Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Do We Really Need To Find The Gay Gene?
Since June 1 I have been reading a lot of things online searching for something to post each day during pride month. The talk about whether or not there is a gay gene is still a big part of the debate about gays. I am not convinced that we need to prove that this gay gene exists. The anti-gay people out there will not except this or any other reason for the existence of gays no matter what. Haven't you been listening to them rant and rave and about all the reasons they have for protesting, hating and comdemning us. None of them actually make sense - it is all just ignorant hot air. I really don't need for this to be proven - I know I am gay, it is just who I am and I don't think it will make me feel better than I already do about being a gay man. Perhaps proof that being gay is part of our genetic make up will quiet a few doubters and thus help our fight to equal rights, then maybe finding it would be a good thing. But for my own personal vote I don't need the validation.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Gay Means Homosexual?!?!?
I came across quite a few articles about how the word gay came to mean homosexual and these articles caught my eye. To be totally honest I never even wondered about this. Without reading these articles at first I thought about how this came to be. So first I looked at the definition of gay.
I was hard pressed to find any entry that didn't include sexual orientation. So I added the about definition I found but left off the homosexual part. Just looking at the definition didn't say this word should be used to describe same sex attraction. So I was puzzled about how we commandeered this word for our own - that lead me to read the articles. Instead of writing about what was in the articles
I think I will just list some of them and let you read them yourselves.
How did "gay" come to mean "homosexual"?
How ‘Gay’ Came to Mean ‘Homosexual’
How did the word gay come to mean homosexual?
1gay adjective \'gā\ 1 a : happily excited : merryb : keenly alive and exuberant : having or inducing high spirits 2 a : bright, lively b : brilliant in color 3 : given to social pleasures; also : licentious
I was hard pressed to find any entry that didn't include sexual orientation. So I added the about definition I found but left off the homosexual part. Just looking at the definition didn't say this word should be used to describe same sex attraction. So I was puzzled about how we commandeered this word for our own - that lead me to read the articles. Instead of writing about what was in the articles
I think I will just list some of them and let you read them yourselves.
How did "gay" come to mean "homosexual"?
How ‘Gay’ Came to Mean ‘Homosexual’
How did the word gay come to mean homosexual?
Dorothy Stewart Trail
The following trail description is from Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area Sixth Edition Expanded and Revised by the Northern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club. This is my favorite hiking guide. It looks as though they have a seventh edition out now. If you spend time hiking in the Santa Fe area I strongly recommend you get this book.
"A short, easily accessible and very pleasant hike on the east side that affords great views of the Santa Fe landscape."
Roundtrip Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 1 to 2 hours
Elevation Range: 7320-7550; total gain 440 feet
Rating: Easy
» My thoughts on the above - the distance is accurate from the trailhead, around the entire loop and back to the trailhead. The time is pretty good (it took me 1 hour and 15 minutes with a 10 minute break at each of the two benches). I am not sure about the elevation range because 7320 to 7550 is only 230 feet. I am not sure how they figure the elevation gain but it isn't bad. This is an easy hike.
Here are a couple of links about the trail that you might like to check out . . .
Hike: The Dorothy Stewart Trail
Dorothy Stewart Trail Map
This hike is an easy hike and it is easily accessible and that makes it a great hike for when you don't have a lot of time but want to get out and see some great views of the Santa Fe area. The only problem here is that there is only room for about four cars at the trailhead. This is located about a mile from St. John's college on Camino Cruz Blanca. If the parking is full then you have to park at St. John's and make the almost one mile walk to the trailhead as there is no parking along the street.
I was lucky today and the parking area was empty so I got a great parking spot. I grabbed my water and camera and hit the trail right at 1:00pm.
The trail begins going down right away and pretty much continues that way until you get to a little wash (the book calls it Arroyo Mora, although I have never seen a sign). I walked for about 20 minutes and reached a sign for the Dorothy Stewart trail and then just a few minutes later I reached the wash. From here the trail gradually goes uphill, it isn't hard, you just know you are climbing. I took breaks along the way to take some pictures of the great views and I was also happy to see some cactus blooms as well. I reached the split in the trail (this is marked by a rock cairn next to a small pine? tree) that starts the loop at 1:30pm and decided to head left (I did this for no particular reason) and continued on the trail.
About 10 minutes later I arrived at the first bench. The bench is made from a build up of rocks with small logs going across for the seat. The view from this bench is wonderful so I took a few minutes to sit and enjoy it. Continuing along for a few more minutes brought me to the junction (Junction 33) with the Dale Ball South Trails. I passed this and continued to the second bench which is only a few minutes walk from here. Again I took a break and enjoyed the views of Picacho Peak and Atalaya. I left the bench at about 1:45pm and was back at the split at 1:55pm. From here you head back on the same trail you took from the parking area. It is downhill at first until you get to the wash and then the last part is uphill to your car. I made it back at 2:15pm. It was a great hike for a very warm summer day. I was happy that the weather was good and got to enjoy the beautiful blue skies.
"A short, easily accessible and very pleasant hike on the east side that affords great views of the Santa Fe landscape."
Roundtrip Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 1 to 2 hours
Elevation Range: 7320-7550; total gain 440 feet
Rating: Easy
» My thoughts on the above - the distance is accurate from the trailhead, around the entire loop and back to the trailhead. The time is pretty good (it took me 1 hour and 15 minutes with a 10 minute break at each of the two benches). I am not sure about the elevation range because 7320 to 7550 is only 230 feet. I am not sure how they figure the elevation gain but it isn't bad. This is an easy hike.
Here are a couple of links about the trail that you might like to check out . . .
Hike: The Dorothy Stewart Trail
Dorothy Stewart Trail Map
This hike is an easy hike and it is easily accessible and that makes it a great hike for when you don't have a lot of time but want to get out and see some great views of the Santa Fe area. The only problem here is that there is only room for about four cars at the trailhead. This is located about a mile from St. John's college on Camino Cruz Blanca. If the parking is full then you have to park at St. John's and make the almost one mile walk to the trailhead as there is no parking along the street.
I was lucky today and the parking area was empty so I got a great parking spot. I grabbed my water and camera and hit the trail right at 1:00pm.
 |
| Trail Split |
 |
| One of the two benches on the trail. |
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Fun and Silly Gay Things
Here are a few silly things I found online while searching for gay related topics. These are all supposed to be fun and not taken seriously. I hope you enjoy.
A Brief Glossary of Homosexual Terminology - This page lists some of the endearing terminology male homosexuals use or have used to refer to their diverse sexual practices. Not all terms are currently in vogue. See also the comment following the list.
The Gay Quiz - Are you Gay? It's a question for the ages. The Gay Quiz you are about to take will test your level or gayness and the gaydar system will, in a fun and entertaining way, give you your results.
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Drag Queen Name Generator - Find out what your Drag Queen name would be if you were a Drag Queen with our Drag Queen Name Generator.
How good is your gaydar? - Find out who is gay. Some questions are obvious, others take some thinking. Please do not take this quiz seriously!
Gay Operation - Put on your latex gloves and prepare to operate! It is up to you, Doctor, to remove a medley of foreign objects from your gay patient's buttocks! But don't touch the sides! And watch out for those evil dingleberries! Each successful operation gets you one more color of the gay rainbow and one step closer to a happy ending. A very happy ending.
A Brief Glossary of Homosexual Terminology - This page lists some of the endearing terminology male homosexuals use or have used to refer to their diverse sexual practices. Not all terms are currently in vogue. See also the comment following the list.
The Gay Quiz - Are you Gay? It's a question for the ages. The Gay Quiz you are about to take will test your level or gayness and the gaydar system will, in a fun and entertaining way, give you your results.
.jpg)
Drag Queen Name Generator - Find out what your Drag Queen name would be if you were a Drag Queen with our Drag Queen Name Generator.
How good is your gaydar? - Find out who is gay. Some questions are obvious, others take some thinking. Please do not take this quiz seriously!
Gay Operation - Put on your latex gloves and prepare to operate! It is up to you, Doctor, to remove a medley of foreign objects from your gay patient's buttocks! But don't touch the sides! And watch out for those evil dingleberries! Each successful operation gets you one more color of the gay rainbow and one step closer to a happy ending. A very happy ending.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
My Favorite Gay Movies
Since it is gay pride month I have been watching some of my favorite gay movies. While I was watching one tonight I decided to make a list - these are ones I have watched numerous times. They are in no particular order.
The Birdcage - Armand Goldman owns a popular drag nightclub in South Miami Beach. His long-time lover Albert stars there as Starina. "Their" son Val (actually Armand's by his one heterosexual fling, twenty years before) comes home to announce his engagement to Barbara Keely, daughter of Kevin Keely, US Senator, and vice president of the Committee for Moral Order. The Senator and family descend upon South Beach to meet Val and his father and "mother..." and what ensues is comic chaos.
Latter Days - Aaron Davis and Christian Markelli are the two most opposite people in the world. Aaron is a young Elder (or a Mormon missionary) who wants to do his family proud and is quite passionate about his religion and film. Christian is a shallow WeHo waiter/party boy who only looks forward to bedding a new guy every night. After Aaron and three other missionaries move into the apartment across from Christian, his friends bet him $50 that he can't get one of them to jump into the sack, so he instantly latches onto Aaron. There are two problems, though - Christian is falling in love with Aaron and the Mormons are not the biggest fans of the homosexual community. Once Aaron is discovered, the two have to go through trials of regret, loss, perseverance, and forgiveness if they both want to get to the thing that matters to them most: each other.
Brokeback Mountain - A raw, powerful story of two young men, a Wyoming ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 sheepherding in the harsh, high grasslands of contemporary Wyoming and form an unorthodox yet life-long bond--by turns ecstatic, bitter and conflicted.
Big Eden - Big Eden is a tiny fictional town in northwestern Montana, as Preston Sturges or Frank Capra might have envisioned it. Timber and Cowboy country. This is the story of Henry Hart, a successful New York Artist, who returns to the town of his childhood to care for the ailing grandfather who raised him. Back in Big Eden, Henry must come to terms with his relationship to Dean Stewart, his best friend from high School, as well as the object of his unrequited love. All these years Henry has been pining for a dream image of Dean from back then. This is also the story of Pike Dexter, the shy, unassuming Native American owner of the town's general store, who is as surprised as anyone to find himself falling in love with Henry. The people of Big Eden conspire and attempt to bring Henry and Pike together.
It's in the Water - In the small southern town of Azalea Springs, the country club set still rules. Here, being a member of "The League" is a must, big hair is still favored by the ladies who lunch, and only hair-dressers and interior designers are supposed to be gay. The addition of an AIDS facility in Azalea Springs has The League unsettled. And the announcement that their charity work will include contact with "those people" leaves them stunned. But the real frenzy begins with a drunken comment regarding the local drinking water. Rumor has it that the water is contaminated with something that actually "turns" people gay. Mix in Brother Daniel's "Homo-No-Mo" meetings, the local newspaper, and a group of rabid homophobic picketers, and you've got a recipe for panic. Heads reel. Women weep. Mothers, hide your children! In the midst of it all, we find Alex Stratton, a young woman dealing with a distant husband, an overbearing mother, and the tedium of meaningless society chatter and endless shoe critics.
The Wedding Banquet - Simon and Wei-Tung are a gay couple living together in Manhattan. To defer the suspicions of Wei-Tung's parents, Simon suggests a marriage of convenience between Wei-Tung and Wei-Wei, an immigrant in need of a green card. When Wei-Tung's parents come to America for the wedding, they insist upon an elaborate banquet, resulting in several complications.
I Think I Do - Screwball comedy with a modern twist; instead of Kate Hepburn and Cary Grant, it's Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. Two college roommates (victims of a mutually unrequited love) meet up again five years after school at their housemate's wedding. With the introduction of a Bellamy-esque soap star, the sparks, sexual and verbal, start to fly, as the ex-roommates try to navigate their new romance.
Beautiful Thing - A tender love story set during a hot summer on a South-East London housing estate. Jamie, a relatively unpopular lad who bunks off school to avoid football, lives next door to Ste, a more popular athletic lad but who is frequently beaten up by his father and older brother. Such an episode of violence brings Jamie and Ste together: Sandra (Jamie's mum) offers refugee to Ste, who has to 'top-and-tail' with Jamie. Hence, the story tells of their growing attraction for one another, from initial lingering glances to their irrefutable love, which so magnificently illustrated at the end of the film. In deals with the tribulations of coming to terms with their sexuality and of others finding out, in light of Sandra's unwavering loyalty and defence of Jamie and the fear of repercussion should Ste's family find out. The plot is set against sub-texts of Sandra's desire to manage her own pub, and thus escape the estate, and of her new relationship with her hippy boyfriend Tony; and of Leah, the brassy girl next door who has been expelled from school and spends her time listening to Mama Cass records and tripping on a variety of drugs.
Bent - Max is gay and as such is sent to Dachau concentration camp under the Nazi regime. He tries to deny he is gay and gets a yellow label (the one for Jews) instead of pink (the one for gays). In camp he falls in love with his fellow prisoner Horst, who wears his pink label with pride.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - Two drag-queens (Anthony/Mitzi and Adam/Felicia) and a transexual (Bernadette) contract to perform a drag show at a resort in Alice Springs, a resort town in the remote Australian desert. They head west from Sydney aboard their lavender bus, Priscilla. En route, it is discovered that the woman they've contracted with is Anthony's wife. Their bus breaks down, and is repaired by Bob, who travels on with them.
Milk - Using flashbacks from a statement recorded late in life and archival footage for atmosphere, this film traces Harvey Milk's career from his 40th birthday to his death. He leaves the closet and New York, opens a camera shop that becomes the salon for San Francisco's growing gay community, and organizes gays' purchasing power to build political alliances. He runs for office with lover Scott Smith as his campaign manager. Victory finally comes on the same day Dan White wins in the city's conservative district. The rest of the film sketches Milk's relationship with White and the 1978 fight against a statewide initiative to bar gays and their supporters from public school jobs.
My Beautiful Laundrette - Much of the Pakistani Hussein family has settled in London, striving for the riches promised by Thatcherism. Nasser and his right hand man, Salim, have a number of small businesses and they do whatever they need to make money, even if the activities are illegal. As such, Nasser and his immediate family live more than a comfortable lifestyle, and he flaunts his riches whenever he can. Meanwhile, his brother, alcoholic Ali, once a famous journalist in Pakistan, lives in a seedy flat with his son, Omar. Ali's life in London is not as lucrative in part because of his left leaning politics, which does not mesh with the ideals of Thatcherism. To help his brother, Nasser gives Omar a job doing menial labor. But Omar, with bigger plans, talks Nasser into letting him manage Nasser's run down laundrette. Omar seizes what he sees as an opportunity to make the laundrette a success, and employs an old friend, Johnny - who has been most recently running around with a gang of white punks - to help him. Johnny and Omar have a special relationship, but one that has gone through its ups and downs, the downs fostered by anti-immigration sentiments of white England. Omar and Johnny each have to evaluate if their ideals of success are worth it at all cost.
In & Out - A high school English teacher is outed as a gay man by a former student while accepting an Academy Award. Comedy ensues in the teacher's private life and small town where he teaches. Story rumored to be loosely based upon Tom Hanks acceptance speech when receiving his Academy Award for "Philadelphia".
It's My Party - "You won't leave me, will you?" Nick asks Brandon shortly after revealing to him the results of his last blood test for HIV. "I don't want to die alone." In spite of Brandon's protestations, the two soon find the love they had shared for many years in ruins. One year after their breakup, Nick is confronted with a ravaged immune system and a CT Scan and lab values which, along with his worsening forgetfulness, clenches the diagnosis of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) -- a condition he has seen claim his friends and one which he vows will not take him. Due to the aggressive nature of the disease, he has only a few days of conscious life remaining. His plan, he announces to family and "extended family," is to voluntarily end his life himself before the disease renders him unrecognizable to those he loves and he, in turn, is unable to recognize them. Uninvited to the farewell party, Brandon's presence is greeted with jeers from those who see him as having abandoned Nick is his time of greatest need.
Yossi & Jagger - A sociological study of two men in the Israeli army who are lovers. The others in the unit react to their situation, suspecting, but not always understanding. One will leave the military soon, a few months away, as a snowy and desolute outpost is guarded from attack.
Trick - Gabriel, an aspiring writer of Broadway musicals, meets Mark, a muscled stripper, who picks him up on the subway. They spend the night trying to find somewhere to be alone... forced to contend with Gabriel's selfish roommate, his irritating best friend, and a vicious, jealous drag queen in a gay dance club. The sun rises on a promising new relationship.
Stonewall - Who could have guessed that a bunch of men in dresses would breath life into the movement to win equal rights for gay men and lesbians? Certainly not the police who raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular "drag" bar in Greenwich Village. After a long history of police raids, extortion, and brutality, a gaggle of drag queens at the Stonewall decide they have had enough and begin to riot when the police try to load them into a paddy wagon. Told by "La Miranda" (Hector), a regular customer at the Stonewall Inn, the film is a recounting of events that led up to that fateful day in 1969. "Matty Dean" is the handsome angry young man that La Miranda meets at the Stonewall one day and with whom she/he quickly falls in love. "Bostonia" is the self-styled Queen Mother of the drag queens and guides each initiate gently "into the life." Her lover, Vinnie, is the closeted proprietor of the Stonewall. His tragic response to the suffocation he feels bearing down on him from a homophobic world -- perhaps as much as anything else -- sparks the riots. This is the Stonewall Riots "As Told By La Miranda".
. . . and I am adding this next movie even though it isn't completely gay but it does have a couple of gay characters and I really love this movie.
Sordid Lives - We become intimate with the "Sordid Lives" of a family in a small Texas town preparing for the funeral of the mother. Among the characters are the grandson trying to find his identity in West Hollywood, the son who has spent the past twenty-three years dressed as Tammy Wynette, the sister and her best friend (who live in delightfully kitschy homes), and the two daughters (one strait-laced and one quite a bit looser).
The Birdcage - Armand Goldman owns a popular drag nightclub in South Miami Beach. His long-time lover Albert stars there as Starina. "Their" son Val (actually Armand's by his one heterosexual fling, twenty years before) comes home to announce his engagement to Barbara Keely, daughter of Kevin Keely, US Senator, and vice president of the Committee for Moral Order. The Senator and family descend upon South Beach to meet Val and his father and "mother..." and what ensues is comic chaos.
Latter Days - Aaron Davis and Christian Markelli are the two most opposite people in the world. Aaron is a young Elder (or a Mormon missionary) who wants to do his family proud and is quite passionate about his religion and film. Christian is a shallow WeHo waiter/party boy who only looks forward to bedding a new guy every night. After Aaron and three other missionaries move into the apartment across from Christian, his friends bet him $50 that he can't get one of them to jump into the sack, so he instantly latches onto Aaron. There are two problems, though - Christian is falling in love with Aaron and the Mormons are not the biggest fans of the homosexual community. Once Aaron is discovered, the two have to go through trials of regret, loss, perseverance, and forgiveness if they both want to get to the thing that matters to them most: each other.
Brokeback Mountain - A raw, powerful story of two young men, a Wyoming ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 sheepherding in the harsh, high grasslands of contemporary Wyoming and form an unorthodox yet life-long bond--by turns ecstatic, bitter and conflicted.
Big Eden - Big Eden is a tiny fictional town in northwestern Montana, as Preston Sturges or Frank Capra might have envisioned it. Timber and Cowboy country. This is the story of Henry Hart, a successful New York Artist, who returns to the town of his childhood to care for the ailing grandfather who raised him. Back in Big Eden, Henry must come to terms with his relationship to Dean Stewart, his best friend from high School, as well as the object of his unrequited love. All these years Henry has been pining for a dream image of Dean from back then. This is also the story of Pike Dexter, the shy, unassuming Native American owner of the town's general store, who is as surprised as anyone to find himself falling in love with Henry. The people of Big Eden conspire and attempt to bring Henry and Pike together.
It's in the Water - In the small southern town of Azalea Springs, the country club set still rules. Here, being a member of "The League" is a must, big hair is still favored by the ladies who lunch, and only hair-dressers and interior designers are supposed to be gay. The addition of an AIDS facility in Azalea Springs has The League unsettled. And the announcement that their charity work will include contact with "those people" leaves them stunned. But the real frenzy begins with a drunken comment regarding the local drinking water. Rumor has it that the water is contaminated with something that actually "turns" people gay. Mix in Brother Daniel's "Homo-No-Mo" meetings, the local newspaper, and a group of rabid homophobic picketers, and you've got a recipe for panic. Heads reel. Women weep. Mothers, hide your children! In the midst of it all, we find Alex Stratton, a young woman dealing with a distant husband, an overbearing mother, and the tedium of meaningless society chatter and endless shoe critics.
The Wedding Banquet - Simon and Wei-Tung are a gay couple living together in Manhattan. To defer the suspicions of Wei-Tung's parents, Simon suggests a marriage of convenience between Wei-Tung and Wei-Wei, an immigrant in need of a green card. When Wei-Tung's parents come to America for the wedding, they insist upon an elaborate banquet, resulting in several complications.
I Think I Do - Screwball comedy with a modern twist; instead of Kate Hepburn and Cary Grant, it's Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. Two college roommates (victims of a mutually unrequited love) meet up again five years after school at their housemate's wedding. With the introduction of a Bellamy-esque soap star, the sparks, sexual and verbal, start to fly, as the ex-roommates try to navigate their new romance.
Beautiful Thing - A tender love story set during a hot summer on a South-East London housing estate. Jamie, a relatively unpopular lad who bunks off school to avoid football, lives next door to Ste, a more popular athletic lad but who is frequently beaten up by his father and older brother. Such an episode of violence brings Jamie and Ste together: Sandra (Jamie's mum) offers refugee to Ste, who has to 'top-and-tail' with Jamie. Hence, the story tells of their growing attraction for one another, from initial lingering glances to their irrefutable love, which so magnificently illustrated at the end of the film. In deals with the tribulations of coming to terms with their sexuality and of others finding out, in light of Sandra's unwavering loyalty and defence of Jamie and the fear of repercussion should Ste's family find out. The plot is set against sub-texts of Sandra's desire to manage her own pub, and thus escape the estate, and of her new relationship with her hippy boyfriend Tony; and of Leah, the brassy girl next door who has been expelled from school and spends her time listening to Mama Cass records and tripping on a variety of drugs.
Bent - Max is gay and as such is sent to Dachau concentration camp under the Nazi regime. He tries to deny he is gay and gets a yellow label (the one for Jews) instead of pink (the one for gays). In camp he falls in love with his fellow prisoner Horst, who wears his pink label with pride.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - Two drag-queens (Anthony/Mitzi and Adam/Felicia) and a transexual (Bernadette) contract to perform a drag show at a resort in Alice Springs, a resort town in the remote Australian desert. They head west from Sydney aboard their lavender bus, Priscilla. En route, it is discovered that the woman they've contracted with is Anthony's wife. Their bus breaks down, and is repaired by Bob, who travels on with them.
Milk - Using flashbacks from a statement recorded late in life and archival footage for atmosphere, this film traces Harvey Milk's career from his 40th birthday to his death. He leaves the closet and New York, opens a camera shop that becomes the salon for San Francisco's growing gay community, and organizes gays' purchasing power to build political alliances. He runs for office with lover Scott Smith as his campaign manager. Victory finally comes on the same day Dan White wins in the city's conservative district. The rest of the film sketches Milk's relationship with White and the 1978 fight against a statewide initiative to bar gays and their supporters from public school jobs.
My Beautiful Laundrette - Much of the Pakistani Hussein family has settled in London, striving for the riches promised by Thatcherism. Nasser and his right hand man, Salim, have a number of small businesses and they do whatever they need to make money, even if the activities are illegal. As such, Nasser and his immediate family live more than a comfortable lifestyle, and he flaunts his riches whenever he can. Meanwhile, his brother, alcoholic Ali, once a famous journalist in Pakistan, lives in a seedy flat with his son, Omar. Ali's life in London is not as lucrative in part because of his left leaning politics, which does not mesh with the ideals of Thatcherism. To help his brother, Nasser gives Omar a job doing menial labor. But Omar, with bigger plans, talks Nasser into letting him manage Nasser's run down laundrette. Omar seizes what he sees as an opportunity to make the laundrette a success, and employs an old friend, Johnny - who has been most recently running around with a gang of white punks - to help him. Johnny and Omar have a special relationship, but one that has gone through its ups and downs, the downs fostered by anti-immigration sentiments of white England. Omar and Johnny each have to evaluate if their ideals of success are worth it at all cost.
In & Out - A high school English teacher is outed as a gay man by a former student while accepting an Academy Award. Comedy ensues in the teacher's private life and small town where he teaches. Story rumored to be loosely based upon Tom Hanks acceptance speech when receiving his Academy Award for "Philadelphia".
It's My Party - "You won't leave me, will you?" Nick asks Brandon shortly after revealing to him the results of his last blood test for HIV. "I don't want to die alone." In spite of Brandon's protestations, the two soon find the love they had shared for many years in ruins. One year after their breakup, Nick is confronted with a ravaged immune system and a CT Scan and lab values which, along with his worsening forgetfulness, clenches the diagnosis of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) -- a condition he has seen claim his friends and one which he vows will not take him. Due to the aggressive nature of the disease, he has only a few days of conscious life remaining. His plan, he announces to family and "extended family," is to voluntarily end his life himself before the disease renders him unrecognizable to those he loves and he, in turn, is unable to recognize them. Uninvited to the farewell party, Brandon's presence is greeted with jeers from those who see him as having abandoned Nick is his time of greatest need.
Yossi & Jagger - A sociological study of two men in the Israeli army who are lovers. The others in the unit react to their situation, suspecting, but not always understanding. One will leave the military soon, a few months away, as a snowy and desolute outpost is guarded from attack.
Trick - Gabriel, an aspiring writer of Broadway musicals, meets Mark, a muscled stripper, who picks him up on the subway. They spend the night trying to find somewhere to be alone... forced to contend with Gabriel's selfish roommate, his irritating best friend, and a vicious, jealous drag queen in a gay dance club. The sun rises on a promising new relationship.
Stonewall - Who could have guessed that a bunch of men in dresses would breath life into the movement to win equal rights for gay men and lesbians? Certainly not the police who raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular "drag" bar in Greenwich Village. After a long history of police raids, extortion, and brutality, a gaggle of drag queens at the Stonewall decide they have had enough and begin to riot when the police try to load them into a paddy wagon. Told by "La Miranda" (Hector), a regular customer at the Stonewall Inn, the film is a recounting of events that led up to that fateful day in 1969. "Matty Dean" is the handsome angry young man that La Miranda meets at the Stonewall one day and with whom she/he quickly falls in love. "Bostonia" is the self-styled Queen Mother of the drag queens and guides each initiate gently "into the life." Her lover, Vinnie, is the closeted proprietor of the Stonewall. His tragic response to the suffocation he feels bearing down on him from a homophobic world -- perhaps as much as anything else -- sparks the riots. This is the Stonewall Riots "As Told By La Miranda".
. . . and I am adding this next movie even though it isn't completely gay but it does have a couple of gay characters and I really love this movie.
Sordid Lives - We become intimate with the "Sordid Lives" of a family in a small Texas town preparing for the funeral of the mother. Among the characters are the grandson trying to find his identity in West Hollywood, the son who has spent the past twenty-three years dressed as Tammy Wynette, the sister and her best friend (who live in delightfully kitschy homes), and the two daughters (one strait-laced and one quite a bit looser).
Friday, June 14, 2013
Chamisa Trail #183
The following trail description is from Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area Sixth Edition Expanded and Revised by the Northern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club. This is my favorite hiking guide. It looks as though they have a seventh edition out now. If you spend time hiking in the Santa Fe area I strongly recommend you get this book.
"A well-defined mountain trail close to Santa Fe, winding through an evergreen forest and ending at a beautiful grassy meadow beside the Tesuque Creek."
Roundtrip Distance: 5 miles
Time: 2½ to 3 hours
Elevation Range: 7950-8500; total gain 1240 feet
Rating: Easy
» My thoughts on the above - the distance is pretty accurate for the round trip all the way to the creek and back and the time is pretty good (it took me 3 hours and 15 minutes with a 30 minute break at the creek). I am not sure about the elevation range because 7950 to 8500 is only 550 feet. Not sure if they are looking at the gain from the trailhead to the saddle or from the creek to the saddle. I have read other online descriptions of the trail and they put the elevation at 500 to 700 feet in total gain.
Here are a few links about the trail that you might like to check out . . .
Chamisa Trail Map
Chamisa Trail
Chamisa Trail Hike
Chamisa Trail
Breathe Deeply: Santa Fe's Chamisa Trail
This hike is one of my top five in Santa Fe and today would be the first time I hike it this year. I always hike the trail all the way to the creek. There is an option to do a loop which only goes to a saddle. For me the hike down from the saddle to the creek is the most scenic. I live on the south end of Santa Fe so my drive up to the trailhead is about 40 minutes. The trailhead is about 5½ miles up Artist Road (aka Hyde Park Road or NM475) on the left side.
By the time I parked at the trailhead and began my hike it was 9:55am. There were 10 other cars in the parking lot so I thought I would see lots of people on the trail. As it turned out I did encounter a few people but for the most part it was a quiet hike. From the parking lot there are two choices to begin your hike. In the middle part of the lot there is a trail that starts between two boulders and takes you through the canyon up to the saddle and to the far right of the lot is a kiosk and a trail (with a trail sign that says "Chamisa Trail 183 - Tesuque Creek 2¼") that heads up above the canyon. I rather the latter.
So I start my hike and pretty quickly I realize that I am not in the best of shape. I huff and puff my way up the trail taking frequent breaks to catch my breath and take some pictures. 
Along the first part of the trail if you look down to your left you can glimpse the lower trail that goes through the canyon and at one point there is sign that says "Trail 183". I like this trail because of the variety of the trees you get to see along the way - there are pinons, junipers, ponderosa pines, douglas firs and gambel oaks. As I made my way upwards towards the saddle I encountered a few people. A man running and making his way back to the parking lot, another man walking with his two doberman pinchers and then a woman standing on the side of the trail texting on her phone. 
After walking about a mile and a half I reached the saddle at 10:50am. There is a trail map here and if you look closely there is a little note that says "You are here. Breathe deeply.". Here I took a little break and thought "That wasn't easy - that was more at the very least, moderate!". 
But it didn't really matter, I made it to this point. At this point a lot of people take the trail back down through the canyon to the parking lot to make a loop of the hike. But I love the meadow and creek at the end so it was time for me to head down to the creek.
This part is easy as it is pretty much all downhill.
During this part of the hike you go through a small streambed that usually doesn't have much water. This is also a little rocky in places but not anything too bad. The trail here is more shaded and protected. 
At this point I encountered a man and a woman returning from the creek. Shortly after passing this couple I reached the junction of the Winsor Trail (#254) with trail signs. Here you can turn left and continue down for the Tesuque Creek hike or you can turn right and walk a little ways up the trail to a meadow with a large granite boulder. 
You can also continue up the Winsor Trail as far as Santa Fe Baldy if you are so inclined. 
For today the meadow was my destination and I arrived at 11:20am. The creek runs behind the boulder so I made my way there and found a spot to sit right next to the creek and have a little lunch and enjoy the sound of the creek passing over rocks and the songs of quite a few birds. 
I spent about half an hour here just relaxing. I saw a woman sitting next to the creek about 200 feet from me who left about two minutes after I arrived, a man on a bike passed the meadow going down the Winsor Trail and another man with a dog was heading in that same direction about 10 minutes later. 
Other than those sightings the place was pretty deserted. After about a thirty minute break it was time to head back to the car. 
My only disappointment was the lack of wildflowers. I saw a few but either I was too late or too early.
I left the meadow at about 11:50am and walked up the Winsor Trail and turned left at the trail sign and headed back up the Chamisa Trail.
This part for me is the hardest. It is all up hill to the saddle. 
So I took my time taking frequent breaks to catch my breath and take pictures. I wasn't in a hurry and I was breathing pretty hard so I didn't want to push it. During this part of the hike I didn't see anyone else and was enjoying the solitude. 
As you get closer to the saddle the trail makes close to a 90° turn to the right. In my opinion this is the steepest part of the trail as you make the last little climb up to the saddle. It took me 180 slow steps taking a break after each 50 steps just to catch my breath. Seeing the map at the saddle made me very happy. I arrived at the saddle at 12:25pm. 
While taking a break I started to hear thunder and noticed a few black clouds moving in. I didn't see lightning or feel rain yet but I decided it was time to move along and get back to the car just in case.
From the saddle back to the parking lot I took the same trail I used coming up. I much rather this one over the one in the canyon. This part of the hike is pretty easy as it is mostly downhill and for me I know I am almost done. During this part of my hike I passed six mountain bikers. I am not sure if they were all together or not since I passed them at different times. There were four men and two women and they all seemed to be having a challenge getting up to the saddle. I turned the last corner and only had 50 feet or so to go to get to the parking lot and I could see my car, which was only one of two in the lot. As I put my backpack in the car I noticed the time was 1:10pm. So it took me three hours and fifteen minutes to do the hike - even with all my breaks. I checked the hiking guide to see what they said about how much time it would take to do the hike and I realized I didn't do too bad. Maybe I am not in as bad of shape as I first thought, but I know I have some work to do. Hopefully I will get out and hike more - that should help. Overall the hike was fantastic. We had some rain last night so that helped cool things down. There was also a light breeze during most of the hike and the sky was its beautiful New Mexico blue. I also noticed the lack of smoke haze from the three nearby fires (Jarosa, Tres Lagunas and Thompson Ridge) - thankfully the rain from last night helped to minimize that.
"A well-defined mountain trail close to Santa Fe, winding through an evergreen forest and ending at a beautiful grassy meadow beside the Tesuque Creek."
Roundtrip Distance: 5 miles
Time: 2½ to 3 hours
Elevation Range: 7950-8500; total gain 1240 feet
Rating: Easy
» My thoughts on the above - the distance is pretty accurate for the round trip all the way to the creek and back and the time is pretty good (it took me 3 hours and 15 minutes with a 30 minute break at the creek). I am not sure about the elevation range because 7950 to 8500 is only 550 feet. Not sure if they are looking at the gain from the trailhead to the saddle or from the creek to the saddle. I have read other online descriptions of the trail and they put the elevation at 500 to 700 feet in total gain.
Here are a few links about the trail that you might like to check out . . .
Chamisa Trail Map
Chamisa Trail
Chamisa Trail Hike
Chamisa Trail
Breathe Deeply: Santa Fe's Chamisa Trail
This hike is one of my top five in Santa Fe and today would be the first time I hike it this year. I always hike the trail all the way to the creek. There is an option to do a loop which only goes to a saddle. For me the hike down from the saddle to the creek is the most scenic. I live on the south end of Santa Fe so my drive up to the trailhead is about 40 minutes. The trailhead is about 5½ miles up Artist Road (aka Hyde Park Road or NM475) on the left side.
By the time I parked at the trailhead and began my hike it was 9:55am. There were 10 other cars in the parking lot so I thought I would see lots of people on the trail. As it turned out I did encounter a few people but for the most part it was a quiet hike. From the parking lot there are two choices to begin your hike. In the middle part of the lot there is a trail that starts between two boulders and takes you through the canyon up to the saddle and to the far right of the lot is a kiosk and a trail (with a trail sign that says "Chamisa Trail 183 - Tesuque Creek 2¼") that heads up above the canyon. I rather the latter.
So I start my hike and pretty quickly I realize that I am not in the best of shape. I huff and puff my way up the trail taking frequent breaks to catch my breath and take some pictures. 
Along the first part of the trail if you look down to your left you can glimpse the lower trail that goes through the canyon and at one point there is sign that says "Trail 183". I like this trail because of the variety of the trees you get to see along the way - there are pinons, junipers, ponderosa pines, douglas firs and gambel oaks. As I made my way upwards towards the saddle I encountered a few people. A man running and making his way back to the parking lot, another man walking with his two doberman pinchers and then a woman standing on the side of the trail texting on her phone. 
After walking about a mile and a half I reached the saddle at 10:50am. There is a trail map here and if you look closely there is a little note that says "You are here. Breathe deeply.". Here I took a little break and thought "That wasn't easy - that was more at the very least, moderate!". 
But it didn't really matter, I made it to this point. At this point a lot of people take the trail back down through the canyon to the parking lot to make a loop of the hike. But I love the meadow and creek at the end so it was time for me to head down to the creek.This part is easy as it is pretty much all downhill.
During this part of the hike you go through a small streambed that usually doesn't have much water. This is also a little rocky in places but not anything too bad. The trail here is more shaded and protected. 
At this point I encountered a man and a woman returning from the creek. Shortly after passing this couple I reached the junction of the Winsor Trail (#254) with trail signs. Here you can turn left and continue down for the Tesuque Creek hike or you can turn right and walk a little ways up the trail to a meadow with a large granite boulder. 
You can also continue up the Winsor Trail as far as Santa Fe Baldy if you are so inclined. 
For today the meadow was my destination and I arrived at 11:20am. The creek runs behind the boulder so I made my way there and found a spot to sit right next to the creek and have a little lunch and enjoy the sound of the creek passing over rocks and the songs of quite a few birds. 
I spent about half an hour here just relaxing. I saw a woman sitting next to the creek about 200 feet from me who left about two minutes after I arrived, a man on a bike passed the meadow going down the Winsor Trail and another man with a dog was heading in that same direction about 10 minutes later. 
Other than those sightings the place was pretty deserted. After about a thirty minute break it was time to head back to the car. 
My only disappointment was the lack of wildflowers. I saw a few but either I was too late or too early.I left the meadow at about 11:50am and walked up the Winsor Trail and turned left at the trail sign and headed back up the Chamisa Trail.
This part for me is the hardest. It is all up hill to the saddle. 
So I took my time taking frequent breaks to catch my breath and take pictures. I wasn't in a hurry and I was breathing pretty hard so I didn't want to push it. During this part of the hike I didn't see anyone else and was enjoying the solitude. 
As you get closer to the saddle the trail makes close to a 90° turn to the right. In my opinion this is the steepest part of the trail as you make the last little climb up to the saddle. It took me 180 slow steps taking a break after each 50 steps just to catch my breath. Seeing the map at the saddle made me very happy. I arrived at the saddle at 12:25pm. 
While taking a break I started to hear thunder and noticed a few black clouds moving in. I didn't see lightning or feel rain yet but I decided it was time to move along and get back to the car just in case.
From the saddle back to the parking lot I took the same trail I used coming up. I much rather this one over the one in the canyon. This part of the hike is pretty easy as it is mostly downhill and for me I know I am almost done. During this part of my hike I passed six mountain bikers. I am not sure if they were all together or not since I passed them at different times. There were four men and two women and they all seemed to be having a challenge getting up to the saddle. I turned the last corner and only had 50 feet or so to go to get to the parking lot and I could see my car, which was only one of two in the lot. As I put my backpack in the car I noticed the time was 1:10pm. So it took me three hours and fifteen minutes to do the hike - even with all my breaks. I checked the hiking guide to see what they said about how much time it would take to do the hike and I realized I didn't do too bad. Maybe I am not in as bad of shape as I first thought, but I know I have some work to do. Hopefully I will get out and hike more - that should help. Overall the hike was fantastic. We had some rain last night so that helped cool things down. There was also a light breeze during most of the hike and the sky was its beautiful New Mexico blue. I also noticed the lack of smoke haze from the three nearby fires (Jarosa, Tres Lagunas and Thompson Ridge) - thankfully the rain from last night helped to minimize that.
Still A Very Important Message
Almost two years ago a 14 year old boy posted a video called What's goin' on. He held up cards telling his story with music playing along. He didn't say a word - he didn't have to. The video is powerful and by the end I was crying. His story is all too common among our gay youth and it hurts way too many people. After the video was posted there were lots of supportive videos uploaded done in the same manner as this young boy's. It was uplifting and I couldn't help think how our modern world was able to help this boy. I know a lot of people find fault with the internet and social media but I think that it can also help. Watching all those videos really reminded me that there are wonderful people out there ready to offer support. On the other hand there were people saying that he lied. I find that hard to believe - his video shows so much pain and emotion. I have been in his shoes (when there wasn't the internet for support), and I know that you can put on a happy face when needed but that doesn't erase all the pain that is deep within you. Jonah Mowry held on and made it (something that a lot of gay youth have had trouble with) - I hope his message helps others. I decided to embed this video here because I think it should be a reminder that you can rise above all the bullying and that things can get better.
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