Yuletide Wishes...

Hoping your Christmas will be merry and bright! Happy Holidays!!!

I'm Just Checking in.

Hi Hi Hi! Or is that ho, ho, ho, eh? More like snow, snow, snow. Fah! LOL. Surprisingly, the blog is still online as I haven't taken it down since I quit writing in July. 2013 has been a bitch year and I'm glad to see it almost over.

I've been tinkering with the notion of restarting the blog for 2014 just because so much is going on and I need an outlet, but I learned my lesson by leaving the vulnerability door open..assholes will walk in. Smart-ass, know-it-all doe-eyed ones in particular, but I digress. I was glad for the respite from blogging. Seems many of my brethren have gone to pasture in 2013 as well. It gets tiring to stay relevant or interesting. Readership is fickle and I just don't have to time, inclination, or energy to throw my whole self into this setting again. Maybe on a part time basis, maybe. We'll see. Regardless whether I resume blogging or not, many of the old posts will be deleted. If I do resume, they'll be a blog name change and link update. I think the Axe has too much negative energy from the past and if I do resume, I need to shake the dirty from betwixt my feet and start clean! Again, we'll see what happens next month.

I mainly wanted to check in since its snowing here like a mutha and my ass is inside, comfy, cozy. I'm not going out this house until Monday if I can help it, screw it! Hahaha Stay warm and safe wherever you be this weekend. If I don't pen anymore until after the Holidays, be safe, joyful and merry!

-Ian

All Good Things...

I've been delaying this post for some time but I think we all knew it was coming. I've decided to stop writing Weilding the Axe. I'm tired of blogging, well at least in this format. I still have my Tumblr blog which has been a complete joy. There is no criticism or snotty folks about to chastise shit they don't understand, well informed about, and even know me enough to make a valid judgment....but I digress.

Onward and upward. Focus forward, never retrograde baby boy. My reasons for ending the blog is my heart hasn't been in it for some months. I didn't think anything I posted was relevant to the current needs of the community/society; I was just too focused on myself. Yes, I used this blog as an outlet to work through shizz to relax, relate, release. Some days I got positive support. Other days I'd get the slappy London affair just brandy about in my face about how much of an asshole I was or exactly how whiny or self-pontificating I could be. Well, shit. LOL. Don't we all take to a soap box er'ry now and then to focus on our beliefs? Our agendas. Let the naysayers say nay, but I would not change a thing I did in the past seven years.

This overall experience has been fun and educational. Now, I promised not to make this a long tearful goodbye. Really, I won't. The people who I value know I value them and thank on the regular. I've met and broken bread with more than a few of you through this blog. Traveled to places I didn't think I'd ever go on my own. Tested the limits of fear, conquered shame, and made some wonderful friends. I will thank personally my brothers-in-arms Pharaoh, Wonder Man (now tha fantabbbbbbbbbbulous Viktahhhhhh Kerney!), Amanofcolours, Mardi Reid, (or whatever his current moniker du jour be), Corey @ I'll Keep You Posted, and Roger Poladopoulos. There are others I probably should give shout outs to, but way too many to list in a brief post.
Della Reese

There are a few post that are on automatic that I'll leave scheduled through the remainder of the year. If I get sick of this space, I might just delete them and put 'em out of their misery. LOl.

So in the end, I thank all the folks I've met...the good, the bad, and truly outrageous (truly, truly!) Y'all made it real while we walked together and my words cannot do justice in this moment. I'll leave knowing I've become a better thanks to this blog. I did me, and stayed me while I wrote the blogs... Never was a fake ass bitch one solitary moment! I leave the same advice in return, "DO YOU, BE YOU." Never settle to anyone else's standard. Word.

Au revoir et bonne chance mes amis
-Ian

July 1st

It's July, baby! Welcome to it! And what a great way to start off the month, no?

Time (Clock of the Heart)

I had a profound crush on Mikey Craig, bassist for Culture Club, back in the day. I heard this on one of the easy listening stations yesterday. Said to myself what perfect song for Flashback Friday.

I wonder whatever happened to other members of CC? Boy George was in and out of rehab for the longest time, but after the band broke up, you never heard anything else about Roy, Mikey, or Jon.

Hmm. Was that the thing in the 80s? Like Wham's Andrew Ridgeley or Curt Smith from Tears for Fears, they just dropped off the face of the Earth. Perhaps life just returned to normalcy. One can only hope....

happy pride season

Eurythmics - I Need A Man (Remastered)

Annie, Annie, Annie.... Who doesn't? LOL.

Shakespeare's Sister - Stay with me

Stars Wars Day

Sybil Don't Make Me Over

M.A.R.S. - Pump Up The Volume

Titanic and Some Life Updates

I don't think I did a post last year on the 100th year anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, but I will mark the 101st. It's funny, I was watching the classic Titanic movie with Barbara Stanwick the other on TCM and had forgotten the disastrous anniversary date was approaching.

Now, let me say that I've been fascinated by the tragedy since I was a small child. The many mysteries...how did the ship really sink, why weren't more passengers saved, pondering why Classism existed in the early 20th Century...on and on.

There's a Titanic exhibit making its rounds across the States right now. Last I heard it was at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Perhaps I'll take a visit.

Anyhoo, I know posts have been light lately. There's drama going on in my life lately. Too many slappy London days going on. Posts will continue to be sporadic until life calms down a bit. Work has been busy. Several of my friends are in a state of flux. Ugh! Have I mentioned taces?!?!?! You know I waited until the last minute to file, right?

As far as dating, Big D and I had been hot and heavy, but now that we decided to go exclusive, well, it's sorta gone from sugar to shit. I;ve been grumpy that we haven't been spending as much time as I'd prefer. Darryl constantly works! If you knew what he did for a living, well it's a commendable profession, so I'm proud he's helping others, but damn. Papa Red Bear needs some lovin TLC. I ended up venting on the phone for four hours with Pharaoh Friday night. I hadn't intended to do so, but Pharaoh has that talent for drawing out things.

In his analysis, my beloved li'l brother swears because nobody has "broken the cookie jar" there's maybe some awkwardness and undue tension. LOL. Well that might just be a little more details than care to know, but no, we haven't gone there yet. There are reasons and perhaps I'll expound upon them in another post.

That's it for now.

-Ian

Art Of Noise: Beat Box

Wow. I'd completely forgotten about Art of Noise. Found this while surfing across the Blogosphere.

OK, so I probably say this with every Friday Flashback tune I post, but this song really does take me back! I was in Junior High School in '83 when this came out. So young, so naive. LOL. Well I'm not so young anymore, but still a tad naive.

The riff in this is catching and I like the vibe. I might just need to add this to my iPod.

Unalienable Right

Time for Action

 

Why? It's deplorable this has to be.

Willy, Billy?

I've never been one for dolls, never collected them, never wanted one. That is until the Billy dolls came out. I don't know why, but I always wanted a Billy doll. Call it kinky, but the fact this dolls are 'male structurally intact' is amusing to me.

I say structurally intact because the genitals are a tad disproportionate to the rest of the body. Then again, Barbie has been outta whack for decades. Supposedly
, if a real person, Barbie wouldn't be able to stand. Hm. What would a life sized Billy do? Probably scare the hell outta some bottoms boy, that's for sure.

Like his female counterpart, Billy came in a wide variety of different facets of the gay community. Sometimes believable, other times quite laughable. I did consider purchasing one a few years ago, but thought against it. I mean, how the hell would I explain the damn thing in my house? That and I couldn't rationalize plunking down the greenbacks to pay for one. Billy comes with a hefty price tag!!!

Anyone out there own a version of  Billy? If so, what inspired you to get one?

They Came Before Us

A Little Afternoon Cuteness

I don't if any of you are cat owners, but I know my cats would turn around and devour that bunny. This image is filled with ooey gooey goodness, it's sickening. LOL. When I start at it long enough though, it does bring a smile a just a moment's peace. This has been a hectic work week. Only a few more hours to go, then "Hello, Weekend!"

Melanie Fiona - Gone And Never Coming Back

I love the artistry in this video. Reminds me of the classic vids from the 80s and 90s. I also love this song. Melanie happens be on my top 10 favorite female musicians list.

X-Men: The Onslaught 2016

OK, so I'm excited for the release of Days of Future Present. Bryan Singer has promised to fix many of the continuity errors between the original three X films, Wolverine, and First Class.

This should be interesting. If done correctly, Future Present could be better than last year's Avengers. Scratch beneath the surface, there's tons of errors and fuck ups in Avengers too. No, no need to be a slappy London. Allow for people to be people before you make judgments.

Thinking ahead, then next X-Men project I'd love to see someone tackle is the Onslaught storyline. This would need to handled carefully and delicately. No fuck-ups permitted. This may need some actor recasts, but first and foremost an Onslaught storyline needs to be tight. TIGHT.

Let's make this happen. Can we? If we're gonna keep doing Marvel Universe stories, why not some of the best? I wouldn't mind a Secret Wars film either. All the major participant have had a film done, Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Avengers, and the X-Men. The new Fantastic Four reboot should be done by the time a new Collective Marvel project would get underway... Seriously! Is anyone paying attention to these ideas??? This could work. Really!

Hell'er? Hollywood? Listen!

Remembering Dr. King

Feed Me(ow), Seymour

Anyone who lives with a cat knows they're certainly precious creatures. I love mine, but every now and then I wonder who's the truly the master and who is the pet?

It's one of those mornings where I was rudely awakened with a slap to the face with a furry paw; then fetching "meow."

Translation: Get your arse outta bed and come feed us. Never-mind there's dry food out, we want the canned stuff.

*sigh*

This is what being a loving owner means....

Hunting Season

Like quite a few shows that are taking people by storm (Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead) I've yet to jump that bandwagon. I've soem positive things about Hunting Season, but have not made the effort to commit. One, I just don't have time to get sucked into one more television program. Two, the last show I got really hyped about, DTLA, turned out to be a huge disappointment. Three, did I mention I just don't have time to be watching that much television?

I need to stay current with thing, but like many of my addictions, TV is one that takes over my life if I'm not careful. So, maybe if the program lasts a minute, I'll start. Four, I suppose, isn't this a online only program? Lord, with all my social networking media... Blogger, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebogger...I don't need one more item on my Interwebs palate neither!!!

Anyone seen this? It is worth watching? Or is it only good for the few peen clips that have been released and nothing more? Do tell. Since the few shows I do watch are being cancelled left and right, I need some mindless brain candy to replace them.

Ice Cream Telestrator

This is a a couple weeks old, but never fails to give me a chuckle. I feel the dude. I've been thre when someone is trynna mooch off of you. Just cause we significant others don't give you free license up in my sweet treat. LOL. Naw, I like to share, but please do ask. Don't just assume. Watch the clip though. It has a very sweet ending.

What I Gotta Give

Remembering Marvin

April 2, 1939 - April 1, 1984

Talent taken away from us way too soon. I was in junior high school the year he died. Was watching a basketball game with my Grandfather when Brent Musburger came on tell us Marvin had been shot and killed by his father. I remember we all sat there in the living room, dumbfounded.

How can it be 29 years ago? Time goes so quickly....

Run, you clever boy....

So what did y'all think about the midseason premiere of Doctor Who, the Bells of St. John? I give it an A-. While Matt Smith is still not my favorite Doctor, this episode seemed tailor made for his incarnation of our favorite Timelord.

Small elements from classic Who were incorporated, like UNIT and the Great Intelligence. Bells of St. John kept me guessing. I still haven't the faintest idea who Ms. Clara Oswin Oswald is, but speculation is her catchphrase, "Run, You clever boy, and remember..." has something to do with it. Moffat is good for putting the "spoilers" right in front of your face that you miss them entirely. Almost. I might figure this out just yet. I nearly had the whole mystery with River Song figured out. Nearly. Well, OK. I was floored...

Now, on to commentary on classic Who. My father introduced me to the Doctor and his crazy blue box, the TARDIS, when I was about five or six. I remember rushing at night to get my homework done so I could turn on our local PBS station, WHYY Channel 12 for the nightly half hour segment. I used to hate the cliffhangers over the weekends, but was prep and ready for my space adventure come Monday!

Tom Baker was my first Doctor. For all intents and purposes,the only DOCTOR. Back then, I hadn't understood that he had been some other old crotchety dudes, just the loveable curly-head buffoon with a multicolored, incredibly long, scarf and his penchant to offer Jelly Babies everyone he met. Waitaminute? Jelly Baby? Doesn't he mean Jelly Beans????

Silly me hadn't quite heard of the confectionery delicacy, and chalked it up just the British way way of pronouncing"jelly bean." You know, like they say sched-ule, instead of our sked-ule, or throw "e" at the end of particular words... And thus, I was hooked. How fascinating.

Crazy monsters like the Sontarans, Zygons, Daleks, and Cybermen crept into my universe. Far off and away places, came into view... Skarro, Castrovalva, Trakken, Gallifrey. Ah yes, Gallifrey. Timelord Central, filled with stuffy old dudes with funky robes that never died, barring accidents.

Yes, the acting was campy. The special effects were off-kilter, but this was just the show! The end all be all.

Jump forward 40 plus years and we have the new Doctor for the 21st century. Oh, he's regenerated twice since the revival. I miss David Tenant
, but am ever so grateful mean ass Christopher Eccleston is gone. Ugh! The Doctor was always a bit eccentric, petulant at times, but never plain mean and nasty. Eccleston's portrayal was good only to get the series jump-started. I'm glad he left after the first year or else I truly believe the show would have bombed.

Oh and the best thing about the revival? There's gay and black characters on the show. Don't ever recall seeing anyone of color even before the show ceased production in the late 80s/early 90s. And gay companions? Pbbt. Please. Oh there were gay actors. Matthew Waterhouse, Adric from E-Space, is gay in real life, but no homosexuals in space. Now? Well we have an assortment openly gay roles, played by gay actors like Russell Tovey and John Barrowman. I'm impressed Doc!

So wonder when this all began, did the producers ever believe  years later the show would still be in full effect? Did they understand the cult phenomenon they were creating? Probably not. This is just my little recollection on how Who has impacted my life. I'll post things periodically until we hit the big anniversary in November. Until then, shall wonderfully enjoy the second half of Season 7 Or is it 8? I've lost track!

To quote that the Doctor himself, "I tried to keep a diary once, but that's the trouble with time travel, one never seems to find the time."

-Ian

Wander Fever

 Y'know, it's been a minute since I've been to either Disney World or Land. I think cause World was my first Disney Amusement Park, I prefer it over Land. Well what ya know? Something I don't like about Southern California. Hmph. Go fig.

Anyway, I'm hoping to take my nephew and godson next year, Summer 2014. By then I think they should be enough enough to appreciate it. Children (and sometimes adults) need a little wonderment to keep the spirit fresh. Does Disney still do Gay Days? If so, Darryl and I might take that adventure to the Magic Kingdom on our own.

April 1st.

It's April Fool's Day and what a day to relish being silly, foolish, and falling for pranks. I don't get the pranks much anymore, but being just plain stupid, well that I can enjoy.

Good Friday

I'm taking the weekend off to observe the Easter Weekend Holiday. Peace be unto you...

Silence Will....

Oh, wait. Wrong season. Doctor Who part 2 begins this upcoming Holiday weekend!

So what was the cliffhanger for this season again, eh? Oh yeah the Clara Oswin Oswald (or Whoever) girl. Can I just say I really hate the way TV shows split seasons these days????

The Oldest Question...

... will be answered.

Picture Perfect

Idris from a GQ magazine spread....

They say a picture conveys a 1,000 words and this one does not disappoint. 

I love the sensual moody theme going on.

G'Morning!

Well, hello there!

9, 10, 11... Dance! Dance! Dance!

Well, Really?

Easter Season

So Holy Week starts tomorrow. Hm, how do I feel about that? Not sure. Religion and I are having difference of opinions in my middle years. It's not that I believe, but God's chosen some times leave a bad taste in one's mouth. Ah, but there is a huge chasm between being faithful and being religious. I wish people would just be kind to one another, loving and forgiving. Is that too much to ask?

Why does it seem Easter is the lesser of the big two Christian holidays? Without Easter, Christmas becomes unimportant, just another day. I think because folks have not taken the message of forgiveness and redemption to heart is but one reason. If we tried to be forgiving, perhaps our big blue marble would be a happier Earth?

I don't have the answers, only questions. Maybe this week some will be answered, eh?

Grace Jones - Slave to the Rhythm 1985

Another tribute to 80s, I present Lady Grace Jones. I haven't kept track on her, but I wonder what happened to Grace

Work It, Work It, WERQ IT!

Oh my, my, my. the animated gif to left gave me a good pause. Now, I don't watch any of the fake WWE wrestling anymore, but isn't that Brock Leshnerr? Um, yeah. Work it girl. I have no idea what the context this, but he seems a little comfortable in that sashay.

Anyway, just a few notes. Things are going well this week. The grumpy doldrums have give me a much needed break. Tomorrow I plan on resting a bit before a busy weekend. Saturday, Big D and I are helping his brother move into a new apartment and then Saturday night I'm gathering with my bestie for drinks at a local watering hole. Time to play! LOL

Sunday, well hopefully if Darryl has off, we'll lay up in the bed (cuddlin', no naughty stuff), then possibly do brunch or early supper. I'm so ready for a nice weekend. Maybe Mr. Sun and Brother Warmth will drop by for a visit. Lord knows I'm quite sick of Old Man Winter lingering around.

No Matter What

Some days, I forget that regardless, there will always be someone who disapproves. No matter the kind deed, thought, or sentiment, some people are never satisfied or impressed. OK, let them be. Just a reminder to myself more than anything else.

Keep up the good fight.

-Ian

Whatever Miss Clara Says

His Day

Adam Levine, shirtless somewhere. Adam celebrates his 34th birthday today!

Kappa

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 

I thought this picture was cute. I actually have a similar tee, some retro distressed deal I picked up at Target. Anyhoo, Big D and I are going to a gathering commemorating the day after he gets home from later. I never really did anything for the day before, so this should be some new and interesting. 

Happy St.  Patrick's Day

Soon...

Words

Adventures In Gay

Here's a cute little comic someone posted in my timeline on Facebook. The link is within the comic. Go check 'em out. It's adorable at time, yet poignant. Kudos!

It's Been A WEEK!

I hate it that D has crazy hours and is at work tonight. Poot! I'm another one of my crabby moods as folk have tested my last good nerve this week. Ugh. I'm so over it already. I'm glad the weekend is here. I'm so ready for two days of pure indulgence in whatever I choose. If not, I might just take Nene's suggest and read a few bitches.

OK. I don't like being Evil twin Ian. Think Happy thoughts, happy thoughts! LOL

Miss Me Blind

*deep indulgent laugh*

Holy Genderbender, Batman! LOL.

Culture Club always a bit different, even for the 80s, but I remember this song all too well. There's a personal story connected with this song that unfortunately I'm not going to share, but it does goes back to Junior High School angst. Lord.

Thank the Deity those days are gone. I don't think I'd survive an 80s resurgence if I tried.

Have Care

This Is Beautiful

This truly, brought a tear to my ear. I'm happy this young person has loving, caring, and accepting parents.... Awesome.

FLOTUS, Michelle Obama

The First Lady of the United States is just stunning...STUNNING, in this photo. I was so happy to hear Ms. Obama is gracing the cover of Vogue. I have seen the issue yet, but have seen the few excerpts floating on the Interwebs. She looks absolutely REGAL. I love my First Family!!!