Joyeux Noël!

Danse

This is the second installment in what may or may not become a regular series of popular French music videos. Enjoy Danse, by Grégoire.

'Tis the Season

Books Galore

Another Book Club Update!

I just finished reading A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White. Story is White's best-known work and the first volume of White's autobiographical-fiction series that continued with The Beautiful Room is Empty and ending with The Farewell Symphony, which I read this summer. The series describes White's life as a gay man from childhood to middle age. He is a faculty member at Brown and Princeton, and has won numerous literary awards. White's prose is often dense, but remarkably beautiful. The series can difficult to read, not only because of the density of White's writing, but because the story itself can be hard to swallow, especially when one considers the semi-autobiographical nature of the series. Personally, I prefer The Farewell Symphony to A Boy's Own Story, but they are both extraordinary reads.

I've now begun reading The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon by Tom Spanbauer. It was actually recommended to me buy a gentleman who was working at Borders in San Francisco when I was looking for A Boy's Own Story. The story is of a bisexual half-breed Native American boy growing up at the turn of the 20th century in the fictional town of Excellent, Idaho. The novel is written in dialect and the story is told almost entirely in flashback. It had a very positive reception when it was released in 1991, so I'm looking forward to reading it!

Toi et Moi

Just thought I'd share my new favorite French song with you all. It's called Toi et Moi by Guillaume Grand, and it's fantastic. If this song doesn't make you want to fall in love with a French man, nothing will.

Honoring World AIDS Day

Click on the image for more information on World AIDS Day 2010

Walking in an Angevine Wonderland

The Mamas & the Papas

Here I am with my host parents, Xavier and Sophie, at Thanksgiving dinner! I have so much to be thankful for this year...

My Spoon Is Too Big

Venice and Strasbourg

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Planned Improvisation

Camping... Indoors

So, I'm currently sitting in the lounge of Paris Orly Airport. It's currently 12:06 (at night). Our flight departs at 7:40 tomorrow morning. This will be, I am proud to say, my first experience sleeping overnight in an airport. Fortunately, everything is very well lit, and I'm with Shannon and Maria (aka two huge BAMFs), so I'm not really worried about security, but my butt is already starting to hurt from sitting in these chairs for the last three hours. From here, it's on to Venizia. You have no idea how excited I am for the obscene amounts of delicious pizza and pasta I'm going to consume in the next two days.

Ciao!

Jason

I'm Off!

I leave this evening for Venice, Zurich, and Strasbourg. Unfortunately, the weather forecast is awful. It's supposed to rain all week, but I won't let that spoil my trip! I'll be back next Wednesday with a recap of my adventures. Until then!

Jason

Choose Your Own Adventure

Paris II

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Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition

Book Club Update

So, I know that I haven't updated the books I'm reading in ages, so here it goes: I just finished reading A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. Fashion designer (and incredibly attractive human being) Tom Ford recently directed a film adaption starring Colin Firth (also incredibly attractive), which I saw earlier this Spring. The book is about a gay British college professor living in Southern California in 1962. I would highly recommend both the film and the novel, but they're surprisingly different. It's a very short book, so I thought it was a little odd that the two differed so much, but they're both very thought-provoking and highly lauded.

I'm now starting the last book in the Tales of The City Series by Armistead Maupin. I'm planning on reading Sure of You, the sixth and last book in the series, this weekend, while in Paris. I've read the third (Further Tales of the City), fourth (Babycakes), and fifth (Significant Others) books since coming to France, thanks to the fabulous (and free) English Language Library in Angers. The series is based on a group of friends (and often-times lovers) living in San Francisco starting in the mid-60's and ending in the late 80's. Obviously, this was a very influential and progressive time for San Francisco with the hippie movement, free love, gay rights, and the outbreak of HIV, amongst other significant social movements. Maupin's style captivates and each book promises to be a page-turner. His characters often get into some pretty ridiculous situations, but his writing draws you in to otherwise unbelievably crazy (and entertaining) scenarios.  I would highly recommend them, but I must warn they are highly-addictive. I must say, the last two I read weren't as good as the first two, but once you start, you won't want to stop until you've read them all.

It Gets Better!

If you haven't seen the It Gets Better Project, do it now!!!


www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject
This is the first video of hundreds thousands on the It Gets Better Project site. It features the project's founder, Dan Savage, and his partner telling their stories about being victims of bullying and hope for the future.

For more videos, click on the link, and prepare to be overwhelmed by inspiration and hope. For any friend, parent, or sibling of an LGBT person, these videos are meant to show that your loved one has an amazing future ahead. For any LGBT person struggling with feeling welcomed and accepted, these videos are proof that you are loved and wanted. Watch them, learn from them, and as the French say, "profitez bien."

For anyone struggling with thoughts of depression or suicide, check out The Trevor Project. These people are simply amazing. They not only staff a national crisis and suicide prevention helpline for LGBTQ youth, but there are forums and a number of other resources for anyone who is struggling with feeling welcome and accepted due to their sexuality or gender expression.


www.thetrevorproject.org866-4-U-TREVOR

Vive la Grève!

I'm Alive!

Paris I

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Happy National Coming Out Day!

Today, October 11th, is National Coming Out Day! National Coming Out Day was founded in 1988 to celebrate the Second National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights. It is observed by LGBTQ persons and their "Ally" supporters to raise awareness and encourage open dialogue about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. More than ever, people the world over are encouraged to come out. The Human Rights Campaign (in addition to hundreds of others LGBT organisations, including the Core Council) are working for equality for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.

In light of the recent suicides of more than six LGBT young people, it is crucial for anyone who is closeted or struggling with their sexual identity to see that there is a large and diverse (and fabulous) community that is waiting to welcome them with open arms. So, on this National Coming Out Day, I encourage everyone to come out. Come out as LGBT, come out as a supporter, a parent, a sibling, a mentor, or a friend. Show the world that you care, and that you desire a better society in which all people are welcome and accepted.

In his tape which he recorded to be played in the event of his assassination, Harvey Milk said, "I ask this... If there should be an assassination, I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out -- If a bullet should enter my brian, let that bullet destroy every closet door."

One blogger for the HRC posted an excerpt from a letter written by his mother in an email to school nursing staff members, family, and friends:

" I am personally blessed to have a son who was able to “come out” to us his freshman year in college. I am blessed because he must have felt that he had accepted himself and could risk being accepted by his family and friends, even though I know it was very scary and he didn’t know how truly accepting all of his family would be. I am also blessed to work in a place where I can “be out” as a mother of a young gay man and not have to lie about him having a “girlfriend” and can openly discuss the jobs and lives of both of my wonderful sons, as it should be.

I am indeed blessed, but many are not.

My heart breaks thinking about the young people that have recently taken their lives because they must not have felt that they would be loved or accepted or couldn’t even accept themselves and couldn’t see a future ahead of them without pain and fear.  I can’t help but wonder if there wasn’t a school person such as yourself that they could have confided in or knew believed in them and maybe it would have resulted in a different ending.  I also realize that even if someone at school had supported them, it may not have been enough, but if more and more people would be open about their support for all of our youth and take a stand against bullying, then maybe it would truly feel like people cared enough about them to get them through the tough times so they could envision a future with hope and love and acceptance. "

For more information about National Coming Out Day, check out:

The HRC's history of National Coming Out Day

A Resource Guide to Coming Out (written by the HRC)

A Straight Guide to LGBT Americans (for all those straighties out there, also written by the HRC and PFLAG)

Photo Update

For those of you who have been looking at my pictures, I've just made it much easier to view them full screen (you can thank me later). Now, if you want to view them full screen, just click on the link below the slideshow that says "Click here to view these photos larger" (I know it's confusing), and a full-window slideshow will open, saving you a few click-throughs on the Shutterfly website.

Happy viewing!

Jason

Lyon, Aix-en-Provence, and Marseille

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Sleeping with Strangers

Bon Voyage!

Vannes and Carnac

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Cave Drinking

Châtaeu de Saumur

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Puy du Fou

As promised, here is a picture of Puy du Fou. I didn't take it, but it's the best I could find online. I also found a pretty good YouTube video. Again, none of these pictures or videos pay Puy du Fou the justice it deserves, but it will at least give a glimpse into the spectacle that is Le Puy du Fou. There's also a very good video on Puy du Fou's website of the CinéScénie (Puy du Fou is actually an entire theme park, but CinéScénie is their main nighttime spectacle, and many people come just for the CinéScénie--as we did) that can be found here.

Spectacular! Spectacular!

Mont Saint-Michel and St. Malo

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Book Club

Since being in Angers, I've discovered that I have loads more free time than in the States, which has given me the opportunity to catch up on my ever-growing reading list. So, I thought I'd keep people updated on what I'm reading, if they're ever looking for inspiration. I've added a box to the right that will always feature a little blurb on what I'm reading, and I'll post each time I update it. I'm currently reading The Invention of Heterosexuality by Jonathan Ned Katz, a former professor at Yale and NYU. The Invention offers a solid (although rarely spellbinding) argument against the claim that heterosexuality is completely natural and has been around since the dawn of time. Katz traces the history of the concept of heterosexuality and challenges many commonly held beliefs concerning sexuality and sexual orientation. It can get a bit wordy at times, but it's quite provocative nonetheless. For anyone whose interested in sociology of gender/gender studies, it's a solid choice. Katz also wrote a piece for PBS Frontline concerning the history of sexuality that can be found here.

Bonjour Tout le Monde!

Salut!

I've decided to begin video blogging my time in France! I'm going to try to keep each video around 5 mins--absolutely no more than 10. I'll be adding new videos about once a week so stay tuned. In the mean time, I'll be posting photos from Angers and my adventures in France! I'm also looking for a new photo hosting site so that my photos can be public, so once I find one I like, I'll add more.

Enjoy!

Jason

P.S. Please leave comments with your thoughts on the vlog (is that a word?). Let me know what you think, what ideas you may have, etc. I'm still deciding where I want to go with it and I'd love your input!

AIDS Walk San Francisco

For those who don't know, this summer I am spending 9 weeks in San Francisco, interning at St. Anthony Foundation as part of Notre Dame's Summer Service Learning Program. Seven other interns at St. Anthony's and myself have decided to take part in the San Francisco AIDS Walk. Needless to say, we are very excited to participate! We want to do as much as we can to make a difference in the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS. We have set an ambitious fundraising goal of $1000 and we need your support to reach it! On Sunday, July 18, more than 25,000 people will journey through Golden Gate Park, sending a vibrant and vital message of commitment and hope.

Since its conception in 1987, AIDS Walk San Francisco has remained an extraordinarily powerful demonstration of the community’s determination to overcome HIV/AIDS. Today, AIDS Walk San Francisco is the largest AIDS fundraising event in Northern California and is a crucial source of funds for San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) and over 50 other local AIDS service organizations who benefit from the event. Last year’s event raised a near record $4.5 million!

Since 1987, AIDS Walk San Francisco has raised nearly $74 million for San Francisco AIDS Foundation and other HIV/AIDS organizations in the six Bay Area counties. Established in 1982, the Foundation refuses to accept that HIV transmission is inevitable. With the unrestricted funds raised by AIDS Walk San Francisco, the Foundation is able to provide direct services to promote health among those living with HIV and implement ground-breaking prevention programs to create sustainable progress against HIV. Even though there has been success with drug treatments that are prolonging some people's lives, they don't work for everyone. These treatments can also take their toll physically, and for many cause awful side-effects. I am also concerned that so many young people in San Francisco are getting infected. And above all, there is still no cure in sight.

Funds raised for the AIDS Walk benefit the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and other HIV/AIDS organizations serving the Bay Area communities. The impact of the walk, however, extends far beyond the West Coast. The hope and dedication shown by those participating in AIDS Walks across the country is a continued source of inspiration for people all over the world.

Everyone is affected by HIV/AIDS, directly or indirectly, and it will undoubtedly require the help and support of the entire community to find a cure for this destructive disease. Please consider sponsoring me for AIDS Walk San Francisco. There is no minimum donation, and every dollar helps. If you would like to donate, just click on the link below to make a donation using PayPal. PayPal accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover, and you don't need an account to donate! If you are unable to donate, I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and prayers for all of those suffering from HIV/AIDS, their friends, and their families.

Thank you for supporting AIDS Walk San Francisco and the fight to end HIV/AIDS!

Feel free to contact me (jgsell@nd.edu) if you have any questions about the AIDS Walk, how to donate, or how to get involved in your local community.

Sincerely,

Jason G'Sell