Stupid Facebook

I've recently had an epiphany - Fabcebook is stupid.

I used to be addicted to Facebook. Constantly checking it to see what witty things my "friends" have been saying, what they have been doing and the such.

But I have recently come to the conclusion that I don't give a shit.

Most of the people I have friended are really not my friends. They are people I know who I might have given a shit about.

My definition of friend is something rather serious. A friend - to me - is someone who I can confide in. Someone I can be bitchy with, someone who I can reveal my true self.

I am a bitch.

I am fine with that.

I am pessimistic.

I am fine with that.

I am critical.

I am fine with that.

But finding other people I can truly be myself with and not some fakey "Everything is great! Everything smells like roses!" is rather hard to do.

I can be that way with HB. He likes me when I keep it real. And I can do that with about five or six of my "friends" on FB. But the rest...well.....

I do like to get along to get along, but sometimes I just want to be negative and not put on a happy face when I am feeling depressed or anxious.

I recently had a "Friend Pageant" with the people I have friended.

I had to ask myself each of the following questions about each person:

1. Do I give a shit about this person?
2. Have I spoken to this person in the last six weeks?
3. Does this person enrich my life or take away from it?
4. Would I be sad to see this person go?

If they could pass these questions, then they stayed. Otherwise they got the axe.

If that seems brutal or self-involved then that is too bad. Like Sweet Brown, I ain't got time for that.

Much love,

Jim

You have been warned....

So this weekend is Easter. Big fucking deal.

As an Atheist - a strong ON TRACK Atheist, I find all this pomp and circumstance bullshit.

Can I respect someone else's religious beliefs? I could if they would return the favor and back the fuck up out of my life. But they don't - they vote the way the Bible tells them so they don't actually have to think for themselves.

I will be blogging ALOT about how I feel religion is all bullshit, but this weekend has particularly put a bee in my bonnet. (Mainly to do with the the hate that was thrown towards the GLBT community in light of the recent hearings with SCOTUS.)

While HB and I were noshing at the local Golden Corral buffet, I was visually accosted by t-shirts professing people's beliefs in Jesus. When did St. Louis become so mother fucking religious? I knew there was going to be backlash about the SCOTUS hearings, but this is getting to be too much for me to take.

Before I get flamed, do they have the right to believe in what they want? Absofuckingloutely. I will die for a person's right to believe what they want. But by that same token I have the right to be outraged and voice MY opinion of their beliefs.

One thing I don't understand is how some Christians believe that Jesus' body was placed in a cave and then his corpse came up missing so they immediately jumped to the conclusion that he rose from the dead and went straight up to heaven.  

Huh?

Couldn't one of his rabid followers just have broken into the cave and stole his body? Is THAT hypothesis to hard to swallow?

Furthermore, if Jesus rose from the dead, doesn't that make him a mother fucking zombie? Are Christians worshiping a zombie Jesus? How sick.

So how does Jesus dying, vanishing, and leaving his followers in the dark equate to people wearing stupid hats, fancy holiday clothing, and binging on chocolate? That makes absolutely no sense at all.

But then again....wait for it....neither does religion.

And how does the Eater Bunny figure into all of this hub bub? I put him in the same category of Santa - STRANGER DANGER. You will NEVER see me accept anything from a bunny - EVER.

Until next time kids...

Much love,

Jim

Prisoners Wives

I have a new show to be addicted to - BBC's Prisoner Wives. 

HB and I were perusing the shows on Hulu (or was it Netflix?) and we came across this one. 

First of all, let me disclose my love for everything British. I cannot think of a BBC show that we have watched that I didn't like. Well, Skins, but that is just because I couldn't understand them - at all. 

We came upon this one and after the first episode I am HOOKED. The characters are diverse, the story lines are compelling, and the acting is top notch. BONUS: One of the actors, Iain Glen - is nice eye candy and is also on my other favorite show - Game of Thrones. 

I also like the idea of a show that explores how the lives of people who are incarcerated are affected. There are kids involved, looky-loo neighbors, and haters in general. I am intrigued to see where each of the central story lines go and how the characters involved react. 

Then there is a mystery story line that is unfolding like a flower. Is he guilty? Is he innocent? Or is he a hooker with a heart of gold type of character? 

After only one episode, I have so many questions and cannot wait to see the next episodes. 

I will keep you informed. 

Much love, 

Jim

Spotify

I am a music freak. I love all kinds of music. From pop to rock to jazz to classical to Broadway to industrial. I love it all. 

I recall memories from my childhood where I would sit in front of my dual tapedeck making mixtapes. My favorite one was industrial heavy (i.e. Ministry, Nitzer Ebb, Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy) which I affectionately dubbed, "Hung Like a Horse Mix." I took great pride in making these tapes and I still have most of them today despite the fact that tapes are obsolete. 

My love for music is what led me to major in Broadcasting. Well, Mass Communications with an emphasis in Broadcasting. 

So after the whole Napster/Limewire free-for-all was over, I  longed for having whatever music I wanted at my fingertips. My CD/LP collection is overly endowed, but you can never own all the albums you ever want. 

I have spent hundreds of dollars on iTunes which I do so happily. Clean tracks with no viruses. But I still wanted more. My thirst for fabulous music is insatiable. 

So then I started playing around with Pandora. Meh. I like it, but who has all that time to thumbs up/thumbs down each track so it will be tailored to my musical tastes which run the gamut? 

Then I happened up on Spotify. 

Music heaven. 

Its like Napster but legal. I can make my own playlists which is awesome since I never know what musical mood I will be in that time of the day. I have a Broadway list, a Divas list, and a list called "Store" which are tracks suitable for the customers in my store. But my favorite playlist is "Jim's Jams." It has a bit of everything. 

Here is a listing of the first ten tracks to give you an idea: 

"Gunpowder and Lead" - Miranda Lambert

"Peanut Butter" - RuPaul

"Headhunter V1.0" - Front 242

"Fancy" - Reba McEntire

"Telescope" - Hayden Pantierre (from "Nashville")

"Stronger" - Kelly Clarkson

"I Will Always Love You" - Dolly Parton

"Defying Gravity" - Wicked Cast

"Dancing On My Own" - Robyn

"The Hand That Feeds" - Nine Inch Nails

The list on a whole has about 52 tracks and I am am always editing the list - adding in new ones and taking off ones that really aren't "Jams." 

I also love the fact that I can play these lists on my iPhone - for a price. A monthly charge of $10 would allow me to play them on any of my mobile devices. I have not yet committed to the Premium service yet. Like I need ANOTHER monthly service fee for something. But Betsy the wonder cube does not have a satellite radio in her and I can connect my iPhone to the car and play Spotify through my stereo. So I did get rid of one subscription. Maybe I could get the premium service, but until our economic outlook gets better I am not going to pull at that string. 

I will just enjoy the free service on my laptop and computer until that runs out which I am sure will be any day now. Until that happens I will be one happy homo who is Rocking in the Free World.  

I suggest you check it out for yourself. And let me know any playlists you create. I love to know what kinds of music gets my friends going! 

Much love, 

Jim

PS. As I was finishing this entry, "Its Not Enough" by Gravity Kills came on Spotify. As my friend, Muffy Bolding, would say, "That is completely ON TRACK! 

Marriage Equality for all!

So it all comes down to this.

This week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments concerning Prop 8 and DOMA. I never thought these days would come - but here they are - and now the shit is going to hit the fan.

I have so many emotions running through my body. I am excited for the chance they could rule in our favor. I have some despair in case hatred rules their hearts and they rule against us. There are so many other emotions, but those are the two who are fighting in my heart today.

For the life of me I just don't understand why anyone would care who I marry. I try to put myself in the shoes of a anti-gay marriage person, but I just can't get there. I don't understand why my marriage would ever affect their lives in any way - because it won't. Just in the same fashion that what they do in their lives and who they marry/divorce makes absolutely no difference in my life.

So what I always seem to land on is hatred. Pure hatred for what they don't understand. Since they can't comprehend my lifestyle they hate me for it.

Another thing I don't understand is why they don't want me to get married, but yet, they as a whole can't seem to keep their marriages intact. Well, at least 50% don't seem to keep them intact. My mother didn't keep hers intact; neither did my sister. Both bailed on their marriage when shit got too serious. My brother is married as far as I know, but I have no idea since I don't allow him into my life.

I used to belong to this group of girls - the groups is called the O'Boisies since it was a girls group and boys were not allowed. I was allowed since I am gay and my mother started the group. There was another man let in since he was close friends with all of the other women.

There was a core group of eight. Three of them were divorced by the time I left the group. One was in a sexless marriage and were married for whatever reason suited them. One was in a marriage I respected, but even they had some severe issues, but they didn't give up on their marriage. And now I hear another one is on the way to splitsville. One did recently get re-married and I wish them all the best.

My point is, I have been surrounded by divorce and THAT is what has shaped my view of marriage - for straight people. Not a very high one.

In full disclosure, I was in one long term relationship, but I ended that since he was a lying, cheating bastard. I don't count that as a divorce since we were never legally married.

I am now in my 9th year with HB. We are still in love and spend every moment together. I would marry him if it were legal and he asked. I plan on spending the rest of my life with him court ruling or no court ruling.

But....

here is the fact. If anything were to ever happen to HB, I would be homeless. His family would take the house, the cars, and everything with his name on it. And I would be on the street with the two dogs and our big screen TV.

Yes, he has ensured that I am taken care of financially, but why should I have to endure humiliation and homelessness due to their hatred for what they don't understand?  They have the Bible on their side - never a friend to the GLBT community. They have that obscure verse from Leviticus and all I have is my love for HB. I wonder who would win. Not to be overly morbid, but why should I have to be worried for a roof over my head when I should be grieving the lost of my one great love?

I have seen more than my fair share of friends being kicked out of their house after their lovers die. It just sucks all the way around.

And don't even get me started on how people go to Vegas and go through the drive through of certain chapels to get married. Insulting and disgusting. Nothing sacred about that bullshit.

Overall, I never thought I would even see these issues being discussed let alone on trial at the highest court in our land. And the President of the United States is endorsing marriage equality! And my state senator - Clarie McCaskill! It just keep getting better and better.

I guess it really does get better.

So as I close this rambling, I am full of hope and love today. Check back with my in about three months when the SCOUTS rules on this. If they rule against us I will be FULL of piss an vinegar and threatening to blow shit up.

But today....today I am full of love and hope. And I hope you are as well.

MUCH love,

Jim

American Horror Story

HB and I just wrapped up both seasons of American Horror Story

Here's what I thought about the season as a whole... 

The Good: Sarah Paulson as Lana, Evan Peters as Kit, Lily Rabe as Sister Mary Eunice, Frances Conroy as Angel of Death, and of course Jessica Lange as Sister Jude. These actors were the cream of the crop. I could watch Jessica Lange read the tax code. She is perfection in everything she does. Lily Rabe was brilliant as the possessed nun - wickedly delicious. (You can click on the names of the actors for thier IMDB credits.)

The plot lines were interesting enough with more twists and turns than I can count. The writing is the thing that really shines in this series. Ryan Murphy makes sure the dialogue is crisp and witty. Thank you very much to him! I appreciate when writers don't dumb down dialogue for the lowest common denominator. (Kids)

Briarcliff Asylum was an excellent choice as set seeing how insane asylums give me the heebie jeebies. Not that it is full of crazy people, just the whole idea that they can round up crazy all in one place. 

The Bad:  Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver / Bloodyface, Adam Levine as the guy who gets his arm torn off, Joseph Fiennes as Monsignor Howard and  Dylan McDermott in general. These actors were just plain horrible and should not be allowed to return to the series. ( I didn't hyperlink these actors becuase they sucked in their roles. Fuck them.)

Seriously, Dylan McDermott only has one speed as an actor - he annoys me to tears. I am TIRED of Zachary Qunito being cast as the handsome villain. NEXT. The Adam Levine stunt casting backfired as I thought his acting was just a big pile of shit. And Joseph Fiennes did the worst thing an actor can do - bore me. Just like Nina Garcia on Project Runway, every TV show's main goal should be : DON'T BORE JIM. 

Also bad - the aliens. Really? That is what you came up with? Aliens are to blame. Booooooooring. 

Summary: Overall, the season was entertaining so I liked it somewhat. Despite a weak ass ending, I would recommend this show to my close circle of friends. 

This show received 3.5 Pampered Points. 

Oz - the Horrible and Stupid

HB and I went to see "Oz the Great and Powerful." the other night.

Despite the fact the majority of my friends posted on Facebook how crappy the movie was - we went anyway.

Our theater of choice is the Des Peres Wehrenberg. We go there primarily due to the fact that I LOVE the 5-star theater. I will gladly pay extra for no teenagers or babies. Plus the free refills on popcorn and soda is a major plus.

As fate would have it, they were not showing the 3-D version of it in the 5-star theater. We had to see it in the other set of theaters - gasp!  That should have been an omen to which we paid attention.

What can I say? It was bad all the way around. Nothing at all redeeming about it - just yuck.

This movie had a STELLAR cast of actors and a top notch behind the camera crew. Where did it go wrong? I guess we can look to the writing - horrifically bad. It was so bad that HB and I were mocking it during the movie. Seriously, its like they didn't actually even try writing compelling dialogue. Dry, predictable, and poorly executed.

I guess the best part of it was the special effects. But even those wore on my nerves as the movie trudges along. I hated everything and  everybody in the movie.

Blech.

I feel the actors involved should go to acting jail seeing how none of them seemed to even give a shit about how crappy their performances were. And yes, I know you can say blame the director, but no, I blame the actors - they should have known better.

And where is the fourth witch?

I am just glad that Rachel Weisz' character gets a house dropped on her in the sequel.

Maybe a house should drop on this entire movie. Just do it in so nobody else gets suckered into seeing this crap.

Please do not go see this pile of steaming shit. And when you do go see this, don't get mad when I told you not to go see it.

0 out of 5 Pampered Points.