Are you kidding me?!

'Daily Show' humor befuddles governor
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich wasn't in on the joke.

Blagojevich says he didn't realize "The Daily Show" was a comedy spoof of the news when he sat down for an interview that ended up poking fun at the sometimes-puzzled governor.
"It was going to be an interview on contraceptives ... that's all I knew about it," Blagojevich laughingly told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in a story for Thursday's editions. "I had no idea I was going to be asked if I was 'the gay governor.' "
The interview focused on his executive order requiring pharmacies to fill prescriptions for emergency birth control.

Interviewer Jason Jones pretended to stumble over Blagojevich's name before calling him "Governor Smith." He urged Blagojevich to explain the contraception issue by playing the role of "a hot 17-year-old" and later asked if he was "the gay governor."
At one point in the interview, a startled Blagojevich looked to someone off camera and said, "Is he teasing me or is that legit?"

The segment, which aired two weeks ago, also featured Illinois Republican Rep. Ron Stephens, a pharmacist who opposes the governor's order to pharmacies. Stephens has said he knew the show was a comedy. "I thought the governor was hip enough that he would have known that, too," Stephens said.

The Golden Ticket

Today the Powerball winners were revealed in Lincoln, Nebraska, which I find somewhat of a coincidence considering they won the $365 million on Presidents Day Weekend. The press conference lasted for about 20 minutes, and reporters were buzzing why the winners waited to collect the jackpot. The winners were eight co-workers at a meat processing plant who split the mega millions. They told the press that they wanted to seek financial and legal advice first, but couldn’t do it earlier because of the holiday on Monday.

Probably the most frequently question asked was ‘what will you do with the money’, and most of them said they were going to quit their job and spend more time with their family. Some said they were going to travel and buy a house. However, it made me ponder how I would spend the $365 million.

I would definitely quit my job, travel more, throw a big ass party (or a couple), and then maybe give to my friends/family. Most likely I would buy a house in select cities around the world. Also, I could see myself morphing into a philanthropist...but who knows.

Fact: Over half of lottery winners file bankruptcy within 10 years of winning.

The Way I See It

Rarely do I pay attention to “The Way I See It” sayings on Starbucks cups. However, today after returning from a coffee break I was sitting at my desk and happened to catch a familiar name glaring up at me. It was Kevin Carroll, who I met last year during an event I worked on. If anyone has seen Kevin speak, they know what a powerful speaker he is and how his words find a way of touching your soul.

After reading the first saying, I pulled out the other cup from my Grand Americano and enjoyed the wise words from Anne Morriss.

#43 is one that I found a while ago and liked, so I thought I would post this one too.

#77-
The human catalysts for ‘dreams’ are the teachers and encouragers that ‘dreamers’ encounter throughout their lives. They are invaluable in the quest to turn ideas into reality. So here’s a special thanks to all of the teachers— especially my teacher, Miz Lane!--Kevin Carroll

#76-
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating—in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morriss

#43-
My only regret about being gay is that I repressed it for so long. I surrendered my youth to people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don’t make that mistake yourself. Life’s too damn short.--Armistead Maupin

Mardi Gras 2006- A Party with New Meaning

Celebrations are set to kick off this weekend in New Orleans for the first Mardi Gras since Katrina hit almost six months ago. As promised Major Ray Nagin has delivered a speedy recovery from one of the worse natural disasters in American history.

It was no easy task to rebuild the Big Easy, and be ready to host the 2006 Mardi Gras. The pressure is on for the Governor of Louisiana and Major of New Orleans to show the world just how resilient the city is and to have a triumphant return after a rough healing period.

Compared to previous years this Mardi Gras will be scaled back significantly, and the event that typically runs two weeks will be downsized to only eight days. Although there will be less parades, fewer people, and not as many special events, it’s almost certain that the pride of the people in New Orleans will shire brighter than ever before. Special guest Britney Spears is planning to return to her home state in support of the city’s efforts to bounce back after the difficult times.

Often times Mardi Gras is viewed as a tradition that has become lost in a reputation of sex, drugs, and heavy drinking. Could this year deliver a different type of message, and help change the image of Mardi Gras? Is it possible that the festivities on Bourbon Street this year will be a testament of the American spirit and strength. Maybe...

• Mardi Gras-New Orleans- http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/
• Bourbon Street WebCams- http://www.earthcam.com/usa/louisiana/neworleans/tricou/

Hey Lover

On this, the day of love, we celebrate romance, passion, and that special connection we share with a certain somebody. Granted there are some of you that have many some bodies, and for you there’s Cheater’s Day on February 13 and today Valentines Day. It’s a double dosage of amore, knockin’ boots, or whatever you want to call it.

For the true Casanova you may observe this romantic holiday by sending your sweetheart some candy, flowers, or even a romantic dinner and night of passionate love-making. Whatever you choose to show your lover affection, make sure you show it. Do something extra sweet today or sometime this week to express how you feel—let them know they’re special.

Despite all the free love going on today, there are those couples that everyone is either annoyed by or secretly jealous of. You know the ones, they constantly hold hands, make funny noises to each other, display PDA every minute, and of course they have cutesy nicknames like “pookie” or “snuckems”.

Have you ever wondered where these names come from? Nicknames are derived from familiar things and often a shortened form of a proper name. Most often nicknames describe mental and physical characteristics, clothes, complexion etc or are taken from pet names or sweet foods that are tasty like “cupcake”.

Ever wonder what the top 10 would be? According to “Loving You” these are the Top 10 nicknames:

1. Baby
2. Sweetie
3. Honey
4. Sweetheart
5. Darling
6. Honey Bunny
7. Pumpkin
8. Lover
9. Babe
10. Angel, Boo, Princess

Nickname Origins:
http://genealogy.about.com/library/bl_nicknames.htm
http://www.romanceclass.com/miscr/howto/nicknames.asp
http://users.telenet.be/-eva-/nicknames.html

Find out more about Valentines Day:
http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/valentine/

4,000 yr old poem

Do you have a nickname for someone you care about?

And the ‘Dumbass Award” goes to…

Today in the news VP Cheney reportedly shot one of his fellow hunters on a Texas ranch. As I listened to reporters and guests on CNN and Fox discuss the shooting it started to sound like a King of the Hill episode. Everyone being interview had a southern draw and using Bush-isms that only a southerner would understand. Apparently the vice president confused one of his fellow hunters for a small Quail, which COME ON…it’s totally understandable. I mean, who wouldn’t confuse a 20 oz. small bird with a full grown man…duh. It could happen to anyone, right?

"Com’ on Dickey let’s go shot us some birdies and den dhere afterwards we fill up the propane tank and drink us some bewr. shoo"

The real issue isn’t whether or not our VP is a dumb ass for shooting someone, but that he had a license to hunt. Even at the White House press meeting Scott McClellan didn’t even know what the hell was going on. There are also questions that rise about the timeframe in which the information was released. It took the White House over 36 hours to report that an accident happened, and if it wasn’t for the owner Katharine Armstrong of the ranch breaking the news to a local paper the Nation may have never heard about it.

That’s why Dick Cheney receives the Dumbass Award.

The Big Picture

Working for a large news source like Getty you see events and news come over the wire feed well-before they are plastered on TV or in the papers that night/next day. Sometimes information comes through so fast that we see images from events while their happening…like the Grammys or Olympics. When you turn on the television, open a magazine or newspaper, see a billboard, or even a flyer you're probably seeing Getty.

Before the world saw Oprah at Coretta Scott Kings funeral, I saw the snapshot on my desktop. As models at New York’s Fashion week strutted their anorexic butts down the catwalk, Getty is there to capture it. The next day it'll be in the New York Times or fashion magazines all over the world. From global politics to hometown news, it’s fascinating being a part of an organization that channels the images that shape our lives. To see how a single image can tell multiple stories or influences our perspective to give us a broader view of the world.

In my office I work across from the news/media department which is surrounded by a marquee and televisions set to the different broadcasters. Although I don’t really consider myself a ‘news junky’, tremendously interested in politics, or even big on celeb gossip, working for this company is giving me a greater appreciation for news and journalism. I'm learnging to look at the big picture and it's helping me better understand the world and maybe, in some way, myself too.

Also check out Change Me: http://changeme.gettyimages.com/
A campaign to impact poverty and bring awareness to the AIDS crisis.

Wasted Wednesday

In Chicago’s Boystown there’s a group of six guys that assemble every week for a tradition that’s become known, at least to them, as ‘Wasted Wednesday’. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what the purpose of them getting together is all about, and it’s pretty easy to spot these guys. Hell they proudly wear t-shirts with “Wasted Wednesday” printed on the chest, and hit the same bars (Roscoe’s, Spin, and Charlie’s) like clockwork.

This exclusive group doesn’t have open membership, nor can you simply buy the Wasted Wednesday shirt off the rack. Sorry, it’s not that easy, because for the honor to adorn those fancy threads you have to work for it. Although there are no official rules, more of an understanding, there are some basic guidelines to be apart of the group. First you must be committed! If you’re in town you must be there. Of course there are the exceptions like 1) you’re out of town, 2) in the hospital, 3) you were attacked by alien drag queen, 4) Armageddon. Second, you have to at least have one drink at Charlie’s (the last stop). Finally, you need to be able to suck down a Jager Bomb.

The Wasted Wednesday group goes beyond hanging out at the bar, and has more substance than what most people would see as just a bunch of drunks getting tanked on a school night. If you look below the surface you’ll see a band of guys that are building stronger friendships, escaping the daily grind, and most importantly finding a place were they can just be themselves. It’s essential, especially for many gay or closeted men, to find this safe/comfort zone because we’re often forced to be silent about our lives and who we really are from people at work or our family. Having the support of friends allows us the strength to move-on from situations or build the confidence to pursue dreams. Well, at least that’s how I see it.

Even though my rock star partying days are slowly drifting behind me, mostly due to my new job, I’m still drawn to these guys for a guaranteed good time. Although I’m not an official member, maybe an honorary fill-in, I’m still gunning for my own Wasted Wednesday t-shirt and a shot of Jager (love it).

“OHHHHHHhhh, wai-ter…WAITER!!! Two more rounds”