Books, Libraries, and Bookstores

In his Sunday, August 15, 2010 Washington Post article, "As electronic readers gain popularity, what happens to the personal library?" Philip Kennicott muses about the ways in which technology is changing our lives. More specifically he writes that "the architecture of our lives is constantly changing" and considers home libraries in particular.

I love his description of just how much books represent, though I would note that his focus on unread books is a bit heavy for my taste. Sure, I have those books on my shelf which I had intended to read but probably never will. But growing up as a young queer person book were my refuge. I sought out and devoured as much as I could, and felt that much better off for having done so--fuller in spirit, in love, and ultimately in life.

This summer I finally started to let some of those books go--because, as Kennicott so rightly points out, it's only very few of us who truly have adequate space for a home library. I was able to sell some of them outright (though hardly at all for the original cost of them), I've got some of them on sale currently (with the hopes that I'll make a minimal gain, and the even bigger desire to pass them on to someone who might find as much value in them as I did once), and others I'll be giving away.

Sometimes it doesn't seem like much...seven or so boxes among so many more. But, I'm trying to remind myself that letting go of these materials things doesn't mean giving up all they meant and still mean to me.

However, when I think about the local LGBT bookstore that closed earlier this year and the local libraries that are reducing hours due to budget constraints, I can't help be sad. Sure, so much more is available on-line these days than when I went looking fifteen years ago, but I still think it's an all together different experience. Then again, I'm sure queer youth today won't even realize what I feel is missing because of all there is.

Getting older and looking back at things is such a strange experience.

Maker's Mark Distillery (Loretto, KY)

The first night away from home I spent in Lexington, KY. I had chosen Lexington over Indianapolis, IN because the latter was a bigger city than I was in the mood to road trip through.

Lexington's rolling green hills and white horse fences were picturesque, and just the right note with which to set off a long journey. And what an adventure it was the next morning when I headed to Loretto, KY to visit the Maker's Mark Distillery. (The narrow winding country roads were a bit intimidating.)


I confess that I had never had Maker's Mark before, nor am I generally a bourbon whisky drinker. But, a former roommate of mine did drink Maker's Mark and their distinctive red wax hand-dipped bottle is certainly memorable. But, the distillery tour was on a list of AAA attractions for the area, and it was FREE. That's all I needed to know before I inputted the address into my GPS and headed out. (I certainly had no idea that there was a Bourbon Trail I could have explored in KY if I had only left myself more time!)


In any case, I LOVED the distillery tour and LOVED the Maker's Mark Mint Julep I sampled at the end of the tour. (Sure, it's probably better with fresh mint leaves, but their bottled variety was plenty tasty.) When they say hand-crafted, they mean it, and you can see it! I was impressed enough to leave with a bottle and sign up to be an ambassador. (You don't have to visit the distillery to become an ambassador, for more details go to http://www.makersmark.com/AmbassadorRegister.aspx)


Some folks were amazed that I'd travel to Lexington, being the queer transman that I am, especially given that I was traveling alone. I'm happy to report that I didn't have any negative experiences during my road trip, including but not limited to Kentucky. I'm sure I seemed strange to folks, but that's true most places I go, the Washington D.C. metro area and San Francisco Bay area, too!

Away and Back

The car that took me away and back on my cross-country road trip this summer.

I had a great time, and am amazed by how much I was able to do and see, as well as by how much more there still is to do and see. Thinking back, however, so much of it seems so unreal (until I see the 8,000+ miles I put on the car!)

Bucket List

When I started this blog five years ago, I wanted to do so to chronicle not only my thoughts and feelings, but also as a means to record various events in my life. So much has changed in five years, and I'm sure the future holds more change as well. But, at this moment here's a quick bucket list :

Travel to Paris, France...see the Louvre, Seine, & Eiffel Tower
See the Grand Canyon
Hang-glide (preferably at Fort Funston)
Parachute
Ride in a hot air balloon
Join a (queer) bowling league
Sing in a church choir
Complete an art project


These things came to mind in ten minutes. Honestly, I thought I'd have I really long list, but I actually struggled to get these eight! On one hand, I feel really happy and satisfied with my life and all the things I've already done. On the other hand, I need to think and dream bigger!

The end of an era

After more than 10 years on the road and over 100,000 miles I finally had to say goodbye to my '99 Saturn SC2. Although I was initially intimiated by its manual transmission, now that I'm back to driving an automatic, I find myself missing it at times. There are other things I'll miss about it too, but I think the sadness all stems from realizing how some things that seem so recent, actually aren't. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that some things are in the distant past...

Thank goodness, then, for new adventures and new memories!

Union Jack's British Pub

I went to Union Jack's British Pub (the Columbia, MD location) just last week for the first time. The roasted vegetable sandwich was VERY tasty. Still, I left with a bad taste in my mouth because of their "British Slang" napkin. I was disheartened in particular by the inclusion of "nancy boy: If someone is being pathetic you would call them a nancy or nancy boy." This slang has misogynistic and homophobic undertones that I would rather not have seen being distributed as novelty fun. It's no wonder that I don't have a sense of humor at times--too often humor comes at the price of perpetuating oppression.

How Beautiful the Ordinary

Years ago when I started this blog, I did so because I wanted to leave traces for myself of my life...the ordinary, the extraordinary and everything else, too. I've been lax on posting for quite a while. I could say it's because I've been busy, but I also know that we all have time for the things that we make time for.

I just finished reading the anthology How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity (2009) edited by Michael Cart. As with most anthologies, there were some stories I really loved, and others I struggled to finish reading. By far, one of my favorites in this collection is David Levithan's "A Word From the Nearly Distant Past." (Not surprising given my love of Levithan's other novels.) I particularly enjoyed the point of view of the "nearly distant past." It's a position I'm identifying with more and more, especially in light of my most recent birthday. And, of course, Levithan's story had my favorite line from the whole book:

Freedom isn't just about voting and marrying and kissing on the street, although all of these things are important. Freedom is also about what you will allow yourself to do. (11)

An increasingly important sentiment, not only for us as individuals, but also for our queer communities as well as soceity-at-large in this time of legislative change.