Snoop Makes Mashed Potatoes

I need to watch more Martha Stewart. Who knew she had guests like Snoop Dogg? She talks about his new Christmas CD, and they make mashed potatoes! Hilarious and very informative. Cream cheese and cognac in your mashed potatoes -- "Yabba Dabba Doo!"

Bjorn Borg - Love For All

Who knew Bjorn Borg had a dating site/service? Yes, that Bjorn Borg -- the tennis player!

Black Music For White People

Yeah, but I really like Gloria Jones's "Tainted Love." In fact, these days, I prefer it to the Soft Cell version.

Now I'm going to finish off that cous cous I made and listen to some Billy Strayhorn...

Call Me Cuddles

I have a one track mind, and often that track is heading straight into the gutter (though I'm looking up at the stars from there). I got the Angel Tails magazine today from PAWS Chicago, the wonderful no-kill animal rescue shelter. There were interesting stories in there about people who have pit bulls and how they are really great dogs with a bad image because of some rotten people doing rotten things to them, there's a story about the Chicago Police Department's Canine Unit, there are, of course, pleas for donations and volunteers, and brief items on the latest and coolest toys and accessories for your dogs and cats. Oh, and there are loads of pictures of the cutest puppies and kittens!

Then there is a listing, with pictures, of those who have given donations to PAWS in memory of companion animals [I'm so PC] who have died this past year. I have to say, though I'm unable to remember that formula for picking out your porn name, that some of the pups and kitties names -- their names plus their owners' last names, which is a bit weird in its own right, sound downright like, well, if not porn monikers, then stripper names.

Don't believe me? Well, what does "Cuddles Dominguez" sound like to you? "Lady Martha?" "Max Bloodworth?" (OK, that's more a porn name). "Lakota Conroy?" How about "Hawkeye Damolaris?" (Though he should shorten the last name.) How about "Smokee Hoovert?" "Ace and Chip Jellnick" (twins? extra naughty) "Harrison Hardy?" "Golden Boy?" (Oh, c'mon, "Golden Boy?" How cruel could those pet owners be?)

OK, OK, still unconvinced? Alright, I give you ... "Fauna McNear."

Rest in Peace, all.

Wildfires

Since Thursday, almost 7,000 acres had been burned, hundreds of homes had been damaged or destroyed and 10,000 people had to evacuate the area because of "two monstrous wildfires," as the New York Times called them, in the San Fernando Valley, about 75 miles north of Los Angeles.

It's obvious that God is angry that California's voters rejected marriage equality. Repeal Prop. 8 before it's too late, California, Repeal! Repent! Your Lord is angry!!!

My New Crush

I have to admit this crush I have. I just have to. I fell for him since I first saw him a few weeks back, and today I saw him again. He's cute -- adorable, actually -- kind of young, has a great personality, has some baggage (hey, who doesn't?), and worst of all, since this is what tears me up the most, he's available. Such a pity, because I'm nearly certain my partner would allow a third party, at least in this case, into our life. Oh, but this is a crush destined to be unrequited, since my landlord is against these types of relationships and will not allow them in his buildings.

And my heart aches for him because I hope he will find love, and soon. 

His name is Toby, he's a one-year-old Beagle, and he has been the Pet of the Week in the Chicago Free Press for a couple/few weeks now. Toby was abandoned and rescued from a county kill shelter (yes, no typo there -- not a "no-kill" shelter, but a "kill" one). He had "a wagging but sadly broken tail," according to the shelter taking care of him now. "Wagging but sadly broken!" How could you not fall for that? But our apartment building has a "no pets" rule. :( 

If you know anyone who can offer Toby a home, they can call the Quincy shelter at (217) 434-8337.

 

The First Fan

You can put that election on the boaaaaarrrrddddd ..... YES!

"I Don't Get It"

Walking into the Apparel Center today, there were hundreds of people, nearly all of them Black, waiting in line throughout the day at the Sun-Times store to buy copies of last Wednesday's Chicago Sun-Times (the one that Oprah walked around stage with on her show) that had simply a picture of President-Elect Barack Obama and the words "Mr. President" on the front cover.  

In addition, they were buying copies of the special commemorative section that accompanied Sunday's paper, as well as assorted large, full-color photos of the new president and first family. I believe these photos and front pages are going to be the equivalent of the pictures of JFK that every Irish Catholic family in the United States (as well as some in Ireland) seemed to have hanging in their homes in the 1960s (and beyond).  It is also something that no matter how happy we are that he is going to be our next president, that no matter how progressive we are, no white person can grasp the entire meaning and importance of the election of Barack Obama as president.

After seeing a line with dozens of people, nearly all Black, waiting to buy their copies of last Wednesday's paper, I got on the elevator to go up to work. Also on the elevator were two white guys, in their mid-20s to early-30s, in their "office casual" garb, Blackberry in one hand, Starbucks or Jamba Juice in the other. I caught only the tail-end of their conversation, but it was clear they were commenting on the phenomenon of people buying up copies of last week's post-election paper, since one said, "They're just going to yellow, and disintegrate," then the other agreed, saying, "Yeah, I don't get it."

You're right buddy, you don't get it.

(Post Script: I got off at the 9th floor and these guys were headed to 10, which is where the executive and sales offices of the Sun-Times are. Shit, I'll bet these goofs don't even buy the paper. Yet they can turn up their noses at those who this edition really means something to. One more sign how and why our industry is dying.)

Parade's End

It's very late and I have miles to go before I sleep, but I could not help but be inspired by something I saw today, a picture of a Prop. 8 protestor that was on towleroad, and which I have copied here. 

The man's sign says, "We are not a PARADE." I can't say without knowing him or asking him what it was that he meant exactly, but I could make a good guess. I believe he meant that we are not your minstrel show; we are not nothing more than your shopping friend, your "Jack" from "Will and Grace." We are not your "Queer Eyes," your flirtatious yet closeted pop singers, your chummy waiters, office mates, baristas, bffs, etc. We are not there for you to party with and say you "love!" us, while you would just as soon turn around and vote to deny one of the most basic of human rights.

Protests around the country, like the one the man to the left of this post took part in, are continuing and the calls to repeal Prop 8, and with it the tax-exempt status of the churches that made it pass, are getting louder. There have been some disagreements already as far as what the next steps should be in fighting this law, but inspired by that man's sign, I have an idea that anyone who sincerely cares about this cause should be able to support.

No More Parades.

That's it -- until same sex couples have equal rights across the nation, no more "Gay pride" (or just "Pride") parades, anywhere, in any city in the U.S. Can anyone say what exactly there is to be proud of at a time like this? Look at what the pride parades have become, anyway. Giant booze parties, with just as many voyeuristic and drunken straight folks as there are (equally drunken) gays, celebrating what? Stonewall? I'll bet not even 10 percent of the millions who show up at the pride parades even know what that was. Are they celebrating the mostly naked people dancing on floats throwing beads to drunks? Are they celebrating the mainstream acceptance of gays by the liquor distributors, grocery stores, politicians, realtors, hospitals, drug and utility companies who fill the streets of the gayborhoods with their floats on "pride" days? Like gays need an excuse to party on the weekends, anyway. Besides, it's such a chore for so many to get out the door before noon on a summer Sunday anyway; screw the parade, we'll just get together for brunch. 

Imagine, if Prop. 8 hasn't been repealed by then, a summer with no "pride" parades -- except for Canada. Lovely, enlightened Canada. If the "pride" parades can't be used to make change as opposed to just throwing a party, well, what's their point, then?  And imagine, just imagine, the party there would be once everyone is equal.

Artists United Against Apartheid ~ Sun City

Only this time make Sun City the states of California and Utah. And Florida, as long as we're at it. And move the Sundance Film Festival out of Utah, too.

A Day Without a Gay

In the wake of a majority of voters in California having officially taken away the human right of marraige from same-sex couples, Melissa Etheridge has announce she and her wife, er, "special lady friend" won't pay taxes to the state since they are being denied the same rights and tax benefits heterosexual married couples get to enjoy. Mass protests have been staged at headquarters and temples of the Mormons, the religious sect that committed the very un-American act of mixing religion and goverment by pouring upwards of $1 million into writing discrimination into California's Constitution. Petitions are being circulated to have the tax-exempt status taken away from the Mormon church, as it should also be done for the Catholic Church, whose Conference of Bishops got involved in the battle from the pulpits and by giving a quarter-million dollars of church-going Catholics' money to upholding the institution of marriage as between one man and one woman. [Gives new meaning to the term "bully puplpit," eh?] The same should also be done to whatever tax breaks the Knights of Columbus enjoys, as well, given their involvement in "protecting" marriage from the gays.

Protests, petitions, lawsuits and the like may make some noise, but I'm not so sure of how effective any of it would be in reversing what more than 50 percent of Californians voted into law this past week. Some supporters of equal marriage rights say, "let's just chill for now, step back and be heartened by the gains in public support we've made and work for the next couple/few years to win over those who were swayed by the Mormon/Catholic/fanatic Republican campaign of fear." Others suggest that since equal marraige is not as big a deal to people in their 20s and 30s as it is to those in their 60s and older, that, hey, if we just wait a few years for enough of the old folks to die off, then the electorate that is left will grant us the same rights as they enjoy. Yeah, I can't seem to recall the speech that Dr. King agve where he said, "a majority of the young white people today think we negroes are more or less equal to them. If we just wait for the old white people to die off, we will eventually overcome!"

Until their involvement in this campaign to strip a small minority of their rights bankrupts [financially -- they're already there morally] the Mormon and Catholic churches and their associated organizations and allies, I have a better idea, one that will hit that 52 percent or so of Californians who voted for Prop. 8 where they will feel it most.

Where is that? Everywhere; their coffee shops, their restaurants, their nightclubs, their salons, their schools, their workplace IT departments ... everywhere. How does this happen? Easy. By staying home. Call it a great gay blue flu. Like that movie "A Day Without a Mexican," where there were no landscapers, no nannies, no cooks, no dishwashers, no day laborers, no hotel workers, a lot fewer mechanics, and less lawyers, teachers, TV newspeople, athletes, etc. because all the Mexicans took the day off, well, every gay, no matter what they do for a living, should just take the day off. Imagine the havoc it would cause! The businesses that would have to shut down for the day! The frantic people who could not get their special coffee in the morning or brunch in the late morning, the department and specialty stores that would be empty because all the retail queens stayed home to watch "Ugly Betty" and "ANTM" DVDs. Of course, this would also include all the gay and lesbian teachers and doctors, lawyers and cooks, bank tellers, concierges, waiters, executive assistants, computer technicians, wedding planners, (oh, especially wedding planners), etc., etc.

Why not? I know it's easy for me, safely practicing my nearly invisible punditry from thousands of miles away to tell every gay and gay-supportive person [yeah, I just expanded the boundaries here of this action. I'm inclusive like that] to call in for a day (oh hell, make it two days) of civil disengagement, but what else can you do, what other form of protest can get the idea through to those who voted to strip this segment of the population of their rights of the fact that it is insane and ridiculous to pour so much time and effort and money into fighting something that threatens them in no way whatesover?

Additionally, some people want a boycott of the state of Utah, because that's where the Mormon church is headquartered. Great, but why not extend that boycott to California? If you're watching this unfold from one of the other 49 states, hold off on that California vacation for a while. Turn the state of California into Sun City -- if you are a gay or gay-suportive musician or movie producer/director, don't tour in California and film that movie of yours somewhere else this time (Toronto! Chicago! Both places would love your movie business and are very gay-friendly) . 

If your organization, whether it is an association of gay journalists, travel agents, accountants -- or anything from housewares to electronics to specialty candy -- has an annual convention, take that convention anywhere but California. Hey, Steve Jobs, you and Apple fought against Prop. 8, well, why not move your MacWorld and other events out of the state until the voters of California come to their senses?

This is Apartheid, and the places that provide a home for it should be treated like Sun City.

"Sprinkles and Flurries"

It's that time of the year in Chicago, when Fall just can't be Fall, but Winter has to get up in its face, throwing a little bit of a bite into what would normally be a crisp, cool Autumnal Day. Early November light rain has its appearance ruined by bursts of cold wind, interspersed with bits of snow.

A neat thing, though, that happens when this occurs is that we get to hear phrases such as, "a high tempretaure of 41 today, and scattered sprinkles mixed with flurries later on" in radio weather reports. A couple times today I've heard the phrase "sprinkles and flurries," which kind of sounds like a cool, tasty dessert treat. Now that's not so bad, is it?

"Game Over"

WE WIN!!!

She Didn't Even Know What Countries are in NAFTA

Wow. "She's a maverick, like me!" McCain, who we now learn didn't even speak to Sarah Palin during their campaign, said. The Caribou Kool-Aid drinkers said stuff like, ,"She understands real Americans! She knows Joe Six-Pack and his cousin Joe the Plumber (who we now know was an unlicensed, non-union fraud). She's hot! (yes, they seriously said that)"

Idiots. All deluded, hateful idiots. The woman was who the Republican Party's pick to be the person was would be one heartbeat away from the most powerful, most important elected official on earth did not know what countries are part of NAFTA (even though she lives in one and could probably see the other from her back porch) and she didn't know that Africa is not a country, but a continent. Is she smarter than a 5th grader? Obviously not.

Not only that, she eschewed pre-interview preparation, had temper tantrums and used her campaign as a personal shopping spree for her and her family at "elite" places like Nieman's and Saks.

And some are STILL talking her up for 2012? For what? President of Freakistan? Sheesh.

Hope Wins

Tonight we got our country back. God Bless America. 

Fear, pettiness, ugliness were defeated. They'll still be around, and as loud as ever, but for once the American people rejected all that and looked inside to find something better, because at least 50 million of them realized we can do better, we can be better, we can be that country people once looked up to, once again. 

Hope never dies. I am so proud to be an American right now.