Drew Barrymore on Gay Marriage...

I heart Drew Barrymore!

Standing with her gays at a pro-same sex marriage rally, Ms Barrymore said:

I am who I am because of the people who influenced me growing up, and many of them were gay. No one has any right to tell anyone what makes a family... This is something that means everything to me.

Go Drew!

Five Untrue Things About Sarah Palin...

I know it's mean, but I love this! From the August 2010 issue of GQ...

Five Untrue Things About Sarah Palin:

5- She met Todd in an emergency room after shooting him from a copter.

4- She designed all of BP's offshore-drilling rigs.

3- Known as a bit of a reader.

2- She lactates light, sweet crude.

1- She's going to be president someday...

Hawaii Oh No: Their Governor is an Idiot...

This month, while Argentina legalized same-sex marriage, and the British government indicated it was on the way, the state government of Hawaii turned back and embraced the 12th century.

While not quite full marriage equality, the state took a step forward when Hawaiian lawmakers approved a civil unions bill. And then their governor vetoed it.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Hawaii, we were there for the first time last year and thought it was amazingly beautiful, and the people were warm and wonderful. And yet... their governor is an idiot.

Now, I am not saying their governor Linda Lingle is an idiot just because she is against same-sex marriage or civil unions. That makes her conservative and in my opinion ignorant. And potentially a bigot, though not necessarily. With the benefit of the doubt, ignorant.

So what makes her an idiot?

Ms Lingle is an idiot --- and, oh yeah, a homophobe and a bigot because of this: while the governor insisted she had treated opponents with "respect and dignity", she then likened gay marriage to an incestuous relationship:

"We don't allow other people to marry even - it's not a civil right for them. First cousins couldn't marry, or a brother and sister and that sort of thing."

Gay marriage is like incest? Really? You are an idiot. You are a homophobe. You are Mel Gibson...

Ghosts at the Winnipeg Airport...

Just after I landed at the Winnipeg airport, as I was headed out of the terminal to catch a cab downtown, I saw this sign.

I don't know if this is a standardized all-airport generic sign, or specifically designed by some Einstein for Winnipeg. All I gotta say is... What the hell, are the taxis here driven by ghosts?

Look at this brainless sign...
- for your own car, which you will presumably drive yourself, there is an icon with an empty car and a key.
- for the limo, the icon is a car with "limo" and a driver.
- for the taxi, there is a car with a taxi light on top, and yet no driver to be seen.

Does Winnipeg have driverless taxis? Are they self-propelled Jetsons taxis? Do you grab a car from the taxi line and drive yourself? Are the drivers all shrunken senior citizens who cannot see over the dash? Or do ghosts hop in yellow cars and zoom you to where you are going?

So yes I took a taxi in Winnipeg. And it came with a driver, who was just fine. Friendly, obeyed some of the speed limits, visible to the human eye and everything!

I still think the sign is moronic...

Phonebooked...

Holy crap, have the phone book people never heard of trying to save the environment? I saw this photo on the web, and gotta admit we have a pile at least this big at work...

We just saw the best movie of the year...

Overall this has been a pretty crappy year for movies so far. I actually cannot think of five that we have seen and really liked.

Yes Toy Story 3 was excellent, especially because I love the characters so much. And yes Sex and The City 2 kind of blew, even though I love the characters so much. And I haven't seen Inception yet. That being said, a Clash of the Titans remake? The Prince of Persia? MacGruber? Jonah Hex? Another Robin Hood? Another Shrek movie after they ruined the series with a crappy part three? Ugh. Barf. Where's the good stuff?

Then last night, a flash of greatness at the local cineplex... The Kids Are All Right.

Kids has a fresh idea ---- Julianne Moore and Annette Bening are a middle-aged lesbian couple whose family is thrown off course when their teenage kids decide they want to meet the sperm donor who, uh, made the donation.

Bening is an uptight doctor who likes her red wine, Moore is the insecure stay-at-home partner, and the kids are teens trying to figure out where they come from.

This is a smart sexy comedy that may be revolutionary -- it doesn't matter that the couple is gay. They are just a long-term couple making their way through life.

It all works, it is funny and touching and I enjoyed every minute of it. Plus lots to think and talk about afterwards.

Oh, and nominate them all now, and give Annette Bening the Oscar. She is amazing.

Small field to big hole to almost house, part one...

Small field to big hole to almost house, part two

On our way... our little field is growing up to a be a house!

Yep, I am making up a bloggy new language...

To screen out spam, when someone leaves a comment on this blog, or many others, the system does an anti-spam check by asking you what is Alfred's middle name, to do the secret handshake, and tap on your nose while jumping up and down on your left leg.

Okay, you don't have to do any of that. You do have to retype the nonsense word generated by the system.

As I visit other blogs, I have been entertained by many of these words --- they are like a whole new language. Inspired by Anne @ http://www.thedayafteryesterday.co.uk/, here are some of my recent favourites, along with some totally logical (ie crap I made up) definitions:

Arpleg: The wooden (peg) leg you need after being attacked by a beaver on arbor day. Hey, it could happen...

Nuchesse: Nutella for proper British people... cocoa and peanut butter for scones, to be served on very small plates during afternoon tea. Mmmm, getting hungry.

Spressou: Self espresso, or espresso you make yourself. Without one of my favourite gadgets, my Tassimo coffee machine. Step away from the Tassimo!

Nunman: A guy who has seen the movie Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit way too often and lives the dream. Men who dress up as nuns. Halloween in boys town. Any gay bar on drag night.

Gultri: Someone who is so obviously guilty of so many things you would have to be a plank of wood to not see it. Mel Gibson.

Rathom ton: A third-string character from The Empire Strikes Back. Often forgotten by historians and geeks because was pretty much a poor man's Boba Fett, Rathom Ton was an unsuccessful unknown bounty hunter a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

Elatio: Yes I really got this word in a pop-up. No, I have no comment. Next...

Limplec: Well, after too much elatio, your lec is tired, people...

Idiots and Attention to Detail...

We saw this dumbass sign posted at the cash desk when we were buying a new BBQ last week...

Really, people, you want our attention and cannot spell "attention"? Morons...

I took the Don't Ask, Don't Tell survey...

Like many of you, I look at the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT), the US military prohibition on gay people serving, as a major step forward in this civil rights movement.

While I am not in the military, have never considered joining the military except a passing fancy due to my obsessive love of Private Benjamin, and am not even American, this is a huge deal.

Candidate Obama promised to repeal this hateful law. President Obama has dragged his ass living up to this promise, and now the wheels are finally turning and the government is starting the slowest repeal of any law ever.

Part of the process is a $5 million survey of 400,000 existing service members about how they feel about gay people. Why they are taking a survey? Is this the People's Choice Awards? Nobody took a survey when blacks or when women started to serve. Why is this different? How would President Obama feel if the poll was about black Americans being integrated? Or Jewish Americans? Or Chinese Americans?

Lots of people are talking about this survey. A Washington Post online survey found 70% of readers find the survey to be out of line. According to the military, the survey was supposed to be confidential, which of course means you can find it anywhere online.

Firstly, As a gay man I am totally offended by the idea of this survey. Secondly, I have read and taken the survey, and it's lame. And kind of boring.

What are the questions? Stuff about how having a gay peer would impact your morale and your effectiveness, whether you would socialize with your gay peers, and how you feel about sharing a room or shower with gay soldiers.

According to lots of internet buzz, the military is apparently considering separate housing and showers for gay soldiers. Really? A segregationist army? Hasn't the country tried that before? And --- irony alert --- we are considering this under a black president? That is just fucked up.

Lots of armed forces, including here in Canada, have gays serving openly with no issue. Catch up, people!

The Village People & "The Y"?

Fresh to you from stupidville, the YMCA has announced they are updating their image and rebranding.

Why? According to http://www.foxnews.com/ --- and I have no idea how the hell I wound up on that fair and balanced website --- this comes after two years of research and is intended to better clarify what their mission is: strengthen communities by focusing on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

Their new name? "The Y". Oh yeah, that brings total clarity. Two years to come up with a generic name like that? Morons.

And in case you are worried that this name change will impact how we dance at 70s parties and wave our arms around in the shape of the letters Y-M-C-A, the Village People's original lead singer Victor Willis has issued a statement saying that the group will not make any changes to its song "YMCA". Yes, really.

In the world of the Village People, the YMCA, or The Y, is the gayest place on earth...

They have everything for you men to enjoy.

You can hang out with all the boys...

You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find

Many ways to have a good time.

Gay, gay, gay, at The Y, Y, Y.

How will you celebrate National French Fries Day?

No, I don't know why. And no, I don't know how people celebrate. And no, I don't know if this is relevant here in Canada. And no, I don't know who the hell declared it to be such a momentous holiday.

What I do know - today, July 13, is National French Fries Day!

How to celebrate? Stop at your favourite fries place and have some! Or pull that deep fryer out of the basement and makes some. Defrost a bag of McCain's Super Fries. Or go healthy and have the baked version. Hell, cheat with a shortcut, have a large can of ketchup-flavoured Pringles and call it a day - just be sure to mark the occasion.

According the my quickie google search, Fries were probably created in Belgium, and are called French because of how they are cut into strips. Whatever, as long as we aren't calling them Freedom Fries anymore, I am good.

My faves are for fast food salty fries McDonald's, then here in Edmonton Deluxe has amazing fries and sweet potato fries (served in very cute mini shopping carts), and then flashing back to when I was a kid, Lafleurs in Montreal had the best fries. Are they still around?

What are your favourite fries? Let me know in the comments below!

The View's Sherri Shepherd blames the gays...

I have today off work, so I spent the morning trying to make the world a better place. And by "make the world a better place" I mean napping with the dogs, reading, and watching TV.

I tuned into The View for the first time in ages, saw a bit with Barbara Walters skyping in post heart surgery (yikes, did I know she was off for months? Out of the loop, people).

The was opening chat was about World Cup Soccer (yawn) and Mel Gibson (asshole).

Somewhere during the 'is Mel Gibson a racist or just an asshole' conversation, Sherri Shepherd went off on people who use racist language, trying to pull it off with some lame anti-Canadian metaphor. Dumbass.

So as I haven't watched the show in ages, and the segment with actress Angie Harmon was simply boring, I googled The View to see what I had missed over the last few months and came across this whole brouhaha on the internet; on June 22, during a discussion of HIV rates among straight African American women, Shepherd blamed this on gay and bisexual men, an old myth that has long since been proven wrong by the Centre Disease Control. Apparently Shepherd and The View are refusing to correct her dumbass and homophobic 'blame the gays' remark.

This is disappointing, as The View, especially Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, are usually such friends of the gay community. True, Elisabeth Hasselback is a right wing cold-hearted 12th-century freak, though as of now has moved up (down?) to my second least favourite after stupid Shepherd.

GLAAD and the Black Aids Institute want The View to correct and apologize, and took out an ad in Variety today (see above). See more @ http://www.glaad.org/.

Laura Bush on Gay Marriage...

While out promoting her current book, former First Lady Laura Bush has broken with the views of her husband and come out as pro-choice and in favour of gay marriage.

I think Mrs Bush gets kudos for coming forward when she didn't have to. That being said, how much more impact could she have had if she spoke to this a couple of years ago?

So, do we applaud the modern view, or is it just an interesting anecdote, and an example of her squandering the prime opportunity she had when she lived in the White House?

When you swish upon a star: a big gay book by a little gay actor

Leslie Jordan is my new hero...

"I have been blessed with a deep appreciation for beauty. I think that's why homosexuals were put on this earth - too make things pretty. I love to be around beautiful things, and that is why I love to be around Mark Harmon."

How could you not love Leslie Jordan?

"Including pilots that were shot but not aired, I have had fifteen series regular roles, I have been in so many failed television shows I always feel the need to apologize to the cast in advance."

Leslie Jordan is awesome...

"When I drank I was known as the Tiny Terror. I had a history of slapping people across the face. Sometimes, people whose faces I could barely reach."

In case you missed the D-level never-even-made-it-to-video horror flick Madhouse, you may know Leslie Jordan from Ally McBeal, Designing Women, Boston Legal, his Emmy-winning recurring role on Will & Grace, or any number of other TV comedies over the past thirty years.

And I just read his autobiography, My Trip Down the Pink Carpet. It is smart and funny and a fast read. As I am a fan, I expected light and funny, which I got in spades, and then I also got insightful and emotional. True, I wish there was more on Will & Grace and other fun backstage stuff, and while the book may be short on that stuff (ooh, short, I made a funny), it is so rich in what is there.

Jordan was born in the south and knew he was gay before he knew what gay was, as he both felt ashamed and loved to play with dolls. Oh, and then there were the unrequited teenage crushes on football players.

This is his tale of accepting and eventually embracing his truth and building himself a new life. It veers between stories of church in the deep south to stories of Cloris Leachman having a wardrobe malfunction. Jordan is a caring, giving man, who has made a lot of bad moves (yeah, who hasn't), usually fueled by his own insecurities and his propensity to go ape shit every time he sees a pretty boy. Or foreign gypsy. Or tattooed cowboy with a crack habit. You get the idea.

My Trip Down The Pink Carpet chronicles his adventures with fame, failure, alcohol, self-hating, cheap hookers, crystal meth, gypsies, sex, Luke Perry, Tammy Faye Baker, religion, play writing, ecstasy, Reba McEntire, a night sharing a jail cell with Robert Downey Jr., and eventually self acceptance. Holy crap, that is quite the adventure!

Leslie Jordan is awesome...

"I realise that using the word "dreamboat" is a bit unseemly for a man my age. But I'll admit it right here and now: I am a high school cheerleader in an old man's body."

"Everything that I Know, I Know Only Because I Love..."

Everything that I Know,

I Know Only Because I Love...

That's a quote from War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy, possibly the most celebrated ficiton writer ever.

Pretty artsy and literary quote, huh? Impressed? Excellent!

Confession time: I haven't read War and Peace. I am however gonna download it onto my Kindle and read it one of these days. Really. I am. Truly. Trust me. Would I lie to you?

Why is this top of mind now? Because I just watched a fantastic movie on DVD with Christopher Plummer as Tolstoy and Helen Mirren as his wife, called The Last Station.

Tolstoy is elderly and dying in The Last Station, and considering giving away all his money to the followers of his new upstart religion Tolstoyism (think free love commune kind of deal). His devoted if not exactly sane wife is not happy about this at all. James MacAvoy is his new secretary and basically our eyes, learning about the people and the struggle between them.

Despite its pedigree, this is not a stuffy drama, it is witty and sexy and warm and funny and endearing. It's about love and marriage and religion and communism and social justice and passion and money. If I had seen it last year, when it came out, it would have been one of my favourites of the year.

Hell, maybe I will make it one of my favourites for this year. I consume tons of movies in theatres and especially on DVD, and most of them are totaly crap. This one is sensational. See it!

All About Traditional Marriage...

The All-New Wonder Woman!

DC Comics has just unveiled their new look Wonder Woman, pictured above.

She has more clothes (take that, Miley), and seems to be more street fighter and yes is actually wearing pants. Nice to see the lasso and bracelets are still there.

I still prefer the classic WW, as personified by Lynda Carter...

Wonder Woman!

Wonder Woman!

All our hopes are pinned upon you

And the magic that you do

Stop a bullet cold

Make the axis fold

Change their minds and change the world

Wonder Woman!

Wonder Woman!

You're a wonder, Wonder Woman!

Oy vey, Hitler is building my house...

In this year of exciting stuff, the next big thing is the house we are building, which we plan to move into when it is finished this October (yeah, right).

We drive by the site all the time to see what is happening; from field to big hole to foundation to the framing being started, each step is so cool to see.

This week the house is starting to look like it will grow into, well, a house. Then I saw the truck of the framing company... Holy crap! Hitler is building my house! The house's frame is being done by the Fuhrer framing company.

My long dormant Jewish heart was gonna have a conniption! (educational interruption - conniption is Yiddish for a having a fit due to unexpected bad news).

Then after we came home, I googled Fuhrer and it turns out that is German for 'leader' or 'guide'. So that is a pretty good name, right? Oh yeah, except for that automatic Hitler reference.

What were you bozos thinking when you chose the company name?

I meant what I said and I said what I meant... I am a metablogger...

One of my favourite bloggers, Schmutzie at http://www.schmutzie.com/, has boldly seized the power and unilaterally declared this to be MetaBlogging week. Schmutzie is an awesome veteran blogger, and is so dang serious about this metablogging thing she even created a button for it (see above).

Metablogging is blogging about blogging. Okay, say that five times fast... No, really, do it. I'll wait...

Okay we're back. Metablogging is when a blogger writes about their blogging experience.

Sometimes when bloggers write about their writing experiences I identify and empathize and it puts me into a state of wonderment. And sometimes they are just whiners who annoy the crap out of me. Not sure yet what triggers what reaction.

I started this blog last summer, though have been writing forever; a journal and stories when I was a kid; school newspapers and studying journalism later on. After school, back to journals and stories.

Some of my posts are fast and furious, others laboured over for hours and days. Some are crafted so carefully word by word, others more impulsive and instinctive. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes not so much. Sometimes there are things in the news I am dying to write about and don't because not sure what I could add to the conversation (okay... Mel Gibson, you are an asshole). Sometimes I am sharing lighthearted stuff like our wedding album or pics of the cutest dog ever (Alfredo!), sometimes there are more personal things that are bursting to get out and either am not sure how or not ready to put in out there in the world as of yet. I will get where I am supposed to go.

Reading and writing have always been my escape, the quiet time that both lets me reflect and re-energizes me. Blogging has been all that and, to my surprise, it has been different and more. There is this whole community out there that welcomes and supports and challenges and role models and gives love and gives sass and I now feel a part of it. And it feels part of me --- this is now part of my life and part of who I am. That being said, I both worry about and embrace the public forum of it.

I am learning new things and thinking about new worlds from fellow gay bloggers and fellow Canadian bloggers and fellow pet-obsessed bloggers... and mommy bloggers and lesbian bloggers and truck drivers' wives bloggers and coffee-obsessed bloggers and so many more.

Though it sounds like a cliche, it is true; the "blogosphere" (ooh, cool, we get to make up words!) has opened up new worlds for me.

And, holy crap, people are reading my stuff. And thinking about it, and commenting... weird planet, people!

But, hey, millions of people watch The Bachelor, so we know this is a fucked up world! Here's other metablogs in response to Schmutzie:

Holy Crap, It's Canada Day...

July 1st... rent is due, three days until July 4th, and it's Canada Day! We have been around since 1867, so are pretty damn old. Here's a few fun facts you may or may not have known...

1- Canada Day used to be called Dominion Day. Yawn...

2- Winnipeg is the coldest city in Canada. And it is really effing cold. Been there, done that...

3- Basketball was invented by a Canadian.

4- Celine Dion is the bestselling Canadian music act, having sold over 200 million albums. I preferred 80s Canadian pop singer Luba, what the hell happened to her?

5- Canada does not have Target stores.

6- Canada is home to the world's largest pysanky (Ukrainian Easter egg). Drove past it last weekend.

7- In terms of size, Canada is the second largest country in the world, and with a relatively small population has one of the lowest population densities.

8- The Blackberry is Canadian. iPhone not. I have both (gadgets, gadgets, gadgets).

9- One word: poutine. Food or not food?

10- When I googled "famous gay Canadians" I got a list of Rufus Wainright, Brian Orser, a former porn star, and a bunch of people I have never heard of...

11- Canada has two national sports: hockey, and, yes, lacrosse.

12- Canada covers six time zones, and I am apparently in none of them, as the TV listings in Alberta are all fucked up and everything shows an hour late. Or two hours early on time shifting.

13- We have two national symbols, the beaver and the maple leaf. There has gotta be a porn title in there somewhere, no?

14- Canadians invented the world's first anti-gravity suit. And no I do not know why that is relevant to anything...

15- Cherry Blossom candy is available only in Canada.

That's all for now folks... Happy Canada Day!