Political Observations from a 14-year-old girl

Dreamy Adrian Fenty won the democratic nomination for DC mayor!



photo credit MW

He’ll be the hottest mayor in the country. Gavin Newsome uses way too much product. Take that SF.

the language of life

Words my little boo says:

Daddy - da da

Pappa

Nemo - emo (that’s our dog’s name)

More - mo

Banana – manamana

Bus - gu gu (I have no idea where that came from but it’s definitely his word for bus, he says it every time he sees one. Perhaps it’s from go go?)

Car - ca ca (note the transportation pattern!)

Book - be-be (one of his first books had a picture of a baby in it and we’d say look at the baby and now all books are be-be.)

Please - peese

Thank you - tank you

This - dis

Up – up-pa (which is really cute because it sounds like an Italian gymnast getting ready to launch himself onto a trapeze or something.)

Bubbles

In short, he’s brilliant!

For this is the gay we are given, let us rejoice!

I'm both thrilled and appalled by this show. Can you imagine the snarkability potential?


"Ex-gay" TV show to debut on Christian networks


A television show hosted by and featuring "ex-gays," including a former prostitute and a self-confessed thief, is preparing for its launch on two Christian networks.

Pure Passion will debut on both the Sky Angel Satellite Network and the Christian Television Network on September 18. The show, produced by Mastering Life Ministries, will be hosted by former prostitute David Kyle Foster and Alan Chambers, a onetime criminal and current president of the "ex-gay" group Exodus International, according to a press release issued by Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out, a nonprofit that counters so-called conversion therapy. Joining Foster and Chambers as part of the show will be singer Sy Rogers and "ex-lesbian" activist Christine Sneeringer.

The airing of Pure Passion has sparked anger from groups who denounce the "ex-gay" movement as damaging, self-hating, cruel, and simply a myth.

"The last thing people of faith need is more pure propaganda and pure nonsense that is rejected by every mainstream mental health organization in the nation," said Besen. "The colorful characters hosting this show with questionable moral character will likely prove to be quite entertaining, as most circus acts are."

Cockroach attacks Weatherman Nelly Olsen

Here she comes again

From the post:

“The (Kennedy Center) annual awards, announced yesterday, will go to country music legend Dolly Parton, rhythm and blues balladeer William "Smokey" Robinson, musical theater innovator Andrew Lloyd Webber and classical conductor Zubin Mehta.

In addition, the center is saluting Steven Spielberg, perhaps the most influential commercial filmmaker of his generation.” Blah blah blah


The important thing to note is that today is DOLLY PARTON appreciation day!
What better way to pick up a Thursday than to look forward to possible Parton sighting about town when she comes to pick up her award.

There are few artists that truly transcend their genres and none as ably as Dolly. So take a moment to say a little thank you to Dolly.



and yes that is a lot of make-up but she's earned it.

I’ve been meaning to post these pics for a while but kept forgetting. For shark week back in July, the Discovery Channel Building in Silver Spring had one of the coolest marketing gimmicks. Check out the giant shark!










photos courtesy of flickr

the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape

Normally I don't pass along joke emails but this is feeling particularly relevant today. Plus, it's my blog, mwahaha!


You find out interesting things when you have sons, like
1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.
 2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.
 3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
 4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and
 a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.
 5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a
 few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
 6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
 7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.
 8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
 9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.
 10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4- year old Boy.
 11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.
 12.) Super glue is forever.
 13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.
 14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
 15.) VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.
 16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
 17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
 18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.
 19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.
 20.) The fire department inAustin , TX has a 5-minute response time.
 21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.
 22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.
 23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
 24.) 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.
 25.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.    

The dog was much easier to train.

It was a difficult weekend in the turtle house. The little man is over his ear infection and fighting off a cold which he’s passed on to me.

We did get a lot accomplished though cleaning up the back porch and furnishing the sun room. On the porch, the books have been hauled down to the basement and the table has been assembled. We found a cute little loveseat for the sun room and a perfect spot for a bookshelf. Our goal was to get the rooms furnished while there’s still some last bits of summer to enjoy them. I’m also determined to get all of our photos off the computer and into photo albums. I made it halfway through our Italy vacation before sucking all the ink out of the printer.

Meanwhile the little man has discovered pinching. There has been a steady increase in the violence level in our household. Crime reports for the living room and dining room are way up. The use of force to counteract the violent trend has resulted in renewed attacks upon authority.

You wouldn’t think a little hand could cause quite so much pain but when he grabs the skin on your neck and twists, it hurts. We’re trying a sit him down and walk away approach, which usually results in him crying and wanting to be picked up. Intellectually I get that we’re being tested but all of it makes us quite emotionally exhausted. I was shocked too to see this little mean face as he came back to smack me. I correct him, then he cries and wants to be held, then he pinches me, I put him down, he cries, wants to get picked up. Where’s the damn instruction manual?

Off to do some more research and nurse my bruises….

Little America

Little Britain is to be completely remade for the US market by American broadcaster HBO.

Creators Matt Lucas and David Walliams will join American comedy writers and Simon Fuller, the British entertainment entrepreneur, in a bid to recreate versions of their hit characters for the US audience.

The team is hoping the adaptation will attract up to ten million viewers following a string of successful exports including The Office, and reality shows which have made Simon Cowell America's top earning television star.

...


I don't know if this will translate. I also wonder about the need, the original is brilliant enough. How bad do you think this will be?

Friday Random Thoughts

1. Ernesto is coming! Lots and lots of rain forecast for the next 24 hours.

2. Carolyn Kepcher, a Trump organization executive famous for her role as a tough-talking judge on the hit television reality show "The Apprentice," is being replaced on the show by his daughter and is no longer with the company, a Trump representative said on Thursday.

…. And finally there's no reason left to watch The Apprentice!


3. The Wilson Bridge span here in DC was demolished by one Daniel Ruefly. He was selected because his commute was officially declared the worst ever. It starts each day at 5 a.m. at his Accokeek home and somewhere around 90 minutes later, depending on about a thousand things on his 50-mile drive from Maryland to Virginia and back, he gets to his job in Rockville. He said he's been doing this every workday for the past 30 years.

That means he's been in his car in the neighborhood of 1,350,000 minutes. Which is about 22,500 hours. Which is like 937 days. Which is 2.56 years.

As if that's not enough, it's painful for Ruefly to sit still for so long, because driving aggravates the hip injury he suffered when his pickup truck slammed into the back of an illegally parked tractor-trailer on the bridge in 1999.

So my question is, why the f*ck didn’t you move closer to your job? Is it like the poor little frog who doesn’t know the water is getting hotter and you didn’t notice how bad the traffic was getting?

4. I hate Jeffrey tattoo neck no chin and his ass face. Rock star? More like Leather Clown.

5. Last week, the Washington Post mistakenly used a picture of John Mark Karr for RNC chair Ken Mehlmann. BWAHAHA!

6. Matthew McConaughey is shirtless, a lot…. Thank you.

Hit me with your best shot.

Hit cookies, I am your bitch.

You are the perfect cookie, so light, so tasty. You can eat one or an entire roll and it's oh so good.

Where butterflies are still free

I stopped by Goldie Hawn’s house last night. Well, ok it wasn’t her current house, but the one she grew up in. Just a few streets over a little Goldie learned to paint flowers on her arms, legs, and chest and to pop over walls and giggle. It’s a cute little brick duplex on a dead-end street near the downtown. If only I’d had my camera! Oh well, I’ll stop by later for a picture.

Takoma Park fits her actually. It’s a very liberal, rather hippie little town. I would imagine that in her day it was even more granola.



Excerpts from a Post interview:

“Every year or two Goldie Hawn drives back to the brick duplex on the dead-end street in Takoma Park where she grew up. Sometimes she comes alone and sometimes with her sister Patti, or her old friend from childhood Jean Lynn, or her partner of 20 years, Kurt Russell. If there's no one home she finds a neighbor to let her in; once there was no neighbor around, so she sneaked in through a front window the owner had left unlocked, and then wandered around, through the kitchen where the family used to hang out, down to the basement, up to her old bedroom.”

She remembers the azalea and hydrangea bushes her mother planted, the dogwood trees she loved, now in full bloom in the front garden. "Spring is a nostalgic time for me," she says. She remembers the wild violets she picked on Mother's Day every year from the hill sloping down behind the house, "the biggest bunch I could get in my little hands. For days I smelled like violets," she says. "Nothing smells anymore."
She remembers the "cast of eccentrics," the guy in the neighborhood she and her friends used to call the child molester because he looked so creepy. The blue house on the corner that didn't quite fit in, that always had junk in the back yard (it still does). At Blair High School "I wasn't one of the girls in the 'A' crowd," she recalls; her social life revolved around the kids on her block who all went to different schools: Jimmy Fisher with the two sets of teeth, "who I still connect with," and Jean Lynn, "the one girlfriend who was my heart and soul," who now lives in Florida but is still her best friend.

The street is still much the same, or at least recognizable; as with many in Takoma Park, each house displays the owner's particular pride. The blue one has a row of mismatched pots out front and the flatbed of a truck piled with stuff; another is neat with a white picket fence and a pagoda-like entrance. Hawn's old house is the only semi-detached on the block, set back behind a full garden; the houses on either side of it have "War is Not the Answer" signs stuck in the front lawns; across the street hangs an old tire swing, bumping up against an SUV.

"I don't always go in," she says. "Sometimes I just drive by and look and cry."
The first time she goes back is in the mid-'60's, after she had just landed a spot on the sitcom "Good Morning World," after the first time she's confronted a group of fans screaming for her autograph, photographers blinding her. "The yellow taxi turns into my dead-end street and I finally exhale," she writes. "Cleveland Avenue, Takoma Park. My childhood home."

The block is still the same. There is a timelessness about Takoma Park. It's a place where people stay, it's a destination and not a moment. There is a pride in its quirkiness and in the uniqueness of its children. Takoma is a place full of homes not houses.

Bring your pic-a-nic basket!

You know I can’t join any group without volunteering in some way, so this year I’m helping to plan and organize our annual picnic. Announcement as follows:

On Saturday, Sept 16th from 3 to 6 PM, Rainbow Families DC will be hosting a family picnic/end of summer celebration at Jequie Park (in Takoma Park MD near DC and close to Metro).

This is a wonderful organization and I’ve met some great friends and families. If you’re interested in attending you can email me at dcrunner@yahoo.com for the details!

Donde esta mi bola de playa?

Children are irrational. Sick children are irrational and a bit mental. Oh I know that’s a bit unfair. I suppose when you’re E’s age it’s akin to being in a foreign land and you want coffee and people keep handing you random things like a beach ball or a pair of socks. All you really want is coffee but no can understand you.

Just got off the phone with my partner and talked him down from banging his head on the counter 30 times to somewhere around 15. The outgoing little one becomes a demanding wailer when he’s ill.

The brunch/ birthday party for my mother-in-common-law went well. Everyone seemed to have a good time and our house has been broken in with its first party. E’s fever has subsided and he’ll back to normal very soon. In the interim, deep breaths and a few more aspirins...

zzz

Another rough couple of nights as E managed to get an ear infection in his left ear. Mind you this is a couple weeks after an ear infection in his right ear. Poor little boo. We let him sleep in our bed rather than continue the constant getting up and holding routine. He slept through the last half of the night that way but his body was like a clock becoming more and more perpendicular to the length of the bed as the night went on. I was clinging to the edge by morning.

We also discovered that he talks in his sleep which is the cutest thing ever. What does a 15-month old dream of? I don't know but it was damn adorable.

Pains, trains, and aspirins

E is becoming more vocal and expressive. It has its pluses and minuses.

On the downside, he’s learned to shriek. It’s not a scream, it’s above that. Neighborhood dogs are in agony because of this sound, I’m sure of it. I’d forgotten that the human body was capable of making this high-pitched terror. He uses it randomly too. We went out to dinner to celebrate the house sale and in the middle of eating he lets loose the Banshee EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! I’m glad I love him that’s all I can say about that.


On the plus side, he’s learned to say wow. I need to tally it up but now he’s over 10 words at this point. Probably no one else can understand all his words though. There’s a little girl at his daycare who always comes up to talk to me and I can’t understand a thing she’s saying. I know it’s language because of how deliberate and intent she is but I end up smiling and agreeing with her most of the time.

So E and I were in the toy store and as were walking along he was letting out these wow’s as we turned into each new aisle. It was the cutest thing a child has ever done. I'd hand him a toy to play with and he’d say “wow.”

We bought a little train set:



He has a lot of fun with it except he tends to go Godzilla on it, derailing the train and tossing people about. Whenever it pulls into the station it plays a little tune so I ‘ve had “I’ve been working on the railroad” looping through my brain for a couple days.

(all the livelong day)

We’re hosting the family for brunch.

(don’t you hear the whistle blowing)

hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Have a great weekend all!




Dinah blow your hooooooooorn! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

DC / MD

So, it finally happened, at long last. We sold our DC house! No longer is this Debtasaurus stalking us nightly. I can spend money again!!!! It was getting a bit worrisome there folks.


I’m going to miss this kitchen. I remember picking each element and L and I talking about the design and the space and how we’d be using it. All the applicances are new and shiny and ever so modern.



I’ll miss the little garden, that slowly took shape around Nemo’s big feet and our haphazard skills.




Walking through the house yesterday was striking. This is where we started our family. This is where E took his first steps. This was a really good home.



And a new chapter opens.

All Along the Tower

Sad news this am from the Post:


Tower Records, the iconic chain where generations of music lovers have gone to lose themselves in record-store reveries, is up for sale in bankruptcy court, forsaken by consumers who favor digital music and discounts at big-box superstores.

...

In 1991, there were roughly 9,500 chain music stores in the United States, compared with about 2,000 now, according to Billboard magazine. Although many independent stores continue to have loyal followings, those, too, are on the decline.

Tower's parent company, MTS Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection Sunday night in Delaware, putting its 89 stores on the block. The company hopes to complete a sale within 60 days. Tower's brand is used by 144 international stores, but those licensees will not be affected by the bankruptcy process.


***


Sign from original Tower store

I understand the market reality of it. Like so many others I’d rather peruse my musical selection from home and hit that download button and aaaah, instant gratification.

Still, I can remember my trek into the big city of Nashville and entering my first Tower Records. As the doors whooshed upon the cool manufactured air blasted out and the angelic choirs began to sing. It was beauty upon beauty facing the rows and rows and rows of cd’s.


Growing up in a small town in the days before cable each little drop of a new artist was like quenching a thirst. The listening stations featured new artists and not just the latest Garth Brooks or whatever country artist was pushed on the local stations. The cd racks had even more listening stations, it was the coolest thing ever.

I’ve been trying to pare back my massive cd collection. I just don’t have the room for all those cases. Storing the music digitally just makes sense for space saving and portability. Just like the arcade, it’s strange to think my son probably will have no idea what a record store is like.

So long Tower, you'll be missed.

Don't Stop the Smashing!

I never got the Wentworth Miller craze. The new star of Prison Break is certainly blandly handsome but it doesn’t spark my engine. I feel happily vindicated from the latest Entertainment Weekly in which Wentworth ( what is up with that name anyway?) reveals that his Must List includes an album by Journey. Journey.

If there were any artist that would cause me to plunge a sharp object into my ear it would be Steve Miller’s over-emoting wailing. I’m sure his music somehow spawned the flipped collars of yore.

No the true star of Prison Break is Dominic Purcell. I first noticed him in Blade Trinity as the lead vampire. With Parker Posey as a fellow vamp I quickly turned my allegiance to the bloodsuckers. True Ryan Reynolds in that famous bondage scene was tempting.

It looks like Purcell is going to star in an Incredible Hulk remake. Hopefully Purcell can reverse Ang Lee’s misguided overemoting Hulk. The big green guy is about one thing only: Hulk Smash!

Make it work time

The following commentary appears in the new Advocate:

Bombing the Runway
We're on the verge of World War III and all we gays can talk about is Project Runway? Wake up, people! The war in the Middle East is the same war we're fighting here at home, battling antiquated religious beliefs that are used to justify hatred and murder.

By Karel

It appears I’ve fallen horribly out of the gay loop. While sitting thinking about my next column for Advocate.com I decided to snoop around the Web site to see what’s going on. What I found was that one third of the stories revolved around Project Runway. Now, I’d like to comment on that, but I don’t watch it. I’m not a fashionista, unless you count my seeing The Devil Wears Prada and seeing absolutely nothing wrong with the lead character or the way she behaves.

My mind is elsewhere: in the world, in the Middle East, in New York City. I’d like to be able to write a gay editorial right now about a pressing issue in the gay community, but world events are such that they transcend sexuality. We are poised on the brink of WWIII, for those that are paying attention, and gays will die just as easily as anyone else.

Sanctimonous commentary linky here

The premise here that while we chat about Project Runway we are unable to discuss other topics is horribly insulting and presumptuous. My brother is in Iraq right at this moment. Do I need to post about this, to be reminded daily of this fact as I go about my routine? No, it doesn’t take much to make this evident. A picture, a comment, the word Iraq reminds me that he’s over there.

There is bad news fatigue I’m sure. The news is soul-deadening in its ever increasing violence and war and corruption. I take every opportunity I can to talk to friends and family about the upcoming election and to point out the incompetence of this administration. Don’t lecture me about having some fun with Project Runway Mr. Karel. I give my time and my money to enact change. I pray for brother’s safety every day.

By the way, there’s a nice size Design Star ad right there by your commentary and what’s that a shirtless guy on your cover. Tsk tsk. Perhaps your “news magazine” could use a little talking to before you lecture us.


This post is probably incoherent but it felt good to write.

Carry on!

Bless me father, rowr!

The hot priests calendar is out. Go ahead take a look and I dare you not to have an impure thought or 2.

Calendario Romana 2007

I think I’m partial to Mr. July


and Mr. October:


So, who’s your favorite?

Hallelujah

At the County Fair

Flashback

Ida Ruben is running for Maryland state senator in my little town. This is the actual photo that is posted throughout my 'hood on all of her campaign signs:



When I first saw it, I thought it was a joke but it's completely legit. I may vote for her based on sheer chutzpah and the love of that bun.

Rock on Ida!

Boo!

First tweezers now this:

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security raised the threat level for all commercial aircraft to "high" and U.S. authorities banned liquids, including drinks, from U.S. commercial flights.

He's got a Dr. Pepper everyone look out!


and here's some unhelpful exposition from Mr. Neumann:

"This liquid explosive type of attack is particularly worrying. Planes remain vulnerable and in the coming weeks terrorists will be thinking of something else to do that we have no idea about," said Peter Neumann, director of the Center for Defense Studies at London's King's College university.


So, terrorists are thinking of things to do. Let's get DHS right on that.


I'm telling you nude flights are just around the corner.

Nemo Found

We always had a dog when I was growing up, well more of a doglet really. My mom had a penchant for dachshunds so pretty much my entire childhood was spent with a little brown extremely tolerant dog named Duchess. When I grew up I knew I wanted a big dog. One you could take for long walks, get rough with…. Something solid. So, we weren’t having much luck as we visited each shelter. The dogs tended to be a bit crazy really. As soon as you got them out of their cages they’d spin around, drunk off the freedom. One day I was scanning the DC site and came across this little guy, #62:



We wanted a youngish dog so this seemed promising. We walked past all the yipping, crazy dogs to come to his cage and there he sat sort of calmly surveying all the kerfuffle about him. We took him into the little visiting room and 62 came over and sat in my lap. None of the pound dogs had ever done that. At that moment I was bought and sold. He pretty much chose us. Sure I knew he was going to big, I saw the size of those paws but I had no idea just how big. A rottweiller mix he now weighs in at 120 lbs. We tried out a few different names and the name that stuck was Nemo. (One year late Finding Nemo came out and every kid in DC had a goldfish named Nemo. I know this because all the kids at the park would have to tell me about their fish.)

Funny thing about a dog this size, they’re really hard to ignore. His personality seems as large as his size. E adores Nemo, Nemo loves it when E is eating in his high chair. Oh it's true, there’ve been days when Neem’s driven my blood pressure up. One day he found an open bag of potting soil by the kitchen door and drug it around the kitchen and then downstairs and then shook it vigorously. There was dirt all over the basement, even on the ceiling.

What are you gonna do? He’s part of the family now.

Chim chim cheree

Tip of the day!

Can't afford a nanny? Well, problem solved. Speak in a british accent whenever your child misbehaves to give him that touch of worldly flair. It worked for Madonna after all.


You're welcome!

Bless the beasts and the children

First the dog woke me up around 12:30 and then E woke me at 3 so I had plenty of time to think about sleep. I use to run on 6 hours fairly well. I’d go to bed around midnight and be up at 6 with just a few cups of coffee to propel me through the day. Now that my mental stress has grown I find myself needing at least 7 and hopefully 8 hours.

I get insomnia now and then and I’ve learned to just ride it out. It seems the more you fight it the less successful you are and actually to sleep. The more I think about sleep the less I get. Also with L asleep next to me I think I have to be completely still or I’ll wake him, which just makes me want to thrash about even more. L has always been one of those annoying people who fall immediately asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. I hate that.

I remember closing the bars down at 3 and it’s a much friendlier time when completely hammered. There’s such a stillness and quiet to 3 am it’s rather disturbing. The only thing that redeemed the time was having E fall asleep with his head on my shoulder. There’s no way to describe it really. There’s safety and love in holding him and it almost makes all this stress of moving and selling worthwhile. It’s that feeling of this is right and meant to be. I can hear his little breath inhaling and exhaling as he drifts off. With a little kiss on the forehead I carefully place him back in his crib and tiptoe out. As I carefully shut the door, he bolts upright, wailing. Yes, I think 3 am is probably the worst time to have to get up.

Mavericks!

Noted gay rights activist Jodie Foster has come to the defense of her troubled Maverick co-star and friend Mel Gibson in the pages of the Los Angeles Times. She tells the Los Angeles Times that she doubts claims that Gibson is prejudiced against Jews. What, you think it’s coincidence that all wars happen to have a jew standing nearby?

She says, "Is he an anti-Semite? Absolutely not, but it's no secret that he has always fought a terrible battle with alcoholism." Nothing proves one’s open-mindednes than a bottle of tequila after all.

Insisting that her Maverick co-star will recover from the scandal, Foster adds, "(He was) a shining example of how low you can go when you are young and still pull yourself up. Foster's credentials on getting low are quite impeccable.

"He took his recovery very seriously, which is why I know he is strong enough to get through this now." Thanks to other big stars like myself we hope to cover up this unfortunate glimpse into his true self and get back to the important things in Hollywood, $$$$$$$.

Friday Ramble

I have a date on Saturday with an extremely attractive, witty man. Yes that’s right my partner and I are dropping off the little boo at his Aunt’s and we’re going out for dinner and a movie just like regular folk. We’ll probably spend the evening talking about E.

I now get why parents spend so much time talking about their kids. It’s especially chronic in their early years. You have to take your carefree, clutter-free life turn it upside down and then shake it. Now, turn it over and fill it with plastic toys, safety gear, and flying food.

On one hand I feel like I have a new instant connection with other parents. Parenting is neither gay nor straight it’s all the same really. When I see straight guys talking about sports I know that’s a world I’ll never enter into, but parenting I’m in. In these early years all parents are dealing with the same joys, wonders, and fears. I wonder/worry about the junior high and high school years though when the bigotry and fears of the parents begin to creep into the minds of the young adults. Trickier subjects like politics and sex ed enter into the discourse.

I have to remind myself that gay parents are still new. The whole rights movement is so fresh. If worse comes to worse I’m fully prepared to defend myself before the PTA if accused of wearing my mini-skirt too high and drinking and a-runnin' 'round with men and going wild.

cool thoughts

Scandal

So Keith got the boot for contraband PATTERN BOOKS! In addition, we found out he left a challenge and got on the internet. I almost wish the incident had been a bit more exciting like slapping Vincent in the face or kicking Vincent or punching Vincent or breaking Vincent’s glasses while he mugged away at someone’s design. I think Laura summed it up pretty well for me when she said “He was an ass and I’m glad he’s gone but I wish he’d done bodily harm to Vincent before he left” or something like that.

The bigger shocker was Angela’s win. Of course she benefited greatly from Laura and Michael on her team. They were able to harness OCD granny circles and use them for the powers of good. The outfit was surprisingly tasteful.

Tattoo neck and Alison pulled off a close 2nd but really I’m glad they lost as it would have been a little awkward for the PATTERN BOOK boy’s design to have won.

Robert presented a shockingly bad sport jacket/ stewardess combo. I think he was working too close to Kayne’s product which caused hallucinations. You’ll notice in later interviews his hair is flat and there’s a hazmat sticker on his back.

Apparently a woman named Bonnie snuck onto the show, perhaps looking for her missing PATTERN BOOKS! and she was quickly disqualified for her late entry.


Now, for all you shut-ins like myself tune in to Design Star on HGTV. Interior design, a cute boy, and Vern from Trading Spaces, what more could you want other than a german supermodel.

Auf Wiedersehen

Antici-

That silence is from all the boys and girls waiting to find out who gets yoinked off Project Runway for cheating. We find out mere hours from now. Let 'em have it Tim Gunn!


-pation

The Wait of the World

Outside of the adoption community you probably haven’t heard of a treaty called the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions. It sets up standards between countries governing the entire process of the placement of the child. Guatemala has been a favored country for many Americans because of the relatively quick approval process. There are some unintended consequences of this status. According to an AP article:

“Every 100th baby born in Guatemala grows up as an adopted American, making the Central American country the richest source of adoptees in the Western Hemisphere.”

The 2 countries have been arguing for some time over whether Guatemala falls under the treaty or not. A few years ago adoptions stopped during a treaty review but they resumed as the 2 sides declared a sort of truce. Now though the US has decided that yes Guatemala does fall under the Hague. What does this mean?


“For now, willing parents can get Guatemalan babies by paying thousands of dollars to notaries who act as baby brokers, recruiting birth mothers, handling all the paperwork and completing the job in less than half the time it takes elsewhere. The process is so streamlined that Guatemala outpaces all other countries in the percentage of its children put up for U.S. adoption.
All this will likely end once the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions takes effect in the United States. The U.S. will then require all foreign adoptions to meet tougher international standards, which Guatemala ratified in 2003 but has yet to implement.”

International adoption is a wildly confusing process. Imagine if you will an international DMV that changes its rules while you stand in line. Of course you don’t know about the rule change until you get up to the window and the clerk tells you oh you should be standing in that line in the building next door and I’ll need you to notarize this conversation.

My fear is that this new layer of bureaucracy is going to make things even more complicated and the excruciating wait even longer. Parents will suffer, children will be delayed in getting to their families and somehow the lawyer fees will rise.

Trump'd

I would make a terrible real estate mogul. Each little turn of the deal and counter negotiation makes my stomache churn. Just buy my house and give me lots of money, ok? Is that too much to ask. So obviously the thing to do is to stop talking about because I'm obviously jinxing it and you know how powerful the jinx is. Next time I mention it will be after having the celebratory dinner.

We Open Our Eyes

In another blatant attempt to demonstrate my age MTV just celebrated its 25th anniversary. I can remember how excited I was when I would visit my father who lived in the big city and had cable. I’d sit down in front of the tv and watch videos for hours and hours. This was in the days before Real World and the ridiculous game shows that later filled the hours. Rap music hadn’t yet kudzu’d its way over the entire day either. Later the show MTV Raps would be introduced which gave you a helpful means to avoid the genre entirely.

Gather round children and I’ll tell you of seeing my first Madonna video. She was writhing around in the middle of a road (I was quite concerned for her safety) as she sang “Burning Up.” I thought the boys of Duran Duran were quite glamorous on their yacht as they searched for Rio. A Michael Jackson video was still an event and he was still black. This was in the days before the boy band too. I picked up my crushes where I could, Haircut 100’s Nick Heyward in his loincloth, Billy Idol sleazing around.

The big one though was Peter Cox from Go West. I’d race into the room whenever I’d hear We Close Our Eyes on the television. Peter Cox (hee hee) dancing around in his tank top was an electric jolt to a country boy.

Later, The Real World Norman Korpi would show me my first glimpse of a happy, healthy homosexual. I can understand why the crazy religious right are so afraid of gay portrayals on tv because it might just help some isolated gay kid realize why he’s different. For me Norman was a hero for just being himself and showing me possibility. Nowadays I see the Real World boys cavorting around shirtless and showing off for the cameras and marvel at how far we’ve come.

So thank you MTV! I’m long out of your demographic but a long time ago you gave me hope and you gave me joy... and more importantly thank you Peter Cox you gave me something a little more interesting.

The temperature of guilt

E was up coughing a few times last night. He had a slight fever but there was no temperature this morning. He was grouchy but seemed to perk up as he woke up and the morning progressed.

So we faced that horrible sick child dilemma weighing how sick was he versus using sick leave. I’m going to pick up at lunch I think. Oh the guilt.


In other news we finally have an offer on our old house. Pray for me that nothing falls through before settlement.

Songs I love

Suzanna Vega’s World Before Columbus from her album Nine Objects of Desire is heart-rending in its vulnerability. At first listen I thought she was talking about her partner but I then realized and it was confirmed in an interview that it’s a ballad for her daughter, Ruby. (Sidenote Ruby’s father is noted producer Mitchell Froom. The band Soul Coughing homaged Ruby in their album titled Ruby Vroom, but I digress)

Sometimes you can hear a song and know that it was written for someone. There’s an emotional integrity to it. Before I had E it moved me, now I’m really weepy goofy when I hear it. Thanks Suzanne!


World Before Columbus
Suzanne Vega


If your love were taken from me
Every color would be black and white
It would be as flat as the world before Columbus
That's the day that I lose half my sight

If your life were taken from me
All the trees would freeze in this cold ground
It would be as cruel as the world before Columbus
Sail to the edge and I'd be there looking down

Those men who lust for land
And for riches strange and new
Who love those trinkets of desire
Oh they never will have you

And they'll never know the gold
Or the copper in your hair
How could they weigh the worth
Of you so rare

If your love were taken from me
Every light that's bright would soon go dim
It would be as dark as the world before Columbus
Down the waterfall and I'd swim over the brim

Those men who lust for land
And for riches strange and new
Who love those trinkets of desire
Oh they will never have you

And they'll never know the gold
Or the copper in your hair
How could they weigh the worth
Of you so rare

Update

I decided on the perfect gift for my brother. I made a donation to the American Civil Liberties Union in his name. I just finished sending him the email to let him know about his generous gift.


hee hee hee

Bass fishin

This just in:

Lance Bass, the former 'N Sync heartthrob, reveals that he is gay, in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE.

"I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys' careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said (that I was gay), it would overpower everything," says Bass, referring to bandmates Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake.

"I didn’t know: Could that be the end of ’N Sync? So I had that weight on me of like, ‘Wow, if I ever let anyone know, it's bad.' So I just never did," he says speaking about his sexual orientation for the first time with PEOPLE.

Now, after years of keeping his personal life private, the Mississippi-bred, Southern Baptist-reared Bass, 27, is publicly revealing what he first shared with his friends, then his shocked family.


"He took years to really think about how he was going to tell everyone," says his close buddy Fatone, 29, who was the first 'N Sync bandmate to find out Bass is gay. "I back him up 100 percent." Adds Bass’s longtime pal, actress Christina Applegate: "I've always accepted him as who he is. It's about his own serenity at this point."




Wow, I had no idea my July 20 post would be so powerful.

We were the world

With anti-American sentiment at unprecedented levels around the world, Americans worried about their country's low standing are pushing a grassroots campaign to change foreign perceptions of the United States "one handshake at a time."



“Distaste for America runs so deep that, for example, at the recent World Cup in Germany the American team was the only one asked not to display its national flag on the team bus. In South Korea, traditionally a U.S. ally, two-thirds of people under 30 said in a recent poll that if there were war between North Korea and the United States, they would side with North Korea.” (Reuters story)



Today is my older, very redneck, very conservative brother’s birthday. He sent me an email on my birthday a few weeks ago and I wanted to do the same for him.

The problem is that my happy little missive keeps devolving into a political tirade.

How’s my family? Well we spend entirely too much money on lawyers to patch together protections for each other and to protect our son should something happen to one of us. Also our relationship is used to frighten red-staters like yourself and to distract from the economic and foreign policy disasters of the current administration.

When I see the national debt climbing and the current administration bullying our allies and threatening others I just get furious. I have no patience for republicans any more. The national divide has never been so great in our country. There’s not even a gesture of conciliation any more. Our only hope is for moderate republicans to retake their party or for democrats to regain control of the presidency, congress, or the supreme court.

So yes, my brother I do blame you. I don’t like being angry but I don’t see any other choice. We can’t afford to be silent any more. The stakes are too high.

Bamboo is the Devil's Weed

I spent the a good hour trying to thin the bamboo in our yard to depressing little effect. My first goal is containment, stopping the encroachment upon the yard. Next will be destruction and finally elimination. The larger stalks are going to require a saw to remove. I tried a machete but felt my injury potential was too ginormous.

It does provide a nice screen but at what price. Searching the internet reveals Herculean efforts to eradicate it. Sample comment:
“The running bamboo, is nearly impossible to get rid of after many, many yrs. I have a neighbor that has near a quarter acre "thicket" of the stuff in the backyard of her 200 yr old home. It's so thick that you can't see the ground and you can't walk through it. Much of it is a good 3" thick at the base. It's also growing on a hillside and it's now encroaching on a wonderful old barn. It kind of reminds me of kudzu in a strange sort of way. “

Now my shoulders are aching, my hands are cut and I think I’ve developed carpel tunnel from the clippers. I’m used to planting flower boxes or maybe decorating a tree box. This adventure gardening is going to be a challenge. I wonder if the zoo would let me borrow Tai Shan for a while.

Gratuitous panda shot here

Haka

I don't know much about rugby but I do know fabulous and the New Zealand All Blacks Haka dance is incredible. I love how it mixes their cultural heritage with a great big warrior challenge to the opposing team. I think you have to half crazy to play rugby (the injury potential is pretty astronomical) but the rugby athelete's body is a thing of beauty. See for yourself just make sure you have the audio turned down or you may be in for a surprise.

The Rice is done. Ding!

(Reuters) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will leave for the Middle East on Sunday and begin a round of visits there on Monday to seek to reduce fighting between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, diplomats said.


Well I'm glad she was able to clear her schedule for this little distraction. It's not like it's her job or anything. Madeline Albright would have been there within 48 hours. Rice apparently has the highest approval rating of his cabinet but I guess the job performance bar is set pretty low with this group.

So You Think You Can... What?

Let us take a moment to say goodbye to the Russian fantasy er dancer known as Dmitry Chaplin. I will miss you my little babooshka.




No Musa, no Dmitry, sigh what is the point any more?

Let's go outside in the sunshine

I’m largely against the practice of outing and I’ll you why. In my view an enthusiastic self-realized person is a much better representative than the one who is forced out via SCANDAL.

Stories like this:

“ Darren Hayes of the defunct Australian pop duo Savage Garden says he is finally "secure and content" -- and married.
Hayes broke the news this week in an entry on his Web site that began, "I very rarely make comments about my private life."
He then announced that he had married his boyfriend of two years, Richard Cullen, in a civil partnership ceremony June 19 in London.
The 34-year-old singer-songwriter said it was the most significant event of his life.” (AP)

are the perfect grand entrance into shiny happy culture.

Meanwhile Lance Bass is spotted skulking about Provincetown with Amazing Race pin-up Reichen Lehmkuhl. Lance, what are you waiting for? Your Boy Band days are over, your acting career is but a distant dream, come out and enjoy yourself. Your only shot at public notoriety is as one of Kathy Griffin’s gays.

My big exception to the outing rule is politicians . If you work to legislate or advocate against my family and myself while you are manhunting then your name should be right there in the Washington Post, Blade and Daily Shopper. Being a politician is more than a job and you are held to a higher standard of hypocrisy.

The fuzzy area comes to journalists. If you want to remain detached from your coverage and hide under a professional personal ethical code than I’m pretty much ok with that. However when you begin to freely talk about all other aspects of your life it becomes a bit suspicious when you become mum about something terribly important to many of us. So pick a stance young journalist. Either you are in the closet or you are simply journalist and media personality doing your job and doing it well.

Life is a Banquet! Eat all you can!

15 tips on how to live longer especially for you my possums. Some may say I stole this directly from Forbes.com. I prefer to call it a tribute.

1. Don’t Oversleep. People who sleep between six and seven hours per night were shown to live the longest.

2. Be Optimistic. People who sleep between six and seven hours per night were shown to live the longest.

3. Have more sex. There's decent evidence that sex helps keep us healthy, and thus increases longevity.

4. Get a pet. People who own pets, especially dogs, have been shown to be less stressed and require fewer visits to their physicians than non-owners.

5. Get a VAP. VAP measures important metrics that traditional tests miss. Regular tests only detect half of the people with heart disease, while the VAP has been shown to detect 90% of heart disease patients. That's important because lipid abnormalities can most often be rectified with medication and dietary changes.

6. Be rich. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 24% of Americans whose family income is less than $20,000 are "limited" by chronic disease, whereas only 6% of people with an income of $75,000 or more have this problem.

7. Stop smoking.

8. Chill out. Try as much as you can to let unavoidable, everyday stresses roll off your shoulders.

9. Eat your antioxidants. Antioxidants, substances that are found in foods ranging from cinnamon to blueberries, can scavenge free radicals, compounds whose unstable chemical nature accelerates the effect of aging on our cells. Research shows that certain types of beans (kidney, pinto, black) are among the best sources of antioxidants, while blueberries and other berries follow close behind.

10. Marry Well. A bit of a cop-out this one because it’s talking about your children: Apparently, longevity genes can be inherited. According to a February 2005 study in Mechanisms of Aging and Development, exceptional longevity and healthy aging is an inherited phenotype across three generations.

11. Exercise. Not only does exercise help us maintain our weight, it improves our cardiovascular health, strengthens the bones and increases endorphins in the body--hormones that give us energy, make us happier and help ward off stress and disease.

12. Laugh. Laughter reduces levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. It also releases endorphins that work as pain killers and gives your blood circulation a boost. Not to mention it relaxes blood vessels and keeps a person from being angry--a significant predictor of heart disease.

13. Lose weight. For people who are overweight or obese, life is a ticking time bomb. They have increased risk of heart disease and several types of cancer, along with higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes--a condition that is becoming an epidemic in the U.S.

14. Manage Stress. Constant stress produces high levels of cortisol, which has been shown to impair cognitive functioning and weaken the immune system.

15. Meditate. It clears the mind of thought and lets a person concentrate on tranquility. Fifteen minutes of meditation has been shown to produce a much more relaxed state of mind than one hour of the deepest sleep.

Let's take a ride and run with the dog tonight

I’m still adjusting to the quiet and darkness of Suburbia. It’s strange after living in Dupont Circle and then a few blocks from the Capitol building how you get used to the regular hum of activity, lights, and noise. In the evenings after the lights are turned off it is truly dark. It’s strange too how the noise doesn’t carry, absorbed by the trees.

Lawn care is big in the burbs. The suburbizens leave for the city and a small Hispanic army descends on the yards to mow and trim and neaten up. Every yard seems to be cared for by proxy. I’ve never owned a lawnmower so I admit we used a lawn care service too. I feel guilty whenever I’ve used this type of help…. it seems wildly decadent. I didn’t know it at the time but growing up my family was extremely poor. After my parents’ divorce, we even lived in public housing with food stamps and assistance programs to help. So if it’s something I can do myself I feel obligated not to spend the money. When I look at the budget I know we’re doing well but I have this back-of-mind feeling that it could all go away.

Aaaaanyway, I did make an important purchase after looking at the lawn mowers. You gotta have an Elmo sprinkler. Enjoy, little boo:

Forecast

Forecast for Jul 17 Tomorrow
Sunny skies. Hot. High 99F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.


Dear God,

For the first time in my life I own a beautiful grand shaded front porch and an attractive screened in back porch. At some point I would very much like to use either one of them without suffering heat exhaustion.

Your biggest fan,

Brian

PS: the Pussycat Dolls are a sad copy of the Spice Girls. I miss Ginger Spice.

Moving on up! We're moving on out!

Well that was painful.

I'm sitting in my new office overlooking a beautiful tree-lined street. There's a little bird's nest in the window and I can hear the birds cheeping away whenever the momma bird comes back to the nest.

E and Nemo are both doing well adjusting. We're going out this weekend to buy a kiddie pool so E can take advantage of the yard right away.

An unforeseen advantage to this place is we get to see the joggers heading to the nearby park. Score!

Meanwhile, we're still trying to sell the old house and we've been greeted by this story:

D.C. crime emergency prompts more patrols

WASHINGTON - Police beefed up patrols around national landmarks Wednesday, a day after the District of Columbia's police chief declared a crime emergency in response to a string of violence that included the killing of a British activist.

At least 14 people have been killed in Washington already this month, and in the last 30 days robberies have risen 14 percent and armed assaults have jumped 18 percent. Last year, homicides in the city fell to a 20-year low of 195.

In reality the crime wave is notable because the British activist was killed in Georgetown, the posh neighborhood of DC. If it has occurred across the river in Anacostia there'd be no mention of it. The uptick in robberies is probably caused by the same individual(s).

What a kerfuffle.

Boxed in

We're in the final packing stages, boxes, boxes everywhere. Move date is Tuesday!

going offline for a bit until we're settled in the new place. Wish us luck.

B

The concrete jungle gym

The playground is an interesting mix of social dynamics and relationships. You have the burgeoning manners of the children; you have the adult-child parenting styles; and the parents above it all supervising, chatting and daydreaming. We wander into this new land as an observer and reluctant participant.

I popped E out of his stroller to wander about on his own. He’s still at the wonder what this rock tastes like stage so I have to follow close behind. Pieces of paper and plastic are especially enticing…. E spotted a plastic cheese stick wrapper and went right for it. Seconds after picking it up, a little blonde kid named Dylan probably around 2 comes over to tell E “That’s mine.” Hmmm. OK I tell him if you really want that wrapper take it. It saves me the trouble. The kid takes it from E and then I feel bad. He took that from my son but then I was going to take it anyway. Still, it somehow seems wrong. If anyone is going to take trash from my son it’s me.

So I head over to the stroller to offer E some cheerios. “Here you go. You want some cheerios? You want a snack?” and there’s Dylan again. “Snack! Snack!” I give E his cheerios and then look around for the mooch’s father. I don’t know what all the rules are but I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to hand out food to other people’s kids. Finally I spot Dylans’ Dad (DD) talking on his cel phone.

“Dylan come here.”
“Snack! Snack!”
“Can he have cheerios?” I ask, trying for bemusement with a trace of kids are so darn cute and a whisper of get him away from me.
“He can have one.”

I start to open the container for him and think hmm, I don’t know where his grubby little hands have been so I hand him one. I note that neither DD nor the child say thank you and E runs off, probably spotting a piece of trash on the other side of the playground. No, not trash as it turns but some weird fruit that has fallen across the hedge and E is trying to take a bite. Arrrgh, I don’t know what that is but it’s filthy and covered in dirt and I’m guessing a dietary explosion.

I look back and there’s Dylan rummaging through our diaper bag. He’s found E’s sippy cup and is merrily drinking away. Now, I’m pretty sure I can take my own cup away from another child. There is the crying potential though. Should I cause another’s child to wail? DD is still chattering away on his cel. Given his larcenous, demanding ways, Dylan looks to be the type to throw down a fit…. probably not worth the drama.

So I wait until he finishes and I pack the cup away. I wonder how many other cups Dylan has glommed onto. How many germs are lurking on that tiny mouth. I don’t see any other kids crying but still better to be safe. DD wanders by and I contemplate remarking, you’ve got a little Republican here, demanding things that don’t belong to him, stealing from others and never apologizing. You must be so proud.

Hmm that may cross the line. A quick check of our belongings and Dylan’s hands and we’re off.

Pace runs homophobic hairdressing NYC cowby ad:



Yeesh I'm sick of this wink wink nudge homophobia. Let Pace know how you feel about these ads here: http://www.pacefoods.com/contactus.aspx

There's a lot of salsa brands out there. Think I'll be choosing another.

(hat tip to Queerty)

Let sleeping dogs aaaargh!

Your home is a dangerous place.

Proof: I woke up around 2:30am to use the gentleman’s room or potty depending on your age and temperament. Stumbling around the bed I hit this large furry wall (also known as our dog Nemo). I pitch forward as he yelps and goes to stand up. This action sends me further off-balance, increasing my acceleration towards the nightstand. The corner hits me in the chest between my pectoral muscle and shoulder and my chin hits the top.

Nemo is ok but I’ve got a gash and a big bruise on my chest. My jaw feels like I was clocked in a bar fight. The dog is a rottweiler / Shepard mix weighing about 120 lbs. to give a visual on how he was able to flip me off my feet. I didn’t sleep much last night either because every time I rolled over I’d get a jab of pain.

I was attacked by a sleeping dog! I wonder if there are any government assistance programs.

While packing last night I came across a box of old photos. I had to scan a few in before I went to bed.

This is a photo of me and my older brother and sister. I'm the one sitting on Santa's lap.



I swear they must have drugged me. I'm a bit surprised by this picture actually because for most of my childhood we were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses (more on that later). This must have been an early time before my mother's family got the church back on us.

Happy Independence Day!

I know exactly how you feel:


(AFP) People in Britain view the United States as a vulgar, crime-ridden society obsessed with money and led by an incompetent president whose Iraq policy is failing, according to a newspaper poll.

The United States is no longer a symbol of hope to Britain and the British no longer have confidence in their transatlantic cousins to lead global affairs, according to the poll published in The Daily Telegraph.

The YouGov poll found that 77 percent of respondents disagreed with the statement that the US is "a beacon of hope for the world".

As Americans prepared to celebrate the 230th anniversary of their independence on Tuesday, the poll found that only 12 percent of Britons trust them to act wisely on the global stage. This is half the number who had faith in the Vietnam-scarred White House of 1975.

A massive 83 percent of those questioned said that the United States doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks.

With much of the worst criticism aimed at the US adminstration, the poll showed that 70 percent of Britons like Americans a lot or a little.

US President George W. Bush fared significantly worse, with just one percent rating him a "great leader" against 77 percent who deemed him a "pretty poor" or "terrible" leader.

More than two-thirds who offered an opinion said America is essentially an imperial power seeking world domination. And 81 per cent of those who took a view said President George W Bush hypocritically championed democracy as a cover for the pursuit of American self-interests.

US policy in Iraq was similarly derided, with only 24 percent saying they felt that the US military action there was helping to bring democracy to the country.

A spokesman for the American embassy said that the poll's findings were contradicted by its own surveys.

"We question the judgment of anyone who asserts the world would be a better place with Saddam still terrorizing his own nation and threatening people well beyond Iraq's borders," the paper quoted the unnamed spokesman as saying.

"With respect to the poll's assertions about American society, we bear some of the blame for not successfully communicating America's extraordinary dynamism.

"But frankly, so do you (the British press)."

In answer to other questions, a majority of the Britons questions described Americans as uncaring, divided by class, awash in violent crime, vulgar, preoccupied with money, ignorant of the outside world, racially divided, uncultured and in the most overwhelming result (90 percent of respondents) dominated by big business.

sounds about right

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

The 2000 Census lists my hometown in Kentucky as having 2,049 people. This is no doubt a surge in population brought about by the opening of the Burger Queen, roller rink and movie theater (that is singular, no fancy multiplexes for us). Last time I was home I noticed the theater had been turned into a church and the Burger Queen was a Dairy Queen.

Burger Queen’s mascot was this large Queen Bee that I always liked. I never gave much thought to the Burger / Bee connection and apparently no one else did either. There is no room in the burger world for so much royalty though and Burger Queen was taken over by Druther’s (slogan, I’d ruther have a Druther’s. Painful isn’t it?)


Actual photo of downtown:




Our favorite atraction though was the local ice cream parlor Scoopy-Doo. It came complete with crudely drawn, trademark infringing Scooby, Shaggy, Velma and Daphne. There was no Fred for some reason. Perhaps he recognized the poor skills of the artist and bowed out.

We had no national chains. This wasn’t out of any civic pride, the town council would have jumped on any development. No, the national chains couldn’t be bothered with such scraps. We had to drive a good hour to reach Fort Knox and Elizabethtown (yes the same city as featured in the movie of the same name).


I want to take my family back to visit. I’m thinking it will be a quick trip. One place we’ll be stop by for is by the Scoopy-Doo. (It’s still there! I just checked) I wonder if Fred has appeared yet

DC Pride

The good:




The bad:



and well, the other:

E has become much more talkative of late but it’s complete jibberish. It’s pretty fun listening to him carry on while saying absolutely nothing with complete certainty. He’s also pointing now but with his entire hand, fingers splayed. Buses and trains are incredibly exciting too.

Babies are adorable but wow there’s a lot of shit involved (literally) with little reward. I’m ready for talking and interaction. Yes, yes, I know the standard response that once they start talking they never stop but right now he’s a little mystery to me. The kid has such strong opinions too. We had our first argument last night I think. It consisted of him throwing things and slapping and me saying no a lot. The latin temper is real I think and I’ve surrounded myself with it.

Dios mio.

Chucky's revenge

Who says DC is only about politics?


Marie Osmond's 15th Anniversary

“Crystal Gala”

August 18th, 2006

August 2006 marks 15 years since Marie Osmond's Dolls debuted on QVC, and in celebration, Marie has dedicated the entire year to loyal, doll-loving, "Friends Like You."' You are the reason Marie creates dolls. You continue to inspire her with your delight in the details and ongoing enthusiasm, so to thank you for 15 years of friendship we invite you to share the spotlight when Marie is honored with an industry award at Doll and Teddy Expo East.

Marie has been chosen as the first recipient of the "Crystal Award for Industry Leadership" by Jones Publishing. The Gala will bring together industry leaders and collectors in honoring Marie for her outstanding role in promoting and representing the doll industry.

When: 7:00p.m. August 18th - 20th, 2006
Where: Expo East

Marriott Wardman Park

2660 Woodley Rd NW

Washington, DC 20008

Dress: Evening Wear

Cost: $175 - which includes:

Gift Bag with Limited Edition Event Doll and Other Surprises

Welcome Reception

Sit Down Dinner

Award Presentation

Now that Doug Duncan has dropped out the way is clear for the cutest mayor in the country to become the cutest governor. Even his running mate is hot! Signed the Shallow Committe to Elect Good-looking Democrats





That man over there is adorable.




None of you are really listening to me are you? You're just staring at my classic movie star good looks.

Things that have surprised me about parenting:

I never imagined how many times I'd be saying E no. E stop that.

...nor did I ever dream of this one:

E stop licking the bricks on the fireplace.

Vamos a Censorship

MIAMI - The American Civil Liberties Union asked a federal judge to stop the Miami-Dade County school district from removing a series of children's books from its libraries, including a volume about Cuba which depicts smiling kids in communist uniforms.

The ACLU and the Miami-Dade County Student Government Association argued in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Miami on Wednesday that the school board should add materials with alternate viewpoints rather than remove books that could be offensive.

Last week, the board voted 6-3 to remove "Vamos a Cuba" and its English-language version, "A Visit to Cuba" from 33 schools, stating the books were inappropriate for young readers because of inaccuracies and omissions about life in the communist nation.

The book, by Alta Schreier, targets students ages 5 to 7 and contains images of smiling children wearing uniforms of Cuba's communist youth group and a carnival celebrating the 1959 Cuban revolution. The district owns 49 copies of the book in Spanish and English.

The school board also decided to remove 24 other books in the series, including ones on Greece, Mexico and Vietnam, "despite not having received a complaint about those books and without having reviewed the books in its administrative process," the suit said.

The ACLU noted the books have received favorable reviews in nationally recognized publications including Publishers Weekly and the School Library Journal. The suit also cites staff recommendations to keep the books.

"The Miami-Dade School Board's decision to defy U.S. law prohibiting censorship and ignore the recommendation of their own superintendent and two committees is a slap in the face to our tradition of free speech and the school board's own standards of due process," said JoNel Newman, an attorney working with the ACLU.



- So yes we are at the point where now more than ever we need to remain vigilant against censorship. It's not just happy gay families that scare the neocons it's anyone who's different.

Happy Father's Day!

This will be my very first Father’s Day as a Father! It’s still a bit surreal and surprisingly after all these months a bit unreal. I can’t imagine life without my son now. We’re getting new words now. He points to pictures of babies in his books now and says “Be-Be.” It’s adorable, trust me.

Sidenote: Our house is now being shown this weekend and after all the work we've done to get it ready I feel like I’m in a perpetual state of exhaustion. I don’t want to move again for a long, long time.

We haven’t decided what we’ll be doing on Sunday but we have to be out of the house all day long. The important thing is we’ll all be together, including our dog…. My little tribe, I couldn’t be happier.

East Coast / West Coast and now Jay-Z / Rouzaud

Did you just bring it?

Rappers have long proclaimed their love for Cristal, frequently mentioning the high-end champagne in songs and popping the corks of the clear, gold-labeled bottles in music videos and at nightclubs.

But the makers of Cristal don't seem to feel the same way about hip-hop — at least that's one rapper-turned-record executive Jay-Z sees it.

Now president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Records, the multiplatinum rapper has decided to boycott his once-beloved bubbly over comments from Frederic Rouzaud, managing director of Louis Roederer, the company that produces it.

In The Economist magazine, Rouzaud said the company viewed the affection for his company's champagne from rappers and their fans with "curiosity and serenity."

Asked by the magazine if the association between Cristal and the "bling lifestyle" could be detrimental, Rouzaud replied:

"That's a good question, but what can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it. I'm sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business."

The comments left a bad taste in Jay-Z's mouth. The rapper said he would pull Cristal from his small chain of popular sports lounges — where bottles of Cristal sell for $450 and $600 — as well as from his personal flutes.

"It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal, Frederic Rouzaud views the `hip-hop' culture as 'unwelcome attention,'" Jay-Z said. "I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands including the 40/40 Club nor in my personal life."

Jay-Z plans to replace Cristal — which a club spokesman said it could never stock enough of — with Krug and Dom Perignon at the Manhattan and Atlantic City locations of his 40/40 Club. (There are plans for clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, according to the club's Web site.)

oh it has been brought!

Judy, Judy, Judy

Rufus Wainwright presents gayest concert ever:

Eclectic pop singer Rufus Wainwright bridged musical generations on Wednesday with a daring re-creation of Judy Garland's legendary 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall.

Wainwright took the stage to thunderous applause from the sellout crowd and launched straight into the first number, "When You're Smiling."

The Canadian crooner said "we're not in Kansas anymore, we're in New York," -- a play on the memorable line from the "Wizard of Oz" movie which launched Garland's career. Backed by a 40-piece orchestra, Wainwright then restaged the monumental concert often called the greatest single night in show-business history.




Yes, I will buy it.

These are a few of my favorite things

Here's the part of the show where I highlight some of my favorite books, cds, movies, and what have you.

Jem's cd "Finally Woken" keeps coming back to my stereo and ipod. It's one of those just laid-back, interesting, and comforting cd's. Highlight tracks for me include Wish I, They, and Just a Ride....and newly important to me it is kid-friendly. If your kid starts singing along at daycare you won't be completely moritifed.

Slap Happy

Chatting with some parents at the park I notice E walking over to greet another child sitting in his stroller. Aaaw how cute I think, he’s going to say hi. E then raises his hand and slaps the hell out of the little kid. The slapee’s mom rushes over to push E back saying something like “I’ll let daddy take care of you until you hit my child.” This seems totally reasonable and understandable. If I’d known he was going to whack your kid I would have intervened I promise. The other kid was 2.5 to E’s 13 months so I figured she must be able to defend herself.


Of course later that evening this triggered a novella of internal dialogue about how did I raise an abuser? Where did this violence come from? Fast forward a few days later and daycare tells me “he’s been hitting other kids.” I promise them that I’m working on it and I don’t know where he got it. Inner voice: well there was that high five game you were trying last week.

Sob. Well at least he’s not biting.


Uh-oh. He’ll probably be biting next week.

Beachin

All next week we'll be at the beach!




Have a great holiday everyone. Cheers.

Soul Patrol!

Were Taylor's cries of Soul Patrol an attempt at assembling a Soul Patrol or spontaneous "I feel the music" I can't hold back "I'm the Soul Patrol!" outbursts. Was it a call to action, an exclamation or Tourettes?

At any rate, I didn't like Joe Cocker the first time.

Throw the ball!

We had a Dads' picnic for our local Gay Dads’ group on Saturday and I found myself playing softball with some of the kids and you know I really didn't like it so much. I predict though that I will have lots of ball tossing in my future. Knowing my luck E will be a jock and I’m going to have to sit through countless games and practices and feign enthusiasm. I think one of the advantages to being a gay dad though is that E is free to be pretty much whatever he wants. We were trying to think of what the worst possible, most shocking thing he could do and all we could come up with was Republican.

It's better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period.

We’re frantically packing and organizing to get our house ready for the market. Having a toddler around certainly complicates matters. Plus he’s let’s just say “active” for his age. Being a new parent I really have no basis of comparison but other one-year-old’s at the park certainly seem a lot slower than E.

Complicating matters we have a week long vacation out of town coming up. Plus I had jury duty this week and I got a sinus infection. Cue the violins. I felt the sickness hitting me as I waited in the jurors’ lounge. On the bright side what attorney would pick the red-faced sweaty guy to be on his or her jury panel.

It really seems like I’ve gotten sick more often since the little guy has been around. I don’t know if it’s because I just have so much that I have to do and I notice it more or if I truly am getting sick more often. Ah well I’m on the mend now. The pressure is starting to let loose.

Be well.

positive thinking

You know I can actually tell that I've been a parent too long because I find myself thinking all these encouraging thoughts for random passers-by. Internal monologue: "Look whose hair is combed so well. You're walking so fast big man. Picking up trash! Aren't you a good boy. That's a pretty skirt you've got on young lady!"

I guess there are worse mental spaces to occupy though. I'm afraid I'm going to slip one day though and try to motivate a friend "You're driving so well!"

Happy birthday little turtle

Happy Birthday E! You're one today!

The day that I first held you will probably be the best day of my life. You were such a tiny little thing and I was so nervous, afraid that I was going to hurt you. One of the nannies handed you over to me and she was confident and I think a little amused at my fear. So you looked up at me and grinned that mischievous little smile and my heart grew like the grinch at xmas.

I’ve watched you learn to crawl, take your first bite of peas, take your first step, laugh when I tickle you, hug you when you were sick all night, and chased you around a playground.

I don’t know what happens next but I know you’ve made me a better person and I’ll do my best to protect you, care for you and love you.

Dad

We’d been looking for a house for about the past 2 years. You know the drill, scanning the real estate ads, and going to open houses… It was sort of a hobby for my partner. I’d catch him late at night at the laptop clicking away at the homes database.

Well it finally paid off last weekend. We bid on a house and won! My head is still reeling from the numbers and the paperwork. The DC market is so extreme in prices and competition. It’s not like our first house hunt at least. In one war we were competing against 10 other offers. (We lost.) This house only had a couple other bids.

The next two months will be insane as we now have to get our current house ready to sell. It’s all still sinking in. I’ve had this hammock dream for a while and when I stepped onto that screened in back porch and saw my hammock strung up, it was love. I know as those future late nights packing are staring at me I’ll need to retreat to that perfect summer afternoon with the birds singing, bugs hopping, book in hand and the perfect nap. Aaaaaah.

This has been a test of the Emergency Broadcast System

Daycare I think has amped up his volume level. I think there may be a Survival of the Loudest thing going on with each kid learning that the loudest lungs gets his way. This is just a theory mind you but judging by last night's I want out of the high chair banshee wail, it appears valid. I'm sure further evidence will be screaming my way shortly.

Is he adopted?

It seems on average about once a week that someone asks me if my son is adopted. You see my partner is Hispanic and my son is very obviously Hispanic as well. Consequently, he never gets the question when we’re out and about and he’s holding E.

If I’m in the grocery store, restaurant, park, wherever, I get the question “Is he adopted?” Friends also tell me how much E and my partner look alike. At a rational level all this makes perfect sense but to be honest, it bugs me.

Having a child, especially adopted it seems, put your life out there in ways I hadn’t anticipated. E is loud, messy, friendly, and fearless. Dining out usually involves meeting half the people in the restaurant.

I wonder if a straight couple would get the adopted question as often. Hmmm.

Tagged

Steve over at The Hygiene Chronicles tagged me with this Six Strange Things/Facts/Habits About Me thing so next you will find my attempt to be strange, factual, and/or habitual:

1. I'm a vegetarian! What is it with this strange confluence of blogging and vegetarians? Apparently an uptick in vegetables drives people online.

2. Growing up my favorite movie was Broadcast News. I don't know why exactly. Was it Joan Cusack and her obstacle course run through the newsroom? Could be but it led me to this:

3. My first job out of college was working in a newsroom! After a year and a half and a lay-off I realized that I really didn't want to work in Broadcast journalism. The pluses are I found out what my dream job was like. Unfortunately the newsroom is filled with lots of people making very little money with lots of stress.

4. I'm addicted to reality TV. I get that some people find it horrid but I love the unscripted drama of regular people put into extraordinary circumstances. Also I think that reality TV has on average really helped gay people. It has humanized us and brought us into Joe Midwest's living room.

5. In middle school I won the County Spelling Bee! This means I'm a fantastic speller or I grew up with illiterate people, you decide.

6. At the state competition, I lost on the word thermostat. Can you believe it? It's not even a difficult word to spell. Freakin thermostat.

adoption.com

I wanna pass along this info I just learned about from Peter's Cross Station that Adoption.com has been discriminating against gay and lesbian parents. More info here:

http://www.potentialparents.com/adoptiondotcom.html

- Brian

Well next time I feel shunned by the Moms at our local playground I'll think on this story and realize it could be much worse:

Mie Taniguchi, 34, stabbed to death two five-year-old children who were playmates of her daughter last month after being ostracised by the other mothers at her local school. She had not fitted in and nor had her daughter, she told police.

Judging from her family's accounts of strange behaviour before the murders, Taniguchi was probably schizophrenic. But reports have pointed to a motive tangled up with the way other mothers treated her.

"The mummy clique is unique [to Japan]," the manager of an internet discussion board for young mothers told the newspaper Asahi Shimbun. "You suffer if they don't let you in; you suffer if you join."

The mothers' groups are mysterious, controlling and mean. Young mothers talk of the importance of the "park debut", in which a mother and child go to the playground and wait for an invitation to play from other assembled mothers.

At the school gate the signals are very clear. To be accepted into a superior mothers' gang, the clothes have to be right.

A navy dress, with short sleeves under a jacket that is buttoned from throat to hip, is worn like a uniform. No one escapes the tradition, and the higher up the scale the kindergarten is, the more essential the clothes.


http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/mothers-group-outsider-snapped-and-killed-children/2006/04/14/1144521504024.html

I don't know if this happens to everyone but I've developed this strange ability to hear phantom cries. In the background there will be this little echo of a cry that forces me to stop and strain to listen for a mewling or wail. My partner L says he does the same thing so I don't feel entirely crazy. The problem is in the middle of the night I find myself waking up thinking I hear something. Usually I can lay there for a few tics and go back to sleep but sometimes I need to get up creep into his bedroom and check on him. Logically I know there's nothing wrong but there's that little niggling that won't let go.

Stepping out 2

Last night I saw E walk halfway across the living room. It was a bit surreal watching him take all those little steps. He had this big smile on his face the whole time.

Meanwhile at the dog park, our dog seems to have gotten very humpy recently. My theory is that as he's moved down in the pack at home he needs to be more assertive of something at the dog park. Yeah I know it's all natural but it's just not much fun to look at. Oh yeah that's my dog again sorry. He's got 50 lbs. on your dog but good thing he's showing him who's boss.

Stepping out

I've seen E take 4 steps on his own! It's so cool. He still has the drunken swervy quality about it but I'm sure that will go away soon. Wow, he's such a climber too. He's discovered that he can use a pillow to get up on the couch. The nannies at daycare tell me that he's very active. Good to know that it's not just me. As I was coming in one day I also heard one of the nannies tell another that "E is so rough." Oh yeah he's a scrapper.

One of the things that melts me is E's smile. He has this big goofy grin that takes over his entire face. It's like your dog's wag in its joy. It's funny how we start life with no middle ground it's all wailing or laughing it seems.

E is now taking little steps on his own from off the furniture and table. It's pretty cool to see. Also he's discovered making this little clicking noise with his tongue. Thank you lord, much easier on the ears than the random screeching. He's still working out this whole language thing.

You know it strikes me as really developmentally odd that we as humans learn to crawl and then walk before we can understand stop and danger. Who planned this thing?


Meanwhile on American Idol:

Mandisa's hero is a conservative bigot who supports the ex-gay movement. This explains her odd "lifestyle" comment last week.

My little guy is feeling much better now too and back to his old firecracker self.

Weather is getting nicer too finally!

From this morning's Washington Post:


"Meanwhile, interest groups on the left and right are preparing for showdowns over flag desecration and same-sex marriage in June, when Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has scheduled floor votes on the always-controversial issues. Both efforts call for constitutional amendments, which require a two-thirds majority vote in the House and the Senate, followed by ratification by three-fourths of the states.

Frist, who is weighing a 2008 presidential bid, often touts the proposed amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The effort failed in both houses in 2004. The Senate fell 12 votes short of the number needed to cut off debate, and House supporters could not muster the two-thirds majority they needed in their chamber."



Great to see that Frist is relying on the old scary homosexuals tactic to rile up his base. It's not like there's anything else going on in this country.

It just struck me that I'm writing about my son's diarrhea.... odd that. Is this interesting? - probably not but something that I imagine all parents go through. My intent with this blog was to put another gay dad voice out there. As I was going through the adoption consideration process I read lots of blogs and devoured a lot of info. I noticed there were a lot of moms writing but not so many dads.

So I'm trying to put out there what it's like to be a parent and to show others that hey if I can do it you can too. I've read other blogs that weave these stories with tidy little endings. I can't really do that. So here you go another post about my son's bodily fluids. Enjoy!

zombie dad

E's diarrhea continued all night. I'm running on maaaybe 3 hours of sleep. I hope its the antibiotics causing the trouble. I'm at work but between worrying about E and my partner and nodding off now and then I doubt I'll get much done.

In unrelated news, Dixie Chicks have a new single out and they're still fighting the good fight and speaking out.

Check it out if you have a country leaning in your musical styling:

http://www.dixiechicks.com/default2006.asp

After I was safely ensconced at work this morning I had a call from my partner, apparently E had another case of explosive diar... well you get the idea. It reached over the ramparts of the diaper and onto his onesie. The nuclear accident occurred just as they were getting ready to walk out the door too. Being a parent is frequently disgusting (in case you hadn't gathered that already). Hopefully it's just a side effect of the antibiotics for the ear infection and will clear up now that he's off the cycle. He's happy as can be, you'd never know the evil that lurks in his rear.

Either way, I may get quite a reception when I pick him up this afternoon.

Wondering how Rupaul connects South Park, MI3, and Iraq? Check it out at her blog:

http://www.rupaul.com/weblog.shtml

Feeding time

E's appetite seems to have taken off. He gobbled up his dinner last night it was kind of dramatic. I have to admit I'm not exactly sure how all this works. I'm relying on him to tell me how much to eat. The baby literature is all so vague too with ranges of eating and drinking too, I want specifics!

Also, he's hit the clothing transition stage when the old size is too tight and he's moving up to clothes that all needs to be rolled up. Some lucky baby out there is about to get a care package of outgrown clothes.

I've been a bit dubious that E's babbling has meant anything but my partner insisted that he knows da-da. "Nah, he's just making noise." then he asked him "Where's daddy?" and he turned to look at me! not just once but several times.

Wow, it's just the most amazing feeling. I don't know if everyone goes through the whole attachment worries but when you're waiting for your child it's like each day is a missed opportunity. I wondered does he know I'm his dad?

So this was such a relief and a mighty pull on the heart. All is right in the world.

My little man has a cold - his first illness. It's the dreaded daycare cold which hit almost like clockwork after enrollment. He appears to be in a pretty good despite the constantly runny nose. Actually I think it bothers me more than him since I have to practically chase him with the tissue to get at his nose. So tonight I get to clean his nose out. It's amazing how being a parent shows you how much you don't know.

Today is the last day at home with my little man. Next week we start daycare. I woke up early and got instantly depressed. This time that we've had together has just flown by. The morning are always the best time too he wakes up with this huge grin.

<>

off for some play time. I think someone needs a tickle.

With a rebel yell he cried More! More! More!

E has added yelling to his communication oeuvre. He seems to be testing out various shrieks and screams to see what exactly will come out. It can be a bit unsettling as you try to drink a cup of coffee and this tiny thing explodes in noise.

The dog grows more pensive.

THE FIT

Is there anything worse than the tantrum? We're in the middle of a nuclear meltdown. It started innocently enough with a simple visit to the playpen while Dad went to use the restroom and there's been no abating since. The cries urge you to pick him up and then when he instantly turns off the spigot you feel played, played like you answered that junk mail for the russian bride who is really interested in visiting Ammerica and havfing funn.

Oh and don't even think about breakfast, the crawler will find you no matter where you go.

ding ding

Round 2!

Defensive Stance

The wee one and I take a walk every day mostly for dad's sanity. We hit the park mostly where I enter the Kingdom of Moms.

Before the his arrival I'd heard about dads getting comments or even hostility from strangers at the sight of a gay dad and his son so I've been prepared. I've got my skillz and I'm ready to protect my family. The only problem? Nothing has happened. The worst is a woman commented to me as I was leaving a govt. office that I should put his jacket on before going outside. (I told her I was going to do it in the lobby because apparently he has an allergic reaction to sleeves.) Yeah this was rude but I couldn't claim a hate crime exactly.

So as I cross out Mother on yet another form and write in Dad I'll take a moment to thank the mothers with open minds and the gay dads who came before me.

happy talk

E has started jabbering, it's simply the cutest thing in human history. He gets this look of concentration and does this mah mah mah thing. It usually happens when he's eating so I think his first word will probably be "more."