Friday, August 31, 2007

Job Hunt


As you may or may not have noticed, I don't really talk about work anymore. I admit that I've been disappointed with myself for still working there. My date to declare independence from it came and went long ago. I'm still not where I want to be financially so for the time being I've stayed put.

In recent months, however, I've become extra unhappy and unmotivated with the latest project I'm on. The requirements from the business change almost daily (they actually flip-flop over how they want data to be presented...so annoying) and the grinds of dealing with offshore support to get things done right is a pain. Even my teammate (who is new to our group and I'm working with for the first time on a project) is a royal pain. The one thing that doesn't change is the due date when things must be ready to load, which with each passing month looms closer.

I'm not the greatest of actors either at my job. I had a mid-term review yesterday where SLAB mentioned that it seemed like I lost steam. He acknowledged though that the project I'm on isn't the greatest. It sucks.

So I've decided since I still need employment that I've had enough of my current company and am actively seeking employment elsewhere. The company's going through a downslide as well and has cut quite a few employees. So I've posted my resume on Monster.com and Dice.com but have mostly been getting recruiters, which can be quite annoying. They basically give you the runaround promising position after position with no follow through.

I actually completed a phone interview with a healthcare company that would require me to relocate, assuming I'm a match for the position. Relocating isn't foreign to me as I've relocated twice for my last two jobs (this one included). Of course now that I'm with Rock, I have to carefully consider any such moves, even though he's told me not to let him stand in the way of a good opportunity.

Of course I'd love it if someone paid me my same salary to blog all day...:-) Heh...one can dream.

Labels:

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

I'm Not Gay

Yes I am. I've come to terms about that sometime in 2005, maybe even around that time I posted an entry with a bang. But is every guy who has had a homosexual experience automatically gay?

Don't tell that to Idaho Senator Larry Craig who was charged with lewd behavior in a public airport restroom in Minneapolis-St. Paul. According to the police report (which can be found in full detail at the Smoking Gun website), Craig started out by peering into the opening stall where officer Dave Karsnia was residing. Craig was said to have done the peering and playing with his fingers bit for a couple minutes. The stall to the left of Karsnia was occupied but as soon as that person left, Craig moved in. He then did what Karsnia termed in his report "a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct". Moments later, Craig was detained in an interview room where he was photographed, fingerprinted, and released.

The incident was made public recently and has been a PR nightmare for the three-term senator. With his wife (I can only imagine what she's really thinking...*LOL*) by his side, Craig holds a press conference where he vehemently denied being gay and stated that he only pleaded guilty in the hopes of it going away. A CBS report online recalled a sex scandal in 1982 when a former page mentioned being approached by senators for sex. Craig was mentioned in the report as the only senator that publicly denied the validity of the story, even though he wasn't mentioned in it.

The charges from the airport incident, while a misdemeanor, carries heavier implications in the White House. There's no telling how Idaho constituents, who are known to be predominantly staunch, conservative, and anti-gay, will respond to the news. He's also up for re-election in 2008 and the issue can likely haunt him if he chooses to run for office again.

So let's assume that Senator Craig is guilty of attempting to solicit sex in a bathroom stall. He denies strongly that he's gay. Say this was his only incident involving sex with a man and say that he was successful. Does him having sex (or performing a sex act) one time with a man an automatic gay sentence? What if he was just satisfying his curiosity one time? What if he didn't like it and never did anything else with a man again? Can he still be considered gay?

I'm not condoning Senator Craig's actions (or attempted ones...*LOL*). In fact it's good that he's getting backlash considering his track record on gay rights. According to this website, Craig's voting record on gay issues is as follows:

  • Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (June 2002)
  • Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (June 2000)
  • Voted YES on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006)
  • Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation. (Sep 1996)
To nobody's surprise, his track record on voting on minority issues fared no better.
  • Voted NO on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women. (Mar 1998)
  • Voted YES on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business. (Oct 1997)
  • Voted YES on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds. (Jul 1995)
Another hypocrite bites the dust. Enjoy that blow job senator!!! Is that Vice President Cheney giving it to him? *LOL*

Labels:

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Fly Boy

Anyone watch the Sunday Iowa Democratic debates? I took a gander and actually thought it was pretty interesting. The first few minutes was spent on questioning Obama's experience for the job of president. Obama then fought back with some clever retorts, including one of preparing for the debate by going to the bumper cars. Other funny moments included candidate Dennis Kucinich, who was drawfed by Obama both by size and popularity, thanking God for someone noticing him in the last 45 minutes. It was the typical dodging of the original question to give a politicized answer throughout.

But by far the funniest WTF moment came during the closing statements. When it was Chris Dodd's turn to give his closing statements, I couldn't help but notice that a fly chose to nest in his thick hair. Funny how moments like these are what I most remember. And thankfully someone managed to post it on YouTube. Enjoy!


Labels:

Monday, August 13, 2007

That Couple

Another eventful weekend has come and gone. Heh...I say that like I always have those.

Last Saturday afternoon, I wound up hanging out with Rock and a group of his friends. Rock and I earlier in the week was debating (well Rock was debating) how the two of us would meet up. He needed to visit his family part of the weekend but wouldn't be able to stay overnight with me. In the end, it was decided that we would both meet at Ned's place. The ultimate destination for us all.....North Halsted's annual Market Days festival, touted as one of Chicago's largest street fairs.

It wound up that I would reach Ned's place before Rock. Rock had mentioned there was a friend of Ned's who goes out of his way to be rude to him. Let's call him Rude Dude. Rock mentioned this guy purposely excluding him from conversations with Ned. He even one time slammed a car door on Rock as he attempted to climb out the back seat. Basically the guy's possessive of Ned and appears jealous of anyone that talks to him.

So I was actually curious how the dynamics would be with just me meeting him. I get to Ned's high rise condo unit and see Ned, Rude Dude, and a third guy I'll call H-Town. Ned quickly introduced me to the other two. Ned had finger foods set up for snacking. I initially sat back as the three went back and forth on their post-graduate degree programs. Ned tried including me by inquiring about Eugene and I filled him in quickly on Eugene's various traveling plans.

Eventually another long time friend of Ned and Rock's came over. D.C. Brawler and I quickly introduced ourselves as he went over his history with the group. I patiently waited for Rock and his close friend Regine to come. They came another ten minutes after Ned's date who I'll call NDrama came. After Rock introduced himself to most of the group, he came over and greeted me with a kiss and hug.

We all wound up hanging at Ned's place for another couple hours before we eventually (except for D.C. Brawler who had some studying to do) made our way to the festival. We wound up taking two taxis to the event. With the crowds at the event, it was definitely better to take public transportation.

So as we walking along Halsted, I was reminded by how small the gay world really is. An acquaintance that I hung out with a couple times to watch Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters wound up also knowing Ned. After talking with Ned, I quickly introduced him to Rock, who he referred to as Rockford. I later ran into Beans who was hanging with a guy who knew Rock. It was quite the Six Degrees of Separation experience. Luckily I didn't see any guys that I had relations with in my past, though I'm sure they were lurking not too far away. It wouldn't have been much of a big deal as Rock and I both acknowledge that we've had relations in the past and that's just what it was, in the past.

The small group of us made our way to a local restaurant (who I won't give free advertising too...*LOL*) with outdoor seating. All of us, minus NDrama sit down and order drinks. NDrama actually is nowhere to be found initially. I assume he's off checking out a vendor. So the waitress comes back with our drinks. She inquires if anyone's interested in food but nobody bites. So NDrama returns with some fries from another vendor and sits down with the group. The waitress quickly comes by and asks NDrama if he wants anything to drink. NDrama gives her this weird look like she's speaking a foreign language and she shoots him one in return before taking off. Moments later, the manager of the establishment comes over and tells NDrama that he'll need to eat his food outside of the outdoor seating area. She makes up some cock and bull story about regulations but on the real, it's tacky to sit in a restaurant's designated area and bring another vendor's food to said restaurant. Shortly afterwards, NDrama starts heckling the busboy staff that's throwing out trash nearby as well as some drunk guy crying off to the side. I was thinking about how NDrama was bringing unneeded attention over to our group. Some more "bougie" friends of Ned's came over and stood off to the side chatting with Ned. Then a girlfriend of Regine's (Melba) came over with some food from a vendor as well. It was crazy. Eventually the manager came back and said to the effect if we weren't ordering food that we needed to leave the establishment. I think had NDrama and Melba not bought food over, it might not have escalated as bad as it did.

So Hemingway we pay for the drinks we bought and continued our journey down Halsted. Interestingly Rock and I were doing a lot of PDA'ing that evening. We were holding hands as we walking up and down Halsted and we even were wrapped up in each other's arms. By that point, Rock had a few drinks and was feeling a lot more free. This became more evident as the small group of us arrived at Spin. He wanted to dance (something he's expressed that he has no desire to do in public) when Gimme Gimme Gimme! by ABBA started playing. We were dancing and kissing and freaking on the dance floor. We did more of the same when Beyonce's Get Me Bodied (Rock's favorite song) came on. The moves he did on the floor I'll always remember whenever I hear that song. We were even making out and dancing at another club. Yeah we were that couple for the night. You know the one that some folks yell 'Get a room!' at. You'd think it was our last night on earth the way we were all over each other. I admit it was an experience that I wasn't used to and one that I never expected would happen to me. For once, I wasn't the odd man out like Rude Dude was that night. Rock even chatted with him from time to time because he felt sorry for him while holding me tight. It was really cool.

By the end of the evening, only Rock, Regine, Melba, and myself remained. We ended with an early morning run to a local Mexican restaurant. Aside from a minor incident with seating, the evening capped off very well, with Rock continuing to fondle me and kiss me. It was too funny.

I wound up coming home after 2AM, which wasn't as late as when I hung out with former acquaintance Huey once upon a time when lusting for a stripper. But it was late enough.

Sunday came and Rock came by mid-afternoon to see me on his way back to his home. He gave me the art piece that I won in the silent auction a couple weeks back. We wound up lunching at another fine establishment, making a trip to a major retailer, and making our way back to my place, where we chilled and reminisced about the crazy day and evening we had Saturday.

All in all, it was another great eventful weekend.

Labels: ,

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Common's Sense

Bitch In You - Common

(Yeah for your nation...
for your nation...)

[Verse 1]
A bitch nigga wit an attitude named Cube
Step to Com wit a feud
Now what the fuck I look like dissing a whole coast
You ain't made shit dope since AmeriKKKa's Most
Wanted to cease from the Midwest to the East
On the dick of the East for your 1st release
Your lease is up at the crib house niggaz get evicted
And videos wit white boys talking you get Wicked

Natural Born Killa, nigga you natural born God
Look, read listen, got the nerve to say you rob
Hyprocrite, I'm filling out your Death Certificate
Slanging bean pies and St Ide's in the same sentence
Shoulda repented, on the 16th of October
Get some beats besides George Clinton to rock over
Rap career is over, better off acting
What trouble I see, you're managing WC and Wack 10
You backed in to a four corner hustla
Lying on your dick, said you was fuckin her

Use Higher Learning, don't take my words out of text
Went from gangsta to Islam to the dick of Das EFX
It'll take the Nation of Millions to Hold Me Back
From giving you mouth shots or hit wit the pipe Ralph got
When sucker ain't around, it's your Friday, it was good
I wasn't salty, she was wit the Boyz N the Hood

Chorus:
I see the bitch in you when you don't speak your mind
The bitch in you, looking me in my eyes lyin
I see the bitch in you, simply hard, you find
The bitch in you but yo it's coming out

[Verse 2]
Up on this rap shit, Cube, I'm calling out
I break in and smack niggaz that's in the Slaughterhouse
This ain't no East coast, West coast, none of the above
I'm from Chi, I went to Cali, niggaz gave me love
There's a thin line between the fake and the real
Grafted ass nigga, I see through your Glass Shield


Had skills once upon a time on this project, yo
I'm a have ta wreck a Ho'shea
I heard a ho say you her favorite rapper
(So what) so I had to slap her, ugn
And violate you, a Muslim drinking brew
Your nigga ain't no Mack 10, he's a 22

I seen you, you ain't say shit to ATL
Cube, I like that diamond charm, I might cuff it, then sell
It out, like you sold Kam and Threat
A year ago, you wasn't talking shit about the West
Guess you knew your shit was done plus the one got you cable
Hoo Bangin, you ain't banging shit but the table
And the Circle Madd, ain't got no choice but to fight
Ain't none of y'all muthafukas got a chance on the mic
Anytime you come out, yo, I'm a talk about you
Until you let that bitch in you, walk up out you
Any last words before I hit the switch
From the immortal words of one, a bitch is a bitch

Chorus

I'm not much of a rap music listener but I am feeling Common. I'm assuming he dissed Ice Cube because Cube dissed him first. Who knows? I'm not really into that East Coast/West Coast shit. Then again, Common's from the Chi-town so technically neither is he. *LOL*.

Brother is so fine. I especially noticed that when watching this movie I rented called Smoking Aces. Actually I rented that one originally because of Jeremy Piven. I had an older entry where I was singing Piven's praises. But there was plenty of eye candy in that movie besides Piven, most notably to me Common, also known as Lonnie Rashid Lynn.

I still remember Common from his guest appearance on UPN's (now CW's) show Girlfriends. In the episode, he was reciting some poetry basically dogging Lynn. I still remember his scathing words to her when she rejected having a one night stand with him (she's crazy...I would've jumped him):

" I had me some Lynn last night." he recited upon realizing that Lynn was interested in a celibate guy. He was basically calling out her name in front of everyone and soiling her in front of her celibate guy. Considering the lyrics to his song above, it shouldn't be surprising that Common's word can cut to the core.

Hemingway I was looking at some pictures of him online tonight and couldn't help but notice his features. He kinda has a long face but he knows how to dress. Plus I love his voice. He seems like a smart guy too. He almost reminds me of the rapper Mos Def in terms of intelligence and basic common sense. Speaking of which, Mos Def was in the movie Brown Sugar and Common had some songs on the soundtrack from that movie.

I get the impression that he's got lots of talent, even though I don't really listen to rap. But I do remember him from a couple movies he's done over the years. Who knows? Maybe his star might grow even brighter. I'm pretty sure I'll be seeing him featured in another movie sometime soon.

Even more Common...:-)

Labels: ,

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Little Boy Happy

It's been a long wait for me but among the population of releases for next Tuesday is Season 2 of Soul Food. To say I've been looking forward to this release would be the understatement of the year. I had my first official glimpse of Soul Food when Season 1 was released on DVD so many years back. I want to say April 2003.

I had heard of the groundbreaking drama series on Showtime when it first aired. But I was too cheap to get the channel and didn't really know anybody that well that had it and would want to watch it. So I would only hear snippets of what was going on.

So longer story short, I pre-ordered the first season DVD and watched all the episodes within three or four days. I got my older sister Tasha hooked on it too when she came to visit me over the 2003/2004 New Year holiday. It was how we rung in the New Year. I didn't even mind watching it again as I got excited seeing my sister's reactions to the episodes.

So you know as soon as I get my pre-ordered Season 2 DVD of Soul Food next week, that it's on.

I was even reminded of one of the episodes last weekend. The episode in question was titled Little Girl Blue. The main focus of the episode was Teri's upcoming promotion to senior partner of her law firm Green & Norris, where she's been a faithful employee for over 5 years. In a memorable series of sequences, she's over at the resident nightclub Groove Theory hobnobbing with the upper crust set that included Green and Norris. While Teri's doing this, Canadian jazz singer Molly Johnson is singing a jazzy tune called My Oh My. That tune along with Nicole's acting really sold the scene for me. Of course that episode started with Teri's highest of high moments and progressed to her hitting her lowest of lows. Nicole Ari Parker worked it that episode.

Hemingway Rock and I went to our first evening social function as a couple this past weekend. It was a slightly snazzy affair that his closest friends go to every year. The crowd was predominantly lesbian with a few gays floating around. Rock and I were arm-in-arm as he was going around introducing folks to me.

As I watched Rock work the crowd (both up close and from a distance), I couldn't help but flash back to that particular episode. We even had a jazz singer that was entertaining us with her music. I later wowed Rock with my skills doing the Cuban slide (my 1st time doing it). I even won a painting I bid on in a silent auction held that night.

Rock and I were the doting pair. We had quite a few PDA's, public displays of affection. It wasn't even like I planned on it but it just felt natural. I imagine we were the talk of the night. Plus Rock couldn't stop complimenting me on how handsome I looked.

The compliments on my style continued Sunday as we spent half the day together having breakfast, then reading the paper at Starbuck's (the coffee shop not my long ago date) and finally chilling at my crib. He even complimented me well into Monday and expressed how he felt like that weekend was a bit of a turning point in our relationship. He wants us to do more outings like that and wants to make an effort to meet my other friends.

Things are progressing nicely as we hit month nine.

Labels: , ,