Front Row Seats for the Gay Pride Parade

I was completely amazed at the turn out at the parade... they'll probably say something about it tonight on the news... and they always seem to down-play the amount (the white man keeping us down)... but I'd venture to guess that there had to be at least 30k people there today.  In comparison to Columbus' 150k, it's nothing... but considering that I marched in the parade in the mid-90's with probably a 5k showing, this is truly amazing.  A few years back, the holding area after the parade was only a block or two of Liberty Avenue... but this year, we spanned 5 city blocks, filled with people, booths and food purveyors.  I was supposed to ride on the Roseland float, but I decided to just sit on the sidelines and watch the parade go by.  I'm not a weepy type of person, but I was welling up all day long... a deep sense of pride was apparent, from every organized work-place group (Macy's, Mellon, UPMC, et. al.) to PHLAG (parents and family of gay people) to every church in the area to every social and sports group... we are everywhere... and we belong. 

Sadly, it will be the few protesters preaching bible script, the drag queens and some independent freak shows that will make it on the news, representing the day.  Not the many average, not so glittery people.  And while we all are part of the community, it doesn't help the cause sometimes.  Even with the oppressive heat and threat of rain throughout the day, we stood strong, having gone through harder things.

And while the argument has always been why we have to have a special day...the answer is, and always will be, if we enjoyed the rights that straight America gets automatically every day of the year, we wouldn't need a day of our own and I don't think anyone should begrudge us one fu@king day of the year for a whole lot of fabulousness to come through town.

I am over-stimulated and gay-ed out for a while.

Solitary

Today, for the first time in a while, I have been hit with a touch of melancholy.  I'm not sure if it's the weather... or I'm just tired... or tired of things.  After a night of gay overload with the street party, I can't help feeling like we all are just walking around looking for someone, but no one will risk rejection... or put the energy into getting to know someone... or afraid to show who we really are.  Instead, we just walk around looking at each other, and all the while, we just want to reach out.  Sadly, that's about the time that I reached out for some cheese fries and then left at 11:30.

Growing up through my 20's, I was out to the clubs all the time, probably 5 nights a week.  At a certain point, you grow up, and not going out on a Friday or Saturday night isn't such a calamity.  One day, you realize that you're not missing anything and that it's ok to stay home.  I felt that way last night.  I'm glad that I went to show unity, but I was glad when I got home.  Today is the parade... again, a unity showing.  I was supposed to ride on the float for camp, but I think I'll just sit and watch... surrounded by so many and yet still alone.

YUM !! (Colorless)

Just a little homage to the gays this week in the YUM section (being Pittsburgh Pride week)... because, without gays, everything would be just colorless...

Riding Along

I went for a great bike ride on the Montour Trail after the gym yesterday.  13 Miles later, my legs were killing me and I was tired from my workout earlier, so I came home and planned to take a little cat nap... I just woke up a half hour ago from that ordeal... 11 hours later.  Oops.

The pic is from one of the train tunnels on the trail.  Since the whole trail used to be the bed for the train tracks, there are a lot of cool bridges and tunnels still left.  This tunnel in particular is very cool... and I mean temp wise.... It's at least 20 degrees cooler inside the tunnel when you walk/ride through it.

I'm heading to the Marriott to get a few things done before we get rain later.  The audit is on Tuesday... and I'll be cutting grass on Monday, so it's my last chance to get the last minute detailing done.  Fortunately, I'm well-rested.

Mobile Uploading

I took this picture with my phone last week at the arts festival... the flowers were actually purple, but they came out blue.  I downloaded this app on my phone that I can now send posts and pics directly to my blog and it uploads it automatically.  Mobile blogging... who would have thought?

Getting Pumped

This morning, it looked like it was going to rain... so I decided to hit the outlet mall instead.  With plenty of sales going on, I still only managed to pick up one pair of jeans at Guess.  I usually don't spend a lot on clothes... in fact, $50 usually gets me a whole outfit, with shoes and the handbag to match.  If I find jeans that fit though, I'm more likely to get them as I get older.  Pretty soon I'll be wearing my assy cheeks as ankle weights.  As I was mulling around, I ran into my ex, Jesse.  I still don't, and probably never will, have closure.  I'm not going to agitate anyone by further talking about it... I will just stay in silent angst.

I got a bug up my ass to go to the gym, so for the first time in a year and a half, I actually walked into the gym and used those machinery thingy's.  Don't get excited, I was only in there for 20 minutes, but it's a start, and I do have to take it easy with all the other physical stuff I do for both my jobs.

I'm thinking of going for a bike ride on the Montour trail now...  I'm making a pot of coffee for my ice coffee (today's selection is a pitcher of Amaretto flavored)... YUM!

Turns out I'm riding on the float for the gay campground in the gay-ass parade on Sunday.  It should be a fun time... I've marched before for my gay softball league, but never rode on a float.  I have to practice my Princess Di wave and my aim for throwing candy at the on-lookers.  The big dance in the street is tomorrow night... they block off most of liberty avenue... I guess the liberty avenue hookers will just join in the festivities.  Might as well lump every derelict group in with us... everyone else does.

Return of the Swamp Thing

Somehow, I managed to get up the energy to head to Anna's swampland backyard to do some work.  All the pics below are before pics... I didn't take any after pics since I'm not done, but the 6 hours I did spend there, I got a lot accomplished.  I had to dig a trench to divert the water and the dirt is literally clay with  years of toxic waterflow soaked into it.  All I can smell, even after my shower, is swamp-ass.  Such a pungent, sulfer smell that was disgusting.  I managed to get that dug, remove all the weeds, trim up anything that wasn't a weed and clean up the waterfall to flow better.  I have to put down some mulch and do a few other things, perhaps once my nose clears out from the smell.

Tomorrow, I am taking a 'me' day.  I'm heading to Ohiopyle, a white-water rafting/kayaking area that has a great biking trail.  Matt and I went there in the fall and rode 20 miles.  And not that I'm needing the exercise, I just want to get away for a day by myself.  It's about an hour or so from here.

Progress (Albeit Someone Else's)

Over the last two days, the 4 guys across the street managed to get 2 floors on the building and the roof... and yesterday, in the pouring rain,  my little cute guy was drenched, poor thing.  I just wanted to take a towel over and dry his tousled hair.  It's phenomenal to think that there's only a few of them working and the progress they're making, but more so, to wonder how it's going to stay together.  Amazing.  At least someone is accomplishing something, although I was able to get to the Marriott and do some dead grass patching in the rain.

Last night, I had dinner with my friend Mark, who I haven't seen in a while.  We got to catch up over a juicy chicken sandwich at my favorite restaurant, Red Robin.  I should buy stock in the company... or at least get a job there in the fall throughout the winter.  After that, I went to another friend's house, Anna, to assess her backyard situation.  I think that I posted pics last year after I cleared it all out... what a mess... it's twice as overgrown this year.  With mine run-off (water), her backyard is like a swamp... and while I'm trying to create a natural, wood-like setting, she has ideas of strolling hand-in-hand through an English garden, hoping to wave to the Queen Mum, which will NEVER happen.  Nothing, except weeds, will grow because of the constant running of water.  So, my plan is to divert the water with a French drain towards the waterfall that I put in last year... and hope that the yard dries out enough to put some real dirt down and plant something.  Meanwhile, that's what 8 foot fences are for, to hide shit.

I've decided not to head to camp this weekend.  First, the gay pride festival is going on, complete with a parade and entertainment (Deborah Cox?).  Also, including Anna's, I have a few projects that I'd like to get done.  Lastly, there are 8 reservations at camp... so it will be very slow.  Camp pulls from Pittsburgh, D.C., and all the Ohio cities... and with it being Gay Pride Month (yes, that deserves to be capitalized), they will all be having their parades throughout staggered weekends, so June is always slower.  Hug your gay friend and be happy that there are gays around... everything would be dull and color-less and not fabulous!

Speaking of camp, I was ecstatically pleased that I got a response from Dave, the guy that I met at camp last weekend, proving that there truly are nice guys still out there.  As the week went on and I didn't hear from him, the reality that it was a fluke thing was setting in.  Special to both of us, the weekend was slightly 'magical'.  With Charleston only being 3.5 hours away instead of the the 5.5 that I expected, I'm not sure if we will pursue anything or not, but I hope to see him again.  Special people aren't a dime a dozen, and I believe things happen for a reason... not sure what that reason is, but...

Artsy-Fartsy

Ever since 1979, Pittsburgh has held it's Three Rivers Arts Festival at Point State Park, downtown.  A venue for local artists to show and sell their work, people come from near and far to browse the booths to see the talent.  Over the years, they've added live bands, food booths and other talent displays, like frisbee-catching dogs... or log-rolling lumberjacks... and it's always a good time, provided it doesn't rain (which is usually does).  They've even included some of the little parks and galleries around town in the festivities, drawing people into the city streets. 

Pittsburgh always gets a bad wrap... and still fights the steel town reputation, but it has come a long way.  I'm proud of how the city looks better than it ever has... redoing city blocks, reclaiming areas for little parks, developing the cultural district, a new convention center, new baseball, football and now hockey arenas and downtown casino... it's a world-class city.

Tonight, a few of us went to the festival.  For a weeknight, it was pretty busy... and the weather was great.  I had a pulled pork sandwich and a funnel cake from among the many good (bad) food choices.  Here are a few pics of some areas on my walk through town tonight...

Pic #1  PNC sign on the side of a building made entirely out of live grasses and plants
Pic #2  Convention Center walkway with water on either side that is usually a waterfall, and it looks like the water is emptying out into the river on the other side
Pic #3  Neighborhood city park
Pic #4  Neighborhood city park trees that are made of bronze and the flowers are plastic
Pic #5  Outdoor Jazz concert in one of the little parks
Pic #6  Fish sculpture made out of recycled cans and other things
Pic #7 Benedum Center in the cultural district

(Double-click on any pic for a larger view)

Signs the Economy is Changing...

On the additional townhouse row they are building across the street, in a matter of a few weeks, they got the foundations dug and built and since yesterday, attached the whole second floor of the building.  It's amazing to watch the progress... but scary at the same time.  And there's only a handful of guys doing it... fortunately for me, this guy is one of them...

Air Force Bound

I worked two jobs through high school.  Fortunately, I had a pretty good memory (back then) and I was able to study on the bus in the morning, get to school and still ace my tests, graduating with honors.  I managed to receive a scholarship to the local community college but, with my wanting to pursue a career in accounting, I thought it would be better to go to a business school, so I (stupidly) turned it down.  Back then, it was harder to qualify for student loans and my parents made too much, but not enough to have put money aside for college for us.  So two years later, I decided to go into the Air Force, getting administrative training and free college.  I signed up a year ahead of time for an accounting position so when my time came, I went into basic training.

Lackland Airforce base is located right outside of San Antonio, Texas... and, sadly, I went in around July.  Not smart.  It was around 100 degrees with 100% humidity... It was miserable.  Add to it the smell of freshly shaved head and brand new fatigues... and sweat dripping into your eyes that you weren't allowed to wipe... and a deployment to Siberia sounded like a vacation to us.  Plus... I have never seen such huge bugs... cockroaches so big you could put a bejewed collar on them, call it Gertie and you'd have a pet that would rival the most prissy Yorkie.

The idea of basic training is to shock your system silly, that way you'd be too stupid to run with the impending doom about to overtake you.  Woken up at 4 a.m. with beds being overturned... clanging and banging and screaming... it was hard for a girl to get a little shut-eye.  I must admit that, although I was expecting it to be harder than a scene from Private Benjamin, I wasn't prepared... and of course, the recruiter lied about everything.  After a long plane ride and then on a bus, we got in around 2 a.m the first night and proceeded to stand outside picking up and putting down our luggage all at the same time, until we did it all at the same time... over 2 hours later.  Again, a tactic to break you down. 

Marching, running, exercising, drills, bed making, target practice (I missed marksman by only a few points), schooling, tests, shining boots, cleaning.... all part of the day in the life.  And because you needed to do everything as a team, it took a while for teamwork to set in and some people cracked under the pressure.  At first, they pick the biggest guys to be squad leaders, but then they are usually too stupid to lead, so a few weeks later, they replace them.  I was a squad leader of 12 guys.  It made my life harder, but easier in some ways.  I did make one guy clean the toilet with his toothbrush and another stand with a roll of toiletpaper on his head for an hour.  Fun times (for me, not them). 

As the basic training aspect wrapped up with the obstacle course and a final test, the guys started to get their orders on where they were going after graduation.  I was being shipped to Witchita Falls, Kansas for training... not in any accounting job like I was supposed to be doing... but as a B-52 Defensive Aerial Gunner.  This was the guy who sat in the back of the B-52 and shot the gun at planes hot on your trail.  The B-52 was called the Stratofortress... with a 185 foot wingspan and ranking as the #1 bomber, delivering the first hydrogen bomb over Bikini in 1956.  Training was to begin in Washington State, dropping us out of a helicopter in a barrel into the sea (they called it survival school, I called it the law of averages of death)... So, I thought to myself... unless U.S. Airways puts guns on their planes, what is this going to do for my career.  The answer was 'nothing'.  So, by contract, they had to honorably discharge me after 4 months because I signed up for a specific job category, unlike others who just went in and were tested and given whatever.  I came home, but only for a little while since Elaine was moving to Philly a few months after I was discharged... and I moved out there with her.

My experience in the Air Force was invaluable.  And although I didn't realize it at the time, I really enjoyed the structure and the organization.  It taught me perseverance, teamwork, patience and that I can do anything that I put my mind to.  I also made some great friends in there and credit that experience for some of my anal-retentive habits... I still folded my underwear for years after that the same way as we were taught.  I'm glad that I didn't continue on the alternate training path, but wished that I would have stayed in the service.

Zestfully Clean

Years ago, my friends had this cake made for me for my birthday.  I hate to say it, but I get a rush from using Clorox.  There's nothing that makes things cleaner.  In fact, I can remember moving into a new apartment and pouring straight bleach on the tile bathroom floor, putting a rag over my face and blindly scrubbing.  When I was younger, I probably had OCD... making sure the spigots were shiny and had no fingerprints or spots on them... no dust on my black furniture... and the infamous lines in the carpet  (Brad can attest to this (when he lived with me temporarily)).  I used to jump from throw rug to throw rug so as not to get a footprint mashed down on the carpet.  I'm happy to say that I have outgrown most of that, but I do still like things clean... especially the kitchen and bathroom.

Living with my Dad has been very challenging in all ways, but most especially when it comes to cleanliness.  After all, it did take me a year to clean out his house from ten years of mess.  Having moved into a brand new place, I feel compelled to keep it clean even more and I guess I equate that to not losing control.  But when I am mostly in my room, working or down at camp, my Dad has free range of the house and uses every square inch, including the guest bathroom, all points of the living room, his bedroom, kitchen, his sitting room and the dining room... and the deck.  You'd be surprised how much one little man with a toast fetish, a love for birds and prostate problems can make.  And so far, the only thing that I have put on him is taking the trash out, which most times, he forgets.  I started the dishwasher before I went to camp... TWO WEEKS AGO... and I just had to unload it last night when I got home from camp.  I hate for him to have to take a break from The Price is Right... but it's getting ridiculous.  And his bathroom is like a truckstop bathroom.  And I'm not sure if he changes his bed linens.  And the only time that I ever hear him take a shower is on Wednesday mornings before his senior group meeting.  How do you tell your 82 year old father to take a bath?  The worst part is that minutes after I clean the house, it's a mess again.

Most times, I'm too busy to worry about it, but coming home after a hectic massage weekend, being tired... I just would have liked to not have to come home to a disaster for once.  The bad thing about it is that I think that I created the situation.  Because I want things done a certain way, I just do things and expect nothing from him, and in turn, he does nothing.  I have no one to blame but myself.  This is going to sound terrible, but if we sold the house, I was going to get a cleaning person for a few months through the summer.  I know this is a cherished time for me (having my Dad around), but the idea of a small apartment by myself and shipping him off to Shady Pines Rest Home pops into my head more times than I'd like to admit per day.  In the meantime, call me Hazel.

Feeling Like the Cat Dragged Me In

What a great weekend at camp.  Despite the rain and the storms and how slow it was with the amount of people down there (about 40 compared to last weekend's 450)... it turned out to be a nice time.  I actually did 6 massages compared to 5 last weekend when it was busy... and I had plenty of time to hang out with my friends.  My arms are shredded though and I'm just overall tired. 

 Just when I thought that it was impossible to meet any quality people down there, I met a great guy named David from Charleston, WV... and we hung out (and whatnot).  It was the first time in a long time that I had anyone pay me any attention and I was pleased with myself that I allowed it and just went with it.  It was invaluable to just be able to hold someone's hand, as pathetic as that sounds.  About 5 hours from Pittsburgh, it doesn't look like we will be trying to continue anything, although I really could have fallen.  I guess it gives me a little hope to realize that there are still decent people out there. 

Someone said that Pittsburgh got 6-8 inches of rain over the weekend, so I'm preparing myself for a mess at the Marriott.  That will be the start of the week for me, then heading back to camp at the end of the week.

Solidarity Among the Stupid

For half the day, I walk around feeling happy about my life... simple as it may be... happy that I am getting to spend some time with my Dad... working doing the things that I like... surrounded by some great people as friends and family... and living in a country such as this one.  And then the other shoe drops, and I turn on the news... and I want to move to some third-world country.

I'm wondering if all of our 'freedoms' aren't choking us and keeping us down.  England just had an election and both sides are now working towards a common goal.  Why can't we do that?  What is at the root of all of this?  Is it bi-partanism?  Is it rural versus urban mentality?  There's just so much fighting going on, it almost feels like a civil war again... only the Democrats would surely lose since the Republicans have all the guns.  How have we turned into a nation of hate-mongers... of trouble-makers... and idiots.  Where did all the logic go?  Is it the Republicans that are feeding their followers with all this bullshit to get them riled up?  Is it religion that is feeding their followers with all this bullshit to get them riled up?  Does no one see the impending doom coming from all this tension and upheaval?

I think that 'freedom of speech' should be revoked.  If you are a dumb-ass, then you should just keep your mouth shut.  If you're not helping a situation, you're hurting it.  Not everyone should have a vote... or an opinion... or a say.  And while I'm not sure how we should go about regulating or enforcing that notion, it seems to me that, in the meantime, we should all work together... lend a helping hand where needed, do our due diligence in informing ourselves with correct information and take the time to process it before we speak... and remember our goal... to coincide in a world that we are most likely going to destroy. 

Really, Sarah Palin?  Injecting your shit is going to help the situation?  Other than using your big head to plug up the oil spill, that's about all that it's good for.  You are spewing more toxic waste than the oil rig... and if you had any humility and a lick of sense, you would retreat back into silence... because no one, except your Palin-heads, wants to hear your crap.  And shame on your followers for not being more intelligent. That she did or may have a chance at running the country is just mind-boggling and scary as shit. 

I am proud to live in a country that gives me the freedoms that I have.  I am more proud that I have the sense to use my own mind, and I'm thankful that I don't have a political party or a religion that tells me what to think... that fills my head with propaganda to get me to get my gun all shined up and ready to go kick some ass... or teaches me superiority.  Because, even when that asshole was in office for 8 years, I didn't walk around trying to make things worse.  Although I label myself a Democrat, I am for the good of it all... which ever party does what's right.  And as an American, that's what I feel my job is.

YUM !! (So Beautiful It Should Be Illegal)