Keep checking my weblog for news and updates!
Archives
09/01/2003 - 09/30/2003
10/01/2003 - 10/31/2003
11/01/2003 - 11/30/2003
12/01/2003 - 12/31/2003
01/01/2004 - 01/31/2004
02/01/2004 - 02/29/2004
03/01/2004 - 03/31/2004
04/01/2004 - 04/30/2004
05/01/2004 - 05/31/2004
06/01/2004 - 06/30/2004
07/01/2004 - 07/31/2004
08/01/2004 - 08/31/2004
09/01/2004 - 09/30/2004
10/01/2004 - 10/31/2004
11/01/2004 - 11/30/2004
12/01/2004 - 12/31/2004
01/01/2005 - 01/31/2005
02/01/2005 - 02/28/2005
03/01/2005 - 03/31/2005
04/01/2005 - 04/30/2005
05/01/2005 - 05/31/2005
06/01/2005 - 06/30/2005
07/01/2005 - 07/31/2005
08/01/2005 - 08/31/2005
09/01/2005 - 09/30/2005
10/01/2005 - 10/31/2005
11/01/2005 - 11/30/2005
12/01/2005 - 12/31/2005
01/01/2006 - 01/31/2006
02/01/2006 - 02/28/2006
03/01/2006 - 03/31/2006
04/01/2006 - 04/30/2006
05/01/2006 - 05/31/2006
09/01/2003 - 09/30/2003
10/01/2003 - 10/31/2003
11/01/2003 - 11/30/2003
12/01/2003 - 12/31/2003
01/01/2004 - 01/31/2004
02/01/2004 - 02/29/2004
03/01/2004 - 03/31/2004
04/01/2004 - 04/30/2004
05/01/2004 - 05/31/2004
06/01/2004 - 06/30/2004
07/01/2004 - 07/31/2004
08/01/2004 - 08/31/2004
09/01/2004 - 09/30/2004
10/01/2004 - 10/31/2004
11/01/2004 - 11/30/2004
12/01/2004 - 12/31/2004
01/01/2005 - 01/31/2005
02/01/2005 - 02/28/2005
03/01/2005 - 03/31/2005
04/01/2005 - 04/30/2005
05/01/2005 - 05/31/2005
06/01/2005 - 06/30/2005
07/01/2005 - 07/31/2005
08/01/2005 - 08/31/2005
09/01/2005 - 09/30/2005
10/01/2005 - 10/31/2005
11/01/2005 - 11/30/2005
12/01/2005 - 12/31/2005
01/01/2006 - 01/31/2006
02/01/2006 - 02/28/2006
03/01/2006 - 03/31/2006
04/01/2006 - 04/30/2006
05/01/2006 - 05/31/2006
Wesonality
New York! New York! What a wonderful town...
What an insane weekend. It seems the older I get the bigger and better the adventures. I went to New York for my good friend Cindy's wedding. We worked together producing AIDS Walk NY and she was the bright star in that crazy town job. She asked me a few weeks back if I wouldn't mind emceeing her reception. They weren't having a DJ and I was one of her only friends who wouldn't mind grabbing a mic and speaking in front of 180 people. I wholeheartedly agreed. What a great wedding gift, right? Oh wait...was I supposed to buy something too? Sh*t.
Now there were a couple things I hadn't really counted on. The wedding was on May 6th and I forgot I was getting to NYC on Friday, May 5th. Um, yah. That's Cinco de Mayo. The one night Tequila flows like water and getting home before 5am just isnt' a possibility. I also forgot that my friend is a wonderfully, faithful Mennonite and there would be no alcohol or gay people at this reception. Oh my God.
Needless to say--I staggered to the church around 4:30 PM for one of greatest ceremonies ever. Dan, her then fiance, played "Here Comes the Bride," on his electric guitar as Cindy walked down the aisle looking like an angel. It really was so "them" and appropriate. More base than the church on 46th St. had ever seen though I'm sure.
The reception was quick to follow and as I walked in the door I was handed an itinerary with times, names, positions, scripts, etc...etc..Holy CRAP! I felt like J-Lo in, "The Wedding Planner." What had I signed on to do. I didn't know anybody here. Who was in charge? Me? Oh Sweet Jesus. Why did I do that 5th shot of Tequila last night. I pulled myself together and went for it. A room full of sober, Mennonite, strangers really isn't the easiest audience--but what are you gonna do. We all did have something in common, however, Cindy and Dan. It was a very special night--and I think I did pull it off with just a few people wondering who the queer in the pin stripe suit holding the mic was.
Congrats Cindy...you two are beautiful together. Oh, and after officiating my sister's wedding in July and this one this weekend...I'm available for hire now. Any takers? ;)
Enough is Enough.
I've been traveling the globe since I was about 19 years old and this last trip to London has really taught me how bad our international reputation has become. In just a short 5 years we have gone from being the most respected, leading country in the world to the school yard bully that everyone knows is a snot nosed brat. A snot nosed brat who is just waiting for a school yard hero to stand up to him. It is so sad. I saw SO much anti American sentiment in London and abroad this last week. With stickers saying, "Caution Americans at Work" with mushroom clouds, tanks, machine guns...What has happened to this country? Where are our champions domestically that will stand up to the snot nosed brats of this administration as they continue to take us down a path that we may not be able to recover/ How many laws does this administration and this George W. Bush have to break before someone is going to hold them accountable?
This George W. Bush who is NOT my leader will be known as the worst 2 term president in our history. I just want to give a shout out, "THANKS," to all you W. voters for allowing this to happen as you live happily in your ignorant, isolated little bubbles. If you ever thought past your own front yard you might see the direction this world, (yes the WORLD--the little blue dot you live on) is going.
Our only glimmer of hope in this culture of corruption congress and administration is that he has finally gone far enough as to get caught. Over the past few weeks, the investigation into the leak of CIA intelligence have connected both President Bush and Vice President Cheney with an effort to selectively disclose classified and highly flawed intelligence to the media in order to discredit people who were asking legitimate questions about the Iraq invasion. The White House even admitted that W. himself authorized the leak. Wasn't it just month ago that this dingleberry of a President stated he would be firing anyone who was involved with this leak.
Now that he is firmly linked to this deepening scandal, it's time for President Bush to be held accountable but we know that this rubber stamp Republican-controlled Congress will not hold him accountable.
At this point, Prosecutor Fitzgerald may very well be the only person who can shed light on what really happened and ensure accountability. What he needs now is support to expand the scope of his investigation to specifically include whether the President broke the law.
It's time to start the revolution and put our online community to work and together demand
that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales allow Mr. Fitzgerald to get to the bottom of this. Three years left of this corrupt administration is a LONG LONG time and no one should be above the law. It's time we demand real accountability. Click the link below to send a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to say ENOUGH is ENOUGH!
One America
The facts of President Bush's involvement, and the extent to which he manipulated intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq, are not going to come out unless his actions are subject to an independent investigation. Remember, this is a President who at first said that he didn't know of anyone in his Administration who had leaked anything. Then he had his spokesman say that anyone found to have leaked classified information would be fired. Now it turns out it was W. himself who authorized the leaks...How much of the story do we NOT know. Please click the link above and start sending a message to this Culture of Corruption administration and Congress!
Ahhhh...London. So here we are for a weekend in London. Yes, I said weekend. My friend Chantie and I had been plotting for weeks that I would come to London and surprise our friend Robb. We had been concoting so many different ways to surprise him and freak him out that I had just appeared in London. There was the, "just crawl into bed and say good morning to Robb plan." There was the, "crawl into Chantie's bed and have her freak out cause there's something in her bed plan." Then there was the one we went with...
So I got in to London after about 22 hours of traveling and trained into Victoria Station, taxi-ing over to our hotel. I got the key Chantie left for me and snuck up to the room. I slid the key in the door and cracked the door and there was Robb staring right at me. I closed the door and thought the game was up. I got the camera out to get his reaction and walked back in where I saw he turned over back to sleep. Haha...had he not seen me?? I snuck back in...winked at Chantie who was wide awake waiting for me (it was like Christmas) to come in...and slipped into the bathroom. I hopped in the shower and started singing..."These boots were made for Walking," in a falsetto female voice. (Don't ask me why that song came into my head) Chantie woke Robb up and said..."There someone in our bathroom!" He comes up and knocks on the door and I say, "Whoooo is it?" in the same female voice. He knocked again...I said, "Yeees?" I opened the door to find a confused...then shocked...then ecstatic Robbie McArthur. It was one of the best surprises EVER!
More to come...
Well another of the Culwell four is making one of her first television appearances today...
My mother came down two weeks ago and went on The Price is Right. We made her a shirt that reads, "I've been watching Bob since..." on the front and on the back reads, "We both had black hair!" with an iron on picture of Bob Barker. My mom's quote and my t-shirt making abilities.
We thought for SURE that would get her on the show but *alas* she didn't make it on. If you happen to catch the Price is Right today look for a lime green shirt in the audience cheering like a mad-woman. :)
I was finishing up her shirt last minute when I jacked up the back a bit. I sent my mom out to find stickers or something to put over the over ironed part. She ended up getting these glittery coins and rainbows. Yes, my mom was bedazzled! Tune into today and try and catch her. She has the best story about her experience which I'll post later.
best,
-W
Hey All,
Just had an interesting note from a reader regarding one of my earlier posts.
*********
"Not to dispute the USA Today, but....Estimated 12,000,000 gay people in the US, average income of 28,000.00 per person (low estimate) give the total contribution to the economy at 329 Billion. Six billion is way too low."
-Milo
**********
If that's the case, can someone PLEASE tell me how the LGBT community is still fighting for our civil liberties in this country. This government is more than happy to take our tax dollars but not give us equal rights in the this country. Can someone explain this logic to me. For all the ignorant jackasses that hide behind the guise of morality to discriminate, please drop a line. Let me know how on a purely societal level how this makes any sense and how to rationalize this behavior. I really am curious to hear. I would love to post an argument that has any merit here on the site.
The Americans tossed tea overboard at the Boston Tea Party for taxation without equal representation...What should we start tossing overboard? Republicans?
Happy Monday.
TRAVEL BLOG 3/4/06:
After an afternoon of lounging in the Chilean countryside, it was time to head into town. La Serena is the 2nd most popular beach destination in Chile. It's more of the local hangout than the tourist hot spot. My dad and I got to our hotel right on the beach and decided to sit and watch the sunset enjoying a cold cerveza. I was looking over at my dad and I just had to think how amazing this was. 6 months ago my dad was just starting to walk again, working on buttoning buttons, and I was still helping him shave. Here we were--sitting in the Chilean sun enjoying a beer together. I just had to think how lucky we were. How lucky that my dad came through the surgery and how lucky I was to have such a good friend in my dad. This was a very special trip, indeed.
The rest of my time in La Serena was spent with my Dad exploring the city, Plaza de Armas and walking the narrow streets. Before we knew it we were back in Santiago, for my last two days in Chile. I met an awesome friend Pablo at Fausto, one of the bigger clubs in Santiago and had a whirlwind two days in Santiago before our long flight home back to the states.
This trip was really an adventure of a lifetime. Living in Sydney is still on the top of my life events but Chile is a close second runner up. From weddings, to pisco sours, to drag queens to television stars, the list goes on and on...If it's not on your travel list...add it. If it's on your travel list...book your flight! If you step off the beaten path, it will be an adventure of a lifetime
La Serena...
Ahhhhh--after the craziness of Vina del Mar I was excited to go to Chile's number two beach destination which was supposed to be a favorite of, not toursits, but Chileans. We landed in the tiny little airport and met our contact Julie. What a firestarter! I learned very quickly the women of Chile run the show. Very strong and very on it. They just elected the first female president of Latin America.
We drove out to Vicuna about 45 minutes out of La Serena out in the country. It was absolutely beautiful. The farm we were visiting was nestled at the base of these huge mountains. Rows of vineyards, oranges, bell peppers, watermelons spread out forever as we pulled into Julie's farm. We started with a grand tour of greenhouses. Again, rows and rows of green lined up in symmetrical rows as small Chilean women labored tediously over each individual flower bud.
"They're pollinating." Julie pointed as we dipped our shoes and hands in cleaning solution. Want to try? She handed me a small vial full of pollen. I bent over and started the process. "So, uh, am I having sex with a bell pepper plant right now?", I thought to myself Awesome!
My father went into meetings regarding seed counts, germination and other seed business. I grabbed the keys to one of the motorcycles and took off through the fields of Vicuna. It was amazing. Shirt off, sunglasses on weaving in and out of the vineyards and fields of Central Chile. My mind kept trying to wrap around the fact of where I was and the experience I was having. After my fill of crop dust and Southern Hemisphere sun I headed back for an agua sin gas and some shade.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
New York! New York! What a wonderful town...
What an insane weekend. It seems the older I get the bigger and better the adventures. I went to New York for my good friend Cindy's wedding. We worked together producing AIDS Walk NY and she was the bright star in that crazy town job. She asked me a few weeks back if I wouldn't mind emceeing her reception. They weren't having a DJ and I was one of her only friends who wouldn't mind grabbing a mic and speaking in front of 180 people. I wholeheartedly agreed. What a great wedding gift, right? Oh wait...was I supposed to buy something too? Sh*t.
Now there were a couple things I hadn't really counted on. The wedding was on May 6th and I forgot I was getting to NYC on Friday, May 5th. Um, yah. That's Cinco de Mayo. The one night Tequila flows like water and getting home before 5am just isnt' a possibility. I also forgot that my friend is a wonderfully, faithful Mennonite and there would be no alcohol or gay people at this reception. Oh my God.
Needless to say--I staggered to the church around 4:30 PM for one of greatest ceremonies ever. Dan, her then fiance, played "Here Comes the Bride," on his electric guitar as Cindy walked down the aisle looking like an angel. It really was so "them" and appropriate. More base than the church on 46th St. had ever seen though I'm sure.
The reception was quick to follow and as I walked in the door I was handed an itinerary with times, names, positions, scripts, etc...etc..Holy CRAP! I felt like J-Lo in, "The Wedding Planner." What had I signed on to do. I didn't know anybody here. Who was in charge? Me? Oh Sweet Jesus. Why did I do that 5th shot of Tequila last night. I pulled myself together and went for it. A room full of sober, Mennonite, strangers really isn't the easiest audience--but what are you gonna do. We all did have something in common, however, Cindy and Dan. It was a very special night--and I think I did pull it off with just a few people wondering who the queer in the pin stripe suit holding the mic was.
Congrats Cindy...you two are beautiful together. Oh, and after officiating my sister's wedding in July and this one this weekend...I'm available for hire now. Any takers? ;)
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Enough is Enough.
I've been traveling the globe since I was about 19 years old and this last trip to London has really taught me how bad our international reputation has become. In just a short 5 years we have gone from being the most respected, leading country in the world to the school yard bully that everyone knows is a snot nosed brat. A snot nosed brat who is just waiting for a school yard hero to stand up to him. It is so sad. I saw SO much anti American sentiment in London and abroad this last week. With stickers saying, "Caution Americans at Work" with mushroom clouds, tanks, machine guns...What has happened to this country? Where are our champions domestically that will stand up to the snot nosed brats of this administration as they continue to take us down a path that we may not be able to recover/ How many laws does this administration and this George W. Bush have to break before someone is going to hold them accountable?
This George W. Bush who is NOT my leader will be known as the worst 2 term president in our history. I just want to give a shout out, "THANKS," to all you W. voters for allowing this to happen as you live happily in your ignorant, isolated little bubbles. If you ever thought past your own front yard you might see the direction this world, (yes the WORLD--the little blue dot you live on) is going.
Our only glimmer of hope in this culture of corruption congress and administration is that he has finally gone far enough as to get caught. Over the past few weeks, the investigation into the leak of CIA intelligence have connected both President Bush and Vice President Cheney with an effort to selectively disclose classified and highly flawed intelligence to the media in order to discredit people who were asking legitimate questions about the Iraq invasion. The White House even admitted that W. himself authorized the leak. Wasn't it just month ago that this dingleberry of a President stated he would be firing anyone who was involved with this leak.
Now that he is firmly linked to this deepening scandal, it's time for President Bush to be held accountable but we know that this rubber stamp Republican-controlled Congress will not hold him accountable.
At this point, Prosecutor Fitzgerald may very well be the only person who can shed light on what really happened and ensure accountability. What he needs now is support to expand the scope of his investigation to specifically include whether the President broke the law.
It's time to start the revolution and put our online community to work and together demand
that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales allow Mr. Fitzgerald to get to the bottom of this. Three years left of this corrupt administration is a LONG LONG time and no one should be above the law. It's time we demand real accountability. Click the link below to send a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to say ENOUGH is ENOUGH!
One America
The facts of President Bush's involvement, and the extent to which he manipulated intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq, are not going to come out unless his actions are subject to an independent investigation. Remember, this is a President who at first said that he didn't know of anyone in his Administration who had leaked anything. Then he had his spokesman say that anyone found to have leaked classified information would be fired. Now it turns out it was W. himself who authorized the leaks...How much of the story do we NOT know. Please click the link above and start sending a message to this Culture of Corruption administration and Congress!
Friday, April 14, 2006
Ahhhh...London. So here we are for a weekend in London. Yes, I said weekend. My friend Chantie and I had been plotting for weeks that I would come to London and surprise our friend Robb. We had been concoting so many different ways to surprise him and freak him out that I had just appeared in London. There was the, "just crawl into bed and say good morning to Robb plan." There was the, "crawl into Chantie's bed and have her freak out cause there's something in her bed plan." Then there was the one we went with...
So I got in to London after about 22 hours of traveling and trained into Victoria Station, taxi-ing over to our hotel. I got the key Chantie left for me and snuck up to the room. I slid the key in the door and cracked the door and there was Robb staring right at me. I closed the door and thought the game was up. I got the camera out to get his reaction and walked back in where I saw he turned over back to sleep. Haha...had he not seen me?? I snuck back in...winked at Chantie who was wide awake waiting for me (it was like Christmas) to come in...and slipped into the bathroom. I hopped in the shower and started singing..."These boots were made for Walking," in a falsetto female voice. (Don't ask me why that song came into my head) Chantie woke Robb up and said..."There someone in our bathroom!" He comes up and knocks on the door and I say, "Whoooo is it?" in the same female voice. He knocked again...I said, "Yeees?" I opened the door to find a confused...then shocked...then ecstatic Robbie McArthur. It was one of the best surprises EVER!
More to come...
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Well another of the Culwell four is making one of her first television appearances today...
My mother came down two weeks ago and went on The Price is Right. We made her a shirt that reads, "I've been watching Bob since..." on the front and on the back reads, "We both had black hair!" with an iron on picture of Bob Barker. My mom's quote and my t-shirt making abilities.
We thought for SURE that would get her on the show but *alas* she didn't make it on. If you happen to catch the Price is Right today look for a lime green shirt in the audience cheering like a mad-woman. :)
I was finishing up her shirt last minute when I jacked up the back a bit. I sent my mom out to find stickers or something to put over the over ironed part. She ended up getting these glittery coins and rainbows. Yes, my mom was bedazzled! Tune into today and try and catch her. She has the best story about her experience which I'll post later.
best,
-W
Monday, March 27, 2006
Hey All,
Just had an interesting note from a reader regarding one of my earlier posts.
*********
"Not to dispute the USA Today, but....Estimated 12,000,000 gay people in the US, average income of 28,000.00 per person (low estimate) give the total contribution to the economy at 329 Billion. Six billion is way too low."
-Milo
**********
If that's the case, can someone PLEASE tell me how the LGBT community is still fighting for our civil liberties in this country. This government is more than happy to take our tax dollars but not give us equal rights in the this country. Can someone explain this logic to me. For all the ignorant jackasses that hide behind the guise of morality to discriminate, please drop a line. Let me know how on a purely societal level how this makes any sense and how to rationalize this behavior. I really am curious to hear. I would love to post an argument that has any merit here on the site.
The Americans tossed tea overboard at the Boston Tea Party for taxation without equal representation...What should we start tossing overboard? Republicans?
Happy Monday.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
TRAVEL BLOG 3/4/06:
After an afternoon of lounging in the Chilean countryside, it was time to head into town. La Serena is the 2nd most popular beach destination in Chile. It's more of the local hangout than the tourist hot spot. My dad and I got to our hotel right on the beach and decided to sit and watch the sunset enjoying a cold cerveza. I was looking over at my dad and I just had to think how amazing this was. 6 months ago my dad was just starting to walk again, working on buttoning buttons, and I was still helping him shave. Here we were--sitting in the Chilean sun enjoying a beer together. I just had to think how lucky we were. How lucky that my dad came through the surgery and how lucky I was to have such a good friend in my dad. This was a very special trip, indeed.
The rest of my time in La Serena was spent with my Dad exploring the city, Plaza de Armas and walking the narrow streets. Before we knew it we were back in Santiago, for my last two days in Chile. I met an awesome friend Pablo at Fausto, one of the bigger clubs in Santiago and had a whirlwind two days in Santiago before our long flight home back to the states.
This trip was really an adventure of a lifetime. Living in Sydney is still on the top of my life events but Chile is a close second runner up. From weddings, to pisco sours, to drag queens to television stars, the list goes on and on...If it's not on your travel list...add it. If it's on your travel list...book your flight! If you step off the beaten path, it will be an adventure of a lifetime
Thursday, March 09, 2006
La Serena...
Ahhhhh--after the craziness of Vina del Mar I was excited to go to Chile's number two beach destination which was supposed to be a favorite of, not toursits, but Chileans. We landed in the tiny little airport and met our contact Julie. What a firestarter! I learned very quickly the women of Chile run the show. Very strong and very on it. They just elected the first female president of Latin America.
We drove out to Vicuna about 45 minutes out of La Serena out in the country. It was absolutely beautiful. The farm we were visiting was nestled at the base of these huge mountains. Rows of vineyards, oranges, bell peppers, watermelons spread out forever as we pulled into Julie's farm. We started with a grand tour of greenhouses. Again, rows and rows of green lined up in symmetrical rows as small Chilean women labored tediously over each individual flower bud.
"They're pollinating." Julie pointed as we dipped our shoes and hands in cleaning solution. Want to try? She handed me a small vial full of pollen. I bent over and started the process. "So, uh, am I having sex with a bell pepper plant right now?", I thought to myself Awesome!
My father went into meetings regarding seed counts, germination and other seed business. I grabbed the keys to one of the motorcycles and took off through the fields of Vicuna. It was amazing. Shirt off, sunglasses on weaving in and out of the vineyards and fields of Central Chile. My mind kept trying to wrap around the fact of where I was and the experience I was having. After my fill of crop dust and Southern Hemisphere sun I headed back for an agua sin gas and some shade.
Wes@WesCulwell.com ©2003 by Wes Culwell. All rights reserved. Site by GEN Design.
