As My World Seems to Turn Lately...

Well, I made it thru another birthday. Last Saturday night my friends took myself and another friend (whose birthday was last Sat. -- we always do our birthdays together) to dinner at this really cool restaurant that is above BB King's club on Beale Street here in Memphis. I have been before and it is incredible. Following that, we went for cocktails at Mollie Fontaine's Lounge, one of my faves... Later that evening, a friend called me and wanted to know if I wanted to know if I wanted to go dancing. I did and met a really cool and hot guy. Long story short... cool, hot guy, who I will call Cowboy went home with me. WOW. This was a really huge deal for me for several reasons. First, it did WONDERS for my self-esteem. It made me realize that there is at least a slim to midlin chance that someone I am really, really attracted to can be attracted to me back. It is still hard to believe that this guy left with me when he could have had any guy there. Another reason that this happened is it was a reaction to a friend moving that I have feelings for. I haven't told a lot of people this, but there is a huge amount of hurt involved with him leaving - on my part. This move is good for him and I don't begrudge him any happiness at all. But it has left a huge void in my life that cowboy walked right into and temporarily filled. And it was completely worth it to feel that way and have the hurt be taken away, even if for one night. I didn't look for this to happen, but it did and there it is. And unfortunately, not all of my friends have really understood it, but that is their deal -- not mine. But anyway... I would LOVE it if something more comes from it, but if it doesn't, it doesn't. That one night was special enough for a lifetime. But he did give me his number and said he definitely wanted to get together again. I would love nothing more, but I'm not getting my hopes if it doesn't.



On another note, I had what might be called a "semi-date" last night. I met this guy and we met for coffee. This guy was really nice. He didn't rock my world, but he seemed normal, as in "not a freak", which is a huge deal considering some of the people I have met this year. We talked for about an hour and he seems like a sweet guy. His background is a lot like mine and his parents don't know that he is gay, we both did the church thing, etc. We have agreed to see each other again. I don't know if anything will ever come of if or if we will just have a friendship. Even if it is only a friendship, I think this guy would be a good friend. It will be interesting to see where this goes... I will provide an update later...I'll see what trouble I can stir up this weekend...



A friend just emailed me this joke... forgive me if you have heard it before, but it still makes me laugh...

"Hello?"

Hi honey. This is Daddy. Is Mommy near the phone?"

"No, Daddy. She's upstairs in the bedroom with Uncle Paul."

After a brief pause,

Daddy says, "But honey, you haven't got an Uncle Paul."

"Oh yes I do, and he's upstairs in the room with Mommy, right now."

Brief Pause.

"Uh, okay then, this is what I want you to do. Put the phone down
on the table, run upstairs And knock on the bedroom door and shout to
Mommy,That Daddy's car just pulled into the driveway

"Okay, Daddy, Just a minute."

A few minutes later The little girl comes back to the phone.

"I did it, Daddy."



"And what happened, honey?" He asked.

"Well, Mommy got all scared, jumped out of bed with no clothes on
and ran around screaming.

Then she tripped over the rug, hit her head on the dresser and now
she isn't moving at all!"

"Oh my God!!! What about your Uncle Paul?"

"He jumped out of the bed with no clothes on, too.

He was all scared and he jumped out of the back window and into the
swimming pool. But I guess he didn't know that you took out the
water last week to clean it.
He hit the bottom of the pool and I think he's dead."

Long Pause

Longer Pause

Even Longer Pause

Then Daddy says,

"Swimming pool? ............

Is this 486-5731?"

No, I think you have the wrong number.......

7 Kinds of ...

Results of a recent research, shows that there are 7 kinds of sex.

The 1st kind of sex is called: Smurf Sex. This kind of sex happens when you first meet someone and you both have sex until you are blue in the face.

The 2nd kind of sex is called: Kitchen Sex. This is when you have been with your partner for a short time and you are so needy you will have sex anywhere, even in the kitchen.

The 3rd kind of sex is called: Bedroom Sex. This is when you have been with your partner for a long time. Your sex has gotten routine and you usually have sex only in your bedroom.

The 4th kind of sex is called: Hallway Sex. This is when you have been with your partner for too long. When you pass each other in the hallway you both say "screw you."



The 5th kind of sex is called: Religious Sex. Which means you get Nun in the morning, Nun in the afternoon and Nun at night. (Very Popular)

The 6th kind is called Courtroom Sex. This is when you cannot stand your partner any more. He takes you to court and screws you in front of everyone.

And; Last, but not least,

The 7th kind of sex is called: Social Security Sex. You get a little each month. But, not enough to enjoy yourself.


Dare I ask what stage you are in???

The Big 39...

That's right, peeps. I have somehow managed to make it another year without killing or maiming myself or someone else, either on purpose or purely by accident. That is a noteworthy task in and of itself. For that, I feel I deserve a drink (or as we say down South here...a "drank"). Tonite I am going with my parents and a dear friend to eat at my favorite restaurant, Houstons. Today has been a good birthday. My co-workers took me out to lunch and I got numerous calls and emails wishing me a good day. The most special was from my friend who just moved and it made my day to hear from him.

My real fun time is going to be Saturday. I am going to Beale Street (for you Yankees and other non-southerners...the Birthplace of the Blues) for dinner with a few friends at a new, very chic restaurant called Ittabena, followed by drinks with more friends at Mollie Fontaine's, a really cool lounge situated in a historic Victorian home near downtown Memphis. I am really fortunate not only to be here (health scare a few years back involving the heart that I just can't seem to find these days...I'm sure its here somewhere...oh, that's right -- in the icebox) but also to be surrounded by so many people that care about me and love me despite myself. Yes, this is going to be a good week...

A Kernel of Truth...

I saw this recently and thought it was too good not to post. It is the philosophy of Peanuts creatory Charles Schultz, who passed away not too long ago. This isn't one you have to answer and pass along, just read it and think about it...

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America Contest.

4. Name ten people who have won th Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor or actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. The awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.



Here are some more questions. See if you can answer these any better.

1. List a few teachers who aided you along your journey throught school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Mane five people who have taught you something important.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.




Easier??? The people who make a difference in you life are not the ones with the most credentials or money...they are the ones that care. All that said...I would enjoy spending time with the three bois in these picutres...I could certainly find something to appreciate about each of them (for instance, they all look like they are real nice to their mothers) I know, I know... I'm going straight to hell...

One Big Ass Tornado

Here is a picture of one of the tornados that hit Memphis last Tuesday. A friend of mine took this picture at his work looking back toward his house, in the direction of the tornado. The tornado jumped over their house and landed several streets away. They did not have any damage. Others were not so lucky... This tornado occured in Bartlett, a tiny town surrouded on all sides by Memphis. My parents live there. Forutnately they did not have any damage either. I did not actually see a tornado but I was in an area, driving my car no less, where conditions were more than favorable for one to form. Its only when you see a picture like this, that most of us realized how VERY fortunate we were. I talked to a guy at my gym that was in the immediate vicinity of the other tornado we had. He had to pull under an overpass and it was raining so hard he could not see to the end of his hood. He finally got thru on his cell phone to his boss and said pray for me. He said he really thought his number was up. Kinda makes you stop and think...

The Day After...

Turns out yesterday was a major landmark day for me in more ways than one. First, my friend left for Philadelphia yesterday morning. I had to say goodbye the night before, which was not has difficult as I had originally anticipated. He went out of his way to make the goodbyes easier for his friends. That is not to say that I did not cry all the way home in the car. I did -- buckets. He hit the road yesterday morning but had asked me to supervise the movers loading up his stuff from the storage unit. Apparently, there was some question as to what was going and what was staying. I had a list that was vauge. I think I sent more stuff than he was acutally wanting, but the movers said they would bring back what he didn't want to keep. That was really hard, watching all his stuff leave...much harder than saying goodbye.

So I go to work and try to make it thru the day, which turned out to be very interesting. I go to court (since I work in the criminal justice system) and walk into the courtroom to see if anyone on my side needed any help. I am sitting on the front row, working my crossword and minding my own bidness and the judge asks all attorneys to approach the bench and then excuses the jury from the courtroom. I was told that my uncle was on the jury and passed a note to the judge saying he knew me. I NEVER saw him in the box, becuase I looked, as I always do, to see if there were any cute jurors (there weren't). So they bring him back in and the judge questions him as to his realtionship with me and if he can be fair and all that. Blah, blah, blah, yank, yank, yank. He said he could. Then the prosecution and the defense argue... about me. Then motions are filed...about me. All I wanted to do was to finish my crossword and go to lunch. But I decided since I caused all this drama simply by walking into the room, I better not leave yet. My uncle was eventually excused from jury service and the public defender was so apologetic about wanting him kicked off. I assured her it was no big deal. I completely understand why she had to do it. Finally I got to eat lunch. All this to say there was not a lot of time to miss my friend at work.



THEN -- the tornados came. Got off work in horrendous conditions and had to stop at Home Depot to get a flashlight because I don't have a good one at home. Sirens are going off meaning there is a tornado on the ground somewhere in the county. I go in the store and they are about to lock the front doors and they WANT TO LOCK ME AND OTHER CUSTOMERS THE TRAINING ROOM!!!!! Awwww hailllll naaawwww... I absofuckingloutely REFUSE to be found dead in a pile of bodies in a back room at Home Depot. I said I would take my chances in the storm. I hauled ass, got my flashlight and got the F outta there. I raced home, changed clothes and grabbed candles, flashlights, and most importantly 2 bottles of wine and proceed to drive to my friend's house. (I absloutely HATE to be alone in a storm like this -- makes me crazy). I have a history of waiting till a tornado is close by and then get in my car to go somewhere. Yesterday was no exception. Sirens still screaming. About halfway to her house I started to get really scared. It stopped raining and the sky looked really bad. The clouds were very low and spooky and it had gone green in a matter of minutes. I have never seen conditions like this. Even the lightning was different. It was almost like it was raining lightning. I kept thinking "why in the HELL do I keep DOING this?" I finally made it to my friend's house and the news said there were two tornados in our area, one relatively close to her house. That one could be seen on tv by a camera on top of a nearby hotel. It damaged a nearby shopping mall pretty bad and killed three people just further south in Memphis. It was only this morning that the news showed the extent of the damage. They are anticipating that tornado to have been an F3. The news this morning also said that what happened was not only the hot air in the south meeting the really cold air from the north, but there were two jet streams, one from the west and one from the south collided over our area and started everything spinning. And it spun hell outta control. It was pretty scary. One tornado tore up some dorms at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee which is just a hop, skip and a jump from us up the interstate. No one was killed there, but Jackson in a tornado magnent. This is the third time in just a few years they have been hit by a tornado. Scary.



Again...not a lot of time to feel bad about my friend leaving amidst all that...I did talk to him and he had made it about halfway there and requested that if we got "blown away" to be sure and call him and let him know... I think I said something ugly in response. Hopefully, today will be less dramatic...I am making plans for my birthday, which is next week. The big 39. That will be kind of bittersweet. I am going out to dinner with a large group of friends and for drinks after with even more. But one wont be there. Anyway, long road ahead of me and I have just started it. Wonder what today will bring...