He is Seventeen, Going on Eighteen....

First of all, I know that I have been drawn to younger guys lately... Both Jesse and Mike being 22... But even I know when to draw the line. For 'Full Moon', Taylor Lautner packed on 26 pounds of muscle for his role, in which he's shirtless most of the time. So I won't talk about his killer abs, beautiful eyes and smile... rockin' body, great hair, soft skin, manly-muscle arms and chest... until he's eighteen (oops, too late... Guess I better register my address).

Another Dreary Day

Yuck. It's so miserable outside. 40 degrees and fizzling rain... just enough to be irritating. I went over to the other house and while my Dad pulled out carpet tacks, I started scraping the wallpaper down in the bathroom. It's weird to see remnants of the wallpaper that I grew up with underneath, but also the 10 colors underneath that as well. My Mom loved her greens. I can only explain the previous color as what Pepto-Bismol would look like moldy... almost like a nuclear reactor green. I'm sure that many of the layers were lead paint... so I'll probably start growing another ear or something.

The bathroom is so small that it will hinder the sale for sure. I'm going to do like I did in my last bathroom (below) by putting in wainscot half-way up, wallpaper the rest of the way, replace the vanity, mirror and toilet as well as the floor with new linoleum. Hopefully, if it's clean and neat, it won't be such a problem.

Working over there has been a real experience for me with regards to my Mom. Restoring the house to a neat and clean state has brought so many memories back. Since my Mom never worked or drove, she was home all the time with us and the house was always immaculate. She loved to sing along with the radio... and sometimes we'd dance in the kitchen in the middle of the afternoon.

Winter Blues...

So many of my friends have trailers down at the gay campground so we see each other every weekend, pretty much. So when camp closes, we try to get together and do things to keep busy over the winter. We'll have rotating dinners at each of our houses... movie and popcorn nights... poker night... and game night... I'm going to bring this game to the first game night... and, coincidentally, it may be the last one that we have (and the last of my friends). Who will be the last bitch standing?

Today...

Today was my day off. I went and had breakfast with Matt and ran some errands, got paint and then came home and got into bed and watched 'Management' with Jennifer Anniston. Not one of her best ones... but still entertaining. It was good to just snuggle in bed. Tomorrow, back to painting.

Keeping It Light

When I Was Your Age...

I got a chance to watch a repeat telecast of the VMA Awards on MTV the other night. I usually don't watch them, but I wanted to see the Kanye West debacle for the 150th time... as if the news didn't sensationalize it enough/to death already. Between that and Russel Brand, who was hosting, the whole show felt like a food fight at an elementary school cafeteria... everybody screaming... chaos... disruptions. At the risk of sounding like my Mother, this generation of music has very little to do with music and more to do with sensationalism.

In my day, we had some truly talented singers. Songs were about something. People could actually sing. Nowadays, it's all rapping about cutting your bitch 'cause she a ho, voice modulators to cover up that they can't sing and ripping off the words/music of someone who could and rapping overtop of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's not easy to be a rapper, especially for a gay, whiteboy like me... but isn't rap just 'poetry'? Isn't it just a big long haiku mindfuck? You don't see every legitimate poet up on stage with bling and a gold tooth banging out their work. And they can't sing at all. Isn't that a requirement? That you have to be able to sing to be a singer? When did that change? Isn't rap just a new medium for slackers to celebrate not striving to be better? Almost like Ebonics was for speaking. 'Ahhh... English is too hard to learn so let's just take the easy way out and make up our own shit and call it something'.

Now, don't get me wrong... the fabulous Miss Barbra Streisand can be equally annoying. Although her voice, at her age, is starting to sound more like margarine than butter, how many times and ways can we hear her churn out Smoke Gets In My Eyes or Cry Me A River. But at least the bitch has talent and a voice and the largest piece of bling on her is her nose... and she pokes it into every political cause going. Yesterday, I was painting at my Dad's and had some 70's station on... Karen Carpenter came on... it took me back. Sure, she was a skinny, homely bitch and she needed to eat a bucket of chicken or two, but she had chops. I miss real talent. And when we do get someone who can sing, they are overshadowed by someone like Lady Gaga... WTF? And if I hear Taylor Swift one more time... who seriously, although cute, can't sing either, I will poke her eyes out. Although I can't stand Kanye West, I wish he pushed her off the stage altogether. Beyonce should have won... she's fresh, can sing, killer legs, looks great in a leotard and knows how to brand herself. Props to Lady Gaga for at least being the modern day Madonna.

What is this world coming to? When we were young, after walking 8 miles from school in a foot of snow with no shoes on, it was nice to sit in front of the hearth and listen on our new-fangled radio to someone with talent... at least we had the 'warm fuzzies' to keep us toasty.

Progress?

Not too much going on this past week... I've just been painting over at my Dad's house, trying to get it ready for sale. I finished 2 bedrooms, the living room and some of the hallway... and I'm almost done with the diningroom as well. The transformation is amazing... it looks like a whole different house. It continues to remind me of my Mom and my childhood there. It's like transporting through time. I keep on expecting my Mom to walk in from the other room.

I installed a new stereo in my truck this weekend. I'm trying to get things ready for a garage sale on Saturday. We were able to clear a bunch of things out of my Dad's house... Somehow my Dad got pink eye... and he doesn't really get how contagious it is. Sunday, a bunch of us are going to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob as a day trip. Hopefully, the leaves haven't fallen off.

Fred

This kid is hilarious... he's fifteen... and started doing this video blog... he has 650,000 followers... making it the most followed YouTube blog ever. He speeds up his voice which makes it so high pitched. He started it to make fun of people who do self-promoting video blogs... he received a Teen Choice Award... was on Tyra Banks, etc... it's really hilarious.

OBAMA WINS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

OSLO – President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a stunning decision designed to encourage his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism.

The Nobel Committee lauded the change in global mood wrought by Obama's calls for peace and cooperation but recognized initiatives that have yet to bear fruit: reducing the world stock of nuclear arms, easing American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthening the U.S. role in combating climate change.

Obama's election and foreign policy moves caused a dramatic improvement in the image of the U.S. around the world. A 25-nation poll of 27,000 people released in July by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found double-digit boosts to the percentage of people viewing the U.S. favorably in countries around the world. That indicator had plunged across the world under President George W. Bush. The award appeared to be a slap at Bush from a committee that harshly criticized Obama's predecessor for his largely unilateral military action in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The Nobel committee praised Obama's creation of "a new climate in international politics" and said he had returned multilateral diplomacy and institutions like the U.N. to the center of the world stage.

(A stark difference from Bush's accomplishments (haha)... 'here's your stimulus check and here's your M-16 rifle'... and of course winning "most likely to become president and fuck up the whole entire world" in high school. Enough said)

What??? (Fun With Signage)

STD's React Well To Politeness, I Guess?

For The Occupant Who Can Get To The Door And Open It, But Who Just Can't Work Up The Energy To Evacuate

If You've Got It, Flaunt It. Can Only Be Good For Business.

If You've Ever Been To One, Enough Said

Once You Make Up Your Mind, There's No Turning Back

On This Phone, You're Shit Out Of Luck If You Need Help

In The Event Of An Emergency, Please Beat Your Life Vest To Death, Then Put It On

Equal Rights For Trees... You Might Hurt Their Branches and/or Their Feelings

I Love This One... I'm Going To Put This In All My Landscaping Beds... No Mincing Words Here... And No Loopholes Either!

Easy Does It...

Day two with the new truck and I'm already putting it to work... My Aunt needed some branches cut down and what I would have gotten in one truck load with my Dad's truck (piled high), took four loads with the new truck. Carefully placing each twig so as not to scratch the paint, it took a little longer than expected. Sure looks puuurrrty, though.

You Gotta Get a Porcelain Fountain...

A reprise of the original... You gotta get a chandelier...

New Truck

I picked up my new truck today...

Hickory, PA Apple Festival

Every year, I go to the Hickory, PA Apple Festival. It's a pretty small affair, but the biggest thing to happen to this small town each year. And it draws a lot of people in. This year, they added a few rides and some games, but the usual draws were there... the petting zoo, the live Falcon display, farm machinery, log art, and a slew of food booths. Caramel apples, apple pie (they baked 2100 pies this year), apple butter, apple dumplings, funnel cakes, french fries, pulled pork sandwiches, apple cider, bean soup, homemade bread... the list goes on. They also had a bluegrass band performing such hits as the Moonshine song, et al. They all looked like they were each 100 years old, smoked a pack of cigarettes to warm up their voices, were dragged over to the stage by their feet behind a truck and that their ritual bath was still a month away. Except for the banjo player... some younger kid. Rednecks... you gotta love 'em. Hard to believe all this goes on 20 minutes from the city.

Fall

I love this time of year...

- pumpkins are being displayed (except like above... yikes)
- going to Apple Festivals (like we're doing today)
- riding in the car with the windows down and the heat blasting
- leaves blowing up on the road
- sleeping with the window cracked, snuggled up in bed
- leaves changing colors
- caramel apples, pumpkin log, candy corn

This is Unbelievably Awesome

The Prediction @ Yahoo! Video

Packing Up Camp and Getting Out of Dodge...

This morning, I went down to camp and packed up my things in the trailer and also my massage room. I'm pretty much (96%) sure I'm not heading down there next season/not doing massages... and I was only going down one more weekend this season, but now I'm not... so I decided to get my stuff and return the keys to my friend Matthew. Perhaps my view on camp will change over the winter, but I doubt it. I need a break from there and a change of scenery.

It was a beautiful morning though for a drive. There was an eerie fog in places... it looked like smoke swirling through the air.

Zombieland...

We kind of turned Monday Movie Madness into Friday Film Freakshow by going to see Zombieland tonight. It stars Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg. From the first line of the movie, it was a total scream. Never have I had so much fun in a movie before... and a non-sensical one at that. The movie, much like Will Smith's 'I am Legend'... with the movie opening on an apocalypse of sorts... we learn that a virus started that turned people into zombies and they chase the non-zombies and bite/eat them and they turn into zombies too. Being the last few humans left, a day in the life becomes trying to stick to your rules to stay alive and kill the zombies, looking for civilization of some sort. In between, the quest for Twinkies... why cardio is so important... what's a double-tap... why rednecks are so invaluable and (oops) you shot Bill Murray. Oh... and, btw... Jesse Eisenberg and I are dating... he doesn't know yet. He is the cutest nerd ever.

This is, by far, the most entertaining, funny movie I have seen in a long time. Once you have the plot (explained above), you get no closer to finding out more of how it happened or even what happens to the world. It's not important... just go along for the ride. This gets 5 bags of leaves out of 5... and I'm standing there waiting for more leaves to drop.

Serenity

Today, I decided since it was a beautiful morning, to get out on the road. I went an hour north to the outlet mall, rode by my half brother's place that lives up in that area, then headed to Boardman Ohio for more shopping. I stopped by Shenango Lake... just south of Pymatuning. I didn't buy anything... but had a great day riding in the car (about 150 miles). Very therapeutic.