Hell (or Good Heavens) Week

May 10, 2010
By

Morrissey wearing an Oscar Wilde t-shirt and flipping the English variation of the bird. A very loose connection to the play, but I like the picture.

This week’s going to be a bit hectic.

If you read this blog you probably already know, but I’m in a production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest in Albany. The play opens this Friday, May 14th, and runs seven performances through the 23rd.  Go to http://www.confettistage.com or check out the Facebook page for more details.

You can also win two free tickets from Rob Madeo’s blog (click here).

I tell you this not just to get you all to see it, but to explain why there may be fewer posts of lesser quality over the course of the next week or so. We’re hard at work to get everything ready and up to snuff for the performance, which means every waking hour not spent at work is going to be spent at the Hall.

It should be worth it, so long as I carry things through on my end. Hope to see some of you there!

Happy Mother’s Day!

May 9, 2010
By

A very happy Mother’s Day to my mother, my sisters Davelyn & Megan, all my friends who are mothers, and all the other mothers out there. And don’t put a single one of them down, because like Mr. T says, when you put one mother down, you’re putting down mothers all over the world.

MOTHER
THERE IS NO OTHER
LIKE MOTHER
SO TREAT HER RIGHT

Rob Madeo wants YOU to want (to win Two Free Tickets to see)…Me!

May 7, 2010
By

Firstly, you’ll be seeing much more about this next week, as we’ll be creeping towards our opening. It’ll also be used as an excuse as to why blog posts are short or possibly infrequent the next couple weeks.

I play Jack Worthing in a production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. The play opens next Friday, May 14th and runs through March 23rd. It’s presented by Confetti Stage (more info here).

More importantly, Rob Madeo (Man of a Certain Age) is giving away two free tickets to a performance of your choosing on his blog. Go check it out!

Blogorama! (Links & Highlights of the Week)

May 7, 2010
By

Before we begin, a quick note that you can help the recovery effort from the floods that have ravaged middle Tennessee by texting ”REDCROSS” to 90999 using your phone. More info and further donations can be made at the Red Cross’s website.

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Keep an eye on Rob Madeo’s blog later today for a chance to win two free tickets to a performance of The Importance of Being Earnest, running May 14th through the 23rd in Albany and starring yours truly. More info on the play here.

TimesUnion.com Blog Highlights

An Unlikely Sanctuary Amanda Talar‘s fantastic story about the day she finally had enough and started living for herself. Really great stuff.

Chubby Dogs Need Love Too (Man of a Certain Age) Rob Madeo on diet dog food.

Nominate a Nurse (Healthy Life) In the spirit of Nurse Appreciation Week, nominate a nurse and you could win a $100 Am Ex gift card.

What’s the Strangest Thing Your Dog Has Eaten? (Dog-Owned Life) I shudder to think what kind of answers people can come up with.

National Grid. Chomp. (Farm Life) Teri Conroy has a bone to pick with National Grid. Well okay, who doesn’t, right? But this isn’t over a utilities bill.

Rulebound Rebellion J. Eric Smith‘s anthropological study & dissection of the hardcore movement.

40 Years Ago Today Libby Post on Kent State, 40 years later.

Simple Living Cereal (Simpler Living) Naomi Seldin now has her own cereal! Okay, not really.

In Defense of Class Rings Chuck Miller on what his class ring means to him and his upbringing, and why he’ll never get rid of it.

More confounding, interesting, and important links after the jump… Read more »

Donate to Nashville Flood Relief

May 6, 2010
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You can help the recovery effort from the floods that have ravaged middle Tennessee. The Red Cross is accepting $10 text donations (“REDCROSS” to 90999) that will specifically go towards Flood Relief in Tennessee.

More info and further donations can be made at the Red Cross’s website.

Invite the Rest of Us To Your Tea Party

May 6, 2010
By

A couple Sundays ago, an op-ed piece by local historian and author Scott Christianson appeared in the Times Union that drew parallels between the secession of Southern States leading up to the Civil War and the current Tea Party movement. The piece elicited a strong response from Conservative readers, many of whom found the piece to be personally insulting due to its inflammatory suggestions.

From the article:

“But many of the libertarian and right-wing grassroots agitators opposing the federal government seem to have taken a page from principles and tactics employed by the ante-bellum “Fire Eaters” who started the War Between the States. Some brandish their guns, condone racism and violence, and threaten secession.”

Knowing at least one member of the movement, I agree that such a statement may be unfair and detrimental to the better discourse this country sorely needs. However, I see and hear things from Tea Party gatherers that legitimately scare me. I hear elected officials involved in the movement suggesting they’ll secede from the Union once more, making vague threats against homosexuals, and a litany of other outrageous statements. Yet I don’t see the stern and solid denouncement from organizers and friends of mine in the Tea Party that I’d like to hear, nor am I clear of what specifically the Tea Party Movement stands for. Because as it stands and as they’re presented, it reads to me like a movement of assorted contrarians who have anger first and stances on issues second.

But that can’t be the case. Right? Read more »

This is What Older Sisters Do To You

May 6, 2010
By

In addition to his dashing good looks, my nephew Joseph Gino has another thing in common with yours truly: three older sisters.

Being the youngest of five (four in his case) isn’t easy. It isn’t any easier when you are overpowered in terms of gender 3 to 1. Sure, I had an older brother, but by the time my memory and identity had formed, he was a teenager fully engrossed in things like girls and skateboarding and hardcore music. I was left to fend for myself against three older sisters who amused themselves with various hobbies like “pin the blame on the baby” and writing “spank me” on my diaper.

And after only eight weeks, poor Baby Joey got a taste of it himself after his twin sisters’ First Communion ceremony.

Older sisters are mean, you guys.

Joey will look back on this picture as the penultimate representation of his relationship with his sisters. But don’t worry, kid, because if you stick it out then you too can one day rise above it to become an unpaid blogger that becomes the #1 enemy of Alive at Five enthusiasts and yelled at on Twitter for being a bad journalist even though you’re not a journalist.

After the jump: the nieces’ christening First Communion. Edit – As I noted above, it wasn’t their christening obviously, it was their First Communion (info). All this Catholic Church stuff the last few weeks is confusing me!

Read more »

Cinco de Mayo – Are You Celebrating? Why?

May 5, 2010
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It’s Cinco de Mayo. So what, exactly, are we celebrating?

Strong reactions have risen from both sides of the Arizona debate. (Associated Press)

It certainly isn’t Mexican culture, at least not if any of us take the stand that what the State of Arizona has done is even remotely acceptable.

I’m well aware that illegal immigration is, well, illegal. As in against the law. It’s also a vital part of our economy, particularly in the American Southwest. Throughout our history, we as a nation have turned a blind eye to laws regarding this and other similar matters when it suited our economic and social interests. In that sense, it’s no different than the Rockefeller Drug Laws: they’re not in place to punish so much as provide a means for which to ensnare bigger fish and provide bargaining leverage for law enforcement.

I’m uncomfortable around anyone calling or referring to them as “criminals.” Technically, it’s true. But we have a connotation of moral ambivalence and malicious intent associated with that label, which certainly isn’t fitting for us when we’re using them as a cheap source of labor. They’re fine so long as they’ve finished the masonry, landscaping, and other work we have for which we don’t want to pay face value. But once they’re done, then they’re criminals. 

Read more »

“Glee”? Please.

May 5, 2010
By

Ladies, last week I wrote about how I don’t get the obsession with nails.

You know what else I don’t get? “Glee.”

I’ve watched this show with people that practically do backflips over it, and I’ve listened to the arguments. It’s funny, it’s kitschy, the music’s great…I mean, I suppose it is if you’re into covers of old pop songs beaten to death with the blunt instrument of showtuneage (a word I just made up).

You know what? That’s not even all that fair. Because “Glee” doesn’t elicit that sort of response from me. I just sit through it and feel nothing at all; blank stares, blank feelings, blank emotions. I get absolutely nothing out of it. Nothing moves me or interests me. It’s almost as if I’m in a meditative trance, except I don’t find it to be relaxing so much as perplexing.

Last night, everyone and their cross-eyed Uncle (who also DVR’ed “Lost”) was raving about their cover of Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” To them, I ask:

Did it have breaking glass?

Did it have doves?

Did it have football players?

Did it have fencers and gymnasts?

Did it have children with glowing eyes that flew forth to attack yon protagonist?

Did it have ninjas? YES, NINJAS.

And the kicker: did it have all of these elements combined into one bats*** crazy mess? No?  Then it was NOT “Total Eclipse of the Heart”!

You damn kids these days, you just think anyone can do it. But let me tell you, it’s hard work being Bonnie Tyler. You have to spend hours every morning teasing your hair and screaming for thirty seconds to give your voice that perfect rasp, all whilst thwarting the advances of teenagers, bikers, and what look like pro wrestlers in speedos.

Kids, THIS is “Total Eclipse of the Heart”:

ACCEPT. NO. SUBSTITUTES.

And just so you know, myself and Dog-Owned Life blogger Mark Ramirez once performed a karaoke duet of this song that was nothing less than pure, unfiltered magic.

Ward Stone & Principles Before Personality

May 4, 2010
By

"Hey, who let all these people into my room? But seriously, folks..." (Photo credit: Cindy Schultz/Times Union)

By now you’ve most likely read the revelations regarding Ward Stone’s personal and professional conduct, including but not limited to the verbal abuse of underlings and his taking up residence on-site at the DEC.

Boy, it hasn’t been a good year for the State, has it? Fallout from the Senate coup, indictments, financial mismanagement, furloughs, misappropriation of resources and taxpayer dollars, and a Governor who I swear is like the Bizarro Superman of State Executives. If you propend every statement Paterson states with “Me Bizarro,” his statements and actions all make perfect sense. The list goes on. So really, conduct like that of Ward Stone coming to light shouldn’t surprise anyone, right?

This case is a bit different, though, because Stone’s reputation wasn’t that he was your typical politician or state official. We thought he was one of us. We thought he was one of the good guys. Read more »

Live from New York, it’s Kevin Marshall’s Formative Years

May 3, 2010
By

A recent blog post by Amanda posed five questions to her readers that I decided to answer because…well, I was bored. And also because I love contributing to her blog.

I'm Gumby, damnit.

One of the questions asked “what was the very first thing you wanted to be when you grew up?”

For me, it was a cast member of “Saturday Night Live.” And in the process of answering that question, I hit upon a fairly big revelation that gave me a lot of insight into both how I became the person I am and what motivates me to do the sort of things I do

I started watching “Saturday Night Live” at a very young age, mostly due to the enjoyment my siblings took out of it. We were all spread pretty far out in age, and being the youngest I was eager to be a part of their group.

They’d watch “Saturday Night Live” and laugh pretty hard at some of the skits. I’d join in as well, even if I didn’t quite get the joke. I would quote back things like “I’m Gumby, damnit” even though I didn’t understand myself what was funny about it in the first place. But it brought us all joy and brought us together, so I was eager to replicate it. Read more »

“My Nooner” & Other Terrible Nicknames

April 30, 2010
By

Today’s post is inspired by a story a friend (Nooney) told me last weekend. You may remember him as one of the two gentlemen whose conversation inspired the “Dating Week” blog posts.

Early in his teaching career, Nooney was stationed at a middle school. One of his female co-workers, whom he had become fast friends with, was being harangued by her students. They teased her and insinuated that he and her were somehow romantically linked (they weren’t).

“So, you and Mr. Nooney, eh?” one of her students teased.

She decided to play along for the sake of having some fun. “Oh yeah,” she replied.

The student perked up. “Do you have nicknames for each other?”

Without hesitating, she said “I call him my Nooner.”

This sent the students into hysterics. Apparently, she was unfamiliar with what a “Nooner” was. Note – if you are as well, it’s when you have…ahem…’daytime relations’ with your significant other.

Unaware of what had transpired, my friend Mr. Nooney walked the hallways as students yelled out “hey, Nooner!” at him. Finally, his co-worker told him she may have made a mistake.

“They asked me if I had a nickname for you, and I said ‘yes, I call him my Nooner’. And they laughed and laughed, and I couldn’t figure out why.”

Nooner was horrified. “…you know what that means, right?” he asked.

“…no…”

He explained to her what it was and she was floored. Before she could fully express her dismay and apologize, a group of students down the hall screamed out “YEAH NOONER!”

REACT: What’s the worst nickname you ever had?

Mine was “Louie Anderson” due to what someone thought was my resemblance to the comedian. Fat jokes, they never get old. Har, har.

Blogorama! (Links & Highlights of the Week)

April 30, 2010
By

TimesUnion.com Blog Highlights:

Elsewhere on the Internet:

Putting My Nephew on Display

April 29, 2010
By

I woke up with a wicked headache (which I still have) and excessive nausea (which is present but still lingering). So, unfortunately, I had to call in to work. It also meant I didn’t have time to get up early this morning and write the blog post I had scheduled for today.

So, of course, I got texts and e-mails from friends and even my sister asking if I was alright because I didn’t update the blog.

Yes, folks, I’m fine! Just a bit of a bug I’ve been fighting. In the interim – and speaking of family – here’s some adorable pictures of my excessively handsome and adorable (just like his Uncle) nephew from last Sunday’s Christening.

Luckily, my eight week old nephew got to wear an adorable white satin suit in lieu of the christening gowns that all of us, regardless of gender, had to wear.

Look at that suit!

The gold baptism necklace he’s sporting belonged to his paternal Grandfather, Girolamo, who passed away last March. Ninety years ago, he wore it around his necklace as he was welcomed into the church with his parents and grandparents doting over him. A century later, the necklace is restored and placed around the neck of Joseph Gino, whose middle name is a tribute to his late grandfather (they called him Gino as a boy). It is a gentle reminder that those that are lost are those that we have loved, would have loved us, and are always present through the indelible impacts and influence they have on our lives.

More pictures after the jump.

Read more »

Dancin’ with Myself

April 28, 2010
By

So, dancing.

When not writing an intriguing blog for the Times Union, Kevin Marshall is a one-man dance crew.

No, really. Bloggin’ about dancing. For real.

Up until the last year or so, I always carried the “too cool for school” attitude when it came to dancing. I never did (and still don’t) listen to music that’s conducive to dancing.  I took it to be an activity that people do when they can’t think of anything clever to talk about or aren’t creative enough to find a better activity.

You know, all the typical stuff people say about dancing when they don’t know or are too inhibited to do it.

Something changed in the last year, though. I became a lot more comfortable with my self image due to the weight loss and measures I took to improve my appearance. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say I became a lot less self-conscious.

In any case, now I dance if the mood strikes me. I don’t rally up a posse and say “c’mon folks, let’s go DANCE,” but I’m willing to at least join people on the dance floor.

I’m still terrible at it, mind you. But I don’t care. Neither should you.

So for those who don’t give a (what?), some of us folks will be at the Official Unofficial Troy Night Out After-Party this Friday night, 10:00pm, Daisy Baker’s in Troy, NY.  Good music, better times, and even better people.

And, quite possibly, Kevin Marshall dancing.

REACT: Do you dance? Why or why not?