Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Check-Out Stand

Summer has finally decided to make its descent onto Chicagoland and I for one can't be happier. Even though the humidity has been quite high these last few days, I keep reminding myself as I'm baking in the sun that my body is getting its natural supply of Vitamin D. That's become especially critical due to my recent diagnosis.

Sally and I have been hanging out a lot these past few months. She's still underemployed and continues to do the juggling act paying her various bills. A job offer that was made way back in April had long fell through due to the guy making the offer (who was a friend of Rock's friend though not necessarily a friend of Rock's) not having the proper authority to make the hire.

It's been a tough road for Sally. I've had to do my best to comfort her whenever the situation overwhelmed her. I feel very frustrated because I wish I could more to help her as well as being worried about my own situation. Yeah yeah...for years I've talked about chucking the job but unfortunately I still need the steady gig. So far my position is relatively secure but you can never be too sure.

So Hemingway Sally and I have been hanging out studying to become Project Management Professionals. We both took an online class on PMP back in January (well she talked me into taking it...*LOL*) And since the class ended in April, we've been meeting weekly to study for the exam. My exam date is scheduled for June 29th.

But we took a break from studying to go to this festival in Evanston called Custer's Last Stand. According to the info, CLS is an extension of the Evanston Festival Theatre, and the main purpose is to offer a showcase for local artists, craftspeople, and entertainers.

So the highlight of this festival was Sally mentioning that this hot dude that was working one of the tents was totally checking me out. Dreambiceps and I did make eye contact but I thought he was just trying to sell me something. Plus Sally and I were looking for a place to sit to eat some food that we bought. But she swears that she saw him doing the once over checking my ass and tight calves out.

So later on after eating and walking around elsewhere I suggested we walk back towards that area. Sally settled on a jewelry shop five booths away while I stood just outside it waiting. To my surprise Dreambiceps starting walking towards where I stood. He sort of was doing this looking everywhere but at me thing but it seemed clear that he was interested. But my silly ass didn't take advantage of it.

So Hemingway towards the end we were listening to some jazz on one of the stages near the entrance we came from. I was harping to Sally about Dreambiceps and she was like you need to go back there and talk to him. So after a bit of back and forth, I agreed.

I nervously walked back towards his booth. Before going there, I detoured inside a nasty port-a-potty. I did my business, thankfully of the number 1 kind (TMI...I know..*LOL*) and then I approached Dreambiceps. He introduced himself and then we sorta discussed what his business could do for me and then he gave me a mini-flyer with an 800 number. I wasn't as bold as I wanted to be and he didn't come out and say he was interested. So I sort of dismissed it.

But I decided to call the 800 number (with Sally's prodding) when I knew nobody would be working and there happened to be a directory listing and his extension came up. So I may just to give him a ring. We'll see.

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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

E-Cast









I thought since it's been a minute, I should recap all the cast of folks that have come and gone in my life and made impacts, whether positive or negative. These are folks that I've blogged about in the past and may blog about in the future. So Hemingway without further adieu, let's start with...

I M M E D I A T E
F A M I L Y


Mom and Dad - They're pretty self-explanatory. I was blessed to be raised by both and even though times weren't ever easy, I wouldn't trade my parents for the world. Well except maybe my Mom for Big Dee....*LOL*. Just joking.

Tasha - My older sister by one year and four months. She beats to the beat of her own drum, which sometimes takes a bit of time to figure out. But her off beat personality makes her unique and I'll always love her.

Trina - My younger sister by six years. She's the social butterfly of the family. Her street cred personality sometimes clashes with my "bougie" side but we love one another and will no doubt watch out for each other.


F R I E N D S

Sally - She's my closest ally in the world and my #1 fag hag (sorry Reesie...*LOL*). We've known each other for almost 15 years and I have no doubt we have each other's back. Even though we live an hour apart, we keep in touch constantly.

No_The_Game - Since the day I met her at Caribou Coffee over three years ago, she's been a constant presence in my life. I enjoy hearing her unique insights on relationships and have met some of her close friends, which has been a cool experience.

Eugene - Eugene's my ace-in-the-hole, homie, ace boon coon. Since the fateful day I met him on A4A, he's always willing to toss his two cents on various issues in my life, even if I don't ask for it. He's a true kid at heart down to his crazy practical jokes, which one day I plan to get even with him on. I may have a potential ally to help me there...*LOL*.

Doug, Rick, and Keith - Those three are my college buddies from way back. Even though we all don't keep in touch as much as we should, whenever one of us is in need, one or all of us pulls together to help out. And actually Doug and I have gotten closer since I shared the gayer side of E. I look forward to visiting Doug at some point in the future.

Stan - I met him at my job when I first moved to Chicago. He's a good natured guy married with two kids who is my go-to person for real estate queries.

W O R K
A C Q U A I N T A N C E S


Ling - She's my crazy Asian co-worker without the filter. Lately she's been taming her tongue and we're in different groups now. The layoffs that our company's being having lately have likely calmed her a bit.

Dan - As Ling becomes calmer, Dan's become more cut throat. My new boss has told me that he's bad mouthed me to her in the past and he's become less trustworthy. He's one that I definetly have to watch out for.

SLAB - The funny acronym I gave my former Slightly Less Annoying Boss. He's moved on to bigger better things in the company

Fussy - He's my crazy business user who I continue to support. He can be demanding but one thing I do like about him is that he knows his shit.

Happy - Happy continues to be the happy-go-lucky guy of the group. He was actually one of the first ones to tell me not to trust Dan years before I realized Dan's two-faced personality. His instincts were definitely on the mark. He's currently on medical leave after having surgery on a defective heart valve. He's doing well and hopefully will be back in the office sometime in July.

Smooth - Smooth is the Billy Dee Williams cat daddy that I befriended years back. He was a victim of our last round of layoffs but he's doing it for himself as a consultant of his own firm he's trying to get off the ground.

Reid - He's my crazy former bowling buddy who was also a victim of our last round of layoffs. But he was recently rehired back in the company for a smaller salary (a trend that a lot of companies seem to be doing these days).

Deidre - My ditsy greek former teammate. She's over in a different part of the company and is adjusting to life as a mother and wife. Every now and then we keep in touch via work email to see what the latest happenings are.

M E N S E S

(Preface: I've had a lot of menses that I blogged about over the years so I won't list them all....just a few that were somewhat significant in one way or another.)

Vince - The only reason why I'm listing this jerk is because he was the first guy I've blogged about. He was my "coming out" guy to the blogworld. I've no idea what he's doing these days and I don't care.

Chad - He was the crazy 20-something that I had a date or two before finally kicking to the curb. He had issues up to the wazoo. Despite our rough going, I actually hope things are okay for him and hopefully he's matured a bit by now.

Rock - What can I say? He was my first real boyfriend. We had a lot of good times and a lot of bad times. I've learned so much from my two years dating him. We fell out of touch recently but I will always wish him well.

Midas - He was the guy that introduced me to my wild side sexually. One thing I didn't mention about him (not that it matters...guess that's why I didn't mention it) is that he's caucasian. As much as Midas satisfied me sexually, I unfortunately knew that he ultimately wouldn't give me what I desire....a monogamous relationship.

And introducing....Colin - You may be hearing a little bit more about him. He potentially could be my new boyfriend. I met him while visiting Eugene in Boston during Memorial weekend. Meeting Colin was the most random thing too. He caught me viewing his profile and basically he asked me if I was visiting the Boston area that weekend, which I was. We met and hit it off and have been chatting daily since. I actually am planning another trip to Boston in a couple weeks to meet him exclusively. I may be able to sneak a lunch or dinner with Eugene....*LOL*.


So there you have it....the cast of characters that have impacted E in one way or another in the real world. No doubt you'll hear more about them and future characters as I continue to blog. PEACE!




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Monday, June 22, 2009

My Following

This entry is inspired by Mariah's Carey's lyrics to Vanishing.


Verse 1
If I could recapture, all of the promises
and blog more often, surely I would
Hear the crickets chirping
From my lack of entries
To keep interest here
Fading blogger counts result.

Refrain
(Swiftly) my following, drifting away
My following, ohhh noooooo

Verse 2
I was so enraptured, caught up in selfish shit
I let this blog slip, I messed up ya'll
Now I hear the silence
And it is deafening
So here I am now
Trying to make blogger counts rise

Repeat Refrain 2x

Interlude
Reaching out to all who'll listen
Hoping they will forgive me for my past
Just a trace of someone's response
Tonight....YEAAHHH YES!

Verse 3
And if somehow I could recapture
All of my blogger friends
And bring them back here
Surely you know I would
But my hopes are fading faster
Hoping that the day will come
When my inspiration swings back
And blogger counts rise up fast

Repeat Refrain 2X

Outro:
My following, following, following,
following, follow-woah-ing
Oh no, woah-woah, come back!!!!!!

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