red isnt dead

It's Time

2009-07-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

I suppose when you have a blog that you forget about entirely for over a month, it's time to let it go.
It's not that I don't have anything left to say, it's that I don't have anything that I want to say here.
I don't want to blog about the fact that Transformers 2 sucked beyond belief and that Michael Bay should be fired from any job even remotely related to Hollywood, forever. Except maybe serving popcorn at a local movie theater.
I don't want to blog about the fact that much to my great surprise I am seriously considering a Palm Pre over the new iPhone. It has more to do with the AT&T crapass network then it does the hardware...but as shocked as I am to say it, the Pre is far superior to the iPhone in many ways.
There was a time when these topics would have spawned a great, epic posting, full of rhetoric and snark. Now, it's exhausting to even think about.
Even trying to come up with an interesting angle for a farewell posting has proved a challenge.
When there isn't anything left to say, there just isn't anything left to say.
My blog was a great experiment.
It was a project.
It has served its purpose and now it's time to say goodbye.
So, thanks for reading.
Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for never buying anything Ed Hardy or ever seeing another Michael Bay movie as long as you live. EVER.
Who knows...another blog or similar project may emerge at some point, and if it does, I will post the info/link here.
Otherwise, red isnt dead is officially, well, dead.
Good bye, good luck, and thanks for reading.

xo
-A

Doctor Doctor

2009-06-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

My previous review of Dr. Kwan was not too positive.
However, the past few visits have served as a redemption of sorts.
Like I said, it turned out the spot on my back was a basal cell carcinoma and when he called to set up the appointment to get it removed, he was great.
When I went in to get it removed, he was very thorough, and I was in and out of there in less than 30 minutes. He gave me very detailed instructions on how to take care of the wound (I had to have stitches after he cut out the offending tissue) and he also gave me a lot of samples of SPF and moisturizer.
When I went back several weeks later to have my stitches removed, I didn't see Dr. Kwan, but was attended to by one of his very kind staff. She took the stitches out like a pro, asked me if I wanted to see the doctor, and when I said "no" she sent me on my way.
About 45 minutes later I got a call from Dr. Kwan telling me he was sorry that he didn't have a chance to see me, asked me how everything went and gave me further instruction on how to care for my scar until it was completely healed.
I still stand by my original opinion in that he could have been a little more sensitive the first time around, however I will be back to see him, and now, have much respect for Dr. Kwan.
So the stitches are out, the wound is healing nicely and I have found a great new moisturizer with an SPF30 thanks to the samples he gave me last time.
So fair is fair and I wanted to amend my opinion of Dr. Kwan.
Thanks for reading.

Speechless

2009-05-17T10:46:00.001-07:00

I really don't know what to say about the latest Ed Hardy douchery.
It rather leaves me speechless.
Wow.
Now douchebags have their very own drink.
Ed Hardy wine...hmm. Probably tastes like self tanner, cheap cologne and regret.

Here's One for Ms. California and The Rest of the Bigots

2009-05-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

Spot Check

2009-05-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

I got a call the other day from Dr. Kwan...the dermatologist that I blogged about previously.
It turns out that the spot on my back is cancerous. The good news is that it's a basal cell carcinoma.
This is a very common form of skin cancer in us light skinned folk and it's relatively simple to remove. Luckily this type of skin cancer grows from the outside in. So it's not systemic or invasive. It's commonly caused by over-exposure to the sun. I have had a few serious sunburns in my life.
Thank God it's not Melanoma.
So Dr. Kwan filled me in on the procedure over the phone. It's relatively simple, they numb the spot on my back, cut out the offending chunk of skin and sew me up. They will then send the blob off to the lab to make sure they got it all.
I will say, that Dr. Kwan redeemed himself a bit over the phone. He was very considerate and took his time explaining the results of the biopsy of my spot and what I could expect when having it removed. So perhaps, he is not a total monster afterall. I still think he could have handled the original visit a little more delicately, but I am willing to forgive and forget...especially since he will be cutting open my back in a week or so.
I'm feeling better about the whole thing and am sure that I am in capable (if not a little cold) hands with Dr. Kwan.
I let you know how it goes!

Damn, That's Cold

2009-04-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

I had recently discovered a strange looking mole on my back and had these dry scaly patches on my forehead so I asked my doctor for a derm referral so that I could get a full body check. He recommended Dr. William Kwan.
I called to book an appointment and he was booked for almost a month solid.
I thought this was a good sign.
This morning, I arrived at the office 15 minutes early (as requested by the person I made the appointment with) to fill out the new patient paperwork.
I was immediately struck by how serene and tranquil the office was. Lots of clean, cool, colors. Frosted glass and brushed metal.
Whoever decorated it, has great taste.
I thought the display of skincare on the wall was a little tacky...But he is in the skin business afterall...so It wasn't too out of place.
I filled out the paperwork which didn't take that long.
There was a section that asked what I was "interested in".
I checked off: Microdermabrasion, chemical peels, anti-aging and sunscreen.
I finished the forms, paid my $25 co-pay and went into the examination room.
I admired the color scheme in the room as I sat patiently waiting in my paper dress.
Dr. Kwan came in and asked me what the deal was.
I told him of the spots on my body that I was concerned about.
He examined the one on my forehead, sprayed it some sort of really cold, burning, chemical to freeze it off and proclaimed it to be "pre-cancerous". Then he looked at the one on my back and said he wanted to do a biopsy on it. Before I knew it, I was face down with a needle in my back and him slicing off a piece of the growth to be sent to the lab to be checked out.
He asked me if I had anymore questions, said I should come in once a year for a body check and left. As quickly as he was in, he was gone.
All of a sudden I am l lying prone, in a strange, cold office in a paper dress. Not only am I missing a chunk of my back, but the spot on my head that he froze is burning like a mother.

That was it?!?!

I am an adult, I certainly don't require my doctor to hold my hand and make it all better. But, how about asking me a few questions? How about asking me what kind of sunscreen I use, or if I use any sunscreen at all? Especially when I checked "sunscreen recommendations" as an area of interest. ESPECIALLY when you just uttered the words "pre-cancerous and biopsy" when referring to my skin and then proceeded to freeze/burn and flay me?
Normally I don't mind a dermatologist who is a little cold and clinical. But I would also like evidence that somewhere under there is a bit of compassion.
I don't want to jump to conclusions...but I have a feeling had I been there for something a little more *ahem* expensive (ie out of pocket expense not covered by insurance) he would have been more than happy to sit and chat with me about my skin.
As it stands however, Botox, Restylane, and eyelash extensions seem to be more of a focus than pre-cancerous cells.
I don't plan on returning to Dr. Kwan.
I do however, plan on asking my Dr. for another derm referral.

A Call To Action

2009-04-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

I would be surprised if anyone still logged onto my blog to see what's up.
I went from 237 postings in 2007 to 70 postings in 2008 and a mere 5(!) postings in 2009!
If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there...does it make a sound?

Anyway...about a year ago...almost exactly a year ago actually. I was going on about "Creating Culture".
It's an idea that has stuck with me since then and has quietly hung around in the back of my mind, patiently waiting for me to take some kind of action.

About 6 months ago(ish) I was hanging out with my friend Cisco and we came across this topic again. He and I share a lot of the same views in terms of dissatisfaction with the current pop-culture landscape and a common instinct that there has to be more than what's currently being offered.
The whole conversation revolved around the idea that there are so many voices that are unheard and that neither one of us really identify with what media is offering up...more specifically the gay media.
I mean really...is it all Britney, circuit parties, Absolut Vodka and "Out Magazine"?
Cisco is a pro at creating for creations sake...don't get me wrong, the man is also a savvy capitalist, but I have never met anyone who is so content just to unleash his creative flow with no ulterior motive.
Our conversation continued in one form or another for several months with us finally deciding that the best thing to do would be to call upon our friends, peers and colleagues for their imput. We both figured that if we were disaffected and un-enthused with what was going on around us, that there had to be others that felt the same way.
Why take it upon ourselves to be solely responsible for content (that's a LOT of pressure!!) when we are surrounded by incredibly talented, vibrant, people who had a voice that needed to be heard?
So finally we've put our heads together and come up with "Gayvolution".
I've copied and pasted our mission/manifesto from the one sheet we've put together.

"We have been watching and waiting for something to connect with. Our eyes have been open and our ears perked for quite some time. Once in while, we catch glimpses of ourselves on screen, in windows, in print, and in design. But for the most part, we look around and find few representations of who we really are – specifically in the Gay Media and the Mainstream Media outlets that are aimed in our direction.

So we still have that itch, and we long for something else.

Don't get us wrong. We look at the glossy pages of a good magazine and listen to the ultra-produced strains of Beyonce as much as the next faggot.But as intellectuals, it’s hard to keep our minds and souls alive – let alone high-kicking – on a supermodel diet of prepackaged, overproduced, prefab morsels. We have manwich appetites.

Even the subversive and the alternative doesn’t get us hard anymore. Disingenuousness is a turn-off. Grit and dirt don't really count when you’ve designed them to be that way.

So we’re cooking up our own version of culture. We are rough and smooth. Glossy and unfinished. Polished and imperfect. We defy the labels of Twink, Bear, Otter, Pig, Queer, Faggot, Lesbo, Dyke, Tranny, Queen, Homo, Mary and Fairy. We pick and choose to wear those labels at our discretion or we create our own. We don't fit nicely into any box, but lift any lid and you're bound to find at least one of us in there. We are the next rung, another level, a new page. We are Gayvolution.

And so are you."

So this is where you come in my talented friends.

(again cut and pasted from our initial release)

"Send us your prose, poetry, rants, photographs, illustrations, graphic design, rejected submissions to Adbusters, photographs of your sculpture, your dirty underwear, your songs – whatever – by June 1, 2009. We want it all.

Submit whatever you can electronically to gayvolution@gmail.com. Writing can be sent as a .doc or .rtf file, in the body of an email – hell, if you chicken-scratched something precious onto a napkin, send that to us.We’ll scan it so everyone can witness your inspiration and/or desperation in its full splendor. Photographs should be sent as low-res and if we can incorporate them, we'll ask you for the hi-res versions. If you are still living in the dark ages and you only have slides of your work, we own a lightbox.

If you need to mail something to us, send it to:
286 Lexington Street, San Francisco, CA 94110."

We've also put together a page on Facebook for Gayvolution.
Who knows where this will lead us?
We are merely driven by the idea that there has got to be more than "this".

Are you dissatisfied with what you see?
Are you connected to the majority of the cultural landscape?
Do you have something inside of you that is burning to get out?
Then let's do it!
This is your chance to make your voice heard.
This our opportunity to change the way things look out there.
Get off of the bench and get in the game.
Who knows? We could be part of the Next Big Thing.

Etc...

2009-03-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

As previously mentioned...I gave up drinking for the moment.
This Monday, the 9th it will be officially one month.
Truth be told, I don't miss it at all...I have always been able to "take it or leave it" when it comes to booze. I do miss the social aspect of it. However the newfound clarity that a sober mind brings is, at the moment, worth it.
I am realizing all sorts of things.
Things like: How fucking U-G-L-Y Ed Hardy clothes are! SERIOUSLY! It's total douche-wear. It's all fashion victims, wannabes, douche-bag-bros-and-the-sad-girls-who-love-them.
The same guys that do the stupid kissy-kissy face when a camera is turned on them or do that stupid backwards peace sign...are the ones that wear this shit.
"Ed Hardy...be a total douche or just look like one."
What else have I realized?
Lady GaGa is a fucking idiot. Does she not know that in Tagalog "gaga" means
"One who acts foolishly or says something stupid"
I guess not.
Yet another talentless twat who has covered up said lack of talent with excessive vocoder use and overproduction.
I am not saying that all pop music is performed/produced by talentless hacks...I do wonder however why does it seem that the most mediocre acts always rise to the top? I hope her 15 minutes have started counting down...the sooner the pop-culture landscape is rid of GAGa the better.
I think that about does it for now...thanks for reading.

Huge Douche

2009-02-17T17:34:00.000-08:00

Kanye West is a huge douche...am I alone on this?

Day One of No Drinking For a While

2009-02-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

The latest video installation. Day one of drying up!

This Is A Test

2009-02-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

Aretha Reads

2009-01-20T21:09:00.001-08:00

I'm Here

2008-12-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

Holy shit...has it been that long since my last post?
I'm still here...I hope you are too.
'Tis the season for me to be a little overwhelmed and overworked...I haven't done a retail holiday season in a while...it's like riding a bike in many ways. Yet my tolerance level seems to have slipped a few rungs...it's not as easy as I remembered it to be.
So please continue to bear with me...I may continue to be on radio silence for a while longer.

Things in SF are still amazing...I love it here more and more each day.
Still happy.
Still single.
Still ready when "he" is.
There seem to be a few boys on the periphery...yet nobody that is stepping up.
There are/were a couple of them that had my interest...a few still do.
I am however, not feeling up to a chase at the moment.
I am more inclined to continue to "tend to my garden" as it were and see if they flit to my flowers like so many butterflies...OK...even I had a hard time crafting that sentence without gagging.
Jesus!
Sorry.
In a nutshell...there are a couple of boys that I have my eye on. Yet neither one of them have shown concrete proof that they are ready for my jelly.
UGH! How annoying I am today!
:)

I have a few nuggets of inspiration rolling about in my noggin.
Yet as I write this I realize that it's not the inspiration I lack...but the commitment to put pen to paper...or rather fingers to keys.
So please indulge my spotty attendance record here at RedIsntDead.
I will do what I can...as I can.
As always...thanks for reading.

xo
-A

On Prop 8

2008-11-07T08:03:00.001-08:00

I have not mourned because our cause is not dead.
I am not licking my wounds because they have not hurt me.
I won't join the group "A Victim of Prop H8" Because I am not a victim of anything.
I am not sad because victory shall be ours.

I will not sit and talk with bigots anymore.
You can't have a conversation with ignorance and fear.
The time for negotiation and compromise is done.
I will not pull up a chair and have a discussion trying to come to an understanding.
I understand completely.
You are afraid.
You are a liar.
You are a bigot.

I will not mope and moan.
I will not sit and wonder why.
I will not ask you to accept, validate or give me your stamp of approval.

Your ideas are antiquated.
They are outdated.
They will soon be faded memories like the "Back of the Bus" and "No Votes for Women".
The only place that your archaic values belong is the dustbin.
And bitch, I got a big ass broom.

I am angry.
I am fired up.
I am turning off my computer, I am turning off my TV and I am standing up and going to the streets.
I am going to march and yell and scream and shout until my needs are met.
You think you have me beat down?
You think I am through?
What you have seen thus far was me just getting warmed up!
I have miles more inside of me!
I have mountains of passion and fire!
If you think you will win then you had best be prepared to empty your pockets, walk to the point of exhaustion and to yell until you have no voice.

And when you are broke, tired and silent.
I will still be walking tall.
I will still have resources to tap
And I will still have the power to win.

I will keep marching forward.
I will keep moving on.
I will continue to evolve and move towards the light.
And as you see the masses begin to join me.
As you see your own numbers dwindle.
You will soon realize that you have a choice.
You can open your eyes and realize the truth.
Or you can sit and wait for your extinction.

I shall not try and convince you.
I shall not try to change your mind.
I shall not stand and hope for you to someday see the light.

So come and join me or sit and wait.
Just know that in the end you will be sitting alone.

One way or another your lies and hatred will lose.
They always do.
Always.

Huh-larious

2008-10-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

God how I wish this really happened.
I would love to see McPalin get her ass tackled in real life.

glumbert - Sarah Palin Gets A Surprise Visitor

More Soapbox

2008-10-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

The GOP is panicked, scared and full of shit.
Here is more from the Bush Regime arriving via email to me this morning.
Please click the link at the bottom, sign the petition and forward the hell out of this to everyone you know.

Dear Friend,

This year, there are over 600,000 newly registered Ohio voters, but President Bush has asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate as many as 200,000 of them. Why? Because Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has refused to use an "exact match" standard before adding these voters to the rolls.

What is this "exact match" standard? Basically, it works like this: After you fill out your voter registration card, a local or state employee has to type in your information to add you to the voter rolls, and check to see that you really exist, usually by verifying your driver's license number or Social Security number. And as you can imagine, sometimes there are typos or other disparities when the information gets entered and matched - for example, if your last name is "De la Rosa" and it got entered as "Delarosa", you would fail to meet the exact match standard, and your registration form would be invalid.

Secretary Brunner has refused to use this standard on the grounds that it would erroneously deprive tens or even hundreds of thousands of Ohioans of their right to vote. The Ohio GOP sued her a month ago to try and get the courts to compel her to use the exact match standard, but the Supreme Court ruled that they had no standing to make that case.

Now, President Bush is trying to run around the Supreme Court by getting the Department of Justice to intervene. On Friday, October 24th, Bush reportedly asked Attorney General Mukasey to investigate whether as many as 200,000 voters need to reconfirm their registrations before November 4th - which would almost certainly result in forcing them to vote provisionally.

I just signed a petition urging Attorney General Mukasey not to act on President Bush's sickening request. I hope you will, too.

Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/doj_oh_suppression/?r_by=1321-1413177-EKZqh_x&rc=paste

Thanks!

Good News

2008-10-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

This election season the Religulous Rite and the moral majority have really shown us more of the same Doom and Gloom, fear based rhetoric and lies then ever before. I for one am so tired of it all. I really wish that God would make their fears a reality. I wish he would strike them down, call them home and then judge the shit out of them. Then the rest of us could get back to living our lives, enacting real change for the good of all American's and taking care of our country.

This blurb about some call center workers in Indiana did my heart good this morning.
It's nice to hear of people standing up to the bullshit lies and scare tactics of the Religulous Rite.
The link is here if you want to see the original.
I have cut and pasted the copy below:

Dozens Of Call Center Workers Walk Off Job In Protest Rather Than Read McCain Script Attacking Obama

By Greg Sargent - October 27, 2008, 5:18PM

Some three dozen workers at a telemarketing call center in Indiana walked off the job rather than read an incendiary McCain campaign script attacking Barack Obama, according to two workers at the center and one of their parents.

Nina Williams, a stay-at-home mom in Lake County, Indiana, tells us that her daughter recently called her from her job at the center, upset that she had been asked to read a script attacking Obama for being "dangerously weak on crime," "coddling criminals," and for voting against "protecting children from danger."

Williams' daughter told her that up to 40 of her co-workers had refused to read the script, and had left the call center after supervisors told them that they would have to either read the call or leave, Williams says. The call center is called Americall, and it's located in Hobart, IN.

"They walked out," Williams says of her daughter and her co-workers, adding that they weren't fired but willingly sacrificed pay rather than read the lines. "They were told [by supervisors], `If you all leave, you're not gonna get paid for the rest of the day."

The daughter, who wanted her name withheld fearing retribution from her employer, confirmed the story to us. "It was like at least 40 people," the daughter said. "People thought the script was nasty and they didn't wanna read it."

A second worker at the call center confirmed the episode, saying that "at least 30" workers had walked out after refusing to read the script.

"We were asked to read something saying [Obama and Democrats] were against protecting children from danger," this worker said. "I wouldn't do it. A lot of people left. They thought it was disgusting."

This worker, too, confirmed sacrificing pay to walk out, saying her supervisor told her: "If you don't wanna phone it you can just go home for the day."

The script coincided with this robo-slime call running in other states, but because robocalling is illegal in Indiana it was being read by call center workers.

Representatives at Americall in Indiana, and at the company's corporate headquarters in Naperville, Illinois, didn't return calls for comment.

...

2008-10-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

Not really sure what to post today...but feeling like I want to post something.
Maybe I need more coffee...

In the mean time this Christina Aguilera parody makes me laugh everytime.
Please to enjoy.

"W" Stands for Why?

2008-10-24T09:21:00.001-07:00

I'm back from my vacation to kansas to see the fam.
I am rested, fed and happy I made the trip. Actually to be clear, I am overfed...I always eat like a pig when I go to see my Mom...but isn't that what Mom's are for? I know mine loves to see me eat. And I did!
Most of my vacation was spent relaxing, eating, playing cards (we love cards) and driving 20 mins to the neighboring town to go to WalMart to buy groceries.
It's really illuminating to be in rural America and see first hand how WalMart and big-box retailers like them are gobbling up our country.
The town my Mom grew up in (Erie, KS) and lives in currently is small. Less than 2,000 people.
WalMart came in about 10 years ago and Erie has been dying on the vine ever since.
The video store?
Gone.
Grocery store?
Gone.
Restaurants, shops, hardware and lumber?
Gone, gone, gone and gone.
What is even more baffling to me is the over abundance of McCain/Palin signs littering the yards of Erie's residents (even more exciting/surprising to me were the Obama/Biden signs!) when it is Republican Economic policies that have allowed the proliferation of companies such as WalMart in the first place. Residents are literally pouring fuel onto the fire that is consuming them.
So needless to say there isn't a whole lot to do in Erie unless you are a full time farmer.

My mom really wanted to see "W" and I did too. So one afternoon we hopped in the car and drove to Joplin since it was the closest theater that was playing the movie.
I was not shocked in the least to see that only 4 people were exiting the theater as the earlier showing was ending. This is, afterall the heartland of Red States.
We were 2 of about 11 people in the theater and honestly I was surprised that there were that many people there.
I guess it's not fair of me to be so narrow minded, but I assumed that at least a few people would walk out in the middle of the movie after they realized that this was not a "pro Bush" movie.
That didn't happen.
However as the movie rolled on, I began to wonder what the point of the movie was at all.
I don't think I was expecting it to be a "Bush Bash"...really, at this point in his reign it seems a bit redundant to point out what a joke he is.
I can't exactly say what I was expecting, but I wanted something. Anything.
But this movie was boring! I mean, really pointless.
There was nothing new, or illuminating. No revelations, scandal or insight.
Josh Brolin was great...really perfectly cast and managed to bring some life to his character that could have easily slid into a flat parody. Thandie Newton on the other hand doing her part as Condoleezza Rice slid right into a one note parody straight out of SNL and stayed there for the duration. Seriously, her performance was so distracting that it became annoying.
Aside from some scenes of a shirtless Josh Brolin showing us GW in his college days (H-O-T!!! Josh Brolin is really fucking sexy!!!) there was nothing exciting about this movie.

What was Oliver Stone trying to say?
What was his point?
Why was this movie made?
I don't get it.
Was it made for people who are still pro Bush? Or was it made to push those that are undecided off of the fence onto the other side?
It wasn't scathing, so I don't think that it was intended to vilify Bush.
It wasn't full of information that I didn't know...so it certainly wasn't an expose.
It didn't build him up or tear him down.
I left the movie feeling no differently or having no more or less empathy or understanding then I did walking in.
So what?
One would assume that Mr. Stone had some sort of statement to make...otherwise why make the movie at all?
I don't get it.
My advice would be not to waste your time...unless you just want to see a really great performance by Josh Brolin.
Or a really annoying one by Thandie Newton.

But it was nice to spend a day with my Mom.
And it was nice to see that even in the heartland of the Red States that things are turning a little Blue.

xo
-A

No On Prop 8

2008-10-23T04:24:00.000-07:00

This copied and pasted from my roommate's Facebook page.
I think it pretty eloquently speaks for those of us who believe in marriage equality.

"This is the letter I wrote to my friend, Kristin, a devout Mormon mother and concerned California citizen regarding Proposition 8. It all started when she joined a group on Facebook supporting Proposition 8 and I sent her a note to let her know that her actions would affect someone she knew.

She responded and after carefully researching, I prepared this response:

Kristin,

Thank you for your response and for being willing to have a discussion about the issues surrounding Prop 8. I have taken some time to really dig into the facts, which is why my response is so late in coming.

You asked, "Do you believe that the judicial branch of our government should be able to subvert the will of the people based on personal or ideological reasons?"

In order to answer that question, a discussion of the purpose of the judicial branch is in order. If we take a good look at how our democracy is set up, we will see that while the job of the legislative branch is to create law, the judicial branch is there to interpret the law and make sure everyone is being treating fairly under the law. Judges have nothing to do with the "will of the people", which is exactly why they are appointed, not elected - their job is to make sure that the constitution is being upheld and to protect the civil rights of the people - that there is "liberty and justice for ALL" (not just the majority). If the judicial system hadn't stepped in in the South, there would still be slavery, for instance. So yes, the judicial branch should not only be able, but is obligated to overturn laws that are unconstitutional no matter if the will of the people is for it or against.

Furthermore, the ballot initiative was not overturned based on personal or ideological reasons. Where did you get that information? The law says, "A person may not be deprived of life, liberty, or property...or denied equal protection of the laws..." (Equal Protection Clause of the California Constitution, Article I Section 7[a]) and the Supreme Court found that allowing opposite-sex people to marry but denying same-sex people to marry violates the constitutional right of gay people of equal protection under the law. That reason is not personal or ideological - it's a constitutional one.

You said you are a believer in "constitutional originalism". What exactly do you mean by that? That the way the constitution was originally written and the content thereof should be taken literally with no amendments? According to that position, you would be saying you believe that non-white people and women should never have been allowed to vote (see the 15th and 19th amendments) since they were not considered "men" at the time the Constitution was written. The founding fathers in their wisdom left the wording open and flexible to allow for unforeseeable and inevitable change. Different times call for different measures, and it's up to the courts to interpret the law and make sure the law is being applied fairly and equally and not used in such a way to deprive rights of minorities by the majority. Your saying that you believe that the words captured on the Constitution "should be adhered to in a strict manner" kind of reminds me of the fundamentalist Christians that believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, the ones that have such a hard time swallowing Mormonism with their "extra" scriptures and continuing revelation…

You mentioned the ballot initiative of 2000 where the will of the people by a 61% majority voiced that marriage should be defined to exclude gay people. I would like to point out that the majority is not always right. At different points in history, the majority thought slavery should be legal, that women should not be able to vote, and that laws preventing interracial marriages were necessary for social order. (You've heard the term "mulatto" which refers to a child that is half black, half white? It means "mule" which being an offspring of a horse and a donkey is infertile. The common belief was that blacks should not marry whites because their children would be infertile and an abomination, like a mule. This belief was even circulated among the early Mormon pioneers. I can give you references of that if you're interested... It wasn't until 1967 that those interracial marriage laws were declared unconstitutional in the United States, overturning interracial marriage bans dating from 1883.) Depending on the majority for moral truth is a very shaky argument.

You also talk about constituent representation, as if judges have absolutely no authority since they are not a "direct representation of the people". Again, judges do not answer to the majority. They answer to justice and ensuring everyone's rights are being protected. I don't know if you are aware of this, but the California Supreme Court is mostly Republican appointed and is known to be quite conservative and cautious - voting more conservatively on criminal issues and moderately on civil matters. They are not so-called "radical judges". In fact, Chief Justice Ronald M. George was very first appointed to be a judge by Ronald Reagan in 1972 and was appointed to the Supreme Court by Republican governor Pete Wilson in 1991.

The founding fathers knew that at times, the majority would try to oppress the minority. James Madison wrote in Federalist Paper 51: "It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure." Judges don't grant rights, the Constitution guarantees them.

You said you found it "remarkable" that I "included a poem that infers that rights and eventually people will be taken away with passage of this proposition".

(First they came for the Socialists, and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left
to speak up for me.)

Does the poem infer that rights will be taken away? It sure does - the right to equal treatment under the law, the right for everyone to marry the person they choose. People taken away? Well, I don't think large trucks will come to haul off all the gays if Prop 8 passes, but more importantly it encourages a culture of discrimination and hate.

Have you heard of Matthew Shepard? On October 7, 1998 in Laramie, Wyoming, Matthew was murdered - robbed, pistol whipped (fracturing his skull), tortured, tied to a fence, and left to die for being gay. So yes, people have been "taken away". Have you ever walked down the street at night and let go of your husband's hand and pretended to be "just friends" cause you thought you might get beat up or assaulted? I have. An ex-boyfriend of mine (distant relative of Thomas S. Monson, in fact) was gay-bashed after leaving a gay bar. A group of boys punched him in the face twice before he got away. This happened in Salt Lake City. In 2006 in the United States there were 1,472 victims of hate crimes who were targeted based on sexual orientation (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/hc2006/victims.html). When the law says "straight people can get married but gay people cannot" one of the things that says is, "Gay people are second-class citizens. They don't deserve the same rights." It's easy to justify all kinds of violence against a group you believe doesn't deserve the same rights.

This is what Chief Justice Ronald M. George wrote in the majority opinion concerning the May 15, 2008 In re Marriage Cases, the decision that said gay people have the right to marry: "[B]ecause of the widespread disparagement that gay individuals historically have faced, it is all the more probable that excluding same-sex couples from the legal institution of marriage is likely to be viewed as reflecting an official view that their committed relationships are of lesser stature than the comparable relationships of opposite-sex couples. Finally, retaining the designation of marriage exclusively for opposite sex couples and providing only a separate and distinct designation for same-sex couples may well have the effect of perpetuating a more general premise – now emphatically rejected by this state – that gay individuals and same-sex couples are in some respects "second-class citizens" who may, under the law, be treated differently from, and less favorably than, heterosexual individuals or opposite-sex couples. Under these circumstances, we cannot find that retention of the traditional definition of marriage constitutes a compelling state interest. Accordingly, we conclude that to the extent the current California statutory provisions limit marriage to opposite-sex couples, these statutes are unconstitutional."

The point of the poem is that when you see someone being discriminated against, especially when you yourself (as a Mormon, for example) are part of a minority group, I believe you have a moral obligation to say something about it. Ecclesiastes 3:1,7 says "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...a time to keep silence, and a time to speak". I'd also like to share a famous quote which you've probably heard before that says, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

So in the spirit of those verses and being raised Mormon, although I don't agree with the Church's views on homosexuality, I just became the 1,932nd member of the Facebook group "Mormons are Christians" because I believe in standing up for others who are being wrongly persecuted. I remember school kids in College Station saying that the reason we went to Seminary every morning was to saw off the horns and cut of the tails we grew during the night. I fight discrimination such as this because like the 11th Article of Faith says, we should all be free to believe and live our lives according to the "dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege".

Now, here's a hypothetical situation: What if the majority of Christians in America decided that they needed to "define Christianity" once and for all because all these other "fringe religions", like Mormons, claiming to be Christians were undermining the institution of Christianity. Also imagine that by being recognized as Christian came with certain legal benefits, rights, and privileges - for argument's sake, let's say there are 1,138 of them (which is the number of federal statutory provisions you automatically get when you get married. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_and_responsibilities_of_marriages_in_the_United_States). A ballot initiative passes by a majority vote to say that "Mormons are not Christians" in the state of California as part of the 'Defense of Christianity Act' (DOCA). And then, a few years later, the California Supreme Court intervenes on your behalf and says, "This is not constitutional. Mormons do believe in Christ and have the same rights as traditional Christians. You cannot discriminate against this group simply because your definition of Christianity differs from the Mormons." And the next fall, a proposition is put on the ballot to amend the constitution to permanently revoke those rights from Mormons. I'm saying, as a minority, a gay person, I would stand up for your rights and would not vote for such a proposition, but it doesn't sound like you would stand up for mine.

The point of the poem is that if you see discrimination and injustice and think it has nothing to do with you because you are not part of the targeted group, you are wrong. It has everything to do with you. If you don't defend freedom for everyone, you are jeopardizing your own and if you turn a blind eye to injustice, don't be too shocked if someone comes to take away yours when you encouraged it. That was the point I was trying to get across.

You claimed that the only people that have been jailed or imprisoned are those who support Proposition 8. I did research into this and would like to point out a few things.

You speak of tolerance. Whites in the 60's were "tolerant" of blacks - they just wanted them to sit in the back of the bus and drink from different water fountains and go to different schools. "Separate but equal", right? I'm curious - if you teach your children tolerance for gay people as you say you do, why would you object to schools teaching the same thing? That was the issue in Massachusetts that you referred to. And the concerned parent wasn't hauled off as you say for his beliefs or because he didn't want his kid learning that gays could marry - he was arrested for trespassing when he was asked to leave the school grounds and he refused until his request to remove his child from learning tolerance was granted. It's like if you invited someone to your house, they become belligerent, you ask them to leave, they refuse, and you call the police. When the person won't leave after being asked, they are trespassing. There are more civil avenues to object than trespassing, but he wanted to make a statement I'm sure and paint himself as a martyr. And apparently it worked. (By the way, did you know that since Massachusetts allowed gay marriage, the divorce rate in that state has gone DOWN?)

You stated that "being legally and lawfully married is a license to begin a family" and "if you and your boyfriend are allowed to get married, the government will treat you as a family unit, possibly giving you adoption rights, etc." Sorry to be the one to break it to you, but we already have adoption rights. There are 100,000 married gay couples in California. 25,000 of those have families with children - taking their kids to soccer games, going to work, paying their taxes, cooking dinner for their families, and cleaning their houses just like everyone else. Denying gay couples the right to marry hurts those families, which are just as real as yours or any other whether they are recognized or not. So who is hurting and weakening the institution of marriage and family? The ones who want to get married and support their own families, or the ones who want to prevent them from receiving the blessings that fall under the right to marry?

You also said, "I fundamentally believe that all children have the right to be born and raised in a family with a mother and father, and that is something, no matter how much love you and your boyfriend share, will never be able to give a child."

True, I will never be able to give a child a mother. But I am perfectly able to give a child love, guidance, support, stability - and provide for his or her physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental needs (as a matter of fact, my boyfriend is an educational consultant. He works all day tutoring children with learning disabilities so they can function in school and in life). I don't need to be a woman (or straight, for that matter) to have those qualities. Take a look at all of the kids that come out of unwanted pregnancies which often lead to unwanted marriages and unwanted, dysfunctional families. When gay couples choose to have children, it really is a choice. There are no "accidents". As far as gender roles go, I learned very little of sensitivity and nurturing from my mother. In the home, I learned it from my dad. All of the "feminine qualities" which are touted to be so necessary for children to learn from their mothers I learned from Kay Weaver, my friend Amy Weaver's mom. The most important thing is for children to be raised in a loving environment with responsible parents that love and are committed to each other and to the family they are creating, that teach their children to be themselves and be morally responsible, contributing members of society.

I understand you wanting to control what you teach your kids. The claim that gay marriage MUST be taught in schools in California if Prop 8 doesn't pass is false. Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for California's superintendent of schools, Jack O'Connell, said "There's nothing in the Education Code that requires schools to teach about marriage." In schools that do provide instruction about marriage, locally elected school boards determine the content, she said.

Besides, your children are going to learn a lot more than you want them to at school from other kids anyway, regardless of the curriculum. Your best defense of your childrens' moral fiber is open communication and preparing your children to deal with all kinds of concepts and ideas that don't fall in line with your beliefs, not trying to legislate and spic-and-span every bit of information you find offensive from schools in the first place. The same holds true for the television and the internet. Like I remember learning in church from the teachings of Joseph Smith, "teach them correct principles, and let them govern themselves."

You asked me to educate you about "what other rights/privileges are you seeking other than those already allowed under civil unions." First of all, California doesn't have civil unions - it has domestic partnerships, which on a state level pretty much offers the same rights as married people, but not necessarily the same status. I mean, if civil unions or domestic partnerships are so great, why don't you want one?

If your husband ends up in the emergency room, heaven forbid, and you rush to the hospital to see him and the nurse says, "Only immediate family!" all you have to say is "I'm his WIFE!" If you could only say, "I'm his partner", the nurse doesn't know what that means. And how would you feel if you had to pull out a domestic partnership certificate all the time to prove you have a legal relationship to your spouse? People understand the words "married", "husband", "wife". They don't question it. Gay couples, on the other hand, must justify their validity on a regular basis.

When you can't get married, people don't take your relationship as seriously. For example, I had a partner of three years, David Schmauch. We loved each other very much. We would have gotten married if we were able but we couldn't; we lived in Utah. So we bought a house together in Salt Lake City, we had joint checking accounts. We had two dogs. We built a life and considered each other spouses, but without being recognized as married, members of my family would say, "Are you still with that one guy?", "What does 'partner' mean anyway?" and my mom would only refer to him as my "roommate". When we divorced last summer what I got from family members and friends was, "Well, it wasn't like you were married or anything", and "You don't have to give him any money when the house sells do you?"

You said that no one denies that I have real feelings for my partner and that you realize how I "feel", but you put it in quotes. Why did you put it in quotes? How would you like someone saying: Kristin, I'm sure you "love" your family. It's offensive when you say you know how I "feel" and put it in quotes, like they are not real feelings. It's not possible for you to really know how I feel, is it? You've never had anyone challenge the validity of your feelings or relationships, have you? Or say that your temple marriage was not a "real" marriage and shouldn't be recognized by the law? We all deserve dignity and respect.

Personally, I don't think the government should recognize marriage AT ALL. Marriage should be left to churches and religions. And then everyone could have domestic partnerships if they wanted, offering the same rights privileges across the board for everyone. But if the government is going to ALLOW marriage for any 2 people, they should allow it for EVERYONE. That's my issue with Proposition 8. If you are only going to offer marriage selectively, you shouldn't be offering it at all. However, I agree with you, that marriage is good for society. Therefore, marriage should be accessible to gay people as well as straight people. Doesn't mean you have to believe it's right. Just like I don't have to believe being Muslim or Baptist is right. I get to believe according to my own conscience. That's the great thing about living in this country.

You said in your response to me that it was not about sexual preference, but that statement is disingenuous. It's all about sexual preference. We wouldn't be having this conversation if I wanted to marry a woman. You also can't say, "I have no interest in taking away your rights as a couple" and then vote for a proposition that eliminates my right to marry. What you are really saying is, "You never had that right and should never have it because it's morally wrong and against God's will" - it's the religious "right" imposing your beliefs on everyone else, whether it violates my civil rights or not. "Marriage should be defined this one way for everyone, cause my religion says so." So who's pressing for the dictatorship now? Sinclair Lewis warned in 1935 that "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."

I found it very interesting that you said you tried to take all emotion out of your thought process and advised me to do the same, yet you are talking about the fate of your children and their salvation here. How can you not be emotional about your children and family and what you believe to be right? I think you have every right to be emotional, but I thank you for not making it a personal attack. You see, there is no way for me not to be emotional either - this is my civil rights you are talking about. This is about my life, my loved ones, my liberty, and my pursuit of happiness - something absolutely to be defended.

Proposition 8 does not protect marriage – it is trying to protect the status quo. I believe that if I were to get married, it would strengthen the institution of marriage, not weaken it. Marriage is a good thing. It encourages responsibility, accountability, and unconditional love. Those are good fruits, and the scriptures say a lot about judging something by its fruits. Wouldn't you say that marriage is a much better alternative than meaningless flings and one-night stands?

You asked about my reasoning for opposing Proposition 8? It's simply because I believe in "doing unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Your Friend,

Kenshi Westover

Thankfully not all Mormons are falling for the fear-mongering of the Prop 8 campaign. http://mormonsformarriage.com/"

I'm Off

2008-10-15T22:00:00.001-07:00

I'm off to Kansas to see my Mom, Granny and Gerald.
I'll be on a much anticipated, much needed, long overdue vacation!
I might come up with something blogworthy while there, but don't hold your breath.
I'll be back in a week or so.
xo
-A

McCain is a Hot-head

2008-10-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

Rumor has it John McCain has a serious temper and anger control issues.
Do we really want that kind of thumb on the button?

Surreal

2008-10-10T08:29:00.001-07:00

I remember exactly when I wrote this one. It was after a long weekend trip that I made with some friends to Laramie. Laramie (yes, the Matthew Shepard Laramie) is where the University of Wyoming is and it's a quick trip from Laramie down to Denver. I remember this trip specifically that I made with my friends Melanie and Terry. We went down to Laramie and hung out with this guy Spencer. We all went down to Denver one night and hung out with all of these "cool kids" that Spencer knew. Spencer was probably 2 or 3 years older than me and was the first person I came out to...although I think initially I came out to him as "bisexual". He was the first person that I felt comfortable revealing myself to. It's odd, because I didn't know him all that well...I guess it's true that sometimes it's easier to reveal ones self to a stranger.
It was written in the Spring of 1990 which was mere moments away from my high school graduation. I remember it was one of those amazing moments in life when everything felt right and I felt a million miles away from all of the drama of high school life.

Surreal 3.17.90

As the end of the journey draws near, I am reminded.
Reminded of a night of simple perfection.
A night when we were
who we wanted to be...

This single night was a moment of pure ecstasy.
Running through the streets hand in hand.
Wishing time would stop.
Hoping that forever was about to begin...

So often I have looked back, wondering if that night was for real.
That perfect night.
When I was in love with life...

Raspberry Juice

2008-10-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

OMG. This one is so dramatical! I was very goth at this point in my life...many hours spent listening to The Cure, The Smiths and Siouxsie.
I don't have an exact date, but I wrote this one in my Sophomore English class...so sometime around 1987/88.
Enjoy!

Raspberry Juice

I skinned my knee.
A bright raspberry stain against
my pink childhood skin.
The little girl laughed,
I cried.
Mother told me to quiet down...
I spilled Kool-aid on my favorite shirt.
A sweet raspberry stain on my
white cotton clothes.
The little girl giggled,
I just sighed.
Mother told me to quit whining...
I was kissed on the cheek.
A waxy raspberry stain on my rough
boyhood cheek.
The little girl sighed.
I just giggled.
Mother told me to wash my face...
I was laughed at in the hall.
A hot raspberry stain on my
judged adolescent face.
The little girl avoided,
I just glared.
Mother told me to keep a stiff upper lip.
I sliced my wrist.
A bright raspberry stain on the
gleaming tile floor.
The little girl cried,
I just laughed.
Mother said she was sorry.
And the skies rained raspberry juice...

Jackpot

2008-10-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

When I was but a child (from about the age of 15-20ish) I fancied myself quite the poet.
My Freshman year of high school we moved to Eugene Oregon so that my mother could start her PhD at the UofO. My parents took a sabbatical from their teaching jobs and we headed west.
One of my friends that year was a girl named Tris. She was totally cool...and exotic. She was Canadian. For a boy from the sticks of Wyoming...Alberta Canada was practically Morocco.
Anyway...she introduced me to journals. More specifically poetry journals.

Today via Facebook I reconnected with another old high school chum who reminded me of the poetry writing days. I have about 5 journals filled with musings, prose and some poetry that at the time I took very seriously.

I was thinking about it today and decided that it would be amusing (entertaining?) to mine these journals and see what kind of of gems I could unearth.
I will post them in no particular order. Some are dated some are not...I will post the date I wrote them whenever possible.
I will do my level best not to edit too much and just randomly select....even though upon review some of them are really bad! But what good is teenage angst if you can't laugh at it as an adult?

So in the spirit of increasing my ability to laugh at myself and my threshold for groan inducing memories, I will bring you the poetic works of Mr. Andrew Martin as a regular installment on RedIsntDead.
Good Lord...help us all.
Why am I suddenly nervous?

09.16.95

I had a nice time.
The coffee was buttery
The water was twinkling
The cigarettes?
Dry.

I had a lovely time.
His eyes were sparkly
His hair was fuzzy
His socks?
Exposed.

I had a hot time.
Your skin was glowing
Your forearms perfectly hairy
Your lips?
Obscene.

I had a grand time.
The conversation was insightful
The company delightful
The possibilities?
Endless.

Unbelievable

2008-10-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

This video blew my mind. Take 13 minutes and watch it, then forward the hell out of it. Why on earth would anyone want to vote for McCain? Especially hard working, blue collar families?

"Keating Economics: the Making of a Financial Crisis" is a documentary that shows why John McCain's failed philosophy and poor judgment are a recipe for deepening the economic crisis.

Watch the documentary and share it with your friends.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/keatingvideo

Who Knew?

2008-10-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

A few days back I posted an email I had received that was encouraging people to make a donation to Planned Parenthood in Sarah Palin's name.
I must admit as much as I liked the idea, I didn't actually do it.
It would appear however that many people did!
Apparently this idea spread like wildfire via the interwebs.
I saw a blurb on the news that other night that Planned Parenthood has received upwards of $800,000 dollars from donations being made in Sarah Palin's name!
I am not sure how many people actually made the donations, but I think it's pretty amazing nonetheless.
Now lets just hope that all of those people are registered voters and will turn out to the polls and vote for Obama on election day!

FYI

2008-10-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

Turns out the Obama as Lincoln image I was talking about yesterday was done by Ron English.
I found a few more images of the Larkin St. stuff in someone's flikr stream.

Now ya know.

xo
-A

Finally!

2008-10-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I have posted any new tags.
I gotta say that San Francisco doesn't have what I had expected in the way of cool stickers and tags.
Today that changed.
I saw them today walking down Larkin(?) I think it was Larkin...anyway.
They're stunning.
Beautiful.
Eerie.
Who did them? Shephard Fairey?
Obama as Lincoln is pretty brilliant whoever did it.
The pics were all taken with my iPhone...they're not too shabby actually.
Please to enjoy.

Jaded?

2008-09-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

I went to Folsom St. Fair yesterday with Ryan and Tim.
There really wasn't much to report.

Granted, having lived in Seattle, NYC and now SF (three of the most progressive and permissive cities in the country) I have seen a lot and done a lot. Not that I was expecting to be blown away (no pun intended) but it was really kind of boring.
Naked men walking around who have NO business being naked in public?
Check.
Muscley gay boys who are high out of their minds on God knows what walking around with their shirts off?
Check.
Lots of guys in leather harnesses that never wear them except for twice a year at Gay Pride and Folsom st?
Check.
Weird random fetishes that I have absolutely no idea what they are?
Check.
Cigar pigs. Piss pigs, Latex pigs and lots of B.O.?
Check.
Laughable christian right group protesting God knows what with poorly drawn signs and bullhorns on the perimeter of the festival?
Check.
Even the numerous porn stars that were there weren't titillating.
I mean really...it seems that everyone is or was a porn star these days. Don't get me wrong, porn is hot...I love good porn...go for it, knock yourself out. I'm just saying that a porn star is as much of a celebrity these days to me as some washed up reality TV personality.

Maybe I am jaded...maybe at 37 years old I have seen the best and the worst of what the gay world has to offer.
Yes, of course, it would have been different if I were just out of the closet and had moved from Wyoming, or Iowa, or South Dakota. I remember what it was like to be 19 and at my first Gay Pride in Seattle. It was a very important part of coming of age and coming out. So for those gay boys and girls that were fresh off of the boat yesterday...I hope you had fun!
It was for me though, just another day in the life living inside of the gay bubble.

The highlight of it was seeing The Presets and Berlin. They both put on a good show...although Berlin was more like an "80's Revue" then anything else...but that's why we love them...right?

Other than that it was titties, penises, leather, latex and lots of cheap beer.
I guess more than anything it was a chance to get out and be with friends, do some day drinking and enjoy a beautiful SF fall day.

I was talking with my Mom yesterday before I went and was trying to explain it to her. She thought it sounded cool and said that maybe she would come stay with me next year and go to Folsom St. with me...at first I balked at the idea...but after yesterday I can honestly say that I think my Mom would have had a good time.
I think that pretty much says it all.

"Folsom St. Fair....so tame that even your Mother won't be shocked."

xo
-A

A Donation for Sarah Palin

2008-09-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

This came to me via email today and I am absolutely giddy at the thought of the potential for thousands upon thousands of these little cards arriving for Mrs. Palin from Planned Parenthood

Dear Friends:

We may have thought we wanted a woman on a national political ticket, but the joke has really been on us, hasn't it? Are you as sick in your stomach as I am at the thought of Sarah Palin as Vice President of the United States?

Since Palin gave her speech accepting the Republican nomination for the Vice Presidency, Barack Obama's campaign has raised over $10 million dollars. Some of you may already be supporting the Obama campaign financially; others of you may still be recovering from the primaries.
So, if you feel you can't support the Obama campaign financially, may I suggest the following fiendishly brilliant alternative?

Make a $5 minimum donation to Planned Parenthood. In Sarah Palin's name. A Planned Parenthood donation is tax deductible, while a political donation isn't.
And here's the good part: when you make a donation to PP in her name, they'll send her a card telling her that the donation has been made in her honor.

Here's the link to the Planned Parenthood website

https://secure.ga0.org/02/pp10000_inhonor

You'll need to fill in the address to let PP know where to send the card in Sarah Palin's honor. Use the address for the McCain campaign headquarters:

McCain for President/Sarah Palin
1235 S. Clark Street
1st Floor
Arlington , VA 22202

or:

John McCain 2008
P.O. Box 16118
Arlington, VA 22215

sick

2008-09-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

ugh. I have been laid out with some weird illness for the past few days...not fun. I have tired of cruising Facebook and there is only so much Huffington Post I can read before going a little batty.
I am going a tad stir crazy after 2+ days of being cooped up.

Forgive me if this post is a little on the random-stream-of-consciousness side...I've really nothing else to do with my time at the moment.
Hm...the blogger editor seems to be messed up...so my font might be a little off.

R. Kelly is a fool. If you have any doubt, then this sad little video should confirm it for you. Will someone please tell him to remove that "Gucci" sticker from his sunglasses?

Ladies and Gentlemen I give you:

TAPEFACE

This is what you get from a lot of beer, a roll of scotch tape and a dream

Check out the rest of Tapeface here.

Looks like Miley Ray Cyrus got herself a hunky new BF...Justin Gaston is a life size man/boy sculpted out of Cream Cheese. If you ask me she's the one who scored in this deal! Although a boy that pretty does nothing for me on an animal level...I would just want to stroke his face and brush his hair and put lipstick on him and tell him how pretty he is.

Told you this post was random.

Can't really think of anything else right now...
Time for a nap.
Thanks for reading.

xo
-A

What The Hell?

2008-09-12T06:31:00.001-07:00

It's confirmed...I am the last single and available man on the planet.
I swear to God.
Every other man out there is:
"Just out of a relationship and not looking for anything serious"
or
"Just started seeing someone and kind of committed to seeing where it goes"
or
"In a long term relationship and just looking for fun on the side"
or
"Actually...I'm a lesbian"

Please save me the "Apple at the top", "It will happen when you're not looking" platitudes.
I have been "not looking" for ever!
To quote Charlotte from SATC...
"I've been dating since I was 15, I'm exhausted, where is he?!?"

Seriously!?

I am not bitter.
Honestly.
That's not a cute look for me.
I certainly don't begrudge boys their boys. I think it's great that love is cropping up all over the place.
Trust me, I am the last person to be unhappy about someone being happy.
But, for reals...it's everywhere.
My roommate has a BF.
My best friend has a BF, and his BF is a good friend of mine too.
It seems that on Facebook everyone is changing their status from "single" to "In a relationship" on a daily basis.
My sister, my co-workers, people I barely know.
Married.
Engaged.
or
"Just started seeing someone a few weeks ago and am really into him"

I know...Oprah says that "God has a plan for all of us"
Yeah?
Well I have a fucking plan too! And my plan is to not be single forever!

It's just really odd.
I am a catch. I am an elegible bachelor.
I am funny, smart, sexy, a good friend. Can have a conversation with just about anyone on just about any topic. I'm successful, relatively well traveled, and am definitely the kind of guy you can bring home to Mom.

So, why is it that all of the guys who realize what a "catch" I am, are all dating someone else?

I'm not sad or angry or depressed about it. No. That's not my style.
I just.
don't.
get it.

Men are not pigs, assholes, jerks, blind or stupid.
I generally have faith in mankind and specifically gaymankind.
I think that we are capable of love, partnership and intimacy.
So...
WHERE THE HELL IS MINE?

Who the hell knows?

I sure don't.

If anyone knows the way to the Island of Single Available Men...please, clue me in.
Cuz my map seems to have gotten lost in the mail.

One More On Palin

2008-09-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

Another Palin gem culled from Facebook. In response to her snide comments re: community, grass roots actions.

"Mrs. Palin needs to be reminded that Jesus Christ was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor."

'Nuff said....for now.

xo
-A

So Many Things...

2008-09-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

All I am going to say about Sarah Palin can be summed up in a quote culled from Facebook friend.

"A woman voting for Sarah Palin is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders"

There may be more to say at some point, but for now, that's it.

I saw a lot of movies this summer. Some great (Ironman) some really mediocre (The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor),some really good, dark and disturbing but ultimately about 25 minutes too long and should have been split up into two movies further developing the character and transformation of a certain Two Face(d) individual (The Dark Knight).

The ones I enjoyed the most however were the comedies I saw. Of the ones that made me laugh Pineapple Express was the best...in fact I enjoyed it so much that I saw it twice. James Franco was really, really brilliant. Seriously I was impressed by his comic timing and subtlety. It would have been really easy to have turned his character into a lame ass Spicoli/Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure cast off, but he far surpassed my expectations. Seth Rogan did what Seth Rogan does best, but my favorite performance was Mr. Danny R. McBride. This dude is fricking hilarious! I laughed the hardest when he was on screen...his was one of those performances where I would laugh just by looking at him. I hope he doesn't become a one note hack like Will Ferrell.
I mean seriously are we expected to endure another ironic performance with a bad-on-purpose haircut and blank, constipated stares that land just a little left of where they should? It's only funny the first 3 or 4 times, then it just becomes rote, boring, and lame. I guess as long as he's getting paid, he doesn't really care.

What else?

Music!

Currently on heavy rotation is MSTRKRFT. I L-O-V-E their album "The Looks"
At first listen I thought they were Fronch. Their music is drawn in shades of Cassius, Justice and the ubiquitous Daft Punk.

Side note: is it just me or have the minds behind Daft Punk ceased to be innovative and fresh about 3 years ago? Seriously everything is beginning to sound the same...take away their much loved vocoder and what are you left with? Also, Bjork sucks. While her "music" is definitely visionary in the sense that it is unlike anything else out there, that doesn't mean that it is good. However, this is me digressing into what could be two very long posts on my personal feelings on Bjork and Daft Pun k.

So back to MSTRKRFT...they have that sexy, glitchy, discoey, filtery sound that I love. Turns out they are Canadian. Anyway, if you want some hot tracks to workout to, clean the house to, or just shake your ass to...get their album. But don't use iTunes. Boo iTunes! Screw you Steve Jobs! If I wanna burn the music I have downloaded onto a CD, I will...and you can't stop me.

I think that does it for now...thanks for reading.

xo
-A

Where I Been

2008-08-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

This arrived via comments to my blog today:

"ok, can you please start writing more often? I mean, I need to know who is pissing you off or what you are inspired by. I AM DYING OVA HEEYA! "

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I posted last! I also can't believe that people continue to check in.
Thanks for the kick in the ass Ryan...I suppose that's the jumpstart I needed.

What has been inspiring me? Good question.
Not much really.
This season of Project Runway is so boring...I mean even last night's Drag Queen episode was tired...It's true that DQ's ceased to be titillating about 20 years ago but still.
It had potential...this was a fresh(ish) take on the whole thing...I for one had never seen an episode about DQ's getting custom gear...but overall?
*yawn*
Now that Daniel is gone...the only cute one left is Keith...who really was the only cute one to begin with. I mean seriously this boy is a hunk! I wanna curl up with this boy and rub his head and tell him fantastic tales of our future together...but that prolly ain't gonna happen.
Other than that my life seems to be opening up in strange and unexpected ways...but no major inspiration at the moment.

That's not true.
What's inspiring me now?
1) Really bad techno
2) Acid Betty
3) The Jimmy Somerville/Marc Almond cover of "I Feel Love"
4) hmmmm...can't think of anything else.

What's annoying me?
Not much and everything...there is honestly nothing really that is under my skin these days.

More lies.

Boys are fucking annoying me lately.
One boy in particular...his name is not going to appear here...as tempted as I am to tell you that his name is Mark I am not going to.

oops.

We had been checking each other out at the gym for several weeks. Making shy, hesitant eye contact...(truth be told I am a shy boy trapped in the body of a loud mouth) but never saying anything.
Anyway...finally one day I got up the courage to talk to him and we started chit chatting.
This went on for a couple of days. Finally during our 3rd or 4th conversation I suggested that we exchange numbers and hang out sometime.
I called a couple of days later. Left a message and then.
nothing.
No return call.
Nada.
I ran into him at the gym a couple of days later and said hello, made small talk...but no mention of the call.
Perhaps he didn't get the message?
Perhaps he is a flake?
Perhaps he is painfully shy?
Perhaps.
Whatever.
He didn't call.

So...that's really it for now.
Funny, now that I have broken the seal on my almost month long silence...the floodgates are bursting.
But I shall save the deluge for another day.
it's late and I am tired.

Thanks for reading...even when I do disappear for months at a time.

xo
-A

10K Bitches!

2008-07-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

wow...cool.
My blog now has over 10K views!
I wonder how many of those are from me logging on to see how many views I have?
I used to have those google things on here that would allow me to track how many clicks I had on what postings and what sites people came from...I can't remember what they're called.
Biometrics?
Plyometrics?
Neither one of those are correct...whatever.
Anyway...I couldn't really make sense of what the info meant so I got rid of it.
I would be curious to know which postings received the most attention though.

Anyway...I think that's a pretty cool milestone...so I just wanna say thanks for checking things out.
For putting up with my inconsistency with postings...and just generally continuing to stop by and see what's up.

Thanks for reading.
xo
-A

Who Knew?

2008-07-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

I was first turned on to Craigslist back when I was living in NYC...say about 2001.

I was living in WIlliamsburg, Brooklyn at the time and was really wanting to move into the city, but was having a bitch of a time finding a place to live.

A friend told me about Craigslist and suggested I try it. I was blown away! I found a no fee, inexpensive, amazing apartment on the Lower East Side...and let me assure you that that was no easy task.

From that point on Craigslist became an invaluable resource for me.

I have bought and sold furniture, used it as a way to advertise my business, found places to live, workout partners, dates and *ahem* "activity partners".

It's an amazingly simple and effective idea. Put up what is in essence a community bulletin board, and let anyone post whatever it is they have to sell or post an ad for whatever it is they are looking for. The idea of also putting the onus on the users to moderate and flag postings that they deem inappropriate (over posting, spam, miscategorized posts etc) is pretty smart. Craig and his posse can just kick back and let the users do the work.

It takes quite a few "flags" to remove a posting so even if there is some random crazy person flagging the crap out of a posting, it won't really matter.

The downside to this is that there seems to be no moderating of the moderation.

It seems that the whole "flagging" system of removing postings from the board has been hijacked.

I had heard at one point about groups of religious nutjobs who would go through the M4M sections in any random city and in an attempt to "save the homasexshuls from themselves" would, as a group, flag down about every posting on the board.

I thought that malicious flagging was a random occurrence until I stumbled across this site:

Stopabusivecraigslistflaggers.com

I had no idea it was so out of control!

I mean you would think that the occasional angry, frustrated, bored, or crazy person could be a fly in the ointment. This however, takes it to a whole new level.

It's one thing to cockblock a 'Mo from tryin to get some, but to prevent a person from trying to find a lost pet, or to stand in the way of an animal finding a home is just plain evil.

God help the Craigslist Flaggers...there is a special place in hell for y'all.

All Moved In

2008-07-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

Finally all moved in to my new place!

I figured out the other day that since 1990, on average I have moved every 1.1 years! So at this point I have it down to a science.

It was quick and painless (thanks in no small part to help from Gabi and Cisco. Thanks Guys!)

I still have a few odds and ends to unpack, but mostly I am settled.

The most amazing part so far is that I have internet again! YAY! I LOVE having a dedicated wireless signal...sorry Meraki, but you just couldn't do it for me. You tried though.

Good try.

Maybe again in a couple of years.

Maybe.

So anyway, now that I am back on the grid I hope you'll be hearing more from me.

I love my new place.

Yet, It's kind of strange.

I have never lived in a building like this before.

It's a big, monolithic, condoville.

it has a gym, a pool, sauna, hot-tub, a security desk and elevators! I feel like the country mouse who just made it to the big city.

I am used to fifth floor walk ups, clanging radiators and hookers fighting with crack dealers in the hall outside my door.

Although I just moved in so who knows...if I'm lucky I might get some of that here too!

Today I go back to the old place, give it a light scrubdown and then my chapter at 520 Buchanan will be history.

In other more musical news...I have been mildly obsessed with the new Girl Talk album for a few weeks now.

"Night Ripper" has been on major heavy rotation since I was clued into it. It never ceases to get me up and moving.

"Feed The Animals" is the newest release and it has been on nonstop play since downloading it as well.

The best part?

You can go to his site, name your own price and download away...for free even.

Rather than even try to explain the Girl Talk experience to you I will just say two things:

1) You can download it for free, so really what are you waiting for?

2) This guy (Greg Gillis) is a freakin genius! I have yet to hear his entire catalogue, but the two albums I have completely transcend. It's unlike anything I have ever heard.

Brilliant.

And the best part? It is done without a trace of irony (pretty difficult when you are mixing The Carpenters, Metallica, Li'l Mama, Busta Rhymes and Dee Lite)

I, for one have grown a little weary of the dirty (on purpose), smelly (on purpose), disheveled (on purpose) M.O. of the hipster set.

It seems that irony has become a refuge for the cowardly and the lazy.

Don't get me wrong, when it works, irony really works.

However, when it becomes the sole motivation for what you wear, eat, drink, and listen to...it's gets really tedious.

Anyway...I digress....go download the album and enjoy the ride.

Thanks for reading.

-A

Working (it) Out

2008-07-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I hated P.E.
It was usually an exercise in terror and torture.
As the "school fag" going into the locker room was like going into the lion's den.
In art, drama, band, choir or creative writing class at least I was on my turf. I knew the rules and was a star student. It was absolutely my safety zone.
The gym however was another story. It was the place I dreaded most. The P.E. teachers were just grown up jocks...so they were simply a bigger and older version of the guys who made my life hell on a daily basis. They offered little in the way of comfort or protection. In fact if silence is the voice of complicity they were absolutely part of my teenage nightmare that was gym class.
The gym was absolutely enemy territory.

So in my late 20's when I found myself actually signing up and paying to go to a gym...I was as shocked (and on many levels still terrified) as anyone would be. Yet there I was at NYSC actually volunteering my credit card information and agreeing to pay them $30 a month.

A few weeks ago when I joined the gym down here, I found myself happy to be back in the gym, yet at the same time bored and uninspired by my workouts.
I was simply going through the motions.

One morning when I was on facebook I found myself browsing the little sidebar ads and saw one for a website called "Realjock".
Let me tell you that I am about as far from a jock as you can get...whatever the opposite of jock is, that's me.
Yet I clicked on the ad and checked out the site. Much to my surprise I actually found some useful, easily accessible information.
Most importantly I found the "12 week muscle building workout"
The workout is written by the trainers at Diakadi. A really cool gym here in SF.
I have been doing it for almost three weeks now and it is kicking my ass!
I love this workout!
I certainly can't afford a membership at Diakadi...but this workout is the next best thing.
It has totally humbled me in terms of my own fitness and ability and at the same time has given me a huge sense of accomplishment at the end of each workout.
For the first time in my life I am actually looking forward to the gym each day.
If you are looking for a way to jumpstart your routine or are simply bored with what you are doing...I highly recommend it.
A word of warning however...you will probably not be able to walk after the day two leg workout...seriously...get a wheelchair.
I am off to the gym to kick my own ass!
Thanks for reading!
xo
-A

A Whole Lotta Nothin

2008-07-05T08:28:00.001-07:00

Hey y'all! Long time...at least a few weeks.
Lots of stuff has happened...a few blogworthy things...but nothing too major.
I find myself feeling more and more settled all of the time.
I am moving into a new apt in a couple of weeks. I am really looking forward to having a roommate again. I tend to get really hermit-y when I live by myself, and living with another person will help shake me up out of my routine.
Living by myself in NYC was almost a necessity. Jockeying for space and resources with 7 million other people day after day got really overwhelming and the last thing I wanted when I got home was to share my space with anyone.
Life here is different though...much more laid back, so much less of a struggle and a fight.
I really do love it here.

I am still adjusting.
It's odd...with so many familiar things in my day to day (my job, my friends) it feels like I have lived here for years.
I have to constantly remind myself that this is a new chapter. A new city. A new adventure.
Lots of things are the same to be sure. I still haven't quite put my finger on what it is that I am burning to create. I will get there though. I have a few ideas rolling around in my head...ultimately I think the key is to just do. Take action, quit thinking and talking about it (both of which I am so tired of especially on this topic) and be like Nike.

Gay pride was amazing. Check out my Facebook page and click on the album "Gay Pride?"
It was the most fun I have had at a Gay Pride ever. Except for maybe the first one when I was but a babygay.

I would love to add some links in here to make it easier for you to find the pics...but I have the worlds worst internet connection ever. I am curious how long it will take for this blog to post today...or if it will post at all.

When I moved in one of my first orders of business was to see what kind of wireless signal I could hijack. I haven't paid for internet for 3+ years and I wasn't about to start now.
I kept seeing a network "Free The Net" pop up and although it was spotty, when it worked it worked well.
I assumed that it was somebody's unsecured personal WiFi...then one day I landed on this page while I was waiting for the page to load.
I snooped around and decided to sign up and see what they had to offer. A few days later I got an email response telling me all about "Free the Net" and how I could help.
There were two options:
A) I could mount a signal repeater outside of my apt...in a back yard or on the building exterior.
B) I could mount a small (about the size of a deck of cards) signal repeater inside my apt.
I opted for "B".
A few days later I got a small package in the mail from Meraki.
I opened it to find a small beige box about the size of a deck of cards with an A/C adapter, a little screw on antenna and some suction cups.
I plugged it in, mounted it on the window and fired it up.

Let me say that I love the idea of what Meraki is doing. I think the internet should be free and if they are doing it, then there is no reason that cities, counties, states and countries can't do the same.
I love the grassroots, power to the people, free to be you and me vibe of it all.

However...

The signal (at least the signal I get anyway) S-U-C-K-S!
I get a signal from Free The Net maybe 20% of the time.
The rest of the time the network either doesn't show up at all, or I get a super weak signal and then I get the joy of watching a simple page load for oh, say 20 minutes!
It's maddening!
I understand that the more people that have these little repeater boxes up and running the stronger the network becomes...I get it.
But it's really annoying to see the little spinning icon going around and around and around and to see "Loading..." flashing on the screen when all I wanna do is check my friggin email.
Thank God my iPhone plan is unlimited in data usage...I have been really racking up the miles on it lately.

This, BTW is another reason I have been kind of MIA on the blog front...I simply haven't had a signal for the majority of the time.

So in theory I love what Meraki is up to...in reality though, the signal is lamer than dial up...in fact when it makes my EDGE Network iPhone look like a speed demon then you know it's fucking slow.

Oh and on another note...the suction cups on the back of the repeater box suck...or rather don't suck. More than once I have been startled out of a deep sleep to the sound of it falling off of my window and crashing down to the floor.
Anyway...I guess my economics teacher was right...you get what you pay for.

So I am off (try and) post this...who knows how long it will take.

Thanks for reading!
xo
-A

Now This is a George Bush I Would Vote For!

2008-06-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

This came to me via email this morning. I am not sure of the original source.
Please to enjoy.

"While some U.S. Presidents get highways, schools or monuments named after them, that doesn't seem to be the case for George W. Bush.

A group in San Francisco, which call themselves the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco (sounds very official, huh?), is asking voters to sign a petition to have a nearby building named after the Prez.

The building they'd like to honor Bush with is none other than the water sewage treatment plant on the nearby coast.

Purrrfect!

And the name? They'd like to have it called the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.

Sweet and simple!

The plant is currently called the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant.

Brian McConnel, one of the organizers stated, “Most politicians tend to be narcissistic and egomaniacs. So it is important for satirists to help define their history rather than letting them define their own history.”

The plan is to place a vote on the November ballot which will supposedly provide “an appropriate honor for a truly unique president.”

The group already has plenty of signatures to qualify for being on the ballot.

Howard Epstein, chairman of one of the San Francisco Republican Party and one of the few Republicans in the city, is obviously against the naming, calling it "an abuse of process.”

He adds, “You got a bunch of guys drunk who came up with an idea and want to put on the ballot as a big joke without regard to the city’s governance or cost.”

Oh yea, the idea to name the sewage plant after Bush apparently came to the organizers while drinking at a bar.

If approved, the renaming would take effect on January 20th of next year."

george michael

2008-06-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

I went to see George Michael last night in concert.
He's amazing!
I had so much fun...I am hoarse today from screaming.
Someone posted this vid of his cover of "Feeling Good" from the show last night.
What you can't really see the full effect of is the gigantic LED screen that made up practically the entire stage. During this number there was some HAWT footage of Dita VonTeese doing her amazing burlesque stuff on the screen. It was pretty incredible.
I have some pics posted on my Facebook...check it out.
George Michael...you still got it!
That man really knows how to put on a show.

Busy Busy

2008-06-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

I'm here...a bit lax on the posting...I realize!
My apologies.
I have been a tad consumed lately.
What with getting back to my workout routine (up at 6 AM to be at the gym by 7 workout for a couple of hours run home, eat and get to work) Review season at work...(writing reviews is such a time consuming process!) Not to mention that I am gearing up to move...AGAIN!
Not leaving SF mind you...just coming to the realization that at this stage in the game, living on my own means having no money left over to enjoy my amazing life down here! SO....I have made a friend who is looking for a roommate and I am taking the plunge.
For the first time in almost 10(!) years I will be sharing a space with another human. I am actually looking forward to it too!
Anyway...more details later...I promise!
I must jump in the shower and get to work!
xo
-A

Here I Am

2008-06-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

Things have been a tad crazy lately...so I haven't made much time to post.
I am going to be editing a lot of the posts and labels on here...just clearing out the clutter. There are some labels that just never got off of the ground. So I'll be bidding them a farewell...trust me you probably won't even know they are gone.
Let's see...what else?

I finally got a gym membership! yay!
I joined up with 24HourFitness...my location on Market St. is teeny tiny!
The reviews I read on yelp when I was deciding which gym to join had warned that it was...but I really had no idea how small, small was!
Having grown up with a morbid fear of P.E. class which as an adult has translated to low levels of anxiety whenever I go to the gym, I tend to like my gym's big enough to allow me to kind of "hide" or "disappear". That, however is not an option in this gym. The place is just too damn small.
I have yet to discover when the off hours are...I have been going at 2pm lately and there is always a good size crowd (although in a place this small...10 people can feel like a crowd)
However, it's clean, the people are friendly and it's not so gay that I feel like a circuit party is about to break out at any given moment.
The one thing that is highly irritating is the size of the locker room...seriously my apt. has more sq. footage!
Not like I need a palatial Joan Collins bathroom or anything but it's kind of ridonkulous how miniscule it is.
It's a very narrow L-Shaped layout and it's no exaggeration to say that more than 5 people in any one arm of the "L" is 3 too many!
In the end however it's nice to have the gym routine back in my life.
I was starting to feel a little out of shape!
That's about it...I am going to see "Sex And The City" tonight with Ryan and Cisco...I am so excited!
I don't even need to see it to tell you that I am going to love it! I loves me some SJP!
I might do a review...we'll see.
Anyway.
Thanks for reading!
xo
-A

McCain Is A Shit-Head

2008-05-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

I don't know why the blogger editor is so messed up these days...but it is. I can't even make simple Ctrl commands work....So rather than post a link to the Arianna Huffington post on McCain and his atrocious voting on reproductive rights....I will just cut and paste the entire article below. Thanks for the information via "Huffington Post"

My favorite line for inducing blood boiling rage and frustration is McCain speaking of his voting record saying: "The rights of the unborn is one of my most important values."

So the rights of potientially, maybe, not yet Americans are to him more important then the rights of taxpaying, hardworking, VOTING Americans? Good to know...that logic makes perfect sense to me.

Lord help us.

Here's the article.

"We've seen the exit polls. We've read the unequivocal quotes. Many women who are avowed Hillary Clinton supporters are declaring they won't vote for Barack Obama in the fall.

I get the anger and the disappointment. But to quote SNL's Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers: Really? You'd rather vote for John McCain, a man who has a 25-year history of voting against a woman's right to choose? A man who over the last eight years that NARAL has released a pro-choice scorecard has received a 0 percent rating (in his time in office, Obama has received a 100 percent rating)? A man whose campaign website says he believes Roe v. Wade "must be overturned"? A man who has vowed that, as president, he will be "a loyal and unswerving friend of the right to life movement"?

Really?

In Clinton vs. Obama, the policy differences were minor (hence the overriding focus on minutiae like flag pins, Bosnian sniper fire, and the real meaning of "bitter"). In McCain vs. Obama, the differences are enormous. Staying the course in Iraq vs. ending an unnecessary and immoral war. Universal health care vs. less regulation for insurance companies. Rolling back the Bush tax cuts vs. making them permanent.

And nowhere is the difference more profound than with reproductive rights.

For anyone -- male or female -- who cares about reproductive rights, family planning, and women's health issues, the choice this fall is not even close.

And yet many voters have no idea how extreme McCain's position on these issues is.

I was in Seattle last week giving a speech at a fundrasing lunch for Votes! Washington, the political arm of Planned Parenthood in Washington State. At the event, the group's CEO Elaine Rose told me about a poll that Planned Parenthood had commissioned of women in 16 battleground states [pdf]. The results are startling:

Over half of all women in these states have no idea what McCain's positions are on reproductive health. Forty-nine percent of women in battleground states who currently favor McCain are pro-choice. Twenty-three percent of them believe McCain agrees with them on choice.

The good news is, 36 percent of pro-choice McCain supporters are less likely to vote for him after learning that McCain opposes Roe v. Wade and favors making most abortions illegal. That number hits 38 percent when those voters learn that McCain has also consistently voted against expanding access to programs that reduce pregnancy and the need for abortion, consistently voted in favor of abstinence-only programs, and against legislation requiring insurance companies to cover birth control.

The poll's encouraging conclusion:

The simple arithmetic of these findings suggests that just filling in McCain's actual voting record and his publicly stated positions on a handful of key issues has the potential to diminish his total vote share among battleground women voters by about 17 to 20 percentage points.

Clearly, when it comes to this key issue, the more voters learn about McCain, the less they like him. So let me add to the educational process:

Since 1983, in votes in the House and the Senate (where he has served since 1987), McCain has cast 130 votes on abortion and other reproductive-rights issues. 125 of those votes were anti-choice [pdf]. Among his voting lowlights:

He has repeatedly voted to deny low-income women access to abortion care except in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother's life (although McCain is now wavering on trying to put these exceptions into the party platform).

He voted to shut down the Title X family-planning program, which provides millions of women with health care services ranging from birth control to breast cancer screenings.

He voted against legislation that established criminal and civil penalties for those who use threats and violence to keep women from gaining access to reproductive health clinics.

He voted to uphold the policy that bans overseas health clinics from receiving aid from America if they use their own funds to provide legal abortion services or even adopt a pro-choice position.

Of his anti-choice voting record, McCain has said, "I have many, many votes and it's been consistent," proudly adding: "And I've got a consistent zero from NARAL" through the years. And last month he told Chris Matthews: "The rights of the unborn is one of my most important values."

What's more, McCain has made it very clear that if he becomes president he will appoint judges in the Scalia, Roberts, Alito mold. His big judicial speech earlier this month was filled with coded buzz words that make it clear that, if given the chance, he'd replace 88-year-old Justice John Paul Stevens with an anti-choice Justice who would tip the scales against Roe v Wade. Throw in an additional anti-choice replacement for the 75-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and you can kiss the right to choose good-bye for a long, long time.

That's why the unmasking of John McCain is job Number One between now and November.

The only way John McCain can win is if his reactionary views on choice and women's health issues remain obscured by his faux maverick reputation and the blinding disappointment of Clinton die-hards.

There is too much at stake to let that happen."

Soap Box

2008-05-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

I used to work at Urban Outfitters about a hundred years ago in Seattle.
Walk into any one of their stores and it is clear that "cooler than thou" is their creed. They have learned how to evolve and morph with the trend of the day...always seeming to be on target (with laserlike precision) with what is "totally now".
I don't really shop there anymore...besides the fact that the potential for tetanus always seems right around the corner, what with all of their fitxtures being made of something rusty or splintery...I just don't relate to the majority of their merchandise.
If that weren't enough...now there seems to be a concrete reason to avoid Urban.
This via email from Jeremy:

"We live in a capitalist society and consumer demand drives the market. Ever since I found out about Richard Hayne, the founder of Urban Outfitters, and his ties to Rick Santorum, I've avoided his stores.

From the article:

'Shopping in Urban makes you feel like you are somewhere radically Left-wing, an antidote to the corporate blandness of The Gap. But Hayne is a stanch conservative who donates money to Republican politicians, not least Rick Santorum, a now failed Senator whose views on homosexuality are both bizarre and old-fashioned.

Hayne doesn't give many interviews precisely because he's afraid that college slackers who get to know him will suddenly realise that buying his clothes is like giving cash to George Bush.'

So please be conscious of where you are spending your money. The Gap may be bland, but their business practices are getting greener and more socially conscious every year.

That's it for today's sermon."

Thanks for the heads up Jerms!

Grrrrr...

2008-05-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

Seriously? Waking up today was like moving a mountain.
I have been working my butt off and am in the middle of a 7 day stretch.
Long story short just when I thought things were settled with the schedule and that I could get some sort of regularity...my assistant got called for jury duty!

(as I type this the blogger editor is messed up so the font might be random)

Anyway...blah blah blah...this is the kind of stuff that really gets under my skin about being a manager...I know it is part and parcel of the gig. I just get really annoyed and irritated by this kind of crap.
Having to work for a long stretch of time only increases my level of annoyance.
It's nobody's fault per se...its just a lame ass situation that I am in the middle of.
I know...its only temporary.
This too shall pass.
Blah blah blah.

I gotta get to work.

Bonjour

2008-05-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

I'm having a major Fronch music moment these days.
While neither one of these songs/videos are new...they are currently on very heavy rotation on my playlists.

TTC "TRAVAILLER" is first...not only does French make everything sound sexier...but I like the spazzy, frenetic remix. The first guy...the scruffy, growly one is a babe. It's official...I want a French Rap Star Boyfriend.

next is Yelle "A CAUSE DES GARCONS". I dig the 80's ripoff video...It reminds me of the random old school videos where there was really no point to it other than that it was a vehicle for the song. And it's one of those songs that makes me like to pretend that I am in my own video while I am walking down the street listening to it.

I could use this opportunity to comment again how much Madonkey's new album sucks and how if she was looking for a cutting edge/relevant/fresh/exciting sound that she could have collaborated with any of these peeps...but I won't.
So pour yourself a cold glass of Peru and enjoy!

Merci for reading!
xo
-A

A Question of Culture

2008-05-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

There is a caveat here: I don't really know the point of this post.
Or more specifically...I have had this idea of "creating culture" rolling around in my head for the past few days and I don't know what to do with it.

What does that even mean "Creating culture"?
There are magazines, blogs, TV shows, music and various other forms of media out there that inspire and inform me. There are people, groups, collectives etc. that create things that I connect with, believe in, aspire to.

I find myself from time to time (especially recently) with this unshakable urge, desire, motivation to create something.
Make something.
Do something.
It's a strange brand of restlessness.
Like there is something I have forgotten to do.
Is the iron off?
Did I lock the door behind me?
Where is my wallet?
Do I have my keys?
It's like a tickle in the back of my throat that I can't scratch.
Is it a purely creative impulse that has yet to connect with the right outlet?
Is it that urge we all have to leave something lasting behind? To make an impression?

As a kid growing up I had all sorts of creative outlets: Piano and voice lessons, band, choir, theater.
I had art class and my box of paints. Chalk. Pastels.
It was enough to be creative just for the sake of being creative. I never worried about whether or not what I made was going to have any effect on anyone or anything...I just did it for the sake of doing it.

This blog is like that.
Sort of.
I will admit that I harbored secret desires and dreams of notoriety when I started this. In some sense it was motivated by ego. I had hopes of small bits of "fame and fortune".
Still, I do like the exercise of writing just to express and purge.
Yet I feel like I have only scratched the surface.

Maybe I can be a painter.
A lounge singer.
A designer of something.
Anything.
I want to create something more...something culturally significant.

Like Jack Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick. When he sees Cher's "little boobie dolls" and tells her that she needs to think bigger.
In a following scene we see the scale of Cher's sculptures have gone from hand-held size to mammoth proportions.
That's kind of what it's like.
Like there is some sort of well or source that I have only just begun to tap.
That it can be so much bigger.

For a while a few years back I had this fantasy of having a magazine.
Of taking all of the pieces and parts of magazines that I liked and and doing my own.
Of taking the vision I had in my minds eye and making it a reality.
The idea of being responsible for providing creative inspiration...for directing the evolution of something from concept to something tangible is so appealing to me.
In that same vein I harbored fantasies of being a Creative Director.
I don't have the education to walk into a building, lay down my resume and ask for a job like that...so again I come back to the idea of DIY.
Of creating something out of what I already have and already know.
Taking my experience and tearing it down so that I can rebuild it into something more.
When I listen to anyone talk of their creative experience or process, the common thread is always about writing or painting or singing or dancing from what they know.

I know what I know....I just don't know what to do with what I know.

I think that this is part why I was compelled to move to San Francisco.
To figure this out.
To create whatever it is that I am to create.

As for now it is elusive.
It is still veiled....hidden.
It's still an itch I can't quite scratch.

But there is a light on.
The door has been opened and I see a sliver of illumination.
The fuse has been lit and take off is imminent.

In the meantime I guess mine is to let go and enjoy the ride.

Thanks for reading...I'll keep you posted.
xo
-A

Hey Cisco!

2008-05-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

No man is an island.

Who said that? I don't know...you can figure it out for yourself here.
Cisco and Ryan and I went to see Ironman the other night. Which BTW totally fucking RAWKED! I loved this movie! As you well know I love me some summer movies!
Even the ones that suck ass are enjoyable if only because they are part of the big summer blockbuster season. So start yours off by seeing Ironman. Totally great soundtrack, perfect casting, the right amount of CGI but not so much that it overwhelms the movie and awesome action sequences. The best part is that it's actually a good movie...not just flashy trash...actually well done on all levels. So go see it!
So anyway...Cisco and I are sitting there waiting for the movie to begin while Ryan goes to the snack bar to get a refill on his gigantor, stomach-sized popcorn.
Seriously Ryan can eat more popcorn than anyone I have ever seen...for being such a pint sizer he can put it away! It's kind of a ritual that we have when going to the movies. Get a huge soda and popcorn and eat so much that you make yourself sick and want to throw up, but love every minute of it and never vow that you "will never eat that much popcorn again" because you know that the next time you go to the movies you will do it all over again.
Our conversation while we are waiting for Ryan to refill his tub meanders to the topic of social life and work...more specifically my seemingly all consuming work and current meager social life.
It has not gone un-noticed by Cisco that the balance between work and play in my life is out of whack. Part of this is due to my random schedule...which promises to become a tad less random since I have recently taken over the writing of said schedule.
I tell Cisco this and he nods in approval at the same time understanding that the requirements of being a retail 'Ho include a certain surrender to never having a "regular-nine-to-five" kind of life. It will always be random.
Yet he cautions. "You have to be careful or you risk becoming an island"
He then suggests with his wholly unique brand of tounge-in-cheek-ness-earnestness-I-am-kind-of-kidding-but-if-you-were-
to-take-my-suggestion-seriously-I-would-drop-all-pretense-that-I-
am-not-serious humor that I should: "put some sort of function on your blog so that people can see when your days off are"
I am, at this point a mix of emotions and reactions...most of which are internal.
I respond externally to him with my own brand of humor that "he should write that for me, you know, put together some one's and zero's so that I can do exactly that"
Internally however there is a low level of panic that is starting to build. Part of it is due to that fact that he has struck a very real nerve inside of me. I do feel like I am a social island right now. In fact the past three weekends have been spent at work while my friends have frolicked in the boozy sunshine, leaving me to feel really isolated. Not isolated in a "Bell Jar" kind of way, but nonetheless feeling like "Dammit! Part of why I came down to San Francisco was to find a balance in my life and right now I am decidedly out of balance!!" Another layer to this has been that a couple of weeks ago I had a friend in town that I didn't get to see because of scheduling conflicts and next weekend I have another friend (yes Billy it's you) that I may or may not get to see because of similar conflicts. This is all kind of exacerbated by the fact that I don't blame my job for it...I like my job. It's just the nature of the beast and while I don't hold it against my job that my schedule is all over the map...I still have the right to be frustrated.
Not having a target for my frustration can be...well...frustrating!! I mean where is the victim in all of this dammit?!
Somebody has to pay!! Am I to become a work slave only to get the occasional social repreive?!
It doesn't escape me of course that all of this is going on inside of my head while I am, in fact enjoying the company of my friends socially...but whatever.
I also realize that this social isolation is in part, due to the fact that my circle of friends here is still rather small...and of course, why shouldn't it be? I have in fact only lived here for a month(ish) and time will be my greatest ally in this situation, allowing my social life to flourish. Or more to the point...time well spent will be my greatest ally.
This all happens in a nanosecond inside of my brain, in the meantime Ryan has returned and the movie starts.
After the movie, we part ways and I am waiting for the train while my brain echoes Cisco's cautionary sentiment of me becoming a social island.
I know that Sunday (at this point tomorrow, but currently yesterday) I am off early(ish) and that Monday (today) I am off. So that adds up to a window of social opportunity Sunday night that I can go out and have some drinks! Now of course there is more to being social than going out to bars and drinking it up. At the same time part of being social (for me anyway) is going out to bars and drinking it up. While I don't even come close to the levels of inebriation that I reached in my 20's, I do still enjoy "going out" from time to time.
I start to plant the seeds early Sunday afternoon via text messages sent to Ryan and Cisco. After a brief volley between the three of us it becomes clear that The Bar on Castro is our liquid destination.
I get home early last night, make some food, change out of my work clothes and sit down to relax for a minute.
Then I slowly find myself wondering if I really want to go out now. Is it enough to know that I was invited? I mean really...do I actually want to go out or am I satisfied with just knowing that people want me to go out? This ridiculous train of thought continues and I find myself leaning towards staying in. Knowing at the same time that at least Ryan is probably only out tonight because I have been complaining to him lately that I have no social life. I also know that I have to go drop off my rent check and that CitiApartments is on the way to The Castro.
Suddenly I get almost simultaneous texts from Ryan and Cisco wondering where the hell I am. I am stirred out of my internal tug of war and decide that "I am going out Dammit!"
I arrive at the bar and am pleased to see that it's not crazy crowded and that contrary to the music on the website that the DJ is actually playing some cute music.
So fastforward a few drinks later and Cisco and I are having the same conversation about my random schedule, my social life and how "seriously, my days off should be posted on my blog"
I throw down the gauntlet and tell Cisco that "Alright, I will."
And so I shall.
But not before I tell you that I had a blast last night! I was only there for a couple of hours, but I got some really good laughs in...like the kind of laughs where your face hurts. I got to meet some new people, drink some good drinks, see some cute boys and on my way home give a (semi drunken) call to Blair inviting him to come down and stay with me for SF Gay Pride!
I guess I need to get that sleeper sofa stat!

So for May my days off are as follows:
The 8th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 19th, 26th and 27th.
Book me now bitches or forever hold your peace.

Side note to Cisco. In all seriousness I think you need to revive your blog. I say this with complete honesty that your view on the world is fascinating. Your earnestness and honesty is appealing and quite engaging...in person and on the blogosphere.
That's my two cents anyway.

Sunny Side Up

2008-05-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

It's sunny here almost all of the time. I am not exactly sure how to deal with it.
Don't get me wrong...I love it. I am not complaining.
But after a decade + in Seattle where I think the average yearly sunfall(?) is like 4.2 hours a week (I might be slightly exaggerating for effect...but not much) I am a bit taken aback by how sunny it is here.
It's pretty incredible really. It's not perfect mind you...it can get really windy here which is kind of irritating. The wind is usually really chilly and the weather here can change on a dime. Like one second it is in the high 60's then in a matter of minutes (ok...hours) it can drop 10+ degrees.
I have heard a lot of people say "If you don't like the weather in San Francisco, just wait 20 minutes".
However, the sun trumps all of this.
I can handle just about anything weather wise as long as it's sunny out. After all I grew up in Wyoming where some winter days the schools would be closed because with the windchill it was close to -70! The weather in NYC was no picnic either. There are about 6 weeks a year in NYC where the weather is pleasant. The rest of the year it's either way too fucking hot, or way too fucking cold. All of this is do-able for me, but the deal breaker for me is sun...or lack thereof.
I don't think I even realized how much the gray, flat, days of Seattle had gotten to me until I was gone.
So here I am in sunny San Francisco and it's incredible. I wake up in the morning and check the sky and am amazed that it's blue. It makes me so happy!
Still, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am not trying to be a pessimist...I am slowly learning to trust the weather. I guess it's just old habits dying hard and all that. Checking the extended weather forecast has become a hobby of sorts.
Yet as I look this morning I see that it's expected to be sunny and in the 60's all week long!

Sheesh! Is that incredible or what!?

*sigh of relief*

Life is good.

Hey Y'all

2008-04-28T10:18:00.001-07:00

It's Monday morning and my weekend has started...welcome back to the world of retail!
I really don't mind the random schedule. When I made the decision to come back to retail I knew that a sporadic schedule was one of the things I was in for. Actually I like the fact that it keeps me from getting too stagnant. One of the things that I have to stay aware of is getting too stuck into a routine. When I have had a set schedule in the past it's been very easy for me to get stuck in the rut of "Go to work, come home, have dinner, watch TV go to bed, go to work, come home, have dinner watch TV" repeat ad nauseum. This way I am more or less forced to balance my work life with the rest of my life.
The only part that sucks right now is that I have almost zero social life...my friends are pretty much Monday-Thru-Friday-Nine-To-Fivers and I am the antithesis of that. It seems lately when I have time off they don't and vice versa. I have missed more than one sunny weekend of hanging out in the park drinking and having fun. So I do feel a little like the kid who keeps missing all of the fun because he has to do his chores or his homework. It should be an easy thing to remedy though...I'll just have to make an effort to request a few Sunday-Monday combos off throughout the months so that I can have fun too!

My new apartment is great...if not a little spartan. I abandoned, gave away or sold most of my possessions when I left Seattle...I have a super comfy new bed and a sweet new TV so I am pretty much set for the moment...a sofa, coffee table and the rest can't be too far away.

What else?
Oh yeah...the new Madonna album.
I managed to get a hold of a copy and let me say without hesitation that the new Madonna album S-U-C-K-S! It's a mess, a trainwreck, a shallow, vapid, meaningless, empty, shell of an album.
Seriously...my world has been turned upside down when I am way more into the new Mariah Carey album then the new Madonks.

Everything that I like about the album (and let me assure you there isn't much about it that I do like) I like in spite of the fact that Madonna is associated with it.
It's kind of like when there is someone in your life that when you first meet them you think they are super cool...you love so much about them. The way they dress, talk, act, speak. The music that they listen to, the movies that they watch, the books that they read. You totally look up to them, aspire to be more like them, you want to emulate them. Then something happens, and at some point you realize what a fraud they are and they start to annoy you and bug the shit out of you. Then one night you see them at a party or out at a bar and you roll your eyes and mutter
"Oh my god...she's here!? Lame!"
That's what this album is like...everytime Madonna opens her mouth or sings/raps/mutters some lame ass lyric, I am reminded that the girl I used to think was so cool is still at the party trying to get attention and hang. When what she should be doing is just chilling out, moving on and quit annoying me by trying so hard.
There really isn't much more to say about the album...but when has that stopped me?

Historically Mariah Carey has bugged the crap out of me. My opinion of her has always pretty much been that she looks like a Gelfling and sounds like a dolphin.
I am not ashamed however to say that I really like her new album. It's fun to listen to. It is really well produced and comes as a nice little tasty pop package. There are more then a few tracks on it that make me wanna shake it...it sounds like Summer to me.
It's bright, breezy and fresh...(sounds like a douche ad I know)...but it's true.
The Madonks album however is the opposite of that...it's a mess. There is nothing fresh or fun about it.
The opening song "Candy Shop" is so silly lyrically that I don't even know where to begin.
She sings something about lolipops and Turkish Delight that I don't really get..is that a euphemism of some sort that is escaping me? Add the unfortunate lyric "my sugar is raw" and it's more than uncomfortable and awkward.
The way that she is singing on the track sounds so forced and lame that I was actually cringing when I listened to it.
Another cringe-worthy track is "Spanish Lesson".
Oh-My-Gaw.
Seriously I couldn't and still haven't listened to more than the first few bars of the vocals cuz it's just plain stupid.
Kanye West appears for a (mercifully) brief moment...while he is not an ad for a douche either, he is in fact an actual douche.

There are more than a few times on the album where Madonna is trying to sound "tough" or "street' and she just ends up sounding silly.
She has never been an amazing vocal talent...something that I think she has been pretty clear about. But what she always seemed to have going for her was an incredible pop sensibility. Her music, style, fashion sense whatever always was if nothing else entertaining, fun, and was generally ahead of the curve. However there is absolutely nothing fun or ahead of the curve about this album. It all feels forced, strained, empty and old.
It left me more confused than anything else.
I just don't get it...it seems like all of the people on this album were kind of half-assing it.
It's like Pharrel l, Justin, Timbaland and everyone else who had a hand in this mess just brought the leftover stuff that had been kicking around in their bag of tricks and decided to smoosh it all together and call it an album. I mean did anyone even actually try to do anything interesting on this album?

Some of the beats are hot. I do like the sound of "Heartbeat" despite the RIDONKULOSITY of Madonna saying "see my booty get down like" and then giving some sort of guttural sound that is laughable.
I also like the sounds of "She's Not Me". It has a kind of 80's/Disco vibe that's interesting.

There are a few other bright spots in the mess...however none of them are because of Madonks...they are, again, listenable despite the fact that she is part of it.

Giving her the benefit of the doubt here...maybe she was just doing her part to fulfill her contractual obligation before moving on. Perhaps she was just doing her duty before her new deal starts...one thing is for sure...girl got paid.
Will her new stuff be interesting? Who knows...time will tell.
One thing is for sure it would be difficult for them to be less interesting than this album.

There is a line on the uncomfortable "Spanish Lessons" where she says
"Callate means shut your mouth"

Yes Madonna...that's correct.

So please by all means...if what you have to sing/say/rap/mutter is this boring and played...then do us all a favor and Callate.

Oh Madonkey...

2008-04-22T09:01:00.001-07:00

This is not a review or critique of the latest Madonna album.
I was going to try and cleverly work some sort of connection between Andy Warhol's "15 minutes of fame" quote and the song title "4 Minutes" but alas, I was not able.
This post is mostly me saying "What the hell happened"?

Billy sent me a link yesterday to seven leaked tracks off of her new album...I arrived a tad too late and the tracks had already been yanked.
Lame.
At first I was bummed...mostly because I hate being denied anything.
So I started digging and found the "4 Minutes" video on YouTube...not a big discovery mind you...but I hadn't seen it yet. Then I dug some more...I found a "leak" of "Candy Shop" and another of her with Pharell called "The Beat Goes On".
Listen..do we really think for a second that these things are going unnoticed by the Mandonna camp? Doubtful that they are unaware that this stuff has been "leaked" out there...but anyway I digress.
I was listening to both of these tracks today and wondering: A) if they were real and actual tracks and B) why I didn't really give a shit that I was listening to the latest Madonkadonk songs.
I mean she's fricking Madonna ok? This was a woman who inspired millions of young girls to dress like whores, angered the Pope enough to call for a boycott of her and her music, who inspired countless attempts at censorship and record burning, who rolled around in a fucking wedding dress singing "Like A Virgin" and gave "voguing" and Willie Ninja his 15 minutes of fame!
C'mon she's legendary, children!
Yet all I could think of when I was listening to the tracks this morning was how her vocal style and evolution peaked sometime around her role as Breathless Mahoney in Dick Tracy.
I remember hearing back then that she was working with Stephen Sondheim during that film, how he was coaching her vocally and I thought that her (and his) hard work showed. She did seem to evolve vocally in some way.
Then came "Erotica", "Bed Time Stories" and finally (in my opinion her last relevant album)"Ray of Light".
Then something happened. Suddenly it stopped.
Was it having kids?
Was it her sudden interest in spiritual matters?
Was it Yoga?
I don't know what we can say is responsible for the shift. But after about '98 we got nothing more from her besides a spawn of ugly ass D-Squared jeweled cowboy hats, a really bad rap about hotties and pilates, a gross PDA with Ms. Spears and disco camel toes in leotards.
From "Ray of Light" on she has been playing catch up...she has been scrambling and clawing her way back into the spotlight...seemingly content to cash her checks and retire to her estate in the UK.
Where is the groundbreaking ahead of the curve trendsetter?
Where is the woman that an entire generation and an entire industry used to look to for the next hot thing?
Come on Madodo! Timbaland? Really? Is that the best you can do? His tired ass sound went to sleep years ago...how many times can we hear him say "fricky fricky ah"!
Let's not even mention that Justin Timberlake peaked sometime in the summer of '02.
So what? You just wait for the bandwagon to pass you by and then run like hell to jump on it now? Is that it?
Time was that I couldn't wait for her new stuff to come out...when I ate up everything she was serving...but I had my fill on about "Ray of Light" and I would suppose she has William Orbit to thank for that more than anyone.
Sure, I dowloaded (legally mind you) "Confessions On A Dancefloor" but almost as soon as I started playing it I was over it.
Mostly now I go back and forth from boredom to irritation with her. She's all flash and hype and that's about it.
Maybe Stephen Sondheim was the worst thing that ever happened to her...maybe that's when she decided "She could sing dammit!"
Maybe that's when she stopped trying to titillate and shock and provoke us and started trying to be an "artist".
Maybe I sound like an old man waxing nostalgic for yesteryear. When we had to walk up hill in the snow both ways and Madonna was a proper slut!
Maybe I will buy her latest album anyway because I am still hoping that she will do something that will excite me.
Maybe.

The Countdown Is On!

2008-04-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

In just a couple of days I will be moving in to my new place!
I am so excited!
It has been so long since I have been able to move into a place that I am really excited about and happy with.
My last apartment did the trick in many ways. It was in a great location, was really cheap and allowed me to get back on my feet...I am in no way trying to trash talk it at all.
However...
The Crack House Theatre had gotten really old and I was tired of the disrespect that so many tenants paid to the building. Garbage in the halls and elevators. Graffiti on the walls. Yelling and screaming drama at all hours of the night and morning.
I am a total homebody and I also love to have people over...so my new place with it's big, beautiful kitchen and well thought out floor plan will be perfect for cooking, relaxing, nesting and entertaining.
My bed is set to arrive on Wednesday. Blair sent out all of my boxes he was storing for me via UPS and they should arrive this week.
My mom bought me a sweet blender and microwave as a housewarming gift and I will be hitting up Ross tonight and tomorrow to buy some kitchen stuff.
BTW, FYI, JIC you were unaware...Ross is the place to score on kitchen stuff! They have awesome pots, pans, knives and other assorted items that cost a small fortune at "name brand retailers" but go for a song at Cross Dress for Less. Sure, you have to dig and riffle through the debris to find the good stuff and hope to God you don't get stuck by a dirty needle or have your hand bitten by that tree stump creature from Flash Gordon...but the treasures you are bound to unearth are totally worth it!
Anyway...for somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 or less you can totally outfit your kitchen with the basics...hmm...I smell a follow up posting!
So I will probably be on radio silence for a few days while I get set up in my new place.
Next time we meet I will be blogging from my new pad!
Yay!
Thanks for reading.
xo
-A

I Heart Poak Chops

2008-04-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ryan showed me this video last night on YouTube.
When he told me "Search for Poak Chops" I was like "uh oh here we go"
I was expecting some sort of countrified, ironic, trainwreck that would be good for a hoot and a holler.
Much to my surprise though, I actually like it! I especially love Miss Thing! Give me a big boned country T-girl anyday.
This beats the hell out of a lot of the crap that passes for music on the radios and the MtVs these days.
She could teach a few people a few things I am sure.
Please to enjoy.

We Have A Winner!

2008-04-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

I found a frickin apartment! Yay!
It's cute, in a good neighborhood (Hayes Valley) centrally located to my work and social lives, not at the tippy top of my budget ($1475) has a great layout and a brand new kitchen with granite counters, stainless appliances and a fricken dishwasher!
Are you kidding!?
Looks like my determination to stick to my guns, despite a moment of uncertainty, paid off.
I sign the lease and pick up my keys tomorrow!
So I am cautiously celebrating...until I have the keys in my hand and my name on the dotted line...I am still officially a hobosexual...but it's all just a formality at this point.
Thank You Joe at CitiApartments! You rock!
Next step?
Furntiture!
xo
-A

Stickin To My Guns

2008-04-14T08:05:00.001-07:00

I re-saw the apartment yesterday and Ryan came along to give a second opinion.
He was of the same opinion that I was/am...that the apartment is cute. But just not quite right. So I told the guy from CitiApartments and he agreed with me that if this apartment is at the top of my budget range, then I should love it. He said that he might have a couple of other units coming available this week. So I am gonna call him today and see what he says. I looked at another apartment yesterday that gave new meaning to the word teeny. So it was a no go.
I guess you gotta kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince...and I am puckered up!
No worries...the right place is out there and it's just going to take as long as it takes.

In other news.
Spike is freakin hot!
Do not let the cheezyness of this pic fool you...this boy is sexy sexy!

I have been a latecomer to "Top Chef" and am a newfound fan of Spike.
Sexy, scruffy and bossy...he is a mega babe!
YUM!

xo
-A

Good News (?)

2008-04-12T08:22:00.001-07:00

I got the call yesterday that my application for an apartment had been approved.
After back and forth emails, phone calls and voicemails...all of the pieces fell into place and I was given the green light.
I suppose I should have been jumping up and down for joy...but I wasn't.
I was thrilled that my application was ok'd. I was frankly shocked that it was. My credit is less than stellar...don't get me wrong, I am doing my best to whip it back into shape. However, my years of self employment and time in NYC pretty much trashed it. I was fully expecting to be rejected or at best I thought I would have to have a co-signer on the lease.
But I guess all things considered CitiApartments found me to be a suitable applicant.
When I got the call yesterday my reaction was less "holy shit that's freakin awesome" and more "meh...ok. cool."
I guess the real issue is that I am less than crazy about the apartment.
On the one hand I am really glad that I am not a hobosexual any more...years of homeless, couchsurfing, transitory living have gotten really old. Ryan has been more than generous letting my crash at his place, in his bed, practically on top of him. I mean two grown men and a dog in 250 sq. feet doesn't leave room for much of anything really.
Needless to say, I have been really eager to find my own place. And now...I have it in my grasp.
On the other hand...the place I have been approved for is at the top of my price range (at $1495 a month) has a funky layout and honestly when I walked in I didn't feel that tug of "yes this is the place I can call home." It was more like "well, I could live here for a year and then find something better." In large part the impetus for moving down to SF was to establish roots, so that I wouldn't have to find myself wandering the world again in a few years. So the thought of going into a place knowing that when something better comes along I will take it and uproot and move again is tiring.
I am torn between feeling like I am settling by taking this place and yet thinking that I should at this point in time take what I can get and not be so choosy.
I know Oprah would tell me to wait, to believe that the apt of my dreams is out there and not to settle for less. But I also have a view of the world that tells me that we all have to pay our dues and that if taking an apartment that I love 75% for a year is what it takes for me to get to the one that I love %100 then that is a price I am willing to pay.
Then there is the voice that says "who cares really? it's just an apartment"
I don't know...I am confused and ambivalent.
I am going to view the apartment again on Sunday...we'll see how I feel about it then.

In The Loop

2008-04-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

No major news to report...just doing my best to keep you in the loop.
A loop is a loop is a loop...aren't those Prince lyrics?

Still apartment hunting. It seems like most of my free time is spent looking for a place to call my own. I usually find myself here or here a lot lately.
I have seen a few apartments. Two of which I like...actually one that I loved and one that I could live in.

I am constantly reminding myself that I have only been here 3 weeks now and that it is going to take as long as it takes for me to find a place. It took me 5(?) weeks to find a place when I moved to NYC...so by that measurement I am still doing ok.

In other news....Peet's Coffee sucks! I bought some at the grocery store the other day to use in my French Press and it tastes like dirty poop dish water. Gag. Gross. Ew. Don't buy it.

And We're Back

2008-04-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

One week in San Francisco and I am already feeling right at home.
Being back in an urban environment has been wonderful.
I actually find the dirtier, smellier, noisier, crowdedier (my own word thank you very much) environment kind of comforting. Seattle was a nice, clean, sanitary, place in which to detox myself from the NYC insanity. But ultimately I did find myself longing for a little more grit.
And being a fan of the boys of the brown persuasion I am loving the flavor that San Francisco has to offer.
Seattle...I love ya. But you're much too white for my tastes (at least when it comes to men).

So far work is going well...it's a great crew of people who have made me feel very welcome.
The commute is a bit of a bear...a short trip on BART and then a 30(ish) minute walk up and down those infamous SF hills leaves a little to be desired. However at the urging of friends I am seriously considering a bike...we'll see. Besides...the walk does me good burning off all of the fricking yummy tacos I have been gorging myself on.

The apt hunt continues...as I figured I will probably be spending between $1200-$1500 on rent for a studio or one bedroom...unless I want to live in Oakland.
So if you have any connections in the apt market down here...hook me up!

All in all I am really happy I made the move...it feels like home.

While youre cruising the intertubes...check out CHS...the gave me a kind farewell.
Thanks for reading!
xo
-A

I Heart A Good Mixtape

2008-04-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

I was (along with most of my generation I would assume) a big mixtape freak when I was a kid. I suspect they really were an artform for anyone who was into them "back in tha day". I mean really...hours were spent making sure that the songs were cued up properly and that everything was flawless.
I was never one to lose too much sleep over the actual order of the songs. There was no rhyme or reason to the way they played out. They were usually just a collection of my favorites or in some cases they were chosen according to a theme or motif.

Derek recently turned me onto a new website: Muxtape.com (his current mix is here)
I love the idea that virtual mixtapes can now be posted, sent out and shared.
The interface is really simple and easy to use. I like the simplicity of the browse and upload format. I am a huge music fan, but tend to be really lowtech. I am usually content to burn a mix cd and be done with it.

Let me go off on a minor tangent for a second.
There are certain music snobs out there that when I say "I made a mix cd" will (annoyingly) respond with "Um...do you mean mix or playlist"?!
And to that question, I say "Fuck you asshole, you know what I mean"

The implication in the question is that unless the tracks are actually mixed together seamlessly without a gap in between that it is a playlist and not a mix.
When I say "mix cd" it is the exact same thing as my saying "mix tape".
Yet when I say "mix tape" nobody asks that annoying, condescending question.

So for the record, and for all of you music assholes...my mix cd's are of the same track by track format as a mix tape: Interrupted by a second or two of silence with which to cleanse your aural palette and prepare your brain for the next track.

Anyway...enough digression.

I have just finished my first online mixtape. In trying to stay true to the original format, I gave little thought to the order of the songs, I mostly went through and just picked out songs that tend to be on my favorites list.
It is admittedly heavy on the 80's stuff...but what am I to do? I am a child of the 80's.
So please to enjoy it here.
And send me the links of your mixtapes.
It's fun for everyone!

I Made It!

2008-03-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

I made it!
I arrived in SF on Thursday afternoon safe and sound.
The flight on Virgin Airlines was awesome!
It lived up to my expectations completely.
I almost forgot that I was on an airplane...and had it not been for mild turbulence and the girl next to me farting the entire flight...I probably would have forgotten completely.
It was so refreshing to be on a flight where the crew was actually smiling and seemed to be happy. The details of the aircraft, from the lighting to the entertainment system to the animated in-flight safety video were spot on. The details all added up to a very comfortable, customizable, and stylish experience.
It was well worth my $83 ticket price.
The past few days have been spent acclimating myself to the city and sleeping! I didn't realize just how overwhelmed and stressed I had become.
I start work on Tuesday and as soon as I receive the loan $ in my account...my hunt for an apt. is on!
I'll keep you posted as often as I can.
xo
-A

Almost There

2008-03-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

Down to the wire! Just a few days left. I am at the point in the packing process where it's just getting irritating to have to deal with the stuff.
I am at the point where I am seriously questioning the value of my remaining possessions...do I really want to pack another box and eventually pay for it to be shipped to SF?
Will I regret leaving this behind?

While I ponder the value of the remainder of my stuff...here are a few last minute tags that I have been hanging onto.
The first pic above is one by SirKullay...and I really don't think the words could be more appropriate for the moment.
The words belong to Isabelle Eberhardt.
I know I have referenced her before on here in regards to SirKullay's stuff...hm. I'll see if I can dig up the post. (click here for the other post)
"I am full of the sorrow that goes with changes in surroundings, those successive stages of annihilation that slowly lead to the great and final void"

Another new one from SirKullay. It reads: "What if I get caught? What if I get free?"

Looks like Georgie has a new Boyfriend. Watch out John! I don't think Dick likes to share!

And finally...the most fabulous use of floppy disks...ever.

So that's it folks...unless I find some super incredible tag on the streets in the next 2(!) days...these shall serve as the final tags posted from Seattle.
Next stop?
San Francisco!
xo
-A

T Minus Six Days And Counting

2008-03-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how quickly my departure is coming up!

I am at the stage of packing where I am living in the midst of boxes, packing tape and piles of stuff that I haven't decided what to do with yet.

It is amazing to me how little I have learned to live with. Aside from my clothes and my computer (which I am taking with me on the flight down) I am down to 10 boxes of possessions.

10 boxes!

It's mind boggling.

Said boxes will be stored in Blair's garage until I find a place then he will ship them down to me.

All of my furniture was either a hand me down or something I salvaged off of the street, so none of that is coming with me.

I certainly have learned how to travel light.

Not much else to talk about really...just keeping you posted on how things are going.

So far so good.

In other news...does anybody need a wig?

Timing Is Everything

2008-03-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

As the final and forever Ms. TUGS. It saddens me to see that TUGS (Kincora for those of you who don't know or don't remember) is officially gone. I understand it's all in the name of progress, and I certainly would never want to relive those days...I don't think my body could handle it! It's just that TUGS was my home away from home for a big part of my 20's. It was the place where I eventually reigned supreme. Now that my castle has been demolished...it only seems fitting that I depart.
Oh well...at least I still have the tiara.
Farewell TUGS!
xo
-A

Happy St. Pats

2008-03-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

I always thought I was Irish growing up. I suppose it is a logical assumption since I am a redhead.
But come to find out years and years later that I am mostly German, Dutch with a little Cherokee Indian thrown in...not that that is really exotic or anything...most Americans with a family history of living in this country beyond a few generations back have some sort of Native American blood in their veins.
Anyway...my family roots are primarily Pennsylvania Dutch going back to 1600 something...so what was the point of this?
I don't know.
I'm not Irish? I guess that's it.

There must be something more worthwhile I can write about.
Let's see.
My current musical obsession...Santogold. I love her voice.
I am so into their track L.E.S Artistes. It is on very heavy rotation right now.
The video is pretty incredible too. Check it out.

I am in the midst of packing up to move! Almost halfway there.
I have a few tags that I ran across that have been hanging out on my desktop for some time.
These are courtesy of Billy via his trip to Puerto Vallarta like a hundred years ago...sorry it's taken me so long to get around to posting them!
Enjoy!
I gotta go finish packing!
xo
-A

The Flight Of The Virgin

2008-03-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

I booked my one way ticket to San Francisco this morning!

I love buying one way tickets...I feel so...exotic? Impulsive? Adventurous?

Anyway...I booked on Virgin Airlines.

Billy is the one that tipped me off to the fact that they have started service from Seattle to San Francisco. At $78 for a one way ticket in economy and $177 for first class it's a deal you can't beat!

Plus their planes are all tricked out with mood lighting and personal touch screen entertainment systems along with other goodies you can preview on the site.

So I will be arriving at SFO in style!

I am really looking forward to the trip.

When you are snooping around the Virgin site...be sure to click on the "Inflight entertainment" icon and watch the demo video with dreamy Charles Ogilvie. What a cutie!

Oh...and I will be thrilled it if this flight attendant is working my flight!

I have yet to join the mile high club!

It's Official!

2008-03-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

I am moving to San Francisco!

Long story short...the opportunity to go back to working for MAC Cosmetics came up and I leapt at the chance.

For those of you who don't know...I was a makeup artist for 12 years...8 of which were spent working for MAC. I left MAC in '03(?) when I was still in NYC and wanted to pursue the dream of being a freelance makeup artist.

San Francisco was on my short list of places that I wanted to live when I decided to leave NYC....but at the time I didn't feel like I had the $ or the connections to move there...so I came back to Seattle. It was never intended as a permanent relocation, but rather it was a soft place to land. I have friends who are like family here (Thanks Blair!!!) that generously lent me the helping hands I needed to get back on my feet.

For the past year or so I have felt the tug in my gut which meant I was gearing up to move on...I just didn't know when or where.

At the same time I had come to the realization that professionally some of the best years of my career were when I was with MAC. I was highly satisfied, challenged and engaged in my job. I started reaching out to former colleagues and in it's gloriously mysterious way, life laid out the cards in a way that made the relocation possible.

I now have friends, a job, and a place to stay in SF while I get things sorted.

So...I will be off by the end of the month!

I will keep you posted with details as they manifest.

In the meantime...if you know of any hot apt leads down south...help me out!

Thanks Y'all!

-A

iFlush

2008-03-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

File this one under "You have GOT to be kidding me"!
While taking a piss at work today...or rather buttoning up my fly after taking a piss at work today, I knocked my iPhone out of my hoodie pocket and it FELL IN THE FUCKING TOILET!
Yes! I KNOW!
It happened in super-slo-mo.
I saw it "plop" into the toilet and slide down the side of the bowl.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing!
EW! Right in the toilet?!
Don't think for a second that I didn't reach right in there and snatch it out of the pee water trying in vain to save miPhone!
I was so wrecked! I couldn't believe it!
I attempted to revive it...if you can call screeching like a tormented child and trying to shake the pee water out of it an attempt at revival. I watched as a thin layer of water oozed across the underside of the glass...there was nothing I could do to halt its march. It slowly created a feather-like shape across what had once been a perfectly pristine screen.
I tried to shut it down and restart but it got stuck in a perma loop of starting and restarting and finally just died altogether.
For a split second I tried to get all dramatical about it...but I had shit to get done today and couldn't afford to be all worked up, so instead I settled on feeling really fucking bummed.
It Sucked Big Time!
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...it's just a "thing"...I know that.
But it's a really expensive thing and I had just barely broken it in.
Too fucking bad. So sad.
So I marched my ass down to AT&T and bought a new one tonight...it's syncing as I type.
So there you have it...now you know...iPhones are NOT peewaterproof!

Oh...and BTW...the "peewater" was hardly pee at all...with the amount of water that I drink through the day my urine barely amounts to the palest of yellows...besides our own urine is sterile to us anyway...right?
Right?!

San Francisco Treat

2008-03-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

San Francisco was so much fun! I had a blast. The weather was perfect. My hosts were very gracious and it was just the get away that I needed.
I'll be sure to post more pics and details this week.
In the meantime I found two bits of street art that I thought you might enjoy.

This one reminds me a lot of SirKullay's stuff. Hey Sirk! Is this you?

Lot's of stencils down in SF. More stencils than any other medium I could find on the street.

I have a few more pics to post at some point...I honestly didn't take a ton of them cause I was so busy just enjoying myself and toting my camera around kept slipping my mind...but I will post some sort of follow up...you have my word.
Thanks for reading!
xo
-A

Holy Crap!

2008-02-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

Has it really been that long since my last post?

Wow...I was aware in the back of my mind that it had been a while, but I didn't think it had been that long.

A lot has changed since my last post...some good, some shocking, some life changing. Most of which I am keeping under my hat for the time being. I am not trying to be coy mind you...it's just that certain things are better left unsaid for the moment.

In news that I can talk about: I am going to San Francisco on Friday for a long weekend. I am so excited! Most notably to see my sister/brother/BFF/partner in crime Ryan and his totally adorable BF Cisco...who is quickly becoming a friend of mine as well. I will report back with details and some pics...at some point anyway.

I have been listening to Kylie Minogue's latest offering "X" on very heavy rotation. While it is not her best effort as a whole...some of the tracks are quicky becoming my favorites in her catalogue.

Take a little Daft Punk, OMD, a Janet Jackson slow jam, blatant 80's musical ripoff's and squish it all together and you are left with an easily digestible, very entertaining pop treat.

Mr. Barack Obama is getting my full support...for what it's worth. I mean I am not a Superdelegate or anything. I could (and at some point I might) tick off my list of reasons why I prefer to support him over the equally exciting prospect of Mrs. Clinton. Yet at this moment it seems sufficient to say that I am incredibly thrilled at this particular moment in political history. People of all ages and demographics are turning out to caucus and cast a vote in primaries in record numbers. It's about time that we (Americans I mean) got reconnected to the political process and the fate of our nation. That in itself is an accomplishment. So for the moment...'nuff said.

Not much else I can think of at the moment.

I'll try to do better about posting consistently.

Thanks for reading Y'all!

-A

New NKO

2008-01-28T11:15:00.001-08:00

I spotted this beauty from NKO the other night on my way to the grocery store.

I absolutely love this! I so wanted to peel if off of the phone booth and take it home with me...but I resisted the urge and left it out for others to enjoy.
Really beautiful work.

In other news...I can't believe I missed my own anniversary!
It's been over a year since RedIsntDead broke (cyber)ground. The official date of my first posting was January 22, 2007 to be exact.

What did I expect when I started my blog? I don't know...secretly I hoped for visibility/cyberfame along the lines of what Rich gets over at "FourFour".
Or for my blog to evolve into something as beautiful as what goes on at "Visual Dizziness".
But those were mostly daydreams...what I really wanted (and seemed to have gotten) was a way to (semi)publicly air my thoughts, opinions, likes and dislikes.
A place to share some of my personal history and context. And if I were lucky...in the process cultivate some sort of following.

And here I am...some 250+ postings later.
So much has changed and yet so much is the same.
I still don't know what I want to do with my life...but I'm working on it.
I'm getting closer.

In the meantime, I'll keep posting tags, the occasional media rant and a dose of reviews for good measure.
As always...thanks for reading y'all and happy belated birthday to me!
xo
-A

Graffiti With Brains

2008-01-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

A tip on a very cool site of graffiti/tags/urban art from around the world from Cody.
Some of the stuff is pretty incredible...especially the scale.
Check out the link below.

"red,
thought you would groove on this site. It fits what you were talking
about when you said graffiti needs to have brains.
http://www.ekosystem.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4689
later,
cody"

Thanks for the tip Cody!

More From NKO

2008-01-18T07:27:00.001-08:00

Three more crowns from NKO and a really cool lookin dude in a chapeau.

I really like this one a lot. I totally dig the swirly background...reminds me of old Japanese wood cuts or Peter Max psychedelia.

When I saw this dude I immediately saw the resemblance between him and the umbrellas.
Upon closer inspection, it appears NKO did them too!
Keep up the good work NKO!

Nerd 3pack

2008-01-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

Three more to nerd out by from Team Nerd!
Go Nerds Go!

Nerds Rule

2008-01-13T08:57:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen I would like I introduce:
Team Nerd!
I spotted these a few weeks ago and now I see them everywhere. They get points for the name alone. I love nerds.

I wonder...is "nerd" an acronym? Or is it just a team of nerds?
I wonder if they are hot gay nerds?

There seem to be quite a few labels with this style all over Capitol Hill. If it's all the same people, then Team Nerd is quite prolific. I'll post more of what I have at another time.
All speculation aside...I dig what they're doing.
Welcome Team Nerd!
Nerds Rule!

Psychic Underwear?

2008-01-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

Some people read tea-leaves.
Some people call their psychic girlfriend.
Me?
I get messages from my underwear.
Each morning before work I pick out my fresh pair of underwear and drop them on the bathmat in my bathroom. I take my shower and then when I get out all squeaky clean they are there waiting for me.
A few days ago I got out of the shower, looked down at the floor and saw this:

Clearly a sign from the ether! Is it Africa? South America? I have been saying that I want to travel in 2008. I even bought a cute passport cover the other day in anticipation of my upcoming worldy travels.
Personally I vote for South America...specifically Brazil. Hello?
Brazilian men anyone?
Yes! Me Please!
But I don't think it can be denied that it resembles Africa more than anything else.
Hmmm.
Moroccan boys are hot.
And if it's good enough for Madonna and Angelina Jolips, then I guess it's good enough for me.

God Bless Mr. Blackwell

2008-01-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

I only give a shit about Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham to the extent that she gags me out.
I mean really...her pinched/piggy expression, (rivaled only by Kiera Knightley and her gross-ass 24/7 nosejob face) her faux glam sensibility, her big fakeass rubber boobs.
She is just a bundle of fashion donts waiting to be picked apart.
She is so foul.
Thank God Mr. Blackwell is paying attention.
"Worst Dressed" barely begins to cover it...but it's a start.

Bye Bye 2007

2008-01-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

Is it too late to post an entry bidding farewell to 2007?
I guess since it's my blog I can post whatever I please.

2007 didn't suck, but it wasn't great either. For every amazing thing that happened there was at least one shitty thing to balance it out.

I was for the most part my own boss in 2007. I got to work when I wanted and for how long I wanted. There were many weeks that I only worked 8-12 hours. That made for an awesome summer spent primarily at Cal Anderson Park lying (laying?) in the grass reading my book.
The downside? I was always two nickels away from being broke and I was scrubbing toilets for a living.
It wasn't the toilet scrubbing that was rough. I actually like cleaning.
I find it to be very theraputic. It really is satisfying (for a task oriented guy such as myself) to walk into a dirty house, clean like a maniac for four hours and be able to see the hard work and effort reflected in the gleaming tiles and spotless countertops.
The part that sucked was the struggle with my ego. My sense of self. I mean I was a freaking Makeup Artist in NYC for chrissake! I was making close to 6 figures and was dealing with some of the most glamorous, exciting people in the world of fashion and was making a name for myself!
Sure, I had grown tired of living in NYC and had long since realized that the Fashion Industry was not where I wanted to be. I was for the most part happy to be in Seattle and was enjoying what I was doing.
However the disparity between where I had been and where I was was great.
It was a really difficult lesson for me to learn. That a person is not defined by what they do.
I am not my job.
That was kind of the problem in the first place...I had gotten so wrapped in being "The Fabulous NYC Makeup Artist" that I had lost sight of who I was and what I wanted.
I had forgotten that moving to New York to work in the Fashion Industry was a goal not an identity. Once I had achieved that goal I was left with a lot of stuff to sort out.
It was a very difficult process to extricate myself from having been wrapped up in my job for 7(ish) years.
However in hindsight, being on my hands and knees literally scrubbing up other peoples shit was probably the best way for me to learn the lesson.
I am defined by my actions and my intentions not my job.

Hand in hand with that was learning a lesson about money. I grew up with very little fiscal responsibility. I was usually bailed out by my parents whenever things got rough financially. That is in no way intended to blame them for my predicament(s). It's just to say that I was armed with very little in the way of money managing skills and it took approximately 36 years for me to figure it out. It has been a very long road to get here and I have the debt to prove it.
I thought that because I had money to spend meant that I was fabulous and wonderful. I thought that because I could blow thousands of dollars on clothes in less than an hour (I kid you not) meant that I was cool and cute and fashionable and exciting. I thought it meant that I was successful! I thought that the amount in my bank account was in direct proportion to my value as a human. Ugh. That was tough to learn!
2007 showed me (among other things) that money doesn't make people valuable. A person is valuable just because they are.
Again, being on my hands and knees inhaling Tilex fumes for $10.50 and hour did a good job of showing me this truth. I mean really...to be able hold my head up high and feel good about myself and my life when I had less than $50 in the bank took a lot.

The ultimate lesson that I learned in 2007 (WARNING: I am about to go very Oprah on your ass. The cynical or jaded may want to brace themselves) was that it all comes down to love.
Why did I think that my job made me fabulous? Because I had a void in my life that I thought being caught up in the fabulosity of the NYC Fashion World could fill.
Why did I think that $3000 suits made me wonderful? Because I thought (literally) that because my suit cost more than some people made in a month...or two months even that I was valuable, that I had worth.
It was in the end...all an illusion. Because what the fuck was I to do when the money was gone and the clothes were suddenly "so last season"? When the income was suddenly reduced to $12K a year? When NYC was a million miles away and I am on my knees in someone's filthy bathroom cleaning up the dried piss off of the floor?
I did what I had to do.
I chose to see that regardless of what I do or wear or earn, I am worthy of all of the wonderful amazing things that I desire.
That really, truly I am the most important person in the world, yet I am no more important than anyone else.
That Buddah said it best: "There is no way to Happiness. Happiness is the way"
I decided that joy, truth and love are the most important points on my compass and that I get to choose what my life is comprised of.
I got to see that regardless of how much money I have in the bank, I always have food to eat, a bed to sleep in and friends and family to love.
That's a lot more than many people in the world can say.

I guess after all 2007 was an incredible year.
I suppose it's easier to see the value of some experiences after they have passed.

2008 is to be a spectacular year. I know it. How can it not be now that I am armed with all of the lessons I have learned?

I hope the same for you in 2008.
Joy, Truth and Love.

And for the record? Simple Green kicks Tilex to the curb!

Noodle Go Boom

2008-01-05T19:56:00.000-08:00

Last night on my way to Piecora's for birthday pizza with Billy (happy birfday Billy!) Blair, Dawson, Derek, Mikey and Darrin, I walked by the new noodle joint Boom Noodle.
I haven't eaten there yet, so I can't really comment on the food...although the menu that I downloaded from the site looks pretty tasty.

I am really digging the interior for sure.
Especially the communal tables...they remind me of one of my NYC standard faves, Republic.
I am all for anything that forces me to have to step out of my insular world and interact with *gasp!* strangers.
Give me some yummy green walls and Eames-ish chairs, a stripped down interior and I am there.
While the concrete floors might be off putting to some, I think they are perfect.
I don't always want ambiance that is cozy and warm. Sometimes I like it loud, clattery, and a little impersonal.
Get me in, feed me and get me out.

Looking at the menu and the prices, it doesn't look to me to be the kind of place where they expect you to get comfy for a couple of hours.

But...the name?
It's not totally terrible...at least it doesn't have an exclamation point at the end of it!
Thank God they didn't use any backwards letters like the train wreck that shall remain nameless...which I will go on record as saying will be out of biz before Spring. I just have a feeling.
Anyway...the only thing I could think of last night when we were talking about it over pizza was my childhood friend Kevin.
More specifically I was thinking of how his Mother used to call taking a dump "Going Boom Boom"
(She also called taking a pee "Going Tee Tee")

"Do you have to go Boom Boom or Tee Tee?"
"Do you have to take a Tee Tee and a Boom Boom?"

So yeah....The word "boom" as related to food is a little unfortunate for me, but I am sure I will get over it.
I'm eager to get in and see how the food is.
I'll let you know what I think.

Here We Go

2008-01-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

2008 is here...ready or not.
I for one am thrilled that the Year of The Rat has arrived.

In lieu of a post capping off 2007 (which wasn't so much a year of events as it was a year of lessons) I'll just post two new snaps of HBF.
I am sure I have a 2007 re-cap post brewing somewhere in my noggin...however I am just not up to it at the moment.

This one snapped on the exterior of the old TUGS space...it never was Kincora to me.
It was and always will be TUGS...the bar that played such a crucial role in my early Seattle days.
That seems like it was a lifetime ago.
So long TUGS.
RIP.

2008

2007-12-31T08:51:00.000-08:00

Here we go...another new year on the horizon.
Below I have reposted an old blog from when I was blogging on MySpace.
It's not that I am lazy or anything...it's just that it is still relevant and well, I am running short on time this morning since I overslept.
So what's the theme for 2008?
Pretty simple.
"2008 is gonna be great!"
And it is...I can feel it in my bones that this upcoming year is gonna rock.
I am so excited!
So before you head out tonight load up your pockets with change and get your red underwear ready for tomorrow.
(Read the following and the previous sentence will make more sense.)
Have a kickass 2008 Y'all!

"Around the end of the year 2000 I decided that going forward I needed a "theme" for every year. I am not sure why I decided to do this...something to do with getting rid of the whole "resolution" concept and giving myself a mission statement for the upcoming year.

2001: "It's all about fun in 2001" And it was. I had a blast that year...it marked my 2nd year in NYC and I finally felt like I belonged there, like I fit in. I had a good group of friends and a well connected social circle. I really began to live my NYC dream that year.

2002: "I do what I do in 2002" This one was a little more difficult...2002 was hard to rhyme..."shoe", "jew", "blue", "screw". But it turned out to be a good mission statement...that year I really began to come into my own with my makeup skills...my career started to take off and I really began to take ownership of my talent.

2003: "It's all about me in 2003" This was the year I decided to become unapologetic about my quest for personal and professional success...I would say it was the peak of my career...I worked harder, acheived more goals and did more amazing stuff then ever...That was my year of 70 hour work weeks and I loved every minute.

2004: "I'm a whore in 2004" Was I ever?! I really began to challenge my own issues with sex and how I defined myself in relation to my physical needs. In that year I probably had more sex than I had had in the rest of my life combined! That was fun!

2005: "Ain't no jive in 2005" UGH. I am not sure if that was me setting up a self fulfilling prophesy or if I was just having a predictive psychic moment. But 2005 was all about me losing my illusion...it was a raw, real, sometimes ugly year for me. There were a lot of emotional, spiritual, personal, layers peeled back that year...it was a tough one.

2006: "No internet dicks in 2006" I was really getting tired and fed up with the fact that every guy I was meeting online seemed to be toxic for me. I was moving in a new direction, but old habits die hard and it took me a while to catch up with my life....that one didn't last very long...i think I made it to February.

2007: This one is tough...here I sit mere hours away from next year...and the word I keep coming up with is "Heaven"...so I think it shall be "I've got my own slice of Heaven in 2007" This past year has been all about me learning to let go. To surrender. To realize that I am really not in the drivers seat...there is a divine power that is driving my life and when I submit to that...things go so much more smoothly. It's not about surrendering responsibility or free will, it's about taking it as it comes and doing what's in front of me now. Right now. Being present.
That's my own slice of Heaven...to know that everything is as it should be.

In other NYE related stuff...
Several years ago I really got into the idea of everyday rituals in our lives and the effects that they can have.
There are two rituals related to the new year that I practice every year:

Wear red underwear on New Years Day...the idea is that this welcomes love into your life in the new year. Its a conscious, physical reminder for us to focus on bringing love into our lives. If the clothes that you put on on any given day have a very specific intention behind them...you will be more likely to focus on that intention throughout the day.

Before you cross the threshold of your front door, entering your home for the FIRST time after midnight on NYE...throw a fistful of spare change across the entry first. This invites prosperity into your life for the new year. You are also laying physical representation of prosperity in your path so that you may walk in abundance and prosperity for the new year. *Note...if you live in an apt...throw the change across the threshold of your own unit...not the front door of your building...I suppose you could do both if you want to bless the whold building with prosperity and abundance as well as your own home.

Then there is the whole eating black eyes peas and greens on NYE for money and success too...but I hate black eyed peas...and I think having salad will be a good enough substitute...cause I am fresh outta chitlins...and I need those to make proper greens.

There is a school of thought that says that the first 12 days of the new year represent the 12 months of the year. This is pretty esoteric...but says from an energetic or spiritual perspective you are mapping out your year each day. That your emotional state, your spiritual state and your point of view in that first week and a half really do play a huge importance for the state of your upcoming year.

So there you go...do what you will with that info...put that in your pipe and smoke it.

All I know is that I bought my red undies today and will make sure I leave home with a huge pocketful of change to throw into my apt when I come home sometime early tomorrow morning.

May your new year be blessed with Love, Joy, Prosperity and Success."

Sweeny Blah Blah

2007-12-29T10:03:00.002-08:00

I really wanted to like this movie.
I was very excited to see what Tim Burton could do with one of my favorite musicals of all time.
In an earlier post I came out as a former Drama Fag...and even though I have grown up, one can never escape one's roots.
So it was with great excitement and anticipation that I entered the theater on that rainy day last week.
So what did I think?

The short answer is: It sucked. I was totally disappointed.

The long answer?

I don't always agree with Dan Savage. In fact the conversation that I was having with my friends as we waited in the lobby was of how none of us were surprised by his review. How we all expected him to be contrary to the popular opinion about it.
Duh.
"The Stranger" and Dan have built their respective empires on being too cool to impress.
I have to say though, that in this case...I totally agree with him.

Helena Bonham Carter can't sing to save her life. Casting her was a huge mistake. Sure, she can act something fierce, but this. is. a. MUSICAL.
Mrs. Lovett is a very challenging role to sing musically. Hello? Patti LuPone? Angela Lansbury? Those are some huge shoes to fill, and casting someone in the role who doesn't have strong vocal chops is a mistake.
Johnny Depp is decent...he sings as good as most men who are passing for pop starts these days. But he is totally one note. Sweeny is a much more complex character than Mr. Depp seems to be able to handle.
I felt like I kept waiting for the lead performers to sing! To really give it to me vocally. That's the whole point of a musical...when the characters get to a point where spoken dialogue can no longer convey the emotions the are feeling, they break into song. Unfortunately when your actors can't sing very well, the emotions they are supposed to be broadcasting get lost in translation.

The relationship between Mrs. Lovett and Mr. Todd is perfectly illustrated in the music that Stephen Sondheim wrote. Through the music we can see Mrs. Lovett's shrill, manic, character and how that is perfectly contrasted against Mr. Todds vengeful, deep, anger.
But throughout the whole musical all I saw was two excellent actors trying like hell to keep their heads above water musically.

Aside from the fact that the majority of the numbers are/were poorly sung, I also had a problem with the numbers that they left out. "The Ballad of Sweeny Todd" in particular. This number sung by the chorus in the prologue sets the whole tone of the musical. It also becomes a recurring theme throughout. While Mr. Burton did a great job of setting the tone visually, there is a huge hole in the fabric of the movie without this song. This is one of my favorite numbers from the musical and again, I spent the entire movie waiting to hear it.
The power of a chorus in a musical can't be underestimated, especially with two leads who can't carry the show musically.

On the bright side...the movie looks amazing. The costumes, hair and makeup, lighting, cinematography and direction are spot on. I especially love how the sets looked and felt very "stagelike". They looked as if they were plucked right from a Broadway production.
None of this though was enough to save it for me.
I will say that my opinion was in the minority of my friends, neither of whom had heard the musical. They both enjoyed it. I suspect that had I not been such a fan of the musical that I would have felt the same.
Unfortunately, this version can't even hold a candle to it. And I have never even seen the musical...I am going strictly off of having listened to the original cast recording over and over and over. Which to me only further illustrates the point that when directing a musical, it is the music that is of the utmost importance. If you're casting two people in lead roles who can barely sing, you've bitten off way more than you can chew.

Merry Merry

2007-12-26T07:55:00.000-08:00

Here's hoping you all had a wonderful holiday.
I sure did.
I am still working up to my review of Sweeney. Not that it's going to be epic or anything...I just haven't committed to sitting in front of my computer for the 45 minutes or so that it will take to crank it out.
In the mean time...here is the latest find from Sir Kullay.
It might be a tad fuzzy since it was taken with my iPhone...but not bad for a little 2MP camera.
Enjoy!

More More More

2007-12-24T10:57:00.000-08:00

More answers to my queries via comments.
This one comes from SirKullay on Chrishmish Eve no less:

"It's NKO! (pron. Nee-koh)He had a big part in the Belmont project. He's a fantastic artist and a really cool guy.

check this. http://flickr.com/photos/liquidnight/1384115817/"

Thanks Sir K!

BTW...I did see "Sweeney Todd" yesterday and I was not impressed. I will say that my opinion was in the minority amongst my friends...but I squarely stand by my unimpressedness.
I will follow up with a review later...maybe today, maybe not. I guess you'll just have to check back.

And Finally...

2007-12-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

As I promised previously...here are the last of the tags that have been sitting around in my iPhoto waiting to be published. I saved these for last only because I had several of them and was feeling efficient.
Of course at this time I have several more to post that I have recently snapped, but for the moment we can consider things to be caught up and current.

I have seen these crowns all over the place for months and have randomly captured them. I am fairly impressed by the diversity of (his) (her) media. Show me another street/graffiti/urban artist who uses ink, spraypaint, sticker/labels and wood(?!)
Please for to enjoy the following:

Love this persons stuff...who is this? Anybody know? Hey Erik? Are you out there? Who does the cool crown stuff?

In other news...Last night Jerms, Billy, Blair, Derek and I went out to yummy Chinese at Shanghai Garden. It is so good.
Seriously...if you haven't eaten there...hightail your ass down to Chinatown and get some. You won't be sorry. Don't believe me? Just take a look.
The Mu Shu Pork alone is worth the trip.

Today I'll hoof it downtown to see Sweeney Todd.

Little known fact (for some of you anyway):
I grew up a total Drama Fag. Not in the way that I was overly dramatic (which for the record I usually was) but I was totally into musicals and theatre, and choir and band and such.
Both of my parents are/were musicians (if you just clicked on the previous link, my dad is the one on the far right with the Wilford Brimley facial hair) and music teachers, so I grew up taking voice, piano and trombone lessons.
So I guess I was a band geek too.

But I digress.
Sweeney was always one of my favorite muscials...I prefer the original cast with Angela Lansbury myself...but I guess it's all a matter of personal taste.
So can Johnny Depp sing? How much of a freak will freakazoid Helena Bonham Carter be? Is it really as bloody and gory as everyone says? For the record...I hope it is. Sweeney Todd is supposed to be violent and scary...this ain't The Little Mermaid.
One thing is for sure. Tim Burton loves to see Johnny Depp dressed up in a freaky wig and goth boy makeup.
Anyhoo...I'll report back with my review.
Merry Crimmis y'all!

Here's Your (my) Answer

2007-12-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

In my previous post I asked if anyone knew what "HBF" stood for. Erik answered me via comment:

"Here's a bit of info on some the street art you wondered about.
HBF stands for Hobo Barrel Firecrew.
The little girl with the heart bubble is fantastic. More of the artist work can be found here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mms224
Love your blog!!
Cheers Erik"

So there you go...I asked...and I got an answer.
BTW, I checked out Erik's flikr pics and the ones of the artist who did the little heart bubble girl...both are definitely worth the click.

Thanks for the info Erik...and thanks for reading!
If I had a "redisntdead" t-shirt or something I would offer you one...what size do you wear?
Instead, I can offer you my undying gratitude!
Merry ChrisKwanAkkuah!

xo
-A

3 To Grow On

2007-12-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here are three more random tags that have been hanging around in my iPhoto waiting to be posted.
The first one is way old...I snapped it the night that Billy and I were on the way to the SAM opening.
I like this monster...I think he's cute.

I have seen this guy all over town...this one was snapped in that sketchy pee alley on 4th and Pike. You know the one I am talking about. That stretch of Pike from 4th down to 1st is pretty foul. Crackheads aside...nothing beats the smell of hot pee in the morning on my way to the gym. Ick.
He is long gone by now. Scrubbed clean mere days after he was posted.
I don't know what "HBF" means...any thoughts? Pretty sure it's not this.

This little cutie was on the same wall as the pair of Octopus that I posted a while back.
This is another one that I have seen repeatedly. Mostly on The Hill. I want this on a T-shirt!
And finally...in honor of (my) the iPhone...here is this one:

iHope a lot of things: I hope that my friends and family that are traveling for the holidays make it safe and sound.
I hope that the acupuncture treatments I am getting continue to help my shoulder pain. So far it is working wonders...and it's a hell of a lot better than being doped up on Flexeril.
Seriously...I know how Liza must feel.
Poor dear.

P.S. I still love my iPhone. I will admit however, that as amazing as it is there are a few things that bug.
Most notably the fact that the home screen is locked down and can't be changed (without unlocking it I mean which I am not gonna attempt) There are a few buttons on there that I simply don't want, use or care about. It's not a huge deal...I just think that more control over the icons should be built into the phone and not have to be hacked in.
Also it will be interesting to see how future versions handle what I see as a lack of depth to everything.
It looks great, runs like a charm and the UI is pretty flawless. The keyboard alone is brilliant.
It just isn't quite to the point of being able to replace my laptop...but in all honesty, it's pretty damn close.

Taggity Tags

2007-12-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

More random tags for your enjoyment.
Even though I have only seen two of these umbrella ella ellas, I really do like them. I hope they continue to pop up.
The first one is across from Bauhaus Coffee on Melrose and Pine. I used to love that coffee shop...they have those really yummy cinnamon donut/fried bagel things...I never could figure out exactly what they were...but I used to eat them a lot.

The second is on 15th Ave E in front of Group Health.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for more.

In other news....iFinally got my freakin iPhone!
iGot an unexpected windfall (thank you Aunt Laurie) and iDecided it was time.
iDon't really want to talk too much about it right now...since our relationship is new. iWant to keep it between us right now...it's special like that.
Suffice it to say that iLove it.
There are a few flies in the ointment...iWill admit. Nothing that can't be worked out in v2...which will probably be out next week now that iHave one. Overall though...the experience has been very positive...iAm sure iWill have more to write at some point.
iAm not saying that iWill ever provide a comprehensive review of it...that has been done Ad Nauseum by many others on the intertubes that are far more qualified than I.
However...as usual...iAm sure iWill have an opinion or two.
I'll keep you posted.
For now, all you need to know is that we are in love.

You're All Invited

2007-12-06T08:26:00.000-08:00

This Saturday marks the official Grand Opening of The Red Balloon Company on 15th ave E!
I am really excited about this, it's going to be a lot of fun.
We'll have awesome goodie bags, treats, and surprise one day sales on some great items.
Several of the local artist/designers that we carry product for will be in-house.
Shannon Martin, (a star at Madison Park Greetings who is also a neighbor and friend) Scott Ward and Cody Blomberg will be there.
We'll have give aways from Jaqua Beauty, Schleich, Shannon Martin and many more.
So stop in, jingle your bells and share some holiday cheer.
If you're reading this...you're invited.
I hope to see you there!

File It Under...

2007-12-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

Random tags.
Just a few random tags that I have been hanging onto and will post over the next few days.
My first is this lovely pair of Octopusses? Octopi? Octopussy?

I have seen this one scattered throughout The Hill for several months...it's one that has consistently engaged me. Seeing the pair of them like this really caught my eye and I just happened to be packing my camera that day.
I love the expression on the face...kind of shy, coy and excited to see you.
I would love this on a t-shirt!

Spring Break Is Over

2007-12-02T11:08:00.000-08:00

Following a tip via my comments from Keith over at "Third Floor, Corner Unit" the other day, I grabbed my camera and hoofed it over to Pine and 14th to check out the Spring Break tags.
Suffice it to say as I walked up Pine to 12th I saw the beginnings of what turned out to be a Spring Break orgy! I snapped this one first:

I really like how it has become the backdrop for the other media posted on this wall just a few doors down from Purr.
That, however is the best thing I can say about the batch of Spring Break tags I captured that morning.
I continued up Pine st. towards The Cuff and spotted this one:At first I thought that it was kind of clever...In case you can't read it it says "don't stop spring break parties"
However it quickly devolved into lazy cock and tits scribbles on all of the traffic signs up Pine St stopping at 15th ave.
I originally liked the tag because it was simple and juvenile. I enjoyed the crude, hormonally saturated message I was getting from them. But after 6 or 7 of the exact same tag all up Pine St. I was over it. It came across as lazy. Someone who was tagging not because they had a message to communicate or a visual icon to establish...but because they were just destructive and disrespectful. There is a fine line (in my mind anyway) between crappy graffiti that simply turns into visual pollution and tags that serve as an artistic statement. As far as I am concerned Spring Break has become the former. There seems to be little thought being put into the placement of them, the medium used to express them and the message being put across.
Boring.
The reason I look at and record all of the Stencil Girls is that there seems to be a concerted effort put into keeping them fresh and meaningful. Rather than them turning into flat, lifeless clutter in the visual landscape, they consistently catch my eye and my interest.
So it looks like Seattle's first snow of the season came at the perfect time...cuz Spring Break is over.

Did I Mention?

2007-12-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I switched from my Blackberry Pearl back to my Razr.
I just didn't need the Pearl anymore.
Since I have put my self-employment on the back burner while things develop, I don't need immediate access to my email. I was getting more emails via the morning volley between my Mom and my Sister (that they insist on cc-ing me on) then I was for anything else.
Plus the $130+ bill each month was taking a big bite out of my cash flow.
When it really came down to it, the fact is that I never really fell in love with the Pearl and didn't want to pay for it anymore.
So back to the Razzzzzzzzzr.
Boring.
It's not so bad actually...texting seems to take forever! But it's more intuitive then the weird Pearl keypad.
It moves pretty slow compared to the Pearl...though this might have something to do with the current battery life. The battery is half dead and doesn't hold a charge for longer than 4-5 hours on standby and I refuse to buy a new one because I don't want to put anymore $ into it.
This makes conversations brief at best...I usually have about 10 minutes of talk time before my phone starts chirping warning me that I am low on juice.
An iPhone is still what I am dreaming of...although with all of the buzz about a 3G iPhone to be released soon...I am torn.
On the one hand...my Razr is dying a slow death ( I have had it for almost 3 years! I think it's far outlived its expected life) and I am reluctant to spend even the small amount of $ that it would cost to buy a new battery. On the other hand...shelling out $400 for an iPhone that could possibly be obsolete in less than 6 months time makes me cringe. I have learned from my iPod experience (buying v1 so many years ago and then less than 6 months later shelling out another $300 for v2) that Apple likes to move fast.
Like all technology it's a crap shoot, you never know when your current version of anything is going to be yesterdays news....but it's pretty safe to bet that Apple will not rest long on their laurels especially when it comes to new hardware.
So who knows?
Time will tell.
For the time being I have downgraded to my Razr, sold the Pearl on Craigslist and am socking away $ in my savings just in case I get bit by the iPhone bug and can't resist.
I'll keep you posted.

A Note

2007-11-30T08:09:00.001-08:00

I am not sure if this email was prompted by the recent "Stencil Girl" entry I had posted or not.
This morning I got another email from SirKullay about some recent works posted around the city.
If you see any of the works that Sirk is talking about, please snap them and send them to me...I will be happy to post them here for everyone to see.

"I just made about 300 new mega labor intensive pieces last month. Theyre all over cap hill, some in u dist and maple leaf, greenlake, ravenna.
Seattle street art is having a bit of owl/bird mania right now. If you go to flickr.com or the Wooster site you can see the owl tree (on flickr go to search all photos and search seattle "owl tree"). The tree collab was (ovo)'s idea, I did the tree, and over 20 people added a bird or other creature.
My flickr site is http://flickr.com/people/sirkullay/, you can take a gander at the new stuff, and a boatload more of Seattle street talent. "

xo sirk

I have a bunch of images that I have snapped of other tags throughout the city, and I promise to post them on here asap.

Rollin On Sanrio

2007-11-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

Even though I outgrew my Hello Kitty obsession years ago...I still get a kick out of what the folks at Sanrio manage to come up with.
Seriously...they are marketing genius in action! Who can say that they wouldn't get a secret thrill out of having this tread on their tires!?
Thanks for the pic Engadget!

Brrrrr

2007-11-26T19:48:00.000-08:00

It is fricken cold out!
I need warmer shoes!

More later...I promise.

Long Time No See

2007-11-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I have posted any SirKullay stuff.
I did see a new one a few weeks ago, but didn't have my camera and when I went back it was gone. Other than that one though, I haven't seen any new ones in a while.
I was on my way home last night from having dinner with a friend when I spied this one on a sign post.
Technically I guess it's not a Stencil Girl....unless of course that's a rendering of a female owl.
I'm pretty sure it's a Barn Owl...I could be wrong.
If you're reading this SirKullay...let me know what the deal with the owl is.

Spring Break

2007-11-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

I snapped this a couple of days ago. I love that they both look like they were done by a horny 15 year old kid.

This one is totally a 'lil pocket rocket penis.
It looks like he's flying.

Foxmaid

2007-11-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

I have been walking past the papered windows of 411 E Pine St on my way to work each morning, wondering what the hell "Foxmaid" is?!
Well I got a little clue in my inbox today in the form of the sharp looking invite* above.
It looks like Leif and Brian who bring us all of the treasures from SquareRoom have a few other things up their collective sleeves.
And after a quick search (no Google, I did not mean "foxmail") I found this little blurb on the Element Clay Studio & Gallery blog.
I'll definitely be popping in to see whats up.
I am a huge fan of pottery, ceramics etc...so if that's what Foxmaid is all about...I'm thrilled!
I walked by tonight on my way home and all signs pointed to people hard at work to get the store open.
Good luck boys!

*note to invite designer Ross Swartwout...killer font!