Whine & Cheese

Elvis Anniversary

Happy 1st Anniversary to our "baby"... Elvis!

Tomorrow will mark one year to the day when we plucked him from the Arizona Humane Society (like he wouldn't have been adopted!?!). This is one of the first time my blog has helped me to track down an exact date... hmmm, maybe there is something writing down this personal history stuff!

Here are some new pix (from my brand-new Canon digital camera!)... in the upper-right hand corner is a shot of him from his very first day with us:

It is hard to believe that it has ONLY been a year... it seems like we have had him much longer than that. 

In the year, we certainly learned the origin of many feline-related phrases. Cat fight was certainly in evidence upon his arrival... Lola (at the time our 1-year old) cat did not warmly greet the newcomer -- she wailed and screeched and pretty much slapped the crap out him... not pretty, but fortunately that phase didn't last too long at all.

We had difficulty naming him.  "Elvis" was on the radar early, but based on his first day he didn't seem to have the "spirit" of an Elvis... and on top of that we had to deal with an early eye infection that made him look sad... so we initially named him Roger (after tennis player Roger Federer)... but than he showed some spunk... and Todd's sister despised the name Roger due to bad memories of one of her ex-students... so we flipped back to Elvis.  However, he has sort of reverted back...

Our Elvis is more Mr. Costello than Mr. Presley... quite the scaredy cat.  He will run and hide at any noise, certainly will not show his face if we have company over, and even doesn't like it when I walk around with any kind of footwear.  And as you may remember, just a couple of months ago he turned into an absolute terror when I had to take him to the vet... just freaking out... scratching and biting me when I tried to get him into the carrier... so he does not deal with anything that takes him out of his comfort zone (granted this is a cat trait, but he seems to take it to the extreme).

As you can see, he has grown over the past year... just looking at him in the past day or so I even think he had a recent growth spurt.  That said, he was an underweight, ex-foster kitten when we got him... so for a male cat, I still think he is on the small side.  Also, since he probably did not have a momma cat to nurse with, he still does the suckling and kneeding on my shirt and shorts... which gets pretty annoying.  I thought he would get over it, but I am starting to have my doubts.

So Happy 1st anniversary to Elvis... and happy weekend!

An Average Joe "Wins"

Since I ended up blogging about it more than I thought I would, I guess I should do one last entry about Average Joe 4.

The final 2 guys, "average" Nathan and "hunk" Rocky, battled it out to ultimately win Anna's love... well, kind of.  But before she made the big decision, we were treated to more shots of Tahiti/French Polynesian.  Once again, we were able to re-live one of our more memorable moments from our vacation... as Anna and Nathan took a jeep tour through the pineapple plantations of Moorea and enjoyed the views from atop Magic Mountain.  Here are pics, including my very own from atop Magic Mountain:

For much of finale hour we were presented with the positive and negatives about each guy.  Nathan can use words with multiple syllables, but Rocky is really handsome.  Anna's Mom prefers Nathan, but Rocky is so hunky.  Nathan is a really nice guy, but ah the chemistry with Rocky.  Nathan likes independent films too, but I really like making out with Rocky.  Rocky has been unfaithful in the past, but look at him!

So what happens?  Anna tearfully bids goodbye to Rocky on the dock... he goes back to the jeep and cries... not very well I must add... Rock if you wanna be an actor you are going to have to do a much better job than that!   

And finally an Average Joe "wins"... but not exactly a resounding victory... Anna babbles on about her past relationships not working out because she was never "friends first" ... and now she would like to try that out and "get to know" Nathan better.  So not quite a "Take me to bed or lose me forever" moment.

So my conspiracy theory is that the fix was in (I know, this never happens on reality tv!)... which was only further solidified during the final montage where all the guys from all 3 seasons of AJ were thanked for their participation... so, in a not so subtle way, it was NBC's way of saying "we're not doing this show again!"... so let's have the under-dog finally win.

BB6: Kaysar Rolls

Ok, shoot me for the bad pun... but I had to pull it out at some point!

Anyhow a most excellent episode of the Big Brother 6 last night as we watched the 3rd veto comptition of the season and the power in the house get turned every which way.  I have to admit that I am still not loving this cast all that much (I think it is because I am getting older and they are still mostly 20-somethings)... but I have to admit, the show got a whole lot more interesting this week... while alliances have cracked this early in past seasons, this one seemed a lot more dramatic.

As always happens, it was the "counting chickens before they're hatched" scenario as firefighter Eric and his flock of sheep were all sitting pretty this time last week... I really doubted the tide would turn so quickly... but Kaysar with major assistance from Howie and James appear to be on the verge of ousting alpha Eric this week...

As I briefly mentioned yesterday, Kaysar's nominations were pure genius... nominating Maggie (Eric's secret partner) and James... who was smart enough to realize that he needed to change game plans in order to survive. 

The veto competition team selections were inspired... Kaysar going with Howie and more so James going with the "in your face" selection of the much-maligned Janelle.  The pen was taking to wall and the handwriting started when the group of four aimed to knock Maggie and Ivette out of the competition... classic!

But even better was the post-veto competition discussion between Kaysar and Maggie... with Maggie unaware that the "secret" pairs were pretty much exposed.

Maggie: "I didn't expect to be the target of your game this early on."

Kaysar: "You're not the target" 

Maggie whined... "Kaysar, You sealed my fate!"

(Cue dramatic music... well, that's what I would have done if I was a BB editor)

"No. I sealed your partner's fate. I caught the bigger fish," Kaysar calmly replied.

"Amazing, amazing, amazing" Maggie mutters as she walks away.

... and America cackles!  Loved. It.

Now, is it ultimately going to work?  Hell to the no! (And no, believe it or not, we are NOT watching "Being Bobby Brown").  It is still way to early in the game, with enough people still around to mess things ups.  This new 6-person alliance is certainly not going to make it that far (or even close to it)... and Kaysar is pretty much considered the master-mind and will be a target when the power inevitably shift again. 

But last night was the reason why BB is so much fun... as BB2's Monica would say:  "It's Aaaaawn!"

AJ4: Tahiti Ta-Ta

Anna had to narrow down the field to the Final 2 last night on Average Joe 4.  As I have been advertising since the show debuted, tonight's episode was a special one for us since the final cut would be made in Tahiti.  So we were very much looking forward to seeing the islands we fell in love with in late May.

Surprisingly enough it wasn't too terribly painful to watch.  Since coming back to "reality," I have noted that my stomach has sunk seeing anything related to French Polynesia.  But I guess I have turned the corner, I was able to watch everything and look back on our trip and all we did/saw with some fondness.  It was fun to see Anna and the guys be just as amazed by these islands... and we could surely relate to the "I don't want this to end" kind of moments.  It is certainly a special place to be with your special loved one.

Much of the show appeared to be filmed on the main island of Tahiti (we only saw the airport during our stay)... but the show did venture over to the next door island of Moorea. And we were quite excited to see that Anna and Nathan's jet-ski adventure started off at the hotel we stayed at... the Intercontinental Beachcomber Resort on Moorea!  So we walked the same dock and beach as Anna... and these are the very waters they cruised on:

Another date with "hunk" Josh also appeared to take place around our hotel.  We had to laugh when Anna said they were shuttled off to their own private island... we got the "private" line too... and granted while you certainly felt like you had your own space, I am sure hundreds and hundreds of tourists have been on the private island since we were there!

But anyway back to the show... and the results... I only got the final pairing half right!

I correctly predicted that "hunk" Josh would be eliminated... granted I didn't have any real basis for it other than I didn't really remember much about him.  I was thinking I might be wrong as Anna's date with her ultimate "hunk" finalist Rocky did not seem to go all that well.  But it was the 'ole bait-and-switch, Anna said she had more of a spark with Rocky (translation: the sex is going to be a LOT hotter!).  Josh was left in tears.  I laughed.

I also correctly predicted Arthur being the final elimination of the evening... Arthur seems to be a nice and genuine guy... but being a bit older and divorced (and okay, quite "average" looking) he never really stood a chance snagging Anna... and she pretty much said it herself when she euphemistically said they were in "different places."

Alas, my own personal favorite "Joe" Josh (boy there are a lot of Joshes!) was also sent packing.  While I thought his final date with Anna went pretty well, I have to agree with Anna's take that he reeked of desperation... more than once thanking her for picking him and taking him on the trip.  Anna wasn't looking for an "I'm not worthy" boyfriend and, in the end, I can't really blame her for cutting him loose.

So the final "Average Joe" is Nathan... an eliminated "Joe" who received one of the make-overs and won out over the other re-made "Joes" to get the last spot on the flight to Tahiti.  Again, I should have known better... the whole tag of this season was the make-overs, so really is it any surprise that one of these guys made the Final 2?  Nope. 

Will the Joe jinx come to an end?  Will the third time be the charm?  Will a beauty find love with an Average Joe... something that has yet to happen in the show's fairly brief history?  My guess is no... unless the producers convince Anna otherwise!

We find out tonight!  Yes, no week-long wait for the finale... with the show not doing terribly well in the ratings looks like NBC is trying to burn this series off ASAP!

Things I Could Blog About

Not feeling bloggy today... but if I was here are some things I could have babbled on about...

Six Feet Under - re: the closing scene on the latest episodes, WTF?!   I hesitate to even mention it since I don't want to spoil anything, but quite shocking... and no previews for next week!!  Arrrgh!  Well, unless you are like me, and have to look at the show descriptions on your TiVo for the next two weeks.

Big Brother - Smart nominations by Kaysar... now let's see if they get undone with tonight's Veto show (please no spoilers from you live feed watchers/readers).

The World Is Flat - Thanks to Tom Friedman, still learning all kinds of things about our new flat world... now if we could just get every politician (yes, including...and especially you Dubya!) to read this book, maybe something can be done before its too late... wake up America!

Amazing Race - As anticipated, we are episodes upon episodes (upon episodes!) behind on watching the re-run of Season 1 on GSN.... can't keep up with a new episode every night!!  Thus far it has been a nice trip back down memory lane (and boy has the show changed over the years)... and can you get any hunkier than Rob & Brennan?!?  [WARNING: Don't click on this link if you do not know or want to know the order of finish of TAR1].

Well, I guess that's it for my non-bloggin'!  ;-)

Weekend Update #50724

A fairly uneventful weekend (ok, rule #1 already broken in engaging the reader to continue to read on), just the usual stuff... some shopping, catching up on TiVo, eating out, and relaxing.

On Saturday, I bought a new digital camera... which was something I did not have any intentions of doing as of last weekend.  I pulled out my dig camera during the week and it had just stopped working.  When I moved the dial over to picture-taking mode, the camera just made this clicking/ticking sound and would not take a picture.  Tried to do some troubleshooting to no avail... the lens still zoomed in and out, could still view pix from the memory card, movie mode worked... but could not take a picture!  So since the camera was several (5+?) years old, I figured it was time for a new one anyway.  Did some very quick research... wasn't looking for anything too fancy, basically just a good value.  So ended up with a Canon PowerShot A520.  Obviously, I haven't shopped for a dig cam in awhile... so I was really amazed how much more compact the cameras have...  and big-time memory cards are really cheap too!  Have just taken a few pix thus far... but so far so good.

With somewhat limited attention spans, we decided not to do a TiVo Saturday Night at the Movies (despite a bunch of options) and caught up on some regular television.  We finally finished the last 2 episodes of Bravo's Showdog Moms & Dads... that aired in May!!  It was fun to see all the people featured in the show in separate storylines come together at big dog show... I doubted they would all gel very well, and they didn't ... in a bit of irony, I said to Todd the finale was more catty than anything else!  And a "we're two weeks behind" Queer as Folk episode capped off the evening...

Since QAF is best watched with a slight buzz, we went on a search for a new and tasty alcoholic concoction... decided to mix not try out martini version #176, so headed to our liquor draw and found my old bottle of Southern Comfort... googled items we had on hand and ended up with the very gay sounding... Scarlett O'Hara!  1 part SoCo, 1.5 parts cranberrry juice, and lime juice (didn't have Rose's Lime... so just squeezed a fresh lime into the shaker).  But it was very good... definitely a keeper!   Now I don't know what any of it had to do with Ms. O'Hara... ok, I get the Southern Comfort part... but unless I am forgetting something in the movie or book, I don't think Tara had a cranberry bog... or lime trees!  But I guess the drink color is a shade of scarlet... but who really cares?!?

My face/neck are still in recovery mode from last week's laser treatment.  I am past the "bruised" stage and am now in "mild scab" mode... have a line of small scabs across my face, so making progress!  Now it just looks like I fell off a bike or something (not that I have done any type of physical activity in the past 2 months... but that is another post!).  Guessing I should be cleared up sometime this week... and then just wait a month or so to see how the treatment ultimately worked out.  Patience!

Made a home-made pizza on Sunday night for dinner... I must learn to use gloves when chopping jalapenos!  My fingers were en fuego for an hour or two after doing the chopping... I do this all the time and have never learned my lesson! 

Well that is probably enough of a dose of "everyday life" for you ... thanks for getting down this far!

Fire Up The TiVos

New shows continue to roll out this summer... and with Queer As Folk and Six Feet Under ending their runs in August, we'll need some new shows, right?!  Here are a slew of shows on my radar, so get those TiVos ready to go... and heck, you really want to be "in the know" when I start blogging about them, right?! 

Situation: Comedy (Bravo) - premieres this coming Tuesday (July 26th) - Pretty much a Project Greenlight for sitcoms with Sean Hayes (and producing partner Todd Milliner) at the helm. The television audience will vote for the winner.

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Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (Bravo) - premieres Wednesday August 3rd - I really get a kick out of Kathy... so this unscripted series should be fun.  The website describes the show as "an insider's look at the indignities and encounters that can only happen when one is a well-known and under-appreciated comic doing what it takes to make a living."  Prior to the series debut, Bravo will air a her new stand-up show called: Kathy Griffin... Is Not Nicole Kidman.

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Battle of the Network Reality Stars (Bravo) - premieres Wednesday, August 17th - Speaking of D-listers! Or should we create an E-list category...or at least adjust the "15 minutes of fame" for inflation?  This, of course (if you are old enough to remember!), is a reincarnation of the beloved specials from the 1970s which featured teams from the 3 major networks (remember those days?). Here is the list of participants for the 6-week series:

Chip & Kim and Charla & Myrna - "The Amazing Race"
Nikki McKibbin and Ryan Starr - "American Idol"
Brittany Brower - "Americas Next Top Model,"
Heidi Bressler and Bradford Cohen - "The Apprentice"
Adam Mesh - "Average Joe"
Tina "Fabulous" Panas - "The Bachelor"
Will Kirby and Mike "Boogie" Malin - "Big Brother"
Evan Marriott - "Joe Millionaire"
Matt Kennedy Gould - "The Joe Schmo Show"
Wendy Pepper - "Project Runway"
Coral Smith and Mike "The Miz" Mizanin - "The Real World"
Theo Gantt - "Road Rules"
Duncan Nutter - "Showbiz Moms & Dads"
Richard Hatch and Susan Hawk - "Survivor"
Rachel Love Frasier - "The Swan" 
Valerie Penso - "Temptation Island"

On the sidelines, Omarosa ("The Apprentice"), Bob Guiney ("The Bachelor") and Trishelle Cannatella ("The Real World") will act as reporters with Mike Adamle (NBC Sports and "American Gladiators") as the show's main host.

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Weeds (Showtime) - premieres Sunday August 7th (though will air on Mondays starting on the 8th) - Love, love, love Mary Louise Parker who plays a suburban mom who resorts to selling weed to support her family after her husband unexpectedly dies.  Also features, Elizabeth Perkins, and Kevin Nealon.  Looking over the cast list, it appears Justin Kirk ("Angels in America") may be playin' MLP's ill-fated hubby.  UPDATE: Just read that Justin Kirk will be MLP's brother-in-law... so not a dead person!

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Finally (!!),  if you watched Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days on FX... you may have caught a very funny commercial (if you didn't whip thru it on TiVo) for a new sitcom called Starved. The sitcom debuts on Thursday, August 4th and is paired with another sitcom called It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia... promos for both shows are available here... let's just hope both shows are as funny as these preview clips!

You'll Have A Gay 'Ole Time

All-Gay Vacations... what do you think of them?  You can't flip through a gay magazine without seeing several ads for gay vacation packages.  Browsing through the latest copy of The Advocate, I stumbled across one such ad that noted an upcoming trip to Tahiti... and you know that immediately captured my attention!

So I ventured over to the website and learned that the tour group is taking over an entire resort for a week in November on a French Polynesian island (just a 55 minute flight from the main hub of Papeete, Tahiti). 

An entire resort, you say?!  Well, many of the resorts are not that big... this one, in particular, accomodates about a maximum of 80 people.  That was one of the nice things about FP, we never felt like there were a ton of people around...

We have talked about the all-gay vacation/cruise thing before in our household... and while it would certainly have its advantages and be "nice" ... and this may get me in some trouble, it almost seems like it it would be too strange.  Maybe it is just years of conditioning... we pretty much know whereever we go we are going to be a minority... well, with the possible exception of Vegas... Vegas and sporting events are two places were 2 guys can go without drawing nary a second glance.  Now don't get me wrong, we don't have raging paranoia every time we walk out the front door... though we do do some homework (i.e. one reason we did not go to the Caribbean, having not quite got a handle on the degree of "friendliness" on different islands).  And heck, in these environments, it is always fun to stumble onto another stray gay couple... as we did on Moorea.

But one big deterrent from going on an all-gay vacation are, oddly enough, the advertisements!   The lovely speciman that greeted you at the top of this entry is the poster boy for the Tahiti trip from this tour group... and you'll find plenty just like him in ads for other trips and tour companies.  Now I hate to burst your "mental picture" bubble... but I don't look anything like that...

Now, you say to yourself... c'mon not all the guys on these vacations are going to look like Greek gods... and while common sense makes me want to agree with that, I have seen "real" guys on <ahem!> certain personal websites who DO go on these trips/cruises... I offer up the following evidence:

Sorry for boxing out faces, but since I borrowed the pix without asking I figured I had to protect identities... but trust me the faces are just as fine as what you ARE seeing!  So what's the deal?  Do just beautiful people go on these trips... or do us Average Joes just not take picture of ourselves and share them with the world?!  (BTW, we have 3 pics of ourselves from Tahiti... one is fairly okay (but dorky), one is spacially out of whack, and in the third we are pretty much shadowed out.)

So while I have heard only great testimonials from these trips... I have my doubts that we will be going on one anytime soon (and heck, getting older is not going to increase the chances any!).  I am sure it would be a "freeing" and wonderful (and interesting!) experience ... but, ironically enough, I am guessing I would feel a lot less comfortable.  And while us coupled gay folk tend to be just as boring as our hetero counterparts at the end of the day, guys are guys...  and I can't imagine these vacations are NOT a bit turbo-charged.

So my queer peers (sorry heteros, every vacation you go on is a straight one!)... do you have similar reservations about making reservations?  Would you/are you consider going on an all-gay vacation? Or have you been on one and what has the experience been like?

Average Joe 4: Final Face-Off Looms

We are getting down the final episodes of Average Joe 4... have to say I have become a little smitten with our gal Anna and one of the Joes, so I am a bit more interested in the end result than I would have guessed.  Next week, they head off to Tahiti (more on that later) to narrow the field down to the Final 2 guys.

Last night, recreated one of my favorite moments from the original Average Joe... where our damsel was put into heavy make-up and allowed to spy on the guys.  Little did the guys know that their red-headed honey was transformed into their brunette and mildly dumpy waitress for the evening.

Hearts were broken as our Anna dissolved into tears as one the hunks she was "saving" for later... fell into the trap and started making out/groping of one of the decoy ladies sent to tempt the guys on their "boys night out."   

As expected, the Joes all behaved themselves, not giving the gals in the slutty outfits nary a second look... and instead spent much of their time professing their love for the lovely Anna.  Of course, the BIG payoff was when the "waitress" arrived to the elimination round... where Anna pulled off her face and unveiled the sting operation.  Still loved it.

My favorite Joe from the beginning, Josh, is still alive in the competition.  He finally had his first date with Anna and it all seemed to go very well.  He was a bit awkward at times and didn't quite get into the full-on kissing that Anna seemed to share with some of the other guys... but all in all, I think Josh did alright.  I think he will be the last Joe standing as I don't see him getting much competition from his "average" counterpart, Arthur.  In classic reality tv fashion, Arthur seems well primed to be the final heart-breaker of an elimination.   

 

So who do I think will be Josh's "hunk" opponent in the final 2?  My best guess is that it will be Rocky (pictured to the left), who, despite his gag-inducing name, really did manage to set himself apart from the rest of the jerks as Anna's very first "hunk" date. And honestly, I really don't have much recollection about his counterpart, Josh, a hunky blond from California.  Also, I would guess it helps that Rocky splits his time between LA and Vegas (Anna's hometown), where he works as <ugh!> a bartender and model.  And heck, it appears that he has the looks and works out every now and then.

As I alluded to earlier, Anna will make her final 2 selections in Tahiti (although the brief snip looked like it might have been Bora Bora).  The coming attractions for next week's episode made our stomachs sink.  Not unlike Anna watching her hunk make out with another girl, it is hard for us not to get jealous when we see someone else heading off to French Polynesia. I really do/did have a physical reaction to it!  It really does hurt just a bit!  So even if you do not watch AJ, maybe check in on next week's episode and see why we have fallen in love with this amazing place.

Also, next week, the "made over" Joes return... not sure what impact that will have (guessing not all that much).

In with the old... out with the new

Oh well, so much for my blog re-design... appears that my new layout didn't want to handle comments... and we can't have that!   So it is back to the cookie-cutter layout ... until I can figure things out!