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) ....
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Sunday, July 23, 2006
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!
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!
Friday, July 14, 2006
Thursday, July 13, 2006
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)
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).
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).
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
"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.
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.
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.
Friday, July 07, 2006
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.
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.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
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
Jack
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Those gold dollar coins
Is there anything more annoying than being given those gold dollar coins for change from someplace? You really can't complain, because they are real money. And at the same time, if you try to pay for something with them, you feel weird.
I went to buy a beer at the bar tonight with three of the coins and felt like a Pirate, at a tavern using "pieces of eight" to buy my beer. The bartender gave me that odd look, like " f@ck you for passing those damned gold coins off on me". Of course, that was exactly what I was doing.
I went to buy a beer at the bar tonight with three of the coins and felt like a Pirate, at a tavern using "pieces of eight" to buy my beer. The bartender gave me that odd look, like " f@ck you for passing those damned gold coins off on me". Of course, that was exactly what I was doing.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
UGH - KFC Style
I was having a massive craving today for something greasy, fatty and totally wonderful. So I went to KFC in Dorchester.
This particular KFC has a few things you can always count on:
So, I wait forever in line and finally I am almost there - just one guy ahead of me. He gets to the register and - get this - asks ,"so what have you got?".
WHAT?! This is KFC, for Christ sake, not the Four Seasons! And we have been in line for like 20 minutes, with a giant menu on the wall, and stand signs urging you to order their new mashed potato bowl. In fact, there was nothing but information blaring at us about what they have.
Couldn't he have been spending his line waiting time a little more effectively? There is no excuse for this particular fool - at first I thought he was trying to flirt with the cashier, but that was clearly not the case when he asked how much "a side of corn" was, when it was clearly on the menu. He was just blindly idiotic.
People, let's get with this very simple program. If you are in line waiting for service at a commercial establishment, there are a few things to be sure to get straight:
This particular KFC has a few things you can always count on:
- They always have a tremendous line
- They never open more than one register for orders
- They are always out of at least one key item
So, I wait forever in line and finally I am almost there - just one guy ahead of me. He gets to the register and - get this - asks ,"so what have you got?".
WHAT?! This is KFC, for Christ sake, not the Four Seasons! And we have been in line for like 20 minutes, with a giant menu on the wall, and stand signs urging you to order their new mashed potato bowl. In fact, there was nothing but information blaring at us about what they have.
Couldn't he have been spending his line waiting time a little more effectively? There is no excuse for this particular fool - at first I thought he was trying to flirt with the cashier, but that was clearly not the case when he asked how much "a side of corn" was, when it was clearly on the menu. He was just blindly idiotic.
People, let's get with this very simple program. If you are in line waiting for service at a commercial establishment, there are a few things to be sure to get straight:
- Have your money out and ready for processing
- If placing an order for goods or services, be prepared to place said order quickly and efficiently
Friday, June 09, 2006
Happy Pride Boston!
What to do?
Pride is this weekend and it looks like a washout - at least for the parade and the Fritz Block Party. Maybe the afternoon will be salvaged enough for the Block Party but it is unclear.
I want to be a good gay and go to the parade. But you know what else? I have had a long, hard week at work, and if it is really raining hard in the morning, I want to stay in bed. Hey, I have been to enough Pride celebrations to skip one parade, correct? I need to save up my energy so I can drink at the Block Party!
David and I have been to many Pride Celebrations over the years. David has been Bartender at Chaps and Buddies during many of them and "The Mirror" (predecessor of In Newsweekly) published a photo of us on a swing together during our first Pride. So, if we choose to stay in (David is on chemo, I am just totally stressed), I think we can be forgiven.
However, if debauchery is chosen instead, I will report on it appropriately.
Happy Gay Pride everyone.
Pride is this weekend and it looks like a washout - at least for the parade and the Fritz Block Party. Maybe the afternoon will be salvaged enough for the Block Party but it is unclear.
I want to be a good gay and go to the parade. But you know what else? I have had a long, hard week at work, and if it is really raining hard in the morning, I want to stay in bed. Hey, I have been to enough Pride celebrations to skip one parade, correct? I need to save up my energy so I can drink at the Block Party!
David and I have been to many Pride Celebrations over the years. David has been Bartender at Chaps and Buddies during many of them and "The Mirror" (predecessor of In Newsweekly) published a photo of us on a swing together during our first Pride. So, if we choose to stay in (David is on chemo, I am just totally stressed), I think we can be forgiven.
However, if debauchery is chosen instead, I will report on it appropriately.
Happy Gay Pride everyone.
Brangelina
David and I watched "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" tonight. It was a much better movie than I was expecting.
I have never been much to follow all the gossip stories about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Certainly I know it all, how can you avoid it? Apparently they hooked up while making this movie, he left one of my all time favorite people Jennifer Aniston and the two promptly made a baby. Other people's personal information blazed all over television - blah, blah, blah.
But I realized something watching this movie - these two belong together. They have chemistry and intensity. What made this movie fun to watch was to watch them banter back and forth. It was great. You can see it in their eyes and the tension between them felt very real.
These two had fun making this movie.
Now maybe this was because I know what happened after the fact. But I do not think so. I do not think I would have enjoyed the movie as much if that part of it had not been so much fun.
I have never been much to follow all the gossip stories about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Certainly I know it all, how can you avoid it? Apparently they hooked up while making this movie, he left one of my all time favorite people Jennifer Aniston and the two promptly made a baby. Other people's personal information blazed all over television - blah, blah, blah.
But I realized something watching this movie - these two belong together. They have chemistry and intensity. What made this movie fun to watch was to watch them banter back and forth. It was great. You can see it in their eyes and the tension between them felt very real.
These two had fun making this movie.
Now maybe this was because I know what happened after the fact. But I do not think so. I do not think I would have enjoyed the movie as much if that part of it had not been so much fun.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
New Format
Yeah, introducing new templated format. Blah, blah. Needed a change. As you can see, I spent great amounts of energy and money to put it together for your enjoyment. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
The Editors
The Editors
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Well, thank God, right?
It looks like Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie are finally back at it.
Maybe not as the "Best Friends Forever" that we had come to idolize, but at least they have been able to put their differences aside long enough to bring the character building "Simple Life" back to the small screen.
Just in case you have forgotten the immense contributions these two lovely ladies have given to society, you can usually find informative updates at this web site.
Maybe not as the "Best Friends Forever" that we had come to idolize, but at least they have been able to put their differences aside long enough to bring the character building "Simple Life" back to the small screen.
Just in case you have forgotten the immense contributions these two lovely ladies have given to society, you can usually find informative updates at this web site.
Cornish Game Hen
The Partner and I went out to dinner to a favorite local eatery tonight and I decided to tempt fate with the "Cornish Game Hen with Sausage Stuffing".
It was quite good. But I could not help thinking that I was dining on a baby chicken. Now, I know that Game Hens are not little yellow chicks, but it was like an entire mini chicken, roughly the size of a softball. This, was, well, just odd to me. Tasted good though.
When I got home, I promptly told the Bird that I "ate Bird" for dinner.
It was quite good. But I could not help thinking that I was dining on a baby chicken. Now, I know that Game Hens are not little yellow chicks, but it was like an entire mini chicken, roughly the size of a softball. This, was, well, just odd to me. Tasted good though.
When I got home, I promptly told the Bird that I "ate Bird" for dinner.
"The Machinist"
David and I watched "The Machinist" on cable last night. This was a great thriller starring Christian Bale as a machinist who has been suffering from an inability to sleep for over a year, may or may not be hallucinating killer co-workers and has lost like a thousand pounds since his very hot "American Psycho" days.
The movie is good, although patience is required. But the scariest part really is how much weight Bale lost for the movie. He looks horrifying - literally like something out of the holocaust. I remember reading that he actually did crash diet for the role, and then had to put the weight back on for "Batman Begins". Talk about dedication to your work.
Good movie though, highly recommended.
The movie is good, although patience is required. But the scariest part really is how much weight Bale lost for the movie. He looks horrifying - literally like something out of the holocaust. I remember reading that he actually did crash diet for the role, and then had to put the weight back on for "Batman Begins". Talk about dedication to your work.
Good movie though, highly recommended.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
The Bird can whistle the theme song to "Star Trek"
Yes, he really can. And he does it loudly if he wants to get my attention.
Clearly you are a major geek when your bird can whistle "Star Trek" to you. And that he knows it will get your attention.
He is a bird, I told you, right?
Clearly you are a major geek when your bird can whistle "Star Trek" to you. And that he knows it will get your attention.
He is a bird, I told you, right?
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