2007-07-31 
 

d'oh! nuts

Saw the Simpsons Movie. As interesting as it was to see Springfield up on a big screen, I almost wish I'd waited for the DVD. Sure, it was funnier than the average episode, but my yellow friends just seem more at home inside the box in the living room. That said, there's something to be said for seeing a comedy with an audience. Laughter is infectious after all. Sort of like the Spider Pig song that's still rattling around inside my head. (the operatic closing credits version)

Labels: random review

* posted by me at 6:52 PM

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2007-07-28 
 

ever after

G and I attended a performance of Into The Woods the other night at CTA Crossroads Theatre in Walnut Creek. It's small venue in the suburbs and, I have to admit, my expectations weren't that high. That said, they really put on a good show. I've absorbed enough theater from various friends that I could go hypercritical on certain things, but I truly enjoyed myself too much to do that.

Grant you, I've always had a soft spot for this particular musical...and not just because I ended up sleeping with one of the princes after the first time I saw it in my early twenties.

Retro apologies to POC, with whom I was supposed to be visiting at the time...and gratitude too him too for not kicking me to the curb for being such a selfish prig. Would it help all 8 of my loyal readers to know that the gentleman playing the prince also played the part of the wolf? I mean, how could I resist? And he made me feel excited- Well, excited and scared. Point is that POC is one of my best friends and I haven't heard from the prince in well over a decade.

Into the Woods also accompanied me on my cross country odyssey and hearing songs from it usually fills my head with images of wide flat plains, Santa Fe, the Colorado Rockies and a certain corner of the Grand Canyon.

But I digress...back to the performance. I was very impressed by some of the actors. The Baker, in particular, sang beautifully and managed to look so sad towards the end that I wanted to jump up and give him a reassuring hug. (Yes, we were that close to the stage. Due a severe back up at the Caldecott Tunnel that added TWO HOURS to the normal 30 minute drive we were ushered in through the backstage area and into the front row. Only missed half of the first number and were rewarded with the ability to see the entire cast up close and personal.)

I also have to give a thumbs up to the witch. While I caught one or two of the other actors mimicking the intonation and/or actions that I know so well from the American Playhouse DVD version, the witch made that part her own. In my mind, no one will ever top Bernadette Peters' iteration, but very interesting to see a different take on it.

To sum up...I'd forgotten how much I love live theater. Between Into the Woods and last weeks' treat viewing of Kiki and Herb, my new goal is to see much more of it. Avenue Q will be in SF over the next few weeks and I'm going to try to coax G to see that one next.

Labels: dose of mikey, g, looking eastward, memory lane, random review, san francisco

* posted by me at 11:28 PM

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2007-07-27 
 

funny fly story

Went into Banana Republic today to check out the shirt sales rack, which they place up so high that even an average height guy like myself needs to stretch up to reach it. Just below the shirt sale rack? The jean sale rack. (Make note of this fact, it becomes important later.)

I didn't find anything I really wanted...well there was that jacket, but even on sale it seemed a bit too steep for me today...but I digress.

Unbeknownst to me, I did leave the appropriately named Banana with a little something extra. After a walk of many blocks and a subway ride home during which several folks gave me odd looks, I finally realized that I'd brushed up against the jeans while stretching up for the shirts and one of the long beige size strips had attached itself directly to the base of my fly and had been waving between my legs for quite some time. A 21st century version of a tribal sheath.

I SHOP! Beware my consumer prowess! ARRRGH! (Well, I guess arrrgh is more piratey than tribal, but you get the point.)

Speaking of pirates, International Talk Like A Pirate Day fast approaches!

Labels: dose of mikey

* posted by me at 5:18 PM

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2007-07-24 
 

riding into the future

Ended up in Hayward today for work. Once finished, I had a choice. Retrace my route back home via 880 and face the stress and delays that trucks and tractor trailers visit upon that stretch or reverse commute over the San Mateo bridge. I chose the later.

I rarely take this particular bridge and had forgotten that the first 5 miles of the 7 mile span are quite low to the water with only a three foot barrier between myself and the bay. Like you're riding on the water.

Sometime during my early teens, before I even had a license, I had a reoccurring dream that I was driving across a vast expanse of water on just such a road with the only difference being that the dream bridge was even lower to the water and had no barrier. The dream never frightened me, but I would wake up exhilarated and with the knowledge that the future held endless possibilities.

Traffic was super light today on that westward expanse, so I turned off the radio and let the rhythmic hum of tires on reinforced concrete take me into the future.

Labels: dose of mikey, memory lane, san francisco, spirit

* posted by me at 11:05 PM

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2007-07-22 
 

unspoiled

No spoilers here, but I did finish the final Harry Potter book today and am currently experiencing a minor reading hangover. (Just means that all the characters are still running around inside my head. Not entirely unpleasant actually, but my brain would like to be resting now.)

Normally when I like a book a lot, I try to read it over a period of several days or even weeks in order to prolong the pleasure of the story living in me, but I chose not to do that with HP7. Too easy for me to inadvertently find out something in the outside world that I'd rather know by reading it myself.

My verdict? I liked it. Can't say much about why without spoiling it, but I'm really eager to discuss as it should give a little rest to the plot twists and ponderables running through my mind. Thank goodness for the internet!

Labels: dose of mikey, random review, reading

* posted by me at 2:11 AM

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2007-07-20 
 

be afraid

Be very afraid.

Cheney to become president.

Even for the brief period noted, this is a frightening prospect.

Labels: linkage, rant

* posted by me at 12:57 PM

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2007-07-16 
 

as promised

AIDS WALK 2007

Labels: 1000 words, dose of mikey, g

* posted by me at 8:36 PM

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2007-07-15 
 

walk the walk

We walked in the SF AIDS Walk today. It was slightly overcast and pretty much perfect weather for walking. Thanks again to everyone who donated! There may be a picture later, but no promises.

(Oh, and vacation last week was lovely, but more on that later.)

Labels: dose of mikey, g, san francisco, shout out

* posted by me at 6:47 PM

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2007-07-04 
 

donate and laugh

For the few of you out there who haven't been blitzed by our email campaign, let me alert you to the fact that G and I are walking in the SF AIDS Walk this year.

If you haven't already and would like to help us reach our goal, please link through to the following page. It's quick! (just use a credit card) It's safe! (secure system protects all your info) It's easy! (Um...It's EASY!) Best of all...you get a chance to make fun of my Charlie Brownesque head! So C'mon! Help us reach our goal...or better yet, surpass it!

TO DONATE (and see my ginourmous head) CLICK HERE.

This is a cause which is very close to us both. In all seriousness, we wouldn't be together if it weren't for the agencies this cause supports. They helped G through some of the rougher times, and for that I am supremely grateful.

Now if that didn't bring a tear to your eye...click through and look at my head! It's crazy big! How can you resist!?

(One way or another, we're going to fight this thing until the fight is done.)

Labels: dose of mikey, g, linkage

* posted by me at 8:03 PM

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2007-07-02 
 

another fine tale

I received my first birthday gift this year about a week before my birthday from TNTP: a signed copy of Armistead Maupin's Michael Tolliver Lives. The inscription reads, "Happy Birthday Mikey!" (So very cool.)

Now, I know this will sound typical, but Maupin's Tales of the City books are a big part of why I ended up in San Francisco. I'd always felt a pull towards Northern California, but usually pictured myself at Berkeley. After reading the series, there was no doubt in my mind that I'd end up in San Francisco instead.

I've reread the original books several times each, yet always felt a bit unsatisfied upon finishing them. Mostly this is due to the fact that the final book of the original six, Sure of You, always left me feeling flat, as if there was a chapter or two left untold. Michael Tolliver Lives more than makes up for it, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the original run. It takes place almost 15 years after Sure of You, but catches us up on important events that happened in the time between 1987 and today.

While I'm the sort of person who could have easily read this in one sitting, I forced myself to put it down on several occasions because it turned out to be exactly what I needed to be reading after the long interval. I wanted to savor each new piece of the story and live with it for a while before moving forward. Rather hard for me to do, but very worth it in the long run. I can close my eyes and see the characters again, a little more aged but no less loved.

And…that's all you'll get from me. Don't want to spoil anything

I would recommend reading at least one or two of the originals first if you haven't already discovered them. While I loved this addition and am now inspired to run through them all again myself at some point in the near future, I really can't judge how well it stands up on its own. I've lived here in SF too long and imagined interacting with the characters too often to really know if there's enough exposition in this latest edition to yank someone unfamiliar with the rest of the series into the book. (I believe there is, but –as you may've noticed– I'm a bit biased on this point.)

Either way, I say, "Go forth and read!"

I would like to add one quick note to the publishers. The correct spelling is Duboce Park….with a "C" not an "S". A minor distraction, but rather glaring to someone who lives in the Triangle himself.

Labels: dose of mikey, memory lane, random review, san francisco

* posted by me at 9:52 PM

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