New Cell Phone

I am writing this from my new cell phone! It is the new T-Mobile Dash and has a full keyboard. It is really quite something!

Voting Problems... Could It Happen Again?

Source: YouTube - Video the Vote 2006

I saw this on another blog. It is very scary. I can't believe how long the lines were. There is no excuse.

Kudos: nottawa

Kinda Good News

New Jersey's Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision issued Wednesday, has failed to find that the state's same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

But the justices found New Jersey's 2-year-old domestic-partnership system inadequate, and gave the Legislature 180 days to "enact an appropriate statutory structure" giving same-sex couples rights equivalent to those of married couples. Read More.

Kudos: PlanetOut.com

Windows Live Writer

I am trying out Windows Live Writer for posting to my blogs. So far, so good. I am really not that happy with the editor that comes with WordPress.

October

October's here again.

Oh, how I revel in it!

Those trees with orange and scarlet,

the chilly morning rising,

and where'd I put the sweaters?

I'd long for spring with daffodils and greening trees,

but I enjoy the fall.

It's such a pretty world!

I'll shout for joy when winter comes,

rejoice when snowflakes fall

and Jack Frost coats the windows.

Betty Ann Fisher

Poem from my mom's book, Please Delay Departure

Barbra in Boston was like Butah !

I am so verclempt! I am home from an amazing concert with the one and only, Miss Barbra Streisand! The evening began when I picked up Barbra's Number One Fan, Chuck. Chuck lives and breathes for this woman! Rosie O'Donnell's obsession for Barbra is not even close to to this man's! I really fed off his energy. I haven't been this excited at going to a concert in years! I had buttahflies in my stomach!

I was so excited when I got to my seat. I was in the fourth row, right on the end of the aisle,  with a wonderful view.  I was seated next to a wonderful girl who is just starting out in the theatre profession, so we hit it off immediately. She was a joy to sit next to, and her enthusiasm was infectious throughout the evening. I scoped out celebrities before the show. I saw Natalie Jacobson (A local Boston newscaster), Mayor of Boston...Tom Menino, and Senator John Kerry seated himself just as the lights dimmed.

When the overture was finished, Barbara popped up on the stage from an elevator from below, and the crowd... and I, went wild! She looked great! Older and heavier than when I saw her 12 years ago at Madison Square Garden, but wonderful! She started the evening with the Maltby/Shire tune, Starting Here, Starting Now. The first thing I noticed was that she sounded a little hoarse. I hoped that all she needed was a little warming up. The next songs were Down with Love, The Way We Were, and Come Rain or Come Shine. Each was wonderful, but I felt she was holding back a bit, and the slight hoarseness continued. It became clear to me that either she has a cold, or her voice has weakened with age. I have a feeling it is the former, since she still sounds phenomenal on recordings. Don't get me wrong, her voice was amazing! It just did not seem to have the power, or range that I remember. Next we were treated to Barbra's first song that she wrote, Ma Premiere Chanson. She began the song by playing the melody on the piano, and then stood up and sang the lyrics. I really liked it much better than the next song she sang...Evergreen. I am just tired of hearing it and any song from her version of A Star is Born just makes me cringe. It is my least favorite of all her movies. To make my discomfort worse, Il Divo came out and joined her for Evergreen. Why do I want to hear anyone else other than Barbra? Especially at her ticket prices! Their style of pop opera is frankly quite boring. I suppose they are quite something to look at if you are a 15 year old teenage girl, but they did nothing for me. They have nice voices, but are nothing special. If you have any 4 men singing together well, you have a nice sound, and that is where their strength lies.  At the end of their set, Il Divo sings a song that they dedicate to Barbara Streisand...Frank Sinatra's My Way. My Way? I must have missed something. What the hell does that song have to do with Barbra Streisand? Dumb song and set up if you ask me. Again, I say, Il Divo...nothing special. It was during the Il Divo set that I switched seats with Chuck so he could have a better view for the rest of the act. His seat was further away and I wanted him to be up close to his idol for a few songs when Babs came back after El Bore-o!

Barbra returned and joined the boys for Music of the Night and then ended the first act with songs from Funny Girl: Funny Girl, The Music That Makes Me Dance, My Man and People. It was then time for intermission and an overpriced pretzel and a Diet Pepsi.

Act II began with When the Sun Comes Out( a personal favorite of mine), followed by You've Got to Be Carefully Taught/Children Will Listen, Unusual Way, and What are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? Next up was a segment of audience questions that Barbra read from cards (I never saw where to get them to write a question) followed by a skit with George Bush impersonator, Steve Bridges. He was very good, but the skit goes on a little long for my taste and frankly, not that funny. I wasn't offended, but it was just a dumb distraction from why the audience was there. Barbra. She gave a shoutout to John Kerry and gave us a beautiful rendition of Happy Days are Here Again. This was followed by intimate renditions of Have I Stayed Too Long At The Fair and South Pacific's, A Cockeyed Optimist.

One thing that I found quite interesting was that Barbara uses a giant teleprompter that is hanging from the ceiling. 99.9 percent of all her stage talk is also written on the teleprompter. I get the feeling Barbara does not feel very comfortable with any spontaneity, but I have always felt that about her. She does bring the words to life showing what a true actress she really is, but as I said, it was interesting to note.

El-Snore-O joined her again for Somewhere from West Side Story. They overpowered her here, and I really wished they stayed in their dressing room!

Barbra sang My Shining Hour and I became anxious as I knew this magical night was quickly coming to an end. For an encore we were treated to Don't Rain on My Parade and the crowd was on their feet for the whole song! She said goodnight, but the crowd was screaming for more!

I had read that in each of the previous cities of the tour, Barbra returned for a final encore with the song, Smile. The house lights came up, but the thunderous ovation kept on. It seemed like ages, but no Barbra. It became obvious that the show was over. I couldn't believe that she didn't come back out. I must say, I was disappointed. Smile, is one of my all-time favorite songs. Perhaps her voice wasn't up to it, but I just couldn't believe that she wouldn't at least come out one more time due to the deafening and long ovation. We would have been happy if she just stood there one more time. In the thousands of performances I have seen, I can't imagine a cast or performer not responding to an ovation of this magnitude. I really believe she should have come back out and at least have taken another bow. But, I must admit, I am not completely surprised. I think Barbara Streisand is one of the greatest performers alive today. But I think her relationship with her audience is different than many performers. I think many artists are motivated, more than anything, to please their audiences. I think Barbra Streisand is motivated, more than anything, to please herself. Her approach is probably more psychologically healthy, but I have never felt the same connection with her as I have with other performers. I do believe however, that I just experienced a truly magical night that I will always treasure!

Thank you Barbra Streisand!

On A Clear Day You Can See Barbra Streisand

I am going to see Barbra Streisand this Sunday! I can't believe it! I saw her in concert in 1994 at Madison Square Garden and it was bliss! I hated the fact that I was so far back, especially when the show came out on DVD, but it was definitely a night to remember. When tickets came on sale here in Boston, I didn't even bother to look. I hate going to concerts and being far back from the stage. There was no way I could get tickets close to Babs, so I put it out of my mind. Just for fun I looked for tickets today on Ticketmaster...2 days before the show. I couldn't believe what I saw on my computer screen, 1 ticket in the 4th row!  I actually hesitated for a moment. The tickets are too expensive I thought. I can't justify treating myself to this. Finally, my "gay card" started to burn in my wallet. I realized that this is a chance of a lifetime and absolutely NO self respecting gay man would let this go by! I clicked on buy it! I have no worries now of being expelled from the gay community, I made the right choice and and am out and proud! Showtunes run thick, through my blood...I am at peace.

Just in Time for Halloween...Jesus Camp

I just saw one of the scariest movies I have ever seen...Jesus Camp. This documentary was made at a camp for evangelical christian children in Missouri. I kept thinking of Hitler's youth. These kids are being brainwashed and it was terrifying to watch these young minds soaking up "that old time religion" like a sponge. They were not encouraged to think, but were caught up in mass hysteria. If the leaders had told them to drink Koolaid and kill themselves for Jesus, I have no doubt in my mind that they would. I am totally convinced that evangelical christians are completely delusional and a danger to themselves and all of society. We should teach our children the best available evidence of everything that is out there. To reject science and replace it with religion is a dumbing down of the human mind and sends us back to the stone age. Anyone who believes all the answers to the questions of life are found only in the bible is just not operating at man's evolved intelligence. People choose to switch off their brain in many different ways. Some people use drugs, some use food, some sex...and some people use Jesus. Teaching kids to blindly lay down their lives for Jesus has just as much validity as teaching them to die for Mohammed, or in my opinion, even the Tooth Fairy! I don't want children dying for anyone! I really wish we would teach people to do things not for God, but for their fellow man. What we have here and now... is the only thing an intelligent person can be certain of. To put all our faith and energy into a deity, which may or may not exist, is a gamble with our own life, and quite possibly, the lives of all of us. That to me is truly frightening. 

Can somebody say Amen?

Why is the music industry so violent?

I just read in the news that another rap star was shot. What is it with the music industry today? Rappers are shooting rappers to get ahead, and drive by shootings take out major rap stars. I can just imagine what it would have been like when I was young. The Captain and Tennille, Olivia-Newton John and the Steve Miller Band form a gang to shoot and kill Billy Joel!

Kudos: Yahoo News

HMR Bump

I am really having a tough time with the diet this weekend. I keep eating off the program, but healthfully. I really dislike the HMR products. I am afraid I am going to have to go to real food soon and just use some of their products to displace calories. I find it really hard to prepare food for my mother and not eat. When I lost weight 10 years ago I could just stay out of the Kitchen. I am commited to losing weight, but I don't think I can live like this... even for a couple of months. I have been increasing my exercise every day and keeping track of my calories. I just need to eat healthfully and watch the portion sizes. I miss my vegetables and fruits!

1st Week HMR Diet

I made it through the first week! Woo Hoo! I had some bumps in the road this week, but I managed to lose 8lbs! I miss eating regular food, but if I can stick with this I will have quick results. I talked to the doctor and nurse and have modified my diet to be 5 shakes and 2 entrees. My total caloric intake will be around 900 calories, give or take. One thing that HMR tells you that they didn't when I did this before is that you can have more HMR product if you are still hungry. That is really a nice notion, and will hopefully keep me in the HMR Box. Time will tell.

 Start Weight: 260 lbs

Current Weight: 252 lbs

Weight lost: 8 lbs

Happy 43rd Birthday to Me!

Today was my 43rd birthday. I can't believe I am that old! I know, some people never make it to this age, but I really can't believe it! I hate gray hair, wrinkles, and middle age spread! Not to mention the aches and pains on arising in the A.M.! What can one do? There really aren't many alternatives. I do hope that losing weight and exercising help me at least feel a bit younger. Time will tell. The diet is going OK, but I think I will be adding HMR dinners to the mix on a regular basis. I can't seem to stay sane on liquids only. Wednesday is weigh in, so I will have more to report then!

3 days on the HMR Liquid Diet

Today is my 3rd day on the HMR liquid diet. I am feeling almost normal today. Yesterday I had a terrible headache and felt weak. I drank more fluids and took an aspirin and I felt a little better. I really am not hungry, but miss all the fun foods there are to eat! I am definitely going to limit them when I am back on solid food. I figure that I will have to be on this diet till February of next year if I want to reach my goal weight. I seriously doubt I will make it. The last time I did this was about 2 months and that was enough! The idea of not eating solid food for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and a trip to Walt Disney World in January sounds impossible. I intend to still eat healthy and  a lot less whenever I leave the liquid diet. I am working at exercising every day from now on too. I will keep you all posted.

 Starting weight: 260

Goal Weight: 175

Tony Snow is Loser of the Week

President Bush's Press Secretary, Tony Snow, described the horrible and predatory contact between a 16 year old male page and Congressman Mark Foley as "simply naughty emails." This is absolutely shameful and just another example that the the Bush administration is out or touch with reality.

 Tony Snow is my Loser of the Week!

Goodbye Swimming Pool

This weekend we had our inground swimming pool demolished and filled in with dirt. It was really kind of sad. There are many memories of good times. It needed a lot of repair work and we really just didn't use it any more. I think I have been in it no more than 10 times over the last three years. It was going to cost about $8000 to semi fix it up and was only $5300 to fill it in. We have been dealing with rising electric costs, as well as expensive chemicals. And again, no one swam in it! I kept telling the neighbors to come and use it, but no takers! It is a lot of work and expense for only about 2 months of enjoyment here in Massachusetts. I will miss it though. My mother used to use it every day before she had her stroke. She kept thinking that she was gonna get in it again, but only made it once or twice when I carried her in. After the rain today, we can now hold mud wrestling matches!