My favorite band is playing in town tonight. The show starts in 7 minutes. I am cleaning my house and getting costumes together. And preparing for the party tomorrow night. Sigh.
And I just couldn't bring myself to buy tickets to see the PopTarts American Idols tour. Mostly, because I would be the only person there over 16 who didn't escort my own kids. And it sold out before I could get them. So, no Guster and no Taylor Hicks this summer. Worst summer ever.
And no iPod. Sigh.
That is all.
28.7.06
27.7.06
holy shit
There's a vortex of huge, forboding black clouds swirling around the Sears Tower right now. And it totally came out of nowhere. Ah, Midwestern summers....
I wonder what Taylor Hicks would think?
That is all.
I wonder what Taylor Hicks would think?
That is all.
Oy Vey!
I can't believe what a trying month this has been. I've been working 14-hour days for the last week, and I am so fucking tired. We finally moved the last of our stuff into the new place. But about a week ago, someone broke into our old place and stole whatever looked like it had any kind of resale worth: my iPod, my keyboard (piano, not computer), and God only knows what else... I haven't unpacked everything to find out yet. And my favorite skirt and my favorite jeans were attacked by a red vampire skirt, and now they look all bloody. I also have reason to believe that the theives stole my sense of humor. Bastards. I wonder if I can write that on the police report...?
I am beyond heartbroken about my shit being missing. And it pisses me off that nothing of Bil's was touched. I'd like to note that his saxophone was still right where we had left it. I know that I shouldn't feel that way... but I feel what I feel. It's not fair. And I know that life's not fair, but I'm totally fucking tired of it. Why do the Ken Lays of the world manage to die, convicted, but free (and on vacation, no less), and poor blighted fuckers just keep getting fucked over? I'm sure that money does not, in fact, equal happiness, but I sure am tired of being poor and working like a dog for so little. And I'm fucking tired of being victimized! Fuck all these motherfucking bastards who think that they can just take from others without asking, trading, or buying. I have to fucking work my tail off to get by. And fuck all the fucking bastards who think that women are there to be fucked-whether they want to be, or not.
I am ANGRY. I am a simmering pot of rage, just building up enough steam to boil. And the less sleep I get, the more angry I seem to become. And I really hate being angry. I really do.
I've been working on a production of Zoo Story and The Dumb Waiter. And it's sometimes hard for me to watch Jerry's long-ass monologue in the middle of Zoo Story. Because at one point he totally loses it and goes a bit crazy. There's a line, "...always check bleeding..." that is sort of stuck in there amidst everything, when he's trying to convey the need to connect with something outside of himself. And it always breaks my heart. The other show's a bit lighter... but it's Pinter, so not really... (Pause.) But, a bit. (Silence.) Yes, a bit. (Pause.)
I miss my iPod.
(Pause.)
We're having a housewarming party on Saturday. Mostly to raise funds for Bil's AIDS Marathon. I really hope that I can pull this off. It's a bit daunting. The house is a disaster. Oy.
(Silence.)
There's a woman on my floor at work who was been bitching all yesterday about the fact that she has pink eye. I've been washing my hands extra carefully.
(Pause.)
I was given what should have been 40+ hours worth of work, and I finished it all already. It's 11:00am on Thursday. I'm taking tomorrow off.
(Silence.)
I miss my keyboard. I was really getting pretty good at playing the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. By the time I can replace the keyboard, I'll be back at the beginning, again.
"WE'VE GOT NOTHING LEFT! NOTHING! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
(Silence.)
And my iPod totally had tons of Taylor Hicks on it. And, yes, it's all on my computer, but that's not nearly as portable. The computer can't entertain me on the train.
Fuck thieves. I hope that they die very painful deaths. They took the very gifts that I cherished most for their meaning. They stole the sentimental stuff. I know that I could be pragmatic about it, but this time, I choose not to be. FUCKERS.
That is all.
I am beyond heartbroken about my shit being missing. And it pisses me off that nothing of Bil's was touched. I'd like to note that his saxophone was still right where we had left it. I know that I shouldn't feel that way... but I feel what I feel. It's not fair. And I know that life's not fair, but I'm totally fucking tired of it. Why do the Ken Lays of the world manage to die, convicted, but free (and on vacation, no less), and poor blighted fuckers just keep getting fucked over? I'm sure that money does not, in fact, equal happiness, but I sure am tired of being poor and working like a dog for so little. And I'm fucking tired of being victimized! Fuck all these motherfucking bastards who think that they can just take from others without asking, trading, or buying. I have to fucking work my tail off to get by. And fuck all the fucking bastards who think that women are there to be fucked-whether they want to be, or not.
I am ANGRY. I am a simmering pot of rage, just building up enough steam to boil. And the less sleep I get, the more angry I seem to become. And I really hate being angry. I really do.
I've been working on a production of Zoo Story and The Dumb Waiter. And it's sometimes hard for me to watch Jerry's long-ass monologue in the middle of Zoo Story. Because at one point he totally loses it and goes a bit crazy. There's a line, "...always check bleeding..." that is sort of stuck in there amidst everything, when he's trying to convey the need to connect with something outside of himself. And it always breaks my heart. The other show's a bit lighter... but it's Pinter, so not really... (Pause.) But, a bit. (Silence.) Yes, a bit. (Pause.)
I miss my iPod.
(Pause.)
We're having a housewarming party on Saturday. Mostly to raise funds for Bil's AIDS Marathon. I really hope that I can pull this off. It's a bit daunting. The house is a disaster. Oy.
(Silence.)
There's a woman on my floor at work who was been bitching all yesterday about the fact that she has pink eye. I've been washing my hands extra carefully.
(Pause.)
I was given what should have been 40+ hours worth of work, and I finished it all already. It's 11:00am on Thursday. I'm taking tomorrow off.
(Silence.)
I miss my keyboard. I was really getting pretty good at playing the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. By the time I can replace the keyboard, I'll be back at the beginning, again.
"WE'VE GOT NOTHING LEFT! NOTHING! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
(Silence.)
And my iPod totally had tons of Taylor Hicks on it. And, yes, it's all on my computer, but that's not nearly as portable. The computer can't entertain me on the train.
Fuck thieves. I hope that they die very painful deaths. They took the very gifts that I cherished most for their meaning. They stole the sentimental stuff. I know that I could be pragmatic about it, but this time, I choose not to be. FUCKERS.
That is all.
16.7.06
best bio ever....
D. is delighted to be working with Signal Ensemble once again. Past Signal credits include props design for She Stoops to Conquer and stage management for Seascape. Costume Design credits include A Devil Inside with the Right Brain Project, here in Chicago; Little Shop of Horrors, The Baker's Wife, and Playing for Time, with Stagedoor Manor, in New York; Duplex with Alarm Clock Theatre Company, in Boston; and Big River with Weathervane Repertory Theatre, in New Hampshire. Since moving to Chicago, D. has worked as a costumer with Chicago Opera Theatre, Northlight Theatre, and ASMed Theater Wit's critically acclaimed Two for the Show. Love to Bil, Pepe, Penny, and also especially Taylor.
That is all.
That is all.
6.7.06
Fucking bigotry
The Highlights of Chief Justice Judith Kaye's dissent (you can click the title of this post to read the article if you have no idea to what I am referring):
"Plaintiffs (including petitioners) are 44 same-sex couples who wish to marry. They include a doctor, a police officer, a public school teacher, a nurse, an artist and a State legislator. Ranging in age from under 30 to 68, plaintiffs reflect a diversity of races, religions and ethnicities. They come from upstate and down, from rural, urban and suburban settings. Many have been together in committed relationships for decades, and many are raising children--from toddlers to teenagers. Many are active in their communities, serving on their local school board, for example, or their cooperative apartment building board. In short, plaintiffs represent a cross-section of New Yorkers who want only to live full lives, raise their children, better their communities and be good neighbors.
"For most of us, leading a full life includes establishing a family. Indeed, most New Yorkers can look back on, or forward to, their wedding as among the most significant events of their lives. They, like plaintiffs, grew up hoping to find that one person with whom they would share their future, eager to express their mutual lifetime pledge through civil marriage. Solely because of their sexual orientation, however--that is, because of who they love--plaintiffs are denied the rights and responsibilities of civil marriage. This State has a proud tradition of affording equal rights to all New Yorkers. Sadly, the Court today retreats from that proud tradition" (1-2).
"The long duration of a constitutional wrong cannot justify its perpetuation, no matter how strongly tradition or public sentiment might support it" (10).
"Correctly framed, the question before us is not whether the marriage statutes properly benefit those they are intended to benefit--any discriminatory classification does that--but whether there exists any legitimate basis for excluding those who are not covered by the law" (11).
"The purported 'right' of gays and lesbians to enter into marriages with different-sex partners to whom they have no innate attraction cannot possibly cure the constitutional violation actually at issue here" (15).
"There are enough marriage licenses to go around for everyone. Plainly, the ability or desire to procreate is not a prerequisite for marriage. The elderly are permitted to marry, and many same-sex couples do indeed have children. Thus, the statutory classification here--which prohibits only same-sex couples, and no one else, from marrying--is so grossly underinclusive and overinclusive as to make the asserted
rationale in promoting procreation 'impossible to credit' (Romer, 517 US at 635).4 Indeed, even the Lawrence dissenters observed that 'encouragement of procreation' could not 'possibly' be a justification for denying marriage to gay and lesbian couples, 'since the sterile and the elderly are allowed to marry'... [N]o one
rationally decides to have children because gays and lesbians are excluded from marriage" (19-20).
"The State plainly has a legitimate interest in the welfare of children, but excluding same-sex couples from marriage in no way furthers this interest. In fact, it undermines it" (21).
"The government cannot legitimately justify discrimination against one group of persons as a mere desire to preference another group" (23).
"To say that discrimination is "traditional" is to say only that the discrimination has existed for a long time. A classification, however, cannot be maintained merely 'for its own sake' (24).
"The State asserts an interest in maintaining uniformity with the marriage laws of other states. But our marriage laws currently are not uniform with those of other states. For example, New York--unlike most other states in the nation--permits first cousins to marry" (25).
"Finally, and most fundamentally, to justify the exclusion of gay men and lesbians from civil marriage because 'others do it too' is no more a justification for the discriminatory classification than the contention that the discrimination is rational because it has existed for a long time. As history has well taught us, separate is inherently unequal" (26).
"It is uniquely the function of the Judicial Branch to safeguard individual liberties guaranteed by the New York State Constitution, and to order redress for their violation. The Court's duty to protect constitutional rights is an imperative of the separation of powers, not its enemy.
"I am confident that future generations will look back on today's decision as an unfortunate misstep" (27).
Should you wish to read the entire decision (and it certainly is illuminating), you can find it here.
It is indeed a sad day for liberty and freedom for all in this country.
Should you wish to read an excellent and titillating interview with Taylor Hicks, you can find it here.
That, my friends, is all.
"Plaintiffs (including petitioners) are 44 same-sex couples who wish to marry. They include a doctor, a police officer, a public school teacher, a nurse, an artist and a State legislator. Ranging in age from under 30 to 68, plaintiffs reflect a diversity of races, religions and ethnicities. They come from upstate and down, from rural, urban and suburban settings. Many have been together in committed relationships for decades, and many are raising children--from toddlers to teenagers. Many are active in their communities, serving on their local school board, for example, or their cooperative apartment building board. In short, plaintiffs represent a cross-section of New Yorkers who want only to live full lives, raise their children, better their communities and be good neighbors.
"For most of us, leading a full life includes establishing a family. Indeed, most New Yorkers can look back on, or forward to, their wedding as among the most significant events of their lives. They, like plaintiffs, grew up hoping to find that one person with whom they would share their future, eager to express their mutual lifetime pledge through civil marriage. Solely because of their sexual orientation, however--that is, because of who they love--plaintiffs are denied the rights and responsibilities of civil marriage. This State has a proud tradition of affording equal rights to all New Yorkers. Sadly, the Court today retreats from that proud tradition" (1-2).
"The long duration of a constitutional wrong cannot justify its perpetuation, no matter how strongly tradition or public sentiment might support it" (10).
"Correctly framed, the question before us is not whether the marriage statutes properly benefit those they are intended to benefit--any discriminatory classification does that--but whether there exists any legitimate basis for excluding those who are not covered by the law" (11).
"The purported 'right' of gays and lesbians to enter into marriages with different-sex partners to whom they have no innate attraction cannot possibly cure the constitutional violation actually at issue here" (15).
"There are enough marriage licenses to go around for everyone. Plainly, the ability or desire to procreate is not a prerequisite for marriage. The elderly are permitted to marry, and many same-sex couples do indeed have children. Thus, the statutory classification here--which prohibits only same-sex couples, and no one else, from marrying--is so grossly underinclusive and overinclusive as to make the asserted
rationale in promoting procreation 'impossible to credit' (Romer, 517 US at 635).4 Indeed, even the Lawrence dissenters observed that 'encouragement of procreation' could not 'possibly' be a justification for denying marriage to gay and lesbian couples, 'since the sterile and the elderly are allowed to marry'... [N]o one
rationally decides to have children because gays and lesbians are excluded from marriage" (19-20).
"The State plainly has a legitimate interest in the welfare of children, but excluding same-sex couples from marriage in no way furthers this interest. In fact, it undermines it" (21).
"The government cannot legitimately justify discrimination against one group of persons as a mere desire to preference another group" (23).
"To say that discrimination is "traditional" is to say only that the discrimination has existed for a long time. A classification, however, cannot be maintained merely 'for its own sake' (24).
"The State asserts an interest in maintaining uniformity with the marriage laws of other states. But our marriage laws currently are not uniform with those of other states. For example, New York--unlike most other states in the nation--permits first cousins to marry" (25).
"Finally, and most fundamentally, to justify the exclusion of gay men and lesbians from civil marriage because 'others do it too' is no more a justification for the discriminatory classification than the contention that the discrimination is rational because it has existed for a long time. As history has well taught us, separate is inherently unequal" (26).
"It is uniquely the function of the Judicial Branch to safeguard individual liberties guaranteed by the New York State Constitution, and to order redress for their violation. The Court's duty to protect constitutional rights is an imperative of the separation of powers, not its enemy.
"I am confident that future generations will look back on today's decision as an unfortunate misstep" (27).
Should you wish to read the entire decision (and it certainly is illuminating), you can find it here.
It is indeed a sad day for liberty and freedom for all in this country.
Should you wish to read an excellent and titillating interview with Taylor Hicks, you can find it here.
That, my friends, is all.
5.7.06
...
And as he lay dying, his heart---two sizes too small---giving out, I hear that Ken Lay actually managed to stick his middle finger out toward the masses from the top of the world, out there in Aspen.
"Guilty?! Sentencing in October?!" he cried, his maniacal laughter ringing out over the great expanse of the ski resort, the mountains, Colorado, and the country at large, from sea to shining sea.
"Fuck you! The people be damned!"
The minions in the land below heard the great rumbling laughter, the hatred in his voice, and shook their heads, for they knew what had happened. People from Maine to Florida, California to Washington, Hawai'i and Alaska, Puerto Rico (and Guam too), raised their heads as one and sighed a collective sigh. The bastard got away.
And then he died, the fucking fuck. Where is the justice in that?
That is all.
"Guilty?! Sentencing in October?!" he cried, his maniacal laughter ringing out over the great expanse of the ski resort, the mountains, Colorado, and the country at large, from sea to shining sea.
"Fuck you! The people be damned!"
The minions in the land below heard the great rumbling laughter, the hatred in his voice, and shook their heads, for they knew what had happened. People from Maine to Florida, California to Washington, Hawai'i and Alaska, Puerto Rico (and Guam too), raised their heads as one and sighed a collective sigh. The bastard got away.
And then he died, the fucking fuck. Where is the justice in that?
That is all.
3.7.06
Gay TV Makes Me Sad
So, I was watching Logo---because I was avoiding packing---and Harvey Feirstein was answering letters from viewers on In the Life. And he got a postcard from an 83-year old gay man who fought in WWII, in the Navy.
But here's what made me sad: the veteran who wrote the postcard put it in an envelope after stamping and addressing it, and wrote on the envelope that even now, he lives in fear.
This totally broke my heart. I don't know what more to say.
And, because it's not really a post without it.
That is all.
But here's what made me sad: the veteran who wrote the postcard put it in an envelope after stamping and addressing it, and wrote on the envelope that even now, he lives in fear.
This totally broke my heart. I don't know what more to say.
And, because it's not really a post without it.
That is all.
Well...hmm.
So Bil just sent the following e-mail to Rob at http://www.cockeyed.com.
Dearest Rob,
My name is Bil -- long-time listener, first-time beggar. My wife and I are big fans, some of the biggest in the world (I am very big at 5'9", and she is enormous at 5'2"). We have a humble request, O Great Rob, but first I must elaborate.
I am running the Honolulu Marathon for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (we live in Chicago, you see), and I have agreed to raise $3,400 for the charity. Unfortunately, if I do not raise the money, my wife will be forced to kill me. She is small, but she is fierce -- make no mistake. This would leave us both in a pickle, because the last thing I want to be is dead, and she would be stuck paying all of the rent.
Anyway, the AIDS Marathon Training Program has given me a small chunk of land upon which to build a pre-designed website. It's right here:
http://www.aidsmarathon.com/participant.asp?runner=CH-4173&Year=2006&EventCode=HN06
(You can get here by going to www.aidsmarathon.com, clicking on "Sponsor A Runner," then Chicago, then typing in either my runner number, 4173, or my name, William Gaines.)
We are starving artists trying to make a difference. Good, sweet Rob, if your readers knew about this website, surely somebody would donate a few dollars towards the cause of helping AIDS victims. Would you be interested in helping us out by linking to my site? We figure if one hundred people donate one dollar, that's one hundred dollars! And if 3,400 people donate one dollar, I live to run the marathon.
I, of course, would be extremely grateful. I would love to offer some kind of cash reward, but it's plain to see we have no money. I would offer one of my toes, but I need them to run the marathon. What I can offer is this: as I cross the finish line, I will cluck like a chicken and flash the universal hand sign for "Rock and Roll" before collapsing from exhaustion. Or, if you prefer, I will write "Cockeyed.com" across the ass of my running shorts and run the marathon advertising your escapades -- FOR 26.2 MILES.
Anyway, please let me know what you think. We'd love to hear back from you, even if you think we are crazy. Take it easy now!
Most sincerely,
Bil Gaines & his intimidating, diminutive wife, Devon
P.S. For additional suck-uppage, I thought I should mention: my grandparents live in the Sacramento area. I have many fond memories of that town.
Should we recieve a response, you, two readers, will be the first to hear (read?) about it. And I'll be able to say, "Remember, you heard (read?) it here first!"
Also, (Bil would like me to add) should you want to donate a dollar (or more?!) to Bil's fund, please proceed directly to the following site.
Also, you can read all about his exciting running exploits (including this week's story of how he had to pee for 6 miles) at his running blog located at http://www.myspace.com/runningfordough
Additionally, and somewhat more troubling, there is a mysterious song on my computer called "All the Photographs" by a band called Sea and Cake. I have no idea where it came from, and neither does Bil, and my computer says that it's been here on my laptop since the 13th of December 2003 at 8:10 pm. Curiouser and curiouser...
And now, my favorite part of the post: Taylor Hicks' Childhood Crush Responds to People Article
Sigh.
That is all.
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