My very first post on this blog on 11/25/06 was about the New 7 Wonders of the World, and the opportunity to vote for them, and that the winners would be announced on 7/7/07, (yesterday.) I of course voted for the only candidate i have actually been to, Chichen Itza, which, i am happy to announce, won a place in the top 7!

Jester coming back down

Popularity: 73% [?]

Are you watching Planet Earth? I have seen the first 3 parts, and it is the most breathtakingly beautiful nature program EVER! Just beautiful, gorgeous, phenomenal, moving, stirring!!! I love it! I grew up watching nature programs, and spent hours and days and weeks pouring through National Geographic magazines, but in my adult life, i have gotten out of that. Remember Wild Kingdom? Oh man, that was my favorite! This program reminds me, well, of who i used to be. A curious explorer.

And for those who were curious about the song that was featured in the Discovery Channel commercial in the second episode, it is “Wonders Never Cease” by Morcheeba. (Paul’s phone to the rescue again!)

Morcheeba - “Wonders Never Cease”

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There is a movie playing on Showtime right now called Deepwater starring the guy who played the kid in Sling Blade, was in Jarhead, and The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift, Lucas Black. This is one of those movies you have to see twice, not because it’s a great movie, but because it has fucking HOTTT Lucas Black in it, and because it’s fun to see if it makes more sense the 2nd time. (It is a very trippy movie!) Man, Lucas has a body on him! It’s really fun to watch him because he is so sexy and brooding, and because he talks exactly the same way he did in Sling Blade, only with a deeper voice!
He appears shirtless many times in this movie, and it is beautiful! He has such intensity in his face!

Popularity: 32% [?]

Ok, i know it’s only been a day, but i’m very sad that i have to be without Heroes for almost 2 months!!! Episode 18 was amazing! Since i can’t possibly wait that long, i’ve decided to watch all the episodes again. Actually, it’s going to be very interesting watching it again knowing what i know now, so i can watch for any little clues that there may have been that foretell the secrets that were revealed later.I honestly don’t have any expectations or theories about what will happen in the final 5 episodes. I prefer to just watch and see the story unfold than to try to figure out what’s going to happen. I don’t think Peter dies in the next episode, but who knows. Maybe something changed the future and Sylar really does finish the job. That would be very sad, though. I like Peter. He’s very hottt!!! I love his hair, and i normally don’t like long hair, but his is unique because it’s kinda short in the back. I actually had that hairstyle when i was in the 10th grade, and thanks to Peter (Milo) I’ve decided to grow my hair like that again. It’s going to take a long time, though. My bangs have about 6 more inches to go.

Anyway, back to TV - Lost is also starting to get really good again, don’t you think? It’s got me very confused still, but it is getting really interesting again. I’m happy about that. I’m glad there are really good shows on right now, because American Idol is a total bust this year, i’m sorry to say. I have a feeling it’s going to stay disappointing. Oh well, there’s always next year. Hey, i’m really looking forward to The Riches. It should be really good, because Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver are both brilliant!!! I saw Eddie Izzard’s Dress To Kill (1999) and LOVED it!!!

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With this seemingly ridiculous holiday around the corner, i decided to find out what there is to it besides buying your partner or lover flowers and candy. Don’t get me wrong; Who doesn’t love getting flowers?

Wow, no wonder i never knew the history of St. Valentines Day, because it seems that almost no one knows the true history of it! According to Wikipedia, in ancient Rome there was a holiday called Lupercalia which came at the end of a 3 day fertility festival called Juno Februa, in which the names of young women were put into a vessel and drawn by young men, and whoever drew her name, she got to have sex with for the rest of the festival. Apparently, on Lupercalia,

“many of the noble youths and magistrates run up and down through the city naked for sport and laughter, striking those they meet with shaggy thongs.” - Plutarch

And apparently, it was quite an honor to get smacked with a naked boy’s “shaggy thong,” as all the women would go to the street and hold out their hands to be struck, hoping to become pregnant or have good luck with their childbirth.

Well, Pope Gelasius didn’t like all this sex play, so he abolished the festival and decided that the feast of Saint Valentine would take its place. Valentine apparently was known for secretly performing marriages despite the fact that Emperor Caudius II had banned all marriages in Rome because married men made bad soldiers. He was jailed and legend says that he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter during his incarceration. The legend says that before he was put to death, he passed a love note to her that was signed, “From your Valentine.” (Do we teach our children these lies?)
Everything after that is kind of a blur, except that in the 80’s the diamond industry began trying to turn it into a holiday for giving diamonds. Big surprise.
At any rate, i think we should do away with our current Valentines day traditions and go back to running through the streets naked, spanking people with shaggy thongs. Doesn’t that sound like much more fun? Come on, who’s with me? Hey, wait, we already have something very similar to this in San Francisco. It’s called the Folsom Street Fair, a leather and fetish fair that takes place on the last Sunday of September. It’s just as well, though. February is a little too cold here to be running around naked smacking people with our shaggy thongs, don’t you think?

Popularity: 38% [?]

I’ve spent the last week working on our new aquarium. It used to be a marine aquarium, but the fish kept dying, so we finally gave up and decided to turn it into a freshwater tank instead. I had to empty it, clean it, clean the filter to get rid of all the salt, clean all the gravel and ornaments from an older tank, and put it all together. A lot of work, but well worth it.

It is a 55 gallon tank with a wet/dry external sump filter that sits in the cabinet below. The overflow is built into the black column in the back of the tank. It is a great filtration system, but that black column is unsightly, so i used it as an opportunity to create a dramatic “riverbank,” enhanced by the shadow created by omitting one of the lights in the hood. I used only plastic wood, and mostly plastic plants for easier maintenance. I think it looks pretty cool. We used Bio-Spira to quickly cycle the tank so we could add the fish quickly.

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It’s winter, it’s cold, the light is dim. And then something wonderful happens. Suddenly i’m in a tropical paradise where it’s 80 degrees F and i’m wearing shorts and flip-flops and swimming in the turquoise ocean and laying in the bright sun on a beautiful beach looking at shirtless guys. No, it wasn’t a dream, and no, i didn’t need a passport. I just went to Miami Beach and Key West. (I know, we’re such lucky bitches, aren’t we?) I’ve never been there before, (except in the airport on my way to Cancun.) It was just a 4 day, unplanned, last minute trip to spend some time with Paul’s parents who are truck drivers. (They had to deliver a load to Key West, and they had never been there, either.) Paul found round trip tickets on Hotwire for only $280 each. We couldn’t pass up the chance, and it was SO worth it!
Of course, when i first realized that we would be going to South Beach, my first thought was, “I have to see Miami Ink!” Paul, being the loving boyfriend that he is, found out where it was and took me there on Monday. I was so excited! Unfortunately, their waiting list for an appointment is 3 weeks long, and the people from the show are not there. We did not even go inside, we just looked in the windows and saw 3 artists i’ve never seen on the show. I did take pictures of it from across the street, though.
We found a gay club in South Beach called Twist that has 7 bars and 2 dance floors and some very hot go-go dancers. We went there on Sunday and Monday night. Man, there are a lot of beautiful men in Miami!!!
I would suggest not staying at the Sovereign Hotel, though! It was cheap and promised an ocean view, but our room had no soap or shampoo or towels, no ocean view, i got stuck in the elevator when it stopped working the first time, and it is next to a loud construction sight. I went down to the lobby between 11 and noon and asked if they had any coffee. The guy at the front desk suggested i try next door. (It took me a moment to process the fact that “next door” was another hotel!) They never did deliver the soap and shampoo we asked for twice, but luckily i found it in the hallway the next morning while the housekeeping staff was cleaning down the hall. We never did get the ashtray we asked for either, even though it was a smoking room. (I had to use a water glass, which for some reason still had water in it from the guests before us!) However, we did not let our less-than-ideal accommodations get us down. We were still in paradise!
I told Paul i could live there. Paul was not as impressed. Oh well. If we move to Missouri or Nashville, we’ll be a lot closer to Miami than we are now in California.
Of course, i wish we could have spent a lot more time in Key West and South Beach exploring the depths of these gay meccas, but that will have to wait until next time.

A home in Key West

Beach volleyball in January

Miami Ink in South Beach

Art Deco architecture in Miami Beach

South Beach sunset

On the everglades in an airboat

Egret

Alligator

Popularity: 49% [?]

I love Margaret Cho. In fact, the quote in the header of this blog, “Don’t lick my eye,” is a quote from one of her stand-up specials. This quote has become very personal to me because ever since we saw it, Paul has taken to licking my eye whenever possible, to which i always respond, (you get the picture.) We saw her live in Sacramento on her State of Emergency tour which would become Assassin, and she was fabulous! Now our favorite “fag hag” is doing new stand-up comedy on Logo, the gay television channel as host of the new series The Outlaugh Festival featuring a great lineup of gay comedians. Set your Tivo, or go to Logo online for showtimes and to watch and catch up on episodes. If you don’t know Margaret Cho, here’s your chance to check her out and laugh your ass off! If you really want to see Margaret Cho at her finest, buy the 3 disc box set of her first 3 comedy specials. Get it, watch it, and soon you, too, will be walking down the street with your friends yelling in a loud, obnoxious voice, “HI, my name is Gwen, I’m here to waaash your vagina!”

“Margaret is comedy’s most fearless superhero.”
Mary Kaye-Schilling, Entertainment Weekly

“She makes Al Franken and Michael Moore look like Rush Limbaugh.”
Kevin Nance, The Tennessean

“Brilliant. Over the edge. One of the funniest comedians in America. I laughed until the tears were running down my face.”
Stephen Holden, The New York Times

“Outrageous! A one-woman comic army…with seemingly limitless wit at her command. She understands the power of humor to provoke thought and to liberate.”
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

“Grade: A- …gleefully, blasphemously invasive.”
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

“Honest and raunchy enough to make even Richard Pryor blush.”
Robert K. Elder, Chicago Tribune

“…the patron saint of anyone who has ever felt like an outsider.”
The Washington Post

“…I can say without reservation that Cho’s “Notorious C.H.O.” is the best comedy concert movie I’ve seen since Cho’s previous concert comedy film, “I’m The One That I Want,” in 2000.”
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

“the Richard Pryor of her generation.”
Sacramento Bee

“Exhilirates while it has you guffawing non-stop.”
Brandon Judell, Detour Magazine

“It’s humor with a message (love yourself as you are) that doesn’t forget to be funny.”
Curt Fields, The Washington Post

On her website she writes an award winning blog that is SO fun to read, and you can see videos such as “My Puss.”
Margaret Cho has also become a belly dancer and burlesque artist and has a MySpace page under the name The Sensuos Woman.

Margaret Cho - gay marriage

Margaret Cho - Hi my name is Gwen…

Margaret Cho - Asian chicken salad

Margaret Cho - Ass Master

Popularity: 51% [?]

Click on titles to watch videos
Music:

Blue October - Foiled (See Jestertunes for more info.) Into The Ocean Hate Me

Copeland - In Motion (released in 2005, but very much a 2006 album for me.) Pin Your Wings I just found out they have a new album that came out 2 months ago that i haven’t even heard yet! (I’m sure that one will go on my 2007 list.) Control Freak

Janet Jackson - 20 Y.O. (the version with the bonus DVD) I couldn’t get enough of this. Whenever i watch her, i get up and walk with a huge swing in my hips, shaking my invisible big booty! It’s my Janet walk! I probably liked the last album Damita Jo a little bit more, but Janet will always have a special place in my heart. (Now if i could just finish learning all the steps in “All nite.”)(whispered) This is sick! So Excited Call On Me
Panic At The Disco - I Write Sins Not Tragedies from the album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.

This song brings back memories of our Nashville trip and the drag show where a girl in drag performed this song.

Later she danced with me on the dance floor. I guess she liked my moves. It was a little weird freaking a girl dressed as a boy, but so much fun!!!
Esthero - We R In Need Of A Musical Revolution (click on “the video”) from the album Wikked Lil’ Grrrls.

I put my headphones on and listen to this song and just fuckin’ rock out!!! It’s a cool album, but this song especially. It has a powerful and moving beat and drum part, a nasty, slapping bass part, great soaring vocals and lyrics. This album has some Janet Jackson style interludes that seem to tell the story of proud bisexual women.
Keith Urban - Once In A Lifetime from the album Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing.

I heard this song on the radio when we took a trip to Nashville and fell in love with it. I even called the radio station just to find out what it was! Definitely not your typical country song.

This is a beautiful upbeat song that almost sounds part U2.

Films:

Brokeback Mountain.

watch trailer
There has been a ton of controversy about this movie from people who just don’t have a clue.

Bottom line, this is a tragic love story that perfectly portrays the inner and outer struggles of gays, how far we’ve come, and how far we have yet to go.

Stranger Than Fiction. watch trailer
A new side of Will Ferrell, and definitely the most unique and interesting film since The Matrix.

Emma Thompson is amazing as usual, as is Dustin Hoffman. Maggie Gyllenhaal has proven she’s a great actor. (Hey, brother and sister in the same “best of list” in 2 different movies.) And of course, the beautiful Queen Latifah.

Memoirs Of A Geisha. watch trailer My 5 year old niece saw Memoirs, and for days afterward kept saying, “Mommy, I’m a geisha!” Secretly, i was saying the same thing! I recently had a co-worker who was a geisha. She never actually said it, but one day the subject came up and some one said that geishas were prostitutes. She got very upset! There were other clues, too. I loved her.

New TV show: Heroes watch episodes

Popularity: 12% [?]

It makes me really mad that i can’t find a better quality version of this commercial, because i LOVE this commercial so much, but i can’t even see his face! Every time i see it i giggle like a giddy little school girl. I don’t know what it is, but i’m pretty sure it’s the look on the the guy’s cute face with his lip curled up like Elvis and just how hottt he is shaking this cow. There is a new one on tv now with 2 guys and 2 cows with a different song, but it’s just not the same! I wish i had recorded this on DVD when i had the chance! I have already contacted Carl’s Jr. but they have not responded yet. I hope they have good news for me! I know some people really hate this commercial and i just don’t get it! How could anyone hate this?!

Popularity: 21% [?]