Good thing I was a prude growing up!

Thanks to Sara "Fatty Pot Roast" Crangle for the scoop.

NEW YORK:   "Report Finds Alarming STD Rate in Our Region"
Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester)     (04.28.10):: Patti Singer

A new Excellus BlueCross BlueShield report shows the Finger Lakes region's chlamydia rate exceeds the state's average, as does the area's rate of gonorrhea among teens.

The region - composed of Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Ontario, Yates, and Seneca counties - has a chlamydia rate of 407 cases per 100,000 population, compared with a state rate of 369 per 100,000. The Finger Lakes' gonorrhea rate among those ages 15-19 was 548 cases per 100,000, compared with 314 for teens statewide, the report said, citing three-year average data from the New York State Community Health Data Set-2007. The report examined the 39 upstate counties that are part of Excellus' service area.

Finger Lakes also was highest among upstate regions for rates of HIV (9.5 per 100,000), AIDS (9.3), and syphilis (2.1), though these figures were below the corresponding state rates. A chief concern is that STD infections help facilitate HIV transmission.

Dr. Marybeth McCall, chief medical officer for Excellus, said the report should serve to start conversations between teens and their parents about safe sex and sexual health. "We have to be able to talk about risk, to talk about infections, to talk about symptoms, to have our children seek care," she said.

The region has a history of high STD rates: A 2006 CDC STD Surveillance report showed the Rochester metropolitan area was the highest in the nation for gonorrhea and chlamydia. A 2008 CDC report ranked the city ninth for chlamydia and 27th for gonorrhea.

A large number of college students in the area and the frequency of travel between Rochester and New York City may be reasons for the high rates.

STD education, testing, and treatment are essential, particularly for young people, "who don't think about themselves as having any susceptibility to disease," said McCall.

Pride Denver

So, truth be told, I haven't attended Pride Parade in Denver in AGES.  My only excuse is it's usually the same weekend as my birthday, so...

But THIS year, it was the weekend BEFORE my birthday.  I wanted to make sure to at least check out the parade!

We arrived about 6 blocks from Cheesman Park (where the parade began) and it must have started on time because the parade was as far as you could see both ways on Colfax.



This was one of my favorite groups (natch):

We also saw Mayor (Future Governor) Hickenlooper!  I love him.  The first time I saw him speak, PD&I were at some Valentine's Day rally in Civic Center Park in support of civil unions in Denver.  He said some very thoughtful things (as did Diana DeGette, who was also at the parade) and that's when I decided he's a genuinely good guy.  And that makes him dreamy in my book. 

I took this right after I realized the guy who ran under the giant rainbow flag (much to the delight of said flag holders) was, in fact, the Mayor.  I think that's his son with him.

Greeting his supporters:

Other highlights from the parade included this guy who I SWEAR B and I see EVERYWHERE!!  We think he lives in the Highlands because we've seen him a bunch there, but he's no stranger to Lower Denver, either:

Here is a picture of me with all the schwag I managed to collect.  Except for the Otter pops B snatched up and ate.  It was pretty hot already for 10ish in the morning.

I wondered, once again, what anti-gay rights people might take away from observing a Pride Parade. 

1. The Gays like their dance music.
2. The Gays prefer boxer briefs.
3. The Gays sure have a lot of friends!
4. The Gays support safe sex.
5. Plenty of churches in and around Denver welcome The Gays as members.
6. The Gays sure can throw a parade!

Seriously, what's not to like?!

What the Heck Was Going on in Chicago This Weekend?!

THE SHOOTING CONTINUES

At Least 40 Shot, Seven Killed Over The Weekend In Chicago...One-Year-Old Girl Among The Wounded... Police Blame Gangs For Most Of The Violence  

Red Line Fire Injures 19 People On Near North Side

 

Chicago Rocked By Storms, 70 MPH Winds Reported

 

Losing My Soul (almost)

And by soul, I mean iPhone.

A couple of weeks ago, P and I went to Denver to visit J.  We had a blast, which I'm sure we will get to in another post.  This post, however, is about my life changing forever.  Almost.

We arrived Friday afternoon.  J was, of course, late picking us up. We started playing a game where we would point at someone that obviously was not J (some really old lady, some man, etc.) and say, "Here she is!"  While that was amusing, it got old pretty quickly.  So, we started texting J.  She couldn't answer our texts because she was driving, but she did get to hear the dings every time she got one of our several dozen messages.  P and I are fun, aren't we?

We went to Tokyo Joe's which, other than J and our other friends, is one of the things we miss most about Denver.  P and I averaged about one visit per week when we lived on 12th and York.  That probably speaks to the many "puffy" pictures of us from our days in Denver.  I can still order my usual without missing a beat!  Big white chicken bowl with brown rice, vegetables and Oyako sauce.

After TJs, we went to DU.  P bought one of every hat in the bookstore (at one point, he said something like, "I'm going to get a hat everywhere we go."  And he wasn't kidding.) and I got Dad a shirt for Father's Day.  On the way out of the store, J ran into her nemesis -- the one she called in sick to that very morning!  We also dragged J upstairs in University Hall where we all met many years ago.  It was as depressing as I remember it.

Then we made our way to J's house where we met Brian!  I use a "!" because this was the first time P and I were meeting Brian, and he made a VERY good first impression on us.  Which was very much a relief given the last time we met one of J's sig others (the week of her wedding).  But let's not dwell on that right now.  Dave?  If you're reading this, we all hate you.  And Mike, if YOU'RE reading this, I don't care if you've "never hated anyone".  We have and we do.

We all went to The Highlands (tm) that evening, J's favorite place in Denver.  Specifically, we went to Highland Tavern, where we met J's and Brian's friends.  It turned out to be a very fun evening of drinking way too much, and getting to know each other.  P and I had shots for the first time in I-can't-remember-when -- rumplemintz.

Then we went back to The Friends' house only to realize not a one of us was sober enough to drive back to J's.  So, we called a cab.  I've only been in a cab one other time in Denver, back when P and I were first dating, and I drunk dialed him.  And our relationship even made it through that.

When we got back to J's, we also realized that not a one of us had keys to the house.  All of the doors at J's (for once) were locked tight.  Luckily her bedroom window was unlocked.  After frantically detaching the screen from the house and chucking it, we lifted the window and climbed precariously on the glass-topped patio table.  I put my hand on a rusty nail (don't worry, I have a tetanus shot!) and promptly bled all over.  Equally as promptly, I was kicked off the table.  P climbed inside and let us in.

As I was about to fall into bed, I said, "I can't find my iPhone".  And then I fell fast asleep.  Cut to the next morning.  I woke up, sat straight up in bed, and freaked out.  I tried calling the bar and my phone several (hundred) times, to no avail.  I had no idea where I might have left it.  When everyone else woke up, I told them what had happened.  Brian casually mentioned that he had the card for the cabbie from the night before.  Who gets a card from a cabbie?!  I called and left him a voicemail to call me back, explaining that I might have left my phone in the back of the cab.

Back when I bought my iPhone, I was offered the option of purchasing "mobile me".  One of the features of that software would have allowed me to track my phone wherever it was.  Being my mother's son, I'm cheap.  So, I didn't purchase said software.  P managed to find an app that would do the same thing.  We were able to track my phone to within 35 meters of where it was located.  It was in a cab!  We could hearing it ringing inside.

Being the frantic person that I was (and typically am), I immediately knocked on the door of the house the cab was parked in front of.  A tiny woman whose native language was not english answered.  After listening to my probably incoherent story, she said that her husband would be out in five minutes.  He was in the shower.  When the cab driver finally came outside, he didn't act scared at all that we had TRACKED HIM TO HIS HOUSE.  He got my phone out of his locked glove compartment and gave it to me.  He did make a point of saying that he had gotten my message, and that he had planned to call me back.  Apparently he had worked until 3am.  None of us had cash, so I couldn't tip him.  But I did get his card, and I do have his home address, so I will send him something.

I'm really not sure what I would have done if I had not gotten my phone back.  But every single possible scenario was racing through my head as we were racing to that poor cabbie's house.  Including what might happen if it was NOT the cabbie's house when we got to where the phone was.  For the rest of the trip, I was the running joke.  Everyone would look at me every time we left anywhere and say, "Do you have your phone, David?"

I purchased mobile me when I got home, too.

Sit, Fergie, Sit! Good Dog!

In exactly one day this weekend, Fergie learned how to sit!  She will sit without food, but it takes her longer.

The Future of Peeing

The Future of Peeing

Fun Things to do When You're Bored at Work

I was looking at the Denver Public Library's historic images database online--specifically, for pictures of one of my favorite Denver neighborhoods: the Highlands.  I found the black and white photo of the intersection of 32nd and Zuni, taken between 1900 and 1905: "View of Denver Tramway Company trolleys, Berkeley - Elitch number 56 and number 73, with passengers and conductors, in Denver, Colorado. Advertisement on the cattle catcher reads: 'Broadway The Eternal City, Hall Caine's Greatest Play, Jane Kennark, All Star Cast.'"

The photo below is 32nd and Zuni today (Google street view)--sans trolley lines (although, they are probably still there, underneath the asphalt), but the building on the corner is the same one.

Stop Chicago gun violence

No wonder people that have never been to Chicago think that if they come here, they are going to get shot. As of April 26th, Chicago had seen 113 victims of homicide. That's the same number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan during the same period. And the overwhelming majority of those homicides were due to gun violence. If you want proof, go to this site for tracking homicides in Chicago. It's gotten so bad in the city that several state representatives have suggested bringing in the National Guard to help stop the violence. While that may be a temporary solution, what's needed is stricter gun laws. And not just in Chicago but all over the U.S.

Check out some statistics that the Brady Campaign has put together:

• Every year, more than 100,000 people in the U.S. are shot or killed with a gun
• Since 1968, over 1 million people have been killed by guns in the U.S.
• Our looser gun laws show: in 2006 our firearm homicide rate was 6 times that of Canada, 13 times that of Germany, 15 times that of Austria, 26 times that of Australia and Spain, and 31 times that of England and Wales
• In 2008, 67% of homicides were committed by guns
• A gun in the home is 7 times more likely to be used in assault or homicide than in self defense and guns are used to threaten or intimidate 4-6 times more than they are used to prevent a crime (and those gun-toting, violence-glorifying 2nd-amendment nutjobs argue that the answer is MORE people owning guns to protect themselves... INSANE!)

I won't pretend that I've ever been a proponent of gun ownership. I'll never understand how people can rationalize owning a handgun and wanting to carry a concealed weapon. In my mind, that can only lead to more gun violence. But that's a huge element in our society. And they are powerful. Did you know that Tennessee just passed a law allowing handgun owners to carry a weapon into any establishment that serves alcohol? Of course, they have to do it responsibly and can't drink alcohol or else they face fines. Yeah right, that will work. Are people absolutely f***in' nuts? And in Georgia you can now carry your gun into certain parts of the airport. Why, people? WHY? WHY IS THAT NECESSARY!? I know of two states that I've never been to that I will continue to stay out of.

I know I'm generalizing but I'm guessing that most of these NRA member, 2nd-amendment supporters live in BFE middle of nowhere... places were gun violence isn't a multiple-daily occurrence. So I propose a program to get these people to see the other side of gun ownership and the consequences of lax gun control. We fly them into cities like Chicago and force them to go to the funeral of every child killed senselessly by a gun. They could start with the funeral of someone like Cynia Cole, who was only a year old. Make them witness a mother or father's anguish. They could also attend several funerals for one family that lost 4 members who were shot to death in their own home (pictured at the top).

It must be easy to argue for the right to carry handguns when the only thing that threatens you is a rogue pheasant. Come to Chicago and we'll stick you on the south side where unfortunately the gun violence occurs most often in this town.

Ornery as hell!

Remember Soul Patches?

I think P&D do.  Don't you guys?

Bored at Work?

Play with Flies!

Q: Where are you working that there are this many flies?

Don't you wish your boston was cute like mine?

Fergie Update

Today we took Fergie for her 2nd vet visit. On her first visit, March 22nd, she weighed 3 lbs 1 oz. Only 3 weeks later, she's a whopping 4 lbs 7 oz. She's growing in front of our eyes!

She's getting better at the walking thing. Now she only occasionally stops and pulls back, not wanting to walk. Okay, more than occasionally but a lot less than before. I have to admit though the look she gives you when she does it is adorable! Totally stubborn! And taking her for a walk is also hard because we get stopped by people wanting to say hi to her

CONSTANTLY! And the funny thing about having a dog is that we have people in the neighborhood that know her name and we know their dog's name but we don't know people names! There is Tybalt, one of the big dogs that initially really freaked Fergie out... she lives down the street from us and is very sweet for such a big dog. And then there is Val, another Boston 2 buildings down from us... also owned by 2 gay boys. Yes, we've been mistaken for them already being the other 2 gay boys with a Boston.

Anyhoo, RuPaul Drag Race is on so it's time to go but I leave you now with Fergie, 9 weeks...

So far so good...

We've hit a few milestones already with Fergie. First of all, as I'm sure some of you knew, one of our biggest concerns regarding getting a puppy was how the cats would react. That has gone surprisingly well. Like REALLY well, all things considered. Absolutely no hissing. Only one minor incident of back arching... and it was not by who we would have thought (AKA Cole, the pu**y) but rather Sheila, who is herself more dog than cat. Once Fergie bounded after Sheila and the poor cat didn't know what to do, ran away and hid under the futon.

The second is that she's pooped outside twice now! And she seems to know what the wee wee pads are for. She's still not so fond of the outside world. For example, cars seem to freak her out. And other dogs. And the cold. And the sky. And rain. And, of all the luck, the day we brought her home (which happened to also be the first day of spring) it was snowing! She did NOT want to go outside. AT ALL. Not even in her stylish new coat (which, admittedly, is too big for her... so much so that she can't really walk in it... more like stumble backwards).

Right now she's sleeping comfortably in David's arms. We can expect to be woken up tonight at about 2 am and 4 am. But it could be worse!

She's finally here!

A few clips from Fergie's first days with us in her new home. Make sure you watch until the very end and pay attention with the sound up...

FERGIE!

It's quite obvious from the polling that our puppy's name is Fergie. To be exact, her name is Ferguson Eunice Germanotta-Ciccone.

Here's the latest picture! Two days and counting!

Telephone Video!

Warning: Do not watch at work, unless you don't care about cursing, homicide and nipple tape in the workplace.

But DO watch. P and I love this song.

Puppy Picture!

T-minus one week until puppy 2010!

Per Carrie's Request...

I forgot how much I love the Oscars.  Well, really, I have such fond memories of the Oscar parties P,D and I used to throw.  We would spend all day making apps, then get dressed up, then have everyone fill out ballots and win prizes.  The BEST part, though, was making catty comments during the show.  Oh, good times.

We had tossed around the idea of linking our Oscar parties, but the one Brian and I were going to host was a much more laid back affair (Bag of Stacey's pita chips and some hummous), plus we had a time difference.  (AND some technical difficulties as we decided to pause tv until our 2 guests got there, then everytime we tried to rewind or fast fwd, it would skip ahead to live tv, so I think we missed a lot.)  I think we should coordinate next year...  maybe we should switch between Chicago and Denver?

Today, I am enjoying looking at pictures from the after parties.  My new favorite couple: Sandra and Jesse.  Most likable celebrity: Gabourey Sidibe (and her mom who laughed heartily at Steve Martin's joke about his first role being as a poor black child, too).  Least likable: Vera Farmiga (or Veal Parmigana as I like to call her.  It helps me remember he name.)  What am I not getting here?  She seems listless to me.  And interesting looking at best.  Also: Woman I Would Most Like to Age Like: Sigourney Weaver. 

An amusing after party shot:

AVATARIZE YOURSELF