September 2005 Archives

   I wish I would have gotten my camera instead of the fire extinguisher earlier - the Photo Friday topic is "Burn." We cooked some burgers on the grill tonight, then went inside and were eating when the phone rang. The voice from my neighbor said, "There's a lot of smoke coming from your grill... actually, it's really on fire!" We ran outside and sure enough there was a cloud of smoke in the driveway and flames shooting from underneath the grill. Never a dull moment around here!

   Apparently when questioned, many British people confused "blogging" with "dogging," two very separate and different verbs. I had no idea until I read the article, but "dogging is the phenomenon of watching couples have sex in semi-secluded places such as out-of-town car parks." So next time you talk to someone about your blogging habit, be sure you annunciate the first few letters.
   Another interesting finding in England is that more people there know about "happy slapping" than blogs or podcasts. Now raise your hand if you already know what happy slapping is. No, it doesn't have to do with spanking - well not specifically anyway. It's a teen thing where they go assault someone and record it on mobile phones. While it sounds like the dumb robber thing, I think blogging is much less problematic. Although if you were creative you could do both at the same time now. Isn't technology amazing?
(source: Did you say dogging or blogging? Brits confused - Reuters)

   Not only have gas prices gone up, but in Summit County we're paying for cruddy gas. County testing of 230 gas stations found 502 violations from water in gas storage tanks to gas not being the correct octane. Some of these problems like the water can cause engine damage from stuff that is allowed to grow in those tanks. Gas station owners are being given the chance to fix the issues before the second round of tests, at which point they will be fined for continuing problems. Just one more thing to feel good about as you watch the gas meter spin and the price meter has a seizure.
   It could be worse - there could be gas in your Aquafina.
(source: Summit County gas stations flunk fuel standard tests)

   I am now officially a student again. Books will arrive on Wednesday, and class starts next Monday. I'm just a little anxious being that the entire thing is online. I'm more excited than afraid though - I'm finally working towards my degree again and it's about time! Of course it means there will be student loans in the end, but that's just how it works. How weird is it though that after 6 years of being out of college I can say that I'm a student again? Then again if I live my life the way I intend, I will always be a student in some form or another...

   Today was shed painting day, and it took all day! One would think a gay man would be able to flip a wrist back and forth all day with no problem, but alas it just doesn't work that way. Too bad. Tomorrow we will try to start (maybe finish?) the trim. Then we have to move all the crap out of the garage. I will get my spot in the garage back soon - yay!
   And while driving home from Ace Hardware I found out one of my tires was low - so low it only had 5.5psi in it! I'm going to have to keep an eye on that until the next payday arrives and I can get some new tires. I need some before winter anyway...

   I just had to get the iPod Nano. I had a shuffle and it's a cool iPod, but I didn't like that I couldn't see what song was playing nor could I have different playlists. The Nano solved all that, and I use it pretty much every day. Beautiful display, amazingly small, and the simplicity of an iPod. So I was out looking for some kind of case so I don't get it all scratched up and I found the iPod Nano Thong. It's just a little too much... One would think a Nano Thong would be some kind of insult.

   Time to round up the top 10 search phrases from the past few weeks:
1. How to make meth - still not here, no plans to include
2. "meth addict comes out through pores and eye" - huh?
3. forced shaving - The Rhetoric will never force you to shave anything, unless you want to
4. "makes my ass twitch" - a favorite line from the movie French Kiss
5. "streaching exercises" - streaching: to move quickly naked in order to become more agile
6. petie nude teens - versus those extremely large ones, right?
7. f*ck anita bryant - my thoughts exactly
8. "abandoner tag control" - no one leaves because now we'll track you with a tag
9. "rando rhodes" - perhaps the brother of Randi Rhodes
10. "climax in rhetoric" - and I hope you do right in the middle of reading. Have a nice day!

   Reading through the news tonight I saw a story in USA Today about the poverty rates in our country. Apparently the tax cuts just aren't cutting it for poor folks, as 1.1 million people joined the statistics of the poor in 2004. It seems the poverty rate has basically doubled since 2003. One would think this would be more intriguing to Americans given some of the situations with hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. Now the government wants to cut more programs that benefit mainly lower income families to pay for the Gulf Coast damage. God forbid we raise taxes on those making hundred of thousands of dollars per year...
   As a child I envisioned that someday we as a modern society would solve problems like poverty. Too much Star Trek for me I guess...
(source: 1.1 million Americans joined ranks of the poor in 2004 - USA Today)

   Last night I was at a local LGBT group that was having a discussion about "gaydar" and LGBT stereotypes. It was an interesting conversation and even fun debate. One of the comments that I made was that I feel that as a gay man I'm more free to self define. I don't feel as limited by gender roles and things like machismo and all that. Of course I'm not saying they don't effect me at all, but I'm cognizant of them which I think makes them a little less influential.
   There was also discussion about where the stereotypes came from, and whether or not people play into them. All stereotypes come from somewhere, and whether or not they are true in a generalization is a different matter. Certainly when you watch Queer Eye For the Straight Guy you can see those stereotypes. Is that a good or a bad thing? I would tend to think neither. If a person is being true to himself, then it's good. If a man tends to be more feminine then so be it. The negative I think would be if someone changes himself to act a certain way because they feel that they have to in order to fit in.
   Personally I know I'm not the most masculine guy, and honestly I really don't care. I used to, but I'm pretty comfortable with who I am. I am myself, and I'm quite happy with the fact that I've had the opportunity to be more of me.

   Today so far has been all about alarms. First thing at 3am this morning I hit the little button to unlock and disarm my car, I hear the door unlock, and I pull the door handle. Next thing I know my car is honking and flashing lights, and no matter what I did to the little keychain it would not stop. Of course it's crazy early and the honks from my car are echoing across the neighborhood. I finally had to jump into the car and start it to make it quit. Meanwhile my neighbors have been treated to my false alarm at 3am.
   Then I go to work. I get in the building and I couldn't get to the alarm panel because the floor had just been cleaned in non-strategic areas. I ended up walking around on this little balance beam-like bit of carpet to get there. Later around 5am, someone opened a door that they weren't supposed to and yet another alarm sounded. Lovely running about the building that early in the morning.
   When I got home around 1:30 I decided to take a nap. I set my alarm, but did it go off? No. Go figure...

   So I went back to work today to relax. :) Well, not quite. Ever have a day where you are so busy it seems to be over in the blink of an eye? It's good in that the work day goes by very quickly, but it also means you worked your ass off. It's all good though...
   Tomorrow night I'm going to a University LGBT group that I haven't been to in ... geez, six years at least. I used to be the president of the group, and it's odd going back because they're all new people and no one there even knows who I am. I guess that's really fine by me. Anyway, I'm not going for myself but for a friend who needs a friend.
   I had a meeting tonight where a few times I looked around myself to see if there was something both heavy and portable - I thought if I knocked myself out it might end the pain. I think it was a productive meeting, although at times not so fun.
   I have to be at work in 4 hours... OMG.

   I spent most of today working in the yard. First I mowed the entire yard - thank goodness for Mr. Deere! Then I went into the back yard where all of our sticks, twigs, and branches have been piling up all spring and summer. I started a nice little fire in the burn barrel, and eventually it turned into an inferno which I fueled for about 4 hours. I smelled like a serious campfire afterwards. I did clear a lot of space though.
   I haven't been on top of the news much lately - I've been keeping pretty busy making my own news. I put in about 25 hours last week of volunteer time on top of work and getting stuff ready to get back to school. This coming week I get to help prepare our organization for our biggest public event of the year, and continue the search for a new building. Also getting the new shed on Thursday which means Friday will be moving day - at least from the garage to the shed.
   I think I will go to bed early tonight - it's going to be a long and busy week.

   TiVo recorded a few episodes of the X-Files for me the other day. I haven't watched the X-Files much in the past few years, but now they're on reruns on TNT. I figured I'd watch an episode or maybe two, but I ended up watching all 5 today! What a geek I am. Really though, I don't always get what's happening. Maybe it's the cheesy music in the background that distracts me.
   I'm getting ready to go back to school. As long as everything works out, I should be starting back on Oct 3. I'll be finishing my degree online, so we'll see how this goes. I'm a little apprehensive because it's a totally different format from going to class, but I'm pretty sure I'll get used to it quickly.
   Well, so much for my day off. They always pass so quickly. Strangely though, I'm ready to get back to work. Maybe I need a good break from being the chair for a day.

   Nine and a half hours of my day today were dedicated to the organization that I chair - we had our strategic planning session today. Although that might sound kinda boring, it was actually a really exciting workshop. We revised our mission statement and came up with strategic initiatives to guide us through the next 12-24 months as we make our non-profit organization more productive and important to the community. Everyone had a renewed sense of excitement and hope for our future, and we all felt productive as we came up with ways to ensure long term success. In this day and age, that's not all that common when it comes to LGBT issues.
   I know it sounds really dull to meet to discuss strategic plans, but when it's an organization that you feel strongly about and put much time and effort into, it's good to be reminded of how well you're doing and how much potential lies ahead.

   What a day so far! I went into work at 4am which meant I had to be up at 3am. You know, sometimes I actually go to bed at 3am. I guess my night owl days are numbered. After work I stopped at Office Max to pick up a few things, and I saw a scanner for $19.99. Holy cow, I thought. I've been looking for a cheap scanner for a few months, and this one's discounted $30. So I go up to the register to purchase it, and they tried to sell me an extended warranty. An extended warranty for a $20 scanner! And to make it more amusing, the salesman was serious. Even after I said no and mentioned that the scanner was only $20, he tried once again. Give him credit for trying I guess...
   Now I'm going to go scan my butt...

Americans were furious and stunned by record gasoline prices after devastation from Hurricane Katrina... (Reuters)

   I'm sorry, but if you're one of the many driving an Excursion,Durango or other vehicle that gets 15mpg, you have no right to be angry. And if you think you're ticked, imagine what it must be like to be poor in New Orleans these days. (source: Pump prices stun gas-guzzling Americans)