WTF???

when the State Equalization Board sends you a Cigarette and Tobacco Products Use Tax Return and it turns out to be a form on which you are supposed to tell them how many untaxed cigarettes you purchased iin the last year, you gotta wonder.
when you call and tell the representative that you've never purchased untaxed cigarettes before in your life and she then insinuates twice that you're lying, you gotta wonder.
when you ask for her superviser and are told that he is unavailable and you ask for his number and are told that she doesn't give out that kind of information and you ask how to get in touch with him and you are told that she will take your name and number and you try to give her your name and number and she begins repeating a federal code while you are reciting your name and number and when she hangs up on you as you are still trying to relay your contact information, you gotta wonder.
snippet:
"what's your account number?"
"--------."
"and how can i help you?"
"i got this form in the mail today and not only did you spell my name wrong, but i've never purchased untaxed cigarettes before."
"it say right here on my computer that you bought 98 cartons of untaxed cigarettes over the past three years and stopped in early 2007."
"did you just call me a liar?"
"sir, we received sales receipts from ----------- with your name and address. now, why would this company pull your name out of thin air?"
"you just called me a liar again."
"no sir, i never used that word."
"oh, i'm sorry. you insinuated i'm a liar."
she hung up on me shortly thereafter.
i called back immediately, made my complaint and was transferred by the main switchboard to one of their supervisers. hmmmm.....
turns out my SSN and driver's license are not in their system, which greatly worried the superviser (he gave me his direct number and his extension should i decide to call through the 800 number).
the quote of the conversation with him was:
"i hate to tell you this, but you're not lying."
coming on the heels of a collection agency coming after me even though they had my first name completely wrong and being told by a creditcheck group that i worked at a hardrock cafe in las vegas for a year i'm beginning to hear little paranoic bells in my head (sounds like my alarm going off in the middle of me sleeping off a particularly bad bender).

now he's part of the executive branch, but the order still doesn't apply to him? or the president? excuse me for coughing sputum violently into my hand while i try to keep from shitting out the Constitution i was forcefed a while back by republican operatives. give me a fucking break.
first, dick cheney claims that the National Archives have no oversight concerning his emails, letters, etc, because he's not amember of the Execiutive Branch seeing as how he technically presides over the House of Representatives (if there's a tie vote he's called in to break it). then, under massive scrutiny and witnessing massive outrage, his lawyers realize he's not actually disassociated from said branch. but he still says he's exempt from congressional oversight.
whose government is this, people? his or ours? huh? we have an administration that's been rewriting the rules since day one and we've sat passively by as the Constitution has been trampled and our civil liberties have bee taken away and yet we do nothing.
we let this cretin come in and rule by fiat. and fear. and intimidation. wake the fuck up, folks. as long as you say nothing, we all lose.

this, too, started very innocently. we knew generik would meet us at a certain spot, so we exited the cable car early in order to sneak up on him (much like when i was in the jungle and had to snare the wily crocodile)...
we got closer and the prey remained unaware, too consumed with his immediate surroundings...
we knew that eventually we would have to make a dash for him if we wanted to eat that night...
...too late, he saw us...
as i held up and took a picture of the elusive beast, katie turned and went for the crosswalker...
the inside of generik's lovely wife's outstanding fabric shop...

one place we did not frequent...
...and another...
...still one more...
...negligee, cowboy hat and boots and accordian...sigh...
...um...

woamn playing mandolin while teetering on a totter...
...even the aliens think they should get a handout...
view on the way to the ballpark...
lady giving birth...
one more view on the way...

barry bonds swings and...misses...
arod
arod swings and...connects four friggin' times!!!!
bonds swings and...actually makes contact, even though it was foul and he later settled for a groundout...

home dugout. lots of seeds, spit and paper cups. whoo hoo. but what a game. 13 innings, a massive homerun hit by arod, plenty of good fielding and a comeback by the giants. what a day.

oh, and one more place we didn't get to go...

Dick Out, Fred In?

what the hell is going on washington, dc? i mean, i've seen this shit on three or four blogs and a couple of newspapers (albeit their online stuff).
cheney out this summer as republicans make a visit ala nixon? anf fred thompson in as his replacement? what the fuck?
rumors, baby, rumors...

san francisco again

most of these are pics taken while on the cable car and were shot from my crotch region (as in: i didn't focus or train the lens).

2007 San Francisco Gay Pride Parade

it all started so innocently...a pair of naughty little 70's calf warmers...
then the Dykes On Bikes revved up the crowd...
(could have been as many as a thousand bikes and mopeds)
(outrageous who they'll let watch this thing)
(never mind...)
generik and i had a raging argument over whether she meant the president or some secret lesbian conspiracy...

hooray for titties!!!
some of them were mighty cute...
some of them were mighty brutes...
some of them actually shaved their pits...

then the actual parade began...

ah yes, the GAY AGENDA!!! besides converting all of our children and making Dancing Queen the new national anthem...
somehow, the leis this year resembled thai stick...
later on she got rid of the seat...
the Son of God was chillin' and spreading His love...
unlike Jerry Dyer, S.F. cops got to walk with their "work-out buddies"...

the Balloon Brigade made sure that condoms were not available for any unauthorized hijinks...

a robert beltran look-a-like got his Hydra on...
da mayor of da city, mr. gavin newsom (fresh off an affair with an ex-aide's wife) let the masses know he was OUT and DOWN with the funky groove goin' on...what a hottie...

the police commissioner was HEP, too...
the Board of Equalization gave props...
and a state senator got jiggly with it...
yeah, "work-out buddies"...riiiiiiiight...
a man on three legged stilts (katie still has the vapors...)...

the 'No was represented!!!!!!
so was Barbie!!!!

but god they hope he isn't...

says it all right there...happy and proud...

kabuki...
atlantis?...
struttin'...
...yum... female or not...

all in all, a whopper of a good time. could have had pot brownies from a stranger had i been wise enough to stay another day and call in sick tomorrow. could have bought multiple cans of beer on sale by vendors on the side walk. the cops and the mayor had decided a few years ago to look the other way for these events. their concern was safety and fun.

but shit. the mayor, police chief, police commissioner and state senator all wanted in on the parade? that is so fucking cool. unlike any of our elected officials...

what a fucking cool parade, vibe, turnout (totally packed for miles) and almost to tears joyous time (cops walking with their partners almost got me, it was so open and accepting).

wish you were there.

and thanks to katie's and my wonderfully gracious host Generik for his inclusion of we two gay parade virgins.

more pics in the next post about the rest of our s.f. visit, including the baseball game and the cable car ride during which i photographed lots of architecture. whoo, whoppin' good time.