Friday, November 12, 2004

Frosted Chaps

Not like Frosted Flakes, but still...


So, I'm almost over the election of 2004.  Make no mistake, I'm still bummed by Kerry's defeat, but I still have hope that we can and will get through this.  Nevertheless, the gloating attitude of some conservatives just gets to me.  It's not a mandate; 51% is not a clear signal to gay-bash and make everybody worship Christ "or else".

Anyway, I was listening to the radio the other day, and I turned over to Bill O'Reilly (why?  I don't know; just a masochist, I guess.)  Someone was calling in, and he said there was something that had been bothering him in the last few weeks.  Iraq?  Political mud-slinging?  Osama bin Laden?  No.

"Why is it that all these actors and musicians, who never worked a day in their lives, can speak out on blablablablabla?"  To be honest, I kinda forgot exactly what he said after this, but I believe it was about "celebrities" expressing their opinions in public.

Well, the thing about famous people expressing their political views would have raised my hackles enough, but when I head the above comment about actors and musicians "never working a day in their lives", I lost it.  I turned off the radio, and proceeded to give a long and impassioned rebuttal in my car.

Having been an actor, and having married a musician, I can tell this person that indeed people in both professions have to work for a living before reaching any sort of notoriety.  I have many friends who live in Los Angeles and New York City and several other major cities who are seeking careers in the performing arts, and to a man (or woman), they have all had to work an "outside job", sometimes two or three, in order to survive while they tried to make it in their chosen profession.  They've had to survive on ramen noodles and 79-cent frozen pizzas in order to work their way up the ladder.

I know that not all actors/rock stars/rappers have had to face hardships in their rise to the top, but it is a rare one who doesn't.  Not everyone goes the lana Turner/"American Idol" route to stardom.

Also, if anyone thinks that acting or playing music is an easy profession, give it a whirl sometime.  Put the minimal amount of effort that you obviously think these artists put into their work, and see how "famous" you become.  These people whom you slag as being "lazy" work just as hard for their money as anyone.

If anyone wants to see how "easy" it is to act, direct, sing or dance for a living, just get in touch with me.  I guaran-damn-tee you I will open your eyes.

Thank you; I'll get off my soapbox now.

Thursday, November 4, 2004

Tuesday, October 5, 2004

Long Distance Dedication

This one's for Dick Cheney...

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead



Copyright © 1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Monday, August 23, 2004

Swift Boat Liars for "Truth"

Over the past few months I have seen and heard this group of jackasses calling themselves "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" run down John Kerry and try to cast seeds of doubt in the American public's mind regarding his leadership ability and his capacity for telling the truth.

When they released their first TV ad a few weeks ago, it was rather quickly and effectively refuted by people who actually were there, and by those who managed to do a modicum of research.

Now they are about to unleash an ad showing a very brief clip of then-Vietnam veteran Kerry testifying before a Senate committee in 1971 regarding conditions in Vietnam. It takes a sentence from his testimony and makes it sound as if Kerry was anti-American.

However, Atrios has posted the full transcript of Kerry's testimony on his blog. Go there and read it in full.

Sunday, August 8, 2004

"Remember, buddy boy, cleanliness is next to godliness." Posted by Hello
Ian getting a bath from his old man. Posted by Hello
Ian and I sleeping on the morning of my birthday, Posted by Hello

Gonna Sip Bacardi Like It's My Birfday...

... and whaddaya know, it really was my birthday yesterday!!!

It all started when I woke up at 5 this morning to change Ian's diaper. As I was changing him out and wiping him down, I thought to myself, "you know, this is absolutely fantastic!" I can't really describe it, but it was such a wonderful feeling, just me and my son, awake before dawn on my XXth birthday.

A couple of days earlier, I had found out that Fahrenheit 911 was going to be playing at our local cinema, and I was bound and determined to see it. Kathy wanted to see it too, but when she heard that there were some graphic imagery, she opted out. I asked one of my coworkers if she and her husband would like to see the movie, and she said "Sure." So, my birthday plans were set.

Kathy and I spent the better part of the day getting the house ready for company. I ende3d up cooking dinner for all of us. When Mary and Tim came to the house, they bore an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen for me. We had dinner, and Mary, Tim and I went to see F911. The movie was very interesting and thought-provoking, but not exactly one that you exit sipping and singing "Tra-la-laaaa".

We got home and had ice-cream cake and coffee as we swapped stories about babies, cats and work. All in all it was a rather quiet evening with friends, family and pets. And it was the best birthday I've ever had. ! :)

A couple of piccies from today:

Thursday, July 29, 2004

New Baby Blues

No, I don't really have the "baby blues", but I couldn't think of a better title.

OK, I'm gonna try to maintain this blog a little more regularly than I have in the past. We'll see if I can't keep things going here.

I have to say off the bat that Ian has definitely changed my life (and Kathy's as well). When I go to work in the morning, I can't leave without picking him up and giving him a big hug. The look in his eyes when I feed him makes me feel so grand, and yet so small at the same time. I can't imagine how I ever got through this life without Ian.

In other aspects of my life, I'm feeling really confident about John Kerry and John Edwards' chances in the election this November. The part of Virginia we're living in is a pretty conservative area, and yet when I ride through town I see so many Kerry bumper stickers on cars, and so few for Bush/Cheney. Maybe it's not the most accurate indicator of people's feelings on the election, but I think it's pretty damn significant.

That's all for the moment. More later on this CBS station.

Wednesday, June 9, 2004

Presenting...

Ian Thomas McGuire, in his world premiere
Weighs in at 6 lb. 14 oz.
Stands (okay, LAYS) at 22 in.
Born June 8, 2004 at 10:57 pm
Proud papa: Clint McGuire
Exhausted (after 16 hrs. of labor, can you blame her?)
mama: Kathy McGuire
Photos and stories to come!!!

Monday, May 31, 2004

Falling Down

I know that it's been a while, but between the impending blessed event and dealing with family issues, I haven't really felt inspired to blog much.

So much to write about, but I'll just kinda touch the stones and let you figure out where they lay:

*Dad, I know you're not reading this, but I just wanted to let you know I loved you once and may find it in my heart to love you again. At this moment, however, I just hope you get what you deserve.

*"War is all Hell", or so William Sherman once said. If this administration becomes remembered for anything, it will most likely be for the can of worms it opened up in the Fertile Crescent.

*I miss my friends. I miss the late nights, the trips to Waffle House, the inebriated dancing, the sober philosophy; I miss it all.

*Dammitaltahell, Jennifer or LaToya should have won. I'm glad for Fantasia, though.

*I find myself occasionally thinking of the Big Talks I will be having with Ian in the next two decades, and what it is I'll say to him. Other times, I try to think back to imagine what my parents were going through as I was about to make my debut in the world.

*The highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goes
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
Searchin' for the ghost of Tom Joad

Monday, May 10, 2004

Rock n Roll McDonald's!! Rock n Roll McDonalds!!!

I just noticed this morning that Blogger has done some interface improvements. Goody-goody-gumdrops! Well, lemme give you a Clintster update and see how this thang works, 'kay?

So, things are continuing to develop with our pregnancy. Kathy's hormones have kicked in and I've been trying to keep up with her moods and encourage her when she feels down and tired. I finally got the baby's stroller put together, so there's one more thing off the list.

It looks as if I will have to cut down the number of visits I make to my therapist. I've been going every week, but with our financial worries, I've decided to make it every other week. Another factor in my decision is the fact that I feel better as I've been going through therapy, and I actually felt myself struggling to find something to talk about at my last session.

Oh, and by the way... Wesley Willis whips Batman's, Superman's, and Saddam Hussein's ass! Believe that!

Friday, April 30, 2004

Mars, bitches!

Sorry, I've been watching Chappelle's Show a lot lately.

OK, long delayed update: things are relatively quieted down on the bad-news front. I'm taking Zoloft and feeling better, but I still wish things were different.

The baby is developing quite nicely, and has even developed a case of the hiccups (see The Married Life for details). I'll write more later on stuff, but for right now, consider this a friendly wave to the blogosphere. :)

Friday, April 9, 2004

Cheering Up

I'm feeling a little better since my relatively recent posts. Things are still kinda crappy, but I'm at least not having screaming panic attacks in the middle of the night now.

This is a meme from Kathy's blog. Here ya go:

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says:
"2. In the Image menu, go to Rotate Canvas/Arbi-"

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?
My printer.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
CNN, talking about Iraq.

4. WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is.
About 4:45 pm

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
4:48! HA!

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Well, I can hear a printer in the next room, and people talking.

7. When did you last step outside? what were you doing?
About 1 1/2 hr. ago, to move my car.

8. Before you came to this website, what did you look at?
My college theatre group's message board/site.

9. What are you wearing?
Yellow T-shirt, black jeans, docksiders, and a Braves cap.

10. Did you dream last night?
Not last night, but given my dreams as of late, maybe that's for the best.

11. When did you last laugh?
A couple of hours ago. See Kathy's blog for the story.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
A bulletin board, and that's it. *sigh* I really need to decorate some more in here.

13. Seen anything weird lately?
A white dog chasing cows around.

14. Last movie you saw?
In theatres? I believe that was "Cold Mountain".

15. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?
A nice house.

16. Tell me something about you that I don't know.
I didn't learn how to blow a gum bubble until I was 12.

17. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
I'd bring peace to the world.

18. Do you like to dance?
I do, though I don't dance often enough.

19. George Bush: is he a power-crazy nutcase or someone who is finally doing something that has needed to be done for years?
Pssshhhhheeeeeeyet. What do you think?

20. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Siobhan.

21. [Same question for a boy].
Ian.

22. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Until recently, no; now, I think it would be fun.

Friday, March 12, 2004

Are you ready for The Friday Five?

1. What was the last song you heard?
"Wicked Little Town" by Ben Folds Five

2. What were the last two movies you saw?
In theatres? I think they were Cold Mountain and LOTR: Return of the King.

3. What were the last three things you purchased?
A Pepsi, a popsicle and a Coke.

4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?
1) Snuggle my honey.
2) Watch Wrestlemania XX.
3) Clean up around the hosue
4) Ummm... trim the hedges?

5. Who are the last five people you talked to?
In some sort of order:
1) Darryl, my editor
2) Tonia, our classifieds person
3) Gaylea, one of our ad people
4) Kathy, my lovinest
5) Carla, our receptionist

Tuesday, March 9, 2004

I've Got Something to Put in You...

At the Gay Bar

Gay Bar

Gay Bar!!!

I'm feeling a bit better today. Still kinda down over everything, but Kathy has worked overtime to cheer me up. Thanks, Bunny!

Also, Thankees to Ombra for your comment. You're a flower, you are, as Holli would say. :D I might still get a little down here and there, but just bear with me, folks. If we watch out for one another, we'll all better off.

Monday, March 8, 2004

Carry the Stones

I have been bearing an incredible load over the past few weeks, and I fear it is weighing me down so much that I may not be able to stagger back to my feet.

A couple of weeks ago, I learned of something going on in my family that I thought would never happen. This event has fucked with my mind since then, to the point that I am questioning the value of friendship, of family, and even of my own faith (in many things).

I used to have panic attacks a long time ago, until I found the strength within me to overcome them and live a "normal" life, like most of the rest of humanity. Now they've returned, and more frequently than ever. This past Friday, I took our car to Boone for servicing, and while I was there I spent the night at Kathy's mom's house, even though she wasn't there. Friday night I suffered four panic attacks. At one point I woke up screaming my wife's name.

What's worse, when I got home Saturday, Kathy and I got into a vicious arguement over something that 99% of the time could have been resolved with a simple "I love you" and a hug.

Getting back to the problem, though, I wish I could talk about what's going on in my family right now, but I feel so fucking vulnerable right now that I feel as if I'm taking a risk just posting this admittedly vague message on this blog. All I can say is that someone I once forgave for personal crimes against me has gone and perpetrated other, equally heinous crimes against other people who couldn't protect themselves, and this person should have goddamed known better!

I've been expecting them to call me to talk and I've been warned to keep things civil and not let on the truth I know, lest something slip out prematurely. As it stands right now, however, if that person was to call me, I would be VERY hard pressed not to let out a torrent of anger at them; anger that I have suppressed for a lifetime and from a myriad of different sources.

Why is it I'm always the last to know about family matters? Why do people feel the need to keep things from me until it's too late? Why do I feel like a pariah in all of this, not only with family but with friends? God, I just wish I could laugh again without feeling self-conscious. I'm just so motherfucking miserable.

Shit.

Thursday, March 4, 2004

New Sonogram pic

Some of themail I get

I swear to God, some of the e-mail I get! This is one that I got in my Yahoo acount this morning:

ixtoovn afoal
Mar 4 4:14pm
'Get Put Locate Dislocate Find' 'for more bigger higher transfer better'

And that's just the header. The body is even "better":

Hello olstws ubbigwo gp!
CILAIS more better then vigaara.
For more info open attach.

Friday, February 20, 2004

mp3 roulette

I saw this on someone else's blog and thought it might be cool to try:

Step 1: Open MP3 player or Winamp (or some application that plays mp3s)
Step 2: Put all of your music on random.
Step 3: Write down the first ten songs it plays, no matter how embarrassing

1) "No One is to Blame"-Howard Jones
2) "Lincoln Portrait"-Aaron Copland (composer), James Earl Jones (narrator)
3) "My War"-Black Flag
4) "Rocket Man"-William Shatner
5) "Baker Street"-Gerry Rafferty
6) "Eminence Front"-The Who
7) "If I Loved You"-from Carousel (I think it's Shirley Jones and Howard Keel)
8) "Breaking Us in Two"-Joe Jackson
9) "Sealab 2021 Theme"-Calamine
10) "My Heart Will Go On (South Park remix)"-Celine Dion, Trey Parker and Matt Stone

Innnnteresting, at least to me.

Thursday, February 19, 2004

Love, marriage, and... ummm, stuff

I've finally reached a point where I have to write about the issue of gay marriage. 'Scuse me while I pull out my soapbox.

Over the past few months, I have heard the arguments for and against legitimizing same-sex marriages.

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

544

...as of today. Iraq Coalition Casualties

"How long, how long must we sing this song?"
-U2, "Sunday, Bloody Sunday"

Friday, February 6, 2004

been a long time since i friday fived

the friday five:

1. What's the most daring thing you've ever done?
Most daring? Hmmm, I'm trying to think of what that would be, and I'm thinking it would probably be the tattoo I got.

2. What one thing would you like to try that your mother/friend/significant other would never approve of?
Yikers, I picked an odd week to start doing the FF again! I suppose the one thing would be... Aw, heck, I can't think'a nuttin'!

3. On a scale of 1-10, what's your risk factor? (1=never take risks, 10=it's a lifestyle)
I'm about a 4.

4. What's the best thing that's ever happened to you as a result of being bold/risky?
The best thing that ever happened was when I decided before I worked my second year at Snow Camp that I would shoot for playing the lead. I ended up getting cast!

5. ... and what's the worst?
The worst was probably when I got to the third year and decided to go back. Worst outdoor season ever.

Tuesday, February 3, 2004

Corn-You-Copia

Sorry, things have been pretty damn busy lately, and I haven't had a chance to catch up on my blogging. So, what's kept me so preoccupied?

1) Baby stuff! Kathy got an "all clear" on her various tests for birth defects, which is definite good news. She also had another ultrasound, and we now know the gender of the turtle. No fair telling what it is, at least not yet. For more details on this, go to The Married Life.

2) Mock Con! This past weekend, I had the pleasure of covering W&L's quadrennial Mock Convention, where the students of the university try to predict which candidate the unpresidented party that year will pick as its nominee. This year, they picked John Kerry and John Edwards as their ticket. We'll see if it bears out. By the by, I've always wanted to go to a political convention and take photos. Hopefully I can go to one of the big boys some day.

3) Super Bowl!!! I went out to a local bar to watch SB XXXVIII, after unsuccessfully trying to get a party together. Turns out, it was pretty damn cool sharing the experience with strangers. Coincidentally, I went to a bar to watch the Bowl two years ago, when the patriots were in it, and when they won it on a last-second field goal. The difference this time (among others) was I was rooting for their opponents. Sorry, but I had to cheer for the Panthers come Hell or high water.

4) That's about it. Maybe I'll write more later.

Monday, January 26, 2004

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

Oops, I guess it's actually Monday now. My bad.

We made it back from NC yesterday, right ahead of the winter storm that's dumped several inches of snow and freezing rain on our vicinity. Snow report to come in later.

Just a quick update for now. More later.

Friday, January 23, 2004

And We're gonna go to Boone...

And then to Roanoke, and Lexington, and Charlottesville, and Davisboro, and Aiken, and Tampa, and San Antonio, and Beech Mountain, and then we're gonna go to Washington DC, and we're gonna take back the White House!!! YEAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, I've just spent the past half-hour listening to remixes of Howard Dean's concussion-- I mean concession speech following the Iowa caucus. :) If you want to hear some of them, click here. Some of them are pretty hilarious.

Anyway, if you've been to my honey's blog, you know that she's made it through her final jury before her final grad recital, and I don't know which of us is more relieved, me or her. Honestly, it's pretty rough being a diva's consort, let me tell you! :P

I promised a few words on the President's SOTU speech from earlier this week, and here they are as follows:

Ehh. Meh. Kinda goofy. Loved the reaction to his "parts of the Patriot Act will expire in a matter of months" line. I think it hurt him more than it helped. That's all.

On a sadder note, Bob Keeshan, aka Captain Kangaroo died today. It's sad to think that he and Mr. Rogers are no more.

More later. And seriously, dude, go and listen to the Deano Machino remixes.

Wednesday, January 21, 2004

Barking for Clark?

Well, I'm thinking about it. The button to the right is not an "official" endorsement (yet), but I thought it was a pretty cool site. Check it out.

State of the Union thoughts later.

Monday, January 19, 2004

Bwahahahahahaaaa!!!

If you haven't got the money or (I'm looking at you, Ombra) patience to go see The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, here's a quick 3-minute guide ot the movie:

Tightly Wound: Thumbnail Guide to RotK

Justice Flowing Down Like Water

An interesting weekend, to say the least. I had two photo assignments; one to photograph the proceedings of Lee-Jackson Day here in Lexington, and the other to photograph the Martin Luther King day celebrations at the town's largest African-American church.

A little background on Lee-Jackson Day, first. It was first celebrated in 1904 in Lexington to honor Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, both of who are buried here. Someone at the paper told me it started off as some kind of banquet, and that its appearance on the calendar has wavered on and off. It became a state employees' holiday in Virginia three years ago, and until the appearance of MLK Day was celebrated on the third Monday in January. Today it is celebrated on the third Friday of the month.

This year, I went out to Stonewall Jackson Cemetary to take photos of the graveside service in honor of L-J Day. I was late getting to the service, but siffice it to say, what I caught was interesting. About half the crowd was re-enactors in period dress. They sang hymns, said prayers, and played "Taps" as a coterie of re-enactors fired a three-gun salute in honor of Jackson.

It was a nice, historical kind of ceremony, although I couldn't help wondering who was there for the history and who was there as an "F-you" to integration. A little while later, the re-enactors marched down Main Street as they made their way to Gen. Lee's crypt (located, conveniently enough, in Lee Chapel on the W&L campus.)

As they were marching and I was taking photos, a man in civilian clothes walked by me carrying a Confederate battle flag over his shoulder I thought little of him until a few minutes later, when he decided for no reason whatsoever to yell "Hooray for the South! Everybody sing 'Dixie'!" At this point, he began to sing the song, with maybe a couple of other people singing along. Unfortunately, he got the words wrong, singing:

Oh, a way down South in the land of cotton...

when the words should be:

Oh, I wish I were in the land of cotton

That was when I decided that I had enough photos of the Lee-Jackson parade.

The next day I went to Lexington Baptist Church for Martin Luther King Day services. The minister of the church there was retiring after many years in the pulpit, and he preached a sermon that made the hairs on my neck stand up; it was that good. It was a pretty heady contrast to the L-J day services.

Oh, and also, today is mine and the Bunny Bear's six-month anniversary. Happy, Happy, Kathy! I love you!!!

Which Classic Movie am I?

Well, how about that:



A real post later on. :)

Thursday, January 15, 2004

There's a Sale at Penney's!

I promised an update on my so-called life, and by God, here it is!

Work's going okay right now, if a bit slow. We're currently running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get entries ready for the Virginia Press Association awards. I have four photos (so far) entered for VPA consideration, and that may increase if my editor Darryl decides to submit more stuff.

Kath and I are getting excited about our upcoming bundle of joy. She's almost moved out of her "morning sickness" phase and it shows on her face big time. She came to the office the other day to drop off some chocolate, and later one of the receptionists told me how she saw a sparkle in Kathy's eye and a glow in her face. :) Kathy kinda brushed it off, but it's true: she is just looking gorgeous (in my eye, anyway) in her pregnancy right now.

We had our first experience with a cleaning lady yesterday. Kathy has been used to one from when she was living with her mom in NC, but this is the first one I didn't have to call "Mom". She did a good job, although she wasn't able to finish everything we had on our "to-do" list. Still in all, the inside looks a devil of a site better than it did a few days ago.

Finally, we have a bad cat, and it's not the one we expected. Our oldest cat, Katie has been rather prominent in our daily lives lately (See Kathy's blog for some recent anecdotes). However, in the past few days, she has taken to wedging herself into crawlspaces and mewling until we get her out. Is it some kind of punishment for leaving her for 5 days while we went to Charleston? Is it some kind of cat intuition about the impending baby? Who knows? All I know is, if she weren't so darn funny, she'd be out on the street with a "FREE to a good home" sign around her neck. Goofy cat!

Well, that's all I got at this moment.

Bigoted Idiots

I was going to write a rather innocuous post this morning updating you on my life, but then I ran across this on a link in someone else's blog.

WARNING! Contains explicit and possibly upsetting language

You know, it's amazing how people will say that we don't need to worry about racism in this country anymore, but then we get a-holes like these e-mailers attacking someone's ethnicity just because she said something "mean" about the President.

I'm living in a nation of six-year olds!

UPDATE Margaret Cho responds.

Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Sorry, haven't blogged much

At least nothing intensely personal. I promise I'll have something up later on in the day. Right now, it's kinda tense here in the newsroom. More later.

Clintster's Fotoblog

Clintster's Fotoblog, ya heard?

My new photo-blog. Check it out, and lemme know what you think. :)