sundries

[rm]

Between some extra Patty time yesterday (I have never been so grateful for a Starbucks), choosing to sleep in today and and the time change, I feel pretty good. It seems like a nice day here, but sadly I have to do some work for work, finish this screenplay, and then if I can really get some Internet that functions beyond my LJ client, do some work that I left behind in NYC.

Happy Halloween! It's weird to be somewhere that almost completely ignores it. Tomorrow is a religious holiday here, however, and the offices are closed (although I have stuff to do).

Children are playing in the common space again. I forgot to mention that in town a few days ago, I saw some playing a game like tag, where one would break away from a safe group, run to the church, shove their hand in the holy water outside of it, cross themselves, and then try to run back to the safe group because the chaser caught them.

I would also like to say, lest you think I've left Torchwood and Captain Jack behind me, that large groups of children chanting numbers (which seems to be a feature of many games here) in languages I don't know is causing me surprisingly inordinate amounts of emotional upheaval (And, oh god, this song. I've not listened to it in ages, but I woke up craving Puccini but this was the best my laptop could come up with -- I did not plan for music out here).

I have just discovered that a very long post I wrote at my most depressed here didn't go through. Now I am trying to decide if I should post it for the record, or not share, since I don't feel so terrible anymore. It's an interesting post, but it's also full of hubris and neuroses. Am also debating if I want to talk about why the screenplay exercise was so confronting for me, but am pretty sure it's over the dignity line.

Despite the presence of gluten-free croissants and my ability to say celiac in German, it is very hard to manage my health here. I did get glutened yesterday (although I noticed right away so had only take one small bite of the strawberry parfait with the biscuit in the bottom) and the waiter just sort of shrugged. It's being treated like I don't matter that's often hardest about being here. Maybe that sounds spoiled, and maybe it is, but my health thing is real and mistakes happen, but pretend you give a shit.

Anyway, aside from that, this remains the country without vegetables. I like meat and cheese as much as anyone (probably more), but my body and tastebuds are getting a little fed up. The provencale potato chips are go though.

Last night there were bats chasing each other around outside my bedroom window. NOT EVEN JOKING. Bats are good, but need to stay away from my fucking windows.

Last night the time changed here and in the UK, so Patty and I are still an hour apart, but not in the US, so right now you all are only five hours behind us, and not six.

Dogboy & Justine is up to 58 backers for a pledged total of $2,2825, which is a very exciting 47%. I have to do a phone interview with a journalist about it today.

I've read a little bit about the Colbert/Stewart rally (I was on a boat on the Zurich lake at the time), but I was wondering if anyone could offer insight -- it is being covered as an oddity, as a critical political event, or as a legitimate but not very important event in a loud election season? I'm wondering if I'm missing a Moment.

"Tolerance" (I hate that word) in public vs. private schools. Unfortunately, it looks at private religious schools vs. public schools, leaving out the world I came from and one form which I suspect you'd get some very interesting and intense results.

Student slang and the policing of social boundaries.

Noose found at Equality California office. When the worker who found it called it into the cops, the office allegedly said, "sometimes you have to live with being a victim."

The anti-gay AGA in Michigan who was harassing a college student, may lose his job.

Comments

[meirion.livejournal.com]

It amazes me how religious Switzerland seems to be; I never noticed when I was there (on the other hand I was mainly dealing with asshats who didn't realise that my German comprehension extended to understanding insults in Schwyzerdütsch, so whatever). I'd only expect the kind of religiosity you describe in Sicily, Corsica or Sardinia!

Re the rally, a Facebook friend of mine was at it, and I expect it might just be A Moment.

In UK news, I think the Labour party just imploded with the former Equalities Minister insulting half the population of Scotland, and any other redheads, by describing the Chief Secretary to the Treasury as a "ginger rodent".

[rm.livejournal.com]

OMG UK NEWS! That's amazing. And I know that the ginger thing is loaded there in a way USians don't get.

It's very religious here, especially in small towns (I am in one). Interestingly, I've had many people go out of there way to explain that their brand of religious is not like in the US, and that I shouldn't feel threatened by it. And on one hand, that's very kind, and on the other hand, that's kinda gross, because trepidation I may feel sucks, but it's a survival mechanism (at home, because I'm gay, and here because I am nominally Jewish).

[smirnoffmule.livejournal.com]

And squirrels. She also insulted squirrels. Nowt wrong with being a ginger rodent ;)

[meirion.livejournal.com]

A point I have been making in the Twittersphere.

The red squirrel is actually protected, but reminding people that the squirrel is the cousin of the rat is not sensible. Particularly as we have unrepealed (as far as I know) wartime legislation suggesting it's just fine to shoot any "tree rats" (AKA squirrels) you spot and pop them in the pot or a pie

I spent years of my childhood hand-feeding Sammy the squirrel his daily ration of nuts whilst he sat in my lap.