What anyone wants is a complex and important question – one which I believe should be asked, and better answered than it usually is.

I want a more mature society. We are making progress, year by year – and we are backsliding, day by day. Our capacity for nobility is matched, hand in glove, with our capacity for savagery. Each and every one of us. We are a complex and chaotic people, and it is my hope that our sum will eventually be greater than our current parts. But in order for that to happen, I believe that each of us must do what s/he can to move towards that goal, in whatever sphere of influence we have, great or small.

I particularly want an end to discrimination against people based on their weight. My entry to this struggle was my own attraction to fat women, but I have seen the ways in which American and Western society treats people as less deserving of respect, of opportunity, of education, and even of health care, merely because they do not fit within unspoken parameters of what is "acceptable". Of course, it’s all done "for your own good", and "for your health". So, that makes all the injustice justified. Right? I didn’t think so, either. Therefore, I support the mission of fat-acceptance. I have done so as the Vice-President for Advocacy of the Southern California Size-Acceptance Coalition (SCSAC), and by supporting the spirit of the missions of other fat-acceptance organizations such as the International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA), and the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA).

On a less lofty note, I also want another Taylor Cup championship for my local pro hockey team, the San Diego Gulls of the West Coast Hockey League. To follow their chase this season, you can check out In the Crease. I’d also like someday to see the Los Angeles Kings skate Lord Stanley’s Cup at the Staples Center, but you have to run before you can crawl, so I’m not holding my breath.

And I want a more healthy attitude towards the way we relate to each other physically, both in action and in the ability to discuss matters. I find the fat_sex email list to be a place where this attitude is fostered. I also find Good Vibrations to be such a place, as you might think about a Bay-Area woman-owned adult resource store.

I want quality science fiction to gain a wider audience, both in the written and visual forms. Babylon 5 was revolutionary in television science fiction, a 5-year novel in episodic form with a planned beginning, middle and end. Quality writing abounded, and it will hopefully be an example for the future to build on. Reruns are airing on the SciFi Channel -- I recommend them. Unfortunately, TNT attempted to meddle with, then subsequently canceled the sequel series, Crusade, after only 13 episodes. So much for the search for intelligent life! To catch up, check out the Lurker’s Guide. I also want Voyager to have never existed, but like Disney’s NHL team, some nightmares just don’t fade from reality no matter how hard you close your eyes and wish.  I do find that, initially against my wishes, I've become a big fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel -- a certain redhead has much to answer for starting those addictions.

Generalizing from there, I want good writing to gain recognition in TV -- and we appear to be on our way.  Especially with the advent of original series on cable, there's been a big increase in the number of well-written shows of any genre that are out there.  The West Wing, Queer as Folk, Six Feet Under, and the regrettably canceled SportsNight all show that there is yet hope for this form of entertainment.

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