Bicycles

Bicycles
Originally uploaded by Bohemedude

I love this picture. I think it's one of the best photos I've shot. I took this in Cologne, Germany. Orange is my "signature color," and I loved how the bikes were leaning against the building. I also found the windows to be really interesting...as well as the cobblestone street. Very European!

Has Ellen Stopped Crying Yet?

Unless you live under a rock, you've undoubtedly heard or read about Ellen DeGeneres's emotional breakdown on a recent episode of her show. Ellen and her partner, Portia di Rossi, had adopted a puppy named Iggy from Mutts and Moms, a rescue organization in Pasadena. Planning on providing the puppy with a wonderful home themselves, Ellen and her partner spent $3000 not only to have the dog neutered but also so the vet would take the puppy home so he wouldn't have to sleep at the animal hospital. When they discovered that the puppy would not be able to live comfortably with their cats, Ellen and Portia, decided to give Iggy to Ellen's hairdresser and her family.

At some point, the rescue organization, Mutts and Moms, telephoned DeGeneres to check on Iggy. Thinking she had done a good thing by finding the puppy an alternate home, Ellen let the agency know that Iggy was in a loving home. Unfortunately, it seems that the couple were unaware of a stipulation in the contract they signed when they adopted the dog which stated that the animal should be returned to Mutts and Moms if they could not keep it for any reason. As a result of that clause, the rescue organization, under the leadership of Martha Batkis, physically removed the puppy from its home. Batkis and the organization maintain that Iggy could not be placed in the alternate home because it was not a suitable environment for him, specifically because a small puppy should not be placed in a home with children under 14 years of age.

If Ellen's tearful plea for the puppy's return to the two little girls who bonded with him during their two weeks of caring for him were not enough, the story becomes even more dramatic with reports of Batkis experiencing heart palpatations as a result of death threats and harassment at the hands of DeGeneres's fans. Ms. Batkis even condends that Ellen is just trying to use her celebrity to bully and push the rescuer around. The story is all over newspapers and the Internet, and hundreds of bloggers have weighed in on the topic.

While death threats seem to be taking the matter way to far, I must admit that I actually signed an online petition to voice my opinion on the matter. The entire situation seems absolutely ludicrous to me. I mean, where is our common sense? Clearly, Ellen DeGeneres feels terribly about the situation, namely for the two little girls who fell in love with this puppy. In the clip I saw, she was genuinely devastated by what has happened and simply wanted Iggy to be returned to the children who love him. She made no derogatory comments about the rescue. She was not malicious. In fact, in the piece that I saw (admittedly not the entire show) she did not even mention the rescue's name.

Perhaps I've even given this whole matter way too much thought, but I keep asking myself this question--Shouldn't Mutts and Moms be thrilled that Ellen and Portia found Iggy another loving home? I keep wondering what I don't understand about the concept of pet rescue. Moreover, when did organizations like dog rescues decide that bureaucracy and red-tape were a good thing? I sort of have to wonder who is really trying to take advantage of celebrity here? Somehow I find it hard to believe that Ellen brokedown on national television as a way to throw her celebrity status around for her own gain.

Does anyone want my opinion? Probably not, but I'll give it anyway. For starters, let me give kudos to Ellen for being so real. I've always loved the comedienne for her quick wit, but now, I respect her for her humility, vulnerability, and her honesty. "Way to go, girl!" Now, to Mutts and Moms and Ms. Martha Batkis, I have to say, "Wake up and smell the kitty litter!" Seriously... It seems like a simple logic to me. One puppy needs one good home. It seems like that mission was already accomplished, but I guess it's more important to follow rules and reprimand television personalities than to exercise common sense. Ms. Batkis, are you another "decider?" Just puttin' that out there!

On October 30, Shout! Factory will release the long awaited My So Called Life DVD collection. All 19 episodes of the series, an entire DVD of bonus features and archival footage, and a 40-page, full-color companion book make this the definitive collector's item for fans of the ABC television series. I must confess that the collection tops my holiday wish list.

"Lately I can't even look at my mother without wanting to stab her repeatedly," admits Angela Chase in the series pilot. What fifteen year old has not felt exactly the same way? Such was the appeal of My So Called Life to viewers when it aired for its only season in 1994. Capturing the bittersweet essence of teen angst, My So Called Life paved the way for the teen dramas that would come after. Before shows like Dawson's Creek and Party of Five became television hits, an entire generation of teens and twenty-something youth were captivated by Claire Danes and her portrayal of awkwardly beautiful, Angela Chase. Each week, the TV lives of Angela, Rickie, Rayanne, Jordan and Brian resounded with those of us who were desperately trying to find our way in the complex world of the 90's.

My So Called Life offered something that shows like Beverly Hills 90210 did not. I think, for me, I was drawn in by a sense of realism and honesty. The writing was brilliant, and I often felt that the characters were speaking for me, saying the things I needed to say but wasn't sure how to express. "It just seems like, you agree to have a certain personality or something. For no reason. Just to make things easier for everyone. But when you think about it, I mean, how do you know it's even you? And, I mean, this whole thing with yearbook -- it's like, everybody's in this big hurry to make this book, to supposedly remember what happened. Because if you made a book of what really happened, it'd be a really upsetting book." Words like those, spoken so naturally by Danes that they didn't even seem scripted, made me feel less like I was watching the lives of fictional characters and more like I was overhearing the conversation of friends. I'm sure I was not alone in my feelings of despair when the show was not renewed for a second season. And while, I refrained from writing hate mail to the "powers that be" at ABC, I do feel somewhat vindicated by the fact that the show has retained quite a following some thirteen years after the final episode aired.

Ms. Danes has gone on to bigger and better things from portraying Juliet in Baz Luhrman's screen adaptation of Shakespeare's most well-known work to her recent starring role in Evening. Even so, I will always love her best for her work on a television show that was cancelled before its time. I often wonder what would have become of Angela Chase as she completed her education at Liberty High. I guess we'll never truly know. Somehow I think she would have ended up very much the same as we all have in our own so called lives.

My So Called Cyber Life

Urban myth says that Al Gore is responsible for inventing the Internet. I’m pretty sure that isn’t true. I would guess that a whole team of brainiacs were responsible for developing the worldwide web which is arguably one of the greatest achievements of our time. Not since the invention of the telephone has communication become so easy for people. The Internet has undoubtedly made the world a smaller place and has established a global community.

I was literally the last person in my family to get a computer and an email address. My mother and father were online before I got connected, a fact that is so incongruous with my father’s nature. Dad avoids the telephone at all costs, so to imagine him logging on to email seems completely inconceivable. My late arrival to the cyber world had less to do with avoidance of technology than my own propensity to procrastinate. And, I didn’t really feel I was missing anything by not having Internet access.

In the year 2000 my friend Jackie gave me her old computer when she purchased a new PC. It wasn’t long before I became Bohemedude@aol.com, and my life changed. Suddenly, I had the entire world at my fingertips. I could meet and communicate with people more than half a world away. I could send correspondence to anyone in seconds. I was enthralled. I became adept at instant messaging, and I made the first of my “cyber friends.” Benjamin is a young man who lives in Wyoming. We met online in some crazy chatroom. We discovered we had many things in common, and we began to forge a friendship that has lasted for more than 7 years now.

Since those early days of exploring the web, both my own experiences with the online world and the web itself have expanded and flourished. I’ve become a master at online research thanks to search engines like Google and Ask Jeeves. I have three email addresses: one for personal use, one for my writing, and one for work. I have profiles on MySpace, Friendster, Facebook, and Classmates.com. I have developed a slight addiction to Ebay and Amazon, and my iPod and iTunes have become my new best friends. I write a couple of different blogs, and I read the blogs of several friends on a regular basis. Even my dog, Butch, has his own profile on Dogster.

Sometimes I ponder how the Internet has changed our world, and like anything, there are certainly pros and cons. Opponents of the web complain that it has given us unlimited access to information that may be harmful or put to ill use. Educators and parents complain that children spend too much time surfing the web and not enough time reading or studying. Many arguments against the Internet focus on the number of websites that feature adult material including pornography. And of course, there has been widespread media coverage of predators who use the Internet to target unsuspecting youth.

Despite its apparent downfalls, the Internet has truly enriched my life. I met my partner through an online matchmaking service. Because we met online, we were able to establish a great deal of common ground through emails and chats before we met in person. We knew that we had similar interests and values and had assessed our compatibility before we went on our first date. Some of the guess work of dating had been eliminated. Online dating aside, the web has helped me stay connected with friends and family who live far away. I do not often receive phone calls or “snail mail” from these people, but I do receive email and am thus able to remain a part of their lives. In addition, I have been able to build friendships with people that I would not have otherwise met. Some of these friends are people I have never met face-to-face. Yet, the friendships we share are enlightening and fulfilling.

Due to its ability to connect people in a global sense, the Internet has truly forced us to redefine relationships and communication. As one who loves the written word, I am thrilled that email has truly revitalized correspondence and has brought letter writing, albeit in a new form, back to the forefront of communication practices. When I recently reread Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, I couldn’t help but think about how important letter writing was in that time, and I remembered the emails that my partner and I exchanged during his travel abroad when we were first dating and falling in love. The web has also allowed us to really connect with others on a deeply personal level if we choose to do so. The expansive nature of the worldwide web allows us to establish relationships with those who share our interests and views. For young people living in small towns or anyone else who may feel a sense of isolation, the Internet has opened up doors of acceptance and community that are vital for us all.

I love my cyber life. My partner sometimes complains that I spend too much time “chatting with my peeps.” But for someone like me, who has an insatiable appetite for conversation and the exchange of ideas, the Internet has allowed me to grow. I find that I am often more candid and confident in my online chats with friends than I am in my everyday life. I also have found support and encouragement from others who are able to be a bit more objective about circumstances because they are necessarily removed from my daily life. And although few people probably actually read my blogs or visit my MySpace page or other profiles, I have a sense that I am making my mark on the world. I think that’s a good thing!


www.myspace.com/bohemedude

Still Got the Beat

Every life has its soundtrack. For each of us, there is a body of music which we claim as our very own. These are the songs that have served as a musical backdrop for the memorable moments of our lives. We all have that specific song that we call "our song." When it plays on the radio we announce... "Hey, that's my song!" and most likely, sing along. We all remember the song that was playing the first time we slow danced with that person who sould become the love of a lifetime. And, of course, there is the song that was our anthem when we went through a painful break-up. I still cannot hear "Strong Enough" by Cher without remembering blasting it in my car as I drove away from the condo I shared with my ex. It seems the older we all get, the more extensive our CD collections and the corresponding soundtracks of our lives become.

In 1982, I was thirteen years old, thrilled to be a teenager at last, and entering the world of junior high school. My best friend Rick and I were rather eccentric for the small town in western South Dakota where we lived. We were both gay boys growing up in a very conservative part of the country, and while we never discussed our social orientation with anyone and in many ways never even admitted it to ourselves, we found in one another a certain solidarity. We were inseparable even though Rick was actually a grade ahead of me.

It was during my junior high school years that I became obsessed with pop culture and developed an insatiable appetite for music. Whenever I could, I would purchase records and cassette tapes. Rick shared my passion for music, and we both become enamored with an all-girl rock band with a sound that was fresh and unique, unlike any of the music we were listening to at the time. I remember the first time I heard "Our Lips are Sealed" playing on the radio. I was hooked and so began my love affair with the Go-Go's. Rick and I could sing every word to every song on all three Go-Go's albums and often blasted the tunes on the stereo in Rick's car as we cruised around our small town.

The story of the Go-Go's mirrors those of other successful rock bands. After a string of hits, the band broke up in 1985 amid reports of "cat fights" and drug abuse. Belinda Carlisle and Jane Weidlin had brief solo careers. Charlotte Caffey, the Go-Go responsible for much of the band's songwriting, formed the band The Graces with two other girl rockers. Rick and I both developed new musical tastes. Rick discovered Madonna, and I found The Smiths and The Cure. The Go-Go's became one of those guilty pleasures that are kept secret.

Fast forward twenty years.... I was sitting at my desk at work, listening to my favorite radio station Alice Radio in San Francisco. I lovethe show "Retro in the Metro." DJ Jayn plays hits from the 70's, 80's, and 90's, and I indulge my sense of nostalgia. Several weeks ago, the station was giving away tickets to see the Go-Go's in concert at The Independent in San Francisco, and I actually won two tickets for the show. On October 5th, I finally saw Belinda, Charlotte, Jane, Kathy, and Gina live. And, it was everything I could have imagined and more.

Playing to a sell-out crowd at The Independent, a small concert venue in San Francisco, the Go-Go's proved that they still know how to rock. As the show opened with mega hit, "Vacation," I was swept away in the energy and spirit that hooked me in my teens. This is feet in the sand, driving with the top down, feel good music at its best. From Kathy Valentine's distinctive bass lines and Gina Shock's driving rhythms on the drums to the unmistakable voice of Belinda Carlisle, the ladies entertained the crowd with all their hits. Everyone sang along and danced to the classic "We Got the Beat." Making light of their break-up in 1985 and recalling Carlisle's solo career, Jane Weidlin introduced "Mad About You," the treatment of the song seemed a bit edgier than the original.

The group truly seemed to enjoy playing together, and like the audience, they may have been reliving the eighties, a time that I recall as being carefree and wildly fun. For a moment, it seemed that we had all stepped back in time. Yet, I was struck by how maturity and distance had changed us all. The Go-Go's certainly have been through major changes, and they were certainly approaching the music from a new place. Yet, there was something remarkably timeless about the music. Perhaps that timelessness is wrapped up in the fondness with which we all regard our youth. Unlike the girl rockers who looked fabulous, I am certainly showing my age physically. Still, a part of me is still sixteen years old, filled with wonder at all that the world and life hold.

Seeing the Go-Go's live will long be one of my favorite musical memories. Like many memories, the taste of this memory is bittersweet. My dear friend, Rick, was killed in a car accident a year ago. I would have loved to have shared this experience with him. I can't help but imagine the two of us, dancing, singing, and celebrating... "Kids got the beat!"