Big Eden and Beards

After a week of working on cleaning up my place I'm happy to say I'm one step closer. I still have about 20 plastic bins sitting in my living room area and I don't have a clue what I'm going to do with them, but I am happy to say that both my guest/toy room and my own bedroom are clear of all boxes and bins.. woohoo. I still have a few Star Wars action figures that I need to put in my guest/toy room. But once that is done my toy room(s) will be complete. I'll post pictures once everything is up and complete.

While I was cleaning up my bedroom I put on one of my all favorite romantic dramedies of all time "Big Eden". Here's a quick synopsis: Henry Hart is a successful gay artist from New York City who returns to his rural hometown in Montana to care for his ailing grandfather. Henry is welcomed back by the townsfolk, all of whom are aware of his sexuality and are highly accepting and even supportive towards him (the film's plot and dialogue is notably devoid of homophobic content). However, during the months he stays in the town, Henry is forced to confront his unresolved feelings for his high school friend Dean Stewart, while simultaneously being oblivious to the feelings of Pike Dexter, the shy Native American owner of the town's general store.

I have talked about this movie in a previous blog post titled Top 5 favorite "Gay" themed movies. I actually watched it for a second time with commentary and then for a third time just for fun. I mean I was cleaning and unpacking things so for the second and third time I really was just listening to it. Anyways I think why I love this movie so much is because of the idealistic world it is set in. The majority of the film takes place in a small town in Montana where the small town folks are open minded and loving. There is no homophobia or bigotry. There is no hate towards the gay characters, no one bats an eye that it's two men who are falling in love.

Most "gay" themed movies have stereotypical gay characters, or they involve drugs or AIDS. This movie has none of that. These are just "regular" guys trying to find love and friendship. This movie is 14 years old so back in 2000 when it was made this was a big deal, very outside the norm. Nowadays there are more movies that don't have these typical gay cliches, but still not enough. If you haven't seen Big Eden I'd strongly suggest watching it.. be it straight or gay I think it a great story that will touch your heart.

So I've been growing out my beard since I started my trip to England/Ireland a few months ago. I don't know what I'm going to do with it. Everyday I think about shaving, especially since it's getting hotter outside. But this is the longest that I have ever had my beard. I'm actually impressed with the way it looks. It's good to know that I can grow a full beard with no patches. I'm thinking I'll be keeping it at least until San Diego Comic Con. If I cosplay as a Hobbit then I'll have to shave it but I'm not sure if I'll be cosplaying this year or not. So for now I'll let it grow out and see how far I can go.