No More Glamazonia?

In case you haven't heard the news, Glamazonia will no longer be hosting Gay Bingo. Slog post is here, and Lifelong AIDS Alliance's response is here. If you've never been to Gay Bingo, let's say it's a 21+ fundraiser for LLAA, complete with bingo, booze, food, and an entertaining drag queen as the host.

Successful fund raiser? You bet: they consistently sold out, and attracted a diverse audience (gay and straight) willing to shell out money for entertainment and a good cause. But now, with no more Glamazonia, the appeal of the show is being questioned.

Here's a letter I sent to the LLAA in response. Tongue-in-cheek and sarcasm-filled, of course.

David and the Gay Bingo staff,

I recently heard a rumor that Glamazonia was dropped from LLAA and Gay Bingo. I rushed over to your web site to see if the rumor was true, and sure enough, I found your post on the matter.

What great news! I wholeheartedly support your move to drop Glam from LLAA. You see, my kids (Filbert, 5, and Seamonkey, 9) and I love Gay Bingo. We go every chance we get, sitting up front at a queens table, enjoying the sights and the sounds, dressing up in costumes appropriate for the theme, and relishing in the BINGO, of course! My kids love the pizza, and I enjoy the drinks (I can have one now and again, my support group says). But every time that tall, built Glamazonia comes out, my kids start freaking out, crying and screaming.

"Who is that?" they ask me. "Why is she saying what she's saying? Why am I being forced to listen to such harassing language?" (yeah, they're pretty precocious with their vocabulary). I try to calm them down, explaining to them that Glamazonia is just another one of God's creatures, and to remember that not everyone shares the same Puritanical values that our Mayflower ancestors did. But it doesn't quiet them down one bit. Sometimes I'm forced to give them a sip of my Long Island Iced Tea to keep them quiet and let the other people at my table enjoy the show. An outrage, that Glamazonia's actions drove me to that!

From the beginning, Gay Bingo has been one of those wholesome family events that kids and parents alike could enjoy together. Like the Zoo events at Woodland Park, or the Village Children's Center down near the Space Needle, or the Krazy Klowns Horror Freak Ride Show 2000 (that's still around, right?), Gay Bingo has been the place to enjoy some safe, G-rated fun with kids and "kids at heart". When Glamazonia took the helm, however, things went downhill. I couldn't believe the stuff she was exposing my innocent kids' virgin ears to. And her language! Gosh-diddly! Often, my kids have to run to the safe clutches of one of those nuns, the Sisters of…oh, you know, those saintly women. I thought those nuns would keep Glamazonia in line, what with their religious, cloistered upbringing. But I guess Glam was just there to do whatever the heck she wanted.

Thanks again for dropping Glam. I assume now you're in the market for another host. May I suggest Casey Treat? He's great with groups, and he could even add some group prayer to the event!

Another (Graphical) Reason To Quit Smoking

I don't smoke. In case you do, and you need some more motivation on why you should quit, check out a video of the amount of tar distilled from two packs of cigarettes. Now, think about that stuff in your lungs. Yummy.

Death To Polystyrene

We recently bought a bed from Crate & Barrel. We had the bed delivered last Friday, and it came in two boxes. Assembly was easy (no IKEA-like lengthy error-prone manuals). And the bed, plus mattress and foam topper, is quite comfy.

So why am I miffed at C&B? Because those two boxes the bed came in were filled to the brim with polystyrene foam (Styrofoam, in other words). 5+ bags of it, when broken down into manageable chunks. And, our recycling won't accept polystyrene (which I can only assume is the norm for most cities and municipalities).

This seriously put a dent in my opinion of C&B and how "with it" they are in terms of eco-friendliness. And yes, that's becoming increasingly important to me, as I think it should everyone on this planet.

Welcome to the 21st century, Crate & Barrel. May I direct you to some alternative packaging options that can be recycled, in place of polystyrene?

Orange Savings Account Is Far From The Best APY

I've seen a rapid increase in the amount of TV advertisements that ING Direct has been sponsoring. They pitch their Orange Savings Account, which has an APY of 4.20% (as of this writing).

Now 4.2% is a great APY considering what your corner bank typically offers. But it's far from the best.

Bankrate.com has a nice list of high-yield savings and money market accounts, and they show over 40 offerings that are better than ING's, many of those with no min balance, no fees, and low or no minimum to open.

Why not spend some of that TV budget returning more interest to your account holders, ING? You've got about 4 dozen horses ahead of you right now.

The Cost Of Driving

About $3.60 for a gallon of (premium) gas*.
About a gallon to commute to and from work.
About 240 workdays a year (excluding holidays and vacation)

That adds up to over $850 a year.

I need to take the bus more often.

*My car calls for it. I'd do the cheap stuff otherwise.

Stop The Political Telemarketing!

This weekend, my phone has been ringing off the hook. You'd think I was featured on some TV show, and people are calling to comment on the smashing shirt that I wore or something. No. Instead, people who are paid by political campaigns to call registered voters have been calling me, urging me to vote for their candidate.

Now, the interruptions are bad enough, but what's worse is half of these calls are recordings. They're not even willing to sit a real human on the other end of the line, but instead want me to listen to a computer spouting a recorded message of support from a local public figure.

Next time someone calls, I'm going to inform them that I am seriously considering voting against the candidate who they are trying to get me to vote for. I know, I know, "you have to play the game" politically, and if you don't make these calls and your competition does, then what?

I'll tell you what: how about your platform & promises be enough to carry you through an election, instead of relying on last-minute "please please vote for me!" calls?

And the reward for this election season being over next Tuesday? The run-up to the 2008 elections, of course, and the never-ending rhetoric, ads, and mud-slinging that will accompany them. I feel like I'm already done with those elections, and they're still a year away.