Genta Sebastian's Blog, page 10
October 11, 2016
I’ve Waited a Lifetime for this Interview – Part Two
As you know if you read yesterday’s post, I’ve been asked by a nephew who is a leader in his evangelical church to answer some questions about my life in general, and gay marriage in particular. He asks a series of questions, and I will answer them one at a time to give him time to digest my answers. Here is his second question and my response:
2) Do you feel on the whole accepted or persecuted by your friends/family? Examples?
This is a huge question. I will take it in two parts: Family firs...
October 10, 2016
I’ve Waited A Lifetime for this Interview – Part One
I love my family, even when it sometimes seems as though they do not love me. One faction of my family are fundamental Christians, and their disapproval of me and my family has, at times, been palpable. They’ve always been polite to my Traf, and I’ve been grateful for that courtesy and still am.
But, just as the terrorist attack on Pulse Nightclub in Orlando earlier this year caused a niece from that part of the family to reach out and mend fences, I’ve been asked by a nephew who is a leader...
October 3, 2016
Queen of the Festa
Ana Carolina Meneses – Queen of the Lajes Festa 2016 Rarely do you get the chance to see a woman you love treated like a queen, but when that does happen, oh my goodness what a feeling! Usually that’s reserved for a wedding day, complete with special gown, flowers, and people surrounding you with love and best wishes. But not always. Some special women become queens in other ways.
I’m currently on the island of Terceira, in the archipelago of the Azores, where my wife’s grand-niece is the cu...
October 1, 2016
A Butch Never Cries
Reveling in her contrariness, Traf’s got no time for ‘good’ women who conform. She competes with men, wears male clothing, and steals their jobs. A fighter, damn the consequences, she’s totally unsuited to the mundane role of a mid-twentieth century Azorean woman. Traf dreams of going to America where women do as they like, make their own money and live without the permission of men.
Emotionally damaged by...
September 29, 2016
Solid Gold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
How much did I love this book? As much as I ever loved the Maltese Falcon, which is saying quite a lot. A lesbian Sam Spade, Cantor Gold is a fast talking, womanizing, wonder of an unwilling detective. An art thief, she must weave her way through dirty cops and the mafia to solve two murders. Along the way she gets banged up pretty good, and the descriptions of who, what, when, where, why, and how paint a picture you won’t soon forget.
I h...
September 21, 2016
What are the people like?
And now for a retelling of one of my favorite folktales:
An old woman sits at the side of a road, a rough lunch of bread, cheese, and wine spread before her. She spots a weary traveler and asks her to sit and share her meal. The weary young woman plops down and with a nod of thanks, digs into the food and drink. Finally satiated, leaving only a few crumbs, she looks up and meets the eye of her benefactor. “I’m searching for a new place to live. Can you tell me about that town just up the roa...
September 17, 2016
Wildflower Power
Wildflowers are rebels, outcasts who refuse to grow well tended in gardens. They come and go capriciously, carried by seeds on the wind and appear sporadically as the seasons change. They are literally the hippies of the flower world.
My wife is former Air Force and has a very negative view of hippies. She is a naturalized citizen and did not grow up in America in the 1960’s, as I did. During her eight years of service, she watched videos of soldiers returning from Vietnam being surrounded at...
September 9, 2016
Authorial Heroes
John Steinbeck is mine, and I’m guessing an author’s name came springing to your lips when you read the title of this post.
Because they offer us different lives to live (if only while we’re enjoying their stories) storytellers are our greatest teachers. They give us diverse shoes to wear, opening our minds to possibilities unconsidered. They are our conscience and consciousness.
Why is John Steinbeck my authorial hero? Because he wrote Cannery Row. Doc, Mack, and Lee Chong tell the stories...
August 24, 2016
THE BOXER SHORTS REBELLION
Four students tangle as they struggle to understand who they are….
Nick’s parents think he’s just sensitive, teachers consider him a troublemaker, and bullies recognize him as a target. He knows, with a fresh start, he can re-invent himself.
Popular quarterback Brent, willing to do anything to keep his secret, exploi...
August 16, 2016
From ‘That Girl’ to ‘That Woman in the Arena’
I used to know three things beyond a doubt: the Berlin Wall would never fall; Nelson Mandela would never be released from his South African prison; and the USSR would never give up communism or any of their states. Yeah well, in three short years from 1989-1991 all three happened one right after another.
Glibly, I also used to say, “Oh, sure, not in my lifetime but one day a woman will be president of the United States.”
Uh huh, I was THAT naive. Or, that conditioned. But when I look back ov...
