Work Hijinx

Well, the good news is that the project I've been on was just extended through at least the end of July. I confess that this job isn't exactly my dream job - its struggle to keep my focus a lot of the time, but I can definitely use a month's worth salary.

Because things can get a little slow, I've had to come up with interesting ways of keeping myself and my coworkers amused. This pic on my left (my coworker we nicknamed, "Smeagol," and his mini clone...) is but one example of my work. I'm not sure how I'm going to last another month and just how twisted it will make me, but I'm certainly glad this little turn happened.

Week In Review...

Sorry I haven't had much to say this week. The project I've been working on is getting ready to finish up. Certainly, I'm glad to be finished - its not exactly my dream job - and at the same time, I've met a lot of good people I am going to miss and the money was very good. So, the big question right now is, "What comes next?" Of course, I know well enough that something always comes up. I may not know what it is, but it always does. I'm only human, though. The knowledge that things always work themselves out doesn't really satisfy my desire for details. I know that things have been moving forward in my life - I can feel it. I just would be nice to have a better picture of where things are going to end up and how I'm gonna get there. Unfortunately, things don't usually work like that for me.

Just Batty

I was supposed to go see Batman Begins tonight with Adam, but he flaked out on me. So, I did what I always do when confronted with the flakiness of men... I went anyway. Like I'm gonna sit my ass at home just because someone doesn't call.

Anyway, first thing's first... Christian Bale is SO FUCKING HOT! I really didn't care for Michael Keaton or George Clooney and Val Kilmer just wasn't a good fit either. Christian Bale, however, has the stuff to bring both Bruce Wayne and Batman to life... and did I mention how hot he is?

Overall, the movie was very well done. In keeping with the whole Dark Knight vision -- more in line with Tim Burton's first two movies than the embarassment that Joel Shoemacher made of the last two movies, dark, but without Burton's stylistic quirks. Christopher Nolan was a good choice to return the franchise to respectability after Schumacher nearly killed it off.

My only criticism is that I didn't really care for Ras Al Ghul, the main villain in the film... They also had The Scarecrow, which worked much better... I don't want to give away too much, but this movie was definitely Christian Bale's, unlike the original Batman, where Jack Nicholsen stole the show. Katie Holmes was also delightful as Bruce Wayne's childhood friend turned Assistant District Attorney.

Overall, this film would have been worth the money if only to see Christian Bale shirtless a couple of times. Even without that, Batman Begins is a great new beginning for the Batman saga. Hopefully it will also springboard the talented and hunky Bale to new heights.

Radio.Blog Fix

After a chat with Adam, he reminded me one of the difficulties with my Radio.Blog - you can only listen while this page is open and the Pop-Up button doesn't work. Well, Homer's now in luck because if you click on the link just below the Radio.Blog cleverly entitled, "Radio.Blog Pop-Up," it will launch itself seperately from echeblog for your listening pleasure. Hope we can make the listening experience even better for you.

Abomination...

While I've had my disagreements with the Catholic Church, I've tried to have respect for people's religious views. On the whole, I think most people are just trying to make sense of the world the best way they know how. Every once in a while, however, things come along and challenge my tolerance.

First on the list is the story of Zach, a 16 year old gay teen in Tennessee. After coming out to his parents, Zach has been imprisoned in a Fundamentalist Christian bootcamp that attempts to "convert" gays. Zach managed to find a copy of the camp's rules and posted them on his blog -- they include things like, "No hugging or physical touch between clients," "Refuge clients may only read materials approved by staff," "Refuge clients are allowed a one-time 15-minute maximum closed bathroom door time for shower/grooming purposes. The only other closed-door alone time allowed is for using the restroom." My favorite is, "Your client is not allowed to talk to anyone outside of your home including friends or family. Do not tell client who has called for them or who is asking about them. Keep the thoughts of the client focused on his/her treatment." The punchline is that the parents are specifically instructed not to let their kids have access to the rules.

Understandably, Zach was pretty distraught about being forced into this mindwashing camp. I can't help but wonder what kind of psychological damage will be done by the time he gets out.

Example number two is a report of hundreds of boys being forced from their homes on the Arizona-Utah border. Their families, part of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) - a breakaway sect of the Mormon Church - have cast them out for crimes such as kissing a girl, wearing tank tops, or listening to popular music. Authorities speculate that this occurs as part of the group's practice of polygamy -- the boys have to go if the men are to be able to marry scores of underage girls.

This makes me profoundly sad. How can people treat their children this way under the guise of "God's Will?" I don't mean to suggest that all religious people are this way or that all religion promotes this. I don't believe that's the case at all. It is a startling reminder of how group thought can create such incredible tragedies.

Gift Ideas

Looking for a special something for the fashionista queen in your life? Well, now here's a little something I'll wager they haven't gotten. The Burberry condom with 9 ct gold ring. At £15 (around $30, right?) for a pack of three, they're pricey, but hey, that's what conspicuous consumption is all about. They're better than the assorted bath products you were going to buy them at Bath & Body Works, I promise. If they ever make a Gucci or Armani brand of these and jack the price up to $100 per, these are gonna be the hottest gay must-have item we've seen in a LONG TIME.

Thanks to the good people at Queer Click for the heads up.

Abercrombie

I know there have been many in the gay community and elsewhere that have been really down on Abercrombie phenomenon. Yes, much like the 70s "Clone" phenomenon, it does have the tendency to facilitate gay men abandoning their individual identity in favor of an unreachable ideal. That being said, A&F Quarterly was HOT.

In any event, here's a reason to stop by your nearest A&F and pick up some clone-wear:

From the website of Bob Jones University:

"Abercrombie & Fitch and its subsidiary Hollister have shown an unusual degree of antagonism to the name of Christ and an unusual display of wickedness in their promotions. In protest, we will not allow articles displaying their logos to be worn, carried, or displayed (even if covered or masked in some way)."

Just classic. To think I can "antagonize" the name of Christ just by throwing on a pair of cargo shorts... I don't even have to do anything so messy as artwork involving a crucifix and urine...

Thanks to The Raw Story for pointing this out.

Papal Bull

Today, Pope Benedict XVI issued a statement condemning gay marriage, divorce and birth control. He explained that, unlike the Church's practice of having priests molest young boys (and girls... thanks, B!), which serves to bring families together and serve their spiritual needs, same-sex marriage, contraception and divorce are dangers that must be avoided.

Blah, blah, blah.

Cho!

Went to go see Margaret Cho in her Assassin Tour last night at the Dodge Theatre. OMG, Margaret was AMAZING. This is the second time I've seen her live -- the first time was her Notorious C.H.O. tour back in 2001, when she played at the Celebrity Theatre. This was definitely the better of the two performances, by far. Ranks up with I'm the One That I Want as her best. Didn't have anything QUITE as memorable as "Assmaster" but she kept me consistently rolling throughout. She did this impression of Bjork that was just hysterical... and she gave me some haunting images of Laura Bush and Barbara Bush that I'm trying to scrub from my brain, but can't. If you get a chance to see her, GO. If not, definitely rent it when it comes out.

Gratuitous Manshot

Ok, its been over a week since I've posted a pic of a shirtless guy. I simply can't allow that to continue.

Mark Dalton. He may be gay for pay, married, have a girlfriend on the side and have some run ins with the law but let me tell you, damn, steroids can work wonders. I'm not saying he's the type of guy I would want to bring home to the folks, but I can think of a whole host of other things I could do with him, or to him or... well, I think I'll stop right there.

Midweek Discussion...

Ok everybody, its time for the Midweek Discussion:

My topic is maybe a couple weeks too late to be on the cutting edge, but I think its worth some serious discussion.

Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman are the worst on-screen couple since...

Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.

Discuss.