Tranny Fun

I was de-virginized last night at my first Rocky Horror Picture Show experience and it was, as I had been warned, highly participatory. If you yourself are still a virgin, I will enlighten you: the ridiculous 1975 rock musical B-movie is augmented by a group of live actors who dress (scantily) as the actors and lip-synch the lines while yelling commentary at the screen. Audiences are encouraged to throw stuff, dance and yell at appropriate or inappropriate moments. Before the midnight show at Clearview Cinemas in Chelsea, all the virgins--as in audience members who had never seen the show before--were…

Disheartening

Maine--I love you so much, how can your love be so conditional? Yesterday's election was a crushing defeat in the the battle for civil rights and equality. While Maine had recently become one of the few states to allow gay marriage, voters rejected the law and proved that we still live in an oppressive and puritanical society. It completely baffles me how someone could be so bigoted and disrespectful of others. Why would it be so important for anyone to deny another person the same rights that they enjoy? I believe it stands to reason that there would not be…

DMV: A Visit To My Own Personal Darkness

I am embedded in the Brooklyn DMV right now and moments ago was as close to corporal combustion as I have ever been. My mission is to register a car for Alaina and I and I was also here two days ago with the same goal and was rejected for lacking her signature on one document. It was unclear that her signature was required since there was only space for one signature, but it was a mistake I can live with, costing me only a wasted hour. Intrepidly, I pushed through my frustration and got her signature this morning before…

Health Insurance for Earth

Right now in Bangkok, a monumental conference is underway, involving delegates from all over the world who have come to discuss nothing less than the future survival of our planet. Climate change is the focus and negotiations have begun on the follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol which will be drafted in Copenhagen next month. It is a crucial moment in our planet's history because we have already pushed the limits of our ecosystem's capacity to maintain itself and are bringing it to the brink of being inhospitable. There is no question that without checking our consumption and abuse, the atmosphere…

Andrew and Rachel are married!

My younger brother is now a married man and he did it in spectacular fashion, producing all the food for the event himself. He had incredible help from many people, but it was his vision and he executed it perfectly. He was insistent (old Andrew stubbornness...) on not only doing it but not cutting any corners (growing vegetables, fishing for seafood, butchering whole cows and pigs). It was an amazing process to be a part of and I learned so much over the 10 days spent with him prior to the wedding. His wife spent most of that time at…

Vacationland

Maine. I sit on the deck of Eventide, the Taylor cabin on the cliffs of Frenchman's Bay and I have found what I was seeking. It is calm and quiet, the gentle lapping of the water, rustling of leaves and chirping of birds creating the soundtrack... Peace and Tranquility are profoundly important aspects of life that can be truly hard to find. In this spot they come in abundance. I don't need to go far to chill, the deck will do fine, but I have been exploring Mt. Desert Island in depth the past few weeks, with hikes and bikes…

San Francisco Treat

Having completed our work obligations for the summer, Alaina and I decided to fly west to San Fran for some playtime. The four-day weekend could not have been more action packed and gave me an entirely new appreciation for this amazing city. While the focus of the trip was spending time with our friends, it turned into a major music festival with delicious food complements. Arriving Thursday evening, we were greeted at the airport by our gracious hostess, Alaina's college roommate Rocky, who drove us to her apartment in The Mission and set us up with a bed for our…

Oh Papi!

Who was I kidding, thinking that the Red Sox would stay clear of the steroids mess? Today the news broke that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez both failed drug tests in 2003. Manny, of course, just served 50 games for taking a female fertility drug but I still hoped that it was just a Dodger problem... Looks like that's not the case. The Sox' run to the World Series in 2004 was one of the most thrilling sports adventures of my life and it will forever remain so, even under clouds of allegations. Falling asleep during Game 4 of the…

Baseball on my phone

This is amazing. I could have been watching it on my computer, yes, but instead I watched tonight's Red Sox game on my new telephonic device. Honestly, I don't mean to brag about how cool my phone is but it is just too rad to not mention something. I am just getting started with the apps so please let me know if there is anything I need to try...