RIP Moose a.k.a. Eddie from Frasier

I ran across this bit of information while surfing on Yahoo. I thought of Dann immediately since he's as big a fan of the show Frasier as I am.

Fuck David Barrett: The Revenge!

So this post should have been done in April at the time of David Barrett's birthday but it took a little while for me to get a copy of the picture. Jenny came up with the awesome plan to have us all wear the "fuck David Barrett" tee shirts and as you can see David has the "fuck me" shirt. It was a riot. This weekend kicks off the beginning of gay pride week in Oklahoma City and I believe this picture encapsulates what gay pride means to me: my friends, especially Dann, Butters, Barrett, Jenny (a.k.a. Jimmy), and Kim. Our commonality and diversity is what makes our friendship and community strong. Take away the parades, the victories for equality, and the defeats and all that's left is my friends, my family and the bond we all share. I love you guys!

What exactly is Butters looking at off camera? And what's Dann doing to Randiva to elicit such a happy response?

Happy gay pride week OKC!

Cancun, Mexico: Day 4: Flea Markets and Clubs

Our final day in Cancun... just when my burn was starting to turn bronze. We took the day to go shopping, and I mean ALL FREAKIN' DAY! It's unreal the amount of time that the Brown family can spend shopping without water, food, or water closet breaks. We checked out a modern mall and a Mexican flea market as well as some tourist restaurants and shops. We also stopped in on every jewerly store within a five mile radius along the strip. The only thing I purchased all day was the traditional tee shirts for mom and dad.

Timmy and I at an outdoor shopping area.

Is there anywhere on earth that Planet Hollywood hasn't invaded?

Oh look a Hooters! We picked up an application for Fefe.

Monica and Veve in front of the Hard Rock Cafe. As I mentioned earlier I picked up a couple of shirts for mom and dad here. I'm carrying on the tradition that I belive my brother started; everytime he travels (mostly abroad) he sends us some Hard Rock shirts usually two sizes too big for anyone to wear.

Hail to the King baby!

Timmy spent 400 Pesos for a temporary tatoo that promptly starting peeling off that night.

After the shopping nightmare we relaxed for a bit to prepare for a night on the town. Timmy and I set off to hit some night spots about 11 PM. We stopped off at Carlos n'Charlie's for a couple of drinks and luckily we weren't abducted. Next we walked around the strip while fending off drug and prostitute pushers (you may want to leave the kids at the resort during this part of the trip). Not finding anything of real interest we hopped into a cab in search of the gay bars. Luckily for us the cabby was gay and knew where we needed to go. Naturally the big gay dance club was closed. We finally landed at Picante the oldest gay bar in Cancun located off the strip and in the town of Cancun itself. I have to say I had a blast even though the bar was tiny (about half the size of the Park Club) and I was the only white man to be seen! I was surprised that Timmy's Spanish was so good and grew even stronger with each drink consumed, unfortunately he couldn't figure out how to translate Jagermeister or Rumplemintz. The DJ working the club had a mixing machine that was about the size of my computer keyboard yet it was some of the best music and mixes I've heard in any upscale dance/techno club. We requested 'Dragostea din tei' ('Love in the linden tree)' by O-Zone and it was funny to hear the song in English which is rare back home. By 4 AM it was time to head back to the resort and get a little sleep before the journey home. The gay cabby I spoke of earlier waiter for us all night outside the club, what a guy! We tipped him extremely well.

During the trip I was burned by playing along the beach and pool and then tanned by playing along the beach and pool. I saw Mayan ruins, jungles, and coral reefs! I shopped and drank Mexican beer for hours at a time. The trip was fantastic and I would go back again in a heartbeat not only to partake in some of the activities from before but to find all new adventures! My previous trip to Mexico really soured me on the country but Cancun has really changed my mind.

One last shot of the beach before the return trip home.

Next up, Vegas in one week!

Cancun, Mexico Day 3: Swimming with Sharks

Day three of Cancun allowed us some time to sleep in and buy some sunscreen before the next adventure, a Jungle Tour. The name was a little deceptive since we only took some little trails through the mangrove and out into the ocean. The destination was the coral reef, second in size only to Australia's reef. Pictures below:

The boats, docked and ready to go. Timmy, Veve, and myself had one boat while Monica and Willard rode in another.

View of the jungle from the boat.

Follow the leader.

Our destination (not much to look at from above). We tied the boats together and did some snorkeling above the reef. Unfortunately none of us had an underwater camera. Throughout the trip Veve mentioned that she was afraid of having a shark encounter though we told her it was unlikely. Naturally our guide pointed out a small shark underneath us near the reef. Fortunately for Veve the shark didn't feel like Asian for lunch.

Timmy drove the boat on our return trip; it was terrifying! I've driven a boat many times in my life but never on the ocean. In the size of boat we were using it was tense at times jumping over large ocean waves and wakes from other boats. Veve drove the other boat on the return trip, we wouldn't allow her to drive ours.

The short day (about a four hour tour) allowed us some free time to do some shopping, hit the beach and pool, and enjoy the sun set seen above. It's hard to see but part of Isla Mujeres (Island of the Bitches) can be seen in the top left.

Even more to come: shop 'til you drop and Gay Cancun.

Cancun, Mexico Day 2: Welcome to the Jungle

We awoke very early on the second day for an all day adventure into the the middle of the Yucatan to visit Chichen Itza (or as we call it Chicken Pizza). This was my favorite day and site of the entire trip. Tourism information in italics.

Chichen Itza ("Mouth of the well of the itzaes") is one of the most controversial, studied and visited ruins of the mayan world. Its history and its chronology are the subject of debates and the fate of its people a puzzle that archaeologist continue to theorize about as excavation continue. The Itzaes settled in Chichen Itza in the IX Century a.C. forging a wide empire with one culture centered in Chichen Itza. Around 1250 a.C. the city was abandoned for reasons still not completely understood (the travel guide believes that drought and a revolt by the under class over the upper class was the main factors). In its Golden Era, Chichen Itza covered an area of over 25 square kilometers. The religious, cultural and administrative center covered approximately 6 square miles and was located close to the area where the elite resided in carefully decorated and brightly painted palaces. Around this central area lived between 50,000 and 100,000 people in thatch-roofed palapas or cottages.

Enough with the history lesson, more information about the Mayan civilization can be found here . On to the pictures...

Along the way to the ruins we stopped at a Mayan shopping area. So while there are still Mayans living in the Yucatan their civilization is long lost. Being the sucker tourists that we are we all bought pendants with our names spelled out in Mayan hieroglyphics. The tour guide told us that all proceeds of our purchase go directly to the Mayan people and the quality of the gold and sliver is backed by the Mexican government.

Another stop found us at one of many sink holes in the Yucatan region. These "watering holes" were formed naturally throughout the region and were a source of water for the Mayan civilization.

Finally to the ruins! Shortly after arriving we were greeted with cloudy weather and a brief shower of rain. Being burnt from head to toe I was thankful for the lack of sun.

Temple of the Observatory. The Mayans were keen astronomers because of their worship of the sun. They developed a 365 day calendar long before Europe and the Gregorian calendar.

Temple of the warriors and Square of the 1,000 columns. Believed to be a market place and similar in design to other ancient market places of the time.

Ball court and Tzompantli. Being the captain of the winning team in competition earned you the "honor" of a sacrifice. Yikes! You can see Timmy ahead in the picture half-naked as usual.

The Castle of Kukulcan rising 30 meters from the earth is the most impressive building. It's age is difficult to calculate, being estimated between 650 and 800 a.C. The numbers of its different measurements relate to digits in the maya solar calendar; for example, 91 steps on 4 sides, or 364; plus the platform, 365, the number of days in a year. The five adornments on each side of the temple are 5 X 4 or 20, the number of days in a maya month. The building, revealing the profound knowledge of the mayas, every year during equinox demonstrates the descending of the god Kukulkan, "The Feathered serpent", to earth, in a light and shadow phenomenon that every year attracts visitors from all over the world.

Timmy and I in front of the north side of the temple in front of the head of the god Kukulkan. As you can see the transformation into Lobster Boy is nearly complete.

One last shot of me in front of the castle soaked from the recent rain. Unfortunately we were unable to climb to the top of the castle as it has been restricted since an accident involving a tourist who fell to her death from the structure.

Still to come: boating to the coral reef, shopping, more shopping, and even more shopping. Did I mention we did some shopping?

Cancun, Mexico Day 1: Cooked Medium or Well?

We arrived in Cancun on June 3rd on a flight from Dallas/Fort Worth early in the morning. After a couple of hours of immigration and travel to the hotel RIU Caribe we hit the beach and the booze. Here's some highlights of the first days activities spent at the resort:

View of the beach from a small bar where we had our first Mojito, Pina Colada, and Cerveza.

The Mexican bathrooms left a lot to be desired. It appears Timmy forgot the TP!

View of the resort from in the water.

Veve practicing for the Village People YMCA dance competition.

Timmy after his tenth Mojito.

A special vacation message to Fefe who was left behind to toil in the States. Contrary to the spelling we don't mean to say a garden tool.

From the ocean to the pool.

Taking a siesta.

Comming soon in future posts: Lobster Boy sightings, a journey to the Heart of Darkness, speedboat Shimmy, and Montezuma's Revenge!

Jesus, Save Me From Your Followers!

I encourage everyone to visit http://www.joshuajantz.com/ and let Josh know what we think about his kOoKy politics. He can take the prayer for my salvation, wrap it up in a hedge of thorns and shove it up his ass. Thanks to Dad for the information!

Say Government Cheese!

Fuck David Barrett!

Great Big Stuff!

Bruce pondered in the previous post what I would do after what would be an orgy of excess if I won the powerball lottery. I would want some really classy shit, like a mink tracksuit, my own personal Zamboni, or lot's of unnecessary surgery. I could even finally afford to see a Broadway show! Seriously I can think of three off the top of my head:

1. I would travel extensively, most notably I would revisit Germany, visit eastern Asia, and see the Amazon river.
2. I would open a club with Dann so we'd have a cool place to hang on Sunday afternoons.
3. I would go back to school on the twenty year plan... you know kind of slide back into it.

Oh, I'd also give Heath ten dollars as compensation for all the loses he's sustained on poker nights.

It also goes without saying that all my friends and family (except those who cross me) would be well cared for financially.

What would YOU do?

Powerball

I caught three numbers in the powerball this evening but not quite enough to win anything... I guess I'll go to work tomorrow.

Cheever's Cafe

Working on the weekends affords me little time to eat out with the parents so we decided to go out and eat tonight, my only day off this week. It was decided that we would eat somewhere new. After consulting with Dann during our Sunday medicinal session we decided on Cheever's Cafe. It's located just north of N.W. 23rd street on Hudson (around the corner from 23rd Street Body piercing... ouch!). We started with the Chipotle Hummus with a Boulevard Wheat for me and a Coors Light for mom. For our main courses Shimmy had the Tortilla Crusted Alaskan Halibut with Spicy Shimp Risotto, I had the Chipotle Glazed Salmon, and my parents shared the Cheever's Chicken Fried Steak (this entree alone was big enough to feed all of us). During dinner Shimmy had the Andrew Harris Shiraz and I enjoyed a glass of the Carmen Sauvignon Blanc. The food was excellent and offered in very large portions, in fact we all took home boxes of food for later consumption. As everyone knows I prefer the Cedar Plank Salmon at The Deep Fork Grill, and I still do, but that's not to say that it wasn't nearly as good at Cheever's Cafe, just prepared differently and a bit sweeter with the fruity chipotle. The taste of the Halibut I sampled from Shimmy was very good and a great recommendation from the wait staff. The risotto along with the Halibut was moderately spicy as was the mashed potatoes that came with the Chicken Fried Steak having a hint of jalepeno. The atmosphere is very comfy and inviting and the wait staff friendly and attentive. A dinner of four with a few drinks will run you between 100.00 and 120.00 dollars. Highly recommended. Four out of five forks. Thanks for the recommendation Dann!

Before And After Work

I meant to post some before and after work observations Saturday night but I've been too tired to post until now.

WWJT? What would Jesus tip? I served a seven top table on Saturday night. After I delivered the meal the group all held hands around the table and prayed before digging into their Cajun food. I've always found this practice a little strange in public but it's probably due to the lack of a Chrisitan upbringing on my part. The table of Christians (or at least the ones I served) tipped eight percent. It could be worse, every table of teenages I've served have left a zero percent tip but that's another story...

On the way home from the resturant I was listening to KJ-103 on the radio. I rarely listen to the garbage they play but nothing of interest was on the other stations and the CD player in my truck is on it's last leg. The song "Don't Phunk With My Heart" was playing by the Black Eyed Peas; a song I rather like. The chorus comes up as "no no no no don't MESS with my heart". What the hell? Is phunk some kind of dirty word that the Oklahoma City metro area can't handle? I'm getting a new CD player next week with a Sirius connection, where I assume I won't be shielded from the dirty lyrics that the kids are listening to these days.

The Chinese New Year Has Gone To The Dogs

1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006

People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people's confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.

You can go here for more information on the Chinese Zodiac.

We celebrated the New Year at Shimmy's mom's house with the traditional Margarita, egg rolls, and fish balls. Apparently it's also customary and good luck for the coming year to eat something green (I think it was spinach and cabbage). We had great fun learning our signs while Shimmy's mom read them out from her Mandarin book of Voodoo. I'm still convinced that the thirteenth sign was cut some years ago and that Dann was really born in the year of the Weasel...

Everything Is Rent!

And when you're living in America
At the end of the millennium
You're what you own

So I own not a notion
I escape and ape content
I don't own emotion - I rent
____________________________________________________

There is no future
There is no past
I live this moment
As my last

There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret
Or life is yours to miss
No other road
No other way
No day but today
_____________________________________________________

Let's g0 eat I'll just get fat
I'ts the one vice left - when you're
Dead meat
_____________________________________________________

I've been trying - I'm not lying
No one's perfect - I've got baggage

Life's too short- babe - time is flying
I'm looking for baggage that goes
With mine

I saw RENT this week, not as good as the musical but a good flick none the less...

Quick Post

I'm alive but I got caught up in the wreck below...

On The Road Again...

I'm heading out out of town tomorrow. I'll try to report from the road; I'm heading to Louisiana to visit my brother. Happy Independence Day!

Pride Pictures

A view of the parade down 39th street.
I'm not sure who these people are but I like their hippy bus.

We Are Family (is that clichéd?)

PRIDE!

Saturday and Sunday I celebrated Gay Pride weekend with some friends. After the fall of civilization that was gay marriage (or lack thereof) in Massachusetts I was glad to see a good turn out in OKC. We started the morning off with Dim Sum brunch at Grand House followed by a stroll through Memorial Park. Missing this year at the park was the three-story blow up bottle of lube; we figured it wasn’t present this year since everything is about family and the children these days. The booths were interesting and there were a lot of diverse people in the crowd. We signed a lot of petitions, took lots of free crap, and entered every drawing we could find. I still don’t know what I’m going to do if I win that Grill Master 3000. Other than the sweltering heat and Miles singing and dancing we had a good time.
Sunday I went down to the strip and hung out with Miles again at the Park until the parade started. Once again the turn out was good but the heat was overbearing. I didn’t stay out too long after the parade; trying to pack into Angles with 25,0000 sweaty people for free draw beer isn’t very appealing. It was good to run into a lot of people that I haven’t seen in a while, and I had a blast with all the festivities as I do every year. I’ll post some pictures of the parade a little later today or tomorrow.

I Saw Jesus Friday...

Well not really. I went to see Jesus Christ Superstar by the Lyric Theater at the Civic Center on Friday night. I hadn’t been to the Civic Center since it’s remodel as part of the MAPS project. I have to say the theater is beautiful and the lobby is much roomier than it was before. I had never seen JC Superstar and I was actually impressed not being too big a fan of the subject matter. Supposedly Jesus nearly fell over cross and all during the crucifying scene at another night’s engagement but unfortunately I didn’t get to witness such a wonderful spectacle.
After the show I went to an after party hosted by Lighting Concepts, Inc. where some of the cast and crew attended. One of the people at the party was Sally Struthers, which I found a little bizarre since it’s someone you don’t normally run in to in Oklahoma City. I later found out that the Lyric’s next production is Hello, Dolly! and she’s playing the part of Dolly Levi. Some friends and I decided we’re going to go see the musical out of morbid curiosity. All kidding aside I heard that she’s played the role before and is quite good. I’ll report on that in a couple of weeks.