The Lee Word Side

After doing a lot of research, countless visits to Best Buy and other stores, and a tremendous amount of budget manipulating, I finally bought a new HDTV. I decided on the Samsung LNT4665F which is a LCD flat panel that measures in at a beautiful 46 inches of pure viewing pleasure. Here are a few of the specifics on the TV that I liberated from the Samsung website.

For those who are ready for the clearest, brightest LCD picture on the market today, SAMSUNG presents the LN-T4665F. Full 1080p resolution is just the beginning: the color-saturated 46″ picture boasts a 15000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, displaying rich blacks and capturing subtle nuances. A fast 8ms response time ensures smooth, lifelike motion. SRS TruSurround XT™ sound from hidden side speakers is enhanced by the premium audio sound of 2.2 channel dome speakers. Enjoy connectivity with all your other digital devices, with 3 HDMI ports and a full complement of inputs. And the handy HMDI-CEC feature lets you control all your CEC-enabled peripherals using just one remote.

I bought it from Best Buy because they had the best price, and because the company has a very positive GLBT corporate policy. I like supporting companies that support me. Because this is a very popular TV they didn’t have any in stock so I won’t be able to get it until Wednesday, (2/27/2008) when a new shipment arrives. In the meantime I’ve got to make room for it in the family room. The old TV will be moved to the guest room for now until I can decide if I want to put it in my bedroom or not. I’ve been very hesitant in the past to put a TV in the bedroom because it demands too much attention, but heaven knows there isn’t a lot going on in my bedroom right now, if you know what I mean, so I might cave in and give it a try. I will also have to trade in my cable box to get one that will work with HD. That means I have to deal with Comcast and I hate doing that. Trying to get the simplest thing done by them is always a struggle. Every time they touch my account something gets fucked-up and it’s days before it gets straightened out. Maybe this time it will be different. With any luck this Thursday I should be able to watch Lost on my new TV. I can’t wait to see Matthew Fox and Josh Holloway in wide screen high definition. Yummy!

Ciao

Avi Roth believed that one day love would find him.
He knew it to be true.
He could feel it deep inside his soul.
All he had to do was wait for it to come.
And wait Avi did.
With each encounter Avi asked, “is this the one, is this my love?”
Yet no one stepped up to take the crown, no one said those three little words.
Years passed but Avi remained faithful to his belief.
“My knight will come, he’s on his way.” Avi would say.
More years flew by and Avi began to doubt if it would happen.
But he still clung to his belief, asking, “Where is my love, my mate, my bashert?”
Avi became good at waiting.
He couldn’t be wrong, he wouldn’t be wrong, his love would come.
Avi died today, never finding his love, waiting his entire life for it to come.
What Avi didn’t know is that love isn’t found, love is grown and nurtured from the seeds of friendship.
Love is all around us, we just have to open our eyes and our hearts.
Because love never looks like what we expect it to.
You were loved Avi, I wish you would have known.

Good bye Avi

Ciao

I’m reposting my comments from valentines day last year. I think they are still relevant and bear repeating.

So here we are, February 14, another Valentine’s Day, a day in which we are expected to demonstrate our love for our partner/wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend, or any combination of the above, through the purchasing of mass quantities of chocolates, Champagne, flowers, and jewelry. After all, the measure of our love lies in the quality (expense) of the gifts we give. While you may think that a simple card will suffice because it shows that you refuse to buy in to the mass commercialism of the holiday, just try showing up tonight with only a card in your hand and see the response you get. Odds are you’ll be sleeping on the sofa tonight. In order to properly extol your love it’s going to cost, dearly. So dust off that American Express card you’ve just paid off because you’re going to need it.

• Two dozen (one just won’t do) Long Stemmed Roses $159.99
• One Ghirardelli Lover’s Delight Basket $149.95
• A nice piece of jewelry $600.00
• Romantic Diner for two (including Champagne) $276.72

That’s going to set you back $1,186.66. Money well spent, right? Because as your mother told you, “you can’t put a price tag on true love.” Besides, you don’t want to come off looking cheap when someone asks what you gave. Could you really tell them, “just a card?” I didn’t think so. Enjoy Valentine’s Day. Tell someone that you love them.

Ciao

After the election last November when the Democrats took control of Congress I had hope that our newly elected representatives would fulfill their mandate and end the war in Iraq. One year later we are still in Iraq and projections on how long we’ll be there run from eight more years, all the way up to one-hundred years. Clearly the Democratic controlled Congress did not do what they were elected to do. I read an article in the on-line Rolling Stone magazine called The Chicken Doves, by Matt Taibbi, where he clearly shows how the Democrats changed the mandate from “end the war,” to “elect more Democrats.” That article is here.
A second piece of news that caught my eye was an article in the Scotland Sunday Herald about a new campaign the local gay community is launching to fight homophobia. What makes it unique is that they are using a slogan that was created by school children. That story is here.

Ciao

It’s a grey, dreary day here in Baltimore and it’s depressing me. I have so much that I need to do today, but I just don’t want to leave the house. I’m sure that if I can get moving I’ll be okay and I’ll feel better, it’s just getting to that point I’m have an issue with. It’s only February and there’s still a good two months of cold weather we have to get through before spring enlivens us. I hope I can make it. I’ve always told myself that I enjoy living in a place that has four seasons, but in reality I would prefer somewhere that just had two; spring and fall. That would be paradise to me. If I had a longing for winter or summer I could always visit them, for a day or two, enjoy myself, then get back to paradise. That would be wonderful. Maybe in my next life. Okay, enough ruminations, things aren’t going to get done by themselves. Hope you have a bright, warm day wherever you are.

Ciao

I answer the door and there you stand.
Shivering, shaking, with suitcase in hand.
Under the glare of the porch light
you look so small and vulnerable.
Innocent.

I step back and let you in,
wondering if I’m doing the right thing.
Inside, you still stand, shaking,
gripping the suitcase.
You stare at me, saying nothing.

I lead you upstairs to the bedroom.
Together in bed I reach for the light.
You say, “I love you, you know.”
“Yes,” I say, “I know.”
Wondering how long will you stay.

WARNING! WARNING!
Rant to follow:

Why is it that some people can’t leave things alone? Case in point, the acronym GLBT. As we all know it stands for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered. There is a movement afoot to change it to LGBT. Why? It has alway been GLBT. Well it actually began as Gay and Lesbian, GL, then the Bisexuals wanted recognition so the “B” was added, GLB. Soon after that the Transgendered community wanted onboard so the “T” was added, GLBT. There are some who are trying to add a “Q,” for questioning, but it’s having a hard time sticking. GLBT, so easy to say, it just rolls of the tongue. I suspect that this movement is being fueled by a group of disgruntled lesbians who feel that they should come first. Sorry, not going to happen. The acronym is GLBT. If the first letter slot is determined by size of population then the “G” is rightfully in its place because there are far more Gay men than there are Lesbians. If you argue that the English language dictates “ladies first,” what about the phrase “men and women,” or Mr. and Mrs.” Using the English language as a reason to hijack the GLBT acronym isn’t going to work. I’m sure that there are other arguments that could be made, but the bottom line is that the acronym is GLBT, not LGBT, or BTLG, or TGBL, or any other conceivable combination that you could come up with. It’s GLBT. Leave it alone.

Ciao

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