The Scots, Shorter Turkey Day, & Shopping UK

Finished the ebook “How the Scots Invented the Modern World” and highly recommend it for history buffs and Anglophiles for a quick and easy, insightful read. I am sure Ur-Spo would enjoy it. And maybe even Ron at (Retired in Delaware) since he's into genealogy and family histories. In fact, anyone who enjoys the historic connections between the Britons and the Americans will learn a great deal that we didn’t read about in our history books. 

The Scottish Enlightenment, the brutal, horrific Highland Clearances, the great thinkers and doers, the proud and wide-spread Philosophy of Scottish Educational System. Absolutely fascinating. It was probably a quick read because so many real life characters were written in a way that made their historic deeds and past lives before - and during - the diaspora that much more interesting. I  hope that makes sense.

I am now on to LOTR which ought to take me well into December and away from anything and everything unpleasant. Since these are real wood-pulp books, they’ll be more of a chore to lug to and from medical appointments, but we’ll get it done.

Special Alert: Today I am in a quandary and I need help.  No matter how much I clear out the one, single closet in this apartment, there is always more to find. I came upon two more large tubs today containing items that must be identified, sorted, cleaned (if usable) thrown away (if not) and that may just be the one thing a shopper at the Thrift store is looking for. I don’t know where it is all coming from and half is unrecognizable. Now Back to Regular Blogging.

I am not looking forward to Thanksgiving. Never really liked the holiday as a kid - too much family mishugass ending in arguments and creating bad feelings

too close to the real holidays.  We weren’t a sports kind of family, so verbally beating up on relatives was the order of the day. As a kid I remember that after helping clean up the kitchen my refuge was the  bedroom where I would listen to music or read for the duration. I was never missed.

Only as a gay adult in a “stable” relationship did I begin relating to the holiday. My house became the go-to place for wayward gays and lesbians with no other place to go. From NYC and NJ, to the Delaware shore. Over the years it became a tradition.  The first year there were 5 waifs; over the years the numbers fluctuated from 5 to 11 and it was all good fun. I usually did the cooking - others brought side dishes or desserts - and everyone else cleaned up.  We'd listen to music, dance and/or watch movies on the teevee machine. Spanning the eras from Vinyl to CD; VHS to DVDs.  Very relaxing times. That life, all those people are long gone. It’s a day like any other, albeit a quieter one and I don’t miss the work and fuss one tiny bit. 

It has been over a month since I ordered the “V” shape pillow from the company in the UK.  It has now been 26 days since I received word that the package had been ‘dispatched’ but to this date, the package has not yet arrived. 

The reply to my request of “Hey! What Gives” returned a familiar excuse to us Americans - “it’s the busiest time of year for the Royal Mail as it is absolutely swamped, so please be patient and give it another 3 to 5 days.”  Well, what else can I do?  They have my money and the damned thing is somewhere between the UK and the US, probably in a small steam powered boat chugging it's way across the Atlantic.  Hhrumph!

I think I’ll partake of one of those Scottish imports that must get old to be respectfully enjoyed.  A bit of single malt Scotch Whisky.  But, that’s for much later…

I am amazed.

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Review: PSB - A Man From The Future

There are few reviews of this performance from last week. A couple I read were written by persons who have no idea who Alan Turing was, or who Pet Shop Boys are.  I found this one to be the most fulfilling, musically honest, and firmly grounded in the essence of the project. It's a 50 - 50 decision here, I think.  But she does know her stuff. The reviewer complains of not enough of Chris Lowe’s synth input in the piece. I’ll wait and see/hear for myself. The fact that the piece was celebrated at all is indicative of the Brit’s love of PSB musically.

I do hope this performance (on my birthday) was recorded for later release, but with PSB, that’s always very iffy, indeed. From The Guardian:

Nomenclature can get tricky when you think outside the box. What are we to call A Man From the Future, the Pet Shop Boys' tribute to mathematician Alan Turing, elegantly premiered last Wednesday at the Proms? A pop oratorio? A classical audiobiography? 

It is narrated by Juliet Stevenson, unkindly housed in a shonky-looking plywood box behind the orchestra. Her steely, authoritative tones remain purposely impassive, a judge passing harsh sentence on an era, even when they describe the death of the Bletchley Park code-breaker's first love from tuberculosis. A lonely bell clangs for this boy called Chris. Later, it clangs for Turing himself, as the piece in eight movements draws to an intense close. We pop heathens do know not to clap in between them. 

Turing died young of cyanide poisoning, an assumed suicide, after the innovative mathematician suffered chemical castration and lost his security clearance in the wake of a conviction for gross indecency. (Some do wonder whether his death was in fact suicide .)  

His tale works as an operatic tragedy and this piece is extensively sung: by the BBC Singers, augmented by Neil Tennant, who frequently refers to a score housed in a large red folder. They function like a Greek chorus, repeating Stevenson's words theatrically, picking out phrases to drum home. "Can you feel what I think? Do you feel what I feel?" they demand, teasing out the elements of Turing's outer and inner lives. The Enigma code-breaker imagined a "universal machine" that could compute, as far back as the war; boxes, now called computers, that could think outside the box. Turing's innermost feelings, of course, ran painfully counter to the law of the day, and the discussion of his gay leanings gets a breezy, almost swinging treatment, full of longing. 

Mainly, though, this tribute is lavishly orchestrated. The BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Dominic Wheeler, is doing the heavy lifting tonight. As the piece is often stirring or sad, the strings out-rank the brass and woodwind; I would have liked to hear more from the less strident corners of the ensemble. PSB synth jockey Chris Lowe is hidden at the very back beside some sound guys, identifiable only by a pair of fat red headphones and a baseball cap. Magnificently diffident, clad in shades and jeans, he comes down at the end and doesn't bow. 

Turing's story is deeply affecting, and the telling of it by an establishment organisation (the BBC, which runs the Proms) in an establishment venue (the Royal Albert Hall) in an establishment idiom (classical) is cause for celebration. We have come far since sodomy and treachery were felt to be synonymous by the state. (Or have we? Gay men who weren't Enigma code-breakers remain unpardoned.) 

But we really could have done with more from Lowe, and modernity more widely. Turing was, after all, a man from The Future. Even given the operatic nature of his tale and the rarefied Proms setting, wrapping this man up in strings seems a contradictory impulse. The very best passages here recall Giorgio by Moroder, a terrific electronic narrative from last year's Daft Punk album, such as when Lowe's vintage analogue sounds, laptop emissions and some unexpected beats (from a man hitting his cello, an excellent touch) penetrate the swell of the classical players.

The rest is HERE.

And so it goes.

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Note: One of the two birthday gifts to arrive without the gifter’s name is a DVD recording of the Pet Shop Boys “Cubism” concert. A gift that I will be viewing this evening for the first time. The first of many more to come, I am sure.

Again, thank you, who ever you are. 

Just a Thought: Cake

No I am not!

Who Is This Man?

Anyone know who this guy is? I see his picture everywhere. I know he’s an actor and currently in the TV show, Game of Thrones, but know nothing about him. Not his name, nothing. I’ve never even heard him speak.

I just want to say that I think he’s extremely sexy.

That great scruffy hair…

That beautiful mouth. 

Those incredible eyes. 

Oh my!  Prissy, get the Rose Water!

When I look at these images my gaydar makes my head itch, so I wonder if he might be gay. Not that it matters. 

As you can tell, I know absolutely nothing about the TV show, which I am told I would probably enjoy. Well, I found something I enjoy about the show, already.

And so it goes.

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The Ultimate, Supreme, Ultimatum Kind of Day

After yesterday’s two units, four injections, three tiny tablets, and a single gel cap, it’s a wonder I had any kind of appetite left last night.  

Translation: That was 2 units of fresh blood, 1 injection of Benadryl, 1 of Lasix, 3 tiny tabs of an unpronounceable anti-nausea med, 1 gel-cap of potassium, and 2 injections of the Chemo.  I think that was the ultimate out-patient experience one could have in a single day. I was totally exhausted…

But, I did have an appetite. I had enough energy to create a stir-fry beef with veggies after the long day at the Center.  It was quite good, considering the fewer tastebuds at my disposal.

Got a call from the Locosguys last night to say how much they miss me.  Eight or nine co-workers grabbed the phone just to yell  “Hello, I miss you”.  Then a few customers got into the act, too. And, you know, as strange as it may sound, I  recognized their individual voices. I guess that’s telling about how much I miss not being there. The call had the usual effect of alternately lifting my spirits and sending me into a mild depression. OK, I’ll take both, then. Better than feeling nothing at all.

On today’s gay agenda, it was day-three for the twin Chemo injections (did you follow that?), and a shot each of Potassium and Lasix. The combination seems to be bringing down the swelling in the feet and ankles, albeit slower than I’d hoped.

The soreness and pain I felt initially is gone, (only the swelling remains) and I had wanted to take my morning walk, but the rains put a damper (ouch! sorry.) on that idea. I could swear those walks help, not aggravate the situation because I always feel better afterwards.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow. 

It was ultimately decided by the Oncologist and nursing staff that the Port-a-Cath has to go. It’s not healing and the rim is about to poke through the top layer of skin. It cannot be used for labs or infusion - the very reasons it was implanted.  So, I called the surgeon to check schedules and when she can do the

deed.  The sooner the better, from what they tell me at the Center.  However, she’s in surgery all day today, so I may not hear anything until tomorrow.

Hurry up - and wait!  Hurry up - and wait…I’m getting pretty good at this.  Think Pavlov’s dog.

A curious message from the local book store owner sent me there on the way home this afternoon.  He’d received a recently published book on Tarot, specifically the symbolism of the Rider Waite Deck. so I went to check it out.  

Titled “The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot” Published a few years ago in Germany, this is the first American printing. Printed on high gloss fine paper with very handsome card reproductions, it was a surprise.

The book offers in-depth explanations of each card’s tableau, as well as details for each card’s basic meaning as: spiritual experience, card of the day, prognosis, love & relationships, success & happiness. And yes, I bought it. 

And, I have a great excuse for the purchase. It will be intensive reading while in bed for hours with my feet elevated to reduce the swelling.  How’s that?  Well, that’s my story and I am sticking to it.  Though in truth, that is where I can be found most of the time. Damn it!

A Stir-fry is on the menu (again) tonight.  Shrimp this time. Light, quick protein and veggies.  Yes!  I need it. Wish I didn't have to prepare it, but I am hungry.  Always a good thing.

Uh-oh! The new hat has just arrived via Fed-Ex. I am afraid to open the package.  Maybe tomorrow I'll muster up the courage to open it.  But, no promises on that.  It depends on how sunny the day will be.  And all that.  If it's sunny and I need it for a walk, I guess I'll have to go with it, won't I?

Oh, for pete's sake.  It's a hat.  Take it out, wear it, enjoy it. It is who I am now. It is what it is.  I must keep repeating this to myself over and over, until I believe it and totally buy into it.  May take a while.

And so it goes.

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Ancient Gay Graffiti Discovered

And it's in Greece!  What a surprise, right? Looks like there was quite a bit 

"mounting" done on the "mountain."

From The Guardian:

Wild, windswept, rocky and remote, Astypalaia is not an obvious place for the unearthing of some of the world's earliest erotic graffiti. 

Chiselled into the outcrops of dolomite limestone that dot the cape, the inscriptions have provided invaluable insight into the private lives of those who inhabited archaic and classical Greece. One, believed to have been carved in the mid-sixth century BC, proclaimed: "Nikasitimos was here mounting Timiona (Νικασίτιμος οἶφε Τιμίονα).  

"We know that in ancient Greece sexual desire between men was not a taboo," added Dr Vlachopoulos, who returned to the far-flung island last week to resume work with a team of topographers, photographers, conservationists and students. "But this graffiti … is not just among the earliest ever discovered. By using the verb in the past continuous [tense], it clearly says that these two men were making love over a long period of time, emphasising the sexual act in a way that is highly unusual in erotic artwork."  

Found at the highest point of the promontory overlooking the Bay of Vathy on the island's north-western tip, the inscription has led the archaeologist to believe that soldiers may once have been garrisoned there. Two penises engraved into limestone beneath the name of Dion, and dating to the fifth century BC, were also discovered at lower heights of the cape. "They would seem to allude to similar behaviour on the part of Dion," said Vlachopoulos.

The rest is HERE.

So much for the wingnut theory that homosexuality is a relatively modern, mostly western problem.  Hrumnf, I say.

NOTE: The image above is from Google and has nothing to do with the story. As you will see if you follow the link, the graffiti stone image is very difficult to decipher, so I replaced it.  So, there.

And so it goes.

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Rainbow Ending for Toronto Pride Day

Mother Nature sure knows how to end a party! Rainbow over Toronto on Pride evening after a day of rains & drizzle.

Seen from the Gay Village.

Can't believe almost the whole thing is captured in this one shot.

Wonder what crazy Unca Pat Robertson will have to say about this on his TeeVee Show?

More later.
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Happy Pride, Two!

The image I posted yesterday is sooo 2013.  This is the tribute to Pride 2014 via  Empire State Pride in all it's glory.

If you celebrated, I hope it was an experience you'll long remember. Cheers!

Onward and Upward!

h/t: JMG

Happy Pride Day

To New York City and the World.

More later.
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Here's to Indiana and Utah!

As if this wasn't enough.  This smack-down just in...

History is being made almost daily.  They’re coming at us fast and furious.  No pun intended. Two in one day.  Truly a “twofer” as it were.

Congratulations to all.

More later.

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Small Town Boy: 30th Anniversary

When this tune was released in 1984 I was a caregiver and up to my eyeballs with AIDS, but something about Somerville’s voice and the tune got into my being. Down deep.  Perfect song for the perfect time. The story of gay-bashing, rejections by family, fear and ultimately - survival.

It became a huge hit world-wide, an anthem, and a sort of watch-cry for gay youth. I was in my 30s and still could easily identify with the pain, anguish, and determination of the song. I've posted the original video a while back, so I'll just go with the new one.

So, here we are 30 years on.  Jimmy Somerville decided to record it again.  This time a more plaintive, low-key version.  Nice to note, he’s still got that fabulous voice.

h/t: JMG

And so it goes.

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Pet Shop Boys Call For Mass Pardons

Pet Shop Boys To Call For Pardons For Thousands Of Men Convicted Of

Homosexual Acts

From the Independent:
BRITAIN: Pet Shop Boys are to use a new orchestral work about the computer pioneer Alan Turing to call for the “tens of thousands of men” imprisoned or fined for committing homosexual acts to be pardoned.
A Man From the Future, created by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, will premiere at the Proms on July 23 .
The Pardon, the last song, references the posthumous pardon granted to Turing, who was prosecuted for gross indecency and chemically castrated in 1952. Tennant and Lowe will urge the government to pardon others convicted before homosexuality was decriminalised in 1967.
“So very many lives were ruined over such a long period,” said Tennant. “Frankly it rather disappoints me that Stonewall [the gay rights group] has not done more. So we’re making the statement ourselves.”

The rest is behind a pay wall.

(Alan Turing, code-breaker and father of the computer, was finally pardoned posthumously last December, 2013.)

And so it goes.

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TMI - Pride 2014

1. Tell me about your first Pride.

June 1970, the first Christopher Street Liberation Day march in NYC. From the Village up Fifth Avenue to Central Park. Stonewall tore the city apart the previous year and things still hadn’t settled down.  There was an uneasy truce with the NYPD and some doubted the first march to commemorate the first anniversary of the riots would happen at all.  It did, it was a mind-blowing experience, (though there was some fear) that so many gay folks came together to make the day happen. 

2. What did that first Pride mean to you?

 FREEDOM! While I was out, it hurt that so many others couldn’t be - but were there, anyway. Masked or disguised, but there. On the other hand it was also “about time” after years of protests and fighting the NYPD, Mayor Lindsey’s City Hall and the mob, who owned every sleazy gay bar in town.

3. How many different Prides have you been to?

I marched in every NYC pride event from the first in 1970 up through 1989 ( a marshal from 84 - 89) when virtually all my friends had died of AIDS. It became too strained, forced, surreal. I marched in Minneapolis Pride in 1982 because I was there on business, so what the hell!

4. Do you fly the Pride Flag and/or stick it to anything?

Used to fly the 4 X 6 size from the house in my previous life. Now there is a small one on my front door, and a sticker on the car. And whenever I write to my elected officials, there is always a rainbow sticker somewhere on the envelope. Just so they know.

5. Do you still celebrate Pride? What does it mean to you now?

I began celebrating again when I moved to Delaware, although their Pride event is an open fair with entertainment, no march or parade, and it happens in September. I don’t spend too much time there. I still get depressed when I remember friends lost and the great times in NYC.

6. Does Pride need improving? If so, what changes would you make?

The only thing I think needs more doing is educating our young’uns about our/their history. Teach them to be proud of who they are every day, not just around friends at a Pride event. A bold step for some here in the tiny state of Delaware, but more and more are choosing to come out.  Makes me proud.

7. How do you give back?

In the early days I was a member of The Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance. Later I worked with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis. In the 80s and 90s (before moving to DE, my then spouse and I were mentors at P-FLAG, NJ. During the height of the AIDS crisis of the 80s I worked within the Buddy System; was full-time care giver for the younger brother of my then spouse, until his death in 1987. I was spent, burned out.  Could never handle that emotional roller coaster ever again. I’ll be around for others, but only in minor supporting roles.  

BONUS

What kind of trouble or embarrassing moment have you had during Pride?

Got my head busted by NYPD for pausing in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral - shouting “Shame, Shame” while shaking my fist at the church. Cop must have been a catholic homophobe, because I got busted pretty good. Missed the post-march event (in those days) in Central Park. Instead, I was at St. Vincent’s hospital receiving stitches and ending the evening with a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red to ease my pain and ego.

Thanks to Sean over at “Just a Jeep Guy”

And so it goes.

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Congratulations Wisconsin

"It is DECLARED that art. XIII, § 13 of the Wisconsin Constitution violates plaintiffs' fundamental right to marry and their right to equal protection of laws under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution."

From Freedom To Marry:

“Today’s decision out of Wisconsin marks the twentieth consecutive ruling by a federal or state judge since last year that a discriminatory state marriage ban is unconstitutional. Across the country, the courts agree: same-sex couples and their families need the dignity of marriage, and anti-marriage laws are indefensible. With over 70 marriage cases now making their way through the courts, today's decision in Wisconsin underscores that all of America is ready for the freedom to marry. It's time now for the Supreme Court to bring resolution nationwide.”

And it is good brother.  And it was God-Damned Good!

And so it goes.

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Congratulations Illinois

And the hits just keep coming!

More later
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Historic Presidential Proclamation

Since June is officially Pride Month, I’ve saved this for today. 

Never thought this could be a reality in my lifetime. I thought marriage equality was surprise enough, but this?  I’m happy that I’ve lived to see it happen.

30 May, 2014

"As progress spreads from State to State, as justice is delivered in the courtroom, and as more of our fellow Americans are treated with dignity and respect -- our Nation becomes not only more accepting, but more equal as well. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, we celebrate victories that have affirmed freedom and fairness, and we recommit ourselves to completing the work that remains.

"Last year, supporters of equality celebrated the Supreme Court's decision to strike down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, a ruling which, at long last, gave loving, committed families the respect and legal protections they deserve. In keeping with this decision, my Administration is extending family and spousal benefits -- from immigration benefits to military family benefits -- to legally married same-sex couples.

"My Administration proudly stands alongside all those who fight for LGBT

rights. Here at home, we have strengthened laws against violence toward LGBT Americans, taken action to prevent bullying and harassment, and prohibited discrimination in housing and hospitals. Despite this progress, LGBT workers in too many States can be fired just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity; I continue to call on the Congress to correct this injustice by passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. And in the years ahead, we will remain dedicated to addressing health disparities within the LGBT community by implementing the Affordable Care Act and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy -- which focuses on improving care while decreasing HIV transmission rates among communities most at risk.

"Our commitment to advancing equality for the LGBT community extends far beyond our borders. In many places around the globe, LGBT people face persecution, arrest, or even state-sponsored execution. This is unacceptable. The United States calls on every nation to join us in defending

the universal human rights of our LGBT brothers and sisters.

"This month, as we mark 45 years since the patrons of the Stonewall Inn defied an unjust policy and awakened a nascent movement, let us honor every brave leader who stood up, sat in, and came out, as well as the allies who supported them along the way. Following their example, let each of us speak for tolerance, justice, and dignity -- because if hearts and minds continue to change over time, laws will too. 

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2014 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people. 

"IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth." - Barack Obama.

Proud of the years I spent with the Gay Activists Alliance and the Gay Liberation Front. They had no money and little support from closeted well-to-do gays. We were angry, scared, pissed, had guts, and more than a few dreams. The image below is that of my friend Craig Rodwell, standing outside of his book store, The Oscar Wilde Booke Shop on Christopher Street, 1969.

And so it goes.

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Coming Soon - Get Milk

And it's about time after 2 or 3 false starts.  Here it is. The unveiling will be at the White House today.

Better late, than never.

More later.
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Congratulations, Pennsylvania

Let the good times roll!  This is just too good.

Has Rick Santorum's head exploded yet! He recommended the judge. #Pennsylvania#gaymarriage— Mike Signorile (@MSignorile) May 20, 2014

And Frothy's isn't the only wing-nut head likely to explode. The usual suspects are in an absolute tizzy this morning. Oh well, hater gonna hate.

More later.
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Congratulations, Oregon!

"Oregon recognizes a marriage of love with the same equal eye that it recognizes a marriage of convenience. It affords the same set of rights and privileges to Tristan and Isolde that it affords to a Hollywood celebrity waking up in Las Vegas with a blurry memory and a ringed finger. It does not, however, afford these very same rights to gay and lesbian couples who wish to marry within the confines of our geographic borders." - US District CourtJudge Michael McShane, in just one of many memorable lines in today's ruling that overturned Oregon's ban on same-sex marriage.

Here's to another round of exploding wing-nut heads. May there be many more to come.

h/t: JMG

More later.
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Michael & Vito

Since this photo - and related video was released the so-called media hounds have been apoplectic in their attempts to identify the smaller white guy wrapped in Michael’s arms sucking face.

Well, his name is Vito Cammisano, who was on the swim team - and OUT athlete - at the same university as Michael.  I think they make a handsome couple.  I don’t care what the homophobic sports jocks think.

As you may know, I am not a fan of American (grunt) Football.  I prefer soccer, for obvious reasons. That's another story. But, I do have one major concern, however. And that is accidents (or otherwise major injuries) to Michael on the playing field.  Call me paranoid, but I don’t trust the locker room mentality of these guys, most of whom cannot write an intelligent sentence or speak in words of more than 2 syllables. If you get my drift.

Still, I think they make a great couple and wish them both well.

More later.

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