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Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Fahrenheit 9/11  I have now seen Fahrenheit 9/11 twice. I have braved two very long lines, waiting for almost an hour each time. (I wanted to post a picture of the lines but I can't figure out a way to get the photos from my phone to my computer... gotta love technology.) I almost felt a little guilty the second time knowing that were almost certainly people behind me who hadn't seen the movie yet and would be turned away from buying a ticket. But nothing was to deter me.
If you haven't seen the movie yet, no matter what your political stripes... go see it. And if you have already seen it... go see it again. The first time I saw it I appreciated it for the obvious. I appreciated it for the clips of Dubbya in all his infinite stupidity. I appreciated it for the human face that the movie put on the loss inflicted upon families whose loved ones have died needlessly in Iraq. And I loved it for raising some really good questions. Michael Moore insinuates the answers, and sometimes might overstep a boundary in his zeal, but someone at least is asking.  The second time I saw it, I appreciated the movie in a much different way. Having seen the micro already, having seen all the individual scenes... I was able to sit back and digest the bigger picture... the story that Michael Moore was painting and really follow the red thread he was weaving through the whole documentary. It was masterful. From Election 2000, to Dubbya's upbringing, to unholy connections between the Bushs, Saudis and various oil companies, to 9/11, to a half-assed attempt at waging a war against Osama Bin Laden and Afghanistan, to frightening the American people into giving up certain civil liberties, to waging a war against Iraq, to recruiting the poor and disenfranchised to fight the war. Alot of people write Michael Moore off as a kind of crazed left-wing nut, but he's brilliant when he keeps himself focused.
The most poignant part for me, was the Election 2000 footage in the first few minutes. I felt ill when Al Gore had to certify the results of the 2000 election in a joint session of Congress, and a number of members of the Congressional Black Caucus were trying to raise an objection to the results on behalf of the disenfranchised voters of Florida. There could be no debate unless there was a Senator that would sign the written objection. None stepped forward. It was heartbreaking to see these minority members making a bold stand only to be told to sit down. The color line was apparent and added one more layer of tragedy to the entire spectacle that was the 2000 Presidential Election. [Fahrenheit 9/11 Trailer] [MichaelMoore.com] [Ticket Lines Around The Country] | private feedback | (0) public comments Nothing wrong with a little cuddling... I was flipping through the newest edition of Instinct magazine while sipping coffee at Barnes & Noble... and came across an interesting article about what is supposed to be the newest, hottest concept for groups of gay men... "cuddle parties." Read more about it... and please check out the rules for hosting a cuddle party before you try this at home. ;-) [cuddleparty.com] | private feedback | (0) public comments Tuesday, June 29, 2004 You're gonna do it anyway... ... so do it for peace! And promise to check out the bumper sticker slogans. ;-) [Masturbate for Peace dot com] | private feedback | (0) public comments Wednesday, June 23, 2004 Huh?! I haven't a clue what this is supposed to mean exactly... It's definitely not to be clicked on at work or when you're surrounded by people as it contains semi-nudity and loud funny music... but my friend Sally sent me this link. It's good for a quickie smile... ... and thanks, Sally. ;-) | private feedback | (0) public comments San Francisco... [I apologize in advance for typos... this post is long enough and just stream-of-consciousness enough that I didn't go back through to re-read it...] I was so excited to land at the San Francisco airport. It was a beautiful day and the flight was uneventful and seemed to go by fast. We landed about 6:30 local time after a connection in Cincinnati. My excitement waned a teensy bit when I realized that our hotel was also close to the airport... both of which were quite a ways south of the city. (That's the last time I let mom make reservations online... she swears it was listed as being in San Francisco.) Oh well, but nothing to do but make the best of it... so it took about an hour to an hour-and-a-half just to commute into and out of the city each day... by the time we caught the shuttle which runs every half-hour from the hotel to the airport, then catch the airtran at the airport to the BART, and then the BART into the city with a waiting time in between each transfer since they are not coordinated to make our life easier. The first night we got a pretty expensive dinner at a little restaurant near the hotel... the only place within walking distance (we also didn't rent a car) and took a walk on the bay near the hotel. Tuesday was spent mostly on tours. In the morning we took a tour of Alcatraz island but I was disappointed that it centered mostly on the prison stuff and less on the Native American takeover during the sixties. That would have been cool to learn about, but it was barely mentioned. And the entire tour was an audio tour that was administered through headphones meaning that mom and I were never quite in sync and so we couldn't really talk and we'd be asking eachother "Where are you in the tour?" Then, in the afternoon we boarded a bus for a "deluxe" city tour with a fun bus driver named Lorenzo who referred to San Fran as "my city" and even talked about the recent gay marriage controversy and the upcoming pride. So that was cool. Mom wanted to get dropped off back at the hotel since it was evening and we hadn't mastered the public transit but I convinced her that we should walk around the city in the evening. So we took in Fisherman's wharf and walked along the promenade. Wednesday we just walked around a bunch of the neighborhoods in the city. Tried the Museum of Modern Art but it was closed... walked through Yerba Buena Park... did a little shopping in Union Square... went to the Academy of Science and saw a neat exhibit about ants (real live leaf-cutter ants!)... caught some brazillian music back at the Park... walked to Chinatown... into North Beach... went to the San Fran Apple Store and City Lights Bookstore which I loved. Mom and I took the MUNI and got dinner in the Castro. Thursday I was going to go into the city myself cause Mom was "tired". In honesty, she knew I wanted to back to the Castro and spend more time and she didn't want to. So she was bailing on me. But the minute I mentioned maybe taking the BART to Berkeley she got dressed and so that was the plan... a walk around Berkeley in the morning, lunch... and then she would go back to the hotel so I could walk around Castro alone. I hate to say that the best evening I had in the city was the one I spent without mom. But it was so cool just to walk around, shop... I found some bars and wandered in an out of the ones that didn't seem too stand-offish. I got dinner at Harvey's and ran into the guys from the Kinsey Sicks out of drag. They offered me a ticket to the Film Fest which I couldn't use. Bummer... but it was really cool to see a friendly face. One of them remembered me from when they performed here in Ithaca. I even walked around the Castro Safeway cause I remember it being mentioned in various articles about Gay San Fran and in Armistead Maupin novels... Friday Mom and I went on a wine tour into Sonoma and Napa valleys. Was pretty neat but they hit the coolest winery first... Viansa, a little piece of Tuscany in California. By the end of the day though I had a nasty headache... I think the wine had dehydrated me and I didn't drink enough water. So I fell asleep at the hotel by 7 ish... Mom said, "Gee, you're not much fun when you have a headache." I laughed hysterically and said, "Gee, that's just what my last boyfriend said!" She didn't appreciate the humor as much as I did. Saturday was our last day... because we had to be on the plane at 11:30 AM on Sunday morning. So we went back into the city and walked around more neighborhoods. We went to the Museum of Modern Art in the morning. Art by Kahlo and Warhol and Mondrian and Rivera... all in the same room! I was in awe. Mom was like, "I don't get any of it." This was especially apparent when she reached the "Modern German Art" exhibit installation. There were four concentric rings of plastic poodles circling a doll. "I just don't get this." *I'm laughing as I type this. So we walked through Haight Ashbury and then back to the city... a very scary part of the Golden Gate Park... and then she begged me (guilted me) to go back to Fisherman's Wharf, the tourist trap. So we did and she took a bunch of pictures up there. We got a decent Italian meal and that was that... The flight home was uneventful... but took the whole day. (Five hours between San Fran and Atlanta and then another two in the air to Rochester... but you also lose three hours coming back.) A bus ride back on Monday morning that I almost overslept and missed altogether still bein' on CA time, and I was back in Ithaca. And what a beautiful week its been, so lush and green here. The sun's been out. I'm seeing friendly faces again, reconnecting with friends. Cheri has almost my entire week of evenings planned out for me *big cute grin*... and I still have this week off to ease back into things. I don't have to go back to work until the 28th... and haven't figured out what I'm going to do to spend/waste time yet. Life is good!! | private feedback | (0) public comments Quote of the Day "Like I've always said, love wouldn't be blind if the braille weren't so damned much fun." Cadence Roth, 31-inch tall heroine of Armistead Maupin's Maybe The Moon... I am currently in the middle of it. I hit that quote and had to share. | private feedback | (0) public comments Monday, June 21, 2004 When I wished I had gone to San Francisco with someone other than my mother... ... When amazingly handsome guys were checking me out on the streets. Mom and I were walking through Yerba Buena Park... this guy was sunbathing. He got up and put his tank top on as Mom and I walked by. He made eye contact and smiled. I smiled back and said, "Hi." He did the take-five-steps-and-turn-around... we made eye contact and smiled again, totally embarassed and giddy with ourselves. He kept turning around and looking, each time his smile got bigger. I think he was thinking, "Is that your Mom?" I was flattered beyond belief... my mom turns around 'cause by this time I was obviously not paying attention to what she was saying... She says, "What are you doing?" So I tried to explain cruising to my mother... and how I'd just had my day made in that brief eye contact. (I'm laughing right now thinking about her facial expression)... at the end of my attempt she rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever." Not the response I would have gotten from any of my friends... | private feedback | (0) public comments I'm Baaaaaaack!! Despite all my friends' predictions that I would not return from the gay mecca... I have indeed returned from San Francisco (reluctantly so) and had a wonderful time! Early on, I bought a journal to keep track of my travels while I was away from my Powerbook. I was hoping to transcribe some of it to my blog, but obviously pen and paper doesn't agree with me as much as the computer... I stopped keeping track of my minute-by-minute life in San Fran after about two days. So... I shall do my best to recount some of the more memorable things that happened when my feet are firmly back on the ground in Ithaca. Right now I am at my mother's in Rochester... we got off the plane only an hour ago... and I'll be on a morning bus back to Ithaca. I miss San Francisco already, but it's good to be home! | private feedback | (0) public comments Friday, June 11, 2004 Birthdays... Tomorrow, June 12th, I turn 27. This birthday has sort of snuck up on me. Between the business, and organizing the ill-fated pride, and planning for my trip to San Francisco... I haven't anticipated it as much as I normally would. Not to mention, a bunch of my friends are out of town, and I don't have a boyfriend this year, so some of the people I would normally spend time with aren't around or just don't exist. Things are already looking up, Lori got me an ice cream cake last night and I'm making plans to go see The Stepford Wives with Jack tomorrow. And of course we've closed the office for two weeks... and I'm going to San Francisco for a week starting Monday. Not bad... Big things have happened on recent birthdays that I reflect on every year. I broke up with a long-term boyfriend three birthdays ago. I stopped talking to my father two birthdays ago... I get inspired to make big, life-altering decisions as I'm faced with getting older. I can only imagine what, if anything, tomorrow will hold for me. Now for a little trivia... I share a birthday with Anne Frank (1929), and the first President Bush (1924). On June 12th in history... 1898 Filipino rebels proclaim the independence of the Philippines after 300 years of Spanish rule. 1952 Maurice Olley, Chevrolet's chief engineer, completed a chassis which would become the first American sports car. 1963 Civil Rights leader Medgar Evers was assassinated outside his home in Jackson, Mississippi. 1964 Nelson Mandela was jailed for life for sabotage. 1987 Reagan challenges Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. And I'll never forget, in 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman are killed in Brentwood, California -- O.J. Simpson is accused. [What happened on your birthday?] | private feedback | (0) public comments Thursday, June 10, 2004 Supermarket Tabloids Admit it, we all peek at the funny headlines on the black and white supermarket tabloid, Weekly World News... Pope Hit By Asteroid... Bigfoot Deployed in Iraq... Loch Ness Monster Surfaces in Jersey Bathtub. But this week's edition is just too hilarious to not mention... Proof of Gay Aliens Found. If you take a few moments to flip through the June 14th edition of WWN, you'll find "shocking" photos of alien skeletons, presumably both male, embracing... and a littany of piss-your pants-hilarious reasons that lead scientists to conclude that all aliens are... GAY! It's not to be missed. | private feedback | (0) public comments Wednesday, June 09, 2004 republican Survivor  Please check out republican Survivor, sponsored by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. A spoof of Survivor, each week a new webisode will be posted and we can vote a republican off the island. The writing is witty and the animation is hilarious. Watch the trailer, listed in the past episodes, it is just brilliant.
I'll add a link to it on the sidebar so we can all follow it through completion... [CNN.com: 'republican Survivor' spoofs party] | private feedback | (0) public comments Monday, June 07, 2004 Elmira Pride This past Saturday was Elmira's first gay pride celebration. (For those of you that don't know, Elmira is about 45 minutes west of Ithaca, next to Corning.) There were some dedicated individuals who made this event happen in spite of an unwelcoming community. (I had heard stories about individuals infiltrating pride planning meetings in an attempt to sabotage the event... and newspaper polls that showed that 63% of Elmirans didn't want pride to happen at all. Two groups had gotten permits to protest at the park across the street. An email alert went out Friday night that anyone from Ithaca who could make it down should go and support the LGBT community in this neighboring city.) Lori and I planned on going down earlier in the week. She was going to meet a friend/co-worker whose son is gay. So I tagged along. It was cold and rainy... and I was the fool that didn't wear anything but a t-shirt. In spite of that it was great, knowing what we did about the resistance and challenges, to see the big rainbow banners at the park entrance. And directly across the street was a fairly decent sized group of protesters. I was hugely disappointed that they didn't have any Rev.-Phelps-inspired picket signs emblazoned with slogans like "God Hates Fags," or "Burn in Hell" or any other catchy christian wit. They were huddling under umbrellas, all facing the pride celebration and praying for our salvation/smiting. It all struck me as a little sad... that these individuals cared so much about what I do in my personal life that they'd sit in a park in the rain and stare at us, silently hoping that G*d would do something about our being happy. There was an indoor and an outdoor stage. There were speakers and music. When we arrived, Skip Reed (Co-Pastor of the Park Church) was speaking. He lost me in some of his analogies, but it was a strong statement to have him speak considering the folks across the street. Then Robin Burnett played. I had never seen her perform before, I was very impressed... (and she's totally hot - in an if-I-were-a-lesbian sort of way). A few other speakers... Bianca, my favorite drag queen was emcee for the event. And I ran into a whole bunch of people that I hadn't seen in a long time. It was a great day. By the time we left, they had counted over 400 people participating. Yay Elmira Pride! I also left with a newfound respect for everything those organizers did... pulling off their successful event, and just how great we have it in Ithaca. When planning last year's pride event, we got so much support from the community. EVERYONE said they thought it was a great idea and hundreds of people came out to march including elected officials and allies. It really is true that Ithaca is the odd-duck in Central New York when it comes to gay-friendliness. Here's to hoping that the rest of the area, including Elmira, catches up quickly. [WETM 18: Gay Event Attracts Big Crowd] | private feedback | (0) public comments Friday, June 04, 2004 Its Ithaca Festival Again!!  This year's annual parade that could only happen in Ithaca featured stiltwalkers, free trade advocates, the West Hill Civic Association dressed as a bunch of deer (dropping tootsie rolls between their legs), belly dancers, Subarus doing the samba, Volvos in a choreographed ballet, VW Beatles dressed as... well, the beatles, the He-Man Chainsaw Band, and various preschools, local bands, cultural groups, and brownie troops all marching down Buffalo and Cayuga streets last night.
The only design flaw in the parade (or perhaps planned but not executed properly) was the float at the beginning that threw out dog biscuits instead of candy... a bunch of very disappointed children rushed out only to return saying, "Eiw, they're throwing dog biscuits!" And then all the groups with dogs came later but didn't move very fast because the dogs were more interested in eating all the dog biscuits that children were now throwing back out into the parade. And then (because kids shouldn't have all the fun) the AIDS Ride people were distributing individual packets of lube and condoms, always on a mission to advocate safe sex, which I wholly support... but one packet of lube fell on the street which Lori had to pick up before my cutie patootie or any of the other children could see it. That's one discussion I don't want to have with a six-year old on the first day of the Ithaca Fest... prompted by the question, "What's that, and can I have it?" Only in Ithaca! [Ithaca Journal: People's parade has no par] | private feedback | (0) public comments Thursday, June 03, 2004 The "Ithaca Fifty" in the News... [Newsday: 25 Ithaca couples file suit over refused marriage licenses] [Ithaca Journal: Same-sex partners demand action] [News 10 Now: The Ithaca Fifty prepare to make history] | private feedback | (0) public comments Wednesday, June 02, 2004 Fiction or Prediction? An amazing post at jasewells.com about a book called It Can't Happen Here written by Sinclair Lewis almost 70 years ago. A piece of fiction about the rise of totalitarianism in America, the book bears some striking similarities to the current state of our country. I definitely gotta get me a copy of this! | private feedback | (0) public comments My future dog... Cheri and I decided this weekend that if I ever get a dog it will be a... Border Collie. Look how cute it is!!  "The Ithaca Fifty" Twenty-Five same-sex couples filed suit this morning in Tompkins County Court to secure the right to marry... claiming that the New York State Constitution guarantees due process and equal protection which they are currently being denied. This is the next step in a process that started months ago when Ithaca's Mayor, Carolyn Peterson, issued a statement that the City of Ithaca supports same-sex couples in their quest for marriage equality. She went further to say that while the city would be named in any lawsuits resulting from the refusal to issue licenses, the city would be an unwilling defendant and could potentially participate or file a brief on the side of the plaintiffs. It was a bold statement that encouraged these 25 couples to come out and fight in the court system. The press conference was today at noon at the County Courthouse. I went, and was happy to see many of the couples involved, their lawyers (most of whom have donated their time to develop the case), and community members in attendance. The lawyers made statements about the logistics and strategy of the case, some of the couples spoke about why they chose to participate and then the press asked questions. Above all, it was great to see a community (not all of whom would select marriage for themselves) rally behind the cause. A "Great Job!" to all of those involved! P.S. I'll post news stories as they develop... | private feedback | (0) public comments Tuesday, June 01, 2004 Historic Marriage Equality Lawsuit Filing Tomorrow On Wednesday, June 2, 2004 at Noon in the legislative chambers (second floor) of the Ithaca Court House (320 N. Tioga St.), four local attorneys will confirm the filing of a lawsuit on behalf of 50 plaintiffs who have been denied marriage licenses by the Ithaca City Clerk at the instruction of the State Department of Health solely because each plaintiff is gay or lesbian and seeks to marry an individual of the same sex. A press release will be distributed. Supporters for marriage equality are welcome and encouraged to attend this historic local event. | private feedback | (0) public comments Term Limits Suck  I am convinced that if Presidents weren't limited to two four-year terms, that Bill Clinton would still be President today. Our last legitimately elected President spoke to Cornell's graduating class on Saturday morning. Cheri, Jack, and I got up at 5 AM to have coffee and hike up the hill to hear the speech. The gates would open at 6:30 and the speech was to begin at 9. It was a beautiful morning besides the temperature. Who knew the sun was out at 5:30 AM?
Because we had to get up so early, Cheri and I had decided that I'd better stay at her house overnight... we stayed up late watching JackAss--The Movie (which was funnier than I'd like to admit). So I was tired, and in a rush, I had only brought a short-sleeved shirt and no jacket. So I was tired and cold. I would have to sit on my hands in the football stadium. But it was more than worth it. Bill Clinton gave an amazing speech about interdependence and the importance of leading by example (as opposed to force). He never explicitly said anything anti-Bush, but from the frequent applause, you could tell that the audience could read between the lines. Often, you could tell that he was not reading from a prepared text, but that his eloquence, brilliance, and ease of manner was just natural for him. *deep sigh* I miss having someone smart in the White House. [Cornell Daily Sun: Clinton Speaks at Packed Convocation Ceremony] [Ithaca Journal: Clinton encourages multilateralism] | private feedback | (0) public comments |
Hey! I'm Shane... a proud gay progressive Democrat who has recently relocated to New York City from Ithaca, NY. As I am no longer in Ithaca, I haven't quite decided the fate of this blog. Drop me a line!
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