Adi and I were minding our own business – waiting in line, commenting on the menu, and making a decision on what we wanted to order for a quick dinner (since we had had a big lunch yesterday). We were third in a line that seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace but despite already being in a state of irritation over something else, I don’t recall either one of us making a stink about how long it was taking.

And then it happened. The young 22-ish male and his mother proceeded to collect their order and walk out of the restaurant. As they did this, the son muttered “Faggots” disguised in a cough. It was meant to be heard only by us as I assume the young “man” was not comfortable spewing his hate loudly in a public place. Well, I heard it loud and clear and Adi and I stood aghast after we’d realized what happened. But not for long. Something propelled me out the door and as this mother and son were getting into their car, I shouted “Fuck You”. It’s moments like these that I wish I had come up with something more clever to say but it was my anger talking.

The kid responded with “Up my ass” to which I responded – WHY? Why did you have to say that? The mother asked what was going on and I told her that her son called us faggots disguised by a cough. She apologized while her son mumbled something else and they both got into their car and pulled out of the parking lot.

Still reeling with anger, I proceeded to recount what happened to the customers in front of us and then the manager. They were all very apologetic and the manager – who was most likely gay – said that a customer in his restaurant should never be subjected to such ignorant behavior. He kindly offered us free drinks as a consolation for our patience and putting up with the ignorance that just took place. If he’d heard it, I got the feeling that the manager would have said something about it.

It’s incidents like these that leave me feeling like a fringe member of society. Despite how I can intellectualize it and tell myself that most people are good and that this doesn’t happen very often these days, it hurts. This is the sort of behavior that reinforces society’s old belief that gay people (regardless of age I would say) are different – in a bad way. I know in reality that there are many examples of respect and admiration for gay brethren and sistren but somehow in the moment of being called a faggot, reality doesn’t matter.

I can recall another incident in Long Beach, New York that took place about 5 or 6 years ago. When a young kid ordered an ice cream sunday and asked for it in a purple-colored bowl shaped like a helmet, the woman serving him at Carvel actually said “Well that’s kind of a faggoty color, isn’t it? I let the kid get his ice cream and then critically scolded her by asking “WHAT did you say?” she retorted by asking “What are you… with the NAACP?”. She obviously meant another organization because there were no people of color in sight. I walked away, deciding not to point out her complete and utter ignorance.

Yes, progress has been made. Adi and I are attending a wedding of two male friends in Vermont this spring. We have that privilege in a few progressive states. But I ask myself, will gay have the right to marry anywhere in this country in my lifetime?

Given that the majority of the church-going public spouts out catch phrases about not hating the sinner but just hating the sin, I wonder. The recent vote in the state of NY didn’t pass mostly because the politicians voting on it didn’t have a balls to push it though.

Gay people can do all the political lobbying we want but what it will take to change the minds of the masses is constant and continuous word of mouth. Gay people need to be proud, stand up for themselves, and call people out on their ignorance. But it can’t stop with us.

If gay marriage laws are ever going to change on the Federal level, it’s the masses that have to be convinced. Straight people who believe in equal rights and gay marriage need to make it known, loudly and constantly to other straight people – and encourage them to do the same.

I was really happy to meet an old classmate that I hadn’t seen for more than 25 years at a mini reunion I attended this week. He’s straight but talked about the fact that he’s very passionate about helping to change the laws with respect to gay marriage. He’s involved in multiple organizations in Southern California.

Granted that a gay marriage law won’t stamp out bigotry. With the recent Compton Cookout incident at UCSD, we know that racism is also alive and well in 2010. Bigotry will continue to rear its ugly head from time to time and the victims of it will continue to feel hurt.

But, gay marriage will be one more step toward validation of gay people and our human rights. And one step closer to making it just a little safer to go back in the water.

Definition image courtesy of thinkb4youspeak.com

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In this video, apparently influenced by Major Lazer and M.I.A (Think Boyz), she bogles around in a psyachelic multicolored cartoonesque stage. If you’re in a bad mood, use this video to get you out of it:

Thanks to the Guardian’s great music blog for continually delivering great music news to my RSS feed.

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However, there is one Hallmark movie that most unfortunately paints Rosie O’Donnell in an outrageously tragic light. In “Riding on the Bus with My Sister” Rosie plays Andie Macdowell’s mentally-challenged sister in an attempt to bring light to what life is like for that subset of the population. Rosie’s intentions are good but unfortunately it backfires on her. This is some of the worst acting that has ever been on any screen. I’m a Rosie fan and thought The View was never better than when she was on it but her “Hallmark moment” is not a movie you’ll want to watch next Valentine’s Day!

Here is a mashed up bunch of clips of the worst best moments from “Riding on the Bus With My Sister”. It was generously assembled by Youtube User StripforSatan!

The Big Pink’s Debut Album A Brief History of Love is quite good but not quite enough to my liking to make my list of top albums of 2009, which, I’m still compiling. Yes, I  know. It’s already February. The Big Pink are an electro-rock duo from London England with definite shoe-gazing elements in their first collection of noise rock. “Dominos”, their first single, was probably a bigger hit in both the U.S. and England but “Velvet” takes the prize for this band’s top single so far. It’s hypnotic and draws you in each second of its 4 minutes and 25 seconds. The video’s great too.

If you like that, check out the 7-minute remix of Velvet by Gang Gang Dance. It’s quite a ride. Download here.

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Dubai – New Dubai - Flickr Slideshow

Dubai – Old Dubai and The Creek - Flickr Slideshow

Dubai – People on Our Trip - Flickr Slideshow

Dubai – Hotels and Hotel Decor - Flickr Slideshow

Animoto Video:

So what was my impression in our short, two-day sojourn through this parched land of mega skyscrapers? Well let’s just say that my expectations weren’t that high so they were in fact, exceeded. Gaudi decided to build the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, which is truly a wonder not only because it’s beautiful but also because  of the sheer gall that anyone could ever even contemplate such a project. Maybe the same will be said about some of the “projects” in Dubai someday? Then again…maybe not. It’s not that I don’t believe Dubai is impressive in many ways. Some of the architecture is quite interesting simply because in a wealthy autocracy there are no limits as to what can be done and no committees and hoops for architects to jump through, and plenty of cheap labor that can work all the time – Oh, I mean only when the temperature is “below 50 degrees celcius”. It’s more like Sheik says “Jump” and they do.

Abandon Car in Dubai

Well as we all know, there was a little too much jumping in Dubai, which resulted in its current bankrupt state. What would have been the Burj Dubai is now the Burj Khalifa thanks to the head of Abu Dhabi who bailed the builders out so it could be finished. Was it worth it? I kind of think so. After all, even the Empire State building was in debt and not full when it was finally finished. And we couldn’t imagine life without it now.  The Burj Khalifa is a wildly impressive structure that can be seen from just about anywhere miles away. It gives the illusion that you’re quite close when in fact you could be very far away from it. Despite how much our friend Savio wanted us to visit the “top” (the observation deck is on the 124th floor of 160 habitable floors. There are another 46 floors that can only be used for maintenance because of the building’s telescopic shape), we decided not to because of rumored 2 1/2 hour lines and 2 straight hazy days.

What about The Palm? Well, let’s just say that with the Burj Khalifa, they got it right. The Palm? A monorail that is not connected to the rest of Dubai’s metro that only has one stop at the end (Atlantis)? I guess it’s smart that they built that because of all the poor people who visit (or live in) Dubai who can’t afford a taxi out to the very reasonably priced Atlantis resort would be able to take the monorail? And what about the fact that there’s no way back to the “mainland” from the crescents on the sides except for the main truck of The Palm. Well, I guess this makes sense because people would naturally want to drive back through the trunk to see all of the individually unique condos and homes built along the way (not a single one alike)… The Palm? Really?

My Dooby Dislikes:

• Just about everything is new
• Too much shopping
• Alcohol is only permitted in hotel restaurants (unless snuck in)
• Droves of ex-pats tending to congregate together  – I would to!
• The existence of The Palm
• The Fake Twin Chrysler Buildings
• Draconian measures to keep people from speeding

My Dooby Likes:

• The Burj Khalifa
• Many other fascinating buildings architecturally
• The Dubai Creek
• The fact that you can send an SMS to extend your parking
• The climate – in January!
• The fact that it’s situated in a great part of the world for traveling
• Cool arab design elements everywhere
• The male swarth factor is off the charts
• Very cool (surprisingly not all tacky) luxury hotels with fantastic decor
• The wind tunnel cooling system in the museum area
• The Lebanese food
• Wafi Gourmet’s dates
• Cool lunar desert landscape to play in (see us dune-buggy riding in the photos)
• Everything, and I mean everything, is clean
• Lamcy Plaza
• Beautiful Mosques
• Hilla, Ankur, and Eric (how cool they are in every way)

So, I think that all in all, there are more Dooby Likes than Dooby Dislikes. This will make Adi very happy

But what is my absolute favorite thing about Dubai?

This cool Costa Coffee Cup, bought at Dubai Airport.

I bought a cup of coffee when transiting in Dubai on the way to Karachi at Costa Coffee in the airport. Despite the beginning of my jet lag I noticed that the cup has one of the coolest designs I’d ever seen, a fact that I’m sure went unnoticed by Senor Khalifa. This cup has wavy ridges built into it so that the coffee drinker does not burn her hands AND doesn’t have to put on one of those “jackets” since it’s built into the cup. Efficient. Cool. Environmental. (I know some will disagree with that but what the heck) Cost Effective? I don’t know. But regardless, it’s cool. So the design of this cup is my absolute favorite thing about Dubai.

Oh wait a minute…. Isn’t Costa Coffee a British chain?

Thanks for reading: Dubai – The Old, The New, and The Trip – in Rants. Now check out Dubai – The Old, The New, and The Trip – in Photos!

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Image via Wikipedia

I doubt Fever Ray will take any Grammies even though they should. But they did one their country’s version of the Grammies and the acceptance speech is unlike any other. Karin Dreijer Andersson is known for not wanting her face shown at least in her Fever Ray persona. From what I understand, she is actually quite a beautiful woman, although you’d never know that from seeing this.

I wonder what Lady Gaga would think of this?

Also, I have a feeling that Kanye wouldn’t try to mess with Karin!

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Here are some additional Galleries. Each one links to its own flickr slideshow.

Karachi and the People on Our Trip.

Adi’s family was great and I met the entire extended family as well. This group of 83 photos show all the family gatherings and then some! And no matter how short the gathering, there was always food, drink, desert, or tea served. What a hospitable country! You’ll also see a few shots of people just living life – not posed. See the Flickr Slideshow Here.

Karachi – Places & Street Life.

A visit to Karachi wouldn’t be possible without being in a vehicle of some sort. Luckily the vehicles I rode in were air-conditioned cars. This album of 114 photos gives you a glimpse into life on Karachi’s streets. Most of the photos were taken from a moving car! I was fascinated by the rickshaws, buses, and trucks, all of which were made extremely colorful and individual to the place where they came from. See the Flickr Slideshow Here.

Karachi – Quaid-E-Azam Mausoleum

This is one of Karachi’s most interesting and visited sites and for good reason. The Quaid-E-Azam Mausoleum is a public landmark dedicated to honoring the final resting place of Pakistan’s founder – Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It sits on 53 hectares of land and is 75×75 meters on the ground and 43 meters high. There are multiple fountains, gardens, and beautiful white stone. See the Flickr Slideshow Here.

Karachi – Architecture

Karachi is very spread out and needs a bit of patience to get to know and to find the sometimes hidden gems of architecture, but they do exist. There are some wonderful old structures in various conditions. Many of these are captured while driving so the shots aren’t always the very best. But I did manage to capture a few good ones. See the Flickr Slideshow here.

Karachi – Decor.

I love taking photos of furniture and art whenever I can. I toured some pretty impressive and old homes in Karachi and enjoyed what I saw. Structures are mostly built out of cement so often you’ll see wires on the outside of the wall rather than inside (for older buildings). I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to see so many great rooms if it hadn’t been for Adi’s family. See the Flickr Slideshow here.

Cover of Actor

In today’s times, this song might be more aptly titled “Out of Work” as it applies to many more people than actors who are perenally out of work. Or maybe it refers to the actor in all of us that has to come out whenever we interview for a job or are put in a situation when we have to put on a proper face. St. Vincent is the artist name that Annie Erin Clark goes by. She’s from Tulsa, Oklahoma, has played with a lot of really cool artists – namely The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens – and released Actor in May of 2009. Here’s the video for the first single “Actor Out of Work”.