Who Am I?

Oh, there's nothing like a peaceful, lustful Sunday morning... the Lord's day of rest. Here I am, working intermittently on my first book and browsing through my favorite celebrity pages. Then, I passed this guy up and turned around for another peek. But do you know who he is?

The following is known:

1) He's an American actor, born in 1970.
2) He was badly injured in a 2007 car accident in California.
3) He's a character in one of my favorite TV shows -- "V"

So, what's your guess?

Help, I Can't Find a Man!!

So, the beat goes on here in North Texas. The days are long and hot... unlike most other things during the dog days of summer. And man, did the "dog days" hit with a vengeance.

I spent the evening with one of my sidekicks, chatting over wine and food. We decided this week to stay away from the bars and just kick it at his place. Now I'll be the first to admit that he's quite a looker. Young.. smart.. handsome.. and has two of the most endearing qualities of a promising husband: a car and a job.

But that evening, his usual easy-going, perky attitude turned dark. He is getting fed up with his romantic outlook, and he bitched about not being able to find a man. I looked at him longingly, almost burning a stare through him. I was trying to find just the right way to tell him objectively and with tact. Then, it came to me... he was picky -- very picky -- in fact, almost to the point of disorder. Out of respect for the value of confidentiality, I will call him "Stud".

Dear Stud... every time we go out, you pick up the menu chocked full of delicious entrees and order something unrealistic:

Stud looks at waiter and demands, "Yes, I'd like the Man of the Day, well done but not charred, with exactly 1.2% fat, perfect teeth, a salary in excess of $70K/yr, no bad manners, no snoring, no smoking, works out 4 days a week, 100% honest, and always thinks I'm right. Plus, I don't ever want him to go 'window shopping' and to always sweep me off my feet."

Waiter rolls eyes and responds, "I'm sorry, Sir. We're fresh out of that."

Stud looks at me and hisses, "This is bull shit, Kev. Let's peel out of here."

Then, we bolt the restaurant and the cycle starts all over again. Maybe someday I'll get the courage to straight up tell him what he needs to hear. I admire him for knowing what he wants, but damn, his expectations are high.

Look, if you are in a restaurant of 30 people, and they are all 'ugly' or 'straight'... how long must you go on bitching about not finding a man before you compromise? Either try something on the menu that you'd probably end up loving, or bitch and starve. There are always options, some more logical than others. Stud, I love you, but wake up and smell the roses. You don't have to lower your standards -- just bring them in line with reality around you before you shrivel up, sag southward, and die alone.

Whatever you decide, I'm here as your endearing friend. *Raises glass* ... bottoms up!

Houston, We No Longer Have a Problem

I just want to send a shout out to the city of Houston. 53.6% of you were able to look past Annise Parker's sexual orientation and evaluate her credentials. You are the largest Texas city to ever elect an openly gay mayor. Kudos!

Dallas was so close... maybe next time?

God of Convenience

I hope everyone had a very safe, happy, and cherished Thanksgiving yesterday! Although I was unable to spend it with my family due to work, I'm thankful to be one of 89.8% of Americans that's not padding unemployment statistics right now. Instead, it was a day of thanks, friends, co-workers.... and football!

Last night, my Texas A&M Aggies played against the Texas Longhorns, in which we were heavy underdogs. A rivalry such as this becomes very important when you have a best friend rooting on the other team. We butted heads last night, and for the most part, kept dialogue to a minimum. But, when the Longhorns won a very good, close game, I was irked when their quarterback approached a news reporter and started spouting off about God, and how he's an awesome God, and the Lord Almighty this, that, and the other.

Of course, being deeply religious and proud of a close relationship with God is nothing for me to be hating about. I'm glad that young athletes embrace their religious roots. However, this little episode reinforces why I'm suspicious of athletes and this outpouring of religion on a football field - especially as a sideswipe answer to the reporter's actual question.

You see, last time the Longhorns were at our home field, things didn't end so well for them. They lost to a heavy underdog 38-30, and the Aggies helped sabotage their season. This same quarterback, Colt McCoy, sang a drastically different tune after that loss. There was no awesome God, Allah, Budda, Sheeba, and whoever else roams the divine clouds - only the evil, Satanic claws of defeat, pain, and angst. It was talk about what went wrong... what to improve on... you know, "football talk"... not "God-is-great talk".

What kind of message are we sending when we only show public displays of divine affection when we either win or get something we want? Perhaps if I had seen him on his knees thanking God for not suffering any life-threatening injuries in such a high collision sport, he'd have more credibility in my eyes.

With that said, I wish both sides all the best. There's a lot of talent and leadership that will aid many of these guys in their journey to greatness. But the next time one kneels after a touchdown and blows a kiss to the Heavens, I hope he/she can publicly acknowledge that there are blessings in defeat as well.

Happy Holidays everybody, and make it a great day!

Vacation in Chile

I really didn't know what to expect when I arrived here in Santiago, Chile a few days ago. Of course, the usual questions roamed through my head when visiting foreign locations. How many Black people would I see? What is gay/lesbian life like here?

My intentions were to visit Buenos Aires, Argentina -- a place widely considered to be less conservative than Chile. But, that didn't pan out, so I now take in the surroundings here.

The scene here seems to be quite open in a lot of ways. The pretentiousness is nowhere near levels seen in the states. I don't see men and women walking down the street in super-designer labels, perfect bodies, and perfect hair. When walking down the streets of Santiago, I get the feeling that they are who I see they are as they walk by me.

A transgender walks hand in hand with a young lady. Two lesbians embrace near the Plaza de Armas. Even the Barrio Bellavista (where most Santiago clubs seem to be) blends in with other areas in a weird, can't-put-my-finger-on-it kind of way. Maybe it's the absence of Rainbow flags marking the entrance and exits to the neighborhood, among other things?

I'm definitely heading out to one of their disco clubs tonight... and I was told that things don't really get lit up here until after 1:00AM. I'm looking forward to sampling the gay culture here, and maybe even talking with some of the local gay men and women (through translator, because my Spanish sucks) to learn what it has been, and is like living in Chile.

Racism: The Two Way Street

So, I was sitting at home enjoying a hot cup of coffee this morning when I received a very thoughtful story from my mother. In light of recent comments regarding anti-Obama sentiments linked to racism, I felt this story would serve as a reminder to keep things real on both sides of issues.

A Caucasian woman, somewhere in her mid 50s, was seated next to a Black passenger while boarding a flight from Dallas to London. She was obviously disturbed by this and eventually rang her call button to summon a Flight Attendant. A middle-aged White male quickly answered her call.

"How may I help you, Ma'am?" the Flight Attendant asked.

"Can't you tell what's wrong?" she snapped, "you placed me next to a Black man, and I don't agree with sitting next to someone from such a repugnant group. I demand to be reseated."

"Please calm down, Ma'am. This is nearly a full flight, so I will see if an empty seat is available," he replied softly. Then, he went away for a few moments and returned.

"Ma'am, just as I thought, there are no available seats in Economy class. However, I spoke to the captain and he informed me that there is a seat in First class," the Flight Attendant explained.

Before the woman could respond, he interrupted her and continued, "While it's not usual for our airline to permit someone from Economy class to sit in First class, we can certainly make an exception in this case. The Captain feels that it would be scandalous to make someone sit next to someone so disgusting."

The Flight Attendant turned to the Black man and said, "Therefore, Sir, if you would like to, please collect your carry-on luggage and join us in First class."

Witnesses to the event stood up in their seats in shock; gay and straight; Republican and Democrat; Black and White; young and old; man and woman... and they erupted into applause and cheer as the Black man was escorted to First class.

I guess no matter who we are, racism has no boundaries, and none of us are immune to its poison. Perhaps we should be careful in generalizing a particular group of people, regardless of which side of the fence we are on.

There will always be the White man that marched alongside Black men when justice eludes color. There will always be a straight man that rides on the brightest float in the Gay Pride parade. There will always be a Republican or Democrat that is willing to part with his/her own political affiliations to do what's right. Simply put, we can all be guilty, and there will always be someone that won't fit the definition of the label we've placed upon them... and they will turn us into the fool that sits on an empty row of the aircraft... marinating in our own folly.

For the woman in this true story, I feel sorry for her. Someday, she will get an organ transplant due to a life threatening illness... and I'd love to see the look on her face when she learns that her new heart came from a Black woman. Maybe, just maybe, it will open her eyes.

Texas Ban on Gay Marriage Unconstitutional

Here is the story regarding a monumental ruling by Dallas Judge Tena Callahan:

CLICK HERE

Attorney General Greg Abbott will fight the ruling tooth and nail, but at least this is a start. It's a cruel irony that the dust was kicked up because two men wanted a divorce.