Friday, June 30, 2006

Yeah, I'm Still Around!

Now that I have few minutes, I figured I might as well post something and stun people that I actually DID! As well as try to build back up daily visitors now that it seems the frantic search for finding nekkid pictures of Huge Jackman has dwindled.

Been busy with that class I'm taking. It's on MicroFlacid Wurd and it requires a couple of hours of typing a day (a full semester's (16 weeks) course crammed into about 5 weeks. What fun! So, between that and my arguing with the twits, twitlings, asshats, idiots, and other assorted anti-gay people proclaiming themselves as "good Christians", I'm too pooped and mind-weary to post here.

Finally got all the pictures I ordered from the two cemeteries back in the New York area of a few relatives' footstones. Yes, apparently cemeteries will do that upon request, sometimes for a small fee, and if the people are buried there. The photos I ordered are for both sets of grandparents and for a sister of my paternal grandmother and that sister's husband. It may sound a bit morbid, I know, but it was all in the name of geneology, curiousity, and wanting to see them, sorta closure where my two grandmothers are concerned.

Of those relatives, I only knew two of them (the grandmothers). My paternal grandfather died 3.5 years before I was born (I was also named after him ─ a Jewish tradition where you name a baby after a relative who recently died (a form of respect for the departed, I think). Me and my two cousins on my father's side were all named after him (Lee (moi, obviously), Laura, and Lynn). My maternal grandfather died shortly before I was 9 but I only met him once (long story, maybe for another day), and my great aunt died in 1952 at 57 in a mental institution in Westchester County, NY. Here, to be exact, ar the Hudson River State Hospital. I found this site when, by coincidence, Chas had mentioned the site a few months back on his blog. She spent the last 35 years or so of her life institutionalized for some mental illness I'm not sure of. My sister thinks it was probably manic depression, which I gather wasn't quite understood back in 1917, let alone treated at all. The story goes that she witnessed her husband being run over by a milk wagon from her apartment window, while he was crossing the street on his way to work (he died at the age of 21 of the injuries a few days later -- I still have the telegram from the hospital telling her he died!) and with the stress of a two year old child and another one due, witnessing the accident and his subsequent death sorta pushed her over the edge.

Which leads me to a story about him. As mentioned, he died in 1916 and as the years/decades went by, fewer and fewer were left alive who had met him and knew what he looked like. My grandmother was the last of them and when she started going senile, that was that. No photographs of him were known to exist UNTIL the late 1980's when my father decided to FINALLY go through several LARGE shopping bags STUFFED with papers and photographs my grandmother had stuffed in the back of one of her closets. Lo and behold, there was not only the telegram from the hospital but a family group photo that included him. I'm now the proud guardian of them plus hundreds of other family photos and papers that my parents and sister had sent to me when my parents sold their NYC apartment a few years back.

Once I finally get off my ass and set up my scanner, I'll see about posting a few old photos.

Monday, June 26, 2006

YAY! Finally!


YAY! Finally!
Originally uploaded by azLee.
After quite a long wait while they were looking for a distributor, "Stangers with Candy" movie will finally be hittin' the big screen, first in NYC on June 28th and nationwide in July!

Friday, June 23, 2006

Now We Are Free



Yes! I'm still alive and haven't fallen off the planet. Just been busy with school (class on MicroFlacid Word), dealing with over 100 degree days (we actually had rain and some hail on Wednesday!), and battling the bigots and homophobes over on AOL.

I found the above video just now while cruising through YouTube.com and I thought it was purdy durn nifty.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Shoes....OhMahGod!



Done by The Liam Show.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Yes, Virginia -- That Is a Wall of Dust






Just a couple of shots of the haboob that made its merry way from Casa Grande to Phoenix on Tuesday. Not a pretty sight and, giving my asthma, thank Zod it didn't hit TooStoned.

######

On a brighter, cheerier note -- I'm so glad that the gay marriage ban bullshit got voted down.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Finger Skillz

This goes out to Jimbo, being the rugby player and all:



Stolen from Davezilla.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

My Old School


NYC06_009_Manhattan02
Originally uploaded by myke..
While going through the pictures posted by my contacts over on flickr.com, I discover that Myke of http://obiterdictum.org/ took a picture of my old school (the United Nations International School) that I attended from 2nd grade through high school graduation!

That's it -- the short off-white building a little left of the photo's center, at the base of the two tall, brown apartment buildings.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Brokeback By the Bell

Okay, yeah...so "Brokeback Mountain" and the jokes and videos are a bit old news now but I just stumbled onto this one courtesy of one of my very few trips over to Queerty and hadn't seen it anywhere else. So, for yer enjoyment--"Brokeback By the Bell":

Friday, June 02, 2006

Nietzsche is Pietzsche


Nietzsche is Pietzsche
Originally uploaded by azLee.
OMG! I just came across a great website which will feed my toy-buying jones!

The Unemployed Philosophers Guild

Thursday, June 01, 2006

OMG!!!

I can't believe I completely missed this!!! I was catching up with MAK's blog and his site celebrating it's 3rd anniversary that it hit me that MY very own blog hit it's 2nd anniversary last month!! I'm a BAD BlogDaddy!

Anyway, happy anniversary to my little corner of cyber space.

New Dog Breeds

Thought I'd pass along this list that a friend sent, for your enjoyment and to let people know I'm still alive:

Collie + Malamute =
Commute, a dog that travels to work

Collie + Lhasa Apso =
Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport

Spitz + Chow Chow =
Spitz-Chow, a dog that throws up a lot

Pointer + Setter =
Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet

Great Pyrenees + Dachshund =
Pyradachs, a puzzling breed

Pekingnese + Lhasa Apso =
Peekasso, an abstract dog

Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer Spaniel =
Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean as a whistle

Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever =
Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of research scientists

Newfoundland + Basset Hound =
Newfound Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors

Terrier + Bulldog =
Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes

Bloodhound + Labrador =
Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly

Malamute + Pointer =
Moot Point, owned by... oh, well, it doesn't matter anyway

Deerhound + Terrier =
Derriere, a dog that's true to the end

Happy June, everyone!