Homer'sWorld

Went to see Flushed Away- pretty amazing animation.

John.

Happy Birthday John! I forgot to spank him.


Frank.

John's bf Frank had to bartend, so we went over to Woody's and hung out for a while.

It has decided to get cold here. I had to bring in a bunch of my potted plants and drained the evaporative coolers. The cats think the bext place to be is either on my lap or on top of me in bed. Winter is finally here.

Watched Charlie Brown Christmas show and hated it. The pious yapping that Christmas is all about Christ and such twaddle. Sorry, for me the Holiday season is about sharing times with friends and letting people far away know that you mean something to me.

Anyhows, I like the Grinch and Rudolph thirty-eight times better. When I was a kid I would hide behind Mama sitting in her chair (probably knitting or reading a mystery book) and look over the top when the Abominable Monster appeared, basically scared out of my mind. He still makes the hair on my arms stand up, but I would probably ask him out for a date if I could get to him before Jimbo does.

Speaking of other things I don't like. Belly button tattoos. May look good now, but in 10 years as your belly (naturally) grows, that thang is going to look h.i.d.e.o.u.s. Yessirree. No doubt 'bout that one. I rarely see a tattoo that makes me think "Hot!" and more likely I think, "Oh, I hope he/she/it didn't spend a lot of hard-earned cash on that."

Watched hours of Rome and Battlestar Gallactica (1st season for each, I don't have fancy cable) last weekend. Liked both. The only other shows I'm watching now are Heroes, Lost (losing interest), and Amazing Race (I want the girls from Alabama to win). I really spend too much time in front of my computer, but hey, that's where the space heater is parked and it has decided to get a lil chilly here in Tucson.

I met Bert Wilber at an antique store. When I am at such stores and see a pile of old photos, I look at the backs first, searching for those that have names on them. When there is a name, I flip them over and look at the face. Sometimes I will buy these pictures and research the person.


Bert Wilber.

Richard had called me while I was at the library printing out more articles on people dying tragic deaths in Territorial Arizona. Did I want to go to Bisbee with him and Keith? Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. And off we went. Unforts, no camera, so no pictures of us traipsing around.

Bisbee was crowded and the antique stores were full of bargains- I bought a dozen Christmas ornaments from the 1920s or 1930s for $6, an enamelware serving bowl with bright fruit for $20, and a double flamingo ceramic planter for $14. I never spend money on myself, so this was an unusual event.

The photo had "Bert Wilber, Kansas" on the back and was taken at a Menominee, Michigan photographer's studio. From these clues I found him in the 1880, 1910, and 1920 censuses. He was born in 1871 in New York, was married around 1904 to a woman named Effie, had two daughters, and was living in El Dorado, Kansas in 1920. He disappears afterwards.

Bert was certainly a hottie- we agreed he was an early 1900s dream date.

Instead of becoming a bear porn star, I chopped a tree down, washed dishes, and thought briefly about vacuuming the rug in my living room.

Instead of becoming a famous politician, I wrote a letter to the editor about marriage hypocrite John McCain, who is trying to pretend that he is more conservative than Mitt Romney (dear goodness, who wants a president named Mitt?).

Instead of cleaning up Mollie's poop, which she inconveniently leaves in prominent places in the front yard, I wondered what exciting things other people are doing today.

What I'm taking to Thanksgiving Dinner.


Parsnip-onion quiche.


Coconut cake with cranberry filling, coconut cream cheese frosting, and chocolate leaves.

Scruffy Tuesday.

I looked in the mirror- should I bother shaving? What's the point, no one expects me to be spiffy at work. If I show up in my blue-jeans-are-dirty-so-I'll-wear-these-gray-pants pants everybody asks why I'm all dressed fancy.

Scruffed.

I hate shaving anyways- always nick the right side of my neck. So I declare this Scruffy Tuesday and I'm done with it.

Thanksgiving survey: What should I make to take to dinner at Patrick's parents' house?

1). Coconut cake with coconut cream cheese frosting.
2). Lemon meringue pie with mile-high meringue.
3). Parsnip-onion tart.
4). Spaghetio souffle.

I await your vote.

A big dust devil swung by my neighborhood at 11:30 this morning and at 2:30 I discovered one of the willow acacias in my backyard had fallen down.


Fallen tree.

I was planning on cutting the two trees down anyway- they are scrawny and unattractive. I guess I'll borrow a chainsaw from work and slice them up.


Cactus fruits.

Unusually warm here today- mid 80s and my house is feeling hot. I've been doing a lot of typing lately- transcribing old newspaper articles- so much that my shoulder aches and it hurts just to type this. The same thing happens if I play too much Age of Empire. So I think I'll go read a book and take a nap instead.

Some places I have lived:

- Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming- did an archaeology dig on the floor of Jackson Lake when it was drained for repairs to the dam. We had a pair of moose living next to our cabin.

- Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan- my father moved us up there in August 1979. I think it started snowing in September.

- Fairview, Montana- best pizza I ever had, at the Powder Keg Cafe.

- Mountainair, New Mexico- was almost beat up at the Rosebud Bar because I made the mistake of wearing a pink polo shirt.

- Alexandria, Virginia- in an apartment building where a lot of expensive hookers lived. We'd see them in the elevator going on outcalls. One of my roommates asked me to talk to one to find out how much. I refused.

I've lived in Tucson the longest, 13.5 years. I've lived in my house now for seven years- that is the longest in one place except for the first house I remember, where I lived for nine years.

When I got to work this morning the electricity was out- a car had hit a pole somewhere nearby. Rather than sit around inside our pitch-black cubicles, three of my co-workers piled into the trusty gray Saturn and went to visit a site my company is digging.

After getting out of the car I put on my Amish straw hat. I'm trying to protect my balding head. Considering how much time I've spent in the sun, I've somehow escaped damaging my skin- I think it is because I'm greasy. I'm not the moisturizer kinda guy.


Amish hat.

We traipsed around examining 1000-year-old pit houses. The one below has an entrance projecting from one side, and a hearth, postholes, and a storage pit cutting through the floor. The superstructure- made of wood, grass, reeds, and mud is long gone.


Pithouse.

Nearby, along a small wash, I found a bunch of native gourds- I'll post a picture tomorrow when I can photo them in the sun. I also saw a roadrunner and a bunch of Inca doves- but no alligators.

Nice way to spend a couple of hours

So 194 Catholic bishops think I'm disordered. Oh gosh, a bunch of celibate men who like to walk around wearing fancy dresses while magically turning bread and wine into flesh and blood think I'm fucked-up.


Who. Honestly Cares.

I'm sorry, a bunch of nelly boy-fuckers or boy-fucker enablers or boy-fucker wannabees are the last people who should be passing judgement on us faggots. Asamatteroffuckingfact, these Bishops of the Catholic Church, with its long history of Crusades, Inquisitions, forced Conversion, and Oops-I-can't-Believe-It's-A-Holocaust; can just go into their lil confessionals and touch themselves while I tell them how hot that redhead Army sergeant really was and what really happened after my 40th birthday party and what it feels like to be really free and happy and not having to follow some lame rules made up by a bunch of long-dead folks who would like totally freak and burn each other at the stake if they ever saw an airplane, a computer, or my penis.

Did I make myself clear? Groups of queeny-oldsters who obsess so-fucking-much about homosexuals obviously privately wish they were getting man-on-man sex and are just jealous that those of us who are disordered are having better lives than their miserable, closet-case, paranoia-filled "lives."

We now return to our regularly scheduled disordered life.

I went to see Jackass2 at the three dollar theater..... I can't remember the last time I laughed so much at a movie.

You know, this weekend was pretty dull. I cleaned out my closet and organized my shirts by pattern and color. I read six months of a newspaper from 1869, printing out articles about people dying. I made mashed potato and refried bean enchiladas. At the bar, I flirted with someone I dated in early 2003. I took a nap this afternoon and Joey snuggled up next to me. I watched last week's Desperate Housewives on the net. I transcribed newspaper articles into the computer. On Friday I went to bed at 9 PM.

Yes, it was an abnormally dull weekend.

Random thoughts, Saturday at 6:42 PM

- I'm so excited, the Reno 911 movie is coming out in February.
- Sinead O'Conner has an awesome voice.
- Why does Joey insist of sitting on my lap when I'm typing.
- Did I put the rugs in the dryer?
- I'm down to three shows I watch- Heroes, Amazing Race, and Lost- 'cept lost is on break until February.
- Mollie's fur makes me itch when she sits on my lap. She is a bit big for that, but she likes special attention.
- Should I go out tonight?

And the winner is...


Cookie loves milk!

The problem is, Homer loves cookies. And ice cream. And yellow cake with buttercream frosting. And mini-chocolate bars. And cheese puffed popcorn.

I so need to lose 10 pounds.

Your vote counts! Which one of my new t-shirts is cuter?


Teddybear loves Teddyboy.

versus


Cookie loves milk.

So here in Arizona we voted against the crummy "Protect Marriage Amendment" crap. The fundamentalists worded it to remove domestic partner benefits, including healthcare, and people didn't want that to happen. Of course faggot marriage is still illegal, but someday...

In other news, Arizona is supplying two new US Representatives- we're going from two Dems and 6 Repubs to 4 each. Loudmouth, nasty ole J. D. Hayworth, who represented Brian and Marc, is now just a comma in history. Poor J.D., he lost weight, got all buff, a spray on tan, and still he could not escape the image of a nasty bully that he had created by being, well, a nasty bully.

And we've outlawed means cages for mama pigs and veal calves! As well as passed a whole slew of anti-immigrant laws that will be found unconstitutional in the next few years because they are poorly worded racist shit! How long before our prisons are crammed even more full of people because meth users are required to be locked up. That's going to be a big, big, fucking train wreck of a mess. Oh, and Arizona voters raised the minimum wage. We really like to place initiatives on the ballot here.

So vote for your favorite t-shirt, and I'll post a pic of me wearing it!

Did you notice there was an election today? Amazingly enough, I don't get fancy cable (although basic cable does have the Hallmark channel!), and none of the regular channels are going to have election coverage until 9 PM Arizona time. That's pretty remarkable. Of course no one wants to miss Navy CIS for some dumb 'lection.

I made tapioca pudding to celebrate tonight.

My new career as a pole dancer was not to be.


Photo by Brian.

Brian came down from Phoenix and spent the afternoon watching me do errands. We were going to the All Souls Day Procession and I spent about twenty minutes making four signs.


Gregg and Ray.

At the parade route we ran into Gregg and Ray and I gave them two of the signs. I carried "The Iraq War 2003- " and Brian had "The Republican Congress 1994-2006." A very large number of people stopped and photographed the four of us. If it doesn't sound too snotty, I will say that they came out very well.


Parade goers.

Thousands of people attend the event. We ran into Chris and Jim, among many others. Somehow I missed Patrick and Brady, although they apparently saw me. The parade is meant to memorialize the dead and the saddest thing I saw was a shrine made for a young man named Tim, a friend of friends of mine, who died a few months ago when he was hit by a car in a crosswalk.


Dearly departed bride.

Brian will be posting a lot better pictures of the people in the parade. It seemed smaller than last year, with fewer homemade altars. There was a grand piano on wheels, that was pretty amazing.


Brian and Homer.

Afterwards I made Brian pizza and he's on his way back to Phoenix. I'm in my new jammies and it is bedtime for me.

I suppose I should feel sorry for Ted Haggard's wife, now that he has been outed as a meth snorting butt fuckee, but I'm not sure I do.

Her husband spent a lot of time telling members of his enormous church how horrible homosexuals were, and did she ever stand up and say, "Ted, you are wrong. Homosexuals are everyday people, just like you and I!" I'm guessing no. I couldn't find anything on the internet to suggest otherwise.

The Haggards in happier days.

Mrs. Gayle Haggard lived a very nice lifestyle because her husband was rewarded for his conservative views, including the opinion that homosexuality was "immoral." They campaigned against gay marriage. If gay people were actually able to marry, if they were not vilified by fundamentalists, would there be an endless stream of jackasses being outed?

Dear readers, a favor. Please call the evil Protect Marriage Amendment people here in Arizona at their toll free number- 1-886-486-2774 and waste their time (and money!) by telling the perky woman answering the phone your opinions on the topic. Pretty please! With sugar on top! Hugs, Homer

In contrast to last night's rally, where Bill Clinton talked about the importance of unity, of the strength of Americans cooperating with each other, of stopping the divisions that Bush et al. have promoted; here is Senator John McCain acting like a fundamentalist zombie and endorsing the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions in Arizona.



John McCain's own efforts to preserve his own first marriage failed, since he couldn't keep his cock out of other women. So let me understand this, John McCain can whore around, fucking women left and right while still married to his first wife, and gays somehow are going to damage the institution of marriage to such a degree that we aren't allowed to even have domestic partner benefits (joint library cards, hospital visitation rights, joint membership to the Tucson zoo)?

Well that makes a fuck-of-a-lot of sense to me.

"Ohmigod, that's Bill Clinton!" I blurted out to Jeffrey. I knew he was coming to the Democratic rally I attended tonight, but still it was pretty exciting to see him


Homer and Jeffrey get political.

Clinton was in town because the Democratic candidate for the Senate, Jim Pederson, is suddenly tied with tired-old-thang Jon Kyl, who is basically a yes-man for Bush.


Boltgirl waves.

8,000 people in the audience, among them Boltgirl. There was a very cute redhead with a very cute fu-manchu in front of me. Unforts, he was married.


Bill, Jim, Raul, Janet, and Gabrielle.

Bill and Janet were awesome, interesting, exciting speakers. The contrast between hearing Clinton talk about policy issues, versus Bush, is so remarkable. No blathering the same stupid phrases and talking points, no straw man arguments, no so-and-so is/are evil. Instead you get to hear facts and inspiring ideas. Clinton is truly a uniter, not a divider.

Warning, this is a dull-as-dirt post, but one that focuses on some issues raised by the recent Michael Fox pro-stem cell ads.

Diabetes runs in my family. Both parents, my father's sister and half brother, my two sisters, my mother's grandmother. Diabetes is a nasty disease, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. My namesake was an elderly man who was my father's pretend grandfather. He had Parkinson's and my father would go over every few days to help him out by giving him a shave. Two of my maternal grandmother's brothers have had Alzheimers. And so on.

There is a chance that stem cell research could find cures for some of these and other illnesses. A chance. But fundamentalist Christians in our country and their annointed puppet have blocked stem cell research. The stem cell lines that are allowed are contaminated or of limited use. The embryonic cells that could be used for more research are thrown away by fertility clinics. It is obscene and insane that a vocal group can stop basic scientific research. As far as I know, the Bible doesn't mention stem cells.

This is both a national security and economic issue. In terms of national security- does the United States really want China or India to be the ones to develop cures utilizing stem cell research? Isn't it in our best interests to be promoting new scientific methods within our own borders? In the past, the fact that most flu vaccines are manufactured in Canada or England has bothered me. If bird flu suddenly appears, don't you think other countries will be busy protecting themselves rather than sending us vaccines? If we want to protect ourselves, basic scientific research and the associated facilities should be encouraged, rather than made illegal.

In terms of economics- scientific research spurs economic growth. Do we want to be the ones doing the research, or will basic research be outsourced to other countries as well?

I'm not against other countries doing this sort of research, but in my own inner patriotism, I'm pretty proud that scientists in the United States have made so many important discoveries.