LIVESTRONG Day (May 13)

The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) announced that tomorrow is LIVESTRONG Day. It is a one day initiative to raise awareness and funds for the fight against cancer.

I just found out about it so I haven't planned an event. However, I will wear something yellow tomorrow and I'll wear my LIVESTRONG bracelet.

At times my opinion of Lance has run hot and cold. However, there have been a few things that have happened that have helped me to cement my positive opinion of Lance.

1. He is lending his name and his story to fight the war on cancer. My assumption is that most people either know someone who has battled cancer or they have fought the battle themselves. I don't have any stats readily available about the number of cancer survivors or the amount of money spent for research and treatment; I know it is high. So if Lance can do something to get funds allocated then good for him (and I mean that in a positive way).

2. Lance ran the 2006 NYC Marathon and it was a humbling experience. The 7 time winner of the Tour de France really didn't train and figured he could just get up and run 26.2 miles. It was a humbling experience for Lance. He gained a new respect for long distance runners. He trained and was better prepared for NYC 2007 and Boston 2008.

So, if you haven't planned your wardrobe for Tuesday (May 13), consider wearing something yellow. And for more information about LIVESTRONG Day, click here.

500 and counting. (Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 12.1)

Hello bois and gurrls. It's hard to believe but this is my 500th post! And I know that some of you have been with me from the very beginning and have read all of them. To old and new readers, "thank you!"

I was going to get all sentimental and then I decided, why bother? Y'all deserve a discombobulated post (like most of them have been). I'll think about getting sentimental when the year anniversary arrives.

fave magazine
The party on Thursday night was f-u-n! There was wine, vodka, nibbly things and lots of people to chat with and it was all good chat.

Several Str8 Up With A Twist readers were there as well as Krewe of Olympus members and many other friends.

I received a gift bag on the way out and I will save my comments on the contents of the bag for another post (because I need to take a pic and my camera battery is recharging right now).

dream
I had the weirdest dream on Friday night/Saturday morning. Here is what happened.

I was one of those Swiss Army Guards that protects the Pope at The Vatican. I was in my uniform and I was at a Shell Gas Station fueling up The Cal Mobile. The dividing line between Vatican City and the rest of the world ran through the station and I was on the Vatican City side.

So on the other side a Nazi pulls up, gets out of his vehicle and is trying attack me but he can't because he can't cross the line. I'm getting scared.

So he starts to throw gasoline at me and Vatican City and he says he is going to blow me up. He is yelling and screaming and throwing gasoline and then I see him get a cigarette lighter. I start yelling for everyone to run up the hill.

He flicks the lighter, I see a flame and I take off running. There is a steep hill right behind the station and I go running up it and jump inside of a house.

end of dream

Houston Art Car Parade 2008
Yesterday was the 20th rolling of the Art Car Parade. Other parades have sprouted up in other cities but the original was here in Houston.

The parade has grown over the years. It now falls under the umbrella of The Orange Show which in itself has an unusual origin.

Here are a few pics.

Red Bull had some folks walking around handing out their tasty beverage and of course I had one...probably could have used another so I supplemented it with a frozen lemonade.

If you would like to see more, you can click here.

So that's about it for tonight. And once again, thanx for reading my blog!

Sordid Lives

Brettcajun and Str8 Up With A Twist reader alnhouston have both recently reminded me that Logo will soon be premiering Sordid Lives as a series.

The movie itself is quite funny and it had me LOL on an airplane one night while I watched it on my laptop. Trust me. This probably was never shown as inflight entertainment.

If you're not familiar with the movie, imdb has a synopsis. The tagline for the movie is "A black comedy about white trash."

Here is a trailer for the series. BTW...it might not be appropriate for office viewing.



And while we're on the topic of Sorid Lives...

Krewe of Olympus will be having a fundraiser on May 31. And guess what? The theme is Sordid Lives. For more information, click here.

I will definitely be there!

Sticky & Sweet

Madge (aka Madonna) is coming to Houston! It was announced this morning that things are going to get sticky & sweet in the Bayou City on November 16 when the Sticky & Sweet Tour makes a stop at Minute Maid Park. Houston is the only Texas stop on the tour. The last time that Madge did a concert in H-town was in 1990 when she brought the Blonde Ambition Tour to town.

Tickets go on sale on May 31. Prices will range from $55-$350. I'm thinking about pimping out Calvin to raise the funds for a ticket!

I have only been to one Madonna concert and that was Blonde Ambition at Reunion Arena in Dallas. I have never, repeat never, had so much fun and danced so much at a concert. My clothes were covered in sweat when I left the arena. It was more than a concert; it was a show. A really big show.

Her Hard Candy cd debuted on Billboard's Top 20 with sales of 280,000 cds. 4 Minutes with JT was her 37th Top 10 hit.

The Queen of Reinvention just keeps coming back and never stops. Long live the Queen!

Challenge Day 2008 - Houston

CHALLENGE DAY 2008
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21
IN QUEST OF ONE MILLION EXERCISERS

Join the exercise challenge as Houston competes with other cities internationally.

Do some form of physical exercise for at least 15 minutes on Wednesday, May 21st &
report your results, by e-mail to:

challengeday2008@cityofhouston.net

No later than Thursday, May 22nd

Group Leaders may report for their entire class/group.

Thanks for helping Houston accept the Challenge Day Challenge.

Questions? Please contact Doug Earle at doug.earle@cityofhouston.net or 713-845-8075

Star vs. Barbara

Star Jones Responds to Barbara Walters' Memoir
BY USMAGAZINE.COM
May 7, 2008, 9:55 am PDT
celebs: Barbara Walters Star Jones Reynolds

Star Jones is speaking out against Barbara Walters for including her in her new memoir, "Audition."

In the book, Walters claims Jones forced her to lie about her gastric bypass surgery on "The View." Walters also reveals that she had an affair with then-married Senator Edward Brooke during the 1970s.

Usmagazine.com caught up with Jones (who recently split from husband Al Reynolds) as she left a tennis workout in NYC Wednesday.

"It is a sad day when an icon like Barbara Walters, in the sunset of her life, is reduced to publicly branding herself as an adulterer, humiliating an innocent family with accounts of her illicit affair, and speaking negatively against me all for the sake of selling a book," Jones told Us. "It speaks to her true character."

OK. Can we back up a bit?

First of all, Star Jones is a publicity hog and I'm sure it is killing her that Barbara is getting a bunch of mileage out of the book.

2nd, Star is the one who pimped out her wedding by getting companies to donate their services and merchandise in return for Star talking about them and promoting them. So why is she upset with Barbara for using her name in the book to sell books?

3rd, I thought Star was going into quasi-seclusion since she is going through a divorce and doesn't want a bunch of attention?

"Pot. I'd like to introduce you to Kettle. Oh, and have you met Cauldron?"

WORD OF THE DAY:
Main Entry: hyp·o·crite
Pronunciation: \ˈhi-pə-ˌkrit\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English ypocrite, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin hypocrita, from Greek hypokritēs actor, hypocrite, from hypokrinesthai
Date: 13th century
1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
— hypocrite adjective

Singing In The Rain (nude)

OK. So you're the Austrian national rugby team and you lose 48-0 to the team from Lithuania. Humiliating? Yes.

So what do you do to forget the loss? You stand outside, sing Singing In The Rain, and strip off your clothes.

Portions of this clip are NSFW (Not Safe For Work).


BTW...Singing In The Rain is one of my favorite movies. So much so that when Krewe of Olympus did the Hollywood Ball, I chose Singing In The Rain as my costume. And I was fully clothed.