THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW IS TODAY

Rising water. Broken levees. Hundreds dead. People dying trapped in their attics. Desperate attempt to find survivors and evacuate them. The Superdome cannot sustain people anymore. It's hot and humid. A city practically deserted, but still inhabited and rotting under massive amounts of water. Looting. Shootings. Chaos.

What is happening here is nothing short of historic and monumental. Those of us far away, in our comfortable homes, stuck in traffic, at our dead-end jobs really are blessed.

My heart, prayers, and thoughts are with all the affected in the Gulf areas and in New Orleans. If anything, I'll help with my pocketbook, I just wish I could do more.

If you are reading this, please donate whatever you can. Think of what it would be like for you to be in their situation right now. This is our country, our people, our brothers and sisters in dire need.

AND WHERE THE F**K ARE THE OTHER COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD AND THEIR HELP? HMMM??!!! WE'RE THERE FOR YOU, HOW ABOUT BEING HERE FOR US??!!

http://www.redcross.org/index.html

HURRICANE KUNTRINA

Aw! Even poor li'l animals, like the doggy pictured above are suffering through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

It's the day after and my obsesssion with this hurricane continues, in great part due to the fact, as I have mentioned before, that I've been to these affected areas in the past two years, and it bothers and hurts me greatly that these very nice and friendly people are going through such a difficult trial right now.

New Orleans, which many in the media say could've been dealt a worse fate, was still hit hard; the mayor of the city says that 80% of the city is flooded! I cannot even imagine this, what with no power, no running water, and the water stagnantly just there like vegetable beef soup with nowhere to go? What is this going to bring? Where are these people going to go to the bathroom? What of the smell? I think the toxic cesspool they feared might just come true. Lake Pontchartrain just got bigger as it spills into the city, and the Superdome is becoming an uncomfortable shelter very quickly. Shit man! And I mean that literally.

Mississippi is in worse shape with dozens killed there, and towns like Biloxi and Gulfport are almost gone! Alabama had some serious damage too. New Orleans is getting more national attention it seems, but these areas have been way more devastated, although I think the overall misery will be worse in LA NOUVELLE ORLEANS as the days and weeks go by with that sitting water. Yeah, the French Quarter survived very well, but that is no consolation for the residents in the surrounding areas, many of whom own the businesses in the Quarter that bring in the tourists from around the world. It's just one big effed up mess right now, and my heart goes out to them, how would I feel if my freakin' house was flooded in, or heavily damaged? It just sucks donkey penis.

Southern Decadence was supposed to happen this very Labor Day weekend! KISS THAT GOODBYE YE FAGS! Surely the religious right is happy about this and will claim tha "hurracayne" came to the area to destroy the sin. What a bunch of assholes.

Meanwhile, for the past two days, President Bush has been giving speeches to seniors in nursing homes about Medicare and the victory over Japan in World War II! Perfect timing Bushy! Is he going to do a mandatory tour of the devastated area at all? The lame duck is showing his true colors...

With all the hurricane coverage on cable TV, radio, and the Internet, I serendipitously ran into live streaming video of local TV stations in the New Orleans area and am now fascinated and hooked by this technology! WOW! It's way too awesome to have a fast computer and excellent connection at home to be able to watch live TV as it is aired the world over! This is a dream come true man! Where have I been? Obviously in the dark, until I got my new computer and cable connection at home back in April.

For more info. on live programs the world over in any language:

http://wwitv.com

If I was on the Internet a lot before, now I'll be permanently glued.

A VERY DIFFERENT FRENCH QUARTER.

I keep reading and hearing this morning how New Orleans was spared the brunt of the storm, but don't kid yourselves kids, the damage and destruction is going to be major.

I hate how the American media jumps the gun on news stories, always trying to instantly summarize events as they happen, how about just letting them occur and then report correctly on the aftermath? All this supposing, speculating, and crap gets on my last nerve.

Watching, reading, hoping, and praying here...

MON DIEU! LA NOUVELLE ORLEANS EST DANS LA MERDE! (MY GOD! NEW ORLEANS IS IN DEEP SHIT!)

So, this huge, and I MEAN HUGE hurricane is barreling down on New Orleans and the surrounding gulf areas.

A part of me feels bad, I've been to New Orleans and had lots of fun the past two New Year's Eves there, hope the city isn't massively flooded since it is below sea level.

"The Big Easy" is about to get a little more complicated...

¿SE HABLA ESPAÑOL?

So, there I was, reading up Wikipedia, and although the article on the Spanish language is well written, I felt it was lacking something.

The original opening paragraph:

Spanish or Castilian is an Iberian Romance language, and the fourth most widely spoken language in the world. It is spoken as a first language by about 352 million people, or by 417 million including non-native speakers (according to 1999 estimates).

So I added this:

Arguably, it is, after English, now considered the second most important language in the world (probably replacing even French), due to its increased usage in the United States, the high birth rate in most of the countries where it is official, the growing economies of the Spanish-speaking world, its enormous influence on the global music market, and simply due to the broad number of areas on the Earth's surface that the language is spoken in.

So far, I've yet to receive edits on my addition, but I'm waiting for opposition from the naysayers. As a Spanish speaker myself, yes I am a little biased, but is my added statement not correct and objectively written?

LOS NIÑOS Y LOS LOCOS DICEN LAS VERDADES. (CHILDREN AND CRAZY PEOPLE ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH.)

Hold the phone! The dork pictured above may have a point!

Yeah, he went off in the most ridiculous manner on how the U.S. should assassinate Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez just the other day and everyone by now knows Pat Robertson is religiously insane, but upon listening to a radio talk show this morning, some guy on there made the valid point that we need to pay attention to countries just south of our border a little more, because geographically speaking, they are in our backyard and could be the breeding ground and launching pad for terrorism. Pat Robertson may have just inadvertently woken us up, albeit in a most laughable fashion!

I mean, doesn't it make sense??!! Governments that hate us, and that includes Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba, and a host of other Latin American nations could potentially be training ground for Al Qaeda and other anti-U.S. terrorist organizations.

Nevermind just the hostile governments south of us, but as is the case with El Salvador (my parent's homeland by the way), there is a huge lethal danger with street gangs, most notably La Mara Salvatrucha, which is notoriously violent, and could possibly offer Al Qaeda the right recruits to sneak in WMD's and carry out attacks for them. That's pretty freakin' scary!

A MUST READ!---> http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37468

We need to wake up and I'm hoping our government is paying attention.

But then again, the control on our border is pretty lax at this point.

God help us...

IRAQ, BLOODY IRAQ.

I could be selfish and talk about my life again, but why bother?

The situation in Iraq is bothering me. Big time. I need to vent about this.

There were so many people opposed to the 2003 invasion, and I at one point was all for it, only because it made sense to me to get rid of such a heinous dictator and his two thug sons. I believed in the WMD excuse, I saw Iraq as a threat, regardless of its 9/11 connections. I was still feeling angry, bitter, and vengeful over the 9/11 attacks, and frankly, wanted blood! BLOOD MAN FOR THOSE 3,000 MURDERED SOULS. The levelling of Afghanistan did not satisfy the sheer rancor I still felt, and honestly still feel for the atrocity of that day.

Now I'm not so sure.

I'm thinking, dare I say it, that maybe Iraq was better off with the Hussein clowns in power! They had better control of the country it seems, despite the oppression. Now it's just a bloody hellhole, with almost daily terrorist attacks that are killing hundreds, including our own soldiers. This disturbs me to no end, and it makes me livid to hear that our military is still there! I was hoping for a pullout in the Spring of 2006, but now I'm hearing we may be there till 2009! DEAR GOD MAN! We gotta get the f**k out of there. Seriously. Why are our soldiers still doing the dirty work in that sandstorm-ridden land? Haven't we already done enough?! Why still put them through this God awful risk? Let the Iraqis take care of themselves now. Our boys need to come home and recover from this, and prepare for whatever justified action may be next.

Bush and crew keep defending our involvement there ad nauseam, and frankly I'm starting to get tired of it. You killed the Hussein kids (good riddance!), and found daddy Hussein in that hole in the ground...now get the f**k out! Stop trying to set up their police force, their constitution, their sewage system, their mini-malls, etc.

IT'S TIME TO GET OUT! 300 billion of our dollars is enough for this operation, which has frankly turned Iraq into Al-Qaeda's new playground.

What do we have to show for this?

2,000 or so of our soldiers dead and counting...

My co-worker Christa says this is all worth it, that the end result will be more peace and security for that region and us here at home. I'm all for the building of a democracy in this land of heathenry and I know nothing comes easy, but I want our boys to come home.

NOW.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/08/18/hagel.iraq/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_insurgency

UPDATE: Pentagon orders 1,500 more troops to Iraq

Just what I wanted to hear!

ANOTHER KODAK MOMENT...OR NOT!

"Do I make you horny baby?!"--Austin Powers

YOU'RE A GROWN MAN AND YOU JUST DID WHAT?!

I'm stoned. High. Feeling real good actually. No wonder people love this herb so much. And this isn't even my tenth time experiencing it either.

Maybe that's what I need to get off this anxiety medication I've been on now for four years, this fuckin' Effexor which causes me severe withdrawal symptoms. I'm down to 37mg every other day which is promising, but just trying to not take the drug period is kicking my ass after about three days.

Marijuana! I know, I know, what's a grown man like myself even smoking pot now outside of my teens and twenties? I just smoked some in the parking lot of our local gay trashy bar JOX with some friends. DAMN DOES IT FEEL GOOD!

Tomorrow though, it'll be back to reality when this glorious high wears off...

Ho hum.

P.S. I found this:

Venlafaxine is somewhat notorious for its potentially severe withdrawal symptoms upon sudden discontinuation. (The recommended discontinuation is a drop of 35 mg a week, and sudden stops are usually advised only in emergencies.) Wyeth-Ayerst refers to these severe withdrawal symptoms in its literature as "severe discontinuation syndrome". These have a tendency to be stronger than the withdrawal effects of many antidepressants, but are similar in nature to those of tricyclic antidepressants and SSRIs such as Paroxetine (Paxil®). These effects may include headache, nausea, fatigue, and "brain shivers". Rarer withdrawal symptoms include shaking legs, dizziness and dysphoria. "Brain shivers" have been described as electric-like shocks in the brain causing pounding headaches and disorientation, increasing over time before abating. Although "Brain shivers" aren't exactly painful they can severe enough to be disabling. Antidepressant withdrawal effects do not indicate addiction, but are rather the results of the brain attempting to reach neurochemical stability. These can be minimalized or avoided by tapering off of the medication over a period of weeks. However, studies by Wyeth-Ayerst and others have reported very rare cases of withdrawal symptoms severe enough to require permanent use. In some of these cases, successful discontinuation was eventually achieved by the addition of fluoxetine, which was later discontinued itself without difficulty.

JUST AS I WAS FEELING SORRY FOR MYSELF...

Looks like September might be a huge travel month for me!

--Might go to Las Vegas.

--Might do San Jose, Carmel, Monterey, and San Francisco.

--Might go to upstate New York to visit Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and New York City even!

Can I handle it? Sure! Road trips over flying are preferable, but if I gotta fly, I'll make sure to shove a good amount of alcohol into my system.

Life's not so bad after all! Unfortunately, as one of my loyal readers B.G. suggested, I cannot quit my job and just travel.

I need to eat man!

But I do have a shitload of vacation time, so YIPEE!

TAKING THINGS FOR GRANTED AGAIN. WHY??!!!

It's one of those days I've spent reflecting on my life once again. Dangerous for me to do that. All I end up feeling is unfulfilled and depressed as a human being.

Why don't I have a better job and make more money?

Why haven't I traveled more?

Why didn't I start the gym earlier in life and bulk up, not wait till now?

Why do I still technically live at home?

Why don't I have a stable romantic relationship?

Why did I have to get socked in the gut with stupid anxiety disorder for which I'm finding it hard to get off my psychotropic medication: Effexor?

Why tha hell am I gay and still not accepted fully by many in society?

Why oh why??!! WAH WAH WAH!

Let's face it. I have so much. I really do. A roof over my head. Plentiful food. A steady decent income. A nice car. My heatlh. Decent looks. An IPOD. O.k. friends. I have much more than many in the world who are now starving and dreadfully poor. So what oh what, is missing I ask? Why all the questioning and whining? Is it the human condition to never be satisfied? Or am I just an ingrate? An ungrateful dumbass who should just shut up and shove it?!

I obviously did not make it to Sea World today did I, hence all this dark sad reflection.

Alas, tomorrow is another day...

I'M GLAD I'M NOT IN GAZA!

I have a slight sore throat, I'm tired, and I wanna go home, but I gotta wait it out here at work for at least another three hours.

I might visit Sea World tomorrow, which is definitely more expensive, more crowded, and hotter than the zoo, so I'm still debating whether I should go. Funny how as an adult I have to consider all the pros and cons of a trip, whereas when I was a kid, there was no doubt or second thought, it was just, "Let's Go!"

So there I was, naked in all my glory showing off my schlonger in front of a crew of about seven with other "models" next to me watching trying to jack it off in my first ever porn shoot last night at this beautiful mansion in Toluca Lake previously owned by Freddie Prinze Jr. Weird man. Surreal. Not erotic at all. Cold. Way too technical. I don't know if I'll do it again if it's like this! I thought it'd be more of an intimate setting! And they need better-looking models! UGH! For God's sake man, some of the crew members behind the camera were better looking than the ones in front, except me of course!

I was under the impression it was more of an amateur-type film at first, but as the night progressed, I got the feeling these dudes were real serious about their work and were trying to make a fuckin' MTV video, instead of a hot unscripted go-for-it fuck film. Oh well.

And last but not least, I say bravo to Israel for at least trying to make peace with those heathen Palestinians. You can't say they haven't tried, uprooting and kicking out all those Jews out of Gaza this past week! Talk about real life drama man! Chutzpah!

And so, my weekend thankfully commences soon...

I'VE HAD A SHITTY WEEK

I felt horrible yesterday. I came to work as normal, but after an hour here, I felt like I was gonna hurl.

So I went home, passed out for a good five hours, woke up, made some important phone calls (WOW, WHAT A STOCKBROKER LOL!), and then got myself enough energy to attend the wake of my co-worker's husband, who unexpectedly and tragically died last week.

It was a nice Buddhist ceremony, very very moving. I can't lie, I shed some tears.

I'm a very very sensitive, sentimental, and empathic person. I feel other people's pain and suffering very deeply. Sometimes I hate that side of myself, but I often thank God I do have that characteristic, it makes me compassionate and understanding and an all-around good-hearted kind of guy.

Must be my astrological sign: CANCER.

TWO MAJOR AIRLINE DISASTERS IN LESS THAN A WEEK!

Yes, flying is still the safest way to travel, but who doesn't freak out when hearing of these airplane crashes with hundreds aboard?

I guess that Air France (<---click on hyperlink here and those below) crash just a few weeks back where all the passengers and crew on board survived truly was a miracle.

In Greece, and now Venezuela, there are hundreds dead.

I wanna fly soon too, perhaps to New York or Europe, and even though I know it'll be okay, it still makes me worry every time I get on board.

Dont'cha just love it when those plane wheels finally touch down on the runway after all that time hovering above?

What a relief!

MORE SAN DIEGO ZOO PHOTOS.

Mom and me, after our long fulfilling day at the San Diego Zoo. Sweet ain't it? 08-06-05

A yellow python kiddies! EEK!

Cool shot of an eagle.

"Don't go chasin' waterfalls, please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to..." The S.D. Zoo man, it really rocks!

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL MEETS THE BEATLES!

This is old news to some of you by now, but I thought I'd bring up a story that I believe was re-aired on 60 Minutes last week.

Cirque Du Soleil is teaming up with The Beatles to create a visual and audio feast of a show at The Mirage in Las Vegas! The show will open in 2006, and I can't wait!

More information:

http://tinyurl.com/dkrly

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/pressroom/prinfo/news/news86.htm

SOME SAN DIEGO ZOO PICS, MORE ON THE WAY, I HOPE.

Striped horses, ergo...zebras!

Yes, a human walking tree!

This woman is not really a statue, but she sure did look it. Pretty awesome.

Hmmm...for some reason, seemed to be the only animal that looked unhappy at the zoo.

This little friend loves taking pictures.

Lion food. I mean, gazelles!

What a beautifully coloured bird.

A baby chimp!

SOME COMMENTS STRIKE ME AS SPAM!

I'm noticing that some of the comments I'm receiving as of late seem to be nothing but junk comments! Is there is such an identified phenomenon yet?

Well let me be the first to declare, that not only is there junk mail and email, but there now seem to be blogs (mine included) that receive comments from people who simply wanna advertise their own commerical blogs! They're so sneaky too, using words such as, "Great blog you got here! Wanna read about low car rates, visit my blog..."

Ergo, junk comments, SPAM!

UGH!

Is nothing sacred?!

DAMN YOU DEATH!

I came into work this morning only to find out that my Thai co-worker's 62 year-old husband passed away! I feel so bad for her. She's been married to this man for thirty years, has two grown successful sons with him, he was the lead bartender at the Hilton Hotel (I believe in Beverly Hills), and the guy was only in for routine knee surgery at the hospital when this happened last night!!!

The rumors are flying all around this office as to what happened. Was it medical malpractice due to a failing or improperly connected oxygen tank? Or did an existing heart condition kill him while he was asleep? Regardless, the mad is dead, and surely this poor woman is devastated. I'm glad she has her brothers, her mother, and her boys by her side at this most difficult time, but man, what a hard pill to swallow.

It only reiterates my own mortality and that of those around me once more. DAMN IT. What is the f**kin' point of it all, when all we end up doing is croaking!? Kicking the bucket?! Buying the farm?! UGH!

But then again, those with near-death experiences say that it really isn't so bad, that death truly is peaceful and wonderful.

All right then, I guess sooner or later, I'll find out. Till then, onward with the enjoyment of every possible minute of my life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-death_experience

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead'

http://forestlawn.com/estlawn.com/

A GRUESOME ANNIVERSARY

Everyone grows up knowing about Charles Manson as one of America's most notoriously famous psychopaths. But do those of us who were not alive during that time really understand the true nature of the heinous crimes he directed his "family" to commit? I for one, had never fully grasped how horrible that night must've been, until I did some intense reading on the issue just last night.

Tonight is the 36th anniversary of the gruesome and shocking murders of Sharon Tate, her baby, and her friends at her Beverly Hills home back in 1969. http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/manson/murder_1.html

This is one of those crimes that defines America and the 1960's; how drugs and abandoned youth lost its innocence on this one night to a man with no conscience or understanding of human values or life.

For Christ's sake, even my precious Beatles and their masterpiece White Album was used to inspire this madman to brainwash his followers. Helter Skelter would never be the same song again.

Tonight, I pray for the murdered and roll my eyes in disgust to all the killers still in jail who now claim they are born-again Christians. PHOOEY!

My god, Sharon Tate was so beautiful, what a tragic shame...

Further reading (and boy there's lots out there):

http://www.charliemanson.com/

http://www.sharontate.info/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Manson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Tate

I WASN'T A BIG FAN OF HIS, BUT IT CERTAINLY IS SAD.

WOW. WHAT A HORRIBLE DISEASE. SUCH A SHAME.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8870485/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Jennings

THE SAN DIEGO ZOO!

I am exhausted. Took my mom, Mikey, and his aunt to the San Diego Zoo yesterday!

What a beautiful place! Man, it really is. Lots of walking. God Almighty. Lots of walking...

Hope to have some pics up this week!

http://sandiegozoo.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Zoo

I NO LONGER KNOW THEE

I want to understand what has happened to someone whom I have truly considered to be a cool awesome friend for the past three years.

David is no longer the same. He has changed radically and it deeply saddens me. Sure, he always had an attitude, but it was witty, slick, and quite charming. Now he's turned into a grotesque, bitter, envious, and angry individual.

What did I do to warrant his behavior towards me? Is it the fact he's a Scorpio and they're all ultimately insane envious assholes? Is it that he's getting older? Is it his new stressful job? His ongoing tumultuous personal relationship with one of the nicest men (another friend) I have ever met? What is going on with David? Where is the David that I knew??!!! The David I loved like a true brother??!!

The one I know now and barely speak to or see is not him.

I guess people do change and nothing lasts forever. Ho hum.

I had to listen to The Beatles on my IPOD while coming in to work this morning to cheer me up and it helped. What is it about their music that always makes me happy and forget my problems?

CONCERNS, VERY REAL CONCERNS.

I had a real vivid dream last night. More like a nightmare really. That L.A. was struck by two moderate but damaging earthquakes seconds apart from each other. I've been worrying about this all summer long, and I'm hoping it does not come to pass, but I still feel uneasy. In my dream, my beloved car was crushed and destroyed in a collapsed parking structure! DAMNIT! The good news is that my mom and I survive, a little "shaken" up, but unharmed.

And speaking of that uneasy feeling, this coming Saturday marks the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki. Six decades later, many are still divided as to the morality and ethics regarding the decision to use such an awesome and horrific weapon on ordinary civilians, let alone the second bomb on Nagasaki just a few days after that! Those nasty terrorists who currently hate America may just use this upcoming notorious date for something truly heinous.

As http://worldnetdaily.com/ reported not too long ago, the possibility of f**kin' Al Qaeda having already snuck nukes into this country to use on major American cities http://www.atomicarchive.com/Example/Example1.shtml is very very real and frightening. With this Saturday's infamous anniversary, I cannot help but wonder if they're planning to do something, since these loser terrorists are into dates and all. There's 9/11, the 3/11 attacks in Spain last year, 7/7 in London not too long ago, etc. Bin Laden did mention he wanted to have an "American Hiroshima" where the United States would be subjected to several horrific nuke attacks on major cities which would bring the country down. Just great! JUST F**KIN' GREAT! My co-worker Christa already has an escape plan, she's driving her ass out of the city to Sequoia National Forest http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia/, in case anything goes off in L.A. Good luck Christa!

Which is why I say, enjoy life to the fullest and let's all have good hot sex. By Saturday morning, we may be obliterated and in complete chaos.

Have a great weekend!

ALL ABOARD SURVIVE PLANE CRASH! MEANWHILE...

Amazing story of that Air France plane crashing in Toronto and all of the people on board who survived! WOW! Pretty harrowing and I guarantee those people will be appreciating their second chance at life now more than ever before.

I have so much I wanna write about and say but am so tired! And it's only midweek. I think I may come back later, but if I don't...DON'T hold it against me.

By the way, my nose looks huge in the pic below. UGH!

Ma, where's my hair?!

a shorter-haired, more cropped look for summer. It's way too hot out there! How does it look?

SATURDAY AT THE L.A. ZOO!

Me! Just Me!

A little friend on an adventure.

My mother says I'm related to these things since I'm so tall. HARDEEHARHAR mother.

Nice Landscaping!

A Sea Lion Up For Some Air.

Pic of a Homo Sexualens Washing Hands.

Some black bears.