Brokeback Pope

What could be gayer than this?

Project Literacy

Ever since my move and my deluge of free time, I've managed to do more reading and more writing. I think I've read more books in the last few months than I had in a long time. Plus, I'm reading the New York Times. Ok, I'm only reading the sunday New York Times. PS, this past week I finished both the crossword and the acrostic. Ok, my boyfriend helped a little.

I've updated the sidebar on what I've been reading lately. I finished the book State of Fear by Michael Crichton a while ago. It's essentially a "thriller" that disproves the harmful effects of global warming. I didn't really have anything to say about it except that I was surprised that the right wing didn't greenlight a movie version of the book to pile against Gore's Truth. It's essentially formulaic Crichton that always leaves me wishing he still wrote like Jurassic Park. I started but quickly stopped reading Front Runner. I tend to dislike gay themed literature because it's usually stupid. But this was a classic and so I was surprised that I just couldn't get into it. It just wasn't the right time for me what with the amendment and all. I just kept rolling my eyes at the main character and thinking "Gracious, just come out already."

This time around, I'm doing the juggling act - three books at the same time. I'm halfway through We Were the Mulvaney's by Joyce Carol Oates but I hadn't finished it before I promised to give it to my mom to read. I like Joyce - shitty things happen to her dark characters. I started Barack Obama's latest book The Audacity of Hope. Now that Russ Feingold isn't running for president in 2008, I must get aquainted with this man. And lastly, I am neck deep in an odd and rambling story called The Children's Hospital by Chris Adrian - an apocalyptic drama set in its title place seen through the eyes of a disgruntled medical student. Having a medical background makes the story incredibly funny. A sort of been-there-done-that without the end of the world.

I am an impulse buyer and a book whore and so I discovered that my crack house is Barnes and Noble. Hard cover books everywhere with shiny pretty covers. I picked up The God Delusion and a CSI board game and Josh Groban's newest CD just the other day before regaining consciousness in the parking lot. Send help.

Midterm Voting

Yesterday was election day. I always feel great about voting, so patriotic. I am always infused with vigor at the democratic process even though in alot of ways I think it's rigged. I am always registered in the district where I live and aside from a short period of time when I voted absentee (to prove a point), I love the actual process of going to my polling place and casting by ballot. I always thank the volunteers and make a big production of putting my ballot in the machine. I could vote straight down one party line but I like filling in the arrow for every single candidate. I exit the building with a sense of duty accomplished and I always participate in exit polls if there is one.

I'm pleased as punch that the Dems took the House. For one, history will recount the first female Speaker of the House. And for those of you who aren't in the know, if both president and VP are out of commission, she would become president. I'm actually a bit worried that the Dems might take the Senate as well. On the surface, it would seem like a good thing but I worry that the Republicans would then blame the Dems for everything over the next two years leaving the door open for a Republican presidential win in 08.

I'm bummed about Wisconsin's stupid marriage amendment passing. I thought the race would be closer. Wisconsin voters caved to right wing pressure. And while I will be the first to say that I think the institution as a whole is very flawed, I think that all people should be given that choice.

And even though I leave my polling place feeling excited and patriotic, I often feel guilty too. Guilty that I didn't do enough again this election cycle to help the candidates I supported or the amendment I didn't. I should have volunteered more time, made phone calls, donated more money. 2008 is only two years away.

Grey's Minorities

I have to say that I love the show Grey's Anatomy. Sure, sure, it's a doctor show and I'm a doctor and so either I'm supposed to hate it for not being nearly as boring and realistic as being a real doctor or I'm supposed to love it for how much it reminds me of my days as a stupid intern. Well, first off I'm an ER doctor and so my job isn't really all THAT boring. And I'm willing to suspend my belief that a top cardiothoracic surgeon would do an appendectomy, and OB physician would do lung surgery, and the not so unrealistic impression that everybody is sleeping with everybody else. And it does sort of remind me of some of my intern foibles; the competition for good cases and patients, the making of mistakes that may or may not have killed a patient, the need to stick together to survive. I remember the exhaustion of working over 100 hour weeks, getting to the hospital before the sun came up and leaving the hospital after the sun went down, standing in front of hospital windows just to remember that there is indeed something called sun and that the rest of the world lives in it.

And I'll admit that I've always had a thing for Patrick Dempsey. Oh... like FOREVER.

But the reason that I love this show so much is the deliberate attention it pays to minorities. The Chief of Surgery is black, the premiere cardiothoracic surgeon is black, the best and most respected resident is black and a woman. The premiere OB physician is a woman, the smartest of the interns are women. The smartest and most competitive intern is a Korean Jewish woman (played by the more than brilliant Sandra Oh) who is incidentally sleeping with the black CT surgeon. Many of the patients' stories are represented by minority people and beliefs like the patient who needed a shaman. And while there is no gay physician (yet), gay people have been represented in many story lines. But again, the cool thing is their story isn't about them being gay but hints at a gay issue. For example, there was a pediatric patient who had two dads one of whom was very skittish and protective. When the kid took a turn for the worse and the doctors had to drill a hole in his head at the bedside (I know, I know), the skittish one was asked to leave (because he was skittish and overly protective not because he was gay) but he demanded to stay in the room to be near his son and the two dads held hands tightly as their son of course pulled through. Clearly, this was a way to show middle america two gay dads and to hint at the issue of hospital visitation in gay households. Without shoving it down our throats.

And while at the water cooler the next day the GA conversation will always be whether or not Meredith will end up with McDreamy, even subconsciously they can't help but absorb the more important issues in front of their eyes week after week.