"Kyle XY"

Anyone else loving this new show?


"Kyle XY" airs Mondays on ABC Family and Fridays on ABC Standard.

Over the past few years, summer has started to become a great time for new TV shows. Cable, of course, has made this easier - with it providing most of the best shows.

Between USA, which has given us "The 4400" (awesome), "Monk", "Dead Zone" and "Psych", and this, I keep the DVR busier than during the regular TV season.

I hope "Kyle XY" is picked up after this season, Part "X-Files", part "Roswell", and hugely part "Lost", the show is very intriguing and well acted. The central family unit may be just a tad too Disney for my taste (admittedly updated to the 21st century), but I like them anyway.

I do hope he is NOT an alien though - that is too over done.

Condi's Roman Holiday

Why does she always look so mean? Does she ever smile? I guess I wouldn't either if I worked for "him".


So Condi flew to the Middle East and made one of those famous Bush Admin "surprise visits" to a combat area. This time, Beirut. She then flew off to Rome to discuss the current crisis in Lebanon with other world leaders.

I would almost like to be a fly on the wall at these types of meetings. When the US participates, how do they behave? Especially this administration?

Afterwards she states that there must be an "enduring peace". OK, sounds great. I am fairly sure we all want that. But when has there ever been one in the Middle East? It reminds me of the cliche of the Beauty Pageant contestants saying they want "World Peace". Do American state department officials truly believe they can go to these meetings and dictate how the others should behave? Especially now when our credibility as a World Leader has been so incredibly destroyed during the past few years.

My heart and sympathies goes out to all the innocent Israeli and Lebanese citizens who have been killed or hurt during this current situation. But, I think the Bush Administration's best contribution to the situation would be to stay the hell out.

Jerk of the Week, Part 2

Michael Brown (aka "Brownie"), disgraced former FEMA Director and current Idiot.



This guy is a damned fool. He almost faded away into obscurity but then he makes this ridiculous comment? This just exemplifies the type of people the Bush Administration likes to surround itself with, I guess.

It's going to be a long two years.

Jerk of the Week, Part 1

Joe Lieberman, "Democrat" from Connecticut:



This senator has betrayed the Democratic Party, and could very soon do the same to the voters of his home state. Facing a real challenge in the democratic primary on August 8 by Ned Lamont, Lieberman has actually decided that he may run as an independent candidate in the general election if he loses the primary.

This essentially means that he will be telling the voters in the democratic primary that he does not respect their choice. He is telling them to screw. Remember what a primary is - it is the time for the members of a political party to come together and decide who their candidate will be in the general election. Talk about sore loser.

This should probably not be a surprise. He is Bush's biggest supporter in the democratic party, supporting the Iraq war and being called "my favorite democrat" by Idiot-In-Chief himself.

I hope that the voters of CT see he is not good for their state or our country. Lieberman needs to be sent home. He is clearly not serving his constituents' needs at this point, he is only serving his own.

Provincetown, Madonna, the World Cup, 19 Innings, et al... Part Two

Continued from Part One:

I board the boat from Provincetown to Boston, behind the young Italian exchange students, and reclaim the same seat I came down on - which was directly behind where the Italians decided to sit this time (better to see the television).

We get underway. It is a beautiful afternoon, but I am tired from the day (and several cocktails), so I decide to nap. As I comfy down, the purser on the boat comes out and turns on the TVs. Soccer appears to be the order of the day, and the Italians perk up quickly.

I was not going to nap.

The Ride Home and the World Cup

First off, let me start out by saying I was not living on another planet during the month of June. I might be completely clueless when it comes to soccer, but I was not unaware of the events happening in Germany that seemed to be all over the news. The thing I did not know, was just how long this damned thing was. Every weekend, there was another "big game", and I always thought that the game du jour being hyped was the final game (Germany vs. Brazil, France vs. Britain, Snakistan vs. Fritolaysia, etc.) - it just never seemed to want to end.

There is a nice Brazilian guy at my gym I always chat with. He would always say something to me along the lines of "what a game this weekend, ha?" - I always just kind of smiled and pretended to know the details. So throughout this process, I am always thinking the wrong teams are in the "finals" - Germany and Britain or someone from South America (not the US of course).

It was the morning I left for PTown that I finally got it straight. I am rarely up for the morning news on Saturdays, but I had to get to the boat, so I had it on. I hear that Italy and France will be in the World Cup "Finals". I say, "it's STILL going on?". I decide to go to my old friend the internet and finally get this right. Sure enough, it would be France and Italy. Whatever.

But back to the boat. It is the end of the fabulous day in PTown now and I am pretty drained (a few Mike's Hard Lemonades on the dock did not hurt this situation).

I am intrigued by the group of Italian students. They are obviously on some foreign exchange program. When I was about their age (I was guessing 17), I also went on an exchange program, spending my summer in Southern Germany with a host family along with about 20 other students from my High School. It was a wonderful time in my life that I will never forget and it carried forward to my returning for university studies there later in life (I spent a great deal of time there). So I am thinking about the situation that these kids must be in, and envying them a bit.

As soon as the boat pulls out of PTown, the TVs come on and now there is soccer - Germany vs. Portugal. I am instantly confused. I try to remember what I had actually "confirmed" in the morning. It was my impression that France and Italy were playing, but that the game was the following day. I decide that I am clearly not with it in soccer related issues. However, I soon realize while watching the game that this game is for "Third Place" (and hence, fourth place as well). Suddenly it makes sense, and I am interested. I decide quickly that Germany is my favorite, due to my experience living there.

Now the Italian kids perk up - they all collect in front of the televisions and start getting loud. Their Italian is not pure Italian - it almost seems like Swiss Italian, and it has a very strong Germanic dialect/accent. I begin to wonder if they are from Switzerland when suddenly a promo comes on for the final game the next day and when the Italian team is shown, they go wild - No question, they are from Italy.

I am amused by their reactions to the events in the Germany/Portugal game, they seem to favor the Portuguese. And so, I end up sitting and watching the game - or probably more accurately, watching the Italians watching the game. Their excitement for the next day clearly obvious in any language. It brought me back to a day not that long ago - in October, 2004 (I'll let you all figure that one out).

The ride back to Boston was beautiful, the view crystal clear and the wind was warm on deck. I occasionally went out to see. But mostly, I watched the World Cup.

... To Be Continued

Next: While Running to catch The Material Girl, I get caught by the 19th inning! (oh, and I watch Italy and France too)

My Apologies

I have been so totally busy at work and have not posted. I have a massive work project starting next week which will consume ten straight days (including Sat and Sun), so I am taking a few days off this week to rest up. I want to bring as much of the bloggable stuff up to date as I can while I have a little time.

So, without further diversion, I bring you the "Ptown/Madonna/World Cup/19 Innings" post trilogy, in its entirety (and maybe some other things too) ....

Great Site

Parts 2 and 3 of the PTown/Madonna bonanza weekend are coming, but craziness prevents me from doing any writing! David had surgery this week (he is doing well), and work has been particularly busy, with several projects coming to a head (but vacation is coming soon).

In the meantime, enjoy this great site. Be sure to watch the whole intro, and inside the site check out the "What People Are Saying" video. It is quite good and more importantly, it really does bring the whole question of whether people "choose" to be gay to the simple question of "well, when did you choose to be straight?". That is a question I have put to homophobes for years, and their answers are always bumbling, feeble grabs for words.

Enjoy the site!

Happy Bastille Day!

Love,

Jack

Provincetown, Madonna, the World Cup, 19 Innings, et al... Part One

I owe some very serious bloggage to last weekend. It was just so very crammed full of blogable stuff. But after such a busy weekend, alas, a very busy week.

So I will blog about these events in three parts. Consider the posts "in development", as details will continue to be added as I continue to remember them. It will likely start out more as a stream of thought, rather than any organized type of writing.

So, you may remember I noted I was going to have the "gayest weekend ever", and I did, for the most part. However, Provincetown was slightly toned down by the World Cup Third Place Game, and the France/Italy game definitely affected the Madonna Day (as did the 19 inning Red Sox/White Sox "Event").

Provincetown

Jen, Keri and I met at Long Wharf for the 9 AM high speed ferry from Boston to Provincetown. "Bear Week" was just starting in Provincetown and the ferry passengers reflected this. In fact, some had t-shirts proclaiming it. In my 20+ years of gayness, I did not know such a thing happened. For those not in the know, "Bears" are usually large, hairy men who are darned proud to be that way. The guys who admire them are referred to as "Cubs"? I might be wrong about this, someone please clarify.

As we pulled away from the dock in Boston, the purser announced a welcome to the "Provincetown Bears" and referred to "Bear Week" as "an important cultural event".

The ride down was uneventful. The weather was a bit hazy but not too hot, great for a boat trip. The high speed ferry earns its name though. Go up on deck and you can forget your best hair efforts. Later, Keri would ask me if the guy sitting next to her was gay, and I told her I would not know - I had to shut off my Gaydar because of signal overload on the boat. Of course, this would also be true of Provincetown and the Madonna concert.

I did notice a group of young (high school age) kids who appeared to be on the boat as part of a field trip - they had several chaperones and I realized they were from Europe, but was too far away to know for certain what language they were speaking (more on them later - they feature prominently in Part Two).

I have never taken the boat to P-Town, I have always driven there. P-Town will always be a place that is special to me and David - we have gone down together many times over 17 years and have had some very memorable (and some might say "interesting") experiences there. This was the first time I had ever been to P-Town without him. And given his current health situation, he was on my mind almost the entire time. Coming around the point and entering the harbor was wonderful - what a view! I will definitely take the boat again.

Jeff and his friends from LA were supposed to meet us at the dock when we arrived, but they got into town a little late, so they were running late. We decided that we would go somewhere and sit and get coffee (read "cocktail") while we waited. Basically, P-Town never changes, but one thing did - Cafe Blase is now "the Patio". God Dammit - some things are an institution. Nice Southwestern Chicken Wrap though. Here we meet Jeff and his friends. His friends are all great - totally cool people.

So we basically walked around, got ice cream at Spiritus, I bought a sweatshirt for David and we "took in the sights". Many of these sights had just arrived for Bear Week. Interestingly, there is a registration area for Bear Week. This made me wonder (and discuss with the group) whether there was an organized program, perhaps with seminars and key note speakers? Did they get a welcome bag? What was in the welcome bag? Is there a partners' agenda for the spouses?

I took the afternoon boat back, leaving Jen and Keri to experience T-Dance at the Boat Slip with Jeff and his friends. I really did not want to go to T-Dance without David. I did not tell these guys that specifically, but I think they got it.

But before getting on the boat, we sat on the wharf and had some beers. We watched the Bears arrive and the tweaked out circuit guys leaving. Jeff's friend Chris courteously called out warm welcomes and friendly good-byes to everyone who went by. Then it was my turn to go good bye.....

Waiting in line at the Pirate Museum (yep) to board the return boat, I got stuck among the same group of European kids I mention earlier. This time I can clearly tell where they were from - Italy. And once we boarded and got underway, the TVs came on, and so did the Third Place World Cup Game (Germany vs. Portugal). And that was when a whole new level of fun began.......

... To Be Continued

Next: The World Cup and I collide (and I had been doing so well avoiding it, mostly)

Switching Gears

It's happened to all of us at some point - waiting to take a turn in a busy intersection, only to have the light turn red and being forced to sort of "slink back into position" in reverse.

Well today I get behind a woman trying to make a left turn. The light turns red and suddenly on come her white reverse lights and backwards she comes. I do not even know if she looked first. Fortunately, a quick check of the rear view mirror showed that no one was behind me so I threw the car into reverse and backed up to avoid getting hit (new car syndrome).

I was annoyed - the unexpected tension in my shoulders from the scare was not welcome. After settling down, I noticed that she was still in reverse (those white lights). So, not taking any chances (and still having no one behind me), I throw the car back in reverse and start backing up. When I do this, she looks at me in the rear view mirror and I can see this cluelessly puzzled look on her face. She looked like she was irritated with me and wanted to know why. Well, bitch, you would find out soon enough.

So, the light turns green and sure enough she lurches backwards and slams on her brakes. I had given her like thirty feet of clearance (hence the puzzled look on her face), so nothing actually happened other than her embarrassment.

What could have been a legal matter turned nicely into a laughing matter (for me).

"Boo Creepy Foot Doctor!!"

"Hooray Beer!!"

Updated 7/16 to include link to commercial online....

Has anyone noticed this commercial for Red Stripe Beer? Equal parts disturbing and hysterical.

Pee Wee's Playhouse

This is a Bird Story....

The partner David is obsessed with scouring flea markets, antique stores, yard sales, etc. for all things collectible. There is very little that escapes his interest. One day, he came home with a 24 inch tall talking (and eerily lifelike) Pee Wee Herman doll.

I could not even begin to imagine what we would do with this. However, the answer would appear quickly.

For some reason, Rick the Bird has decided that this Pee Wee Herman doll is his Nemesis, and that he must be destroyed. So we have developed a game. I will take the Pee Wee doll and hold its hands and start "walking" it around the floor while the Bird watches from his cage. He will yell down at it, "Come Here!" and I will start walking the doll away into the kitchen. The Bird goes nuts - he scrambles down the side of his cage and chases the doll across the floor. His little bird feet clicking on the floor and his wings spread out. The whole time he is laughing "Ah, ha, ha - Come Here, Come On".

We will run back and forth to the cage and this will go on for a few minutes, the entire time with the Bird trying to get the doll's feet.

He loves this activity. AND, it tires him out - which makes for a nice early bed time, and some good exercise. Plus, we have also learned that we can use the doll to get him back to his cage when we want to lock him up so we can go out (he knows when we are planning on going out so he hides and it becomes a nightmare finding him).

Just another parenting trick really.

FAB-ulous weekend ahead

Tomorrow I am off to Provincetown with the lovely Jen and Keri on the boat from Boston to meet Jeff from LA. I am boating down for a day of fabulous shopping, lunch and cocktails - then boating back up (the girls are going to rough it with Jeff for Bear Week).

Then Sunday, the partner and I are off to see Madonna at the BankNorth Garden.

What does this tell you?

Gay-est weekend ever.

I will report anything interesting that occurs.

Kara-TAY!

I love this commerical.

It totally cracks me up.

A spell check funny

Just a quick FYI - I find it funny that, in Blogger of all places, when I run spell check the word "Blog" comes up as unknown, You figure that it would be one of the words they would get, right?

Jack