video coffee break

Next time you take a break, click back and enjoy these gems. The first was posted to me by my nephew (in high school) and the second by Tony/Sister Gladys.

Satire Trailer: The Handjob


Britney's Womanizer, in body sign language.

sunsetting on a nice day

Aw. It was a good vacation day, and treated as such. Except for the domestic chores and paying my taxes. But on the upside, the tax prep was brief and followed by a leisurely evening of cocktails, conversation, and tasty tasty barbecue with Mark and Ryan. With Ryan in Beach Blanket Babylon eight shows a week, Monday is the only time to catch up. (Although with budget cuts, he might be finding himself with more free time.) Ryan is both (a) a hoot and (b) a holler. And it's great to have theater chat with a friend, and have someone whose casual cultural references include lines from both "A Chorus Line" and "Big Business."

Jupiter Hollow indeed.

waxing poetic

I have the day off today and have been enjoying it with the sunshine, a nice workout, and errands I didn't want to run over the weekend.

And I just successfully used the "iron and paper towel" trick to get the pool of wax out of my carpet from the running candle incident during Earth Hour.

The joy of success was only slightly marred by the deep burn to my left hand from the iron.

There's a reason I send out my shirts.

Is that Carol Kane singing?

'cause I feel the earth move under my feet.

who are you people?

I heard someone referred to as a "Nosey Parker" today. Now Parker Poser I've heard of, but not Nosey Parker. Of course I looked it up, and being "nosey" as intrusively curious dates to about 1880. Nosey Parker appears around 1907, and may be attributed to an expo at Hyde Park (park workers being nosey) or perhaps it was an evolution of nose-poker, one who pokes their nose in other people's business. The latter sounds more like to me, but the expression must be regional or rare as I have never come across it before.

But it did get me to thinking about the other name-centric, adjective+name expressions we have for people, and their etymology. Most name calling names are merely alliterative, such as the Nervous Nelly, but some have historical or literary origins, such as the Peeping Tom.

Off the top of my head I thought of:

Nervous Nelly
Peeping Tom
Doubting Thomas
Chatty Cathy
Gloomy Gus
Debbie Downer
Sad Sack
Goody Two Shoes
Good Charlotte
Jolly Roger (okay, that one doesn't count)

What are some others?

And don't give me any of that Cuddles McCuddleheimer business.

have some guacamole

and a piece of cake.

Eat the guacamole. Eat the cake. But not at the same time: big mistake.

Pointless, and thoroughly entertaining.


Guacamole from Si on Vimeo.

Why terminators transport naked.

I suspected as much. Love it.

Watch Why Terminators Transport Naked and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

You can LED a sheep to water

And you can even make it blink.

This video has been posted to a lot of the blogs I read this week. And enough friends have forwarded it to me that I thought it was time to share it again here.

Every time I watch it I smile. It's the kind of project on which I too would have dedicated hours and/or months. I gotta get me a grant. Or corporate sponsor. One that isn't failing of course.

For your Thursday pleasure: LED Sheep Art!

Julibration

Happy Birthday Julie!

I had heard there was some life changing going on Julie's way, but didn't know the real story until she told me at her birthday dinner, the invitation to which I was ever so flattered to receive.

Julie pretty much had a not so near as actual death experience in January, and the experience inspired her to quit the stress and energetically embrace life. Sine then she has quit the company she created, and has started painting, soon to have a gallery show; writing poetry, soon to have readings; and has written the story of her life, soon to be published and already in the works to be a movie made by Disney.

Wow. The girl has got it going on. And she's all charming and hot as well as talented. Truly, one's birth and life to be celebrated.

And it was another pleasure to discover we have so many friends in common.

A special surprise was a musical toast from friend and Bohemian Freddie Clarke: Birthday Suit!



Another item for the small world file, on of her best friends (from Stanford days) is also a close friend of Chuck's when they lived in Chicago. I found out when I saw Robert-Michael in one of Chuck's friend's photos on Friendster.

Hey Chuck, look who I finally met!

Robert-Michael spent the previous week at Fashion Week in Paris (of course) and introduced me to other guests whom he had just met while he was there. Very fashionable European women, and RMJ had to bow to their shoes.

As one does.

I will note that the formal, fashionable tone of the party seemed to give way to whimsy the later the hour (related also perhaps to quantities consumed).

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All in all, a wonderful evening for a wonderful girl!

Flickr set
Mac Gallery.

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas is a dick.

Following California's Governor's twice-douchebaggery, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas said today he will veto a same-sex marriage bill if when it comes to his desk.

I'm hoping the House and Senate can come up with 2/3rds to override.

Hey Jude, good show.

RMJ, Shilpa, and PeeDee and I make the trek to the new gem in the up and coming art side of Chinatown-adjacent neighborhood that is Mason Street between Clay and Pacific. We visited the new Spanish tapas bar and restaurant LaLola's, run by Penny, her brother Kevin, and Kevin's husband Gonzalo. Kevin and Gonzalo were married in Spain, Gonzalo's home country, as well as in San Francisco (making them one of the California marriages in post Prop 8 limbo). And in the small world file: Shilpa recognized Gonzalo from law school.

LaLola's hosted the viewing party for the PBS documentary Interpreting Ancient Fashion, starring our own Jude Gabbard.

The Documentary:
Truly interesting, and fun to have the two designers on hand for commentary. They were slected to visit a series of ancient Chinese villages and explore their extraordinary culture of fabric crafts and traditions. Upon their return to the US, the designers crafted their own collections as influenced by the experience.

Jude Gabbard is a new friend and definitely a keeper. Congratulations Jude!

The Restaurant

LaLola's was certainly a light and airy little charmer. It's small and beautifully designed in the old sweatshop area of West Chinatown, which is being rapidly converted into artists' studios and creative spaces. It's not terribly easy to get to via Muni, but it is worth the slightly out-of-the-way walk for happy hour. Dinner hour gets a bit more pricey, but the plates are delicious if small (it is after all, tapas).

And seriously, plop down the measly five bucks and savor the morsels that are the croquettes and the tortilla (which is not anything like a Mexican tortilla, and so, so delicious).

The beautiful surprise of the night was the not-too-sweet and utterly refreshing white sangria. Tasty, tasty, tasty. And during happy hour (5:30 to 6:30), it's only $2.50 a tall glass. Afterward, it jumps considerably to $20 a carafe.


Not that that stopped us.

And as always with any event with a fashion vocabulary, RMJ certainly added to the experience.


Bravos all around.

Gino: Personal Statement 1

And now, some words from candidate Gino.

I'm calling this Personal Statement 1.

Personal Statement 1.
I’m tired of being frustrated by corrupt, irresponsible and double-taking politicians. It seems as if every time I watch the news or read an article about our current economic mess I want to scream! Career politicians make me nuts. They seem more concerned with pleasing their party than with representing their constituents. This seems to have spread to voters as well. Polarization has swept through America at an epidemic rate. When will people start to vote for their ideals rather than their political party? For many years I was a registered Democrat. As I have learned more about the way things work I have become increasing frustrated at many of the positions Democrats have taken. Our social welfare programs are a mess and we continue to throw money at a problem that seems to only get worse. More likely than not, my generation is never going to see a penny of the money we are now paying into Social Security, yet we are forced to pay into it. How is that equitable? Here is the first in a series of letters to share my thoughts on some of the issues facing our country and our communities today:

Welfare and food stamps
It is important that I say this upfront: I am all for helping people in need. I was raised in the foster care system. I spent 14 years in more than 25 different foster homes so I, more than most, have a unique understanding of how impactful social welfare programs can be. That said, I have learned that if you continually give money or support to someone that is in need of help you do nothing more than hold that person down. Welfare should be a system of empowerment, not a system of repression. Take my mother-in-law for example, a woman for whom I have tremendous respect: When she was a young mother and could not support her baby (now my wonderful husband), she applied for and was granted food stamps and financial assistance. Through sheer will, hard work and perseverance, she was fully self-supportive and off of government assistance within a year. She used the system as it was meant to be used. She stands tall in contrast to my own mother who did nothing to better herself, or the life of her child (me), and ultimately had her parental rights stripped from her by the State.

By my observation, many of those who collect welfare today are abusing the system. Nothing is more frustrating to me than being in line at the grocery store behind a woman with two or three children, who is pregnant, and paying with food stamps. This makes no sense to me! NONE! I believe that no one has a right to tell a woman what to do with her body, but at the same time if that woman is asking for taxpayer money to sustain her family, the taxpayers should be able to make family planning a condition of that support. In my opinion, it is no different than AIG giving out $165 million in bonuses after the American taxpayer handed them billions of dollars in bailout money. The premise is the same and should be just as offensive. I believe that unless there is a medical reason that a person collecting welfare is unable to work, those receiving public assistance should be working in some form or another (these programs are meant to serve as assistance, something to help you stand up, not an entitlement or a free ride). Accepting assistance should also mean accepting responsibility. One should not come without the other.

Welfare and Immigration
I think it is safe to assume that no matter how one feels about the problems associated with illegal immigration, we can all agree that there are problems. A few years ago there was a uproar regarding the rights of undocumented immigrants. President Bush and Congress were attempting to push through a bill that would grant the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants amnesty. There was a popular uprising against this and President Bush spoke to the American people on national television. Admittedly, I tried to listen to Bush Jr. as little as possible when he was in office. In an attempt to justify this amnesty he made a statement that, to me as a hard working American, I found shocking and offensive. He tried to explain that the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country were a vital part of the American economy because they were (and are) doing the jobs that Americans will not (and don’t want) to do.

After I picked my jaw up off the floor I started thinking about what he had said and I came to a realization as to why I found that particular statement so ludicrous. It wasn’t the idea that the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants were a vital part of our economy that bothered me. Frankly, I believe he may have had a point there; and it was rare that I agreed with what he said. But to say that they are doing the jobs that Americans don’t want to do? I’m sorry, but how is it all right for a perfectly capable person to collect welfare and turn around and say, “Oh, I’m not willing to do that kind of work, but I’ll gladly take your money.” So in America we’ll pay you NOT to work so that undocumented immigrants CAN work? Am I the only one to whom this doesn’t make sense?

What we can do:
I’ve given the issue of illegal immigration and welfare a lot of thought because both frustrate me to no end. I think I may have come up with a solution that will help solve both problems. We need a system where the community helps those who need it, and in turn those who accept assistance from the community have a responsibility to the community. Let’s start with welfare: Jane, a single mother of two with no high school diploma, applies for food stamps and public assistance. Here’s what Jane can expect under my plan:

First, Jane would sign a contract agreeing not to have any more children and to set clear goals (the same conditions would be set for men not to father any more children). In addition to being willing to abstain from having more children, Jane would be expected to agree to the following terms while she is receiving public assistance: Jane’s children would be put in a state-sponsored daycare or preschool program, depending on age. Jane would be required to either get a job or complete the requirements to earn her high school diploma. If Jane chose to get a job, Jane would be assigned a job from a pool of jobs. This job could be anything from picking in the fields to janitorial work to office work. Whatever jobs are utilizing undocumented immigrants could now potentially be a job for Jane. While Jane is receiving public assistance, the tax payer will supplement her needs and the needs of her children. Jane will be made aware that, depending on the program she chooses (education or work) she will only have a certain amount of time in which she is able to collect benefits. Jane will be expected to report on her progress and everything possible will be done to help Jane achieve the goals that she set when she entered the program. Jane’s children would be taken care of as well. This, of course, is a very simplified plan but the basic outline and outcome should be clear. By holding Jane accountable, and helping her help herself, we are empowering Jane to be a more productive citizen in the long run. If we are giving so many of the jobs that illegal immigrants are doing to the Americans that need help first, then, in theory, we should attract fewer immigrants coming to our country illegally.

Mars spinning out of orbit

Bad news from Rob Thomas: No 'Veronica Mars' Movie Anytime Soon.

Sigh. I loves me my Veronica.

Got a minute?

Kill Bill in one minute.

I hated Kill Bill. I love this.



This is a video response to Forrest Gump in One Minute, which is also great.

I miss college.

gay pride video ride

Sort of "It's the End of the World as We Know It" meets "We Didn't Start the Fire."

But on gay pride history. Well done.

need libraries :: libraries need

This is ridiculous.

In no fewer than three random venues I have heard strangers extolling to each other the benefits of the public library. In this economy? With this unemployment rate? The library is booming.

Free access to books, movies, music, lectures, education, computers, Internet, training, resume workshops, job-hunting classes, and more. In time like these, the public library is the lifeline of the community.

So it makes no sense to slash their budgets now. But it's usually the first to go.

Andrew Sullivan, conservative writer for The Atlantic, posted one of his blog's reader comments.

I’m a member of a long devalued profession, librarianship. These days, we are busier than ever as people look for ways to meet budget. The library offers books, audio books, movies, internet access, access to databases, job search tools, and continuing education opportunities and all for free. You can’t beat that. You may have to wait your turn, but your turn will come.

In gratitude for the services we provide which are in great demand, the county commissioners just cut our budget, and the governor just announced additional cuts as well.

Support the library and it will support you.

TMBG

Very cool art installation in the Mission. It reminds me of the little people living in the window box on Sesame Street.

Do the math: Mac's are still less expensive than PCs

I don't know which annoys me more, that the misconception still exists or that Microsoft still pushes it.

no toast to Napa

Or the City thereof.

Some lesbian tourists are starting to make a thing out of this, and I think it might be a "thing" worth making. So MANY gays and gay-friendlies in the Bay Area pop up to wine country so frequently, there is definitely an economic impact to be had. When choosing to "do" wine country, it may be time for LGBT and supporters to pick their stopping places more carefully.

From the SF Gate:

On Tuesday, Napa City Councilman Mark van Gorder asked his colleagues to support a resolution saying the "city does not support discrimination and finds that all people regardless of gender should be able to enter into the legal contract of marriage."

He was the only one who voted in favor.

The article continues.

But if we are going to spend our hard-earned disposable income on wine country, it should only be at venues that value us as people and citizens, not just wallets and palates.

Is Saint Patrick the patron saint of drunks?

Seems that way doesn't it? Or would that be Patrón Saint. I have enjoyed the fallout coverage of violent/messy incidents around the country--many of the postings have been contrasting this behavior of good decent straight people versus the "reportedly" filthy debauchery of those vile homosexuals. Actual incidents of public drunkenness, lewd behavior, and public urination/vomiting are exceptionally rare for gay events, and ridiculous for these city-sanction/Catholic-loving events.

But that's neither here nor there. Just amusing observations I've noted around the blogosphere.

Saint Patrick's Day here was also fun, but likely because I managed to avoid any type of Irish bar and the insane and amateurish drinking (and resulting behavior) therein.

No, I chose the utter wholesomeness of a St. Pat's party hosted by a drag queen. You can always count on drag queens for professional-level partying.

And for the second time in as many months I find myself pictured in Pollo's column in the Bay Times. Fun stuff.


Oh yeah, the face paint continues to be my thing.

And I am kind of loving that the new generation of drag celebs are my new BFFs. How can you resist party hotness with names like Pollo Del Mar, Sandra O. Noshi-Di'n't and Angie Mima.


I think it must be the shared perfection with eye makeup.

Taking a lesson from Mardi Gras, I brought a couple of liner pencils to give others little party shamrocks as requested.

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And, of course, the novelty hat my Dad brought all the way back from Ireland made its annual tour of bars and bar heads.

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Coco O'Flores and Shilpa O'Patel
Shouts to David (ACTUAL Irishman) and Sean


Shouts, and shots, to Tim too!


And to Jeff, whose friends put their hat on me as well.


Hi. I'm here to deliver your double-cheese, biggie fries, and frosty.


Shilpa, who had worn some forms of green to work, packed a little green dress in her bag to wear out. She never got around to it. Good thing. Sandra O. was wearing the same dress.

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Showing up in the same outfit as a drag queen has to be somebody's recurring nightmare. I know it's mine.



Full Flickr set.

these are the People in your neighborhood

Or rather, your neighborhood's history.

The painful Saturday morning after Scott's Birthday Bacchanalia, Shilpa and I somehow managed to make our previously committed plan to take a walking tour of the Inner Sunset. We started out with a pretty hearty (and handsome) bunch, which started to quickly thin around the hour/hour and a half mark. I was surprised to learn so many new things about the neighborhood, and am continually surprised at how recently, as in within only the last generation, that the entire west of modern San Francisco, was all sand. The "frozen desert" it was called. Or more properly, the Outside Lands.

The walk was well done, with an engaging and enthusiastic guide. All San Francisco City Guides are volunteer-driven, and are a service of the public library with funding from corporate sponsors and the City as much as they are able.

Take one in your area. Or pick a part of the City unknown to you. There are lots to choose from. Check it out at sfcityguides.org.

There were many architectural gems that I never noticed in 12 years of walking or driving by-- too focused on my destination to appreciate the periphery. And I also gained a great deal of respect for Mr. Judah!

A few images from the tour:

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And I never knew the house from So I Married an Axe Murderer was just around my corner (and from many other movies as well).

I properly took a picture.

Although I'm calling this one: "So My Fag Hag Is an Axe Murderer."

Heh.

Good Scott Hunting

What with all the working and all the playing I haven't been around the blog much. And I've been using Facebook updates instead of blog posts so much perhaps I should twitter. Nah. Enough is enough.

But back to blogging.

Last week and this week have been full of birthdays. What sign are we in anyway? All of my friends' parents must be awfully humpy in the summertime.

Regardless, the wonderful Scott Hunt gathered his close peeps for a little celebration of his birthday on Friday the 13th. Scott's birth is indeed a reason to celebrate, and as usual with this crowd, it wasn't long before there was a DJ at the podspeakers and then a VJ at the TV, and dancing and general silliness all around.

Also a big, ahem, "hit" was some sort of sage that was intended to be not just burnt but smoked (entirely legal and very earthy I might add). Shaka Zhu-the-looloo however went a little nutso on it. Seriously, if you can't handle smoking a pizza topping you should stay away from the harder stuff.

Vodka, however, remains my hardest drug of choice. Well, JD is much harder I suppose, on my liver as well as my psyche. But tasty tasty tasty. Which is why I stick to vodka-sodas.

With a twist of limelight.

Hugs and plugs to Scott!

(And I will close by saying, for a man who hates country music, he loves the shadow dance!)

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Full flickr set.

crafty singles

I have come to the conclusion that Shilpa and I are single because we are both sane, and there just aren't that many of us out there.

I'm not adopting any more puppies.

Run Gino Run

Ellen Tauscher, Congressional Representative from the California's 10th district (north of here but still considered "Bay Area") has accepted a State Department post in the Obama Administration, subject to Senate confirmation.

This means her seat is up for grabs.

A local friend and helluva Guy Gino VanGundy is considering running. He hasn't done anything like this before and could use all the help he can get. It's a major aspiration to be sure, but I would rather have a good, smart, hard-working family man in office than an experienced local politician. Local rural politics seem so tainted, and for good reason.

He's just putting his thoughts together on this, and is soliciting advice. And as a modern man, he's doing it on Facebook. This just happened last night so there's not much there now. When the page gets some substance, I'll link to it. Or you can just go to Facebook and search for "Gino VanGundy."

I so admired him for the way he handled the Prop 8 propaganda in his district. He knocked door-to-door and engaged his neighbors and community as to why they might want to nullify his marriage. He had a great op-ed in the UCSF campus paper too.

Any advice on working with local political organizations or fundraising would be greatly appreciated.

made of awesome and Rice Krispies

Homemade sushi treats with gummy fish. So much cooler than taking a tin of cookies to school.

Watch out Phyllis, the bees are coming.

"Did you see this? Droves of killer bees are headed to the United States. They're coming up from Mexico...Can you imagine?... I bet our bees are scared to death!"

-Charlene on Designing Women

Bees are good. And they're disappearing (Dr. Who fans know where they went, btw.)

This makes me wish I had a yard. Although I'd probably have a bat box too and they might conflict. Dunno.

Get bees!




Update: Florida, it seems, has the opposite bee problem.

roll with it

Unbelievable.

Saturday sweetness

Oh, it's a nice day for a run in the park. Or a walk. Or jump down and turn around crazy fitness thing.

Or, you know, there's this:

The San Francisco International Chocolate Salon.

births days

I got a baby shower thank-you note and a birthday invitation from Titties Verde both on the same day. Titties and Mr. Verde had their first child just last month, and TV's birthday is coming up in a week or so. (Titties Verde was so named from an particularly excellent life story told over a particularly excellent dinner party at Club Jackson. She is also a public school teacher and should not be identified explicitly in the blog.)

I could not make it up to Vallejo for the baby shower and instead built a basket of items from their gift registry at Amazon.com (handy thing that!).

As I do, I went for a theme, and a pun. For the offspring of hottentot teacher Titties Verde, I selected (these were all items they registered for mind you) a Wegman/weimaraner ABC book, an "naturally shaped nipple" pacifier, and a jar of "Butt Paste."

Or in other words, the T&ABCs.

what annoying dreams may come

This is weird. This has been true for me several times over. I had no idea it was so common.

gay man for Gaiman

Thanks to the intervention of Alert Reader James Hass over a decade ago, I am a longtime BIG fan of Neil Gaiman (although oddly, I don't care for the Sandman. Huh.)

I loved The Graveyard Book, and wished there were more to it.

Here he is Monday night on the Colbert Report.



By the way Coraline on the screen was excellent. Catch it in 3D if you still can.

free willies

also heebie jeebies.

A Brazilian wandering spider, the most venomous spider in the world, was caught scurrying around a Whole Foods Market in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Local update: Incident at Caffee Macaroni and Caffe Macaroni Sciue Sciue

These North Beach eateries/cafés are owned by the same guy who acted like a thug and chased and physically threatened a gay couple last weekend.

If you or your friends/visitors plan on enjoying some time in North Beach, you would do better than to spend your money there.

And if you are gay, avoid them for your own safety. The staff might be cool, but the management might hate you and treat you in such a way as to ruin your evening. Who wants to spend their leisure time with or money on anti-gay thugs? In SF, we can certainly do better in the cuisine that's offered and the company we keep.

Update: All parties to the conflict express themselves in the comments section of Mark's blog. Peace achieved.

Roman holiday

Saturday afternoon was the party for Roman's third birthday!

With treats for young and old(er).

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And some wonderful friends

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Although I do wish I had gotten shots of Kate freaking out when the little girl put her pet lizard (named Lizzie) on Kate's knee.

All in all, a wholesome afternoon...

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...in contrast to the birthday party the night before. But I'll get to that soon.

Flickr set

Hard to come by

can sound really dirty depending who says it, where, and how.

I'm just sayin'.

Halls of Wisdom

Courts of Erections.

My Friend T.H. Hall V updated his Facebook after considering the the NCAA games last night with a pretty astute observation.

T.H. Hall V is thinking, I'm not going to boycott the NCAA or anything, but my 9 year old daughter is singing the "Viva Viagra" jingle. Can we ask for a little propriety?

He followed this up with "I think all the guys with ED get it already. Is this saturation advertising really necessary?"

I love a pharmacologically-induced erection as much as the next fella, but I'd be happy to be rid of the ads too.

Not to mention that TV can't show two men kissing without the FCC getting it's magic underwear in a knot, but endless ads for boner juice are okay.

Al Gore, Quixotic. But not in the way you'd expect.

From Alert Reader James Hass. xkcd: The dangers of alternative energy. Made of the awesome.

Today, I'll like my coffee like I like my men.

I mean, I'll like my men like I like my coffee.

Irish.