Saturday, August 31, 2013

Harbor

I went to the matinee performance of the play Harbor today at the 59E59 Theater.  The play is about a married gay couple, Ted and Kevin, whose seemingly perfect life in Sag Harbor is disrupted by an unexpected visit from Kevin's sister Donna.  Donna, a single parent who arrives at her brother's doorstep with her unhappy teenaged daughter Lottie in tow, is pregnant again and tries to convince her brother and his husband  to adopt her unborn child and raise it as their own.  But, while Kevin secretly wants children, Ted, his husband, does not.  I almost didn't see this play because the reviews for it weren't great and I thought the tickets were a little pricey for off-Broadway.  (I paid less for Pippin!)  Thankfully, Theater Mania offered discounted tickets, so I gave in and bought one...and I'm glad I did.  Harbor was great.  Critics be damned!  The dialogue was smart and funny and the actors did a good job.  I really enjoyed watching Ted (played by actor Paul Anthony Stewart) grapple with the discord in his home during Donna's visit.  His growing frustration with Kevin and Donna finally boils over when he tells Kevin that he doesn't want a child because he always has one...Kevin.  Ouch!  Kevin, the younger man in the marriage, the one who can't seem to finish the book he's been writing for years, the one who can't seem to hold a job, the one who is almost as irresponsible as his flighty sister, is like a child to his own husband.  Ted cares for Kevin, emotionally and financially, and the stress of it all finally surfaces.  Aside from the performances, it was good to see Randy Harrison (who played Kevin) performing.  I remember watching him as Justin on Showtime's Queer as Folk years ago.  Although he's 35 now, he still looks like a 25-year-old.  During the play, I kept thinking that he was too young to have been in a relationship with a guy for 10 years, but, truthfully, he isn't!! 

(As a side note, I really wish they'd have a Queer as Folk reunion just so I could see Randy Harrison (Justin) and Gale Harold (Brian) together again.  They really were the best things about that show and the main reason I tuned in for as many seasons as I did before it went off the rails and I gave up on it.)

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Summer, I Hardly Knew Ya

I can't believe the summer is almost done and I've got nothing to show for it.  No vacations, no fun trips, nothing.  Just the city and the work.  Mentally, after Labor Day, it feels like fall has checked in and summer is gone until next year.  The days are already getting shorter.  Before long, it'll be time to retire the white pants and pull out the corduroys.  I'm not ready for fall yet.  I'm not ready the kids to go back to school (and for the morning subway commute to return to standing room only).  I need a few more weeks of warm weather, walks in the park, and frozen margaritas. 

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Masseur vs. Masseuse

I had my yearly hot stone massage yesterday (that I wish I could have more often) and a friend and I were discussing whether to have a man or a woman give you a massage.  My friend said she couldn't imagine having a man give her a massage because it would be too weird to have a man she didn't know touching her like that.  I, on the other hand, don't feel the same way.  I've had massages from men and women (well, one man) and had no issues with either.  However, the masseur I had was so unappealing to me that his lack of attractiveness probably helped ease any issues I might have had.  If he had been smoking hot, I might have felt uncomfortable with the whole thing.  When I booked that particular appointment a few years ago, he was the only person available.  I don't think I could ever be a masseuse.  I don't have what it takes to touch strangers in such an intimate way.  I don't even like folks brushing up against me on the subway.  I can only imagine what masseuses encounter, particularly with male customers.  I'm sure some men wouldn't feel comfortable having another man give them a massage and prefer a woman.  And if, during the course of the massage, they become aroused, what then?  I'm sure it's a natural reaction that the masseuses just deal with professionally, but what if some guy expects more than the services offered?  How do you deal with that?  The next time I'm at the spa, I'll see if I can get up the nerve to actually ask the masseuse (or masseur) how these kinds of delicate situations are handled.  I'd really like to know. 

Friday, August 23, 2013

Tori Amos

I've been listening to a lot of Tori Amos lately. Why, I don't know.  Maybe I'm yearning for Kate Bush...as an American.  (Really, if you like Kate Bush you should like Tori Amos also, right?)  Tori just kind of fell off the radar like so many talented artists do.  She's still making music, but it's just not the kind of music that gets a lot of press these days.  Whenever I listen to Tori, I think about a speed dating event I went to years ago in Philadelphia.  One of my speed dating suitors confessed that he loved Tori Amos and this pinged my gaydar hard.  (He pinged my gaydar hard, too, but the Tori Amos thing kind of sealed the deal.  He was a real fanboy.)  He was sweet and I think he was surprised that I'd even heard of Tori Amos.  I have diverse musical tastes that I'm quite proud of!  I remember talking with one of my gay male co-workers about the Tori Amos guy I met and he agreed with my assessment that the guy was probably gay.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I think maybe he was wasting his time (and everyone else's) at a heterosexual speed dating event.  He did, however, have excellent taste in music.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Da Mayor's Race

So I watched last night's debate between the New York mayoral candidates (the democrats) and, I have to say, I was impressed with Weiner.  He did a good job articulating his views and answering the questions he was given.  I'm still not inclined to vote for him though.  He's too much of a loose cannon.  I think I'm sticking with DeBlasio unless he messes up in the final weeks before then I'll throw my vote to Thompson.  No way am I voting for Quinn (aka Bloomberg Lite).  That woman irks me.  Her voice makes me cringe.  I just don't like her and I don't think she'd be a good leader for the city.  Why are Liu, Albanese, and Salgado are even in the race.  Albanese was at my subway station about two weeks ago shaking hands and handing out flyers.  I didn't even know who he was.  Give it up, dudes!  It's not going to happen for you!

I'm ready for the primary to come and go so at least I'll know who I'm dealing with.  Still, I hate the thought of suffering through more months of political campaign ads.  Ugh.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

RIP Elmore Leonard

We lost a great writer and a proud Detroiter with the passing of Elmore Leonard. Rest in peace, Elmore.


Danger, Will Robinson!

Some poor tourist had her leg (or foot, depending on which media account you read) severed while sitting on 6th Avenue and 49th Street today.  This woman was having a hot dog on a nice day and, bam, she's mutilated by a yellow cab that jumped the curb.  So sad.  This happened right across the street from my office.  The streets are angry, my friends.  You take your life in your hands when you leave the house each day. 

Switching gears, with all of the talk around New York about stop and frisk, I just want to say that most of the people I've heard praising stop and frisk aren't the ones who fit the demographic to actually BE stopped and frisked.  

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Times Have Been Better

I watched a delightful little French movie called Times Have Been Better (Le Ciel sur la Tete--which doesn't translate to the English title, but whatever) on DVD this weekend.  The movie was about a 33-year-old guy who comes out to his parents, but rather than being a typical coming out movie where the person coming out is thrown into chaos, this movie focused on the gay person's parents being thrown into chaos.   His coming out exposed a lot of problems that had been simmering below the surface in his parents' marriage.  It's refreshing to see a movie about a gay couple whose relationship is stable while the straight couple's relationship is the one teetering on the brink of disaster.  Usually it's the other way around.  (Not that I'm wishing for anyone's relationship, gay or straight, to hit the skids, but you know what I mean.)  Of course it takes the French (or some other foreign country) to make a movie that deals with a man's homosexuality in a mature way.  The American film industry is far too conservative and restrictive when it comes to dealing with themes like these.  I wish they'd loosen the reigns a little and take a cue from their foreign neighbors.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Blocking the Shot

After work today, I stopped by my friendly neighborhood Trader Joe's on Court and Atlantic Streets because my refrigerator was beginning to look like it was on display.  A commercial for Emblem Health Care was being filmed on the corner of Court and Bergen Streets.  On my way back to the subway from Trader Joe's, some lowly production assistant (PA) asked me and others to go around their shoot.  Now, had I been in a better mood, I probably would have complied, but I had cramps, I had frozen foods, and I was on the side of the street I needed to be on to catch the train back home.  Why should I cross the street, go out of my way, and then cross back just to appease Emblem Health Care?  These are public streets!  I have a right to walk where I please!  So, I ignored the PA and kept walking.  I could hear him yelling behind me, "Miss, you're blocking our shot!"  Whatever.  They should have filmed on a sound stage if they didn't want folks walking down the street blocking their shots.  And who films a commercial at 5:30 in the afternoon on a weekday?  Film your stuff when everyone's at work or early in the morning, not at the height of rush hour on a busy corner.  I have no sympathy.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Where's the Money, Lebowski?

I enjoy spending a quiet Sunday afternoon reading the New York Times from cover to cover (the actual paper--not the online version).  I particularly enjoy reading "The Hunt" in the real estate section where folks search for housing in and around New York.  But a lot of the stories focus on people who have levels of wealth that I find hard to wrap my mind around.  Case in point:  this week's story focused on a 32-year-old guy currently renting in the West Village (all points lead to gay...not that there's anything wrong with that) looking to buy a place in the range of $700-$900K.  How does a 32-year-old have the money for a place at these prices?  The article said he was using his life savings, but at age 32, how much life have you really lived?  Yes, he had a job (working for some company I'd never heard of), but even if he was a frugal saver (and, honestly, how frugal can you be living in New York?  His rent in the Village was near $4K a month), how did he manage to amass the kind of loot needed for a down payment?  The article didn't say that he was living with anyone, so I assumed he was paying the bills by himself which begs the question, "Where's the money, Lebowski?"  Where did the money come from?  Did some family member provide him with a hefty inheritance?  Did Mom and Dad hook him up?  Did he have a really great money market account or something?  Is he a recent Mega Millions or Powerball winner?  I'm always amazed at how relatively young people can afford such expensive housing especially when they're not selling one property to buy another.  Clearly, I'm doing something wrong with my life because it would take lottery winnings for me to amass the kind of money needed for a near $1 million piece of property.  And, yes, I am a hater.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Finally!

Finally, I got fitted for my permanent crown after it was sent back to alterations the last time I went to the dentist.  I certainly hope my dental work is done for a while.

Also, finally the city or the MTA or someone put some spikes up beneath the underpass at the Ft. Hamilton Parkway subway station to keep those freaking pigeons from shitting on everyone below.  This has been a problem since I moved to Kensington that was not helped by the little dude who feeds the pigeons and chats with the guy selling newspapers in the morning.  You always had to run or walk really fast beneath that underpass to avoid the pigeon poop.  And there would be piles of pigeon crap stacked up beneath the underpass.  You could smell it before you saw it.  Now there are spikes all along the beams to keep the dirty birds out.  Yea! 

Unfortunately, I was not one of the three Powerball winners for yesterday's jackpot, so I was forced to return to my day job to earn my meager wages.  Sigh.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Powerball Players

Count me as one of the many players (and probably losers) who paid for Powerball tickets for Wednesday's drawing.  Still, you've got to be in it to win it, right?  So what if the odds are against me, there's a slim chance I could emerge victorious.  If I did happen to win even a portion of that $400+ million jackpot and if the state forced me to show up for a public press conference to claim my winnings, I'd be in disguise:  hat, wig, sunglasses, and possibly a vocoder to hide my voice.  No way would I be on that stage looking like I do every day.  I'd want to get my money and go back to living a life of anonymity. 

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Gayby

I just want to go on record and say that the movie Gayby was not good.  I already slammed Royal Pains earlier and now I'm slamming Gayby.  The premise of the movie sounded good:  a straight woman and her gay male friend decide to have a baby together...the old fashioned way.  Great.  Fine.  Unfortunately, the actors were so physically unappealing and the movie was so dull that I found myself waiting for it to be over.  My mind wandered constantly throughout the movie and I wondered about other things like how a woman who's a yoga instructor can afford a Manhattan apartment with a rooftop balcony and how a dude working in a comic book store could afford to live in overpriced Brooklyn.  And what's with these gay men working in comic book stores?  Didn't we have that in Queer as Folk?  Maybe someone someday will make a good movie that explores the relationship between a straight woman and a gay man, but I'm still waiting for that film and Gayby ain't it.  Two thumbs down...way down.

Royal Pains...Is Painful to Watch!

I caught up on this week's episode of Royal Pains this morning and suffered through an hour of that show only to discover that Boris (aka the lovely, lovely Campbell Scott) wasn't even featured.  Boris is the only reason I watch this mess.  (According to the preview for next week's show, he will appear.)  Royal Pains has never been a great show, but it's downright awful now.  It's like one giant commercial.  When Evan's wife showed off the panel in her Toyota that allows you to charge your cell phone without plugging it in, I knew Toyota must be sponsoring the show.  (And, lo and behold, I saw an actual commercial during the show that featured the actors who play Evan and his wife Paige.)  Is this what it's come to now?  Shows centered around products?  White Collar did the same thing with the Ford Taurus, but I'm willing to cut them some slack because (A) I like White Collar and (B) my father is a Ford retiree.  (Yes, I'm a hypocrite.)  But back to Royal Pains.  Why does the new guy, Jeremiah, look almost exactly like Hank and Evan?  I can see Hank and Even resembling each other because they're brothers on the show, but to bring on another doctor who looks like their third brother (or at least a close cousin) is ridiculous.  Who is casting this show?  They couldn't find an actor out there who didn't look almost exactly like the two main stars? 

When is White Collar coming back?  Although that show is getting a little long in the tooth also.  I think maybe it's time to hang it up a la Burn Notice.  Maybe this season should be Neal Caffery's last.  I'm sure Matt Bomer would like to move on and do different things as would Tim DeKay.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Friday Finish

So, as this Friday night rolls to an end, I have a few observations.

1. Trader Joe's:  I stopped at Trader Joe's on Court Street (aka Hungry Hipster Hangout) after work and the line was ridiculous.  I realize it's the first of the month, but I started to wonder if food was being given away since it was so crowded.  (It wasn't.)  I saw a woman give her kid a Luna bar to eat in the store.  Isn't that stealing?  If you eat food you haven't paid for yet, isn't that theft?  (Now I firmly believe that woman was going to get in the long line and eventually pay for that Luna bar, but still, theft is theft.  Feed your kid at home, lady!)

2.  Lockout: When I got home from Trader Joe's, I found myself locked out of my apartment along with several other apartment residents.  The front door of my apartment building has had a broken lock for most of the week.  Well, someone came out and fixed it today, but now no one's key will work in it.  Plus, even if you buzz someone to buzz you into the building, that doesn't work either!  There were about ten people waiting to get into the building when one guy finally called his wife to come to the lobby and physically open the door.  I had been planning on going back out, but changed my mind because I feared if I went out, I wouldn't be able to get back in!  Of course, the super was MIA during this whole debacle.  Oy!  I hope that problem gets fixed ASAP.

3.  Jack White: The ex-wife of Jack White (formerly of the White Stripes) filed a restraining order against him.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  There's a little crazy in every Detroiter.  And since Jack is a Detroiter, he's got the crazy in him, too.  (Fun fact: Jack and I went to the same high school, but not at the same time.  I'm a wee bit older than he is.)  If you're not a Detroiter but you're dealing with one, all you can do is hope he or she doesn't let the crazy out because it can be bad news for everyone involved.  The crazy can be suppressed, but it's always there.  As a Detroiter myself, I know this.