Random Notes

The friendly UPS driver delivered my 40 GB iPod Tuesday morning, and it's still sitting quietly on the table without a single MP3 in it. My computer is semi-comatose (a problem which should be fixed early next week) and I can't transfer songs to it. For now, it's a paperweight which plays Solitaire.



I've played a lot of Solitaire on it, too. I have a better and easier to use game on my PDA, but the crazy desire to be able to interact with my latest technopurchase keeps me running my thumb over the dial so I can pretend to get some use out of it.



In other news, I discovered a fun fact about Blender, a music magazine my friend Sherry passes my way when it arrives in her box. Most of the pages have a brief song lyric near the page number. They're very unobtrusive, and I hadn't noticed them until I scanned the letters page and saw people writing in with their "Name That Tune" responses.



I lack the musical background to be able to name many of the songs, but I had to laugh when I saw one page's lyric was "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer..."

I was amused to hear about this site, which has to have one of the longest domain names I've ever seen. It's called JohnKerryIsADoucheBagButImVotingForHimAnyway.com, and it's certainly appealing to anyone who detests the Bush administration but hasn't been able to wholeheartedly embrace his Democratic rival.



I'll freely admit I'd vote for a 90-year-old Punky Brewster impersonator whose under investigation by the IRS for "Margeaux-related obfuscation" before I'd grant Dubya a second term, but I don't mind voting for Kerry. I can relate to him, and I'd rather have someone who overintellectualizes every issue (like I tend to do) than someone who points at a map and says "D'uh... bomb that."



"That's Canada."



"Oh. Can't you people put labels on these things?"

Hopkins came to visit and bought a case of Diet Pepsi Vanilla during our grocery run. He left Wednesday and the case remains... although there's only one can left at this point. I normally avoid "diet" anything because the taste is anathema to me, but this stuff is pretty decent. Damn you, Hopkins.

I've had mornings where working is difficult because you have a song stuck in your head, but this is the first time I can remember having it rough because of an entire soundtrack. All morning, Hair was playing in the mental background. I'd be putting pages together and bouncing my feet while humming "Donna" or "White Boys."



I've always liked Hair. My friend John introduced me to it, and I used to borrow the disc from my then-boyfriend Cris when we were at Glenville. It's one of those discs which can make me feel bouncy and energetic no matter what mood I'm in.

I was very happy to discover Gamers Experimentations this week. It's devoted to gay gamers (or "Gaymers"). I've spent a decent amount of time on GameFAQs' message boards, but somehow I wasn't connecting with a bunch of straight 14-year-olds (and won't John Ashcroft be relieved to hear that -- I simply must share my self-denial strategy with Michael Jackson).



Any message board which has threads like "Which Final Fantasy guy is the hottest?" gets my devotion. (Answer: Squall from FF8).

The toughest part of stumbling on a parody site like WhiteHouse.org is realizing you can't afford to buy one of everything in the gift shop. I've decided I need a coffee mug with a "Thought Criminal" slogan on it.



I caught a few minutes of Bush's press conference the other night, and I love watching him blow off questions like "Why do you and Cheney have to testify together?" I'd love to see something like this:



"Uh, we want to answer questions, Bill."



"Yeah, but why together."



"Next question. Tom?"



"Thank you, Mr. President. Why won't you answer Bill's question?"



"Next question. Diane."



"Thank you, Mr. President. Why are you ducking the question?"



Then Karl Rove steps in and says "This conference is over" before taking Bush home so he can play Splinter Cell deathmatch against the Secret Service. They let him win every time.

NYU's e-zine "ReadMe" contains a profile of Law Dork blogger Chris Geidner called "If You've Got It, Blog It." I have to recommend this article because, well, I'm quoted in it. The author had e-mailed some questions a few weeks ago, asking my opinion on blogging and the same-sex marriage debate.



I don't believe blogging has a direct impact on the fight for civil marriage rights, but I believe blogs can provide insight to the gay community for people (readers) who might not otherwise have it. People tend to be more accepting of gay people as equals when they know a few. If you're living in some isolated county where they pipe in sunlight and it seems like they're still working on importing 1950s television, being able to at least read about the lives of gay and lesbian people can be as influential as having a gay friend.



In my own life, I've seen my position on marriage rights for gay people go from apathy to zealot after reading the experiences of other gay men. I didn't think it could happen for me so I didn't care if it happened for anyone else, but I've stopped selling myself short as I've read more about what's possible.

My rows of paperback books no longer reach to chest height. I sorted through them Saturday morning and filled three more bags, bringing my total donations to the office's charity book sale to 110 books. It's an extensive mix of science fiction, mysteries, thrillers and horror.



A few craptacular examples escaped the cut. The sci-fi/horror hybrid Transformations is staying on my shelf because I was reading it one of the times I lost my virginity. The William Johnstone Ashes novels -- a men's adventure series whose plots are always "We kick their asses, and then we move to this town and kick their asses before finishing up with some ass-kicking -- are staying because it's remotely possible I'll want to read them again. L. Ron Hubbard's Mission Earth books are staying because I've only read seven of the ten-volume novel and may want to read them again before finishing the series, even though I started reading it over a decade ago.



Riffling through those musty pages didn't help this allergic reaction I seem to be having to life in general. I was coughing like a forty-year smoker by the time I was finished.



It's good to have the books out of the way, but my apartment certainly feels diminished. Luckily I still have 600 or so to make me feel complete.

Among the indicators of my eternal damnation, I was surfing the Associated Press for photos and started noticing how many shirtless guys are on the wire now because they're recreating the crucifixion of Jesus. I don't normally turn to the Bible for fantasy material (I leave that to the believers, ha-ha), but I'm clearly going to hell when I'm sitting there thinking That Jesus has great abs. Mary Magdalene needn't be the only whore he knows. I'll clean him up.



*sigh*

I'm constantly misplacing my stamps, so after yesterday's return from the post office I did the only sensible thing: I taped the book to the box of envelopes. That'll teach me... until I lose the envelopes, I suppose.



I've also made the first selection for the charity book sale and rounded up a double-bagged set of 30 paperbacks which I know I'll never touch. There are others like that on my shelf, so I may actually reach 100 books for this thing.



In other news, after watching the last few minutes of Extreme Makeover while waiting for Kingdom Hospital, I realized I don't dislike Queer Eye for the Straight Guy because of the crazy gay stereotypes it perpetuates... I just hate it because it's a fucking makeover show. *yawn*



They've announced Queer Eye for the Straight Girl as a spin-off, but I want to know when they're going to do Queer Eye for the Gay Guy? I could use the help. I've been known to shave against the grain, and the closest I get to "product" is (It's not purple it's) lavender-scented shampoo and conditioner.

The great thing about loving a gadget like the Pocket PC is the sense of community. Just as I made a ton of desktop wallpapers for the computer, I've been making a lot of Pocket PC themes to share. So far the hamster and Justin Timberlake themes are running a tight race.



It's like a sickness. Every time I surf the web and see a neat photo, I think "That would make a good theme." Their naked men category is still pretty anemic.

We're having a small charity book sale at the office, which is ideal because I've been thinking about having another purge lately. There are some books I know I'm never going to read again, so why not give them to a worthy cause?



As I was ranging over the paperbacks trying to find contributions, I thought Do I really want people knowing I had this shit on my shelf?



I'm tempted to throw in The Satanic Bible to see if it sells.

Dear West Virginia Music Purchaser:



As Attorney General for the State of West Virginia, I am pleased to enclose payment for your claim in the settlement of the Compact Disc Minimum Advertised Price Antitrust Litigation. This lawsuit was brought by the Attorneys General of 43 states and three territories and by counsel for Private Class Plaintiffs on behalf of purchasers of music CDs. In accordance with the terms of the court-approved settlement, payment is being made to music purchasers who filed a valid and timely claim.



Whether you filed your claim online or at the settlement web site, www.MusicCDSettlement.com, or by mail, the attached payment represents full payment of your portion of the Settlement. Please note that the attached payment instrument must be cashed by May 20, 2004.



It is a pleasure to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion and to return value to consumers who purchased CDs while the challenged pricing policies were in effect.



Darrell V. McGraw Jr.

Attorney General of West Virginia

Thanks, Mr. McGraw. I'll be sure to reflect on my role in the widening gyre of our increasingly-litigious society when I spend my $13.86 settlement check. I'd forgotten about filing the claim. God Bless America.

The State Supreme Court voted against hearing a petition from three gay couples seeking the right to marry in West Virginia.

Jeremy Davis of Boone County, who joined the petition in mid-March with his partner, Jamie Bailey, said they would fight on even if the court denied the petition. "This is only the beginning," Davis said. "Them turning it down is not the end. It's just a matter of time."

As a gay Boone County boy, I say "Very cool."