Stirling McDaniel

Hey everyone! I'm Stirling McDaniel, a senior at BASIS Scottsdale, a charter school in Scottsdale, AZ.

I'm really excited to start my senior project at One N Ten, an LGBTQ youth organization. I'll be volunteering at

their Youth Center in Phoenix. If you want to learn more about BASIS's senior project program, 

go to BASIS Scottsdale Class of 2017, or click here for my project proposal.   

Besides blogging each week on my journey at One N Ten, I'll also be writing up an LGBTQ book 

review each week, starting with Middlesex, a book by Jeffrey Eugenides. [EDIT: Middlesex tells the story of

three generations of an inbred Greek family, chronicalling the effect of a mutated gene on intersex

Cal/Calliope, who struggles with his gender identity.]

I'm also very passionate about conservation and the environment, so each week there will be a new extinct

animal featured on the sidebar to the right of my posts. Plus, there are just some really cool

(dead) animals out there, so why not share them with the world?

Outside BASIS, I am a black belt at Scottsdale Martial Arts Center, where I've 

trained in Wado Ryu (and more recently, Goju Ryu) since I was six. I fence through school, write at home, 

and try to sneak cuddles with my cat, Finnegan. (Funny story: We adopted Finns when he was six months old, and

 right away he was my cat and I was his human. Possibly because I'm quiet and he has always been sort of a

grumpy old cat. For eight years Finns slept in my bed (aka he slept on my pillow/face), until I 

noticed that when I woke up in the morning I couldn't breathe too well. My allergies escalated to the point 

where I could no longer spend ten minutes with him without sneezing and coughing repeatedly. Which is

 why I have to sneak cuddles, because my dad tries to protect my lungs from the cat hair. 

Joke's on him, though: a year ago we adopted another cat named Bob 

(he has half a tail, okay - we're not just unoriginal with names).

Bob

Finnegan

Since I've talked about my cats so much, I guess I should talk about my academic interests some more.
I use to want to be a veterinarian, but ultimately I decided against it (also I'm now allergic to cats and dogs).
I don't know for sure what I'm going to do with my life, but I think I want to study Environmental Science 
(or Zoology?) and Political Science (shout-out to Mr. Wells), and be active in conservation efforts. 

I suppose it probably seems strange that my SRP has nothing to do with either of those subjects, 

but I've always had an interest in human rights, especially LGBTQ rights. By volunteering at One N Ten, 

I hope to compile data on the most effective methods of promoting optimistic futures for LGBTQ youth, 

as well as positively affecting the community around me. Come follow me on my journey!

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*sniff*

My Final Post

Well guys, this morning I gave my SRP Presentation. 

I am officially done!

I have learned so much from this project and I know I have grown 

as a person, from fighting my anxiety and talking to people to 

becoming more of an advocate for human rights. 

I want to say a final thank you to all the people who helped me accomplish this.

Thank you to Megan Mitrovich, my college counselor who dedicates so much of her 

time to helping her students and ensuring they have the best experiences they can get.

Thank you to my on-site mentors, Gina Read and Mike Schneider, the program coordinators

at the Youth Center. Your passion and knowledge have helped me so much throughout

this process! My project would not be what it is without you. 

Thank you to all my followers as well, for asking questioning and starting conversations

and reading my blog every week. I know it was a homework assignment, but I hope you

got something out of it! And good luck on any APs!

And finally, a huge thank you to my faculty adviser Mr. Jacob Wells. You are fantastic

and an inspiration to all your students and I'm getting sentimental because 

it's the last day and it's over but I honestly don't know where I'd be without your support. 

I definitely wouldn't be studying Political Science and maybe I'd still be going to Colorado

College but the college application process would have been so much worse.

Your encouragement and support made this project an amazing experience.

I can only hope to someday inspire someone like you've inspired me.

Thank you. 

Here's a link to my powerpoint presentation if you want to see it! I also wrote a 

paper that's a good overview of LGBTQ history in the last hundred years in the USA. Thank you!

The Hour Between, by Sebastian Stuart

Arthur MacDougal is shipped off to the Christian Science boarding school Spooner School for his senior year after being kicked out of Manhattan's most fashionable boys' school. At the boarding school - known for its liberal homework policy and experimental classes - he befriends Katrina Felt, the daughter of a famous actress, and throughout their last year of school they bond over drugs, alcohol, and family problems. But by the end of the year, Katrina is in a treatment center, Arthur doesn't seem to have actually changed much, and their friendship is over.

And I realize that's a very short summary, but I think I've pretty much relayed everything that happened in the book. It also takes place in the 1960's, so they are all hippies. There are brief mentions of the war in Vietnam, whenever one of the characters is rebelling against their self-interested parents.

I don't think I like how this book was handled. It seemed like there was a lot of potential in how the characters related to each other and their revolt against classism and capitalism, but in the end this became a book about children taking drugs, or at least that's all I got out of it. It was quite sad to see Katrina's life fall apart, and to see how futile Arthur's struggle to save her was. But ultimately, Arthur's personality was just too passive for me. He orbits Katrina and the only thing he really does by himself is try to talk to her and to get with Lenny, another student at the school who came off as a very slimy weasel to me and I have no idea what Arthur saw in him.

Maybe someone else would have loved this book, but I think I'm just so different from the characters that I had trouble understanding any of their actions or motivations.  

Some other reviews you might like:
http://queerreader.com/?p=90
https://outinprintblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/the-hour-between-by-sebastian-stuart-alyson-books/

Saying Thank You and Good-Bye

As you guys know, this week was my last at One N Ten, which is very sad.

I couldn't go on Thursday because I was en route to a Las Vegas karate tournament,

but I made up the time by attending One N Ten's Second Chance Dance

at ASU's Secret Garden on Saturday. The theme was thrift shop, so 

the youth could dress up as much or as little as they wanted. It was a really nice

event; there was a brief dance-off, a 'know the lyrics' competition, and raffles.

And lots of food. I of course sat in the corner but everyone else seemed to

enjoy themselves!   

Posted with permission of the people pictured. Mike Schneider is on the left.

Prepare yourself. I bring the most unpleasant news. 

Guys, we lost a volleyball game to a team of two people. 

That's right. 

At least we're getting better?

The next day a veterinarian (and alumn of One N Ten) came to show off her 

mobile clinic and to talk to us about responsible pet care. I was really excited,

but some of the youth were more interested in hearing about her experiences with

exotic animals, which she wasn't prepared to talk about, than learning 

what cats should and shouldn't eat. Still, we did learn that Fancy Feast is

like McDonald's; it has a lot of carbs and fats. Also cats should not eat dog food. 

On Wednesday we ate fried chicken in honor of one of the youth leader's birthday

and spent the night playing games. It was a complete but marvelous coincidence that

my first and last days were both game days. We played Monopoly and feasted and welcomed

a new youth to the center. It was a good last day.

However, the upcoming presentation is starting to worry me. I've gotten in 

my interviews and am working on my paper (agh writing and writer's block and 

the surge of motivation that only ever comes at midnight), but now I've got to 

memorize a speech and practice clicking the clicker. Which comes easily to some 

people (I'm looking at you, Nicole Dominiak, who can memorize a speech and 

deliver it perfectly after like a day). Unfortunately, my brain likes to edit 

what I say as I say it, so while I generally write pretty well, my speech can end

up like this: "This is a picture of the Group area of the Youth Center except

this nice clean place over here usually has piles of donated food at least it did the

first couple of weeks I was there anyways but that food was in cans there wasn't just

like a rotisserie chicken hanging out there but it is a nice clean splace [space+place because should I reuse that word?] I swear also Group is the thing-meeting where all the youth 

gather for the day's activities (I might have said that already)" 

because there is no backspace button for verbal communication and I can't review an outline.

Oh well. It'll happen. I'll get through it. 

I want to thank everyone who has helped me with this project. I have absolutely loved it. 

One N Ten is fantastic - thank you to Rachel Sherman and Mike Schneider

and Gina Read and all the volunteers at the Youth Center for supporting and 

encouraging my research! You are doing amazing things.

Thank you also to Ms. Mitrovich for being a wonderful human being and 

college counselor. BASIS wouldn't be the same without you. I have no 

idea where I'd be (physically, mentally, emotionally, all the works) without your

help with the college process. 

And Mr. Wells! You know how great you are. All your students know how great you are. 

I've told you this like fifty times. Thank you so much for everything.

And thank you, dear readers! I know you just read and comment

because it's your homework, but I hope you've enjoyed it (or at least not hated it). 

Have a fantastic rest of the year!

A Single Man, by Christopher Isherwood

George is a middle-aged professor in California during the early 1960s. He has just lost his long-time partner, Jim, and the book follows a day in the grief-stricken man's life. The book begins with George's body waking up, going through all the mechanical and chemical motions before George's consciousness reconnects with his body. Throughout the book there is the motif of disconnect; between George and George's body, George and his students, George and the people around him, George and emotions. It seems like he struggles to care about his surroundings until talking about literature with his students - and even after that he once again quickly turns inward. The book's climax is George's rant and subsequent hook-up with one of his students.

To be honest, this book didn't do anything for me. It's supposed to be "devastating, unnerving" (Stephen Spender), a "sad, sly report on the predicament of the human animal" (David Daiches, New York Times), with "a biological melancholy running through it, a sense of relentless reduction, daily diminishment" (Elizabeth Hardwick, The New York Review of Books) and yet I just didn't feel any of that. And I know before I've knocked books that promise an emotional roller-coaster and don't deliver, but in this case I actually think it was me. I got the feeling that this book will have the most impact if you've suffered loss like George has, and I just haven't. I liked the writing and I felt that the characters were interesting and complex and real, but I wasn't affected by the devastation or the biological melancholy like so many others were. I do respect the book, and I think it was a very interesting concept, but for me it didn't do anything.

The one issue I had was the misogyny. George put down women, women put down women, and I couldn't tell if this was Isherwood's views or the characters' in the book but it made me uncomfortable. I found it harder to sympathize with George the more he dismissed women's emotions. But again, maybe this was just a facet of his character or a result of his grief. It was something I didn't like, but I won't knock the book for it just yet.

Some other reviews you might like:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/20/100-best-novels-a-single-man-christopher-isherwood
https://angelmatos.net/2014/01/22/connection-failed-an-analysis-of-christopher-isherwoods-a-single-man/
https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/christopher-isherwood-a-single-man/

It's Almost Over!

I cannot believe that this is Week 9. It feels like I just started my project a week ago.

This has been an amazing experience. I've met great people and had a great time and 

learned a great deal about LGBTQ youth organizations. So yeah, pretty great. 

I've been thinking about continuing to attend the Youth Center every day, 

but unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to. It's an hour away, plus I don't

have a car of my own; I think my parents are tired of being forced to change up 

their schedules so I can use one of their cars. I am going to try to make

the April drag show though (April 21st, open to the public, come one come all).

But I do have some exciting news! As you know, dear readers of the blog, 

I am interviewing some youth and staff/volunteers from One N Ten to

supplement my paper. Because the interviews are just a supplement (and also because 

I know people don't necessarily like being interviewed), my goal 

was to get responses from three people. But guess what! Four people volunteered!

FOUR!

Huzzah!

Pride was fun! Although I was surprised that most of the booths at the festival 

were offering or selling services, not little souvenirs. There were booths

advertising housing and HIV/AIDS testing and even animal shelters.
I didn't see a lot of shops selling shirts or other items; if they sold anything
it was generally flags. I was sort of disappointed; I really wanted an ace
shirt, but they didn't sell those. Instead I got a shirt at the Human Rights Campaign
booth, which is super comfortable. Unfortunately, I also got sunburned. But not all over.
No, just on the left side of my upper lip, the area directly below the space between my
eyebrows, the left side of the tip of my nose, and around the perimeter of my forehead.

I know. It's weird. 

There was also less partying than I expected. Granted, we were there right in the 

middle of the day and too young to get into Erotic World (thank goodness)

and avoided the dance floors (because introverts). When we left at four there

were more people streaming into the festival in more of

a party mood. But overall, it was pretty fun.

I know I'm squinting. It was bright and I am a creature of the darkness.

The Youth Center was closed this Monday (Pride takes a lot out of you).
On Tuesday we played Would You Rather and had a good time. Some of the youth
got really into it and argued over the consequences of the options. Sadly,
Tuesday will be my only day at One N Ten this week. As I write this post
I am sitting in an airport waiting to board a plane and head out for
Denver, Colorado. I am attending Colorado College's Admitted Student Open House
and will be out of town until Friday night.
In addition to not attending One N Ten this week, this also means that
I have had to conduct my interviews over email, since I want the responses in by Friday.
I actually think this might be a better way of doing it, since the
youth and staff/volunteers will have more time to mull over the questions
and won't feel awkward talking face-to-face about their experiences being homeless
(for example). Plus this way I won't the interview awkward by being my awkward self.

And finally, to finish out this post, my book reviews. I know I'm behind a little,
but Week 8's book review should be going up soon. For Week 8 I read/am reading
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. It follows George, a gay Englishman
in middle age who has just lost his partner. It is set in Southern California in
the early 1960's. A film adaptation was released in 2009, and
I actually found this book through the movie (but I didn't watch it - no spoilers).
Colin Firth stars as George.
Isherwood was an English-American novelist who is known for his
semi-autobiographical novellas, The Berlin Stories, which were inspired by his time
in Weimar Republic Germany.

Week 9's book is a novel by Sebastian Stuart, The Hour Between. In it, Arthur
McDougal and Katrina Felt, fellow students at Spooner School. They forge a
tender friendship, which is put to the test by Katrina's secrets and Arthur's
struggle with his sexuality. Stuart is the author of numerous plays,
screenplays, political satire, and critically-acclaimed novels.

I'll see you guys next week!
 

The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles is a retelling of The Iliad, but that does not do the book justice. Achilles' story is told from the perspective of his closest friend and companion, Patroclus, the prince of Opus. Patroclus is exiled when he is only nine, and is sent to Phthia to be raised by Achilles' father, King Peleus. Although Patroclus is one of many young exiles fostered by Peleus, Achilles forms a special friendship with him, and their bond grows stronger with time, and eventually they become lovers. I do not want to spoil more, but I will say that if you know of The Iliad or really anything about Achilles' life, then you more or less know the plot of the book.

I absolutely loved this book. I am writing this review immediately after finishing it, and I am speechless. I don't know what to say except that this book is phenomenal and it is one of (or possibly the only) book I have ever cried over. I am so glad that I decided to take on this book review project simply because it pushed me to finally read this book.

It was fantastic. I know I'm repeating myself, but I spent a good five minutes sitting numb after finishing this novel, so really it's a miracle I can even form coherent sentences. The writing was amazing. Miller clearly knows so, so much about Greek myths and culture (which she should, since she studied it) but she avoids the pitfall that so may authors fall into: going into excessive detail to flaunt their knowledge. She doesn't add unnecessary explanations (except for one point where Patroclus mentions how in the Greek words have different genders - I think anyone who has studied any language other than English  knows that). I can easily see how someone without any real knowledge of Greek mythology would understand what's going on and enjoy the story. Having studied Latin for the past eight years and been fascinated with Greek mythology for 15 years, I really appreciated how smoothly the explanations and terms flowed with the story. Patroclus frequently comments on Greek culture, which may sound irritatingly like SparkNotes to some, but he seemed like such an observer (an exile, no longer a prince, a shadow to Achilles' flame, the quiet soldier who dislikes fighting and prefers medicine) that it felt appropriate.

And the story was amazing. The characters were people with flaws and you loved them all the more for it (except for Agamemnon). Miller gave such life to the people who were so pale in Homer's works. She spent ten years writing The Song of Achilles. Ten. The care and detail that went into writing this book is truly mind-blowing.

And it's so cool because there have always debates over whether or not Patroclus and Achilles' relationship was romantic or strictly platonic. The ancient Greeks fought over it. It's wonderful. I love it. I love this book. I don't know what else to say. Read it.

Some other reviews you might like:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/books/review/the-song-of-achilles-by-madeline-miller.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/off-the-shelf-/the-song-of-achilles-a-fo_b_11184848.html
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/22/the-song-of-achilles-madeline-miller


(And this is her first book???? That's crazy! It's so good!)

EDIT: There was a weird random scene with Deidamea that I didn't understand the purpose of, but otherwise I loved the book.