My empty head

I am having some problems the past two days. I just don't feel like blogging. I think I need some inspiration or something fun to blog about.

So, send me a book, or a movie or take me to dinner or something. I want free shit, and I will review it. I am sort of in a bloggins slump, I think.

Grade: D-

Mario Lopez joins the Bold & The Beautiful

I know I have already blogged about Mario Lopez, but Chicago Sexbox recently had an entry about Mr. Lopez joining The Bold and the Beautiful. I think Mario is super hottie, and I used to wath that show religiously when I was younger.

For those who don't know, I have a thing for soap operas. I love them. As a matter of fact, I watched 4 full hours of SoapNet last night. And I loved it!

I can't wait to see how Mario does on there, but am a bit concerned for his celebrity status having made the shift to daytime.

Grade: B

My Oscar Picks!

With just one week before the big night, here are my final picks for the winners, with possible upsets.

Best Picture - Brokeback Mountain
Upset: Crash

Director - Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain

Actor - Phillip Seymore Hoffman for Capote
Upset: Heath Ledger for Brokeback

Actress - Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line
Upset: Felicity for Transamerica

Supporting Actor - George Clooney for Syriana
Upset: Matt Dillon for Crash

Supporting Actress - Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener
Upset: Amy Adams for Junebug

Original Screenplay - Crash

Adapted - Brokeback

Foreign Language Film - Tsotsi
Upset: Paradise Now

Animated Film - Wallace & Gromit

Original Score - Brokeback

Original Song - It's Hard out Here for a Pimp - Hustle and Flow

Art Direction - Memoirs of a Geisha

Cinematography - Brokeback

Documentary - March of the Penguins

Documentary Short - God Sleeps in Rwanda

Film Editing - Crash

Makeup - Chronicles of Narnia

Animated Short Film - The Moon and the Sun

Live Action Short Film - Six Shooter

Sound Editing - King Kong

Sound Mixing - King Kong

Visual Effects - King Kong

Ex-Gay's Conference

Tomorrow in St. Louis, there are going to be a couple thousand "ex-gays" gathering for the Love Won Out conference. Doesn't it look like a hoot!

Something tells me that some of these fags are gunna be having a relapse tomorrow. Is it really good to bring that many ex-fags together if you want them to not suck penis and do it in the butt?

Grade: F

OMFG, I just looked up this Anne Heche photo as a joke, and then saw on the site that her mother is speaking at this conference.

Reese not covering her tracks

Don't blow your chances for that Oscar, Reese!

Grade: D (An A if they find out she had something to do with it and arrest her on Oscar night!)

Capers

Capers have always been odd to me. I mean, they just taste salty and they cost a lot. And they just don't add a ton to dishes. Just this weekend I commented on how I thought they are totally dumb.

Then, last night, I was helping the bf prepare a tuna salad for his party to be served on cucumbers. It tasted sort of boring to me. And I wanted to have something added to it to make it a little more exciting, but still a pretty basic tuna salad. And the answer came to me: capers! Solved that tuna salad caper!

So, capers, I take back what I said about you, and I take back what I said about Ina for using them this weekend on her show.

Grade: B+

Ed Debevic's

I am a Chicagoan and had never been to Ed Debevic's. Until today.

For those who don't know, this is the 50's style diner place that tourists love where the staff is rude to you and they dance and stuff. I hadn't really had a huge desire to go there, but Noah from Boomtacular talked me into it.

There isn't much to say about the food, I had nachos. They were pretty good. But, people go for the rude servers and atmosphere. Our server came over and was all sassy and stuff, and made us wear their dorky hats. They aren't that mean to you, she just called us nerds and stuff and was all brash. Then the servers got up on the counter near us and danced and stuff.

It was really weird being there in the middle of a work day and with the cheesiness of it, and wearing that hat, and being a teensy hung over, it was pretty funny.

See you there tomorrow, Noah?

Grade: B-

Boom Boom Room

I had Tuesday off of work, so I took the opportunity to head to the Boom Boom Room at Green Dolphin Street. The place was packed. A great space. A fun crowd. And I got trashed and threw up on the way home. What more could you ask for?

Grade: A-

Snow

I have never seen this much snow in my life, and I ain't talking bout the kind that goes up your schnoz...

See this photo? This is what I felt like when I was driving up my mother's driveway in Traverse City. She had plowed the snow and it was a few feet deep there. I haven't seen snow like that for a long long time. It was beautiful, but a weekend in the snowy woods was enough for me for a while.

Grade: C

Old Mission Penisula Wineries

On Saturday up in Traverse, my mother, her girlfriend, my boyfriend and I went to do some wine tasting. We hit up 5 wineries and had a great time. Got a little tipsy, and Jhun bought about 12 bottles of wine.

The wines are pretty good. Not the best all the time. But, you find some diamonds in the rough. In general stay away from any and all reds in that area. They don't grow them well, and they don't turn out that great. The Pinot Grigio's, the Rieslings, and of course the cherry wines were the ones to focus on.

But, if you are in Northern Michigan, check out wineries. One of my fav things to do.

Grade: A-

North

I ate at North in Leland, Michigan on Friday night. This place is an old Inn whose ground floor has been converted into a restaurant. Beautiful space with lots of great art on the walls, and a surprise for being in the middle of nowhere in Northern Michigan. The menu was a bit of a shocker at first with expensive prices, but the food was nearly worth it.

I had their liver pate, and I love pate a lot. This version was sort of too creamy and could have had a little more bite to it. Pate is such a weird thing. It doesn't taste too different from liverwurst to me, but costs more. And then I had a beet and asparagus salad. The small portion had just four asparagi, two white and two green, and one beet with a lemony dressing. Basic tasting, but still yummers. But, the lamb tendertloin I had was out of this world. It was so tender and so perfectly seasoned and served with polenta and a truffle sauce. All served with a couple glasses of some local Michigan Pinot Grigio. Good stuff!

Grade: B

Anal Bleaching

You are probably wondering what the hell this woman is doing. Well, she is getting her anus bleached. I was watching E! this weekend and they showed a segment about this porn star who got her anus bleached. I suppose if you are a porn star you want your hole to look pretty, but that is just crazy to me.

And for those of you who drunk dialed me wondering why I haven't posted, I was in Traverse City for the weekend visiting my mother. I am back now. Sorry for any distress my absence may have caused my dear readers...

Grade: C

Dick Cheney

Does this look like a man you would trust with a gun? With your country?

Grade: F

You Remind Me of Me

This is one of the best books I have read in the past year. But, then again, I haven't read too many books in the past year.

But, I think it will make my top 5 list of contemporary fiction. The writing is wonderful. The story is amazing, and I cried two or three times during my read of this book.

It is the story of two half-brothers, one given up for adoption, the other kept by his sorta crazy mother. There are lots of other periphoral characters, and the novel jumps back and forth in time and places to form a captivating puzzle. Sometimes you can easily predict where Chaon is going, but that isn't the point. The whole book is a question of destiny. Are our lives shaped by our genetics, by our circumstances or is it all just a bunch of random happenings?

What should I read next?

Grade: A

Kara on Project Runway

Finally, they got rid of Kara! It was about time. How she made it to the final 4, I have no clue.

As much as I would have loved to see Santino go, I think we all knew they wanted to keep him around until the final three.

The finale isn't next week, but the week after that. Next week is some interview show, but I want to know what Tim Gunn gets his panties in a bunch about!

Grade: Kara gets a C because her stuff had gotten better. Project Runway is back to about an A-

The Pepper Lounge

I had my valentines dinner here last night. The place is super cute and hip on the inside and the food was really good, but not amazing.

I stared out with a pomegranite martini. Then I had the ahi tuna appetizer. My boyfriend had the lobster bisque. It wasn't even bisque. It wasn't smooth and wasn't creamy, and tasted super bland. So, they took it back and he had the oysters. Pretty good, but oysters just creep me out overall.

I had the filet with asparagus and potatoe for my entree. It was decent. Very simple, but very tasty. Jhun had the lamb, and that was truly amazing. It was served with spinach and mashed sweet potatoes. Super good.

And dessert was a chocolate bomb cake, and Jhun had the black forest cake. Both good, but nothing amazing. The overall impression was good solid food, but nothing too outside the box or that I simply can't wait to have again.

Grade: B

I heart my readers

And last but not least...I heart all my readers. But leave some more comments, for Christ's sake....

Grade: B

I Heart Huckabees

This was one of my top three movies of 2004. I really loved it and own it now and giggle every damn time I watch it.

It is the story of guy (Jason Schwartzman) who hires two existential detectives to try and figure out some stuff in his life. The two, Lilly Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman, take on a bunch of other clients along the way, including two great performances by Naomi Watts, as the spokesmodel for a department store chain, called Huckabees, and Mark Walhburg, as a firefighter who is starting to doubt the detectives work, and is paired up with Schwartzman.

This is some smart comedy!

Grade: A+

Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana

I was never a big Nirvana fan, but I always really liked this song. In high school my cousin called me Kurt Cobain because I had hair downt to my shoulders. But it looked more faggy than alternative, I think.

Grade: B+

Melissa Joan Hart

What the hell is Sabrina doing in this picture? I was looking for photos of her online and was disturbed by how many people seem to want to see her nekkid. Do straight guys think she is hot? I can see her pussy in this picture!

Also, she hasn't really done any work to be proud of since Sabrina, and even that is debatable!

Grade: C-

Hearts of Palm

Seriously, these are so weird. I sort of like them in salads in stuff, but I don't get what the hell they are.

Grade: C-

Heart

It was a rainy nightWhen he came into sight,Standing by the road,No umbrella, no coat.So I pulled up alongsideAnd I offered him a ride.He accepted with a smile,So we drove for a while.I didn’t ask him his name,This lonely boy in the rain.Fate, tell me it’s right,Is this love at first sight? Please don’t make it wrong,Just stay for the night.All I wanna do is make love to youSay you willYou want me tooAll I wanna do is make love to youI’ve got lovin’ arms to hold on toSo we found this hotel,It was a place I knew wellWe made magic that night.Oh, he did everything rightHe brought the woman out of me,So many times, easilyAnd in the morning when he woke allI left him was a noteI told himI am the flower you are the seedWe walked in the gardenWe planted a treeDon’t try to find me,Please don’t you dareJust live in my memory,You’ll always be thereAll I wanna do is make love to youOne night of love was all we knewAll I wanna do is make love to youI’ve got lovin’ arms to hold on toOh, oooh, we made loveLove like strangersAll night longWe made loveThen it happened one day,We came round the same wayYou can imagine his surpriseWhen he saw his own eyesI said please, please understandI’m in love with another manAnd what he couldn’t give meWas the one little thing that you canAll I wanna do is make love to youOne night of love was all we knewAll I wanna do is make love to youSay you will, you want me tooAll night longAll night longAll night longAll night long

Grade: B+

Grey's Anatomy

So, I had heard great stuff about this show, and about Sandra Oh. But still, I am so tired of hour long dramas set in hospitals. And I get super grossed out by blood. But, I found myself start to watch this show last night.

And I am in love. Seriously, I have tons of questions and stuff to figure out. But I loved it all. The acting was amazing. Crazy story. I cried at the end. Is this the first season because I saw something one of the season's on DVD soon. I need to see it!

Grade: A

Alllooksame.com

Visit www.alllooksame.com and take the quiz. Let me know how you do. I got only 6 right, but if they threw Filipinos in there I would have totally been able to pick them all out!

Grade: B

Pimples

I woke up yesterday and had a nasty underground zit growing near my chin. And it was prom night!

OK, so it wasn't prom night, and my pimple wasn't on my ta-ta like the broad in this photo or on the bridge of my nose like that fella up there, but still, it sucks and it hurts.

Despite these posts, I do have rather good skin, I promise.

Grade: D

Michael's Moles

Yesterday I went into my friend Michael's wine shop. I just wanted a couple bottles of wine. But, for some reason he had the need to tell me all about two moles he had removed. They looked like these moles. And then he showed me where one of the moles was. It looked nast.

You don't sell wine that way, Michael!

Grade: B- (It was a kind of good story)

Winter Itch

I usually get really itchy dry skin in the winter, but have pretty much been spared this winter. Until about a week ago. I get super itchy and my skin gets dry. It sucks. The baths I have been taking don't really help it either.

Look for other skin-related posts from me today. I love themes.

Grade: F

Joan Cusack

I really love Joan Cusack in most every movie she has done. But, there is something just a tad off about her.

One Chargenda reader commented before that they think she is maybe a little deaf. I think she could be a bit Downsy.

Grade: B+

Chickens

When I was a kid I used to be super obsessed with chickens. I used to pretend I had a pet chicken and feed it and talk to it and stuff. And at my grandmothers place she had this stuffed chicken decoration in her family room that I used to like to carry around. Oh, and I would often get a bucket full of pebbles and pretend that I was feeding chickens.

I still think they are beautiful birds, but I know that are sort of dirty and don't make the best pets. I don't think about them nearly as much right now, though.

Grade: B-

My new design!

Thanks to Scott for giving me a new banner and look! Check him out in his little skimpy bathing suit! I see your man bizness, Scott!

I love it. Thanks for doing the new banner and new look for Chargenda.

Your thoughts readers?

Grade: A

Nick on Project Runway

Wait, so let me get this straight. Kara is still on Project Runway, and they gave Nick the boot last night? And Santino's sleeve was falling off Kara's really horrible ugly outfit that made her look dumpy and scary, and they gave Nick the boot?

Seriously, that is messed up. He was really good and I thought that Daniel looked hot in his suit.

Grade: D for getting rid of Nick and just a B to Project Runway overall, I am upset with them now.

Contact Sports

I would totally wear these contacts. I remember being fascinated with these contact I saw in Details magazine in the 8th grade that gave you cat eyes and other crazy stuff. These contacts have been release to coincide with the World Cup. I wish I followed soccer more, it is a sport I actually enjoy watching.

Grade: B

Winking

Winking is SO gross to me. I was just checking out colognes at Neiman Marcus on my lunch break and the perfectly nice, very cute lady behind the counter, who was around my age, chose to wink at me before I left.

I get really super creeped out by people who wink. Even if you are hot, there is somethng odd about it. A guy at the counter at Disney winked at me last week, and then my coworker an hour or so after that. This winking needs to stop!

Grade: D+ (Every now and then it has worked. For some reason some hot latino men know how to wink without freaking me out.)

Spinach Dip

The Thuper Bowl reminded me of how much I love Spinach Dip. I was in the grocery store and realized it was Super Bowl Sunday and I had a junk food urge. So, I bought some spinach dip and Wheat Thins. I had just a few bites that night, but then pigged out on it when I couldn't sleep last night. I love spinach, I love dips, so what more could you ask for.

Grade: A

Barefoot Contessa

I love this woman so hard. Ina Garten hosts Food Networks "Barefoot Contessa" and she rules. She ain't afraid to use fat. Her recipes are all good and simple. She gives good tips. She is down to earth, and all her friends are fags.

Grade: A+

Thuper Bowl

I watched the Super Bowl last night. ZZzzzz......

The half time show sucked. So did commericials. But I still watched the whole thing.

Grade: D

Movies I need to see before Oscar time

I wanted to make a list I wouldn't lose of movies I need to see before Oscar time. I know this isn't a review, but figured it was a good place to keep such a list. Anyone wanna see these with me?

- Munich
- Hustle and Flow
- Transamerica
- Syriana
- Pride & Prejudice
- Cinderella Man
- North Country
- Squid and the Whale

I have a lot to see!

Junebug

I fell in love with Amy Adams in Junebug. I am routing for her real hard for Best Supporting Actress come Oscar night. I had heard great things, but I want to own this movie just to watch her over and over again.

She plays Ashley, the naive wife from North Carolina who is excited to meet her new sister in law. The new couple comes to the sticks from Chicago and the new bride is exposed to a whole new world, with Ashley being the epitome of small town southern girl, but also one of the sweetest and most charming characters I have seen in a long time.

So, check out Junebug. It is for sure in my top five of the year so far.

Grade: A

Las Vegas

I am going to Vegas in a couple of week. Never been. Where should I go? I need tips. Not beef tips, or Q-tips, but pointers, advice on what I should see. I will probably just do a quick whirlwind visit to the strip.

Other than gamble, get married and watch Nomi dance, what do people do there?

Grade: I think I will give it a B-

Oh Toe You Din't!

I just fell in love with The Camel Toe Report. Check out their photo galleries and more "toe" puns than you can shake a stick at!

Grade: B (some of the gay jokes on there aren't cool)

White Pants

I am going to a party tomorrow night, or might be going, and am supposed to wear all white there. I just went out during lunch and looked for white pants because I dont' own any.

Now, I know that I am going to look like a total fool in white pants, and I don't really want to buy a pair of pants just to wear them once or to spill something on them and ruin them.

The party will likely be lots of asians, and it is just a matter of fact that small asian men look much better in white than a big tall white boy like me will look in white.

Grade: C-

Andrea on Project Runway

I have been waiting for this dead weight to leave the show since he cried during episode two.

That challenge was awesome, and yeah, the outfits were all really green, but they were crazy creative and beautiful! You could harldy tell that Chloe's was made of plants at all. She should have won. And Daniel is cute but why do all you fags cream your jeans over him?

Grade: Andrae gets a D, but PR still gets an A

Sashimi tuna dip at Ping Pong

Ping Pong on Broadway in Lakeview has some detractors, but I don't know why. I love the food, I love the cute servers and I love the environment.

But, more than any of that I love their sashimi tuna dip. It is chunks of raw tuna mixed in a ginger mayo sauce or something, with pieces of avocado and cucumber chopped up. This is served in a bowl with ice in it and a side of crunchy wonton like strips served on the side. Delish!

Grade: A