A View From The Rubble
Frustration mounts as oil seeps into Gulf wetlands
Louisiana fishermen losing patience over spill
UN fears 'irreversible' damage to natural environment
One way you can help?
Use less and do some manual shit for a change. Your heart and mind will thank you...
And for Christ's sake,
STOP USING A GASOLINE POWERED VIBRATOR.
I will if you will.
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We're going to New York, bishes! That's right, we'll be performing in SOHO, July 14th thru July 17th.
Am I excited, you ask? Well, I keep whizzing in my panties, so maybe... But then again, it might be the booze. At least I'm not whizzing in other people's panties. Although, that would be fine too. And god knows I've tried.
So, until July in NYC, from May 8th thru the 29th, you can catch us at Cleveland Public Theatre. And if you come, I promise not to whizz in your panties. Not while you're looking anyway.
Nicole Perrone (Photo Credit: Steve Wagner)
“I like walking because it is slow, and I suspect that the mind, like the feet, works at about three miles an hour. If this is so, then modern life is moving faster than the speed of thought – or thoughtfulness.”
CPT is proud to present the World Premiere of
WANDERLUST: A HISTORY OF WALKING
Adapted + Directed by Matthew Earnest
from the book by Rebecca Solnit
Onstage in the James Levin Theatre May 8 - May 29 at 7:30PM
(with paid previews May 6 and 7; a matinee on Sunday May 16; and a Monday night performance on May 17)
I'm the one with the biggest nostrils. And JUST LOOK AT my handsome fellow cast members! They're beautiful. And I mean that in every sense of the word. (Photo Credit: Steve Wagner)
WANDERLUST opens with a team of paleoanthropologists examining the bones of a recently discovered 3.2 million year-old hominid they have named Lucy, and moves from the peripatetic lectures of the Greeks to modern tourism, from labyrinths to treadmills, from 19th century mountaineering to ancient religious pilgrimage, from Dr. King's civil rights marches to the cake-walk of American slaves, from Jane Austen's strolling couples to Dante's trek through purgatory, and ultimately, to Las Vegas, Solnit's symbol of a post-Walking America.
Performed by:
Kevin S. Charnas (that's me, bishes)
Alexis Generette Floyd
Trae Hicks
Nicole Perrone
Jonathan Ramos
Pandora Robertson
Adam Thatcher
Scene Design: Matthew Earnest with Curtis Young
Costume Design: Alison Garrigan
Lighting Design: Daniel Shreckengost
Sound Design: James Kosmatka
Lucy skeleton: William Bezek (She's GORGEOUS. Fantastic job, Will!)
Choreography: Matthew Earnest with the company
Stage Manager: Lindsay Carter
I'm the one with the biggest chin. (Photo Credit: Steve Wagner)
"It starts with a step and then another step and then another that add up like taps on a drum: the most obvious and the most obscure thing in the world, it wanders readily into religion, philosophy, landscape, urban policy, anatomy, allegory and heartbreak."
"Wanderlust: A History of Walking"
Well, this calls for a celebration. Wine and cowboy boots for everyone!
I'm the one with the wine and cowboy boots. (Photo credit: Matthew Earnest)
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Gulf Oil Spill reaches shore...
If you're so inclined, you may sign this petition to my baby's daddy telling him to back the F off of our coasts (through the Sierra Club).
And if you'd like to Volunteer for the Oil Spill Recovery, you may do so here.
Can we please be done fucking shit up?
Please?
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So, I heard the following quote yesterday on NPR and loved it.
"Kids need to think that you care, before they care what you think."
And could this not resonate for all children; from one to one hundred and twenty-two?
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Coast Guard will start burning some Gulf slick oil
China ship 'gouged two-mile scar' in Great Barrier Reef
A 2nd garbage patch: Plastic soup seen in Atlantic
If you're so inclined, please sign: Protect Our Oceans From Offshore Drilling
And if you're so inclined, please sign: Tell EPA to Set Strong Limits on Water Pollution!
And one more... Just because someone's gettin' silly and being a fucker: Sign the petition and tell the President to keep his promise to save the whales.
25 Wasteful Things You Can Live Without
We LIVE here. And up until recently (historically speaking), oil and plastic (made from petroleum products) had nothing to do with living.
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So... If you'll allow me to pontificate (as if you haven't already), what if...
Heaven WAS Earth?
Four Things You Can Do Right Now To Celebrate Mother Earth (via "Environmental Defense Fund")
1) Climate: There is no environmental issue more urgent than climate change. And the Senate is poised to bring up new legislation as early as next week, giving us perhaps our last, best hope to solve the climate crisis.
Please take action now: Tell your Senators to support a strong climate and energy bill.
2) Health: America's toxic chemical standards are outdated and weak. Of more than 80,000 chemicals that have entered the market, only about 200 have been required to be tested. Every American alive today, including newborn babies, has hundreds of these chemicals flowing through our bloodstreams.
Please take action now: Tell your members of Congress to support stronger toxic chemicals standards.
3) Oceans: America's fisheries are in trouble – Overfishing, wasteful bycatch and other threats are pushing our fisheries to the brink and endangering our marine ecosystems. But an innovative fishery management tool called catch shares offers hope.
Please take action now: Tell your members of Congress to support funding for new catch shares.
4) Wildlife: Thanks to hard-won conservation funding in the 2008 Farm Bill, ranchers, farmers and other private landowners can be rewarded for helping protect America's endangered wildlife. But a new Senate proposal would cut these critical conservation resources.
Please take action now: Tell your Senators to protect conservation initiatives in the Farm Bill.
And if you just don't know what else to do? How about planting a tree...
It'll give us a place to hang out. And we can be ourselves...
How You Live Matters.
*** Earth Day: No more burning rivers, but new threats
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This is so fricking cute, I can barely contain myself... (And trust me, you have to watch it to at least 1:20. It's well worth it.)
If you're so inclined, you may sign this petition asking China to enact an Animal Protection Law. (Did you know it's actually still legal for them to skin animals alive? They say it's easier to remove their fur when the animals are warm... Nice, huh? And stop buying shit from China, bishes... Seriously. Do you really need that shit? And if it isn't lead-tainted, or poisoned somehow, do you really think it's quality?? Come on... On human rights, animal rights, the environment, CHINA SUCKS. So, why would we keep supporting that crap...?)
And if you're so inclined, you may sign this petition to Ban Canadian Imports of Dog and Cat Fur.
How you live matters.
* Some Sunday Worship
* Sunday Morning Worship
* More Sunday Morning Worship
* What Things Come From An Ass
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And don't forget what magic there is in the world...
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So, you've probably heard that Dixie Carter passed away last week... I always enjoyed her work. And to die at 70 seems a little too early to me... I felt a ping in my heart when I heard the news.
A friend reminded me the other night, of the below scene when she played the character of Julia Sugarbaker on "Designing Women". It's certainly a fantastic scene and Dixie Carter's presence soars (as it usually did). But, besides the humor and sentiment in it, it reminded me of something truly vital in respectful human relations. Something I should OFTEN remind myself of...
We make A LOT of assumptions and presumptions about others. I know I do, anyway... About people very dear to us, family, friends, neighbors and acquaintances. And passing strangers.
But when it boils down to it, the truth is, we have no idea... I have no idea. Where they've been. What they've gone through. What they're going through... And how easy it is to pass judgment on others when I have no fricking idea what their circumstances are.
We think we know.
But, we don't know.
Pardon me, I shouldn't speak for you. I should speak for me.
So, I think I know.
But, I don't know.
What I DO KNOW, is that
I don't know shit.
Now, tell her, Julia!
And we'll miss you, Dixie Carter...
(Thank you for reminding me of this, Matthew!)
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Recently, I feel like my faith in humanity has been hanging on by threads. And you probably read what I recently wrote about it...
It may just be the weather... This time of year in a Northern climate can be a little trying.
It's probably a combination of things. I'm probably reading too many sensationalized headlines. The political milieu certainly isn't helping. The recent massive earthquakes in Haiti and Chile were deeply disturbing, yet humbling. Reminding me how fortunate I am. That I have so much to be grateful for... I could do with a bit of a news fast though.
But, anyway... I've been in a bit of a funk that I'm having trouble shaking.
I will. Emotions are seasons and will pass. And anger, hope, despair, unabated happiness, it all passes. It just takes me some discipline and grace to ride those waves. To let happiness flow like a free river. And to cradle anger or despair like an infant. That either has its place and right just as happiness does, but I should be more gentle with them... and with myself during times like this.
So, while I've been contemplating my place in the world... Wondering why and what and IF it all matters, I received a message the other day from an old friend that I haven't spoken with in probably at least 10 years, probably more like 14 or 15. It hasn't been intentionally that long... It's just that the years go by so damn fast...
She wrote, "Friday my 8 year old was hit in a cross walk by a Hummer. I have been in the worst state of my life, as we have gone through this. She will be okay, three breaks in her pelvis, one in her foot. I've never been so scared. She is in terrible pain however, using a wheelchair and will be moving to a walker when she can. I have missed you old friend and as I have walked this path this weekend I have felt the need to cry on your shoulder as somehow I know that the depth of our friendship has been a source of soul strenghtening for me. I could use some strength, I know the lady that hit her (small town).
"We are at the Hospital right now but we will be leaving it today as she doesn't need iv's anymore. We all need to go home. What a mess I don't even know if this all makes sense. Sorry if I don't make sense as I write to you but hopefully a little of it does. I haven't had much sleep. I am going to try to catch a nap now. Thank you for being my friend, Thank you for the times you have held my hand listened to my words, given me a hug, I love you friend."
That reminded me.
That to live for one another, is where life blossoms, where it moves beyond merely breathing, into the magical realm of love. And there really isn't anything else.
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Don't be hiding in sorrow
Or clinging to the past
With your beauty so precious
And the season so fast
No matter how cold the horizon appear
Or how far the first night
When I held you near
You gotta rise from these ashes
Like a bird of flame
Step out of the shadow
We've gotta go where we can shine
For all that we struggle
For all we pretend
It don't come down to nothing
Except love in the end
And ours is a road
That is strewn with goodbyes
But as it unfolds
As it all unwinds
Remember your soul is the one thing
You can't compromise
Take my hand
We're gonna go where we can shine
(Thank you for this contribution, Jen! I love it.)
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A red, red Cardinal against and immersed in a snowy backdrop. It's as beautiful and mesmerizing as anything I've ever seen...
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Lincoln was sixty years old when the doctor told him he only had forty more years to live. He didn't tell his wife, with whom he confided everything, or any of his friends, because this new revelation made him feel all alone in a way he had never experienced before. He and Rachel had been inseparable for as long as he could remember and he thought that if she knew the prognosis she would begin to feel alone, too. But Rachel could see the change in him and within a couple of days she figured out what it meant. "You're dying," she said, "aren't you?" "Yes, I'm dying," Lincoln said, "I only have forty years." "I feel you drifting away from me already," she said. "It's the drifting that kills you," Lincoln whispered.
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So, Saturday was my Birfday. The day of my Birf. The day in which I was birfed. And it was grand. I shall tell you a bit about it in a pending post, but until then, I wanted to share with you two things that two different friends shared with me for that day.
First of all, some hipster Disney Carolers singing "Happy Birfday" to me. Indirectly through another "Kevin" from Connecticut - thus the crazy "Connect-ect-ect-ect-ti-cut-cut" at the end of their rendition. But, otherwise, I'm certain that they were just singing this to me. Thanks, LeLannie!
And another friend sent this "Promissory" wisdom. And I can only imagine what heaven would come from its wide spread use.
PROMISE YOURSELF
* To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
* To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
* To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
* To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
* To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and expect only the best.
* To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
* To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
* To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
* To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
* To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
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It doesn't matter if you make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. What matters...
Is what you do next.
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So, a little over a week ago, Will and I went to see Tom Ford's film, "A Single Man" with our friends, Tristan and Clancy.
It was a really good film. Set in Los Angeles in the early 60's, it's very stylistic and visually compelling.
And I think Tom Ford does an excellent job of portraying the acuteness and closer scope of vision, metaphorically and literally, that we all have when tragedy strikes.
I strongly recommend seeing it at the theaters while it's out. If you haven't yet seen it, I wouldn't watch any of the clips below. But, to see the high stylization of the film, and how palpable "George's" (played by Colin Firth) heartache is on the big screen is well worth it. It will certainly lose some punch when it's viewed on a small screen, as any movie does.
After the first few minutes of the film, an older woman who was sitting in the row directly in front of us and virtually minutes away from death began talking loudly. She started, "I THINK THIS IS GAY... I THINK THIS MOVIE IS GAY... I THINK THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT GAY PEOPLE!!"
Her ultra-white-hair-covered head was bobbing up and down and turning every which way as though a wreaking ball was going to take her out at any minute. She continued on her rant for the hearing-impaired, "I'M PRETTY SURE THIS MOVIE IS GAY! I'M GOING TO SEE IF I CAN GET MY MONEY BACK!!"
She got up, climbed over 5 people, disrupting everyone and stormed out of the theater never to return. Her permanent exit had NOTHING to do with me following her and stuffing her into a garbage can in the Ladies' Restroom, if you're wondering.
We actually thought it was quite funny and we all guffawed over it.
I have always enjoyed placing the elderly into trash cans. It's a favorite past-time of mine.
So, anyway, during the film, "George and Jim's" 16 year relationship really wasn't taken seriously. Even by the people closest to them. And that was heart-breaking in its own regard.
It was a beautiful film and though it was melancholy, I didn't feel sad so much as I felt grateful. Reminded how temporary it all is... Reminded to be thankful for this very moment, for that's all we really have.
After the film, the four of us went for sushi. And at the dinner table, "Tristan and Clancy" presented us with a card, which also contained a generous gift card inside to one of our favorite shops. It was in honor of our marriage, which they felt they hadn't properly acknowledged. "Tristan and Clancy" are a heterosexual couple, if you're wondering.
We both objected, saying that they didn't have to go through any trouble and that it really wasn't necessary...
They said it wasn't any trouble and it was necessary.
Well, when we opened the card, the front of it said, "BELIEVE".
And on the inside,
"Believe in your dreams. Believe in your love. Believe in forever.
Have a Happy Marriage.
With Love Always,
Clancy and Tristan"
And suddenly, I had a hard time holding back the tears from my dampened eyes...
Some of my oldest, dearest friends (gay and straight), still refer to Will as my "boyfriend". And while I don't refer to him as my "husband", but rather as my "partner". He is. He IS my husband. And I am his.
And acknowledgment from those you love can send one's spirit SOARING. And I was reminded of that.
Thank you... THANK YOU, "Clancy and Tristan". With your belief in us, you help us to believe in ourselves. And that's the biggest gift anyone can ever give...
* "UNCLE! UNCLE!!"
* Where Love Flies
* "I Kevin, Take You Will, To Be Seven Letters..."
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"If I had to do the same again, I would, my friend, Fernando..."
Live without regrets, mis amigos. No regrets...
I dare you.
Actually, I'm going to break the rules here and
triple-dog dare you.
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As he boasted in his first State of the Union address that his economic program had cut taxes for 95 percent of working families, Democrats jumped to their feet to cheer. Republicans sat quietly. Mr. Obama paused as he glanced over to their side of the House chamber. “I thought I’d get some applause on that one,” he said. (source)
WHO doesn't agree with that? Tax cuts for 95% of working families. And the Republicans sat still.
If people can't figure out who the conservatives are currently working for, they missed something on the way to the forum.
"Start thinking of each other as Americans first. We're all Americans. We all should anticipate that the other person, even if they disagree with us, has the best of intentions. We don't have to call them names. We don't have to demonize them." - Barack Obama (source)
* Republicans Give Obama a Frosty Reception
* Obama's State of the Union: How did he do?
* And a little bit of satire, Instant Poll: 90% of Republicans Who Did Not See Obama's Speech Disagree With It
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I'm not a pacifist. Though I occasionally play one at parties. In real life, I'm not that evolved yet. One day, with much more meditation, spiritual work, hair spray and booze, I hope to be.
While I don't ever condone violence, not ever. I can hardly think of the current state of our country's government and economic sector without thinking of the movie "V for Vendetta".
I don't want anyone to die, mind you... But, I wouldn't mind seeing a few explosions.
So, in all this madness, you DO have power. You can make informed purchases. You can do your part to support fair-minded businesses.
You can browse the buyer's guide below, supplied by The Human Rights Campaign. Just move your cursor over the guide to enlarge it and literally browse the pages via the "menu" in the lower right hand corner.
Or you can download the buyer's guide for free.
How you live matters.
Analysis: Will corporate ads buy 2010 voters?
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Be Kind.
And Supportive.
Be Brave.
And Have Courage.
And Don't Forget,
Your Words Always Mean Something... And You Hold Great Power In What You Think, In How You Feel And In What You Say...
You always do.
*** "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King Jr.
*** When I met Coretta Scott King
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