Turkey Day Weekend

I'm sitting at the Arabica on E. 185th right now. I am surrounded by folks waiting to go to their AA meeting in the offices above the coffee shop. They tend to be a little bit loud but the good thing is this is a non-smoking Arabica. The AA folk also tend to smoke a lot too.

I had such a nice Thanksgiving Day. It started out with me doing my radio show. I started the show with the Extra Action Marching Band doing a song called Sexy Fat Guy. They are a deliciously seedie wacked out marching band from San Francisco (big surprise there huh?) who likes to march in the dark. Their music is fabulous.

Pat, a friend I met through doing my show was in the Cleveland area for the holiday so he came down and did the show with me. Whenever I have guests, the time just flies.

After my show I went out to my car and tried to remove the candy coating Mother Nature had left for me. It was soooo icy cold. The picture to the left is the view through my front window on the drive home.

Before I went to Deb and Eric's place for Thanksgiving dinner I made two different carrot dishes. Curry-Cilantro and Orange Ginger carrots. Both turned out really good. After trying a few of the curry-cilantro ones I was thinking to myself, these are soooo good. Since I am making an effort to eat healthier, why don't I make this kind of thing more often. Then I realized, the reason they are so damn tasty is because there was a half a stick of butter in the recipe. So much for a healthy new vegetable dish.

Dinner was amazing. Everyone brought amazingly fabulous dishes. Dan P. made mincemeat tarts with actual "meat". I guess that is the way they were originally prepared, and Dan P. is a stickler to that sort of thing. I tried one. I really did not taste ANY meat at all. It just tasted like apple cinnamon and raisins. Dan M. brought his traditional southern Mac and Cheese. I forgot the heart paddles out in the car so I only had a small bit of it. Calvin brought some sweet potatoes, always a fave of mine... Danielle brought tasty pumpkin pies and her new squeeze. James brought some amazing pierogies. There was tons of food, tons of wine, and lots of hilarious conversation. Deb and Eric are so generous for having everyone over and making such a wonderful dinner. I'm very lucky for being included. I can't think of a better way to spend Thanksgiving dinner.

Oh yeah, there's that whole, "spend the holidays with family" thing. My family has always been very casual about holiday meals. As long as contact is made with at least a phone call, they are happy. I really think my mom prefers a quiet dinner with just she and my father. My mom has never been a big fan of children. I think that is where I got my motherly instincts.

Today I got up early to help Monica move. I didn't really do much. I was there mostly for moral support. She had hired movers. "the Moving Magicians". I was worried all her stuff was going to disappear. They turned out to be okay. Very regular West Side guys. They were flirting with Monica the whole time. She really was so stressed about the whole move that it wasn't even registering with her. They asked her where her boyfriend was, why wasn't he helping. Oy.

After they got everything loaded onto the truck, they followed me over to Monica's new place. I just pointed out my window to the driveway and took off. Monica's parents were there and she is not out to them. They did not need to meet me today. I have not showered and am looking my most bull-dykiest. No need for that kind of drama this afternoon.

Well, I am going to head out to K-Mart or something like that to find some stuff for Monica's new place. She needs a bathroom rug, some cupboard liners and maybe a bottle of wine. I probably won't buy that at K-Mart.

Thankgiving Eve

I am so happy. I got the chance to have a day off. Yesterday at work I had a long day getting the World AIDS Day issue finished. I decided that today is all about me. Kinda.

I went to the West Side Market with Dan. I needed to buy some supplies for my carrot dishes I am bringing to Thanksgiving dinner with my friends. Gingered Carrots and Curry Cilantro Carrots. I thought I would try two different kinds this year. I just looove the carrots.

It's a tradition that when you go to the West Side Market with Dan, the first thing you do is go get a bratwurst and saurkraut sandwich at the brat stand. Then you walk over to the coffee stand, get a nice hot cup o joe. Then you drag yr butt up a flight of stairs to an area that looks out over the market. It's really nice up there. You can enjoy yr spicy sandwich and hot coffee and play "point out the hot homos and cute lesbos".

We did that for about 15 minutes then made our way around the market.

At the gourmet chocolate and candies stand an old man was handing out giant spoonfulls of what looked to be caramel popcorn. It looked at though everyone was going up to him for communion. Being the good recovering Catholic that I am, I went up to get my body of christ. I asked him what it was, he said, "It's cheddar popcorn with a caramel coating, a handful of pure joy!"

Ya know what... he was right. It was a handful of pure joy.

Dan and I finished our visit to the market outside in the produce area where you walk down the aisle as people shout at you with all kinds of different accents letting you know that they have the "juciest" corn or the biggest melons or the cheapest lemons.

A lot of the vendors lean over the counter with an impaled bit of pineapple or apple on a knife for you to taste. I rarely do. Mostly because I get angry that they invite me to try it with "SIR, SIR!!"

Tired Monday Morning

I am sitting here trying to remember what happened this weekend and am totally blanking out. That doesn't happen to me very often.

I know that I subbed for the radio show "Music is my Boyfriend" on Sunday morning at 6am. Here is the playlist. I got lazy and set almost the whole show on my iPod the night before. Still pretty good music tho I think.

• The 6ths - Kissing Things - Hyacinths and Thistles
  The 6ths - You You You You You - Hyacinths and Thistles
  The 6ths - San Diego Zoo - Wasp's Nests
  Aislers Set - Mission Bells - How I Learned to Write Backwards
  Aislers Set - Untitled - A House Full of Friends v/a
  Aislers Set - I've Been Mistreated - Terrible Things Happen
  Belle and Sebastian - Asleep on a Sunbeam - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
  Belle and Sebastian - Seeing Other People - If Yr Feeling Sinister
  Belle and Sebastian - Mary Jo - Tigermilk
  Bikini Kill - for Tammy Rae - Pussy Whipped
  Bikini Kill - Tony Randall - Reject All American
  Bikini Kill - Capri Pants - Reject All American
  The Blow - Pile of Gold - PDX Pop Now! v/a
  The Blow - Hey Boy - Poor Aim: Love Songs
  The Blow - Jet Ski Accidents - single
  The Breeders - Shocker in Gloomtown - Head to Toe
  The Breeders - I Just wanna get along - Last Splash
  The Breeders - Hellbound - Pod
  Camera Obscura - Shine Like a New Pin - Biggest Bluest HiFi
  Camera Obscura - The Sun on His Back - Biggest Bluest HiFi
  Camera Obscura - A Sister's Social Agony - Underachievers Please Try Harder
  Dressy Bessy - Just Once More - Dressy Bessy
  Dressy Bessy - Lipstick - Little Music
  Dressy Bessy - Just Like Henry - Pink Hearts Yellow Moons
  Laura Viers - Galaxies - Year of Meteors
  Viva Voce - High Highs - The Heat Can Melt Your Brain
  Jens Lekman - F-Word - Oh Yr So Silent Jens
  Microphones -Oh Anna - Tests
  Microphones - Karl Blau - The Glow Pt. 2
  Microphones - I Felt Your Shape - It was Hot We Stayed in the Water
  Stereolab - Captain Easychord - Oscilions from the Anti-Sun

Oh wait...the weekend is starting to come back to me. Friday night Leslie and Pete invited me over for dinner. they ordered take-out from Otani's. Very deelish. After dinner Leslie and I went and sat by the fire that Pete had built and talked til about midnight. It was so nice. We were laughing for hours.

On Saturday I took my mom to the hospital to see my dad. He was in very good spirits and looked healthier then I have seen him in a while. I think it's mostly because he is getting the sleep he needs there. He may come home today.

Saturday evening I walked to dinner with Ann. We went to a very packed Geraci's in University Heights. We saw Lee Fisher there. I believe he was getting some take-out. Ann and I both thought we knew him but didn't really know from where. I thought he was some sort of political person or maybe a newscaster....she thought he was a sports celebrity of some sort. He was dressed like a sports celebrity. Dinner was very good.

On Sunday, after doing the radio show I went and got a bagel then to coffee. I wanted to stick around but I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. I went home and layed around and made some art til about 4:30 when Monica called for a ride home from the airport. I had to take a weird round about trip to get there. The Browns game was just ending. I went over the Flats bridge on the shoreway. It was beautiful. The sun was just going down.

In from the ledge

Okay, I have calmed down. I am not ready to go to the VA and strangle someone. I am soooo happy yesterday is over tho. It was crazy.

My dad has a real doctor now. I KNOW the VA has real doctors and I respect them. I have a feeling that they probably have waaaaaaaay too much on their plates and not enuff funding from our fabulous Republican government. (Bastards!! VOTE VOTE VOTE in 2006!!!!!)

My doctor's visit went well. I like my doctor okay...but she doesn't have the best people skills sometimes. She did give me about $90 worth of free drugs. She doesn't have to make friendly chit-chat if she keeps throwing the free drugs at me!

After the doctors visit I took my mom to see my dad. Mom and I stopped for lunch on the way home. She wore her jem sweater. I will probably take her again on Saturday morning.

After that I went home, spent some quality time with my little dog, then went to meet my friend Sabrina who was in town for a work-thing. We had a quick dinner at #1Pho on Superior. Very good Vietnamese place. Great fried tofu.

I stopped on the way home at the grocery store. Bought some dog food and some fat-free half and half. Walked out to my car and realized it was winter.

Morning Anxiety

As I was putting gas in my car this morning, I was looking up at the stormy clouds in the sky, hoping that everything turns out okay today.

I have a doctor's appointment that I am worried about. I don't want to go but I have to.

My dad went into the hospital yesterday and my mom is pretty upset about it. Thankfully he's in the hospital. A real hospital. Not that Veteran's Hospital that he is supposed to go to. Those stupid bastards are useless. USELESS! My father is a diabetic with heart problems. He has horrible sores all over his shins. The VA gave him a quart bottle of iodine to put on the sores. That's ALLthose bastards did. He and my mother have been trying to call the VA to set up an appointment to have his legs looked at again. My mom and dad keep leaving messages. NOBODY IS CALLING THEM BACK!

Finally one of my brother's friends who is a doctor took a look at my dad. She said that he should have been in the hospital a long freaking time ago. I'm so angry right now. So angry.

WED NEST DAY

I feel so good. When I got up this morning I went for a long walk with my little dog.

Usually I just just stumble out of bed, slip on some clog-like foot covering, throw a sweatshirt and sweatpants over my nightime lingerie of inside out t-shirt and boxer shorts. Then I go outside, drag Kozmo across the street to an empty lot, squeeze the poop out of him then start talking up the "wet food" so he will want to run back across the street so I can get back into bed, turn on Katie, Matt and Al.

Today I threw on some sneakers and decided that the little dog and I were going to walk to get today's Plain Dealer. He was quite thrilled about the idea.

It was a great walk. It felt like a November morning. Windy, big gray puffy clouds and chilly. The walk put me in such a good mood. I gotta try and do this every morning.

Flying Monkey Beers

Flying Monkey Beers
Originally uploaded by bitterbutter.

Remember how I mentioned being all excited about DJing at the Asterisk Gallery on Friday night? It was a bust. The person who normally loans out the audio/dj equipment pulled out. Rebecca and I got to the gallery to find out that all they had there was someone's home stereo set up. We couldn't have really "DJed". Tim who was in charge was playing pretty good music anyway on some mixed cds that I gave him a while ago. They really didn't need us so we went and had a few beers at the Flying Monkey.

The Flying Monkey is nice, but dreadfully hetero. Hetero is okay..but this was painfully so. Although the bartender was a supah hottie.

We waited for Beth and Dave to come meet us there. While we were there I put my foot soooooo far in my mouth that I am still trying to remove the skechers logo from my uvula.

Rebecca should have punched me in the nose. I would have felt much better. I have not done something THAT stupid in a long time. I am hoping not to do it again for a while.

After Dave and Beth got to the Flying Monkey I went and picked up Monica and she and I met Dave and Rebecca at the Bob Mould, Kristen Hersh show at the Grog. I was so upset...we got there just as Kristen Hersh ended. She was the real reason I wanted to go to that show. Although it was kinda cool to see Bob Mould. I loved Husker Du. I love Warehouse Songs and Stories although I think most true Du fans love Candy Apple Grey.

Creepy "Board" Driver

Creepy "Board" Driver
Originally uploaded by bitterbutter.

I was driving behind this guy on the way to work last week. Scrawled on the back of his trailer was "BOARD DRIVER, PLEASE FLASH!!!"

I thought maybe I could flash a 4th grade spelling book at him.

Veterans Day & 2 Minutes of Silence

I'm very excited, I am going to DJ tonite at Asterisk Gallery in Tremont (2393 Professor Ave) for a Wild Plum show. Rebecca is going to DJ with me. She is MC Bizzle, I am DJ Stine. (Her doing, not mine)

It's a volunteer gig so I hope there are at least some free eats and/or drinks available. Maybe a few glasses of cheap pink wine and little blocks of yellow cheese.

Such a nice weekend.

Scooter Ride on MLK
Originally uploaded by bitterbutter.

Saturday morning I got up early, hopped on my scooter and headed over to the Shaker Square farmer's market. I was worried about rain the entire ride but by the time I got to Shaker Square, the sun popped out from behind some dark gray clouds.

I walked through the market. There were a lot of what seemed to be very wealthy Pepper Pike type women there. Shopping not selling. I bought a jar of Apple-Cranberry butter, an AMAZINGLY delicious loaf of bread from a Lakewood breadmaker. It was still warm by the time I got home. I had to cut it up and freeze it or I may have eaten the whole loaf. I also bought a bar of "tranquility soap". It smelled very nice.

There were a couple of Amish families selling baked goods and vegetables. One guy selling expensive truffles. The chocolate kind. I felt bad for him. He was standing there with 4 round paper plates in front of him on a table with 3 or 4 broken up chocolate truffles on each plate. He was wearing a button up shirt with a pocket protector and a tie. Nothing about him or his display made me feel like indulging in something as sinful as chocolate truffles. The set-up felt more like I was going to ask for information on my 1040 short form.

On my way home from the market I came up for an idea for the Spaces benefit I was going to attend that night. The theme was Pink. I have a pink shirt but I wanted to do something a bit more interesting and/or interactive. I decided to have "pink-eye". I went home and made about 20 little pink eyeballs out of Sculpy. I put them on big safety pins and figured whoever I touched I would give pink eye to. I put one on myself and then put one on Monica. I put the rest in an Altoids tin and put it in my pocket. A lot of people got pink eye from me that night.

Dan P. came to the party as a pink "dirty hippie". He looked great although he reported having trouble eating because his moustache kept coming off and falling into his food.

The whole night was a lot of fun. Great food, fabulous decor, lots of friends. Oh...yeah...and open bar. That was nice too. Gin and tonics as far as the eye can see.

There was a fashion show too at the party. Calvin and Monica put their America's Next Top Model watching skills into action.

Downstairs in the actual gallery there was a silent auction. An unnamed friend thought the art had been better in past years. I have been to this event a couple of times. Maybe that's true. I am no expert. Not with art critique at least. I did like the "Gayola, wild plum crayon". I did not have the dough to bid.

I saw Edie and Ann there. They were not wearing pink but their cheeks probably were. They rode there on their bikes.

I also got to talk with someone who said he just loves my radio show. It's always nice to hear that sort of thing.

On Sunday I went to coffee and hung out for an hour or so while Dan P. kicked Dan M.'s and my ass at Scrabble. After coffee I went and hung out with Ann and helped her fold some laundry. She is helping out her sister who has 34 or 35 kids. (Not really...but more then 2 seems like a couple a' dozen to me) Ann bribed me with some delicious baked goods. She is a good cook. I have never had an undelicious item from her kitchen.

When I got home, Monica wanted to go for a walk so we went down to the lakefront. It was really exciting because of how fast the wind was blowing. The lake looked like an ocean. Kozmo seemed kind of unfazed by it. I was worried he would get blown away being he weighs about the same as the dirty wet blue grocery bags skimming across the parking lot of the park. He seemed to love it. He was running and barking into the wind like a crazy dog.

After that, Monica and I hopped in the car and went to Corky and Lenny's for some Mish-Mash Mahtzo ball soup. Soooooooo good. Sooooooo warm. It was the perfect end to such a cold windy November day.

Welcome to the dykehouse

Ya know, I used to be on top of all the hot homo gossip. Not anymore. I JUST found out that Heather Matarazzo came out as a lesbo last summer. I gotta keep up or my membership will be revoked! Okay... here are some other celebs of late to proclaim their love for the ladies.


Cynthia Nixon. I have loved her since the movie Little Darlings where she played the hippie-dippie flower child teenager.



Leslie Gore. It's her party and she'll kiss girls if she wants to, kiss girls if she wants to.













Sheryl Swoopes. A 5-time WNBA All-Star with 3 olympic gold medals. She was one of the first players signed to the WNBA in 1996.







Okay. Now I want you to name 3 or 4 men who are actors or professional athletes on the level these women are on. Name 3 or 4 men who have been honest about who they are and who have come out and fessed up to being a homo. Fessed up BEFORE their career is over!

Drink, Drank, Drunk

Last night Leslie and I decided to go have a drink. She had the opportunity to escape from husband and child for a couple of hours so we chose Johnny Mangos in Willoughby. The one in Ohio City is much hipper...but they do not have the fabulous $1 taco nights like the one in Willoughby. Monica and I go there all the time. Monica discovered the delicious joy of Mimosa there. Sometimes now when Monica's having a bad day she can be heard quietly mumbling (with a heavy Romanian accent) "Meeeemoooosa Amereeeeeeecanaaaah!

I knew of JM's delicious Strawberry Long Island drinks and thought Leslie would like to give 'em a try. We decided to purchase the pitcher. It was a pretty good deal. We had some tacos, fried tofu and icy, fruity drinks.

It was all great fun until Leslie reminded me of something. She remembered that when we first were hanging out together that she complained "in just FOUR YEARS I will be FORTY!" I remember her saying that too. I remember that I was thinking, "that's no big deal, I will be 34. Now come upstairs and let's kiss"

NOW she is complaining that in just four years she will be fifty. Yeah. When she said that I thought, "oh god...that IS a big deal, I will be 44! Now finish your drink so I can go home and go to sleep."

After Johnny Mangos we walked over to the Arabica, had some coffee and then I dropped her off at her house. It was a really good time. I always laugh so much when I hang out with Leslie. She is brilliant artist and a wonderful friend. I am very lucky to have her in my life.

Lakewood Park

Lakewood Park
Originally uploaded by bitterbutter.

Yesterday I took a scooter ride sans helmet during lunch. I know how wrong and stupid that was but I could not resist. It felt so warm, smelled so wonderful.

The one thing about not wearing a helmet is that bugs feel like tiny glass marbles hitting yr face at 40 mph. Dry leaves are not much softer.

I stopped at a garage sale in a tony area of Lakewood hoping to find something good. Nothing but crappy holiday decorations. Why would ya waste time having a garage sale with cardboard candy canes and tattered foil garland.

I turned around and headed back to work after that.

Indian Summer

It's a gorgeous Thursday in Cleveland. It's supposed to get as high as 70 degrees today. On my way to work I rode through downtown. I love going through the city on my scooter. Going down streets with tall building on either side of me feels exciting for some reason.

On Tuesday night I went to the Eastside and convinced Ann to play Scrabble with me again. I had hoped to kick her ass this time. No dice. She totally beat me. I just stink at that game. Afterwards we wandered down the street to an Irish bar near the Cedar Lee theater. I drowned my sorrows in a couple of black and tans. We hung out until a bunch of frat-ish type boys came in. A bunch? What do you call a group of frat-ish type guys? A group, a herd, a school, a murder, a gaggle? Not sure

Saint Lucy

Today is All Saint's Day. My fave is St. Lucy. I have not celebrated All Saints Day since high school. The only reason I celebrated it then was because they would let the Catholic kids out of class to go to mass. I am not going to mass today.

When I got home from work last night I took Kozmo outside for his evening constitutional. The guy who lives across the street from me had his porch all decorated for halloween. It looked really great. Lots of orange and purple lights, jack-o-lanterns and a hanging skeleton. He was outside talking to another neighbor. I told him his porch looked fabulous. (He appreciates "fabulous", he's a fellow homo) He said Halloween is his holiday and that I should not expect "half" the decorations at Christmas. I told him that's the way it should be.

After I went back in the house with Kozmo I took a letter I got from Bob in San Francisco to my porch to read. it was so warm out for a October night in Cleveland.

I could not stop looking across the street. My neighbor was sitting on his porch steps with a bowl of candy waiting for the kids to come around. I wanted to go over there too but did not know how to do that. I don't know him well enough to just go sit next to him ya know? I thought I could yell across the street, "HEY! Want some company?!" but that just seemed weird. So I pretended that Kozmo had to go outside again.

As I started to walk across the street a couple of people came out of his house to sit with him. I got super shy then. I just dragged Kozmo down the street a bit and went back upstairs. I wish I didn't chicken out. I really wanted to hand out some candy last night.