Homer'sWorld

At work this morning a young coyote walked past my window, looking for something to eat. I'm glad that my little friendly ground squirrel, who sometimes peeks in and watches me, was hiding in its hole.
























Coyote.

The coyote stopped for a drink of water and then saw something in a nearby bush to chase, but eventually it wandered off. I've seen this coyote before, last week it was limping but its back leg seems to have gotten better.

A while later my little ground squirrel came out of its hole and ate a mesquite bean pod. Its little tail sticks straight up and sometimes it "peeps" really loudly.

























Ground squirrel.[click picture to see it!]

Mama Cat, who is sitting happily on my lap as I type this, would probably like to eat that little squirrel.

Countries I have been to:

Canada (Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan)
Mexico (State of Sonora)
Greece
Netherlands
Germany
Poland
Czech Republic
United Kingdom (England)

Places I'd like to go next:

Iceland
Ireland (red heads!)
Scotland (more red heads!)
Brazil
Australia

So 16 Republican Arizons state senators voted to put the anti-gay marriage amendment on the ballot, again. Below is a list of these bastards.

Sen. Karen Johnson has been married five times. What can you say about this person, she is a fucking lunatic.










Johnson.

Sen. Sylvia Allen said in the Senate chambers that gay marriage would bring about the end of our civilization. I guess I missed the destruction of Massachusetts on the telly, I must have been watching PBS or maybe Dancing with the Stars.











Allen.

Timothy Bee, the Senate leader, brought up the amendment hoping to stir up Republican and Christian voters in the state. He's running against Gabrielle Giffords for a US House seat. Good luck on that Timmy, you are an ugly fucker running against a beautiful articulate woman who just happened to have married an astronaut and has a huge pile of campaign money.














Bee.

I wish only the worst for those 16 "people." I mean it, I hope some of their children and grandchildren are gay or lesbian and those Senators will realize what an evil thing they have done. It usually takes knowing a faggot to change someone's mind and having one in the family will either completely change your mind or freak you the fuck out so bad that you do something stupid, like kick them out of the family.

If you are a gay Republican, do me a favor and fuck off. I have no respect for any gay person who votes for the Republican ticket. Don't tell me that the Republicans are for fiscal and personal responsibilties, because that's not true anymore. The Republican party is run by corrupt, greedy people who want to tell other people exactly how to live their life.

These are the 16:

Sylvia Allen (R-5)
Robert Blendu (R-12)
Robert "Bob" Burns (R-9)
Pamela Gorman (R-6)
Ron Gould (R-3)
Chuck Gray (R-19)
Linda Gray (R-10)
Jack W. Harper (R-4)
John Huppenthal (R-20)
Karen Johnson (R-18)
Barbara Leff (R-11)
Tom O'Halleran (R-1)
Jay Tibshraeny (R-21)
Thayer Verschoor (R-22)
Jim Waring (R-7)
Timothy S. Bee (R-30)


I think I will go make cupcakes to help myself calm down.

In my immediate family (siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, first cousins) there have been 24 marriages. Of these, 11 have ended in divorce (about 46 percent). My evil grandmother divorced back in 1939, back when divorce was a very naughty thing to do. Her son, my uncle, was married five times, divorced four.

Every time I hear some Born Again or politician flapping their mouth about the "sanctity of marriage" I grit my teeth and think very unpleasant (for them) thoughts.

Straight people have already destroyed whatever sanctity marriage once had.

Many people get married for the wrong reasons (pregnancy, escape from parents, can't fuck unless you marry me, get to have a big party). And yet their marriages (and divorces) are sooooo much better than faggot marriages.

Arizona voters voted down a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in 2006. The Arizona Senate is poised to put this on the ballot again, the Republicans hoping that it will increase Republican and conservative Christian turn out for the general election.

To say that I am sick and tired of Republicans and conservative religious people is an understatement.

My opinion about religion could not get any lower. Exactly why people need to believe in make-believe and then try to force other people to believe in make-believe confounds me.

I probably should shut up about this because I know I am offending some folks. But I read one too many comments today by religious people who want to reserve the right of getting a divorce to straight folks, beacuse that is what the sanctity of marriage is all about.

Vincent is in town from Portland, so I made a quick dinner last night and invited Sandy, Forrest, and Sarah over.



Sarah, Sandy, Vince, and Forrest.

I may be through with most cooking for the summer- my house gets so hot when the oven is on!

Afterwards we hung out talking and walking a similar Japanese prank show segment on YouTube. It was a fun evening.

So, if you have visited my house in the last couple of years (I just counted, 16 people on my blog list have been inside my casa), and my computer was on, you would have noticed how horribly loud it was. Both Jimbo and Rob commented on this while visiting me. Last night Rob mentioned on his blog that he was putting together a computer and it occurred to me that I could, in fact, replace the obnoxious fan.

Of course I have misplaced all of the dreary books that come with the computer, so I had to figure out how to open the case. The answer lay in the two large circles, one on top and one on the bottom, that you push and like a big clam it opened up.

Unlike a clam, the inside of the case was coated in gray dust and masses of cat hair, including an enormous clump sitting on top of the air intake for the fan, basically plugging said intake. I removed the big lumps and then carefully vaccuumed the small ones. Fearfully I pressed the on button and the computer started up.

And was so quiet I can't tell if it is running from the next room (it used to roar!). I feel pretty stupid for never thinking of this before (there is always cat hair stuck to the back of the computer), but also thankful that it was so easy to fix. And my house is so quiet!

Another Saturday in Tucson, more naked pool volleyball games.





















The menz.

It has been very, very hot in Tucson (but not as hot as Phoenix), so frolicking in the pool was a relief.
























Coconut cake, and Roger.

Richard certainly was smart to have his pool set up for volleyball. Sandy, Forrest, Brady, Patrick, Cobban, and Ray were among the players.



















Can you find me?

It was a good time had by all (although I was mostly on the losing teams!) and this morning my skin still feels a little pruned.

Mama Cat is blind now. And deaf. Cue the Helen Keller jokes.


























Mama Cat.

She manages fairly well, knows where the litter box and food and water bowls are. Sometimes she gets confused and walks in circles (actually a lot), but if I see that I go and pick her up and she has started to like being held. She has developed a few favorite spots to sit, and I'm careful not to move furniture or leave stuff on the floor. Sometimes the sun shines onto the white enamel of the Visibake stove and she must be able to see a little, because she will stare at that white spot intently.

It makes me upset that this has happened- but all of the money that went to the animal eye doctor couldn't stop it (the blood vessels in the back of her eyes have deteriorated and leaked into her eyes). The same thing, strangely enough, happened to my father.

Anonymous said: Homer- You always have lots to say and all of it is Ridiculous. Your the epitome of an uninformed liberal who truley believes in the lies fed to him by the liberal media. Do yourself and us all a favor and pick up a book and formulate your own opinion as I simply can't bear to hear another piece of crap condescending comment from you. Thanks a bunch!!

I laughed when I read this comment on someone's blog. Everyone who knows me knows that I am very, very liberal. An awesome secret has not been exposed.

"Anonymous" thinks that I should read a book and somehow that will wash away all of my liberal sins.

My reading habits, in case you are interested:

- every day I read the New York Times, Washington Post, Arizona Daily Star, and the Traverse City Record Eagle (and sometimes the Tucson Citizen).

- political blogs- Andrew Sullivan's and Talking Point Memos, I'll admit I don't bother with the hyper-conservative ones, I doubt I'll learn anything worthy there.

-For homo news I rely on Joe.My.God (hi Joe!) and Towleroad, who do a nice job combing the internet so I don't have to. And of course I check the blogs on my blogroll often, as well as Facebook.

-I subscribe to Archaeology, American Archaeology, Martha Stewart Living, two professional archaeology journals, and four genealogy journals.

- For pleasure reading I tend towards science fiction (just finished Cryptomicon and now reading Ilium.

- My friend John R. always commented that I could pick up any magazine, no matter how obscure, and find something interesting in it.

So not sorry I'm annoying Anonymous- he's a not-so-anonymous 27-year-old gay McCain supporter from a neighboring state. He would prefer to live in a make-believe world where everyone agrees with him and the Republican party actually likes faggots. I'm not interested in promoting a political party that has never pushed for any (any!) civil rights legislation for the GLBT community.

I made a banana cream pie to celebrate Gay Marriage in California


























Guests of honor, Sandy and Forrest.

We enjoyed veggie hot dogs with all of the trimmings, tater tots, and four-bean salad. After eating a piece of the banana cream pie (which turned out of-my-fucking-god-great), I felt like a genormous wedding cake.

I am very happy for everyone getting married and not the least bit surprised that the Tribulation didn't happen.

My afternoon with Brady.

Brady came over to use the laundry facilities (he managed to kill the washer at Patrick and his casa). So I made him take me to the Cup Cafe for something to eat.



















Brady driving.

I had the nachos and they were so good I ate them all and now I'm feeling very, very full.
























Brady sitting.

Forrest called and invited us to the house he is sitting to play in the pool. When we arrived I heard the distinctive sound of juvenile hawks.
























Hawk family on the pole.

One of the parent hawks had just caught a ground squirrel and the juveniles wanted it, but mama or daddy decided to fly down about twenty feet from where Brady and I were standing to eat it.



















Mama or Daddy hawk (I'd advise clicking on this one to see the bigger version).

That was the closest I've ever been to a wild raptor.

Afterwards we went inside and Trina and Hobbs ran up and I made them pose for a picture.



















Trina, Homer, and Hobbs.

We splashed in the pool for an hour, it was very fun. It was very unfortunate that Forrest forgot to remove his cell phone from his pocket before jumping in.

























Floating Forrest.

I was going to go to Bisbee Pride but my front car tires are apparently mis-aligned and when I got on the Interstate the Saturn started vibrating so horribly I had to get off and return home. I really wanted to see Cobban and Ray, but that will have to wait.

We live in interesting times. Should Obama become president, someone from my generation, a man with a Kenyan [not Nigerian as I previously stated] father and a white woman with southern US ancestry, will break the long string of white men who have controlled our country since before it was a country. His mother's southern ancestry is of interest, because of the seventh cousin thingy that I have alluded to in past blog entries.

Did you know that my middle name is Homer? Isn't that interesting that I don't go by my first name! I wonder why, is it because I am hiding something?

Well, no, it has to do with how common my first name is (John) and how many Johns there were in kindergarten in 1969 (six years after John Kennedy was assassinated). But anyway, if you were so inclined you could make up lots of bizarre theories about this situation and spread them around to make it look very suspicious. Of course, Homer is a Greek name so that proves that beyond reasonable doubt, something isn't quite right.

Why this rambling discussion of names? Barack Hussein Obama has a funny, strange name that doesn't cut it with those individuals who want only people with European-sounding names to run our country. According to the book "Ancestors of American Presidents," which sits on the yellow metal shelf behind me, the last 43 presidents have ancestors who originated from the British islands (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland), Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and France. We've never had a president who ancestry could be traced to Africa, Central or South America, or Asia.

And, of course, a lot of people really don't want someone with a different name (which he had every opportunity to make sound more American!) and whose father happened to be from Africa to be our president. It is somehow scary! So there is talk about how he wasn't born in the United States or that he is a secret Muslim. And other bullshit that spreads like shit flying out the back end of a manure spreader (which I well know about, growing up on a farm, you don't want to stand behind the manure spreader, believe me). I expect we'll be seeing a lot more of this shit and a lot of ignorant people will spread it and some people will believe it because it is easier to believe some stupid rumor than to spend five minutes researching the facts.

Another blogger said in an email to me today that I was sexist because I pointed out that Obama would be older than Bill Clinton when Clinton became president back in the 20th century. This makes complete sense to me. He says that he is going to vote for McCain instead of Clinton because Obama is too liberal and sexist. This also makes perfect sense. I noted that it was pointless to argue with him about this topic. That was really the kindest thing I could think of saying.

I'm inclined to point out bullshit when I see it. I have a strong interest in the truth- one of the reasons I am interested in archaeology and genealogy. If I see someone spreading lies I will tell them so, and if they continue I will shun them. I've had enough of the bullshit and like that line from that movie whose name I can't remember at this moment, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore."

What's going through my mind today.

I have to go to a conference tomorrow. In a resort an hour south of Tucson. I have to get up way early to drive down there. Arggh.

On Saturday, I'm going to Gay Pride in Bisbee. I'll be staying with Cobban and Ray Saturday night. Maybe on Sunday I'll play in their pool. I don't mind driving down to see them, although the trusty Saturn is having a slight wheel alignment problem.

I wish Scott was going to be there, but he's busy in San Francisco.


















Scott wearing a tee-shirt I gave him, photo taken by Cobban.

Hung out in the pool with Forrest last night, we had a good time drinking a few beers and talking about life.

Making a Coconut Cake for the next pool party, at the request of Patrick G.

And a few other things.

It is hot and dusty at the dig site.


























3:00 P.M.

I always forget how hot it gets here. Yesterday, I worked outside and by the end of the day I was pretty over-heated. It doesn't matter how much water you drink, wearing a hardhat means your head is going to get fried. For hours after I got home, I could feel the heat coming out of my head.

Puff was so super naughty last night. Me, trying to sleep. Puff, wanting some attention. He takes his paw and pats my face. If that doesn't wake me up he bites on my arm, which is very effective. I pat his little furry head and then tell him to behave. Usually I have to yell at him to stop, by which time I am totally awake. Combine that with no Diet Coke and you can understand why I am so groggy at this very moment.

I had the usual at Rosa's. So much better than the crummy, expensive Mexican restaurant that I had lunch at last Friday.
























Forrest.

I solved the Mystery of the Missing Breaker Switch at the house where Forrest is house-sitting. It was right where I thought it would be. The two dogs at the house are fricken cute and I would dognap them except Mama Cat wouldn't be very happy about that.




















Three cheese enchiladas and beans, no rice.

My co-worker Susan brought in tomatoes she has grown in her backyard and I made two tomato sandwiches for dinner- one with mayo and ground pepper, the other with mozzarella and balsamic vinegar. A definite thumbs up on those two.

Out digging tomorrow, it looks like it will be a very hot day.

Let's make an Angelfood cake.

First, please turn the oven knob on your 1950s Visibake stove on. What? You don't have a Visibake? Sympathies, yo.





















Sift together one cup cake flour and one and a half cups powdered sugar.



















Separate 11 or 12 free range organic chicken eggs, saving the yolks for fattening lemon curd (you can freeze them). Add the eggshells to your compost pile to help save the earth. Add two teaspoons real vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar and mix in your cobalt blue KitchenAid mixer until the foamy mixture forms soft-to-medium-hard peaks.



















Fold in the flour/sugar mixture in thirds, carefully slowly mixing with a spatula so that you don't deflate the egg whites. In the background you can see my Better Homes and Garden Cookbook that Mummy gave me for Xmas back in the mid-1980s. I tore out and threw away all of the meat recipes.
























Using the spatula, transfer into an ungreased tube pan and bake 35-40 minutes (my oven doesn't have a thermometer, so I have to go by how high the flame is).
























When cooked, remove from oven and invert pan over a bottle and let cool. Voila, homemade angelfood cake.

I used an egg slicer to slice the strawberries (makes for nice uniform pieces) and let them sit for an hour in the fridge with some sugar. I also whipped cream (with a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a handful of granulated sugar). Apparently it went over well, as it was all eaten up at the Naked Pool Volleyball Game.

Unforts, my pictures I took at said event came out poorly, except for this one of Sandy:
























Sandy.

It was a fun (somewhat drunken fun) time had by all and I woke up without a hangover, fortunately.

No caffeine since Sunday. Amazingly, I haven't killed anyone despite a low-grade headache that sometimes appears.

The hummous I made last night was very good but I'm glad no one is in my office today.

Tomorrow, naked pool volleyball. Sandy and Jeffrey S. are accompanying me. I'm excited to see the guys and play many games of volleyball. Sometimes I act as cheerleader, jumping up and down in the water. It is very silly.

I have a very good farmer's tan from the fieldwork I have been doing. I know it is un-PC to say this, but I look better tan.

This pathetic mess is the Senator from my state running for President.



He is a fucking mess.

Experience. If I read one more person claiming Obama isn’t experienced I will explode. That would be very unfortunate, since then I couldn't make an Angelfood Cake for Saturday's naked pool volleyball games.

Obama is 46-years-old (he'll be 47 by January 2008). Here's what he has accomplished during that time:

- undergraduate degree from Columbia University (1983)
- community organizer for poor Chicago neighborhoods (1983-1988)
- law degree from Harvard Law School (1991)
- civil rights lawyer and law school instructor (1991-1996)
- Illinois State Representative (1997-2005)
- US Senator (2005-present)

In addition, he grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia, exposing him to many cultures, and has written two best selling books.

How much political experience have some of our recent presidents had? How old were they when they became president?

- Jimmy Carter: 4 years state Senate, 4 years governor (52 years old)
- Ronald Reagan: 8 years governor (70 years old)
- Bill Clinton: 8 years as governor (46 years old)
- George Bush: 8 years governor (54 years old)

Obama has more years in political office than these four men (currently 11). Bill Clinton was 46 when he became president, younger than Obama will be if he becomes president.

Yes, other recent presidents have had more years political experience before coming into office:

-John Kennedy 13 (44 years old)
- Lyndon Johnson 12 (55 years old)
- Richard Nixon, 14 (56 years old)
- Gerald Ford 26 (61 years old)
- George H. W. Bush 24 (64 years old)

I note that Obama has surrounded himself with very bright and competent individuals. Their teamwork produced a remarkable primary campaign.

When I hear people stating Obama isn’t experienced I wonder exactly what they mean. Is it a code word for something else?

My thoughts on the upcoming election. It looks like Angelfood Cake is going to win, although supporters of yellow cake with chocolate frosting and of the coconut cake are still pressing their case. Cakes never like to lose.

In other news, I had a strange dream about my evil grandmother last night. I was at her house looking for pictures of my father as a child (evil grandmother destroyed most of those, so we only have a couple). Wasn't that a fascinating anecdote?

I awoke to the sound of the swamp cooler on Sandy's casita making a particularly annoying screechy noise so I had to get up at 4:00 AM, put the ladder up to the roof, climb up, and oil it. I didn't fall off and kill myself, which is fortunate.

Forrest brought over an office chair and it is now officially Joey's chair. She loves sitting on it so I guess it is hers until Forrest asks for it back.

Tomorrow I get to sit inside the nice air-conditioned office. It was very hot and noisy and windy and dusty at the dig site today, with the giant earthmovers roaring by (I look up every once in a while to see if the cute guy is driving by, and whenever he is I think about the two stories his co-worker shared with me about him).

Pool volleyball season starts on Saturday. Of course I have to bring along a dessert. What should I make?

A). Coconut cake with coconut cream cheese frosting.
B). Yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
C). Angelfood cake with strawberries and whipped cream.
D). Lemon meringue pie.

I know, I know. I've made these many times before. But they always come out great.

Vote in the comment section and select your naked pool volleyball dessert!

For Kevin-Andrew: A recipe for Spicy Hermits.

No caffeine for 24 hours. Ouch. Being healthy sucks. Not even delicious Spicy Hermit cookies can make the headache go away.

In a couple of weeks the gays may be able to get hitched in California. I hope the religious freaks aren't successul with their lawsuits. So sick of nosy next door neighbors. The financial benefits of gay marriage (all those flowers, fancy meals, tuxedos, champagne glass hot tubs) will make everyone in California super-rich. Hell, I might even go there and find me a man to marry.

Meanwhile, the state of Texas returns kids to their polygamous mamas so said mamas can raise the little girls until puberty and then send them to the Temple to get raped by Grandpa Molester. All the while wearing super unattractive outfits because ankles and wrists should only be seen by the old geezer sticking his Viagracock inside you. At least Texas wasn't one of the states attempting to stop homo nuptials in Hollywood.

In other news, Spicy Hermits are very delicious but still haven't solved my no-Diet Coke headache.