Call Him Conservative, Just Don't Call Him the E Word

Okay, so I'm watching the CBS evening news, and I want to make it clear that I'm NOT saying this because I like John Roberts- I'm annoyed by the tone of the news coverage that assumes that if a person becomes ill his/ her ability to work must be thrown into question, analyzed and then ever so graciously (read: with great condescension) approved by- whom? journalists? the public at large? George Bush? Really the Cheif Justice only retains the public's support by virtue of the fact that he's received a managable prognosis. And that seizure he had was ever so polite, earning the qualifiers "benign" and "idiopathic." Robert's seizure was nothing like those icky, scary seizures disabled people have- heavens no!

An earlier news story at NBC noted that a person who has more than one seizure over a span of years is considered to have epilepsy, but no one at CBS has dared suggest that Roberts in fact has epilepsy. No, the CBS team prefers to soft pedal the facts: the Cheif Justice may have to take anti- seizure medication from here on out, but what does that prove? Nothing! Scads of people take anti- seizure meds for the street cred alone! Doesn't mean they have epilepsy! No, instead CBS deemed it necessary to reassure its audience by recapping the recent ailments of other Supreme Court Justices as further evidence of Roberts staying power. There were charts and shit. I couldn't take the visual aids.

Also, Kay Olsen comments on a disturbing case in California involving the alleged murder and unauthorized organ farming of a disabled man.

And earlier in the week, perhaps prophetically, she remarked on the perils of bad epilepsy jokes as told by weather men.

Moulin Rouge Meets The X-Men? Hell Yeah!!!

A truly great side note to promoting my zine was getting an email from body artist and longlost pal Vonetta Berry last week. We met as undergrads at an over- priced art school. We soon discovered that we'd each spent unsettling periods of our adolescence sharing a zip code with a chemical weapons facility run by the U.S. army in northeast Alabama. Now there's a bond that makes me feel positively ooey- gooey inside- though it could just be the radiation poisoning kicking in. Back then, Ms. B introduced my lilly white self to the joys of the Wiz and the X- Men- cultural icons that serve as influences in her work to this day.

Anyhoo, I can't wait to take in one of Vonetta's painterly burlesque "mutasias" the next time I'm in Houston.

Are You Passionate?

Things I am passionate about:

1. gorgeous disabled bodies, art, culture and minds

2. fashion (there I said it- guess the cat's out of the bag! But it really shouldn't be 2. should it?
Hmmm, I must be shallow....)

3. writing/ self- publishing shit

4. making art however and whenever I feel like it sans academe

5. film

6. books by brilliant and seductive word smiths

7. making lists

8. Saturday mornings- ah, the weekend stretches before me languid & cat- like

9. learning that Yoko Ono believes in ghosts

10. a peach pie on the kitchen counter!

The Violent Bear It Away

I stopped by the Thompson Center today to see how my zine give- away was going. I am happy to report that after only two days the table was completely bare! So from this we may conclude that people really! do! love! free! art! That and folks are mesmerized by my lovely drawings, of course.

My overall printing quality of life has improved thanks to the discovery of a copier conveniently housed near the 9 to 5 haunt of my latest Older Man Crush.

So requesting copies of TIL is an endeavor that not only exposes you to great art but one that brings me closer to a sexy French Canadian. Everyone's a winner!

This Is Living Zine Launch! Celebrating 17th Anniversary of the ADA

If you happen to be in the Chicago Loop this week, be sure to stop by the Thompson Center at Clark and Lake for an exhbitit celebrating the 17th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Take home a complimentary copy of my new zine This Is Living, where I recount the adventures of a disability rights activist embedded deep within the social service ghetto. Also on display- works by artists from the Little City Foundation, Espiranza and sculpture by Steve Handschu. I'll be hanging out for a few hours on the 19th so come by, rock out to the R&B cover band and show your support!

Coming to the pages of TIL this winter: Ernesto shows us how to survive a brain injury with flair, I compile my list of the best disability flicks (films on disability- you do the semantics) of all time- send me your recommendations! Plus, highlights from the kickass disability community to be had online! Notes on all that glitters, twitches, rocks, rolls, limps, stutters and blogs!