The Cats Will Play

Bob and I were hanging in the living room when all the cats came out to play. It's hard to keep them from collecting in those first few minutes when we both arrive home from work (they're hungry for the possibility of some canned food). I swear, one more cat (we already have four) and they'll be able to swarm. Then Bob and I are gonners.

Dragon Boat Races

Today our Asians and Friends Board had a meeting in Chinatown where they were having the Dragon Boat Races. Here's us watching the Illinois State Troopers easily win their heat.

My Pirouette Recipe

I've decided to publish what I feel is a personal breakthrough in my pirouettes. I know non-dancers (and even dancers) may not relate to the mechanics or my terminology, but I thought it might spark the imagination of someone out there ...

Angel's Piroutte Recipe

1. Think "light" as balsa wood on approach.
2. Going into the prep, take a light, upper-chest breath with tight tummy and relax all extremities.
3. Take a SLOW APPROACH into the "Cricket Prep" (tight, lower core with relaxed upper chest and extremities).

The next actions happen immediately but in succession.

4. Plunge that solid, lower core straight down into a deeper plie with relaxed thighs and calves.
5. Go up with the rebound.
6. Let the open arm swivel out--big!
7. Follow-through with the opposite shoulder.
8. Relax the calf.
9. Spot crisply.

I've been going back to this formula for the past two days and when everything works in this squence, I can do multiple pirouttes. Whee!

Happenstance in Orlando

While on a business trip to Orlando earlier this year, I ran into a Chicago friend at a bar. Isn't it crazy when you see people from your hometown when you're out in some other state? Speaking of being in another "state," that night I felt like all those wavy neon lines.

T-Rex at the Bowling Alley

Pop art comes in all forms. Here I found a T-Rex being a prize-picking crane at a bowling alley in the western suburbs. Hold onto your hats!

Bronze :-(

Bronze! I'd love to appear grateful over the national award I just received for my writing. But damn, why couldn't it have been a gold!? I slave and slave over the computer at work to produce these articles ... and what do I get, bronze?! Well, knowing that I beat out thousands of other entries to make the final three is some consolation. Not much. (Bitter.)

3-D Porn!

At the International Mr. Leather convention in Chicago a couple months back, some friends and I encountered a booth selling 3-D porn. It was funny to watch everyone sway to one side and all yell, "Ohhhh!" when the fluids rushed by.

Angel's Butt is in the Air, Surprise!

Why does your mind always go to the gutter? I'm doing an "ActivCore" workout that my trainer friend Jorge is receiving his certification in. It uses the red straps to elevate your legs so you can do "core" abdominal exercises. It's actually quite a mid-section workout. I got very tired and sweaty. Here's some pics of me and my friend Jorge who is a Pilates trainer at Body Endeavors in Chicago.

Here I'm engaging my "core."



This exercise strengthens the side abdominals.

























Here's me and Jorge.

Blue Man Sighting

A couple of months back a friend of mine invited me to Blue Man Group, that zany musical show featuring alien-like men who play drums and paint. The finale was four or five dozen rolls of paper towels being unwraveled from the back of the house to the front. What that has got to cost ... not to mention all those trees. Still, it was entertaining. And I wonder if there's blue balls invovled...?

07/08/09 at 10:11:12 a.m.

A co-worker realized that today is not only July 8, 2009, but that at 10:11 a.m. and 12 seconds, it would be 07/08/09/10/11/12. So at that precise moment, we gathered to take a group photo. Where were you at 7-8-9-10-11-12?

Screen Savers

While at the Atlanta History Museum a couple of weeks ago for business, I roamed around and realized I could be taking pictures for my computer. You know, for desktop and screen saver images. There was a converted coach house on the museum property that doubled as a restaurant and an art gallery. I took some photos around there for this electronic imagery purpose. Please feel free to use these images for your own computers.

Here's a fish, for your slippery moods.



Here, I liked how the red popped out.



More art.



More red art.



This angel had a little more butt than I'd have preferred, but maybe someone will appreciate it.

Happy 4th of July 2009!

Here's the scene from the roof of my house this July 4, 2009. Happy Independence Day to all!

Godzilla!!!

My friend Phil from Los Angeles was back in Chicago (he's from here) for the "G-Fest," which is a tribute to all things Godzilla. So I went with him to see "Monsters Attack," which is three monsters helping to fight off Godzilla. If you're a Godzilla enthusiast, the monsters were Mothra, Baragon and Ghidorah. It was really great to see it on a big screen (miniatures getting destroyed and all!).

The film was shown at the historic Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge, Ill.



About a 150 people lined up, all form of geek imaginable (age, race, size, shape, male--99%).



Phil (left) and another Godzilla fan show off their T-shirts.



Here I snuck a flash of Godzilla emerging from the water and tourists running for their lives.

Pride Parade 2009

Well this year's Pride Parade has come and gone, but the memories! Asians and Friends float, "I'm a Queen, Get Me Outta Here!" Got a lot of media coverage. We're about 25 minutes in on the Channel 7 telecast and about two minutes and twenty seconds into the Fox broadcast.
Then of course, there's my interview on the "tail end" of Fausto's interview below.



Plus some photos!

Kwik Truck

This is a truck stop sign from the convenience-store chain I visited in Wisconsin. Which way is up?