Letter from Nanook
That's me. Well, that's not me really, but I am inverted. We all are. That wonderful phenom of living in a more or less sealed valley here in Utah in winter time. Inversion! The ski resorts 20 mins away are at 50° and they are 4,000 higher than the city and we are hitting 30° as a day-time high and thinking it balmy. It was 5°F the other night. I took a drive up to Park City today, just to see the sun and get some warmth on me. I was wearing my ski jacket and woolly socks, but it felt good to emerge from troglodyte city and see blue sky. Course, the drive back was like when the plane is landing bringing you back from vacation.. a sinking feeling that you have another reality to get back to. I was unable to take a shot of what it looked like (or anything else really) as I left my camera behind. But this shows a pic of what it is like driving back into the valley. Remember that movie, Never Ending Story? The "Nothing"?.. No Joke.
Yeah, I know, other's have it colder... but this hazy, foggy soup is worse than burning in the fires of hell. At least there I would be warm. I'd probably know a lot of people too, parties, luau's, boat trips on the lake of brimstone, and the debauchery.3 more months of this. OK, done whining.
In other news today...
I had 10 people for dinner last night. On reading that sentence it makes me think of Hannibal Lecter. So I will clarify, neither did I "have" anyone for dinner, and I didn't "have" anyone either (art ref). Mores the pity in one case, but that's another story for another time.
OK, second attempt, Dinner, 10 guys. Two different meals, four desserts, lots of drinks and a movie to end it all with (V for Vendetta). It's the first time I've been 'social' in a good few months and got to play host. It was good to catch up, see smiling faces and feel like they all had a good time. Doing good is generally a selfish thing, we do it to feel good or better about ourselves. More thoughts on that later in the week maybe.
The question of porn came up, specifically 'underage porn'. I was piqued by the absolute reactions of some around the table, condemnation and 'not even a question'. While others were quiet and then the question was asked. "Who has looked at a girl or guy (it was a mixed group) in that way and then found out they were 17? The inevitable "if there's turf on the field you can play" comments came out along with the stalwart, "It's all wrong, obey the law" perspectives. The consensus was that at 17 years old and 363 days old you aren't somehow innocent and then two days later, more likely to become 'adult'. So the cutoff point is arbitrary and taken 'as is'. The givens of life provide safety in certain circumstances and confusion in others.
As to what happens to our common acquaintance remains to be seen, he had a rather high profile job in the community and also is a highly visible member of a club that several of us belong to. The ramifications will be minimal for that organization, but it is still an eye-opener to think about in terms of who we sit next to in meetings and never know.
While the details of just what he was looking at remain a mystery (someone lying about their age and posting dick pics on MySpace or truly horrific material) the situation makes me think about how we are policing ourselves through societal norms. No point to my ramble really, just thinking.
On reading that last paragraph I suppose the difference on the hypothetical 17 year old on MySpace is, he would have posted his own picture. So maybe it's a matter of volition, paralleling the notion of consensual action between adults.
I had sex with a guy when I was 16. He was 24. I wanted to, so did he... it was good. Was it wrong on his part? If I was 30 and he was 38 it wouldn't be seen so controversial, so what exactly changes? I am not advocating eradicating the "age of consent", or saying underage sex is OK, and I'm certainly not supporting porn that is sickening, but such a gray area is one of those givens that we live with and, thankfully, never have to deal with.
As for now, I like my men like meat, seasoned, cooked well but not all leathery on the outside. Youngsters are like sugar wafers, mouth food, no lasting nutrition though. OK, enough with the (lame) food analogies.
Enough heavy stuff...
Answers on a postcard to...
This week's competition is a simple write-in question and answer. I ask the question, you answer...
Which is the bigger flame? You decide!
Queer as a Kangaroo in a tutu
Experience has taught me that nothing quells emotional, antagonistic conversations or statements from people like cool, solid facts. I read this article and stored a few of the points in my head.
Demonstrations of same gender pairing and attractions in the animal kingdom (excluding humans) is a field of study that many scientists have shied away from. Recently Ricky Gervais, the British comedian and star of the UK version of "The Office", made it a point to talk about the subject in his "Lecture" (see below). While Religionists and fanatics satisfy their unquenchable need to be right through promoting ideas of existence that are simply not authentic, there are some people trying to find that calm place of truth where everything can just live, calmly, in whatever way it wants to. The article in LiveScience defintely deserves a read and a mention to anyone else who may get a flicker of thought out of it.
Experience has taught me that nothing quells emotional, antagonistic conversations or statements from people like cool, solid facts. I read this article and stored a few of the points in my head.
Demonstrations of same gender pairing and attractions in the animal kingdom (excluding humans) is a field of study that many scientists have shied away from. Recently Ricky Gervais, the British comedian and star of the UK version of "The Office", made it a point to talk about the subject in his "Lecture" (see below). While Religionists and fanatics satisfy their unquenchable need to be right through promoting ideas of existence that are simply not authentic, there are some people trying to find that calm place of truth where everything can just live, calmly, in whatever way it wants to. The article in LiveScience defintely deserves a read and a mention to anyone else who may get a flicker of thought out of it.