Phoenix Rising

Well... I got the bug.  It bit me, and I scratched.  I just booked a trip out west.  I fly into Phoenix on July 5th, and return July 12th.  I'll be staying in Phoenix a day or so, then I will head up to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and some of the other places to see up there before returning to Phoenix to fly out a week later.  Just me and the open road with no itinerary... just the way I like it.  Since my trip to Rehoboth got cancelled, this will be a great alternative... albeit hot (it's a dry heat, which I'm familiar with having lived in Las Vegas over the summer period).  I'll get to see a few friends that I still have in LV... and just wander around.  Other than Dr. Spo.... which I hope to see while in his back yard... who else is out that way?

Happy Memorial Day

Today is a day of remembering those lost... but it seems moreso that it has become synonymous with the kickoff to Summer.  Pools open, people have picnics or hit the beach... and the true meaning gets lost somewhere in the shuffle.  My Dad goes every year to the graves and cleans them up and plants flowers.  It's been a long time since I've done that.  For me, it always cues my birthday, since it always falls on this weekend.
 

With a long weekend, parades and even the big gay picnic in North Park, the only memory I will have of this holiday is working.... all day Friday, Friday evening at the bar... 3 hours sleep... 10 more hours landscaping, Saturday night at the bar... 5 hours of sleep and more landscaping yesterday... and I'm off to cut grass for 8 hours, including a new house that I picked up of the rental person here at our townhouse community... the one that offered me the contract here.  With insurance and probably having to buy a bigger mower, it didn't make sense... but maybe next year it will.  I'm finally winding down with my Spring clean up, mulching and annuals... by the end of the week, I should be just down to my one or two days a week maintenance. 

Yesterday it was 90 degrees and humid as hell.  We went from Winter to some sort of ark building competition to the dead heat of Summer.  I hope everyone has/had a great weekend!!  Enjoy!!

Bloody Buggity Blogger

Is anyone having trouble posting comments on people's blogs?  For some reason, it tries to make me anonymous... then asks me to sign in fifteen times on an endless loop and I, stupidly, keep doing it like it's going to catch one of these times. 

Is something going on?  Can anyone help?

Blogger friends... I'm reading and trying to comment... just not having any luck.

I'm so close to moving my whole blog to Wordpress.

It's Nano Your Business What I'm Listening To...

This song, originally by Fleetwood Mac, was covered on Glee this season... it's definitely my favorite one they did all year...

Bargain Basement... Prices Slashed for Quick Sale

So, I'm back to being not-so-special today as my birthday wraps up.  It seems like birthdays should be longer... maybe a few days or perhaps a week... after all, it took over 9 months to make me from scratch... shouldn't that miracle have more spotlight than just 24 hours a year?  I had a really nice day, having nothing planned at the start and it turned out being packed with things before I knew it.  I had an unplanned lunch with Julie... and an unplanned dinner with my friend Anna, and a bunch of things in between.

Speaking of unplanned... regarding my adoption and it's correlation to my possibly having the blood disorder Factor V Leiden, I got the test results back and I don't have it.  And while I'm happy that I don't have a disease that could kill me, it doesn't shed any light on the mystery of my birth father.  Although I suppose it's possible that I could still be his and not have inherited it through him, it would have put to rest the theory if I did, and saved me $500 for a DNA test, should I want to proceed to get a definitive answer.  At this point in my life though, after all the research that I've done, there really is no way of finding out now except the DNA test... so I will just have to find some peace in my uncertainty... something that has become a recurring theme in my life and the bedrock of every part of my existence, influencing every move I make and thought I process.  And although it shouldn't matter where I came from, in essence, it would have been an odd feeling for me to finally put it to rest and not think about what other people take for granted as normal.  I'm starting to think I dropped out of the sky.

I spent the last couple of days on my knees... no, not in the alley working my mojo (this time, at least)... planting some 400 annuals.  It's kind of nice, propelling life of an innocent flower... giving it what it needs to grow into something more beautiful that will provide pleasure to so many.  And I get to be left alone with only my iPod Nano, 3 cute Italian guys (Il Volo) serenading me... and mother earth.  I have another 400 or so to plant this weekend, along with finishing up the mulching, which leaves my holiday weekend looking like landscaping work during the days through Tuesday and bartending at night, both Friday and Saturday this weekend.  After the holiday, I should be past my spring stress time of trying to get everything completed.  I have a few decks to build, and some odds and ends projects... by July, I should be through all of that and down to my two days a week maintenance through October.

Another Another Mile Marker

Well, today is the 15th time that I'm 29 again.  You'd think that I would get it right by now.  I guess I have gotten some things right, over time.  It seems to be a recurring theme in my life... the third times a charm (or the 15th, as it may be in this instance).  I feel like I've done a lot of growing this past year and I'd like to put it all into play this coming year with many things planned.

A special thanks to two special people for their eloquently-written posts today honoring my birthday... Robin at Life in Queue and Sean at Idle Eyes and a Dormy... as well as all the wonderful friends that left me birthday wishes both on here and Facebook.  I'm surrounded by great people.

As constant as my birthday is coming each year... was the call that I would get from my ex, John... who recently passed away.  At 12:01, that fu@k would call me and wake me up to wish me a happy birthday, being a smart-ass.  I didn't get that call this year... I would have done anything to have my sleep interrupted.  It's the little things in life that you miss the most.

Someone Turn the Hose On Me

It's probably better that my progrums are all coming to an end with their season finales, and all.  I've been working so much that I haven't had any R and R time (and by R and R, I mean ruckus and romping), so it's no wonder why I am a little randy lately... and probably need the garden hose turned on me.  My buffet of boys has been on the TV screen, where I have managed to fall in love with someone from every show (as well as various cat food and razor commercials, as well).  Each having their own adorable qualities...

Josh Bowman plays Max on Make It or Break It, a show about a gymnastics team at a gym in Boulder, training and competing for nationals and worlds and, hopefully, the Olympics.  Max just came onto the scene this season, and is already pining for the attention of Payson Keeler, the wholesome girl... and Lauren, the tramp.  He's sweet, caring and a gentleman... or does he just like the gentlemen?  On the season finale (and I'm pretty sure I wished this to come true), it was revealed that he was bi (and by revealed, I mean he planted a big kiss on another guy).  I was so happy that I did a front round off, flip, flip, double twist, twirl, spin, spin, jump, tumble, twirl... right down the upstairs hallway.  In real life, he has a British accent but, sadly, has dated the likes of Amy Winehouse (wtf) and Miley Cirus.  His taste in men is much better... and I think once he gets a taste of the weiner buffet, he'll be giving up fish, even on Good Friday.

Next up is Cody Longo, also from Make It or Break It.  He left the gym to go train somewhere else last season, but I have 'Longoed' for him ever since.  He recently played someone who gets eaten in the movie Piranha.  He wasn't gay or bi on the show... just hot.  I see a recurring theme here though... fish... and being eaten by fish... are bad.  Weiners are good.


Lastly, as I was watching American Idol, the Italian group Il Volo came on and I fell for the cute chubby one on the right... I think his name is Ignazio Boschetto.  He has the greatest smile, complete with rosie cheeks and dimples (best seen in the video below at 1:20 and 2:00).  I'm a sucker for a guy that sings to begin with... and one that sings in Italian on top of that... that was it... I was hooked.  Watching the video, you can't imagine that the voices are coming out of the bodies... and he looks like he's having such a great time, with his cute dancing.  You can't help but smile with this kid as he looks more like he's singing GaGa rather than an Italian standard.  Definitely husband material... or at least a date sharing a spaghetti noodle (minds out of the gutter, people). 

YUM !! (Barefoot Boys)

Rain, Rain, Go Away... And Don't Come Back, Bitch

With a lull in the bad weather over the weekend, I was able to get a lot accomplished and the target is slowly approaching on the horizon.  Soon, I will have my one or two days a week maintenance routine and that's it.  I have a few side projects at the Marriott, one of them in the picture... I tore out close to 30 overgrown, dead, nasty-ass bushes and trees a replaced them with some smaller bushes and rocks.  I still have an ornamental tree to put in the bare spot... and once the grasses grow to their normal height of 8 feet or so, it will provide the perfect backdrop for the new bushes and the annuals that I have yet to put in.  Unfortunately, you can't even begin to understand what this area looked like before from the picture, and I forgot to take a 'before' one.  This is one of the things that I love about my job... the creative side... when I get to tear out and rebuild.  Sadly, I am usually harnessed by a budget and other people's stale ideas, so it's never what I would really do.  Free rocks that I pick up on the side of the road add some texture, but it's no where near what I want.

The weather is supposed to be spotty this whole week, with scattered rain and storms.  Looks like more of dodge-rain landscaping this week to get what I need done.  We're about to get hit in an hour or so with a storm... I'm off today, so I, like the honey badger, don't give a shit.

Thursday is my birthday... of which I'll be 44.  Woo hoo!!  Big deal.  I usually go away for my birthday weekend because it falls around Memorial Day weekend... but this year, I will be working at the Blue Moon Friday and Saturday and don't have much else planned.

Tids and Bits - Rapture Rap-Up

Well, I don't know a ton of Bible-pounders to be able to tell if anyone was plucked up... but I'm pretty sure that Rapture came and went without occurance, except confirmation that the guy that concocted this theory, now in his 2nd or 3rd attempt to predict this sort of thing, is bat-shit crazy just as I suspected.  I have to admit that I took a minute or two (tops) to put some thought into it as to whether or not I'd be 'picked' (especially after receiving a comment on my post Raptor, and the person offered that joking about this suggests that I am scared and that's how I was dealing with it).  It brought back memories of grade school where I was the skinny kid chosen last for the dodge ball teams.  And then I grew up and realized that being chosen wasn't all that it's cracked up to be.  You'd really have to care about the sport and have a respect for the rules and have a sense of participation for the outcome of win or lose to really matter.  This obviously isn't me... then or now, whether dodge ball or belief in some higher being.  So, while I would imagine that the people that are invested in religion should have been a little worried today... I really didn't give a shit... and, more so... the only thing that I remain scared of are people that would truly rationalize the whole thing as being realistic... but at the same time, admiring them for their sense of imagination.  I mean, we're just talking about a man walking around talking about his theories of things that may/might not... happen/have happened... it's not like they're going to put them in a leather-bound book and put them in every Motel 6 nightstand.  What are the odds of that happening?  Believe what you want to and  live and let live, as I always say.  See you in 2012 for the next 'hasta la vista' extravaganza!

I got some of my test results back today.  Everything came back pretty normal.  My cholesterol was slightly higher than normal, which can be attributed to my protein shake mix and raw egg that I blended in each morning until earlier this week.  I also haven't been doing much cardio lately with work and all.  Everything else is good.  As soon as I get caught up at work, I plan to get back to the gym and do a few spinning classes.  That should help clean it up a bit.  I'm still waiting for the Factor V Leiden test results.

I went to the Blue Moon last night and worked.  There's the front bar, where everyone hangs out... and the back bar, which is dead.  They want to make me the permanent back bar person and bring this 20-something muscle head guy in to work up front, thinking that he's going to bring business (mainly the young people (who actually have no money to spend on alcohol)) in.  First of all, he's not that cute... secondly, he has absolutely no personality and is straight... so while he took his shirt off trying to get more tips, he doesn't want to be touched by anyone, which you can't have both ways in a gay bar.  It's a little insulting that he thinks that we are that stupid... that he should make more tips just because he took his shirt off.  Lastly, being straight... he has no following to bring anyone into the bar.  Aside from all that, he went to bartending school 6 years ago but has never stepped foot behind a bar.  He was totally lost last night, even working at the front bar in between me and the manager.  It amazes me how some businesses stay open.  Anyway, we didn't get out of there until 4 am... I was in bed at 5 am and up at 7:30 to go do landscaping.  I made $120 dollars for 8 hours work.  Not worth it.  It will get worse when I am in the back bar permanently next week, probably making half that.

I've come to the conclusion, based on the fact that I don't need the money, don't need to pin down my weekends for a job that I'm thrown scraps behind some talentless neanderthal and I'm not gaining anything...  that I'm going to help the manager train the new guy and get settled with staff and quit, probably in 3 or 4 weeks.  I don't want to screw him over, but isn't he basically doing that to me?  Why am I always Scooby's idiot cousin, Scrappy-Doo?  Why do I always worry about filling someone else's needs before my own, to my own detriment?  Those days are gone.

It's Nano Your Business What I'm Listening To...

With Rapture right around the corner, I thought I'd load my iPod Nano with some music that was apropos, thanks to my friend Bob.  Since I'm not going to be one of the chosen ones, I'll have plenty of time to enjoy the playlist... currently, listening to "I did it my way" by Frank.

Spoiler Alert

For those of you who haven't seen The King's Speech yet, I'm going to quote one of the best lines in the movie... "fuck... fuck, fuck fuck, fuckin' fuck fuck fuckin' bugger bugger buggity buggity buggity fuck...ass!".  That sort of scratches the surface of my contempt for the weather at this point.  I've been running back and forth in between rain to get something done over the last week or so... always to wind up covered in mud and soaking wet.  It's miserable and I'm over it.  It really kills the spirit.

Speaking of something that kills, I went for a blood test today to see if I carry the disease Factor 5 Leiden (named after the city in the Netherlands where it was first identified in 1994), which is a mutant blood disorder that causes an abnormality of blood coagulation that increases the risk of thrombosis (blood clots in blood vessels), resulting in 'mini-strokes' and pulmonary embolisms (clots that make it through the right side of the heart and end up in the lung) or death.

It is a hereditary disease, which is where the story gets complicated.  With my research to find my biological parents, I have concluded that George Panyko was my birth father, although it hasn't been proven.  In tracking his family down, it turns out that his sons live right in the area and, oddly, Ron (who would be my birth nephew) works at the Marriott with me.  He's the one that told me about this disease and how both his father and Uncle (which would be my half brothers) both had heart attacks and strokes and one of them lost about 4 feet of intestines due to this, starting in their mid 40's.  I'm going to be 44 next week... and after seeing a coincidental episode on one of my progrums (Body of Proof) where a woman died and Leiden was the diagnosis, I decided it was time.  I also did a full bioscreening which test levels of about 25 different things.  If I have Factor V Leiden, I will have to go on blood thinners, but it will also lend to the idea that I am definitely related to them, although not totally conclusive, but a good indicator that we have the same blood.

In happier news, I got a call from the Blue Moon today.  It appears that, rather than just bartending every other Friday and filling in, I am on Fridays permanently and every other Saturday.  I'm excited... it was fun last week and I made some decent money.  This will be great for my lead-in to Winter... and will keep me busy somewhat during that time.

I'm Featuring You... Sean Breen (Happy Birthday, May 17th)

Some of you may recall a post that I used to do called "I'm Featuring You...".  It kind of started from when I was doing massage down at gay camp... at night, I had a hat visor light that I used to find my way strumbling back to the trailer, drunk... but I also used to use it on the dance floor of the rec hall... I would come up behind someone, shining it down over top of someone, declaring "I'm featuring you, I'm featuring you"... which was their turn in the spotlight to bust a move (and hopefully not a hip).  Anyway, I used it on my blog to feature some of my friends, telling a little about them and/or how we met.  So there's that.

This feature is for someone who I have become close with quickly, but have never met.  We've talked via text, blog comment, email and facebook, but never in person.  Regardless, he has become a very important part of my life since we share a lot of the same life experiences, morals, thoughts and ideals.

For those who don't know him, he is the blog author of Idle Eyes and a Dormy, living right outside of Albany, NY with his partner Jeffrey.  Sean describes himself as:  "Out, gay, married, honest, artist, pacifist, playful, passionate, insecure, working-stiff, husband, friend, free thinker, humanist, bowler, atheist, nudist, sexually-liberated, free-spirited, adventurous, bear-identified, cartoon, comicbook and cosmo loving nutball with a load of insecurities and a wardrobe to match".  I would like to add compassionate, caring, talented, committed, enduring... as well as many other attributes too many to list.

Back in April, he had his first art exhibit displaying his works, called 'Superb Men', showcasing his drawings (of which you can see many of them here... Sean's Artwork ) ... many of the male form... many of his super heroes... but all a part of him.  “My love of comic book characters results from a desire to be more than I am,” Sean explained (in his artist profile). “I love the characters and the confidence and ideals they espouse, the power they wield that I long for and feel I have never had... Continuing to draw these characters into my adult years is a way for me to hold on to the excitement, wonder and imagination of my youth. My life in all other ways is ordinary...art allows me to be extraordinary.”

I think he's already pretty extraordinary and superhero-like... dealing with all things against him... rising above it all and accomplishing all that he does... I only wish he knew all that about himself.  I am honored to call him my friend... and I hope that we can meet in July like we're planning to and continue to build a stronger friendship.  You don't run into quality people too often in this life time... he's one of them.

Happy 40th, friend!!  Hope you have a wonderful year!!

Raptor

I've been hearing all this crap about a raptor ending the world or something this weekend.  Apparently, I misheard... it was the 'Rapture' that they were talking about, not a prehistoric thingy.  The 2011 End Times Prediction they were talking about is a prediction made by Christian radio host Harold Camping (the President of the Family Radio Christian Network) that the Rapture (in Christian belief, the taking up into heaven of God's elect people) will take place on May 21st, 2011.  There are several 'biblical proofs' that he has argued, this being one of them:

1. According to Harold Camping, the number five equals "atonement", the number ten equals "completeness", and the number seventeen equals "heaven".

2. Christ is said to have hung on the cross on April 1, 33 AD. The time between April 1, 33 AD and April 1, 2011 is 1,978 years.

3. If 1,978 is multiplied by 365.2422 days (the number of days in a solar year, not to be confused with the lunar year), the result is 722,449.

4. The time between April 1 and May 21 is 51 days.

5. 51 added to 722,449 is 722,500.

6. (5 × 10 × 17)2 or (atonement × completeness × heaven)2 also equals 722,500.

Thus, Camping concludes that 5 × 10 × 17 is telling us a "story from the time Christ made payment for our sins until we're completely saved.  Further, he claims that the end of the world as we know it will occur 5 months later on September 21st, 2011.  He previously stated that the world would end September, 1994.  After doing a little research, the only tragedies that happened September, 1994 were the premieres of both Friends on NBC and the Howard Stern radio show, both pretty scary in their own right.  I suppose the lesson to be learned here is that evil hair (the 'Rachel' and the 'dried out frizz') came out of those shows?

I think this is a lot of thinking about something that we really don't have any control over.  Frankly, I hope that it does come true.... let all the bible pounders be swooped up so there are some parking spaces under my favorite tree at the church where I usually wax my truck on Sundays... and the gays can have a peaceful parade without some wing-nut, hyper-Christian spoiling the fun.  We're queer, we're here... and you're not!  End of story.

Maybe this is what they meant by 'the meek shall inherit the earth'?

It's The Pits-Burgh

I know it's not right to bitch about our mediocre weather when there are areas of the country that are torn apart by tornadoes and hurricanes and now, flooding... and I should be thankful... but I don't know how much more I can take of the dreary, gloomy, miserable, damp, rainy, overcast, dank depressing weather we've had this year.  Last year we got dried out... this year, soaked.  WTF?  What I wouldn't do to find someone who doesn't believe in global warming and beat them about the head and neck with some blunt object today just to get some frustration out.  Please tell me why you'd even bother to get out of bed when you're staring at a forecast like this?  Punxy Phil isn't popping out to see his shadow to predict how long winter will go on... he looks out and has the good sense to go back to bed for six + more weeks figuring what's the point. 

I got a lot accomplished last week and the areas that I mulched willl get them off my back... but there's still more to do... about 20 yards more.  Plus I have 16 bushes and trees that need planted and 600 annuals on the heels of that.  Please, mother nature... give me a break.

Show Me A Sign

My First Time (Bartending at the Blue Moon)

What an interesting concept, being on the other side of the bar making the drinks that people get tanked... and me not drinking and making money (and not having to run someone off my street corner, like usual).  I had a great time last night and it was fairly busy.  I was in the back bar, so it was a bit slower for me than the front bar where all the action was, but I was able to make some money, learn their systems, meet some people and hang out with Kyle, Kevin and Carter who came to sit with me at the bar to support me and keep me company.  The person that was training me got sick and went home an hour into the shift, leaving me alone to work the room and I did fine. 

I'm not sure how often I'll be working... right now, it seems like every other Friday, but there may be some extra slots opening up... and I'd like to get out to the front bar as well.  We'll see.  I'm just going to enjoy it as a night that I'm not spending money and getting drunk, but get to be out in it all.

I finally got into bed at 5 a.m.

Out of Sight, Out of My Mind

Wow... it's been a crazy week.  I, with help, managed to get about 40 yards of mulch done this past week and some grass cut today.  It's been some long-ass, tiring days in the 80 degree sun, but a great week, nonetheless.  Tonight, I head to my new bartending job at the gay bar.  Should be fun and interesting.

We've had some weird weather the last couple of days... Mother Nature has been up to her old tricks again... this morning... I woke up and looked out upon a few gorgeous landscaping guys planting shrubs (some of you may recall the guys from last year that were stalking me outside of my house, pretending through an elaborate scheme to cut the grass, etc. when they were trying to just catch a peep through the window) in the complex on a warm, beautiful day... and this afternoon, from the same window, torrential downpour and flooding.  Make up your mind.  Schedule-wise, I'm fine.  I have some things to get done, but a good time frame to do it, so no stress. 

I've been out of commission lately... haven't gotten to read anyone's blog or talk to people... hope everyone is OK.

Spo Shirt

I was pleased and honored to receive the Spo Shirt last Sunday.  Unfortunately, it sat here for a few days before I even took any pics, etc... mainly because I was waiting for it to stop raining so I could take a picture wearing it with Pittsburgh in the background.  Sadly, when it got sunny out... I've been working 13 hour days... so I never did get that picture snapped.

When I received it, I did open the box and in with it was a notebook with a short, hand-written note from everyone that has had it, in chronological order.  I immediately felt overwhelmed with emotion to not only be a part of this journey, but to read some of the stories of other's experience when they got it... and perhaps some of the things, good and bad, that were going on when it arrived.  It's almost like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants... but it's a shirt instead.

I was also very impressed with Spo's seamstressing... or tailoring... it was heavier than I thought it would be and was impeccably sewn.  I was also surprised to see that it fit me... as it looks much bigger in some of the pictures I've seen.  Granted, it didn't fit like my clubbing shirts... but I think I managed to get some sexy out of it.  My pics are NC17 rated... for a more spicy pic... check out Sean's Undie Monday spread.

You can check out the whole story of the shirt at SpoReflections Spo Shirt History.  Next stop... Shawn Dooley in San Diego...