Christmas night, back from the parents. Sitting around in a quiet house, the night's soundtrack provided by Amel Larrieux, the Verve, Beth Orton, Bjork and Kruder & Dorfmeister. The dog, nearby, happy with a big pork bone sent home by my mother.
Another insane retail season is over and, once more, I survived. And enjoyed it, mostly.
Things are in flux a bit. I've entered dating mode, somewhere along the way. Probably shortly after getting hit in the head. It's a two way thing. I seem to have a couple people pursuing me, one quite hard. And there's a person or two I think I may wanna pursue. Person equals male person, natch.
One of them invited me to his Christmas party last nite. We've been on two dates and he invites me to his family's Christmas Eve party at his house. And I went, quite bravely. And, I had fun.
The trip to the parents today was nice also. Got the usual Gap gift certificates. And a bag of my favorite sundried tomatoes which are sold only in Baton Rouge. Grrrr, can't anyone in New Orleans sell a decent sundried tomato??? Anyone? At least arugula is cheaper in NO...
Anyways, a Merry Christmas to all... and to all Good Nite!
Tuesday, December 25, 2001
Thursday, December 20, 2001
Gee. I was just browsing a few other pages and I ran across this picture which I took using Jonno's digital camera. Jonno made a diary entry on Dec 15th explaining the significance of the picture.
I remember that being a really great day. One of those perfect summer days you spend doing absolutely nothing in the company of good people. And doing it well.
And it was the last good day for a long time.
I remember that being a really great day. One of those perfect summer days you spend doing absolutely nothing in the company of good people. And doing it well.
And it was the last good day for a long time.
So, it's been almost a month since I've blogged. *sigh* Life has been complicated. And busy.
First things first. I'll get the drama out of the way. About three weeks ago, I went out with my friend Jonathan on a Saturday nite. The night started well. We had drinks at a couple bars in the Quarter, starting upstairs at Lafittes. We went out late, because I worked till midnite. So, I think we got out around 1 am. After Lafittes, we stopped in at 735 to say hi to my friends that work there. Got comped another drink. Ran into someone who mentioned that he had a bottle of absinthe. I've never had absinthe, always wondered about it.
So I tried it.
I had to go outside to drink it at his car. Came back to the bar. Didn't feel much of anything. Jonathan goes to dance.
And that's all I remember. Until...
I wake up on a bed in the emergency room of Charity Hospital a couple of hours later. The back of my head is split wide open, I'm lying on a blood soaked bed and I have no idea what happened.
They scan my head to make sure it's okay. Staple, that's right STAPLE as in metal staples from some sort of staple gun, my wound shut. And send me on my way.
Trauma. In more ways than one.
My friends all seem amazed that I didn't make up a lie about what happened. "I got mugged." "I fell off a ladder." The whole unvarnished truth is that I got blitzed on a 140 proof liquor.
All I can do is learn from stupid mistakes.
I'm not drinking for a while. If ever again.
Feh.
So, then I start recovering from this ordeal. And, I get bronchitis.
As in 36 hours of 105 degree fever feeling like I want to die bronchitis. But, good medicine and the care of good friends got me through that pretty quickly.
And now I'm working every day through Christmas. Long hard days. Such is retail.
I'm looking forward to January. Big time.
First things first. I'll get the drama out of the way. About three weeks ago, I went out with my friend Jonathan on a Saturday nite. The night started well. We had drinks at a couple bars in the Quarter, starting upstairs at Lafittes. We went out late, because I worked till midnite. So, I think we got out around 1 am. After Lafittes, we stopped in at 735 to say hi to my friends that work there. Got comped another drink. Ran into someone who mentioned that he had a bottle of absinthe. I've never had absinthe, always wondered about it.
So I tried it.
I had to go outside to drink it at his car. Came back to the bar. Didn't feel much of anything. Jonathan goes to dance.
And that's all I remember. Until...
I wake up on a bed in the emergency room of Charity Hospital a couple of hours later. The back of my head is split wide open, I'm lying on a blood soaked bed and I have no idea what happened.
They scan my head to make sure it's okay. Staple, that's right STAPLE as in metal staples from some sort of staple gun, my wound shut. And send me on my way.
Trauma. In more ways than one.
My friends all seem amazed that I didn't make up a lie about what happened. "I got mugged." "I fell off a ladder." The whole unvarnished truth is that I got blitzed on a 140 proof liquor.
All I can do is learn from stupid mistakes.
I'm not drinking for a while. If ever again.
Feh.
So, then I start recovering from this ordeal. And, I get bronchitis.
As in 36 hours of 105 degree fever feeling like I want to die bronchitis. But, good medicine and the care of good friends got me through that pretty quickly.
And now I'm working every day through Christmas. Long hard days. Such is retail.
I'm looking forward to January. Big time.
Monday, November 26, 2001
And two weeks later, he finally gets back to his blog...
So, I'm still sort of hanging out with the guy I probably shouldn't be hanging out with. And he still has a boyfriend... *sigh* Someone rescue me...
Not much has really been going on in my life. Such is the life of a retail manager in the weeks prior to Christmas. It's all about work.
I was quite happy to receive a copy of WRONG THINGS in the mail today. It's a new book by Poppy Z. Brite and Caitlin Kiernan. Two short stories and one long one. Looks good. I should also be receiving a copy of Alatair Reynolds' CHASM CITY soon. Whoo hoo, new books to read. Now I need to finish the one I'm already reading...
I saw HARRY POTTER and thought it was okay. I still am not part of the great Harry Potter fan experience. I dunno, it just doesn't excite me that much. Sorry, Flynn...
More later...
So, I'm still sort of hanging out with the guy I probably shouldn't be hanging out with. And he still has a boyfriend... *sigh* Someone rescue me...
Not much has really been going on in my life. Such is the life of a retail manager in the weeks prior to Christmas. It's all about work.
I was quite happy to receive a copy of WRONG THINGS in the mail today. It's a new book by Poppy Z. Brite and Caitlin Kiernan. Two short stories and one long one. Looks good. I should also be receiving a copy of Alatair Reynolds' CHASM CITY soon. Whoo hoo, new books to read. Now I need to finish the one I'm already reading...
I saw HARRY POTTER and thought it was okay. I still am not part of the great Harry Potter fan experience. I dunno, it just doesn't excite me that much. Sorry, Flynn...
More later...
Friday, November 09, 2001
I shall now ramble...
Currently reading : THRESHOLD by Caitlin R. Kiernan. She's sort of like the mad love child of Neil Gaiman and Poppy Z. Brite. I'm about halfway through it and I love the characters. Not sure exactly where it's heading, but I'm gonna enjoy the ride.
Listening to at this moment: New Order GET READY. How Old School is that? It's actually a perfect Fall album though. Me like.
So, the guy I was hanging out with almost constantly has completely disappeared. No appearrances, no phone calls, etc. It's been almost a week since I talked to him. I left one message. And that's it. I'm done. And I don't really care nearly as much as I should.
Meanwhile, danger lurks in the foreground. I seem to have become slightly enmeshed with someone else. Someone who's supposed to just be a friend. Someone who has a boyfriend. Someone whose bed I slept in last nite. We've promised to put an immediate stop to it though.
Also, in the past couple of days, I've run into two different faces from the recent past. Both of whom are people that I've promised I would call and never have. Both of whom I really should call. Both of whom I'd like to call. Why haven't I?
Guy #1 is someone I met and had an extremely brief fling with back around Mardi Gras just after his relationship of some time had ended. Then another brief fling about 6 weeks ago. He's someone who's sweet as can be. Used to be a cutie. Has been practically living in the gym the past few months and is now an absolute hottie. Extremely sweet guy. And everytime we run into each other he gives me a look that indicates a lot of interest. Hmmm.
Guy #2 is someone else I met a few months ago. Had a really nice time hanging out one night. Lives very close to me. Have run into each other a few times. Never have gotten around to doing anything else. Also gives me those beckoning looks. He has a good job, a nice house and is a Latino cutie. Why haven't I called?
Which one should I call??? *sigh* Both would make excellent friends. Both have potential beyond friends...
Well, guy #2 is going out tomorrow nite and promised me a cocktail if we run into each other...
Currently reading : THRESHOLD by Caitlin R. Kiernan. She's sort of like the mad love child of Neil Gaiman and Poppy Z. Brite. I'm about halfway through it and I love the characters. Not sure exactly where it's heading, but I'm gonna enjoy the ride.
Listening to at this moment: New Order GET READY. How Old School is that? It's actually a perfect Fall album though. Me like.
So, the guy I was hanging out with almost constantly has completely disappeared. No appearrances, no phone calls, etc. It's been almost a week since I talked to him. I left one message. And that's it. I'm done. And I don't really care nearly as much as I should.
Meanwhile, danger lurks in the foreground. I seem to have become slightly enmeshed with someone else. Someone who's supposed to just be a friend. Someone who has a boyfriend. Someone whose bed I slept in last nite. We've promised to put an immediate stop to it though.
Also, in the past couple of days, I've run into two different faces from the recent past. Both of whom are people that I've promised I would call and never have. Both of whom I really should call. Both of whom I'd like to call. Why haven't I?
Guy #1 is someone I met and had an extremely brief fling with back around Mardi Gras just after his relationship of some time had ended. Then another brief fling about 6 weeks ago. He's someone who's sweet as can be. Used to be a cutie. Has been practically living in the gym the past few months and is now an absolute hottie. Extremely sweet guy. And everytime we run into each other he gives me a look that indicates a lot of interest. Hmmm.
Guy #2 is someone else I met a few months ago. Had a really nice time hanging out one night. Lives very close to me. Have run into each other a few times. Never have gotten around to doing anything else. Also gives me those beckoning looks. He has a good job, a nice house and is a Latino cutie. Why haven't I called?
Which one should I call??? *sigh* Both would make excellent friends. Both have potential beyond friends...
Well, guy #2 is going out tomorrow nite and promised me a cocktail if we run into each other...
Wednesday, November 07, 2001
Is there anything else as great as the rush you get when you finish the last page of a really great novel??? I think not.
I just closed the back spine of FALLEN DRAGON by Peter F. Hamilton. And I am SO happy that I didn't wait for it to come out in the US in March.
Where are the science fiction movies that are as good as the current literature??? Where... grrr...
I think I shall go roam the streets of New Orleans for the rest of the afternoon...
I just closed the back spine of FALLEN DRAGON by Peter F. Hamilton. And I am SO happy that I didn't wait for it to come out in the US in March.
Where are the science fiction movies that are as good as the current literature??? Where... grrr...
I think I shall go roam the streets of New Orleans for the rest of the afternoon...
Tuesday, November 06, 2001
Feh. I feel like I have nothing interesting to relate.
Hung out with Lance a lot through Saturday. But haven't heard back from him in the last 3 days. I'm working a lot, dunno bout him. Hmmm.
One of the great quandries of my life is deciding whether I wanna have a relationship or if I just wanna be a complete slut. The fact is that I like sex a lot. And I'm not sure if I wanna just have sex with one person.
I know myself well enuff to know that I'm not capable of having a relationship that is not monogamous. I'm much too jealous of a person to share someone I love with anyone else. Even if I'm in the bed with them.
And I really really really like sex. Did I mention that? And I like variety in sex. Dunno about just having sex with one person anymore... I did it before for over six years, but I was a lot less experienced a lot less 'good at it' then. And a lot less adventuresome.
Sometimes I'm very very adventuresome now.
Anyways, I went back to work from my vacation on Sunday. Was a pretty quiet day back. Had to listen to a bit of griping about the week I was gone. But it's always good when people say, "thank god you're back!" Yesterday, I worked 12 1/2 hours. I had a morning meeting at 7 am, which turned into a 4 1/2 hour meeting. Then I had to go back to work from 3 to midnite. It was actually a very good and very productive day.
Tonight, I'm working at the 'soft opening' of our new Westbank store. The soft opening is a three hour opening that the company always does the night before the first full day of business. Friends, family and pretty much anyone else can come. Should be sort of fun, I guess.
But, I have to find someone to tape the musical episode of Buffy for me.... Grrr...
Hung out with Lance a lot through Saturday. But haven't heard back from him in the last 3 days. I'm working a lot, dunno bout him. Hmmm.
One of the great quandries of my life is deciding whether I wanna have a relationship or if I just wanna be a complete slut. The fact is that I like sex a lot. And I'm not sure if I wanna just have sex with one person.
I know myself well enuff to know that I'm not capable of having a relationship that is not monogamous. I'm much too jealous of a person to share someone I love with anyone else. Even if I'm in the bed with them.
And I really really really like sex. Did I mention that? And I like variety in sex. Dunno about just having sex with one person anymore... I did it before for over six years, but I was a lot less experienced a lot less 'good at it' then. And a lot less adventuresome.
Sometimes I'm very very adventuresome now.
Anyways, I went back to work from my vacation on Sunday. Was a pretty quiet day back. Had to listen to a bit of griping about the week I was gone. But it's always good when people say, "thank god you're back!" Yesterday, I worked 12 1/2 hours. I had a morning meeting at 7 am, which turned into a 4 1/2 hour meeting. Then I had to go back to work from 3 to midnite. It was actually a very good and very productive day.
Tonight, I'm working at the 'soft opening' of our new Westbank store. The soft opening is a three hour opening that the company always does the night before the first full day of business. Friends, family and pretty much anyone else can come. Should be sort of fun, I guess.
But, I have to find someone to tape the musical episode of Buffy for me.... Grrr...
Thursday, November 01, 2001
It's been a few days...
Saturday night, Lance didn't feel like going out at all, so we rented a couple movies, BLOWDRY and CATS AND DOGS and watched them at my apartment. He fell asleep on the futon during CATS AND DOGS and I had no choice but to fall asleep on top of him. At some point, we managed to stumble to my bed.
He was working Sunday, so we didn't sleep very late. I did discover that he likes to bite. I like that.
Sunday afternoon, I went to the Quarter with my friend Brian. Spent the afternoon and early evening listening to Susan Moribita spin very happy music for circuit boys. Wound up chatting up a nice couple from San Francisco for quite a while. I think the clothes they were wearing probably cost more than I made last month though. Also wound up dancing with a cute blond circuit boy for a brief time. Until his boyfriend showed up.
Monday was a terrible hangover day, but Lance called midday and forced me off the sofa to go watch K-PAX at the Palace. Not a movie I would have chosen to go see, but I quite liked it.
Tuesday, Lance and I finally got around to watching CATS & DOGS. But, we had to pause it as it was starting because someone decided that we had to have corndogs. Very endearing. Shortly after the movie ended, Lance went home b/c he wasn't feeling well.
Wednesday, I bought new comic books early in the day (New X-Men is out!), went shopping and then went to see THIRTEEN GHOSTS at the Westbank Palace. *yawn* An absolutely dreadfully boring movie. Grabbed some groceries at Super Walmart.
So, a little after 8, I headed to Flynn's house for an Edward Gorey themed cocktail party. I went early b/c I picked stuff up for him at the Super Walmart. A nice halloween early party. Saw Richard, Jonno, Gerald, Beau, his beau Grey and a bunch of other people. After the party, off to the Quarter to wander about. Ran into Dennis, which was great. Need to do more with him. Saw various and sundry people in and out of costume. Wandered about for a bit with Tom from 735. Don't get to spend time with him much. Twas nice.
Then I had a bit of an ugly scene when someone's paranoid delusions about me came spilling out in the street. Very depressing. Very bothersome. Wouldn't even think about entering into a rational discussion. *sigh*
Wandered about a bit more and then ran into Tanner, my ex's ex. He'd been out with Trent Reznor and company, but evidently ole Trent went home early. Heh. So, I gave him a ride home and chatted a bit.
Today, I've done not a damned thing. Started to sort of get depressed since I hadn't talked to Lance in almost 2 days. Dave, the ex, came by on his way out of town to drop some stuff off here. Dave's joining the Peace Corps in February and is gonna be travelling the country in the meantime. I'm gonna miss him a lot.
So, a bit ago, Lance called. Which made me happy. Except he has some potentially bad things happening in his life all of a sudden. Things that could and probably should freak me out a bit too. But, I don't feel that a bit right now. I just wanna keep seeing him as much as possible. And I'm gonna later tonight probably.
It just hit me though, that the one person I instantly wanted to call and talk a bit of this through with is Dave. And he's gone.
I live in interesting times...
Saturday night, Lance didn't feel like going out at all, so we rented a couple movies, BLOWDRY and CATS AND DOGS and watched them at my apartment. He fell asleep on the futon during CATS AND DOGS and I had no choice but to fall asleep on top of him. At some point, we managed to stumble to my bed.
He was working Sunday, so we didn't sleep very late. I did discover that he likes to bite. I like that.
Sunday afternoon, I went to the Quarter with my friend Brian. Spent the afternoon and early evening listening to Susan Moribita spin very happy music for circuit boys. Wound up chatting up a nice couple from San Francisco for quite a while. I think the clothes they were wearing probably cost more than I made last month though. Also wound up dancing with a cute blond circuit boy for a brief time. Until his boyfriend showed up.
Monday was a terrible hangover day, but Lance called midday and forced me off the sofa to go watch K-PAX at the Palace. Not a movie I would have chosen to go see, but I quite liked it.
Tuesday, Lance and I finally got around to watching CATS & DOGS. But, we had to pause it as it was starting because someone decided that we had to have corndogs. Very endearing. Shortly after the movie ended, Lance went home b/c he wasn't feeling well.
Wednesday, I bought new comic books early in the day (New X-Men is out!), went shopping and then went to see THIRTEEN GHOSTS at the Westbank Palace. *yawn* An absolutely dreadfully boring movie. Grabbed some groceries at Super Walmart.
So, a little after 8, I headed to Flynn's house for an Edward Gorey themed cocktail party. I went early b/c I picked stuff up for him at the Super Walmart. A nice halloween early party. Saw Richard, Jonno, Gerald, Beau, his beau Grey and a bunch of other people. After the party, off to the Quarter to wander about. Ran into Dennis, which was great. Need to do more with him. Saw various and sundry people in and out of costume. Wandered about for a bit with Tom from 735. Don't get to spend time with him much. Twas nice.
Then I had a bit of an ugly scene when someone's paranoid delusions about me came spilling out in the street. Very depressing. Very bothersome. Wouldn't even think about entering into a rational discussion. *sigh*
Wandered about a bit more and then ran into Tanner, my ex's ex. He'd been out with Trent Reznor and company, but evidently ole Trent went home early. Heh. So, I gave him a ride home and chatted a bit.
Today, I've done not a damned thing. Started to sort of get depressed since I hadn't talked to Lance in almost 2 days. Dave, the ex, came by on his way out of town to drop some stuff off here. Dave's joining the Peace Corps in February and is gonna be travelling the country in the meantime. I'm gonna miss him a lot.
So, a bit ago, Lance called. Which made me happy. Except he has some potentially bad things happening in his life all of a sudden. Things that could and probably should freak me out a bit too. But, I don't feel that a bit right now. I just wanna keep seeing him as much as possible. And I'm gonna later tonight probably.
It just hit me though, that the one person I instantly wanted to call and talk a bit of this through with is Dave. And he's gone.
I live in interesting times...
Saturday, October 27, 2001
Yesterday started nine days of vacation from work for me. I have no great plans. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just going to not work. I'm going to read. I'm going to simply enjoy life. Enjoy New Orleans. Enjoy my favorite season of the year. Hopefully convince someone to find time to have coffee one day...
Yesterday, I spent the afternoon hanging out in the city with my store manager, Denise, and a visiting friend of hers. Twas nice and low key mostly. We had lunch at Lucy's (Retired Surfers Bar) and then went to the Quarter to wander about.
Ran through Jackson Square and said hi to Tanner who seemed to be doing booming business with his unreal tattoos. Apologized to him about never getting back to him about planning a going away party for our mutual ex-boyfriend, who has decided to quit his well paying job and join the Peace Corps. (He'll be machetted to death...)
Went by Fifi's to say hi to Flynn & company and for the chicks to shop a bit. Then we ran through a few small shops.
The next stop was the courtyard at Napoleon House for drinks. We sat in dappled light and rambled on over a couple of cocktails for a bit, soaking in the pre-holiday vibe that was around us. Twas nice.
After Napoleon House, the chicks wanted a daiquiri, so we went up Bourbon to New Orleans Daiquiris. It was Circuit Queen central. Ugh ugh ugh. I actually had to leave the place while the girls ordered their drinks. I cannot stand over-pumped, over-shaved, super short haired clone boys. Why the fuck would anyone wanna look just like all of their supposed friends and 3000 other cookie cutter queens? I don't get it. And when I'm surrounded by it, I start to drown in the mediocrity of it all.
The curse of Halloween in New Orleans, I suppose...
Anyways, after the daiquiri stop, we had to run down to The Old Absinthe Shop to meet a friend of Denise's friend. Ugh ugh ugh again. Shortly thereafter, we went home.
Walking onto my stoop, I found a nice surprise. Last Sunday nite, only 4 days earlier, I had ordered a couple of books from Amazon UK that aren't due to be published here in the states until next year. Fallen Dragon by Peter F. Hamilton is the one I was really jonesing for. It came out a couple weeks ago in the UK, but isn't due in the US until next April. The wait was unthinkable. Hamilton writes great space opera. I never really liked this types of stories until him. But, his books fill my head with all sorts of ideas. And I buzz around happy for days after finishing one.
The other book is a compilation of British SF writers, called Futures. It also has a Hamilton story in it as well as a Stephen Baxter story, another of my faves.
Regardless, it was a huge shock to me that these books made it to me from the UK in less than five days transit. That's pretty damned impressive.
So, I grabbed Fallen Dragon and took it to Cafe Roma with me for a dinner of a roasted eggplant po-boy and white wine. I read the first couple of chapters sitting at a nice breezy, open to the street, corner table.
I was barely home and cleaned up before Lance called, a bit earlier than I expected. Grrrr... he, his roommate and roomie's boyfriend were going for cocktails and dinner. I go despite having eaten.
We drive around forever before finding a parking space in the Quarter. But, finally we do. Then it's to the Bombay Club for incredibly overpriced cocktails. I have a Stoli Cosmopolitan. That's about the gayest drink I drink on a regular basis.
Then we go to Irene's for dinner. I've never been to Irene's. It's a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, I'm stuffed to the gills already. The course of the evening is mostly nice, but I feel a bit on the sidelines during most of the conversation. It's hard to stay a part of a conversation when it mainly consists of tales of past adventures of close friends. I do manage to eat half a bowl of shrimp and corn bisque which was quite pleasant.
The evening ended relatively early for Lance and I since he worked today. But, we've mutually decided to skip tonight's big event since neither of us have costumes ready. I think we're gonna do pizza and a movie before we go to the bars. Perhaps I'll test him with Suspiria... Tis the season.
Yesterday, I spent the afternoon hanging out in the city with my store manager, Denise, and a visiting friend of hers. Twas nice and low key mostly. We had lunch at Lucy's (Retired Surfers Bar) and then went to the Quarter to wander about.
Ran through Jackson Square and said hi to Tanner who seemed to be doing booming business with his unreal tattoos. Apologized to him about never getting back to him about planning a going away party for our mutual ex-boyfriend, who has decided to quit his well paying job and join the Peace Corps. (He'll be machetted to death...)
Went by Fifi's to say hi to Flynn & company and for the chicks to shop a bit. Then we ran through a few small shops.
The next stop was the courtyard at Napoleon House for drinks. We sat in dappled light and rambled on over a couple of cocktails for a bit, soaking in the pre-holiday vibe that was around us. Twas nice.
After Napoleon House, the chicks wanted a daiquiri, so we went up Bourbon to New Orleans Daiquiris. It was Circuit Queen central. Ugh ugh ugh. I actually had to leave the place while the girls ordered their drinks. I cannot stand over-pumped, over-shaved, super short haired clone boys. Why the fuck would anyone wanna look just like all of their supposed friends and 3000 other cookie cutter queens? I don't get it. And when I'm surrounded by it, I start to drown in the mediocrity of it all.
The curse of Halloween in New Orleans, I suppose...
Anyways, after the daiquiri stop, we had to run down to The Old Absinthe Shop to meet a friend of Denise's friend. Ugh ugh ugh again. Shortly thereafter, we went home.
Walking onto my stoop, I found a nice surprise. Last Sunday nite, only 4 days earlier, I had ordered a couple of books from Amazon UK that aren't due to be published here in the states until next year. Fallen Dragon by Peter F. Hamilton is the one I was really jonesing for. It came out a couple weeks ago in the UK, but isn't due in the US until next April. The wait was unthinkable. Hamilton writes great space opera. I never really liked this types of stories until him. But, his books fill my head with all sorts of ideas. And I buzz around happy for days after finishing one.
The other book is a compilation of British SF writers, called Futures. It also has a Hamilton story in it as well as a Stephen Baxter story, another of my faves.
Regardless, it was a huge shock to me that these books made it to me from the UK in less than five days transit. That's pretty damned impressive.
So, I grabbed Fallen Dragon and took it to Cafe Roma with me for a dinner of a roasted eggplant po-boy and white wine. I read the first couple of chapters sitting at a nice breezy, open to the street, corner table.
I was barely home and cleaned up before Lance called, a bit earlier than I expected. Grrrr... he, his roommate and roomie's boyfriend were going for cocktails and dinner. I go despite having eaten.
We drive around forever before finding a parking space in the Quarter. But, finally we do. Then it's to the Bombay Club for incredibly overpriced cocktails. I have a Stoli Cosmopolitan. That's about the gayest drink I drink on a regular basis.
Then we go to Irene's for dinner. I've never been to Irene's. It's a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, I'm stuffed to the gills already. The course of the evening is mostly nice, but I feel a bit on the sidelines during most of the conversation. It's hard to stay a part of a conversation when it mainly consists of tales of past adventures of close friends. I do manage to eat half a bowl of shrimp and corn bisque which was quite pleasant.
The evening ended relatively early for Lance and I since he worked today. But, we've mutually decided to skip tonight's big event since neither of us have costumes ready. I think we're gonna do pizza and a movie before we go to the bars. Perhaps I'll test him with Suspiria... Tis the season.
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
So... it's been a few days...
Saturday... I bet you're wondering about Saturday? Saturday came and Lance called. (See, now you know his name) The plan made for the night was pizza from Cafe Roma and movies at his apartment. His roommate was around as well. They'd already rented SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE.
I had to stand my ground. I've already seen that movie. And I loathed it. So, I spoke up. We went back to Blockbuster and returned with SNATCH and SUNSHINE. SNATCH absolutely rocked. SUNSHINE was three hours of my life whose only redeeming factor was the guy I was snuggled up to on the sofa with.
The first part of the evening, I was a bit unsure of myself. And of where he stood with me. The roommate being around sorta threw me as well. But, I knew it was all good when he asked me if I wanted to lay down with him to watch the second movie. And, of course, I did. And I have to admit I actually slept on his chest for part of the movie. *sigh*
It was a nice long evening. He smokes, so when he went out for ciggy breaks, I went with him. And we sat and talked.
At the end of the evening, he asked me to sleep over. And I said no.
That means this could be serious...
By the time I came home, we'd planned to meet again on Tuesday. Which was last night. And we did meet again.
We went to see FROM HELL. He doesn't talk during movies. He likes to get Sno Caps and a Coke. The movie was good. The company was better. On the way home, he pulled into a gas station but parked near the shop, not at a gas pump. He asked if I wanted anything. I didn't.
He came back with Certs.
He brought me home. We sat in the car for several minutes. We weren't talking...
The next date is Friday night. We're just gonna get in his car and drive. And see where the road takes us...
This feels good. I hope it lasts. I think it will...
Saturday... I bet you're wondering about Saturday? Saturday came and Lance called. (See, now you know his name) The plan made for the night was pizza from Cafe Roma and movies at his apartment. His roommate was around as well. They'd already rented SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE.
I had to stand my ground. I've already seen that movie. And I loathed it. So, I spoke up. We went back to Blockbuster and returned with SNATCH and SUNSHINE. SNATCH absolutely rocked. SUNSHINE was three hours of my life whose only redeeming factor was the guy I was snuggled up to on the sofa with.
The first part of the evening, I was a bit unsure of myself. And of where he stood with me. The roommate being around sorta threw me as well. But, I knew it was all good when he asked me if I wanted to lay down with him to watch the second movie. And, of course, I did. And I have to admit I actually slept on his chest for part of the movie. *sigh*
It was a nice long evening. He smokes, so when he went out for ciggy breaks, I went with him. And we sat and talked.
At the end of the evening, he asked me to sleep over. And I said no.
That means this could be serious...
By the time I came home, we'd planned to meet again on Tuesday. Which was last night. And we did meet again.
We went to see FROM HELL. He doesn't talk during movies. He likes to get Sno Caps and a Coke. The movie was good. The company was better. On the way home, he pulled into a gas station but parked near the shop, not at a gas pump. He asked if I wanted anything. I didn't.
He came back with Certs.
He brought me home. We sat in the car for several minutes. We weren't talking...
The next date is Friday night. We're just gonna get in his car and drive. And see where the road takes us...
This feels good. I hope it lasts. I think it will...
Saturday, October 20, 2001
If I were the DJ at the Shim Sham for 80s nite, you'd hear:
The Magician - Secession
Don't Walk - The Big Supreme
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes - Ultravox
Say it Again - Danse Society
Fade to Grey - Visage
A Girl in Trouble - Romeo Void
The Politics of Dancing - Re-Flex
Warm Leatherette - The Normal
Change Your Mind - Sharpe & Numan
Double Barrel Prayer - Diamanda Galas
Big Hollow Man - Danielle Dax
Punch - Colourbox
Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
Stranger - Clan of Xymox
Be My (Powerstation) - St Che
Duel - Propaganda
Why - Bronski Beat
Ghost in You - Psychedelic Furs
A Way - The Bolshoi
Strapdown - Meat Beat Manifesto
Musique Non Stop - Kraftwerk
Tour de France - Kraftwerk
Hip Hop Be Bop - Man Parrish
October Love Song - Chris & Cosey
Whats My Mission Now - Tackhead
hmmm.. it would just confuse the 20 year olds...
The Magician - Secession
Don't Walk - The Big Supreme
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes - Ultravox
Say it Again - Danse Society
Fade to Grey - Visage
A Girl in Trouble - Romeo Void
The Politics of Dancing - Re-Flex
Warm Leatherette - The Normal
Change Your Mind - Sharpe & Numan
Double Barrel Prayer - Diamanda Galas
Big Hollow Man - Danielle Dax
Punch - Colourbox
Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
Stranger - Clan of Xymox
Be My (Powerstation) - St Che
Duel - Propaganda
Why - Bronski Beat
Ghost in You - Psychedelic Furs
A Way - The Bolshoi
Strapdown - Meat Beat Manifesto
Musique Non Stop - Kraftwerk
Tour de France - Kraftwerk
Hip Hop Be Bop - Man Parrish
October Love Song - Chris & Cosey
Whats My Mission Now - Tackhead
hmmm.. it would just confuse the 20 year olds...
Thursday, October 18, 2001
So, last Sunday, I ventured to the Bywater. A fashion show, of sorts, at Leos. Various and sundry people that I sort of know. Twas fun, to a point. Saw Beau, Richard, Jason (who did an incredibly funny drag number) and others. Had a few drinks, made some conversation and had general fun.
I made a slightly early exit and headed over to the Pub for the post-Tea crowd. I ran into a couple of people that I knew, made more conversation, etc etc. Wasn't too exciting.
Then Beau showed up at the Pub. We hung out, watched videos, etc etc. Then a friend of the guy that Beau is sorta seeing stopped to say hi. He was cute.
He was very cute.
He barely seemed to notice me when Beau introduced us.
His roommate and he hung out for a while. More drinks were had. Then somewhere along the way, he seemed to notice me. The conversation got a little more one on one.
A drink was bought for me.
More conversation.
Compliments exchanged. A phone number offered. More alcohol consumed. A promise made to call me for coffee.
The next day... the day I'm pretty sure he said he'd call. No phone call. No coffee.
A couple days pass. I forget about it cuz work is so busy.
Wednesday evening, I'm sitting at the desk in the back on my lunchbreak. My cellphone rings in my bag. I answer. It's him.
He's sorry that it's last minute, but will I have coffee with him that nite? Yes.
We meet at Rue de la Course on Magazine at 9:30 pm. It's a cool night, my favorite time of the year. We talk. It's extremely comfortable.
He's smart. He's witty. He has insightful things to say about all sorts of things. He keeps my interest.
At one point, in mid conversation, he stops, looks at me and says, "you're very handsome, you know?"
We talk until they make us leave.
Then we stroll across the street to our cars. We stop on the corner to say goodbye and make plans for dinner in the next few days. We kiss goodnight on the corner of the street.
I really can't wait to see him again. This feels... different. I like it.
Dinner Saturday... I'll let ya know how it goes...
I made a slightly early exit and headed over to the Pub for the post-Tea crowd. I ran into a couple of people that I knew, made more conversation, etc etc. Wasn't too exciting.
Then Beau showed up at the Pub. We hung out, watched videos, etc etc. Then a friend of the guy that Beau is sorta seeing stopped to say hi. He was cute.
He was very cute.
He barely seemed to notice me when Beau introduced us.
His roommate and he hung out for a while. More drinks were had. Then somewhere along the way, he seemed to notice me. The conversation got a little more one on one.
A drink was bought for me.
More conversation.
Compliments exchanged. A phone number offered. More alcohol consumed. A promise made to call me for coffee.
The next day... the day I'm pretty sure he said he'd call. No phone call. No coffee.
A couple days pass. I forget about it cuz work is so busy.
Wednesday evening, I'm sitting at the desk in the back on my lunchbreak. My cellphone rings in my bag. I answer. It's him.
He's sorry that it's last minute, but will I have coffee with him that nite? Yes.
We meet at Rue de la Course on Magazine at 9:30 pm. It's a cool night, my favorite time of the year. We talk. It's extremely comfortable.
He's smart. He's witty. He has insightful things to say about all sorts of things. He keeps my interest.
At one point, in mid conversation, he stops, looks at me and says, "you're very handsome, you know?"
We talk until they make us leave.
Then we stroll across the street to our cars. We stop on the corner to say goodbye and make plans for dinner in the next few days. We kiss goodnight on the corner of the street.
I really can't wait to see him again. This feels... different. I like it.
Dinner Saturday... I'll let ya know how it goes...
Saturday, October 13, 2001
So... today I did something I never really pictured myself doing... I bought an issue of JANE.
But the new issue has a free CD in it that's absolutely kick ass. It's all new, unreleased, remixed or otherwise unavailable tracks by a gaggle of groovy bands... like Stereolab, No comments:
But the new issue has a free CD in it that's absolutely kick ass. It's all new, unreleased, remixed or otherwise unavailable tracks by a gaggle of groovy bands... like Stereolab, No comments:
This morning I got up and went to work after a night of god awful insomnia. Why is it that when I have insomnia my dog seems to also? She paced the apartment the entire nite.
So I get to work and the store is a wreck cuz a couple people quit or disappeared this week and a couple others got sick last nite. So, we get everyone into recovery mode. I'm straightening tables. And while I'm straightening the trade paperback table, I find a book I haven't seen before. The author is Matt Clark.
A few years ago in Baton Rouge, I knew a Matt Clark. Matt was an incredibly bright guy who had more than a few quirks. He liked to wear bow ties. He was fond of disco and odd music. He was also the director of the graduate writing program at LSU. And from what I've heard he was incredibly well liked and respected in that program.
Matt and I had a bit of a dificult relationship. I'd be lying if I said we were great friends or perhaps friends at all. He was very much a part of the circle of people that I was a part of as well though.
The one time that I was really a part of his life was after a party he had. Matt had a big ceramic statue of the RCA Nipper dog. One of our friends decided in a drunken fit to 'kidnap' it from Matt's house during the party. The next day, four of us drove around Baton Rouge with the dog and a Polaroid camera. We took pictures of Nipper at an LSU campus glory hole. We took a picture of Nipper browsing gay porn at Hibiscus Books. We took a picture of Nipper posing with tourists at the state capital. And a couple more... And then we taped one to his office door on the LSU campus. Over the next couple weeks, we mailed the pictures to him one at a time. We even got a friend of one of us to mail one of the pictures from Paris. Or maybe we just planned to... it's been a while...
From what I remember Matt was both equally annoyed and amused.
I was a very different person back then. Somewhere along the way, I became a very bitter, very angry soul. I was difficult to be around. I became upset and overly angry very easily and very often. My friends grew distant. My relationship of several years fell apart.
After Dave and I split up, I began to take stock of my life though. I changed jobs and found myself really loving the new one. I started getting a lot more exercise, eating better, etc. I found joy in my life again. I started to really *live* again.
Matt lived a couple of blocks from me in the garden district of Baton Rouge. His boyfriend, Chad, was one of the few people who was always friendly with me, no matter how grim I got. I rode my bike a lot around the neighborhood and I often saw Chad and Matt walking. We'd chat a bit and then go on our ways.
I distinctly remember one day though that Chad stopped to chat and Matt continued walking toward his house. Chad told me that Matt didn't mean to be rude but that his stomach was bothering him a bit.
New Years Eve, or perhaps another holiday, was around this time. A group of us got together for the nite to celebrate. Chad showed up without Matt. He wasn't feeling well again. We felt bad for him but I remember a good time being had that night.
A couple of weeks later, my doorbell rang one day. When I answered the door, another friend of our circle, Jenny, was at the door. I didn't think much of it, because Jenny also lived in the Garden District and she'd often drop by and take my dog walking with her.
And then I noticed that she'd been crying. I've never felt power of words so much in my life as in that next moment. When Jenny asked me if I had heard about Matt. He'd been diagnosed with liver and colon cancer. And his diagnosis was terminal. I felt like I'd been physically shoved back through the door into my house. I was literaly in shock for a few minutes.
I never saw Matt again. The day he hurried off as Chad I chatted was the last time I saw him. As his illness progressed, he saw only his closest friends and family. Within a couple of months, he was gone. And he was only 31, the same age as me.
His memorial service was one of the coolest things I've ever been to in my life. At his request, bright colors were worn along with leis. Flowers were everywhere and not funeral arrangements. Dr Seuss was read. It was a nice day, of sorts.
During the time of his death and after, I discovered a lot about Matt that I had never known. He liked a lot of the same types of fiction that I did, magical realism and such. I never really knew that he had written that much either.
His death had a profound effect on my life. It was one of the greatest lessons I ever learned. I discovered that I had had this incredibly interesting person near me for a couple of years who I had kept at a distance with a lot of unnecessary attitude. It sounds like a simple thing. But it's not.
For me this was an enormous lesson. The more I really found out about Matt, the more I realized that if I had been more accessible, he and I probably would have become much better friends. I think we would've had some incredibly interesting conversations about literature, art and the world. I think I could have learned a lot from him.
I promised myself to never forget this. And I've done a pretty good job. I'm still happy... most of the time. :)
Well, back to this morning. I saw this book and thought to myself, "how sad... my Matt never got published and now there's another Matt Clark writing novels." And then I flipped the book over. And saw a picture of the Matt I once knew.
For a moment again, I had a physical reaction. I had to go to a part of the store where no one else was working. My stomach felt incredibly hollow, my eyes teared. Matt's novel got published...
Wow.
I'm home from work now and it's raining like hell outside. A perfect night to curl up on the sofa with a book, huh?
I'll tell ya all about it later....
So I get to work and the store is a wreck cuz a couple people quit or disappeared this week and a couple others got sick last nite. So, we get everyone into recovery mode. I'm straightening tables. And while I'm straightening the trade paperback table, I find a book I haven't seen before. The author is Matt Clark.
A few years ago in Baton Rouge, I knew a Matt Clark. Matt was an incredibly bright guy who had more than a few quirks. He liked to wear bow ties. He was fond of disco and odd music. He was also the director of the graduate writing program at LSU. And from what I've heard he was incredibly well liked and respected in that program.
Matt and I had a bit of a dificult relationship. I'd be lying if I said we were great friends or perhaps friends at all. He was very much a part of the circle of people that I was a part of as well though.
The one time that I was really a part of his life was after a party he had. Matt had a big ceramic statue of the RCA Nipper dog. One of our friends decided in a drunken fit to 'kidnap' it from Matt's house during the party. The next day, four of us drove around Baton Rouge with the dog and a Polaroid camera. We took pictures of Nipper at an LSU campus glory hole. We took a picture of Nipper browsing gay porn at Hibiscus Books. We took a picture of Nipper posing with tourists at the state capital. And a couple more... And then we taped one to his office door on the LSU campus. Over the next couple weeks, we mailed the pictures to him one at a time. We even got a friend of one of us to mail one of the pictures from Paris. Or maybe we just planned to... it's been a while...
From what I remember Matt was both equally annoyed and amused.
I was a very different person back then. Somewhere along the way, I became a very bitter, very angry soul. I was difficult to be around. I became upset and overly angry very easily and very often. My friends grew distant. My relationship of several years fell apart.
After Dave and I split up, I began to take stock of my life though. I changed jobs and found myself really loving the new one. I started getting a lot more exercise, eating better, etc. I found joy in my life again. I started to really *live* again.
Matt lived a couple of blocks from me in the garden district of Baton Rouge. His boyfriend, Chad, was one of the few people who was always friendly with me, no matter how grim I got. I rode my bike a lot around the neighborhood and I often saw Chad and Matt walking. We'd chat a bit and then go on our ways.
I distinctly remember one day though that Chad stopped to chat and Matt continued walking toward his house. Chad told me that Matt didn't mean to be rude but that his stomach was bothering him a bit.
New Years Eve, or perhaps another holiday, was around this time. A group of us got together for the nite to celebrate. Chad showed up without Matt. He wasn't feeling well again. We felt bad for him but I remember a good time being had that night.
A couple of weeks later, my doorbell rang one day. When I answered the door, another friend of our circle, Jenny, was at the door. I didn't think much of it, because Jenny also lived in the Garden District and she'd often drop by and take my dog walking with her.
And then I noticed that she'd been crying. I've never felt power of words so much in my life as in that next moment. When Jenny asked me if I had heard about Matt. He'd been diagnosed with liver and colon cancer. And his diagnosis was terminal. I felt like I'd been physically shoved back through the door into my house. I was literaly in shock for a few minutes.
I never saw Matt again. The day he hurried off as Chad I chatted was the last time I saw him. As his illness progressed, he saw only his closest friends and family. Within a couple of months, he was gone. And he was only 31, the same age as me.
His memorial service was one of the coolest things I've ever been to in my life. At his request, bright colors were worn along with leis. Flowers were everywhere and not funeral arrangements. Dr Seuss was read. It was a nice day, of sorts.
During the time of his death and after, I discovered a lot about Matt that I had never known. He liked a lot of the same types of fiction that I did, magical realism and such. I never really knew that he had written that much either.
His death had a profound effect on my life. It was one of the greatest lessons I ever learned. I discovered that I had had this incredibly interesting person near me for a couple of years who I had kept at a distance with a lot of unnecessary attitude. It sounds like a simple thing. But it's not.
For me this was an enormous lesson. The more I really found out about Matt, the more I realized that if I had been more accessible, he and I probably would have become much better friends. I think we would've had some incredibly interesting conversations about literature, art and the world. I think I could have learned a lot from him.
I promised myself to never forget this. And I've done a pretty good job. I'm still happy... most of the time. :)
Well, back to this morning. I saw this book and thought to myself, "how sad... my Matt never got published and now there's another Matt Clark writing novels." And then I flipped the book over. And saw a picture of the Matt I once knew.
For a moment again, I had a physical reaction. I had to go to a part of the store where no one else was working. My stomach felt incredibly hollow, my eyes teared. Matt's novel got published...
Wow.
I'm home from work now and it's raining like hell outside. A perfect night to curl up on the sofa with a book, huh?
I'll tell ya all about it later....
Friday, October 12, 2001
Okay... I'm thinking that there are uses for my newfound talent... for instance, you might want to
No comments:
What I'm reading right now:
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Tim and Pete by James Robert Baker
Sandman, all over again
What I'm listening to lately:
Beautiful Garbage / Garbage
Every Six Seconds / Saliva
Hot on the Heels of Love / Throbbing Gristle (go figure... suddenly i really like this song again)
Live Through This / Hole
Everything by Nirvana
Rated R / Queens of the Stone Age
Velvet Goldmine Soundtrack
The Id / Macy Gray
10,000 HZ / Air
Drugstore / Drugstore
Sexadelic Dance Party / Vampyros Lesbos
Gorillaz / Gorillaz
ChangesBowie / David Bowie
Too Young to Die (the Singles) / St Etienne
Adore / Smashing Pumpkins
Elastica / Elastica
Exotica Soundtrack
Join in the Chant (Thomas P Heckmann Remix) / Nitzer Ebb
K & D Sessions / Kruder & Dorfmeister
What I've Watched Lately:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer's new season
Wicker Man
Suspiria
Akira
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Tim and Pete by James Robert Baker
Sandman, all over again
What I'm listening to lately:
Beautiful Garbage / Garbage
Every Six Seconds / Saliva
Hot on the Heels of Love / Throbbing Gristle (go figure... suddenly i really like this song again)
Live Through This / Hole
Everything by Nirvana
Rated R / Queens of the Stone Age
Velvet Goldmine Soundtrack
The Id / Macy Gray
10,000 HZ / Air
Drugstore / Drugstore
Sexadelic Dance Party / Vampyros Lesbos
Gorillaz / Gorillaz
ChangesBowie / David Bowie
Too Young to Die (the Singles) / St Etienne
Adore / Smashing Pumpkins
Elastica / Elastica
Exotica Soundtrack
Join in the Chant (Thomas P Heckmann Remix) / Nitzer Ebb
K & D Sessions / Kruder & Dorfmeister
What I've Watched Lately:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer's new season
Wicker Man
Suspiria
Akira
A quick note to say THANKS! to Jonno.
Regular readers of this should know why I'm thanking him if they're paying attention at all... And it only took me about 5 minutes to learn. :)
Regular readers of this should know why I'm thanking him if they're paying attention at all... And it only took me about 5 minutes to learn. :)
Sunday, October 07, 2001
A lesson learned this week... I bid on eBay ever so often. This past week I bid on several items. I'm so compulsive about eBay that I have my account set up to send email alerts to my cellphone when I'm outbid. And I have my cellphone set up to make a telegraph sound when it receives an email. Night before last, I was very tired after my brief night out. Over the course of the night, I was outbid three seperate times. So, three times in the middle of the night, I was awoken by my vibrating, chirping cellphone. I may have to rethink this...
My new haircut rules. Thanks to my friends who convinced me that my haircolor is just fine as it is... A special thanks to the 2 people who told me that 'people pay to get hair my color.' I feel beautiful. *snort* *chuckle*
I'm buying the boots tomorrow. Yes I am...
My new haircut rules. Thanks to my friends who convinced me that my haircolor is just fine as it is... A special thanks to the 2 people who told me that 'people pay to get hair my color.' I feel beautiful. *snort* *chuckle*
I'm buying the boots tomorrow. Yes I am...
Saturday, October 06, 2001
Alrighty... i've been a BAD blogger. This has been pointed out to me in several recent conversations.
Why? Well, at least partially cuz in the scope of the hugeness of everything going on in the world lately, it's seemed a bit frivolous to go on about my small life in such detail. Also, my life has been sort of boring lately.
Anyways, enuff with boredom...
Last night was a very good night. I worked till 4 pm yesterday. Which means I actually worked till almost 5, natch. During my lunch break, I rushed out to check out Best Buy on Vets on their opening day. Picked up the new Garbage CD and the Saliva CD that's been out a while. I felt noisy. Only $11.99 each. I passed on buying the Argento double disc sets cuz their are better things to spend money on right now.
So, after I got in from work, I walked the dog, checked email and showered. Then I drove downtown. I parked my car in the edge of the Marigny and ran to Gargoyles shoe store before they closed. After a lot of scoping out of boots, which I need a new pair of, I zoned in on a nice calf high pair with lots of lace and three buckles across the back of 'em. $180 though. I'm living with the idea of them for a couple of days before I commit. Altho, I think I've already mentally committed. I see myself looking quite nice in them.
Next I walked over to Electric Ladyland on Frenchmen and spent some time checking out their flash and talking to one of the artists. Their prices seem quite decent. I really have no clue what I want though. I just know I want more ink on my unadorned arm. Of course, my parents still haven't seen the other arm...
After the tattoo shop, I drove over and parked at Harrahs and got my ticket validated and then left the casino. I did some shopping at the Riverwalk. Spent $145 and got 4 pairs of pants and 4 shirts. Not too shabby. Of course, Flynn called while I was at the Gap and seemed horrified that I was at the Gap. Whatever dude! I think he got my reasoning when I pointed out that a $20 pair of cargo pants or jeans is a nice thing to have no matter if it did come from the Gap. As long as my clothes don't have big labels announcing their origins I don't care where the fuck they come from.
Agreed to meet Flynn at Lafitte's later since he'd be meeting Jonno there. Yay, happy to see Jonno.
Back in the car, back to the edge of the Marigny. Bags stowed in trunk. A quick change into new dark jeans. Pouting a bit cuz I didn't buy the boots.
I wander the Quarter a bit and decide to have dinner at Angeli. Grilled eggplant sandwich with fries and a Bloody Mary. Bloody good. Read all the gay rags while I'm dining. Nice and relaxifying.
After dinner, I strole down to Virgin Mega and listen to CDs for an hour or so. Nothing bowls me over except for the first track on the new Curve CD. I didn't even know their was a new Curve CD.
I browse Tower a bit also. Have to make myself not buy the new action figure of Kaneda from Akira sitting on his bike. NICE! but it'll be cheaper elsewhere later.
Then I head on to the fruit loop. I intend to stop at the Pub to say hi to Wil and Chris, but they're charging cover and I ain't paying. So, I head to Lafittes. Jonno is at the bar, talking to Eric, who's bartending.
Eric is a recent transplant from Chicago, I believe. I've met him a couple of times. Cute guy. Never remembers who I am. That pretty much sums up the impression I've made, I suppose. :) He's quite cute in everyday life. I don't think I like him behind a bar. It seems sort of demeaning to him...
Regardless, it was the first time I'd actually gotten to hang out with Jonno where speaking was involved in many weeks. I saw him last Saturday, but I was sorta drunk and all I did was give him a big bearhug. But, I think the hug was an effective means of communication in that case.
It was Rock Night at Lafittes. The music was hit and miss, but Bowie and Romeo Void were the highlights. I feel like having bourbon so Jonno, my new mixologist, introduces me to a Red Snapper. Bourbon, amaretto, cranberry and a splash of soda. I like.
Flynn appears. Conversing follows. We wander to Rawhide. Hang with Andy at the bar for a bit. See Robert who compliments me on my sobriety for the evening. Then to Voodoo. At which point, I check the time and head home.
Me and a dog in the bed adrift in an air-conditioned frigid blissful slumber...
This morning, so far, a haircut. And a good one. I feel pretty. Now, I'm gonna go shop some more before I work this afternoon.
I'm back, trivialities and all... And I'll try to keep at it... promise...
Why? Well, at least partially cuz in the scope of the hugeness of everything going on in the world lately, it's seemed a bit frivolous to go on about my small life in such detail. Also, my life has been sort of boring lately.
Anyways, enuff with boredom...
Last night was a very good night. I worked till 4 pm yesterday. Which means I actually worked till almost 5, natch. During my lunch break, I rushed out to check out Best Buy on Vets on their opening day. Picked up the new Garbage CD and the Saliva CD that's been out a while. I felt noisy. Only $11.99 each. I passed on buying the Argento double disc sets cuz their are better things to spend money on right now.
So, after I got in from work, I walked the dog, checked email and showered. Then I drove downtown. I parked my car in the edge of the Marigny and ran to Gargoyles shoe store before they closed. After a lot of scoping out of boots, which I need a new pair of, I zoned in on a nice calf high pair with lots of lace and three buckles across the back of 'em. $180 though. I'm living with the idea of them for a couple of days before I commit. Altho, I think I've already mentally committed. I see myself looking quite nice in them.
Next I walked over to Electric Ladyland on Frenchmen and spent some time checking out their flash and talking to one of the artists. Their prices seem quite decent. I really have no clue what I want though. I just know I want more ink on my unadorned arm. Of course, my parents still haven't seen the other arm...
After the tattoo shop, I drove over and parked at Harrahs and got my ticket validated and then left the casino. I did some shopping at the Riverwalk. Spent $145 and got 4 pairs of pants and 4 shirts. Not too shabby. Of course, Flynn called while I was at the Gap and seemed horrified that I was at the Gap. Whatever dude! I think he got my reasoning when I pointed out that a $20 pair of cargo pants or jeans is a nice thing to have no matter if it did come from the Gap. As long as my clothes don't have big labels announcing their origins I don't care where the fuck they come from.
Agreed to meet Flynn at Lafitte's later since he'd be meeting Jonno there. Yay, happy to see Jonno.
Back in the car, back to the edge of the Marigny. Bags stowed in trunk. A quick change into new dark jeans. Pouting a bit cuz I didn't buy the boots.
I wander the Quarter a bit and decide to have dinner at Angeli. Grilled eggplant sandwich with fries and a Bloody Mary. Bloody good. Read all the gay rags while I'm dining. Nice and relaxifying.
After dinner, I strole down to Virgin Mega and listen to CDs for an hour or so. Nothing bowls me over except for the first track on the new Curve CD. I didn't even know their was a new Curve CD.
I browse Tower a bit also. Have to make myself not buy the new action figure of Kaneda from Akira sitting on his bike. NICE! but it'll be cheaper elsewhere later.
Then I head on to the fruit loop. I intend to stop at the Pub to say hi to Wil and Chris, but they're charging cover and I ain't paying. So, I head to Lafittes. Jonno is at the bar, talking to Eric, who's bartending.
Eric is a recent transplant from Chicago, I believe. I've met him a couple of times. Cute guy. Never remembers who I am. That pretty much sums up the impression I've made, I suppose. :) He's quite cute in everyday life. I don't think I like him behind a bar. It seems sort of demeaning to him...
Regardless, it was the first time I'd actually gotten to hang out with Jonno where speaking was involved in many weeks. I saw him last Saturday, but I was sorta drunk and all I did was give him a big bearhug. But, I think the hug was an effective means of communication in that case.
It was Rock Night at Lafittes. The music was hit and miss, but Bowie and Romeo Void were the highlights. I feel like having bourbon so Jonno, my new mixologist, introduces me to a Red Snapper. Bourbon, amaretto, cranberry and a splash of soda. I like.
Flynn appears. Conversing follows. We wander to Rawhide. Hang with Andy at the bar for a bit. See Robert who compliments me on my sobriety for the evening. Then to Voodoo. At which point, I check the time and head home.
Me and a dog in the bed adrift in an air-conditioned frigid blissful slumber...
This morning, so far, a haircut. And a good one. I feel pretty. Now, I'm gonna go shop some more before I work this afternoon.
I'm back, trivialities and all... And I'll try to keep at it... promise...
Sunday, September 23, 2001
The Snow Garden... Christopher Rice...
I read it today.
I was expecting sophomore slump. Second novels are notoriously iffy. Often quite bad.
The first few pages of the novel didn't draw me in. But, by the second chapter the characters were starting to speak to me. By the third or fourth, I was hooked.
His first novel, DENSITY OF SOULS, was a book that I read in one sitting. So is the second. Well, one day anyway.
I won't comment much on the storyline except to say that it's very complicated. Very. It takes place over a winter semester at a small east coast university. The cast of characters is quite large and nearly every character in the book is much more than they first appear.
It reminded me in parts of Donna Tart's The Secret History, Elizabeth Hand's Waking the Moon and Arturo Perez-Reverte's The Club Dumas. But these are positive comparisons. I don't mean to imply that it's derivative of any of these novels. And it only bears passing resemblance to any of them.
There was one scene in the copy that I read that I imagine most of you will never read. There's a scene where a character looks over the skyline of NYC and glances past the radio towers over the World Trade Center. And it takes place in December 2001. Sort of odd reading that. But, I digress.
It's the sort of book that you don't want to put down. In some ways, I liked it more than his first novel. In some ways less. But, most of the latter probably has to do with Density's New Orleans setting. I love books set in New Orleans. Can't imagine why...
Any novel that leaves me a bit disturbed at the end and also leaves me wanting to read more of the characters, even if I don't *really* wanna read about them since their story is done, is a good book.
And this was a good book.
But, perhaps you can decide for yourself. In February. When the rest of you can get a copy. :P
I read it today.
I was expecting sophomore slump. Second novels are notoriously iffy. Often quite bad.
The first few pages of the novel didn't draw me in. But, by the second chapter the characters were starting to speak to me. By the third or fourth, I was hooked.
His first novel, DENSITY OF SOULS, was a book that I read in one sitting. So is the second. Well, one day anyway.
I won't comment much on the storyline except to say that it's very complicated. Very. It takes place over a winter semester at a small east coast university. The cast of characters is quite large and nearly every character in the book is much more than they first appear.
It reminded me in parts of Donna Tart's The Secret History, Elizabeth Hand's Waking the Moon and Arturo Perez-Reverte's The Club Dumas. But these are positive comparisons. I don't mean to imply that it's derivative of any of these novels. And it only bears passing resemblance to any of them.
There was one scene in the copy that I read that I imagine most of you will never read. There's a scene where a character looks over the skyline of NYC and glances past the radio towers over the World Trade Center. And it takes place in December 2001. Sort of odd reading that. But, I digress.
It's the sort of book that you don't want to put down. In some ways, I liked it more than his first novel. In some ways less. But, most of the latter probably has to do with Density's New Orleans setting. I love books set in New Orleans. Can't imagine why...
Any novel that leaves me a bit disturbed at the end and also leaves me wanting to read more of the characters, even if I don't *really* wanna read about them since their story is done, is a good book.
And this was a good book.
But, perhaps you can decide for yourself. In February. When the rest of you can get a copy. :P
Wednesday, September 19, 2001
First off... i'm craving contact... if you're out there and reading this, let me know... devem@earthlink.net ... just drop me a line or two...
Alrighty... i'm in a bit of a maudlin goofy mood, so...
Right about now, I'm liking life a lot.
The last week has simultaneously been one of the worst weeks of my life and one of the best. The enormity of what happened in New York City and DC threatened to overwhelm me on more than one moment. I've worked every day but one since September 11th. In that time, I've had to put on a brave front. As a manager in a large retail store (Barnes & Noble), I have to be a leader, an examplar. I have to set the example for others no matter what my own internal feelings. This past week has been my greatest challenge. I've had to manage, shepherd, counsel and simply be there for around 80 shellshocked employees. For a week now, I've gone to my store and put on a brave front, trying to act as though the unfolding events had little effect on me. Sometimes I succeeded, a few times I failed. Mostly I had success.
Its been my responsibility to my staff to be a firm figure of resolve. To act as though what we've all been through was bearable. To counsel those whose feelings threatened to overwhelm them. To referee when two overly emotional employees came to verbal blows over normally inconsequential matters. To gently correct when employees became irritable after being asked for the same books or magazines pertinent to the ongoing crisis for the 700th time.
I went to work and set a brave face. And then on the way home at nite, listening to NPR or whatever radio station happened to be reporting the news (and they all were), I sat behind the wheel of my car and sobbed.
I don't think of myself normally as a patriot. I don't think those who know me necessarily think of me as a caring person. But the events of September 11th 2001 have deeply wounded me.
In one day, our world has changed so enormously that I don't think that even now we can comprehend how much it has changed.
Nothing will ever be the same. Nothing. Ever.
I am so very proud at this moment in time to be an American citizen. We live in such a great country. We have enjoyed such great freedom. We influence the rest of the world as no other country.
But, last week, over 5000 of our citizens died. In spectacularly horrible ways. I stil am not capable of comprehending the enormity of it all.
I still cry when I'm alone.
But...
Over the past week, perhaps because of the horror of these events, I've come to realize that in many ways I have a truly great existence.
I've lived in Louisiana my entire life. Most of it in the small town where I grew up or in Baton Rouge. Almost a year ago, I moved to New Orleans.
I can't possibly express how much I love this city. New Orleans is in my blood. It's the city that I'm meant to coexist within.
The shabby decandent outsider feeling that this city exudes is what flows in my veins. I belong here. I can't imagine ever living anywhere else.
From the moment I moved here, I've met people, for perhaps the first time in my life, who I truly feel a kinship with. Flynn, Robert, Jonno, Tracy... who are new to me. Dave, Brian, Tom, Tanner... who I knew already and most of whom were also drawn to this beautiful place. For most of my life, I've known that I'm truly really not that similar to most people. It's amazingly gratifying to meet other people who are similarly unique.
I was standing on a street corner on Magazine Street earlier this week waiting for a bus and I was suddenly struck, as I looked down the street, how much I truly love the area I live in. The Lower Garden District of New Orleans is such a unique and vital area. It's beautiful. And I feel so very lucky to be here.
I almost feel as though somehow a decision was made on a higher level (and this is coming from an avowed atheist) to send me good thing over the last week.
The Sunday before we were attacked, I met Matthew. I'm a bit smitten with this boy. I don't know where it will go, but for now it's good.
This past Saturday, at our store we had an event called Literary Louisiana. Basically, it was a day to recognize local authors. The basic concept was to get a couple big name to draw people in for the smaller names.
One of our bigger names was Poppy Z Brite. One of my absolute favorite authors, who just happens to live in New Orleans. Well... not quite... she's one of the top authors at describing life in New Orleans...
Regardless, Poppy and I have had an odd email relationship off and on for a year or so. I've participated in her Usenet newsgroup for several years. I've had books signed by her years ago at signings. But, since I've moved to New Orleans, where she lives also, we've never met, despite me working at the bookstore that she shops most frequently.
So, Saturday, we finally met. I'm embarrassed to admit that when she went to hug me, I pulled away from her. I just don't like to be touched unexpectedly. It's one of my fucked up idiosyncrasies (sp?).
Regardless, we had nice conversation every once in a while. I was quite proud of myself because I really viewed her as another cool citizen of NO, and not as an idol. Her husband is also quite the nice guy.
And today, I went to work. On the way to work, I somehow became quite depressed. I think it was mainly the fact that I knew that I had another day of being the 'tough guy' ahead of me. But, my co-assisant manager, Peter, made my day much better. He quite teasingly looked at me and said "hey, do you want this?" and pulled out an Advance Readers Copy of THE SNOW GARDEN by Christopher Rice.
I was made quite happy at that moment.
I'm one of the few that actually quite enjoyed his first book, DENSITY OF SOULS. So, I was quite happy to get a copy of his new book 4 months before the rest of you.
I'll let ya know how it is in a couple of days....
Alrighty... i'm in a bit of a maudlin goofy mood, so...
Right about now, I'm liking life a lot.
The last week has simultaneously been one of the worst weeks of my life and one of the best. The enormity of what happened in New York City and DC threatened to overwhelm me on more than one moment. I've worked every day but one since September 11th. In that time, I've had to put on a brave front. As a manager in a large retail store (Barnes & Noble), I have to be a leader, an examplar. I have to set the example for others no matter what my own internal feelings. This past week has been my greatest challenge. I've had to manage, shepherd, counsel and simply be there for around 80 shellshocked employees. For a week now, I've gone to my store and put on a brave front, trying to act as though the unfolding events had little effect on me. Sometimes I succeeded, a few times I failed. Mostly I had success.
Its been my responsibility to my staff to be a firm figure of resolve. To act as though what we've all been through was bearable. To counsel those whose feelings threatened to overwhelm them. To referee when two overly emotional employees came to verbal blows over normally inconsequential matters. To gently correct when employees became irritable after being asked for the same books or magazines pertinent to the ongoing crisis for the 700th time.
I went to work and set a brave face. And then on the way home at nite, listening to NPR or whatever radio station happened to be reporting the news (and they all were), I sat behind the wheel of my car and sobbed.
I don't think of myself normally as a patriot. I don't think those who know me necessarily think of me as a caring person. But the events of September 11th 2001 have deeply wounded me.
In one day, our world has changed so enormously that I don't think that even now we can comprehend how much it has changed.
Nothing will ever be the same. Nothing. Ever.
I am so very proud at this moment in time to be an American citizen. We live in such a great country. We have enjoyed such great freedom. We influence the rest of the world as no other country.
But, last week, over 5000 of our citizens died. In spectacularly horrible ways. I stil am not capable of comprehending the enormity of it all.
I still cry when I'm alone.
But...
Over the past week, perhaps because of the horror of these events, I've come to realize that in many ways I have a truly great existence.
I've lived in Louisiana my entire life. Most of it in the small town where I grew up or in Baton Rouge. Almost a year ago, I moved to New Orleans.
I can't possibly express how much I love this city. New Orleans is in my blood. It's the city that I'm meant to coexist within.
The shabby decandent outsider feeling that this city exudes is what flows in my veins. I belong here. I can't imagine ever living anywhere else.
From the moment I moved here, I've met people, for perhaps the first time in my life, who I truly feel a kinship with. Flynn, Robert, Jonno, Tracy... who are new to me. Dave, Brian, Tom, Tanner... who I knew already and most of whom were also drawn to this beautiful place. For most of my life, I've known that I'm truly really not that similar to most people. It's amazingly gratifying to meet other people who are similarly unique.
I was standing on a street corner on Magazine Street earlier this week waiting for a bus and I was suddenly struck, as I looked down the street, how much I truly love the area I live in. The Lower Garden District of New Orleans is such a unique and vital area. It's beautiful. And I feel so very lucky to be here.
I almost feel as though somehow a decision was made on a higher level (and this is coming from an avowed atheist) to send me good thing over the last week.
The Sunday before we were attacked, I met Matthew. I'm a bit smitten with this boy. I don't know where it will go, but for now it's good.
This past Saturday, at our store we had an event called Literary Louisiana. Basically, it was a day to recognize local authors. The basic concept was to get a couple big name to draw people in for the smaller names.
One of our bigger names was Poppy Z Brite. One of my absolute favorite authors, who just happens to live in New Orleans. Well... not quite... she's one of the top authors at describing life in New Orleans...
Regardless, Poppy and I have had an odd email relationship off and on for a year or so. I've participated in her Usenet newsgroup for several years. I've had books signed by her years ago at signings. But, since I've moved to New Orleans, where she lives also, we've never met, despite me working at the bookstore that she shops most frequently.
So, Saturday, we finally met. I'm embarrassed to admit that when she went to hug me, I pulled away from her. I just don't like to be touched unexpectedly. It's one of my fucked up idiosyncrasies (sp?).
Regardless, we had nice conversation every once in a while. I was quite proud of myself because I really viewed her as another cool citizen of NO, and not as an idol. Her husband is also quite the nice guy.
And today, I went to work. On the way to work, I somehow became quite depressed. I think it was mainly the fact that I knew that I had another day of being the 'tough guy' ahead of me. But, my co-assisant manager, Peter, made my day much better. He quite teasingly looked at me and said "hey, do you want this?" and pulled out an Advance Readers Copy of THE SNOW GARDEN by Christopher Rice.
I was made quite happy at that moment.
I'm one of the few that actually quite enjoyed his first book, DENSITY OF SOULS. So, I was quite happy to get a copy of his new book 4 months before the rest of you.
I'll let ya know how it is in a couple of days....
Tuesday, September 18, 2001
So, I've seen Matthew (the 22 year old) 5 times over the last 9 days. That's an interesting number of times.
I'm growing fond of him. He's a sweet goofy boy with a slightly nuts side to him. Not that I have room to talk...
The phone calls have flowed back and forth in equal quantity. That's a good thing.
He's also quite good at kissing. Another good thing...
I'm growing fond of him. He's a sweet goofy boy with a slightly nuts side to him. Not that I have room to talk...
The phone calls have flowed back and forth in equal quantity. That's a good thing.
He's also quite good at kissing. Another good thing...
Saturday, September 15, 2001
So, last nite, I knew that I had to get up at 5 am this morning, but I still didn't go to bed until 12:30 am. The cute boy called me around 11:45. That was a nice surprise.
I tossed and turned all nite, finally settling down just when the alarm went off at 5. Jumped up, showered, ate some fruit and went to work. We had an event today with 18 local authors and there was a lot of set-up to do.
I got the event running smoothly and had a nice day at work. One of my favorite authors was in the store today to sign, Poppy Z. Brite. She rocks. I love her books much much much.
It was cool getting to hang out with her and her husband and chatting with them for a bit. It was kinda neat for both of us, I think, b/c she and I have had a sporadic email correspondence for a couple of years.
I think I made a good impression in person tho, cuz when she left, she gave me her phone number. :) Cool beans indeed.
I tossed and turned all nite, finally settling down just when the alarm went off at 5. Jumped up, showered, ate some fruit and went to work. We had an event today with 18 local authors and there was a lot of set-up to do.
I got the event running smoothly and had a nice day at work. One of my favorite authors was in the store today to sign, Poppy Z. Brite. She rocks. I love her books much much much.
It was cool getting to hang out with her and her husband and chatting with them for a bit. It was kinda neat for both of us, I think, b/c she and I have had a sporadic email correspondence for a couple of years.
I think I made a good impression in person tho, cuz when she left, she gave me her phone number. :) Cool beans indeed.
a day off work...
I'm still stumbling around a bit, numb from this unthinkable week. But, I'm trying to get on with life the best I can.
I slept late this morning and then caught some sun while reading the new Arturo Perez-Reverte novel, THE NAUTICAL MAP. I didn't even know this book was coming out, so it's quite the treat to have right now.
Then I headed out to the Quarter for a coffee date that was arranged a few days ago. Met a guy from gay.com, Mark. He turned out to be someone I had seen before and thought cute. Nice conversation. I expect follow up.
Also, wound up hanging out with Flynn for a bit. At first at Fifi Mahoney's, his sometimes workplace, and then on the street. While at Fifi's, his friends Beau and Andy (the good one) dropped by, separately. Andy is a cute mostly straight heavily tattooed boy who bartends at Rawhide. Cute boy, seem very sweet. Beau is a beautiful freak of a boy. He's much more handsome than he realizes and he's a walking fetish. He's one hot boy and I don't think he has a clue quite how attractive he is. And I noticed early on that he was wearing latex underwear...
Flynn, Beau and I wound up strolling around the Quarter on a beautiful late summer evening. We strolled thru Virgin, admiring toys ands DVDs. Then to Tower to peruse more movies and toys. All three of us have similar transgressive tastes, I think.
While in Tower, Beau and I wound up in the little porn section. Amusingly enough, we both grabbed BOUND & GAGGED off the porn newsstand. And both agreed that the pics in it just don't go far enough. From these moments bonds are born...
Strolling back through the Quarter to Beau's jeep, I ask Beau about the first time I met him, which was a horribly overdone looong drunken nite out. I find out that he did me a great kindness that night. I don't wanna go into it, but I feel a great fondness for him as a result.
We hang at Flynn's for a bit and then Beau and I both bail on dinner plans for economic reasons. I realize I should head home instead of out for the evening with them. Beau needs to run home for some meds, so I grab a ride home with him.
The ride home turns into a long one thanks to a train crossing Rampart. Beau talks a lot and I listen a lot, adding my two cents here and there. It's nice conversation, if sometimes strange conversation. The strange conversation is even better. He drops me off and I feel quite good about having met another really interesting person.
So, that's two new interesting people today. Wow.
I'm liking this. Over the last few months, I'm finally, for the first time in my life, meeting people who I feel I share somewhat of a sameness with. And developing friendships of varying degrees with them.
This rocks...
(Apologies to Sturtle, who probably never reads my page anyway, for all the prepositions that I love to end sentences with...)
I'm still stumbling around a bit, numb from this unthinkable week. But, I'm trying to get on with life the best I can.
I slept late this morning and then caught some sun while reading the new Arturo Perez-Reverte novel, THE NAUTICAL MAP. I didn't even know this book was coming out, so it's quite the treat to have right now.
Then I headed out to the Quarter for a coffee date that was arranged a few days ago. Met a guy from gay.com, Mark. He turned out to be someone I had seen before and thought cute. Nice conversation. I expect follow up.
Also, wound up hanging out with Flynn for a bit. At first at Fifi Mahoney's, his sometimes workplace, and then on the street. While at Fifi's, his friends Beau and Andy (the good one) dropped by, separately. Andy is a cute mostly straight heavily tattooed boy who bartends at Rawhide. Cute boy, seem very sweet. Beau is a beautiful freak of a boy. He's much more handsome than he realizes and he's a walking fetish. He's one hot boy and I don't think he has a clue quite how attractive he is. And I noticed early on that he was wearing latex underwear...
Flynn, Beau and I wound up strolling around the Quarter on a beautiful late summer evening. We strolled thru Virgin, admiring toys ands DVDs. Then to Tower to peruse more movies and toys. All three of us have similar transgressive tastes, I think.
While in Tower, Beau and I wound up in the little porn section. Amusingly enough, we both grabbed BOUND & GAGGED off the porn newsstand. And both agreed that the pics in it just don't go far enough. From these moments bonds are born...
Strolling back through the Quarter to Beau's jeep, I ask Beau about the first time I met him, which was a horribly overdone looong drunken nite out. I find out that he did me a great kindness that night. I don't wanna go into it, but I feel a great fondness for him as a result.
We hang at Flynn's for a bit and then Beau and I both bail on dinner plans for economic reasons. I realize I should head home instead of out for the evening with them. Beau needs to run home for some meds, so I grab a ride home with him.
The ride home turns into a long one thanks to a train crossing Rampart. Beau talks a lot and I listen a lot, adding my two cents here and there. It's nice conversation, if sometimes strange conversation. The strange conversation is even better. He drops me off and I feel quite good about having met another really interesting person.
So, that's two new interesting people today. Wow.
I'm liking this. Over the last few months, I'm finally, for the first time in my life, meeting people who I feel I share somewhat of a sameness with. And developing friendships of varying degrees with them.
This rocks...
(Apologies to Sturtle, who probably never reads my page anyway, for all the prepositions that I love to end sentences with...)
Thursday, September 13, 2001
In the midst of all the insanity, something good has happened. I met a boy.
Sunday night, I went out to meet my friend Shaun who was visiting from Kansas City at the Pub. I usually don't have a whole lot of fun at the Pub, but I figured I'd make the best of it. Shaun was pretty much toasted when I got out around 1. I was hanging at the corner of the bar with our mutual friend Nick and the boy he was scamming on when an incredibly cute boy stopped to say hi to Nick's boy. I made room for him to get to the bar so he could get a drink. After he got his drink, he stayed nearby.
I was instantly smitten. He was dark, thin, precocious as could be and had a great smile. Smitten.
Somehow we started chatting a little. A little chatting turned into a lot of chatting. He made admiring comments about my tattoos.
Chemistry seems to be cooking. He buys me a drink and the bartender gives us several shots. Chemistry really starts cooking.
A perfect evening of conversation and mad making out follows. I'm absolutely smitten by the way he carries himself, his smile and a really sweet but funky personality. He tells me my breath smells like koolaid (raspberry and vanilla stoli), that *I* smell good and that he likes my tattoos and messed up hair. Finally... a gay boy who likes me for the things most of them don't like me for...
Anyways, we get smashed. Wind up briefly at my apartment, throwing clothes hear and there and then wrap it up before it goes too far. That's a very good sign.
He's working the next day, which is too bad cuz I'm off. I call him soon after I wake, which isn't very early. He seems glad to hear from me. We make lunch plans for Wednesday. Sushi.
The rest of Monday passes. I run into Shaun and Nick at Trolley Stop eating a late breakfast. Nick leaves for home and Shaun and I head to the Bywater to hang out at Flynn's. Jonno is there, as is Jason, an adorably cute friend of Flynn's. A lot of video game playing and nature photography follows. A bit of pot is smoked, but I just observe and settle for a contact high. A really nice chilled out afternoon.
Then Tuesday comes. Not a good day at all. But, you know about that.
Wednesday. The Boy calls me at 10 AM. A very good sign. We make plans for him to pick me up at 11:45 after he runs. I run around cleaning my apartment. He comes over. We go to Sake Cafe. $48 worth of sushi is consumed while we have a really chilled out, extremely comfortable time. I become even more smitten. And he's even cuter and sweeter than I remember.
Coffee after and then we each have places to be at 3. As he turns on my street to bring me back, he says, "gee, my breath is horrible, coffee and tobacco." I look at him and say, "um, you forgot the fish smell, but, gee, why does it matter?" Heh. I know why it matters. Another good sign. :)
And his breath wasn't horrible at all... And he tells me to call him tomorrow morning before I go to work...
Another good sign...
Sunday night, I went out to meet my friend Shaun who was visiting from Kansas City at the Pub. I usually don't have a whole lot of fun at the Pub, but I figured I'd make the best of it. Shaun was pretty much toasted when I got out around 1. I was hanging at the corner of the bar with our mutual friend Nick and the boy he was scamming on when an incredibly cute boy stopped to say hi to Nick's boy. I made room for him to get to the bar so he could get a drink. After he got his drink, he stayed nearby.
I was instantly smitten. He was dark, thin, precocious as could be and had a great smile. Smitten.
Somehow we started chatting a little. A little chatting turned into a lot of chatting. He made admiring comments about my tattoos.
Chemistry seems to be cooking. He buys me a drink and the bartender gives us several shots. Chemistry really starts cooking.
A perfect evening of conversation and mad making out follows. I'm absolutely smitten by the way he carries himself, his smile and a really sweet but funky personality. He tells me my breath smells like koolaid (raspberry and vanilla stoli), that *I* smell good and that he likes my tattoos and messed up hair. Finally... a gay boy who likes me for the things most of them don't like me for...
Anyways, we get smashed. Wind up briefly at my apartment, throwing clothes hear and there and then wrap it up before it goes too far. That's a very good sign.
He's working the next day, which is too bad cuz I'm off. I call him soon after I wake, which isn't very early. He seems glad to hear from me. We make lunch plans for Wednesday. Sushi.
The rest of Monday passes. I run into Shaun and Nick at Trolley Stop eating a late breakfast. Nick leaves for home and Shaun and I head to the Bywater to hang out at Flynn's. Jonno is there, as is Jason, an adorably cute friend of Flynn's. A lot of video game playing and nature photography follows. A bit of pot is smoked, but I just observe and settle for a contact high.
Then Tuesday comes. Not a good day at all. But, you know about that.
Wednesday. The Boy calls me at 10 AM. A very good sign. We make plans for him to pick me up at 11:45 after he runs. I run around cleaning my apartment. He comes over. We go to Sake Cafe. $48 worth of sushi is consumed while we have a really chilled out, extremely comfortable time. I become even more smitten. And he's even cuter and sweeter than I remember.
Coffee after and then we each have places to be at 3. As he turns on my street to bring me back, he says, "gee, my breath is horrible, coffee and tobacco." I look at him and say, "um, you forgot the fish smell, but, gee, why does it matter?" Heh. I know why it matters. Another good sign. :)
And his breath wasn't horrible at all... And he tells me to call him tomorrow morning before I go to work...
Another good sign...
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
I sit here tonite wrapped in a gray fog. The events of the day are so unbelievable that they're hard to absorb, but they were also so inevitable that it wasn't really a surprise in a lot of ways. But, I'm still stunned. And horribly horribly depressed.
The footage on TV seems like bad special effects from a low budget movie. In my mind, I continually wonder what it was like for the passengers of the planes, the horror of knowing that their plane was a weapon aimed at a large building.
It's going to be a very long time before the people of our country feel safe again. Living in the larger metropolitan centers will forever carry a feeling of risk that was never there before. Boarding an airplane will carry a feeling of dread to almost anyone. Things are different now. Life has a tangibly different tactile feeling to it now.
It's really quite fascinating to me the way in which this has affected every person, no matter who they are. I didn't cross the path of a single person today who wasn't profoundly effected by it. I don't think of myself as a particularly patriotic person but today my country is hurting. And I am hurting. And I'm not sure why it hurts so much.
Today, I entered a new world. We all did. And it's gonna take a lot of processing to make sense of it.
Monday, September 03, 2001
The Decadence Wrap-Up...
Saturday, I slept leisurely late. Decide to go back to Winkie's and look at those pants again. Wind up buying them. And a belt. And a shirt. *sigh* Then I drive to the Quarter for an afternoon showing of Ghost World. A sublime movie. It's kind of crowded and I, of course, am all teary at the end. The original comic book that it's based on is one of my favorites of all time. The movie juxtaposes quite a few things from it, but does so in a way that is incredibly faithful to its tone. And a way that tells the story better as a film, I imagine.
After the movie, I wander through Saks, picking up a Clarins face thingie. Then I run into the Quarter to say hi to Flynn at Fifi's. And wind up buying nail polish and eyeyliner to use for my glam look later in the evening. The nail polish is called Midnight Cowboy. Gotta love that. It's a skin toned glittery polish, so its barely noticeable.
Back home, some internet chat, dinner from Juans, then I head out to the Quarter for the evening. I try out a glam look for the first time. A velvety shirt, tight striped pants that flare at the bottom, messy hair, eyeliner, nail polish. It feels a little weird but quite fun. And quite decadent.
I run by 735 for a drink and to say hi to Tracy. A guy at the bar buys me a shot. With no prompting, Tracy says "my, aren't you all glammed out tonite." So, I guess the look works. A quick run to the ATM at Good Friends where a guy introduces himself. Not my type. Goofball.
Then to the Shim Sham. The night starts well. I meet two fabu drag queens who are in from San Francisco to hang out with Flynn. They totally kick the asses of NO drag queens. I'm having a blast. Dancing. Chatting with cool people. Running about. Drinking. Drinking too much...
At some point, I become absolutely obliterated. *big cringe* I can only imagine the foolishness that followed. I have vague memories beyond this point. I remember Robert, Steve and Tim arriving at the bar. I'm pretty sure I made a complete drunken ass of myself to Tim, who I'm meeting for the first time... I'm told later that I made out with a good friend, several times... And, at some point, I just wander off on my own... A short while later, I wake a friend up from sweet slumber to come pick my drunk ass up in the Quarter. Only a very good friend puts up with shit like this... And somehow, I've acquired a gaping cut on my scalp. Which, to this moment, no one that was with me that nite knows anything about...
So, Sunday is pretty much spent sleeping and feeling quite ill. QUITE ILL. I finally drag myself to Cafe Roma for some dinner, only about a third of which I manage to get down. While I'm there, my friend Dennis calls. He offers me a free ticket to Submission, the circuit-type party (that costs $60) at the Municipal Auditorium. I say yeah. I come home and rest more. More internet chat. I dress for the evening in simple form, knee length shorts, a black t-shirt and my Chucks.
My friend Wil calls and says that he and a couple guys are heading to the Quarter. I catch a ride with them. I hang with them for a bit in the streets and then when they head into the Pub, I head to party. I'm instantly out of place. I forgot to wear my best circuit wear. No camouflage pants and leather harness for me. No sailor suit either. No angel wings. No glow sticks. No 2Xist briefs. Whatever was I thinking?
I stand on the sidelines and mostly glare at people. I begin a running dialogue in my head about how much I can't stand gay 'culture'. The homogenity is frightening. So many guys thinking that they're creating a 'look' or a 'scene' when all they're doing is recycling the same tired shit over and over again. See above for examples. I also notice how no matter how cute or hot a guy is there, they all dance like a bunch of screaming queens. Doing all their little 'circuit boy' dances. It's like a enormous squad of testoteroned cheerleaders.
And it's really quite obvious that there are a lot of drugs in use. I spot one guy who I think is just absolutely beautiful. Until I get a close look at his crossed drug addled eyes... *sigh*
A few bright spots shine through. There are a small handful of people there who actually achieve a look with style. Little Derek is the champion. He's like some sort of semi-naked Barbella-style sci-fi geekboy from the future, with dayglo watergun. And the boy dances with sheer joy. I really enjoy watching him for a while.
I run into Brad & George from Baton Rouge. Talk to Dimitri aka Amtrakboy a few times. Meet a couple of friends of friends. But, within an hour and a half, I know it's not my scene. I need to be out of there.
So, I head back to the Quarter streets. St Ann is one big avenue of nastiness. I see a cute guy or four, but I can't help but to think that all of these guys have been out there all day and god only knows where they've been and what they've done. So, absolutely no one on the streets seems attractive to me.
I run back into the little group I rode out with. In a very short period of time, they've gotten thoroughly thrashed on hand grenades. It's quite amusing. They're dancing in the street. Running around screaming and trying to see things they don't need to see. It's not very amusing when Wil decides it would be cute to run his finger down my 3 day old tattoo with a lot of force. I don't see it coming and scream so loud everyone around us turns to look.
Eventually, I wander away from the boys and walk the streets alone some more. I run into another sometimes ..obnoxious friend from BR. He has a great mohawk haircut. He's also tweaking a bit on coke, I think...
I also chat a bit with another old BR friend, Mark, and some of his friends. Then I decide it's time to head home.
I walk to the streetcar stop... It's crowded, and no car in sight. I spend about half an hour there. A group of newly arrive Tulane freshmen (3 girls and one male cutie) make conversation with me. One of them starts to ask if I'm in school and then says, "oh wait, probably not, you look older, you must be like 25." Heh. I tell them the true age and inwardly beam as they all say I couldn't possibly be that old.
Just as I've about had it at the streetcar stop, between being bored silly and cruised by an old queen, my cellphone rings. The boys are leaving the Quarter. They run by and pick me up. I can tell the many people at the stop are quite jealous when a brand new Lexus pulls up and I hop in it.
Home. Sleep.
I declare a day of rest for Monday. Absolutely nothing of importance happens...
Tomorrow, i go to a movie...
Saturday, I slept leisurely late. Decide to go back to Winkie's and look at those pants again. Wind up buying them. And a belt. And a shirt. *sigh* Then I drive to the Quarter for an afternoon showing of Ghost World. A sublime movie. It's kind of crowded and I, of course, am all teary at the end. The original comic book that it's based on is one of my favorites of all time. The movie juxtaposes quite a few things from it, but does so in a way that is incredibly faithful to its tone. And a way that tells the story better as a film, I imagine.
After the movie, I wander through Saks, picking up a Clarins face thingie. Then I run into the Quarter to say hi to Flynn at Fifi's. And wind up buying nail polish and eyeyliner to use for my glam look later in the evening. The nail polish is called Midnight Cowboy. Gotta love that. It's a skin toned glittery polish, so its barely noticeable.
Back home, some internet chat, dinner from Juans, then I head out to the Quarter for the evening. I try out a glam look for the first time. A velvety shirt, tight striped pants that flare at the bottom, messy hair, eyeliner, nail polish. It feels a little weird but quite fun. And quite decadent.
I run by 735 for a drink and to say hi to Tracy. A guy at the bar buys me a shot. With no prompting, Tracy says "my, aren't you all glammed out tonite." So, I guess the look works. A quick run to the ATM at Good Friends where a guy introduces himself. Not my type. Goofball.
Then to the Shim Sham. The night starts well. I meet two fabu drag queens who are in from San Francisco to hang out with Flynn. They totally kick the asses of NO drag queens. I'm having a blast. Dancing. Chatting with cool people. Running about. Drinking. Drinking too much...
At some point, I become absolutely obliterated. *big cringe* I can only imagine the foolishness that followed. I have vague memories beyond this point. I remember Robert, Steve and Tim arriving at the bar. I'm pretty sure I made a complete drunken ass of myself to Tim, who I'm meeting for the first time... I'm told later that I made out with a good friend, several times... And, at some point, I just wander off on my own... A short while later, I wake a friend up from sweet slumber to come pick my drunk ass up in the Quarter. Only a very good friend puts up with shit like this... And somehow, I've acquired a gaping cut on my scalp. Which, to this moment, no one that was with me that nite knows anything about...
So, Sunday is pretty much spent sleeping and feeling quite ill. QUITE ILL. I finally drag myself to Cafe Roma for some dinner, only about a third of which I manage to get down. While I'm there, my friend Dennis calls. He offers me a free ticket to Submission, the circuit-type party (that costs $60) at the Municipal Auditorium. I say yeah. I come home and rest more. More internet chat. I dress for the evening in simple form, knee length shorts, a black t-shirt and my Chucks.
My friend Wil calls and says that he and a couple guys are heading to the Quarter. I catch a ride with them. I hang with them for a bit in the streets and then when they head into the Pub, I head to party. I'm instantly out of place. I forgot to wear my best circuit wear. No camouflage pants and leather harness for me. No sailor suit either. No angel wings. No glow sticks. No 2Xist briefs. Whatever was I thinking?
I stand on the sidelines and mostly glare at people. I begin a running dialogue in my head about how much I can't stand gay 'culture'. The homogenity is frightening. So many guys thinking that they're creating a 'look' or a 'scene' when all they're doing is recycling the same tired shit over and over again. See above for examples. I also notice how no matter how cute or hot a guy is there, they all dance like a bunch of screaming queens. Doing all their little 'circuit boy' dances. It's like a enormous squad of testoteroned cheerleaders.
And it's really quite obvious that there are a lot of drugs in use. I spot one guy who I think is just absolutely beautiful. Until I get a close look at his crossed drug addled eyes... *sigh*
A few bright spots shine through. There are a small handful of people there who actually achieve a look with style. Little Derek is the champion. He's like some sort of semi-naked Barbella-style sci-fi geekboy from the future, with dayglo watergun. And the boy dances with sheer joy. I really enjoy watching him for a while.
I run into Brad & George from Baton Rouge. Talk to Dimitri aka Amtrakboy a few times. Meet a couple of friends of friends. But, within an hour and a half, I know it's not my scene. I need to be out of there.
So, I head back to the Quarter streets. St Ann is one big avenue of nastiness. I see a cute guy or four, but I can't help but to think that all of these guys have been out there all day and god only knows where they've been and what they've done. So, absolutely no one on the streets seems attractive to me.
I run back into the little group I rode out with. In a very short period of time, they've gotten thoroughly thrashed on hand grenades. It's quite amusing. They're dancing in the street. Running around screaming and trying to see things they don't need to see. It's not very amusing when Wil decides it would be cute to run his finger down my 3 day old tattoo with a lot of force. I don't see it coming and scream so loud everyone around us turns to look.
Eventually, I wander away from the boys and walk the streets alone some more. I run into another sometimes ..obnoxious friend from BR. He has a great mohawk haircut. He's also tweaking a bit on coke, I think...
I also chat a bit with another old BR friend, Mark, and some of his friends. Then I decide it's time to head home.
I walk to the streetcar stop... It's crowded, and no car in sight. I spend about half an hour there. A group of newly arrive Tulane freshmen (3 girls and one male cutie) make conversation with me. One of them starts to ask if I'm in school and then says, "oh wait, probably not, you look older, you must be like 25." Heh. I tell them the true age and inwardly beam as they all say I couldn't possibly be that old.
Just as I've about had it at the streetcar stop, between being bored silly and cruised by an old queen, my cellphone rings. The boys are leaving the Quarter. They run by and pick me up. I can tell the many people at the stop are quite jealous when a brand new Lexus pulls up and I hop in it.
Home. Sleep.
I declare a day of rest for Monday. Absolutely nothing of importance happens...
Tomorrow, i go to a movie...
Saturday, September 01, 2001
My Friday nite out...
After spending the day cleaning, rearranging furniture (it was boring me, i needed better chi, etc etc) and baking grilled eggplant, tomato and basil pizzas, I headed on down to Gay Madness Central, aka the Vieux Carre. I try to dress the opposite of Decadence wear. I wear knee length cut offs, boots and a black t-shirt. And my new tattoo.
I ran into an old acquaintance, Dan who used to live in BR & NO and now lives in Seattle, on the bus to the Quarter. Chatted a bit, caught me up on a few people, includind the unexpected encephalitis caused death of one. Yikes. Suddenly mosquitos look a lot scarier...
Once in the Quarter, I head to 735. Takes forever to get in thanks to the idiot in the booth at the front. And *everyone* has weekend passes. Trudge trudge trudge. *mental note to tell Tom about his employee being a slow idiot*
I hang out with Tracy at the bar for a bit and have a couple drinks, but I'm soon overwhelmed by the circuit style beats and circuit style men and realize that if I don't leave I'm gonna stab my eardrums and eyes out. I'm supposed to meet Dave, Robert and company at the Phoenix's block party anyway. Also supposed to run by the Golden Lantern to see Flynn do a little Hedwig performance.
I detour thru the Pub for a bit. Very crowded. All out of towners. I start to pine for a normal weekend out.
Just out of the Pub, I run into someone I barely know, Fernando. He's introducing me to his friends when I realize one of them, Darren, is a an old Baton Rouge person. In fact, he's the first person (along with TimO) that I did acid with. His parents' yard had very pretty yellow flowers in it. Very pretty. Very very pretty. And their wood panelling in their house had interesting designs in it...
Anyways, I wind up being invited to a party with these people. It's a beatiful old apartment just off Jackson Square. It's a creepy mixture of older fags and young pretty boys. I fit in *so* well. A well stocked bar tho. Nice vodka. I get a phone call and while I'm on it, one of the creepy old guys (who was probably my age or younger) comes over and asks "is that your boyfriend? No, well, come talk to me after. You're just too cute." Riiight. Politeness decrees that I do so tho.
Then after repeatedly telling Darren that I don't wanna get high, I get coerced into smoking on the balcony anyway. A couple of hits later and I can't even begin to tolerate the creepy factor of the party. So, i split.
I'm wondering about the Quarter and Marigny just enjoying the leaves on the trees and feeling quite happy to be in my own little world. Happy stoner boy. Then, just as I'm strolling up to a corner on Elysian Fields, Jonno pops out, followed by and entire entourage of Hedwig groupies and Ms Hedwig herself. I am BEYOND coping with this. :)
I hang with them for a bit and make a few attempts at muddled conversation but I'm just generally disinterested in making conversation. Big surprise there. We make the Phoenix's block party and no sign of Dave and company. And the shear ugliness of the mass of pimply cellulite asses in chaps is overwhelming. Once more, no hot leather daddies. They're a myth. They exist only in porn. Grrr.
I make apologies to Flynn and pretty much ignore the rest of the group and split to walk around and looks at the leaves on the trees some more. Then, it begins... all I can think about is the pizza back home. Eggplant. Basil. Tomatoes. Freshwater mozzarella. There's only one sensible thing to do. Go to the pizza.
But, I decide to walk home. It's a long way, but sometimes I quite enjoy it. Last nite was one of those nites. Along the way, I hear a big black guy tell another big black guy that I'm "one fucked up motherfucker". heh. And this makes me different from 90% of the people on the street in the Quarter at 2 am how exactly? I get more than a couple of 'cute' comments. One guy says to his friends "he's just as cute in that same outfit the second time". That was confusing, since I just cut these pants into shorts the night before...
Home. Pizza. A bit of online flirting. Sleep.
Total tally of money spent this weekend going out so far: $22.
I only spent $9.25 tonite. $1.25 on the bus. Free entry into 735. A $2 tip for a free drink. $6 forced on the bartender for drink #2.
Hmmm... suddenly this has turned into the Warhol Diaries... a sign that I need to end this now...
After spending the day cleaning, rearranging furniture (it was boring me, i needed better chi, etc etc) and baking grilled eggplant, tomato and basil pizzas, I headed on down to Gay Madness Central, aka the Vieux Carre. I try to dress the opposite of Decadence wear. I wear knee length cut offs, boots and a black t-shirt. And my new tattoo.
I ran into an old acquaintance, Dan who used to live in BR & NO and now lives in Seattle, on the bus to the Quarter. Chatted a bit, caught me up on a few people, includind the unexpected encephalitis caused death of one. Yikes. Suddenly mosquitos look a lot scarier...
Once in the Quarter, I head to 735. Takes forever to get in thanks to the idiot in the booth at the front. And *everyone* has weekend passes. Trudge trudge trudge. *mental note to tell Tom about his employee being a slow idiot*
I hang out with Tracy at the bar for a bit and have a couple drinks, but I'm soon overwhelmed by the circuit style beats and circuit style men and realize that if I don't leave I'm gonna stab my eardrums and eyes out. I'm supposed to meet Dave, Robert and company at the Phoenix's block party anyway. Also supposed to run by the Golden Lantern to see Flynn do a little Hedwig performance.
I detour thru the Pub for a bit. Very crowded. All out of towners. I start to pine for a normal weekend out.
Just out of the Pub, I run into someone I barely know, Fernando. He's introducing me to his friends when I realize one of them, Darren, is a an old Baton Rouge person. In fact, he's the first person (along with TimO) that I did acid with. His parents' yard had very pretty yellow flowers in it. Very pretty. Very very pretty. And their wood panelling in their house had interesting designs in it...
Anyways, I wind up being invited to a party with these people. It's a beatiful old apartment just off Jackson Square. It's a creepy mixture of older fags and young pretty boys. I fit in *so* well. A well stocked bar tho. Nice vodka. I get a phone call and while I'm on it, one of the creepy old guys (who was probably my age or younger) comes over and asks "is that your boyfriend? No, well, come talk to me after. You're just too cute." Riiight. Politeness decrees that I do so tho.
Then after repeatedly telling Darren that I don't wanna get high, I get coerced into smoking on the balcony anyway. A couple of hits later and I can't even begin to tolerate the creepy factor of the party. So, i split.
I'm wondering about the Quarter and Marigny just enjoying the leaves on the trees and feeling quite happy to be in my own little world. Happy stoner boy. Then, just as I'm strolling up to a corner on Elysian Fields, Jonno pops out, followed by and entire entourage of Hedwig groupies and Ms Hedwig herself. I am BEYOND coping with this. :)
I hang with them for a bit and make a few attempts at muddled conversation but I'm just generally disinterested in making conversation. Big surprise there. We make the Phoenix's block party and no sign of Dave and company. And the shear ugliness of the mass of pimply cellulite asses in chaps is overwhelming. Once more, no hot leather daddies. They're a myth. They exist only in porn. Grrr.
I make apologies to Flynn and pretty much ignore the rest of the group and split to walk around and looks at the leaves on the trees some more. Then, it begins... all I can think about is the pizza back home. Eggplant. Basil. Tomatoes. Freshwater mozzarella. There's only one sensible thing to do. Go to the pizza.
But, I decide to walk home. It's a long way, but sometimes I quite enjoy it. Last nite was one of those nites. Along the way, I hear a big black guy tell another big black guy that I'm "one fucked up motherfucker". heh. And this makes me different from 90% of the people on the street in the Quarter at 2 am how exactly? I get more than a couple of 'cute' comments. One guy says to his friends "he's just as cute in that same outfit the second time". That was confusing, since I just cut these pants into shorts the night before...
Home. Pizza. A bit of online flirting. Sleep.
Total tally of money spent this weekend going out so far: $22.
I only spent $9.25 tonite. $1.25 on the bus. Free entry into 735. A $2 tip for a free drink. $6 forced on the bartender for drink #2.
Hmmm... suddenly this has turned into the Warhol Diaries... a sign that I need to end this now...
Friday, August 31, 2001
My Thursday nite out...
Flynn calls around 8:30 and asks if I can take him to the airport to pick up a friend. I got into overdrive cuz we have to be at the airport at 10:10 and I have to pick Flynn up in the Bywater first. I throw together boots, black cut offs and my black t-shirt with Judas Priest on it in silver glitter. At Flynn's we add black eyeliner.
At the airport, I drop Flynn at the pickup area and we decide that I should drive in cirles instead of parking. Twenty five minutes later of driving around, I finally pick them up at the door. Ugh.
We decide to head straight out to the Quarter. Parking is madness. Finally we get lucky and find a spot on Esplanade. We trudge back to the Shim Sham on Tolouse and get their after the cover begins. But Flynn gets us in anyway. Yay. To the bar... the bartender comps our first round of drinks. Yay. From the moment I'm in the bar, chicks are digging my Judas Priest shirt.
I meet lots and lots of cool people through Flynn, mostly at the upstairs bar, where I purchase another beverage. Run into Robert, Jeff, Kris and a couple of their friends. See a few of my (lesbian brigade) employees. Chat with Mike a bit. A driveby hello to Robin and Anthony.
I go back upstairs to purchase another drink and arrive just a guy is buying drinks for the entire room. Sweet.
We eventually tire of 80s retro and head to the Rawhide. It's bursting at the seams with leathery, denimy, bearish, muscly types. Quite tasty actually. Of course I draw no attention. Bleh. Probably the Judas Priest t-shirt and eyeliner...
At some point, Jonno wonders along. And around this time I discover that *someone* did a couple bumps when we were at the Shim Sham. And made out with the straight boy who supplied it.
After much ogling and drunken blather, we decide to call it a (relatively) early nite around 2:30. On the way back to the car, we grab Macaroni & Cheese from the Verti Mart. Yum.
I drop the boys off. Home. Blissfull slumber.
Today? clean the apartment? a movie? cook? read? vacation...
Flynn calls around 8:30 and asks if I can take him to the airport to pick up a friend. I got into overdrive cuz we have to be at the airport at 10:10 and I have to pick Flynn up in the Bywater first. I throw together boots, black cut offs and my black t-shirt with Judas Priest on it in silver glitter. At Flynn's we add black eyeliner.
At the airport, I drop Flynn at the pickup area and we decide that I should drive in cirles instead of parking. Twenty five minutes later of driving around, I finally pick them up at the door. Ugh.
We decide to head straight out to the Quarter. Parking is madness. Finally we get lucky and find a spot on Esplanade. We trudge back to the Shim Sham on Tolouse and get their after the cover begins. But Flynn gets us in anyway. Yay. To the bar... the bartender comps our first round of drinks. Yay. From the moment I'm in the bar, chicks are digging my Judas Priest shirt.
I meet lots and lots of cool people through Flynn, mostly at the upstairs bar, where I purchase another beverage. Run into Robert, Jeff, Kris and a couple of their friends. See a few of my (lesbian brigade) employees. Chat with Mike a bit. A driveby hello to Robin and Anthony.
I go back upstairs to purchase another drink and arrive just a guy is buying drinks for the entire room. Sweet.
We eventually tire of 80s retro and head to the Rawhide. It's bursting at the seams with leathery, denimy, bearish, muscly types. Quite tasty actually. Of course I draw no attention. Bleh. Probably the Judas Priest t-shirt and eyeliner...
At some point, Jonno wonders along. And around this time I discover that *someone* did a couple bumps when we were at the Shim Sham. And made out with the straight boy who supplied it.
After much ogling and drunken blather, we decide to call it a (relatively) early nite around 2:30. On the way back to the car, we grab Macaroni & Cheese from the Verti Mart. Yum.
I drop the boys off. Home. Blissfull slumber.
Today? clean the apartment? a movie? cook? read? vacation...
Thursday, August 30, 2001
Thursday... afternoon one of vacation...
I went to da Quarter for the afternoon. Just missed the bus, so I 'shopped' at Winkies on Magazine for a bit first. Saw three shirts and a pair of pants I'd like to have. Budget doesn't allow for them tho...
Sat next to a incredibly cute guy on the bus. Retro hair, lots of tats, striped pants and a ragged white tank top. Yummy.
Once in the Quarter, I drew lots of stares b/c of the bandage on my arm covering my tattoo. Headed to Fifi's to show it to Flynn. Drew lots of approval from him and the staff. Made plans to meet at Shim Sham later in the nite.
Next to CC's for a iced soy latte. Served to me by CustomTaylored from gay.com. I didn't say anything to him about recognizing him. Cute boy tho.
Then I wondered down to Gargoyles shoes and looked at the $180 pair of boots and the $104 pair of shoes (black leather with orange and yellow flames) that I want. Sigh. Went into Gargoyles clothes and had half the staff ask to see my tattoo. Much admiration. Friendly people.
Lots and lots of gay peeps wondering about the Quarter. Lots and lots of overdeveloped pecs. Lots of hot leather daddy types. Yum.
Traipsed through Virgin Mega and listened to Stereolab. Not too sure if I like it. Ran into Bookstar and ran into my district manager. He asked why I was bandaged and when I looked embarrassed about the tattoo, says he doesn't care and that he thinks its cool. :)
Walked thru Jackson Square and ran into Jonno getting a temporary tattoo from Tanner. I say nothing to Tanner about the breakup and nothing about the fact that I know what a cheating bastard he's been. Anthony, who I can never decide on the cuteness of, wonders by also...
Then to the gay bars. Decent crowds for a Thursday at 5ish. Pre Decadence mode. Went to Rawhide for a bloody mary. (they make the best by far) The bartender called me 'boy' when he took my order. Unfortunately... not cute... not handsome...
Drifted along with my bloody mary. Was walking past 735 just as they opened their doors. Tom the manager and great bud sees me and motions me in. Chat chat chat. He's in major manic mode and drinks half my drink. But, he gives me 3 weekend passes. And I'm sure I'll get a few comped drinks over the weekend. Heh, he was impressed with how good the bloody mary was...
Streetcar home. Potatoes baking in the oven. Bowie on the stereo. Out again in about two hours to meet Flynn and friends at the Shim Sham...
I went to da Quarter for the afternoon. Just missed the bus, so I 'shopped' at Winkies on Magazine for a bit first. Saw three shirts and a pair of pants I'd like to have. Budget doesn't allow for them tho...
Sat next to a incredibly cute guy on the bus. Retro hair, lots of tats, striped pants and a ragged white tank top. Yummy.
Once in the Quarter, I drew lots of stares b/c of the bandage on my arm covering my tattoo. Headed to Fifi's to show it to Flynn. Drew lots of approval from him and the staff. Made plans to meet at Shim Sham later in the nite.
Next to CC's for a iced soy latte. Served to me by CustomTaylored from gay.com. I didn't say anything to him about recognizing him. Cute boy tho.
Then I wondered down to Gargoyles shoes and looked at the $180 pair of boots and the $104 pair of shoes (black leather with orange and yellow flames) that I want. Sigh. Went into Gargoyles clothes and had half the staff ask to see my tattoo. Much admiration. Friendly people.
Lots and lots of gay peeps wondering about the Quarter. Lots and lots of overdeveloped pecs. Lots of hot leather daddy types. Yum.
Traipsed through Virgin Mega and listened to Stereolab. Not too sure if I like it. Ran into Bookstar and ran into my district manager. He asked why I was bandaged and when I looked embarrassed about the tattoo, says he doesn't care and that he thinks its cool. :)
Walked thru Jackson Square and ran into Jonno getting a temporary tattoo from Tanner. I say nothing to Tanner about the breakup and nothing about the fact that I know what a cheating bastard he's been. Anthony, who I can never decide on the cuteness of, wonders by also...
Then to the gay bars. Decent crowds for a Thursday at 5ish. Pre Decadence mode. Went to Rawhide for a bloody mary. (they make the best by far) The bartender called me 'boy' when he took my order. Unfortunately... not cute... not handsome...
Drifted along with my bloody mary. Was walking past 735 just as they opened their doors. Tom the manager and great bud sees me and motions me in. Chat chat chat. He's in major manic mode and drinks half my drink. But, he gives me 3 weekend passes. And I'm sure I'll get a few comped drinks over the weekend. Heh, he was impressed with how good the bloody mary was...
Streetcar home. Potatoes baking in the oven. Bowie on the stereo. Out again in about two hours to meet Flynn and friends at the Shim Sham...
Off the top of my head... some of the greatest CDs ever... (utterly subjective, natch)...
Hole "Live Through This"
David Bowie "Low"
Nirvana all of them
St Etienne "Foxbase Alpha"
Dead Can Dance "Aion"
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult "I see Bad Spirits, I see Good Spirits"
Chemical Brothers "Exit Planet Dust"
Velvet Goldmine Soundtrack
Meat Beat Manifesto "Storm the Studio"
Hole "Live Through This"
David Bowie "Low"
Nirvana all of them
St Etienne "Foxbase Alpha"
Dead Can Dance "Aion"
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult "I see Bad Spirits, I see Good Spirits"
Chemical Brothers "Exit Planet Dust"
Velvet Goldmine Soundtrack
Meat Beat Manifesto "Storm the Studio"
Fresh ink! Fresh ink! ow...
It is done. I have a new tattoo. It's on my right forearm. It's between 3 and 4 inches long, I think. It's the alchemical symbol for Mercury. I first became fascinated with Mercury through the pages of a comic book, DOOM PATROL. The writer of the comic, Grant Morrison, is a mad genius. Seriously... he's written some of the best comics ever to see print... Doom Patrol, Zenith and now New X-Men. Doom Patrol under Morrison consisted of Robotman (a human brain in a mechanical body, natch), Crazy Jane (a woman with many multiple personalities and a different super power for each of them), a couple of more boring characters, and Rebis. Rebis was a bit of a mysterious character who was wrapped in bandages. He was the fusion of a man, a woman and 'a spirit in a bottle.' He was bodily representation of the alchemical marriage. He/she/it was one of the coolest characters ever in comics. Through Rebis, I became slightly fascinated with the most confusing subject of alchemy.
In alchemy, mercury was greatly revered. It represented both solid and liquid states, both heaven and earth, both life and death. It was both Above and Below.
I like that. Above and below...
So, now my right arm has the Key to Hell on it. And a representation of both Above and Below. Makes me sound kinda shady, huh? :)
It is done. I have a new tattoo. It's on my right forearm. It's between 3 and 4 inches long, I think. It's the alchemical symbol for Mercury. I first became fascinated with Mercury through the pages of a comic book, DOOM PATROL. The writer of the comic, Grant Morrison, is a mad genius. Seriously... he's written some of the best comics ever to see print... Doom Patrol, Zenith and now New X-Men. Doom Patrol under Morrison consisted of Robotman (a human brain in a mechanical body, natch), Crazy Jane (a woman with many multiple personalities and a different super power for each of them), a couple of more boring characters, and Rebis. Rebis was a bit of a mysterious character who was wrapped in bandages. He was the fusion of a man, a woman and 'a spirit in a bottle.' He was bodily representation of the alchemical marriage. He/she/it was one of the coolest characters ever in comics. Through Rebis, I became slightly fascinated with the most confusing subject of alchemy.
In alchemy, mercury was greatly revered. It represented both solid and liquid states, both heaven and earth, both life and death. It was both Above and Below.
I like that. Above and below...
So, now my right arm has the Key to Hell on it. And a representation of both Above and Below. Makes me sound kinda shady, huh? :)
*START VACATION*
Whoo hoo. A week off. Mischief begins... Maybe I'll clean my apartment. Maybe I'll clean out my car. Maybe...
I got the necessary Westbank SuperWalmart food fortification trip out of the way this morning. I need to swing by Whole Foods at some point now.
This afternoon, I'm seriously thinking bout investigating the tattoo thing. Its grey as can be outside. Feh.
The big news this week is that The Ex and his boyfriend broke up. Not sure how I feel about this. I liked his boyfriend, sorta. Sorta. Important thing now is to be a good friend for the ex.
Ok... time to clean out the car...
Whoo hoo. A week off. Mischief begins... Maybe I'll clean my apartment. Maybe I'll clean out my car. Maybe...
I got the necessary Westbank SuperWalmart food fortification trip out of the way this morning. I need to swing by Whole Foods at some point now.
This afternoon, I'm seriously thinking bout investigating the tattoo thing. Its grey as can be outside. Feh.
The big news this week is that The Ex and his boyfriend broke up. Not sure how I feel about this. I liked his boyfriend, sorta. Sorta. Important thing now is to be a good friend for the ex.
Ok... time to clean out the car...
Tuesday, August 28, 2001
I think I'm finally coming out of a 2 week funk in which I stumbled around feeling dull as dishwater. Whoo hoo... just in time for Decadence. *yawn* Maybe I can transform myself into a Blog Superstar now...
I'm currently obsessed with Mary J. Blige's new song, "Family Affair". I've never ever liked her before, but this is one fierce song. Fierce fierce fierce. And I don't understand half the damned words to it. Heh. I also bought the new Crystal Method CD which I think sounded much better thru the Virgin Megastore headphones than it did once I got it home. It's decent but it seems like a retread of their first CD. I do like the song with Scott Weiland tho. I believe the new Stereolab CD is out today... and Bjork... yummies.
I'm currently debating between getting something else pierced or a new tattoo. I can more easily afford a piercing than a tattoo at the moment. I want the tattoo more tho. I want multiple tattoos actually. The first one will be an old alchemical symbol for mercury on the inside of my right forearm. It's sort of a cross with a hooked cup at the top and an S in the cup. Kinda plain, but I like it. And I love the concept of Mercurius in alchemy. It's a symbol that's very appropriate for me to have on my body, I think. Much like currently having the key to hell on my upper arm was quite correct for me to get. I'm poor tho and tattoos aren't cheap.
I went out Sunday nite to hang out with my friend Wil and a new friend of his at the Pub. Ran into my date from earlier in the week and got a distinctly uncomfortable vibe off of him. Ah well... prolly the nail polish... Had a good bit of fun just sitting at the bar in the Pub watching videos. Wil's friend Cy was a decent fellow.
Later, after turning down a 3-way with two guys that I'd just met and wondering around for a bit and having a nice conversation with 2 black female hookers, I wound up at Rawhide. And just as I was about to leave, I ran into Flynn and Jonno. They were sufficiently thrashed and both were in full-on post-Hedwig rockstar mode. They had a cute newly married couple from Rochester NY with them. And she was wearing her wedding dress (a simple one). They'd been to see Hedwig twice and met Flynn post show. I had MUCH fun hanging with the four of them. Rawhide is simply the best place to hang with friends late at nite in the Quarter, I think.
2 days till vacation... count count...
Vacation plans... Decadence (duh)... tattoo? (prolly not)... pierce an eyebrow or something? (maybe, prolly not)... go to Movies (Ghost World, Jeepers Creepers, Ghosts of Mars)... go out dancing a lot (735 mostly, cuz i'm a VIP *riiiight*)... Dick Party at the Red Room? (prolly not, i think it's done)... Swamp Club? (cancelled for Decadence? not sure)... visit Flynn a lot at Fifi's (hanging out at Fifi Mahoneys' ups your cool factor by ten, i think)... bike bike bike (need exercise)... sun sun sun (need tan)... eat well (Whole Foods trip on Thursday)... drink in moderation (promises promises)... buy a CD or 3 (Stereolab?)... sleep with at least one cute out of town boy (*best mischevious face*)... relax (frankie says)...
I'm currently obsessed with Mary J. Blige's new song, "Family Affair". I've never ever liked her before, but this is one fierce song. Fierce fierce fierce. And I don't understand half the damned words to it. Heh. I also bought the new Crystal Method CD which I think sounded much better thru the Virgin Megastore headphones than it did once I got it home. It's decent but it seems like a retread of their first CD. I do like the song with Scott Weiland tho. I believe the new Stereolab CD is out today... and Bjork... yummies.
I'm currently debating between getting something else pierced or a new tattoo. I can more easily afford a piercing than a tattoo at the moment. I want the tattoo more tho. I want multiple tattoos actually. The first one will be an old alchemical symbol for mercury on the inside of my right forearm. It's sort of a cross with a hooked cup at the top and an S in the cup. Kinda plain, but I like it. And I love the concept of Mercurius in alchemy. It's a symbol that's very appropriate for me to have on my body, I think. Much like currently having the key to hell on my upper arm was quite correct for me to get. I'm poor tho and tattoos aren't cheap.
I went out Sunday nite to hang out with my friend Wil and a new friend of his at the Pub. Ran into my date from earlier in the week and got a distinctly uncomfortable vibe off of him. Ah well... prolly the nail polish...
Later, after turning down a 3-way with two guys that I'd just met and wondering around for a bit and having a nice conversation with 2 black female hookers, I wound up at Rawhide. And just as I was about to leave, I ran into Flynn and Jonno. They were sufficiently thrashed and both were in full-on post-Hedwig rockstar mode. They had a cute newly married couple from Rochester NY with them. And she was wearing her wedding dress (a simple one). They'd been to see Hedwig twice and met Flynn post show. I had MUCH fun hanging with the four of them. Rawhide is simply the best place to hang with friends late at nite in the Quarter, I think.
2 days till vacation... count count...
Vacation plans... Decadence (duh)... tattoo? (prolly not)... pierce an eyebrow or something? (maybe, prolly not)... go to Movies (Ghost World, Jeepers Creepers, Ghosts of Mars)... go out dancing a lot (735 mostly, cuz i'm a VIP *riiiight*)... Dick Party at the Red Room? (prolly not, i think it's done)... Swamp Club? (cancelled for Decadence? not sure)... visit Flynn a lot at Fifi's (hanging out at Fifi Mahoneys' ups your cool factor by ten, i think)... bike bike bike (need exercise)... sun sun sun (need tan)... eat well (Whole Foods trip on Thursday)... drink in moderation (promises promises)... buy a CD or 3 (Stereolab?)... sleep with at least one cute out of town boy (*best mischevious face*)... relax (frankie says)...
Thursday, August 23, 2001
the last couple of days...
um... work mostly... which is boring...
I spent most of today hanging out with Mr Flynn. We went on a shoe buying run which ended with Flynn buying a steal of a pair of shoes at Gargoyles. Shoes that would look SO good on ME. Feh. Oh well, he needed them for a date tonite.
Then we spent most of the afternoon hanging out at Fifi Mahoney's. Heh. Me and the fabulous people who dress the drag queens. I learned that if you put me in wigs, I look like either a stoner dude or a 70s high school principal.
Being there did make it possible for me to pick up a couple things to teach tonight's date a little lesson. He told me he wanted me to go to a party with him tonight cuz I was 'artsy' and 'hip' and it was that kind of party.
So, we'll see what he thinks about a smidge of blue eyeliner and gun metal gray fingernails... That's artsy and hip, huh? Specially combined with an all black wardrobe and leather pants...
Flynn is much fun to hang out with, I gotta say. Must do this more frequently.
um... work mostly... which is boring...
I spent most of today hanging out with Mr Flynn. We went on a shoe buying run which ended with Flynn buying a steal of a pair of shoes at Gargoyles. Shoes that would look SO good on ME. Feh. Oh well, he needed them for a date tonite.
Then we spent most of the afternoon hanging out at Fifi Mahoney's. Heh. Me and the fabulous people who dress the drag queens. I learned that if you put me in wigs, I look like either a stoner dude or a 70s high school principal.
Being there did make it possible for me to pick up a couple things to teach tonight's date a little lesson. He told me he wanted me to go to a party with him tonight cuz I was 'artsy' and 'hip' and it was that kind of party.
So, we'll see what he thinks about a smidge of blue eyeliner and gun metal gray fingernails... That's artsy and hip, huh? Specially combined with an all black wardrobe and leather pants...
Flynn is much fun to hang out with, I gotta say. Must do this more frequently.
Tuesday, August 21, 2001
"Jonathan Carroll's novels sit astride the boundary between genre fantasy and magical realism, between fairy stories with their vindictive morality and the laid-back contemporary novel of the mundane."
A reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement said that at some point about my favorite writer.
No other author can so fully transport me into his stories. For me, reading or even rereading a Jonathan Carroll novel or short story is a quasi-religious experience. It's the closest I ever come to an enervated state of exultation. I float around for hours to days after with bits of his worlds clinging to me until bit by bit, like smoke or finely spun sugar, they drift away leaving me back in the mundane.
Mundane is an important word to me when I think of Carroll's books. They always start with the mundane. They're written in a style that is actually quite mundane. But his mundane prose is sneaky. It's an incredibly comfortable style of writing that fools you. It invites you into the world he's creating and by the fact of its mundane nature makes you comfortable. You slip into a story that could perhaps be your own. And then just when you're wearing the life of a character that you feel you naturally know, the dog curled on the foot of your bed turns, yawns and speaks some terrible truth to you. Or you meet God. Or perhaps you meet yourself.
In Carroll's worlds, the mundane turns on you. His comfortable prose is almost a trap of sorts. It reassures you. And delivers you somewhere... different... somewhere difficult perhaps. You step sideways into a world that's the same as this but different. And then that vindictive morality often comes into play. And in the end, there's never an easy resolution. Often, there's no resolution at all. This frustrates some of his readers. To me, it's one of the great joys of his books. It's what makes them drift about me for days on end afterwards.
I really can't recommend anything more highly than his books. I urge you to find one and read it. Only a few are easily available. Of those, I most like THE WOODEN SEA, THE LAND OF LAUGHS, and SLEEPING IN FLAME. If you can find a copy of the out of print OUTSIDE THE DOG MUSEUM, that's my favorite.
Did I mention the names of his books? They're amazing too, I think. There's also:
THE MARRIAGE OF STICKS
KISSING THE BEEHIVE
AFTER SILENCE
FROM THE TEETH OF ANGELS
VOICE OF OUR SHADOW
BONES OF THE MOON
A CHILD ACROSS THE SKY
Such mundane words twisted into such small beautiful phrases.
Go find one of his books... or visit http://www.jonathancarroll.com/
A reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement said that at some point about my favorite writer.
No other author can so fully transport me into his stories. For me, reading or even rereading a Jonathan Carroll novel or short story is a quasi-religious experience. It's the closest I ever come to an enervated state of exultation. I float around for hours to days after with bits of his worlds clinging to me until bit by bit, like smoke or finely spun sugar, they drift away leaving me back in the mundane.
Mundane is an important word to me when I think of Carroll's books. They always start with the mundane. They're written in a style that is actually quite mundane. But his mundane prose is sneaky. It's an incredibly comfortable style of writing that fools you. It invites you into the world he's creating and by the fact of its mundane nature makes you comfortable. You slip into a story that could perhaps be your own. And then just when you're wearing the life of a character that you feel you naturally know, the dog curled on the foot of your bed turns, yawns and speaks some terrible truth to you. Or you meet God. Or perhaps you meet yourself.
In Carroll's worlds, the mundane turns on you. His comfortable prose is almost a trap of sorts. It reassures you. And delivers you somewhere... different... somewhere difficult perhaps. You step sideways into a world that's the same as this but different. And then that vindictive morality often comes into play. And in the end, there's never an easy resolution. Often, there's no resolution at all. This frustrates some of his readers. To me, it's one of the great joys of his books. It's what makes them drift about me for days on end afterwards.
I really can't recommend anything more highly than his books. I urge you to find one and read it. Only a few are easily available. Of those, I most like THE WOODEN SEA, THE LAND OF LAUGHS, and SLEEPING IN FLAME. If you can find a copy of the out of print OUTSIDE THE DOG MUSEUM, that's my favorite.
Did I mention the names of his books? They're amazing too, I think. There's also:
THE MARRIAGE OF STICKS
KISSING THE BEEHIVE
AFTER SILENCE
FROM THE TEETH OF ANGELS
VOICE OF OUR SHADOW
BONES OF THE MOON
A CHILD ACROSS THE SKY
Such mundane words twisted into such small beautiful phrases.
Go find one of his books... or visit http://www.jonathancarroll.com/
Monday, August 20, 2001
Yesterday morning, I called The Ex and asked him if he wanted to run about town with me for a bit. The most important stop being KB Toyworks, so I could look for Superman. Bada bing. He's mine. Altho, the stupid Ex saw them first and was all casual and shit. "Oh, isn't that what you want?", he says all casually as he points.
I got Fortress of Solitude Superman!! Whoo hoo.
Then we ran to Whole Foods. That place is fucking scary. The people there are crazed, customers and employees alike. Maybe they have soy poisoning... Anyways, an employeed actually shoved me out of the way as he went down a crowded aisle. That was lovely... I wanted to shove an organic zucchini up his ass... but I didn't...
Home for some napping and such, then off to Flynn's birthday party. It was a glam and glitter party. I was the dull guy. I'm so not glam. Oh well...
It was an interesting evening of sorts. I saw people I'd rather not see. I saw people who'd rather not see me. I saw people I've made an ass of myself in front of. I saw people I've been an ass to. I saw people who've been an ass to me.
All in all it was okay...
*shrug*
I got Fortress of Solitude Superman!! Whoo hoo.
Then we ran to Whole Foods. That place is fucking scary. The people there are crazed, customers and employees alike. Maybe they have soy poisoning... Anyways, an employeed actually shoved me out of the way as he went down a crowded aisle. That was lovely... I wanted to shove an organic zucchini up his ass... but I didn't...
Home for some napping and such, then off to Flynn's birthday party. It was a glam and glitter party. I was the dull guy. I'm so not glam. Oh well...
It was an interesting evening of sorts. I saw people I'd rather not see. I saw people who'd rather not see me. I saw people I've made an ass of myself in front of. I saw people I've been an ass to. I saw people who've been an ass to me.
All in all it was okay...
*shrug*
Sunday, August 19, 2001
Alrighty... I'm back from a self imposed week or so break from the Internet and my life in general.
A lot to catch up on, sorta... so I guess I'll well and truly ramble now.
First... if you know me or if you've read my blog for a bit, you know that I like action figures. My mania for them has cooled somewhat over the past year or so. There's not that much out there that excites me, and that's not a bad thing. I still like DC Direct's superhero figures, but they're kinda pricy, so I don't buy them that often, catching up when I can. I used to spend inordinate amounts of time driving around to toy stores waiting for new lines of figures to come out.
Well, those days are back for a bit and will be back later this fall for sure. I have two lines of action figures that I adore the most... the Superman and Batman animated ones. I have 99% of everything that was put out in both of them. In the Batman line, the only things of consequence I'm missing are the 12" figures of Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl and Robin's Dragster. The 12" figures are no biggie. I can pick them up anytime for not that much cost. The Robin Dragster unfortunately is a big deal. Shortly after it was originally produced, the factory where they were made burned to the ground. The molds for the vehicle were destroyed. So, it was only made once and can never be recast, as many figures and vehicles are. They sell now for anywhere from $100 to $400. Bleh. I don't like plastic toys that much.
The Superman line was a short-lived one. The last couple of lines of figures were either released in small numbers and through somewhat difficult channels or not released in the US at all. I managed to find the rather hard to get villians, Darkseid, Metallo and Bizarro, when they were released. Two things elude me though. The Fortress of Solitude Superman, who just has a fucking cool name and also has a great Kryptonian inspired little number that he's wearing, and the Metropolis Bank playset. Both of these were released only in the UK. I have the bank from it's rerelease in the US as a Batman Gotham City Bank, so I'm not overly concerned about it. I want that Superman figure though. And again, it sells on eBay for $100 to $150.
BUT... suddenly on the West Coast, people on eBay are suddenly selling the Fortress of Solitude figure in larger numbers. And, on the action figure newsgroup, I read periodically, people report finding this holy grail of mine at KB toys for $5!!! The cards say 2001 on them which means that Hasbro, the maker of the line, is making more!! I'm gonna be going to KB toys almost every day until I find one of those damned figures! Hell... i want two... one to open and play with and one to hang on the wall.
AND... rumor has it that this fall, there's gonna be a Toys R Us Superman 4 pack that will include three older figures and a brand spanking new Lois Lane figure. Be still my heart...
AND... I just read for the first time this morning that Hasbro has the license to make toys for the new Justice League animated series that will be airing on the Cartoon Network this fall. If they make this line in the same style and size as the Batman and Superman ones, I will just die happy. I will fucking scream in the Toys R Us aisle the day I spot an animated Hawkgirl or Martian Manhunter or Flash figure. Seriously! SCREAM and jump over any child in my way... Fuck that, I'll prolly preorder a case of the little fuckers...
hmmm.... more later today...
A lot to catch up on, sorta... so I guess I'll well and truly ramble now.
First... if you know me or if you've read my blog for a bit, you know that I like action figures. My mania for them has cooled somewhat over the past year or so. There's not that much out there that excites me, and that's not a bad thing. I still like DC Direct's superhero figures, but they're kinda pricy, so I don't buy them that often, catching up when I can. I used to spend inordinate amounts of time driving around to toy stores waiting for new lines of figures to come out.
Well, those days are back for a bit and will be back later this fall for sure. I have two lines of action figures that I adore the most... the Superman and Batman animated ones. I have 99% of everything that was put out in both of them. In the Batman line, the only things of consequence I'm missing are the 12" figures of Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl and Robin's Dragster. The 12" figures are no biggie. I can pick them up anytime for not that much cost. The Robin Dragster unfortunately is a big deal. Shortly after it was originally produced, the factory where they were made burned to the ground. The molds for the vehicle were destroyed. So, it was only made once and can never be recast, as many figures and vehicles are. They sell now for anywhere from $100 to $400. Bleh. I don't like plastic toys that much.
The Superman line was a short-lived one. The last couple of lines of figures were either released in small numbers and through somewhat difficult channels or not released in the US at all. I managed to find the rather hard to get villians, Darkseid, Metallo and Bizarro, when they were released. Two things elude me though. The Fortress of Solitude Superman, who just has a fucking cool name and also has a great Kryptonian inspired little number that he's wearing, and the Metropolis Bank playset. Both of these were released only in the UK. I have the bank from it's rerelease in the US as a Batman Gotham City Bank, so I'm not overly concerned about it. I want that Superman figure though. And again, it sells on eBay for $100 to $150.
BUT... suddenly on the West Coast, people on eBay are suddenly selling the Fortress of Solitude figure in larger numbers. And, on the action figure newsgroup, I read periodically, people report finding this holy grail of mine at KB toys for $5!!! The cards say 2001 on them which means that Hasbro, the maker of the line, is making more!! I'm gonna be going to KB toys almost every day until I find one of those damned figures! Hell... i want two... one to open and play with and one to hang on the wall.
AND... rumor has it that this fall, there's gonna be a Toys R Us Superman 4 pack that will include three older figures and a brand spanking new Lois Lane figure. Be still my heart...
AND... I just read for the first time this morning that Hasbro has the license to make toys for the new Justice League animated series that will be airing on the Cartoon Network this fall. If they make this line in the same style and size as the Batman and Superman ones, I will just die happy. I will fucking scream in the Toys R Us aisle the day I spot an animated Hawkgirl or Martian Manhunter or Flash figure. Seriously! SCREAM and jump over any child in my way... Fuck that, I'll prolly preorder a case of the little fuckers...
hmmm.... more later today...
Alrighty... I'm back from a self imposed week or so break from the Internet and my life in general.
A lot to catch up on, sorta... so I guess I'll well and truly ramble now.
First... if you know me or if you've read my blog for a bit, you know that I like action figures. My mania for them has cooled somewhat over the past year or so. There's not that much out there that excites me, and that's not a bad thing. I still like DC Direct's superhero figures, but they're kinda pricy, so I don't buy them that often, catching up when I can. I used to spend inordinate amounts of time driving around to toy stores waiting for new lines of figures to come out.
Well, those days are back for a bit and will be back later this fall for sure. I have two lines of action figures that I adore the most... the Superman and Batman animated ones. I have 99% of everything that was put out in both of them. In the Batman line, the only things of consequence I'm missing are the 12" figures of Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl and Robin's Dragster. The 12" figures are no biggie. I can pick them up anytime for not that much cost. The Robin Dragster unfortunately is a big deal. Shortly after it was originally produced, the factory where they were made burned to the ground. The molds for the vehicle were destroyed. So, it was only made once and can never be recast, as many figures and vehicles are. They sell now for anywhere from $100 to $400. Bleh. I don't like plastic toys that much.
The Superman line was a short-lived one. The last couple of lines of figures were either released in small numbers and through somewhat difficult channels or not released in the US at all. I managed to find the rather hard to get villians, Darkseid, Metallo and Bizarro, when they were released. Two things elude me though. The Fortress of Solitude Superman, who just has a fucking cool name and also has a great Kryptonian inspired little number that he's wearing, and the Metropolis Bank playset. Both of these were released only in the UK. I have the bank from it's rerelease in the US as a Batman Gotham City Bank, so I'm not overly concerned about it. I want that Superman figure though. And again, it sells on eBay for $100 to $150.
BUT... suddenly on the West Coast, people on eBay are suddenly selling the Fortress of Solitude figure in larger numbers. And, on the action figure newsgroup, I read periodically, people report finding this holy grail of mine at KB toys for $5!!! The cards say 2001 on them which means that Hasbro, the maker of the line, is making more!! I'm gonna be going to KB toys almost every day until I find one of those damned figures! Hell... i want two... one to open and play with and one to hang on the wall.
AND... rumor has it that this fall, there's gonna be a Toys R Us Superman 4 pack that will include three older figures and a brand spanking new Lois Lane figure. Be still my heart...
AND... I just read for the first time this morning that Hasbro has the license to make toys for the new Justice League animated series that will be airing on the Cartoon Network this fall. If they make this line in the same style and size as the Batman and Superman ones, I will just die happy. I will fucking scream in the Toys R Us aisle the day I spot an animated Hawkgirl or Martian Manhunter or Flash figure. Seriously! SCREAM and jump over any child in my way... Fuck that, I'll prolly preorder a case of the little fuckers...
hmmm.... more later today...
A lot to catch up on, sorta... so I guess I'll well and truly ramble now.
First... if you know me or if you've read my blog for a bit, you know that I like action figures. My mania for them has cooled somewhat over the past year or so. There's not that much out there that excites me, and that's not a bad thing. I still like DC Direct's superhero figures, but they're kinda pricy, so I don't buy them that often, catching up when I can. I used to spend inordinate amounts of time driving around to toy stores waiting for new lines of figures to come out.
Well, those days are back for a bit and will be back later this fall for sure. I have two lines of action figures that I adore the most... the Superman and Batman animated ones. I have 99% of everything that was put out in both of them. In the Batman line, the only things of consequence I'm missing are the 12" figures of Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl and Robin's Dragster. The 12" figures are no biggie. I can pick them up anytime for not that much cost. The Robin Dragster unfortunately is a big deal. Shortly after it was originally produced, the factory where they were made burned to the ground. The molds for the vehicle were destroyed. So, it was only made once and can never be recast, as many figures and vehicles are. They sell now for anywhere from $100 to $400. Bleh. I don't like plastic toys that much.
The Superman line was a short-lived one. The last couple of lines of figures were either released in small numbers and through somewhat difficult channels or not released in the US at all. I managed to find the rather hard to get villians, Darkseid, Metallo and Bizarro, when they were released. Two things elude me though. The Fortress of Solitude Superman, who just has a fucking cool name and also has a great Kryptonian inspired little number that he's wearing, and the Metropolis Bank playset. Both of these were released only in the UK. I have the bank from it's rerelease in the US as a Batman Gotham City Bank, so I'm not overly concerned about it. I want that Superman figure though. And again, it sells on eBay for $100 to $150.
BUT... suddenly on the West Coast, people on eBay are suddenly selling the Fortress of Solitude figure in larger numbers. And, on the action figure newsgroup, I read periodically, people report finding this holy grail of mine at KB toys for $5!!! The cards say 2001 on them which means that Hasbro, the maker of the line, is making more!! I'm gonna be going to KB toys almost every day until I find one of those damned figures! Hell... i want two... one to open and play with and one to hang on the wall.
AND... rumor has it that this fall, there's gonna be a Toys R Us Superman 4 pack that will include three older figures and a brand spanking new Lois Lane figure. Be still my heart...
AND... I just read for the first time this morning that Hasbro has the license to make toys for the new Justice League animated series that will be airing on the Cartoon Network this fall. If they make this line in the same style and size as the Batman and Superman ones, I will just die happy. I will fucking scream in the Toys R Us aisle the day I spot an animated Hawkgirl or Martian Manhunter or Flash figure. Seriously! SCREAM and jump over any child in my way... Fuck that, I'll prolly preorder a case of the little fuckers...
hmmm.... more later today...
Sunday, August 05, 2001
Saturday nite out...
So, last nite was a night of juggled friends and constantly coalescing plans. Originally, I was supposed to go to White Linen Night with a couple friends and then meet another friend to go to Oz.
So I spend some afternoon time laying out trying to get some sun, with no results. An hour in 100 degree heat and my skin doesn't even turn pink!? And my phone kept ringing the whole time I was laying out. First, my major crush of the moment called to catch up with me. He has a new houseguest moving in with him and they were planning on going to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I told him that I was going to see it on Sunday. Bummer.
Then, my friend Robert calls and we make plans to go to White Linen night once we get in touch with Dave, the ex. Then, my friend Brian calls and Dave is with him. They don't wanna do White Linen but they do wanna go see Hedwig. Then, Wil calls about going to Oz. But he has to meet the str8 friends at Pat O's for a while... Grrr. More phone calls. My plans firm up as follows: White Linen briefly with Robert, then off to the Shim Sham for a drink or two before we see Hedwig, then call and meet Wil in the Quarter to make it to Oz before the cover goes up. Whew!
So... I have a couple glasses of wine while waiting for Robert. Then we go to White Linen night. Parking is a bitch and a half. We wind up parking at Harrah's. I immediately decide that I HATE White Linen night. Too many stupid people. Nobody's really looking at the art, its all about being seen and seeing others. Plus, the art sucks anyway.
Luckily, Brian calls me on my cell and tells me they're on their way to the Quarter and are on Camp Street. I happen to be on Julia about 40 feet from the corner of Camp. I bid adieu to Robert and assorted people and run to the corner and hop in the car. And evidently I slam the door too hard.... or so I'm told...
Tom, Brian's manfriend, drops up in front of the Shim Sham and we meet Dave at the bar who's already purchased our tickets. A quick couple of drinks and we go in and take our places on our reserved front row seats (Thanks Flynn!!), feeling like NO celebutantes.
Within five minutes of the show starting, I was ecstaticly happy. This show completely utterly totally and without a doubt fucking rocks the planet. It was flawless. Usually, when I go to any sort of theatre, I'm bored at some point. But, I was completely rivetted to the stage for an hour and a half. The music in the show is glamrock at it's best. The dialogue is tight and pointedly perfect. And I have to assume some kick ass direction went into it.
But, the glue holding it all together were the actors. Dorian Rush and Flynn DeMarco both were brilliant. During the first song, I just wanted to run up on the stage and hug Flynn and tell him how amazing he was. Sometimes in life, you feel lucky to be near someone who has an immense talent. Dave, my ex, is one of the most artisticly gifted people I've ever known and I've always felt lucky to have had him and have him in my life. Flynn is another... his gift on the stage is HUGE. I've seen him in two productions now and he only seems to grow in talent.
Even if I didn't know Flynn, I would still be raving about this show though. Everyone who has any interest in theatre needs to immediately make plans to see it. I've not heard one negative or even mediocre word said by anyone who's seen it. Everyone that sees it is blown away by it. Even my stage hating friends. (hi Dave)
DO NOT miss this show.
So, after the show, I called Wil who just happened to be near 735, which is where Dave, Brian and I were heading for drinks. Wil and I ran into Oz and got stamped and then went back to 735. Wil heads back to PatO's. The 3 of us go back to Shim Sham for Glitter Glam for a bit. Have a nice time out on the balcony. Eventually, I head back to Oz and meet Wil. Dancing ensues. I say hi to a gay.com person. He's cute. Seems to think I'm cute. But, he has a boyfriend.... After a bit, I wonder away. Run into someone who lives near me who is heading home and hitch a ride. Calling an early nite of it. Leave Wil a voicemail letting him know.
Home. Sleep.
Saturday nite...
So, last nite was a night of juggled friends and constantly coalescing plans. Originally, I was supposed to go to White Linen Night with a couple friends and then meet another friend to go to Oz.
So I spend some afternoon time laying out trying to get some sun, with no results. An hour in 100 degree heat and my skin doesn't even turn pink!? And my phone kept ringing the whole time I was laying out. First, my major crush of the moment called to catch up with me. He has a new houseguest moving in with him and they were planning on going to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I told him that I was going to see it on Sunday. Bummer.
Then, my friend Robert calls and we make plans to go to White Linen night once we get in touch with Dave, the ex. Then, my friend Brian calls and Dave is with him. They don't wanna do White Linen but they do wanna go see Hedwig. Then, Wil calls about going to Oz. But he has to meet the str8 friends at Pat O's for a while... Grrr. More phone calls. My plans firm up as follows: White Linen briefly with Robert, then off to the Shim Sham for a drink or two before we see Hedwig, then call and meet Wil in the Quarter to make it to Oz before the cover goes up. Whew!
So... I have a couple glasses of wine while waiting for Robert. Then we go to White Linen night. Parking is a bitch and a half. We wind up parking at Harrah's. I immediately decide that I HATE White Linen night. Too many stupid people. Nobody's really looking at the art, its all about being seen and seeing others. Plus, the art sucks anyway.
Luckily, Brian calls me on my cell and tells me they're on their way to the Quarter and are on Camp Street. I happen to be on Julia about 40 feet from the corner of Camp. I bid adieu to Robert and assorted people and run to the corner and hop in the car. And evidently I slam the door too hard.... or so I'm told...
Tom, Brian's manfriend, drops up in front of the Shim Sham and we meet Dave at the bar who's already purchased our tickets. A quick couple of drinks and we go in and take our places on our reserved front row seats (Thanks Flynn!!), feeling like NO celebutantes.
Within five minutes of the show starting, I was ecstaticly happy. This show completely utterly totally and without a doubt fucking rocks the planet. It was flawless. Usually, when I go to any sort of theatre, I'm bored at some point. But, I was completely rivetted to the stage for an hour and a half. The music in the show is glamrock at it's best. The dialogue is tight and pointedly perfect. And I have to assume some kick ass direction went into it.
But, the glue holding it all together were the actors. Dorian Rush and Flynn DeMarco both were brilliant. During the first song, I just wanted to run up on the stage and hug Flynn and tell him how amazing he was. Sometimes in life, you feel lucky to be near someone who has an immense talent. Dave, my ex, is one of the most artisticly gifted people I've ever known and I've always felt lucky to have had him and have him in my life. Flynn is another... his gift on the stage is HUGE. I've seen him in two productions now and he only seems to grow in talent.
Even if I didn't know Flynn, I would still be raving about this show though. Everyone who has any interest in theatre needs to immediately make plans to see it. I've not heard one negative or even mediocre word said by anyone who's seen it. Everyone that sees it is blown away by it. Even my stage hating friends. (hi Dave)
DO NOT miss this show.
So, after the show, I called Wil who just happened to be near 735, which is where Dave, Brian and I were heading for drinks. Wil and I ran into Oz and got stamped and then went back to 735. Wil heads back to PatO's. The 3 of us go back to Shim Sham for Glitter Glam for a bit. Have a nice time out on the balcony. Eventually, I head back to Oz and meet Wil. Dancing ensues. I say hi to a gay.com person. He's cute. Seems to think I'm cute. But, he has a boyfriend.... After a bit, I wonder away. Run into someone who lives near me who is heading home and hitch a ride. Calling an early nite of it. Leave Wil a voicemail letting him know.
Home. Sleep.
Saturday nite...
Saturday, August 04, 2001
Life in New Orleans...
This week pretty much sucked cuz an out of nowhere sinus infection kicked my ass up and down the stairs. I hate these fuckers. They always start with a tickle in the throat and a vague feeling that things smell 'wrong'. Next thing you know, I'm sick as a dog. Getting older sucks. Sinuses suck. But, I'm getting better. Much better.
So, we may or may not have a tropical storm heading towards us. I hope not cuz I live in a neighborhood where the streets flood BADLY. I don't wanna get stuck in my house. Specially if the power goes out. I lived thru a week of August heat with no AC after Andrew a few years ago. I have no desire to go through that again. The adult side of me also doesn't want my store to lose sales as we do during bad weather.
I've actually gotten a couple of emails lately letting me know that people are reading my blog, which is gratifying. (Hi Doug) Last nite, I got a really interesting long one from a person of indeterminate gender who noticed my webpage on gay.com and referred to me as 'a pretty kick ass motha *BLEEP*'. That was extremely gratifying. Heh. I'm kick ass. Heh.
So, tonite is White Linen Night. Pretentiousness will abound at art galleries. And I shall mingle. And probably inwardly sneer at 99% of the art. Hopefully someone will have something interesting on display. And hopefully I can succesfully steer my different friends who dislike one another in opposite directions...
If anyone out there wants to buy me anything, head on over to http://www.amazon.co.uk and buy me either Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds or Origin by Stephen Baxter. :)
I want those 2 books SOOO bad and I'm too broke to buy them. Unfairness of life...
An interesting thing I've observed... When I ask a the question "Am I preppy or alternative?", I get differing answers depending on who I ask. Some people say "definitely preppy", some say "alternative, you're not preppy at all". I think the truth lies somewhere in between. And I don't think I'm preppy or alternative. Of course, I don't think anyone who is 'alternative' these days is really alternative at all.
I think i need a nap...
This week pretty much sucked cuz an out of nowhere sinus infection kicked my ass up and down the stairs. I hate these fuckers. They always start with a tickle in the throat and a vague feeling that things smell 'wrong'. Next thing you know, I'm sick as a dog. Getting older sucks. Sinuses suck. But, I'm getting better. Much better.
So, we may or may not have a tropical storm heading towards us. I hope not cuz I live in a neighborhood where the streets flood BADLY. I don't wanna get stuck in my house. Specially if the power goes out. I lived thru a week of August heat with no AC after Andrew a few years ago. I have no desire to go through that again. The adult side of me also doesn't want my store to lose sales as we do during bad weather.
I've actually gotten a couple of emails lately letting me know that people are reading my blog, which is gratifying. (Hi Doug
So, tonite is White Linen Night. Pretentiousness will abound at art galleries. And I shall mingle. And probably inwardly sneer at 99% of the art. Hopefully someone will have something interesting on display. And hopefully I can succesfully steer my different friends who dislike one another in opposite directions...
If anyone out there wants to buy me anything, head on over to http://www.amazon.co.uk and buy me either Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds or Origin by Stephen Baxter. :)
I want those 2 books SOOO bad and I'm too broke to buy them. Unfairness of life...
An interesting thing I've observed... When I ask a the question "Am I preppy or alternative?", I get differing answers depending on who I ask. Some people say "definitely preppy", some say "alternative, you're not preppy at all". I think the truth lies somewhere in between. And I don't think I'm preppy or alternative. Of course, I don't think anyone who is 'alternative' these days is really alternative at all.
I think i need a nap...
Thursday, August 02, 2001
For the last several days, I've had a sinus infection. UGH. I hate sinus infections and I get them pretty frequently. They suck!
I can't wait to be over it completely. I better be completely better by Saturday, cuz I wanna go to White Linen Night. Free wine at multiple galleries. Whoo hoo. After a few glasses, the crappy art starts looking better.
While illing, i've been reading other people's journals and chatting online a lot. Oh the drama... Way too many of the people I know are a little too into melodrama. And into being a little too involved in each other's lives. No wonder I have so few friends and date so few people... bleh...
I can't wait to be over it completely. I better be completely better by Saturday, cuz I wanna go to White Linen Night. Free wine at multiple galleries. Whoo hoo. After a few glasses, the crappy art starts looking better.
While illing, i've been reading other people's journals and chatting online a lot. Oh the drama... Way too many of the people I know are a little too into melodrama. And into being a little too involved in each other's lives. No wonder I have so few friends and date so few people... bleh...
Sunday, July 29, 2001
More staccato little mutterings:
1: The Simpsons is one of the best TV shows EVER.
2: I first had sex when I was 21.
3: I bought 3 DVDs last week... Unbreakable, Moby Play & Akira.
4: I have one tattoo. I want more.
5: I have one piercing. I'm pondering another one soon. But, I sort of think they're very over...
6: I'm pretty good at sex, or so I'm told...
7: I'm also a great kisser. Or so I'm told...
8: To Kill a Mockingbird is the best movie ever made.
9: My two most favorite bands are Air and St Etienne.
10: Did I mention that I'm great in bed? :P
1: The Simpsons is one of the best TV shows EVER.
2: I first had sex when I was 21.
3: I bought 3 DVDs last week... Unbreakable, Moby Play & Akira.
4: I have one tattoo. I want more.
5: I have one piercing. I'm pondering another one soon. But, I sort of think they're very over...
6: I'm pretty good at sex, or so I'm told...
7: I'm also a great kisser. Or so I'm told...
8: To Kill a Mockingbird is the best movie ever made.
9: My two most favorite bands are Air and St Etienne.
10: Did I mention that I'm great in bed? :P
Wednesday, July 25, 2001
Quick takes:
1) if anyone is actually reading this on a consistent basis, dropping me an email wouldn't be a bad thing... I always think no one is, but then suddenly someone will mention that they read it and I'm sort of surprised... so, if you are, let me know...
it's devem@earthlink.net
2) Porcelain by Moby is one of my all time forever and ever favorite songs
3) True Faith by New Order is another
4) in case you were wondering, I'm a bottom... *smirk*
5) I figured out the Sixth Sense about a third of the way through the film...
6) i like tall dark haired, not overly hairy guys the most...
7) I read comic books and if you don't like that, well... bleh on you...
1) if anyone is actually reading this on a consistent basis, dropping me an email wouldn't be a bad thing... I always think no one is, but then suddenly someone will mention that they read it and I'm sort of surprised... so, if you are, let me know...
it's devem@earthlink.net
2) Porcelain by Moby is one of my all time forever and ever favorite songs
3) True Faith by New Order is another
4) in case you were wondering, I'm a bottom... *smirk*
5) I figured out the Sixth Sense about a third of the way through the film...
6) i like tall dark haired, not overly hairy guys the most...
7) I read comic books and if you don't like that, well... bleh on you...
Sunday, July 22, 2001
Nearing the end of a pretty decent weekend...
Thursday nite, I went to 80s Nite at the Shim Sham for the first time. It was a heck of a lot of fun. But, I can't imagine doing it on a regular basis. 80s music is so there been there done that. Seemed like everyone I know in New Orleans happened to be there that nite. My one big ex was there, drunk off his ass. But, it seemed like everyone was drunk off their asses that night, myself included. Perhaps something to do with the unusually oppressive humidity that night.
I managed to totally freak out one out of town visiting guy by walking up to him and asking him if his name was Patric King. But... gee, if you have an website and blog with pictures of yourself and talk a bit on it about your visit to New Orleans, I don't really think this should surprise you...
For some reason that I don't exactly remember, in response to a jesting insult, Jonno poured a good third of his drink down the front of my shirt.
Evidently I made out with someone that I should not have made out with. Especially in public. Especially since, despite liking the guy, I normally really wouldn't wanna kiss him...
Hmmm... and before I even got out that nite, I had the streetcar incident. I was waiting for the streetcar at St Charles & Josephine and sweating profusely earlier that evening, when I realized I needed a quarter for the ride. So, I went to Igors to get change. On the way back, I noticed a cute guy sitting in a car which a chick was getting out of in front of the hotel on the corner. I give him the onceover, he gives it back to me. I stumble a bit in the street, caught off guard. Back to the stop...
The car sits there a while. His friend and he stare at me for a bit. I glance back occasionally, smiling because I can't help it. Finally, they leave. And make a U-turn. Staring, smiling. They go down St Charles a block. Another U-turn. More staring, more smiles. Repeat circle one more time. By this point, other people at the stop are noticing, I'm sure. The end of the final circuit comes when the streetcar pulls up. They simultaneously pull up in the car across the street. Streetcar doors open. Other people get on. They're in the car motioning for me to come over to them. Decision time...
A short time later I'm having ice water at the Quarter Scene while my two new friends have a light dinner. One of them seems to like me... Of course, the waiter at the QS has to be a gay boy who once told me that I was older than his father... one of the more traumatic moments of my adult life...
So, dinner, conversation and they drop me off at the Shim Sham. More later, I'm sure.
After the Shim Sham, I stumbled to Oz to meet the 21 year old hottie. We arrive simultaneously. We dance. We dance more. We depart eventually. Despite both of us knowing better, making out begins at the red lights on the way home. And that's a singular home. Snuggle time. That's all, mostly...
I manage to make it through a morose day at work Friday, late shift.
Saturday, I goof around, bike to the park, read in the park, have tea and a bagel at the Rue. It's a beautiful day for riding my bike. The way to Audubon park is hot, humid, moisty and muggy. Once you reach the point where you're completely saturated with sweat, the breezes feel amazing. Sitting, reading at the park, it doesn't seem nearly so hot.
The way back turns dark and blustery with the threat of rain. The garden district is really beautiful when the sun is blotted out and the wind is weaving thru the treetops. Little whirlwinds of crepe myrtle blossoms and small brown leaves swirl in the streets making me happy beyond belief. This is absolutely my favorite kind of weather. There's something quite lovely but a bit sinister about it...
Saturday night, i go to a swell dinner party. Perfectly casual and a great diverse mix of people. Care went into party and it shows and it paid off pleasantly.
I attempt to go out dancing, but I meet up with Oz's new cover charge. I will NOT pay $10 to go into that bar. Bleh.
Now it's a nice lazy Sunday... me happy mostly...
Thursday nite, I went to 80s Nite at the Shim Sham for the first time. It was a heck of a lot of fun. But, I can't imagine doing it on a regular basis. 80s music is so there been there done that. Seemed like everyone I know in New Orleans happened to be there that nite. My one big ex was there, drunk off his ass. But, it seemed like everyone was drunk off their asses that night, myself included. Perhaps something to do with the unusually oppressive humidity that night.
I managed to totally freak out one out of town visiting guy by walking up to him and asking him if his name was Patric King. But... gee, if you have an website and blog with pictures of yourself and talk a bit on it about your visit to New Orleans, I don't really think this should surprise you...
For some reason that I don't exactly remember, in response to a jesting insult, Jonno poured a good third of his drink down the front of my shirt.
Evidently I made out with someone that I should not have made out with. Especially in public. Especially since, despite liking the guy, I normally really wouldn't wanna kiss him...
Hmmm... and before I even got out that nite, I had the streetcar incident. I was waiting for the streetcar at St Charles & Josephine and sweating profusely earlier that evening, when I realized I needed a quarter for the ride. So, I went to Igors to get change. On the way back, I noticed a cute guy sitting in a car which a chick was getting out of in front of the hotel on the corner. I give him the onceover, he gives it back to me. I stumble a bit in the street, caught off guard. Back to the stop...
The car sits there a while. His friend and he stare at me for a bit. I glance back occasionally, smiling because I can't help it. Finally, they leave. And make a U-turn. Staring, smiling. They go down St Charles a block. Another U-turn. More staring, more smiles. Repeat circle one more time. By this point, other people at the stop are noticing, I'm sure. The end of the final circuit comes when the streetcar pulls up. They simultaneously pull up in the car across the street. Streetcar doors open. Other people get on. They're in the car motioning for me to come over to them. Decision time...
A short time later I'm having ice water at the Quarter Scene while my two new friends have a light dinner. One of them seems to like me... Of course, the waiter at the QS has to be a gay boy who once told me that I was older than his father... one of the more traumatic moments of my adult life...
So, dinner, conversation and they drop me off at the Shim Sham. More later, I'm sure.
After the Shim Sham, I stumbled to Oz to meet the 21 year old hottie. We arrive simultaneously. We dance. We dance more. We depart eventually. Despite both of us knowing better, making out begins at the red lights on the way home. And that's a singular home. Snuggle time. That's all, mostly...
I manage to make it through a morose day at work Friday, late shift.
Saturday, I goof around, bike to the park, read in the park, have tea and a bagel at the Rue. It's a beautiful day for riding my bike. The way to Audubon park is hot, humid, moisty and muggy. Once you reach the point where you're completely saturated with sweat, the breezes feel amazing. Sitting, reading at the park, it doesn't seem nearly so hot.
The way back turns dark and blustery with the threat of rain. The garden district is really beautiful when the sun is blotted out and the wind is weaving thru the treetops. Little whirlwinds of crepe myrtle blossoms and small brown leaves swirl in the streets making me happy beyond belief. This is absolutely my favorite kind of weather. There's something quite lovely but a bit sinister about it...
Saturday night, i go to a swell dinner party. Perfectly casual and a great diverse mix of people. Care went into party and it shows and it paid off pleasantly.
I attempt to go out dancing, but I meet up with Oz's new cover charge. I will NOT pay $10 to go into that bar. Bleh.
Now it's a nice lazy Sunday... me happy mostly...
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