Mmmmm

At 1am tonight, I found myself leaning over my sink--in my PJs--eating delicious vegan dolmades that my roommate Christine made. Came home to find the bound galleys for Night Child waiting for me with a nice note from my editor. Had a tempeh Reuban sandwich at Brooklyn Label and found a new (and better) laundromat. Managed to return/send about a million emails today, and Bri left a delightful message on my answering machine.

So I guess I have a lovely life sometimes.

San Francisco, Portland, and NYC

Just got back from San Francisco. What an amazing city! One of the few American cities (aside from New York and possibly Portland) where I could actually live. And New York is still a toss-up. Even with the dual citizenship, this continues to be a challenging place to live.

The PCA conference went well. Some great discussion on my panel, and also Matt and Brianne did very well with their papers. We had lots of adventures, including:

- almost dying in a taxi while we drove 80mph up massive SF hills
- chilling out in Golden Gate park (I chatted with a boy wearing a kilt, and there was a very disorganized band practicing next to us).
- spending way too much cash in Haight-Ashbury, which is the greatest enclave of ex-hippies and anarchists anywhere
- plundering the Gay and Lesbian Historical Society Archives (they were so nice!)
- visiting SF MoMA and walking through a kaleidoscopic tunnel

And of course we stopped by Powell's in Portland, which is truly a temple of books.

Now, after dealing with Verizon (our wireless was messed up) and returning emails, I get to do laundry. But finally there is coffee, and Brooklyn Label, my second home.

"You were my one and only."

Every time I wonder how to write romance, how to end a story arc, or simply how to construct a character with grace and dignity: I watch this.

Wet Willy

Gov. David Paterson

"Lt. Gov. David Paterson, who Monday will assume the responsibilities of governor of New York, is viewed by gay and trans activists alike as the staunchest of supporters for the LGBT community.

Bumped to the top spot by the resignation of Gov. Eliot Spitzer over a prostitution scandal, Paterson will be the first African-American and first legally blind governor of the state."

- PlanetOut

Hey Sally, It's Ellen

What's gotten into Ellen? She's on a roll! I'm really digging how out and fierce she's been over the past week:

Stadium Pal

Just when I think David Sedaris can't rock my world any more than he already has:


Warning: viewing this may result in you blowing 45 minutes on youtube searching for more Sedaris clips. Not that this happened to me. If only I could find a clip of him reading "Big Boy."

PSAs a-plenty

The killing of Lawrence King has caused an unexpected media furor, most likely fueled by Ellen's speech on her daytime talk-show. Like Matt Shepard in 1998, King has been singled out to bear the burden of representation for antigay violence everywhere. This PSA including Portia di Rossi and TR Knight, is interesting. I have to wonder, though, at the choice of celebrities involved. Couldn't they find more LGBT speakers? And why isn't Portia accompanied by her very public partner, Ellen? What prevents these two from speaking together as a couple?

Faith + Stewie

Eliza Dushku and Seth MacFarlane. This could be the oddest couple I've ever heard of. And yet, strangely hot. Imagine Brian's voice whispering sweet nothings into your ear at night. And if Seth gets out of line, Eliza can just stake him and hide the body, like she did in Buffy Season 3.

Shelter

Surfers in love--is there anything hotter? Check out Shelter and support gay indie flicks.

God is a Bullet

Boston Teran's debut novel, God is a Bullet. Possibly one of the best books I've ever read in my life. Definitely the best thriller I've ever encountered--in fact, if someone asked me how to write a thriller, all I could do was point mutely to this book. It's made all the more strange by Teran's own infamous reputation as a writer. He bursts onto the scene in 1999 with this novel, wins copious awards, then writes a so-so second novel in 2001 (Don't Count Out the Dead), then follows it up with a complete failure in 2002 (Prince of Weapons). Then vanishes, only to pen a new book in French (Trois Femmes) with a different agent, editor, and publisher.

The guy is an enigma. But he connected to something, some kind of mystical current, with God is a Bullet. Every line feels written, every word belongs, even the most ridiculous. It kept me up long past my bedtime, and I'll probably be pondering bits and pieces of it for years to come.

RIP Gary Gygax

The Opposite of Apathy

Image (C) Ashley Gallo

This is Bullshit

Professor Andrea Smith, a prominent, awarded, and well-published scholar, was denied tenure by the Women's Studies Department at the University of Michigan.

"Jointly appointed in the Program in American Culture and the Department of Women’s Studies, Dr. Smith’s body of scholarship exemplifies scholarly excellence with widely circulated articles in peer-reviewed journals and numerous books in both university and independent presses including Native Americans and the Christian Right published this year by Duke University Press. Dr. Smith is one of the greatest indigenous feminist intellectuals of our time. A nominee for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Smith has an outstanding academic and community record of service that is internationally and nationally recognized."

- Statement of University of Michigan Students and Faculty, Feb 25 2008.