Don't just sit there

So let's say you get married in California and then take a honeymoon cruise that leaves out of Florida...

MIAMI, Fla. -- A woman who was prevented from seeing her lesbian partner who later died at a South Florida hospital is suing because administrators refused to recognize her and her children as family.

Janice Langbehn, Lisa Marie Pond and three of their four children planned a cruise in February 2007 to celebrate the couple's 18 years together. But Pond suffered a massive stroke before the ship left port and was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Hospital workers refused to let Langbehn into Pond's hospital room - even after a power of attorney was faxed to the hospital -- because they were not legally related.

Langbehn filed a federal lawsuit in Miami on Wednesday charging hospital employees with negligence and "intentional infliction of emotional distress." The suit seeks damages in excess of $75,000.

Pond was pronounced dead of a brain aneurysm about 18 hours after being admitted to the trauma center. Langbehn said she was only allowed in to see her partner for a few minutes when a priest gave Pond the last rites.

"I never thought almost 20 years of love and family could be disregarded in an instant," Langbehn said.

Hospital officials wouldn't comment about the lawsuit but said the hospital follows state and federal laws on patient privacy that can forbid releasing health information to those outside the patient's immediate family.

The hospital also may limit visitors if a patient is being treated for a trauma, emergency or serious infection, said Valda Clark Christian, an assistant county attorney representing Jackson.

Federal health privacy laws say hospitals should not disclose details about a patient except to the nearest family member or someone with power of attorney. Hospitals legally do not have to allow visitors.

From the New Statesman:

In a letter to be read out in Mormon churches all across California, LDS leaders urged members to “do all you can ... by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage is legally defined as being between a man and a woman”.

From the Arizona Republic:

Sen. John McCain said Thursday that he supports an initiative that would change Arizona's Constitution to ban gay marriages and deny government benefits to unmarried couples.

From the Los Angeles Times:

The initiative campaign proposes to amend the state Constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. It received $250,000 this week from an evangelical group, Focus on the Family.

Here's the deal. I hold these people responsible for all the harm they are doing. I think the God they claim to serve will also hold them responsible. I would also add that anyone who donates money and assistance to these groups and people should have to meet with Janice Langbehn face to face and justify their actions.

Last Night A DJ Saved My Life

I didn't take any video. But someone else did...

Watch this clip of Mr Michael announcing that Dr. Phil is in the audience. I'm not a fan of Dr. Phil so I really enjoyed the reaction of the crowd. A light cheer followed by a hearty "booooo..." (I promise I only whispered my objections). Then Dr. Phil gets a roasting from the stage. Oh, and Dr. Phil and company were escorted from the 3rd row center seats by arena security well before the encore.

It was George's Birthday. And none other than celebrated Republican Bo Derek presented him on stage with a fake cake. I have issues with Bo. But that is for different post. Ok, I'll just announce that I think she is an idiot. There. Happy?

Book? Book? Read it. Read it.

A chicken walks into the library. It goes up to the circulation desk and says, "Book, book?"
The librarian hands the chicken a book. It tucks it under his wing and runs out.

The next day, the chicken returns, walks up to the desk and says, "Book, book? Book, book?"
This time the librarian gives it two books, and the chicken runs out. The librarian just shakes her head.

Every day the same scenario plays out. Each following day more books are given. 3 books, 4 books, 5 books... finally the librarian's curiosity can take no more. This time as the chicken is running out the door, she follows it.

The chicken runs down the street, through the park and down to the riverbank. There, sitting on a lily pad is a big, green frog. The chicken holds up the first book and shows it to the frog, saying, "Book, book?". The frog blinks, and croaks in return, "Read-it, read-it."


I stole the following book list from a blog that my niece reads. They are all very bookie people and not in the sense that they bet on horse races.

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed.

Instructions:
A) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
B) Italicize those you intend to read.
C) Underline the books you LOVE (or change the color to blue because I can't underline).
and then I add
D) change the color to pink if you've seen the movie (and perhaps that's good enough for you).

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (complete? That's just cruel.)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (um, isn't that part of the Narnia Chronicles?)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (how did this get in here?)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding (if you are wondering what's wrong with the world, note that this book made the top 100 books list.)
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (actually I only saw the musical version)
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom (and god bless Oprah.)
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (again, who doesn't love a good musical?)

I am shocked, I've actually read 15 of these? Well, color me purple AND surprised!

Beach...

Laguna.

Yummy

First item. Set a lovely table. In this photo I am using a new tablecloth I received from my friend Christine V. She thought the large blue florals with green would go amazingly in my orange dining room. I humored her and said, "uh, yeah. I can see that..." all the while thinking it would go nice on my outdoor table with the carved tiki god lights. I was wrong. It is PERFECT in the dining room and I should never have doubted her impeccable taste.

In the background a view of Paris.

Then you want something light. Like a salad. This one has lettuce (I promise, it's under there), cucumbers (from the backyard garden), cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, pink Hawaiian sea salt (its a little sweet yet still salty) and then homemade pan fried croutons.
I promise it is only topped with a healthy olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Then Lyle begins his cooking shenanigans. He is taking a cooking course and has recently learned all about sauces. Tonight's sauce will be Bearnaise. He explains that it is basically a Hollandaise with herbs added. I loves me some Hollandaise.

We start with a pound of butter, melting in a saucepan.

Saute herbs and shallots.

The butter gets clarified (which means all the foam needs to come off the top and none of the white sediment on the bottom gets used).
Bearnaise Sauce:

1-1/2 Tbsp shallots minced
6 black peppercorns cracked
1-1/2 Tbsp dried tarragon (or 1/2 bunch fresh tarragon)
3 oz tarragon vinegar
1 oz white wine
2 oz water
5 egg yolks at room temperature
1 lb melted butter (clarified) warm
2 tsp chervil or parsley, chopped
Lemon juice
Salt
White pepper

Combine the shallots, peppercorns, tarragon, 1 Tbsp chervil, vinegar and wine, in a saucepan and reduce. Set aside.

In a bowl or the top of a double boiler, lightly beat the egg yolks until they form ribbons.

Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the clarified butter, a few drops at a time, and then in a thin stream as in making Hollandaise Sauce. Thin with lemon juice or cold water as needed.

Add reduction to the Hollandaise along with chervil (or parsley). Season to taste with the salt and white pepper. Garnish with chopped tarragon.

Note: Do not allow the sauce to become more than warm, or it is likely to separate. If that happens, add a couple of drops of cold water and whisk to bring it back together.


I know, I know, it all sounds so simple. But it took him some time to get it all going and a lot of pots and pans to create the stuff, not to mention (but obviously I will) more than just his own two hands. It makes a bit more than a pint of sauce. Then Lyle tells us, "It won't hold so eat as much as you can." And we smother our steaks with the artery clogging goodness.

Steak smothered in Bearnaise.
A light healthy salad contrasts.
Ignore the butter laden bread.

A few nights later I am in charge of the meal and I just wanted something a little lighter. Of course that means risotto. Asparagus risotto to be exact. Asparagus risotto topped with Parmesan cheese and lemon zest, a light salad of lettuce, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes, then a grilled chicken breast with just a dollop of homemade mayonnaise with chives and capers. (yes, Lyle made mayonnaise as well - it keeps in the fridge for exactly one week.)

It's been so hot so we choose to eat outside.

On the left you can see the carved tiki god light. In the center, on the power line, you can see a rat. Ah, the joys of city living.

Google mapquest

I was reading today about how Google Earth is assisting people in finding pools to break into and have parties while their owners are away at work. I wondered, who in my neighborhood has a pool? Luckily my brother recently encouraged me to download Google Earth so I went to work. I found exactly what I thought. My neighbor kitty corner from the back fence has a pool. I didn't need a satellite to tell me of course because all day long I can here through my windows, "MARCO!" "POLO!!!" Yes, my neighbors have a pool. Duh.

And then I got completely distracted and started to look at images of my house available on your computer from Google.

Here's the view of our house from the street. I know EXACTLY when this was taken. I know that there was no landscaping in the front yard for Christmas of 2006 because I was tempted to put down white cotton batting all over the yard to simulate snow but didn't because it seemed wasteful. But I could have because the front yard was DEAD. Then in the Spring, Lyle's parents came for a visit and we broke the ground up in the front yard. Plants went in. Later came gravel. But the gravel isn't in this picture so it's early in the process. Conclusion: Late February 2007.

Here is the view from the sky:
I've outlined our house in pink. There's the convertible in the driveway. The front yard is complete and the fountain is in (that blue circle in the front). The pond is the blue shape in the back (it went in near the beginning of moving in). But the tell-tale clues on this photo are the arbor and the skylight. We built the arbor (in brown) May of 2007. And when the extreme summer heat arrived (around the end of June) we climbed on the roof and put a layer of shade screen over the skylight. In this photo the (yellow square) skylight doesn't have a bunch of crap over it. Conclusion: This photo was taken in early June of 2007.

The funny part of all this is the house to the south of us (the left of the street photo and the bottom of the sky photo) used to be a shack. It really shows in these images. Out front you can see there are no plants and the house is a delightful pink color. From above you can see the backyard was just dirt. The people who lived didn't take care of it and it was the worst house on the block. They have since sold it and it has been fixed up quite nicely. But whoever buys it will one day look up their address, see these awful images and shout, "Hey! That's not where I live!"

Do you think Google has a responsibility to update these images?

Merci Bernard Pivot

My mother noticed I had a curse word written in a photo of a recent post then Carolyn pointed out that I used a curse word in a different post. It got me to thinking about my favorite curse word and then that led me to think about Benard Pivot's questionnaire made infamous by Inside the Actor's Studio's host James Lipton...

What is your favorite word? cake
What is your least favorite word? fag
What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]? travel
What turns you off? inequality
What is your favorite curse word? Bugger!
What sound or noise do you love? the roar of a crowd cheering
What sound or noise do you hate? "Ladies and Gentlemen, there has been a slight delay..."
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? painter
What profession would you not like to do? doctor
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "So, any questions?"

Fashion Smashion

Speaking of Pee Wee Herman and his shrunken suit, let's talk about Thom Browne. I'm kind on obsessed with his stuff and yet I don't think I will own any.
Here's Thom in the middle. I can't imaging anyone else in the photo wearing these high water pants and no socks. It just seems like this look may not be for every body.

Then here is a photo of Thom (seated) and friends and they are all working a slight variation on the theme. You have to admit, they are all VERY SKINNY.

I love this look from the runway. So school boy prepster. But does it work for lunch at the Hotel Bel Air?

Here is a shot of some staff from Thom Browne. I guess they have to wear it. It looks best on the guy in the center. I like his hair as well. (thanks to the two dog blog for finding this photo and inspiring this post)

Thom waiting for a flood.

Thom in his office. No, it's not casual Friday. But I love this look. I'm thinking of going out and buying a regular suit (somewhere inexpensive like Nordstrom Rack) and having the pants cut off. Just to try it out.

But ultimately I'm afraid I will just look like the ringmaster at the circus.

Nice Rack

Super sporty with a hint of global warming.

When did you learn to ride a bike? I learned when I was 8 and a half. Back then I was still counting halves. I am the youngest and my siblings were all riding bikes. But not me. I was afraid. Afraid I'd fall. Afraid I get lost. Afraid I'd get left behind. And yes, all those things happened after I learned to ride a bike.

My mom agreed to teach me how to ride. I said I was too old for training wheels. So we met in the back yard on the grass and as I pedaled (very difficult in the grass) my mom ran along beside me holding my bike upright. My mom was not runner. This was a BIG DEAL. Then the phone rang and she had to go inside to take the call for her Tupperware business. This happened all the time. Tupperware came first because the customer was paying. Dinner could cook itself. I could learn to ride a stupid bike alone.

In and out of the house I stomped.
Mom.
MOM.
MOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!

I got the icy stare and a few finger snaps in my direction.

I was so pissed off. I decided to get even with her and just go ride that stupid bike ALL BY MYSELF! I didn't need her or ANY ONE ELSE! I threw a tantrum and went out and got on my bike and rode it around the yard twice and then into the driveway.

Oh my god! I was riding my bike!

My mom came outside and she cheered me on and I was so excited to be riding all by myself, I completely forgot to be pissed off.

Then my siblings came out and thought it was pretty cool that at last I could ride a bike and we decided to go for a ride all together. Our house was just inside the city limits. To the North was up a hill and at the end of the road a freeway entrance that didn't have the benefit of any on ramps. Just a crossing of 4 lanes of 70 mile an hour freeway traffic with a stop sign, then TURN THE WHEEL AND HIT THE GAS!

We went South. It was all down hill to the South. About 4 houses away from home, my brother in front leading, my sister behind encouraging, my sister calls out, "CAR!"
Huh?
My brother shouts back, "Car coming, move over towards the curb."
Car? Where? I don't see a car?
"Behind you!"
And so I turn my head to see the car approaching very close now behind me and as I do, I turn my entire body... which also turns the handlebars... and the front wheel and I crash. In a heap. In the middle of the road in front of oncoming traffic. (they were very nice and stopped to make sure I was okay. Nothing damaged, just my pride)

My first bike was a super cool stingray with a banana seat and big sissy bar up the back (ironic, no?). It was orange and I loved it. I loved it so much I rode it everywhere and as I grew more confident in my skills I could even dismount while it was still moving pretty fast and hop off, allowing it to crash into fences.

"I don't know how the wheel got bent... just happened."

Since then I think I've had only one other bike. A ten speed with the ram horn shaped handlebars that made you hunch over into a pretzel shape and all the world can see you underwear as your shirt is somewhere lodged around your neck from the glorious wind pushing it higher and higher...

Way back in July of 2007 I mentioned, "I've been thinking about getting a bike, but haven't told anyone for fear of being held to getting one."

Well I've gone and done it.
I just wanted a bike to hop around town on. Nothing extreme. Nothing too pricey. This is a hybrid bike that can go fast(ish) around town and you can take it on trails(ish) as well. It is a Trek 7000. I know nothing about bikes. I completely trusted the sales people. I gave them my wants and my price range. It has shock absorbers. I figure I need something that can handle some bumps and dirty because often the streets of LA are shit. It has 21 gears. 3 big gears and 7 little gears to use with each of the big gears. I've already thrown the chain off once.

Yes. I bought a helmet.

I rode my bike to the gym yesterday, then to the dry cleaner (drop off only), then the shoe repair and since by then my backpack was empty, I stopped at the grocery store to get food for dinner. Sadly I could not buy ice cream for dessert as my groceries had to be limited to what could fit in my pack.

Today I am sore.

Soundtrack in my head? Check.

No. I am not wearing a shrunken suit.

Training wheels? Check.

Hey! I can ride a bike...

Flickr fun

I got this from Christopher who got it from Shirley Heezgay... No one tagged me. I just wanted to try it.

The concept:
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page of results, pick one image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

The questions:
1. What is your first name? Jim
2. What is your favorite food right now? Ice Cream
3. What high school did you go to? Bellingham
4. What is your favorite color? Pink
5. Who is your celebrity crush? David Beckham
6. What is your favorite drink right now? Water
7. What is your dream vacation? Paris
8. What is your favorite dessert? Tiramisu
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Unwrinkled
10. What do you love most in life? My Gay Husband
11. What is one word that describes you? eclectic
12. What is your flickr name? none available

1. Jim Beam, 2. candy pop land, 3. Bellingham, 4. I can see you!, 5. David and Victoria Beckham in W Magazine., 6. Positano, 7. Monty's Korner, 8. pick-me-up, 9. Clean living room!, 10. 278 of three-six-five, 11. marble{licious} ........, 12. The Path

Happy Father's Day!

It's not easy living with me, just ask Lyle... no wait. Don't. But my parents suffered first and earliest (and to my siblings reading this, shut up). I have great love of making those around me suffer for my own enjoyment. I like to think they are enjoying themselves as well but I really do amuse myself more than anyone else I know. My mom seemed to get this and suffer willingly. My dad on the other hand has taken his own sweet time getting used to me. I love making him have his picture taken. And you know what they say about a tough audience? Well once you can get my dad to smile and play along you know you've made it.

VIKINGS!

When I was growing up (not done yet) every year we would take a family vacation for two weeks. Twice we drove to Disneyland in Southern California. On both trips we stopped at the Andersen Pea Soup factory/restaurant along I-5. On the way there. On the way back. That's four trips to Andersen Pea Soup land. We'd stop there for lunch and no matter what you ordered you also got as a starter a large bowl of split pea soup. YUCK.

But my dad loved pea soup and ate his happily. Then he ate my sisters bowl. Then he ate my brother's bowl. Having survived cafeteria rules that wouldn't let you go out to recess unless you ate all your lunch, I begged him to eat mine as well which he did. Then the waitress came back and picked up the empty bowls in front of each child.

"Wow, you really cleaned your bowl! Would you like some more?"
No, thank you.
"Would you like some more?"
No, thank you.
"Would you like some more?"
No, thank you.

And then she came to my dad with his fourth bowl of soup in front of him only half finished.
"Aw, you didn't like the soup? Looks like someone could take a lesson from his children."

This picture was taken a few years later at the Andersen Pea Soup restaurant/factory along Highway 101. It's nice to have a friend to play with!

Wodka Party

I know it seems like I've been drinking a lot. Honestly I haven't. But a blog post about watching TV is just not me. I want to share with you when I leave the house and not just my last trip to Trader Joe's (I bought milk, bread, bacon and Ahi tuna). Friday night we left the house to attend a party. A vodka party. A $500 a bottle vodka party. The invite said the party started at 6:30 and we arrived at 6:33.I'm having a hard time finding much info on this vodka. Marani vodka made in Armenia. The bottle boasts "vodka with sodium bicarbonate, acetic acid, honey & skimmed dry milk." Oh, and that it is 80 proof. I think this vodka was substituted later as the the invite said the $500 vodka was supposed to be Rodnik Vodka. Oh my god, what if I was duped into thinking I was getting hammered on expensive vodka only to loose in a blind taste test?

We decide that it would behoove us to try it on the rocks without any mixer muddling the taste. Auspicious evening indeed. Over the course of the evening I would try it plain with a squeeze of lime (very nice), with a splash of pineapple (gave it a bite it didn't have before), with an energy drink (sickeningly sweet) and with cranberry (hands down everyone's favorite).

The shindig was held in the upstairs VIP room at Beso, a new restaurant in Hollywood that is owned by Eva Longoria and Todd English. I've been here once before in officially opened and I have to state that I am still in love with these red croc stamp pillows on the sofas upstairs. I swear next time I am bringing in some black leather straps, hooking them on to a pillow and walking out the front door with my new enormous handbag. I MUST POSSES THEM.

Lyle is obsessed with the mirror framed mirrors. Though the decor upstairs could be perceived as a little on the bordello side, I find the balance between sleek and tasteful with sexy textures thrown in to be very pleasing.

Luke and I show off the red croc pillow nicely.

One of our hosts and his sister work the pole like they've had thousands of dollars worth of vodka...

Octavio holds a best chest competition in the back corner.

The party officially ended at 9:30. We were home by 9:40. Lyle forgot his regular glasses for the drive home so he had to wear his prescription sunglasses. Oh my god, I was riding home with Corey Hart wearing his sunglasses at night!

OMG its ONJ!!!

Olivia Newton John was the big headliner for Sunday night at West Hollywood Gay Pride. I told everyone that if she didn't perform Xanadu there would be riot. Smart girl, she opened with it.

She sang the theme song from the movie (and upcoming television series) Sordid Lives.

Me and Beth Grant from Sordid Lives

This is the promo from the upcoming TV series:

Olivia Neutron Bomb closed with an acapella version of Let me Be There but by then my camera was stone cold dead (as was my phone). Lesson learned, I need new electronics. But before it all went dark, she did a couple of songs from Grease and encouraged one on the biggest gayest sing-alongs I have ever witnessed.

Of course a Grease Medley totally made us:

Hopelessly devoted!

Charo/Kimberly Locke

I took some liberties with the sound on these clips. You'll know when the original sound is playing because it sucks. On the flip side, you'll understand why my ears are still ringing...

Charo sounds like she is on stage with Bob Hope.

Kimberly Locke was smoking hot (those back up dancers didn't hurt either).

All Quiet on The Western Front

So I may have somewhat disappeared for a week from here. I was kinda busy. I helped Lyle set up a booth at the local convention center for his work. As we set the booth up in Vegas each year and watch the workers snail-like progress we both comment on how we could (and have) set up this booth in half the time for a quarter of the cost. So we put our money where our mouth was. I used to set up fashion shows when I worked for Nordstrom in Visuals. I could set up a fashion show for 300 guests in an hour with 4 people on the stage and set and four people clearing the sales floor, setting up the chairs and adjusting the lights. I was younger then.

Starting on Wednesday, Lyle and I built this much of the stage all by ourselves. Just two people. The top half was too much for just us. Two additional workers from Lyle's work came the next day and the four of us completed it. That's a steep drop time in what it usually takes a team of 6 to accomplish.
However all 6 of those people can probably walk just fin the next day and aren't hobbled like old men.
On Friday we were still setting up the sales area of the booth. As former display hag this is my forte. Wow, those T-shirts in the case look like I probably would have been fired from the Gap.

At last the show is ready and opened at 4 pm. I stayed for a bit but I had to go to the airport and pick up a visiting guest. Then I took our visitor with me back to work at the convention center.
He was in his uniform for travel but I promise you he wasn't flying the plane. Just in case, his identity has been protected by this fancy red bar.

The next day I felt like I had been run over by a semi truck or two (and no it wasn't from booze) so we treated ourselves to a nice breakfast at Milk, at the end of our street.
I had the buttermilk pancakes with strawberries and dulce de leche. Yes, for breakfast.

Lyle had the breakfast sandwich with bacon and cheese. Oh man, that was amazing bacon all crumbled in there.

After breakfast we were fueled up and ready. We ran errands to get a few more things for the show booth, then I took Lyle to the convention center and I went home for a couple of hours. Then it was back downtown to the convention center. Have I mentioned it is not close? It is not easy to get to. IT'S A ROYAL PAIN. But oh the joy. More working and then home... ok, Lyle dropped me and my brother off in West Hollywood to go out a bit on Saturday night before the big Gay Pride Festival on Sunday. We were home well before closing time.

But on Sunday Lyle went to work and I went to WORK IT.

It's early, but we are already feeling mighty fine.

This may have been some of the fine feeling being dispensed... I like a strong drink with a sugar free mixer. Stoli Vanilla and Diet Coke. It's called a Skinny Bitch. I avoid the sugar filled mixer as it gives me more of a hangover than any alcohol could ever give me.

This is very near the end of the evening. I am now feeling "less the mighty fine". Brilliantly we stopped to get some food. After that I was feeling much better thank you and was able to make it back to the festival for some evening's entertainment!

Xana-DO!

OMG if she hadn't there would have been a RIOT!

Crap. The sound to all these movies is wrong. My phone sucks. I will fix all these and update things on Tuesday. I have to work on Monday... tearing down the LA adult show. My life is so full. Anyone envious? Well don't be.

FANtastic

Gay Pride LA

Fortress of solitude

I'm not getting much sleep lately. Just as I drift off, Cooper bolts from under the covers taking them all with him and body slams into the sliding screen door effectively knocking it off the tracks. RACCOON!

Two nights ago the raccoon cleverly circumvented Lyle's previous effort at keeping a raccoon free pond and was able to climb over the 2 foot fence and muck about in the middle of the pond making a huge mess.

When the lights went on and the hounds were released the raccoon bolted down the driveway leaving wet foot prints all the way out to the front of the house. The pond made some strange gurgling noises and by the morning the stream had dried up.

When Lyle came home yesterday he put on his "barn boots" and waded into the pond. Cleaning and resetting everything the raccoon had upset. Once everything was back to working order he decided he needed something bigger, better and stronger to outwit the raccoon.

Luckily that was about the same time as architect Frank Gehry stopped by and he was able to give Lyle some tips on building a more interesting structure.

Gehry designed the Experience Music Project in Seattle.

This is a side view of our pond.

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain by Gehry.

View of our Pond from the West.

The stunning Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.

An overview of our stunning pond this week.