Category: happenings

apple event: kind of a let down?

As indicated by last weeks excitement at the announcement of the “Let’s Rock” event, I was clearly looking forward to the Apple event today. However, is it just me, or was it kind of a HUGE blah moment after they announced that not much was changing with the ipod Touch? I mean, I waited for nearly two months, and the only real benefit is that I saved $100 on practically the same thing that I could have gotten 2 months ago.

I just think it’s weird that they make such pomp and circumstance, and say “boom! bap! shazam!” and we are expected to be wowed; even when nothing major happened. The worst, is that I KNOW that as soon as I have had this ipod touch for 2 or 3 months, they will quietly release a 64GB version, and I will of course, be pissed that I didn’t wait. You are always doing this to me Apple! Every single ipod I have gotten since my 2nd Gen 10GB (which was $400 then!!), with the notable exception of my 3rd Gen Nano 8GB (probably because I bought it on a whim, just for fun), I have been “bested” by Apple mere months after I made my informed purchase. The worst was when I bought my 4th Gen one, and the photo one came out LITERALLY 35 days later (just long enough for me to be unable to return it). I wouldn’t bitch, but it isn’t like these are purchases around $100; all of the ipods I have gotten have been over $200; which is I guess a testament of being an early adopter of technology (hello $1000 Blu-Ray now being $300).

Oh well, I know that this is “how it goes” with technology, but for some reason, I have been pretty lucky with most of my “devices”; with the ipod being the exception. I have a good track record with phones and gaming consoles (both portable and home), so I guess I have to give in to the innovation of Apple, which totally takes the bank, unfortunately.

Will I get a new ipod Touch? Most certainly. I have wanted one since they came out over a year ago; but I was hoping that I could get at LEAST 64gb… It looks like I am going to have “settle” (HA!) for 32GB. Life sure is hard isn’t it? /sarcasm I’ve been on the Apple music media bandwagon this long, I guess I should come to expect these sorts of things; but it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it!

5SF: september 9

I just had a realization that was kind of cool… next week is the first anniversary of the five song Friday!! The first one was on September 14th, which is also, coincidentally (massive coincidence) mine and James’ anniversary! This year is our fifth anniversary… it’s crazy how time flies! I can’t believe that I have been doing this for almost a year! Is everyone still enjoying the five song Friday’s? Any feedback at all? I’ll let you ponder that while I get to this week’s music…

Annie – I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me

[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_95_annie-iknowurgirlfriendhatesme.mp3]
First, there is something I need to get out right away: I HATE when people spell words in song titles like you’re with just a “UR”. It doesn’t make it more cool, and it doesn’t show that you are hip; it makes it look as if you are too lazy to worry about proper grammar. Ugh. Alright, with that said, I actually have been digging this song lately. I actually heard about Annie quite a long time ago from such power music blogs as popjustice, but perhaps it was the defiant part of me that took over, because I just blew her music off until recently. Well, I finally downloaded her CD, and I’ll admit that I like a few of the songs on it. I don’t think it is mind blowing, but it definitely fun, and something that you can have a good time listening to; regards going to this song especially.

Van She – Kelly
Holy shit! There’s a video! And it came out in 2006? WTF?!?! First thing’s first… Here’s another find from a massive pop blog that I decided to give a listen to (given his enthusiasm, I had to see what was going on!!!). Well, I love, love, love this song, but the rest of the album is just alright for me; it gets a bit repetitive towards the middle, on through the end. However, this song struck me immediately, and I was excited to feature it this week. Much to my surprise (hinted at above), this song actually came out way back in 2006, and hello youtube… there is even a video for it! Big surprise on that one! Either way, the song’s great, and the chorus is super-fun and extra catchy. I’m glad that I read pop blogs… they really give me the goods; which is one of the main reasons why I love doing things like this five song Friday on my own pop-filled blog… share the wealth, right?!?!

Jem – Crazy
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_95_jem-crazy.mp3]
Jem, you’ve done it again! The first song off of Jem’s upcoming release, Down To Earth (release date, September 16th) leaked a few weeks back, and I must say, as much as I loved her first record, I wasn’t actually digging On Top of The World as much as I would have liked. With her last record being so dynamic and innovative, I had high hopes for her sophomore effort, but by the sound of On Top Of the World, I was worried that I was going to be let down. Cut to this week, and the official release of Crazy as a single on iTunes… yeah, Jem still has it. This song is every bit as energetic and magnificent as her first record. She builds on her sound with this track, and proves that she has more to say with her music. Also, I cannot get enough of the banjo in this song!! Such a great use of a non-traditional pop instrument. Good form, Jem, I can’t wait for the record!

Lily Allen – GWB (Fuck You Very Much)
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_95_lilyallen-gwb.mp3]
First off, it says fuck a lot in this song, so if that isn’t your cup of tea, you have been warned. I love, love, love Lily Allen, and given the events of this week (RNC), I thought a fun political FU song was appropriate; especially since I only recently heard it. As much as I loved Lily’s first record, I have been chomping at the bit to get more stuff from her, and I was happy to find a few songs last week to satiate my appetite. This song is catchy, and I do think it is cool when people speak up for their political views, because you are always taking a risk; sometimes you get shunned for it (The Dixie Chicks), and sometimes you get praised for it (P!nk). With this silly track, Lily is saying what a lot of young American’s are thinking about our not-so commander and chief, and she will definitely get praises from me for putting it out there. I also cannot ignore the brilliant opening notes that are totally a throwback to the Carpenter’s massive hit Close To You; it really makes me smile to hear it throughout the song. I can’t wait for more new stuff Lily!

Nobody’s Angel – If You Wanna Dance (Thunderpuss Radio Edit)
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_95_nobodysangel-ifyouwannadance.mp3]
I recently hooked my spin class teacher up with a bunch of “old” dance music that I have sitting on my hard drive, and I literally smiled from ear to ear yesterday when this track came blasting out during class. This song is one of those songs that originally, weren’t very good… Then, a MASSIVE producer (oh how you are missed, Thunderpuss!!!) gets their hands on it, remixes it, and then you have a dance-floor filler that is so much fun that it is hard not to shake your booty all night long. This was exactly what I needed to boost my energy in class, and I was reminded of how much I originally loved this remix. It’s a gem from all the way back in 2000, but to me, it sounds just as great today as it did so many years ago. I can tell you, that if this came on the club, I would need to clear a spot on the floor to break it down… let’s get fierce!

Well, I hope that everyone is having a great Friday, and I hope the weekend is filled with fun as well. Let me know what you thought about this week’s selection, and as always, let me know what you are listening to… you never know when you will see it featured here!!!!

congratulations are in order…

First off, to Michael Phelps for becoming the first person to win 8 gold medals in one Olympics. Is there anything this guy can’t do?? I can’t help but feel this amazing sense of pride for him, because of everything he has worked for, and has now achieved. What an awesome story, and what a great achievement!!! Congratulations, Michael! You rock buddy!

Secondly, a HUGE congrats to one of the only A-list gay couples in this country on getting married this weekend!!! Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi have said their “I dos”, becoming one of only A-list MARRIED gay couples in America! All my best to Ellen and Portia, who make a fabulously beautiful couple, as well as a beautiful set of role models for all of the gay community. Being an out couple, and one with such a positive image at that, makes me so happy that they represent our community. Through their publicity, and continued positive exposure as a couple, these two amazing women help to make being gay more of a normal occurrence in this world. I hope that they had an amazing day, and I wish them love, life, and happiness together. Congratulations, Ellen and Portia!

olympics, netvibes, and redefining contraceptives (REALLY?!)?

First up, how proud does it make you feel when you see people like Michael Phelps smashing world records and getting all of those gold medals!? I have to say, that it definitely makes me proud of him for what he has achieved. Also, I can’t seem to get past the bad mouthing that teams get when they “beat us”; meaning that they get the gold and we get anything but gold. Seriously, mistakes happen, and performances aren’t always the best, but let’s not be sore “losers” America… a sliver is still pretty fucking good.

I have been using Netvibes for a very long time, and after the redesign, it has been like a dream feed-reader. However it is doing this new thing where it won’t save a feed for a new item, and that is really pissing me off. Is it doing that to anyone else? Seriously, if you have to enter the feed every time you use the damn thing, what is the point of even adding them?? It is doing this to two websites that are unrelated, and that both have active and working feeds. If you have experienced this, let me know, and hopefully, you can tell me how to fix my Netvibes.

Finally, my friend Deb brought this to my attention today (which makes me wonder why it isn’t getting MORE MSM press than it is): apparently, Bush and some of his fellow conservatives are trying to redefine contraception as abortion. Holy fuck, where in the hell are these people’s minds? As one person says so very well, these are the same people that don’t think it is the government’s responsibility to take care of the people that need actual abortions or assistance as a result of having limited access to, or knowledge of the importance in using contraception. There have been a lot of STUPID things to come out of this administration, but this is a complete violation of responsibility or care for women’s health. This is just dumb, and I can’t believe that they are trying to do this shit. January cannot come fast enough; this nut job has got to go! Seriously, what do you think about this? I mean, redefining contraception (which PREVENTS pregnancy) as abortion (which ENDS pregnancy, a pregnancy that has ALREADY OCCURRED) is completely insane!!! I just can’t believe the rampant stupidity that exists in some people these days. UGH! It’s almost like the “Bush way” is to take common sense, and actual fact-based knowledge, and then throw that out the window and go with the direct opposite (which is also supported by facts stating that it should be your LAST option). *massive face palm*

engaged, take two

rings and the city

So as mingaling pointed out in the comments from yesterday’s update post, I left out one important thing that happened over the weekend. I posted before about how James had proposed on the top of 30 Rock in NYC while we were there, and that I had made plans to propose to him as well at some point in the near future. I thought it would be beautiful to do it over looking the city, much in the way that he proposed to me, so I found a spot in Atlanta that would be perfect.

I told him that we were going to run to a spot to take pictures really fast, on our way to a friends house for movie night. He was totally surprised when I got down on one knee and asked him if he would marry me too. It was really sweet, and the view of the city made for the perfect backdrop in this proclamation of our love and long lasting relationship. Now, I guess the planning should officially start!!! We’re getting gay married y’all!!! Look for invites and what not in the future!!

update, I guess?

It seems like I don’t have much to post about these days… or perhaps it is that I only have mundane things to post about? Either way, I feel like I could at least do a bulleted update list or something, to give y’all the 411 on what’s going on in the wonderful world of duane.

  • I have officially ran out of classes to take for my pre-requisites. I am taking Microbiology this fall, and after that, I just have to wait to get into a program. I am really anxious about getting into one right away, because I REALLY want to get moving on this nursing degree. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
  • Speaking of taking that one class, just getting the random holds off of my account at GPC was more than a headache that lasted from early June all the way through this week. Currently, things are okay, but it was REALLY frustrating to deal with… especially when you call the registration and administration services offices at any of their campuses, and all it does is ring five times before you get a voicemail. Is anyone working there? I mean, they have extended hours for crying out loud! Ugh, I am just glad I have things squared away with GPC.
  • I have officially applied to Kennesaw and Georgia State. I am awaiting my friendly “you got in, yay” packet, so that I can then apply to each one of their nursing programs. I REALLY want to get in and start taking the next steps to becoming a nurse. I am so freaking ready it isn’t even funny.
  • I mentioned a while back that I wanted a new lens for my birthday, but I ended up getting that before I went on my NYC trip. I have decided to wait a little while and see what Apple is going to do, but I have pretty much promised myself that I will be obtaining an iPod touch in the near future. I hope that they come out with one that has more than 32gb, and is cheaper than $500. It would be awesome to throw a camera on that thing too; because I think that the iPhone is awesome, and I would like to have everything BUT the phone. Hurry Apple! I’m anxious!
  • We are still loving the counter tops, sink, and new faucet. I literally walk into the kitchen every time, and cannot believe that it is my house. It was the last thing about our house that we wanted to desperately change, and it has been done… I love our house even more now!
  • Other than dealing with trying to get transcripts out, holds taken off of accounts, applications in, and other whatnot, I have been hanging out with friends and having a pretty good last few weeks. My mood seems to be in an upswing, and I am not complaining about that in the least. I just wish I could get rid of my extreme sensitivity to heat. I really feel like people think that I am making it up sometimes just for attention, which is far from the truth. The other night, we were at a cookout, and I had to leave really abruptly, or pass out. Seriously, I sat in the car for like 10 minutes with the AC on full blast just to keep my food down, and my self conscious. It was awful. I just wish that it didn’t bother me as bad as it does.
  • Lastly, I guess, Soul Calibur IV, while it may make me REALLY frustrated at times when the opponent is a seemingly perfect god of moves and penetrating skills, is an amazing game. They have improved over the Soul Calibur franchise considerably, and the graphics are nothing short of jaw droppingly beautiful. It is also a hoot to play as Yoda, because he says a bunch of his little catch phrases, and well, he’s just so damn cute! It’s a great game, and a must for any fighting game fan. The Xbox 360 continually impresses me with it’s graphical prowess.

Alright, that’s it for now. Back to life…

the reveal

Well, the new counter tops are in, and they look AMAZING. It is incredible how much of an improvement they make on our kitchen. First of all, the original counters were not only a cheap imitation granite, but they were installed improperly; meaning the dishwasher couldn’t be shut properly without LIFTING UP ON THE COUNTER!!! AHHHH!! Needless to say, I have wanted new counters for a LONG time.

It is funny though, they seem to highlight how plain and frankly, quite dirty our cabinets are!! Oh well… I LOVE these counter tops, and I am glad that we were finally able to get them (after talking about them for FOUR years!).

First, I give you the gritty truth that was the before, boring counter tops:
before
before

Now, I give you the dazzling, amazingly beautiful new counter tops!
after
after

See the vast improvement?? I love ’em! I also love the new sink, faucet, and dishwasher that came along with this remodel. I feel like an HGTV remodel gone incredibly right!!!

weekend recap

Well this weekend was a lot of fun.

A lot of drunken fun (Friday night at least).

John, Michael, Justin, and I decided to get shitty and head out to the local gay watering hole, Mary’s for ManShaft. It proved to be a night of drunken debauchery, however, being the modest one that I am (no seriously), I managed to maintain my composure enough to stay fully clothed; even though my fellow friends didn’t always manage to do the same (it was all fun though… I mean, no one got nude or anything!). There were sweaty, hot, mostly naked men, and needless to say, it was a FANTASTIC night. I love nights out like that… we closed down the bar, and had a lot of fun.

One “highlight” of the evening for me, was seeing my ex out, and the interchange that we had. As he was walking by in the crowded bar, I poked him on the shoulder, and he leaned in to me and said, “hey… do I know you?”. LOL! Well, I knew that I looked different, but not that different! My response to him was, “well, you should, since we dated for a year and a half”. Needless to say, he had a little egg on his face at the moment, but it made me laugh. I mean seriously. However, he seems to think that we only dated for 11 months, which I was quick to correct… the last 6 months of our relationship were definitely something I won’t forget (not in the good way), so let’s not make light of them, alright?

Either way, the night was fun, as was the rest of the weekend. We ended up going over to Rich and Darron’s for horrible movie night, where we were exposed to the absolute horror that is Xanadu. Wow, movies that bad really shouldn’t be allowed onto DVD, but alas, I am sure there are those out there that love it. It was really, really bad. However, one thing I did learn from watching it, is that Gene Kelly is one handsome man! I mean seriously, he was really hot for an older man in that film, and looking back, he is quite the looker. I have added some old musicals to my netflix so I can see him in all his glory. I guess it is fitting that a horrible “musical” could open my interests to older, more well praised musicals, right? Either way… Gene Kelly, hot; Xanadu, not.

After all of the excitement Friday, I am glad that Saturday night was tame, and that Sunday was even tamer. The new counter tops are being installed tomorrow, so expect me to squeal like mad over them for the rest of this week… seriously, I have wanted new counter tops since day one of moving into this house, so I couldn’t be more thrilled. Stay tuned for pictures!

How was everyone else’s weekend?

new york city: the trip, the story, the post that follows

As I mentioned in my previous two posts, we went to NYC for a little vacation, and despite a horrible 10+ hour delay in LaGuardia, we are back. Fun was had, sweat was shed, feet were hurt, subways were ridden, food was eaten, money was spent, and all of that made for some great stories and good times. I have decided to give you a list of the highlights of the trip, so here we go:

downtown

  • I got engaged. James proposed to me on the top of the 30 Rockefeller building, also known as the “Top of the Rock”. It was amazing being up there, and seeing all of NYC, and then being surprised by a beautiful ring (which I picked out), from a beautiful man. I don’t know when the date is going to be set, but I need to ask him in return, so I need to come up with something as romantic as his proposal (which was uber sweet).
  • When I say above that sweat was shed, I meant it. NYC is fucking HOT in the summer. Top all that heat off with the lack of A/C in a lot of places meant that I took no less than 3 showers a day, and changed clothes at least 2 times as well. All in all, we started to acclimate by the end, but that was pretty much pointless, as we were headed back to ATL at that point. I would like to go back to NYC in the fall next time; I have only ever been when it is scorching hot, or freezing cold… I would like to see it during a happy medium.
  • When we got to our hotel, I committed a bit of a gay snafu, if you will. Upon arrival, we checked in at the desk, and I needed to ask the clerk something, so I addressed her by name; or so I thought. Her name was Liza, and I thought, “it can’t be pronounced Lie-za, it just can’t be”, so I called her Lee-za. The best part, was that she corrected me by saying, “no no, honey. It’s Liza. With a Z.” Needless to say, we got a big laugh out of that one, even though I probably lost a few gay points for not knowing the correct way to pronounce Liza.
  • As a result this trip, I’ve pretty much given James and ultimatum; the beard has got to go back down to a van dyke. The reason being, that while we were in NYC, almost every place we went, people asked us if we were twins. Now let that sink in for just a second; not just brothers, but twins!?! I know that we are both guys with beards, but seriously, twins?? I don’t see it. Either way, I don’t want to look just like my lover, so I want him back in the goatee ASAP, so we can curb this “brother” nonsense.
  • We saw two shows while in NYC: Legally Blonde the Musical, and RENT. First of all, Legally Blonde was AMAZING. It met and greatly exceeded my expectations. I saw it on MTV last fall when they broadcast a performance of the show, and when I found out that Laura Bell Bundy was still in the show on Broadway, I HAD to see it. SHE. WAS. AMAZING. If you like the movie, you owe it to yourself to see the musical; it is just as fun, and the songs are delightful. I am so happy I got to see this show with the original cast. Also, we saw RENT, which I have loved for many, many years, but I had never seen on Broadway. As with all traveling shows, they just don’t compare to the Broadway version, and as such, I had to see RENT before it ends on September 7th. RENT was one of the first musicals that I got into, and it was great to see it on Broadway. It too, was excellent.
  • As I mentioned before, walking around really was painful on the old feet. I realized that I need to get back in shape, and I am committed to doing so; especially after suffering during the trip. I hope that I can make a permanent foray back into working out regularly; and if anything good comes out of our trip, that would definitely be a great one.
  • While there, I got to hang with one of my best friends, Steve Yockey, which was awesome. I also got to meet a fellow flickr friend, Michael, for the first time, who accompanied us to a sunny afternoon on the pier, followed by dinner. I wish I could have spent more time with each of them, but time didn’t permit.
  • Overall, the trip was awesome. John was great, and a lot of fun to hang out with. We got to see pretty much everything we wanted to, and felt like we saw it all (even though we really didn’t). It was awesome seeing such spots as the Stonewall Inn and the Brooklyn Bridge, and took a lot of pictures (expect them to trickle onto flickr in the coming days!). I had a lot of fun in NYC, but I am so glad to be home; it was a great vacation, however, I need a vacation because my vacation tired me out so much! Oh well, that’s how it happens, right?