A Few Small Things

1. This Florida heat/humidity drains me. I come home and I want to sleep. I didn't sleep today though: I have far too many things to do to justify a nap.

2. I am completely obsessed with this singer Kate Walsh and her album Tim's House. I've been listening to it on a loop all day.

3. I had a thought about health insurance this evening. I was thinking of that black couple in Britain who are leaving the hospital with their baby in Sicko. Moore is asking them how much they had to pay and they are kind of chuckling about it. I think one of the reasons we can't don't yet have national healthcare in this country is that many, many people don't want everyone to have healthcare. They believe that some people don't deserve to have equality of medical care. I know I usually avoid the word equality. I have said before that I think equality is a uniquely American value and that I think equality is a red herring. My reasons for this opinion about equality are myriad, but I digress. I think that the majority of voters in this country believes that national healthcare would reward people who do not deserve to be rewarded. Medical problems and illness are equated with moral lapses in this country and this is an ideology that is constantly being reinforced. Disability narratives often work this way. The disabled person has something wrong in his/her heart and when he/she figures that out, he/she is now truly on the road to physical recovery as well. (This is, of course, ideological nonsense.)
Deep down, I think many people believe that people who get sick deserve it; that they've brought it on themselves. We all know that people feel this way about AIDS. But not just sexually transmitted diseases. I think people think this about nearly everything: cancer, freak accidents, anxiety, mental disorders, ad infinitum.

4. My friend Marcos was out to visit me the last couple of days and I had a great time with him. He taught me how to mix the perfect lemon drop and the perfect margarita.

5. I am off to ATHE—the conference for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education—in New Orleans next week. I was planning on attending the LGBT Focus Group's pre-conference, but—and I am completely baffled by this—though I am almost positive that there will be such a pre-conference, I can find absolutely no information about it on any website I visit. You'd think the gays would be better with technology. Ah well, I will scope it out when I am there.

6. In the month of August, I will be participating in the monthly Supporting Actress Smackdown over at StinkyLulu's blog. I am excited. It should be fun!

Alright, I have to teach in the morning. Time for bed.