I'm sorry for the two and a half months of silence. Life has been even more hectic than usual since I last wrote. Among other things, I've left my job and moved to a new city. It has certainly been stressful, but I do love the idea of a fresh start!
Now that things are somewhat settled, my hope is that I can once again resume blogging on a regular basis.
I'll just dip my toe in the water tonight by noting that it's that time of year again: Literary Award Season! Lambda Literary has announced the finalists for their 23rd annual prize and the same can be said for the Publishing Triangle Awards. Both of these awards honor LGBT writing and never fail to alert me to a title or an author I might otherwise never have found.
The Orange Prize, meanwhile, honors excellence in women's writing and they've announced a longlist that sounds pretty fascinating.
Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts
Friday, March 18, 2011
Saturday, June 12, 2010
A New Look
As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting a great deal these past few weeks. It has just been a very busy time for me, I've been getting used to a new job (well, a new position at the same place I already worked) and things have just been a bit hectic.
Hopefully, though, I'll have some time to catch up with things from this point on. I'm once again about a million years behind on As the World Turns, Emmerdale, and just about everything else except for Glee, which I'm already going into withdrawal symptoms over!
Still, this feels like a new beginning of sorts here at Seth in the City, so I decided to celebrate it by changing the look of the place. I love the bookshelf motif! It would probably be more appropriate for a literary blog that was exclusively about books, but I just had to have it.
Hopefully, though, I'll have some time to catch up with things from this point on. I'm once again about a million years behind on As the World Turns, Emmerdale, and just about everything else except for Glee, which I'm already going into withdrawal symptoms over!
Still, this feels like a new beginning of sorts here at Seth in the City, so I decided to celebrate it by changing the look of the place. I love the bookshelf motif! It would probably be more appropriate for a literary blog that was exclusively about books, but I just had to have it.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Happy Holidays!
I probably won't be posting much over the next few days so I just wanted to say that I hope you're having a wonderful Holiday season if you celebrate anything at this time of year. Maybe if you're very lucky, a part of your Holiday will look something like this (pics borrowed from Superherofan):
Friday, September 18, 2009
A Programming Note
For the next two weeks or so, I'm going to be writing about gay soap storylines at the weekend, covering the whole week's events in a single post rather than on a daily basis. Things are too busy at the moment for me to do a same day write up of each episode.
I will still be blogging during the week on other topics, though. I just won't have the time to watch the shows until the weekend.
I will still be blogging during the week on other topics, though. I just won't have the time to watch the shows until the weekend.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Fonda Tweets?!
I've been having an incredibly relaxing (read: lazy) day here. There was a ton of stuff that I planned on getting done today, but when I woke up this morning I just felt like taking a mental health day. I pretty much stayed in bed all day reading and surfing the net on my laptop. I caught up on a lot of YouTube videos.
Usually the only time I stay in bed is when I'm not feeling well, so this made for a nice change. It's not something I'd want to do very often, but I think we all need a day like that now and then.
Anyway, among the many things I discovered today is that Jane Fonda is on Twitter! Who knew? Apparently the over eight thousand people who were already following her. I guess my ignorance can be excused by the fact that I'm completely new to Twitter myself.
This discovery lead to another, which is that Fonda is also a blogger! There's no excuse for me not having known that.
Fonda writes very well, which I already knew from having read her autobiography a few years back, and I'm really glad that I discovered her blog and that I can follow her on Twitter. I just wish I could head to New York and see her on stage in 33 Variations!
Usually the only time I stay in bed is when I'm not feeling well, so this made for a nice change. It's not something I'd want to do very often, but I think we all need a day like that now and then.
Anyway, among the many things I discovered today is that Jane Fonda is on Twitter! Who knew? Apparently the over eight thousand people who were already following her. I guess my ignorance can be excused by the fact that I'm completely new to Twitter myself.
This discovery lead to another, which is that Fonda is also a blogger! There's no excuse for me not having known that.
Fonda writes very well, which I already knew from having read her autobiography a few years back, and I'm really glad that I discovered her blog and that I can follow her on Twitter. I just wish I could head to New York and see her on stage in 33 Variations!
Friday, March 20, 2009
As you can see over to the side ------>, I've joined the whole Twitter revolution. Feel free to follow me for enthralling updates into my glamorous life. (Warning: Actual updates likely to be exceedingly boring. Do not operate heavy machinery while following me.)
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Bad Times
This isn't the typical Seth in the City post, but I've got a lot on my mind tonight and I thought I'd just purge a bit of it in blog form.
This economic mess we're in seems to be getting worse by the day and I don't think there is anyone out there who is unaffected by it. I've certainly not been immune. For the last month, the store I work for has had to drastically slash hours for all non full time employees (which is most of the staff) and a lot of us are trying to get by on 12-16 hours a week at the moment, which is of course impossible.
The truly awful part is that it's not expected to improve any time soon. The only way we will be able to get more hours is if people start quitting and there are fewer employees to spread the hours among. Of course, no one can quit because there aren't any other jobs out there!
This was bad enough, but this week we lost two co-workers, both of whom have worked at our store for years, to layoffs. One of these women had worked for the company for about a decade and the other for nearly eight years, and just like that they were unemployed.
I have an awful feeling that this just the beginning and that more layoffs, or even store closures, will follow before long, and I feel like everything I've known for the last several years is suddenly unstable, that the life I've built for myself since leaving home is hanging by a thread.
It's an incredibly scary feeling, and one that many people all over the country are living with on a daily basis. I've just finally joined the club.
This economic mess we're in seems to be getting worse by the day and I don't think there is anyone out there who is unaffected by it. I've certainly not been immune. For the last month, the store I work for has had to drastically slash hours for all non full time employees (which is most of the staff) and a lot of us are trying to get by on 12-16 hours a week at the moment, which is of course impossible.
The truly awful part is that it's not expected to improve any time soon. The only way we will be able to get more hours is if people start quitting and there are fewer employees to spread the hours among. Of course, no one can quit because there aren't any other jobs out there!
This was bad enough, but this week we lost two co-workers, both of whom have worked at our store for years, to layoffs. One of these women had worked for the company for about a decade and the other for nearly eight years, and just like that they were unemployed.
I have an awful feeling that this just the beginning and that more layoffs, or even store closures, will follow before long, and I feel like everything I've known for the last several years is suddenly unstable, that the life I've built for myself since leaving home is hanging by a thread.
It's an incredibly scary feeling, and one that many people all over the country are living with on a daily basis. I've just finally joined the club.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Comments
By the way, I've decided to allow readers to post comments from now on. They will be moderated (not for content: feel free to disagree with me!), but just to make sure no one gets too negative or abusive.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
So Very Tired
I'm really glad I had that day of rest yesterday, because right now I'm so exhausted! I forget how much working retail in the Holiday season really takes out of me until I'm back in the middle of it again. Hopefully, this will be my last holiday in retail (fingers crossed).
I do have to note that, not surprisingly, we're a bit slower this year than we've ever been during Thanksgiving weekend, and more people are bargain shopping than ever before. I also have to say that I have already noticed that holiday shoppers are even more apt to be cranky this year. This is also understandable but it's completely exhausting and frustrating for those of us on the receiving end.
I spent an exhausting eight hours on my feet today and tomorrow doesn't look much brighter. Poor poor pitiful me, right? I know that I'm damn lucky to even have a job in this economy, let alone one that I genuinely enjoy ninety percent of the time. It's fantastic working in a bookstore, with co-workers who love books as much as I do.
Tonight I'm going to curl up with a book or two (I'm close to finishing The Mayor of Castro Street and also reading some of Noel Coward's short stories) and try and build up some strength for heading back to work tomorrow and doing it all over again.
I do have to note that, not surprisingly, we're a bit slower this year than we've ever been during Thanksgiving weekend, and more people are bargain shopping than ever before. I also have to say that I have already noticed that holiday shoppers are even more apt to be cranky this year. This is also understandable but it's completely exhausting and frustrating for those of us on the receiving end.
I spent an exhausting eight hours on my feet today and tomorrow doesn't look much brighter. Poor poor pitiful me, right? I know that I'm damn lucky to even have a job in this economy, let alone one that I genuinely enjoy ninety percent of the time. It's fantastic working in a bookstore, with co-workers who love books as much as I do.
Tonight I'm going to curl up with a book or two (I'm close to finishing The Mayor of Castro Street and also reading some of Noel Coward's short stories) and try and build up some strength for heading back to work tomorrow and doing it all over again.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Some Highlights
Well, Spring Break has come and come, and I'm finding myself back in the same old cycle where I never quite manage to find time to blog, no matter how much I mean to.
Well, that's not 100% true. I made time last weekend and I worked on a post for a few hours, but I just couldn't quite get it together, somehow. There was just something off about it. I'm far too much of a perfectionist and the result is that where some people can just jump on and blog frequently, I find myself putting in an unconscionable amount of time on each post. I've tried to break that habit and do quick posts, but it never works. Once I'm on and blogging, it becomes an event.
So, there are a few things I want to do tonight. One is a belated cry of joy at the resignation of Tom DeLay! I was doing a happy dance here when I first saw the news. How sweet it is! But, remember, he's really just the tip of the iceberg. It would be all too easy to rejoice at his downfall and forget that the culture of corruption is barely scathed by this. We've got a loooooong way to go. Still, it was a sweet, sweet moment, no?
Over at The Sharp Side, Ellis has an excellent piece on the character assassination in the British press of left wing figures George Galloway, Noam Chomsky, and the sort of left Simon Hughes, who is as left as they get when it comes to candidates running to head the center-left Liberal Democrat Party in the UK. Check it out. I'm ever fascinated by British politics.
I'd like to thank those who wrote in response to my last two posts. I appreciated those who took the time to let me know they liked what I had to say. It was a bit scary to out myself as a soap fan, given the stereotypes and, let's face it, the wretched state of the genre overall. To hear from a few fellow soap fans who want to see the shows start having real social value again was great.
Of course, I also had one e-mail complaining about me taking the time to watch soaps at all, let alone blog about them, when there is so much else going on in the world.
To that, I can only say that as far as watching soaps go, they're a form of escape. We can't all be on and tuned in to serious matters 24/7. We'd go insane if we didn't have our brief little avenues of respite. For me, those are books and soaps, the latter in moderation.
As for blogging about them, I think there's just as much social merit in discussing how soaps are dealing with a woman's right to choose and with gay and lesbian issues as there is in anything else. The writer of the e-mail used my own words from a previous post, in which I lamented my Aunt discussing Nick Lachey & Jessica Simpson's break up at Thanksgiving dinner as if it were 'news' to point out that I was 'pretty much doing the same thing'.
I disagree. I'm discussing soaps from the perspective of the left, examining how they're depicting our society. I'm not writing about the hook ups and break ups of the characters as if that in and of itself were news. If Luke Snyder is allowed to have a serious boyfriend on As The World Turns, I will blog about it, because it will be a groundbreaking moment in daytime. And I will be writing (in a future post) about the way women are depicted on many of these shows, and that will include some discussion of relationships as they pertain to that issue.
If you think that's a waste of your time, I won't be hurt if you don't read it.
There's more to say, but I've got class early in the morning and some reading to finish before I get some sleep.
I'm going away for the weekend to attend a family celebration, but my plan is to post again late Sunday night/early Monday morning.
Well, that's not 100% true. I made time last weekend and I worked on a post for a few hours, but I just couldn't quite get it together, somehow. There was just something off about it. I'm far too much of a perfectionist and the result is that where some people can just jump on and blog frequently, I find myself putting in an unconscionable amount of time on each post. I've tried to break that habit and do quick posts, but it never works. Once I'm on and blogging, it becomes an event.
So, there are a few things I want to do tonight. One is a belated cry of joy at the resignation of Tom DeLay! I was doing a happy dance here when I first saw the news. How sweet it is! But, remember, he's really just the tip of the iceberg. It would be all too easy to rejoice at his downfall and forget that the culture of corruption is barely scathed by this. We've got a loooooong way to go. Still, it was a sweet, sweet moment, no?
Over at The Sharp Side, Ellis has an excellent piece on the character assassination in the British press of left wing figures George Galloway, Noam Chomsky, and the sort of left Simon Hughes, who is as left as they get when it comes to candidates running to head the center-left Liberal Democrat Party in the UK. Check it out. I'm ever fascinated by British politics.
I'd like to thank those who wrote in response to my last two posts. I appreciated those who took the time to let me know they liked what I had to say. It was a bit scary to out myself as a soap fan, given the stereotypes and, let's face it, the wretched state of the genre overall. To hear from a few fellow soap fans who want to see the shows start having real social value again was great.
Of course, I also had one e-mail complaining about me taking the time to watch soaps at all, let alone blog about them, when there is so much else going on in the world.
To that, I can only say that as far as watching soaps go, they're a form of escape. We can't all be on and tuned in to serious matters 24/7. We'd go insane if we didn't have our brief little avenues of respite. For me, those are books and soaps, the latter in moderation.
As for blogging about them, I think there's just as much social merit in discussing how soaps are dealing with a woman's right to choose and with gay and lesbian issues as there is in anything else. The writer of the e-mail used my own words from a previous post, in which I lamented my Aunt discussing Nick Lachey & Jessica Simpson's break up at Thanksgiving dinner as if it were 'news' to point out that I was 'pretty much doing the same thing'.
I disagree. I'm discussing soaps from the perspective of the left, examining how they're depicting our society. I'm not writing about the hook ups and break ups of the characters as if that in and of itself were news. If Luke Snyder is allowed to have a serious boyfriend on As The World Turns, I will blog about it, because it will be a groundbreaking moment in daytime. And I will be writing (in a future post) about the way women are depicted on many of these shows, and that will include some discussion of relationships as they pertain to that issue.
If you think that's a waste of your time, I won't be hurt if you don't read it.
There's more to say, but I've got class early in the morning and some reading to finish before I get some sleep.
I'm going away for the weekend to attend a family celebration, but my plan is to post again late Sunday night/early Monday morning.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Dark Times
Things seem so dark sometimes. It's been a really rough time these last couple of weeks, both personally and on a larger scale. A family member who means a great deal to me is currently in the hospital, having been diagnosed with a serious illness. The outlook is said to be very, very good at this point, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still scared and worried. I watched another family member die from the same disease when I was nine years old and it's hard not to fear the worst after that.
Meanwhile, while I deal with that, I also have to deal with all the crap that everyone who cares about this country and it's future are dealing with, and the prospects there seem far worse sometimes. Watching Alito sail through his confirmation and take his seat on the Supreme Court was no picnic and the news about the latest hate crime against gays, this time in New Bedford, Massachusetts, scares and sickens me.
This world has never been an easy place to live, especially if you're gay, but sometimes you fool yourself into thinking that things are getting a lot better. And I suppose they are, on many levels. But the religious right mentality is what leads to hate like this, and it's that mentality that is in control of our entire Government at the moment. Waking up to that thought every morning makes me not want to get out of bed at all.
I wanted to be voicing my sadness, anger, and frustration here on the blog, but I've gone through a rather grim period of 'What's the point?'
I mean, what difference does me rambling on make? I'm just one voice, and a voice that isn't very frequent or consistent at that.
But, if nothing else, it's another voice letting the rest of the country and the world know that the Bush/Alito neo con narrow minded, hate filled mentality is not my mentality, not the mentality of the majority of this country.
Sometimes, we just have to do the best we can and get through each day snatching what hope we can from wherever we can.
Meanwhile, while I deal with that, I also have to deal with all the crap that everyone who cares about this country and it's future are dealing with, and the prospects there seem far worse sometimes. Watching Alito sail through his confirmation and take his seat on the Supreme Court was no picnic and the news about the latest hate crime against gays, this time in New Bedford, Massachusetts, scares and sickens me.
This world has never been an easy place to live, especially if you're gay, but sometimes you fool yourself into thinking that things are getting a lot better. And I suppose they are, on many levels. But the religious right mentality is what leads to hate like this, and it's that mentality that is in control of our entire Government at the moment. Waking up to that thought every morning makes me not want to get out of bed at all.
I wanted to be voicing my sadness, anger, and frustration here on the blog, but I've gone through a rather grim period of 'What's the point?'
I mean, what difference does me rambling on make? I'm just one voice, and a voice that isn't very frequent or consistent at that.
But, if nothing else, it's another voice letting the rest of the country and the world know that the Bush/Alito neo con narrow minded, hate filled mentality is not my mentality, not the mentality of the majority of this country.
Sometimes, we just have to do the best we can and get through each day snatching what hope we can from wherever we can.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Happy New Year
Well, it's 2006 at long last. A new year, a fresh start. One of my top resolutions this year is to blog more frequently than I managed to do in the final months of 2005.
2006 should be an exciting year. We'll start off with hearings over a contentious Supreme Court Nominee and we'll end up with Democrats having a real shot at taking back control of Congress in the mid term elections.
I hope everyone has had a good start to this brand new year. I spent most of the day working, but since it is a holiday, I got paid time and a half, so I do consider that a good start!
2006 should be an exciting year. We'll start off with hearings over a contentious Supreme Court Nominee and we'll end up with Democrats having a real shot at taking back control of Congress in the mid term elections.
I hope everyone has had a good start to this brand new year. I spent most of the day working, but since it is a holiday, I got paid time and a half, so I do consider that a good start!
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Tales from Holiday Retail
I'm home from a long day at work and soothing my tired mind and body by catching up with the online world.
Money is tight right now for me, and I'm taking advantage of winter break to work as many hours as they'll give me at the book store. Of course, the holiday season falls in the middle of all of this, and I'm sure we can all agree that no matter what holiday you celebrate, it tends to be somewhat expensive.
One thing I will say about this year, compared to my other years working in retail during the holidays, is that the people I've encountered so far have been pretty nice. It always feels so much better to help people when they've been decent to you. This time of year usually seems to bring out all the frustrated, cranky, and rude people (quite often non-readers shopping for readers) who avoid social interaction the rest of the year. But so far this year the pleasant people outnumber the jerks, and on behalf of all my fellow employees, I thank all of you who are nice to those of us who are truly doing our best to get you what you're looking for.
The best thing about working in a bookstore is that most of the customers are readers, though I do work at one of those chains that also carry DVDs and CDs, so that's not always a guarantee. But when you're dealing with someone who is a reader, no matter what they read, there is usually a common bond between you on some level, and I love that. I don't think people who work in other forms of retail get that very often.
The holiday I celebrate is Christmas, and I'd like to take this moment to ask Santa to leave Jake Gyllenhaal under my tree this year, wearing nothing but a big red bow and that Santa hat from Jarhead.
About a month ago, I had a birthday. My friends all wanted to take me to see a movie, and their original plan was to take me to see Elizabethtown. It's time to confess an embarrassing secret. I used to like Orlando Bloom waaay too much. What can I say? I really like guys with British accents and he totally did it for me in Pirates of the Caribbean. But that's the only thing he's ever done that hasn't sucked, in my opinion. Now, don't be bombarding me with e-mails, all you Lord of the Rings fans. Those movies just aren't my cup of tea. I think they present a really ridiculous good vs evil, black or white, overly simplistic picture of the world. It's far too easy to watch those movies and hear Bush saying "You're either with us or against us." That's the kind of mindset those movies embody for me.
Anyway, back to my embarrassing crush on Orlando Bloom. So, my friends all know that he was my guy not so long ago and were set on taking me to see Elizabethtown. The last Orlando movie I bothered to actually see was Troy, which pissed me off because it eliminated the part of the story where Achilles goes mad over his LOVER'S death by changing Patroclus into his cousin. Please!
My waning affection for pretty boy Orlando and the dismal reviews for his latest film lead to me suggesting we pick a different movie, and we ended up going to see Jarhead. Jake Gyllenhaal is one of those guys who can be either really hot or kind of scary looking (he did nothing for me in The Good Girl, for instance), but lately he's been looking oh so fine. I really love the hairy chest and he's got one of the hottest treasure trails I've ever seen.
Jarhead was an okay film. For entertainment value, it didn't do all that much for me, other than giving me a chance to ogle Jake. But I did think it dealt very well with a lot of the harsh realities of a soldier's life, especially after they've been to war and more or less tossed aside (I'm talking about the flashback to Jake's father, a Vietnam vet, and the end of the movie itself).
I really can't wait to see Brokeback Mountain, speaking of Jake. My only concern is that they won't come near to doing justice to the short story, which is truly beautiful. It's about time, though, that Hollywood presented a gay love story between two men who are the idealized version of 'manhood' (ie cowboys) and just happen to be gay. They're still so stuck on the accepted stereotypes of gay men for the most part.
Anyway, I guess that's all for tonight. I just wanted to write because I've been a very bad blogger so far. I freely admit this and hope to do better.
Money is tight right now for me, and I'm taking advantage of winter break to work as many hours as they'll give me at the book store. Of course, the holiday season falls in the middle of all of this, and I'm sure we can all agree that no matter what holiday you celebrate, it tends to be somewhat expensive.
One thing I will say about this year, compared to my other years working in retail during the holidays, is that the people I've encountered so far have been pretty nice. It always feels so much better to help people when they've been decent to you. This time of year usually seems to bring out all the frustrated, cranky, and rude people (quite often non-readers shopping for readers) who avoid social interaction the rest of the year. But so far this year the pleasant people outnumber the jerks, and on behalf of all my fellow employees, I thank all of you who are nice to those of us who are truly doing our best to get you what you're looking for.
The best thing about working in a bookstore is that most of the customers are readers, though I do work at one of those chains that also carry DVDs and CDs, so that's not always a guarantee. But when you're dealing with someone who is a reader, no matter what they read, there is usually a common bond between you on some level, and I love that. I don't think people who work in other forms of retail get that very often.
The holiday I celebrate is Christmas, and I'd like to take this moment to ask Santa to leave Jake Gyllenhaal under my tree this year, wearing nothing but a big red bow and that Santa hat from Jarhead.
About a month ago, I had a birthday. My friends all wanted to take me to see a movie, and their original plan was to take me to see Elizabethtown. It's time to confess an embarrassing secret. I used to like Orlando Bloom waaay too much. What can I say? I really like guys with British accents and he totally did it for me in Pirates of the Caribbean. But that's the only thing he's ever done that hasn't sucked, in my opinion. Now, don't be bombarding me with e-mails, all you Lord of the Rings fans. Those movies just aren't my cup of tea. I think they present a really ridiculous good vs evil, black or white, overly simplistic picture of the world. It's far too easy to watch those movies and hear Bush saying "You're either with us or against us." That's the kind of mindset those movies embody for me.
Anyway, back to my embarrassing crush on Orlando Bloom. So, my friends all know that he was my guy not so long ago and were set on taking me to see Elizabethtown. The last Orlando movie I bothered to actually see was Troy, which pissed me off because it eliminated the part of the story where Achilles goes mad over his LOVER'S death by changing Patroclus into his cousin. Please!
My waning affection for pretty boy Orlando and the dismal reviews for his latest film lead to me suggesting we pick a different movie, and we ended up going to see Jarhead. Jake Gyllenhaal is one of those guys who can be either really hot or kind of scary looking (he did nothing for me in The Good Girl, for instance), but lately he's been looking oh so fine. I really love the hairy chest and he's got one of the hottest treasure trails I've ever seen.
Jarhead was an okay film. For entertainment value, it didn't do all that much for me, other than giving me a chance to ogle Jake. But I did think it dealt very well with a lot of the harsh realities of a soldier's life, especially after they've been to war and more or less tossed aside (I'm talking about the flashback to Jake's father, a Vietnam vet, and the end of the movie itself).
I really can't wait to see Brokeback Mountain, speaking of Jake. My only concern is that they won't come near to doing justice to the short story, which is truly beautiful. It's about time, though, that Hollywood presented a gay love story between two men who are the idealized version of 'manhood' (ie cowboys) and just happen to be gay. They're still so stuck on the accepted stereotypes of gay men for the most part.
Anyway, I guess that's all for tonight. I just wanted to write because I've been a very bad blogger so far. I freely admit this and hope to do better.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Mea Culpa
Okay, okay. I seriously misjudged the amount of time I'd have free on a holiday weekend. And the week since has been what is affectionately termed 'Dead Week' here on campus.
Now, I hear these wild tales that some colleges actually give students the week off from classes to study in the week before finals, hence the name 'Dead' week. Here, though, it's called Dead week because you're dealing with looming finals on top of classes and many Profs think it a dandy time to have projects or papers due.
Finals week starts tomorrow, but I think for me this term Dead Week was actually much worse, so I can actually start to breathe a bit easier. Once my finals are behind me, I'll have a month of 'freedom', at least from classes.
Anyway! I've got a stack of things I've been jotting down to blog about for over a month now. Most of it is already hopelessly outdated, so I'm going to just start fresh.
I hope those of you who live in the United States had a pleasant Thanksgiving. I know dealing with family can be less than fun a lot of the time for most people. One of my favorite holiday films is Home For the Holidays. If you haven't seen this movie, you really should. It's very funny.
Still, I did enjoy seeing most of my family this year. I did have to refrain from throwing a turkey leg at one of my Aunts, though. This particular Aunt is a 36 year old single mother to a nearly five year old daughter. You'd think she'd have a lot of important things on her mind. But what was her main topic of conversation at dinner? The split between Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey!
I wish I were kidding, especially given the fact that most of the people at dinner had no idea who she was even talking about.
Don't get me wrong. Celebrity gossip can be fun at times. It has its place. And I don't mind saying that I wouldn't say no to a few sweaty hours of alone time with Nick Lachey should the opportunity present itself, though I'd hate myself the next day!
But this was clearly the topic that was of most interest to my Aunt and it depressed the hell out of me to see someone so given over to the inanities of pop culture (if you can even call Nick & Jessica that) and so blinded to anything that really mattered.
One such thing is the proposed splitting up of the Ninth Circuit court. I live in one of the states that will be most effected if such a thing occurs, and it's truly a scary thought. Yet if I'd raised the issue at dinner (and really, why didn't I? That's a failing on my part that I must own), I'm probably not wrong in thinking that no one would have had any idea it was being planned.
Bernie Sanders, the man who should and hopefully will be Senator Elect Sanders at this time next year, had some very important things to say on this topic in his recent interview with The Progressive.
Like with many issues, I seem to be one of the all too few around me who understands that what is happening in politics isn't just some distant sideshow you can tune in and out of and that has no bearing on your life. The Simpson/Lachey breakup would be what falls under that category.
Most people do just want to tune out, like my friend Andie who always proclaims "I don't want to talk about anything negative today!" While they're tuning out, things are getting worse. Maybe being a gay man lends me a more attuned awareness of how it all matters? If straight people had to watch the political climate to see if they could marry or not, maybe they'd pay more attention to Washington DC and less attention to the The Newlyweds?
No, that's not fair. And it's also not accurate. I've been gay all my life, but I used to be just as oblivious as others are. And Andie is a lesbian who just doesn't want to think about serious matters.
I guess I just had the good fortune to make a friend or two who were able to help me open my eyes to what was going on.
And maybe that's what we all need to do. Next time you're talking with a friend or sitting across from an Aunt at Thanksgiving dinner, listen politely to their in depth discussion of the current murder case du jour or the celebrity break up of the week, and then respond by going just as in depth on something that REALLY matters.
I'll have to keep that in mind for Christmas dinner.
Now, I hear these wild tales that some colleges actually give students the week off from classes to study in the week before finals, hence the name 'Dead' week. Here, though, it's called Dead week because you're dealing with looming finals on top of classes and many Profs think it a dandy time to have projects or papers due.
Finals week starts tomorrow, but I think for me this term Dead Week was actually much worse, so I can actually start to breathe a bit easier. Once my finals are behind me, I'll have a month of 'freedom', at least from classes.
Anyway! I've got a stack of things I've been jotting down to blog about for over a month now. Most of it is already hopelessly outdated, so I'm going to just start fresh.
I hope those of you who live in the United States had a pleasant Thanksgiving. I know dealing with family can be less than fun a lot of the time for most people. One of my favorite holiday films is Home For the Holidays. If you haven't seen this movie, you really should. It's very funny.
Still, I did enjoy seeing most of my family this year. I did have to refrain from throwing a turkey leg at one of my Aunts, though. This particular Aunt is a 36 year old single mother to a nearly five year old daughter. You'd think she'd have a lot of important things on her mind. But what was her main topic of conversation at dinner? The split between Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey!
I wish I were kidding, especially given the fact that most of the people at dinner had no idea who she was even talking about.
Don't get me wrong. Celebrity gossip can be fun at times. It has its place. And I don't mind saying that I wouldn't say no to a few sweaty hours of alone time with Nick Lachey should the opportunity present itself, though I'd hate myself the next day!
But this was clearly the topic that was of most interest to my Aunt and it depressed the hell out of me to see someone so given over to the inanities of pop culture (if you can even call Nick & Jessica that) and so blinded to anything that really mattered.
One such thing is the proposed splitting up of the Ninth Circuit court. I live in one of the states that will be most effected if such a thing occurs, and it's truly a scary thought. Yet if I'd raised the issue at dinner (and really, why didn't I? That's a failing on my part that I must own), I'm probably not wrong in thinking that no one would have had any idea it was being planned.
Bernie Sanders, the man who should and hopefully will be Senator Elect Sanders at this time next year, had some very important things to say on this topic in his recent interview with The Progressive.
Like with many issues, I seem to be one of the all too few around me who understands that what is happening in politics isn't just some distant sideshow you can tune in and out of and that has no bearing on your life. The Simpson/Lachey breakup would be what falls under that category.
Most people do just want to tune out, like my friend Andie who always proclaims "I don't want to talk about anything negative today!" While they're tuning out, things are getting worse. Maybe being a gay man lends me a more attuned awareness of how it all matters? If straight people had to watch the political climate to see if they could marry or not, maybe they'd pay more attention to Washington DC and less attention to the The Newlyweds?
No, that's not fair. And it's also not accurate. I've been gay all my life, but I used to be just as oblivious as others are. And Andie is a lesbian who just doesn't want to think about serious matters.
I guess I just had the good fortune to make a friend or two who were able to help me open my eyes to what was going on.
And maybe that's what we all need to do. Next time you're talking with a friend or sitting across from an Aunt at Thanksgiving dinner, listen politely to their in depth discussion of the current murder case du jour or the celebrity break up of the week, and then respond by going just as in depth on something that REALLY matters.
I'll have to keep that in mind for Christmas dinner.
Friday, November 04, 2005
E-Mails
Turning to the old e-mail inbox, I have two or three e-mails lamenting my naivete when it comes to electoral politics.
One, from Rose, wonders the following: "Do you really think that you can just urge people to kick certain politicians out of office and it's that easy? Hello, the system isn't controlled by the voters (and never was), it's controlled by MONEY. No candidate can gain enough voter recognition to get the vote unless they've got massive amounts of money, which means they're already tied to special interests and not working for those who vote for them. Until that changes, nothing in D.C. will change in the least."
Rose makes an excellent point, of course. To effect real wide scale change, we do need to see some serious, no-loop-hole electoral reform legislation pass, something that does take the money out of politics. There are many ideas out there that have been espoused for years by progressives, such as providing free air time to each candidate and having public funding of elections, that would be a huge step towards leveling the playing field and getting more people into office who actually care about public service.
But while Rose and others who wrote are right in what they say, it does come down to the voters in the end. If enough of us turn out and vote against someone, they're not going to be holding office. If enough progressive minded people got together and organized behind a candidate, be they Democrat, or Green or whatever, who was more progressive than the Incumbent, they'd stand a real chance of electing that candidate. And even if they didn't actually succeed in electing them, they'd still be demonstrating to the Democratic party that they're going to be facing serious challenges from the left if they don't quite moving away from their base.
We won't get serious reform of the corrupted electoral system until we send more serious reformers to Congress. Maybe if more of us got out and did something besides just voting (which is obviously very important in and of itself!), we could help get alternative candidates elected in both primaries and general elections. Volunteer for a Green candidate or a truly progressive Democrat, help them raise their visibility and get their ideas out there in a system that is indeed stacked against them from the beginning.
It's easier on a local level, of course, and it's equally important that we fill state and local offices with progressive candidates. But, naive or not, I do truly believe that we can bring about change if we work hard enough. We can start the ball rolling.
Nose_in_a_Book (love the name!) writes to ask what I've been reading since the last time I mentioned what I was reading. Well, just as I've had so little time to blog lately, I've also had less time than I'd like to read. Bearing that in mind, the books that are currently stacked up on my bedside table in the process of being read are Nicholson Baker's A Box Of Matches; Bernard Malamud's A New Life; David Lodge's Small World; and David Leavitt's The Body of Jonah Boyd. Then, of course, there are various anthologies and collections (short story anthologies such as several volumes of The Best American Short Stories series & the Penguin Book of Gay Short Stories; essay collections like Gore Vidal's United States) that I'm always slowly working my way through and enjoying, one story or essay at a time.
And of course, my stack of magazines. I subscribe to several weekly, monthly, and quarterly magazines and I'm always doing my best (and often failing!) to keep up with them in addition to everything else.
I have an e-mail from a reader wondering which of the TV reviews on Third Estate Sunday Review is my very favorite. That's a tough question, because each weekend those reviews are truly the highlight of my Sunday morning. I'm going to have to be honest and say that my favorite is whichever one I'm reading on any given Sunday morning, and last weekend's review of Freddie was no exception!
I laughed so hard while reading it, and I recognized so much truth amid the humor. This one especially rang true, because Freddie Prinze Jr was totally the sort of blandly sexy, safe crush I used to have a few years back! Of course, for me he was even then always overshadowed by others. I mean, you can't watch I Know What You Did Last Summer and come away with any other male image in mind besides Ryan Phillippe's locker room shower/towel scene!
Speaking of Ryan, my ultimate crush of days gone by, I recently saw the movie Crash. I have to tell you, I was seriously impressed with the film itself, and with most of the performances. It's one of those all too rare films that really makes you think, and not just for a few minutes after the film ends. I think it's one of the best films dealing with the realities of racism in this country that I've ever seen. So if you haven't seen it, you should really think about renting it.
With that said, Ryan Philippe looked oh so pretty as always, and I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't still gladly take him to bed for a meaningless fling. But as usual, his performance was all surface. It just stood out more in a film where he was working with some truly talented actors, and which called for some real depth on his part.
Maybe one of these days, Ryan will end up trying to salvage his career with a TV show. Maybe he could even go back to his roots, having once played a gay teen character on the soap One Life to Live. Ryan's performances, based so much on looking hot while he fails to emote, are a staple of daytime TV these days. Someone should do him a favor and slip him the casting director's number at Passions.
One, from Rose, wonders the following: "Do you really think that you can just urge people to kick certain politicians out of office and it's that easy? Hello, the system isn't controlled by the voters (and never was), it's controlled by MONEY. No candidate can gain enough voter recognition to get the vote unless they've got massive amounts of money, which means they're already tied to special interests and not working for those who vote for them. Until that changes, nothing in D.C. will change in the least."
Rose makes an excellent point, of course. To effect real wide scale change, we do need to see some serious, no-loop-hole electoral reform legislation pass, something that does take the money out of politics. There are many ideas out there that have been espoused for years by progressives, such as providing free air time to each candidate and having public funding of elections, that would be a huge step towards leveling the playing field and getting more people into office who actually care about public service.
But while Rose and others who wrote are right in what they say, it does come down to the voters in the end. If enough of us turn out and vote against someone, they're not going to be holding office. If enough progressive minded people got together and organized behind a candidate, be they Democrat, or Green or whatever, who was more progressive than the Incumbent, they'd stand a real chance of electing that candidate. And even if they didn't actually succeed in electing them, they'd still be demonstrating to the Democratic party that they're going to be facing serious challenges from the left if they don't quite moving away from their base.
We won't get serious reform of the corrupted electoral system until we send more serious reformers to Congress. Maybe if more of us got out and did something besides just voting (which is obviously very important in and of itself!), we could help get alternative candidates elected in both primaries and general elections. Volunteer for a Green candidate or a truly progressive Democrat, help them raise their visibility and get their ideas out there in a system that is indeed stacked against them from the beginning.
It's easier on a local level, of course, and it's equally important that we fill state and local offices with progressive candidates. But, naive or not, I do truly believe that we can bring about change if we work hard enough. We can start the ball rolling.
Nose_in_a_Book (love the name!) writes to ask what I've been reading since the last time I mentioned what I was reading. Well, just as I've had so little time to blog lately, I've also had less time than I'd like to read. Bearing that in mind, the books that are currently stacked up on my bedside table in the process of being read are Nicholson Baker's A Box Of Matches; Bernard Malamud's A New Life; David Lodge's Small World; and David Leavitt's The Body of Jonah Boyd. Then, of course, there are various anthologies and collections (short story anthologies such as several volumes of The Best American Short Stories series & the Penguin Book of Gay Short Stories; essay collections like Gore Vidal's United States) that I'm always slowly working my way through and enjoying, one story or essay at a time.
And of course, my stack of magazines. I subscribe to several weekly, monthly, and quarterly magazines and I'm always doing my best (and often failing!) to keep up with them in addition to everything else.
I have an e-mail from a reader wondering which of the TV reviews on Third Estate Sunday Review is my very favorite. That's a tough question, because each weekend those reviews are truly the highlight of my Sunday morning. I'm going to have to be honest and say that my favorite is whichever one I'm reading on any given Sunday morning, and last weekend's review of Freddie was no exception!
I laughed so hard while reading it, and I recognized so much truth amid the humor. This one especially rang true, because Freddie Prinze Jr was totally the sort of blandly sexy, safe crush I used to have a few years back! Of course, for me he was even then always overshadowed by others. I mean, you can't watch I Know What You Did Last Summer and come away with any other male image in mind besides Ryan Phillippe's locker room shower/towel scene!
Speaking of Ryan, my ultimate crush of days gone by, I recently saw the movie Crash. I have to tell you, I was seriously impressed with the film itself, and with most of the performances. It's one of those all too rare films that really makes you think, and not just for a few minutes after the film ends. I think it's one of the best films dealing with the realities of racism in this country that I've ever seen. So if you haven't seen it, you should really think about renting it.
With that said, Ryan Philippe looked oh so pretty as always, and I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't still gladly take him to bed for a meaningless fling. But as usual, his performance was all surface. It just stood out more in a film where he was working with some truly talented actors, and which called for some real depth on his part.
Maybe one of these days, Ryan will end up trying to salvage his career with a TV show. Maybe he could even go back to his roots, having once played a gay teen character on the soap One Life to Live. Ryan's performances, based so much on looking hot while he fails to emote, are a staple of daytime TV these days. Someone should do him a favor and slip him the casting director's number at Passions.
Friday, September 30, 2005
No Time For Silence
Here it is, a Friday night, and I'm not out doing something wild & crazy, I'm not out being romanced by the guy of my dreams. I did catch a movie with some of my friends, so I guess I'm not utterly pathetic. But, boy, life sure isn't like the movies, is it? How many Friday nights are spent solo in the movies?
Of course, it doesn't help that more often than not, I find excuses to avoid going out with my friends.
The truth of the matter is that sometimes I can be sitting there with my friends, and they're all having a wonderful time, and I'm just feeling really, really alone.
Don't get me wrong, I love them all dearly. They're my friends. But sometimes I wonder what it says about me that I've ended up being friends with people who only want to talk about what's going on in their love lives.
Forget talking about politics, or anything serious. If I even try, it's like I'm killing the fun. They just don't care.
Well, I shouldn't say that. They care for awhile when election time rolls around. And they care enough to bitch briefly here and there about Bush & co, as long as it doesn't turn into a real discussion. But most of the time, they just don't want to talk about it.
In fact, I have this one friend in particular. Let's call her Andie.
Andie is a wonderful person, very outgoing, always the life of any party or gathering. She's also a really strong woman, someone who came out to her parents and everyone else she knew when she was still in high school. She was very concerned last Fall about the outcome of the Presidential election, and I had several nervous calls from her on election night, as things started to look dicey and then downright bad.
But most of the time, you can't talk about anything political with Andie. There has been more than one occasion when someone (and, believe it or not, I don't mean me!) has tried to start a discussion about something- the war in Iraq, environmental issues, etc.- and Andie has put a stop to it with "I don't want to talk about any negative things today!"
I'm not someone who has to talk about politics all the time. What's going on is important, yes. But there are many other things I enjoy discussing. Books. Movies. TV Shows. Hot guys. Life in general.
But it's really frustrating to me that so many people, so many intelligent people, take Andie's general attitude. They'd rather not think about anything 'negative'. Ignore it, and it'll go away, in other words.
That doesn't do us any good. In fact, that just let's these people in power continue to do whatever the hell they want. They know that they'll face serious protests and outrage from a large number, but they also know that an even larger number is going to be so wrapped up in their own lives that they won't bother paying attention or caring until it's too late.
So many of my friends, when we get together, just want to talk about their personal lives and nothing else. I hear about countless relationship dramas, family dramas, or work dramas. I admit that those things matter, too, but why are they our only focus?
And why do I always end up going along with those conversations, biting back what I really want to talk about so that I won't bore everyone? I feel like a total closet case when I'm with them, hiding who I really am because they probably won't approve! Only it's not my sexuality I'm hiding, it's the large part of me that cares about what's going on outside of our own little circle.
I get so depressed over it sometimes, and I think it's just me. I'm too serious. I should be just having fun. I should just go with the flow. Sometimes I really, really want to just not care. I wish I could stop and live a blissful life where the only thing that matters is how my hair looks and getting that hot guy into bed. Life would be so much more simple.
But that's not who I am and if I'm honest, I'm proud that it's not.
If that gorgeous guy who catches my eye and makes his way across the room to talk to me is going to decide I'm too serious for him, so what? Even the most gorgeous guy becomes a hell of a lot less attractive if he doesn't care about the world we're living in.
Don't get me wrong, if he's really gorgeous, I'd probably think 'What the hell, life is short', and spend a night with him. But I'd know it was nothing more than that. I could never settle for less with a guy that could be someone important in my life, so why do I so often let myself settle for less with my friends? Why do I let them set the topics of conversation and make me feel like some boring drag on the conversation if I dare talk about something that interests me and affects all our lives?
I saw blogging as a way to start speaking out more about what's going on in our world, but blogging shouldn't be the only outlet.
I've changed a lot in the last few years, and I think the friends I have now are more indicative of who I used to be. I would never want to lose them, but it's time that I start being myself around them. In a way, it's like coming out of the closet all over again. And just like when you come out of the closet, you have to accept that some people will want to be in your life and some may not.
It's their choice. They need to be who they are, but I need to be who I am. Hopefully, we can find some balance.
Either way, this isn't a time in history when any of us can afford to be silent.
Of course, it doesn't help that more often than not, I find excuses to avoid going out with my friends.
The truth of the matter is that sometimes I can be sitting there with my friends, and they're all having a wonderful time, and I'm just feeling really, really alone.
Don't get me wrong, I love them all dearly. They're my friends. But sometimes I wonder what it says about me that I've ended up being friends with people who only want to talk about what's going on in their love lives.
Forget talking about politics, or anything serious. If I even try, it's like I'm killing the fun. They just don't care.
Well, I shouldn't say that. They care for awhile when election time rolls around. And they care enough to bitch briefly here and there about Bush & co, as long as it doesn't turn into a real discussion. But most of the time, they just don't want to talk about it.
In fact, I have this one friend in particular. Let's call her Andie.
Andie is a wonderful person, very outgoing, always the life of any party or gathering. She's also a really strong woman, someone who came out to her parents and everyone else she knew when she was still in high school. She was very concerned last Fall about the outcome of the Presidential election, and I had several nervous calls from her on election night, as things started to look dicey and then downright bad.
But most of the time, you can't talk about anything political with Andie. There has been more than one occasion when someone (and, believe it or not, I don't mean me!) has tried to start a discussion about something- the war in Iraq, environmental issues, etc.- and Andie has put a stop to it with "I don't want to talk about any negative things today!"
I'm not someone who has to talk about politics all the time. What's going on is important, yes. But there are many other things I enjoy discussing. Books. Movies. TV Shows. Hot guys. Life in general.
But it's really frustrating to me that so many people, so many intelligent people, take Andie's general attitude. They'd rather not think about anything 'negative'. Ignore it, and it'll go away, in other words.
That doesn't do us any good. In fact, that just let's these people in power continue to do whatever the hell they want. They know that they'll face serious protests and outrage from a large number, but they also know that an even larger number is going to be so wrapped up in their own lives that they won't bother paying attention or caring until it's too late.
So many of my friends, when we get together, just want to talk about their personal lives and nothing else. I hear about countless relationship dramas, family dramas, or work dramas. I admit that those things matter, too, but why are they our only focus?
And why do I always end up going along with those conversations, biting back what I really want to talk about so that I won't bore everyone? I feel like a total closet case when I'm with them, hiding who I really am because they probably won't approve! Only it's not my sexuality I'm hiding, it's the large part of me that cares about what's going on outside of our own little circle.
I get so depressed over it sometimes, and I think it's just me. I'm too serious. I should be just having fun. I should just go with the flow. Sometimes I really, really want to just not care. I wish I could stop and live a blissful life where the only thing that matters is how my hair looks and getting that hot guy into bed. Life would be so much more simple.
But that's not who I am and if I'm honest, I'm proud that it's not.
If that gorgeous guy who catches my eye and makes his way across the room to talk to me is going to decide I'm too serious for him, so what? Even the most gorgeous guy becomes a hell of a lot less attractive if he doesn't care about the world we're living in.
Don't get me wrong, if he's really gorgeous, I'd probably think 'What the hell, life is short', and spend a night with him. But I'd know it was nothing more than that. I could never settle for less with a guy that could be someone important in my life, so why do I so often let myself settle for less with my friends? Why do I let them set the topics of conversation and make me feel like some boring drag on the conversation if I dare talk about something that interests me and affects all our lives?
I saw blogging as a way to start speaking out more about what's going on in our world, but blogging shouldn't be the only outlet.
I've changed a lot in the last few years, and I think the friends I have now are more indicative of who I used to be. I would never want to lose them, but it's time that I start being myself around them. In a way, it's like coming out of the closet all over again. And just like when you come out of the closet, you have to accept that some people will want to be in your life and some may not.
It's their choice. They need to be who they are, but I need to be who I am. Hopefully, we can find some balance.
Either way, this isn't a time in history when any of us can afford to be silent.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
The First Post
Welcome to Seth in the City. I should probably tell you all up front that I'm not in that city. Though one of these days, I'd like to be. For now, I'm a lot farther to the west.
You're probably curious about who I am, and that's always an interesting question. How do you label yourself? We all seem to rush to find our labels in life, most of them coming from whatever career we choose and whatever relationships we put the most stock in. "I'm a Doctor." "I'm a father." "I'm a broker." "I'm a lover" "I'm a star, baby!"
I really don't like defining myself by labels. We're all so much more than any specific role in life. But for the sake of introducing myself, I'll toss out a few labels that could be said to fit my current status in life, in no particular order:
College Student
Son
Progressive
Gay male
Wage slave to corporate America
Brother
Liberal
Friend
Reader
History Major
Partially Reformed Television Addict
American
I think that will suffice for now for a general picture of the sort of person I am.
This blog is about my life and the world I find myself living it in. And what a world, huh? I think we're going to get to the sunshine of a brighter day sooner or later, but for the moment we're practically living in the neo Dark Ages.
You'll notice that I'm a history major. One of the things that has always fascinated me the most about history is how arbitrary it is. Think about it for a minute. None of us has any control over where we're born, or in what time period. Fate made me a 21st century American, and there's nothing I can really do about that, short of changing my nationality. But even then, I'd still have been shaped by growing up in this country, in this time period.
The cool thing, though, is that we do have some control over how we help shape the place and time we're born into. Especially in the age of the Internet, when we can all make ourselves heard and come together like never before.
This is going to be a very political blog. There's no getting around that. Life itself is political. You can't exist in this world without being directly affected on a daily basis by politics.
So you can expect me to be sharing my views on a lot of political issues, pretty much all the time.
But this isn't going to be a blog just about politics. This is going to be about life as I find it. I'll write about college life, about movies, music, books, or television shows that catch my interest. I'll write about my friends and family. I'll definitely be writing about hot guys. Sexuality is just as big a part of our lives as politics. In fact, the two are very much intertwined these days, especially if you happen to be a gay guy or a lesbian.
So, if you're someone who's going to be offended by political views that are decidedly to the left of the majority of Democrats currently holding office, this blog may not be your thing. If you think George W. Bush is doing a decent job, or if you think John Roberts is going to be a hell of a good Chief Justice, you're not going to find much here at Seth in the City to agree with.
On the other side of the coin, if you think the Democrats in Congress are doing a good job, if you think Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are excellent Minority Leaders, if you think Hillary Clinton is a Liberal, then you, too, will find yourself without a lot to agree with here.
Democrat is no longer synonymous with liberal, if indeed it ever truly was. There are some true liberals holding elected office nationally as Democrats, but they're in the minority of the Minority party. Our Congress is made up of the Conservatives and the Centrists, with a smattering of liberals here and there.
So you won't find me patting Democrats on the back just because they serve with a D after their names and aren't as bad as the other guys. 'Not as bad' is not good enough.
And if you're someone who just can't stand to read a blog in which a gay guy dishes on hotties, hit the road. I like guys, and I'm going to be talking about them a lot.
Just to fill you in on my 'type' of guys, I should say that I'm mostly attracted to dark haired guys. Chest hair is a definite turn on, but not an absolute necessity. Think Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Mark Ruffalo. Hot guys in glasses and/or with accents get bonus points.
Of course, if I'd been writing this blog a few years back, you'd be surprised at how different my tastes were. I preferred smooth blond guys back then. Think Ryan Phillippe, think Hayden Christensen.
My tastes moved from the rather bland, safe teen-idol type guys to the sort of guys who you could actually imagine fucking as I grew more comfortable with being gay and being a sexual human being.
But that's the fun thing about life. We don't stay the same. We grow, we change, we learn. At least, we're supposed to. Maybe someone should clue Bush & co in on this?
Nothing is really off limits here. You'll find me talking about just about anything that comes to mind.
Tomorrow I'll be adding some links to some excellent political blogs I frequent, as well as some other sites, so check back for that.
Right now, I've got a TON of reading to do for my classes tomorrow, so I should get to it.
You're probably curious about who I am, and that's always an interesting question. How do you label yourself? We all seem to rush to find our labels in life, most of them coming from whatever career we choose and whatever relationships we put the most stock in. "I'm a Doctor." "I'm a father." "I'm a broker." "I'm a lover" "I'm a star, baby!"
I really don't like defining myself by labels. We're all so much more than any specific role in life. But for the sake of introducing myself, I'll toss out a few labels that could be said to fit my current status in life, in no particular order:
College Student
Son
Progressive
Gay male
Wage slave to corporate America
Brother
Liberal
Friend
Reader
History Major
Partially Reformed Television Addict
American
I think that will suffice for now for a general picture of the sort of person I am.
This blog is about my life and the world I find myself living it in. And what a world, huh? I think we're going to get to the sunshine of a brighter day sooner or later, but for the moment we're practically living in the neo Dark Ages.
You'll notice that I'm a history major. One of the things that has always fascinated me the most about history is how arbitrary it is. Think about it for a minute. None of us has any control over where we're born, or in what time period. Fate made me a 21st century American, and there's nothing I can really do about that, short of changing my nationality. But even then, I'd still have been shaped by growing up in this country, in this time period.
The cool thing, though, is that we do have some control over how we help shape the place and time we're born into. Especially in the age of the Internet, when we can all make ourselves heard and come together like never before.
This is going to be a very political blog. There's no getting around that. Life itself is political. You can't exist in this world without being directly affected on a daily basis by politics.
So you can expect me to be sharing my views on a lot of political issues, pretty much all the time.
But this isn't going to be a blog just about politics. This is going to be about life as I find it. I'll write about college life, about movies, music, books, or television shows that catch my interest. I'll write about my friends and family. I'll definitely be writing about hot guys. Sexuality is just as big a part of our lives as politics. In fact, the two are very much intertwined these days, especially if you happen to be a gay guy or a lesbian.
So, if you're someone who's going to be offended by political views that are decidedly to the left of the majority of Democrats currently holding office, this blog may not be your thing. If you think George W. Bush is doing a decent job, or if you think John Roberts is going to be a hell of a good Chief Justice, you're not going to find much here at Seth in the City to agree with.
On the other side of the coin, if you think the Democrats in Congress are doing a good job, if you think Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are excellent Minority Leaders, if you think Hillary Clinton is a Liberal, then you, too, will find yourself without a lot to agree with here.
Democrat is no longer synonymous with liberal, if indeed it ever truly was. There are some true liberals holding elected office nationally as Democrats, but they're in the minority of the Minority party. Our Congress is made up of the Conservatives and the Centrists, with a smattering of liberals here and there.
So you won't find me patting Democrats on the back just because they serve with a D after their names and aren't as bad as the other guys. 'Not as bad' is not good enough.
And if you're someone who just can't stand to read a blog in which a gay guy dishes on hotties, hit the road. I like guys, and I'm going to be talking about them a lot.
Just to fill you in on my 'type' of guys, I should say that I'm mostly attracted to dark haired guys. Chest hair is a definite turn on, but not an absolute necessity. Think Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Mark Ruffalo. Hot guys in glasses and/or with accents get bonus points.
Of course, if I'd been writing this blog a few years back, you'd be surprised at how different my tastes were. I preferred smooth blond guys back then. Think Ryan Phillippe, think Hayden Christensen.
My tastes moved from the rather bland, safe teen-idol type guys to the sort of guys who you could actually imagine fucking as I grew more comfortable with being gay and being a sexual human being.
But that's the fun thing about life. We don't stay the same. We grow, we change, we learn. At least, we're supposed to. Maybe someone should clue Bush & co in on this?
Nothing is really off limits here. You'll find me talking about just about anything that comes to mind.
Tomorrow I'll be adding some links to some excellent political blogs I frequent, as well as some other sites, so check back for that.
Right now, I've got a TON of reading to do for my classes tomorrow, so I should get to it.
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