BAPTISTS FOR BROWNBACK

This is hilarious.

Especially scroll down to the part about kilts and Seattle. Brilliant satire. Poor Sam Brownback doesn't stand a chance, especially with people like this against him.

ROCKET MAN

I want to be a Rocket Man.

I want to be shot into space far away from all the small things on Earth like dust and ants. I want to look down to Earth and just see things as they are, big globs of green and blue.

I want to have switches in my rocket that will fix things. If I flick one switch, the big wings of solar panels will unfold which will give me energy and keep me alive. I could use that energy now and if I had any left over, I'd beam it down to Earth to power your microwaves. I'd flick another switch and be able to see Space Dust. On each bit of dust would be another world where Dust People would go about their Dust Lives doing Dust Things.

Finally, I'd want to just float away. Literally and figuratively. Polly and I would bounce against each other in our ship as we watched the small marble of Earth and it's small marble problems and dilemmas would grow farther and farther away. We'd see the world's problems in the "big picture". The picture framed by the window of our ship. Polly would lick my face and bark at the UFOs whizzing past us. We would happily float into the next realm.

TRIALS :PART 2

So Wednesday is my Day of Doom when my apartment is judged for it's cleanliness. If I fail, I may get evicted which means I may have to come live with one one of you. Be afraid.

I've managed to scrape together enough money to have a professional cleaning team come in Tuesday and try and get me ready. It's what I had to do. Hopefully they will do a great job. I've already informed them I'm kind of a slob which I am. Send them your prayers.

This is a big big deal for me. I appreciate your thinking of me in this time of need.

L.A.

I live in Los Angeles. The city of actors/models/rock stars. Two of the waitresses at my BP have record deals. The DELIVERY GUY from my local liquor store, who I've become friends with, is here :



Imagine him coming to your door and bringing cigarettes and liquor. It's like some weird dream.

BUDDHA CAT

I wish I was a cat.

FRIDAY THANKSGIVING

This week's big hug and kiss goes to my good friend the Rev Sean for his kind donation to me and Polly. It was especially welcomed as a sign of support since I had a rough week. He is a Prince among men and I adore him for his ongoing readership and heartfelt thoughts.

"RAPTURE READY"

Rapture Ready: The Unauthorized Christians United for Israel Tour from huffpost and Vimeo.

So they support Jews and Israel until the Second Coming. After that, the Jews are on their own. Nice.

The dancing is a hoot. This must be where Frustrated Interpretive Dancers end up. Also, word to the wise - never take advice from someone named Moose.

I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER

The Queen of Soul. I saw her at Radio City Music Hall in 1987. Everyone was dressed for church, hats included. She arrived on stage in a Pink Cadillac. We were all "wiping" which is when you take a hankie in your hand and wave it back and forth in the air as an homage. All hail the Queen.




I'm the background singer in the miniskirt. Cause that's just the kind of Gay I am.

GODSPELL

Tonight the movie "Godspell" was on TMC and I was shocked.

1. The whole concept was so branded in 60s/70s ideas. From the costumes (post hippy) to the music (late Cowsills) it was soooo dated and odd. The producer, interestingly enough, is the brother of star Angela Lansbury.

2. While I like the concept of Jesus and the disciples as outcasts, the idea of them as clowns was compelling. Happy-go-lucky troupe of circus freaks isn't how I see the whole group. But it leant a joy and freshness to the idea of their mission I appreciated.

3. Victor Garber (an openly gay actor) as Jesus is interesting in retrospect. In fact, there were a lot of gay-friendly moments. From kissing to holding hands, there were several moments of gender crossing.

4. The Twin towers were a backdrop. Ironic.

5. The statue of the angel in Central Park which is so prominent in "Angels in America" was also a backdrop. Also Ironic.

6. Finally, I was so entranced that the whole musical/film ended on such an upbeat note. After "Jesus" is crucified they are all jubulent. As I think the point of the story should be.

7. It was followed by one of my favorist movies ever "New York, New York" starring Liza Minelli and Robert DeNiro. It was the last movie I watched before moving to LA from NYC. It's the bestest.

Worth a Netflix. Definately something religion could use today oddly enough.

MIRACLES

Computers are amazing things.

In 1995, I bought my first Macbook, It was the first one they offered. I still have it.

At the time I was working at an agency that represented hair/make-up, photographers and stylists. I was in charge of the stylists division. I took my new lap top to work and was met with derision. I mainly used my Macbook for scheduling and contact information. No one else had a computor and there was no "internet". My co-workers thought I was crazy and my boss thought it was a waste of time.

Now, however, a mere 12 years later it's another story. If you're reading this, you know what I mean. The speed we surf the web is in itself amazing. My first (dial-up, external) modem was 28k. Now, via cable, I can get up to 200 MB per second. My computor talks to me, tells me what I need to do next, gives me options and allows me to quickly and easily watch TV. At one time the most available access was AOL which was $3.00 an hour. Now the entire Internet (while still costly) is available for a fraction of the cost.

I'm writing this because this week Bible Versus achieved 20,000 page views. 20,000 people have clicked on my little, insignificant views about the Bible and other things. More people than exist in many cities. It's like taking one fish and feeding so many people.

I'm not in any way saying I'm Jesus, but it certainly sets the bar higher.

TRIALS

This was a tough week for me. As a Disabled Person, I live in a Federal Building - or as my dear friend Jay says, a "project". Granted this project is in a great area and not in a slum, but the bottom line is it's still a project.

Part of living in this building are the restrictions I face. One is I am subjected to a yearly inspection where the building manager judges the cleanliness of my apartment. It is, of course, entirely subjective on her end and since I am limited, I don't seem to have made the grade.

Next week I am subjected to another inspection since I "failed" the last one. My lease here in this low-cost housing is threatened and I'm a little freaked. If I'm evicted, I may be homeless. I've hired a professional cleaning team to come in and hopefully get me "up to par" whatever that means.

Please think of me in your prayers so that this turns out well. The stress of the situation has made me nuts already.

RIP TAMMY FAYE

BAPTISM

"Take me to the River. Wash me in the water."

I saw The Talking Heads perform in 1979. They're still one of my favorite bands ever. I was also a big fan of the Tom-Tom Club.

I can't imbed the video but go here and watch a live performance of The Talking Heads singing "Take Me To The River" in 1980. This may even be better than the album version as David Byrne indulges his love for Brazilian, Carribbean and Blues.

I could easily see singing this song in Church. Well, my Church anyway. We'd all get into it and do that dance where you wave your arms and fall to the ground and shake like a fish on a pier.

FRIDAY THANKSGIVING

Today's Friday Thanksgiving is all for my friend, The Drunken Housewife. Her blog is listed on the links to the right.

Since I came across her blog a few months ago, I've been an avid and daily commenter. I was even honored to co-judge a contest she held on her blog and we often exchange e-mails. Her stories about her family, her intelligence and her life in San Francisco are great reading. I thank her for her support, her gifts and her brilliant point of view which is so much like my own. Being able to connect with her is one of the miracles of the Internet.

PRAYER

I watched the Tammy Faye Messner interview tonight on Larry King, a show I've never watched before. I did this time because of my concern about Tammy Faye. It was heart-wrenching. After she spoke, they interviewed her son and then Depok Chopra.

Her son mentioned her outreach to the Gay Community and her compassion to that community when many others did not . Depok noted her connection to the things that make death significant and the peace she seemed to embody. There was a notable conversation about her "body" vs. her spirit. She was emaciated and weak.

Impending death is is so often avoided in our culture. It's fascinating to see this conversation brought to the forefront of media. It is, after all, a part of life.

BECAUSE I CAN

For those of you who seemed to enjoy my last Shirley Bassey post (as you should), here is another :




She is my Number One Artist to see performing at this point.

PRAYER

This is sad. Tammy Faye Messner (aka Tammy Faye Baker who was married to the disgraced evangelist Jim Baker) is dying of lung cancer. This video is a portion of an interview she does with Larry King. It's very hard to watch. I've seen people in this stage of disease and there's not much that can be pretty.

In case you didn't know, Tammy was very pro-gay while remaining a Christian. For a time, she even hosted a talk show with actor Jim Bullock (who I've met) who is openly gay and also openly HIV+. A few years ago, there was a brilliant documentary called "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" about her and her life. It's definately worth a watch. In it, she visits a group of men with AIDS and - given her evangelical background - is inspiring and shows a great amount of love.

For those of you that pray, I ask you to pray for her. She is battling her pain and her journey with great dignity, one to which I aspire. I'm not one to usually pray and even I've said a few word to the God or the Gods to make her trip easier.

MATTHEW

Ok, I'm gonna tackle three verses here.

1. Jesus Heals Mary at Peter's House

According to my version of the New Testament, Jesus heals his Mother-In-Law from a fever. Does this mean Jesus married? She was healed and got up to serve him. Good for the servants.

Then Jesus ousted many who had demons within them. Um... Ok. This assumes we believe Demons live within people, like in The Exorcist.

2. Would-Be Followers of Jesus

I like this verse because of the "would-be" part. It's like "so-called", meaning "not so sure". Jesus says "let the dead bury their own dead". Ok. Not so reassuring but I get it.

3. Jesus Stills the Storm

So all the disciples are on a boat and Jesus was sleeping (he sleeps!). There was a storm and Jesus is awoken and he calms the storm. He rebuked the storm. YOU BAD STORM! The disciples were amazed apparently. That Jesus, he can change the weather.

This is not to say I doubt Jesus did these things, just to say the reporting is somewhat lame.

HAI!

LINKS

There are a few, though not many, blogs I comment on. One is "Drunken Housewife" who I adore and have created an e-mail relationship with. She's smart, articulate and funny, my three favorite attributes. So much so that I've listed her on my short blog list to the right.

I also comment on "Joe. My God". Though I haven't linked to him, because I sometimes disagree with his politics and religious affiliations, I read his blog regularly. He often gives press to good gay causes.

Finally there is the "Real Live Preacher". I don't check his blog as often as I should but I consider him a great friend. We often talk on the phone. The RLP is someone you could count on in an emergency or a crisis. This is a great attribute indeed.

BATH

Polly got a bath today. She was not very happy about it. It turns out "Otherwise, bathing is rarely necessary, unless your hound has found something smelly to roll in." Which she has not. So her bath was spent with her tail between her legs and wanting to get out of the tub.

I don't like baths either. Lauren Hutton, the Supermodel, said she didn't wash for months when she was in Africa and it did her hair and skin well. The skin and hair's natural oils do the body good.

But it was a ritual we both went through. Her fur was feathered after we were done and she had a spate of being excited which I loved. She ran around and whined while I was in the shower and jumped on and off the bed several times. I cleansed myself and Polly of the world's weariness around us.

BECAUSE I CAN

Shirley Bassey sings an amazing cover of Pink's "Get This Party Started". This makes me happy.

FRIDAY THANKSGIVING

Big Karma points this week to Alfred and Philip who've been kind and generous to donate to myself and Polly. Thank you for the love and bread and wine. We are both so grateful.

SERVANTS

So a Centurion comes to Jesus, not for himself, but for his servant. Pretty interesting. This must be a good servant, right?

One of my great pieces of wisdom is "good rapport with the waiter is key to a good meal". Here it seems to grow wings. The Centurion begs for relief for his servant.

What a great boss. I wish I'd had one like this.

HINDU

This is a video clip of Right Wing "Christians" protesting the (first) prayer by a Hindu priest at the Senate Meeting today.

Where is the respect? I know nothing about Hinduism and have no interest in being Hindu but I can at least honor their religion. His prayer is one that all of us could agree. Is this beyond those blinded by their so-called faith? What is "Christian"about that? No wonder so many of my dear readers have turned against the hypocrisy and ignorance of what is considered "Christianity". It's shocking, as I wade through the teachings of Jesus, how off the path so many have become in terms of tolerance, acceptance and envelopment. Jesus healed lepers. Would he not have embraced Hindus. who worship a God?

PUPS

Today at the Breakfast Place Polly met a little 3 month old pit bull puppy. It was the funniest thing ever.

The puppy was all about jumping and barking and chewing it's leash. Polly was all "whatever". She smelled the puppy's nose and then just looked at it.

I totally related. As I get older and observe younger people, I just look at them and think WTF? That was me. Puppies, of course, need to learn to stop jumping and barking. Who teaches us that? I believe in evolution but who's to say that even chemical evolution is a way of teaching us what we might not grasp in one swoop. Why can't I be created by a Higher Being that just doesn't (in the realm of their everlasting) feel a need for speed? Maybe even a hope we take the barking and jumping for the experience it is.

All this thought from watching a small fiesty puppy with big blue eyes.

MIRACLES

Speaking of miracles, watch this in awe. I only think Jesus would give me the ability to do this.

LEPROSY

Leprosy. The Big Bad Demon of diseases. Your fingers, your toes, your nose falls off.

Good choice for a First Healing.

The Leper asks Jesus to "cleanse" them and Jesus supposedly does. Do their missing appendages grow back? Do they suddenly gain strength?

Matthew doesn't say so we're never sure how this turns out. If I asked Jesus to cleanse me of my AIDS, I'd want blood tests. I've been inured to years of medical probing. I assume the Leper at that time hadn't gone through that.

I'm not saying Jesus didn't heal the Leper. I'm just sayin'.

LIFE

Sorry. possums, for my delay in posting. There have been a number of issues at work called Life.

Let me clarify:

1. There is "life". The day to day doing-ness of it all. Waking, etc.

2. There is "Life" where things happen outside of the ordinary. Car wrecks, illness of some sort, that kind of thing.

3. Then there is "LIFE". A death. A divorce, The end of something you hold dear.

I have been experiencing "Life". I've been unusually ill, perhaps to my having changed my pill regime in the past month. At this point who knows? I've been feeling nauseous and generally icky most of the day. It's not fun and has unfortunately kept me from my Bible Study.

But I'm coming to realize it may just be "life", Like arthritis or a bad knee. A price I pay for outrunning the HIV in my blood.

So thanks for being patient. I still love you. I appreciate your concern. Let's carry on.