Good for you, CNN

At least somebody's talking about gay immigration rights and the HIV travel ban. Whereas, from Obama we get a proclamation. A written statement that's so vague on details it's laughable. "Oh, we're really proud of gay people and it sucks that they suffer everywhere." At least he's said something, I guess, which is better than the endless string of non-answers from Gibbs. Still, I won't be happy until Obama starts actually fighting to overturn DOMA and DADT. Hell, even Cheney is a stronger proponent of gay rights than him. Now that's sad.

Although, I would like to keep a positive note going. Cheney's statement supporting gay rights is evidence of a very strong trend in America. The more progress we make towards equality, the more open people are about their sexuality, and the more people see that, wow, gay people are just like us! It's starting to reach an exponential phase, and I wouldn't be surprised to see civil unions at least in a majority of states in just a few years. I'm almost certain that, by the time I've found somebody to marry, I'll be able to do so with at least some sort of federal recognition. It's a good feeling, even if I'm still disappointed by our "fierce advocate" in the White House.

Today is the first day of not being so lazy

So I tried to kickstart this lil' blog a while back with my rant about Obama.  Yeah, that lasted for all of a couple of hours.  At least it got back to kicking around in my head, so here I am trying to start it again.  Let's see if I can get back to semi-regular posting.

In the spirit of easy, light-hearted prattle, I have decided to come up with a list of things I want to do before I leave Chicago (it's only a month, how crazy is that?)  In no particular order:

Eat at Clarke's at 2 in the morning - (Melrose would work too.)  It's been way too long.  Mainly because I think their food took a major turn for the worse.  But still, I miss going out for a full meal in the middle of the night.  Especially when I've had a few drinks and I get really excited about eating mountains of food, and then having two bites before I realize that all I really want to do is sleep.  I even miss the random drunk people making a scene.  It's part of the charm.

Wander around Millennium Park like  a midwestern tourist - I'm gonna admit, I haven't actually been to Millennium Park since that one House event right after it opened.  And even then, I think all I did was walk under the Space Jellybean.  It's time to lose the snobby attitude and join in with the gawkers.

Hit the beach - Not such an exciting aspiration, but this may be my last chance to go to an actual beach for a while, seeing as I'm heading to a state with nothing but rivers and "lakes" that are actually glorified ponds

Shop at the giant Macy's - Seriously, it's like its own little city.  Sure I can only afford like 20% of the items there and the chances of actually finding those items is tiny, but I want to soak in all of the retail excess before I leave

Go running downtown - I think the most fun I've ever had running is when I went down the Embarcadero in San Francisco.  People-dodging adds interest and an extra challenge to the excursion.  Another thing I might try is to just start running north and go as long as I possibly can, then take a bus home.  Sure to be a good time, although I'm sure that the other busgoers would not be too happy to share their space with a sweaty, panting guy in running shorts.

Buy the "Where fun comes to die" T-shirt and other school merchandise - Since I'm leaving the good ole' U of C, I need to start showing my pride.  Not to mention my mom'll kill me if I leave without getting her a bumper sticker.

Become officially overweight - It turns out that for somebody who's 5'11'', you're officially overweight on the BMI scale if you're over 180 lbs.  Seeing as I'm currently at 177, I think it'd be hilarious to be both overweight and in the best shape of my life.  Besides, while I'm in Davenport, I'm not sure if I'll even get a gym membership and I'll probably spend most of my time running anyway (SO excited for the Bix), so this may be my last chance to bulk up for a while.  

I'm sure that there's more.  If I weren't so poor, I'd try to do things that cost money, like go to the opera and the symphony.  However, I need to start saving for the move and the month and a half that I'll be living without a paycheck.  Besides, if things go my way, I may be paying vet bills in a few months...

Just a disclaimer:  I'm kind of sick while I write this, so if it's completely nonsensical I blame the fact that my head is swimming.

So, I recently came across this post by Sullivan and it really struck a note in me.  I am sick of the 'gay issue' getting shoved into the backgroud by Obama's administration.

The thing is that Obama ran on a platform of change.  Now, I can see that change is slow and it's hard to actually enact things in Washington.  However, I think that the really telling thing is that two of the greatest movements of this year, the push for gay rights and for the legalization of marijuana, have been completely ground up and given the cold shoulder by the administration.  Change, really?

One thing about Obama is that he inspires strong emotions.  I think that it's just a quality that he has.  Unfortunately, this is not the first time he's inspired actual rage and disappointment in me.  His silence on the issue tells me that he cares much more about his political capital with social conservatives than equal rights.  And why not?  As long as he plays the middle ground, he doesn't lose anything, although there is going to be a slow erosion as his aversion to meeting the issue head-on becomes more apparent.  Just like the invitation to Rick Warren to speak, he's sending a message that his standing among bigots is more important than justice.

I realize that I am rather partial on this issue, as I'd have to be.  As far as I'm concerned, DOMA is a blatant violation of our constitutional rights and I'd be in favor of an immediate supreme court ruling on this issue.  However, I see how strategically that would be a bad idea.  Seeing as how most Americans have no idea what the judicial branch is here for.  You know, ruling on laws that violate the constitution...  But, you know those liberal activist judges

Now, Don't Ask, Don't Tell...this is what really has me worried.  There is absolutely no excuse that this debacle hasn't been repealed yet.  It's wildly unpopular and based on premises that are blatantly false.  The only possible reason that it hasn't been approached yet is that Obama is afraid to open the big closet stuffed full of the gay issues that have been ignored by this country's leadership for so long.  However, every state that approves same-sex marriage adds more pressure, and there is a sea change in public opinion going on right now.  Eventually the issue will be unavoidable.  I only hope that Obama will start to become the advocate of gay rights that he pretended to be when he was campaigning.

All right, I'll get off my soap box now.  I hope the rant actually made some sense.  In any case, it's time to lay down and have another cup of tea.

PS I also just started watching the third season of Battlestar Galactica.  CRAZINESS!!!!  For example, did they just kill who I think they just killed?  And my only consolation for the fact that they made my favorite eye candy into a fatass is that they added new eye candy that's way cuter and less self-righteous.

Woohoo!

AND Sullivan

More awesomeness

And the counter-protest on Westboro even got Dan Savage's attention

Awesome

Reasons why my undergraduate institution is the best school ever: here and here

And the icing on the cake:

I have to intellectualize everything, don't I?

I've been wavering on what to post next, as well as the general direction that I want to take this blog.  I actually dislike talking about my own life, especially since I have discovered that in this age of information, people end up reading it and knowing stuff.  And I don't really feel like guarding myself all that much.  I also don't really want to make it too political, since it'll just end up being me ranting and raving about all the people that I disagree with.  In the end, I'm left with pop culture, which tends to be the most fun to blog about anyway.

So, with that in mind, I want to return to the topic of Terminator, and also to horror and action flicks (and shows) in general.  Anybody who knows me probably knows that I absolutely love the new TV show, especially the new season.  It got to a bit of a rocky start, but the portrayal of the characters is totally dead-on.  

What I really love about the show is that it isn't an action show.  Sure, there are robots beating each other up, but that's not what it's about.  It's about people who are launched from their orderly universe into something completely unexpected, terrifying, and dangerous.  And it's actually realistic about the consequences.  Let's face it:  running from killer robots is going to give you PTSD, or at least serious social disorders.  However, it's not whiny, it's about people dealing with it and moving on.  And the ones that don't usually last long.  It doesn't hurt that it's got Summer Glau and Shirley Manson.  Seriously, that's a catfight I can't WAIT to see.

In fact, this show has gotten me thinking about horror and action movies in general.  They actually have very similar premises:  people are thrown into extraordinary and dangerous situations.  For the most part, the actual details don't matter much:  what matters is how each character responds.  This is how franchises like Terminator and Alien can be so successful:  they can, at turns, be horror or action, or both.  What matters is the reaction to the terrifying other: fear and resignation, or anger and determination.  In most horror movies, there is a specific turning point where the protagonist switches between these two viewpoints, and that is the point where the plot becomes one of action.  One may even say that the only true horror movies are ones where nobody survives aside from by blind luck or the capriciousness of the villain.  The only specific example I can think of right now is The Strangers, in which (spoiler alert) both of the protagonists die.  There was actually one specific instant where I saw each of their reactions to the situation and decided that they were doomed.  Oddly enough, this resignation on my part completely removed my fear and the film almost became pornographic in nature because all I saw was the promise and carrying out of violence.  

Well, I got kind of sidetracked there.  Anyway, I love Terminator.  As I mentioned before, I think it's pretty awesome that the franchise can have such range.  The first movie was pure horror, the second was a feel-good action movie with a dark undertone, and the third was a pure campy romp.  The TV show embraces the action, and to some extent the camp, but its focus is really the psychological impact of the situation and the relationship between all of the characters.  I'm actually really nervous about the new movie because it doesn't take place in a contemporary world:  it's after the machine apocalypse.  The strength of the story is the fact that the vast majority of the world is completely oblivious of the threat, that the Connors have to run for their lives in a world that simply sees them as crazy, that nobody can help them because they have no idea of the scope of the threat.  If they play their cards right, it could be an amazing movie, but I just have no idea how it'll end up.  If they follow the path of the third movie, I'm afraid that it's going to be a flop, but if they concentrate on the human aspect instead of the action, I think that it could be an excellent continuation of the Terminator story.

hmm, maybe I should be working on my essay...