National Coming Out Day

Today is the 25the anniversary of National Coming Out Day!

In case you're having trouble recalling how NCOD got started or what its purpose is, you can refresh your memory here.

Although I fully support the idea of NCOD, personally I've had very little need for the annual reminder. Ever since I 'came out' I've lived my life openly. My daily conversations with friends, neighbors, and colleagues contain references to my partner and our lives together.

But just for kicks, today I 'came out' to my office.  It went like this:
   ME:  Today is National Coming Out Day.  I'm gay.
   10 seconds of silence
   ANONYMOUS OFFICE PERSON:  Duh. 

Did you 'come out' to anyone today?

Just because

Simple Dreams

I just finished reading Linda Ronstadt's book "Simple Dreams - a Musical Memoir".

I have always loved Linda Ronstadt's music so when Spouse heard an interview on NPR with Linda, he told me about it and I listened to a recording of the interview on NPR's website.  In the interview Linda mentioned her memoir, and I ordered it from Amazon that day.

I really, really enjoyed it!  Since it is a memoir, it is written in the 1st person (like my blog) which made me feel as though I were sitting in my living room with Linda, hearing about her childhood, her musical influences, the shifts in her music from folk to country to pop to standard to traditional Mexican songs. It was like having a conversation with an old friend, for indeed, I have been living to Linda Ronstadt's music for a very long time.

When I was 13 years old I saved my allowance to buy Linda Ronstadt's Greatest Hits album and played it over and over and over again until I knew every word to every song.  I even practiced singing the harmony lines in my favorite songs "You're No Good", "Heatwave", and "That'll Be The Day".  I used my parents' old Underwood typewriter to type a letter to Linda Ronstadt, letting her know that I knew all the words and harmonies to her songs, so if her back-up singers ever got sick, I could fill in for them.  Unfortunately my parents did not see the "charm" of this offer and did not let me mail the letter.

Its a great read and I'd recommend you download or order it today.

Beardy boy

Beach day

In my Labor Day post I mentioned being annoyed by everyone's claim that summer ends on Labor Day.

Well, yesterday was Oct 6 and it was 83 degrees and sunny here in Southern Delaware.  What did we do?  We went to the beach! Steven & Thad, Joe P, and Spouse & I enjoyed what will probably be our last beach day for the year... in October!

The water must have been pretty warm too, because there were plenty of folks in the ocean.  So take THAT, all you people who can barely wait for Labor Day to say that summer is over!!!

Coffee

I really enjoy coffee.  Both my parents and all 4 of my grandparents were coffee drinkers.  I began drinking coffee when I was 18.

When I lived with my 1st partner (who was 9 years older than me) we drank Green Mountain Coffee because my then partner believed their Arabica coffee was the purest.  We had no local source for obtaining Green Mountain Coffee so he had it shipped to the house via UPS.

Sometime after that I began to try and enjoy flavored coffees.  Hazelnut and French vanilla were probably among the 1st ones I tried and enjoyed.  I remember having Southern Pecan flavored coffee at a B&B, and I also remember getting a 'holiday blend' with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves as a Christmas gift years ago, which I also enjoyed.

Spouse & I enjoy flavored coffees so much that we don't even buy 'regular' coffee anymore.  Every night I set up the coffeemaker so the pot of aromatic flavored coffee is waiting for us in the morning. 

Nowadays there are lots more new flavors, and its not necessary to order your coffee to be shipped to you.  We get flavored coffees at our local grocery stores, HomeGoods, Marshalls, and Dunkin Donuts.

Recently enjoyed flavors include Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Blueberry Muffin, Pumpkin Spice, Jelly Donut, Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Glazed Chocolate Donut, Vanilla Nut, Holiday Blend, and Mint Chocolate Chip.  The only flavored coffee I've tried and didn't like was Buttered Rum.

Do you like flavored coffee??

Just because

Excuse

Ever get caught with your hand in your pants?  Just say you're checking your balls for signs of testicular cancer.
LFTC Testicle Check from Maverick TV on Vimeo.

Its the perfect excuse, and just might preserve your health!

Beardy boy

Exercising Ella

Yesterday the weather was beautiful and I took Big Ella out for a nice long drive.

Click to enlarge

I didn't really 'go' anywhere, I just drove around, and ended up at the beach.  Driving Big Ella is like a mood elevator for me.  Guaranteed smiles.

Commercial

Today I was involved in the filming of a commercial.

Not a commercial for a product, but rather for my real estate team.  Its a short commercial that will only be 30 seconds long, with 6 or 7 very short vignettes featuring team members with clients, and intro and closing shots of the entire team.

When considering which of our clients to invite to participate in this project, we took care to show diversity.  We had a 'senior' couple (my clients), a 'young' couple with a baby (also my clients), a gay couple, an inter-racial couple, a middle-aged white couple, and a middle-aged single woman.  I am pretty happy about that.

The actual filming went more smoothly than I anticipated.  Most of the vignettes were done in just 2 takes.  But who knows how long the editting and voice-over work will take.  I hope to post a link to the commercial when its done.

Beardy boy

Lovely lyrics

Here's another installment of my newest blog feature Lovely lyrics!  Thanks to Kevin for this song selection.

Love Song For A Vampire
performed by Annie Lennox

  Come into these arms again

And lay your body down
The rhythm of this trembling heart
Is beating like a drum

It beats for you - It bleeds for you
It knows not how it sounds
For it is the drum of drums
It is the song of songs...

Once I had the rarest rose
That ever deigned to bloom.
Cruel winter chilled the bud
And stole my flower too soon.

Oh loneliness - oh hopelessness
To search the ends of time
For there is in all the world
No greater love than mine.

Love, oh love, oh love...
Still falls the rain... (still falls the rain)
Love, oh love, oh, love...
Still falls the night...
Love, oh love, oh love...
Be mine forever.... (be mine forever)
Love, oh love, oh love....

Let me be the only one
To keep you from the cold
Now the floor of heaven's lain
With stars of brightest gold

They shine for you - they shine for you
They burn for all to see
Come into these arms again
And set this spirit free

Just because

Car show

On Sat Ron & James and Mike & Clark went with me and Spouse to the gay car club's annual car show.  I brought Big Ella, freshly washed just 2 days before.

There were lots and lots of fabulous flivvers!  Here are a few that stood out to me.  (Click to enlarge.)

Check out the license plate

Annual visit

Our long-time friends Mike & Clark and Ron & James came to visit today!

Each year they come for a long weekend visit, not to take advantage of some annual sale or to attend some special event, but just to hang out with us, catch up on each others' lives, eat, drink, and laugh.

Today they arrived shortly after lunch and shopped at our local outlet/factor stores while Spouse & I worked.  Then we all came together just after 5pm here at the house.  We talked, enjoyed cocktails, and had some good laughs on the screened porch, and now we're heading out for dinner.

I was able to schedule myself off work this weekend (although I will slip out Sat morning to show 1 house) so we can spend some time together.  Hello friends, and hello weekend!

Bath time

Today I gave Big Ella a bath in preparation for this weekend's car show.  Yep, she's a big lady so it took about an hour to wash and dry her, and about 45 minutes to scrub her white walls.

She looks great, huh??

This coming weekend is the Straight Eights Car Club's annual car show.

Beardy boy

Lovely lyrics

Here's another installment of Lovely lyrics!

Misty

performed by Johnny Mathis

Look at me
I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree
And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud
I can't understand
I get misty, just holding your hand

Walk my way
And a thousand violins begin to play
Or it might be the sound of your hello
That music I hear
I get misty the moment you're near

You can say that you're leading me on
But it's just what I want you to do
Don't you notice how hoplessly I'm lost
That's why I'm following you

On my own
Would I wander through this wonderland alone
Never knowing my right foot from my left
My hat from my glove
I'm too misty and too much in love
 
Look at me

Just because

Fri the 13th

Beardy boy

Remembering

Today is the 12th anniversary of 9-11-01, the day that changed America.  I still get chills when I recall the events of that day and my personal experience.
Many innocent people were killed in the World Trade Center attack, the Pentagon attack, and the hijacked airplane that crashed in PA.  Many more were killed trying to help them.  On this day we pause to remember those people: mothers, fathers, children, husbands, wives, partners, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and neighbors.

Just because

Suspicious activity

Scrambled eggs

Beardy boy

Lovely lyrics

Another installment of Lovely lyrics, spotlighting songs with beautiful, romantic, lovely lyrics!

The Nearness of You
performed by Accoustix

It's not the pale moon that excites me
That thrills and delights me, oh no
It's just the nearness of you

It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation, oh no
It's just the nearness of you

When you're in my arms
And I feel you so close to me
All my wildest dreams come true

I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night

The nearness of you

When you're in my arms
And I feel you so close to me
All my wildest dreams come true

I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night 

The nearness of you

Just because

Labor Day

Many people look at Labor Day as the end of summer, and this irritates me.

It may feel like the end of summer if you live in North Dakota or Toronto, but for most of the USA it is still summer-like weather.  Indeed, even the official calendar indicates that fall doesn't begin until Sept 22.

So can we PLEASE stop talking about how 'summer is over' just because its Labor Day???

Thank you, and enjoy your Labor Day festivities!

Just because

Jimmy James

Last night Joe P & I went to see a very talented voice impressionist, Jimmy James, at the Blue Moon.

The only other time I saw Jimmy James was in 2001 or 2002 when he provided entertainment at a PFLAG benefit dinner.  I thought he was hilarious and very talented, so when I saw that he would be doing a show at the Blue Moon, I was excited to be there.

Jimmy started his career by being one of the most famous and believable Marilyn Monroe impersonators.  He was on nearly every daytime talk show on TV in the 80s.  Later he began expanding into voice impersonation and able to do a wide range of amazing voice impressions.  Close your eyes and you'll think you're listening to the actual celebrities themselves!  And I'm amazed at how quickly he switches from diva's voice to the next.  Check this out!

Jimmy told an interesting story about some of the voice work he's done in the past.  He received a request from a gym/fitness club that caters to women, wanting him to record disco versions of all of Cher's songs to be used in their cardio room.  They thought he sounded that much like Cher, and I can understand why.

Me & Jimmy James

If you get a chance, go see Jimmy James!!

Mirror, mirror on the wall

Beardy boy

Disappointed with LOGO

For several years I have enjoyed the programming on the LOGO network, a cable station with GLBT-themed programming.  I enjoyed watching gay-themed films like "To Wong Fu: Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar", gay-themed original series like "Noah's Arc", and a gay-themed comedy show called "The Big Gay Sketch Show".  I always knew where to turn when I wanted a dose of gay in my entertainment.

But about a year ago or so, something changed, and not for the good.  In place of all that GLBT-themed entertainment, LOGO now runs series like "16 and Pregnant", "Teenage Mom", and "Roseann".

WTF???  I understand that MTV owns LOGO and those shows air on MTV, but why in the world would a network for GLBT people run programming about unwed teenage mothers???

Until a month ago the ONLY GLBT-themed show on this network was reruns of past seasons of "RuPaul's Drag Race".  As much as I enjoy watching that show, I don't need a 12-hour marathon of an entire season in 1 day.

Just recently LOGO has added "Will & Grace" reruns which is fun, but it doesn't make up for all the hours of programming geared toward MTV audiences. 

Where are the gay-themed films, original series, and comedy shows???

Indeed I am disappointed with LOGO

Good

Just because

Lovely lyrics

This is my tribute to beautiful, romantic, and lovely lyrics.

What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
performed by The Real Group

What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and South and East and West of your life?
I have only one request of your life
That you spend it all with me.

All the seasons and the times of your days.
All the nickels and the dimes of your days.
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days.
All begin and end with me.
 
I want to see your face in every kind of light,
In fields of gold and forests of the night.
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make.

Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love you keep in your eyes,
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes,
It may take a kiss or two..
 
Through all of my life..
Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall of my life,
All I ever will recall of my life
Is all of my life with you.

Beardy boy

Darwin awards

Each year the Darwin awards posthumously commemorate those who improve the gene pool by removing themselves from it.  I am giddy to present you with the 2013 Darwin award winners:

8th Place
In Detroit, a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car keys.

 

7th Place
A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker, who "totally zoned when he ran", accidentally jogged off a 100-foot high cliff on his daily run!! 

 

6th Place
While at the beach, Daniel Jones, 21, dug an 8 foot hole for protection from the wind and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom, when it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach used their hands and shovels trying to get him out but could not reach him. It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him. Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital!
5th Place
Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed as he fell through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth to keep his hands free rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor.

4th Place
Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the trigger.

3rd Place
After stepping around a marked police patrol car parked at the front door, a man walked into H&J Leather & Firearms intent on robbing the store. The shop was full of customers and a uniformed officer was standing at the counter. Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a hold-up and fired a few wild shots from a target pistol. The officer and a clerk promptly returned fire, and several customers also drew their guns and fired. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by Paramedics. Crime scene investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gunshot wounds. Ballistics identified rounds from 7 different weapons. No one else was hurt.
HONORABLE MENTION
Paul Stiller, 47, and his wife Bonnie were bored just driving around at 2 A.M. So they lit a quarter stick of dynamite to toss out the window to see what would happen. Apparently they failed to notice that the window was closed!!!
RUNNER UP
Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from a local bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more excited, and at least 10 men trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge, they discovered that no one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that a coil of lineman's cable lay nearby. They secured one end around Bingham's leg and then tied the other to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. Bingham's foot was never located.
AND THE WINNER IS....
Zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt (Paderborn, Germany) fed his constipated elephant 22 doses of animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally got relief. Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast unloaded.  The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr Riesfeldt to the ground where he struck his head on a rock as the elephant continued to evacuate 200 pounds of dung on top of him.

Whatever

Just because

New blog feature: Lovely lyrics

If you've been a reader of this blog for a while, you've seen my 28 Stoopid lyrics posts over the last 3+ years that expose songs with lyrics that don't make sense.  It was fun, but I'm done with that now.

So I'm starting a new blog feature called Lovely lyrics.  Its kinda the opposite of Stoopid lyrics because the songs I'll feature have beautiful, romantic, lovely lyrics.

For my 1st Lovely lyrics post I'm sharing a song I've loved for many years and sung at many auditions:

I've Got the World on a String
performed by Ella Fitzgerald

I've got the world on a string
I'm sitting on a rainbow
Got the string around my finger
What a world, what a life - I'm in love

I've got a song that I sing
I can make the rain go
Any time I move my finger
Lucky me, can't you see - I'm in love

Life is a beautiful thing
As long as I hold the string
I'd be a silly so-and-so
If I should ever let go

I've got the world on a string
I'm sitting on a rainbow
Got the string around my finger
What a world, what a life - I'm in love

Life is a beautiful thing
As long as I hold the string
I'd be a silly so-and-so
If I should ever let go

I've got the world on a string
I'm sitting on a rainbow
Got the string around my finger
What a world, what a life - I'm in love

Beardy boy

Not Myself

I just finished reading "I Am Not Myself These Days: A Memoir". A friend recommended it with the guarantee that I would love it.  She was right.

The book is about Josh who struggles to function at his advertising job during the day because he spends his night getting drunk in gay nightclubs dressed in drag, often getting home just in time to change clothes and go to work.  Josh's alter ego Aqua is known for her costumes which feature clear "breasts" filled with water and live goldfish.  As if his life isn't odd/stressful enough, Josh/Aqua begins dating Jack who is a escort.

Despite the words "a memoir" in the title, I assumed the book was fiction due to Agua's over-the-top drinking and outrageous behavior.  At the end I realized it was indeed a memoir, and that the sometimes sad and often hilarious events in the book were true.  It was a fun read that I would recommend.  Order the paperback, hardback, or Kindle version from Amazon.

Another thing I didn't realize until after finishing the book was that its author, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, about whom the story revolves, is the same Josh Kilmer-Purcell who is one of the Fabulous Beakman Boys.  What a different life he leads now!

Just because

The Judy Show

Last night my friend Joe P & I went to see Michael Holmes in "The Judy Show" at the Blue Moon.

This show is based on the successful 1960s TV series called "The Judy Garland Show".  Barbra Streisand's duet with Judy of "Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy" on this show in 1963 became a classic.  

Michael Holmes not only does an amazing job at singing/speaking like Judy Garland, he also impersonates several of Judy's guests from the famous TV series.  We were treated to visits from Bette Davis and Pearl Bailey who were hilarious!

The show isn't just singing, although Holmes is so good at it he could do a Judy concert.  But instead, he recreates the conversation with the audience and songs similar to the actual TV series.  

After the show Joe P & I hung around for a little while and got our pictures taken with Judy!

Joe P and Judy

Me and Judy

The show was VERY entertaining, and I encourage you to see "The Judy Show" if you can.  Check out the schedule here.

Suspicious activity

Beardy boy

Maps

Recently I was showing homes to a new couple who asked to see a home they'd noticed in my company's newspaper ad.  (Our company has a weekly ads in our local paper.)  This particular home was in a town quite a distance from where I normally work so I printed out directions from mapquest to get us there.

Heading south we noted a huge traffic jam on the northbound side of the highway that appeared to be several miles long.  Knowing we'd have to return this way, I dreaded sitting in the traffic jam after having driven all that way to see the home.  

My mapquest directions worked just fine, and once we finally got to the home and looked around, I verbalized to my clients that I did not want to return the same way we came.  The trouble is, I had mapquest directions to get there and planned to use them in reverse to get home.  There is a huge bay in between where we currently were and where we needed to get back to, and since I was unfamiliar with the roads in this town, I was at a loss for how to get home.

Then it hit me:  the maps icon on my iPhone.  

 I pulled over in a safe place and tapped on the maps icon.  It showed me where I currently was and what roads were around me.  I pinched the screen to show more of the surrounding area until finally I saw a route that would take us around the west side of the huge bay and then back to my office.

It worked!  The maps feature saved me and my clients from sitting in traffic for who knows how long!  This feature alone was worth the price of the iPhone.

Shopping

Why is it that when I'm shopping for a gift for a friend, I find all kinds of things for myself? And when I'm looking to 'treat' myself, I only find things that would make great gifts for others.

Or, when I'm looking for something specific for myself (ex: work clothes), I only find great flip flops or a terrific swimsuit.

Recently I was looking for a leather chair for our living room, but stumbled upon a terrific area rug that I fell in love with.  

Isn't this a fantastic rug??  The problem is, of course, I have no place for this rug.  It doesn't 'go' with the decor in any of our rooms and I'm not going to change all the furniture and linens in a room just to accommodate a new rug that I love but don't need.

I tried to get my friend Joe P to buy the rug since he is actually looking for a colorful rug for his breakfast room, but he said he wants a round rug.

I hope someone buys this rug soon so I don't have to keep seeing it and wrestling with myself not to buy it!

Just because