(no subject)
I have been mostly away from my computer a lot lately, due to the heat, and now to escape the heat here I am going to Washington DC in July! I have to go to DC most summers for a few days for work, and I always like to tack on a day or two, to see friends and to go look at something historic. One of these days I'd like to stay for a solid few days of vacation or a week or something, to really see all the sights I always mean to, but I kind of like dropping in and out as well.
In other news, I read a great story last night, Kiss Breath Turpentine by frausorge, which is Pete/Ryan, with such an interesting and tangled dynamic between them, along with frausorge's always lovely and telegraphic writing. You should read it!
I've also been watching some TV:
Like everyone in the world, I'm so sorry Alex is hurt -- he was fantastic and I would have loved to see him go all the way. I have somewhat mixed feelings about the format this season: I do love seeing the all-stars again, and the level of dance is higher, but I was glad this week to see the contestants dance with each other, I've missed that. One thing I am not ambivalent about at all, though, is the way it seems we'll be seeing more same-sex pairings in the choreography. One of my complaints in recent years is that much of the choreography seems to rely on pretty cliche and heteronormative boy-wants-girl, girl-wants-boy, girl-and-boy breakup stories, and I feel like it's made some of the choreography a little lazy and reductive. It doesn't *have* to, of course, and obviously there have been some amazing routines along those lines, but I miss the days when Wade was making dances about hummingbirds and what have you. In a way, the fact that the same sex pairings are what's making people step outside the "relationship" box is depressing, b/c it makes the show seem terrified of showing same-sex attraction, but I think it really frees up the choreographers, whether they have same-sex or opposite-sex pairings, when they try something outside that box. One of the best examples for me so far was the Tabitha & Napoleon number for Twitch and Alex -- T&N are not my favorite choreographers, in part because I feel like many of their dances fall into that boy-meets/wants/loses-girl box and get really similar, but I thought that number was great. You know what I'd love? To see more ballroom routines with same-sex pairing. Not least because maybe then the judges would stop talking about ballroom as the need to Be A Man and Dominate The Woman and Oh No, Anya the Maneater Has Dominated You -- some days it feels like they might just as well change ballroom's name on this show to patriarchy lessons.
My God, this show is awesome! I didn't know if I would become as attached to the newer characters as I was to the older ones, but I really have. Vince is such an incredibly compelling character and a great actor -- I was in tears this week throughout his scenes with his mother, and so concerned for him. And I love Becky and the way in which her plotline has played out. (On another note, I loved how Coach's first (mistaken) reaction was, "Tim Riggins is going to be a father?" in equal parts wonder and horror.) And predictably I am very interested in Riggins' story as well, though I will confess to occasionally, when they're worried about money, thinking it's time for someone to suggest, "Perhaps you should consider modeling, instead of, you know, a life of stupid crime."
In other news, I read a great story last night, Kiss Breath Turpentine by frausorge, which is Pete/Ryan, with such an interesting and tangled dynamic between them, along with frausorge's always lovely and telegraphic writing. You should read it!
I've also been watching some TV:
Like everyone in the world, I'm so sorry Alex is hurt -- he was fantastic and I would have loved to see him go all the way. I have somewhat mixed feelings about the format this season: I do love seeing the all-stars again, and the level of dance is higher, but I was glad this week to see the contestants dance with each other, I've missed that. One thing I am not ambivalent about at all, though, is the way it seems we'll be seeing more same-sex pairings in the choreography. One of my complaints in recent years is that much of the choreography seems to rely on pretty cliche and heteronormative boy-wants-girl, girl-wants-boy, girl-and-boy breakup stories, and I feel like it's made some of the choreography a little lazy and reductive. It doesn't *have* to, of course, and obviously there have been some amazing routines along those lines, but I miss the days when Wade was making dances about hummingbirds and what have you. In a way, the fact that the same sex pairings are what's making people step outside the "relationship" box is depressing, b/c it makes the show seem terrified of showing same-sex attraction, but I think it really frees up the choreographers, whether they have same-sex or opposite-sex pairings, when they try something outside that box. One of the best examples for me so far was the Tabitha & Napoleon number for Twitch and Alex -- T&N are not my favorite choreographers, in part because I feel like many of their dances fall into that boy-meets/wants/loses-girl box and get really similar, but I thought that number was great. You know what I'd love? To see more ballroom routines with same-sex pairing. Not least because maybe then the judges would stop talking about ballroom as the need to Be A Man and Dominate The Woman and Oh No, Anya the Maneater Has Dominated You -- some days it feels like they might just as well change ballroom's name on this show to patriarchy lessons.
My God, this show is awesome! I didn't know if I would become as attached to the newer characters as I was to the older ones, but I really have. Vince is such an incredibly compelling character and a great actor -- I was in tears this week throughout his scenes with his mother, and so concerned for him. And I love Becky and the way in which her plotline has played out. (On another note, I loved how Coach's first (mistaken) reaction was, "Tim Riggins is going to be a father?" in equal parts wonder and horror.) And predictably I am very interested in Riggins' story as well, though I will confess to occasionally, when they're worried about money, thinking it's time for someone to suggest, "Perhaps you should consider modeling, instead of, you know, a life of stupid crime."