November 4, 1917
August 27, 2005
Saturday, August 27, 2005
The moon will make sure we get home
It was weird this morning, after I got out of the shower I picked up my cell phone for some reason and it said I had two messages.
Typically I know when someone calls (it’s either The Boyfriend or The Best Friend) and if I talk to them I don’t check messages for a few days, because I know what kind of message they left for me “Gurl, it’s me, I’m drunk, call me”
I thought well I’ve got free minutes let’s clear the voicemail. Message #1 was from The Boyfriend, last night, Message #2 was from my Dad, this morning.
My Dad never calls me, well I should say very rarely calls me, we have a GREAT relationship but we’re not much on the phone, that’s my Mom and I.
My Dad left a message that my grandmother had passed away this morning at 10:10 EST
I knew this day would be coming, but I had not anticipated it this quickly. In the back of my mind I kept telling myself, she’s going to be around for a while. So when I listened to the message I was a bit stunned. The sound of my Dad’s voice was the worst part of it, he made it all the way to the end and then just said “Ok, well give us a call” as he was trying to hold it all in.
My Dad’s parents both died in the early 70’s so this has really been “his Mom” for the last 30 years
I stumbled around the apartment for a few minutes, trying to put things into perspective, trying to figure out what needed to be done. I dialed my parents phone and my sister answered. Because of caller ID she knew it was me so she answered the phone “Michael-head” (that’s a nickname that goes all the way back to First Grade). She told me that they had gone to my Gram’s last night and said that she looked terrible, for the first time my sister said “she looked like an old woman” My sister almost started to cry on the phone, which really threw me. I held it together though.
I then talked to my Mom and she said how my Grandfather was being a major dickhead and would not let a Chaplin in the house, so much that he was banging on the table saying “not in my house.” We’re not religious people but my Mom wanted a prayer said for my grandmother, so she and a friend went over last night and they said a silent prayer for her and my mother told me that she had the chance to tell Grammy goodbye and that it was ok to go, she said the she really wanted to tell her that her Father (my Gram’s first husband who died in 50’s) would be there but my asshole of a grandfather wouldn’t give them any privacy. I am SO GLAD that my Mom had the chance to do that.
So I’m jumping on a plane tomorrow and going home for the funeral.
Meanwhile, my parents are having a big pig roast this afternoon. Quickly, my parents own a Modular Home Village (aka The Trailer Park) and they have about 60 people that own houses/rent in their park, and every year they have a big Roast to say thanks to the tenants. My Mom told my Grandmother that she was going to cancel the Roast because she wanted to be with her, and Gram told her “Don’t Cancel That Party.” So they’re not canceling
Things that remind me of my Grandmother
Typically I know when someone calls (it’s either The Boyfriend or The Best Friend) and if I talk to them I don’t check messages for a few days, because I know what kind of message they left for me “Gurl, it’s me, I’m drunk, call me”
I thought well I’ve got free minutes let’s clear the voicemail. Message #1 was from The Boyfriend, last night, Message #2 was from my Dad, this morning.
My Dad never calls me, well I should say very rarely calls me, we have a GREAT relationship but we’re not much on the phone, that’s my Mom and I.
My Dad left a message that my grandmother had passed away this morning at 10:10 EST
I knew this day would be coming, but I had not anticipated it this quickly. In the back of my mind I kept telling myself, she’s going to be around for a while. So when I listened to the message I was a bit stunned. The sound of my Dad’s voice was the worst part of it, he made it all the way to the end and then just said “Ok, well give us a call” as he was trying to hold it all in.
My Dad’s parents both died in the early 70’s so this has really been “his Mom” for the last 30 years
I stumbled around the apartment for a few minutes, trying to put things into perspective, trying to figure out what needed to be done. I dialed my parents phone and my sister answered. Because of caller ID she knew it was me so she answered the phone “Michael-head” (that’s a nickname that goes all the way back to First Grade). She told me that they had gone to my Gram’s last night and said that she looked terrible, for the first time my sister said “she looked like an old woman” My sister almost started to cry on the phone, which really threw me. I held it together though.
I then talked to my Mom and she said how my Grandfather was being a major dickhead and would not let a Chaplin in the house, so much that he was banging on the table saying “not in my house.” We’re not religious people but my Mom wanted a prayer said for my grandmother, so she and a friend went over last night and they said a silent prayer for her and my mother told me that she had the chance to tell Grammy goodbye and that it was ok to go, she said the she really wanted to tell her that her Father (my Gram’s first husband who died in 50’s) would be there but my asshole of a grandfather wouldn’t give them any privacy. I am SO GLAD that my Mom had the chance to do that.
So I’m jumping on a plane tomorrow and going home for the funeral.
Meanwhile, my parents are having a big pig roast this afternoon. Quickly, my parents own a Modular Home Village (aka The Trailer Park) and they have about 60 people that own houses/rent in their park, and every year they have a big Roast to say thanks to the tenants. My Mom told my Grandmother that she was going to cancel the Roast because she wanted to be with her, and Gram told her “Don’t Cancel That Party.” So they’re not canceling
Things that remind me of my Grandmother
- a rubber snake that I bought when I was 6 years old and used to tease her with
- a coffee mug that she bought for me. That way when I stayed at their house I had a “big cup” to drink out of. It’s a Snoopy mug with Snoopy sitting on his doghouse and it’s snowing, on the back it says “I hate it when it snows on my French Toast.” I know it’s so stupid but isn’t that how you are when you’re young.
- Pickled Cabbage
- Stove Top Stuffing
- French Toast
- My Grandparents lived about 15 miles from us while we were growing up and lots of times I would go spend the weekend with them. One time when we were traveling from my house to her house it was on an evening of a full moon, it was a little later than normal because Gram didn’t like to drive at night. As we were walking to the car she said “Oh great, it’s a full moon, the moon will make sure we get home ok.” I told her I didn’t believe her and she said, “well you watch, I bet the moon will follow us home and make sure we get there ok.” The entire way home I watched the moon, keeping an eye on it’s progress, it would hide behind clouds or a bunch of trees or hide behind a hill, but it kept following. When we got there I pointed to the moon and I said “Look Gram, it followed us.” She looked up and said “Oh yes it surely did” and she raised her hand and waved at the moon and said “Thank You”
I am sad that the world is now one more person short, but I am glad that I have had the opportunity to know and learn from her.
I'll miss you Grammy.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Oh you're terrible Wal-Mart
In the unending search for weird search results on the Web, check out what happens when you search for "casino chips" at Wal-Mart
I tell ya, we're all going to hell. Whoever gets there first, make sure to have martini's waiting for the rest of us.
I tell ya, we're all going to hell. Whoever gets there first, make sure to have martini's waiting for the rest of us.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Voting Rules for Hot Or Not
Have you been up to Hot Or Not? The basic premise is you post your hottest picture of you and then the rest of the world gets the chance to “rate” how hot you are. Now I figure if you’re going to put yourself out there then you’d better be ready for the consequences.
So when you visit, it’s important that you know how to vote, otherwise you’ll skew the scores for everyone, so for your enjoyment please review my Scoring Guide before you check it out.
All scores are on a scale from 1 to 10
What will get you a Score of 1
What will get you a Score of 5
What will get you a score of 10
If you've read this far, please note that this is all for fun : -)
So when you visit, it’s important that you know how to vote, otherwise you’ll skew the scores for everyone, so for your enjoyment please review my Scoring Guide before you check it out.
All scores are on a scale from 1 to 10
What will get you a Score of 1
- If you have your shirt off, have it pulled up to show your abs or are showing off your muscles
- If you can’t figure out how to have the correct orientation on your posted photo
- If you’re trying to look all “ghetto”, thugged out, and throwing gang symbols but you’re posing in front of a Jetta, showing off on a motorcycle (which probably isn’t yours).
- If the size of your picture is 1 inch by 1 inch, as well if you are standing in front of the Grand Canyon and you are ½ inch high and your picture reminds me of a night on a new moon or it’s blurry
- If you’re trying to look “nonchalant” and surprised even though you’re using a webcam to take your picture.
- Trying to act cool sitting in your living room wearing sun glasses
- You label your picture with the legend “ME” but you’re the only one in the picture
- If you look like you could eat a sammich real bad
- Half of your face is hidden by a hat, a coat, a blanket, someone’s hand
- Headshots or obvious studio shots, especially Glamour Shots with one persons faced blacked out.
- You have your shirt off and you’re playing with your nipple
- You’re listing yourself as “gay” and your wife and/or kids are in the picture with you.
- You’re photo is a self-portrait, but the camera is blocking your face
- The intro is way too witty to be have been written by the picture posted
- Your age is listed as 22 but you look 42 from all the clack you been smoking
What will get you a Score of 5
- Facial Hair
- Uniforms
- Multiple Pictures composted into one (minimum 2, maximum 3, any more than that garners a Score of 1)
- You’re in the Military (but not showing off your muscles)
What will get you a score of 10
- Grandpa
- A genuine smile
- If it looks like you shop at Harold’s Hefty Hideway
- You look like you’re on clack
- It’s a picture of you and your dog, and your dog is better looking
- Your age is listed as 45 and you look 25
If you've read this far, please note that this is all for fun : -)
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
The first time I came out
I remember the first time I actually told someone I was Gay.
I was in College and living in the “dorms.” In the 1 year that I was there, I had at least 5 different room-mates. My first room-mate was wonderful, we got along, we were in the same “program”, we had lots in common….but he couldn’t afford it and ended up going home after the first semester.
After that I had 4 more room-mates in a matter of 6 months. All of the room-mates they moved in after that I had nothing in common with, different program, different lifestyle (me from the country, them from the city), different financials (me working and paying for school, them going on gov’t scholarship), it was too different. The last person they moved in with me they did so without giving me any notice, the guy was my complete opposite and we were terrible room-mates. I ended up going to the Student Housing office and talk to the “counselor”
I was telling her how we were not getting along, the problems we were having, the obvious differences in our personality, schedules, etc. and that I was not happy.
She looked at me and started to say “Well it sounds to me like you may be prejudiced”
She got about one syllable of the word prejudiced out and I stopped her and said “I don’t think you want to finish that sentence because I am the least prejudicial person there is. Do you know for a fact that almost everyone in this school is prejudiced against me? You know why? Because I’m gay.”
Her mouth dropped, I continued by saying “I have to sit with these people every day while they talk about fags this and fags that, so don’t tell me I’m prejudiced.”
I don’t remember the rest of the conversation, but I’m sure it wasn’t long. I asked her to find me a new place to live, she told me she couldn’t.
I ended up moving out of the “dorms” later that month.
I was in College and living in the “dorms.” In the 1 year that I was there, I had at least 5 different room-mates. My first room-mate was wonderful, we got along, we were in the same “program”, we had lots in common….but he couldn’t afford it and ended up going home after the first semester.
After that I had 4 more room-mates in a matter of 6 months. All of the room-mates they moved in after that I had nothing in common with, different program, different lifestyle (me from the country, them from the city), different financials (me working and paying for school, them going on gov’t scholarship), it was too different. The last person they moved in with me they did so without giving me any notice, the guy was my complete opposite and we were terrible room-mates. I ended up going to the Student Housing office and talk to the “counselor”
I was telling her how we were not getting along, the problems we were having, the obvious differences in our personality, schedules, etc. and that I was not happy.
She looked at me and started to say “Well it sounds to me like you may be prejudiced”
She got about one syllable of the word prejudiced out and I stopped her and said “I don’t think you want to finish that sentence because I am the least prejudicial person there is. Do you know for a fact that almost everyone in this school is prejudiced against me? You know why? Because I’m gay.”
Her mouth dropped, I continued by saying “I have to sit with these people every day while they talk about fags this and fags that, so don’t tell me I’m prejudiced.”
I don’t remember the rest of the conversation, but I’m sure it wasn’t long. I asked her to find me a new place to live, she told me she couldn’t.
I ended up moving out of the “dorms” later that month.
A New Discovery
Guess what I found out today?
You know those Kraft American Cheese Slices, the ones that are individually wrapped?
I found out today that once you open them, you’ve got to use them. You can’t really try to “seal” the package once it’s opened, it doesn’t work that way.
You know those Kraft American Cheese Slices, the ones that are individually wrapped?
I found out today that once you open them, you’ve got to use them. You can’t really try to “seal” the package once it’s opened, it doesn’t work that way.
2nd Floor Ladies Underwear
I work in a 4 story building, it's not huge but it's pretty good size, there are probably about 500 +/- people that work here.
I used to work on the first floor but now I work on the fourth floor so I typically take the elevator every day, I know I really need to take the stairs but at 7:30 in the morning, and right after lunch, I don't think so!
This morning we get on the elevator and there were a bunch of us, 7 or so, and we stopped at every floor. Now don't get me wrong I understand when it's busy you can't go express, but 2, count 'em TWO people got off on the second floor. HELLO can't you walk up one flight of stairs (now before you jump on me about people not being able to walk for health reasons, I understand that, these people are healthy, they're just lazy).
And then this afternoon I had to go to a meeting and when we got on the elevator there were three of us and again we stopped at the 2nd floor.
I mean it's not like where The Boyfriend works and he's on the 65th floor, that's totally understandable, but one flight of stairs?!? Anyone else encounter this phenomenon on a regular basis?
I used to work on the first floor but now I work on the fourth floor so I typically take the elevator every day, I know I really need to take the stairs but at 7:30 in the morning, and right after lunch, I don't think so!
This morning we get on the elevator and there were a bunch of us, 7 or so, and we stopped at every floor. Now don't get me wrong I understand when it's busy you can't go express, but 2, count 'em TWO people got off on the second floor. HELLO can't you walk up one flight of stairs (now before you jump on me about people not being able to walk for health reasons, I understand that, these people are healthy, they're just lazy).
And then this afternoon I had to go to a meeting and when we got on the elevator there were three of us and again we stopped at the 2nd floor.
I mean it's not like where The Boyfriend works and he's on the 65th floor, that's totally understandable, but one flight of stairs?!? Anyone else encounter this phenomenon on a regular basis?
Ya gotta love Google
Twice today at work someone asked a question and I said, "oh hold on a second" and found the answers on google, you gotta love that.
I found this on Soul Deranged's site and wanted to share.
1. Go to Google.
2. Type in the word. . .FAILURE
3. Hit the "I'm Feeling Lucky"
See what you get.
I found this on Soul Deranged's site and wanted to share.
1. Go to Google.
2. Type in the word. . .FAILURE
3. Hit the "I'm Feeling Lucky"
See what you get.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Hagan Daaz False Labeling Practice
I don’t know how Hagan-Daaz can get away with saying that there are four servings in one of their pints of ice cream.
I hardly get one serving out of that thing.
That’s False Labeling.
I hardly get one serving out of that thing.
That’s False Labeling.
What a cool tool
What a cool tool
If you have Word 2000 or better you should download the Blogger Plug-in for it.
It gives you an extra toolbar that allows you to do your entire post in Word and then automatically send it to blogger, you can also open old posts, save a post as a draft.
You can do all sorts of things, like Bigger Fonts, Underline, Bold, Italic.
Download it, what are you waiting for?
If you have Word 2000 or better you should download the Blogger Plug-in for it.
It gives you an extra toolbar that allows you to do your entire post in Word and then automatically send it to blogger, you can also open old posts, save a post as a draft.
You can do all sorts of things, like Bigger Fonts, Underline, Bold, Italic.
Download it, what are you waiting for?
Monday, August 22, 2005
Cirque du Soleil, Columbus and Good Friends
We have returned.
The Boyfriend and I went to Columbus, OH this past weekend to get out of town for a few days. He has several good friends that live there and I used to live there about 15 years ago when I first moved from Pennsylvania.
We arrived late Friday evening and went straight from the airport to Havana a great little bar in the Short North. We met up with a few more friends and had several rounds of strong cocktails, before we knew it, it was 1:30 and the bars were closing!
Saturday was fairly uneventful except we went to see Verakai – Cirque du Soleil.
Overheard as we were walking to the “tent” – Girl: “I heard they have elephants.” I wonder if she was disappointed when she realized what kind of circus it was?
If you have never seen a live Cirque performance mere words can not describe the wonder and amazement.
We had fairly good seats (the stage is “in the round” but we were on the back side where they enter the stage) but we were unfortunately behind one of the tent risers so I would say about 20% of our view was blocked : -(
The show is amazing, the things those performers do is just beyond incredible. The colors, the music is all just overpowering.
This was the 4th Cirque show I’ve seen, but I must say that I’m probably done with it for quite a while. There was one time when I had seen David Copperfield (the magician) every year for at least 10 years and I haven’t seen him perform in probably 10 years. It’s sort of like when you read every book that an author writes you get to “know” all about them.
Would I recommend it? Of course I would, especially if you’ve never seen a Cirque show, everyone must see at least one.
We had a very nice visit with our friends, overall the entire weekend was very low key and quiet (which was a nice reprieve).
We've got a lot of travels coming up in the next month. We're going to New Orleans over Labor Day and then going to Vegas the end of September.
The Boyfriend and I went to Columbus, OH this past weekend to get out of town for a few days. He has several good friends that live there and I used to live there about 15 years ago when I first moved from Pennsylvania.
We arrived late Friday evening and went straight from the airport to Havana a great little bar in the Short North. We met up with a few more friends and had several rounds of strong cocktails, before we knew it, it was 1:30 and the bars were closing!
Saturday was fairly uneventful except we went to see Verakai – Cirque du Soleil.
Overheard as we were walking to the “tent” – Girl: “I heard they have elephants.” I wonder if she was disappointed when she realized what kind of circus it was?
If you have never seen a live Cirque performance mere words can not describe the wonder and amazement.
We had fairly good seats (the stage is “in the round” but we were on the back side where they enter the stage) but we were unfortunately behind one of the tent risers so I would say about 20% of our view was blocked : -(
The show is amazing, the things those performers do is just beyond incredible. The colors, the music is all just overpowering.
This was the 4th Cirque show I’ve seen, but I must say that I’m probably done with it for quite a while. There was one time when I had seen David Copperfield (the magician) every year for at least 10 years and I haven’t seen him perform in probably 10 years. It’s sort of like when you read every book that an author writes you get to “know” all about them.
Would I recommend it? Of course I would, especially if you’ve never seen a Cirque show, everyone must see at least one.
We had a very nice visit with our friends, overall the entire weekend was very low key and quiet (which was a nice reprieve).
We've got a lot of travels coming up in the next month. We're going to New Orleans over Labor Day and then going to Vegas the end of September.
Friday, August 19, 2005
The Weekend
The Boyfriend and I are off to Columbus, OH this evening for a weekend visit with some of his friends.
Cirque du Soleil - Veraki has apparently set up their tent in downton Columbus so that is the impetus of our trip (well that's what I've been told).
From what I understand it's going to be a big party weekend of drinking, smoking, and bar hopping.
I'll take lots of pictures and I'll take lots of notes so I can remember what happened.
Have a Wonderful Weekend!
Cirque du Soleil - Veraki has apparently set up their tent in downton Columbus so that is the impetus of our trip (well that's what I've been told).
From what I understand it's going to be a big party weekend of drinking, smoking, and bar hopping.
I'll take lots of pictures and I'll take lots of notes so I can remember what happened.
Have a Wonderful Weekend!
Now this is what I'm talkin' about for an IQ test.
A first-grade teacher was having trouble with one of her students. The teacher asked, "Harry, what is your problem?" Harry answered, "I'm too smart for the first grade. My sister is in the third grade and I'm smarter than she is. I think I should be in the third grade too."
The teacher had enough. She took Harry to the principal's office. While Harry waited in the outer office, the teacher explained to the principal what the situation was. The principal told the teacher he would give the boy a test and if he failed to answer any of the questions, he was to go back to the first grade and behave. The teacher agreed.
Harry was brought in and the conditions were explained to him and he agreed to take the test.
Principal: What is 3 x 3?
Harry: 9.
Principal: What is 6 x 6?
Harry: 36.
And so it went with every question the principal thought a third gradershould know. The princ ipal looks at the teacher and tells her, "I thinkHarry can go to the third grade." The teacher says to the principal, "Let me ask him some questions." The principal and Harry both agree.
Teacher: What does a cow have 4 of that I have only 2?
Harry: Legs.
Teacher: What is in your pants that you have but I do not have? (The principal wonders, why does she ask such a question.)
Harry: Pockets.
Teacher: What does a dog do that a man steps into?
Harry: Pants.
Teacher: What starts with C and ends with T, is hairy, oval, delicious and contains thin whitish liquid? (The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer...)
Harry: Coconut.
Teacher: What goes in hard and pink, then comes out soft and sticky?
Harry: Bubble gum.
Teacher: What does a man do! standing up, a woman do sitting down, and a dog do on three legs? (The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer...)
Harry: Shake hands.
Teacher: Now I will ask some "Who am I" questions, okay?
Harry: Yup.
Teacher: You stick your poles inside me. You tie me down to get me up. I get wet before you do.
Harry: A tent.
Teacher: A finger goes in me. You fiddle with me when you're bored. The best man always has me first. (Principal was looking restless and a bit tense.)
Harry: Wedding ring.
Teacher: I come in many sizes. When I'm not well, I drip. When you blow me, you feel good.
Harry: Nose.
Teacher: I have a stiff shaft. My tip penetrates. I come with a quiver.
Harry: Arrow.
Teacher: What word starts with F and ends in K that means a lot ofexcitement?
Harry: Firetruck.
The principal breathed a sigh of relief and told the teacher, "Put his ass in fifth grade. I got the las t 10 questions wrong myself."
The teacher had enough. She took Harry to the principal's office. While Harry waited in the outer office, the teacher explained to the principal what the situation was. The principal told the teacher he would give the boy a test and if he failed to answer any of the questions, he was to go back to the first grade and behave. The teacher agreed.
Harry was brought in and the conditions were explained to him and he agreed to take the test.
Principal: What is 3 x 3?
Harry: 9.
Principal: What is 6 x 6?
Harry: 36.
And so it went with every question the principal thought a third gradershould know. The princ ipal looks at the teacher and tells her, "I thinkHarry can go to the third grade." The teacher says to the principal, "Let me ask him some questions." The principal and Harry both agree.
Teacher: What does a cow have 4 of that I have only 2?
Harry: Legs.
Teacher: What is in your pants that you have but I do not have? (The principal wonders, why does she ask such a question.)
Harry: Pockets.
Teacher: What does a dog do that a man steps into?
Harry: Pants.
Teacher: What starts with C and ends with T, is hairy, oval, delicious and contains thin whitish liquid? (The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer...)
Harry: Coconut.
Teacher: What goes in hard and pink, then comes out soft and sticky?
Harry: Bubble gum.
Teacher: What does a man do! standing up, a woman do sitting down, and a dog do on three legs? (The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer...)
Harry: Shake hands.
Teacher: Now I will ask some "Who am I" questions, okay?
Harry: Yup.
Teacher: You stick your poles inside me. You tie me down to get me up. I get wet before you do.
Harry: A tent.
Teacher: A finger goes in me. You fiddle with me when you're bored. The best man always has me first. (Principal was looking restless and a bit tense.)
Harry: Wedding ring.
Teacher: I come in many sizes. When I'm not well, I drip. When you blow me, you feel good.
Harry: Nose.
Teacher: I have a stiff shaft. My tip penetrates. I come with a quiver.
Harry: Arrow.
Teacher: What word starts with F and ends in K that means a lot ofexcitement?
Harry: Firetruck.
The principal breathed a sigh of relief and told the teacher, "Put his ass in fifth grade. I got the las t 10 questions wrong myself."
The Judge Mathis Show
Yesterday, The Boyfriend and I attended a taping of The Judge Mathis Show.
If you're not familiar with the "judge" type show that pervades the US airwaves, here's a little primer. Basically folks who are suing someone in Small Claims Court get the chance to tell their case in front of the judge. There are at least 6 Judge programs on the air now (Judge Judy, People's Court, Moral Court, Divorce Court, Judge Mathis, Texas Law to name a few), it seems that whenever you flip the channel it's some judge.
They tape a few shows here in Chicago, most notably Oprah, Judge Mathis and Jerry Springer (we're going to see him on the 29th). So about a month ago I decided I'd give a call and see if we could get tickets, I was surprised when I got straight through and was able to make reservations that weren't 6 months away.
We only worked a half day yesterday because we had to be there at 3:00 to stand in queue. They finally let us upstairs about 3:45 and we sat in a holding room until 4:30. At that time they took us over to the "Courtroom" which is really just a big set, but of course I knew that. Everyone was clamoring to be "the first in line" but it really didn't matter because they told us where to sit. We actually got choice seating, the back row right next to the door where the Plaintiff (that's the person who is suing) walks in (so keep your fingers crossed I may have a lot of air time), but as we were sitting there this one security girl we were joking with comes up and says "Where were you, I was trying to find you to put you up front." GAH! We really missed that one! Perhaps she'll be working when we go see Jerry Springer and she'll hook us up then.
We saw a total of 6 cases, well I should say, we saw the backs of heads of 6 cases, I guess that was the only downfall of the thing. Plus the people were mic'd directly into the soundboard so sometimes it was difficult to hear them.
This post was long enough on it's own, so I broke each case down independently.
Judge Mathis - Case #1
Spurned Lovers - The plaintiff was suing the defendant (a former lover) because she had given her $1200 to pay off some tickets on her car. Yes you read that correct, they were Lesbians! One was lipstick, the other was thug, they made a good pair.
Ruling: The judge dismissed the case.
Judge Mathis - Case #2
Spurned Lovers/Former Room-mates - The plaintiff was suing the defendant (a former girlfriend) over unpaid rent and unpaid utilities. This was a typical Boy/Girl case so not as much fun. The Defendant really needed to eat a samich because she was skinny, the Plaintiff was a wanna be Golf Professional who by his own words "I can't find no sponsor" and according to the Defendant didn't get out of bed before 3:00 pm
Ruling: The judge ruled in favor of the Plaintiff and he won all he was asking for.
Memorable Line: Defendant "Well my boyfriend paid for my rent. And then I paid the Plaintiff." Judge "And where is your proof do you have a receipt." Defendant "No, we (her girlfriend) always paid our rent at the same time so that she could vouch for me and I could vouch for her, we saw each other pay the rent, that should be good enough."
Memorable Line #2: Judge to Defendant "Did you graduate School?" Defendant "Yes" J: "You need to go back, you're up here trying to talk all Smart, but you need to BE smart before you can talk smart."
Judge Mathis - Case # 3
Reimbursement for Custody - The Plaintiff was suing the Defendant who was her son's ex-girlfriend for reimbursement of money that she paid out to support her grand daughter when the State took away the Defendant's children because she was an alcoholic/drug addict. Fast forward to finding out that the grandchild is no relation to this woman as the mother has no idea who the father is (that's really terrible).
This was actually pretty funny because the Defendant could barely put a sentence together (which was sad) but she said some pretty funny things (unintentionally). Her new boyfriend, uhm er Fiancé, politely raised his hand when he wanted to speak to the judge (apparently he's done that many times in the past.)
Ruling: The judge ruled in favor of the Plaintiff and she was all she was asking for.
Memorable Line: Defendant "Your honor, all of my boyfriends, uhm I mean Fiancé's"
Judge Mathis - Case # 4
Reimbursement for Furniture - The Plaintiff was suing the Defendant who was his son's ex-girlfriend and mother of two of his grandchildren for reimbursement on a loan to purchase furniture. The plaintiff had co-signed a loan for the son to purchase furniture because "The children are sitting on wood and they're getting hurt from it." The son and girlfriend broke up and the son let the girlfriend keep the furniture. Son stops paying for the furniture because "he doesn't have it no more" so Dad is suing ex-girlfriend because she has it.
Ruling: The judge dismissed the case and told him to go after his son.
Memorable Line: There were none unfortunately.
Judge Mathis - Case #5
Auto Accident - The Plaintiff was suing a co-worker over an accident caused leaving the bakery where they both work.. The Plaintiff does not like the Defendant because she started working after her and got a job in the office versus her job as a cashier. The Defendant hit the Plaintiff’s car one evening as they were leaving work, which caused $400 worth of damage to her car. The Plaintiffs insurance company sent the Defendant $100 for the damage but she refused it.
Ruling: For the Plaintiff for the full amount.
Judge Mathis - Case 6
Neighbor Hating Neighbor - The Plaintiff is accusing the Defendant of purposely damaging his car with her car door. There was damage to his car, so instead of going to her and talking about it he called the Cops. The cops came talked to everyone, left, the Defendant then went back out to the car and slammed her car door into his about 10 times. Plaintiff calls the cops again they arrest the Defendant.
How some people came to my site
Below are some of the more recent searches that have brought folks to my site. The funny thing is, I get most of my search referrals from Yahoo (who I've never registered with) and nothing from Google and MSN, even though I registered with both of them?! Anyone else see a lot of traffic from only one site?
Here we go, hold on your pants boys and girls:
1. Broke up Emerald City Kat, which brought them just to the main page of the blog.
2. Cost per gallon water, coffee, gas, brought them to this story which compares the price of gasoline to other products if we bought them by the gallon.
Here we go, hold on your pants boys and girls:
1. Broke up Emerald City Kat, which brought them just to the main page of the blog.
2. Cost per gallon water, coffee, gas, brought them to this story which compares the price of gasoline to other products if we bought them by the gallon.
3. I want to be a shemale, brought them to this story where folks can link to a game to see how well they can find those shemales.
4. Gay men sitting on toilet brought them to this story which is about a note someone posted in our bathroom (with picture goodness).
Thursday, August 18, 2005
We're off to see the Wizard
Well not really, but I love saying that.
We're actually going to see a taping of Judge Mathis today.
Oh I hope they got some people who are gonna be in a knock down, drag out fight. Oh wait, that's Jerry Springer that we're going to see on the 29th.
I'll let you know when it's going to be on the air.
We're actually going to see a taping of Judge Mathis today.
Oh I hope they got some people who are gonna be in a knock down, drag out fight. Oh wait, that's Jerry Springer that we're going to see on the 29th.
I'll let you know when it's going to be on the air.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
It's the Freaking Elf Shorts Shirt
If you're any blogger of substance, then I'm sure that you've already heard about the Freaking Elf Shorts.
If not, then you should check here on Andrea's site for a bit of history.
The Freaking Elf Shorts are currently in the safe (well I guess they're safe) hands of PuppDaddy.
As soon as I saw that picture I was like "Dude you've got my shirt on."
So per request here's my copy of PuppDaddy's Flaming Shirt.
I bet we know which of us is a bigger Flamer?
If not, then you should check here on Andrea's site for a bit of history.
The Freaking Elf Shorts are currently in the safe (well I guess they're safe) hands of PuppDaddy.
As soon as I saw that picture I was like "Dude you've got my shirt on."
So per request here's my copy of PuppDaddy's Flaming Shirt.
I bet we know which of us is a bigger Flamer?
WHY?
Why is it that nail polish is dry 10 seconds AFTER you touch it?
I just treated myself to a manicure (highly recommended) and wouldn't you know it I already f'd' up my polish!
As I was reaching for my wallet I said "oh, my fingers shouldn't feel like that?" And that's when I did it, I totally scuffed 2 of my nails while I was still in the shoppe!
Sometimes I'm just terrible at being gay.
I just treated myself to a manicure (highly recommended) and wouldn't you know it I already f'd' up my polish!
As I was reaching for my wallet I said "oh, my fingers shouldn't feel like that?" And that's when I did it, I totally scuffed 2 of my nails while I was still in the shoppe!
Sometimes I'm just terrible at being gay.
This is what we call THE MUPPET SHOW (and Cruising)
Perhaps you've been living under a rock for the last week and weren't aware, but they just released the First Season of The Muppet Show on DVD, check it out here.
I grew up in the 70's and I used to LOVE watching the Muppet Show, it was so bright and colorful and happy and so full of those showtunes that we all love.
When I was growing up we didn't have a remote for the TV, you actually had to get up and turn a knob, yes you had to physically turn a knob, to change the channel.
We didn't have cable, in fact we only had 4 channels - ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS and that was only because we had an antenna that ran about a 1000 feet up over the valley we lived in.
We didn't have VCR's back then - I remember the first movie we watched on a VCR was at a friends house, oh my god, to be able to actually watch a movie when you wanted to. They're father worked at the nuclear power plant, so they could afford a VCR. It was my sister, Brett & Britt (yes that was their names) and myself. That first moview we watched was Cruising with Al Pacino, that movie was released in 1980 and we probably watched it on Tape about 1982 so I was 12 years old. In a quick synopsis, Al Pacino is a cop who is investigating murders in the Gay part of NYC, so he goes undercover as a homo to try and find the guy, he goes to the gay bars, the parks and even the "film booths"......well just imagine what that was like for me, I remember that my sister and the other guys were like "This movie is so stupid" and I'm sitting there saying "No, I think we should watch this."
Somehow I've gotten off the topic of the Muppet Show. I was talking about things we didn't have back then...oh yeah VCR's.
Since I loved the Muppet Show so much but it was only on once a week, what is a pre-pubescent farm boy supposed to do? Well I had an audio tape recorder and I would set the Tape Recorder next to the TV and I would tape the program so that I could listen to it later. It was so cheesey but hey that was my VCR in those days. I would tape the Muppet Show primarily but I also had M*A*S*H.
When I would go to bed I would put the tape recorder under my pillow and I would listen to the Muppet Show as I would fall asleep, I used to know all the words to the shows, god I was a geek!
I guess that's why now in order for me to fall asleep I have to have the TV on. Which the boyfriend doesn't like and makes me turn it off before we fall asleep. He's already told me that if we move in together there will be no TV in the bedroom....god what will I do to fall asleep!
Anywho - if you want to relive your childhood, go buy The Muppet Show on DVD!
I grew up in the 70's and I used to LOVE watching the Muppet Show, it was so bright and colorful and happy and so full of those showtunes that we all love.
When I was growing up we didn't have a remote for the TV, you actually had to get up and turn a knob, yes you had to physically turn a knob, to change the channel.
We didn't have cable, in fact we only had 4 channels - ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS and that was only because we had an antenna that ran about a 1000 feet up over the valley we lived in.
We didn't have VCR's back then - I remember the first movie we watched on a VCR was at a friends house, oh my god, to be able to actually watch a movie when you wanted to. They're father worked at the nuclear power plant, so they could afford a VCR. It was my sister, Brett & Britt (yes that was their names) and myself. That first moview we watched was Cruising with Al Pacino, that movie was released in 1980 and we probably watched it on Tape about 1982 so I was 12 years old. In a quick synopsis, Al Pacino is a cop who is investigating murders in the Gay part of NYC, so he goes undercover as a homo to try and find the guy, he goes to the gay bars, the parks and even the "film booths"......well just imagine what that was like for me, I remember that my sister and the other guys were like "This movie is so stupid" and I'm sitting there saying "No, I think we should watch this."
Somehow I've gotten off the topic of the Muppet Show. I was talking about things we didn't have back then...oh yeah VCR's.
Since I loved the Muppet Show so much but it was only on once a week, what is a pre-pubescent farm boy supposed to do? Well I had an audio tape recorder and I would set the Tape Recorder next to the TV and I would tape the program so that I could listen to it later. It was so cheesey but hey that was my VCR in those days. I would tape the Muppet Show primarily but I also had M*A*S*H.
When I would go to bed I would put the tape recorder under my pillow and I would listen to the Muppet Show as I would fall asleep, I used to know all the words to the shows, god I was a geek!
I guess that's why now in order for me to fall asleep I have to have the TV on. Which the boyfriend doesn't like and makes me turn it off before we fall asleep. He's already told me that if we move in together there will be no TV in the bedroom....god what will I do to fall asleep!
Anywho - if you want to relive your childhood, go buy The Muppet Show on DVD!
Most people say a teacher changed their life
Here is the story
I totally agree with this, in fact I think that teachers were the most influential people in my life (outside of my family of course).
I still keep in touch with several of my teachers, my Third Grade Teacher (Miss Hahn), my Music Teacher (Mrs. Trate) when I was in High School and an English Teacher (Mrs. DePoe).
This past year the school district where I live offered early retirement to some of the teachers and Miss Hahn took them up on the offer. She had completed 33 years of teaching school, 33 years of teaching 3rd Graders, 33 years of doing the same thing every year with a new group of kids, and you know what, SHE LOVED IT. She would tell me how great the kids were and how much fun she had, but she knew it was time to get out when she was getting kids of kids she had taught the first time around.
I think that we should pay our teachers the salaries that we give our Sports Players, honestly who has more influence over our kids? A Sports Figure who earns $3.2 million a year or a teacher who earns $35,000 a year?
I cherish my relationships that I still have with my teachers, it's nice to be able to have "adult" conversations with them and to continue to learn from them.
I totally agree with this, in fact I think that teachers were the most influential people in my life (outside of my family of course).
I still keep in touch with several of my teachers, my Third Grade Teacher (Miss Hahn), my Music Teacher (Mrs. Trate) when I was in High School and an English Teacher (Mrs. DePoe).
This past year the school district where I live offered early retirement to some of the teachers and Miss Hahn took them up on the offer. She had completed 33 years of teaching school, 33 years of teaching 3rd Graders, 33 years of doing the same thing every year with a new group of kids, and you know what, SHE LOVED IT. She would tell me how great the kids were and how much fun she had, but she knew it was time to get out when she was getting kids of kids she had taught the first time around.
I think that we should pay our teachers the salaries that we give our Sports Players, honestly who has more influence over our kids? A Sports Figure who earns $3.2 million a year or a teacher who earns $35,000 a year?
I cherish my relationships that I still have with my teachers, it's nice to be able to have "adult" conversations with them and to continue to learn from them.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Looking for a Hag and a Boat
Thanks to everyone who left a comment yesterday/today, you are all wonderful people.
I just really realized something....in my Real Life I have NO female friends, yet in Blog Land I have lots of female "friends". Now there are women that I work with that I'm friendly with, but outside of work I have no female influences.
So with that said, I think that I should start looking for a fag hag. If you know any girl in Chicago who's looking to take on a fag (I would prefer that she be experienced) and currently available. The last thing I want to do is take a hag from her fag, that is too much drama.
I would also prefer a hag who realizes that I don't want to sleep with her, fall in love with her, or kiss her when I get drunk. I've done all that before and I don't see a need to relive those days.
Scanning over the last 15 years since I moved out on my own, I can not think of one reliable female presence in my life (minus family, work, etc.)
Am I alone in this? Do most men have friends that are only men? Women only women friends, gay = gay, lesbian = lesbian?
I'm also looking for someone who has a boat so we can sail in Lake Michigan.
I just really realized something....in my Real Life I have NO female friends, yet in Blog Land I have lots of female "friends". Now there are women that I work with that I'm friendly with, but outside of work I have no female influences.
So with that said, I think that I should start looking for a fag hag. If you know any girl in Chicago who's looking to take on a fag (I would prefer that she be experienced) and currently available. The last thing I want to do is take a hag from her fag, that is too much drama.
I would also prefer a hag who realizes that I don't want to sleep with her, fall in love with her, or kiss her when I get drunk. I've done all that before and I don't see a need to relive those days.
Scanning over the last 15 years since I moved out on my own, I can not think of one reliable female presence in my life (minus family, work, etc.)
Am I alone in this? Do most men have friends that are only men? Women only women friends, gay = gay, lesbian = lesbian?
I'm also looking for someone who has a boat so we can sail in Lake Michigan.
Would you wet yourself for an iBook?
The Henrico County School System based near Richmond decided to get rid of their old iBook Laptops, most were 4 years old.
They thought they had a great idea by letting everyone know they could come to the Richmond International Raceway and purchase one of these old machines for $50, what a bargain.
Well along with that bargain came a whole lot of other things:
- A woman lost one of her shoes (a flip-flop of course) and was forced to limp on hot blacktop with one shoe.
- A little girls stroller was crushed in a stampede when they opened the gates at 7:00 am.
- An Elderly man was thrown to the ground
But this is the best quote from the story:
- Blandine Alexander, 33, said one woman standing in front of her was so desperate to retain her place in line that she urinated on herself.
And I bet she wasn't even considerate enough to be wearing Depends!
Read about it on CNN
Here is a photo version
They thought they had a great idea by letting everyone know they could come to the Richmond International Raceway and purchase one of these old machines for $50, what a bargain.
Well along with that bargain came a whole lot of other things:
- A woman lost one of her shoes (a flip-flop of course) and was forced to limp on hot blacktop with one shoe.
- A little girls stroller was crushed in a stampede when they opened the gates at 7:00 am.
- An Elderly man was thrown to the ground
But this is the best quote from the story:
- Blandine Alexander, 33, said one woman standing in front of her was so desperate to retain her place in line that she urinated on herself.
And I bet she wasn't even considerate enough to be wearing Depends!
Read about it on CNN
Here is a photo version
Monday, August 15, 2005
I didn't know there was a "Lurking Day"
I came upon Husbands Anon and he has declared it Lurking Day.
A day where everyone who reads a blog just leaves a quick comment or note to let the blogger know who you are.
I know I've lurked myself sometimes, although I don't like to admit it. But hey if you like someone just leave a note and let them know you were there.
A day where everyone who reads a blog just leaves a quick comment or note to let the blogger know who you are.
I know I've lurked myself sometimes, although I don't like to admit it. But hey if you like someone just leave a note and let them know you were there.
Hey, I knew I was overweight but this is pushing it.
As viewed on CMHL
The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Third Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
Take the Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno Test
The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Third Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
| Level | Score |
|---|---|
| Purgatory (Repenting Believers) | Very Low |
| Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers) | Very Low |
| Level 2 (Lustful) | High |
| Level 3 (Gluttonous) | Very High |
| Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious) | Moderate |
| Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy) | Moderate |
| Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics) | Very High |
| Level 7 (Violent) | Very High |
| Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers) | High |
| Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous) | Moderate |
Take the Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno Test
Happy Birthday Picasso Statue
Today is the 37th Anniversary of the installation of the Picasso Statue that is in Daley Plaza. It's un-named so that's why I keep referring to it the way that I do.
When they first unveiled it, folks hated it (I wasn't around then) but since then it has really become a symbol of Chicago.
From what I understand, some (or all)of the oringal marquette is at the Art Institute. I'll have to look for it.
When they first unveiled it, folks hated it (I wasn't around then) but since then it has really become a symbol of Chicago.
From what I understand, some (or all)of the oringal marquette is at the Art Institute. I'll have to look for it.
Do you keep track?
Do you have a counter on your blog or someway to track the visitors that come to your site?
I currently use Stat Counter, it's free, it's easy to use and most of all it's secure.
One of the nice things about these counters is you can see who visited you, where they came from, how long they were on your site, etc.
The thing I like the most is that it shows you the site the user was "referred" from (or more like the site they were on right before they came to yours). Over the last few days I've seen some refer sites (at least 3) that were counters (like StatCounter) so I clicked on the link and wouldn't you know it, I came right up on someone's counter statistic page....
If you have a stat counter type tool, please make sure it's secure and that not everyone can see into your stats if you just happen to be on that site before you go blogging.
Be careful!
I currently use Stat Counter, it's free, it's easy to use and most of all it's secure.
One of the nice things about these counters is you can see who visited you, where they came from, how long they were on your site, etc.
The thing I like the most is that it shows you the site the user was "referred" from (or more like the site they were on right before they came to yours). Over the last few days I've seen some refer sites (at least 3) that were counters (like StatCounter) so I clicked on the link and wouldn't you know it, I came right up on someone's counter statistic page....
If you have a stat counter type tool, please make sure it's secure and that not everyone can see into your stats if you just happen to be on that site before you go blogging.
Be careful!
I Think I Saw A Ghost
**As received in an email today, so I can't take credit, and at the same time can't give credit to the author. **
One night, George W. Bush is tossing restlessly in his White House bed.
He awakens to see George Washington standing by him Bush asks him, "George, what's the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Set an honest and honorable example, just as I did," Washington advises, and then fades away.
The next night, Bush is astir again, and sees the ghost of Thomas Jefferson moving through the darkened bedroom. Bush calls out, "Tom, please! What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Respect the Constitution, as I did," Jefferson advises, and dims from sight................
The third night sleep is still! not in the cards for Bush. He awakens to see the ghost of FDR hovering over his bed. Bush whispers, "Franklin, What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Help the less fortunate, just as I did," FDR replies and fades into the mist........................
Bush isn't sleeping well the fourth night when he sees another figure moving in the shadows. It is the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Bush pleads, "Abe, what is the best thing I can do right now to help the country?"
Lincoln replies, "Go see a play."
One night, George W. Bush is tossing restlessly in his White House bed.
He awakens to see George Washington standing by him Bush asks him, "George, what's the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Set an honest and honorable example, just as I did," Washington advises, and then fades away.
The next night, Bush is astir again, and sees the ghost of Thomas Jefferson moving through the darkened bedroom. Bush calls out, "Tom, please! What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Respect the Constitution, as I did," Jefferson advises, and dims from sight................
The third night sleep is still! not in the cards for Bush. He awakens to see the ghost of FDR hovering over his bed. Bush whispers, "Franklin, What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Help the less fortunate, just as I did," FDR replies and fades into the mist........................
Bush isn't sleeping well the fourth night when he sees another figure moving in the shadows. It is the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Bush pleads, "Abe, what is the best thing I can do right now to help the country?"
Lincoln replies, "Go see a play."
Friday, August 12, 2005
New Video Project
I’m an amateur videographer, amateur as in the vein that I have no technical training or skills. But I’m actually pretty good at it.
For years I’ve been playing around with video cameras but nothing serious. When I was in High School I borrowed one from school and made a very crude video to send to a friend in California. I owned one other camera but never really did anything with it, because it was so hard to do any kind of editing with it.
A few years ago I decided to upgrade my computer in hopes of getting into video editing, the technology is there now and basically anyone that owns a “newer” model computer can do some type of editing on their systems. Heck Apple and Windows machines even come with free software (XP versions only folks) to help you create your own home movies.
I’m still quite an amateur but I’ve helped a few people over the last year create some really amazing projects. My most recent project came about several weeks ago, as I posted here.
I met with D last night and my friend that referred me. The basis of this project is that D is infected with hiv and is planning his own memorial service. He has songs planned out, the whole program, readings, etc. He just needs some help getting everything together into one piece for him. I was thinking that my role would be much larger, but it turns out he only needs a video about 3 ½ minutes long, simple to do.
As we were sitting and talking about death and how he was planning all of this, I could see that he had put a lot, I mean A LOT of work into it. He had folders filled with handwritten notes, scripts, plans, etc. It got me to thinking about planning ones own memorial service.
I can see how it could be fulfilling to do something like that, but I could never do that myself. I guess that personally I want death to surprise me, to just jump out from the closet and say “ok, let’s go.” To be able to plan your memorial service I think shows a lot of forward thinking, but at the same time there must be some sense of resignation. Some sense that it will all be over, and that you have some control over it when in essence you don’t.
But I also think that it could be very detrimental to your psyche though wouldn’t it? I mean putting all of this time and effort into something that you’re never going to experience?
I have some ideas that I’d like to present to him, but I’m concerned that they would be too much, and at the same time I’m concerned that anything I do now would probably change in the next year or next 5 years or 10 years, with medications he could live for quite some time.
So I think what I’m going to do is the minimum that he has asked for and help him as much as possible but I don’t think that I’m going to offer much else because he has thought this through much more than I ever could and he knows exactly what he wants.
So that’s what I’ll give him.
For years I’ve been playing around with video cameras but nothing serious. When I was in High School I borrowed one from school and made a very crude video to send to a friend in California. I owned one other camera but never really did anything with it, because it was so hard to do any kind of editing with it.
A few years ago I decided to upgrade my computer in hopes of getting into video editing, the technology is there now and basically anyone that owns a “newer” model computer can do some type of editing on their systems. Heck Apple and Windows machines even come with free software (XP versions only folks) to help you create your own home movies.
I’m still quite an amateur but I’ve helped a few people over the last year create some really amazing projects. My most recent project came about several weeks ago, as I posted here.
I met with D last night and my friend that referred me. The basis of this project is that D is infected with hiv and is planning his own memorial service. He has songs planned out, the whole program, readings, etc. He just needs some help getting everything together into one piece for him. I was thinking that my role would be much larger, but it turns out he only needs a video about 3 ½ minutes long, simple to do.
As we were sitting and talking about death and how he was planning all of this, I could see that he had put a lot, I mean A LOT of work into it. He had folders filled with handwritten notes, scripts, plans, etc. It got me to thinking about planning ones own memorial service.
I can see how it could be fulfilling to do something like that, but I could never do that myself. I guess that personally I want death to surprise me, to just jump out from the closet and say “ok, let’s go.” To be able to plan your memorial service I think shows a lot of forward thinking, but at the same time there must be some sense of resignation. Some sense that it will all be over, and that you have some control over it when in essence you don’t.
But I also think that it could be very detrimental to your psyche though wouldn’t it? I mean putting all of this time and effort into something that you’re never going to experience?
I have some ideas that I’d like to present to him, but I’m concerned that they would be too much, and at the same time I’m concerned that anything I do now would probably change in the next year or next 5 years or 10 years, with medications he could live for quite some time.
So I think what I’m going to do is the minimum that he has asked for and help him as much as possible but I don’t think that I’m going to offer much else because he has thought this through much more than I ever could and he knows exactly what he wants.
So that’s what I’ll give him.
Where has common courtesy gone?
I work with some of the most inconsiderate people in the world.
I work in a rather large company (about 500 people in my building) and we're the only ones in the building, it's not like we're in a highrise and mixed with other companies.
I'm a friendly guy, I say hello to everyone, even if I don't know them. Figuring that we all work at the same place, we must have some kind of common "goal" but NOOOOOO!!!!! It amazes me how every day people will purposely avert their eyes when they see someone else coming, how they won't even respond when you say hello, I'm just flabbergasted.
Just now, we're having problems with the printer that is in our area, the printer is in another "team's" area but we use it because it's the closest one. It won't print and keeps getting a paper jam error. I've tried everything, moved the paper, cleared the paths, but it keeps giving an error. So I call our "helpless desk" and put in a ticket to have someone come look at it (which means in 2 weeks).
I then proceed to walk over to the printer and the lady that sits next to it, is trying to get it to work. I explain all that I tried to do, she doesn't turn around to address me but instead says "is this all of your stuff printing out?" I tell her yes, but that I just called the help desk and put in a ticket. She continues to futz with the printer like I'm not even there, so I just walk away and go to lunch.
When I get back from lunch, this same woman is huddled over the printer again (she's probably been there for the last hour) LOUDLY complaining about how it doesn't work, someone says "Did you call the help desk?" Her reply was "That's not my job."
I'm so glad that my parents taught me well : -)
I work in a rather large company (about 500 people in my building) and we're the only ones in the building, it's not like we're in a highrise and mixed with other companies.
I'm a friendly guy, I say hello to everyone, even if I don't know them. Figuring that we all work at the same place, we must have some kind of common "goal" but NOOOOOO!!!!! It amazes me how every day people will purposely avert their eyes when they see someone else coming, how they won't even respond when you say hello, I'm just flabbergasted.
Just now, we're having problems with the printer that is in our area, the printer is in another "team's" area but we use it because it's the closest one. It won't print and keeps getting a paper jam error. I've tried everything, moved the paper, cleared the paths, but it keeps giving an error. So I call our "helpless desk" and put in a ticket to have someone come look at it (which means in 2 weeks).
I then proceed to walk over to the printer and the lady that sits next to it, is trying to get it to work. I explain all that I tried to do, she doesn't turn around to address me but instead says "is this all of your stuff printing out?" I tell her yes, but that I just called the help desk and put in a ticket. She continues to futz with the printer like I'm not even there, so I just walk away and go to lunch.
When I get back from lunch, this same woman is huddled over the printer again (she's probably been there for the last hour) LOUDLY complaining about how it doesn't work, someone says "Did you call the help desk?" Her reply was "That's not my job."
I'm so glad that my parents taught me well : -)
Inappropriate iPod
At work we have a no music policy, well that’s what it says in the handbook, but I still play my iPod.
I sit in the very last cube at the end of a long hallway, I’m against the back wall right next to the Fire Escape (hey at least I’ll be able to play a George Costanza and get out quickly if I need to), so because of these mitigating factors…I listen to music all day.
Otherwise I would be BORED out of my mind, it would be unbearable. No one cares, I keep it low enough that it’s really only heard by me and my boss doesn’t care. All day the iPod is on Random shuffling through more than 7000 tracks!
Why is it then, that whenever I have a visitor, an inappropriate song is played. For example this morning my Boss comes over to discuss a current issue and what comes on but “The Internet is for Porn” from Avenue Q or even better Carmina Burana will play that always sets the mood.
Anyone else have this problem?
I sit in the very last cube at the end of a long hallway, I’m against the back wall right next to the Fire Escape (hey at least I’ll be able to play a George Costanza and get out quickly if I need to), so because of these mitigating factors…I listen to music all day.
Otherwise I would be BORED out of my mind, it would be unbearable. No one cares, I keep it low enough that it’s really only heard by me and my boss doesn’t care. All day the iPod is on Random shuffling through more than 7000 tracks!
Why is it then, that whenever I have a visitor, an inappropriate song is played. For example this morning my Boss comes over to discuss a current issue and what comes on but “The Internet is for Porn” from Avenue Q or even better Carmina Burana will play that always sets the mood.
Anyone else have this problem?
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Growing Apart
Isn't it weird how you can be so close to someone, then just grow apart?
Kat posted this comment regarding my post about a friend of mine who died. It got me to thinking about all of the people that at one time were very important in my life but then suddenly was no longer there.
I think a lot of it has to do with distance, there are people who were my best friends in High School, we did everything together…but then I moved away, and I haven’t spoken to them in 15 years.
Moving makes it very difficult to keep in constant touch with someone. As I look back over the years there have always been people that were either best friends or buddies someone that had an influence in my life that I no longer talk with.
Some of those are because of distance or moving away, losing contact, some others are because I chose to dissolve the relationship, whatever the reason it’s always difficult.
I sometimes wonder what ever happened to some of those people, what are they doing, how are they doing, did they ever turn things around, did they advance to a wonderful position in life or the opposite?
A few times over the years I’ve attempted to get back in touch with a few of these people:
J – was my best friend when I lived in Columbus, OH. I met him when I worked at an Answering Service that was run by the people he lived with. We were best friends. He ended up meeting a guy through the personal ads in the back of Bear Magazine and moved to Atlanta, GA. He got a job with a software company and got me a job there, I moved to Atlanta and we lived in an apartment together. Everything was great until he got addicted to Crystal Meth, now I know this is all over the news now, but this was 93/94 over a decade ago. At the time I had no idea what was going on, the Internet was just getting into full play and we would come home from work and he would be on the internet ALL night, until we would get up for work the next morning. He eventually got fired from his job (even though they offered to send him to rehab – he wouldn’t admit he had a problem), totaled his car and moved out. Around 1999 or so, we had a brief email exchange where he told me he moved back to Columbus and his Grandmother had passed away (she was the only person in the world who truly loved him), after that I never heard from him again.
R – was a person I was friends with when I lived in Columbus. He moved to Florida, and I moved to Atlanta. Somewhere around 1995 or so I get this phone call “I’m in Atlanta can I come stay with you.” Little did I know that he literally meant “stay” with me, he had sold all of his belongings, etc and needed a place to live. He slept on our couch for about a month before it was too much and we kicked him out to find his own place/job, etc. About 6 months ago I came across his phone number, I called, it was still his number. We talked for a little bit, he told me how when we kicked him out he ended up living in his car, he then went on to say that he was in a loveless relationship (for the last 7 years) and he didn’t know what to do. He said “Maybe I’ll come up to Chicago.” At which point I curtly said, “Don’t show up on my doorstep and don’t bring a lot of luggage.” We exchanged email addresses, I sent him one, he sent me back one saying “call me.” We’ve not been in touch.
C – was the last RG (Real Girl) I had in my life. This was way back in 92/93 when I lived in Columbus. We met when I was working as a waiter in a Country Club. We actually lived together for about 6 months, and we even slept in the same bed together, but we were girlfriends. The last I heard from Carol she had met a man (in his 60’s) and they were getting married. She was happy and crazy.
I totally believe that we meet people for certain reasons in our life, there are no coincidences, everything happens for a reason. You either need to teach someone something or they need to teach you something, but once that lesson has been learned I think it’s easy to let go.
Now perhaps the people that we’re really long term friends with are just dense and it’s taking us a while to learn something/teach something from/to them.
Kat posted this comment regarding my post about a friend of mine who died. It got me to thinking about all of the people that at one time were very important in my life but then suddenly was no longer there.
I think a lot of it has to do with distance, there are people who were my best friends in High School, we did everything together…but then I moved away, and I haven’t spoken to them in 15 years.
Moving makes it very difficult to keep in constant touch with someone. As I look back over the years there have always been people that were either best friends or buddies someone that had an influence in my life that I no longer talk with.
Some of those are because of distance or moving away, losing contact, some others are because I chose to dissolve the relationship, whatever the reason it’s always difficult.
I sometimes wonder what ever happened to some of those people, what are they doing, how are they doing, did they ever turn things around, did they advance to a wonderful position in life or the opposite?
A few times over the years I’ve attempted to get back in touch with a few of these people:
J – was my best friend when I lived in Columbus, OH. I met him when I worked at an Answering Service that was run by the people he lived with. We were best friends. He ended up meeting a guy through the personal ads in the back of Bear Magazine and moved to Atlanta, GA. He got a job with a software company and got me a job there, I moved to Atlanta and we lived in an apartment together. Everything was great until he got addicted to Crystal Meth, now I know this is all over the news now, but this was 93/94 over a decade ago. At the time I had no idea what was going on, the Internet was just getting into full play and we would come home from work and he would be on the internet ALL night, until we would get up for work the next morning. He eventually got fired from his job (even though they offered to send him to rehab – he wouldn’t admit he had a problem), totaled his car and moved out. Around 1999 or so, we had a brief email exchange where he told me he moved back to Columbus and his Grandmother had passed away (she was the only person in the world who truly loved him), after that I never heard from him again.
R – was a person I was friends with when I lived in Columbus. He moved to Florida, and I moved to Atlanta. Somewhere around 1995 or so I get this phone call “I’m in Atlanta can I come stay with you.” Little did I know that he literally meant “stay” with me, he had sold all of his belongings, etc and needed a place to live. He slept on our couch for about a month before it was too much and we kicked him out to find his own place/job, etc. About 6 months ago I came across his phone number, I called, it was still his number. We talked for a little bit, he told me how when we kicked him out he ended up living in his car, he then went on to say that he was in a loveless relationship (for the last 7 years) and he didn’t know what to do. He said “Maybe I’ll come up to Chicago.” At which point I curtly said, “Don’t show up on my doorstep and don’t bring a lot of luggage.” We exchanged email addresses, I sent him one, he sent me back one saying “call me.” We’ve not been in touch.
C – was the last RG (Real Girl) I had in my life. This was way back in 92/93 when I lived in Columbus. We met when I was working as a waiter in a Country Club. We actually lived together for about 6 months, and we even slept in the same bed together, but we were girlfriends. The last I heard from Carol she had met a man (in his 60’s) and they were getting married. She was happy and crazy.
I totally believe that we meet people for certain reasons in our life, there are no coincidences, everything happens for a reason. You either need to teach someone something or they need to teach you something, but once that lesson has been learned I think it’s easy to let go.
Now perhaps the people that we’re really long term friends with are just dense and it’s taking us a while to learn something/teach something from/to them.
Who said I didn't like girls, they taste delicious
Here's the bigger version of my Profile Pic.
For my birthday this year friends made me a Barbie Cake with Red Velvet Cake and Orange Icing.
For my birthday this year friends made me a Barbie Cake with Red Velvet Cake and Orange Icing.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Have you ever run across a blog that you just don’t believe? One that you feel is so contrived that it actually has a storyline and a plot? One that you swear is a movie script?
Sometimes I wonder when I read some of these blogs if they really are someone’s “screenplay” and they’re just telling a story? What a great way to get feedback and comments, so you can hone your story a little bit.
I’ve been reading this blog about a woman who is attempting to get pregnant and/or adopt a baby, whichever comes first she’s going to take.
It’s the strangest thing because she posts of how things are going well, she’s so excited, she’s all happy…and then a few days pass and suddenly she’s postinga about how she had this allergic reaction and didn’t go to the hospital (DRAMA), how she was poisoned by the drugs she was taking so that she could make herself lactate and she made a point of saying it was 4:00 am.
I got to thinking, you can adjust the time/date that you upload an entry so you could be typing at 2:00 in the afternoon and “say” it’s 3:00 in the morning, who’s to know?!?
It’s just so strange because the whole story is just so dramatic that it doesn’t seem real.
But then I sit and think, “Oh my god what if this is real?”
Sometimes I wonder when I read some of these blogs if they really are someone’s “screenplay” and they’re just telling a story? What a great way to get feedback and comments, so you can hone your story a little bit.
I’ve been reading this blog about a woman who is attempting to get pregnant and/or adopt a baby, whichever comes first she’s going to take.
It’s the strangest thing because she posts of how things are going well, she’s so excited, she’s all happy…and then a few days pass and suddenly she’s postinga about how she had this allergic reaction and didn’t go to the hospital (DRAMA), how she was poisoned by the drugs she was taking so that she could make herself lactate and she made a point of saying it was 4:00 am.
I got to thinking, you can adjust the time/date that you upload an entry so you could be typing at 2:00 in the afternoon and “say” it’s 3:00 in the morning, who’s to know?!?
It’s just so strange because the whole story is just so dramatic that it doesn’t seem real.
But then I sit and think, “Oh my god what if this is real?”
Just Found Out
I just found out that a person, who at one time, was my best friend, died.
He actually died about 6 months ago but we had lost contact quite some time ago and I knew he had moved, but did not know his health was failing.
I met Rick in the spring of 1994, I’m trying to remember how we first met, it may have been at a bar, it may have been through a mutual friend, I can’t recall. But I do know that we became fast friends, especially after we found out that our birthdays were on the same day (not the same year though).
Rick and I were great friends, we enjoyed hanging out, we had a lot in common (both being Aquarians), we had a “standing breakfast” appointment on Saturday morning at 7:00 am! Yes 7:00 am on a Saturday, we were both the only other person we knew who would be up at that time on a Saturday so we always went to breakfast together.
It eventually came around that we would be roommates. The guy that I was sharing my apartment with was moving out on his own (that’s a whole other story – a good story) and Rick’s lease was up…so we decided to live together, as friends.
That was the beginning of the downfall. It’s funny that when you’re friends with someone and then decide to live together how they have all of these strange and unusual habits you never knew about. Rick had a very good job, he was the Creative Director for a weekly paper, but he liked to drink….a lot….and not the good stuff either.
It was not uncommon for me to come home from work at 6:00 and to have him sitting in the living room drunk on cheap vodka. Other than the drinking he was a good person, he kept a clean house, he didn’t bring “trash” tricks home, but he did have one big problem, he was hiv positive (sorry I don’t capitalize that word), and I think that was why he drank so much.
He eventually moved out and bought a house, the story about how he got the down payment is a good one. He had some bills that were due, like all of us, and they were passed onto a collection agency. They called him one day, well every day, one time he told them, “You know, I’m hiv positive and you’re stressing me out. My doctor said I shouldn’t be stressed, don’t call me anymore.”
About 3 months later he gets a letter in the mail from this company and on the address label it has his name, the second line says “customer is an aids victim” and then the address.
He got himself a lawyer and sued the pants off of that collection agency, they did an article in the newspaper about him, and he was even in the news (but as a shadow to protect his privacy). He got about $50,000 from them….so he bought a house and moved out.
After he moved out, we didn’t see each other much. I was just starting a relationship with someone and he was doing the same. We would chat every week or so, but we didn’t see each other that much.
I ended up moving to the suburbs (about a 45 minute drive from where he lived on the other side of the city) and that sort of sealed our fate as friends.
I knew that he had been planning to move to North Carolina to be close to his family (his mother was getting older) but I never did see him off, he just up and sold his house and moved all within a period of a month.
Then one Saturday about 3 years later, I went to our regular place to have breakfast, and who was there but Rick at 7:00 am! I guess old habits die-hard huh?
We had a great breakfast together; he was back in town for a festival because he wanted to buy some pottery (he collected it) and was planning on going home that evening.
That was the last time I talked to him. About a year or so later I moved to Chicago and essentially lost contact with most of the people I thought were my “friends” but who turned out to be otherwise, and I lost contact with Rick.
I was just talking with one of my few remaining friends in Atlanta and he told me “Did you know that Rick died?” Apparently he had a friend that worked at the same place Rick did and they started talking about people they knew in common.
Apparently Rick had finally succumbed to hiv and passed away….I’m sorry that I never got to say goodbye.
Goodbye my friend, I know you’re in a better place. You will always be young, healthy and handsome in my mind.
He actually died about 6 months ago but we had lost contact quite some time ago and I knew he had moved, but did not know his health was failing.
I met Rick in the spring of 1994, I’m trying to remember how we first met, it may have been at a bar, it may have been through a mutual friend, I can’t recall. But I do know that we became fast friends, especially after we found out that our birthdays were on the same day (not the same year though).
Rick and I were great friends, we enjoyed hanging out, we had a lot in common (both being Aquarians), we had a “standing breakfast” appointment on Saturday morning at 7:00 am! Yes 7:00 am on a Saturday, we were both the only other person we knew who would be up at that time on a Saturday so we always went to breakfast together.
It eventually came around that we would be roommates. The guy that I was sharing my apartment with was moving out on his own (that’s a whole other story – a good story) and Rick’s lease was up…so we decided to live together, as friends.
That was the beginning of the downfall. It’s funny that when you’re friends with someone and then decide to live together how they have all of these strange and unusual habits you never knew about. Rick had a very good job, he was the Creative Director for a weekly paper, but he liked to drink….a lot….and not the good stuff either.
It was not uncommon for me to come home from work at 6:00 and to have him sitting in the living room drunk on cheap vodka. Other than the drinking he was a good person, he kept a clean house, he didn’t bring “trash” tricks home, but he did have one big problem, he was hiv positive (sorry I don’t capitalize that word), and I think that was why he drank so much.
He eventually moved out and bought a house, the story about how he got the down payment is a good one. He had some bills that were due, like all of us, and they were passed onto a collection agency. They called him one day, well every day, one time he told them, “You know, I’m hiv positive and you’re stressing me out. My doctor said I shouldn’t be stressed, don’t call me anymore.”
About 3 months later he gets a letter in the mail from this company and on the address label it has his name, the second line says “customer is an aids victim” and then the address.
He got himself a lawyer and sued the pants off of that collection agency, they did an article in the newspaper about him, and he was even in the news (but as a shadow to protect his privacy). He got about $50,000 from them….so he bought a house and moved out.
After he moved out, we didn’t see each other much. I was just starting a relationship with someone and he was doing the same. We would chat every week or so, but we didn’t see each other that much.
I ended up moving to the suburbs (about a 45 minute drive from where he lived on the other side of the city) and that sort of sealed our fate as friends.
I knew that he had been planning to move to North Carolina to be close to his family (his mother was getting older) but I never did see him off, he just up and sold his house and moved all within a period of a month.
Then one Saturday about 3 years later, I went to our regular place to have breakfast, and who was there but Rick at 7:00 am! I guess old habits die-hard huh?
We had a great breakfast together; he was back in town for a festival because he wanted to buy some pottery (he collected it) and was planning on going home that evening.
That was the last time I talked to him. About a year or so later I moved to Chicago and essentially lost contact with most of the people I thought were my “friends” but who turned out to be otherwise, and I lost contact with Rick.
I was just talking with one of my few remaining friends in Atlanta and he told me “Did you know that Rick died?” Apparently he had a friend that worked at the same place Rick did and they started talking about people they knew in common.
Apparently Rick had finally succumbed to hiv and passed away….I’m sorry that I never got to say goodbye.
Goodbye my friend, I know you’re in a better place. You will always be young, healthy and handsome in my mind.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
In the men's room
I work with some classy people, really I do.
I work with such great people that someone had been pushed to such an extent that they had to put up this little note in front of the urinal.
I want to put a sign up that says "If your penis is short, get closer to pee."
I work with such great people that someone had been pushed to such an extent that they had to put up this little note in front of the urinal.
I want to put a sign up that says "If your penis is short, get closer to pee."
Monday, August 08, 2005
How to know for sure that you are gay
The title of this post is search request that someone entered and brought them to my website.
So it made me wonder, who was the person that was searching the Internet looking for an answer to this question. Was it a teenager that is questioning how they're feeling; was it a parent who had concerns for a child or a loved one; was it a girlfriend questioning her boyfriend; a husband questioning his wife?
So I thought I would try and answer that question "How to know for sure that you are gay."
That is a hard question to answer, because I think it’s something that you always know, it’s always in the back of your head. You may not understand it, or know how to act on it, but you know. Perhaps you may not want to answer the question yourself, to be afraid of the answer you might give. But I think you always know, it’s sort of asking someone “So how long have you known you were straight?” It’s a question that you never think needs an answer but if you had to provide one, how would you word it?
I knew when I was probably 6 or 7 that I was gay, but I didn't know what it was at that time, all I knew was that I liked being around men and people older than me.
I grew up in rural PA and there weren't a lot of kids around, so I always hung out with the adults. My father had a farm machinery business growing up and it was not uncommon for a farmer to be getting a piece of equipment from my Dad and it was dinner time, and have him stay and have dinner with us. So we always had a lot of people around.
But I always gravitated towards people older than me (a few years to decades) but I can’t explain why, other than to say there were no kids to play with and the kids that were my age were mostly girls. I only had one male playmate growing up and that was only until the 4th grade when his family moved.
I never acted on being gay until I was 21. But up until that time, I knew that what I was feeling was NOT the way that I could act, not in a small town. To give you an idea of how small of a town I'm from, there were 48 kids in my graduating class. That was a public school that covered a lot of area, a lot of farm area to be exact.
All through school I had girlfriends, but they were more "girl" friends than girlfriends (if you know what I mean). I had two steady girl friends in school one for 2 years and one for 3 years. All that time though, I knew that I preferred looking at the boys...but I knew it was wrong.
I was the geek in school, I hated shop, I hated gym, but I liked Band and Chorus, I didn’t play sports, I actually played JV Basketball in 7 & 8 Grade. During one away game, I actually went the wrong way and scored a goal……I actually just remembered that so I hope you’re happy! But in 9th Grade I told my mother, I was not playing basketball this year.
My mother always joked that when I grew up that I would work with my head and not with my hands, and that’s true.
My last serious Girlfriend was to the point where she wanted to get married. She was a year older than me, she was finishing her first year of college, I was graduating high school and starting my first year of college….and she wanted to get married.
I remember that we never really had the conversation but I knew what was happening, I knew that we were getting to that point (together for 3 years time to settle down), but I got so freaked out. So freaked out that I broke up with her, to this day I could not tell you what “excuse” I used to break up with her. But I knew that if I married her, it would be the wrong thing to do.
But I knew that if we were married, I would cheat on her, I would go behind her back and act out on what I was feeling, and I knew that was wrong.
I’m very happy for her because she got married and currently has 4 children….oh how my life would have been different.
I’m getting away from my point…..so how do you really know if you’re gay?
If you’re gay, you know. You just need to gain the courage to act on what you’re feeling.
So it made me wonder, who was the person that was searching the Internet looking for an answer to this question. Was it a teenager that is questioning how they're feeling; was it a parent who had concerns for a child or a loved one; was it a girlfriend questioning her boyfriend; a husband questioning his wife?
So I thought I would try and answer that question "How to know for sure that you are gay."
That is a hard question to answer, because I think it’s something that you always know, it’s always in the back of your head. You may not understand it, or know how to act on it, but you know. Perhaps you may not want to answer the question yourself, to be afraid of the answer you might give. But I think you always know, it’s sort of asking someone “So how long have you known you were straight?” It’s a question that you never think needs an answer but if you had to provide one, how would you word it?
I knew when I was probably 6 or 7 that I was gay, but I didn't know what it was at that time, all I knew was that I liked being around men and people older than me.
I grew up in rural PA and there weren't a lot of kids around, so I always hung out with the adults. My father had a farm machinery business growing up and it was not uncommon for a farmer to be getting a piece of equipment from my Dad and it was dinner time, and have him stay and have dinner with us. So we always had a lot of people around.
But I always gravitated towards people older than me (a few years to decades) but I can’t explain why, other than to say there were no kids to play with and the kids that were my age were mostly girls. I only had one male playmate growing up and that was only until the 4th grade when his family moved.
I never acted on being gay until I was 21. But up until that time, I knew that what I was feeling was NOT the way that I could act, not in a small town. To give you an idea of how small of a town I'm from, there were 48 kids in my graduating class. That was a public school that covered a lot of area, a lot of farm area to be exact.
All through school I had girlfriends, but they were more "girl" friends than girlfriends (if you know what I mean). I had two steady girl friends in school one for 2 years and one for 3 years. All that time though, I knew that I preferred looking at the boys...but I knew it was wrong.
I was the geek in school, I hated shop, I hated gym, but I liked Band and Chorus, I didn’t play sports, I actually played JV Basketball in 7 & 8 Grade. During one away game, I actually went the wrong way and scored a goal……I actually just remembered that so I hope you’re happy! But in 9th Grade I told my mother, I was not playing basketball this year.
My mother always joked that when I grew up that I would work with my head and not with my hands, and that’s true.
My last serious Girlfriend was to the point where she wanted to get married. She was a year older than me, she was finishing her first year of college, I was graduating high school and starting my first year of college….and she wanted to get married.
I remember that we never really had the conversation but I knew what was happening, I knew that we were getting to that point (together for 3 years time to settle down), but I got so freaked out. So freaked out that I broke up with her, to this day I could not tell you what “excuse” I used to break up with her. But I knew that if I married her, it would be the wrong thing to do.
But I knew that if we were married, I would cheat on her, I would go behind her back and act out on what I was feeling, and I knew that was wrong.
I’m very happy for her because she got married and currently has 4 children….oh how my life would have been different.
I’m getting away from my point…..so how do you really know if you’re gay?
If you’re gay, you know. You just need to gain the courage to act on what you’re feeling.
New Corporate American Express Card
I got my new Corporate American Express Card in the mail today.
About 4 years ago, right after I started working for the company I now work for, I was going to be doing A LOT (like a month worth) of work related travel.
They wanted me to pay for all the expenses up front (which isn't that non-normal for a company) but I told them there was no way I could possibly afford to travel if I was forced to put my own money down to front the bill for them. So I told my then boss that he needed to get me a Corporate AmEx.
When I got my first card, the expiration date was 6 months out, the next card was 6 months, then the next card I got had a 1 year expiration date and the one I just got today...expires in 2009.
I guess AmEx knows that I'll still be working there in 4 years, that's good to know, but I hope I'm making more money by then!
About 4 years ago, right after I started working for the company I now work for, I was going to be doing A LOT (like a month worth) of work related travel.
They wanted me to pay for all the expenses up front (which isn't that non-normal for a company) but I told them there was no way I could possibly afford to travel if I was forced to put my own money down to front the bill for them. So I told my then boss that he needed to get me a Corporate AmEx.
When I got my first card, the expiration date was 6 months out, the next card was 6 months, then the next card I got had a 1 year expiration date and the one I just got today...expires in 2009.
I guess AmEx knows that I'll still be working there in 4 years, that's good to know, but I hope I'm making more money by then!
On the way
This past weeked was the North Halsted Market Days street festival.
It boasts as being the largest street festival in the city and the mid-west. It's a big festival, 6 city blocks, almost a mile!
It's predominately a gay event, but there are all kinds of people there, we as a community embrace all even though all of the community does not embrace us.
I took a lot of pictures, you should go over to my Flickr site and check them out.
It boasts as being the largest street festival in the city and the mid-west. It's a big festival, 6 city blocks, almost a mile!
It's predominately a gay event, but there are all kinds of people there, we as a community embrace all even though all of the community does not embrace us.
I took a lot of pictures, you should go over to my Flickr site and check them out.
Porn Actor
He was working in a booth that was promoting Porn.
As I always say, if I don't know who the person is, he's just a Porn Actor not a Porn Star.
A Star is someone everyone knows, like Ron Jeremy or Jeff Stryker. Billy Bob from Iowa does not make a Porn Star.
As I always say, if I don't know who the person is, he's just a Porn Actor not a Porn Star.
A Star is someone everyone knows, like Ron Jeremy or Jeff Stryker. Billy Bob from Iowa does not make a Porn Star.
Overheard in Chicago - Sleepovers and Sex
Last night as we were walking back to the train from the North Halsted Market Days Street Fair, we were walking behind two girls in their late 20's.
The one looked to the other and said:
"Do your sleepovers involve a lot of sex?"
The one looked to the other and said:
"Do your sleepovers involve a lot of sex?"
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Maple Syrup and Sunday Papers
It appears (or I should say it smells as though) someone dropped some Maple Syrup in our foyer.
At first you wouldn't think that Maple Syrup is that bad, but when it's 90 degrees and it's a little room (about 4 foot by 6 foot) it literally assaults the senses when you open the door.
The smell almost knocks you off of your feet, I'll never look at Maple Syrup again.
This morning when I came home, yes you read that correctly, I was a man-whore last night and stayed at The Boyfriends.....when I came in this morning the guys on the first floor hadn't gotten their Sunday Paper yet, so I brought it into the Foyer (it was out in the main courtyard) so when they wanted to get it they didn't have to go all the way outside.
Well when I came home this evening the paper was still sitting out in the foyer, which means that either their not home or they were out partying late last night and they're still in bed. So I decided to grab the paper for myself, I mean it's been sitting there all day, they must not want it.
When I got upstairs I threw the paper on the bed and looked for the coupons. They started putting all of the "extras" (coupons, flyers, inserts, etc.) in a plastic bag that is then inserted in the paper, it saves people looking through the paper to make sure there are coupons, etc. When I started looking for the coupons I found the bag.....but it was already open.....and the coupons were gone.
Someone beat me to it....but they put the rest back, which I find hilarious!
I guess I shouldn't steal newspapers for coupons should I?
At first you wouldn't think that Maple Syrup is that bad, but when it's 90 degrees and it's a little room (about 4 foot by 6 foot) it literally assaults the senses when you open the door.
The smell almost knocks you off of your feet, I'll never look at Maple Syrup again.
This morning when I came home, yes you read that correctly, I was a man-whore last night and stayed at The Boyfriends.....when I came in this morning the guys on the first floor hadn't gotten their Sunday Paper yet, so I brought it into the Foyer (it was out in the main courtyard) so when they wanted to get it they didn't have to go all the way outside.
Well when I came home this evening the paper was still sitting out in the foyer, which means that either their not home or they were out partying late last night and they're still in bed. So I decided to grab the paper for myself, I mean it's been sitting there all day, they must not want it.
When I got upstairs I threw the paper on the bed and looked for the coupons. They started putting all of the "extras" (coupons, flyers, inserts, etc.) in a plastic bag that is then inserted in the paper, it saves people looking through the paper to make sure there are coupons, etc. When I started looking for the coupons I found the bag.....but it was already open.....and the coupons were gone.
Someone beat me to it....but they put the rest back, which I find hilarious!
I guess I shouldn't steal newspapers for coupons should I?
Jennifer Anniston in Vanity Fair has really brought the traffic
Wow, I've never had so many hits from the Search Engines before. I've gotten almost 50 hits from Yahoo and Google.
Welcome to all of you new readers, pleaes take a moment and read around.
So I followed one of the search links, for some reason I am #1 on the list of search results!!! YEAH for picking the right keywords : -)
I get a lot of traffic from Yahoo but I hardly get any from Google? Do you have to do something special to get Google to search your blog? I don't remember doing anything for Yahoo but I get a lot of searches from them.
But I guess it also helps to have a popular keyword in your headline.
Welcome to all of you new readers, pleaes take a moment and read around.
So I followed one of the search links, for some reason I am #1 on the list of search results!!! YEAH for picking the right keywords : -)
I get a lot of traffic from Yahoo but I hardly get any from Google? Do you have to do something special to get Google to search your blog? I don't remember doing anything for Yahoo but I get a lot of searches from them.
But I guess it also helps to have a popular keyword in your headline.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Friday, August 05, 2005
A Bigger Gay Weekend
It's a big Gay Weekend in Chicago.
It is officially the NorthHalsted Market Days, one of the biggest street festivals in Chicago.
One of the great things that I love about Chicago (besides the beaches, the theaters, the restaurants) are all of the street fairs.
Everyone complains that Chicago is so cold in the winter and we get so much snow, but I must tell you, we have our fun in the summertime that's for sure.
Almost every weekend from mid-May to September there is a street festival going on somewhere in the city. This weekend there are at least 4 that I'm aware of, it's too much to keep track of.
But Market Days is the biggest and the best, it goes for almost 8 blocks down Halsted Street and there are gay boys everywhere (and some straight people too who like to look at the gay boys).
The Boyfriends group (ROTC) is performing on Saturday at 4:30 and 5:30 so if you're in the area stop by and look us up!
I'll make sure to take lots of pictures and will post after the weekend.
The Look
Last night I went down to one of my favorite watering holes to grab the weekly round of gay rags to see what is going on in this big town.
It was hot, but I decided to walk since I've been SO BAD about not going to the gym, on my way there I passed a hair salon that had the most unique "chandelier" in the window. The only way I can describe it is that it was made up of a central frame that had arms coming out of it, and at the end of the arms were these clear plastic charms. The charms were all sizes and shapes, squares, triangles, circles, stars, etc. but each one was connected to a light. So each piece of plastic lit up around the edges with a different light....it was very cool.
I saw two people in the salon and I wanted to find out about it, so I walked in and I said "I love your chandelier, did you buy that or did someone make it?"
Well the look I got from the salon owner was one that I would expect to see if I had jumped up on her breakfast table and took a big dump in her cheerios just as she was ready to take a bite. I have never seen such a look of disgust in my life.
She quipped off "I think he made it." And then turned around and continued her conversation with the other person.....
I wonder how she's able to keep a business running with an attitude like that.
But hey, I went and had a beer and walked home and enjoyed the rest of my evening!
Off to see another show this evening, I know 4 shows in two weeks I'm going MAD.
But tonight we're going to see "The Bad Seed - The Musical" based on the movie by the same name.
On an exciting note, I got a phone call the other night from a friend I've not seen/talked to in several years. We met all the way back in 1989 when I was just a young boy sneaking into gay bars where they didn't check ID's. This friend of mine was actually a friend of my first ever boyfriend and he lives close to where I grew up in NE PA.
He is in Chicago for a conference and looked me up in the phone book (see, I knew having a listed number would come to some good.) so he's going to go to dinner with us before the show and then go to the Theater.
It should be a big Gay Night.
It was hot, but I decided to walk since I've been SO BAD about not going to the gym, on my way there I passed a hair salon that had the most unique "chandelier" in the window. The only way I can describe it is that it was made up of a central frame that had arms coming out of it, and at the end of the arms were these clear plastic charms. The charms were all sizes and shapes, squares, triangles, circles, stars, etc. but each one was connected to a light. So each piece of plastic lit up around the edges with a different light....it was very cool.
I saw two people in the salon and I wanted to find out about it, so I walked in and I said "I love your chandelier, did you buy that or did someone make it?"
Well the look I got from the salon owner was one that I would expect to see if I had jumped up on her breakfast table and took a big dump in her cheerios just as she was ready to take a bite. I have never seen such a look of disgust in my life.
She quipped off "I think he made it." And then turned around and continued her conversation with the other person.....
I wonder how she's able to keep a business running with an attitude like that.
But hey, I went and had a beer and walked home and enjoyed the rest of my evening!
Off to see another show this evening, I know 4 shows in two weeks I'm going MAD.
But tonight we're going to see "The Bad Seed - The Musical" based on the movie by the same name.
On an exciting note, I got a phone call the other night from a friend I've not seen/talked to in several years. We met all the way back in 1989 when I was just a young boy sneaking into gay bars where they didn't check ID's. This friend of mine was actually a friend of my first ever boyfriend and he lives close to where I grew up in NE PA.
He is in Chicago for a conference and looked me up in the phone book (see, I knew having a listed number would come to some good.) so he's going to go to dinner with us before the show and then go to the Theater.
It should be a big Gay Night.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Wanna watch me change clothes
Go ahead, you know you want to click.
Watch me change clothes (you may need to hit refresh after the new page starts to load)
It takes a bit to open, but it's well worth it!
Please don't share with your friends, I don't need this getting out on the internet : -)
Watch me change clothes (you may need to hit refresh after the new page starts to load)
It takes a bit to open, but it's well worth it!
Please don't share with your friends, I don't need this getting out on the internet : -)
SheMale or Female
Do you think you have a good eye? Do you think you can pick out the boys?
Well try this quiz and see how good you are:
Female or SheMale Quiz
Well try this quiz and see how good you are:
Female or SheMale Quiz
Target - Baby Got Back
For those of you in the US have you seen the new Target Back To School commercial with the song "Baby Got Back....pack"?
The Target Corporation is one of my favorite stores, it ranks right up there with Wal-Mart, ok, so now you know, I'm just a redneck at heart : -) But hey I've got Wal-Mart stock so I have to shop there!
But back to the reason I'm posting.....
Target has some great commercials, there's dancing and singing and they're bright and cheerful....all the things you need if you want to remember a brand right?
Well it's "Back to School" time here so their current commercial is touting backpacks, school clothes, school supplies, etc.....but the song their using this time is:
Baby Got Back
You know the song: "I like Big Butts and I can not lie, other brothers can't deny when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist....." Like I said you know the song, now just imagine the words changed ooh just a little bit and now they're trying to sell you Backpacks.
I think it's great marketing, what I would have really liked to have seen though was the conversation between Target and the songwriter, it probably went something like this:
"Hi Former Big Raph Star, we would love to take your song and turn it into a commercial. No we're not selling shorts or big butts we'll be changing the words and selling Backpacks to children for back to school."
Go Target....Go Target....Go Target
The Target Corporation is one of my favorite stores, it ranks right up there with Wal-Mart, ok, so now you know, I'm just a redneck at heart : -) But hey I've got Wal-Mart stock so I have to shop there!
But back to the reason I'm posting.....
Target has some great commercials, there's dancing and singing and they're bright and cheerful....all the things you need if you want to remember a brand right?
Well it's "Back to School" time here so their current commercial is touting backpacks, school clothes, school supplies, etc.....but the song their using this time is:
Baby Got Back
You know the song: "I like Big Butts and I can not lie, other brothers can't deny when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist....." Like I said you know the song, now just imagine the words changed ooh just a little bit and now they're trying to sell you Backpacks.
I think it's great marketing, what I would have really liked to have seen though was the conversation between Target and the songwriter, it probably went something like this:
"Hi Former Big Raph Star, we would love to take your song and turn it into a commercial. No we're not selling shorts or big butts we'll be changing the words and selling Backpacks to children for back to school."
Go Target....Go Target....Go Target
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Las Vegas Here We Come
Well in about 6 weeks we'll be flying off to the wonderful land of Oz to help my best friend turn 40.
No, not really, we're going to Vegas! But from what I hear it looks just like the Emerald City with all of it's bright lights and shiny buildings.
The last time I was in Vegas I was only 16 years old (oh my god that was 20 years ago), and I'm sure it has changed a lot since then, so what should we do?
What do you suggest we REALLY GOTTA SEE versus Don't waste your time?
I know that there will be at least one exciting thing going on while we're there.
Someone that you and I both know (well as much as you can know someone through a blog) will be in Vegas the same time we're there.....and to make it even freakier, we're staying in the same hotel...can you guess who the Mystery Date is?
No, not really, we're going to Vegas! But from what I hear it looks just like the Emerald City with all of it's bright lights and shiny buildings.
The last time I was in Vegas I was only 16 years old (oh my god that was 20 years ago), and I'm sure it has changed a lot since then, so what should we do?
What do you suggest we REALLY GOTTA SEE versus Don't waste your time?
I know that there will be at least one exciting thing going on while we're there.
Someone that you and I both know (well as much as you can know someone through a blog) will be in Vegas the same time we're there.....and to make it even freakier, we're staying in the same hotel...can you guess who the Mystery Date is?
The poor rancher's wife
A successful rancher died and left everything to his devoted wife. She was a very good-looking woman, and determined to keep the ranch, but knew very little about ranching, so she decided to place an ad in the newspaper for a ranch hand.
Two men applied for the job. One was gay and the other was a drunk.
She thought long and hard about it, and when no one else applied she decided to hire the gay guy, figuring it would be safer to have him around the house than the drunk.
He proved to be a hard worker who put in long hours every day and knew a lot about ranching. For weeks, the two of them worked, the ranch was doing very well.
Then one day, the rancher’s widow said to the hired hand “You’ve done a really good job, and the ranch looks great. You should go into town and kick up your heels.”
The hired hand readily agreed and went into town one Saturday night. One o’clock came, however, and he didn’t return. Two o’clock and no hired hand. He returned around two-thirty. And upon entering the room, he found the rancher’s widow sitting by the fireplace with a glass of wine waiting for him.
She quietly called him over to her. “Unbutton my blouse and take it off,” she said. Trembling, he did as she directed. “Now take off my boots.” He did as she asked, ever so slowly.
“Now take off my socks.” He removed each gently and placed them neatly by her boots. “Now take off my skirt.” He slowly unbuttoned it, constantly watching her eyes in the fire light.
“Now, take off my bra.” Again, with trembling hands, he did as he was told and dropped it to the floor. “Now,” she said, “take off my panties.” By the light of the fire, he slowly pulled them down and off.
Then she looked at him and said, “If you ever wear my clothes to town again, you’re fired.”
Two men applied for the job. One was gay and the other was a drunk.
She thought long and hard about it, and when no one else applied she decided to hire the gay guy, figuring it would be safer to have him around the house than the drunk.
He proved to be a hard worker who put in long hours every day and knew a lot about ranching. For weeks, the two of them worked, the ranch was doing very well.
Then one day, the rancher’s widow said to the hired hand “You’ve done a really good job, and the ranch looks great. You should go into town and kick up your heels.”
The hired hand readily agreed and went into town one Saturday night. One o’clock came, however, and he didn’t return. Two o’clock and no hired hand. He returned around two-thirty. And upon entering the room, he found the rancher’s widow sitting by the fireplace with a glass of wine waiting for him.
She quietly called him over to her. “Unbutton my blouse and take it off,” she said. Trembling, he did as she directed. “Now take off my boots.” He did as she asked, ever so slowly.
“Now take off my socks.” He removed each gently and placed them neatly by her boots. “Now take off my skirt.” He slowly unbuttoned it, constantly watching her eyes in the fire light.
“Now, take off my bra.” Again, with trembling hands, he did as he was told and dropped it to the floor. “Now,” she said, “take off my panties.” By the light of the fire, he slowly pulled them down and off.
Then she looked at him and said, “If you ever wear my clothes to town again, you’re fired.”
I'll be there with bells on
From the newspaper where I grew up in PA.
The phrase "I'll be there with bells on" can be traced to the horse-drawn Conestoga wagons first built in Pennsylvania.
When travelers took the wagons on trips, they would attach large metal bells to the harnesses of their horses. If the wagon broke down, the bells could be used as payment to local farmers for fixing the wagon.
The farmers could then melt down the metal to use for other purposes.
So the saying "I'll be there with bells on" came to mean I'll be there on time and with no breakdowns.
The phrase "I'll be there with bells on" can be traced to the horse-drawn Conestoga wagons first built in Pennsylvania.
When travelers took the wagons on trips, they would attach large metal bells to the harnesses of their horses. If the wagon broke down, the bells could be used as payment to local farmers for fixing the wagon.
The farmers could then melt down the metal to use for other purposes.
So the saying "I'll be there with bells on" came to mean I'll be there on time and with no breakdowns.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
I don't know how to start
I have a story idea that I want to do for a movie....but I don't know how to start it....should I do an outline first?
The Weather
From the Farmer's Almanac
August 2005
1st-3rd. Squally Great Lakes area. 4th-7th. Mostly fair, but hot. 8th-11th. Showers Illinois, Michigan, then clearing. 12th-15th. Fair, then very unsettled Great Lakes. 16th-19th. Thunderstorms Great Lakes, then fair. 20th-23rd. Fair, then showers into Great Lakes. 24th-27th. Mostly fair and hot. 28th-31st. Stormy through Great Lakes.
September 2005
1st-3rd. Fair weather starts the Labor Day weekend. 4th-7th. Showery. 8th-11th. Severe thunderstorms. Possible tornadoes most of Illinois, all of Indiana, and western portions of Kentucky. 12th-15th. Thunderstorms Kentucky and Ohio River Valley. 16th-19th. Fair, then scattered showers. 20th-23rd. Mostly fair. 24th-27th. Locally heavy showers and thunderstorms Great Lakes area. 28th-30th. Fair, turning quite cool.
Let's see if those Farmers are right. So far they're wrong, it hasn't been Squally, it's been H O T
August 2005
1st-3rd. Squally Great Lakes area. 4th-7th. Mostly fair, but hot. 8th-11th. Showers Illinois, Michigan, then clearing. 12th-15th. Fair, then very unsettled Great Lakes. 16th-19th. Thunderstorms Great Lakes, then fair. 20th-23rd. Fair, then showers into Great Lakes. 24th-27th. Mostly fair and hot. 28th-31st. Stormy through Great Lakes.
September 2005
1st-3rd. Fair weather starts the Labor Day weekend. 4th-7th. Showery. 8th-11th. Severe thunderstorms. Possible tornadoes most of Illinois, all of Indiana, and western portions of Kentucky. 12th-15th. Thunderstorms Kentucky and Ohio River Valley. 16th-19th. Fair, then scattered showers. 20th-23rd. Mostly fair. 24th-27th. Locally heavy showers and thunderstorms Great Lakes area. 28th-30th. Fair, turning quite cool.
Let's see if those Farmers are right. So far they're wrong, it hasn't been Squally, it's been H O T
Looking Up
I've been bummed for the last few days, not sure why....so I'm just trying to remind myself to "look up"
Thought I would share this picture, it was taken last year in Cancun, Mexico.
Thought I would share this picture, it was taken last year in Cancun, Mexico.
Jennifer Anniston in Vanity Fair
Thanks to all of my new visitors. Please take a moment and look around, check out the previous posts on the right and to see my current posts, just click on the header up there to go to the main page.
I'm usually not one to write about the Stars or the current headlines, only because there are so many other people out there writing about it and most of all...I don't care.
Now don't get me wrong, I'll be the first one to pick up a National Enquirer or a Weekly World News while I'm waiting in the checkout line, but I don't look at US Weekly or People to see what "all the famous people are doing."
I think that people who are truly talented are much more deserving of my attention (you know who you are).
Jennifer Anniston has given her first interview since the big break up, and I say Kudo's to her. Good for her for telling the world to "shove it" I'm going on with my life...but honestly, do you really "care" what happened between her and Brad? It happens between people all the time, the couple that live across the street from you, the woman who works at the grocery store, it happens everyday...it just happens that Brad and Jennifer are famous that's all.
I was looking at an article on MSNBC that was referring to the article in Vanity Fair and one line caught me totally by surprise and made me laugh:
- "Holed up in her Malibu, Calif., bungalow, the 36-year-old actress says the media coverage and tabloid rumors have been hard to deal with......"
HELLO, I would LOVE to be "holed up in my Malibu bungalow."
Now what comes to mind when you think of a bungalow? I cute little 1, maybe two bedroom one story house with cute shutters and a quaint little garden in the back where I could grow some fresh herbs.
Well here's her "bungalow"
I guess one man's Bungalow is another man's Mansion.
Monday, August 01, 2005
This is pretty much me
| How You Life Your Life |
 You seem to be straight forward, but you keep a lot inside. You're laid back and chill, but sometimes you care too much about what others think. You prefer a variety of friends and tend to change friends quickly. You tend to always dream of things within reach - and you usually get them. |
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