Make-up Snob

I am a self-proclaimed make-up snob. I like the good stuff, we're talking YSL, Dior, MAC, etc. I don't do Maybelline or Cover Girl, sorry Tyra. I had been a convert to Fiberwig mascara or as it calls itself "paint on false lashes." It was amazing, but we don't have Sephora here, Emma chomped on my mascara so it dried/ran out quicker and I'm impatient.

So I went back to my old standby Dior Show.



Now since Dior and I were last friends, there has been several new DiorShow mascaras produced. I went to the John Lewis counter by my work and the lovely woman suggested DiorShow Blackout. Not only does it give you voluminous dark lashes, but it has kohl to rim the roots of lashes to create a lined effect. SOLD. I love me some black eyeliner, so this 2-in-1 was for me. She also advised me that waterproof mascara has fibers in it that can irate contact wearers. Normally I'd go for the waterproof, but I've decided to follow her advice. Oh and the non-waterproof came in a really cute gift bag with a free smoky eyes kit and pouch. SCORE!

PS: In other random news, the front page of the John Lewis website is advertising the "Fur Real Smores Pony" which can be yours for the bargain price of £225. I'm sorry but if you are going to spend that much money on a small child, you could book them riding lessons on a real pony. Rant over....

I <3 Baby Hippos

So I was super bitchy the past few days with the whole Phase 1 thing. I've decided to bypass it and go straight into Phase 2, so after a Smores Poptart (not Phase 2, but whatev) I'm much more pleasant.

And in other news, who knew baby Hippos were so cute? I mean I know my friend Heather's baby dressed up for Halloween as Hippo was cute, but real ones, I had no clue! GWU's unofficial mascot was a Hippo, but that's what happens when your University President erects a statue to the Water Horse and your official mascot is the unscary Colonial.

Monifa is a baby pygmy hippopotamus and was recently born at the Taronga Zoo in Australia.

Prop 8 summed up

Singer Melissa Etheridge rails against the passage of the gay-marriage ban in California—and she won't be paying the state a dime.

Okay. So Prop 8 passed. Alright, I get it. 51% of you think that I am a second class citizen. Alright then. So my wife, uh I mean, roommate? Girlfriend? Special lady friend? You are gonna have to help me here because I am not sure what to call her now. Anyways, she and I are not allowed the same right under the state constitution as any other citizen. Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same rights, sounds sort of like that taxation without representation thing from the history books.

Okay, cool I don't mean to get too personal here but there is a lot I can do with the extra half a million dollars that I will be keeping instead of handing it over to the state of California. Oh, and I am sure Ellen will be a little excited to keep her bazillion bucks that she pays in taxes too. Wow, come to think of it, there are quite a few of us fortunate gay folks that will be having some extra cash this year. What recession? We're gay! I am sure there will be a little box on the tax forms now single, married, divorced, gay, check here if you are gay, yeah, that's not so bad. Of course all of the waiters and hairdressers and UPS workers and gym teachers and such, they won't have to pay their taxes either.

Oh and too bad California, I know you were looking forward to the revenue from all of those extra marriages. I guess you will have to find some other way to get out of the budget trouble you are in.

…Really?

When did it become okay to legislate morality? I try to envision someone reading that legislation "eliminates the right" and then clicking yes. What goes through their mind? Was it the frightening commercial where the little girl comes home and says, "Hi mom, we learned about gays in class today" and then the mother gets that awful worried look and the scary music plays? Do they not know anyone who is gay? If they do, can they look them in the face and say "I believe you do not deserve the same rights as me"? Do they think that their children will never encounter a gay person? Do they think they will never have to explain the 20% of us who are gay and living and working side by side with all the citizens of California?

I got news for them, someday your child is going to come home and ask you what a gay person is. Gay people are born everyday. You will never legislate that away.

I know when I grew up gay was a bad word. Homo, lezzie, faggot, dyke. Ignorance and fear ruled the day. There were so many "thems" back then. The blacks, the poor ... you know, "them". Then there was the immigrants. "Them.” Now the them is me.

I tell myself to take a breath, okay take another one, one of the thems made it to the top. Obama has been elected president. This crazy fearful insanity will end soon. This great state and this great country of ours will finally come to the understanding that there is no "them". We are one. We are united. What you do to someone else you do to yourself. That "judge not, lest ye yourself be judged" are truthful words and not Christian rhetoric.

Today the gay citizenry of this state will pick themselves up and dust themselves off and do what we have been doing for years. We will get back into it. We love this state, we love this country and we are not going to leave it. Even though we could be married in Mass. or Conn, Canada, Holland, Spain and a handful of other countries, this is our home. This is where we work and play and raise our families. We will not rest until we have the full rights of any other citizen. It is that simple, no fearful vote will ever stop us, that is not the American way.
Come to think of it, I should get a federal tax break too...

Melissa Etheridge is an Academy Award-winning and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter.

The Daily Beast ⓒ

Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night

Fireworks scare the living daylights out of my sweet Emma. Sure it's only one night, except it's not. This goes on for at least a week. I don't like a shaking, panting puppy who is scared to leave my side let alone the house.

The Postal Service

Not the band, I am neutral on them. I mean USPS, Royal Mail, etc. My absentee ballot was posted on October 17th, it arrived November 5th. NBH and I sent postcards on our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic, August 18th and they arrived to people this week. Maybe I'm being unrealistic here, but mail shouldn't take 3 months.

South Beach Phase 1

I know I have sung the phases of SB before and I lost 3 1/2 stone (~50lbs) on it, but this time around on Phase 1 is a total pain in the ass. I'm really struggling and have absolutely no motivation to stick with it for 2 weeks. You'd think shifting 10lbs post wedding weight would be motivation enough, but apparently not.

Sour Grapes GOP


McCain was ridiculously gracious, so why can't you be? I'm really tired of FB status messages that say "I refuse to raise my children in a blue state" and "Here comes the apocalypse." And as far as "I'm moving to Europe," if you think Obama is 'socialist' well Europe is not for you. Also it's not easy being an expat, ok?



Sunsets before 4pm

I get it, I live on the same line of latitude as Moscow, we're pretty far north. That doesn't mean I like leaving work in the pitch black or night.


....I'm a bit bitchy, can you tell?

My vote cost £4

So my absentee ballot never arrived. Campaign fliers arrived, so I know the BOE had my address correct and I contacted the office who assured me it was mailed on Oct 18, yet it never materialized. Watch it will probably show up tomorrow.

So I voted Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot. I only voted for President, my Congressional office, and those Dems running opposed that sent me campaign materials. I couldn't be bothered looking up information on local issues like school levys, because I won't be paying for any of them.

I read that people in Columbus, OH waited 6 hours yesterday to vote, well my wait wasn't that long, but it was about 20 minutes to wait in line at my local post office. Emma should have gotten upset waiting outside (with NBH) for me, but she got given a chew treat from a passing old lady.

So I've done my bit and sent it registered so while Clermont County BOE might choose to lose it once it arrives, I will know I did everything in my power to get it there. The post officer worker asked me if anything of value was in the envelope; I replied "Yes, my vote, but nothing of monetary value." And yes I look like crap doing my civic duty, I was sick today, but I wanted proof :)

Je peux voir la Russie...

How she didn't get it I don't know...



A transcript of a prank phone call between Quebec comedy duo “The Masked Avengers” and Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, released Saturday.

Sarah Palin: This is Sarah.
Masked Avengers: Ah, yeah, Gov. Palin.
Palin: Hello.
Avengers: Just hold on for President Sarkozy, one moment.
P: Oh, it's not him yet, they're saying. I always do that.
A: Yes, hello, Gov. Palin.
P: Hello, this is Sarah, how are you?
A: Fine, and you? This is Nicolas Sarkozy speaking, how are you?
P: Oh, it's so good to hear you. Thank you for calling us.
A: Oh, it's a pleasure.
P: Thank you sir, we have such great respect for you, John McCain and I. We love you and thank you for taking a few minutes to talk to me.
A: I follow your campaigns closely with my special American adviser Johnny Hallyday, you know?
P: Yes, good.
A: Excellent. Are you confident?
P: Very confident and we're thankful that polls are showing that the race is tightening and...
A: Well I know very well that the campaign can be exhausting. How do you feel right now, my dear?
P: I feel so good. I feel like we're in a marathon and at the very end of the marathon you get your second wind and you plow to the finish.
A: You see, I got elected in France because I'm real and you seem to be someone who's real, as well.
P: Yes, yeah. Nico, we so appreciate this opportunity.
A: You know I see you as a president one day, too.
P: Maybe in eight years.
A: Well, I hope for you. You know, we have a lot in common because personally one of my favourite activities is to hunt, too.
P: Oh, very good. We should go hunting together.
A: Exactly, we could try go hunting by helicopter like you did. I never did that. Like we say in French, on pourrait tuer des bebe phoque s, aussi.
P: Well, I think we could have a lot of fun together while we're getting work done. We can kill two birds with one stone that way.
A: I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm, take away life, that is so fun. I'd really love to go, so long as we don't bring along Vice-President Cheney.
P: No, I'll be a careful shot, yes.
A: Yes, you know we have a lot in common also, because except from my house I can see Belgium. That's kind of less interesting than you.
P: Well, see, we're right next door to different countries that we all need to be working with, yes.
A: Some people said in the last days and I thought that was mean that you weren't experienced enough in foreign relations and you know that's completely false. That's the thing that I said to my great friend, the prime minister of Canada Stef Carse.
P: Well, he's doing fine, too, and yeah, when you come into a position underestimated it gives you an opportunity to prove the pundits and the critics wrong. You work that much harder.
A: I was wondering because you are so next to him, one of my good friends, the prime minister of Quebec, Mr. Richard Z. Sirois, have you met him recently? Did he come to one of your rallies?
P: I haven't seen him at one of the rallies but it's been great working with the Canadian officials. I know as governor we have a great co-operative effort there as we work on all of our resource-development projects. You know, I look forward to working with you and getting to meet you personally and your beautiful wife. Oh my goodness, you've added a lot of energy to your country with that beautiful family of yours.
A: Thank you very much. You know my wife Carla would love to meet you, even though you know she was a bit jealous that I was supposed to speak to you today.
P: Well, give her a big hug for me.
A: You know my wife is a popular singer and a former top model and she's so hot in bed. She even wrote a song for you.
P: Oh my goodness, I didn't know that.
A: Yes, in French it's called de rouge a levre sur un cochon, or if you prefer in English, Joe the Plumber...it's his life, Joe the Plumber.
P: Maybe she understands some of the unfair criticism but I bet you she is such a hard worker, too, and she realizes you just plow through that criticism.
A: I just want to be sure. That phenomenon Joe the Plumber. That's not your husband, right?
P: That's not my husband but he's a normal American who just works hard and doesn't want government to take his money.
A: Yes, yes, I understand we have the equivalent of Joe the Plumber in France. It's called Marcel, the guy with bread under his armpit.
P: Right, that's what it's all about, the middle class and government needing to work for them. You're a very good example for us here.
A: I see a bit about NBC, even Fox News wasn't an ally as much as usual.
P: Yeah, that's what we're up against.
A: Gov. Palin, I love the documentary they made on your life. You know Hustler's Nailin' Paylin?
P: Ohh, good, thank you, yes.
A: That was really edgy.
P: Well, good.
A: I really loved you and I must say something also, governor, you've been pranked by the Masked Avengers. We are two comedians from Montreal.
P: Ohhh, have we been pranked? And what radio station is this?
A: CKOI in Montreal.
P: In Montreal? Tell me the radio station call letters.
A: CK...hello?

Pumpkintastic

We finally went to the grocery tonight and besides stocking up on Phase 1 foods, we got a pumpkin. Yes, Halloween was yesterday but better a day late than never. Also I freaking love homemade pumpkin seeds; my Mom always made these at Halloween and store bought just aren't the same.

I washed, gutted and scrubbed the pumpkin and NBH carved it. We decided not to do the bog standard jack o'lantern and almost did the Obama change logo, but instead went for a skull. I think it turned out pretty well!