Miss Richfield 1981!!

On Mon night Steven & Thad and Joe P and I went to see Miss Richfield 1981!

If you've never seen her show, shame on you!  But surely you know her from her Orbitz commercials, her Philadelphia Tourism commercial or possibly her TV appearance on Cake Boss.  One thing is for sure:  Miss Richfield 1981 is hilarious!!!!

Something I truly respect and admire about Miss Richfield 1981 is that much of her shows' content is improvised.  Oh sure, anybody can be funny if they memorize a script they spent months and months perfecting.  And Miss Richfield 1981 does have a theme to each of her shows, but its obvious that much of it is unscripted.  She interacts heavily with the audience and really can't predict how they will respond, yet she's always quick with a hilarious comeback.  This show was largely about the upcoming presidential election and the need to vote.  The audience was absolutely in stitches!!

I've been fortunate to see Miss Richfield 1981 several times at the Blue Moon.  Here are a few pics taken after a couple of the shows.

2014

2015

2014 with Joe P

I've also had the pleasure of meeting the man behind Miss Richfield 1981 and can say he is very nice, very smart, and just as funny as his female alter ego.

Check out Miss Richfield 1981's blog for hilarity, photos, upcoming shows, and more!

Just because

Fun weekend

We had a great weekend!

Although I did not request to be off work Sat & Sun, it just worked out that way on the scheduled. Sat morning Spouse & I met Steven for a late breakfast, then we returned home where I broke down some cardboard boxes and stuffed them into the recycling bin, which made room for me to assemble a set of garage shelves onto which I put some stuff to get it better organized.  Then I spent a little time weeding the front flower beds before taking a shower.  

Then Spouse & I went to the 5 year anniversary celebration of the Jusst Sooup Ministries facility.  We became acquainted with the Dunnings who founded and run the soup kitchen when they were our neighbors 10 years ago.  But 5 years ago they were surprised with a fabulous state-of-the-art soup kitchen facility and residence and were featured on ABC's "Extreme Make-over: Home Addition" in 2011.  The celebration was a big barbeque and a chance to visit with founders Dale & Ken whom we like so much.  

Later that evening we went out to dinner with Steven & Thad, and then I did my last Boy George performance of the summer in the Legends show.  Several colleagues from work showed up which was a big surprise.  After the show I mingled with the audience, posed for pictures, and accepted some tips!  People really, really enjoyed the Boy George/Culture Club songs and I received 2 $10 tips!!  Once my work friends left I continued chatting with some folks I met after the show.  A straight couple named John & Lucy were nice, but rather inebriated so I didn't mind at all when they said they had to go while they could still walk.  I also met a couple from Philly named Charles & John.  Actually, they're not from Philly; they moved there less than a year ago.  But Charles has been in real estate so we had that in common and both guys were a lot of fun to hang out with.  I gave them my business card and hoped they'd reach out to me, since I'd told them I was going to Philly the next day.  I didn't get home until 2am.

Then Spouse & I were up at 7:30 Sun morning so we could meet Steven & Thad at 8:30 to spend the day in Philly.  We started with a trip to Trader Joe's to stock up.  We typically go to Trader Joe's when we visit our family, but the last couple times were visited we didn't have time, so we were out of everything.  Next we went to the mid-century warehouse to oogle all the lovely pieces.  They're only open to the public twice a month, on Sundays, for 4 hours.  Spouse & I found this lovely dining table that would be perfect for our dining room since its 2 butterfly leaves make it expand to nearly double its original size.  

This table can seat 10-12, while our current dining table only seats 6.  We didn't buy the table but Spouse said if it was there in 2 weeks he'd make an offer.  I predict he'll find a way to talk himself out of that, as much as we both liked it.

Next we went to lunch at Matt & Marie's, an Italian-style sandwich shop, and then onto Century 21 department store.  I got some new underwear (to replace some old pairs) and a new wallet.  Spouse got a shirt.  We got home about 6pm.

What a great weekend!

Friday fragments

Well, I haven't done a Friday fragments post in a while, but its appropriate today.   Friday fragments is my recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

Today is National Dog Day!  To honor our beloved canines I'm posting my favorite pic of Spouse with Marvin & Walter.

Yesterday was my day off and since the weather was nice I spent some time at the beach.  Here's me doing one of those pouty mouth poses.

It seems the summer is passing at lightening speed.  I can't believe its almost Labor Day!  Tomorrow night I'll be doing my last Boy George performance of the 2016 Summer Legends show series.  Here's a 'creative' pic of me in full make-up, hair, and costume.

There is a possibility the Legends shows may become a year-round feature at the Blue Moon, rather than just a summer feature.  All of us who perform in the show were asked via email if we would be interested and available to continue doing the show year-round.  I love performing in the show and I enjoy the money, too so I hope everyone replies 'yes' like I did.

Here's hoping everyone has a fun weekend!

Beardy boy

Long day

Today was a long day.

It started with a company-wide meeting at 8:30.  The CEO of our franchise is visiting so he gave a presentation to everyone.  Then we all returned to the office to get caught up on real work.  I left the office at 5:15, stopped for gas on the way home, then took the dogs for a longer walk since the temperature was moderate and the humidity was low.  I left the house again at 7:00 to attend a mandatory cocktail hour followed by dinner with my sales team and the CEO.  I didn't get home until 10:20.

That's basically a 14-hour work day.

But what made it a little easier to tolerate is the knowledge that I am off work for the next 4 days, which is very unusual.  I'm not 'doing anything' special and did not request to be off those days.  It just worked out that way with our team schedule that I ended up with being off Thurs - Sun.  

Now, let's see what I will get myself into with 4 consecutive days off in a row!

Just because

Monday

Not much to report.  I worked all day Sat & Sun so I have nothing fun to share.  

So instead, I'll share something funny.

Weekend

How will you be spending YOUR weekend?

Beardy boy

Thanks to Fearsome Beard for this sultry sailor.

Friends

Just because

Thanks!

Olympics

The opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Rio started 1 week ago.  Since then I've been trying to watch as much of the games as possible.

Some of the games hold more interest for me than others.  I find watching tennis to be boring.  I totally don't understand fencing.  But I've enjoyed watching the men's and women's swimming, men's and women's gymnastics, and beach volleyball.

In my area the coverage is odd.  During certain times of the day there are 4 channels with different games being shown.  At other times of the day its just 2 channels.

The accomplishments of Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky are amazing!

There's also been quite a bit of eye candy.  The internet nearly exploded after Pita Taufatofua carried the flag of Tongo in the Parade of Nations, oiled up and smiling.

Then there's Sam Mikulak of the USA gymnastics team who caught my eye.

Speaking of men's gymnastics...

Ummm, yeah.

Then there's the divers.  Probably the sexiest man I've seen so far at the Olympics is American diver David Boudia.

Sigh.  But he's married.  To a woman.  And has a baby.

Despite the obviously shallow-sounding nature of this post, I really do enjoy watching the competitions.  Anyone else watching?  Who are your favorites to watch?

Beardy boy

You call me a Liberal???

Jimmy James

Last night I went to see the uber-talented vocal impressionist Jimmy James at the Blue Moon.  I saw his show there 3 years ago too, which was fabulous.  But this was a new show.

If you're not familiar with Jimmy, do a YouTube search.  Seriously, he's been around for 30 years, first gaining popularity from his expert Marilyn Monroe impersonations.  Since then he's expanded his vocal impersonations to include all the stars and divas:  Cher, Eartha Kitt, Mae West, Bette Davis, Barbra Streisand, Adele, Patsy Cline, Judy Garland, Tina Turner, Billie Holliday, and more.

Of course there's no shortage of celebrity impersonators in our (GLBT) community.  There are Cher impersonators, Brittney impersonators, Barbra impersonators, and so on.  But what's so amazing to me about Jimmy James is that he is able to seamlessly transition from 1 celebrity to another in seconds!  My favorite part of his shows is Jimmy's "8 Divas", where he sings "I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" as 8 different people.  Check it out:

Extrordinary!!!

Another part of his show this time included a bit where he proudly displays Bette Davis' album (yes, she produced an album!) and sings a song as Bette Davis.

Hilarious!!!

He also told a funny story about seeing Culture Club in concert recently, and hanging with Boy George.  And he did a duet with Elvis and Barbra Streisand!

As usual, Jimmy James was absolutely fantastic and I would encourage everyone to go see him whenever possible.  He'll be in NYC Aug 21 in Lady Bunny's Wigstock, and Aug 22 at the historic Stonewall Inn.  You can follow him on Facebook for other upcoming tour dates.

Just because

Note

The family left yesterday afternoon, around 2:30.  But before they did, nephew Eric gave us a very nice note.

Back in June when he graduated from high school we'd sent him a graduation card with money.  Rather than a traditional 'thank you' card, he created a photo collage from his graduation trip to Portland, OR and on the back of it wrote a lovely sentiment:

Isn't that just the nicest thing ever??

He signed it "Baby Eric" because his dad's name is Eric too, so when he was a little boy we called him Baby Eric and his dad Big Eric.  Once he grew up to be 6 feet 4 inches tall I half jokingly said to him that no matter how tall he got or how old he was, he would always be Baby Eric to me, and that I would not hesitate to call him that in front of his girlfriend, future wife, and future kids.  He acknowledged this fact with a solemn nod of his head.  From that time on he's never seemed to mind the title.  And I certainly don't mind being referred to as a "pretty cool dude".

Beardy boy

Family visit

Yesterday some of our family arrived for a short visit.  Spouse's mother, sister, nephew and his girlfriend arrived from the DC area around noon.  I was at work, but Spouse took off Tues, today, and tomorrow.

Our nephew Eric and his girlfriend Natalie immediately went to the beach, while Spouse and his mom and sister chatted and sat out on the screened porch.  After weeks and weeks of heat and humidity, the weather suddenly turned gorgeous when the family arrived so that was nice for them, and for us.

When I got home from work I found everyone hanging out on the back porch with the dogs.

Nephew Eric with Walter & Marvin

Natalie & Eric with Walter & Marvin

Marvin relaxing on Grandma's lap

A little later we all went for a casual dinner.  Our nephew Eric will be starting college later this month, as is his girlfriend, so it was nice to have this time to talk with them about this chapter in their lives.  Both are very smart so I have no concerns about their futures.  It was actually fun to be able to talk with them as adults about politics, career planning, travel, etc.  We really had a nice time.

Today Eric & Natalie are at the beach again, and Spouse and his mom and sister are doing a little bit of shopping.  I'm at work.  Tonight the 6 of us are meeting up with Steven & Thad for dinner at Dos Locos which I'm sure the family will enjoy.

Just because

Fact