Libertine: On the Prowl

Vidi, vici, veni -- I saw, I conquered, I came. _______________________________________________________________

I Remember Eartha Kitt

10:43, 2008-Dec-25 .. Posted in people .. 6 comments .. Link

Eartha Kitt, best known for her role as Catwoman on the original TV version of Batman in the mid-60s and her 1953 rendition of Santa Baby, died today of colon cancer at the age of 81.

I met Eartha Kitt as a kid in the spring of 1967 when my family stayed that the same Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in South Jersey. My celebrity-struck mother, spotted her leaving her room as we were leaving our room and wasted no time running over to meet her.

As I remember, she was quite gracious to my mother and they chatted for a few moments. She had her daughter with her, who was somewhat younger than me.

Majel Barrett Roddenberry, R.I.P.

02:55, 2008-Dec-20 .. Posted in people .. 4 comments .. Link

On December 18, the "First Lady of Star Trek", Majel Barrett Roddenberry, died at her home after a short battle with leukemia. She was 76. She was the widow of Star Trek originator, Gene Roddenberry.

She was best known for her roles in the various Star Trek incarnations: Nurse (later Doctor) Christine Chapel in the original series, as Betazoid Lwaxana Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and she provided the computer voice in every Star Trek series and movie. She will be heard for the last time in the latest upciming Star Trek movie.

She was originally intended to play the Enterprise's First Officer, which she did in the original series' pilot episode. However NBC network executives, reflecting the sexism of the times, insisted that viewers wouldn't accept a woman in such a position, so she was reluctantly demoted to the more peripheral role of ship's nurse.

A fan favorite at Star Trek conventions over the years, she will be missed.

George Carlin, 1937-2008

11:05, 2008-Jun-23 .. Posted in people .. 2 comments .. Link

I was sad to hear of George Carlin's passing yesterday, too soon at the age of 71.

As a comedian and a social critic, he was almost without peer. I will miss his witty, acerbic observations about life and our society.

I hope he gives them all hell in the afterlife, if, indeed, there is one.
---

"The whole problem with this idea of obscenity and indecency, and all of these things — bad language and whatever — it's all caused by one basic thing, and that is: religious superstition. There's an idea that the human body is somehow evil and bad and there are parts of it that are especially evil and bad, and we should be ashamed. Fear, guilt and shame are built into the attitude toward sex and the body. ... It's reflected in these prohibitions and these taboos that we have."
--George Carlin

Photo of the Day

01:38, 2008-Jun-18 .. Posted in people .. 2 comments .. Link

I live in a small, conservative city in a strongly red state. The publicly known liberals who live here especially stand out because they are so few.

The man in this picture has been unofficially known as our town's leading liberal voice for as long as I've lived here (23 years). I have yet to have the pleasure of meeting him.

This picture was taken at an annual fishing party he hosts each year on his property for mentally ill patients who live in a local group facility.

An Interesting Character

07:36, 2008-Feb-19 .. Posted in people .. 7 comments .. Link

In an IM conversation with a friend this morning, I told her that if I could, I would go out in public wearing my bathrobe and slippers. I can't think of when I'm any more comfortable in clothes than when in my green fleece robe and fur-lined slippers.

This reminded me of a guy who I went to high school with. This guy actually did keep a plaid robe and slippers in his locker and he wore them when hanging out in the bandroom, as most band kids did at every possible free moment. If students had been allowed to smoke, he'd have had a pipe to go along with the robe and slippers.

I hadn't thought about this in years, but I'm laughing, remembering the character he was. He would kind of remind someone of the character Hyde from That 70s Show; he looked a bit like him and his personality was similar. He was an intelligent guy who was fun to hang out with, and he definitely marched the beat of his own drummer. As I remember, he could quickly learn to play any musical instrument put in front of him.

Did any of you go to school with any interesting characters?

Sexy Female Celebrities

11:36, 2008-Feb-17 .. Posted in people .. 12 comments .. Link

Recently I did a post about female celebrities I found unattractive. Today, I'm doing the reverse; the ones that do put the lead in my pencil. Enjoy.

1. Terry Farrell

She played Dax on Deep Space Nine

2. Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Elaine from Seinfeld

3. Katharine Hepburn

If only I could have met her at that stage in her life...

4. Sophia Loren

Likewise, with Sophia Loren in her younger days

5. Lisa Kudrow

In my previous entry, I picked one from Friends whom I wouldn't do, now here is one I would. I don't normally care for blonds, but something about her appeals to me.

6. Benazir Bhutto

She was a classy looking woman; a mature beauty.

Unsexy Celebrities

12:27, 2008-Feb-11 .. Posted in people .. 15 comments .. Link

Following is a list of female celebrities I would never want to have sex with. Your mileage may vary, but these women just don't put the lead in my pencil.

1. Jennifer Aniston.

I read that she was voted as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People magazine in 2002, but I just don't get it. That jutting jawline, the bony arms and legs showing tendons, and the claw-like hands don't turn me on at all.

2. Amy Winehouse

Just plain ugly to me. And she's not helping herself with the heavy eye makeup, nor the excessive, trashy tattoos

3. Natasha Bedingfield

Again with the prominent jawline! Gaining some weight would likely bring her out of the unsexy category for me, but at this weight, she's too horsey-looking for my taste.

4. Cher

She's been on my unsexy list for a long time. I don't know how she always manages to look drunk or high in every picture ever made of her. Sleazy, flashy dresser, too.

5. Nicole Richie

She looks like she just escaped from a concentration camp. Those protruding bones and claw-like hands just scream, "Feed me!". I was curious how old she was, so I looked it up. She was born in 1981, but she looks well into her forties in this photo.