Salt City Boy

New Blog!

Hey, if anyone HAPPENS to come across this particular blog, I'm moving. Currently, the transition is being made to....

http://web.mac.com/joshuaadamson/

Stay tuned, yo!

posted by josh @ 8:25 PM 0 comments

Is Blogging Dead?

Good God he's back! Ok, so here I am, once again, typing away aimlessly so that people on the Internet can read the thoughts that float around in my head. Actually, I had a couple of friends tell me that they thought I should keep writing on this darn thing, and I always follow orders!! (Unless, of course, those orders are to rent a Kirsten Dunst film, in which case I'd goddamn refuse to obey!)

I was thinking about blogs the other day (I think about blogs often . . . but not on Sunday's cuz that's the Lord's day) and the title of today's entry came to mind. Is blogging dead? Well I certainly think some people would say so. Blogs have become one of the myriad of Internet fads that seem really geeky at first, but then you realize your grandma is doing it too (Not MY grandma. She's busy burning cookies in the oven right now). Some might say that the whole blog thing is as OVER as Michael Keaton's movie career. (Did you SEE White Noise? I'll never have those 2 hours back!) And yet, people keep on a bloggin'. Some use blog-only sites like this one here, or some post their whatever's on mySpace. Sweet Jesus everyone is on mySpace! I got a friend invite from some ultra-religious guy who was the big brother of a kid I SORT OF knew in junior high! What the hell? Anyway, it's just weird to me because when I was in junior high, I felt like the ONLY kid who even had an email address. Ah, how times change.

In other news...MOVIES! I'm a big movie buff and this fall/winter has got me all a twitterpated for the silver screen. First up: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The book is my fave of the six Rowling's whipped up and I'm so excited for the film I could poop! (But I won't.) I'm taking my family to see it on Saturday. I love my family. They're so much like me except that they aren't gay; go to church; like Twizzlers; and don't drink or listen to techno music.

The other movie I'm anticipating is Rent. Oh my god I love the musical Rent. Ironically, I've never seen the show performed but I know the entire libretto (that's lines and lyrics, Joe) by heart. It's such a beautiful story about love and loss and friendship and Bohemian life and AIDS and drugs and ... I love it. I SOOO hope the movie does Jonathan Larson's work justice.

And that's all I'm going to write. Someone better read it because my fingers are tired.

posted by josh @ 6:38 PM 4 comments

Blog-Light #01: Cereal Thriller

posted by josh @ 11:31 AM 4 comments

Free Flash Friday: Episode 01

posted by josh @ 4:28 PM 1 comments

Like a Phoenix, it Rises Again (the blog that is)

1. Received Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince via mail and finished it in three days. Yes, I cried when [spoiler omitted] died in the end, and sobbed more reading the chapter depicting [his/her] funeral. (But will [he/she] return for book seven? Oh, the magical suspense!)
2. Finished training for my new job, ushering in a new era of on-the-phone-for-8-hours-a-day labor. (And I like it. Weird....)
3. Broke my hand trying to climb out of my roommate's window. Ok, I really I wish I had a better story for this, but I'm a bad liar. (I've been telling some people I was saw the new Dukes of Hazard movie and was totally inspired by Johnny Knoxville's killer barfighting moves! Believable, right?) Now I have to wear this ravishing neon orange cast for three weeks. Talk about sexy! Also, typing is a bitch. I feel like such a gimp sitting at a keyboard! Plus it's my left hand, and I'm a lefty. I'm sure the bank clerk watching me try to sign a check was a lighter side of her day. (P.S. That's really a picture of my cast, folks.)
   
4. [Insert other things I've done for the past 3 weeks here]

posted by josh @ 2:34 PM 4 comments

Musings of Magic and Muggles

Tomorrow kids (and countless shameless teens and adults) will have an end to their long two-year wait for J. K. Rowling's cherished Harry Potter series. As millions line up around the world eagerly awaiting Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, I wait at home for tomorrow's UPS delivery. This marks the most anticipated event this year since the final Star Wars film (which most, I'm sure, have all but forgotten by now) and the book is already stirring up news world-wide.

Last week in British Columbia, a book store accidentally (?) distributed a "small number" of the Harry Potter title. Comically, publishers quickly won a court case to force the hapless buyers to return the book and keep Rowling's secrets under wraps. They were then promised book plates signed by the author to stay quiet. Lucky bastards!

Of course, I couldn't write a post without sharing an interesting "what the fuck?" story. Poor Christians, their beloved new Pope Benedict disapproves of the Harry Potter series. Why? Well because the books "“distort Christianity in the soul"” of course! Although Bennydicky approved of the series in the past, he now believes that the magical stories seduce children's heart away from the teachings of Christ. Oh Jesus, please forgive their Muggle souls! Religion is drifting so far away from spirituality and love that the Catholic church is resorting to condemning charming children's stories. However, I'll bet ya that the Pope's book (recently knocking Rowling's last book off of the number 1 spot) will be left in the dust by the new Harry title. And it'll bore a lot less people too.

Everything aside, I am wicked excited to read The Half-Blood Prince. I attempted to read the previous book to brush up on the story, but I didn't devote the time to it. That's what the internet is for!

So fellow Potter fans, what will happen next? Will Harry really start showing his magical prowess and cast some amazing spells? Will Ron and Hermione cut the junior high flirting and get to the good stuff? Will Dumbledore reveal his secrets about his past with Voldemort? Will Hagrid unleash his unruly little giant of a brother? Will Draco Malfoy finally reveal his secret crush on long-time rival Harry and profess his true lust for him? Only time (less than five hours away in ol' Utah) will tell!

Oh I can't wait! It's like someone's casting Crucio on me!

posted by josh @ 4:41 PM 1 comments

"Man Accused of Killing His 'Gay' Baby Son"

This is one of the saddest storiesI have read. I don't even know what to say about it except that it sickens me, especially that the man involved will be using the "gay panic" defense. Discretion is advised.

"Man Accused of Killing His 'Gay' Baby Son" - Gay.com

posted by josh @ 7:39 PM 3 comments

No Benefits for You!

Sadly but expectedly, my own Salt Lake County council voted against a proposal that would have granted county employees domestic partner benefits. A 5-4 vote, with democrats voting "yay" and Republicans "nay" became an emotional issue at the county government center.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported yesterday on the measure. I was especially interested in some of the things the voting Red-guys said. "It pains me to send any message to someone if they take it that we don't value them," one GOP councilmen said. Of course it sends that message! What else can we gather from voting against the proposal? If gay county employees were "valued" citizens, they certainly ought to be given equal status and benefits. It's like a mother saying to her child, "I value you just as much as my other children, but I'm not going to feed you because your siblings don't particularly like you."

Other council members referenced our State's November approval of a constitutional amendment banning gays and lesbians from marriage as a factor in their decision. My favorite message was that they worried they would "let down" other districts if they voted in favor of the proposal.

Check out my friend Cody's response to this issue on his blog at aboyinacity.blogspot.com.

posted by josh @ 5:00 PM 1 comments

Bullying Boston

Almost every day, it seems, I hear a news gem that makes me laugh as well as embarrasses me as an American. It appears there is a trend occurring in the right-wing/neo-con/religious right community of placing blame for our world's problems square on the people they don't agree with. Recently, a religicon blamed our nation's "homosexual problem" for our dying troops in Iraq. Apparently we keep losing men and women in this war because we liberals here are too tolerant. If you ask me, America isn't exactly overflowing with loving feelings for the gays.

I also caught wind of comments that although made in 2002, are again coming to light. The commenter? Mr. Rick Santorum in an editorial on Catholic Online talks about the Catholic Church sex scandal and stated "it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm." He was "startled" to find that the liberals in the region were disturbed by the scandal "since they have zealously promoted moral relativism by sanctioning 'private' moral matters such as alternative lifestyles." Damn Boston, see what you've caused! Those pedophile priests couldn't keep their hands off young boys because of your liberal thinking!

referred to in the article as "Honorable", Senator Santorum happens to be the same guy who recently compared the legalization of gay marriage to tolerance of bestiality. Seriously, "dog sex."

posted by josh @ 8:47 AM 1 comments

Cheating is for those who are Lazy

Instead of writing my own post, I'm just going to direct you to someone else's. My enlightened boyfriend wrote some of his thoughts on life and such and I think everyone ought to read it. It's extremely interesting and for me, thought provoking and moving. Go read it here:

http://absintheaddict.deviantart.com/journal/5824341/

posted by josh @ 5:06 PM 1 comments

Being an Elf is fun

Disclaimer: I'm a nerd. I like video games. I will write about it!

So I just started playing a wonderful computer game called World of Warcraft. It's known as an MMORPG, or massively multi-player online role-playing game (gasp!). Basically, you create a fantasy character and run around and kill monsters and complete quests. But you do this in a massive online world, playing in real-time with other people. For me, it's addicting (let's refer to it as WarCrack). It's become extremely popular and even wound up in an article of Out Magazine. The article talks about certain "Guilds" in the game that are being created for gay players. Basically, guilds are groups that players can form in order to complete quests together and form an in-game comradery. The creation of these "Gay Guilds" has spurred some nasty responses from a loud minority of WoW players who have a problem with this. Apparently, some find these groups offensive or, at least, unnessecary to gameplay. Anyway, I happened to come across a blog thread about this topic. It was interesting to read, and I left my own comment. If you'd like to read the original blog thread, titled "Homophobia alive and kicking in World of Warcraft" go here. I'll just share my response here.

" I came across this gem of a thread, and thought I’d leave a short comment myself. It’s wonderful to see this subject debated intelligently and to hear that many people really DO understand the truth behind this particular subject of intolerance. I could go into detail about what I think about gay guilds but the most important facts have been brought up wonderfully already, I think.

I would just say that the situation is similar to those you find in real life. Take for example those who get upset about Gay Pride or gay-straight alliances in schools. They ask, “Why must you parade your ‘gayness’ or separate yourselves from society? Why can’t there be ‘white pride’?” The reason, mostly, is that we gays AREN’T EQUAL. Plain and simple. If we were, we probably wouldn’t need to hold special events or create inclusive groups for ourselves. And why not have “white pride”? Well I say, go ahead. If the purpose is to celebrate the Anglo-Saxxon history and culture, then that’s just fine. The problem is that these people are suggesting white supremacy, which is based on hate and prejudice. Gay pride is based on love, culture, and passion for life. We have marches and festivals for other cultures, such as the Million Man March. These events simply promote continued tolerance and education of differences that exist in society.

Well, I certainly didn’t mean to write that much but there ya go. That’s my two cents (or six dollars and two cents, maybe). "

So that's what I said. It's sad that people always get upset over things like this. I just don't get it, really. Don't they have better things to do with their time than cry about gay people forming groups in a video game? Please. Spending hours in front of a computer screen (like I have been) is bad enough.

posted by josh @ 4:56 PM 2 comments

Our Big Day

After far too many days of nonexistent blogging, I return. What do I have to share with the masses today? Well, in short . . . my anniversary. Yes, it is true. As of yesterday (June 23) I have been dating my dear Ben for exactly one year. It's funny, because it seems like forever has past, but it also feels like no time at all! Without getting too sappy (stuff like that is best kept to Hallmark cards) I just want to share with the world that I am incredibly happy. I never would have thought a year ago that I would be in a lifetime committed relationship at just shy of 21 years old . . . but I am! And it's the greatest thing ever. I've found a partner to keep by my side, but I haven't lost touch with who I really am in the process. To any young (or older) gay men out there who feel they will never find anything lasting or fulfilling, I say to you that you are wrong. I truly believe there is someone special for every person and you'll never expect it when you find him/her.

And that's my romantic tale! To end, I can only shout to the love of my life. . . .

Happy One Year, Ben!

posted by josh @ 4:47 PM 4 comments

Wave your rainbow flags!

With Pride Day right around the corner here in Salt Lake City, I wondered what I could say on the subject. Gay Pride started in 1969 as a rebuttal to the tragedies that were occurring in the GLBT community in New York. After Harvey Milk was killed in the Stonewall Riots, gay people in New York rallied together and formed the March in Stonewall, decrying violence and discrimination against gays.

People today may ask, why, in a world where it seems gays and lesbians are more tolerated, do we need to celebrate our pride with parades and festivities? I understand this argument and I've even thought the same thing in the past. But the truth is that we are not anywhere near the level of equality that we deserve. And if the last couple of years have showed the GLBT community anything, it is time now more than ever to show the world that we are not about to back down from fighting for our rights. The far-right and religious extremists can rally all they want against us. They can wave their hateful signs, pass their discriminatory laws and resolutions, and continue to treat us as second-class citizens, but we queers are growing in power and out-of-the-closet numbers, and we will win the fight in the end.

So why not march in a parade? Why not get dressed up all crazy and shout "I'm queer!" for the whole world to hear it? It doesn't hurt anyone, it just makes us heard. Maybe one day we won't need a day to celebrate our fight for equality, but we can celebrate every day, living our lives the happiest we can.

posted by josh @ 10:41 AM 4 comments

Cheese and Coldplay

For some reason, my thought this morning is that the world is all right. Sure, there is a lot of pain and suffering, especially in places far, far away from my home. People are dying of hunger, of disease, and because of war. Cultures are destroying each other because of religious differences. Even people here in America continue to hate their neighbors because of their race or sexual identities. But even after thinking about all of these horrible things, I can go on with my day and live my life happily because there is still so much beauty in the world. People all over the world are helping each other fight disease and hunger. Many cultures are beginning to accept others' ways of life, and countless Americans are letting go of their hatred and intolerance. But really, the most beautiful things I find are in every day life. There is art everywhere now, from architecture to film and theatre--even video games have beauty in their creativity. People are beginning to discover that they have a voice, and that anyone can share their thoughts and ideas, hopefully to change the world in some way. Spirituality is growing and changing in a way the world has never seen, with people learning what it takes within themselves to feel whole as a person. There is wonderful music to listen to, of all different types and genres, containing wonderful messages that can move us in a million different ways.

I don't know, I still get really down about the state of the world these days. But I think that if we each discover what beauty exists in our own life, we'll all be ok.

Bones are sinking like stones
All that we fall for
Homes places we've grown
All of us are done for

And we live in a beautiful world (yeah we do yeah we do)
We live in a beautiful world

Bones sinking like stones
All that we've fall for
homes places we've grown
All of us are done for

And we live in a beautiful world (yeah we do yeah we do)
We live in a beautiful world

Oh all that I know is nothing to run from
Cause yeah everybody here got's somebody to lean on

(Coldplay)

posted by josh @ 11:26 AM 3 comments

Life or Death? (Bush knows the answers)

I read an opinion article in the newspaper that sparked my attention. The subject was stem cell research and Bush's strong opposition to it. Apparently Bush is quoted as saying "The use of federal dollars to destroy life is something I simply do not support." (Insert George is an dull-dullwitted wack job joke here.) Come on now, Mr. President, do you ever think before you talk? First of all, it's obvious that he clearly doesn't understand the issue, and thus shouldn't make broad policy-like statements about it. The cells used in such research are not fertilized and are therefore not "potential life" as opponents claim. It just baffles my mind that people continue to hide behind a flawed religious bias of this issue when we are inching closer to solving such diseases as Alzheimers and Parkinsons.

The other thing that struck me when I heard what Bush was saying is that he (once again) is a hypocrite! He won't support using federal money to fund potential life-saving research, but is completely willing to spend over $175 billion (and counting) on an insane war that has cost over 1600 U.S. soldiers lives and countless Iraqi lives and injuries, all in the name of (his version of) democracy. How is his version of what "life" is better?

I really don't know what else to say. The hypocrisy and idiocy of it all just leaves me dumbfounded. God, when is this country going to get back on the right track?

posted by josh @ 10:57 AM 5 comments

Money is the root of all . . . HAPPINESS!

So I just found out that I was accepted for a position I applied for recently at a new company. Hooray! I'm finally going to have some extra dough on my hands. Man I'm tired of being dirt poor. I mean, yeah I'm a college-age kid. We're supposed to be poor, right? Well, screw that. I want some money before I restart my education this year. Ok, ok, so really most of the money will go to bills, debt, and savings, but at least I won't be drowning in a sea of cashless boredom. Anyhoo, the job should be a good one, and I look forward to getting out of the restaurant business. I tried it out, because I thought it would work for me, but . . . but I'm a little tired of hauling hundred-pound garbage cans at midnight and picking up after people. Speaking of those "people," they suck! I work in a restaurant where most of the customers are somewhere between "well off" and "filthy rich." They think they own the world, what with their $300 champagne, Louis Vitton bags, and bejeweled Blackberries. Well guess what? I hear your inane conversations, and you're boring! You're egotistical, self-hating wealth-mongers (I said monger!) who have nothing better to talk about than how the weather was in Morocco last spring and how tasty the Mojitos were! All right, some of you are nice. And maybe I'm jealous (I am). But . . . well, I forgot my point. The point is, I have a new job and I'm think that's peachy.

P.S. Look forward to a brand new header image for my blog courtesy of my dashing and talented boyfriend, Ben!

P.P.S. And people that can afford a five-star restaurant should be able to afford a 20% tip for God's sake!

posted by josh @ 3:39 PM 6 comments