Beckham

Beckham looking like he should be on "Prison Break".







An odd pair of photos of David Beckham's Brooklyn tattoo across the small of his back.

Some beef

NCAA 2007 swimming finals



Eric Vendt



Davis Tarwater

A little morsel of chicken

Homo professor's latest favorite. Grady Sizemore.

Quick update...

Chaka is healing nicely - I trucked him down to practice on Thursday. I volunteered to hold the rucking pad and had my glasses knocked off several times - when you weigh 170 soaking wet and 250 pound men are running into you full-on, it is gonna happen. Anyways, Chaka has a new friend Shaggy. I am not sure how Shaggy came to the team - but I met him at the St. Patty's Day drink-up. Shaggy was in rare form that night and he and Chaka started texting each other - Chaka was still recuperating in Pittsburgh at Daddy-O's pad. Anyways, since returning from Pittsburgh, Shaggy and Chaka are now spending time together. So nice to make new friends.

Jimbo, back from his Western Adventure, is looking sunned and rested. His wintertime lull is nearing its end and we chatted some at practice.

The Young Lovers are doing well. Who knew that Delicate Flower had a chopper? Apparently he got it running and was riding around Takoma yesterday. Bubba said that DF and Chaka were headed down for afternoon drinks. Unfortunately, I did not get home from work until after 8pm. PnJ was looking dapper on Thursday - he was coming straight from the Capitol, busy moving and shaking with the Legislative Branch.

After practice, the crew headed down to Dakota Cowgirl for cocktails and bar food. Mark and Sam (Mark joined the team last season and Sam is the rugby widow) had a few nibbles with us. I was asking about people's go-to move in oral sex and it came out that Mark and Sam have been together for 23 years. The table, of course, went silent. It was like we had just seen an ivory billed woodpecker land in front of us. After collecting myself, I asked (semi-rhetorically) how they have made it 23 years. Mark opens his mouth to answer and Shaggy tosses out "Scat, lots and lots of scat".

Flawless. Absolutely flawless.

Speaking of scat. I just found this website called Snack or Scat. Take a look - I cannot decide what is more disturbing, the content or that someone actually put together a page called Snack or Scat.

In honor of Divine who made poo-consumption fit for the masses...I give you the spot where the snacking occurred.

How many closet case Republicans are there?

Wonkette had a little piece linking to a Kentucky blogger called DownWithTyranny! that has a fun little piece about Mitch McConnell who apparently got bounced from the service for preying on military chicken.

Aside from the content of the piece, there are a couple of fun comments. This one is my favorite:

Well progressive bloggers should out him. If people are in the closet that's their choice unless they harm gays, then out `em.

A good ol' fashioned outing for the self-loathers. HBO could make this into a good follow-up to Rome.

The second comment.

Progressives will not........ Huh? Whaaaaaah?

Someone must have been thinking with their typing fingers. I had to read this headline several times before it made sense.

How about "Progressives will not use McConnell's hypocritical anti-gay stance AGAINST HIM IN ATTACK ADS while he's in the closet."

Once I understood that, my reaction was "Why the hell not?"

Calls for outing closet cases along with the ACT UP die-ins this week harkens me back to the 1980s.

Next thing you know, Michelangelo Signorile, will be outing self-loathing closet cases on his blog, The Gist. Note that he did start posting again this past week after a 2 year hiatus. He might be scratching around for some flashy content. You know, everyone LOVES an outing!

Apparently getting some Republican closet cases outed would be like shooting fish in a barrel. The closet is getting a bit full in Washington since there hasn't been a good purge in awhile. I'd say that the rules are set such that only those threatening to vote against ENDA get targeted.

Now there is something HRC could do to help get ENDA passed. They could threaten closet cases with a full-outing unless they vote in favor of ENDA. We might get enough Republicans to get past cloture!

And you know what, I'd volunteer to be a HRC Field Representative in this potential endeavor. I'll wear a little blue dress, troll the bathrooms around Union Station (that pesky rumor never seems to die), and bag at least one closeted Republican. I'm sure there are enough political saavy gay sluts out there to help bag a few more - remember to save the DNA!

Speaking of the 80s.
I did see a Members Only jacket on a straight young guy at ShamrockFest. He wore it just like Johnny Aprile in the Sopranos. I fear its a matter of time before this fashion diaster makes it around again.

I am still seeing young homos in light colored Izod shirts with popped collars. Jesus kids, you have been doing this for years now. Just stop. Please.

One 80s fashion that I am DYING to see get resurrected: the squarish corduroy OP shorts. Those shorts, with the stiff cloth and wide pant leg, were made for cruising box - and occasionally the snake would peek out. Good times. I've got a Bert's Surf Shop T-shirt waiting for when they come around again!

DOMA is a good thing

This is a bitch in the Blade's bitch session:

Actually, DOMA has helped us by keeping a federal marriage ban at bay. Gay marriage is not DOA so long as we don't have a federal amendment in place. Federal laws trump state laws always. Thank the Clintons for buying us time in obtaining marriage equality through DOMA.

Now that is an optomistic viewpoint.

Blade covers for HRC

I am about caught up after my trip to the Midwest. I have to teach some classes next week in NC so I worked on those all day yesterday. Bubba took Chaka to get his cast cut off and Chaka now has a walking boot. And what does Chaka do to celebrate? Run on down to Larry's Lounge for afternoon cocktails - love Chaka. Alas, I could not join as I was busy making slides about comparative genomics - I secretly love teaching. So Bubba met Delicate Flower, C.B., and Shaggy along with Chaka for drinks at the new hangout. Larry's doesn't have alot of stairs - so while Chaka is still in recovery, we will need a single story watering hole.

Well I finally read this week's Blade editorial from Kevin Naff and I was not surprised so much as I was disheartened. The nation's oldest gay and lesbian newspaper is going to bat for the nation's largest gay advocacy organization and the editorial is really a bit limp-wristed.

This editorial might be summed up as:
"Yes, the bloggers have a point about X, but you cannot blame HRC totally for failing in some aspect of this."

So I'm going to handle one point in the editorial.
Andrew Sullivan has a nice discussion about the editorial. He was the primary blogger that was mentioned and his responses are succint and on-point.
Mike Petrelis discussed the salaries at some length and the lobbying costs.

My two cents is going to go towards this idea that the bloggers are criticizing HRC for not getting legislation passed.

Sullivan and others have faulted HRC for failing to successfully lobby Congress to pass pro-gay laws. Some of that is deserved, some is not."

No one can hold HRC responsible for Congress' actions. That is just silly. The point that many in the blogosphere have made is that it is hard to see HOW HRC is lobbying and WHAT they are lobbying for and WHOM they are lobbying and HOW much they are spending on such efforts and WHERE can we go to see the raw data about this. These are issues of transparency that should be intuitive for a non-profit.

A paragraph later.....

But just as it is unfair of HRC to take all the credit when things go right, it's equally unfair to assign all the blame when things go wrong. The reality is that no significant gay rights legislation was going to pass the Republican-controlled Congress of recent years.

Forgive me for this - but when did Kevin Naff become the definitive source of what would and would not happen in the Congress? Take this declarative statement to its logical end. If this is true (of course it isn't), then why should we do anything when Republicans are in the majority. Or for that matter, if the Democrats are less than 60 in the Senate (to get around cloture).

The point that I have made again and again is that Gay Marriage will NEVER pass the legislature cleanly in the next decade. Most gay people know that and readily admit it - and straights are the same way. And currently the gay marriage fight is being waged in exactly the wrong place - the courts. Similarly, is DADT going to make it through Congress? I mean really, is it? That is why is keeps popping up in the courts.

Give the legislature something that they can pass and give them a little political cover to do it, and miracles can happen. But it has to be baby-steps and it has to be palatable to the lawmakers. Fairness is one issue and piety is another - so use the fairness issue to advance some goals for domestic partnership. Striking at the heart of people's piety with Gay Marriage is almost like a frontal assault. For a group of people that might total 2% of the voting population, a frontal assault seems like a scene from the film 300.

Major gay legislation does not have to be wrapped in all of this idealism and lofty goals to be effective. Gay rights legislation can be small and simple steps that improve people's lives. And with HRC's very small lobbying monies (glad to see the numbers popped up) - a small victory approach is the only viable stance. Repeated small victories over a decade taken as an aggregate are effectively "major gay legislation".

Rugby Beef

Frank Lampard - I think Weatherwoof will like this tasty little morsel.

Phil Vickery - Caveman goodness!

Mark Cueto

A fun pic from the Reivers (Scotland) team

Matthew Perry

What is visibility really?

Chris Crain had an interesting post about the GLAAD awards of mainstream media companies carrying gay content. I think it is an interesting take on how to promote gay visibility in the sphere of straight-oriented entertainment.

GLAAD wants to promote positive gay content in the mainstream media and rewards those who take risks by showing positive messages about gay life, notably to the exclusion of those who have produced and distributed the program and that are "gay".

I'm not sure that excluding anyone from quality content is a good idea. The rationale, as Chris pointed out, is that mainstream media is not purely owned and managed by gay oriented companies - thus they should be recognized for taking a "risk". I salute CBS/Viacom (where CBS was recently spun off in a complex deal from its Viacom parent) for subsidizing Logo. The initial support of Logo by a large and veteran media company is great. But it is a business decision that is based upon the fragmentation of the media driven by cable and that fragmentation allows the company to offer a niche product while not offering this content in the larger distribution outlets. Viacom offers content on Logo that makes money and targets a niche that advertisers value - gay folk have lots of disposable income. Companies that purvey liquor have exploited this angle for a long time. Go to a gay bar and see the promos for beers in the form of neon signs and poster - do liquor companies get a reward for making a good business decision? Will GLAAD give Anheuser-Busch a reward for content in a neon sign or a poster? Will Absolut? This is a hard call.

I bring this up as a point to reiterate what Chris Crain has thoughtfully discussed with regard to GLAAD's position to reward mainstream media for positive gay content. If a mainstream company sees an angle to make a profit, in a considerate way from the perspective of the gay community, perhaps that should be rewarded. But I get uncomfortable when you start rewarding who provides the content and not necessarily the content itself. If Ang Lee was gay and distributed Brokeback through an indie outlet, would Brokeback be discounted by GLAAD? Rewarding mainstream promotion of gay content is ostensibly good at the superficial level - but when the distribution of that content may be through a niche subsidiary (i.e. Logo), can you tease apart the pure intention from the profit driven intention? If Viacom gets a reward for content that is funneled through a gay oriented subsidiary, is that actually progress? I don't know - just a point to consider.

I think that it might be divisive because gay content in the mainstream is very compartmentalized. Will and Grace is a good example. Should that show have gotten an award? I say yes for Karen and no for Jack and Will. But I am gay - I respond to something different than the straight crowd might.

I'm particularly interested in this after my trip to the Midwest where I think that Will and Grace might be more damaging than beneficial. I was deep in the red zone and I saw no evidence of gay anything anywhere. It is similar to the black struggle for equality in the mainstream- can Amos and Andy actually make a difference? I guess perhaps. Did the Jeffersons? Did Diahann Carroll? I posit that the mainstream content took awhile to portray black complexity fully and it was a long and tortured progression - and there are some who might say that black culture is still not presented cleanly in the mainstream media. My bus rides in the morning with a nearly all black ridership has been VERY revealing on the disparity. Ought the gay struggle follow the same path - allowing gay content to be diluted and that dilution to be propagated in its imperfect and stereotyped form?

I'm a fan of good content being rewarded for being good content. I'd be disturbed if "Just Jack" wins an award because it is on NBC. Does "Boys Don't Cry" or "Brokeback Mountain" become more important to GLAAD because the content is distributed by a mainstream company.

Not an easy call - but one we, as gay folk, should think about.

Beefcake

Weatherwoof always comments if there has been a lag in the posting of beef. What's up with that? Don't like my written content??
So Mr. Barometer - here is some flesh.....I'm in a hockey-kind of mood this morning. Perhaps it was my trip to the Midwest and all the corn fed boys.

Luc Robitaille from the LA Kings.


Rick Dipietro


Raitis Ivanans is kicking someone's ass....



Some fur for Jimbo - Martin St. Louis


Nick Youngquest - Aussie Rugger who is posing nekked for charity.



And children - click here for more of these fine rugby boys!




And saving the best for last - Matt Cooper. JFC - that is a hot caveman!

Back in town

I got back late last night from a festive gathering of scientists. The meeting was out at a nice golf resort in the Midwest. So between talks, all the semi-normal people are at the bar watching the basketball games.
Lots of good science and lots of good people. Good times.

A very informative comment left from a posting last week:

I'm suprised the HRC hasn't just come out and mentioned this... but given the fact that they'd really rather pretend you guys don't exist, maybe I shouldn't be.

The HRC building is actually a pretty good moneymaker for the organization. They don't occupy the entire building, leasing out at least the top two floors. They also regularly rent out their meeting facilities. These cash flows, combined with the way they've financially structured the whole arrangement, means they're saving a significant amount of money compared to what they'd be spending if they just leased out office space. Add in the fact that gays have a very visible presence (literally) because of this building, and I think it's a smart move.

Ultimately, I agree with your calls for more transparency. The culture at the HRC is a little insular, and their upper ranks could use some non washington types.

A correction

A comment left by Sean Bugg:

Just wanted to clear a couple things up here. First, Metro Weekly did not launch any sort of personal attack on Chris Crain. I, however, did make a couple of off-hand cracks about him on my personal blog. I totally understand that it can be easy to conflate my personal writing with the magazine when I'm the editor, but the post you attribute to Metro Weekly was written by me, on my own time, on a web page and domain that I pay for on my own dime.

Second, it might have been helpful to directly link to the post of mine you questioned. It's funny, in it's own way, because pro-HRC folks have been writing me claiming I'm insanely pro-Sullivan, and vice versa. Obviously, I need to be clearer when stepping into a hornet's nest.

I've already posted a reply to Chris on this issue on my site: http://seanbugg.typepad.com/buggblog/2007/03/since_you_asked.html

One last thing: I'm curious what you mean by "embarrased that we are mired in gay marriage and Don't Ask Don't Tell"? Do you mean you're embarrassed that movement hasn't been made on those issues, or that those issues are at the forefront of the agenda, as opposed to other issues?

First of all - Sean, I am completely in the wrong. Sean did write this in his own blog. Metro Weekly had no doing with this.

I apologize for the error and the link is embedded in the blockquote above.

I, having no dog in this fight, feel that personal history and professional disagreements are peripheral to the discussion at hand - the HRC is the point. The personal attacks are, perhaps, unavoidable, however I think that the pressing issue should be kept central.

Chris came up with a list that seemed pretty reasonable (Note Chris has some links embedded in the list - surf over to his entry for the details):

1. HRC focuses too much on champagne fund-raisers and not enough on its mission.
2. With the sizable resources they take from the gay community ought to come sizable scrutiny.
3. Tim Gill offers an attractive alternative for gay donors.
4. The Globe story highlighted how HRC has devoted too few resources to fight state amendments and too much on electing Democrats.
5. HRC should not come out so early and often for the other HRC, Hillary.
6. HRC should be truly bipartisan where it can in supporting candidates, which means sticking with pro-gay GOP incumbents. (I wrote editorials back in 1998 defending HRC's endorsement of Alphonse D'Amato and clearly it hasn't hurt them or gays with Chuck Schumer).
7. HRC has handled the blog backlash badly and acted almost Bush-like in claiming its critics are helping "the enemy."

In Sean's posting, he had issue with some of the points and agreed with some other points.

So we have grounds for a discussion and as Sean noted, there is a lot of superficial agreement on the issue.

I think the list offers a key point, in and of itself. For those who are concerned about the HRC's role in the community, we can now discuss a cogent set of points and think about what steps ought to be taken. Personal drama aside.

With a list, a group can define what change needs to happen. I'm a fan of direct action. I'm thinking of walking with a sandwich board or holding large sign in front of HRC HQ and passing out flyers in front of the HRC store in Dupont...it'll be a nice way to enjoy the Spring weather, any maybe meet some hotties.

Now onto the last issue I raised about gay marriage and Don't Ask Don't Tell. I am embarrassed that we have been led into two areas that are LONG shots. Gay marriage is not palatable to the masses (in particular out in fly-over country). Gay servicemen play out in a similar fashion. Both policies are patently unfair - this has been clear from the beginning of the discussion. The Equal Protection Clause covers gay marriage so completely that there should be no issue.

But there is massive resistance. MASSIVE. And I still have no protection but I am supposed to be behind this effort (now) to force gay marriage through the courts (which makes it like abortion - a very profitable fund-raiser and an unsolvable problem since it is now beyond a legislative approach). And are gays in the military a bigger issue than gay kids not being able to afford and education because they got kicked out of the house or cut off by parents. Is suicide among gay teens (and older folks for that matter) not a real and on-going problem that WE, the community, can start to address.

My problem is that we can get domestic partnership through. Marriage will not go through the legislature, period. Gay marriage is poised to become the new abortion (i hate that sentence but unfortunately it is true). And Don't Ask Don't Tell can only be solved by legislation (cleanly) and it is also a non-starter at the moment - judicial fiat is not a solution in this case either. ENDA has the potential to be a non-starter too based upon what gets put in the legislation (and I would LOVE to see which points are non-negotiable).

My embarrassment is that I, and my fellow average gays, are living our day-to-day lives and it is not clear that the HRC (which is supposedly leading the charge (from their website description)) is actually concerned with my more pressing needs. A functional and imperfect Federal law providing legal protection is more important than the ideal of Gay Marriage which is being waged state-by-state. Sadly, domestic partnership is boring and far less controversial. Gay Marriage is a big deal and gets lots of press and raises lots of money and so on. But I still sit without any protection at the Federal level. How long will HRC whore the little ones with no protection while trumpeting the highest virtues of equality - Gay Marriage. We live in the tyranny of the masses - that is a Republic.

And the silent majority does not want Gay Marriage.

And I'm happy to take a smaller, less than perfect victory, that protects me somewhat - than a larger, more perfect vision, that leaves me exposed. That might be seen as a lack of virtue - I'd call it minimizing my risk.

And Don't Ask Don't tell MUST be legislated. But is it among the most pressing matters of the day? Is there nothing else that affects more people and is achievable in shorter time (legislatively speaking?). DADT isn't fair and neither is being denied access to marriage. But if a scientist can see the myriad of problems with GM and DADT (and potentially ENDA) while there is a panoply of more pressing needs that must be addressed - then how can I not be embarrassed?

Embarrassment is a legitimate emotional response to such a misreading by our leadership of the political landscape.

Transparency

Michael Petrelis left a comment on my Aravosis entry earlier this week and here is a very cogent piece of advice for the HRC:

The matters of fiscal transparency and accountability, and the need for HRC to develop town hall meetings, allow staff to blog, and general learn to engage the blogger critics are long-standing.

Transparency ought never be scary if your motivation is pure and you have faith in your goals. This is a common feature in publishing papers in scientific journals - one must give enough information in the publication such that other scientists can repeat the entire set of experiments. Obviously, others may have a differing view and this is the basis for generating a scientific consensus.

However this sort of consensus building requires alot of discussion of results and data. If there is no transparency, then this whole exchange is short-circuited.

Michael's comments about both fiscal and motivational transparency is spot on. This discussion has also been further by an extensive set of posts by Chris Crain about the HRC vs the blogosphere.

Sadly, this appears to be degenerating into personal attacks, most visibly on Chris by Metro Weekly and an earlier round involving Chris and Andrew Sullivan by Joe at HRC.

Note Chris has links and content describing Andrew Sullivan's back and forth with HRC.

In relation to transparency, there is limited value of Joe being so prickly with individuals while dodging the larger issue at hand. This sort of personal attack strategy only buys Joe more time and hoping that the furor blows over. The current blog-uproar has clearly shown that there is a definite interest in bringing the focus of the HRC back to nuts and bolts gay issues. This can be acheived by the HRC refocusing on regular interaction with the community. I like the town hall meetings because they can bring all the voices together for a discussion.

Joe likes ENDA and repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. Also clearly a proponent of legislating gay marriage.

For one: Joe is not courting the community to explain what HRC's stance on ENDA will be in concrete terms- will it include trans-rights? How extensive will this be in the private sector (i.e. will mom and pop operations get a pass?). All legislation will require compromise and what points can be compromised and what points are a deal killer. I firmly believe that it is more important to have a core set of non-negotiable points that the HRC is forwarding clearly as opposed to the less transparent backroom deals that are then "explained" to us.

If we cannot get a clear explanation about the financial state of HRC, should we expect to get a clear explanation of what goals HRC will go to the mat for (and potentially risk killing the legislation in the process).

Another point: Why is domestic partnership (which can be far more cleanly legislated) DOA at HRC? Given the problems with judicial fiat and the resistance within the gay community for the all-or-nothing approach of gay marriage - wouldn't it be a good idea to regroup and consider if domestic partnership is a suitable compromise that will provide us basic legal protection?

Seeking a consensus is not always easy. But it is a necessary point of ensuring that the gay community has some core principles. Frankly, I am embarrased that we are mired in gay marriage and Don't Ask Don't Tell. And I think that the goals for ENDA should be discussed with the gay masses.

The HRC appears to have strayed from the average gay's needs and goals. I think that the current blog vs HRC drama is so divisive because the HRC is not upholding its perceived goal as speaking for, and more importantly with, the gay community.

Bravo to Chris Crain, Michael Petrelis, Andrew Sullivan, and Larry Kramer for bringing the issues surrounding HRC to the fore (again).

Geoff Jenkins

Geoff Jenkins.

For Ginger Lovers

Geoff Jenkins from the Milwaukee Brewers.

For the Chickenhawks

Kenrick Monk

Aravosis

Aravosis had an interesting take on the Andrew vs HRC mud-slinging event.

The Blade reports that the "groundswell" of gay-oriented blogs against the HRC are not really that influential. His point is that everyone reads Andrew's blog (and his) and these other sites don't have any signficant traffic.

His point is duly noted.

I would offer that Andrew's blog does not happen in a vacuum - nor does AmericaBlog. I also offer that bloggers sift about their surroundings for ideas and information. This sort of quasi-collective thought is dependent upon where you get your information and how you gather it. But when a range of people begin discussing an idea, a range of opinions are offered up and additional information comes forth and major themes come to the fore.

While it is true that Andrew has the biggest megaphone, information flows back and forth across the web in the form of the blog-conversation between people of varying levels of "exposure". The flow of information is largely invisible and almost always assymmetric in real time - but looking back upon the arc of a story, it is clear that information and ideas are continually flowing around.

So when Aravosis says "The driving force here is Andrew", I'd posit that that might be a little too clean and tidy.

Having been doing research forever, I know that "novel" ideas are extremely rare but that the person with the biggest grants and best papers tend to be the best at gathering info, synthesizing it, and presenting it as their own "idea". Most ideas come from an amalgam of individual insight and external information - in science and in the media. I definitely think that the success of AmericaBlog is due to alot of external contributions (both active and passive). In a similar vein, I would say that just because people do not have a big readership that they should be marginalized as unimportant or peripheral.

Joe...careful darling. You might get your wig snatched.

Joe - a little piece of advice. Don't get into a battle that you cannot win. Its counterproductive.

I have been in la-la-land for the past week with work and work drama. Whilst I was absent, Andrew Sullivan had some festive entries about the HRC on his blog - that is highlighting that it is a "racket".

A-fucking-men.

So Joe gets the Blade to do piece on Andrew's comments titled "HRC hits back at blogger criticisms".

The article looks to be requested by HRC and it definitely doesn't address Andrew Sullivan's critiques of the organization.

Joe's quote is (as usual) banal:

"I find it curious that, as Democrats have taken charge of Congress and we are poised for the first time in over a decoade to pass this sort of legislation, he seems to have mounted this campaign to malign and discredit our work."

I find it interesting that Andrew's primary bitch of the moment is that HRC is not transparent in its finances and that Joe's response talks about Andrew working against the organization.

Now if Andrew, who has a big megaphone, bitches about the HRC finances, then Joe ought to address those points directly. Further, I don't think it is appropriate for the HRC to use the Blade in this way - it is clear that the Blade just repeated alot of the HRC talking points.

My favorite is from Jim Rinefierd, VP for finance and operations:

"No membership or operating dollars were used to purchase or renovate the office building at 1640 Rhode Island Ave N.W."

The article goes on the discuss how a special and separate campaign was mounted to finance the purchase and renovation.

OK - Andrew's point is that this sort of investment distracts from the actual purpose of the organization. That purpose, supposedly, is gay advocacy. The total cost of the building was 26.4 million bucks that people gave to HRC.

I think the Blade should have done the really interesting (and HRC critical) story: How far 26.4 million would go if it were given in competitive grants to grass-roots organizations?

HRC has offered no good reason for why they spent so much on the building - because they will not fess up to the truth. Pretty buildings help raise more money than dumpy ones.

Skiing

Well after last night's fiesta - Bubba finally made it home at some point. I was long asleep - preparing myself for a fun little ski adventure today.

I got up at 7:30am, made coffee, Linus and I went to the park (he got in several scrapes today at the park - Spring is coming and Linus is feeling alpha-ish), packed the ski bag, and jetted over to pick up Delicate Flower (DF) from his Glover Park hideaway.

DF was waiting (apparently his place was a houseful of drunken heteros passed out on anything soft - I am so glad I am out of my 20s and those days are behind me) and we ran up Wisconsin to I-270 and out to Whitetail for some skiing. Delicate Flower is so fab. We talked to Chaka a bunch on the way up.

Side note: Chaka had surgery and is in recovery in Pittsbugh at his Dad's place for a week or so. Surgery went well and the Percotinis are apparently MONEY.

DF and I were skiing all afternoon - one of the the ski lift guys was so fucking hot - I mean, really fucking hot. And totally straight. I was in heat.

Anyways - the day was gorgeous. 40s and a little breeze and nice deep blue sky. The views of the valley were great - the Hagerstown area still is covered in snow so it was really a great ski day - particularly for mid-March.

DF and I bonded. Love him. The ride back had more Chaka chat - DF thought that Chaka's needed another percocet because Chaka was a bit grumpy.

Bubba was finally feeling more human when I got home. He did 4 Irish Car Bombs (that he can remember) and ALOT of beer last night. He was a party machine. And today - he was a fixture on the couch. Good thing I was out skiing. He got plenty of nap time.

Jimbo could not join (he had D&D) and PNJ was out of commision from the pub crawl as well. Its a strange day when I am the sober one - but it was good times.

I have got to get back to blogging seriously - I have totally missed Sullivan's HRC meltdown, the Peter Pace drama, and the HRCs really bitchy Blade comments about Sullivan. Damn- I might have to take a personal day to catch up!

Hope everyone will be enjoying Spring as the weather warms this week. The saucer Magnolias are just about ready, the crocus are out and the daffodils need just one or two more warm days. I saw some cherries out in full-bloom in the District - so just a few weeks and the cherries and dogwoods will be in full bloom!

Social fiesta

Hey all...


Damn if I am not socialized! I got up at 7am. Blogging and some web action early on. Then I scrubbed the floors and did tons of housework. I love my new floor scrub - organic and it still smells money. After my Cinderalla routine, a little laundry and some Star Wars (Bubba was out in Bowie for the day).

Jimbo and I had a nice workout and din-din at Cosi (necessary carbs to get me through the night). Then, I had to catch up with the rugby bitches for pub crawl. Cobalt, JRs, Stoneys, Halo and Titan. Momma is now tired. We met Mike at Titan, MONEY, and drug him to Jimbo's lair for pre-Blowoff. Bubba is out with the crowd at Blowoff. I had to come home and walk the pooch and pack for skiing with Delicate Flower tomorrow. We will be up in Kinsey -1's neck of the woods for some fantastic spring skiing. A rare treat in the East so late in the year. Tahoe is perfect right now - I can only hope for something like that. Skiing in mid-March in the East must be done on the drop on a hat.

The pub crawl was good times. Very good times. Big box Andy was looking fetching as always. Bubba is totally hammered. And I am the first home. Kids, this is a rare event. Jesus must be coming soon. Hope all had a good weekend!

Some beef

Pub crawl

I like this promo for some bar in NYC - it captures the theme of the day.

The ruggers will be out on the town this afternoon prowling about for beer. Find the schedule here. Note: These are approximate times!

Start looking for Tom Sizemore...end up eating bush

I fell in another Google-hole looking for a decent picture of Tom Sizemore. Until today, I thought he was dreamy - I did not realize that he had turned into a coked-out beached whale.

I got sidetracked by several interesting/disturbing things inbetween the small gasps as Tom Sizemore's pictures went from bad to worse. Those during his crystal years are horrible!

Best of them comes from an entry in the defamer.com.

The Vitural Trannytute link is kinda fun, but the link about Paul Walker's wife is FABULOUS!

Surf on by for an eyeful.

Disturbing article in W

OK - time to come out of the closet. I LOVE fashion.

But in reading my newest W today on the Metro, I was confronted with some issues that I have never considered.

If you are 21 and getting Botox because you are worried about wrinkles, what the fuck am I spending my money on W for?

I have a wrinkle here and grey hair there. But I am also worried that young-uns are now dying their hair grey as a fashion statement.

Let's put that together. Dyed grey and having Botox to eliminate the "wrinkles" in the early 20s.

I didn't have a wrinkle to speak of in my early 20s - nor my late 20s. Can I actually think that people in their early 20s fear the process of aging so much?

I'd say it is a straight thing - but the young homos are talking about true love and monogamy at 21 too. Jesus - what has this world come to?

I'd banish W from my regular reading - but I might not see what Galliano has done in the recent Parisian shows. He has, again, outdone himself.

Still - Botox at 21?

Spring training

Homo professor is all excited about Spring Training and sent me a picture of a fave of his - Grady Sizemore.

The mystery is solved

Jimbo is gettting his money's worth from his new on-line subscription.

Our favorite caveman at the gym has now been spotted on Manhunt. The description souded very close but the pictures sealed the deal.

Unfortunately, his profile is somewhat spartan - however if he is on Manhunt then he is at least bi-sexual.

So happily I can state that my gaydar is somewhat functional!

In other news, there was high drama on the Red Line yesterday. I was getting on at Shady Grove at 5:30pm and someone gets shot at the Rockville station at 5:31pm. So they shut down the Rockville station and no trains can go through in either direction.

Normally I would have been pissed at the thought of taking the Q2 Metrobus from Shady Grove to Silver Spring. I was even less enthralled with idea of taking a shuttle bus from Shady Grove to Twinbrook.

When looking at the Q2 schedule and eyeing the hundreds and hundres of others, I was getting a very sick feeling that I might be really fucked. Like it would have taken four hours to get home sort of fucked.

Fortunately, my subway buddies, whom I was shadowing, were doing some thinking whilst I was stewing. They got their act together and showed me the way. Amongst all the chaos, I watched them surveying the scene and looking for an out. And it was right in front of them. The popular subway buddy and his coterie made a B-line to the cab stand - I, and the other subway buddies, thought this was a great idea and did the same. So I split a cab with two other guys for a 30 dollar ride from Shady Grove to Twinbrook. That cabbie was thanking his lucky stars.

And I got lucky too - our cab was the last one and the mass of people was swelling by the minute as the buses were bringing in additional commuters. Two more minutes and I was out of luck.

I have never talked with my subway buddies - they are creatures of habit much like myself - Always the 5:30pm Metro. I sit at the distal end of the second to last subway car in the front row of the seats. An older gay gentleman (total opera queen) sits across from me facing backwards, a wacky scientist-sort of guy with chunky black glasses and a hipster style usually sits across from me reading all kinds of esoterica, and a wiry haired professor type sits in the middle of the car. He is the most popular of this group - he has commuter friends. It took me a few days of commuting to realize that amongst all the randomness of the city, there are comforting patterns.

Anyways - I got home in good spirits. The poor saps stuck at Twinbrook and trying to get to their cars at Shady Grove were walking up Rockville Pike. Made me realize that I will need to figure out a way home from work if the Metro goes down.

Its only a 16 mile walk!

March and Hillary

Well looks like Hillary's road to coronation is hitting a few bumps of late.

1. The Obama Love Fest: Hillary had Al Sharpton "lashing out" at Barak - it won't be long before we hear Al Sharpton berating Obama for not really being black. Which is far worse than Joe Biden's comment about Obama being clean and articulate.

2. Donor-bleed: David Geffen's very public rebuke of the Clintons for Obama was said to have had Bill Clinton "incandescent". That description ought to float into the vernacular of the day for its strong visual component. Look for others who are seeing a way to pin Hillary to the wall for a favor to also defect in short order.

3. NY Times: Hillary's mouthpiece was snapped into high gear this week. Looks like she has gotten the company (which is having serious financial problems and shareholder revolt) to attack Al Gore for faulty science that Al uses to support his ideas of human-induced climate change on Earth. Hmmm - I wonder how those pendantic asswipes at the Times will try to spin a Republican talking point for Hillary's benefit. That paper is such a waste of newsprint.

4. Hillary's quick visit with the HRC: This got no pre-press (it was a hush-hush affair) but alot of press after the fact. Anyone else find it odd that Hillary addresses the leading gay rights organization and keeps it in the closet? I guess Joe wanted to keep this little town meeting as unified and organized as one on the Bush 2004 campaign trail. Hillary's own handlers offered no substanital comments on this.

Look for the Breck Girl to stay clear of this and for Hillary to leave him be. She needs a party loyalist to run with her. Edwards will be scooped up again in 2008 for VP if he can keep his mouth shut and head down.

The Sanchez Update

Chris Crain has the latest installment of the Matthew Sanchez drama.

I think that this story has the possibilities of becoming an interesting discussion about the fluidity of sexuality/sexual orientation. However, Cpl. Sanchez's opacity and ever-shifting "explanations" and "clarifications" is going to turn this into another episode of "The Politics of Personal Distruction". Its too bad because I really think that, beneath the salacious details, the story is probably a pretty interesting case study of where the lines between what is personal and public should be drawn.

Fun Bitch Session quotes

The Blade has an insert that has the Bitch Session edited by Bitch Boy. There were a couple fun ones during the past few weeks.

I'm so glad I came out 20 years ago when we were all fun, drunken whores. Today's drugged-out, catty gym queens scare the crap out of me.

Earlier this month I went on a trip to London and Paris hoping to get away from all the nasty D.C. queens and meet some nice Europeans. But what happens? I end up running into D.C. queen after D.C. queen. What's a guy have to do to get away from your bitches?
Bitch Boy responds: Go to Baltimore.

You have been going to the same bars with the same people for the last 10 years. Don't tell me you have grown.

Overheard while channel surfing

I just got home from an afternoon of fun. Bubba, Jimbo, Angry and I watched basketball and ate bar food at Stoney's (cute bartender). We did a long walking tour of gay-ville after Stoney's. Its quite nice to not be cold for once and it not snow on a Sunday. Angry and Bubba went to the airport on Metro and Jimbo and I went for a caveman free workout. I walked with Jimbo back to Shaw to enjoy more sun and warm air!

Once home, I said hi to Bubba and sat down to do some blogging and surfing. Bubba was flipping about the channels and while pausing briefly on Law and Order: Criminal Intent this very official woman said (in perfect timing):

"I know that you just washed your diaphragm. It is still wet."

We both had a giggle.

Angry had a nice visit - far too short. We had a great day yesterday at the ShamrockFest. C.B. and I pushed IPA and Red Hook to very, very drunk straight people. Angry handled the Bud Light tap and cruised straight hotties. Bubba kept getting "lost" trying to find our beer tent (Bubba's tastes run along the 20-something, in-shape and blonde axis which were EVERYWHERE).

Side note: Straight guys have a hard time peeing while drunk - I had a "nice" view of the Port-O-Potties and these guys, who were hammered, emerged pulling at their zippers with vertaible Jackson Pollock-style splatters of urine.

ShamrockFest also exposed me to the extent of the gay-ification of the hetero boys. My gaydar has been very poor for some time now (it is stuck in 1994). I honed it in North Carolina and during my grad school days in Cali, it started to fall apart, it decayed further in Atlanta. However, upon arrival in DC, I have concluded that I have a completely broken gaydar.

I will need to download a DC patch in order to get it somewhat functional again. Problems really seem to start and end with straight boys in tight jeans, tight shirts, fashionable shoes and great haircuts.

I'm glad to see everyone wanting to look sexy and fashionable. But the only thing (which Angry pointed out) that I can use to determine if someone is gay now (in the city) is that the man is underweight. Straight boys still seem to be carrying a frat boy figure. The pictures in MW and the Blade confirm that the homos have gone on a total fat purge. Is 4% body fat the maximum allowed? Is anything over a 30 inch weight permitted?

I think everyone can see the benefit of being fit, but I suspect that the city queens are using cocktails as their "carbos" and eating like sparrows. J&J, the upstairs neighbors tell me stories of going out with some of their Dupont gay friends who drink like fish and nary an item of food in sight.

Boys Boys Boys

Just plain hot.

Andrew Aponick

Marine Chicken

Thomas Jane

Raoul Bova

Javy Lopez

Bird mafia?

I was listening to Scott Simon this morning on the way to the dog park and he mentioned a PNAS article that came out this week about cowbirds and "mafia-like" behavior.

Retaliatory mafia behavior by a parasitic cowbird favors host acceptance of parasitic eggs

Why do many hosts accept costly avian brood parasitism even when parasitic eggs and nestlings differ dramatically in appearance from their own? Scientists argue that evolutionary lag or equilibrium can explain this evolutionary enigma. Few, however, consider the potential of parasitic birds to enforce acceptance by destroying eggs or nestlings of hosts that eject parasitic eggs and thereby reject parasitism. This retaliatory "mafia" behavior has been reported in one species of parasitic cuckoo but never in parasitic cowbirds. Here we present experimental evidence of mafia behavior in the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater), a widely distributed North American brood parasite. We manipulated ejection of cowbird eggs and cowbird access to predator-proof nests in a common host to test experimentally for mafia behavior. When cowbird access was allowed, 56% of "ejector" nests were depredated compared with only 6% of "accepter" nests. No nests were destroyed when cowbird access was always denied or when access was denied after we removed cowbird eggs, indicating that cowbirds were responsible. Nonparasitized nests were depredated at an intermediate rate (20%) when cowbirds were allowed access, suggesting that cowbirds may occasionally "farm" hosts to create additional opportunities for parasitism. Cowbirds parasitized most (85%) renests of the hosts whose nests were depredated. Ejector nests produced 60% fewer host offspring than accepter nests because of the predatory behavior attributed to cowbirds. Widespread predatory behaviors in cowbirds could slow the evolution of rejection behaviors and further threaten populations of some of the >100 species of regular cowbird hosts.

Gay gene non-sense

Gay Canuck covers why the "gay gene" is really not so simple nor easily identifiable.

I will have to read this Advocate article and do a queer beacon review.

Can you run that by me again?

From Joe.My.God regarding Matt Sanchez:

On Friday Officials at Marine Corps Recruiting Command were unable to say whether past participation in gay porn disqualifies a potential enlistee because it was unclear how the current “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy might apply.

What Angry is Looking For....

Angry Hole is in town. We are going to be at ShamrockFest pouring beer this afternoon (it is at RFK). This is a fund-raiser for the team - we might pop into Remington's later.

Gerard Butler from 300. Angry twitches when he sees Gerard.

I'll take the one on the right

From Outsports - Gay Aussie Surf Lifeguards at Mardi Gras.

HRC's visit to SF

Headline from March 8th posting from the Petrelis Files:

Solmonese of HRC in SF on March 21; No Public Community Meeting Scheduled

Joe is going to SF and doesn't have a community meeting planned.
The posting from Micahel Petrelis.

Nurse Nan takes a few hits

Thankfully the direct action against Nurse Nan is seeing some results. The excerpt is from the Sanford Herald (N.C.) which has ended printing content from Ann Coulter. The Herald offers a clear rationale of why Ann's content was removed.

The link is to Pam's House Blend. Thanks Pam!

Hillary's undergrad thesis pops up

Hillary's undergrad thesis through the lens of a conservative website/blog. Read the blog here. This comes by way of Drudge.

I think its an interesting presentation of a partisan Republican view of Hillary's academic undergrad thesis that focuses upon an activist's efforts in the mid-20th century in Chicago.

Poor Chaka

These young ones are just crazy these days.

Garth (from the rugby team) came over last night and we had a four hour cram session for his biology mid-term today. Garth is a wonderful person. He is a teacher who has gone back to school to get a masters degree. In reviewing his transcript, the school figured out that he never took biology - now he has to.

So we talked about transcription, translation, respiration, photosynthesis, ATP, and so on. I was in professor mode and oblivious to the outside world - but the odd thing was the phone kept ringing.

Bubba was watching his TV and he didn't seem annoyed by all this commotion (as he is prone to be when the phone gets to ringing). Come to find out when Garth left at 11:30 that Chaka had broken his ankle at practice because someone substantial had fallen upon his leg. The phone calls were updates on Chaka's progression in the ambulance ride from the pitch to Bethesda and about the driving arrangements and so on.

I will give Chaka a holla today and catch up on all the drama. Bubba said that Delicate Flower said that Lee's foot "looked like it was going to fall off his leg". That sounds like surgery, pins and a cast. I'll keep you updated on how the percotinis are.

Dear Chaka's injuries will bring the party to a close for the Spring (before it even got here!). Can you IMAGINE what those Halo bitches would say if someone dared to show up in a boot on their foot? I'd advise Chaka to go for the Burberry plaid cast - hell they put it on every other accessory known to man.

In other news, Angry Hole is going to be here tonight for a quick weekend visit. I love Angry! We will be pouring beer at the ShamrockFest at RFK tomorrow as part of a fund-raiser for the rugby team - we have the fun shift (3:30-6pm). Angry and I should be out and about tomorrow night, we gotta see the YLs at some point, plus Angry is perennially single (I'm more worried about Angry getting action than Angry is). Chaka usually organizes the fun - but Jimbo has told me that he has a taste for Ginger lately. Perhaps we could have a little Remington's get-together??

Lastly:

The Matt Sanchez drama continues.

An intersting posting from Pam's House Blend on the matter.

Hmmmm....

I had heard about this through the gay blogger grapevine regarding how
HRC's overhead costs are not clearly available nor disclosed.

Andrew Sullivan has the posting. Surf on by for details about the non-disclosure.

Where is Matt Sanchez on the Kinsey Scale?

Joe.My.God has a virtual interview with Matt Sanchez (via e-mail) and I have a short excerpt that is revealing:

JMG: What do you think of Ann Coulter, especially regarding her "faggot" remark at CPAC? What did Ann say to you?

SANCHEZ: I, personally wouldn't have used the word faggot in public like that. That said, Ann made a joke and that's just what she does. I wouldn't want her right to speak breeched in any way. The complaints from all these pissed off people is hilarious. I know Ann gets a kick out of being a provocateur, and these hissyfits will probably figure in her next article.

It may be hilarious to Matt. As you will see in his interview - not really sure he identifies as gay at a cerebral level (at a visceral level, he clearly has identified as gay). Thanks to Joe.My.God for sharing this!

HRC has a direct action initiative against Nurse Nan

From the HRC website:

New Coulter Action: Tell Papers to Drop Her
So far, more than 20,000 fair-minded activists have responded to the Human Rights Campaign’s call to take action against Ann Coulter after she used the “F word” at a public event. But the media group that syndicates Coulter’s column flatly defied these protests. Now we need everyone to keep the heat on Coulter by encouraging individual newspapers to not provide platforms to bigots.

If you are interested, surf on over to the website and fill out a form letter.

Also, HRC has a very nice media guide for the print media - its pretty handy!

Side note to HRC - please stop trying to collect friends e-mails on this.

Semantic tap-dancing

From Weatherwoof's site The Barometer:

From the Hannity and Colmes Show transcript:


COULTER: The word I used has nothing to do with sexual preference. It is a schoolyard taunt, and unless you're going to announce here on national TV that John Edwards, married father of many children, is gay, it clearly had nothing to do with that. It's a schoolyard taunt.
COLMES: Ann, you are tap-dancing around my question. I asked you a very simple question...
COULTER: No, I'm not.
COLMES: I didn't ask about the N word. I simply said, you write this off and say, oh, it was only a joke...
COULTER: And I just said why I wouldn't.
COLMES: But you used a word that's very offensive to gays. Would you use a word offensive to another group of people and say, oh, it was only a joke? Where do you draw the line?
COULTER: It isn't offensive to gays. It has nothing to do with gays. It's a schoolyard taunt, meaning wuss. And unless you're telling me that John Edwards is gay, it was not applied to a gay person.

Why all the fuss about this in the blogosphere? I have people at work who have no idea this is going on. People out there in the burbs need to know that Nurse Nan is not harmless.

The work faggot was used by Ann as derisive, not descriptive (as she points out). And she is hoping this will all blow over and she will offer up this non-sensical drivel in the meantime. Faggot is not just a schoolyard taunt. It is just plain hateful. Mean and hateful.

Good job Joe

Joe has a post on Huffington's site.

Its pretty good!

Radio Days

From Pam's House Blend and note this show was Monday night:

[UPDATE: so far I can't see how you can listen to it live unless you're a subscriber.]
I'm going on HRC's show on XM satellite radio, The Agenda with Joe Solomonese tonight.

Topic: the Coulter, "faggot" and the fallout.

You can tune in two ways:

* The show airs live on XM Satellite Radio channel 200 from 6 - 8 p.m. Eastern time.
I'm slated to go on at 7:30.

* After airing, the show repeats on a continuous loop on XM Online channel 134.

You can sign up and tune in online for free if you don't have XM.

Who is served by a wedge issue?

Andrew Sullivan had a nice piece about Nurse Nan (aka Ann Coulter) and how her hate speech is more than a joke.

Chris Crain also had a nice piece last week about the issue of the "gay insurgency" with regard to the HRC.

My discussion about Joe Solmonese at the HRC event (State of the Movement) is brought into a clear focus with the recent events.

I'll set aside the impotent response to Nurse Nan for the moment. My focus will shift to something a little more "big picture". Chris Crain did a nice job of clarifying what the bubbling in the blogosphere is all about. For me, it is really an abstention of the HRC from the low level chatter in favor of more contentious issues that require a very long view and no clear resolution. I'll pick "Gay Marriage" as the issue du jour.

My office mate (a Dutch national) put it thusly (as a paraphrase):

When you have gay marriage and religion, how is it possible to resolve fairness from individual bias?

Given that "Gay Marriage" is an HRC focal point - is it feasible? Is "Gay Marriage" a goal that is viable when, as Andrew Sullivan pointed out, people (with Romney and Rudy in attendance) clap when Nurse Nan throws out "Faggot"? To me the disconnect is so striking that it requires one to think about the State of the Movement.

I posit that HRC has chosen Gay Marriage after carefully considering the result of abortion. Abortion was decided by judicial fiat. It was foisted upon the country from on high. It was not legislated - rather a bench of 9 decided it for hundreds of millions. And how much money has been made for the chattering classes from this? I argue that Gay Marriage, like abortion, is a very good wedge issue and Gay Marriage is following the same troubled path - it serves the leaders far more than it serves the masses.

A proof? Those that wait upon another judicial fiat that is then turned into a political football are not served in their day-to-day lives by the Gay Marriage struggle. Our exposed minority still is lying prone to the existing law should they get sick, fall into a coma, lose their benefits at work and need coverage from their partner's benefit policies, the myriad of tax benefits, etc. Is the silent majority served by making a wedge issue of Gay Marriage? The law and body of judicial decisions clearly stands on the side of the gays with regard to marriage, but the will of the majority does not.

Does the HRC think about the comprehensive goal of Gay Marriage (and the resultant logjam) with respect to the average gay? Or, alternatively, does the HRC calculate the potential of revenue generation by taking the long view with the assistance of the conservative right?

I argue that the response to the day-to-day needs of the gay silent majority is not being served by the political calculations of the HRC. Gays need imperfect rights as opposed to a perfect pipe-dream. The response to Nurse Nan should be automatic and forceful - and not "automatic" like Pam Spaulding stated. However the HRC response to Nurse Nan is neither forceful nor effective. Rather it is calculated.

Gay Marriage is so much more lucrative than low level and day-to-day events. Gay marraige is a revenue stream. But what about the needs of the silent majority today? When you have domestic partnership - what will you use to generate revenue?

This about money versus needs. Gay Marriage keeps the HRC focused on a long term revenue stream. Domestic partnership is about a need that can be acheived but might not offer the consistent revenue stream. That is the problem with meeting a need when you need money - how will you get press and money when the need is met? But there are alot of needs - they are low level, they are far more simple, and they can be effectively acheived in something less than geologic time.

I think many gays have short-term needs that should be met, in part by the action of the HRC. Domestic partnership is one of those needs.

If HRC cannot be bothered to rise, in a substantial way, to Nurse Nan vomiting hate - I think is proves that HRC is not dedicated to addressing the panopoly of minor issues that mean something to the average gay.

The HRC is rejecting homo needs for their own financial ends. Shameful.

Love the cross

From Joe.My.God. Porn-star and conservative darling Cpl. Sanchez with Nurse Nan (Soapdish).

My office mate Kinsey -1 said that someone ought to do a karyotype on Ann Coulter.

His quote:

"There is a Y chromosome in there somewhere".

BTW - Love the cross. Anyone want to discuss with Ann the principles that Jesus lived and died for???

From the HRC website

FYI - Ann Coulter was on every talk show on the planet yesterday spewing her hate. Does anyone get a punishment for bad bevavior these days???

Top title:

John Amaechi Condemns Ann Coulter's Remarks

Title ought to read:

John Aravosis Slams Ann Coulter as a Hate Monger and Proposes Direct Action: His Interview with Joe Solmonese (read the transcript or see the youtube video)




Second to top title:

Hillary Clinton Addresses HRC Volunteers

Title ought to read:

HRC Confirms All Major Repulican Candidates have Condemned Ann Coulter's Behavior





Third to top:

Gay Marine Comes Out

Title ought to read:

Another Veteran Joins the Family - Let's hope he's a top

Home run

Chase Utley (a fave of mine)

My Birthday Present???

Bubba - I've been good (kinda)....could I have John Cena for my birthday present?

Fritz Aares

Norwegian wrestler, Fritz Aares.

MONEY!

Ahhh...youth

The arc is not impressive thus far

Note to Joe about the deafening silence you discussed in your HRC release regaring Anne Coulter's use of Faggot:

I think I would prefer silence to the pablum below.

From Anne Coulter (the offender):

Ms. Coulter, asked for a reaction to the Republican criticism, said in an e-mail message: “C’mon, it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean.”

I find this almost as offensive as the initial quote.

From John McCain's spokesman:

“The comments were wildly inappropriate,” said his spokesman, Brian Jones.

Ummm...when is it actually appropriate to use the term "Faggot" and by whom? Grade: F

From Rudy:

Mr. Giuliani said, “The comments were completely inappropriate and there should be no place for such name-calling in political debate.”

Ummm....its a little more than just name calling. Or is it? And I don't recall it being a debate - it was Anne Coulter doing her schtick. Grade: D


From Mitt:

Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Mr. Romney, said: “It was an offensive remark. Governor Romney believes all people should be treated with dignity and respect.”

This is a little better. It addresses our commitment in America to basic human rights. I'll give it a C+.

OK...let's see what the HRC has for us:

John Amaechi Condemns Ann Coulter's Remarks
John Amaechi, former NBA player and a spokesman for the HRC Coming Out Project, makes a statement on Ann Coulter's use of hateful "F" word at yesterday's Conservative Political Action Committee event.

Hmmm....now I am starting to get suspicious. John was on a gay media embargo regarding his book because the Advocate signed him up to do "The Interview". That embargo ended this past week and look who pops up on the HRC website as the point person for this (I think major) problem. He has a blog (so cool) and he has a little video for people to watch (Note to HRC, some people in the hinterlands might need a transcript to read since they are still on dial-up - make a transcript available please).

Now you are going to pit Anne Coulter, a slick media whore who is on TV all the time, with someone who just came out of the closet and is best at bouncing a round ball. No offense to John, but this requires something a little more substantial and a little less cosmetic. I don't think that John's sets of talents are a good match for this unpleasant, but necessary, task.

Also, could HRC be a little less self-serving - using the Coming Out Project in this case should be supplemental to the HRC effort - not the official position and, particularly, not in this case.

Tyson's/WSC/Dinner party

Well FruitFly and I had a fun little trip out to Tyson's. She has a Manhattan wedding next weekend and needed a necklace to go with her new deep chocolate dress and tortoise-shell heels. We had discussed options last weekend during fashion strategy session. After mulling over that, I firmly had either a brown topaz or citrine pendant in my head. I also had amethyst on the list because I like how lighter purple tones match with rich browns - it is not for everyone but I think the pairing has alot of good tension.

After some mall crawling and deliberations, she bought a very spartan, elliptical, white gold pendant (maybe an inch across) with diamonds along the outline and a very simple chain - I would classify it as Miro-esque. FruitFly's taste runs along the silver/plantimun axis; thus this new addition will be a nice match with her exisitng collection. The piece is also very unique and sits beautifully on her chest - it definitely has an understated elegance that will look nice at an evening wedding.
Added bonus: It was half off!

I also found out that both wrap dresses and polka dots have made it to the burbs. (And most women in the burbs cannot successfully wear either). FruitFly bought a really cute empire waisted whimisical black and white polka-dot top. FAB. And she threw in some patent leather pumps to go with her jeans....Porn-tastic.

We were off to run a few errands and have ladies lunch at the Daily Grill (good GOD there are some queeny queens at the mall).

Bubba wasn't feeling well yesterday. He was up and down all Friday night. Probably due to Friday's LONG happy hour at Rock Bottom in Bethesda with the science geeks (my office crowd). Then Lebanese dinner afterwards.

So he was waiting for us on the couch, remote in one hand, and scratching Linus with the other. Apparently, the phone had rung all day and Bubba hates it when the house turns into Grand Central and I am not there to manage it. He didn't seem too mad.

However, all of the zipping about during the morning and early afternoon had left me in a little time crunch.

Quick trip to the bathroom to powder my nose and off to the gym to meet Weatherwoof and the Young Lovers (Y.L.s) for afternoon caveman time (4pm - WSC - north side of the circle). (Jimbo was out of town on a ski adventure with Skip). BTW - Weatherwoof has some kicking guns. We did a little lifting and Y.L.s popped in and we did some talking/lifting.

Weatherwoof had to jet to dinner with his peeps at 6. We dropped by P&J's (other half of Y.L.s) place in the gay ghetto and popped into Whole Foods for supplies. Boys and boy butt were everywhere - I love that straight guys are wearing clingy workout wear now. Delicate Flower got on the horn with Chaka, who was doing housework at home (housecoat, fuzzy slippers, showtunes, and a pitcher of Mai Tai's while vacuuming?), to make sure Chaka had not yet eaten. The YLs hopped the metro with me and Chaka strolled over for dinner with the old married couple.

Lots of wine and champers over apps, and I whipped up a quick utilitarian meal. Chaka brought a wonderful Argentinain Malbec that I had not had before (I have loved Malbec for many years now).

It was nice to have people over and use the placemats and cloth napkins and have the house filled with laughter and chat. Unlike the other places where I have lived, my D.C. days have not really involved entertaining at home (outside of FruitFly and her man upstairs). Since I have been poor forever, entertaining at home has been a fixture in my life and I really have enjoyed it (and missed that part of my life here). Sitting and talking over dinner allows the conversation to flow and develop - bar talk, even with wonderful people, can be one-dimensional ("I'd hit that" or "Honey, another round?").

Last night I learned some nuggets as the conversation twisted and turned:

1. DF filled me in on his days as a hair-burner. I always thought he was joking - but he was an honest-to-god stylist out in Denver after high school.

2. P&J informed me that the young gays now consider a 34-inch waist fat. By extension, if I am chunky - the gay world has really changed.

3. Y.L.s confirmed that, in gay culture, 40 in ancient and 30 is old. Bubba asked rhetorically if he should be wearing Depends and be wheeled about the neighborhood by his nurse.
(Side note: Isn't it odd that in straight culture 40 is the new 30 and 50 is the new 40 - but in gay culture, 30 is the new 40 and over 40 is virtually unfathomable. I'm not sure the gay pioneers of the 1970s would appreciate this.)

4. Chaka's rugby jersey was really nice and made his tits really stand up. But they are not tits, nor are they his rack, I was told that men have pecs. Got it.

5. Chaka, after the champers and red wine, hit cruising altitude and did a Torch Song Trilogy rendition for us. He was channeling Harvey Fierstein. A little Sally Bowles, a touch of Sandy, and musical stop in the Austrian Alps, I then disregarded point number four.

So fun was had by all. I felt like mom cooking for my little gay gaggle. Bubba, gay dad, was perched in the corner tossing out bon mots like candy and seemed to enjoy having company over.

But alas, all good times must come to an end. Those young ones, full of amorous desire, needed to go out to cha-cha and cruise men - so they were back down to Dupont to do the Gay Mile.

This homo was tired so I stayed in with Bubba and we watched a really great episode of Bill Maher that had Barney Frank and Joe Scarborough whilst sipping on a few G&Ts to settle my nerves (I had been going since 9:30am!).