I was saddened to open the newspaper this morning and read that Perry Moore died last week. Read a New York Times online obit from last week.
Moore produced the Chronicles of Narnia movies, and, much more important to me, wrote Hero, a novel for young adults. Hero is the story of Thom Creed, a teenager suffering through high school, discovering his homosexuality, and, not the least, dealing with being a super hero.
Hero came out in 2007. I found a copy of it a few summers ago at a vacation house. After a few pages, I was hooked. I love young adult fiction --the genre was important to me growing up--plus it is perfect for the beach.
The super hero/gay teen allusion is pretty straight forward: Who am I? Will I accept and learn to appreciate and love who I am born to be? It's a classic coming of age tale.
Moore said that he wrote Hero because he wanted to see more gay heroes, thriving and winning, in books and films.
SG, you and I have talked about super heroes. Can I tempt you to share who is your favorite?
Britney Spears voted "ultimate gay icon"? For real?
The Orange County (California) Equality Project voted Britney the ULTIMATE gay icon. As in gayest icon of all time. I cannot capitalize or bold the word ultimate enough.
Huh?
The news alert torpedoed my afternoon's productivity.
To review: icon=image, representation, sacred personage.
She's not gay, she has no street cred, no real gay following that I know of. Am I running with an aging uncool crowd. (Okay, yes, I am.)
I stumbled (almost literally) across this gentleman yesterday. Don't worry, he's fine. Just doing a set of ab crunches on a busy corner of our fair metropolis.
There are no residences on this block, so he got a pretty good workout just dragging his machine to this site. There is also a nice park just nearby, so I have to wonder what motivation he gets from the aesthetic of the underpass.
He got a few honks, and I assume that was probably the point. I guess someone didn't get enough attention when he was growing up. "Look what I can do, Mommy... I mean, everyone!"
I'm not a very religious person. But I know that diligence is a virtue while pride is a sin. This guy obviously has both out the wazoo. So I'm not sure what to make of him.
I could have stopped and talked to him, rather than pass judgment from a distance. But I was on my way to pick up some donuts. We all have our priorities. --Straight Guy
I'll admit that there's something sexy about a woman wearing a man's shirt. That's an iconic image that tells a risque story and has worked for Marilyn Monroe and countless other women. But apparently Levi's now thinks that the tables can be turned, and that guys look hot wearing lady pants.
Ummm. No. What would that backstory be?
Here's the sales pitch from the Levi's website: "Remember the girlfriend with the great style? Here's a tribute to her -- a fit that's super-snug allover, an update of the five-pocket classic that's as skinny as it gets. Made with plenty of stretch."
Yes, I know there are many guys already wearing skinny pants like this. A select few are lead singers in rock bands, where bending gender rules might add to their credibility. The rest are just misguided -- and being taken at $70 a pop. Do they not know that they have been wearing lady pants all along? At least we can now thank Levi's for the confirmation that this style most rightfully belongs to your ex-girlfriend. Guys, if you have a pair, it's time to give them back.
Yeah, I checked anyway, and they don't even come in my size. Maximum inseam = 32 inches. Tall dudes need not apply. Levi's is still my brand of choice, but I only pay thirty bucks at Sears for a hell of a lot more fabric than this. These days it's a straighter cut than the baggy ones I wore in the 90s, but still nowhere near "super snug."
Someone get the smelling salts for GG, I just mentioned clothes shopping at Sears. --Straight Guy
P.S. Miller Lite's "Man Up" campaign, which features hot female bartenders publicly emasculating male patrons for any effeminate fashion choices (skinny jeans, man purses, etc.) is included on our GayAds/StraightAds Tumblr. I think that approach is a little harsh, just for the record.
I was in New York this past weekend, having a great time visiting friends.
The friend with whom I stayed has a Saturday manicure routine. No rain, no snow, no dark of night could keep her from that appointment.
Can you guess where this post is going?
Heck yeah, I got a mani, too. What was I supposed to do to kill the time, read Cosmopolitan?
I kept the manicure simple. Just a clean up--no buff, no clear polish. Still, this level of personal attention feels like something straight guys don't do.
Is there any 'man' in a manicure?
SG, guy readers: Ever get a manicure? For gays only? Female readers: where do manicures land for you. Gratifying? Give it the finger? Leave a comment and let us know.
What can I say? I'm a Margaret Cho fan. She's vulgar and bad, but she makes me laugh. I've laughed with her all the way back to her The One I Want tour.
So I had to watch her new vid.
I am particularly enamored of the "Destroy/Vibrate" option.
Hit the gym today. Plugged my earphones into the TV monitor on the treadmill gym. I had my music with me, but sometimes TV hits the spot. A few weeks ago, I did the elliptical to an episode of Law and Order, which helped me stay engaged and stay with it longer than usual.
No Law and Order today. Flip, flip. Sex and the City. No, thanks. Celtics game. No. (Much as I like college basketball, the pros don't do it for me.) Skating competition. Hooray!
Yes, I fell into yet another gay stereotype. Figure skating. Dude to the left of me power-walked the Celtics game. I assume that he's straight, got no gay vibe off him.
Gotta admit it, the skaters kept me on the treadmill for at least 20 minutes more than I probably would have hung in there otherwise.
"Hmm . . . why are their asses so round and tight? Oh, right, they spend their entire week in training." That was motivation for another mile, for sure.
Stereotype, yes. But good for my fitness health.
--Gay Guy
P.S.: Thanks for holding down the blog, SG. Much appreciated. I am still slogging through PTSD: Post-Tedious Snow Disgust. I am just done with winter. Well, actually, it's more that work has had a lot of stressful wear and tear of late. Nothing bad, just lots to do. I am flying a wee too close to our persnicikity boss for my own comfort, but it seems to be going well. No news is good news. May this week be better!
Did you see the photo of figure skater Ryan Bradley in this morning's Washington Post sports section? After his "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" routine, he's in the lead at this year's national championships.
Haven't seen the routine, only the photos. I don't know if I'm giving him too much credit, but I immediately wondered if this was meant as commentary on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" debate. And if so, what was he trying to say? And if not, is he just incredibly naive about how this might be received?
Here's his quote: "With all that's happening in the country, I wanted to do a military program; obviously I could have chosen any military piece. I watched an intermediate lady do ["Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"], and she was so cute. I thought, it would be hilarious if I did this. Then I thought, 'Why not? Who's going to stop me?"
I guess I'm glad that he didn't just say it was something he thought might be fun. But, boy did the reporter drop the ball on this one. "All that's happening in the country"? What exactly does that mean?
I have no idea whether Brady is gay or not. But we've discussed figure skating's gay/straight image problem before [link, link]. (Bradley's performance was dramatically delayed because of a jewelry malfunction by the guy before him, by the way.)
OK. I'll just say it. When a male figure skater modifies a woman's routine and gives a finger-wagging performance in a spandex version of a military uniform as a reflection of "what's happening in the country," I have to assume that he knows he's embodying the worst fears of everyone who opposes the repeal of DADT.
I'm just not sure whether that's ballsy, mean-spirited, or perhaps, both. The only other option is that this guy actually has absolutely no idea what's happening in the country, and I'd like to give him more credit than that.
GG, I know we're both for the repeal of DADT. Can you help me break down the code here? Is this guy really trying to help, too?
It was bound to happen. As you know, Mrs. Straight Guy is an athlete. Marathons, triathlons, distance swimming, etc.
I share none of these interests. But I am often looking for a snack, and am known to be less than picky, so eventually I tore into her stash of "Caramel Nut Brownie" bars. That was a few years -- and many Luna Bars -- ago.
Why are Luna Bars for women? I don't really know. It says so on the wrapper. And there are silhouettes of ballet dancers with pony tails. Some of the proceeds go to breast cancer research. It contains folic acid, which is good for women who want to conceive, but also healthy for everyone else in the world, too.
Sorry, Ladies. Not scary enough to keep a hungry dude in check. Give me a Blueberry Bliss and a Lemon Zest, too.
I checked the official website just now: "There is nothing in a LUNA bar that is not good for men. However, LUNA bars are specifically formulated to provide women with the nutrients that are often harder for them to get."
Apparently, there's a persistent urban myth that too many Luna Bars will cause a man to grow breasts. [link] Whatever, suckers.
Did I mention? Caramel. Nut. Brownie. In my kitchen. Case closed.
And if I have a backache (non-exercise-related, of course)... Toss me two Pamprin. We'll see how that goes, too.
Straight Guy,
