Oh, spring.

I cannot believe that year after year, I keep forgetting how happy spring makes me feel. I am motivated to do more (ie take adventures exploring new places in amsterdam), eat better, relax more and stress out less... it feels great.

Realizing that has made me seriously consider moving permanently to a area that's warm all of the time. I mean, I like the cold weather for two reasons - 1. The snow. I think snow is beautiful... but unfortunately, I don't live in a place where it snows all the time. 2. I like that it's cold and snowy for Christmas season... but after a week of the snow and the cold it just stops being enjoyable. So really, wherever I live I can always go somewhere cold for the holidays... I don't have to live in that weather for half of the year. So where would I want to live? I'd want to pick somewhere that doesn't get too hot and doesn't get too cold. Two words: San Francisco. Done and done.

In other news, I finished a terrific book today, Inside Greek U., by Alan D. DeSantis.



I read it as research for my paper that's going to be about masculinity (and gender) in elite sororities and fraternities in America. Reading it actually made me realize I wanted to change the approach to my paper a bit because I think the point I was going to prove has already been proven, by more than one person... so I feel like I need to include at least something I "discovered" on my own. We'll see.


Oh, and I would like to include this little video I stumbled upon today that seriously annoyed me... not just because of the ridiculous woman arguing against gay marriage because it will "affect and harm everyone", but also because I don't see how educated adults still think it's practical to speak on top of one another and expect any of their points to be heard and/or understood.



First of all, Joe Solmonese is a great guy and I know he has a somewhat "political" (in the sense that he must act and answer a certain way to avoid scrutiny from the (at times, very wealthy) supporters of his organization)... but his answers and debate points sucked.

If adoption agencies refuse to let gay couples adopt from their organization and churches refuse to marry a gay couples... then I'm sorry, but if you want to be supported by the government then your "institution", whatever it may be, must coincide with the legal advances of the time. Respect for religion is completely unrelated and in fact, whether it be religion or anything else for that matter... if it leads to discrimination or reinforces a tradition of that discrimination, then it should not be an entity supported by the national Government. What if a school just said hey, sorry, we don't accept black children because our religion says it's a sin to be black and we want to run this school on the basis of our religion... then I'm sorry, but that school would not be given financial or any other kind of assistance from the government, nor should it. (Unfortunately, the government still supports institutions that I consider to be discriminatory and outdated but supporting gay marriage is, I believe, an important step needed not only in the fight for equality but also may start to be the beginning of a more world-wide awareness about the severe negative aspects surrounding religion - specifically orthodox and/or fundamental sects.)

That lady is right - gay marriage will affect everyone. Just like emancipating the slaves affected everyone, or when women were given the right to vote; when couples of mixed race were given the right to marry... etc, etc. It WILL affect everyone and it damn well should.

Embracing the eccentricity of my life.

This morning was spent listening to Bach cello suites, eating toast with cream cheese and olives and reading numerous articles for a class... one of which was entitled, "The Catacombs: A Temple of the Butthole." I feel as if my life has become quite odd, to say the least.

Actually, that article in particular was quite fascinating. It was about a group of primarily gay men who formed a community in San Fransico in an, "Underground establishment where twentieth-century sexual heretics could practice their own rites and rituals in a situation that was insulated, as much as possible, from the curious and hostile." The article explained that of course not only was their community shunned and feared but that if studied, could and can reveal a great deal about not only the gay subculture and its emergence in San Fransisco but also about AIDS and the tremendous stories of so many people whose lives had to be kept secret. It was actually extremely moving, especially this quote, "Many of the men who frequented the Catacombs found relationships there that have sustained them through time, nurtured them with affection, cared for them in sickness, and buried them in sorrow." It reminded me a lot of the end of Angels in America when Prior Walter says, "This disease will be the end of many of us, but not nearly all. And the dead will be commemorated and will struggle on with the living. And we are not going away. We won’t die secret deaths anymore. The world only spins forward. We are citizens. The time has come.” I really need to bring that play back with me to Amsterdam... or the movie, or both... I miss reading/watching it. Some people have the Bible, I have Angels in America.

The past three days have been spent doing endless amounts of work. It hasn't been annoying work, though. The only thing that was a bit painful to write was an essay about different types of abortions. I'm completely pro-choice but reading about the different kinds of abortions, specifically the ones that are performed during the third trimester... it was scary. Really scary. I feel terrible for my teacher that he has to read it. Haha. The class is Contemporary Dutch Social Policy and we are told to write a paper about something having to do with the topic at hand (which is abortion and/or euthanasia), either relating it to the Netherlands or not. I really wish I hadn't chose what I chose, given that it's more scientific in nature than anything, and I'm honestly afraid of getting a bad grade because it's a disgusting paper to read.

But, aside from the nauseating abortion paper, I'm actually enjoying the seclusion and time indoors. A good amount of my friends are in Paris this weekend and although I wish I could spend time with them... it's quite nice to have an extended period of time just for myself.

Oh, right... and two days ago I got a tattoo. I love it. It is still healing and doesn't look all that great right now, so I am going to wait to take a picture of it until it's healed.

Until next time...