Monday, March 26, 2007

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

Poor Unfortunate Souls...
Phillip posted a lovely comment in my Myspace profile I have to share with you all -

"Adam "Silent Storm" is the finest witch in all of DC. Watch out if you cross him - you'll end up with bells palsy, become an alcoholic, or have to resort to turning tricks to pay your rent. You've been warned ;) "

In regards to certian folks who have made the mistake of crossing my path (former co-workers, Drunky McDrunkerson, and so on) here is a clip I love. What makes the witch jokes even more perfect is Fernando is a brunette, Phillip is a blond, and I'm red - the three witches of DC, watch out!

Sean and Adam Go to The Zoo

I'm glad the beautiful weather is finally here. Wednesday after work I went with Margo on a shopping trip - my new office if bigger than my last so I needed objects d'art to fill the walls. It's looking good! We went to a great little Thai restaurant in Eastern Market for dinner called Old Siam. I'm beginning to be a honarary Eastern Marketer as I've been going there a lot lately. Thursday I went to Banana Cafe after work with Fernando too. That place never gets old - I think I might have my upcoming birthday party there too.
Saturday I really didn't do much - when Sean left the kitchen we met and had dinner at Skewers, a nice Middle Eastern place in Dupont, had a few drinks afterwards... Sunday was beautiful and we went to the National Zoo. Lots of new things since I was last there, and it hasn't been invaded by too many tourists yet. That evening we joined Fernando, going over to Margo's new place on the Hill for dinner, movie, and wine, always so much fun, esp. with great friends and someone you love.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Screw the Democrats

This is an op-ed that appeared yesterday in the LA Times, written by noted Gay activist Larry Kramer. I say fuck the Republicans, but this article illustrates why I say fuck the Democrats too. Both parties throw gays under the bus as per convenience. [as a side note, I know my straight friends don't hate gays...I post this to only show how other Americans are often two-faced in their support of gays]

DEAR STRAIGHT PEOPLE,

Why do you hate gay people so much?

Gays are hated. Prove me wrong. Your top general just called us immoral. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is in charge of an estimated 65,000 gay and lesbian troops, some fighting for our country in Iraq. A right-wing political commentator, Ann Coulter, gets away with calling a straight presidential candidate a faggot. Even Garrison Keillor, of all people, is making really tacky jokes about gay parents in his column. This, I guess, does not qualify as hate except that it is so distasteful and dumb, often a first step on the way to hate. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama tried to duck the questions that Pace's bigotry raised, confirming what gay people know: that there is not one candidate running for public office anywhere who dares to come right out, unequivocally, and say decent, supportive things about us.

Gays should not vote for any of them. There is not a candidate or major public figure who would not sell gays down the river. We have seen this time after time, even from supposedly progressive politicians such as President Clinton with his "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military and his support of the hideous Defense of Marriage Act. Of course, it's possible that being shunned by gays will make politicians more popular, but at least we will have our self-respect. To vote for them is to collude with them in their utter disdain for us.

Don't any of you wonder why heterosexuals treat gays so brutally year after year after year, as your people take away our manhood, our womanhood, our personhood? Why, even as we die you don't leave us alone. What we can leave our surviving lovers is taxed far more punitively than what you leave your (legal) surviving spouses. Why do you do this? My lover will be unable to afford to live in the house we have made for each other over our lifetime together. This does not happen to you. Taxation without representation is what led to the Revolutionary War. Gay people have paid all the taxes you have. But you have equality, and we don't.

And there's no sign that this situation will change anytime soon. President Bush will leave a legacy of hate for us that will take many decades to cleanse. He has packed virtually every court and every civil service position in the land with people who don't like us. So, even with the most tolerant of new presidents, gays will be unable to break free from this yoke of hate. Courts rule against gays with hateful regularity. And of course the Supreme Court is not going to give us our equality, and in the end, it is from the Supreme Court that such equality must come. If all of this is not hate, I do not know what hate is.

Our feeble gay movement confines most of its demands to marriage. But political candidates are not talking about — and we are not demanding that they talk about — equality. My lover and I don't want to get married just yet, but we sure want to be equal.

You must know that gays get beaten up all the time, all over the world. If someone beats you up because of who you are — your race or ethnic origin — that is considered a hate crime. But in most states, gays are not included in hate crime measures, and Congress has refused to include us in a federal act.

Homosexuality is a punishable crime in a zillion countries, as is any activism on behalf of it. Punishable means prison. Punishable means death. The U.S. government refused our requests that it protest after gay teenagers were hanged in Iran, but it protests many other foreign cruelties. Who cares if a faggot dies? Parts of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. are joining with the Nigerian archbishop, who believes gays should be put in prison. Episcopalians! Whoever thought we'd have to worry about Episcopalians?

Well, whoever thought we'd have to worry about Florida? A young gay man was just killed in Florida because of his sexual orientation. I get reports of gays slain in our country every week. Few of them make news. Fewer are prosecuted. Do you consider it acceptable that 20,000 Christian youths make an annual pilgrimage to San Francisco to pray for gay souls? This is not free speech. This is another version of hate. It is all one world of gay-hate. It always was.

Gays do not realize that the more we become visible, the more we come out of the closet, the more we are hated. Don't those of you straights who claim not to hate us have a responsibility to denounce the hate? Why is it socially acceptable to joke about "girlie men" or to discriminate against us legally with "constitutional" amendments banning gay marriage? Because we cannot marry, we can pass on only a fraction of our estates, we do not have equal parenting rights and we cannot live with a foreigner we love who does not have government permission to stay in this country. These are the equal protections that the Bill of Rights proclaims for all?

Why do you hate us so much that you will not permit us to legally love? I am almost 72, and I have been hated all my life, and I don't see much change coming.

I think your hate is evil.

What do we do to you that is so awful? Why do you feel compelled to come after us with such frightful energy? Does this somehow make you feel safer and legitimate? What possible harm comes to you if we marry, or are taxed just like you, or are protected from assault by laws that say it is morally wrong to assault people out of hatred? The reasons always offered are religious ones, but certainly they are not based on the love all religions proclaim.

And even if your objections to gays are religious, why do you have to legislate them so hatefully? Make no mistake: Forbidding gay people to love or marry is based on hate, pure and simple.

You may say you don't hate us, but the people you vote for do, so what's the difference? Our own country's democratic process declares us to be unequal. Which means, in a democracy, that our enemy is you. You treat us like crumbs. You hate us. And sadly, we let you.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Fresh Like Irish Spring!

Ok, now as much as I make fun of Maryland, I have to concede that MD's governor and former mayor of Baltimore, Martin O'Malley is a total hottie. (he even has a rock band, see photo)

Now see, given the St Patrick's Day weekend, O'Malley is an Irishman worth a few pots of gold and some Guiness. Meanwhile I'm sure other people of Irish decent I know are still crawling out of the gutters.

So, this weekend I DROVE to Chicago (10-11 hours of cornfield goodness - that's all there is to Ohio and Indiana) for my cousin Kala's wedding. I will post photo links soon. All I can say is she was beautiful and it was a great wedding. Driving back from Chicago the day after the reception wasn't pretty, and it's good to be back home.

I want to give a warm congratulations on Margo and Fred's 7th anniversay that was this past Sunday, and on their new place on Capitol Hill. All the best!!
And speaking of new beginnings, today is the first day of Spring!

Sunday, March 11, 2007

March Madness

The post title isn't because I'm a big fan of basketball or anything, but because March thus far has been madness. My grandmother had a stroke, my cousin is getting married in Chicago this weekend (which depending on the grandmother's situation I may or may not be attending), I finished my first week at the new job (LOVE IT!), Sean moved into his new condo in Virginia, Margo is moving into her new place on Capitol Hill. So... that's everything that's been going in my life, sigh. [and how could we not forget poor Britney going bat-shit crazy?! And readers wonder why I advocate rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous for those who need it].

Ok, now apparently Congress up and decided to move Daylight Savings Time without informing yours truly, so this morning when I was supposed to meet friends and Sean at Cafe Belga for Sunday brunch, I show up an hour late! Afterwards we all went to the orchid exhibit at the National Botanic Garden, which somehow was a bit of a let-down compared to last year as they didn't seem to have as many orchids. Though there are always interesting planst to see anyway (why didn't they have our beloved chocolate orchid??)

This past week I haven't had time for my usual blogging. Monday night I did go out to celebrate the first day on the job with Sean at a place in Rockville I love called Cava. His friend Courtney introduced me to the place when Sean and I first started dating. It's strange - there is really no good Greek restaurant in DC itself, and Cava just comes to show there are some amazing restaurants worth a trip to the suburbs. I can't believe I haven't mentioned it before. Be sure to try their "Cava martini" made with pommegranate and white grape. Highly reccomended restaurant!!

Saturday, March 03, 2007

"Vacation, all I ever wanted..."

Another week of vacation... actually I just took a week off as "psychological decompression time" between my old job, and the new one which I start on Monday. Wish me luck!
What's been going on in the past two weeks? Well, cleaning out my office, finding any excuse to celebrate my departure from the insane asylum that was my old job. And there's been lots of sleeping. Zzzz
I owe our friend Marc a belated Happy Birthday. We went out to celebrate at a cute Mexican place in Adams Morgan (we had a very hot Latin waiter, I seem to remember).
"The Sum of all Beers", or "For Whom the Booze Tolls"
I have to start off with this website I stumbled across today. Certain people I know might find it interesting...
Modern Drunk Magazine.
Departing From Gate...
So Friday apparently I caused a stir by inviting Phillip and Fernando to my going-away party at Halo (where did you think I was going to have it, JR's?!) I don't know why, but just knowing that the three of us wll continue to be the office gossip for ages to come makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
What have I done with myself this week? Absolutely nothing! No travelling, no places to be (I even cancelled my appointments), just sleeping as late as I want to, leisurely lunches, shopping, sleeping, meeting up with Sean. Yep. Oh, well Tuesday was reserved for helping Sean move. I absolutley love his new place in McLean/Tysons, we spent our first night together in his new home, bought some new furniture.
Speaking of moves, Margo may be moving soon, she is looking at places, and I wish her the best. Oh the fun times yet to be had!
The Fall of Berlin...
While many know my habit of naming exes after fascist dictators, I have to report my on-going reconcilliation with Casey (formerly known as Hitler, a nickname given to him by Dena). Anyway I saw him this week at Caribou Coffee and we ended up hanging out and going shopping together. He's doing well, it seems, so much more stable and mellowed out. I actually think it will be ok to be friends with him again. It's just weird to think we once lived together, and now we are such different people. But I guess that's growing up (or older).