Author: Jeff Tabaco

We had a nice time seeing museums and hanging out with friends on our day trip to Baltimore last Saturday. (Mid-evening I was struck by a bout of queasiness, not eased any by the extremely hot and humid weather, but thankfully I felt better after some rest.) Thom has written a thorough report of the trip, so go check it out.

This is a photo of me, reflected in the glass-and-mirror-decorated facade at the American Visionary Art Museum, which is a really fascinating museum at the far end of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The rest of my photos from that day are up on Flickr.

The teams of the next Amazing Race season have been revealed on the CBS website. The twist this season is that each team is made up of four family members. That’s a lot of people! The premiere airs on Sept. 27 at 9 p.m. (Link via Whine & Cheese.)

Meanwhile, I’m getting my Race fix watching previous seasons on GSN. I got through the first two seasons, which I hadn’t seen before, and we’re now in the third, which is totally bringing back memories. Teri and Ian! Flo and Zach! The nightly episodes are coming so quickly though that now I just watch the beginning and end of each episode for the previous-episode re-cap and the pit-stop finish.

» Previously: “‘Race’ from the start.”

CBS News on Logo, a joint project between the network news division and the gay cable channel, debuted last night, anchored by Jason Bellini formerly of CNN, with reporter Itay Hod from NY1. The first mini-newscast included stories on the Hillsborough County, Fla., gay pride event held in exile in Key West; a domestic-parnership registry proposal in Salt Lake City, Utah; the issue of gay ordination in the Lutheran Church; and a swan couple (both female) in Boston’s Public Garden. As others have noted, it’s not all “this just in” kind of news, at least not just yet. I’m optimistic. (And if it means continually tuning in to watch those cute newsmen, then that’s a burden I’m willing to bear.) Take a look at The Malcontent for video, found via towleroad.

Yesterday I received a Friendster message from someone who came across my profile and told me they liked what they saw. The whole message is pretty flirtatious (I don’t think it’s just me reading into it). Believe me, I’m flattered, but oh yeah, let me mention … it’s from a woman. And if you’re just joining us, I’m as gay as a daisy in May.

On Friendster profiles there’s no pre-made category to indicate your sexual orientation; however in the “interested in meeting people for” section, if you pick “relationship” or “dating,” there are variants appending the word “men” or “women.” Otherwise profiles are pretty neutral, unless you come out (as it were) and say so in the write-in sections.

There really should be a box I can check that says “gayer than springtime.”

Just a little piece of advice: if, like me last night, you are kept awake by backache-induced insomnia and decide at 3 in the morning to lull yourself back to sleep by watching TV, do not watch, say, a NOVA program on the Indian Ocean tsunami.

Honestly, I don’t mean to make light of the whole thing. I had recorded the episode and intended to watch it at some point, but last night was just not the ideal time. Back in bed I lay awake even longer. The image that stuck with me was news footage of water rushing through a city street like river rapids, full of debris and (one can only imagine) bodies underneath.

It made me wonder about the current state of relief efforts. ReliefWeb has a good collection of information resources.

Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer. Happy Monday.

On Sunday I was watching Breakfast with the Arts on A&E (by the way, the new-ish host Karina Huber is no Elliott Forrest), and one of the guests was the chairman of the architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. He was on the show to talk about the Shanghai World Financial Center, which when completed will be one of the tallest buildings in the world. Its main distinctive feature is a large circular opening near the top, 50 meters (164 feet) in diameter, intended to ease wind pressure on the structure.

However, all I could think was that it would be a perfect place for the Eye of Sauron.

There’s not much I can say about Peter Jennings that hasn’t already been said out there. But I did want to mention that for much of my childhood he was synonymous with the evening news. World News Tonight was my newscast of choice, and every evening Peter was our go-to guy. He was a class act and will be missed.

» Related: Times and Post obituaries.

Another day older and a sensible gift! Last week I got an e-mail at work from the powers that be, congratulating me for five years of service at the company. (I started exactly five years ago today.) The e-mail directed me to a website where I can pick out an anniversary gift. (For some reason it reminded me of Wheel of Fortune back in the day, where the winners would “shop” for their prizes.) Most of the items are kind of ho-hum, at least to me; however my eye went directly to a Kenneth Cole watch. Stylish and practical. Score! They also have a Kenneth Cole leather portfolio — am I such a brand queen? But it’s really just a zip-around writing pad, which I don’t have much use for.