that old losing the battles winning the war thing.

Homo friendly beauty queens and the gay men that interview them.



Now , if we can just do something with her hair... pageant it up a little.

The one where Jodi gets a terrible rash and Michael has a yard sale

COULD I love satellite radio any more ?

Wedding Watch

MOB : Rehearsal Evening

It is reading a little Slim and Babe, Palm Beach '72 , at least from this picture. But , it looks like they are just getting out of the car, so you really can't tell. Unless there is some egregious fashion explosion , everyone is getting a pass for the wedding.

Details are few and far between, but the k+b wedding watch staff (kbw²s) is hot on the trail. Rhinebeck, NY is not all that far away, and I could stay with Rosie....

Maya and Me

And yes, that is me putting on all sorts of airs. Let's try " Maya and Kyle , really, doing his darnedest to live up to even a portion of her ".

So there is this story from her that I have read, or saw on Oprah or somewhere about " not in my house ". Someone tells a racist, or anti gay or anti woman or antisemitic joke or story in her house : she puts them out. " That will not happen in my home ", or if she is in another person's home , and it happens, she leaves. Silence is an action.

I was not always like this, growing up, looking like I did, more sounding like I did - ( no doubt that I was from the Piedmont of Georgia when I opened my mouth ... much more pronounced than it is now..), people said things around me , or to me, all the time. Ni**er this and Ni**er that. I just stood there, took it. I'm sure I heard fa**ot this and fa**ot that as well.

Well, as a grown up , or as grown as Peter can be, at this point, and I do not take it anymore. I will ask you to leave my house,or I will leave yours. Online, I have told people, " good bye.. I don't talk with people that say those things, and ALWAYS , always to the person, it's " oh , just lighten up, its only a joke, get off your freaking high horse". My house, my internet , my feet. I will not have this in my house.

BUT, I have learned, through the help of a friend, that Facebook is not mine.

Watch as much of this charming little video as you can. ( and I really don't want to post it on here, but don't see how I can not ) but a friend of mine posted it on fb this afternoon.

Someone I have known for 25+ years, very smart, very well to do, living in Georgia, in the brightest red part of Georgia posts this, along with " this is GREAT, sorry too all my wonderful liberal friends ". Wow.

Yeah, I get it, you don't like President Obama, you don't like Democrats, you don't like liberal/progressives, what ever.. but honestly, you can not see this as PURE RACISM ? Were you thinking that the play on words of reneger was just too cute to pass up and not re-post.. when, I grantee you have heard the "joke" , " what do you call the shift change at burger king". The really interesting part of this is , I do not in any way think this friend of mine, is in ANYWAY a racist.

But, being who I am, in a rage I type up this big ole long rant on the faceybook, getting all high and mighty and talking about Jesus... when I stopped. NOT THE PLACE FOR IT KYLE. " Take three deep breaths and put it on the blog instead". ( 2010, I can TEXT B.DAY! )

Trust me, I was always the odd Southern duck... putting the round hoop skirt into the very square hole and all, the hard core pinko commie in with the nascar set, and I am , HAD to become , tres' thick skinned. I also know that you can be friends with people that do not think exactly like you do... really, some of my best friends went McCain/Palin. You can either choose to be a purist and drink alone, or just come to the conclusion that people can disagree AND not be disagreeable. ( after a few drinks , don't trust me to not be that disagreeable when it comes to politics, better we stick to SEC football...).

This little song just set me off today, because of the source, I would never ever have expected it from her, PLENTY of other folks I am facebook pals with yes ( that one drunken jumbo WBHS add that I did ...) but not her. Maybe I have been away from Atlanta/Winder/ Athens for too long. Maybe having an African American President has made people think that it is ok to say these things now. Who knows.... I wish I didn't have to have it " in my house", but the internets are free and wide open. And AND , I just blew off enough steam to not go all postal in public.

How and when did the level of discourse get THIS base? Really....

And at least for now, Red Staters, we are the majority,easy to be magnanimous when you are winning. A little post punk PIL to play us off.

Take Down

Always keep your knees bent. You really tell can't that they just took me out .

Pretty funny stuff, more so were it on cam...

I ❤ MY SENATOR

IF it's Thursday....

Neil must be leaving , again.

The policeman at the airport said, " Hey, Kyle! How have you been ? ".

Orange Popsicles and lemonade.

EAT IT !!!

Do not mess with Frankenbetty on Thanksgiving!

The boys and I have been a little at sixes and sevens as of late, just a few disagreements on this celeb or that. I was just fine with this DRESS, them, not so much, that sort of thing.

ALL OF THAT IN THE PAST! As they hit it out of the park with their first Season 4 Man Men fashion report , re-live, and enjoy. And we need to talk about the prostitute....

STEVE HAYES: Tired Old Queen at the Movies - #42

One of my all time favorite movies, and we all love us some Tired Old Queen at the Movies!

A peek into your tea party!

Warning: FUCKWIT will be used in this blog post.

Just a quick little knosh, one little cucumber sandwich of truth!

Meet the current Lt. Governor of the great state of Tennessee: Ron Ramsey, tea party darling. Today the Lt. Governors office, tomorrow... well, who knows! Let's let him introduce himself to you.

I'm not an alarmist, I'm not an extremist! - but, THE MUSLIMS ARE COMING !!!

I am ALL about freedom of religion, Heck fire folks, I obey the first amendment as much as I obey the SECOND amendment! Jesus is the only thing I love anywhere near as much as I love my guns! You know, not in a gay way or anything.. but I do love that gun. I mean, shit yall [ DIRECT QUOTE TO FOLLOW ] : " Now you can even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion or is it a nationality way of life, a cult, what ever you want to call it "

RON RAMSEY IS A FUCKWIT !!

THIS is the direct result of the fear mongering from the right wing nutjobs, Palin, Bachman and Beck ! They are brown, they don't love Jesus.. RUN PANIC! ( send money and buy gold! ) I mean, MY GOD! they are building SOCCER fields, how much more " other" do you want to get ??

And don't think that this sort of thing happens only there in the heart of Dixie Vol State. Downtown Manhattan is going through the exact same thing. But it is the EXACT same .... people.. stoking the fires.

Dinner

I am sure yall just thought the we had just stopped eating. Well , with Neil gone I just make a big pan of something , add pbj and I'm set for the week. But he is home for little while, pick up clean boxers and back on the road.

More backyard flowers.

Grilled Chicken Breast

Tomato Salad

Spanish Rice

Miss Ciara gets her Tzeitel on

And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past

Dick, Don, Dick, Don, Dick, Don.

"So, who is Don Draper? ", asked the one legged reporter for Ad Age, and for maybe the first time since Don Draper died, he did not care.

" Who cares what I think", said the living Don, " Let my work speak for me". Cast off the chains, bust down those closet doors, Don Draper is free. Secrets only have power over you when they are secret, and with Betty knowing, Bert Cooper and Roger Sterling knowing... even Pete Campbell knowing, the past is just that. The truth has set him free. All artifice gone, take me or leave me... " Who is Don Draper? ".. he is the wuderkind of Madison who has put Day Glo or Stay Glo or May Glo , on the map.

He captured that green light and had the perfect wife and house in Westchester, and for what ever reason, who's ever fault it was, it is gone. Out with the old.. off with the mask. When given the opportunity to regain a little bit of the facade, Thanksgiving at the Sterling's with Betty, Jr. he opts for rough sex with his prostitute. I don't need the mask anymore. He does so with the full knowledge that Thanksgiving would lead to that New Years Eve night of - non slapping - passion, and with stupid ease, a Memorial Day announcement of The new Don Draper's and right back up the Saw Mill River parkway to green light two. Or not.

Or not.

Masks can come in handy, a false front is not always a bad thing. The one legged reporter from Ad week, saw what he wanted to see, there for surely Mr. Day Glo is married, Don was not in control of the story, something that was so damn hard for so long and something he was so relived to NOT have to do anymore. But, there in 1964, you have to put up a front, ( like 2010 is any different ) . Post bikini explosion, he knew what he had to do. So, with the , I am guessing two legged Wall Street Journal man, it's Day Glo Don. All piss, vinegar and bravado. The Jai Alai people wanted a cowboy, here he is, guns blazing. " Who is Don Draper ?" again, and now, I guess for ever, he is who he says he is, not who you think he is. Unseen second floor, and all. Draper as Gatsby, seems a little obvious even for us here at the k+b, but really.... we won't know till the game is all played out.

I think you can tell I loved the season opener of MAD MEN. Thanksgiving 1964 - stripped down, all glass - transparent! - not the deep rich dark woods of Sterling Cooper. ( sometimes a cigar is well, a big ole penis...), that said:

Estrogen in the water supply.

It is 1964 people. " oh my god, Roger was horrible, joking about the man losing his leg". Hello! They already fired poor Guy, for losing a foot, and there for not being able to play golf. Guys were still unapologetic guys, much for the worse of society, but it was what it was. " Betty is a horrible mother !! " 1964 kiddies... many, many years from Child protective services! Beat them, all you want... you know you will only make more. And why would she care? She is at the red hot center of the universe, her husband works for Nelson Rockefeller, ( with his HAPPY new blond second wife! )

At first I was a little taken aback by the whole " scrappy upstart " of SCDP. It is very 2010 - but not very Man in the Grey Flannel Suit. The world had not been turned upside down yet, sure the ball is rolling in that Rube Goldburg, but conformity ruled the day. Standing out was bad... tow the line. But I was wrong, I love the new stripped down work place.

Not enough Joan, but we can't really ever get enough Joan. Not exactly sure of what her new roll is there at SCDP, and don't know at all if the rapist is off in Viet Nam. She did say that she would LOVE a vacation. NEW AND IMPROVED! Peggy is a hoot. Loved her new confidence and her new post Jackie hair. Loved Mrs. Francis the elder, love that Sally is growing up!

I would all but kill for Rogers Eero Saarinen desk!

And it was only the first show! Much more to come.

Tons of cyber ink on Mad Men.

• you can not go wrong with TLo! ( a daily must read )
• the WSJ has just gone gaga for the mad mens, guess that plug worked, that and most of Sterling Cooper voted for Nixon! ( no word last night of any Goldwater supporters! ) This is going to be a weekly thing.
• Basket of Kisses.. sort of all things Mad Men blog
• and just for the fun of it : Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams , Unicahome, and MRF, drop enough cash, and you too can be living the mid century dream.

And then , pretty much just because I LOVE this map:

The 1964 Presidential Election

Trending

Elton plays Arizona, Elton plays Limbaugh. Elton has bills to pay. BUT, read:

"We are all very pleased to be playing in Arizona. I have read that some of the artists won't come here. They are fuckwits! Let's face it: I still play in California, and as a gay man I have no legal rights whatsoever. So what's the fuck up with these people?" - Elton John, speaking from the stage at Thursday's concert in Tucson.

From JMG, from whom all blessings flow.

Your VIEW from the front lines

( and why in the end, we win )

WATCH #1

then

WATCH #2

then go wee wee wee, all the way home.....

Unicorn, party of two...... Unicorn, party of two.. last call, for Unicorn,party of two....

As the rest of you roast and sweat, we are in full ark mode... been raining... a lot. Two dogs, that NEED long, long walks....

clean up, aisle six

" If you do not repeal DADT right now, I am going to hold my breath till I turn blue , and then I am going to lay down , right here in the frozen foods aisle ,and have a kick fit..."

This time , I do blame the mothers....

This is just a quick little example of what is wrong with the GLBTQQIA Equality movement . ( yeah, I know, the first could be all those damn letters )

The Netroots Nation crowd are all out in Las Vegas, getting their righteous liberal anger on. I would love, love, love to be with them. Next year the k+b goes big time and I make it ! If you don't know what the Netroots Nation is, that is fine.. think of it as the Left side of gopac.. IF you don't know what that is.. bless you.

Every one's best pal/gay big brother , Joe Jervis is proudly out there representing the folks, and keeping us posted of the goings on. This convention is a really big deal politically, with all the big guns showing up, your Obama's ( by video) your Pelosi's and your Reid's. Hail , Hail the gangs all here!

So, Senate Majority Leader Reid , JUST , like two min ago finished addressing the gathered pinko's and the VERY first words out of his mouth were to recognize Lt. Dan Choi, who is of course right there front and center, and the crowd goes wild! GOOD for Harry Reid, right?

Not so fast, Comrade!

Joe is live blogging on the facebook of all that is going on there in Sin City, and he just leads off with that comment: Reid praises Choi.... and all hell breaks lose. ( you know, as much hell as can break lose in the comments section of someones facebook page)

" Dan Choi should just stare Reid down"

" Dan Choi could " call Reid out" " ( I don't even know what that means )

" Stand there and stare him down, Lt. Don't say one word , just stare at him, make hims squirm, the whole room should join you"

Someone just points out that yes, we all were expecting more from this Congress and the President this last term, but he is infinitely better than Sharron Angle. Really, one would think that we could at least all agree on that , right?

sigh.....

" he is better than the alternative" is the death cry to all political change"

" I agree, I would rather be let down by a political enemy than a friend"

" Yes, Angle is a moron, but to give Reid a pass on lgbtq issues based on his ( and Obama's ) broken promises only let's him continue using us as patsies. He needs to be made aware of that and act on our behalf NOW!"

It just goes down hill from there, with " asshole" , "stockholm syndrome" and " fuckwit" ( what ever that is ) being tossed around, really, two comments away from someone on one side of the other being a Nazi......

Lets start over: IF I DONT GET WHAT I WANT RIGHT NOW, I WILL HOLD MY BREATH TILL I TURN BLUE. Come on , fuckwits... ( I kind of like it! ). The freaking leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the House just addressed you , and all you can want is more more more , now now now! Where exactly, fuckwits.... do you think that Harry Reid would have gotten SIXTY votes to override DADT ? " BUT I WANT IT "

Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!

For anyone to think that life for gay and lesbian Americans would be better with Sharron Angle with any sort of leadership at all, is just sad. We are in a war, and right now, despite losing almost every battle, we are doing more than holding our own. Just today , a judge in newsworthy Arizona stopped their Friend of Jesus Governor from stopping all benefits to same sex state workers.... and good thing, fuckwit!

Things are changing , to me , at almost lightning speed.... but, I read a lot of history. I mean, the MLK lead civil rights movement only started on August 28, 1963 and was over when LBJ signed the voting rights act in 1965. All it took for women to get the vote was for that chick to ride a horse down Pennsylvania Ave with her shirt off.. I saw that movie. It has been TEN YEARS! since that pink ceiling was cracked and Vermont allowed a " civil union"! Why can't ours be as fast as theirs!!!

Then I made the fatal mistake of just saying " ya'll be nice" on there, and my poor little iPhone thing is now wringing off the hook , as people just continue to cyber bitch slap one another.....ding, ding, ding. There is a real enemy out there folks. Just look at the Georgia GOP run off, as the two candidates try and out BURN THE GAYS one another, and I can and I will, put you all in a circle, and make you sing kum-bah-yah, WITH ASL.

BE NICE.. and practical.. and read more. And think before you type....

CA • COPH • O • NY

1.) Harsh discordance of sound, dissonance.

2.) A discordant of meaningless mixture of sounds.

I have started three of four posts on all that has gone on the last few days, all Fox Newsy and the White House this and the White House that. The Mama Grizzlies coming from behind to take the Georgia GOP primary. New York Mosques, Oil spill caps, heat waves, Dan Choi and crimes and misdemeanors - Love, valor ,compassion and well, camping with Kate and the freaking eight. Really we here at the k+b went all but pulling the covers over our heads.... could not clear the noise.

It has either been very hot or very rainy for the last week, and I have spent too much time either reading on here or watching television. One of my major problems is, I for what ever flagellating reason, seem just a moth to a flame to the Fox News. Have any of you actually watched even five minutes of Glen Beck? Jaw droppingly big time, padded room crazy. To the point of asking what on earth the powers that be over there are thinking by putting him on the air.

I have never watched or listened much to The Rushanator, but his dog and pony show and his minions are pretty much who they are. Old white guys in cars, who may or may not vote... angry that the world has changed in their lifetimes. They didn't get the brass ring that they just knew they would. Sad, but easy to deal with ( and not really all that interesting, or well... important ) But this new breed, your Palinites and your Beckerheads are .... well, scary.

I do think that this is the first time in American politics when facts just do not mean anything, at all. Hell yes, Saint Ronald Reagan was a native Californian and what does it matter if i can or can not see Russia from my house. BLACKS AND MUSLIMS ARE COMING TO KILL YOU! or if you watch Glen... the Communist and for some really really odd reason, you need to really really fear Woodrow Wilson ( dead since 1924 ).

The card carrying member of the BAT SHIT CRAZY club Sharron Angle running for Senate out in Nevada literally runs, fast from any press at all that does not wear tin foil hats, no facts at all. Just Pailnesque sound bits and out the door. Well some stuff about God demanding that you carry your rapists baby full term. No facts, just fear.. and not your W kind of fear, ginned up by his pals for some war time fun, but scary US against them fear. Who is and is not a REAL American.... McCarthy was railroaded. The Muslims want to dance on the graves of the 3000 Brave red white and blue souls that died on 911 by building a Community Center a few blocks from ground zero.

One and on and on and on and on.

I think the real fear is that all the crazy talk and such will just turn the vast middle off, not voting and letting the wack jobs cruise in.

Shirley, Shirley, Shirley.......

" and I don't give a damn for lost emotions...."

Ok, fine, ... it't not Dame Shirley Bassey that we are talking about it, but really, in the spoon full of sugar vein, always start off something unpleasant with Shirley Bassey working a freaking giant orange boa. ( words to live by...)

FIRESTORM

" While driving back to Athens, Georgia."

Do I need to recount all of the facts?

Andrew " vile pig slime " Breitbart places a false snip of a speech given by USDA employee Shirley Sherrod being all uppity and proving that Glen Beck was right, and President Barack Obama hates all white people.. and is coming to take all their money, guns and first born. ( I mean these things are just a given.) Fox News goes into its overtime dance, and the White House caves.

That is it in a nutshell. If you are totally lost on this topic, do a bit of googling.

It is the worst West Wing script ever, and it really only leads to one question, that so very few are willing to even ask. Why the fuck are Democrats/liberals/progressives so scared of the right wing boogie man, when the right wing boogie man.. could not care less about the Democrats/liberals/progressives ? Did you all see eight years of George W. Bush, doing the hand wringing and gnashing of teeth over something that The Daily Kos ranted about? Or was he all tucked into bed between his Texas Rangers Sheets by 10pm, sleeping soundly?

It is not just Barack Obama either, Bill Clinton was the exact same way. " No, no , no" I'll bend over backwards 10 times to meet your needs, and you know, Impeach me over a blow job or yell out " you lie" and call me a communist all you want. I'll scrape and bow .. yes, all the way to the bank, but still.

As of last November we were the majority! Outside of the Scalia/Thomas kabal , we own the Government, and AND ( this is the part getting lost in the cable tv tempest ) are GETTING A LOT DONE!

It is just all getting lost in the bad reality tv that American politics have become.

Wednesday's child is full of woe....

Neil took off again, at the crack of dawn.

Kyle goes all Mrs. Miniver.

popped into Wegman's for some home alone supplies

they post, sometimes hourly,

what is just picked.

best damn grocery store ever!

Big storms came through the area

again laying low the poor eat-n-run.

wet

Happy

THANK YOU !

dinner

Steak

the last of the jumbo baked potato salad

tossed salad

( a very Neil dinner )

life in the garden of good and evil.

Lovely day here in the wilds of rural Upstate New York, really cooled down, low humidity and all of that . So, off we go to an " open garden" sort of an open house/ garden tour in Rochester.

Yes, us and every straw hat wearing older lady in the area!

Yellows!

This is some sort of hell spawn freaking,

nine foot tall death on a stick

lily thing. This picture was taken OVER my head.

I did not realize until too late how bad

this was for me, and got the heck to a different

part of the garden

lovely deep colors

Neil in front of the death stalkers.

Zan and Jayna

Miss Ciara learns the art of leash swimming . This is the part of the creek that is near the little kid play park, and I did not want them going over there... God knows what my pups could catch from those monsters!
It was a beautiful day today.
Roman Catholic flowers, with the tiny Mary prayer garden.

" it's just another rainy Monday..."

The Tornado Twins are back together, again. This time for an entire month. Two speeds warp 9 and sleep. We did get a good walk in early this morning before the rain started.

I was all the productive yesterday, sugar free rockstar and bam! your front porch is as close to clean as it has been in a while! So, today, I have just drifted off into kitchen porn:

"The world's largest paella pan of 2.5mm handmade copper. The pan holds up to 27 quarts/30 Litres. The paella pan has dual reinforced custom made copper handles, making it possible to easily carry the fully filled pan! Regular Price $2,334.00. price is only $2,334.00!"

housekeeping

We here at the kyle+blog, are one good dinner, one cute dress, or random fired up rant against the evil of Republicanism away from that magic 100% mark here in blogger world.

I don't think many people have this problem, because I can't really find out that much info on it.

I guess most bloggers are not as fascinated by the absolute mundane as I am. I will, as always , keep you posted.

Dinner-n-nem

fixins to make Neil's new fave

baked potato salad

easy as can be, I think the recipe calls

for red onion, but I had a green pepper.

just google.

HAPPY

HAPPY

part of Summer

back yard flowers

I made a lot of this salad

We can eat on it all week

Chicken/Broccoli

Broccoli/Chicken

Dinner ,2/3erds healthy!

.... that you can grow up to be anything you want too.....

From The Huffington Post : "President Barack Obama shakes hands with Cub Scout Raphael Cash from Bowie, Md., prior to a meeting with a group of Boy Scouts of America youth members and executive leaders in the Oval Office, July 12, 2010." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) See more behind the scenes pics from the White House 4th of July weekend HERE.

Close your eyes and think of the West Village....

It's gay pride day in Rochester, and I am just not feeling it. Maybe if I had these pants.

The beast that wouldn't die...

Autumn/Winter 2010 Paul Smith