Category: friends

Comments

I’m not sure why some folks think they can’t disagree with me on my blog. I guess many carry over the failed experiences from other sites. Either way, I’ve had a few instances lately about whether a person felt comfortable leaving comments here so I feel compelled to speak up. One person even stopped me on the street to tell me their opinion after expressing a fear of posting on my blog.

I welcome comments, even if you disagree with me. My expectations are simple. Agree, disagree, or not care and comment as long as you are respectful. We can argue till we are both blue in the face. And we can do so w/o resorting to personal attacks.

For the most part, it is rarely a problem. I am not a news/media site and yes my rules are non-negotiable, but they are simple, fair, and most importantly, applied equally. I can count on one hand the number of non-spam comments I’ve deleted over the years. The only exception would be the crazie fundies who randomly descend with threats and condemnation. I’ve actually taken to forwarding death threats, however harmless in reality, to PD. [1]You’d be surprised how many of these idiots send emails thru their work accounts or work servers. LOL The rest of the haters’ comments are deleted outright from the queue.
And truthfully, if they expressed an opinion w/o vitriol and name-calling, even their comments would get thru. Sadly, that is so rarely the case.

Lord knows, I am opinionated. And if you hope to change my mind on a subject, you need to back it up with facts and/or reason, not name-calling, faux indignation, etc. Unlike a certain blogger we know, I don’t cultivate the appearance of support here by selectively managing the comments that come thru. I encourage different pov’s as I can learn from them.

I’ve always gotten more emails than comments in relation to posts on my blog. I have friends who are private and just like to discuss their opinions with me behind the scenes. I also have “lurkers”, guys who read but never or rarely comment, who will email me from time to time as well. In all of these emails, I’ve never had one be rude or disrespectful. If you can do it in private, no reason you can’t do it publicly either.

So, if you’re in doubt about whether you should make a comment, now ya know. 🙂

References

References
↑1 You’d be surprised how many of these idiots send emails thru their work accounts or work servers. LOL

Sour

My mood that is.

This week has been kinda shitty. It started off w/someone I consider a good friend, not only insulting me over something extremely petty but also adding salt to the wound. I’m still so angry at the moment, I can’t find the will to care how it ends.

If that weren’t enough, work has also been very disappointing. I had an issue last Friday with an employee from another dept. I was 100% in the right and while the dept can’t deny that, they are totally not supporting me in the overall issue. I feel like I’ve been thrown under the bus because the powers that be on my side don’t have the integrity to stand up to the other dept head. Very demoralizing to say the least.

I’m glad this week is almost over. The only good thing out of the week [1]besides Cooper. hehehe is the gym. I took off a day on Wednesday to give myself recovery time. My last two workouts were good because of the small in between break.

Nothing planned for the weekend. It’s apparently some big bear weekend here so we’ll see if I end up getting into any trouble. It’s supposed to be sunny and even warm out. Hoping you all have a good one.

References

References
↑1 besides Cooper. hehehe

After

Well the big festival / mess that is Christmas is over. Now we can all turn our gaze to the coming new year.

A special thank you to everyone who sent me cards this year. I easily got more cards than I sent. And while I don’t send my cards expecting one in return, it was so very sweet getting all the nice cards. Hell, I didn’t even know some of you had my mailing address. [1]Stalkers! lol  I probably say this every year but it really meant a lot to me. It was just me and Cooper this year and I was afraid I’d end feeling lonely. I didn’t at all. I’ve actually been in great spirits the whole time. Nonetheless, it was still very comforting having so many of my friends and readers reach out to me. You guys are awesome.

On  a side rant, several of my friends don’t get why I spend so much time on cards vs the actual holiday. Well, the holiday itself has become an over-hyped consumer event for one. I also don’t celebrate “christian” faith so I honestly don’t get much from the day itself. Doing my cards is more fun. It’s a big process for me. I often will buy 5-10 different packs of cards at a time. [2]Even though, I chose to use up all my leftovers this year. If you got the same one twice, apologies.  As I go thru each person on the list, I reflect on how I know the person. For my blog readers, I use this time to purge all my blog emails for the year. But before I do, I pull up my comment emails and sort by users so I can review all their feedback. It makes me feel closer to the person. Of course, the wax seals are a blast. It’s probably one of the few old traditions I embrace. There may come a day when we no longer send snail mail but until then, I’ll keep doing it.

As I move into year 9 of the blog, I’m so very grateful for all the advice, feedback, support, comments, and even differences of opinion you all have given me. This blog represents an important chronicle of my growth. It not only covers my life over the last 8 years but also my life in general and my growth into manhood. I honestly don’t think I’d be the person I am now w/o having done this blog. It has helped me (and others I’m told) in so many ways I’ve lost count.

Here’s to year 9 being a good one! My number chart says this is supposed to be a good year for me. I don’t put a lot of stock in it but here’s hoping it’s right! I could certainly use a good year. So from the bottom of my heart, I offer you all a huge thank you. Cooper and I wish you a very prosperous and happy year ahead!

~ Moby

References

References
↑1 Stalkers! lol
↑2 Even though, I chose to use up all my leftovers this year. If you got the same one twice, apologies.

Happy

Happy holidays to all of ya out there. I’m working today to help keep lala land safe. There will be tons of food at work. They day will start off slow and as we move into evening, the family fights will start. lol Once the newness wears off, you suddenly realize why you only see certain people once a year. hehehe

I hope you all have a warm, fuzzy and safe holiday whatever you celebrate. Be it Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, great spagetti monster, whatever! And if you’re going out with friends and/or family, please be safe. On the chance your holiday is a bit blue, consider yourself hugged from me. It’s just another day and will be over tomorrow.

For those of you who got xmas cards from me this year, I didn’t get to pop in my surprise. It was gonna be a pic of me and Cooper. Sadly, my printer decided to die a violent painful death and ruin my plans. I blame Apple guy. I’m not sure how but I know it’s all his fault! lol [1]yes, he reads my blog :p

Oh and you should be logged in!

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On a complete side rant, I’ve noticed more and more people who have given up (or cut way back) on traditional christmas celebrations. They all lament pretty much the same thing. It’s become a consumer frenzy of over-spending, often on items no one really needs and will be out-dated within just a few months. I’m not complaining about consumerism just the craziness that has grown up around it. [2]And don’t even get me started on the overnight, sometimes weekly waits in line for electronic devices that will be out-dated in just a few months. Seriously, WTF?! I mention it because the holidays can be a hard time for a lot of folks. Whatever the reason, sometimes the holidays are just rough. I find that as I shift away from the traditional idea of christmas I no longer feel as much pressure around holidays. I used to get very sad on xmas if I was single. I’d feel lonely, pathetic, and like a total failure as a person. Granted, that was a time when I had bigger issues on my plate but you get my point. I just don’t put as many expectations on holidays anymore. Less expectations equals less pressure. Less pressure means less anxiety. So if you are someone who is having trouble finding holiday spirit this year, I hope my words help. At the end of the day, it’s all self-inflicted. You are not a failure, you are still a wonderful human being, regardless of your relationship status. I urge you to walk away from the hype, the fairy-tale story-lines, and just focus on the things you do have. I bet you’re better off than you realize.

Regardless, I wish you the best and as usual, I thank you for reading my madness.

🙂

References

References
↑1 yes, he reads my blog :p
↑2 And don’t even get me started on the overnight, sometimes weekly waits in line for electronic devices that will be out-dated in just a few months. Seriously, WTF?!

Return

Well, it’s been a week of fun and mayhem with Trev and Mikey. Now it’s Monday and time to return to reality. lol It was great seeing both of them. We had a blast! The picture links to an album that includes a few shots I took over the course of our week together.

Pride was fun. The boys arrived the day before. I didn’t snap that many pics as I had forgotten to charge my phone battery the night before and was running low on juice. The boys opted for stadium seating but even then we could only sit still for a couple hours before moving on to the fair. Pride night we went to a Tea dance party at Ruby Skye. I’d never been inside and the place was gorgeous. The music was pretty good as well. [1]Dance music with actual words!  They opted for another later party but Mr Moby was tuckered out and headed home. I’m such a lightweight.

Having not ever been here together before, the boys wanted to do the typical tourist stuff (The things I do for friends. lol j/k). As much as I usually hate doing touristy stuff, I had fun. It was very bearable mostly because we did everything during the week when most folks are working. 

Alcatraz was our first stop during the week of post Pride festivities. I hadn’t been since right after I moved to SF and it was totally different. I guess over the years they’ve changed how the tours go. I thought I was gonna be bored but to my surprise, I wasn’t at all. The gardens were in full bloom and the weather was warm w/o being hot.

Next on our journey was Muir Woods (the big redwood trees). I never get tired of seeing the redwoods. Such massive trees and so few left. We snapped a few pics to show the sheer size of the enormous plants. We took a tour bus group up. The driver driveled on constantly with tedious details but we tuned him out. lol Naturally, we sat in the back of the bus! The weather was warm and sunny so it was a very nice trip. On the way back we stopped off in Sausalito. We took the opportunity to grab a quick bite to eat while the rest of the tour group was sight-seeing. We had fish & chips at a place on the strip. 

The next day was a slow unscripted trip to the Wharf on Pier 39. This place is tourist central and I usually avoid it like the plague. Again, being the middle of the week helped. We did the whole experience and took the cable car from the hood all the way down. I figured it we were gonna be tourists might as well go whole-hog. We saw the seals, checked the shops, had some delicious clam chowder, and just walked the area. We had considered taking the trolley car home but the line was easily an hour wait. No thanks.

Our last big day of planned festivities was a trip up to Napa to visit wine country and partake in some wine-tasting. Again the weather was great albeit a tiny bit on the hot side. Napa is gorgeous this time of year. Our tour included 4 vineyards with a tour and wine-tasting session at each. In a nutshell, the Robert Mondovi Vineyard was the best. The Andretti Vineyard [2]yes, the same as the race car driver was the worst. The staff  were rude, snobbish, and the wines were awful. I do not recommend it at all. The Ménage a Trios Vineyard gets a special mention for having the best wines.  Needless to say, we got a little tipsy. The pic above was taken at the Franciscan, our last stop on the tour before heading home.

We also went out a few nights during the week for cocktails. lol We got totally sloshed at 440 one night. The bartender knew me and kept giving us drinks and shots. Needless to say, we had fun. Of course, we had have some late night pizza slices to soak up all the booze. Lord, I’ll need to invest in some cardio for a couple weeks.

So it was a good vacation. It was good to see the boys and having them here really cheered me up. I didn’t realize how much I missed them. We all promised to not let it go so long next time before we see each other. On a side note, Cooper loved all the extra attention. Sadly, he started peeing on the carpet again. We had a couple come-to-jesus conversations and he is back on the path. Today, it’s back to gym and work. After all, one can only avoid reality for so long. lol

References

References
↑1 Dance music with actual words!
↑2 yes, the same as the race car driver

Reunion

Two of my long-time friends are arriving in SF on Saturday for GHHD #1 [1]Gay High Holy Day aka Pride and for a week long visit. Having never been in SF all together, I am ecstatic! I just hope the poor city, and Apple guy, survives! I’m sure Cooper will be happy with all the extra attention regardless.

We’ll do Pride this weekend and one of the many dance parties planned as well. Other than 440, I haven’t really been out and ages. Afterwards, I’m sure we’ll be doing all the touristy things I normally abhor. Having been a bit of a homebody as of late, I doubt I’ll mind though. It will be good to see them and enjoy some time together. We were last together in Houston a couple years ago briefly for one of Trevan’s big birthday celebrations. Trevan recently uprooted from Houston and moved himself to Austin for a job that was too good to pass up. Mikey is still in Dallas and I’m way out here.

I honestly can’t think of a better way to spend Pride weekend than with two of my good friends. It didn’t even have to be a holiday weekend for all I care. But since it is, we’ll tear it up and enjoy ourselves. With finances being tight and the distance, I don’t get to see them near as much as I used to. The only thing that would make it better is if they would bring me some Whataburger!

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Whatever you are doing this Pride weekend, whether you celebrate or not, I hope you have a fun and safe time. Take joy in the good things in your life and take a moment to celebrate that in whatever way you see fit.

References

References
↑1 Gay High Holy Day aka Pride

Knock

So I’m checking my blog stats the other day and my log-in tracker was so long it almost crashed the browser. lol Apparently, a crack engine [1]code for a rogue server trying to crack user passwords w/repeated random attempts over and over and over… burned thru over 500 attempts to log into my blog via the default admin account. As mentioned in a several previous posts, one should always disable this default and create a separate more secure one. Anyway, the default account has been locked for some time so all the attempts failed. I’ve since banned the IP’s, not that it does any good as they just rotate thru those too.

Speaking of, I did notice quite a few regular user log-ins. I was a little surprised at how many of you still use your old trusted log-ins here. Since I am single again, you can expect some use to come from having said log-ins. hehehe.  I’ll be posting in said areas again from time to time.

On a side note, my buddy Large Tony has a new blog link. He decided to retire his West of Mayberry for the newer Third Leg. hehehe  If you’re a fan, update your links accordingly. Large Tony has been my biggest referral generator for months and months now so it’s the least I can do to return the favor. Not to mention he is an all around good guy. Here’s to another year of funny, insightful, poetic, and often erotic posts from Big T.

References

References
↑1 code for a rogue server trying to crack user passwords w/repeated random attempts over and over and over…

Trip

I’m back from Houston. I went down for a long weekend to help my friend Trevan. He had to go in for a minor back surgery and needed some help getting up and around for a few days.

I ended up flying Southwest this time around. Of course, I’d forgotten I was flying out of Oakland instead of SFO until the morning of. I always seem to forget that when taking BART to Oakland, you have to get off and take a shuttle for the last 3 miles. It sounds simple but often this little detour adds 20-30 mins to your commute. Having to leave a bit early, naturally I didn’t allow for said additional delay and ended up being rushed the whole damn way!

As luck would have it, things went exceptionally smooth. Even though MUNI had experienced an earlier backup, they were clearing as I got to the station. Getting onto BART was equally smooth. The hiccup came when I got to the airport stop and had forgotten the shuttle. Not to mention the shuttle doesn’t take my clipper card. [1]Mass transit card that works on several different trains in the bay area. By the time I got to the the airport it was 30 minutes to my flight departure. That means my flight was boarding. I only had one bag to check and already had my boarding pass so only had to get the bag sorted and get thru security. Everyone was so nice when I asked if I could move thru the line. Not one person was contrary or rude when I asked if I could move in front of them in line so I wouldn’t miss my flight.

I ran the concourse to get there just as the B group was starting to board. I even managed to snag an aisle seat! The flight was pretty full but entertaining because an amateur baseball league was headed to College Station to compete and there was no shortage of hotties! One ended up sitting right next to me. heehee Straight as all hell but we cut up an laughed the whole way to Houston. [2]The several cocktails didn’t hurt.

The visit went fine. Trevan had come home earlier that morning from the hospital and was resting comfortably. It was good to see him. We couldn’t run around like we normally do obviously. I hadn’t really planned on anything exciting anyway. Sunday before I left, Trevan was getting a little stir-crazy so we had lunch out and met up with my buddy Darrel. By the time it came for me to leave, he was getting up/down by himself and doing much more stuff solo. He still has to wear the brace for 30 full days but I left not worrying about him.

I did get one welcome surprise though. TFA had a lay-over in Houston so I got to see him too! I haven’t seen him a couple years now and it was awesome to see him and catch up a bit, albeit briefly.

Coming home was a tad exciting. One, I didn’t realize I was flying home on 9.11. That had me nervous because I never underestimate the power of stupidity in the group setting. I got to the airport way earlier just in case. It was actually kinda slow. Everything went smoothly until someone set off the fire alarm. I’d just sat down and plugged in my computer when it went off. At first people were bewildered on what to do. When the automated voice said, “begin exiting the concourse“, everyone started moving. Luckily, our gate agent had the wherewithal to think it over and told us to wait. Then came the battling announcements from the airport proper on what we should do. One minute a male voice is telling us not to worry its a false alarm and the next minute a female voice is telling us to exit the concourse. Once again, our gate agent told us to sit tight. After about 10 minutes, it was determined to be a false alarm. This was after quite a few people from other gates had made a mass-exodus back to the front of the terminal oooh-weeee! They were pissed! They all had to go back thru security. There were quite a few gate announcements for people being called by name. I’d have totally been pissed myself.

On the flight, I got an exit row so had room to stretch. Oddly enough, I ended up next to the acting Chief of the Oakland Fire Dept. lolol She was very nice and gave me two free coupons for cocktails. 🙂 The rest of the flight was pretty smooth. There was one point where we were flying over a thunderstorm. I don’t think I’ve actually ever done that. Watching the lightening from above was kinda cool.

Anyway, I’m glad to be home. I missed my beloved SF. If you want, you can check out a few random pics from my Google Plus feed.

References

References
↑1 Mass transit card that works on several different trains in the bay area.
↑2 The several cocktails didn’t hurt.

Quadra

If you’ve been following me on twitter, FB, +1, Foursquare, etc, you know I was down in Houston this past weekend for my friend Trevan’s birthday. He does a big shindig every year with 3 of his other friends to celebrate their mutual July birthdays. With the passing of one of the guys, they decided this was the last year for the big event. I didn’t get to go down last year so I had to make it this year. [1]Even though I couldn’t really afford it. Ain’t credit grand? On top of being the last year, one of our mutual friends, Michael W, came down as well. Its easily been a decade since all three of us have been together.

Trev and Mikey knew each other about a year or so before Trev and I met. The three of us have known each other for right at two decades now. Needless to say, it was great to catch up and see them. Trev and I always have fun together and when you throw Mikey in the mix, it promises to be a fun-filled occasion. So naturally, I had a blast. heehee

Being a special occasion and a much needed pick me up, I had a lot to drink. There was the pool party on Saturday w/open bar followed by the big birthday celebration itself that night…more drinks. lol   Sunday was brunch at Baba Yega’s….endless mimosas. Dinner at Barnaby’s. After dinner, you guessed it, more booze at a couple of the local bars. lol Oh but I ain’t done yet. My flight home was delayed by two hours. I promptly made friends with my row mates. We proceeded to buy each other drinks thru our 4 1/2 hour flight (courtesy of a 20-30 minute holding pattern once we actually go to SFO). Oh yes, we had a blast. Thank the stars I didn’t have in-flight wifi cause the updates might have been NSFW!

Anyway, seeing them brought back a lot of memories of our times together and in general. Mikey and I were talking one night and he asked if Trevan was the only reason I still came back to Texas. My answer, without any hesitation was yes.  It actually surprised me a bit because I kind of always thought I’d have ties to the area. It struck me now that my little brother has moved up to Tennessee, I haven’t really felt drawn to go back, other than to see Trevan. I have other friends there [2]including my new in-person friend Darrel from twitter. Hi Darrel! lol and this is no discredit to them but I’ve known Trevan a long time. If he moved away, I doubt I’d go back much at all. Oh, I’d still get back at times but the frequency would be greatly diminished. My point of this sort of off topic rant is I made the right choice to leave. I have absolutely no regrets and every time I do go back, the reminders seem to be that much stronger.

So, I’m on vacation for the rest of the week. Nothing else planned other than detoxing. I ate so much Whataburger I’m sure I need a few extra days of cardio not to mention purging the remnants of the gallons of booze I consumed while there (and en route back).

References

References
↑1 Even though I couldn’t really afford it. Ain’t credit grand?
↑2 including my new in-person friend Darrel from twitter. Hi Darrel! lol

Dynamic Duo

For those not on Facebook or twitter, I thought I’d post a pic of Apple guy and I together. Here we are at a BBQ in Golden Gate park hosted by my buddy William. [1]Special thanks to William for organizing and setting it up.  We had a nice time today hanging out with some of the moto boys and friends. Sadly, some of the group couldn’t make it but better some than none.

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And speaking of, Apple guy is finally here full time! He made it last week after spending two and half days back and forth to the airport. He was flying on a buddy pass from a friend of mine. Normally, not a big deal but because of delays, he ended up trying to get a flight out on a weekend that coincided with the end of spring break. Flights were super booked and he kept getting bumped. He finally got saved when a connecting flight in Houston didn’t show up. Poor thing, he was so tired and cranky when he finally made it, he went straight to bed and slept about 16 hours. Course, now that he is here I’m happier than a pig in slop! lol

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Now that he is here we embark on a life together. I’m nervous and excited all at the same time. lol  That said, I am optimistic. I think we are starting things off right and with a strong foundation. As usual, our comfort level is pretty good. We just ‘are’ when we are around each other. I really like that and am looking forward to what the future holds for us.

References

References
↑1 Special thanks to William for organizing and setting it up.