MAR 31 :: [dark, dreary and wet] Wow, tomorrow is April. These monthly demarcation points are so silly. Tomorrow will be no different than today. Humans are unnecessarily complex. But still, there's this constant passing of time that makes standing still seem so wasteful. Spring is definitely here. The cherry blossoms reach peak bloom today although I did see a few trees where the petals are already dropping and the green leaves are peeking out. The dark, dreary and wet weather of this week won't help things much. The weatherman calls it a "persistent low". Uh-huh. It's raining this whole week. It don't sound too nice but that's what it is. I have a follow-up interview on Friday followed by dinner at the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Should be fun. I can't wait for the weekend. Work sucks. The weather sucks. Cleaning the house sucks. Why do I have so much shit in the house??

MAR 30 :: [madonna] Yes! I scored 2 tickets to Madonna's Re-Invention gig at the MCI Center on 6/13! Section 4, Row E for $175/pp. Not bad, if I can say so myself. Problem is I wanna go with my friends and they wouldn't allow more than 2 tix/pp for fan-club pre-sales. Damn. I might have to camp out for the Apr 3 general release sale. But either way, I have secure seats to MADONNA, baby!! Woo-hoo! This is gonna be the concert of the year. I can't wait!

MAR 29 :: [smell the roses] Quote of the day: "No matter how many times you repeat something that's false, it will never be true."

Telling us that Saddam's Iraq was responsible for 9/11 was false. Telling us that you did not deliberately low-ball the cost of Medicare's Drug Benefit program in order to pass it through Congress is false. Telling us that we needed to start a war against Iraq because of Saddam's possession of WMDs is false. Telling us you're a compassionate conservative when you want to enshrine discrimination in our Constitution is false.

I wonder, how many times do we have to be lied to before we all wake up and smell the roses?

"...the right doesn't want gay marriage in any state under any circumstances for any period of time... they know they're losing. They know that within a generation, majorities will emerge to support equal protection for gay couples. They have to prevent the next generation from ever having a say; and they have to prevent gay people from ever believing that they are truly equal, truly worthy of dignity and truly citizens of the United States." - Andrew Sullivan, 3/18

MAR 28 :: [bloomin'] The cherry blossoms are out in force! It was a nice 60+ degree day today. There were tourists everywhere. Tourism is definitely blooming in DC too. My cold still hasn't gone away. I'm snotting boogers every other minute, it's quite disgusting. Last night didn't help things much either. It was an all-out Cosmo night at the Duplex followed by JR's and 30 degrees. We were soooooo drunk and I had noodles when I got home at 3am. Giggle. Oh and the new Mandarin Oriental in DC opened this weekend. I can't wait for the Spa to open! I have a job interview tomorrow. Not too excited about it since I don't know the company very well. Oh well, wish me luck!

OMG, I almost forgot. Madonna is coming back to DC!! June 13th, baby. Ticket pre-sales on Tuesday. I'm so excited I can hardly breathe!

MAR 26 :: [pollen is in the air] ... Everywhere you look around. I am so dreading the warmer weather of spring. But why? I *love* the warm weather. I just don't like spring when all the trees start fornicating and spewing out all these nasty bits everywhere. Eww. Anyway, I'm feeling much better, spankyouverymuch. Nyquil is totally awesome (and a killer sedative!). I hope to recover in time for the weekend to enjoy the nice and sunny weather. I might even take the top down on my way home today :) Whatever it is, this weekend will definitely not be a replay of last weekend's daily noon-4am drinking binge and canoodling with strippers. Giggle. Cherry blossoms are coming soon... woo! I hear there are fireworks this year at the end of the festival. Double yay!

MAR 25 :: [sniffles] OK, I officially have a cold. It started off with a harmless sore throat which I attributed to lack of sleep in N'Awlins. Then it became a nasal congestion from hell and now I'm coughing like a banshee. Ahh!! Of course, when the going gets tough, you take Nyquil and Dayquil :) Temporary relief is heavenly. I've been home sick two days now. Cabin fever is sinking in fast. Last night, we did go to the Whitman Walker function at the Canadian Embassy. The ballroom? More like a gymnasium. Nowhere near as nice as the Finnish Embassy's great space. But it was fun nonetheless, and definitely a good cause. Oh well, back to more nose-blowing...

MAR 23 :: [hot, cold, hot, cold] Damn, gurl! N'Awlins was hot, hot, hot, baby! That town can party. I'm completely tapped out. What a riot. More details later, of course.

It was 80+ in N'Awlins pretty much the entire time we were there and then yesterday, I came home to 30 degree weather in DC. Crazy! DC weather flip-flops between 70s and 20s in March. No fun. Cherry blossoms are coming out next week (or so they say), party at the Canadian Embassy tomorrow night, things are cranking up, baby. Spring is definitely in the air!

MAR 19 :: [one year later] Just got back from a farewell lunch. Had a Cosmo so I'm a little tipsy now, giggle. It was positively freezing outside! It's 40 degrees but the winds were whipping into my bones. I can't wait to get outta here. In 6 hours, I'll be in N'Awlins, baby! Mikko has already called and he said it's 80+ down there! I'm so excited... Oh well, on to more important things :)

So here we are, one year after President Bush started a war on Iraq. One year later, most of the stated reasons for invading Iraq have been discredited. This was a war of choice. In simple terms, Bush lied to the nation and the world, and soldiers, innocent civilians and global solidarity died.

Make no mistake, the world must still unite to battle against terrorism until there's no alternative to victory. But a year ago, President Bush, who had a global mandate to pursue the terrorists responsible for 9/11, went after someone else instead. Saddam's Iraq did not attack America. It could barely feed itself. WMDs are dangerous, yes. Iraq had none. So many other countries, including America, have WMDs and until they are all eradicated, the fear of living in a dangerous world will persist.

This war was unnecessary. We had a clear and obvious enemy. Saddam wasn't it. To claim that the war against Saddam's Iraq was part of the global fight against terrorism is the same specious argument that al-Qaeda uses to kill Americans because the United States supports Israel. That's pure and utter rubbish.

But still, the lessons have not been learn. It is insulting and despicable to insinuate that the Spanish people were appeasing terrorists by electing a Prime Minister whose campaign platform rests on withdrawing troops from Iraq. Not that I agree, mind you. Iraq is in disarray and the United Nations needs to step in and restore order. Leaving now, after all the damage has already been done, is like neglecting a sick orphaned child who has nowhere to go. No matter how much we disagree on who killed the parents, we cannot just let it go it alone. The vote in Spain was not a vote for al Qaeda. It was, in part at least, a vote against the manipulation of terror for political purposes. It shows that in a democracy, a government that disregards the public's trust will be accorded the consequences of a democratic process.

It is offensive to the memory of the 200+ victims in Spain and to their family and friends to suggest that their deaths caused Spain to chicken out on the war against terror. 11 million people - more than a quarter of the nation's population - came out on Mar 12th to express solidarity and determination to fight this war against terrorists; be they al-Qaeda or the ETA. That election wasn't about appeasing terrorists, it was about trust in government. A government that deceives and lies and withholds information will be thrown out of office.

One year later, Bush claims he is steady and he knows how to lead. He does not. Unilateralism is not leadership. Leadership is building a consensus and convincing others to follow. Leadership is recognizing that we cannot fight this war alone and we need the intelligence if not the military strength of our allies to win this war. Bush has failed on all accounts. But more importantly, the Bush Administration continues to deceive and lie and withhold information from the American public.

Their time will come too.

MAR 17 :: [homage to the dead] "Life stopped in the winter drizzle of Madrid yesterday. Offices, shops and cafes emptied, as funeral candles were lit in moving scenes of solidarity. Black bows of mourning appeared on shop windows, the cabs of commuter trains, and on lapels. People looking at the wreckage in Atocha burst into tears. As dusk fell, every street around the railway station was crammed with people standing in the rain. The silence was overpowering. Spaniards turned out in their millions in a collective act of grief and protest. In the Basque country, as in the rest of the country, Spain emerged from its first day of mourning with dignity... cities across Europe were waking up to the fact that they were as much in the crosshairs of an attack on this scale, as New York or Washington were..." - The Guardian, Homage to the Dead 3/13/04.

I thought that was pretty moving. Anywho, lots of catching up to do. Last Friday, we took Chris and Allen to Makoto where the food was so good I swear they wet themselves. I looooove Makoto. After that we had drinks at the Ritz in G'town and got trashed at 30 degrees ($9 Cosmos!!). Sunday night was party night at JR's of course. I drank so much I was hungover by 8pm! I'm so juvenile. Weekend was pretty quiet coz M2 is in Miami (where he saw Paris/Nicole at The Tides!).

And then Tony and I attended a domestic partner seminar at Merrill's Washington-K Street office on Monday night. They had food from Nooshi (noodles + sushi)! My favorite. I also got a special "love package" of yummy sushi. I felt so loved. That was a fun evening.

What is up with the weather?? It's been really cold this past week but we peeked into the 60s on Monday only to have it snow yesterday and high of low 40s today. Crazy. I dragged Chris to dinner at Little Fountain last night with Rob/Carlos. It was fun. I'll probably choose not to go there anymore since they don't accept Amex (well, Makoto doesn't either but their food is life-changing). Their loss.

So I'm just sitting here at work, twiddling my thumbs and waiting for Friday. N'Awlins is gonna be fun this weekend. I can't wait. Staying at the W in the Quarter. Woo! I need a vacation... Coz it's been SO long since my last one *GRIN*

MAR 14 :: [no al guerra, no al violencia] The party that dragged Spain into the Iraq war was thrown out of government today by the people of Spain. I hate to say this but I hope this is the start of a movement by citizens across the globe throwing out irresponsible war-mongering, violence-craving governments that have lied in the past and murdered innocent people through unnecessary wars; even though the vote in Spain was influenced by the Madrid massacre that occurred a few days ago. He who starts wars of choice must be dethroned and held accountable for his actions.

As strongly as I feel against violence and pre-emptive wars, I feel even more strongly that if al-Qaeda was involved in the attacks in Madrid, every effort must be made by all governments across the world to fight this new and disgusting wave of violence. The citizens of this planet must unite against terror. There is no alternative to victory in the war against terror. Just as there is no alternative to peace. Violence is unacceptable. We are a civilized people and we are here to fight for our freedom, our rights and our liberties.

No to War and No to Violence.

MAR 12 :: [getting fat for charity] Last night at Georgia brown's was fun. It was Chris, Mike/Gary, Tom/Gen and us. We got fat for charity. Woo! GB's generously donated 1/2 of the total tab to charity which meant we each gave about $30. Not too shabby. But the highlight of the evening had to be the vigorous back-and-forth at the dining table about the fight for gay marriage rights.

In a gist, Gary wants all-or-nothing. Most of us want anyone-but-Bush. Gary thinks HRC should "graduate" into civil rights group status and not endorse Kerry due to his "homophobic" stance on gay marriage. We thought that this upcoming election means too much to the gay community for HRC to sit out. I thought it was as important to fight the Federal Marriage Amendment as it is to gain full equality, the latter being the ultimate goal. I feel that in politics, baby steps are needed. And because Kerry is strongly against the FMA, the HRC should endorse him for this election cycle because the alternative is so strongly for the FMA that it makes it necessary to kick him out of office (and send him back to Crawford, yea!)

Here's an excerpt of "The Can-Do Route to `I Do'" from the Washington Post's Style section that, I felt, resonates with my logic:

"...The fact that politicians such as Democratic presidential contender John Kerry consider recognizing marriage-like rights -- if not same-sex marriage -- safe political ground tells Jacques that ultimately her side will prevail. Only a few years ago recognizing those rights was considered radical. President Bush, meanwhile, called a news conference to announce his support for the federal amendment.

"I'll take someone who is not perfect but is willing to listen and learn," she says. "Frankly, I see that in John Kerry."

In a perfect world, yes, it's all-or-nothing. Kerry should not be able to get away with endorsing a constitutional amendment in Massachusetts to ban same-sex marriage and get HRC's endorsement at the same time. I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Gary on that issue. But these are perilous times. We have to fight the little battles to win the bigger war. And right now, it is to oppose the FMA and educate the country so that something as vile and hateful like the FMA will never ever be part of our political landscape again.

[no al terrorismo] "NO TO TERRORISM" - I was pretty stunned, horrified and outraged by the Madrid bombings. Not least because when I travel internationally, I rely completely on the local mass transit system. If the ETA did it, well, this really has gone too far (then again, they said the same thing about the IRA and they're now sharing power). If it was al-Qaeda, this is the best time for global cooperation to fight terrorism, not economic and unilateral isolationism. Yes, Mr. President, it's a little of pot calling the kettle black when you have in the past "raised up [trade] barriers and closed off markets".

OK, rant mode off :). Have a good weekend, y'all!

MAR 10 :: [clothes whore] Working from home today (on some silly website project). Kinda bored. Weekend was nice until it got cold in a hurry on Sunday. It was freezing (literally) this morning. But March has been known to have crazy weather anyway. We leave for N'Awlins next week, yay! Free vacation - points for flights and hotel. Double yay! Although, we are staying a few blocks away from the rest of the gang which is a bummer. Oh well.

Dave left for Cape Town last night. Chris is home alone for 2 weeks. We're gonna have a Cosmo party at his place tonight (the drunkenness begins!). Dining Out For Life (and charity) tomorrow at Georgia Brown's. And more partying this weekend spilling into the next.

I've been tired lately. Sleeping well some nights and not really on others. Allergies kicked in last week due to the warm weather and I had to start my showering-at-night-then-eyewash-plus-eyedrops regimen again. Pollen is not my friend! Anywho, I bought a new shirt and a new pair of shoes which made me happy. I'm a clothes whore!

MAR 5 :: [desecration] Most people would be horrified and disgusted if an organization or a company used images from 9/11 - one of the worst days in America's history - to sell a product for anything other than charitable purposes.

So I ask you, Mr. President: Why are you surprised that your fellow citizens are equally horrified and disgusted that you've used those images as political ammunition in the name of winning re-election?

The NYT Editorial: "When we think of 9/11, we think of loss, and of the heroism of average people who reached out in ways great and small to help their fellow men and women. Any political candidate who attempts to piggyback onto those emotions deserves to be shunned by the electorate."

MAR 4 :: [divider-in-chief] Please read Culture War, Reloaded by Andrew Sullivan. I don't even know why I'm reading his blog or quoting his articles. He's a Republican and I detest Republicans. Correction, I detest Bush-supporters. I can see eye-to-eye with fiscal conservatism and a little less so with social conservatism but I have absolutely no respect for people who support a President that attacks the constitution, curbs civil rights and lies to start murderous wars. And the next person who tells me they vote Republican coz of fiscal issues should take a look at the fastest build-up of debt and the greatest spending explosion in history and more government spending than any administration since LBJ. All this under Bush's watch.

But most importantly, Andrew Sullivan and I (for now) share a common battle: the Federal Marriage Amendment. And we need all the allies we can get.

"...Gays and evangelicals; Jews and Catholics; urbanites and heartlanders; blacks and whites. President Bush came to office pledging to be a "uniter not a divider." But the nation under his leadership has rarely been more polarized. The war is upon us. And this election will be its battleground."

[underwhelmed] Last night's Rally Against Discrimination at the HRC headquarters in DC was underwhelming to the point of disappointing. The crowds were beyond what they expected and most had fires in their bellies and ready to roar. The speeches, for the most part, fell short of a "rally". There wasn't much to inspire or get the crowd pumped up. It was far short of a rallying cry. More disappointingly, it didn't even make the newspapers much less the headlines. I don't know how HRC botched this first event of the most important fight since their formation.

Worse of all was Carol Schwartz's lamentable attempt at preaching about her Republicanism, her vote for Bush in 2000 and her stance against gay marriage BEFORE delivering her punchline which was her opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendement. What a crock. We don't need another Republican telling us that he/she is against the FMA. We need more than that! Why bother showing up if all you're gonna do is defend the indefensible. Switch parties, I say. Denounce the President. Thankfully, she was booed off the stage. Carol, stay home next time.

And the absolute worst part of the evening was the Metropolitan Police Department. One cop, in particular, who chose to ride his fumes-belching, noise-making motorcycle (and cop car) up and down the street while VIPs were speaking was a despicable attempt, I feel, to intimidate the crowds. I am all for the police telling people to get off the roads (HRC, how could you have underestimated the crowds so badly?) and not impede traffic, but it's another to confront humans with thousands of pounds of metal and intimidate them into moving. This particular cop's tactics were appalling to say the least.

The event was badly mismanaged and HRC, the speakers and the MPD all contributed to a disappointing evening. We had to drown our disappointment in Cosmos at Annie's but that's another story altogether :)

MAR 2 :: [betrayal] Paul Krugman from the NYT writes: "...[In] the 1980's the Greenspan commission persuaded Congress to increase the payroll tax, which supports the program. The payroll tax is regressive: it falls much more heavily on middle- and lower-income families than it does on the rich. In fact, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates, families near the middle of the income distribution pay almost twice as much in payroll taxes as in income taxes. Yet people were willing to accept a regressive tax increase to sustain Social Security."

"...Now the joke's on them. Mr. Greenspan pushed through an increase in taxes on working Americans, generating a Social Security surplus. Then he used that surplus to argue for tax cuts that deliver very little relief to most people, but are worth a lot to those making more than $300,000 a year. And now that those tax cuts have contributed to a soaring deficit, he wants to cut Social Security benefits."

"...The Bush White House has made it clear that it will destroy the careers of scientists, budget experts, intelligence operatives and even military officers who don't toe the line. But Mr. Greenspan should have been immune to such pressures, and he should have understood that the peculiarity of his position - as an unelected official who wields immense power - carries with it an obligation to stand above the fray. By using his office to promote a partisan agenda, he has betrayed his institution, and the nation."

So what's going on in my life? Nothing much, really. Chris was in Seattle for Colleen/Parker's wedding over the weekend so it was pretty quiet in DC. Sat/Sun was absolutely gorgeous (high 60s) so we went out, hung around the Circle, propped up Starbucks' share price, donated clothes to Kenneth Cole to get 20% off a pair of pants I've been eyeing (!), and partied a little at JR's (which was absolutely packed due to the gorgeous weather - everyone was out!) on Sunday night before a fun Oscar finale to the weekend. Charlize and Renee made me cry!

MAR 1 :: [leap forward, march on] You won't believe who I'm gonna quote but here goes:

"The Constitution says that all men are created equal, and it doesn't say that all men are created equal except for gays. Just like everyone else who is born in this country, gays are endowed by their creator, God, with inalienable rights, and among those are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. At birth, whether your are born in Russia, Cuba, South America, or New York, you are born equal. The difference is that our [American] babies grow up to live free." - Barry Goldwater.

"...I have no interest in persuading people to approve of my life and relationship. To be honest, I couldn't care less what others think about it. As long as I am treated equally under the law, I'm happy to be described as a pervert, an instrument of Satan, or even a Democrat. Bring it on! But don't confuse your constitutional right to condemn me with your constitutional right to deny me equal protection of the laws." - Andrew Sullivan.

We have leapt forward. Now it's time to march on! Tomorrow is Super-Tuesday. VOTE!

More >>

31 :: dark, dreary and wet
30 :: madonna
29 :: smell the roses
28 :: bloomin'
26 :: pollen is in the air
25 :: sniffles
23 :: hot, cold, hot, cold
19 :: one year later
17 :: homage to the dead
14 :: no al guerra, no al violencia
12 :: getting fat for charity
12 :: no al terrorismo
10 :: clothes whore
05 :: desecration
04 :: divider-in-chief
04 :: underwhelmed
02 :: betrayal
01 :: leap forward, march on