Andy Cohen/Anderson Cooper and other opinions

Vanity Fair

I find it very difficult to live in todays world.  Do you?  No one ever visits this website so I a feel liberated to speak my peace.  There are many things that I love.  I will speak about those in the future.  But here is of things I don't love.

I wish the following things would go away (not in this order and not limited to what is listed here):

• Donald Trump as President
• House of Representative which is Controlled by the Republican Party
• House of Representative which is Controlled by the Republican Party
• The State of Texas
• All of the Kardashian television shows
• All of Bravo's Real Housewives branded shows.  All of them.  I've watched some of them but they are absolutely boring and unintelligent at this point
• Most of Bravo's program, actually
• Andy Cohen.  Years ago I thought he was funny and a court jester.  I think that he personally has culpability for the downfall of US society and Donald Trump's administration.  When I first watched him and his shows years ago I was mesmerized.  He is either extremely the most arrogant elitist person alive or truly stupid.   I'm beginning to also wonder if his friend Anderson Cooper isn't the same way.  Both of these individuals have truly destroyed our country.
• Kris Jenner
• HGTV programming that presents really ignorant Americans buying houses and all their bad taste.  This has contributed to the dumbing down of the country.
• Guy Fieri on Food Network.  This man's shows also contributes to the dumbing down of America.  I've also heard that he is homophobic
• Duck Dynasty and all of the other reality shows that have completely made Americans stupid
• Actor Matthew McConaughey who is from Texas.  He is quickly becoming a caricature of all the things that made me leave that state in 1985
• Sweet Potatoes 
• Coconut
• Pineapple
• Dim Sum 
• Entrees that are sweet
• Social Media
• Sports (with the exception of tennis)

I'm sure I'll need to append this list.  But it feels great to express my opinion.  Care to disagree? Great.   Please do.  No one reads this blog so I'm just going to say what I want.

Mexican FOOD Memories

I'm in my mid-fifties.   I know there are people that are older and compared to them I am relatively old/young.

I have had a good life.  Bad times, sure.  But I have experience the world in ways that a stupid "faggot" from Texas would have conceived.  I graduated high school in 1980.  I did a whole lots of drugs, most of which I had no business doing at my young age.

I moved to California in 1985 when I was employed as a flight attendant.  I was wide-eye and bushy-tailed.  And dumb.

My life really began, in part, when I left Texas.  I moved to LA.  In the intervening years I've been a Southern California nomad, but for the most part I've lived in the Palm Desert (Palm Springs area).  In all of those years I was lucky to have experienced so many amazing and wonderful things in the world.

I lived a life without restraint.  The more money I made the more I spent.   I've owned and sold homes.  I've worked very hard in the healthcare industry but left it in 2007 to pursue my "dream".   There must be one person on the world that started that concept.  I hope they suffer great pain.

Since 2009 fall of the economy every single thing that I was taught in school or programmed afterwards as an adult was a sham.  The world is a lie.

I know a few things though.  Here's the upside to this blog.  I have been exposed to:

• Good food throughout life.  I love food
• I've traveled and enjoyed some of the finest of hotels around the world
• I have always loved music and I have in past years been in the fortunate position to learn and love all types of music, both in concert, on the stage, and recordings
• I've met many interesting, sometimes strange, people.   Some were celebrities or heroes.  Some were the opposite.

I have a very short bucket list left.  My first, is much like everything in life, no longer exists.   My second still exists but it would require me to go back to Lubbock TX to eat:

• Cheese enchiladas with rice and beans and sopapillas with butter honey.  As I grew up we went Red River/Taos frequently to snow ski.  There was the BEST mexican food restaurant on the square of downtown Taos.  This would have been in the 1970's.  Does anyone know what it was named?  I know that it is no longer there now. I found a restaurant here in the Palm Springs area that served this dish exactly the way I remembered it.  It was open for many years (El Gallitto) but it closed last year.    All things good must seemingly come to an end.  Why can't my life.

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• Anything from Taco Villa in West Texas.  I would be so afraid that if I went there, the food would have changed.  That's what happens when you get old.

Do you have good memories of moments that you'd like to live once again?  Can you give me update about both of these favorites. I have learned over the many years, that nothing stays the it once was..either it doesn't taste the way it did.. or it doesn't exist.

BRIE/CAMEMBERT cheese--My new food obsession

I have always loved Brie or Camembert (they are the same but have a very slight variance in taste).  Many years ago, in the mid to late 1980's I was a stewardess.  We served brie or camembert in first class.  I became addicted to it then.  When the service was over (this was usually on long hauls) we'd leave the cart out and my fellow crew members would feast.  It was I think my first exposure to this exquisite culinary experience.

Recently we've been having either cheese before dinner.  I am obsessed.  I love the cheese when it is runny and melty.  I also love the rind.  We put ours in a microwave briefly to soften and melt it.  I don't know if this is de rigueur or not to heat the cheese.  I don't care.

I love it anyone.  Do you have a preference for brie or camembert?  Or do you just not like it.

I have always loved it but I am now obsessed with it.  I will probably burn myself out on it, which is my way.

I know that no one reads this.  So I'll use it as a diary to record my inner thoughts.  I would love to have for my last meal:

brie cheese
foie gras
spaghetti carbonara
jambalaya
large bloody rare steak
cheese cake
fried okra
fried green tomato
multiple martinis

I'm sure I've forgotten something.    I would then like to lay down and die.  I read an article about a convicted, condemned to a death sentence who will be murdered by our our government.  The articles reported this man's menu for his last meal.

I admire him.  I don't want to be here.  I cannot stand this country or planet.  I am condemned, but not in a court of law.  I will never have the comfort of knowing when I am going.   Hopefully it will be soon.  I believe in euthanasia.  I think it should be legal in our country.   Oh the meal I would enjoy and the bliss of being out of this nasty, horrid world we are forced to live in.

Life is not a fairy tail.  All your dreams may not come true.  Happiness is luxury that a small segment of this world can pursue.  The majority, the billions, live in poverty.  They have no water.  They do not have food.  In our country alone, many people cannot eat or do not have a home.  Many of the worlds countries populations are being annihilated by their governments or external forces.  I have learned in my 54 years that everything I was taught in Texas/US/Christian faith is nothing but bullshit.  It is all false.

RENEE FLEMING is the greatest

I've written before about my affinity for this woman who has the most incredible voice of anyone alive.  She has performed her last performance at The Metropolitan Opera in New York ("The Met".) She is not retiring from performing, thank god.  This voice is truly remarkable.

Here's a great interview with her:  http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/saying-farewell-opera-roles-renee-fleming-career-high-notes-ahead/#

I wish Ms. Fleming a long and successful second chapter of her career.  I hope it will include many recordings and concert performances.   The different genres that she has performed in, the versatility of her voice, is so unique.

This article is from PBS, one of the organizations that the fascist trump is eliminating.  That loss is very serious.  Trump says that only rich people watch PBS.  Well I'm fucking poor, and PBS and public radio have made huge influences on my life.

I hope la Fleming goes on a concert tour!

JOHN HAMM is a gorgeous man and a great actor

Here's a ray of sunshine during the dark, ominous days that we live in.  This man is very talented.  And he's gorgeous!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4487104/Jon-Hamm-forgets-underwear-outing-LA.html

OSCAR Nominated Movies

I realize that no one reads this blog.  My audience is myself.  So I'll just occasionally talk about the things that I find interesting in this horrible world that we are living in.  I'm talking about the dictator trump and his junta government, the GOP legislative branch (we haven't even seen yet the havoc that the supreme court will wreak in the future).  I find it difficult to even get up every day.  Weekdays are especially bad.  That's when our country's structure is torn apart by these barbarians.  I believe these are the bleakest and frightening times in our country, perhaps since the Civil War.

I've vented now.  To an audience that doesn't exist.

In years past, I attended films at the theater frequently, especially during the award season.  I am too old and jaded now.  I didn't see anything until recently when a lot of movies (the one's that I like are released).  I posted recently about Hidden Figures.

Since that post I've watched twice, LaLa Land.  This will go down as one of my favorite films ever.  I have friends who disagree with me vehemently about this movie.  I thought it was a beautiful homage to film, musicals, Los Angeles and many other things.  There were so many scenes which evoked film classics and stars:  Singing In the Rain, Gigi, Cabaret, New York New York, among many.  It also pays respects to jazz.

This movie was exceptional because of the brilliant performances by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.  The dancing transported me to Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire days.  This is not a traditional musical which is driven by the vocal talent.  It reminded me more of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's when she sang "Moon River."  I loved this movie and will watch it many more times in the future.  I sobbed throughout and some of my favorite scenes were when Emma and Ryan were dancing in the stars and clouds.

The next film we've watched was A Dog's Purpose.  I am very sensitive about animals.  I expected that this would be a movie which provoked "floods", as the Mitford Sisters said.  It did.  It was good.  But exhausting.  The poor dog lives nine lives (I think).  That was 8 more than I could take.

Finally, last night watched Lion.   WOW!  What a beautiful film.  Why do we live in a world where wealth is so imbalanced.  I think Dev Patel is the sexiest man alive.  He is also a brilliant actor.  I have not seen the nominated performances but Dev Patel was worthy of it.  Ryan Gosling was as well.  I refuse to watch the Affleck film that he won for.  Sounds too dark for me.  And he is a mysogynist.  I think the world of Matt Damon but I'll skip this movie.

If you have the opportunity to see LaLa Land, A Dog's Purpose or Lion, then do it.  For me they were a sob fest.  The first and last films were truly masterpieces.