the fundamentals of fundamentalism [and impromtu socializing]

First of all: Sam Roberts. Not only is he attractive as only a scruffy indie rocker can be, but his soulful, almost blasé crooning is yummy. Check out "Them Kids," "Detroit 67", "Lions of the Kalahari" and "Brother Down."





Yesterday I was alone most of the day. I read quietly. I sipped coffee and I watched a delightful movie named "Latter Days."



The acting is not the best [as you saw from the trailer], but then again it's not distracting either. The story raises the thorny issue of religious belief and modern romance in a way that was meaningful to me. The situations and the story line ring true to life. I felt like they represented the conflicting loyalties and pain that a gay man raised in a deeply religious, deeply homophobic environment experiences... *wink.

Perhaps it was the cute guys, perhaps the happy ending after an appropriate amount of suffering and angst... I don't know, as far as "gay" movies go, I'd recommend it.

If I had to choose between my homophobic family and the love of a lifetime with a gorgeous, sweet guy... it wouldn't be much of a choice. Thank God, my parents didn't reject me; though things were pretty intense there for about a year.

I suppose what I would shout out to all the gay young people in Baptist churches, Mormon churches, Muslim mosques, Orthodox Jewish synagogues: Please, reach out and embrace a life free of the fundamentalism and hatred that surrounds you. To do so is not to reject your faith but to enrich it.

Honestly, I don't think I ever could love God and desire intimacy with him until I got it through my head that he loves me just the way I am and wants me to enjoy human love. I don't think I ever understood what it meant to be a good person until I stopped equating virtue with conformity to a conservative social vision. It'll be hard; I'm not denying it, but this is your life! Embrace integrity! Embrace love!

Though my darling cat Gracie is lovely company [she's a compulsive biscuit maker], I eventually fled the house to go read and have a few quiet beers at O'Bannon's. Little did I know that I would encounter the vet school crowd and find myself dancing on the speakers at V Bar. Upon return to O'Bannon's, the place was packed out - I ended up meeting up with the lovely choir ladies and Ms. Coleman and the night was off... !

Next thing I know, I'm helping Brian and Luther pick up glasses because the tables were a forest of glass and nasty. I hope I helped and didn't just get in their way. Flip flops not being the most appropriate footwear for busing tables, I did manage to cut my heel; the blood elicited a bear guffaw from Brian, a gesture of caring that totally made my night.

So, in honor of the fact that God is neither homophobic nor keeping a heavenly checklist of my acts of devotion, I am electing to skip church and relax this morning.