Chapter 24: Timothy (Where Have You Been?)

Let me just start this whole thing by saying how glorious this four day weekend has been. It really has done me a world of good. The only bad part is that it is about to be over. I'm not exactly looking forward to returning to work tomorrow but, if nothing else, it will be nice to premiere some new clothes! I haven't gotten to do that in a while, so I am excited about it. Yes, I understand that this makes me a huge nerd, but I am comfortable with that. I'd rather be a nerd for fashion than for Star Trek or something like that. That is a type of nerd that I can get behind!

Today was a pretty uneventful day, in the best kind of way. I woke up around 1:30pm, which is a very bad thing, but I am confident I will have no problem sleeping tonight. My Mom and her boyfriend were out in some bar & grill type place watching football, so I had the house to myself. I decided to do laundry and catch up on some of the TV watching I had missed this week. There wasn't really a lot to catch up on, though, because most shows didn't air new episodes this week due to Thanksgiving. I watched a couple episodes of The View and Chelsea Lately, as well as an episode of The Joy Behar Show, which I normally don't watch. I recorded this particular episode because I found on Twitter that one of my favorite youtube stars and television personalities, Jeffery Self was appearing in a panel of openly gay writers, comedians and performers. They were there to discuss whether or not the Holidays are a good time for closeted gays to come out, as well as giving a gay perspective on the Adam Lambert drama of the week. Jeffery and the other two panelists, Kevin Meaney and Judy Gold, all had favorable comments about both topics. It was nice to see gay entertainers stand together in praise of another gay entertainer. It warmed the cockles of my heart. Okay, now I am just being plain nerdy. I did find it very inspiring, though, and very appropriate in comparison to the comments found on gay message boards and such about Adam, (as mentioned in a previous entry.)

I decided to spend a little time online reading my favorite site, Oh No They Didn't, and catching up on the celebrity news and gossip of the past few days. Sadly, there wasn't anything major to catch up on. Drama surrounding Tiger Woods' accident this week, which I have very little interest in. I did read the news, though, that there is a new musical premiering in the West End next year called "Viva Forever," which is a musical telling the story of the Spice Girls rise to, and fall from, fame set to the music they made famous throughout the course of their careers. I think this sounds like an absolutely amazing idea and would love to see this show become a hit and come to Broadway! My only concern with it, really, is the fact that it is written by Kim Fuller, who wrote the film "Spiceworld." Doing this so long after the fact, I feel like doing it in the same style as "Spiceworld" would be a big mistake. What I would like to see, as a huge fan of the Spice Girls as a group and individually, is an emotional but still fun and above all else, honest depiction of the way things really happened with the group. We'll see how that turns out. Either way, though, having more Spice Girls in the world is definitely a good thing!

This afternoon, through random online travels, I came across this amazing guy named Chase Whitehouse, (which I assume is a psuedonym, considering what he does,) who has a youtube channel called New Left Media. The video that initially caught my attention was one with Chase interviewing people in line for a Sarah Palin book signing in Ohio, (or maybe it was Michigan,) and asking them for reasons why they support Sarah Palin and their opinions on her political views and what they'd like to see her do as president. The responses from these people were truly astonishing. Essentially, all of these people were talking about how they hoped she would run for president and how they would vote for her and such but when asked further questions as to why they feel that way or what policies they'd like to see her put in place, they all kind of came up empty. I understand that there are uninformed Liberals, as well, but I can't imagine being as emphatic about a candidate as these people were without making myself familiar with their views on the major issues. I think this is a large problem in America, on both sides. People need to start getting more involved. If nothing else, they need to at least be aware of what is going on in our government. If your opinion then is that Sarah Palin is a qualified candidate, (which I can't imagine,) then more power to you.

After watching this video, I spent a good little while watching more videos on the youtube channel, including one very powerful video interviewing people at the National Equality March on Washington, D.C. that took place back in October. It is very inspiring to see the way that this new generation of gay youths are becoming so much more involved in the fight for equality than they have in my lifetime. Seriously, it always seemed to me when I was younger like that was the older generations fight and there was no use in me or people my age getting involved. Even more, I used to think that gay marriage was kind of a "distraction" tactic that politicians would use to take attention away from bigger issues, (which I still believe was the case throughout much of the Bush administration,) but now I see how important it really is. I don't personally have any plans for getting married at any point in my life, but I finally understand the importance of having the option. It isn't necessarily about marriage, or about Don't Ask Don't Tell, or any particular issue. It is about the much bigger issue: Gay people are not considered equal and do not have the same rights as the rest of the citizens of the United States. Thinking about it in those terms really puts a lot of things into perspective. I, whether I intend to do it or not, do not have the RIGHT to get married. I do not have the right to be in the US Military, unless I want to hide who I really am. I do not have the right to make decisions for the person I love and spend my life with in the hospital, should anything terrible happen to them. I am not considered equal to the rest of the citizens of the US, and me and my generation can not afford to sit idly by and let it continue. I have been guilty of saying, "Well, Obama made promises to the gay community, but he has a lot on his plate." Despite the fact that this could not be more true, that does not mean that we should spend a moment longer being viewed as second class citizens in a country that we come from, that we love and respect just as much as any straight citizen. It is simply not right. Never again will I view this issue as frivolous or a "distraction" from the real issues. THIS IS A REAL ISSUE, for myself and so many others out there. So, my special thanks go out to Chase Whitehouse and New Left Media for helping me to finally understand that. I highly recommend that anyone who happens to read this blog click on the links included here and go watch their videos. Your mind will be blown.

I spent the evening grooming, showering, shaving, etc., and then had Thanksgiving Dinner, Day 4. I've gotta say, I am not tired of it yet. I guess this is because Days 1 and 2 were a different meal, over at my sister's house, than Days 3 and 4. Now, I am feeling very overstuffed and getting ready for bed. I found via Twitter, though, that the new Timbaland record has leaked to the internet, so I downloaded it and am listening to it right now, (thanks to Jonny ALi's blog.) I wasn't expecting much, honestly, from "Shock Value II" because I honestly wasn't too big a fan of "Shock Value I." "Shock Value I" was, to me, one of those records that makes for great background music but you wouldn't generally listen to as a whole album. That album has a lot of individual songs that I would listen to frequently, but never as a whole collection. That is not the case with "Shock Value II," though. I like this album about a million times better than the first one. Like the previous record, every song kinda stands on it's own but these songs work much more cohesively as a collection. There are a lot of major standouts on this record, many of which I found very surprising. None more surprising, though, than the song "Tomorrow In The Bottle" featuring Chad Kroeger from Nickelback. Most people who know me know that Nickelback is probably my least favorite band in the entire world. I absolutely hate their music, and absolutely hate the fact that since they came out pretty much every rock band that has become successful sounds a little too much like them. It is a shitty sound and not worth replicating in the first place. I just really don't like them. However, "Tomorrow In The Bottle" is one of my favorite tracks on this album. Another favorite, which is completely to be expected of me, is "We Belong To The Music" featuring Miley Cyrus. I haven't necessarily discussed it much here, but I am a big fan of Miley and love the fact that her track with Timbaland is really a strong representation of both her style and his. That is the point of a collaboration, and one of my complaints about Timbaland is that most of his collaborations wind up just sounding like another artist doing a song in his style. This one is absolutely not like that. It is fun and upbeat and spunky, while maintaining that Timbaland edge. Another standout track is "If We Ever Meet Again" featuring Katy Perry, who I love. This song, unlike the Miley track, is definitely not in Katy Perry's style. It is Katy Perry in a completely different realm. It doesn't necessarily sound all that much like typical Timbaland, either. It is a sweet little love song and goes through a gorgeous soundscape throughout the song. I absolutely love this track. Other favorites include, "Lose Control" featuring Jojo, "The One I Love" featuring Keri Hilson, "Say Something" featuring Drake and my favorite track from the album, "Timothy (Where Have You Been?)" featuring Jet. Jet is not a band that I am overly familiar with, but this song makes me a little more curious about them. This song, though, is probably the most personal thing I have ever heard out of Timbaland, about his struggles to make a name for himself in hip-hop and get his family out of poverty. It is an extremely melodic, mellow, acoustic-based song with a gorgeous chorus sung by Jet. It is uplifting and inspiring. I am absolutely in love with that song, and I think it is the best thing on the album. Maybe even the best thing Timbaland has ever done.

One other thing that I found fascinating on this album is the return of Brandy, in a really strange reinvention that I never would have expected. There are two tracks on the album, "Meet In Tha Middle" and "Symphony" that were listed as featuring Bran'Nu. I had no clue who that was and assumed it was just some new protege of Timbaland's. When I heard it was a female rapping I became more intrigued. I am a big fan of female rappers, and really feel like there are not enough of them out there. So, hearing this new one made me really curious to find out more about. Turns out, I knew more than I thought. This female rapper named Bran'Nu is none other than Moesha, aka Brandy. That is so weird. Not gonna lie, though, she's actually not half bad as a rapper. I still prefer her as a singer, but I think it would be pretty cool if she released an album combining the two. The name can be dropped, though. Brandy works just fine. Maybe title the album Bran'Nu. That'd be enough with that silly name. Still, I think this could be a great direction for her to take, so long as she doesn't completely abandon singing. It never works when people completely throw away what they became famous for, especially when they are as good at it as Brandy is. Still, I am kind of excited to see where this leads.

It is almost midnight now and I have taken a Tylenol PM, (followed by drinking a Mimosa, which slightly concerns me,) so I really should be off to bed. Back to work in the morning and as I said, I am not exactly looking forward to it. At least I will look adorable in the process. Plus, tomorrow will mark a return to my normal routine. My Mom's boyfriend will be heading back to his house in the morning. It hasn't been that bad, honestly, but like I said it has been an interruption. I am glad he was here because it made my Mom very happy, but I will be just as glad to see him go and allow me to get back to my regularly scheduled program. For now, I am off to sleep.