a letter to the weather

alaskan winds,

what the hell, man? seriously? why, during my first week of bike ownership in this city, do you find it necessary to continue to rear your ugly mug on every street corner?

i almost rolled backwards today.

i mean, really?

seriously?

yeeeesh.

i know i sound a bit selfish, thinking that the world should stop for me and my newly purchased bicycle, but wasn't it 93 degrees just last week? where the hell were you last week, huh? back in alaska? did you go on vacation, maybe? perhaps you can swing the number of the hotel you stayed in my way...perhaps i can get a few other pissed off san franciscans together to pony up some money for an extended vacation at said hotel room. perhaps i get some government officials to make sure that said hotel room stays locked from the outside in and you can't get out for a long time... say, o i don't know, until september?

not to sound selfish...again... but i would really appreciate having a summer in the city without having to deal with the windblown look in a sweater and gloves.

and don't think that you're all "high and mighty" because i'm complaining about you, alaskan winds. no no no... i came from a place called new jersey. we had actual seasons. you know, periods of weather that never overstayed their welcome. trust me, when we had winds and cold weather, we had WINDS AND COLD WEATHER. snow, even.

you think you could handle that, alaskan winds? a little snow, maybe? traveling all the way down to california with your tired, split second gusts to ruin everybody's good time with some snowy weather?

huh?

what's that?

you don't have enough power?

is that what this is all about? a freakin' inferiority complex?

huh? yeah? tough guy?

i'm sorry, but someone who tries to compensate for a lack of decent seasonal weather and makes up for it by attempting to spoil my outside life year round does not deserve my friendship or respect.

... and i'm not alone on this matter, either, alaskan winds. you aren't welcome here...and that's hard to say in a city that tries to pride itself on matters of diversity. bugger off. go mess with japan, i hear they called you fat.

i have to go moisturize.

there's no love or loyalty in this one.

a really good episode of bill maher

torture, susan boyle, republican earth day, guns, dick cheney's rusted heart, fat babies that like mcnuggets, cowboy capitalism and other hot topics addressed in one delightful episode.

i don't always agree with all of the comments, but this particular program touched on a lot of issues that i've been interested in over the years, particularly when the ethicist comes to discuss social environments. enjoy!













o yeah, and a wonderful collection of "new rules"



love and loyalty... and fat babies

A BIKE

MY FRIEND IS MOVING TO FRANCE AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



HE WAS GOING TO SELL HIS BIKE FOR $150 AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



BUT THEN I CALLED HIM AND ASKED IF I COULD HAVE IT AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



HE SAID SURE AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



I DIDN'T PAY FOR IT YET AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



HE WANTS TO GIVE ME A DISCOUNT AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



I HAVE A BIKE AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

LOVE AND LOYALTY AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

a really good piece of information

so i got a call yesterday from sarah murphy...


...you know, this one



we're friends.





i've lived with her here and there,



we've cooked together, meaning she cooked and i did a piss poor job of washing the dishes, we've slept in several beds together at the same time, regardless of my routine 7am wake up snores, we've traveled around america and europe together,









i've danced with her... a lot,



i've new yorked with her a lot, too





we've been a major part of our lives for a very long time.

well, she just told me that she's coming to visit me on may 5th.

i can't tell you how excited i am.

love and loyalty

a few reasons why i love studying the media

these are some of the nuttiest moments from the mainstream media during obama's first 100 days in office.

reminder - it's 2009



fun!

a weekend in los angeles

last weekend i went to los angeles to meet up with eric and i gotta say that it was about time i went down there and had a proper introduction to the city.

it was only fitting that my first night in a city of image and extravagance was accompanied by a “performance” unlike anything i have ever seen before: britney spears and the so called "circus". i was in immediate shock at all of the attendees that arrived in stretch limos and wore their best prom outfits for the experience. i tried to count how many had driven past me, but i lost count and assumed that there was no way of knowing. it was like every bret easton ellis novel had come to life, only instead of the glitterati from the 1980s in los angeles it was their children, continuing the routine of cultural decay and economic ignorance.

*let the record show that I had no intention of traveling down to los angeles to catch the show, but my host for the weekend had tickets and had a spare.*

to be blunt: the performance was awful. the interchangeable go-go dancers, also known as the pussycat dolls, and the flock of britney's back up dancers gave better performances than the woman herself. they all gave the audience as much energy as they paid for. not only did britney not sing, but she barely did much dancing. for someone who is considered to be a pop culture icon and an a-list entertainer, i was kind of expecting a performance for the history books. alas, the teenage, bleached blond trophy wives in training throughout the audience were singing louder than britney. in fact, all that britney really said was, “hey los angeles. how y’all feelin’ tonight? wooo!” and then “thank’s l.a. i love you, y'all.” she flicked her wrists a lot, i will give her that. she walked in tempo. they never did quite show her face singing on the big screens, probably because it would have been obvious how little Britney was really “feelin’” the concert herself.

granted, she did have two children and the dancers were all probably at their peak age for performing such demanding material, but isn’t madonna fifty? doesn’t she still gyrate all over the place after two kids? i have never seen her live before, again because i do not condone these types of performances and singers, but who knows what other crazy dates i’ll be taken on in the future. i will obviously never know as i really never thought i would sit through a britney spears concert.

i couldn't help but stare at the audience members in this packed stadium that voluntarily spent money to come and experience the hyped superstar. were they all just pawns, playing into the ideas of “celebrity” and “larger than life”? at one point in the evening, the cheering was less rambunctious than earlier, before britney actually took to the stage. it’s quite possible that those precious little bell air ballerinas grew up a little that night. they very well could have realized that their lives are not the dream worlds that they had envisioned , poisoned by a lackluster performance by their once beloved icon who is clearly going through the motions of a performance that should be done by a pop star, but alas, is only done through the body of a broken, bleached blond dreamer.

the rest of my weekend was nothing in comparison to that event. in fact, the rest of the evening was quite enjoyable. the remaining hours consisted of good food, handsome company and great exploration.

some highlights of the weekend included a trip to eric's favorite spot in los angeles for a bit of clarity - the cascading fountain of 1928







i had to. it's history!

i also got to go to the observatory and get a view of los angeles at night, and it was quite breathtaking. to show you would have taken a panoramic snapshot, because the lights stretched on for miles. i tried to ignore the ‘hollywood’ sign and the hollywood hills, now infamously tainted by a teenaged drama series of the same name, and focused on the skylines and the company. it was the most beautiful cityscape that i had ever seen. strange that it would come from a city when at daytime has a delicious shade of smog hovering overhead.









i ended my mini vacation with a trip to the beach, where eric and i took in 97 degree sunlight and super low flying airplanes.





we each had our baywatch moment, a sort of tribute to the entertainment industry.





i flew home, slightly singed from the sun, dazed from three days of sensations galore and stared at the ceiling, thankful that I had finally seen los angeles properly, but more thankful to have called san francisco my home.



love and loyalty... except for britney spears... she has to earn it

a "wtf" moment

stuart milk, harvey's nephew, bought me a drink. we talked about my studies and interests in front of the supervisor of the castro. this was not a dream.

HOLY CRAP

a weekend in the country

i will be in los angeles this weekend with eric. hardly the country. i just liked the sound of it.

ok i have to go pack!

a few photos from the easter celebration

this was how i dressed for easter sunday. i thought it was appropriate with a bit of a "californian" twist.

this is how everyone else dressed -












i'm not quite a san franciscan yet

a day of zombies

jesus has risen... and he craves rabbit brains!!!!!!

gold eggs for everyone!!!



enjoy your delicious hams and what not.

im going to the park where the sisters of perpetual indulgence (a troop of drag queens that dress like sparkly nuns in white face) will throw a massive party including a best bonnet competition and a sexy jesus contest. here's the itinerary:

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the kabuki-inspired cross-dressing nuns-of-fun, will be hosting their traditional Easter Sunday events like Children’s Easter (11a-Noon), followed by more adult-friendly fare such as the Bonnet Contest (with members of Beach Blanket Babylon) and everyone’s favorite, the Hunky Jesus Contest. They’ve also lined up kick ass entertainment — Ethel Merman, Trauma Flintstone, Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, Kitten on the Keys, Beach Blanket Babylon, the B-Cups and Suppositori Spellin.

Dolores Park
566 Dolores Street

11a to Noon: Children’s Easter
Noon to 2p: Live Entertainment
1p: Bonnet Contest, with Beach Blanket Babylon
3:40p: Hunky Jesus Contest



love and loyalty and sexy jesus... and these ladies

a holiday of sorts

my family is enjoying golden eggs and 3lb lobsters with good wine and loving friends. every weekend before easter tends to be a really big family weekend.

i will be here.

as much as i miss them, i must admit: this is turning out to be an incredible weekend. i'm off to brunch to recover from the past few hours.... which have been quite lovely.

a study

I am conducting a research study about the relationships between political news consumption, political interpersonal communication and public civic engagement.

The researcher, Michael Kasian (me), is a graduate student at San Francisco State University conducting research for his master's degree. Data collected from this confidential survey will be used for research purposes only.

You are being asked to participate in this study because you are a consumer of the mainstream media and are 18 years of age or older.

Below is the link to the survey where further instructions will be provided.

To continue to spread this link, please forward this to other potential participants.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=0S9vV3K2AsZlAJQGeZ0o1w_3d_3d

This next link is an interview featuring Arianna Huffinton discussing the new age of journalism and the transformation to the digital age, a conversation very relevant to my study.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-tv/arianna-on-charlie-rose-d_b_184972.html

love and loyalty

a note

i was going to write about my uncomfortable time strapped and compressed inside an MRI machine for 1.5 hours with a spider hanging over my face and my pelvic area smashed, but then i realized i really don't want to remember such a horrible experience, so instead...

PUPPIES!!!!!



love and loyalty ... and corgis

a word

smitten.

a lovely rescue drill

tilt-shift miniature faking... a closet obsession i've had for years. this is just beautiful


Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.


Beached from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.


Bathtub III from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.


Mardi Gras from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

this is how i learned about it..thom yorke is like a second father... isn't he everybody's second father?

a song to jump on your bed in shorts to

i totally just did it, too.

a reality check

after a few good hours of tidying up the joint, i decided to take a walk to collect myself.

it wasn't far - just to the corner of delores and market

no plans, no obligations... just stood on the corner and admired the view.

the streetcars, the hillside, the lights, the drunks, etc.

i stood there and smiled like a goofball for a good twenty minutes. passersby definitely gave me looks like i was on something.

i've been gaining some confidence lately. that and courage. it feels good. i feel good again.

i'm really happy to be here. it feels good. i feel good.


i'm gonna go clean the bathroom now.

love and loyalty... and san francisco

a week from hell (not really)

this week was probably the most stressful week of grad school i've had... so far. a major lit review was due the same day that we had a major exam on everything we've learned. i'm still tired just thinking about it. that may have to due with having an average of three and half hours of sleep per evening along with constantly stressing out while dealing with wisdom teeth migraines.

and it's not done, either. i have until tonight to finish a proposal for what i plan to write my thesis on come next spring. ...

...





...






....




and i have no idea what that is. i have a feeling no one else does, either, because my entire cohort was written the same, "why hasn't anybody turned the proposal in?" email from the head of the department. if we go down - we go down together!!!

speaking of "going down," the plumber came and fixed our shower!!! i haven't been in there since... monday? i can assure you that i smell terrific.

once i finish this paper, i'll be able to actually relax and maybe even get a FULL NIGHT'S REST. that sounds pretty exquisite. i think looking forward to "catching up on my sleep" officially qualifies me as an adult. is there some sort of badge i can collect? are their handshakes? is there a ceremony? or cards? "congratulations, michael, your body is wearing down on you!"



the only problem is that there's this artist i've been trying to catch for almost two years now and he's performing down the street from my apartment... in the words of q-bert:



the artist's name is jeremy jay and he's playing at cafe du nord tonight and im itching to go... if i can just keep my eyes open.

on the plus side, i'm fairly certain that the next two weeks will be incredible. in fact, one of my favorite jeremy tracks pretty much represents the way the next two weeks will feel like



sighhh

love and loyalty