Hey! Don't know if there's anything you guys can do about it, but Google might be causing you to lose business to University mall Theaters!
I have lived here for 10 years and I love Cinema Arts. A friend who is new in town agreed to meet me for a movie today. She typed "cinema arts theater" into google and hit "get directions" and set out. When I texted her to ask where she was, she said she was turning onto 123. She lives in Annandale so I had said it was a straight shot up 236, what was she doing over there?? She said her directions were 123 to Braddock...I said WHAT???
Turns out that when you click "get directions" you are given directions to University Mall theaters, over by GMU! The address is right - 9650 Main St - but the map shows University Mall, you can see the Patriot Center on there and everything. There is a dot that says "Cinema Arts" right where the University Mall theaters are.
I don't know if you guys can write to Google or anything but this is a weird mistake, I never saw anything like it before!
I wish there was a way to convert WordPress themes to LiveJournal styles so I could have the same design on both sites, but it doesn't work. Ah well. You have to visit my site to see it.
Turns out it was the corporate owners, Window Media, that closed it, along with the Southern Voice and other gay papers. When the SoVo staff showed up on Monday morning, there was a note on the door announcing the paper's closure, and saying they should come back Wednesday to pick up their stuff. Unfortunately I don't know much about the SoVo or other papers, but I can tell you what's happening in Washington.
First of all, the Blade has been around for 40 years. It started in 1969 as "The Gay Blade" and it was the oldest gay newspaper in the country. It got sold to Window Media in 2001, and personally I think it went downhill a bit, but it was still an excellent paper...just not as good as it HAD been.
Window was having financial troubles. Big-time financial troubles. The Blade was highly profitable and was pulling its own weight as well as that of the other papers in the Window stable. There had been an offer from a local DC businessman to buy the Blade from the struggling Window, but Window turned him down. And folded the paper.
There was a "tweetup" planned for this past Wednesday anyway. What started as a small event got huge as soon as the closure was announced - way beyond just Twitter people. I went and had a great time, got to meet the publisher and the editor and the news editor and lots of great people.
There's a new gay paper in town now. It's the DC Agenda, and it's run by the people who ran the Blade. They aren't allowed to keep the name (which disappoints me) but they're still producing great work. Amazingly, they produced a paper THIS FRIDAY. Friday was always the release day for the Blade, but they lost all their previous work - this Friday's publication was started on MONDAY, and produced amid the tears of losing their jobs. They're all working as volunteers for now.
I picked up two copies of the DC Agenda yesterday. It's small, 11x17, and only 8 pages - most of which are ads. But those ads are what will keep the Agenda moving. When people bought them, they were sending their money to a completely new company, a new venture, a new paper. But they have SO MUCH FAITH in the ex-Blade staff that they were willing to fork over the cash. The paper is selling "virtual bricks" at SaveTheBlade.com - I gave them $5 because it's what I can afford, even though I've gotten SO much more value from the Blade over the years.
Right now the ex-Blade folks are working to save the 40 years of archives that were stored at their old offices. They want to move them to a space that won't be closed off to them if another crisis happens, and hopefully a space where the public can access them.
Talk about a phoenix rising from the ashes. Nothing is as amazing as what the DC Agenda staff is doing.
In his book Long Life, Honey in the Heart, Martin Pretchel writes of the Mayan people and their concept of kas-limaal, which translates roughly as "mutual indebtedness, mutual insparkedness." "The knowledge that every animal, plant, person, wind, and season is indebted to the fruit of everything else is an adult knowledge. To get out of debt means you don't want to be a part of life, and you don't want to grow into an adult," one of the elders explains to Pretchel.
The only way out of the vegetarian myth is through the pursuit of kas-limaal, of adult knowledge. This is a concept we need, especially those of us who are impassioned by injustice. I know I needed it. In the narrative of my life, the first bite of meat after my twenty year hiatus marks the end of my youth, the moment when I assumed the responsibilities of adulthood. It was the moment I stopped fighting the basic algebra of embodiment: for someone to leave, someone else has to die. In that acceptance, with all its suffering and sorrow, is the ability to choose a different way, a better way.
So...vegetarians and vegans are naive and childish. Right. I don't think I'll be continuing to read this.
- Against Starbucks: "Plaintiff also alleges that Defendant Schultz is friends with Michael Vick, and that Defendants want to burn him with hot coffee."
- Against the IOC: "Plaintiff further alleges that he ran 26.2 miles in 1 hour 58 minutes , but the defendants won't allow him to join the Olympics because he is White. Plaintiff also alleges that defendants forbade him from racing at Churchill Downs and sent Tonya Harding to break his knee caps."
- Against Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber: "Plaintiff also alleges that defendant is rounding up all the Teds in the world to hurt him, including Ted Kennedy, Ted Bundy, Ted Turner, Bill and Ted, Ted Nugent, Teddy Bears, and Teddy Rumpskin."
- Against Barry Bonds: "Plaintiff also claims that Barry Bonds sold steroids to nuns and gave mustard gas to Saddam Hussein as part of the oil-for-food scandal."
That's just a sampling. The guy seems to really have it in for OJ Simpson, BTW.
While waiting to receive my voting card, I saw many people getting paper ballots. I asked if electronic voting was available. I was told that it was "strongly recommended" that I use a paper ballot. I said I preferred to use electronic voting and my voting card was returned to me. I brought it to the poll worker managing electronic voting machines, and when he escorted me to them he said "you know this is old technology, right?" He then took my voting card and left me to vote.
I feel it is inappropriate for poll workers to recommend, suggest, or choose by default a particular method for voters when more than one method is available. If one method is preferred by the state, that method should be the only one available. If multiple methods MUST be offered, but one is still preferred, then a sign stating "Electronic Voting Available" or "Paper Ballots Available" should be displayed, and voters should not be steered toward a standard method if they request an alternative method.
It was a little better worded when I wrote it the first time, but they require under 1000 characters...so this is 996.
Added: My friend Ryan had this to say: "Pollworkers are NOT supposed to suggest ANYTHING. Big no-no."
J'ecris tout cela avec mon français inutilisé depuis plus que dix ans alors si je me trompe et quelque chose ne marche pas en Google Translate, je suis desolée et excusez-moi.
- ADJ 164 - Case Studies in Murder/Violent Crimes
- ADJ 186 - Forensic Psychology
- ENG 256 - Literature of Science Fiction
- HIS 281 - History of Virginia I
- TRV 100 - Introduction to the Travel Industry
Jo, the nanny on the show, got Kadi's dad on the phone. (I've noticed she does as much for parents as she does for kids.) She did a little small talk, and then asked, "so can you tell us about the choice you made?" The father proceeded to explain that he'd always had those feelings, he tried to deny them, he got married, that didn't fix them, and he finally felt free when he came out.
I was so surprised. Did he really think that's what Jo meant? I'm quite sure she meant "the choice to leave your family behind" and not the choice to become gay. What a surprise for me to hear that's not how he interpreted it at all. He's been coached to believe that his gayness is wrong, poor guy. He thinks it was a choice he made.
But think of it - a world where you can look like anything you want. Your surrogate can be custom-made to look like you, or you can be someone totally different. If you're wealthy, you can have different models that you can jump into anytime you need a change. Of course, doing that might confuse the people you interact with every day, but they'll get used to it.
It has a Matrix-like quality - only instead of learning to bend the Matrix in order to leap around rooftops, the capability is built into your surrogate. Which begs the question: would anybody have a wheelchair-using surrogate? Could the technology be used by deaf or blind people, giving them sight and hearing, or would the audio/video feed go nowhere?
Why did crime drop exponentially with the advent of surrogates? Surely the drive for money is still there, and money fuels a LOT of crime.
At one point, a character wants to end a conversation with another character, so she disconnects from her surrogate and it shuts down. Is this fair? Or should you only be allowed to disconnect once your surrogate has returned home and you can take over for it? What about the recharging alcoves? They make commutes easier, but is it too easy to jump into one and run away, since the location of the operator is unknown?
What about food? A kitchen and breakfast food are shown in a house, so presumably operators still need to eat. Surrogates don't eat, the nutrition can't be transmitted back to the operator. Do restaurants become a bank of recharging alcoves so the operators can hop offline and go eat? What about the social aspect of eating at a restaurant?
Speaking of recharging alcoves, I thought of the Borg every single time. Heh.
Anyway, lots and lots of questions arise in a world of surrogates. The movie itself, well - intrigue, investigation, blah blah. But the world...so interesting.
But think of it - a world where you can look like anything you want. Your surrogate can be custom-made to look like you, or you can be someone totally different. If you're wealthy, you can have different models that you can jump into anytime you need a change. Of course, doing that might confuse the people you interact with every day, but they'll get used to it.
It has a Matrix-like quality - only instead of learning to bend the Matrix in order to leap around rooftops, the capability is built into your surrogate. Which begs the question: would anybody have a wheelchair-using surrogate? Could the technology be used by deaf or blind people, giving them sight and hearing, or would the audio/video feed go nowhere?
Why did crime drop exponentially with the advent of surrogates? Surely the drive for money is still there, and money fuels a LOT of crime.
At one point, a character wants to end a conversation with another character, so she disconnects from her surrogate and it shuts down. Is this fair? Or should you only be allowed to disconnect once your surrogate has returned home and you can take over for it? What about the recharging alcoves? They make commutes easier, but is it too easy to jump into one and run away, since the location of the operator is unknown?
What about food? A kitchen and breakfast food are shown in a house, so presumably operators still need to eat. Surrogates don't eat, the nutrition can't be transmitted back to the operator. Do restaurants become a bank of recharging alcoves so the operators can hop offline and go eat? What about the social aspect of eating at a restaurant?
Speaking of recharging alcoves, I thought of the Borg every single time. Heh.
Anyway, lots and lots of questions arise in a world of surrogates. The movie itself, well - intrigue, investigation, blah blah. But the world...so interesting.
The process took about 20 minutes. I did the car insurance first, and of course I was transferred to a retention-type person. She asked why I had sought coverage elsewhere, so I told her the truth. She hauled out the same line about "the laws in Virginia" and I said yes, I understand, but I didn't like the way I was treated. Again, "the laws in Virginia" and then an offer to list her as cohabitant on the policy. I said no, that wasn't what I wanted, and she got the picture and cancelled the policy. She did note that I was welcome back any time, since I'm still a USAA member. (I should've said "change your policy and I'll think about it" but I didn't at the time.)
On the credit card side of things, I was transferred to another retention specialist. I didn't feel like getting into it again so I claimed I wanted to get down to one credit card. Of course USAA was the only one I've ever had, but she doesn't need to know that. She wanted to know why I didn't pick USAA for my one card, and I made up an answer. She canceled the card and said "since you're consolidating, I'll send you a free financial situation quiz, no obligation." Yeah, whatever - it came in email moments later and I deleted it.
So ends my tenure with USAA, which I've had since 2006. After the way I was treated, I won't miss them. I still want to find another bank for checking/savings, but it won't be USAA. Hear that, Social Media Department?
I'm already finding interesting little tidbits. The Fay family appears in the census and also conducted it (Clinton S. Fay is in it; E.A. Fay conducted it; Gallaudet's Fay House is named for Helen Fay). Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet is in there, as are Melville Ballard (first graduate of Gallaudet University) and John Hotchkiss (our football field is named for him). The Cogswell family is there, of course, with Leelah S. Cogswell having had two marriages. One of her forms says she is 2nd cousin of Alice Cogswell (whose father asked T.H. Gallaudet to go to Europe to study methods of deaf education), and the other indicates that her mother died in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871!
I want to read all the records...it will take a while though. There honestly aren't that many families in each letter of the alphabet, but they were subdivided by second letters of the last name too. So it will take me a little while to go through them, but it's FUN. These data could also be used to examine how frequently people who were deaf from birth gave birth to deaf children, and whether late-deafened people gave birth to deaf children too, and...all kinds of fun stuff. I'm a huge nerd.
Thanks to USAA, I know what it's like to feel discrimination. More precisely, I know what it's like to have equality dangled in front of you and then snatched away. I feel almost like a cat who played with a toy on a string but suddenly had it jerked away...I had equality in my grasp, I could hold it and touch it and be overjoyed by it, and now it's gone.
I got a phone call from USAA today while I was eating dinner with friends on campus. As I walked to my car, I listened to the voicemail and learned that there was "an issue" with my account and I needed to call them back. I figured it could be one of two things - either they wanted to follow up on the car insurance quote I started on the website, or they wanted to tell me I couldn't have my wife on the account anymore. As you can tell, it was the latter.
The representative I spoke to, who was in the Eligibility department, said my account had been brought to her attention by the Social Media department. They had come across my "postings" and traced them back to me, and they realized there was a teensy problem. It seems the representative who listed my wife as my spouse under my USAA account was incorrect; they have "corrected" her and meanwhile already booted my wife back down to whatever "friend" status she was listed as before; her member number is now valid for checking and savings only. (I've just checked my USAA account; only my mother is listed under Family Members now.)
I asked the Eligibility representative if this was the result of my blog posting. She insisted that it would have come to her attention at some point anyway, because they audit new memberships on a regular basis. With only four days between my last blog post and this one - and with a weekend in the middle - I guess the Social Media department is pretty busy. What would have happened if my wife had already bought insurance through them as a full-fledged member, and then it had come to the attention of the Eligibility department that we were not really eligible?
The representative was, quite frankly, rather demeaning on the phone. She kept insisting that just because I was legally married in Connecticut didn't mean that it was valid in Virginia. (Duh, lady.) She also repeated several times that every state is different, and that it was because I lived in Virginia that I couldn't have the coverage. (Duh, again.) I asked her again and again what the conditions are in which USAA does extend coverage to same-sex partners. She finally admitted that only people who are registered as domestic partners in California - and who reside in California, just in case I was too clueless to pick that up - could receive benefits. I find this interesting - she refused to whether or not things would be different if my wife and I actually lived in Connecticut. California doesn't even have gay marriage anymore, why is that the only state where they extend coverage?
In the end, all I could say was that I would definitely be posting another entry to let people know that USAA was wrong. She accepted that, and said she understood. Hi, USAA Social Media Department!
Quite frankly, I'm profoundly depressed by this. Like I said, I've never had rights given to me and then taken away before. I've been a proud USAA member since 1991, and I just don't know what to do right now. They have great rates, and I'd hate to leave them behind, but my instinct is to pay off my credit card bill, find a new one, and shop around for new auto insurance. I don't want to, I really don't. USAA is a great company. But they really screwed up with this one, and I'm hurting because of it. We'll see what happens - I plan to write to HRC and probably other organizations.
USAA is a financial services company for military, ex-military, and their dependents. The only way to become a member is to have been in the service, or have a spouse or parent who did. My late father (who died when I was 4) was a USAA member, my mother became a USAA member, and I've been a member since I was 10 (not that I did anything with it). And now, my wife, to whom I am legally married in Connecticut, is also a member!
It was really easy. I called up to ask about adding a member, and they said it had to be a spouse or child. I said "yeah...here's the thing" and explained that I am legally married to a woman. The representative on the phone said "oh okay, let me just check on that." A moment later, she found that :A: was already listed in my account as a "friend" and said "let me see if I can change that to spouse." Two seconds after that, she said "okay, I have her USAA member number."
That's all it took! I can log into my account and see :A: listed as my spouse, with her member number right there. (My mom is listed as family too, but I can't see her number.) I assume legal marriage is required for this to work, but I didn't have to give any proof...I don't know if they have a way to look it up Connecticut records, or what. Now my wife has access to great insurance rates, great banking, great credit card services, and all the other financial things USAA offers. I couldn't be happier!
Update: They took it back. See here and here.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I've never had a problem declaring myself as a lesbian. I have been out since 1997, when I first went away to college at the age of 16; I became the vice-president of the GLBT club right away. I guess the hardest person to tell was my uncle, but only because I was protecting HIM: he is a hard-line Catholic and I didn't want him to worry. I waited about 8 years before telling him, and as far as I know he's prayed for me almost every day since.
Who's your gay hero?
Cheryl Spector comes to mind, for all of her activism. Peggy Sue for the same reason. In a more general sense, I would have to say Harvey Milk, because he wasn't afraid.
What is Washington's best nightspot, past or present?
No question: the Hung Jury. It was the first lesbian bar I ever went to - I snuck in at 17 - and I still think of it every time I drive past 18th and Pennsylvania NW, even though the alley isn't there anymore.
If gay marriage were legal, would you tie the knot?
I already have! My wife and I had been together 11 years when we decided to get married in Spring 2009. We had our ceremony in the lovely town of Darien, CT. I will never forget that day!
What non-gay issue are you most passionate about?
It's a total tossup between equal access for people with disabilities (I'm a Gallaudet University student) and No More Homeless Pets, the campaign of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.
What historical outcome would you change?
I don't know anyone personally who was affected by this, but I am really ashamed that the United States locked up Japanese-Americans in WWII.
What has been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
I was born six weeks after John Lennon was shot, or I'd pick that. I can't think of anything more recent that would be significant; the "Me" Decade kind of spoiled our ability to have watershed moments.
On what TV reality show would you fare best?
Do canceled ones count? Because I would really like to have been on The Swan. I can think of a lot of little things about my appearance that I wish a TV network would pay to fix!
What item of clothing has been in your closet since high school?
I've gone up more than a few dress sizes since then! I have some jewelry that I've had since then, and even if I don't wear it anymore, I still keep it for sentimental reasons.
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
Euphoria. It's my special personal philosophy that I try to cling to when the drama gets to be too much. Even my license plate says it!
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
I'd probably retreat into the inevitable gay ghetto. The Deaf community is already shrinking because science came up with the cochlear implant; I think my reaction would be the same: stick with the people I love and feel most comfortable with.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
I am an atheist and non-spiritual, but I believe in hope and peace. I am a big believer in talking things out.
What would you order for your last meal?
Something involving chocolate and peanut butter. And cheesecake. And ice cream. Chocolate peanut butter cheesecake ice cream!
What would you walk across hot coals for?
My wife. Hot coals is nothing, feet can heal. I'd put myself through a lot more than that for her. Permanent disability or incapacitation would mean nothing if it saved her life.
What gay stereotype annoys you most?
Lesbians must have short hair. I never wear makeup, I rarely wear skirts, and I usually dress sensibly rather than fashionably. But because I have long hair, I get mistaken for straight. I even had my position as a staff member on a gay cruise questioned because of this!
What is the best gay film ever made?
And the Band Played On. It is my favorite movie of all time, and it is a sensitive, star-studded tribute to the first victims of HIV and the researchers who worked endlessly to figure out the "gay cancer."
What is the most overrated social custom?
I'll tell you what's underrated: smiling at other people. Going about your day with a smile on your face makes a few people suspicious, but more often than that it is contagious and makes others happy!
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
I try not to covet little things like awards, but I am working really hard on my bachelor's degree. I don't need it for my career at all, but earning it will prove to myself that I can set a goal and achieve it. I'm halfway there!
What's your advice for gay teens?
Be true to yourself. If people in your family or social circle reject you because you're gay, find a "chosen family" who loves you exactly the way you are.
Why Washington?
Honestly, I've lived here my whole life, and I'd like to explore other places. But I love living in what many people consider the most important city in the country - I love passing the White House and the Capitol every single day - and I love how international we are. Sure, it's because of all the embassies, but it makes for a great city!
- My Cat Goma - I am so in love with this Himalayan. I saw a little clip of him on a show called Cats 101 and they said he has his own blog so I looked it up. It's actually really awesome...the lolspeak is a little overwhelming at first but there is real humor behind it. Goma loves his mama Sachie but hates sharing his house with Syd the dog!
- Kitty Bellys - OMG kitty bellys!! I believe the term used on certain blogs is snorgle, correct? Anyway I just want to pet all the fluffy kitty bellys. I have had 9 cats in my life and I have pictures of 8 of their bellys so I submitted them all. Ha! If they don't get posted on the site, I will post them here.
- Dreaming of Kittens - Sleeping kittens and cats. HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG? There is definite crossover with Kitty Bellys here...so many bellys are on sleeping cats!
- Linus in Hats - A flame point Himalayan (I think) who gets dressed up for all kinds of occasions. I love it! He and Goma should totally be friends.
I don't really have to give a play-by-play like I usually do...I just looked at the front page of my site and I realized it's all there in the Daily Digests. But I do want to give my overall impression of the event. First of all, I was quite dismayed to find that I was the only interpreter who worked the full con. I had been told that I would be the only certified interpreter (apart from the Disability Services coordinator, who didn't have time for much interpreting) and that the rest would be "signers," but I didn't expect that there would be entire days - like Friday - when I would be the only one interpreting. The others simply didn't show up. Two of them showed up for part of Saturday and part of Sunday, and two more showed up only for the Masquerade on Sunday night. I was basically running the show from an interpreting perspective, and I had to decide what would get interpreted and what wouldn't. I guess that's why they want to make me Interpreter Coordinator next year - because I've already demonstrated that I can. So yeah, quite disappointing that I had to do so much interpreting...and then I was actually told by one of the "only show up a little bit" interpreters that I should slow down! Excuse me, but I am trying to do my job and provide services to Deaf people. Maybe if you help out more I won't have to work so hard. (And no, I do not treat DragonCon less seriously because it is not a paid gig. I may take more breaks and push myself less hard, but it is still just as serious.)
Staying out by the airport was a bad idea. We didn't know that when we booked the hotel, of course, but it turned out to be a bad idea. The rate was supposed to be $140/nt including a shuttle to the con. Turns out the hotel's actual rate was $85/nt...so they were making an extra $55 PER ROOM PER NIGHT for that shuttle service - we paid an extra $220 for it. That shuttle made them so much money and it wasn't even convenient! I got left behind one night because I had run inside to go to the bathroom and my friend couldn't convince them to stay for TWO MINUTES. Fortunately another one came along eventually, but I was pissed. We've already decided that next year we're going to stay somewhere in town. I don't need it to be one of the con hotels - too expensive - but I want it to be at least on a subway line or something so I have reliable transportation. Oh well, live and learn.
The con was so huge. It was overwhelming. 30,000+ people crammed into a few square blocks is a rather tight squeeze. The main food spot is Peachtree Center, a mall with twin food courts and nowhere near enough seating. I'm lucky that as an interpreter my staff badge gets me in anywhere I want to go, anytime I want to show up - my friend waited in lines that were hours long. For Shatner and Nimoy's show on Friday morning at 10am, people started lining up at 6am. Amazing. And trying to get through crowds of people is just astonishing. At my little cons in Baltimore, everything is back-to-back, because it doesn't take more than a couple of minutes to get anywhere. At DragonCon, the program includes 30 minutes between panels just so you can get there. And that's hoping you haven't picked something popular, in which case the room might fill up before you get there from your last event. What a ZOO. Walking between hotels is not fun either; the worst is trying to get between the Sheraton (bottom of a big hill) and the Hyatt (top of the hill). The Marriott is on the hill, but if you want to use its escalators and elevators to make the trip easier, you have to get through throngs of, oh, 10,000 people. Same for the dealer room; you're lucky if you get to SEE anything because it is so crowded. (I did manage to buy a corset though, yay.)
So yeah. For all my bitching, I really did enjoy it. The sheer variety of stuff going on is amazing. I only got to see three of the six people I had wanted to meet; one found me while interpreting, one I set up dinner with over text, and one I found at his panel. The other three I just never saw or didn't have time for. It was so exhausting that I fell asleep propped against walls and under tables! Just that kind of weekend. And I am definitely going back.
I was even able to call my wife at work using P3 VRS! Finally, deaf people - who can't enjoy inflight movies because they're not captioned - can have a benefit on the plane that hearing people can't! She was just leaving work so I'm glad I caught her. I think both she and the interpreter were quite amused by the fact that I was calling from a plane in flight.
Ain't technology cool?
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