As most people know, I am a big supporter of health care reform. I support a strong public option. I support universal health care. If I had my way, we would have socialized health care (whatever that means).

So, of course, I was happy that the health care bill passed the house last night. However, I am happy purely because we passed a health care bill. But that bill itself...

I cannot believe that an anti-abortion amendment was attached to this bill. What is more, I cannot believe that 64 Democrats, two of them women, voted for this amendment. The Democrats have a large majority in both chambers of Congress. There is a Democrat sitting in the Oval Office. Why, then, are my reproductive rights being taken away? This is a battle we have already fought. On a bill that is supposed to be progressive, moving us forward, why are women being moved back? What's more, why is it always women's rights that are the first to go? No one would ever consider taking away insurance coverage for Erectile Disfunction or other male health care issues.

I am so upset right now.

The text of the amendment:

The amendment will prohibit federal funds for abortion services in the public option. It also prohibits individuals who receive affordability credits from purchasing a plan that provides elective abortions. However, it allows individuals, both who receive affordability credits and who do not, to separately purchase with their own funds plans that cover elective abortions. It also clarifies that private plans may still offer elective abortions.

There is a lot more about this amendment and this bill (the influence of the Catholic church, the "move towards the right," the abysmal behavior of Republican male representatives during speeches by their female Democratic colleagues yesterday, the fear mongering by the right). Anyone who wants to talk about it, let me know. I need to blow off some steam, and I need to talk to people about it.

Cross posted at dw. There are some other comments there.

Title: Bodies at Rest
Fandom: Blade Runner
Subject: Decker/Rachel/Gaff
Notes: Created for the 2009 polybigbang. This is a companion mix to kittydesade's gorgeous fic of the same name. Part 1 | Part 2


( Bodies at Rest : a ficmix for kittydesade in the 2009 polybigbang )

Yesterday marked the 11 year anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard. For those who don't know, Matthew Shepard was a college student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. On October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard was taken from a local bar, tied to a fence post, beaten with a gun, and left to die. The next day, he was found and rushed to the hospital. Six days later, Matthew Shepard died without ever regaining consciousness. Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Project went to Laramie in the days and months following Matthew Shepard's murder to interview the residents of the town. These interviews were turned into a play, and later an HBO miniseries, entitled The Laramie Project.

I was eight when Matthew Shepard died. I don't remember much; I think I saw the candlelight vigil on television, but I could just be incorporating what I know now into my memories of then. However, I discovered The Laramie Project in high school and have been touched by Matthew's story ever since.

Last night on the eleventh anniversary of Matthew's death, a reading of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later was performed in 130 theatres nationwide. The play follows the Tectonic Theatre Company as they return to Laramie ten years later. It deals with the disasterous 2004 20/20 special about the murder which claimed Matthew's death was not fueled by homophobia, but by drugs; the election of Wyoming's first openly gay state legislature and her experiences with the defense of marriage resolution in Wyoming; the impact of the murder on the town, specifically the university; and Judy Shepard's activism.

I saw the reading at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. The entire reading was superb, but there were three moments that vividly stood out to me. First was the recounting of the debate in the Wyoming House regarding the defense of marriage proposal. While the debate began with no hope of defeating the bill and with a Republican congressman arguing that children from married homes with one man and one woman grow up happier, better behaved, smarter, etc...(same bull we have heard before), the tone changed as two Republicans then gave speeches opposing the bill. The first talked about his gay daughter, and how he could not vote for a bill that made her less of a person than she is. The second began "We are the state of Matthew Shepard and Brokeback Mountain, but we are also the state of the first female legislature..." Both were amazing inclusions into the show. (BTW: The bill was defeated 35-25).

The second moment began the second act, an interview with Russell Henderson, one of Matthew Shepard's murderers. Russell genuinely seems full of remorse. Our understanding of the murder is that Henderson was following Aaron McKinney. This does not excuse what Henderson did, not at all. However, you do walk away feeling sorry for him and wondering where exactly we went wrong that he got caught up in something like this.

Aaron McKinney is also interviewed in the piece. He comes off decidedly less well that Henderson. McKinney's changing story (from homophobia to drugs to robbery) constantly comes off as fake. He is interested in the Nazis, and, while he would like to goes to Germany, admits that he could be arrested for some of his tattoos while there (swastikas on his arms and NAZI written in Old English type on his lower back). McKinney's interview gives the impression that he is beyond hope. He is someone you want locked away.

The third moment in the play is Judy Shepard's interview with the company. She talks about why she transformed from a very private person at the trial to the public figure she now is with her activism work. She talks about her family's decision to request the removal of the death penalty in McKinney's sentencing. Perhaps most powerfully, Judy Shepard talks about the hopelessness she feels in some of the activism work. Ten years later, she says, and we still don't have a hate crimes bill passed.

Overall, this new epilogue for The Laramie Project is very powerful. I feel lucky to have seen it. It reminds us for the need for something to be done, whether that is hate crimes legislation or something different. Don't forget, homophobic hate crimes did not end with Matthew Shepard. Last year alone there were over 1400 hate crimes against sexual minorities. Something must be done.

I am thinking of starting a blog dealing specifically with feminism. Anyone have any naming suggestions?

I would be dealing with a bunch of different issue, but with a large focus on pop culture and stupid politicians (they are both so entertaining!). So, what should I call it?

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the intersection of labels and identity. We build much of our identity based on labels. Don't believe me? Quick, describe yourself in thirty seconds or less. Go ahead, I'll wait.

My description would be something along the lines of "I am a white, female, uu, liberal, bisexual feminist." All of which are labels, and not even all of the labels which I assign to myself. In fact, they are labels created by someone else, but which I have now commandeered and identified myself within. No one has the right to tell me I do not deserve to label myself as I do.

To give a more concrete personal example, my description of myself as bisexual is often challenged, for various reasons. The challenges range from "bisexuals don't really exist, they are just confused/lying/etc" to declarations that I am not bisexual enough to be labeled as such because I have not had sexual relationships with both sexes or genders. When such label objections come up, I am forced to defend my identity.

Two recent events have really compounded this idea of labeling and identity for me. The first is the recent attention surrounding track star Caster Semenya and trans mayoral candidate Melissa Sue Robinson. Both have recently been discussed in the media, and generally not respectfully. (I blogged a bit about Caster Semenya earlier this week, and here is a brief, and not perfect, discussion of an article about Melissa Sue Robinson.)

The importance of labels and identity is very apparent when dealing with sex and gender. Anyone who does not easily fit into a male-female observed gender (the gender an observer assumes a person to be) and an observed gender that matches their own gender identity, will often be forced to defend their own gender labeling and identity. For Robinson, this means constantly being labeled "a transgender" (and their are a myriad of problems with that statement) and often being referred to as a male. For Semenya, I would be incredibly surprised if every article about her from now on does not label her a hermaphrodite, regardless of whether that is a label she wishes to adopt herself.

The second event was a recent outpouring of discussion about whether men can be feminists. Some said yes, a feminist is someone who exemplifies and values a 'feminist' mentality. Others said no, the definition of a feminist requires a gender/sex of female.

All three of these examples depend on differing definitions of the label discussed. And the problems extend beyond feminist and gender and sexuality examples: the LDS (Mormon) church, for example, is often considered not Christian; although most of my friends and acquaintances in the LDS church consider themselves to be Christian.

Where the problem lies is not simply in our different definitions of what bisexual/female/male/feminist/Christian/etc is, but in our own identity connections to those terms. Do people care as much when it is not the definition of their own label that is being questioned? When we meet others who label themselves as we do but do not do so in the same manner, our own identity and 'right' to that label is called into question. Likewise, when we meet people similar to ourselves who labels themselves differently, our 'right' to reject that label is questioned.

So, in the end, my point is this: everyone has the right to craft their own identity and to assign whatever labels desired to that identity. If you do not agree with their own self-labeling, declaring that label to be false is not the correct response. I, at least, will respond positively to a respectful question: "I often think of a bisexual as...How do you define it?" Please don't be offended if you don't change my mind, I probably won't change yours. And, really, neither of us should be expected to. But dialogue and genuine attempts at understanding, that should be expected.

Despite not talking about it much, I have been following the Caster Semenya "scandal" pretty closely. It is bringing up a lot of different issues, from a discussion of what makes a woman, to an ongoing conversation about the media's epic fail in covering the story in a respectful manner. Take, for example, this stunning piece of brilliance from Yahoo!News, which was the first thing I saw when I finally got online today. The piece discusses the recent rumours that Semenya's gender testing has revealed her to be a hermaphradite (these are, of course, still unverified). Nothing really new, but

Reading the IAAF rules, it would appear that Semenya would be allowed to run if her condition was treated.

Allow me to put on my angry face as a I say this is not a condition, and she does not need to be fixed.

Also, your funny quote for the day:

Not having ovaries isn't something that goes unnoticed.

Actually, unless you have x-ray vision, not having ovaries can easily go unnoticed, as ovaries are not visible on the outside. Sounds like the writer needs to go back to health class.

Please allow me to geek out at the fact that the complete series of Farscape is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. I don't know if I am patient enough to wait and get it for Christmas, or if I am going to demand it on the day it comes out.

Farscape: The Complete Series

This has been sitting on my hard drive half-finished for months. With the new challenge at singitdj, I figured it was time to dust it off, cut it down from thirty songs, and post it.





I Didn't See a Way We Both Could Win : Twelve Stories Where We Didn't Live Happily Ever After

A Man/Me/Then Jim : Rilo Kiley
Foundations : Kate Nash
Nobody Needs to Know : Norbert Leo Butz from The Last 5 Years
Fast Car : Tracy Chapman
Big Yellow Taxi : Joni Mitchell
Buildings : Regina Spektor
Wonderful : Everclear
Good Man : India.Arie
Two Beds and a Coffee Machine : Savage Garden
Recessional : Vienna Teng
Sequel : Harry Chapin
Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You : Sheri Renee Scott and Norbert Leo Butz from The Last 5 Years

Bonus:
I Will Survive : Puppini Sisters

.zip

Today in Iran, a massacre occurred that is being called Iran's Tienanmen Square. The information is still vague, but reports are coming out of the country about police hacking through protesters with axes, pushing people off of bridges, and bludgeoning protesters with clubs. Just to make this exceedingly clear; THIS IS NOT OKAY. And, no, there is nothing the US can do about it.

First, there are a few troubling comments that I have seen repeated over and over again that I would like to address.

( THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE US OR ISLAM! )
( Iran Links Dump: from feminism to news )

Anything I am missing? What have you been reading? What do you think?

ETA: Updated Liveblogging links for today.

I need to do this post. You do not need to read it, but I need to post it.

I decided a few days ago to do a primer into what was going on in Iran for people who were confused. Then, I didn't. I don't know why; I was busy and focused on something else. I thought it would be resolved quickly.

Well, all of those excuses are gone now. Well, not gone, but worthless. People are dying and being tortured. I can not, will not sit idly by and be complicit in my silence. This is not quite what I had meant to post, but for now it will do.

( Terminology, because the mistakes are starting to drive me up a wall )

( What is happening in Iran? )

I have quite a few things I want to talk about in the next few days, among them religion (Christianity and Islam), Iran, and this.

It is the last one I want to address in this post. It involves a very offensive video game, and the creator's mistaken and misinformed ideas about love and relationships in the modern media. I am leaving this post public for now.

( The path to true love is obviously through abuse and torture, right? )

I have to admit, were the creator not so vocal about his beliefs surrounding this game and adamant that this is okay, I would likely support his right to produce and sell the game wherever. It is, after all, a game. There are plenty of books out there that have rape scenarios, and I do not want them banned. But the creators of those put them out there with the intention of playing on certain fantasies. They are not there to suggest a someone should actually implement them.

I know people really like to complain about the rain, but I adore thunderstorms, especially the ones that occur in the evening on a really hot, still day. They make me want to curl up inside with a cup of hot tea and a good book or movie and acoustic guitar music playing in the background.

In other news, one month and two days until I am free to leave Orlando! (July 18th is my last official day at both jobs.) I am trying to revisit all of my favorite places in Orlando before this happens, in addition to visiting some places I always meant to see but never did.

In that vein, I hung out at UrbanThink!/Infusion Tea today while doing my reading for my Women in Literature Class. And now, I have to go back again because I finally filled my "buy nine teas and get one free" card!

To Do Before Leaving:
- PomPom's Teahouse and Sandwicheria
- Seven Sister's Coffeehouse
- Black Sheep Yarn Store
- Audubon Market (Anyone wanna go tomorrow?)
- Orlando Art Museum
- Leu Gardens
- Enzian (I want to see Outrage and Un baiser s'il vous plaît/Shall We Kiss)

What am I missing?
ETA:
- House of Blues for the most amazing peppery ceasar dressing
- La Nouba

Today, I come to you in handy-dandy list form! (AKA, I am too brain dead to form a coherent paragraph with effective transitions between each idea).

Dreamwidth
If you are reading this on LJ, I have pretty much moved over to Dreamwidth. I am still gonna be posting in both places for the time being, but eventually my two journals are going to split off. If you are on Dreamwidth and want to friend me there, comment or send me a message and I will give you my Dreamwidth screenname. And, if you don't have a Dreamwidth account and want one, let me know. I have invites that are not being used.

Updating
The good thing about Dreamwidth and my being so excited about it is that I have started posting again. I get the feeling this will get more frequent after I move back in with Dad in a town where I know no one at all.

Icons
I have them! Finally got some uploaded to DW.

Home
Speaking of moving, I am going to Ohio to live with Dad for the next few months, possibly a year. I am planing on entering graduate/law school in Fall 2010, but with Mom heading to China and me without any real plans for the next year, moving up North sounded like the best option.

Fandom
My proud accomplishment for the past six months? I made it through all ten seasons and two movies of Stargate SG1, and all five seasons of Stargate Atlantis (fine, I have three left, but I'm practically there). Next up? Farscape, which will only further my crush on Claudia Black (aka Vala Mal Doran, aka Aeryn Sun) and Ben Browder (aka Cameron Mitchell, aka John Crichton). This could get bad.

Meta
I am really enjoying reading through the fandommeta page. Work has been so slow that I have been exploring all of the fandom battles I missed last semester. I have come to a few conclusions about myself and my own prejudices and privileges; I have also seen a few people expressing ideas that made me go "YES! THIS! A million times this!" If anyone is interested, I can recommend some great reading. Anyone have anything to recommend to me? I need more reading at work.

Alright, that is all I got for the moment. My brain is still not fully connecting with the world around me; its to focused on other things.

Also, two news stories I have found incredibly interesting this week - one in a positive manner and one in a negative one. Firstly - the wife of the moderate contender in the Iranian presidential elections is an interesting, powerful female in the Middle East and I look forward to seeing what she will do if her husband wins, maybe even if he doesn't. Secondly - this = Epic Fail! I understand protecting the baby; that is to say, I understand the good intentions of the judge. However, locking a woman up for being pregnant and having AIDS IS NOT OKAY! It sets too many precedents and says to many negative things about AIDS and pregnancy. See Feministing for more.

Not much to report. I have been working (both paying jobs and at schoolwork) and trying to figure out the next few steps in my life. So far, I have gotten to the driving out of Orlando step. Pretty excited about that.

What I don't have figured out is the cats. I would kind of like to keep O'Malley, but I probably should not be responsible for a cat with the amount I will be traveling (hopefully). Anyone want a really sweet cat? Or two?

In order to make this post not just about my indecisions, two recipes especially for Amanda, since she wants my cookies. Sorry I can't oblige right now, but I will make you cookies the next time I see you. Promise.

( Everything But the Kitchen Sink Cookies )

( Red Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Mustard Vinaigrette )

There is just so much to do and figure out. I feel like I am being pulled in so many different directions. Gah!

Before Thanksgiving:
- Clean apartment (really clean. The parents are coming and are going to want to see the new place.)
- Finish YA Lit portfolio. Got a lot done on it today, but I still have 10 more pages to write (single-spaced. Who wants their papers in single-spaced typing??) BTW: this class has taught me, the next time I go on and on the week before withdrawal deadline about whether to drop the class or not...just drop the fucking thing!
- Find somewhere to eat on Thanksgiving.
- Finalize Independent Study. I'm really excited about this; it is going to be on Shakespeare and Youth Culture and I am setting up a blog for it.
- Do posting and written assignment for Government. Not too concerned. Out of the 74 points remaining in the class (one assignment and one test) I only need 39 to get an A.

For finals:
- Write Shakespeare paper. Also really cool. It is going to deal with the body and personhood and identity, especially in Romeo and Juliet and The Merchant of Venice.
- Write retold fairytale for Women's Studies. Just got the assignment, but I think I know where I am going with this. Probably going to be based around The Seven Swans story. Dealing with silence and issues of motherhood.

Over break:
- Complete Boren application. and application for Kenya study abroad.
- Research Phd programs in Composition and Rhetoric. So far my favorites are Berkeley, Syracuse, and Michigan, in that order. However, Michigan might be just a bot too close to my mother's family.
- Write conference paper for the Last Unicorn. I really want this completely done by the time I go back to school.
- Yuletide.

I think that is it. Next semester is going to be a bear though. My schedule is nice...I only have class Tuesday and Thursday mornings, but I also have my independent study, GRE to study for, work, UWC, conference, mentoring, etc. I'm gonna be a little stressed. But at least I think I will enjoy it a lot.

Living in Sin by Adrienne Rich

She had thought the studio would keep itself;
no dust upon the furniture of love.
Half heresy, to wish the taps less vocal,
the panes relieved of grime. A plate of pears,
a piano with a Persian shawl, a cat
stalking the picturesque amusing mouse
had risen at his urging.
Not that at five each separate stair would writhe
under the milkman's tramp; that morning light
so coldly would delineate the scraps
of last night's cheese and three sepulchral bottles;
that on the kitchen shelf among the saucers
a pair of beetle-eyes would fix her own---
envoy from some village in the moldings . . .
Meanwhile, he, with a yawn,
sounded a dozen notes upon the keyboard,
declared it out of tune, shrugged at the mirror,
rubbed at his beard, went out for cigarettes;
while she, jeered by the minor demons,
pulled back the sheets and made the bed and found
a towel to dust the table-top,
and let the coffee-pot boil over on the stove.
By evening she was back in love again,
though not so wholly but throughout the night
she woke sometimes to feel the daylight coming
like a relentless milkman up the stairs.

More poetry.



Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins
by R.S. Gwynn

Good Catholic girl, she didn't mind the cleaning.
All of her household chores, at first, were small
And hardly labors one could find demeaning.
One's duty was one's refuge, after all.

And if she had her doubts at certain moments
And once confessed them to the Father, she
Was instantly referred to texts in Romans
And Peter's First Epistle, chapter III.

Years passed. More sinful every day, the Seven
Breakfasted,grabbed their pitchforks, donned their horns
And sped to contravene the hopes of heaven,
Sowing the neighbors' lawns with tares and thorns.

She set to work. Pride's hundred looking-glasses
Ogled her dimly, smeared with prints of lips;
Lust's magazines lay strewn--bare tits and asses
And flyers for "devices"--chains, cuffs, whips.

Gluttony's empties covered half the table,
Mingling with Avarice's cards and chips,
And she'd been told to sew a Bill Blass label
In the green blazer Envy'd bought at Gyp's.

She knelt to the cold master bathroom floor as
If a petitioner before the Pope,
Retrieving several pairs of Sloth's soiled drawers,
A sweat-sock and a cake of hairy soap.

Then, as she wiped the Windex from the mirror,
She noticed, and the vision made her cry,
How much she'd grayed and paled, and how much clearer
Festered the bruise of Wrath beneath her eye.

"No poisoned apple needed for this Princess,"
She murmured, making X's with her thumb.
A car door slammed, bringing her to her senses:
Ho-hum. Ho-hum. It's home from work we come.

And she was out the window in a second,
In time to see a Handsome Prince, of course,
Who, spying her distressed condition, beckoned
For her to mount (What else?) his snow-white horse.

Impeccably he spoke. His smile was glowing.
So debonair! So charming! And so Male.
She took one step, reversed, and without slowing
Beat it to St. Anne's where she took the veil.

I don't have many this time, but I wanted everyone to know that I am still alive.

And a little obsessed with Broadway, Wicked in particular.

7 - Wicked
1 - Light in the Piazza
1 - Friendship
6 - Rent

No Hotlinking. Please Comment and Credit.


Teaser:

( Icons, Icons, Come Get Your Icons! )

NaNoWriMo is kicking my ass, but I like what (little) I have of my book. I think a more realistic goal for me is 25,000 words in a month. or less. whatever.

Ok, So it's been awhile. A long while, but you will be happy to know that my life is going well, it was not because of troubles I stopped posting for a while. I have also started a new journal epporsimuove dedicated to my private life, movie and book reviews, and those annoying online quizzes that are quite addicted. My private life will be friends only, but my reviews will be public so hop on over if you want to see. First up, Pride and Prejudice (2005) starring Keira Knightley. Also expect icons soon from the movie.

I like these fairytale icons I've begun. I'm think about making a whole series so if you have a favorite fairytale, leave a comment. Also, I'm looking for some high quality Rent, House, and Greys Anatomy caps. Any suggestions?

4 - Harry Potter - Tonks
2 - Fairytale
14 - Various/Fashion Icons
4 - Save the Last Dance
1 - Rent

No Hotlinking. Please Comment and Credit.


Teaser:

( Icons, Icons, Come Get Your Icons! )

Dear Yuletide Nomenclature-of-Choice,

Thank you for writing for me this year (and, let me just say, you obviously have amazing taste). I hope you enjoy the challenge and have a lot of fun. Before getting into the specifics, I want to emphasize that I will love anything you write as long as you enjoy doing it. My prompts are not in and ranked order. I will love anything from them.

I am okay with gen/slash/het/threesomes/ whatever, as you will see in my prompts. While I provided optional details, these are definitely optional. If you have a great idea, feel free to run with it. I don't mind AUs. I am not as fond of crack-fic in these fandoms, largely because of how rare they are. Crossovers are readily welcome. I love strong, indepentdent women. I absolutely do not require a happy ending. The only thing I absolutely do not want is non-con or dub-con. BDSM, S&M, etc is fine, scenes are fine, but there has to be consent (I have written about this before if you want to see my specific thoughts on the issue). If you want to see some of the fics I really enjoy, you can check out my delicious account.

Onto the requests!

Fame (1980 Film) - Doris Finsecker / Ralph Garcie

Anything with these two. Seriously. If you are looking for specific ideas, I would love to see them ten or twenty years after the film. Are they together? Separate? What is their reunion like? Did they succeed? Happy ending, sad ending. Anything goes.

I love this movie. I love the dark overtones; I love how the mood is overall joyful and focused on these incredibly talented kids, but they all have something they are fighting with. Seriously, love this movie. And I am absolutely happy with anything you give me with Doris and Ralph. I would prefer something not overly fluffy, but happy/sad/ambiguous ending are all good!

Lili (1953 Film) - Paul Berthalet

Tell me about Paul. Anything - what was he like before the war, during, after? Before Lili? After? I am so fascinated by him.

Lili is my other favorite movie. Once again, I love the dark overtones. I am particularly interested in Paul (as you can see from my prompt). Paul is a man who has to reinvent himself. I find it enthralling that he is so many different people, reflected not only in the puppets but in the various roles he has played in life (dancer, soldier, puppeteer). A fic that explores all of this would be very welcome.

Next to Normal - Any

I would really love something about Natalie and her future, maybe something dark? Or about her relationship (or lack there of) with Gabe. Or really anything with the characters. I am really open.

I saw Next to Normal on Broadway this summer. I really tried not to give away the big plot twists with my prompt, but I am so hooked on the twist at the end (I am the One (Reprise)). I am also facinated by Natalie and Gabe. They are the only two in the family that we do not see interact beyond the brief taunting in Superboy and the Invisible Girl. I would welcome a piece examining this relationship, but will be incredibly happy with anything you come up with and any characters.

Hair - Berger/Claude/Sheila

Claude, Berger, and Sheila. How do they exist together and apart? (Anything you want to do around that, or with the three of them is great by me).

When I think of Hair, I think of the 2009 Revival. I have also seen the film, and would welcome fic from that, but I am enthralled by the stage show.

If you choose to write from the show, I would love something about Berger, Claude, and Shelia. I love Jeanie's line about Shelia loving Berger, and Claude loving them both. If you want to include Hud or Jeanie (or anyone else really), feel free. I love all the the tribe. I am also enthralled with hippie culture, and if you include sensory details about the culture I will love you forever!

For the movie, I am less sold on the Claude, Berger, Sheila triangle. I would love an exploration of there interactions with each other, but it does not necessarily need to be romantic.

Thank you again for writing for me. I look forward to reading what you wrote (and heaping praise upon you :)).