I Hate My Life

I don't like to whine, but right now, things suck. I have no one to talk to, I am broke, and I feel a real pisser of a depression coming on.

Can I sleep until things get better?

Free Film Festival Tonight/Tomorrow

QUE(E)RYING RELIGION
A Film Festival Exploring Sexual Orientation and Religion

7 pm Friday Nov. 23 and 10 am ­- 5 pm Saturday Nov. 24
Room 204, Academic South, Brock University

Opening Reception Friday Nov. 23, 6 pm

Sponsors: Brock Ecumenical Chaplaincy, Brock Pride, OutNiagara, TransParent, Sociology, MA in Social Justice, Tecumseh Centre, Faculty of Humanities, Communications, Popular Culture and Film Studies, OPIRG, others


PROPOSED FILMS

The Business of Fancydancing
Friday, 7 pm followed by panel discussion at 9pm
Drama, Indie Dramas, Independent ­ 103 mins, ­ 2002
Shot on digital video and taking its title from his 1992 book of poetry, Sherman Alexie's The Business of Fancydancing is a portrait of the conflicted relationship between two Native American men. Aristotle Joseph (Gene Tagaban)and Seymour Polatkin (Evan Adams) had long been best friends by the time they left their Spokane reservation to attend college in Seattle. But while Seymour flourished in Seattle as a gay writer, Aristotle endured nothing but bad luck that led to growing resentment, both against white society and his best friend. Although Aristotle returned to the reservation, Seymour remained in Seattle. Now, 15 years later, the sudden death of their mutual childhood friend brings Seymour back to the reservation -- without his white boyfriend -- where he must cope with his status as the de facto mouthpiece for his people and his estranged relationship with both Aristotle, who seems to be growing more violent by the day, and also Agnes (Michelle St. John), his one-time college girlfriend. The Business of Fancydancing was screened at the 2002 Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide

Chutney Popcorn
Saturday, Nov. 214, 10:00 a.m.
Gay & Lesbian, G&L Comedies, Comedy ­ 93 mins, 1999
The push and pull of familial bonds and clashing cultures sets the stage for the comic drama Chutney Popcorn. Renna is a young woman of Indian descent living in New York, where she works as both a photographer and a body artist who creates henna tattoos. Renna is also a lesbian, which does not please her mother, Meenu(Madhur Jaffrey), who prefers to dote on her more traditionally minded (and happily married)daughter Sarita (Sakina Jeffrey). One day, Renna gets some bad news from Sarita: While she and her husband have been trying to have a baby, her doctor has informed that her she is infertile and will never bear a child of her own. Renna volunteers to serve as surrogate mother for Sarita; she wants to help her sister and hopes this will smooth some of the rough spots in her relationship with her mother. But Renna starts to have second thoughts, as her lover Lisa(Jill Hennessy) feels left out of the loop, and Meenu thinks both Renna and Sarita are making a mistake. Nisha Ganatra co-wrote and directed Chutney Popcorn and also plays Renna; the film was enthusiastically received in its screening at
the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

When Night is Falling
Saturday 1:00 pm
Drama, Canadian, G&L Dramas ­ 94 mins, ­ 1995
Camille, a professor at a Protestant College,is engaged to Martin, a sympathetic minister and fellow professor. As "career Christians" they are urged to get married and to become co-chaplains of the New College of Faith. But Camille is vaguely unhappy with Martin and her life, and when her beloved dog dies suddenly, she begins to lose her grip. On the same day, in a Laundromat, Camille meets Petra, a flamboyant circus performer, and is inexplicably attracted to her, Petra flirts brazenly with Camille. She draws her into the seductive world of the "modern-primitive" circus. The two become friends, then more. For the first time in her proper and very intellectual life, Camille's desire comes rushing forward. She is shocked to find that she is infatuated with Petra. Soon, she believes that she is in love. But all is not well with the circus. Hounded by creditors, the circus must leave town, threatening to tear the new lovers apart. Meanwhile, part of Camille is still deeply attached to Martin, as he is to her. Terrified at the prospect of radical change, Camille is compelled to make a choice between the woman she wants and a man that she has loved.

Trembling Before G-D
3 pm Saturday Nov. 24 with panel discussion
Gay & Lesbian, G&L Dramas, G&L Romance ­ 84 mins, 2001
Director Sandi Simcha DuBowski makes his feature-length film debut with the documentary Trembling Before G-d, a look at gays and lesbians in Hasidic and Orthodox Judaism. Made over several years in New York, California,Israel, Britain, and Florida, the film follows the lives of several people struggling to express both their faith and their sexuality. In L.A., pianist David is an Orthodox gay man who has been through over ten years of therapy to supposedly "cure" his homosexuality. He visits the Chabad rabbi whom he first came out to over 20 years before. Michelle is a Hasidic lesbian who lives in Brooklyn. Having married only to please her family, she's been ostracized from her community ever since the divorce. Also in Brooklyn, Israel is a gay man who's abandoned much of his Hasidic life and hasn't seen his father in over 20 years. In London, twentysomething Mark is a the son of an Orthodox rabbi. He came out during a trip to Israel, which was supposed to rid him of his sexual questioning. Some participants prefer to remain anonymous or at least slightly obscured, including a lesbian couple who met in Hebrew school and an ultra-Orthodox closeted lesbian. The film also features some footage with various doctors and religious leaders, including the progressive psychotherapist Shlomo Ashkinazy and the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, Steve Greenberg. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

argh

I don't really have to go out in THAT do it? Environment Canada has the nerve to call this a "light snow"... sounds like a magical freaking kingdom compared to how it really looks out there.

ugh.

waiting...

It seems that the last month of my life has been spent waiting for Canada Post, and I am giving up hope that the last thing will come today. Rats. Tomorrow...

Surprize!

Found out this morning that I am holding down the fort on the class I TA for tonight - the prof is sick or in California or something, I guess. So I will be using his Power Point on Blade Runner (1982) and apocalyptic literature... hmmm. Not exactly the way I had envisioned spending my afternoon, but I decided to give it a whirl.

We shall see what we shall see.

A Few New Additions to the Collection

Well, I finally got my Visa situation taken care of, so I manged to send off for some DVDs I was in need of for my dissertation, and a few extras, too.

I found that two of my most desired films, the original The Jazz Singer (1927) and the wonderful Crossing Delancey (1988), were finally out on DVD, so I snapped those up immediately. Also, I found the Canadian film Double Happiness (1994), a solid intermarriage-related film about a Chinese-Canadian girl and her traditional family, was on sale with another of my favourites, the surprizing New Waterford Girl (1999), so I grabbed both of those, as well. I also ordered the last copy in Ontario of Trembling Before G-d (2001), a film I have to speak on at Brock next week, but it has yet to arrive.

However, one film I had been meaning to get forever was likely the most necessary purchase, as it is sort of a key film for my research. It's not a great film, but likely one of the most overt pieces on Jewish-Gentile romance to come out in a long time. As I say, not great, but ok - Keeping the Faith (2000), which I used to have on VHS before someone ran off with it.

However, I must warn you - the only way I could get this film is in a budget double feature DVD with one of the most heinous pieces of cinematic horror I've seen in a long time, the travesty that is The Preacher's Wife (1996).

This movie was so horrible that I still cannot believe it was made by people actually trained in the making of movies. It still makes me cringe, thinking about it. I got the budget DVD thinking that it wouldn't hurt to have another film about the clergy, or about religion/spirituality, but now I actually regret having it in my collection at all. I might have to cross out the title on the spine of the DVD packaging, lest people think I own it of my enjoyment of the atrocity. Avoid at all costs, people. Dreadful.

So, now I am actually writing again with some purpose, and hope to have a chapter done by the end of the month. I quake in my boots -- talking about your dissertation in the "some day" sense is so much less daunting than actually putting stuff on paper. Yikes. Wish me luck.

Holding My Breath, Inspite of Myself

Today, Murph mails off the immigration package that seals our fate. It is the culmination of a long, long process - on our end, anyway. Now is where the Canadian government takes over.

Let's just hope the guy on the other end of the mail at least likes his wife. Or was visited by three spirits last night.

Wish us all luck!

Busy, Busy, Busy

It has been a blur since the last time I posted, and again today. I teach and proctor all day, basically. I have a tale of woe for you, too, when I get a moment, but maybe by the time I relay it the resolution will be in sight.

Still chugging. So that's something, eh?

Is This Why People Came from the Old Country?

Just a quick post, as the power is a bit sketchy today. Also, it seems we have no water. Either it's a construction day in my building, or I woke up without reason in the third world.

F*ck Mondays.

Remember

One is the Loneliest Number

Stuck on campus, waiting to go to hear a Holocaust survivor talk tonight. Really, though, when you are already bummed out, the prospect of such an event is kind of less than appealing. With luck, I'll get home tonight without throwing myself under a bus.

Things aren't too bad, really - but campus by yourself is hell. Groups of giggling tarts and guffawing jocks have a way of sucking the sparkle out of life, and WLU has an abundance of both varieties of chuckle-heads. The exam I was proctoring finished an hour early (screwing me out of $11); now I am stuck waiting until 7.30 with little purpose, so I can go and hear a talk that, although interesting (surely), is also likely to make my mood plummet even further.

There better be ice cream and something bright for me to watch when I get home... Otherwise, I think I feel a crying jag coming on.

In Other News...

So the Hollywood writers are out on strike for sure now. Oh dear - what to do? I wonder, with the crap that fudge factory has been producing for the past little while, will any of us notice if they replaced the current staff with chimps? Chances are, it will be better, or at least different.

Bring on Bonzo!

Banking Error in My Favour

Well, there was a mix-up, and my purloined Visa debacle has yet to be resolved. It seems my new Visa, which I had been told would get to me by October 25th at the latest, was never mailed out for some reason, making me have to haul my butt in person to pay bills this week - time I really can't afford.

However, the Visa people were so contrite, I am getting a $50 gift certificate from HBC. Normally, I would have no real idea what to do with $50 at Zellers, but with a baby on the way, I don't think it'll be difficult to use up.

So, all's well that sort-of-ends-well, I guess.

Andrew and Amanda's "Jack and Jill"

I hate women-only functions, so last night we had a new-fangled thing called a "Jack and Jill" (only for a baby, not a wedding) for our friends Amanda and Andrew, who are expecting their first little one (don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet - they are patient people!) in late December.

Mostly, it was just a potluck and chat session, and we finally got the entire 2005-2009 PhD cohort to show up to an event. We managed to get a picture together, for the first time!

It was a good time - Best wishes to Andrew and Amanda, and their little one!

Expectant Mommy, Amanda, loading up at the buffet.

For the party, we went for the "baby bath tub filled with goodies" approach - which is a fine way to go, especially if you don't know what the couple already has purchased by way of large ticket items.
The little tiger fellow up top was clearly the hit of the party!

The 2005-09 UW-WLU PhD in Religion cohort, only known group photo in existence.
Left to right: Expectant Daddy, Andrew; me (looking a mite pregnant myself); Sio; Margie; Mitra; Chris. Margie's husband Mike, Chris's wife Jenn and, of course, Andrew's wife Amanda were also out last night.

(Thanks to Margie for hosting! A good time was had by all.)

Sooo Early

Off to Brock to deliver my paper, which isn't half bad, really.

Wish me luck!

Tick Tock

Conference tomorrow - under the gun. What else is new?