HoYay in Newsweek? Oh yes.

In the January 24th issue of Newsweek there is a Periscope item written by Ramin Setooden, entitled "Having a Gay Old Time." It reads:

In the coming weeks on "The O.C.," Marissa develops a female love interest. But what some fans really want to know is whether there's more than just brotherly affection between the show's male leads, Seth and Ryan. "Well, yeah, they're lovers," creator Josh Schwartz tells Newsweek.

He's kidding--but not everyone's so sure. These days, looking for romantic tension between male TV characters is a popular side attraction to the actual plotlines. A phrase has even sprung up in the blogosphere--"HoYay!" meaning "Homoeroticism Yay!"--to describe awkward glances or sexually ambiguous dialogue between guys. "The director sets up a soap opera--two male characters clenching their jaws--and you're totally thinking to yourself, 'Just Kiss already!'" says Sarah Bunting of TelevisionWithoutPity.com. [Way to go Sars!] "It's almost funnier when the writers aren't aware."

They ususally are, Schwartz acknowledges. "The O.C." has HoYay!-like moments, "from time to time"; the boys hetero love interests even mock them about their relationship. In addition to Seth and Ryan, other couples attracting online attention include Clark and Lex [Omar shout out!] on "Smallville" (maybe it's a love-hate relationship?), several of the characters on "Everwood" and most of the men on "Lost" (wouldn't you get lonely on a desert island?). But some online forums are flooded with fans who see HoYay! in almost every scene, even in dramas like "ER," "The West Wing," and "CSI." Hence the need for the HoYay! backlash to begin with HoNay!" which, as you can probably guess, stands for "Homoeroticism Nay!"

So, who'd have thought that I would have been in front of this curve, by about two years or more?

The secret ingredient? Disaster!

I watched the taped premiere episode of Iron Chef America last night. I then wrote a lengthy review of the episode outlining how it compared to the original Japanese series Iron Chef, how the show seemed to lack a little something, how my contempt for Bobby Flay is increasing, and many other things besides.

Then, just as I was spell checking and preparing to his the "Publish Post" button, my crappy $10 per month ISP disconnected and I lost the whole thing. About twenty-five minutes of good writing, trenchent commentary, and more blog-worthy desire than I have put forth in about a week and a half.

All gone.

Maybe I will try to recapture the magic tonight before every phrase and paragraph construction is gone forever. But maybe I won't.

The Gay Emancipator?

(Click on the post title to be directed to this HIGHLY interesting book review.)

Do you think, in your heart of hearts that there was something not quite right with Abraham Lincoln?

Ever wonder why his wife went crazy?

Do you wake up at night in a cold sweat because you simply can't reconcile how someone who was self-educated could have been so eloquent?

Well, you might hope that this book will answer those questions, but you would be wrong. THIS book only seeks to connect a great president with one of today's hot-button political issue (presumably in order to generate quick sales).

Money troubles

I don't really have any money troubles, but I am reflecting on how technology has made paying bills easier and harder (for me) at the same time.

I remember when I first started balancing my checkbook. I did it with the lines on the back of the statement. Everything was very neat, tidy, easy to understand.

When Tegan and I got married, well I started taking care of the finances. I have been doing it ever since, with varying degrees of success.

It's not incredibly complicated, because we try very hard to keep things simple. Right now we have two credit cards and I have begun thinking about dialing back down to one again. (We aren't exactly flying on airline miles a whole lot with kids and most airlines are teetering on bankruptcy these days anyway.)

But the complicated part is keeping track of my transactions, Tegan's transactions, keeping two people's actions current in one main register, putting all of that in the computer software, downloading stuff from credit card companies, banks, paying bills online.

It sometimes seems that numbers are flying out of control and I am not writing it down fast enough. This is especially driven home at the end of each year, where we are typically travelling in other states and paying bills online.

There comes that time when we return home that I have to try and catch up with all those electronic numbers and try to corral them in my check register, reconcile it all on the computer and decide who is right: my arithmatic on my hand register or the numbers that the bank lets me download? These projects invariably take about one to one and a half hours of my weekend afternoons, hunched over my desk, looking at small columns of numbers, and getting frustrated.

I have also adapted a habit, since marriage, about ten years ago of keeping credit card receipts and other bill stubs, and financial records in small accordian folders. Each months bills was put in its own slot. That was fine and remains workable today, but as the years go by I shift out records that are about six or seven years old and repurpose the accordian folder.

The first few years of marriage, the folders were nice and small. But as time passed, as bills and finances became more complicated, as children and their expenses, and mortgages arrived, the accordian folders that were once entirely adequate are now, year after year, stretched to bursting. It is a stark visual reminder that as time marches on, things can become more complicated.

But I have to step back, find the simple things, the things that I have always wanted to have--family, friends, basic security--and enjoy THOSE things. Let the other complications come and try to distract me from my real purpose of who I am and what I am really here for. If I can hold on to those important things, then maybe I can let the complications go and avoid worrying about the stuff that is truly less important.

I know, I know . . .

I didn't sit down and lavish attention on WWYG?! last night.

I'm sorry.

Maybe this weekend?

I did, however, spend quality time with my wife, relaxing, watching some TV and LOTR:TT.

Plus, before I got Ariel to bed she made me play this game with her, but she makes up all the rules and uses all these nonsensical words. It is very cute, but it makes me wonder if that is what mommy and daddy sound like in her head when we are trying to explains stuff to her.

Maybe it's something like, "Ariel, you take the dkddfghked and then you put it in the dkcialik4t. You wait a few minutes and then dkae;'d."

Is that how my daughter sees me . . . as a 93eka4kjaehee;???!!!