Monday, December 19, 2005

Bah. Humbug.

Now that the holidays are fully upon us, I'm retreating into my hard, crusty shell (melts in your mouth, not in your hands) and turning my back on my fellow man (there's a joke in there somewhere, but I'm not going to bother looking for it).

Anyhoo, I think I'm done blogging for the year. See you in 2006.



By the way, I've turned on comments moderation since my archives are filling up with spam faster than a Hawaiian who just cashed his paycheck, so if you comment on anything in the next week or two, it might not show up for a while.

Friday, December 16, 2005

I'm turning into my dad

Generally, I like unions. I'm a tree-huggin' lefty who believes that they make sure workers don't get exploited by unfeeling companies.

That being said, TWU Local 100 would have to work pretty damn hard to convince me that they're being exploited. Average salary is $45,000-$68,000 counting overtime (according to the NY Sun). Not damn bad for people who, on average, don't have college degrees. Plus they don't pay for their benefits, get to retire at 55, get full pension after 25 years, and get full medical once they retire.

I have a college degree (three, actually). My salary is slightly above the high range of their average. But I pay for my benefits. I can't retire until I'm 65. And my office has recently cancelled our pensions. And I sure as hell don't get any medical other than Medicare after I retire.

So should I feel sorry for the transit workers? Sorry, ain't gonna happen.

And it doesn't help that their union president is such a cunt. Roger Toussaint pretty much represents the worst that the unions have to offer. He's a little man with a Napoleon complex who is threatening other people's livelihoods and safety in order to get his moment in the spotlight.

Well, thank God for two things: the Taylor laws and my upcoming vacation. With any luck, when Roger throws his hissy and calls a strike, the Taylor laws will smack him down and I'll be enjoying my vacation way the hell away from here.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

I always saw myself as Beaker

sam jpeg
You are Sam the Eagle.
You are patriotic and devoted. And extremely anal.

HOBBIES:
Patriotism, Being appalled at what everyone else is
doing.
FAVORITE MUSIC:
The National Anthem of America

FAVORITE MOVIE:
"An American In....America"

LAST BOOK READ:
"Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus,
Eagles are from America"

QUOTE:
"Please stop that now! It's un-American!"


What Muppet are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Things that make you go . . . hmmm

Have you ever noticed that you don't ever see Evill Aaron and Eartha Kitt in the same room at the same time? Three words: Clark, Kent, Superman. That's all I'm saying.

In other news, I'm reviewing a play this weekend and I just found out that a guy I know is in the cast. Jeezum, I hope to God the play doesn't suck.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Berfday

So I'm another year older, but still devastatingly attractive. Well, by BizarroWorld standards.

Anyhoo, today is also a certain Famous Author's birthday. Wish him a happy b-day (not bidet). If you know his e-mail address, that is.

And that's all the posting you'll get from me today. It's a busy work day, then I'm off to see a show tonight (to review it).

Oh, by the way, last night I saw the One Man Star Wars Trilogy. It was hilarious and one of the best nights of theater I've had in a while. It's playing through the end of the month. Go see it.

Earlier this week I saw Thom Pain (based on nothing). Good show. Odd . . . but good. It's worth checking out.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Haikuesday

Birthday's in two days
I'm in the mood for presents
This is what I want:

The God of Biscuits'
Gift for esoterica;
I'll take some of that.

I would also like
A bit of Mark and Brian's
Whimsical nature.

How 'bout a phone call
From Matt's mom with a story
about his childhood?

A touch of Frank's wit
For use in emergencies
Would come in handy.

Bob's sense of humor
Sorry, let's make that 'humour'
Now that he's a Brit.

Jeff's new house, of course,
Would be nice, but how to get
It to Manhattan?

Homer's handiness
With Albert's sense of style would
Brighten up my home

Jase's joie de vivre
Or maybe just his good looks
I could handle that.

Hospitality
Like Jess and Marc, Knottyboy's
Artistic talent

Sardonic humor
From Palochi and maybe
His leather jacket

Brian's hot accent
Or maybe his recipes
Either would be good

Sherry's youth and brains
Faustus and Rob's musical
talent (oh, and David's too)

Speaking of Davids
I'd like his epic drive and
His little dog, too.

But it is enough
Just to have them in my life.
Friends are the best gift.

Note: Yeah, I missed a few of you. Sorry about that, but I'm knackered and it's time for a coffee break. Anyway, I hope you all know how important your friendship is to me, with or without a link in a crappy, but heartfelt, haiku.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Update

This morning I threw my back out. What, pray tell, was I doing at three in the morning that was so strenuous that I threw my back out?

Sleeping.

Yep. I threw my back out sleeping.

I am now officially the world's most out-of-shape person. I fully expect Richard Simmons to come to my house and cut through a wall to get me out with a crane.

Frak.

Anyhoo. Last week I saw three shows. 'Making Marilyn' and 'Rachel' Off-Off Broadway. I wouldn't really recommend either of them. 'Making Marilyn' was kind of interesting, but it didn't really gel. 'Rachel' was abysmal . . . poorly written, poorly directed, poorly acted. Made me want to bitch slap everyone involved.

The other show was 'Souvenir' on Broadway. Cute and funny, but it would have been better as a shorter piece. It didn't merit a full-length treatment.

Other than that, I went out for Korean BBQ with Stuff and friends on Sunday.

The wild times never end in Crashylvania (thanks, Palochi).

One other thing, now that I think about it. I did stay up until three in the morning on Saturday (well, technically it was Sunday) to watch the first snow of the season. It was pretty, but it made walking to church a pain.

Friday, December 02, 2005

We wants it, my precious

You'll note on the right side of this screen, nearly at the bottom, is a link to my Amazon wish list. While I would certainly never be so crass as to ask any of you to buy me anything for my rapidly approaching birthday, you are welcome to browse it to see the odd mix of Broadway, Bel Ami and Blues that I seem to enjoy.

And if, while browsing, you decide to buy something for me . . . well, that's your choice.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Still alive

Sorry I haven't been posting . . . busy, busy, busy.

So here is the last couple of weeks in a nutshell: dim sum, Palochi, two theater reviews published, Gay Expo, two awards ceremonies, trip to mom's, surprise birthday party that was actually a surprise (there's still time to buy me a gift, by the way), Homer exhibit at the Dahesh Museum, Harry Potter (I cried), doing work for my not-for-profits, work, job hunting and TV.

The fun never ends at Crashland.

Friday, November 18, 2005

We deliver f.u.

Why I'm learning to hate the Post Office

1) For the second time, a Netflix DVD hasn't arrived.

2) My postal carrier routinely mutilates my mail putting it in the mailbox.

3) My local post office (which incidentally isn't the nearest post office to where I live . . . go figure) changed its hours to 9-5. Amazingly inconvenient since I work the same hours. That leaves me four hours on Saturday when I can go pick up my packages and oversized mail. Assuming I'm in town.

4) The district manager of my post office says the hours were changed by the local postmaster. The postmaster says they were changed by the district manager.

5) A package that I sent to Zeitzeuge Mark in late October never arrived. And I didn't insure it.

6) A couple of weeks ago, while I was out of town, my mailbox got so full that even my trash-compacter of a postal carrier couldn't crush any more of my mail into it. So he ordered my mail delivery stopped. He didn't leave a note or inform me in any way. Then after a week, he brought all my mail to my place and gave it to my super.

7) They're raising the price of stamps again, instead of raising the price of sending bulk mail.

Why I'm learning to hate UPS

1) They deliver during business hours. Which is when I work.

2) They don't deliver on weekends.

3) If they can't get the package to you they ask you to come pick it up. In Queens, the location is smack dab in the middle of the dead zone with no subways, which means a cab ride on top of the shipping fee. It is also in the middle of the Queens graveyard district, and when the zombies attack, I don't want to be carrying scrapbooking supplies or porn. Um . . . not that I ever order either of those things.

All of these issues would be moot if I still had a doorman. Crap.

An open letter

To the white-trash, goomba, Gotti-wannabe in the huge, silver, tricked-out pickup truck who nearly ran me down in Times Square last night while stuffing a burger in his fat, ugly face.

Fuck you.

Sincerely,
Crash

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

And I've been cooking

I made chicken breasts with a sherry and shallot sauce the other day. And I made chicken thighs with a sauce of sherry and sauteed artichoke hearts. Yum.

In a Nutshell

I've seen a few plays in the last week.

Cowboy vs. Samurai - Good. A retelling of the Cyrano story by the National Asian American Theater Company.

The Snow Maiden - Children's theater that I reviewed for the online site.

Screwups - Another one I reviewed. Very funny.

Let's see . . . dinner at Jess and Marc's where I got to meet the charming Knottyboy.

Dim sum on Sunday. Hanging out with Jase on Saturday. Laundry. Work.

Patrick is still a great houseguest.

What else? Oh, Lost. How freaking amazing was last week's episode?

Okay. I'm done.

Monday, November 07, 2005

Update

I haven't really felt like blogging lately, so I think I may continue to post less frequently. We'll see.

Last Thursday I saw The Color Purple, the new musical. I really enjoyed it. Good songs, wonderful acting, beautiful sets. All in all, I think it will do well.

Friday I went to see The Great American Trailer Park Musical again. Cast album comes out soon, woo hoo! It's a wonderfully funny show and I highly recommend it.

Saturday I went out with Stuff and Patrick to Pegasus on the east side. Fun time, though one of us had a little too much to drink. I won't name names, but it rhymes with hat trick. And yet, he was up and about the next day for work. Good man.

Sunday was brunch day for Stuff and me. We went to Heidelberg, a German place (naturally) on the UES. Fantastic. Fresh potato salad, sauerkraut and bratwurst. Plus a marvellous Schwarzwaelder Kirsch torte and one of the best cups of coffee I'd had in a while. Yum.

Other than all that, I just caught up on Netflix (I watched the second disk of the first season of Six Feet Under and the first disc of a show called Desperate Housewives, which you've probably never heard of). I also saw an episode of a British sitcom starring Alan Cumming as a gay flight attendant on Here OnDemand. It was horrible; now I understand why Rob Byrnes has such a passionate dislike of the man.

And did I mention that Patrick makes a mean chicken enchilada? Well he does.

My other accomplishment for the weekend was finally unpacking and putting up some of my art and knick-knacks. Starting to look like a real home, my place is. I suppose I'll have to move soon.

Last thing, I'll be reviewing my first show for the online review site this Saturday. Woo hoo!

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

The student loans were worth it

Well, I just got a gig writing theater reviews for an online site (I wrote about submitting an article a while ago). I refuse to let myself get too excited about this since I'm always expecting the other shoe to drop, but I am a little happy. Nice to know these theater degrees will get to be put to use.

By the way, I am totally open to hot, young directors and actors who want to sleep with me in order to get a good review.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

I like me! Right now I really like me!

As part of the new HR/benefits program designed by a bunch of consultants who've probably never worked at a real job in their entire lives, we are now required to write a self-evaluation of our work for the current year.

I was thinking of going the humble route, but fuck that. It occurs to me that my job gets steadily more complex and my pay remains maddeningly the same. So I'm about to write the most pro-me thing I've ever written.

But just to be on the safe side, I think I won't mention my ability to put up with bullshit, navel-gazing, burdensome administrative requirements that have nothing to do with my actual day-to-day job.

Wise move?

What kind of bullshit do you have to put up with in your job?

UPDATE: So do you think I'll get extra points for the sarcasm and pointed digs about how some employees who make more money are held to much lower standards than the rest of us? Or maybe the part where I said that no one has ever bothered to define what the expectations of my job are? This is probably not going to be a fun review.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Rainy Days and Weekdays Always Get Me Down

I've been feeling low recently. Not my mood, which thanks to my lodger, Patrick, has been remarkably buoyant (I'd forgotten how nice it is just to have someone to talk to at the end of the day).

But for whatever reason, the weather, work, etc., I've been feeling so damn tired. Just worn out. All I want to do after work is sit on the sofa and watch TV or go to bed. And it takes everything I can muster to get out of bed in the morning. My arms and legs feel like lead and there are times I wonder if I can make it up the stairs at the end of the day.

This might make sense if I were a laborer of some sort, but I'm a desk jockey.

Anyway, hopefully the weather will change and I'll start feeling better.

My dare/goal/pledge/whatever has been shot to shit. I haven't done anything since last week. But I had a pretty good run, so I'm still coming out of this ahead. Now I just need to get back in the groove.

Last night I watched Another Country (which was based on a play, so maybe that should count for the dare . . . ). Cary Elwes, while certainly still a looker, was so beautiful in that movie (he was 21 or 22 when it was filmed). After that, I watched the first couple of episodes of Six Feet Under.

I'm loving Netflix. Tonight will probably be more SFU and Yossi and Jagger. Then, I start my Buffy/Six Feet Under/Desperate Housewives marathon. Woo hoo!

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Haikuesday

Haikuesday again
Funny, no word from these guys
Up to me, I guess

But I am tired
Inspiration escapes me
I need a long nap

Friday, October 21, 2005

Day 20: Beeeoooowuuuuulf!!!!!

In one of Mike's posts a couple of months back, he mentions seeing 'Thrill Me', a musical based on Leopold and Loeb. He says that during a song about how to handle an interrogation, he had the urge to sing 'When Velma takes the stand'. Well, I had a moment like that last night at 'Beowulf' at the Irish Repertory Theater.

Billed as a 'rock opera', the show was entirely sung. During one of the scenes, the Danes are singing praises to Beowulf and keep singing his name Beeeoooo-wuuuuulf which is then followed by a pause and the singing starts up again.

During the pause I said to myself 'Superstar' and had a giggle fit. Because it worked perfectly. Beowulf Superstar, do you think you're who they say you are.

At that point, the show was effectively over for me.

So rather than write a review, because the reviews I've read pretty much nail the shows problems, I submit this in the spirit of Gerard Alessandrini and Forbidden Broadway.

To the tune of 'Superstar' from 'Jesus Christ Superstar'

Ever since the lights went down I don't understand
How you let this threadbare show get so out of hand.
You'd have managed better if you'd had a plan.
Why'd you choose an epic poem set in such a strange land?
The audience today just wants a mental vacation.
Trying to be deep will only lead to mass frustration.

Boy, you got it wrong.
I've got to tell you so.

Beowulf, Superstar,
What kind of show do you think you are?
Beowulf, Superstar
Medieval rock opera's too bizarre.

Stole some Andrew Lloyd when you were writing this show
Julie Taymor, Bunraku and Japanese No
Martial arts and Riverdance to all our chagrin.
All the periods and cultures, even Brantley's head would spin.
Did you mean this show to tank? Was that a mistake, or
Did you think this bad pastiche could be a record breaker?

Boy, you got it wrong
I've got to tell you so.

Beowulf, Superstar
What kind of show do you think you are?
Beowulf, Superstar
Stole from your peers but it's still subpar.


Okay, I'm not exactly ready to be submitting my stuff to Forbidden Broadway, but it was fun to write.

And in the spirit of saying something nice about the show, I point out two good things. First, there is a scene where a puppet dragon walks through the audience to fight the heroes on the stage. It was a wonderful effect. Second, the guy playing Beowulf was cute and had a really nice voice.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Day 19

Best laid plans, et cetera.

Anyway, tonight I'm getting back on track by seeing Beowulf at the Irish Repertory Theater. Today's New York Times review referred to it as "abysmal".

So who wants my extra ticket?

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Great Night (Day 18)

Day 18 - did nothing, but I will be back on track today, come hell or high water.

Although I did no writing, etc., last night, it was a 'good for my soul and sanity' night. I started with a cocktail party (sponsored by Drambuie) at a club in the Village. I met up with Mike and his roommate and had a really nice time. Good conversationalists, those two.

Afterwards, I went to Barrage to meet up with some of the other blogger boys (and girls) to enjoy the company of Bob, who was in town for a couple of days. It was just the tonic I needed for my recent bad mood. It was a funny, chatty, boozy, grabby, silly evening and I had a terrific time.

Then back home with my houseguest and I called it a night.

Today I awoke feeling happy and refreshed (and a little hungover, but it was totally worth it). But I'm sure after a few hours of work, I'll be back to my usual grumpy self.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Giggle

Australia says no to chicken choking for children.

Day 17

Didn't do a goddamn thing. I was too busy putting in an 11-hour day at work and then doing some cleaning around the house in order to convince my houseguest that I'm not really a huge slob.

I've got stuff going on tonight as well, so I may not be back on track with the theater stuff until Wednesday.

Haikuesday

Okay fine.

D.S.T.

Christ on a cracker!
How can it possibly be?
The year will end soon.

How? Where has it gone?
Time flies when you're having fun.
Wait. Did I have fun?

Just the same old thing,
Day after day of work and
Night after night, too.

My mind in the past,
Future, or what might have been
Anywhere but now

No wonder time flew
Underappreciated
Leaving me alone

So now a challenge:
Live in the moment, aware
That time is fleeting.

Monday, October 17, 2005

Days 14-16

Didn't do as much as I'd hoped. I did a little writing on Friday, just working on a scene that was stuck in my head rather than working on one of my ongoing plays. Saturday was a busy day (dim sum, a tech expo, dinner and a movie with some of the bloggers and pals) but I did manage to read A Lesson Before Dying by Romulus Linney. Good play, but I wish I'd seen it staged.

Sunday . . . well, technically I didn't do anything that counted under the dare, but I was trying desperately to get the apartment somewhat habitable for my guest who will be arriving tomorrow. Those of you who know me know that I'm basically the lost Collyer brother. So I'm trying to get things put away so I have room to break out the air mattress. Not a fun job.

Anyway, I can sort of claim that I did something on Sunday, because at long last, I have managed to get all of my theater and writing books unpacked and easy to get to. And frankly that goes a long way as far as helping me write. So, yeah, I guess it counts.

This week will be tough to stay on track, but I'll see what happens. Maybe I'll start writing on my lunch breaks.

Friday, October 14, 2005

Day 13

So I'm guessing from the lack of comments that you guys have gotten a little bored with this. Ah, well. Maybe I'll post a sexy picture or something to stir things up a bit. Then again, I'll be getting a temporary roomie soon, so maybe that will liven things up.

Yesterday was just right as far as this dare/goal goes. I managed to do some writing (only about 30 minutes or so), but I did sketch out a scene I've been toying with and write out some "action items" (as they say in consultant-speak) for some of my other work.

Speaking of the scene I'm working on, did any of you go to a Catholic High School, preferably all male? If so, can I pick your brain a little?

Other than the writing, I went to see Deviant by A. Rey Pamatmat at the Sanford Meisner Theater. Great, great, great, great, great! This was the kind of theater I moved to New York to see (and, of course, to write). Simple open set, a couple of multi-functional furniture pieces, not much in the way of costumes, props, etc. The director, Kara-Lynn Vaeni, placed all the focus on the actors. And they were fantastic.

This was a four person show. The story follows a couple, Sara (Jennifer Lim) and Valerie (Courtnie Sauls), who find out their new roommate, James (Daniel Zaitchik), supports his Ph.D. studies by hustling. The fourth character, Wayne (Jacob Blumer), is one of James' pick-ups who starts to turn into something more. It explores any number of things: language and communication, families, prejudice, love, hiding, fear, need, desire, art, academics. The play had lots of non-realistic touches: dream/fantasy sequences, monologues, a dream play, flash-backs. It worked to make this a beautiful, complex play. And if I were an actor, this is the sort of thing I'd want to do. And as a writer, the show really touched me. I loved the theatricality of it, the language, the textures.

Like I said, I was blown away by the acting, or rather, by the fact that the actors never seemed to be acting. They were so in the moment and so true to their characters, that there was nothing artificial about them. Even during the play's many dream/fantasy sequences, where the characters identities became fluid as the dream dictated, they were real to whatever character they were called upon to be and to the style of acting that the dream imposed on them.

Okay, rereading that, I realize it probably makes no sense. Sorry about that. But sometimes it's hard to put abstract feelings into words. Just take my word for it, the acting was great.

The sets, as I said, were simple, but they worked well. The costumes were just right and there was a terrific use of a mask during Sara's dream sequence. The lighting was well done, too (this was a pleasant change after having a wayward light shining in my face during the reading of Orestes on Monday), especially during the various non-realistic scenes.

All in all, as I said, this is exactly the kind of show I moved here to see. I think it only runs through next week, so you should go see it soon. It was well worth it, even having to schlepp over to 11th Avenue in the pouring rain.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Day 12

So last night I worked on one of my plays (and a few little odds and ends). I would have gotten more accomplished, but I watched Lost and went to bed really early. Good thing, as luck would have it, since a young, ethnic couple decided to have a screaming match at 5 a.m. in front of my building.

On the upside, since I was already awake, I managed to get to work an hour early today. Woo hoo.

Back to the plays, I've got to say that this experiment/dare/whatever to do something related to theater every day has been helpful. I've seen 8 shows so far this month (with another one planned for tonight) and I've read 5. Plus I've worked on two of my own. I feel like I'm moving forward for the first time in a while. Nice to have goals, even nicer to be steadily moving toward them.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Day 11

Well, I didn't write last night after all. I got a ticket to Forbidden Broadway: SVU. Very funny, as expected. I've seen five or so of the FB series. The performers were very talented (and one was pretty darn hot) and the parodies were very funny.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Day 10

I went to see a reading of Anne Washburn's adaptation of Orestes produced by Red Bull Theater (a really great group that produces 'heightened language plays' with a special focus on Elizabethan and Jacobean plays).

I have to say, while I appreciated Ms. Washburn's way with language and her sense of whimsy, I didn't much care for the show. It was played for laughs and I just don't think tragedy works when the audience has ironic distance. It was cute and clever (in the original sense of that word), but it was more like a spoof of Orestes than an adaptation.

That being said, two of the actors, Jennifer Dundas as Elektra/Tyndareus and Thomas Jay Ryan as Helen of Troy/Menelaus/Pylades/Trojan Slave, were amazing and had a wonderful way with the language and a dramatic flair. I also thought it was very well directed by Johanna McKeon.

I'm glad I saw it and it gave me some ideas for a play I've been working on, so it certainly wasn't a waste of time.

Since I've been seeing lots of theater and not writing much, I'm going to write tonight.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Day 9

Didn't write again, as such, but I did jot down a few ideas for shows. It's a step in the right direction.

Otherwise, my theater stuff on Sunday was seeing The Great American Trailer Park Musical at Dodger Stages and Naked Macbeth at the Sonnet Theater.

I went into Trailer Park with no real expectations. Some friends had liked it, others hadn't, so I went into it a blank slate. I thought it was great. Fun and silly with catchy songs, it was a great diversion. I just wish they'd been selling the cast album, because some of the lyrics were hilarious and I wanted to listen to them again. But this show is definitely worth seeing, especially if you're from the South. I was impressed with all the actors, set, costumes . . . really, just about everything.

Naked Macbeth was good, not great, but I will give the director credit for going out on a limb. Personally, I'd rather go see a version like this where the director is trying to make the show fresh, than to see a technically perfect show with no vision.

The cast was all male and as the title indicates, there was some nudity, but the 'naked' really referred to the stripped down version of the show. Minimal sets, lighting, props, sound . . . just the things that were necessary. Also, some of the dialogue was cut leaving a fairly fast-moving, tight play.

My biggest problem with the show was that some of the actors just weren't up to the task of working with Shakespeare's language. Some of them were great: Jonty Valentine as Lady Macbeth really knew how to work the language and to be dramatic and feminine without overplaying either; Nathan Perry as Banquo who also seemed at ease with the language and carried himself with the swagger of a warrior backed up with a good heart and keen mind . . . if that isn't present, it makes Banquo's murder less terrible. Unfortunately, others were unable to master the language and that brought the show's pacing down.

I really admire the director, Russell Taylor, for some of the choices he made. I don't think all of them worked, but it made the show interesting. When the house opened, three of the actors were arranged in a tableau that was jarring, but effectively set the mood. He used one actor, Jack McGowan, to play all three Weird Sisters. Not something I would have thought of, but in a lot of respects it worked. The way he set up the cauldron scene (he doesn't use a cauldron . . . I won't say how he does it, but it's really a great idea) and the placement of the line 'Lay on, Macduff' were really clever. He also combined a number of the lesser characters into one Attendant role which was interesting in that it created this double agent who was working for Macbeth and against him. Again, not a choice I would have made, but it did add a new twist to the show.

Other problems I had were the costumes, which seemed to lack a central vision or theme (they ran the gamut from 'This is Spinal Tap' to GI Joe to Dungeons & Dragons), a kiss and a familiarity between Macbeth and Banquo that hinted at a relationship that was beyond platonic, but wasn't fully explored, and a Duncan who didn't really come off as sympathetic (he seemed dismissive and there was kind of a creepy vibe between him and his son, Donalbain). Not sure if that was a director or actor choice, but if Duncan isn't sympathetic, it takes some of the horror out of Macbeth's murdering him.

Overall, though, I think the show is worth seeing. Plus people should get out and support shows that take risks, otherwise theater becomes stagnant.

But if you do, bring a cushion to sit on . . . the chairs in the theater are terrible.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Day 8

Read John Patrick Shanley's Doubt. Very powerful. Must see it on Broadway.

And yes, Shanley's a great writer. Pulitzer. Academy Award. But please remember, he also wrote the screenplay for Congo. And he'll be in Purgatory for a while for that one.

Friday, October 07, 2005

Tee hee

Today's Savage Chickens cartoon made me laugh.

One of my roommates in grad school was one of the most malapropian sons-of-bitches in the world. He would then justify his use of the completely incorrect word by claiming that language was fluid and that his new use of the word simply added to the existing meaning of the word.

This justification used to drive me batshit crazy.

So when he wasn't around, I'd teabag his toothbrush.





Kidding.







Or am I?

Day 7

I wrote a review of The Bubble and submitted it to one of the online theater sites. If they pick it up, I'll get paid and will have to give up my amateur status.

My only other theater experience today will be to attend this cabaret act. I'm so excited I could just pee. Though, God willing, I won't.

Day 6 (continued)

So Absurd Person Singular was cute. Clever concept, like all of Ayckbourn's plays.

The play follows three couples at Christmas. Each of the three acts is set in a different couple's kitchen in a different consecutive year. As I said, typical Ayckbourn. He likes to play with location or with some other aspect of the play to make that the central conceit around which the play runs.

And it was fine. A good cast, Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller, Spin City), Clea Lewis, Miereille Enos (who was in the recent Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf), Sam Robards, Deborah Rush (Strangers with Candy), and Paxton Whitehead.

Lots of funny bits, but ultimately a bit of a trifle. Worth seeing, mind you, but easily forgotten.

And while it has nothing to do with playwriting, I watched Harry and Max last night. Good movie. Interesting concept. A little disturbing, but I really enjoyed it. And Cole Williams is adorable. I had forgotten that he was in L.T.R. in Boys Life 4 (mostly because it wasn't very good). Still, it will be interesting to see where his talent takes him.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Wow

Counting tonight's show and the two shows I'll be seeing this weekend, I will have seen five shows in the past two weeks using my Play by Play membership.

That means I will have saved $361 off the regular ticket prices (this takes into account that I bought two tickets for some of the shows . . . yes, occasionally people are willing to tolerate my presence, especially for free theater tickets).

So far this year I've seen 13 shows using them. What a great deal this has turned out to be.

Tonight

Okay, I can't go because I have the ticket to the Ayckbourn play and had the date wrong for this event, but if you are free then you should go to:

VANISHING POINT at ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATER

Call the theatre's main # at 212-247-4982.
They should answer between 10 - 6, M-F.
Tell them you are making a reservation for the OCTOBERFEST project VANISHING POINT on October 6 at 8:30 pm in the 2nd Floor Mainstage theatre. The address is 549 West 52nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues (closer to 11th, on the north side of the street. There is a Blue Banner above the entrance that says Ensemble Studio Theatre)


This show by Rob Hartmanm (a wonderful writer and boyfriend of this man) is amazing. I saw it last year at the Symphony Space (read about it here and here).

It is really a brilliant show. To give you an idea, I saw it one time over a year ago, and there is a song that I find myself humming from time to time now. Go see it, you won't be disappointed.

Day 6 (so far)

The nice thing about public transportation and getting stood up for lunch is that there is time to read a play or two. I read Terrence McNally's The Stendhal Syndrome which is made up of two short plays: Full Frontal Nudity and Prelue & Leibestod.

Amazing stuff. I love McNally. He's up there with Tom Stoppard and Christopher Durang as my favorite playwrights.

So even if I don't manage to write tonight . . . and as God is my witness, I shall write tonight . . . I'll still have kept up with my program.

UPDATE: Well, a ticket to Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn just fell in my lap (not literally), so I guess I won't be doing any writing tonight. But I will very likely be doing some laughing.

Day 5

No writing last night; I think my muse has been sick. So instead I read three plays by Jonathan Tolins: The Last Sunday in June, If Memory Serves, and Twilight of the Golds.

More about them later.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Day 4

Last night I didn't feel like writing, so I read Julia Cho's BFE, a very interesting play.

From the show's press release: "An Asian American family attempts to escape its stifling Arizonan home life in BFE, which tells the story of Panny, a spunky fourteen year-old; her socially awkward uncle; her homebound mom who fantasizes about General MacArthur; and the serial killer that stalks their neighborhood in search of bubbly blondes. A cautionary tale about the devastating effects of an image-obsessed society, BFE calls into question the nature of beauty and desirability in contemporary America."

Really odd, really theatrical, but really good. I wish I could have seen it onstage.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

I Will Dare Myself

So my goal for the month of October is to do something every day that moves my playwriting forward. This can include going to see a show (as I did on the first and second of the month) or actually working on my plays (which I did last night).

So here are a couple of mini-reviews.

Short Eyes: This was a staged reading at the Public Theater. Pretty interesting play, though it sort of suffers being presented now that prison dramas like Oz have been somewhat mainstreamed (some of the actors in this reading were, in fact, Oz alumni). But I can see how it would have been shocking in its time. The acting was a little uneven; some of the actors were amazing, some appeared to be reading the script for the first time. But still, a well-spent evening.

The Bubble by Frank J. Avella at the New Cockpit Ensemble: I really liked it, but I don't think it will be everyone's cup of tea. The play is in three sections: first, a playwright (Joe Pistone) struggling to create a show and having to deal with his characters who don't really appreciate his efforts and are willing to let him know it; second, the same playwright, now in rehearsals of his show, constantly reworking everything to the actors' distraction and having to deal with his own personal drama; and finally, the play itself, where the playwright (or rather the character he wrote based on himself) deals with his life and his family. I think anyone who has struggled with the creative process will appreciate the play. And the plays within the play.

A clever show, good cast, a hot naked guy . . . all it needed was an audience. It was very poorly attended the day I saw it, and though the actors gave it their all, you can only do so much without feedback. Go see it. Hell, just for the cute naked guy if nothing else.

The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummell: Holy fuck, what a great show! This was another staged reading at the Public Theater of a Viet Nam War era play. It was amazing. The cast was strong (especially Chris Messina in the title role . . . you'll remember him as Ted, the lawyer who eventually married Claire on Six Feet Under), the direction (by Philip Seymour Hoffman) was well-done, the audience was into it, and the play itself was really riveting.

I had two celebrity sightings at the theater: Philip Seymour Hoffman, who brushed up against me as he went down to the stage to congratulate (I would assume) the actors, and Ben Curtis, most recently in Joy and formerly in Dell commercials, who sadly did not brush up against me at all.

Monday, October 03, 2005

Strangers with Gavels

I've never really thought of President Bush as a really off-the-wall, think-outside-the-box sort of guy, but how else to explain his nomination of Jerri Blank to the Supreme Court?



Sunday, October 02, 2005

August Wilson

I didn't always agree with his views, but he was an amazing playwright and a giant of the theater. His vision and voice will be missed. Rest in peace.

Friday, September 30, 2005

More short reviews

Longer reviews to follow (yeah, right):

I saw two shows this week, The Musical of Musicals: The Musical! and the ever popular WYSIWYG.

TMoM:TM! was fun. Not unlike Forbidden Broadway, it really helps if you are familiar with the shows/composers being parodied. The basic plot of the show is written around the proscenium: "I can't pay the rent. You must pay the rent. I can't pay the rent. You must pay the rent. I'll pay the rent." Good old-fashioned melodrama. This plot is run five times, parodying the style of Rodgers & Hammerstein (Corn), Stephen Sondheim (A Little Complex), Jerry Herman (Dear Abby), Andrew Lloyd Webber (Aspects of Junita) and Kander & Ebb (Speakeasy).

The jokes were hit and miss, but they were constant. If something didn't work, there was a joke right behind it that would. But more often than not, the jokes worked.

Well, that's enough for now. Go see it. And buy the album. It's worth the ticket price.

And WYSIWYG . . . dear, sweet WYSIWYG. What is there to say? Like pizza and sex, even if it isn't great, it's still pretty darn good. Luckily, this was great. Frank, as expected, did a swell job and provided the winning I'll-never-get-that-out-of-my-head phrase "Make a mess for Daddy". Carolyn was freaking hilarious and didn't give birth live onstage (and thank goodness, because how could you follow that?). Jon Collins, who despite being on livejournal is still pretty cool, told an amusing tale that had something to do with homoeroticism among half-naked straight boys. I kind of drifted off into an A&F inspired "daydream" after that, but I'm sure the rest of it was good, too. Chris, as usual, gave good blog and used my second favorite line of the night "Bitch done fucked with my cats!" Dashiell won me over by bringing props (an Axis & Allies game). David had a tale of a straight roomie who turned uncomfortably bi-curious. And Rachel took the high road and told about the best roommate ever. All in all, despite the worst fucking seating in the whole wide world (which wasn't their fault), it was a great time.

My next three shows are this weekend. Two staged readings at the Public Theater (Short Eyes and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel) and The Bubble, a new gay play that I know almost nothing about.

AIDS Walk

Remember, tomorrow is Mark's AIDS Walk. There is still time to donate. At the very least, drop by his site and wish him luck.

More funny stuff

Since I don't want to write about myself right now, here's The Sawyer Song (a/k/a Sawyer Sawyer Locke). Hats off to Lee for posting this.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

The Ultimate Date Movie

From the best-selling novel by Steven King, it's Shining . . . the feel good date movie of the year.

Trust me . . . if you've seen the Jack Nicholson/Olive Oyl film, The Shining, you'll think this is a hoot.

I got this from Defective Yeti, which is one of my favorite blogs.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Balsamic Jihad

Found a link to this site through Nicole.

My favorite list so far, Less-Threatening Islamist Groups.

I had a giggle over Log Cabin Martyrs Brigade . . . there but for the grace of God goes Boi.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Much ado about Rita

No damage. Turns out she wasn't as bad as we'd feared.

Hopefully, she'll be the last one of the season, but I kind of doubt it.

Friday, September 23, 2005

And now for something completely different

In non-hurricane related news, I've seen a few shows in the last week. I don't want to write reviews just yet because that takes time and frankly, I'm tired and don't want to.

But here's a little info about them:

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Loved it! Hilarious show with great catchy songs. John Lithgow was amazing. Norbert Leo Butz was slimy and wonderful. Joanna Gleason was fabulous. I was so thrilled to finally see her live. I went with British David and our seats (5th row, center) were great.

The Big Voice: God or Merman? - Not bad. A little uneven, both in the book and the music, but still a pretty good night of theater. This is a little two man cabaret/musical about the life and love (of theater, music and each other) shared by the writer/performers Steve Schalchlin (who wrote The Last Session) and Jim Brochu. Some really funny bits, some really sad bits, some bits that go on a little too long, but like I said, I enjoyed it. Plus, I ran into Jere while I was there, so I had someone to discuss the play with.

Holy Cross Sucks - I really, really liked this. I thought it was funny and smart. It's a one man show, written and performed by Rob Nash. He plays a group of friends in high school in Houston in the '80s. And their teachers. And their parents. If you get a chance to see this one before it closes (on Oct. 1), you should.

A Little Bit Softer Now

Looks like Rita has fizzled a bit. I think Dad's going to have to deal with 5" of rain and about 11 hours of wind over 50 mph. Assuming there aren't any tornados, he should be okay. Well, except for the electricity. If that goes out, he's going to be miserable because it will be in the high 80's at 100% humidity.

Again, I'm glad he's not in the Beaumont/Port Arthur area. Even with Rita as a Category 3, they're still looking at a lot of flooding over there. It will be interesting to see what gas prices are like on Monday.

Furious

As my mother says, I'm so mad I could spit. Now that my stepmom is safely out of the hurricane's path, my father has decided to ride out the storm. Even if the damn thing shifts further east, the winds will be well above 100 mph. Those are the sustained winds. The gusts will be higher. There will be tornados. The electricity will go out. There will be damage. And he is going to be in the middle of it with no emergency services out there to help him if things go badly.

I am so goddamn angry right now. It's bad enough to be stuck up here and worrying about my house, but at least I thought I wouldn't have to worry about my family.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Rita

I've been through one hurricane in my life. A Category 3. This was back when I was in high school. We got a little water in the house, lost a lot of branches, and lost power for ten days. Ten days without electricity. In August. In Houston.

Needless to say, it was miserable.

Around our neighborhood, trees were down, tornados had hit, the downtown was littered with shattered glass.

It looks like Rita is heading toward my old stomping ground (which also happen to be my folks' current stomping grounds). This one is currently a Category 5 but these things change. The forecast right now has this hitting about 120 miles away from my folks. With luck, this will hold and they will avoid the worst of it. But who knows how these things will go.

The worst part is being up here, trying to convince them to be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice, knowing that they don't really have any intention of leaving unless it looks like a direct hit. Also knowing that by the time they determine just where landfall will be, there won't be time to outrun a direct hit.

Their house is full of windows and surrounded by huge trees. Not the best place to be when there are high winds. Luckily, the house doesn't flood.

I'm sure they'll be fine and the house will be fine. But I still worry.

UPDATE: I finally got through to my stepmom and they are indeed bugging out. They were in the middle of prepping the house and packing the car. According to the storm track, the hurricane is pretty much going to be a direct hit. I can't get in touch with my other friends down there, so I have no idea if they've evacuated. I can only imagine they have. This is pretty fucked up.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Not much to report

I haven't been doing much because I've been sick. Still going to work, but miserable while I'm there . . . but then again, I'm usually miserable while I'm there.

Anyway, today's cool thing was a celebrity sighting. I saw Doug Wilson from TLC's Trading Spaces coming out of what I assume was his apartment building. I was on the way to the gym to meet Stuff.

I've got to say, I don't always care for his design work on the show (I'm sure he's amazing when he has a real budget and time), but I will say this, the man is very easy on the eyes.

Monday, September 12, 2005

One last swipe

Michael Brown unplugs Los Angeles as he leaves FEMA headquarters.

You know, given the most recent "we're going to get California" message from al Qaeda, this must have freaked a few people out. I'm just glad it's not New York again. My fat ass is not walking all the way to Queens.

The headline I'd love to see

Bush Denies Racial Component to Government's Efforts After Storm; Claims Critics Are Uppity and Shiftless

Well, the first part of that was an actual headline, but you could almost imagine the second part being said.

And did you see that Michael Brown just resigned? Let's see. Incompotent. Left in disgrace. Trail of death and destruction behind him.

Yep, he's a shoe-in for the next Presidential Medal of Freedom

Sunday in the Park with Crash

A few of us will be having a picnic in Central Park on Sunday, Sept. 18th. Those of you who will be in town are invited to join us. 'Us' at this point being me, Stuff and Charles.

The plan is to meet at the NE corner of the Great Lawn in Central Park (by the baseball fields) around noon. Bring food and drinks to share, sunscreen, a blanket to sit on . . . that sort of thing.

My plan is to roast a chicken and make hummus and caponata. As the best laid plans of mice and men oft gang aglee, I might wind up bringing a big bag of Doritos instead. Either way, it's the company that's important, not the food.

I'll also be bringing a rugby ball if anyone wants to join in an impromptu game.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

September 11, 2001

Four years.

Bush is still obfuscating. Bin Laden is still free. Justice has still not been served.

But if there is another terrorist attack, at least we know that FEMA director, Michael Brown, has our back.

God protect us.

Friday, September 09, 2005

Ain't that a kick in the nuts

And today I found out that my play wasn't chosen for the contest I entered.

Well, fuck them then.

The Sevens Meme

I think Bob initially tagged me for this one, though a couple of others did, too. So here it goes:

7 things I plan to do before I die:
Fall in love with someone who loves me back
Visit every continent
Win an Obie and a Tony
Have a job I love
See the Northern Lights
Have a house with a huge garden
Get a tattoo

7 things I can do:
Curl my tongue
Cook well
Sew
Write plays
Listen
Play rugby
Imagine

7 things I cannot do:
Stick to a workout program
Make it through 'Billy Elliot' or 'Love, Actually' without crying like a girl
Make people love me like I love them
Trust
Talk about 9/11 without choking up
Fight
Keep friends

7 things that attract me to the same sex:
Intelligence
Sense of humor
Nice abs
Kindness
Cute, boyish face
Ruddy cheeks
Beautiful smile

7 things that I say most often:
Cool
Whatever
You have the wrong number
Feh
No worries
Okay
Lunch?

7 celebrity crushes:
Brad Renfro
Daniel Cudmore
Stark Sands
Jonny Lang
Ben Cohen
Johnny Wilkinson
Lukas Ridgeston

7 people to pass this to:
Is there anyone left who hasn't done it?

Bringing in the memes

Okay, I've gotten tagged a few times in the last week or so . . . time to catch up.

From Palochi:

Ten Songs I'm Currently Digging
1) Breathe Me - Sia
2) Take Your Mama - Scissor Sisters
3) Living in the City - Desiree
4) Sleeping Satellite - Tasmin Archer
5) Reefer Madness - Reefer Madness the Musical Cast album
6) Pinch Me - Barenaked Ladies
7) John the Revelator - Blues Brothers 2000 Soundtrack
8) Let Me Go - 3 Doors Down
9) I Am A Rock - Simon & Garfunkel
10) Come On Come On - Mary Chapin Carpenter

I'll do the other meme tonight.

The Crush

One of the consequences of the reunion was finally seeing the Crush again after probably fifteen years or so.

This was the Big Crush. Not one of those non-sexual crushes that boys get when they're young; the "I want to be your best friend" crushes. But that first "I know I'm different because of the way I feel about him" crush that hits when you enter your teenage years. The Crush.

He became my physical ideal. Smooth white skin. Athletic and trim. Curly platinum blond hair. The Aryans would have loved him. When I see a good-looking guy on the street, I usually can find a trace of the Crush in his features.

Beautiful voice, smart, popular; he was what I wanted to be. And, of course, what I wanted to have.

Over the next several years, we were pretty close. Sleepovers. Movies. Parties. All the usual stuff. Everything was cool. Until the girl.

The girlfriend set a boundry I knew I couldn't cross. Sure, we'd come pretty close to fooling around a number of times . . . but the girl made it clear that he considered that to be kid's stuff. And he was ready for the grown up stuff. Which was her.

They broke up after a couple of years. It was high school, after all. But our friendship never really came back to the level of intimacy it once had. Different schools, different friends, different desires. It drove a bit of a wedge between us. That and the fact that he was the golden boy of our choir. All the roles or solos I wanted, the friends I wanted, everything I wanted, just seemed to be handed to him on a silver platter.

Looking back, I know that wasn't the case. But I was jealous, so I thought what I thought.

I saw him a few times on breaks from college. One summer we even worked out at the same gym. Said hi a few times. That sort of thing. Then that was it. We lost touch.

I'd tried to track him down a few times once the fog of adolescence had finally lifted. I missed him and our friendship. But he has a very common name and tracking him down proved impossible.

Then I found out he'd be at the reunion. Part of me was thrilled, of course. I've wanted to know what happened to him. How he'd fared. If he'd married and had kids. If he still remembered and valued our friendship. If we'd ever be friends again.

But part of me was terrified. What if the feelings were still there? That white-hot mixture of desire and humiliation. What if I couldn't just be happy to reunite with a friend?

Then he was there. The curls were gone. Indeed, so was the platinum hair. He was another guy in this mid-thirties with a buzz cut, goatee and a bit of a spreading middle. And while I was thrilled to see him again, there wasn't that ache of desire/longing/loss/regret.

Until he introduced me to the man standing next to him. His partner of several years.

At that point, all of the 'might have beens' came crashing down on me. Visions of how my life might have been different if I'd known. Or if he'd known. How I might have been happy. Or at least less lonely.

I wallowed in it for a while, then put it aside. Life is what it is when it is and there is fuck all you can do about it after the fact.

So I moved on. We talked, got to know each other again. I talked with his partner; a really nice guy. They seem very happy.

I don't know if the friendship will come back. We're both completely different people than we were. But I hope so. Because I'd like to get to know the person he's become, even if it is at the expense of losing the Crush that he was.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

I'm not getting older, I'm getting bitter

Okay, this weekend was a bit of a surprise. First off, this was not my high school reunion as some of you had assumed. That's next year. This was a reunion of a choir I was in. The choir is, sadly, no more, but it was in existence from 1970-1991. That means the people at this reunion ranged in age from early fifties to early thirties.

I did see many old friends and I hope I'll stay in touch with them. There were moments when we were eighteen again, but mostly there wasn't a need to recapture our youth as much as acknowledge it.

It was so strange to see people who, until this weekend, were forever frozen as teenagers in my mind, suddenly age twenty years or more. There were wrinkles. Paunches. Bald spots. Most of the men were much broader than they used to be. Several of the women had turned into their mothers. There were some deaths, but many, many more births. People I remember as kids were now doctors, ministers, college professors, new mothers and fathers, old mothers and fathers, stay at home parents, teachers, writers, lawyers . . . the gamut.

But in most ways, they were still the people I remembered.

In addition to the obligatory slide show and photo albums, one of the girls (whom I suppose I should call a woman since she's now free to be in her thirties in my mind, instead of being stuck at sixteen) brought a video of one of our performances. A musical that we took on tour my senior year.

I'm unused to seeing myself. I don't like being photographed or filmed, tend to avoid mirrors . . . too self-conscious. Yet for about an hour on Saturday, I found myself watching a seventeen-year-old version of myself. Speaking dialogue I can't remember having ever learned. Singing songs that I didn't recognize. Doing choreography that made the adult me wince with embarrassment (luckily, all of us watching were doing that).

I noticed a few things. I had a good voice. A high, clear tenor. And I was a decent looking kid. Not one of the really beautiful guys in our group, but not bad (with the exception of my John Denver hair and owl-like glasses). Why couldn't I have seen that then? All I saw then was the awkwardness, the not-quite-proportional body, the high-pitched voice . . . everything framed as a negative.

I wish I could have seen then what I see now.

But as Roseanne Rosannadanna said, "Ya know, Jane, it's always something . . ."

This weekend allowed me the opportunity to compare who I used to be with who I've become. And frankly, I'm not pleased. Somewhere along the line, I wandered seriously off course. I see the things I need to change, but I don't really know if I can. But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. And I just can't stay where I am any more.

Maybe I'll talk about some of this later, maybe not. Since the changes have to come from within, none of you may even notice. As long as I do, I suppose, that's all that matters.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

It's just a jump to the left . . .

I'm heading home to see a bunch of high school friends who I haven't seen in about 20 years. As a friend of mine said, "it's inevitable that we will all be 18 again, if only for the day."

Timewarp. Scary thought.

I wasn't a popular kid. As anxious and insecure as I am now, I was much worse back then. And even after 20 years, it worries me to think that I'm going to be excluded again. That the cool kids won't want me to hang out with them, even if we're just talking about two days.

It amazes me that after 20 years of living, of college, of grad school, of jobs, of friends, that I can still be cowed by the thought of a mean look or word from someone who I used to consider my better.

When do I get to grow up and leave all that shit behind?

Talk to you guys some time next week.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Funkytown

I'm in a bit of a funk.

I keep writing and then deleting this post, so I'll leave it at that for now.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Finally

A horoscope that knows me (from The Onion):

Sagittarius: (Nov. 22—Dec. 21)
After swearing lifelong fellatio to the Marine Corps of the United States of America, you'll be introduced to a red-faced young recruiter who mistakenly believes you don't know what the word means.

Friday, August 19, 2005

I'm turning into one of those people

You know those people. The ones who write letters to the editor. The people who write their elected representatives. Or other peoples'. The ones who are constantly complaining about and to their government.

Well, it seems that I'm becoming one. I wrote an e-mail to the Parks Department to complain about Jase's ticket (They actually called me back). I wrote letters to the editor when newspapers ran insulting and misinformed articles about gay pride parades and the Harvey Milk High School (I was actually offered the chance to write an Op/Ed piece about Harvey Milk. I declined, but the newspapers printed my letters). Today I wrote to a city councilman in Denver who's trying to get a local rugby club thrown out of the city parks because of something two of their members did (not in the park, nor even the city or state). I wrote to Bill Frist to express my disappointment in his backing of the teaching of intelligent design in biology classes (not that I'm against intelligent design, but it isn't science and has no place being taught in science classes).

I write to my congressmen, senators, councilmen, state representatives and mayor several times a year when I agree or disagree with something they do.

Does it accomplish anything? No, probably not. One of the sad facts of a democracy is that the individual voice doesn't get heard.

But when I send a letter, perhaps it's just one of many. And those letters combined might accomplish something.

I'm not an activist. I'm just a grumpy guy with maybe a little too much time on his hands and an internet connection. But maybe I'm doing a little bit of good.

It Takes a Fucktard

Another shining example of why we should never, ever live in a red state comes in today's Dear Abby (Aug. 19th in case you have to look in the archives). The letter writer, no surprise, is from Pennsylvania, the home state of Dick Santorum.

The writer, called 'Righteous in New Castle, PA', asks Abby's advice on how to deal with her gay neighbor who is destroying life as they know it in her nice neighborhood "devoted to children's morals and the way life should be."

What did he do? Molest neighborhood children? Keep the neighbors up playing unholy disco music and dance mixes? Throw naked bear parties in his pool? Pass out cockrings and meth at Halloween?

No. He has a gay pride flag in his front yard. That's it. Just like all those other little flags that dot the Pennsylvania suburbs, only his has a rainbow instead of a pineapple or flower.

And she (and I'm assuming it's a she) was so upset by this affront and what it might do to the children, that she threatened to call the police.

What a stupid, fucking cow.

I really feel sorry for the gay guy she lives next to. You know that she's going to be harassing that man for as long as they're neighbors. Well, with any luck she's old and frail and this will send her over the edge.

Walk toward the light, you vicious, ignorant bitch.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Catching up

Catching up a little.

Sat: Went to CT. Went to various craft stores to buy art supplies.

Sun: Went to Long Island; helped Jess and Marc with some moving. Took the train back to Jamaica; subway got flooded; wandered around some place called Forest Hills at midnight trying to figure how the fuck I was going to get back to my apartment; started walking since there were hundreds of people waiting for the hourly bus (fuck you, MTA); finally flagged down an off-duty cab which took me home. The part at Jess and Marc's house was, however, more than worth dealing with the rain and MTA.

Mon-Wed: Work. Working out.

Week two of the new 'get in shape before the reunion' plan. So far, lots of weight lifting and lots of cardio have been offset by eating poorly. Therefore, I've only lost a few pounds. Add to that the constant muscle aches and the hip that has decided to quit working from time to time and I'd have to say that this pretty much sucks. I suppose I should just deal with the fact that I'm going to be talked about as 'the one who got fat'; I mean they're already going to be talking about me behind my back since I appear to be the only one who also 'got gay'.

Well, as Oscar Wilde said, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about." But then look how that turned out for him . . .

I suppose I shouldn't bitch too much about the weightlifting. My clothes do fit better now. And I can still put on muscle fairly quickly (judging by my progress in the last two weeks), which is pretty good for a guy on the cusp of middle age.

But between work and the gym, I have little time for anything else which kind of sucks. I'm seeing a play this Friday (Seduction at the Fringe Festival) which should be fun. And I'm going to a party this weekend which will certainly be fun. It's just the weekdays that are kind of sucky.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Ain't NYC grand?

The other night there was a breeder couple sitting across from me. Chatting. The female was sitting with her legs across the male's lap. They were chatting about something . . . who knows what. I can't even remember if they were speaking English. What was distracting me? The fact that during the ride, the female was grooming the male like a chimpanzee. And by grooming, I mean methodically popping the zits on the side of his face, taking occasional breaks to check her black shirt for stray puss or whatever.

WTF?

There are times when I really, really hate this city.

Rugby

Tonight:

FDNY vs. NYPD rugby match, Gaelic Park (240th St. and Broadway in the Bronx) at 6:30.

If anyone wants to join me at the game, let me know.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

For those of you keeping score: Update

Now He's just getting mean.

To use a sports analogy, you may be pissed off at the team, but it's uncool to go after the fans. Especially when you go after them with a tree.

Thanks, FARB

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Why do you hate Jesus?

As you may have read, a Virginia based anti-gay group has decided to oppose Bush's nomination of John Roberts for the Supreme Court because he once assisted on a pro-gay legal matter.

Other uber-conservative, anti-gay groups haven't jumped on the bandwagon, because they know that they can't bite the hand that ever-so-generously feeds them.

That's where you come in.

If you have a minute, click here to send an e-mail to the AFA site (Donald Wildmon's odious little group of gay bashers). Basically, just send a little note asking Donald why he has turned his back on Jesus and all things decent to support the pro-homosexual lobby that wants to get John Roberts on the Supreme Court. And you should add (as the fundies often do), that you are praying that Donald returns to Jesus and that you forgive him for having become a tool (tee hee) for the anti-family homosexuals who are trying to deliver America to Satan/Osama/Sadam/France.

Now mind you, I don't really care that much about John Roberts. I'm just curious to see what Don Wildmon will do if he starts getting called pro-gay. And a tool.

If you do send an e-mail to Don, you'll probably get stuck on the AFA e-mail list, but those things are fun to read. Not as fun as the batshit crazy e-mails I used to get from Alan Keyes' campaign, but fun nonetheless.

Memes: 'Cause sometimes it's just easier

Movies I've seen are in bold.

2 Fast, 2 Furious
8 Mile
10 Things I Hate About You
28 Days Later
40 Days and 40 Nights
101 Dalmatians
2001: A Space Odyssey
About a Boy
Ace Ventura - Pet Detective
Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls
Adaptation
Adventures in Babysitting
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Aladdin
Alien
Alien 3
Aliens

All I Want
Almost Famous
Along Came A Spider
Amelie
American Pie
American Beauty

American History X
American Pie 2
Anastasia
And Starring Pancho Villa As Himself
Andrei Rublev
The Animatrix
Anne of the Thousand Days
Annie (1982 version)
As Good As It Gets
Austin Powers
Back to the future I
Back to the future II
Back to the future III

Bad Boys
Bad Boys 2
Bambi
Battle Royale
Beauty and the Beast
Bedazzled

Being John Malkovich
Bend It Like Beckham
Benny and Joon

Better than Chocolate
The Beyond
Big Chill
Big Daddy

Big Fish
The Big Lebowski
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Billy Madison
Billy Elliot
The Birdcage
Black Hawk Down
The Black Stallion
Blade
Blade II
Blood Simple
Blue
Boondock Saints
Bowling For Columbine
Boys Don't Cry
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Braveheart
Breakfast At Tiffany's
Bridges of Madison County
Bridget Jones's Diary
Bring It On
Brother Bear
Bruce Almighty
But I'm a Cheerleader!
Camelot

Captain Horatio Hornblower
Carrie
Carrie 2: The Rage
Casablanca

Casper
Cast Away
Catch Me if You Can
Casualties of War
Center Stage
Charade
Chasing Amy
Chicago

Chocolat
Citizen Kane
Claire of the Moon
Clerks
A Clockwork Orange

Closet Land
Clueless
Cold Mountain
The Contender
Cookie's Fortune
The Count of Monte Cristo
Cowboy Bebop
The Craft
Crazy In Alabama
Crossroads
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Cruel Intentions
Daddy Day Care
Dancer In The Dark
Darkness
Das Boot
Dave
Dawn of the Dead
Dead Man Walking
Dead Man
Death Becomes Her
Deep Impact

The Delta Force
Dick
Die Hard
Die Hard - Die Harder
Die Hard - With a Vengeance

Dil Se
Dirty Dancing
Doctor Zhivago
Dogma
Donnie Darko

Don't Worry, It's Only A Phase
Double Indemnity
Down With Love
Drop Dead Fred
Dumb & Dumber
Earth Girls Are Easy
East of Eden

Ed Wood
Edward Scissorhands
Elf

Elizabeth
Empire Records
The Empire Strikes Back

Enemy at the Gates
Enemy of the State
The English Patient
Equilibrium
Escape From Sobibor
The Exorcist
Extreme Ops
Eyes Wide Shut
A Face In the Crowd
Face/Off
The Faculty
Fame
Fargo

Fast and the Furious
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Fellowship of the Ring
Fierce Creatures
The Fifth Element
Fight Club
Final Destination
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Finding Nemo
Forrest Gump

Fog, The
The Fox and the Hound
Frailty
Frankenstein
Frequency
Fried Green Tomatoes
From Hell
Funny Girl
Galaxy Quest
Gallipoli

Gangster No
Gaslight
The Ghost And The Darkness
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters 2
Ghost Ship

Gia
Giant
Girl
Girl, Interrupted
Gladiator
Gone With the Wind

The Good Son
The Goonies
Gothika
Great Expectations
Grease
Groundhog Day
Hamlet (Mel Gibson version)
Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh version)
Happiness

Happy Gilmore
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Heartbreakers
Heathers
Heavy Metal
Hedwig & the Angry Inch
Hellraiser

Henry V
Hercules
Highlander
Holes
Home Alone

The Horse Whisperer
The Horseman on Roof
The Hot Chick
The Hours
The House of Mirth
House of Sand & Fog
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
The Hudsucker Proxy
I Know What You Did Last Summer
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

I am Sam
Igby Goes Down
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indochine
Intermission
Interview with the Vampire
Inventing the Abbotts
Italian Job
Jane Eyre
Jersey Girl
Josie and the Pussycats
Jurassic Park
Just Married
Kiki's Delivery Service
Kill Bill Vol. 1
The Killer
Koyaanisqatsi
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
La Vita e Bella
Labyrinth
Ladyhawke
Lake Placid

Land Before Time
Laputa - Castle in the Sky
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last Unicorn
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
A League of Their Own

Legally Blonde
Legend of the Red Dragon
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon 2
Liar Liar

Life as a House
Life Is Beautiful
Lilo and Stitch
The Lion King
Lion King 2
The Little Mermaid
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Look Who's Talking
Lost Boys, The
Lost World
Lost In Translation
Love Actually

Love Song
M
Magnolia
Mallrats
The Man from Snowy River
The Man in the Iron Mask
Man with a Movie Camera
Manhunter
Mary Poppins
Mask

Master & Commander - The Far Side of the World
The Matrix
The Matrix: Reloaded
The Matrix: Revolutions
A Matter of Life and Death
Meet the Parents
Men of Honor
Metropolis
Mighty Ducks
Minority Report
Miss Congeniality
The Mists of Avalon

Mona Lisa Smile
Monster Ball
Monsters, Inc.
Monty Python & the Holy Grail
Moonstruck
Moulin Rouge
Mrs. Doubtfire
Much Ado About Nothing

Mulan
The Mummy
The Mummy Returns
Muppets Take Manhattan
Murder by Death

Murder By Numbers
Muriel's Wedding
My Best Friend's Wedding

My Girl
My Girl 2
My Dog Skip
My Beautiful Laundrette
My Fair Lady
My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Mystery, Alaska
Nausicaa
Never Been Kissed
The New Guy
Niagara Niagara
Nightflier
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Ninth Gate
Not Another Teen Movie
Notting Hill
Now and Then

Nurse Betty
Nuts
O
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
October Sky
The Odd Couple
Oliver and Company
Oliver!
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Hour Photo
Ordinary People
The Others
The Outsiders

Parent Trap
Pearl Harbor
Perfect Storm
Perfect Blue
Peter Pan (Disney)
Peter Pan (2003)
The Philadelphia Story
The Philadelphia Experiment
Philadelphia

Phone Booth
Pi
Pink Flamingos
Pitch Black

Plata Quemada
Playing Mona Lisa
Pocahontas
Poltergeist
Practical Magic
Pride and Prejudice
Prince of Tides
The Princess Bride
The Princess Diaries

Princess Mononoke
Prince of Egypt
Pulp Fiction
Pump Up The Volume
Quills
Rabbit Proof Fence
Radio Flyer
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rat Race
Rear Window

The Recruit
Red
The Remains of Day
Remember the Titans
Remo Williams
Requiem for a Dream
Reservoir Dogs
Resident Evil 1
Return of the King

Return to Me
Riki-Oh - Story Of Ricky
The Ring
The Road to El Dorado
Road Trip
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood: Men in Tights

The Rock
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Rollerball
Roman Holiday
Romeo & Juliet
Romper Stomper
The Rose
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Royal Tenenbaums
Rushmore
Save the Last Dance
Scary Movie
Schindler's List

Scooby Doo
Scooby Doo 2
Scream
Scream 2

Scream 3
Seabiscuit
The Secret Garden
Secretary
Sense and Sensibility
Seventh Seal
Shallow Hal
She's All That
The Shining

Shining Through
Shrek
Sid and Nancy
Singing in the Rain
Simon Birch
Sixth Sense
Sleeping Beauty

Sleepy Hollow
Small Soldiers
Snatch
Some Like It Hot
The Sound of Music
Spaceballs

Spartacus
Speed
Spiceworld
Spider-man

Spirited Away
Spun
Star Wars
Steel Magnolias
Stepmom
Storm of the Century
Strictly Ballroom

Sunset Blvd.
Sunshine State
Super Mario Brothers
Suspiria
SWAT
Sweet November
Sweethearts
Swimfan
Swimming Pool
Tampopo
Terms of Endearment
Tigerland
Titan A.E.
Titanic
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything!
Tombstone

Tonari No Totoro
Toy Story
Triumph of the Will
Truly Madly Deeply
Tuck Everlasting
Twelve Monkeys
The Two Towers

Two Weeks' Notice
Two or Three Things I Know About Her
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Unbreakable
Unman, Wittering and Zigo
The Unsaid
Urban Legends
Valentine
Vanilla Sky
Velvet Goldmine
Vertigo
Victor/Victoria
Wag the Dog
A Walk To Remember
The War At Home
We Were Soldiers
The Wedding Singer
Weekend at Bernie's
West Side Story
Whale Rider
What Dreams May Come

What Lies Beneath
What a Girl Wants
Whatever It Takes
White Oleander
White
Wild Things
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton

Wit
The Wizard of Oz
A Wrinkle In Time
The X-Files: Fight the Future
X-Men
X2

XXX
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Zombie Flesh Eaters
Zoolander

Borrowed from Marc

Working out

I've been continuing my workouts with Stuff. We've been going to one of the NYSC's near Grand Central.

Let's review my progress thus far. Arms . . . sore. Legs . . . really sore. Hip . . . feels like I'm being stabbed by a knitting needle, but not all the time; just randomly. Back . . . sore. Shoulders . . . sore. Abs . . . sore.

Tonight is chest and triceps or something. Who knows? But whatever it is, it will be sore soon. We've also been doing 30 min or so of cardio (except last night, because Stuff was feeling lazy/tired . . . thank God).

I've also been making an effort to bring my lunch to work (saving money and empty calories). Today was a turkey and cheese sandwich, tomatoes, carrots and fruit. And I have my fridge filled with fresh fruit, veggies, and other low-cal snack food.

All in all, moving sluggishly in the right direction.

I'm sure it's just my imagination, but after two bicep workouts, I swear they've gotten bigger. Maybe . . . just maybe, I'll play in the East Coast Invitational this fall on our old boys' side (assuming we will have one). Part of me is really itching to get back on the rugby pitch.

Don't it make my kelp eyes cobain?

I was shopping at Old Navy.com yesterday. Here are some of their colors:

Brooklyn
Cobain
Buffalo Herd
Chelsea
Hendrix
Redskins
Wheeling
Modesto
Rockingchair
Castro
Kelp

For a little while, I was worried that I'd been struck with aphasia or that I was in that Twilight Zone episode where words suddenly start meaning other things.

I mean, come on. Castro? Rockingchair?

Monday, August 08, 2005

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

For those of you keeping score

It's God - 7, Boy Scouts - 0.

More updates as the story develops.

UPDATE: I should point out that I do not take pleasure in the death of children. However, 1) 5 of the 7 killed were adults and 2) a good friend of mine was kicked out of the Scouts after more than a decade as a Scout and a Scout leader when they found out he was gay. I think I'm allowed a little schadenfreude.

Friday, July 29, 2005

Gym Update: Day 2

I'm sure this is good for me, but really, why must there by pain involved? I'm a wee bit sore today. And by 'a wee bit,' I mean a whole lot.

Last night was back and cardio. Tonight is food and drink. Guess which one I'll enjoy more.

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Buff Stuff

My friend Stuff has been working out. Working out like a fiend, in fact. And he's slimmed down and buffed up. So I decided to start working out with him. I've always found it much easier to motivate myself to work out when there is another person involved, be it a trainer or a friend.

Last night was my first weightlifting workout in two years. Shoulders and biceps, followed by 30 min. of cardio. It was a little depressing to see how little I could lift compared to the days when I was lifting two or three times a week. And really depressing to consider that, after college, I was going to the gym twice a day, five days a week. Man, I was in great shape then.

Anyway, at least I'm heading in the right direction. We're working out again tonight.

And yes, my arms and shoulders are really, really sore.

Oh, and none of this has anything to do with the fact that I'm flying home in early September for a reunion with a bunch of people I haven't seen in 20 years.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Please give

Just a little reminder that Mark is only $250 away from his goal for the AIDS Walk. Click here and help him out.

UPDATE: He's now only $140 from his goal. Please help him reach and surpass it.

UPDATE 7/29: He made it to $1000. You guys rock.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

I need a drink

Let's say you have a job picking apples. You reach up, you pick one, you drop it in your bag.

Predictable.

Now let's say you reach for that apple, you pick it and accidentally dislodge a wasp nest.

That's how work is going today.

Anyway, this weekend in Baltimore was great. I got to hang with David, Zenchick, Goblin, and Cara (and her friends). Sadly, Jwer was a no-show. But the weekend was fun. The art was fantastic (especially this guy's stuff). David and I saw 'Ladies in Lavender' and we both agreed that when we are spinsters living together in England, he will be Maggie Smith and I will be Judi Dench.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Excuse me, sir. Where are your horns and pitchfork?

I ran into Rudy Giuliani yesterday. Or rather I almost ran into him when he crossed my path on 6th Avenue and was stopped by some dweeb in a lime green shirt and blue pants with matching lime green martini glasses on them, who grabbed his arm and asked for a picture.

I gave an exasperated sigh as they blocked my path, looked up and found myself face to face with America's Mayor™

Whoopty freakin' doo.

I had a better celebrity sighting last week when I was passed on the street by Maura Tierney of Newsradio and E.R. She was just as good looking in person as on tv, which is rare.

And to tie it all together, Maura Tierney once wrote an article called "Rudy Giuliani: A Fascist? You Be The Judge" for Flaunt magazine.

Coincidence? I think not.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Citizen Eng

Two men take a stand for your right to . . . well, stand.

I guess my only questions are:

1) Is there a minimum speed limit on the West Side Highway and are pedestrians required to walk at that limit or above? Because I'm out of shape and I don't think I can.

2) Are pedestrians in the city's riverside parks required to obey the various nautical laws? Because I'm not carrying an anchor around with me all day on the off chance I decide to chat with a friend by the river.

3) If you sit on a park bench that is less than 15' from a fire hydrant, will the Park Police fine you? Because that sounds like entrapment.

4) Does 'alternate side parking' mean pedestrians can't use the other side of the street?

5) If pedestrians refuse to move after getting ticketed by the Park Police, will they have them towed? And where would they put that wicked looking hook?

I guess I should address these questions to Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. Here's his online contact if you want to ask him yourself.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Haikuesday Returns

I have a headache
A really, really bad one
Please bring me morphine

Dirty or clever (or both)

Great headline:

Depp's 'Chocolate Factory' has tasty opening

And while I mean no disrespect to the 'opening' of Mr. Depp's 'chocolate factory' or, indeed, to any other part of his anatomy, I have to say 'eeeeeeewwwwwww'.

Thank God they didn't use a headline like that for John Waters' movie 'Pecker'.

And for my 1000th post . . .

Would someone run out and get me a pint of Rocky Road ice cream? Just bring it by my office.

Oh, and a spoon.

Thanks.

Friday, July 15, 2005

From the people who brought you Anita Bryant . . .

Here's a heartwarming story about the good, upstanding, Christian man who beat his three-year old son to death trying to keep him from becoming gay.

Well, Jesus did say "suffer the little children".

Personally, I hope this guy spends the rest of his life in jail.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

So Much To Do, So Little Time

So I should probably get around to writing the review of Sweet Charity and Skating on Thin Ice. Especially since I'm seeing three more shows this week (The Persians, The Real Inspector Hound and The Times).

I could write about Frank's birthday party, but others have already done so. I'll just add that I had a great time, especially getting to see Tuna Girl and finally meet the Tuna Hubby.

I should probably say something about the nine pages of my new play that I've managed to write. Happy times.

Or maybe mention the Nextworks mixer at XL that I went to last night or hanging out with Jase and Frank afterwards.

I could put in a plug for next week's WYSIWYG which will feature DC blogger Jimbo.

I probably ought to ask everyone to click here and donate money to Zeitzeuge Mark's AIDS Walk.

Well, okay, I will do that last one. Click the link and donate a buck or two to Mark's AIDS Walk. He's a great guy. It's a great cause. Do it.

But as for the rest of the stuff I said I should do, I'll do it later. Right now, I want a diet Dr. Pepper.

Friday, July 08, 2005

I hear he's a witch and he controls the weather

Today's Headlines

Hurricane Dennis barrels toward Florida Keys; Gov. Bush declares state of emergency; arrests Michael Schiavo


Well, okay. I added the last bit. In point of fact, Gov. Jeb Bush ended his witch hunt against Michael Schiavo today. Turns out that the Gov. will eventually listen to reason, it just takes him longer to hear it since he's so deep in the fundamentalists' pocket.

And this is the man the Republicans want in the White House?

God help us.

Do you want to Super Size the hate?

Yet another reason not to eat at McDonalds.

I guess their new slogan will be: you deserve a break today (unless you have AIDS).

Of course, an equally disturbing thing from the article is that this guy started working at McNasty's when he was 13.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

In Other News

Sometimes the muses give me one line and say, "Write a play or a poem around this." Other times they give me an idea and say, "Flesh it out." But occasionally when they are in a rush or just feel generous, they'll show up at my bedside, hand me a stack of pages and say, "Here's an idea for a play, a description of the characters and five scenes. Just fill in the blanks, sign your name and you're good to go."

Last night, about 15 minutes after going to bed, they dropped a play in my lap. For the next hour, I ran through the plot sketch, started writing descriptions of the characters (easy, since they are historical figures) and wrote a couple of scenes.

Woo hoo. And since I'm going for a little trip this weekend, I'll have several hours of uninterrupted writing time. Just for kicks, I've decided to set a goal for myself; I want this play finished and sent to a couple of my friends for review by the month's end.

Subways

As is to be expected, I suppose, there are police all over the subway system today, even in Astoria. I've counted three bomb sniffing dogs at various stops as well.

It looks like everyone I know in London is okay, though there are a few friends I haven't heard from yet.

Of course, now I'm forced back into "what's next?" mode. Worrying gets old very quickly.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

The sun. It burns us, precioussssss. (or Pretty in Pink)

I spent Saturday and Sunday in the park and I have the lobster red skin to prove it. But I had a good time, so it was (sorta) worth it. I played frisbee for the first time since college. I had yummy food and good company. I did my walrus impersonation. Good times.

There are pictures, but I'm not telling you where to find them.

It was exactly the kind of laid-back weekend that I needed. If only it had lasted another few days.

In other news, I threw caution and my anal-retentiveness to the wind and entered one of my plays in a competition. Expect a long, whiny, 'why do I bother' post some time in early Septemeber. Good times.

Friday, July 01, 2005

Damn tourists

So I'm standing in line at Starbucks, running late for work. I want/need coffee. Really, really badly.

There is a long line.

Directly in front of me are a tourist and her teenaged Britney-wannabe spawn. The teenager is flitting around looking at the stuffed animals, trying to figure out which one she wants (who buys a stuffed animal from Starbucks?) and generally grating on my nerves. Finally, they start talking about what they're going to order. After discussing all the possibilities, they decide. They are now next in line. Right before they step up to order, the mother calls out to the dad (who is saving their seats), "What do you want?" He says, "Oh, yeah. I better come look."

They're next. There's only one person taking orders. This dickwad hasn't even thought about what he wants to get. And I haven't had any fucking coffee yet.

No, you stupid Midwestern fuck, you should have already decided. You shouldn't come up and look when your wife gets to the front of the fucking line. You shouldn't tell the girl at the register, "I'm not sure what I want yet." You shouldn't waste the time of everyone standing behind you in line, because we're New Yorkers who haven't had our fucking coffee yet AND WE WILL FUCKING CUT YOU!!!!!

Jesus!

Sometimes I hate working in Times Square.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

WoTW

Saw War of the Worlds last night.

Blah.

The special effects, however, are absolutely amazing. Go see it for that reason. Just turn off the part of your brain that says things like "WTF? That doesn't make any sense at all" and ignore the character of Ray's son (there is no reason for him to be in the movie). And be prepared for lots and lots of eardrum-piercing screams from Dakota Fanning.

And be prepared to yell "Bullshit!" at the ending (and I'm not talking about the 'aliens dying from the common cold' ending from the book and the original movie . . . you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it). As one lady yelled out in my screening "I ain't buyin' it."

Am I glad I saw it in the theater? Yeah. Would I pay to see it again? No.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Hand me the flash light and for God's sake, don't pull my finger

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. It also contains useful government approved safety messages about what you should do in an emergency.

Thanks, Brian, for the link.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Damn it, Janet

From Lee


Which Rocky Horror Picture Show character are you?

Janet Weiss

A Heroine

Personality Test Results

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.



I'm not quite sure, but I think this means I get to start sleeping with Tim Robbins.

Sweeeeeeeet.

Monday, June 27, 2005

It's like rain on your wedding day

So the Bush White House is concerned about the election of an ultra-conservative, religious fanatic as President of Iran.

Mmm-kay.



Dear Mr. President,
Like many people across the globe, I share your concerns about the recent election of the ultra-conservative, fundamentalist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as President of Iran. Especially given the dubious nature of the election which brings him to power.

I regret that the same thing happened in my country several years ago. And as many of us feared would happen, there has been a slow and steady dissolution of many of the rights and freedoms we considered to be the backbone of our country and as such took for granted. Attacks on the free press and attempts to "balance" and "bring them into the mainstream" by making them little more than mouthpieces for the administration have become common. The right to privacy, which hardline fundamentalist justices say is not a protected right at all, has been eroded as the government gathers information on us all and encourages people to actively spy on their neighbors and family; all in the name of protecting our homeland, of course. Those who dissent, even members of the President's own party or religion, are immediately labeled traitors and are subjected to savage smear campaigns, including verbal and physical harrassment. The government has even chosen an entire group of citizens and made them scapegoats, blaming them for whatever societal problems they see fit.

Sadly, I am a member of this particular group. On a daily basis, I have to hear how I am responsible for abortion, incest, pedophilia, bestiality, school shootings, sniper attacks, the decline of marriage, the loss of morality, earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorist attacks, and God's abandoning of our country.

But I've also learned that through adversity comes strength and while I'm not happy to endure what I am being forced to endure, I know I will come out of this a stronger person.

I'm sure you'll join me in hoping that the same holds true of the reformists in Iran.