Wednesday, August 31, 2005

I WasWaiting For Them to Say It

It's all the gay people's fault, according to Repent America.

Apparently, in retribution for the upcoming Sounthern Decadence, God, Jesus, and the ever self-righteous Michael Marcavage decided that New Orleans needed to be taught a lesson.

Yeah, right! If God hated homosexuals so much then why not wait until Southern Decadance? Coulda gotten a lot more of "dem nasty, dirty faggots" if Katina hit them. And why such a widespread area? Biloxi, MS doesn't have anything to do with S.D. Or maybe it was the casinos that God decided to destroy as well? And why all the other affected areas? Sheesh! Repent America's God must have pretty poor aim and lousy timing.

To Repent America - Bite me! Blow me! Buy a friggin' clue!

Random Ramblings....

Gads! Those poor people and places that were hit by Hurricane Katrina. I can't bare to watch the news anymore. 80% of Mississippi without power at all?!? Cheezus H. Christ!

Thankfully, the family of a friend of mine who is from that area (between Biloxi and New Orleans) are okay and Jonno and Richard/Sturtle are okay as well by riding it out at a friend's house in Lafayette, LA. (Speaking of Richard, he mentions his theatre company's plans of doing the Facts of Life: "Carrie". That sounds like a hoot!I hope they get to do it.)

Addendum: ChadFox's mention of it reminded to also post that if anyone wants to and can help out in some way,here's a way you can:





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First week down of the semester. I don't think I'll have problems with my three classes; one will be a snap since it's on MicroFlacid's Emploder...er...Internet Explorer but another will be a bit more daunting since it's a medical terminology class which requires lotsa memorization of lotsa big. not-exactly-in-plain-English words. The other (records management) is the middle one. All three can be done at home so I only need to show up to the school for tests and handing work in to the teachers.


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Might as well do that music meme that's been going around for the "halibut"

Here are the instructions for the meme:

List ten songs that you are currently digging ... it doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're no good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the ten songs in your blog. Then tag five other people to see what they're listening to.

1. Little Martha by The Allman Brothers
2. Send In the Clowns by Judy Collins
3. Can't Find My Way Home by Blind Faith
4. Breathe by Telepopmusik
5. Superstition by Stevie Wonder
6. This Masquerade by George Benson
7. Now We Are Free (from the soundtrack of Gladiator) by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard
8. Never Say Never by Romeo Void
9. Lakme, Act 1, Dome Epais Le Jasmin by Joan Sutherland and Jane BerbiƩ
10. What a Difference a Day Makes by Dinah Washington

I'll also throw in All Apologies(live) by Nirvana and We Just Disagree by Dave Mason.

I'll open up tagging people to whomeever still wants to do it.

Monday, August 29, 2005

These Are SO on My Wish List!







Gotta love it! A company by the name of Mezco Toyz LLC has put out a series of 13 figurines/toys from Family Guy.

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::LeSigh:: I hope the New Orleans and vicinity residents land up being okay!

Friday, August 26, 2005

Blowing in the Wind

Thankfully, the parental units seemed to have survived another hurricane. The northern edge of Katrina was just south of them so they just got heavy winds and a lot of rain but not as bad as Miami-Dade County did. Dunno if they lost power but will speak to them again tomorrow to check in.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Junk in the Truck




A friend of mine passed along this novel, new approach to anti-car theft security! I wonder if the pay could be in bananas?

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Anyway, this is my last night of guiltless couch potatoing since the school semester officially kicks in for me tomorrow (Wednesday). So much for unbridled night owl living.

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And for those NYC'ers who are interested in Wigstock, according to The Lady Bunny, it's this coming Saturday (Aug. 27th) and the one and only Miz Betty Butterfield will be there.

Friday, August 19, 2005

The Bedroom Gang


The Bedroom gang
Originally uploaded by azLee.
This is a part of a gang o' toys I have in my home. Yeah, my inner child makes me buy them. I didn't have many when I was a wee kidlet so I made up for that over the years.

In this shot you shall find Crystal the Snow Bunny; Ike, Terrance, Philip and Chef from South Park (the main boys are in their original box by the bedroom fireplace a bit to the left of this group); Bill the Cat; The Tick; Duckman and his partner Cornfed; and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

When Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Amazing for me to realize that today/tonite (August 16/17) marks the 13th anniversary of my quitting smoking.

I smoked for a grand total of aproximately 15 years, the majority of them (don't recall exactly how long) downing 2 packs a day. Marlboro was my staple brand by I managed to suck down a wide variety of brands over the years.

On August 16th 1992, just before midnight, I logged off my 'puter (an IBM PS/1 if anyone recalls that lousy idea) and put out my last cigarette of a pack. I figured I'd step outside for some air, look at the stars, see what was going on in the parking lot of my complex before toddling off to bed. I normally carry my inhaler (I'm asthmatic..yes I know how stupid it is to have a major lung problem and put away 2 packs/day.) which at the time was either Primatene or Broncaid Mist but this time I left it on my bed, figuring I'd only be outside for a moment and I wasn't having any major problems that night. While out in the parking lot, I started to feel a bit wheezy so I decided to head in the apt. a few yards away and grab my inhaler.

Now, normally my asthmatic attacks were of the slow type that just got worse as time went on; not the "WHAM! ZAP! Outta the blue, you can't breathe" types, but this time SURPRIZE! By the time I got to my bed a few seconds later, I couldn't breathe at all. My lungs literally seized up. I couldn't move them at all. No inhaling, no exhaling. I sat on the edge of my bed completely unable to breathe and unable to do a danged thing. My roomie had moved back to Ohio a few weeks before and I had just gotten back from England so there was no one there to freak out in front of so they could call 911. My neighbors were either out or asleep and at that time the 911 system out here didn't have that automated locator situation set up so if I called, there was no way to tell the operator where I was. I sat there seriously thinking i was actually done for; that this was how I was going to die. Big fun!

Luckily, a moment or two later, my lungs "deseized" but it was an immediate segue into still having some sort of major lung problem (it was diagnosed a month and 5 doctors later as major inflamation of both lungs. Why the first 4 doctors, knowing I smoked and had asthma, never thought of inflamation is beyond me. The asshole putzes! Which only reinforced the notion that doctors can easily fuck up and misdiagnose.) Now where was I...oh, yes! Anyway, I figured I'd just give my lungs a rest for the night and just light up the next day. (Ah, the mentality of an addict!)

Fast forward nearly 24 hours and no cigarettes later, I was lying in my bed and realized that I hadn't had a cigarette in 24 hours, I was still alive,I hadn't killed anyone, I wasn't in jail or a padded room at the local looney bin, my apartment was still standing, my cat wasn't filing for the pet version of a divorce, and my lungs were still fucked up so, I decided then and there to take the hint and officially quit cold turkey.

13 years later I'm still here, still occasionally find myself gazing longingly at the cigarette shelves at the supermarket or convenience store (until I see the price!), and still on occasion take a quick whiff of a pack but that's it.

Now, to see if my cable modem is back online...

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Early Morning Distractions




OMG! Found this SNFW site over on Jeff's site moments ago. I figured I'd pass it along to any golfers out there.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Random Acts of Posting




YIKES! Creep me the flock out! This is Kevin Cahoon of the glam rock band Kevin Cahoon and the Ghetto Cowboy starring as the Child Catcher in Broadway's "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" Here's the article/interview in the NYTimes titled From Creepy Menace to Glam Rocker.

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And speaking of Broadway shock casting, Rosie O'Donnell has been cast as Golde in "Fiddler on the Roof" opposite Harvey Fierstein as her stage hubby Tevye! According to the article "Shaking Things Up in Broadway's Shtetl", she'll be taking over the role starting September 20th! Wow! As the article said "...makes it truly an Only on Broadway moment, where two openly gay and outspoken actors will play husband and wife in a musical all about the breaking of traditions." Indeed! Or maybe more along the lines of expanding on traditions.

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Speaking of gay marriages, a friend e-mailed this article about a recent U.S. poll showing an increase in support for gay marriages, even amoungst some religious groups:

U.S. poll: Support grows for gay marriage
Jen Christensen, PlanetOut Network

[Recall that Lawrence v Texas was decided on 6.26.2003. The backlash following it has apparently waned.]

The marriage equality movement may be gaining momentum in the United States, as new poll results show an increasing number of Americans support marriage rights for gay couples -- the highest support since July 2003.

According to the new Pew Research Center for People & the Press/Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life poll, 35 percent of Americans polled were in favor of allowing gay couples to get legally married. Fifty-three percent still opposed marriage for gay couples, but that same number of people polled, 53 percent, said they wanted gay couples to have some kind of legal arrangement, such as civil unions.

"This is exactly what the right wing is afraid of," Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, said. "People have had a year of legal marriage in Massachusetts to see how ending marriage discrimination helps gay and lesbian families and hurts no one."

During 2003, Massachusetts' high court ruled that gay couples in that state could get married, which they began doing in 2004. Following that decision, 11 states passed anti-gay marriage amendments, and poll data showed a slip in support for marriage rights.

The poll also showed a slight increase in religious groups' support for marriage rights.

The poll questions were part of a broader study of national issues that may face the incoming U.S. Supreme Court nominee. Marriage rights for gay couples did not figure in the top five issues people were concerned would come before the Supreme Court. Abortion was the biggest interest, followed by the rights of imprisoned terrorists.

The poll also touched on stem cell research, religious displays in public forums, affirmative action and physician-assisted suicide.

Gay rights advocates such as Wolfson suggest these latest poll results on the marriage issue show the effectiveness of gay activism and the impact of equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.

"The long-term trend in America's civil rights discussion, including this recent rebound of public support for marriage equality, which follows the ferment and barrage of the past several months, demonstrates the power of engaging the public and showing them the reality of marriage equality, rather than right-wing rhetoric and scare tactics."
http://www.gay.com/news/election/article.html?2005/08/08/1

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And I just giggled reading the subject title of this piece of e-mail spam: "Lucy and Diane just crave to meet your ankle"

Monday, August 08, 2005

Apparently, Hell Just Froze Over...

...and it's the end of the Lower East Side as we know it.




Yep! That's a Starfucks and it's located on the corner of Delancey and Allen St. in NYC. Yuppieville has finally moved in. Just discovered the news on Gawker.

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In a completely unrelated note - R.I.P. Peter Jennings.

Super Powers!




Say hello to Whatever Woman! One of two super heros I recently met over on the "I Shoulda Been a Superhero" tribe on Tribe.net. _WhatEver_ introduced Whatever Woman to the tribe. Her super powers are: To blow off any SuperBitch, Speed Shopping, Jabber Jaw Attack, Invoke PMS, Hyper Denial, and a Withering Stare. The Cell phone is her weapon.

The other Super Hero is Captain Hangover who was introduced by Jess.my.pet. Alas, no image of him. To quote Jess: "he comes in quietly, with Alka Selzer, makes you coffee and a nice omelette, cleans up the empties (if any) or goes to pick your car up for you at whatever bar you may have left it at before stumbling home to curl up on someone's couch with a bath-towel as a blanket. He then gives you some B-vitamins, draws you a bath, and gives you a tender hug before quietly slipping out the door again."

Both are great!

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Other than that, things are pretty quiet here at Casa de Clutter. Registered for classes for the fall. Luckily, they added a section of one of the classes which made me happy in my pants since that section fits in nicely with my preferred schedule. 2 1/2 more weeks of vacation to enjoy.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Stuff

I'm really having fun with the new camera and Izzy the iPod! Haven't named the camera yet, tho. I will soon. I've downloaded about 14 songs from iTunes so far but I've unfortunately found that there's a lot of songs they don't have! Heck! No Jethro Tull or Lene Lovitch AT ALL!?! What's up with that?!?

I'm debating about d/l'ing songs I already have on cd since I could just as easily d/l those onto the 'puter then put them on Izzy. I'll see.

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And speaking of playing with the camera, I just attempted to crop a screen capture using the Kodak software and now to see how it looks when I post it here!




For those who a fans of Rent, there's a new 3 minute long trailer from it out now and can be found here. Quicktime needed.

It's going to be released in November either on the 11th or possibly on the 23rd.

(teehee...the pic looks decent enough. Yay me!)

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And I had NO idea that The Henson Company had a pair of gay twins that never appeared in any of their shows or movies! :-) Apparently, they attend the same hair salon as Jan Crouch.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

And One More...


Greasy Tony's
Originally uploaded by azLee.
Pizzeria/sub shop that's been in TooStoned now since at least the mid-70's. It's in an old Toxic Hell...er...Taco Bell building.
Tony is orginally from New Brunswick, NJ if anyone recalls it from there.

Strike a Pose!


More View
Originally uploaded by azLee.
View of parking lot and of the swimming pool area on the right. The mountain in the background is part of the Santa Catalina Mountains.



Winspan Community Center
Originally uploaded by azLee.
This is the GLBT community center in TooStoned. We just officially moved in to the building a week ago.



Wingspan
Originally uploaded by azLee.
Interior shot of main floor from the front desk where I park my butt one of two days a week.



Driveway View Too
Originally uploaded by azLee.
Looking towards the entrance to the street I'm on with approaching storm in background.



Stormy Mountains
Originally uploaded by azLee.
View of a storm over the Santa Catalina Mountains from the post office.



Casa de Clutter Path
Originally uploaded by azLee.
Path leading to my front gate.



Street Life
Originally uploaded by azLee.
View of roadway leading into my street and approaching storm in the northeast part of town.



Casa de Clutter
Originally uploaded by azLee.
View of the front of my place. Behind that garage is 2100 sq. feet of cluttered condo.



Driveway View
Originally uploaded by azLee.
View from my driveway (I feel SO suburban! I got my very own driveway!) towards the gulley.