Blog Master G

Mad props to my Vassar classmate Anne Harris, who, with her Ukes of Hazzard bandmate Sydney Maresca, created the awesome and hilarious ukulele video Gay Boyfriend. With lyrics like this, how can you not check it out?

I like cigarettes and that’s no gag
You’ll always be my favorite fag

Watch Gay Boyfriend (or high-res version)

Gay Boyfriend Behind the Scenes Featurette.

According to the Vassar alumnae/i magazine, the song debuted at #67 on the UK singles chart. Rock on.

At Vassar, Anne was in one of the comedy groups on campus, Laughingstock, with my friend Larry, who happened to write and star in the funniest skit I’ve ever seen, Retard Pimp.

I didn’t write anything on September 11 this year, as I did on each of the previous two anniversaries of that terrible day (2002 | 2003). It’s hard to find the right words or words that mean enough, but every year I take a moment to pause and reflect on those who were killed that day. And then I enjoy life, recognizing how lucky I am to be here.

From last night’s season finale of Six Feet Under:

“What’s a little pain? You’re alive.” -Nathaniel Fisher
“Can it really be that simple?” -David Fisher

Yes.

Common Dreams Readers Choice Essays on September 11.

Yesterday Sarah and Eric joined me and Jen on a perfect, sunny day for the Saratoga Wine & Food Festival at SPAC. We cabbed it there and back so as to get full enjoyment of the wine. We had a great time, tasting wines o’ plenty, sipping champagne, eating delicious food, and watching someone pay $6,000 for a giant rack of wine.

Justin came over upon our return home, and we spent the rest of the evening hanging out both at home (dog party) and a local sports bar, watching the Sox and playing trivia. At home, we had an awesome time playing bocce ball in the yard, then Eric and I decided to tour the neighborhood, introducing ourselves to one of the few neighbors who’s in our generation. She turned out to be a really cool chick. It was the first I’d met her, and she even let me take a picture of her, which I won’t post online until we officially hang out (she had other plans, so she politely declined our offer to join us for bocce ball).

Another 12-hour day of partying. Haven’t done that in ages… err, I mean, haven’t done that since Travers weekend two weeks ago.

View the Saratoga Wine 2004 album

Jim and James, the guys who founded hotornot.com, are giving away $200,000 in an effort to encourage people to vote. I’m not usually one to sign up for contests, but somehow, I trust these guys more than the big corporations like Publisher’s Clearinghouse.

You could win $100,000 just for signing up, and if you win using my referral link, then I also win $100,000. Everyone wins! So this is one random drawing where you actually increase your chances of winning by getting more people to sign up.

So go sign up and tell more people, which will increase your chances of winning.

I just signed up for the VOTE or NOT Challenge. The challenge is to
raise awareness and get as many of our friends and family to
participate in the Election. The 2000 Election was decided by about
500 votes, so all our votes matter!! This year’s election may be just
as close.

It’s cool because if you sign up for the challenge, you also get
entered into a sweepstakes to win $100,000, and if you refer the winner to the challenge (like I’m doing right now), you get $100,000 too. In other words, if you join and win, we BOTH get $100,000. (Yes this is for real!) They’re doing this to encourage us to spread the word fast, because the voter registration deadline is coming up soon.

Please sign up, when you join they will let me know so I’ll know I don’t have to email you about this anymore. It takes less than a minute to do, so sign up now for the challenge through my referral link:

http://gazg9f.VOTEorNOT.org

If you still need to register to vote, you can do it online at
http://VOTEorNOT.org/register.php

Thanks!

A story on the front page of today’s Saratogian inspires me and reminds me that I need to sign up for GreenUp energy as part of the Niagara Mohwak program here in New York state.

City leads the way in use of wind energy: “Wind energy generated from near Syracuse will now power Saratoga Springs’ public buildings, street lights and the waste water treatment plant.

“The City Council this week unanimously approved a five-year contract with Community Energy of Wayne, Pa., to use wind power generated from some 20 turbines on Fenner Farm in Madison County. Saratoga Springs is the first city in New York to use the alternative form of energy.”

Awesome. Go Saratoga!

Mark Fiore creates Flash cartoons for SFGate.com. They’re always genius. And yesterday’s is no exception:



View Remember

In case you missed those crazy Bush twins speaking at the RNC last week, you can watch their whole speech right here. Despite its cheesiness, I admit I found their speech entertaining and caught myself laughing.

And who’s hotter? Barbara or Jenna? That’s Barbara on the left and Jenna on the right. Barbara’s more my flavor. And apparently I’m not the only one, as B scored a 9.0 when featured on good ol’ hotornot.com, while J scored an 8.4.

Love ’em or hate ’em, the Bush twins undeniably have more appeal than their father.

Dan has an excellent blog entry from yesterday, parts of which I’m simply going to quote here:

“War creates a mythic reality where everything our side does is okay. I once wrote – in a footnote to a history paper, as a throwaway line – that ‘myth is uncomplicated history.’ My professor circled it in bright red. That concept is central to understanding how societies construct themselves, and how people in power continue their power.

“That is why Bush fought the 9-11 comission. Because on its surface, 9/11 seems as uncomplicated as history gets. Just the phrase ‘they ran into the buildings’ tears me up most times. But then you see the President reading My Pet Goat and, before that, John Ashcroft telling Richard Clarke not to bother him with this terrorism crap anymore and suddenly 9-11 is complicated.

“It did not have to happen. But once it did, Bush needed to keep it mythical at all costs. Because he needed that myth to rub off on Iraq – where thanks to the efforts of the anti-war movement, the myths of quick victory and flower-throwing children washed off quickly, and everyone knows we’re in a long, hard slog.

Read the whole thing.

Just in case the impending forest wasn’t a clue enough…

My hood, Saratoga Springs, NY

Excerpts from Apocalypse Bush! Why care for the planet when the End Times are almost here? Vote Bush and hop on the salvation train!:

“This is the great thing about rabid fundamentalism. You really just don’t have to give a damn.

“Take the environment. I mean, isn’t it just a little pointless to care so damn deeply about the air and the soil and the water and the stupid little disposable animals on this silly spinning ball of expendable rock when the Second Coming is imminent and a blood-soaked fire-breathin’ Jesus who looks remarkably like Mel Gibson will return very soon to smite the heathens and the gays and the vegetarians and the Francophiles, and who will rescue all those who worship patriarchy and country music and blue-chip oil portfolios? You’re goddamn right it is.

…

“Hey, it explains a lot, this view. It explain how Bush can just smirk and mumble and, with one big, heartless shrug, dismiss the complete lack of WMD and the loss of 1.6 million U.S. jobs and the nation’s staggering $422 billion budget deficit. Pay down the national debt? Bah. Planet’s going to hell anyway, people. Stock up on nuclear missiles and get yourself an escape pod. Can’t afford one? Whatta shame.

“It surely explains the general GOP hatred of gay marriage, of open-hearted sex, of those wicked, sin-inducing vaginas (that harlot Eve is gonna pay, dammit), of environmentalism, of caring about air quality and water quality and the EPA and organic foods and homeopathic medicine and resource management and the Alaska Wildlife Refuge and the U.N. and any country that doesn’t have a McDonald’s and a Starbucks and a decent strip club for lonely gin-soaked Republican expats.”

Read the whole thing.