead to removal from her parents, and now the family she thought were going to be her new mommy and daddy have changed their mind. Kristie had to close the case and won’t be doing those DOUCHEBAGS home study now!
23 Saturday Jan 2016
Tags
adoption, autism, culture, gay, gay adoption, inspirational, LGBT, love, perspective, point of view, social worker, St. Petersburg
Last night I covered a group home visit for a co-worker Matt in Clearwater to see a 10 year old. Matt had warned me that this 10 year old wouldn’t talk to me and probably wouldn’t even look at me since he didn’t know me, as he is autistic and almost entirely nonverbal. This kid made me so happy, when the house mother brought me in and told this little boy that I was there to see him he got up and immediately came to me. I thought he was going to give me a hug but instead he turned away from me and stood really close, leaning the back of his head on my chest. He then made several contented sounding noises that I heard to be happy greetings. I wanted to give him a hug but I was aware that he didn’t like to be touched unless he initiated it. Instead I tousled his hair and patted his shoulder as he leaned into me, and simply talked to him for a few minutes about everything and nothing. It was maybe the sweetest best thing that had ever happened to me. His foster mother remarked that it was really strange because he had never been open and friendly with anyone he didn’t know. He made my day, week, year! This 10 year olds picture and bio are on the Pinellas County Heart Gallery. He is available for adoption with lots of other great kids! I specifically urge my LGBT community to consider adoption, we have so many great kids that nobody wants…
29 Tuesday Dec 2015
Posted My Favorite Things, My Heart
in20 Monday Jul 2015
Posted Dogs is People Too, My Heart
inTags
animals, boston terrier, culture, dogs, french bulldog, funny, gay, humor, john jernigan, love, pets
10 Wednesday Jun 2015
10 Wednesday Jun 2015
Tags
best gay blog, foodie, funny, gay, healthy eating, humor, john jernigan, LGBT, lifestyle, McDonalds, St. Petersburg, tampa, Wawa
The good news is I weigh less than 150 pounds. The bad news is my blood pressure is 156 over 108. McDonalds has two bacon egg and cheese biscuits for $3 , which I just inhaled. They didn’t even make a dent in my hunger! I want some ribs…
Add a large black and white Wawa milkshake, because everybody knows they are fat free and it’s only about 40 calories or something like that
02 Tuesday Jun 2015
Posted My Heart
in02 Tuesday Jun 2015
Posted My Favorite Things, My Heart
in11 Monday May 2015
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