Wishing a Happy 12th Birthday/Happy Father’s Day to Natalie and Dad! (Respectively, of course.)
To the tough girl who can kick ass on the soccer field, rock out on clarinet and still find the time to bake a mean batch of snickerdoodles.
To the guy who just helped me drag four years of my life back across the country. Also, the one man who has me beat for the title of Nap King.
To quote a certain Canadian, “It’s cool, it’s cool to love your family.” I gonna try cooking dinner for these crazy kids tonight. Photos of my success/culinary abortion to come. Wish me luck!
P.S.: “But Paaaaaaaddy, this sappy stuff is boring!” Ok, fine. Here’s a kewl music video by La Roux, complete with heavy-handed ’80s imagery.
Who wouldn’t want to shack up w/ a robot? Sure, any hope for a soul is replaced by whirring motors and buzzing circuity. But the reliability! The innovation!
This is really just an excuse for me to post a live concert video of Röyksopp with Robyn. But it’s so worth it, n’est-ce pas?
Day late! Family is in town! Exhausted, but hooray!
1. Who likes new computer backgrounds?
I know I do! In any case, I’d highly suggest the Neon Rings wallpaper with built-in widgets that just got some coverage over at Lifehacker. Pretty rainbow colors, a dark energy-saving background and shiny things that move? Bestillmyheart…
2. M4M, 22, Wants Hawt Web 3.0 Action
Hey Twitterers (Tweeps?)! Are you obsessed with finding filth for free online? Love checking out which grad student’s trolling for sex in your college library (coughcoughBobstcough)? Purposely stare at people on the street, hoping they’ll post something on Missed Connections about you? Then come follow bestCL! A good buddy of mine started this with one simple goal: to spotlight the freakiest Craigslist ads o’ the day. Suggestions welcome! (And yes, I just blogged about Twitter about C’list. Meta-bluh.)
3. Röyksopp Destroys Los Angeles… With Music!
Well, with magic Space Invaders-shaped lights.
I just can’t stop listening to their newest album, “Junior.” Goddamn, Scandinavians are the best.
Back from Seattle and ready to weather out the last two months of my undergraduate career! Now, what have you kiddos been up to on the Internets?
1. Sen. Chuck Schumer says “I do” to gay weddings.
Sure, in the journalism world, he’s often laughed at. But right now, Chucky Boy is my hero!
It’s time. Equality is something that has always been a hallmark of America, and no group should be deprived of it. New York, which has always been at the forefront on issues of equality, is appropriately poised to take a lead on this issue.
2. NYU gets Hill-Dawg for Commencement!
Speaking of awesome NY senators, Schumer’s former counterpart, Hillary Rodham Clinton is speaking at my Commencement in May! She’ll be joined by playwright John Patrick Shanley and White House journalist (/ “The Daily Show”regular) Helen Thomas.
3. Graham gabs with Yoko.
My good friend Graham from Future Shipwreck just interviewed Mrs. John Lennon herself, Yoko Ono for The Advocate. I only hope to be that awesome when I’m 76!
4. Emiliana Torrini hits YouTube with a li’l “droon-diggah-diggah-doondoon”
Some peppy music for your Monday afternoon enjoyment. I had “Me And Armini” on repeat for the whole Seattle trip. Here’s what’ll happen when you listen to Emiliana: You’ll bounce along to her perky beats, feel a little embarassed, then realize “Oh what the hell” and just bounce even higher.
Last night, during a routine visit up to Columbia, my good friend/partner-in-queer-crime Zach introduced me to the wonder that is the VGL Gay Boys. From Vulture:
In these semi-scripted video sketches, Cole Escola usually plays the funny guy (or gal—Bernadette Peters, say) to Jeffrey Self’s “straight” man, wrapping up sketches with intimations of murder—he says, in true improv-class form, that “it ups the stakes.”
Um, how have I not seen these before last night?
My personal favorite:
“And he runs into the burglars from the first one, and they chase after him…”
“Yes, and they just murder him. They murder that poor boy.”
I heard at least five different people say this or something similar on the night of November 4. While friends of mine rejoiced in the streets after Obama’s win, I walked glumly by. “Yeah that’s great, but… I just lost some of my rights.” I stayed home from work on November 5. When I finally stumbled out of my apartment to get to class later that day, I remember glaring at people on the street. ‘Would you take my rights away? Don’t I deserve to take care of my family?’
The major bum-iness subsided after a few days, leaving me a little hurt and a lot confused. After spending the better part of a year working for the movement, fighting for LGBT equality, had I really accomplished anything?
I didn’t point fingers. Everyone was equally to blame for the passage of Prop 8. The opposition was sneaky, well-funded (overly so, IMHO. To quote Wanda Sykes, “The California food banks, their shelves are bare. Instead of spending your money on hate, why don’t you buy a couple of cans of pork and beans? Pork and beans, they stick to your ribs, they don’t fill you up like hate).† And our side made mistakes, too.
But I’ve been overjoyed by the visibility and support from our community and allies. I was lucky enough to attend both big rallies last month in New York City. Here are videos of the events that I produced for GLAAD:
Sure, some might ask, “where were these public displays before November 4?” But I disagree. This was a wake-up call. My generation is more involved than ever, and I’m confident for the future. 2010, here we come!
† I’ve lately had this weird food association with Wanda Sykes, ever since she was the talking apple in those Applebees commercials. So despite the fact that I had just eaten dinner, when she started talking about pork and beans, I was starving. Wanda, you make a boy wanna eat somethin’ now! Love you!
So, there’s plenty of things I’ve been meaning to write about. Prop 8 passing, the ensuing rallies, the “Milk” movie. But then I got distracted by pugs.
You do NOT understand. You just can’t. Pugs will take over the world with their cuteness. I mean… those head tilts! They’re hypnotic.
Actually important blog entries to come once these dogs’ vise-like grip on my attention has been broken. Oh, and homework. Should finish that up, too.
(Kudos to Rich over at FourFour for finding this garden of pugly delight!)
UPDATE: Just remembered what these dogs reminded me of. The Kodama spirits from “Princess Mononoke”!
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Yeah… sorry about that. The past few months been a time for adjustment. Quick rundown: I’m out in Brooklyn now, right off of Prospect Park. It’s taken some time, but I’m completely in love with my new ‘hood. I’m back in school for one more year (Thank God. Wasn’t Senioritis only supposed to be a high school thing? Guess not.) This newfound independence is … different. But I’m more comfortable in my own skin than I’ve been for a while.
And c’mon, it’s fall, the most beautiful season of all! Time for brisk jogs at the golden hour, fancy-schmancy pea coats and tasty pumpkin-flavored treats. Can you feel the energy?
Speaking of which, who isn’t excited for this election? Even if you’re waiting expectedly for it to be over, there’s so much at stake come November 4. More on this later. But for now, to all you Californians, No on 8 dammit!
That’s it for now. Until next time, here’s some Adele. Listen, love, lather, rinse, repeat.
