Listen to this over and over again

The weather is starting to get tolerable-bordering-on-nice which means a reprieve from Seasonal Affective Disorder is on its way! You can expedite the process by listening to Karen Kilgariff's Live at the Bootleg over and over again.

Live at the Bootleg is funny and touching and warm and everything that this winter has not been in any way. Her in between song banter and jokes will make you want to be her best friend for life because she's so much more charming than any of your the dumb people you hang around with. And to top it off, she closes with a Daniel Johnston cover. So good. Listen to it on Spotify until your copy on orange vinyl comes in the mail. Orange vinyl? It's like she's reading my comedy dream diary.

Straight folks: Use your voice to combat anti-gay bullshit

This is a family. If you think otherwise, go fuck yourself.

The MI marriage case, attempts to legalize discrimination in Arizona and Kansas, the horrible anti-gay bill that just passed in Uganda... It is 2014, yet the attempts to marginalize and demonize LGBT people rages on all over the world. I've recently had some straight folks ask me, "What can I do?" I've given it some thought and here's my answer.

Speak up, speak out and stand up for us. Stop being silent when some willfully ignorant asshole starts saying horrible, inaccurate or ignorant shit about gay people. It doesn't matter if they're your best friend, your mom or your spouse. Stop shying away from confrontation. You don't have to make it an argument. But your silence is met as tacit agreement and gives bigots the illusion that they're part of a robust coalition of like-minded people. We need you to burst their little hate bubble.

During the long struggle for LGBT equality, way too much "equal time" has been given to "both sides" of this fight. It is rarely acknowledged that those fighting for equal rights have a way stronger case. In fact we have the only case. WE have the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Bar Association, American Medical Association and virtually EVERY SINGLE REPUTABLE, PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION IN EXISTENCE on our side. They have a Bible from which they cherry pick, fear of change and basically nothing else. 

Sure, they occasionally present “studies.” But these studies rarely hold up to peer review or a modicum of intellectual scrutiny. Sure, they bring forth “experts” but these "experts" represent a far-right fringe element of their various fields of expertise. These people are easily discredited as every major court case decided in favor of LGBT equality over the last few years has proven.

You have truth on your side. So use it to be a voice for change. Challenge those who try to justify inequality with hand-wringing and vague notions of “family values.” At best these people are ignorant and ill-informed. At worst they are hateful and full of shit. Stand up to them. Let them know you don’t share their views. Let them know you have heard enough. Let them know that you have gay and lesbian people in your life that you care about. Let them know they do not speak for you. Stop letting the hateful, ignorant things people say go unchallenged. 

That’s what you can do. Start today.

Nobody has to be alone on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is tomorrow which means some people will inevitably feel sad or alone or both. But honestly? Nobody has to feel that way on Valentine's Day. How do you quell the heartache? Adopt a dog. Seriously. You've been talking about it for years now, right? And you keep finding reasons to put it off. But if you're really looking for unconditional love and a strong bond, there's really nothing better than adopting a dog. Have you always wanted to be somebody's "one and only?" Go to any shelter and you'll find countless dogs who are running out of time. You are, quite literally, their only hope. "But dogs are a lot of work," you say. Yup. What good relationship isn't? In this case, the hard work is a bonus because you'll be so busy acclimating your new dog, that you won't piss away the day feebly scrolling through Tumblr posts and feeling useless. Your new dog needs you! You've got shit to do. And to clean up! A lot of rescue groups and shelters have specials and adoption events this weekend. Home Furever is just one of them. Look how cute:

Now stop feeling sad and lonely and go save a life! You'll automatically be the hero in a love story.

Oh. And if you're a dog person who is looking for something to read to occupy yet another goddamn snow day, my column on the site Your Pit Bull and You will totally do the trick. 'Growing Up Gomez' is about my experiences adopting an energetic pit bull. I am so thrilled that the folks at the site let me share my embarrassing experiences and occasional successes. The feedback I've been getting from my dog nerd fan base has been resoundingly positive. I'd love to hear what you think as well. 

Morrissey's 'Autobiography' play lists

Autobiography by Morrissey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One of the things I've always loved about Morrissey is his intense love of music. So while reading 'Autobiography,' I made two Spotify playlists. One features individual songs he mentions in the book, the other whole albums he points to as important to him. There are a few missing as not everything was available on Spotify, but a lot of really great stuff to explore. Enjoy.

Spotify playllist of songs mentioned by Morrissey in his Autobiography

Spotify playllist of whole albums mentioned by Morrissey in his Autobiography

Landfill Dogs deserve love too

Quinn is waiting for a home after 592 days in the shelter

I try not to dwell on the pure horror show that is our society's throw-away attitude toward dogs. The municipal disposal of unwanted animals happens, for the most part, out of public eye in unassuming buildings with little in the way of signage. We may as well call these places, "We Don't Want to Know." Most people don't know the first thing about the animal control policies, facilities and employees of their given city. Though many shelters are open to the public for adoption, too often folks turn to other avenues like breeders, pet stores and "free to a good home" ads because going to a shelter is "too sad." And it is sad. But "avoiding sadness" isn't a good reason to turn your back on these dogs. Or to perpetuate the overbreeding that causes our horrible overpopulation problem. Dogs deserve better lives than this.

Greyson is waiting for a home after 520 days in the shelter

That's why I love the Landfill Dogs photo project so much. Mary Shannon Johnstone's photographs of dogs at the Wake Forest Animal Center in Raleigh, North Carolina force viewers to confront a stark reality. One that certainly isn't going to change just because we as a society refuse to acknowledge it. But she does it in a way that doesn't make us avert our eyes in shame and sadness. These photos are beautiful and captivating. They evoke something these dogs desperately need people to see in them: potential.

From the artist's statement about the Landfill Dogs photo project:

"The landfill site is used for two reasons. First, this is where the dogs will end up if they do not find a home. Their bodies will be buried deep in the landfill among our trash. These photographs offer the last opportunity for the dogs to find homes.

The second reason for the landfill location is because the county animal shelter falls under the same management as the landfill. This government structure reflects a societal value: homeless cats and dogs are just another waste stream. However, this landscape offers a metaphor of hope. It is a place of trash that has been transformed into a place of beauty. I hope the viewer also sees the beauty in these homeless, unloved creatures."

Channa is waiting for a home after 108 days in the shelter

Please visit the site and take a look at these pups experiencing a few hours of pure peace, freedom and joy. Read their stories. For some of these dogs, this photo shoot will be a rare and much needed respite from the noise, cement and cyclone fencing of daily shelter life. Or the last moment of freedom before their time runs out. But for those who've been adopted as a result of this project, these pictures represent the moment somebody really saw them outside of the context of shelter life. Thank you, Mary Shannon Johnstone, for using your amazing talents to help those who can't speak up for themselves. 

TMZ Gomez

I haven't been posting as much here as I've been busy writing a brand new feature for the web site Your Pit Bull and You about our new dog Gomez. It's called 'Growing Up Gomez' and you can read all the posts here! 

These posts are starting to really pick up in popularity, so it's only a matter of time before you see Gomez embroiled in a scandal on TMZ. Just remember: Don't believe everything you hear about celebrities. They're not perfect - they are human beings just like you and me. Except for Gomez. He's a dog. But you get the idea.

Ho, ho, holy sh*t: Here's your Xmas card!

From our house to yours, Happy Holidays to all! Even the people who think their dogs like wearing antlers and getting their picture taken with a weird man sporting a long, fake beard.

This is your Xmas card. Feel free to print it out and place it with the other (boring) ones you've gotten so far. Or place it in a frame if you choose. Nobody would blame you. It's pretty bad ass. Just like Gomez and Asha. Very thankful for these two pups. And for Jamie since she's willing to share in the dog madness with me. Go do something nice for somebody - two legged or four legged - and appreciate your good fortune this season.