How to Rob a Bank (2026)

 

I know that if you haven't seen the movie you may be wondering why I am covering it here, but hear me out. I got to see an early screening of the film. This film is a perfect commentary for all of the evils in our society right now. 
The main plot of this movie is that the characters want to get back at what "the system" has done to them. For example the main character, played by Nicholas Hoult wants to get back at the bank that put him into a predatory loan that he needed to try and save his sick kid. I believe that most common people in America right now can relate to at least one of the "robbers" in some way or another because of how our current society is set up to hurt people. Also the character played by Pete Davidson was so impactful. His character is dying of lung cancer he got from the burn pits while serving in the military. I so related to this one because of my own mother's current fight with the VA for what they did to her and even institutions like the EEOC which is supposed to help workers like her are not because of corruption in the system and the games played in Washington. I always thought that Pete Davidson was just a joke, but what he did in this role and how he showed the pain caused by institutions was massively moving and going forward I will pay more attention to what he is doing. 

Picture From: https://film-book.com/how-to-rob-a-bank-2026-eagerly-awaited-action-picture-shifts-release-date-from-september-to-november/amp/

This movie shows a hard revolt against the system and made me think that unfortunately we have gotten to this point where actions like these are need to get anybody justice. It also showed that social media is needed now more then ever to help hold people accountable for their actions. It is said that it takes public shaming to hold anyone accountable for their evil deeds. It also reminded me why I got into blogging and content creation. I felt voiceless, and sometimes still do when fighting against these systems in our society that are trying to hurt us. But it reminded me that every view and every follow is just one more person you have reached and maybe that through your struggles they will see that they are not alone and that together we can fight back.

Picture From: https://www.fandango.com/how-to-rob-a-bank-2026-245989/movie-overview

I highly recommend this movie and believe that this movie does actually deserve to get Academy Awards, but more then likely it won't win any because those people don't understand what a real impactful movie really is. All I can say is go see it.

The event itself was not as good as last night's screening and was less ADA friendly. They had someone there engraving money clips for people, but you could only get one if you were able to stand in line at that table. Problems with this is first, if you were there by yourself you would have to give up your place in line to get one. Second, even if you did have one or more people with you, at least one person would get left out, the person holding the place due to timing and the length of the line. My mom went and got one for me while I held her place, but she was unable to get one for herself. Even once everyone was in the theater and they said there was no line, anyone with disabilities was left out because they would have then had to go all the way back out and rush back in. They did also give out raffle tickets for gift cards, but I saw several people didn't get one. This screening was also less ADA friendly because they had given all the ADA accessible seats to specific ticket holders/guests instead of saving them for people with disabilities. This should not be allowed and whoever was putting the signs on the seats should be held accountable for discrimination if not actually violating ADA.

Colorado/Aurora Korean Festival 2026

This was my first year attending this festival. I had see pictures of the event online from past years and they made the event look much bigger then it was. For those that attending the Havana Street Night Market, it was located in the same place, but it was much smaller then the night market. Parking was also an issue since this area is just not big enough to handle booth the businesses and any event.

Prices for food at the event were all over the place. Some places were charging high prices for small portions, most of the food in general was over priced. A few good deals could be found though like these rice cakes. I thought that you would get three pieces on one toothpick for $2, which I was willing to pay, but you actually got three thoothpicks with 4 pieces on each for the $2. This was actually the best deal of the day I found. They also had sauce in a squeeze bottle that you could add yourself.

Another good deal was his gimbap. Whe we walked up they actually lowered the price to $3. This was a nice yummy snack. Between this and the above rice cakes you could have a nice lunch for $5.

There was also a church giving out these little bags of snacks for free.

There were several different booths selling everything from Kpop goods to squishy toys. 

The above picture is of a host calling out the name of the next person that had signed up for karaoke. When we were there this was the only thing they really had to do. This event needs more activity tables and just stuff for people to do. They had a few other cultural demonstrations scheduled during the event, but overall it felt like there wasn't much to do. We got through the whole thing including taking time to eat in about half an hour, and then left because we were bored. I think that this event could be better if they made it bigger and had more for people to do.

Accessible Halloween Costumes 2026

 

This year in stores was a total desert of accessible costumes. I couldn't even find wheel covers or the wagon covers that you could modify to go on related equipment. There are trends where costumes follow political agendas and right now like many different groups, those with disabilities are losing both their rights and visibility. This is reflected in the products you can find in stores. In the past places like Target even had cute Halloween decorations that helped bring the disability life to the decorations, even if it was a little bit of a stereotype. 

The above vampire sitting in a wheelchair is an example from a past year of a Target find. I remember being so happy when I saw it, but visuals like this have disappeared. So when trying to find accessible costumes this year I was not surprised that they were missing in stores. What little representation had been gained had been erased.

Most of the costumes I found online were just the same ones from previous years and you can check out my past articles for info on those.

Target

https://www.target.com/c/adaptive-halloween-costumes/-/N-66yhm

Most of their accessible costumes this year were either cape/poncho based or more focused on accessories and not really the base. This is a roll back from previous year's offerings. They did have a few costumes that were for full wheelchair cover or that included wheelchair covers.

Then new this year was this:

https://www.target.com/p/adult-barn-costume-headpiece-160-hyde-and-eek-boutique-8482-one-size/-/A-94877630#lnk=sametab

Because we all know that a costume that only involves the head is great to hide the rest of your body...sorry about the sarcasm, but really? This costume is just a barn that fits over your head. Yes they do have the model wearing farmer like clothes under it, I guess you could just wear all black as well... I guess head wear only could count as a costume....but yah, I just have issues with this being one of their "adaptive" focused costumes. Only the head matters and the rest of the body can be forgotten... The only way I see this one maybe working is if you could find an animal nose and be the animal sticking out of the barn.

Rolling Buddies

https://www.rollingbuddies.com/collections/halloween-costumes

This site specializes in adaptive only clothing and costumes. Their prices are on the higher end, but they have a good diversity of products in one place. Also not the best looking, but at least they are trying.

Halloween Express

https://www.halloweenexpress.com/costumes/adaptive-a1-560518+3435-1.fltr

Some good deals can be found here. Somewhat limited options. Nothing really stood out to me as new or exciting this year.

HalloweenCostumes.com

https://www.halloweencostumes.com/adaptive-costumes.html?q=Adaptive%20Costume

When I checked their site a lot were either sold out or discontinued. Super low options when compared to previous years.

To all those looking for an accessible/adaptive costume, good luck this year. If nothing else this reduction in costumes just means that you can let your creativity show this year by making your own. I would recommend Pinterest if you need costume ideas.

Top Picture From: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/landscape-huacachina-desert-ica-peru-1656955129?trackingId=b3534cac-5a42-4eec-8e8d-5b8ac9546785&listId=searchResults

June 2026 VA Sponsored Smudgine Ceremony & Talking Circle

 

This was an event that was surprising hosted by the VA to "support" Native Americans in the community. I want to start out by saying the woman leading this was amazing and has cool as a cucumber. Before the ceremony started I got to easedrop on her and the VA staff. I don't think that they had any understanding of what the ceremony would include, because when she asked where she could bury the prayer after they were super confused. She told them that if it was an issue she would just take it home and bury it there. There were problems with her digging on Federal land, but there is an area near the VA that they said was trying to be returned to the Natives. We won't even discuss all of the issues with federal land vs. stolen land.

This was my first time to a public smudging ceremony in many years. I myself have done a different form of smudging ceremonies ever since a dear friend gave me my first smudging fan. My last public one was back in the late 2000s while a student at CSU in their Native American club. To me the talking ceremony was the most beautiful part of the experience at this event and I found myself crying. It was really cathartic to let out some of the emotions that had been building for awhile out.

Something happened though near the end that really disrupted the ceremony. A volunteer came up to the ceremony, and instead of quietly joining in and/or standing in the back watching, he came in talking about how he was like Mr. Happiness or the like for the VA. He then proceeded to hand out cards and showed a picture book full of pictures of himself and other people. He was also braging about being recognized at some museum and in Washington. He basically took over a religious ceremony to brag about himself. I will give the woman props for handling it as well as she did. I don't know if he did this because it seemed less formal to him because it was outside, but if any one did something in a Christian church like this, people would be upset.

Any time you are attending a religious ceremony, be it your own or trying to learn about others, please be respectful. 

For example, I am not Catholic, but my two best friends in Texas are and they like going to a Latin Mass. My first trip down to Texas with them they gave me and our other friend that was with us the choice to stay behind and chill or go with them. I was super curious because everyone talks about Latin being a dead language, yet there are people that still study it and use it for religious purposes. To me that is not a dead language. I wanted to see the language in its full life. I also convinced our other friend to tag along. My friends told me to just do what they did. Sounded easy enough. For those that have never attended such a ceremony, it is full of up, down, and knee positions. I personally think that it could contend with any gym's leg workout. The only thing we did not join in was Eucharist, AKA Holy Communion, since we were not Catholic. Me and my other friend were holding each other up as we left because of how weak our legs were. We were not prepared physically for the experience.

The next time we were in Texas and Latin Mass was on the schedule my friends said that I could just stay seated this time. (By this time my list of disabilities had grown and they were aware of how I was impacted by them). They said that the disabled and elderly were not expected to do all of the positions. This time I got to just focus in on the beautiful ceremony and witness the impact that it had on those around me.

What is the point of me telling you this story? My point is at no time did I interrupt the proceedings. I was there to watch and learn. I participated the first time to the best of my abilities by going with the flow using my friends to guide me. If I hadn't known anyone there I would have sat in a back corner and just watched, but never interrupt. Maybe it's my training as an anthropologist or just the basic respect for people that I was taught as a child. Even when I have participated or watch religious ceremonies linked to me personally, I never tried to disrupt, even when I didn't agree with how the religious leader was doing something. 

Many religious ceremonies/events today are public because most religious leaders want to have outsiders to have some understanding of what they do in the hopes to reduce the hatred that is out there for people that are different from you. They are also always hoping to expanding their following. I say attend these events when you have time or to even go to other religious ceremonies that match your religion but are lead by someone different to expand your understanding of people. Watch and learn, but don't interrupt.

60th Denver Greek Festival

This was my first time attending this event. Since the Prarie Thunder Powwow turned into an unorganized mess, I thought I would try going to a well established cultural event. I learned that just because an event has been around for awhile doesn't mean it's good. 

We decided to get to the event about 1.5 hours before it started to try and get a parking spot. For those that don't understand why we would get there so early, this is actually normal for people with disabilities where parking can be an issue for them. Most events normally don't have enough parking let alone enough handicap parking. The night before I checked out a map of the event and saw that they had one whole lot designated for handicap. I was thinking great, but it didn't turn out like that. When we got there the lot that was supposed to be handicap only was filled with regular cars. One nice security lady said that it was due to the church goers and took us to another lot where we could park.

After reading in the car, we got in the line that had started to form. I will say that that I did like them doing the weapons check. At the same time they were making people dump out water bottles, and then saying they could refill them inside. I hoping they were just worried about people sneaking in alcohol, but in a Colorado summer family friendly event, it was probably just water. Their choice, but it didn't look good to the average person, just petty. They were also stamping people's hands if you wanted to drink since they had run out of the 21 over wrist bands.

Once in is where we started to notice the real trouble. The first vendor we stopped at turned out to be a red flag for how the whole event was going to go. The vendor was 2 Greeks, and we had found a $20 t-shirt we wanted. We took it to them, they did the tax thing and said it would be $21 and some odd change. My mom took out $22 and went to hand it to them when the guy said that he would have to round it up to $22 since he didn't have change. Some people may be ok with this, but it is a form of theft. Any business owner is responsible for returning money past the purchase price and does not have a right to keep the extra as a 'tip.' We told him to forget it and we would come back later when they had a chance to get change. (More on this situation later). 

From here we ducked into a few other booths, but didn't really see anything we wanted to buy. Most of the stuff for sell in the section (west side) just felt like your average sounivor shop finds instead of really authentic Greek products. I even found a few things that had a made in China sticker on the bottom. Next was bathroom time. Most fully abled people don't have to think about using a restroom or the impact that one can have on them. The event did have port-a-potties, but from what I saw none of them were the disabled friendly ones (or at least as friendly as current disabled port-a-potties are). One worker told us that the building we were next to had actual bathrooms that were also open to the public. When we went in there was a male employee sitting there directing people. When we asked about where the restrooms were he said up stairs. Thinking in our modern world there must be an elevator that was our next question. He responded with "It's broke." Another female worker near by had heard our conversation and went on to tell us that it had broken on Friday and had even trapped a person in it when it had broken.

So... this is where you get a true test of an event and the main event planner. This event had no work around even though they had part of Friday and all day Saturday to come up with something before we were there on Sunday. To be truthful there was a simple fix if they couldn't get the elevator fixed quickly. I'll tell you the fix right now so you can see how simple it was if they had a person worth their salt leading the event (extra points for you if you know the history behind that phrase). What you would need is a couple of workers, a golf cart, and 3 walkie-talkies. You would need to place one worker by each of the main doors (one up stairs and one down stairs) then have the third one driving the golf cart. The golf cart could be rented easy enough or borrowed. When someone with mobility issues starts asking about the elevators the worker could contact the golf cart person to come and get them. For a specific example with use for it. The golf cart would have picked us up on the lower side of the building, drove us up the hill and through the entrance we came in through, go around the front of the building, back through the other entrance (so that we wouldn't have to pay to get back in), and drop us off at the top building entrance. The the golf cart worker could have either stayed up there while we did our thing and saw the top side of the event, or they could have just told us to have the top floor worker page him when we were ready to go back to the lower level. If you are wondering what would happen with wheel chairs there could have been a worker, maybe same as golf cart driver, that could have helped push the person back up the hill and help with navigation of reentrance through the other entrance so that the people wouldn't have to pay again.

This shows just one way the situation could have been addressed. I will admit that I have over 10 years of event planning experience working with large crowds which has helped me to develop skills on how to address situations when they happen including how to apply ADA thinking and JEDI thinking to those situations. My experience is what allows me to pick apart events like this and see both their failures and what they need to do to fix them. For an event that has been around for 60 years, they either should have already been tracking how to work out situations like this or if they have a high turn over of workers, hire people with years of experience that can handle the shit hitting the fan. 

Prairie Thunder Powwow Sunday June 7th Failure

Google Maps view of the  Plains Conservation Center showing the super limited parking for a cultural event.

I was looking forward to this new Powwow, Prairie Thunder, but was sorely disappointed when I found out that the event would no longer be ADA friendly and that it had been poorly planned. This morning I received an email talking about how the shuttle service that was supposed to be helping with parking was now canceled. Here's part of the email I want us to look at here:

When it comes to events, making them ADA friendly can be an issue. Most places in general don't have enough handicap parking, but adding additional parking lots with shuttle service can then allow a location to add additional spots for handicap parking. When you have larger crowds you naturally will have a larger amount of people with disabilities, but then when you take in focusing on specific cultures this can go up. Unfortunately Native Americans are more prone to many health issues that can cause disabilities. Diabetes in one such health issue that can lead to side issues that can impact mobility. Another thing about Native American culture and Powwows is that this is a place for elders to also come. Elders are a large part of Native culture and most people as they get older will experience health and mobility issues. The parking situation and other things listed in this email, like having to lug chairs and lack of shade, makes this event unfriendly for elders. The whole set up and lack of organization for this event shows that the people linked to planning this event has little cultural competency. 

This email was sent out by a staff member at the Plains Conservation Center. I do not know how much oversite the Center itself had in planning the event or what third parties were also involved, but the ball has been dropped. Someone needs to take responsibilities for the failures around this event. I'm sad that the city of Aurora isn't stepping up for this event since it could be a large cultural event for the city if they wanted to invest in the Native American community. Will next year be better? I'm not so sure unless someone wants to step up and actually do something to support the Native community that actually knows about the Native culture and beyond. 

I have chosen to not attend this event tomorrow due to the lack of ADA accessibility or amenities that people with disabilities need. 

For more info on the event:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/prairie-thunder-powwow-tickets-1988680008439

https://www.facebook.com/groups/607433116108746/posts/3275753442610020/

Rudeness to Discrimination at Park Meadows

Today when at Park Meadows for Pokemon Go our first step was the bathroom. A lady with a daughter that appeared to be around 7-8 years old cut everyone in line. The line included both elderly and disabled people. When I called out the woman for her actions she said that her kid really had to go and that it wasn't cutting. No one else called her out for it. I understand that people now a days are afraid of calling people out due to the increase of violence, but as my readers know I have received threats of violence and death threats for my activist work, so I stand up for people being stepped on. This woman thought that she was privileged and didn't have to follow the basic courtesies of our society. This has been on the rise since COVID where people know how to treat others, but just don't do it any more. I told her straight out that she was teaching her child discrimination, ageism, and self-centeredness. She then called me a bitch and said that I should never have children. This was coming from a woman that had no idea of how to act in public or how to treat people.

The problem is that parents are teaching their kids that this behavior is ok when it isn't and by people not stepping up nothing will change except to get worse. Also this situation showed several other issues with this woman's parenting. First off a child of that age should be potty trained or in dippers if not (and a kid that old should not be in dippers). Kids should be potty trained by age four. Most kindergartens won't let kids start with them if they are not potty trained by age 5. Not having a kid potty trained by that age is a form of neglect if not open child abuse. This is a point where child services should step in just for this neglect if not for the mothers other actions. Parents lead by an example and parents that act like this and teach their kids to discriminate should have interventions to stop their actions.

Another thing that played into this interaction was classism. The woman was dressed up and most of the people in the line including myself were dressed down. I was just wearing cotton shorts and a T-shirt. Dressing like this plays into my disabilities. With my MS I have to dress cool in the summer and different fabrics, like high end fabrics, cause nerve pain rubbing on my skin. In our society we judge people by what they wear and not the reasons they may have for dressing the way they do. It gives people the idea that they are better then others and do not have to follow the rules due to their financial standing.

Also as a side note I do not have a gallbladder. Not having this can cause me to have minutes to seconds to get to a bathroom. I understand having to really go, but at the same time even knowing the worst case that can happen, I would never just cut in a line. This is because I understand that many people in that line really need to go (may have similar health issues), or else they probably wouldn't be standing their waiting to go. This comes from understanding what basic needs human beings have and caring about their needs as well. It also has to deal with empathy. As a society we have stopped caring about others and only focus on ourselves.

Why did I put this situation on this blog. It shows that parents are largely responsible for influencing how their children act and on what values they have. This woman was teaching her child her biases, discrimination, hate, and judging. People have to be willing to step up in these situations even if they are afraid of people. We need to call out these behaviors if we want to try to improve the future. This may mean reporting these situations to authority figures. Discrimination is wrong, child neglect/abuse is wrong, hate is wrong, classism is wrong. Be the change in the world.

Moving forward I'm going to keep sharing when I run into these types of situations since I see them nearly daily when I go out.

Resources

Schum, Timothy R., Kolb, Thomas M., eta al. "Sequential Acquisition of Toilet-Training Skills: A Descriptive Study of Gender and Age Differences in Normal Children." Pediatrics March 2002; Vol 109, Issue 3. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/109/3/e48/79784/Sequential-Acquisition-of-Toilet-Training-Skills-A

National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information (DHHS). “Department of Children, Youth & Families.” What is Child Abuse and Neglect. Accessed May 16, 2026. https://dcyf.wa.gov/safety/what-is-abuse.

-This one was interesting because it talks about bathroom issues/potty training issues can show that a child has been abused when they are past the normal age for potty training.

"Emotional Issues and Potty Training Issues." 5/25/22. Adapted from American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Toilet Training, 2nd Edition (Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Pediatrics). https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/toilet-training/Pages/Emotional-Issues-and-Bathroom-Problems.aspx

"Neglect." NSPCC https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/types-of-abuse/neglect/

“The Right Age to Potty Train.” HealthyChildren.org, May 24, 2022. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/toilet-training/Pages/The-Right-Age-to-Toilet-Train.aspx?psafe_param=1&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=69654055&gbraid=0AAAAADyMpZH-_dH0NDCLkzYWujGTGj3HD&gclid=CjwKCAjwq6DQBhBVEiwA4ZD5XPB8CDPxIo_0n6n4NDSipIGJ6evsGNNv87jvBW-1otNJX8NHbBZsqxoCEzsQAvD_BwE.

"At What Age Should A Child Be Potty Trained." https://www.pull-ups.com/en-us/resources/tips-advice/when-to-start/potty-training-timeline?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19821772748&gbraid=0AAAAAD-kfXzIejA7TRloABoIkRR0zGsuD&gclid=CjwKCAjwq6DQBhBVEiwA4ZD5XD-ub-hOSKyid1eotuvlE0x1zS0BPUoWGxUDDMFThWfjAHulE8r_exoCjTcQAvD_BwE