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Flying High  
02:10pm 04/12/2007
 
 
King's Companion
Last updated: 66 weeks ago!!! lol!

Well, here goes.

Sometimes, life throws a lot of drama and negativity your way. Whether it be work, family, friends... it just kinda happens.
Here's the caca that's sliding downhill beneath my hammock (which swings between two coconut trees on a beach on some lovely deserted island) at the moment:

-The writer's strike is still going. I may lose my job. Everyone's stressed out here at work.

-Family holiday drama 2007. You're not coming home to Hawai'i? What are you going to do for Xmas? Don't you love us anymore? Blah di blah di blah.

-Friends drama. So-in-so is not talking to whats-his-name and whats-her-hoo-hah is mad at blink-a-dink... Oy vey.

-Money drama. Not enough cash to properly bestow valued friends and family with junk they will forget about days after Xmas...

So, it seems that it's the end of the world as we know it. But as the rest of the REM refrain goes... I feel fine.

I am in such a positive place in my life. So much so, that I kinda feel guilty about it. I know a ton of loved ones who are going through a lot of crap right now... I can help where I can, but I'm not going to let it weigh me down. Don't mistake it for indifference, it's called survival.

I wish I knew where it came from. Drugs? No. Am I in love and has it colored my world right now? No. Am I a contrarian? Yes, but I only said yes because you were expecting me to say no. :) So, the answer is, I don't know where it comes from but it's here. And I welcome it.

My good friend Steve told me that if you open yourself to positive vibes, they will come to you. It sounds like he was hypnotized by the Oprah approved “The Secret” but there's werds of wizdum there.

Maybe one place it did come from was a Yahoo IM I got the other day from a gentleman I am dating. Four simple words hit me hard like a sledgehammer to the skull: "My mom passed away."

It made me think. A lot. You know, all the cliche stuff: life's too short, live now - regret never, etc. I went invisible on Yahoo IM and he and I talked for hours. I really wanted to call, but he was more comfortable IMing that way. He's a strong guy.

But here's why it had an impact on me. He and his family defected from Czechoslovakia to the US when he was 5. His parents wanted a better, happier life for their sons. So they packed up a backpack each and climbed mountains (insert "Sound of Music" song here) and made their way to a neighboring country and eventually made their way to New York. They left all they had to be here. But what amazing people his parents were to gather the courage to do that. Yeah, they weren’t exactly fleeing from Hitler but what cool parents. What a cool mom. And now she was gone.

She had made an indelible mark on my friend’s life. He was a better person today for knowing her. I found that inspiring. I want that legacy someday. To affect someone in such a positive way by being brave and pursuing happiness.

So, here I stand. Ready to be the happiest, best Brad I can be. (Cue the “Defying Gravity” song.)

So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky
As someone told me lately -
Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly
And if I'm flying solo
At least I'm flying free
To those who'd ground me
Take a message back from me -

Tell them how I
Am defying gravity!
I'm flying high
Defying gravity!
And soon I'll match them in renown
And nobody in all of Oz
No wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down!


Don’t let anyone bring ya down. Fly high.

mood: happy happy
 
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Dizney's Beauty and the Beast - The Alternate Deleted Ending  
02:57pm 25/08/2006
 
 
King's Companion
Something I wrote or fun. :)

-------------

"Beauty and the Beast" – The Deleted Alternate Ending
by: Braddoc DeCaires

Tears flowed down Belle’s fair face, she laid her head gently upon the Beast’s chest and uttered these words, softly and sadly: “Please don’t leave me! I love you.”

The final petal released itself and fluttered gracefully to the table top.

All was silent for a moment. The only sound that could be heard was the constant ticking coming from Cogsworth.

Suddenly, the skies opened, the rains were replaced with magical blots laden with enchanted dust. The colorful bolts of magic showered down upon the fallen prince. A fog encircled the Beast as he rose off the ground. Belle looked up in wonder and surprise as limb by limb the Beast is transformed. His cape cupped and lowered the Prince’s body to the ground. Belle looked upon a handsome young man lying on the ground.

Lumiere, Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth all gasp in anticipation as they wait for their master to rise to his feet. He does not. They look at each other in wonder. Without warning, Lumiere and Cogsworth are transformed into their human forms. They hug each other happily. Mrs. Potts, however, is not as lucky. A curtain of magical dust surrounded her but as it leaves, we see that she has the body of a human but her head is still a teapot. She screamed, looking at her reflection in the glass windows.

“Mama! Mama!” Chip called from the back of a galloping, barking footstool. Chip and the footstool are transformed into their proper states. Chip looked up at his mother in shock. “Mama?!” The child then erupted in uncontrollable laughter, rolling on the ground holding his stomach.

The laughter was not to last for long. Belle walked up to her prince and put her hand beneath his nostrils. There is no breath. She felt his chest. No heartbeat.

“He’s dead.” Belle uttered sobbing.

Lumiere, Cogsworth, Chip and the dog gasped. Mrs. Potts, meanwhile, began to run around in circles with her palms flat against her porcelain face. Angrily, she wailed: “Tale as old as time, tale as old as time, tale as old as time!”

“Oh la la,” Lumiere said, “this is a disaster.”

The former clock and candelabra, so distracted by the tragedy at hand, looked around them. The once dark and dreary castle was replaced by its equal dressed in white and marble. A shaft of sunlight hit the terrace happily.

“How can this end this way?” Belle sobbed into the prince’s chest. Her tears flow fast like a river to the ocean.

The shaft of sunlight before them flashed from a warm gold to a subtle green. Another rain of magic and a beautiful woman appeared before them in an emerald gown.

“It’s the enchantress!” Lumiere and Cogsworth said in unison.

“Tale as old as time, tale as old as time, tale as old as time!” Muttered Mrs. Potts while she circled the two men.

“This is not your ordinary fairy tale, sister.” The enchantress said to Belle. The beautiful woman knelt next to the fallen prince and shook her head. “Too bad, too. He was quite a dish.” She then looked up at Mrs. Potts, “No offense, sister.”

“But I don’t understand.” Belle said looking into the enchantresses eyes.

“Well,” the enchantress pulled a clipboard chocked with papers from her gown, “you see, it’s like this. The deal was that he had to find true love and she had to love him back. If he did, then I’d turn him back to a human. But I didn’t say nothing about bringing him back to life. That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“But, you could bring him back if you wanted to couldn’t you?” Belle asked.

“No.” the enchantress said scratching her lower back with her wand. “Ain’t you ever been to Enchantress School? I guess not. Curses and Spells 101, dearie. You can’t bring ‘em back to life. It ain’t a pretty picture. Ain’t you ever seen ‘Aladdin’? Anyway, I can’t do it. It wasn’t my fault anyways, blame that Gaston guy.”

“I’m heartbroken.” Belle said sadly.

“Yeah, you should’ve stuck with that fella instead. He had quite a build. Knows how to handle a gun, that Gaston.” The enchantress said. “But I shouldn’t talk about the dearly departed like that.”

“Madam?” Cogsworth cleared his throat. “May I inquire about the current status of our Mrs. Potts? She doesn’t seem to be completely herself.”

“Let’s not get all wound up, Cogsie.” The enchantress said plopping her fists on her waist. “About her, well that’s another kettle of fish. You see, Prince Eustace turned me out of the castle ten years ago.”

“Eustace?” Belle said looking blankly into the horizon.

“The Chipster and his brothers and sisters were all born after the spell took place.” The enchantress fondly messed up Chip’s hair as she spoke. “You’re only allowed so much spell per person. Well, I figured good ‘ol Pottsie here wouldn’t want her kids all half-China, half-human, so she gets the raw end of the deal instead. Sorry, sister, but no one told you to bang all them dancing plates.”

“Tale as old as time, tale as old as time…”

“Why is she doing that?” Lumiere asked.

“Don’t worry about that.” The enchantress said sticking a couple of bobby pins in her hair. “She’s just blowing off a little steam.”

Chip continued his laughing fit on the ground.

“Eustace?” Belle said again.

“Well, I’m going to head downstairs for the auction.” The enchantress said fixing her stockings.

“Auction?” Cogworth wondered aloud.

“Yeah, Eustace here had no next of kin.” The enchantress said. “So, all of this is up for grabs. I got my eye on a really cherry ballroom chandelier. I got the perfect place for it at my summer estate. Gotta run, knickknacks.”

Belle sobbed on.

“Listen. No hard feelings, huh, sister?” The enchantress patted her on the back. “You still got your father. He got that nice gig going on in his basement. Not just anyone can make up stuff like that. You gotta have brains to do that sort of crap.”

“Yes.” Belle said wiping a tear from her chin. “Poppa. I still have my Poppa.”

---------------------

Belle ran through the town and headed towards her house. Her heart raced as she saw the mill wheel turning gracefully greeting her as always. A curious looking kite flew up to the sky from the chimney. Father was at it again. She burst into the house.

“Poppa?” She cried out. “Poppa, where are you?”

“Down here, Belle!” Maurice yelled from the basement.

“Poppa. The most horrible thing happened to me.” She began as she made her way down the basement stairs. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs in shock.

“I heard, Belle. I heard. He’s gone.” Maurice said. “And we’re gonna fix that for you.”

In the middle of the basement was a long steel table connected to electrodes and glass devices that lit up with lightning inside them.

“We’ll bring him here, Belle.” Maurice announced. “I’ll make him well again. Bring him back to life, that’s what we’ll do.”

“Poppa.”

“I have it all set. Any parts that don’t work, we’ll replace. Hee hee, Belle, hee hee.” Maurice began waddling around the basement flapping his arms. He suddenly got down on his hands and knees and poked the ground with his nose. “Bok bok bok, Belle. I’m a chicken!”

“Poppa?” Belle knelt by her father and patted him on the back. ‘Crazy old Maurice.’ She had heard someone say in town. Maybe the town was right about her father, maybe they were right about her too…

Fin
mood: crazy crazy
 
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Mama Say Mama Saw Mama Coo Sa  
10:17am 21/08/2006
 
 
King's Companion
I totally had to share this.

My mom has seen the light...

I've been sick for the last couple of days and haven't returned any phone calls lately. During that time, my mom called twice. Yesterday, after walking Frodo I got a call at home. I picked it up. It was my mom.

Usually the way the script usually reads when my mom and I talk on the phone is that 1. someone died and she's calling me to let me know 2. she's mad at either one of my sisters or my dad and needs to vent or 3. she's attempting to make me feel guilty for not calling her in awhile. But our conversation was from a different script this time.

My mom and I have this long history of fighting about the church and gay issues and such. I'm called a heathen and she's called a homophobe and we pretty much end it there.

Last night she called me to let me know that a priest and head theologian in the Honolulu Diocese asked her to be speak in front of all of the deacons in Hawai'i about gay Catholics. He asked her to speak publicly about her gay son.

"...and how I'm going to hell and how I shouldn't get married?" I asked her bitterly.
"No." She said. "He wanted me to tell everyone how much I love you."

Spinning Newspaper Headline: "Mom Hits Son Over Head with Sledgehammer"

I was stunned. The priest (who is some high mucky muck over at the Catholic Church in Hawai'i) asked her to counsel deacons on how to accept gay individuals, couples, couples with families and parishoners with gay kids into the church. My mom told him that she had very strong feelings on the matter, including the lack of financial help for HIV/AIDS causes from the church. She said she wasn't going to pull any punches about how she felt. He said he didn't want her to. (The marriage issue did not come up, but I figured baby steps are good.)

Now this theologian and I go way back. He was our pastor for many years and he'd come over for dinner lots and we'd go back and forth about religion all the time. In 1998, he was head of the anti-marriage equality fight in Hawai'i. He paraded around the state capitol with a copy of the childrens' book "Daddy's Roommate" and talked about how gays were recruiting children etc. But a couple of years ago, he was approached by a lesbian couple who wanted their child to be admitted into the private school that he runs. He decided to accept this child in when he realized that her parents were no different from any of the others. (As a side note, the school he runs is my old grade school.) From there he decided that if other families with same-sex parents were to come around, that he should counsel other priests and deacons about how to treat these families with dignity like all the others. I'm not sure where the revelation took place in his eyes, but it did.

After my mom's presentation, she was approached by several members of the Church who have gay children. They thanked her for talking about this issue and approaching it with an open mind.

My mom always talks to me about 'calling'. She said that me working at a shelter was answering a calling. I don't know what I believe about that, but I just said, 'Who knows.' So, in turn, I told her that maybe this is her calling. I told her that maybe (and I used the song from 'The Color Purple' as an example) God was trying to tell her something. I told her maybe God/Jesus wants her to be a shoulder for people in the CC who have gay kids. She agreed.

So, now my mom's a PFLAG-esque presence in her church. I think that's great.

I told her that I was wrong about her never being able to understand my sister (my younger sister is lesbian) and I. I told her I was extremely proud of her. I told her that nothing she could have told me could have made me happier.

I never thought I would see this day.

My mom is awesome.

My parents rock.

:)
mood: calm calm
 
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Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes  
09:29am 09/08/2006
 
 
King's Companion
I gave the homeless shelter my letter of resignation this morning. I am vacating my position in two weeks time.

Time to move on.

I did acquire another position at a GLBT legal rights organization here in Boston. I will basically be doing the same thing I am doing here for more money hourly. However, it is a PT position, but I am currently looking for another PT position elsewhere. I am hoping the job will lead to something FT. If not, 2 PT jobs never killed me before...

I enjoy what I do at the shelter, but the environment is a tad bit depressing for me. It's hard for me to separate myself from the hardships of the guests. I also felt that although the shelter does a lot of good, it does seem to enable a lot of people to stay on the street and not help themselves. Also, the lobby has been a haven for drug deals which go unmonitored even after many requests from staff to remedy that.

So, off I go to yet another job. Things sure have changed since my parents' day. They both have had the same jobs their whole lives. Retirement? What's that?

Wish me luck.
:)
mood: happy happy
 
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When the Lights Go Down in the Ci-tay...  
09:48am 02/08/2006
 
 
King's Companion
Couldn't sleep last night. Got to bed at about 12 midnight instead of 10pm. Then at 1:20am or so the power goes out. And off went our air conditioner. Bleh! 90 degrees or so inside our apt.

All in all, I think I got 3 hours of sleep last night.

Very groggy today.
mood: sleepy sleepy
 
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More on Mel...  
08:25am 02/08/2006
 
 
King's Companion
A friend of mine showed me these. These are from the night of his arrest:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/drunkmel.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/braddoc310/drunkmel2.jpg

And this one is just for fun:




Ah, beloved Schadenfreude...
:)
 
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"Star Wars" Questions  
10:13am 31/07/2006
 
 
King's Companion
So, I have a question.

I was having a "Clerks" moment this morning on the T.

In "Star Wars: A New Hope" the Rebels are attacking the Death Star. They go into the trench and do the long battle to thier target, the exhaust port. My question is this: Why didn't they just start the attack at the exhaust port? Fly around the Death Star and then dive in and bomb the crap out of that hole and fly out?

They knew where it was, there was a tracking device on each X and Y Wing. They lost many a rebel during that fight.

AND if the Empire knew what they were up to, why didn't they have more fighters protecting the target?

Also, they needed Obi Wan Kenobi to turn off the sheild to get out of the Death Star. The sheild protects the DS. So, they didn't need anyone to turn it off for the attack?

Questions...questions...
:)
 
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Mel Gibson  
09:26am 31/07/2006
 
 
King's Companion
Okay, I know it's too soon for another rant but...

Here's a couple of quotes from Mel's drunken tirade:
"F-ing Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Jew?"
(To a female officer) "What are you looking at, sugar tits?"

WTF?!!!


Dear Mel Gibson,

You're an idiot. You sexist, anti-Semitic, homophobic drunk driver.

AND might I add Mr. Mel ("Passion of the Christ") Gibson, Jesus was Jewish. Also, you're Catholic. Being raised a Catholic, I know that what separates Catholics from Protestants is that Catholics pray to and adore Mary... you know, Jesus' mom... a WOMAN.

Sincerely,
Me.

Here's another quote from him:
"My life is f--ked."

My response...
"Maybe, but it's your own doing..."
mood: annoyed annoyed
 
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The Rant Bully  
10:40am 28/07/2006
 
 
King's Companion
Ooh, my first rant on LJ.

"Hang on to them hats and glasses, cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness."

Okay, someone explain to me why the majority in this country gets to tell me whether I can or can not get married? Since when does a majority get to decide something for a minority of people when it comes to civil rights? Since when do civil rights go up for a vote?

If that's the case, I bet there is a percentage of the population that would love to see African Americans, or women, or Jews be less equal. So, could a racist, supremacist group, if they had enough money and support, get a vote put on the ballot to get rid of whatever group they didn't like? Just like that?

Boy, what weird times we live in.

Bush supporting an amendment that would screw his Vice President's daughter. WTF?

Now here's the part that may piss people off. And I apologize if I piss you off.

The Pope. Ratzinger was a Hitler Youth as a kid. Because he had to, I get that. But he said he didn't believe in their crap, so he did a piss poor job of being a HY. Now, if I remember correctly, didn't Hitler also demonize and incarcerate homosexuals in his death camps? So now Ratzy is all grown up and leader of the Catholic Church. Now he's spouting off about gays being less equal and gay marriages are sinful blah blah blah. Doesn't it seem like he's retained some of his training from youth? As someone who was so close to the kind of inhumane treatment of minorities in his country, shouldn't he be more compassionate?

Astounding.

Now I know I'm supposed to be focused now on the Middle East, Iraq, the Big Dig, and doping during the Tour de France, you know on other "more important issues" out there. But this just hits too close to home and my sense of decency not to think about.

And furthermore, where are the compassionate Christians out there fighting FOR gay marriage. I know they're out there. I know of a great church with an awesome garden that flies a rainbow flag near Davis Square, but what of the others?

Christians have always helped the persecuted. That Jesus dude was big on that. But I guess if the persecuted packs fudge, that's too gross for them to think about.

Man, oh, man.

2 Iranian boys. Hung for being gay. Not a word from our president about that.


Believe it or not, I'm in a great mood today. That felt good. To let all that out.

Who knew that Mr. DePinna was such a bitch.
:)
mood: irritated irritated
 
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Junk  
02:01pm 27/07/2006
 
 
King's Companion
I'm at the T (subway) station this morning. The train's coming. It's crowded. Twentysomething dad is running towards the platform. His daughter, five years old, is lagging behind. She's lagging behind because she is... oh how can I put this lightly... fingerbanging herself at a turnstile. Dad turns around, smacks her hand away from under her skirt and says, "Dang, girl! Why you always gotta be playing with your junk in public?"

Her junk? Is that what we're telling our daughters to call it now?
Not only that, but she's really young. She has no idea what she's doing. So, just announce to the whole T station that your daughter is... you know... The girl looked like at that very moment in time she learned to be ashamed of her "junk". Sheezus Christ.

What would I have done? Hmmm, yeah. I would have pulled my little girl aside to someplace private then and there and said, "Hillary Kylie Starchild, let's have a talk." At no time would I call her vagina her junk and I would never embarass her in public like that. Not to mention that he was treating her like she does this all the time. Maybe the talk is wayyyy overdue?

Grrrrr. Why do I encounter all the weirdos? I mean, other weirdos?

:)
mood: crazy crazy
 
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Announcer's Test  
02:10pm 25/07/2006
 
 
King's Companion
One hen
Two ducks
Three squawking geese
Four limericking oysters
Five corpulent porpoises
Six pairs of Don Alverzo's tweezers
Seven Thousand Macedonians in full battle array
Eight Brass Monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Egypt
Nine apathetic, sympathetic, diabetic, old men on roller skates with a marked propensity towards procrastination and sloth
Ten lyrical, spherical, diabolical denizens of the deep who all stall around the corner of the quo of the quay of the quivery, all at the same time.


I think this would be a great vocal/diction warm up exercise for theatre doings...
mood: happy happy
 
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Numb  
09:02am 24/07/2006
 
 
King's Companion
Monday. :insert that line that orange cartoon cat utters all the time here:

The One Acts Festival closed this Saturday and the wrap party was awesomely fun. After discussing the world and life in general with my partner, we'll call him "Ralphie" for now until he reveals himself somehow in his own way on LJ, I finally got to bed at about 4am.

Sunday was Lazytown USA for me. The bulk of my day was watching TV and playing Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 on Ralphie's laptop. I have yet to get my own. We went to lunch with good friends and came back home for more lazy shenanigans.

I didn't go online yesterday and I was really fine with that. I watched 'The Maltese Falcon' yesterday and fell in love with that film all over again.

We also did our routine of watching Fox's animated Sunday line-up and Comedy Central's funny shit. I found a new love for Chapelle, Mencia and Lt. Dangle. The Scientology South Park was on, too. Love that one.

There may be big doings coming soon. Nothing 100% yet. But maybe.

Still feeling burned out, but I'm hoping to get away this weekend to Maine or someplace relaxing. That would be so nice.

"Life would be so nice
If I could take your hand
and samba through life with you..."
mood: okay okay
 
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What the Hell was That?  
06:11pm 21/07/2006
 
 
King's Companion
I'm just a sittin' here minding my own business when *bam* instant storm in Somerville.
Rain, thunder, lightning, wind knocking shit over.
Holey frijoles!
Can't a guy sit watching 'Simpsons' - season 7 in piece?
Sheesh!
Then it stops like nothing happened.
There were guys working on our roof this afternoon. I think they're dead now. But at least nothing's leaking...
Ha ha.
location: Home
mood: shocked shocked
music: Gnarls Barkley
 
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Will I or Won't I?  
10:29am 18/07/2006
 
 
King's Companion
"Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name..."

Dear Log,
I must say that I have entertained the idea of keeping a journal for many many moons now. But they have all ended up the same way. One or two entries and then the rest of the journal is blank.
I don't know what kind of relationship we will have, oh dear journal of mine, but we'll have to see.
So whether I leave you in the dust or write in you for all time, heaven only knows.
Sincerely,
Brad
location: Werk
mood: happy happy
music: Stones
 
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The King's Companion  
09:31pm 17/07/2006
 
 
King's Companion
The King's Companion
by: Me

His subjects always spoke of him well
Nothing was wrong or so he could tell
But when they wandered out of his sight
They spoke of something that wasn't quite right
For the king had shown them a surprise
That common 'wisdom' claims is not wise
Their ruler wed on this very day
His court jester who is, well, gay
But after debate, fuss and fight
They decided to just call it a night
It's not the oddest sight to be seen
The king's companion is merely a queen.
location: Home
mood: creative creative
 
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