More San Francisco

This time for my gay friends.

The Castro!



(Sadly, I didn't get to attend the tribute to Rue McClanahan.)


The rainbow flag!




The actual sewing machine that sewed the very first rainbow flag!

San Francisco

I went to San Francisco for a wedding this past weekend. I took some pictures!

Here are two fun tilt-shift ones I did!





And here are some of the Golden Gate Bridge:







It's Mark! It's Mark!

San Francisco is a beautiful city but it was reallllllly windy (is it always like that?) and oh, those hills... good for exercise, not so good when trying to hail a cab in heels.

I got the flu Saturday at the wedding. It was terrible. I started getting the chills and aching during the reception, and by the time I got back to my hotel that evening, I had a fever. I flew home early Sunday morning still sick, so yes, I was one of those germ-infested people on a plane who probably got everyone else sick. Sorry, but I wanted to get home to my bed. And besides, I think I got sick on the plane out there anyway, so what goes around comes around. (Which is exactly how the flu spreads.)

Updates on my Seattle trip will be coming soon, including how Laura and I almost died on a mountain, and how Beverly was torn between two lovers.

Chinatown in San Francisco

Modern Family

I watched the ABC sitcom Modern Family on my Virgin America flight from Seattle to San Francisco last week and I absolutely loved it.



I've never watched it because it's opposite Glee and I love Glee. I told Mark and David to watch, so they did, and they loved it too. It's fresh, quirky, and so, so funny.

You can watch the pilot on ABC.com—here's a link.

I'm going to record it tonight and watch it after Glee.

PS - Here's a cool pic that I took out the window of my Virgin America flight.

Should I Be Worried?

I painted my radiator a few months ago with this paint by Krylon:



When I bought it, I asked the guy at the hardware store if I could use it to paint a radiator and he said yes.

So anyway, my radiator just went on for the first time this season and my apartment smells funny. I'm sure it's because they haven't been on since last winter, but the paranoid freak inside me is now wondering about the paint.

I looked at the paint can and it doesn't say anything about whether or not you can use it on radiators, so I went to Krylon's website and saw that they have a special paint for radiators.




Now I'm even more paranoid that I didn't use that kind.

Should I be worried about this? I just don't want to be lying in bed one day and have my apartment explode. (I also don't want to die from inhaling fumes.)

Chocolate Toy Poodle

Toy Poodle Chocolate, originally uploaded by Yasuhiko Ito.

I want this dog.

Starbucks Via

Has anyone tried Starbucks Via yet? What do you think?



I bought some today and I'm going to try it tomorrow.

UPDATE: It was okay. Fine. Nothing amazing, but not bad either. I mixed it with cold water (because I like iced coffee) and I was a little disappointed by how long it took to dissolve. I'm going to mix it with milk tomorrow.

Jack's New Sword

I just got back from a trip to Seattle and San Francisco and bought Jack this shield and sword while I was there.



No, really... it's a sword.

(Btw, my sister is not happy I bought him his first weapon.)

Help Find Shadow a Home!

Hi everyone! One of my internet friends named Jane needs to find a home for her cat Shadow. Jane just had a baby and Shadow isn't adjusting very well. Jane's devastated to have to find him a new home, but it's for the best of the baby. Here are some pictures of Shadow...





...and here is what Jane has to say about him:

Shadow's a big lover boy who loves to snuggle and sunbathe. He's good with other cats and dogs, but would prefer to be the center of attention and be in a home where he's king of the castle without any other furry friends. Because he's such a big boy (approximately 18 pounds), he doesn't know his own strength and is not good with little children.

Shadow has slightly elevated liver functions and takes a half a pill to keep them regulated daily. These pills are very inexpensive and he takes them very easily without putting up any kind of a fight. He loves to snuggle and purr. I would love to find him a new home where he will be loved on and cared for. If you're interested or know of anyone who may be, please let me know!

You can reach Jane at janebrauscher (at) gmail (dot) com. She lives in the Dallas area.

Naked Men

A friend of mine has two daughters, ages 5-1/2 and 7. Her husband was getting into the shower when both girls walked into the bathroom and saw him naked. The 5-1/2 year old pointed to his penis and goes, "What's that?" Her 7-year-old sister answered, "That's a penis." The 5-1/2-year-old said, "I know what that is—what's the brown stuff around it?" The 7-year-old goes, "That's vagina hair, dummy."

Roman Polanski

This made me ill.

From the Hollywood Reporter...

Debra Winger, who serves as president of the Zurich fest's jury, on Monday demanded Polanski's release and criticized Swiss authorities for their "philistine collusion" in arresting Polanski as he entered the country.

"This fledgling festival has been unfairly exploited, and whenever this happens the whole art world suffers," Winger said in a statement on Monday, standing together with the other four international jury members who wore red badges reading "Free Polanski" as they announced plans to continue the fest.

Um, Debra, being a great filmmaker doesn't give you passies for raping a child, so please just. shut. up.

The other thing I hate are people who say this case should be dropped because it happened so long ago.

(However, if the victim asked the DA's office to drop it, then they should drop it.)

Love Letter to Chumley

Dear Chumley,

As you may have heard, my mom and I are coming to Seattle in a few weeks to visit you. I had my brother Elvis take this picture of me so you know what you're in for.



I hope you like it.

I can't wait to see you, my love.

xoxo,
Beverly

Tilt-Shift Photography

Tilt-shift photography is a creative and unique type of photography in which the camera is manipulated so that a life-sized location or subject looks like a miniature-scale model.

— Smashing Magazine

You can create it with a special (and $$ pricey!) lens like this...

Or you can create a fake one by manipulating a picture you've already taken in Photoshop. Directions on how to do that here.

Here's a picture of Jack and Nora in their monster truck that I took at the beginning of the year:




And here it is after I manipulated it to look like a tilt-shift photo in Photoshop:



Click here to see it larger.

Isn't it neat? They look like they're in a matchbox car.

Click here to see 50 awesome examples of tilt-shift photography.

I need to go out and get some good NYC street pics so I can create more!

I Taught Jack To Say Something New

I taught my nephew Jack to say this from Karyn Bosnak on Vimeo.

9/11

Thinking of those who lost their life on 9/11/01 and the many people whose worlds will be forever changed because of it.