Starting to feel stressed out that it's all bad, the world is ending, and we're all dooming ourselves? Gas is too high, the economy is screwed, and our political system makes you nauseated?
Well, I can't fix all that.
But I can provide something interesting and hope inspiring!
Many scientists from across the world are working on creating a new biodiesel that won't cause global warming OR a global food shortage.
They're making fuel from algae.
How cool is that?! Check out the website, and write your senators/congresspeople and let them know to support programs that support Algae based fuel! No more corn biodiesel - that is NOT the solution.
Anyone else got a little shred of hope to share?
What do you want out of life?
Money?
Fame?
A bunch of cats?
What are your goals - your real goals? Not the ones your set because you are supposed to, or because it's the way to get what you "really" want - what is that ultimate goal? Why do you work? Why do you strive? What are you reaching for? And how will you get it?
This is a taste of what I want.
What do you want?
I've started a new group on Flickr about telling stories through video and photos (http://www.flickr.com/groups/filmstorytellers/). This is the first one I created. Enjoy!
A little video I did to showcase the scenery when taking the Amtrak from Chicago, IL to Lafayette, IN. Hope you enjoy my first foray into video. The song is "All I Want Is You" by Barry Louis Polisar.
Back in 1995 Jill Souble shook the musical world with her out-of-nowhere popular song, "I Kissed a Girl".
In 2008, Katy Perry came out with a song of the same title - "I Kissed a Girl". However, this song is quite different from its folky guitar-laden predecessor.
How to feel about this new song? Upon first hearing it, I won't lie, I thought it was a cute song. Plus, what lesbian wouldn't enjoy belting out a song about kissing girls? But in the end, it continues to fuel the fire of girls who kiss other girls for attention - which then can cause more confusion when it comes to girls kissing girls because...well...they just like kissing girls. I am all for the promotion of exploring your sexuality, and exploring bisexuality. So on that note, the song is fun expression of exploration.
In the end, it really isn't the song or the crappy music video (which, sadly enough, does not include any girls kissing girls but is just a sexy girls clad in underwear male-fantasy romp) that bothers me.
What bothers me is that straight (both Katy and Jill have asserted that they are completely heterosexual) women use my sexuality to be popular. What is even worse is that it is an incredible uphill climb for REAL lesbian singers to get any attention - since they aren't faux lesbians, who cares? Many singers never reveal their sexuality, just to make sure their career stays safe. Many times they claim it is because they don't see the "point" in coming out - which is ridiculous. You know what the point of coming out is? To make it more acceptable for society, and to give all the little queers in the world some role models. We do get ever so terribly excited when someone famous steps out of the closet. Oh, and it's also just kind of nice to not be living a lie, or constantly being asked about it - if people know the answer, they won't ask. Sure, boxes suck -but you can find ways around it by still being open and honest. Those who have come out have made huge strides for GLBT rights just by stepping out of the closet. Ellen, Roise, Rob Halford, Ian McKellen - they have all continued to retain their popularity, while still being true and honest about who they are.
In the end, it's about acceptance. So, some straight girl wants to sing about kissing girls when she's trashed. Sure, fine, it's a catchy song. But how about Tegan and Sara getting some airtime - comparable to what Katy Perry is now recieving? Or the tons of other lesbian artists who want to sing songs about having REAL same-sex relationships? How can we ever get any acceptance or rights if we have no visibility?
I've been watching some TV on Hulu since I don't have cable, which means I am still subjected to watching little commercial breaks during the show. Each break means a different corporation, and for the most part I thought this was fine - give me a chance to pee, grab a drink or whatever. The commercials never really made a difference to me, and since there was only three or four 30 second commercials per show, who cares?
That was my attitude until I saw the "Hungry Man" commercial.
For those of you who live under a rock, Hungry Man is a frozen dinner that has been around since 1973. Throughout my life I have seen the large blue box lurking at the bottom of the frozen food section, hiding under Lean Cuisines and Stouffer's lasagna. It was the "low-brow" version of frozen food - the frozen food you bought when you were working on a budget. Nothing wrong with that. The name made me roll my eyes, but I never paid much attention to it.
But now, Hungry Man has stepped up their advertising.
Oh, where to begin.
First, let's start with what this is doing to men. First, this commercial is saying (much the same way Burger King commercials insist) that men, in order to be real men, must consume the most horrifying foods possible. The only way to keep your penis attached to your body is to consume vast quantities of red meat and saturated fat. Don't you dare consume any vegetables unless they are cooked beyond recognition, are mashed, or used to give a little space between meat and bread. It is also best if they are covered in butter or mayonnaise.
If, as a man, you decide to eat a salad, drink a smoothie, or eat yogurt - your sperm just up and leaves your testicles, leaving behind dancing pink ballerinas. You also will suddenly have the urge to share your feelings, have real human interactions, and will have an overwhelming desire to begin knitting.
We are ENCOURAGING the very thing that is killing men - having an unhealthy diet that will later lead to heart disease, cancer, and a multitude of other problems.
This is also telling men that the only way to BE men is to NOT be women, or engage in "womanly" activities. That the opposite of being good and manly is being bad and feminine. That you cannot be both feminine and masculine at once, but rather must shed all vestiges of femininity in order to completely be a man. Being feminine is being a bad man. What is sad is the fact that these corporations are telling men (specifically blue-collar working class men) that being healthy and eating right are feminine! Since when was it girly to eat vegetables?
These are the overt messages, the ones made toward men. But what are the underlying messages made toward women? First, women must consume small quantities of food yet they are not ever hungry. We must continue to achieve our slim womanly figure that cannot exceed a size 8. Secondly, the characteristics associated with being women are shown as bad and negative. So while we are supposed to be feminine, these characteristics are tolerated with an eye roll and a sigh - oh women? When will we ever understand their crazy ways?
I'm not trying to go crazy feminist on anyone, just pointing out what is blatantly in this commercial - part of the media that impacts us everyday.
I need to write this up before it falls to the wayside.
KELLY'S ADVENTURES AT MILWAUKEE PRIDE!
So, over the weekend I traveled up to the grand state of Wisconsin to perform with my drag troupe. Saturday everything seemed to be going pretty great. An easy drive there (we got lost, but not for too long), we all ended up at the stage in one piece and the weather seemed great. I wasn't performing on Saturday but I was taking pictures. After only a few acts we had an incredible crowd! It was awesome. Then...it started raining. And then it started raining harder. Then Gia walked out into the middle of an act and announced that there was a tornado warning - and people needed to jet if possible, but everyone else needed to stay under the pavilion. The building attached to the stage was concrete, so I quickly decided (since I've been through tornadoes before) that was where I needed to be. Needless to say, you stick that many people in a small concrete room and things are going to get crazy. Some people were scared because they had never been through a tornado, some people were scared because they were claustrophobic, and others were just pissed and wanted to leave. But leaving was not an option in the POURING down rain, and the tornado that had touched down nearby. Shortly after retreating to the backstage area, the other performance group (some drag queens and their go-go dancers) wanted to kick us out so they could use the dressing room. Mind you, there were other dressing rooms - and where in the hell were we going to go?! So we fought tooth and nail to stay backstage, and succeeded although we ended up being shoved in the little extra room and in the hallway. So for several hours we were stuck back stage - starving, tired, and annoyed. Tempers rose. We attempted to entertain the crowd outside sans stage lights or microphones (which had to be turned off because of the weather). Finally, we were cleared to leave. Myself and another king carried several items to the car - which meant getting absolutely drenched. Finally we all made it back to the hotel and kicked it back in our room boozing and eating until about 3 am. Good times.
Sunday was the big day - we would be performing our group acts as part of the opening set for the Indigo Girls. We all got up early to practice that morning. Standing on that giant stage made me excited - and anxious. I had an upset stomach the whole day, and was a bit grouchier than usual. After making it back to the hotel some usual drama occurred, which I won't bother reporting here. We checked out, dropped our bags off in the car, and went to the Pride festival to enjoy what we could before our show. We watched the MilTown Kings performance, which was pretty good. It was cool to see another troupe perform. We watched a little of the next act, and then had to head over to our trailer to prep for our show. Dressed and ready, I waited anxiously for the act I was in to roll around. I enjoyed the two prior acts from my troupe, which totally rocked the house. It started to rain, again. But nothing too terrible. Then it was our turn - and I was about to have a heart attack. My face was hot, my heart was pounding - and then we hit that stage. I think I went through the entire act almost flawlessly, despite a few last minute changes that had been made to the act. It was amazing. The adrenaline rush was just incredible.
We returned to our trailer and started repacking and de-dragging. It started to rain harder. Most of our group left, but a few of us stuck around to see the Indigo Girls. Of course - another tornado warning. We wanted to see the concert though, so from the VIP area we watched (really I just listened, I was exhausted and was half-asleep) while gathering weather updates on our phones. It looked pretty dire - flash floods, tornadoes, pouring rain, etc. We decided it would be wisest to get a hotel for the night, cram people in the room, and head out the next morning. So we enjoyed the rest of the concert, and headed back to the hotel where we had stayed prior. We got a few rooms, crammed in, put on some dry-ish clothes (because we had gotten utterly soaked again - and this time our bags were soaked too) and went down to the bar to celebrate the weekend and eat dinner. I decided to do some laundry in the free laundry facilities. When I ran down the stairs to get soap, you'll never guess who I ran into. I open the door into the lobby and there by the elevators, talking to one of the gurl toiz were none other than the Indigo Girls themselves! They were complimenting how much they enjoyed the show - I introduced myself (as a boi toi, even though I'm not officially one yet) and they told me how much they enjoyed our show.
O
M
G
Totally awesome. The rest of the night was more boozing and enjoyment of one another's company. It actually was a great time just to hang out with each other. We left early the next morning, came back to Chi-town, I dressed for my last day of work and that was that.
Overall, despite the weather and the occasional bits of drama, it was totally worth it. It was incredible to perform for such a large crowd, and getting to know my brothers and sisters better was awesome.
So cheers to you Milwaukee, you tornado infested city you.
Not much updating lately because I've been terribly busy. Still trying to find an internship, our big Milwaukee Pride Performance is this weekend, school started up, and I just quit my job.
Needless to say, my life has been a little hectic. If you wanna see how I'm doing day-to-day you can check out my flickr photostream....otherwise, I'll update the blog when life is a little more settled down. :)
Let me restate, once again, a theory I hold true to. I have seen it happening all around me, and I can't help but shake my head.
You can call me cynical. Or jaded. Or whatever. But...regardless of what you call me, you know I'm right.
When you have made another human being your Alpha and Omega, you have only set yourself up for a road to failure. Humans are fallible. They fuck up. Some more than others. But regardless, they screw up a lot. And once you put your EVERYTHING in the hands of a human creature, it is bound to be broken. It's like giving a toddler something fragile - it's going to end up in pieces. It is okay to give someone part of your life, or part of your heart.
But falling in love with someone doesn't mean abandoning the world for them.
Falling in love means - I care about you enough to want you to travel this journey with me. WITH me. Beside me. Let's have our lives run parallel, not flow them into one river.
I once left behind a person I thought I was destined to have my forever with. Because not once did the idea of leaving my life for another person's life truly cross my mind. I would not and will not forsake myself and who I am for another. I don't think anyone should. I would not demand it of another. Each person must follow their own heart.
I once believed that love could overcome anything.
I was wrong. Love alone cannot conquer the world. Because love is not so simple.
I
have been in love many times. Different shades and colors of love.
Different types and shapes. I have loved and been loved back. I have
loved and been ignored. There are many who carry pieces of my heart and
don't even know it. There are many who do know this and don't care. And
then there are many who know and DO care. But no one holds my entire
self, my life, the entirety of my heart but me.
When you forsake yourself for another, you lose your identity. And then what do you have to offer that person? If you alter everything you are for another, when they fell in love with who you were....where does that leave you?
Love is not about leaving everything for one.
Love is about a mutual caring to live lives together, and still retain your identity.
But then again....what do I know?
So my mom has informed me that if Obama gets the democratic nomination, she will not vote democrat.
Instead, she will cast her vote for McCain.
Now, this makes me more than a little miffed. First, because she will be voting against rights for her own daughter - McCain certainly is NOT pro-gay rights (specifically anti-discrimination, which is more important to me than marriage). Secondly, because she is voting against her own pro-choice stance - McCain is very much anti-choice. Thirdly, because she wants to end the war in Iraq - McCain said the war may not end until 2013 - the date he would be out of office as a two term president. Fourth, she is voting entirely on the "feel" she gets from Obama. No, I am not the biggest Obama supporter in the world. Yes, I am somewhat wary of his inexperience (but I think this could be good or bad). Yes, I think he is too generalized in his desire for "change" and I don't like some of the things he has said, or his somewhat pretentious attitude. But I do think that he will turn the country towards something better - McCain just wants to continue what has been going on. That isn't okay. Our country is NOT on the right track. While I am not a huge fan of either of the democrats, I do think they will bring something different.
I will take Obama's nonspecific change rhetoric over McCain's "stay the Republican course" ideals any day.
Also...screw you Romney for your shitty comments about gay families and gay marriage at the NRA convention. AND screw you Huckabee for your racist remarks at the NRA convention. And dear NRA - is this how you represent gun rights? With racism, sexism, and heterocentrism? More reason why I don't think it should be legal for you to go out and buy a semi-automatic weapon at the local Wal*Mart - because many the people buying or all for buying them wouldn't think twice about shooting someone who wasn't like them - or at least this is the image the NRA is portraying. Buy your hunting guns at a hunting store with a license. Buy your handguns at a gun store, with a license. Be unable to buy automatic or assault weapons. Sorry girls and guys, but I've never seen a deer that needed an Uzi to be taken down.
And finally...Elisabeth Hasselbeck from the View? Shut your damn mouth. Stop making opinions unless you can educate yourself on them and unless you are willing to actually listen to what others have to say. It is YOUR fault that the View makes women look like catty idiots who can't discuss serious issues. Why you are still on that show I have no idea. It's people like you that make me lose my hope in humanity.
And my final question to you, my lovely readers, is the following (since I have been hearing it bounced around a lot lately):
Is this country more racist or more sexist? Why do you believe such? And how do you think this has been portrayed in the democratic nomination process, specifically with the treatment of the candidates?
