The Death of the English Language (aka "And You Thought Beowulf Was Hard to Read?")

Hey Bill,

U r prob wondering wot's been happening here in Chi-town since u went AWOL to SF. So, FWIW, here' s a rundown.

U remember Sammy rite? (SN 9inchChiStud on M4M4sex). He's da qt who turned out 2 b such a drama queen, 4ever complaining dat his bf would jo 2 str8 porn. Anyway, I'm on AIM 2nite, and he IM's me, "Hey there, A/S/L? My 411: VGL SGWM 24yo 5'10" 155 lbs 9c vers/btm. Pic trade?"

So I'm there LMAO coz he doesn't realize it's me dat he's IM'd. I'm like, WTF! he's not single, tho IMHO he'd be better off w/o da loser, and of course I would <3 2 f*ck him 2day if I could....LOL

Oh btw, FYI b4 I forget, this may be TMI, but did u know Sammy & his bf invited EatMe23 (da SoCal guy u flirted wit @ 3246) over 4 a 3way? Well, turns out da guy is having da MTF surgery in 2 wks so he wanted a final fling & begged them to do WS! OMG! U woulda been ROTFL listening 2 Sammy tell da story...he was like, "OIC, Gr8 dude, well, gtg, cya l8r" & da guy was totally SOL. I don't know N-E-1 else with da "don't mess wit me, bitch" quality of Sammy.

OK, sori abt dat rabbit trail. So back 2 my story, Sammy IM's me so I decide 2 have a little fun & IM back. I type, "Kewl, thx man, nice profile. SGWM 26yo 6'1" 170 lbs 10uc total top here. Lookin 2 play? Long week so TGIF & I'm ready 4 sum fun. Luv 2 start with C2C & go from there. RUUP4IT? I need sex ASAP."

We sent msgs back & forth 4 a while til I was literally ROTFLMAO. Finally he axed 4 a pic & I sent him 1 of me wit da note "Go 2 bed, Sammy, your bf is waiting 4 u." He just abt died! But, 2 show his gratitude 4 not telling his bf, he's gonna cum over 2moro 4 a bit while his bf is @ wrk....details TBA ;-).

Well, I c dat it's time 4 GH 2 start, so I will write more l8r. Hugz to George & Arnie....tell George 2 get sum R&R soon or I'll slap him, ok? (JK...hehe).

TTFN, remember it's EZ 2 pick up a phone & call sumtime! XOXO, SWAK, & BFF,

Luv, Aaron

:EOM

X-Men 3

Although I would not describe myself as a comic book fan, I have enjoyed a number of the comic book movies that have come out in recent years, Spider Man 2 being the best of those by far. So I had fun watching the first two X-Men movies, and I was pleased with this third (final?) installment of the series. Briefly (and without giving away anything hopefully) here are the things I liked and disliked about the movie.

The things I liked:

• The special effects are fun, entertaining, and impressive. The action/effects sequences are worth seeing regardless of whether you like the storyline or not (loved the Golden Gate bridge scene).
• One of the problems that movies like this have is that, no matter what the peril, you can be pretty sure that most or all of the major characters will survive, because they have to be around for the next movie. This movie, on the other hand, is definitely designed to be a final installment to the X-Men franchise, so it was written without the constraints of a potential future storyline, giving it a much more intense feel than it would have otherwise.
• Movies of this sort have a definite pattern for the bad guys. There is generally a "big bad" master bad guy surrounded by maybe 3 or 4 major assistants, followed by the masses of followers in their band or army or whatever. The masses can be killed off at will, but the major assistants get the more dramatic ends, and finally the big bad master is disposed of. This movie certainly follows that pattern, but what I love is how they decide to finish off the big bad guy (I'm speaking of Magneto). I won't say more, but when you see the movie, you will know what I mean....definitely different from what might be expected.

One thing that speaks to the strengths of this movie is that my few criticisms are not about the storyline, acting, or production value, but rather they are these odd random moments in the film where something is thrown in that is so corny or unnecessary that it jars the viewer with its uselessness. You feel like they have created such a good movie, how could they have missed editing that out? None of them come anywhere close to ruining the movie, but they seem silly:

• Halle Berry's character "Storm" has one of the corniest lines I've heard in a long time when she is talking to Hugh Jackman's "Wolverine" just before they are to get on to their ship before the final confrontation scene. Wolverine says something about the ship being ready, to which Storm replies, "Yes, but the question is, will you be ready to do what is necessary when the time comes?" This completely unsubtle and clumsy attempt at foreshadowing the final big confrontation is delivered with such a pathetic attempt at being a big dramatic moment that my friend who was watching with me and I looked at each other and laughed.
• The explanation of Jean Grey's return is lame. I'm hesitant to even call it an attempt at being a serious explanation, it's so weak.
• My last criticism is a tempered one. Ben Foster's character "Angel" is, for the sake of the storyline, almost completely useless. He exists in the movie basically for one 10-second sequence near the end that itself is rather uninteresting anyway. In no other way does he contribute to the storyline. I seriously think you could remove his scenes from the movie with no explanation or alteration and nobody would know the difference. However, we do get to see him shirtless a lot, so I don't really care that his character is uninteresting.

So, great movie. Considering its box office success, you probably have already seen it, but if not, it's a fun watch and definitely the type of movie you will enjoy more on the big screen than at home on DVD.

It Was Simply a Desire to Travel....

I love the quote from Thomas Mann's Death in Venice:

It was simply a desire to travel; but it had presented itself as nothing less than a seizure, with intensely passionate and indeed hallucinatory force, turning craving into vision. His imagination, still not at rest from the morning's hours of work, shaped for itself a paradigm of all the wonders and terrors of the manifold earth, of all that it was now suddenly striving to envisage....Very well then--he would travel. Not all that far, not quite to where the tigers were. A night in the wagon-lit and a siesta of three or four weeks at some popular holiday resort in the charming south....

Tonight I got my photos taken for my new passport. My first passport expires on June 4. It's hard to believe that just 10 years ago I was preparing for my first trip ever out of the country, but now I have traveled extensively through nearly 20 countries on 3 continents. That even increased my desire to travel in my own country, and I have been to 43 of the US States, 40 of those within the past 10 years.

If you were to ask me what have been the most significant forces in my life in a positive sense to make me who I am today, there are a couple things that would quickly come to mind. First would be parents and a grandmother who showed me by example what it means to learn and change and not assume I know everything, to live by a strong moral code of unselfishness and giving to others, to not be afraid to admit I am wrong, and who, in spite of differences and disagreements (sometimes very sharp) have always loved me unfailingly. But outside of the direct influence of my family, perhaps no other force in my life has so radically affected my outlook on life than my international traveling.

For travel is not just about getting the snapshot from the top of the Eiffel Tower (spent weeks in Paris and never did that....the Arc de Triomphe view is far better). It's not about bringing back t-shirts and key chains and making family members sit through hours of slides of your trip to Thailand on New Year's Even when they would rather be just about anywhere else besides listening to you drone on and on about the....oh, sorry, I think some bitterness against my uncle just came out there.

Traveling internationally will give you a perspective on life and culture and politics and belonging that you cannot get any other way, I am convinced. This is something that starts from the moment you leave the airport of your home. There's a big difference from a Los Angeles-Chicago flight than a Chicago-Accra, Ghana flight. It took me 24 hours of travel with a layover in Europe to get to Africa, and suddenly, I started to comprehend how big the planet is and how small my little world had been to that point.

I saw my thinking transform from that scourge of Midwestern Mentality and American superiority to understanding how much I could learn from other cultures and peoples. I began to understand the subtle undercurrent of prejudice that ran through my beliefs and opinions. In Africa, I experienced something that very few American-born white guys have the privilege of experiencing, and that is to get a glimpse of what it is like to truly live as a minority. For there were times in Africa when I would go days without seeing another person with white skin. Admittedly, the Togolese people are very kind and welcoming to the "yovos" (white-skinned people), but just the feeling of being on the "outside" has never left me. And I think (and hope) it has helped me to be more sensitive and understanding since I have been back in the States.

One of the coolest things I have noticed which shows me that perhaps something fundamental changed in my mind from traveling is this: 10 years ago, without exception, every one of my close friends was a white American of western-European descent. Today, however, through no conscious choice or intention to make it this way, I have been blessed to have one of the most international group of friends of anyone I know. And stop chuckling, they are not all from Asia!

So, I am thankful for several things tonight. First, I am thankful for the privilege I have had to travel--simply for the amazing places I have seen and things I have experienced, from the historic grandeur of the Coliseum in Rome to the happily-endured heartburn from the little greasy fajita stand in Mexico to the silent awe at the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher in Ireland to the ingenuity, beauty, and hospitality shown to us at the mud castles of the Tam Berma people in Togo. Second, I am thankful for the way traveling has changed my perspective on the world, trusting it has made me into a better person. And finally, I'm so thankful that it's time for me to get a new passport so I can get rid of that picture with those huge glasses. What was I thinking?

Don't Know Jack

For the first nearly-28 years of my life, I was a very sheltered young man. Prior to a month before my 28th birthday, I had never stayed overnight with a guy (or girl for that matter), had never drank alcohol, did drugs, or smoked a cigarette, never danced, never went to a bar (with the exception of when my car broke down in Wisconsin and I had to call a tow truck).

Now, sometimes I think maybe I missed out on a lot, but most of the time, I'm somewhat glad that I was a bit older before I had these experiences, because I was not the most mature 21-year-old, and I am sure I would not have had much self-control had they come earlier. But, one result of my late blooming is that I am rather ignorant about alcohol. Certainly I have learned plenty in the past 3 years, but I find that I am pretty limited in my drink selections, simply because I don't know everything that's out there. Here is a complete list of drinks that I have sampled (or at least those that I was sober enough to remember):

• Screwdriver - my very first alcoholic drink, June 27, 2003 (not bad, but haven't had many since)
• Sex on the Beach - my second drink, same night (too sweet for my taste if I recall correctly, haven't had one since)
• Long Island Iced Tea - my third drink, same night (and that was enough). Drink these occasionally but not a huge fan.
• Malibu Rum-Pineapple Juice - currently my favorite drink
• Effen Black Vodka-Coke - runner-up favorite
• Captain Morgan-Coke - haven't ordered it since I discovered Effen Black-Coke
  
• Bailey's on the Rocks - love it
• Vodka-Sprite / Vodka-Tonic - good stand-by drinks
• Mojito - Love it...so refreshing when made well
  
• Bloody Mary - very possibly the worst-tasting thing I've ever put in my mouth
• Smirnoff Ice and other fruity Smirnoffs - not bad, will drink if offered but don't go out of my way
• Apple Martini - have taken sips from the drink of a particular friend who orders them all the time; not my favorite but not bad either
• Cosmopolitan - had one very soon after I came out in 2003, didn't like it at all, but someone told me I should give it another chance. Perhaps.
  

It is possible that I have forgotten some other beverage, but that is essentially my alcoholic repertoire. I have tasted a couple different beers and hated them all. Wine is a taste I am slowly acquiring but am not yet completely appreciating. But it's definitely the mixed drinks that I enjoy, and it is that category that I would like to expand my knowledge of and experience with.

So, I am seeking recommendations. What are your favorite drinks? What are the drinks that you are aghast not to see on my list, that you can't imagine having lived 30 years without? What are the drinks that, if you saw me standing holding them at Sidetrack some Saturday night, you would say, "That guy has good taste in alcohol. I want him"? All comments and suggestions appreciated (and tell me why you like them, what they taste like, etc.).

The West Wing

If someone were to design a TV show specifically for the purpose of entertaining me, they would probably come up with a show having something to do with the presidents. Ever since my excellent high-school government teacher gave me my final project topic of "Presidential Leadership Styles," I have been fascinated by US presidential history. This fascination has grown into a pretty significant hobby, as I have collected and read many books about the presidents and traveled to over 150 historic sites related to the presidents (including the gravesite of every deceased president and all of the presidential libraries save one).

So I was thrilled when I heard of this new TV show called The West Wing but at the same time disappointed because it came out just as I was about to move to Belgium. So, since I did not get to start the series in its first season, I never got around to watching it at all. Until now.

Fortunately, I have a friend who has begun purchasing each of the seasons of the show on DVD as they are released, and he has been kind enough to allow me to borrow them to watch. I am now about halfway through the third season, and although I'm obviously late to the party, I must say, this show is awesome! It's like porn for presidential history geeks (both of us).

Off the top of my head, here's some random things I have loved about the series thus far.
- The pacing of the show is great. With one exception, the dialogue is very fast-paced and the action constant. The set on which they work is amazing, full, and inter-connected, so they move quickly from one room to another, giving the impression of the intense pressure-filled atmosphere that comes from running the most powerful office in the world. However, scenes within the Oval Office are invariably much calmer and slower-paced, and the contrast works brilliantly.
- The writers of the show have done an amazing amount of research and work in all kinds of cool trivia and even educational information into the storylines of the show. And, as a president snob, I love when I hear some historical bit of trivia and can say, "I knew that!"
- Controversial issues are dealt with in a superb manner. Although the Bartlett administration is Democratic, Republicans are not presented as hateful morons. There are certainly some
"bad" politicians in the show, but they are not limited to one party. And, when characters in the show are arguing over a difficult topic, the strongest possible arguments for either position are presented effectively, so even if the show ends up going one direction, those who went the other are generally shown to be thoughtful, patriotic people who just have a sincere difference of opinion. I also love how they do not shy away from difficult truths about touchy topics. Very brave and, rarity of rarities in modern-day TV drama, actually stimulates the viewer's thinking. And I love how the main characters in the show are presented as intelligent but real (and sometimes flawed) people who are not where they are (earning far less than they could with their abilities most anywhere else) just for power, but because they truly love their country and want to make a difference.
- Rob Lowe is still hot.

Late Night Trips to Chinatown

There is a conspiracy to keep me from reaching my weight loss goals, I'm sure of it. One of the key players in this plot is the Three Happiness restaurant in Chinatown. Three Happiness actually is the name of two different restaurants in Chinatown, presumably operated by the same people since they are directly across the street from each other. The large main restaurant is open for normal hours and has very good dim sum. But the small one pictured above is the dangerous one, primarily because it is open 24 hours.

Consequently, after a night out at the clubs or when one particular friend gets off work around midnight and has a snack attack, Three Happiness begins to call out with the song of the Sirens, irresistibly drawing me toward the cliffs of obesity. For within the walls of that wonderful place are the most wonderful potstickers I have ever tasted. Yes, I drive all the way from Lakeview to Chinatown sometimes more than once a week, just for the potstickers. Last time I was there, I even asked for an extra order to take home for lunch the next day. My aforementioned friend and I have been there so often recently that the people who work there recognize us when we walk in. Fairly soon, I suspect they will be asking us if we want "the usual."

So, if you find yourself with a craving for food late at night, head down to the corner of Cermak and Wentworth; I'll save a spot at my table for you, but you'll have to get your own potstickers.