Thursday, October 31, 2024

Record of the Month

I figured I'd do a monthly 'what I'm listening to' kind of thing. This could be viewed as a lame placeholder kind of post. And probably it is. But it's my blog! So there!    


I kind of get excited about a new release from Laurie Anderson.  That said, you have to reset expectations. She truly has few albums where she sings.

Most of her work is talking. Storytelling. Performance Art storytelling at that. The art comes not just from her stories or their telling, but the multi-dimensional music that comes with those. 

Her new album, Amelia, is about Ms. Earhart and her attempted flight around the world. 

This idea has been in Anderson's work process for about 24 years! Upon first hearing the first iteration, the conductor asked if Anderson wanted things different - she told him to play it faster, so it would be over sooner. She described it as a 'cacophony'. 

The project was shelved and reworked multiple times over the years, but ended up resulting in this 22 track (but only 34 minutes) of art. Most tracks are a minute or less. Only a few are two or three minutes long. 

Still, this is an amazing piece of art. It's as much art as it is music, if not more so. 

The music, the strings are excellent. Even the electronics. Mostly the latter adds to the former. A few times it's a very slight distraction. Anderson has used both strings and electronics side by side her eni

Is it fully factual? No.Not completely. Anderson uses Earhart's flight log information, telegrams to her husband and some radio transmission as her guide. 

Anderson is much more of a performance artist than a singer. Even with her "singing albums" it wasn't truly singing. Here most of the voices are hers and most of them are spoken word. I read somewhere she did about 20+ voices - narrator, Earhart, various voices over her radio, etc. She really only "sings" on "Flying at Night". 

Obviously, this is not an album that would get any radio airplay. Maybe 03:00 on some NPR station. It's not one you'd listen on repeat either, though repeat listens have been good. Just not in a row. 

The album is beautifully written and put together. The sounds and words are interesting  - all of it drawing you in. The music getting darker on the last part of the record, as you might expect. But the arrangement and orchestration are just wonderful. 

It's unclear how much, if any, of the violins were done by Anderson. This is more orchestration and not a solo art piece for her. 

I say, "give it a try". It's 34 minutes of your life. 

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Puerto Rico

I'd rather spend today's post lauding Teri Garr. But those fucking Republicunts have thwarted that. She was underrated and underutilized. 

Anita, from West Side Story (see, I am gay!), starts off the song "America" singing "Puerto Rico, jew lovely island".  Ok, I added the accent / semi antisemitic that Rita Moreno uses in the song. 

Clearly the GOP thinks otherwise. 

Technically, some comedian they hired to be at their NYC rally (we purposefully left town the morning of) thinks otherwise. Officially, the GOP says "this does not represent us".  

......except that it does. 

By one ABC account, very few people at the event laughed at this guy. But that doesn't erase the fact he was hired by event organizers (read: Lara Trump) for this. 

Maybe it was a test balloon on how far they can get away with hate. Maybe not. 

My thing is: you didn't hire this guy without Goooooogling him and / or reading / seeing his material on line. And by chance you did hire him without checking into him - well, then maybe you're not fit to lead. 

Of course BLOTUS is in full deniability mode. That is to be expected. He's never ever said he's been wrong about anything. If anyone can cite anytime he's apologized for something he's done or said he was wrong, I'll shut my pie hole. 

Here's how they can't really deny they knew this guy's material. 


I laughed and laughed (ok, not really), that Geraldo Rivera was just incensed that they called his original home (I think) 'garbage' and that he could not support the republican party or vote for them. 

Ummm.....he voted for BLOTUS in 2020 knowing he was a bigot and disliked Hispanic and Jews - of which Geraldo is both.  So Rivera can spare me his condemnation. Also - you know he happily cashed Fox's checks for over a decade while he and his then network helped pave the way and bury all the racist seeds of hate. He can go fuck himself. 

People have the gall to say, "well he's finally come around.....he's changed".  I guess once the checks stopped and the non-compete was no longer in play, he's good?   FUCK THAT. Fuck him. 

Speaking of fucking:  Fuck J Lo, Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin too. 

Yay. Great you came out for Harris - but only AFTER the GOP comments about a Latin nation. I guess his first term of separating and caging Hispanic families was ok enough with you not to support just about anyone earlier in the election. Tools. 

I mentioned months ago, for the benefit of Hispanic community they needed to do it before voter registration deadlines occurred. Fuck - they didn't even do it until early voting was almost finished. Again: Tools. 

I'm not sure what that's about. Unlike the Washington Post. Their non-endorsement of any candidate comes down to two thing. One, probably. 

1. Jeff Bezos is a dick who needs either candidate for his bullshit and couldn't alienate either of them - in case 

2. Close to #1. Cannot take the chance of retribution by BLOTUS should he win. 

If #2 were the true one then there is the missed opportunity.  CALL BLOTUS OUT ON HIS WOULD-BE RETRIBUTION. Have it in print for all to see, beforehand and, should he win, after the fact. Write in detail all the people / organizations he's gone after or threatened who have slighted him. 

Your joke tagline is: Democracy Dies in Darkness.  They murdered it in the light of day with their non-actionable action, even if they wanted BLOTUS as the endorsement.

Ditto with the LA Times. At least they had the balls to give a reason. However...........the reason was only against Harris for her stance on Gaza. So, in effect, that targeted non-endorsement of her is a not so silent endorsement of him, even though it's not in their front page. 

One week. Well........one week + however long it takes Georgia to hand count their ballots. And plus all the infighting that will go on. 

I am not realistically at a place where I can handle any of this mentally. I find myself shutting down mentally, and that might just have to be the way it is. 



Song by: Blondie

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

I've done a number of gay things in my life - in some particular order: 

1. Seen Madonna in concert. 
2. Swung by to see a playground in NYC that was used in West Side Story
3. Had sex with men.  
4. Seen Patti LuPone on Broadway. TWICE. 

You can rank them as you deem appropriate, but I think #3 is really lower on the rung. #4 might really be #1. 

We were in NYC part of last week and managed to see three Broadway shows. 

THREE!

I can barely get to one and I try for that one not to be a musical, if it can be avoided. 

But this is 710's time away too, so it can't be all about me - believe it or not. Though, in the past, he has gone to plays - singing ones - without me. I think it worked well for both of us. 

As we planned our getaway, he axed if there was anything I wanted to see. I rattled off two, thinking I'd be happy with whichever he picked. He was good with either of my selections, but he bought the tickets to one and then offered a second option - another night option, and his selection - and I acquiesced. 

I'm NOT doing three entries here. I could milk it, but that just seems more torture for me than you. But we have them all in one:  Comedy. Musical. Dramedy. 

Gay. Gayer. Gayest. 



This was my choice. A comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln. Everything in advance had me loving it. Mary is played by Cole Escola, whom I've seen some video shorts, where yes, he always plays a woman. 

As you know from history (or should), MTL was cast as mad or moody or depressive or crazy or drunk. Or any combo for those. Abe, of course, was rumoured to have homosexual tendencies. All are played with fun and tongue in cheek. 

The men who played Lincoln and Booth were just great. Escola was good too, of course. For me, more of the laughs came from Abe though. 

The problem with the play? It was very good, but there is no way it could live up to the hype that has surrounded it. It was funny but never over the top hilarity (though it had close to moments) so, though a number of audience members seemed to guffaw at everything, like they tried too hard, or had never heard any jokes before. I thought it was just me to think this, but 710 brought it up independently. 

I actually didn't know it would be "on Broadway". I assumed it was an off Broadway production. I was wrong. 



This was 710's doing. And I know he picked it because he thought I'd really like it, as I had been a huge fan of Fleetwood Mac

While producers of the show and reviewers (probs due to production pr) will say that is all fictionalized and is not meant to resemble Fleetwood Mac and the recording of Rumours, it's kind of a big fat lie. 

The band in the play has two romantic couples on the outs and three brits and two Americans - just Fleetwood Mac. The recording of the album is set in the same year and town where Fleetwood Mac recorded their seminal album. Scenes - and sometimes actual dialog - are taken almost exactly from a book called Making Rumours, written by a producer of that album (he's now suing the makers of the play). They even made the lead guitarist's cousin an olympian in swimming. In reality, Lindsey Buckingham's brother was a silver medalist in water polo. 

But yes, the entire play was just a coincidence. <eye roll emoji would go here>

As processes goes, it's an ok play. A bit tedious, though I think that is part of the point. The play band (and Fleetwood Mac) holed up for a year making the album doing take after take after take of each song. The play is over three hours long + intermission (ugh for me!) but it makes you feel like you've been holed up for a year too. 

When you think about 'musicals', you think about, oh, music. While there are portions of songs here, I think (?) there are only 2-3 songs actually played all the way through. There are snippets of others, as you might assume as a band tries out ideas to assemble a disk. That said, the songs are not bad (written by former Arcade Fire member, Will Butler) and well performed by the cast. They do have that late '70s feel. 

The beginning of the show it was tough to hear any dialog. I'm not sure if it was a sound guy thing or actor thing but eventually it came around. The guy who played the drummer / manager was just amazing. All the actors played their own instruments, so I would think understudies would be an issue if one ever was out ill. The guy was an excellent drummer. 

Overall, it was good, but  l  o  n  g.  



This was my other pick, though I didn't expect to see three shows, or even two. 

Kathy Griffin was also in town this night, but you can see her just about any year in a lot of cities. How often does one have the opportunity to see Mia Farrow (oh, and yeah yeah....LuPone) on stage?  It's like getting a McRib and Shamrock Shake at the same time. 

Part of the premise of this play was good and plausible. The other part was forced and pretty far-fetched. This is not Farrow's or LuPone's fault. This goes to the writer directly and possibly the director. There were a lot of ways it could have been played better. Farrow is fun to watch, but the character's transition from naïveté to schemer is just hard to swallow.  LuPone? Meh, she's LuPone. If you've seen her in any non-singing role, you've seen Patti LuPone. 

I'd like to say better about the Roommate, but it's tough. Lots of unfulfilled potential. Still, I was glad to be able to see Farrow. 


All said for all of these - none sucked. None were total out of the parks either. Still my husband did the impossible - getting me to see three plays in a year.  No, correction: me seeing three plays in three consecutive evenings.  Yeah - someone called us 'FUCKING FAGGOTS" on the way back to our hotel. I mean, geeze, it's Broadway. Duh. 



Song by: Genesis

Monday, October 28, 2024

My Music Monday

I read a few weeks back that Sade was putting out a new song. I'd also read that it was in support of her child, who is a trans man. 

Of course, when I saw this, I assumed it would be from Sade, the band. It is from Sade Adu, the lead singer of the band. 

Yes, I get everyone thinks she IS the band like Debbie Harry is Blondie. She isn't Blondie, the band is. Ditto with Sade, hence the distinction on this release as Sade Adu. 

It doesn't actually seem that she nor the band are putting out a new disk. This might be a one-off, as the song will be included in an album called Transa: Select, which promotes trans awareness. The disk also has songs by artists like Wendy & Lisa, Sam Smith and André 3000 (from Outkast). 

Transa is being released by the folks who did the 90s releases Red Hot ('Red Hot + Blue', 'Red Hot + Jazz', 'Red Hot + Rio) which all benefited AID related organizations. It's nice to know they're still around and now doing something for the trans community. 

The song, "Young Lion", is more of an apology to her son than anything else. Adu's missing the signals her child was sending.  But it's a message to other parents as well. Acceptance of who your kids are and say they are. 

On it's musical merit, the structure is fine. Given the subject and tone (apology), you're not going to get a lot of upbeat music. Adu is a talent, vocally. So I was a little put off with some autotuned parts. Small for sure, but 100% unnecessary when you have a voice like hers. 

It's always great to get new music from Sade. Here's hoping she keeps putting out releases. 

                 

Sunday, October 27, 2024

He Wasn't Man Enough for Me

I think you all know we are going to be a little McDonald's heavy this week. Hopefully the last, or second to last of these things.  g-d knows, it was a bountiful week with all of these. 

But guess what???  McDonald's has really fucking stopped any Project 2025 talk.  I mean, like to zilch. He's a dick, but he's a crafty dick. Don't let his seeming lack of intelligence fool you. 

Here we go.........there's a lot to get through. 



.....and btw, the McDonald's in question has multiple health violations. So......it's a good metaphor. 




And what I have not seen:  someone needs calculate the amount of time he "worked" there, use minimum wage, and show him what the gross and net pay is for that shift. And ask him - in front of everyone - can he live on that, and how. 

But the media won't do that. They won't even do the calculation. 




100% accurate. 

I'll be honest, I don't know (nor read) all of what he said about Arnold and his dick. Or why. 
And I'm not sure I want to. 



I haven't even found time to write about Rudy. And by the time I'm back from being away, that moment in history will have past. 

But I love the judge who is just fucking Guliani's life. Love it love it love it. 

Yes, it's from January or February. But loving that Harris is using this now. 

I love that someone who publicly defaced a subway wall themselves got defaced. 
Pic: by me


I'm not going to victim shame, but honey - you needed to release that info months ago, at best!

I know I've been avoiding news, but I had to read the Atlantic article

It's bad. Of course. But the sources are unnamed and slim. Categorical denials from anyone / everyone else mentioned in the article. 

And there it is, indeed. 



No Lies Told. 


EVERYTHING about this tracks. 



I LOVE Kumail. 

Don't ask me why - but this is my fave for the week. 



Song by: Toni Braxton

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Soak Up the Sun

Being away from home does not allow me to shirk on pet pics, does it?  No. No it does not. 

I'm a bit irked that daycare / boarding has not posted or sent one pic of Mr. Shep. Rude!  ....but maybe it's for the best, so we don't miss him too much. 

Simon, I'm sure, is just fine. 

Someone in our hood decorated the polls keeping people out. 
The first day, Mr. Shep did not appreciate the cats. 

Was at Morty's who was dog sitting. 
Blobby played kissy face and dog scratcher the rest of the weekend to Hawk (l) and Lucy (r). 

I bought a toy for Simon A tunnel that connects all the way around. 
I didn't get to fasten it all up before he planted himself in it. 

Shep isn't even remotely afraid of the 15' skeleton. 

Lucy - shark - Hawk. 
The shark did not rip. They pulled. They growled. Neither gave it up. 

Tuna pic outtake. 

Random dude walking down the street with a random cat on his shoulders. 

Shep found his patch. He's a smart dog. 




Song by: Sheryl Crow

Friday, October 25, 2024

Site of the Month

As we are away, I'm just drafting some of my "of the Month" posts. My days have been full and to attempt to condense them in an entry during the late evening is a disservice to me as your writer and you as my reader. 

Yes, there is a possibility I won't circle back to my travels - or travels in full - in any post, but that is the risk I am willing to take. 

Anyhoo - today it's Site of the Month

I don't think I've done this one, but I'm a bit too lazy to go back and check. And should I have repeated, it just helps you all remember things you should be checking out. 

I look at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) site semi-regularly. Lately, almost daily. 

Being in Ohio, I'm not horribly worried about hurricanes, but it's a nice to know should anyone be traveling where they do occur. 

Me? As of late, I've been looking for the Northern Lights. 

They have been far more prevalent these last few months below the 49th parallel. Mind you, I've missed them each and every time they've shown themselves. As I mentioned the other day on FOMO, this one I readily admit to feeling left out. 

A few times, I have stayed up well past my bed time and taken 710 and Shep out on drives to where they should be visible, only to have them no-show. Then I'm tired and cranky. 

So, I can't say the NOAA site is 100% reliable, but neither are the Auroras . 


Green is ok and it is almost over the US, but you really want it orange and red. But this part of NOAA will play it's prediction over a 24 hour period - a minute by minute radar (sped up) so you can see where (map) and when (timer - lower right corner). 

This is as close as it's getting yesterday. But "they" say, there will be an increase in sightings over the next two years. So maybe, I won't have to go to Iceland to see them - though I gladly would. 

NOAA has links for other things too. 



You can track solar flares, and if there is known meteor shower, they will throw a link up to that as well. 


Beware. If Vonshitshispants wins, Project 2025 has plans for the dissolution of NOAA built into it. 

This all stems from a former president (no uppercase for that twat) who got butt hurt when he took a Sharpie to a projected storm route, that was 100% wrong, and he was made fun of for it. 

So, since you can't make fun of the dictator, they'll take away the things that mocked him. Kims Jung Il and Un would do the same thing.  Yes, because THIS is where we are headed should "he" win. 

Visit the site. Often. Make it visible for science, and for their knowledge we know it is there. 

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Shopping with Blobby

Yet another installment in the drudgery that is everyday shopping. The camera-phone makes it a bit more fun - though I get looks whenever I take pics of products. Like I care what people think!




Seriously, where were Starface acne treatment when I was 12.............through now? 

Granted, for as many as I would have needed as a teen would have cost more than my bi-monthly trips to the dermatologist and the subsequent medications we would try.  Still, on the other hand, stickers might have been just as, if not more, effective. 

On the downside, I would have had more Starfaces than the Milky Way, including all the Starlink satellites now in orbit.

I guess as my zits popped, they'd be like super novas. So, that would have been cool. At least to me. Probably not to others. 

I'd like to think these would sort of take the sigma out of bad skin on kids. Yes, it draws attention to that very thing, but the "victim" is in control and takes the power away from the bullies. 

Well, at least in a semi-perfect world it would. 

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Rattlesnake Shake

710 are on a roadtrip for part of the week. 

We may be a week or so too late for great fall foliage colours, but still a get away is a get away, right?

We are driving, so we are in the middle of Pennsyl-fucking-vania.  

We are on a lot of backroads, by choice, and you would not be shocked to see the number of BLOTUS signs. Sometimes a dozen per lot. 

It was easier to take a picture of one of the roads we were on rather than the multitude of signage. Each time we saw a Harris sign, we pointed an announced it. I think we only had that opportunity 7-8 times. 

I honestly do not get it. These small towns we went through, most with not even a stop light and barely an intersection, are just some of the most abject poverty places. There are no businesses there of which to speak. The one and only grocery store we saw was boarded up. 

Is their hate of minorities so large they'll vote for this guy?  Imagine my shock and awe when I saw a "I Stand with Israel" sign in Brockway, PA. 

Is there a possibility they think he'll save them from the trailer missing a few windows and the broken down car on the side yard? I mean, what is the draw here? 

The GOP has been quite vocal about how to cut aid to people - be it food stamps, healthcare, education and the like. You know, the services these people use and need. 

I just do not understand. 


....and speaking of small town shit. We are shacked up in the Holiday Inn Express. I do feel smarter. At least smarter than the front desk lady. 

When checking in:

Mariah (hand to g-d):  "I see you requested the king suite". 
710: "Correct"
Mariah looks over to me and back to 710
Mariah: "you know that only has one bed" 
710: "I'm aware"

I was kind of surprised that happened. Kind of not. 

Back in - gasp - the 80s(!), when we'd travel, depending where we were, only one would go to check in. Times were a lot more uncertain then. We have not had to deal with a hotel staff's homophobia for a long long time. But then I remembered where we were and all the signage we just had seen. 

When we got to the elevator we both just burst out laughing, with neither of us referencing why. We both knew. 

So yes: Election 2024 is about nothing but hate. At least on the GOP side. 

Prove me wrong. 



Song by: Fleetwood Mac

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Mixed Messages

This last weekend, I traveled to Columbus for a few reasons. 

One, I had to do something other than hobble around the house on a cane. Another was to visit my friends. The last was to cheer on folks I knew running the Columbus Marathon. 

I thought this would be fun and a way to participate in the marathon season, since I cannot physically run. 

This last weekend had the Kansas City, Detroit and Columbus marathons. I knew people participating in all of them, but Columbus seemed more doable to me. And there'd be friends, drinks and friends. Oh, and dogs!

I knew people running the full and half marathon in Columbus, so I had a plan to be near the split to see half folks come in and full to go on their second half. Then I'd head out to mile 23 to see the full folks (again). 

There were reasons for this as well. The back half of the Columbus run is sparse with supporters. I ran miles last year without seeing a person not associated with the race. And at mile 23, there was a brewery that was open - so........yay!  And a friend of a friend was the DJ at this brewery.  I've met him, and I can certainly say we are acquaintances but someone would be there to support him as well. 

The weather could not have been better. And Becky showed up at the second stop where we just chilled - and I would clap for the runners. I know, from personal experience, while they don't always acknowledge it, the support is extremely welcome and helpful to the runners. Especially at 23, where people hit walls (metaphorically, that is) and hopefully hear some words of encouragement. That's what I was trying to do for them. 

It felt good to be a part of it. 

Until it didn't. 

Envy and Jealousy started to creep in. And I mean, via a big-assed revolving door.....with a reception inside where they could mingle for hours. And did. 

Curiosity got to me for the folks running and I had trackers on multiple racers and races. And then when I was back at Georty's I made a huge mistake of looking at my running peep's FB posts. It turns out you can be hugely proud of people while simultaneously being hugely resentful.  (see Envy and Jealousy.)

I finally clicked my lid shut (and took a nap) when seeing a guy in a group to which I belong - the Slow AF Running Group - who had the nerve to bitch about his 4 hr 3 min race. Yes, it's not elite level, but it's not slow either. By this point there was no pride and just resentment. 

On the plus side, I knew it was happening and why. I wasn't sure how to regulate it, so I quickly did the My Music Monday post and shut down the computer for the evening. Friends and wine were much better. 

My two hour drive home yesterday just kind of was a regurgitation of my internal conflict. I have no great resolution to this - at least as of yet. 

Morty and I discussed FOMO - or the fear of missing out - while we sat around. I didn't think for the most part I was one of those guys, but clearly I am wrong. Yes, it might be situational, but aren't most things? 

There are a few more races this year - mostly fun run ones - so depending on if I can run, I will have to make some mental adjustments if I cannot. 

Well at least I have something to tell my psychiatrist. 



Song by: the Bangles

Monday, October 21, 2024

My Music Monday

Back to new music. 

Bon Iver has a new EP out, Sable. And a new song to go with it, "SPEYSIDE".

It an unadorned track. An acoustic guitar and vocal. That's it. It's clean sounding. Nothing to hide behind - not that he / they (really, Bon Iver is mostly Justin Vernon) did a lot of that. 

The song is understated, as you'd expect but still rich with everything that goes along with good writing and production.  ...and execution. 

If you're looking for something 'exciting' this one is not for you. 

Sunday, October 20, 2024

16 Days

You'd think not posting these troll memes last week that I'd have twice as many this go-round.

You'd be wrong. 

I only have so much mental capacity to take in some of this shit - and honestly, it doesn't take a lot to make me feel like I'm a crash test dummy (not the Canadian band) hitting the proverbial, and actual, wall. 

It's amazing - and frightening - to me that we have 16 days left. 

So I'll start off with this one......though the timing is a bit off now. 


There is no bar low enough where almost 50% of the people won't vote for him. 
I cannot imagine any scenario that would turn these people away.  Seriously. There is not one thing he could do to make these folks go "ehhhhhh.....maybe not". 

Am I wrong? If so, can you think of one thing? 

This one is not an either / or scenario. 


He should put tariffs on these. 

Lips puckered. Tongue extended. Now. 



Honestly, I snagged this to possibly send to my friend acquaintance, Lester, who is a hard hard hard BLOTUS supporter. Keeps giving the guy rope
His son is an almost non-functioning autistic "kid" (like 28 years old). 

I was going to send it and say, "wow, if Kamala's a retard, what does that make Jackie?"

Harsh? Absolutely. But how can he possibly admonish me for saying it when he won't for the things BLOTUS say or how he mocked a disabled reporter?  I haven't done it. Yet. But I am SO tempted. 

Who the fuck are you kidding - Eric probably worked the merch tent selling those flags. The red ones, not the BLOTUS ones. 

I mean, the priests rape kids - you think below the belt digs or swearing is going to keep them from voting for this fraud?   THEY. ALLOW. RAPING. CHILDREN.

100% correct. 


The non-answer is assumed. 
The not holding him to one is deplorable. But it's Fox. So, it's accepted. 



Song by:  Lori Carson