I got in my car, traveled to my poling place only to find out we were not voting today. I was rather bummed. 

I love to vote. If you know me then you would know I LOVE to give my opinion on all sorts of things. Plus, I live in a rather Republican heavy district and I love to give them all the middle finger, figuratively of course. 

I do make rather loud verbal comments about how rigged the electronic voting machines are and how corrupt the whole system has become. Suck it DIEBOLD! 

So I was rather surprised to hear about all of the wonderful things that happened in other states. 

In particular, I was thrilled to hear how Mississippi voted down the "Personhood" amendment. 

Basically as I understand it, nut job Pro Lifers wanted to pass an amendment to the Mississippi constitution protecting FETUSES.

Are you fucking kidding me? Life does not begin at CONCEPTION. I am so tried of Pro Lifers thinking they need to protect the unborn. 

What if the kid is born gay? All they will do is ostracize the child and make their life a living hell.

What about the thousands of people that are killed by the US government a la bombing of other countries? I am sure there are pregnant women in those countries that have died at our hands.

What about the rights of the woman? Don't even get me started. 

I really wish people would just start worrying about themselves and let other people live their own lives.

But the good people of Mississippi did us proud by telling these idiots to take a fucking hike.

My hat goes off to the good people of Mississippi.

Also in other bullshit news, we just got a letter that stated Walgreens is opting out of the Express Scripts pharmacy provider network which kind of screws Nate. Are the bastards at Express Scripts really that hard to work with that made Walgreens want to leave? Face it people, legal drugs in this country are getting harder and harder to get. We are all fucked. Suck it Express Scripts!

 Much love,
Jim 

Well, running a business takes up more time than one would think....

Plus, things in my life have been quite chaotic. 

It seems like I am always behind the eight ball - like I am trying to plug up all the holes in a sieve at once. I do feel stressed out and over exhausted, but never fear, I am back for the attack and I have a lot on my mind I want to say. 

I did get to take a break from life and got to travel to see the Miss Gay America pageant. 

My friend Daniel and I jumped in the car and headed to Columbus, OH to witness the latest coronation of Miss Gay America. 

Missouri sent 9 lovely ladies to compete for the title and they all did us proud - despite one of them getting in a bar fight and being banned from the MGA system. 

Despite that hiccup, she was fabulous and placed very high had she been able to continue. 

Nevertheless, my favorites, Tajma Stetson and Jade Sinclair were nothing short of amazing. 

Truth be told, Jade got the shaft and did not place nearly as high as she deserved. But Tajma came in 11th out of 51 ladies and I am sure she will crack that Top 10 once again next year. 

After a very long week of competition, Kirby Kolby was victorious in her bid for Miss Gay America beating out Jenna Skyy and Jessica Jade for the top spot. 

One thing I can say about the Top 10, except for one of them, they were all FLAWLESS. I totally fell in love with Celia Putty. 

It was also awesome to see all of the Missouri people in attendance at the main event. Missouri has always been a hub of fabulous drag performers and I truly think we will have another Missouri sister as MGA in the future. We have too many weapons not to have that happen. 

No rest for the wicked, preliminaries for Miss Gay Missouri have already been happening and this year is going to be a battle royale.With rumors of Michelle McCausland running for the crown and Miss Musica Malone already having earned her ticket, this year is going to be one to watch. I just hope Tajma Stetson enters MGM again. She would be a FABULOUS Miss Gay Missouri. 

Well kids, that's all the drag chat I have for now.

Drag ya later! 

Jim

Insomnia sucks. 

Right when I go to bed, my eyes blink open and my brain starts whirring and I start thinking about all the shit I have to do the next day and then - insomnia. 

I did get a couple nights sleep this week - the temps dropped and I seem to sleep better in cooler weather. 

But not tonight. Once loverboy started snoozing, my insomnia kicked in big time. 

"Am I going to get all the Father's Day pottery fired?"

"Where in the world am I going to get that platter that woman wanted?"

"What if the sun doesn't come up tomorrow?

I know this may seem silly, but to an insomniac, it makes total sense.

And so I will be up until about 5am and then tomorrow will SUCK. 

Escalader, 

Jim

Poor Delta Work.

She was one of my favorite queens this season on Rupaul's Drag Race.

And yes, Shangela sucks.

The week after Shangela had her face cracked, Rupaul caters a competition for poor Shangela. And nevermind the fact that Yara Sophia DESERVED to win this week's challenge. The bitch got robbed.

No T dear – I would say this to your face.

Delta Work showed she had the goods to go far in this competition and I am sad to see her leave – especially at the hands of Shangela. - who by the way looks like a total bitch now.

I love Raja more and more every week! That bitch is fierce and deserves to win the whole show.

But my heart goes out to Delta. I just want to hug her and tell her she deserved better.

In other drag news, I am super stoked to be heading down to Columbia, MO next month for Miss Gay Missouri.

This year is going to be a bloodbath as several excellent entertainers have made the cut this year.

Madison Elise and Tajma Stetson are front runners for now, but what about Musica Malone, LaDreama Funn, and L'Oreal Queen of Lipsync? These bitches are going to make this year one of the best in the history of the pageant.

We need to have a good year after that bullshit that went down last year. Screw you Tumara Mahorning and Nikki Stevens. Your efforts have put a stain on MGM forever. But we shall rise from the ashes and carry on.

I don't know why I love drag queens so much, I just do. I don't want to do drag, I just love rooting them on! Plus the bonus of finally seeing Coti Collins – Miss Gay America – live in person will make this year's event THAT much more perfect.

I sleep now.

Escalader,

Jim

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3 premiered last night. 

I was super stoked - this is one of  my favorite shows full of drama, fabulous queens, and of course RuPaul. 

You know I love a good pageant and this is one show that is like one big, giant, long, pageant. 

Here are my first impressions of each contestant:

You can see photos of each of the girls by clicking here. (You have to scroll to the bottom...)

Alexis Mateo – Sweet PR girl. She will get on my nerves.

Carmen Carrera – One thing Miss Thang – Classy always beats trashy.

Delta Work – LOVE her. She is a queen to recon with!

India Ferrah - Meh. Easily forgettable.

Manila Luzon – Sarah would be impressed, but sweetie, I wasn't. You will be gone soon.

Mariah – My bets are on this fierce queen to go all the way.

Mimi Imfurst – LOVE LOVE LOVE her. She will be my favorite this year.

Phoenix – Not the prettiest. Now the most talented. Later doll.

Raja – Bitch, this is Sutan – the makeup artist from America's Next Top Model! He will FOR SURE make it in the top 2.

Shangela – You lost one gurl, you will lose again.

Stacy Layne Matthews – A country bitch – I love her. She won't make it to the end, but she should make it far.

Venus D-Lite – Venus is one of those tragic queens who think just cause they dress like a woman they are pretty. FAIL.

Yara Sofia – Quite frankly dear, I am over the fake contacts making you look like an alien. Try REALNESS.

Now that that is out of the way, this first episode was one of the best I have ever seen. Lots of larger than life queens, a bit of drama, oh and Shangela returns. (More on that later)

They tried to make a big deal out of two girls showing up on the first day with the same outfit. FAIL. It was boring and went nowhere.

Shangela should not have returned. It is a stunt to get her fans to watch the show, but she already had her chance – why take that spot from another gurl? That ho isn't going to win anyway – I think we all know that.

The first challenge was making the girls jump up and down on a trampoline – it was a visual gag that made fun of the big gurls. Whatever. I was just happy to see hot and hunky Mike Ruiz. What a stud!

The girls has to don their best daytime drag and go to a thrift store to get materials to make their best Christmas couture. This made good TV as the locals got to have a good smirk as drag queens invaded their favorite discount store.

Once the girls got back to the workroom, they got to rape and pillage all of the decorations in the work room to use for their outfits. While it was funny to watch, I hate all the pushing, shoving, and general rudeness.

Shangela had some bat shit crazy idea about using this giant snowman for her runway presentation.. Despite RuPaul telling her not to, the bitch just went ahead anyway and did what she wanted. Shangela needs to learn how to LISTEN. Ru will not send you down the wrong path.

The special guest judge this episode was Vanessa Williams. Not too shabby – she is fierce! Ru does has some very fabulous judges on the show.

Poor Mimi – the girl had a breakdown in the workroom seeing how she doesn't know how to sew. If you were cast on this kind of show, wouldn't you take a sewing class? But I love me some Mimi, so my heart went out to her. In a surprise move, Mariah came over and actually helped Mimi out – a very classy move. Mariah's stock just went up. India gets points for helping as well.

The runway show was pretty fantastic. I love seeing all the gals dolled up and serving face. The judges were introduced. Hot and hunky Mike Ruiz, St. Louis boy Santino Rice, the fabulous Ms. Williams, and new judge Michell Visage who worked with RuPaul on her talk show. First thought – I miss Miss Merle. The show will suffer without her presence. But Santino is always awesome so we will probably be OK. Oh and Bruce Vilanch made a cameo – always entertaining.

This season has really stepped up the game. There were more cheers than jeers, but I agree with Ru and the judges – the bottom three deserved to be in the bottom three.

Shangela's outfit was super weak. Carmen showed her ass. Venus was just wrong and her btichy attitude didn't serve her well. Raja won – big suprise.

Shangela and Venus had to lip sync for their lives and these two bad bitches battled it out on the stage physically. It was more of a wrestling match than a lip sync contest. Ultimately, Venus had her face cracked and was sent away. (Yay!)

Well kids, this season is going to be one not to miss. And I should have weekly updates for you to peruse.

Much love,

Jim

Running a business is hard work Mary!

But I have re-discovered my passion for this blog so I am going to breathe new life into it! 

Tonight is the big premier of Rupaul's Drag Race - Season 3 and I am going to do my best blogging about it!

Let the wigs fly and the razor sharp nails come out! 

Check back tomorrow dolls!

Escalader, 

Jim

Wanting to get back to my reviewing roots, I am going to write a review of a play I went to this past Sunday called "The State of Marriage."

Look, I want to get married, someday. And I know who I want to get married to - he is the love of my life. But thanks to the close mindedness of this country, same sex marriage is not allowed. (It makes me laugh even to TYPE that!) I am not allowed. Me - a 40 year old veteran is not allowed to marry the person I love. 

That Uppity Theatre Company and St. Louis Actor's Studio combined forces to produce a one-act play focusing on the recent successes (and setbacks) the GLBT community have had regarding same sex marriage. The production is inspired by all the good work that local GLBT icons Ed Reggi and his husband, Scott Emanuel, have been doing with their bus trips to Iowa which allows gay couples to travel to Iowa to tie the knot. 

The plot circles around three couples - the straight (and newly wedded) ones - Groom (Mike Van Allen) and Bride (Laura Coppinger) - the gay ones, Ed (Keith Thompson) and Scott (James Slover) - and the lesbian ones, Sue (Sally Eaton) ad Joyce (Lynda Levy Clark). Each of these couples are properly profiled - how they fell in love, what they mean to each other, etc. etc. You can't help love each couple, their characters are warm and endearing. 

As each couple's story unfolds, the rest of the cast such as Bridesmaid No 1 (Leon Braxton aka "Dieta Pepsi"), Bridesmaid No 2 (Theresa Masters), Bridesmaid No 3 (Sara Hamilton), Rabbai Appel (Alice Kinsella) and a very talented Beyonce wannabe (Carl Overly) help fill in transition moments. 

Finally, each night of the production showcases St. Louis' best vocal talent in a revolving role known as the Cabaret Singer. On the day I went, Cindy Duggan and Christy Simmons took on the role which served as a musical backdrop for key emotional moments. 

While this is not a traditional type of play, the beauty lies in how it unfolds. At first it informs by giving raw statistics regarding same sex marriage - much to the surprise of the Bride and Groom. 

Then it entertains with fast-paced game elements of "Leviticus Limbo," and a wicked version of twister. 

It tugs at your heartstrings with a very poignant scene in which ALL the GLBT couples get married which seemed to affect the ENTIRE crowd. I mean honey, Kleenex should have been a sponsor of this production as there wasn't a dry eye in the house! And I am one bitter, jaded queen who thought my tear ducts had dried up and there I was bawling like a baby!

The production wraps things up with a sense of hope as we look towards the future. 

Overall the production was enjoyable, informational, and intriguing. Director Joan Lipkin did a sensational job as she took to audience through the entire range of emotions. She knew how to get her point of view across without banging the audience over the head. Plus, she knows how to throw a party - after entertaining the crowd for 90 minutes, she gave everyone cake - and who doesn't like cake? That Lipkin - she sure is a shrewd one. 

Now onto the cast - while every performer did a good job you know there were those who stood out in my eyes. Let me start with Coppinger as Bride. I loved her from the moment she hit the floor. Coppinger exuded every facet of a new bride which I would expect. She was bubbly, happy, and the girl glowed. I mean this girl shined in every scene and I could hardly take my eyes off of her. Then there was Dieta Pepsi as Bridesmaid No 1. Pepsi served as the narrator or the emotional guide of the show. While I have been a life-long fan of Pepsi as I watched her drag career unfold in the clubs of St. Louis, I never knew the gurl could act! Pepsi was effervescent, comical, and instantly lovable. Her ability to vamp allowed her to interact flawlessly with the crowd. Her ability to not overkill her lines allowed her to take control of the show seamlessly. 

Other outstanding performances were turned in by Eaton as Sue, Slover as Scott, and Kinsella as Rabbai Appel. Eaton is just one of those natural actors that I have enjoyed in many roles. This role was particularly enjoyable as she seemed to have an inner light that sparkled as she delivered her lines. Kineslla is kind of in the same boat as she glistened as she served as a counter-point to mainstream religion. Taking on a local GLBT legend such as Ed Reggi or Scott Emanuel is no easy feat. If you are a member of the GLBT community you should thank them for the tireless amount of work these two do for all of us! Something in Slover's portrayal of Emanuel spoke to me. It was honest and heartfelt. Not even having the man himself (who sat two rows right in front of me!) could throw the actor off his game. Slover deserves a Job Well Done medal for taking on this role and doing it justice. 

Yes, yes, a few more hugs need to be handed out in this love fest. Hamilton was stellar as Bridesmaid No. 3, Troy Turnspeed was standout as the Leviticus Limbo Host, Overly did a bang up job as a Beyonce wannabe, and both Duggan and Simmons made me fall in love with both of them even more than I already am as they were just terrific in the role of the cabaret singers. 

I - and the entire GLBT community - owe Lipkin our support and love with this amazing piece of theatre. You can start re-paying by filling up all the seats at the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis! Tickets are ONLY $25 and they even have a two-for-one special on Sunday. 

For more information please visit this link. 

Trust me - this is one show you do NOT want to miss!

Much love, 

Jim

I have had some amazing times and some not so amazing times. 

But why do the not so amazing times always seem to bubble to the surface?

One area of not so great times concerns relationships. More to the point how I handle relationships. 

And I am not just talking about romantic relationships, I am talking about my friendships and family relationships. 

I have always thought I was the ultimate friend. I would give anyone the shirt off my back if they needed it. But then my friendship flaws always expose themselves and I get grumpy. 

*I am not as open minded and I would like to be. 

*I am not that uber-supportive friend that always says yes just to appease my friends. I speak my mind.

*I am judgmental. Maybe not initially, but I do judge people by their actions more than I should. 

*I am often self-centered and forget to listen to my friends.

*I am unable (or is it unwilling) to be the bigger person. 

*I hold grudges once I feel disrespected. And I NEVER let them go. 

Knowing all these issues I need to work on made me think for a long time about how I want to proceed with my remaining years. 

I mean I have fucked up relationships with my own siblings, and a very close friend. My walls shoot up and I never take them down. I also nearly fucked up my friendship with my very best friend in the world, but she having the ability to be the bigger person saw past my flaws and loves me unconditionally. 

So while I was on the balcony of our rented condo in Hilton Head, I felt my walls began to crumble just a bit. I considered letting bygones be bygones and thought of mending my failed relationships. 

I envisioned these tearful conversations telling people how sorry I am and that I just want to get along. I mean if Brittany and Jill of the Real Housewives of New York can have lunch together in a civil tone, what the fuck is wrong with me? I mean those bitches are REALLY fucked up. 

So for a split second I considered writing the letters and making the phone calls to mend broken fences. 

Then I watched to ocean ebb and flow, ebb and flow and thought about my life. 

I thought about how much fun I am having running the shop with my beloved, how I live life on my terms, how I have a fabulous circle of friends, and I how I don't really need to fix anything cause for once in my life, things are going my way. Why would I want to fuck that up? 

So just like the Jews that wandered the desert for 40 years, those regrets are probably going to have to wander somewhere deep in my cold black heart for another 40 years. Like the saying goes, if something isn't broke - don't try to fix it. 

I will die one bitter bitch. 

Much love, 

Jim

JCSI

1. The oil spill in the Gulf is bad. Every time I see something on the news about it I get more sad. I cannot believe that we cannot fix this.

2. DADT is up for repeal. As a veteran who is gay (and always has been) I cannot tell you how much this means to me. I got harassed - both mentally and physically while I served in the Army Reserves. I was a citizen who wanted to serve his country. I couldn't fathom why I was being harassed - just because I was good at what i did with another man? Funny thing is, when I was in the Gulf War, the officers couldn't get enough of my talents. Wink. Time for this bullshit to end. 

3. I was THRILLED to see Bret Michaels win The Celebrity Apprentice. I hate Holly Robinson Pette. She got what she deserved. How DARE she talk shit to Cyndi Lauper! Cyndi Lauper is a goddess and Holly was a huge cunt. 

4. The song, "Money Can't Buy You Class" by Countess Luann makes my taint inch. How did this bitch convince someone to record this song? That bitch can't sing and she just sucks. I guess I am on Team Bethenny. 

5. The Cardinals aren't playing THAT well this year. They are in first place, but barely. Albert needs to hit some more home runs. And I am totally in love with Yadier Molina. 

6. My 40th birthday came and went. HB made it a very special day and we had a very excellent vacation in Hilton Head. Plus I got a ton of excellent gifts. He really did hook me up. 

7. I am all about home renovation right now. I love mowing the yard and fixing things up around the house

Well kids, that is all I have time for now. More to come. 

Much love, 

 Jim

I figured that I would be bored all day, so I headed to Barnes & Noble on 141 to get RuPaul's latest book: Workin' It!: Rupaul's Guide to Life,Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style.

Well the one on 141 didn't have it, but the one at the Dove Mall did, so I hauled my fat ass out West. 

While I was there I decided to peruse the magazine racks looking for anything GLBT related. 

While I had to rifle through all of the Men's magazines, Ladies' magazines, Tattoo magazine, sports magazines, motorcycle magazines, knitting magazines, PC magazines, entertainment magazines, porno magazines and what I like to call the Paula Dean universe of magazines, I was unable to find anything even remotely GLBT related. No Advocate, no Out, no 10 Percent, no Instinct, no nothing. Now I realize that I have been out of the gay loop for sometime and those magazines have all probably folded, but I had to ask. 

So I sauntered up to the counter and asked the female clerk if Barnes & Noble carried ANY GLBT publications. She rolled her eyes and seem to pretend to care as she poked at her keyboard in front of her PC. 

She heavy sighed and said, "Looks like all we have is Out - it should be in the Lifestyles section.'

"Where pray tell is that?" I inquired. 

"Got to the Mens section and look straight down."

So I scampered over to the Lifestyles section and sure enough, right next to High Times was a lone copy of Out. (Albiet with the lead singer of Green Day on it). 

It was on top row of the bottom row hidden to all pasery-bys. 

But you know what was on the top row of the top row? You got it. Lots and lots of hetero porn magazine. Boobs were peeking out over the black wrapping so much that I thought I was in PT's for a hot second. Lots of boobs. And butts. Why do they even try to hide the covers at all? They are failing miserably. 

So I guess it is OK for the the young ones to see porn out in the open, but Out has to be hidden away so their innocent minds don't get warped at all. 

So for that reason Barnes & Noble, you can suck it. 

Then I got home and called the hotline number on the jury summons only to find out I was already excused for Jury Duty. 

Rats. 

Maybe next time. 

Much love, 

Jim 

JCSI