Well....almost. As I made the drive up to Marietta yesterday morning, with the back of my jeep filled with presents and a four legged friend in the back seat, I was was in pretty good spirits. Things change so quickly. 5 minutes after arriving at the parental units house, Boris urinated on one of the Christmas trees (luckily, the small one, who knew it looked like a bush?) and the pager goes off. yes, another Dekalb county special decided to pick Christmas for his heart attack. I was angry and almost in tears, partly because Christmas is such a special time for me to be with my family, and partly because the steroid pack I am taking for a sinus infection has me edgy.
Well, I made it back in time for dinner and a quick gift exchange. Santa was real good to me this year. Dinner was amazing as usual, and Mom featured Egg Nog pie for dessert. It was a nice visit, but something about being on call made things seem so rushed, as if I were waiting any minute for the pager to go back off and ruin dinner. or desert. And I was.
I had a bittersweet moment sitting around the dinner table last night. Here I was among my family, an adorable niece who is getting bigger and smarter by the minute. yet, looking around I realized how old my parents are getting, my sister, my brother-in-law...and looking at the pictures...even me. And I guess that is just part of life, though I really haven't noticed the signs of aging until my late 20's. I'm not scared, it is just something that I become more and more aware of every single day. Makes you realize how finite life really is.
This week:
1.get rid of this cold
2.Provincetown
3.Provincetown
4.Provincetown
Happy New Years Y'all!
Monday, December 26, 2005
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Lesson learned the Hard way
After my new cell phone crashed last Thursday, (after only two months of use and for no reason) it would have been smart to have the lovely people at Verizon print out my address book on paper. Which I am sure would have only cost about $20. But, I didn't, and today I am realizing how stupid I was. Less than a week later, my phone dies again, after dropping it on the floor at work. It only fell about a foot, and in my opinion, that shouldn't have caused it to cease working completely. This time, the phone won't even come on. I removed the back cover, replaced the battery several times, even blowing on it (cause that always works), and still I was left with a black screen and no power.
I left work early and made it over to the Verizon store near Lenox around 3pm. The technician was his usual pessimistic self asking me if I let it charge overnight. That is a BIG No-No with cell phone batteries. I denied practicing such irresponsible charging behaviors at which point he claims that the battery is probably dead. What kind of an idiot does he think I am? A few minor tests later and he claims that yes, in fact, I need a new phone, but that they are out of that particular phone. "We may be able to overnight you one". I asked if there were any other stores in the area with that phone in stock. Turns out, the Verizon wireless store in Gwinnett in fact had 7 left. So I dashed out with phone in hand. Up I-85 to the wonderful and great land of Gwy-net I traveled, looking for the Satellite Boulevard exit which does not exist. I just knew it must be near Pleasant Hill, and a few streets later I spotted the store. Long story short: Yes, they replaced the phone, but since the old phone will not turn on, it is impossible to retrieve my contacts. All 260 of them.....gone. It seems that although Verizon may have the best coverage and strongest signal, they are also operating on a network unlike any of the other carriers. SIMM cards are a foreign term here. All numbers are stored on the phone. I was sick about it. Luckily, I do have a few of my friends' numbers on my computer at home, but many are lost forever. Some I don't want back in the phone. But it is still a pain in the ass any way you look at it.
If you get a chance, send me a quick email with you home and or cell phone number.
Happy Holidays.
I left work early and made it over to the Verizon store near Lenox around 3pm. The technician was his usual pessimistic self asking me if I let it charge overnight. That is a BIG No-No with cell phone batteries. I denied practicing such irresponsible charging behaviors at which point he claims that the battery is probably dead. What kind of an idiot does he think I am? A few minor tests later and he claims that yes, in fact, I need a new phone, but that they are out of that particular phone. "We may be able to overnight you one". I asked if there were any other stores in the area with that phone in stock. Turns out, the Verizon wireless store in Gwinnett in fact had 7 left. So I dashed out with phone in hand. Up I-85 to the wonderful and great land of Gwy-net I traveled, looking for the Satellite Boulevard exit which does not exist. I just knew it must be near Pleasant Hill, and a few streets later I spotted the store. Long story short: Yes, they replaced the phone, but since the old phone will not turn on, it is impossible to retrieve my contacts. All 260 of them.....gone. It seems that although Verizon may have the best coverage and strongest signal, they are also operating on a network unlike any of the other carriers. SIMM cards are a foreign term here. All numbers are stored on the phone. I was sick about it. Luckily, I do have a few of my friends' numbers on my computer at home, but many are lost forever. Some I don't want back in the phone. But it is still a pain in the ass any way you look at it.
If you get a chance, send me a quick email with you home and or cell phone number.
Happy Holidays.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Flirting with disaster cake
So I have developed this childish crush on the new guy at work. Maybe it is because he is cute and gay and about the closest thing we have had for eye candy in the last two years....at work that is. Or maybe it is his baby-face, tall stature and flawless skin. I have NEVER been attracted to guys younger than I am, but I guess like all things, your taste can change. I was shocked today when he told me he was indeed a Capricorn like me and was preparing for his 26th birthday! Yikes. But I was equally disappointed when he told me that he purchased matching titanium rings for his "partner" for Christmas. The very partner who is 23 years old and living up in Bridgemill in Canton.....with his boyfriend. Now I am not looking to be a homewrecker, lord knows I have been down that dark road before, but what is the harm in flirting?
This week: some overdue Christmas shopping, a week long visit from a four-legged friend named Boris, four straight days of call, and of course, Christmas.....
Just remember, Jesus is the Reason for the Season.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Christmas in High Heels....er....High Hills...
Now I have known about the mountain cabin that LittleJohn and friends purchased earlier in the year, but it was taken me until now to actually make the journey up to Blue Ridge. I will admit that I have dropped hints over cocktails, you know, in order to secure an invite and all. So when the evite came early last week, I wasted no time and responded with an affirmative YES. And words cannot describe how beautiful and cozy this place is. Less than a year old, this humble abode nestled in the North Georgia mountains makes you feel like you are in a place that has been around for years. It is amazing what 4 gay guys can bring to the table, in terms of decorating and stuff. It's homey, inviting, relaxing, warm, and any other adjective that you can substitute to simply make you feel welcome. But more important this weekend was the company inside. 7 guys left behind the holiday parties and circuit events to spend time with friends, both old and new (thanks Jim for correcting me on how to pronounce your name), to spread the holiday cheer. We drank, ate, and laughed for the better part of the weekend. And even though we stayed up too late and overindulged in the libations, somehow, being up in a secluded place with these amazing people made it seem okay. Thanks again for the gracious hospitality and including me in such a special weekend.
Friday night, I made the trip up to High Hills with LittleJohn and Hottie McLegs, passing all the billboards along I-75 advertising the swim/tennis communities from the low $250s, you know the ones with that all end in "Park" and "Gate". It is hard to imagine living in one of these developments among the multi-colored Dodge Durangos and homes decorated with fake ivy in the kitchens and bathrooms. I'm not saying that I wouldn't live there if I was married with kids, but it is spending my Saturday afternoon floating around in a 2 acre pool just does not appeal to me.
It is difficult to appreciate the beauty of the cabin from the outside, being dark and all, but the inside is fabulous. After an unsuccessful attempt to get the gas grill lit (seems someone left us with an empty propane tank), we settled for a margarita and some chips, salsa, and guacamole. We lit a fire and relaxed. This was really my first time spending some kwality time alone with LittleJohn and HM, and as I have told them before, they are wonderful guys. Several drinks later, the camera came out, as did my desire to investigate the "drag suitcase" upstairs. And dress up I did, as the pictures below so clearly illustrate.
Saturday morning, LittleJohn cooked an amazing breakfast of eggs, bacon, and biscuits. Fresh fruit and coffee. We lit a fire and spent the better part of the day relaxing. Watching movies and vegetating. A visit from MattStory,B-E-N-N, and Owen's sister came later in the day. Then, the boys from Atlanta began arriving. Each with a story of the previous night's festivities. Saturday night featured a Christmas dinner of Chili and corn bread muffins, courtesy of HM. This was his holiday tradition that he brought from growing up in Texas. Such a diverse group we had, as there were friends present that I knew very well (PTown powers unite), and yet others that I have only known as acquaintances. Several hours into the evening, it seemed as though were had known each other for years. We wassailed late into the night, playing games such as "Cranium" and "Catch Phrase", reminiscing of past times among friends and sharing holiday traditions unique to each of our respective families. It is these times that you really get to know your friends, unlike the small talk over a watered down cocktail at your favorite "video bar". If it was up to me, I would spend at least one weekend a month away from the Atlanta scene......It does seem as though the "gays" are buying into the mountain getaways in Blue Ridge. Just ask LittleJohn.
Sunday featured another delicious holiday meal straight from the Flippen family, and a hike to the top of the mountain. What a view.
Below are a few picture taken over the course of the weekend. Happy Holidays Y'all.
Friday night, I made the trip up to High Hills with LittleJohn and Hottie McLegs, passing all the billboards along I-75 advertising the swim/tennis communities from the low $250s, you know the ones with that all end in "Park" and "Gate". It is hard to imagine living in one of these developments among the multi-colored Dodge Durangos and homes decorated with fake ivy in the kitchens and bathrooms. I'm not saying that I wouldn't live there if I was married with kids, but it is spending my Saturday afternoon floating around in a 2 acre pool just does not appeal to me.
It is difficult to appreciate the beauty of the cabin from the outside, being dark and all, but the inside is fabulous. After an unsuccessful attempt to get the gas grill lit (seems someone left us with an empty propane tank), we settled for a margarita and some chips, salsa, and guacamole. We lit a fire and relaxed. This was really my first time spending some kwality time alone with LittleJohn and HM, and as I have told them before, they are wonderful guys. Several drinks later, the camera came out, as did my desire to investigate the "drag suitcase" upstairs. And dress up I did, as the pictures below so clearly illustrate.
Saturday morning, LittleJohn cooked an amazing breakfast of eggs, bacon, and biscuits. Fresh fruit and coffee. We lit a fire and spent the better part of the day relaxing. Watching movies and vegetating. A visit from MattStory,B-E-N-N, and Owen's sister came later in the day. Then, the boys from Atlanta began arriving. Each with a story of the previous night's festivities. Saturday night featured a Christmas dinner of Chili and corn bread muffins, courtesy of HM. This was his holiday tradition that he brought from growing up in Texas. Such a diverse group we had, as there were friends present that I knew very well (PTown powers unite), and yet others that I have only known as acquaintances. Several hours into the evening, it seemed as though were had known each other for years. We wassailed late into the night, playing games such as "Cranium" and "Catch Phrase", reminiscing of past times among friends and sharing holiday traditions unique to each of our respective families. It is these times that you really get to know your friends, unlike the small talk over a watered down cocktail at your favorite "video bar". If it was up to me, I would spend at least one weekend a month away from the Atlanta scene......It does seem as though the "gays" are buying into the mountain getaways in Blue Ridge. Just ask LittleJohn.
Sunday featured another delicious holiday meal straight from the Flippen family, and a hike to the top of the mountain. What a view.
Below are a few picture taken over the course of the weekend. Happy Holidays Y'all.
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