Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Because you're hot: the women of Bitch Slap

You might have already noticed the trailer of Bitch Slap I have posted on my blog (If not, you can find it in the right hand corner). All I have seen so far is this and one other short trailer, but I’m already hooked.
This movie is so over the top….totally exploitative, but in a good way. You know, the hot way. Hot slutty women with guns kicking ass.
What more could you possibly ask for?
A plot? C’mon, sometimes you really do not need much of one.
Not convinced yet how truly awesome this is? Have a look at the pictures below.





Friday, November 28, 2008
More book reviews

This final novel in the series (for now, let’s hope eventually there will be a fourth!) does not follow the story as closely as the previous two did. In fact, I would say in some respects it is a different novel all together.
It is still about Aud Torvingen, but instead of focusing on a fast-paced mystery that needs to be solved like it was the case in the previous novels the “Blue Place” and “Stay”, “Always” is much more about getting a better idea of who Aud really is."
Read the entire review here.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
YouTube Thursday: Boybands
Yep, that’s right. Boy bands. Let’s have a look at some of the stuff I was into when I was 14, way before I had figured out I was into women.
Bros
Words cannot describe a. how much I loved these guys b. how embarrassed I am about this.
New Kids on the Block
I was so into NKOTB especially Donnie Wahlberg. It still feels weird to see him in movies or TV shows.
Bad Boys Inc
I was actually at the performance of this song (*Hangs head in shame* )
East17
Yeah, I know it’s bad.
Take that
I admit, my boy band phase lasted quite a few years…
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Memories
Why did I stop? I am not sure. I think the main reason was that I stopped having the need to keep a detailed account of my life. Or put differently, I stopped being a big drama queen and grew up, hence, the need for bitching and whining stopped too.
Think I am exaggerating? I spent most of last night reading all my diaries until the early hours and the one thing I kept thinking was I would make a great Meredith. Seriously, I had forgotten I used to be such a whiner.
Especially my late teens and early twenties were a time where I was so preoccupied with myself and took everything way too seriously. Pages and pages are filled with self-consciousness (am I good, pretty and/or ambitious enough?), confusion (am I really gay?), depression (feeling like the weight of the world is one ones shoulders), unrequited love (crushes on straight girls) and something I can best describe as a fear of life itself.
My journals also included a detailed account of what happened with my first girlfriends. Those were wonderful to read. It’s weird how you think you remember everything, but really you forget so many little things or change them in your head. There is nothing like reading about the excitement of first kiss and first love.
I also found some photos from those times. Damn, did I look good! Seriously, if only I had realized in my late teens/early twenties how hot I was things would have been so different. Then again, maybe they wouldn’t have been and I just had been more arrogant.
I wonder if I read these blogposts in another decade I will feel the same way. You know, wondering who the hell that girl was that wrote all this stuff, feeling so much older and wiser. Well, I am sure I will feel older. Wiser?
I don’t know. We might get wiser with the years, but I don’t think we ever really learn.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
You should read it: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Whenever I buy a new novel by Gaiman, I cannot put it down and have to read it start to finish in one go. That is also what I did with Anansi Boys, my second favourite Gaiman novel after American Gods.
Anansi Boys tells the story of Fat Charlie Nancy, an average kinda guy with a boring job and an even more boring relationship. When his estranged father passes away, he finds out that he was really a God, a God of tricks to be precise. He also learns that he has a half brother named Spider, who happens to have a lot of strange God like powers.

When Spider comes to visit him, he decides it will be fun to impersonate him and manages to get him fired from his job, lose his girlfriend and basically ruin his already pathetic life even further. It goes so far that Charlie even gets arrested for embezzlement and is accused of murder.
Spider is not at all aware of what he is doing or what kind of harm he is inflicting on Charlie. He is just having a bit of fun and in his carelessness and selfishness does not have a clue that he has overstayed his welcome. Needless to say, Charlie is trying his best to get rid of his brother again, so he can get back to his peaceful and boring life.
What I love most about this story is the fact that apart from Fat Charlie, no one seems to think the fact that both his father and his half brother are Gods with strange magical gifts is anything strange or unusual.
In fact, we find out that everyone in Charlie’s life (apart from his girlfriend) already knew about his father and the fact that he had a half brother, but no one ever thought of informing him.
I very much identified with Fat Charlie and could understand why finding out everything that he did and having his brother come mess up his life was so upsetting to him. I would totally freak out if I knew I had relatives who were really Gods, with weird magical powers. Even more than the weird powers, I would be upset by all the trickery and carelessness. Nope, no God like family for me, thank you very much.
Intrigued? If you are, you should definitely check out this novel. Anansi Boys is one of those rare books that draws you in from the very first page. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Monday, November 24, 2008
I love my new apartment
When I moved to Germany I put a lot of stuff I thought I would not need (like my entire music and book collection) into storage. Hundreds and hundreds of books are sitting in those boxes just waiting for me to rediscover them.
Unfortunately, I haven’t bought my new bookshelves yet, so I’ll probably end up with those books lying all over my apartment. All over my awesome new hardwood floors. You should see the place, it’s so great. At least, I like to think that it is.
One of my friends was actually nice enough to tell one of our other friends “It’s a great apartment, but of course with her taste it will never be really nice or inviting”. Thanks a lot! So I don’t like anything bright or shiny and I don’t believe in decorative crap, doesn’t mean it isn’t awesome.
All the straight males that have seen my apartment seem to love my decorative taste though. Great, so I have dude taste. I can live with that. My sister hopefully enquired whether I would be putting up anything on the walls.
I told her I’d bought some nice black and white photographs. You should’ve seen her face, it was priceless. Anyways, I love my new apartment and seeing I have to live in it that’s all that really matters.
I’m going to unpack those boxes now.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Song of the week: Magdalena-deus
Saturday, November 22, 2008
If there was a cure for homosexuality…
Some of the titles are very crinch worthy, but I always try to write to them just so there is a more even balance of articles. Below is part of the article I wrote about curing homosexuality. Do check out some of the other entries.
I cannot believe people actually have the nerve to start their articles with “First of all, let me say that I believe the act of homosexuality is wrong and a sin. Notice I said the ACT of, not homosexuals. People need to understand that you can like someone or even love someone but hate the things they do.”
Yeah, right. This is the sort of person I would very much like to punch in the face. Twice.
Anyways, here’s what I wrote:
“I guess that I should take offense to this title, but instead I am going to be a good sport and play along. If there was a cure for homosexuality, I would not want to know anything about it. The fact that I am gay is a core part of who I am and I would not change it, even if I could.
Changing it would make me a totally different person than I am now. Not only that, but I actually enjoy being gay. I love women and I think they are amazing creatures. Why would I possibly choose to fall in love with and share the rest of my life with a man instead?
Some people believe that life is so much easier when you are straight. I guess in some ways this is true. If you are part of a majority (in this case heterosexual people) and fit in nicely with the normal average folks, you are likely to experience less aversion and you will have less obstacles thrown in your way, than when you deviate from the norm.
However, I cannot say my life as a lesbian has been all that difficult. Moreover, I bet there are plenty of straight people who will tell you that their life has not been all that easy either. Life is hard anyways, so you might as well be yourself and live it the way that makes you happy.”
Read the entire article here.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
YouTube Thursday: Favourite high school TV shows
Here are some of my favourites…
Popular
I cannot believe this series didn’t last longer than it did. It was simply awesome, and not just because it starred Carly Pope. It had some of the best writing I have ever seen on any high school series.
Beverly Hills 90210
When I was at school this was the TV show to watch. It really was the first of its kind. Although it looks a little dated now
Dawson’s Creek
This series is my guilty pleasure. I watched all seasons (but the final one) faithfully. Loved all the characters, loved all the drama especially the never-ending relationship problems. Great soundtrack too.
Heartbreak high
This Australian high school series was so different than all the other American series at the time. More realistic, as in the boys and girls actually had sex and did drugs and got up to no good, without the moralizing tone telling us how to behave.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Never say never
For example, I always said I would never ever…become a graduate student, move to a small town, move to Germany or get married. So far I have done the first three and even the fourth one does not seem all that impossible now.
The latest of many things I said I’d never do is become a teacher. In fact, while I was in grad school I kept telling everyone who would hear it I only loved conducting research and teaching sucked. I would never ever do that full time.
A few years have gone by since then and now I find myself having a job as an assistant professor that consist for a large part of teaching. And guess what? I love it! I love being a teacher and getting students excited about research.
Yep, I am mainly teaching research methods/statistics, which most psychology students hate. It is so rewarding and fun to see when all of a sudden it starts making sense to them. It is funny how when it comes to teaching I am so patient and I do not mind explaining the same thing over and over again.
Perhaps I could learn to apply some of that patience to my personal life as well. Hmm. Anyways, my point is that I love my job and I love teaching, even though I always thought I’d hate it. The lesson kids is don’t say never to quickly….you might be missing out on something great.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Wanda Sykes comes out

"I thought, man we are moving in the right direction. And then at about 11 o’clock I was crushed. We took a huge leap forward and then got dragged 12 feet back. I felt like I was being attacked, personally attacked, our community was attacked.
I got married Oct. 25, I don’t really talk about my sexual orientation, I felt like I was living my life, I wasn’t in the closet, but I was just living my life. Everybody who knows me personally, they know I’m gay. And that’s the way people should be able to live our lives, really. We shouldn’t have to be standing out here demanding something we automatically should have as citizens of this country. ...
They pissed off the wrong group of people. They have galvanized a community. We are so together now and we all want the same thing and we shouldn’t have to settle for less. Instead of having gay marriage in California, no, we’re gonna have gay marriage across the country.
When my wife and I leave California, I want to have my marriage also recognized in Nevada, in Arizona, all the way to New York. ... I’m proud to be a woman, I’m proud to be a black woman and I’m proud to be gay."
Awesome. Who’s next?
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Today is National Protest Day
It's not just about gay marriage...it's about civil rights...and being treated as equal...
The worst lesbian movie…ever!*

For all of you who are contemplating something similar, let me just say; do not do it! You see, you might be starved for lesbian content, but many lesbian movies are just very very bad. You don’t want all those crappy DVDs in your DVD collection, trust me. Rent them instead. One of the worst queer DVDs in my collection is probably The Girl.
"The Girl" is the 2000 movie about an affair between two women who meet at a nightclub in Paris. It was directed by Sande Zeig and based on a short story by her partner, French feminist writer Monique Wittig. It was the first time Wittig wrote a screenplay in the English language and let’s just say that it shows.
Read my entire review on eurOut.
* Yes, I actually think it is worse than Go Fish.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Movies I have seen too many times: Silence of the Lambs
C’mon, don’t tell me you did not think this movie was scary? Or if you really did not, I refuse to believe you weren’t creeped out by Buffalo Bill with his crazy body suit he was building out of women’s skin and the dry well he kept his victims in.
Did you guys know that the girl he had trapped in the well in his house is no other than Grey’s Anatomy’s Dr. Erica Hahn? I bet she never could have predicted standing there screaming her lungs out in a weirdos basement, that 17 years later she’d be making out with Sara Ramirez.
Life has some fun and interesting turns sometimes.

It tells the story of Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster), a young FBI trainee, who is asked to seek advice from the imprisoned serial killer Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins) on catching another serial killer named Buffalo Bill.
Even though this movie looks a little dated, it is still one of my favourite thrillers. This movie tells a great story, and the entire time it is both captivating and suspenseful. I think this might possibly be one of Jodie Foster’s greatest roles ever.

What’s your favourite Jodie Foster movie?
Thursday, November 13, 2008
YouTube Thursday: Awesome people who care
MSNBC Keith Olbermann on Prop 8
If only more people where like him the world would be a better place…
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Getting older
I used to think that by the time I reached thirty, I would have achieved so much. I expected to be settled down with a great partner, maybe have a family, and live in a nice house that I was able to buy because of my great career that had taken off.
It is funny how for such a long time in my life my thirties seemed very far away, and then all of a sudden I found myself on the eve of my thirtieth birthday, wondering what the hell had happened to my twenties.
Even though the decade of my twenties was well spend, I could not believe it had come and gone, and now I too would belong to the group of boring grown up thirty-somethings. I was not ready to turn thirty, and I did not like it at all.
However, as with most things, it turned out that the idea of turning thirty was far worse than actually being thirty. I might have entered a new decade, but everything else has remained just the same.
I am exactly the same person, with the same hopes and dreams, and the same lack of a serious relationship as when I was in my twenties. I might be a grown up, but that does not mean I feel any more mature. I found out that I did not really change; the only thing that keeps on changing is my age.
They say you are as old as you feel, and I guess in a way that is correct. There are no rules saying you should have accomplished this, and this, and that before you are thirty. I am sure there are plenty of people who, by the time they are thirty, are not quite yet where they would like to be. And I can live with that.
It is just so weird how every year seems to go by faster, while so little else changes. Where did the time go? How come all of a sudden another year has gone by? Now I find myself sitting here thinking: Damn, I’m 32.
Happy Birthday to me.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Big Brother…or just safe?
Needless to say, something needs to be done about it. The university I am working at right now has done just that. They have installed video cameras in every room and office in order to keep track of what is going on in there.
That is right, I have a security camera in my office. The lovely security people can watch my every move, including seeing if I am really working hard or scratching an itch in weird places.
I am not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, it is great they are watching over our stuff so closely, but at the same time I do not like being watched all the freaking time.
To be honest, most of the time I am not even aware of the video camera. Maybe that is even worse. I mean, just take a minute to think about all the stuff that you do when you think there is no one around to see you.
Exactly. That’s my point.
Part of me does not really care, they can watch me all they want. Plus, I am at work so I am supposed to work there and nothing else. Yet I can’t help but feel it is a little creepy.
Can’t they just watch my office only when I am not there? I mean, I am hardly going to steal my own equipment, am I?
I have no idea who the guy (or girl) is who is watching these tapes. In fact, there is probably not even anyone watching. It is much more likely that they just check the tapes when something has happened. Hmm perhaps I should find out.
What do you think: Creepy or just good security measures?
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Prop 8 protests in Hollywood
More protesting on Thursday night...
All these people gathering together to protest...it's beautiful...
Friday, November 7, 2008
Movies I have seen too many times: Interview with the Vampire
Since then a lot has changed, I am no longer such an Anne Rice fanatic, nor am I obsessed with vampires. I still like the genre though and I still put this movie in my DVD player now and then and it never disappoints.
For those of you not familiar with the movie, it tells the story of a vampire named Louis (played by Brad Pitt), who is interviewed about his life by a young reporter (played by Christian Slater). In the film, we get to relive some of the adventures Louis experienced during his 200-year life as a vampire.

Lestat turns Louis into a vampire and the two become immortal companions. Louis has a hard time being a vampire, as he cannot seem to disconnect himself from his mortal morals and engage in murder. Therefore, he tries to quench his bloodlust by feeding on animals.
When people are starting to get a little too suspicious of Louis and Lestat’s true identities, they are forced to leave the plantation. Louis is getting more and more used to being an evil vampire and finally starts feeding on humans. One night he drinks from a little girl, only to find out that Lestat has turned her into a vampire daughter for them named Claudia (played by Kristin Dunst).
Louis is horrified by this, but he cannot resist her charms. They both dote on her and for the next 65 years they all live together as a family. However, Claudia begins to hate Lestat for making her into a vampire once she realizes she will never grow up and have a woman’s body.
She thinks of a plot to get rid of Lestat to which Luis reluctantly agrees. They then leave for Europe to find others like them.

I loved this movie, mainly because I have always been a great fan of Anne Rice, and I have read all of her books. It is a great adaptation of the book, unlike the second Anne Rice vampire movie Queen of the Damned.
If you do not care about horror, vampires, or bloody scenes, this probably is not a movie for you. But if you like the genre, you are definitely going to enjoy Interview with the Vampire.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Dutch Lesbian Websites
One of the major Dutch lesbian websites is that of Femfusion. Femfusion is an organization that not only provides the “largest Dutch community website for women who like women”, but also organizes activities and projects that bring about a positive contribution to the image of lesbians and how they live their lives.
Read the entire article here.
Doeschka Meijsing wins Dutch literature prize
Doeschka Meijsing is a well-known author in the Netherlands, who has written over a dozen novels, as well as many essays and poetry. The 61 year-old author is almost a household name. Ok so I admit that I have never read
any of her books, but I have always been familiar with Meijsing as an author and I always knew she was gay. At least, that is what I assumed because of some of her subject matter.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Grey’s Anatomy de-gays their show
To make matters worse, Shonda Rhimes issued a statement about it all that is total BS:
“Brooke Smith was obviously not fired for playing a lesbian. Clearly it's not an issue as we have a lesbian character on the show – Calliope Torres. Sara Ramirez is an incredible comedic and dramatic actress and we wanted to be able to play up her magic. Unfortunately, we did not find that the magic and chemistry with Brooke's character would sustain in the long run. The impact of the Callie/Erica relationship will be felt and played out in a story for Callie. I believe it belittles the relationship to simply replace Erica with 'another lesbian.' If you'll remember, Cristina mourned the loss of Burke for a full season.”
I guess that means there really is no more Callica…
I was pretty pissed off with how they portrayed the relationship between Callie and Erica, especially all the BS with Callie still sleeping with Sloan. But now that they’ve actually just gotten rid of the entire relationship I am lost for words.
WTF?This is 2008 people. At least it is in the rest of the world.
I know there’s more important things I could be blogging about today…but I have always felt that what happens on television is a reflection of what is happening out in the real world.
I'm talking about you California!
This is such BS…and it’s not ok.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Have you ever met someone you immediately disliked?
Some people are more intuitive than others are, but it is also the case that some people you meet give off stronger vibes than others do. These so-called vibes, also known as impressions, or someone’s aura, can be very positive or very negative.
It has happened to me a few times in my life that I met someone who I immediately disliked. This had nothing to do with what they looked like, or how they presented themselves. They just gave off such strong negative vibes that made me go Whoa and immediately made me want to back off.
It is always hard to pin point exactly what it is that makes me react so strongly to someone right away. Regardless of what it is, I have learned to trust my instincts.
If from the first moment I meet someone I do not like them, I trust this is for good reason and I will try to stay away from them. I do not give them the benefit of the doubt, I do not give them a second chance, I just interact with them as much as I have to and then I make sure I stay the hell away from them.
This might seem a bit harsh or extreme, but it is not as if this happens to me all the time. More importantly, so far I have never been wrong about someone.
There is a reason why we have intuition. It helps us make sense of the world, and it especially makes it easier to judge certain people and specific situations, when more obvious cues fail to help us.
I think most people are intuitive, however, a lot of people do not realize this, or as is more often the case, choose to ignore what their intuition tells them. This is such a shame, because if you ignore what your natural instincts tell you, you will end up making a lot of mistakes about people or about the things you will do.
The way I see it, it is better to stay away from someone or something your intuition tells you is bad news even though it was not, than to ignore bad vibes that are correct and get yourself into trouble.
Monday, November 3, 2008
You should read it: The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks
Even though the chances of anyone actually coming face to face with a real-life zombie might be fairly slim, you never know what might happen and it cannot hurt to be prepared. With this Zombie survival guide you would be just that, and so much more.
The Zombie Survival Guide offers over 200 pages filled with several millennia worth of evidence, field experience and facts about zombies and how to not get caught by them. The book covers several important topics including basic zombie terminology, zombie physiology, the history of zombies, and overview of the weapons that are most and least suitable to vent off zombies.
In addition, there are chapters on zombie battling tactics and even long-term strategies to stay zombie free. Obviously, this survival guide is a must for anyone who wishes to not get eating by zombies.

Apparently, each kind of zombie outbreak asks for a different kind of defensive strategy. In order to make sure the zombies really won’t get you, you have to carry emergency flairs, signalling mirrors, and of course your assortment of weapons with you at all times. If you thought you could just protect yourself from zombies with a simple machete, think again!
This manual aims to teach us some very wise lessons that do not only apply to surviving
zombies, but might be useful for other events in every day life as well. Who does not feel helped immensely by great tips like: No place is safe, only safer; blades do not need reloading, and my personal favourite: the zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.
These are rules to live by people!
Besides an awesome parody of a survival guide, the Zombie Survival Guide is also a very impressive manual of everything and more you ever wanted to know about zombies. The guide is very well written, detailed, creepy and also extremely funny.
If you enjoy the horror genre, or even if you just want to read a very original piece of work, then you really cannot do without this book.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Because you’re hot: Sara Ramirez

I do not really need to explain it, just have a look at her yourself.





