Condi-Licious

There were only two parody videos I could watch a few times a week and never tire of them; now there are three such videos.

God, this cracks me up:



I love my shoes so much I give them names like they were children~
~drop the bomb, can you blame me, girl on girl with Mary Cheney~

ToasterMag - April Issue

Won't be long and the April issue of ToasterMag will up for your viewing pleasure. I'm excited because I luckily (praise be to Dolly!) scored a new poem by Denise Duhamel for ToasterMag's FREEHAND section.

You know you want to read the talent that is Duhamel, so don't forget to check out the April issue of ToasterMag.

"Crazy" OK for Navy!

I'm confused. Former astronaut Lisa Nowak-- former because she drove nine hundred miles in an adult diaper to kidnap fellow astronaut Colleen Shipman because she was allegedly riding the comet also known as Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein. I can't forget the wig, trench coat, plastic gloves, pepper spray, and BB gun that was found in found in Nowak's vehicle, but she insists she wasn't going to kidnap Shipman----- oh, sure...... the only other option would have to be INTENSE bondage-S&M play. Anyway, I know everyone probably already knows all of this, so let me get to my point.

Nowak, who is in the Navy, will remain in the Navy. She will develop curriculum and training programs. All this happens in April when she joins the staff of the Chief of Naval Air Training Command in Corpus Chrisiti. I can only image what her training programs will be like; I guess she could honestly say, 'Sometimes you have to shit yourself to try to get what you want.'

But seriously, WTF! Why is Novak still allowed in the Navy? If the whole attempted kidnapping detail isn't enough, doesn't the 900 miles in an adult diaper make anyone want to question her sanity?

What really pisses me off is the fact that Nowak is in the Navy after all of this; however, if she were an OUT lipstick lesbian or OUT big ole bull dyke wearing flannel and a tool belt to the base, there wouldn't much debate on keeping her in the Navy. Basically, our armed forces are telling me it is acceptable act irrationally and go 'crazy' because you can't get what you want-- that can be forgiven, but don't you dare be honest about your identity if you're GLBT.

Sometimes I'm annoyed with the American government for its policies and the majority of the American people for staying silent.

Pancakes Please, Hold the Discrimination

Paul called me at work yesterday and said, "You won't believe it. Two lesbians were kicked out of IHOP for kissing." Surprisingly, I was shocked; however, the shock lasted only for a moment. At times I find myself becoming too comfortable as a gay man, and I know it's because I live in Atlanta where gays are everywhere with rainbows shooting out of their asses, and they and their rainbows can hold hands in Piedmont Park without worrying about seeming out place, without anyone telling them to leave the park. I think sometimes I forget there is still much progress to be made. The issue with IHOP is a reminder of how there is still work to be done.

Read the article in the Kansas City Star regarding this issue.

How would you feel if this happened to you? If it happened to someone you loved? Wouldn't you want others to speak out against the discrimination? I urge you not to be silent regarding the IHOP issue. Tell everyone you know and ask them to spread the word.

THEN tell IHOP you're outraged at this act of discrimination by clicking here to send IHOP an email, or write them a letter:
IHOP Corp. Restaurant Support Center
450 N. Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91203

Travelin' Thru

Tonight, Paul and I watched Transamerica. He hadn't seen it; I enjoyed when it saw it at Tara a few moons ago, and I thought all gays must see this movie just because it is what gays do (of course!). And of course Transamerica leads to a Dolly moment since she wrote "Travelin' Thru" for the movie at the request of director Duncan Tucker.



so beautiful...
God made me for a reason and nothing is in vain
Redemption comes in many shapes with many kinds of pain
Oh sweet Jesus if you're listening, keep me ever close to you
As I'm stumblin', tumblin', wonderin', as I'm travelin' thru

March Monthly Poetry Group

Tonight, at the monthly poetry group we drew two scraps of paper from two plastic bags. Each scrap had a line from a poem typed on it-- from one bag we had a line we had to use to begin a poem, and from the other bag we had a line to use somewhere within the poem as long as it wasn't within the last three lines. At first I didn't like what I created, but it has been growing on me. I think I'll tuck it away for a week and work on a revision. Here's first draft:

-No Title as of yet--

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
the way slice bread is famous,
the way a tire iron is famous,
the way a paper clip is famous---
not the way that lands Brad Pitt in People,
not the way that lands OJ a book deal,
not the way that makes Sharon Tate famous.

I want to be famous, like Wonder Woman,
a normal woman until she spins
into a skimpy American flag outfit
using a lasso to get the truth,
bracelets to stop bullets,
but at the end of the day she takes off her glasses
to rest her head on a pillow in her middle class home.

I want to be famous like the locations of fieldtrips;
then add up all the zoos and aquariums--
add all the pitter-patters of feet,
the "no you can't feed the ape,"
"no you can't feed the elephant,"
"no you can't feed any of the animals."

I want to be famous,
like the columns of the Lincoln Memorial,
which you walk through to see Abe.
~ Dustin Brookshire, 3/15/07

First line, "I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous..." is from Naomi Shihab Nye's "Famous." The second line I drew was "then add up all the zoos and aquariums," which is from Billy Collins's "Insomnia."

We've been going strong for about six months; it has been exciting. We might have something special going on for National Poetry Month, which is next month!

B vs. M

OK. I know this video is old, but I still love it.

The Links Are Important

Visit Collin Kelley's blog to see a great video starring the one and only fabulous Anne Sexton.

Check out ToasterMag because the March issue, which I'm featured in, is up for viewing. My friend and fellow poet Lisa Allender is also featured. To see our work click Departments, then click Freehand.

I can't stop laughing at Margaret Cho's video titled "My Puss." The video is in no way appropriate for any young ones. The video is so wrong, but I love it.

Screen on the Green in Piedmont Park

May 31 - Casablanca

June 7 - Car Wash

June 14 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

June 21 - Funny Girl

June 28 - E.T.


I'm not excited with this year's Screen on the Green selection. Is it too hard to select "9 to 5," is it Ted? Maybe Ted is still pissed at Jane, but Dolly lovers shouldn't be punished because of their issues. Or maybe, Jada Pinkett Smith, who now owns the movie rights to "9 to 5" is the problem. Who knows? Yet another example for the books of how life is not fair.

I have no desire Casablanca---being tested over the movie in my History of Motion Picture course took the fun out of the money. But honestly, I don't think there was much fun in it to begin with.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid will probably bring out the cowboy-wear-your-chaps-and-spurs-fetish-gays. Woohoo, wait, Yee-haw! I wonder if Hoedowns will do something special the night the movie airs...... they should even if it is something as easy as 'Ride Your Cowboy' night.

Funny Girl-- I think anyone going to see it should get there early, early to prevent being trampled by the masses of gays. They'll probably treat it like Barbra is live in concert at the part. I'll go ahead and hold my gay card out; I'm so not a Barbra fan, so I know I won't be attending Funny Girl. Change it to Party Girl will the fabulous Parker Posey, and I'll be there. (Sorry Sissy, I know is your life force.)

E.T. should be a good time. I haven't seen the movie in ages, so I think it'll be the best for Paul and I have a date night at Screen on the Green.

Yeah, worth saying again, SO not excited about the line-up this year, but I guess nothing top the gayness of last year....." I should have known you'd know where to find the boys and the booze!"....... "Don't fuck with me fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo."...... Oh, Joan... you teach us a priceless lesson; our mothers aren't so bad after all. I'm just glad that I had no eye injuries last year with the all the wire hangers and ajax floating around.

Non-embryonic Stem Cell Bill

Senator David Shafer (pictured to the right)has authored Senate Bill 148, which would establish a network of Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Banks. Maybe it's my fascination with the medical field-- I've worked in retail pharmacy since the age of sixteen and worked toward a nursing degree for year--- but I believe a Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank is a great start for research efforts. Honestly, I never thought GA politicians could be so reasonable when it comes to health care-- which is sad sense Rep. Sharon Cooper is an "accomplished" nurse, medical administrator, and bully in the GA House..... wait, did I say bully!

I am trying to spread information regarding SB 148 even though it is expected to have an easy pass through committee and the Senate floor. The Georgia Christian Alliance, formerly known as the Georgia Christian Coalition, may not have issues with SB 148 today, but that doesn't mean tomorrow God won't speak through Chairwoman Satan Fields's burning hair-rollers to command she do all in her power to stop the bill, which includes she disown her lesbian daughter-- wait she already did that. (Oh wait, I had a type-O, that's Sadie Fields, and her mug is to your left...... red lipstick... doesn't the BIBLE say red is a whore's color?)

Anyway, even though SB 148 is expected to have an easy pass, you know what can happen in the GA General Assembly. Please take a moment to contact the Senate Rules Committee to let the members know you want the bill out of committee and on the Senate floor for a vote. Then contact your Senator to let him/her know you want his/her support on SB 148.

Click here for the list of Senators serving on the Rules Committee. Or, send me an email and I'll pass along my Microsoft Word chart of contact information for the Rules Committee. (The chart includes names, districts, emails, Capitol mailing addresses, Capitol office and fax numbers.)

Don't know who is serving you in the GA Senate? Click here to find your Senator.

The only other request I have is to please share information regarding SB 148 with friends, family, and coworkers.

Working with an Online Mag

Two rounds of antibiotics only to find out I'm battling a nasty virus that is going around. I was off from work Thursday and Friday to attend AWP; however, I ended up using my time off to rest and recover. I feel much better this evening-- I guess doing nothing and sleeping in is as good as the doctor says.

A lot is going on.....
(1)I am excited to be working with Toastermag, which is an online magazine that's been around for a little over a year. I discovered Toastermag this week and wrote the editor suggesting a poetry section (or department as the mag calls it) only to find out the magazine used to have a department titled "Freehand." After a few emails with the editor, "Freehand" is coming back. I along with fellow poet and friend, Lisa Allender, will be featured in the next issue of Toastermag. I'm proud to say I'll be looking for three or four poets to share a couple of poems for each issue of Toastermag. If you are interested please let me know, and please share this information with others.

(2) I am trying to finish a scholarship/fellowship application for the Wesleyan Writers Conference. The poems I am submitting have been selecting; however, I have to finish the final touches on my letter of intent and revise my resume. Only way I'll be able to attend the conference will be if I receive a scholarship/fellowship.

(3) The monthly poetry group I started about five or six months ago is going strong. I'm proud of the core members; it thrills me to find others who take time out of their schedules to share the same passion in poetry. During even months we simply critique poems; during odd months we do an exercise to generate new work. I have a fun exercise for this month.

(4) The whole saving money for school isn't working as I had planned. I can't save money for school because everything that can cost is popping up and draining my funds. I thought my tax return would be my saving grace--- oh, how I was wrong.... sucks how the real world eats, sleeps, and fucks you over via money.

(5) New roomie is moving in tomorrow. She seems pleasant and respectful. I only ask that this one work out better than the last two. Definitely send positive vibes my way on this topic!