WeHo Mark

Weight: 174
On jury duty today and tomorrow.
:-(

Weight: 171.

Well, the Christmas tree is still up. A night of hard partying on Saturday evening left me pretty broke down on Sunday, and even the gentlest of tasks was really just too much. As I like to say, "The flower that blooms at night wilts in the morning." Yes, a good time was had, but I can't put my poor body through that again any time soon.

This one is for you "Lost" fans. This adorable little baby is named Geronimo Jackson, born last October in Oregon. No lie! If his parents are "Lost" fans, I would have loved to have seen the expressions on their faces when they watched the last episode.

Weight: 174.5

Although I'm very much looking forward to the weekend, I do have at least one sad chore to accomplish. Yes, folks, I think it's finally time to take the tree down.

*brushes back tear*

I mean, it has been up since late November.

Check out this featurette (link here) on the upcoming "Dreamgirls" movie. I'm practically wetting myself in excitement.

Mike Rowe here is my newest crush. He's the host of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel. The show is interesting enough on its own merits (host travels around doing brief stints at unspeakably nasty jobs, like "roadkill collector" or "cow inseminator"), but Mike really makes it come alive. He's funny, witty, charming and, oh yeah, tastylicious. (Sorry, couldn't find any shirtless photos online, but trust me: he's amazing.) He also spent some time singing with the Baltimore Opera, and it shows in his sexy, resonant speaking voice. Come to me, daddy!

Weight: 176.5
Just a couple of days into the get-big-diet-plan and I'm constantly full. But wouldn't it be fun to hit 200 lbs? Dream on, Weho Markie!

Post-script: Jimbo had the following pic back in October...

Here is what has been in my mouth today:

Pre-workout snack (7:30am): whole wheat tortilla with peanut butter

Breakfast (9am): steel cut oatmeal with raisins and berries; egg scramble with zucchini, (leftover) leeks and parmesan.

Crap (11am): three donuts, from a large selection laid out in the office kitchen. Dammit.

First lunch (noon): home-made broccoli soup, cheese stick.

More crap (2:45pm): four brownies, from the office kitchen. Damn, damn. At least they were small.

Second lunch (3pm): large spinach salad with olive oil/balsamic dressing, can of tuna.

Afternoon snack (3:35): almonds, banana.

In an effort to pile more meat on my bones, I am on a "get big" diet as of this week. No, the junk I ate today isn't part of the plan, but I was powerless to resist. Theoretically this means that I'll be eating several well-planned smaller meals a day. In reality, this means that I basically don't ever stop eating all day. I want to be large and in charge by the White Party, which also happens to mark my 40th birthday. If all goes according to plan, I'll then step back and go on a cutting diet in mid to late March to lose any flab.

Yeah, I know. We'll see how long this lasts.

Thursday night alcohol tally:
My quarter of a bottle of red at home, with Joey and two out of town visitors; two scratch margaritas with dinner at El Coyote (where Sharon Tate ate her last meal); two beers at O-bar.

Whew, that last post was so gay I had to lighten things up around here with a little flesh. Enjoy.

Birgit Nilsson (1918-2005)

Rest in peace, Birgit! The sturdy woman you see with the winged helmet is in many ways responsible for my career in opera. Back in 1980, when I was still in middle school, I had a strong background and interest in classical music, but didn't know thing one about opera. In fact, I had no interest whatsoever. For some reason, just by sheer chance, I happened to catch the Met telecast of "Elektra" that February. And I was absolutely hooked. It was strange, at first. The curtain rose on five women in bizarre costumes singing about murder and the music was wild and restless. Then Birgit (as Elektra) made her entrance and proceeded to sing the shit out of the score: tremendous acting, a voice like a laser beam, with high notes that shot out like a cannon, each one as solid and secure as an iceberg and as pure as a mountain stream. Ninety minutes later, Elektra dances an insane dance of triumph during her final monologue, then drops dead...exhausted from realizing her revenge, she has no reason to live any more.... And I was absolutely exhilarated. THIS wasn't at all what I thought opera was like. This wasn't pretty, stodgy, or prissy. This was riveting, elemental, primitive. The Met audience went crazy at the end. And I wanted more. I sought out her recordings--the "Ring" cycle, "Turandot"--and from there my profound interest in opera expanded greatly.

And well, here I am, 25 years later, having worked in the business since 1989. Thanks, Birgit. It's been fun.

Opera News obituary

Sound bite: Hojotoho from "Die Walkure"
Sound bite: Liebestod from "Tristan und Isolde"

You know how you always resurface from a raucous New Year's Eve celebration and vow to be lowkey, reflective and repentent if only for the first full weekend in January? Yeah, that didn't happen.

Drinks at home on Friday. Drinks and dancing at Hot Dog on Saturday. A little naughtiness (well, a LOT, actually; dare I say the word "trashy"?) on the way home, followed by more naughtiness once I got home. Drinks at the Abbey and Here and then at home on Sunday. You know, it was in many ways a classic, wonderful West Hollywood weekend, spent with some of my very favorite people. I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Gorgeous weekend, too. My most recent CELEB SPOTTINGS at Runyon Canyon have included Kathy Griffin, Eric McCormack and Ty Pennington.

Last night we met colleagues of Joey's for dinner at Fat Fish, where I stuffed myself silly. Tonight, we'll meet the handsome boyfriend (in town for business) of one of my very best friends for drinkies, and tomorrow we'll have dinner/drinks with him and with another friend from DC who happens to be in town for business as well. I'm thinking El Coyote, where the Thursday night crowd is festive and even gayer than Marix. (Best margaritas in Los Angeles too.) And then Friday we're off to San Francisco...

Reflection, repentance? Bah, humbug!

Weight: currently hovering at about 173 to 174. I am VERY happy with the way the Great Body Reclamation Project of 2006 is progressing.

This morning (as has been the case several times over the last couple of months) the area right outside my office door smells suspiciously like GHB. Isn't that used as carpet cleaner or something like that? Or is there a party going on that I don't know about? I don't really suspect the latter, since lately I've been the first one in and the last one out...it's a deadline week and your little Weho Markie is a very busy, very tired boy.

Happy New Year to all! I had a fantastic Christmas, a wonderful NYE celebration and a long, much-needed break from work. No resolutions for me, really, since I feel like my life is pretty much right on track. It's a good thing.

Did everybody else survive the holidays?