Crazy like a Greek Polar Bear

Occasionally, though not all the time, I am a wily, outside-the-box thinker. I would love to be able to claim this as being a continual and thriving part of my brain, but I just can't. Sometimes I'm down-right obtuse. BUT! For those glorious moments when I solve an odd problem so ingeniously, so cleverly - no one is ever around to see!

For the sake of hubris, I suppose this is as it should be. I think I read/saw too many classical plays in my formative youth - I am all too aware of the catastrophic repercussions that the gods create specifically for mouthy mortals who tout their brilliance too loudly, too openly, too ungraciously. I won't lie. I really don't want to end up like Oedipus. or Lear. or Cassiopeia.

BUT - sometimes an idea is birthed so fabulously, it should be shared! (as I thank the muses/deities/spaghetti monsters above) One such solution happened to me today, and I won't lie, I feel a little bit like Odysseus.

I'm spearheading a ticket project for Shakespeare Orange County. Essentially, we've been living in the Paleozoic era for the last 19 years, and have not utilized online tickets sales. I KNOW. So I've found a program and a company that will help us, while not taking $5.00 per every ticket sold. Good, right? Part of this process requires sending all manner of paperwork to them. Like a seating chart.

Since we've never had any legitimate on-line ticket sales before, we haven't needed to use many seating charts. So when I went to our box office to search for this mythical file, it was (typically) no where to be found. But what kind of a quest has an easy answer? "You know who does have our seating chart?" I asked myself, "Seat Advisor!" I replied. So back home I went to have a phone meeting with our ticket company's representative.

I explained that I couldn't find a seating chart file on our computer, but that seat advisor had one. What should I do? "See if you can print the webpage," she replied, "and scan and email it." Okay! I printed it not once, but  twice. And while my laptop screen displayed our theatre's seating chart, no seating chart printed on the paper. Next, I tried a screen grab - no go. Save page as? Nope. What the hell am I going to do? Make a new chart by hand?? I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!

But then ... from the dark, dry abyss where all my best ideas come from, I heard a calm, reassuring voice say, "Use your digital camera."

"Use my digital camera?! How am I going to use my - I'M GOING TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE SCREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Yes. I took pictures of the seating chart on my laptop screen and sent those in. It was so simple, so deliciously simple. And it took two minutes. Okay - I have to say it - it was a thing of beauty. I will now go make an homage to the goddess of crazy great ideas, lest she think I claim the genius for my own. But it's days like this that make my gray matter feel a little more awesome than normal.

Wouldn't it be cool if our brains could glow like this? 

BOOM!

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THE list.

You know what I'm talking about. THE. LIST. That mental sheet of celebrity names you keep in the back of your head - the names of people which you would gladly sleep with, despite that awesome relationship with your partner. THE LIST!

One night during my sophomore year of college, I was having an IM session with my friend Jon, who lives in San Francisco. I don't remember most of the details, except that somehow we started claiming female celebrities. I'm sure the conversation began with us bemoaning our lack of girlfriends. He claimed one, and then I claimed one, and after we each had our top 10, and I figured the conversation would change onto something more ... meaningful? we kept going. This turned into a three hour conversation, and each of us with a list of over 100 celebrities that we had "claimed," like gold stakes in the Yukon. Were we serious? Of course not. Was it my proudest moment? Hell no. Was it fun in a crazy, competitive, once-in-a-lifetime kind of way? YOU. BET.

At the time, I was severely depressed - I had just been left (repeatedly) by my first love, who moved from Oregon to Wyoming in an attempt to find Jesus ... again. (remember my "that's a story for another time" comment on my last post? She's who I meant) And while Oregon is apparently a very gay state, Salem is not a very gay town. And my university (at the time) was not a very gay university. So I spent the next 3 years being very celibate and very lonely. Ergo, the cultivation of my list served as sustenance through some very, very dry years.

And I thought I was being all creative ... I thought I was the only one to have list, chiefly because (at the time) I was the only one I knew who needed a list! But it was a lie! Once I left college, I realized that *everyone* has a list, whether they're in relationships or not. Not only that, their partners have their own set of lists, and it's just generally understood that if either person were to have that one in a billion opportunity of having a romantic night with any person on their list, the walls of fidelity would dissipate for that one night. Especially if the same person is on BOTH lists ... talk about a night to remember.

Am I serious about this? Yes, in the sense that lists exists. No, to the extent that anyone would actually fulfill the purpose of the list or even be in the situation where fidelity would need to be broken. It's a game. It's a fun, fun, FUN game. Yet one that can add a certain something for certain people. For example, me. As the passionate, independent, and loyal person that I am, having a list fuels my imagination - but when my partner has a list, I suddenly have something to compete for, in a non-realistic, non-threatening way. And the only thing Aries love more than independence, is competition - but not forced competition. I get more creative, more flirty, more saucy if I know I have something to compete with, though again, not something real. It adds spice and character and invention. Not to mention the fact that The List can help level the playing field. We're all human, we have foibles and weaknesses - how better to express that in a non-actual way, than with a list. The worst is finding out that while your list is active and fun, your partners' is non-existent. You want to talk about kill-joy. The subtext then becomes "I don't look at anyone else but you," (which is almost always a lie, to some degree or other) and boy does one feel like an ass if one's on the other side of this scenario. And I have been.

So with all that in mind, I admit that I totally have a list. It rotates between 5-10 people, for various reasons. Oh ... what's that? You want to know who's on my list?? Oh. You don't.

Well ... I'm going to tell you anyway. (It's really the inspiration for this post, you know...)

Today's list 

(because it totally changes)

1. Sara Ramirez

2. Tilda Swinton

I think this is the biggest surprise for most people, when I say Tilda (she's been on my list for a LONG time), but I find androgyny, TRUE androgyny, incredibly sexy. She is completely transmutable, incredibly interesting, and wonderfully intelligent. I LOVE HER. 

3. Mariska Hargitay

4. Brandi Carlile

Duh.

5. Martha Burns

So Martha Burns is a Canadian actress, who's the female lead in Slings and Arrows, who's also married to Paul Gross (someone who occasionally circulates my list), who's just kind of phenomenal, except that no one below the 48th parallel really knows it. Try doing a google image search for Martha Burns. I dare you.

6. Kim Dickens

I honestly can't tell you why ... perhaps because she's been on two of my favorite shows (Deadwood and Treme), perhaps because she frequently has fairly weird haircuts and sometimes looks like a lesbian - I don't know. But she's wicked talented, and highly underrated, and there's just something!

There are others, but again, they rotate in on different days. I shared mine ...who's on yours? 

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Obsessions, big and small ... but mostly big.

I do not have an addictive personality. I do not have compulsive need for things (or substances) - cravings, occasionally - but addictions, no.

What I do have ... are obsessions. I have (largely) illogical, emotional connections to a bizarre array of things. Relationships (mostly fictional), art, books, desserts ... those are the big ones. And when I have a lot of time on my hands, like ... now, I find new things to fill my obsessional void. My current obsession? Grey's Anatomy.

I stopped watching Grey's Anatomy at the beginning of Season 5, when Dr. Erica Hahn (the faboo Brooke Smith), was kicked off the show for not being pretty enough, or nice enough, or something. Dr. Erica Hahn was at the beginning of a relationship with the gorgeous Dr. Calliope Torres (mmmmmmm Sara Ramirez!), the first non-heterosexual relationship for series regulars on the show. And at the time, I thought it was a conspiracy by ABC (and the Disney Corp.) to end lesbian relationships on TV!! Surely, they were behind the lesbian relationship mass extinction. Damn you, Disney! You may have taken part of my soul when I worked for you, but you'll never take away my TV girlfriends!!!

Or, you know, not. Because had I just hung in for 5-6 more episodes beyond the Dr. Erica Hahn debacle, I would have been introduced to Dr. Arizona Robbins, pediatric surgeon extraordinaire, who's not only cute and fabulous with children (she wears heelys!), but is also a lesbian. And the folks at ABC must be satisfied that she's cuter and more personable than Erica Hahn (I'm sorry Brooke Smith ... *I* love you!). So long soap opera story line short, a non-heterosexual representation of Seattle doctors remains. And is one of the few (possibly, only?) lesbian relationships on network TV.

And I've been obsessed with it. I've watched all of seasons 5 & 6 ... twice. In about two weeks. And thanks to ABC.com, I'm all caught up on the beginning of season 7 now, too.

Lara and I had a conversation about this earlier in the year. Some people like Lara, have short fixations, little bursts of excitement that fizzle out as quickly as they pop up. I, on the other hand, tend to get fixated on one thing at a time ... and when I do, it's not a fleeting occurrence - I fixate for life. Examples:

- At 6 years old, my grandfather taped the CBC version of Anne of Green Gables on Beta tapes. I fell in love! I watched those tapes over and over and over ... until I wore them out, about 3 years later. Then my grandfather got fancy and high-tech, bought a cutting-edge VHS player, and Anne of Green Gables on VHS, and then I wore those out, too.

- My grandmother and I used to get chocolate croissants every Sunday after church. Sometimes I could get two. This was a tradition for almost 10 years. I could eat chocolate croissants every day, and be incredibly happy.

- I've had to buy multiple copies of these books because I wore down the binding, and they fell apart:
The Hotel New Hampshire, Sense & Sensibility, Misty of Chincoteague, and Reservation Blues.

- In a word: Xena.

- Fantasy Sports - I spend hours, and hours out of my week obsessing about my Fantasy Sports teams.

These are only a few examples. Sometimes it's a long, slow progression that eventually leads to the assimilation of whatever-it-is into my life, like Grey's Anatomy. Sometimes, it happens all at once - like my discovery of the wonders of hockey. But either way ... sometimes it's the little/big things that get me through the day.

What gets you through the day?

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Friday Potpourri!

So it's Friday. I have a job interview at 2:00 p.m. (hooray!!!), I'm going to go see the Avett Brothers and Brandi Carlile play, with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals opening (EPIC!!!). It's been a thunder-n'-lighting extravaganza, complete with a downpour here today ... all in all, it's shaping up to be a pretty great day. One in which I fully intend to ignore the news, and just groove to the beat of my own vibe ... which today, goes a little something like this:

Provocative poses!

Europe, through the eyes of Brits. To see more, go HERE. 

The Avett Bros.!

OK GO (with friends!)

Glee goes GAGA!

I hope you ALL have an excellent Friday. And remember, when all else fails, when all seems bleak, dismal, and beyond hope ... 

there's always YOUTUBE!

Oh - And Hermione and Hagrid say hello...

 

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THIS IS A REPEAT AFTER ME SONG!...and other ditties.

Once again, I've been hijacked by life. For a good two weeks.

I showed up to a former place of employment a few weeks ago, just to drop by and say hi to the two best bosses I've ever had. They asked me if I would be available to work for a few weeks? What else could I possibly say, but yes?

This "place of employment" is a Summer day-camp in the canyons of Irvine. It's the most simultaneously fun and exhausting places I've ever worked, not to mention the most rewarding. I was a Drama Specialist there for three years (which means I created and/or taught theatre games for children ranging in age from 4-13) ... and suddenly, for two weeks, they made me a counselor. WHAT??

The great thing about being a specialist (as I took for granted so many years ago), is that one gets to stay in one place, and sees all manner of children every day - diversity, if you will. And each class only lasts for about 40 minutes (30, if the group is coming from the other side of camp). I never got the opportunity to hate any children, because I didn't have time. And if I made drama fun enough, they'd all participate and be great for me. I could love them all, and not know that they were crazy cracked-out children who wouldn't leave the porta-potties alone, and ran around trying to lift all manner of things, from children to counselors.

Yeah ... I totally had that kid two weeks ago.

Now, my best friend Tracy wrote a blog post about birth control on her blog last week. And while her story has the gross factor, I'll say that my method has the longevity factor:

If you ever think about having children, but aren't sure ... go work at a summer camp.

I'm serious. You'll have every walking age. You'll see their development, their trials, the challenges involved with each age group. Because here's the thing ... raising a child NEVER STOPS. And as soon as they can walk, there's NO easy age. But if you can deal with them every day, their little quirks, their complaints, hiking with them in 100 degree weather, celebrate their little victories (you'll know when they happen), and be there to draw the hard line when they fail (which happens all the time, and is crazy hard!), then you can be a parent.

The other thing I'll say about camp is that it's family. You can leave for 5 years, come back, and be welcomed just as warmly as you were the day you were hired. You know ... provided no children died because of your care (or lack thereof), or you said something ridiculously inappropriate to a camper, or you let the kid light his own farts. Although, things go wrong all the time. Usually at the end of the day, the epitaph is: "Well at least no children died!" True story.

Anyway, it was an awesome two weeks, which included everything from trying to get caught up on the new camp fads (songs, dances, silly bandz, etc.), to me having to ice down my lower body at the end of the night, and suddenly realizing that I'm not 20 anymore. Because after my 10 hour camp day, I'd have to go to rehearsal ... and play Lear's Fool until 11:00 p.m. And then get back up and do it all again the next day. Oi! Needless to say, that's much of the reason I've been missing in action. Now it's on to finishing tech week, and opening the show! YIKES!

Here's a by-the-numbers look at camp:

Total number of campers: 30
Times that I had to eat gummy worms in tapioca pudding as fast as I could for a contest: 1
Times splashed with a water balloon: 2
Hours spent at Wild Rivers: 24
Sunburns acquired: 3
Approximate number of acres walked: 200
Times in which I fell down for no apparent reason, other than my own talent at gravity: 2
Number of times I had to take children to First Aid: 7
Number of times I had to take myself to First Aid: 1
Songs I made up: 3
Songs that worked: 1
Number of silly bandz acquired: 7
Number of swear words uttered by children, caught by me: 8
Number of swear words uttered by me, caught by children: 1
Times I woke up before the sun: 8
Times I ran to Target for camp supplies and/or costume pieces after 10:00 p.m.: 3
Approximate cups of coffee consumed: 22
New facebook friends made: 15-20
Children who drove me crazy: 2
Children whom I loved: 30
Bought and depleted bottles of sunscreen: 1
Number of children who asked about the origins of my camp name: 50+
Number of counselors who knew my name before I got to camp: 10
Percentage of happiness: 1000%

In other news ... I finished the Hunger Games trilogy. If you haven't read it, start. If you haven't finished it, hurry up! I finished book 3 last night, and sobbed through the last 20 or so pages. Seriously. READ THEM NOW.

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*Speechless*

Uhm ... I just returned from the Lilith Fair concert to find the following letter in my facebook message inbox ... I don't think I've ever been more touched in my entire life.
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Hi! I don't know if you remember me, but about 5 years ago, I was a camper at Camp James and if I have the right person, you were the drama specialist. I just wanted to send this message to thank you for really making Camp James my home, because in my returning years, I ended up doing quite a bit. 2 years after you left camp, there was a lot of talk about closing it down, so I petitioned to keep Camp open and the publicity it generated got the mayor to take a decisive roll in keeping the camp open. After "saving" Camp James, I stayed there for several years until I was too old for the camp. From there, I became a staff member and I am now working as Counselor in Leadership Training (or CILT). So once again, thank you for working at Camp James, because if you hadn't, than I wouldn't have returned, and I would have never gotten to meet so many amazing people and experience so many amazing things. Your presence has changed my life!

Sincerely, 
Nate O.
P.S. I still have the award/elephant you gave me hanging on my wall (next to my "2007 Overall Camper of the Year" award)
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This kid is one of my all-time favorite campers ... he must be about 15 by now. And for him to write so eloquently and freely and warmly - it brought me to tears.

I wrote him back and told him that of course I remembered him, and how proud I am of him and all he's accomplished - his passion and conviction to fight for what he believes in. And how truly humbled and grateful I am for his letter.

I am so incredibly fortunate.

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Comic. Book. Shakespeare.

My dad, who is not necessarily a "hip" or "with it" guy, posted a link on his facebook page today that made my eyebrows jump for joy. It's a new comic book, only two issues into it's first volume, called "Kill Shakespeare."

http://www.killshakespeare.com/

Juliet as head of the resistance against Richard III, Hamlet out to set order in the realm, Lady MacBeth on a power-hungry binge of terror, Othello as a mercenary-for-hire. REALLY?!?!?!?! It's like I've been waiting for this all of my life!! I ordered the first two issues today, and I can't *wait* for them to arrive! The art looks fantastic, the characters are wrenched from their original plots - seemingly just before death, or their deaths weren't realized - and the story seems really interesting. I'm a little put off by the "heroes" that they chose - the premise is that Shakespeare's greatest Heroes are at war with his greatest of Villains - and Shakespeare himself is a character known as "the creator." In fact, Romeo is a Paladin-like warrior, who was trained by Shakespeare-worshiping monks in Verona.....................need I say more??

IT'S CHRISTMAS IN JUNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course ... then again ... if it sucks, I will be VERY. VERY. UNHAPPY. But I don't think it will... ;)

*Fist pump!* YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now....to find a viable comic book store in Orange County. I will *not* be thwarted!!

PS - The guys who created this little gem? CANADIAN.

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Wow.

[disclaimer: I promise this post does not have to do with a deceased pet...]

So I don't know if I'm slow, or behind the viral video eight ball, or if I really am the first to discover this awesome video and plaster it all over facebook. Either way, please watch this:



WHOA. Right???

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Hello, my name is Lady MacDeath.

Here's something I've never admitted.

I kind of really love Roller Derby. A lot.



When I was younger, like 5 or 6, my step sister and I took roller skating classes at a rink in Whittier. Twice a week, after school, we'd go skate. Amber was a much better skater than I was. She could even skate backwards. I was good at going slow and staying near the rail. My major problem was that I was afraid of falling. I did get better as time went on, though I still never figured out how to do it backwards - I was, however, able to do the Hokey-Pokey on skates. I am so cool.

I fell a lot. I mean, I fell a lot in general - in my every day young life (tall kids are giant puppies with over-large limbs...it's to be expected). But when it came to putting my giant tentacle-like self on 8 tiny hard-plastic wheels ... well, you can imagine. The last time I went roller skating was in 2007 for a bosses' birthday. I went around the rink three times, and at the end of the third lap, as I was heading back to the benches, I fell backwards - which would have been fine - except that I didn't take my right foot up in the air with me. It stayed underneath me. And as I landed, my foot, complete with skate, bent all the way back. I couldn't walk for two weeks, and the swelling lasted for almost 6 months.

Anyway, at some point in my still-rollerskating years, I saw an re-run of Laverne & Shirley in which the girls have some crazy roller derby antics. It was kind of brilliant. And I kind of loved it. I also saw an episode of Charlie's Angels where the girls rollered their way to justice. Or something. I really just remember Farrah Fawcett's feathered hair sweeping out of the helmet. Awesome. I obviously missed Roller Derby's hay day in the 70's. But it's always been on the periphery of my consciousness throughout the years, and something I always secretly wished I could do.

I watched Whip It! tonight (one of the 10 movies I bought at the dying Hollywood Video). As you could imagine, I was geeking out. Not to mention the fact that Kristin Wiig and Ellen Page are in it, as is the fabulous Marcia Gay Harden. Add in an awesome soundtrack, Juliette Lewis as the Derby villain, and a surprisingly non-formulaic script, and you have yourself a party.


    (Hot, no??)

After watching the movie, I mentioned on facebook that I wanted my own Roller Derby name. My friend (and adopted big brother) Sean came up with "Lady MacDeath," Which I think is disgustingly awesome. Some of the poorer suggestions included "Zsa Zsa Ga-Gore," "I'm Gonna Kill You-inator," and "Slam Let." The runner up was "Snakes Spear." You know you love it.

Want your own Roller Derby name? You can go here, though I suggest a facebook poll. Laughing at the creativity of your friends is fun! Hopefully they're down with the Derby... if not, go to the generator. ;) I'm also fascinated with the names of the derby teams. If they had Fantasy Roller Derby on Yahoo! Sports, I'd totally name my team "The Suffer Jets." Huh?? Huh?? That's what I'm talking about!

At any rate, Roller Derby is totally making a come back. As depicted in Whip It!, Austin, Texas has a thriving Roller Derby culture. London, New York City, Atlanta, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Cleveland, Calgary and Los Angeles all have active Roller Derby Leagues. There are thousands more, but I think you get the point. Roller Derby in the Olympics? I think this needs to happen. 

Come on. You know you want to go. ;) 

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This blog post is brought to by: 

Ben & Jerry's Dublin Mudslide Ice Cream

Roller Derby
Futurama

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Hey, remember that time...

When Pat Robertson told the whole world that the tragically devastating earthquake that destroyed Haiti was due to the fact that Haiti had struck a bargain with Satan?

Yeah. Me too.

It's been brought to my attention (yo! Thanks Jarv!) that a woman in Minneapolis named Lilly Coyle wrote a letter as the Horned-One to our friend Pat. Yeah ... for reals.

It says:

Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action.

But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished.

Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"?

If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox -- that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it -- I'm just saying: Not how I roll.

You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings -- just, come on, you're making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best, Satan

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And so to YOU, Lilly Coyle, this Polar Bear bestows my highest honor:

[I actually don't know what my highest honor is yet ... but when I do, it's yours ... readers, suggestions wanted]

To Lilly Coyle, The First Polar Bear Hero of 2010!

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this blog post is brought to you by:

Lilly Coyle
NPR
Christopher Jarvis

PS - if you'd like to see it on the NPR website, go here.

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Random Wednesday...

I had a lot of thoughts and observations swirling around in my head today. And without the need for explanation, without the desire to try and string them together in an interesting, yet organized way; I will list them, and hopefully allow the crazy nature of my brain to shine through and entertain you in some proximity.

[in no particular order]

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I need to learn the rules of Rugby.

I want to be smarter about saving money.

80's fashion should NOT be the current fashion; it was bad then, and it's worse now.

Matt Damon has a mean South African accent.

The Ducks need to win!

I hate being disappointed in people I love.

I need to do my laundry.

I have such wonderful, amazing people in my life!

I am humbled by the kindness of strangers.

Why are there no young adult fiction heroes who are girls?

I should write a young adult fiction series with a girl hero.

How would I even do that?

I need a good name.

Maybe I *should* apply to graduate school this year.

My room is a mess.

I wish I were better at sending out Christmas Cards.

Men should not be allowed to comment on the menstrual cycle. EVER.

I wonder which bags I should take with me?

I can't wait to fly to Calgary!

I LOVE my girlfriend!

Sarah Palin needs to suffer the pangs of obscurity.

I am way too addicted to Farmville.

I ordered two bean burritos, not one.

I want to snuggle.

For a little white creature in a green backyard, the bunny is really good at hiding.

I miss Lady.

I want snow!

FIVE GOLDEN TOQUES!

What does it even mean to be a "hipster" anymore?

Why can't sports take over for warfare?

Me love cookies!

LED lights suck and they hurt my eyes and should not replace normal twinkle lights!

I kind of miss World of Warcraft.

I love Paula Deen more and more every time I see her.

I really am an Aries.

I think this Christmas is going to be one of the best Christmases ever!

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This blog post is brought to you by:

Sony Vaio

Invictus (in theatres now!)

The Market Broiler

My Amazing Girlfriend

Muppets

Bob & Doug

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GAY RAGE! or, my life in a comic strip ...

I have suddenly (and by suddenly, I mean as of three weeks ago) found myself to be the leading super-hero in a real life comic book called "GAY RAGE!"

You: ?!

Me: One of the things we do here during meetings is make up games. It just helps the meetings go by faster. Not broadcast, everyone-can-play! games, I mean privatized games. One such game popped up at a production meeting three weeks ago. My friend Tom and I were randomly talking about the gay population, in the context of second class citizens, and I said something along the lines of, "I'm not really an angry person, except for when my civil liberties are being violated..." and out of that spawned Gay Hulk ... whom no one would like when she's angry.

Now, since there's already Hulk, and this Hulk is heavily copyrighted, branded, and lawyered to death - Gay Hulk is now Gay Rage.

Allow me to illustrate how far this life comic has spread.

Gay Rage has a side-kick (Tom) named Angry Man. He looks like a homeless lumberjack, drinks a lot of Jameson, and gets really angry on behalf of the socially disenfranchised. Gay Rage has arch nemeses: Mr. Peterman (Enrico), the closeted Washington D.C. lobbyist who actively fights against the Equal Marriage Lobby, and Kitty Coolidge (Kelley, my housemate) the New Jersey Mom who wreaks havoc with huge hair and too much make-up (who Gay Rage is simultaneously repulsed by and attracted to*)...

Gay Rage's mild-mannered alter-ego is Wellesley Professor of English Literature and Poetry, Angela Derrick. Professor Derrick's star student, Wendy Windsor (Kelly, partner), serves as Gay Rage's personal assistant and information source. When someone is being oppressed, Wendy knows the who and where of the situation, and is quick to inform Gay Rage and Angry Man.

Wendy and Angry Man have an on-again, off-again affair.

Gay Rage/Angela also have a ghostly mentor. Literally. Skulking in and around the halls of Wellesley is Amelia Bouchard (Meg), a Wellesley Professor who died in 1919, who, whispily, has taught (and continues to teach) Angela/Gay Rage everything she knows.

There are several more characters in development.

This went from being a funny, tongue-in-cheek joke to becoming a thing ... that nearly everyone I've come across wants to be a character in. I've been given several suggestions that this should become an actual comic book. I've even had suggestions that it should be turned into claymation, puppet theatre, and a youtube video.

Oh ... there is more to come, my friends.

A Theme Song is in the works. And I am SOOOOO not kidding.

*It was dictated to me by my cohorts that every super hero is supposed to have an arch nemesis that they are attracted to. This is just in the comic book, not in life-life. I love you, Monkey! :)
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This blog is brought to you by:

New England Coffee
Weekly Director's Meetings
My friends and our collective imaginations
Every comic book ever written!

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