Round + Round We Go

Where We Stop Nobody Knows

If you had told me two weeks ago that I would wake up early today to clean up some of my messes—while jamming out to Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”—I would likely have urged you to seek professional help.

And yet, here I am—whistling while I work before breakfast. Messes cleaner too.

I’m also sleeping better than I have in years, and feeling, for the first time in a long time, like I’m getting back in sync with myself as well as some of my nears, dears, and/or queers. Slowly AND surely….

Years of early mornings, long days, and late nights spent working on other people’s dreams and problems turned my own dreams into nightmares and turned my molehill of problems into a mountain that almost killed me.

In my personal mythology, Cerebus is a three-headed pink pug. Don’t let the cute fool you. These bitches are vicious. Anxiety, Depression, and Grief are the little monsters that kept me “safe” in my cave—while looking up at the stars—for years.

PINK PUG CEREBUS IN THE STARS = PRINT + T-SHIRT AVAILABLE

Cerebus helped turn my former bigger-than-life personality into an agoraphobic zombie and my childhood furry best friend into my modern-day imaginary friend.

CLYDE COLLIDE = PRINT AVAILABLE

Frankly, I think I “invented” Clint Collide—and his little dog Clyde too—as a way to escape the cave. But I didn’t know it at the time.

All I knew was I didn’t want to be the sad version of myself anymore.

Clint Collide has become more than just an art name or pseudonym. He’s become who I am…again. Slowly but surely, something shifted. In fits and starts, I started making small changes—trying one new thing every day, adjusting when something didn’t work, and staying open to the idea that things could change.

And without realizing when it happened, I woke up one morning a couple of weeks ago and felt...different. Lighter. Less resistant. Unstuck.

If you’re feeling lost in the loop, I urge you to hold on. Keep trying. Sooner than later, you can find yourself moving forward again—cautiously, if not miraculously.

And when you do, you might find yourself surprised—like I am—how much fun the Merry-Go-Round Of Life can be. Again.

Have a light and bright day ahead!
Clint 🌈✌️

ON THIS DAY = FEBRUARY 19

BIRTHDAYS

• 1473 = Nicolaus Copernicus = Prussian mathematician and astronomer

• 1899 =– Lucio Fontana =, Argentinian-Italian painter and sculptor

• 1902 = F. O. Matthiessen = American historian and literary critic 🌈

• 1911 = Merle Oberon = Indian-American actor

• 1913 = Frank Tashlin = American animator and screenwriter

• 1915 = Dick Emery = English actor and comedian

• 1917 = Carson McCullers = American writer 🌈

• 1920 = C. Z. Guest = American actor, fashion designer, and author

• 1924 = Lee Marvin = American actor

• 1930 = John Frankenheimer = American director and producer

• 1940 = Smokey Robinson = American singer-songwriter

• 1943 = Lou Christie = American singer-songwriter

• 1946 = Karen Silkwood = American technician and activist

• 1947 = Jackie Curtis = American actor and playwright 🌈

• 1952 = Amy Tan = American writer

• 1953 = Massimo Troisi = Italian actor, director, and screenwriter

• 1955 = Jeff Daniels = American actor and playwright

• 1957 = Falco = Austrian singer-songwriter, rapper, and musician

• 1957 = Ray Winstone = English actor

• 1958 = Leslie David Baker = American actor

• 1963 =– Seal = English singer-songwriter

• 1966 = Justine Bateman = American actor and producer

• 1967 = Benicio del Toro = Puerto Rican actor, director, and producer

• 1971 = Jeff Kinney = American author and illustrator

• 1981 = Beth Ditto = American singer-songwriter 🌈

• 1984 = Liz Carmouche = American mixed martial arts fighter 🌈

• 1985 = Haylie Duff = American actor and singer

• 1990 = Monét X Change = Saint Lucian-American drag queen, singer, podcaster, and television personality 🌈

• 1998 = Chappell Roan = American singer-songwriter 🌈

• 2004 = Millie Bobby Brown = English actor and model

EVENTS

• 1846 =– In Austin, Texas, the newly formed Texas state government is officially installed. The Republic of Texas government officially transfers power to the State of Texas government following the annexation of Texas by the United States.

• 1878 = Thomas Edison is granted a patent for his cylinder phonograph.

• 1942 = POTUS Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forcible relocation of over 112,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps.

• 1968 = Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood premieres on NET.

• 1976 = Executive Order 9066, which led to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps, is rescinded by President Gerald Ford's Proclamation 4417.

• 1991 = R.E.M. releases “Losing My Religion” as a single.

• 1999 = Office Space is released in theaters.

• 2008 = Toshiba announces its formal recall of its HD DVD video format, ending the format war with Sony's Blu-ray.

HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES

• Black History Month

• LGBT History Month (UK)

• National Arabian Horse Day

PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
Thomas A. Edison

NEW + FEATURED

• Try A Little Tenderness #1 (NSFW)

• Edward Carpenter = English Poet + Philosopher + More

• William Haines = Hollywood's Rebel With A Cause

• Meditations On Men #2 (NSFW)

• Substack = NSFW + Pioneers + Pride + SFW

• YouTube = Playlists + Streams + Videos

MORE FROM COLLIDE PRESS
Bluesky + Ko-Fi + Linktree + Shop
+ Storefront + Threadless + YouTube