Californian Lunch

Today is the Queen's Birthday holiday weekend in NZ and everything is closed, so happily I have invited my two, very non-royalist friends, Californian Elanita and Lucas, for lunch. I poached some lemon fish bought fresh yesterday, and I included some steamed broccoli, sprouts (brussel) and also baked some  waxy potatoes and juicy pumpkin to go with it. This with a nice leek and mushroom sauce, made a lovely meal and they were both suitably impressed. I think I was too as it turned out much better than I had thought. I also baked an Italian recipe of gluten free apple pie, served with yoghurt, which was a resounding success. They are soon to return to the US having tried the tough life here and decided the US is sweeter. Lucas is a psychiatrist and would have found it very hard dealing with the system here in NZ. I empathise with their decision. Elanita is a talented health worker/acupuncturist and did great things on my back, so essentially it was a thank-you lunch.

She also told me how to set up a website, which is next on my list of things to do. I now await an email with more details. It is time to teach French and when the new housemate comes it will really be time.

Btw, Michelle a lawyer from Malaysia, is a certain possiblity as she would fit in perfectly. She came by yesterday for a look and said Yes!, but I await the Aussie who comes to look tomorrow.

Btw, I forgot the Queer Film Festival...here are some reviews. 

The first movie, about the internet nerd in NYC and his GoGo dancer boyfriend, was intriguing as it seemed to be nearly a documentary, made by him on his i-phone. It was well done, and actually believeable, and a bit scary for an oldie like me, who keeps well away from internet dating. But it was another audience favourite and I did enjoy it from a few points of view.

 

The Californian Couple....

after a lovely lunch.

Born This Way.....

This was a great documentary about Cameroon and was the second film I saw. It was a moving account of the sexual discrimination existing in many African countries. The film covered a lesbian couple who were hunted out of their village for being just that, and a young man who also had to move house for fear of being bashed, and possibly murdered, for his sexual orientation.

A good human rights lawyer, a woman, had taken up their cause and hopes to get it to the Supreme Court where a change in law might happen and make an enormous difference to many countries in Africa. I felt so much sympathy and sadness for their plight I felt like I needed to go there to support them. But the change must come from within.

I then saw a charming 'coming of age' movie from Brazil, about a blind teenaged boy learning about his sexuality and actually falling in love with a classmate in the face of much mockery from the other straight schoolmates. It was a delightful, happy, life-affirming move, with the parents also coming to believe in their son's ability to survive by himself in this world. It was another crowd favourite.

The opening Gala for the Lesbians I also decided to attend, just because it was there. Yes, I was the only male in a very large female audience. A rather raucus reception was received to this comedy about a 'butch dyke', (their words), and a femme lesbian who wasn't sure of her preferences. Called 'Heterosexual Jill', it was a fun sort of movie, however the lesbians sitting next to me disliked it intensely in spite of the hilarity from the main crowd. They were thinking, I believe, that it was stereotypical, and real life was not ever like that. For me it was a romp and a good laugh, made by usually non-funny Americans who must have had a lot of fun making it. But such is lesbian life, they seem to guard their space very carefully, some of them anyway. 

There are a few more films to go, so I'll keep you posted. I have a busy week ahead of me, in this very film-crazy city.

Jill flirting with her 'girlfriend'