Saturday night, 15th May 2010, I got to tell of the valiant efforts of this organization and some of what I live with on a day to day basis …
GMCW Spring Affair 2010 – A Night In Venice
Written by admin on May 16th, 2010
Each year the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC, honours people in the community with its Harmony Award. This year, it was on honour to introduce one of this years recipients. It was kind of poetic as when I moved to DC, I got involved with GMCW and Immigration Equlity (Formerly LGIRTF) around the same time. I have always worked at connecting the two so others would understand that this inequality exists.
Easter Sunday Feast.
Written by admin on April 4th, 2010
This Easter Weekend has always been a tradition of a gathering of Family and Friends, over eating, chocolate eggs and a four day weekend. This is the Australian/English tradition, very much like thanksgiving. Kids would come home for Easter break, school holidays would start and Easter Sunday would be the Egg Hunt and the big family dinner.
So this post, I am dedicating to friends and family and the tables of food we have shared in the past and yet to share in the future.
Easter 2010 bring 10 of us together for Easter Dinner, Steve (Kitty) & Brandon, Jeff & Jerry, Les & Michael, Ed, Stephen and Myself, and of course Walter. I left Walter for last as this was the inspiration of writing this article.
You see, Walter is the former food writer for the Washington Post and he has sat at our dinner table numerous times over the years. I have come to know many of his food likes, and a good Sunday Roast is the only time Ive ever seen him want to lick his plate. So that’s what we are having. We bought a 8lb bone in rib roast, made a rub of garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and olive oil and its now sitting in the fridge for a few hours before cooking. With that, will be my roast potatoes (something my mother taught me), golden and crispy on the outside and light and fluffy in the middle. This was one dish that always caught Walters attention and wanting more. So, when it comes to a Sunday roast, Walter is usually at the table.
This year, guests are bringing vegetable dishes to accompany the meal and desert is also being provided.
Our other focus for the day is a home made French Vanilla Ice-cream. You see, to tie this all in, Walter has recently teamed up with “Cooks Vanilla” and gave us some Fresh Vanilla Beans and Vanilla Puree, and so we are reworking our ice cream recipe to include both of these. Ill add a comment later to let you know how it turns out. Here is the recipe in any case: Click to continue »
Moment Season Lifetime – Anniversary
Written by admin on March 15th, 2010
Cuchara Colorado
The anniversary of the day before I met Stephen.
The year was 2001 and I was living with my brother and his family during a 6 month visit to the USA. That Thursday 15th March, 2001, I was packing and preparing for a weekend trip to Los Angeles. Jeremy and I were taking a road trip. I had met Jeremy a couple of months before and we would hang out together on Castro, go to movies, we even went to Discovery camp together. That weekend, it was his birthday and we we getting ready to drive south to LA to see West Hollywood. When he asked me a couple of weeks earlier, I just couldn’t say no. A trip to West Hollywood. I had been to LA once before, staying in Anaheim, with family to go to Disneyland. I couldn’t wait.
The following day we were off and Jeremy and I were in the car and on the edge of our seats about to jump out of skin. We were both excited driving down the highway toward LA. At first the Hollywood hills came into view and then the Hollywood Sign. We were on Santa Monica Blvd, which was being street-scaped at the time. New roads, new trees, new footpaths, but it was still all abuzz. Traffic flowed and we were there, early evening Los Angeles and in the middle of West Hollywood.
It was Friday night and we were out in the middle of Boy’s Town. This place was no Perth, there are more Gay bars in West Hollywood than people that go to gay bars in Perth (:-) (laughs). We were out on the town, a bar crawl, checking out everything. It was about 10.00pm and we headed further into West Hollywood, up to a bar called “The Gold Coast”. It was (and still is) an old neighbourhood bar that was pretty busy this one night. It was here I met Stephen. I was talking with someone and I saw Stephen looking at me. He smiled, I smiled back. I went outside for a cigarette (I quit since then), Stephen followed me out.
… and that was the night that started it all …
It is now on the eve of our Anniversary 9 years later. We have been everywhere together, traveled extensively and enjoyed life. We have changed jobs and careers, moved across county and now live in a great city in a row house right in the middle of Washington DC. We share our lives with everyone around us, and everyone is welcome in our home and in our lives. We love our family and our friends and we love that we get to be involved in our community. We live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment that we spend together. We watch the seasons change as we grow older together and think how beautiful the changes are and yet we still have a lifetime to adore one another as we have done for the past 9 years.
It has been such a ride and I can’t wait until the next journey.
Happy Anniversary Sweetheart … may the next nine years be as wild as ever.
FOXNews.com – LGBTF? Pesticide Turns Male Frogs into Females
Written by admin on March 2nd, 2010Winter Snow 2010
Written by admin on February 10th, 2010
Snowpocalypse ! or Snowmageddon !
This has been an incredible snow week and have never seen anything like this.
We had a large snow Friday/Saturday which finally stopped early afternoon. During this reprieve, the city came alive and people were out of their houses and enjoying the white city scape. There was even a flash snowball fight at Dupont Circle which attracted (in my estimate) at least a thousand people. The onslaught of snowballs was incredible. Even the news teams were out covering it while getting pelted with snow balls. Click to continue »
… on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” …
Written by admin on February 3rd, 2010
Overturn "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
I have been listening to some comments from opponents on the overturning of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, so l let me see if I understand you …
.. so it’s ok to be in the Armed Forces if one is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender as long as one doesn’t tell you that one gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
Come on people, you cant really be serious !!
New T-Shirt Design at : http://beaky1211.spreadshirt.com
Prop8 Trial – Terry v. Schwarzenegger
Written by admin on January 22nd, 2010
Overturn Prop8
For the last two weeks I have been following the Prop 8 trial in the California Supreme Court.
This has been a great read and want to share some of the links with you.
Introduction of the case and daily transcripts:
American Foundation for Equal Rights
Live blog and daily summary Rick Jacobs and the team does a great job of blogging and keeping on top of it:
Prop8 Trial Tracker
NOW UP – Trial Re-enactment
Since the US Supreme Court blocked the broadcasting of the trial, this group is putting together a re-enactment from the transcripts and first-hand accounts from people who are present at the trial.
MarriageTrial.com
Welcome to 2010 – Buon Anno A Tutti
Written by admin on January 1st, 2010
No more Champagne and the fireworks are through (yes this is the beginning of an Abba song) and a great way to introduce a New Year. Happy New Year to All (buon anno a tutti) and what could be better than bringing in the New Year than on the rooftops of Roma, Italy with a 360 degree view of explosions underneath a clear midnight sky and a blue moon.
Rome is still a favourite of mine and after spending Christmas and New Year here, I love it even more so. The first few days of this trip had us staying at the Hotel Raphael, one street behind the Piazza Navona and central to everything. The Piazza in itself is fantastic with its Bernini Fountains and the Sant ‘Agnese Nin Agone Church, except at this time of year it is crowded with a street fair/carnival of vendors and tourists. No matter how crazy it got, whether noon or midnight, there was always solitude in the fantastic Richard Myers rooms in the Raphael. Click to continue »
The Snow
Written by admin on December 22nd, 2009
This year’s Christmas concert by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC included the song The Snow, by Edward Elgar and C. Alice Elgar. After the record snow in DC this weekend, I wanted to share the lyrics and some photos.
O snow, which sinks so light,
Brown earth is hid from sight
O soul, be thou as white as snow,
O snow, which falls so slow,
Dear earth quite warm below;
O heart, so keep thy glow
Beneath the snow.
Sad flow’rs the winter brave;
O heart, so sooth and save,
as does the snow.
Fast, fast as water flow.
Not thus, my soul, O sow
Thy gifts to fade like snow.
Thy sparkling too, is o’er;
O soul, be as before,
Was bright the snow.
Then as the snow all pure,
O heart be, but endure;
Through all the years full sure,
Not as the snow.
Brown earth is hid from sight
O soul, be thou as white as snow,
O snow, which falls so slow,
Dear earth quite warm below;
O heart, so keep thy glow
Beneath the snow.
O snow, in thy soft grave
Sad flow’rs the winter brave;
O heart, so sooth and save,
as does the snow.
The snow must melt, must go,
Fast, fast as water flow.
Not thus, my soul, O sow
Thy gifts to fade like snow.
O snow, thou’rt white no more,
Thy sparkling too, is o’er;
O soul, be as before,
Was bright the snow.
Then as the snow all pure,
O heart be, but endure;
Through all the years full sure,
Not as the snow.
London – November 2009
Written by admin on December 17th, 2009
I have been rather lax writing, so I though I would at least share these photos with you. More soon …
