Category: random thoughts

New

I’ve finally started adding new blogs to my RSS reader again. I’ve been blog hopping [1]hopping from link to link and found a few new ones that struck my fancy. Its been a while and I guess I was overdue. I also deleted a few that haven’t been updated in months.

I’ve gotten a few questions about where my blogroll went after switching to the new blog database. I decided not to add it back as it got a bit childish at times. I’d find blogs that linked to me and then discover later they’d remove me if I didn’t link back. I used to auto-follow but now that I have so many, I only follow blogs that I actually read. It isn’t meant as an insult or anything negative and shouldn’t be taken that way. And if you read my linking rules, you already know that.

Oh, and I’m doing one of “those” posts later this week. You better be logged in beyotches!

References

References
↑1 hopping from link to link

Cookin’ N Bookin’

I’ve been getting back in the habit of cooking my own meals lately as opposed to eating out. Wit the old roomie moving to NY, I needed to make some cutbacks to accommodate the cost of absorbing all of the rent. My eating habits were an easy target as I tended to eat out a lot. Anyway, I’ve been getting back in the habit of cooking. With that comes old favorites that I enjoy immensely and are relatively easy to make. A big one is a simple but versatile dish called Hobo Casserole. You can use any ground meat of choice, (the leaner the better), fresh frozen assorted veggies, V-8 or tomato sauce, and biscuits. Brown the meat, seasoning to taste. Layer in casserole dish, cover with mixed veggies and then layer w/biscuits. That’s pretty much it. Cook at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes. Its a very versatile recipe as you can change up the meat, veggies, and the sauce. The trick is to make sure the casserole dish is full to the top with just a tiny bit of room to fit the biscuits; literally just enough to prevent the biscuits from cooking over the edge. If the dish isn’t full the biscuits will not cook all the way thru and will be gooey underneath. [1]An alternative is to cook the biscuits in a similar size dish and layer’em on top afterwards. If you are a cheese fan you can layer in a cheese of your choice between the meat and veggies. I swap the sauce from V-8 juice to tomato sauce, or my favorite, Campbell’s tomato soup. The tomato soup has a tangy sweet flavor which mixes well with the meat and veggies. I also love to add chopped okra with the veggies. DE-lish! It isn’t very ‘sophisticated’ but makes a filling and healthy meal.

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And speaking of roomies, I can’t remember if I told everyone but I found a new roomie. [2]And no, we haven’t slept together. As you know, I’ve been very ambivalent about searching for a new roommate. The thought of living with a total stranger has been very unappealing. It took me 2 months just to start putting feelers out. I’ve been very cautious as I’m looking for a good fit vs just having a body to fill a void. Home is my no-drama zone and I wanna keep it that way. Anyway, he saw a blurb on my Facebook profile and showed some interest. We’ve known each other for several years. He dated my ex’s best friend back when my ex and I were still together. While we aren’t overly close, I know enough about him to feel comfortable having him as a roomie. He also has a stable job, his own wheels, and he doesn’t smoke. All pluses in my book. lol Seriously though, I’m looking forward to it. I think he is a great guy and don’t foresee any drama. Unfortunately, this came about because he is breaking up with his partner. I guess he has reached his breaking point as he was originally gonna move in on the first but has already started moving his stuff. [3]Lucky for him, I’ve already had the priest over to perform an exorcism after the last roomie. heehee He seems to have a positive attitude about it though. Oh, and he also rides a motorcycle so we definitely have that in common!

He is supposed to finish moving in this weekend. I’ll be in LA visiting the boy so he’ll have the whole place to himself. I’m quite sure he’ll be fine. lol  For my part, I’m excited. As ambivalent as I was, the apt has felt empty w/o someone around. I can turn my attention back to paying down my debt in anticipation of buying a condo around years end.

References

References
↑1 An alternative is to cook the biscuits in a similar size dish and layer’em on top afterwards.
↑2 And no, we haven’t slept together.
↑3 Lucky for him, I’ve already had the priest over to perform an exorcism after the last roomie. heehee

Do You Moto?

Ok, its a cheesy rip off but I thought it was funny.

I had another great ride yesterday. We did a route very similar to last week but in reverse. It was warm again and only a tad windy. Well, the City was actually a little but cool but outside the City was warm.  As usual, we deviated a bit from the route but only a tiny bit and only added 20-30 miles. Still very fun.

The Friday rides are becoming are regular thing and I find myself looking forward to it all week. I know, I’m a dork but we all need a hobby right? Well, besides THAT. I am gay man after all. And lets face it, Daddy has needs! On a quick side rant, the boy is doing well. He called and woke me up this morning on his way to the dentist. He had to get a filling over a root canal from last week. Ouch. Anyway, I just melt inside when I answer the phone and he says, ‘hi daddy!’ Go ahead, laugh, joke, and giggle bitches. I can take it.

Ok, back to the topic. We stopped at the Los Vaqueros Watershed for lunch. [1]We picked up cheese steak sammiches for lunch in Brentwood.  Being Friday, it was completely deserted except for this one contingent of old folks that split soon after we arrived. We hung out goofing and talking. A total relaxed environment even though we did get off on a serious subject toward the end.

Here we are getting arrested for indecency in public (just kidding). lol William had the idea to take pics in front of the sheriff vehicle. At the last minute, they decided to pretend they were being searched. I’m taking the picture so I got to skip it. *g*

Left to right, Tom, Don, William, and a new guy to the group, Michael. I think Michael was a little disappointed as he wanted to go fast and race the curves. He seemed a little bored but made the best of it. From my point of view, that can be fun but its better solo or in pairs. Group rides should be more about the group vs pushing your skills. The group has several newer riders and it isn’t fair to push them into a situation where they not only feel left out but could also hurt themselves trying to keep up. Don’t get me wrong, he didn’t have an ego, he just wanted something different.

Actually, one of the things I love about this group is the lack of egos. All the guys so far have been super cool and really eager to be part of the group. To me, its as much about comradere [2]Bastardized spelling of the word as it is the ride itself.

Clearly, we have fun hanging out together. lol And not only did I remember to take the camera, but we used it! See, I’m getting better. Anyway, the guys are fun and I like hanging with’em. I’m sill a bit of a newbie to the group but they have welcomed me with open arms. I’m so shy, lord knows I need all the help I can get. Not buying it? Damn! Anyway, I’m enjoying getting to know everyone. A few guys I already knew from around town, the gym, etc, but it is nice getting to know them better. We all have very different jobs and backgrounds which adds to the mix IMHO.

Here’s all our bikes together like wayward children. lol Front left is Tom’s, front right is Don’s. Back left to right is William’s Ducati, my blue gixxr (GSXR) and then Michael’s Kawasaki.

Today, I have absolutely nothing planned other than minor errands and the gym. I need some new tenny’s, and hygiene product. Oh very exciting to know right? I did indulge myself and have sushi though. I haven’t had sushi in a few weeks and I’m way overdo. Is a beautiful day out so I  might go for a short ride around the city too.

Oh and before I forget, I showed the apartment to a prospective roomie today. Uh, no. I care more about finding a good fit than just having a roomie. A good fit he was not. One, he smoked which was a deal breaker in itself. He also rambled on about how often his boyfriend would be staying over, strike 2. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he had the balls to tell me how drab my furniture was and that we ‘would have to make some changes’. Bless his heart. Better yet, he was genuinely surprised when I gave him the bad news. Whatev’s, me and my drab furniture will keep looking.

😛

References

References
↑1 We picked up cheese steak sammiches for lunch in Brentwood.
↑2 Bastardized spelling of the word

Good News & Stuff

First off, we (the Union) were able to come to an agreeable compromise last week that resulted in not only our own staffing not getting cut but also saved another 900+ jobs citywide. [1]The caveat is 2 ballot initiatives in November have to pass.

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We had a good ride again this last Friday. We only ended up taking a couple pics. At least I don’t look like a beached whale in this one. I loved the route, we ended up going thru a lot of the windmills North of the City. I’ve always had a thing for windmills. I guess because we never had any in Texas. [2]Texas and windmills, yeah right!

We had a our first girl join the group this last week. She was sweet and fit in well but I kind of got a kick out of how she pulled turns. I’m thinking maybe because she was so petite she has to pull her weight more to lean that big Ducati she drives. It was a bit comical watching her pull her body to the side on regular turns as if she was doing a really tight turn super fast. [3]If you’ve ever ridden a bike, you know that you can almost do anything with a bike just by shifting your body weight. She was cool though and we had fun with her. We have another ride coming this Friday. A similar route in reverse this time. I’m stoked!

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People have been asking about the boy. Yes, I’m still enjoying being a new daddy. No, I ain’t sharing those stories. [4]They ARE juicy though. What I will say, he is as charming and endearing as ever. He always seems to put a smile on my face and a chub in m pants. What’s not to like? Seriously though, if he lived closer, I’d be in trouble.

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I got more than a few emails about the last post. Some people felt I was “attacking” religion. Two things, read it again and I don’t care. I’ve picked my side and completely comfortable with that.

References

References
↑1 The caveat is 2 ballot initiatives in November have to pass.
↑2 Texas and windmills, yeah right!
↑3 If you’ve ever ridden a bike, you know that you can almost do anything with a bike just by shifting your body weight.
↑4 They ARE juicy though.

Rough & Tumble

This week has started off a bit rough.  I had another bout of insomnia Sunday night so didn’t fall asleep until almost 4 am.  Needless to say, I didn’t make it to the gym on Monday.  I was dead tired on my feet yesterday but a friend was in town from Denver and I really wanted to see him so ended up going out after work.  I didn’t stay out long though.  At one point, I was nodding off while he was talking to me! I came home and didn’t even turn on the computer.  I think I was asleep 5 mins after my head hit the pillow. 

I had a good workout today but it went a little long and I was almost late to work.  Didn’t get time to stop and pick up healthy food either.  Luckily, work had a St Paddy’s feed and we had plenty of fresh corned beef, cabbage, tators, and carrots.  YUM!  I feel like a big ole tick about now. 

So far, I’ve been handling the longer work schedule better than last time.  My gym schedule has suffered a bit over the last couple weeks but I’m trying to get back on track. [1]I was particularly lazy this past weekend, I didn’t go once  I tend to rebel mentally when I’m constantly on the go. I don’t like it and I find after a while I just get in a “I ain’t doing shit” sort of mood.  But, as TFA would say, it is what it is.  I just need to suck it up and get back on track.  I did both Chest & Tri’s today and pushed myself to finish.  I had to drop the last set but only due to time constraints. 

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People have been asking about Beefy boy. I didn’t hear from him all week or over the weekend.  I got an email on FB yesterday.  He had to go back to Hawaii for personal reasons.  He says he’ll be back.  In this economy, I’m not so sure.

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And while I can be forgiven for forgetting a get-together on Sunday, my behavior towards another guy this past weekend isn’t so easy to forgive.  I mentioned a few posts back, I “met” a guy recently who really wanted to go on a date.  He was fun and I figured it would be worthwhile.  Anyway, he emailed me a couple times last week trying to arrange some time together.  I replied I’d be interested.  However, the weekend arrived and I just totally didn’t feel like it.  Like a turd, I didn’t follow up.  Granted this was only a booty-call scenario and we hadn’t set anything definite, but I still feel like a schmuck.  I could have emailed or even picked up the phone.  I hate when guys flake on me so I definitely know better.  I got an email from him early yesterday.  He was a bit peeve’d, rightfully so.  I called him back but he was at work.  I called again later but he didn’t answer, I left a message.  I apologized for my behavior and explained a bit but the reasons don’t really matter.  I was a jerk, I own it.  If he doesn’t call me back, I’ll completely understand.  If the situation were reversed, I might not call him either. 

On the up-side, I have some fun time arranged with a regular buddy tonight.  Maybe it ill help get me out of my funk. 

References

References
↑1 I was particularly lazy this past weekend, I didn’t go once

Moving On

In a completely different train of thought, I can’t remember if I mentioned my hoe-bag roomie (link is totally NSFW) has decided to move to New York.  He leaves on the 30th for a month to see if he can find work.  He keeps telling me he hasn’t decided for sure yet but it is pretty obvious he is planning on moving.  I haven’t decided if I plan to replace him yet.  The extra money is nice but I’ve reached an age where the thought of having a complete stranger live w/me isn’t overly appealing.  A couple of his friends have expressed an interest but we’ll see. 

Considering I recently forked over $2500 in fees relating to the land my Dad left my brothers and I, I probably should consider a roomie for awhile.  I’ll probably have to fork over another 3Gs to finish everything.  I’m not the least bit happy but we are fast approaching a legal deadline to complete the transition.  If I didn’t pony up the dough, the land could have gone into a sort of legal limbo status that could take years to sort out. 

Needless to say, yours truly will be broke for awhile.  Even worse, courtesy of George “Dumbass” Bush, the taxes on my bracket have gone up.  I’m sure our new leader-in-competence will sort it all out however, that doesn’t help me this year.  I just keep telling myself I’m grateful to have a job.  I know many aren’t doing so well right now and things will get worse before they get better. 

Bitten / Kudos

The blogging bug has definitely bitten me again (as if you couldn’t tell). I guess the new blog and template has inspired me. heh heh

I’ve been tinkering w/using Google’s “Friend Connect” to allow people to sign into my site. It was pretty easy to setup and it worked well. Unfortunately, it only seemed to complicate the process. Their sign in doesn’t actually create a new user account on my blog, which of course means no control over content and access. Users would have to double register to truly be listed as “user”. I’ve since disabled it. I guess my blog really isn’t a social mecca anyhow. lol

In a slightly different vein of thought, a big thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes.  I was very humbled by all the kind words and emails I got.  I might have mentioned I have a 4-day weekend this week and have been a total slug so far.  Well, besides the gym anyway. lol  TFA arrives tomorrow night.  The only thing planned, besides the obvious, is to check out the new Underworld flick.  I’m a big fan of the movies so far.

Tonight, my buddy kristaki drug me out to some of the local gay bars in the gaborhood.  He is straight but grew up here so totally cool.  His fiance has a whole contingent of gay friends as well.  Sadly, the group seemed to like all the bars I hate. lol  I wasn’t miserable but I certainly wasn’t overly excited.  kristaki and I were in the acadamy together and we could pretty much have a good time anywhere.  We actually ended up splitting off from the group and wound up at Sparky’s gorging ourselves on chili cheese fries.  Even though we didn’t really do anything exciting I had a blast.  I don’t get to see him as much now that he is on the force and has a blushing bride-to-be.

So now I’m home feeling like a bloated heifer.  Ugh, I ate too much.  Tomorrow is definitely gonna be a cardio day!

Blog?

I’ve gotten several emails, comments, inquiries as of late regarding my lack of blogging.  Besides being extremely busy at work, the simplest answer is I just haven’t felt like it.  It seems to be a trend as I’ve noticed many of my regular reads have slacked off lately as well. 

For my part, I’ve always catered to the idea that blogging shouldn’t be forced.  Forcing it often leads to resentment which defeats the whole purpose, IMHO.  Never fear, I haven’t given up and this blog is NOT closing, not even close.  I still have tons to say and lord knows I have an opinion about everything.

On the flip side, I’ve met several new people thru my blog as of late.  Not 1, not 2 but 3 guys have come forward as regular readers who rarely comment but wanted to meet.  The first guy has apparently been reading for years and only just recently decided to see if I was up for meeting. [1]He lives locally  We had dinner and got to know each other a bit.  He got to see my tattoo the very same day I got it.  Anyway, dinner was nice and I enjoyed it.  The 2nd guy was totally looking to get laid. [2]I obliged him several times. *EG*  The 3rd was a bit odd.  I got the distinct impression he was testing to see if my blog was real.  His questions sounded more like accusations than interest.  He seemed to give up at one point after several “discrepancies” he pointed out were nothing more than perception.  I was secretly amused at his persistence and annoyance that he couldn’t trip me up.  He also discovered how blunt I can be when he asked questions I felt were inappropriate.  I doubt he’ll continue to read.

I’m always curious as to what inspires someone to come forward to meet after waiting so long.  I see myself as a very approachable and clearly I have no problem being open.  The irony here is I often get way more private emails than I do posted comments.  In talking with other blog buddies, I seem to the exception vs the rule in this arena.  I still haven’t figured it out but it doesn’t really matter.  I’m still flattered every time someone new “pops up”.  I don’t see my life as all that exciting to be honest.  But having grown up in the middle of nowhere TX, I can relate on the perceptual differences.  lolol 

References

References
↑1 He lives locally
↑2 I obliged him several times. *EG*

Emergency? What Emergency?

Monday night was probably one of the most stressful of my career. I’m basing that on the knots in my stomach and the bottle of wine I consumed after work. [1]Yes, you read it right, Mr. Light-weight downed a bottle. In a nutshell, a circuit panel blew out in our building and a full two-thirds of our system(s) went down in the blink of an eye.

As part of our ongoing reconfiguration, I am currently detailed to the Fire/EMS side of operations. At the direction of the RC, [2]the highest ranking medical officer on duty I quickly ran down the hallway and setup one of the few functional terminals. Within minutes, I had a summation of everything going out and coming in. Let me clarify that statement. Instead of being in charge of one channel focused on a section of the city, I’m now in charge of 5 channels encompassing the entire city! No pressure right? No, not at all. lolol Anyway, with the help of my co-workers and others I managed to bang thru it. I don’t think I did anything exceptional as frankly, it is my job but whatever. The work itself wasn’t overly taxing but I just couldn’t shake the awful feeling some calls might have fallen thru the cracks. There was no way to stop and check and I was too busy at the time to worry beyond the present. There was easily a 10 minute window between when the system went down and getting it back up. Meanwhile, call-takers are still trying to input calls into the terminals that did not go down. I know I bitch and moan at times about the crazy public but, I take my responsibilities very serious. It bothered me thru the whole ordeal and all thru the night afterwards.

The system came back up just in time for me to get off on time. [3]Ironic huh? I left relieved but I tossed and turned all night worrying some calls might have slipped thru the cracks. I personally felt like we failed the public that night. There is a silver lining here though. After polling all the terminals yesterday, we discovered there was in fact no lost calls. Everything got handled. A huge relief, I don’t mine telling you.

Yesterday, we were on a patchwork system which apparently went down again mid-day (prior to my shift). My shift went off without any problems. Parts are being flown in to create a permanent fix from what I’ve been told. There is also a redundancy system being added to hopefully avoid such a catastrophe in the future. I shudder to think what would have occurred had this happened on a busy night like New Year’s Eve. And I could go the rest of my career and not have to do that again and be completely happy.

References

References
↑1 Yes, you read it right, Mr. Light-weight downed a bottle.
↑2 the highest ranking medical officer on duty
↑3 Ironic huh?

Post Holiday “Something”

The great gobble gobble has come and gone.  I worked and it was pretty uneventful.  In my line of work holidays can be a mixed bag.  More people leads to more problems.  Also the depression that some experience over the holiday seasons can sometimes lead to unfortunate results.  We had a nice big feed and I ate more Turkey than I probably should.  heehee  I had some sweets but not too much.

The weekend is a bit of a blur.  Since the roomie is out of town and I had no prior obligations, I used the opportunity to be a bad boy. [1]Are you logged in? You should be!  I also ran into my old friend Tim W.  I hadn’t seem him in ages and we hung out and had dinner all the while catching up on the latest geekiness and gossip. 

Friday is a blur of sleep, xbox, and a few random errands. 

Saturday, I went to see Transporter 3. OY! Some very tasty flesh scenes with Jason Statham.  The movie is very typical of the series.  If you liked either of the first two, you’ll love this one.  There were only a couple of really “over-the-top” scenes but the martial arts fights are top notch, as usual. 

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In other news, I am once again signing up for my schedule for the next 6 months.  The bad news, I’m not going to get a full weekend slot on my current 5-8 shift. Even worse, I’ll end up being bumped off my current shift all together.  The upside (depending on how you look at it) is I’ll still end up with a weekend slot, just on a 4-10 shift.  I’ll either get Friday/Saturday/Sunday or Saturday/Sunday/Monday off.  There are certainly worse options however, if you’ve been reading for awhile, you know I’m not the least bit thrilled about going back to a 4-10 shift.  In a nutshell, it plays havoc with my gym schedule.  All things considered, I’m not really complaining as it could be a lot worse.

References

References
↑1 Are you logged in? You should be!