Impressed.

Microsoft debuted “Phase 2” of their new ad campaign tonight.

I’ve never been a fan of Apple’s “I’m A Mac, I’m A PC” commercials, simply because as a person that used to write ad copy for a living I’ve always felt that a company does best when they accentuate their positives rather than focusing on their competition’s negatives. When I worked in radio, we just behaved as if we were the only station on the dial. Well, most of the time.

Mac fanboys (and girls) have such a reputation for being obnoxiously smug and overbearingly trendy. I don’t identify with the greasy “Mac” in Apple’s commercials so I’ve always felt kind of alienated. Don’t get me wrong, I like my Macs, a lot, but I’m not about to start sipping coffee I don’t like in a fake turtleneck shirt. Ironically, I felt much more comfortable with the folks in this latest ad from Microsoft1.

Anyways, I have to applaud Microsoft on this latest ad. I think they might be on to something.

This ad is called “I’m A PC”.

1 Hmmm, I do have that unused copy of Windows Vista Ultimate sitting on my desk.

18 September 2008 by Geek 1

Fruit Pie.

I’m going say right here and now that I hate being called a homosexual. Oh I’m one of the gays, there’s no doubt about that. I’m sure some of you’d be amazed at what you saw if you looked behind the curtain of this blog wizard. But the way the right-wing freaks say ‘homosexual’ is so ridiculous. Homo-sexual. THey must divide up the syllables to give it an air of credibility. Ho-mo-sex-u-al. It’s their attempt to make it sound like a sickness. Homo-sexual. Bah. It’s more fun to say “condom” but they don’t like those either.

I can’t help but be reminded of Anita Bryant when I see Sarah Palin. She’s mildly attractive on the outside. She’s a beauty queen. She has a “non-neutral” accent. And of course she’s big on that whole “pray away the gay” thing. Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous? “Pray away the gay”. That’s like saying “pray that my blue eyes turn brown” or “pray away the freckles” or better yet “pray away the gray”. Why can’t we pray away Wal*Mart?

Going to the extreme, perhaps if her church keeps up this crusade of “pray away the gay” more and more teen gays and lesbians will commit suicide from believing the message of hate. The gay teen prays and prays and then buries away the gay but they still feel the gay. “Pray away the gay”. Once they discover the gay won’t go away they turn to drastic measures: In a paranoid, confused state it makes sense: The gay won’t go away, ergo they’re sick, so they kill themselves. I know that sounds completely fucked up, but guess what, that’s what happens. “Pray away the gay” says Sarah Palin and her church. Gay teen suicides are on the rise and I’m sure the likes of her and her church are contributors to that statistic. Isn’t that a way of saying believe better off dead than gay?

I am really nervous about what is going to occur in November. I do not have a good feeling about the American election coming up. I have a feeling it’s going to be screwed up with errant voting machines, mass confusion, swinging chads, an ugly woman from Florida trying to be important and god knows what else. I have made it known that if I had my druthers, I’d live elsewhere. Earl says we need to stay and fight, no matter the outcome of this election. We can make a difference. I want to believe him. So I’m making a lot of noise about this election. I’m afraid that the sheeple are turning this into a new season of American Idol. What if they treat this vote as if it was “Who Wants To Be A Vice President?” where they just vote for the pretty one. And that’s exactly what the Republicans are betting on. You’ll vote for the one that can see Russia from her house.

Everyone tells me to calm down when I talk politics. “Stop yelling.” Bah.

This ho-mo-sex-u-al has only just begun.

18 September 2008 by Let's All Rant. 3

Foundation.



Progress., originally uploaded by iMachias.

I say comfortable underwear is always the best way to start your day. Here I assume a Sears and Roebuck pose to showcase my new BVDs. The scale and BMI meter were kind to me this morning.

17 September 2008 by Fun and Games Dept 8

Moondance.

The alarm clock said 3:26. The house shook as another gust of wind pushed it’s way through. I looked out the bedroom window and saw that the lawn was lit up brilliantly, jumping up for a closer look I noticed it appeared to be a full moon.

The roar of the wind continued. I put on a pair of jockey shorts and made my way through the dark house to the patio door. The lawn furniture was doing it’s own little dance on the patio. The pillows ran across the lawn. The umbrella turned and shook in rhythm with the rest.

I went outside and made sure everything was secured. The moon was shining brilliantly. The wind was unbelievably warm and so very forceful. There was such power in that wind. Trees were bowing to Mother Nature in ways I haven’t seen them bow in a long time in these parts. I chased the pillows across the lawn and picked them up. They were easy to spot in the bright moonlight.

After everything was secure, I went back into the lawn. I was bare footed. The warm, strong winds caressed my body. I was bathed in moonlight. It was then that I found my nature based spiritual beliefs once again, and in the Wiccan tradition I went skyclad. I opened my arms and thanked the Universe for that incredibly beautiful moment. I felt alive. I felt refreshed. I felt that I was looking at beauty that few saw at that time of night.

I reveled in the experience for nearly 10 minutes before going back in the house. I then slept peacefully the rest of the night.

15 September 2008 by Spiritual Stuff. 0

Winds of Change.

Photo 77.jpg

I am sitting on the back patio enjoying the breezes that precede the arriving cold front. I look straight up and I can see stars, in the distance I hear continuous rumbles of thunder. This should be an interesting evening for sleeping tonight.

Today was spent with relatives from both sides of my family tree as Earl and I hosted an open house to usher in the arrival of our nephew. It was good to see the cousins, aunts and uncles; I hadn’t seen some of them in quite a long time. We had the whole affair catered from one of our favorite Italian haunts (but without any cute waiter boys this time around).

Overall the party was a success and everyone seemed to have a good time. My nephew put on his happy face and made everyone smile and say nice things. I guess that happens around most babies, now that I think about it. I like to think he’s a special guy though.

It’s going to be hard to see my sister and him move to Switzerland in a couple of weeks.

14 September 2008 by Fun and Games Dept 1

Broadcasting.



Broadcasting., originally uploaded by iMachias.

At tonight’s gig the bar manager decided to try something a little bit different and put a webcam on stage to show the folks at home what was going on at the bar. I don’t know how well the whole affair worked but it was enjoyable in a novel sort of way.

To add to the merriment I DJ’d from the stage in the center of the bar instead of using the DJ booth, which is tucked away in a corner that few can see. This put me within the field of the webcam, so I took a screen shot of me looking rugged.

DJing from the stage made the night a little more interesting. It’s a shame that there weren’t more people to enjoy the experience. We are going to try again next weekend after the Rainbow Express train ride on the Adirondack Railroad.

13 September 2008 by Fun and Games Dept 1

What Is Love.

I’ve mentioned on several recent blog entries that I do a lot of thinking on my bike rides. I don’t know if it’s the fresh air, the physical exertion or just the freedom I feel while I’m peddling down a rural road in the warm sunshine, but I do some of my most creative thinking whilst on a bike ride. I often come up with blog entries that I never record. It’s time I do something about it.

One of the blog entries that I’ve formulated is this one, and it’s about love. Such a short little word with a big responsibility. Not to get all flower power but I believe that love is really what it’s all about and it’s not something that should be squandered away or ignored. Love should be celebrated. Love should be cherished. Love should be shared.

Growing up I felt a lot of love. I guess I was a happy kid because I felt loved and secure. My mother always told me that she loved me, my father never did. He didn’t need to. Grandma City told me she loved me, Grandma Country didn’t, she didn’t need to. Oh I knew that love was there, it’s just that it was an unspoken love. It didn’t diminish it in anyway and it’s not the way I play the game but that unspoken love wasn’t any less real, it was just conveyed differently.

There are so many different kinds of love. I’ve had three substantial relationships in my life. The first was a puppy love. We’ve all been there, you’re in love with being in love, and you’re going to love whether you really love or not. It makes sense when you’re 18. Looking back it makes you take pause but that’s o.k., it’s just part of our learning. It doesn’t make it any less real, but it’s just a little love.

I loved my second boyfriend as well, but it was more of a kinship type love. After a few beers I’ll declare that I love him to this day (though I don’t just bark it out randomly at people). We share a good friendship. Was it limitless? No. But was it good? Yes.

Now when I fell in love with Earl that’s when love knocked me off my feet. My love for Earl is honestly limitless. I still see fireworks when I see Earl, even all these years later. I love Earl in a way that I will never love another. My love for him is all encompassing. It has consumed every part of my soul and I know with all that I know that my love for him is never ending. I guess that’s easy for me to say as I don’t know what the future brings, but I’m certain that I will always love Earl. “‘Til death do us part.” Yep, it goes that deep. I’ve never felt that before.

Even with the undying love I have for Earl I do love other people. I’m not afraid to tell people that I love them if the emotion is true. This might make people take pause. Now I don’t go around telling everyone that I know that I love them, because that’s hardly the case. There are only a few that I could say that I love. It’s not the same kind of love I feel for Earl but it is love nonetheless. For example, I love our friend Steve in Buffalo and I have told him so. I love him like the brother I never had. We play games that only we get, like riding in the back seat of a car on a dark night telling each other cubby bear stories. It’s definitely a different kind of love. The closest comparison I can come to is a person that loves to paint but also loves to eat Chinese food. They don’t derive the same type of pleasure from painting that they derive from eating the Chinese food but they love both activities nonetheless. Both can coexist without compromising the other. The love of painting fulfills the painter in a myriad of ways and is all encompassing, the love of Chinese food goes beyond just satisfying them or fulfilling a need.

I wish I could write an analogy about how I feel about love. I’ve thought about saying, “I’d take a bullet for a person that I love” but then again, I think I’d take a bullet for just about anyone in danger, so that doesn’t really work. I guess I could say that it goes beyond caring. Perhaps it’s a special bond. Maybe we met in a previous life and here we are again. I just know it and I wish I could describe it.

I guess the point of my rambling is that love should be shared with those that we truly love, and those that we truly love should be cherished in their own special way. Save it, savor it, share it.

12 September 2008 by Deep. 3

No More!

As God as my witness I hereby declare to all the care: No more cheese for me. None. Do not feed me cheese.

I do not cherish sitting in the bathroom for a good chunk of my lunch hour. I’ll refrain from further description.

That is all.

11 September 2008 by Why. 0

Techno Bed.

Earl is sound asleep next to me. I’m snuggled up in the covers, refusing to turn the heat on even though the weatherman has issued a frost warning for tonight. It’s easier to add another blanket instead of forking out a lot of cash to Niagara Mohawk (utility company). I have the computer and a cat in bed with me (in addition to Earl) The cat is not Xena, though she let me pet her once before hissing today. We are making progress. As a kind gesture I made a little cat bed with an old comforter for her. She enjoys resting on it, paws crossed in a pristine way.

My sister is asleep with her son in the back bedroom. He is growing like crazy. At three weeks old he’s discovering his sight and looking at various toys with interest. The miracle of life is truly amazing. My sister has a good sense of humour. I tell Dylan (her son) that the milk truck is coming and I call my sister Byrne Dairy (local dairy company). It’s all in jest. She laughs. My sister has always laughs at my jokes. Even when we were little.

My aunt and cousin came to visit this evening. They brought along a casserole that my uncle made. He’s recently retired. Apparently he’s becoming intimate with the ways of Rachel Ray. The casserole was good. The company was enjoyable.

Lying in bed I’m chatting on the computer and sending text messages back and forth to dave and greg. It’s what I do. The internet has afforded me the opportunity to make important connections in my life. Most don’t understand. I cherish those that do.

I’ve never written those blog entries that I formulate in my head whilst on my bike. I should really sit down in a quiet corner and write them all down and then post them when the mood strikes. So many things to blog about: spirituality, love, monogamy, sex, exploration, politics. Are we sick of politics yet? I believe I am. It’s not a game I enjoy watching. Few take it seriously. So much at stake.

Today began the experiment of recreating the Big Bang in Switzerland. Particles whizzed in one direction at seven per cent of the capacity of the machine. When we reach one hundred per cent and send two particles in opposite directions, only to collide with one another is when it’ll get interesting. But today they learned that what they’ve spent 30 years building works. Let’s hope there’s not another Big Bang as a result.

Earl is still sound asleep, oblivious to the soft clicking of the keyboard on my Mac. I look at him and smile. He still gets me. Few do. He gives me room to grow. He encourages me to explore, to seek, to spread my wings. It’s something I’ll always cherish.

10 September 2008 by Ponderings and Musings 1

Aunt Sissy.

The year was 1996. It was my second or third visit to my future in-laws and shortly after Earl’s “big announcement”. Said announcement included the fact that the buddy he brought along the preceding Labor Day was more than a buddy, not only did we bounced bellies at football games but we bounced bellies (amongst other things) in bed too.

Anyway, it was a family gathering of some sort and I was meeting everyone for the first time; cousins, aunts, uncles, all sorts of relatives from all branches of the family tree were mangling my initials in all sorts of ways. I didn’t mind, I figured all was well if they were speaking to me and not spitting on me. I guess I’m easy to please.

Earl introduced me to a short, wild haired woman who looked like she really knew how to live life. “Hey Glad-ie”, he said to her before introducing me, “This is my Aunt Sissy.”

Aunt Sissy. At 73 or so years old at the time she was obviously the free spirit the cover of her book portrayed; she’d been through three husbands, three continents, countless bingo cards and an unmeasurable number of cigarettes. Her stature was short but her heart was obviously big. She grabbed my face and pulled it down to her face and gave me a big kiss on the lips, “Hello John!”. We have a winner, she got my name right.

She turned to Earl. “I hear you got a new car!” Earl had just bought a Hyundai Elantra.

“Yep.”

“Is it a convertible?”, she barked out. Aunt Sissy always talked loud.

“No, why?”

“I had a convertible once. A FRENCH convertible”, she said. “The top doesn’t go down but the driver does.”

Aunt Sissy shared that story, amongst a bunch of others, with us several times for next 12 years.

Last night we made the trek down to near Philadelphia to attend Aunt Sissy’s memorial service. She was 84 years old. She died of lung cancer.

Rest In Peace, Aunt Sissy. Enjoy the ride in your new convertible.

9 September 2008 by Spiritual Stuff. 1

About J.P.

Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.

Weird? Eccentric!

April 2024
S M T W T F S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930  

Mastodon

Mastodon