The Name of Your Band

The Chance to be better...

2009-01-19T13:51:00.004-05:00

It's no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Rachel Maddow. And I take pleasure in the knowledge that others are discovering Maddow's geniusness/fantasticness/adorableness. AfterEllen posted an article about Maddow at the Television Critics Association Winter Tour (she attended last week). She spoke eloquently about a variety of topics, but it was this statement about the Obama Inauguration that brought a tug to my heart.

What this inauguration means is that in front of a White House that was built with slave labor in an inaugural week that starts at the Lincoln Memorial, where the second inaugural address is etched into the wall, which is about our country shedding a drop of blood by the sword for every drop of blood that was drawn by the lash, in this country, we are electing an African-American president.

Certainly Maddow isn't the only person to make this connection - the 1 to 3 million people that are expected to visit DC this Tuesday know it, too. But her ability to wrap it up in a beautiful package is so utterly astute.

Maddow has proven to be a brilliant communicator. She has that rare ability to take book learnin' (Stanford, Rhodes Scholar) and reshape it so that it is accessible to us all.

She has the tenacity of Hillary Clinton, but she dresses like Barack Obama

2008-09-30T14:44:00.004-04:00

I didn't come up with that title myself...it is one of the blurbs on the Rachel Maddow Show (radio version) that they play at the beginning of the hour.

Here is what Rachel said about being out on AfterEllen.com.

“I think the responsibility that we have as gay Americans,” she says, “is to the extent that we can - and we ought to be really ambitious about the extent to which we can - we have to be out.”

“That’s the thing that we owe the people who came before us who are the pioneers, and that’s the thing we owe the next generation of gay people in terms of clearing the way and making life easier for them. I think that there is a moral imperative to be out, and I think that if you’re not out, you have to come to an ethical understanding with yourself why you are not. And it shouldn’t be something that is excused lightly. I don’t think that people should be forced out of the closet, but I think that every gay person, sort of, ought to push themselves in that regard. Because it’s not just you. It’s for the community and it’s for the country.”

Thank you, Rachel. I think you summed it up perfectly!

That explains the hat...

2008-08-26T12:29:00.006-04:00

(Her hat says "Hillary for President", thanks Katie for the picture that I clearly stole)

Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls contributed $1,382 to Hillary Clinton.

Is that a weird amount, or is it just me? I wonder how much she donated to the Pretenders, because she sure gets a lot of mileage out of that shirt.

Chrissie Hynde would have made a nice VP choice...oh well.

Then days so still the beauty gives you pain

2008-08-26T08:37:00.004-04:00

It's time for another "Emily Saliers is a Genius Moment" here at The Name of Your Band...

From what I understand, this song was written by Emily about her late sister. She has an incredible way of expressing loss - what it is like to live without someone, even while the world keeps turning.

She's Saving Me (Indigo Girls)

We were sitting round a dying fire, somebody lit incense
somebody lit a cigarette and passed the bottle around
It was just strawberry season, backbreaking pickers in the patches
everything's burning down to ashes and down to the ground
She's saving me I don't even think she knows it
It's a strange way to show it as distant as last night's dream unravels
She's saving me I'm a very lost soul I was born with a hole in my heart
The size of my land locked travels
I try to put it aside but it's too much bigger than me there's a big brown hawk in the tree
Lighting and leaving
There's tea leaves tossing, heads up pennies in my pocket,
dead star like a rocket, the arc of my grieving
She's saving me I don't even think she knows it
It's a strange way to show it as distant as last night's dream unravels
She's saving me I'm a very lost soul I was born with a hole in my heart
The size of my land locked travels
The sky pours out biblical rain
Then days so still the beauty gives you pain
The heatwave kills the green and she remains unseen
But colors up my dream with all things blooming
This is not all there is it's not a kingdom it's not an angry god
It feels like her
It feels like no fear, it feels like no doubt, it feels like inside out
The ashes stir
She's saving me I don't really think she knows it
It's a strange way to show it as distant as last night's dream unravels
She's saving me I'm a very lost soul
I was born with a hole in my heart as wide as my land locked travels

Maddow Giddiness...

2008-08-25T20:51:00.005-04:00

At this moment my heart is swelling with pride. Rachel Maddow is a rock star.

I just (again) watched Rachel spank Pat Buchanan on national television. I love it when she does that.

Let's talk about how amazing this person is as compared to me. I am almost 32 years old; Rachel is 35. I have $67 in the bank and am unemployed; Rachel is the host of a successful radio show, regularly appears as a political pundit on MSNBC, and was just given her on show on the same network. I'm sitting in a house I don't own playing with cats that aren't mine watching the Democratic Convention on TV; Rachel is part of the political roundtable in Denver AT THE CONVENTION and she was just complimented on her intelligence by Kathleen Sebelius and Tom Brokaw in the span of 30 seconds. I suck.

Seriously though: I'm proud. Proud that a person - a woman - a gay woman, at that, is receiving so much publicity and respect because she is SMART. Not because of her looks or her funniness (although I do think she is both hot and funny), but because she is a Rhodes Scholar and an outstanding politcal commentator. I'm proud because she is an out "mannish woman" lesbian (her words!) and that a representation of me and the people that I care about is finally a part of mainstream television news. Maddow doesn't flaunt her sexuality - it is just a fact, like the air she breathes or the color of her hair.

Thank you, Rachel.

And you could hear the pages flapping in the wind blown book of my days

2008-08-22T14:34:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago my GF and I spent a drunken weekend at the beach in Rehoboth, DE. During a particularly snockered moment, I decided to sing karaoke. There were two Indigo Girls songs in the book to choose from - Fill It Up Again (which I "sang") and (SHOCKING!!!) Closer to Fine. Why FIUA? I don't know...seemed random, but whatev. So, in my inebriated state, as I publicly slaughtered the song that Emily Saliers probably spent months, if not years, crafting, I recall having this thought:

"I had NO idea that these were the words to this song!"

SO! - In honor of Emily and her genius, and because of the fact that I have not given her lyrics the attention that they deserve, I am posting them here. Enjoy.

Won't have you see me as your sad sack Lost my something and I can't get it back
Or a kill on your trophy rack I checked my schedule now my train is rolling down a track
Past the sadness of the salt flats To the prospect of the land fat
Or just a lazy orange house cat On the sofa where I'll be put up
You've been the hole in my sky, my shrinking water supply
Before my well runs dry I'm going round round round the bend
Fill it up again
I'd like to say that it was clear to me Love triangle geometry
But in the end it's still a mystery The placement of affection and the disarray
I gathered up the courage that it took Made that bed and took one last look
And you could hear the pages flapping in the wind blown Book of my days, my days (refrain) One tank gone second thoughts are on my mind
What's this trip gonna cost me this time
The devil I know is starting to look awfully kind
But the new road is an old friend
Fill it up again (refrain montage)

Jennifer is a military wife and a mom...

2008-08-22T11:29:00.005-04:00

I suppose that there are a lot of women out there that consider themselves, first and foremost, a wife and a mother.

On this week's How to Look Good Naked, Carson Kressley will be "making over" a woman named Jennifer that "lived a vivacious and out-going life until post-baby body woes rained on her parade." I will not watch the episode, nor have a ever watched the program (I saw the ad for it while watching reruns of Will and Grace..yeah, I still love that show), but something about this catchy tagline bothers me. TV is notorious for compacting information to 15 second sound bites... but what about Jennifer? This blurb that is supposed to wrap up Jennifer's life in one quick sentence only describes her in relation to others. Why can't the description of Jennifer describe... oh, I dunno...JENNIFER.

"Jennifer is an amateur body builder that has seen the Grateful Dead in concert
25 times and has a regrettable Tweety Bird tattoo on her left ankle."

"Jennifer is an avid model train collector and spends her weekends volunteering
at a homeless shelter."

So why does this bother me. Is it because the media does not do this to men?

On the website for NBC Nightly News, there is a 15 paragraph biography of Brian Williams - here's the last sentence of that bio:

"He and his wife, Jane Stoddard Williams, have two children."

And just to bring it a little closer to home, here's Lifetime TV's description of Carson Kressley:

"Accomplished stylist, breakout television star, equestrian, author and now fashion designer, Carson Kressley is out to make over the world."

Or maybe I'm upset because Lifetime, THE NETWORK FOR WOMEN, easily tosses aside the individuality of a woman in the hopes that portraying her as supportive and submissive somehow makes her more appealing to the masses? Gee, let's take a look at some of Lifetime's programming:

Army Wives
All The Good Ones Are Married
A Mother's Fight for Justice
For My Daughter's Honor
Secrets of an Undercover Wife

Okay, you get the picture.

So how about this:

"Jennifer works hard to raise a happy, well-adjusted child with her military husband."

Bad Blogger

2008-08-21T18:32:00.007-04:00

Okay, I admit it. I've been remiss. I haven't blogged and I'm ashamed. It isn't because I don't have things to say... I'm just lazy. But here I am, unemployed, waiting to start school again... and I'm going to do better. I SWEAR.

Now the problem is, I can't POSSIBLY blog about everything that has had an effect on my life in the last 6 months... and there really has been oh so much. So here is a list of things that I would talk about if I had been blogging all this time.

#1 - Amy Ray's new CD - Didn't It Feel Kinder is a work of art. The more I listen, the more I want to sit down with her and just talk things over. My favorite is "Bus Bus". And the publicity that she is getting is amazing. I get at least 5 google alerts on her a day. If I could say one thing to Amy Ray, it would be this: "Please - in the name of all that is holy - play Washington DC or Baltimore on your promotional tour... I'm dying to see your solo show." So yeah, there you go.

By the way - she looks like my girlfriend in this picture AND I'm not just saying that because I want it to be true - I've heard it said by way too many other people for it not to be true.

#2 - I stumbled onto Rachel Maddow by accident one night. I was skipping through the channels one night, and there she was - sitting in for Keith Olberman. The gay-dar went off of course - even in make-up this girl is obviously a lesbian. So of course, I was mezmerized and made it my goal to learn everything about her that I could. Not two days later (and quite coincidentally) my good friend Katie (a much more superior blogger than myself) posted about Rachel. And now the news has come out (no pun intended) that Rachel is getting her own show on MSNBC. Let me tell you - Rush Limbaugh is thrilled. I would give you the link to his quote, but I don't want to promote his website in ANY WAY...so to save you that agony, I'll just throw it in here

"There's our buddy Dan Abrams, by the way, the last voice you heard there. Again,
he's been replaced by Rachel Maddow, or will be, in early September. He's losing
his show to somebody with more testosterone than he has. It's just a shame."

Ick... I need a shower.

And finally ....

#3 - It is everyone's civic duty to go out and get - AND THEN READ - this book:

Yes, that is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It will change the way that you look at your food forever (but not in that gross way like Skinny Bitch). Think you are being socially responsible by eating tofurky at Thanksgiving? Think again!

More later.

Up on the Watershed

2008-02-06T07:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm going to say it. I think it is slightly sneaky and unoriginal, and well...shitty, that k.d. lang has named her new album Watershed. It's not like Emily Saliers and the Indigo Girls have a copyright on the word, but it just seems wrong that the more commercially successful lang is...yeah, I'll say it... stealing Watershed from Saliers. What's her deal? She can't think of her own cool, at the crossroads of life motto? Seriously, k.d.? Where's your loyalty? And when the songs from this album end up on crappy-ass adult contemporary radio, will it somehow eclipse the original? Well, not in my eyes..but it still seems wrong somehow. It irks me. I'm irked.

I'm worried about Emily Saliers. She's sick, and the Indigo Girls have been canceling concerts left and right. I'm disappointed that I won't be seeing them tonight in Richmond, but mostly I'm just worried about Emily. I think it would be hard to be on the road, never sleeping in your own bed, and miserably sick. [I also have a secret fear that an experience like that will cause her to throw up her hands, say "enough" and walk away from touring...but banish the thought!]. But here's hoping she finally has the time to recover and that the rescheduled Richmond show is on a night when I can go.

I've got your back, Emily.

Indigo Lyrics of the Week (or month, or whatever, I just like this song)

2008-01-11T10:43:00.000-05:00

"And it's alright if you hate that way, hate me cause I'm different, hate me cause I'm gay
Truth of the matter come around one day so it's alright
I look at this lifeline stretched way all across my hand
I look at the burned out empty like a plague across the land
And for everything I learn there are two I don't understand
That's why I'm still on a search through the weather strewn church I'm doing the best
I can and it's alright...

And it's alright though I feel afraid my plans in pieces my plans mislaid
It's the will of the way the will of the way the will of the only way
that could have brought me here today and it's alright."

It's Alright - Emily Saliers

New Years Resolutions...

2008-01-04T18:12:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I've decided to post my resolutions. My strategy for doing this is two-fold: a) If I put them on paper (digitally speaking) then I will own those resolutions for myself - I can't say that I didn't know what I wanted; b) I will have others keeping tabs on me... which just out of pride and stubbornness will hopefully spur me forward towards fulfilling said resolutions. SO - here they are!

Liz's Resolutions for 2008!!

Financial (hey, I didn't say they would all be exciting) -
1) Pay down credit card bills
2) Get my interest rates lowered on my credit cards
3) Look for other ways to build and strenghten my credit
4) Create a savings account and actually put money into it

Health-
1) Stick to a vegetarian diet, including eating VERY little dairy and VERY little sugar
2) Do the Couch-to-5K Running Plan
3) Do strength training 3 times a week
4) By the Fall of 2008 I want to be physically fit enough to join/participate in this group (in particular, I want to learn how to rock climb and I want to do a bike trip and a canoe trip (yeah, I know... that's not that "particular")

Personal-
1) Take more time for reading
2) Learn how to make patterns and sew my own clothes
3) Create a career website for Women in the for-profit and non-profit sectors
4) Blog more (hehe.... *gulp*)
5) Take the time from school and work to attend at least 2(!) Pride Festivals and at least 3 (but hopefully more) Indigo Girls concerts
6) Find some honest-to-goodness friends to be my urban family
7) Find a way to bring the LGBT community in Frederick and surrounding areas together

Professional -
1) Take the job that I have now and try to put some creative spins on it to make it more interesting
2) Figure out what it is that I REALLY want to do for a living and create myself a path to get there

Alright, I've laid it all out there. Any comments or words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

Paula Deen's voice makes me want to vomit....and other ramblings.

2007-12-24T17:21:00.000-05:00

I don't understand the love affair that America has with Paula Deen. Her voice grates on me to the point that I feel nauseated. It's a mix of a headcold, the south, and a purring cat. Ick.
I also hate George W. Bush's voice. Now I realize a great deal of the reason for this dislike could be my utter contempt for everything he believes in, but his accent is so infuriating. We are from the same place (except, of course, he has an Ivy League education and I don't), but my voice is fairly innocuous, with just a hint of an accent when I get mad or get around too many Texans, while he sounds like the guy that works down the street at the gas station.
I love how wine tastes, but it makes my feet feel hot.
Can anyone tell me the difference between Andy Williams and Tony Bennett? Which one sings "Moon River"? I love that song.
If Oprah is going to go all over the country campaigning and may be the only person that could single handedly swing the vote, why doesn't she just run for president herself?
Blue lights are my favorite color for Christmas lights. Even though blue isn't a traditional Christmas color, they still give me the most Christmasy feeling.
I love Alan Alda - I think that the tall and skinny Hawkeye Pierce is still the sexiest man on television.
Come to think of it, I like tall guys in general. CJ from Top Chef was by FAR my favorite chef of the season. Although I really liked Sandee, too - her fauxhawk was adorable.
Girls with fauxhawks are hot.
Girls with guitars and fauxhawks are really hot.

1-2-3-4

2007-12-21T17:14:00.001-05:00

Feist is Numero Cinco (that's 5, people) on PopCandy on USATODAY.com. I have been lovin' this song on the ipod commercials, but I the entire video is the coolest thing since OkGO danced on treadmills. And oh, I wish I looked that good in a blue-sparkle cat suit.

Oh, it's that label discussion again.

2007-12-19T17:51:00.000-05:00

I'd like to begin this post by clarifying that I am NOT an expert when it comes anything. I tend to be humble, I don't ever want people to think that I am full of myself. But I have to admit something, I have a damn good girl-gaydar. I can spot a lez a mile away. It is so finely attuned (and has been throughout my adult years) that for the longest time, I thought other people were just being stupid when they couldn't see that someone was so CLEARLY in the family. I always thought "HOW CAN THEY BE SO BLIND??"

In no way do I condone judging someone by her appearance (that of course is meant as a disclaimer since I am about to discuss how I judge people by their appearances). The clothes someone wears, the way she styles her hair, that is all fluff (but a good indicator to look closer). I see gay - let me rephrase - I see queer ;) in the way a woman walks, or stands, or reacts to a surpise. There is a dash of discomfort (I don't fit into my own body or I feel out of place, like I don't belong) mixed with a subtle hint of "fuck you, I'll be whoever I want to be." YA know what I mean? And of course, there are other little hints - body language and tone of voice that reveal attraction to other women around them. OH, and soooo many lesbians wear man pants...what's with the man pants, ladies???? Okay, sorry, I get upset about the man pants.

I've often wondered how I came to have this amazing power... and it's frustrating because once I spot a live one, I secretly admonish myself for making a judgement from appearance alone. It's a Catch 22 (and perhaps, also, an indicator of some sort of mental disorder, but moving on...)

I have to admit, when I was in the middle of my "Am I really gay" drama, I put a lot of stock in my girl-gaydar, I felt that it was somehow a sign to me that YES! You're GAY (ya know, like only gay people have gayday, so I must be gay...). But to tell you the truth, it isn't clear. I think there are so many people that are...for lack of a better word... fluid. They might live as a straight person, or live as a gay person, or sleep with anyone, regardless of anatomy. And that is FINE with me. So why...WHY... do I insist on putting a label on someone (even if it is just in my head)? Am I just looking for common ground? A possible future date? I don't know, it's tricky.

UPDATE: like right now, there is a lesbian on Jeopardy! She seems like she'd be cool, even if she doesn't know what the largest island in the pacific is.

On my nightstand...

2007-12-18T18:39:00.000-05:00

I just want everyone to understand why I am poor. Here is a list of the books on my nightstand (this list doesn't include the 6 or so magazines that I buy randomly each month).

Head First HTML withh CSS & XHTML by Freeman and Freeman (Guide to programing in HTML)
Sew U by Wendy Mullin (Guide to learning how to sew)
Is it a Date or Just Coffee by Mo Brownsey
Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women [15th Anniversary Edition] by Susan Faludi
Punk Marketing by Richard Laermer and Mark Simmons
Hip: The History by John Leland
Bohemian Paris by Dan Franck
Harvard Business Essentials: Finance for Managers
The HR Scorecard by Becker, Huselhid and Ulrich
Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center by bell hooks
Basic Black by Cathie Black

OH! Plus Double Abduction by Chris Beakey, the new bookclub selection for the gay and lesbian BC that I'm joining in Hagerstown, MD (buy yours here)

Add in some lefty propoganda mags (always BITCH, always Curve) and an some fine art magazines and that's why I can't afford to buy a car, even though my clutch is shot. I'm book poor.

Indigo Girls Lyric of the Week

2007-12-17T01:56:00.000-05:00

I heard that you were drunk and mean down at the dairy queen.

There's just enough of you in me for me to have sympathy.

And take it in stride, I know I had mine.

And you were as kind, I am told.

Ain't it funny how we lose one day and a lifetime slips away.

I'm looking back on us that way, something I never thought I'd say.

~AR

Look Both Ways

2007-12-17T01:09:00.000-05:00

I've just finished (after much distraction, procrastination, and general silliness) Jennifer Baumgardner's most recent book: Look Both Ways - Bisexual Politics. Now - just a little back story on Baumgardner herself and my purchase of the book.

Baumgardner moved into the limelight with her first work Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future (with writing partner Amy Richards). I haven't read it. Her new work, LBW, is an interesting, if not slightly schizophrenic, leap into the bisexual WOMAN's role in the worlds of feminism and lesbianism. She discusses her own life and relationships at length, including a few stories about Amy Ray, one half of the Indigo Girls. Here's the hitch. Contrary to what other's might think, I did not pick up this book and decide to read it because it had anything to do with Amy Ray. In fact, I was driven to put it down for several weeks when Baumgardner began speaking intimately about AR. I just didn't want to know. I've put both Amy Ray and Emily Saliers on pedestals, I didn't want it ruined. I didn't want to know that AR was some sort of butch lesbian Lothario (even though I have heard rumors of it before this book). I didn't want to know that she was sleeping with and loving a droll, blond bisexual. But I eventually recovered and came to peace with trying to understand AR as a person, not just as the musical and political genius that I have pigeon-holed her to be.

But I digress. When I purchased the book, my girlfriend immediately questioned whether I considered myself a bisexual. At this I was highly offended. I've had relationships with men, I identified myself as straight for most of my life, and I was married to a man. But once I came to terms with the gaps in my life - the gay gaps - as I call them, I gratefully and willingly embraced the label of "lesbian." But the truth of the matter is, I still like men. While it is tempting to write off the entire male of the species as misogynistic pigs, lacking sensitivity or intellectual depth, I see examples everyday that prove this untrue. There are men in my life that I laugh with, flirt with, and are attracted to. But that has very little to do with my choice to be a lesbian. Being a lesbian is like being part of the club that I never knew I always wanted to be in. We are funny, we are brash, we are sensitive and honest and passionate and complex. Why wouldn't one want to join? And I have, and it is by choice. That is the sticking point, for myself and for Baumgardner. She seems driven to point out that some choose homosexual relationships, for the sex, for the closeness, for many reasons. But some have no choice. Ironically, some of those with a natural predisposition of homosexual attractions have exluded and belittled those that are predisposed to vacillate between sexualities. Sadly, while the gay community has pushed at length for acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle, it has also bred a reverse bigotry towards those that choose not to commit to a choice.

And while I saw little in the way of politics - and little in the way of a cohesive message (like I have room to talk) - I was moved by the book to give more consideration to bisexuality, lesbian sexuality, and the need for labels in a culture that has worked so dilligently to promote acceptance.

Gobble Gobble

2007-11-21T18:20:00.001-05:00

Howdy Folks! Happy Thanksgiving. First, the Indigo Girls pic of the week:

Yes, I agree...this is a wierd photo. Emily looks like a mom (she always does when they put pink lipstick on her) and you can't even see Amy under that Cuban mafia hat. Not only that, but she looks like she's puttin' the moves on Emily, which is just wierd somehow.

Anyways, on to other things. Per my post yesterday, I have a crush on the girl that plays "Emmy Beever" on Exes and Ohs. Depending on where you look, her name is either Amy E. Thompson or Amy Dudgeon. Did she get married? Oh Amy, don't marry a boy...come on over to the darkside! You won't ever have to worry about living up to patriarchal male stereotypes AGAIN! And, we've got Ellen!

Irregardless, she's a cutie - she's like a younger Emily Saliers with an attitude (please don't take that the wrong way, Emily, I'll always love you best). WAIT....Emmy, Emily! Holy Shit!.... Anyway, here she is introducing fans to the Beever Cafe (hey, I didn't make it up...).

Lesbian Drama... the fictional kind

2007-11-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

I have recently become slightly addicted to The Big Gay Sketch Show on Logo (actually I have downloaded them from itunes.) Please, for the love of all that is holy, you MUST check out this show. My favorite sketches have included a Lesbian version of "Facts of Life" [sidebar: I KNEW that Jo and Blair secretly wanted to get it on!], Lesbian phone sex (the operator teases the caller with "dirty" talk about vegan potlucks and organizing a ralley for greenpeace), and, MY FAV, a hilarious - and oddly honest - skit entitled "Lesbian Speedating." In less than two minutes the ladies fall in love, make-out, get two cats, and break-up. Nice.

One of the stars of the show is the very funny Julie Goldman (here she is doing a "celesbian" interview with the GORGEOUS Alexandra Hedison). I first saw her in the movie Mom at the Reel Awakenings Film Festival in Hagerstown, MD. She looks and acts disturbingly like an old roomate of mine. But that's beside the point. You've just GOT to check it out.

Crush for the day: Amy Dudgeon from Exes and Ohs.. more about this later....

Takin over the world....

2007-11-19T14:02:00.000-05:00

I bring good tidings. There is an out lesbian running for the house seat from the 6th congressional district in Maryland currenly filled by Roscoe Bartlett. Her name is Robin Deibert...here's her official election site: http://www.deibertforcongress.com/

Her platform is what I would expect of a rougue, lesbian candidate - pro gay rights, environmentally minded, against the "war" in Iraq. She stands for a good deal of what I stand for but, sadly I'm sure she has NO CHANCE to win. But I applaud her point of view. It's shocking, brave, and refreshing. Good luck, Robin.

But I'm not sure that I will vote for Robin, and the reason is simple: I believe that there might be another lesbian running for office that I think has a much greater chance of winning. She's certainly managed to piss-off the old boys club. And she was railroaded by the OBC while she was mayor of Frederick. She has made no public statement about her sexuality, and I can respect that, so I will say no more about it now.

Now, here's hoping ONE of these candidates will beat the pants off of Roscoe Bartlett (although I will miss his pontifications on "family-values" and his bad dentures). Bleck.

Lyric- line of the week

2007-11-18T18:20:00.000-05:00

"Don't drink the water

there seems to be something ailing everyone.

I'm gonna clear my head

I'm gonna drink that sun

I'm gonna love you good and strong

While our love is good and young"

Get Out the Map - Indigo Girls

IG Tour Dates....so far

2007-11-16T19:21:00.001-05:00

Alrighty - here is the latest for winter tour dates for the Indigo Girls.

December 2007
17 - Tucson, AZ - Tucson Music Hall/The Mountain's 4th Anniversary Holiday Concert

January 2008
24 - Athens, GA - Classic Center
25 - Tallahassee, FL - Musical Moon
26 - Mobile, AL - Saenger Theatre
27 - Birmingham, AL - Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center
29 - Fayetteville, AR - Walton Arts Center
31 - Memphis, TN - Rose Theater

February 2008
1 - Bloomington, IL - Bloomington Center for Performing Arts
2 - Joliet, IL - Rialto Square Theatre

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will head this way once they're done with the south/midwest.

I don't mean to be selfish, but I NEED to see an Indigo Girls concert and I need to, SOON. I'm spoiled... from July 2006 - August 2007 I saw them 5 times, and never had to drive more than 2 hours to do so. And to tell you the truth, I believe that they OWE ME a concert. Here is why:

I bought every bit of their music on itunes (I could've file shared!)

I paid full price for every concert

I hung out after the concert in Wilmington to meet them

I left a midterm early so I could see the concert at Wolf Trap (I could've failed!...but I didn't)

I have forced my office mate and my girlfriend to listen to them whenever music listening occassions arise

I have an Indigo Girls Google Alert

I bought their "Watershed" video from Amazon

OH, and one fatefull night I actually camped out for 7 hours so that I could stand right in front of the stage for their concert at Rams Head Live!

I realize that there are others that may THINK that they love the girls more. But I can't afford to wing it around the country to see them every month (yeah, you know who you are).

I'm so effin' dedicated... do you hear me, EMILY SALIERS. Alrighty... gotta go hose off. Thanks ya'll.

Hmmm.. Reindeer games?

2007-11-16T19:01:00.000-05:00

According to THE FUTON CRITIC (http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20071114cbs02) this is what will be on CBS on Dec. 4th. Wonder what comes on in the middle?

Tuesday, Dec. 4 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER - The longest running holiday special in television history celebrates its 43rd anniversary in this digitally re-mastered version. Since 1964, millions of families have watched Rudolph and his friends, Hermey the Elf, Yukon Cornelius and the Misfit Toys, save Christmas. The classic "Animagic" special features a world-renowned musical score from Johnny Marks and the voice of legendary performer Burl Ives.
Tuesday, Dec. 4 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) THE VICTORIA'S SECRET FASHION SHOW - The television debut performance of the Spice Girls and performances by Grammy Award-winning recording artists Kanye West and Seal are scheduled to be featured.

A bill banning discrimination against transgender people in Montgomery County is

2007-11-16T08:22:00.000-05:00

All right, hold onto your asses, this one's a doozy! (sorry about the format, it's a little fucked up):

MontCo transgender bill challenged Originally published November 16,
2007 By Sonia
Boin News-Post Staff

A bill banning discrimination against transgender people in Montgomery County is facing a court challenge.
Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays executive director Regina Griggs said her group, along with the Derwood Alliance Church and Women's Christian Temperance Union of Maryland, has asked a public interest law firm to fight the legislation the Montgomery County Council approved unanimously Tuesday.
The bill covers housing, employment, public accommodations, cable television and taxicab service. It says operators of buildings with rest rooms and locker rooms may designate who can use them. And it gives employers the right to require their employees to adhere to reasonable workplace appearance, grooming and dress standards.
Griggs said the bill is flawed.
"Any time politicians write a law that violates the rights of others by forcibly invading their privacy and forcing faith-based organizations and small employers to hire cross-dressers, it's a bad law."
The bill's original sponsor, council member Duchy Trachtenberg, said she's received spiteful messages and threats over the bill.
"The bill is nothing more and nothing less than civil rights legislation. It's unfortunate that such a small group of very vocal citizens has been able to advance their ideologic preference to get national attention."
Trachtenberg said she's not surprised by the court challenge. Some opponents of the bill have suggested she is transgender, she said. "(They) left a message on my home phone asking my husband if he knows my sex."
The three groups filing the lawsuit went to Advocates of Faith and Freedom, a California-based public interest law firm, before the bill was adopted and the firm notified the council the day after the bill passed that it will be challenged in court.
"The bill doesn't make common or legal sense," Robert H. Tyler, the firm's general counsel, said.
"If someone comes into a store and wants to try on a dress, identifying themself as transgender, how does the owner know he's not a predator or a peeping Tom, or someone who will commit rape?" Tyler said. Speaking by phone from his office in California, he said, "People could be held liable because we are offering them privacy."
Tyler said female residents' right to privacy should prohibit males from using restrooms or locker rooms designated for women. "It is ridiculous to place the desires of persons suffering from gender identity disorder in front of the constitutional rights and safety of 99 percent of the residents in Montgomery County."
In an e-mail sent to the council Tuesday, Tyler said the bill's vague language renders it unconstitutional, infringes on the rights of religious organizations regarding whom they may employ, and puts the safety and privacy of citizens at risk by allowing people with a mental disorder to decide which restrooms, locker rooms and other facilities they use.
He told the council that the American Psychiatric Association classifies gender identity disorder as a treatable mental illness.

Wow! I'm very impressed by this hard hitting news article. It really covers all the bases, and gives us the point of view of all sides...NOT.

Seriously though, even though I come from an uber-conservative/neo-nazi area of the country, articles like this still shock the shit outta me. My particularly favorite statement follows:

"If someone comes into a store and wants to try on a dress, identifying
themself as transgender, how does the owner know he's not a predator or a
peeping Tom, or someone who will commit rape?" Tyler said. Speaking by phone
from his office in California, he said, "People could be held liable because we
are offering them privacy."

SO! If I go into a Red-Wing Store and buy the dykiest pair of boots that I can (steal toe, tan leather...) will they refuse to sell them to me because I might be a rapist or a peeping Jane? It goes both ways, people.

But that is beside the point. Even in a fairly enlightened, non-isolated area like Montgomery County - an area that is practically within walking distance of our nation's capital - prejudices like these still exist. And, in true mainstream press media -fashion...the squakers are getting the most ink. Ugh.

OH - here's the link, if you want to see it for yourself. And don't forget to check out the comments left by the enlightened and accepting Frederick News-Post readers.

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display_comments.htm?StoryID=67688#postComments

Have a nice day.

Lisa's dancing makes my feet sad

2007-11-15T19:21:00.000-05:00

I love the Simpsons. Here they are as anime. Damn, those twins are creepy...