I really appreciated this fan video for Trader Joes. Especially since we recently discovered that the Cambridge Trader Joes, right down the road, has a license for wine and beer. Almost like being back in San Francisco! (almost)
I write a lot at work now. I also have this batch of ghost stories I'm trying to write on the side. With FB keeping me connected to most everyone, Love and Other Drugs is getting neglected. I'm not quite ready to let it rest yet, but the updates are dwindling.
A snapshot of my life in March 2009.
Started own business in order to work directly for company instead of through a temp agency. Very exciting, but one repercussion is that banks require at least a year or two of self employed status before they'll give you a mortgage. This means we're once again looking at rentals. Very excited about a potential opportunity in Cambridge, but don't want to count any chicken pieces before they actually make it into the bucket of delicious, fried goodness.
G spent two weeks in California visiting friends and family. I missed him lots, but took advantage of one weekend to go to NYC and visit college friends. Played WII for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Brian and I ended up going to see Hair, which was brilliant! I've always loved the music, but worried how they would go about updating it. First off, they played it more like a period piece. The modern mind can't help but make a few correlations between the struggles we were facing 40 years ago and the struggles of today, but the director didn't hit us over the head with anything. They also didn't overuse complicated pyrotechnics and special effects to enhance the experience. It was really about the people on the stage...and ended up being more powerful for it. Do you hear me falling chandelier? I'm looking at YOU.
Truly enjoyed it.
Not sure what the rest of the month has in store. The Cambridge place isn't available until May 1st. This is a good thing since it'll allow us to gather the first/last/deposit together without having to dip into savings. Okay, must stop. I'm beginning to salivate over tasty chicken that may not be destined for my table.
It's been ten days since I've popped in to post something. Thanksgiving rather sucked aways any extra time I had. That and doing a marathon read of The Book Thief. Devastating. Beautiful. It's aimed at the teen market, but then so is everything these days...don't let that dissuade you. Big recommend from me.
Looking forward to seeing Milk tomorrow. Vaguely annoyed as well. Somehow I've been made to feel by the media that it's my gay duty to go see it because it's an "important" film. Even though the reviews have all been stellar and I have a true desire to go, a small part of me is reacting like a teenager faced with a summer reading list. (I've always loved to read, but back when they would give me a REQUIRED reading list it got my dander up and was one of the few times I'd buy Cliff Notes. Odd way to rebel? Perhaps, but I never pretended to be normal.) Fortunately, the media got to me well after I'd seen the trailer.It's not often that a trailer gives me goosebumps; gay duty or not, I'm going.
I can't stop coughing and sneezing and my body has sprung a constant snot leak that finally turned into a minor migraine this morning. I didn't get to go in to Boston myself as I planned, but I have to say my piece to the tens of folks who read this. Not because I feel I need to change your mind, most of you are already on my side, but because it needs to be said in as many places and with as many voices as possible and I will not be a silent Who.
Today there were rallies. in Boston. As you can read in the article, some folks ridicule us for speaking up here in Massachusetts where our right to marry is still valid.
To those folks and also to those who are saying that the voters in California already decided and we should leave the protests to them, I have this to say. The incredibly large sum given to the proponents of prop 8 by the Mormon Church which is located in Utah nullify any of your out-of-state support arguments. As for the vote, it was a rather narrow margin that allowed that bill to pass. If it hadn't been for the hate-filled, negative advertising funded largely by out-of-state agencies that blitzed the airwaves the week before the election, the majority may have cemented the marriages of my friends in California vs. putting them into a state of uncertain limbo.
I am for equality. I'm not looking for the government to force churches to accept gay marriage...just that they be recognized by the government the same way that my brother's recent union to his wonderful wife is recognized. If that means taking away his right to marry and coining a new word for those rights, I'll be happy about it. Marriage, they argue is a religious thing...so coin a new word for it...say PARTNERING or some such, and let that be what we call it from now on...for everyone both gay and straight. I want to be very clear here, recognizing civil unions - while a step in the right direction - is too close to a certain "separate but equal" philosophy that still leaves me as a second class citizen. It's marriage (or partnering if that's what it takes)or nothing. We will keep marching, we will keep standing up for ourselves, and we will eventually win. As I pointed out in an earlier post, this seems to be a generational issue and I have no doubts that it's a matter of years, not decades before this becomes an issue to be studied in history books, not current events.
So to all my brothers, sisters and siblings in-between who went out in support of equality today, I say thank you. I couldn't make it in person, but I was there in spirit. We're here, we're queer and we're going to be equal!
This might seem sad, but I've been waiting for this for a rather long time. MTV has videos available online at MTVMUSIC. Currently advertising seems minimal, but the video selection is also lacking several artists I searched for. I'd happily have appropriate banner ads up if it meant more selection. I'm keeping fingers crossed that they add to the library as time goes on, but with over 25,000 to browse through, there's enough to keep me amused for a while.
We watched The Specials last night. We figured that it might be bad, but it had some actors we'd actually heard of and there was a sense that it might be cultishly bad. Nope. There were indeed moments of laughter, but overall I just didn't like the way it was executed. It may've been the editing - we didn't bother to watch any of the deleted scenes so I can't even judge from that - but the plot burst at the seams early on and little pieces of it rolled around on screen for the rest of the movie. Generally just made us dizzy and there weren't enough of the laughs to make it worthwhile.
So I'm going to take another break from writing a great toast for Dude's impending nuptials and hit you with some thoughts on two very different movies.
The Lives of Others The story takes place during the early 80's and follows an East German Stasi agent who is tasked with spying on a well known playwrite. The Minister of Culture has organized this so that he can steal away the writer's actress girlfriend for himself. Ulrich Mühe is brilliant as the Stasi agent. Having no real life of his own, the Stasi slowly becomes swept up by the events in the lives of those he is spying on. (Hence the title.) Mühe really had me believing that the path he was on and the choices he made were real ones. I really don't want to give too much more away, but I must say that the film had me running through many emotions: disgust, fright, sadness, despair and lastly hope. It's truly a Pandora's box of a film, and one I highly recommend that everyone watch. Especially now, as we Americans slowly give up more and more of our rights in this era of "Homeland Security".
Walk Hard, The Dewey Cox Story On the opposite side of the coin, a laugh riot. I initially avoided this movie because my search for a good parody movie has been thwarted too often by bad acting, uneven writing or just too many jokes that rely on either flatulence or debasement instead of more complicated humor. Don't get me wrong, there are some outright, in-your-face funny moments in this movie. That said, there's also plenty of clever humor to balance that out. It even dares to poke fun at the genre the movie is parodying instead of just replaying scenes from pre-existing movies for laughs. What a concept! The funniest movie I've seen in a long time.
This was an email I recieved, but I'm turning it into a blog entry. It also had evolved into 6 questions before it got to me, but I deleted the one about who would respond. Blogger's perogative.
1. Four places that I go to over and over: Tufts Library, Derby Street Shops, Niles Street in Abington, Myrtle Street in Hanover
2. Four people who e-mail me (regularly): Maggi, Chris, Greg, James
3. Four of my favorite places to eat: M&T's on Myrtle Street, Tsang's, Chow on Church Street, Home (as in at home where G and I can cook, not the restaurant of the same name in San Francisco)
4. Four places I would rather be: Hawaii, San Francisco, Ogunquit, Maalox Manor
5. Four TV shows I watch: Lost, BSG, How I Met Your Mother, Olympics
Aside to coconut shampoo: You did help write my blog!
I'm glad to be living in a state that's willing to recognize and repeal a discriminatory law.
Sure, there's going to be folk shouting even louder that marriage needs to be between a man and a woman, but I'll never understand this argument. It's based upon a religious principle. Why should someone else's religious definition take precedence over mine? What about the atheist who has the freedom in this country to choose no religion? Is their definition of marriage not allowable? We need to take the religious equation out of it and look at this as a civil union.
Just to be clear, I'm not arguing for civil unions vs. marriage. Marriage, as defined by law, should be a union between two people. Or, if use of that word really bugs everyone so much, then change ALL unions to civil unions. No marriage for some and civil unions for others. That in my mind falls too easily into the trap of "separate but equal" that this country got caught in during last century.
I know I'm not going to change a lot of minds with my little blog here, but I feel better having typed this out. It really bothers me that my decision to live an honest life and love G throughout it causes such an uproar across this land of the "free". We're not killing puppies here. Just living our lives together.
Enjoyed the air conditioning at the Loring theater today and saw Prince Caspian. Watched from up in the balcony because...well, when else do I get to sit in a theater balcony for a movie?
I admit to having a hard time at the very beginning since the movie quickly diverged from the original text with a fight in an train station involving Peter. It took me about half of the movie to get over the fact that Peter's personality diverged so much from what I remembered. Don't get me wrong. It worked out pretty well for the movie, but it made it harder for me to "let go" as I kept wondering if I'd missed some subtext in the books about Peter being such a prat.
This in turn made me want to reread the books for the umpteenth time. Then I began to wonder exactly which storage box held my copies of the books. Naturally I had to start imagining where in the storage locker that box was buried and when, if ever, we'll ever get to have our stuff within easy reach again. Fortunately, before I turned into a pity party of one, Susan made googly eyes at Caspian. That was all it took to snap me back to the reality of watching a movie adaptation that needed to conform to certain standards if any more sequels were to be made. Since Prince Caspian was never my favorite book in the series, I decided to give in and stop being so picky.
So, though it continued to diverge from the book here and there, I still left the theater a bit dazed as if I'd woken up from an odd dream. That, in my book, is what a good movie ought to do to you so I give it a thumbs up.
Dude inspired me to start exercising again. He found this push up program via presurfer that's very simple. It won't drastically reduce the comfort zone that's grown around my waist, but it might tighten me up a tad. (and wonder of wonders, I've stuck to it for a whole week!) With that and the mowing of the lawn today I'm feeling a bit sore.
In other news, we're heading into Southie tonight to catsit for Keeks who's heading out to the other coast for the weekend. I'm rather excited about the prospect of watching cable television all night, but even more excited that we'll get to see M and E tomorrow. (with Sugah too!)
I love asparagus, so my excitement over the fact that Martian soil seems to be ideally suited for that particular vegetable should be understandable. I picture an entire pastoral planet devoted to cultivation of asparagus and other nutritious goodies.
That said, it seems to me that we really need to figure out how to take care of our own planet before we go forth and start using up another one...and if it's better to eat locally grown food then I shudder to think of the costs associated with interplanetary produce. Aye, there is no silver lining without a cloud attached somewhere.
This random thought of the day brought to you by the wonders of modern cold medicines. Better living through chemistry indeed.
Oh, the news about Martian soil came to me via Slashdot.
Two years ago Barack Obama gave a speech in which he questioned the wisdom of using scriptural passages to govern public policy.
Which passages of scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is okay and that eating shellfish is an abomination. Or we could go with Deuteronomy which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith, or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount?
Now, two years later, the Not-Very-Christian Right decides to respond by accusing Obama of referencing antiquated dietary codes and passages from the Old Testament that are no longer relevant to the teachings of the New Testament.
Ummm...thanks Mr. Dobson? You mean we can ignore you and your supporters when you throw that one passage from Leviticus at us as justification for your hatred of homosexuality? Is this really what you're saying now? My, you changed your tune quite quickly!
A Happy Pride to everybody from Mr. Dobson himself!
Been watching a lot of DVD movies lately, because it's cheap and cheerful. Here are some very brief reviews:
8 Women: Fantastic cast, costuming and dialogue are weighed down by unnecessary musical numbers that cause this dark comedy/murder mystery to fall flat.
2 Days in Paris: Honesty is the best way to make a relationship work. I generally like Julie Delpy, but honestly, not enough to like this movie.
Charlie Wilson's War: Surprised myself by actually liking this movie. Sure it's got the megawatt stars, but they melted into their roles quite nicely and the dialogue popped. A bit scary to realize just how true it all is. Not the covert war itself, but the way politics gets played.
Wedding Crashers: Cute at points and pretty consistently funny, but a bit too long for the amount of story being told. (This one may have suffered because I heard too many enthusiastic reviews before seeing it and had high hopes for a laugh a minute comedy with a heart.)
The Fountain: Saving the best for last. I'll be upfront and say that this will not be every one's cup of tea and not something to watch when you're looking for some simple escapism. That said, I loved it. Beautiful to watch. Emotionally moving. By the end of the movie, everything that was being communicated gelled together for me and I burst into tears. They weren't sad tears or joyful tears, but something else entirely. Tears of truth sounds a bit pompous, but it's the closest I can come to explaining the feeling. A very odd and very wonderful experience.
Well, according to the BSG Personality Quiz I'm a human...but a dead one. (Billy Keikeya) The description below is eerily accurate...maybe I should take the hint as I continue my job search? After all, there is an opening for president right now.
No one makes a better executive assistant than you. You never steal the limelight from your superiors, unless they need you to create a distraction. Loyalty is very important to you, and you take your work very seriously — maybe a bit too seriously.
Your greatest strength is your knack for understanding other people's points of view. You genuinely care for the fates of other people, who sense this and reward you with their trust.
Organization is your other strong suit. You know how to track details and juggle schedules. Rolling with the punches, on the other hand, is not your forte. You cling to relationships and ideals long after everyone else realizes it's time to let go.
No one would call you a worrier or a free spirit; you maintain a steady balance of hope and pragmatism in your life and work. Your approach to problem-solving is similar. When a situation calls for innovative ideas, you come up with them. When a crisis demands a practical action, you know how to get the job done.
You ought to run for president. Just try not to get shot.
Just to be clear, BSG is still the best show on television. (Edging out Lost by a rather small margin of .4815162342, but it's enough to give it the win.)
For the past two mornings we've been washing the front of a friend's house. (She's got company coming in and wants everything to sparkle.) Today we had this super long brush that we'd dip into a cleaning solution of lightly bleached water. As we scrubbed away and the chlorinated smell began seeping into my skin, music from Bagdad Café started running through my head. You know, the bit where Jasmin (Marianne Sägebrecht) is sitting on top of the hotel cleaning the signs?
Okay, not exactly the image I was thinking of this morning, but it's as close as a quick google got me and gives the general idea.
Made me happy all day long and inspired this post. To top it off, I just found out from Wikipedia that the original German version has an extra twenty minutes. Naturally, I am now off on a quest to find myself a copy. I really do love that movie!
One of the biggest differences between Boston and San Francisco is the weather in general and rain in particular. F'rinstance, it's raining today. It will probably rain next week. It will rain off and on over the next month. It will also rain every once in a while during the summer.
In San Francisco, it stops raining in March and doesn't start up again until November. Sure, there are days with a fog so heavy that you might think it was raining if you're not used to the fog, but the seasoned San Franciscan knows the difference.
G and I both like the rain, but having a heavy downpour with May just around the corner is a bit disconcerting for some reason.
ETA: Serendipity strikes. Did my obligatory tagging of two back entries, and one of them was this bit I wrote several years back about the seasons of San Francisco.
I know posts have been lacking lately, but instead of an update on my not so exciting life allow me to divert you with this dated commercial.
This goes to show that the good old days kinda weren't...unless you're the guy with a subservient wife and girls at the office who know how to work a hotplate.
It's interesting to note that this is the SECOND Folger's commercial I've posted on my blog. Someone on their internet marketing team deserves a raise.
Reports of nasty weather were only half accurate. The early afternoon was actually quite nice so G and I drove into Marshfield for the North River Arts Society SNAP show and finally saw Dude and Dudettes pieces. Quite nice. Dudette really has a good eye for composition of a piece.
Ended up at Web park wandering along the beach, skipping stones and combing the sand for treasures washed up on the shore. No treasure, but we did find a kite amongst the detritus which we untangled and got aloft for a good 20 minutes. At that point, the fog rolled in, the temperature dropped about 15 degrees within ten minutes, and my hands were suddenly in need of gloves again.
I'd forgotten how spring jumps from one extreme to another here in New England. It may seem odd, but it's afternoons like this one that make me really glad to be back.
I'm back! Did you miss me? Whatever upload problems there were have been fixed.
Sadly, I'm in a bit of a funk and not really feeling much like blogging. Because the tens of you who read this actually might be curious to know, I will tell you that the job I applied for and had great interviews for and really, really wanted is not to be mine.
B treated us to the movies yesterday which gave us a chance to finally see Juno. A good movie, but I wish I'd been able to avoid the hype a bit before hand. As always, the overuse of the words "groundbreaking" and "genre shifting" had me expecting something more than it was. Don't get me wrong. It was quite lovely, well acted and indeed quite different than your average teen movie. Sadly, it probably was groundbreaking for the Hollywood machine to have let this one through. It didn't inspire me though. Then again, I'm not a teenager anymore. It may've been different for me 20 years ago...or if I were hetero. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
After the movie, B had us over for homemade potato soup and other good snacks. Her friend R joined us for both the movie and the afters, and we ended up dissecting the evening news together. (This was made entirely more interesting by the fact that B and R both work on the inside and had some insight as to what was going on behind the scenes. I love peeking behind the curtain.)
G and I have been having a pretty wonderful time playing house this week, but reading TNTP's blog the other day did make me long for San Francisco. Loved being right in the middle of things like this.
Check out the price of the building in the first picture! If I knew then what I know now....well, I wasn't even 10 years old then, but I'm sure I could've convinced my parents about the wisdom of purchasing some San Francisco property.
We interupt this blog for a very important announcement. My very good friend Brian is putting up a show in New York. For those of you who don't know him, I consider Brian to be one of the most creative and funny people I know and to top it off, he's a really nice guy too.
As you can tell from the title of the play, "F*ck Me, B*at Me, L*ve Me" is not for the faint of heart, but it is very much worth supporting. If it weren't for my current barely-able-to-squeak-by status, Orange Hanky would be getting most of my tax deductible donation dollars this year. For those of you who know me, that's a pretty big deal and I'm only hoping that this shout out will get Brian a little help during my time of unplenty. You can click through the following link to get the full story, but I'll leave you with a few of Brian's own words.
Official Link: ORANGE HANKY PRODUCTIONS (NB: While the following site is text based, some folk may still consider it NSFW.)
"For the past year and a half, I've been working on an original play, "F*ck Me, B*at Me, L*ve Me", with playwright Kevin Podgorski. Kevin and I workshopped the piece in the Actors Studio Playwrights and Directors Unit, and now we've formed a company, Orange Hanky Productions, in order to produce it. The show will be going up in May at the Kraine Theater in New York.
Producing a show is expensive, so consider this...my virtual hat in my virtual hand. We're a non-profit, so any money donated is completely tax-deductible."
Been a while since I've posted a meme and this one seems quite appropriate to the season. Feel free to tag on.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Bags. I love unwrapping things, but bags are reusable and better for the environment. (and honestly, while I love unwrapping things, wrapping them up is a bit of a pain)
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real tree. Even better is a real tree that you get to plant in the spring. (oh for a yard of our own!)
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the second Sunday in December and keep it up through epiphany.
4. When do you take the tree down? Whoops, I just answered that.
5. Do you like egg nog? Yes, especially spiked with a bit of whiskey.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? There were many, but I still remember the Christmas morning I found a brand new stereo system waiting for me. (I was probably 13 or 14 at the time and feeling a bit jaded about the holiday, but that morning I was like a five year old again. Probably more so because I realized who was truly responsible for the gift and that maybe, just maybe, they understood me after all.)
7. Do you have a nativity scene? I don't, but Mom and Dad still proudly display the little scene of wax figures I made when I was 6 or 7. Even though it looks exactly like you'd imagine, I still think it's the best one out there.
8. Hardest person to buy for? Gram. Doesn't really need anything and I've never really been able to figure out the perfect present for her.
9. Easiest person to buy for? I would almost echo m on this one and say little e, but she's actually a bit hard to buy for since I want to give her EVERYthing. That means G is the easiest. The hard part with him is waiting until Christmas to give it.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I like both of them. It's nice to get something tangible in the mail, but I'm too technologically inclined to diss the email version as impersonal. It really is the thought that counts.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmmm. I got a second hand little dragon bursting out of an egg once from someone at work. (like you'd find at a Renaisance Faire) Then again, that thing sat on the window sill above my desk for several years and the little chipped guy grew on me so maybe it wasn't all that bad.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? For many years this was A Christmas Story, but I finally saw Elf on DVD last year and I gotta admit it won me over.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I've been known to purchase something months in advance, but for the most part I'm a November/December shopper. (and someone who has been saved by the internet on occasion)
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No shame in that. In the words of a good friend, "Recycling is saving the planet!"
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? The sandwiches made from leftovers Christmas night.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear. I'd have real candles if they weren't a total fire hazard.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Traditionally I guess it'd be "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlman". Something about the minor chord it's written in always appealed to me. Non-traditionally I'm a true child of the 80s and go with Do They Know It's Christmas (warning, this link's for YouTube video which played pretty loud on Dad's computer)
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? So glad to already be with everyone this Christmas. Worst Christmas memory is spending the night at a hotel in LA because of weather. Far from family, far from G. No minibar. No leftover sandwiches. A real rotten night.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Nope, just tried and stumble somewhere around four or five. (and then say, oh and Rudolph!)
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A wooden star that I've always loved. Figures, me being a bit pagan in my sensibilies.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Why not both?
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People being rude because they are so frazzled... (I agree with that!)
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? My Gram used to make everyone in the family ornaments every year. Still remember the first Chritmas G got one. Very special.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey with all the fixings. My family likes Thanksgiving dinner so much, we basically repeat it a month later.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? "World Peace." This was someone else's answer, but isn't it about time?
Note, something about typing this in suddenly got me all giddy for the holiday. Thanks m! (and whoever posted the BandAid video)
Presurfer recently linked to a site that generates a city for you. (Every visit counts as a new person moving in and various buildings eventually spring up.) While this is most likely just a clever marketing ploy promoting the Dinopark game, I am still too much of a SimCity addict to ignore any sort of city building opportunity.
Watched The 40 Year Old Virgin last week. For the most part it lived up to the hype and managed to be raunchy with a side order of sweet. The closing sequence had me laughing all the way through and caused an ohrwurm of epic proportions over the past few days. (Let the sun shine indeed!)
One thing did bug me. As I may've mentioned, we're living with the parentals right now, and they watched it with us. As much as my 30-something self realizes that she's a mature woman and very capable of handling herself, I really wanted to smack the screen at certain moments and tell the actors to stop swearing in front of my Mom. Language people!
Took advantage of free admission at the ICA yesterday to check it out. The new building is impressive, but a bit too imposing for my tastes. (Mind you, it was cold and dreary yesterday which will bring everything down a notch or two. There's also the fact that the neighborhood around the building consists of beaten up parking lots and construction which don't do much for the overall ambience.)
The collection itself is a bit smaller than I'd thought it would be given the size of the building, but interesting enough. I am glad I had a chance to see the original cramped space the ICA occupied back in the day. Because of that, I have a greater appreciation of how just how much more they can display in the new space. (No way they could've had any of the installations back in the old building.)
We attempted to walk the path around the edge of the harbor, but the wind and cold pushed us back before we'd made it too far. Should be quite a nice walk in a different season.
Woke up this morning with a stuffed up head and an achy feeling throughout my body. There's snow on the ground, but it's raining now and every thing's slushy.
Ahhhh....New England!
On a happier note, before the sickness descended upon me, we had a really nice weekend. Caught up with M and little J on Friday out in JP. So funny to watch G playing with him. Little kids always see a kindred spirit when they meet G! Spent Friday night with C and K just hanging out. (Very nice to be able to do that instead of cramming them into a weeklong vacation like we have in the recent past.)
Then to complete the sister act that started with lunch on Friday, we spent Saturday evening getting a tour of K's new house and got to know her husband S a bit better. (the last time we met there was too many other folk around to really have a good conversation) Long story short: He's a solid guy and I'm glad she found him. Looking forward to hanging out there again in the near future.
Then yesterday we got to see the Daniel Webster Estate where Dude and Dudette are getting married next year. The Victorian Christmas was a bit over the top for me, but the building itself and the society restoring it are incredible. It's going to be a really nice place for the ceremony/reception.
Now I am sick. Still, must venture out to finalize the car insurance stuff today. SO many steps. I find it a bit annoying that getting the car registered/insured in MA has been one of the hardest things we've had to do. I mean c'mon! All those people who worry about the a national license system invading their privacy have obviously not spent much time standing in line trying to get the DMV from different states to talk to each other. This is not the most computer savvy agency folks.
Found a link to this article in my email this morning.
This could be an omen of good things to come...or a sign that my recent ruminations on taking up golf should be heeded instead of dismissed as some twisted bourgeois fantasy.
Took yesterday off from the packing mania. We both needed a bit of a break. Ended up walking through the Castro Street fair with TNTP. Beautiful day, good company, plenty of eye candy and chicken on a skewer. Yum!
Also confirmed that our sofa has a new home. (It was originally going to be a junker sofa that this couple was using in their "chill space" at the fair and would then dump when the festivities were over.) They decided to use their own sofa in the booth instead, and ours has a new living room to inhabit. It was very good to us, so I'm glad it's found a happy new home.
Oh dear, I'm anthropomorphizing the furniture. Just goes to show my current state of mind.
That was yesterday. This morning we got right back into it and packed up about half the kitchen. The second half awaits this afternoon. Oy!
Incoming! Boxes, boxes, boxes. Our apartment has become a maze through which we wind our way. All the time hoping one of the more precariously balanced boxes doesn't come crashing down.
Moving is not a good time for two pack rats to try to dump stuff. Out of the hundreds of books I've packed already, I've managed to remove four from the running. This hardly counts since three of them were old French grammar books from back in the 80s.
Clothes are also a problem. While it would be easy enough to follow the rule of tossing anything not worn in the past year, many of the clothes that would affect are oxfords and dress pants that may soon again become a necessary part of my daily work wear.
On a happier note, we were searching for some boxes listed on craigslist and ended up grabbing ice cream cones at Mitchell's. Best ice cream in San Francisco. Another advantage to moving away. Treating ourselves to to all the good things that will soon be far away.
That came out sounding a bit sad, not meant to be. I know there's plenty of good stuff waiting on the other side of the country.
Saw this meme over on Yaniblog and it's a bit fresher than most, at least to me. Please feel free to ignore as it's rather mundane. I'm thinking this mini capture of myself will be interesting to myself in a few years as it showcases my current mental state. Yes, I'm navel gazing.
Does someone love you? I'm happy to report that several people do.
Do you know anyone named Dave? I actually know many people named Dave.
Ever kissed anyone with the name starting with a J? Yes, both men and women actually.
Has anyone ever mistaken you for a family member? This used to happen quite a bit on the phone. When I was little they'd think I was my mom which was always a bit mortifying. Now it's either my dad or brother.
What colour are the walls of your parent's bedroom? What an odd test of memory. I believe they are beige.
Do you think that hair extensions look skanky? Really depends on who's wearing them. If you can't tell that they're extensions, then obviously it's fine, but it takes a certain chutzpah to pull off the obvious ones.
Are you named after a grandparent? Nope, but I think my middle name comes from an uncle.
Say you were given a drug test right now. Would you pass or fail? What kind of test? I'd pass blood or urine tests, but some of the longer hairs on my head might betray me. Not going to go all Britney though.
Are you taller than 5'6"? Yes. I have nothing against shorter folk, but I'm very glad I'm not one of them. I'd really handle it badly. I'd either bulk up to ridiculous proportions or chunk out way more than I have today.
Do you know anyone in jail/prison? Not currently.
Ever see a dead body? At wakes and increasingly on the news.
Do you like the colour green? One of my faves.
What is your best friend's Dad's name? This is a tricky one, but I'll go with G's dad. It's Lonnie, but everybody calls him Dale.
How old are you? 37, otherwise known as three years from forty.
Who was the last person to send you a text message? The stupid Cingular advertising service that I'm too lazy to unsubscribe from. As for a real person, it was G.
Ever drove into the ghetto to buy drugs? I've always been fortunate enough to have some version of a fakery to buy drugs from. Not that I've visited Agrestic any time in the near past. (Hear that potential employers? I'm clean...well, unless you count scotch or coffee, then I'm a dirty bird indeed.)
Last restaurant you went to? Butterfly...no that was lunch and then Blow Fish Sushi was dinner. Actually, the next day was Slanted Door. All very good, and all paid for by somebody else. (The biggest advantage of moving is that EVERYone wants to take you out to eat.)
What is the weather like today? Typical SF that I'll miss dearly. Foggy morning breaking up into midday sun. In the high sixties.
Last voice mail you received? Mr. Burgreen.
What did you do yesterday? Packed! (and watched The Holiday which was way cuter than I thought it would be.)
What's the first thing you would do with five million dollars? Put it in the bank. Five million dollars is an awful lot of money to be carrying around. Then, assuming that I've already paid the taxes on that amount, I'd pay off debt, buy a home in SF and one on the Cape. Pay off Mom and Dad's mortgage, help Dude and Dudette get a house and live off of the remaining interest for the rest of my life. (Which, as I figure it, comes to 60K a year at 2% though I'd hope to be able to get a higher rate of return.)
What nationalities are you? Scotch and German mostly with a little French thrown in for good measure. Oh, and the Scotch comes by way of Canada...eh.
How many hours did you sleep for last night? Somewhere between 7 and 8
Any upcoming concerts you want to attend? Not really.
Who's the last person that you felt was stalking you? I had a rather uncomfortable experience back in 96 with a guy named Randy, but I'm pretty sure in retrospect that it was all in my head.
What jewellery are you wearing? Hmmm...let me digress to note the British/Canandian spelling of jewellery. Eh? Seriously though, I'm just wearing my en-gay-ment ring. Meaning the ring G and I exchanged back in 2002 to represent the foreverness of our love together regardless of what society dictates. We may actually get a chance to have more traditional wedding rings now that we're moving back to a state that recognizes it.
If all of your friends were going on a road trip, would you? G and I are about to go on a pretty big trip. Anyone who wants to convoy along is welcome.
How much money do you have? On my person at the moment? Nothing. (I'm in my sleepy clothes.)
Do you swear at your parents? I sure hope not.
Is your phone right beside you? Nope, it's...actually, I just realized the cordless from the living room is on top of the desk.
Have you cried today? Not this morning, but being a bit of a weeper, I did tear up towards the end of The Holiday last night. So yes, within the past 24 hours, I've cried.
Do you think that someone is thinking about you right now? I'm pretty sure G is since I type pretty loud. And in a time twisting sense, whomever is reading this in my potential future is definitely thinking about me as they read it in their current present.
Do you untie your shoes every time you take them off? Most of the shoes I wear lack laces.
What is the colour of your bedsheets? I wish I could say that there's flannel monkey sheets on the bed, but right now we just have the beige linen on.
Have you ever crawled through a window? On several occasions.
Are you photogenic? My head has a tendency to pumpkinize in photos, so I'm going with no on this one.
What's your star sign? Cancer. Krebs.
Where do you spend most of your money? Rent. I have been living in SF after all.
What was the last thing you did? I made coffee.
Do you have a tattoo? Yes. Mark helped me design in and got a matching one. Been thinking of getting a monkey on my back in honor of G. (and yes, I appreciate the wordplay in that statement)
Do you still watch cartoons on Saturday mornings? Nope. But I watch Cartoon Network when flying on Jet Blue.
Is there a secret you've never told any of your friends? I'm sure there is, but you're not getting it out of me that easily.
Have you ever told someone you loved them but didn't mean it? Once, when I was very high, back in my crazy youth. It's one of the reasons I won't do hard drugs anymore.
Have you ever changed your clothes while in a vehicle? Not in recent memory, but I'm sure I have.
What are you doing in 2008? Hopefully owning our own home.
What is your ring tone? This is rather complicated as there's several. Cell: Sing Sing Sing Home, G's parents: Star Spangled Banner Home, my parents: Beethoven's 9th Home, Dude/Dudette: Fur Elise Home, M and E: Aura Lee Home, TNTP: Flicker Home, G and my Cell: Lightening Bug Home, Hugs: Irish Eyes Are Smiling (note, not sure why Hugs got that one instead of M and E)
What were you doing at 2am last night? I believe that's just about when G woke me up on the couch and helped me stumble to the bed.
Are your parents married/divorced/separated? Married, and for that I'm very thankful.
What are you doing tonight? Watching some left over premiers on Tivo and eating Ikea meatballs in order to clean out the freezer. (and because they're yummy)
What are you doing tomorrow? That would be my last day of work.
Who did you last message on Myspace? That would be nobody since I don't use Myspace.
What's your opinion on sex without emotional commitment? I have no issues with it as long as both parties are aware that there's no emotional commitment. (this is harder for some folks than they'll admit)
Does it annoy you when someone says they'll call but never do? Yes, this does annoy me. This explains why I'm so vague when making potential plans with friends since I never want to commit before I'm sure I can follow through. This, in it's own way, is also annoying I suppose.
What did you dress up as for your first Halloween? Either a woman or a baker. Can't remember which photos come first.
Favourite Disney movie? I was about to type in Finding Nemo, but I think Ratatouille has edged in to the top spot. (As I type this I realize that Big Business and others I've laughed at could be counted as Disney films under their Touchstone division, but I'm sticking to the traditional idea of a Disney film.)
What is the wallpaper on your cellphone? A shot of the shoreline up in Ogunquit, ME.
So true. I regularly read the REAL LIFE comic, but this one is too good to keep to myself. It spoke to me deep down in the core of my being. This time of the year always gives the same excited/giddy feeling I get when clickety clacking up the first big hill on a rollercoaster. Oh, and it has a cool Tivo reference. Click the comic to be taken to the larger version on the RL site.
EDITED: Just realized that the link didn't insert properly. Should work now.
I've never really gotten into manga that much, but this reinterpretation of the Peanuts gang fascinates me. (Gave me a particular giggle that Linus's blue blanket has turned into a blue hankie in his back pocket. Not sure if it was intentional, but I always related most to him...)
Now I know that there's a certain fine line of copyright going on here, but count me in the group that considers this to be fan fiction for the illustrative set.
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!
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.)
So, after it's inauspicious beginning, the weekend improved dramatically. G and I did end up spending some time in the gayborhood enjoying the vibe. Had steak frites at Chow out on the patio, wandered into Harvest for some birthday cupcakes, and then went to the movies. Shrek the Third, while amusing, doesn't quite stand as tall as the first two.
Deciding to make it a full on movie night, we got home and watched Marie Antoinette. Loved it. I remember it getting some mixed reviews, but can't quite imagine what the fuss was about. Was it deep? No. Did it tell me anything I didn't already know? No. Did it really make me want to see Versailles? Yes.
I gave myself today off as a bit of a birthday present. We made mac and cheese for lunch, did a bunch of crosswords and then went over to Baskin Robbins to cash in our free birthday cone coupons. Ended up down at Ocean Beach because it seemed like the right place to eat ice cream. Gorgeous day today. Walked up and down the beach well into the evening just talking and showing each other interesting flotsam and jetsam. We stayed long enough to watch the sunset and then took our chilled selves home to warm back up.
Reminder to those of you out there experiencing that event called "summer"...while there were some brave folk out there jumping in the waves, I had on jeans and a sweatshirt during our walk and never felt too warm.
All in all, turned out to be a pretty wonderful weekend.
G picked me up from work today and we swung by BevMo on the way home to pick up some libations for the double whammy weekend. (Pride and our BDays fall on the same exact days for the first, and possibly last time.)
Which reminds me. Anyone reading this, who isn't a stranger to me, is welcome to join in a gathering of friends and family on July 7th at my parents' house. Just give me a heads up so that we can plan for an extra burger or two.
We now return you to our regularly scheduled blog.
After getting back into the car, our arms laden with boxes of beer and the like, I settled into the seat and went over the receipt.
I've done this on occasion ever since Safeway mysteriously charged us for a bunch of diapers that certainly weren't in our cart. I probably wouldn't have noticed, but something about the total was bugging me so I checked. BOY! Diapers are expensive.
I had the same sort of feeling tonight that something wasn't quite right, and after looking over the receipt realized that they had forgotten to charge me for my 12 pack of Sam Adams. On sale for $9.99 it's not like I'll be the ruin of the BevMo empire, but something didn't feel quite right. That said we were comfortably settled into the ride home and the thought of turning back was not very pleasing.
So consider this my note to the universe that I do NOT accept this as karmic come around for the mischarged diapers. I plan to rectify the situation next time I'm in a BevMo. I like to keep a little coin in the karmic account.
In other news. Bunch of diapers? Batch of diapers? Bag of diapers? Gaggle of diapers? Just what does one call them...other than ridiculously expensive?
Stumbled upon the website for Future Loop Foundation which is currently featuring the upcoming album Memories From a Fading Room.
While I've never encountered anything quite like this, it seemed almost too familiar to be brand new. Maybe I've just been a bit more nostalgic lately than in the past and this whole concept resonated especially strongly for me...or maybe I just wished I'd thought of the idea first.
Mark Barrot has taken family recordings/interviews from the 70's and paired them up with ambient music. Pairing this with old 8mnm family videos edited to the music makes for a rather brilliant experience. Of course, if ambient music makes you itch, I'd give this one a miss. Otherwise, check it out. the sea and the sky
I'm a 92% Stickler. (I missed one apostrophe.) Truth is, I'm rather disappointed in myself for that. I must care about punctuation much more than I do about spelling. Maybe that's because mispelling something doesn't usually alter the meaning of what you're writing. Missing punctuation, as demonstrated in the title of the book, certainly can.
That said, defiantly and definitely are NOT the same word.
If you know my Mom, you already realize what a wonderful and strong woman she is. She is definitely one of the blessings I have in my life.
If you don't, you can now find out at her new website! In it, she tells of her two decade struggle with Inclusion Body Myositis, a disease for which there is no cure and relatively little treatment. There's still many little tweaks we'd like to make, but I think it's safe to consider this a Beta launch. Check it out!
Okay, I admit it. I meant to update this site every day last week.
Didn't happen.
I did get a lot done with bills, doctors and house stuff.
And more importantly, caught up on many of the programs Mr. TiVo had recorded for us.
And had five martinis in a row without worrying about having to be anywhere the next day. mmmmm...olives.
And slept in late...sooooo late.
And ate whenever, whatever and wherever we wanted.
And spend too much money at IKEA buying little things we've meant to pick up for ages...and then had a romantic dinner in the cafe. mmmmm...meatballs Even had a view of the Golden Gate bridge and the sunset...under an overpass sure, but I believe you can find romance in any location if you concentrate on your partner instead of your surroundings.
Oh, and I spent a ridiculous amount of time towards the end of the week playing the demo for Lego Star Wars 2 (The Original Trilogy).
And of course, we went on our annual pumpkin trek to Half Moon Bay....followed by the traditional meal of Hawaiian food. mmmmm....chicken katsu curry
Not much to report besides the fact that I've recently become heavily addicted to Civilization IV and it's taking up what spare time I have these days.
Besides, gives me a chance to point you all to the following from Slate: classic novels gone pulp. Be sure to click on the lower left to see the full series. Moby Dick's my favorite.
If the back right pocket of my jeans remains rip free, does that mean I'm no longer cool? Riding home on Muni tonight I noticed that this trend seems to have reached full saturation levels with San Francisco gays. There does seem to be a bit of differentiation in the size/number of tears. If the tears weren't so universally on the right hand side, I'd think that some fashionista decided we needed an updated version of the handkerchief code and forgot to cc me on the memo. (Not that I'd have much use for it these days.)
Note: The handkerchief code link in the above paragraph connects to a page describing various acts, some of which my more gentle readers will find quite distasteful. (In fact, there's many that I don't really understand myself, but I would never deny consenting adults the right to do with their bodies as they please.)
Back from the business trip. There is a drunken tale of Wednesday night that I mentioned in the last entry. I think I'll leave that out in the ether for now. The rest of the week was fun, but uneventful with the exception of Saturday night where I caught up with M, POC and T. A much needed break from work and much fun! I have a goal to do it more often, but need some extra fundage to support this aspiration.
But you're not here for that, you're here for CELEBRITIES! Warning: There are no A-List Celebrities on the following list.
Ellen Pompeo - In O'Hare and on plane from Chicago to NYC. Skinnier than Jack Sprat in person, but very nice to flight attendants. Hot boyfriend.
Julia Stiles - SOHO shopping. Baby got a bit of back and it looks good on her!
Two Gotti Brothers - Leaving downtown BR. So tiny in real life - like action figures. I won't even pretend I knew names or anything. Coworker confirmed siting.
Kiefer Sutherland - At JFK. Must admit that I never had much of an opinion on this one, but but WOW. Incredible presence, and he's pretty much a suave hottie in person.
The internet is an interesting place. Sites live on for years after they were last updated, fortunes are made and a person can go in and revisit the past by creating a new folder.
Let me start with a brief review of Serenity. Kick ass! I don't often use that term so it may sound odd coming from me, but this movie rocked. Best SciFi that I've seen in a long time.
In other news, Fleet Week in SF means hearing quite a few jet engines over the past few days. While some folks complain about the noise and comment on the waste of fuel, I have to own loving it all. I spent many a summer swimming in Peter's Pond and playing in the sand. The sound of jets flying low overhead as they prepared to land at nearby Otis Airforce Base became as normalized to me as the sounds of crickets in the woods at night. Those summers are far away, but the sound of a low flying jet jerks me back into a past that was so much simpler. Besides, pilots are HOT.
Have you ever noticed that people will readily own up that they watched a movie that doesn't fit into their normally viewed genres when they can qualify it with the fact that they were on an airplane at the time?
I caught myself doing this today. Yes, I watched New York Minute…but I was on a plane.
Translation: Yes I watched this total teen chick flick that was basically a mediocre mishmosh of several stories we've all heard before...but don’t question my masculinity or sense of good taste. After all, I was on a plane at the time and they forced me into it!
As if the flight attendants came around with Clockwork Orange type devices to keep us all focused on the little screens that descend from the ceiling.
Showering is usually a time of contemplation for me. The warm water washing away the dust and residue of the preceding day activates a certain corner of my mind that often helps me solve a current question or gives me a chance to sort out my reactions to recent events. At other times, I'll suddenly discover the answer to a question I didn't realize I had.
Yesterday's shower brought about the latter sort of revelation. That being said, this entry is about to become rather technogeeky, so don't read on if that's going to bore you.
Compressed files have always bothered me. Not because I don't love the concept of getting more for less, but because I couldn't quite get my brain around how they worked. Information bits like 1s and 0s certainly couldn't get any smaller...could they? So, as with many other modern miracles like teleportation of atoms and seedless watermelons, I decided to enjoy the benefits and try not to worry about the how.
That's where the shower comes in. Yesterday, somewhere between the initial soaping up and the shampoo, I was randomly hit with the realization that certain longer strings of information could be categorized and represented by shorter strings of information and thus a larger file could be compressed into a smaller one.
Now the maths behind all this is too much for me to figure out. (Read I'm too lazy to sit down and try to figure it out.) So I googled "compressed files" and found this: Compression software uses complex mathematical equations to scan a file for repeating patterns in the data. It replaces the data with smaller codes that take up less room.
Which brings me to the point of this entry. Long hot showers may not be the best thing for my skin, but they do wonders for my mind.
So, the visit to the rheumatologist today didn't confirm or deny the original diagnosis, although it did confirm that Reiter's Syndrome is no longer the PC terminology. Now it's termed Reactive Arthritis.
I like that better because it actually describes something about it that a lay person might understand. Besides, Reiter was a Nazi doctor. Since folks like myself tended to be subjected to nasty experimentaion before being killed off by those same doctors, I'm going to agree with the PC police on this one and just refer to it as R.A. from know on. (I could just go back and edit my entry from the other day, but then this whole paragraph would be rather confusing, and I don't believe in self censorship without valid explanation.)
Before you get all up in arms, please note that I said self censorship. I still don't believe anyone has the right to censor materials other than the individual who's writing, reading or viewing them.
And yes, I realize that I've blogged about every but the actual visit and that's because I don't want to think about it right now. I will say that I rather liked Dr. Dobrow and look forward to seeing him again in six weeks, just not the reason for the visit.
Spent the first day of my long weekend shuttling between various doctors. Had blood drawn and the eyes dilated. I've had some odd symptoms lately, the most annoying of which is severe watering and itching of the eyes. Noncontagious Conjunctivitis. I didn't even know they made a non contagious version, but I got some drops and it should fade soon.
Hopefully the other symptoms will also resolve themselves shortly. Either way, I'm scheduled for a couple more appointments early next week to see if one of the other doctors can confirm the diagnosis of my PCP: Reiter's Syndrome. I'm guessing this isn't really what I have. I'm also hoping that one of the several buckets of blood they gathered today will help prove that and put them on the right track.
I am bummed about missing the mini vacation I had planned for us, but G and I will make it up by going to our little chalet over Glen Canyon for the weekend.
I've been spending some time writing off line these days. Thoughts and memories that might distress some of my loyal readers. Good to get it all out though. Writing is good therapy...especially for reexamining demons from the past in the light of the present.
As for the present, I have nothing more than happiness to report. Dinner with KW and crew went swimmingly, with lots of laughter and fun times remembered. The only downside being that G wasn't feeling too well and spent the evening at home in bed. I really did hope he'd get a chance to meet KW as I've always seen her as a positive force in the universe.
On the upside, I now get to go back to Andalu with G at a later date. Too good to keep to myself.
Had free passes to a screening of Stealth last night. Didn't have any big desire to see the movie, but free tickets! Ended up being pleasantly surprised. Pretty good action flick...considering it was free. Not sure how happy I would've been if I'd payed to see it.
In other news: Wally is coming in this weekend and we're all going out for dinner. Should be interesting since it's been about 10 years since we've last seen each other. Lots of catching up to do!
Spent most of the week in Chicago for work. Came home and left the following morning to go camping down Big Basin.
That's where I've been in a nutshell. If you care about some random particulars, read on.
I guess I could whine about the Chicago trip and how I had to share my unrequested center seat with the arm of the large man to the left of me and the odor of the man to my right....but then, that's a tired tale that too many have told before me. Suffice it to say that United is no substitute for Jet Blue.
Did have some great food in Chicago at Vermilion. Also had great margarittas and mexican food at a restaurant who's name escapes me because I had too many margaritas. We had a nice time, but regretted the next morning when we had to wake up at 5...again. Sometimes I really do miss being 25.
Camping was, as usual, a nice break from the world though a bit hotter than we usually deal with. Upside is that sitting still reading kept the heat bearable, so I had a chance to finish up a few books in order to prepare myself for HP and the HBP. Picked it up today on the way back from camping. I should see you all again after the back cover closes.
Read this..., and don't anyone ever try to tell me that gays aren't still treated as second class citizens in this country.
I have nothing clever to say. I just ask that you send a prayer up to your own God and ask for protection for all the teens suffering through those camps.
EDIT: The link originally led to a MySpace page for a teenager who was being sent to a disciplinary camp for problem children. His problem was that he was gay. It's a private blog now, and a later article in the Advocate covered his release, but I'm not deleting the entry because the camps still exist and the wrongness of it all still infuriates me. (and note that the poor kid seems to have bought into the mythology that being gay is something he needs to learn to repress)
G discovered a website dedicated to letterboxing. We decided to give it a try this weekend and have been having a great time traveling around San Francisco looking for boxes in our area. If you like walking/hiking and mini mysteries, give it a try. I have to admit being a bit skeptical before heading out for the first time, but now I'm hooked.
KABOOM happened on Saturday night. We headed up Twin Peaks with PG&E and two of their friends to watch the display from up there. (If you click the link at the beginning of this paragraph, be sure to scroll down past the recycling info to get to a fun DIY fireworks display.)
Sunday saw us letterboxing again. An added bonus to this new hobby is finding yourself in fun places that you wouldn't otherwise think of visiting. We ended up in several San Francisco parks that I'd never visited before...including a climb up Mount Sutro!
Spent the day shopping SOHO. Mind you, this was considered a work day. Sometimes my job rocks. You know what else rocks? My boss is NOT a morning person. We didn't have to meet until 10 this morning, which gave me a few extra hours to recover from my fun night with Launce. He and I dined at the Chelsea Grill and then crawled from a bar out of Woody Allen's Sleeper over to the East Village and ended up at The Cock. I decided it would be a good idea to walk back from there to SOHO in order to give myself a chance to sober up a bit, but ended up calling G to mapquest me back to the hotel. I had failed to remember that Broadway and West Broadway are two different streets. Ain't modern tech grand? 15 years ago I would've ended up in Little Italy and been very confused.
Anyway, went to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Hilton. Fabulous effects and rather good singers made for an enjoyable show. The only problem? The songs are very much stuck in my head right now. I swear the air conditioner in my room is saying, "chitty chitty chitty chitty chitty chitty." Or maybe that's the drink we had at Balthazar after the show.
Got some disturbing news from a close friend tonight. He'd been messing around with his girlfriend and punctured an eardrum. Errrm...okay, first off get your mind out of the gutter. Then explain to me exactly what you think that they were doing?
The details are actually rather mundane and really aren't that important.
Point is, I hadn't thought about how much this particular person meant to me in a long time. The second he started telling me about it all, I forgot how tired I was from working and how disgruntled I was feeling. I just started saying silent prayers to the powers that be. Suddenly all that mattered was that he be okay. The doctors have told him that the eardrum should heal back to normal, but I'm going to keep sending good thoughts his way. He may think it's a bit corny, but I know he'll appreciate the thought.
Meanwhile, in less intense news, this link from Super B makes me smile. I may be a bit of a fair weather fan, but I know someone truly hardcore!
So many ideas were bouncing around inside my head this week, but now that I finally sit down to blog something my mind is blank. So instead, I give you random linkage that I've found interesting over the past few days.
I often joke that I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but the truth is that I'll be happy if I end up half as cool and caring as my parents are today. Got an email from my Mom a few days back about her latest project: Wings of Hope.
I spoke with her today and found out that she plans to eventually expand the site to tell a little bit more about her own story of living with myositis, but she's off to an admirable start and I hope you check it out.
We spent another day in the east bay looking around for new digs. I've looked up the Emerygoround, and we're contemplating options.
We'll see.
I still need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up....Pixar's over there, but Talbot's is back east...as is Lego. Don't get too excited folks, I'm also thinking of running up to northern CA and starting a commune...I'm a bit mixed up these days.
Over the past month I've had two reasons to contemplate the ethics of blogging. The first came, oddly enough, from a university student doing a survey about Ethics in Blogging. The second came from certain comments that folks made about the veracity of Secret Simon's site(new link to left). Here's the way I figure it:
Mikey's Blog Manifesto
I blog because I want to, not because I'm trying to impress the likes of you.
Achieving originality has become near impossible in most mediums, but even more so on the increasingly level playing field of blogs. Google shows about 2000 returns for "blog manifesto" and jumps to well over 400,000 when you remove the quotation marks. Blogging is not about being the first with an idea or the first to report on events, it's about expressing your thoughts on ideas and events.
I blog my own personal truths. A. Based on Actual Facts B. Loosely Based on Actual Facts C. Based Completely on Imagined Situations If I'm in a good mood, I might differentiate which of the above you're reading, but it's not my responsibility. If you know me personally, you might know the real truth, otherwise assume it's all C...It'll make you less cranky.
Reading a blog is a choice you make, not something I've forced you into. If you don't like what Famous Author says about Controversial Topic, you can put the book down. Likewise, if you don't like what I'm saying, click away.
If you disagree with my views/opinions feel free to say so, but don't be surprised should I delete comments that I view as offensive. My blog, my rules. If that disturbs you, find your own little corner of the internet to shout it from. I can't stop you, nor -believe it or not- would I want to. Freedom of Expression in all of it's incarnations is the right I treasure most as an American. Be it religious, political or other, if I'm not causing physical harm to another human being, don't tread on me. Try and take this right away from me though, and I will fight you.
I reserve the right to edit and/or add to this manifesto at any given point without consulting you. So there.
2005-02-09
DOUBLE FEATURE: triple giggle and pimp pine pictures
Click through to GAWKER to see an article that made me giggle thrice. (Thanks to Michael for pointing out this particular story.)
1. I like the idea of myself as a "sartorially-challenged, shut-in computer nerd with a sicko crush on Scarlett Johansson and the skinny guy from The O.C"
2. Directly below the article they have advertising banners flicker in and out from various national brands and the following plug: "Gawker Media - Gawker and seven other weblog titles - brings a young and influential audience to brand advertisers." That's either sadly hypocritical or deliciously ironic, but it's funny either way. (I vote for the latter. I've always liked Gawker...and several of their seven other weblog titles.)
3. Well, you'll have to guess at the third giggle, but if you know me it'll be pretty obvious once you read the article.
In other news: I spent most of last night organizing two years worth of photos. There were a lot of pictures to go through, but the time consuming part of the task became remembering all the good times and retelling stories with G. This one in particular had a lot of good associations with it.
Imagine my surprise when a closer examination revealed a frolicking Sponge Bob sprinkling his special brand of love around my old stomping grounds.
Belated thanks to Dude and Dudette for the doubles you gave us at the last barn bash. Can't wait for the next one!
Just stumbled upon Matt's site and need to share. The blog is interesting on it's own, with updates from all around the world, but I highly recommend checking out his dancing movie after reading a few of the entries. It blew me away.
There's something about Birdhouse In Your Soul by They Might be Giants that always puts a smile on my face. (Clicking on the song title should stream the song to your computer. Dialup folks: it's 2MBs, but you can always click the back page button if your connection can't keep up with the stream.)
Listening to it on the walk home tonight, I found myself dalking up Castro street.
Dalking: A combination of dancing and walking that, while fun, results in a rather dorkish appearance. Also see: Wancing
Birdhouse often causes me to dalk. Maybe it's the beat, the lyrics, the memories it inspires, or a combination of them all; but I start humming and my feet start tapping. It might look funny, but it's a mighty nice way to end my commute. Speaking of commute...
Overheard on Muni today:
Today we've secretly replaced his blood with mountain-grown Folgers Crystals, lets see if he notices the difference!
