Drag Queen List

Amazon.com: So You'd Like to... Be a drag queen trapped in a woman's body...

This is my guide to being a drag queen trapped in a woman's body. I like it-- and you can figure out a lot about a person based on what's in their CD collection. Read it and get yourself a feather boa.

Personal Politics

Yesterday, I was browsing one of my favorite webpages-- a movie review site that I occasionally disagree with but always am interested in. She had this comment on there, though, about politics that I disagreed with. I thought about this a lot because it bugged me to find political chatter with which I disagreed on an entertainment website. But then, here I am doing a similar thing with my own site. It's tricky..... Maybe it just drives home to me that sometimes we shouldn't express our own politics on our personal entertainment websites. But that is problematic too because of the whole "personal is political" thing. Everything is personal, and everything is political, and it's all part of what makes us growing human beings.

SIGH. I just know that I was turned off of what used to be an absolute favorite website. I don't know how I feel about it. She certainly has that right to her opinion, too, but my sick feeling about how irritated it made me to see her spouting off opinions that I think are insulting when I just went there to see how she felt about "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and the new "Lord of the Rings" movie is too much to think about now.

And, in case anyone notices, through the trickery of the web, I have edited this blog to remove the actual content that I was complaining about. Why? Mostly because I think I am right and my website shouldn't be a place I put this type of politics too far out there-- and I also am tired of getting nasty emails from people who disagree with me. So you can just guess what the opinion I didn't like was. Nyah. Pfffhtt. Write me a poorly spelled email about how I'm censoring the media and that makes me a sellout and therefore an evil charlatan. That'll be a lot more fun to delete than something about the 2000 presidential election, and you can guess how I feel about that, too.

Iraq

Well today it looks like we've launched a campaign against Iraq for sure. We've dropped 40 cruise missles and several big bombs (I don't think they were those MOAB's, but big). I think they're going for a "scare the crap out of 'em with big stuff they can't possibly anticipate" attack. It's really a different world to be observing a "war" that you yourself do not have any stakes in. Back in the Gulf War, I had a (yes, he was a jerk but) boyfriend over there, and a "pen pal" I wrote to as well. This one, Andrew really has a miniscule chance of going there. I do possibly know people who are there-- basically, it's possible that folks who were in Andrew's squadron long ago are there. But most likely, they are in planes which will fly over and aren't even offensive planes, so I don't think that Iraq has much chance doing any damage to them. I suppose it's possible, but I think the most likely damage they can inflict is through terrorist acts-- dropping a chem bomb on Israel, or something. In their minds, this attack by us is directly motivated by Israel.

So, that's the news, which I feel strangely glib about. I guess with all the preparation over the last months, I am just glad it's finally happening and can get over!


Anyway, as with an "historic" event, it will be interesting to say the least to see what happens.

Mom & Grandma

My mother & grandmother finally left this morning. They were supposed to leave Sunday, but they missed their train, thanks to the stupidity and inefficiency of the train company's 1-800 number who told me the train would be there 3 hours after it actually was. What is the point of an informational number when the information is criminally inaccurate? It's just a good thing I didn't kill them while they were here, because I would have had an arguable case.


Okay, I know this one is a very serious and depressing blog. But they can't all be drag queens and martinis, now, can they?

Listy

Oh yes, and if you've tuned in for something smart and witty, I am thinking up a fabulous (and read that word in a high pitched voice) list to post on Amazon.com. It's scholarly, and naughty, and really wicked + weird. So stay tuned, gentle (and surely bored as hell) reader!

And I'm back to belly dancing! We went to Debbie's "advanced" class last week. WHEW! She is not kidding about advanced! It was fun, though, except she has "fat mirrors" at the studio. They did make my arms look really buff, however, so I'll forgive the middle emphasis. I just have to behave and have no more of those Godiva things. Think "Lady Godiva" not "Godiva chocolate."

Writing stuff

Ick. The night of my last blog, I actually hurt my knee, thanks to those "fun drinks." I'm better, thanks to a good old fashioned Ace Bandage. But we were doing this reggae thing, and I tried a back bend-y sort of dance, and I don't think Germans can bend that way. At least not without some sort of major issues.


Anyway, I am planning this week to do some more writing on the Updike chapter of the dissertation, and try really hard to get that darn proposal ready for committee. Spring Break was not as productive, writing wise, as I'd hoped, but I did do some more thinking. So what if that's all I do; eventually I'll think me up a book. I also graded a bunch of student work-- so help me, I am not teaching again in the Fall. While students can be so fun & inspiring (really!) the grading just takes up so much time. I sometimes wish I could just let them grade themselves-- I think some universities do that. You'd be surprised at how honest some are when it comes down to it.

On the website notes, Lisa Johnson, who is guest editing this next issue, seems to be getting tons of great submissions. I am truly jealous-- but then, I actually haven't promoted the scholarly page in ages. I just don't have the time to read over anything, and I think it's a great idea to do guest editors. I may have to solicit another one for the Winter issue since Lisa's going so well. But then, I trust her work, having known it for a long time now! Maybe Natasha will want to do something-- but then, she is so great with book reviews.


More pages done on the scrapbook, too. I know that's boring, but I drug my mom & Grandma to two different scrapbook shops here in town, and spent a boatload of money on stupid little decorative things to put on the pages. That is one addictive hobby, I will tell you! I'm just glad I don't have kids because there are some darn cute things you can do with those family books. Thank the goddess my pages are only one event!


And now back to Neal Gaiman's American Gods which is looking promising so far. We've already got Woden, and some Russian goddesses, and I think a guest appearance by Coatalique, and a great joke about Thor & Freya. (sort of).

Back

Okay, I am not out of juice-- my mother & grandmother are visiting for Spring Break, and I'm finding a little bit of "less time" as an effect. So I promise to get back with this next week. I do want to keep it up here (no Beevis & Butthead pun intended there) but I'm a little over tasked. I'm trying, also, to do my "scrapbook" from my England/France trip last summer before I go to someone's wedding in May (she knows who she is) so I can show it off. I've got about 10 pages out of 50ish done-- and it's actually going quite well. But combine that with the exercise routine, feeding the fam, and all that other crap (includes Buffy watching) and I'm a little over extended. So if you're tuning in, gentle reader, I promise to provide juicy bits of fun soon.


On that note, we created a fun drink tonight. I declared it my offical "fun food day" which means no more liquor for a least a week... but it was worth it. 1 shot of Godiva Chocolate liquer to 1 shot Absolut Mandarin Vodka in a Martini glass. YUM says I. I have had my three for the week. :) But it was tasty, and if I'm spelling things wrongly, or using non-standard grammar, that would be why. But the cat is safe, and Grandma is in bed, and Madonna is on the music channel, and life is sweet.


And I have at least one fan. Cool. :) Love.

A link

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This is a really cool website where you can buy neat-o gifts. Jeannine told me about it when we were debating something for her wedding plans... I am not endorsing it except to say I really like this stuff and wouldn't mind anything that you found here being purchased as a gift for me (this, of course, is for my family & friends. Why would complete strangers buy me gifts!?)

Second

Allright I think I've figured it out....

I think I know how to do this blog editing thing-- I kind of have this page customized to look a little bit like women writers-- but it's also different since it's different. :) I'm also going to wait till there's a lot more content to really encourage lots of people to drop by, but if you're here already, go to the other pages on women writers to see more junk & stuff & nonsense. Maybe check out the rants-- they're the closest the website comes to blog style speak.

First Post

Howdy!

I thought I might get on the bandwagon and start a blog, so that I can update my website with amazing content while being self-centered and pretending I am interesting to others. So here it is, my blog. Are you really reading this, and if so, why? Aren't there wonderful things out there to read other than my ramblings? But then, says the self-centered part of me, perhaps my musings will show you that even people who apparently have it together (some people think I do) can still have trouble every day. Maybe I'm also thinking about the way sometimes I get these horrible interactions with people because I don't have a mind-reading program and can't tell always when email is sarcastic or whatever, and this way I can write about that in a quick and easy format and I don't have to do the HTML myself, but I can quickly write a web journal thingy that will keep me writing and keep the world informed about me.


I guess it went to my head a bit that two (count them baby) people came up to me at the last conference I went to in Albequerque (click here for info) and said "hey, I love what you do on your website." I'm getting all famous and stuff. But it also set me to thinking... I have offended a couple of people in the past (sometimes intentionally, sometimes not). So, what if one of those people who called me nasty names and disparaged my "work ethic" show up at some conference I'm attending, and throw a Martini in my face or something? Maybe I better cultivate better web-karma or else I might end up with vodka and gin in my eyes!! Is it likely? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe my head is so big I won't be able to take off my t-shirt and put on my pj's later tonight.



But this is my first entry. We'll see if I stick to this or not... I'm gonna try. Heck, if one of my favorite authors (Neil Gaiman) can do it, with all his fame & creative writing work, I can do it, right? (Okay, for you womenwriters visitors, I know he's a guy-- I do read male writers too, and none of my favorite women writers as far as I know has a blog that they update). I am trying to not feel like I'm betraying my cause... so no e-mail about this, please. The blog is kind of going to be separate from the website's goals since my daily life doesn't JUST involve promoting women authors. ::feeling defensive, perhaps for no reason::


So, if you're in the mood, send me an email and I might respond here, or post your letter, make fun of your spelling & grammar, etc. I don't know-- wasn't I trying to work on NOT getting Martinis thrown in my face? Okay, I'll only make fun of you anonymously. Is that better? And if you throw a drink in my face, make it a Cosmopolitan or a Godiva White Chocolate Martini. At least then I can enjoy it.


And finally, if you found this site by some other path than going through my women writers website, you ought to check it out. It's pretty cool, if I do say so myself. And I do.