Sunday, June 30, 2019
Saturday, June 29, 2019
June 2019 Donations
Crisis at the Border
This whole fucking mess with immigration and the concentration camps at the Mexican Border is so sickening that I can't sleep some nights. It's horrifying to think of what those people are going through, especially the kids, and it's awful to sit here in my home so far away and feel like I can't do anything to help. So I Googled "how to help with the border crisis" and came to an article on Slate that led me to some sites where I can help a little with donating money.
Last year, after the initial news reports about family separations, we provided some suggestions for how people might be able to help. We’ve now updated our list of reputable organizations working to provide support to those affected. If you think this is a humanitarian crisis, you should also call your local, state, and/or national representatives.
• KIND—Kids in Need of Defense—has been leading advocacy efforts for kids in immigration detention.
• The Women’s Refugee Commission is leading national efforts against family separation and child detention to preserve access to asylum, increase use of alternatives to detention, and improve detention conditions.
• The Catholic Legal Immigration Network plays a crucial role coordinating legal services in response to administration-created crises.
• The ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project is litigating these and other policies at the border.
• RAICES is the largest immigration nonprofit in Texas offering free and low-cost legal services to immigrant children and families.
• Al Otro Lado serves indigent deportees, migrants, and refugees in Los Angeles and Tijuana, Mexico.
• The Florence Project provides legal and social services to detained immigrants in Arizona.
• Lawyers for Good Government suggests that you can contribute to the Project Corazon Travel Fund to send more lawyers (particularly Spanish-speaking immigration lawyers) to the detention centers and refugee camps. You can also pledge your frequent flier miles to help get more lawyers to the border and volunteer as a lawyer or translator. (I decided to donate to the Project Corazon.)
• Justice in Motion has created a network of human rights lawyers and nongovernmental organizations across Mexico and Central America to find parents deported without their children and help families reunite in their countries of origin.
• Immigrant Families Together supports bonds, living expenses, and medical and legal needs of migrant families.
• Innovation Law Lab builds tools for immigration-related crisis response, aiming to improve representation and due process.
• ActBlue has a one-click button to support many of these organizations at once.
• Lights for Liberty is doing local event coordination and is organizing nationwide protests and vigils being planned for July 12.
• United We Dream, the American Immigration Council, and the National Immigration Law Center are organizing to help immigrants in the event of raids.
• Human Rights First is a national organization with roots in Houston that needs help from lawyers.
• The National Immigrant Justice Center represents and advocates for detained adults and children facing removal, supports efforts at the border, and represents parents in the interior who have been separated from their families as a result of aggressive enforcement.
Reading the below information on the Save the Children website made me immediately donate to them.
Emergency Alert
Children’s rights continue to be violated at the border. Vulnerable and terrified, young boys and girls are being held in custody longer than the legal limit, being separated from their families, and more. Save the Children has been advocating to protect children’s rights at the border since June 2018. We are also continuing to address the root causes of migration through our work in Central America and beyond. We urgently need your help to reach every last child in need. A donation to our U.S. Programs Support fund will support all of our work in the U.S. and ensure that children at the border are being treated with care and kindness.
How is Save the Children Helping Children at the Border?
For 100 years, Save the Children has protected the world’s children from harm and ensured their rights are upheld.
Through donor support, we are the only national response agency working in transit shelters focused on the unique needs of children.
Our work at the border is focused on delivering immediate humanitarian aid to newly arrived children and families. In partnership with our political advocacy arm Save the Children Action Network, we continue to advocate for children, speaking out against violations of children’s rights at the border. And currently, we are supporting transit shelters that care for newly arrived children and families after being released by U.S. Customs & Border Patrol.
We are also continuing to address the root causes of migration through our work in Central America with longstanding programs primarily focused on children and adolescents in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.
But we can’t do any of this important work without the support and the generosity of people like you.
4 Things You Need to Know About Children in Crisis at the Border
Save the Children is gravely concerned about the treatment and well-being of children who are in the custody of the United States government after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Children’s rights continue to be violated at the border – being held in custody longer than the legal limit, being separated from their families, and more. Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
1. Many of the families and unaccompanied children arriving at the border are fleeing from a complex mix of social and economic factors.
For years, a complex crisis of violence, brutal gangs and entrenched poverty has driven children and families to flee the Northern Triangle of Central America – El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – and seek safety and protection in the United States. According to an April 2019 Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council report, family unit migration at the U.S.-Mexico Border has surged by 600% over the previous year.
2. Separating a child from his or her family unnecessarily is inhumane, traumatic and simply put, unacceptable.
The cruel act of separation can cause severe negative social and emotional consequences for the children and their families in the days, months and years ahead. Our global evidence shows that children living in institutions away from their families are highly vulnerable to emotional, physical and psychological abuse, which can lead to lasting developmental problems, injuries and trauma.
3. Save the Children is the only national response agency working in transit shelters focused on the unique needs of children.
Currently, Save the Children is growing the capacity of local transit centers on the southern U.S. border that serve children and families after being released by U.S. Customs & Border Patrol. We are providing our renowned child-friendly spaces, where kids can be kids again, express themselves and begin to cope. Our child safeguarding experts are ensuring children are protected and providing technical training to local municipalities about how to safely serve children.
4. Every child has a right to safety, protection and a future.
Children should not have to experience the trauma that comes from daily threats, a terrifying journey, forcefully being removed from their parents, facing danger at the border or being held indefinitely by the U.S. government.
“Prolonging the detention of young children and ignoring their legal rights is not a constructive deterrent for combating the migrant crisis at our border, and is not a solution befitting our great nation,” said Mark Shriver, Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs & Advocacy. “Children are innocent victims at the border and our government has a responsibility to treat them humanely and with dignity.”
Please join me in the Low Budget Philanthropy movement and help out your community and beyond in the simplest way - donating any amount to whatever charity or organisation that you care about!
This whole fucking mess with immigration and the concentration camps at the Mexican Border is so sickening that I can't sleep some nights. It's horrifying to think of what those people are going through, especially the kids, and it's awful to sit here in my home so far away and feel like I can't do anything to help. So I Googled "how to help with the border crisis" and came to an article on Slate that led me to some sites where I can help a little with donating money.
Last year, after the initial news reports about family separations, we provided some suggestions for how people might be able to help. We’ve now updated our list of reputable organizations working to provide support to those affected. If you think this is a humanitarian crisis, you should also call your local, state, and/or national representatives.
• KIND—Kids in Need of Defense—has been leading advocacy efforts for kids in immigration detention.
• The Women’s Refugee Commission is leading national efforts against family separation and child detention to preserve access to asylum, increase use of alternatives to detention, and improve detention conditions.
• The Catholic Legal Immigration Network plays a crucial role coordinating legal services in response to administration-created crises.
• The ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project is litigating these and other policies at the border.
• RAICES is the largest immigration nonprofit in Texas offering free and low-cost legal services to immigrant children and families.
• Al Otro Lado serves indigent deportees, migrants, and refugees in Los Angeles and Tijuana, Mexico.
• The Florence Project provides legal and social services to detained immigrants in Arizona.
• Lawyers for Good Government suggests that you can contribute to the Project Corazon Travel Fund to send more lawyers (particularly Spanish-speaking immigration lawyers) to the detention centers and refugee camps. You can also pledge your frequent flier miles to help get more lawyers to the border and volunteer as a lawyer or translator. (I decided to donate to the Project Corazon.)
• Justice in Motion has created a network of human rights lawyers and nongovernmental organizations across Mexico and Central America to find parents deported without their children and help families reunite in their countries of origin.
• Immigrant Families Together supports bonds, living expenses, and medical and legal needs of migrant families.
• Innovation Law Lab builds tools for immigration-related crisis response, aiming to improve representation and due process.
• ActBlue has a one-click button to support many of these organizations at once.
• Lights for Liberty is doing local event coordination and is organizing nationwide protests and vigils being planned for July 12.
• United We Dream, the American Immigration Council, and the National Immigration Law Center are organizing to help immigrants in the event of raids.
• Human Rights First is a national organization with roots in Houston that needs help from lawyers.
• The National Immigrant Justice Center represents and advocates for detained adults and children facing removal, supports efforts at the border, and represents parents in the interior who have been separated from their families as a result of aggressive enforcement.
Reading the below information on the Save the Children website made me immediately donate to them.
Emergency Alert
Children’s rights continue to be violated at the border. Vulnerable and terrified, young boys and girls are being held in custody longer than the legal limit, being separated from their families, and more. Save the Children has been advocating to protect children’s rights at the border since June 2018. We are also continuing to address the root causes of migration through our work in Central America and beyond. We urgently need your help to reach every last child in need. A donation to our U.S. Programs Support fund will support all of our work in the U.S. and ensure that children at the border are being treated with care and kindness.
How is Save the Children Helping Children at the Border?
For 100 years, Save the Children has protected the world’s children from harm and ensured their rights are upheld.
Through donor support, we are the only national response agency working in transit shelters focused on the unique needs of children.
Our work at the border is focused on delivering immediate humanitarian aid to newly arrived children and families. In partnership with our political advocacy arm Save the Children Action Network, we continue to advocate for children, speaking out against violations of children’s rights at the border. And currently, we are supporting transit shelters that care for newly arrived children and families after being released by U.S. Customs & Border Patrol.
We are also continuing to address the root causes of migration through our work in Central America with longstanding programs primarily focused on children and adolescents in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.
But we can’t do any of this important work without the support and the generosity of people like you.
4 Things You Need to Know About Children in Crisis at the Border
Save the Children is gravely concerned about the treatment and well-being of children who are in the custody of the United States government after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Children’s rights continue to be violated at the border – being held in custody longer than the legal limit, being separated from their families, and more. Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
1. Many of the families and unaccompanied children arriving at the border are fleeing from a complex mix of social and economic factors.
For years, a complex crisis of violence, brutal gangs and entrenched poverty has driven children and families to flee the Northern Triangle of Central America – El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – and seek safety and protection in the United States. According to an April 2019 Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council report, family unit migration at the U.S.-Mexico Border has surged by 600% over the previous year.
2. Separating a child from his or her family unnecessarily is inhumane, traumatic and simply put, unacceptable.
The cruel act of separation can cause severe negative social and emotional consequences for the children and their families in the days, months and years ahead. Our global evidence shows that children living in institutions away from their families are highly vulnerable to emotional, physical and psychological abuse, which can lead to lasting developmental problems, injuries and trauma.
3. Save the Children is the only national response agency working in transit shelters focused on the unique needs of children.
Currently, Save the Children is growing the capacity of local transit centers on the southern U.S. border that serve children and families after being released by U.S. Customs & Border Patrol. We are providing our renowned child-friendly spaces, where kids can be kids again, express themselves and begin to cope. Our child safeguarding experts are ensuring children are protected and providing technical training to local municipalities about how to safely serve children.
4. Every child has a right to safety, protection and a future.
Children should not have to experience the trauma that comes from daily threats, a terrifying journey, forcefully being removed from their parents, facing danger at the border or being held indefinitely by the U.S. government.
“Prolonging the detention of young children and ignoring their legal rights is not a constructive deterrent for combating the migrant crisis at our border, and is not a solution befitting our great nation,” said Mark Shriver, Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs & Advocacy. “Children are innocent victims at the border and our government has a responsibility to treat them humanely and with dignity.”
Please join me in the Low Budget Philanthropy movement and help out your community and beyond in the simplest way - donating any amount to whatever charity or organisation that you care about!
Friday, June 28, 2019
Stonewall 50
On June 10th (which would have been Judy Garland's 97th birthday!) Ashlee and I visited The Stonewall Inn. We sat in the bar, out of the torrential rain, and did not feel unwelcome or awkward, as we had at the last bar we were at back in 2014. Not being much of a drinker, I explained this to the cute lil' Asian twink bartender and added, "can we just get somethin' fruity and yummy? Oh, and go easy on the booze, cuz I'm old and I don't wanna leave here, fall in the downpour and break a hip." He served us up a couple glasses of Sex on the Beach, which I have wanted to try since back in high school when it seemed like the funniest thing in the world to order that drink (clearly I was super immature). We toasted to "Donna, our favourite lesbian" and took a sip. Delish! We chatted, bought t-shirts, and relaxed for a bit before heading back out into the gloom. The bar is small but charming, and every single person working there was super nice and friendly. I was seriously disappointed that they had the ability to play an old film (silently, with subtitles, which meant people could hold conversations) but put on Neptune's Daughter. What the hell?! Clearly this place was being run by some young whippersnappers. If we had some old queens runnin' the joint that day, you can bet your sweet bippy that they'd have been playing all Judy, all day. Some In the Good Old Summertime, The Pirate with hot young Gene Kelly, and of course some Wizard of Oz. What a missed opportunity. But regardless it was a wonderful experience and I'm glad I got to visit the place where the LGBTQ+ movement found it's beginnings. As an ally to the community since I was a teenager, it felt good to celebrate Donna's memory in such a historical place.
(Sex on the Beach photo by Ashlee)
(This is my pin that I bought about 18 years ago in a little shop near South Street in Philly. Sadly, they didn't make a Stonewall 50 pin...)
Thursday, June 27, 2019
May 2019 Donations
ACLU - American Civil Liberties Union
When looking into organisations and groups that are fighting for equality, the ACLU ranked at the top. It's so easy to become enraged at the injustices and inequalities in our world but it makes me very, very happy to know that there are so many others out there that agree with me and want to make a change. The ACLU is one of my favourites. This is why:
For almost 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
Whether it’s achieving full equality for LGBT people, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age of widespread government surveillance, ending mass incarceration, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.
With more than 2 million members, activists, and supporters, the ACLU is a nationwide organization that fights tirelessly in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., to safeguard everyone’s rights.
Planned Parenthood
It had been a long while since I tossed some money toward this organisation and now it seems that they need my support more than ever.
Who We Are:
In October 2016, Planned Parenthood turned 100 years strong. Planned Parenthood was founded on the revolutionary idea that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams — no ceilings, no limits.
Today, Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide.
Please join me in the Low Budget Philanthropy movement and help out your community and beyond in the simplest way - donating any amount to whatever charity or organisation that you care about!
When looking into organisations and groups that are fighting for equality, the ACLU ranked at the top. It's so easy to become enraged at the injustices and inequalities in our world but it makes me very, very happy to know that there are so many others out there that agree with me and want to make a change. The ACLU is one of my favourites. This is why:
For almost 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
Whether it’s achieving full equality for LGBT people, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age of widespread government surveillance, ending mass incarceration, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.
With more than 2 million members, activists, and supporters, the ACLU is a nationwide organization that fights tirelessly in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., to safeguard everyone’s rights.
Planned Parenthood
It had been a long while since I tossed some money toward this organisation and now it seems that they need my support more than ever.
Who We Are:
In October 2016, Planned Parenthood turned 100 years strong. Planned Parenthood was founded on the revolutionary idea that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams — no ceilings, no limits.
Today, Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide.
Please join me in the Low Budget Philanthropy movement and help out your community and beyond in the simplest way - donating any amount to whatever charity or organisation that you care about!
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Foster Gratitude
Foster gratitude: Write a list of things you are thankful for.
•Loved ones:
David
Wayne
Xavier
Mum
Jackson
Syd
Zach
Mary
Stacey
Lucy
Bishop
Pax
Ashlee
Sean
Bailey
Avery
Terri
Amy
Anne
Kayla
Jaeden
Isabella
Natalia
Godmommy
Aunt Berne
•a home
•a vehicle
•my six senses (women's intuition is my #6)
•books
•music
•film
•art
•The Colonial Theatre and it's wonderful Retro Cinema
•a job that provides me with health insurance and pays my bills
•all my past adventures and the memories that sustain me for when I'm not traveling
•having grown up in a family that was supportive - never knowing abuse as a child
•being relatively healthy but still striving to be better
•all the crappy things that happened in my life because they led me to right here
•Svengoolie on Saturday nights with Pax and Bishop! (plus TattleTales on Buzzr!)
•free will
•food
•the ability to travel, even though it has plunged me into immense debt
•TV shows that sustain me in dark times and make me smile (Hart to Hart, The Rockford Files, and Pushing Daisies)
•safety
•Bernie Sanders, who is restoring my faith in old white men
•oddles and oodles of more things that I am grateful for and make life worth living
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Brother Wayne is Back
Wayne was away for a 30 day long silent retreat but recently returned. Before he left, since he'd be on radio silence, I gave him a big envelope with 30 posties, cards, notes, and letters to keep him sane. Nothing astronomical, but I figured it'd be nice for him to read something other than the stinkin' Bible! His text when he was heading home to PA assured me that I did the right thing. (I never know if I'm being a huge nerd-o or really helping someone through a tough time, ya know?)
Monday, June 24, 2019
A Message from the Hereafter?
When Ash and I went to Fishs Eddy on the 10th to celebrate Pride and her mom, Donna, we filled out post-it notes that would be displayed in their windows. I wrote the first one for Ashlee and put it in the box. Yesterday I was on Instagram and saw part of that post-it on Fishs Eddy's page. It felt like Donna was sending it back to us to let us know she got our note. Reminded me of the time a few months after she died when I dreamt that she called me on my old Spongebob-faceplated Nokia 5120 cell to say that she "just got through", which I took to mean that she finally made it past the security gates in the after-world. "Are you okay?" I asked, getting teary-eyed. "Yeah," came her usual blah voice, "I'm gonna go shopping."
I miss you, Donna.
Sunday, June 23, 2019
"Jaws" at The Colonial
Amy and I met up in Phoenixville and saw the annual showing of Jaws at The Colonial Theatre. I'm so glad we got there early because they had selfie booths, tons of people decked out in Jaws t-shirts, and even a raffle for fun prizes! Loyal readers will remember that back in 2014, lil' brother Xavier and I saw this movie on the big screen at The Castro Theatre. Both performances featured live organ music and this time it was a young high school student, Brett Miller, who just blew my freakin' mind. He was superb. Next year I am definitely gonna take Zach and Jackson because Amy and I had such a great time!
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Outta This World
Oh why, oh why do I torture myself and continue to allow Krispy Kreme to send me emails with photos as delicious as this one!?!
Friday, June 21, 2019
May 2019 Books
* By Myself and Then Some ¹ ² by Lauren Bacall - Would have liked this to be unabridged, but it was still a treat to hear Ms. Bacall read to me and remind me of things I'd read in her exceptional book Now.
♥ Unsinkable ¹ by Debbie Reynolds - Fabulous autobiography and Debbie was outstanding to listen to. What a talent and what an absolute doll.
* The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up ¹ by Marie Kondo - I am still daydreaming about the Fall and how I plan to Marie Kondo the shit out of my place!
Signifying Rappers ¹ by David Foster Wallace
* Wishful Drinking ¹ by Carrie Fisher
* On Tennis ¹ by David Foster Wallace
* The Naked Face by Sidney Sheldon
♥ Bad Dad by David Wallaims
♥ Murder Never Knocks ¹ by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins - Oh this was such a great Mike Hammer book! I loved driving around at night, alone, just me and Stacy Keach's knee-weakening voice telling me all about Hammer and Velda, dodging bullets, rescuing dolls and dames, and taking down the bad guys.
* Elevation by Stephen King - Pax loaned me this novella and it was an unexpected treat, as well as my first Stephen King book. More from that author to come, that's for sure.
* Ghost Buddy: Mind If I Read Your Mind ¹ by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
* Ghost Buddy: How to Scare Your Pets ¹ by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
* The Seven Spiritual Laws to Success ¹ by Deepak Chopra - I liked what Deepak Chopra said so much that I bought a copy of the book to go over and make notes and turn words into action and try to better my little bitty life.
Kill Me, Darling ¹ by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
* Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption ¹ by Stephen King - Fantastic, except for the rape scenes, which I knew were coming and just jumped ahead, and the film did it justice. Just a wonderful, wonderful story.
* Bogart: In Search of My Father ¹ by Stephen Bogart - Would have liked to have Stephen read his book, but the narrator did a flawless job and the story of Little Stevie and Noël Coward cracked me up. (For those of you not in the know, when Steve was four he, according to onlooker David Niven, snuck up behind Noël and cracked him on the back of the head with a tray. Noël didn't react, didn't turn around, just looked to Bogart and said (if memory serves) "Bogie, darling, I know what I'll get little Stevie for Christmas. A chocolate covered grenade.")
* The Night Listener by Armistead Maupin - Good. Not superb or anything, but definitely a page turner that held my interest. (The movie was a bit of a disappointment and I'm glad I read the book first.)
A Single Man ¹ by Christopher Isherwood - I couldn't wait for this to end. I was bored beyond belief.
♥ Hank Zipzer: Niagara Falls, or Does It? ¹ by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver - I want every single audiobook that Henry Winkler reads because he cracks me the hell up. Oh, and his books (along with co-author Lin Oliver) bring me such joy.
* F**k: An Irreverent History of the F- Word ¹ by Rufus Lodge - This book was beautifully read by Richard E. Grant (who I've made a mental note of his name and face and followed him since 1992 when he was in The Player) and was super interesting and pretty funny at times.
¹ - audiobook
² - abridged version
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.
Signifying Rappers ¹ by David Foster Wallace
* Wishful Drinking ¹ by Carrie Fisher
* On Tennis ¹ by David Foster Wallace
* The Naked Face by Sidney Sheldon
♥ Bad Dad by David Wallaims
♥ Murder Never Knocks ¹ by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins - Oh this was such a great Mike Hammer book! I loved driving around at night, alone, just me and Stacy Keach's knee-weakening voice telling me all about Hammer and Velda, dodging bullets, rescuing dolls and dames, and taking down the bad guys.
* Ghost Buddy: Mind If I Read Your Mind ¹ by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
* Ghost Buddy: How to Scare Your Pets ¹ by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Kill Me, Darling ¹ by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins
* Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption ¹ by Stephen King - Fantastic, except for the rape scenes, which I knew were coming and just jumped ahead, and the film did it justice. Just a wonderful, wonderful story.
* Bogart: In Search of My Father ¹ by Stephen Bogart - Would have liked to have Stephen read his book, but the narrator did a flawless job and the story of Little Stevie and Noël Coward cracked me up. (For those of you not in the know, when Steve was four he, according to onlooker David Niven, snuck up behind Noël and cracked him on the back of the head with a tray. Noël didn't react, didn't turn around, just looked to Bogart and said (if memory serves) "Bogie, darling, I know what I'll get little Stevie for Christmas. A chocolate covered grenade.")
A Single Man ¹ by Christopher Isherwood - I couldn't wait for this to end. I was bored beyond belief.
² - abridged version
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Toy Story is Back!!
I have been waiting for years for this movie to at last be released. It's so exciting!!!
(photo kidnapped from cathaycinemas)
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Indignant
Johnny Mathis & Jane Olivor - The Last Time I Felt Like This
Jill Scott - The Way
Teena Marie - Tune in Tomorrow
Ani DiFranco - Hello Birmingham
Christina Aguilera - Loving Me 4 Me
Charles Mingus - Haitian Fight Song
Mildred Bailey - When That Man is Dead and Gone
Madonna - Don't Tell Me
John Barry - High Road & End Title
Alpha - Sometime Later
Morrissey - Little Man, What Now
William Shatner - Rocketman
Tom Waits - Romeo is Bleeding
Isle of Q - Little Scene
Janis Joplin - Get It While You Can
Don McLean - The Grave
18 February 2005
Jill Scott - The Way
Teena Marie - Tune in Tomorrow
Ani DiFranco - Hello Birmingham
Christina Aguilera - Loving Me 4 Me
Charles Mingus - Haitian Fight Song
Mildred Bailey - When That Man is Dead and Gone
Madonna - Don't Tell Me
John Barry - High Road & End Title
Alpha - Sometime Later
Morrissey - Little Man, What Now
William Shatner - Rocketman
Tom Waits - Romeo is Bleeding
Isle of Q - Little Scene
Janis Joplin - Get It While You Can
Don McLean - The Grave
18 February 2005
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Jeffrey
•Steven Weber - I really only know Steven from his role in Jeffrey, although at the time I knew that he was starring in Wings on telly, but I never watched that show. I thought he was superb as Jeffrey and to this day, that scene where he is auditioning for the role of the cop and busts in the door, karate kicks and his shoe flies off still kills me. I will double over laughing every time.
•Michael T. Weiss - Known primarily for his hotness and his fab TV series The Pretender. I loved seeing his charming, sassy cameo in Sex and the City 2 - he was the only decent thing in that pile of gar-bage.
•Bryan Batt - Talk about a dreamboat! I was so pleased to see him pop up a couple years later in Kiss Me, Guido and of course he was perfect as Sal in Mad Men.
•Sigourney Weaver - She'll always be Dian Fossey to me. This woman can't turn in a bad performance. She is just beyond incredible.
•Kathy Najimy - She stole the show in Sister Act and continued to do so in Veronica's Closet and most recently in Veep.•Nathan Lane - An icon, plain and simple, who has had me cracking up since Frankie and Johnny in 1991.
•Kevin Nealon - SNL alum!
•Olympia Dukakis - My fave credits include Tales of the City, Steel Magnolias (of course), Look Who's Talking, and Cloudburst.
•Robert Klein - He's most familiar to me from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, but check him out on iMDB - he's been in everything!
•Christine Baranski - I loved her as Cybill's best pal!
•Victor Garber - This fella has been in so many incredible projects and in Martin Short's book he spoke of what a nice guy Victor is, but I think I liked him best in Legally Blonde (he was such a dirtbag in that!), Argo, Milk, and the best, best, BEST was his guest appearance on Nurse Jackie.
•Camryn Manheim - I knew she was in Ally McBeal, but I never watched it, so I really only knew her from seeing her as a guest on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. In the episode she, knowing sign language, went as a buddy for a deaf woman who was fearful of getting a mammogram. Then I saw her in The L Word years later.
•Ethan Phillips - A wonderful character actor whose face is instantly recognisable, but who I know best from his role as the lawyer in one of the best episodes of Pushing Daisies: Robbing Hood.
•Patrick Stewart - The whole reason why I went to see Jeffrey was an article I read where he talked of how much fun he had filming it. He was absolutely brilliant as Sterling.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Spark Happiness
I bought these fun, faux matchsticks from ModCloth a while back and decided to try to do one a week. That doesn't seem too tough? Kind of a fun lil' project for myself. So here goes on the first one.
Write down one thing you love about 5 different people.
• Bailey - Her genuine excitement when I come over to visit. The best was the night I came over and she had no clue I was showing up. I walked in the door, she was seated on the sofa, looked over, then went back to watching TV. Suddenly she snapped her head back when she realised it was me and launched herself, belly first, off the couch and screamed "Yeeeeeessssssa!!!!"
• Anne - I so admire her ability to dive right in and try new things. This woman is fearless. She wanted to take up ballroom dancing and she did. All by herself. Then she wanted to try yoga and began taking a class as well. She will go into the city alone and see symphonies and opera. If there's no one that can or wants to join her, that doesn't stop her.
• Sydney - This girl is creative to the core of her being. She is constantly thinking of artistic ways to do everything. She has such an eye for bohemian style and fashion, draws incredibly and even had one of her pieces turned into a tattoo for a friend, she took up sewing so that she could thrift shop for clothes (she's also an environmentalist) and wanted to alter certain pieces to fit her small frame. It seems that whatever she wants to do, she excels at, and it's really wonderful to see the woman she is becoming.
• Stuart - The man behind The AIDS Memorial on Instagram. His never-ending efforts to create a safe place for people to remember loved ones lost and to be able to read through the comments and NEVER read ANYTHING cruel or negative (except maybe the post about Roy Cohn, but that monster deserved every nasty comment he got) is a rare thing in social media. Stuart has introduced me to so many lives that I never would have been touched by and his work is monumentally important in my life. In a Loverboy article he stated the following as his reason for creating the page:
So many people have passed away and been forgotten. Maybe not by their relatives or friends, of course, but AIDS is not a subject that we want to be reminded of. Older people don’t want to relive it. It’s too painful and there is still the feeling they will be judged all over again for being connected to someone who died of AIDS. Then the younger generation? Well, why would they be interested? Even though a generation of artists, activists and every day folk were just wiped out, it is now all ancient history to them.
However, I have always been interested in these stories, long before I created The AIDS Memorial (TAM) last April. Yes, there is The AIDS Quilt, there are public memorials but I have always wanted something more accessible and human. Not a block of stone as a substitute or a relic hidden away just like AIDS was/is! I wanted to instantly share the stories that I found.
• Mary - My sister-in-law possesses a seemingly effortless joy in her life that she exudes. It's physically contagious. Her laugh is pure perfection and always brings a smile to my face. Whenever I have news that I want a huge reaction or a pat on the back, I always turn to Mary because she will be an ecstatic cheerleader and make me feel all kinds of wonderful. I absolutely adore her.
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Girlfriends Reunite!
Lovely Miss Cecilia is in town for a week and tonight I picked her up (at just about the cutest Airbnb in the US of A) and we went for Mexican grub (guac and chippies for moi) and met up with our old Bosslady, Denese. We talked about Cec's new love, Michael, (who is a perfect match for her!) and about Denese's life since retiring. It was so nice to sit with them both in person and catch each other up. Love these gals!!
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Friday, June 14, 2019
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Wayne Dyer on Failure
Failure is an illusion. No one ever fails at anything. Everything you do produces a result.
(photo kidnapped from dymocks)
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