Home from Thanksgiving Monday, Nov 26 2007 

travel thisgaudygildedstage 8:28 pm

PJ and I made it home from our Thanksgiving travels without too much trouble. Our flight from Little Rock to Dallas was delayed by a half hour, which meant that we had to run through the airport to catch our flight to Columbus. From landing to takeoff, we were probably in Dallas for not much more than a half hour. The real miracle, however, is that our luggage also made it on the plane! So, we got home around 5 and are now spending the evening just enjoying being home.

We had a great time on our trip. I’ll blog about the main events over this week, but I thought I would quickly summarize them here. The highlight for me was our visit to two eighteenth-century San Antonio missions (in addition to the Alamo). I took lots of pictures. Next time I visit my sister, I definitely want to go back. We also saw a great movie, No Country for Old Men. I liked it so much that I immediately bought the novel and read it. I also read another great book, The World of Normal Boys. I’ll write reviews of all three of these works sometime this week.

We also met my sister’s in-laws, which was interesting. She had 12 people for Thanksgiving, 10 of which were staying at her house (everyone but PJ and me). We mostly watched football. The Arkansas-LSU and Tennessee-Kentucky games were both great (though they were both played after Thanksgiving day, of course). In Arkansas, we hung out with PJ’s parents, saw his brother and his family at dinner, and visited his grandmother a few times. The real highlight of that part of the trip was getting to have lunch with our friend Laura on Sunday as she drove through town.

Overall, it was a fun trip and was especially delightful since we now aren’t going home for Christmas. Instead, we’re staying here and having our own Christmas without all of the family obligations, etc. I’m definitely looking forward to it!

 

Gone to Texas Tuesday, Nov 20 2007 

holidays and travel thisgaudygildedstage 8:25 am

PJ and I are leaving for Texas and Arkansas in a little while. First, we’re flying to San Antonio. We’ll be having Thanksgiving with my sister. On Friday, we’ll fly to Little Rock and spend the weekend with PJ’s parents.

I’m so far behind on my blog. I’ve been meaning to start a section on cats — mine and other people’s. One of my favorite blogs, Kenneth in the (212), routinely writes about his cat. I want to do the same. In that spirit, here’s a YouTube clip of our boy, Marlowe, getting down from a tree. We’re constantly impressed by his climbing and jumping abilities.

The sad looking flower bed at the end of the clip is the result of Marlowe wallowing in the dirt. I have to get a new border for it someday — something more durable. Right now, Marlowe is engaged in a fierce territorial war with our neighbor’s cats. Our neighbor leaves out food for her cats, and Marlowe is desperate to conquer their yard and claim this food source as his own. We terribly embarrassed by his ambitions — I think he must be the reincarnation of some English imperialist. I have an assortment of other clips and pics (mostly of other people’s cats) I’ll add from time to time.

I might try to blog a little while we’re gone. I also want to write about the Asylum Street Spankers concert we went to on Saturday.

We’re off to the Columbus airport.

 

Weekend in Cleveland, Part 2 Saturday, Nov 17 2007 

food and museums and travel thisgaudygildedstage 11:09 am

Last weekend, PJ and I, as well as our friends M&L, went to Cleveland for the Conference of the Midwest Modern Language Association. I’ve already written about the first half of the weekend.

After going to the Cleveland Museum of Art, PJ and I met up with M&L and a friend of theirs from graduate school for lunch at Flannery’s Pub, where I had the corned beef sandwich, which was so tasty and succulent. I’m constantly on the lookout for a good corned beef sandwich here in Athens but haven’t found one to suit my taste yet. Often, they can end up too greasy, or the corned beef doesn’t have much of a taste. This sandwich was perfect. (Excuse me while I pause for a moment and reminisce.)

Next, we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This is the second time we had been to the Hall of Fame. Consequently, we didn’t want to linger quite as much over some of the first exhibits as M&L did, so we went on ahead of them. In many ways, I find this museum overwhelming. There’s just too much to see and take in. So I spend most of my time search out Tina Turner memorabilia. I have to say that she’s not nearly as well represented in the Hall of Fame as she should be. Hopefully this error will be remedied by inducting her as an individual and not just as part of Ike and Tina Turner, which is how she is currently recognized.

The special exhibit this time was on The Doors. I have to admit that I don’t know much about them. We saw Jim Morrison’s grave while we were in Paris this summer. As part of the exhibit you can watch a video of a Door’s concert. I sat there for a while to see if I could get a little of The Doors experience. I eventually came to the conclusion that one really needs to be high on something to get the full effect. Their music seems to entice one towards drugs, which would undoubtedly augment the experience. Not being high, I couldn’t quite get into them while watching the video, but I was almost tempted to buy a CD of their music in the gift shop just to give them another chance. Almost.

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What I’m Listening to: Cazwell Wednesday, Nov 14 2007 

music thisgaudygildedstage 9:41 pm

I was watching Logo earlier and saw part of the top ten music videos for the week. One of the videos was Cazwell’s “Watch My Mouth:”

Cazwell is a gay rap artist. On hs website he lists The Beastie Boys as one of his influences; I can definitely see how they have affected his music. In addition, I really like his self-conscious requeering of the aesthetic used by Eminem, but where Eminem is arguably homophobic in his music and self-representation, Cazwell certainly queers the white, urban street-tough imagery. As his website states,

His propulsive beats and tongue-twisting rhymes are carving out a new musical style, while his streetwise fashion sense and eye-popping videos serve up visual panache to match. Cazwell’s art isn’t about lifestyle with a lower case L, the type you purchase off-the-rack after reading a magazine article, but a Style of Life, one which celebrates everyday existence, from his first waking moments to the hazy, shady episodes that unfold in the wee small hours.

I’m immediately fascinated by his aesthetic, as expressed in his lyrics, videos, and fashion sense. Plus, he’s hot. He’s doing something really interesting, something that I think would work as a discussion topic in my gay lit class next quarter. We won’t be reading any recent gay literature, so maybe I’ll show them a couple of Cazwell’s videos and use them to start a conversation about twenty-first century gay male identities, politics, and sexuality.

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Weekend in Cleveland, Part 1 Tuesday, Nov 13 2007 

food and museums and travel thisgaudygildedstage 10:35 am

PJ and I spent the weekend in Cleveland. He was giving a paper at the Midwest Modern Language Association, and I tagged along for fun. Two of our friends drove up with us — one of them was also giving a paper. It was a lot of fun to get out of Athens and celebrate the end of the quarter.

PJ and I had visited Cleveland once before; he gave a paper at the same conference six years ago. At the time, he was teaching in Michigan, so meeting up in Cleveland for a weekend was a fun way to see each other. This time, we revisited the restaurants and museums that we saw six years ago. It was interesting to see what has changed and what hasn’t.

We arrived in Cleveland on Friday. Our friends were staying at a different hotel, so we dropped them off and then checked into our hotel, the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel. I forgot to take a picture of the hotel while we were there, so here’s a picture from the hotel’s website. I liked the hotel. Our room was spacious and clean. The bed was comfortable, and hooking up to the Internet was easy to do. After we checked in, we logged onto the Internet to see if there was anything in particular that we wanted to do on Friday night. While looking at a page that listed bars and entertainment opportunities, I found a couple of reviews of our hotel. I thought it was funny that one of the reviews complained that the hotel had been overrun by conference participants while they stayed there. I honestly never considered that “regular people” stay the same hotels where our conferences takes place. I can’t imagine some poor sap who accidentally gets a room during the MLA! They’d be surrounded by miserable job candidates lurking about in the hallways trying not to make eye contact with anyone! As a conference hotel, the Renaissance was just fine. We had no complaints.

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What I’m Listening To: Jill Scott Thursday, Nov 8 2007 

music thisgaudygildedstage 4:39 pm

I can’t believe that Jill Scott‘s new album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, came out in September and I forgot to buy it! I finally bought it yesterday and have been listening to it as much as possible ever since. Scott is one of my favorite artists, and I’ve loved all of her albums so far. This one is no exception.

Here’s the first video from the album, “Hate on Me:”

One of the things I like about Jill Scott’s music is its sexy wordiness. Her lyrics are definitely about adult experiences, desires, and relationships without being trashy. Take, for example, the lyrics to “Crown Royal:”

Your hands on my hips pull me right back to you, I
Catch that thrust give it right back to you, you’re
in so deep I’m breathing for you, you
Grab my braids arch my back high for you your
Diesel engine, I’m squirting mad oil ah
Down on the floor til my speaker starts to boil

I like that sings about having sex with the man she loves in such explicit terms. As one of her earlier songs asserted, she is not afraid to tell it like it is. She keeps it real. This is definitely an honest album.

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American Gangster: A Review Sunday, Nov 4 2007 

movies thisgaudygildedstage 8:42 pm

Yesterday I saw American Gangster, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Washington plays a Harlem drug lord, a real-life figure, Frank Lucas, who uses the caskets of dead soldiers from Vietnam to smuggle heroin into the country. He then sells it, undiluted, for less than other drug dealers sell their diluted drugs. Crowe plays the ethical cop, Richie Roberts, who is appointed to clean up the local drug problem by finding and bringing down the men, like Lucas, who control the drug trade.

It’s the first big Oscar contender (as defined by the various Oscar predictions sites that I read: The Oscar Igloo, Everything Oscar, Awards Daily, Oscar Race 2007, and The Envelope — ok, so I read a lot of Oscar blogs; I’m a gay man: what do you expect?!) that’s come to Athens. PJ and I try to see all of the Oscar contenders each year, and the race is now on.

I liked American Gangster. Washington is great in his role. I am a big fan of his early work — I love Glory and earlier this year PJ introduced me to St Elsewhere, which I had never watched before. He’s always good, even if the film he’s in isn’t, but he’s great in American Gangster. Lucas is both a level-headed businessman who loves his family and a cold-blooded psychopath whose fuse can blow in a split second. Washington handles both aspects of the role with aplomb. I especially liked that he doesn’t overact the violent moments. Even though the character is out of control in these scenes, Washington isn’t. Watching him in this movie is watching a master craftsman.

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Hottie of the Month: Henry Fielding Wednesday, Oct 31 2007 

seventeenth- and eighteenth-century 'hotties' and teaching thisgaudygildedstage 2:03 pm

I spent much of the past month teaching Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones, a great novel that I’ve really enjoyed. I’ve already written about teaching the novel, so I won’t write about that again here.

Instead, I want to write a little about a different aspect of Fielding’s writing. He was born in 1707 in Somerset, where the first part of Tom Jones takes place. Upon completing his education, he moved to London to pursue his literary career. At first, Fielding concentrated on being a playwright, but his politics and the Theatrical Licensing Act of 1737 put an end to those aspirations. He continued to write, publishing prose works in various journals and pamphlets.

In 1746 he published “The Female Husband,” a prose work retelling the story of Mary Hamilton, who had become infamous for cross-dressing, passing as a man, and marrying/seducing a series of women before being caught and punished.

I didn’t teach this story in my eighteenth-century lit class this term, but I love teaching it in general. The piece begins with some editorializing by the narrator, presumably Fielding:

THAT propense inclination which is for very wise purposes implanted in the one sex for the other, is not only necessary for the continuance of the human species; but is, at the same time, when governed and directed by virtue and religion, productive not only of corporeal delight, but of the most rational felicity.

But if once our carnal appetites are let loose, without those prudent and secure guides, there is no excess and disorder which they are not liable to commit, even while they pursue their natural satisfaction; and, which may seem still more strange, there is nothing monstrous and unnatural, which they are not capable of inventing, nothing so brutal and shocking which they have not actually committed.

Of these unnatural lusts, all ages and countries have afforded us too many instances; but none I think more surprising than what will be found in the history of Mrs. Mary, otherwise Mr. George Hamilton.

Scholars have written about this narrative’s place in the history of sexuality, so what I’m about to say about this excerpt isn’t necessarily all that original. But I’m fascinated by this passage’s assumptions about sexuality. The first sentence, for example, seems to advocate for something that’s beginning to resemble the modern ideology of heterosexuality. According to Fielding, God has instilled within all people a “prosense inclination,” a natural propensity, toward the opposite sex. (Hetero)Sexual desire is thus natural, according to this opening sentence.

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Barack Obama and Gay Rights Tuesday, Oct 30 2007 

politics thisgaudygildedstage 6:33 pm

So far, I’ve studiously avoided writing about politics on my blog. I have friends who write about political events and issues, but I’ve felt a little weird about doing so myself. Partly this is because my blog started as primarily an academic outlet for me rather than a place to comment on current events. I also know that some of my students and former students read my blog from time to time, and I don’t like to feel that I’m exposing myself too much here. (I’ve also avoided a lot of other topics for this same reason.)

But maybe that’s being too careful. Too sheltered and defensive. So, I’m reconsidering that exclusion.

This reconsideration is partially the result of what’s been happening in the past week or so between Barack Obama‘s campaign and gay rights activists. As just about everybody who follows politic knows, Obama has gotten into trouble for allowing a gospel singer, Donnie McClurkin, to sing at one of his events in South Carolina this past weekend. While other musicians at the event are also on record as opposing gay rights and issues, McClurkin has especially drawn the fire of activists, since he is “ex-gay” and routinely talks about homosexuality as a “curse” that homosexuals should be delivered from. Keith Boykin has a great article about McClurkin and his views. Americablog has also been reporting on this story. And finally Atrios has also covered it. McClurkin has also contributed to the Exodus International website. (Exodus International is an organization that claims it can cure gays and turn us straight. As an aside, one of the best articles I’ve ever read is Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Queer and Loathing” in Spin Magazine, June 1996. It’s a great look at a convention sponsored by the organization.)

So, to sum up, Obama’s campaign allowed this man not only to sing but also to speak about his views on homosexuality during this campaign event. When the campaign came under fire, they assured their critics that this was an attempt to open a dialogue between gays and the African American community, between gays and religious conservatives. The campaign argued that the Democratic party needs to be a “big tent” where we can all come together, debate our position, and most importantly defeat the Republicans. Activists insist that the inclusion of McClurkin was a huge political mistake and that Obama will lose support for this.

He’s certainly lost mine.

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One Year of Blogging Thursday, Oct 25 2007 

blogging thisgaudygildedstage 5:37 pm

Today is the first anniversary of my blog. It was one year ago today that I posted my first entry, which was about being evaluated. In rereading that post today, I see that my blog started with a rant! I don’t think there have been too many rants since then — a few — but not many! I think that’s a good thing.

Since I include so many YouTube clips in my blogs, I thought I would intersperse my three favorite clips from the past year throughout this post. Here’s my favorite, which is from The House of Flying Daggers:

So, what has this blog been about this past year? I started it while I was on sabbatical and wanted to use it to keep track of some of my reading and writing while I was on leave. I wanted it to help remind me that I’m accomplishing things even if I wasn’t teaching or producing articles or a book right away.

I find that I haven’t actually written much about my scholarship. I think the reason for that is the impulse to keep my work to myself until I’ve submitted it for publication. I have written about some of the books I’ve reviewed for journals, but that isn’t quite the same thing as posting ideas from my book project or an article that I’m writing.

I have written about my teaching from time to time. I like posting about my classes and what I’m doing in them, because it does help me record some of my ideas as well as help me process some of what’s going on. One lesson I’ve learned this year, however, is to be careful what I write when it comes to my classes. One post apparently “upset” some of my students, who subsequently talked to a colleague of mine about it. She then emailed me to express their complaint (which I think was based on a misunderstanding of what I had written — I put “upset” in quotes because that was my colleague’s description of their reaction, but I don’t really believe that any of them could possibly have been too upset since what I had written was such a minor thing). It certainly isn’t my intention to offend of my students by writing about my classes, and I studiously avoid identifying any individuals or critiquing them in any overt way. Mostly, I write about me — there’s very little room left to write about them! 🙂

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