Weekend highlights

I worked on Sat but took an hour to go to the Annual Summer Bash to benefit the Foodbank of DE. This year's entertainer was country music star Aaron Tippin. Spouse & I try to go every year.

Sat evening we went to Kevin & Jason's for a little barbeque. Our friend Thatcher came too. We ate out on their screened porch and talked until it was time to go into town for the Legends show. We had a really nice time!

Once at the Blue Moon with Kevin & Jason and Thatcher, we also met up with Steven, Joe P, and 1 of the Bobs. Then a little later our friends Doug & Jim came in. I guess the word about how good the Legends show is must be spreading. I was not in it this week but the celebrities being impersonated were Etta James, Alan Jackson, and Michael Jackson. It was very entertaining, and I cheered and clapped enthusiastically for my cast mates.

I worked on Sun and it was really quiet. No calls and no internet leads to work on. The day really dragged on. Then Spouse & I went to Steven & Thad's (Joe P came too) and we ate pizza and watched the Tony's. Thad had been in York PA earlier that day and brought home a dozen Maple doughnuts for dessert. Not maple flavored doughnuts; the company is called Maple. They were absolutely amazing!
The weekends pass quickly when you work both Sat & Sun. But I'm off today so I'm going to get some things done. First I have to show a house at 9:30 but its just a few blocks from home so it won't be a big deal. Then I need to pay some bills, do laundry, go to the bank, and do some housecleaning. Since the weather finally cooled off today maybe Spouse & I will go for a walk on the boardwalk tonight after dinner. We'll see how my day unfolds!

Weekend highlights

After Spouse's personal trainer appointment Sat morning, we prepared a shopping bag of canned and dry food items to donate to the Food Bank of DE and headed to the Annual Summer Bash. It was really hot outside (about 90 degrees) but fortunately there was a nice breeze, and the location was mostly shaded. We saw lots of friends, met some new folks, ate, and enjoyed the concert. Its was a really well put together event.

Later that evening we met up with Steven & Thad and one of The Bobs to see "Sex and the City 2".

My expectations weren't very high, due to the disjointed trailers I'd seen and the lukewarm critics' reviews I'd heard, but the 5 of us found the film to be thoroughly enjoyable. Whomever created the trailers should be fired. I think the critics panned the film because they think its 'cool' to hate on "Sex and the City". The scenery was beautiful, the clothes were great, and the story line was solid. We all liked it a lot. After the film we had a late dinner at Saketumi and talked about what we liked, what worked, etc in the film. I started with a Cosmo (made with Absolute Berri Acai) as a tribute to having just seen SatC2, and well, because I just love that cocktail. Without even ordering another, a 2nd Cosmo magically arrived in front of me! Gotta love the service at Saketumi. We had a great time and I got just a teensy weensy bit tipsy.

Sun morning Spouse & I met up with Steven & Thad and one of the Bobs again at the beach. It was really hot again, and the breeze was coming off the land instead of the ocean. Jack & Alisha also joined us for a while, until the wind sent us all packing. The wind off the ocean is cool and doesn't pick up sand because the sand is wet. However, the wind off the land was hot and kept gusting and blowing the dry sand all over us. We cut our beach time short in order to avoid getting an unexpected microdermabrasion at the beach! I had so much sand on me that I felt like a panko crusted tilapia. Fortunately we had a nice time before the wind gusts started.

After removing the sand from my ears, nose, hair, etc we went to Steven & Thad's for dinner. Steven grilled chicken which went nicely with the sesame noodles and salad. Afterward we drove to Dairy Queen in a nearby agricultural (read: redneck) location. I was driving and realized I'd forgotten my wallet. Spouse suggested I drive very carefully "so you don't get pulled over and carted off to jail and told 'you have a real pretty mouth'". The "Deliverance" reference made us all laugh! Once inside the DQ we noticed the specialty Blizzards being offered for the 25th anniversary of the Blizzard.

I made the mistake of thinking that all the flavors under the heading "Chocoholics" were contained in a single Blizzard, and said "Wow, they put all my favorite things into that Chocoholics Blizzard! That's what I'm getting." Thad quickly explained that each of the flavors under the heading "Chocoholics" was a separate Blizzard. The look of disappointment on my face must have said it all because Thad started laughing really hard. Then when I thought about how they could possibly get all that stuff into 1 Blizzard I began laughing too. We laughed about the 'real pretty mouth' and the Choloholic Blizzard several more times before we said goodbye.

Crush du Jour: Hen Amar

Friday fragments

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

Last evening we finally heard from our realtor regarding the condo we put an offer on almost 3 weeks ago. Fortunately it was good news so it looks like this just might happen. Nothing's final yet but I'll keep you posted.

My friend Bill sent me this which gave me a good chuckle.

Here's a semi-entertaining video of several out celebs being interviewed at a recent Marriage Equality NY event.

My friend Jared sent me this. Bob - is this YOUR car???

Tomorrow we are scheduled to attend our friend Corey's Annual Summer Bash to benefit the Food Bank of DE. This will be our 3rd year. There's lots of fun and drink, plus a free concert. This year's talent is Billy Dean, whom I've never heard of because I don't listen to Country music. Oh yeah, and the GOVERNOR will stop by to mix and mingle and say a few words to the group. How many people get to attend a barbecue with their governor? Its a fun afternoon for a good cause. But tomorrow's forecast sounds like anything but fun: chance of thunderstorms and 90 degrees. We may make it a short visit.

Crush du Jour: Kenny Haney

Summer Bash

We had a great time at the Summer Bash, to benefit the Food Bank of DE, and featuring a concert by Pam Tillis!! The weather cooperated nicely, the food was exceptional, and the entertainment was much more enjoyable than I had anticipated.

I'm NOT a country music fan, but I must give mad props to Pam Tillis. Being a singer myself, I know it is not easy to sing live in an outdoor venue, without the assistance of studio equipment, but she did a great job. Whether or not you like country music, you must respect a singer who is technically accurate, and Pam Tillis was pitch perfect.

One of her hit songs is "Queen of Denial", so to kick off the concert Pam was carried in by two local guys dressed in Egyptian costumes. Yeah it was kitchy, but it was also kinda cute in a country-music-singer-kind-of-way, and a big hit with the gays. (All photos may be clicked to enlarge.) Later in the show she called the guys back in so "the ladies" could be photographed with the guys.

Unfortunately the audience was about 3/4 male. But eventually the gays came up to be photographed too, and Pam was a great sport about it.

Spouse told me that Pam sang several of her hits, which he recognized from his CDs. She also performed a few new songs from her new album "Rhinestoned". She had copies of it for sale afterward.

I loved how cute, funny, and down-to-earth Pam was. She had many comical one-liners that didn't sound rehearsed at all. Once or twice she started a song in the wrong key, stopped and then restarted it in the correct key. She said "If James Gandolfini can do it, so can I." referring to this. Everyone laughed.

I think her new, shorter hair cut is really cute, and a bit more modern than her former style.

Pam's husband, Bob DiPiero, plays in her band.

As I said, despite not being a country music fan, I thoroughly enjoyed Pam's concert! She's quite talented, and was also very appreciative of the audience at this 'smaller venue' than she usually plays. Honestly, I'm not sure how they were able to book her for this, but I'm glad they did.

After Pam's concert, our newly elected Governor, Jack Markell, addressed the audience for 5 minutes or so.

He asked everyone to observe a moment of silence for those lost on D Day, and also encouraged everyone to think about additional ways they might volunteer and contribute to the community. It was a nice speech; not too long, and not a re-election speech.

Afterward Pam signed autographs for anyone who would make an additional donation to the Food Bank. Below Pam signs my friend Bill's cassette tape. (Yes, that's right: cassette tape!)

Bob and Bill pose with Pam for a photo.

Ted and Bill pose with Pam for a photo. Isn't her hair cute???

Our friend Don poses with the 'de Nile' boys.

In addition to paying $25. per person to get into the event, all were encouraged to bring some non-perishable food donations for the food bank, which we did gladly.

The chef and volunteers from the food bank made most of the food which was delicious! Some menu items were donated by local businesses, too.

The weather was good, we saw many friends, enjoyed a great meal, and were treated to a wonderful concert. That's hard to beat in my book.

Here's my post about last year's Summer Bash.

Crush du Jour: Milo Ventimiglia

Friday fragments

Its been a busy week for me and for the world, so I've got lots of fragments to share this Friday. I'll try to be brief so this post doesn't approach novel proportions. I know I can be wordy sometimes.

Street reconstruction
When we returned from our 4-day trip to NYC, the top coat of asphalt had still not been laid on our street. Fortunately on Tues this happened so the paving is now complete. Wed & Thurs they worked on the transitions from the affected yards and driveways to the new street, filling in the gaps and smoothing out the excess earth. Our dyed, stamped concrete driveway and sidewalk were cracked by the pipe crew, and the engineering company is having a difficult time trying to locate the same pattern of stamp so they can replace the damaged sections. I have a not-so-good feeling about this.

Marriage equality in NH
NH has become the 6th state to adopt marriage equality! Savor the details here. Now, I wonder which state will become lucky #7... NY maybe?

The Dallas Principles
Last month in Dallas, TX 24 thinkers, activists, and donors gathered to discuss the immediate need for full equality for GLBT people in the US. They collectively prepared The Dallas Principles. Check out their website to learn what the principles are and how you may want to become involved.

Fun, busy Saturday
We've got a fun, busy Sat planned tomorrow. In the morning I'll prepare a dish to take to a potluck. At 10am we're dropping by a local car show. Big Ella will not be in it since she is in the shop getting some TLC. At noon we're off to the Summer Bash, a benefit for the Food Bank of DE. We'll have gourmet food, drinks, a speech from our Governor, and a concert by Pam Tillis. Yes, that's right - the Pam Tillis. Then at 6pm we're going to a potluck at Deb & Greer's. I believe we'll be tuckered out by Sat night.

GM's commitment to the Chevy Volt
Although GM filed for bankruptcy this week, I was happy to read that the plan to roll out the new Chevy Volt will not be affected. Indeed, the Volt which goes 40 miles without using a drop of gasoline is a significant part of what Obama and others call the "new GM".

Stop the Madness
Speaking of commitments, in the past when Spouse & I have decided to actively pursue loosing weight, we would begin the new resolve by saying "we've got to stop the madness". We liken uncontrolled eating to 'madness'. So this week we are once again determined to 'stop the madness' by utilizing the Weight Watchers point system. It worked very well for us several years ago, but of course, after returning to our old, 'mad' eating patterns we gained the weight back. This time will be different, or so we say. He's done very well so far, 5 days into it. Let's hope the 'madness' doesn't return at tomorrow's Summer Bash and potluck. Send us positive, encouraging energy, won't you?

Big Ella, the Covergirl
Spouse & I belong to Lambda Car Club International, the national GLBT car collectors club and to Straight Eights, a regional GLBT car collectors club. Last month I submitted photos and a filled-out questionnaire about Big Ella to the regional club, and Big Ella was selected 'car of the month'! Unfortunately the newsletter is online and password protected so I can't link to it, but I'm proud that our Covergirl is getting some press.

Have a terrific weekend, Everyone.

Crush du Jour: Dror Okavi