HELLO AUTUMN!

Well.... considering it was 54 degrees when I woke up this morning, I think it's safe to say we're done with summer...

Actually, I think we've been done with it for a while... Remember that one week in July where it was 90's all week? Yeah... that was summer.

Oh well, I LOVE Fall/Autumn so I don't mind too much. Raking up the leaves and jumping into the pile is one of my FAVORITE things to do!!

On a lighter note...

A good little music video: Gay Boyfriend

Time to think is dangerous for me...

Why am I having trust issues? I've had some time to think about me (I went home early yesterday because I felt like SHIT) and how I interact with others and how I can make sure I don't make mistakes with my friends (new and current) and CM.

I'm not focusing on any one incident, but looking at my collective experiences since I made my first friend back in Elementary School. Twenty-five years of friends coming and going. Seven years of being 'out' in the gay community. Plenty of time to become guarded.

I can remember when all I had to do was put my faith in someone and I COULD trust them, and that trust lasted until disproved. Maybe it was the innocence of youth or the ignorance of not knowing how people really work.

Friends abandoning all loyalty to protect their asses, family turning on each other when money is involved, lovers abandoning each other for greener pastures and co-workers talking nice but stabbing you in the back when the opportunity permits.

Now, I find myself being so skeptical of people. They have to prove and re-prove their fealty before I can even think to give them my trust. My insecurities have become such a STRONG shield that I can't even begin to figure out how to break it down.

I set such a high hurdle for people which makes me think that's why I keep pushing people away. More so in my personal life vs. my professional one.

Does anyone have suggestions as to how to let go of past experiences to give new people the benefit of the doubt? Am I totally FUCKED and cursed with my past experiences? Should one give a second chance to those who have abandoned you in the past?

E-mail me if you don't want to post a comment publicly.

DVR ROCKS!!

Ok, so CM and his roommates have the digital cable and all that hoo-haw, but until Carlos got it hooked-up last night I had NO idea...

Did you know that if the Powerpuff Girls were on 6 times a day I could record every episode for that day?!? I'M IN AWE!!

Tonight I have to go home and try and find Will and Grace in the guide (which is almost as fun as watching TV) and set the recorder! WOO HOO!

I'm glad it's the simple things in life that keep me going! :-)

The Weekend

I actually got a lot accomplished at the new place this weekend. Got the bathroom scrubbed, scrubbed most of the kitchen down, got most of my shit moved, and got my room set-up.

I had to make an emergency run to IKEA for a desk tho. My old desk was WAY too big for my room and would have just caused issues, so CM and I headed to Bloomington. I [heart] IKEA!

I got this desk. It works out WONDERFULLY in my room. It even matches my bed!! I also found some bedding I loved, but it was too spendy for me. However, CM decided to pick it up and buy it for me (and the quilt too!) even after I argued with him and told him he wasn't going to... He's stubborn, but awesome! :-)

Carlos moved his stuff in last night and now we just have to get that all settled before we can decide what it is we need to finish the place off. THEN I can go and get the pups back!!

WOO HOO!!
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Yesterday, George and our gang had our Annual Picnic in the Park!! George has a tarp and a quilt and everyone brings something to share for brunch! Afterward we usually go grab a cocktail from George's place and head back into the park for Bocce Ball!

Here are some pics!

Also, the long-awaited picture posting of SMITTY and CM!! I hope you like them!

A selfish moment...

Mighty has started listing off some Christmas items and I think that is a DANTASTIC idea!!


X-mas Item #1: Transformers on DVD (none of that Beast Wars shit!!)

X-mas Item #2: Sony DSC-W1 I have never claimed to be affordable...

X-mas Item #3: Final Fantasy XI: Chains Of Promathia (you could also buy this for me NOW!!) Got it already!

X-mas Item #4 3: Fun!! (but I'll need one of these too!)

That's enough for now...

A-fucking-men!

A tribute to Dunner!!

The more and more I think about this damned "SUV" it pisses me off. How obnoxious does one have to be?

You KNOW someone (read: hood-rat) is going to buy this piece of shit, pimp it out, and and put on some spinner rims...

Here's a link to the PERFECT article about this embodiment of excess. (Thanks again Dunner!!)

Mikey is coming back early!!

WOO HOO!!

WTF?!?!

Scorpion Queen... ewwww....

~HOLY CRAP~

WOW!!

Reading night...

Well... CM's roommate loaned me The Goblet of Fire to read. So, last night I had to swing over to CM's house to pick up my cell phone charger and then I was going to go find a nicely lit coffee shop and read. I end up chatting with John for a while...

Then I remember i'm scheduled for work on Saturday and I really should get my shit moved that day. So, I head over to Targay and begin to work my magic. Within minutes, I have a guy convinced he wants to cover my shift so I go get it approved by the LOD.

It's also Tuesday so that means Penny is working. I wander over to the electronics counter and chat with her for a while. When you haven't seen Penny for a while she will talk your ear off. I proceed to visit with her for abour 45 minutes. So much for reading...

Then the guy comes over and says he forgot about a Psychology project he had to work on, so he cannot work on Saturday. So, he says he'll try to find someone to cover the shift, but ultimately it's my responsibility. Ugh... So now I'm on the hunt for another person to cover my shift.

By the time all this came down it was already 9pm and if I cracked open a book I'd be asleep in 45 seconds flat... Oh well... there is always tonight!!

Is Wilde Roast a good place to read at or is it dark?

Go Fug Yourself!!

Special Thanks to Mighty for turing me on to this blog.


This is the BEST post so far!!

No more GameBoy Advance SP???

This isn't meant to be GBA-SP's successor, but I think it's going to replace it...

FUCKING DICK!

Thanks to SparklesMpls for showing us this: Jimmy Swaggart's love of Gays

I think what's most appalling part is the fact that he'd lie to God. Umm, dude, obviously you missed that day in Sunday School when they talked about God being omnipresent.

Fuck-head...

Confusion...

Carlos and I are a bit confused. When we signed the lease last night it sounded like the Landlord said we could start moving in, but not all of the stuff from the previous tenants is out yet... Odd.

I'm not too sure my car is going to fit in the garage, but I get the garage and Carlos get's the bigger room and the bigger closet. Girl needs room for her shoes apparently!

Since Mikey is gone I'll have time this week to move stuff over one VUE-load at a time. Again, if any of y'all want to shuffle some boxes with me, let me know... If nothing else, it'd be nice to have some company!

BLAME IOWA!!

That damn state took Mikey away from me again.

CURSES!!

I'm boycotting corn and soybeans!

*MENTAL NOTE*

Make sure you pack gym shorts when you plan on going to the gym. Working out in black jeans is not-so-fun.

I felt like SUCH a dork.

Home-Sweet-Home!

WE GOT IT!!

Carlos and I have been accepted for the lower level of the duplex in S. Mpls!! WOO HOO!!

Now I just have to figure out the financial aspect of everything. Shouldn't be that difficult, but buying 'tabs' for my car came up at such an inopportune time. DEVIL!

Anyway, we need to sign the lease sometime this week and hopefully we can move in throughout this week and weekend so I do not have to take time off from work.

So, that being said, Anyone who is in town this weekend and would like to move a few boxes with me. Let me know!! :-)

Bare-ass Beach

I'm fairly certain I came within the vicinity of the infamous 'Bare-ass Beach' last night.

After a FABULOUS dinner at Will and Ron's house (my temporary home) I decided to go for a walk and I took Zoey (Ron's dog) with me. Will said it'd be an easy walk, but I had no idea how long a distance it was from the Lake street bridge to the Franklin bridge. My route was this: starting at the West end of the Lake Street bridge, heading along West River Parkway, to Franklin Ave. Bridge, across it, down the East River Parkway to Lake Street bridge, and across that to home.

Zoey and I are cruising along, saying 'hey' to all the peeps along the way... We get to the East River parkway and it's pretty dark on that side of the river... Passed only a few people until about 3/4 of the way to the Lake Street bridge I notice an increase in the frequency of random men standing along the path.

The walking path and the biking path separate and TALL grass is growing in between them. I decide to take the walking path and I come upon a park bench. There is a single man sitting on the bench and it's dark so we can't see very well. I pick up the pace a bit and pass the dude and say 'hey' (as was our walking custom) . The minute he opened his mouth I KNEW he was a homo and I turned and looked... I jumped at his fugliness (poor timing for the passing car) and I think Zoey did too. He couldn't have been older then 25 and most unfortunate looking...

I just smiled and continued on past the other (much older) random men. I also took notice of the sudden increase in parked cars and bikes.

I would have been BLIND not the see the 'X' marked on my mental map. So, I get home and I tell Will and Ron about my adventure and they confirmed I had most likely had passed Bare-ass Beach.

I have lived in this area my entire life and had never adventured out to try and find this place. I feel so much more educated now. However, I probably would have received a much more EDUCATIONAL experience had I ventured down one of the dark paths...

Good Reads

Ok... I need the help of my blogger friends. I have an issue with reading. I don't do it anymore because I find it VERY difficult to retain what I've read and I read REALLY slow. At the last test I was at an 8th grade reading level (and my writing is horrible; I SUCK!). I know I've improved, but I have HUGE problems remembering details about books.

Here's where y'all come in! I need some advice and recommendations of books that are not too lofty (big words) and aren't 500 pages long. Maybe a good book of short stories. I have read all of the Stephen King short stories (don't you DARE ask me the details) and those were good. I felt some accomplishment when I finished one.

I have interests in: Nature, science, camping, softball, some politics, video games, computers, travel... For fiction, I think I'd enjoy: Horror, Fantasy (dragons and magic stuff), science fiction, etc..

E-mail me, or leave me a comment on some books to check out. Thanks!!

Fun stuff for a Wednesday...

Have you ever spoken and wished that you could immediately take the words back...or that you could crawl into a hole? Here are the testimonials of a few people who did....

1. I walked into a hair salon with my husband and three kids in tow And asked loudly, "How much do you charge for a
shampoo and a blow job?" I turned around and walked back out and never went back. My husband didn't say a word... he knew better.
2. I was at the golf store comparing different kinds of golf balls. I was unhappy with the women's type I had been using. After browsing for
several minutes, I was approached by one of the good-looking gentlemen who
works at the store. He asked if he could help me. Without thinking, I looked at him and said, "I think I like playing with men's balls."
3. My sister and I were at the mall and passed by a store that sold a variety of candy and nuts. As we were looking at the display case, the boy behind the counter asked if we needed any help. I replied,"No, I'm just looking at your nuts." My sister started to laugh hysterically, the boy grinned, and I turned beet-red and walked away.
4. While in line at the bank one afternoon, my toddler decided to release some pent-up energy and ran amok. I was finally able to grab hold of her after receiving looks of disgust and annoyance
from other patrons. I told her that if she did not start behaving "right now" she would be punished.
To my horror, she looked me in the eye and said in a voice just as threatening, "If you don't let me go right now, I will tell Grandma that I saw you kissing Daddy's pee-pee last night!" The silence was deafening .after this enlightening exchange. Even the tellers stopped what they were doing. I mustered up the last of my dignity and walked out of the bank with my daughter in tow. The last
thing I heard when the door closed behind me were screams of laughter.
5. Have you ever asked your child a question too many times? My three year old son had a lot of problems with potty training and I was on him constantly One day we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick lunch in between errands. It was very busy, with a full dining room. While enjoying my taco I smelled something funny, so of course I checked my seven-month-old daughter, and she was clean. Then I realized that Danny had
not asked to go potty in a while, so I asked him if he needed to go, and he said "No." I kept thinking, "Oh Lord, that child has had an accident,
and I don't have any clothes with me."
Then I said, "Danny, are you SURE you didn't have an accident?"
"No," he replied. I just KNEW that he must have had an accident
because the smell was getting worse. Soooooo, I asked one more time,
Danny, did you have an accident?"
This time he jumped up, yanked down his pants, bent over and
spread his cheeks and yelled. "SEE MOM, IT'S JUST FARTS!!" While 30 people nearly choked to death on their tacos laughing! He calmly
pulled up his pants and sat down. An old couple made me feel better by thanking me for the best laugh they'd ever had
6. This had most of the state of Michigan laughing for 2 days and a very embarrassed female news anchor who will, in the future,
likely think before she speaks. What happens when you predict snow but don't get any...a true story... We had a female news anchor who,
the day after it was supposed to have snowed and didn't, turned to the weatherman and asked: "So Bob, where's that 8 inches you promised me last night?" Not only did HE have to leave the set, but half the crew did too they were laughing so hard!

Another duplex applied for...

Last night I went to check out a lower level of a duplex that Carlos had looked at the night before. It's on the North-side of Martin King Luther Jr. Park (the opposite side of the park from where I was living a month ago) and it pretty nice!

It doesn't have a fenced-in backyard, but the park is 1/2 a block away. The living room and dining room are HUGE and the bedrooms are larger than most that we've seen. It's got a one-car garage attached and a good-sized kitchen. I didn't get a chance to see the laundry facilities, but Carlos did and didn't say anything about them being funky.

So, I left all my info for the dude and I'm hoping to hear sometime today or tomorrow. When we were chatting he had said something about moving in this coming weekend. That'd be SO cool!!

Keep this in your thoughts please!
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On a more serious note: I sure hope those people down in New Orleans can get out of the city quickly because it doesn't look like Ivan is slowing down like they had hoped!! I'm not sure I'd feel all that comfortable being 12 feet below sea level with that monster headed my way!!

Fucking Weather!

Who the HELL ordered all this rain? I hear people rationalizing it by saying 'Well, we needed it!'

EXCUSE ME?!? I don't need to be sopping wet when I get to work. I don't NEED to sit in my meat-lockeresque cubicle and freeze solid.

So, Mother Nature... Can't you go cause an earthquake in California, a tornado in Kansas, flood the rednecks out of Missouri or something ELSE to bide your time while Ivan gets ready to CRUSH New Orleans???

Another night cruising for housing

Carlos and I found another 25 or so properties to call on last night. However, after Carlos left he went to another duplex and fell in love! He said it's huge, the deposits are low, landlord just wants to check with our previous two landlords, and it's just on the other side of the park from where I just moved out of!

It'll be nice and convenient for softball practice next year and it's VERY reasonable. I have to call today and see if I can check it out tonight!

YEAH!!
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Mikey left for Iowa today to help his Dad do some of the work on the farm. Since his parents don't really know he's seeing anybody (and they aren't too thrilled he's gay) I'm not sure I'll get to talk with him until he gets back. I'm so used to talking with him everyday. That'll be tough, but it's something I can deal with.

Bitchiness...

Ok, so we applied for the lower level of the Bryn Mawr duplex and we were supposed to hear about it on Sunday.

Mikey and I went to Hero and when we came out I had a message from the owner. I gave him a call back and didn't catch him, so I drove by the duplex to drop off my application fee.

His wife was home and said she could talk to me about it. Turns out they pulled some report that includes rental history, previous addresses, credit and a summary. My rental history is immaculate, but because my name is common there were 27 possible evictions that came up on this report. That, coupled with recovering credit from my college blow-out, produced a statement on the report that made the owner want me to pay the deposit, and first and last month's rent. They also said we needed to sign a 6-month lease.

They said if this statement (is says 'possible problem renter') appears it's their 'company's policy' that they ask for last month's rent upfront. Umm... They have ONE property and only rent out ONE unit... How can they willingly admit the 27 evictions are probably incorrect, but then blindly follow a rule they've created even tho the source information is bogus?

Now, if I were them, I would call the references on the application (since it asks for them) and verify if I'm a good tenant. We're going to keep looking and try to find something where the owners are a bit more understanding.

This is just SO very frustrating.

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Hero was EXCELLENT! I'm not much for martial arts movies where they defy gravity and crap like that, but the fight scenes in this movie were in-FUCKING-credible! There is a scene where two women are fighting it out in a grove of trees. It's autumn and the leaves are falling. They are dressed in brilliant red. The colors are ALIVE and beautiful as is the battle.

You should see this movie for the cinematics. It is stunning.

Fabulous!!

Carlos, CM and I looked at 3 different spaces yesterday...

The first one was in Bryn Mawr and is SUPER cute... The bedrooms are small, but there is a fenced in backyard and it's got a decent-sized kitchen.

The second and 3rd are in the same house and are BIG. The lower unit has a big kitchen and a HUGE pantry, but the rooms are interesting. 'My room' has a door leading outside which was a little odd... Also, the living room is set-up in such a way where my couch wouldn't fit... It's like the dining room is larger than the living room...

The 3rd unit had pretty much the same layout, except the one bedroom had these weird slatted, French doors for the door to the room and it's right off the living room... Huge closet tho! The kitchen was HUGE and had a nice 'eat-in' space. We'd have to use the laundry downstairs which means we'd have to go outside in the winter to get down to the laundry room... ICK!

So, we decided to apply for the first one. It's in a good neighborhood, fenced in back yard, possible garage arrangements, plenty of on-street parking, a cool built-in, and storage in the basement. Since the landlords are moving out, I'm going to offer to take over the yard work and snow removal for a reduction or for garage use.

Oh wait... We need to get accepted first. *crosses fingers*

Riverview Theatre ROCKS!

I went to the Riverview Theatre over on 42nd last night to watch Harry Potter #3.

It only cost Mikey and I $11.50 to enjoy the in-FUCKING-credible movie! Admission is only $3 a person and refreshments are SUPER cheap!!

I loved the movie SO much I swung by Targhetto and picked up the soundtrack too!

GREAT movie, cheap refreshments and some DAMN good company... Thanks Mikey!

Home-hunting... #2

Well, Rosario (Carlos) and I drove around some areas of Uptown and SLP to see what we could find for duplexes/houses for rent.

We found 36 and now we need to call and find out if they take dogs. We were hoping to get this place in uptown, but it sounds like the dude is going to give it to a couple of women who applied before we did. Who knows...

If none of the 36 take dogs, we'll have to drive around again in south mpls...

MAN, I can't WAIT to be in a palce for more than 6 months!!

Miss me?

Hullo!!

How y'all doing? I feel like it's been forever since my last post!

I left Friday morning and headed to Milwaukee with 3 friends for a softball tournament. The Milwaukee Tourney is a BLAST and we had 5 teams from MPLS playing. We got in pretty early (around 1pm on Friday) and then just waited for everyone to get there. As we were travelling, we'd stop for gas or food and hide a condom along the way. The goal was for some of the other teammembers to find them as they travelled to the tournament.

We stopped at McDonalds in Osseo, WI and got a bite to eat. We hid the condom underneath the hand of the statue of Ronald MacDonald. It was kinda fun! Then I made the WORST decision of the trip: I ate a McGriddle. *remember this*

The trip was nice; a beautiful day for driving. We arrive in Milwaukee, get checked into the hotel, I go work out for a while, and then it's nap time!!

Around 5pm we decide to head to the mall for some shopping and dinner... right now I'm not feeling the best, but figure a good dinner should set me on course. I had a good burger and some tasty fries, but just wasn't feeling right... We head down to registration and say 'hi' to the Milwaukee peeps and I separate myself from the group and head off in search for a Target or drug store. I found a Jewel and got some tummy stuff. The woman at the register was trying to push a certain kind of cookie that was on special and she offered them to me... I took one look at her and said 'I'm in line, I look MISERABLE, and I have Maalox. Do you think I need some cookies?' It clicked. She smiled and got me out of there ASAP.

I headed back to Woody's to join my team and once I hit the smoky bar, I hit the downward spiral of food poisioning... I felt VERY nauseous and had to bolt. Good thing I drove!

I'm gonna spare you the details, but I was sick from 8pm until noon the next day. I had to sleep on the floor outside the bathroom because anywere else was WAY too far away from the facilities... not pretty...

Needless to say I wasn't present for the 8am game. I actually missed the first 3 games of the day... but I finally got some sleep and started to feel better as the morning moved on. THe boys came back to the room at noon and I got my stuff together so I could go out and watch the team play. I got to the field and 'Hey Mike, you're gonna EH this game.'

Ummm... ok... but that went pretty well. I popped up 2 times, but then started smacking some line drives. It was FUN! WE WON!!

Now, I'm into my groove and volunteer to play in the 2nd game of the afternoon. Not only did we win, but I smacked a 3-run homer over the left-fielder's head. WOOT!

When everything was all said and done we ended up taking 4th place in the tourney. Not bad for the team's first out-of-town experience.

I only went out on Sunday night because of the whole food poisoning issue. Of course, the other Team Minnesota boys decide it's a good excuse to get me drunk and I didn't really stop them. We started drinking after our last game (2pm) and we didn't stop until about 2 am.

I was in control most of the night, tho. Arm wrestled a dude at the leather bar and won, slapped Peter a couple of times (don't remember this), took my shirt off (*GASP*), danced in the cage with many different people throughout the night, danced my ASS off, and prayed that Tommy wouldn't blow-chunks on me on the ride back to the hotel....

I got back to the hotel and wanted some water. I head over to the 24 hour market (find out you have to wake someone from their sleep to get in), they didn't answer their phone, walked down to the university and couldn't find anything, so I walked back... grrrr... I think I finally got to bed by 3:30am... waterless...

I woke up in the moring sore, but not hungover... It was a pleasant suprise! The drive home was a long one, but it was a fun weekend!!

I made some good friends and bonded with some of the other Team Minnesota boys.

You know what the BEST part of the whole weekend was? Waking up in the morning to a text message that said 'I miss you.' That ROCKED!

Moving on out!

WOO HOO!!

I got my WHOLE deposit back!

He already had the check made out, so I'm sure I could have cut some corners. Oh well! Stress is lifted!!

I had THE BEST night of sleep in the past few weeks last night. It was awesome.

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Mikey left for Iowa this morning and I leave for Milwaukee tomorrow morning. Fun filled weekends in store for both of us, but I'm gonna miss him! We spent a lot of time together in the past few days and it was very cool!

I cannot wait to get to Milwaukee! This tournament is made to be a FUN one, but our team wants to go there and win our division. I haven't been able to practice with the guys lately (because of the move) but we have a scrimmage tonight and we need to SKOOL those bitches!!

Anyway, y'all have a GREAT holiday weekend and we'll see ya on Tuesday!

Cleaning and Boyfriends...

Well... I took off early on Monday to cleanup my area of the house... HOLY CRAP!!

I didn't realize exactly how much dirt was in the area rug underneath the girls' kennels. I vacuumed and vacuumed and vacuumed... It was crazy!

I cleaned until I couldn't stand it anymore. My eyes not only had contacts in them, but dust, dirt, and random dog hair... Ugh... There came a point in the evening where I couldn't see anymore. So I called CM and asked if I could come over. He is such a sweetheart!

I hung out with him and we watched The Bourne Identity. It was a good movie, but a little on the slow side. I was ready for sleep about 1/2 of the way through it and Mikey didn't seem to mind going to sleep either.

I took yesterday (Tuesday) off to clean up the house. I slept in until 10:30am (WOO HOO!) and then we ran over to the Uptown YWCA for a workout. Mikey did chest and triceps and I worked on my arms and shoulders. They had a freaky shoulder-machine that I have fallen in LOVE with... I want one!!

Anyway, he stuck with me ALL day and helped me clean the old place, move stuff to the storage and move my clothes and stuff over to Will's. It was VERY nice of him and I am VERY appreciative. Mikey: YOU'RE THE BEST!!

It was a long day yesterday, but I'm almost done at the old house. Just gotta ditch some boxes, sweep and mop the floor, and get the rest of my laundry-stuff out...

Now I just have to pray I get my deposit back!!