In the spirit of Christmas...

..a little classic 80s holiday celebration, if you were even around for it back then.

And I guarantee, one of two things will happen.
1) You will wish Christmas was EVERY day, just to see shit like this all the time.
2) You will vomit.

Either way, enjoy!

Setting the Record Straight

So today I watched Brit's MTV "documentary" on Youtube. It was supposed to be a no-holds-barred, no-question-left-unanswered, tell-all documentary, which it most certainly was not. All I could picture was Madonna in "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret" getting her hair and makeup did, driving from location to location dropping wisdom bombs, having fun with choreographers and dancer auditions, and showing a bit of a vulnerable, sad side to celebrity life.

Britney went much further and had a couple breakdowns, shedding tears and revealing how lonely she is, and how boring her life is.

Alright. Enough is enough. I am broke, along with my boyfriend, family, and friends. We do not have dream lives, getting whisked all over the world without a care, or dropping everything (including your children, who can be easily dragged and dropped into the hands of a caring Mexican nanny) to take a vacation or trip somewhere on a whim.

I'm so sick of celebrities crying about how miserable celebrity life can be. They can get out, if they want to. Guaranteed, if Britney would've gone back to Louisiana after K-Fed, within 6 months to a year she would be a nobody, just like the rest of us, just like she pretends she wants to be. I'm sick of celebrities crying about how the paparazzi hounds them relentlessly. You know, without those crazy photogs pushing and shoving, snapping blinding pictures in the night, chasing on motorcycles at breakneck speeds through tunnels... well, you celebrities would be nothing. No one would be interested in your life.

I saw a clip from gossipgirl.com today about Britney leaving a dance rehearsal in tears. One simple snapshot tosses her back up to a head story on Fox News with no explanation whatsoever. Forget Iraq. Forget the economy. Forget gas prices. Why in God's name is Britney Spears crying?? Poor, poor Britney! We'll never know why, but everyone wants to gawk at the photos. To say that she's sick of the photographers is just ridiculous. These celebrities live for publicity, sales, and getting their name out there. Just ask any startup band, singer, artist, etc... and they'll all want the same thing: having their name dropped. And whether its in a positive or negative way, who gives a rat's ass. Publicity today disregards either side for the sake of getting a name drop and maybe an extra few thousand record sales.

I felt bad for Brit for a few minutes, but then I just realized I was getting sucked in to this little circus (no pun intended). Its only intent is to boost record sales 2 days before the album dropped.

The only highlight was an appearance from Madonna, who stiffly acknowledged her motherly devotion to Britney (although I imagined a conversation between the two and laughed, Madonna would have nothing to say to Miss Spears...she's too... dense). Please, I love Madge, but this is all an attempt to have her name dropped as well, and right at the end of her Sticky & Sweet Tour. But whatever, Madonna knows how the game works, and has worked it extremely well for over 25 years in her favor. Funny that when Madonna sat and hugged Britney backstage before the San Diego show started, she really had not more than 5 words to say to pop princess. Very awkward.

The Holidays: Part One

I'm so tired right now, so I don't know why I feel the need to sit here in front of my little 15" LCD and type up yet another blog. I stopped drinking Diet Pepsi Max several hours ago because I have a day-- no, a long two weeks ahead of me... after a long two weeks have already passed.

So, how to recap without getting too crazily involved...

Well, yes after the Pittsburgh trip, things went back to normal. I felt super lazy though, and didn't feel like working or doing any extra homework to get myself ahead before finals. My boyfriend, since that trip almost two weeks ago, has slept over every single night save for one night before Thanksgiving (as well as tonight, which is yet another reason I can't get to sleep yet) and become somewhat of a permanent fixture at my apartment. We haven't been going out that much still, and have kept drinking to a minimum. We started taking walks, even in the cold, windy, blustery Cleveland weather which blows at sometimes hurricane forces off Lake Erie.. and since I live a block away from the lake, it can make for a painful and numbing experience.

We have spent a couple entire days together as well, but since we're both a bit on the lazy side, didn't do much aside from eating, sleeping, and laying around like pigs watching movies and reruns of 30 Rock on Netflix. But for the first time in a very long time, I am feeling so comfortable just laying around with him. He has definitely turned into the old adage of "a lover and a best friend", although I abhor using the term "lover" in a sentence. This is the only time you will see me do so. I hope.

Thanksgiving was alright. I mean, to drive almost 90 miles to eat dinner and hang out for a few hours is pretty much a retarded idea, but I really wanted to see my mom, dad, grandma, and niece. Oh yea, and my sisters, and maybe my brother too. It seems like forever since I've been home, and had already felt a tad homesick when I drove through Youngstown on my way back from Pittsburgh without stopping the previous week.

My niece and cousins all started playing Charoodles or some bullcrap like that, but we ended up having a lot of fun. I don't ever really see the cousins, and its always interesting to me that after six months or a year apart, they still fall back into love with me, hanging on my arms and legs, jumping on me, dragging me this way and that, and trying to get into civilized conversations (which, for 10 year olds, can be rough). It was a really good time. I talked more to the kids than the adults, which has always been me. I never really felt like I fit in with them anyway.

The only thing I feel odd about is my brother. He's recently engaged and left me a voicemail a few weeks ago about being in his wedding. Of course, me being the big queer that I am, I really don't want to go to any more weddings, let alone be in one. But of course, I will. Its just.... my brother and I used to be friends, brothers, whatever. Now, its as though I don't have a brother anymore. It has nothing to do with being gay at all, just... distance has come between us. And a girl or guy, in our respective cases. Whenever we were in town together sans bf or gf, we would hang out together. I miss that. I miss him. Who knows if things will ever be any different, but it is what it is.

So my mom tried to gently coax me into staying overnight, but everytime I do, I wake up the next morning to a big, cold, empty house. No one is ever home. God forbid I need a cigarette, because I can't smoke in the house, and the alarm is set so I can't even leave the house. Eh. So I opted to drive back to Cleveland. This is my home now. I'm comfortable and actually really happy here. And when I cross the big bridge over the valley on Route 480 and see the lights of downtown Cleveland in the distance, I feel like I'm just where I belong.

Of course, I also wanted to see my boyfriend. The holidays are rough for both of us, and especially for him since he's not even out to his family. They know he's in a relationship, of course.... but they think its with a girl. That doesn't bother me in the least, but I feel like I'm missing out. And on my part, its too soon to take him to my family's holiday feasts. I need to break them in slowly.

So he came over and we took a late night walk through Lakewood. We passed a giant McCain/Palin campaign sign that is on busy W. 117th (and I drive by that g.d. thing every day on my way to work, too). Hmm. Thanksgiving night. No traffic, everything closed. I suggested we tear that garbage down. Before I could dot my i's or cross my t's, my boyfriend was running toward the thing like a maniac. And then he ran right through it. I looked around nervously, as a cop had, just moments before, crossed out path. There was a black man across the street who started screaming cheers and yelling "OBAMAAAAA YEEAAAAH!" which actually gave me quite an awesome feeling. The sign was so rigid and so tied down to the ground that I couldn't do any damage. My boyfriend tore it in half, of course.

crappy Blackberry picture from my Jeep the next day... wish I had a video!

I met some of his friends the night before Thanksgiving. Actually, they're mostly co-workers, and not really his friends... but I was nervous as all hell to meet them. He's met probably 30 of my co-workers, but that was nothing for me, and he didn't show his nervousness.. he revealed that he was terrified before that, though. They were... interesting. Mostly girls, as they're restaurant workers as well. But they're... on a different level. Plus we were in Brunswick so... 'nuff said. My boyfriend did tell me that a couple of the girls are in love with me. Great.

I'm glad Thanksgiving is over. And Black Friday. I don't fare well with looking for deals at 4am. Its so dumb to me. But I'm definitely in gift mode now. I bought a couple things for family and I'm desperately scrambling to think of gifts for my boyfriend. He's got my shopping done, and wanted to tell me last week what he bought me. And he went over our minimal $50 limit, but eh, it happens.

So, help me. God. Help me. He's a hillbilly. He likes the Browns and Cavs. Country music. JOHN DEERE. DEAR LORD is more like it. But thats why I love him. And I'm having super hard time trying to figure out what to get him. I know I want to get him a Cavs or Browns travel cup, since he tends to carry coffee cups out of my house and comes back with coffee stains all over his crotch area. And maybe a hoodie since he's a hoodie fan like myself. And I got him a Santa stocking, but that will be easy to fill. But I honestly cannot figure out what to get him that will be special. I'm really bad with gifts and I don't buy them that often. Help me!!!

I really need to get to bed. I want to read first, because I'm still thinking too much and need to make myself black out. Its my first night of solitude in a week and I'm already having a hard time figuring out what to do with myself. Left to my own convictions, I tend to do nothing but think and overthink anything and everything, ad nauseam.

Britney's Circus

I never did like the circus... lots of poop, stinky smells, and scary clowns. I don't like Brit's new cd either. Maybe a couple songs here and there may grow on me, but last year's Blackout was (sadly to say) much superior to this attempt. This one's garbage!

And I have been listening to "Kill The Lights" and I'll be damned... I do NOT hear Madonna's processed voice for 50 seconds during the song like all these websites are claiming. Someone point out the exact time for me, because I ain't hearin' it!

Britney Spears' Circus gets 2 thumbs down and a bleccchhh from me.

new favorite show

I never watched "Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia" before, and I don't know why. I just rented season one, disc one.. and I have been laughing my ass off through every episode. I'm currently watching the fourth or fifth ep on the disc and I had to take a break because I was laughing so hard I almost threw up. Let's just say that I identify with Sweet Dee's fear of old people.

This show is already on its 4th season on FX...... check this one out!

continued recession

This country (and moreover, the world) is definitely in a recession, and I see it first-hand. I wonder how much worse things can get? I received my student loan money this past week so I have a very false sense of security right now. I was also given two lines of credit, one of which was already more than doubled after only two payments. Its strange that banks are continuing to just throw credit cards out there like nothing. I don't have the greatest credit in the world, but I'm working on it. I just didn't think in this time of crisis for the entire world that I would get all this credit offered to me.

And then last night, I was a bit shocked when I passed by a gas station on my way home from work. The price had dropped down to $1.58 a gallon. I don't remember the last time I paid that price. It had to have been a few years back. Needless to say, I whipped my Jeep into the station and filled up my tank for only $22. Wow. I just read that oil prices per barrel are at their lowest since May of 2005, and they are expected to keep slipping bit by bit. Gas/oil prices have been dropping every single day for literally 65 days straight, when I was paying over $4 in Cleveland for a gallon.

I have already noticed the impact the prices are having on my restaurant. Yes, it may be getting closer to the holidays so more people are out, but I knew that if gas prices kept dropping, people would come back to eat again. And they did, at first. They just weren't tipping very well at all. I was actually kind of shocked to be getting the horrible tips I was receiving. Now, things are changing. People have gotten back to throwing their money at me, which is such a good feeling. Restaurants and eating out are one of the first things to get cut out of a budget in tough times, and the first to come back full force once things begin to get better. But nothing else is really getting better... banks are still closing, automakers are on the verge of a collapse, and the housing market is so bad that people aren't even putting for-sale signs in their yards anymore; no one is out there to buy them.

With all this extra money in our wallets, I think people will begin to spend a bit more... but what happens when this drives the demand for oil back up? It seems like a vicious circle, because gas prices will go back up. Then no one will have extra money again. Demand will go back down. Repeat. And repeat. And repeat. I just really wonder what will happen to our world in the near future, and how the hell anyone will be able to fix it, if fixing is even an option.

exhausted

This week has sucked the energy out of me. I'm so exhausted! It is now the weekend, and all that means for me is workworkwork. Fridays are my day to take one 3 hour class at school and the rest of the day is dedicated to laundry, cleaning, and homework for my other classes. Its the only slightly real off day I have. Saturdays and Sundays I work my job and finish up more homework. My boyfriend has been staying over almost every night, and we're always up late talking, watching movies, or playing games, so I haven't been sleeping much.

Even though I'm totally beat, this week has been really great. Probably the best week I've had in a long time. My pal Laura's going away party was last night and I took my bf up to the bar to meet her and have some drinks. And we drank. A lot. I probably shouldn't have driven home afterwards. But almost everyone from work was there, and it was a load of fun. Everyone thinks my boyfriend is adorable and so nice. Not surprising, because its true. And they all love me too so I had a lot of them come up to me throughout the night telling me how happy they were to see me happy with someone. It was a really good feeling. And there was no drama. No fighting between everyone I work with, which is funny because usually something breaks out between the little cliques. It felt pretty old-school actually.... back in the day, working at my old restaurant, and going out in huge groups of fellow employees/friends and everyone just getting along and having fun.

I'm sad to see yet another great person like Laura leave Cleveland. She's taking off to Miami, which makes me super jealous. I think she may come back one day, but in the meantime, who do I have to joke with and say terrible (yet hilarious) things to en Espanol? Hah. She is one of the funniest mother effers I've ever met.

On the bright side, this weekend brings TT's return visit to Cleveland just a little bit closer... one more month, b*tch! I can't wait. And my boyfriend and I are seriously thinking about a trip to New York City for New Year's Eve, which would be totally awesome. We had a big talk about just going places and experiencing the world. I just want to travel again and go to new places like I used to years ago, even if its just a quick 2 day trip to some different town a couple hours away. I'm glad I found someone who thinks the same way as I do and enjoys visiting new places too.

So I have to work tonight, thank goodness its only a couple hours. I just feel like after Pittsburgh I want a day where I don't have to do anything at all. I want to lay around and be a complete bum. I guess Winter break is coming in less than 3 weeks so maybe I can hold out and survive until then...

a quick roadtrip

So I just returned last night from Pittsburgh with the boyfriend. We left on Wednesday and made an overnight trip out of it. The drive went by pretty fast, it took us about 3 hours to get there.. I was a bit mad at first because he got to my place late and I couldn't get ahold of him for about a half hour.. but I let it go because I didn't want to ruin the trip before we even left.

We talked and listened to music all the way there (mostly country, and while *I* drove which made me crazy, but I was about to make him suffer through Rasputina so whatever) and got to our hotel to clean up and change. We went downtown to pick up my little sister and then over to Diesel on the south side to see Rasputina and get something to eat.

I've been to Rasputina shows before and they've never played early. There's usually an opening act or two and then they come onstage about 10 or 11pm. Well, as we were about to pass Diesel I mentioned that we should probably stop and look in or maybe get our door tickets or whatever. I asked the bouncer when Rasputina was going to start and to my utter dismay, he replied.. "They're almost done!" F*CK! I was SO angry I didn't even know what to say! The whole point of this trip, aside from just having a decent time away from Cleveland was to see Rasputina. I love them and I really plan on going to every show within 200 miles of where I live as long as they're performing. I was so angry that I had missed the whole concert. We should've left hours earlier, but oh well. I thought positively and realized hey, I'll still get to see at least their last song of the night. AND we didn't have to pay 18 bucks a piece to get in. So whatever. They did 1 more song... Bad Moon Rising, which I love, and then left the stage but came back for an encore of two more songs. I'm glad I got to see them and I'm glad my boyfriend and sister got to see them too. He turned to me after the first song and said (making me wish he had seen the entire recital because he's been making fun of me for a month now) "Wow. I have chills right now." I'm glad he liked what he was hearing!

So after that we went to a bar down the street. I guess everything in freaking PA is 21 and up, even though I've been to some bars downtown that mark people over 18 as underage and still allow them in. We wanted at least a beer or something, especially me, since we had just driven so far to miss something that I had been looking forward to for a couple months.

"Nope! Absolutely not! She can't come in!" The bouncer told me this and was actually pretty mean about it. I told him I was from Cleveland, she was my little sister, and we just drove here. I asked about marking under and he just got meaner. Whatever. So she went to Starbucks and we stayed and had a really quick drink. We talked to the bartender and I guess since because Pennsylvania is a commonwealth state, they have different laws regarding alcohol and age. SO retarded. You can't even buy alcohol past certain times of night, nor can you purchase any at a convenience store or whatnot.. only state-licensed liquor stores. WTF. So dumb. Thank goodness I live in Ohio. We're a bunch of drunkies here.

I took my sister and boyfriend to dinner and we had an decent time. Then we got lost and ended up on the top of Mt. Washington. Eh. So after dropping my sis off at school we went to a couple bars downtown that were completely dead, but we ended up talking a lot and had a really good time.

The next day, I had a trip to the Andy Warhol Museum because I knew my boyfriend had never been there, let alone seen much art in his lifetime... which is fine, but I wanted to take him somewhere different.

I think he liked it. He was acting so goofy and he just made me laugh the whole time... and then he was trying to interpret some of the works he saw, and I just thought to myself the whole time, "how... adorable." I told him I will totally go out hunting and let him teach me how to gut a deer sometime, or stick worms on the hooks when we go fishing. We're not totally different from each other. We grew up in similar families, same religious background, and our mothers seem to be long lost twins. But I think we ended up growing to enjoy things in life that are on completely opposite sides of the spectrum, which in reality is probably a really good thing. I was outdoorsy for most of my life, but I always felt the urge to be a city boy in a way. I still kind of feel like I'm a country boy plopped down into the city, but I love my surroundings and I feel happiest when I'm surrounded by skyscrapers and bums begging for spare change and cigarrettes.

We did a bit of light shopping, I bought a new cologne set at Macy's and he was conned into buying some bullshit sacks full of herbs that go in the microwave... kind of like Vick's Vaporub but without the hassle of spreading that gunk all over yourself. We ate and headed back to Cleveland, hitting a major blizzard in the snowbelt halfway back. That drive just dragged on forever at 20 miles per hour on the turnpike, but we were still having a good time. He just makes me laugh and smile a lot. I love him.

I wish I could've stayed in Pittsburgh longer.
I wish I could've spent more time with my sister, or that she was 21 already.
I wish I could've seen Rasputina's show.

But I'm trying to be positive, of course. I loved visiting Pittsburgh, and I really had a good time being back in my old stomping ground. I got to see my sister, even if for just a little while. I got to see Rasputina play three awesome songs.

The relationship I have feels so much more real now. I want to go everywhere with him.

Domestic Partner Registry Introduced

A domestic partner registry was being introduced at a Cleveland city council meeting this past Monday, according to the HRC. This would be a contract existing within Cleveland city limits only, not surrounding cities. I believe that if the city of Cleveland ends up putting this on the books, other cities lying to the West, South, and East would eventually follow suit. For instance, the area I live in is one of the gayest cities in the Cleveland land area, and classified as a Gay Village according to Absolute Astronomy's website. I see no problem passing a measure toward granting domestic registries here, especially since they apply to gay and straight couples alike.

I didn't know, but Cleveland Heights, an eastern city/suburb of Cleveland, has had a domestic partner registry since 2003!

Clicky to read about the impending passage of the registry in the city of Cleveland.

a well-deserved break

So I'm taking the next few days off. Well, not completely. Just off of work until Saturday. I still have classes. My school loan money is pouring into my checking account in the next day or so and I already have all my tuition paid off...I've been paying out of my pocket since August (yet another reason I'm broke right now) so I think its high time I get out and have a bit of fun, involving a bit more than stopping at a local bar in Cleveland.

Tomorrow the boyfriend and I are going to Pittsburgh for an overnight trip. I'm so excited! We're going to see Rasputina play and hang out with my lil sis down there as well. Then I really want to go to the Andy Warhol Museum; I went once in highschool but its been years since. Maybe the Mattress Factory too if there are any open exhibits right now. I still have class tomorrow and Friday morning and a bit of homework to take care of before the weekend, but that should be cake.

In the meantime, my mood thing is working. I've stepped it up a few notches and I'm having the best week I've had in a long time, as far as a very positive outlook goes. And I'm making craploads of money at work, for the first time in what seems like ages. Its a good week so far, and its only gonna get better.

And of course... I have a video to post. I happened upon this one again tonight, haven't seen it in a year or so. For some reason, I think its so freakin funny.. and it never gets old (to me, at least). Enjoy!

Madonna Vogues

Alright.. I'm gonna back off from the politics for a moment and post a video from Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour. Vogue is one of my favorite songs and this video makes me so mad that I didn't get a ticket to Detroit for tomorrow. Eh, I'm broke and went to California earlier in the summer so I emptied out my Madonna ticket fund for spending money (OH and it was worth it, I just wish I had saved more!)

Here she is....

Vogue Madonna Sticky and Sweet Tour Cardiff
by mattia93

Melissa Etheridge on Oprah

Video:

Friday, November 14th 2008
The Oprah Winfrey Show

prop 8 lawsuit

A Proposition 8 lawsuit has been filed. If you're interested in law and referential court documents, take a look at this PDF file, in which the terms of the lawsuit are laid out for the courts. The suit is 28 pages long. I just found it this morning and have to go to school...umm, NOW! oops so I'll be reading it in more detail later.

http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/cityattorney/PROP8-CHALLENGE.PDF

Addressing the Nation

Barack Obama has already embraced technology, evident with his overwhelmingly successful Internet and email campaign leading up to the election. Now, he takes his Internet love affair one step further via BarackObamadotcom's Youtube channel and Change.gov, which will contain a weekly address to the nation in online video form.

I'm very interested and excited that Obama is doing something like this. I don't watch television, and over the past 8 years it just seems to me that I haven't seen George W. address the nation very many times... well, I wouldn't know, now would I? But I never hear anything about him speaking anymore. Either no one cares, or he just hasn't been doing it. I know there is a radio address, but I don't even know where to tune in, nor do I care to listen to that country bumpkin blabber on and stumble around about things, trying to give our nation hope when he has done nothing but destroy it for us. Not to mention the fact that if I hear him use the word "resolve" one more time in a sentence, I think I may just end up losing my mind.

The first address contains nothing new... the president-elect touches on a few points from the campaign, including job creation, digging out of the recession, and green energy. Click these links to subscribe to both his Youtube channel and Change.gov.

Watch here:

video posted via Youtube, Friday, November 14th, 2008

HRC Email for the Cleveland Area

Cleveland City Council Meeting

Monday, November 17 - 7:00 p.m.

Last week, the Cleveland City Council approved resolutions supporting the Ohio Equal Housing and Employment Act and recognizing Transgender Day of Remembrance in Cleveland.

At Council on Monday, November 17, Councilman Joe Cimperman will introduce an ordinance that will create a Domestic Partner Registry for the City of Cleveland.

There are also several other pending pieces of key LGBT legislation. You can read more about them and the Domestic Partner Registry here.

Thank you to Councilman Joe Santiago (Ward 14), Councilman Matt Zone (Ward 17) and Councilman Cimperman (Ward 13) for their leadership on these issues!

What do you need to do?

1) E-mail, call, or write your City Council Member and thank them for their support of the LGBT community. Also, ask them to support ordinances creating a domestic partner registry and banning discrimination in Cleveland on the basis of gender identity in employment and housing. Find your Council Member here.

2) Come to the City Council Meeting on November 17 at 7:00 p.m. Show your support of the Cleveland City Council's efforts to make Cleveland a City that stands for Equality!

********************

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Sunday, November 23

Walking Vigil - 4:30 p.m.

Starting Location:

Lincoln Park

Kenilworth Ave. and W. 11th St.

Cleveland, OH

Ending location:

Pilgrim Congregational UCC

West 14th St. at Starkweather Ave.

Cleveland, OH

Please join the Human Rights Campaign and TransFamily in Tremont to commemorate the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

At 4:30 p.m. we will begin our walking vigil in honor of those who have lost their lives as a result of being transgender.

We will also recognize those who have helped move the transgender community forward.

uhhhuhhuh fire uhuhuhhh

Oh boy, do I love firefighters.. and cops.. and FedEx drivers.. any man in uniform, really. I'm not picky. Does it come as a surprise that my boyfriend is a trained firefighter? Not at all. He has a really.. really.. hot uniform too... But I digress! I recorded a fire I saw earlier today in Cleveland whilst doing laundry. I jumped out of my car because I thought the laundromat was on fire, but it was across the street behind the building, thank goodness. If only I had zoom on my Blackberry, because there was some serious hotness down on the street below... and I ain't talkin about the fire!




sorry the vid is small... Blackberry videos are garbage. eh, its not that interesting anyway.

from butch to b*tch

I'm one of the butchest gay guys I know. But when it comes to Madonna, I turn into a little bitch. This...would be me.

Ross Mathews: Mission Madonna
by hughpine89

time travel with christina aguilera

I was not impressed with Dirrrty Xtina's last attempt at an album; I guess I'm just not much of a fan of music with sounds and influences from the 1930s and '40s (unless it's Madonna and her I'm Breathless cd).

I just caught wind of her developing effort, in pre-production and planning stages now; there is no release date set as of yet, but she will be working on the new cd in 2009.

FMQB reports:

"Christina Aguilera is looking to the future for her next CD. Aguilera is working with electronic-oriented artists such as Sia Furler, Goldfrapp and Ladytron to collaborate on a more 'futuristic' fourth album, which she'll continue to work on in 2009."

As soon as I read this, I was pretty excited. It seems as though the former Mouseketeer has jumped in a time machine and hurled herself forward, all the way to the year 2025, with the new sounds that will (hopefully) be contained on the new cd. Wonder what look she'll be sporting as well... Didn't she already try to pull off the space-cadet/alien look a while back??

Well, here's "Keeps Gettin' Better". She looks like Lady GaGa. Hmm.



....

In other former Mouseketeer news, Britney's Circus is coming on December 2. Only a few more weeks until you get to listen to this ad nauseum. Sounds like Blackout to me pretty much, and I'm already over it. Does anyone else smell a stinker?

goodbye, bigots

Mormon Church members are leaving their faith in droves.

The Mormon Church played a huge role in the passage of Proposition 8 in California. Monetary contributions made up $20 million or more in support of destroying the right of gays to marry in the state. In the past week, gay and civil rights activists have been demonstrating in front of churches all over the state, stopping traffic and generally causing chaos for churchgoers on Sunday mornings.

A website of Andrew Callahan, a high priest of the Mormon Church, who is being excommunicated for his anti-prop beliefs. It contains letters of literally HUNDREDS of individuals, even entire families, who are leaving the Mormon Church because of its involvement in politics (which the church is against) and its bigoted attitude toward the LGBT community. Click HERE.

While all the Prop 8 wars are raging on in California, a Connecticut judge decided this week to allow gay marriages in the state.

Here are some clips of notable people speaking about Prop H8te:

Drew Barrymore was out and about in California leading up to the vote.



Bill O'Reilly pissed me off on his show recently (he always does anyway).


Just my opinion... when they talk about these churches being "private institutions", I believe they can no longer be classified as such since they became involved in a clearly public and political campaign against the rights of a certain group. And as far as black churches go? Black voters may have turned out in higher numbers to help elect the first black president, and yes it may seem like equal rights activists are being PC by not attacking those institutions, but black churches did not contribute to the passage of a hate initiative monetarily like the right wing fundamentalist white churches did.


What a rollercoaster week for gay rights this has been!

Change for Cleveland?

Cleveland City Council considers registry for domestic partners
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Henry J. Gomez and Gabriel Baird
Plain Dealer Reporters

Several Cleveland City Council members want to create a
domestic-partner registry for same- and opposite-sex couples who seek privileges
reserved for the married.


The registry could cultivate a gay-friendly image for
Cleveland and ultimately boost the city's revenue. The registry would be
nonbinding, meaning employers and other organizations would not be forced to
extend health care benefits to unwed couples or allow visits with a hospitalized
partner. But supporters hope the registry will encourage the granting of such
rights.


Councilman Joe Cimperman, a sponsor of the idea, said a
registry would help Cleveland as it bids to host the 2014 Gay Games, a sporting
event with a global audience. In addition, fees paid by those who register could
pour some much-needed cash into city coffers.


Passage in Cleveland would come when such groups are
struggling to obtain rights nationwide. Last week, California voters outlawed
gay marriage. Four years ago, Ohioans approved a constitutional ban on same-sex
marriage and civil unions.

...

Wow. We'll have to see how this ends up panning out for Cleveland.

in the aftermath of prop 8

a voice you need to listen to, regardless of which side you're on.

what goes around

I've really been trying to have a good attitude this week. I think I've calmed down a bit, gotten a little more relaxed, and its beginning to make me feel better in such a stressful time of my life.

Sunday, I was really pissed when I came to find out that something I had bought from a woman at work was either stolen or thrown out after I had left it there Saturday night, even though I left it in a safe place near the manager's office. I was really upset about it, especially since I still owed money for it.

Last night at work, I was in a bad section, as usual. But I ended up doing decently well and then...one of my parties left a Nintendo DS on the table. I immediately snatched it up and put it in my pocket. I figured, eh, I'll pawn it or sell it to someone. After a little while thinking about it I began to feel guilty about doing something like that, even though I had felt wronged by someone taking something of mine. At the same time, what goes around comes around, and I figured it wouldn't do me much good to take someone else's belongings like that. A phonecall came into work just as I was getting ready to leave. It was the father of the little girl who had left her pink DS on my table. "I have it right here for you, its safe and sound." The father was so happy and said he was definitely going to leave me something for holding on to it for him. I told him that was really nice of him.

I totally forgot about it after last night. When I went in to work today, one of the bartenders told me there was an envelope for me. I got excited, thinking the DS that I had held in my pocket was worth about 150 to 200 bucks... but in the envelope was a crisp five dollar bill. I was a little ticked, but you know, at least I didn't have a guilty conscience. I actually felt a little good about it afterwards.

A bit later, my manager came up to me and told me she had the package I had left by the office. She had placed it in a corner of the office and it got buried under a few things.

What goes around definitely comes around.

new week, new attitude, new music

I feel really good going into this week. After a wretched weekend of work and way too much bitching and complaining on my part, I am making a conscious effort to change my mood and how I treat other people. I'm getting so mean at work anymore. I know its stress from the job and from school, as well as missing spending more time with my boyfriend, but I shouldn't be taking it out on people the way I do. I think by having a bad attitude, I'm just creating more stress for myself. I just need to relax and remember that Christmas break is coming up a lot sooner than it seems to be. I need some time off.

I spent last night and this morning downloading all kinds of new music. Actually, its all one kind of music, just by different artists. I've chosen more relaxing adult-contemporary music, as well as being foreign and not mainstream at all. Its having a calming effect on me, which I think I need.

Some of the artists I'm now listening to:

Sia (since last week, I haven't been able to stop listening to her.)
Emiliana Torrini
Flunk
Hooverphonic
Mugison (a bit on the crazier side, I still need some of that!)
Brazilian Girls (a little crazy too. I liked them because of Jique but just grabbed their first CD the other day)

Flunk and Emiliana remind me a lot of Bjork, one of my absolute favorite artists (second only to Madonna, of course).

Just another reason for you to tune to http://last.fm. They will connect the artist that you're listening to with similar artists. I love exploring to see what else I may like. My 30 gig iPod is now at full capacity. I had to uncheck about 300 songs today to add 6 more CDs worth of songs!

Are you listening to anything new this week?

alcohol ban in effect

My boyfriend and I decided to ban alcohol for a week or so. That means no beer, wine, or going out to the bars for a little while.

This was actually his idea a few days ago. We tend to enjoy drinking and getting our buzz on. From my recent blogs, it would seem that alcohol and bars causes us nothing but problems, whether one of us gets a bit jealous of something or a full-scale fist fight erupts (not between us of course, but with other people). I, of course, jumped at the idea to do things other than go out to drink.

We went out Wednesday night and had several drinks with his best friend, the one who was present during the whole jealous-rage face-scratching event a couple weeks ago. We only went to a straight bar, but I joked around a lot with my bf in front of his friend and, although my boyfriend knew I was just screwing around and kidding, his best friend may not have and kind of did the whole throwing-up-of-the-hands-and-walking-away thing, trying to leave us to our "argument", which it most certainly was not. We ended up talking about it, a bit drunkenly, that night when we got back home. Everything was resolved and we didn't fight, but both of us were a bit uneasy about the situation. Alcohol takes us there quite often.

He turned to me the next night and said, "Let's not drink for a week." I said okay, not even questioning why. I don't care, I don't need to drink. I just enjoy it, I like getting a buzz. I'm not a big drinker at all; I don't drink at home, or by myself, unless we're pre-gaming a bit together before a night out.

He added: "I want to get to know you completely sober. No alcohol. We don't need to go to the bars for a week, let's just hang out together, me and you." This little statement made me so happy. I suggested board games. He screamed, "Scattagories!" (or whatever its called). Renting movies. We talked about walks outside around the city, saving money, and even going on a trip somewhere. Camping? Pittsburgh? New York for New Year's Eve? Sure! Why not!

I've met a lot of different types of guys in my lifetime. My boyfriend may be younger than I but he, strangely enough, is more mature, sensible, down-to-earth, and level headed than any "man" I've ever known. You would think a 21 year old would be concerned with nothing but drinking, partying, and just having fun, but he is so much deeper than that.

I bought a coffeemaker and I've been getting in the habit of making a pot when we get up in the morning. This morning, even though we didn't have much time to talk before we had to get to work, we sat at the kitchen table and just talked over coffee. He told me tonight that he's looking forward to the future when we'll have coffee talk every morning.

Last night, we hung out, listened to music and made fun of each others tastes, shuffling through my iTunes library. We went to the video store and browsed for what was probably 45 minutes and actually learned a lot about each other just discussing movies and seeing what each of us were looking at and interested in. Tonight, we skipped the bar--imagine that, on a Saturday night after a long day at work for both of us! We talked about school, what classes we are taking next semester, and the professors that we've had (even checking ratemyprofessor.com and laughing together over all the stories written there). Don't let me fool you; we've had so many conversations together about any godforsaken thing that pops into our minds, but this time, its completely sober. Its completely real. It feels really good to know that someone wants to get to know me as much as I want to get to know him.

*sigh*

far from over.

In the aftermath of Tuesday's vote, do gays and lesbians in California have a reason to believe that they have been abused, discriminated against and relegated to a separate-but-equal status?

Yes, and that's why this fight is far from over. There will be a challenge under the U.S. Constitution. In the 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California constitutional amendment that limited fair housing on the grounds that prejudice could not be put into a state Constitution.

No one can forecast the outcome of this next fight, but there is bound to be some fallout that may harm those religions that so vehemently insisted that their beliefs be placed in the California Constitution. All religions require tolerance to flourish, but in Proposition 8 some religious groups aimed at and wounded gay people in California.

Clicky and read more.

source: SFGate / The San Francisco Chronicle

aftermath of the election

After Obama's victory, supporters no longer have any direction in their lives.

So wrong... but still, a bit funny.

obamadonna

Madonna's Obama T-Shirt at the Sticky & Sweet Tour, San Diego, CA

Madonna showed her support for Obama after the election at her "Sticky & Sweet Tour" stop in Southern California.

Video footage from the tour: Madonna Speaks

Madonna's "Get Stupid" Video Interlude from Sticky & Sweet Tour



Just a few more reasons why I LOVE MADONNA!!

california's prop 8

Demographics

Although overall polling for Proposition 8 shows a close race, within subgroups there are some large differences in sentiment, based on a poll conducted between October 18-28 by the Field Poll.

source: Ballotpedia.org

A "yes" vote takes away the right to marry. Opponents of Prop 8 have not conceded yet as all the votes for California have yet to be counted. Yesterday, civil rights groups moved very quickly to file court challenges in order to strike down the amendment. In my opinion, change is coming quickly. Obama was against the proposition while McCain, of course, supported it. Four years ago in the last presidential election, California residents were split 60-40. This election year, the numbers have evened out and currently stand at 52-48, still denying the right to marry. Thirty states now have marriage bans. Arkansas added a measure to their state laws banning single people, gay or straight, from adopting children or being a foster parent.

How sad is is that the right to marry is being defended by so many people who support the sanctity of marriage while roughly 50% of all marriages end in divorce? And to deny two people who love each other the right to marry or who wish to raise a child in a loving atmosphere is simply ridiculous. People are not thinking clearly and without bias. It has nothing to do with sanctity; these ideas and obvious voter turnout is because of fear of people who are different from them. America was founded on the differences between its citizens. Such a negative time for our country, but also a really positive move, looking back in time, in the right direction. Its just going to take a little more time, and this is only a setback. You know the saying: What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Right?

And just a quick note: its very interesting to see how our country, mainly white, voted in an African-American president, yet blacks turned out in record numbers and discriminated against a specific minority. The pot calling the kettle black just works in so many ways, but I don't want to sound racist. There are still more straight, fearsome people in the world; I think straight black people are way more biased when it comes to LGBT issues.

Much of the world exults in Obama

His diverse background is inspiration.

Clicky.

sia

Sia Furler.

I literally just found out about her the other day. I was listening to one of my old favorite songs by Zero 7 called Destiny, and thought to myself... "who actually sings this?" Zero 7 collaborates with several different artists so I wasn't sure. I've loved Destiny for years since I watched an episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy when they played a fast dancy version of the track during the hectic makeover part of the show, then the original, soft and slow mix at the end when the reveals in the show were made. I loved the sound of this song and looked for months before I could find it, finally.


So, Sia. I downloaded several of her tracks when I found her and all I can say is wow. She has an amazing voice, and I was pleasantly surprised seeing her do a live rendition of one of my new favorite songs, The Girl You Lost to Cocaine, for a radio station. She sounds simply wonderful live.

If you've never heard of her, she's an Aussie vocalist. She was an unknown until she moved to the UK and began producing music there. She is also bisexual, and I read that on Ellen she said she never thought it was a big deal until people started talking and worrying about it. Well, why should she think its a big deal? Thats personal. Eh, I digress. But definitely check out this clip of her performing for KCRU live. She is just so cute, and sounds absolutely wonderful. This song is my new fav, on repeat in iTunes now!

victory!

Wow. What a great night!! I haven't felt more uplifted and positive in so many years. Barack Obama's post-election speech tonight from Chicago left me with nothing less than chills, teary eyes, and hope for our country. I'm so optimistic for change in America. Change was needed, and we are headed in the right direction. Finally.

My favorite quote from Barack's speech tonight:

"It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America."

Just hearing him speak the word "gay" to the world gave me so much hope for my own future; hope that I never had before. I may not get married anytime soon, but I know that over his next four years in office, Barack Obama will help me get to the places I want to be in life, equal to everyone else in this country. Able to adopt a child and raise them with many of the same wonderful values and morals instilled in me by my own parents; able to afford health care for myself and my loved ones; able to be defended by hate crime legislation for gay men and women who have never been protected in the past; able to express my love for someone and have it recognized legally.

Two more months and Ol' Bushy is history. We now have to figure out how to get ourselves out of the messes that have overtaken our country in so many different ways. I'm so excited for the next four years!

election day.

Well, its election day, and I can't wait to get in to the polls up at Garfield to cast my vote for Barack Obama! My boyfriend is voting for Obama too, so we woke up and naturally talked politics for a while before I booted him out of my apartment. I wanted to check opinion polls online and look over the issues again before I take off and stand in line. Hopefully the lines won't be too long, but I don't work until 5pm so I have plenty of time. I reserved today for nothing else. I think we'll be slow at work tonight, so I'll get to go home and watch the results start to pour in around 7pm. I'm so glad I live in Ohio, a state which essentially decides the presidential election every four years. Of course, I'm much more hopeful this year compared to 2004 when I actually remember crying when John Kerry lost my state. But I most definitely feel positive today and think that Obama supporters will come through for Ohio and turn the results in his favor.

I heard some people at work talking about one of the ballot issues that allows ONE casino in Ohio. They were saying that it won't create jobs in Ohio. They said that there won't be any casinos in Cleveland. I say, BULLSH*T. The reason the initiative is on the ballot is because there are already plans for construction of a casino in Southwest Ohio near Cincinnati. That will open the doors to casinos opening all over the state. I personally do not gamble, but I think I should have the option. I can imagine a sleek, new casino opening in the Flats in downtown Cleveland, along with several shops, restaurants, and new businesses. So you think a casino won't create more jobs? Of course it will! Instead of everyone coming from out of town to Cleveland for stupid bachelorette parties and DRUNK DRIVING (if you've ever trekked along West 6th or West 9th on a Friday or Saturday night, you know what I'm talking about) people will bus in from all over and go to the casinos for a night on the town. And what better a place than on the river or lakefront? What about a casino on a boat that travels the Cuyahoga river and goes out on the lake, offering beautiful views of downtown from the water? I think it sounds wonderful, and it will definitely create an influx of wealth to downtown areas. So I'm voting for passing Issue 6.

I also found this website (http://www.electoral-vote.com/) which points out some very interesting points and a neat map of the country. They also have a really interesting little paragraph about one particular location in the country where polls have already closed!!

The First Election Results Are in Already

The polls have already closed in Dixville Notch, NH because all 21 eligible voters have cast their ballots. This village of 75 people traditionally opens the polls at midnight on election day and closes them a few minutes later after the last voter has performed his or her civic duty. Barack Obama got 71% of the vote here today. Dixville Notch is not a good bellwether, however; it has voted solidly Republican for decades. The last Democrat to carry the Notch was Hubert Humphrey in 1968. It is probably not a good start for McCain to have early election day news dominated by a story about a solidly Republican rural village voting overwhelmingly for Obama.

Make sure you get out and VOTE today!!! If you don't vote, you can't say ANYTHING. For the next FOUR YEARS. And I know for some of you, that could be really tough (wink). Well, I'm off to cast my ballot!

viva la vida

My theme song for the day.

for spanky branky

keepin it simple for ya. stoner.

clicky

blowing a wad...

Of money. What did you think I was going to say? Get your mind out of the gutter. I spent a lot of money that I don't have today.

Favorite purchases of the day:

-a box of Whoppers
-a Pizza
-a Swiffer WetJet

Yes. My brand new Swiffer. I have been dreaming of one since the day I looked at the apartment in which I now reside. It has hardwood floors throughout, no carpet. Thank god, I hate carpet. It just always looks dirty and those high-traffic areas are a bitch to keep up with. Plus I hate to vacuum.

My shiny, new little Swiffer is so cute, and when I opened the box, all I could do was inhale; the whole plastic-wrapped purple and silverness of the thing was scented in, no, not that nasty China-plastic-y and styrofoamy smell, but sweet... purpleness. I don't even know how to describe the smell but it just smells... yummy.

Anyway, I just finished swiffering (I wonder if that word is in the dictionary yet?) my entire apartment. I even moved furniture, which is more than I can say from my days of vacuuming my old apartment (which always felt like a chore). I was opting for a regular Swiffer, and then looked at the Swiffer vacuum, but the former seemed too cheap for my needs, the latter way too expensive. I enjoy the WetJet. Its perfect for sweeping up dust, as well as scrubbing away all that Taco Bell mild sauce and Burger King ketchup that always seems to end up splattered on the floor.

I mentioned to a friend that I had bought one today and how much I love it. His response? "I personally want a Filipina maid." Classy.

The only gripe I have about the Swiffer WetJet is that I kept accidentally hitting the button on the handle, prematurely ejaculating the cleaning solution on things that I didn't mean to, or on a section of the floor that was already done, making me have to redo sections. It also says that one of the pads will go for 8 large rooms, but after 3 rooms and a small hallway (which is all I have) I had to throw the thing out. I guess one pad a week on cleaning day will do the trick with some light sweeping during the week to take care of those pesky renegade dustbunnies.

So yeah. I was having so much fun swiffering and pressing the button and squirting the stuff all over the place that I didn't even realize I had broken a sweat until I sat down to admire my work.


4 out of 4 stars for the WetJet yay!

yikes. this woman could be president.

Read this article. Its quite humorous-yet extremely frightening at the same time. I just can't fathom the possibility of a woman with such a low intelligence level and no common sense being a "heartbeat away from the presidency". Insane.

Palin takes prank call from fake French president

Nov 2, 2008 7:24 AM EST

TORONTO - Sarah Palin unwittingly took a prank call Saturday from a Canadian comedian posing as French President Nicolas Sarkozy and telling her she would make a good president someday.

"Maybe in eight years," replies a laughing Palin.

The Republican vice presidential nominee discusses politics, the perils of hunting with Vice President Dick Cheney, and Sarkozy's "beautiful wife," in a recording of the six-minute call released Saturday and set to air Monday on a Quebec radio station.

Palin campaign spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt confirmed she had received the prank call.

"Governor Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy and other celebrities, in being targeted by these pranksters. C'est la vie," she said.

The call was made by a well-known Montreal comedy duo Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel. Known as the Masked Avengers, the two are notorious for prank calls to celebrities and heads of state.

Audette, posing as Sarkozy, speaks in an exaggerated French accent and drops ample hints that the conversation is a joke. But Palin seemingly does not pick up on them.

He tells Palin one of his favorite pastimes is hunting, also a passion of the 44-year-old Alaska governor.

"I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm, take away life, that is so fun," the fake Sarkozy says.

He proposes they go hunting together by helicopter, something he says he has never done.

"Well, I think we could have a lot of fun together while we're getting work done," Palin counters.

"We can kill two birds with one stone that way."

The comedian jokes that they shouldn't bring Cheney along on the hunt, referring to the 2006 incident in which the vice-president shot and injured a friend while hunting quail.

"I'll be a careful shot," responds Palin.

Playing off the governor's much-mocked comment in an early television interview that she had insights into foreign policy because "you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska," the caller tells her: "You know we have a lot in common also, because ... from my house I can see Belgium."

She replies: "Well, see, we're right next door to different countries that we all need to be working with, yes."

When Audette refers to Canadian singer Steph Carse as Canada's prime minister, Palin replies: "Well, he's doing fine and yeah, when you come into a position underestimated it gives you an opportunity to prove the pundits and the critics wrong. You work that much harder." Canada's prime minister is Stephen Harper.

Palin praises Sarkozy throughout the call and also mentions his wife Carla Bruni, a model-turned-songwriter.

"You know, I look forward to working with you and getting to meet you personally and your beautiful wife," Palin says. "Oh my goodness, you've added a lot of energy to your country with that beautiful family of yours."

The Sarkozy impersonator tells Palin his wife is "so hot in bed" and then informs her that Bruni has written a song for her about Joe the Plumber entitled "Du rouge a levres sur une cochonne" - which translates as "Lipstick on a Pig."

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama derided his Republican challenger John McCain's call for change in Washington as "lipstick on a pig," days after Palin made a lipstick joke at the Republican convention. The McCain-Palin campaign then released an ad implying Obama was calling Palin a pig with that remark.

The caller asks Palin if Joe the Plumber is her husband and adds: "We have the equivalent of Joe the Plumber in France. It's called Marcel, the guy with bread under his armpit."

He also tells the Alaska governor that he loved the "documentary" made about her and referred to a pornographic film with a Palin look-alike made by Hustler founder Larry Flynt.

She answers tentatively, "Ohh, good, thank you, yes."

The callers then reveal the prank and identify themselves and their radio station.

"Ohhh, have we been pranked?" Palin asks before handing the phone to an aide who ends the call.

Obama's campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs, commenting on the prank, said: "I'm glad we check out our calls before we hand the phone to Barack Obama."

By CHARMAINE NORONHA Associated Press Writer

happy halloween

But I'm a good Christian woman, so I won't be partaking in the evil this year. Ya'll go ahead and enjoy those apples filled with razor blades and popcorn balls stuck with needles. Yummy!

one-faced

I just found this little gem again, its been circulating the Internet for a few years now. Cracks me up!

http://parisfacial.ytmnd.com/

defending my honor.

My boyfriend and I went out last night. I was definitely not in the mood, and wasn't up for doing much other than relaxing. His best friend was coming to hang out with us so I stopped being moody and decided to just go with the flow and have a good time. I really wanted a chance to get to know his best friend after the last time I met him a few weeks ago when I was bitter that I wasn't included in conversation.

The night started out just fine. We went to a dirty little gay bar in Cleveland (eh, they all kind of are) and I bought us a round of drinks. We finally had a chance to talk and get to know each other a bit, which was really nice.

The bar was really crowded last night. Some familiar faces were around as well. The "We Worship You!" guys were there. My old friend from high school came up to say hello and made me a bit angry when he said "Good for you!!!" in a really fake tone. I don't know if he was being fake or not, but I took it as a dig at me having a boyfriend whom they all can't take their eyes off of. I rolled my eyes at him and said, "good for what?" I dunno. Maybe I took it out of context but seriously, I have always had a boyfriend or someone that I'm dating or hanging out with. I don't feel "lucky" or that I'm with a guy right now for some piteous reason.

If you remember my blog from several weeks ago about the guys who I got into a verbal altercation with when they were flirting with my boyfriend (at the same bar, no less)... well, they were both back too. We've seen them out many times now but they tend to stay away after I told them I felt they were being extremely disrespectful toward the both of us.

Last night was different. The one guy seemed dead-set on pissing off my boyfriend. He put his arm around me while I was raiding the candy basket near the karaoke area. "A" shook his head and let it go. The dude dropped some candy on the ground and on his way up, grabbed my crotch. I pushed him off me and my boyfriend was visibly becoming angry, but again let it go. I talked to the guy's friend and ended up having a good conversation with him. Meanwhile, from what my boy tells me, the other one tried rubbing on his chest. Tension was building. It was time for "A" to sing so he went up on stage with his friends. The crazy guy came back to me and dragged me behind the stage area, reached out, and grabbed "A"s butt from behind. "A" turned around and yelled at him. I knew things were going to get bad, but just how bad? I had no idea what was about to happen.

It was finally time to go. "A"s best friend was outside talking to a beat-up looking Britney Spears. "A" went to close his tab at the bar. I went back inside and saw that an old guy had just bought him a fresh beer. I rolled my eyes at him and said that it was really time to go. He introduced me to the old man, who happens to run a lot of the benefits and shows at the local gay bars. While I was talking to the old man, the crazy guy came back. He said something about the Obama pin that "A" was wearing. I saw "A" tear it off his shirt and throw it. Then "A" turned around, yelling something about disrespect, and pointed at me. He obviously was being flirted with or something and told him that we were together.

The crazy guy grabbed "A"s crotch and laughed. Immediately, "A" punched the guy right back in the crotch. I was shocked, but the guy was still laughing. The guy looked at me, directly behind "A", and jumped right up in my face and kissed me smack-dab on the lips. I didn't even have time to react, I jumped back as quick as I could. "A" grabbed the guy by the head and threw him on the ground. It was a full-fledged bar fight with stools flying in every direction and punches being thrown. I tried to pull "A" off the guy. They were really going at it on the ground, and "A" is a big guy, so I couldn't for the life of me get into it nor did I have the strength to pull him off. A few seconds later they were pulled apart. I grabbed "A" and took him to the front corner of the bar. My heart sunk. He had blood and scratches all over his face, right around his eyes, all over his forehead, and on his neck. He was screaming and I tried to calm him down.

It was a bad scene, one that I don't want to ever see again. I felt honored to have someone fight for me, but still.. its just so stupid. "A"s eyes could've been put out, thats how close the scratches were. What man fights by scratching out someone's eyes?? Well, thats just too obvious in this situation. Its a weird thing to have someone you care about fight for you, and this has never happened to me before. I felt glad to know that "A" cares enough about me to beat the shit out of someone, but really upset that this whole thing happened.

My poor boyfriend. His face is so jacked up. I felt so bad last night and this morning when we woke up, he looks absolutely terrible. I really hope we're banned from the bar. I don't want to be around those people anymore.

switch the station.

As many of you may know, or not, I dunno... I don't watch regular or cable television. When I cancelled my internet service after moving in September, I was asked if I would be switching to satellite service or some other source for my television needs. I said I had not watched television in a couple years. I think I put the representative on the phone in shock for a moment. She couldn't believe I didn't watch TV. She asked if I had a set. Of course I do. I watch movies on it and play video games on occasion. She tried to be funny and technical and told me that I actually do watch then. NO, I don't. I don't surf channels. The only time in the past couple months that I tried to tune in regular OTA stations was to watch Univision for brushing up on Spanish and for the presidential debates. Other than that, I hate commercials, hate 40 minute shows that require an hour of my time to watch, and just the complete and utter garbage that one must sift through or wait on until something worthwhile comes on.

My alternative was always downloading my tv shows in the past. I only have a handful that I watch, including Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal, Brothers & Sisters, The Office, 30 Rock, and several HBO and Showtime programs that I would never pay to subscribe to because they're just outrageous, in my opinion.

After a few downloading scares (I got busted for downloading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, of all things to be busted for..) and a third threat from my ISP to quit downloading or else I'm getting kicked off their service, I decided to join Netflix back in January. Goddamm, do I love that website. I have watched hundreds of movies this year so far, and have even more in my queue. AND I get all my tv shows commercial free and episode after episode.

Since its Fall and its been snowing and sleeting here randomly for a couple days now, I decided to get back into TV mode and I'm once again going crazy for my shows. I added a couple more in the past few months.

I love Entourage, Weeds, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I started Boston Legal from the very beginning. I just got to watch some of Brothers & Sisters since I missed almost all of last season when the writers' strike was going on.. What are you watching this fall? Any new shows that seem interesting so far? Just curious.

the poopkin.

My little sister Katie and I are obsessed--with poop. Its nothing completely disgusting or foul, but we just make poop references and she sends me random fake-poop pictures all the time. I started it years ago when she was an angel. She would always laugh but never talked about poop with me. Now, the tables have turned and some days, she can be totally shocking to me.

Tonight, in the spirit of Halloween, I present to you... Katie's Poop Pumpkin. I'm dubbing it "The Poopkin." It's really quite good. I didn't realize it at first until she mentioned it. The ears are the P's.

She sent tonight's Poopkin along with a message.

"Mother thought it was a cute Woody Allen until she realized the ears were P's and it spelled 'poop'".

The Poopkin

update-

So tonight, I laid my feelings and emotions right out there in plain view. Thanks to those who responded to my previous "question-" blog. I decided when I got home from work tonight to write a simple one-page letter, nothing too crazy or deep, but one in which I pretty much divulged my feelings and how happy I am right now.

I met him out at a bar, Saturday is kind of our off night and he works early Sundays so we've just been drinking a bit at some dirty bar in Cleveland. There were many more people involved tonight, some old friends whom I haven't seen in a while, so things were a bit different and very entertaining. But I had my letter ready to go for the end of the night when we said goodbye.

I didn't get fancy with presents or anything. I mean, come on, let's not get ridiculous... its been a month, but I think we're at the point to reveal how we're feeling to each other.

I realized, too, after writing this note... that I love "A". Not in love, but I love him as a person and he makes me so happy. He had actually mentioned it when we first got together tonight. He said he wasn't in love with me but he loves me... he doesn't want to sound crazy to me, and that it would take more time for something deeper, which I'm fine with. I revealed that I love him too. He was so glad I felt the same way and it wasn't one-sided, which just made me love him even more.

We talked a lot tonight. He told me his mother has been pushing for him to transfer from the community college we both go to for a bigger school in another state several hundred miles away. He told me about this early this morning, and I told him to go for it. Don't hold back because of me, please! I don't want someone to regret anything based on me. I thought about this all day though... if he would transfer in a year, is this thing we're doing pointless? "I'm not going anywhere. I met you." I re-iterated my beliefs but he said he used to want to get out of town, now it doesn't really matter. He's got me here, and that's more important. They are meeting on Monday to talk for a bit, and I have a really odd feeling he will come out to her then. Maybe not, but he said he wanted to let her know he is in a relationship and ... well, I'll just leave it at that for now and see what happens. Its all up to him, I'm not pushing him in any certain direction whatsoever.

I listened to some Tim McGraw on the way home after seeing him. I hate country. At least, I hated it before. "A" has completely turned me on to it. I'm not going to turn into some bushwhacking hill-jack but seriously, the right country songs are so perfect for situations that you find yourself in. Its so weird. All the way home, I would hit "random" on my iPod and a country song would come on, totally giving my feelings at that moment a stamp of approval.

Oh man, I'm so happy right now. I don't know where this is going nor do I want to focus on it, but it is what it is. I'm falling in love, and I can actually say it now. More importantly, he feels the exact same way.

question-

Today marks one month since "A" and I began hanging out. We didn't really start dating, persay, until about a week later. I know he remembers the date we met, when I told him I wasn't out looking for a relationship with anyone, having just broken up with someone a week prior.

Well, things can change and evolve, and try as I did to not fall for him, it happened. The difference, this time, stems from the fact that we were just friends having a good time and hanging out, nothing sexual whatsoever. Interestingly enough, I've never dated someone that I came to like as a person first. I don't know....it's just a totally different type of relationship than what I've experienced before.

My question is this: I don't want to get all crazy and do anything ridiculous for a one month "anniversary". I do want to show him that I care. I'm pretty masculine, and he's very masculine, and although he did give me a dozen roses for Sweetest Day, I don't think flowers would do the trick for him (like it did for my gay ass). What should I do? Like I said... nothing expensive, extravagant, or mooshy. I just want to give him something that reminds him that I think about him a lot and I honestly do care about him.

Give me some suggestions!? I think I'll give it to him this weekend or something.

poker face

Here's the new video from Lady GaGa. Love her!

insecurities.

Why do we let little insecurities rule our lives? I have mine, you have yours. They are usually really private things that no one knows about besides ourselves, unless we choose to reveal them to someone. Revealing those insecurities takes a lot of trust and can be very painful to let go of. I've let go of some in the past but still hang on to way too many, harbored from past comments from others or from feelings that I've had about myself since I was a kid. Most of the time, coming out with something you're insecure of has a really good effect, since the trusted ear we whisper it to gives us a little boost by saying, "that's nothing!" or "no big deal! who cares, I don't!"

I'm not going to make this all about revealing my insecurities. I just received some pictures of one of the most powerful, rich, and well-known women of our time, and probably of all time. You know who... Madonna.

In the past few months, the tabloids, newspapers, television shows, and pretty much every media outlet has made fun of her hands, calling them "man-hands" or "skeleton hands". I've seen some of the pictures, and they really do try to make them look bad, if not actually worse than they'd really look in person (rather than on a possibly manipulated picture taken under poor lighting conditions at night).

I looked at these pictures a few minutes ago and realized, with a real degree of sadness, that Madonna has been hurt by these comments. Even though she doesn't watch television or read magazines, she has heard about all of this from some source. This mega star is a real, vulnerable person with real feelings, and now she is covering up. She mentioned in her documentaries of the past that she has insecurities, like her "big Italian thighs" (which is why she wears thigh high boots or really dark and tight fishnet stockings all the time). Now, her hands are also the focus.

Take a look at these pictures that my friend Branko sent me and see what she's doing to try and hide herself and cover up her insecurities.

click on the pictures for larger copies.

*pictures courtesy of Branko - taken 10/19/2008, Toronto, CA