L: 9/20/02

Work Diary, 9/20/02

Unlikely people whom I admire:

1. My sixth-grade French teacher, who visited California and dug
through Gloria Vanderbilt's Beverly Hills trashcan, producing a
tapestry dress that she proceeded to wear quite proudly throughout the
school year.

2. The retarded Hispanic guy down the street from my house, who rides
his giant tricycle up and down the sidewalk while his Chihuahua follows
at a safe distance behind him. He's very nice to that dog.

3. Brandon, the bubble-butt'ed gay kid in my high school who came out
of the closet, carried a knife, and refused to be thrown up against the
lockers.

4. The person who broke my partner's car window several years ago;
he/she took only a winter coat, leaving behind a wallet, camera, and
various cassette tapes.

5. Laura Bush, because I saw an old picture of her in People Magazine
in which she was holding both the twins and looking more real than any
first lady ever has.

6. My friends and acquaintances who live in New York City. They had the
guts to "do it" and actually did, even though things haven't turned out
as planned.

7. The googley-eyed old man who sweeps up the cigarette butts each
morning without a single complaint, despite the fact that the butts are
inches from the building dumpster.

8. Sandy, the highly volatile and somewhat androgynous woman from the
sixth-floor, who begrudgingly shaved her legs to avoid embarrassing her
wheelchair-bound father, whom she took out-of-state to visit his
sister.

9. Tori Spelling, William Shatner, et. al., who are not afraid to get
post-modern and allow their public personas to become grist for the
mill.

10. Religious or spiritual people who never let on that they are
religious or spiritual.

11. Men who admit they hate watching sports, and don't.

12. Women who admit they hate wearing makeup, and don't.

13. Men who admit they enjoy wearing makeup, and do.

14. Women who view feminism as a process, and not the end.

15. People who are messed up, fucked up, shook up; black, white, brown;
alcoholic, misogynistic, misanthropic, sadistic, masochistic;
beautiful, ugly, fresh, stinky; shy, gregarious, slothful, energetic,
and/or alive?and still manage to remain polite to strangers.