19.06.06 :: in which i slept the weekend away [my theory on being tired]

bad weekend. weird weekend. it just was, plain and simple. it rained, practically nonstop, and i slept, practically nonstop. trying to catch up on sleep lost last week.

and i don't think it's just me; i've heard from some other people i know that they've been tired as well. plus, i've had this stiffness in my neck. my theory is that we all have a combination of west nile virus and the bird flu. maybe even some monkey pox thrown in for good measure. that can't be good: all those types of animal diseases introduced into the human body? it just can't be good.

from the cdc home page on vector-borne infectious diseases ...

q. what are the symptoms of west nile virus (wnv) infection?

a. infection with wnv can be asymptomtic (no symptoms), or can lead to west nile fever or severe west nile disease.

it is estimated that about 20% of people who become infected with wnv will develop west nile fever. symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands. while the illness can be as short as a few days, even healthy people have reported being sick for several weeks.

the symptoms of severe disease (also called neuroinvasive disease, such as west nile encephalitis or meningitis or west nile poliomyelitis) include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis. it is estimated that approximately 1 in 150 persons infected with wnv will develop a more severe form of disease. serious illness can occur in people of any age, however people over age 50 and some immunocompromised persons (for example, transplant patients) are at the highest risk for getting severely ill when infected with wnv.

most people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with wnv will not develop any type of illness (an asymptomatic infection), however you cannot know ahead of time if you'll get sick or not when infected.

of course, maybe my current condition might have something to do with seeing donnie darko and breakfast on pluto in the same weekend? what say you?

posted by lonestarsteve on mon 19.06.06 7:28 AM

cars and trains

mama's gone and got herself a new man
it's a shame, he's the same
mama please please, stop pretending
this time, it won't end in tears
i find myself, with a new daddy
my mama needs love you see
guess she don't wanna be lonely

and nobody's keeping score
i don't say hi to those guys no more
said mama can't you feel me
holding my breath as they knock, knock,
knock on our door

you're just taking your ass
to the top of that building
throwing yourself under cars and trains
taking the pill that you know will kill you
under the wheels,
the same, the same ...

johnny's gone and got himself a new man
he gets laid, every day
johnny please please, stop pretending
this time, may just end in tears
take care of yourself
because you won't find 'daddy'
when you're popping those pills
oh johnny, is the danger just part of the thrill?

and nobody's keeping score
johnny those guys that you shake it for
i said, "johnny can't you hear them
saying mama knows best as they knock, knock,
knock on your door"

you're just taking your ass
to the top of that building
throwing yourself under cars and trains
taking the pill that you know will kill you
under the wheels, the same, the same

taking your ass to the top of that building
throwing yourself under cars and trains
taking the pill that you know will kill you
under the wheels, wheels, wheels

pretty girl, little girl,
what were you thinking
just 18 at the time
you were a mother and child, at the same time
you were a mother and child
so young and fucked up baby
always higher than a child should see...
forgive me

to the top of that building
under cars and trains
taking the pill that you know will kill you
under the wheels, wheels, wheels

mama don't you let him stay
from bastard to loser, hurt you, used you in every way,
mama, don't you let him stay, please
don't let him stay
i said jesus, mary, and the saints above,
won't you show him love?

-- lyrics by george michael

posted by lonestarsteve on fri 16.06.06 8:27 AM

following suit with fellow blogger matt, i did a google search for "steve needs," and came up with the following top 10 ...

steve needs ...

... some friends.
... a permanent home.
... some colour advice for his kitchen.
... rehab.
... driver help.
... adoptive parents who understand behavior related to abuse and extreme neglect.
... a family that understands his cognitive and developmental delays.
... you.
... to be asked forgiveness from all concerned in keeping this wrongful conviction unresolved.
... wiliam and mrs. lindsey to work his magic.

posted by lonestarsteve on wed 14.06.06 1:43 PM

it has become a pretty well-established fact that the third season of bravo tv's project runway will kick off in mid-July this year rather than it's usual debut in december. rumor also has it that with this earlier-than-usual start, the three designer finalists will show their collections at olympus fashion week this fall instead of next spring.

pr designer mentor tim gunn has blogged about this season's auditions, which also were held earlier than usual. gunn noted that audition stops were made in l.a., miami, chicago, and new york. in l.a., santino rice served as one of the judges. gunn said that santino was "uncharacteristically quiet" on the first day and he "conducted himself with poise and professionalism" on day two. he wrote, "frankly, i was anticipating the great santino, full of boisterous bravura and sucking the air out of the room -- and out of the candidates. not true. not even remotely true."

gunn noted that l.a.'s auditions brought out everyone from the sublime to the ridiculous. one example of the latter was a candidate who entered holding "a top with a hoodie shaped like a dragon head, complete with scales; a feathered ball gown with a 20-foot train (really); and a corset made out of condoms."

nick verreos joined the judging team in chicago. gunn wrote of the experience working alongside nick: "we were a great team, but in terms of wardrobe, i felt like such a fashion schlump next to nick -- staid and expected, maybe even, gasp, dowdy. i was playing grandpa munster to his patrick dempsey. so the day began with my fashion morale in the dustbin."

new york was the final stop, where the judges were joined by daniel vosovic. gunn writes that by day 2 of the n.y. auditions, he had gained a reputation for being "mean and horrible." he explained how he heard of the rumor's origin:

"it turns out that a young man i had ordered from the audition room the day before happened to work at a boutique in the meat-packing district. said boutique, which i shall not name, happened to be the location of a big fashion party later that evening. this young man took the opportunity to let everybody at the party know how mean and ... well, you know. so what happened? he was one of our last auditions of a very long day. and although he had been waiting for hours, when he entered the room his designs were still in garment bags, he didn't know where his portfolio was and thought that he had left it outside, and he postured as though his audition could run for 30 min. or more. wrong.

"we judges were instantly impatient with him. the only good thing was that he had brought a model, and she was wearing one of his looks. he stated that he had arrived without a model and became panicky when he saw how many candidates had models with them. so he recruited this tall, slender, and stunning young woman from the make-up counter on the main floor of macy's flagship. instantly, we all warmed to him and his resourcefulness.

"then, and i get angry all over again as i write this, he proceeded to undress this kind volunteer in front of us and the camera crew, and undress her right down to a thong! 'what are you doing? stop!' i declared. he responded that he was going to put the model into another look. 'no. you're going to put that look back on her and stop!'

"he ignored me. the hapless girl was close to tears with embarrassment and was recoiling from the cameras. 'i didn't expect this," she murmured. 'no, indeed you wouldn't,' i responded.

"when the young man continued to fuss with a large crinoline hat that, owing to the fact he was a full foot shorter than the model, he was never going to be able to get over her head, i lost control and started shouting. 'stop! you're being disrespectful of your model and all of us in this room. just get out! now!'

"the rest is a blur to me. i guess iwas mean and horrible! never mind."

next month cannot come soon enough. i'm definately going to watch what happens ...

posted by lonestarsteve on mon 12.06.06 2:03 PM

significant date: 06.06.06. good day to release a movie about a devil child born here on earth. oops, hollywood beat us to it...

while a remake of the 1976 classic wasn't necessary, i'm pretty certain i'll be seeing this one, just not today. i've read in some reviews that this 2006 version of the omen follows the original screenplay by david seltzer to-the-letter (and even credits him). good or bad? not sure. the original seemed perfect.

my favorite scene? when damien's nanny commits suicide in plain view of all the party guests at the boy's 5th birthday party. the floodgates are opened, and the evil of the antichrist starts to take shape ...

posted by lonestarsteve on tue 06.06.06 7:51 AM

monday again. another whirlwind weekend. five days of work ahead. life is so goddamned repetitive sometimes.

my weekend went well. i got in some good "lonestarsteve" time and hung out with the usual suspects as well. volleyball on saturday rocked. i wanted to give a shout out to everyone who showed up, new people as well as the regulars. something about that game every saturday really gets my weekend started right. trust.

my date went pretty well on sunday. the guy is really sweet and fun to be with. there were a few awkward moments, but a lot of that had to do with my own nervousness and insecurities. i did wake up this morning with a bit of a sore throat; well, it wasn't so much sore as it was bruised.

i'm such a ho-bag.

posted by lonestarsteve on mon 05.06.06 7:46 AM

i fuckin' love this photo. thanks to peter in istanbul. photographer is rasmus morgensen. flawless. love it. sensual, provacative, beautifully captured. most of morgensen's stuff is like this.

so it's friday. the weekend is upon us all. i'm most psyched about seeing a very good friend tonight. he's recently dropped out of the scene, spending most of his days licking old wounds as well as some new ones. but he's ready to re-emerge. and for that i'm most thankful.

i also play volleyball on saturday with the boys. i'm hoping that we get a game together much like last week. it was hot, hot. some very good players have been showing up lately, and i look forward to sweating in the heat and driving that ball down into the grass.

i also have a date this weekend. new guy. nice guy. stable guy. looking forward to seeing him again. i'm enjoying getting to know him. who is he? now, now. you know me better than that ...

posted by lonestarsteve on fri 02.06.06 7:31 AM