Fifty for Fifty

Count down...

June 1st...yes, I am making plans to start my '50 for 50' campaign on that date.  The goal is 50 pounds to drop before my 50th birthday on November 30th.  I will be posting weekly updates as well as occasional video blogs to show before and after photos.  I'm ready for this...I'm tired of being on meds to control blood pressure and sugar levels.  I have a lot of motivation...I just need to keep it going.

I have fallen in serious like with the guys over at Film Riot.  These guys have a hilarious web series focusing on tips for filmmakers on a budget.  They are celebrating their 1-year anniversary and I filmed a 20-second video to help them celebrate.  I'll be submitting it this evening.

On May 1st, a very dear friend of mine was killed in a car accident near Centre, Alabama.  Kenneth Wayne Pittman was an amazingly funny person...and I have many fond memories of our time in Atlanta.  We hadn't spoken in over 10 years, but I was looking forward to finally reuniting on an Atlanta trip later this year.  Guess I'll have to wait a little longer to reunite.  Although he had given it up over the past few years, we all knew Kenny as Kathleen...he was a drag queen on Atlanta's bar scene during the 1980's.  He was always friendly, caring, and amazingly protective of his friends.  As a young man coming out during those years, he took me under his wing and helped me find my place in the gay community...and I will always remember him as Kathleen.  Rest in peace, K.  I will miss you terribly!

Rodney Webster, Kenny (Kathleen) Pittman, and me on New Year's Eve 1986.

Blessings to you all!

Fat homo...

My name is Ray Fisher...and I'm a fat homo.

It's totally true.  I need to lose a minimum of 50 pounds...preferably a bit more than that.  I have dropped 18 pounds since November 1st and have managed to get my A1C down from 11.4 to 7.2 in that time...and my cholesterol has dropped from nearly 250 down to 134.  I've completely changed my diet to incorporate more fiber...completely shut out processed sugars...and avoid simple carbs.  About the only thing I haven't cut out is beer...and that's only on Friday or Saturday night.  It's paid off, but I can't seem to get below 290 pounds to save my life.  Don't get me wrong...my diet is still far from perfect.  I tend to overeat and I do splurge on occasion, but I have at least cut out most of the "bad" stuff.

So, it's time.  I have to push myself and get this weight off of me...and the goal is before my birthday in November.  That gives me 6 1/2 months to lose 50 pounds.  And you're gonna watch me...I'm calling it my "50 before 50" campaign in honor of my 50th birthday this year.  I'm putting together a plan that includes modifying my diet even more, increasing my activity level, hypnotherapy, caloric intake tracking...and probably most importantly, I'll be documenting it all - succeed or fail - on video for the world to see.  This should motivate me even more to succeed.

I'll be going in to my doctor's office next week for more blood work and meeting with a dietician as well.  And then I'll have a formal kickoff on YouTube with a link to this blog.  PLEASE come along for the ride and offer your support.  I really need to get my ass in gear for this.  My quality of life literally depends on it.

Blessings to you all!!

The next "drag superstar?"

Sorry...major spoiler alert ahead for those who have not seen the season two finale of Rupaul's Drag Race. 

The next drag superstar is...

Tyra Sanchez?

WTF you say?

Yes, my response exactly.  And here's why.

There is absolutely no doubt that Tyra brought a sense of style to the show.  She was beautiful and poised and had an amazing ability to accessorize.  She started the season with total bitchiness...which I absolutely abhorred.  But, she grew on me over the last couple of episodes as the layers were peeled back.  Understanding some of her background and the events in her life that brought her to this place made her human.  I can honestly say that I liked the change and I can understand the desire for a young father to make a better life for his young son.

But that's where it ends for me.

I would assume the next "drag superstar" would at least be able to entertain.  I've spent a lot of time in drag bars in my youth and the best drag queens were true entertainers.  I lived in Atlanta from late 1979 until late 1988 and I met RuPaul on a couple of occasions at Weekends Warehouse.  I hung out at clubs called Illusions and 551 Downstairs and The Cove and Backstreet...and I saw hundreds of WONDERFUL drag shows there with queens like Charlie Brown, Tiffany Middlesexx, Amber Richards, Lilly White, and countless others.  They could work a crowd and be a comedian, a dancer, a singer, an actor, or whatever the situation called for...RuPaul is that kind of entertainer.

Tyra has none of these abilities.  Just look at any one of the episodes that required any talent other than looking pretty.

Look at the celebrity impersonation episode...her Beyonce was BORING as hell.  No charisma.  No uniqueness.  No nerve.  No talent.  Just a superficial illusion that slightly resembled Beyonce.  Pandora and Tatianna stole the show.

Her lack of talent showed again during the rocker chick episode.  She was not just a bad singer, but a horrible entertainer and she tried again for that Beyonce look that flopped the first time.  Raven, Pandora and Tatianna again performed rings around her.

Look at the book interview episode.  Raven kicked ass in that episode.

And I'm sorry, but Pandora was robbed on the drag mother episode.

Take all of Tyra's shortcomings and add her personality (or lack thereof) and minimal oral communication skills and you have nothing on which to base RuPaul's final decision...other than a lipsynch performance that Tyra pulled out of her butt on the last episode.

Yes, a lot of these skills can be coached...but many of the other girls had these abilities.  Pandora, Jujubee, Raven...they all displayed these abilities in abundance.  Their personal fashion sense held them back compared to Tyra, but it seems to me that fashion sense would be a lot easier to coach than the other traits.

Tyra may have been beautiful on the runway and she certainly gave great face...and hair, and gowns, and body.  But she opened her mouth and it all disappeared.  She flopped in every single challenge where she needed to show any talent, sophistication, or basic speaking ability.

I'm just saying. 

This choice relegates the next drag superstar to lipsynching and looking pretty...at least until she gets some experience, maturity and training under her belt.

I wish her nothing but the best...I do have a new-found respect for her as a person, but not much as an entertainer.

Do you agree with me?  Why or why not?