MEXI-GRILLED WHAT, NOW?

Last week, when I went down to L.A.X., I stopped at the Taco Bell just outside the airport. Trips to Taco Bell (and Del Taco) aren't that out of the ordinary for me... but this trip proved to be something special. As I walked in the door, I was greeted by a woman with a clipboard. "Would you be willing to try a new product today?," she asked.

Me: What is it?

Taco Bell Woman: They actually ask that we not tell you that. I just need to know if you have any strong feelings about dairy, chicken and cheese.

Me: Strong feelings? I'll say!

Taco Bell Woman: Oh.

Me: Now, when I say I have strong feelings, I mean I love dairy, cheese and chicken.

She proceeded to hand me a packet filled with questions about my fast food eating habits and various questions about Taco Bell products and the quality and cost of their food. The questionnaire also asked about the product, which was new, spicy chicken soft taco.

How much would I be willing to pay for this product? At what price would the product be too cheap, and would I begin to wonder about the quality of the food? The packet also asked me to vote on one of four names, including something about a spicy, Mexi-Grilled soft taco.

I ate the taco (it was way yummers), filled out the packet and got a couple of Taco Bell Bucks for my trouble. They said the product would hit the market next year some time, so keep your eyes peeled for it.

SAY WHAT?

Sorry I haven't posted in a while - not much to say. I did want to share this latest security generator pass code:

ALL HAIL BERNICE CLIFTON

SORRY...

No time or energy to post today, I've got to make a run to LAX.

DR WHO SEASON 4 TRAILER

From BBC, via You Tube, here is the Season 4 official trailer:

CLAY AIKEN IS AT IT AGAIN

And by it, I mean sh!t, of course. Clay Aiken is offering a new "service" on his web site: send your mother a Mother's Day greeting from the Fat & Dyed One Himself. But it isn't a personal message - the technology is available, just check out the site from Nip/Tuck. Clay is just phoning it in, again.

P.S. Nice pea-soup/diarrhea background color on the web page.

ROSE TYLER RETURNS TO DR. WHO!

Sci Fi nerds everywhere rejoiced Friday night, during the last 30 seconds of Dr.Who. It would seem, Rose Tyler, Dr. Who's sidekick for seasons one and two, somehow came back from the dead. Adding to the emotional drama of the moment, playing in the background, was the song that played when she "died." (Only true Who fans will know what I mean.) I listed the song as one of my tunes back in January (post here). Here is the clip (via You Tube):



Yes, somehow, she's back. And I can't wait to find out what comes next.

APRIL SPAM

Here are some real SPAM email from my Yahoo! account:

Can I take Viagra if I suffer from diabetes? Yes, you can.
Uh, did you need me for this conversation?

Classsy Naked Chick With Huge T!ts
Classy and naked are two words I don't usually associate with each other... and if I did, I would at least spell them correctly.

Ever wanted to ejaculate 5 times more?
Good lord, no.

FW : my Pen1s is bigger than rekgcfdh
First of all, I never read forwards. Secondly, I would be more concerned if I knew what rekgcfdh was, and whether youre Pen1s should be bigger or smaller than one.

How BIG can I get?
Depends on how much fast food you eat, versus how much exercise you get.

Juan we have great plans for Memorial Day on the 28th
That's nice, but Memorial Day is on the 26th this year.

Redhead tranny shows her c*ck
Eww... a ginger?

Vegetarians not welcome. Choke a bitch with my big black c*ck.
Why no vegetarians? Don't they deserve access to porn too? And do you get to choose the bitch choked with your big black c*ck, or do I get to choose?

Two best of friend babes sharing a hard d!ck
Well... at least they're sharing!

I can have sex all night long, from Ronda Scruggs
Well, good for you and Ronda!

I (HEART) NEW BLOGS

I've found a bunch of new music blogs to troll (thanks, Donnie). Among my favorites are:

The Remix Archive (site here)
Geared more towards Top 40, Pop Remixes and a little heavy on the Britney Spears

Digital Eargasm (site here)
Strictly for the hardcore, great for the ol'skool stuff

Remix Land (site here)
A little more random mix of material, but worth browsing

Be warned: both Digital Eargasm and Remix Land have tracks that start playing, all on their own, once you navigate to the site. I absolutely hate it when sites do this, but I'm willing to overlook it these cases... for now. (The least they could do is switch the tracks up once in a while, no?)

ONE ROCK&ROLL TOO MANY

SAY WHAT?

While posting a comment about the latest Fox & The City podcast (site here), the secure word generator spit this out:

ON SECOND THOUGHT...

After listening to Hard Candy a few more times (and "Heartbeat" a bunch more), I have to refine my review of the album just slightly: After hearing several references to dance floors, like, "on any given night, catch me on the floor, working up a sweat..."

Really, Madonna? At nearly 50, with two children, you're still out in the club, working up a sweat?

First of all, the amount of Human Growth Hormone you've taken to rock your body (leaving your face with that hard look) would directly affect how easily you sweat, and the amount you sweat.

Secondly... I've been out dancing in the past year... didn't see you.

(But I still like the song.)

ALBUM REVIEW: "Hard Candy"

Unlike listening to Björk, which is a layered experience, requiring multiple listens to enjoy and understand the music, listening to Madonna has always been an immediately emotional, gut reaction experience: I either love it, or I can live without it.

My initial response to Madonna's 11th studio album, Hard Candy was to move the majority of the tracks to my USB back-up drive, where I store digital tracks I don't want to lose, but won't be listening to any time soon.

As a whole, this album reminds me of earlier work like Bedtime Stories and Erotica. There are plenty of gems, for the die-hard Madonna fans, but few radio-friendly tunes. More an exploration of layers, textures and lyrical wit than a traditional pop album, Hard Candy exposes Madonna at her weakest: strip away the ABBA samples, clever hooks and controversial videos, and there isn't much art at the center of her work.

Hard Candy, like Bedtime Stories and Erotica, are thematic departures, where Madonna depends on technology and slick production to carry the theme(s) and original thoughts (of which there are very few). Unlike Ray of Light, where she used the medium to explore a deeper, more personal level of artistic expression, Candy stays teaspoon-deep...

Which is not to say Hard Candy isn't a tasty little gem. But like any treat, it is better to partake of Madonna's sweets in small doses. Standout tracks (aside from the infectious 4 Minutes), include:

Devil Wouldn't Recognize You - A mid-tempo, break(ish) romp with an easy melody, Madonna stays in her vocal comfort zone for this one, but manages to show a little depth and range with the lyrics and arrangement

Miles Away - This one would have been more at home on Music, with its disco cowboy groove, but serves to brighten up this otherwise dull album with its solid, sing-a-long chorus

Heartbeat - Probably my favorite track on the album (after 4 Minutes, but a close second, and that may change, with repeated listening), this one has the type of solid pop hooks we've all come to love from Madonna

Voices - A Justin Timberlake track, but still manages to be enjoyable. It seems to bridge the mood and sound of her last album (Confessions On A Dance Floor) with the new one. I could have done without JT's vocals on this one, but something needed to break up the monotony of the vocals on this album, so why not?

Overall: Only but the whole album if you're a die-hard fan. (The iTunes Deluxe package of this album offers a bonus track if you pre-order, I wasn't able to get my hands on this one.) If you're an on-again, off-again Madge fan, wait until the album comes out next week, go on to iTunes, and sample each track before downloading. While Hard Candy is unlikely to dethrone Mariah Carey's new E=MC2, it is an album worth checking out.

IT'S AN HONOR JUST TO BE NOMINATED

I've been nominated for inclusion in the Biltmore Who's Who Directory (site here) for my, "current standing as well as criteria from executive and professional backgrounds," and my, "background." I was selected to represent my local community...

Now there are a few problems with this. Number one: I haven't worked at the executive levels of any business in three or four years. Secondly: I've been a commuter for the last seven years - I haven't been employed in the community I live in since the turn of the decade.

So how was I nominated for this award? What (employer) is still listing me as a minority executive employee to tout their own "diversity" in employment?

I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet - I have until May 21 to respond to this "honor."

YOU GO, GIRL!

Everyone said she was done-for, but (once again) she proved them wrong: Hillary trounced Obama in Penn. by a comfortable margin. When Obama beat Hillary, in previous contests, by this same exact margin, the pundits declared the race to be over; they said Hillary was done for, after such a sound defeat.

But turn on the TV today, open a newspaper or go on the web, and the majority of news sources are playing down Hillary's clear victory, and saying she should drop out, or how she still can't win. Obama apologists on TV are saying this is not a mandate; that this loss is no big deal, that "overall" he's still ahead. Pro-Obama bloggers tout his ability to "transcend" race when he speaks about race, but when she talks about race, she's "racist." What's with the double standard, America?

The only balanced coverage so far was MSNBC (quoting a newspaper article), saying, "Hillary won't lose, and Obama can't win... why can't he close the deal?" Other than that, Hillary's win is greeted with gloom and doom stories about her campaign.

I know better than to listen to pundits, or take what I read in the paper too seriously. I mean, they've got me all wrong: I'm a Latino male, under 40, with a college degree (working towards a second, thank you very much), and I support Hillary. According to the polls, I don't exist. All the others in my group are "die-hard" Obama fans...

But hey, it ain't over 'till it's over.

For a less serious picture of Hillary, click here.

GEE, THANKS, JOE

There is a sign outside my local Trader Joe's. It says, "Stop! Did you remember your Trader Joe's shopping bags?" It is another one of those goofy, hand-painted signs Trader Joe's seems to slap up everywhere. But this one is supposed to be a reminder saving Mother Earth. The problem is, what the sign implies isn't very eco-friendly. I never remember my Trader Joe's bag. (I have no idea where it is. I think I gave mine to my dad.) But if I did know where it was, the sign almost implores me to turn around, drive home (wasting gas and releasing more carbon and pollution) and get my bags.

Trader Joe's has a great public image. I personally can't stand the place, or most of the morons who shop there. But they have some wicked awesome Indian sauces and easy-prep ethnic foods. The crowds are always a little hippy-dippy, meats yuppie wannabes, and they have no sense of personal space. I actually became stuck, during my last visit, because someone abandoned their shopping cart in the middle of the isle, and two other customers planted their carts on either side of that cart... and then the stock boy started stocking the other end of the aisle, leaving huge boxes blocking the way out.

So, no, Joe... I didn't remember my bag. But your customers obviously forgot their heads, and anything resembling common sense or respect for those shopping around them.

HILLARY vs BARRACK: RAW

Last night on WWE (the highest rated show on cable), the three candidates for president made their cases to the WWE Fan Nation. (And yes, I watched.) They were all embarrassing. But the most shame-free part was the Hillary and Barrack look-a-likes wrestling match:



I won't tell you how it ends. But it is worth watching. But do it quick, before someone takes the clip down.

HERE COMES LORRAINE AGAIN...

One of the tracks I stumbled across recently is a bootleg remix of the Eurythmics' Here Comes The Rain Again. (It is credited to the Freemasons, but I cannot confirm it.) Listening to this souped-up version of the track, all I can think about is what a great song the original is, and how well it is standing the test of time.

OMG! I'M THURROUNDED!

I had to run a couple of errands after lunch today, one of which involved a trip to my local hardware store. Faced with the choice between Lowe's and Home Depot, I chose Lowe's. I'm not a fan of big box stores, and the crowd at Home Depot is a little more homemade meth - and although a little pricier, I like Lowe's because the staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the environment just feels a little nicer (but not by much).

I don't live in boystown (WeHo) anymore, so when my gaydar starts tingling these days, it means something. It was just a couple of the register jockeys (in the return department, no less), but we exchanged knowing glances, and went about our separate ways. I've run into queens around town - that cute couple at Target, that tragic, flaming queen with the horrible dye-job in customer service (also at Target), and tons of lesbians. In fact, every time I see a gay pride, or Human Rights sticker on a car around town, I don't get excited anymore, mostly cause it always turns out to be a lesbian.

But today, when I left Lowe's, turning on to the main drag outside the mall, I heard a familiar thumpa-thumpa from the car next to me. No, not just the car next to me: the black, convertible roadster next to me. The driver, although cute, was right out of an old, gay movie stereotype: bleach blond hair, polo shirt (collar up) and white-rimmed sunglasses. No, I'm not making this up. I laughed, drove on, and felt just a little bit more at home, in my home town.

OK, NOW YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR

I must admit, I'm one of those people slowly losing faith in Hillary. She's trying to hard, and it isn't working. I'm not pleased with the way the media crowned Obama as the Messiah, and are so tough on Hillary... but this photo (from Boomtacular) sums up the way I feel about Hillary's efforts as of late.