Being careful not to show the kids, we took fosters Millie and Lana with us to Saint Dominic Catholic School in Benicia for the Saint Francis of Assisi Blessing of the Animals. Linda and I went last year with our dear friend Carlene and her Mister Wiggles. They were missed, but Millie and Lana were good ambassadors for the Humane Society of the North Bay. We’re very grateful for the school’s continued support of our local shelter here in Vallejo.
A friend of mine was disappointed by the excessive promotion of smoking in Sam Smith’s promotional video for his residency at the Castro Theater when it reopens. His online complaints raised some interest and then a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle was also referred to me for comment.
My other comments to my friend about the video were:
Thanks for sharing this unfortunate tobacco advertisement dressed up as a cover from Sam Smith. My comments on the Youtube page pointing out the product placement were immediately removed. I seem to have hit a nerve when I pointed out that Sam Smith would never jeopardize his own voice with the poison of commercial tobacco, but he has no problem depicting all these queers in the Castro harming themselves and normalizing it to help Big Tobacco kill as many of us prematurely as possible. QUEER LIVES ARE NOT CHEAP!
This is a very special photograph from today’s Vallejo Fest, where Shea and I tabled for a few hours on behalf of the Humane Society of the North Bay. This fireman, who was helping us sell a fundraising 2026 calendar with Vallejo Firefighters and HSNB dogs, posed with Snoopy and me. He saved Snoopy (foster dog Peaches was also brought out to me, but it might have been from another fireman) when, sadly, five of my dogs died that horrible day. He understood that I have very foggy memories of that day, which was the worst day of my life, but he was so kind to Snoopy and me today. The story is mentioned in the November 2026 picture on the calendar that they posed for.
In previous years it was called Vallejo Waterfront Weekend, but this year it’s one day.
This media for the event is also special because it has our foster Marshall on the cover!
Generally the second day (Sundays) in years past was very slow. It’s a fundraiser for many non-profits here in Vallejo.
From others:
Visiting cats and kittens at the new Catio at Humane Society of the North Bay today. Apply to foster and adopt at HSNB!
Today I got to wander around the newly completed Catio myself. I would love it if the Humane Society of the North Bay regularly had a Cat Cafe set up here. We’ll look into that possibility, as I know it was discussed in the past. We will be adding more seating and encourage people to come visit this gorgeous structure that makes life at HSNB much more exciting for the homeless cats waiting to be adopted. The cats and kittens can be observed from the outside as well. There were a lot of friendly, beautiful cats there today.
Shea and I attended Fresh Air Vallejo’s Community Forum for Environmental Advocacy and Education!
Pete Keg-breath is a die-hard Pogonophobe! What’s wrong Drunky McIron Cross Tattoo Racist? Can’t manage your own facial growth, so you want to control everyone else with a form of expression for cultural and other reasons? As if this lame administration in the USA isn’t destructive enough? What a clown show.
A lovely couple in nearby Crockett brought their dogs over to meet our beautiful foster dog Dolly, who has been with us for several months. Dolly was extremely attached to me, so I warned them that she would be very shy and suspicious of them, but they can take her on a trial basis and will see that she’ll be very happy to be with them in due course. I’m so proud of Dolly and love her. She looks so much like my Snoopy and has some similar characteristics.
As a foster dad to dogs, it feels good to physically hand a young, healthy dog like her over to a family that will take such good care of her forever. It is very rewarding to make a space in my life so someday I can help another dog who doesn’t fare well in the shelter environment with at least a temporary place to go, especially if that dog has special needs or is senior, for example. Tomorrow is National Black Dog Day! Animals like Dolly are statistically passed over more often because of their black coats, believe it or not. People are really missing out!
What a load of crap, thanks to Cankles McTaco Tits and his economy! For years, I’ve used these coffee pods, which are mostly biodegradable. I even empty out the coffee to compost them when I’m done. I thought I was seeing things recently when the scissors to cut the netting became closer and closer to the lid. Then I realized that despite the prices of a case going UP significantly, they literally have LESS coffee in each pod now! I wish I had a “before” picture, but I never thought I’d have to be in this situation. That means that my fuel to get through the day is now compromised for each cup of coffee with less caffeine for MORE money.
Here we go again. EBAR features a lesbian artist and just had to normalize smoking and tobacco usage/addiction, which affects the LGBTQ population at much higher rates due to our community being targeted by commercial tobacco poison pushers. For shame EBAR! It’s bad enough EBAR takes tobacco advertising that sometimes attempts to make it look like it’s an objective article. Last year I penned a response to them doing that, but the targeting of our community is still happening, and people need to speak up. Why the FUCK did this woman need to have a cigar in her hand? Does that imply “success”?!? I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!
Robert Redford, the director, actor, and activist, died in his sleep last night at age 89.
I shed a few tears for him this morning. I admired him in so many ways, but of course, as one of Streisand’s co-stars, he will always be associated with her in the “corners of my mind. “
While historically I only played piano by ear, because of Redford, I forced myself to learn treble clef. Playing the trombone in middle and high school, I only read bass clef fluidly. However, my dad really loved “The Sting” and the theme song, so I meticulously learned every chord to “The Entertainer,” and I still play it to this day when I practice piano.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m an uber-fan of Streisand. There are many layers to “The Way We Were” movie that most people are unaware of, even if they have seen the outtakes that Streisand released years later. They completely change the film from a romantic-political movie to a political movie with romance.
I’m going to have to arrange a movie night for it, and perhaps several of my favorite movies of hers, so that I can also teach some of the younger gays and other interested people about well-made films, another era of time, and of course the magic of Streisand on screen, as if her preternatural voice wasn’t enough to make one love her.
I minored in film and think I would have made a good director. While I was in law school, I noted that quite a number of famous directors had law degrees. Indeed, my alma mater, Brooklyn Law School, is known for its concentration of entertainment lawyers. So not only did my dad love Redford’s movies, he was a fervent Streisand appreciator. When I was 14 her presence hit me like a ton of bricks. Clicking through channels, I saw her sing “My Man.” After that, I followed suit to a further extent in my gay own way. I now have a long history of mixing with the great community of Streisand fans.
