Lots to cover today. This post is going to be all over the frickin’ map, so let’s get rolling.
– If you’re looking for something to do tomorrow night (Friday, October 20), classic country band Papa Top’s West Coast Turnaround will be performing at the Hi-Tone. I’ve never sat through their entire set – only caught a few minutes of them at outdoor festivals – but friends of mine who have been to their shows have said they’re a hell of a good time. If I can’t find anything closer to home to do, I may hop in the car and head out to Midtown to hear them.
– Saturday there’s a big party at Stax Museum, a fundraiser called Staxadelic featuring ’70s costumes and music. I probably won’t make it, because the $100-per-person price tag is a little steep. I’m sure it will be a blast though… I’m half-tempted to go ahead and put on my platform shoes, drop a Ben Franklin on Stax, and boogie down to some funk, soul and disco. I’ve certainly spent that much and more this year on causes not nearly so worthy… Romanians
– Sunday night is the finals of the Miss Gay America 2007 cross-dresser pageant, to be held at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts/Memphis Cook Convention Center at 6:30, tickets $25-30. I remember when this happened last year – I had the typical straight-guy reaction of, “Well, I could never go to something like that, it just isn’t manly, and besides, what will people think?” The next day, I had several people (both gay and straight) tell me that it was one of the funniest, most entertaining events of the year.
Hmm… let me think about this for a second… who’s likely to be there? Lots of gay men, and lots of women. Who’s not likely to be there? Lots of straight men. That means the straight men who possess the balls and the open mind to go to this event have the odds heavily in their favor for meeting women. If I can get a female friend to go with me as a wingwoman, I just may have to give the pageant a chance.
– For those who haven’t heard that term before… a wingman/wingwoman is someone who goes out with you for the purpose of helping each other meet the opposite sex. A good wing helps you infiltrate groups, talks you up, keeps the other people in the group occupied while you talk to the person you’re interested in. And, of course, you provide the same service for your wing in return.
In fact, there’s a site called Wingwomen.com that provides this service for a fee (currently $75 an hour). It’s based on the notion that it’s easier for a guy to meet attractive women if he’s already with an attractive woman. You can get on their site and sign up to find a wingwoman in your area. I have to admit, this was a pretty smart idea. It’s been around for a couple of years and has been featured on national news magazines.
– Good article in the CA on Steve Cohen today. It points out that he supported bills to limit campaign contributions and legislators’ perks from lobbyists. He also sponsored legislation that required public servants to disclose conflicts of interests. Common Cause, a nonpartisan group that pushes for government accountability, has twice given him their “Bird Dog” award. Cohen is exactly the kind of person I want representing me in Washington. Lobbyists, fat-cat corporations, and good-old-boy politicians have a lot to fear if he makes it to Congress.
– This morning I received an e-mail from New Path, a progressive organization that was key in getting Tomeka Hart elected to the Memphis School Board, District 7 two years ago. They are known to support candidates who will put the public’s interest (and in the case of school board candidates, the children’s interest) ahead of their own personal interests, which is a breath of fresh air for this city. They are supporting the following candidates for the school board:
- Betty Mallott, District 2
- Martavius Jones, District 4
- Sharon Webb, District 6
Their site is currently down, but once they get it working again you can visit New Path’s site for more information about these candidates, as well as info about New Path’s mission. In the meantime, if anyone wants the info sheet they e-mailed me about these candidates, shoot me an e-mail and I’ll forward it to you. Let me just say that I know the founders of New Path personally, and their stamp of approval in local races is all I need to see. I know the candidates they support will do right for the community.
– Just days after the Air America radio network filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, its cofounders Anita and Sheldon Drobny have launched a new liberal talk radio network. It will be called Nova M, and will begin broadcasting on October 30 with markets in Phoenix and Little Rock, with more to be added in the future. Former Air America talk show host Mike Malloy will host one of the shows on the new network. The Drobnys sold Air America in 2003 and therefore are not affected by the bankruptcy.
– This morning I saw flyers advertising the U.S. Beer Drinking Team, and figured I’d pass on a link to their website. Their merchandise is available in one of the finest stores in all of the city – Circle K – so they gotta be the real deal. This is a team I’m certainly qualified to be on.
Reminds me – the other day I was talking to regular blog reader Suzy/Susie (not sure of spelling) and she asked, “What’s a triathlon?”
“Running, swimming, and biking, I think.”
“Well, if they got rid of those and instead had a triathlon where you drink three different types of beers, then I could be a triathlete!”
– And that’ll do it for now. I’m learning about even more Halloween parties and will again update the list in a couple of days.