Sunday, May 29, 2011

Out and About

Today I attended my first meeting of the Tallahassee Atheists.  That was a nice little hike, 3.7 miles.  It only took about an hour.  The meeting was held (for the last time) in a little storefront called The Divine Union.  Next month we're moving our functions to the All Saints Cafe.  The irony of a humanist group meeting in places with religious names is not lost on anyone.  There were about eight people there.  This was my first time, but I was recognized immediately.  I connected with the group through Facebook, where I am only known in my femme persona, but I attended the meeting in drab because of the heat and the distance of the walk.  Once I explained my situation, no one thought I was weird, which was a relief.

We didn't talk about much, just plans for founding a local secular community center, and some local political stuff.  Did you know that Florida's governor, Rick Scott, has the lowest approval rating of any governor in all the fifty states?  Yeah, it's down to 29%.  I haven't had a lot of time to absorb the local political atmosphere, and I learned quite a bit.  After that, we discussed the move to All Saints, plans for next month's movie night (Monty Python's Life of Brian) and plans for a barbeque, which ended up getting folded in with movie night, for an all-day affair.  There were refreshments, donuts and a Japanese snack called Daifuku mochi.  This is a rice cake stuffed with flavored red bean paste.  The one I sampled was flavored with peanut butter.  I've had all manner of peanut butter snacks, but this had the strangest texture I've ever experienced.  I won't try to gross anyone out by trying to describe that texture, but it triggered a moment of cognitive dissonance.  At least, I think that's the proper word.

Afterward, one of the members was generous enough to spot me lunch, and another gave me a ride home, and said he was willing to do so in future.  All around this was a really nice bunch of people.  It was nice to spend time with my own kind, so to speak.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

I can't remember if I've written anything about either the book or the Swedish film, but one movie I'm looking forward to this winter is the American adaptation of Stieg Larsson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  I'm not that familiar with the actress cast in the titular role (Rooney Mara), but I like Daniel Craig, and the director, David Fincher, is an old favorite of mine.

I have no idea how long this trailer will be active.  No doubt, Sony will notice this is online and squash it like a bug, but here's the link until that time.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Red Band Trailer

Notice this is a red band trailer.  That means it's only shown before R-rated films and it contains material that may not be safe for work.  One of the high points of this trailer, at least for me, is the Karen O/Trent Reznor rendering of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song".

Edit: As of late 31 May, the red-band trailer has been pulled for copyright infringement, but Sony have finally posted an official "All Audiences" trailer and you can watch it at the link below:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

It's almost the same trailer, but most of the more provocative imagery has been removed.  One thing I noticed that is different is the red-band trailer ends with the words "She's coming".  The new one only says "Coming".  I guess they didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Some News

Another month goes by without a post from me.  I wish I could say I've been busy, but the truth is I didn't want to post anything here until I had something meaningful to say.  I hope today's missive fills the bill.

I went to another job interview yesterday.  Yes, I went to a job interview on Saturday.  I thought it a little odd, but the unemployed don't complain about interview times.  I was happy just to have been called in for one.  I feel good about this one.  It's another hotel position, this time at a hotel in Quincy, which is about half an hour west of here.  They told me I can expect a call next week, Monday or Tuesday.

On the social side of things, I've made some new friends via Facebook.  One of them has put me in an awkward spot, though.  A couple of weeks ago, Keith Olbermann activated a fan page on FB for his forthcoming show on Current TV.  Shortly after that, I got a Friend Request from another fan.  I've built friendships out of less substantial connections than shared love of a celebrity, so I accepted the request.  My new friend is a gentleman in New York.  We've chatted online a couple of times, and the chats are a little disturbing (to me, anyway).  He's only seen the handful of photos I have online.  He knows I'm transgendered, but I think he's under the impression that I'm full-time.  I wish I was, but I'm not at a place in my life where that is yet feasible.  In our chats he's been hinting at wanting something romantic.  He said something the other night about "spooning while we watch the fireworks" on July 4th.  He seems like a nice guy, but I'm not looking for a relationship, not even a long-distance one.  I don't want to lead him on, either.  I'm not a gold-digger.  His attention is flattering, but how can I let him down easy?