Saturday Night Gaga!

The time has come, my friends. After watching Lady Gaga's two live performances on SNL this last Saturday night, I have to admit that she's much more than just a fashion freak or a flash-in-the-pan pop singer with a big bag o' tricks. This Lady can actually sing quite well! And without any Auto-Tune enhancement! I was expecting her to just lip-sync everything, so you can imagine what an impression Gaga made on me. She also plays the piano, nicely! All of this along with bizarre costumes and fascinatingly odd dance choreography makes for a real unique talent in my book.

Lady's first performance on the show was of her hit song, 'Paparazzi'. I thought it was fantastic! She looked great, sounded great, and the way Gaga moves when she dances is just so... different. In a good way! When it was over I still wanted more, and anxiously awaited her second performance later on in the show.






"Oh, yeah, Lady Caca? Where do you think you'd
be if I, Madonna, hadn't paved the way before
you? Just give me that sad wig of yours and stop
pretending to be a female!"




Another fun, pleasant surprise of the evening was Madonna's cameo appearance alongside Lady G in the Deep House Dish skit. It was a little on the goofy side, but it's always kinda neat to see a couple of divas in a cat fight, right? Even if it was all just pretend...

And for the record, I thought that Madonna looked pretty damn good! I've been reading some not-so-nice comments in certain places, and I just wanted to throw in my two cents. For what it's worth.






Gaga's gyroscope left me all agog!
She actually wore this contraption through the entire second
performance, a medley of about 3 or 4 different songs.




When Lady appeared on stage for her second act, she was wearing the strangest, sci-fi movie prop-type-looking-thing! The closest reference point I can think of is a gyroscope. And as she moved around, so did the separate rings, moving this way and that. The thing had to take some major coordination, and lots of practice! Then, she sat down at the piano with the thing still on, and proceeded to play while she sang! Again, no lip-syncing or Auto Tuning.

When the show was over, I had the feeling that Miss Gaga was only just getting started. For a Lady who once seemed like nothing more than a cheap thrill or a guilty pleasure had now shown her true abilities to a much wider audience, and I believe because of that she will soon become an even bigger star! Keep an eye on her, folks. There's no telling how far this Lady will go...



~All photos via Google Images~

I Got My Baby Box, Baby Box!

Several years ago, my mom gave me a big box of toys and nursery wall decor that were mine when I was just a wee, little Baby Anthony. My family actually called me Tony (and still do), but I tried to put a stop to that at some point in my teens when I had decided that Anthony sounded more mature. Besides, that is the name on my birth certificate!

Anyway, I know that it must have been a bitter-sweet moment for my mom when she gave me these things because she told me that she had been saving them for the day when I might have a child of my own. Well... back then, adoption by gay couples wasn't as prevalent as it is now (may not have even been legal), and she certainly knew a grandchild wasn't coming by natural means! So figuring it was a lost cause to save it, but also knowing how special it would be to me, my mom went ahead and handed over that magical box of babyhood memories.

It's interesting how I can remember some of the things perfectly, and others not at all. What really amazed me was the smell inside the box and on the stuffed animals. After lo these many years, it all still has a very distinct scent that (((WHOOSH))) instantly takes me back to the nursery. Fascinating, the way our sense of smell is so strongly connected to memories. It can almost evoke more than a photograph. Or, at the very least, the scent of certain things can conjure something that a photograph just isn't capable of capturing. Know what I mean?

Speaking of photographs, the one at the top is of my mom and me. Just thought I should clarify that in case it somehow wasn't totally obvious to everyone. And below you'll see a few that I took of two very psychedelic pieces of wall decor which came from grandparents on my dad's side. I imagine that they probably hung over my crib. The wall hangings, not my grandparents. When looking at them, keep in mind that I was born in the '70s!







Colorful enough for ya? Both wall
plaques are likely responsible for
why I'm so drawn to color...







This one is my favorite of the two!
Not quite sure if it's because of the
particular color combo, or that this
bear is cuter blowing bubbles with a
horn while wearing a nightcap?
Probably both.





That is all, for now. I plan to continue sharing the rest of my Baby Box contents as a series of exclusive posts, much like the 'Happy Music' and 'A Boy's Toy Joy' series!

Stay tuned...

Happy Music: 'Goodnight and Go' by Imogen Heap

Imogen Heap is one of my favorite artist/musicians ever. She's right up there with Annie Lennox, K.D. Lang and Madonna. One major thing that sets Imogen apart from the rest is that, in addition to using her uniquely beautiful voice, she also does just about everything else on the creation/production end of it all. She writes her own music and lyrics, plays several of her own instruments and is very involved in all of the technical aspects of producing her albums.

This English musical genius was born in London, 1977. She began playing music from an early age, and went on to be classically trained on many instruments including cello, piano, clarinet etc. By the time she was 13, Imogen was already writing music. A bit later, she wound up teaching herself music engineering, sequencing, sampling and production on Atari computers. Clearly, she was destined to one day use her multiple talents for creating amazing entertainment.

To date, Imogen has released 3 solo albums. The most recent, Ellipse, was just released this past August and I love it. I think she's one of those artist/musicians who could do almost anything and I would buy it, sound unheard. I'm that much of a believer! She was also the female half of a collaborative project known as Frou Frou, with her good friend Guy Sigsworth. So far, they've only released 1 album, Details, but Imogen has said that they will more than likely work together again, someday...

The music video I've chosen to share with you is actually from her second solo album, Speak for Yourself (which was critically acclaimed, as well as a huge success), but I picked it because it's both a great song and an even greater, eye-poppingly beautiful video. The whole visual style of it totally speaks to my own aesthetic. And, of course, watching it makes me quite happy! It's titled, Goodnight and Go.


Please, enjoy...
(After the annoying commercial!)

~Top photo of Imogen via Google Images~

A Boy's Toy Joy: The Kenner Sit 'n Spin

Who would've guessed that a kid could have this much fun sitting down?!

For a young child growing up in the '70s, there was really only one thing that came close to inducing the sensation of a mind-altering drug... and that was none other than the wonderfully dizzying toy for tots, the Sit 'n Spin. Actually, I'm pretty sure that I played with mine long after I was a tot. It was that much fun!

If you somehow missed out on experiencing this virtual "krack 4 kidz" firsthand, let me describe it for you. Obviously, you sat down on the thing. But you had to sit with your legs crossed (a.k.a. the now politically incorrect, Indian style position) for maximum effect. Then, much like the teacups ride at Disneyland, you would grab onto the middle disc and spin yourself silly, using every bit of your wee might and determination until you fell over! The resulting sensation truly was mind-altering, and very addictive. Had the television show Intervention been around back then, I would have made quite a suitable candidate!

There's been many iterations of this toy over the years, and I understand that Playskool is now making it, but both the quality and fun do not measure-up to the original. Lots of parents who knew the joy of Kenner's version when they were kids, now complain that the newer ones they've purchased for their children are made of cheap, thin plastic. And worst of all, they don't spin like they used to! Something in the current design seems to purposely prevent any wild and dangerous, seated spinning frenzies... I guess I was among the lucky ones who just narrowly escaped this rotating death trap!


~Toy photo via Google Images~

"OFF with (my) head!"

Lately, I've been suffering major headaches. Much more than usual. In other words, I've been miserable every single day for the last week-and-a-half! See, the last time that I saw my doctor I told him that I had been having real intense headaches more and more frequently than usual, and he asked me what I take for them. I said that I almost always take Excedrin, and sometimes more than once a day. Well, his professional opinion was that I was experiencing rebound headaches caused by the Excedrin! My basic understanding is that once your brain gets used to frequent doses of the high caffeine content in the drug, and then you stop taking it for a day or two, your brain throws a fit in the hopes that you'll take it again. Thereby, creating a vicious and oddly symbiotic cycle!

His remedy for this was for me to detox by not taking it at all for at least 2 weeks. And he warned me that it would be hell, much worse before it got better. Boy, was he ever right! It's been really tough! I usually have a pretty high tolerance for pain, but nothing could have prepared me for this. What I don't understand is, why wouldn't I just stop taking it for good, throw it away and never buy it again? If I went back to taking it, wouldn't the whole sick cycle start over? I guess that I should have asked the doc more questions...

Bottom line is, after about only 3 or 4 more days of this misery, I should be feeling a whole lot better. And I would be more than happy to permanently remove another drug from my daily medicinal regimen! In the meantime, let's have a good laugh with the following mix of both vintage ads and modern images, shall we? They do say that laughter is the best medicine!







"Poor Anthony" is more like it! But screaming
would just make my head hurt even worse.







"Will you pass the Brain Salt, please?
Mine is a bit bland..."







Just thinking about telling his
wife that he's really gay, made
his head hurt. Then he thought,
"Maybe, one of my boyfriends
will make my head feel better."







I love bulldogs! I hate headaches.







Just thinking about why her
husband never wants to have
sex, made her head hurt. Then
she thought, "Maybe, all he
really needs is more time out
with the guys, doing guy things."







This one's a bit creepy, but also fascinating. I
mean, it's like an x-ray of a headache, you guys!
And it's so pretty!







Maybe, taking off the hat and tie would help a little, grampa!







This is an old medical chart for trepanning,
a centuries-old surgical procedure that
involved drilling holes into a patient's skull.
It was believed to cure epileptic seizures,
migraines and mental disorders. Could you
imagine?! I need that like a hole in the head...







You have got to be a total sucker if you think
that this is gonna work! Aaaaand the television
commercial is so annoying it could make your
head hurt just from watching it.
"Head On... Apply directly to the forehead.
Head On... Apply directly to the forehead.
Head On..." Oh, just shoot me now!






Have a great Labor Day weekend, everybody! Remember, those of us who actually still have a job will be returning to work on Tuesday, so have some fun but don't go "losing your heads"!


~All images via Google Images~

My Disneyland Birthday!

August 22nd is my birthday, and since I registered for Disneyland's FREE Birthday Admission, both Tommy and I spent Saturday playing in the Magic Kingdom! But, of course, even though I was getting in for nothing, we still had to purchase a $72.00 ticket for Tommy. Can you believe what they charge now? And that only gets you in the gate! You still have to eat and drink... If I remember correctly, water alone goes for almost $4.00 a bottle! So, obviously, I didn't really go to Disneyland for FREE. That was just another one of Disney's many illusions!

Don't get me wrong, I loves me some Disneyland! I just also happen to be a realist, therefore I tell it like it is. And what it is, is expen$ive! However, it's also a whole lotta fun!

We started my special day by arriving at the park around 9 am. When we redeemed my admission and paid for Tommy's, the ticket booth lady gave me a big "I'm Anthony and It's My Birthday!" button to wear. She also gave Tommy one that said "I'm Celebrating with Him!" or "I'm with Stupid!", something like that... My instinct was to not wear mine, but Tommy suggested that it might get us special treatment, maybe even front-of-the-line type treatment (wink, wink). So we pinned 'em on, and began our adventure!

As I'm sure most of you can guess, or may even know from experience, we were not allowed to circumvent any of the lines, and had to wait just like the common folk. Oh, well. At least, everyone that worked there who saw my magic button (except one or two, and they will be reported) said, "Happy Birthday!" to me. It's pretty funny how obvious it is that all of the "cast members" must have been programmed to say it as part of their basic training. Several of them even delivered their line in a bored, robotic monotone. After a while, it wasn't funny anymore. And besides, we weren't getting any real privileges, so we took off our birthday badges and blended right into the crowd.

Actually, one special thing my birthday badge did get me was a li'l cup-o-chocolate mousse with whipped cream and a candle. That was presented to me after we finished our "nighttime" lunch beneath the glowing lanterns of the Blue Bayou. Located in New Orleans Square, Blue Bayou is easily the most beautiful and atmospheric dining experience to be had in all of Disneyland. Imagine dining alfresco under moonlight (even though it's actually sunny and about 90 degrees outside) on the banks of a swampy Louisiana bayou, complete with fireflies and chirping crickets. And the occasional sound of screaming tourists, as their boat plunges down the first drop on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. That is what the Blue Bayou experience is like! The menu is a bit pricey, but I think that it's well worth it... at least, once! If/when you do go, and you're not a vegetarian, make sure to try the Monte Cristo sandwich (the crispy, battered ham & cheese one that you dip in jelly) because it's absolutely wonderful, and probably the best thing they serve! It's also quite obviously not for the health-conscious! But it was my special day that only comes once a year, so I said, "Screw it!"






Photo via Google Images

For those who've never been, this is a good shot of the Blue
Bayou's (exterior) interior. The lanterns are more colorful
in person, and the actual (artificial) bayou is to the right. It's
like you're dining on the veranda of a southern mansion,
somewhere along the Mississippi River...






Photo via Google Images

This must be an official Disneyland press release photo, or
something. It might even be from around the time they first
opened the restaurant? It just has that perfect, unique Disney
quality. Whatever the case, it's a good shot of the bayou view
that diners get to enjoy. Only, it's a bit darker than this in reality.







Not the best shot from a technical standpoint (nor the least
bit flattering), but we had to document the moment. It was
my FREE special birthday treat, you know! Also, being that
it was so dark and atmospheric, we didn't want to risk ruining
anyone's fine dining experience by using the flash. Besides,
we thought this might look pretty neat.





We had a blast on all 11 of the rides we managed to cram into our day. Some of the highlights included the carefully (Thank goodness!) updated It's a Small World and Haunted Mansion. On It's a Small World, they've added several iconic main characters from Disney animated film classics like Pinocchio, Lilo & Stitch, Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story, Cinderella, The Three Caballeros, Little Mermaid and others I can't recall. When I first heard about this "embellishment", I was a bit scared that it was going to completely ruin the ride, but now having actually seen it, I'm relieved to say that it's mostly unobtrusive. The people at Disney really worked at trying to match the art style of the original doll/puppet/marionette children, and for the most part they do blend in quite nicely. There was only one or two that made me cringe a little. Woody, from Toy Story, comes to mind. That one just plain sucks, and whoever worked on him must have been lazy!







The Mad Tea Party spinning teacup ride is one of my favorites,
not only because of its dizzying fun, but I also really like the
look of it. All the eye-popping colors... and those lanterns!







Tommy, being a teacup cutie!







Me, just taking the cup out for a spin.







Here we both are, about to take off on Peter Pan's Flight.





The update in the Haunted Mansion was well integrated, too. There may have been more done than what we noticed, but here's what Tommy and I compared notes on: In the hallway, right after exiting the elevator, a few of the changing portraits on the gallery wall have either been tweaked or replaced. So if you have a particular favorite, you might be disappointed. One that I'm fairly confident is popular among fans, and was not there any longer, is the one of a pretty young lady that morphs into an ugly old biddy. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember it being called 'April-December'. It was one of my faves, as well, and the gallery just didn't feel right without it. Once on the ride, the main changes we noticed were in the attic. It was almost completely different, in fact. There are now 5 (?) wedding portraits of the bride with each of her doomed grooms, so to speak, and as you pass each one, the groom's head disappears. In case you don't know, this ties in nicely with the background story of how the bride beheaded all of her husbands. Then, you see that the bride herself has gotten a total make-over. She even has an animated face now, done in much the same way as the singing busts out in the graveyard. It's a neat effect, and executed (No pun intended) quite well. She's also been moved from the right side to the left. Purist fans of the Haunted Mansion will probably have issues with these revisions, but I found most to be very well done and kind of cool. Tommy did, too, I think.







This shop window display, in New Orleans
Square, caught my artistic eye. I'm drawn
to this kind of collage-type arrangement.







Here's the same window, a bit closer.







And even closer, yet!
This particular half-bird/half-child trinket just
pulled me right in. I think that dressing a shop
window in this style would be a lot of fun!





Well, I could go on (and on...), but this has already become another one of my MEGA-posts! That being said, I will now pick up my toys and go. Thank you, for letting me share my exciting Disneyland birthday adventure with you!

My New Zoo Review! (w/Family Foto Fun, Too!)

The San Diego Zoo isn't new, but this review of our family visit last Saturday is. And actually, the Elephant Odyssey exhibit that's there is a beautiful new addition, only a few months old. But I think, now that I've seen it in person, it's a bit overrated.

The 7-acre habitat is quite impressive. However, the way that it's designed does not allow for any kind of close-up encounters with the elephants. Not even nearby encounters! They were way off in the distance, and even if they wanted to come closer, they couldn't. Their enclosure, and the landscape within it, prevents them from doing so. There was an area where, thanks to fortunate timing, we were able to witness one of the pachyderms getting a bath in fairly close proximity. Well, a shower was more like it because the animal keeper was actually hosing it down. And, boy, did it like the attention! You could just tell he was loving it so much that it must've felt like a Burke Williams spa treatment!

We came along just in time for Ranchipur's shower.

And if you listened real closely, you could hear

him quietly singing this cute little song:

"A sprinkle a day helps keep the odor away...

Have you had your sprinkle today?"

A hydro-massage and a pedicure?

Now, that's what I call service!

Among other animals featured in the same exhibit, and one of my favorites, is the capybara. I'm not real sure what it is about those guys... it has something to do with their cute, bloppy shape. They sorta remind me of Moomins, I guess. And they are certainly cute!

Capybara and Moomin via Google Images

See, don't these two look similar?

Well, I think they do...

Speaking of cute, after we walked out of the Odyssey exhibit we came across the meerkats. I could sit and watch those little guys for hours! And they're just always so busy... I was particularly taken with the designated sentinel of the mob. He sat atop the highest rock formation attentively watching for predators, his tiny head twitching in every direction. I wish that we had spent more time at their enclosure.

I was glad to get this meerkat shot! His little

noggin was jerking all over the place, looking

for anything that might be a threat...

I felt this was an interesting shot, too, because it shows

some of their many digging holes. They were all very

busy scurrying around, or digging. Lots of digging.

Another of my favorite animals is the giraffe. They are so tall and graceful. I'm pretty sure I overheard a tour guide say that a newborn, on average, is about 6 ft. tall! Could you imagine if a human mother had to suffer such a burden? Of course, women are strong, and they would be able to endure it... The pattern on giraffe hides is beautiful, too. It's just those long, dark tongues that aren't. In fact, they're kinda gross! Oh, well. Nobody's perfect.

Tommy and me, posing in front of the giraffe enclosure.

"Where are the giraffes?", you say. Well, see, they're

not in the shot because Mom was taking the picture...

We also managed to see lots of different exotic birds, some bears (including polar), a monkey or two, snakes, a komodo dragon, a few tortoises, two rhinoceros, an anteater w/baby riding around on its back and a few other creatures I can't remember at the moment. Still, after being there for an entire day, we only managed to see about half of the zoo's inhabitants. We were there until almost 9 pm, too!

I feel bad that I don't remember the name of this

animal. It was some sort of hairy, piggish looking thing.

But how super cute are they, all cuddled-up together

like that, in a ditch?

Why, what do we have here? I don't believe it's

anything we've ever seen before! It appears to be

a tame creature, at least... Let's take a closer

look, shall we?

Yikes! Look out! Whatever it is, it's fierce and most

unpredictable! We must use extreme CAUTION...

It's real neat that they do the whole Nighttime Zoo thing in the Summertime, so you can see the nocturnal animals when they're awake and more active. The zoo itself is very pretty at night, with its lush landscaping of trees and plants dramatically illuminated. It was especially impressive from the vantage point of a Skyfari bucket. We rode one of those twice! Once during the day, and then again at night. Even the buckets were lit up all purty-like, in the dark.

It's a bit hard to tell because it's at night, but this

is Tommy & my mom in our Skyfari bucket as it

whisked us along, high above the "jungle" below.







Yours truly, "impersonating" a dorky tourist.

We all had a great time! It was a wonderful Saturday at the zoo, as well as an awesome birthday gift from my mom! If you've never been, I highly recommend a visit to the San Diego Zoo. But if you go, Mom says, "Don't forget the sun-block and comfortable walking shoes."