Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in rickandreoli's LiveJournal:

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Friday, July 10th, 2009
9:32 am	My Last Day on the 15th Floor Today's my last day at this job, and I'm filled with mixed emotions. I took the job because of the writer's strike-- I'd spent a year after American Heiress writing my book and a script and just when it was time to submit there was no work to be had. And no money in the savings account. I'd been writing press material for Paramount and my boss there knew my soon-to-be boss here (who also, it turned out, worked with Steve's best friend at Disney Interactive Group) and so I was hired. I never hated this job, but it wasn't what I'd hoped to do with my writing career. Still, the money was phenomenal for a copy writer and it let Steve and I live in financial peace. We even got to pay for a wedding in there-- a wedding that my co-workers were so excited about they all chipped in and got us a really nice gift card. I won't say how much (tacky) but I will say it was pretty amazing. The people were the highlight of my time at this predominantly straight company. I could be me, and the more I pushed the envelope with my jokes the more people enjoyed having me around. On a social level, I definitely felt appreciated. There did come a time, even with the job's bagel Mondays and free lunch Fridays, when my appreciation lagged. Part of it had to do with my boss being fired, then my next boss being fired, and then seeing certain powers here do some shady things to both customers and employees. It was at that point that I started becoming too engaged in office politics and became the ear to everyone's complaints. Then I had my own minor run-in with a fellow employee-- a guy who's really too young and immature to be in his position, and thus I shouldn't have been so tweaked out by him tattling on me to the big boss. But I let his behavior stab me in the gut. I started seething with bitterness, sort of taking out all my frustrations on this one incident. And as I say, it was very minor. But it was then that I realized the problem wasn't with the company, it was with me. This place was going to be what it was going to be, and since I wasn't in love with writing website copy then the only way to fix the problem was to remove myself. And once I put that focus out there I started getting calls. Then last week I took the new gig as Executive Editor of Unzipped Media. I'll get into what that all entails next week. My focus today was on this past year and the things I've learned by being in a huge organized office environment-- especially now that I'll have people reporting to me. It's about being engaged and passionate but not so emotionally involved that it drags me down, staying out of the office politics and not getting caught up in the junior high drama (if there is any-- I'm just making assumptions here). My goal here is to be creative, to enjoy what I do again, and to let that goodness lift up my life with Steve. As a side note, as I wrote this entry, some employees came up to me and talked about having farewell drinks today. The aforementioned guy I had a tiff with then said to me, "You know, I've got some vodka in the fridge if you want." It was a peace offering of sorts. Maybe I'm not the only one who learned some stuff in this past year. Here's to seeing how the future pans out... (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
9:01 am	Another Disney Day with Guncle Rick Why is it that I get hungry the second I enter Disneyland? This is the question I pondered as I walked down Main Street with my mom, sister, and the kids-- Haylee, Savannah and Jacob. Being Steve's husband I get a "spouse" Silver Pass for Disney, which lets me get myself and three people into the park for free. And since I haven't been to San Diego in a while to see the family it was a nice way to save money and have some time with them before I start on this new job. My willpower to resist sweets and fried foods lags in places like this, but Steve and I are headed to Puerto Vallarta for his 35th birthday in two weeks and I wanted to look beach worthy-- so that helped with my resistance. I did, however, share many Pringles with the girls because it's their favorite snack (and one of mine, I'll admit). Oh, incidentally, I have super powers. I know this because all the rides the girls were too scared to ride the last time they were in Disneyland, they would happily get on if they could sit next to Uncle Richard. Savannah, almost 4, would jump off each ride and yell, "That was so AWESOME! I love you!" Very sweet. Then Haylee, at one point, heard her mother telling me I looked young and said, "He looks really young. Like he's 19." Not sure if she's hoping to score some of Steve's Princess and the Frog snowglobes when Christmas hits, but either way she earned big points for that comment. Here they are seated next to Alice and the queen. We arrived early at the park and got onto all the Fantasyland rides pretty quickly. I think our longest wait in the morning was like 15 minutes. Then after we left Toon Town the park was much more crowded and waits extended to 20-30 minutes. Keep in mind, the kids might have been growing braver but they weren't about to hit Space Mountain or any of the big kid rides. But Dumbo? Yeah, we rocked the flying elephant. Now on to my last Wednesday at this job... (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, July 6th, 2009
8:58 am	WORD OF THE WEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!! (July 06, 2009) The word of the week is: Michael Jacksoned-your-Farrah Definition: Verb. The act of one-upping someone else so that your news or event is bigger than theirs. In a scene: Rick has put in his resignation at work because he's gotten a pretty cool new editorial job for a company that owns websites, magazines, and a TV/film company. But the only people who know this are the two HR employees-- he's relishing his little secret. Then, at a company farewell party for a woman who has worked at the company over three years, a cake is brought in. The woman gives her farewell speech (very sweet), the cake is opened and on top it says, "Farewell Natalya & Rick!" Everyone stares at Rick. RICK: Oh hey! Yeah, well, um, I'm quitting and next Friday is my last day. (to Natalya) Sorry, girl, I didn't mean to Michael Jackson-your-Farrah. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, July 4th, 2009
9:08 am	Best Quote of the Weekend (Thus Far) Steve and I hiked Runyon Canyon yesterday, and just as we arrived we took our shirts off because A). We were already sweating, and B). We're going a trip in three weeks and want to look somewhat tan (more on that later), and C). That's what gays do at Runyon Canyon. We're talking very seriously about this new job (EVEN more on that later), when we hear a sassy girl say: "Wooo! Those bodies are on FIRE! Let me throw some water on THAT!" We laughed, puffed up our chests and began our hike with a lovely glowing energy. Happy 4th people! Sorry on the lack of blogging... nore news to come soon. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, June 29th, 2009
1:36 pm	The Niece Visit Days 3 & 4: I Think We're Drunks Okay, I don't care who dies anymore-- I need to finish up on my niece's trip before the story gets too old. Last Sunday we took Brianne to brunch where she met our posse of friends. We wanted her to experience one of our normal weekends out, but without all the usual insanity, so we took her to The Abbey in West Hollywood. To you out-of-towners that's funny because They Abbey can get insane, but we went early so as to avoid her seeing any unnecessary drunkenness and nudity. On the way we explained what Stonewall was and why we have gay pride months-- because Steve and I are all about educating people. Then we got to the Abbey and a different education started. During the meal we were all talking about the previous gay pride and how drunk we got, how hung over we got, how sloppy we were on other nights, etc. Then I mentioned letting her try her first margarita the night before, and all the other drinking that had been going on since she'd arrived. Steve and I looked at one another, slightly horrified, and said, "Oh my God, we look like a bunch of alcoholics!" "Cheers!" everyone else at the table shouted (except for our one friend who's in AA) and we continued with our conversation. This was not the impression we'd hoped to make. Fortunately, Brianne hates alcohol and I don't think we corrupted her. Monday was the big day for Brianne's visit. As you recall, she is going to school to be an animator. She also has some interest in voice acting. So we called some friends and took her around town. The first stop was to the Disney Studios where she got to meet our friend Aliki Theofilopoulos Grafft who works on Phineas and Ferb. This is super cool because A) the show is awesome and Steve and I watch regularly; B) Aliki is a story artisit and writer on the show; and C) Aliki is also a voice actor. Aliki took us around, explaining the different areas animators work on a show like this-- from character designers to background and props artists. She then showed Brianne how they get a script, beat it out, and actually put the whole thing together. Finally, she played her demo reel for Brianne and gave some advice on taking classes and getting her own demo put together. It was pretty amazing. During the visit she also got to meet the wonderful Dan Povenmire, who is one of the show's creators and also does the voice of evil Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. All in all, that visit blew her mind and gave her a better idea of what she should be thinking about once she's in her animation program. After that visit we met up with Steve, had lunch, and then took her on a tour of The Disney Store offices. The idea was that she could see how people who went to school for art and animation have translated their education into other related skills. While there she got to see some of snowglobes Steve created, like this Snow White snowglobe. And this really cool Princess snowglobe. Steve also showed us the really amazing Princess and the Frog bookends, snowglobe and Christmas ornament that he designed. Can't wait to show those off in the blog (as well as all the Christmas ornaments we'll be stocking up on this year). Brianne left the next day and we were exhausted; how you parents manage that kind of thing all the time is beyond me. But it was fun and gets us prepped for next year when my nephew graduates high school. Hopefully we'll be recovered by then. Maybe if we cut out the drinking... (Comment on this)
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
12:44 pm	Bernadette Bowman's Day with Michael Jackson I've read and heard a lot of personal accounts regarding Michael Jackson, but here's one that I absolutely loved from one of our dear friends, Bernadette Bowman. Bernadette and I met through a "Writing a 1-Person Show" workshop at UCLA and have remained friends since. Ironically, she grew up in San Diego not far from me, and I met her sister one random night at Corvette Diner years before I met Bernadette. Bernadette got me into The Groundlings and is truly one of the funniest women I know, but also with a golden glowing heart. We're blessed to know her. One of Bernadette's early jobs was working as a tour guide at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Here is her story about meeting Michael Jackson. <input ... > My Afternoon with Mr. Jackson It was late February or early March of '85 and I was summoned into the Guide Dispatch office at Universal from my position at the Tour Information Booth in the early afternoon. "We need you to do a 'special' this afternoon." (A "special" was a version of the VIP tours we used to do in the Rice-a-Roni trolley but it took place on one car of a Super Tram which seated more than the usual 10 people) "Okay, sure...who is it?" "It's Michael Jackson." I felt my stomach drop. THE Michael Jackson? With my luck, it would have been the annoying British talk radio Michael Jackson....but, not this time. This time it was the real deal, The recent Grammy winner.... the kid my parents wouldn't allow me to go and see in 1972.....the cute little boy my best friend, Mirta, had named her dog after in the fourth grade. "Um....okay. Sure...what time?" (trying so hard to be cool) A half hour later I was welcoming Michael J. and his guests onto the abbreviated Super Tram by the employee gate. And what a group it was for a card carrying Product of the Seventies!!! Let's see....there was Michael (and his people). There was Sean Lennon (the closest I'd ever come to meeting an actual Beatle!!) and his nanny (no Yoko.....oh, no!). Joining Sean and his keeper were (gulp) Barry Gibb's three sons and the lovely Linda, Barry's wife. In all honesty, I was more excited about being in the presence of anyone remotely close to being a Bee Gee. The group loaded the tram car and Michael and the boys and I were off to the great adventure of the Universal Studios Guided Back Lot Tour. I really loved being a tour guide. These kind of memories were only accessible in a situation such as this. Michael could not have been sweeter. He and the boys referred to each other as "Hey, Rubberhead!" Michael did his best to make me "break character" and laugh during my official guide "spiels" and when we reached the corny Collapsing Bridge, I couldn't help but laugh as Michael began making faces at me and his smile was so contagious that only a similar childlike laugh would do at a moment such as this. I do recall one peculiar thing he did throughout our adventure that afternoon. He had a small jar of vitamin B-12 cream that he kept applying to his nose (this was after nose job #3 or 4, I think..... one of his better ones) every ten minutes or so. Strange...but not really. When we disembarked the tram to head into the live shows at the Entertainment Center, there were mobs of guests waiting, following, and shouting at Michael...."Congrats on the Grammys, Michael!" "Tell LaToya we love her!" (?!) "Yo, Michael, we love you man!" Michael would then raise his hand to acknowledge the admiration and with a tiny voice say, "I love you, too..." I escorted Michael's group around the park into the evening as we pretty much did whatever he asked to do. He was lovely, polite, and accommodating when it came to posing for photos with cast members of the live shows....and I'll always remember having to endure the same kind of afternoon with one, Gary Coleman, a year later....who pretty much made it very clear that he was NOT available to be approached or spoken to. WOW....talk about putting things in perspective. (and that little runt borrowed my belt when his pants kept falling down and never returned it.....ugh). When we reached the place where his group was to be picked up after all of the fun, the tacky woman from our makeshift "Tour Publicity" department demanded that I run and fetch her purse for her, which she had left backstage at one of the live shows....and being the $7 an hour dancing monkey that I was, I did as told. I ran to get the hand bag and back in my 3 inch pumps to say good bye to Michael, the Beatles and Bee Gees Babies like Angie Dickenson in "Police Woman." But they were gone. They left. I never got to say good bye or to tell him just how great it was to meet him and how Mirta had named her dog after him when we were kids. I'm not sure I really ever got over not being able to thank Michael Jackson for the joy he brought so many of us....but hopefully, wherever he is (with his B-12 cream and the best version of that nose) he knows now. Rest In Peace, Mr. Rubberhead. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, June 26th, 2009
8:55 am	R.I.P. Michael Jackson Well, what am I going to say that everyone else on every single news station hasn't already said? But I do have a question. Seriously, Michael, you couldn't wait a day? You just HAD to die on the same day as Farrah and steal the spotlight? That girl just can't get a break! You know Ryan O'Neil is going bat shit crazy right now. He's probably gonna be hooking up with Crystal any second now. Remember that when you get to the gates. (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
10:49 am	R.I.P Farrah Fawcett I was going to write about Day 3 of the niece visit, but I just can't. Farrah Fawcett Dies of Cancer at 62! She's now one of God's angels. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
9:58 pm	The Niece Visit Day 2 - Circus & Barbecue Saturday started off easy enough with a circus class. Brianne was nervous about going-- most people are because they think you have to be big and muscly in order to do it. You don't. I explained this to Brianne, and having seen from experience that I bring her to new and exciting things, she chose to trust me. Good move, because it was a fun, crazy day. Besides, Brianne used to do martial arts so I knew her body would spring back and get into a lot of the moves with ease. Here she is climbing up the silks, which she loved. Brianne is into anime and cosplay (dressing up like anime characters for conventions) and being in the silks can often look like your some crazy cartoon character doing amazing tricks. She agreed that if her cosplay friends were in town, they would benefit from doing a photo shoot on circus equipment. Here's Brianne on the trapeze doing her first "mermaid" pose. The rest of the day was spent preparing for an evening barbecue with various people Steve knows through Disney and school. This was so Brianne could meet professionals in the business who used their art/animation backgrounds to get into various artistic areas. She got to show off her portfolio, get feedback/advice, AND eat yummy carne asada (she only gets Tex Mex in Austin, ya see). Unfortunately, we didn't take any pics. Lame, I know, but it was a busy party. The last pic we took was this pic of her drinking her first virgin margarita with me and our friend Eric (the photographer from our wedding). And by "virgin margarita," I mean "kind of" virginy. And by "kind of," I mean "not" because the only virgin thing in that drink was that we'd made it low-carb. Low carb but with tequila. As in alcohol. Brianne took one sip, hated it, and handed it back to me. She's a good kid like that. However, our friend Frank did shoot some video at the party, of me lighting candles for Eric's baby, Otto, to blow out. Unfortunately, if you're not my friend on Facebook you can't see the video. But it's super cute. What happened Sunday? I think Brianne discovered we were alcoholics. More on that later. (Comment on this)
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
3:03 pm	The Niece Visit Day 1 - Disneyland Friday morning Steve and I shot down to Anaheim where we met my niece, Brianne (center), and her friend Nikki (right) at Disneyland. Being Disney Guncles, we have a Silver Pass which lets the card holder get into both parks free, along with three guests. Already scoring major points with that one. Before we get into photos of the day, you have to understand that any journey through Disneyland is a game of "Spot Steve's artwork on different products." Sometimes we score a lot of points, but usually it's some small piece of art he did years ago placed on something random like a sippy cup or license plate from. But this trip we lucked out. The two major places were spotting Steve's Tinkerbell on a mushroom in the World of Disney Store. It was on display in the window. Then inside the park, in one particular shop, we spotted two of his Tink designs on T-shirts. Beyond spotting Steve's art, we spent the day going on rides and hanging out. Here the ladies are on The Jungle Cruise. Here Steve and I are on the Matterhorn. I have a big nose in this picture. Here we are before going on It's a Small World to see the new version that incorporates Disney characters into the ride. We love Mary Blair, and she designed the ride, so we went in worried about what the changes would entail. Some things weren't horrible-- like Alice and the White Rabbit, which were based on Blair's designs for Alice in Wonderland-- some other things were kind of lame. Like America. But we didn't want to set the ride on fire, so I guess over all it was pretty good. Here we are, soaking wet after Splash Mountain. All in all, much fun, and we were exhausted by the time we got Brianne back to our house. Of course, Saturday was another big day. But more on that later. (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
9:44 am	Such a Week! "I just heard. I'm so bummed. Are you okay?" This is the text I got on Tuesday night. I then saw I had 8 messages on my phone. Fear gripped my chest: I thought sure I'd gotten fired. I hadn't. Turns out, my boss got laid off on Tuesday night. This sucks. He and his partner are friends to Steve and I. We kind of knew it would eventually happen but it still sucks. And it gave me a minor heart attack. Going to work Wednesday also sucked because we had to hear the whole "spin" surrounding the layoffs. We've been getting a lot of spin at work lately. The most recent one involved why there was an armed security guard on our floor. But I can't talk about that. People here are tense. On the upside, today is my Friday. This is because the niece is in town (well, technically she's in San Diego right now because we put her on a train down south to visit her friends and family). Steve and I are taking her and her friend to Disneyland tomorrow, then she gets to tour Disney studios and meet animators -- which is very exciting for her because she's going to school for animation. But trust me, even without the family in town, Steve and I need a break. There were layoffs at his work on Tuesday as well. Wait a minute... The first time we had layoffs was the same day Steve's company had major layoffs. And then the day I became the only person in my department, was the same day Steve became the only person in his department. And now his friend gets laid off on Tuesday and so does mine? What the hell is going on here? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, June 15th, 2009
9:49 pm	Gay Pride Sunday 2009 Gay Pride Saturday. The sun came out... and then it went away. And then it came out again, and for the most part stayed shining through the afternoon. It broke through the clouds around the time we were at our friend BD's house for a pre-Pride brunch. It was after we'd eaten a wonderful spread while cartoons from the Noggin channel played in the background (because some gay dads were there with their little boy for his first gay pride parade). Needless to say, after the night before I was a bit exhausted, and almost fell asleep on the comfortable sofa. You see, Steve and I said we'd wait until noon before drinking because we wanted to last throughout the day, but juice and bagels and fittata weren't boosting us up. Fortunately, someone made me a bloody mary, and those veggies just perked me right up. I suddenly jumped off the couch with vim and vigor! And then Kelly Roland's new single, "When Love Takes Over" came on, and THAT is when the sun came out for good. Neither Steve nor I think that's a coincidence. Clearly God loves that song as much as we do. So all of us took a "to go" cup and headed to Santa Monica Boulevard where we ran into Amy, who had also survived the previous night's adventures. Kurt and Robrert sent a text: they would be late. No surprise there, either. The group of us walked the Boulevard for a while, even keeping our shirts on to take a sweet group photo. Then we hit our first bar and the shirts came off. Amy immediately starting adopting our friends as her new BFFs (she knows most of our people and they love her, but Amy knows you can never have too many gays in your life). Here she is with Dave who helped her sneak her mimosa out of a bar.As a random note, Dave is quite connected and had exclusive photos of Lady Gaga from a David Lachapelle photo shoot which will most likely be seen later this year. All I've got to say is she looks stunning with sparklers-- and you heard it here first. We ran into random people at Trunks, which is a bar we really only go to one day a year-- Gay Pride. But we have such a great time there. The drinks are strong, cheap, and all our friends can get in to party. In this photo is Mike, Kurt and Robert (from last night, who Amy had adopted as her two gay dads), Steve, Andy, and Larry from my office (he's also Mike's partner). Amy and I, of course, are showing it off up front. Here we are with Robert who survived the night. Below is my old roommate, Mark Markline. More friends from work: Jessica, Katie, Ashleigh and me. Hi, cutest photo that we should totally put up on the office wall. Here are Tyson, me and Steve (who wanted to wink at the camera), and Luis who I also work with. He and Tyson are a couple. Luis works in HR. I'm shirtless and drunk. Nice. Here we are with our Jonathan for our yearly photo. We usually try for a sober pic and then a drunk one. Guess we missed the first part this year. And finally we ran into Sagiv, who is one of my aerial trainers. After that we were pretty exhausted so we went home, ate a pizza, kicked some kids off our roof because they thought it would be fun to climb on the roofs of the local houses (WHAT?), and then went to bed. Let me tell you, that pizza saved our lives, but I'm still exhausted. So it's off to bed. Tomorrow my niece is flying in from Austin, Texas, for her high school graduation gift from the guncles. Going to be a fun week! More to come... (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 14th, 2009
8:13 am	Saturday of Gray Pride 2009 We hit trapeze Saturday morning because we needed to get a good workout in (with some bruises -- whatever, don't judge us) before the big pride weekend. And as we left the house... it was raining. I'm not kidding. Not overcast. Like rain dropping down out of the sky, you'd be pissed if you'd washed your car because it was now ruined kind of rain. Whatever. Class was good, and Steve did many things for the first time, including a back straddle. This is that move where your legs and bum hold you up on the bar. Yes, kind of my signature move. Steve's stepping it up. I better learn something new with that hotness up there (or we could do something in tandem-- who can say?) Anyway, after trapeze we shot home, showered and changed and hit a Gray Pride party. The party hosted by Steve's brother, Jeffrey. Here he is with brother-in-law John. Here's Steve with our friend Jack. Just some boys, busting out the tank tops and shorts even though it's cloudy and miserable. After that, we shot home, changed, and then went to Casita del Campo for dinner and then downstairs at the Cavern Club Theater for Chico's Angels! We were joined by dear friends Kurt and Robert, and the fabulous Amy Witry! I swear to God I haven't laughed so hard in a long, long time. The show was hysterical, but the company really made the evening even better. Kurt (with the magnet on his head and being butt humped by Amy) and Robert (holding up a drunk me) had dinner with us first. Then Amy showed up and she said, "I'm hereeee!" (in a sort of Jo Anne Worley fashion) sat next to me, swung her purse out and spilled an entire drink on Robert. Nice entrance. But we still had a fantastic time with everyone. Here I am with Chita Parol (the girls have to infiltrate The Love Boat in this episode to protect Charo. It was incredible.) Here Steve and I are with Frieda Laye. Here Robert and Kurt are with Kay Sedia, who has to impersonate Charo. Ay Mija! Here Amy is with Spuds MacKenzie. Random. Um, let me explain. Kurt kept buying drinks, Amy kept taking photos, and she told me to take my shirt off. So I did. What's the most shocking, actually... that I woke up without a hangover this morning. AND??? THE SUN IS OUT! I think Jesus heard our phone message and did something about the weather. More tomorrow! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 11th, 2009
10:14 pm	Happy Gray Pride Steve and I have given up on the weather. Clearly it's not going to be the sunny sensational Sunday we'd hoped for on Gay Pride. (How many "s"s were in that sentence?) So with all the ugly, cloudy skies we're now calling the weekend "Gray Pride." I will say, however, that 72 and partially cloudy is better than what we had expected earlier in the week, so I guess that's something to be happy about. But my one big question: if the weather is cloudy and crappy, will we be graced by our yearly friend? I think we'll all be a little sad if there's no reunion special, won't we? Either way, I'll have my camera on hand for all the insanity and post it here throughout the weekend or Monday... whichever comes first. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
3:56 pm	In the News? Discovered through a mysterious source. Truth? Fiction? Who can say? EAGLE ROCK, CALIFORNIA Electric car owner Michael "Otto" Penzato chose a rather ironic paint scheme for his electric 1992 BMW 525. Taking a page from the last presidential election, the hood features an oil well gushing in the arctic wilderness and a baby seal lying dead at the base of it. The car was converted to electric by Greg "Gadget" Abbot, host of many popular Discovery Channel Series, including, "Big." The car is a full electric conversion. Challenges have included finding a way to drive the power steering pump without the belt drive system that came standard with the gasoline engine. But authorities are convinced that Penzato (pictured left) will be able to surmount this and other challenges. Once it is completely roadworthy he says he may change the slogan on the hood from "Drill, Baby, Drill!" to "Drive, Baby, Drive!" Locals salute Penzato for his efforts to reduce his carbon footprint while still maintaining a good sense of humor! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
10:25 pm	Things I Love that You Should Buy Did you know I have a greeting card? It's true. It came out a couple years ago from NobelWorks and I'm pretty sure it's out of print. I have a copy around here somewhere that I should scan and put online, but I'm tired tonight so I'll do it another time. Anyway, my good friend Ron Kanfi, who is the big cheese at NobelWorks, has a new book out called Saint Misbehavin': Modern-Day Saints You've Never Heard Of. Here's the write up from the book: Have you ever been praying to your favorite patron saints and gotten the funny feeling that they ain’t listening? Well, you’ll be thrilled to know that there are some lesser-known saints to whom you might want to redirect your devotion! These not-so pious patrons for the 21st century are here to represent all your deepest transgressions in one hilarious volume. Accompanied by character profiles and biological facts that will have you rolling on the floor laughing, Saint Misbehavin’: Modern- Day Saints You’ve Never Heard Of is the answer to all your prayers. It's fun, funny, a great gift, or just something to have on your coffee table. Good times. But wait, there's more! As some of you may know, I work for an internet company. If you're into social networking, like getting on the Facebook, Twitting yourself, or taking a photo and saying things like, "That's a MySpacer!!!!" then you probably won't like this shirt. But if those things annoy you, or you have a sense of humor, then here's a shirt for you: Pick it up at Despair, Inc. (Comment on this)
6:28 am	Are You There God? It's Us, Rick & Steve Steve looks fantastic. You know it, I know it, but he doesn't. He's having his, "Oh my God I'm turning 35 in a month!" moment. It happens. As someone slightly vain I can tell you, it happens. This is one reason why we've been hitting trapeze class more the past couple weeks. After all, this coming weekend is LA Gay Pride, which means much revelry in the streets. That includes alcohol, friends and being shirtless because, in the gay community, Gay Pride is also known as a shirtless holiday (look at me, educating the masses). But have you all seen the weather reports? I've mentioned the recent June Gloom that hasn't gone away, but Sunday is supposed to be partially cloudy and in the 60s. THE 60S?? In LA, that's practically jeans and parka weather! Well, no good comes from just whining so I decided to do something about it in a very polite way... Dear God!... What? No, no I'm not calling to get my foreskin back. I've come to grips with that reality. I'm here to talk about the weather. What is up with all this? And what's up with these reports that Friday is "hurricane preparation" Saturday we should expect "flight delays" and Sunday there will be "mosquito activity"? Now I know you don't mind that we got married because you're cool like that, but Steve and I work too hard to hide our fabulousness behind tight T-shirts and jeans that cup our bubble butts. We want shorts and tank tops that will be removed by 11am. So keep everyone guessing with this crazy weather stuff, but do us a favor and bust out some rays this weekend so that we can enjoy our lives to the fullest. Thanks. We appreciate it. xoxo Rick & Steve (Comment on this)
Monday, June 8th, 2009
2:17 pm	Jesus Shines Through June Gloom The weather has been strangely cloudy and wet for LA at this time of year. Sure, we usually get overcast mornings with our June gloom, but then it clears out by noon and the rest of the day is sunny. However last week we had rain-- BIG POURING RAIN. So then Steve and I were driving to a movie Saturday night, and we saw these beams of bright, shining light piercing through pockets of dark clouds. It was pretty amazing initially, but by the time we realized we had a camera and took this picture they'd started to fade from view. Still, as I saw them I said, "Isn't the sky beautiful?" To which Steve responded in his best Nathan Lane voice, "It's like Jesus is waving down at the city with jazz hands, beams of light flying out from his fingers as he says, 'You're FABULOUS Los Angeles!'" I will never look at sunbeams the same way again. (Comment on this)
Friday, June 5th, 2009
8:56 am	Cook Yourself Thin... in a naughty way Steve and I love to eat, but we also love to cook recipes in a healthy way-- taking all of our favorite meals and swapping out certain fatty/carb-laden ingredients in order to make a more healthful yet delicious dish. Trapeze classes aside, this is truly how we've been able to stay so lean. After all, in our first year together we both gained 15-20 pounds each, and that was when we decided to get on the South Beach Diet and get ourselves back on track. But fad diets don't work for us, which is why we dove into reconfiguring our own menus so that we could be satisfied and healthy at the same time. Our greatest love thus far has been Ellie Krieger who used to have a show called Healthy Appetite on Food Network. Her show not only offered delicious recipes but explained things on a deeper level than you usually get from these programs. For example, she'd tell you about the vitamins in certain vegetables, why certain foods were better than others, and really educated the viewer so that when we were cooking for ourselves we'd already know certain tricks as well as WHY those tricks were better. This wasn't just taking something for fact because a TV personality would suggest it, this was a woman who did research and could back up her claims in a TV-friendly manner. As a side note, I also interviewed Ellie once for an article about eating healthy through the holidays and she's a really wonderful person. Unfortunately, I think Food Network has canceled her show, giving us one less reason to watch the network. It's also gotten us tuned in to a new Lifetime series called Cook Yourself Thin, where there sometimes-manic ladies try to rush an overweight woman through three recipes, then check back with her some time later (which could potentially be the best part of the show) to see if she dropped a dress size. The show is less about nutritional value and more about offering up a quick recipe, and we never quite get the feeling that they know why something is healthier than anything else. They just say things like, "This will make you feel full..." rather than explain why. Like on the website, for example, they only show the calories for a recipe and not the fat, carbs or any other nutritional information. OR, on a recent episode, a woman was excited by the new enchilada recipe and said she'd eat it with her girlfriends and a nice margarita. "Wait!" Steve and I screamed. "Why don't they tell her that one margarita has more calories than the enchilada?" You see, it's that kind of short-sightedness that makes the show somewhat sad for us. Steve and I were actually thinking they should make the episode into an hour and do a makeover as well -- I mean, if you're going to be frivolous about the facts you're presenting then let's get these ladies new hair, makeup and wardrobe. Nevertheless, we watch it and sometimes find recipes we will take into our lives. A could weeks ago we found a frickin' delicious baked potato skins recipe-- the image is at the top of the blog. We made it for friends as part of a barbecue and it was a huge hit. However, during the shopping trip, this is one of the sweet potatoes we discovered. Please discuss. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
10:36 am	Keggers Are Like Waterboarding Steve and I attended a kegger this past weekend, or as we like to call it: a gegger (gay kegger). It's filled with lots of old friends from the summer of 1996-- you know, those early years when you could go out to a place like Club 1980s on a Wednesday night, drink 20 or so swill margaritas because they were only $1, dance until 2am, and then wake up the next morning at 6am ready for the gym. We all get together periodically anyway, but when friend Danielle is in town from New York we now have an annual gegger. Yes, with beer pong, flip cup and a bunch of other games that Steve and I don't play because we're too scared. Instead, we stand by the grill or dive into one of the buckets of KFC and enjoy meeting people. I made deviled eggs for the event, because as we learned last year, everyone loves a good deviled egg. And since we all live in LA and by a code of vanity, no one actually eats them anymore. So they're a treat and I love providing a food everyone gobbles up. The party also featured the usual beer bong, as well as tasty jello shots. Here's Rodney, the official black friend of The Stephanie Miller Show, drinking down a hose. BD is the guy feeding it to him. I don't drink beer too often, but you kind of get into the mood when everyone else is doing it. So when people starting doing kegstands (handstands on the keg and drinking from the tap) -- and seeing how long they could continue drinking-- I joined in. I mean, I do circus tricks, right? How hard could this be? (And if my shirt rode up a little and showed a tight tummy, it would make for a great photo. Please note the pointed toes as well.) But here's the thing: Rodney is funny. When I asked what a kegstand was, he said, "It's like waterboarding for frat guys." So I press up above the keg, Rodney sticks the hose in my mouth, and he starts yelling, "Tell us what you know, bitch! Tell us!" Needless to say, I didn't sustain the position for very long without laughing. But I did go in again, and helped both BD and Danielle join me. Our night ended early, and we were fine to hike the next morning. You know, I've got to say, I'm sorry that it took me this long to experience my first gegger. Maybe it was the people, maybe the event itself (probably a bit of both), but I know that we'll be game to hit the next one when it comes around. (Comment on this)