brother can you spare a dime

These are pretty awesome: Pop-culture coins by Andre Levy in his project Tales You Lose. I love that he's a classic Marvel comic fan too.

Changes in my pocket going jinga-lang-alang.







And from the X-Men and comic heroes collection:











Fantastinumismatic!

Via Ufunk.

I'll see your Movember...

And raise you Novembeard.

and the sequel to "the Birds" was "Thumbs Up"

I told someone that Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" was about a recovering alcoholic who couldn't make it, and it was shortly after that film was released that AA reduced its number of steps to 12 to make it more manageable.

It's amazing what sounds completely true when stated with confidence.

the artist formerly known as Prance

Roadtrip Remix:

Oh, I want to Prance with somebody. I want to feel the meat with somebody.
Yeah, I want to prance with somebody.
Somebody who gloves me.

failed drag names

words overheard over the weekend/possible drag names:

• Cantilevered Bottom
• Shaggy Parasol
• Fluffy Pillows Cabernet
• Fromage Baguette
• Mangela Lansbury

baby with the dishwater

Dish detergent, "safe for baby!"


Which is odd because the labeling makes it look as if you are supposed to wash your dishes with your baby.

As long as the sink is full and I've got dirty dishes and a dirty baby, might as well save some time...

not a dark comedy,

but a black opera.

bye bye Bryce

Sure. I just get to know the guy when he decides to take 14 moths off and travel the world, mostly Asia. But it was a fun and chill bon voyage/early happy birthday to Bryce in Dolores Park on Sunday.


A sunny day which led to a knew thing: shadow molestation.




We thought it would be mere hours before someone made shadowmolestation.tumblr.com.

And fun times at the Eagle afterwards. Happy birthday to Clarke.

tilt

I love this. And feel like the sign may be meant for me.

just like the one-legged dove, sings a song, sounds like she's singin'...

I always mis-head the lyrics to Edge of Seventeen. For decades I thought it was "Just like the one-winged dove" not "white-winged dove."

And then I was confronted on the sidewalk by a one-legged albino pigeon:



This is clearly some sort of sign. Wish I knew for what.

Underneath the Lintel

Kevin and I took in ACT's Underneath the Lintel last week, and it was an intense 90-minute monologue from an engaging David Strathairn. It is, production aside, a one-man show, and I never cease to amaze that actors can deliver a powerful performance plowing through an entire play and hundred of pages of dialog by themselves. I always like to go into ACT performances as ignorant of the play as possible and let the story unfold for me without prejudice, but I don't think it will be spoiling it for anyone to say that it is a librarian's journey into compulsive answer-seeking regarding an ancient mystery he may be witness to.

I can relate.

And the mystery he has stumbled upon is that of the Wandering Jew. Which was cool for me as I have recently re-engaged with the DC character The Phantom Stranger, who is the comic-book telling of the tortured sinner. And The Phantom Stranger was the costume I wore for my first Halloween with Kevin so many years ago.

Again, cool.

As usual there were lovely people were around for the Out with ACT reception, and our usual thanks and applause to Randy Taradash for making it happen.

you may also like you

I loved getting to see Radney Foster play Cafe Du Nord with Misisipi Mike last month, and we friended on Facebook shortly thereafter.

I love this post: While shopping online, Amazon.com recommended to Radney Foster that he might also like Radney Foster.


That's a bit meta, and somewhat emotionally invasive. Perhaps you should like yourself more...

Feeling tired?

There's a nap for that.

decanturbury tales

Based on my vocabulary, the hottie behind the counter just asked me, "Are you a science major?"

Not "were," "are."

His present tense made me feel pretty.

open your own damn channel

blow me.

transgender attacks by staff at Holy Cow

An attack does;t have to be physical to seem just as brutal. While Holy Cow is known for its douche-essence, this is San Francisco, and South of Market, and this shit should NOT fly.

A transwoman and while still having some masculine presentation, had already been asked to keep her bra from slipping and cover up while dancing. Then security harassed her for trying to use the women's restroom, which is entirely her right and legally enforceable. Then the security got increasingly threatening, so much so she had to call the police in fear for her safety. And against City and State law, the police harassed her too. None of this is okay.

Women use men's restrooms all the time. Club spaces get a little mixed. And no trans person has ever or ever intended to assault a woman in the bathroom. That's just conservative, ignorant bile used to attack the trans and non-conforming.

From Lily:

I informed the security guard that I’m a woman. A transgender woman. His harassment would not abate. He kept repeating ad nauseum that it is the “female restroom,” and that I could use the “male restroom” or “unisex restroom.” I told him I had no intention of using anything but the women’s restroom.

At that point I retreated back into the bathroom. If you saw this security guard, his size, his outfit, his attitude, yeah … you’d be intimidated too. He was clearly using his masculinity to intimidate. I get attacked (verbally and physically) for being transgender on the regular, so I was especially terrified.

Maybe a minute passed, during which I discussed with my friend what we might do about the situation. How to get out without being “manhandled” was my first concern. My stuff was still checked at the coat counter and would have to be retrieved. At that point a different guard, joined by the first guard, opened the door. He kept on repeating the “female restroom so you have to go” mantra, and we both kept telling him that I’m a transgender woman and he cannot kick us out. That didn’t faze him one bit.

He then walked into the women’s restroom in an effort to eject us. Before he could get close to us I told my friend to call 911. She did. We informed the dispatcher what was happening and asked that the police be sent to protect us.

The guards began to increase their harassment. A third guard arrived. While we waited for the police to arrive, one of the guards, presumably the most senior, repeatedly entered the women’s restroom. He told us we had to go. He told us that I could use the unisex bathroom. He told us we were “trespassing.” He wouldn’t stop verbally abusing us and intimidating us, even knowing the police had been summoned.

4. EXAMPLES OF UNLAWFUL GENDER IDENTITY DISCRIMINATION

C. PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS: Includes but is not limited to refusal to provide goods or services, disparate treatment, verbal and/or physical harassment, intentional and deliberate misuse of appropriate forms of address[.]

At that point I began to fear he would try to physically harm me. We sat on the floor of the bathroom. I figured hey, if he’s going to assault us, he’s going to do it anyway. We’re outnumbered and outsized and I don’t want any accusation that we were a threat. We remained on the floor until the police entered.

I do hope there is some accountability in the near future.

My illustrative image was taken at another club space, Space 550, which is where Sundance Saloon is held on Thursdays and Sundays.

let your mind soar

This is how my mind feels when I steep myself in a good library.

one last halloween costume shot

I actually laughed out loud at this costume.

Cumbersome? Clearly. Hilarious? Oh YES.

a nearly perfect thing

Via fellow Muppet-enthusiast Kevin, there is THIS. Oh Dear God In Heaven.

Sesame Street made a muppet version of Les Misérables. With Cookie Monster. So much awesome.

"Les Mousserables: The Story of Jean bonBon, a French guy who was very sad... because he had no cookies."

Oh Flantine!

can't talk. coming down.

It's a shame that the joyous heights of such a weekend must end with the crashing low of the music stopping and fond farewells. There goes my heart; break it in two(step).

It seems moreso over the past couple of years that I forget what "really happy" feels like. I found it so many times this weekend, and when it was all over it was a painful effort to open my arms and let the hugs go. But it is all the more precious for the fleeting.

Photos and clips of the Stompede Ball are on Flickr.

Love you all. And thank you for the dance.




















All that Heaven will allow.

setting number five

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late late aloha

After parties. Friday night: beachwear.

And beautiful.

The 2013 Sundance Stompede

I would have to take some quality time and pull out my poet's pen to even approach describing how wonderful the Sundance Stompede experience truly is.  I have made good friends who wish nothing but joy for each other, and dancing a ballroom floor with a sympathetic partner surrounded by these people may be as close as I get to flying.  Collisions notwithstanding.  That floor is crowded.

Much love to my "regulars," and the special friends in from Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and the greater Bay Area.  Deep and heartfelt hugs to Shana, Rick, Ray, Gary and all my perfect partners. I was too busy dancing to take many photos this year. But I also made the decision to be more present and less photo-conscious. We were all a sweaty mess anyway. But somethings you just can't resist.






Exhibition dances this year included The Sundance Bandits, The Manhattan Prairie Dogs, the LA Wranglers, the DC Role Play, The Windy City Cowboys, Photon, The Barbary Coast Cloggers, and the Vima Vice Squad. The Prairie Dogs are known for the fun choreography and costume changes (and did not disappoint) and the Windy City Cowboys always impress with their whimsy and what they can accomplish with so many dancers on their team. Bravos all around!























And this clip from YouTube.




And this year's finale brought all the teams together. So much joy exploded from that floor that I think we all needed a hot towel. Right now the only video I can find is from the balcony and it's only available on a private Facebook page, but I hope someone posts a good video of that. Very special. Very Stompede.

Stompede 2013 Welcome Dance

So many wonderful people. So much wonderful dancing.

The train just keeps gaining steam.