Drip Drip Drop Little April Showers

Saturday night was the annual Halloween Costume Party at the local dive, and we sure as heck were going to look good. My friends and I toiled away for hours making our costumes, making sure that they would meet new standards of hotness never before seen at Chuck's.

I came up with a simple yet ingenius idea for a costume this year. I decided to make a shower costume, a la Karate Kid but opted for the clever trick of making every aspect of my shower golden. We'll see if it takes the reader as long to put that one together as the average patron of Chuck's did that night. Then again, most of you won't be as alcohol addled when you're reading this, so it should take you considerably less time.

I ended up winning $50 for my creative costume, and S got the grand prize of $100 for his Popeye costume. Apparently, Popeye's image didn't get tarnished in the whole spinach/e. coli scandal. S took a bunch of photos, but that was before his camera decided it was thirsty and dove headfirst into a pint of beer. We'll have to see if any pictures can be salvaged. If so, I'll post one or two later.

Form VS Function

I ran across a link for Hussein Chalayan's new Spring line in a art/design website. You know when haut couture is being featured in art magazines, and they're getting all moist about it, there's got to be something amazing going on.

Chalayan worked with the team that created the hippogryph in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to create clothes that can shorten themselves, or completely disappear! Yeah, it's really as astoundingly odd/amazing as it sounds. Watch this video of his Spring fashion show and just try not to let your jaw drop. Oh, and big props to Chayalan for his interesting experimental music. Who knew hand clapping juxtaposed with audio extracts from Apollo moon landings and Hiter's speeches could be so interesting?

Note: Not Safe for Work (unless they dig female nudity.)

Wine-Os

Last night was the Wine and Cheese pairing cooking class that S. and I had signed up for a few weeks ago. K. was supposed to go with us, but had a last minute work meeting and had to cancel. Things worked out though, as this opened a spot for W. to join us and Rui.

So, what did I learn last night? A couple plastic cups of wine makes everyone's faces turn red. I'm not sure if it was only the wine, or the combination of the warm room, but at one point, I looked around and it looked more like a high-impact arobics class was going on. The second thing I learned was that while White Merlot may sound exotic and delicious, it practically plays out as nasty Kool-Aid wine. Blech! W. finished our glasses of White Merlot by shooting it, complete with booze grimace afterward. I also learned that "having legs" refers to the wine's ability to stick to the glass, which shows the levels of sugar in the wine, as opposed to the sexiness value of the wine. Finally, I learned that Alice White wines of Australia have short sections of a story on every bottle. Not exactly going to draw me in, but hey, neat marketing ploy.

Make Mine Green

I'm going to the Student Union tonight to watch Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. I did just find out though that the film won't be shown in the usual theatre, but instead will be in one of the smaller rooms. There's refreshments and "a brief discussion" afterward too. Sheesh.

This sounds too much like when Campus Crusade for Christ invites people to see a film, and suckers them into watching the Jesus film with the promise of popcorn and marshmallow peeps. Ah, those sweet, delectible marshmallow peeps. They still don't make up for being suckered into a film based on emotional blackmail. "See, this guy was killed because of you. Now pray to God and have another jelly bean."

Am I just being suckered by a different form of religion tonight? Will there be an alter call to surrender your life to the Ozone? Confess your recycling apathy and break down in tears? I seriously hope not.

4:20

My watch died at 4:20 am. I find this to be deliciously funny. Now where are those Cheetos?

History Repeating...

Think the whole Congressional Page/Sex Boy scandal is something new? Think again.

Idaho Senator Larry Craig made sure to do a pre-emptive strike back then, which only served to make him look even more guilty. Funny thing is, he just got publicly outted today for having sex with men, even though he's consistently tried to pass legislation that discriminates against homosexuals. Further proof that you can't have your cock and eat it too.

Life in HD.

I've been arguing with a buddy of mine about the High Definition vs Standard Definition video wars. He's a die-hard HD hero, and I opt for low-grade SD. I know that the future is in HD (think Blu-Ray discs, etc.) but I'm just not ready to jump on the bandwagon.

I like HD, but only for Discovery Channel animal/plant/landscape type footage. Sharks are amazing when it feels like you can almost touch them. Famous actors, not so much. For instance, has anyone seen The Matrix on a huge tv with DVD? Laurence Fishburn's face is nasty! The moon has less craters. I much preferred it when I originally saw it on low definition VHS and thought of his face as smooth and pristine. At least less zombie-after-nuclear-holocaust-ish than it was on DVD. If Laurence Fishburn looks that bad, I can't imagine what Edward James Olmos looks like in HD. I could film that for two hours and release it as a horror film.

Now even the Food Network is going HD. I want my food in low definition soft shimmery sultriness. I don't want to see every flaw with the creme brule's top. I don't want to see Rachel Ray's clumpy mascara on her face. I don't want to be able to count the folds in Paula Deen's jowls, because she uses butter like the rest of us use oxygen. I prefer to live in a falsely ideal perfection, based on not knowing what things really looks like. If I want sad reality, I'll go watch the people making my burrito at Taco Bell.

Weekend Update: Oct. 13-16

Read comics.
Broke toilet seat somehow.
Watched more Project Runway Season 2.
Realized Eminem should have called the song "Shake your ass for Jesus" instead.
Shook my ass for Jesus with a lesbian friend.
Went to bed.
Watched cartoons.
Drank tea from England.
Had lunch at Greek restaurant with Mari the beautiful.
Shopped for Illy espresso at Le Jardin.
Drank coffee (Lavazza, not Illy.)
Hung out with Shwill.
Fought my intestines.
Drank too much.
Did Exhorcist impression outside bar.
Passed out in bathroom, while a drag queen waited outside my flat.
Helped to bed by good friends.
Watched more Project Runway Season 2.
Walked to Shwill's to recover jeep.
Made out with Sadie (not by choice.)
Went on short shopping trip.
Tried on cheap Halloween wig that made my head itch for a few hours.
Ate pizza and watched Red Eye again.
Watched What Not to Wear marathon on TLC. (Friends with cable rule!)
Watched final two episodes of Project Runway Season 2. Knew the final outcome already, but still felt stomach butterflies.
Got email that Tim Gunn (Project Runway) shirt had been sent.
Posed for impromptu grad student art project.
Officially metamorphasized into a sloth.
Bought healthy/organic snacks for yoga tonight.
Beat myself up for being so lame.

A Look at Masturbation

I meant that figuratively, you perverts.

This gem comes courtesy of Antonin Scalia, member of the US Supreme Court:

"State laws against bigamy, same-sex marriage, adult incest, prostitution, masturbation, adultery, fornication, bestiality, and obscenity are likewise sustainable only in light of Bowers' validation of laws based on moral choices. Every single one of these laws is called into question by today's decision; the Court makes no effort to cabin the scope of its decision to exclude them from its holding."
--Antonin Scalia, on the Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court ruling

I'm still debating which is a worse punishment for masturbating: jail time, or God killing a kitten.

Maybe it's just me, but I have a hard time listening to morality plays from a guy that did the Italian sign for "fuck you up the ass" at the press earlier this year, aided in getting the photographer who captured it on film fired from his job, and is named Antonin. Then again, maybe these do qualify him to speak about sodomy laws. It appears he does have some fetish for screwing guys over.

Mama Said Knock You Out

I'm rambling. My fairly good mood was destroyed about 10 minutes ago when I found that someone complained about our table yesterday in the SUB, and made a lot of seriously false accusations about things that happened. Guess I better get used to it though.

Well, I've since got a little more information about the situation. Apparently the guy went a bit crazy after seeing our table in the SUB, and went on a rampage to various individuals on campus. This includes calling the faculty advisor of the LGBT Student Alliance and giving him an earful of veiled threats. Well, maybe veiled threats... "you'll get yours" and "just see what happens to you" could just be the ravings of a religious nutjob, or the prelude to a hate crime. For once, I'm hoping someone is a religious nutjob.

In the mean time, we've been warned at my new job to call campus security if anyone fitting the description of the guy shows up at our offices. Ah, what an exciting first week on the new job!

Rough Cuts

I'm supposed to have a rough cut of my ethnographic film to turn in today. Due to the fact that I haven't even shot any footage yet, I won't be turning one in. Hell, I won't even be attending class today.

I've always struggled with rough cut screenings in classes. I don't like showing my unfinished work in group settings, because it really bugs me. I feel like in-progress work can really give a wrong impression, which then lingers and negatively affect the impression on the final work. I also don't like showing my work in front of my fellow students, because I've had too much of my work copied in the past. It's not like I'm innovative either, just resourceful, which gives me a leg up on my lazy colleagues.

I'm rambling. My fairly good mood was destroyed about 10 minutes ago when I found that someone complained about our table yesterday in the SUB, and made a lot of seriously false accusations about things that happened. Guess I better get used to it though.

Thanks!

Thanks for the warm wishes and congratulations about the new job everyone. I really appreciate it.

NCOD + GP = ME

Today is National Coming Out Day, where LGBTQI people are encouraged to be honest with those they love and care about, and share who they really are. As part of my new job duties, I got to help set up and man a booth in the Student Union Building for the Genesis Project. We had information, stickers, buttons, condoms and candy for anyone that wanted them. We just wanted to let people know about the event, and know that there was a safe place on campus for them to express themselves freely.

I was amazed at the reactions we got from people walking by. They ranged from giggles to abject horror. It was frustrating to see the way some people chose to conduct themselves too. For instance, two black girls came by to get some candy, and then muttered something about “faggots” as they walked off. It was tempting to call them “niggers,” just to return the favor of crass epithets, but I decided to take the high road this time.

Maybe the most frustrating experiences came from members of my former church. They would walk by and glare at me, doing everything they could to make eye contact with me and express their general disdain. I’m sure Jesus would be very proud of them. Honestly, I’m not sure when this whole polemic “if you’re not condemning it, you’re condoning it” mentality snuck in.

Some good things did happen though. About ½ hour before I packed up for the day, a young lesbian came to talk to me. She was terrified about her family’s reaction (most likely to be disowned, like many in the area) and was looking for support. I was happy to talk to her for a while and point her in the direction of a group on campus that was a good fit for her. I was also approached by a young man that was terrified to talk to me, but expressed interest in outreach activities we hold during the week. Hopefully he gets the courage to come tonight to coffee, or next Monday.

All in all, it was an eye opening experience for me, and really taught me a lot about how people in my community really think. For the most part, I can do without them, and I’m just happy I got the chance to help a few people.

Oh, and since it’s NCOD and all: I’m gay, just in case you hadn’t quite figured it out.

Well, I'll Be...

Well, apparently I judged things really wrong.

I got the job!! I'm now the Co-Coordinator of the Genesis Project at ISU. It completely caught me off guard, and I really thought that they were calling to let me know I'd been passed over for the job for the reasons I stated previously. I guess my saving grace was that the final decision was left to a neutral 3rd party who had been ill during the interview process. All he had to go on was experience records, and I excelled in that area.

I started this afternoon, which is the same day I gave my two weeks notice at my current job. It's going to be a long week. 20 hours at ITRC, 10 at GP, and classes. Calgon, take me away!

I'm really stoked about this job opportunity though. It'll be nice to move into something new and be challenged again.

4-10-06 Comics

This week was kind of disappointing as far as comics go. I walked out with only two and a half comics. I'm still mad that they haven't gotten in my last issue of 100 Bullets and it'll be 3 weeks late if it comes next Wednesday. Anyway, here we go:

52: Week 22 Some weeks this comic is incredible, while other weeks it could suck start a Harley, because the suck factor is so high. This week, Harley fanatics were pleased. I've debated for a while about continuing my subscription to this one, and this week caused me to consider even more. Lots of loose story lines that went absolutely nowhere, nothing really going on, too many characters to try and keep up with. I'm getting tired of it. Four brilliant writers is a case of too many cooks in the kitchen.

Doctor Strange: The Oath #1 Brian K. Vaughan is one of my favorite writers. I've often said he could write a brilliant comic in his sleep. Well, apparently he heard me, and thought he'd try. It's not that this comic is bad: far from it in fact. I'm just disappointed because it should be brilliant, and it barely shimmers. And the artwork... god, the artwork. The cover says it all. Yes, the rest looks like they asked a bunch of 6th graders to have a coloring contest, and published the winners. Yay for magic markers!

I also got some MAX Comics preview book, which counts as the 1/2 comic. MAX is Marvel's crap answer to DC's Vertigo line. These are the "raw" comics for adults. The sad thing is that Vertigo actually achieves "raw" and edgy, but MAX feels like they just threw in a few swear words so that they could be adult. Kind of like kids that talk dirty about sex, but won't experience it for some time. And if Hellstorm isn't just a ripped-off combination of Hellblazer and Spawn, I don't know what is.

I'm Analog, He's digital: Lessons in Stereotyping

I've talked before about the job that I applied for. Interviews were last week, and seemed to go well, but due to some health issues with the hiring committee, no decision has been reached yet.

Yesterday, I was talking with one of the members, and in a round-about way, was informed one of my "weaknesses" is that I don't fit a certain stereotype. I'd thought that as a society and a community, we'd progressed past that point, but apparently I'm wrong. It's like those situations where ethnic minorities get lambasted for not acting "_____ (fill in ethnic minority) enough."

I also unfortunately learned that ideals are skewed. What I thought was about education is really about sex appeal. Even though I'm infinitely more qualified than the other lead applicant, it appears he's leading right now due to his "appeal." I've got work experience in the health field, education field, and technology field. I've had prior leadership/management experience. The other guy? He's working his first job as a stock boy at WalMart, but he'll apparently bring in the masses of youth to be educated. So yes, I feel justified in being skeptical of the true ideals of the organization. This is just like that time Carmen Electra beat me out for the striptease exercise video deal. All my years as a stripper counted for nothing.

Maybe I'm just overreacting, and maybe I'll get the job... but I'm highly doubtful at this juncture. This sucks.

Pluto Confirmation

It's true. Pluto no longer is a planet. It was confirmed today in my Astronomy course.

If there's one thing I've learned in that class, it's that anything my professor says must be true. After all, there's nobody smarter, more knowledgeable, or cooler than my professor. I know this because he makes sure to tell us how and why he's better than everyone else on the face of the earth for at least ten to twenty minutes every class. Sometimes I marvel that I was able to pay so little to receive this valuable knowledge!

Flash Detective

I've been really frustrated with Apple lately, but mainly due to a weird issue with the latest update of iTunes. After 7 came out, I noticed that I wasn't able to use any Flash files in my VJ software. I double checked the files, but they just wouldn't play. I'd spent hours of time on a VJ forum, seeing if anyone else had the same problem, but it seemed as if it was unique to me.

It seemed like the only option was to delete the latest version of QuickTime 7 and iTunes 7, and convert back to iTunes 6.5 - an act that wasn't making me very happy, and a little wary that it wouldn't work.

So, last night I decided to do a little more research, and finally found an answer in the Apple forums. It appears that the latest iTunes update reset a preference in QuickTime. Under the advanced settings, I had to flip a marker for "Allow Flash File Play." After that was working, everything was fine with my VJ software. How frustrating that such a little thing had really messed me up, and ruined so much time. Arrgh.

Anyway... just posting this in case anyone else has the same problem.