sundries

Patty in less than 12 hours.

Good luck getting a hotel room in London in late April as everyone flocks into town for the royal wedding. That I can miss. What I really, really want, is to go to the 2012 Olympics. Which is absurd, but I've always wanted to go to an Olympics and what if the Doctor is there?

Chernobyl opening for tourism.

And on a personal tourism note: I'm getting really good at this travel thing: $230RT LAX/NYC direct; $50 direct to Ohio. And then I looked at ticket prices for the windows Patty and I are likely considering for Paris. Over 1K per ticket. Fuck that shit; I do not pay more to go to Paris than I paid to go to Australia; it's against the rules. I think I have a plan. I've enough frequent flier miles on one airline to get us RT tickets to London for about $500 each, so we can hang in London for a couple of days and then hop some budget air or the train over to Paris. More trip, less $$.

Musk oxen!

The end of OTB. My grandfather was a man who liked to bet on the horses at the track in Florida where he lived until he moved to SF. My mom inherited the bug and tried to pass it on to me, placing bets for me at OTB when I wanted, when I was like 8. I couldn't go to the OTB myself, not just 'cause I was underage, but because it was filled with smokers and prostitutes along with random old dudes like my grandfather. Now it's over.

Richard Holbrooke died, and you should know about his career. He was in a profession largely without good guys, but was one, in my opinion, as far as it goes. Some of his choices worked out to the good. Some didn't. Most were probably ruthless and uncomfortable. Such is the world.

FIFA would like you to know if you're going to the Qatar World Cup and you're gay, you shouldn't have sex while you're there. Also, no drinking. Two unrelated issues that I suspect will turn into multiple big messes.

Don't like people who have equal rights to you? Then don't run a public accommodation at which the law requires you to serve them. Not rocket science.

The ongoing mess at the Apthorp offers us some amazing personal stories:

Still, with everything she went through earlier in her life, Ms. Front is hesitant to make a fuss herself; she slept with a heating pad and extra blankets before her heat was restored and tolerates the mice scampering in front of her television while she watches “Larry King Live.”

During the war, her husband and son were killed by the Nazis. She hid in Warsaw and escaped to New York through Shanghai and Cuba, remarried and built a prosperous clothing business with her second husband, Jack, who has since died.

I know at least one other SAG member is reading this: dear lord, the membership cards for this period are ugly, ne?

Apparently Burlesque got a lot of Golden Globe nods? WTF?

Dee Snider on looking into the abyss and not going there.

( Torchwood casting news some people may interpret as spoilers. )

Dogboy & Justine has met its funding goals and a little bit extra, but if you did want to contribute financially to this journey, there is still a week left to do it. Thank you!

So hey, we need to talk about a thing....

I have opinions. About pop culture, politics, and my own history. Sometimes you will agree with them, sometimes you won't. Sometimes I will express them clearly, sometimes I won't. I like this journal to be a place where we can have open discussions. And I appreciate when you point out things I may not have considered, especially if I'm being hurtful or don't have all the data. ( Read more... )