tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205826532024-03-23T12:28:28.653-06:00The Lavender Rocking ChairWE'RE GRAY, WE'RE GAY. GET USED TO IT!<br><br>This is my web log -- topics include, but are not limited to, what happens when gay men grow older. Please join in and share your comments, advice, resources, links, gripes and rants.<br><br>
<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/rocker_3.jpg" width="75" height="98" align="middle" alt="Lavender Rocking Chair" title="Lavender Rocking Chair">
<br><br>If you aren't old and gay now, get ready, it could happen to you.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-59001072804740284342008-11-26T15:10:00.003-06:002008-11-26T15:27:48.231-06:00Coming Back Soon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2baE1wCHvGAozeqOus9OyCFt830xb71ysyKNdKjw5YenoaDKI5g-eo9s8fSC0RA93ZPbOQzlbfdtuwIlghHkPjrNgwRobPSuCnsJxAVqJyBqCPvVZt9O-kS9IOibjWb9krrB/s1600-h/back_soon_2.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2baE1wCHvGAozeqOus9OyCFt830xb71ysyKNdKjw5YenoaDKI5g-eo9s8fSC0RA93ZPbOQzlbfdtuwIlghHkPjrNgwRobPSuCnsJxAVqJyBqCPvVZt9O-kS9IOibjWb9krrB/s400/back_soon_2.png" border="0" alt="Regular blog returning soon..." title="Regular blog returning soon..." id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273079075904754610" /></a>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-77593525181008613862007-05-16T08:45:00.000-06:002007-05-16T10:02:07.748-06:00Presidential Candidates and Gay Issues -- Tommy Thompson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6sGA9V4UvN-CG-QeuAX27pA7RhKYVrPeDOfT6BglB3f8K70i-UquKfqgVmdKpEfJ7DlsVKd7VOCwgKRrgd_a8613aSL7b6QM-JmHe3Yw4vBN-KZy2ohGjgffjv8aKPC-rZ2a/s1600-h/tommythompson.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6sGA9V4UvN-CG-QeuAX27pA7RhKYVrPeDOfT6BglB3f8K70i-UquKfqgVmdKpEfJ7DlsVKd7VOCwgKRrgd_a8613aSL7b6QM-JmHe3Yw4vBN-KZy2ohGjgffjv8aKPC-rZ2a/s400/tommythompson.jpg" border="0" alt="I got your vote right here!" title="I got your vote right here!" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065174926344615234" /></a>In the recent Republican Presidential debate, Tommy Thompson, former governor of Wisconsin and former head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, was asked if a private employer should be allowed to fire a gay worker, "if the employer finds homosexuality immoral?"<br /><br />Thompson's answer was, "I think that is left up to the individual business. I really sincerely believe that that is an issue that business people have got to make their own determination as to whether or not they should be."<br /><br />Afterwards Thompson offered several different excuses for his answer: he had the flu, he was taking medication for bronchitis, he badly needed to get off the podium and go to the restroom and therefore wasn't listening to the question, he thought it was about there being enough laws already to address discrimination in the workplace. Also, he added that he is deaf in one ear and that his hearing aid battery for the other ear had gone dead.<br /><br />"I said it, I'm sorry, and it won't happen again but it's not my record. ... There's nothing discriminatory about me at all."<br /><br />If you believe that, go Google these words: <i><b>Tommy Thompson comments on Jews.</b></i>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-21835647281900746732007-05-15T19:01:00.000-06:002007-05-16T10:03:14.496-06:00Presidental Candidates and Gay Issues -- Sam Brownback<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigG5jVXpsycybcSG0rEiDan81LDQrHQGyOWG6M9lIOGcIzT2tKMZB4-H15fCYwlhuB9t0XWuSNkqBYz47FA9RX69UT4sxj-3MGi9I0eC0Gy4ZadvTW0_iv1yILFrcO-ebQ9O9c/s1600-h/coldwater.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigG5jVXpsycybcSG0rEiDan81LDQrHQGyOWG6M9lIOGcIzT2tKMZB4-H15fCYwlhuB9t0XWuSNkqBYz47FA9RX69UT4sxj-3MGi9I0eC0Gy4ZadvTW0_iv1yILFrcO-ebQ9O9c/s400/coldwater.jpg" alt="That water looks COLD!" title="That water looks COLD!" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064961874491897122" border="0" /></a>Presidential candidate and Republican U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, from Kansas, on gay weddings...<br /><br />In May 2007, Republican presidential candidate and Kansas senator, Sam Brownback bullied a nominee for a judgeship in Michigan, Janet Neff, because she had <i>attended</i> a same-sex union ceremony in 2002.<br /><br />The Senate Judiciary Committee had cleared Neff for the post, but Brownback had questions about her role in the same-sex ceremony, which surfaced because of a wedding announcement in The New York Times.<br /><br />Neff attended the ceremony for the daughter of close family friends and her partner. Neff said she gave a homily, but did not preside over the service. The family lived next door to Neff for 26 years.<br /><br />"...was it a marriage ceremony?" Brownback asked.<br /><br />"It was not," Neff said.<br /><br />Brownback said the key issue is whether Neff participated in an illegal ceremony. Brownback blocked her nomination, arguing that being friends with a gay neighbor for more than two decades necessarily disqualifies a person for the federal bench, even if you’re nominated by the Bush White House.<br /><br />He eventually dropped his opposition to her nomination. But only after proving to his base how macho he is. Read all about it <a href="http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/05/051007brownback.htm">here</a>.<br /><br /><small>Photo from <a href="http://allaussiebeef.blogspot.com/">All Aussie Beef</a>.</small>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-39713095928440086882007-01-17T13:18:00.000-06:002007-01-18T07:49:48.231-06:00Taking a break<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZ0hhCS5gQt3gXkWCLg-7qakG24RL2825Js3zYwI6wHH8CFxFFbV-IXTD97O5AEV7jRQ0zFOX_FRsgNgkuGZWag6bfs2lcom7ijcHNS4_rfeD6ph0niuVDPMTK_W5JmpQ2mw2/s1600-h/back_soon.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihZ0hhCS5gQt3gXkWCLg-7qakG24RL2825Js3zYwI6wHH8CFxFFbV-IXTD97O5AEV7jRQ0zFOX_FRsgNgkuGZWag6bfs2lcom7ijcHNS4_rfeD6ph0niuVDPMTK_W5JmpQ2mw2/s400/back_soon.gif" alt="Taking a blogging break..." title="Taking a blogging break..." id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5021081358954722386" border="0" /></a>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-2523295450176423502007-01-16T09:00:00.000-06:002007-01-16T09:23:00.846-06:00"But let's not forget who created this project—Michael Bennett."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWidhSPBDXv8GbOZGZ068aLqx7EbO36ClyhSr4oXoIXJL5rC9BSlCFBJLtKQ8ywMGGy8TVWQJ5HunMd4KmAzJQlAbjjuCoIw6vVz8CKEOQgSsq89Mm6WpZjnZk37n7YrACv2W/s1600-h/Bennett.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWidhSPBDXv8GbOZGZ068aLqx7EbO36ClyhSr4oXoIXJL5rC9BSlCFBJLtKQ8ywMGGy8TVWQJ5HunMd4KmAzJQlAbjjuCoIw6vVz8CKEOQgSsq89Mm6WpZjnZk37n7YrACv2W/s320/Bennett.jpg" alt="Michael Bennett" title="Michael Bennett" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020643465564058690" border="0" /></a>"Even before its highly anticipated opening, the glitz-and-glam celluloid fest known as <i>Dreamgirls</i> was already blasting headlines left, right, and center. But let's not forget who created this project—Michael Bennett."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid40864.asp">Click here</a> and read about this wonderful creator of theater history in an article written by Kimberly Gadette. It's an Advocate.com exclusive, posted on January 9, 2007.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-42765870957994788762007-01-14T17:34:00.000-06:002007-01-14T18:37:05.109-06:00Gesundheit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYUebZVZYXoQASm-35BAn26amYB9zcFoVospc-NcQbiXBaLOO7qKdWS6l1ksfSk6dbYHVgI3xvvumdny1c3qopHSlmzgGYsnq5ThfKP8A8_osPNq5xU6XHSbKBcHOKekoJKPp/s1600-h/gesundheit_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYUebZVZYXoQASm-35BAn26amYB9zcFoVospc-NcQbiXBaLOO7qKdWS6l1ksfSk6dbYHVgI3xvvumdny1c3qopHSlmzgGYsnq5ThfKP8A8_osPNq5xU6XHSbKBcHOKekoJKPp/s400/gesundheit_2.jpg" border="0" alt="Gesundheit" title="'Nobody will notice...'" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5020033953870181426" /></a>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-76896566349207654082007-01-13T09:21:00.000-06:002007-01-13T19:51:29.472-06:00Cat Burger<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5S4mN3kvmpIh2rP73rdUgQlgkJJKNeRKe6to5dZtLCwJaZpf8mu9IAM-vNapxIZtdY8-eAKQ59MqVgTB7WW9oH2eyDgTeCv93hM6GU6cTwdkV6G8DMBviLfhWiPNAKP1UBoy8/s1600-h/cat_burger.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5S4mN3kvmpIh2rP73rdUgQlgkJJKNeRKe6to5dZtLCwJaZpf8mu9IAM-vNapxIZtdY8-eAKQ59MqVgTB7WW9oH2eyDgTeCv93hM6GU6cTwdkV6G8DMBviLfhWiPNAKP1UBoy8/s400/cat_burger.jpg" alt="Cat Burger" title="Cat Burger" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5019536051196458018" border="0" /></a><br />This is Winston, The Burger Head. He looks good enough to eat. Right now he is planning to throw up on <i>somebody's</i> pillow.<br /><br />For more pictures of Winston, and Rudy, too -- <a href="http://fourfour.typepad.com/fourfour/2007/01/hamburger_head.html">click here</a>.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-25047439639350068122007-01-05T11:02:00.000-06:002007-01-05T11:15:29.770-06:00Blog First AnniversaryThis blog is one year old today. I actually began it in November 2005, but made such a mess of the template that I started over from scratch in January 2006.<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by to read it now and then. And a special thank you to all of you who leave comments. A comment, however brief, is <i>always</i> appreciated.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-33626487379433599112007-01-04T16:22:00.000-06:002007-01-04T16:38:59.987-06:00It's alive, again.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir02karxaCA_x9LyRI79Wahl7D-hlGlQSJdmmyBgArnoW7JN_hqKh4KrVDXdxN5d8c0fmzUbdndueCffWp5iTSviIWWW5vu_pYiN3s7mPxkMm7B57Y93VuBd_dHV-hZgpPOAm/s1600-h/blogimage.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir02karxaCA_x9LyRI79Wahl7D-hlGlQSJdmmyBgArnoW7JN_hqKh4KrVDXdxN5d8c0fmzUbdndueCffWp5iTSviIWWW5vu_pYiN3s7mPxkMm7B57Y93VuBd_dHV-hZgpPOAm/s320/blogimage.gif" alt="My screen after Blogger deleted all my CSS." title="My screen after Blogger deleted all my CSS." id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5016305170606345826" border="0" /></a>At the left is what this blog looked like a few minutes ago. I had just finished making some minor edits and then saved the changes. Blogger decided to remove everything above where I was working. All you couild see was raw code. Yuck.<br /><br />But in a moment of temporary sanity a couple of weeks ago I had saved a copy of my template just before I switched to the Blogger Beta. I went into my broken template, pasted in the saved version, deleted the rest of the old one and pressed "save changes." Everything was there.<br /><br />The only stuff missing were the revised links for all the bloggers who have changed URLs in the past week or so. Oh well, as ABBA says, "We won't miss them when they're gone."Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-91364288043250690782007-01-01T14:50:00.000-06:002007-01-05T11:00:41.142-06:00Happy you-know-what<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3zv7jsTd18rVcEIKQHu_ubWD6yX5gEhvwzmQ7fjsfsDXIkcfGG3PKYGnf2RUDejT8Y7phc3BkG91HK3g1dlwDmPpBN1_cJg4CmpxnjMag5uG5Q1-vDNz7q8vN1FhGVu_JQwT/s1600-h/happnewyear.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3zv7jsTd18rVcEIKQHu_ubWD6yX5gEhvwzmQ7fjsfsDXIkcfGG3PKYGnf2RUDejT8Y7phc3BkG91HK3g1dlwDmPpBN1_cJg4CmpxnjMag5uG5Q1-vDNz7q8vN1FhGVu_JQwT/s400/happnewyear.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5015167695762640466" border="0" /></a>Hope all of you had a great Christmas and a delightful start to the new year.<br /><br />Last night for our New Year's Eve dinner I cooked black-eyed peas. Eating them at new year's is a custom in the American South to assure good luck in the new year. We also had collard greens and baby back ribs. Followed by chocolate cream pie. The new year may or may not be lucky but we entered it stuffed so full that sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 P.M. we both fell asleep and the bottle of Veuve Cliquot is still ice cold and unopened.<br /><br />Also contributing to the sleepiness were many hours spent watching the <i>AbFab</i> marathon all day and evening on BBC America. Today, to sober us up, they are running nothing but <i>Cash in the Attic</i>.<br /><br />After a busy, and family filled, Christmas it was really nice to be alone and not hosting for New Year's Eve.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-76182776232986154262006-12-13T09:23:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:43:55.568-06:00Soybeans make you gay<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJk6BqbFwDW3TlHEwC4oQZoJD1IgZ_3JIGZRLBAII87e_15Wspk-Gr54lMlO0tjxr_r1PfjBmJ6Y9WvNBW42c2PYUo-sYYqDGHR06Qq7Y2ryOhY1Uk_gdzB1oK_VVwC4uyEPj/s1600-h/soy_foley.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJk6BqbFwDW3TlHEwC4oQZoJD1IgZ_3JIGZRLBAII87e_15Wspk-Gr54lMlO0tjxr_r1PfjBmJ6Y9WvNBW42c2PYUo-sYYqDGHR06Qq7Y2ryOhY1Uk_gdzB1oK_VVwC4uyEPj/s400/soy_foley.jpg" alt="Left to right: Soybeans; an equal sign; Mark Foley defending Bush" title="Left to right: Soybeans; an equal sign; Mark Foley defending Bush" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5008032669875896466" border="0" /></a>More weird science from the religious far right's favorite news service -- World Net Daily.<br /><br />"There's a slow poison out there that's severely damaging our children and threatening to tear apart our culture." A warning from WND columnist Jim Rutz on the <a href="http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53327">dangers of soy products</a>.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-52794836227621405422006-12-10T11:01:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:43:32.224-06:00Technical question<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmIDsJ6Atgt374fuVAgIWDf1vMwaB7ocu2pOTGnNxm9yj1zD0oosyuwdZiUx4bShaQiCqckLv-PVgmcQYNk63f0pU8uglDECoNqdQTv1tR3tD8PJ0i0TLoYNraTM89O3l7KZA/s1600-h/question_mark.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmIDsJ6Atgt374fuVAgIWDf1vMwaB7ocu2pOTGnNxm9yj1zD0oosyuwdZiUx4bShaQiCqckLv-PVgmcQYNk63f0pU8uglDECoNqdQTv1tR3tD8PJ0i0TLoYNraTM89O3l7KZA/s400/question_mark.gif" alt="Use the alt attribute here." title="This message is an example of the title attribute." id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006944648400387250" border="0" /></a>Why is it that so few bloggers use the <b>alt</b> and <b>title</b> attributes with blog images? <b>Title</b> can also be used with links. Is there some rule I don't know about? I don't often attach these to links but I try to use them whenever possible with the images I post. Keep in mind that not all of your visitors can see the screen and it lets them know what the image is and how it relates to the text.<br /><br />Thank you, <a href="http://www.purpletwinkie.com/"><i>Purple Twinkie</i></a>, and <a href="http://koodahsai.blogspot.com/"><i>fluxipoop</i></a>, for titling your links. It makes your pages even more interesting and informative.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-58616963084342212252006-12-09T15:29:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:43:11.259-06:00Just a few left to visit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0QwP-Fo1KJ34OtlZTB1ainFVAGKbVQsEtmxqQk_Q4tNIfC3dtsQMKWhNxKvVubmauJ3kGYZ-M7oF2kIPIg0e9Nske_tUuccOcIgGZY2uwuGRkPjI-_r9QqVZyLDWzYaAADE8/s1600-h/states_visited_1.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0QwP-Fo1KJ34OtlZTB1ainFVAGKbVQsEtmxqQk_Q4tNIfC3dtsQMKWhNxKvVubmauJ3kGYZ-M7oF2kIPIg0e9Nske_tUuccOcIgGZY2uwuGRkPjI-_r9QqVZyLDWzYaAADE8/s400/states_visited_1.gif" alt="U.S. States Visited (in red)" title="U.S. States Visited (in red)" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006931424196082850" border="0" /></a>There are only ten I haven't visited. Yet.<br /><br /><a href="http://douweosinga.com/projects/visitedstates">Click here to create your own map of states you have visited</a>.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-85005143383431505092006-12-08T12:08:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:42:51.992-06:00It's worse than we thought...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVCTCJP3TvlsCF8aJ4QHrNh2_x3sJQuVLiRRbCEmbxGCUZC0BmB_raw4FXuWWfSHgZjVWcoMPx2C2i3Wbt_q866IDZE6hySQXifqRDC1JGQM56EQV40AZBx8FSsrwEf7g6Y9h/s1600-h/egyptian-homos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVCTCJP3TvlsCF8aJ4QHrNh2_x3sJQuVLiRRbCEmbxGCUZC0BmB_raw4FXuWWfSHgZjVWcoMPx2C2i3Wbt_q866IDZE6hySQXifqRDC1JGQM56EQV40AZBx8FSsrwEf7g6Y9h/s400/egyptian-homos.jpg" alt="Package of Holy Land food product: 'Egyptian Homos'" title="Package of Holy Land food product: 'Egyptian Homos'" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5006219769589972098" border="0" /></a>Don't let the U.S. religious right wingers hear about this or we will all end up inside a piece of pita bread.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-1165327229849125752006-12-05T07:55:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:41:50.598-06:00My French BlogI was checking to see who had visited my blog today and noticed there was somebody from France. Wondering how he or she found my blog I checked to see what this person had used for search terms and, voila!, my blog popped up in French. Love it.<br /><br />Click on the image below to see it big enough to read.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4565/2052/1600/497061/froggy_blog.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4565/2052/400/765537/froggy_blog.png" alt="My blog, in French." title="My blog, in French." border="0" /></a>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-1165079032540209422006-12-02T10:23:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:41:34.184-06:00The Joy of Pool<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4565/2052/1600/51845/polaris_logo.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4565/2052/320/871336/polaris_logo.gif" alt="Polaris logo" title="Polaris logo" border="0" /></a>Last Monday I was doing some pool cleaning and working on the filters -- getting ready for winter. Although the pool has been too cold to swim in since the middle of September, it is pretty to look at when it's clean and sparkling. At one point I mishandled some chlorine pellets and I got my lungs full of the choking gas. I had to sit down for a few minutes. And until the next morning I had a tightness in my chest and the constant taste and smell of chlorine. Yuck. I will learn to be more careful.<br /><br />While I was cleaning the pool the water level was high. Tuesday I noticed the level was down about an inch. Wednesday it was down four inches. Thursday it was down by four feet and obviously we had a leak. A bad one.<br /><br />The pool people sent their man over to check it out and he said we needed a new vinyl liner. The pool and the liner are over ten years old. And a liner lasts about ten years, so our time had come. It will be fixed in a couple of weeks (for several thousand dollars). But we were expecting this to happen -- in a year or two maybe. Oh well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4565/2052/1600/849506/polaris_380_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4565/2052/320/558731/polaris_380_1.jpg" alt="Polaris 380 Pool Cleaner" title="Polaris 380 Pool Cleaner" border="0" /></a>Last night was very cold and there was a possibility of a freeze. So we had to bring the Polaris pool-cleaning robot in so it wouldn't freeze and crack open. It had to be in a warm place, so like a pet seal we put it in the bath tub for the night.<br /><br />The Polaris attaches to the pool pump by a long hose and it slowly rolls along the bottom and sides of the pool vacuuming up sand and leaves. Its movements are quite life-like and fun to watch. Especially if it's a warm sunny afternoon and you have had a few drinks.<br /><br />My lungs have recovered, the Polaris had a warm night and soon the new, deep blue liner will be installed and we will have 22,500 fresh gallons of clear, clean water in the pool. That's a lot of water, and for those of you in the rest of the world it's about 85,000 liters.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-1161700097012711212006-10-24T08:18:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:39:21.818-06:00Big, Pink and Spanish<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/triangle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/400/triangle.jpg" alt="Pink Triangle Monument, Sitges, Spain" title="Pink Triangle Monument, Sitges, Spain" border="0" /></a>From Sydney comes the <a href="http://gay-news.blogspot.com/">Gay News Blog</a>. Along with lots of news and totty (oh, those Australians) was an article about this monument on the Catalan coast of Spain in Sitges.<br /><br />The pink triangle is 4 feet tall and commemorates the community's stance against some gay bashing there ten years earlier. The inscription reads, “Sitges against Homophobia. October 1996-2006. Never again."<br /><br />The <i>Gay News Blog</i> has been added to the Gay News links in the sidebar above.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-1161289790311891022006-10-19T14:14:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:38:57.282-06:00The Wonder of the InternetI was doing an Internet search on the techno music duo, <a href="http://www.thechemicalbrothers.com/">The Chemical Brothers</a>. One of them is Tom Rowlands. The search also brought up this photo of a <i>Tommy</i> Rolands. Ooops. Tommy is not one of the Chemical Brothers, he's a wrestler at <a href="http://ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com/">Ohio State</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/rowlands_tommy.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/400/rowlands_tommy.jpg" alt="Tommy Rowlands, Ohio State Wrestler" title="Tommy Rowlands, Ohio State Wrestler" border="0" /></a><br />I thought I would share this with you in case you were confused by the two Toms. Below is a photo of Chemical Brother, Tom Rowlands.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/rowlands_tom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/320/rowlands_tom.jpg" alt="Tom Rowlands, The Chemical Brothers" title="Tom Rowlands, The Chemical Brothers" border="0" /></a>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-1160075451080872972006-10-05T13:05:00.000-06:002007-01-05T10:59:56.295-06:00The Natural History of Candy Corn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/candy_corn_bg.1.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/400/candy_corn_bg.gif" alt="Brach's Candy Corn" title="Brach's Candy Corn" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.cuisinenet.com/cafe/you_gonna_eat_that/1997/00008-1.shtml">Candy Corn: Your Friend and Mine</a>, this is the title of Cuisine.net's fact filled tribute to candy corn. Check it out and be sure to look for the way cool candy corn animation.<br /><br /><a href="http://science.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/candy-corn">Where did it come from, how do they make it?</a> from eNotes. The essay ends with this notable quote: "Candy corn that is somehow misshapen or considered inferior may be melted down and reused. Of course, any candy that falls on the floor is never reused." That's because the dog gets it first.<br /><br />Industry leaders -- <a href="http://www.brachs.com/">Brach's Candy</a> and <a href="http://www.zacharyconfections.com/">Zachary Confections</a> -- check out their tasty sites.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-1160016367520162612006-10-04T20:24:00.000-06:002007-01-11T19:53:36.544-06:00Six Degrees of Candy Corn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/corn_candy_1.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/400/corn_candy_1.jpg" alt="Candy Corn" title="Candy Corn" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/corn_indian_1.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/400/corn_indian_1.jpg" alt="Indian Corn" title="Indian Corn" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/corn_reindeer_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/400/corn_reindeer_1.jpg" alt="Reindeer Corn" title="Reindeer Corn" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/corn_cupid_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/400/corn_cupid_1.jpg" alt="Cupid Corn" title="Cupid Corn" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/corn_bunny_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/400/corn_bunny_1.jpg" alt="Bunny Corn" title="Bunny Corn" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/corn_patriot_1.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/400/corn_patriot_1.0.jpg" alt="Patriot Corn" title="Patriot Corn" border="0" /></a><br />But no St. Patrick's Day Corn? What's up with that?Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-1159387836608479542006-09-27T14:03:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:35:34.632-06:00Listen Here -- the IBM Glass EnginePhilip Glass. At first I didn't apreciate his work very much. I felt his compositions didn't compare well to those by Steve Reich. Then I stopped comparing the two of them and now I like Glass as much as I do Reich. They are very different composers and both brilliant.<br /><br />Today I wanted to listen to a favorite passage, an aria from the 1976 Philip Glass and Robert Wilson opera, <i>Einstein on the Beach</i>, and the disk was in another room. Being too lazy to get up, what was I to do? This is what I did. I surfed over to the <strong>IBM Glass Engine</strong>, navigated to 1976 and played the cut I wanted to hear. Online, for free.<br /><br />The IBM Glass Engine is a strange and wonderful site. Here's a quote from the opening page -- "The IBM Glass Engine enables deep navigation of the music of Philip Glass. Personal interests, associations, and impulses guide the listener through an expanding selection of over sixty Glass works."<br /><br />I find it works best for me, a PC user, if I load it from the link on the <a href="http://www.philipglass.com/">Philip Glass homepage</a> using Internet Explorer. I can't always get it to load if I use Netscape or Firefox. I am sure it works fine for Apple users. Every composer I know is an Apple person.<br /><br />The Engine is big and takes a while to load even with a fast connection. Just chill for a few minutes. It's worth it.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-1159281336077885502006-09-26T08:35:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:35:04.100-06:00A New Blog from the Editor of GrayGay.comCheck out <a href="http://graygay.blogspot.com/">Gray Gay Blog</a>. It is from Pewit, the editor of <a href="http://www.graygay.com/">GrayGay.com</a> -- "the place for mature gay men and admirers." The original site, Graygay.com, includes the GrayGay Guide with in-depth reviews of over 2000 bars, clubs, restaurants, saunas, hotels and beaches that welcome them world-wide. Plus extensive resources and links such as personal ads, bulletin boards, organizations, books, videos and websites.<br /><br />As for the blog Pewit says, "I'd particularly like to hear from bloggers who are older couples or intergenerational couples who can share their life experience." Topics include gay seniors, mature men, events, cruises, opinions, blogs, retirement, homosexuality, porn, older men.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-1158177567185123462006-09-13T13:46:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:34:31.021-06:00Listen Here All You BloggersWow, it has been quite a while since my last post. And I guess that's because it has been a busy time. Thank you all for checking in now and then. Here's a little present for you as a thank you. Something to listen to.<br /><br />I love online radio stations and they are often playing as I surf around the 'net. Right now I am listening to <b>104.2 Nile FM</b>, Cairo's Number 1 Hit Music Station. If your system is set up like mine (a PC using Windows XP and Firefox) you can probably listen directly by <a href="http://www.nilefmonline.com/nfmplayer/player.htm">clicking here</a>. Otherwise go to the station's <a href="http://www.nilefmonline.com/">website</a> and follow the directions there to get to the audio feed.<br /><br />Other favorites right now --<br /><b>HFM 94.2</b>, San Antonio, Ibiza -- <a href="http://www.hfmibiza.org/hfmlisten.asx">listen</a> or <a href="http://www.hfmibiza.com/">go to the website</a><br /><b>Mix 103.0 FM</b>, Lisboa, Portugal -- <a href="http://mix.clix.pt/live/live_broadcast_popup.asp?speed=3">listen</a> or <a href="http://mix.clix.pt/">go to the website</a>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-1155999733921012192006-08-19T09:01:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:33:08.550-06:00Some Days You Can't Even Give It Away<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/1600/dawson.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4565/2052/320/dawson.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Not you, Dawson, the <i>waterbed</i>!<br /><br />It seemed nobody wanted the beautiful solid oak waterbed with a bookcase headboard and huge drawers under the mattress.We offered it first to family members, they didn't want it. Nor did friends. Hey, it's not like we are trying to sell it for money. It's free if somebody will take it away.<br /><br />We hear that maybe a friend of a friend will take it. He might want to use the wood to make shelves. He comes over with a van and a flatbed trailer. Takes the bed apart and loads it up. And as he backs out of the driveway the trailer goes onto the lawn and hits our mail box. He continues on, breaking off the post at gound-level. Next he runs over the mail box crushing it. He then drives off leaving the flattened mailbox in the street. This, after we gave him all this expensive lumber for free!<br /><br />He doesn't remember hitting anything when he backed out. But immediately he offered me $50 to replace it. So I replaced the whole thing. And it cost about $50, so maybe he's done this before.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20582653.post-1155690907779952112006-08-15T19:14:00.000-06:002007-01-04T14:31:33.564-06:00Draining The WaterbedFor a variety of reasons, mostly my bad knee, we have decided to get rid of the waterbed. And this week is when we are going to do it. We've used it for nearly 18 years, but recently I am having great trouble getting in and out of it and changing the sheets has become a big problem too. We want one of those new, Scandinavian type, firm foam beds they advertise on TV. It's "foam with a memory." Oh, if beds could talk! And not just remember.<br /><br />Now, the first step is to drain the mattress, or as they say in the waterbed business -- the bladder. It's a firm-sided, California King in a beautiful solid oak frame with big drawers in the base. It is six feet wide by seven feet long. This differs from the <i>regular</i> king-sized mattress that's four inches wider and four inches shorter. Who comes up with these rules?<br /><br />Anyway, the bed we have holds 2000 pounds of water, so carrying it out is not an option. I have purchased a plastic nozzle that you attach with a hose to the bed drain hole and the other end of the hose attaches to a faucet and somehow if you turn the faucet on the bed drains. Slowly.<br /><br />The directions say it might take 90 minutes. It works! After two hours the bed seems as flat as it's going to get. There is still some water in it but it is now light enough to roll up and cart away to the backyard. Step one, done.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15549810584731714251noreply@blogger.com1