A day at the MGLFF...

The Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is still going on. Mr. S and I volunteered on Sunday and saw the film "The Country Teacher". A Czech film in which I never sympathized with the lead (a gay male natural science teacher), but liked the female lead character (a strait, female mother of a 17 year old boy, who is a cow herder).

I volunteered on Monday and watched the 40th Ann. viewing of the Lesbian film "The Killing of Sister George". They showed the full/uncut version. Back then, the "sex scene" gave this film an X rating. Both those who had and had not seen it before enjoyed it.

The descriptions for the films on the website are fairly accurate. I was glad to see many familiar faces in the lines .... Plus, there seems to be a good amount of diversity in the attendance (age, gender, ethnicity, etc).... It is always a pleasure to enjoy a film in a theater full with a nice crowd...... and with some buttered popcorn and a large coke Slurpee!

MGLFF 2009

The Miami and the Ft. Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festivals started this week. I haven't even had time to post all my Miami Beach Gay Pride pics or tell some stories!


Mr. S and I will be volunteering at some of the screenings at the Regal Cinema and I will also be assisting at the Welcome Center at the Shore Club. I'm sure the crowd will be great.



After last year, the MGLFF had some drama filled changes. I was not sure if I was going to assist this year, but made the decision that anything that stimulates and benefits our whole community is something we should all support.

I saw Carol Coombes at the Miami Beach Pride and she is doing fine and well with the Philadelphia Film Festival. Our loss is their gain. She is looking well and she and her girlfriend are happy.

If you would like to attend any of the offerings (including a live performance by John Waters on May 1) go to: http://www.mglff.com/

Have a great weekend!

Grand Dame Henrietta - Pride Parade 2009

The Grand Dame Henrietta was chauffeured by DJ Leo and Shawn and escorted and recorded by The Mrs Astor.

Setting Up for Miami Beach Pride 2009

Mr S and I started at 6 AM on Saturday morning .......

AIDS Walk 2009

Mr. S and I (and many other people) had a really active weekend. I will post later about the Miami Beach Pride Event and other things. Right now, I have the time to thank all of you who donated to and supported me in the Miami AIDS Walk.

It was a beautiful morning and the there was a huge turn out. I was sore, tired and dragging, but was at the starting line at 8:45 AM with a smile and ready to go . Mr. S, Kendall and I walked the course and mingled and chatted with other participants along the way.

Twist and other local businesses were ready with cold water to give out and Red Bull was ready in their yearly spot on Espanola Way. It might seem like a small thing, but is very much needed and appreciated by all those walking. It was a very sunny and warm day.

As always, Mrs Blair was there volunteering with the group from St. Steven's and the Churches in the Grove group. There were visibly many more young people involved this year and the weather cooperated completely. We will continue to pray and wait for the day when we can gather together like this as a complete community to celebrate a cure.....

Volunteer Overdrive!

Today (4/18) is the Miami Beach Gay Pride. It is the first Pride event in over 10 years that has been done in the Miami area and there will be the first ever Gay Pride Parade (not a march .... a PARADE ... that means real floats!).

It is a day full of activities. I will be up early assisting with the building of the Twist Float. Then I will rush to costume change to be part of the TASK FORCE group in the parade.

The ever lovely and elegant Henrietta will be driven by DJ Leo and Shawn in a convertible. The Mrs. Astor will be using the new camcorder to record all the history.

The Grand Marshals for the Parade are Patti LaBelle (singer) and Richie Rich (Heatherette designer). There will be booths, music, etc all afternoon and at 6pm the crowds will disperse to the local watering holes and clubs for beverages, food and music.

On Sunday, we will be up early again for the AIDS Walk (http://www.aidswalkmiami.com/). Mr. S and I will be meeting Kendall, Loren, Raul and other walkers there. Hmm? Do you think it will be in bad taste to drink Sparkling Wine while on the route? Afterwards we will do brunch and play it by ear.

That is just the beginning for Mr S. me .... of course ..... the following week we will be volunteering for the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (MGLFF) http://www.mglff.com/. It has had a troubling year, but I will do my bit to support it. Not as much as last year, but I'll do what I can.

Along the way, I will attending a production meeting at the Fountainbleau on Monday for the Task Force's Miami Recognition Dinner that will be held there in October 2009 (LIV and the ballroom). We have been having productive meetings and are ahead of schedule for a few things.

Also, I have already agreed to be part of the Winter Party Festival Committee for 201o and already have the Facebook page up to date.

Whew! This is not counting the family stuff, Nicholas's School Projects, Church events and the odds and ends that happen ...

I hope all of you are having a a good Spring and support whatever you have a passion for......

April Birthdays...

I would like to wish the wonderful

THE MRS ASTOR

a fabulous

Happy Birthday!

Also today is the birthday of my Persian Princess, Poneh. She arrives this morning on the red-eye flight from California.

Sunday is Raul's birthday and we thing we will be celebrating after the AIDS Walk with his family and some friends.

I wish you all much health, love, friendship and many blesssings!

The Telescope is 400 years old....

Nicholas had a Solar System research paper and project due just before Spring Break. The whole 4th grade had a display day with the families. Here are some pics. They were very original and some parents were upset because the kids wanted to do it their own way ... as it should be.... FYI: Some projects did and did not include Pluto. They were given the choice.

Also, Nicholas received a 3rd place ribbon at the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair for his poem entitled " I Love Truffles". I will post it at a later date.

Easter Message 2009

The following is the Easter Message from

The Most Reverend Katherine Jefferts-Schori,

Presiding Bishop, The Episcopal Church

The light returns and the days lengthen, even if it remains startlingly dark as we rise these days -- daylight savings time is not always a blessing so early in the year! Christians, however, look for light even in the midst of darkness, for we know that darkness will not overcome it. The rising of the Son brings light into lives filled with grief, agony, and despair. Are you searching for the light of new life?

Easter recollects us and reorients us toward God's eternal light of truth and peace and love. The resurrection is the ultimate proclamation that nothing can separate us from the light, not despair or destruction or death. We see hints of that resurrection all around us once our eyes have learned to look, and we continue to hope for its fullness, for the blessing of a light so encompassing that there can be no darkness or separation. Lent has been a willingness to experience the darkness of our current separation and tune our yearning for that light. Carry that yearning into Eastertide, and beyond, that we and the world around us may know the blessing of the light of Christ.

"Danger, Religion! Handle With Care" An Essay by Bishop Frade

Danger, Religion! Handle With Care

Sometimes religion gives faith a bad name. How many times have we seen intolerance disguised as faith? Instead of glorifying God, that kind of religion is used as a tool to impose one group’s beliefs on others.
There are plenty of examples, recently and throughout history, of misusing the good that is religious faith to cause evil.

On 9/11/2001 we witnessed death and destruction caused by misguided religious fanatics using passenger planes to crash into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Earlier that same year we had seen the same kind of perversion of Islam in a terrible act of vandalism by the Taliban, who claimed that their strong and unwavering belief in God required them to dynamite the Buddhas of Bamyan, obliterating the two massive sixth-century statues of Buddha carved into the side of a cliff in central Afghanistan.

During my pilgrimage in Egypt in January, I saw examples of the deliberate defacing of Egyptian hieroglyphics, first by Christians and later by Muslims, because both believed that the “pagan” images were evil.

Zealous Spanish Roman Catholic priests burned and destroyed a treasure of Aztec literature in Mexico, also trying to erase anything that had to do with a “pagan” religion.In the name of God, both Protestants and Catholics justified slavery as a way to bring “heathens” into the Christian faith.

It is sad to know that at the same time that the Shinto-Buddhist government of Japan was killing Jesuit missionaries and their Christian converts, the Catholic Inquisition was killing Protestants and Jews in Europe.

Over the centuries the Inquisition, which began with the intent of preserving the purity of the faith, had more than 40,000 individuals tortured and killed Anglicans, who suffered at the hands of Roman Catholic “Bloody Mary” in 16th century England, cannot criticize her too harshly; when Protestant Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne, the Protestants then managed to torture, burn and kill Roman Catholics, because they professed a different interpretation of the faith.

Unfortunately, we have not advanced much since those dark days: Religious intolerance is still part of our daily life. We may not burn witches anymore, but instead we now use more sophisticated ways to discriminate against, exclude and denigrate those who are different from us.

Here in Southeast Florida we have had our share of attacks and burning of Jewish synagogues and Islamic temples, as well as threats against people because of their race, religion or sexual preference, or because they are recent immigrants to this country.

Intolerance is not only in Northern Ireland, India, Pakistan or the Middle East; it is also spreading in our Episcopal Church.

One of the reasons I was attracted to the Episcopal Church was because you don’t have to surrender your brain, or who you are, as you come into church. That meant that I was going to encounter others who would have different ideas and who might be different from me in every way—except in our love for the same Lord. We all could pray together from the same Book of Common Prayer, regardless of whether we did it standing up or on our knees, with incense or with tambourines, in modern or archaic English, or in any of the countless other languages of this planet.

I miss the days when our only litmus test for being “in” was if we loved God with all our heart, soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves. It saddens me when in the name of the purity of religion some try to destroy and divide our church, and ostracize those who are different or express another opinion.Please note that I am not naming any one side on any one issue or referring to any specific ethnic or cultural group. I am speaking of anyone, of any background or theological position, who uses his or her belief as a weapon to denigrate any other child of God.

Let’s stop using God as an excuse to discriminate against and put down those whose beliefs, religious practice, sex, race, national origin, language, social class or sexual orientation may be different from ours.

I hope and pray that we in this diocese will continue respecting each other, regardless of our stance on issues in the church and in our society. Our tent is large enough for conservatives, moderates and liberals to pray together without needing to deface what is holy to others, as Christians and Muslims have done to some of the Egyptian antiquities, by taking over property or trying to expel those who disagree.

If we are unable to reconcile our opinions with each other then let’s do our best to unite our hearts.

+Leo Frade

DECK-52

Tonight Mr. S and I are going to a House Party in South Miami. There will be live music (No DJ's !) by the local Classic Rock band "Deck-52". Most of them are Miami natives, two are doctors and they play local clubs and events.

It is far and few times we get to go and see live perfomers that are there for your entertainment to enjoy and dance to. I have seen them before and I enjoy them very much.

You can check them out on their website at: http://www.deck-52.com/

You can also see and hear them at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/DECK52BAND

Enjoy the weekend!

"America's Got Talent": The good, the bad, the ugly

Tuesday evening, Tommy, Eddie, Raul and I went to the second of four tapings of America's Got Talent at the Fillmore, Miami Beach. The tickets were free, so there was a crowd and a line when we arrived. The humidity was high and made it uncomfortable to be outdoors (especially if you followed the dress code of "hip and upscale"). The few chosen performers from these 4 tapings will go on the the live show in Las Vegas with a chance to win One Million Dollars and perform in Las Vegas.

The handlers were not that great at giving directions and letting the crowd know the procedures and how everything was going to happen. At first, all we saw were large groups of under 18 kids dressed nice and looking with anticipation. We went to the end of the line/crowd ..... lucky for us. We ended up standing in front of where they were recording the 3 judges arriving. "Okay, Scream. Okay, wave. Okay, clap. Look excited." were the words yelled at us while they individually arrived in the same Towncar (They got out, then the car backed up and the next one got in and did their entrance.)

THE JUDGES:

First, was David Hasselhoff. Dressed all in white with a hat. He wasn't as tall as I thought he was. If he had put on a little more make-up he could would have looked like one of the bad JC Penny mannequins ... Maybe the make-up artist was a mortician? The crowd yelled and screamed and he signed autographs and shook hands (they all did). More about this "tool" in a bit....

Second, Piers Morgan. Dressed in a nice suit, no tie. Much more handsome and nicer in person. Some of the guys were taking second and third looks.

Third, Sharon Osborne (the crowd favorite). She was dressed in black pants, jacket, long coat, and a black and white frilly top. The pants were way too long on her ... you could not see her shoes and she was stepping on the cuffs. She looked great!

GETTING IN

After waiting in line and letting the family and friends of performers in, the hoards of kid dispersed and got into school buses and left! The tickets said 6:00 PM, we arrived at 5:30 and were not let in until about 6:45 PM. Those staying were not allowed to take cell phones or cameras in and they were taken, bagged with a claim ticket for you to retrieve later. (Eddie snuck in his I-Phone)

Patience and humor was the key....and there were some cuties and fashion victims to look at and talk about.

THE SHOW

Some of the low lights:

The first group was literally a mess. A dance/performance art troupe that danced while splattering themselves with paint. OUT!

A red, white and blue caped man on rollerblades and covered with flashing lights juggling illuminated balls .... OUT!

A smiling,peppy, Georgia Peach in way too tight clothing attempting to sing It's in His Kiss (Shoop shoop song) just like Cher. OUT! Actually, booed loudly and OUT! (How dare she attempt that in this town!)

The spastic singing cowboy. He sang Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy. Wore all black including a hat. He said he was a country James Brown and badly danced, slid and wriggled all over the stage. The song was energetic and he was entertaining, but was not voted through.

Some of the highlights:

The best, I thought, was a 14 year old Latin girl who sang a song from Dreamgirls and brought the house down. My choice for this evening. TO VEGAS! NOTE: Her mom and dad were there and they were HOT!

The Robots. Hard to explain. Imagine 4 giant cylons from the original "Battlestar Gallactica" playing instruments and break dancing. Looked great, need to work on the music, but they get to go on to the next step. TO VEGAS!

A dance troupe that ranged in age from 16 to 25. Very good and need to tighten it up. They did a "dance off" dressed as different artists (Brittany, Beyonce, Jonas Bros, Jennifer Lopez). TO VEGAS!

Notable that did not make it through:

(We liked him) A lifesize puppeteer dressed in drag with identically dressed mannequins to his left and right (he was white, one doll was black and the other a light tan). They danced in unison to "Earls Gotta Die". It was a hoot, but they were buzzed out by all three judges.

THE DRAMA:

There was a mediocre magician with a predictable act. He gave his "I've lost everything in this economy" story. After debate, he was given a chance and given the chance to go to the next step. After being told yes, they brought out their three small children with the youngest carrying a teddy bear ... touching, but cheesy. This is where David Hasselhoff made the audience turn against him. He was the only judge voting "NO". (FYI: You need 2 out of 3 to win a vote to stay or go). David got up and argued with Piers for a bit and then had a tantrum and left the stage. The 3 judges were taken off stage and the taping stopped for about 15 minutes. Now, to let you know, David was the only judge that was continually getting his make up and hair touched up at every break between performances. He needed to button up his shirt, sit there and have his discussion off stage. The audience was entertained, but not amused. Some of the audiece left after this unprofessional moment.

OTHER:

The four of us sat behind four enthusiastic and very witty black women and we all got along great. It made for fun conversation and some of the things we said about the acts and the judges made some in the seats around us either gasp in shock ("Yes, he went there" and "Oh, no he d'int" type comments) or laugh outloud ...

Overall it was an enjoyable experience and we will see if our images come out on television. Maybe we will be superstars!

Spring has sprung.....

Spring is here and I am slowly getting back into some routine and getting my energy back. Happening #24 last weekend was great ..... got little sleep .... Nicholas, his mom and my sis are heading to Orlando this weekend and it will be the first time my mom has the house to herself since Irma's passing. The visits and calls from family and friends are very much appreciated, but we need time to decompress and "chill".

This weekend I have the De-brief meeting for the Winter Party Festival and they will begin the plans for 2010. I am on the committee for the Miami Recognition Dinner in October and those meetings began in February. Mr S and I will be volunteering for the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (MGLFF), but I will not be planning anything for that ... we will just work it. April is also the AIDS walk and the Miami Beach Gay Pride.

In between all this I will be getting a room ready for Nicholas at my house. It will be easier on all of us if the school bus drops him off there. Then we don't have to scramble to be at his house when he gets home from school when his mom is out of town or at a meeting.

I am taking some time off from planning some of the youth events. There are two coming up and I will support, but will not be in the planning etc. The next Happening is in October.

OH! March 31 and April 1, "America's Got Talent" will be taping at the Fillmore in Miami Beach. I have 4 tickets and will be going on Tuesday with some friends that like the show.... (Mr. S is not interested and is thankful someone else wants to go...).

Will update later.....and will post some pics and other stories....

Until later....
Again, Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, friendship and support this last week......

Thank you ...

It's been a long week. Irma was laid to rest on Monday (with the ashes of her dog, Sparky, in the coffin)....

I thank all of you for your prayers, sympathy and support.

I have yet to have some real quiet time and I will be at a youth event this weekend, so it will have to wait until next week. At least I got a little rest, thanks to Mr. S's insistence....
I will have some stories to tell later......
Until later .... Thank you!

Irma is at Peace.....

Saturday, March 14, 2009 at 3 AM, Irma M Rodriguez passed away peacefully. She was at home and was with Mom, the nurse from VITAS and my cousin. My younger sis and I were there shortly after. I'm sure my father, grandmother and a whole company of angels were there to receive her.

After 5 years of being in a vegetative state and 5 months of hospice care, I was mentally prepared, but not completely ready.

We spent the last two days with family and family friends remembering and telling stories. We all remember her smile, humor, temper, caring and sensitivity.

We will be having the Viewing on Sunday at:

Caballero Rivero Woodlawn
Westchester Chapel
8200 Bird Road
Miami, Fl 33155
305.227.3344



We will have a service on Monday at the Funeral Home and then the burial will be at:
Graceland Memorial Park
4420 SW 8th Street
Miami, FL

Thank you all for your support and prayers.

Dame Edna:My First Last Tour

Tonight, Mr. S, some friends and I are going to the opening night of "Dame Edna: My First Last Tour" at the Parker Playhouse in Ft. Lauderdale. It is one of about 20 performances scheduled at this intimate venue. I'm sure it will be a hoot!

Hope all of you are doing well. Will catch up later... Peace!

LGBT Family Picnic

"We are family"..... I know many people have been posting about the great fun and events of last week. I am so glad everyone had an enjoyable time. The weather certainly cooperated. These are pic I received from the Family Picnic. I will post pics from other events as time permits me to do so. Enjoy!

Winter Party Festival - continued

This will be quick, since my head is still spinning and I am running on super OCD/ADD mode this week.
Well, the Departure Lounge opening event went well. Everyone was great....
I made a stop at the Palace for their Wed. Ladies nite and ran into old friends from my "Girls of the Night" Days (FYI: I was made an official Lesbian back then)...
Tonight, I was at Trinity Cathedral with the Interfaith Service Chair to turn away those that showed up for the cancelled event. (Planning something for June). AND, I took Nicholas for a haircut, helped with homework and his Constellation Orion Power Point Project (this is only 4th Grade!!).

The weekend Winter Party Festival events will continue for me with the Shopping events at Kiehl's and Diesel on Lincoln Rd with stop at Halo on Friday. Pool Party on Saturday (just for a bit), Women's Jazz Brunch at the Van Dyke on Sunday .... maybe the Beach Party. Between that assisting the Welcome Center when needed and might be called to assist with two of the Women's evening parties (if Mr. S agrees)....

Then during the week, some rest before I get into the swing of a big meeting I have on Tues and an overnight meeting the following weekend in West Palm Beach for Happening #24.

The Countess looks wonderful (she has everyone entranced), Penny was great at the TERI table, Mr and Mrs Astor were elegant as always and Daniela Sea (from the L-Word is beautiful, very friendly and gracious ...will see her again during the weekend).

Will post pics when I am able. I received my camera on Tuesday and was able to start taking pics. Hopefully, the official event photographer for the Picnic will send me some copies.

Whatever you are doing this weekend, enjoy and be kind to each other!

Busy day, Reflective day, testing my nerves day...

A lot of things are going on today and I am determined to take things calmly and with stride, determination and humility....

My sis, Irma, has been in distress the last couple of days and Vitas (God Bless them!) has had her on 24 hr nursing care at home. So, my Mom has a little more support. We have to make a decision about replacing the feeding tube, but the procedure can not be done while she is not breathing correctly...

Today, is the official start of The Winter Party Festival. Tonight is the Departure Lounge at the Surfcomber (free event). I am hoping to catch up with some people and looking forward to being there with Mr. S.

I have been caught up in some WPF event drama, which I will not give details about. Final is that the Interfaith Service was cancelled.

A group of Episcopal young adults will be in town this weekend and I am looking forward to seeing Douglas Fenton, The Young Adult Ministries staff person from the National Office.

Happening #24 is coming along and I have a meeting on Tues 3/3 at the event location with the other coordinator and the host parish. I am trying to get the logistics stuff done before then.

Today is Ash Wednesday and I will be going to the noon service at Trinity Cathedral. I am hoping it will calm me and leave me prepared for the rest of Lent.

AND lastly ..... I can now have photographic evidence! I received my new camera Tuesday evening!!!

Winter Party Festival 2009 is here!

Update: The picnic was great!!! At least 250 people showed up. Thank you all that supported the event!!

I am getting into my giant hamster ball and getting a running start. Winter Party Festival is almost officially here. I attended the first volunteer orientation last night and have the second on Saturday. Saturday night is the "By invitation only" Cocktail Reception with South Beach Aids Project (SOBAP) where they will present their Safer Sex Campaign for this year.

Sunday is the event I am the chair of: The LGBT Family Picnic. I have wrangled Mr. S to volunteer and Miss Vickie and Penny will be attending. I am providing them a space to display for TERI (Transgender Equality Rights Initiative).

There is a week long series of meetings and events I need to and want to go to. I have already agreed to chair one of the events next year (more on that after I confirm it).

The weather looks like it is going to cooperate. The Countess will be attending with her entourage of beautiful boys ... ( I can already see the jealous glances ) and during the week there will be some special guests. Judge David Young will host the VIP Reception, Daniela Sea (Max from Showtime's "The L-Word"), and Nicole Henry will perform at the Jazz Brunch. Other rumored attendees: The winner of last year's design star and one of the cast members from last year's Real World .... I'm sure everyone will have a great time.

For more information on the Winter Party Festival (events and tickets) or the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force go to the following:

www.winterparty.com

www.thetaskforce.org

Photographic Evidence ....

I have not had a camera since Tommy Decker's Birthday. I left my camera on a table while I was getting some balloons and when I returned, it was chipped on the side and the lens would not open. I could turn it on and look at the pictures I had taken, but that was about it.

Mr. S has been having fun with it .... Every time we go out or go to an event he says "Where's your camera?" and then chuckles.....(he knows I have been going cold turkey and having withdrawls). This was especially hard during the B-52's concert where everyone was clicking away ... I had to take his phone to take at least 3 (though bad quality) pictures.

So... My birthday was this week and Mr. S and my sis (knowing that I am particular) gave me gift cards to get a camera. It was out of stock at the store so it is being shipped to me and (hopefully) will be here by Friday (just in time for the Winter Party Festival Events!!!).

Soon, I will again be able to post new pics and have photographic evidence of people, places and things that I see, run into and experience.

Oh!... I am getting a Panasonic Lumix DMCLZ8s because I have liked the brand's versatility and quality.

Catch you later! Have a good ending to the week!

...because weekends were made for fun ....

The long weekend is here and my family has not made it easy for planning on what to do for my birthday.

It is also a difficult weekend for Mr. S, since my b-day is two days after Valentine's day. I told him only one gift please....but I know he won't listen.

So....Friday is up in the air. We might go to the opening of Edison Farrow's and the Wire's new Friday nite "Funplex". Openings are always good .. Tiffany will be at the door and Daisy D. will be the DJ. For sure we will be hitting Twist and hang with the regulars and not so regulars...

Saturday is Valentine's Day ..... We are not sure what we will be doing, but I have already bought a basket full of little gifts .... Twist is having a Red Party and the Cinematique is having a screening of a 1929 silent film with live accompaniment (including an opera singer) and some wine, cheese and chocolate. 'The girls" are also having special shows and drink specials at the Palace. We might hit our favorite "Cafe Maurice" for dinner or cook at home and have a Couch evening ... We'll leave it to which ever way the wind blows....

Sunday we are hitting the Palace Food Bar for their new "Brunchic". They have a price fixed menu of $25.00 with mimosas or you can pay as you go. It is from

11 AM to 3 PM with a show at 1 PM. I expect it will be a nice afternoon on Ocean Drive.

Monday is my birthday day. Mr. S. has to work in the morning, so I will be hitting the Coconut Grove Art's Festival and the St. Stephen's Art Festival with my sis, friends and some of the kids. Later we will pick up Mr. S and head to my mom's for dinner (Arroz con Mariscos ... which is like a paella with only sea food)....and of course cheese cake! (I like cheese cake on my b-day). If time permits, then I will spend the rest of the evening with Mr. S (maybe hit Twist again or have a TV night catching up on the recorded DVR shows).

Whew!

Then, the rest of the week (and month) I will be in full Winter Party Committee mode and Happening planning OCD mode. Watch out ... it might not be pretty.... PLEASE stop me if you see me going over board!!! Mr. S. says he needs a shovel to hit me on the side of the head when needed .......

Whatever you do, Have a great Valentine's Day, President's Day and weekend.

NOTE: Have a good time at the Rufus concert in Philly Miss Vickie!!!

More theater.....

Today there are too many events going on. Thomas Barker is revealing his "Wire's Hottest Bachelors" at Halo with a Bachelor Party, Geraldine and Fernan DCute are hosting "2 Divas 2 Birthdays 2 Years" at the Palace. They are celebrating their birthdays and 2 years of Queen Cabaret performing at the Palace with some free adult beverages and shows.

Mr. S and I will be dressing up and going to see Bernadette Peters at the Broward Center. (It was one of his Christmas gifts to me.) She is an adorable diva and I am glad we get to see her only show down here.

This is definitely a change from last Saturday when we saw the B-52's at the Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason. It was high energy and they did not disappoint. We had a blast! We even got invited to an after-party, but had a prior commitment, though on Sunday, I did bump into Fred Schneider (male singer of the group) at Starbucks on Washington Ave.....

Well ... got some writing to do and some details to work out for the Winter Party (coming up soon!).... Have a good Hump Day......

The February Birthdays!!!

Many February Birthdays coming up..... They are all good people.
I would like to wish my Water Bearer brothers and sisters
"A Happy Aquarius Birthday"

(and Pisces to those at the end of the month)

Just to name a few:

ME!!!!

David F.

Ra (Happy 40th! Looking forward to your visit next week.)
Vashti
Stephanie
Ms. Geraldine
Fernan D. Cute
Henry (Separated at conception...born the same day and year as me)
Eduardo
Rev. Doug Z. (I still remember being your chaparone at EYE in 1987)
Sandy S.
Mark V.
B & T Mark
The Fisher Twins (a.k.a The German Twins ... Congrats on the marriage!)
Carmen Rosa
Rosita
Noel (can you believe we've known each other for 23 years!)
Will
Luis B. (You still have permission to hit my sister...)
Jimmy

(I apologize if a missed your name, let me know and I will add it.)

I wish you many blessings, health, love and friendship!

Celebrate and Enjoy!

Mr S. has is rough with me because my birthday is two days after Valentine's Day. I keep telling him "choose one or the other". This year we have a friend visiting for the weekend and I am deep busy with planning the Departure Lounge - The Opening Night Reception of the Winter Party Festival. As usual, The Miami Boat Show and the Coconut Grove Arts Festival are both going on that weekend. Maybe a nice champagne brunch will work.....