Cool research

UCSF doctors make teen with sunken chest more attractive.

Sundance Stompede 2007

It's been a few weeks but I had some time on the place to hack together shots from the Sundance Stompede weekend.

Much fun.

Back in BNA

I have arrived safely in Nashville, and as much as I really need a nap, I am scurrying to get to dinner with the family at the Club, then to the ArtRageous Pre-Party at Tribe. I need the nap. I'm in that sleep-deprivation cranky-pants setting. I'm hoping my patience and party stance return soon. The shower will help.

As much as I wish I could blog these trips, I never can. That Hardcastle Law of Blogging—the more material you have to write about, the less you write because you are spending all your time doing the things that would be fun to write about.

I did manage to spend time on the plane finally putting together pics and clips from the Sundance Stompede a few weeks back. I'll give it its own post in a sec and let the video upload while I jump in the shower.

Y'all have a good weekend.

(Yes, I am back in Tennessee and the accent is coming OUT.)

Also good for parking in SF

Joe.My.God comments on the imminent release of the Smart Car.

Designed by Mercedes, it seems the perfect vehicle for Manhattan, but I'm not sure I'd want to be on the highway in it. I'm also sure it will be about ten minutes before somebody puts a big wind-up key on the top.

Oil tanker hits Bay Bridge, 58,000 gallon spill

Beaches closed, marine life next.

Nasty.

In the words of Kathy Griffin

Southwest Airlines can suck it.

I'm so frustrated. And clearly fuming. Customer service my ass.

for Film Fans this weekend

Another thing I won't be able to get to this weekend because I'll be calling for Dorothy's surrender.

But SF'ers should take note.

From the San Francisco Film Society newsletter:

SF INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL:
NOVEMBER 8-11
The best animation from around the world

The 2nd annual San Francisco International Animation Festival begins this Thursday at Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema with Leslie Iwerks' documentary The Pixar Story, and Iwerks along with several Pixar animators will be in attendance. Remember that tickets to The Pixar Story also include our Opening Night reception at Gallery One (just below the Cinema). The rest of the program ranges from Play it by Eye, a series of music videos; to Best of Annecy 2007, a collection of the best shorts from the best animation festival in Europe; to Film Noir, a dark and sexy narrative feature (co-director D. Jud Jones is expected to be in attendance). Pictured is Claude Coutier's Maker's Dozen short Sleeping Betty, and we expect the filmmaker to be in attendance.

FILM NOIR
A United States premiere

It's universally understood that you're in a pinch if you wake up beneath the Hollywood sign next to a dead cop. Things are a bit more dicey if you also have amnesia. As you piece together your identity and find out that you're a sadistic bastard wanted by good and bad guys alike, you know you're in for some serious trouble. This is our hero's predicament, and the question of just how he will find himself forms the premise of Film Noir, which will make its United States premiere at the Animation Festival on November 9 at 9 pm (it plays again on November 10 at 6:30 pm). Co-director D. Jud Jones will be in attendance at both screenings. Much of the film was worked on here in the Bay Area, including sound recording at Keller Studios in Sausalito (Mark Keller is the lead voice), and many of the local actors and musicians will be in attendance also. (For mature audiences).

you flickr

you brought her.

What can you do with flickr? A lot.

continue the research

A bunch of my ArtRageous cohort has stepped up and we're going to swarm the galleries as flying monkeys.

I bought 16 sets of fezzes and black wings from Aardvark last week, as no one got their act together to order their own online. This means that not only am I footing the bill for these, but I have to schlep them all from San Francisco to Nashville, via the hassle of Oakland airport no less.

Some people have already offered to reimburse me; it is, after all, only fifteen bucks per set. I'd be happy to recoup some of the $240 expense (I have been spending money the past two months as if I had it), but I also realized I'd be fine eating the cost and keeping the accessories.

It might be handy to have a dozen sets of flying monkey garb readily available.

Because that's just the kind of life I lead.

When I realized that, it surprised me, cracked me up, and then left me a little concerned.

I considered just shoving them all in a big under-bed plastic bin and keeping them around "just in case." But now I'm thinking I need to produce a Flying Monkey Bar Crawl. Every time we leave one venue for another, I can cry: "Fly My Pretties! FLY!"

my favorite blog line of the day

Cowboy Chachi loves you best.


Link provided by Goof Off Alert Reader Paul Day.

Yes it's Eighties Night

Oh what a night.


We had a "we're only staying out for one hour" deal for going out again last night. You can guess how well that plan worked out. Eighties night (alternative and B-sides) at The Bar last night, with 80-cent cocktails and 20-something patrons. Lots of fun. Welcomed Alert Reader Paul Day back from Japan, and showed Keith and RMJ a good time.

But it was Shilpa's camera that took the thousand shots last night, so you'll have to wait for another montage...

But I would certainly would be here

and making my own children's book for my family and friends.

Seriously, how much do I love this town?

Mob of Waldo's: Where's Waldo puzzle re-enactment.
(FaceBook profile)
This Sunday, November 11, Market Street at the Embarcadero/Ferry Building

If I were in town this weekend

would I go to this?

Probably, if not just to learn some new phrases. And blog about them. I try to keep it clean most of the time, uttering lots of "Oh my stars!" and "My word." That is to say, in the instances when I am not muttering in exasperation, "Oh for fuck's sake."

Eh, so much for the clean mouth.

The Swearing Festival II, A Celebration of Profanity
Edinburgh Castle, this Saturday, November 10.

I forgot about it yesterday.

So much for remembering, remembering the fifth of November.

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

election day

SF is voting on a myriad of items today, including an almost unopposed mayoral race. Well, there are 12 candidates for Mayor, but it is basically Newsom (whom I support, if not only in hopes that he lets his hair down again), and a bunch of fringe candidates. This being SF, by "fringe," I mean, "including a naked guy, an unattractive male exotic dancer (think Dog the Racist Bounty Hunter), and a guy in chicken suit."

As long as we're talking politics, and all of Fox and CNN orgasming on themselves that they get to denigrate and fear-monger "San Francisco Values" for the right wing, perhaps I should link to this site: Republican Sex Offenders: Exposing the Hypocrisy of Republican "Family Values." It's pretty vile, but I suppose that's because it's true.

"San Francisco Values" indeed. Like love and respect? Some of my fellow citizens may love leather and have a sex-positive attitude, but at least it is honest, clean, and with consenting adults. And without cheating on a spouse, money changing hands, extortion, abuse of authority, or inside a public bathroom. The Republican party could seriously use some San Franciscan Values if it wants to claim any moral high ground.

Stop, hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look what's going down.

Just now, there was a bizarre noise outside my office window. It was pulsing, and growing louder, and sounded totally like the Tardis materializing.

You Who? Doctor?

Guess who's back in town?

.

Man, I'm exhausted.

(if the blogger video doesn't load, there is also a YouTube version)

playing dress up

A lot of people over here dressed up for Halloween. I managed to go through three costumes over the weekend and just dressed out of my closet, but I'm that kind of guy.

I don't think it's the gay thing, I think it's having a fucking fabulous family whose father routinely dressed up like James Robertson, whose mother never through the odd wardrobe item away "because it might make for a good costume," who had an entire section of the attic
devoted to costumes and props, and who had a show-stealing, hat-collecting, overly-animated, beyond hilarious, show-queen, often-dressing-up son. And that's the straight one.

So really, there should be no surprise that I have had to add costume as a blog tag.

I am enjoying the post-Halloween costume postings around the Web. Via Etsy, these are some of my favorites. For me to approve of a Halloween costume, it has to either be especially cleaver or marvelously self-constructed. Generally, I only score points for clever, but these kids' costumes get extra credit for too-damned-cute points.



I've seen many adult-versions of the boy from Where the Wild Things Are, but this one pulls it off best, maybe because he is age-appropriate.


Generally, I think dressing up pets is just cruel, but this totally cracked my shit up.

I'll get to my own Halloween recap soon, but in the meantime, this is my favorite costume story this week.

I don't know what to say

except that the diaper part made me think of Kevin.

This is a blogger's account of some nastiness, but pretty funny nastiness, seen out his window in D.C.

NSFW, so read at your own risk.

From Knee Deep in Mud: Crack is Whack.

Blog Roundup

Slow moving today after way too much last night. The Cinch was fun, then weird, then messy, then home. No stories from me today, but here's some choice comments from blogs I read:

From the Foxy Librarian: All the Porn that's Fit to Print

-Hello, I need a publisher’s contact information. For a magazine.
-No problem. What is the name of the magazine?
-It’s a…uh…an adult magazine. Is that O.K.?
-“Go ahead,” I replied using the weary, flat affect of one who’s heard it all, a tone I’ve been really cultivating lately.
-Mandate. One word, I think.

I turned to Ulrich’s, the venerable, authoritative reference source of bibliographic and publisher information for periodicals. I wasn’t sure if Ulrich’s indexed smut, but I was quite curious to find out, since I really wasn’t eager to see what a Google search would turn up.

-“I found two, one published by the United Church of Canada and the other by Mandate Publications LTD. I have a hunch it’s the latter.”

I had to say that I like the authoritative quality of that title, and the humorous pun for which that genre of magazine is often known. I saw that Ulrich’s categorized Mandate under the subject heading “Men’s Interest.” I wondered what other publications had that subject heading. The journals ranged from fashion and lifestyle, like Vogue Homme and Cigar Aficiando, to erotica to the hardcore, to the deviant - some really sick shit. Oh, I had my fun browsing the list of titles the rest of the afternoon.

Read the rest.

From Joe.My.God: Walker/Don't Walker

I usually only get approached by hookers when I'm in the vicinity of fancy midtown hotels, where well-dressed young women will smile as if you're an old friend and say brightly, "Hey, you havin' a good night?" Maybe they think I look like an expense account-toting bidnizman, but I usually say flatly, "I live here" and they go on their way.

Last night I was waiting to cross the street near Times Square, when two very young girls sidled up to me. One of them said, "Wassup, you lookin' for a date?" I shook my head and turned my attention back to the traffic signal. She tried again. "You wanna party with us?" Without looking at them, I said forcefully, "NO!" Not liking my 'tude, she barked, "Damn. Why you gotta be that?" I said, "Well, for starters, you're underage and you're female." The second one pulled her friend away and said, "Ooh, she just mad cuz she too old for Splash."

Damn. Why they gotta be like that?

And there is still lots being said about GOP Washing State Senator Richard Curtis who is claiming he was a victim of extortion because he (the senator) wouldn't pay a hustler the $1,000 he promised if, after the male hooker did him, the hustler would allow the senator to bareback him, which he did, and then the senator didn't pay. The huslter and general ne'er do well took the senator's wallet when the senator refused to pay, called him up and said you have to pay or I might tell your wife. The the senator called the police and they arrested the hustler for blackmail. Oh yeah, the republican senator likes to get nailed while wearing women's clothes and stockings, has lots of kink fetishes, and trolls adult bookstores and gets on his knees in the stalls.

The senator has a long record of virulent anti-gay politics and votes against any protections or civil rights for gays and lesbians.

Astoundingly, none of the mainstream press is talking about the hypocrisy, or the rash of married-straight-republican-gay-sex scandals and the whole topic that repression and demonizing of same-sex relationships is what forces people to act out in such destructive ways.

Pretty much, the mainstream media just stops at "gay sex." Just after they make it all filthy and effed up.

This is all happening on Dan Savage's turf, and his blog Slog has some excellent coverage. Also of the whole sex-restop police sting that nabbed 20 guys doing it/trying to do it with other dudes in a highway rest stop.

All of the men self-identify as straight and conservative.

All of the men are married.

Except for the priest.

I am not making this up.

On the Republican State Senator Curtis and his male prostitute story:

Dan Savage

For the latest on not-gay GOP state rep Richard Curtis, click here—and, believe me, the click is more than worth your while. Lingerie, cell phone pictures, anal sex, casinos, and more!

UPDATE: Aaaaaaaaaargh! There’s even more! Rope! Stethoscopes! Barebacking! More, more, MORE!

As if the details about anti-gay Washington State Rep. Richard (R-La Center) and his tryst with a male escort in Spokane, Washington, weren’t sordid enough, I spent the last hour wading through the 15 page police report. Holy crap! Curtis, hoping to keep this whole thing quiet, called the police himself. And when the police asked him what happened, Curtis told them everything.

It goes on with details. It would be hilarious if it weren't true, and if this guy hadn't dedicated his professional life to beating down the gays. Dan sums up the story nicely:

Holy crap. My God. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. What. A. Mess.

Active political blogger Pam Spaulding may have said it best. Her conclusion is being quoted by many bloggers (including me):

OK. I'm living a relatively plain jane lesbian existence simply asking for my civil rights while closet cases like Curtis get all sorts of kinks on while railing against openly LGBT citizens. It makes me sick.

And I like this guy's take on the coverage and the scandal:

I'm souring a bit on these stories.

First of all:

Please, each of you ... Think of your own sex life. Especially my gay readers. If you really had to write it all out, partner by partner, episode by episode, blow by blow ... How sordid would it actually seem? I have a feeling that even those among us with a rather tame romantic history would find their own lives to appear quite debauched if reported in the same breathless manner as news stories that are coming out about Washington state representative Curtis.

I do not care whether he likes to wear women's "panties" or cavort with male "escorts," as long as the encounters are non-violent, consensual and do not impinge on the rights of a third party.

What I care about is the hypocrisy.

Once again, as we've seen over and over, we have a self-proclaimed "Conservative" using his position of power to make gay people's lives miserable, while at the same time secretly using us for his own sexual gratification.

The problem is that this story -- as perceived by the public -- is not about hypocrisy.

The general public will understand this story as one about the intrinsic sordidness of the lives of gay people.

News reports about Curtis say nothing about his voting record or his standing as a "social Conservative." They are just about cross-dressing, male prostitutes, anal sex and blackmail.

He also has a comment on The New York Times story I cited earlier regarding the vanishing gayborhoods.

Perhaps some of my straight readers can tell me ...

What is the instinct that drives straight, white people -- the powerful mainstream -- to invade minority enclaves and seize them, despite the fact that there might be better places to live nearby that aren't already taken?

Straight people need to move in to mostly gay neighborhoods.

What drives you?

Neither Chelsea nor the Castro are known for the quality of their housing stock. Or access to high culture. Or food culture. Or schools. Or really anything, except for gayness.

Yet, you must live there. You are driven with this weird passion. Doesn't that seem kind of strange to you?

I have no desire to move anywhere near where you live.

Not really. Why would I?

Check out how upset people were when a so-called "Leather Fair" was held recently in Greenwich Village, New York's historic gay neighborhood. "The children! The children!" people screamed about the fair, which was held on Weehawken St. Weehawken St. is basically an alley that runs behind The Dugout bar on Christopher St. one block over from the highway, next to an adult bookstore.

The only "children" to walk along Weehawken St. in recent decades are transgendered teenagers making their way from giving blowjobs on Christopher St. pier to the PATH station down the block.

I do not understand you people.

I have the same attitude to those who decry the festish fairs (Folsom, Dore, etc.). If you're offended by it, don't go. Same way I feel about the censorship of books and television. If you don't want to see it, don't watch. The television has a channel changer, and an off switch.

But seriously, for a good time go check out the Foxy Librarian.
(pun intended)