Adam Lambert

My goodbye to 2010

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Today and tomorrow are the probably the two biggest listacle days of the year. Everyone will be blogging about the highlights/lowlights of 2010 and then tomorrow making their 2011 resolutions. Given that most of us who write on the internet are doing to unload one or two (or 10,000) frustrations through the keyboard vs onto real life peeps, the vast preponderance of the 2010 retrospectives will be negative. I’ve already seen plenty of of twitter posts leaning in that direction.

As always, I gotta be contrarian🙂

Sure, 2010 had some personally and universally truly sucky events. Certainly beginning the year as it did for me with the death of an August mom and then my best friend from high school managed kicked the year off in a rather craptastic fashion. Later on in the summer I lost a dear C&J friend as well. Death, being part of life, probably touched all of us at some point this year and I do feel the holes that they left. But then, I am also thankful for the fact that I knew them. That I carry parts of them in my heart. That my memories help to honor their life.

Moving on…I said I was gonna be different..so…Happy Time!

2010 has been a year when my immediate family has been healthy and drama free – I call that pretty damn good!

When I cut up my credit cards one year ago, it was with the wish that nothing major happened so that I could live without them – 2010 complied.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed. I’m sure I don’t need to go into a deep political essay since you all already know how much equality means to me🙂

19 of 35 countries have been cleared of their loose nuclear material.

Wait…what?

Yeah – no matter where you stand politically I would hope you agree that this is rather brilliant news. All the more intriguing when you find out how it was done – James Bond style:

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Thank you to Rachel Maddow for being the ONLY person on ANY “news” channel yesterday to cover this! Even on vacation she put this segment together for her show and it’s not the first time. Another such adventure was highlighted by her earlier this year, but this one is great because of her fantastic interview with the NNSA director. C’mon now, be honest – show of hands – how many of you even heard of the NNSA or Director Thomas D’Agostino before watching this? Well, other than Page of course! Anyone? Beuller?!! Yeah, I didn’t think so. And like I said – this isn’t really a right or left issue – this is just pretty damn cool and VERY important in the grand scheme of, oh, not getting blown up by this stuff anywhere around the world!

OK, moving on to something lighter – I did make it through 52 books this year as planned AND I did get out on the trails and hike more often – a lot of the time with SportsBoy so that’s a huge win for the year.

The cats didn’t escape or destroy anything major. Sure, they barfed in terribly creative places. Shoot, just this week Chip “blessed” Music Man’s bed and I sure had to laugh when I saw a pile of dried hairball on the carpet when we switched out old bed for new in my room last month. Then there was the perfectly placed hurl on SportsBoy’s dirty laundry which he couldn’t QUITE put IN his hamper – a risk her no longer takes after a white t-shirt was ruined! But hey – that’s life with cats right?

So really – if you think about it – and you should – there ARE high lights to the year that is leaving us. Enjoy the good, learn from the bad, and turn around and face the new year eh?

Oh, and it’s never a bad thing to walk forward with a little more glitter and love🙂

 

Happy New Year!

 

Adam Lambert, 21st century rock star

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You might have seen Adam sing Change is Gonna Come on American Idol. But casual fans probably don’t know that he first sang that song exactly 6 years ago. On 12/15/04 he made his debut solo performance for the Zodiac show at the Music Box in LA and blew people’s minds with his makeup and his outfit, and oh yeah, that VOICE! He sang it with the depth of emotion of someone who was feeling every last syllable of the lyrics. It was personal. Raw. Angry. Challenging. Powerful.

But it wasn’t enough to launch a full blown career as a pop star. As he explains in video, oh, there were obstacles. So he made his way to American Idol to put himself on a show that would be the platform he needed. And the most of it in a way no other artist on the show has. He proved winning is not everything. The producers asked him to sing Change is Gonna Come on the finale. No outrageous outfit. No sparkly makeup. Just Adam and his heart and his voice. He had already blown people’s minds by that point. But this more elegant, understated Adam knew he was on the precipice of his achieving his dream. So again, he squeezed every ounce out of the song. Not as angry. Not as raw. But, still powerful & this time, hopeful.

Last night, as he wrapped up the next to the last of his Glamnation World Tour concerts, he sang it again. This time as a celebration of those six years and what change really has happened for him. But also now taking on a role he was once reluctant to take – that of an activist. A year into this rock star experience and he sees the power that his voice – speaking & singing – can have for people. And he’s starting to me more comfortable about using it. On the same day that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal passed in Congress – closer than we’ve ever been to abolishing it – Adam speaks of the more universal meaning to this song for our generation. And after singing about Change – he has a little fun with another old school rock song.

Ladies and gentlemen, rock & roll 2010 style. Some activism, some cursing, and a whole whole whole lotta soul.

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Grammy Nominated Adam Lambert!

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OK, yes, this is shallow. And silly. And I always diss awards shows as just nonsense. I mean, Justin Beeber??? A teeny bopper whose voice hasn’t changed & who sings sugar pop songs? That’s GRAMMY quality?!

And yet….if you are GOING to nominate the Beebhead, then thank you, thank you for at least flinging a nod at my guy Adam Lambert:

And to think he is nominated along with Michael Jackson! (who will probably will posthumously dammit!) Given that Adam burst on the scene with his rendition of Black or White on American Idol, that is some cool connection there. I don’t care. All that matters is that from now on the words “Grammy Nominated” will be in front of his name!

I haz a rant

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On the eve of a mid term election day, and despite my absolute passion for politics and the games surrounding it, I am absolutely DONE with people who MIX politics and games – specifically, the World Series.

Quit telling me who to root for in the Series based on political beliefs! Seriously – STOP IT!

You know why I love sports? Because I am a fan of that particular sport and a die hard fan of my local teams. I root for them no matter what. Fan being short for fanatic, I take that very seriously. Win or lose, I love My Padres & My Chargers and whatever team my son happens to be playing for at the time. It’s also quite shallow. No hidden meaning. No real life impact. Just good old FUN.

Do I care whether the owners of the team are conservative or liberal? Hell No! Do I care about the political leanings of the players on my teams? Hell No!

Sports is an ESCAPE from politics – not something to be blended with it. It’s supposed to be mindless and fun. You cheer & boo players and teams lustily to let off steam about all the other real life crap going on in your world.

So do I care about this Calif vs Texas (blue state vs red state) World Series? Hell no! All my liberal baseball fans are screaming that we have to root for San Fran because they somehow “represent”  liberals. WTF? NO – they represent the Giants & Giants fans and that’s IT! And as a diehard Padres fan – NO – I do NOT have to root for them thank you very much!  I am still absolutely allowed to be bitter about losing the division to them. I am absolutely allowed to be pissed at the recently developed assholish behavior of previously fun loving Giants fans. So yes, this proud Democrat, who already mailed in her straight ticket Democratic ballot for California, is rooting full scale for The Rangers. Yes, they are on the verge of losing most likely, but I don’t care. Yes, it would make the Worst President Ever happy if the Rangers pulled it out. I don’t care!!! I can separate those things.

Politics is not a 24/7 thing – it shouldn’t take over your entire life. You shouldn’t be looking for political statements or spin in everything everyone says or does.

It reminds me of the Adam Lambert fans who cannot seem to breathe without asking his permission. How sad is that? Don’t you know who YOU are without validation from him? Here’s one of my favorite (sarcasm) exchanges with an Adam fan – which has happened three times in the last year:

Fan: “Do you watch True Blood?”

Me: “No, I am not into vampire stories at all”

Fan: “Oh, but Adam LOVES it!”

Yeah – so? I’m supposed to change around all of my interests & passions to match Adam’s? Uh, NO. Also, boy did YOU miss his message to everyone about being happy IN YOUR OWN SKIN!  Yes, I love Adam and his music. No, I don’t love True Blood. Oh look, my world did not shatter at that statement!

I am balanced. I am nuanced.  I have a mind of my own & I use it. Try it.

Why I wish I could follow Adam Lambert on tour

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The perfect combination of great acoustics, a properly quiet crowd, and one of the most beautiful voices ever. I so wish I had the freedom to see the concert over and over and over. No, 3 times was NOT enough!

All is love!

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Yes, I am posting something political on my main site – though that’s because, to me, this should NOT BE political!

Prop 8 Struck Down – The Decision – a long, but very well fleshed out summary of the legal aspects of the decision handed down yesterday which caused oh so much celebration amongst all my friends yesterday afternoon. Of course my favorite reaction on twitter came from the glittery alien voodoo king:

Equal rights are very Glam!

I love that part🙂

Keith Olbermann also reprised my favorite commentary on Prop 8 last night which was first aired on Nov 10, 2008. Also coming at it from the angle of celebrating LOVE vs anything else. Lord knows I felt a whole lotta love yesterday as we all cheered this decision. Even though we know it is not over – it was still a huge step and worthy of celebration.

Meanwhile – a concert pic from last week that I forgot to post – from the second Costa Mesa stop which was all the more fun for me because I got to share it my favorite concert partner:

Music Man, Me, & Padres/Adam friend David

I love how many of my internet friends – who I initially connected with for one specific shared interest – have now started to spill over into other areas🙂

And now I must simply get through this day somehow until the 10:45pm mark or thereabouts depending on airline travel issues. Sports Boy is ON HIS WAY HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!