My Favorite Color... and a Rug...

Yes, that's right... It's RED Carpet Day... 

I will be watching tonight, as many will be, the parade of stars leading up to the Academy Awards. I have to admit though, I have not seen any of the nominated films, nor one of the nominated actors' performances. I am a bad, bad gay man. Yet I will be glued to E! and ABC tonight for all the festivities...

I'm guessing a few of you will be too!

Oh...  Just an unofficial poll, what is YOUR favorite color?

Over and "Out" from my red carpet, in Portsmouth, VA

Timbuuuur...

I know, this is probably not the most appropriate or politically correct photo to use for this post, but I finally got the Ole Christmas Tree down and boxed up yesterday. I contemplated adding hearts for Valentines Day and was getting ready to find Shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day, but after seeing the news of the fallen National Christmas Tree, I pulled out the boxes and packed everything up...

Can you spell:  P R O C R A S T I N A T I O N ?  (just another thing Michael and I have in common).

In addition to de-foliaging the living room, I put up the new ceiling fan in our bedroom (that Michael bought a few days ago). The old one was still turning, but over the past two years it seemed to have lost it's ability to rotate at any more than a snail's pace (offering practically no air movement). I have had nights that I could only describe as "Man-O-Pausal", waking up drenched in sweat for no apparent reason (other than the lack of air movement or the onset of a mid-50's hot flash).

Ok, enough about my dull and boring day off yesterday... I am the official "Laundry Lady" today, and must catch up on the other domestic chores here around the homestead...

Over and "Out" from a sunny (yet still chilly) day, here in Portsmouth, VA

Just another Day...

Happy President's Day!

Over and "Out" from just another work day here in Portsmouth, VA

Another Reason to be a "Gleek"...

There are some great performances on Glee (yes that series on FOX), but this one, from the Broadway play "Rent" is awesome... Mercedes definitely puts the D in DIVA, although Rachel does great too!

Over and "Out" from a "gleeky" day in Portsmouth, VA

Six for One and Five for the Other...

Today marks the sixth anniversary of my "Cardiac Event" (in 2005) and the fifth birthday of  "My New Life" (2006), here in the blog-o-sphere.

To the first I say: It's nice to be alive!

To the second I say: Thank you for giving me an outlet to vent my feelings, communicate with family and friends (from before), and make some new acquaintances in the blogging world that I would never have had the chance to know... The feedback from many of you has inspired me and helped me continue to do this for five years...

A special "Shout Out" to two Blogs (and their respective owners) for being there from the beginning:

Rambling Along in Life...  with a Stern Point of View ...  and:

A Maddog in the City

Over, "Out, glad to be alive, and proud to be a Gay Blogger, from Portsmouth, VA

Ring Around the Rosie...

"Ring a Ring o' Roses" or "Ring Around the Rosie" is a nursery rhyme or folksong and playground singing game. It first appeared in print in 1881; but it is reported that a version was already being sung to the current tune in the 1790s.

But that's not the reason for this post (although it was the first thing that came into my mind when I saw this), I just got in from the front porch and this is what the moon looked like:

I remember as a youth (yes, I was young once) at camp-outs with the Boy Scouts, that this meant there might be snow. But I have been corrected (after a short google search) that: "The ring around the Moon is caused by the refraction of Moonlight (which of course is reflected sunlight) from ice crystals in the upper atmosphere"...

No snow tonight!

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA

Happy Valentines Gay!

And...  Just in case you needed a laugh:



Over and "Out", from Portsmouth Virginia

Just in case you are Hooked on Chick-fil-A...

Chick-fil-A vs. McDonald's Southern Style Chicken

As the blog Midtown Lunch pointed out, one difference between Chick and Mick is bag vs. box.

McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich hit New York City recently, and since it's designed to compete with the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, right down to the two--and only two--sliced pickles, we thought we'd grab both and do a head-to-head comparison. The results, after the jump.

In the left-hand column, the original Southern chicken-filet sandwich, Chick-fil-A!(Procured by intern Emily from NYU's Joe Weinstein Center at a cost of $2.75)

In the right-hand column, the challenger, McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich! (from the McDonald's on Eighth Avenue and 26th Street at a cost of $3.19.)

What? No pickles on the Chick-fil-A (left)? Don't be silly. They're below the breast. Note the difference in butter coverage. The Chick-fil-A sandwich has an even coating of the stuff, along with some nice toastage.

You also start to see the difference in breast size. (Heh. It felt dirty typing that.) In all photos, I tried to maintain an even distance between camera and sandwich and a consistent composition. The difference you see above is not a result of lens or perspective trickery. Below are the naked breasts side by side in the same frame for comparison.

Pickle versus pickle. Another difference: Chick-fil-A does a crinkle-cut pickle, while McDonald's does a straight cut on its. Yeah. Earth-shaking, no?

And here's where you really get a feeling for the difference. Look how much the Chick-fil-A overhangs its bun, creating the illusion of a sandwich just busting at the seams.

Perhaps the overhang on the Chick-fil-A is due to the thinner nature of its profile. Looks like it may be pounded out a bit more than McD's.

How'd It Taste?

But, yeah: Most important is how it tastes, right? Honestly, this sandwich from McDonald's was a pretty accurate recreation of the Chick-fil-A sandwich, based, of course, on the specimens we got our hands on. I know some Chick-fil-A partisans will rip me a new one for saying that, especially based on the fact that we got our Chick-fil-A from a college dining hall food court in New Yawk City, but there was very little difference in flavor.

I thought the McDonald's version was a smidgen more salty and peppery, while the Chick-fil-A tasted more fried-chickeny yet more subtle at the same time. And, of course, it was more buttery because, well, it had more butter applied to its bun. The butter difference was very subtle, though, and I don't think I would have noticed it if not pitting these two sandwiches head to head.

Even the most serious of eaters in our midst, Ed Levine, had a hard time choosing one in a blind taste test. He ended up choosing on looks--picking the Chick-fil-A for its more ample breast; toasted, buttered bun; and darker brown coloring.

Verdict: If you don't have a Chick-fil-A near you (or are, like me, cruelly barred from one due to your non-student status), you're not going to do too bad by grabbing the Faux-fil-A from Mickey D's.

...

Because of the recent boycott of Chick-fil-A (that I have joined due to the company's anti-gay stance), I will be heading to Micky Dee's to order a copy cat of one of my favorite sandwiches...

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA

ps: rumor has it that the flavor in the the Chick-fil-A sandwich comes from marinating the chicken in the juice of all those dill pickles, before they add them to the sandwich...

Just a "Me Day"...

Today is a "Me Day"... I only get one out of two Sundays off...  I am doing some chores around the house, but I am also relaxing a bit...

Over and "Out" from a warmer day in Portsmouth, VA

Remembering Never Done Before...

I have written about my youth, and the fact that I spent a few years sailing the Bahamas and Caribbean on my parents sailboat "Firebird". After my older brother left home and the rest of us started completing our high school education, Dad opted to sell the sailboat for something more comfortable.  Centennial was originally constructed (in 1917) as a motor-sailer, not a sailing vessel, and not a power boat... She was refitted by the US Navy in the 40's as an escort vessel, then rebuilt by the navy and returned to it's owners (some movie studio in LA) afterward.

During her tenure under that studio, she was used in a couple of movies including Key Largo, with Humphrey Bogart... I used to have a photo of her anchored in Avalon Harbor, Santa Catalina Island, off the coast of southern California. Not sure where that photo went but I do know that the yacht that was to become Centennial ended up on the east coast of Florida in the 70's.

When Mom and Dad decided that they would rather push a throttle than hoist sails, they found "Galway" in St. Augustine. We spent a few months refurbishing her at Summerfield's Boat Works in Ft. Lauderdale (the same place we rebuilt Firebird). I was reading James Michener's book "Centennial" during this time, and during the time that my parents search for a new name for this motor yacht started. 

As she was built in 1917, and the approaching year (1976) was the bi-centennial of the USA, I suggested "Centennial" as a possible name...  It stuck and became her new name.

We had many adventures on Centennial, and after my Dad's passing in 1979, I went to work for the company that bought her and skippered her for about a year...

Just some more tidbits from my past...

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA

Kid Stuff...

Every day I get to look at this picture (it's on my refrigerator) and I remember taking it some 21+ years ago. From left to right: 

My eldest son (who will be 33 in July), 

My number three son (who just turned 24 in December), 

My baby girl (23 in March), 

Number two son (31 this month and the father of my only grandchild), 

My eldest daughter (from a different Father) who turned 32 in October. 

This photo was taken at EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World, in front of the World of Motion pavilion in late 1988 or early 1989. Damn how time flies... and yes, they are all just as handsome and beautiful today.

Back then we purchased the Florida Resident's 3 Season Passport to Disney.  It was a 4 hour drive from Miami and we would get up at 6am, get there by 10am, spend the day until the parks closed (sometimes at 10pm), and then drive home. With five kids in tow, the only expense was gas and food (we always had snacks in the diaper bags)... I could never do that today!!!

Over, "Out" and flashing back, from Portsmouth, VA

Just another reason I like George Takei...

George has a way of making his point... With a side dish of humor...

Over, "Out" and liking you "Very Much", from Portsmouth, VA

Super Sunday...

Neither of us are big football fans (yeah, I know, that probably doesn't surprise many), we are however, big (unique) commercial fans and look forward to the 2011 Super Bowl TV commercials...

This year there have been all sorts of leaks in the news and online, but I suspect it's a ruse to try to draw us all in to the show itself... Our DVR is set.  I work until 7pm, so will settle in when I get home and (unlike most) will fast forward through the game itself, to watch the great commercials...

Have a great Super Sunday all!

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA

Wearing Red?

Today, as a part of the "American Heart Heath Month" of February, is "Wear Red Day". While it's really a part of the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women", Men need to take heed as well. It was just six years ago (on February 16, 2005) that I had an "up close and personal" encounter with this silent killer: A heart attack at age 49, that shook me to my soul...

I will probably post more about that on the 5th anniversary of "My New Life" on February 16th, so stay tuned...

All I can say of the aftermath is: My entire outlook on life changed, I became truer to my homosexual feelings, My entire physiology changed (I had never had panic/anxiety attacks before and now was having them daily), I was very depressed, I started seeing a therapist (for the first time in my life), I lost the connection with my wife of 17 years, and I was losing myself...

Almost six years later I can report that I have grown through most of these issues, but I still look over my shoulder to see if that gurney (that follows people in that Plavix or Lipitor commercial) is following me... The threat never goes away...

So, for those of you (Men) that are feeling stressed out (that and a family history was the cause of my heart attack), I quote a line from the movie "Moonstruck" spoken by Cher's character: "SNAP OUT OF IT!", get a check up and find a good place!

Over, "Out" and wearing RED today in Portsmouth, VA

Thursday Fashion...

These could be Fashionable on the right person...  But then again, maybe not...

Some people should just NOT wear heels...  At least he has good legs and a nice tan, and what a great shot of the San Francisco Skyline...

'Nuff said...

Over and embarrassingly "Out", from Portsmouth, VA

(photo stolen from Alexander's blog: Voenix Rising, I hope it's not of his husband)

Spring is on the way?... Yeah sure...

Phil did not see his shadow this morning, which means an early Spring...  If you say so...

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA

Zero Effect on the contents of my Character...

Beautiful words spoken by a 19 year old ...

Over and "Out" from backwards Portsmouth, VA