Olympus - Reinvinted

Spring Blogging

2008-05-04T10:11:00.004-06:00

Before you become afraid that the title of this post means I will be dropping back to seasonal blogging, fear not. I still intend to keep you all abreast of the goings on in my life. This is largely because I was recently reminded by more than one or two requests, that people do care about me and want to know what is going on - even the mundane. Again, I hope to do better. However, please realize a simple fact that I am coming to understand myself; weekly posts just aren't in the cards for me anymore.

On the up side, this apparently means I still have at least 3 readers. It also means I need to write one of the posts that I was really trying to avoid. You see, there is a part of me that doesn't really want to blog about my day-to-day life. Unfortunately, I've realized, there are a few people that would only know about my day-to-day life by reading my blog. This post is for you.

As I'm sure you've read I bought a house in early December - you can find the post here. BF and I are still moving in, but things are actually starting to settle down. I'm getting more into the groove of being a homeowner and with the birth of spring (finally) I am starting to really enjoy the space.

An average day for me involves getting up sometime between 6:30 and 7:30, depending upon my energy levels. I find I can generally make the two block stroll to work without much effort and still make it by 8:10 at the latest even with such a late start. I don't claim to be really enthusiastic about my days when they start on the later end of this window, but I get by.

Work is 8-5, M-F, as an Assistant Attorney General. The title sounds more impressive to my family and friends than it feels to say it. So far my work includes such diverse areas as trademark and patent, tax, health care, contracts, liability, Native American, administrative, and general policy advice. If nothing else, I am being put to work. :)

My evenings are populated with either being domestic, exercise or what activism I find I can stay involved with.

Those of you who know me know my domestic qualities well enough, so I won't bore you there. The activism I'll blog about later.

Exercise means at least twice a week, one hour, meetings with my trainer, A. She is amazing. Mostly because it seems like everyone I know wants to know how much weight I've lost. Officially, the scale says I am 60lbs lower than my highest ever body weight. This has, however, been true since last October. I am not worried about that number anymore. I've reached what A, and other who should have some knowledge on the subject, think is as low as I can go without some form of starvation. Now, I am focusing on continuing to decrease body fat and increase muscle mass. This won't really change my weight, though. This too is starting to show, and I am glad for it. I really feel like I am taking care of myself. I eat well, I eat plenty, I have a good time at the gym, and I look good. What more could a gay boy want.

Thanks for taking a moment to sit with me on my porch and purge over coffee. Yesterday I spent 6 hours raking the dead grass out of my lawn - the roofers claimed to have done a complete job, I'm not convinced. BF is calling, though, and I need to get on with my day. Today we will be planting flowers; fertilizing, seeding and watering said lawn; and generally preparing for some (he said hopefully) spring greening to begin.

I'll be back when there is more to keep you abreast of, but in the mean time, now you know where I am.

SHENANIGANS

2008-03-31T19:03:00.003-06:00

OH NO THEY DIDN'T!!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23884819

I AM OFFICIALLY CALLING SHENANEGANS.. MOTHER F&*$ING SHENANIGANS!

And here I thought the reason gays couldn't serve is that we were worried about sex behind the front lines. MOTHER F#$%ING SHENANIGANS!

and for those of you who care.. I looked up shenanigans to make sure it was spelled right.

P.R. - post rant - I had intended my initial post back from being a blob to be something much more focused on things my reader had likely missed about his/her favorite bligger i.e. My birthday, a really great relaxation that I personally experienced spelled out in great detail, or some other fun randomness.. but this has me steamed right now.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2008-03-16T12:51:00.002-06:00

I am a bad blogger. I have not been keeping you, my almost loyal readership, entertained with regular posting. I let my email and background expire without replacing them. I became disconnected from the blog. I am trying to fix these problems. First, a major facial for the blog itself. Please check back for updates.

Tiddy Bear - Funny Infomercial

2008-02-01T19:34:00.001-07:00

Something tells me the Rev. owns stock.

Life happened

2007-12-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

Dear blog - and more importantly those who read it!

My life has been hell for almost a month now. I feel like I put in an offer on my house in Cheyenne (you all have to come see it unless you are just a stalker) and this morning is my first bout of sanity in the interim. Somehow I assumed that home ownership would be less stressful. First there were all the offers and counteroffers and counteroffers: I barely had the chance to go home and help work on the farm. I had to respond so fast! Then the inspections, and the contractors (I have a new roof, seller paid for it), and then came closing. . . and then, the very next day. . I flew to D.C.

Yes, I went to Washington D.C. I did it all by myself. Not pleasure mind you, I went for a work conference. Every day from about 8am till 6pm EST I was in the same room learning about health care privacy laws. Sadly, because this is a major part of my job, I really found it entertaining. More sadly, I have no real idea what D.C. looks like with sun shining on it.

For my spare time I shopped in Pentagon City, learned how to use the metro (tres easy if you put your ticket in right), and wandered around the national mall after dark. The best and the worst part of the trip was the national mall. The best part being the history and the grandeur of that space is awe inspiring, especially after dark. Its the lighting. The worst part was, managing to get to the Natural History Museum just before it closed I got kicked out of this photo exhibit before I was finished. Lets just say, I was crying (in that good way that happens when you see really awesome art that you aspire to create yourself) up until the nice security guard came in screaming "the museum is closed get out!"

Ooh, I almost forgot. One night, while I was trying to see as much of the city as possible I got lost in Dupont Circle. Well, not lost, just couldn't figure out which streets went where I needed to go. However, like a good gay, I turned on my dar and followed the beacon right to the HRC. Yeah, literally stumbled onto the place trying to figure out where I was. Gaydar now comes with GPS!!! From there, I got my bearings and had one of the est "queen" cuts of prime rib I've ever tasted.

Other highlights of the trip include being told on at least 3 occasions that I am beautiful/handsome/good looking by people who didn't have to say a word (although one may have been a prostitute), flood therapy for my social shyness (I initially didn't even want to leave the hotel), and experiencing something new and fun that I hope to do again.

Since then I have been packing, moving, packing, moving, packing and moving. On the days when the weather hasn't permitted me to move, I've been unpacking. Heck, today may be the first day I've had Internet access for pleasure since my last blog! That's depressing. I must go cry now.

Back.. So.. Mo and D helped last weekend with setting up the kitchen. MUCH THANKS! This weekend, we hope to move the furniture. If only my brother could get here with the trailer.. damn this Wyoming winter!

That's what's up in my life. Hopefully I will have the Internet again before another month goes by. We'll be getting together real soon in the new house for party time, too.

Cheers!

Check me out

2007-12-01T22:13:00.001-07:00

http://tkirch.deviantart.com/

I've done it.. well sorta.

2007-11-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

The good news is, that after 8 years of altering my diet, learning to go to the gym for me and not the social interaction, even more drastically altering my diet, and generally doing my best to be healthful, I have reached my goal weight.

Here's the story. I graduated from high school as a tortured soul. Like so many people, I guess. It wasn't ok to be gay. It wasn't ok to be a nerd. Debate was not fashionable. And certainly, weighing more than 50lbs over your governmental body mass index score for obesity was not how you made friends. But I tried to be tough and not let it get to me. Then I saw a picture of myself. The picture was under the debate section of my high school yearbook. Maybe it was the way I was sitting, but I knew something had to change.

To start, I tried wearing bigger clothes to cover myself. If I couldn't see it, then nobody else could either. Inside, I felt like a circus tent. And I got bigger. I was not happy. I remember my dad setting down one morning to talk to me about it shortly after graduation. I'll eliminate the name in case I ever out this blog to my family, but basically his "you don't want to poke out from under your shirts like [name] do you" was enough for me. I don't know what my heaviest weight was, I am sure it was recorded somewhere in a doctor's office or something, but it doesn't matter. As a kid who has never had the muscular strength to do a pull-up, I weighed in excess 245 and it had to stop.

My saving grace? The wellness class I was required to take for college. There I learned about how the things I put into my body were crap. I learned that I was aerobically unable to run one lap around the track, let alone more than a mile. But more importantly, I learned how to change these things, and I learned how to get information about being healthful. The other great thing that happened here was my first scientific body mass indexing. The government and their "you are X foot tall therefore you should weigh x lbs" can go FUCK itself, that index will never be true for me, my build, and therefore my life. What I got out of MY indexing, was that I could lose down to 180 and be in peak physical condition. As a result, I set a goal for somewhere between 190 and 200.

At first it was easy. I can eliminate soda from my diet, result: lose 5 lbs. Next was the snack cakes that I was fond of purchasing from vending machines. There went another 5 lbs. With each change I not only learned that I could live without these things, but that it felt good to make these changes too. Don't get me wrong, I fought hard against it too. I didn't want to go to the gym by myself. I didn't want to push myself that hard. But I like having pancakes with a cup and a half of syrup every day for breakfast. Buying healthy things is more expensive. . . you name it, I made an excuse for it. And my weight plateaued around 230 after occasionally flirting with 225, but never dropping lower.

Then, a little over a year ago, I got serious. I was at a low point, afraid I didn't have the drive or the determination to make it. I started researching and learning about ways to live healthier, and making more drastic changes to my diet. Beware anything with sugar, carbs in moderation and never within 2 hrs of bedtime, eat more chicken and fish, beef is a luxury. Just by being conscious about my food, and when and how I ate it, I started to lose weight again. Somewhere in all this, my best friend challenged me to meet him every morning to run/walk a 1.2 mile course with him. Eventually we started going to the gym. And, now that he's moved away, I've learned to make the gym something I do for me.

Today, I like working out. I can run over 2 miles, as long as I have a music player. I like eating healthy and in moderation. I am, overall, happy with where I've come to. My weight is now somewhere just shy of 195 depending on which scale I get on. I've reached my goal.

Time for a new goal. I want to get more involved with activities that involve teams and friends. Ice skating, bowling, racquetball, boomerangs, basketball, volleyball... you name it. These are all things I've enjoyed doing with friends, and I don't do enough of them now. I'll continue to save the gym for me and anyone who wants to tag along. I want to get a trainer, preferably one who isn't pretentious and who won't drain my piggy bank. I want to get another real body mass indexing. I want to know where I can go from here, and I can't wait to see where this will take me.

I PASSED A BAR!!!

2007-10-17T18:19:00.000-06:00

The Wyoming Bar Exam, to be precice. I'm so excited!!! YEAH FOR ME!

Men are like...

2007-10-16T22:01:00.000-06:00

I just bought a new calendar. Its called "Men are like..."
The last one is my personal favorite.

... lawm mowers, you really only need them for yard work.

... couches, you can usually find one in front of the TV.

... bowling balls, fun to play with, but usually not very sharp.

... sea monkeys, the cute ones only exist in magazines.

... piggy banks, they should always be cute and full of money.

... vaccinations, they're almost always a pain in the butt.

... SUVs, too loud, too hard to handle, and usually full of gas.

... pirates, they're always staring at someone else's booty.

... fairy tales, they seem to make more sense when you're young.

... diamonds, its nice to have a big one wrapped around your finger.

...coffee, the best ones are rich, warm, and keep you up all night.

... dogs, its important that you teach them to beg.

Go ahead...

2007-10-14T21:50:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I do these things that I know are going to get to me. This was one of them. But for reals, I dare you to watch this and not get a lump in your throat. I've balled when I watched this since I was 5. They're just so cute, and I totally know how they feel.

P.S. if your heart truly is dead, just keep it to yourself and don't spoil my moment.

Bar Results

2007-10-04T22:41:00.000-06:00

I passed the Colorado Bar Exam! It posted on the internet today.

I know not about Wyoming, yet. But rumor has it they didn't even start the "you passed" phonecalls. Why can't they get with the digital age and play like Colorado does? The personalness of the phone call seems cool, though.

What I'm getting

2007-10-01T21:52:00.001-06:00

So, its pretty much official. the old car just ain't what she used to be. I have almost spent more in repairs this year than the car is worth. Time for something that appreciates me. I posted this once because I figured it would appeal to my reader. Yes.. I know you're gay.

Minor identity crisis

2007-09-29T10:16:00.000-06:00

I realized the other day that I have never been hired by a man. Well, there was that one guy who hired me cus he wanted to sleep with me, but that job even ultimately came from an interview with the second in command at the hotel... a woman. Am I that gay? Do I turn straight men off? Do they just sense that we won't get along? I thought I had massive cross appeal! I do have straight man friends! WTF Mate?

Job

2007-09-22T17:02:00.001-06:00

So, its kinda official, I've accepted a job with the State. I am excited! This means I am going to be getting benefits, making money, and it turns out this is work that I am really loving! I started last Wednesday and things are going really well. I am getting real work, and i am working with some great people (both support and attorneys). I can't tell you how excited I am. I can't wait until I can actually call myself an attorney and really have this job. . .

You see, that's the catch. I am not officially an attorney yet. I get to do legal analysis; I went to school to learn how to do that. What I don't get to do is sign my name on anything I do if it goes to court. I don't get to have my opinion be the final opinion on anything. . . I don't get to be an attorney until I am licensed by the state. Readers know that I took the bar exam in July. I have not posted that results are out, because results are not out. The State needs an attorney in this job. I am only working at this job to take the slant out of my learning curve after I get licensed.

That's a bit of a problem with this job. I get fired if the bar results come out and I didn't pass. I accepted the job knowing that. I REALLY needed the money. I can't imagine not doing this job. I worked my ass off this summer studying for the bar. I watched my life fall down around my ears and still I studied every day. My best friend moved away, and I still spent time every day studying instead of making the most of the time we had left together. I almost lost my damn identity to the stress of this summer. I don't want to regret what I missed. I want this to pay off. I NEED this to pay off.

Tonight I am in Denver. Tonight I am going to go out and have a good time with a friend I am lucky to see once a year, if that often. Tonight I am going to try to forget about this, if only for tonight. Thanks for letting me vent. It won't be long now, I hope, until these questions are resolved.

Sad Sad Sad

2007-09-09T21:37:00.000-06:00

I really was all prepared to post about how badly I hated Britney Spears' performance last night on the Video Music Awards, but I really can't say anything that isn't already being said. I'll just rant a little to get it out of my system. Trust me the post I wrote last night was epic.

If you missed the VMAs, and you were ever even a little bit of a Britney fan, you should see it. Just do yourself a favor after watching the train wreck, search You Tube for other Britney VMA performances and remind yourself of what she is capable of. That is truly what made last night sad. If she wasn't ever good, who the F cares? Too bad she's supposed to be a professional.

Bored.. update

2007-08-31T09:43:00.000-06:00

If this is what retirement feels like, I think I just need an at home gym and a yard.

Since graduating in May, I haven't punched a single clock. Its getting kinda exciting because my summer reserve money is starting to run out and I expect it could be another month before I have any definitive job news. That is, before I get licensed to practice law in the state of Wyoming or Colorado. Heck.. I don't even have results from the tests, yet.

This last month has been the hardest part. Not only am I unemployed but I have nothing to do. At least those first couple months were spent studying for the bar, worrying about studying for the bar, and taking the bar. Now I set at home and watch TV, cook, and plan ways to go see friends and family. For some of you this may seem like a Paradise vacation - but did I mention that the money is starting to run out?

Next month I am going to Jackson to the state bar convention where I will be receiving the "Pro Bono Law Student" award for 2007. It really is quite an honor! And, with the seasons getting ready to change I will be taking my camera to capture the grandeur that is the Grand Tetons. Thank you Grandma for paying my several hundred dollar registration fee! I should get her a card - at least a card.

Well I'm off to see what kind of trouble I can stir up for myself today. Maybe I'll see if I can get my text messaging working. I can send but not receive - apparently. Just so you know, I am not ignoring you.

Smells like bad tech.

2007-08-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

Editors note: the blog you are about to read claims to have been posted on a smartphone. Unfortunately, without the "i can touch every button on the Internet" functionality of the iPhone, I was not able to actually POST the text below until syncing with my computer and copying it back into blogger. I had it there, no really I did! Part of me wonders why some buttons have to be so complicated. The world is conspiring against me from both sides of the Internet's tubular structures.

So here I am.. recovering from the bar exam. Overall, I am finally at peace. However, antique shopping with RJ I just came upon the worst collection of incense I've ever smelled. "Peace and harmony" made me hit the guy next to me, "hot love" just burnt my nose, and "lick me all over" made me throw up "all over." The names alone are enough to make me wonder. Baby powder? Burning love? American musk??? WTF?

This post brought to u by a need to blog that I survived the bar, and my new Internet capable Alltel Palm Treo 700wx smartphone. (By new, I mean I got it for graduation 4 months ago but have yet to celebrate it on my blog)

Is it just me...

2007-08-14T23:56:00.001-06:00

.. or does naming a hurricaine Flossie kinda make it sound less severe?.. and more like a drag queen?

Tomorrow!

2007-07-22T22:05:00.000-06:00

I start my bar exam experience at 7:00 am on Tuesday. OMG!! I am getting nervous. If I don't know this shit now I'm not going to get it. Wish me luck... please GOD wish me luck!

See you all on the flip side of a test that will define my near future... I mean.. after all its been 8 years to get here and they do test again in February. . .

I'll let you know in November if I pass.

4 days!

2007-07-20T09:58:00.000-06:00

Dear Affectionate Worshipers;

This deity's office will remain closed for 4 more days.

After that, your many prayers, requests for salvation, requests for damnation (of others and self), papal decrees, and other miscellaneous bloggings will be registered with his office.

You will be happy to note that the fire and brimstone being rained down shall cease for at least one day as his greatness slept well last night and is quite frankly out of lightning bolts until further notice.

5 days!

2007-07-19T10:38:00.000-06:00

Not complaining today.. but I HAD to post this!

I am sitting at the coffee shop talking with a couple of my most fabulous haggities here is their conclusion on skinny bitches:

"If they are going to look like that, they should at least be miserable."
"Yeah! If someone is emaciated, blond, and witless naturally, someone should just run them over! They deserve to be in pain."

I tend to agree. Cheers to the big girls - love em all and love ALL of them!

6 days!!!

2007-07-18T14:08:00.000-06:00

For those of you who are fellow bar examinees.. now is NOT the time to panic.
Panic will cause you to miss questions you know the answer to.

The anyone who is choosing this week to fight with a bar examinee, now is the time to panic!
The mere fact that we now know the rules for what constitutes the different levels of murder does not mean we will not commit the more serious one.

Interesting side note..
Here in the law school's lounge there is a sign that says
"Study Abroad: Expose Yourself to the World!"
Someone has added: "what about the children?" and drawn an arrow to the word "Expose."

What level of dante's inferno described the hell I am in now???

12 Days to go..

2007-07-12T18:33:00.000-06:00

I'll be taking the bar in 12 days.

Just found out yesterday that someone very very close to me will be leaving in under 30 days.

Yeah.. shit still sucks.

On a humorous note I just saw the following question on an online test for one of those "pick this and win a prize" gimic ads...

"He is now a famous rapper; (a) Kevin Federline, (b) Eminem, (c) Vanilla Ice."

Is this one just about reading comprehension? It does say FAMOUS!? Only one of them has EVER been famous.

IT LIVES! It blogs

2007-06-28T16:12:00.000-06:00

Just so you don't all freak out and think I've fallen off the face of the earth, yes, I am still living.

I am just doing that "bar" study thing. So far I've realized that I like beer, I like margaritas, and I like many drinks containing vodka.

Yes... I know its a bad joke, but I have to hear it often enough you should too. HA!

Also..
Optimist's' view of bar review
- I can't believe all the things I have to learn, or
- They will test this same shit again in February.

Pessimist's view of bar review
- I can't believe how much I don't know, or
- To hell with February, I can take this test twice EVERY YEAR!

Blog more

2007-06-12T21:39:00.000-06:00

It has been decreed that I blog more, and hey.. who am I to refuse a request by the dark pontiff himself? Just a lowly deity? I like letting the pontiff proscribe my behavior for the believers. It makes the world an easier place to run when I can be passive.

Actually, in all fairness, I've been absent simply because life has sucked some royal ass lately. There is no real excuse for it, and I am to blame as much as anyone else. The problem is that the timing of all this horse shit is very very bad. I am supposed to be studying for 2 bar exams, not piecing my life together. Something has got to change. And... it will.

The reason for the not blogging, is that this has been a running theme for several weeks now.

Sorry for being cryptic, it is just how these things work. I am not in a positon of understanding it all right now myself. I promise there will be only light destruction, and only on heavy flow days.

Life sucks

2007-06-06T13:56:00.000-06:00

Someone told me recently that taking the bar is the absolute worst two months of your life.

I think they may be right, but how did they know my life would fall apart in the middle of all this studying.

crappy crappy crappy

2007-05-02T21:52:00.000-06:00

Ever spend a day just needing one hug... someone to notice... a real one..?

That's me . . . today.

Today sucks.

That is all.

Happy thought

2007-04-27T11:09:00.000-06:00

... walking into the LS today for my last class I was stopped by a fellow student.

"OMG you are thin!" she said.

Apparently this working out and eating right shit IS paying off.

Rant...

2007-04-27T10:55:00.000-06:00

So, often in the mornings, I listen to Cosmo radio on my commute around town. On my way from home to the law school, the conversation turned to making marriages work. The suggestion, "if you happen to be poly-amorous, embrace it." That's right, take a weekend occasionally and agree to sleep with other people. This, they said, is saving marriages.

WTF!!!??! In a society where I cannot get married because the population believes me to be poly-amorous, simply because I am gay, I cannot get married. I cannot get married because, as the story goes, I cannot commit to one person. This is despite my 6 year commitment to one person. Apparently there is a hypocritical threshold that I was previously unaware of: get married, then be polyamorous. The reverse would just be wrong!

This just goes to prove that marriages have very little to do with religion. Its religion that tells us we cannot be polyamoros. Yet polyamorous persons can still enjoy the benefits of being married, they can still have every civil legal right, they can even still go to their church - they just have to make sure both parties agree. Must be something else at work here.....

.... like discrimination.

Confused

2007-04-23T10:17:00.000-06:00

In my time here at the University I have been, as most of my readers know, in the queer activist culture here. I spoke on many panels, presented safe zone sessions, and even entertained a class or two on my own. One of the perpetual questions that comes up is my take on the "that's so gay" phrase that many youth seem to be comfortable with. My response to those who challenge the anti-GLBT statement has always been, "ask them what makes that drinking fountain, locked door, or other general disappointment gay... make them think about what they are saying." Well today, I was put in a position to say something myself, but then something weird happened. The dialogue went like this...

From behind me in the hall: "That test was the queerest thing I think I've ever taken."

I my head: "Do I confront this? Does he really mean that? Does it matter? I identify as queer. I didn't spend 4 hours in high heals and a dress last Saturday to have someone belittle me now. I am going to say something."

Just before I turned around I heard him say: "No really, after that test I totally feel like having sex with another man has some merit."

Now, I am just confused. I said nothing. I just wandered off to my study area thinking...

What is this test? Can I get this test and administer it to a larger population? Purely for valid scientific purposes - of coarse! I need to know if the effect is replicable.

But seriously, I decided not to say anything because he did realize what he was saying. And really, I wasn't offended. I might be later, who knows. There are certainly other ways to take his comment. In the end, what I have been asking people to do for the last 6 years is to know that what they say has a meaning. To hear someone acknowledge that meaning without being confronted. The realization that someone did just that feels really good.

Random Back-ish-ness

2007-04-22T09:52:00.000-06:00

This morning I am vegging out and resting for, what seems to be, the first time in 2 months.

I am caught up on the blogs that I follow regularly, and even some that I do not.

I am actually posting my own words, not a lame-o link to someone else's work.

I still want the Zamboni.

Time to get ready to go eat with some friends I have not seen in ages. ("Ages" is far longer than the amount of time since my last meaningful post.)

My world is oddly at peace - only 2 papers due in the next week and I am on final revisions for both! W00T

It is beautiful outside. Must go with the running and frolicking out-of-doors today.

One More Reason

2007-04-10T12:20:00.000-06:00

TO BUY A ZAMBONI

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17930215/

Children and ETOH

2007-03-30T11:27:00.000-06:00

A major problem for this anti-drinking campaign seems to be their spokesman. . .

“It’s the perfect drink for a child,” lamented Judi Vining, coordinator of the Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking in Long Beach, N.Y. She has started a campaign to alert parents and law enforcers in her area, and persuade retailers not to carry the product.

I guess they do look fun! Then again, I am over 21.

Full story here.

Happy mornings

2007-03-23T08:28:00.000-06:00

Today I followed through with what has become a twice a week (monday and friday) habit for me since last summer. Today, I got on my scale (I have the one that sends electricity through you to check BFP and Water percentage). Today my scale gave me good news - weight, well below my latest goal; BFP, below the 'obesity' line; H20 into the "average" range. If I can maintain for 2 weeks, I get to set new goals!

Now before you freak out - my day does not revolve around my scale, I don't ultimately worry about these numbers when they go back up (which they will do on any given day), and most importantly I ultimately care more about being healthy than any of this information - but after the very very very crappy day I had yesterday, this may indicate a turn for the better.

in related news: I am now running in the morning with a friend. It is certainly making a difference in my overall mood.

PSAs in Annoyance

2007-03-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

Your vibrating phone is JUST as annoying as if it were ringing its fool head off!

Thank you.

Bankruptcy and the Lottery

2007-02-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

I was preparing for my bankruptcy class when the following thought occurred to me:

"People who are smart enough to spend lottery winnings, are too smart to play the lottery."

For instance: having not bought even a single one lottery ticket every week since I was 18 at $5 per ticket has netted me $2080 (figuring through my birthday next month.)

I only have to hold off until I am 56, not unheard of these days, to net $10,000, a sum that otherwise would be a near impossibility if I played the lottery.

Yes, i am a hypocrit. I've played scratch games and gambled. But so far, I am making it up by not playing Lotto.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Shin to the e-ney

2007-01-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

The bad news. . . my laptop upon which I rely for nearly everything is. . . D E A D! *ptooey* Good riddens I say. I will be disassembling it this Wednesday to sale the salvageables. Look for me on RJ's eBay (cus he has a seller rating of about 100billion so people will feel better about bidding with him).

The good news? Can there possibly be good news? YES!!! I am getting one of these. . .

Hewlett-Packard Special Edition Notebook with AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-56

For my one reader who is a nerd like that.. .

AMD dual-core technology enables you to work or play with multiple programs without impacting performance; AMD64 technology provides simultaneous support for 32-bit and 64-bit computing; 512KB + 512KB L2 cache memory for efficient processing
15.4" WXGA high-definition widescreen display with BrightView technology and 1280 x 800 resolution
120GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 (UMA) graphics with up to 288MB shared video memory; S-video TV-out
QuickPlay music and DVD buttons; HP Express Card mobile remote and mobile ear bud headphones included
Built-in Pavilion WebCam with integrated microphone makes it easy to chat with and send video mail to family and friends
5-in-1 digital media reader supports Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and xD-Picture Card
IEEE 1394 (FireWire) interface and 3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports for fast digital video, audio and data transfer
Built-in, high-speed wireless LAN (802.11b/g); 10/100Base-T Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector; 56 Kbps high-speed modem; Expansion Port 3 connector
Weighs 6.8 lbs. and measures just 1.6" thin for portable power; high-capacity 12-cell lithium-ion battery and AC adapter
Long-lasting HP Imprint high-gloss finish for added durability; backlit media control panel
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium operating system preinstalled; software package included with Sonic DigitalMedia Plus, HP Photosmart Premier, muvee autoProducer DVD Edition with Burning and more

For the other reader

I thought I was going to be picky, but when I saw this machine I heard Kylie singing "Love at first sight."
It is shiny, and you have to by the same machine EXACTLY to have one that looks even remotely like it. (At least that is true of the floor model at Best Buy Ft.C.)

To both of you.. thanks for not complaining too much when I took this break from the blog. It was much needed, and a full regaling of the things that have transpired is in the works.

Vacation ROCKS!!!

2007-01-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

It seems like only yesterday that I was studying for finals and now I resume school in a week. As I noted, one last hectic semester and I get to be a grown-up. Yet, on this threshold of the future, I find myself looking back.

Back to this last Christmas to a new Xbox 360 (because all i needed was one more diversion for my time!) and to time spent with friends. This time away from the office has allowed me to recharge my batteries and get ready for another semester of mayhem. I find myself once again looking forward to getting up way to early in the morning, and to the long days spent hashing out difficult tasks. There is a lesson about life in here... I just KNOW IT!

I am also reflecting back to my Grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary. The looks on their faces, the tears of joy with those who were there, the tears of sadness remembering those no longer with us. The best part and the worst part was the dancing. The best part is that this was something I grew up doing, with people I loved. The worst part was some woman offering me $200 to stop dj-ing and bring back the live band, despite the fact that the band was on a much earned rest! The fact that there were another 250 people there, easily, made her seem insignificant and so I quickly put her out of my mind. Again with the lessons.

The rest of my reflections of late are farther back and more self serving. If they warrant sharing, you two can read them here. :)

One More Payment and its MINE!

2006-12-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Today is a monumentous day. Today I take my final in *dun dun dunnnn* Conflicts of Laws. Ok, so that isn't such a big deal. Lots of people take finals in Conflicts of Laws. What is important about today, for me, is the fact that the end of my school draws nearer. I still can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I now know that I am IN the tunnel. One more semester, and I get to be a real growed up working stiff. Some of you may tell me its not all its cracked up to be, but damn it, I want my turn to try. And so, here, in the seat where I will take this exam, I celebrate - just a little.

Then I realize what challenges lay ahead for next semester:

- I have one more semester as clinic director, and already I understand why my predecessor was so keen on handing the keys over.

- I am going to set on the selection comittee for the Universtiy of Here's next Dean of Students.

- I am going to have to pass 12 more credits of law school classes, including an independent study on Queer Law.

- It'll be my last semester with Spectrum

- I will help plan and execute another AIDS Walk. . .

and, I am going to have a nervous breakdown....

Shit.. back to that test.

Politically Corrected

2006-11-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

Don't you hate when you get one of "these" emails. This really isn't the first time I have gotten this email. Surely some redneck wrote the whole damn thing thinking he was being cute. Sometimes, however, I know that the only thing I might achieve is further alienation and no greater understanding if I respond to the person who sent it. This is such a time, trust me. Oh well, my faithful blog readers - I’ll share my response with you instead. The text of the email is in italics, my responses in bold.

Subject: AMEN ANDY ROONEY !

OH NO, not this one again!

Right on, Andy Rooney!

Andy Rooney said on "60 Minutes" a few weeks back:

Funny, I remember getting this email about a year and a half ago for the first time. Second, I seem to remember liking Andy Rooney. Were he to spout opinions like this all the time, I might disagree with him more often.

I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Magazine, Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black America. Try to have things like the UnitedCaucasianCollege (sic) Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertainment Television, or Miss White America; and see what happens...Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door.

NO! Being a minority makes you a victim of thousands of years of persecution. These actions are an attempt to make the world an even playing field. Every college fund that isn’t named for a minority IS the ‘Caucasian College Fund’ and if you haven’t been watching lately, the same is true of “Miss White America.” (I just looked and almost half of the 2007 contestants are WHITE and BLONDE, I didn’t even get into redheads and brunettes!)

Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving to the ball game.

The problem is that “in 2005, about 68% of all murders, 42% of all robberies, and 21% of all aggravated assaults that were reported to the police were committed with a firearm.” (Bureau of Justice Statistics) I don’t know about you, but it makes me feel safer knowing that there are mandatory background checks. I’ll stand in line proudly and wait my turn to prove myself WORTHY of carrying a deadly weapon.

I believe they are called the Boy Scouts for a reason, that is why there are no girls allowed. Girls belong in the Girl Scouts! ARE YOU LISTENING MARTHA BURKE?

And what about the transgender kids that know they are different from a very young age? It does happen, but for now I guess they can hide behind their "tradition." And hey, just because something has always happened it should continue to do so, right? Just like slavery.

I think that if you feel homosexuality is wrong, it is not a phobia, it is an opinion.

Wrong again! First, if you think I care - you’re wrong. Second, it is a phobia. How do I know, I know what phobia means. Here, now you can too. A persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous. If you continue to maintain that there is something wrong with me just because I happen to be queer, despite the fact that the American Psychological Association, and American Medical Associations (among others) have decided that it is not ‘wrong -- YOU are Homophobic.

I have the right "NOT" to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or tick me off.

A list of antonyms for tolerant are: bigoted, prejudiced, narrow-minded, small-minded, and fanatical. (I hit shift F7 after typing the word ‘intolerant.’) If that is how you want to define yourself, go right ahead.

When 70% of the people who get arrested are black, in cities where 70% of the population is black, that is not racial profiling, it is the Law of Probability.

I wanted to respond, really. Unfortunately I do not know where this comes from, what cities, or how exactly this is put together. I have to assume then that it is total BS propaganda unless I see some kind of citations.

I believe that if you are selling me a milkshake, a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper or a hotel room, you must do it in English! As a matter of fact, if you want to be an American citizen, you should have to speak English!

And I believe, because apparently simply saying it makes it so, that if you are going to continue to write such bigoted statements you must do so in French. As a matter of fact, as a citizen of this planet, you should have to speak at least one language that IS NOT English!

My father and grandfather didn't die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over and disrespect ours.

Je suis desole, ce n’est pas en Francais. (sorry couldn't get the extra accents to show up) Huh? Oh sorry, let me translate: sorry - that was not in French. How about Spanish?

I think the police should have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you threaten them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word "freeze" or "stop" in English, see the above lines.

Â¿No comprende? Really, after almost 3 years of law school, there is so much wrong with that I don’t even know where to start. Let’s just say it is probably the part that set me over the edge.

I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you are qualified for any special loan programs, government sponsored bank loans or tax breaks, etc., so you can open a hotel, coffee shop, trinket store, or any other business.

Haven’t we addressed this already? To quote you ‘see the above lines.’

We did not go to the aid of certain foreign countries and risk our lives in wars to defend their freedoms, so that decades later they could come over here and tell us our constitution is a living document; and open to their interpretations.

Oh, and here I thought it was our framers and the United States Supreme Court who said that the constitution would be a living document. By the way, which persons from war torn where are coming here and doing this, specifically?

I don't hate the rich; I don't pity the poor.

Maybe you should check into what the Boy Scouts say about poverty.

I know pro wrestling is fake, but so are movies and television. That doesn't stop you from watching them.

I make fun of NASCAR too, and it IS real! However, please don’t pretend that someone doesn't think pro wrestling is real. I came from a town where people could be convincingly sold a “jackalope license.”

I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it ticks you off, go and invent the next operating system that's better, and put your name on the building.

Unfortunately without the threat of Clayton Antitrust Act litigation, Bill Gates (Ok, I don't know him specifically, but so let me just say major industry)wouldn’t give me a chance. Andrew Carnegee proved that.

It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child right, but it does take a parent to stand up to the kid; and smack their little behinds when necessary, and say "NO!"

Smack? What exactly does smack mean? Does it involve a switch or your hand? Will you make your child cut that switch from the tree? Do you know what that does psychologically to a child? These people do. Further, if our society would stand up and hold itself responsible for the acts of our children, maybe we would have fewer juveniles in trouble. Yet as interested as I am in the results, I have yet to see a community try.

I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement. And, please, stay home until that new lip ring heals. I don't want to look at your ugly infected mouth as you serve me French fries!

Maybe you don’t see it as a political statement, but I do. Especially when my individualism, my voice, and my right to exist as an “equal” human being with “equal” rights is a political statement.

I am sick of "Political Correctness." I know a lot of black people, and not a single one of them was born in Africa; so how can they be "African-Americans"? Besides, Africa is a continent. I don't go around saying I am a European-American because my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was from Europe. I am proud to be from America and nowhere else (sic)

I am sad for you. I lived in Wyoming my whole life and I know at least 5 (five) black people who were themselves, or their parents, born in Africa. Further, maybe more of them would have been had it not been for SLAVERY! There is nothing wrong with honoring their heritage, you did the same thing above when you appealed to your heritage saying that “my father and grandfather didn't die in vain.” Don’t deny others the same right.

And if you don't like my point of view, tough...

Tough? I had to become tough, because I grew up around the views of people like you, even though I consider myself a minority as someone who is a person of integrity, who values equality, and just happens to be gay.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!

That is the beauty of this country, I pledge my allegiance to the same flag.

I was asked to send this on if I agree or delete if I don't. It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a problem in having "In God We Trust" on our money and having "God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why don't we just tell the 14% to Shut Up and BE QUIET!!! Or move out of America.

The problem is that the 14% who don’t should not have to, just because 86% of us do. Yet, somehow, in my America, there is room for all of us.

Sorry.. I may have gotten a little carried away. As a debater, utter lack of logic bothers me.

Friends when you need 'em

2006-11-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

This week I learned that as a future attorney, I will not get by without two very important tools - friends and patience. Last Wednesday, I felt like my life long dream of being an attorney was no longer worth the trouble, heartache and pain. I was ready to quit LS and start raising gerbils. But, my friends picked me up. My friends reminded me that to someone, I really do matter. Through patience, I have managed to work through this crisis like the many others of my life - one moment at a time with careful thought and painful diligence. And my friends were there to lean on the whole time without judging. Nobody asked me to reveal confidential information, nobody told me to quit, they just helped me keep going and reminded me that they were there for me. Through my friends and their love I was able to return to work each day, combat the evils, and remain strong. By today, Friday, I left work with a cheery disposition and a renewed belief that I too can make a difference.

I am posting this for two reasons. First, because I want my friends, the people who have listened to my story and said "we're here for you," to know that I truly love them and appreciate the help they were for me. They have kept me sane for a very long time now.

I am also posting this as a bit of advice for future overwhelmed law students. Make friends outside of law school. Yes, the contacts you make today in your LS will last a lifetime, no question! But friends from outside the LS don't have to know what you do every day in order to appreciate you, and they will always be impressed by having a friend who's "a lawyer" even if you really aren't. I am not saying you should get a big head over the whole thing, but knowing teachers, veterinarians, bankers and retail clerks is what really puts your world in perspective.

When you are not used to thinking like that

2006-11-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

In a great bid for diversity (both in thought and in fact), I spent some rare one-on-one time with a friend of mine this weekend. It was nothing short of an eye opening experience. I was reminded that no religion is the enemy of the GLBT cause - only people - despite the acts others perpetrate in the name of their religion. I was reminded that getting to know people, despite who they seem to be, is itself a rewarding experience. And I was reminded, perhaps most importantly, that the most important gift you can give a friend is some time to listen. Unfortunately, we get set in our ways and we forget about our humanity. I'm glad someone reminded me of mine.

Election Results

2006-11-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

While everyone can be happy about the democrats winning control of both houses of congress (made official today), I am not. This election reinforced one thing to me, as a gay man, and that is that I am still feared for being myself in most of the country. Last Tuesday the states of this nation still managed to pass a slew more marriage amendments designed to remind me that I AM A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN WHO DOES NOT DESERVE THE BASIC RIGHT TO LOVE. And yet we as a country wonder why GLBT peoples have such a hard time figuring out how to make our lives work. One thing and one thing only fills me with hope: for the first time since states started passing marriage denial amendments, one was defeated - in Arizona.

As for who these democrats are who control the power in Congress now, I am happy that the first woman to be the speaker of the House of Representatives will take the gavel in January. I am happy that the party line is to be somewhat supportive. But considering it was a Democrat who sold my interests out, after trying to help them, by passing DOMA and "Don't Ask Don't Tell," I am yet to be excited by the change in power. Does it matter who holds the power if neither will afford me basic respect?

Samhain

2006-10-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the next year I will be finishing law school, taking the bar, and beginning my life in a whole new way. Perhaps this is why this year as the days grow shorter I am filled with an almost youthful exuberance and yearn to do good. In a matter of days, literally, I will take the first of many tests (of the written sort) that show the world I am ready to join it. In a couple months, I'll finish one more semester of school. In a year. . . the world.

Tonight, I did this.

Warm tidings and many blessings to all!

A Judge, An attorney, and me

2006-10-26T12:04:00.000-06:00

Last night I flew back from my first National College of District Attorneys Conference on Domestic Violence. I attended over 14 of their trainings and talks about issues ranging from GLBT and disabled victims and survivors of domestic violence to their specific employment and protection concerns. I don't know that I was capable of having more information poured into my head. I had more fun than I have had in a LONG time on any trip. I learned more than I have ever learned over the coarse of 5 days. I am now home. I am ready and rearing to go. What I am not ready for is being back in my regular law school classes. They move slower than those at the conference. I should have taken one more day off.

ME??? A Writer??

2006-10-20T09:19:00.000-06:00

I've decided I am writing a flamingly liberal, scathing of society, children's book. It won't be for children, it will be more of a holiday time coffee table book for adults - but in a children's book format. My hope is that the final product will be palatable to children however. Of course, I'm not going to outright out my premise, so as to keep my intellectual property. But I am serious about it. . . does anyone know where to find a good children's illustrator? I am looking for someone who illustrates in more colors than white.

Musings on the needs of an ordered society

2006-10-17T17:09:00.000-06:00

Druids are often compared to lawyers in much of the literature describing their role. Recently, due to both a personal renaissance of my own religiosity and my work in the field of law, I am beginning to understand just how deeply these comparisons run. Druids, and for that matter the religious leaders of several tribal peoples I have studied, often served as the arbiters, counselors, and even the administrators of justice. While there is some debate as to whom the services were available to, my research indicates that a Druid’s consultation could be sought on events ranging from whether or not war was advisable, to the weather generally. As law students, we are taught that the best counsel provide both advise on the legal issues, but also bring forth considerations of non-legal consequences of our client’s proposed actions. A Druid’s study of his craft was based on nothing less than years of apprenticeship learning the rules of law through a very oral tradition. Among the most respected lawyers I’ve met there seems to be a very real understanding that the learning process is lifelong. . . . (you get the idea, I am not sharing all of my dreams)

I am not saying that there are no other paths in life to which we can liken druids, I am simply bringing forth my own recent musings on this topic. Feel free to take from it what you will. Personally I am committing to a couple traditions that strong evidence indicates the druids practiced in their judicial functions.

Yeah... that's what it does!

2006-09-25T23:58:00.000-06:00

What has
"Zero-impact, tri-axial action: automatically engaging muscle groups in your abs, back, hips, seat and legs.
Three levels of speed and intensity: trot... gallop... and race for a truly invigorating workout."

I would have thought an iJACKRabbit personal vibe maybe, but NO! I was sorely proven wrong this weekend as I waked by Brookstone at the Cherry Creek mall to see two 12 yr old girls side by side riding a pair of these. Suffice it to say, I laughed so hard a little pee came out - in the Cherry Creek mall. As a matter of fact, when I think about it, I still laugh so hard a little pee comes out.

Please DO click here to see the iGallop in action. Watch all of the videos. There is only one way I can figure she stays on there, and it involves a surface that'll hold a suction cup mount! Oh and the "Crane Pose?" Um, yeah... pretty sure I have that in a book somewhere and the book is not the manual for an iGallop.

I don't know what to say.

Boys and girls, do we know why this ad isn't seeing more playtime on tv?

Sorry, I had to share - there is just nothing else you CAN do with this kind of information.

Has it been that long

2006-09-19T13:25:00.000-06:00

I almost can't believe it has been so long since I last blogged. Normally I am acutely aware of the time between blogs. Today, I have to say, I am surprised.

For those of you who care - here's what's been going on.

My garden- DEAD. Not because I didn't cover it, but because the wind was gusting at 45mph and as a result the cover blew off my tomatoes. The tomatoes are fine, and I will be picking anything that is left on the vine today. And, in the long run, this is all ok because I am so over wanting to perform maintenance on it any more.

I just bought a camera! $630 later I have this and a free 2 GB CF card for taking lots of pictures. NO, I cannot take pictures with it yet. Yes, as soon as I can, I will be posting some. No Mackenzie, not cat blogging - unless I happen to stumble on a bobcat somewhere in my travels.

Work is keeping me busy. There was a couple days there that I almost completely forgot that reading was a necessary prerequisite for class attendance. I'm better now, hopefully, despite being assigned a in depth brief for the district court just under a week ago.

I promise to pop my head out again soon - and yes.. I will continue reading your blogs.

Amazingly Simple Home Remedies

2006-09-02T19:19:00.000-06:00

1. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

2. Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.

4. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.

5. If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic! Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto! The blockage will be almost instantly removed.

6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, after which you'll be afraid to cough.

7. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget all about that toothache.

8. Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are: You only need two tools - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

9. Remember: everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

10. Never pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom.

Compelled to post

2006-08-26T20:18:00.000-06:00

Today I feel I MUST post:

1) because I will be wearing a shirt to Jim's birthday party that says "Read My Blog." I can't really do this without having some substance, BF #2 has informed me that there is no other option. Apparently there is a book of rules that Locutus failed to provide to me.

2) ROASTED PEPPERS! I went to the farmer's market yesterday. Last night I taught myself how to make corn tortillas. Tonight I perfected the recipe. Both nights... I ate like a king. No... its not BF #4, but it is possible that there's a little Mexican in me.

3) Happy Birthday's abound. Mackenzie's was last Tuesday, Jim's was yesterday and my Mother's is TODAY, and BF #4 will have his birthday on the 4th. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Virgos of my life.

4.) First week back of law school.. I made it.. almost done.. one more year.. must.. keep... going...

I love Liz

2006-08-18T09:42:00.000-06:00

As if the fact that her pants make my ass look GREAT wasn't enough of a reason to continue supporting Ms. Liz Claiborne ... check this out.

"Random news from my life..."

2006-08-07T21:36:00.000-06:00

or...

"The Good, The Not So Good, and the Not for the Squeamish."

The Good

I have food poisoning. Why is this good? Because it means I DO NOT have to have an appendectomy.

The Not So Good,

Classes start in under two weeks, and I have yet to decide for sure on my schedule. I think this will be a good thing however, as it may mean that I will branch out and try more things that suit where I want to go with my life and my practice.

The Not for the Squeamish

A bad pun, I know, but I have to share it with the world.

Have you heard the rumors about Liberace?
Apparently while being great at the Piano
He Sucked on the Organ. *da dum chh* *moan* *wail*

Travis Needs

2006-08-02T12:18:00.000-06:00

This is funny: go to the Google search engine and type in your name and the word 'needs' after it, e.g. "Zeus needs". Blog the description of the first and best website appearing. GO!

The First one (that is not this game) says:

"TRAVIS NEEDS ANOTHER BEER."

I agree.

The Second one says:

"TRAVIS NEEDS AN ADOPTIVE FAMILY THAT WILL PROVIDE LOTS OF LOVE."

I do like being loved.

Now.. go bitches!

This just in

2006-07-26T20:59:00.000-06:00

Link here

Oh.. and the Pope, he likes God.

Scaring children into religion

2006-07-14T07:39:00.000-06:00

Someone commented on this one saying "So this is the day job for the Bride Of Chucky?" Others just screamed in horror. I had to share, cus DAMN!

Little Marcy

I think the tormented ghost of Tami Wynette wrote the songs.

OH MY CHER! YOU HAVE GOT TO

2006-07-05T22:15:00.000-06:00

SEE THIS!!!

check out the trailers..

"What's going on"
"I like guys....."
"DuuUuHuH"
---------------
"I'm 100% top!"

SOO FUCHING QUOTABLE! DAMN!

And the cast!

Matthew RUSH
Graham Norton
Ricchard Hatch
ANT
Scott Thompson
James Getlzaff
And Lypsinka - BITCHES!!

Check it out HERE.. OH MADONNA's GARTERS! This movie is going to be so GAY!

**with the flames and the shooting out of my... EVERYWHERE!**

My PRIDE

2006-06-28T23:05:00.000-06:00

This year my romp through Denver's Gay Pride weekend, and ensuing Eliches Gay Day went something like this...

OMG THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOTEL I'VE EVER STAYED IN (and I've stayed in a lot); what are we going to do?; BIG FUCKING FLEA MARKET; You're where?; Cheesecake Factory (need I say more?); not unless you're 21; so that's how a jackrabbit works (and why!); this happens so early because of the lesbians; NEW RESTAURANT plus friends ROCKS!!! (Damn good bloody mary too!); first time I visited ALL of the vendors; wonderful architecture for a club (you're not supposed to notice the architecture); RAINBOW; we rode everything; If someone dies... it will ruin my pride forever; diabetic comas bad; thank god homo again; I forgot what it was like to have a friend who is not afraid to touch me.

BEST FUCKING PRIDE EVER

Outing

2006-06-03T14:58:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: Rant

If you are someone who is Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Intersexed, or maybe even have a secret that you don't want outed to the whole world you know some measure of what its like to be outed. You have put yourself through a lessened version of a possible outing during sleepless nights, car rides alone, and waking nightmares more than one hundred times easily. And yet somehow we all seem to be intersted in what everyone else's secrets are. Is he really gay? Did you hear what happened to her last weekend? Can you believe that they _____? It doesn't really matter what the secret is, we want to know it. We can't put ourselves in the shoes of that other person who was worried about being outed even though we know exactly what they are going through as they worry about keeping it.

Granted, some have said that truly virtuous people live lives in which there is no need for secrets. And I have even heard people boast that they are beyond needing to keep secrets. A favorite of mine is that "I would never say anything behind someone else's back that I wouldn't say to their face." Of coarse in the right moment I probably would say a lot of things, but that doesn't mean I am going to go out and DO IT. Honestly, nobody is an "angel" in this hypocritical existence.

Yet it strikes me that if we would just let people know that we loved them or accepted them no matter what, would this not be a better message than going around trying to learn secrets through others? I know that my best friends are people who I do love in this way and who I don't care about their misgivings. Then again, I am willing to be someone who keeps their secrets rather than spilling them to the world. Being a presenter for safe zone really HAS taught me something.

I think we should all try to be like this more often though. Try to go 5 minutes, an hour, or even a day without assuming something about someone that you have not heard from the horse's mouth. Let them tell you who they are and see who you might get to know.

Movie Quote

2006-05-30T21:57:00.000-06:00

I recall not which movie I was watching.. not that it matters too much. Bottom line is that they cited a strange connection between

S&M

Star Wars
&
Ren. Fairs...

I am interested in learning more about said connection, please.. discuss..

Its like I've grown up...

2006-05-22T21:18:00.000-06:00

... and had to get a real job.

Not that my last job, which involved staff meetings discussing the ways that gay men meet, wasn't for reals. I did real work, I had a real schedule (that I was largely expected to really keep) and I may have even really helped someone. However, there were an awful lot of days spent at online gaming, writing emails, blogging, etc.. In my new job. I have no time for any of these things. And yet, I still make time for all of them. Granted, a new blog template is not even on the horizon. Then again, I do believe that the current template suits me fine. A picture of a mountain, somewhere in my mind where I can go when the real world gets overwhelming.

I am sure that I will find time to do this blog thing, check my email, and maybe even messenger from my office. But the question remains, do I want to? There are a lot of ethical issues with that. I guess this is a mass statement to let you all know that I may be less available on a moment's notice. I have enough people asking me to drop what I am doing in the middle of their crisis as it is. :) But I am totally open for lunch invites. Anyone who wants to get me out of the office around noon or 1:00 is my best friend for at least an hour.

Did you know I worked in my old job for 4 years? And all I had to show for it in the end was a large box of crap that I probably should have thrown away. I miss the co-workers whom I came to know quite well after 4 years in the same cubicle. I do not miss the cubicle, I do not miss entering abstracts into a database, and I do not miss being unable to park when I had an important meeting. Ok.. maybe I miss the cubicle a little. We don't even have room for a cubicle. :)

Ok.. enough with being boring. Just thought I'd let you all know.. I LOVE MY NEW JOB!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled homo

2006-05-11T15:49:00.000-06:00

I know both of you, my faithful readers, have been wondering where the heck I ran off to. Well, you see, its called Finals. I studied for them this year. And like last year they took me two weeks. Unfortunately what with AIDS Walk and Day of Silence, I kinda forgot to let anyone know. While you may not think that is a good excuse, its the one I will use.

As a result, I am well aware that my posts have been rather - impersonal and "form" incarnations. I apologize. There will be a public flogging at high noon (cus we are in the west y'all knows) sometime in the near future. If you really want more you may address all your complaints to our customer appreciation desk. Their link is located somewhere on the page, go find it.

Apologies aside, and risking running this into another impersonal "form" post, I learned some distressing news today. I was reading my horoscope like a good little gay boy and found that next week is going to suck so bad that this week was a warning. No advice on how to live this week, what to expect on say Wednesday (aside from more rain), or a general cheer up its not that bad. Nope, my horoscope for this week was basically "next week is going to suck, you'll have a hard time getting by, good luck, if you keep going full blast you'll just make it to the finish."

Now, I know I rarely cuss on this blog, seeing as it is for children and all, but say it with me now.. I AM !@#$%^&*()-ed!

I'm Super - Thanks for asking!

2006-05-02T09:25:00.000-06:00

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman		80%
Iron Man		80%
Spider-Man		70%
The Flash		60%
Supergirl		55%
Robin		55%
Green Lantern		50%
Wonder Woman		45%
Batman		40%
Hulk		40%
Catwoman		30%

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

Who are we?

2006-04-28T12:37:00.000-06:00

Recently, all too recently, I found myself questioning the fact that I have to grow up and buy some adult work clothes for my upcoming job as the Student Director of one of my law school's legal assistance clinics. I have told very many of you that "I am a T-shirt and Jeans kind of guy, what does a T-shirt and Jeans kind of guy wear on a business casual day?"

Men's fashion is so cookie-cuter-Ken that it makes me sick. After perusing far too many racks of clothes it came to my attention that my options are the following: Khaki pants or "nice" jeans as a bottom and a polo shirt (or some button up collared short sleeve variation), or a long sleeved dress shirt. Oh and, go ahead, try to find 5 people who agree on what "nice" jeans are - designer and traditional are only a few of our options. There is also the SUIT, but as many fashionable men know the amount of variation you can have with a shirt and tie is even limiting, and the rest of the suit never changes. I am left feeling like my wardrobe must now come from some department with the variety of a McDonald's billboard. No really, how many ways can you serve hamburger and grilled chicken? T-shirts were my way of speaking through my clothes because they could be imprinted with sayings that said something about the wearer.

Sorry, Ralph, but I will not live by YOUR choices of my style. I am ok with growing up, but I am not ok with losing my individualism to do it. I understand that this, go ahead read it, is not the way I should dress (nor should anyone else Ms. Spears). I am on a quest to find my own grown up style - ARE YOU WITH ME?!?!!??

Day of Silence

2006-04-26T11:00:00.000-06:00

"Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO END THE SILENCE?"

That's what the back of my shirt, and the cards which I pass out today have on them. Here's how I feel about it.

As someone who uses his voice to both stand up for himself and to speak out against the very homophobia and heterosexism that I protest through silence today... I have never felt more alone, more powerless, and more vulnerable, since I started my career as an activist, than I do today. I am reminded about all the things that I have not said, all of the things that I will not say, and all of the times that even I have been silenced, and I remain speechless. This blog post is not an attempt to understand that. Understanding I work on as today passes. This blog is just a note to say, SILENCE IS LOUD, and as a result I have been changed today.

Quiz time!!

2006-04-03T08:24:00.000-06:00

You are White Chocolate

You have a strong feminine side with a good bit of innocence thrown in.
Whether your girlish ways are an act or not, men like to take care of you.
You are an understated beauty, and your power is often underestimated!

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

Take the What Fruit Are You? test by Ellen!

Fanfare and Trumpets

2006-03-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

*Trumpets blast as if announcing something great, through the clouds we see a figure begin to descend. As he approaches, we can tell that the figure is Hermes -- messenger of the Gods. He approaches a very ornate golden lectern. As he steps to the front sprigs of ivy grow from the ground ultimately supporting a microphone. Hermes turns back towards the cloud shrouded peak of Mt. Olympus and speaks...*

"We who are about to party like rockstars salute you.

Thank you for joining us here today at the base of great Olympus on this most auspicious of occasions. Today we celebrate the anniversary of great Zeus' rise to power in his current form. Today we celebrate the day Zeus' presence in our world brought the correct order to all things and set the earth rotating in such a manner as to sustain the existence of all gathered here today. Today we cry to the heavens 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZEUS' and we lay presents at the base of Mt. Olympus. We do these things to ask forgiveness for our sins. We do these things to show appreciation to the great and powerful Zeus. And then, by decree of his majestic greatness.. WE PARTY!"

*Hermes, lectern, ivy, microphone and clouds over Olympus all disappear as if they were never there. The sky goes black as if a light switch was flipped. Then, a thousand bolts of lightning rain down around the gathered masses the light fades back to day and in place of the thunder a loud voice booms from above...*

"LET THE DAY BEGIN!"

What a beautiful day

2006-03-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Call me a perverted form of Punxsutawney Phil, but I think I have a definitive way to signal the start of spring. Granted, last week's "first day of spring" was a great hint, but we all know that it was cold and snowy here. I know that spring is finally here because may allergies are acting up for the first time all year, AND it is dry skin time. Now.. someone go get me a tub of lotion and a bottle of Zyrtec. QUICKLY.. before I start throwing lightning bolts!!!

Rainbows and Pink Spray Paint

2006-03-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Some days, as a GLBT activist, life gives you pink spray paint that says FAG. Other days it gives you happy rainbows and hope for the future. Today is a rainbow day.

Wyoming AIDS Walk is in its 5th year, and this year is going to be bigger and better than ever. Every year we host the walk we get another chance to improve the things we have done in the past and make a better future for people living in Wyoming with HIV/AIDS. Today at a sub committee meeting, we discussed a serious plan to get corporate sponsorship rolling, and some of the other people working on the committee with me are taking on some awesome projects. Now, I would love to tell everyone how KILLER AWESOME this year's walk is going to be, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. Lets just say I think we have finally solved the problem of how to get people to stay around after the walk for more than just the BBQ.

Spectrum is working on hosting GLSEN's Day of Silence for the first time, I think, ever. The group of talented people working on it makes me smile and almost cry most of the time. There are handouts for educators, an ad campaign, plans to help encourage campus wide participation, and we are working on a 'night of' destresser. Part of Spectrum's Executive Board met today with the Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs and received the news that our program will not only be fully supported, but may even be funded by their offices. Almost makes me shake just thinking about it. Not that I am surprised that these two individuals were supportive, but sometimes living in a hetero-normative world makes all support seem amazing.

Finally, one of Spectrum's members is traversing the country right now in an effort to combat heterosexism and homophobia. I heard that their bus was spray painted with anti-gay epithets last week, and yet the press on. The group is a really great bunch of trooper and I wish them all the best. Maybe they'll even learn to take the hatred in stride as our gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, ally..etc.. forefathers have. If the pink triangle (the symbol of Nazi persecution of homosexual men) can become a symbol of pride for this community, with enough pride and welcoming hearts so can a bus with pink graffiti.

I can't say that I have been any more proud to be alive and a part of any movement, as I am that which I am a part of today. But then again, that is what gay pride has always meant to me. Being able to be proud of who you are, despite the fact that some people may stand in your way. Indeed, today.. today is a RAINBOW DAY!

More fun dan a poke en da eye wit' a sharp stick

2006-03-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

Simply.. drink all you want, but don't shoot Harry.

http://www.quailhuntingschool.com/flash.php

sings Oh what a beautiful mooorning...

2006-02-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

The weather is turning wonderful once again, as the beginning of March approacheth. This is largely do to two factors

#1) If March comes in like a lamb (all pretty and loverly) it has to go out like a Lion (all nasty and scrumbly).

#2) My birthday is on one of the last days of the month, and I love doing outdoors things.

Therefore: Because I was, apparently, very evil in a former life, March will always be nice at the beginning and down right rotten at the end (think 4 day blizzard), no matter where I live!

So, I have decided in order to be utterly spiteful of my situation I will be making the most of the beginning of the month and hiding indoors with much cake at the end.

I received this (weighted), this and this.. for Xmas. Santa bought them from here, because not even Santa Claus makes better rangs.

Who wants to play hookie and see if they fly?

I love this woman

2006-02-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

why?

Read this.

Change.. not always for the better.

2006-02-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

I knew it was going to happen. Some of the people downstairs were complaining over a week ago about theirs.. today, I made it to my law carrel and found my new chair. I have to say, I am less than excited. Then again, according to the law school grapevine, nobody is that excited. Here are MY reasons.

#1) I like to lean back when I read. Granted, the other chairs didn't lean me back either, but I was not forced to set upright in the "grandma driver" position. In the other chairs I could hold myself upright when I wanted to type or lean over a book. Yet somehow, I was also given the liberty to get comfortable and lean backwards a tad. I have not yet learned how to truly get comfortable in these chairs.

#2) According to an email send out to the students these NEW chairs are supposed to match the decor better. Too bad they didn't get what they ordered.. maybe? The top of my desk is a very nice marbled slate blue. The chair is a very nice forest green with little orange and red flecks in it. The carpet is an off white grayish business thing. The bookshelves surrounding me are a very offensive orange, which the previous chairs did match. Now.. nothing actually matches or really compliments each other AT ALL.

#3) What would my chair match? Well, if I threw up a vegan casserole on the floor, we might have a close match. However, since Sweet Melissa's is so good, I will not be throwing it up in an effort to better my environment.

#4) Invasive lumbar support irritates my back.. this char is invasive and is attempting, I believe, to support that part of my back. While I may just be getting some kind of lower back exercise while setting here, I doubt it. Then again, maybe the chair just wasn't made for a 6 foot tall man. However, the average height for a non hispanic white male in the U.S. is man is 5 feet 10.2 inches, so... am I really far enough off to warrant discomfort?

#5) The stain on the wood does not match the carrels. Decorator faux pas number 532, do not mix and match your woods.

#6) I should be studying right now. Instead I am lamenting about how much I hate this chair. Have they really served a purpose?

#7) The other chairs are still .. right.. over.. there. Of coarse, physical plant (according to the signage) is supposed to come pick the old chairs up and get rid of them. So apparently I am going to be tempted for another week to two months with the sight of comfort and a "do not touch" sticker.

#8) Didn't we need new books??? Yes, I know, the email said that the cost of repairing the old chairs was equivalent to one new book per chair. However, were they all broken? Mine wasn't. As a former debater, I am required to question the cost benefit analysis.

I will grant these chairs two things.
First: all of these defects seem to be in either manufacturing or may be attributable to a poor catalogue reproduction of the item and color choices.

Second: They hold me higher on my keyboard so that I am over the keys, possibly increasing the time until my inevitable carpal tunnel syndrome. The possibility that this could have entered into the calculations in buying new chairs just goes to show how the outside world would truly fare if everyone were a lawyer.

*There is actually a film about it on this page: "Everyone's A Lawyer"*

Its a GIRL

2006-02-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

Remember when I told you there was a pony.. well.. now there are pictures.
My mommy send them to me for Valentine's Day.

Let the naming contest begin. . .

I call her PRETTY! and CUTE!

In the category of...

2006-02-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

... MAN BITES DOG, AND OTHER TALES I WISH I COULD HAVE MADE UP

The winner of this month's award goes to: VICE PRESIDENT SHOOTS MAN, accidentally.

Now, while I really want you to read the article, and half of my readership probably has before getting this far.. I have to share what are some the juicier parts.

WARNING: Conservatives and persons who live without the aide of a heart may find the following merry making at the VP's expense troubling. What ever you do, try to make sure your children see this.

1) "..emergency personnel traveling with Cheney tended to Whittington before an ambulance routinely on call because of the vice president's presence..."

-- Oh yeah.. man with no heart has to be kept alive with large medical team.

2) "The vice president didn't see him," she continued. "The covey flushed and the vice president picked out a bird and was following it and shot. And by god, Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good.""

-- question.. who talks like that??

3) ""It broke the skin," she said of the shotgun pellets. "It knocked him silly. But he was fine. He was talking. His eyes were open. It didn't get in his eyes or anything like that."

-- Answer, a woman who downplays the shooting of another human being aparently because "This is something that happens from time to time. You know, I've been peppered pretty well myself," said Armstrong."

4) ""Fortunately, the vice president has got a lot of medical people around him and so they were right there and probably more cautious than we would have been," she said. "The vice president has got an ambulance on call, so the ambulance came.""

-- That one's all yours!

5) The guy who was shot was a Millionaire Attorney and Cheney's Friend.

-- Who knew Cheney had friends?

I love my mother!

2006-02-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I got the following email this morning.

"HEY WE HAVE A CADILLAC CTS ON THE USED LINE UP, REALLY NICE CAR
CALL ME LATER, LOVE MOM"

And people wonder why I am a mamma's boy.

OMG OMG OMG, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!

2006-02-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this whole thing by saying that, YES, of coarse I want to see Hollywood become the kind of place where openly gay men can play openly gay men. HOWEVER... let the frothing of the mouth, chomping of the teeth, and overall wetting of yourself commence as you ponder this....

-------------------------------------------------------

This just in from the gay rumor mill directly to you!!!

From GayWired.com, by Ross von Metzke, posted Yesterday. (no really I said Gay Rumor Mill)

Hollywood, CA - On the heels of the success of Brokeback Mountain, British newspaper The Sun is reporting that Brad Pitt is looking for the "ultimate gay love story" script.

A source told the paper: ÂBrad has asked his people to find him a script to play a gay man. He wants it to be a story that appeals to both men and women and he wants it to be the edgiest work he's done.Â

-------------------------------------------------------

There's more.. you can go read it yourself.. I am lying on the floor twitching in ecstasy at the thought of Pitt in a gay role that is "edgier" than the foreplay/sex scene in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Full Story.. HERE

2 Posts: Gay Cowboys and Public Interest Law

2006-02-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

First Post.

I was sent an email today stating that "you might be a gay cowboy if..." and I think I may qualify just a little too well. Then again, the rainbow cowboy sticker on my desk has been reminding me for years that I should not try so hard to shun my roots.

The email went like this: comments are added to embarrass the hell out of myself.
"Top Ten Signs You're A Gay Cowboy

10. "Your saddle is Versace"
- Ok maybe not my saddle, but my tight fitting jeans, boots, and work shirts are all made by some designer.

9. "Instead of 'Home On The Range', you sing 'It's Raining Men'"
- Grace, honey, stop laughing. Just because I have this song on no fewer than three CDs (not counting travelin' mixes I made myself), you don't need to be quite so direct.

8. "You enjoy ridin', ropin', and redecoratin'"
- Yes, Yes and Yes. I love the punctuation on redecoratin'.

7. "Sold your livestock to buy tickets to 'Mamma Mia'"
- Actually I think it was the touring company of 'Rent,' and it was money earned helping my grandparents sell their livestock.

6. "After watching reruns of 'Gunsmoke', you have to take a cold shower"
- OK.. I confess Marshal Dillon was Hot back in the day. I also spend a lot of time giving Miss Kitty a big ol' "you go girlfriend."

5. "Native Americans refer to you as 'Dances With Men'"
- No, but my Grace does.

4. "You've been lassoed more times than most steers"
- I am not going into this, no it was not bondage, but... yes.

3. "You're wearing chaps, yet your 'ranch' is in Chelsea"
- Its pronounced with an Sh sound not a CH.. I know how it is spelled, and I know that it has finally been bastardized enough to get both pronunciations in the dictionary. There's slang in Webster's too, and that don't make it good English. "Shaps" is the name of the article of clothing, "Chaps" is what a saddle does to your ass if you don't take care if the leather.

2. "Instead of a saloon you prefer a salon"
- Now that depends. Yes, I do go to the salon more than I go to the saloon. But a good country bar is good for some good country dancin'.

1. "You love riding, but you don't have a horse"
- DUH.

Oh, and I do have a horse which I would never ride in the context "ride" was used in the above question. I got the call last night from my dad. I've gotta tell ya, its a little wierd to have your father tell you "you're gonna be a father."

Apparently Dad's mare (girl horse) "Cowgirl" had a baby, and my dad is giving the baby to me. There is a very distinct possibility that this baby is going to be a pretty, slender, paint horse with a blaze face. For those of you to which that makes no sense, she (we think its a she) will be BEAUTIFUL! Next time I go home I get to meet her and start thinking of a name. Because of the way horses get names, I am under the impression that she will be "Cowgirl's _________________" I am way excited!

2006-02-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

Second Post..

Have you ever talked to someone and just got an overwhelming sense of right and wrong, coupled with the idea that you are on the side of right? Today, I did. Today, I went to a meeting put on by the Public Interest Law Fund (PILF) at the my University. The purpose of this meeting was to expose each of us to some interesting people working on behalf of indigent populations around the state. I left the meeting thinking, gosh I hope my man doesn't want to marry me for the money. This is because if doing the work makes me feel as good as talking about it, I may have just found my calling. Here are the jobs that they talked about that sounded most interesting to me...

Intern with one of the civil legal aid clinics around the state and help them deal with whatever cause of action walks through the front door. This job could entail going in front of administrative boards to do medical benefits cases, or simply making phone calls to get creditors to stop harassing people.

Take on a research project to help convince the state legislature that poor people should get the state to help pay for some of their legal costs. The fact that we are one of 7 states that doesn't do this now is astonishing in and of itself. Couple that with the fact that small claims court is difficult and only for claims less that $500, and the fact that hiring an attorney only becomes practical again when you cross something like a $6000 threshold. Our state is not being nice.

There are of coarse the local legal services programs. One that is basically a student run version of the state program (from what I can tell), and one that is domestic violence related. Both of these programs sound more interesting than some crappy high paying internship with a firm that wants me to write wills and contracts all summer (not that such work doesn't have its place).

And hey, if I was really in it for the money, would I have hung onto a job working to recruit and study gay men? Or would I have spent the many hours I do planning events and going to meetings on behalf of Spectrum? The answer is, only if I were crazy. And I like to think, although I am not convinced, that I am NOT crazy.

How gay are you?

2006-01-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

So.. I took this test, and...
___________________________
Zeus is 56% Gay!

Congratulations, you are a happy and well adjusted homo guy!
_____________________________

How gay are you??

You're going to be a WHAT!??

2006-01-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

I know that much of my readership is not in what we should call the 'technical' degree side of academics. Just one look at my friends list yields more than one English major, a history major (perhaps 2), a boat load of women's studies classes, a psych degree, and yes even one philosopher (of sorts). Maybe that is why, when I happened to be directed to this article on MSN I started thinking of people I could email this to. People who, like me, have endured, at some point in their lives, questions like "What exactly does a ________ do" and "but you can still afford a good home for me on the wage you'll earn as a _______?" For what its worth...

I learned over the break

2006-01-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

Something interesting, which I learned over this past break, is how to make an irate person quiet themselves. On more than one occasion this has played out in front of me, but only recently had I seen it enough to put the pieces together.

The process is fairly simple. Armed with my knowledge as a law student people will often start spouting off their problems to me like I know how to help them. I have often tried the line "you get what you pay for, and free legal advice is CRAP," but usually they keep pushing. The way to shut them up is to tell them they should actually seek legal advice on the matter. I am in no way telling them they do or do not have a case, or even my opinion of such matter. I just say something like, "well if he made you that mad, maybe you should see an actual attorney since I am not one yet." The responses are great, and range from a general quiteting of the individual to a sudden reconsideration of exactly how perturbed they actually are.

Funny what people don't want when they have to pay for it.

Don-ity DONE!

2005-12-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

That's right *beaches* I am finished with the first semester of my second year of Law School. That means I am half way through! Soon.. very soon.. I will be "ME esq."

TOTALLY GEEKING OUT HERE!!!

2005-12-13T22:28:00.000-07:00

There is a documentary about the NATIONAL DEBATE CHAMPIONSHIP on my television. Not only is it geeking me out that DEBATE is on TV (a MASS media) but the story is on CSTV.

From their website CSTV is: "CSTV Networks, Inc. is the leading digital sports media company, connecting more fans to more college sports than any other company. Its many platforms for programming distribution include CSTV: College Sports TV, televising regular-season and championship events for 35 men's and women's college sports; CSTV.com and its network of over 250 official athletic sites; CSTV All Access, online and pay-per-view subscription services providing live audio and video of more than 7,000 events annually; as well as satellite television and radio, in-flight entertainment, wireless networks and more."

TOTALLY GEEKING OUT HERE!!!!

How cliche

2005-12-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

The Light Fairy is good. That doesn't mean she's a goody-goody, it just means when she has to make a decision, she'll make the right choice. She's very nice, but she's also got a sense of humor. She's sweet, but very strong-willed. She depends on her friends (and they depend on her) but if they do something she thinks isn't right, she's not going to do it with them just to be part of the group. The Light Fairy is normally good-natured and preaceful, but she gets angry (really angry) when someone hurts or treats someone else unfairly. And she certainly isn't going to just stand around doing nothing about it! Other than the times she's depressed or mad about unfairness, the Light Fairy likes to have fun and enjoy life.

It begins..

2005-12-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Today begins the first day of my finals for Semester 1, Year 2 of law school. In less than 30 minutes I tackle what may be the most difficult of the tests - Civil Procedure. When I asked a fellow classmate this morning how he felt he said it is "better to rip the bandaid off than peel it painfully." I think that is a good thing. I know this, I am READY!!! I spent significant parts of my free time for the last 5 days studying civil procedure. I blew off a perfect opportunity to have fun with friends last night. Today..... BRING IT ON!!!!!

World AIDS Day - 12.01.05

2005-12-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

Today is World AIDS Day. Please take some effort to further educate yourself, get tested, encourage a friend to do so, or even just sit in silence for the millions infected worldwide. Only through recognition, and understanding can we ever truly face this epidemic.

... no.. on YOUR house!

2005-11-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Funny how this is NOT happening to Hawaii, California, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

- Hawaii, California, and Vermont all have, in the order listed, progressively more encompassing civil unions.

- Massachusetts has marriage for all persons regardless of sexual orientation.

- The big meaniehead homophobic assholes keep saying that God will smite those who permit such things.

- Please forgive me, but isn't Kansas the place where Phelps lives, where same-sex marriage is specifically not ok according to their constitution. That is also where they had Tornadoes AND Blizzards.

Not that I am specifically espousing that there is any smiting going on, but...
Isn't it ironic, don't you think
A little tooooo ironic.

Bad Pun.. go lay down!

2005-11-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

Reuters definitely has an interesting story here.. but the urine pun is just too much. And that says something coming from me.

I hate this feeling

2005-11-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

Right now, I need something to go well in my life.

- After years of trying, not trying... wanting to, and being content without it, I really just want to wake up in the morning and know my parents love their gay son.

- In related news - accepting or not, it would be great to see them. I have not since... umm.. its been a while.. a long while for me. Although, the road does work both ways and they haven't been to Laramie in lots longer.

- I need a job for next summer. Due to my own nature and some miscommunication, I honestly don't feel like I have even come close to talking to enough people who might, maybe, in the right circumstances hire me for a law related job - those who I have talked to, have not contacted me, nor are they required to for some time - I NEED a law related job.

- I am so unbelievably tired of waking up at 7am and working until 5 only to realize that I still have no less than 3 more hours of homework in front of me. No really my free time during the week for the last MONTH has amounted to lunch, dinner, and maybe a little TV or gaming here and there.

- My apartment is a mess, and due to my efforts on the last two fronts it is not getting any cleaner.

- Saturday does not constitute a FULL weekend. However my Sundays generally involve - eat, grocery store, and homework.

- My job doesn't even come close to paying me enough to get by. It might, had I more time, more energy, and were permitted to work more than 20 hrs a week, while the time thing is sooooo not my job's fault... my paycheck sucks!!!

- I don't know who decided a University doesn't NEED a fall break, but they are morons! They clearly are not functioning in this world where in order to get by you have no "Quiet Home LIFE."

If I seem irritable or a little aloof.. it's probably not your fault.

If you dream

2005-10-24T15:18:00.000-06:00

As an out Lesbian who happens to work as a Congresswoman in the House of Representatives, Tammy Baldwin (D - Wisconsin) is a sort of figurehead in the GLBT movement today. Something she said in a speaks, some time ago, recently reached my ears. It has had a profound effect on me, and I hope it will you as well.

"If you dream of a world in which you can put your partner's picture on your desk, then put his picture on your desk and you will live in such a world. And if you dream of a world in which you can walk down the street holding your partner's hand, then hold her hand and you will live in such a world. If you dream of a world in which there are more openly gay elected officials, then run for office and you will live in such a world. And if you dream of a world in which you can take your printer to the office party, even if your office is the U.S. House of Representatives, then take her to the party. I do, and now I live in such a world. Remember, there are two things that keep us oppressed: them and us. We are half of the equation. There will not be a magic day when we wake up and it's now OK to express ourselves publicly. We must make that day ourselves, by speaking out publicly - first in small numbers, then in greater numbers, until it's simply the way things are and no one thinks twice. Never doubt that we will create this world, because, my friends, we are fortunate to live in a democracy, and in a democracy, we decide what's possible."

I cannot say those words are any more true in my life than after the 4th and final Gay Awareness Month I will organize. When I came to this University the Rainbow Resource Center (RRC) was getting off its feet in a new space, when I came to the University there was no Wyo AIDS Walk, when I came to the University Spectrum (then the LGBTA) was supported by one advisor and no board. My dream was to change these things, or see other's dreams in them come to fruition. Today I will be speaking before the Union board on what it means to have more space for the RRC, I will be asking the Greeks what their real involvement in the 5th annual Wyo AIDS Walk will be, and I will begin the process of letting others assume control of SPECTRUM in some very real ways. This last weekend I participated in this town's FIRST HOMEGROWN DRAG SHOW! I have lived in a world where so much was possible, and now look around myself asking why not more.

When I go set on the Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue committee for this university I am reminded of a man who had a dream, a dream he lived, and a dream which many more live today. Today, I take the next steps in living my own dream. A dream where I too am treated equally, even if today it only means that my resource center gets to live next to everyone else's and not in another building amongst administrative offices.

New Gaydar

2005-10-19T08:13:00.000-06:00

Many people have wondered how gaydar works. Well, a new breakthrough technology has been developed to hone-in on your "inner gayness." Rather than try to further explain, they released a picture which shows the very thing the new gaydar is looking for.

Email Addresses for the Masses

2005-10-17T09:26:00.000-06:00

So in reading a wonderful website known as T-shirt hell... I came across some wonderful email addresses.

*Disclaimer*
There are not real email addresses to the best of my knowledge.. I have NOT tested them, and you shouldn't either!

Personally I am having a hard time choosing between being Zeus@

IKillClowns.com
ImABadLittleGirl.com
TouchMyInfection.com
and
AbortionsTickle.com

What would you be?

Activist Burnout!

2005-10-14T08:54:00.000-06:00

Ok.. so after a month of prepping a drag show, two awareness month events, a 15-20 hour a week job, my full law school schedule and participating in some homecoming things.... I need to find a hole to crawl in. Unfortunately..... I have a week to go.

Wish me luck.

How would they know?

2005-10-04T13:39:00.000-06:00

I got this joke today in my email...

An old woman walks into the store to buy dog food. When she gets to the register she is told she has to bring the dog in, because old people eat dog food and they want to make sure she has a dog.

When she comes back she is told that dogs are not allowed in the store and thus goes home unsatisfied.

The next day she tries to buy cat food, but is again told by the sales-clerk that old people eat pet-food and thus she must produce proof of cat by bringing in the animal.

She does this, and is again told "no cats allowed in the store."

So the next day she brings in a box, goes and gets her dog and cat food and precedes to the register. Again she is told she must show proof of pet. To which she replies, "I am not allowed to bring my pets into your store, but if you'd please kindly stick your hand in the box, you will be satisfied that I do, indeed, have pets."

The register clerk declines mumbling something to the effect of "it'll bite/scratch/claw/gnaw me to pieces." This, the old lady assures the clerk, will not happen. So the clerk sticks his hand into the box and immediately discovers that the old woman does indeed have pets. What is in the box?

------
Now if I forward this message to 8 people, I am assured the answer will be revealed to me. The message's subject is "this really works." This raises a question - how can anyone tell me this works? They wouldn't KNOW! Especially if I am in the first 8 emails they send out, they would not have even seen the answer let alone been able to tell me about it. I would hope people have more to do with their lives than continually send these emails. And further, said person would be lucky to have 8 friends. But.. I have a theory...

Most people who get this email will look at it and say.. "damn that is a piece of shit." Some of those people will even respond and let their friends know that this is a piece of shit. Thus the email has the propensity for generating "piece of shit" 8 times. The old woman's cardboard container* holds 1 piece of shit for every email you send to a now former friend.

Unfortunately for me, this email comes from family who are too dense to get the game - yes, as are all of you, I too am related to someone who is the reason these emails exist in the first place.

*I decided using the word BOX there was going to get too many awkward chuckles aimed at this kind old, ingenious, woman.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2005-09-27T16:33:00.000-06:00

Today is my man's b-day. Say HEY!

Somebody.. please.. get me out of here!

2005-09-27T16:20:00.000-06:00

This last weekend I did something for only the second time in my life, which I wish I had never done even once. I went to a bar in my home town. Some of you may not think this is a bad thing, until you realize that my home town was never a place I really felt like I fit in and that there are ant hills with greater populations than my home town. But, my brother is going through a bad breakup, so we went out to find him someone to hit on and more importantly toss back a few bottles. Here are the things I saw that I cannot unsee:

1) A all male band who plays ok, but can't carry a tune in a tune carrying bucket. Their first song of the evening was "Proud Marry." I especially LOVED the do do do do part where one of them was off key and the drums sped up.

2) I got to stand up against my brother's masculine ass-ness in a bar where HE not I had friends. That is always special.

3) I managed to see just about everyone I know from HS whom I am not sure graduated.

4) I may have hit on a guy in a small town bar - unintentionally - and trust me I didn't want to. Can we say "awkward?"

5) My brother spread eagle, passed out, on the floor level cot thing at grandma's so as to keep his bed from spinning.

6) My cousin's wife's wired pink top on the floor in what was to be MY bedroom.
All in all.. I did manage to have fun though!

October

2005-09-15T11:12:00.000-06:00

Warning: because pop-up blockers and blogger don't get along, this is a second blog. The first cannot be replicated, and was (of coarse) better!

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With the beginning of the semester comes a terror so frightening it can be called only one thing - THE LAST MINUTE PLANS THAT SPRING UP REGARDING QUEER AWARENESS MONTH! I know, from having done this for the last 5 years, that during the month of September any combination of the following events will happen. (1) Someone will drop the ball on an event that is supposed to happen in 2 days leaving me holding the bag. (2) A performer will call with a problem with the payment, contract, or some other tiny detail that was overlooked until the night they show up.. or better yet.. they'll be late. (3) Someone will call, email, and/or randomly find me with a great idea for a brown-bag session that they want to do NEXT WEEK. (If the time is any shorter I draw and quarter them on the spot) (4) Or in general, some idiot will schedule the homecoming game for the weekend after National Coming Out day, making any programming I wanted to do for that Friday completely meaningless. (but hey.. we get to march in a parade!?!?)

I think someone needs to make a horror movie about this. I have seen people run screaming from what seems to be the ever increasing amount of things that NEED done to book a programmer. (Wouldn't it be nice if all ya had to do is call them and write a check?) The thought of even maybe having to say anything to more than 5 friends causes some people to shiver with abject terror. We could even paraphrase the Exercism of Emily Rose... "There are no injections against the [activism]."

ummm.. yeah.. that

2005-09-08T13:19:00.000-06:00

So today Spectrum received what I believe to be the mother of all the - OMG that has to be the stupidest scam in the world - emails. Now I am sure most of this plays out much like the "I know the ex-wife of the brother's sister's niece's great-second-aunt-twice-removed of the Under-Minister of Nosehair Macrame and we have $5bill to send you in confederate currency" emails. However, this one seemed special enough to share.

________________________________

ATTENTION: Grant Beneficiary,

This is to bring to your information that your email has been randomly selected and approved as a charity grant beneficiary of THE DIANA MEMORIAL FOUNDATION.You are awarded a grant sum of £2,598,000.00 (Two Million Five Hundred And Ninety Eight Thousand Great Britain Pounds) and for further instructions on how you are to put claim to your grant, you are to FORWARD a copy of this notice to our International Grants Officer as well as give him a call via contact details below:...

On being a victim

2005-09-02T13:06:00.000-06:00

WARNING: The material in this post is extremely personal, and I am not convinced it makes sense or even comes close to dealing with what I am trying to say. I just needed to get it off my chest.. and I did.. SO THERE.

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It is amazing sometimes how something from your past can mix with the present and bring back feelings you don't entirely understand, or even know how to put into words. Such is the case with me, right now, and the things I am doing in my Domestic Violence class meshing with my life. Not only am I thinking about the lines between where Domestic Violence starts and ends, but something about right now is causing a lot of old relationship/friendship stuff to come to the surface in my psyche as well.

I (like many, I assume, because I like to think I am normal) have had several friendships, relationships in which people have told me to either "be careful" or "get out" because they didn't necessarily like the way I was being treated. This makes me wonder how much about someone's victim status is really self identified, or self assumed. I have never identified as a victim, or even a survivor for that matter. I guess the thing for me is that while my trust in others has caused me to let go of some power, I have never felt like I couldn't take it back. That I didn't take it back, or that it was ever inherently theirs. More thinking required.....