Vibrant.(Still) Unrepentant. Badass. Old. Queer

Mike forgot. They are going to a baseball game tonight. Mike was actually supposed to go as well. They bought a ticket for him. However, as I am so much cuter than his friends (and I put out), he is coming to my party! YAY! His friends are still going to the baseball game. Of course, now I should have plenty of food for all. Yay! And, Mike needs to learn to write things down. He seems a little forgetful. I wonder if it's an "academic" thing. The Fabulicious Cuzin's new husband is a teacher/PhD candidate and he is also a bit spacey. Maybe academics' brains are so full of thinky thoughts that the everyday things aren't processed?

BUT, I remembered the line of my high school's alma mater which I had forgotten ... North Forsyth High School (Winston-Salem, NC) Alma Mater North star whose flame burns Crimson, White, and Blue. From thy proud portals Light horizons new. Shine where thy children Serve and vigil keep. Kindle thy torch where (this was the bit I forgot) Hope lies fast asleep. You may now all fall on your knees and worship my excellent skills at remembering completely useless information!

As luck would have it, using my new punch bowl ( punch! ) will be the best thing about my party. Mike said yesterday that his friends who are visiting are actually staying two nights, not one. So, my cozy party of HOT GAY MEN and Tomoko has suddenly become a little more crowded party of HOT GAY MEN, Tomoko, and 3 Straight Texans. And, instead of a night of hot luvin', I'll be getting a night of tidying and washing up. FUN. *sigh* Mike owes me. BIG. I did get to see him briefly yesterday. He drove over to borrow my air mattress. Then, he drove me to Christal's condo to make sure it didn't flood in the recent (quoth Wonkette) "Rain of Terror." After that, he drove me to Whole Foods for party shopping. We got caught in a quick, weird thunderstorm - thunder! lightning! rain! brilliant sunshine! (what?) And, there was a rainbow. I like rainbows (and not only the gay ones). He came in for a bit. Looked at the place. Then left to get ready for his guest...

Tomorrow evening is my first ever Summer Buggin' Movie Party. I'm very excited. I'm expecting between 8-10 people (mostly HOT GAY MEN and Tomoko *woot*). The original plan was to watch the free showing of Mothra tonight at the Hirshhorn Museum. Then, the following night everyone would meet at my place for bug-themed movies. However, no one could make it to Mothra ... which is all well and good, because my home is nowhere near ready to have 8-10 mostly HOT GAY MEN and Tomoko traipsing about it. I must clean. I wanted to have a bug-theme going on at the party, but I looked all over for fun bug-related items. I didn't have much luck. Now, the only things buggy will be a) my eyes and b) the DVDs I've rented for the occassion - Wasp Woman (1959), Attack of the Killer (or is it Giant?) Leeches (1960), The Swarm (1978), and Mosquito (1994). Tomoko said she will bring THEM! The food is going to be a weird mish-mash of things: hummus and veggies and pita, liquid che...

... a shirtless man runs by. Maybe it was because it was the first sunny, non-torrential downpouring day in MONTHS? Maybe the humidity level was just right? Maybe Jupiter was aligned with Uranus? Not that it matters, but apparently yesterday was Official Hot Shirtless Men Run By VUBOQ Day! Woo Hoo! I noticed the first guy as I was walking back to my building from the dumpster - yes, I was looking all HOT, too ... sweaty, covered in yard-mowing grime. He was most likely Asian, shortish (maybe 5'9"), built, tattooed, and out for a jog. I nearly passed out. So hot. I had to stand in front of my a/c for a moment once I got back inside. About 30 minutes later, he runs by again (rear view! woo hoo!). Still hot. And sweatier. Mmm. As I'm eating my veggie burger dinner, casually staring out the window, another hot shirtless man walks by. He was taller, African-American, and very muscle-y - but not overly so. Just perfect. Aaah. Such a nice evening. Maybe it was my reward for mowi...

Last night, after mowing (*geh*) and laundry and eating and movie watching, I started going through some boxes. Guess what I found? My High School Class Ring! (pictured below) And guess what? It still fits. After nearly 20 years. (I graduated in 1988, meaning I got the ring either in late '86 or early '87.) So, in sudden spasm of geekiness, I decided to wear it today. I didn't particularly like high school all that much. I was a big nerd. I had some very good friends (but my best friend inexplicably decided to stop speaking to me our Senior year). I was involved in lots of after school activities. And (*sirens* whoop! whoop! Major Geek Alert!), I was the drum major for our marching band. *heh* When it came time to order class rings, and my friends were all selecting the $400 14k gold ones with genuine diamelles, my father said, "I'll pay for your class ring, but I'll be damned if I'm spending over $100." Thus, the ring you see pictured below is not 14k...

Here's the deal: I have $20 in Borders' Store Reward Certificates* burning a hole in my pocket. I want to buy a book (even though I have a stack of books on my bedside table that I'm still working on). I have no idea what I want to buy though. Thus, I am opening it up to YOU (yes, YOU!). Please leave a comment below with a book suggestion or two. My only requirements are that the books you suggest be available in hardcover, relatively recent, and around $20. I will more than likely be shopping during my afternoon break (at 3:30). To help get you started, here is a list of books I have read in the past few months (or am currently reading): ~The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth by Tim Flannery ~Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert ~Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday ~Shakespeare: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd ~The Underminer: Or, the Best Friend Who Casual...

As I slip deeper into the Summer of my Discontent, I've noticed an increasing negativity in my thoughts. Last night, Mike and I were on the phone until about 1AM (I couldn't sleep). He was talking about his belief that we create our own realities shaped by our thoughts. When we think negative things, negative things happen. Conversely, positive thoughts create positive realities. It's all very Norman Vincent Peale . Although I do believe that our attitudes shape our being, I think this philosophy doesn't give randomness and chaos much sway. I realize that I only received a brief introduction into this way of thinking; however, I find it difficult to believe that John was cheating on me because a few times I thought that he could be cheating on me. Did my thoughts precede the action or vice versa? I don't believe that those thousands of people whose lives were destroyed by the tsunami two (?) years ago or by Hurricane Katrina last year were thinking negative t...

I think Donald Rumsfeld said it best when he opined, "there are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know." The most blogalicious Sin has received a few warnings on his blog recently: He should be careful. He needs to beware the Ides of March ... er ... I mean, he needs to watch what he blogs, because he is not unknown ! AAAAH! RUN FOR THE HILLS! Sounds ominous, doesn't it? not unknown Ominous, yet, somehow thrilling, this not unknownness is. The danger is attractive. I, too, want to become not unknown . But, how? That's the question! There's the rub! HOW? How to remove the UN ? At first it seems simple, a few taps of the backspace key, but, Jesse Helms tried for years and the UN is still in New York City. Gigantic bureaucratic organization that it is. Full of ...

This morning on WAMU's Metro Connection , there was an article about DC's increased efforts to test all residents between the ages of 18 and 84 for HIV. Ambitious Plans for HIV Testing in DC You're on a metro train...there are about twenty other people with you in the car. Now consider this: if you're all DC residents, statistically, one of you is probably HIV positive. And, since we're throwing numbers around, there's about a 25 percent chance that person doesn't know it. Next week, DC's HIV Administration will launch a campaign to get every 18-to-84-year old in the District tested for HIV by the end of the year. New testing technology is supposed to be able to make this possible but it also raises questions about how patients will be supported when testing gets faster and becomes routine. Before the new system kicks in, WAMU's Sidsel Overgaard went to get tested herself to find out more about the patient experience. Listen to the report here: Windo...

Yes, another Meat-Free Monday has come and gone ... This time, I was so unmotivated, my Meat-Free meal was my leftover Veggie Delite sub from Subway. Meat-Free , for sure, but not really worth mentioning. I did have a martini (yay!), which, in case you didn't know, is also Meat-Free and was probably the best part of my meal. Yum. At least Only Me made some effort this week :-) *meat-free smooches* for him! In other exciting news, Sligo Creek flooded again last night and we're supposed to get more rain today. Fun. It's my turn to mow the yard. If this rain keeps up, I may need to plow it instead. Make hay while the sun shines sort of thing. Mike called last night. Yay. I watched a Japanese movie, Taboo . I knitted. I am *so* hating this entry. I'm going to have to post something better later.

I went to bed early last night (like 9:30). After the late night weekend activities (*rowr*) and the stress of death, I could barely keep my eyes open. Suddenly, I heard a woman yelling, "HELP!" I checked the clock, 10:30. I found my glasses and looked out, but I didn't see anything except the rain and the lightning. Then, I looked left towards Sligo Creek Parkway. It was flowing rapidly, but cars on Wayne Avenue were still sloshing their way across (apparently their drivers missed the class where the instructor tells them not to drive across a flooded road). In the middle of the road sat one car, stationary, hazard lights blinking. Then, I heard someone knock on my neighbor's door. "May I use your phone?" "Of course. Just one minute." That must have been the woman I heard screaming for help. I watched the river flow and the police come and the buses turn around. Cars wandered aimlessly, like forlorn farm animals cut off from the barn. ...

My emotional rollercoaster of a summer continues to swoop and dive with dizzying speed. After a brilliant weekend, highlighted by delicious home-made veggie burgers at Billy 's and two nights of fun at Mike's, last night I learned that my best friend's father died on Saturday night. Interestingly, one of the conversations at Billy's house had been on the difficulty of maintaining friendships over time. I met Isa on my first day as a freshman at Elon College (now University). We have been friends ever since, majoring in the same subject (Science Education) and suffering through a couple of unpleasant years teaching in the North Carolina Public School System. As the years passed and I lost contact with many good friends, only Isa (and one other college friend) and I managed to stay in contact. Even spending nearly 4 years abroad in the days before email was commonplace did nothing to weaken our friendship. As the rain came down in torrents last night and the lightning fla...

I'm wearing a black t-shirt today. I don't wear black all that often. It doesn't compliment my coloring at all. However, some of you may remember my Roommate from Hell experience a few years ago (or was that before I started journaling?). When he disappeared, he left some clothes, including this really soft black t-shirt. After all the shit he put me through, I had no problem keeping some of his nicer clothes. Anyway, as I was walking to get my lunch this afternoon (grilled veggie burrito with black beans from Baja Fresh. $5.20), I looked at my reflection (as the narcissistic among us are wont to do) and suddenly remembered this story ... In 1983, my older brother (then 15) went to see Styx in concert. I believe it was the Kilroy Was Here tour (y'know - Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto ?). When he got home from the concert, he was talking to our parents and he showed them what he had bought: a black t-shirt! My parents freaked . "How could you buy a black t-shi...

I got this link off of Gene Weingarten's WaPo chat update this morning. The game is friggin' addictive and I completely suck at it, but I can't stop playing: Parking Perfection Give it a try. I can't make it past the third level. Of course, I also don't drive, which puts me at a disadvantage. Right? Right? Meanwhile, back at the Ranch, as it turns out, I will be headed out this evening. I'm meeting Robert (and possibly others?) for Happy Hour at Halo (2!4!1! Watermelon! Margaritas!). Mike can't go, so I guess I'll have to hook up with someone else. *heh*

Have I mentioned how much I like bed? Bed. Good. Being in bed. Good. Alone. With someone. With my psychokitty. It's all good. I like bed. Mmmm. Bed. I could be in bed right now and I would be happy. Not that I'm particularly unhappy . But, I was thinking about my weekend plans and how a weekend in bed sounded really lovely ... especially since my social calendar is not overly full. I have no plans tonight. Yet. Maybe I'll stay home, make a nice dinner, pop some popcorn, and watch a DVD or two. Or, maybe someone will call or email or IM with an idea for a night out. We'll see... Tomorrow, I must do some pretty hardcore apartment cleaning. Then, in the evening, Billy is having some people over for veggie burgers. After that, I may go over to Mike's house for his roommate's going away party. Odd going to the going away party for someone I've only met once (briefly at Pride), although, according to Mike, he saw me naked one morning on my way...

I learned two very important work-related lessons yesterday: 1. Even though my co-worker's work-visa disaster was not my fault and did not affect me in any way whatsoever, I learned that one should keep a written record of every phone conversation, save every single email ever sent and received, and -at all costs- trust my company's HR department about as far as I can throw them. 2. I also learned that when hiring a new employee and vociferously advocating to your direct superviser for the cuter of two applicants one should always make sure that the cuter of the two applicants has the English skills, especially writing skills, necessary for successful completion of all assigned tasks. Otherwise, it's just more work for me. GAH.

WAM! was a brilliant success last night. The weather was perfect, cooling off slowly as the sun went down. We had a small group (5 people), but sometimes that's better than a larger one ... everyone gets to talk to everyone and fun is had by all. After the first rather disappointing pitcher, Robert asked the waitress if we could have the next one with "a little less mix, please." The waitress looked confused, so Mike explained, "More tequila!" "OH! Of course," she said and scurried off. Robert looked at Mike, "I was trying to be subtle ." Whatever. The next two pitchers were fantastic. YUM! And, I know what some of you are thinking ... 5 people and only 3 pitchers. I know. I know. It's disgraceful, but it was a school night. I *think* (time is a little fuzzy after the second pitcher) we left around 9:30 or 10. Darryl met some guy for a date. Robert decided to walk home, and Tomoko, Mike and I went to the metro station. Somehow...

Did I mention that I am developing a major boycrush on a certain someone? *sigh* And that he's coming to WAM:SSE tonight? *SIGH*