Gays on TV - Home Show Edition

Okay, I admit it, I'm a home show junkie. When there isn't anything gay or women oriented to watch I'll turn to one of the many home show channels or, as with today, the other channels that have home shows on the weekend. What that means is I learn all about kitchen & bathroom remodels, buying and selling homes, or general redecorating. I'm definitely getting ideas for my condo. Yeah, I've had it for almost two years, but I'm still unpacking and I still haven't totally figured out the style I want here. And, after I finish my taxes and know how much I owe, I do need to redo the floors and counters in the kitchen and bathroom, as well as reglazing the tub. However, the kitchen appliance replacement will have to wait until they die.

There is another reason I watch home shows: the homeowners/hunters. I'm not sure, but it sure seems like the percentage of gay individuals or couples featured in the shows exceeds the accepted 10% of the population. For example, today I got home from running errands and settled down with my lunch and started channel surfing. Nothing I wanted to see, but I was pretty sure I passed a home show featuring two women and a child. Click, click, click, click...ah there we are, watching "My First Home" or something like that. Sure enough, it has two women hunting for a home and all the typical trials and tribulations of finding, financing and closing on a new home. And yes, my gaydar is pinging. There's the cute girlie girl kid, but the women are more typical lesbians. Although, I must say personality wise, the more sporty looking of the two is talking just like the guys in the heterosexual couples, "she's excited about decorating, but I don't care about that, I just like the basement!" On one hand, it's great to see two women going through the same home buying process as any couple right there on my TV. But on the other hand, did they have to be so...um...stereotypically kinda butch/femme? Sheesh. Oh well. Best part of the show, just like every other couple that finally closes on a home, they showed them kissing! Right there on my TV.

A Gay Night of TV

So I was just minding my own business. Camped out on the newish leather sofa, recovering from my icky head cold. When I thought I saw a guy kiss another guy on "Lost". Thank goodness for the ability to rewind live TV. Yep, some guy kissed another guy (one of the macho redneck Others actually) in that European way, except more intimately. Like almost on the lips...like on the corner of the other guy's lips. Seriously. On "Lost". Guess I wasn't hallucinating. THEN, I'm watching the season finale of "Lipstick Jungle" (yes, I know, I feel like I'm cheating on Cashmere Mafia) and some gal lays a big one on Victory while proposing a three way with the gal's husband or boyfriend (Yeah, I wasn't paying close attention prior to the big smacker). And then she was in bed with them. Right there on NBC. Course, it went nowhere. But, I bet some right wing bible thumpers are more upset about that than the storyline involving infidelity. Anyway, we're popping up everywhere...

Being Sick...Sucks or A BAD Experience Redux

Okay, usually I'm more loquacious. However, I've been sick as you might remember from a week or so ago (alright almost 2 weeks ago). I've been popping Advils and vitamin C, sleeping more, and attempting to keep up on writing evaluation reports for work and doing client paperwork. The cough is winning, but the headache isn't as bad as last week. Of course, staying home more than I already do means I'm watching the news. You want to know what I learned on the news today? Too bad, I'm gonna tell you anyway. Multiple vitamins cause cancer. Yep, being sick really sucks. I should have know this though, since during my childhood my mother used to tell me that LIFE gives you cancer (I wonder if she remembered this mantra of hers when my dad was diagnosed with cancer, because I did).

Anyway, I've been too pooped to party for the bulk of the last 2 weeks. Except a week ago Friday when I thought I was all better, so I went out for a BAD Experience Redux. It was the 5th anniversary of the monthly party that I promised to skip for a few months. That is, until I found out they were going to have special extras. Woohoo! Well, the special extras included an extra room provided for socializing, opportunities to have your picture taken with your significant other (or grab a hottie walking by) for $10.00 and get a henna tattoo (price dependent on design). Oh yeah, and they brought in some dancers. No, not crowd filler types that know how to move. No, not the kind that take off all their clothes. No, these were special burlesque dancers called The Ooh La La Girls! In my humble, and somewhat dazed from sickness, opinion they weren't all that ooh la la. But they were kind of interesting, especially the cute one that walked around on stilts and came up behind me to plant her breasts on my head. I was a tad shocked to say the least.

By the way, I didn't get a nap in before the party, so I bought some coffee to drink on the way. Then it was too hot to drink. So then, I had a rum and lots of coke (thanks to the cute blond boy bartender...Ian). The music was much improved and for some reason (perhaps the extra space) the women seemed nicer and cuter this month. Also, there was a special BAD video running all night with shadow box dancers in various states of undress...nice. Overall, it was slightly more entertaining than last time. What I'd really like is, that they would open the whole event center space to the party. The biggest challenge is how packed the main room gets by 10pm. It's dark, you can't move easily and you can't see the women. How much fun is that? I'm just sayin'. And that's all I'm sayin' for now. Feel free to send soup, cough remedies or a cute gal for TLC.

The Texas Democratic Primaries/Caucuses

Despite feeling sick..headache, cough, sore throat and a bit of a sinus thing making my ears hurt...I stay up late to observe the results of the Democratic Primaries. And it just occurred to me that Ohio and Texas are both my home states. See, I was born in Texas (yes, I'm a Texan) and I spent half my youth in Ohio (including HS and College). Anyway, I kind of figured that Clinton would win in Ohio and keep it close in Texas. Then she goes and wins Texas too! Well actually, she won the primaries and lost the caucuses. Proving once again, that the caucus system favors grassroots politics. And providing further evidence that perhaps the caucus system results in a poor sample of a state's voters.

I've been observing that the turn out for caucuses is really low and heavily favors whoever captures the interest of those most willing to spend the time going. If the candidate with a primarily grassroots campaign gets enough people willing to go, they can swing the caucus votes pretty easily, since they get to talk directly to the voters. Psychologically, people will go with the crowd rather than be alone in their vote even if they were set on an opposite vote prior to the caucus. Those results can then entice (or add to) a groundswell in popularity for the benefiting candidate. And all based on a small sample of people (some of whom voted with the peer pressure rather than how they really wanted to vote). So there in Texas, they had both primaries and caucuses and the turnout was huge for the primaries and very small for the caucuses. And once again, Clinton won in the primaries but lost in the caucuses. Overall though, Clinton still won Texas. So she's still in the race and for that I am glad. I'll share my observations on why, another time.

Ouch...oh...not so bad...

I had a rather entertaining weekend. Friday night, I enjoyed dinner at Gaetano's Italian Restaurant which, according to my best dining buddy and native Coloradan, had mob connections at one point in the past. Gaetano's was participating the Denver Restaurant Week (dinner for two for $52.80 all over the Denver/Boulder metro area...because Denver is the Mile High City and there are 5280 feet in a mile...get it?). We chose this restaurant for both the location (close to home), the interesting menu and for the glass of wine included. Some of the restaurants that are mid-range in price, offered the wine included in the $52.80 price. The high-range restaurants did not include a glass of wine with the price, and since they are high priced places, adding wine to the bill would have popped the budget (and I'm a cheapskate...remember!?!).

We shared a tasty 1st course of mussels in a spicy tomato broth that had good flavor but not enough spice for me. The 2nd course was a choice between minestrone or insalata, so we had the salads. Best part of the salad was the gorgonzola dressing...worse part were the slightly limp not so green greens. The 3rd course was a choice between prawns (large shrimp) scampi style over angel hair pasta and a grilled sliced petite filet with a brandy mushroom sauce, asparagus and mash potatoes. My friend had the shrimp and I had the very tasty filet. And then we shared some of each entree with each other (my mother calls that being "half-assed friends"). The shrimp themselves were cooked just right, but the pasta was a tad overcooked. I think I got the better of the two entrees. We were also given the choice for wine between Cribari Chianti or Citra Montepulciano. My friend had the Chianti which was good, but not as full bodied as the Montepulciano that I chose. I must say, I very much enjoyed my glass of wine. Besides being full bodied, it was slightly spicy yet also fruity (but not cloying) and went very well with the beef filet. The 4th course was tiramisu to be shared. The menu stated that it was house made. To me it looked and tasted like mass produced. It was light on the liquor and heavy on the whipped cream. Now I love me some whipped cream, so I ate all of my half, but it was wanting for a bit more flavor and kick.

Overall, I give Gaetano's restaurant week menu a "B" for great 1st and 3rd courses, average 2nd and 4th courses, and a great glass of wine. Although, if I was sitting in my dining buddies chair, I would have handed out a B- for the overcooked pasta and the adequate chianti.

As for Saturday, I went skiing at Loveland Ski Resort on a free lift ticket from Subaru! Since the weather report said it was going to snow today and be particularly warm yesterday, I totally picked the right day to use my lift ticket. In addition to the free lift ticket, I got a new Subaru stocking cap with visor, a Subaru lanyard to hold my lift ticket and a mini lip balm. Oh yeah, and a semi-private mini ski lesson. I got a refresher on making turns without falling down. Unfortunately, the guy taking the lesson with me bowled over the ski instructor (an old geezer) and the poor guy couldn't get back on his ski's that fast. And promptly upon finally getting going, some novice gal took him out...oh my. Well, I'm sure there was a lesson in there somewhere!

I got home feeling the strain of skiing on my lower legs and in my hips (this hip thing is a new sensation...gosh I hope I'm not getting old that fast). So I had a glass of cheap Cabernet Sauvignon from Glen Ellen, (that's surprisingly good for $3.99), and later some ibuprofen for the headache I had since driving home. I then went to bed at 9pm, which is early for me, and slept until my alarm went off at 7am...needed to catch up on sleep I guess. I was expecting to feel really stiff from skiing, but so far, no so much. I took another ibuprofen, because my head still hurt (and more than my legs and hips!). Of course, right now I feel stiffness more in my shoulders and back...so now would be a good time to stop with the blog post...and find someone for a massage...hehehe

Update: It's still snowing, so I'm not going...anywhere today! Alas...that means no massage either.