Well, we're halfway through 2008 and so far my CD-buying is continuing its tailspin. Consider that four of these albums are on their way to me right now and three of them I only own because I was asked to review them for Amazon and you can see just how much less music I am buying than in years past. Am I getting old? (I don't have an iPod, so I guess that question answers itself.)Beck, Modern Guilt Coldplay, Viva La Vida Kathleen Edwards, Asking for Flowers Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes Jackie Greene, Giving Up the Ghost Cyndi Lauper, Bring ...

Divisive Conservative Firebrand Jesse Helms Dies at 86 (pbs.org/newshour/updates/remember/july-dec08/helms_07-04.html) Former Sen. Jesse Helms, one of the staunchest conservative champions in politics for more than 50 years, died Friday after a period of declining health, ending the life of one of the most divisive politicians in generations. Republicans in North Carolina and throughout the country expressed sadness at the news. "It's just incredible that he would die on July 4, the same day of the Declaration of Independence and the same day that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died, and he certainly is a patriot in the mold of those great men," ...

My life will be very independent when I lose my boy friend but for now I am enjoying every minute with him. Taking care of him is easy for now. He fell twice already and so far hasn't hurt himself seriously yet. There is a nurse who comes by to help with information, so last time she brought a wheel-chair and some living wills to fill out. My friend has decided not to prolong the inevitable painfully long death that comes with ALS patients and has gone off all HIV medications. I guess that to die of Pneumonia is easier ...

Finally, summer has arrived. And today, Independence Day, is as good a day as any to mark the occasion of freedom for Sequencia from all most musical obligations till September. It has been such a crazy schedule since Christmas that I've sadly neglected Via Sequencia, and I regret disappointing the three or four of you who have waited for me to post something. Thank you for your loving reminders to get off my ass. There's much to say, but not much time to say it right now. Incontesta and I are expected at a barbecue in a couple hours. So ...

1. Oh Hell No!It is often claimed that gay men and lesbians don't know what marriage is. See, if we only knew that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman, we would know that only a man and a woman could get married.Thankfully, some members of our Congress who really know what marriage is all about are sponsoring a Marriage Protection Amendment that lays it all out: "Marriage in the US shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman."This language was surprising to me.See, when I saw who two of the ...

Not. Right. ...

Originally uploaded by Mirandala It’s in the bag. Put a rainbow-tinted fork in this year’s Pride Weekend Scavenger Hunt. The competition was fierce and fun and the judges salute all the participants for their energy and creativity! However, in the words of the Highlander, “in the end, there can be only one!!!” Er, except for this year, when there is a fabulous TIE! Coming in at an impressive 62 points each were Team Pigger-Upper (Collene, Anne, and Kate) and Team Cougar (Linda and Renee)! Congratulations, ladies! Honorable Mentions must also go to TheTodd’s Team, Team High Noon, and Team Laura/Susie ...

To think I was tempted to try this. ...

(This article has also been posted at the Family Equality Council Blog.) I recently read a thought-provoking essay by a blogger I admire very much. It made me confront and re-examine many of my beliefs. I don't agree with everything this blogger wrote, but the essay added more nuance to my position on marriage equality and my beliefs regarding the implications that the marriage equality movement has for non-traditional families.In this essay, Angry Brown Butch describes feeling unsettled upon reading a newspaper article about the recent same-sex weddings taking place in California. Basically, the referenced article discussed "gay ...

Here's an interview I did with my friend Joe, who is writing a paper for his English class about bilingual people. I thought I'd share it with you guys.-----When did you start learning your second language?I grew up in the Philippines. In true over-achieving fashion, I was taught three languages simultaneously - Chinese (Fukien), English and Tagalog (Pilipino), probably because my parents thought that by learning these languages, they could have the tools to mould my character, primarily by swearing at me in different languages. This continued on in my formal education, where the three languages converged into what ...

It’s 4th of July weekend again, and to me that means a lot of things.  Of course, it means the birthday of the USA– which, in all honesty, is the least of my reasons to observe the day.  It also means my friends and I make our yearly trek to Saugatuck, MI to go camping. It also (sometimes) means observing the holiday with my family. And, of course, it also means the anniversary of my dad’s death. This is the second anniversary of his passing, and while I’m actually a lot less emotional about it than I was last year — it truly does get ...

LimeBlog #51 :: A bike, the sun, Chicago lakeshore, an afternoon. This is ‘The Taste of Chicago’ for me. Check back and/or subscribe soon, new videoblogs every other Thursday… ish. Kev! July Afternoon - M4V Format Version [Quicktime 7/iTunes/iPod/Apple TV M4V, H-264 optimized for iPod 640×320 - 1:43 - 19 mb ShareThis ...

Apparently, HaloScan is down. Thus, my comments are down. Until they're back up, Leftist Gender Warrior orders you to think of colors for Les Bionic Woman's costume. Arghhhh! Caricatures are fun. Leftist Gender Warrior, for example, embodies the exaggerated characteristics that a few of my internet "adversaries" have imbued me with over the course of me having this blog: Commie, abusive, malicious, desperate for attention, caustic, shrill, illiterate, leftist gender warrior (tm). Ahhhh, sometimes blogging is really fun.But seriously, blogging necessarily entails having a thick skin. Fortunately, the above labels are the product of one 2-3 people from one ...

I recently came across an article in the Washington Post on single-sex education. In general, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of single-sex education. In fact, I'd say that if I had been given the chance to attend an all-girls' school back when I was a kid, I would have shared the outlook of one of the featured 8-year-old girls: "'It's paradise!' to be with only girls." Okay, but seriously, what would have troubled me about attending an all-girls' school is that I'm pretty sure an all-boys' school would have been more fun.Observe some differences in boys versus ...