Big Rex(tinct) No Longer

Proposition 8

2008-11-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

I went to another volunteer session today for the No on Proposition 8 campaign. I'm working the morning of election day in Venice, helping to hand out palm cards and answer the questions of any undecided voters. While I haven't been able to devote the time that a lot of other "super-volunteers" have been contributing, I've put a lot of energy into the campaign over the last few weeks. I'm using this posting to explain why I've done this.

People have commented on the amount of money that has gone into the No on 8 campaign as well as the fact that marriage may not be a good institution and a "right." I agree that the amount of money spent is unfortunate, and that the limitations of marriage as an institution are certainly notable (we've been thinking about this in my grad course, where we're reading entries from late Victorian New Woman writers). The money could be used for other causes (other kinds of social justice) and maybe marriage doesn't need to be an institution sanctioned by the state.

At this point, though, these arguments seem ill-timed. Regardless of how someone feels about the expenditure of the money, the flaws of the institution, or the exact terminology of the debate, let's be pragmatic. We didn't decide we wanted to fight this battle; it was imposed on us. If we wake up on Wednesday and the constitution of California has been amended through the pro-Prop 8 people, it will be a loss for 16000 couples who've already gotten married. Certain kinds of futures--whether you like them or not--will no longer be viable for a whole part of the population. Discrimination will be part of the constitution. In short, gay people will be worse off than they are today.

I know I'm a person who concerns himself with terms, with language, with discourse, and with abstract ideals on a day to day basis, but I'm not waffling here. Right now, it's about motivating voters. On Wednesday morning, once Proposition 8 has been voted down, then we can return to our worries about spending our money more effectively and working on making the US the utopia we want.

After Break

2008-04-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've neglected the blog entirely. I've been posting relevant news about my life on Facebook, I guess, though I'm kinda getting tired of that site. It has me disciplined in a way that I find annoying...after I see a movie, I rush to list it on there. Why do I do that? Am I looking for someone with whom to talk about movies? Probably.

Though the recent week was spent mostly on catching up with reading and grading after my parents, sister, and brother-in-law visited Kevin and me, I did manage to have fun over the last few days, catching the revival of Sweeney Todd at the Ahmanson Theatre, going to Disneyland on some leftover tickets, and watching the new BSG premier.

Besides these entertainment events, the one "recreational" activity of the break was the start of a collection of ridiculous dinosaur pictures, which I've been posting on flickr. I'm oddly proud of these pictures, probably because they're the only creative output that I've had besides the paper comments and reports that I've been generating. Either way, check them out if you have a moment. They're weird, sure, but I think there are one or two that may tickle the fancy.

Meanwhile, it's back to the grind tomorrow. That's my life here.

Farewell day #2

2007-08-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

After finally departing Charlottesville, I've decided to make another attempt at the top ten list I mentioned earlier in the summer. Here's the next two things worth mentioning.

Will be missed...
Chandler's Bakery. This will serve as a standard for all bakeries in my future. The everyday items like cupcakes, cookies, and breads are delicious, but the bakers are at the peak of their powers when it comes to the cakes made ahead of time. We had the cannoli cake for the defense party made here (the almond slivers were so good), and the Boston cream cake (which I sampled only recently) was a delight. They also make napoleons, and I am now experiencing serious regret for not having one at some point. Chandler's was also the place where I once bought a very cute dinosaur cupcake, only to have a ream of printer paper fall off the passenger seat in my car and squish it when I was checking out someone. Woe to the cupcake, and woe is me, for the fact that Chandlers will no longer be just up the street!

So long, bucko...
And the "worst of" Charlottesville site for today is also from the same mall as Chandler's, indicating how the best and crappiest can often be unhappy neighbors. If you haven't already guessed, I'm talking about the Carmike Cinemas 6 in Charlottesville. Bringing a wrecking ball to this establishment would only be an improvement to Mr. Jefferson's Virginia, since it would not only eliminate this flaming pile of a cinematic space, but save future viewers from having to run into the lobby because the image for the film (despite the presence of the audio) was missing or because the image was not lined up with the screen. It might also save future patrons from accidentally sitting down on a piece of twisted metal that they thought was a chair or from losing a flip-flop because it was permanently stuck to the gross gross gross floor of the theater. Kate put it best one time when we were all sitting in the dark of the theater (listening to the audio of the previews...they hadn't gotten the whole visual thing worked out yet!) by saying "Now is when we get mugged." It's that safe and action-packed, folks!

One quick caveat. Though I despise this theater, I should say that it was the place where I went to Pirates of the Caribbean with an eye-patch at the behest of Jordan and Mendy. This was a singular experience and will be cherished fondly despite the fact that I dislike the theater. Oh, and I also saw _Death to Smoochy_ here.

And from a photograph

2007-08-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

After making the avatar below and not feeling particularly satisfied with it, I decided to see if the web could do a better job. Here's the result, with some refinement from me...

Disidentification

2007-08-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

This really doesn't look like me, but I thought it would be interesting nonetheless...

No shrine!

2007-07-08T10:02:00.001-07:00

Looking over the LA Times this morning, I was excited to see this wonderful rendering of a close friend. I like the picture not simply because of the delightful contrast it makes between the Tim and the man on the right, but because of the fact that the whole thing appears to be set on the bridge of the Enterprise D. The article was good also, but this is certainly a case where the picture is significant in its own right! How wonderful!

Golden

2007-07-04T10:59:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I've arrived in Los Angeles, and done a lot of fun things, but, sadly, I've neglected to bring the cord for my digital camera, so I haven't been able to upload any of the wonderful pictures I've taken. So at this point, I can't post Kevin and I visiting the La Brea tar pits and other exciting moments. Nor, as you can see, have I continued my retrospect about Charlottesville's strengths and weaknesses. I may continue this...we'll see. In the meantime, I thought I would post some photos of the Harry Potter collage that Jordan and I made for Kate's birthday! You'll noticed the prominently placed dinosaur stickers to add some character outside the Potteriana. Check it out:

First, here's a picture of the entire collage:

And now a closeup detail:

Farewell Day #1

2007-05-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

Sorely missed:

Sneak Reviews Video Store. I don't know how I really survived before I had found this video store. They really do have everything, and with my friend Jen working the desk, it's a great place to not only find a movie I've been curious about for years, but also to have an exciting conversation. The vintage films, television shows, and queer movies have been great, and the upstairs area organized by director has also been impressive. They had _2046_ before it had even hit American theaters and they also own a copy of the Star Wars Christmas special that features Bea Arthur as a special guest. Need I say more? Here's a picture of the store dog:

Good Riddance:

The Newcomb Hall post office. Being on the academic job market means lots of postage, but I rarely was able to get something sent out of Newcomb Hall. The postage machine was always broken, the workers were sometimes busy selling girl scout cookies on the side, and the line was often very long. To top it off, it was always apparent that the people working there did not want to be there. I know service jobs suck, but these people really made it painful. I think it would have been a modern miracle if someone had cracked a smile. The other post offices in C'ville, though sometimes slow, were solid, though this one was a big disappointment.

Top ten

2007-05-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, Kate Webber, a friend of mine who was departing from Charlottesville after time in university's MFA program, set about to give her fond farewell. Kate did this by assembling a top ten list that discussed the ten things she would miss about the city (and the graduate school experience) and ten things that she would not miss. I liked the format of this farewell. Since I don't have much time left in the Commonwealth, I'm going to go ahead and shamelessly copy Kate. I'll be providing one thing I'll miss and one thing I won't in each blog entry. I hope everyone out there enjoys this!

Decompressing

2007-05-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Well I have finally turned in the thesis after a few months of intense work. I'm surprised to be where I am, leaving the 'ville in a little over a month...It's really happening fast after what's been a really long haul here in Cville.

I've had a nice weekend doing some things that I hadn't been able to do during the work period. In the last 24 hours I have

1. Read around 180 pages in David Mitchell's novel _Cloud Atlas_...an odd combination of sci-fi, Borges, and Joyce that I'd recommend to just about everyone who's willing to, well, pick up a novel.

2. Watched Douglas Sirk's _Written on the Wind_. After toiling for days over melodrama, it was fun to just watch one...especially one involving Rock Hudson.

3. Watching two episodes of Boston Legal while drinking Hoegarden. Shatner shooting a homeless man with a paintball gun was certainly worthwhile.

Tonight, Flapjack and I celebrate six months of goodness...I don't know what we're doing yet, but it should be memorable. It may even involve _Thoroughly Modern Milly_ on DVD.

Need another look?

2007-03-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this rabbit look real? It's name is Double Take, and, though you may or may not recognize it, it misses you!

Laying down the blind

2007-03-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

I just found this article about a genetic basis for gayness on a website, and it's made me sort of paranoid. I have always thought that there was a reason not to really get on the "it's all genetic" bandwagon, and I feel like this article confirms my suspicions. At the same time, however, I also don't care for the conservative Christian doubts about evolutions. This article is interesting because it suggests that at least one man in the Christian right is more frightened of gay people than he is of evolution, and that he would be willing to play around with genetics in order to eliminate homosexuality from existence. This will have me thinking for days.

McCain's Unsafe Stumping

2007-03-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

I discovered these comments while taking a break from research this morning, and I can't believe that more politicians are following Bush and the neocons on the discussion of safe sex. Not only is McCain promoting abstinence, but he is unwilling to even admit that condoms reduce the spread of HIV. This just fits right in with the myriad of ways that bizarre religious concerns and paranoid suspicions about the validity of science have been informing policy and the political sphere since Bush took office. How in the world can a man be president or even be a serious contender when he won't, as a world leader, say that condoms reduce the spread of HIV? And let's face it, the question didn't stump him. Of course he knows the answer, but apparently enough people haven't died of AIDS for Mr. McCain to get the picture about the disease and realize that being honest about the benefits of condoms will help lower the rates at which HIV spreads.

In the future, our teenagers will all not only be avid readers of the Left Behind series and good takers of standardized tests (no child will be left behind there), but they'll also have lung cancer and a bevy of STDs to boot.

The Evil Lynn of Hate Speech

2007-03-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

I'm including a photo of this funny (bizarre, not ha ha) lady because she's been on my mind lately, ever since she called John Edwards what has popular gained a name as F-word #2. What surprises me about this entire scenario is how much it interests me. To be honest, she has been discredited numerous times as a bad scholar who only appeals to people because of the shocking things she says. This is understood. She's a personality that attracts viewers and ratings, and so it makes sense that she's as successful as she is. Maybe I'm just incredibly predictible when it comes to the media, but I too have been sucked in by all the coverage, not to mention her sheer goofyness (take for instance this picture, which is on her own website). After all, paying attention to anything she says diverts me from paying attention to real issues that have costs in the realm of lived lives. I already devote a lot of my time to questions of representation, language, and politics, so maybe that makes me drawn to coverage like her comment about Edwards. At the same time, I'm curious as to why people (me included) are so caught up in these ridiculous media celebrities instead of being concerned about the big picture issues such as dying soldiers and civilians in Iraq, global warming, increasing economic inequalities in the US, and more. Evil Lynn to Hannity's skeletor (or is he more beast man??), she's not even remotely interesting to think about, read, or hear speak. How was I able to be convinced otherwise?

What is the point of the news media celebrity? Just distraction pure and simple?

New format and Battlestar

2007-03-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

Though I haven't totally transferred things over to Ning (yet), I did think my blog needed something new and fresh. I know it looks like a cheap knockoff of the JK Rowling website, but I'm willing to live with that.

I just wanted to mention how amazing I've found the last two episodes Battlestar that I've seen. I only caught up with the current episodes a few weeks ago after getting a season pass for season three from iTunes, and I'd been somewhat disappointed about the way the recent episodes had lost momentum. Last night's and last week's episodes (Maelstrom and A Son Also Rises) have been great. I'm glad to see that the show's back on track and I'm really anticipating the finale of the third season. I'm glad that I've found a show this engaging, and it's in some ways comforting to return to the fold of sci fi geekery.

Vegas

2007-03-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I returned from Las Vegas Wednesday of this week. I've posted some of the pictures on my normal flickr account, but we also pooled our pictures (and a few videos) and put them up on Kevin's Picasa page. We had a great time, and experimented one day by heading out to the dessert for a hike. I had never done this before in the LV area, and, as you'll see from the pictures, it was well worth it.

In the meantime, I am working on finishing the dissertation!

A Job!

2007-03-02T09:28:00.001-08:00

The Pyramid
Originally uploaded by Bigrextinct.

Some of you may know this already, but I wanted to announce here that I accepted a job at California State University, Long Beach, earlier this week. I'm very excited about the position, partly because it means that I will finally be an English professor (and no longer a grad student) but also because I'll be teaching courses (both surveys and seminars) in my field. The students at Long Beach seem great, and the area is very pretty and gay friendly. I'll join the department in August, and I'll be finishing the dissertation before that in the summer. After years of grad school, it's really a shock to be thinking about moving away from Charlottesville, and, in this case, moving to California. Either way, I'm very excited. If you're interested in coming to California for a trip, don't forget to head down to Long Beach--my new center of operations come the fall!

Japanese Garden

2007-03-02T09:23:00.001-08:00

Japanese Garden
Originally uploaded by Bigrextinct.

Though far from the Humanities building, this Japanese garden is part of the Long Beach Campus. The khoi in the pond there are massive. When I was visiting, I thought they were going to devour a duck whole.

For no one's consideration

2007-01-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling a compulsion to list out the movies I saw in '06. I'm not sure I can really rate them, or say what was best (I'll let the awards shows make us all realize what shouldn't be the best). I'm just listing them out for fun. Movies on video count as well. The only requirement is that I haven't seen them before...

Here goes:

Notes on a Scandal
For Your Consideration
The Prestige
The Queen
Casino Royale
Stranger than Fiction
The Devil Wears Prada
X3
Scoop
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
V for Vendetta
Cache
Mrs. Henderson Presents
What Have I Done to Deserve This?
The Omen (remake)
Mommie Dearest
Valley of the Dolls
Mata Hari
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
The Anniversary
Queen Bee
Mildred Pierce
The Devil's Disciple
Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte
The Beat My Heart Skipped
The Dreamers
Another Gay Movie
Sordid Lives
The Flower of My Secret
That Obscure Object of Desire
Elevator to the Gallows
Shoot the Piano Player
Shortbus
Hannah and Her Sisters
The Line of Beauty
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Dorian Blues
My Neighbor Totoro
The Libertine
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
A Prairie Home Companion
Coup de Torchon
Diary of a Chambermaid
Kings and Queen
Esther Kahn
Howl's Moving Castle
Strait Jacket
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (with alternate soundtrack)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
A Taste of Cherry
Scanners

Made in heaven, but not exactly quality

2006-12-23T08:12:00.000-08:00

Rufus and Lou kick it up a notch this holiday season. If you haven't seen it, check out Youtube for the one of Martha and Jimmy Fallon.

improving

2006-12-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

Things at the family home are a little bit better, for a few very concrete reasons:

First, I'm typing this on my ibook, which returned from Apple two days ago. It's very nice to avoid the IBM, especially considering some of the goofy differences between commands on the two versions of MS Word.

Second, I got to see my sister, Nick, and her dog. We went out to Lake Zurich for the "bare voices" choir concert on Thursday, which was a good time. The voices weren't really bare, though, since there was accompaniment; hence, I'm lobbying for a change of the group's name to "scantily clad voices." Once again the dog licked my face repeatedly and got hair all over my coat. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Thirdly, I'm feeling like I've accomplished one or two things while here, getting some sample materials done.

On the topic of the third item, then, it's back to work. Merry Christmas, all.

The Homecoming

2006-12-20T17:07:00.000-08:00

I've been back in Chicago since Sunday visiting family and trying to get work done for the academic job market. The big conference at which interviews take place, the MLA, starts on 12/27.

It has been nearly impossible to get work done. As an attempt at catharsis and in typical Festivus fashion, I'm listing off some grievances....

1. My laptop has been screwed up for the third time. Apple, I love you, but you've let me down.

2. Not only does my sister not have any internet access, but she's disappeared, along with her husband and dog. I haven't seen her at all on this trip. Did I do something wrong?

3. The TV is on all the time here. Right now an interview about Sammy Sosa's year off is audible everywhere in the house.

4. My parents' computer is in their basement. Cell phones do not work in the basement. It is also climate controlled to be something like the arctic tundra.

5. Fox News is the official station of this residence.

6. I don't have a car in IL.

7. Christmas comes once a year, just like the MLA. Anyone up for spacing these out more?

8. My father doesn't really talk about anything. He does pipe up to talk about how having a confederate flag in one's office has nothing to do with one's political career, about how I did a bad job in high school swimming, and about interviews from his accounting days. Oh, and he also fell asleep during _Best Little Whorehouse of Texas_.

9. Sentences starting, "Not to sound conceited, but..." never go anywhere good.

10. When you play an iPod to drown things out, it hurts your ears.

You may wonder why I haven't gotten a room or stayed in Cville longer. I've asked myself a similar question, but I came back earlier b/c I wouldn't see my parents after the holiday. Next year, I need to show up with one of the following
1. A husband
2. A pet
3. Earplugs and the Proust box set
4. A car.
5. A room at the Hilton

Call me self centered and whiny. You're probably right.

The Primal Scene

2006-12-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

Ruling the high seas...

2006-07-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

My pirate name is:

Iron Tom Flint

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

Love it!

2006-07-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Love it!
Originally uploaded by Bigrextinct.

There are a few more pictures on Flickr from the pets. I took some really odd ones of the cat. Anyway, housesitting ends today, and then I head to DC for a few days!!