I've Got (Cheap) Gas

Our local grocery store chain Price Chopper has started a new discount gas program in partnership with Sunoco.

It's all turn-key with their existing rewards/discount Advantage cards. For every $50 you spend on groceries, it automatically credits your Advantage card with a 10¢ discount per gallon of gas. You can accumulate as large a discount as you spend on groceries (the discounts expire after a month on a rolling basis) and it is good for up to 20 gallons.

When you go to the gas station, you slide your Advantage card in first. The discounted price then appears in the windows at the pump. You put in your credit card, pick your grade, pump the gas, and go. Yesterday, the price was $2.63/gallon and I paid $2.13/gallon with a 50¢ discount. All I had to do was go to a Sunoco station (some of the cheapest in the area, BTW) and put my card in.

Fabulous!

Hunk-A-Lot Hump Day: John Oliver

City of Angels To Pay For Jackson's Funeral Security

I couldn't agree more:

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is trying to quell the escalating debate over who should pick up the estimated $1.4 million tab for police, traffic control and other services related to Michael Jackson's memorial service.

Villaraigosa, who was vacationing in South Africa a week ago when more than 17,000 fans flocked to downtown Los Angeles to watch the public memorial, asserted Monday that the city will pay. He said he will not ask the Jackson family or AEG Live, the owner of the Staples Center where the event was held, to help the city recoup its expenses, and he lambasted a city Web site set up to request donations.

"This is a world-class city, and we provide fire and police protection, period," Villaraigosa said during his first public appearance since returning from his weeklong trip. "The idea that we would charge the family for a funeral is nonsensical.

How much revenue did he generate for the city and state? Probably billions! His income and property taxes. Taxes on show tickets. The jobs he created in the entertainment industry and all of their income taxes. Hell, just the sales taxes collected on the Thriller CDs alone!

Pearls In The Necklace Of Life #10

A reminder to be good to one another:

"A rising tide raises all boats."

---

Did you ever notice the pearls of wisdom that can be found on sign boards? Whether it's in front of a restaurant, church, or even a fire house, there are some clever folks out there that can turn a phrase and impart life lessons. I'll keep you posted on the best ones I see.

Saturday Sh!ts & Giggles: Do You Want A Pony?

I'm not sure if these ads are running nationally or not. The little girl is priceless!

I'm Going To Scream...

...if one more person calls that child "Blanket." I mean, he's Prince Michael Jackson II. It's not his fault his dumbass father named him the same as the first son. A little George Foreman-esque, don't ya think? But you never hear any of the Foreman boys called Blanket. Or Towel. Or Crockpot.

Can you imagine the damage to the kid's self esteem? "Hi, this is Prince. This is Paris. And this is, ummmm, Blanket."

And what about Debbie Rowe? "Oh, I'll take the first two because I was their birth vessel, but that other one isn't mine. Throw his ass on the laundry heap of life." Ugh.

What kills me is that they all say it with a straight face! Get Brooke Shields up there yakking about crescent moons and shit, then goes on about Blanket.

I have to keep telling myself, "Yes, indeed, everyone except me may just be crazy."

BTW, could Paris have been any more wonderful? So sweet.

Hunk-A-Lot Hump Day: Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Happy Independence Day!

This is my annual repost to wish y'all a Happy Fourth of July. To those that don't see gay men as part of the rich fabric of American society, fuck off.



Talk about a pride inspiring piece! The last soaring note gives me goose bumps every time. Makes me want to move to San Diego and join the chorus!

In this clip, the San Diego Gay Men's Chorus performed the national anthem at a San Diego Padres game last summer. It was Gay Pride night and the protesters were out in front of the stadium trying to turn away baseball fans.

It's interesting that the folks who criticize the outrageousness of gay pride parades (but don't do the same regarding straight Mardi Gras parades) are the same ones that protested that the chorus was so normal and attractive that children could be recruited. Outrageous. Normal. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Ultimately, they want us back in the closet. But, to trot out an old slogan I've chanted more than once in my lifetime, "We're here. We're queer. Get used to it!"

Review: 9 to 5: The Musical

Three words: Loved. This. Show.

If you've seen the movie, then you already know the plot of 9 to 5: The Musical. The story stays pretty true, except how they tie things up at the end, and all of the most recognizable lines in the film have been preserved here in the play's dialogue.

I don't think I can say enough wonderful things about the new songs penned by Dolly Parton. The show starts off with the familiar 9 to 5, and then it is an all new score of 18 songs from there. I was a little leery, but each song was really good on its own and did a great job of sticking to the story and moving it forward. The melodies are catchy and lyrics witty.

Alison Janny, who plays the role of Violet originated by Lily Tomlin, is the headliner and star. Her singing skills are a bit lacking, more of talking in tune with the music rather than singing, but the ensemble frequently joins in and gives her ample cover.

Megan Hilty, a veteran of Wicked in the role of Glenda, plays the role originated by Dolly Parton to the hilt. She's got the southern twang down and adds her own spin that gets the audience laughing.

I'm going to call out Jeremy Davis from the ensemble. In a non-speaking role, he always looked like he was playing to the audience and having the time of his life up there performing on stage. I found myself watching him during the clever song and dance segues between scenes.

My main criticism is going to seem a bit sophomoric — Marc Kudisch, who plays the part of Mr. Hart orginated by Dabney Coleman, is extremely bow legged! I mean, distractingly bow legged. That's all I have to say about that.

I highly recommend the show for a fantastic night on the town. Ticket prices have gone up in the past year with best seats going for $127 of which I paid $78 (40% off + commission) at the TKTS booth.

---

The show is playing at the Marquis Theatre on the mezzanine level of the Marriott Marquis Hotel located at Broadway and 45th. The theater is deceptively big, seating almost 1,600 patrons, but seems quite a bit smaller. All seats are pretty close to the stage with minimal sight line issues only for those in seats on the far left and right aisles.

The theatre was built in 1986. I saw The Drowsy Chaperone there in 2007 and went there in 1993 to see Broadway star Bernadette Peters and Martin Short in The Goodbye Girl. It's nice and clean with easy and quick access.

God's Love We Deliver

If you watched Celebrity Apprentice last season, you know that Joan Rivers played for her charity God's Love We Deliver. They are like a Meals on Wheels and have just celebrated their 10,000,000th meal!

This is their HQ at the corner of 6th Avenue and Spring Street.

Bandwidth Issues

I just received my second notice that I'm nearly out of bandwidth for my company's web service. That's due to the cardinal pic that was in the background which I post and serve up from that other site. Last week, this blog had a day that approached 1,500 hits and I'm up to about 500/day on average and the cardinal is killing me!

While I think of a better solution, I've dropped the photo and put in a solid background to keep from incurring additional costs.

Hunk-A-Lot Hump Day: Rob Estes

Cheap Tix At TKTS

The Theatre Development Fund is the organization in charge of liquidating unsold seats for the current day's performances at almost all the theatres in New York City. They sell tickets to the musicals that Broadway is famous for at their TKTS booths but I've also bought drama and opera tickets there.

There are two sales locations. The most popular (and most crowded) is their new Times Square place in the middle of the theatre district at Broadway and 47th Street. Their other locations are at South Street Seaport on the lower east side of Manhattan at Front and John Streets, and in Brooklyn in 1 MetroTech Center at Jay Street and Myrtle Avenue.

If you have your heart set on seeing a red hot show or a new show that just opened, those performances are usually sold out so I'd recommend that you book your tickets in advance and pay full price. If, however, you're willing to see an established show you should visit a TKTS booth and pick up your tickets for anywhere from 25-50% off the day of the event.

Here's how it works:
— Before you go, check TKTS Availability on their web site to get an idea of what shows were available the previous week. This doesn't guarantee anything but should give you a hint on the availability of your selected show. If it wasn't available last week, it probably won't be available this week unless you get lucky and go at a particularly slow time. There are fewer available seats for weekend performances.
— TKTS puts tickets on sale at 10 a.m. for 2 p.m. matinees and at 3 p.m. for evening performances at their Times Square booth. At South Street Seaport and Brooklyn, evening performances and next-day matinees are on sale starting at 11 a.m.
— When you arrive, check the display board to see what shows are available for that day and time before you get in line. Make a priority list so you'll be able to quickly request a substitute if your top choices are sold out. As you would expect, smaller venues sell out faster. If you are with someone, save some time by having one person get in line and the other go to check the tote boards for availability.
— This process isn't a secret so expect long queues (hundreds of people), especially during nice weather.
— The earlier you arrive to line up, the better your chances that you'll get tickets to your favorite show and/or better seats.
— These windows are not set up for all day shopping. All tickets are ranked according to best available and are sold in that order. The tradeoff for getting seats at a 35-50% discount is that you lack the ability to spend all day with the agent planning your evening's itinerary.
— CASH ONLY. No checks or credit cards.

With all that said, enjoy your show and make a toast to me with a glass of champagne at intermission with the money you save!

NYC Pride Parade 2009

Yesterday was a loooooonnnnngggg day!

I had succumbed to the heat on Saturday while wandering around SOHO. The humidity didn't help; I felt faint despite drinking a bottle of orange juice and eating a couple of donuts. I hopped on the subway and headed back to my room hoping I wouldn't pass out. I made it back, turned on the AC full blast and slept for 2 hours. I was definitely dehydrated so I started drinking lots of water.

When Sunday came around, I wasn't sure I'd last. The temp and humidity was lower so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did since I didn't feel sick at all. I started the day with a bagel, OJ, and water. Got another bottle of water and a bottle of Gatorade to make sure I was hydrated.

Due to the great work of Father Tony (see his slideshow) and his husband C, they organized a group of Gay Bloggers and Digital Activists and included me. We assembled on W 54th Street at 11:30, waiting for our turn to proceed onto Fifth Avenue for the journey down to the West Village.

The group ahead of us was a "dance float" with loud music and dancers showing lots of skin along the way. As we made the turn onto 5th, they started us off with Billie Jean and the crowd erupted. It put me in a great mood for the rest of the way. Here's a video of the final part. That's St. Patrick's Cathedral in the background and Father Tony in the left foreground and Eric Leven in the right foreground. There was a dude dressed like Batman that was dancing along like he didn't have a care in the world. I understand he's a regular in Central Park on the weekends.



The parade is MASSIVE — we didn't move from our collecting point until around 3. At 5:30, we'd covered quite a bit of ground but were still on 5th Ave so I had to say good-bye to catch my bus at 6:20. I JUST made it by the skin of my teeth!

Imagine that we were group 10 of 16 and I understand our group didn't hit the finish line until 6:30. The parade must have gone on until 9. Yep, New York's Fifth Avenue closed down for 9 hours for pride!

It's an odd and special feeling to walk down Fifth Ave, passing landmarks like St. Patrick's, Rockefeller Center, Saks Fifth Avenue, Empire State Building, Flat Iron Building, etc. An excellent experience indeed!

Looking down Fifth Ave.

Looking up Fifth Ave.

A Peruvian group was behind us with men in hot pants and lots of red feathers.

Here's the dance float that ended up ahead of us the whole way and you can see Batman dancing.

Back From NYC

Well, I had quite a weekend in NYC.

My primary reason for going was to walk in the pride parade with NYC Bloggers and Digital Activists. A great group that I'm happy have chosen to include me! If I met you, and you're stopping by, leave a comment with a link to your blog. I have a pretty good memory but could still use the help!

I'll have to write several posts to recap things. Reviews of Hair and 9 to 5, and an update on the parade itself.

Stay tuned.

It's Gone, All Gone

The hair is gone. I decided that it would be a good symbolic action to take now that I'm starting my life over after placing my mother in an assisted living facility earlier in the week. I also imagined that I was having 18 months of stress and burn-out clipped away.


Here's before and after. The guy who did the shaving said I entered one man and left another. Funny how something as simple as hair can have such impact on people's views.

Hunk-A-Lot Hump Day: Mark Feuerstein