4B - The M~higan Daily - Thursday,larch 17, 2005

The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 9B
AM&

lw

w

qw

qw

lqw

w

i

w

Painting the town green: St. Patty's in A2

-- it's because i'mgay, isn't it?Iwith Steve Du Bois

SHHH ... ITS TOP'S SECRET

By Jackie Lama j
For the Daily
Lads and lasses, regardless of Irish
heritage, St. Patrick's Day is a time to
celebrate. Although some students may
plan on attending church services to
honor St. Patrick - the patron saint of
Ireland - many more will be celebrating
with a pint of Guinness.
"On St. Patrick's Day, everyone joins
in on the fun," said School of Educa'
tion junior Leah Ebel. "You wake up,
go to the bar, nap and then go to the
bar again."
With the opportunity to be decked out
from head to toe in green, and the chance
to finally say "Kiss me, I'm Irish" to that
hot boy in your 10-person upper level
psychology class, how can one resist the
lure of this holiday?
To LSA senior Chris Atto, St. Patrick's
Day is "the one day a year where you can
go to the bar at 7 a.m. and drink all day
and it is completely acceptable."
Top of the mornin' to
Rise and shine. While students are
beginning their morning classes, bars
in Ann Arbor are getting ready for the
early crowds. Ashley's Restaurant & Pub
is open at 7 a.m. According to bartender
Stan Bestek, Ashley's will offer live music,
bagpipers, corned beef and green beer.
For those seeking a big Irish breakfast
with a selection of Lucky Charms, green
pancakes and Irish stew, head on over to
The Brown Jug at 7 a.m.
Taking green to the e
If you want to experience green on a

stuff. Scorekeepers Bar & Grill,
opens at 9 a.m., is giving away
shirts, and for the first 50 peopl
ley's is giving out "Ashley's 20
Patrick's Day" T-shirts.
Celtic pride
"St. Patrick's Day usually ge
rageous," said Shane McCaan
ager of Conor O'Neill's, Ann P
traditional Irish pub. Beginnin
a.m., there will be bands, bag
and Irish dancers. Those lookin
wide selection of Irish beers w
their fill. They will be serving
ness, Murphy's (stout and a
Bass and Smithwick's. Just do
for green beer, which manage
Murray said "real Irish pubs
serve."
After four months of ren
Conor O'Neill's will be opening
section that seats 100 patrons tos
modate the large crowds on the
holiday.
Germany goes green.
The Heidelberg, a German
Main Street, will also be cele
St. Patrick's Day with "tradition
Guinness and new televisions that
airing the games in the Rathskelle
pub below the restaurant," said n
Mike Holloway.
With March Madness on top
Patrick's Day, Holloway expec
Heidelberg to "be pretty wild
"Final Four watching, drinkings
usual fare."
The bar will offer fifteen kind
bottled beers - a deal they off
round. Starting at 10 p.m., "
Motion," a local band, will be p
ing upstairs. To watch the band
be 18, but don't forget young la
bar is 21 and up. They will be
lunch starting at I1 a.m., and the
keller opens at 4 p.m.

which ing their own distilled special batch of
70 T- green vodka, with green vodka tonics
e, Ash- 50 cents off.
105 St.
Celebrating St. PatRil
Ah, what would a Thursday night in
ts out- Ann Arbor be without Rick's Ameri-
, man- can Cafe? Chris Hesse, manager of
Arbor's Rick's, said there will be "green beer,
ig at 7 green shots and plenty of party favors
gpipers for people." If you are looking to
ig for a Sham-rock your body, Rick's, opening
ill find at 12 p.m., will have three DJs - DJ
Guin- Fro, DJ Big Daddy, and Jammin' DJs
umber), - throughout the course of the day.
n't ask
r Tom
don't Alternative Shenanig
ovation, If you need a break from the mad-
a new ness that is St. Patrick's Day, you can
accom- trade your green beer in for sangria at
joyous Dominick's, which re-opened last week.
With your choice of lounging outdoors or
indoors, be sure to try the popular "con-
stant buzz" a lovely mix of pifa colada,
strawberry, vodka, triple sec, tequila,
rum and gin.
bar on If you are underage, then Ashley's
brating Restaurant & Pub, along with the Heidel-
al food, berg's upstairs club, are some of the few
will be bars on campus that will let you join in
r - the on the festivities legally. Ashley's will be
tanager carding after 9 p.m., when visitors must
be 21.
of St. "There are alternatives to the bar scene
ts The if you aren't 21," said Architecture junior
" with Karin Neubauer. "I will be going to a few
and the parties."
Remember that even though St. Pat-
Is of $2 rick's Day may appear to be all about
fer year fun and games, but there is a lot of risk
Sparkle for a holiday where binge drinking is
erform- accepted.
you can Teresa Herzog Mourad, a counselor at
sses the DrinkWise - the University of Michigan
serving Health Service's MFit Health Promotion
Raths- Division's alcohol management program
- suggested some tips for staying safe
on St. Patty's Day.
"You don't necessarily need to drink
- a green beer all the time. Drink a non-
alcoholic beverage and then alternate
is offer- - have a non-alcoholic drink then a
'atrick's beer," she said.
ditional There are ways to have fun and still
be careful. According to Herzog Mou-
vith the rad, you can still have a good time by
ctly you "planning ahead, pacing yourself and
er Scott giving yourself a limit." May the luck
of the Irish be on your side on St. Patty's
e serv- Day and the following morning.

-W
can say without reservation that
gender roles in heterosexual rela-
tionships are more clearly defined
than those in homosexual ones. Cer-
tainly heterosexual relationship roles
are less distinctly male/female than
they once were, but an inherent gen-
der distinction and its accompany-
ing implications still exist. And this
distinction simply isn't present in
homosexual relationships. There is
no one person to approach another, to
court another, to make the first move,
etc. This makes for an occasionally
confusing, often obscured, and what
I think to be fairly fun relationship
dynamic that homosexuals can claim
for their own.
Let's ponder together, shall we,
some of the relationship givens, or
so-called givens, in heterosexual
relationships that are not-so-given in
homosexual relationships. First, who
asks whom on a date in a homosexual
relationship? And what implications
does this request have? Does the
asker necessarily pay for dinner, or
do the two go Dutch and split the bill?
Whereas the heterosexual male might
be expected to initiate and pay for the
first date, homosexuals can claim no
such expectations. The lack of a domi-
nant figure breeds confusion.

Next, how far does a simple, domi-
nant act like paying for dinner go?
That is, once one homosexual does
something typically male or female,
how wed is he/she to such dominant or
passive relationship behaviors? If I lead
my boyfriend (via gyrating hips) while
dancing, do I lead my boyfriend (also
via gyrating hips) in bed? If he buys
the condoms and enforces contracep-
tion, am I exempt from future, similar
responsibilities because that's become
the role he fills in the relationship?
Again, because of a lack of gender dis-
tinctions, there is an uncertainty con-
tained within the actions and behaviors
of each person in the relationship. But
such confusion and uncertainty aren't
always bad things.
There is much to be said for not
having gender constraints on actions
within a relationship. I feel damn
good about falling asleep in my boy-
friend's arms ... sometimes. Other
times. I want to hold him until he
dozes off. Sometimes I want to initi-
ate and direct physical contact, while
sometimes I want nothing more than
to be complacent. This muddling of
relationship roles makes for an inter-
esting and lively dynamic.
To muddle, to mix things up, is to
avoid falling into typical relationship

roles. Perhaps one partner asks anoth-
er on a date initially, and because it
is only fair, he or she pays. The next
date, however, is organized and fund-
ed by the other partner. Ideally there
is a fair exchange of phone calls and
niceties between the two so that no
one feels typified. Surely, these things
are striven for in all relationships. Per-
haps, however, they are easier to attain
in homosexual ones because of the
inherent gender equivalence.
Let's fast forward to a hypothetical
gay relationship, specifically a male
one (because those are the ones I'm
good at), to the fun part ... when it
gets sexual. Who the hell puts what
where? Does the one, if one exists,
who has been taking the dominant
relationship and social roles auto-
matically become the top? And if
one is the top, does this necessarily
make the other guy the bottom?
Allow me to pause for an addendum
to clarify for those who are confused
by my gay jargon (and because I've
always wanted to explain the logistics
of gay sex in a public forum): the top
plays the active, insertive role during
sex (He does the poking). Usually
(and stereotypically), we associate
this with dominance and thus with the
partner who plays the more masculine

role in the relationship. The bottom,
conversely, plays the sexually passive,
receptive role during sex (He takes it
up the butt). The stereotypical asso-
ciations with bottoms include being
effeminate and well, more gay than
the top. Incidentally, one who mixes
things up, who practices both topping
and bottoming, is deemed versatile.
So, in heterosexual relationships,
there is obviously one insertive and
one receptive sexual partner (unless
there is some funky shit going on
there, which is cool with me). But
what about homosexual relation-
ships? Is the ideal to have estab-
lished sexual roles? Or is it more fun
to, again, mix things up a little?
The danger in establishing specific
sexual roles is that they might per-
vade - intrude upon - other aspects
of a relationship. For example, your
used-to-be-straight friend who came
out to you and then became ultra-gay
... he's probably discovered the joys
of bottoming and has since adopted
the stereotypical personality traits
of a bottom - effeminate, flamboy-
ant, overdramatic and the like. His
assumption of a sexual relationship
role has infected his social relation-
ship role. Similarly, if I were defini-
tively the top in a relationship, I might

form a masculinity complex - an
internal overemphasis on being domi-
nant - whereas if I were absolutely a
bottom, I might form a passivity com-
plex - an internal overemphasis on-
being submissive. Such things occur
more frequently in heterosexual rela-
tionships where dominance roles are
predefined by gender distinction.
Homosexual relationships, then,
differ from heterosexual ones both
interpersonally and sexually. I make
this general claim because there
surely are heterosexual relation-
ships that aren't as genderized as I'm'
claiming, just as there are homosex-
ual relationships that are completely
genderized. Although neither type
of relationship has to be genderized,
heterosexual ones are more often
just that. Conversely, homosexual
relationships, because of the inher-
ent lack of genderization, allow for
more openness in relationship role
interpretation, if the roles exist at
all. While this is sometimes confus-
ing, it's more fun than anything.
And that's the bottom's line.
Steve has missed you and your
e-mails! Reassure him that you're
still interested, or disinterested, at
duboiss@umich.edu.

Conor O'Neill's bartender John Brant cleans up the bar in preparation for
St. Patrick's Day.


A guide to who's where,
what's happening and why
you need to be there ...
Friday
Stop Blaming Columbus: The Cre-
ative Arts Ensemble will perform this
new opera by composer Stephen Rush.
The performance will take place at 8 p.m.
tomorrow and Saturday in the Duderstadt
Center in the Media Union. Free.
The Wild Party: MUSKET, a stu-
dent theater group, presents this musi-
cal about sex, drugs and partying. The
performance will take place at 8 p.m.
tomorrow and Saturday and 2 p.m. on
Sunday at the Power Center. Tickets are

The Weekend List

whole new level, head over to Buffalo
Wild Wings where they will be serv-
ing free green eggs and ham from7 Luck o'the Irish
a.m. to 9 a.m. While indulging in their
$3, 23-oz. green beers, why not try out Leopold Bros. of At
the green buffalo wings? Bottom line, ing fun and games to
if you are looking for an abundance of Day experience, with
green and to watch some March Mad- flip night.
ness action, Buffalo Wild Wings is the "Basically, you flip
perfect spot for you. bartender and if you gu
For those who want some souve- get your beer half off,"
nirs from the day, restaurants and bars Leopold.
around campus are giving away free Leopold Bros. wil

$8 for students and $13 for all others
and are available at the Michigan Union
Ticket Office.
OK Go: The rock band, best known
for their song "Get Over It" will perform
with Longwave and Minus Story at the
Blind Pig. Doors open at 9:30 p.m. $10
cover. 18 and over only.
Chamber Winds: Three graduate
conductors direct pieces from Krenek
and von Weber, among others compos-
ers. The performance will take place at
8 p.m. at the McIntosh Theatre in the

School of Music. Free.
Saturday
Dan Ahdoot: The comedian, who
was a finalist on NBC's "Last Comic
Standing," will perform on Saturday
night. The performance is sponsored by
Hillel, Persian Student Association and
Ahmoja. The show begins at 8 p.m. in
the Anderson Room in the Michigan
Union. Free.
Sir James Galway: The former prin-

cipal flutist of the Berlin Philharmonic
will perform pieces from artists includ-
ing Debussy and Faure. The event will
take place at 8 p.m. at Hill Auditorium.
Tickets are $10 to $70 and are available
at MUTO.
Sunday
Japanese Flute Concert and Tea
Ceremony: Michael Gould, master of
the Shakuhachi flute, will play ancient
melodies in the Japanese teahouse in

Friday, March 18
through
Sunday, March 20
the University of Michigan Museum of
Art. After the concert, volunteers will
perform a ceremony, entitled "Spring
Mist Blurring Distant Mountains." Var-
ious tea and sweets will be offered. The
event begins at 1 p.m. There is no cost,
but seating is limited.
A People Forever Changed: A Play
of Memories: Conference on the Holo-
caust presents this play, told in pairs of
themes, about six survivors of the Holo-
caust. The performance takes place at
the Mandell L. Berman Center in Hillel
at 7:30 p.m. Free.
-
i R' f y t

nn Arbori
the St. P
their tra
a coin w
uess correc
said own
11 also b

GET AHEAD O CATCH UP-
SUMMER COURSES GIVE YOU AN EDGE
Take the lead with The smartest way to
University of Pittsburgh Summer Sessions spend your summer...
4-week, 6-week, 12-week, or full-term sessions. Currently enrolled students
Courses from more than 100 academic departments Students from other colleges
Small class sizes or universties home for the summer
Affordable tuition rates Adults continuing their education

4 University of Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH
BRADFORD
GREENSBURG
JOHNSTOWN
TITUSVILLE

REGISTER FOR SUMMER CLASSES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
FOURTH FLOOR, CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING " 412-624-6600 WWW.SOLUTIONS.PITT.EDU/~SUMMER