Some of the news that is fit to print

Happy New Year!

Good bye 2005 and welcome 2006!
It is going to be a busy year for us -- we have our wedding in February and I turn the big 4-ohhhhh in August. (Yes, but I don't look a day over 39, right?) So we're going to have a lot going on.

I'm generally not a big fan of New Year's Eve festivities. The date is a tad bit arbitrary and it always seems like an occasion for people who don't normally party to turn it on overdrive. (Other holidays in that category include St. Patrick's Day and Halloween... and the drinking holiday ranks seem to be increasing.)

No, we weren't in Vegas for New Year's Eve. I just thought the photo was fun... We got to spend the evening with some of our favorite people, BH and his wife, MJ. We went to 1789, one of our favorite restaurants in DC and where we happen to know the chef, Ris Lacost. It was Ris's last night at 1789 after a decade at the restaurant, which is a Washington intuition. She is taking some time off, and then she is going to start up her own place somewhere in DC. She isn't sure where or when yet, but we hope many tastings are in our future.

So it was a great way to bring in the new year! Happy 2006!

Why do people hate cops?

ding So we were traveling around yesterday in our taxi cab role. We were at Keswick Hall for a few days working out wedding plans and we had to deliver my mother to Shepherdstown, WV., where my step-father was with his mother. So we're driving along I-81 -- Berkeley County, WV, specifically -- and there are two trucks driving side-by-side, both driving below the 70 mph speed limit and blocking traffic. So I flashed my lights. Suddenly, a cop turns on his lights behind me. I think, 'Great! They are going to get these trucks to move so people can move.' But he pulls me over.

He asks me if there was a problem with my lights. I answer, "No," of course.

He takes forever, of course, and eventually writes me up for 'following to closely' and 'deffective equipment.' (Yes, that is how he spelled it.)

DMV, of course, wants to blow up at him. We don't, needless to say.

If it had been speeding, I wouldn't have been thrilled, of course, but there are so many cases where I don't get caught... but this is just some small town sheriff deputy who gets to show the DC gay boys who is boss.

I have to say that I have not always had such a negative image of cops because, when it comes down to it, they are much like journalists -- these are people who often choose their profession because they want to help people and they are trying to get to the facts. Unfortunately, in all too many instances, they have too much power that allows the person's personal faults and biases to influence their judgment -- and they often take matters into their own hands. (Last night, I couldn't help but think about the fantastic movie, Crash.)

So I hope he makes his monthly quota... and meanwhile, I get to trek to god forsaken Berkeley, WV to fight this thing. Great!

My e-government quest

So I don't often talk about work here. My personal opinions are mine and -- I know people don't think that journalists can do this, but -- they stay with me and do not influence my work. Besides, my experience is that journalists don't play political favorites. They just love a good story. Anyway, that's a post for another time...

Certainlly one does notice things more when it hits close to home, so let me share a tale of what appears to be e-government gone wrong.

I live in northwest Washington, D.C. just off the Rock Creek Park. For those of you who may not know the area, Rock Creek Park is this wonderful area that runs from the Potomac River right near the Mall all the way out to the Maryland border. As you might imagine, the park is heavily used – the Rock Creek Parkway is heavily by drivers, but it is also a recreation area. It is part of one of my favorite bike loops.

So the WP this morning has a story, which they tease off the front page, about the new Rock Creek Park management plan. Given that I use the park – it is part of my daily commute – I was interested to find the plan.

I was hopeful that the WP would provide a link to the plan. BZZZ!
So I search Google, which provides me with the Park Service's Rock Creek Park page. I search on there for awhile -- management documents, maybe? Not that I could tell.

I eventually went to try Google’s Uncle Sam, keyed in "Rock Creek Park management plan," which took me to this site, which seems may be a step in the right direction, but when I click around, I can't really tell what is new, when things were posted... In addition, I'm not sure how somebody would actually find this site other than a Google search.

I clicked for awhile there until I grew frustrated and decided to try something else.
So I went to the Park Service’s main page, their press release page… on and on but all for naught.

So I called their press office. The person there didn’t know. She suggested that I use their search engine, which didn’t seem to come up with what I was looking for.
She gave the number of the superintendent of the park, who directed me to the director of plans, which whom I left a voice mail message.

How many real people actually go through this?

And can offer some notes when the Interior Department gets its e-gov grade on the management score card?

If anybody knows where I can find this document…

I am putting the spotlight on the Park Service -- well, I guess I am, but I don't mean to. I understand that this stuff is not always easy -- we don't always get it right! -- and I don't think the Park Service is alone.

Perhaps this just says something about people's expectations.

After much chasing and hunting, I got a certain degree of success... No, it wasn't easy... and it involved having to make several calls to the Park Service personnel that oversee Rock Creek Park... and the kind person had to walk me through the process, but I found it.

So do you want to walk through it, or should I just give it to you?
For those of you who read the end of the mystery first, you can find the Rock Creek Park improvement plan here.

Here are the steps I had to go through:
* Go to parkplanning.nps.gov
* Then look for Plans/Documents Open for Comment
* The third item down (as I'm posting this) is the Rock Creek Park plan.

I actually asked how Joe Citizen would ever be able to find that... and they acknowledged that it is kind of burried... and they promised that it was going to be moved to the Rock Creek Park page.

And it was eventually posted this information on the Rock Creek Park page under both “management docs” and the “news” link on the right side of the Web site -- although I did not find it under news, but it is difficult to find on the management document page because they are not really dates so it is difficult to tell what is the most recent item. Instead, I'd recommend just going to this site and selecting the Rock Creek plans.

So it is be up there, but it isn't really easy for Joe Citizen to find.

Again, I want to stress that I understand how difficult this is. It is difficult for us! Most people think you just post the link, but if it is much more complex… not the least of which is making it available in a place that people can find it. But posting information online should be one of the most natural ways of getting information out to the public -- lest we may part of most agency missions?

I would expect that in most government organizations, posting this kind of information is a add on duty – ‘other duties as assigned.’ Therefore it is decentralized, yet is centralized to ensure a common look and feel. And when things are posted, do they go at the decentralized sites, such as the individual parks, or a central Web page that lists all management changes?

It isn’t necessarily easy.

Why am I a recovering Catholic?

Even beyond the fact that I am gay and the Pope ain't to fond of The Gay... there was this story:

Pope Criticizes Harry Potter [London Times, 7.13.2005]
Pope Benedict XVI has condemned the Harry Potter books as "subtle seductions," capable of corrupting young Christians, in two letters which have now been published online.

And apparently the Church isn't a big fan of the DaVinci Code either.

All of this, of course, comes after the church is reexaming its postion on evolution, of all things.

Somehow I'm become more and more anti-religion these days, and the amazing thing is that it isn't my fault!

Anti-gay (marriage?)...

The NYT Magazine Sunday featured a cover story on... well, not gay marriage, exactly... more about gayness itself.

What's Their Real Problem With Gay Marriage? (It's the Gay Part) [NYT Magazine, 6.19.2005, registration require]
Maryland's anti-gay-marriage crusaders share this with organizers nationwide: They say they are fighting a disease.

The story is depressing beyond the fact that these are people who can see me... or my friends... as morally repugnant. To be honest, I don't have a problem with that. But what truly scares me is that they aren't comfortable having their own views. They need to impose their views on others. And because their views are ordained by God, there is no room for discussion or debate. Their arguments are, of course, intellectually empty because it largely rests on the blind belief that the Bible says homosexuality is immoral therefore it is wrong. And because being gay is wrong, it can't be associated with racism or other cases of discrimination.

What I find truly curious is that we are stuck in the Middle East as part of an effort to bring about a democracy and free people from dictators and radical religious fanatics. Yet at home, we are turning our country over to religious fanatics. A case in point: Terri Schiavo.

It is curious that these people think that their beliefs are under attack. In fact, this quote just cracked me up:

Bryan Simonaire added: ''We have to recognize that they have a strategy to propagate their lifestyle. Think back 10 or 20 years ago, when you had the first openly homosexual person on TV. It was shocking to a lot of people. Now it's the norm on television, so you don't have the shock factor. Then they had two men with a passionate kiss on TV. That's the road they're heading down. They have a strategy.''

It is out there more because we are not staying in the closet any more. Many of us are proud of our lives. Are we perfect? Of course not. But is any group? Is anybody?

''My concern is the health issue,'' said Evalena Gray, an activist in southern Maryland. ''I want to get these people away from AIDS, out of that unhealthy lifestyle.''

Unfortunately I feel sorry for her kids because she is raising them in a culture of hatred.

I don't care about anybodies beliefs. People can believe whatever they want as long as they don't impose their beliefs on me. And I'm sorry but if find Will & Grace or Queer As Folk repugnant, don't watch! I don't have a problem with that. But about 10 million people watch Will & Grace. (I'm not one of them because I found the stories getting tedious and boring.)

Unfortunately I'm not sure how we live in a free and open democracy if there are all sorts of issues where a large group of people merely opt out and feel it is within reason to obliterate others rights.

Anti-gays argue that it is not nature, but it is a 'lifestyle.'

Indeed, a constant refrain among the anti-gay-marriage forces is that they are motivated not by hate but by love. Most of the activists I spoke with say that they know gay people -- several said they have relatives who are gay -- and that they have approached them, with love, to try to get them to change. Rick Bowers, a pastor of a nondenominational church in Columbia, Md., is the head of Defend Maryland Marriage, another activist group, which works with Focus on the Family. ''There are those extremists who say that if a gay person were on fire you would burn in hell if you spit on them to put out the fire,'' he told me. ''But we're not like that. We love the human being. It's the lifestyle we disagree with.''

''Lifestyle'' is a buzzword in conservative Christian circles. It's a signal of the belief, and the policy position, that homosexuality is not an innate condition but a hedonistic way of living, one devoted to partying, drugs and wanton sex that ends, often, in illness and early death. In 2004 the Family Research Council put out a book called ''Getting It Straight: What the Research Shows About Homosexuality,'' which purports to explode the myth that homosexuality is natural or genetic and puts forth an alternative theory that it springs from childhood abuse or other developmental factors. Chapter 4, ''Is Homosexuality a Health Risk?'' lines up studies and statistics to link homosexuality with cancer, alcoholism, mental illness, suicide and reduced life span, in addition to H.I.V./AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. The activists opposing gay marriage echo these points. ''My concern is the health issue,'' said Evalena Gray, an activist in southern Maryland. ''I want to get these people away from AIDS, out of that unhealthy lifestyle.''

I have argued with gay friends that being gay is -- or can be -- a choice. I lived a 'straight' life for a long time. After all, I didn't come out until I was in my mid-20s. But I was miserable and it had long-term ramifications on my life that I'm still dealing with these days.

Nature or nurture -- who cares? So you don't agree with the 'lifestyle.' So... don't get into a gay relationship. Don't watch television shows. Even don't associate with gay people, if you want. But why is there the need to impose your views on others? And we aren't talking about sex with children... and we aren't talking about sex with animals... We are talking about two people who have entered into a mutual relationship with one another... and I'm not sure why these folks care what I do with my life. They are afraid of what it will do to the institution of marriage? Well, straight people have made a pretty good mess of it on their own, thank you very much.

DMV and I are going to have a commitment ceremony next year and it is not meant to be a political statement, but one person noted that merely by its nature, it is making a political statement. DMV and I love one another and we are inviting our friends to support our commitment to one another -- through thick and thin, richer and poorer, sickness and in health. And we all know that kind of commitment isn't always easy, but I truly believe that love breads more love.

A long post, but this is an issue that touches on so many issues.

I'm sure I'll return to it. Meanwhile, I'm off to dinner.

A fond final Cherwell

A fond final Cherwell… Giving credit where credit is due, the wonderful headline comes from CherWorld.com, but it captures our weekend to SoCal.

We took the traveling typepad to Hollywood this weekend to see the final final for Cher’s Living Proof Farewell Tour 2005. Cher had come through Washington three times. I missed her the first time, so on the second round, DMV got me tickets for my birthday. (I discovered this weekend that he didn’t actually buy the tickets on eBay until days before that concert.) Cher came through DC for a third pass, but we had plans and so we missed that one. But then Cher announced that she was going to shut down this tour, which she says will be her last. And if one was going to do a final concert, it would seem that the stars are aligned correctly. She show was 40 years almost to the day after Cher performed her first concert with Sonny -- also at the Hollywood Bowl. So when Cher made the announcement, I quickly called my father. He is a Bowl season ticket holder, so I thought he might have some pull. And he did. We had great seats about 15 rows back. I’ll post the poor camera phone photos when I figure out how to transfer them over.

But I’m getting ahead of the story.

I flew out Friday – DMV had gone out earlier in the week for business. On Saturday, we did the perquisite tour of my father’s apartment building. He’s so cute because he is so proud of the building and the facility. And you have to give him credit – they are really nice! If I had to live in an apartment, it’s a nice place to live.

Given that we were in my old neighborhood, I called my best friend’s parents to see if we could do a pop-in. When we did, they had a neighbor over who said his friends tried to see Cher Friday – the next-to-the-last-show – and he said that they were stymied by gridlocked traffic. I panicked because I know what a horrible frustrating feeling that is. Years ago, I tried to go see Fleetwood Mac’s first reunion tour at the Nissan Pavilion and ended up spending more than two hours sitting in traffic, a trip that shouldn’t take more than an hour tops. Needless to say, I have never been back to Nissan. But I wasn’t going to let traffic interfere with our Cher-ebration!

We decided that we would have dinner in Hollywood and walk to the Bowl. (I generally prefer the low stress route. I’d rather get to the airport an hour early rather than having all the stress of rushing. DMV does not share that opinion, unfortunately, and it has led to some of our biggest fights.) We made reservations at the Hotel Roosevelt, a wonderfully remodeled hotel on Hollywood Boulevard across from the famous Chinese Theater – yes, the same Chinese theater where people are lined up to see the final Star Wars movie although the movie is not going to be showing at the Chinese Theater. We had a wonderful dinner at Theodore’s and then made on the 20-minute hike up the hill to the Bowl. And traffic wasn’t all that bad. I mean, it wasn’t free flowing, but it wasn’t gridlocked. So we make the 20-minute walk, there were people dressed up as Cher – of course. As we approach the Bowl enterance, there were religious fanatics out front with anti-gay messages. “Gays are sodomites,” one said, which is difficult to argue with. Most gays are, in fact, sodomites. Of course, not all sodomites are gay, but… From the look on the faces of most of these people, they could have used a little sodomy. Another sign said, “Gays like fecies – ‘skat’” Ah yes, I can’t get enough – sh*t pancakes for breakfast, sh*t, tomato and mozzarella for lunch, and sh*t soup for dinner… I always wonder what these people really hope to accomplish. Does anybody – let alone anybody at a Cher concert – walk away saying, “You know, those gays… they DO like skat.”

Of course, the concert crowd seemed like there was a direct bus line from West Hollywood to the Bowl. There was a high gay quotient – no shock there.

As I said, we had great seats. We did not realize that there was going to be an opening act – the “official” Village People, no less. They were actually much better than I expected. The biker boy – well, not really a “boy” anymore, but...  – is still in great shape. And they seemed really thrilled to be there. They finished up their show and had not sung YMCA, so you just know there is another song coming, right? There was.

And then – Cher!

The 57-year-old diva (she turns 58 on May 20) is just fabulous. (She only ranks second to Tina Turner in terms of putting on a great show… and that’s saying a lot!) I have now listened to and seen this show numerous times. She starts off lowering from the ceiling on a chandelier singing U2’s “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” and then quickly launches into her own stuff. The order of this show was different then both the televised version and the version we saw in DC, but the heart of them are there. Actually this show seemed to be considerably longer – about two hours. She does a great job using video clips, which allows her costume changes, which are numerous. She only does “I got you babe” using the video, including clips from her famous appearance on Letterman’s old NBC Late Night program, where she appeared with Sonny. Her first monologue is also different from the broadcast version. In the recorded version, she says that she wanted to make the show fabulous because there are all these young girls coming to take… “well they’re not going to take my place, but they are going to take somebody’s place.” She said that one of those girls – “I’m not going to say which one, but she has a very big butt!” – complained about being called a whore. I’m just joking, she said. But she said she has a motive for making the show so fabulous. She wanted to say to those girls, “Follow this, you bitches.” And, in fact, at the conclusion of the show, she did say it – in fireworks on top of the Bowl at the conclusion of the program!

She said that this would be the end of her 325 day tour and she said that she would not do another final tour like so many other artists. "This is the last time - 'cause I'm approaching 80." She suggested if she did, she would be riding a rhinestone-encrusted Liberty Scooter.

The show was everything we could have hoped for. The great thing about Cher is that she is a performer. She has that Tina Turner quality where she just goes out there and puts out 100 percent. In one of the video montages, she says that she has never been liked by singers and that she has never really been liked by actors… but she does her thing! And she sure did it well!

Two celeberity sightings... "Jo" from the "Facts of Life"... and Michelle Lee from Knots Landing "fame"

Then on Sunday, a baseball game – yes, me! – in my father’s fabulous Dodgers seats that are about four rows back from home plate. (A friend commented, "Only the two of you can do those two events in one weekend!") Now THAT’s the way to see a baseball game! Then dinner with my cousin and a viewing of “The Witches of Eastwick,” of course.

So… a huge thanks to my father and step-mother for getting the tickets and hosting us for the weekend! We had a great time!

Tough week for the Daisy

I mentioned yesterday that this has been a long week. When I thought about it, it has been a long month. First, our dear friend MJ's mother passed away. Then my sister had some issues, which I will not share with the entire world other than to say that it was stressful. This week, it was my sweet dog Daisy the Beagle's turn in the pressure cooker.

Daisy has always been a heavy water drinker, but it was getting to the point that she was drinking non-stop and therefore peeing non-stop. My initial fear was that she was suffering from kidney failure because the girl's kidney's already don't work 100 percent. And I was terrified because there isn't much you can do with kidney failure. So it was actually a relief when the vet told us that Daisy is a diabetic.

What it means is that we have to give her insulin shots every morning. That means she has to eat something every morning -- one feeding is no longer good enough.

My first experiences with the shots are heartening -- it isn't as awful as I had envisioned. It does make things complex. When we travel, we will have to take the insulin with us, but it needs to be kept cold... It is complicated, but Daisy is certainly worth it.

It has been a stressful few weeks. I don't think we are all that disappointed to say good-bye to April and welcome May.

DMV and I will celebrate the end of the month in glorious style -- at the final final Cher concert at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend. It is the "farewell" tour that has been traveling around the country for years, but she says that this is the final final farewell. It could actually be given that the timing is just about 40 years after her first concert with Sonny. Regardless, it's Cher!

I'll report back, of course.

When bad things happen...

Unfortunately one of our dear friend's mother passed away over the weekend. MJ is one of those super-fabulous people who is so fantastic, you feel too blessed to have her in your life. She is just filled with so much love and life and somehow manages to do everything she wants to do -- perhaps using my mother's time management rule: "I have the same number of hours in my day as Leonardo da Vinci."

MJ is very close to her family and she tends to be somewhat private. She only spoke about her mother's illness with me a few times. Unfortunately they discovered her mother had brain cancer -- and it was already somewhat far along. Ironically, they managed to get the brain cancer under control, but it was the other cancers that got her.

The entire situation leaves one feeling so helpless. MJ has done so much for us, but I feel as if there is almost nothing I can do for her.

So I will make a contribution to her mother's favorite cause... and send my thought and prayers.

May peace be with you, MJ.

Dead Pope

I'm having a Reagan moment. No, it is not as if I wished the Pope dead -- well, actually I may have wished him dead once or twice, but those aside... Does the death of anybody really justify this much coverage?
I'm going back to my little corner of the world.

How many hours in a day?

My mother was in town this weekend, who I very affectionately refer to as Hurricane Patty because of the amount of energy she has. And let the weekend's events serve as proof:

Friday: Arrive at CJD's office at about 4p. Leave at about 6p to see DMV pick up his new car -- a Lexus GS -- and then dinner at Palena in Cleveland Park. The evening ended up being a tad bit later than expected because it took longer to get seated then we had hoped and then the food took some time. Still, it is a great place to eat.

Saturday: Walk the dogs, go to the gym where I do my super-fab aerobics class and PAM did a yoga class... Come back to get cleaned-up and then off to see a preview of the  Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. (A special thanks to CH for the tickets... Here is the review of the exhibit in the WP and in the DC Examiner.)... Then off to the National Museum of the American Indian on the other side of the Mall... Then off to see Mickey in DC... Home for a quick rest before dinner at the Mendocino Grill in Georgetown.

Sunday: Somewhat quiet morning with the Sunday NYT and Meet the Press, of course... Then off to tour a local house that is for sale... and off to the Phillips Collection to see their amazing exhibit of Amedeo Modigliani... Then back home for a tea party at the neighbors -- nothing quite like getting drunk at a tea party -- and finish up with dinner for nine.

I dropped her off at Dulles International Airport this morning.

My mother is a incredibly fascinating person because she has just so many interests. I'm trying to think if there has ever said that there is something she would not be up for doing, save watching some television program. She just pretty much loves it all. And she is in great shape. She bikes, yogas, runs, reads, writes, sketches, travels... and therefore she is always filled with interesting stories. And she is one of those people who doesn't ever say, "I wish I had time for..." She always says that she has the same amount of time as Albert Einstein, so it is just a question about how you use that time. So it was fun to have her in town for the weekend. But... whew! I'm glad we are getting some vaca next week.

And now, back to work!
This weekend, I get to go to Alexandria, La. Yes, really! DMV's sister lives there -- in fact, she has lived there for two years now and she repeatedly asks us why we don't visit. Um, what? (I figure they are getting the burning crosses ready for our arrival!) All of DMV's family will be there for the christening of their third child. It should be an interesting weekend.