26
July
2013
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July
2013
25
July
2013
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July
2013
Gratuitous Ben Cohen Shots
Straight ally and StandUp founder Ben Cohen, then and now. I like him with a little length to his hair. All of it. Oh hell, with or without it, he’s just practically perfect. And it’s practically Friday.
25
July
2013
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July
2013
Things I Used to Hate, But Grew to Love
It’s almost Friday, I’m finishing up a vacation, and I have nothing left as far as creative juices go, so we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel and making a little list. If you have anything you’d like to add, well, let me know on FaceBook or Twitter, or show me on Instagram, and maybe I’ll do a follow-up. In the meantime, here is my little list of Things I Used to Hate, but Grew To Love:
* Lobster
* Fritos
* Pizza (yes, I used to hate pizza as a kid!)
* Meatloaf
* Blue cheese
* Alcohol
* The color teal (I blame an old set of kitchen cabinets)
* Dress shoes
* Ties
* Black and white movies
(I don’t dare do a list of Things I Used to Love, But Grew to Hate – some of you are probably on it.)
Happy (almost) Friday!
24
July
2013
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July
2013
24
July
2013
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July
2013
The Madonna Timeline: Song #96 ~ ‘I Don’t Give A…’ – Summer 2012
{Note: The Madonna Timeline is an ongoing feature, where I put the iPod on shuffle, and write a little anecdote on whatever was going on in my life when that Madonna song was released and/or came to prominence in my mind.}
While it’s one of the weaker cuts on the otherwise-brilliant ‘MDNA’ album (Review #1 and #2), ‘I Don’t Give A…’ is also one of Madonna’s most defiant fuck-off songs to date, brutally referencing her role as ex-wife and single mother, along with all the other things that go into making Madonna the icon she is.
Wake up ex-wife, this is your life
Children on your own, planning on the telephone
Messengers, manager, no time for a manicure
Working out, shake my ass, I know how to multi-task
In an exhausting list of all that comprises her life, she ticks off the mundane and the meaningful, and after thirty-plus years of doing this – and doing it her way – you have to give her credit. The song speaks to defiance and courage, doing what you’re going to do no matter what, no matter how many people tell you not to do it, and following your heart in spite of a world of doubters and naysayers. I know that feeling – we all do on some level – but only a few of us fight through to the end, to find justice and the realization that we were right all along.
I tried to be a good girl, I tried to be your wife
Diminished myself, and I swallowed my light
I tried to become all that you expect of me
And if it was a failure, I don’t give a…
The song itself borders on a bit of a rap. Whenever Madonna goes rap-lite, it’s a crap shoot. It can work brilliantly (‘Vogueâ’ or ‘Mother and Father’) or it can go down dismally (‘American Life’). This is somewhere between the two, but she doesn’t embarrass herself, even when chased by Nicki Minaj (who gets the epic final line).
Drawbacks aside, check out the phenomenal finale to this song. There are no words (literally) as the music builds to its climax. It was most effectively staged in the MDNA Tour when, after chucking her guitar and disappearing for a moment, she rises atop a single platform. A red cross glows above her, and as the music builds, she goes higher and higher, prone but defiant, down but going up, and in the end she smashes it all to bits, along with all the judgment and stifling preconceptions that have dogged her over the years.
I’m gonna be okay, I don’t care what the people say
I’m gonna be all right, gonna live fast and I’m gonna live right.
There’s only one queen, and that’s Madonna, bitch.
Song #96: ‘I Don’t Give A…’ – Summer 2012
23
July
2013
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July
2013
Anniversary Dinner
This evening we’ll be having dinner at one of our favorite restaurants anywhere in the world: Five-O. Despite the rain, we are determined to have a good time. (The rain is actually fitting, as it rained all day before the evening we met back in 2000.) Rain is lucky – for weddings, and anniversaries.
23
July
2013
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July
2013
The Maine Event ~ Summer
This marks the first time that Andy and I are spending our anniversary in Ogunquit, and we couldn’t be happier about it. To spend this special day in such a special place is a very good thing – some might say it’s the way life should be. Who are we to argue?
23
July
2013
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July
2013
Our 13th Anniversary
The best part of having an anniversary in the year 2000 is automatically having an easy count of how many years it’s been. For Andy and myself, this marks our thirteenth. The lucky one. (Where’s the bar mitzvah?) According to Madonna’s version of the Kaballah, thirteen is the age when the soul solidifies into what it’s going to be. In other words, by thirteen, the die is cast. I think we take comfort in that. A lot has happened in thirteen years, but my one constant has been Andy. He doesn’t get a lot of the glory that he deserves (and shies away from the camera and self-exultation or he’d be featured a lot more here), but my life would not be the same without him, and I can’t imagine it any other way. Happy Anniversary, Drew!
22
July
2013
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July
2013
A Leaf to Rival A Flower
Behold, the foliage of Caladium. In a spot softly shaded by a weeping cherry, in the space that formerly housed a Japanese umbrella pine, this plant throws its brightly-colored hearts up from the ground. This marks the first time I’ve ever grown a caladium, and I don’t know why it’s taken so long to come round to their charms. (Well I think I do: I blame the mass plantings I saw in places like Disneyworld that turned me so off of annuals and the like. No matter how pretty the object, seeing it overused en masse is nothing but a turn-off.)
Yet on its own, and properly cared for and presented, this is a plant worthy of wonder and inspection. Each leaf is different, each holds its own subtle artistic variations. As if every one was painted by a different hand. The colors are the same, the order of the palette is uniform, yet every one manages to be its own unique pattern. Nature doesn’t like to repeat herself, and I take my cues from her.
21
July
2013
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July
2013
Naked Male Photos
What else is the internet for but to find naked men in gratuitous poses like this? Wikipedia my ass. Their asses, too.
21
July
2013
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July
2013
In the Flash of an Instagram
Just in case you needed further incentive to follow me on Instagram, here’s a spattering of photos that are from that account. So much of the good stuff these days is fleeting and quick, gone in an instant like some ephemeral bit of Tom Ford on a breeze. My Instagram account is a lot like that, made up of little pieces of wreckage, the flotsam and jetsam that float through my daily life, but if you wait long enough there’s occasionally a gem that is just waiting to be excavated.
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July
2013
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July
2013
Sunday Omelette by Andy
For someone who doesn’t eat or like breakfast all that much, Andy sure knows how to cook up a decent omelette. On decadent days he renders the grease from some bacon for the process, but for summer that’s a little too much stove-top action. On these days we go a little lighter, with some fresh herbs from the garden.
This is the first year where I’ve consciously planted a number of herbs for our culinary preparations, and it has certainly paid off. A collection of dill, flat-leaf parsley, and basil comprises the addendum to this omelette. (A garnish of curly parsley centers the dish.)
With a small sliced tomato and a couple of toast points, breakfast is served.
PS – How obnoxious is the term ‘toast points’? I think very, which I why I won’t stop using it.
20
July
2013
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July
2013
The OriGin
The juniper berry.
In the immortal words of the Countess, “Get me a bromide! And put some gin in it!”
20
July
2013
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July
2013
Love the Flower, Hate the Form
With a common-name like LadyBells one might think that I would adore this plant unconditionally. As it is, I have a few major conditions, and because of them I find it hard to love this Adenophora through and through. The flower is exquisite, with an elusive shade that almost borders on the blue. Not many flowers come that close, so those that do are highly prized. (Some contend there are no true blue flowers; I’m not that quick to be so definite, but I do know it’s a rare hue.)
My problem, therefore, is not with the flower, but with the form of the plant. Its style is too loner-like for my taste. I like my plants in mounds or mats, with groups of stems that combine to create an overall impression. The single and solitary nature of Adenophora goes against that. From a design standpoint, I know the power and importance of vertical aspects like this – my issue is a personal preference I cannot get over. The one small patch I have going in the side garden – brought in by accident with another perennial – has actually expanded into a mat of sorts, but the results, as seen here, still bother me. Again, some people adore the effect, and I do admit that when grounded by ferns or hosta it works – I just can’t bring myself to love it. Sorry, lady.
19
July
2013
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July
2013
My Longest Vacation in A Decade and a Half
I haven’t taken a week-long vacation since 1997. Literally. I’m one of those who would rather take two or three longer weekend jaunts in the place of one week away. It’s more interesting that way, and I never get sick of where I am. This year, however, the fates have conspired to have a friend’s wedding in Maine, and our own anniversary a few days later, coincide for one full week of vacation in the state that is ‘The Way Life Should Be’. We’ll begin in Portland today, and finish up in Ogunquit next week.
That means my co-workers, and the great city of Albany, will have a full week’s reprieve from the anal-retentive prissiness and fun that I bring to every party. Unfortunately for Maine, it comes with me.
