Reality check!

Now, you've probably heard the term "straight-acting." Generally it refers to a gay guy who nobody would guess is gay: he likes and/or plays sports (the butch kind, like football; watching rugby doesn't count, though), was probably in a frat in college, and drinks beer and wears a baseball cap (usually at the same time). But the fact that it's called "acting" gives me a bit of pause. I tend to go for the hunkier, butcher types (and sometimes will even fall for an actual straight guy), but if there's acting involved, that's a big turnoff. Be yourself, dangit.

Of course this phenomenon has inspired its share of reactions and attitudes. The best of them (poking fun without heaping scorn) is summed up in an Internet quiz.

The quiz can be taken here. My results were as follows:

"LEVEL 7 -- VERY FEMININE

It's kinda assumed 'Oh, yeah he's gay'. Your consistent behavior leads anyone you come in contact with to think that you're more than likely a fun loving homo boy. You're the life of the party and your hands are moving and talking as much as your mouth. You clothes are so perfect that sometimes they look fake."

Some of you in the audience will be like, "well, duh... you ain't exactly Vin Diesel." Nope, I ain't. But a lot of the answers on the quiz were really internal touchy-feely attitudes, which doesn't always get expressed. Take the quiz! (There's one for girls, too.) It just might challenge your assumptions.

Odd, I think I took this quiz about 2 years ago and scored a 5 or 6 -- more "straight" than now.

Or maybe just less "acting."

40th Birthday Blues

No, no, it's not my 40th birthday!

One of my oldest (and I do mean oldest) friends turns the big 4-0 on Friday. Late last night I went to the 24-hour CVS, ISO a tasteful card that wouldn't make him feel worse about this auspicious event.

40th birthday cards are CRAP, pure and simple. They were cliché, insulting, and depressing.

My solution?



(Personally, I wouldn't care what the card says. Give me a card with puppies on it, and you've won me over.)

Time-Waster of the Week

My fave new site has to be TVGasm.

If you're a regular watcher of The OC (I know you are!), The Apprentice, or any number of other serials & reality shows, don't miss this. Their recaps have got me laughing so hard I'm crying, gasping for air and banging my head on the desk.

I mean, where else can you find hysterical screen grabs like this (from last week's Apprentice):


(that's "beauty queen" Erin getting fired!)

And then there's this one, lovely Erin again:


Actually I'm having quite a lot of fun watching The Apprentice this season. It's easily the funniest season so far, by far. (Maybe I'll summarize my amusement after this week's episode.)

Gogol Bordello (redux)

(I originally wrote this on 2/20/05, a few hours after having seen the band here in DC. But I never published it except to a listserv.)

Got back in the wee hours this morning from a DC show by Gogol Bordello, and all I can say is {pant, pant} WOW!

Most of the band are from eastern Europe -- the band leader & singer is Ukie, from Kyiv -- they use some traditional instruments like violin and accordion, and their style is a very modern E-Euro Slav & Gypsy-style folk /rock something ("Ukrainian punk cabaret" has been used to describe it)... but whatever it is, it really works.


In the crowd were a lot of the local immigrant eastern Europeans from DC (I knew or recognized some of them) but a lot of Americans too. It was very reminiscent in lots of ways of a Slavic folk dance party, but crank up the energy a few notches (if that's possible!), add moshing and some crowd-surfing, and again I say WOW. Almost two hours of jumping, slamming, and I am really tired. (Yeah, and I shouldn't be dancing like that during velykyj pist, but whatcha gonna do.)

This is maybe the first time I've seen where "our" [E. European / Slavic] traditional music is sortof reinvented and made seriously appealing to youth in general and not just Rusyn or Ukrainian or Slovak or Polish youth. (Actually, some of the native-born Slavs in the crowd seemed to lean more traditional at times -- doing small-group circle dances and even some hopak/polka-ish couple swinging. Very cool!) The lead singer actually sang in Russian or Ukrainian a few times (it was hard to tell, my ears were already ringing well before that).

I'm a little worse for wear, having gotten my glasses bent and my nose & mouth whacked a few times, but it was a blast, I'll never forget it, and I will totally go see them again.

The band's website: http://www.gogolbordello.com/
(Music downloads at http://gogolbordello.com/muzon/download.html )

Some other good info: http://www.rubricrecords.com/bands/gogolbordello.html

(Oh, and MAD PROPS to Vitya for turning me on to this great band!)

as seen in "bitch session"

"I didn't pick up your dinner tab because you're my type. I did it because the only thing you have is your looks, and I felt sorry that your retail ass could only get an entree for dinner. "
(WashBlade, 3/25/05)

Like the look, hate the colors.

Just realized I can't stand the colors of this site. Maybe I'll shop around for another template or try to figure out how to change the colors on this one.

Actually, I'm not sure that "Blogger" is the best blog for what I want (posting subject categories, anyone?), but as this is my first foray into this strange not-so-new-anymore world, I'm still just getting a feel for how they work inside, nevermind the fancy features you can get.

Still -- whaddaya want for free, eh? If anyone has a better choice of a free blog host, let me hear about it.

A thought from the heart

TJF:
XB! / BB!, my angel.

Pascha - The Holy Resurrection

Христос воскресе із мертвых,
смертію смерть поправ,
і сущим во гробіх,
живот даровав.

Christ is Risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
and to those in the tombs
bestowing life.


"It is the Day of Resurrection, o people, let us be enlightened by it. The Passover is the Lord's passover, the passover from death to life, by which Christ our God has brought us from earth to heaven. Therefore, we sing the hymn of victory."

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Христос воскрес! Воістину воскрес!

Χριστος Aνεστη! Aληθως Aνεστη!

It ain't much, but it's here. And they're off!

What to say, except it's good to be here.

I don't even know if we'll keep this little blurb. Let's see how it turns out.
I'm not into talking to myself right now, so I'm outtie.

A blessed Great & Holy Friday to all.



Претерпівый за нас страсти,
Ісусе Хрісте, Сыне Божый,
помилуй, помилуй, помилуй нас.