I've always had an almost fanatical aversion to quitting. There are cultural forces at work in this I'm sure, but I think they're only amplifying something inherent to me. Many of my accomplishments, truth be told, have as their prime movers little more than my quasi-hysterical need not to be thought of as a quitter. More often than not that's been a useful trait to me, though I know it's sometimes made me hell to live with or work with. It's definitely what got me through National Novel Writing Month last year...
I've been surprised and incredibly humbled by all those who have sent me notes and messages today thanking me for my military service. I remember my father, a Vietnam veteran, telling me how strange receiving such thanks felt to him and not knowing how to respond. Like him, I've found myself at a loss for words several times today. This song, written by Ray Boltz (a Christian musician and proud gay man), captures best what I wish I could say to all those who've so kindly expressed their gratitude to me. It tells...
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks My rating: 2 of 5 stars I'm a lover of hard sci-fi and post-apocalyptic fiction, and I've got a little thing for zombies too, so I really, really wanted to like this book. But do you remember that person in high school who wanted to date you so badly they'd do almost anything to get your attention? Do you remember what it felt like when they tried too hard to make you like them -- how grating their voice became over time and how after a while you came...
Lost and Philosophy: The Island Has Its Reasons by Sharon Kaye My rating: 4 of 5 stars As an avid fan of the series with an academic background that includes a lot of philosophy and theology, I found this book to be a thrill - for the most part. Like any collection of essays, some are stronger than others. The strongest, I felt, were those which dealt most broadly with the show's themes. The weakest were the ones more tightly focused - "What Do Jack and Locke Owe Their Fathers," which is unfortunately the first...
I don't even remember how I stumbled across this concept (isn't that the way with all the best idea-discoveries?) but it's got me deeply intrigued. What I can't get out of my head right now is the potentiality of tagging every moment of my life like so: Narrative fractals (overview graphic) View more presentations from Openworld. For more on narrative fractals dig into this Quora: What are narrative fractals?
My Life by Bill Clinton A wonderful learning experience of a read, Clinton gave me insight into my own times (and especially the '90's) I'd failed to gain by living through them. Though it can be something of a slog at times (I'm a fast reader and "My Life" took me six and a half months) it has far more just-can't-put-it-down moments. Imagine someone's kindly old southern grandfather teaching you political science, advanced economics, and international conflict resolution - that's the feel of this book. While...
To say that a woman’s wanting to be sexy can’t possibly amount to more than a desire for self-objectification or wanton promiscuity is to fail to take women’s experience of themselves and their intentions seriously. This kind of move should be antithetical to feminists. Authority and Arrogance: A Response - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com (via paperclippe)
Last week I asked my trans-identified Twitter and Facebook followers, “What are your thoughts on ‘admirers,’ i.e. people who feel attraction to trans people?” Below are the responses I received, unedited. People who focus on the trans element are creepy, full stop.If people wish to show they’re attracted to me, they need to make sure they’re actually focusing on ME, not being trans.Personally, I find them quite annoying. They’re all men & often have all the finesse and class of a brick through a...
To be possessed is to desire power. To be desired is to possess power. I was pondering that little aphorism, and whether it jives with my feminist principles, when a question occurred to me. Here’s how it happened: It’s a common experience of transgender women that we feel we are held to a higher standard of beauty than women without our gender histories. Note, for example, how often opponents of transgender civil rights attack the appearance of trans women in their arguments. It seems our status as women...
Lifestream of a boho pomo so-ju trans chick on a mission to save the world in less-than-comfortable shoes.
Theme created for Posterous by Obox
