I think the day is coming and HGF is here!

I try my best to find the guys for HGF on my own, but this morning The folks over at Squarehippies, no I do not understand the origin of their name, have brought me up short. They featured Christian Slater, who, though I think is plenty hot, had never occurred to me, and I'd never seen these pics, so I thought I just had to do a direct steal. Thanks to Squarehippies for the idea, and enjoy Chrisitan. He's another of those actors who got by on their looks through their youth and then fucked up so badly they actually had to come back and work their asses off and ACT so they could resume their careers. But didn't he come back even better than ever?








I may have said this before, but I truly believe that there is another civil war coming in this country. That the internal struggle to define our country is still not over, perhaps will never be over.

This time though it's going to be a crusade. It'll be a holy war carried out by those totally committed to their cause and with complete conviction that their beliefs are the right ones.

I think it's going to be the evangelicals against the gays.(yes, I've succumbed to the popular notion that gay is a damn noun) And God only knows who would win that one.

I keep seeing more and ore evidence that this country is full of ignorant bigots. I mean, I always knew that on some level, but I don't think I realized that it exists to the extent that it does.

Just this week we have several examples of this controversy, Colorado State Sentor Scott Renfroe waxed poetic about his views that gay sex=murder and neither should be legalized. Utah State Senator Chris Buttars refers to homosexuals in these terms "...They're probably the greatest threat to America going down I know of."

And just in case we hadn't had a weekly does of race prejudice we have the ignorant mayor of Los Alamitas who thinks watermelon hunt jokes are funny. He'll be resigning on Monday, but that doesn't solve the problem. The problem is that these people are ignorant bigots. If they'll make public jokes about Black President's. WHAT do they say about fags? Seriously. I can only imagine. I realize that Los Alamitos is a little shit stain of a community in the middle of Orange County and that the opinions of those airheads amounts to little, but don't forget that there's money in Orange County and money means influence.

But the few isolated incidents we hear about are only the tips of the iceberg. White people have kept themselves completely cut off from black people, and most prefer it that way.And PLEASE don't tell me that some of your best friends are black. I just got that speech from some ignorant kid the other day. he thought the best way to relate to me would be to tell me that he has a really good friend who used to be his neighbor and he calls the guy Princess. I was speechless. Through this disconnect people therefore make completely baseless and rash generalizations and perpetuate stupid and degrading stereotypes and a lot of these people have been elected to LEAD!!!!

This is why I think that there is a war a comin'. I think with the hatred and the bigotry and the lack of money and jobs and housing, that George W. Bush has set the stage for the people to rise up and remove white folks from power. That the craziness that has been simply accepted as normal for us white people is what will be our undoing. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

In fact Chris Rock said it in an HBO special I saw recently. "George Bush has made it tough for the white man to be President." He went on to describe how badly the guy fucked things up, and he was absolutely right. Funny, but right.

They've managed to mess with the one thing that makes everyone funny...their money.

The civil war of the 21st Century will be anything but funny.

Isn't it Ironic

I really do find it ironic that the very people who shoved the war on Terror down our throats like a bad second date,i.e. "let's go take over Iraq. They hate us, and they've fucked with my Daddy, and best of all they've got oil." are the very people who are, right now, fighting tooth and nail to prevent our current President for doing ANYTHING for us.

Now before those of you who are Republican get all itchy and start writing this off as another of his rants against Republicans let me make my point.

We've spent over 3 trillion dollars on the war in Iraq. SO FAR! We now know that there never were WMD's, and that Iraq didn't actually have an active role in promoting September 11, nor terrorist training until AFTER we invaded and took over their country.

Was Saddam Hussein a good guy? Well, no he wasn't, but just because he was a shit doesn't mean we,as the world's police force, get to be the world's biggest bully and just take over whoever we want. If there had been time, we'd be in Iran now I assure you.

But let us return to our homeland, to borrow a phrase. Here at home we've spent trillions of dollars on others. Be it to help them, or to make them be "democratic," or to move in on them and take over their country, we've spent untolled amounts of money. But with all the money we print daily, we're what, 37th in health care, we have a lower life expectancy than dozens of countries, and we pay out the ass for health care.

I will say, in defense of the many dr's who are my friends, that most physicians have no interest in screwing their patients. They want to pay their bills just like we do. They want to earn a decent living, and for a physician that's anywhere from 150k to 5-6k. I can't fault them for that, they work very hard, and they give ALL of their time to others. They're on call, they're awake at all hours, they truly give, and you rarely ever hear any complaints. Patients are another matter. They complain all the time. They're sick and crabby, I get it.

But we have allowed an insidious little group insert themselves into the health care process. INSURANCE COMPANIES. Now, we all know insurance is a ripoff. We know it. And they're so powerful they've gotten laws enacted MAKING us pay them. We HAVE TO HAVE car insurance. I don't advocate repealing the law that makes everyone have liability insurance, but that just demonstrates their power.

It's been testified before congress that physicians have actively participated in Insurance company profiteering by denying health care. And yes people have died as a result. Is THAT doing no harm? How does one live with the knowledge that with the stroke of a pen they not only denied someone desperately needed health care, but effectively signed their death warrant. They should be forced to pay for that persons funeral and attend as well.

Single-payer health care, will probably not be the answer. And the Pharmaceutical companies,(the other fly in the health care ointment) probably didn't realize it when they got us all to pay them outrageous sums for medicare prescription coverage, but they've set the stage for universal health care. If we pay for seniors,let's just pay for everybody. And let's get them to bid the damn jobs too. Let's see just exactly what is wrong with France's health care system, and what drawbacks there are to socialized medicine in England before we forge ahead with the obvious plan to force everyone into indentured servitude to health insurance companies.

Example: I'm a very healthy early 50's white male. I have a Master's degree as well as a PhD. I have a reasonably stable professional job which pays me an average wage. I also have a part time job teaching that pays me reasonably well also. My full time job will, until July 1, of this year, provide my health insurance coverage. After that I will begin to pay a small portion, effectively nullifying that $13.00 per pay period I'm getting from the tax break. And remember that's temporary, so I'll eventually get to pay both of them and I get no raise this year due to the economy.

Last year, I had a colonoscopy, a stress test, and a halter monitor. Mostly those were precautionary since I'm 50 and I live in the United states and I eat what everyone else eats,a lot of junk. All of these tests were fine. I am perfectly healthy.

But it cost me over 3k to have those tests even with health insurance.

One thing that I am concerned over is that I snore. I broached this subject with the dr, and he suggested I have a sleep study. I called the insurance company. Their response was that even tough I only have a 1k deductible they only authorize $750 for this study which costs $1250. So I'd still be on the hook for another $500, even though I've met and well exceeded the deductible on my policy. See how this works?

The study did not get done. And it was all about money. Which as you know is bullshit.

So let's see if we can actually spend some of the outrageous sums we spend whether we have it or not on ourselves. Let's see if we can actually become an educated, healthy confident populace. I'm betting their will be a whole lotta fighting in congress over this.

I wonder if it'll be us or the insurance companies who have the final say.

You've Got Mail! (Hate mail that is)

I got hate mail! Well, in truth it was a hate comment. But hate it was.

Apparently there are good God-fearing Christians who troll the internet looking for any homage to Matthew Shepard, and then they pounce.

I rejected this particular comment because they plugged their own website with a link at the end, and I'm not a BBS for Christian crazies, thanks anyway.

But they asked things like: "How many Christian churches have been burned by you homosexuals? Lots." Seriously? They think we have time to go about designating and then actually burning churches? How crazy can they be? I got four jobs folks! Thanks to George W Bush, I have to have four jobs. I have to pay someone to clean my apartment, where would I find time to burn your church?

They ended with a cute little prayer which I was supposed to say, and it said something about asking Jeebus for forgiveness cause I'm going to hell for my sinning ways, blah blah blah. I'd have said it if I believed in all that Jesus, Mary and Joseph Mumbo-Jumbo. But I don't, so thanks for my first hate mail on the blog. history in the making.

I really liked the Republican response to Obama's speech last night. Particularly the part where they put $787 BILLION on the screen and ran it right in your face.
I noticed they neglected to mention the






click here to learn more

to date. And that was a made up war cause our last President has Daddy issues. And his Vice wanted free oil for his joints. (oil me)

Who, I wonder is it that tells those who speak not to move their facial muscles? Sebelius did it last year when responding to the State of the Union. Someone is giving really crappy advice. These people look like zombies when they only move their mouths. Let them talk.

Basically it was a rah-rah speech to get us all motivated. But it neglected a few key points. Like taking responsibility. That would be a good one. he kissed a little Republican ass, always a good idea when you still need them.

I found GuyfromChicago's latest post on his trip to St. Louis during Mardi Gras absolutely hilarious. I think what I like most about this guy's blog is that he just pours himself out on the page. There he is, warts and all, like him or don't. You can't help but like him cause he's so genuine. His alluding to waking up rubbing someone's husband's pecs killed me. (thank god I've NEVER done anything like that before)

Apparently people have never heard of bluetooth since people think I'm talking to myself when I'm driving down the road on the phone. I had a woman last night say something very catty about me talking to myself so of course, I had to set her illiterate ass straight. "I was on the phone." "Where is it?" "It's in the rear view mirror." I'm still not sure she was convinced. Wow people really are stupid huh?

Which Way Is Up

The propaganda machine should be shifting into high gear any day now. The California Supreme Court hearing on Prop 8 is March 4, and I can't imagine the haters laying low until afterward.

The supporters, if they're smart will get out in big numbers, but do so peacefully. They'll make their presence known and they'll not make a big confrontational deal out of it...if they're smart. They're seldom smart.

The Dow is wending it's way very quickly down through 7k and appears headed for 1995 territory. We can't afford it anymore. Of course we can't afford anything anymore. I'd like to see what the popular opinion is when we can no longer afford 2001 prices and it's time for retailers and manufacturers alike to drop their prices. The end is NOT near, and we just get to stand here and watch.

Health Care is going to cost over 8k per person this year. And according to Michael Moore, Richard Nixon is to blame for supporting Kaiser Permanente. No surprise that business is screwing the people. What never ceases to amaze me is that as smart as business is, it's never smart enough to stop when the stopping is good. They've just gotta keep going and going until someone either steps in and stops them, or the marketplace collapses under its own weight.

We're headed for smaller everything. Smaller cars, houses, lives, and the one thing we need desperately, a smarter populace, well, it just isn't going to happen. As another of the interviewees in Sicko said , "An educated, healthy, confident population is difficult to govern." Well, we've seen prof that our government doesn't want that now haven't we.

The money that needs to be spent is on the future. We need to clean our water, our air, and renew our urban cores. We need to commit to civil rights for everyone, and renew our commitment to keeping church and state separate. We need to provide health care for all of our citizens, and we need to provide a quality education to anyone who is willing to do the work to get it. We need to stop creating diploma mills that hand out degrees for filling out forms online. We need to stop devaluing the bachelor's degree to the point that it's today's high school diploma, and if we're going to practice segregation, then let's segregate the smart and REALLY educate them. Let's put our best minds to work training more great minds and then actually listen to what they have to say. We need to get smart and right quick or we're going to stop being the world's leader.

Mexico has taken one of the most crowded, most polluted, most crime-ridden cities on the face of the earth and is successfully turning it into a model of what our 21st Century cities must become.

And we're fighting over who gets to marry.

France, I am given to understand, provides health care, house calls, college education, and mandated vacation, among many other things, and they're not awash in taxes.

And we're admonishing the President for getting new helicopters he didn't even order.

England supports its people in many similar ways, yet they all manage to have a higher and healthier standard of living than we ever have.

And we had to take Ground Zero rescuers to Cuba for adequate health care.

Why will we not see that the people we have helped make it back from the brink of destruction took advantage of that help and made their country better? Why, if we can facilitate that kind of massive cultural change in other countries will we not even discuss making it in our own?

We look at certain groups, like the gays, as self destructive sinners, yet we continue to stumble down the primrose path to collective ruin and we do nothing more than point the finger of blame as we falter along. Our zeal over religion is destroying us. Let's ask Germany how well zeal served them.

Nationalization, Socialization(read communism,)bailouts, takeovers. These are the new code words for fear. "Live in fear" that's the motto of the old guard of the Republican party, and that's exactly what their followers do. They march in lock step to the tarantella of fear. What war and terrorism couldn't make us afraid of, poverty will.

If the conspiracy theorists can't make a case for a unified effort to tear the country apart, then one certainly can make a case for a convergence of greed, stupidity, and laissez-faire that created an atmosphere which can bring something we once held dear to its knees.

Is our current "plan" going to fix the problem? I doubt it. It's as though those who have the wealth can't see what's about to happen. It's as though the strength of their ability to deny reality can overpower the truth. And that truth is that this country is changing in ways none of us fully understands yet. And I think it's changing in some ways that will humble a once very proud and confident people.

I think the entire system needs to be reinvented, and that needs to be done by people who are willing to do it responsibly. Do we have that guy? I don't think so, I think we've laid a whole shitload of stuff at the doorstep of one guy and expected him to make it all ok.

We've been kept so naive and stupid by our own government that we don't know any better. So here we sit, on our hands waiting for the downfall. And it's not going to be one of those World Trade Center moments.

It's going to be as simple as someone very powerful picking up a phone and calling in a marker.

Nero fiddled while Rome burned, and we lit the match. Our whimper will barely be perceptible.

Pensive

How do you explain to a new generation what it means to yours to fight for your rights?
How do you communicate to them that the freedoms that they rightfully take for granted were hard won and often at the cost of peoples lives?
How do you make them understand that the fight is not over, that their time to take up the mantle has come, and that it is urgent that they do so?

I am of a generation that was forced through necessity to stand up.Through the tears of loss, and the anger at indifference, we stood our ground and demanded what was right and what was ours. We didn’t win every battle, but we did win quite a few. And we taught many people what was right. Yet we are not through.

Those of us who are entering our later years still have a job to do which we have not much prepared for. We have to educate our youth.

The other day I read a blog posting by Jay Brannan, a young folk artist who is also gay. It is his wish that his work not be identified as gay music. That he be thought of as an artist and that his music stand on it’s own. I completely understand that. In many ways I agree. My own artistic work explores all of the human experience and the universality of those stories that we all know, straight or gay. It’s that ability to look at the total experience of this life and be able to recognize what is universal about it for us all that makes me want to work harder and be a better artist.

But, I guess, due to my age, or the generation I hail from, I also realize I have a responsibility. To stand up and proudly proclaim that I am a gay man, who knows he is measured differently because of who he loves, and that there is a perceived difference between me and heterosexual men, and that that perception makes me less than heterosexual men in many eyes. Certainly a liability to some. I know that the part of my work that examines and portrays gay men is representative of my own experience in this world, and that my unique viewpoint bears a weight.

One of our biggest mistakes was to allow our history to be denied us. To allow the machine that is our culture to have systematically edited our contributions to this world. And they were many.

From the historically safe distance of Alexander the Great, to the silence that surrounds the existence of Bayard Rustin. From James Buchanan to Bertrand Delanoë. from Da Vinci , to Neil Patrick Harris, history has demonstrated the heterosexual willingness to ignore their repugnance over who some men and women love when it’s expedient for them to do so.

Proclaiming your sexuality shouldn’t pigeon hole your work, but it does. It shouldn’t preclude you from being considered for work outside your personal experience, but it does. It shouldn’t make people turn away from you on a professional level…but it does.

This battle is not over, far from it. We must educate those who will come after us as to their responsibilities and what they will face in this world. We must teach them that it is incumbent on them to face these battles and win as many as they can. And yes we must allow them to insist that their work be considered on its own merits not that of a gay artist, but as an artist who created something of beauty for us to enjoy, for us to learn from, for us to pass on to future generations, for us to be proud of.

So thank all the artists who represent us in that larger world who are willing and able to teach by example those that would deny us our history. Who will demonstrate through their art that the human experience is a universal experience and the way our heart tells us is right is always the truth.

Better Late than Never HGF!!!

I've been sick, so my sense of time is more warped than usual. And I got all caught up in the story about the 90 y/o man who had to go back to work after Madoff stole all his money. Bernard Madoff, let's hope his next address is a third world prison.

It appears my new saddle will be spending the weekend in Oklahoma city. That's apparently all the farther it has gotten from Yoakum TX. Which is fine. I'd hate for it to be in town and at the UPS facility down the street from me and me not able to get to it since they'd be closed.

BUT the real purpose of a Friday is Hot Guy's.

So without further ado:

Nick Stahl is one of those guys who though a bit quirky looking makes you do a double take since the quirkiness leans to the handsome and not the scary.

I'd paid him no attention at all, especially since he's so young, but then I started watching Carnivale on HBO. Nick was what you might call a stand out in my mind, so Happy HGF!

Adventures..I love them

I truly love that we're in all this uncharted territory. We're in the midst of this huge cultural war in which the haves (heterosexuals) are systematically denying the have nots (homosexuals) their civil rights because they don't like what they perceive we do. Interestingly the Mormons are leading the charge.

The economy is shrinking in ways never seen before and our lives are going to change as a result. I have this feeling bankruptcy court is in the future for many of us. Not life ending, but certainly life altering. I think the way we live is going to undergo a fundamental change, and though I personally think it's good, it widens the gap in our society. The classes have been quite a bit more well defined. Which is what Bush and Co wanted in the first place.

Immigrants, illegal and otherwise are being persecuted for being brown, or yellow, or anything but pink or white. It seems there's a Sheriff in Maricopa County Arizona who parades his prisoners around in pink underwear for all to see, and has been accused of countless other atrocities as well.

One of the members of the group Bay City Rollers, who were big back in the day, now claims he was date-raped at 19 which made him gay and he's been cheating on his wife with both men and women ever since. BUT! He's 90% "fixed" now. This bastard should rot.

I'm always torn when someone claims they were abused in some way. Did they place themselves, at 19, in a situation in which they were fairly certain that the other person would move to sexualize their relationship? Did they in effect use this person to out themselves creating a convenient and permanent scapegoat with which to escape the responsibility of their own sexuality? Or were they actually taken advantage of? This makes it difficult to sort out the good from the bad in such cases I would think. If the person in question really was looking for a way to explore their sexuality and couldn't think of any other way to do it than be less than honest with not only their partner, but themselves as well, then who exactly is at fault here? Certainly at 19 a young man is responsible for his actions in a sexual relationship.

Point is, if he's using that poor guy he slept with 34 years ago to explain away his own heinous behavior for the last several decades I say he should be drawn and quartered in the town square. Let's hear from the other guy in this situation, if he agrees with Les' version then he's a bastard. If he does indeed say that he and Les had consensual sex, then Les is a coward.

In the end the culture wars will rage on until and unless some of us can be a bit more forthright about our behaviors and our intentions. i.e.Mormons,those that want out of the closet,the scheming rich and powerful,etc. If that day ever comes we can all sit around the campfire and have ourselves a warm can of beans and talk about it. Because we'll probably be back to living in tents and eating beans out of a can by then. And we thought it was a third world country BEFORE Bush left office. Let's wait for the aftermath and see what he hath wrought.

Ah, the rewards of complacency.

Now THIS would keep me anything but complacent:

Monday..on Tuesday!

I should have known what kind of Monday this was the minute I pulled out of my garage. Neighbors blocking the lane, then oh so generous and kind drivers on the highway, and then work BS the second I arrived. I'm so glad I got out of bed.

The Mormons are taking out full page hate ads against us, using pictures of interracial couples for good measure. People are getting arrested in Chicago for protesting the denial of marriage licenses, and churches in West Virginia are being used to scare people into thinking that gay marriage is the apocalypse.

And I am thinking that living in a third world country may be better than this. I still like the idea of Cuba. Hell with my savings I'd be rich. AND I'd get health care, according to Sicko, which I saw yesterday. I think I'm finally done crying. Not sure though, it took me quite by surprise when it happened in the middle of the movie.

Maybe I'll defect.

I could make pots ride horses and stay to myself for a change.

There's never a consulate when you need one.

Hot Guy Friday!

Happy Hot Guy Friday, and Happy Valentine's day tomorrow.

Today I thought that since I'm always celebrating celebrity with my posts, both major and minor, I'd look at the average joe in honor of the day.

These guys are the ones we ogle every day of our lives and then we get online and all we want to see is Jake Gyllenhaal. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

But have a happy Valentine's day, If you're attached snuggle up and ignore outsiders. If you're single, well...snuggle up anyway.













I went on a search for average guys and then I realized I know of a place where there are lots of them. Richard Rothstein at Proceed at your own risk has several features called Men at Work, Organics, and Ink. I thank him for his extensive research on these and many other subjects. These photos are courtesy of his blog.

Educate educate educate

But first figure out what the term means.

I contend that the election of our first African American President has exacerbated not only our barely concealed racism, but most importantly our ignorance.

With items like this, and this, and this, appearing all over the news, and the internet, that the 79 billion dollars for education is more necessary than ever.

Ignorance is the problem. Of course Barack Obama isn't helping the situation any If we with little pecadilloes like THIS .

Yes, it's funny to hear the President of the United States tell someone they're not his bitch, however, that is not my point here. Barack Obama is just funny in those clips and I had to share.

Prince Harry apparently said something stupid to a black person. His indiscretion could, and likely should be chalked up to the foolish chatter of a sheltered and privileged young person. Has Harry really been out in the world? I doubt it.

A baker in the West Village apparently thinks blackface is funny. This is racism of the worst kind not only because it insults...well...everyone, but it demonstrates publicly that the inventor of these pastries is of the opinion that LOTS of people would think this is funny so he should share.

Does anyone have to wonder what went wrong with their education? I do.

If we keep the populace stupid, and that's exactly what we're doing with our current mode of education, then what service can we possible be providing as educators and as legislators?

The people are still stupid, they don't know they've been screwed out of a first class education, which should be readily available to anyone who wants it in the richest country on earth, so they're no help.

It's incumbent on the educators to see to it that the people are educated. The legislators can't be expected to be responsible, they're dolts hewn from the same mold as the people, so their lack of education should be a given. Hence their inability to help fix the situation.

The educators, the very ones responsible for seeing to it that the people get said education are mired in bureaucracy. They're beneath worthless. Take the school board of Kansas City Missouri for a prime example.

The board members are volunteers, they are paid nothing, they are subjected to the demands of the taxpayers and the courts, (the desegregation lawsuit against them went on for over 20 years,)they lost accreditation in 1999 for failing to meet ANY of the 11 state standards for accreditation, and were only granted provisional accreditation in 2002 for meeting FOUR of those standards.

Would you want to hire a graduate of such a school system? Of course not.

I have an anecdote to illustrate my position from my life today. There is a process at my job, very easy, you take these things, put them on this cart, take them to this guy,(me) and leave them in his office. In the event that he is not there you will find a yellow bin in the hall. Place the items in that, he will retrieve them on his return. If there is no yellow bin and he is not there and his office is locked, give them to the guy in the office next to his.

Does that sound complicated?

Wait, I'll give it to you just as the supervisor in said department gave it to their employees:

"If the yellow crate is on the table, put the items in the yellow crate.

If the yellow crate is not on the table, place the items on the black cart in this guy's office.
If the yellow crate is not on the table and his office is locked, bring the items to the guy next door to him.

Do not bring any yellow crates from here to put on the table."

I should add that before this email could be sent out the acting supervisor had to call the actual supervisor at home and get her ok, since she is out after surgery. Can you imagine someone calling you at home post-op to ask if they can send out an email?

This procedure was established several years ago when we moved to this location. It has not been modified or altered in any way since that time. Yet about three weeks ago it went flooey. Why you ask? I cannot tell you, but if such a simple procedure cannot be followed does this not indicate that someone involved is simply simple?

Why would people who've been doing the same thing the same way at the same time every day of the week for three years suddenly need to be re-educated?

This indicates either a complete lack of ability to retain simple instruction, or an unwillingness to follow said instruction. This is the problem I am talking about. we are nt educating our own people to be able to follow and retain simple instructions. And yet we hold ourselves forth as the greatest nation on earth. That either takes a lot of Chutzpah, or just plain stupidity. I vote for the latter.

We will never succeed as a nation until we educate our people. We will never achieve the dream of being the "best" again until our citizens have the quality education they're entitled to.

The American Dream shouldn't be to own a house, it should be to be able to read a book, any book, and understand it.

In lieu of being able to fix that mess I'll leave you with this hot mess to ponder.




John Phillip Law was a hottie wasn't he?

Letters

Dear Mr. President:

For future reference:

Mentioning Charlie Crist and hoses in the same sentence...not a good idea.

Thanks
Me


"...Everyone needs to grab a hose and that's what Charlie Crist is doing here today."
Barack Obama

At least he doesn't tell lies.

The rats! The rats!

Interesting how they always start to jump off the sinking ship. Those wily rats.

Parties galore this week at work for those who are moving on to other ventures, or none at all. Some are changing jobs some are retiring. I hope I'm none of those.

I got another memo yesterday which brought home the message that though things are still in limbo no one will accurately know their status until July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year. That's when they'll let us know if they have chosen to afford us or not. I feel so secure right now. (ahem)

I wish my friends in Oklahoma would respond to my email. I think the weather yesterday was away from where they live, but living in that hellhole (to borrow a phrase) where tornadoes spring up like weeds anything is possible.

The stimulus package is morphing again. Now it's the house vs the senate. let's hope something resembling common sense gets back in there. I laugh at a lot of the conservatives comments on the internet about how this stimulus package is just spending and won't do a thing. And not one of them uttered a word when Bush spent hundreds of billions of dollars bankrupting us on a war for oil and not terrorism. Not one word. And they suddenly have no memory of any of it. All they can see is a black guy spending money they think is all for other black guys. Let's ask the black guys in New Orleans how much they get.

As for me,I'd be happy to sit here for a while and ride this thing out. I can perfect some skills, learn a few new ones I hope, and put a little in the bank. Not to mention making foundations for the plans I have.

Here's hoping I get to do exactly that.

And here's a little pick me up for Wednesday...God! is it really only Wednesday?




Jay Mohr is just one of those guys you want to like. I don't know if he's likeable, but I want him to be. I like his wife too, but she should stop with the restalin in the lips, she was totally cute to begin with. Not as cute as her husband, but cute.

Asked and answered

This from Americablog today-

Fred Barnes says global warming is a myth because it was cold this winter
John Aravosis (DC) · 2/10/2009 08:38:00 AM ET · Link
33 Comments · reddit · FARK · Digg It! · Stumble It! · facebook

It's Sarah Palin logic. George Bush logic. The logic of the uneducated masses who the Republicans love to claim to represent and serve (when they really represent and serve corporate America). It's a pathological love affair with stupid. And the GOP needs to get over it, fast.

TPM Muckraker:

Check out this passage from Barnes' latest column for the Weekly Standard:

Democrats couldn't hide their self-consciousness about the excesses of their own bill. Supporters made few TV appearances to defend it and rarely talked about specific spending items. Obama sounded like Al Gore on global warming. The more the case for man-made warming falls apart, the more hysterical Gore gets about an imminent catastrophe. The more public support his bill loses, the more Obama embraces fear-mongering. (our itals.)

We hadn't heard anything lately about the case for man-made global warming falling apart. In fact, just the opposite. So we called Barnes and asked him what he was referring to.

At first, he cited the fact that it's been cold lately.

Perhaps sensing this was less than convincing, Barnes then asserted that there had been a "cooling spell" in recent years. "Haven't you noticed?" he asked.

Asked for firmer evidence of such cooling, Barnes demurred, telling TPMmuckraker he was too busy to track it down.

We pressed Barnes again: surely he could tell us where he had found this vital new information, which could upend the current debate over how to address global warming.

In response, Barnes said only that he knew where he had found it, but would not tell us, apparently as a matter of principle. "I'm not going to do your research for you," he eventually said, before hurriedly ending the call.

There's some confidence building logic for you. It's cold outside so there's no such thing as global warming. Another Republican I'd love to vote for.

Yeah! Well, I got $16.00 in my checking acct so I guess that means I'm solvent huh? No matter that I wrote a check for $32.00 on Sunday, I guess I don't need to transfer any money into that acct, I'm solvent. Duh, what was I thinking?

I suddenly realized while reading this that their insistence on gutting the education portion of the stimulus bill isn't because they need to keep the populace stupid so they can't figure out they're being screwed, it's to keep them stupid so they don't figure out what idiots they've elected and boot them from office on principle.

Good class last night. They're really warming up to working on these monologues and they mostly take the advice to heart. It's so different than the last two semesters I can't believe it. These people seem to want to learn something.

It's interesting when things at work are going along fine isn't it? Cause invariably some dickhead comes along and gets involved in something that's none of their fucking business and it gets all fucked up.

That's the case here today. I have this really simple process that takes like ten minutes of my day wherein people bring books to y office and I do a few things in the computer and send them on their way. Sounds simple doesn't it? Put books on a cart and take them to my office. What could be easier? Well, someone who likes to manufacture crises has inserted themselves into a process that had been going swimmingly, and now it's a gripey mess. I found a box of books for me out in the hall yesterday afternoon and went insane. Of course, this person's old boss has transferred to another job which precipitated this mess, and then I found out this morning that her other supervisor is having her gall bladder out this morning so i doubt this stupidity will get resolved anytime soon. God I love people.

Of course I'm unfortunately reliant on the most passive guy in the place to handle the problem since he's the guy I answer to on this particular issue, so the gorgon that's causing the problem will likely just run right over him and do what she wants.

I feel an illness coming on.

Besides it's going to be 70 degrees today. How cool is that in February?

There's an ad on yahoo today for flowers for Saturday. The caption says the flowers are "fresh from the fields" I say right after that there should be a parenthetical reference that says (where you'll all be working soon)


Here's a guy I love. He may be immature, and he may be tall, which I seldom like. But he sure has a nice voice and he's not hard on the eyes either.

I do my research

See! Plenty cute!

A little follow up post to all those who are trying to drag me over the coals about Colin Farrell and my dislike of the guy.

1. I'm entitled to dislike him and express my opinion on my own blog if I so choose. I do not have to accept nor publish anyones comments to the contrary.

2. I have done a little research here, and I'd like to support my comments about this guy being a movie star.

Let me also say, I keep mentioning MOVIE STAR not actor. I think the guy can act, he's fine and he's plenty cute, I'd blow him if he asked nicely.

But!!!

He is NOT a movie star! And anyone who says otherwise is NUTS!

Here are his stats, these include only Domestic gross of his films. This is what studios look at when they consider actors for another film. It's where they make their money. And believe me if you ain't makin them the money honey, you ain't around for long. This is what mystifies me about Colin Farrell:

The war zone-254,441 budget unk
Tigerland -139,692 budget unk
American outlaws-13,342,790 budget unk
Hart’s War 19.077,641domestic gross Budget-70 million
Minority Report-132,072,926 Domestic gross Budget 102 Million
Phone Booth 46,566,212 Domestic Gross Budget 13 million
The Recruit-52,802,140 Domestic Gross Budget unk
Daredevil 102,543,518 Budget 78 Million
Veronica Guerin 1,571,504 Budget 17 million
S.W.A.T. 116,934,650 Budget 80 million
A Home at the end of the World 1,029,872 Budget 6.5 million
Alexander 34,297,191 Budget 155 Million
The New World 12,712,093 Budget 30 Million
Ask the Dust 743,847 Domestic Budget unk
MiamiVice 63,450,470 Domestic Budget 135 Million
Cassandra’s Dream 973,018 Domestic Budget unk
In Bruges 7,800,824 Domestic Budget unk
Pride and Glory 15,740,721 Domestic Budget 30 Million

Please note now many of his films where they do NOT tell us the budget. That's because they lost their asses and don't want to tell anyone how much they lost.

On the THREE films he's made that actually posted a domestic profit they made approximately 120 million. On the films that lost money they lost 312 Million Dollars.

This is what I'm talking about folks. I don't see a lot of great work out of this guy that's so compelling that he should be a movie star of this magnitude. And he loses the studios money! I have to wonder how long this will keep up before they finally say "well, he may well be able to act, and he may well be handsome. But we can't make any money on this guy."

If you think his perceived wonderfulness is going to keep him working you're not in touch with reality.

I'd bet that Colin is though.

Monday!?

How did it get to be Monday already?

I rode horses, partied with friends, went to the theater,took naps, argued with nut cases on the internet, (my mistake, sorry,) shopped, which I rarely do, but I NEEDED new clothes and I found great sales. Ran up the Visa, but I still did pretty good. And here we are staring at the work week. This particular one is fraught with peril.

Our current Acting Interim Director is retiring on Friday. The party is Thursday. I can't wait to attend. Yikes. This places us in official limbo. After that we have an Acting Interim Assistant Director and nothing more at the top. It's ridiculous.

Of course what worries me is the very real possibility that the Acting Interim Director will decide that as one of her last official acts she'll give herself a present, and take me with her. A very real possibility, no matter what the champions of my cause try to do. If she says it, they say, "ok." They've been very helpful in volunteering me to do things after a couple of other people leave, and I appreciate their efforts, but they may not be enough. I'm hoping I'm paranoid and that there isn't an ax about to fall...on me.

But C'est la vie.

I went to see the Vagina Monologues produced by our drama club this weekend. It was a passable production, we don't have a deep talent pool, but they found a voice and it was consistent, so I was glad I went.

I went for drinks and dinner with friends and the ex Friday. I had quite a good time, which was surprising. I often fear time with the ex. He can be a bit labile with the moods sometimes and this week he wasn't in the dark place. He's always fun when he's not there.

Our new Change President seems to have sold us down the tax cut river. We've proven time and again that tax cuts don't work. And who are we kidding anyway? They just raise some other tax. They have to get the money from someplace. I realize we're just printing money right now, but why do we have to cut so much from education programs? Is it necessary to keep the populace stupid (like they're not stupid enough already) so they don't figure out how badly they're being screwed? I can't understand how we started out with a package that could actually create jobs and help people and wound up with one that's not only more expensive, but guts lots or programs they'd planned and fuels the same old shit that didn't work in the past to keep going and going...

It's disappointing that he didn't have more fortitude when he walked in the door.

Did he think everyone was going to rally round him cause he's a nice guy? Sir, no one gives a shit if you're a nice guy. So get out there and effect some change before I write you off as worthless. Repealing DADT would be a nice start. Then let's move onto marriage equality and civil rights and economic equity, and health care and all that shit you haven't talked about recently. Let's hear some more about that and not what we had to do to get this mockery of a stimulus plan off the ground. In my Opinion it's as DOA.


So good luck with it. You've let others take the heart out of it and we're the ones who'll pay the price.

I saw a movie on HBO this weekend, Lucky You, with Eric Bana and Drew Barrymore.










He's not bad at all IMHO.
They were both playing the same rhythms and it just made for a complete lack of chemistry. What is it with that guy? I've seen him work on other stuff and he seems quite capable, he just never seems to find the right vehicle to propel him into the next level. Maybe next time I guess. This movie even had Robert Duvall whom I always love and it just made no difference, the movie just kind of laid there, like a bad sex partner.

Well, off to work. Joy.

Hot Guy Friday!

It's that time. But today I went way overboard.

All I intended to do was mark the outing of Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block.

But then I went looking for pictures. And then it turned into a post about boy bands. Good lord! How did those boys have time to sing when they were in front of a camera 24/7 for years?

There are lots and lots of pictures!

I'll do what I can but seriously after a while I start to wonder if I'm going to impact the bandwidth.

And thats not nearly all of them, but it's enough. Lord knows we've had enough of boy bands.