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Next Heather Shaw Anyway, I took a
shower, ate some breakfast and sat down for three hours to finally get
down a draft of that Octavia Butler article I'm writing. I've been very
excited about my topic, and I spent at least 8 hours last weekend thinking
about how I wanted to say what I wanted to say. I've done a little
research into what's been written on Butler, and it all seems to focus on
obvious stuff like Utopia/Dystopia and the WAY overdone black
heroine/black science fiction writer slant. I hope what I'm about to say
doesn't sound racist, but I think it's almost a disservice to keep
pointing out that Butler's characters are black, that she's black, that
she deals with black issues. Yes, this is all true, but to simply state
that and stop there is missing the depth of her writing. Butler tells
good stories with unique characters. And while her strong female
characters are always black women, certainly all women will be able to
relate to their struggles, their dreams, their achievements. And
hopefully even white men can get something out of these stories. I dunno,
it's probably not worth my sarcasm, but I just noticed that most critical
essays like to focus on race, and that just seems an overdone route by
now. So I found something new. No, I'm not telling what it is. The
article will be up by a week from tomorrow and you can all go read it and
see what you think. Unfortunately, the article itself is full of
spoilers, so if you haven't read almost everything Butler has written, I'm
likely to spoil several good bits for you. But David said it should get
people interested in reading more Butler, which is a good thing,
too. So, after completing a very rough 2500 article, I headed over to
David's where we made goulash together. I love cooking, but only when I
have time. And if you add a good friend to keep my company and help with
the cooking, I'm very content. It's a very warm fuzzy feeling,
y'know? After dinner we turned down the lights and settled in for a full
run through of the Dune miniseries. David had taped it last week and took
out all the commercials, and it was such a treat to immerse ourselves in
that story for so long. What excellent cinematography! What an honest
depiction of the script. What groovy special effects! I think I might
have to make watching this version of Dune a yearly event; it was pure
eye-candy, and the sensual bits that came around every so often drove me
nuts. I can't remember the last time a film had such a strong effect on
me. Today wasn't quite the amazing day Friday or Saturday were, but that
just helps me ease back into the work week. I got up early and went
shopping. In the parking lot I met a nice man who wanted my number, and
for some reason I gave it to him. I don't know why I do this now and
then. I guess it was just that as I pulled up I thought to myself, he
seems nice, and then he struck up a conversation and wanted my
number. Ok, so maybe we'll do coffee, even though I'd feel guilty since
there are many other people I know better with whom I've promised to do
coffee. I told this guy not too expect too much from me, that I was only
intersted in friendship. Hopefully if he wants more, he won't
call. Anyhow, I'm about to go eat and watch the Simpsons with David, but
I thought I'd fill in the weekend. I know my entries during the week are
lame; I'm just so tired and busy! Perhaps I should work on a
more
public persona, not let you guys see who I really am all the time. I'm
pretty sure I couldn't pull off sweetness and light
(and
make anyone at all believe it), but I'd like to at least get my confident
persona back on firmly. I've forgotten about my edge, I've been wallowing
down in the depths for too long. I've forgotten how I used to want to
wear low-cut shirts and flirt - hell, I've forgotten how to flirt at all,
really! But I can get all that back. Someone at the party Friday night
said that my antisocialness of late may be because I'm growing up - we all
do things as kids that we wouldn't do as adults. And that scared me,
because, you know what? I don't want to be that adult. I still want to
be brave. And feisty. And confident. I want to walk with that swing to
my hips again and not worry about my cleavage showing at inappropriate
times. I want to be confident, not mousy.
Woman: An Intimate
Geography by Natalie Angier
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Sunday December 10th -
Walk Tall and Swing those Hips
My new PO Box is:
P.O. Box
13222
Berkeley, CA 94712-4222
Well, it was a pretty good weekend. And after the mirth from Friday night, the rest of it could've been
a real let-down. Saturday I woke up all snuggly, warm and happy from my
Buffy dream. I forgot to tell you guys the best part of that dream - as
Buffy, I chose not Riley, but Spike to make out with. Very hot. And
while I can remember the last time I was kissed that well, I can't
remember the last time I was kissed like that with someone new and
different. Spike's a good kisser, vamp teeth and all. Exercise log:
I don't really exercise much on the weekends.
Writing log:
Finished the first draft of my article on Octavia Butler for Strange Horizons.
I'm currently
reading:
Margaret and I by Kate WilhelmPrevious
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