My future Father-In-Law put up some pictures from today at the Houston Rodeo.
This sort of mistreatment of animals is usually reserved for dogs in Beverly Hills around Halloween. Good for them!
I now present some pictures from the Alpaca/Llama costume contest at the Houston Rodeo. NSFPeta.
Now, a note about this one. IT IS A MAGICAL UNICORN made by an 8 year old girl. I don't want to see any comments about... let's say... what it may REALLY look like. She tried her best to bring some magic into your life. You are welcome!
Went to the library and read this article from Fortune “Like Your Job? Keep it!” The article explains how to save your own hide in case layoffs are coming. Now regardless that I did most of the things in this article, I still lost my gig.
Let’s review with my real world experience:
DO take credit... but don't "walk around with a big neon sign that says I'M GREAT,” I did this. However, the tattooed in a promising local band jackass from the design department who boasted about his work while lambasting others still works there. Perhaps the shrill of the squeakiest wheel caught the ear of the boss.
DO volunteer for more work. WRONG! I took on many more responsibilities without being compensated. All of those “not my jobbers” still work there. If you take on additional responsibilities for free, you are being a sucker and will soon become undervalued. And then you will:
DO arrive early and stay late. No, because I volunteered for more work I had to come in early and stay late. This made my boss believe I couldn’t handle to workload.
DON'T be eccentric. BUT of you are in a workplace that is ALREADY eccentric the square still looks like a square.
DON'T be high maintenance. The art department divas were EXTREMELY high maintenance, blaming blown deadlines on “I’m artist… I need to create… I’m going on a burrito run.” Divas: 1 Dave 0.
Then I began to think. How can FORTUNE, one of the kingpins of business journals be so far flung off their rocker wrong? Companies profits zoom if included in the Fortune 500. Fortune's "Best Companies To Work For" get pummeled with resumes. This isn't the TMZ of finance, this is the gold standard.
At this point I had a great epiphany: I was just at a fucked up company.
Perhaps my boss is the grand nincompoop that I always suspected he was? Maybe it was one of the situations where “It’s not you, it’s me” really does apply? I'm not one to bash the hand that used to feed me and let me go a week before Xmas with no severance. I do however, have a talent for the truth.
After all, as this article shows, there are exceptions to every rule. SO I am off to fill out some job applications at THESE PLACES!
As are most people I know, I was extremely disappointed and disturbed by the passing of Prop 8.
My growing up is bit different than most of my other friends. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area theater scene, so during the 80's a lot of my friends were suddenly dead. I'm not saying that Reagan administration and the religious right killed them, but by not acting out of fear they could have spared millions of lives. Instead they attempted to define family values, rather than acting.
I watched from a country away as my Uncle's partner of 40 years passed away in a long complicated illness. Yet he wasn't allowed to see him in the hospital. Then he endured a long legal battle as Doug's estranged family suddenly showed up after thirty years to fleece the savings the two had built over the years.
I am for equal rights for all, but I can't help but wince at the poorly executed campaign for No on 8 and now the subsequent protests.
The biggest problem the gay community had on this was their failure to reach out to other folks of in California, just like other groups of folks have never reached out to them. LA is a very segregated place, the blacks stay in Baldwin Hills and Inglewood, the westsiders don't dare cross Sepulveda for social reasons, the newbie actors/muscians/waiters/whatever stay in Korea town and Beachwood Canyon (like Brad Pitt in "True Romance") and the power gays stay in West Hollywood, Studio City, Silverlake and Beverly Hills.
Sure, I am speaking generalizations but that seems to be true
I was at Hollywood/Highland on Saturday night as the protest begun. There was one black kid holding a "Yes on Prop 8" sign to the protesters and he was shouted down. Not one person tried to talk to him. Just yelled at him. In Hollywood, West Hollywood and Silverlake.. we get it. You are preaching to the choir.. and the media helicopters over my house after midnight are not good for my beauty sleep.
There's a lot of anger. I'd be fucking pissed too. Yelling at people outside their church is not going to work. Scaring people who are already AFRAID of you is not going to help.
This is gonna take some work, so here is anecdote.
My mother and her cousin have always been at odds on this issue. Mom's straight, Roy's gay. There's the old school morality issue. Roy could never understand why good christian's couldn't accept the teachings of "love thy neighbor as yourself." Over the years family members came out. I explained to my Mom that Uncle Tom's (a great man) roommate of 33 years was a bit more than a roommate. Her stepson came out (who is a prick) , her adoptive daughter came out (she's somewhere between prick and great) came out. But I still couldn't crack her on the morality issue.
UNTIL..
A few years ago, after my stepfather passed, I talked her into going to Palm Springs for Xmas. I did it mostly so we wouldn't have to spend a dreary, snowed in, under home arrest Xmas together missing him. I wanted something were we could go outside, enjoy good weather and ride bikes. So we went to Palm Springs and she fell in love with the place. So much that she would go down to golf with her girlfriends on regular trips. Regardless that it is the "not so underground" gay capital of California.
My favorite stereotypes about "the gays"? They are great to little old ladies, it has completely changed her viewpoint.
So here is the point. The folks that voted against you, don't know you and you haven't given them the opportunity to get to know you. They don't understand. Skin color, they get.
The gay community didn't reach out to Inglewood or Bakersfield or Tahoe. C'mon you didn't even drive down La Cienega to Culver City. You will not take this by force. You will only take this through peace, love and understanding. The people who voted against you don't get you.
So this is what you need to do. Try it, it may not work but it is better than making them think they are being forced to do something. Volunteer at "their" church. Volunteer in "their" communities.
Let "them" get to know you. Let "them" work beside you. Let "them" understand. "Them" don't get you. One by one, let them get to know you. And perhaps you will learn something about "them" that you may like.
It's gonna take some extra work. But who said this was gonna be easy? You got one hand for the taking and one hand for the giving. Reach out one hand and say "Ain't that what is there for?"
It was a great night, really well put together. It was an art auction that helps out folks with pets. I met the "West Wing"'s Mrs. Landingham, who I always thoughts had an awesome story arc.
Well, there was also an open Martini/Wine bar. Due to the prodding of Dick Hollywood (and the good folks at Absolute), I bought this piece of art.
I got it at much lower than the market value. It's called "Douglas, Drive By Passion" by Rose-Lynn Fisher.
This picture makes me happy. Not just for it's great use of light and color. I don't know anything about art really so I can't really call it an investment. I think it really captures the journey that moving to Los Angeles entails. When you first move here, you come in your overly dented '79 Chevette, roll the dice and take the tour. Everyone meets some fancy folks, everyone has moments of true sadness, Everyone takes the tour. Everyone has the excitement and we tend to wear funny clothes but you should always keep your goggles on.
However,the tour never really stops and it goes by really fast. I have no idea where my friend Douglas (pictured) is going from or going to. I keep hearing a whizzing of "blllrrrllleeerrr" going through my head. This picture really brings into focus the blur that Los Angeles has been over the last (gulp!) 16 years. The voyage keeps going and is always exciting. I think of all the times I have had to move very, very fast in any direction with a true sense of adventure and passion. It
And this "Drive By Passion" is why I bought it. Did I NEED it, probably not. Did I WANT it.. you betcha.
It's really the only way to see Los Angeles.
Some people look at art as an investment. Some gewt all snobby about it. Me, I buy things because it reflects part of me.
Now granted, the video does come off a little.. Cable Access, a little too touchy feely.. a little too retarded.
Let's take a look at what some of the Fox Viewer comments were...
Ron Adair:
Really, really creepy. In all my years of voting for president, I have never known anyone like Obama. Why he doesn’t scare the hell out of American voters with his messianic complex, cult worship mentality of the unwashed masses, is amazing to me.
Eric l.
How chilling. It remins me of the old newsreels and films of the “Hitler Youth”.
Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. This is freightening when you consider how poor a grasp on history O’bama has shown.
This is a very dangerous time in the history of the USA. Think hard before you vote for this Liberal Facist.
ED: CREEPY!!! What’s next, are they all gonna join the OBAMA HEAVEN’S GATE cult & commit mass suicide if he doesn’t win? Kind of wish that music teacher would!
Rich From Ohio WWWWWOOOOOOWWWW,Ididnt think i would see another HITLER in my lifetime,the only difference is this one has a different skin color.
Hili clearly disturbing….using children who don’t have the ability to reason the facts or their future, these adults, organization, obama and all concerned have gone too far…. but as so far the media has allowed this mania, it’s no wonder. Americans… wake up! History has taught us to BEWARE of this craziness!!! wake up! WOW! Tough room for these kids. Jees Louise.
But of course, I have some videos of my own to share!
Oh and there is a whole bunch of new stuff up on http://www.crackpotpress.com/
