Jen the Bug (she/her)

@jenthebug.bsky.social

1038 Followers 164 Following

Mom, wife, EMS dispatcher

A Pembroke Welsh Corgi, looking scruffy since she’s blowing her coat, sits and looks up at the camera. She has a “puppy-eyed” expression and her mouth is open in what looks like a smile.
A black cat sitting on a person’s gray pajama pants. Her black socks and purple crocs are visible behind the cat.
A small black cat at the top of the stairs, in front of a wooden door with a window showing that it is dark outside.
A small black cat standing on a table, on top of Gundam TCG play mats and cards.
Chicken Noodle Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced thin 2-3 stalks celery, sliced thin 1 medium yellow onion, diced small 2 garlic cloves, minced 8 cups chicken broth 2 bay leaves ½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste 12oz wide egg noodles 2 cups shredded cooked chicken 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional) 1. Add oil to stock pot, warm over medium high heat 2. Add carrots, celery, onion; saute for 7 minutes, until veggies soften. Stir intermittently. 3. Add garlic, saute for 1-2 more minutes. 4. Add chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper; bring mixture to boil. Simmer for about five minutes or until veggies are fork tender. 5. Add noodles, boil for another 10 minutes. 6. Add cooked chicken, boil for another 1-2 minutes until chicken is warmed through.
A middle aged woman wearing a red sweatshirt, makeup, and glasses, with a bob haircut. She is smiling.
A small black cat peeks out from under a red curtain
A black cat peeks out from under a red curtain
A middle aged woman in glasses and a hoodie, smiling.
A middle aged woman in a blue Jimmy Eat World shirt and glasses, smiling.
A corgi laying on her side, belly exposed, with a blank expression
A dry erase marker cartoon of a woman with brown hair and glasses, saying “Welcome to work, front half! May your coffee be strong.”
A middle aged woman in a hoodie, smiling and flashing a peace sign
A black cat laying on his back with his paws up, obviously neutered
A middle aged woman in a bear onesie
A Chaos ride, a brightly colored tilting wheel with tilting seats around the edge. Manufactured by Chance Rides. No longer supported due to numerous safety incidents.
A black cat sitting on a yellow box, looking over his shoulder
A screenshot from Galaga (1981)
A picture of a cat with an “on” slider above him labeled “Violence.” The picture is captioned: “My cat for no reason”
Ani spent the rest of the afternoon after yoga getting ready. She showered and washed, masked, and brushed her hair, leaving it down. She put on her dress; white with dainty purple flowers, tie strap sleeves, nipped in at the waist, with a tiered skirt hitting just above the knee. She put on a pair of white strappy sandals to go with the dress. She put on makeup according to Tara’s instructions, and it actually looked good! She spritzed herself with a tiny spray of Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb, to make it smell like she just walked through a flower garden. She stopped at Sprouts to get a bouquet. It was mostly sunflowers, she figured those would go best with the decor of his condo. She considered buying a bottle of wine, but decided against it; he told her to ask sober, and she was gonna ask sober, dammit. Instead, she bought a fancy chocolate bar for him. Is this all too much? What if he laughs at me? What if he sits me down for a kind but firm talk about how we’re really not going to date and is a perfect gentleman about it so I can’t even be mad at him? At least I could keep hooking up with Vince. I can’t think like this. Can’t discount myself before I’ve even tried. Ani pulled into the underground garage under Dave’s building and nosed her car into a guest space. From there, she had Dave buzz her in. As she walked down the long hall to his condo, her heart was pounding. She could look down at her dress and see it shaking with each heartbeat. She stopped walking and took a couple deep breaths, then continued.
asked. “I pay more than you do,” Ani said, “AND do all the housework, and empathize with you, and give you sex whenever you want, and put up with your tantrums. I’m done. Pack. Your. Shit.” Ani glanced out at the clock. 3:38. She took her hair down. There was no way she was gonna finish that hair mask. She turned the showerhead to one jet of extreme pressure and started rinsing her hair. “I thought you did all that shit because you actually wanted to!” “The housework needs to be done and you never do it! I want to be a good partner, but lately I have no idea why I try so hard. And I hate your tantrums. Pack your shit!” “What if I don’t?” Mike yelled to be heard over the water. “I’ll call the cops! I’ll tell them that I’m a dispatcher for Gateway!” Ani frantically combed through her hair with her fingers, anticipating a toilet flush at any time. “Where am I gonna go? You just gonna throw me out on the streets?” He asked. “You actually HAVE parents. Call your mommy.” “Bitch, I don’t wanna live with my parents! How am I gonna get a girlfriend?” White-hot rage shot through Ani. He’s already thinking about his next girlfriend? She took a deep breath. “That sounds like your problem, not mine.”
As Jason maneuvered the ambulance through traffic, alerting the few drivers on the road with the sirens, he couldn’t help thinking about what Robin said. Tyrone doesn’t owe me coming out. He slowly accelerated to the company-mandated 10MPH over the speed limit, chuckled, and kept accelerating. He could decide he’s not interested and go back to dating women. He dodged an oblivious driver. He’s a private person, he’s not hiding me, just hiding his sexuality. Which, right now, is me. He turned onto 38th Avenue, again accelerating slowly, as so not to throw the crew in the back off balance. I still don’t know how to feel about all this, he thought, as he pulled into the ambulance bay at Lutheran Medical Center.
A black cat with a Tile tracker and a tag reading “SOBA” on his blue collar
“This is Ani.” “NO WAY!” Eric Valmont, the paramedic team leader, yelled into the phone. “Ani! How you been? How was your time off? We’re so glad to have you back!” “It was,” she took a breath, “about as fun as recovering from a broken humerus and a broken pelvis can be.” “Oh, no! I heard you were in a gnarly wreck, but not what happened.” “Yeah, that happened. I was the passenger in a truck that got t-boned by a bigger truck. I can type now, but I’m still in PT for my arm and I’m still walking with a cane.” “How long before you’re back to normal?” “Anywhere from six months to never,” Ani said with a sigh. “Can I hold you last out from Ops?” “Sure! I’m working with Tim Lemay today.” “Oh good! This’ll be fun.” Ani typed on the computer. “204’s here, too, they’re finishing up a class.” “Is that where my day cars are?” “Yep.” “Oh, Maggie didn’t tell me that. She made me think I was status actually one, not that I had a bunch of paramedics and EMTs at the station that I could use.” “So who’s gonna be the new supervisor? What happened to Dave?” “Call me on a non-recorded line.” With that, Ani hung up.
A three legged tabby cat lounging on the floor
Container ship Cassiopeia being towed to the dock by tugboats. It can hold up to 6000 containers but is not fully loaded in this pic.
A parrot bathing in a bowl, captioned “I take a shower and going drinking coffee”
“Tyrone, I wanted to ask you something special. You too, Ruby. I love you, both of you, so much more than I thought I could love other people. You’ve brought so much light and fun to my life!” Jason knelt down and pulled out two boxes, holding both of them in one hand. He opened them both to reveal a gold men’s ring and a dainty silver women’s ring with a ruby center stone. “May I join your family? Ruby, will you be my stepdaughter? Tyrone, will you marry me?” Tyrone broke down in tears, which got Ruby crying, which caused Jason’s eyes to well up with tears. “Of course, man!” Tyrone took his ring, knelt down on both knees, and kissed the top of Jason’s head. “Thank you, Jason!” Ruby took her ring, sniffling hard. “Of course I’ll be your stepdaughter!” Ruby wrapped her arms around Tyrone and Jason. The three of them held each other and cried, backs shaking, mumbling thanks and love. Ruby’s stomach broke the moment with a loud growl. Tyrone laughed. “We better let you eat, girl!” “Yeah, I’m hungry!” She wiped her eyes. “Practice was hard today!” Tyrone stood and helped Jason up. “I’m hungry too,” he said. “I ain’t had a chance to eat lunch because I had that appointment with my neurologist over my lunch hour.” “Oh, yeah, we better eat!” Jason rushed to the kitchen and lit the candles. “But first, ambience!”
A sun conure screaming. To the left, the word “SCREM”
A can of “BITCH BE GONE” made of perler beads
A tired middle aged woman holding an alert little black cat up to the camera
“Ani, are you actually awake this time?” Tara asked. “Yeah, think so.” “How are you feeling?” Leah asked. “Like I just got hit by a truck.” Tara and Leah erupted in peals of laughter. Naomi chuckled. Dave cringed. Dave took Ani’s left hand. “Ani, I’m so sorry.” “For what?” “That’s what happened. We got hit by a truck. We were driving to dinner. I went forward at a green light, and a Dodge Ram--one of the big ones--ran the light and t-boned us. I have a concussion, but I got off easy compared to you. I’m sorry.” “Don’t be sorry,” Ani said, squeezing his hand. “It was that guy’s fault.” “I know, but if I would have waited just five seconds, this wouldn’t have happened.” “Yeah, but it did. We can’t just make things un-happen. All we can do is move forward from them.” Ani sighed and closed her eyes again. “Hey Ani, we got clothes for you.” Leah pointed to a Target bag on the ground. “A few pairs of pajama pants and some extra large t-shirts.” Ani winced at the thought of putting on a t-shirt. “And I brought your Snuggie from dispatch!” Naomi said.
A soaking wet parrot in a bowl captioned “i take a shower and going drinking coffee”
A wizard cat holding a cup of coffee in front of an erupting volcano, captioned “why is everything bullshit tho?”
“You won’t regret it.” Jason smiled. “Hey, there’s gonna be a beer bust at Charlie’s this Saturday, wanna go?” “What’s Charlie’s?” Tyrone asked. “Gay bar.” “Gay bar?!” Tyrone’s eyes widened. “You want me to go to the gay bar?” “You don’t have to be gay, it’s not like they check at the door,” Jason said. “Anyway, it’s $2 Bud Lights for the Matthew Shepard Foundation.” Tyrone was silent. A beer bust at a gay bar? Am I really ready for this? Jason continued. “I’m going no matter what, but I’d love to take you and show you a little bit of the gay scene.” “What if someone sees me there?” “Then you just ask them, what were you doing at the gay bar?” Jason took a drink of his coffee. “Besides, the more you get used to the idea and hang out with the community, the less of a big deal it becomes.” The waitress took Tyrone and Jason’s orders. “I’m nervous about it,” Tyrone said, “but I’d rather not miss out on a night of hanging out with you.” Jason blushed. “Thanks.” “I’ll go. You gotta pick me up, though, because I have no idea where this Charlie’s place is.” “Deal. This is gonna be so fun!”
Owen Nelson was a tall, pudgy man with shaggy blond hair and rainbow suspenders holding his dress pants up over his white button down. He wore a sequined bowtie in the colors of the trans flag. “Owen!” Jason ran up and gave him a hug. “Jason Elmwood! How the hell are you! When are you ever gonna learn how to dress!” Owen ruffled Jason’s hair. “Oh, shut up! I’m feeling self conscious enough already! Wanna dance?” Jason glanced toward the floor, which was filled with gyrating men. “Already halfway there!” Owen and Jason found a space for themselves on the edge of the dance floor and started dancing. Owen leaned in close. “So how have you been?” “Not bad! Seeing someone! He’s here tonight!” Jason beamed. “What about you?” “Finally all recovered from top surgery,” he said, “got a few commercial gigs, and I’m working at Elitch’s this summer in the entertainment department!” Their dance and conversation was interrupted by Tyrone, who walked right in between them and handed Jason a beer. “How do you know Jason!” Tyrone’s deep voice boomed over the music. “We’ve been friends since high school, I’m Owen.” Owen reached out a hand to shake. Tyrone crushed it. “Aight, that’s cool. I got my eye on you.”
A red and black sticky note decorated with the moon, skulls, and a crow. “You got this!” is handwritten on the note.
“So I got a question.” Tyrone tried to keep his tone of voice light, but he sounded awkward, he could tell. “What would you do if one of your coworkers turned out to be bisexual?” “Depends on who, and how I found out. If it was one of the guys, I’d just be like, congratulations for figuring it out, and that would be it. But if it was Michele and she had a crush on me, that would be kind of awkward. And if it was Maggie and she had a crush on me, I might have to go on a date with her. Why?” “I read some thing online that 21% of people would report someone to HR just for coming out as bisexual,” Tyrone said, hoping his excuse sounded believable. “Oh, 21% of people need a kick right in the ass.” Jason and Robin walked in. “Jason! My man!” Tyrone stood for a hug, which Jason gladly obliged. Robin walked over to Ani. “What’s going on?” “A detail and a road trip,” Ani said. “Where we going?” Robin pulled a notepad out of his uniform cargo pants. “Raliberto’s, then Denver Health to Pueblo.” “Eh. Could be worse.”
A small black cat holds a bisexual pride flag in his claws and teeth.
A three panel comic of a pink, purple, and blue striped chameleon saying “I LOVE BEING BISEXUAL”
Jason pulled up to Tyrone’s house in his little blue Mitsubishi Mirage. He’d made sure to push the passenger seat all the way back to make room for Tyrone’s giant frame. He’d made a special playlist for the occasion; a mix of hip hop, kpop, and gay dance mixes that he desperately hoped was cool enough. He was wearing dark blue jeans and an oversized Nuggets t-shirt, topped off with just a hint of cologne. He hoped Tyrone would notice. Tyrone came walking out in a Nuggets jersey over a close fitting white t-shirt, perfectly ripped blue jeans, and clean white high tops. He wore a gold chain and a gold earring, sunglasses, and his locs were down. He was so stylish! Jason couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face as Tyrone opened the door. “Jason! My man! What’s up!” “Hey, Tyrone! Looking good! You’re always so fashionable!” Tyrone laughed. “Seriously. I wish I had style like that.” “I’ll have to take you shopping, man.” Tyrone folded himself into the small car, his knees bent and his elbows pulled in so they wouldn’t splay out. “Sorry my car’s so small.” He gave Tyrone an apologetic look. “It’s all good, just comes with the territory of being tall.”
A statue of a giant green praying mantis
“Thanks for coming out with me tonight,” Jason said. “This was a good idea.” “Thanks for driving,” Tyrone said. “And thanks for agreeing to go! I know that it was a splurge for you.” “Worth it! That was super fun.” Jason pulled the emergency brake up. “So…I’ll see you at work on Thursday?” Tyrone smiled. “Where else am I gonna be?” There was an awkward pause. Jason felt his cheeks heating up. Tyrone wasn’t leaving. Jason decided to lean forward for a hug. Tyrone, thankfully, obliged. He wrapped his long arms around Jason and rubbed his back, letting Jason rest his head on his shoulder. “You’re alright, man,” Tyrone said, “This was fun. I’m glad we went.” Still holding on, Jason said, “Me too. This was awesome.” They held each other, Jason taking a deep breath to get all of Tyrone’s scent, Tyrone slowly rubbing Jason’s back. Is this really happening? Jason felt his heart start to race. He held on a little tighter, feeling a rush in his stomach as Tyrone squeezed him. “You know what? Maybe we should just go inside,” Tyrone said. “Watch some SportsCenter.”
A Lock Screen featuring a giant fuchsia peony
A toad sits on a sidewalk next to a pool of water
“I need a paramedic ambulance emergent to 80th & Wadsworth, my partner is having a seizure!” Jason Elmwood stared wide-eyed at his EMT partner, Tyrone Washington, who was seizing in the driver’s seat. Jason had wrestled the ambulance to the side of the road and slammed it into park after Tyrone went into seizure. “Are you Code 4 and out of traffic? Direction of travel, please?” Dispatch sounded calm. “I’m fine, I’m pulled over. Westbound on 80th just east of Wadsworth!” “Copy. 107?” Again, Dispatch’s voice was low and calm. Jason heard a siren firing up over the radio. “En route.” It had been a typical day for Tyrone and Jason on a BLS transfer car; they’d taken patients from hospitals to nursing homes, nursing homes to hospitals, the ER to inpatient mental health, and hospitals to hospice. They’d been on their way to a hospice patient’s house to take them to the care center before Tyrone started seizing. “Fuck, what’s taking them so long?” Jason asked nobody in particular. Tyrone was still seizing, occasionally gasping for air. Jason flipped on all the lights. 107 wasn’t gonna miss them. Tyrone’s foot found the gas pedal. The ambulance revved up past the red line on the tachometer; Jason was just glad it was in park. He turned the key and cut power to the engine.
A small black cat in a printer box
Ruby, for her part, had crawled up on the table and was turning the butcher paper into a mural that covered the whole thing. “Ruby!” Tyrone waved her down. “We do not climb on tables. You walk around and draw that way.” “Sorry, Dad.” Ruby slid down into her seat. “Whatcha drawing, anyway?” Tyrone stood and walked over to the smaller table. “It’s under the sea!” Ruby pointed out fish, seahorses, sharks, even seaweed and coral. Tyrone looked on with admiration, giving her plenty of compliments. Jason smiled. Tyrone is such a good dad. He watched Tyrone reach down and draw a little tiny fish of his own. “Can I put locs on it?” Tyrone asked. “Make it a daddy fish?” “No, Dad! This is a serious picture!” Ruby glared at him. “Okay,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to ruin your masterpiece. You’ve been working hard on it. You gonna color it?” “Of course!” Ruby paused. “Except maybe I won’t color the water. Because it looks clear when you’re underwater.” “Yeah, it does. I think that’s a good artistic choice.” Jason’s smile widened. Ruby is such a lucky kid. Tyrone walked back to Jason’s table and sat, taking a drink of his coffee. “So how’d the shift bid go for you?”
A small black cat laying on a recliner. His head is raised and he looks very alert.
A crocheted smiling dumpster fire, missing an eye, rests on a desk
A small black cat sticking his tongue out
A small black cat lays on a brown counter in front of a wood paneled wall
Kpop idol Park Jihyo, leader of Twice, performing on stage
A middle aged woman with short brown hair and glasses. She is smiling slightly.
A small black cat laying on a recliner
A small black cat lying on a gray recliner, against a red heating pad
A small black cat sits in a large box for an Epson printer. Only the cat’s head and tail are visible.
A close up of a tree’s branches, growing little green buds
A small black cat sits in a wooden shelf against a wood paneled wall
A small black cat stands on the back of an office chair. The seat is cluttered.