I returned from DC in style. Although my return flight was on an Airbus A319, the smallest United aircraft capable of coast-to-coast duty, I ended up with a bulkhead seat, which had even more legroom than first class. It is sweet to be an elite-level customer. Add to it, the marvelous views of Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, and Laughlin. (And the ugly sight of Los Angeles smog.)
In a few more days, I'll find myself in the air again, once again enjoying the United Economy Plus service, to Toronto via Chicago. I'm really looking forward to this trip, and have already picked out my outfits, appropriate for the cooler Toronto climate.
Los Angeles is proving to be quite stressful for now. I could not even spare my birthday (Sunday) for the free Disneyland admission; I had to work. And whenever I am away, work gets backed up, and I am the one who must clean up the mess. I hate it. I also cannot take the theocratic vibe of Southern California much longer.
When I was meeting with Karen and Richard in DC, I was more than happy to hear about their new digs in rural Nova Scotia. We keep talking about how one can keep sanity by being binational - keeping one's roots in the US and its economic opportunities, yet expanding to Canada and taking advantage of its superior living standards and more advanced mentality of the people. (Not to mention better education levels.) Now, Facebook also loads a number of Canadian dual citizenship ads. If I can make up a good application package for Canadian permanent residence, I will in a heartbeat - I certainly do not want to give up on the US and what it's offered me, but Canada is certainly a great place to call my extra home.
Until then, my Toronto visit (which will strictly be as a short-term visitor) should give me good insights into the Canadian society. After all, I am heading into Canada's largest city - a city that equals New York or Chicago in prominence, as well as being the heart of Canada's manufacturing and industrial base.
Showing posts with label US: District of Columbia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US: District of Columbia. Show all posts
19 May 2009
15 May 2009
DC Wrap-Up
Things quieted down while my seminar was in progress, but picked right back up afterwards.
My sightseeing covered some major DC-area sights that I had missed in my previous visits. They included Arlington National Cemetery, where I was able to revisit the various wars that the US had to fight, as well as Jefferson Memorial. I also re-visited the Korean War and Lincoln Memorials, the former as a recap of/follow-up to my visit to the United Nations Cemetery in Busan last year.
The major sight out of town I covered was Mt. Vernon, the estate of George Washington. It wasn't as grand a sight as I thought, but on-site museum exhibits on the life of George Washington, and how his decisions have become precedents for all US Presidents to follow, were very informative, to say the least.
Walking around all the historical sights of Washington, DC area is always a good reminder of the lofty ideals that the United States of America was founded on. Sure, the US often doesn't do a good job of actually upholding them, but as I have pointed out too many times elsewhere, those ideals will live on long after the US itself is just a historical footnote.
I did some karaoke at Freddie's in northern Virginia for two nights, and did okay. First night, after a rendition of Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl," I ended up losing my voice and not doing well at all with the high notes. But the second night (my final hangout with Alexandra Beninda, my local friend) went much better. I look forward to more karaoke opportunities regardless of where I go - though I will not be able to just walk into a heterosexual bar and pull it off.
I also want to thank my longtime contacts, Karen Bradley and Richard Bell, for two nice dinner talks. Karen, who was extremely worn out from all the finals grading at University of Maryland, also reported that she is now Facebook friends with Gayle Brandeis. My two favorite CODEPINKers are friends, at last!
I will miss DC - in a few hours I'll need to start my journey back to Los Angeles. But I will be going home happy, and in less than a week, I'll be back in the air, heading for Toronto. That should be a great trip.
Photos will be uploaded whenever I can manage.
My sightseeing covered some major DC-area sights that I had missed in my previous visits. They included Arlington National Cemetery, where I was able to revisit the various wars that the US had to fight, as well as Jefferson Memorial. I also re-visited the Korean War and Lincoln Memorials, the former as a recap of/follow-up to my visit to the United Nations Cemetery in Busan last year.
The major sight out of town I covered was Mt. Vernon, the estate of George Washington. It wasn't as grand a sight as I thought, but on-site museum exhibits on the life of George Washington, and how his decisions have become precedents for all US Presidents to follow, were very informative, to say the least.
Walking around all the historical sights of Washington, DC area is always a good reminder of the lofty ideals that the United States of America was founded on. Sure, the US often doesn't do a good job of actually upholding them, but as I have pointed out too many times elsewhere, those ideals will live on long after the US itself is just a historical footnote.
I did some karaoke at Freddie's in northern Virginia for two nights, and did okay. First night, after a rendition of Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl," I ended up losing my voice and not doing well at all with the high notes. But the second night (my final hangout with Alexandra Beninda, my local friend) went much better. I look forward to more karaoke opportunities regardless of where I go - though I will not be able to just walk into a heterosexual bar and pull it off.
I also want to thank my longtime contacts, Karen Bradley and Richard Bell, for two nice dinner talks. Karen, who was extremely worn out from all the finals grading at University of Maryland, also reported that she is now Facebook friends with Gayle Brandeis. My two favorite CODEPINKers are friends, at last!
I will miss DC - in a few hours I'll need to start my journey back to Los Angeles. But I will be going home happy, and in less than a week, I'll be back in the air, heading for Toronto. That should be a great trip.
Photos will be uploaded whenever I can manage.
11 May 2009
Travel developments
A quick recap of what I've been up to:
- I visited the Arlington Unitarian Universalist Church, and met with my contact there, Alexandra Beninda. We had a great time talking about various LGBT and other issues, including some of my insights from my Asian sojourn. We were also joined by other great LGBT activists of the church, and we ended up having the weekly lunch at Freddie's in Crystal City. Freddie's is northern Virginia's only LGBT hangout (partly because the great hangouts over at Dupont Circle in DC are so accessible), and I'll be returning there for its weekly karaoke night with Alexandra and the party.
- Did some shopping. More tunics to play with (though this time, most of my tunics are T-shirts).
- I spent Sunday afternoon driving up to central New Jersey to visit a relative and have dinner. Due to traffic, toll booths, and slower speed limits, my drive took four hours each way, rather than 3 1/2 hours I'd expect for a similar drive in California and Nevada. I did not start the return trip south until after midnight, and I made it back to Virginia barely in time to beat the Beltway rush hour. (I was so drowsy, I was even more of a road hazard than a drunk would've been.) At least I was glad that my rental car has a built-in E-ZPass, which allows me to breeze through toll plazas; I'll be billed when I return the car, and if I would rather pay cash, I can keep the E-ZPass inside its windshield metal box and therefore deactivate it.
- I am cancelling my planned trip to Philadelphia because of the traffic issues I encountered during the New Jersey drive. To make up for it, however, I did a museum tour within DC. It was nice to see some Kwan Yins stateside (even the fabled Eleven-Faced variety) and lots more fine art. I also visited the Air and Space Museum - for the third time - and ended up seeing some flight attendant exhibits that are of big relevance to my novel. (In fact, I ended up buying two pictorial books about flight attendants.)
- I met my Democracy Cell Project contacts, Karen Bradley and Richard Bell. It was nice to join them again - and talk about all the great people of our group (many of whom I met in previous travels). We had dinner at their favorite restaurant, Hawk & Dove, located just southeast of the Capitol. A Buddhist-themed meditation session followed. More opportunities to talk about current events and politics - and to share my findings from South Korea and Hong Kong. I may see them again before I leave the area.
09 May 2009
Travel Update
I haven't blogged lately, partly because most of my online activities had gravitated toward Facebook, and partly because I was running out of time. I spent the last week often working until 11PM.
I'm in a much better situation, however. I flew to northern Virginia, where I need to attend a seminar next week. I have a week in the area, and I'll be meeting a few people, starting with the people over at Arlington Unitarian Church tomorrow. Eventually, I should have some time with Democracy Cell Project too (I already spoke with Karen Bradley to let her know of my arrival).
I loved my journey from Los Angeles to northern Virginia today. My flight was on a United Airlines Boeing 777 - a plane that is something of an icon to me. The plane's registration was N773UA - the fourth 777 ever built. (I've also been on the third and fifth ones, and I had seen all of them in the final assembly stage back in 1994 during a visit to Seattle.) Sure, I was flying it on a rare domestic run rather than showing up in a faraway city across the oceans, but other than that, I loved the experience. I'm also glad to know that my Premier status results in modest service improvements, including 25% mileage bonus, free Economy Plus seating, and most importantly, no baggage fees. Once on the ground, I took a forced free "upgrade" from a Toyota Prius to a Toyota Camry for a rental car, and checked into a Hilton Garden Inn that's not even 4 months old.
Hoping for a good week (and some photos to upload here).
I'm in a much better situation, however. I flew to northern Virginia, where I need to attend a seminar next week. I have a week in the area, and I'll be meeting a few people, starting with the people over at Arlington Unitarian Church tomorrow. Eventually, I should have some time with Democracy Cell Project too (I already spoke with Karen Bradley to let her know of my arrival).
I loved my journey from Los Angeles to northern Virginia today. My flight was on a United Airlines Boeing 777 - a plane that is something of an icon to me. The plane's registration was N773UA - the fourth 777 ever built. (I've also been on the third and fifth ones, and I had seen all of them in the final assembly stage back in 1994 during a visit to Seattle.) Sure, I was flying it on a rare domestic run rather than showing up in a faraway city across the oceans, but other than that, I loved the experience. I'm also glad to know that my Premier status results in modest service improvements, including 25% mileage bonus, free Economy Plus seating, and most importantly, no baggage fees. Once on the ground, I took a forced free "upgrade" from a Toyota Prius to a Toyota Camry for a rental car, and checked into a Hilton Garden Inn that's not even 4 months old.
Hoping for a good week (and some photos to upload here).
23 April 2009
More Travel Plans
Even before I fly to Toronto, I'll be away for a week. I'll be finding myself in the Washington, DC area.
I have a week there, centering around a 3-day seminar in Reston. Everything is now confirmed, and I look forward to meeting some great people.
I'll be shooting for a dinner with Karen Bradley and Dick Bell of Democracy Cell Project; they had played gracious hosts back in 2005, and I'll be happy to hang out with them again. In the meantime, I'll spend a Sunday in Arlington, where the local Unitarian Universalist congregation's LGBT ministry is run by a very lovely lesbian transwoman, who had contacted and befriended me through Facebook late last year. Back then, there was a 7,000-mile gap, as I was in South Korea, but now I get to bridge that gap and strengthen the friendship (and explore the LGBT life in Arlington).
Also, between this trip, the Toronto trip, and a double Elite Qualifying Miles promotion at United Airlines, I'll have 18,000 EQMs toward the 25,000 required to retain my Premier status next year. The other 7,000 should easily be made up if I make a quick trip to Europe or the Far East later in the year. I'm finding the perks of elite status to be more rewarding than possible free trips, when it comes to frequent flier programs, so I'll play the game as well as I can.
Looking forward to the trip - and to adding to my social life.
I have a week there, centering around a 3-day seminar in Reston. Everything is now confirmed, and I look forward to meeting some great people.
I'll be shooting for a dinner with Karen Bradley and Dick Bell of Democracy Cell Project; they had played gracious hosts back in 2005, and I'll be happy to hang out with them again. In the meantime, I'll spend a Sunday in Arlington, where the local Unitarian Universalist congregation's LGBT ministry is run by a very lovely lesbian transwoman, who had contacted and befriended me through Facebook late last year. Back then, there was a 7,000-mile gap, as I was in South Korea, but now I get to bridge that gap and strengthen the friendship (and explore the LGBT life in Arlington).
Also, between this trip, the Toronto trip, and a double Elite Qualifying Miles promotion at United Airlines, I'll have 18,000 EQMs toward the 25,000 required to retain my Premier status next year. The other 7,000 should easily be made up if I make a quick trip to Europe or the Far East later in the year. I'm finding the perks of elite status to be more rewarding than possible free trips, when it comes to frequent flier programs, so I'll play the game as well as I can.
Looking forward to the trip - and to adding to my social life.
23 February 2007
Heteronormativity
It's a word that clearly describes the prejudices around me right now.
It is heteronormativity that prevents my folks from seeing my true gender identity - since I like women and technical things, I can't possibly have a female gender identity, they say. They even went as far as saying that if I liked men, they would do everything to help out my transition into womanhood.
It's heteronormativity that makes homosexuality a capital offense in Iran - unless the person in question wants to change his/her gender and become a heterosexual in the new gender, in which case the government is far more accepting.
Heteronormativity is also a severe problem even in East Asian societies, including Thailand and China, mistakenly identified by Westerners as gay-friendly; most gay men I've known from these societies live out their lives as hyper-feminine men. That, or the appearance of womanhood but a male identity at the core. (I've read quite a few interviews of Thai kathoeys, and many indeed fall into this category.) There are some high-profile, socially well-accepted, female-identified transgender women in these societies (examples include Jin Xing in China, and Harisu in South Korea), but they are accepted only because they fit the hyper-feminine heteronormative ideal, and would've had far worse fates if they did not fit in. There is a reason why "tranny dykes," like me, are a common phenomenon in the West, but virtually unheard of in Asia (or even Asian communities in the West, for that matter).
I just read through a Wikipedia article on this subject, and it's a disturbing read - especially when it comes to violence against transgender women, and the society's indifference to it (thank you, Rudy Giuliani, despite being a crossdresser yourself). In fact, Giuliani's transphobia will make its way into my novel, where a transgender character is murdered in NYC in 2001; all these hate crime reports will give me an idea on how the character will die, and how frustrating the authorities will prove to be for the surviving significant other.
Heteronormativity, like homophobia, must go.
Wikipedia: heteronormativity
Wikipedia: kathoey
Southern Poverty Law Center on transphobic hate crimes in DC
It is heteronormativity that prevents my folks from seeing my true gender identity - since I like women and technical things, I can't possibly have a female gender identity, they say. They even went as far as saying that if I liked men, they would do everything to help out my transition into womanhood.
It's heteronormativity that makes homosexuality a capital offense in Iran - unless the person in question wants to change his/her gender and become a heterosexual in the new gender, in which case the government is far more accepting.
Heteronormativity is also a severe problem even in East Asian societies, including Thailand and China, mistakenly identified by Westerners as gay-friendly; most gay men I've known from these societies live out their lives as hyper-feminine men. That, or the appearance of womanhood but a male identity at the core. (I've read quite a few interviews of Thai kathoeys, and many indeed fall into this category.) There are some high-profile, socially well-accepted, female-identified transgender women in these societies (examples include Jin Xing in China, and Harisu in South Korea), but they are accepted only because they fit the hyper-feminine heteronormative ideal, and would've had far worse fates if they did not fit in. There is a reason why "tranny dykes," like me, are a common phenomenon in the West, but virtually unheard of in Asia (or even Asian communities in the West, for that matter).
I just read through a Wikipedia article on this subject, and it's a disturbing read - especially when it comes to violence against transgender women, and the society's indifference to it (thank you, Rudy Giuliani, despite being a crossdresser yourself). In fact, Giuliani's transphobia will make its way into my novel, where a transgender character is murdered in NYC in 2001; all these hate crime reports will give me an idea on how the character will die, and how frustrating the authorities will prove to be for the surviving significant other.
Heteronormativity, like homophobia, must go.
Wikipedia: heteronormativity
Wikipedia: kathoey
Southern Poverty Law Center on transphobic hate crimes in DC
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