Thursday, September 27, 2007

Do you remember...


Paul and I are thinking of getting the Wii video game system for Christmas and it started to get me thinking of how much I was into video games when I was a kid and a teenager. I had EVRY game system you can imagine but my all time favorite is the Atari 2600! I was seven years old when the Atari 2600 came out and I was so excited when my parents bought for me. I was hooked on Pac-Man, Asteroids, Space Invaders and Position. So, I looked online to see if I could find an original Atari 2600 and I found one! It was listed on eBay with 20 games and I won the auction. It just came in the mail today and I am so excited to play these old games that I loved when I was a kid. How fun it will be to relive a big part of my childhood. It's amazing how we live in a time where you can really get whatever it is you wnat online. I love it! How many of you had an Atari 2600???

Saturday, September 22, 2007

We’ve adopted a child!!!


Zachary will be excited to know that he has a bigger err.. littler brother! We adopted a child from Puerto Rico and he is so adorable. Check out how excited the new addition of our family is!

Above: Kyser trying to learn how to walk!

Above: Down for the count!

True Colors

Above: Everyone getting into their 'true colors.'

Living in Boston, Paul and I made some amazing friends that we miss dearly and are still very much our friends. Paul has been in San Francisco for a year now and I am going on a year in January. Paul and I have made a really great group of friends in San Francisco and there’s nothing like bonding even more with newer friends over a nice house party. Paul and I decided to have a party/game night at our place last night and we had a great turnout. We invited 14 people and 18 people showed up! So we had to be creative on how we were going to play games and keep everyone entertained! So we dived people into two groups, one group wanted to play Risk (zzzzz) and the other group opted for a game called “True Colors.” True Colors is a game that I reworked and made it my own. I started playing this game in Boston with large groups of people and it’s always a hilarious time. Once again it was a huge hit, Paul and I were the only ones in the room that have played it. After introducing it to the guests, everyone was hooked on this catty, raunchy game.

Above/Below: It's a game of Risk!


The gist of the game is everyone anonymously writes a question they want to ask the group. Sample questions from last night were, “Who in this room would most likely be caught in a bathroom stall with a US Senator,” “Who would most likely kill someone to stay young forever?” and” If you were stranded on a desert island with everyone in this room, who would you eat?” (of course there were dirtier questions, but it’s a family blog!) Everyone places his or her question in a hat. Now everyone has matching post-it notes and pens and everyone labels themselves with a color. You place the color on your shirt and then the fun begins. A person then pulls a question out of the hat and reads it to the group. Everyone then anonymously writes on his or her post it note WHO they think best fits the question by writing the color of that person on a piece of paper. Now most people don’t just write the color but funny witty comments directed to that person. After you have decided whom (what color) best fits that description you then place your response into a second hat. NOW, after everyone anonymously chooses who best fits the question, you then have to decide how YOU ranked, how you were judged by the people in the group. So you have to decide if you got the most votes, the least votes or if you ranked somewhere in between. This is how you score the points, if you go out on a limb and think you got the most or least votes, you get 3 points but if you play it safe and think you fell somewhere in between you get 1 point. If you are wrong on your guess of yourself you get 0 points.

Above: Everyone has their post-it notes on their shirts
playing True Colors.

Above: The boys having a good laugh.

Above: John getting into his true colors.

It’s a blast and we played for hours last night, people started leaving at 2am! I have never seen so many people laugh so hard I think our neighbor though we were torturing small animals with the combination of all the hooting and hollering, Joe’s belly laughs, Richards high shrieks and the roll of the Risk dice! Lots of fun boys, I cannot wait for the next game night!


Above: Paul and John.

Above: Those three bitches again!

Above: Jay, Cody and Richard finally find toys in their age range!

Above: Joe, Paul and Jase.

Above: I have no idea what the hell is going on in this picture!!?!?

Above: Mark, Chris, Will and Ryan on the deck to get some fresh air!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Softball Banquet

Above: Triple Threat! Me, Kyser and Jase!

I cut my hair SUPER short and I love it! You can kind of see it in the picture above, I was at the point where I wanted to shave it off and get a tattoo on the back of my head, but the hairdresser talked me out of that. He gave me one of the best haircuts I have ever had and I love how easy it is to style plus it makes me look younger! :-)

This past Sunday was our softball banquet for the entire Gay Softball League. Not only is this league the biggest gay softball league in the country, possibly the world, it was also the first ever, anywhere! It was pretty amazing to be a part of this massive organization, which consists of hundreds of men and women and over 50 teams. I do admit I miss the intimacy of the Boston League and how small it is and how everyone knows each other, but the San Francisco league has its perks. I am by far one of the youngest in the entire league, which is a nice feeling since I am 33 years old. In Boston, I was one of the oldest on our team!

Above: The sea of people at the banquet.

The banquet was great, our team got the second place trophy and the MVP went to Will! Much deserved even though I voted for Kyser:-P Mark Golden won the team MVP on Paul’s team. It was an okay time it was at Jillian's the entire place was reserved for the league. So after the awards, some of us headed over to Badlands. Badlands is a large gay bar where they play current and past music videos and people dance in this circular dance floor. It’s really a fun place to go dancing with friends and that's just what we did! Paul, Jase, Kyser and I danced and had a blast.

Above: Scott holding the Pups 2nd place throphy

Above: Paul and Kyser acting all badass!

Now when Jase, Kyser and I get together we are the male version of Destiny's Child and Charlie's Angels combined. We are fierce! LOL We really get along very well and depending on the day we hang out together, we are different people from those groups. Sunday night without a doubt I wore the Beyonce cap for a bit, going off on my own, taking off my shirt and uping the anti! LOL We all have our Beyonce moments. It was so much fun! I can't wait to go out again soon:-) Kyser has the pictures from the dance club, stay tuned for those.

Above: The three bitches!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Happy Birthday Nicole!

Above: The Birthday Girl, Nicole! circa 1979.

My first cousin Nicole's birthday is this month, I think it might be today; I was never any good at remembering birthdays! Anyway, I want to wish my cousin a very Happy Birthday! I do not see her or her family as much as I would like but I think about them a lot.

Above: Blast from the past! 1981 (left to right) Back row: Mom, baby brother Noah, step-father Ed, Aunt Lauire, Meme and Uncel Bernie. Front Row: (left to right) Me, cousin Nicole, cousin Todd, brother Nathan and cousin Timothy.
***Notice I am not wearing any shows, I never wore shoes as a child. I was like a monkey.


When I was a kid I used to want to live with my uncle Bernie, aunt Laurie and my three cousins; Nicole, Todd and Tim. I really loved spending time with them as a child and felt at ease and comfortable around them. There were only a few places I felt safe as a child, my grandparents house and my uncle Bernie and aunt Laurie's house. My fondest memories as a child are with them and my grandparents. As I grew into my teen years, I lost touch with them for many years until our grandmother died in 2003. I reunited with them that Christmas and it was probably one of the best Christmas' I have ever had up until that point in my life. They are all happy, funny, enjoyable, non-drama people and I was thankful that we all reunited.


Above: Don't we look alike?? hee hee. Beautiful Nicole today! 2007

So back to Nicole…she's pretty much the same age as I am and I connect with her. I could only imagine if I lived closer to her and saw her all the time how much more we would bond. I think of her as a sister and last time I saw her it was uncanny how much alike we were and it made me smile. She's a beautiful woman, with three adorable boys (one of the being her husband) and I just love her. I am hoping someday when I do move back to the Boston area, which will happen someday, that I can spend more time with her. Nicole and her entire family are the greatest. ☺

PS: Nicole, don’t kill me for putting pictures of us on here from when we were kids:-P

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Zachary 2007

Above: Beautiful Zachary a week before he had the eyebrow injury.

I was going through some of the pictures over the past year of Zachary and it's really amazing how much kids change and grow. Also, it's fun to see some of the pictures before his infamous scar, during and after. Below are pictures over this past year that HAVE NOT been posted to the blog this year! Enjoy!

Above: September 2007, a future Varitek!

Above: August 2007, Amanda Lepore!!!!!!!!

Above: August 2007, Making faces!

Above: June 2007, A great picture of Paul and Zach.

Above: May 2007, going to school!

Above: May 2007, showing off his guitar skills.

Above: May 2007, crooning the crowd!

Above: April 2007, group hug!

Above: April 2007, Chillin' at Easter.


Above: March 2007, Surprise at the museum.

Above: March 2007, A hot day watching softball tryouts.

Above: Feb 2007, playing with Legos.

Photographer Zach Johnson


This past week Zachary explored his creative side and wanted to take pictures with the camera. So I let him take the camera for a few hours and just walk around and take pictures. He had a blast and actually took some pretty damn good pictures. I think this may the beginning of a future career for the young lad! Check out the pictures Zach took with the camera ALL BY HIMSELF, no help from his Dad or me. Enjoy!


Above: Zach takes a picture of his toys.

Above: A closer look at lunch!

Above: The aftermath of lunch.

Above: Crazy Dad!

Above: Zach took a great picture of our new living room furniture!

Above: Two of Zach's favorite things, blanket and binky!

Above: Cool picture of Zach's toolbox.

Above: Pez

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Diva Explosion!



The Diva invasion is about to hit the music world. I am a huge fan of music, all kinds of music from the 60’s, 70s, 80,s 90s and current popular music. I have always played favorites to the female singers with big voices, great dance moves or catchy pop songs. The end of this year is going to bring a slew of new albums from some of the biggest music divas. I am selecting the top ten that I am most anticiapating. I though it might be fun to try and predict how each CD will do and then compare the results once all is said and done.

#1 Madonna. Album Title: TBD Date: November 2007

Above: Madonna rocking it out on her last tour.

Madonna’s last hit album, Confessions on a Dance Floor sold 8 million copies worldwide, went number one in 10 countries and her Confessions was named highest grossing tour from a female artist ever! Pretty darn impressive considering Madonna has been around for 25 years! She’s working on a new album with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland and it will be her 11th studio album. (Madonna also has released six other CDs in here career such as greatest hits and dance remixes). It’s rumored to be pretty hot and filled with more of an R&B vibe similar to her 1994 smash Bedtime Stories. All hail the Queen of Pop! I predict it will debut on the album charts at #1 in teh US and at least number one in nine other countries. Also I predict it will sell 10 million albums worldwide, 2 million of that being in the US. Hopefully it will spawn her 13th number one hit.

#2 Mariah Carey. Album Title: TBD (I am sure it will be something about butterflies or rainbows). Date: November 2007

Above: Oh so much could be said about this picture. Who stands like that???

This will be Mariah’s 9h studio album but it’s rumored it might be a double-disc release. Eh what can I say, she is one of my least favorite celebrities and she needs to put some clothes on! Mariah had a huge comeback last year with The Emancipation of Mimi…can she do it again? Mariah has been around now for 17 years, one would never think that because she really is not an important force in the music industry and no one really takes her seriously. Surprisingly, she has more number one singles than any other female artist, with 17 number one hits but I am sure most of us couldn’t name more than five. I don’t think her new album will fair as well as the last one did, her last album did sell 6 million copies worldwide and 5 million of those albums were sold in the US. She is not liked so much in other countries. I predict she will sell 4 million copies worldwide ( 3 million being in US) and spawn one number one hit and album in the US.

#3 Celine Dion. Album Title: Taking Chances Date: November 9th 2007


Above: Celine's new album cover she looks like a mash up of Beyonce and Mariah Carey.

Come on admit it she is a guilty pleasure of yours, yes she is annoying to watch perform but OH can she sing! She has one of the best female voices ever recorded and dominated the 1990s with monster hits such as: “My Heart Will Go On” and “Because You Loved Me.” Celine has been in Vegas for the past 3 years and has not had a studio album released since 2002. Will Celine deliver the goods and be able to win back her 90s fan base? This is a tough one, I do think her album sales will be high worldwide, I will estimate 10 million worldwide ( 2 million in the US) but I am not sure she has the loyal fan support to earn a number one single but I am confident the album will reach number one in the US.

#4 Whitney Houston. Album Title: TBD Date: November 20th 2007

Above: Whitney Houston's new photo on her website, lookin' pretty damn good!

Could she be the comeback story of the year? I have always loved Whitney Houston and I believe she has the best female voice ever. I am praying to God she has a huge comeback with her forthcoming album. She left her loser husband Bobby Brown and reportedly has cleaned up her act. We have not seen much of Ms. Houston in the media and it’s rumored that she has been taking care of her voice and working hard on the new album. There have been clips on YouTube recently of Houston singing at private parties and other events and all I have to say is her voice is back! I am predicting this will be a huge comeback for Ms Houston and she will not only have a number one album but also a number one single. Prediction: Album sales 6 million worldwide (2 million in US).


#5. Mary J. Blige. Album Title: TBD Date: November-December 2007

Above: Mary can do no wrong.

Last year Mary cleaned house at the Grammy Awards with her massive hit “Be With You” and the album “The Breakthrough.” I have loved Mary since she first hit the scene in 1992 and I always believed in her. She had such raw emotion in her songs and she came from nothing. I relate to Mary and the hard times she has gone through and I have grown with her past albums. Her “No More Drama” album and single spawned a slew of new fans and became an anthem to everyone to get out of their own shit! Mary will go number one with her new album but she is not strong on earning number ones on the charts. Prediction: She will go on to sell at least 6 million albums worldwide (3 million in US). The Queen of R&B soul is just getting started.

#6 Annie Lennox Album Title: Songs of Mass Destruction Date: October - November 2007

Above: I love her new album cover, she is fierce!

Annie is probably one of the most respected female artists in the music business. She has been around for almost 30 years with her roots stemming from the duo the Eurythmics. She was around long before Madonna and was pushing the buttons with sexuality with her short red hair and her androgynous look. Her new album is said to be quite impressive with several guest appearances including Madonna and Celine Dion. Annie has never really done well on the charts but her album will crack the top 10 in the US but it’s doubtful it will spawn a number one hit. I am sure the album will be kick ass though. Prediction: 3 million worldwide (1 million in US).

#7 Alicia Keys. Album Title: As I Am Date: November 13, 2007

Above: Beauty and talent makes a nice combo for one of my favorite artists, Alicia Keys.

Hands down the most talented young female artist to come out of the past ten years. She puts Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and Avril Lavigne to shame! Alicia is true talent with her sexy soulful voice, her song writing skills and her impressive piano playing. Alicia can do it all. She is the future of music and I predict she will not only go number one with her upcoming album but she will spawn 2-3 number ones from it as well. This is the real deal. Prediction: 6 million albums worldwide (4 million US).

#8 Jennifer Hudson. Album Title: TBD Date: November 20, 2007

Above: Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson.

Although she has not had a debut album released yet we all know she can sing AND she has an Oscar! This is probably one of the most anticipated albums to be coming out in the next four months. Her voice is so big that Whitney Houston bowed down to her earlier this year. Jennifer’s Oscar for the hit musical “Dreamgirls” earns her the right to be a diva for life, but can she recapture that magic on the music charts? I don’t think she’ll have a number one album or a number one single but I think she will do pretty well selling a few million copies of her debut CD.

#9 Britney Spears. Album Title: TBD Date: November 13, 2007

Above: I think the above picture should be Britney's new album cover.

Oops, she did it again. She shocked us that she actually has a studio album baked and ready to release soon. I am scared about this one! Britney has been a mess in the tabloids lately and she looks like she is headed on the same path as Anna Nicole but her first single off the upcoming album called “Gimmie More” is quite good! Britney and Alicia Keys are releasing their albums on the same day. I predict Alicia will win but not by much, it will be a close race. Britney will most likely not have any number one singles but her CD will sell at least 5 million worldwide (2 million in the US).

#10 Carrie Underwood. Album Title: Carnival Ride
Date: October 23, 2007


Above: Playing it safe with an innocent album cover, the innocence will make her new album a huge seller.

Carrie had the biggest selling female CD last year in the US selling 6 million+ and the CD “Some Hearts” is STILL going strong on the album charts. Carrie Underwood was the winner of American Idol in season four and is quickly becoming the most successful idol winner. Her rival is Kelly Clarkson for being the most successful American Idol winner of all time. Carrie’s crossover country hits remind me of Shania Twain in the 1990s. Carrie’s CD will go number one and stay number one for quite some time. I think and she will most likely have a number one hit, the first single off of her upcoming disc is already in the top 10 on the billboard chats in it’s second week in release. Not bad! Prediction: 12 million worldwide (8 million in the US).

So I am going to rank the albums in the order of how succesful they will be in the US only, this order does not reflect which albums I am most anticipating.

1. Carrie Underwood (8 million)US
2. Alicia Keys (4 million)US
3. Mary J Blige (3 million)US
4. Mariah Carey (3 million)US
5. Madonna (2 million)US
6. Britney Spears (2 million)US
7. Whitney Houston (2 million)US
8. Celine Dion (2 million)US
9. Jennifer Hudson (2 million)US
10. Annie Lennox (1 million)US