Movie Review

Last night, my partner and I went to see The Kids Are All Right, a film about a lesbian couple whose children (born via donor insemination) decide they'd like to meet their sperm donor. We wanted to see it because, well, we're a lesbian couple whose child was born through donor insemination. (And also because it's been getting good reviews and because we try to make a point of seeing films with lesbian content.)

[Aside for the foodies -- Afterward, we went to Veselka, a locally-legendary Ukranian diner. We had pierogi and potato pancakes, my partner had chilled borscht (I'm not a beet fan), and we shared a dessert called "kutya," a sort of pudding made of wheat berries, honey, nuts, raisins, and poppy seeds. Different and delicious (I'm a sucker for anything with poppyseeds in it.)]

( Now, back to the film. )

It's still impossibly hot and drought-ridden here. Argh.

ETA -- My thanks to sophia_gratia for linking me to this fascinating blog entry and discussion of the film by literary/cultural critic Jack (formerly Judith) Halberstam.

Thoughts on Gay Marriage

( 'Thinky Things I Think When I Think About Gay Marriage,' by Kelly )

30 Days of HP Meme -- Day 9

( Ghost of Questions Past )

Day 9. Favorite Hogwarts Professor.

Well, yes, in an overall sense, it's Minerva McGonagall, of course. But I think this question ought to be answered in terms of teaching ability. And as much as I love McGonagall (and Snape), I think both of them have some limitations as educators, Snape much more so than McG.

So I'm going to select someone else.

This choice was difficult -- I mean, there's Hooch and Grubbly-Plank, both of whom delight my butch-loving heart, and G-P, at least, is a strong teacher. (Hooch may be, too, but we see less of her.) And Flitwick's a dear (plus, as Fred [or is it George?] says in OoP, he regularly gets his students through their exams with no problems).

But in the end, I'm going to have to go with Pomona Sprout. She teaches her subject thoroughly, combines lecture and practice in interesting ways, doesn't humiliate or frighten the students (yet has their respect), and she manages to see and develop the potential in someone like Neville, whose shyness and clumsiness make it easy for teachers to dismiss or disdain him, to miss his abilities.

Plus, although this point doesn't have to do with education, I love her in DH, when she and Flitwick come charging to Minerva's rescue, when she turns her plants into DE-destroying weapons, and especially when she falls in so bravely with McG's plans to defend the castle. In her ferocity and tenacity, she shows us (to borrow a line from one of my fics) that there's a reason Hufflepuffs have a badger as a mascot.

And who doesn't love this bit:

"You realize, of course, that nothing we do will be able to keep out You-Know-Who indefinitely?" squeaked Flitwick.

"But we can hold him up," said Professor Sprout.

"Thank you, Pomona," said Professor McGonagall, and between the two witches there passed a look of grim understanding.

( The Ghost of Questions Yet to Come )

FIC: "Witness" (McGonagall/Snape)

Title: Witness
Author: kellychambliss
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Minerva McGonagall/Severus Snape
Word Count: 7700
Summary: Many years after Voldemort is finally overthrown, a Bulgarian former refugee comes forward to help answer one of the great mysteries of the wars.

Author's Notes: This story was my entry for this year's hp_beholder fest.

A thousand heart-felt thanks to my two beta-readers, therealsnape and tetleythesecond, for their exceptional skills as editors and therapists.

This story diverges from canon sometime during the Battle of Hogwarts. There are OCs, and touch of voyeurism, and perhaps more sentiment is customary for Severus, but otherwise, no warnings.

( Witness )