Friday, January 31, 2020

I Didn't Say It ...


Alan Dershowitz, law “professor” and member of _____’s impeachment defense team, speaking of _____ and of The Clinton Foundation in 2016:

“When you compare that to what _____ has done with _____ University, with so many other things, I think there’s no comparison between who has engaged in more corruption and who is more likely to continue that if elected President of the United States. So I think what we’re doing is we’re comparing, we’re saying, look, neither candidate is anywhere close to perfect, let’s vote for the less bad candidate.”

And yet in 2020 Dershowitz is saying the opposite.
Why? Coins and media coverage. That’s what Dershowitz craves. Coins and media coverage.
Bowen Yang, SNL cast member, on being a survivor of gay conversion therapy and his relationship with his parents today:

“The first few sessions were talk therapy, which I liked, and then it veers off into this place of, ‘Let’s go through a sensory description of how you were feeling when you’ve been attracted to men.’ And then the counselor would go through the circular reasoning thing of, ‘Well, weren’t you feeling uncomfortable a little bit when you saw that boy you liked?’ And I was like, ‘Not really.’ He goes, ‘How did your chest feel?’ And I was like, ‘Maybe I was slouching a little bit.’ And he goes, ‘See? That all stems from shame.’ It was just crazy. Explain the gay away with pseudoscience. I had this second coming out [to my parents] while I was in college and went through this whole flare-up again with them, where they couldn’t accept it. And then eventually, I just got to this place of standing firm and being like, ‘This is sort of a fixed point, you guys. I can’t really do anything about this. So either you meet me here or you don’t meet me.’”

It pains me to see parents put their children through this therapy torture rather than just loving them and understanding them and accepting them.
It’s the parents who need therapy, not the LGBTQ+ kids.
Ron Reagan, son of President Ronald Reagan, on what his father would think of _____:

“My father would—although he might not use words like this because he was a fairly genteel person—my father would pinch _____’s empty head off and shit down his flabby neck. My father would have been ashamed of this Republican Party. He would have been embarrassed and ashamed that a president of the United States was as incompetent and traitorous as the man occupying the White House now. He’s a disgrace to the office of the presidency.”

He’s not the only one embarrassed by the GOP; they’ll be embarrassed themselves when the populace turns on them; embarrassed they aided and abetted a traitor.
Robert De Niro, accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2020 SAG Awards:

"I can imagine some of you saying, 'Alright, OK, stay out of politics,' but we're in such a dire situation, so deeply concerning to me and to so many others, I have to say something. And I thought I said it pretty well to Variety the other day, so I'm going to quote myself. There's right and there's wrong, and there's common sense, and there's abuse of power, and as a citizen I have as much right as anybody, an actor, an athlete, a musician, or anybody else to voice my opinion."

Citizens have the right to speak up, and if your job, your position, affords you a larger stage from which to speak, so be it.
Pink, singer, in a letter to herself about aging:

“Dear Me, you’re getting older. I see lines. Especially when you smile. Your nose is getting bigger. You look(and feel) weird as you get used to this new reality. But your nose looks like your kids, and your face wrinkles where you laugh. And yeah you idiot … [you] smoked … Continued note to self: Every once in a while you consider altering your face, and then you watch a show where you want to see what the person is feeling … and their face doesn’t move. I’m cannot get behind it. I just can’t. I want my children to know what I look like when I’m angry. I’m fortunate because I’ve never really depended on my looks. I’ve decided that my talent and my individuality is far more important than my face. So get on board cause I am about to AGE THE OL FASHIONED WAY (in a tutu ruling shit at 30 mph 100 ft in the air over 40) yasssssssss!”

That’s a message a lot of people, women and med, need to hear.
Pink rocks.

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Bobservations

Last week _____ unveiled the new logo for the “Space Force”, the recently formed sixth branch of the Armed Forces; the Draft Dodger said:
“After consultation with our Great Military Leaders, designers, and others, I am pleased to present the new logo for the United States Space Force, the Sixth Branch of our Magnificent Military!”
Many people noticed that the Space Force logo looks very similar to that of Star Trek’s Starfleet Command but … one person pointed out that the Starfleet logo is actually based on the Space Force logo because Starfleet won’t be founded until 2130.

Think on that.
In another case of this country becoming the land of hate of poor people, poor people of color, last week SCOTUS gave the go-ahead for one of _____’s hardline immigration policies.

Now this country—whose Statue of Liberty says, “Give me your tired, your poor …”—will now implement a rule denying legal permanent residency to certain immigrants—the brown ones, I’m guessing—that are deemed likely to require government assistance in the future.

Only the wealthy need come in. America, as we knew it, as it has been for over two hundred years, is over.
If you need me, I’ll be in California, snorkeling …

Last week, at the Rodney Strong vineyards in Sonoma County, a “blending tank door”  popped open and spilled :::gasp::: 97,112 gallons of red wine spilled into the nearby Russian River.

I’ll be gone all week until that spill is completely cleaned up!
Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe have been reprimanded by Tennis Australian after staging an on-court protest at the Australian Open calling for the Margaret Court Arena to be renamed.

The tennis legends strode across the court this week carrying a banner bearing the words 'Evonne Goolagong Arena', in recognition of the Australian ex-player. The pair want the arena’s named changed because Margaret Court, while a legend, is also virulently anti-LGBTQ+.

Navratilova and McEnroe's protest came one day after Tennis Australia commemorated the 50th anniversary of Court's calendar Grand Slam.

But she was a hate-filled bigot then, and remains so today. It’s time her name was scrubbed from the arena.
Just this week, at a rally in New Jersey, _____crowed:
“The money is won. And we are now building that beautiful wall. This powerful border wall is going up at record speed, and we just reached over 100 miles of wall. And next year we’ll be over 400 miles. And shortly thereafter it will be complete.”
Mere hours later a section of that powerful wall—not a new section but a replacement section—fell over in 37 mph winds; trees next to the wall have kept it from falling over entirely.

It’s like the wall is as flimsy as _____’s impeachment defense.
Demi Lovato released the song Sober in June 2018, and in it, she admitted to tumbling off the wagon after six years of sobriety. One month later, Demi overdosed. Demi spent some time getting treatment in rehab, and since she’s gotten out, she’s laid low career-wise.

But at last week’s Grammys she gave the performance of the night with a song called Anyone that she wrote just four days before that overdose. It’s painful, and yet the message should be heard.
“Anyone, please send me anyone
Lord, is there anyone? I need someone
Anyone, please send me anyone
Lord, is there anyone? I need someone.”
Listen.
Hot male model Taylor Phillips. Dressed or undressed. Jeans or long johns.


Undressed, I think.


And limber.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Architecture Wednesday: Bellbrid Retreat


Bellbird Retreat is a weekend escape to a stunning Australian bushland reserve and encourages a dialogue between the man-made and the natural environments. And sustainability in a climatically extreme environment was Job One, from rainwater and electricity harvesting to passive design measures utilizing the building's mass and orientation to create year-round thermal comfort.

In addition, with the site susceptible to bushfires—and we’ve seen those in the past month—a fire-resistant steel roof design eliminated combustible timber rafters and still created a single span structure with unsupported cantilevered eaves.  

Those eaves allow the winter sun to penetrate the home, reserving heat in the concrete slab to make nights warm and enjoyable, while in summer, the eaves limit the sun’s rays from heating the slab and open window walls allow breezes to cool of the slab’s mass.

Bellbird Retreat does appear fortress-like with the pleated steel roof crowning three pivoting brick blades that shelter the building from wind, sun, and fire. The building is practically carved into the landscape, positioned to maximize the surroundings for recreational use; in addition, the sliding corner peel back and that concrete floor slab cantilevers out from the home to provide an impromptu seating while discouraging wildlife from accessing the interior spaces.

Past a welcoming bench and covered entry, the modest open-plan interior expands to a breathtaking view beyond.  In the bedrooms, however, windows are smaller, though strategically placed toward ‘morning’ views, while the living spaces capturing ‘evening’ views through walls of glass. The interior is simple, restrained and minimal, a  perfect counterpoint to the beauty of the natural landscape.

It’s small, rustic, rural, modern, sustainable, fireproof, and, for Carlos, snake and critter proof.

I’d say it’s darn near perfect.


click to emBIGGERate ...



The Library Should Stay Open!


On  March 7th, if you’ve got nothing to do around noon, why dontcha head on out to Missouri’s state capitol building and join a bunch of drag queens in protesting GOP state Representative Ben Baker’s proposed legislation to jail librarians who host the very popular Drag Queen Story Hour. Oh, and the librarians could also be imprisoned … imprisoned … if they allow young people to check out books on LGBTQ topics.

Seriously.

Luckily, as evidenced at Stonewall, Drag Queens do not back down from bullies, and are taking to Facebook to rally the troops and their allies to the protest:
“Queens, Kings & everything in between! It’s time we stand together at the Missouri State Capitol! Even if you don’t do drag, but support drag queen storytime—come support and rally with us! We will be heading to Jefferson City, MO in full drag to show senators & legislators that we aren’t the monsters here. That all we are doing is providing a space for learning and getting kids excited about reading. Knowledge is power!”
Baker denies that his legislation would ban LGBTQ+ books, but it does seek to move those kinds of book to a “restricted” area of the library; but Ben’s real target is the Drag Queens … reading stories to children:
“The main thing is, I want to be able to take my kids to a library and make sure they’re in a safe environment, and that they’re not gonna be exposed to something that is objectionable material. Unfortunately, there are some libraries in the state of Missouri that have done this. And that’s a problem. In some places … they’ve had these drag queen story hours and that’s something that I take objection to and I think a lot of parents do. That’s where in a public space, our kids could be exposed to something that’s age-inappropriate. That’s what I’m trying to tackle.”
Hey Ben? Quick. Tell me the last time you took your children to a library. Hell, tell me the first time you did it. And what is it about Drag Queens that isn’t “safe”? The big hair? The size twelve heels? The joy a Drag Queen brings? The fact that a group of people want to read to children?

It all sounds horrifying.

But, Ben, you relic of hate who clearly has nothing better to do to help the people of your state than prevent people from reading To children in a library, if you, or any of your followers, don’t want Drag Queens reading to your children, don’t take them.

It’s that simple.

If you're looking for a Drag Queen Story Time, head to their Facebook page HERE for information.

Monday, January 27, 2020

PR 18 Ep 7: ♪ ♫ Some Day Your Prints Will Come ♫ ♪


This week is like any week at the penthouse. Sergio’s being misunderstood; Brittany’s in front of a mirror; Victoria loves being a top. But wait; a message has arrived “suddenly” and “without warning.” The designtestants are ordered to the basement of Bergdorf Goodman to meet surprise guests. I’m all a’tingle.

Once there, they discover Christian Siriano, fabulous pop artist and bigger-then-life personality, Ashley Longshore, and fashion director for Bergdorf Goodman, Linda Fargo. I have no idea why Fargo is there—the competition has nothing to do with Bergdorf’s; maybe since it was early morning, she was the only one with a key to the basement?

But here’s the challenge … each designtestants will choose an Ashley Longshore print to incorporate into a high-fashion look. And because the prints are big and bold and brassy, like Ashley, this is a two-day … with a quick trip to Mood for supplemental fabrics. As last week’s winner, Chelsey picks her print first and then chooses who picks second, and they pick the next designtestant and so on. The last chosen is Sergio, and Delvin, who stepped up the personality this week—perhaps to match the vibrant fabric—threw the first shade:
“Sergio gets chosen last, and I don’t think it needs to be explained.”
It does not, Delvin, so let’s rip …
SAFES
left to right
CHELSEY stepped out of the Big Pant Box and created a rather nicely tailored, slightly asymmetrical suit. It was nice and Safe.

GEOFFREY picked the Nipple Print and made a Puffy Dress; it was kind of a punk play on Baby Doll.

SERGIO created a butterfly dress under a cocoon coat; to show what transgender Americans go through when they go outside in a cocoon coat and butterfly dress. Being safe, we didn’t have to hear him explain it to the judges.
TOPS AND BOTTOMS
DAYOUNG
At BG she picked what I thought was a safe print; but she picked it because it seemed traditional far away, but up close it was not; we never really learned what it was though, so I’m sticking to her explanation.

During her meeting with Ashley, Dayoung explains her backwards mullet coat design—the party is up front y’all—and Ashley dubs it “badass” and “chic.” Maybe Dayoung will win this week, or maybe …

Day Two she wakes up feeling cold and out of sorts—like a well or a fountain she told the EMTs—and she struggles. It may be nerves, and the balls to the wall challenges, but it also may be that Dayoung doesn’t really seem to eat much. Still, she soldiers on, and when she shows the look to Christian, his one critique is that since she shows a lot of coats, make this a standout with an exaggerated sleeve.

Dayoung’s energy is completely depleted and again she is struggling. Victoria, who finished early because she’s a winner, helps Dayoung get a finished look for the runway.

WHAT SHE SAID
I feel really happy…I have a lot of ideas.

WHAT I SAID
I do love her Asian aesthetic, and love that the coat is in a sold purple to break up the print.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Nina loved the look, and loves the silhouette, and how it worked with the print; she called it minimal but modern. Karlie appreciated the more-is-more approach with the details of bowties and pops of green in the cuffs, but Brandon thinks the bowtie is too much and that the dress under the coat was really an afterthought. Ashley loved the way the solid fabric of the coat played off the print and loved the movement of the look.

MARQUISE
God, Marquise is a handsome man; and when the designtestants, as they are apt to do, did a runway walk contest between themselves, his was fierce and touch and masculine and got my motor running. But then why did he pick such a drab print in that sea of over-the-top color? And why, once again, was he going to make a bomber coat? And why, when he was doing pull-ups in the penthouse, did he leave his shirt on?

He first chose some gun-metal gray sequined fabric to pair with his print, but then felt it didn’t and switched it up to a skirt …in.the.same.print. …and a white top with bejeweled Ashley Longshore bees [wasps] pinned to it.

Christian is not happy because the shirt fabric has no stretch and self-taught Marquis is having trouble with the darts to make the top sit right on his model.

Marquise tells her not to open the coat too much so the judges can’t see the top, and I shout at the TV:
“Marquise! The judges are gonna ask the model to take off her coat! And I’m gonna ask you, again, to take off your shirt.”
Nobody listens.

WHAT HE SAID
I’m feeling pretty nervous about the fit of the darts.

WHAT I SAID
It’s the print, y’all. I get it that they are killer birds, but it reads drab …oversized drab.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Nina doesn’t see Marquise in the design because Ashley’s print is all there is; she calls the coat a “heavy tent,” and wants the model to take it off. Damn you, Nina, and your perfect eye. Brandon thinks “the darting is unfortunate. When Elaine suggests Marquise “wasn’t that bad” Brandon offers her his glasses. Ashley thought it was cute, but nothing like the original idea. Karlie liked the bees ... wasps.

VICTORIA
She hates prints. We know this because she said it 4,000 times during the show, even telling the print designer, Ashley Longshore, that she hated prints and flowers … while choosing a flowered print.

At Mood, Victoria hides from Christian because she hates her print and doesn’t want him to see what else she’s buying. The idea she presented to Ashley was a very oversized cargo pant in the print; Ashley loves the structure of the look but wonders why the whole top is white. Uh … because Victoria hates prints.

Christian thinks Victoria needs to incorporate the print more into her piece, and even shows her some cools ways to do so, but she still whines about prints and about how she’s always in the top. He walks away muttering:
“I don’t know what we accomplished, but good luck.”
Victoria gave up on this challenge in the basement at Bergdorf’s. And as she fits her model and slinks a length of what appears to be bicycle chain around the waist, Christian is even more worried. With good reason.

WHAT SHE SAID
I’m trying to look calm, but I know I didn’t do enough to succeed.

WHAT I SAID
It’s the same top every week, but this she paired with pants! In a print!

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Brandon asks if she finished early, and she says, ‘Yes.’ He then adds, ‘You thought you were done?’ And he finishes her off with, “You can really, really kill it with the hardware, or you can kill it with the hardware.” Karlie then drops the bomb—“You’re in the bottom”—and questions the use of so much white. Ashley thinks it’s cool, but it’s “not your banger of a thing you have inside of you” and not the pant Victoria showed in her sketch; she thought it was “a bad waitress at a really cheesy restaurant at South Beach.” Nina is “disappointed” because Victoria didn’t even try, and she says she didn’t recognize the look as Victoria’s; Brandon is stunned—“Another bandage cutout top, you didn’t recognize it?” Elaine thought the styling was all over the place with the single weird earring and chain-link belt; she thought this was the worst look; she also pointed out that this was the second week in arrow where Victoria basically ignored the challenge and did what she wanted.

DELVIN
For some reason Delvin picks an exuberant print because it reminds him of his battle with depression. But then he explains to Ashley that it reminds him of all the chaotic thoughts running around in his brain; and that leads him to an oversized—what’s with the oversized theme this week—suit, with a ruffled collar. Ashley is worried that he might be taking too much on.

I’m worried he thinks of ruffles and depression together. And Christian is also worried, because one look at Delvin’s pantsuit, and he gets a “Golden Girls pajamas” vibe. But then he suggests a few tweaks; shorter coat and pant; a little snug tailoring. Bam! It’s still ruffled, but it looks more modern.

On Day Two, while Victoria tells him to add more ruffles, bigger ruffles, because she knows the Top, Chelsey thinks maybe less is better. Delvin, thankfully, listens to Chelsey and the ruffles disappear.

WHAT HE SAID
Asia looks amazing. I did the print justice by letting it shine.

WHAT I SAID
It’s still a lot of print, but it’s actually pretty cool. And there are no ruffles.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Ashley says “I looooooove what you did” with a simple design; it has joy; it sings. And best of all? Delvin smiles. Elaine loved the color and print choice and seeing him happy on the runway. Karlie admired the Delvin Double Lapel™ signature and all the “amazing details.” She says he nailed it. And he smiles. Nina thought the model looks incredible and told him that color and print are his friend. Brandon thinks tailoring is his strongest suit—he could recognize it in a sea of crap—and he should stick to that.

NANCY
Nancy picked a fabric with some “bad” words, er, “naughty” words; but the print also featured a dildo. So, Nancy opts to make a Dildo Pant and an Oversized Coat. She’s also going to add hidden pockets which might be fine but if they’re hidden how do the judges see them?

Her consult with Ashley thankfully put the kibosh on the Dildo Pant—she opts for extra baggy ones—with a reversible oversized coat that Ashley loves. But Christian doesn’t love the coat because of its size; he says it swallows the model. He points out there is a difference between oversized and just plain too big. But Nancy ignores him because she’s fresh from design school and he’s just a little whippersnapper. Or something.

Christian does like the idea of a hidden wine pocket…a hidden cell phone pocket … and a hidden dildo pocket … because, as he and Nancy sing together:
“Every coat needs a dildo pocket.”
WHAT SHE SAID
My look is very bold. It shows no fear.

WHAT I SAID
It also shows no model because it’s all coat and pants.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Ashley loves Nancy’s look, but is the first to point out that it doesn’t fit right. Elaine thinks the model “is getting swallowed up in this fabric.” They all want to see it without the big coat, and then Ashley loves the pants, and says the whole look “became chic as hell.” She then adds that, ahem, “the pants flood my basement.” But she also called it the biggest design fail because of the coat. Nina liked the pant, but when you like one piece of a three-piece ensemble, that’s not high praise.

BRITTANY
I’ll start with this: I don’t care for Brittany. This week, at Mood, while the salesperson is cutting her fabric, she says, “Hurry, hurry, hurry.” As a designer she should learn not to be a bitch to those who cut your fabrics or, you know, two yards is suddenly, inexplicably, one yard. And I also loathe her because, most weeks, she thinks she’s much better than she is, and most weeks she thinks the others are worse.

But this week … She lives for Ashley Longshore, and she lives for the butterfly print she chose. And she knows just what to do; she cut out some of the butterflies and turn them into a 3D effect on her finished look. It’s a great idea, which Christian calls “divine” and yet she turns suck up, because she embroiders some of Ashley’s best hashtags and uses them on the look as well.

Desperate thy name is Brittany.

WHAT SHE SAID
I personally feel like I nailed this challenge.

WHAT I SAID
While I feel like this is a copy of other things she’s done—Asymmetry? Check—I love the 3D butterflies.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Ashley says Brittany celebrated the print and loved The Butterfly Effect—buy it on DVD—while Elaine called it her favorite look of the night. Brandon loves the pleated skirt but thinks chiffon might have moved better. Karlie says this was the most passionate she’s seen Brittany and Nina said, “This is what a successful collaboration looks like.”
All three of the top looks have a champion among the judges, but it boils down to Delvin and Brittany, with Ashley making her vote clear:
“It’s Brittany, bitch!”
As for the losing designer? Personally, I think Victoria should be off because she does the same look week after week, and she doesn’t follow the parameters of the challenge. If not her, then Nancy because that jacket was an oversized joke. But, no; who listens to me.

The judges opt to send Marquise home. And he is gracious in his loss, saying he thought that as a self-taught designer he wouldn’t last past the first week.

I’ll miss him most of all.

After winning, Brittany cheered herself and said she wasn’t going to get cocky; too late, I say. During the show, she told us that she’s always been “extra” and when she isn’t the center of attention, she gets mad; we know, I say.

Delusional Sergio, Part One: after being a Bottom for two weeks—and I think it’s longer—declares that he’s “living his truth” and if no one gets his political deigns then they simply don’t get it. Trouble is, Serg-Ego, it’s not your politics they don’t get, it’s your designs and aesthetic.

Delusional Sergio, Part Two: he says his look is about trans people becoming themselves and being true to themselves, and yet all he did was make a dress under a coat that his model took off. I saw no evidence to a trans struggle in the look. He’s reaching too far.

Delusional Sergio, Part Three: as his look walks, he says, “I really think I should be the winner.” And when he’s marked Safe, he sits backstage dumbfounded. Design yourself a clue, Serg-Ego.

And howsabout Victoria? She doesn’t follow the challenge; everyone tells her she’s not following the challenge. Christian shows her how to follow the challenge. But she knows best until the judges put her on blast for … not following the challenge. And she goes backstage and pouts and whines and plays the victim. I’m over her One Design Pony™ and her ego. She the Moldovan Sergio apparently.

This week I loved Delvin. He wasn’t such an ass; he smiled; he actually laughed a couple of times. And I loved how, when he was helping Chelsey with some boning—mind out of the gutter people, it’s ‘fashion boning’—and Sergio tried to butt it, he ignored him, and in his confessional he said, “Move along.”

LINES OF THE NIGHT
Geoffrey looking at his print:
“These are pancakes?... Are They? …Oh, balloons. Balloons. Balloons. … Are they nipples?”
Why, yes, they are.

Christian, looking at Geoffrey’s dress:
“It kinda looks like an oven mitt.”
And it did.

Christian and Geoffrey, while Geoffrey is getting into his personal runway drag:
“Wow. You’re giving us a look.”
“You know I’m gay, right?”
“You can tell.”
What was it that gave Geoffrey away? The rainbow flag suit?

The Tents? Dayoung is coming on strong though … Brittany looks to be there, though I hope her ego stays home. Geoffrey is still strong, though safe. I’m liking Delvin more, in both designs and personality. Victoria might go if she comes up with a new trick though … Nancy? I don’t think she has an oversized chance in Hell unless she listens to people. Chelsey? Perhaps; she does have the one win. Sergio? I bet he goes because the producers want the drama.

Next week the designers make an editorial look with sheer fabrics.

Next week Dayoung once again sees the medic.

Next week, Victoria stomps off.

What did YOU think?