Grabbed from Joe.My.God., it’s Shena with “Can’t Stop The Rain”.
Now this is a new track that I LOVE.
Y?
The SciFi Channel announced earlier this week that they are rebranding themselves come July.
The new name of the cable channel will be “SyFy”.
Personally I think this is one of the most idiotic ideas to hit the boob tube in a long while and I look forward to watching the crash and burn at this attempt of a retread.
As a proud geek that enjoys science fiction television, I find this rebranding pedestrian, predictable and highly insulting.
That clicking sound you hear is the sound of me changing the channel.
In the spirit of the old SciFi channel, I share this.
Actually I can’t post a video of the opening from the original Bionic Woman on here as originally planned because NBC/Universal pulled it from YouTube. They suck.
The Other Side.
So I know everyone is whipped up about gay marriage (amongst other things) these days and I honestly can’t imagine what all the hoopla is about. I mean, as a gay man that has been happily partnered for longer than most heterosexual marriages I know, I have to say that I don’t know why a certain segment of our society gets themselves all worked up over the word ‘marriage’. I’ll leave your imagination to ponder which segment I’m referring to when it comes to those getting worked up, but I will say this: as long as I am guaranteed the EXACT same rights as my heterosexual counterparts but still referred to as a “civil union” then I have no issues with nomenclature. Most look at it as that marriage is “better than” a civil union but I tend to spin it around and look at it the other way: I wasn’t forced to eat a stale cake, I didn’t have to dance for dollars and I didn’t have to do the hokey pokey. To me, civil union means the same thing as marriage without the organised religious influence.
While I certainly want and demand legal recognition of my partnership, I’m sure many gay men and lesbians will agree with me that there is at least one advantage to not being able to declare “married” on our federal tax return. Many gay men and lesbians are rather affluent and bring in a good amount of income. Let’s say Dirk makes $200,000 a year and his partner Bruce makes $100,000 a year. Together they make $300,000. Dirk and Bruce have been together a decade or so and dump all of their income into their jointly owned house, land and smattering of bank accounts. Because Dirk and Bruce are not legally married and there union is not recognised as valid by Ol’ Glory, they are not obligated to report their income as combined, therefore Dirk makes $200K in the eyes of Uncle Sam and Bruce makes $100K in the same way, easily skirting that coveted $250K limit where the taxes get really deep and the hands of Uncle Sam get really grabby. Granted, we miss several tax breaks for not being married but when you’re starting to throw around the big numbers I think this becomes negligible.
Now I realise that this is a consolation prize in the grand scheme of things and legal recognition is what most of us really want and to be honest I believe that if I’m not allowed to be legally partnered on the federal level to the person I love then I shouldn’t have to pay full taxes anyway, but there is a very small amount of smirkiness I feel knowing that I could be skirting a part of the tax code on THEIR technicality.
Peek.
So it was about a month ago that I did the photo shoot with my friend Kevin. Well, maybe it’s been three weeks but nevertheless I have had time to look the photos over and pick out which ones I like the best. Kevin took a LOT of photos during the shoot, as did his studio partner Dale. I haven’t seen Dale’s photos yet as he used film and is still in the process of tweaking the photos to his liking. Kevin says that they are considerably different than the photos he took. I am intrigued, to say the least, as I really liked Kevin’s work. Back when Kevin first gave me the photos I shared some shots here on the blog.
There were actually many different moods and clothes throughout the shots that I haven’t shared with the general public yet. I don’t know if it’s because I’m shy in a way or because it shows a side of me that I don’t usually show for public consumption, but I have decided to share another photo.
And here it is. I’ll let you decide which one piece of clothing in this shot is not mine.
Photo © 2009 Kevin Miller Photography
Feelings.
I’ve been groovin’ to this song for the past week or so and finally found a video to go along with it.
I must be getting old. I find the guys on the dance floor in this video to be wicked hot (especially around 1:40) and I really appreciate the carefree attitude everyone seems to have whilst they’re partying.
Enjoy “Feelings” by The Grass Roots. The clip is from the movie “With Six You Get Eggroll”.
Relax.
So after a few years of doing this on-call thing I have finally discovered what makes it a little easier to get through an evening of doing the work thing.
I need to shed my work clothes as soon as I get home and get comfortable. Once I’m in gear that feels good I am good to go and feel like I can accomplish anything.
I’m in full blown geek mode this week and I’m kind of enjoying it. I have a few computer projects in progress in the basement and I’m going to be selling a BUNCH of stuff very soon. I think I’m going to list what I have for sale here first and then if no one bites after a week or so I’m going to list it on ebay. I’d rather have my old computers go to someone that stops by and work out a deal that way.
By the way, I’m very proud of the Irish in me (and celebrate the fact that I’m the only one of my generation on both sides of the family that has red hair) and would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy St. Patrick’s Day. I hope you’re celebrating safely.
Our Family.
For the past several months I have been writing about other folks on the blog. Earl and I have built our own family and I thought it was time to share a little bit about it.
Greg and Dave are two very important men in our life. As our bond grows I realise that I would be a considerably different man today if they weren’t around. I believe that I contribute to their personal growth just as they contribute to mine. Our home is open to them whenever they need a port in the storm and we love them both. We have much in common with them and we visit often, both electronically and in person.
The youngest member of our family is Jamie. An aspiring photographer and artist, Jamie will most likely attend MVCC in the fall for their photography/design/art program. In doing so, he will live with us as he is originally from Buffalo. Jamie is a great guy and reminds me in ways of a certain young man I once knew who just needed a little guidance to achieve the dreams he had already formulated in his mind. Jamie joined us in Florida last February. It was then that I confirmed what I already thought: I like him a lot and mi casa su casa. I seem to have inherited a trait from my father for nicknaming things, as I call Jamie “Cubster”.
Being relatively private in our home life, I believe that Earl and I have made some very well thought out decisions in regards to our future. I’m writing this entry on an airplane and I’m finding myself a little choked up, because I feel like my heart sings with the additions to our life. I feel the most grounded I have been in a long time.
When I Hear Music.
One thing that I have noticed over the past couple of weeks is that I am undergoing a definite change in my taste in music. Whereas I have always been a fan of 80s stuff and anything new that is danceable (house and trance music), especially being DJ SuperCub and all, these days I am being drawn to tracks from the mid 60s to the mid 70s. For example, as I plonk this blog entry on my iPhone keyboard, I have listened to:
“Help Me” by Joni Mitchell
“Crystal Blue Persuasion” by Tommy James and the Shondells
“Feelins” by The Grass Roots
I am loving the honest musicianship in these tracks. There is very little in the way of electronic augmentation. Well, the technology on the track is used for effect, not complete replacement of a need of musicianship. The electronic stuff doesn’t attempt to cover up a deficiency, it enhances a natural talent.
This is all a complete 180 from cranking up a deep trance track and engaging in an E-like experience. I’m
curious as to the cause of my change in attitude with music but I must admit I’m enjoying the trip of what I’ve been
listening to.
Now I’m listening to “One Of These Nights” by The Eagles. It always used to remind me of being a kid in the back seat of my Dad’s muscle car. Now it reminds me of a certain warm Nebraska night when Earl and I were in search of a hotel. I just remmbered the town in Nebraska: Scottsbluff. That has been bothering me for weeks.
Perhaps I’m ramping up for the nicer weather.
More Friendly Skies.
So I’m sitting on the aforementioned Delta flight to “Northern Kentucky”. Today’s flight attendant is Niki. She is very friendly and easy to understand on the intercom.
She said one thing during the safety announcement that I really appreciated: “While I am here primarily for your safety, if you need you assistance I’d be happy to help you.” I’m sure many flight attendants say this (though it’s the first time I’ve heard it in a long while), it seems that few passengers remember this. This makes me a little angry.
Flight attendants are well trained individuals that are there for the safety of the passenger and in case of an emergency. Whilst many think they are there to be a servant, this is hardly the case. Barking at a flight attendant is not only rude, but it is evidence of a misconception of what they are there for. The whole pop and peanuts thing is a courtesy on their behalf.
I have mentioned before that I enjoy flying. I’m a bit of an aviator geek. I know what type of plane I’m on, usually how old it is and who owns it (usually a leasing company). I know when a pilot turns ‘base’ and ‘final’ on an approach and I can almost always identify the moment that our wheels should leave the runway. I know where all exits are, even if they are behind me.
I still pay attention to every safety announcement and follow along with the information card in the seat pocket in front of me. It’s the responsible thing to do. I wish more people would put the paper down or shut up during the announcements. They’re not doing a stand up routine up there, they are sharing important information.
And one other thing. Every passenger on the plane has paid something in some way to get a seat. No matter the method of payment, your credit card isn’t better than anyone else’s. Sitting in seat 9A does not entitle you to any special treatment over the person in seat 9B.
So as an aviation geek that enjoys flying, loves a flight attendant and wants the experience to be a beautiful thing for all involved, I ask everyone to make an effort to be a friendly, responsible passenger.
Thank you and enjoy your flight.
Please Stop.
I know I’m not the brightest bulb in the chandelier when it comes to economics and the government. I admit that I reside in my own near-lunatic fringe with how I usually feel about this sort of thing, but I can’t help but be infuriated about this sort of thing:
New York Times: A.I.G. Planning Huge Bonuses After $170 Billion Bailout
This is absolutely unbelievable. As an American, dare I say “proud American”?, I am outraged at this! The article says (emphasis mine):
“We cannot attract and retain the best and the brightest talent to lead and staff the A.I.G. businesses — which are now being operated principally on behalf of American taxpayers — if employees believe their compensation is subject to continued and arbitrary adjustment by the U.S. Treasury,” he wrote Mr. Geithner on Saturday.
Are we really to believe that they really have the ‘best and brightest’ when A.I.G. is one of the major contributors to the financial mess currently in progress?
Greedy, greedy, greedy.
It is crap like this that makes me spew words that makes me sound unAmerican.
This crap must stop. Now.
