From: adolphso@mizar.usc.edu (adolphson)
Newsgroups: soc.motss
Subject: Re: redefining masculinity
Date: 17 Aug 1992 18:19:56 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: mizar.usc.edu
Keywords: SULLEN, CHILDHOOD

In article <1992Aug17.235439.19237@quantime.co.uk> 
roger@quantime.co.uk (Roger Phillips), whose .gif I 
rushed to view (those *eyebrows*! <swoon>), writes:
> In article <l901tlINN1ps@mizar.usc.edu>,
> adolphso@mizar.usc.edu (adolphson) writes:
> > Yes, I had something of the same urge to enunciate *very*
> > clearly when I was a kid....part of it had to do 
> > with the hideous Great Plains accent they have that I didn't 
> > want to catch from them.
>
> I've got over a lot of my prejudice against the New Zealand accent.

The NZ accent doesn't hold a candle irritation-wise to 
the Great Plains accent, which in turn doesn't hold a candle, 
as I've written before, to the Chicago-area accent.  Speaking
of accents, I spoke to ex yesterday about his imminent move
to dread Auburn University.  Wouldn't the accent drive him
nuts, I asked him.  "If I could stand Baltimore for 4 years,
I'm sure I can stand Alabama", he replied.

> I spoke to my mother last month
> (for the first time in a few years - it was her birthday),

Happy belated birthday, Mrs. Phillips!

> and she sounded more kiwi than ever
> (and, oddly, she sounded about 19 years old),
> and I found the accent rather relaxing.
>
> > If my voice doesn't give me away, my walk does.  It's
> > those years of dance class.
>
> Although the ballet classes were my mother's idea,
> I guess it was the faggot in me
> that took pride in *doing* *my* *best* at them.
> If I'd been a Real Terror, I'd have sabotaged them.

I did once sabotage a ballet class recital. (I was about
16 or 17, I think.)  I couldn't help myself.  I was 
parternering one of the girls and when I went to lift her 
she farted and I started to laugh and couldn't complete the 
lift.  (I swear this really did happen.)  I was in another
number later in the program with three girls (one of whom
was the farter) -- a tap Charleston -- and I kept bursting 
into laughter.  Then I thought that I'd try to cover my
laughter by snapping the gum I'd forgotten to take out of
my mouth.  I figured that it would be in character -- this
*was* a Charleston, after all.  But it didn't work.  I'd
look at the farter and laugh, snap my gum and laugh, look
at my tap teacher in wings glowering at me and laugh.  My
friends in the audience thought I was hilarious, but everyone
else was *furious* with me.

> > > [My [Roger's] screen background today is tiled with glasses,
> > You've *tiled* that .gif?  Eeeeeeeks!
>
> Just the glasses, cropped and mirror-tiled into a spectacular string.

Oh dear.  Well, I suppose my *BIG* *BLACK* *GLASSES* would
look spectacular mirror-tiled into a string.

> > > through which Arne stares at me balefully.
> > *Balefully*?!  I'm really a sweet-tempered guy, you know.
>
> But there's a defensive glower in the eyes on my screen.

*Defensive*?!   *Glower*?!  I'm trying to remember when that 
picture was taken.

Oh.  Well, glower might be right after all.

> > > I wonder what his voice sounds like.]
> > I believe it's been described as euphonious.
>
> You?  "Phoney-ass"?  Shirley nut!

Rest assured.  It, of all things about me, is not phoney.

Arne

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