I'll Cover You...

I'll Cover You

While driving with a friend this weekend he asked if he could sing me a song. When he was was done and asked what I thought I could only shake my head and blink hard to still see the road...I raced home to find the most similar versison...

Morning Edition - 10/26/06

REMINDER: Tomorrow night 5:30 p.m. - Until
Place: LQs; Between 47th and 48th Street and Lexington Avenue
Ladies: Free with flyer
Men: $5 with flyer
Cocktails: 2-for-1 until 7 p.m.
Complimentary buffet until 6:30 p.m.

Arrange to have the sitter keep the kids, let the significant other know you’re letting your hair down and join us at LQs (Latin Quarters) as we bid Evelyn Maldonado farewell and celebrate friendship. So whether you’ve known and loved Evelyn for years or can just use partying with a group of festive and laid-back folks, tomorrow is the night to get your let-loose on! R&B, Salsa, Pop, Reggaton, Reggae and Merengue abound – but you don’t have to be a Dancing With the Stars superstar to cut the rug. Celebrate success, live life and step out of the ordinary tomorrow night!!

New Jersey Shows Some Sense; Old School Sounds Crazy
In a vote of 4-3 the Supreme Court of New Jersey says that gay couples are entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples. The justices gave lawmakers 180 days to rewrite the law. Now, the Garden State will decide if they will institute marriage or civil unions in the state. Presently, only Massachusetts allows gay marriage, while Connecticut and Vermont have civil unions for gay couples in place. Just as I was in the middle of reading the news reports and inwardly smiling to myself, I received a call from my mom – the first lady of a Pentecostal congregation and wife of my dad, a proud minister. I quickly mentioned the ruling and asked if she’d heard about it. Without missing a beat, she said, the issue will always be a hot-button one since gays are swimming upstream and trying to go against the norm. My joy fell to complete disappointment that a woman I admire so much and love wholeheartedly could be so ignorant on an issue. She had colorful analogies on how there are pros and cons to every situation – though she couldn’t really establish what the cons to gay marriage are. The conversation ended with a quiet moment, mainly because I was baffled at how ignorance and misinformation can prevail even in the most informed and open-minded folks. Comedian Wanda Sykes said it best, “Gay marriage is not a threat to conventional marriage; divorce is.” If you’re straight, I don’t see how the issue of gay marriage affects you. To the religious right: Rather than oppose gay marriage you might want to consider instituting laws that prevent straight folks who marry, from divorcing their partners. This will certainly protect that “sanctity” of marriage.

On Blast
I’m genuinely curious. I’ve been gay for as long as I can remember and openly gay for over 22 years. Why do you (as a straight person) feel that granting gay couples equal rights to heterosexual couples threatens your way of life? Why is there such an interest in what gay couples do in their intimate life? How would you feel (as a straight person) if we were discussing whether you and your loved one are entitled to the same rights as other couples?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Once Again; John and I alone

There are artist who don't have the octaves or range, but deliver a grit that captures your soul. John Legend's new CD delivers. I felt like I was sitting in front of him and he was singing just to me... stolen moments... alone. Hmmm... maybe I need to get out...
Worth the buy, but for the cheapskates, hit Target, Bestbuy or Virgin this week and pick it up for $9.99.

I have a new man on rotation.

I Need You Now

I mean what else can I say? Rather than leave you without a post today, I thought I'd share what I've been listening on serious repeat on my player the last couple of days. It summarizes my mood...enough said.

Oh...before I forget, I'm headed out to get John Legend's new CD today...maybe I can change the song on my player tomorrow? :)

You Are My Friend... Say It Today

Each time I hear this song I'm reminded...taken back... hope it does a little something for you as well.

Morning Edition - 10/17/06

My Ride or Die is Taking a Ride
A little over a year ago I met one of those people who I knew would be one of my friends for life. She is together professionally, keeps it “street” real and can drink a grown man under the table. When it comes down to it, she has my back – both in my face and when I’m not around. It wasn’t long before she proved that her loyalty, respect and love would be the cornerstone of our inseparable friendship. In January, she and I began working out together and our daily lunchtime sports club regimen yielded great results – our summer bodies were hot. Now, after a quick job search, my ride or die friend has found a wonderful position at one of our competitors. Whatever will I do without her around on a daily basis? Congratulations to Evelyn Maldonado… my ride or die friend who’s taking that wonderful ride to an incredible new opportunity. I’m so very proud! Before she screeches away into the sunset, join us as we give Evelyn an official sendoff…

Date: Friday, October 27, 2006
Time: 5:30 p.m. – until
Place: LQs; Between 47th and 48th Street and Lexington Avenue
Ladies: Free with flyer
Men: $5 with flyer
Cocktails: 2-for-1 until 7 p.m.

A Family Reunion
It’s become a sick and elaborate prediction game of sorts…. Who will die following this family reunion? It seems that each year in the days following our family reunion one of our family members kicks the bucket. In 2000 after a gathering of my mom and her 14 siblings, a neighbor raced to my car to tell me that my aunt had passed. When I inquired which one, she mentioned, the one that was here at the family reunion last night. It turns out that 11 sisters and 4 brothers had attended the reunion and there was no way of knowing which direction to go in. The year after that, another aunt passed away. One year later and we lost a cousin. And so on and so on… It has now become a wager of sorts. My cousins and I call each other in the days before meeting in Puerto Rico for our reunion and decide who we’ve determined will be making their departure this year. We all pray that no one mentions our name in the raffle of death and tally our votes before gathering at the reunion location. This year there’s a tie between aunt Hena and aunt Catana. I’ll hold my vote until I land in Puerto Rico…lest I have a bumpy ride. This year’s reunion takes place Sunday, November 26. I will be in Puerto Rico November 17 through November 28. Keep me in your prayers.

I Want To Be Alone
Maybe it’s fall personified... Just as the leaves are turning and will soon fall from the trees, so are my “friends” falling off my life branches. Whether I can attribute the “dropping” to a heightened sensitivity or my recent intolerance for bullshit, I have been slowly, but surely, releasing my bonds with some of my running buddies. It started with feeling I was being taken for granted – it’s a free ride Boo, not a chauffeur service. Then it was the realization that I don’t like you. Yes, there comes a time when you have to admit that some of the folks you run with don’t have the same values that you do. Finally, it was the feeling that maybe I just need to hang on my own for a while and reconnect with me. I am a different person when I hang out alone. I’m much more introverted, mysterious and yes, even uninhibited. So maybe it’s just a break or I’m just hitting the proverbial “shuffle” button on my ace-boon-coon iPod, but for now, it’s all about me.

On Blast
We all have the “friend” that gets under our skin. They’re cool overall and we have a good time most of the time, but they do this one “thing” that gets on your very last nerve. Who is that friend and what is it that they do that makes you really dislike them at that moment?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 10/13/06

Because You Loved Me
Written by Diane Warren / Performed by Celine Dion

For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you

I´ll be forever thankful baby
You´re the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You´re the one who saw me through it all

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn´t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn´t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn´t reach
You gave me faith ´coz you believed

I´m everything I am
Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I´m grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don´t know that much
But I know this much is true

You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life

You´ve been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you

I´m everything I am
Because you loved me
I´m everything I am
Because you loved me

On Blast
Sure, we have our own favorite songs and lyrics that bring to mind that special someone. That person is not always your husband, wife or partner, but they certainly fit the above lyrics perfectly. What one person in your life would you sincerely dedicate this song to? Why?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 10/12/06

Vicarious Happiness
For the last two years I’ve concentrated on being true to myself, true to others and generally happy. Part of that growth has been built around being truly happy for the people in my life that I care about. What I’ve realized is that although most of my dreams and aspirations have not come to fruition, I’m sincerely enjoying a genuine happiness that comes from the success stories and realized dreams of my friends. Having a good friend land a plum position, an ex finding someone he’s crazy about and a new-found confidant completing an engaging and groundbreaking novel, all have contributed to my enjoying a vicarious happiness. It is the most unselfish feeling I think I’ve felt in my life. So last night I sat myself down and thought it all through. Here I was on the eve of a HUGE speech before my colleagues and the CEO of my firm and the most satisfying and comforting feeling to calm my jitters was my feeling fulfilled by the successes of my friends. Today, as I stand in front of a crowd of folks picking me apart and analyzing my every word, I don’t need to picture the crowd in their underwear, I only need to bask in the afterglow of the achievements of people that are important to me. I’m vicariously happy…and for the first time in my life I feel like the front and center seat is as important as the spotlight.

Fight or Flight?
As late as 2004, the FBI, under the Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990, reported that 16% of all hate crimes were motivated by sexual orientation bias. Yet it appears that lately gay bashings have been on the rise. Most recently, Michael Sandy, a 28-year old man from NYC was beaten and struck by a car on a major highway in what authorities believe to be a bias crime. The gay interior designer is believed to have been at the area near the roadway to meet with someone for a sexual tryst. The area has been identified as a meeting place for gay men. The greater issue here is what now? Are we doing enough to stop such attacks? Is it time for gay men to take a stand and reverse the meaning of gay bashing to mean the gay men bashing their predators? One of the final episodes in the LOGO channel Noah’s Arc series highlighted an incidence of gay bashing and showed one of the protagonists, Wade, returning to the attackers and inflicting an equal physical assault. We’re still men. We still have heart. Do we adopt the principles of Martin Luther King, Jr. to incite change through non-violence or do we begin to prove that we are formidable opponents in the war on gay bashing?

On Blast
What course of action would you take if faced with the nightmare of being physically assaulted for your race or sexual orientation? Will you trust our legal system to delve-out the appropriate punishment to your attackers or will you take matters into your own hands in self-defense?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 10/10/06

Long Weekend; Adverse Effects
There’s never a time when I complain about a three-day weekend. With companies changing holiday policies, it was a pleasant surprise that mine still honored Columbus Day. I left the office on Friday evening thinking I was so excited about the opportunity to chill, clean my crib and reconnect with friends. Friday night was thankfully uneventful and Saturday proved to be a sleep-through-the-day kind-of experience. The problem with sleeping all day is that it throws off your body clock and sets you in a completely different mood. By the time I met my friends Saturday night I had a good buzz and a biting, confident aura about me that had even the most playa-playa brothas stuttering to keep up with my biting wit. I have to admit, I was beginning to frighten myself. So I took to the dance floor and sweated out my “tude” before joining my PR-pal Herbie for an early morning breakfast. Sunday was another day of the same… sleep, sleep, rise and primp for another night out on the town. By 6 a.m. I was sauntering back in the house to hit the sack again. Monday rolled around and I spent the bulk of my morning and early afternoon on a catch-up phone conversation with my bud Sean who seems to make me feel better even when the prospect of overdosing on Allegra D and Percocet seems appealing. So it’s back to the work-week and the feeling that maybe I would’ve felt a lot better if I had kept to my regular sleep schedule and didn’t give myself those two days off from the gym. Ugh…it’s times like these that I’m really not a good person… to others or myself. ::::and back to that warm fuzzy place:::::

Activate Shields!
So let me see if I can simply (or over simply) this issue for you. You’ve decided to build a fence around your property to keep your neighbors kids out. As it happens, your neighbors have no control over their children who continually trample into your property and force you to incur costs to replace and rebuild different areas of your property. To reality… Mexico’s Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez told reporters in Paris that the U.S. should not build a new 700-mile fence between the U.S. and Mexico. He mentioned that he was considering approaching the international community at the UN to address the issue. “What should be constructed is a bridge in relations between the two countries,” Derbez said. The U.S. Senate already approved the plans to build the fence last month and President Bush said he will sign it into law.

Please Read Our Return Policy
Helen Briggs, a long-time foster mom and adoptive parent in Virginia, is fighting the state to allow her to relinquish her adoption of her 15-year old son. Briggs says she adopted the boy when he was nine years old, but was never told that he had been in five foster homes since he was 16-months old or that he was physically abused by his biological parents. Briggs says all that she was told was that the boy was hyperactive. Now, the teen has sexually abused a 6-year old boy and a 2-year old girl. He is classified as a sexual predator and Briggs cannot take-in other children or allow her grandchildren to visit her home. Some lawmakers say that Briggs is just upset that she is required to pay child support while the 15-year old is again in foster care, but those close to the case say that Briggs has a proven track record of giving to foster children and that she would never have endangered the children in her home if she had been told of the young man’s past.

On Blast
Should Helen Briggs be allowed to “unadopt” her 15-year old son? If so, does this set a precedent that would allow parents (biological or adoptive) to relinquish all rights (and responsibilities) for their children if said kids are deemed a danger to the other children in their household? Is Briggs (like any other parent) forced to play the cards she was dealt?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Special Edition - 10/9/06 My Boyz

Morning Edition - 10/6/06

Love Me Still
Artist: Chaka Khan

Here is my hand for you to hold
Here's the part of me they have not sold
I've wandered far, I've had my fill
I need you now, do you love me still

Only you have seen the hidden part of me
Call me foolhardy if you will
But I loved you when, do you love me still

So many smiles and lies surround me
Empty expectations, faceless fears
Sometimes this life is a bitter pill
I love you now, do you love me still

You have been mine since time untold
Our love is immortal, don't you know
Others will come, and they will go
But I loved you young, I love you old

Only you have seen, the other side of me
Call me naive, I think you will
But I loved you then, do you love me still

Here are the eyes that only see you
Here is the mouth that only calls your name
Here is the soul that can not kill
I love you now, do you love me still

On Blast
Last night while riding the train home from work I had Chaka Khan’s Love Me Still (above) on repeat on my media player. The song has always held a special place in my heart, since I’m a big lyric man and the song has such simple, yet deep lyrics. The song speaks to my idea of what love means to me; loving someone young, old, through it all, really. If you’ve never heard this song, shame on you… listen to it today. Google the darn thing!

What song strikes a chord for you and puts your idea of love to music?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 10/5/06

Noah's Arc Season Finale; Recap




It would appear that Patrik Ian Polk, creator, writer and director of Noah’s Arc is hell-bent on “feminizing” most of his characters. Last night’s season finale was no exception. In the opening scenes, we’re treated to Quincy, Noah’s new sometime love interest preparing for a ball (a gay-centric fashion show/category variety show). Noah is teaching Quincy how to walk the runway and in doing so, Quincy is told to “Omi” his walk – short for turn-it-out like supermodel Naomi Campbell. Why?! Here is this six foot plus hunk of a man attempting to awkwardly sashay for the delight of fem-queen Noah. Fast forward to the main issue at hand; the drama-filled storyline of Wade and Noah. Hopelessly in love, but caught in the quandary of “Do I love you enough to overcome the pain of your betrayal?” or more importantly, “Could I ever trust you?” The question comes to a head – and for those that didn’t watch, I’ll play nice and hold back retelling the juicy tidbits. Suffice to say that there is an obvious disconnect between character’s personality traits and how Polk has them handle situations. Initially, I noticed this problem with Alex – drama-mama character with the fast-forward mouth and no nonsense demeanor who ended up being punked and diminished by former schemer and attempted-man-stealer, Guy. The finale highlights this same disconnect. Dre is not true to his personality when confronted with betrayal and we’re treated to a somewhat predictable ending. Notes for next season: Don’t kill-off Dre; doing so will cement the wedge between Noah and Wade and prove that Wade is no better than Noah at doing what is right. Enough with the Junito and Ricky open relationship. Let Junito be gone. Ricky can’t appreciate being loved and it’s making my stomach hurt just watching the ridiculous back-and-forth between these two. As for Trey and Alex – get your relationship heated up again before you bring a child into it. Didn’t we just get rid of one, very upsetting, dependent? Resident partners Eddie and Chance – finally a partnership that appears to thrive. Let’s make it hot and send in Kenya’s mom…maybe someone wants their parental rights back?

Foley Faux-Pas…Why the Gay Issue?
Mark Foley through a representative announced he is gay and had been molested while serving as an altar boy when he was a young boy. My question to the former Republican congressman is “What the heck does this have to do with him sending inappropriate instant messages and e-mail messages to teenage pages? In Foley’s defense, the underage young men in question were not children. Though this case is being portrayed as one involving pedophilia, the truth is the boys are at or above the legal age of consent in Washington, DC (16). That said, the story has gone from being a story of an inappropriate, hypocritical freak caught misusing resources, to this-probably-happened-because-he’s-a-repressed-gay-man. As a gay man, I’m outraged. Let us not forget that statistically speaking, 71% of pedophiles are heterosexual men. To be clear, pedophiles have sex with children, while gay men have sex with men. For the Republicans to allow the subject to now revolve around Foley’s homosexuality is absurd. Would this be a more or less heinous incident and embarrassing situation if Foley were straight? Let’s keep to the real issue at hand. Republicans knew that Foley was alleged to be engaging in inappropriate conduct with young pages years ago and did nothing – not even remove him from his position as head of a subcommittee for missing and exploited children. The issue is simple, Foley and those that were in the know and did nothing about this abuse of power and government resources need to be shoved as far from our elected posts as public servants and the cock-and-bull smoke screen of homosexuality as a front burner issue needs to be squashed. Keep it real.

On Blast
We recently tackled the love and pride issue, but there is yet another issue affecting love that this season of Noah’s Arc hinged on…love and trust. Do love and trust work hand-in-hand or is love able to flourish within a relationship without trust? One friend stated to me that without trust his relationship would dissolve among the worry of what his partner was doing when out of his sight, while other friends have mentioned that they have simply adjusted to a relationship that turns a blind eye to trust in the hopes of maintaining the love of their lives as their partners. What is your take? Does love require trust to survive within the confines of a relationship?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

Morning Edition - 10/3/06

Love Is Stronger Than Pride
By Sade

I won't pretend that I intend to stop living
I won't pretend I'm good at forgiving
But I can't hate you
Although I have tried
Mmmmm

I still really really love you
Love is stronger than pride
I still really really love you
Mmmmm

I won't pretend that I intend to stop living
I won't pretend I'm good at forgiving
But I can't hate you
Although I have tried
Mmmmm

I still really really love you
Love is stronger than pride
I still really really love you
Mm mm mm mm mm

Sitting here wasting my time
Would be like
Waiting for the sun to rise

It's all too clear things come and go
Sitting here waiting for you
Would be like waiting for winter

It's gonna be cold
There may even
Be snow

I still really really love you
Love is stronger than pride
I still really really love you
Love is stronger
I still really really love you
Love is stronger than pride

Living Your Truth
I was watching Oprah last night – yes, I watch Oprah sometimes – and the show involved individuals (and couples) who had accepted that they were gay and decided to be true to themselves and “live their truth.” It would appear that this show would have nothing to do with me since I’ve known I was gay virtually all my life and have been comfortable with me – always. So what line from the program captured my attention and had tears streaming down my face? It was a simple line… it always is. The line was, “Live your truth because life is too short.” The amazing thing is that I struggle to know (at 37!) what my truth is. Physically, I’m comfortable in my skin since I took control of maintaining a fit physique, but my inners are a flabby mess. I’m not connecting emotionally with my peers and I’m feeling an awkward sense of disconnect with my romantic partners. Today, I have to agree to face my fears, stop being a control freak and live my truth.

On Blast
We’ve all been there before….you come to a crossroad in your life when you have to decide. Is love really stronger than pride? Can you overcome some of those relationship woes, pitfalls and indiscretions to have love survive or does your pride prevent you from accepting what is? Is love really stronger than pride?

Keep passin’ the open windows…