You know you do this too.

This made me laugh until I cried. Next American Idol? I think so.

When I Knew

This book looks to be really interesting. It's a collection of personal stories from some prominent and not-so-prominent figures in gay society about when they knew they were "of the Oscar Wilde sort."

Personally, I knew I was gay when I was more interested in checking out Billy Corcoran's backside in gym class than in keeping my eye on the ball. Although, now that I think about it I should have known much earlier. My favorite song as a kid was Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon." Five-year-olds in drag are hilarious.

Thanks to Towleroad for the heads up.

May the Force be with you.

I know most people are probably tired of hearing about it, but I thought Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was fantastic.

This will come as no surprise to those who know me, as I have been a longtime Star Wars fan. They are the first movies I can remember really loving as a kid, which then turned into a childhood obsession with collecting any and all Star Wars action figures I could find. And, admittedly, this obsession has started anew with the new line of plastic Jedi and friends. I adore my new Yoda.

When the new trilogy was announced, I -- like many of my fellow sci-fi nerds -- was ready to dedicate myself heart and soul to George Lucas for making me the happiest man in this galaxy not so far, far away. My jubilation at the release of Episode I exceeded all bounds. I was about to relive all of that childhood awe and wonder that had all too quickly been replaced with cynicism and the Realpolitik of life. But then came the Beast -- and its number was Jar Jar Binks. Mr. Lucas once again proved that he should not be allowed anywhere near his own creations. I was colossally disappointed, a disappointment that was only partially abated by a fantastic lightsaber duel between Yoda and Count Dooku (jeez, what a dumb name) in Episode II.

And now, Episode III. With trepidation I approached the counter and bought my ticket. I was unsure that what was left of my childhood could take another punch in the gut, for what the previous two Episodes had accomplished was unreal to me. They had taken away not just the memory of a movie, but a mythos beyond my circumscribed world. In my heart of hearts, I feel like I had believed there really was some ancient civilization many suns away, one that believed in an all-powerful Force, where the Rebel Alliance kept the faith in spite of incredible oppression, where swaggering rogues like Han Solo could take the high ground in an uncharacteristic act of selflessness, and where epic battles played out the timeless duel between Good and Evil. Episodes I and II destroyed all of that by taking these huge themes and ruining them with bad writing, horrendous acting, and worst of all, ill-timed and overplayed jokes. The saga of the Galactic Republic was turned into kid's play.

Mr. Lucas has redeemed himself with Episode III. Sure, there are the lifeless love scenes, and the wooden acting still remains, and the dialogue still doesn't sparkle with rapier wit. But forget about all of that. What has returned is that magic, that sense of grandeur of mythic proportions that has been sorely missing over the past two episodes. We've all had to deal with our Dark Sides, and the plot of Episode III will surely resonate with us for that reason -- the Jedi feeling helpless during the inexorable rise of the cruel Sith Emperor, the sense of loss and sadness at Anakin Skywalker's betrayal, and the glimmer of hope when baby Luke is delivered to his aunt and uncle on Tatooine. Who cannot identify with those ageless emotions?

So I thank you, Mr. Lucas, for giving back to me -- to us -- what we have long been wanting. May the Force be with you, and with us all.

"Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome...Fremde, étranger, stranger..."

Welcome to my inaugural posting! Inevitably, a blogger will have to make some sort of justification for the vanity pursuit that is blogging about one's life. I make no such justification. If people like what I write about, that's great...if not, well, there are plenty of blogs out there that need readers. Go make some internet geek happy.

If you do stay and read on, I hope you'll comment. Or e-mail. Or IM. Whatever your fancy. I always love hearing from new people, which is (in large part) why I'm doing this in the first place. Dialogue is essential to any human understanding of the world and all it has to offer, and plus, it's just plain fun. So in the following days, whatever I should happen to write about -- be it politics, pop culture, art, masturbation, or my latest life crisis -- please say hi. It will be most welcome.

One note, before I sign off on this bad boy...pictures will be included soon. For many complicated reasons involving my computer situation, I can't post them yet. I hope to remedy this within the week. Cheers, y'all.