May 16, 2007

• Cubism, Idol, Tinky Winky Rejoices & Smoking

  I took a night off blogging last night, so I have a lot to talk about today. I usually don’t post this many videos, but I think you will find them all interesting to say the least.  I might start blogging every other day, not sure.

   

  I finally uploaded this video I shot of Tyson at the “Kickin’ it Old Skool” Red Carpet Party two weeks ago.  He was nice enough to invite me, as well as Christine, Jamie & Tammy.  They had just arrived that morning from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and that afternoon we went to the American Idol Gives Back concert at the Disney Concert Hall downtown.  It was quite an introduction to Hollywood.  I think they assumed that all my nights in here were like that!  (Shhhhh…let’s not tell them the truth.)

  Screw MIT!!

  I may have posted this one before, but he’s just so cute!

  Rubik’s Cubism:
  
  

   

   

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  Speaking of American Idol…

  It’s down to the wire.  I’m making plans to go to the finale next week.  Incidentally if anyone wants to go to the “American Idol Tonight” show tomorrow, I have 2 tickets, first come first served.  These are NOT tickets to American Idol.  They’re tickets to another show called “American Idol Tonight” that’s hosted by Kimberly Caldwell and Justin Guarini.  It’s pretty “D List” if you ask me, but if you’re a fan of either of these two former contestants, I have the tickets.

  Are you wondering why we haven’t heard from Sanjaya lately?  It’s because the poor thing has been doing drag shows in Seattle.  I kid you not.  This is almost painful to look at.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you:

  “Sanjina”

  Bad huh?  They might as well have kicked him out of the closet.  It’s hard to watch…

  BUT, not NEARLY as hard to watch as this:  (Warning, hide the children!!!)

  I still can’t watch it without screaming.

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  And then there were three…

  

  So who do you like?  I’m hoping it comes down to Melinda and Blake (though I don’t think it will).  Although Jordin is a good singer and quite marketable, she’s a bit too polished for me.  She’s only 17 and it feels like she’s been being groomed for this all her life.  She’s already a plus sized model used to being in the public eye.  She just seems a little plastic to me.  I’m sure she’ll be a star no matter what.  A lot of people like her.  Melinda, who I didn’t like much in the beginning, has really grown on me.  She comes across as a person of honesty and integrity.  But has anyone else besides Ryan and me, noticed her resemblance to ‘Ouzzie of The Jeffersons? 

  

  Separated at birth?

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  Farewell Falwell – See you in Hell

  

  Jerry Falwell was known for his commitment to right-wing causes of all kinds, and in particular, his hostility to civil rights, feminists and gays.  Remember when he said the purple Teletubby Tinky-Winky was gay? Or when he blamed 9/11 on feminists, gays pagans, and the ACLU? Ah yes.

  I tried to reach Tinky Winky the purple Teletubby before this blog posting went to press, but was told by his representatives that he was out celebrating at the local leather bar.

  

  Though I offer Falwell’s family condolences, I’m glad he won’t be spewing his hate laden rhetoric any more. 

  

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  Is Smoking a Civil Liberty?

   

  If you saw (if not you should), the movie “Thank Your For Smoking” you know how downright criminal the tobacco industry is.  If you read the New York Times article about tobacco companies actually increasing the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to make people more addicted; then you know how desperate they are.

  Drinking is not a crime.  But if you drink and drive and end up hurting or killing someone you go to jail.  Being overweight is not a crime.  You won’t end up hurting or killing someone if you’re overweight, except yourself.  Smoking is not a crime.  Yet every smoker who smokes in public runs the risk of hurting or killing someone through secondhand smoke.  Do I sound alarmist?  Of course I do.  I’m really pissed off though.  The past 3 weekends, I’ve had houseguests staying with me who smoked.  Granted they were all extremely courteous about their habit.  They only smoked on my patio.  They never smoked around me.  We even joked about them exhaling extremely deeply before they came back in the house. 

  My mother has always smoked.  She smoked in our house the whole time I lived there, despite me being very asthmatic.  The older I’ve gotten, the more allergic I have become to smoke and the more I’ve resented smokers.  If I even get a whiff of it in a hallway or elevator, I feel my lungs begin to tighten.  That’s how bad it is.  Perhaps some of it’s in my head, but who cares?  I have a physical reaction to smoke.

  I understand that tobacco is one of the hardest addictions to curb.  I understand that tobacco lobbyists are still huge political contributors.  I understand that most smokers want to quit.  But the more I have to walk past a building where people are huddled around smoking, the more I begin to hate smokers.  I shouldn’t hate smokers, I should hate smoking.  I know that.  But I’m beginning to hate smokers, and that’s really scary and sad and I have to stop.  It’s going to be something I have to deal with, because I know, like any addiction, people won’t quit until they want to, and I don’t want to hate every smoker I know.

  So what is there to do?  Since you’re not allowed to smoke inside any public places, including bars and clubs in California, people have to smoke outside.  This means I am not able to eat outside anywhere.  It means I can’t enjoy the beautiful California sunshine when I go to a park.  When we went to Disneyland a couple of weeks ago, I told my friends that it was all non-smoking, and you should have seen the look of horror on their faces!  Unfortunately I learned that there are a few smoking areas in Disneyland, and you’re allowed to smoke outside in Downtown Disney, which almost ruins the entire experience for me.

  So, what to do?  I guess I’m lucky I don’t live overseas.  Although, now that Italy and even Ireland, as well as other notoriously smoke filled countries have gone the way of the U.S., the tide is slowly turning.  Whenever I go overseas, I literally take 3 inhalers with me.  That’s how bad it is.

  If you were a smoker, smoking in a public place, and I walked past you fanning my hand in front of my face with a disgusted look; would you be angry at me? Offended? Would you think I was an asshole?  What about if we were both at a restaurant sitting outside where smoking was allowed.  How would you react if  I came over to your table and politely told you that the wind was blowing your smoke towards me and that I’m allergic to smoke and it was really bothering me?  Would you be angry? Offended? Would you think I was an asshole?

  One of my best friend’s an I got into an argument recently when the above situation happened (though the big difference was that it was an outdoor restaurant that did not allow smoking).  Instead of me going over to the table and asking them to quit, he wanted to do it.  He thought it would be better coming from him, as he was a smoker.  I think he also feared I would be a bit nasty about it.   By the way, this particular restaurant in Disneyland did NOT allow smoking outside, so they were already breaking the rules, not to mention inconveniencing me.  After my friend asked them to stop, they did.  But they continued to give me dirty looks until they left.  The crux of our argument was why, if I wanted to ask the girls across from us to stop smoking, why didn’t I go to the bar, and ask the people there to stop smoking?  My answer was because I couldn’t smell that smoke, it wasn’t affecting me.  If I did smell it, I would have had the same reaction.  We argued about this for a while and never came to an agreement, which is OK.  Friends don’t always have to agree. 

  Now, if I was an “activist” I probably would have gone to the bar and asked people to stop smoking because it wasn’t allowed (even at the outside bar of this restaurant).  I’m not really an activist though.  I think they are an important part of any divisive issue, but I would rather confront me “enemy” when they are directly impacting my rights.  In this case my right to breathe clean air outside.

  I’m writing about this because I’m literally at my wit’s end.  It’s getting to the point where I hate going out to public places that allow smoking.  Here in LA, all of the malls are outdoors.  On a Saturday afternoon it’s like being in a wildfire in the Hollywood Hills!    So, back the the original question.  As defined by Wikipedia:

  Civil liberties is the name given to freedoms that completely protect the individual from government. Civil liberties set limits for government so that it can not abuse its power and interfere with the lives of its citizens. See also civil rights and human rights.

  So, is smoking a civil liberty?  Please weigh in. I’m going to go get my inhaler. 

  

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  Why are all of my favorite bands selling out to big corporations for advertising?  I guess that’s a rhetorical question.

  Postal Service           The The            New Order           Oasis

  They’ve ruined some of my favorite songs.  Comments?

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  Bush Gets Owned by CNN! 

  

  Don’t you love it!  LOL

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  ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
  “I was going to have Mom come out [to New York] for Mother’s Day. I thought it would be great fun. But she doesn’t have enough Greyhound miles.” — David Letterman

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  • 12:00 am
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