The Final Countdown

see more Funny Graphs

Glam Rock (or Katy Perry Revisited)

or The Last Mix III (I am adding Katy Perry's Hot N Cold to my Last Mix compilation.)

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Carlos and I were talking about Katy Perry recently after her appearance on the Victoria Secret 2010 Fashion Show. (He religiously watches it; I don't understand the reason for the show but watch it for the music - while reading EW.)

I remarked to him that her song Night N Day sounded like Glam Rock. He didn't know about Glam Rock so I, of course, had to make him a mixed CD - with Katy Perry in the midst of it all.

For those who aren't familiar with Glam Rock, here is my favorite Glam Band - Sweet...


And here's a classic David Bowie track: Starman.


About David Bowie, like with Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen, I can see how others see his artistry, but I just have never been a fan.

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After narrowing down my list from over 80 songs, here is the Glam Rock Plus Mix that I made:
Young Americans - David Bowie
Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
Heroes - David Bowie
Rebel, Rebel - David Bowie
Starman - David Bowie
Suffragette City - David Bowie
Hot N Cold - Katy Perry
The Ballroom Blitz - Sweet
Little Willy- Sweet
Blockbuster- Sweet
Teenage Rampage- Sweet
Fox on the Run- Sweet
Action- Sweet
All The Young Dudes - Mott The Hoople
I Only Want To Be With You - Bay City Rollers
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
By The Light of a Magical Moon - Marc Bolan & T Rex
Bang A Gong (Get It On) - Marc Bolan & T Rex
Raw Ramp - Marc Bolan & T Rex
20th Century Boy - Marc Bolan & T Rex
Cosmic Dancer - Marc Bolan & T Rex

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If you have any suggestions, pass them on!

My Sister's Christmas Party

Most years, my sister and her girlfriend have an epic Christmas party. There are 100 people in their house at the peak of the party, with probably 150+ people attending overall.

I am always in awe of the numbers. I can muster 10 or 15 people for a party at my house. Christine and Karlie pull from both their jobs, the New Orleans Lesbian Tennis League (not the actual name, but it might as well be), all our extended family - and their kids, all my friends, and on and on.

There was a special Kids Central set up where the 20+ kids hung out.

Christine and Karlie are the same couple that have twice now rented a 50 foot water slide for their back yard. When it comes to parties, they don't fool around.

This year, Christine (my sister) called me a few days ahead of the party, freaking out that "no one" was coming to her party. She reminded me of a Halloween party that we apparently held when she was 6 and I was 7 - and NO ONE came. Yes, NO ONE. We invited all the kids from school and from our neighborhood. We set out all the treats. We decorated our house. And NO ONE came.

I have no recollection of this event. But Christine is famous in our family for remembering everything. I'll have to verify this with my parents.

Their Christmas party was, of course, a great success. Wine flowed. Lesbians talked with doctors. Young kids talked with 92 year old women. And on and on.

Carlos's work party was the same night so he came by at 9 pm. Here is the email exchange after the party:

Carlos: Christine and Karlie,

Before things get even crazier with the holidays, I wanted to thank you for throwing your annual Christmas party. I had a blast. Look, when I get boozy enough to introduce myself to total strangers on their way out your front door, then you know I've had a great time!

I even remember Donna Moore! Furthermore, one of your guests and her children came caroling at my door at 9pm Sunday night! The party continues!

Thanks again, and please, please, please have it again next year.

Carlos

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Claudia (my younger sister): Carlos, you're funny:) Sorry we missed the fun!

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Angela (my mom): Wait, wait, wait: I missed Carlos introducing himself to total strangers???!!!

...And don't you love your new neighborhood, Carlos, where people come caroling during the holidays? We need to join them next year.

This was really funny.

Thanks, Christine and Karlie also for a wonderful party.

It was fun to see everyone, Angela and Russ

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Gotta love the holidays!

Sign

Reposted from the always interesting STFU Conservatives...

Blog: Margaret and Helen

Thanks to Google Reader, I stop by almost 100 blogs regularly. One of my favorites is Margaret and Helen - "Best Friends For Sixty Years and Counting".

Here is an excerpt from one of Helen's recent posts:

For everyone who is currently considering removing their Obama sticker from the back of their car… for every Democrat who made the effort to get out the vote and today is feeling a little down… for every progressive American who is thinking about moving to Canada…. I say this:

Christine O’Donnell might not have been a witch, but Sarah Palin is definitely a bitch. Three steps forward. One step back.

We’re still two steps ahead of the game with a Senate and a White House. Washington will be grid-locked for the next two years, but the ground war just came to the States. Democrats need to stop looking for middle ground and start looking for higher ground. And for goodness sakes, grow a pair and quit apologizing for it.

As I see it, the Democrats have one job between now and the next election - figuring out how to get those who stayed home mad enough to get off their asses. Democracy isn’t a spectator sport. I mean it. Really.

She's 84 years old and still fighting the good fight!

Follow Up: Fuck You

In 2009, Lily Allen released a song called Fuck You that I discussed here.

The song was a hit, making it to #1 in Belgium and number 68 on the Billboard charts.

This past Summer, Cee Lo released a song entitled Fuck You.

Both are catchy songs.

Each have disparate messages.

Here is Cee Lo's very catchy song - to compare to Lily Allen's same-named one.


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In the future, I'll discuss my history with the word fuck, including my 3rd grade suspension concerning the word.

Email Exchange

Over the years, I have given my 74-year-old dad computer lessons. Some things are just outside of his grasp - like using the Shift key. Here is an email exchange today about an upcoming event.

Me: Do we have anything planned yet for Christmas morning – for the family gift exchange? I offer to host. We can meet around 10 am at my house for coffee, donuts, grits and grillades (mom’s recipe), and/or hot chocolate. What do you think?

My Sister Christine: Assuming that it works for Karlie, which I think it does, I think it sounds nice. We have “Christmas with the [in laws]” this year, but I don’t it will start until the afternoon. Thanks for offering to host. I love the holidays!!!

Me: And I have two Snuggies ready for anyone who wants to use them! (Karlie can bring hers too.)

My Dad: WE WILL BE IN ATTENDENCE DAD

Me: Sounds good. Remember: In email, ALL CAPS means that you are YELLING at someone. You really should practice with the Shift key.

My Dad: THANKS

Me: Oh the irony…

Mystery Solved

Remember the guy in the below photo? He is the mystery actor described in this post.

Carlos figured out who he is. We were watching Runaway Jury yesterday morning and recognized him. His name is Cliff Curtis. Here is his official IMDB photo.


Here is his bio via IMDB:

Cliff Curtis was born in Rotorua, Aotearoa, New Zealand, on July 27, 1968.

Of New Zealand Maori descent (Ngati Hauiti, Te Arawa) he spent time when young learning the traditional Maori fighting styles of mau rakau. He enrolled at the New Zealand Drama School, and then the Teatro Dmitri Scoula in Switzerland.

After returning to Aotearoa New Zealand from Europe, he was cast in The Piano (1993). Subsequent roles in New Zealand include the camp melodrama Desperate Remedies (1993), the gruelling urban drama Once Were Warriors (1994), and the lighthearted comedy Jubilee (2000).

In Hollywood, Curtis has played a range of different roles and ethnicities in films. He plays a Colombian in Blow (2001), an Arab in Three Kings (1999) and The Insider (1999), a Latino in Training Day (2001) and Runaway Jury (2003), and a drug dealer of ambiguous ethnicity in Bringing Out the Dead (1999). However, he is probably best known for his role as Paikea's father Porourangi, in Whale Rider (2002).

Carlos has a great memory. He said that he couldn't remember the guy's name, but remembered that he had starred along Bruce Willis in a movie. We can now confirm that movie is Live Free or Die Hard.

Thanksgiving

In my generation, we have 13 cousins. At 43, I am the second oldest. The first five of us are very close in age and grew up together.

My 41-year-old cousin Paul, the youngest of us five, has been battling colon and liver cancer for the last six months or so.

In person, via email and via Caring Bridge, he keeps us updated on his condition. Since today is Thanksgiving, I wanted to share with you his most recent communication. You’ll see that he is quite a good writer – and tries to keep his humor about the situation.

All right…all right, I’m back in the game. Today was the big pow wow with Dr. Griffin, and the unknowns are now known and on the books.

To back-up a bit and get you on the right page, I had a CT scan last Tuesday, because they hadn’t taken a look at my toenail on my left pinky toe. Well we got it, and now they can digitally recreate every pore in my body. The CT came back favorably, and we are now describing the size of the liver lesions in mm rather than cm.

As usual, the colon doctor didn’t trust the tested and proven CT to determine his prognosis, and I’m sore again. The really good news is that I’m scheduled for surgery on December 10 at Tulane Hospital. I am first in line for the day, which, like flying, is where you want to be. Funny, the similarities these days between flying and colorectal cancer.

Anyway, the colon surgeon should go first and re-connect my plumbing and then the liver surgeon. Sad to say, but we really don’t know what his plan is for the liver. I guess I’ll wake up with a surprise. Regardless, I’m very excited about making progress toward the end of the surgeries and getting to the next stage, whatever that is.

I will be in the hospital for 2 days, which would mean I will be out by Sunday if all goes well. Both procedures are laparoscopic this time, so recovery should be nothing like the first surgery. I assume that I will have more scans after the surgery and take those results to the Medical Oncologist to see what’s behind the next curtain. As I have stated before--through gnashed teeth--I want the second chemo regimen. I want to go through this just one time, and I will do what I need to do to achieve that goal.

All is well on the home front. We are heading to Shreveport tomorrow evening to spend Thanksgiving with Sarah’s family. I am looking forward to getting out of town for a few days and relaxing. I genuinely feel good and have had no other major incidents with my special friend [his colostomy bag]; however, I will be burning the bulk of my clothes once this is over. Oh, and after the surgery I’ll have some fancy balloons available for any birthday party or bar mitzvah. I have been itching to start jogging again but have learned from a reliable source that sweat and the adhesive on my apparatus do not work well together. Jogging can wait.

I hope you are all doing exactly what you want to do this Thanksgiving. In my family, all Thanksgiving attendees must write on a little piece of paper what they are thankful for and place it in a basket. After we dine the contents of the basket are read aloud and everyone tries to guess who submitted the entry. It’s funny, touching, sometimes sad, but always meaningful. I will not be there this year, so here’s what I’m thankful for: I am thankful to be alive. I am thankful that my body has reacted so well to treatment. I am thankful that I have such wonderful people around me who support and love me. I am thankful for doctors who have torn me up and are putting me back together. I am thankful for the quiet strength that I receive from my wife and children. I am thankful for being treated normally and not like I’m a piece of thin blown glass. I am thankful for the opportunity to kick this thing in the ass, turn around, and attack the rest of my life.

I printed out Paul’s Thankful For submission and slipped it into this year’s basket. We all had a good cry.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

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Some Thanksgiving quotes:


If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get.
- Frank A. Clark

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.
- W.J. Cameron

An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.
- Irv Kupcinet

There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.
- O. Henry

On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence.
- William Jennings Bryan

Thanksgiving is America's national chow-down feast, the one occasion each year when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty.
- Michael Dresser

Forever on Thanksgiving Day
The heart will find the pathway home.
- Wilbur D. Nesbit

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.
- Cicero

And though I ebb in worth, I'll flow in thanks.
- John Taylor

Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.
- Aesop

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?"
- William A. Ward

List: Top 5 Classic Rock Bands

Our friend Debbie loves to ask, "What is your Top Five ____________? Go."

My list of Top Five Classic Rock Bands has been set for years.

1. U2 - which I discuss fairly often.

2. Led Zeppelin - which I have discussed numerous times, including my Top Ten Led Zeppelin Songs of All Time list

3. Rush

4. Queen - one mention so far

5. Pink Floyd - also one mention


I thought today I would discuss Rush.

In 8th grade (1980), Rush's album Moving Pictures came out. My friend Steve brought it to school and insisted I borrow it. I did. And I was hooked for life.

The cover's double meaning (right) was lost on a 12 year old.


For years later, I wanted to be a drummer because of Neil Peart. Ironically, I never tried to play (the drum solo song) YYZ from the album. I used my drum sticks - known to my dad as his screw drivers - on my drum kit (AKA the floor and pillows of my bedroom) to perfect Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, Vital Signs and especially Limelight.

Here is what I wanted to be able to do as a 12 year old - done by a (then) 9 year old: Teddy Z covering, drums only, Tom Sawyer.



Hell, I'd like to play like that now.

Here is Vital Signs live in 1984.


My friend Lloyd and I would endlessly discuss the meaning of the songs Red Barchetta, Witch Hunt, Camera Eye, and all the other songs on the album.

A small footnote at the end of Red Barchetta says, "Inspired by 'A Nice Morning Drive' by Richard S. Foster." In the pre-internet world, it took me years to figure out that was a short story in the November 1973 issue of Road and Track magazine. I am still trying to hunt down a reasonably priced copy of the magazine on eBay. Those damn Rush fanatics.

Here's an article by Richard Foster describing when he finally met Neil Peart, Rush's drummer and main lyricist, in 2006.

After listening to Moving Pictures, I had to find out everything about this band.

I started at the beginning with their eponymous first album, continuing through Fly By Night and Caress of Steel. All noble efforts, but nothing that really hit me.

Then I discovered their fourth album (right) - 2112.



The first side is all one song, divided into seven parts. I remember thinking, "It's something about a world without music, but I don't get it." Then I listened to it again and again and again.

Here are parts 1 and 2, live in 2007:


Side two has some decent songs, but nothing like the fantastic side one.

Moving up the band's history, I then discovered A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres and Permanent Waves. Without exception, every song on those three albums are fantastic and as still some of my favorites.

A Farewell to Kings has the (sort of) hit Cinderella Man, but I'm more partial to their longer songs such as Xanadu and Cygnus X-1.

I don't play an instrument, but I have been told that mastering their 10 minute instrumental La Villa Strangiato from Hemispheres is prized among musicians. Something about all the odd timing changes. My friend Kyle used to be in a bar band that covered that song - and well too.

Here is a live version of La Villa Strangiato from around 2004:


The Trees, another of the songs from Hemispheres is an allegory about, well, here are the lyrics:

There is unrest in the forest
There is trouble with the trees
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas

The trouble with the maples
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade

There is trouble in the forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the maples scream 'Oppression!'
And the oaks just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
'The oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light'
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe and saw

Here is a live version of The Trees from the late 1970's.


Permanent Waves has some of their most popular songs, including The Spirit of Radio - which they opened their concerts with for many years. (Even their 2005 live 30th Anniversary CD opens with the song.)

Here is The Spirit of Radio live from 1984:


By the time Signals - their next studio album after Moving Pictures - came out, I knew every song of theirs, and ate up the new CD. I was a Sophomore in high school and my Theology class (Catholic boys school requirement) was informally called "Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll". All we discussed were those three subjects. In detail. For nine months. Our professor, Fr. Ed, was quite cool. (I still keep in contact with him via Facebook.)

We were encouraged to bring in our favorite albums. He would play the songs and we would discuss the lyrics. We did one Rush song, Losing It, from Signals. Here are the lyrics:

The dancer slows her frantic pace
In pain and desperation
Her aching limbs and downcast face
Aglow with perspiration

Stiff as wire, her lungs on fire
With just the briefest pause
The flooding through her memory
The echoes of old applause

And she limps across the floor
And closes her bedroom door...

The writer stares with glassy eyes
Defies the empty page
His beard is white, his face is lined

And streaked with tears of rage

Thirty years ago, how the words would flow
With passion and precision
But now his mind is dark and dulled
By sickness and indecision

And he stares out the kitchen door
Where the sun will rise no more...

Some are born to move the world
To live their fantasies
But most of us just dream about
The things we'd like to be
Sadder still to watch it die
Than never to have known it
For you, the blind who once could see
The bell tolls for thee...

I don't remember the exact discussion. All I remember is how proud I was that we were talking about MY band with the entire class for an entire hour. How very cool.

There is no video or live performance of the song by the band, but here is the studio version of the song.





Geddy Lee, the band's singer/bass player/keyboard player, introduced keyboards more and more into the bands songs - starting with Signals. I kept buying their albums for awhile - after Signals came Grace Under Pressure, then Power Windows, then Hold Your Fire. By their latest live set A Show of Hands, I had moved on to other bands (though I diligently bought every new release, and still do). But every so often, I pick up a Rush CD from my pile and listen to it.

Recommendations -

If you have never ever heard a song by Rush, start with Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures or their second live album Exit...Stage Left, which contains songs from that time period. Those are the easiest to jump into.

If you're a fan of prog rock, start with 2112 or Hemispheres.

If you're already a fan of Rush, you must see the documentary Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage. My favorite part is watching the actual home movie of Alex Lifeson (guitars) telling his parents that he is dropping out of high school to go on the road with his band. Priceless.

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Final Note -

Moving Pictures and 2112 are the two Rush albums contained in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

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Final Final Note -

Apparently the creators of South Park are Rush fans too...

Link: What The Heck Has Obama Done So Far?

If someone says, "Obama hasn't done ONE good thing for our country yet!!", here's a site to help you set the misguided person straight:
What The Fuck Has Obama Done So Far?
or the PG version What The Heck Has Obama Done So Far?

Source: The always entertaining STFU, Conservatives

Tea Baggers

A friend emailed me this, though he still calls them Tea Partiers, whereas I call them Tea Baggers.

Did you know that the words “race car” spelled backwards still spells “race car”?

And that “eat” is the only word that, if you take the first letter and move it to the last, spells its own past tense, “ate”?

And if you rearrange the letters in “Tea Party Republicans,” and add just a few more letters, it spells: “Shut the fuck up you free-loading, progress-blocking, benefit-grabbing, resource-sucking, violent hypocrites, and deal with the fact that you nearly wrecked the country under Bush and that our president is black, so try and get over it.”

Isn’t that interesting?

Punching The Clock

At work, we have a new time clock system, mandated by the university.

There are five people in my office. Three of us are salaried and are unaffected; the other two are hourly. Even though I am the Manager of our office - but AS I HAVE SAID OVER AND OVER TO THE HOURLY PEEPS NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU BITCH TO ME - I have no control or affect on the new system.

Today, we had an Office Meeting. I said:

You can complain and complain all you want about this new system. I will always listen to you. I will never get defensive.

This is not my system. I am merely telling you the details that I hear from my superiors. Whatever questions I cannot answer, I will ask upward - no matter how much resistance I get.

[The upper up bosses are "tired" and "frustrated" of questions about the new system and want them to stop. I plan on asking questions as long as I want to.]

Remember this though: This new system is not going away. Whether you like it or not, long term, you WILL be judged by how you react to this obstacle.

Character comes from how well you work with adversity. Grow and learn from this experience.

Will you adapt? Will you fight it? Will you quit? It is your call. I will back any decision you make.

Dead Pool

Remember the 1988 Clint Eastwood movie The Dead Pool? I haven't actually seen it, but I can relate to it. I keep track of celebrities who have died.

Some days when Carlos and I talk after work, I open the conversation with, "Guess who died today." (Carlos, who keeps up with pop culture as much as I do, usually knows the answer.)

I subscribe to the newsletter for the website Who's Alive and Who's Dead - including daily bulletins for very famous people.

I receive the daily and weekly posts from the associated Yahoo Group.

CNN sends me daily bulletins.

All so that I can know information like Jill Clayburgh's death was announced yesterday.


I have never played the game The Dead Pool, but I may play this year. Once I have my list - and after I post it to The Dead Pool - I'll post it here.

New Discovery: Antony Hegarty

I have had "Antony Hegarty" listed on my New Discovery list for almost two years - so I guess I can't call him a New Discovery.

Flipping through the channels one evening, I came across a tribute concert to Leonard Cohen. I was half paying attention until this astonishing voice came on. This is what I saw. Unfortunately, "embedding disabled by request".

I stopped in my tracks and watched with my mouth agape for the entire time. What an incredible voice.

Antony (and his band The Johnsons) made their US network television debut on Late Night with David Letterman:


They have also appeared on one of my current favorite shows, Sundance Channel's Live from Abbey Road.

Here is Antony Hegarty's Wikipedia page.

Mahna Mahna and other songs

Earlier this week, Carlos and I were playing songs for each other with the challenge, "Try getting this out of your head". Here are our top picks...


Mahna Mahna and the Snowths from The Muppet Show


If I Knew You Were Coming, I'd Have Baked A Cake - Eileen Barton


A Bushel and A Peck - Doris Day


What songs can you think of?

Story: Justin Bieber -- I Want to Step Up Against Hate

Justin Bieber is not at all on my radar and I never thought I would ever be blogging about him, but I have to give him points for this...


Justin Bieber will take a stand against bullying and homophobia after he was on the receiving end of some hateful words this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

As TMZ first reported, Bieber was confronted by a 12-year-old boy at a laser arcade -- and things got heated after the boy called Bieber "a faggot." We're told the boy repeated the comment and then put his hand out toward Bieber and Bieber pushed it away as he left. We're told Bieber's rep has told police this story and it is backed up by witnesses.

Bieber is telling friends he had no idea how hurtful these comments could be -- but even though he's a straight teenager, he now wants to take a stand against bullying and homophobia.

We're told Bieber will be going public -- probably within the next week -- to lend his support to the anti-bullying campaign.

And this is interesting ... our sources say Bieber's own people wanted to keep the specifics of the confrontation under wraps, but Justin felt it was important for people to know what happened.

As TMZ has already reported ... although police are investigating the incident, they've already concluded Bieber was not the instigator.


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The original story can be found here.

Sign Near Books

From one of my daily reads STFU Conservatives...

Pillow Cases

Ever since I came out to my parents in the Summer of 2008, they have been very loving and do all they can to show that they accept me the way I am.

They also try to bond with Carlos, my boyfriend:
My dad (a financial adviser) gives Carlos financial advice. My mom (a part-time real estate agent) spent the last year working with Carlos to buy a house.

When we stayed at their bed and breakfast last weekend, they had these pillow cases on the bed - specially ordered by my mom from my younger sister who runs a part-time monogramming business.

Too cute.

Tourist In Your Own Town - 2010

Once a year, Carlos and I spend a weekend in the New Orleans French Quarter, doing all the activities that tourists do. We’re tourists in our home town.

Our theme this year was “Eat, Drink, Be Merry…and Shop”. I researched many choices in all those categories. Once our weekend began, we virtually ignored my list.

We arrived at The Little Yellow House Bed and Breakfast (next door to my parent’s house) around 1 pm, and promptly walked past Port of Call. Our plan was to eat there, but the line was too long. (That ended up being that restaurant’s theme all weekend.) We ate at The Gumbo Shop. We each had Gumbo as our appetizer (though different types of Gumbo). I had the Catfish St. Peter – a special of the day. It was catfish with some kind of rich sauce that included shrimp. (I’ll have to hunt around for the recipe.) Carlos also had a catfish dish, though his was not nearly as good.

We then wandered through the Quarter, stopping in many shops and finally the French Market. I saw some local themed trivets that I wanted to buy but didn’t want to carry around. I should have bought them then: The booth disappeared after Friday.

After a quick rest at the B&B, we ate dinner with my parents at Marigny Brasserie. The service was slow and the food was underwhelming. My friend Cherie tells me – in the blog post here that she and my friend Steve run – that the place has gone down over the years. I can attest to that.

Our parents went to a fundraiser for Uganda (a random reason for a fundraiser, we thought) at Café Rose Nicaud, between Marigny Brasserie and Snug Harbor, while Carlos and I wandered down Frenchman Street. We stopped in the Faubourg Marigny Art and Books store, browsed through the porn and both bought Superman Fleur de Lis t-shirts. After looking in on a few other clubs down Frenchman, we ended up at Balcony Music Club for a drink.

Then home to bed.

Saturday morning, I was up early, letting Carlos sleep in. My mom and dad were in the driveway. My dad was going to work for awhile and my mom was walking down to Café Rose Nicaud for coffee, as she does every Saturday morning. She and I first walked to the French Market (again in search of trivets). Then met some more locals for coffee. Carlos joined us.

Laury, the friend of my parents who lives in the south of France and who we visited during our October 2007 trip, was there. We caught up with her and her adventures. She works in New Orleans two months a year and lives in France the other 10 months. I want her job!

Carlos and I then took the Riverfront Streetcar all the way down to near the World War II museum. (If we ever end up living down in Marigny, I could take that to work every day. Ahhhh, to dream. I don’t think I could convince Carlos to live in that area of town.) We had already seen the actual museum; we were there to see the new movie – Beyond Boundaries. The movie was interactive in that it was projected on a huge screen, our seats shook, smoke and mist came at us, and objects were raised and lowered at appropriate times. It was amazing!

I picked up a WWII t-shirt at the gift shop (more spending!) and then we raced over to our 2 pm reservation at the New Orleans School of Cooking for a cooking class. The highlight of last year’s Tourist Weekend was the cooking class. We had found out the previous day that there were actually two classes offered. We immediately signed up!

This year’s class consisted of more New Orleans history woven through the cooking of Shrimp and Artichoke Soup, Crawfish Etouffee, and more Pralines. (The school demonstrates Pralines during every class.) If you are ever looking for something to do in New Orleans, I highly recommend these cooking classes. They’re $22, last about two hours, and you get to eat your results.

I will post the recipes for both main dishes in my next post.

With our bellies full, we wandered around the Quarter a bit, ending up at Canal Place Cinema – now called The Theatres at Canal Place. We saw the 6:10 showing of The Town, but were going really just to experience the updated set up.

The overall experience was very elegant. Since we arrived almost an hour early, Carlos and I bought our reserved seats (for $12 each), had a drink at the bar, and chatted with the very friendly staff. Once the time came for the movie, we leisurely bought our popcorn from the counter and took our seats. We could have ordered our popcorn - or anything from the extensive menu - from our seats merely by pushing a button between us, but we wanted to save the automatic 18% service charge.

Downside...
The lights in the theatre were on the entire time. I thought because the servers needed to see the patrons. When relating this to others who have been to this theatre, they told me that they think that someone forgot to turn the lights off. During the course of the movie, there were at least 20 trips by servers into the theatre. I don't think it was an accident. If you want to actually watch the movie you are paying for without any distractions, The Theatres at Canal Place are NOT the place to go.

Walking down Decatur back to our B&B, we saw Ami – of “Travis & Ami”, who got married in my parent’s backyard back in 2002 (?) – walking to a bar on Decatur to “do her show called Fire and Ice”. Apparently she is a fire twirler in her spare time.

We ended up getting some late night food at La Peniche and eating it in our B&B.

Then to bed.

Sunday, I again awoke early and again walked down to the French Market. Still no trivets, but I did buy some very nice smelling candles. When I returned, Carlos and I had breakfast with my mom and dad, recapping our weekend.

My co-worker Karen asked me about my favorite meal during the weekend. I guess it was the Catfish St. Peter, but no meal really stood out for me. For a city known for food, we must not have covered the correct restaurants. We’ll have to concentrate on that more next year.

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Details on 2007 trip

Details on 2008 trip

Details on 2009 trip

Story: Move over NYC, New Orleans gets top city rankings

I'm proud to pass on a positive story on New Orleans...


(Reuters Life!) - Looking for romance? Head to Honolulu. But if you are single, like live music, boutique hotels and want a wild weekend, New Orleans is the city to visit.

In its latest survey of America's favorite cities Travel and Leisure magazine asked readers to pick the best places for everything from the most attractive, intelligent, stylish and the friendliest people to where to find the best museums, restaurants, bars, museums and affordable hotels.

"The big news this year is that New Orleans received the most number one rankings over New York," said Travel and Leisure Assistant Editor Stirling Kelso.

"It is a popular weekend destination. You can go to New Orleans and feel like you have left the country," she added.

The city known as the "Big Easy" also came out tops for people watching, singles scene and the metropolis with the best bars and concerts and bands.

"In the nightlife category, New Orleans beat Las Vegas. Last year New Orleans swept all of the night-life categories and New Orleans did this year," Kelso added.

Miami topped the charts for the most attractive people, followed by San Diego and Charleston but southern charm seemed to come into play with Nashville, New Orleans and Charleston having the friendliest folks.

New York was the U.S. city with the most stylish residents with Miami and San Francisco and Los Angeles also coming up with high marks.

But when it comes to most intelligent Minneapolis/St. Paul took the crown, followed by Austin and Boston. The twin cities also scored top marks as the cleanest city.

The results were based on an online survey of more than 60,000 people who rated 30 U.S. cities in various categories. Five new cities, Providence, Kansas City, Cleveland, Houston and St Louis, were added to the survey this year.

Washington D.C. was the top choice for best museums, galleries and historical sites, with New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston also in the top five.

"In regards to culture, Washington D.C. and New York really tied in that category. New York got the No. 1 ranking for classical music and theatres, and Washington D.C. did for historical sites and monuments and museums and galleries. It was a nice East Coast tie," Kelso said.

For more sedate family fun, Orlando, Florida was the top choice with Washington D.C. coming in second, and San Diego third. If money is a consideration, Cleveland scaled the chart for best affordable getaway.

New York may have bowed to New Orleans in the nightlife ranking but it was still scored top marks in a category considered important by many -- shopping.

Full results are found at www.travelandleisure.com.

The It Gets Better Project II

In September, I posted a link to a video from Dan Savage and his It Gets Better Project.

Following up on that and on all the recent gay teen suicides, I have been working on a really long blog post that I will share soon once I get my thoughts together.

Meanwhile, I wanted to post this very powerful video that I saw via Jason's blog.

Yes, it's 12 minutes long. Stay for the entire show.



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The Trevor Project

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Kevin Smith, one of my favorite actor/directors, takes The Trevor Project center stage.

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BPM

Whenever I make mixed CD's, I am cognizant of the BPM (beats per minute) of each song - and how each fits together. For years, I have been using my own tapping combined with a metronome.

Gotta love the internet: Today, I found a site dedicated to what I have been sweating over for years.

Now, when I want to make a 160+ BPM CD, I will easily know that this song...



and this song...



can be linked.

Tourist In Your Own Town - 2010 (Preview)

This past weekend, Carlos and I had our Fourth Annual Tourist In Your Own Town weekend. I am working on a detailed post of our adventures. Coming very soon.

Meanwhile, I wanted to post this one short piece of information. He and I saw a movie at the new, improved Canal Place Cinema, uh, The Theatres at Canal Place. Carlos recognized an actor eating at the lounge area while we were getting a drink at the bar. Neither of us could remember his name. I did manage to get a (blurry, bad angle) picture of him.

Does anyone recognize this actor?



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Details on 2007 trip

Details on 2008 trip

Details on 2009 trip

New Gap Logo

A story from here:

Gap changed its logo today without fanfare or even so much as a press release. It just kind of showed up on their website, no method of warning considered.

The new logo, a cold and unfeeling blue square crushed underneath the cruel weight of bold, black Helvetica, makes the company look more like it’s about to release a new word processor than a footwear collaboration with Pierre Hardy. Our questions about this abound, but we’ll start with this one: What the hell are they thinking?

BrandChannel points out that while Gap Inc. as a company might have posted over $14 billion in revenue last year, Gap as a brand isn’t doing nearly as well as it has in the past. And now it’s scrambling for a jolt of energy that will send it back to the top again.

“… Ditching the classic logo, recognized by everyone, in favor of whatever that new monstrosity is, demonstrates a prototypical brand panic move. With things not going in its favor, the brand decides to change the one valuable element it has going for it.

Ironically maybe, the new logo is perfect for the brand. It communicates exactly the values currently embodied by Gap: A sense of being lost and a lack of clear vision and creativity.”

Ouch. Well. We hate Helvetica as much as the next person who has a thing for fonts (we had the audacity to tell our 300-level graphic design professor that we thought it was the most banal font we’d ever seen). But we’ve noticed that the company hasn’t changed the logo on its Facebook or Twitter pages, so maybe (hopefully) they’re just testing it out and gauging how consumers would react to it. But if the company can make a design flub this big, should we expect the clothes to follow?

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An update to the above story is here.

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See the trailer for the 2007 documentary on Helvetica.

The Passion of the Clueless

Courtesy of this site.

Theme Dinners – Season 1, Week 4

The fourth Wednesday Night Dinner was another success. Our theme was Idioms. Each week, everyone seems to be embracing the themes. I am amazed at the creativity.

Here are the entries from the dinner:
Fork in the Road Cookie – Tied for first place (see image)
Who Cut The Cheese Plate
Pardon My French Cut Green Beans Sautéed with Almonds and Mushrooms – Tied for first place
High on the Hog (a large ham)
The Whole Enchilada
Ain’t That A Kick In The Head Rum Cake
Don’t Spill The [Red] Beans
Peace Out (She had little packets of Reece’s Pieces, which she proceeded to toss out to us.)
Cream (Spinach) of the Crop - Third place

Pardon My French was my dish. I hadn’t yet placed in the top 3 dishes so I was proud of my accomplishment. (Each week, everyone votes on his/her top 3 favorite dishes with 10 points going to the first place choice, 5 points to the second place choice, and 3 point to the third place choice.)

Next Theme: Dish that Reflects Your Fantasy Place to Live. I have already ordered Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I bet at least a third of the people will do French dishes so I really want to present something fantastic. I have until October 13 to work out the details.

We are having small events at each dinner evolve into traditions:
- Karly, the 10 year old, asks a discussion question while we are all eating – such “What did you want to be when you were 10?”
- Right before we sit down to dinner, each person has a short presentation describing his/her dish. (Our voting is based on the dish’s presentation, adherence to the theme, creativity, and taste.)
- At the end of our evening, the list of potential themes is handed out. Someone throws out a nomination, waiting on a “second” – then a vote. I think too many of us have been involved in formal meetings.

It looks like we have two more Dinners before we take a break for the holidays, starting up again in January. During that time, I plan on compiling all the recipes into a cook book.

With Jason, Debbie and Bart unable to attend, we were down to 11 people at this dinner. Next time, with the addition of two guests of my parents, plus Jason, Debbie and Bart back in, we’ll be up to 16 – our most ever. We also have three people on our “waiting list”. I want to invite them too, but we just don’t have the space. Maybe in January, we’ll start rotating houses.

More Sesame Street

Following up on this post and this post, Sesame Street is again dipping into the world of pop culture, parodying a show that no 3 year old would ever be able to watch.

Their skit...


The opening theme to the original...

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon Perform the History of Rap

This article is taken from here.

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Justin Timberlake just chalked up another awesome TV appearance when he pulled off a history of hip-hop medley with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday night. The duo rocked every rap hit from The Sugar Hill Gang to Jay-Z, starting off in the 80s and working their way up to current tracks.

Timberlake pretty much rocks it every time he appears on TV -- consider D*ck in a Box and J*** in My Pants -- and this performance on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" is no exception. The only surprising bit is that Fallon pulls off the raps pretty well, and that both of them do spot-on impressions of their favorite rappers. It also doesn't hurt that Fallon's backing band is legendary hip-hop outfit The Roots. The whole thing feels like a classy rap edition of Evolution of Dance.

My personal favorite moment: Fallon and Timberlake doing the Soulja Boy dance.



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I wish I stayed up late enough more often to see Jimmy Fallon.

Friends of Irony

The website Friends of Irony is one of my favorite daily reads. Here is today's post...


see more Friends of Irony

Story: Local bakery refuses to make rainbow cupcakes for gay customer

An Indianapolis bakery is under fire from the gay and lesbian community over a choice not to serve a diversity group.

Indianapolis —
An Indianapolis bakery is under fire from the gay and lesbian community over a choice not to serve a diversity group.

A campus organization said it was denied service in what's become a flashpoint in the fight for equal rights.

This is what they were after: a mulitcolored cupcake to celebrate "National Coming Out Day" next month; a rainbow confection to honor the diversity on the campus of IUPUI. But the student who had the order placed at Just Cookies was told no.

"We're right on the cusp of being equal with anyone else, I don't know why they would do that," said student Shan Parker.

That student's partner and close friend are both troubled by the refusal. They believe it shows Indianapolis has a ways to go to embrace the gay and lesbian community.

"They weren't asking to petition for anything, they were just ordering cupcakes for an event," said Rebecca Scherpelz.

Fox59 went to City Market to get the business's side of the story, Just Cookies, but we didn't get just one version of what happened.

"Look around, we don't have cupcakes," said owner Lilly Stockton.

Stockton said she talked to someone who did ask for rainbow cookies but couldn't accommodate the order.

Stockton: "I don't have enough colors to do that."

Reporter: "Not enough colors, not because you didn't like what they stood for?"

Stockton: "She didn't tell me what it was for."

Then we talked to her husband David, who gradually made it clear that there was an earlier order... and yes, the customer was refused.

"I explained we're a family-run business, we have two young, impressionable daughters and we thought maybe it was best not to do that," said co-owner David Stockton.

"Values" is the same word used in the other argument.

"I just hope that what comes out of this is that there's some dialogue and discussion on what we value in our community, how we share those values and how we interact with our community members," said Scherpelz.

And the end of the day, the order was placed with another bakery on Massachussetts Avenue. "National Coming Out Day" is Oct 11th.

IUPUI's spokesperson said the school has no formal complaint against the bakery and added embracing diversity means allowing the business owners the right to their opinion and the right to choose how to serve its customers, as long as those customers are not discriminated against.

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Make your thoughts known about the bakery at Urban Spoon .

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Watch a video of the story here.

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Katy Perry - Update

Here is an update to this post.

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According to the 9/23/10 Los Angeles Times:

When Katy Perry visited "Sesame Street," Elmo didn't seem to mind her cleavage -- but parents who previewed a version of her singing a rewritten "Hot N Cold" while playing tag with the furry red guy begged to differ.

Seems that sheer fabric that goes from neck to, um, places lower than Katy's neck on her "dress-up clothes" won't cut it as a preschool-appropriate outfit, with show producers Sesame Workshop deciding to pull the segment from the kids show's Sept. 27 season premiere.

"Sesame Street has always been written on two levels, for the child and adult. We use parodies and celebrity segments to interest adults in the show because we know that a child learns best when co-viewing with a parent or care-giver," the producers said Thursday in a statement.

"We also value our viewer’s opinions and particularly those of parents. In light of the feedback we’ve received on the Katy Perry music video which was released on You Tube only, we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of Sesame Street, which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on You Tube."

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From my other blog, here are tons more shirtless pics of Alexander Rodriguez.

Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock

Gotta love The Big Bang Theory!


1) Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock
Scissors cuts paper,
paper covers rock,
rock crushes lizard,
lizard poisons Spock,
Spock smashes scissors,
scissors decapitates lizard,
lizard eats paper,
paper disproves Spock,
Spock vaporizes rock,
and rock crushes scissors.


2) One of my favorites, Wil Wheaton has guest starred twice - so far.


3) They wear cool costumes.

Katy Perry

Carlos calls Katy Perry the poor man's Zooey Deschanel.

Well, call me a poor man. I don't like a lot of current music, but I really like her.

My favorite song of hers is Hot N Cold. Bonus: The hot guy in the video. (His name is Alexander Rodriguez.)



Here is a link to the original video. ("Embedding disabled by request.")

I was thinking of all this today because I found this video - her singing a version of the song with Elmo on Sesame Street.



Want more shirtless pictures of Alex Rodriguez - this one, not the baseball player? See my other blog.

The It Gets Better Project

From Dan Savage via here:

I’ve launched a channel on YouTube to host these videos. My normally camera-shy husband and I already posted one. We both went to Christian schools and we were both bullied — he had it a lot worse than I did — and we are living proof that it gets better. We don’t dwell too much on the past. Instead, we talk mostly about all the meaningful things in our lives now — our families, our friends (gay and straight), the places we’ve gone and things we’ve experienced—that we would’ve missed out on if we’d killed ourselves then.

“You gotta give ’em hope,” Harvey Milk said.

Today we have the power to give these kids hope. We have the tools to reach out to them and tell our stories and let them know that it gets better. Online support groups are great, GLSEN does amazing work, the Trevor Project is invaluable. But many LGBT youth can’t picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can’t imagine a future for themselves. So let’s show them what our lives are like, let’s show them what the future may hold in store for them.

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Here is the initial video and below-video description from their YouTube channel.



"If you're gay or lesbian, or bi or trans, and you've ever read about a kid like Billy Lucas (pictured below) and thought, "Fuck, I wish I could've told him that it gets better," this is your chance. We can't help Billy, but there are lots of other Billys out there—other despairing LGBT kids who are being bullied and harassed, kids who don't think they have a future—and we can help them..."

NPR's 50 Great Voices

I'm loving NPR's ongoing series 50 Great Voices.

Among the 50 that have been profiled are Irma Thomas, Freddie Mercury, Bjork, Ella Fitzgerald, Donny Hathaway, and Janis Joplin. There are also quite a few artists that I am not familiar with: Fairuz, Khaled, Sezen Aksu, and so on.

Tonight's segment was about Robert Plant. Fantastic.

Gay Men Achieve World-Record Longest Kiss

This is just adorable...

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Gay Men Achieve World-Record Longest Kiss

Standing in a tent on the campus of The College of New Jersey, Matty Daley and Bobby Canciello earned a place in the Guinness World Records today by kissing for 33 hours. They livestreamed video of it and just finished.


When I tuned in to Matty and Bobby's Ustream video channel around 8PM, that had just emerged victorious. Their fans cheering in the background, Bobby sipped water from a bottle and Matty leaned into the camera and thanked the internet. The rules for "Longest Continuous Kiss" specify that the couple must be standing and in a public venue. The duo devised a system of hand signals and stretching exercises to get them through the physically grueling feat of staying awake for a day and a half, standing with your mouth mashed against someone else's. Here's a sample:



Adult diapers are not allowed either (Guinness isn't into fetish kisses?) so the lads did a "cleanse" and nutritional training, too. No word on whether they peed at any point; before embarking on the kiss, they acknowledged having a contingency plan for that.

Matty and Bobby's stated goal was to "queer the Guinness World Records.". They are not lovers but "just friends." Bobby got permission from his boyfriend before embarking on the kiss.

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The original article is here.

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Update: Here is a post-record story and interview with the guys.

Music Update

U2 is the Greatest Band of All Time.

Led Zeppelin is second.

U2 Bad...


But daily, I have to be sure.

Here are today's contenders -

Spoon - Got Nuffin...


The Arcade Fire - Wake Up...(dammit. I'm 8 months late with this one.)


Joe Bonamassa - Just Got Paid / Dazed and Confused (With a ZZ Top opening and a Zeppelin finish - and a subtle Frampton interlude - I'm hoping I beat you to this one.)



What are your contenders today for Greatest Band of All Time?

Theme Dinners - Season 1, Week 3

This past Wednesday we had our Wednesday Night Dinners III.

What started in Week I as a "let's get together...and bring Cold Food (our theme) because it's so damn hot outside" has turned into -

Week III Theme: Food That Rhymes With The Name of a Saints Player

Of my favorites this week...

- "Doll Clothes" Jason valiantly cooked Drew Brees Macaroni and Cheese. He doesn't cook. I'm thrilled to see him branch outside of his comfort zone.
- Jason "Spaces" brought Lance S'Moores Cupcakes - which was a hit at Dinner - and when I brought the remainders to my office Thursday.
- Angela and Russ (AKA my parents) brought Scott Fujita's fajitas.

Carlos and I presented dishes that rhymed with long-forgotten Saints players: Fred Whittingham's Ham and Navy Bean Soup, and Willie Roaf (pictured)'s Meat Loaf respectively.


Karlie won with her Deuce's Soups. She brought very tasty tomato and cucumber soups. She won a Huddler (pictured below) - a sports version of the "classic" Snuggie.


Based on everyone's votes, our next theme is Idioms. I am leaning toward "Pardon my French", but I'm not sure yet.

A few guests thought we should create a Wednesday Night Dinners Cook Book. Angela thought that "we could even use it as a fundraiser for some good cause....maybe the Food Bank, because it connects to food." That's a great idea. Around the end of year holidays, we're going to take a break from our Dinners. I'll compile all the recipes then. More details to follow.

I hope if you follow my blog here, you'll be interested in purchasing our cookbook!

Stay tuned and...Bon Appétit!