My AOL Past

Today I decided to install AOL on my iBook only for the simple reason that it was free. I remember a period in my life where I was always logged into AOL IMing friend and lurking in chat rooms. For ol' times sake I decided to take a look at the profiles of the people who were in my buddy list.

The first buddy was an ex-boyfriend, who I coincidentally met on AOL nearly 10 years ago under a different screenname. The funny thing is that profile has barely changed in the time that I have known him. The only thing that has changed is his location but he is still trolling the M4M room looking for hookups. He works from home and has access to his bed at all times so I guess it is just an occupational hazard.

When I first began talking to my next buddy, who also an ex, his profile was pretty benign. His profile now is pretty much the same but there has been an addition that shocked me. The addition of his sexual proclivities is only shocking me because he's very libel but he has this conservative side. I am still scandalized; I am going to have to talk to him about this.

To this day, I am still now sure why I spent hours each day logged onto AOL. Maybe I liked the idea of chatting with strangers under total anonymity. It allowed me to cultivate an persona which was an idealized version of myself without all of the neuroses. I think grad school cured my AOL addiction. Or, quite possibly, it was AOL releasing crappy "upgrades" to their software that cured my addiction.

Either way, I don't miss it all.

Gadgetry: Panasonic DVDS52S DVD Player

I have been using my Xbox as my main DVD player for the past 1.5 years, but I think the drive is failing due to overuse. After doing some research I decided to get the Panasonic DVDS52S player because it got good reviews from various reviewers.

The best thing about the player is that it up-converts to DVDs to 720p or 1080i resolution to near HD quality. My HDTV has a max resolution of 1080i using a HDMI cable, so I decided to take advantage of this feature. After configuring the player I decided to use Disney's Aladdin and Dreamworks' Shrek to test the video quality. The video quality is amazing. The video is so detailed it looks like the images are popping out toward you.

The player is currently priced under $100, and it has great video quality for such a low price. I will eventually move to a High Definition DVD player but I plan on waiting 3 or so years because of the competing HD-DVD and Blueray formats. One will eventually become the standard, ie.: VHS v. BETA, so I will wait until one dies off.

Movies: Dreamgirls

Since I saw the teaser trailer online last year I knew it was movie a had to see. Maybe my affinity for girl groups in the 60s fueled my desire to see Dreamgirls or the fact the Usher was no longer in the film. Either way I think it was worth the wait.


I got the theater about 30 minutes early only to see that the AMC parking garage was empty. It seemed odd to me but I just figured that since it was Christmas morning the showing would sparsely attended. It took a couple of minutes to realize that I was at the wrong entrance and I had to go to the main entrance to get into the theater. It would have been nice to put that information on the locked doors. We get into the theater and fortunately I had to foresight to purchase the tickets the night before because it was packed. I got seat way in the back because I like have the entire screen in view so I don't have to turn my head. Yes, I am that lazy. The lights dimmed and the film started to roll.

I am not going to give a full review of the movie but I give some of my personal highlights on some of the actors.


Beyonce Knowles: I am confused by all the negative reviews she received. She did a good job with material that was given to her. During the film you can see a progression from girl to woman to superstar. The only issue I have it that she being billed as the lead actress in the movie and she only has like 15 lines in the film. But she did a good job in the performances and is basically Diana Ross in some of them. Her hopes of winning an Oscar/Gloden Globe for her performance seems slim, but she did a good job.

Jennifer Hudson: Amazing! The minute she walked on the screen the other girls faded into the background. I think the hype about her performance was deserved because the movies is basically about her character Effie. The theater erupted in applause twice after her "And I Am Telling You" and "I Am Changing" performances. Beyonce sort of gotten some applause after her "Listen" performance, but it was like 5 people. Ouch.

As a Supporting Actress I think she is a lock for the Golden Globe award but I think she will be robbed of an Oscar to Dame Judy Dench (assuming she is nominated). If she continues with a movie career she should just do dramatic roles, and stay away from parts where she has to sing to avoid being type casted.


Eddie Murphy: Another amazing performance. I was surprised how good he was in his James Brown/Marvin Gaye character James 'Thunder' Early. I knew Eddie could sing but he was sounded really good in the movie. The people in the theater just loved it when he performed.

Jamie Foxx: He didn't have much to do except be stoic, which he did well. It is nice to see him "normal" instead of over-the-top. But his character is basically used as the bad guy to advance the movie's plot.


The movie has some continuity problems but it was still really good. I liked how the songs integrated themselves in the movie. I am not sure if that is due to the writers of the play, or to the writing and directing of Bill Condon. Everything seemed to fit without it being extraneous.

I will have to see it again this weekend as well as the 5 other movies I haven't had the chance to see. This is a movie worth watching again in the theaters ... but at a matinée price.

Xmas 06

So after the movie yesterday (which I talk more about tomorrow) Dr. Rx invited me over to his house for dinner. His invitation was interesting because I've never been over to his house before. Ever. Mostly due to the fact that he was/is embarrassed about this house for whatever reason. It was also interesting because his mom was in town from Oklahoma for Christmas. He asked me over before the movie and I thought about before actually committing. I was against it because I am very shy uncomfortable around new people due in part because you have to talk about yourself.

I really hate talking myself, except on my blog, because I have a tendency to devalue the things I have done. I don't to be that guy who is all "I have done this, this, and that. I have this, this, and that" because it could come off as bragging. I try to limit my description to the basics and have people ask me questions to fill in the blanks. But I was hungry, so I decided to put personal mini-drama aside and enjoy some turkey. He text'd me his address with directions and I went home to get dressed. I told him I would arrive around 2pm. Even with the directions I managed to get lost. Luckily, I have Google Local installed on my phone because it found the house 3 minutes later.

It was around 3pm when I pulled in front of his house greeted by a be-wreathed door and a giant inflatable Snowman in the yard. Just before I could put the car in 'P' Rx was outside to greet me. Casually dressed in hues of brown, he welcomed me in where his four children were waiting to introduce themselves. No, he didn't sire any real children. His children are his dogs: a Basset Hound, a Rat Terrier, a Australian Shepard and a beautiful black Labrador Retriever. After the children approved of me I worked my way through the rest of the house. The house was pretty big and it is still a work in progress, but compare to the messes I make in my house his house was neat and orderly ... but messes are subjective.

I met the mom and she was very sweet. We talked during dinner and during watching the Cowboys-Eagles games. I learned a lot of information about Rx from his mom. I think mom's just naturally spill information about their children to guests, always to the child's horror. I am not sure how much the mom knew about me beforehand but she new some things about me. Interesting, or not? I am still not quite sure.

MommaRx turned in for the night and it was just me, Rx and his children on the couch watching The Tennis Channel. The Lab (who I am in love with, by the way) was sleeping next to me while the other three were nestled with Rx. Everything just felt nice and comfortable. I would periodically glance at him looking comfortable and happy, and I began swooning internally. Now I am starting to think that I made a mistake by going. I thought my crush was bad before but now after seeing him in his environment makes me like him more. Damn it!!

I had to leave because it was getting late, and I had to flee adorableness of him talking to his hound. I got up and he decided to take the dogs for a walk, so the six of us headed for the door. I was reaching for the door when he grabbed me and pull me toward him for a hug. I thanked him for inviting over and to tell his mom that it was lovely to meet her. I said goodbye while walking to my car and he reciprocated while corralling the children to a nearby field. As he disappeared in the darkness, I drove off trying to make it back home without getting lost.

We will definitely see each other New Year Eve at a party thrown by a friend, but I need to recover before own next meeting.

Movies: Coffee Date

This past Saturday I decided head to a movie with Dr. Rx. I was invited out to dinner with some friend but it decided that I didn't want to be part of a big group. Also, I just wanted to hang out with Dr. Rx.

Coffee Date


I wasn't exactly sure what this was about, but some friends told me that it was a "cute" movie. It is about a straight guy who is setup as a joke by his brother with a gay guy. The straight guy didn't know that this was a joke and was excited to meet his date Kelly. Kelly, played by Wilson Cruz, meets Todd, played by Jonathan Bray, at a coffee shop while waiting for their dates to arrive. Oh, did I mention Todd is a bit homophobic? They find out they were actually there to meet each other and hilarity/tragedy ensues. They hit it off as friends and from that point that were the story takes a turn. I will leave out all the details because I don't want to spoil anything. The movie is actually pretty good, even though it borders on cliche, but it's worth seeing.

Dr. Rx and I had dinner before the movie where we talked and had a good time. I sort of had a ulterior motive when I asked to see a movie with him. I my favorite thing in the world to sit next to someone I am interested in and our knees touch. It makes me feel all warm inside. But my plans were foiled when we ran into someone we knew and felt obligated to sit next to him. I had to behave myself while in the theater. DAMN IT!!

Dreamgirls

I actually was offered free advance passes for yesterday's screening in Plano, TX but I had to work late. DAMN IT!!! I guess I will have to wait until Christmas Day. I will get a second chance for knee touching since Dr. Rx and I are going together.

... 5 more days to Dreamgirls.

Killervirgo v. The State of Texas

That's right. I am putting the state on trial.

Today was my pre-trial hearing and I was a bit overwhelmed. I didn't know that it is basically an open court and people can overhear the details regarding your brush with the law.

My scheduled time to show was 10am but I got there at 9:45. It was about 10:10 when my name was called and I made my way to the front of the court to speak with the D.A.(?) regarding my issue with the alleged citation. I didn't deny that I rear-ended a car, but my main issue was with the conflicting information the State Trooper gave me. He repeatedly told me I had a warning and my ticket confirmed his statements. The D.A. pulled their copy of the ticket and it showed that it was a citation. We both looked confused and after a few minutes more of discussing the issue, the D.A. decided to dismiss my ticket. She started to fill out the dismissal notice before she said,

"You know what? I think you should meet with the judge and the State Trooper to get more information."

I think that I have a good chance of beating the ticket due to the conflicting information, but having the Trooper in the court room is sort of a minus for me. Having a member of law enforcement there makes me fearful that the Judge will see my side of the argument. I could be wrong, but I will be prepared counter anything the Trooper has to offer.

My trial date is the end of January and I am really hoping that the Trooper doesn't show up. It will make things so much easier.

My Blog: 2 Y.O.

So today marks the second anniversary of my first post on my blog. I really didn't think I would still be making updates to my blog after two years but I am still here, damn it!

I started off with with 1 or 2 readers but now I get about 200 thanks to sites like FourFour and Concrete Loop for linking my site on their very popular blogs. So thanks to them for that.

I hope to make many more posts in the future. But of course, I am not promising that they will be coherent or grammatically correct. Hopefully they will be a good read.

Thanks to all for reading!

Random: Chicken Noodle Soup

I just got finished watching SNL with Justin Timberlake as the host. I hate Justin the singer, but I don't mind Justin the actor as much. Anyway, there was a sketch where he was dressed as a girl was auditioning to be a elf for Macy's and Kenan Thompson played the mother. Kenan start saying "chicken noodle soup. chicken noodle soup. chicken noodle soup, with a soda on the side" and I laughed beacause:

a) Justin did a funny little dance
b) and chicken noodle soup seemed like a random thing to say

I did a search on YouTube and I found this:

Is this for real?

I know I am a bit out of touch since I don't listen to the radio or watch MTV/BET, but is this a hit song? If it is, this would be the reason why I no longer listen to the radio or watch MTV/BET.

Movies: The Fountain, Stranger Than Fiction, Borat

Movies I saw during the Thanksgiving weekend, and I am finally getting a chance to post this.

The Fountain


I have been waiting to see this movie for a couple of years. Since Brad Pitt abandoned the project to the that [sarcasm]awesome[/sarcasm] movie Troy. I am going to even try to describe this movie because I am not even sure if I complete understand it. Go here for a synopsis of the film. I really enjoyed, and it is artsy and dark with a good performance by Hugh Jackman. It is worth checking out in the theater or on DVD.

Stranger Than Fiction


I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this movie. I found the trailer very misleading because it only shows the comedic moments of the movie but it is much more than a comedy. I guess when your star is Will Ferrell, who is known for his comedy movies, then I guess is probably the best way to get people in the seats.

Borat


I saw this movie because I felt I had to. The people who saw said it was the funniest movies they have ever seen, and with the media wondering if it is "...the funniest movie every made" I had to check this out for myself. Yeah the movie had its laugh, but there was no substance here. There were people gasping for breath because they were laughing so hard but I was just confused. Not confused, as in I didn't know what was going one; more in the "why is everyone finding this movie so hilarious and I'm not" sort of way. I like crude humor, but I like GOOD crude humor. This documentary movie is way overrated.

...12 more days until Dreamgirls.

Random: Wesley Goes To Prison?

Well, I am not sure if this will happen but it seems likely. If the first Survivor winner Richard Hatch can get convicted of tax evasion, then Wesley better settle his affairs and get is prison commissary account well stocked for his long vacation in the clink. But if R. Kelly still isn't in jail for child pornography charges years after finding video evidence, then he may have a chance of avoiding jail time.

But in case he does go to federal prison I think he will be the most popular inmate. Why, you ask? Because 11 years ago, Wesley was ...


...Noxeema Jackson.

I have been trying to do a post about To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar for the longest time but I never got a chance to do it. At one point a screen capture was a banner on this blog. Since he is back in the news, I thought now would be a good time to make a post about the film.

I remember when the movie was released in 1995 and the cast members which included Wesley, John Legizamo and Patrick Swayze were on the Oprah Winfrey show promoting their movie. They were being asked about their experience wearing make-up, dresses, and tucking back their huge schlongs to remove any unsightly bulges. The people who were watching the show with me mentioned that Wesley made the ugliest woman out of the three guys.



At the time I agreed but now I think he was being judged too harshly. Granted, I didn't actually watch the movie until 2000 because I was deep in the closet and I wouldn't rent it from the local Blockbuster. Also, I didn't even know what a drag queen consisted off.

Being from Syracuse, NY I didn't get the chance to experience much gay culture. There were a couple of clubs, but it wasn't much. There was a lot of bad drag which turned me off to drag queens in general. It was until my trip to NYC in 2001 I saw real drag queens. On our last day in NYC we all went to brunch at Lips, a restaurant where you were served by drag queens. I remember being shocked, embarrassed, and fascinated all at once. I didn't know what was going on but I found extremely entertaining. So knowing what I know now, Wesley Snipes performance was highly under-rated, in my opinion.

John and Patrick were give props because they looked somewhat like "real" women. But I think they (and I) missed the point. Wesley is clearly a man in the movie, but it is the whole persona of Noxeema that makes me forgot that it is Wesley in drag.



I don't know, maybe I am not just not cultured enough on the whole drag queen experience. But there are scenes in the movie where I think he looks flawless:





Anyway ... if Wesley ended up going to prison for tax evasion I really hope her remember to pack this number:




He can be the head cheerleader when The Blacks play against the Aryan Nation for control of the west side of the prison.

But it all my be moot because I think this whole ordeal is a misunderstanding. He will find all of the missing receipts in a box of his unsold Demolition Man action figures. The Feds will let him go with a letter of apology and he can go back to Africa to finish his movie. I really think this because ...


...would these eyes lie to you?

Sleep Induced Coma

Last night, I was on my couch watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 (episode 514 - Alien from LA) and I began to fall asleep. It was only 9:30pm and I was already ready for bed. I couldn't fight the trip to slumber-land so I decided to go to bed.

Next thing I knew was that I was waking up at 6:30am for work. I have no memory of going upstairs and getting undressed or clearing my bed of the clothes before getting into it. It's kind a weird/scary that I don't have any memory of doing these things.


I think that weird looking Haitian guy from Heroes got to me cleared my brain.

Janet: WTF? - Billboard Music Awards 2006

You know ... I professed my love for Janet on many occasions. But what I saw tonight on the Billboard Music Award was just awful. I know she has her limitations [singing] and I have overlooked them for a long time because she always brought it in the dance department. Tonight, she failed to deliver.


The bad choreography, the horrible outfits,

what's with the shoulder pads?
and that wig --

egads, the wig!


I swear that is the same wig that Madonna rocked in the "Jump" video, which was then passed down to Britney Spears, who forgot it (and her underwear) at a restaurant where Janet was dining. She picked that thing up, dyed it honey brown and rocked at the BMAs.

I know this is just a instant reaction, and I will be in the front rows when her tour hits Dallas. But I am just let down, is all.

I going to watch Heroes to get that horrible performance out of my mind.

Possible spoiler:

I think Isaac is going to die tonight.It was only Eden. BOO! NBC has hyped up this episode stating that a "hero" is going to die ... meaning a lead character was going to die. Once again Heroes let me down but I will be watching in January for the conclusion. This is the only show that I watch live because it is in HD, so I guess they got me hooked.

Weekend Wrap-up: Holiday Party

Saturday

Holiday Party Outfit 2006
I had a full menu of food to bring to the party, but I only ended up bring chicken salad finger sandwiches. I made an angel food cake that I overcooked because of my crappy stove. I tried to save it but I had to put it out of its misery. I made the dark chocolate syrup but without the cake it served no purpose. I thought I brought enough sandwiches but everyone loved them so much that they ended up getting disappearing.

There were awards passed out as well. I got an honorary award for being an officer and I got the Most Improved Player award. I wanted to win it since I learned about the award last year -- but I never though would win it. I think my win at a tournament this year clinched it for me. I couldn't muster a speech so I just said "thank you." I also did some fake crying to be funny. As the webmaster I previewed our new site which should be fully functional by January 2007.

The party was fun. I weird to see most of the tennis members in a group because during the season you only see a handful. We all had fun but, of course, there were some dramas. I didn't have any, but I did end up spending some time with Dr. Rx. I always find our conversation a bit weird because it seems like we are both trying to avoid the pink elephant in the room (our mutual attraction). He called me out of the blue while I was at Target getting some last minute supplies. We didn't meet up until late into the party but we managed to avoid all the pink elephants and just had some fun. When he was about the leave the party he motioned toward me for hug. We hugged and we said goodbye.

I think I am starting to move past my attraction to him and beginning on just being friends. He is a nice guy and I like having him around. There is a New Year Eve party schedule so we may see each other then, if not sooner.

Sunday
I got home around 1am and I ended up on the couch watching TV being falling asleep. I forgot to leave the heat on before I left the house so my apartment was a bit cold. I wrapped myself my GAP robe I got for $5 last year and headed to bed. Nestled in the warmth of the cotton fabric I slept until 9am.

For the rest of the day I just lounged on my couch and watch backlogged TiVo'd shows. I also watched Over the Hedge on DVD from Netflix. I was going to see it in the theater but didn't get a chance. It was really good. I have to watch Monster House sometime this week.