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mysidI'm back! Did you miss me? What do you mean you didn't know I was gone? (Sniff)
Yes, I just spent a wonderful week in Nags Head, NC with my hubby, our kids, and hubby's extended family (parents, siblings, aunts & uncles, cousins). Thirty-three of us altogether in a huge house right on the beach (and we had a pool!)
I brought a notebook containing all my WIP's, but I didn't open it once all week. I DID go see the PoA movie (finally!) while there. When I got back, everyone asked, "How was the movie?" My reply? "The book was better." Not much more to say, really.
Let me tell you about my gift dilemma. My sister-in-law, L, and I have many tastes in common. For example, we both LOVE books, history, and historical fiction. She is the person who introduced me to Mary Stewart's trilogy+1 about Merlin and Arthur.
Recently, writing "Famous Poofs in History" inspired me to reread Mary Renault's trilogy about Alexander the Great. And that inspired me to reread Stewart's books about Arthur. I found myself thinking that L just might like Renault's books. That is, she'll like them if she doesn't hate them.
"Hate" might not be a strong enough word here. Loathe, despise, want to build a bonfire and burn them. Why? One thing L and I do not have in common, religion. L is a Christian fundamentalist and just might find the idea of a homosexual love story a touch disturbing.
In one of my moments of "let's stir up trouble," I purchased copies of Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy for her. (I'm not crazy about Funeral Games.) When I was packing for vacation, I started to have second thoughts. Should I give them to her? Gifts are supposed to be something that the recipient will like; how rude is it to give her a gift that I know she won't like? How many years until she speaks to me again?
I packed them, but I still didn't know whether or not I'd give them. On the very first night, she gave me an opening. We were talking about the movie Troy, and the upcoming Alexander. She said that she didn't know much about that period of history.
"Hold that thought!" I ran to my room, got the books, and handed them over. I emphasized that I'd thought to give them to her because she'd given me the Stewart books and that the two series reminded me of each other. Her hubby (who shares her religious beliefs) began to read the back cover of one book.
"Alexander was gay?" he said.
"Bi, actually," I said as casually as I could.
By the end of vacation, she hadn't read them yet (busy with another book) but promised that she would read them. We'll see. At least she's still speaking to me.
On a related note, a bunch of us were watching a video one night, The Gingerbread Man. (Don't bother renting it unless you really have a need to hear Kenneth Branagh doing an American Southern accent.) In one scene a man is hanging out with two female friends in a bar. He has to leave, kisses them good-bye, and promises to return. They laugh, say that he won't be back, and kiss each other. It was just a little kiss, no more than the one he's just given each of them. At least six people in the room with me squealed, "Eww!" when the two women kissed.
You know what really bothered me about that demonstration of homophobia? One of the people who squealed in disgust was hubby's Aunt J. Just the day before, I'd come in on the tail-end of a discussion about same-sex marriage. My mother-in-law had just told Aunt J that my next door neighbors are a same-sex couple (J & AM) and that they have a daughter, A, who plays with my kids. One of them said something along the lines of "A's going to have trouble down the line with other kids being cruel."
I said (and I'm paraphrasing here), "Yes, she will, but it's not because J & AM are doing anything wrong. They love each other, and they love their daughter. There's nothing wrong with that. The fault will lie with the kids who tease her and with their parents who raised them to be homophobic and cruel."
Aunt J nodded throughout my little speach as if she agreed with me completely. Then one little on-screen kiss and she squeals as if one woman kissing another is the most disgusting thing she's ever seen. (Big sigh.)
Yes, I just spent a wonderful week in Nags Head, NC with my hubby, our kids, and hubby's extended family (parents, siblings, aunts & uncles, cousins). Thirty-three of us altogether in a huge house right on the beach (and we had a pool!)
I brought a notebook containing all my WIP's, but I didn't open it once all week. I DID go see the PoA movie (finally!) while there. When I got back, everyone asked, "How was the movie?" My reply? "The book was better." Not much more to say, really.
Let me tell you about my gift dilemma. My sister-in-law, L, and I have many tastes in common. For example, we both LOVE books, history, and historical fiction. She is the person who introduced me to Mary Stewart's trilogy+1 about Merlin and Arthur.
Recently, writing "Famous Poofs in History" inspired me to reread Mary Renault's trilogy about Alexander the Great. And that inspired me to reread Stewart's books about Arthur. I found myself thinking that L just might like Renault's books. That is, she'll like them if she doesn't hate them.
"Hate" might not be a strong enough word here. Loathe, despise, want to build a bonfire and burn them. Why? One thing L and I do not have in common, religion. L is a Christian fundamentalist and just might find the idea of a homosexual love story a touch disturbing.
In one of my moments of "let's stir up trouble," I purchased copies of Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy for her. (I'm not crazy about Funeral Games.) When I was packing for vacation, I started to have second thoughts. Should I give them to her? Gifts are supposed to be something that the recipient will like; how rude is it to give her a gift that I know she won't like? How many years until she speaks to me again?
I packed them, but I still didn't know whether or not I'd give them. On the very first night, she gave me an opening. We were talking about the movie Troy, and the upcoming Alexander. She said that she didn't know much about that period of history.
"Hold that thought!" I ran to my room, got the books, and handed them over. I emphasized that I'd thought to give them to her because she'd given me the Stewart books and that the two series reminded me of each other. Her hubby (who shares her religious beliefs) began to read the back cover of one book.
"Alexander was gay?" he said.
"Bi, actually," I said as casually as I could.
By the end of vacation, she hadn't read them yet (busy with another book) but promised that she would read them. We'll see. At least she's still speaking to me.
On a related note, a bunch of us were watching a video one night, The Gingerbread Man. (Don't bother renting it unless you really have a need to hear Kenneth Branagh doing an American Southern accent.) In one scene a man is hanging out with two female friends in a bar. He has to leave, kisses them good-bye, and promises to return. They laugh, say that he won't be back, and kiss each other. It was just a little kiss, no more than the one he's just given each of them. At least six people in the room with me squealed, "Eww!" when the two women kissed.
You know what really bothered me about that demonstration of homophobia? One of the people who squealed in disgust was hubby's Aunt J. Just the day before, I'd come in on the tail-end of a discussion about same-sex marriage. My mother-in-law had just told Aunt J that my next door neighbors are a same-sex couple (J & AM) and that they have a daughter, A, who plays with my kids. One of them said something along the lines of "A's going to have trouble down the line with other kids being cruel."
I said (and I'm paraphrasing here), "Yes, she will, but it's not because J & AM are doing anything wrong. They love each other, and they love their daughter. There's nothing wrong with that. The fault will lie with the kids who tease her and with their parents who raised them to be homophobic and cruel."
Aunt J nodded throughout my little speach as if she agreed with me completely. Then one little on-screen kiss and she squeals as if one woman kissing another is the most disgusting thing she's ever seen. (Big sigh.)
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-06-28 11:37 am (UTC)as for the gift giving dilemna... well if she reads arthur she must accept paganism (whilst some christians denounce harry potter as heresy... i think that's the word i want. evil will do) and if she accepts that she's probably likely to be ok with homosexuality. especially if put forward by an author she admires.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-06-28 04:28 pm (UTC)And in The Hollow Hills, there's an important scene with the altar and the sword. I won't spoil it here for anyone who hasn't read the novel, but that scene definitely convinces Merlin that the Christians' God is either more powerful than all the other gods or is the only god.
So, that series is definitely acceptable to L's religious beliefs. Now Mary Renault's books on the other hand...
Welcome back
Date: 2004-06-30 04:18 pm (UTC)Of course the book is better than the movie! All the movies will have their good and bad points, but none will ever be as good as the books. It's almost a universal law among literature, excluding a couple exceptions.
I think I've heard of Mary Stewart...-_- I'll try The Persian Boy, if/when I find it. Gay literature doesn't squick me (but you already knew that.)
Too bad about your Aunt J. I suspect it's a conditioned reflex, like how you told me, or (sadly) hypocrisy. I wouldn't have minded seeing two girls kiss.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-07-09 11:46 am (UTC)