On vacation!

I'm taking a little vacation for the next week or so -- I'll be heading home to Charleston (SC) this weekend, so it is unlikely you'll hear from me until after then, but I wanted to give everyone a heads up!

Also, nearly done with Gone With the Wind ... any suggestions for my next read?

Going through my collections

In an effort to constantly improve myself and find joy in other things except for drinking, carousing, and intimate encounters, I have two new goals: read more and go through my movie collection. And, because I am an obsessive blogger, I plan to write about it as I go.

Reading

I have a lot of books. At one point, I documented well over 2,000 books I owned. For the nerdy and outcast teen that I was -- my middle school years are highlighted by my social ostracism, both internally and externally -- I read voraciously. By 7th grade, I was reading several thousand pages a semester (I know because my English teacher required us to document our reading in great detail). I continued the need for books well into college, though my reading has significantly dropped off since.

My parents are moving and found a large collection of books left in a closet by yours truly, and she's bringing them here. The theory was that, after I went to college, I would trade out my college every couple years when I got bored with it. I am now confronted with the reality of not only having read the grand majority of the books on my shelf, but the addition of hundreds more.

In the past month, I've racked up thousands of pages, and I've found myself enjoying the effort. Some recent completions:

• George R.R. Martin's The Song of Ice and Fire series -- I admit it, I'm a scifi/fantasy junkie. I have read all the greats and am depressed at the notion that Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series will not be completed by the man himself. I picked up Martin's series in college and loved it, though we are still waiting for it to be complete. Like Jordan's series, it was intended to be three, maybe four, books and has now ballooned out to probably six or seven. I own only the first three and, after my recent re-read of the first three, I am foaming at the mouth of the next few. I think I am like most readers of the series though, wondering when the Starks, the central character family, will start doing something than dying off slowly. It has now been referred onto my brother whom I think will enjoy it. Read time (3 books): about two weeks.
• Flora Rheta Schreiber's Sybil -- Though steeped in some controversy -- some say Sybil, nee Shirley Ardell Mason, was misdiagnosed by her psychiatrist, Cornelia B. Wilbur -- the book is an interesting and fascinating look into the world of psychoanalysis and the ofter over-diagnosed condition known as Multiple Personality Disorder (Disassociate Identity Disorder). I read it for the first time in a series of books with similar themes, including When Rabbit Howls and The Three Faces of Eve, early in high school. I thought I wanted to be a psychiatrist at that point in my life. Though experiences since with the extremely mentally ill have changed my desire, the book is, nonetheless, fascinating. It's also not for the faint of heart, as the details of Sybil's abuse as a child will leave you squirming. Read time: about four days.
• Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon -- I don't remember exactly when I picked this book up, though it was probably in the middle school era where I was experimenting with religion and thought Wicca was it. It wasn't. I tried to read the book way back when, but I was unsuccessful and, going through this time, I found multiple book marks and dog eared pages where I had left off before. I was somewhat disappointed with it, as it was hardly the classic that everyone put it out to be. The characters were bland and the intrigue even moreso. Read time: about ten days.
• Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show -- I long established as one of my favorite books of all time, and I found it equally enjoyable this time around, though it can no longer be counted as amongst my favorites. It's good and made for a quick read, but it isn't quite as life changing this time around. Apparently, there are other books in a series -- dubbed The Art, or a sequel at least -- but I really am not driven to read them. Read time: three days.
• Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth -- I was disappointed with this read the first time, thinking I wasn't as impressed with it as everyone said I would be. I'm actually enjoying it much more, this time around. It's a much heavier text than the rest, and I'm going slowly. Currently in the middle of it. It's an Oprah book, now, too.

Not sure what's next -- but I'll keep you updated, no doubt.

Watching

I own well over 200 movies, a collection I began in college when I got my first DVD player. The first movie I bought? Don't laugh -- South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. Hey, it's funny. Anyways, after discovering the cheapy movie deals offered at most movie rental places (seriously -- 4 movies for $20?!), my collection has grown exponentially since, though my watching has not kept pace and there is a huge number of titles that I have never seen before. I think it's time to actually make it through my entire collection, this time around. What have I watched so far, in about two weeks of trying:

• Mists of Avalon -- FIRST TIME WATCH-- Especially having come off reading the book, I noticed that the movie was missing a lot of important details, though it works as a movie. Shocking, with such a huge amount of talent, you'd think it would have been better. (4 out of 10)
• The Emperor's New Groove -- Seen it god knows how many times, and I am still entertained by it, though it didn't make it far in the box office. Worth a great chuckle, though not ground breaking cinema. (8 out of 10)
• The Sweetest Thing -- Simple, lighthearted, and it's difficult to deny the joy of watching The Penis Song scene over and over and over again. As an amusement, it ranks high. Anything else -- including intelligent humor -- it lacks. (6 out 10)
• The Incredibles -- My favorite movie of all time. I can't get over how well done the movie is, especially with rich characters like Edna Mode and the extensive back story they created for the flick as evidenced by the DVD extras. I am shocked that no one ever decided to make a sequel, though there are enough rumors saying it will happen. Nothing was ever confirmed, and it makes me sad. Charming, funny, and well thought out. (9.5 out of 10)
• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow -- FIRST TIME WATCH -- How can so many amazing actors pick such a bad movie? I could barely be bothered to keep track of what was happening. The cinematography was amazing, however, and was the only thing saving the flick. I left wondering what the point was. (2 out of 10)
• Fame -- FIRST TIME MAKING IT THROUGH -- Meh. Also a classic, but I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought I should be for as many homo's that say they love it. I mean, it was fun and I liked it, but I think the number of times I've fallen asleep watching it is a testament to my interest level. Classic scenes, though, and you'll recognize many references for later works. (5 of 10)
• Borat -- I turned it on the day Bruno came out. It is what you know it to be -- filled with low brow humor that you can't help but laugh at. I'm not sure why I bought it, and I'm not sure what would encourage me to watch it again in the future. (6 of 10)
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding -- We, like so many people, heard about it from the grapevine, pre-Twitter, and I was charmed enough to see it a second time in the theatre. I never go watch a movie twice in a movie theatre. It is much as you remember -- fun and whimsical and totally worth your time. And, extra score, the jokes are still funny! (9 out of 10)
• Elizabeth: The Golden Age -- FIRST TIME WATCH -- I loved the movie that preceded this, Elizabeth, so much, and I did enjoy the sequel. It's not as historically valid as the first, and has some continuity problems, but it's well-done and beautifully produced. I'd recommend the first one over this, but I would still suggest you check it out. (7 out of 10)
• The Wiz -- Watched it twice since Michael Jackson died, and I love it still. It is a brilliantly recrafted and rethought version of The Wizard of Oz, and it may actually live up to the original for its creativity. The songs will stick in your head for weeks, and Diana Ross is simply fabulous, while the final bit by Lena Horne makes you realize why she was a star. (9 out of 10)
• Sweeney Todd -- I am on a Sasha Baron Cohen kick this week, apparently, and I turned this on to remind myself that the man does have some amazing versatility as an actor. Add great performances by Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, and Helena Bonham Carter, including some surprising vocal talent by the three, and you have a definite winner. Bloody as hell, though. Not an every-day'er though, and I think, in cutting down the original Broadway piece, it lost a little bit (8 out of 10)
• The Devil Wears Prada -- How can you not have seen this movie? I read the book a few weeks before it came out; my sister was reading it and it was just a cheapie little bit that seemed to be written so that it could be a movie. It turned out to be an excellent flick with a couple of Oscar nom's to boot. (9 out of 10)

The only problem is that I seem to be going after previously watched movies, or favorites. I'm trying to learn to balance new flicks with the old favorites. So far, successful.

I'm not sure if anyone cares about any of this, but I do. :-)

An Open Letter to Amazon.com

Dear Amazon.com and company president, Jeff Bezos:

I first heard about your company in high school, but it was not until I got to college at Miami University (Oxford, OH) that I ever visited your site. My hometown -- Mt. Pleasant, SC (outside of Charleston) -- did not have a huge bookstore, just a few minor local ones. The closest, Books-A-Million, was almost impossibly far away for a kid who did not learn to drive until he was 19. During my senior year of high school, Barnes & Noble opened up closer to my home and just down the strip from where I had gotten a job. At the time, I was still not out to my family (but was to everyone else), had not ever visited a gay bar, and had almost no connections to the LGBTQ community in my town.

When I came to Ohio and "landed" in Oxford, though I was thrilled by the greater opportunities presented to me as a gay man, one thing still lacked: access to a reliable bookstore with a large LGBT section. I had spent my summer on the floor of the local B&N in the LGBT Section reading but had not ever bothered to purchase anything. Ironically, perhaps, considering the shit storm unleashed upon you this weekend, the first things I read about were Harvey Milk. So, naturally, my first searches on Amazon.com when I got my account? Harvey Milk.

Granted, I am not the most dedicated Amazon.com purchaser. In fact, since I voluntarily surrendered my credit cards a year ago, I don't think I've even bothered to search your site simply because the appeal is too great.

This weekend, the LGBTQ community -- specifically the Twitterverse (my Twitter, Cody's Twitter, Penny's Twitter) -- has been in an uproar over the great #AmazonFAIL of 2009. I don't know the story well; I barely know how it all started (though there are many great blogposts detailing it, like this one, or this one). It appears that the automated rubric you use to judge offensive content is slowly but surely knocking books with LGBTQ-positive characters and/or themes off your searches -- a process known as "deranking" as unranked books are not made available in general searches -- whereas other books that are harmful to LGBTQ individuals remain on the list (searching for "homosexuality" this evening at 2247 turns up the following titles in your top ten search: A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality (#1), 101 Frequently Asked Questions About Homosexuality (by a member of Focus on the Family, #2) Can Homosexuality Be Healed (#8), and Coming Out of Homosexuality (#9). To your credit, that list also includes many books that are positive (What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality (#4) and Homosexuality and Civilization (#5)), but how long before your system shuts those down? And what about those top two choices, seriously? Meanwhile, other books -- like Nathaniel Frank's book on LGBTQ individuals in the miltary, Unfriendly Fire -- get deranked and considered offensive? *

OK -- so you've said it's a glitch. I'm tempted to believe it. In fact, there is a great theory out there that this is a Bantown event -- an internet move where a third party (here, fundamentalists) pit an activist community (LGBTQ) folks against another group (here, a business) in an attempt to cause general mayhem for you and for us. It's been done before. I'm really, really tempted to believe that because of the timing (over a weekend, on a holiday, meaning that you would have a skeleton staff). And I really, really hope that you move quickly and assuredly to fix it.

I needed Amazon.com, when I was coming into my own in Oxford. I needed to know that we existed, and I needed to see the titles and become exposed to the literature, and the movies, and everything. A young queer kid in Oxford, with no access to a bookstore except the one provided by the college, needed Amazon.com. So, if this isn't a glitch, I'm disappointed. If this isn't a glitch, I will cancel my account. If this isn't a glitch, then I will sign the petition.

But I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, for now, and see what happens tomorrow, or perhaps the next day. You've got to remember, as my friend Dan M. points out, "Amazon is so crucial to the publishing industry at this point that they really, really have to be top-notch at this sort of stuff." In short: you've got to be better, and you've got to try harder. You can't have these glitches, it's not enough for the biggest bookseller in the world to make that kind of excuse. It's simply not enough, especially when you still have content like Playboy: the Complete Centerfolds ranked.

If it's not a glitch -- and there are some indications this may have been going back as far as February, but they may be isolated incidences -- and the best a kid searching for the first word that comes to their head -- homosexuality -- comes up with are books about preventing or curing them...

...well, then you deserve the shitstorm you've created. And you will be hearing from me, either way.

Sincerely,

Barry Floore
Amazon.com Member since 2000

*Since I first did the search, the list has changed up a bit -- now adding You don't have to be gay as #2, but a book by Bishop Gene Robinson as #3 (if you do a search, there is a different #2, actually, where you can subdivide your search between Fiction and Non-Fiction... I'm not counting that in my calculations).

Also, somewhat ironically to add to my readers: Apparently, Amazon.com was in a lawsuit a few years ago over its name, which it seems to be a copyright infringement of a feminist coop bookstore in Minnesota. Thanks to @gendercrash for the heads up!

AfterEllen.com has a great write-up, btw, that you should check out -- what is our cultural currency on homosexuality?