The Queer as Folk Phenomenon

I just finished watching the fourth season of Queer as Folk (American version) on DVD. I am sorry to say that I was disappointed in the direction (or lack thereof) that the show has taken and I have one word to summarize the experience: boring. This is a shocking statement if you know anything about the show. The first season was the most explosive and provocative thing to happen to cable television. Not only was the show well produced, it took chances thematically and visually, which is why I was one of its biggest proponents. Season two was also very good. Unfortunately there has been a decline in thematic motivation since season three and the show is now caught in gridlock. Simply put, the dialogue is a rehashing of what was once brash and new and the characters just seem to be stuck in a rut.

However, I cannot recommend the first and second seasons highly enough. Go out and rent them if you have a socially responsible bone in your body. If for nothing else, do it to send a big "F--k you" to an industry (and society) that refuses to reward the show because of its controversial subject matter.

Queer as Folk will challenge you.

Sept. 11: Four Years Later

It is unbelievable to me that another 9/11 is here. It's even more incredible that it actually happened and was not just a nightmare. Recent events in New Orleans remind me of the destruction and grief that were caused on 9/11 by human will rather than nature's fury. September is an unlucky month for this country to say the least.

For all of those who died in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, you will never be forgotten, rest in peace. I pray for your family, friends and relatives.

God Bless America

The Power of Two

If songs are poetry that speak of human experience, then the lyrics to The Power of Two by the Indigo Girls are some of my favorite....

THE POWER OF TWO

Now the parking lot is empty
Everyone’s gone someplace
I pick you up and in the trunk I’ve packed
A cooler and a 2-day suitcase
'Cause there’s a place we like to drive
Way out in the country
Five miles out of the city limit we’re singing
And your hand’s upon my knee

So we’re okay
We’re fine
Baby I’m here to stop your crying
Chase all the ghosts from your head
I’m stronger than the monster beneath your bed
Smarter than the tricks played on your heart
We’ll look at them together then we’ll take them apart
Adding up the total of a love that’s true
Multiply life by the power of two

You know the things that I am afraid of
I’m not afraid to tell
And if we ever leave a legacy
It’s that we loved each other well
'Cause I’ve seen the shadows of so many people
Trying on the treasures of youth
But a road that's fancy and fast
Ends in a fatal crash
And I’m glad we got off
To tell you the truth

Cause we’re okay
We’re fine
Baby I’m here to stop your crying
Chase all the ghosts from your head
I’m stronger than the monster beneath your bed
Smarter than the tricks played on your heart
We’ll look at them together then we’ll take them apart
Adding up the total of a love that’s true
Multiply life by the power of two

All the shiny little trinkets of temptation(make new friends)
Something new instead of something old(but keep the old)
All you gotta do is scratch beneath the surface(but remember what is gold)
And it’s fool's gold(what is gold)
Fool's gold(what is gold)
Fool's gold

Now we’re talking about a difficult thing
And your eyes are getting wet
I took us for better and I took us for worse
Don’t you ever forget it
Now the steel bars between me and a promise
Suddenly bend with ease
The closer I’m bound in love to you
The closer I am to free

So we’re okay
We’re fine
Baby I’m here to stop your crying
Chase all the ghosts from your head
I’m stronger than the monster beneath your bed
Smarter than the tricks played on your heart
We’ll look at them together then we’ll take them apart
Adding up the total of a love that’s true
Multiply life by the power of two

Over the river and through the woods to...

Here you go! A photo I took of my grandmother's house in New Jersey where I'll be bunking for a while. Staying on the infamous 3rd floor where my mother and her 5 brothers and sisters all lived at one point when they were penniless newlyweds. It is hot as balls as you can see by the scorched front lawn! In other news, about to hunker down and watch the 4th season of Queer as Folk after a year long hiatus. Great show, very hot gay men!

Big Pimpin' up in NYC

Well, I'm off tomorrow, back to New York. We spent my last day taking the dogs, Fred and Ginger, to a doggie beach near Annapolis, Maryland. It was a fun time and we had great seafood. Other than that, I've gotta finish packing... pretty boring at the moment.

Some of my Geegalians are M.I.A. but, even if they weren't, I'd still miss them more than Bill Clinton misses the Presidency! Quick thought: Hillary Clinton vs. Rudy Giuliani in 2008. How great would that race be?

Roxie and Dad, 1980

Back with a Vengeance

I am back trying out this blog stuff again. I haven't had much success in the past few months with this thing but I'm giving it another go. Quick update: back in the US and about to move back to the Big Apple to finish my Master's degree. P.S. Leprechauns are horny little bastards just like the rest of them!