Vegan In Furs

I'm reverting to my old ways and becoming vegan again. Everyone seems to think I already am anyway, so it won't be to anyone's surprise. Of course, this time around, I will only be on the vegan diet. I'm not about to throw out all my leather shoes again.

Nothing really brought this on. I've just been thinking about it lately, and it's something I feel I need to do again. When I used to be this way, I definitely had far more energy and was sick less often. Of course, I have to make it all the more difficult in that I don't eat fruit (aside from tomatoes and avacados). Oh well.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Finally, a sequel that I'm actually looking forward to! I had no idea that it was even in the works nor did I ever think that there would be a follow up to the 1997 original. Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush are sure to be phenomenal, as they are in nearly every film they have ever been in. Lets hope that director Shekhar Kapur can keep this in the same fashion as it's predecessor and out of the typical sequel syndrome. You know, more of a Godfather, Part II. Viewing the trailer I have already noticed the use of special effects, and, honestly, I'm none too thrilled since it was so noticeable. Computer generated effects, for me at least, can really take away from a film. If you can get away without using them, then do it. Don't just do it because you can. Anyway, here's the trailer for Elizabeth: The Golden Age...

Nice

You remember that boy I took out to dinner last week? Prior to the dinner I had offered him one of my two desks that I will be disposing of before my move. Well, I saw him out Sunday evening as I normally do, and all he could do was muster up a wave. Couldn't be bothered to walk five feet to say hello properly.

Earlier this afternoon, out of nowhere, I receive a text message from him asking me how I'm doing. I replied letting him know I was well. He responded by asking me if I was still getting rid of the desk. Oh, and then he through in a "I'm going out for a drink, will you be out?" He couldn't be bothered with hanging out with me on our date, so why would he think that I would believe he actually wanted to hang out w/ me tonight?

If all he wanted was the desk, he could have just asked for it and left it at that. Don't try to act like you're my friend still. Unfortunately, I'm too nice. I promised him the desk, so I'll give him the desk.

My December

Don't forget to purchase Kelly Clarkson's new album My December, on sale today, via Amazon.com or iTunes:






Track: How I Feel

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/How_I_Feel.m4a"><br />

Put Your Records On 07.24

I'm not really in a writing mood, so just press play, sit back and (hopefully) enjoy this tune from the Belgian electro rock group Goose. You may purchase their music via the following iTunes link:



Artist: Goose
Album: Bring It On
Track: Audience

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/12_Audience.m4a"><br />

Because Of You

So Reba McEntire snagged Kelly Clarkson for a duet and remake of the latter's worldwide smash Because Of You for her upcoming album Reba Duets. I like the song, but I'm wondering why they used a drag queen instead of the real Reba in the video.



And be sure to catch them on CMT's Crossroads on June 24, 2007.

At Least We Tried

Last night I did something I haven't done in well over a year-and-a-half: I went on a date. You may recall that I was kind of seeing a boy a few months ago, but I don't think going to the gym and an AA meeting qualify as a date. But back to last night...

J is an attractive, nice guy. We've been flirting with each other since we met back in April, but there were a few reasons why we did not go out until now. I finally built up enough balls to ask him out a couple weeks ago, so we followed through with it last night. I had suggested sushi and a particular restaurant; however, he insisted on another place. I quickly learned why, as his best friend just happened to be having dinner there. Thankfully, we grabbed our own table. While I won't bore you with the details, we had a typical first date. Both the conversation and food was decent. Overall, the first half of the date was pleasant.

After dinner, we chatted with his friend before heading over to the bar we met at. He pretty much knew everyone there and it quickly became obvious to me that the date had ended. While he was still obligated to hang out with me, he would wander away for 15 minutes at a time to go talk to friends. I would think that if one was interested in someone, they would include that person rather than leaving them alone. I'm a big boy, though, and dealt with it. However, I decided it was time to leave when a female friend showed up. He introduced me and then they just went off to do their own...quickly forgetting about me. I had probably already stayed longer than he would have liked, but I wanted/needed some alcohol. And after spending $65 that I don't have on dinner, I figured he owed me at least a few drinks (especially since I found out he had gone to do a bump of cocaine one of the many times he had disappeared).

Don't get me wrong, J is a good guy. He's cute, funny and outgoing. Had we only gone to dinner, I probably would have considered a second date. At least I learned right away that we don't mesh well romantically and are better off friends.

While I'm not discouraged by this, I think it's going to be a while before I go on another date.

Holidays

My parents have provided me with yet another surprise. They are giving me a trip to New York City in October. They know that I haven't been able to go in three years and that I'm dying to squeeze one last visit in before returning to school in January. There is one catch: They are tagging along. I don't really mind, though, as I already told them that I do have to have time to myself to meet up with a few friends.

I have a lot of trips planned over the next several months. I've gone from no holidays to at least four. Chicago (July), New York City (October), San Francisco (November) and then London (December). But I'm due really, as I haven't had a true holiday in the five years since I moved to Dallas.

Dress Up In You 07.04

Further proof that this woman can do no wrong...at least when it comes to music...Amy Wine-o-house has redone Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow from Dirty Dancing.

Artist: Amy Winehouse
Original Artist: The Shirelles
Track: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/Will_You_Still_Love_Me_Tomorrow.m4a"><br />

Over It

So yesterday was just one of those days. I felt like shit and I let stupid stuff get to me. After work I met a friend for a bite to eat and then some others for a couple drinks at a local bar. It was relaxing, which was just what I needed. Today I felt much, much better.

Gayborhoodies Return

As is the case every year since 2002, I will be participating in the AIDS walk. This year's AIDS ARMS LifeWalk will be held on October 14, 2007. I do the walk because I get to inform people about AIDS and I get to be out amongst so many other people working toward the same goal. And I feel like I’m actually doing something productive.

Like last year, I want to put together a group of walkers called The Gayborhoodies. We raised over $2000 a year ago to help those suffering from AIDS and find a cure. If you'd like to contribue this year, please feel free to make a secure online donation using your credit or debit card. If you'd feel more comfortable sending cash or a check, please contact me at gayborhoodgringo@gmail.com for my mailing address.

While I am trying to get donations, my main goal is to make you aware of HIV/AIDS and hopefully motivate you to volunteer in some way. Because the only way we can combat this thing is through educating ourselves, making others aware of the issue and teaching people how to prevent it. It doesn’t seem to be talked about much any more, but that doesn’t mean it has gone away.

Here are some interesting statistics:

• By the end of 2005, 40.3 million people were living with HIV/AIDS, including 17.5 million women and 2.3 million children under the age of 15.
• 4.9 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2005, including 700,000 children.
• In 2005 alone, a total of 3.1 million people died of HIV/AIDS-related causes.
• World-wide, only 1 in 10 persons infected with HIV has been tested and know his/her HIV status.

So let that sink in. Then go out, get tested and FIND OUT the results. Too many people go get tested, but never actually go back for the results. If you don’t want to go alone, take a friend and get tested together. In fact, that’s what I’m going to do the next time I go to Houston. My friend and I are going to the free clinic there. Which reminds me, most major cities have free testing. If you aren’t aware of any where you live, do a Google search for your area. They are free and anonymous. And thanks to Hypoxic for this (I can't believe I would forget this bit of advice): ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTION!! There is absolutely NO excuse for not using it.

WARNING: Some good advice that I’ve learned is to NEVER go through your insurance to get tested. At any time, they can go through their files, see that you have gotten tested and can use that to drop you…even if your results come back negative. As far as they are concerned, you are a potential risk.

To sponsor us:

The Gayborhoodies’ Donation Page

For more information:

AIDS Arms

The Well Project

data.org

Put Your Records On 07.23

Over the past few months, I have become enthralled with Feist. Her music is beautiful, fun and refreshing. Her latest album, The Reminder has been on heavy rotation on my iTunes and iPod, and I have yet another example why. While the single, 1234, has been out for a little while already, I held off posting about it here because it wasn't too long ago that I went on and on about another of her songs, My Moon My Man. Give 1234 a listen to...I'm certain you'll love it. To seal the deal, I've included the brilliant (as is always the case w/ Feist) video.

Artist: Feist
Album: The Reminder
Track: 1234

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/1234.m4a"><br />

Here's the video:

Bittersweet

This weekend was particular rough on me, and I'll be the first to admit that I have only myself to blame. Okay, maybe not entirely, but I am responsible for how I let things affect me.

Friday night my ex (and a good friend) calls to let me know that his new boyfriend is in town. He wants me to meet him and says that he needs my approval. That was sweet, although entirely unnecessary. I agreed to meet them since I would already be going out with my friend T. Unfortunately, by the time my ex made his way out, T had bailed for the night and I was stuck to face them on my own. His new boyfriend is a nice guy. He's very sweet and seems to really care about H (my ex). Meeting him was entirely fine, but then they started kissing in front of me. If you ask me, that wasn't very thoughtful and just plain rude. While I am no longer in love w/ H, it doesn't make it any easier to watch something like that. It stung. Not that this is a competition or anything (it isn't), but I did sting more because I've been alone since we broke up over a year-and-a-half-ago.

Yeah, so I'm a little depressed right now. Partially because I just can't seem to get a date. Okay, that's not entirely true. I have had a few guys knocking on my door, but none of which are remotely my type. They assume I like a certain type of guy simply because of the friends I hang out with. But I digress. I did ask someone out last week; however, I can't get them to call me back or agree to a day despite them telling me that they really would like to go out w/ me. Actually, that's become the norm these days and probably the reason that I'm so frustrated. The last several guys have all told me that they want to go out with me but then nothing ever materializes.

I'm starting to feel sorry for myself now, so I'm going to wrap this up. If it isn't raining, hopefully a nice five mile walk will do me some good today after work.

Father's Day

I just wanted to take a moment and wish all of you a Happy Father's Day!

Safari

Apple has made a PC friendly version of their web browser Safari available to PC users. It's definitely sleeker, faster and easier to use than Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox. The only issue I have found so far is that you can't use CTRL+TAB to move between the multiple tabs you have open. But that is only a minor problem for me. Aside from that, I'm loving it. If you'd like to download it, go HERE.

Don't Stop Believin'

I finally got around to watching the finale to The Soprano's last night. If you remember, I gave up cable and internet, so I had to spend some time at a local coffee shop downloading the episode.

I must say that Phil's murder had to be one of the funniest things that I have seen in a while. That man's reaction to Phil's head being crushed and splattered all over the gas station lot, "OH SHIT!" was PRICELESS. I had to watch it over and over and over. And then a few more times after that. As for the ending, it was one of, if not the, best ending to a series that I have ever seen. They didn't wrap it up with a nice little bow or kill everyone off, but instead left it open to interpretation. In true Soprano's fashion, it was remarkably suspensful. Meadow's difficulty parallel parking her car only added to it. I half expected her running late to result in her walking into the diner to find Tony and/or her family murdered. Alas, that wasn't the case. Or was it? The only one who knows for sure is creator David Chase. It blacked out with Tony looking up as someone walked through the door. Frustrating and satisfying at the same time.

Alas, the ending has resulted in numerous parodies sprouting up across the internet. Here's one of the funnier ones:

Beautiful Disaster, Part II

In the wake of firing her manager yesterday, Kelly Clarkson has announced today that her My December tour has been postponed. It was poorly planned and had lower than expected ticket sales. Could this mean we are one step closer to her album being shelved, as well?

Without an American Idol appearance to bolster digital sales and no radio support, Kelly's latest single, Never Again, continues it's slide down the charts. It drops 11-17 this week according to Billboard. She was due to release second single, Sober, to radio soon, but not sure if that'll be happening now.

Somewhere Adam is smiling.

Beautiful Disaster

Kelly Clarkson has fired her manager Jeff Kwatinetz (Sony BMG) in the wake of bad publicity her upcoming album, My December, has received. From the fued with Clive Davis, to the poorly planned, under-selling tour (come on, she has enough fans, but she is not an arena-style artist, especially not with this new slate of material) and the poor response from the critics.

I've listened to the album, and, while it is far from being bad, it definitely is a grower. Which probably means it won't hold up too well in the long run. It's short on radio-friendly fare and high on darker themed material. And nary a hook. The songs are as angry as Alanis and her voice often reminds me of Sheryl Crow, but at least both of those artists have catchier songs. Chalk it up to growing pains, as she's attempting to come into her own as a song-writer. The problem with that is most people are not as forgiving as her hard-core fans (yes, I'm one) and less likely to give it a second listen.

I also have to question her release strategy. Not so much with the timing of the album, but with the single choices. She has made it clear that Sober is her favourite track, but releasing it as the second single is not the wisest decision. With Never Again stalling at radio, it would be better to attempt a more upbeat track now that summer is here. She's holding off on that, though, and releasing the catchier, lighter How I Feel (which, so far, is my favourite track) as the third single.

All hope is not lost, though. With this recent firing of her manager, there are signs that Kelly may be rethinking everything. It's not too late to shelf the album and reconsider some of the tracks. For what it's worth, I applaud Kelly for taking a stand for herself and her music, demanding she be taken serious as an artist and a songwriter. I think Clive Davis was right to express concern, though. Ultimately, she can probably survive if this album does tank, but it'd be better if she could avoid such a disaster.

Put Your Records On 07.22

Here's a track off The Twang's new album that was released last week. It's titled Love It When I Feel Like This, and you may purchase via the iTunes link below:




Artist: The Twang
Album: Love It When I Feel Like This
Track: Wide Awake

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/Wide_Awake.m4a"><br />

Life & Death

So Texas is considering passing a bill that reserves the death penalty for people who rape children under age 6 at least twice, or children younger than 14 if the crime also involves the use of a deadly weapon, alcohol or drugs, death threats, bodily injury, kidnapping or gang rape. It's expected that Gov. Rick Perry will sign the bill into law.

Last August I served as a juror during the sentencing phase of a horrific child abuse case. The step-father of a beautiful little girl had done things to her that no person (especially a child) should ever have to suffer. All the more horrific due to her mother not only initiating it but also participating. I had trouble sleeping for weeks afterward and was an emotional wreck for a few days. If only the same could be said for her. She was abused over the course of at least three years (starting at the age of five) and will forever be traumatized.

Did this man deserve the death penalty? It wasn't even an option in this case, the maximum being life (which we gave him). From what I've heard, though, people who harm children have a rough go of it in prison if the other inmates find out. In other words, they don't last that long.

While the inmates may enforce their own death penalty, I think allowing a child molestor to be sentenced to death through the courts would be far too traumatic for a child. In most cases, the victim knows or is related to their attacker. It's likely the victim would feel responsible for that person's death, which couldn't help their already fragile condition.

I personally don't like the death penalty. I think self defense is just about the only condonable form of killing. However, I wanted to nothing more than to sentence that man to death. Something tells me that her daddy being killed (no matter how much he hurt her) would only do more harm than good.

So what are your thoughts? Should the death penalty be an option on certain child molestation cases?

It Took Long Enough

It was bound to happen since I went on a rant about having several guys interested in me that I'm just not that into...I found one that I actually like. I met him back in April, but was misinformed about his availability. The confusion was cleared up a few weeks ago, but he makes me so nervous (in a good way) that I haven't been able to carry on a decent conversation or build up enough nerve to ask him out. There are a few other factors as to why I held off asking him out, but I decided to give it a shot.

While he said yes when I asked him out last night, I'm not going to hold my breath. Right now, I'm just happy he said yes...and that I got a kiss. I know, I'm such a whore, right?

**On another note, I spent Saturday afternoon at a coffee shop in an ill-fated attempt to catch up on blogs. Unfortunately, their internet connection turned out to be no better than mine was. It seems they have the same provider as I used to have.

Done With It

Over the past several weeks, my internet connection has been lackluster at best. I was going to end my cable subscription and keep my internet; however, I've decided to do away with both. I have less than three months in my apartment, so I should be okay. I will still be able to access some key things at work (alas, no blogs, except to update mine), and I can run down to the local coffee/tea house if there is anything of importance that I need that I can't access at work (you know, downloading music, shows and porn - all very important).

What does this mean to you? If you are a reader, then this means absolutely nothing to you. If you are a fellow blogger, this means that I won't get to check up on you as often as I would like. Once I move toward the end of August, this should be a non-issue.

A Walk To Remember

I have been walking/jogging the Katy Trail for I’d say approximately three years now. Not once has anything interesting ever occurred. That is, of course, until yesterday, when my friend Jorge joined me. He lives in Houston, but is in town on business.

Our walk started off innocently enough. We headed south toward downtown Dallas and we stopped and checked out the progress of some of the construction going on in Victory Park. Things became interesting as we headed north toward Knox Street. We were busy chatting and catching up when we started hearing this odd noise. We quickly determined that it was a woman ahead of us that was power walking. No, it wasn’t the sound of her thighs rubbing together! Out of nowhere, she had started singing along to Alanis Morissette’s Everything. Quite horribly. Quite loud, too. All of us (the other walkers, even those with their iPods on) all shared a good laugh at her expense. I honestly don’t think the woman even realized that she was singing.

The second person we encountered was a big ol’ queen. He was rollerblading wearing nothing but some spandex shorts. This girl was just singing along to whatever he was listening to, but, thankfully, was lip-syncing. Unfortunately, he was distorting his whole face and flailing his arms about. He wasn’t attractive to begin with, but this made him even less so.

I’m mean, I know.

As we approached our turn around point – where the trail crosses Knox Street – we heard another noise…the sound of a cyclist being hit by a car. It’s not the best set up, as neither the trail users nor those driving want to stop for the other. This particular driver was impatient and ended up hitting the biker. There were already several people helping the poor guy (who wasn’t severely injured), so Jorge called 911 on his cell. It took a little longer than usual because all operators were busy (glad nobody was getting attacked or in a more serious condition), but he finally got through and w quickly heard the sirens from the ambulance. We weren’t actually helping the victim other than calling for help, so we started heading back home.

We are going walking again today (as he’s here through Friday), so who knows what other adventures await us.

Put Your Records On 07.21

Former Sugababes member Siobhan Donaghy is coming out with a new solo album, Ghosts, soon. The second single is So You Say and it's accompanied by a video with an, um, odd ending. The song is pretty good in my opinion, hope you think so, too.

Complicated

My internet was down for the majority of the weekend. Ordinarily, this would not have been as frustrating as it was, but I finally had some free time to catch up on my favourite blogs. Needless to say, I was not able to. It wouldn't work while I was awake, only when I was sleeping. Annoying to say the least. I have to take it easy this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to get caught up.

As for what's complicated, I'm referring to dating. Not even dating, really. I guess just me. I had two attractive guys hit on me over the weekend, yet I found myself not even the slightest bit interested. What's difficult about both situations is that I have no idea at what point you tell them that you don't have the same feelings? Neither have given me the opening to do so and I don't want to just come right out and say it (cause I have a way of always looking like a fool). I'm also too nice, which further complicates the situation because I'll put off telling them to avoid upsetting them. Which just makes it seem like I've been stringing them along, so they get more upset than they would have initially.

I guess I just need to grow some balls and tell them. And, more importantly, quite my whining. :)

Dress Up In You 07.03

While I've never really gotten into Arctic Monkeys, I quite like their rendition of You Know I'm No Good. Of course, this may have something to do with my being a huge fan of Amy Winehouse. Hopefully you will enjoy it, as well.



Artist: Arctic Monkeys
Original Artist: Amy Winehouse
Track: You Know I'm No Good

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.hddweb.com/65155/You_Know_Im_No_Good.m4a"><br />

Shake N' Blake Fix

I haven't posted about Blake Lewis nearly enough, so what's one more post. Here is video of him performing on NBC's TODAY show earlier today.