Day Two Hundred and Thirteen - John Dark

Sex & The City has a very powerful affect over me. I mean, I've never really watched the show - and I think that's the power. I've been @ many uncomfortable lunches in my life, but one of the most uncomfortable happened nearly a year ago with my fellow co-workers, who I would normally be reasonably comfortable with. The conversation turned to Sex & The City and lingered there for almost the entire lunch, with everyone talking about it with such a fervent passion - like how I talk about things that I like [only I usually censor myself in public/when I'm not speaking with Joseph - because I know that no one is really that interested]. I felt very isolated, obviously. And, with the premiere this weekend it's got 90% of the female population all whipped up in a lather of shoes, shopping and sex [? I don't even know if the show/film is all that sexy] and here I sit trying to find out what is so damn relatable about it all as I think it represents some pretty awful things about women - I would not be so eager to embrace.

Which leads me to today's thing and someone who I have recently become more solidly interested in - Joan of Arc. I think this might have started with a Jeopardy question about a month ago - but I started reading all about her and finding her to be a pretty fine example of a strong woman. Even the intense religious conviction - I might not be on board with it, but it's admirable. Today is Joan of Arc Feast Day and since I apparently went to a crummy Catholic school I don't really know what one does for a saint's feast day. So I read Joan of Arc's original letters and trial transcripts. What a super fun Friday night - heh. No one parties quite like me. She actually didn't write her letters and probably didn't really know how to write. Also, she was actually convicted of crossdressing [not heresy] - which I guess really pissed people off back then. I did a monologue from Shaw's Joan of Arc play when I was a drama princess - but now that I have done my research I think playing her as a crazy Ophelia type was way off. And even though I keep reading that she was not a feminist - yes, yes you are Joan. Even if you think that some women should be @ home with their family - that doesn't mean you're not a feminist. Some women probably should be [some men, too].

And some women don't have to like Sex & The City either.