Happy Birthday John Fricke!

Today John Fricke is 55. John Fricke is the world renowned author and expert on The Wizard of Oz and Judy Garland. I first met John in June of 1989 at the Judy Garland Fesival in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. He had just produced a great documentary, Judy Garland: The Concert Years, and was a featured guest speaker at the event. John was and is, one of the most personable and articulate people I have ever met. A group of us befriended him and spent evenings watching rare Judy Garland television appearances back at his hotel room using my old clunky VHS camrecorder. John would give us a history about the appearance and speak of Judy with great knowledge and reverence. Over the years John and I became friends and I have a special place in my heart for this man. Happy Birthday John!


There is an interesting biography and interview with John here and another here.

Recommended Books by John Fricke:

The Wizard of Oz: The Official 50th Anniversary Pictorial History
Judy Garland: World's Greatest Entertainer
100 Years of Oz : A Century of Classic Images
Judy Garland: A Portrait in Art & Anecdote

Gays Banned as Priests

Well the attack on gay priests has begun in the Catholic church. If there was any hope of me feeling welcome there, it is now lost. Full Story

Kudos: PlanetOut

New CPR Guidlines

Yahoo! News
"Push hard, push fast" next time you give CPR to someone having cardiac arrest, say new, simpler guidelines in a radical departure from past advice. Putting the emphasis on chest compressions instead of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the American Heart Association now urges people to give 30 compressions — instead of 15 — for every two rescue breaths." Full Story

Great Blogging Book

I am reading a great book on blogging called Who Let the Blogs Out? by Biz Stone. It answers a lot of questions about the history of blogging and it is a must reference for anyone who blogs or is just getting started. What I find interesting is that his blog is so simple and isn't put together well. There is little information about him, no contact information, no comments allowed, and if you leave his front page there is no easy way to get back to the top! I expected much more from him after reading his book. You can read his blog here.

Survey on gay marriage

Just took a new survey on gay marriage. I don't know how long it will be up, but why don't you take it.

Mass Bay Bears visit IKEA

From the Mass Bay Bears site

Join the Mass Bay Bears on our excursion to reasonably-priced swedish-contemporary furniture & housewares. IKEA in other cities is a hugely popular Bear-spotting spot, let's kick off our local one in Stoughton. By Dec. 2nd the crowds should be under control & the shelves restocked. We'll be meeting in the front lobby at 7pm for shopping, then reconnecting at 8pm in the trés chic café for $5 Swedish Meatballs dinners & $6 salmon ones. This will be a fun casual way to meet new Bears & stock up for the holidays.

Full Story

Family Guy

Just watched another episode of this crazy show. I can't believe the things they say on this show sometimes! Fox News may be conservative, but Family Guy sure isn't! My favorite character is Stewie. He reminds me of Sir John Gielgud in childlike form.

Marriage ban likely to appear on Mass. ballot

Yahoo! News

"The proposed amendment seeks to undo a November 2003 ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that deemed it unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to gays and lesbians."

Full Story

Well here we go again. I am so upset that people I don't know, and don't know me, might get a chance to decide whether I can visit my partner in the hospital, obtain joint healthcare, have bereavment leave should one of us die, and over 1000 other benefits heterosexual couples take for granted. But does anyone marry because of benefits? Perhaps...but we got married because we love each other. We were married after nine years on May 28th, 2004. Why is this anyone else's business other than our own? Why do people want to deny me the right to happiness that they so richly enjoy? Do you believe in your heart that some people are more deserving of basic rights than others?

First they came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.
                                          --Rev. Martin Niemoller

Please Support Marriage for Gays and Lesbians
Especially if you live in Massachusetts!
Equalmarriage.org
Massequality.org

Happy Thanksgiving

Today I cooked dinner for my mom, brother and aunt. Boy, am I tired! How my mother and mothers everywhere do this year after year is amazing. It is so much work. I feel guilty for all the times I just sat around and let my mother do everything. Not only that, I never really appreciated what an art form it really was. What I find so difficult is trying to get everything out at the same time! I really needed an extra 4 burners or 3 more microwaves. Not to mention I was exhausted from the day before... preparing stuffing, baking pies, and cutting vegetables. And after you get all this done, and everyone sits down to eat, it is over in about 30 minutes! Days of preparation, shopping, organizing, all for a 30 minute meal. It really is a little surreal. What happens next is even worse! Piles of pans, grease drippings on the floor, utensils strewn all over the counter, thermometers and food stuck all over your good china lie in wait for you to clean. There is so much stuff it all won't fit in the dishwasher and you are forced to wash some stuff by hand. All the while you are bursting at the seams from the recent stuffing you gave yourself and either want to lie down or throw up! Just when you have cleaned up, made space in the fridge for leftovers that seem not to fit and are ready to press the button on the dishwasher you remember that you will mess the place up all over again when you bring out the leftovers and everyone makes turkey sandwiches! I tell you it is insanity! Go out next year!

Bear Article in New York Magazine

Grizzly Men - Otters and wolves and bears. Oh my!
Who knew that bears would become so mainstream as to warrant an article in a popular New York magazine! I kind of liked it when we were more underground...sort of a secret society. Well that's progress.

Please Delay Departure

Please Delay Departure
by
Betty Ann Fisher


I thank the Lord for every day
That I am here on earth, and pray
He wont decide to let me go
Before I see the Autumn glow.


And after that I pray again
That I can stay around for when
The earth is blanketed in white
And then to see each starry night.


He knows I 'll ask for one more thing
That I'll be here to see the Spring
To greet each morning bright and new
And then, of course, there's Summer too.


When warm winds whisper in the trees
And flowers are a-hum with bees
I'll want to hear the church bells chime
Oh yes, I like the summer time.


I wonder if He'll think it fair
If I send up another prayr
That after I have romped in clover
I'll still be here when Summer's over.


I'd like to witness, Autumn's show
And then I really love the snow
And then Spring sunlight on my cheek
It's just Eternal life I seek

Title poem from my mom's book, Please Delay Departure.

Super Nanny

What a great show! I just watched my first episode tonight of Supernanny and I really enjoyed it. I didn't think I would with all the stupid promos I saw for it. The nanny, Jo Frost, is quite good and seems to really know her stuff. She takes a deep look at the family dynamics and is very aware of the messages we send our children. I expected a piece of fluff, but found myself fascinated by the psychology of it all. The way our parents handle the simplest things really can affect how we turn out as adults. It should be required watching for all parents and parents to be.

Remember When

Check out a clip from my latest Disney trip video.

The song is sung by LeAnn Rimes to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland. You may order it here.

The Lion King

Tonight I saw the touring company of The Lion King, at the Providence Performing Arts Center. What can I say? I must be insane. I didn’t like it. Maybe it is because I really loved the animated film and know it so well…or maybe it’s because I have seen two staged shows of it at Walt Disney World…one of them, even with puppets!
Firstly, I really had a hard time figuring out whether I should look at the actor or the puppet. I found myself longing for an all puppet show…where I couldn’t see the actors, or an all actor show, like Cats. I also didn’t like the fact that the puppet/costumes were inconsistent throughout the different characters. For instance, the lions had intricate headpieces (especially Scar); while the lionesses had faces that sat on top of their heads. I also couldn’t figure out why Mufasa and Simba didn’t have claws, when Scar had them on his hands, or should I say paws. See what I mean! And why do lions pull out swords when they fight, and then only sometimes…oh I am so confused!
My next gripe is that I feel that the new songs lay there like lead! For the most part, they were uninspiring and in my opinion slowed down the pace of the show. While I am on the subject of songs I would also say that there is way too much “Swahili” or whatever the language many of the songs were in. While the voices were pretty, I have no idea what a good portion of several of the numbers were about. Sure, give me some African flavor, but please…I only know English!
From an acting standpoint, the show is a challenge. How do you act and not just come across as just indicating thought and action when you have a puppet in your hand? I think you don’t. I felt that there was very little real communicating between the actors on stage, probably do to the fact that they have to concentrate on making the puppets indicate that they are the ones communicating. Puppet and actor onstage together just cancel each other out in my opinion. This splitting of focus keeps the audience at bay and we are just not pulled into the story.
There was also far too much, what I like to call, Uncle Tom’s Cabin staging, in reference to the ballet in the musical The King and I. Many characters run in place, react to unseen forces and the whole time I am thinking l am watching someone act out something at a charades party.
Did I like anything? Let’s see…some of the costumes where quite clever and colorful. I especially liked the woman/panther costume, her head controlled the panther’s head and it was really a cool design. Some of the staging was interesting. The wildebeest stampede was very clever given the limitations of using a stage. The voices were fine for the most part, but the principal actors seemed to not have much emotion behind their songs. There was a lot more life and enthusiasm from the chorus. The one exception I would say was the women who played Rafeeki, she was first rate all around.
Well that’s my impression. Yes, I know that it won a ton of Tony awards and thousands have seen the show and loved it. I also know that I have seen a lot of theatre, both on Broadway and off, and that this particular show was a challenge for me to stay awake… and from the 3rd row no less! Perhaps if it were a different story, and not from an animated film that I know very well I might have enjoyed it more.
I don’t think so.

US used white phosphorus in Iraq

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | US used white phosphorus in Iraq
When will the lies end! Just last week I heard some offical denying that we used this stuff over there. I thought that we weren't like Saddam Hussein and didn't use chemical weapons!

Disney World readies Expedition Everest

Expedition Everest is nearing completion at Walt Disney World! Check out this article on it's progress.

I can't wait to ride this thing!

Kudos: Disney Insider

Mass Bay Bear Brunch

The Mass Bay Bears will be holding a chinese buffet next Sunday, November 20th, 11:30 A.M. at East Manor in Saugus, Massachusetts. For more info you may read about it at their website.

A beautiful day

I usually am depressed around this time of year because winter is apon us. Today was a different story. It was quite mild out today and beautiful. I had to do the various errands of life, but I took pause to note how really nice the day was. I must try to look for more good days in the dark ones ahead. Usually I just want to sleep and eat all winter. If I could only get myself moving a little earlier in the day I would probably benefit from the limited sunshine that occurs this time of year. I wish I wasn't such a nite owl. Oh well, enjoy your lives, but make sure you find some joy each and every day!

Here we go again

Senate panel OKs gay marriage ban
Christopher Curtis, PlanetOut Network
Thursday, November 10, 2005 / 04:53 PM
SUMMARY: A proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage was approved by a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday.


A proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage is expected to go before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week and a likely vote in the Senate next year after a Senate panel approved it Wednesday.

The Marriage Protection Amendment reads: "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any state, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman."

The amendment would also rescind the Massachusetts precedent that made same-sex marriage legal in that state.

"None of us takes amending the Constitution lightly,'' said Kansas Republican Sam Brownback, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution. "The plain fact is this amendment has been exhaustively studied and it really is time to act," he told the Associated Press (AP).

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., called the measure "an extreme and unnecessary reaction" that has little chance of passing. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said those behind the amendment have a political agenda.

Brownback, who is considering a presidential bid, insisted politics had nothing to do with the bill.

But Brad Luna, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), said, "Basically what we saw yesterday was another version of cynical politics, when you see the poll numbers go down and Capitol Hill goes into disarray."

"That's when the radical right wing reaches into their playbook to write discrimination into the Constitution and threaten the security of millions of American families," Luna said.

"The Constitution exists to protect rights, not undermine them," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Washington Legislative Office.

"Congress rightly rejected this measure last year and must reject it again," Fredrickson said, referring to the Federal Marriage Amendment, which failed to get enough Senate votes in July.

Eric Stern, the executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats, told the PlanetOut Network his organization was "extremely disappointed" with the panel's decision. While praising all the Democrats on the committee who voted against the proposed amendment, Stern directed his strongest criticism against Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.

Specter, who cast the deciding 5-4 vote, claimed he opposes the amendment but felt it should not "be bottled up" in committee.

Stern called Specter's decision "hypocritical" and compared it to actions of other "supposedly pro-gay Republicans" such as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who vetoed a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage.

In order to become law the Marriage Protection Amendment would need to be approved by two-thirds of those voting in the House and Senate and then be ratified by at least 38 state legislatures.


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Copyright © 1995-1999 PlanetOut Corporation. All Copyright & Trademark Rights Reserved.

Happy 40th Birthday Mike !

Well the young kid is finally catching up with me! He is a great guy and one of the most loveable people you will ever meet!

Support our Troops?

I am so sick of the president and other republicans saying that if you are against the war in Iraq then you don't support our troops and are a traitor. It is the craziest spin I think to have ever come down the pike! People who are against the war in Iraq care so much about our troops, we want them home with their families! I also want them to have the best of everything while they are there, with the best armor money can buy. I also want them to have excellent benefits for themselves and their families. How in God's name is that not supporting the troops! The president and republicans have been spinning this for so long they have many people who believe them. I am incredulous. Opinion is an important thing, and to try to squash others who disagree with you I believe is truly anti-american and traitorous.

Website

I am starting to like WordPress now. I have the page the way I like it and am learning a lot. It took forever to get Flickr to validate in the sidebar. I am not totally happy with the way it looks, but it is on it's way! Now I am trying to find out how to add selected items from amazon.com. It will take me a while to figure that out!

Older Che?

I played Che in a Theatre production of Evita in my youth and now I am looking like him in the later years (which he never saw)!

Daisy

Just took this with my Nikon D50. I love this camera. It can use all my lenses that I had from my old Nikon. It is nice to have a camera you can have more control over than my little pentax point and shoot. More to come!

Prius

Well today I brought my new Toyota Prius in for it's first checkup. I brought it in at 3000 miles but after I got there they told me I could have waited till 5000. I guess I should have read my manual before I made the appointment. I really like the car now. At first it was weird being low to the ground after having driven my Ford Escape. I am now used to it and think that it is great. It handles really well and has a lot of room...and of course gets wonderful gas mileage. I have been averaging about 45 miles to the gallon. It works so well I really think that all cars sold should be hybrids. The sooner we get off our dependance on foreign oil the better I think.

St. Catharines, Norwood, Mass.

This is the church that I went to when I was a child. It was very impersonal.

Cannon at Norwood, Mass.

I used to love climbing on this thing when I was a child.

Norwood center

This is the war memorial in Norwood, Mass.

mom

Such a trooper since the stroke!!!

late night at the computer

I am looking so old!

Mike at the Bruins Game!

Love this picture

DVC

Our vacation club! We belong to Old Key West and just love it! The condo is spacious. I wouldn't mind living there permanently!

honeymoon

lost weight headshot

I found this lurking around! Oh to be thin again!

Leg Cramps and Truman Capote

I was up half the night with my mother who was suffering terrible leg cramps! The front of her right foot was stuck in the up position and she was in a lot of pain. I wish I could get a definitive answer as to what is causing it in her. I have heard it could be poor circulation, RLS, or low potassium. So many options.

I work far too long tweaking this site. I love changing this and then changing that.

I think I want to go to the new Truman Capote movie that is playing at our premium movie theatre. I think the movie takes place during Capote's In Cold Blood years. It might be interesting, although I think his "party time" in later years was probably more interesting!

XHTML validation

Well I was really happy with having a Flickr banner in my heading, but it will not validate if I place it there. I really liked having the changing pictures in my header so I will keep looking for a way to intergrate it. I really am not that great at designing without WYSIWYG !

Rosie

It was Rosie O'Donnell's blog that got me started blogging. I really had never seen a blog and it seemed like so much fun after I saw hers.

Creating my Theme

I still am not getting how to manipulate my theme very well. I would like to have stuff in the far margins but I have not been able to figure out how to get it there yet! I wish that there was a theme editor that you could just load in and move stuff around with WYSIWYG, but alas I have not found that!

Autumn

Koeeoaddi There


Originally uploaded by Elkhead.

I just saw this and though it was so pretty

get started

Found this picture in my collection. I can't believe I was so young! And thin!

The Patty Duke Show

I am in the process of transferring the entire series of episodes to DVD. I really enjoy this show. Patty Duke really gets to do a lot in this series. Who knew that she had such a miserable childhood. So may child stars have been through so much.

tommy d's mugshot

God, I can't stand this smuug bastard!

Uploading photos

Well I just joined Flikr for a year. It seems like a really cool place to store pictures on the web. I still haven't found and easy way to just insert a small picture here on Wordpress. None of the plugins seem that easy. I am up again too late. I must get some rest. I wonder if this blogging thing is just a fad for me. I seem to go through so many fads! I don't think that anyone will read this anyway. I guess it is really just like my journal that I have kept over the years. Sometimes I just put an entry in there every couple of years. Well I am gonna do some more research then hit the hay.

Mom's Book

This is my mother's book of poems. You can order it here.