truvy
Wednesday, July 31, 2002
Middle Earth
Okay, I don't really get why, but here it is anyway.
Which Middle Earth race are you? go to:the quiz!
I feel like a teenage girl
Okay, so not a shock for some of you, but not for the reasons you might think.
I have cut myself 3 times in the past few days. Making potato salad on Sunday up at the house I peeled off a chunk of my left index finger with the peeler. Then, moments later (after I had washed & bandaged the bleeding stump), I was cutting the eye out of a potato when the knife (it was too deep of an "eye" to cut out with the top of the peeler) plunged through and gashed open the next finger over on my left hand. Robert then took the knife and peeler away from me and did not allow me to use sharp objects for the rest of the day. Okay, then yesterday morning, as I was stumbling to the bathroom at 5 am, I stepped on a nail head that had popped up out of the floor. Ouch!
So, I'm left with 2 possible conclusions:
1) There's an evil spirit in my house upstate that wants to cut me; or
2) I am a teenage girl, intent on self infliction of pain through cutting myself.
Either way, I look and feel like I've been put through a wheat thresher.
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Suburban Commuter
So, leaving last night wasn't too bad, but I was still pissed at myself for being such an idiot & forgetting the outfits for the photo shoot. But, RJ also forgot his cellphone, so I killed 2 birds w/ one drive up to the house - plus, I got to see what a morning commute would be like.
Well, my 5 a.m. rise this morning to be on the road by 5:30 wasn't actually all that bad. Once I figured out where I was (it didn't take very long), I motivated to shave & shower & get my ass out the door by my self-appointed time of 5:30. I made good time and arrived home (this time meaning the apt.) at 7:30 - with a stop at McD's for coffee & a meatless McMuffin & the gas station.
I don't know how you do it every day though, Beau - maybe it's that you have Jeff to share the drive, or that you're able to KNOW that you're leaving work at a certain time, but I think being a commuter would kill me, or I'd snap & kill someone (what with my aggressive driving tendencies). I will be very ready for my nap at around noon...maybe I can just shut the door & crawl under my desk.
Anyone care to join me?
Monday, July 29, 2002
Fiesta del verano
The party was fun fun fun. I actually enjoyed it and had a good time - it was over before I knew it! In all about 140 people showed up, but there was nice flow to the event, so it never felt too crowded. The weather was Perfect - like something out of a lovely fall dream in the high 60's and not-too-high humidity. I think people had a good time, and I certainly enjoyed the chance to see some people I had not had the chance to visit with in some time.
RJ and I went up to the house on Saturday - I was supposed to pick him up from school, but the car would not start! I let our neighbor borrow the car on Thursday, and he evidently left a light on or something, because the battery was dead dead dead. But, OnStar sent someone from AAA with a "hotbox" (sounds fun, no?), which was basically just this big battery w/ cables hooked up to it, and our little Blazer started right up. So, 2 hours later than we thought, we got up to the house upstate in time for some therapeutic time in the hottub and a nap in the hammock before dinner at the 1906 House. I took RJ there for his birthday, and it was a nice time all around. Not much to report for the rest of the weekend, EXCEPT that I forgot to bring down clothes for a photo shoot I have this weekend coming up, so I have to drive back tonight & fetch them. Fuck fuck fuck fuck! I can be such a scatter-brain sometimes. Oh well - I am going to go up & spend the night & drive back early in the morning. I've never driven on a weekday morning, but if Beau & Jeff can do it, I suppose it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Just another $15 in gas & 4+ hours that I could be at the gym or doing something else constructive. Instead, I'll listen to some fun, but slightly harsh music that Robert doesn't like, such as Nickelback, Linkin Park, and a few others. Every once in a while I need a little infusion of harsh guitars to keep me grounded.
Friday, July 26, 2002
yikes
Walls...closing in...hard to breathe...
I'm getting a little panic-stricken about the party. I have a positive RSVP from 123 people.
I'm not real sure the apt. holds that many, and of course, every host's biggest fear (or, at least the ones who grew up in the South & are worried about things like proper hospitality) - I'm not sure I have enough food or liquor. What if I run out?? Oh the shame...I'd better run out and buy 10 more cases of everything sweetie!
Party list
Okay, so the biggest party I'm throwing all year is tonight. I'm calling it the "Multi-purpose Cocktail Party", because it's celebrating my 32nd bday, Robert's 39th bday, Robert's almost graduation from B-school, and my 10th anniversary of moving to New York City. Okay, where's that list?
Clean house (or have the maid do it) - check
Buy liquor (Cosmos, Vodka, Gin, Rum, Scotch, Corona, White & Red Australian wines) - check
Buy mixers and food (cheeses, delicious little meats & crackers, crudite & blue cheese dip, various munchies, about 15 different kinds of nibbly bits hot from the oven, double chocolate brownies cut into bite-sized pieces) - check
Set up apartment for party mode (no, not the rubber sheets and crisco, different kind of party) - check
Get dog groomed (Who's Daddy's good boy?)- check
Make the boyfriend clean his desk and put his shit away somewhere ("I don't care where you shove it, just as long as I can't see it")- check
Hire 4 of the most gorgeous bartenders you've ever seen - check (well, at least 1 of them is - Jamie - I've not yet met the others)
Buy new outfit - check (cute little summer ensemble from Kenneth Cole - right mix of stylish/nice but relaxed)
Get haircut - check (went for betwixt/between High & Tight and the old 'do - came out nicely & makes me look younger (?))
Pick up brownies from bakery - check (ouch, did I really just spend $100 on brownies?)
Get defined abs & a body of death - well, not quite yet, but working on it - I had to skip swimteam last night to get the apt. ready, and this morning I was wiped out, so I guess I'll go to the gym at lunch - well, except mutherfucker, you forgot to bring your gym clothes, AND you forgot your Palm. Um, preoccupied anyone? Such a pillowcase. Thank God my Heathers sister Mr. Wagley is bringing some cornnuts - BQ of course - to the party.
Brian, I know Cissy & Union Girl are coming, but are you? Was I a dolt & did I forget to send you the evite?? Well, if so, please try to come!
4 Truths & 1 Lie
Okay, I'm jumping on the bandwagon too...
1. I starting dressing in drag at the age of 8, and by 10 was so convincing I fooled my own sister into thinking I was the Avon lady - this while in my mother's clothes.
2. My ex and first great love of my life had a great pastime - giving me blowjobs with fabulous views: the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Downtown NYC, Chicago skyline.
3. I once had sex with the manager of a NYC Pottery Barn on the floor of his storeroom.
4. Judy Tenuta once gave me communion.
5. I wanted to be a Broadway chorus boy, but was too scared to try.
Thursday, July 25, 2002
So wrong, but so right!
Thanks Brian! This is some sick & funny shit - I had a nice chortle at the expense of some nipple-pierced horny cheerleader (oops, wonder how may google hits I'll get from that?)!
Wednesday, July 24, 2002
Hair today, gone tomorrow?
Okay, so I'm getting my haircut tomorrow, and I can't decide whether to:
1) keep it largely the same - short sides & back w/ a little longer in the front, so's that I can flip it up a bit w/ gel;
or
2) get it all cut off and get a fetish'istic military "high & tight" (like my ass? well, not quite).
What do you think readers? Your votes (via e-mail robc212@aol.com) or comments will weigh heavily, but of course I reserve the right to listen to the voice of reason (that would be the boyfriend).
xxoo Thanks for you hair consultation - and remember, "There is no such thing as natural beauty - you remember that, or we're all out of a job!" (Truvy quote)
Tuesday, July 23, 2002
Weekend Bliss
This past weekend was wonderful. RJ and I went up alone to the house (our friends had to cancel on us), and we had the whole weekend to relax. Bill came over for dinner on Saturday, which was nice, and Rowan and I went swimming in the lake - which was nice for me, but Rowan wasn't sure that the liked it (dogs are supposed to like the water, right?). As I commented on Beau's blog, I spent a large part of the weekend lolling about in my new birthday present hammock, lovingly given & put up by my wonderful boyfriend. I'll tell you, it was some sort of relaxing to hang out under the trees with a big glass of Fresca, molasses cookies and David Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty One Day (which yes, I only not got around to reading). I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am very happy to have finally read the book. I do have to say, even though he approaches it from a funny manner, the story about his addiction to speed is harrowing, and should be read by every gay man who is currently flirting with Tina. Retrospect gives you great vision, granted, but perhaps it can illuminate some people's current thinking. If not, you could always ask Michael for a testimonial - as he's blogged, it's a very addictive, destructive and dangerous drug.
Be careful my poppins. Miss Tina is an evil bitch at heart, and although she might make you feel good for a while, she'll turn on you & wreck your life.
Okay - more tests
This time, it's what obscure animal are you? I post it mostly because the picture is cute & I like ringtails - ever heard about the species in Indonesia that eats coffee beans & their poo w/ the coffee beans is supposed to be the best coffee in the world? Ew, I'll stick to a tall, skim latte thank you very much.
What Obscure Animal are you?
Past Life
What Was Your PastLife?
Thanks to Brian for the past-life test. I'm sure this result will come as a surprise to No One.
Friday, July 19, 2002
She's not all that
So my coworker & I are going to grab salads for lunch today when we see J-Lo and Ralph Fiennes filming outside St. Bart's Church on Park Ave. I had heard she was there, and I was like "Mami, she looks like a secretaria." (my co-worker is Puerto Rican, so we chat in Spanish de vez en cuando). She was like, "or a criada, no?" I walked Right into that one, saying, "yeah, like someone's maid!" Okay - good, because she's filming "The Chambermaid," so I guess someone in wardrobe is doing their job pretty well! It was kind of fun to see them - I was trying not to be such a jaded New Yorker, and let myself stare a little (especially at Ralph, who looked pretty fine...Fiennes, fine - get it...ow, that slap across my face hurt, okay, no more puns). So anyway, she might not of looked like all that & a side of fries, but mamita J-Lo was earning herself more than a few bucks out there.
My only question is, when it seems like so many Latina actresses are relegated to play maids, why would she want to perpetuate this stereotype?
Thursday, July 18, 2002
Me
You know, since I get occasional requests for "what do you look like?", and I've not yet had the time to sit down & learn how to insert pictures into the blog, I just thought I'd see if this would work - here's some pics of me from Ofoto.
1. Me getting abs painted on for a performance with the Chorus (me shamelessly dancing without a shirt!).
2. me later at the same concert in my western shirt... on the left.
3. me exiting the stage after another concert in Nyack, NY.
Thanks to Harlan for posting these.
Tea & Cocktails
Okay, Walt listed the other day with whom he'd like to have tea, and with whom he'd like to hang out (which I read as cocktails - alcoholic or not, as you prefer, but different than tea, ya know?).
In response, here's a partial list - and this probably reflects nothing more than the mood I'm in today:
For tea:
Maggie Smith, Hillary Rodham, Jane Ginsburg (daughter of Ruth Bader, my former law school professor & one of the most intelligent people I've ever met), Governor Anne Richards, President Carter, Comden & Green, Cher (yes, tea not cocktails - I want to hear more about her acting career & projects she's liked & what she looks for in acting), Matthew Broderick, Harvey Fierstein.
Hang out/Cocktails:
Jerry Mitchell (choreographer & organizer/founder of Broadway Bares), Mary J. B., Allison Moyet, Rupert Everett, Jennifer Capriati, Diane Sawyer, Whitney (if for nothing else to find out what the hell she's been up to), Cliff Parker.
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
Headline - Hairspray! Hefty Hair Hoppers Huge Hit!
My darlings my dear dear readers! It is my exquisite pleasure to be (one of) the very first in New York City to tell you that Hairspray, the Musical, is wonderful, fabulous, a HUGE hit, and will just knock your socks and your big Mama caftan right off! I had the extraordinary luck to get a call this afternoon from my friend in the Chorus, Morgan, and he invited me to see the very last dress rehearsal before tomorrow's first night of previews! Morgan is friends with the very talented Mark Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote all the music for this amazingly fabulous new musical. Besides the great music, wonderfully performed by a talented cast, the rest of the show was just wonderful - the sets, divine - the costumes & wigs, fabulous - the choreography, stimulating & fresh - the lighting, inspired - even the curtain was fabulous!
I am fresh from the Neil Simon theatre, and as you can probably guess, a bit exhilerated! I am really just so pleased! I love the movie, and when I heard that it was going to be a musical a few years back, I was quite exited, and the reviews out of Seattle, where they put this together, were fun and made the anticipation all the more delicious. We already have tickets for August 28th, but to get to see it with the intimate insiders (well, close enough) was really a special treat.
I highly recommend you get your tickets NOW, because once this hits tomorrow, you won't be able to touch it for months - think Producers tickets, but harder to get. Don't hesitate, buy now! And send me an e-mail to thank me later :)
Kylie-fied
I'm feminine chaos Kylie!
Woody in Sydney, beware - I'm out to take over Australia!
Which incarnation of Kylie are you?
Home sweet Homo
A Big congratulations to Michael on his move to paradise!
HCL is a total snack
Okay, to borrow from by best blog friend's vocab for a second, snack fest!
I have perused HCL's blog before, but today I was driven to distraction, with images of him taking care of business, and the thought of it all... Well, it was very Hard to concentrate at the gym at lunch, and now I'm hornier than a billy-goat in spring! Thanks HCL! Wanna come to Vegas the weekend of the 10th?
Monday, July 15, 2002
Happy Birthday
To me! Yes, today's the big day - I'm 32.
RJ took me to Gascogne last night for dinner to celebrate, and it was lovely. We had a great meal (I had grilled calamari & duck breast, Robert had cucumber/avocado soup & lamb) with very nice wine (a Cabernet Franc) and superb armagnac (mine from 1948!), and sinfully delicious desserts (profiteroles, poached pear and creme brulee brought out with a candle!). We have such a nice time every time we go there, and it's always a special & memorable meal.
Today I treated myself to sushi & cold sake for lunch at Haru, and a rich chocolate brownie from our very own cafeteria (sound silly? well, they have the best brownies I've ever tasted, but they're the same ones found at many gourmet shops - made by some institutional bakery here in the City). Can you tell that for me celebrations revolve largely around food?
In a few weeks we're having a cocktail party to celebrate my birthday, RJ's birthday, his almost-graduating from business school & my 10 year anniversary of moving to the City. We'll see lots of friends & celebrate then, but tonight, the actual night, I think I'll spend some quality time with the dog & get some rest - maybe watch a movie or something, but probably not. Low-key birthday, sounds good to me.
Just a quick note of clarification on Cher - the concert in Vegas is August 10th - and yes, I consider 4 weeks (only) planning to be spontaneous fun - I know it sounded from the last post that Cher was JUST around the corner, but, well, 4 weeks IS right around the corner - there's lots to do & tempus fugit & all that. :) Ah well - I'll give you a full report, dear readers, don't fear, but Cher isn't for a short while.
Thursday, July 11, 2002
Believe
Do you believe in life after Cher?
Well, in the chance that I won't ever get to see her again, I decided I do not, and that I need to see her Farewell Tour.
She was in NY a few weeks back, but during Pride Week I think, and I was WAY too busy preparing for the March, dancers, costumes, etc. etc. to go. I kept half-hoping Robert would surprise me with tickets, but that didn't happen (which is fine, it was a vague hope in the back of my head, rather like winning the lottery & quitting my job).
Then, the day before yesterday, I read a review of the concert, and decided, dammit, that I needed to see Cher! Half-Breed! Dark Lady! So, I lit the candles one by one, and popped onto the internet to see where I might possibly go see her. Hmm, Friday in Chicago...that would be nice, but hard to get to an 8 o'clock concert without taking off work (not an option w/ all the upcoming vacations to P'town & Down Under). Hmm, Saturday night in LAS VEGAS - shoo howdy fart! I ain't never been to LAS VEGAS before, and wouldn't this be just too fun?!
So, I excitedly e-mail one of my bestest pals Peter, who is the daddy to Gryffin, Rowan's little half brother (oh, the tangled world of dog siblings), and who (sadly to me) has moved to Los Angeles. "Peter", I said, "why don't you meet me in LV to see Cher!"
Happily luckily excitedly and fantabulously, Peter thought this was a great idea.
E-bay provided us with fabulous tickets ON THE FLOOR (yes missy, I'm down with the Cher action-seekers, hoping some magical Cher sweat falls on my gayer-than-thou head), and National Airlines is providing me with the $204 r/t ticket (can you Believe it? Well, check out their website for Living Proof). Peter and I plan to stay at the Bellagio for a fairly decent price, and we're trying to get tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's "O" show too. I'm so excited for all of Vegas - tacky, big lights, big hair & polyester track suits - sign me UP!
Tuesday, July 09, 2002
Battlecry!
Sound the alarms! All investigative journalists and Americans who care for justice, truth, and well, at least some equality of treatment. Remember Whitewater & all the crazed headlines? Remember the untold hundreds of millions spent investigating real estate deals? Remember Clinton's impeachment? Remember all the Hillary bashing? I do, and I still resent it.
Well listen up all you Bush supporters - someone will dig into this deeper and expose our current POTUS for the privileged insider he really is, and show the different ways he's broken the law and the myriad ways his team has spun the truth beyond recognition.
Here are few articles, I'm posting rather than linking, because I find them That interesting. Mr. Krugman, may I buy you a cup of coffee someday to thank you for the first cries to battle?
Following the Money - Old Advice for Wary Reporters
Opinion
By Stephen Pizzo (the Daily Enron)
JULY 2: Funny how styles change. What was in yesterday is out today. I'm not talking about ties or hemlines. I'm talking here about journalism. Being a reporter has always meant a being a member of the-what's-happening-now club. Often, what's happening can be pretty intoxicating. After a few jolts of the stuff we convince one another that this is probably the most happening thing, ever. We then proceed to over-indulge.
Then what's happening changes, the party ends and the hangover sets in. Left behind are millions of words in cold hard ink that we
feverishly penned while under the influence. We feel strangely unnerved now by the hyperbolic copy to which our bylines are now
unalterably attached.
That's what happened the morning after the six-year-long Whitewater bash ended. The press sobered up, realized that we had been
conned into the back seat by smooth-talkers from the conservative right, and let them have their way. We felt, well, kind of sullied by it all - six years of sweaty copy about a pissant of a real estate deal and some consensual sex.
"I am just happy to be back writing about real stuff again," one DC reporter told me after Clinton left office. Journos all over town were gathering in bars for what can only be described as journalistic 12-step programs as they weaned themselves off scandal and back to covering the actual business of government. The lead dog during those years was former rightwing journalist David Brock, who later fell from his horse on his way to trying to figure out how to make a living without the Clintons. Brock went so far as to write a true crime confessional about his excesses during those years. Brock's book was just another serious setback for many mainstream reporters. Just as they thought the grieving process was nearing completion, Brock disclosed exactly how he and others on the right planted stories and got the press to make mountains out of Arkansas molehills.
So, what's all this got to do with what's happening now? Well, read the papers. What you see is a press corps still cowering from the memory of Whitewater excesses. As Americans thirst for answers in the wake of the worst corporate scandals since the Great Depression, only a few columnists seem prepared to probe beyond the carefully choreographed scapegoating and spin.
Whitewater, it seems, left the press corps more deeply scarred than it did the Clintons.
The size, severity, and implications of the current round of corporate scandals eclipse anything that has hit our economic and political systems in seventy-five years. And, where there is money there are always politicians. "Follow the money" was sound advice 30 years ago during Watergate, and it's sound advice now. So….
· Follow the money - from nearly bankrupt Harken Energy to George W. Bush
· Follow the money - from Enron to the Bush campaign.
· Follow the money - from the cooked books of Halliburton Corp. to the bank accounts of Dick Cheney.
· Follow the money - from Enron to Americans for a Republican Majority - Rep. Tom DeLay's leadership PAC.
· Follow the Money - from Enron to associates of Tom DeLay at the energy deregulation lobby group "Project Relief."
· Follow the Money - from Enron to DeLay insiders and the now-defunct $85 million Marianna's Power Plant Project.
· Follow the Money - from Enron to the DeLay-backed group Americans for Affordable Energy
· Follow the Money - from Enron to lobbyists at Alexander Strategies which in turn was providing an annual stipend to Tom DeLay's wife, Christine.
To reporters who cover this beat I say: It's okay to go back to poking your noses into dark holes. As long as you cover these allegations in an honest, accurate, and balanced way, we will still respect you in the morning.
The real question is, will you still respect yourself if you don't?
Everyone Is Outraged
By PAUL KRUGMAN
New York Times, July 2, 2002
Arthur Levitt, Bill Clinton's choice to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, crusaded for better policing of corporate accounting - though he was often stymied by the power of lobbyists. George W. Bush replaced him with Harvey Pitt, who promised a "kinder and gentler" S.E.C. Even after Enron, the Bush administration steadfastly opposed any significant accounting reforms. For example, it rejected calls from the likes of Warren Buffett to require deduction of the cost of executive stock options from reported profits.
But Mr. Bush and Mr. Pitt say they are outraged about WorldCom.
Representative Michael Oxley, the Republican chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, played a key role in passing a 1995 law (over Mr. Clinton's veto) that, by blocking investor lawsuits, may have opened the door for a wave of corporate crime. More recently, when Merrill Lynch admitted having pushed stocks that its analysts privately considered worthless, Mr. Oxley was furious - not because the company had misled investors, but because it had agreed to pay a fine, possibly setting a precedent. But he also says he is outraged about WorldCom.
Might this sudden outbreak of moral clarity have something to do with polls showing mounting public dismay over crooked corporations?
Still, even a poll-induced epiphany is welcome. But it probably isn't genuine. As the Web site dailyenron.com put it, last week "the foxes assured Americans that they are hot on the trail of those missing chickens."
The president's supposed anger was particularly hard to take seriously. As Chuck Lewis of the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity delicately put it, Mr. Bush "has more familiarity with troubled energy companies and accounting irregularities than probably any previous chief executive." Mr. Lewis was referring to the saga of Harken Energy, which now truly deserves a public airing.
My last column, describing techniques of corporate fraud, omitted one method also favored by Enron: the fictitious asset sale. Returning to the ice-cream store, what you do is sell your old delivery van to XYZ Corporation for an outlandish price, and claim the capital gain as a profit. But the transaction is a sham: XYZ Corporation is actually you under another name. Before investors figure this out, however, you can sell a lot of stock at artificially high prices.
Now to the story of Harken Energy, as reported in The Wall Street Journal on March 4. In 1989 Mr. Bush was on the board of directors and audit committee of Harken. He acquired that position, along with a lot of company stock, when Harken paid $2 million for Spectrum 7, a tiny, money-losing energy company with large debts of which Mr. Bush was C.E.O. Explaining what it was buying, Harken's founder said, "His name was George Bush."
Unfortunately, Harken was also losing money hand over fist. But in 1989 the company managed to hide most of those losses with the profits it reported from selling a subsidiary, Aloha Petroleum, at a high price. Who bought Aloha? A group of Harken insiders, who got most of the money for the purchase by borrowing from Harken itself. Eventually the Securities and Exchange Commission ruled that this was a phony transaction, and forced the company to restate its 1989 earnings.
But long before that ruling - though only a few weeks before bad news that could not be concealed caused Harken's shares to tumble - Mr. Bush sold off two-thirds of his stake, for $848,000. Just for the record, that's about four times bigger than the sale that has Martha Stewart in hot water. Oddly, though the law requires prompt disclosure of insider sales, he neglected to inform the S.E.C. about this transaction until 34 weeks had passed. An internal S.E.C. memorandum concluded that he had broken the law, but no charges were filed. This, everyone insists, had nothing to do with the fact that his father was president.
Given this history - and an equally interesting history involving Dick Cheney's tenure as C.E.O. of Halliburton - you could say that this administration is uniquely well qualified to chase after corporate evildoers. After all, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney have firsthand experience of the subject.
And if some cynic should suggest that Mr. Bush's new anger over corporate fraud is less than sincere, I know how his spokesmen will react. They'll be outraged.
Succeeding in Business
By PAUL KRUGMAN
New York Times, July 7, 2002
On Tuesday, George W. Bush is scheduled to give a speech intended to put him in front of the growing national outrage over corporate malfeasance. He will sternly lecture Wall Street executives about ethics and will doubtless portray himself as a believer in old-fashioned business probity.
Yet this pose is surreal, given the way top officials like Secretary of the Army Thomas White, Dick Cheney and Mr. Bush himself acquired their wealth. As Joshua Green says in The Washington Monthly, in a must-read article written just before the administration suddenly became such an exponent of corporate ethics: "The `new tone' that George W. Bush brought to Washington isn't one of integrity, but of permissiveness. . . . In this administration, enriching oneself while one's business goes bust isn't necessarily frowned upon."
Unfortunately, the administration has so far gotten the press to focus on the least important question about Mr. Bush's business dealings: his failure to obey the law by promptly reporting his insider stock sales. It's true that Mr. Bush's story about that failure has suddenly changed, from "the dog ate my homework" to "my lawyer ate my homework - four times." But the administration hopes that a narrow focus on the reporting lapses will divert attention from the larger point: Mr. Bush profited personally from aggressive accounting identical to the recent scams that have shocked the nation.
In 1986, one would have had to consider Mr. Bush a failed businessman. He had run through millions of dollars of other people's money, with nothing to show for it but a company losing money and heavily burdened with debt. But he was rescued from failure when Harken Energy bought his company at an astonishingly high price. There is no question that Harken was basically paying for Mr. Bush's connections.
Despite these connections, Harken did badly. But for a time it concealed its failure - sustaining its stock price, as it turned out, just long enough for Mr. Bush to sell most of his stake at a large profit - with an accounting trick identical to one of the main ploys used by Enron a decade later. (Yes, Arthur Andersen was the accountant.) As I explained in my previous column, the ploy works as follows: corporate insiders create a front organization that seems independent but is really under their control. This front buys some of the firm's assets at unrealistically high prices, creating a phantom profit that inflates the stock price, allowing the executives to cash in their stock.
That's exactly what happened at Harken. A group of insiders, using money borrowed from Harken itself, paid an exorbitant price for a Harken subsidiary, Aloha Petroleum. That created a $10 million phantom profit, which hid three-quarters of the company's losses in 1989. White House aides have played down the significance of this maneuver, saying $10 million isn't much, compared with recent scandals. Indeed, it's a small fraction of the apparent profits Halliburton created through a sudden change in accounting procedures during Dick Cheney's tenure as chief executive. But for Harken's stock price - and hence for Mr. Bush's personal wealth - this accounting trickery made all the difference.
Oh, and Harken's fake profits were several dozen times as large as the Whitewater land deal - though only about one-seventh the cost of the Whitewater investigation.
Mr. Bush was on the company's audit committee, as well as on a special restructuring committee; back in 1994, another member of both committees, E. Stuart Watson, assured reporters that he and Mr. Bush were constantly made aware of the company's finances. If Mr. Bush didn't know about the Aloha maneuver, he was a very negligent director.
In any case, Mr. Bush certainly found out what his company had been up to when the Securities and Exchange Commission ordered it to restate its earnings. So he can't really be shocked over recent corporate scams. His own company pulled exactly the same tricks, to his considerable benefit. Of course, what really made Mr. Bush a rich man was the investment of his proceeds from Harken in the Texas Rangers - a step that is another, equally strange story.
The point is the contrast between image and reality. Mr. Bush portrays himself as a regular guy, someone ordinary Americans can identify with. But his personal fortune was built on privilege and insider dealings - and after his Harken sale, on large-scale corporate welfare. Some people have it easy.
Monday, July 08, 2002
4th of July Week
What a scorcher! Last week had me sweatin' every time I stepped outside, but it went by in a flash!
Thursday RJ and I headed out to Fire Island (avec chien) for Invasion. He went directly to the Pines to visit with Peter & other friends there, and I went to the Grove to Jacqueline Jonee's place to prepare to Invade. For those of you who don't know, the "Invasion" of Fire Island Pines commemorates a day long ago (26 years?) when a drag queen came over from Cherry Grove to the Pines to a bar or restaurant, and they would not serve her! OUTraged, she went back to the Grove, gathered her friends, commandeered a boat and Invaded the Pines, taking over the harbor and demanding that the snotty & insular fags serve them.
So, the message - it's one of Inclusion. We are not that large a sector of the world, and even if you don't like it or don't want to participate, you need to accept that there are many many parts of our queer society, and we all have worth, we all have something to contribute. Okay, politics aside, the Invasion has now turned into a huge party, with at least 1000 people in the Pines crowding the harbor, waiting for the 200-300 drag queens to come over from the Grove on a most fabulous Ferry. Even straight folks from the mainland come over to share in the fun. Sure, it has an element of "freak show" to it (did you SEE her outfit?), but drag always has that aspect, and hell, we wouldn't be drag queens if we didn't like the attention. :)
So, I slapped on the makeup, donned my tiara and had a great day of it. I even got to see Woody out there, which was fun, since he had never seen Miss Anne Thrope, and I think he got a kick out of it. The heels though (more like hells), were torture. I shopped and shopped for silver heels of a reasonable height, but ya know - there's just nothing out there that's acceptable. I ended up with 5" silver spikes that were quite fetching, but after several hours were a bit painful. By the time I hauled myself up onto the bar (a yearly tradition), my feet were just about screaming at me to STOP! It was a fun, but hot day. I went back to the Grove, de-dragged and then walked (through the meat rack - chock full of straight people thank you very much) back to the Pines to meet at Tomas' house for a dip in the pool. On the boardwalk (back in the Pines), I was accosted by these 2 handsome Latino guys. They offered to help carry my bags (which I almost took them up on), and then one got in front of me & one behind me & they started majorly molesting me! Now, I'm all for a good feel, but this caught me a little off guard! The one in front of me was playing with my chest & nipples and pulling down his bathing suit to show me his monster-huge cock - it was quite a hand, er, eye-full. The one behind me was reaching around & playing with my dick (quickly aroused) and grinding his hard dick into me. Now, if this were some other time than (a) the middle of the day in the middle of the boardwalk, or (b) when I had both hands full of bags, etc., I might have taken this into serious consideration and run off to the bushes. I'm no prude, and I certainly appreciate a fun offer. However, I had my hands full, there were loads of people on the boardwalk, my boyfriend & dog were waiting for me, and it was all a bit much (and I'm frankly not used to such attention). I managed to squirm my way off to the side, telling them I'd see them that night at the Pavilion (a lie, but it seemed to satisfy them for the moment), and readjusting my bathing suit (and holding a bag strategically in front of me for the next 5 minutes), I continued my walk. My goodness. I have a feeling, however special I might have felt at the moment, that I was not the 1st & would not be the last boy they accosted in exactly such a manner that day.
It was also the day of ticks from hell! Right after the Latino boys adventure, I felt a tick crawling on my arm, and flicked it away, and then had a few on my bag. Rowan, the poor dear, had several on his snoot! We treat him with Frontline religiously every month, but they still decided to jump on for a quick meal. I imagine it must be a very bad year for ticks if, in less than 8 hours, we had that many on us and the dog. We got him an extra tick collar to wear if we go back, and gave him about 20 careful combings to make sure we got them all. I hate the little bloodsuckers.
We got back to the City before sunset, and went to an All-American dinner of burgers (turkey for me) and beer at Chelsea Grill. We then watched the Macy's fireworks on tv, rather than battle more of the heat and crowds & try to find a spot on the street or the roof with a good view. It was a nice show, but produced within an inch of its life...sometimes fireworks should just be fireworks - a celebration & show, not necessarily a voiced-over cheese-fest. That's a bit harsh, because I did enjoy the show - it was fun to see them on television & be able to hear them faintly outside too.
There's a lot to be thankful for this year, and a lot of reasons to celebrate our country and, corny as it might sound, the freedoms we enjoy and the principles for which our country stands. Even though there are many things I would change here to make it my "ideal" world, I'm very proud to be an American, and I enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on that and celebrate our nation.
Friday, I had to work, but Robert went up to the house with Claude (his college roommate) & Susan (Claude's wife) and their 2 little boys. I joined them by bus later in the day, and we had a nice weekend. It's been a while since I've been around babies (17 months & 4 years old) for an extended period of time, and it was a bit unnerving at times. The amount the 4-year old said "no" to his parents was astonishing. He's a good kid, really, but I would have never dreamed of telling my mother or father "no" when they told me to do something. I might not have liked it, but you just didn't Question your parents like that (at least not at age 4 - maybe by 14). Ah, it was nice to spend time with them, and I really like the whole family, and it was also good to reaffirm my non-maternal instincts. I used to toy with the idea of adopting, and my friends with children are all very fulfilled & happy, but I just don't think it's for me. Everyone says it's different when they're your own kids, but my fear would be it wouldn't be different, that I would mentally freak out just the same when the child picked up the plate of scrambled eggs & flung them on the floor. It was good, but not particularly relaxing this weekend.
Last night was one of the final fundraisers of the Chorus year (fall to summer) - the "Sea Tea" aka booze cruise around the harbor. Anne dressed up as a French sailor (thanks to Joey for lending the outfit), and I have to say - I love drag in pants & tennis shoes! So comfortable and practical - if not, of course, a bit hot. It was a good turnout and it was also a good "farewell" for Ed/Eve, who is moving back to PA, at least for a while. For the 5th drag event since June 15th, I think I held up quite well - but I'm quite ready to give it a rest for a while (as is Robert, who gets particularly weird - threatened, or abusive? - when I do drag...it IS an odd thing, but it's just part of who I am, and this year with all its obligations & duties as Queen of the Chorus is already more than half over, so the duties in the future will be much less demanding and time-consuming.
I am glad for Pride month - with all its drag - though. I was feeling that my year as Queen was a bit lackluster...that I hadn't really done that much or accomplished anything. I think the March, with our great float & wonderful contingent of marchers, really put a nice cap on the year and the Pride activities. I still have a few more events in the fall & early December, but I think I'll be able to look back on this time as very successful and a lot of fun - one of the highlights in a busy year.
Wednesday, July 03, 2002
Proud
Well, Pride Weekend went splendidly!
Friday I was able to sneak out early to run out to New Jersey to inspect the Chorus' float for the March. I also picked up 12 cases of Pride Water from our friends at the Monster, and then went to a fabulous cocktail party for the Stonewall Community Foundation at Nicole Farhi's. Glamour glamour glamour! It was a great party and I got to see dozens of guys (and even a few dykes) that I haven't seen in too long.
Saturday was a busy day of errands - picking up more water donated by the Factory Cafe, getting other last-minute items for the March & finalizing every detail I could think of. Saturday evening brought a nice intimate Pride party at our friend Jim's place, with a lovely patio & sitting area, lots of yummy Greek food, and visiting with new & old friends.
Saturday night/Sunday morning I couldn't sleep very well - way too nervous. I spoke with RJ on Saturday evening about it - asking him if he was aware how important Sunday was for me. It was the culmination of my year, really - the day the whole City got to see Anne, Queen of the Chorus, riding atop the big gay float! Every detail needed attention & concentration and of course everyone's cooperation.
Well, happily enough, it all came true. A few minor glitches with the sound system (the wrong cables were sent) and some clarification on how to most effectively use the handicapped van - all was smoothed over and it ultimately went very well. The crowds along the March route were fun & enjoyed the energy we brought to it - the singing & choralography was very well received, and the float made a big difference, I think, in raising our level of visibility. "We are the New York City Gay Men's Chorus", we were saying, "and isn't it fabulous!" We'll find out in the fall if we won our category, but I think we have a good chance.
A little disco nap, some errands to pick up a few presriptions, and I was ready for another 3 parties - the annual fireworks watching party at Darren & Amrit's place on 14th St. & 7th Ave., a nice party at Tom's rooftop palace, and then I went off to Alegria with Tomas, Randy, and surprise surprise, Woody from Sydney showed up for the week! I was inches away from falling into the recurring drama of the whole Tomas, Woody, Rob & RJ thing, but ya know what, I just didn't. It could have been easy to indulge in that little game of "what if" or "what the fuck?", but it had been too good a weekend and I was in too good a place to even begin.
Actually, and briefly on that note, I found myself thinking a few times during the evening that I "should" be feeling more about the situation - jealous or happier or something. But I didn't. I was genuinely happy to see him, and I like spending time with both him and Tomas, but I think I'm over the whole thing. No more drama in my life, as my girl MJ would say, and I seem to have internalized that enough for it to really be a reality, not just a wish. It was (almost) amusing to see Woody's apparent discomfort though - here we all are, shirtless & dancing, everyone to some extent reveling in the heightened sexuality we all share at these circuit parties. But when I would dance too close to him or with him for any period of time, he looked uncomfortable. I wanted to say, "relax Mary, I'm not trying to sleep with you again, I'm over all that", but I didn't say it - I just let it all slide by and enjoyed myself with everyone else.
Now, about everyone else...let me tell you, that has to be the hottest group of men assembled - Alegria was Rocking, the music was great and the boys were gorgeous. There were any number of ones I danced with and played dance-floor kissy-face with that I would have happily gone home with. But in the end, I didn't. I took a taxi home and crawled in bed with Robert, and we had really hot sex, which put a very nice cap on the entire weekend. I'm so Proud to be queer, and I love Pride Weekend in NYC.
