Political Humor

Recently while on YouTube.com ....my favorite waste of time.... I stumbled on a few videos that made me laugh so hard.

I think we have lost the ability to laugh at ourselves during poltical years. (This is not true for those who watch the Daily Show or Corbert Report.)

So click the link below and have a great laugh.

Happy Anniversary Susan

September 2006 marked the 25 year friendship with my close friend Susan.

Over the years we have continued to stay in touch even though many miles have been between us.

I am always amazed at the fact that each time we get together it feels as if no time has passed. On my last night in LA we both stayed up raher late while our SO's went to bed.

On this last night together we had a bottle of wine, played Tom Waits music and just let our conversations wander to our early days and to the future.

In the years to come, I hope to see her more as I have realized how close we have become over the years.

When I arrived home I had a nice note that reflected the last words we had with each before I departed for home. Susan wrote, "in spending time with you guys, several of our friendships here in L.A. seem downright deficient. We wish we had you physically in our lives on a daily basis. We certainly would never run out of things to laugh about."

Happy 25th Anniversary Susan! Hallmark really should make a card for people like you.

Photo: Susan is standing behind Kelly (seated).

Poolside

Over the weekend I found time to relax by the pool at the Parker. While the drinks may have been a bit out of my daily league ($25. for two drinks + tip), the ability to kick back and just read the afternoon away was right up my alley.

Currently I am reading Dry by Augusten Burroughs and am finding it not as funny as Running With Scissors. But it is still a good read.

I did find it a bit odd that I would have a drink in hand while reading a book about a gay man in rehab for of all things...alcoholism.

But at 30 bucks a round I have a better chance of being a candidate for financial couseling than AA. I do find as I get older the desire to be sober is stronger than ever before. Not from the standpoint that any abuse is happening but rather I want to be fully alive, fully aware of my life as it is happening.

I am getting older. But maybe not wiser.

This is such a strange period of my life but for now the sun is warm, the water cool and the magic of literature is dancing in my head. So since I am on vacation, I will let my mind wander to simpler pleasures.

So if you get to Palm Springs, a sleep over at the Parker is just what the doctor ordered.

LA Wonder

In every city it seems that I have a small tradition to perform surrounding local cuisine that I MUST do while in town. In New York it is a nice slice of deli pizza, in London a small little pub called the French House and in Glen Arbor it is the Lakers Shakes stand for a cheap malted milk.

When in LA it is clearly a stop for an In-N-Out Burger. One bite and you will know what I mean. I think the real secret is the layering of the ingredients.

So if in LA, one must stop by and partake in the goodness.

Enjoy!

On The Road Again...

After being up for nearly 23 hours on Friday, we hit the road out of LA today for Michael's show.

So along the way of life sometimes you meet some very old friends. Well, not actually our friends but a friend of a friend. (Bronty knew Mother Earth.)

Greetings from Palm Springs!

Spotted: Birthday Bad Habits

Not to worry, he is not a smoker. (He is just playing at the Pickwick with some friends on his big day.)

Happy Birthday Michael!

Just Outside My Home Office Window....

No words are needed today.

Music Video = Art

This is a very nice video with great visuals to match the lyrics.

Lucky Mutt Ketchup

Today is the 40th birthday party for my good friend Susan. Over the years she has hinted that all she wanted for her birthday was a batch of my homemade ketchup.

After harvesting the tomatoes from garden, I made three different versions of the tasty condiment to give her as a gift.

Lucky Mutt Ketchup was created in honor of my dog Madison who used to love to be in the yard while I gardened.

The three kethcup varieties I created include:

Red Ball Ready - a basic roasted tomato.
Post-40 Rescue - a very spicy chipotle flavored.
Smokey Spaniard - a spanish smoked variety.

I hope she will enjoy them as much as I did creating them.

Cheers!

Artist In Residence Show

This week was the opening for the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center's Artist In Residence show by Michael Pfleghaar. This is one of the largest exhibition of his work and should not be missed since may of these works represent the very best of his latest works.

Click here for directions to the Arts Center.
Click here to view Michael Pfleghaar's website and additional photos from the show.
























(Photos - from top - Partial View of Exhibit; Michael and Pflehaar.com designer Gwen of Plenty Creative; Charlie McGrath of Structure Interactive shows off his original Pleghaar T-shirt design; Meg of Forest Hills Arts Center, Michael, and arts agent Brenda of Art Endeavors.)

Last Days of Summer

I understand that the official last day of summer happens later in September, but in Michigan Labor Day is viewed by most as the end of the sunny season.

Pictured below are a few pleasures of these last days.

Enjoy. Savor. Exhale.

Or if sticking around in town.....

...go see Little Miss Sunshine.

With the 2006 summer film schedule clogged with so much vein blocking, steroid juiced celluloid junk, this film is just what is needed to restore one's faith in the power of American cinema.

This small film is big on laughs. So much so that even after the film, I found myself just busting out in laughter as images from the film popped into my head.

While this may not be a sweeping visual film on the level of Lawrence of Arabia, it is a film that spans the landscape of the human heart.

And like my friend Melissa said in an email, "At one point I (and everyone else in the theater) was laughing so hard – stomach pain hard. I guess anything that makes that happen is worth spending $8 on."

SEE THIS FILM!

Trailer: Little Miss Sunshine

Weekend Getaway Destination: La Becasse

As we head into the last weekend of summer, please consider a trip to La Becasse in Glen Arbor, Michigan.

This French restaurant located on a charming winding road on the south-east portion of Big Glen Lake is owned by my friends Chef Guillaume Hazael-Massieux and wife Brooke. Chef Guillaume of Paris was raised in the French West Indies and spent a few years in Western Michigan before purchasing this 18 year old gem of the north.

The food is wonderful and the French countryside atmosphere is very charming. I had the Duck Breast with a vanilla reduction and Michael had the Pork Chop grilled to perfection and served with a genrous portion of whipped potatoes.



After dinner, Guillaume and Brooke invited us to sit in their garden space right outside the restaurant kitchen's window. It was a great space to watch the staff prepare the food. It was also a great place to enjoy a bottle of jim Clendenon's Au Bon Climat's Pinot Noir. It was a perfect ending to a beautiful night of food, friends and clear night filled with endless stars overhead.













Chef Guillaume is a big fan of farmers markets and visits many of the local farms to secure the freshest ingredients to stock in his kitchen.

If you cannot make it this weekend, be sure to make a trip North in the fall. Yes, there will be Leaf Peepers by the busload in this part of Michigan, but getting a table in the midst of such autumn beauty should not be a problem and well worth the effort.



La Becasse, intersection of M-616 and 675, at the south-east end of Glen Lake, actually in Burdickville; (231) 334-3944.

Click here for a Google Map of La Becasse





Hunk Chef Guillaume - LOL

Big Harvest

Today was the day I decided to wander into the garden and make a big harvest of the ripe tomatoes. I had no idea how many I would have until I found myself nearly 30 minutes later with every possible container filled with the wonder of summer.

Over the past few weeks I have been harvesting a handful here and there but tonight it was the mother of all harvests.

I must say, this has been the biggest year I have had with my tomatoes.

Enjoy the photo, I am heading to bed...after I make a big bowl of red sauce.

A side note: It feels good to be back on line after a break.

Thanks to all who sent notes, flowers and emails.

It has been a rough few weeks but the thoughtfulness of so many has made these past few weeks a bit sweeter.

Warm thanks,

-Tommy

( blank )

MADISON

September 15, 1992 - August 3, 2006

Vous voir plus tard iChat!

In the coming days, my dear friends Brett and Marianne will be departing to their new home in France with their daughter Raven, the "yet to be titled" unborn child, and two very sweet dogs, Bean and Tofu.

Needless to say, I am bummed.

Years ago, we would laugh in our living room and toast our proclamations that we would be able to hang out at a moments notice because seeking a babysitter would never be an issue for either couple.

Well, I think it is clear how this played out in the coming months.

But now that our circle of friends has turned into Kids R Us marketing dream come true, we have grown accustomed to this new stage of our lives as well. (We love our friend's kids equally but I just wished Ella and Lola would smile a bit more for me. These twins are two tough cookies.)

The parting is a bit sweeter since we will be able to see each other after they depart next week thanks to a piece of software on every new Mac.

iChat will allow us to communicate via videoconference with our ex-pat friends.

So I will not say good bye to my buds, but rather sign off by saying, "Vous voir plus tard iChat " (see you later on iChat!)

The future, ahhhhh, can be a beautiful place to live.

Weekend Discussion Point: Permission Video

Ok, so it is getting too hot to do much in the day except enjoy the lazy days of summer.

If one finds some free time to wander about the internet, might I suggest clicking on the photo to the left and viewing a short piece sent to me via Google Video. (It is on You Tube.com as well)

I have to say the beauty of visual language is sometimes they take us to places we had no idea where we would land.

This piece made me step back and look at this issue in a whole new light.

So click, view, discuss (repeat)

MOVIE LINK: Permission on Google
OR
The Visit The Media That Matters Film Festival for this and other short films.

"Thanks Mary for sharing this clip."

Introducing.... Murphy Maxwell O'Rourke

The other day I got an email from a friend with an attachment I found compeling.

I think the issue of urban sprawl is an important talking point as gas climbs to record heights matching our environments rising temps.

But rather than focus on this issue, today I want to introduce, Murphy Maxwell O'Rourke, a MSU student, who will be looking for work soon after he graduates in May 2007. (Hell, he could do freelance work now if called to do so.)

If one should want to see more of his work, contact him at orourk26@msu.edu.

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW)

Tommy's Flick Pick: An Inconvenient Truth

from the fourth Book of Nightmares by Galway Kinnell

Dear stranger,

extant in memory by the blue Juniata,
these letters
across space, I guess,
will be all we know of one another.

So little of what one is threads itself through the eye
of empty space.

Nevermind.
The self is the least of it.
Let our scars fall in love.



(This just felt like the thing to post today. No words or images from me today)

Greetings from Chicago's Gay Games

Yesterday was the closing ceremonies for the Gay Games in Chicago. The company I work with did the staging and since this event only takes place every four years (and in different countries), I felt I should visit.

While I was having a bit of a bad day due to some not so great news 15 minutes to showtime, I did find that once the event began, my mood ligtened considerably.

I found the experience amazing as we watched 10,000 athletes march onto Wrigley Field and into the stands. The processional took almost a half hour.

The event also included cowboys dancing, comedians, The L Word cast and even Cyndi Lauper stopped by to show her true colors.

So I will shut up now and get in the shower. Enjoy photos from the road.

Cheers!


p.s. I loved that we could hang in the dugout with our pass.


Shopping Alert: The red "Wrestle Me" T-Shirt on Michael is available. See www.pfleghaar.com/sketchblog for details.