Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

We went to see yet another condo on Wed. I was kinda feeling like I needed a day off anyway, so when this condo came available we decided to take the day off and meet our realtor to see it. Its in a great bldg with garage parking, controlled access, pool, and lots of other amenities. However, it is a short sale with a crazy-low asking price so we know there will be multiple offers and that it will take 3-4 months before the seller's lender will approve the short sale. We've been avoiding short sales until now, but because this bldg is very desirable (ie: will be easy to rent) and the unit is so large, we submitted an offer.

I really couldn't care less about American Idol anymore. I haven't watched this season at all. This seems odd to me because I am a singer and I used to be into AI big time. But the show has soured for me for a couple reasons. There's entirely too much talking from judges. This was true even when there were just 3 judges, but now with 4 its even worse. In an hour show there appears to be about 11 minutes worth of singing. Most people I know who still watch the show record it with their DVR so they can fast forward through everything but the singing, which is a good idea. Maybe next season.

Spouse & I are heading back to VA tonight. On Sat we are going to my cousin's daughter's wedding, which will be held outdoors. After a week of unseasonably cool temps, its supposed to be almost 90 degrees on Sat!! But it will be wonderful to see Sarah get married and to reconnect with my aunt and uncle (the bride's grandparents), my 2 cousins (the bride's mother and aunt), and my 2 cousin's children whom I haven't seen in years. I have no idea if any of my immediate family will be there.

We'll be celebrating Mothers Day this Sun, a week early. Since we'll be in town for the wedding, I suggested we celebrate Mother's Day with Spouse's mom and family a week early so we wouldn't have to make the trip back to VA 3 weekends in a row. (We're going back the weekend of the 15th for Spouse's brother's 50th birthday party.) To avoid last year's Mother's Day disaster, Spouse & I made reservations for Mother's Day dinner at the Taco House! This guarantees we'll have delicious food and wonderful service.

My friend Don sent me this video and story about a soldier and his buddies in Afghanistan who have made their own music video to the Lady Gaga/Beyounce song "Telephone". Its great!

Crush du Jour: Daniel Ross

Promising advancement

'Landmark' cancer vaccine gets FDA approval
By Elizabeth Landau, CNN
April 29, 2010

A vaccine treatment for prostate cancer has become the first therapy of its kind to win approval for use in U.S. patients.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Provenge, a novel technique for fighting prostate cancer, on Thursday. The treatment involves taking a patient's own white blood cells and using a drug that trains them to more actively attack cancer cells.

"It's a landmark in the sense that it would be the first approved cell-based immune therapy," said Dr. Nina Bhardwaj, director of the tumor vaccine program at New York University Langone Medical Center, who is not involved with Provenge or its maker, Dendreon Corp.

"It's a major conceptual advance; it's a modest therapeutic advance," said Dr. Christopher Logothetis, prostate cancer researcher at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Logothetis testified to an FDA panel in 2007 about the drug, but has no financial ties to Dendreon.

"This is a significant improvement in survival, and is more significant in that it is a new way of treating prostate cancer," said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, in an e-mail.

Because the treatment makes use of the patient's own cells, it does not cause the severe side effects seen in chemotherapy, Penson said. The main side effects seen for Provenge were flu-like symptoms, such as chills and fever, lasting one to two days.

For the entire article, click here.

Crush du Jour: Albero Ochoa

Hump day

Its Wednesday, hump day, and I really don't have much to say, so I'll leave you with this image
...and wish you Happy Hump Day!

Crush du Jour: Zach Johnathan

Don't PUNish me

Those who jump off a bridge in Paris are in Seine.
A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.
Dijon vu - the same mustard as before.
Practice safe eating - always use condiments.
Shotgun wedding - A case of wife or death.
A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy.
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play.
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.
Reading while sunbathing makes you well red.
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two tired.
What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead give away.)
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.
She was engaged to a boyfriend with a wooden leg but broke it off.
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
Local Area Network in Australia - the LAN down under.
Every calendar's days are numbered.
A lot of money is tainted - Taint yours and taint mine.
A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
He had a photographic memory that was never developed.
A midget fortune-teller who escapes from prison is a small medium at large.
Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.
Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
Acupuncture is a jab well done.

Crush du Jour: Octavio Garate

Weekend highlights

I mentioned on Fri that on Sat we were taking a day trip to Philadelphia with Steven & Thad. Wow, what a day!!

We left at 9am and got to Philly about 11am. We started with a driving tour that allowed us to see much of the beautiful downtown architecture.
Thad lived in several neighborhoods of Philly so he had a tremendous knowledge of many of the original and current uses for the lovely buildings we saw. We also drove by several historic landmarks such as the Liberty Bell, Joan of Arc statue, William Penn, and many museums and "free" libraries. I thought it odd that the signs all referred to the libraries as free, since I was not aware that any libraries charged admission.

Much of our time was spent in Center City, but we also drove through other places such as the Italian Market in South Philly, Antique Row on Pine St, Fairmount Park, Manayunk, and several beautiful residential neighborhoods like Washington Square, Rittenhouse Square, and East Falls. We passed by the house where Grace Kelly lived.

Then we were ready for lunch. Steven & Thad picked the lovely French creperie Beau Monde where we got a table on the patio. The weather was perfect for outdoor dining.
I had a delicious crepe filled with grilled chicken breast, leeks, olives, goat cheese & lemon butter. It was amazing. View their menus here.

Next we headed to Termini Brothers Italian bakery for dessert, a favorite of mine & Spouse.

For almost 90 years Termini Brothers have been making incredible Italian baked goods such as canoli, cakes, biscotti, and cookies. When you walk in the door you feel as though you've been transported back in time. Notice the black and white tile floor, the pressed tin ceiling, and the bakery cases made of wood and glass.

When you're ready, a woman dressed all in white places your selections on a stainless steel cookie sheet, then ties up your box full of goodies with twine. Spouse & I each got a canoli to eat right away, a box of assorted Italian cookies, some assorted biscotti, a package of pizzelles, a caramel pecan bar, and a dark chocolate macadamia wheel to take home. OMG - I can not even BEGIN to describe how delicious this stuff is!!! But why take my word for it? They will ship to you!

We went inside several antique, vintage, and one-of-a-kind art stores along Antique Row, then continued our driving tour.

Our next stop was a surprise: Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Prior to moving to DE, Thad was a project manager for the company hired to furnish and decorate the Phillies stadium. I once referred to this part of his career as "sports decorating" and it stuck. So Thad arranged for us to have a private tour so we could see his "sports decorating". Our mutual friend Joe (who lives outside Philly) met us there.

Not just the stands, but we also got to tour many other private/VIP areas the general public never sees, such as the Diamond Club, players club, hall of fame, and more. Although I know little-to-nothing about baseball, it was exciting to get a 'back stage', 'behind the scenes' tour. We looked all over for the plaque acknowledging Thad's contribution to the beauty and function of the stadium, but couldn't find it.

Next the 5 of us went back into the Gayborhood again to Giovanni's Room, one of the few remaining GLBT bookstores. It was colorful and cramped, just as you'd expect. There was a reading going on upstairs so we kept our visit brief and quiet. But while there, Steven opened up a magazine and saw a guy with whom I played beach volley ball last summer!

We walked next door to Mixto for dinner. It was an attractive brick and wood restaurant that felt cozy despite its large size. I started with a Mojito, then had Bandeja Tipico for dinner. Its description puzzled me: seared steak, crispy pork rind, arepa, avocado, rice, fried eggs, beans, and maduros, so I had to try it. I thought the ingredients would be all mixed together sort of like paella, but they weren't. Each ingredient was placed on the plate individually. It was quite unusual and tasted fantastic!

Our last stop was to have dessert at Max Brenner Chocolate from the Bald Man. The name alone was intriguing, but once we looked at the dessert menu, I knew I was in heaven. I was way too full from dinner to eat a full dessert myself, plus I knew I'd have a terrible time trying to decide on just one, so I told Spouse to pick whatever he wanted and we would split it. He chose the Munchies Waffles (page 2) which were perfect, and coffee to wash it all down. There is nothing quite like good quality (high cocoa %) dark chocolate. Its like truth serum to me.

We bid our friend Joe goodbye and headed back home. Steven and Spouse sat in the back since we knew they'd be asleep in no time. Thad and I chatted all the way back to DE. We got home at 11pm.

We had a terrific day and really enjoyed everything we saw and ate.

Sun we both slept in (surprise), had lunch and ran some errands. Later we went to a potluck at Deb & Greer's which was nice. We watched a little TV before turning in early at 10:00.

Crush du Jour: Marcello Baca

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

As planned, when I arrived in Richmond on Tues evening I had dinner at Nacho Mama's. I was disappointed to learn that Raul was not there; he was working at the other location. However, just as I was finishing my meal I saw 2 friends from work walk in the door. Long story short: Raul was on his way to meet them, so I joined them at their table. Raul arrived and we all had a great time!


Wed evening I met up with my friend Bill for dinner. Bill and I went to high school together and were in the famous vocal jazz and show choir "Dominants". (Think "Glee".) We had a great time catching up on the highlights in each others' lives, and he also drove me through the lovely neighborhood where he bought a house last year.

My friend Michael sent me this funny video which demonstrates one of the many dangers of wearing your 'pants on the floor'.

What do you get when you combine Philadelphia and Serendipity? Phillydipity!! I'm excited because tomorrow Spouse & I are going with Steven & Thad to Philadelphia for Phillydipity day! While not exactly serendipitous, we had several places of interest to see and several wonderful places to eat on our list for the day. Steven & Thad have lived in and around Philly so they are "in the know", don't you know. Should be a great day.

Have a terrific weekend!


Crush du Jour: Max Bolton

Knock, knock...

Who's there?

A celebrity, about to come out of the closet on May 5.
By Jennifer Vanasco, editor in chief, 365gay.com

Howard Bragman’s gay publicity machine has set up the talk show circuit for a mysterious big coming out.But who will it be?

Zap2It says the celeb is booked for People, the View and several other talk shows. Guesses have been everyone from Anderson Cooper to Ryan Seacrest to Queen Latifah.

Says Zap2It:
“In the past Bragman has helped NFL defensive lineman Esera Tuaolo, LPGA star Rosie Jones, WNBA star Sheryl Swoops and retired NBA center John Amaechi come out. He also orchestrated the plans for former “Party of Five” Mitchell Anderson, “Married with Children” co-star Amanda Bearse and aided Dick Sargent of “Bewitched” fame to come out on Entertainment Tonight. Most recently, he planned Chaz Bono’s announcement of a transition from woman to man and got the news about Meredith Baxter being a lesbian out before tabloids reported her taking a lesbian cruise. ”

Whether it matters, of course, depends on who it is. Queen Latifah or Anderson Cooper would be huge. Some C-list celebrity trying to make a comeback? Not so much.

Crush du Jour: Danny Young

Just in case anyone forgot why marriage equality really matters

I am in an all-day training session today, but wanted to make sure you were aware of this.

This is SO WRONG!!

Sonoma County CA separates elderly gay couple and sells all of their worldly possessions

iled by: Kate Kendell
April 17, 2010 4:00 PM

Clay and his partner of 20 years, Harold, lived in California. Clay and Harold made diligent efforts to protect their legal rights, and had their legal paperwork in place--wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives, all naming each other. Harold was 88 years old and in frail medical condition, but still living at home with Clay, 77, who was in good health.

One evening, Harold fell down the front steps of their home and was taken to the hospital. Based on their medical directives alone, Clay should have been consulted in Harold's care from the first moment. Tragically, county and health care workers instead refused to allow Clay to see Harold in the hospital. The county then ultimately went one step further by isolating the couple from each other, placing the men in separate nursing homes.

Ignoring Clay's significant role in Harold's life, the county continued to treat Harold like he had no family and went to court seeking the power to make financial decisions on his behalf. Outrageously, the county represented to the judge that Clay was merely Harold's "roommate." The court denied their efforts, but did grant the county limited access to one of Harold's bank accounts to pay for his care.

What happened next is even more chilling.

Without authority, without determining the value of Clay and Harold's possessions accumulated over the course of their 20 years together or making any effort to determine which items belonged to whom, the county took everything Harold and Clay owned and auctioned off all of their belongings. Adding further insult to grave injury, the county removed Clay from his home and confined him to a nursing home against his will. The county workers then terminated Clay and Harold's lease and surrendered the home they had shared for many years to the landlord.

Three months after he was hospitalized, Harold died in the nursing home. Because of the county's actions, Clay missed the final months he should have had with his partner of 20 years. Compounding this tragedy, Clay has literally nothing left of the home he had shared with Harold or the life he was living up until the day that Harold fell, because he has been unable to recover any of his property. The only memento Clay has is a photo album that Harold painstakingly put together for Clay during the last three months of his life.

With the help of a dedicated and persistent court-appointed attorney, Anne Dennis of Santa Rosa, Clay was finally released from the nursing home. Ms. Dennis, along with Stephen O'Neill and Margaret Flynn of Tarkington, O'Neill, Barrack & Chong, now represent Clay in a lawsuit against the county, the auction company, and the nursing home, with technical assistance from NCLR. A trial date has been set for July 16, 2010 in the Superior Court for the County of Sonoma.

Crush du Jour: Tommy Haas

Hittin' the road

I'm hitting the road just after lunch today to go to Richmond, VA for work. My presence was requested yet again for another all-day training session on Wed. Since the training starts at 9am and because it takes 5 hours for me to get there, I'm leaving today and staying overnight at the Sheraton next door (where we get a special rate).

I'm kind of excited that I will having dinner tonight at Nacho Mama's! As you may recall, I had a fun time there last month thanks to the owner Raul. Rather than checking into the hotel and going to dinner with my colleagues (yawn), I'm going to have a stroll through eclectic Carytown and then have margaritas and tasty Mexican food at Nacho Mamas.

Tomorrow evening (after the training) I am meeting up with my old high school friend Bill who lives in Richmond. Bill came to visit us back in Oct when Lisa came from NYC and we really had a fun time. I'm glad for the opportunity to spend a little more time with Bill.

Crush du Jour: Adel Jordan

Weekend highlights

Sat morning while Spouse was at his personal trainer appointment I went a yard sale to benefit the Cancer Society. I found a few things I couldn't live without (picture frame, acrylic paints, candle) and was glad the money went to a good cause. I also supported them by purchasing 2 donuts!

Once Spouse returned home and showered, we went out to lunch and to the grocery store. It was bright and sunny so we had the convertible top down as we ran a few other errands. Our friends Kerry & Hugh were at their place in Ocean City so we took advantage of the nice weather and drove there to say hi to them and to deposit some checks at our bank. (Unfortunately the ATM near our house that accepts deposits was removed so we have to mail deposits or drive to Ocean City.) It was a nice surprise to be able to stop in and see them.

It was our turn to host Movie Night so at about 7:00 our movie night friends showed up for snacks and drinks. Then we watched "Precious". To our surprise, none of them had seen it! Everyone liked it except Spouse, who felt the character of Mary (Precious' mother) was "unrealistically cruel". WTF??? I thought Mo'Nique (Mary) and Paula Patton (Miss Rain) did outstanding jobs. However I felt the execution of the story could have been a lot better. Good films build emotional peaks and valleys several times throughout the film, but I found this one to be a little 'flat' in its delivery. But I thought the story itself was great and could make very a very interesting sequel.

Sun morning I painted this Mark Rothko-inspired painting for my friend Thad.
We took it with us to brunch since we knew we'd see him there, and gave it to him just before we left. I was very pleased that he liked it. I found out this morning that he hung it up as soon as he got home.

On Sun we attended Bob's birthday brunch at Saketumi. There were about 15 of us there, and we all had the Sunday Brunch Buffet which was just as fresh and delicious as the dinner entrees always are. We had a very nice time.

When we returned from brunch we found our friends Kerry & Hugh at our house. They decided to stop by on their way home so they could see our garage/bathroom/closet addition. We showed them around and visited for a few minutes. What a nice treat to see them twice this weekend! When they left Spouse & I changed clothes and went for a walk on the boardwalk. The weather was significantly cooler than Sat so we wore jackets, but the sun felt good as we walked along the boardwalk and looked out onto the ocean. We skipped dinner since our brunch was so filling, and watched some TV. I felt tired so I went to bed uncharacterically early, at 9:30.

Crush du Jour: Craig Archer

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

Never short on funny or topical stuff to share, my friend Jared provided me with this button.

Rather poignant, wouldn't you say?

Speaking of gay, our friends Rick & Nick got married last Fri in Washington DC. They applied for their license on the 1st day it was legal to do so (in March), but had to wait until April 9th to be married by a Justice of the Peace. Although their marriage isn't recognized here in DE yet, they decided to get married in Washington DC and then send a copy of their marriage certificate to the (gay-friendly) Governor of DE, reminding him of all the revenue DE is losing by not legalizing same sex marriage. Rumor has it that if the Governor is elected for a 2nd term, he will legalize same sex marriage. After getting married, Rick & Nick had dinner at Austin Grill where they saw this mural:

This 1959 Cadillac 4-door looks just like Big Ella except for the color. It was very sweet of them to think of me and take these photos!

And speaking of cars, we made our decision and after work yesterday we purchased this 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited Edition.

The color is called Inferno Red, and its highly metallic. Its especially beautiful in the sun. I like that its the Limited Edition with the polished chrome wheels, fog lamps and rear spoiler.

The red dash is pretty cool, too.

We really thought we wanted another Honda CRV, but a couple things made us change our mind. The one Bryan got at the auction was my least favorite color combination: graphite grey exterior and black interior. The CRV was not priced especially well, while the PT Cruiser was. Both are 2006 models but the CRV was double the price of the PT Cruiser. The PT Cruiser has all the features of the CRV except all-wheel drive, but also had features the CRV did not have like a jack to plug in an mp3 player. But the biggest factor was the mileage: 49K on the CRV, 16K on the PT Cruiser, for 1/2 the price. We're quite happy with our new car!

Last night was the end of the 12 week team trivia tournament. Our team did not win, but we did come in 4th place, which is the highest place you can be without winning! It was fun, but I'm kind of glad the tournament is over. Now we can go back to playing team trivia for fun.

All you dog lovers out there will enjoy this cute video and this one too.

Some people are worried about invasion of their privacy from the new airport scanners. Now I understand why:

We are hosting our Movie Group tomorrow night. I'm disappointed that I didn't return our current DVDs to Netflix in time to get the film I really wanted to show. But I got "Precious" from one of those Red Box DVD rental places, which I hope the group will enjoy. It is sure to provoke conversation afterward.

Sun we are going to our new favorite restaurant Saketumi for Bob's birthday brunch. A good brunch and a good time should be had by all.

Have a terrific weekend!

Crush du Jour: Trevor Adams

Tax day freebies and discounts

Tax day freebies and discounts to ease the pain of filing your taxes

What a load of tax day freebies for 2010! You can eat and drink away the pain of writing a check to Uncle Sam with these fantastic freebies and discounts.

• Pick up a free taco from Taco Del Mar on April 15 when you share your name, email, and zip code. You can opt out of its newsletter if you want and still get the freebie.
• Get a free cup of coffee at Starbucks when you bring in your own reusable mug on April 15.
• Exclusive! Get a free 3-day trial VIP membership to Chemistry.com starting at 12:01 a.m. April 15, 2010. No credit card is needed to get the free pass. Set up your profile, make a date, and prepare to jump into a new tax bracket with someone special.
• Maggie Moo's is giving away free slices of its new Ice Cream Pizza from 3 to 7 p.m. April 15. Find a participating location near you.
• Snag two free cupcake bites from Cinnabon from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 15. While supplies last.
• Munch on a free cookie from Subway on April 15, reports NBC.
• In the South, select Whole Foods stores are making April 15 a tax-free shopping day. So far stores in AL, GA, NC, SC, TN are participating. To find out if your Whole Foods is in on the deal, go to its Web site and scroll down to find your local store is in on the event for April 15.
• In Baltimore, McDonald's will be giving away free coffee drinks, reports the Baltimore Sun.
• Get 15% off your food tab at P.F. Chang's on April 15. Excludes alcohol and any happy hour deals. Join the restaurant's warrior card program to get the deal.
• McCormick's and Schmicks has $10.40 dinner and drink specials on April 15, then a CPA appreciation event Friday, April 16.
• Get $10.40 off a purchase of $100 or more at Kelly's Running Warehouse on April 15, 2010.
• In New York City, get a free lunch at the healthy fast casual eatery Energy Kitchen on April 15 when you buy any beverage. The deal lasts from noon to 2 p.m. on tax day. The free meals include Bison Cheesesteak Wrap, California Wrap or Buffalo Chicken Burger.

Crush du Jour: Scott Evans

Full of glee

Last night was the premier of season 2 of "Glee" and I must say that I enjoyed it.

No, its not very 'realistic' but it IS a lot of fun. If you want 'reality' there are plenty of other shows for you.

Here are some things I like about "Glee":

• Its FUN!
• I was in a show choir in high school so this brings back many happy memories
• Great variety of music performed
• Great voices and enjoyable choreography
• Hilarious writing for characters like Sue Sylvester and Kurt Hummel
• Each episode's story is self-contained. If you miss one, or missed the entire season 1, you will still know what's going on (unlike "Lost")
• Its different from everything else on TV
• Although the show borders on campy (which is a good thing), the plot lines are just believable enough
• Puck is HOT!

But hands down, my favorite part of last night's episode was the 'sneak preview' of Sue Sylvester and some of the students covering Madonna's music video "Vogue". WATCH IT HERE. Did you notice the lyric substitutions "Sue Sylvester, dance on air" and "Will Schuster, I hate you"??? Brilliant, just brilliant!!

Next week's episode contains all Madonna songs along with an unhealthy dose of Madonna worship. Should be FABULOUS!

Crush du Jour: Brando Eaton

In memory of Dixie Carter

By now everyone's heard that actress Dixie Carter died last Sat of cancer at the age of 70. She was married to actor Hal Holbrook for more than 25 years.

Best know for her role as Julia Sugarbaker in the sitcom "Designing Women", she was the sassy but sophisticated southern woman with an amazing command of the English language. Julia was known for her carefully worded, eloquently delivered, but scathing rants against injustices. Here's the one for which she's likely best known, and certainly my favorite:


But before Carter played Julia Sugarbaker, sister of Suzanne Sugarbaker (played by Delta Burke) on "Designing Women", she played Carlotta Beck, another sassy but not-so-sophisticated southern woman, and the sister of Kathleen Beck (played by Delta Burke) in the 1982 sitcom "Filthy Rich". I don't remember much about the show and was unable to find any clips on YouTube and Hulu. But what I do remember is Dixie Carter as Carlotta, calling out to her husband Marshall during a thunderstorm with an exaggerated southern accent "Maaaaaaaah-shal, oh Maaaaaaaaah-shal... the thundah... the THUNDAH Maaaaaaaaa-shal".

Not all of Carter's roles were comedies. She also played dramatic characters on Broadway, in TV shows such as "Family Law", "Law and Order: SVU", "Diagnosis: Murder", and a few soap operas. She was nominated for an Emmy in 2007 for her performance on "Desperate Housewives".

Despite being a registered Republican, Carter referred to herself as a "friend of the gay community" and performed with Elaine Stritch and Bea Arthur at an AIDS fundraiser in Washington DC in 2004.

She was a great talent who will definitely be missed.

Crush du Jour: Josh Hopkins

Weekend highlights

Fri night our friends Robert & Liz arrived. I've known them for over 25 years.

While Spouse was at his personal trainer appointment Sat morning, Robert & Liz and I had a leisurely morning of coffee, muffins, conversation and lots of laughter. We always have a great time with them. Once Spouse returned, the 4 of us took Big Ella out for some exercise and then we had lunch. It was bright and sunny but a little on the cool side. Rob & Liz took their car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change while Spouse & I test drove this 2006 Honda CRV EX:and this 2006 PT Cruiser Limited Edition:at our friend Bryan's car lot. Afterward the 4 of us met back up at the house and hung out. Rob & Liz got a text from a friend informing them that a mutual old friend James was killed that day when his motorcycle was struck by a driver who was talking on her cellphone. (Please think of this the next time you are tempted to talk or text while driving.) We were stunned. He would have been 40 years old this year. Later we had dinner at Saketumi, which Rob & Liz really enjoyed. The food is always fresh and delicious and the service is top-notch. We decided to honor our fallen friend James with a toast. Back at home we watched a little TV before hitting the sack.

Sun we had breakfast at the Long Neck Diner, then went for a walk on the boardwalk in Rehoboth. The temperature was significantly warmer and there were quite a few sunbathers on the beach. Once back at home we sat on the porch and visited until it was time for them to pack up and head home. Spouse & I went back to Bryan's dealership and test drove this 2004 GMC Envoy:and decided to 'sleep on' the options. He & I went back to Rehoboth and went for a walk on the beach. It was an absolutely gorgeous day! We met Steven & Bob for dinner at Purple Parrot, then came home and watched last week's and this week's episodes of Project Runway.

It was a great weekend, aside from the news about James.

Crush du Jour: Alan Aghazadian

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

Work has been super-busy this week and quite stressful at times. I'm not sure to what to attribute this but I'm hoping next week will be calmer. I've had trouble getting my daily blog posts written, to say nothing of how far behind I am with my blog reading list.

Did you hear about the airline that is going to install coin-operated handles on the bathroom doors of their plans? Yep, passengers will have to pay to pee!

Our friend and used car dealer Bryan is going to an auction today and will likely purchase a car for us! Yesterday he showed us info for 4 Honda CRVs that are scheduled to be at the auction and we ranked them. If all goes as planned, we will have a CRV on Sat or Sun.

Yet again, my friend Jared provided me with something giggle-inducing:

Our friends Rob & Liz are coming to visit this weekend from VA. Although its rainy and chilly here today, the weekend forecast looks great with lots of sunshine and warmer temps. We don't have anything particular planned to do so it should be a nice, relaxing weekend.

We've decided to join some friends on a cruise in Nov. As long as I get my sea sickness patch in advance, it should be a lot of fun!

Two days ago it was 90 degrees. Today it is 50 degrees. What's up with that???

I received an email this week from a man I featured last year as a Crush du Jour! He thanked me for classifying him with all the other hot guys I feature, and wondered how I'd come across his name and photo. I couldn't remember, but thought it was sweet of him to write me.

Crush du Jour: T R Pecod

Dismantling hate

This month on...


The Nature of Hate
As has been the case for many social and political minorities in our country, the LGBT community confronts a media landscape effective in spreading misinformation about it.

The most radical voices claim that gay and lesbian people are a threat to children, our country, even our way of life. But what many don’t realize is that these messages, crafted by a well-resourced media machine, not only inspire bias, but intense hate against LGBT people—hate often leading to violence. In this month's segment on IN THE LIFE, we look at hate-speech and whether, in a nation lacking legal protections for LGBT people, it incites violence against the LGBT community.

For a video preview, click here. To watch the entire episode online, click here. Or to find out when it airs on TV in your local area, go to the IN THE LIFE website.

Crush du Jour: Scott Foley

Who cares?

I'm not a genius, but I'm not stupid either. There are definitely some things that I just don't understand, such as...

WHY DOES ANYONE CARE ABOUT THE PERSONAL LIVES OF CELEBRITIES?

Celebrity affairs, celebrity break-ups, celebrity photos taken by paparazzi... WHO CARES?

Certainly not me. I haven't the faintest interest in where Mylie Cyrus shops, what club Paris Hilton parties in, or who Charlie Sheen is photographed/cheating with. None what-so-ever. Yet these topics seem to be the sole content of tabloid papers and 1/2 hour 'entertainment' tv shows. Every day.

I just don't understand it. Why does anyone care about this?

Jon Gosslin.

Tiger Woods.

Jesse James.

Tiki Barber.

Who cares?

And don't EVEN get me started on the whole "sexual addiction" thing. It seems to be quite in vogue now to be a 25-35 year old male having lots of sex with different people, get caught, and then go to rehab for "sexual addiction".

First off, the very existence of the disease or condition "sexual addiction" is NOT universally accepted by sexologists. I happen to believe it does exist in rare cases, but is often incorrectly diagnosed so that sufferers can feel they are less/not responsible for their behavior. I mean, being diagnosed with alcoholism doesn't remove the responsibility of one's actions, so why would someone with sexual addiction be any less responsible for theirs?

Take Tiger for instance. He's young, handsome, talented, and rich. He's the complete package; the proverbial captain of the football team. He can probably have as much sex as he wants with as many people as he wants. To me, that is not "sexual addiction", that is simply taking advantage of his situation.

But even if celebrities ARE sexual addicts or sexual compulsives, why do so many regular everyday people care? Why do tabloids and 'entertainment' tv shows stay in business by reporting such info?

I don't understand it. I just don't get why anyone cares.

Crush du Jour: Jamie Redknapp