At Long Last, Have We No Decency?

You know, I swear to god in the last 12 months I have felt a ramping up of racism, sexism, homophobia. You name it. All things that I've spent the last ten years thinking we were past. I figure I've just been insulating myself and surrounding myself with like minds. The crazy is still out there. Like a disease.

First it's all the money and effort spent trying to deprive gay people the right to marry. Money and effort that could be better used elsewhere, thank-you-very-much. Take a look around. If you can pump billions into an initiative to block gay marriage, why not just let it happen, because at some point it will anyway, and give that money to the government to put towards our national debt? How 'bout that?

Then there's the attack on women. I can't even believe that we are having discussions about birth control and whether or not it should be covered by insurance. COME ON! We are wayyyyy past this people. Can't go back now. It's more than birth control, it's preventative medicine. Noone needs a bunch of babies running around that aren't being taken care of, educated, and raised well. Which is what happens a lot with unwanted and unplanned pregnancies. ...and besides, if women can't get their birth control covered, then it should be the same for Viagra. But you don't hear any of the powerful voices on the right making mention of that, do you?

Now there's this awful, horrible tragedy that just happened in Florida with Trayvon Martin. Basically shot dead, hunted, stalked, by a crazy person with a gun, masquerading as a sad vigilante. The fact that the so-called "Stand Your Ground" law in Florida is offering cover to the shooter is a disgrace. What a stupid fucking law. In my opinion, another reason for serious gun control. Fuck the NRA. It also bears mentioning that this is just another in a string of continuous, racist behavior being tolerated by our communities, by the media, etc. If the shooter had been a black man, and the deceased a white man, you bet your sweet ass they'd be finding loopholes in that law quicker than you can say cracker. I am so mad about this. Feel so terrible for the family of this young man that was doing nothing but walking to the corner store to get a package of Skittles and an Iced Tea. The fact that it took 3 days before the Department of Justice announced they would look into it is even more devastating. All the calls that have been played over talk radio, on the news channels. They clearly state what happened here. A young boy was stalked. Because he was black and was wearing a hoody. WHEN DOES IT END?!?! When will we ever learn?

What the hell is wrong with us?

If you know, let me in on it. Please.

XXX


L.A.K.

I Saw A Rick Santorum Sign And I Almost Ripped It Down...

I was cruising around the blogosphere and couldn't resist reposting this picture from The Progressive Truth blog. The fact that the Republican race for the nomination is coming down to Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney is both at the same time frightening and fills me with uncontrollable glee for the actual debates against Obama. I think he'll slay them both. But, you know us. Americans. We are human, and there are some of us that just stick behind the most ridiculous candidate no matter what comes out, no matter what gaffs they make, no matter what crazy stances on important social issues they might hold.

Yesterday I was driving about town. Running errands. Lots of errands. I was in suburban housewife on steroids mode. I was being so productive, I was starting to annoy myself. It rained, it snowed, and it was sunny. All in one day. Even the bipolar weather didn't keep me from my list of items needed, tasks to be completed. It gave me great OCD pleasure to cross one thing after another off said list. Anyhoo, I was driving along, and all day I had been admiring the Obama bumper stickers and the abundance of them that I was seeing. You'll have to forgive my glee. I've been traveling through parts of the country where this is not the case, in fact the opposite. When all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw "it". A Rick Santorum campaign sign. I nearly slammed on the breaks. For some reason it was a dramatic moment for me and I literally changed lanes, for a second thinking about hanging a U-ey, getting out of my car and ripping that thing out of the ground. The easily impressionable certainly don't need to see that sort of drivel, right?

Wrong. Doing that would make me just as bad as those that I rail against. We do live in The United States of America. Free speech exists, for better AND worse. Just means we have to turn it up a little louder on the other side of the fence. Work a little harder. Sometimes I forget there are Republicans in Washington. Sometimes I forget that not everyone agrees with me. Crazy, I know! But true.

Here's to not sayin' anything if you don't have anything nice to say, or at least saving it for your blog :-)!

XXX


L.A.K.

Planes, Planes & More Planes

Lately, well, the last three weeks, I have found myself in the position to be flying. Constantly, over and over again. With, maybe a day in between some of these trips. Just enough time to unpack the suitcase, wash the clothes, repack the suitcase and get back to the airport. Now, I'm not complaining. Tons of people take planes for work much more often than that. I've had to fly for work on a semi regular basis throughout my career whether for a DJ gig, a Production post, or even visiting friends and family. But it's a big deal to me that I survived all this flying without having a meltdown. Don't judge me!

The reason this is such a big deal to me is that in early 2000 I was involved in, what would you call it? A plane crash? An emergency landing? I've never been quite sure. Either way, I was involved in a traumatic plane experience that has stayed with me over a decade later. Though I have flown many times since (thanks to my friend clonazepam), there's always ample time in between trips for me to meditate myself (or the group I am flying with), a safe and successful trip. This particular series of trips, there was too much exhaustion to even think about it. Which was probably a blessing in disguise.

The incident that I was originally involved in, that early 2000 incident, looked something like this picture. I was flying back to Seattle from Chicago and they had just announced that we were about 45 minutes outside of Seattle. Great, I thought to myself, plently of time to take a nap and I'd wake up right as we were landing. So I started to fall asleep and just as I was drifting off, I heard a thud noise. The noise was something similiar to if a Coke can had dropped off the cart into the aisle. Which was what I assumed it was. As I lazily opened by eyes and turned my head to see what had happened, something outside the windows on the opposite side of the plane caught my attention. FIRE! Then two more of those thuds and fire shooting out of the engine on the opposite side of the plane. (PANIC)

Not believing my eyes at first I glanced over at the 16 year old girl who was sitting in the window seat next to me. She was reading a book with some headphones on. Holy fucking shit. Fire in the hole! I could see the fire licking around the front of the plane and bending around the other side. MY side. My eyes met with those of that poor 16 year old girl and she had her headphones off in .02 seconds. Her eyes followed my gaze and saw what I saw. But she just looked scared. Not panicked. Yet.

Moments later the pilot throws open the door to the cock pit and goes running toward the back of the plane. I have no idea what he was doing. A brief announcement would have been nice. "Ladies and gentlemen, the plane is on fire, we don't know what the hell is going on, but we are looking into it" - yes, that would have been nice, but in retrospect, they probably didn't have time for that. He was back there a few minutes and the engine sputtered and fireballs shot out a few times, and then there was a bit of an explosion in that engine and then nothing. It was dead, that engine. The pilot runs back down the aisle and slams the cock pit door closed on his way back in.

It's at this point that the flight attendants start going down the aisle telling each row to assume this position. This ridiculous position where you cross your arms, hook your hands over the seat in front of you, and start chanting "Brace for impact!", over and over again. I'm convinced that they do this to try and hypnotize everyone on the plane into not panic-ing. Not this girl. Noone could stop me from my panic. I started screaming "OH MY GOD, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" at the top of my lungs, over and over again. That was my salve. I looked back at that 16 year old girl, who was staring at me, mouth gaping, eyes wide as saucers, man was I scaring the shit out of her! Well, what can I say, the shit was scared out of me too dude.

The good news here is that if this type of thing happens to you, it is possible for the pilots to recover and for the plane to land and for everyone to survive. I'm living proof. We landed in a rural airport in Idaho Falls, Idaho - skittered off the abbreviated runway, and after a 3 hour investigation during which we were made to stay on the plane, we were free. They put us up in a hotel that night (an experience for another blog post), and sent a plane for us the next day to take us home. They made me sit with a representative from the airline on the way home. I guess my panic had made other passengers scared. No shit.

I didn't get on a plane for a while after that experience. 9/11 happened not long after and I was done with planes permanently. The problem was, that in one way or another, I had built my career around getting on a plane now and again. It could not be avoided. Not to mention the family likes to get visited every now and again. I had an offer to go to the Dominican Republic to gig and survey a property for a gay event they wanted me to bid on. A friend at the time drug me to the doctor and that was when I met Clonazepam. Thank the little baby jesus for her (the Clonazepam, not the friend, to be clear). Just pop one of those about an hour before a flight and ZONK, I wake up in another location. It's a miracle drug. If you have airport anxiety, or fear of flying, I highly suggest.

Anyway, home from all this traveling - though I have a trip to Vegas coming up for my Nephew's wedding, and likely will need to head to Palm Springs at some point in April to help D$ with some biz, but the killer run of 3 weeks of flying, living in a hotel room, and production of Golf Shows, is over, for now. It's nice to be home.

Now, there's Pride to book and a wedding to plan....

XXX


L.A.K.

What's In My Box? Music Yo!

Hey kids!

Awww, finally! It's been a coupla weeks since the last post and since that was a pretty serious/political/ranty post, I thought I would follow up with music. Because as Madonna says, music, makes the people, come together.

From time to time talented and passionate folks send me mixes. Especially this time of year when it's time to start thinking about booking the DJ stage at Pride Festival. While I have been on the road, I've been listening to some of these mixes or tracks that have been sent my way and I thought I would share. Sharing is caring, afterall. This is a random grouping of selections, but it's all been getting me pumped to work some really long days of managing golf shows. Yes, Golf Shows. A girl has to have variety in her life (and money in her bank account). It can't all be raging in the queer nightlife. This week I head to Hartford, Connecticut. I've heard it's a lovely place. Not. I'll be spending 90 percent of my time inside a convention center, so all that will really matter is if the concessions carry more than hamburgers and fries.

Anyway, let me get to the sharing part:

Showcase Volume 3: DJ Not So Good

SHOWCASE Volume 3: DJ Not So Good by Showcase_Mixes on Mixcloud

HARD! Reminds me of my tenure as resident at Last Supper Club.

DJ Transport:POP

This one kind of makes me wanna dig out all my old HotBos gems from the mid '90s. I may have to go diggin' through his crate. You think he'd let me do that? I can be very persuasive...

The Blind Photographers
I can see this on the live band stage at PrideFest. Can you?

Link to more from The Blind Photographers.

If you have bands you'd like to see, a DJ you'd like to hear, a drag queen you think should perform, at PrideFest this year, e mail me at lakendall.qq@gmail.com.


XXX


L.A.K.