June 2008 Archives
Here's how I feel about that:
Just kidding. Seriously, I had a fun time up 95 with the boys, even though they hauled me across Manhattan each day like an American soldier through the streets of Mogadishu.
Blowoff was a hoot again, and they seem to be dying for a different kind of music and enjoyed the set. Saw lotsa bloggers and people I hadn't met yet.
On Sunday we went to a fun party, then to the Pride Parade only to get rained on. I took refuge in a lesbian bar where they only drank watered down margarita mixes. They seemed unhappy about that. But my hair gel stood firm despite the humidity, and we trekked on to another fabulous party. By that time I was all partied out and knew I couldn't make it to SuperSnaxx, so I met up with Gurl and a friend and saw Wall-E instead. It was a cute movie. I liked Wall-E's loyal and indestructible cockroach sidekick.
Pop quiz: how many bears are in this image?
It's Jimbo's Friday git 'er done edition, now with the right to own a handgun! I have mixed feelings about guns - they kill things, they're heavy, and they need lots of cleaning. On the other hand, there are moments here in Shaw where I'd feel more secure with one. And everyone here has one anyway.
Seriously though, without the opportunity to practice at a shooting range once in a while, I think I'd be more proficient with my +2 serrated gardening knife than a gun in a fix. Beware the wrath of the angry gardener!
For all you gay Narnia fans: hot Old Spice centaur commercial (SFW if you can hide your stiffy):
I finally caught the mid-season finale of Battlestar Galactica. I hear we must wait until spring 2009 for the final episodes!? Are they trying to kill me with the suspense?
OMG I was quoted in an article about the rugby trip to Ireland in MetroWeekly!
Pimpin' 'hos at the DuPont Circle MetroRail Station. Some cities have a red light district, we have the Red Line in The District.
I thought this article about the Gill Action Fund was very interesting. And long!
Today I went to my former workplace to have lunch with a few of my more beloved coworkers. Wishing to avoid certain coworkers who would cause me to feel discomfort, I was careful to take the stealth route to my friend's office. But as fate would have it, the fire alarm went off ('cuz I'm so hot) and everybody had to evacuate out the same door. When I came out of the building I was right smack dab in the middle of those former coworkers I wished to avoid and was forced to engage in civil small talk. Good times.
This weekend I'm staying at Rex and Xanthos' house to engage in NYC Pride, Blowoff and possibly SuperSnaxx if I can handle that much woof in one weekend. I'll take pictures - and hairball medicine in advance.
Volunteering at the water polo matches on Saturday was fun, and there are still a few members playing who were part of the Wetskins back when I played with them in 1999. I caught up with one volunteer who was with me in Peace Corps as well, and it was good to catch up. I was surprised at how much I had forgotten about the sport, but I guess it has been 8 years or so.
I think the post-vacation blues definitely set in last week when I got back, and linger on today. I saw a lot of neat things and met some wonderful people, but it's back to the grind here in DC. I wish I could travel more.
But Mari spiced things up a bit on Saturday with her classic Mojitos and Tater Tots party. Somehow, the two went together. I recommend a mojito and tater tot party for any occasion. It was good to hang out and meet some of the neighbors.
And spicing things up even more were the six gunshots we heard on the block at about 11:30pm Sunday night. I was actually nestled into bed for a change at that hour, and got quite the start. Apparently Skwurl saw a red or maroon car speed away after the shots rang out. I don't know if any property or people were targeted, but there has been increased police presence on the block since Friday, particularly at a certain property on Q closer to 5th Street. Nothing but trouble from that address. Anyway, as the 4th of July approaches, it's not uncommon to hear fireworks on the street, but those were definitely the sharp ring of gunshots.
Job prospects have slowed now that summer has kicked in. Anyone who can take vacation time in DC does so, and in some places not a lot happens between June and August. No word from that interview a few weeks ago, but government jobs are slow to act, so we'll see. Job leads are always appreciated!
Happy Solstice, duuudes.
Today I'm off to Takoma to volunteer at the big gay international aquatics tournament hosted by my former team the Washington Wetskins water polo team.
I tried water polo many years ago but defected to rugby after discovering I just don't have the long limbs to compete with other water polo players. Swimming and diving is fun, but I'm more of a land-based athlete.
In other gay news, Gurl informed me that Norway is now the sixth country to permit gay marriage. Sadly, Norway's Crown Prince Haakon is taken.
We love the Swedes too, especially Robyn, who can put out some fierce reggae rhymes. And my most cherished Swedish wish has been granted: Ace of Base has returned!
It's a beautiful life:
And from the genius who brought us the The Buffy The Vampire Slayer Sing Along, the Xanadu sing-a-long (with audience participation) will be held on Friday & Saturday, July 11 & 12 @ midnight at the IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue in New York City. Your neon lights will shine...
Congrats to MetroWeekly's woofy co-founder and contributor Seann Bugg for being a Capital Pride Hero.
The pic at left was taken this Tuesday, by then I was all beat up and sunburnt from the tournament. I was led to believe that Ireland was all cloudy and gloomy, but that was not the case. My tours of the countryside before and after the tournament were relatively free of rain, and I was told by the locals that I totally lucked out on the weather.
Here's a wee Leprechaun I met on the trip who took me on a tour of the lakes and highlands just outside of Dublin:
When I arrived in Ireland I immediately travelled to the Aran Isles to take in the sights. Some of the team had arrived at the tournament site by then as well, and some people wondered where I was: "Where's Jimbo?" To which some sharp-tounged queen responded, "Oh, he's in The Shire practicing his Elvish."
It was indeed like The Shire over in the western half of the island. Did you know they even surf there? Who knew? After meeting some locals and asking about visiting other places steeped in ancient history, I was told I'd already been to the right places, including seeing the ruins of Castle O'Brien and an ancient stone age fort on the edge of spectacular 300' cliffs. I have seen a lot, but Ireland offers so much more. I spent most of my economic stimulus check in Ireland, not exactly what our President had in mind for the money.
Here's St. Kevin's Church in Glendalough. These days you don't need a catapult to storm the castle tower:
The level of play of gay rugby teams from around the world has improved considerably since the first international gay rugby tournament was held in DC. Sydney's play was spectacular, and they won the tournament. My B-side also played Seattle, Chicago and Phoenix. All of us played several matches each day, and it was a test of endurance and constitution by the end of it. Luckily I emerged only with scrapes and bruises. By Sunday the San Francisco Fog B-side needed some extra players, and I was fortunate to play with them as flanker for half of a match.
On Monday I went out on the town with some of the Dublin Emerald Warriors and we danced until 3am. Best. Monday. Night. In. Dublin. Ever. It didn't hurt that the DJ played almost half a dozen Kylie Minogue songs, and I even met the pocket Bear from Bear Force One, who were in Dublin for a performance.
It was a great vacation and I highly recommend a visit. I didn't take any photos during the rugby matches, but I hope to get some from the tournament soon from friends who did take pictures. A full set of the rest of the photos can be viewed here.
A quick greeting from Ireland. We're on day 1 of the tournament and I've already been attacked by a Bear, and it was nice. Ginger everywhere . Some photos of my quick trip to the Aran Isles is here.
Greetings from Galway. I got here after flying over the pond with Michelle and Coach. As such I was not allowed to drink any alcohol on the plane because Coach France forbids it.
Some observations about Ireland and the Irish:
1. They don't wear shorts. Probably because of the ghastly white color of their legs;
2. Men use a lot of hair product. Fabulous men's hair here;
3. I cannot understand what the fuck they are saying here in Western Ireland. In Dublin, I could understand them, but not here;
4. The Irish are generally good-looking, and also look like everybody back home. These two perceptions may be related;
5. Guiness is everywhere.
It's gay pride season again, with the requisite questioning of the holiday on blogs and in the gay press. Sure it's overcommercialized and hypermarketed, but I want my cotton candy and meat on a stick at least once a year, and DC doesn't have a county fair so I'll take it where I can get it.
Besides, at the Capital Pride Festival grounds I always catch up with friends I haven't seen in a while, and get to chill with my masc buds.
As always, please leave your dogs at home. While we love it that your dog supports your orientation, it gets exponentially hotter the closer you get to the asphalt, and dogs have a hard time keeping cool down there. I love dogs too, but leave Fido at home on a hot afternoon in June.
As for the hottie in the photo, I don't know who he is. I found the photo on Flickr and thought it was funny. But, like several hot guys who so proudly too their shirts off at a gay-related festival and were photographed, he will one day contact me and ask me to take the pic down (and I will). So there you have another reason to celebrate Pride - people aren't quite all the way Proud just yet.
I'm leaving for Ireland on Sunday, and between June 8-18th my posts may be scarce. Ireland is well-connected, but I don't know if I'll find the time to check, upload or approve, so keep your Facebook app invites to yerself!
While the big gay rugby tournament is on the 13th thru the 15th, I'll be touring Inis Mor in the Aran Isles beforehand to take in some culture and scenery. After the tournament I'll see what Dublin has to offer. The games should be fun but I hope I'm able to walk when I get back into town. Sadly, I'll miss the DC pride celebrations, but Dublin's follows the week after our tournament, and I hope to meet some wee ginger leprechauns along the way.
Speaking of wee folk, check out this video of Prince and Shiela E. on Sean's blog. They perform an electrified A Love Bizarre set, where you can see Wendy being badass on the guitar in the background. Prince starts making faces towards the end, because sometimes it hurts to keep so much funk inside. Check it out soon, as Prince is a vengeful leprechaun and doesn't like it when his stuff gets put up on YouTube.
A couple of hyper scruffy guys are travelling to Alaska in a van powered by vegetable oil. Matt has a nice beard.
Here's a timeline of fashion ferocity held by my level 40 sonic/kinetics defender, Kira of Xanadu, on the City of Heroes Freedom server. I win quite a few costume contests in that game.
Finally, here's a surreal photo taken by Patrick of a C-17 cargo plane landing on the airstrip near our rugby pitch at last Saturday's match against Quantico:
The photo almost looks doctored, but it was for real!
This just in: Wonder Woman actress Lynda Carter finds body in Potomac.
Won't post much for a while, so I hope this long entry filled with A.D.D. candy keeps you busy.
Those damn kids got in the fish pond again. I think the goldfish have learned to be very smart from the mystery midnight critter visits and are good at hiding. Plus I don't think it's that easy to catch goldfish with a Dixie cup.
Mari says I need an eel or piranhas to guard the pond, but both options would probably eat the goldfish. If I could get a mated pair of those critters from the Duran Duran "The Wild Boys" video (right) that would be even better than a piranha. I mean, Simon Le Bon just barely escaped getting eaten by one of those things! And that was after he got multiple waterboard treatments on an evil Dutch windmill from some Mad Max film. Simon Le Bon is a badass mothafukka.
The Wild Boys video was pretty rad for its time. I've noticed they don't play videos on VH-1 and MTV anymore, and what's worse they're filling up air time with reruns of The Bachelorette. The only place I see videos now are in gay bars. Despite the "post-gay" movement there's still at least one reason to go to gay bars. The other night at JRs I saw the Maroon 5 feat. Rhianna video for the track "If I Never See Your Face Again." HOT on both ends. Adam is sooo dreamy...
I must mention that both JRs and Cobalt have recently installed low-flow water-saving urinals. Gay goes "Green"! With a little bit of yellow...
If you've been experiencing allergy problems here in DC I think I've figured out the culprit. American Linden or Basswood trees are currently pumping out huge amounts of pollen. While I'm only experiencing itchy eyes, a lot of my friends are turning into overmedicated walking snotbags. Every time I ride underneath one of these trees, I can feel the air literally thicken as I bike through the pollen cloud. They're also the ones that will eventually produce those inverted helicopter seeds that have 1 to 3 berries hanging from them.
I somehow got subscribed to Mayor Fenty's news listserv, but there were some useful lawn tips from the DC Department of the Environment for being a good mower and minimizing environmental impact on a crop that is never really harvested:
- Use a sharp blade. This reduces tearing and is better for the grass.
- Raise the height of your mower blade to 2.5-3 inches and do not remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade.
- Longer grass will require less watering and have increased resistance to many insects and diseases.
- Leave the clippings on the lawn. The clippings act as a natural fertilizer and reduce the need for additional fertilizer applications.
- Aeration helps water and nutrients to penetrate deeper in to the soil.
- Consider a push mower. Gas-powered mowers cause pollution and are getting more expensive to operate.
In other DC environmental news, an evil drain in a fountain at the National Museum of the American Indian has been eating helpless ducklings.
Friday was '90s night at Town and I could not pass up an offer to go. The music did not disappoint, but why don't DC drag queens ever know the words to any song they try to lip synch to? My suggestion to the DC drag queen community is this: don't pick a song to perform if it's not your favorite. Or if you don't have the time to practice, do interpretive dance instead. However, I must note that DC drag queens are the tallest drag queens I've ever seen anywhere.
Fridays are 12 and under night there, which usually isn't my thing. I'm told people closer to my age go on Saturday night, but I've either been tuckered out from rugby earlier that day or have something else going on. People who haven't been to Town yet are asking me about it, and despite only having gone on rugrat night, I think it's a great nightclub and a mature evolution from Tracks to Nation to Town. You don't get the impression that the place is a converted warehouse - it has several spaces for different kinds of socializing, from dancing to reclining, and is a good experience in DC nightlife in my opinion.
The next day we had our last local match of the season down at the Quantico Marine Base. Both A and B sides lost to The Hooligans, and the heat and humidity made for a trying match, but at least we finished before the Saturday afternoon storms rolled in. As the match progressed we watched huge cargo planes land on the airstrip near the pitch, including a pair of V-22 Osprey aircraft, which was pretty cool.
This evening during our D&D session, Skwurl replayed an attempted mugging against he and a friend that happened a mere block away using Homies™ figurines that he collects. The assailants were not local - they apparently stole a taxi van in Virginia and drove it into DC to conduct drive-by muggings. A few of the assailants came out of the van while the vehicle idled nearby. The assailants asked for the time, then said a magic word and jumped the pair. Both of the victims reacted well, considering the circumstances. One yelled "fire!" and "help!" while the other got a few punches in. The assailants didn't shake anything off either of them and the bad guys got away in the stolen taxi van. Meanwhile, the group of darlings that is always hanging around outside down the block just stared from across the street - they contribute absolutely nothing to society or to a fellow man as far as I'm concerned, but I don't expect much except 24-7 loitering from them anyway.
That attack and the rise in general mayhem here in the 'hood has me fairly down on DC "living". The cops and even the local press is aware of what is going on, but in the year I've lived at this address it's only gotten worse. And after ten years of living in marginal neighborhoods, I'm tired of it, even though I've witnessed former neighborhoods changing for the better. I simply don't want to live in a "transitional" neighborhood anymore, or whatever you like to call it. The neighbors who lived in other half of this duplex moved to Takoma Park for the same reasons. While I expect my salary to go up with the next job, it still always seems to be behind the curve when rent goes up at the same rate. And it seems stupid to piss away half my salary to live in "marginal" neighborhoods for so long. Yeah, I've bitched a lot about it over the years. Job transitions are often an opportunity for life transitions too, and perhaps it's time for a bigger move. I no longer see any romance in city living at this point.
In other news, I have a job interview on Tuesday. I won't disclose the details of the position, but it's an interesting one, so we'll see what develops.
