Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Fabulous Fun in Ft. Lauderdale

This past weekend I visited Ft. Lauderdale for the first time....and I know I will return. First the view from my hotel room...

The Countess is lucky to have so many friends all over the world and Ft. Lauderdale is no exception. You might remember Vickie as the Baroness of the Merchant Marine from the Tiara Party at The Palace in Miami a couple of months ago. Vickie took me on a tour of Las Olas Boulevard and we ended up in O'Hara's Pub which was featuring a blues band that night.


We met everyone at the bar including a gentleman who claimed to be Hugo Boss' nephew. Who knows? He had the Italian accent down at least.
The next night Black & Tan Mark from Miami joined us as The Countess did her philanthropic duty and went to an awards reception and ceremony for an organization that I support. Sunserve was formed four years ago to help gay youth and GLBT families. Sharon Gless serves as their national spokeswoman and they were honoring Peter Paige from Queer as Folk and Judy Shepard, founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

Sharon Gless was beautiful and radiant. I had never met her before but it was like talking to an old friend. Her husband, Barney Rosenzweig, was with her. He was the power behind Cagney and Lacey. He has written a book about that show and it is now available on DVD.
It was such an honor to meet Judy Shepard. She has been a personal hero of mine for many years. She is a little, soft spoken woman with a powerful message to deliver. She was awarded the 2007 National Award for Political Leadership but as she said in her speech, "Political Leadership is YOU. One person CAN make a difference."

Mark was very excited to meet Peter and I was delighted to introduce them. Don't they make a cute couple?


Later we all went out to Rosie's where I met George who was celebrating his 26th birthday. I was devastated to realize that I never took George's picture. He was absolutely adorable. It turns out that he is a waiter there. So the next day when I went back and the place was packed with wall to wall handsome gay men, George made sure I was ushered to a table and served a drink as soon as I walked in. It pays to be nice to people!!!
Countess Bedelia 3/27/2007 03:44:00 PM | 10 comments |

Friday, March 16, 2007

Snow Day in New England

The tennis courts at 3:30 pm. Guess I'll cancel the doubles tournament.






Back yard on a snowy day.








Just the thing to have in the liquor cabinet when Old Man Winter comes to call.

Think Spring! It is just around the corner.


Or better yet.....dream about Ft. Lauderdale beach and the Florida sun and the fact that you will be there next week.
Countess Bedelia 3/16/2007 03:37:00 PM | 6 comments |

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Peter, The Jewel King

Sometimes you just have to look at the small things in life. If you are fortunate enough to capture the respect of a child, it means that you are doing something right with your life.

My dear friend, the Countess duBarry, has done just that with my granddaugher. For Christmas he gave her one of his beautiful jeweled tiaras and a matching pair of eyeglasses....you know the ones...with feathers and jewels encrusted on the frames. Melanie was thrilled and her curiousity was peaked. "He's very creative" she remarked. And every new creation like my tiara, sceptor, and the shoe he made to keep my cell phone in have just added to his mystique.


One day she was passing the time making her own creations with paper, glue, crayons, and stapler. She made a crown for Peter, the Jewel King.


How nice is that?
Countess Bedelia 3/15/2007 12:43:00 AM | 1 comments |

Friday, March 09, 2007

Jake shakes his Brokeback Mountain image


Is this Jake Gyllenhall? Hmmmm...looks like Eddie Murphy. I must have been mistaken.
Take a look at this video of Jake hosting Saturday Night Live and let me know what you think.
Countess Bedelia 3/09/2007 06:53:00 PM | 3 comments |

Monday, March 05, 2007

The Countess has the Winter Blues...

You know that you are bored when you can't find a single thing to write about. Nothing has tickled my fancy for the past few weeks. Part of the problem is the New England winter..cold, snow, sleet....cold. Part of the problem is the nature of my work; don't get me wrong, I love my work. Being an accountant is as natural to me as breathing. But every year at this time when I am snowed under because I need to satisfy the big TAX MAN in Washington, DC, I start to get anxious and antsy. Not because of the numbers I am crunching but just because no one else can really appreciate these wonderful, exciting, and charismatic numbers in quite the same way that I do.

Then there is the trip I had to cancel this past weekend because of work responsibilities and also bad weather. Some people might find a trip to Minneapolis in the middle of winter to be an easy one to cancel. But when you are planning to meet good friends, it is never easy to change your plans. My friends all went this past weekend and, by all accounts, had a wonderful time....and I wasn't there!!!

Sometimes I take the low road and indulge in "Retail Therapy"; sometimes I take the high road and indulge in "Travel Therapy"....so this time I have been planning trips!!!

First to Florida just because I need SUNSHINE and warm air, not to mention the Spa, the hunky Cabana Boys that bring your drinks to you on the beach, the SUN, and did I mention the Hunky Cabana Boys?



Then to Newport, RI, because the Countess duBarry commands me.



Then to the Berkshires of Massachusetts because my soul needs the peace, serenity, culture, and good times that 'Summer in the Berkshires' brings.
Oh, did I forget to mention that a certain blond actor that I am fond of will be appearing in two plays this summer at The Berkshire Theatre Festival? Check out their summer season and you will find "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Mrs. Warren's Profession" on their Main Stage schedule. Randy just happens to be playing Billy Bibbit in "Cuckoo's Nest" and Frank Gardner in "Mrs. Warren's Profession". When you call the box office for tickets, tell Stew that The Countess sent you.
Countess Bedelia 3/05/2007 12:14:00 AM | 3 comments |