Boy, do I have some Tales to Tell...
Two things:
I made some Oatmeal Flax Wildberry cookies today. They turned out to be quite yummy BUT I get bits of flax seed leftover in my mouth after I finish a cookie. Not sure if I like that or not. But, I did come up with the recipe, so I am quite proud.
(Spoiler Alert: Stop reading if you have not seen the season premiere of Alias and are planning on seeing it.)I cannot believe they killed him off. I am devastated. I cried during the funeral.
Later.
Don't you love that moment at the gym when you realize that the two men having a conversation at the sinks in the lockerroom are kinda interested in each other but neither seems to want to make the first move to ask the other out but are obviously trying to show to each other that they are interested in the other because they want to know when they will be at the gym next and the details they give each other are so "detailed" and repetitive that it is obvious that they are both trying to extend the amount of time they are around each other so that one of them will ask the other out but it just seems that the conversation is going in circles?
Don't you hate it when you are caught in between the two and you realize that they are giving each other the eye and you have to be where you are because you are trying to get some papertowels to dry your hands which you just washed but you feel awkward standing there, so you kinda bob and weave to get out of the line of sight?
Yeah, I do. Later.
So, last night, I went to my first wedding in four years. Within those four years, I decided to turn down all wedding invitations because I have found them, well, stupid. It's all the pomp and circumstance that 50% of the time ends in some break-up. The last wedding I went to, before last night, ended with my sister and several cousins not talking to the bride PLUS their respective families being "chilly" to one another. Then, the whole gays-not-being-allowed-to-wed issue came up and I refused to be at any type of heterosexual celebration of the supposed sanctity of marriage. If I can't have it, why should you?
Well, the couple that got married last night were such a nice couple that when Mike asked me to go, I said yes. On top of the fact that the wedding was in their backyard, in the evening, next to their candlelit pool, on a cool night, on a fairly large property, COCKTAILS WERE SERVED DURING THE WEDDING CEREMONY!!!!!! Now that, my dear readers, is a reason to celebrate. The bride and groom looked fantastic, especially while I was sipping champagne. The setting was beautiful, especially while I was sipping champagne. The atmosphere was joyous, especially while I was sipping champagne. Did I mention the champagne?
The reception was about 20 feet away from the pool under a tent. They had a dancefloor with a live band. NO SEATING ARRANGEMENT!!! (Loved that) They had freshly grilled chicken breast, prime rib, potatoes, vegetables, and asparagus. I mean, fresh of the grill behind the buffet table. People danced. People mingled. I went back for thirds. Coffee was great (especially since the temperature began to drop). Cake was scrumptuous. We were done by ten. Home by 11. In bed and asleep by 11:30. And did not get up until 11:00am.
This, dear reader, is the way to have a wedding. Not the silly walk down the aisle with 10 bridesmaids. Not with a wedding dress that cost in the tens-of-thousands (although Mary's dress was definitely not inexpensive. And the shoes!). And not with family squabling to sit or not sit next to whom. I still won't go to weddings. And this may be the last one for a while. BUT if they continue to be like this, I may have to rethink my stance.
Oh, and one last thing: the last line of the invitation stated, "Your presence is your gift." Beautiful. Later.
I know that some of you will make fun of me for not having TiVo. But, damn it, the VCR didn't tape the season premiere of LOST. I was so looking forward to watching it when I got home from work. Now I have to find out if anyone I know has a tape of it. Damn it all to hell!
And on top of it all, I didn't buy any dessert at work. AGGGGGH! Later.
Sweet Mother of Mercy!!!! I have gained four pounds in the last year!!! I'm depressed. I used to weight 184 lbs. Now, I weigh 188 lbs. And yes, I always use the same scale to weigh myself. It's just that I no longer do a lot of cardio on top of the fact that there are so many samples at work plus I eat like a horse and I love sugar. Damn it all to hell!
So, I've decided to stop buying lunch at work and start bringing in lunch from home. That way, I can control my portions and what I eat. I made beef stew with string beans and mushrooms plus a braised chicken dish with artichokes, olives, and capers. And I am going to make some bolognese sauce for some whole wheat pasta which I have stocked up on. I think those will be better choices than the usual bagel with cream cheese plus four slices of ham that I tend to have at work not to mention the occasional bbq boneless chicken or the cheddar/scallion scone. Did I mention the cookies that I am in charge of sampling everyday? I think I may have to put away the cookie jar (which I never fail to fill with some kind of sweet goodness).
A friend told me that I look like I am getting leaner and more muscular. As if that helps at all. I'll have to start pushing myself to do more cardio. I think I'll do some tomorrow. It's all so distressing to me. I guess it could be the wine that I consume. Or the beers. Yes, I do drink beer. Maybe I shouldn't have had that piece of cheesecake tonight... even if it was sugar-free.
Later.
I think it's really weird how there are a bunch of people at my regular gym who argue with their trainer during a session. They're not arguing about Supreme Court nominees or political catastrophes. They're not arguing about the Next Top Model or the lip-synching girls. They're flat out arguing about exercises. And LOUD!
Now, I can understand talking to a trainer about how a certain exercise may not be the most effective. I can even understand talking with a trainer about how you have told her that you are not comfortable performing certain exercises. What I don't understand is clients who argue that they "did that last week." Or that the trainer is "making me do too much". Or that they are "breaking a sweat." And LOUD!!
I don't know who I think is more idiotic: the client for paying money to fight the trainer or the trainer for listening to that whiny crap. And LOUD!!!
Later.
I'm I the only person out here who is tired of actors saying that playing gay roles is the biggest risk they ever took? Jake Gyllenhaal says that the sex scenes in Brokeback Mountain are "one of the riskiest things I've done in my career." But playing a hallucinating-schizophrenic-homicidal adolescent is not at all even cause for pause?
No wonder this world still has negative views of homosexuality. Even a small phrase like Mr. Gyllenhaal's can cause waves in how we, as homosexuals, are viewed. And even if he doesn't think so, it is so. Our society acts subconsciously. It's just plain fact. Advertisers have relied on it since kingdom come. Using the term "risky" in conjunction with something as natural as gay intimacy brings many more consequences than a lot of us care to admit. Far more than I care to talk about.
But why should I be surprised. Public personas are more concerned with their image than they are with anything else. Most of them are just media whores. They'll say anything and everything to make sure that they stay in the public's perception because, like us, they need to make a living. And, for the likes of Mr. Gyllenhaal, they have to cater to the fear that middle america has of homosexuals. Sometimes, I wonder if these public personas realize that they are partially responsible for how any part of society is perceived by the general audience.
Does someone who plays a role have to emphasize that they are just playing a role? You all do know that Jamie Foxx is not really blind, right? I'm just so tired of hearing actors who play gay make it sound so weird. It's just another role. Don't make it sound bad. Your words do have negative repercussions. Try thinking for once. Later.
After teaching today, I wandered around the City with one of my oldest friends. We had lunch at a Filipino cafeteria/diner (excellent), walked down Avenue A to discover a fabulous wine store (Discovery Wines) with a fantastic tasting bar, and had three scoops of sorbet from Il Laboratorio del Gelato (I started with two, finished, and had a third one).
After making plans with her to watch the Ladies Final of the U.S. Open, I came home to my partner who was making a vegetable marinara. Took a nap with him and the kitty. Got up to get some Vietnamese take-out and headed over to my friend's to watch tennis.
Came home slightly tipsy from the wine I purchased earlier. The man was already in bed, so I kissed him good night. Watched a nice documentary on kids with gay parents on LOGO (the gay channel). And here I am blogging about it all.
Life is good. Later.
My first anniversary is approaching. My first anniversary at my job. This must mean that I actually like working there. To be honest, I really do like working there. It's relatively simple work. It's relatively drama-less. It pays well. It has great benefits. And, most importantly, it fuels my total lack of faith in our society.
If you have not been following along, I work for a natural/organic grocery chain. Keep that in mind. So, you ask, what makes me have no faith in my fellow human beings? Here are some of the questions I've been asked:
"Do you sell salt?"
"Excuse me, which way is out? I'm lost."
"How do I pay for these products?"
"I paid $3 less per pound two years ago. Can I have it for that price?"
"Oh, in the produce section. Mmmm, what's the produce section?"
"Uhhhh, what do people use applesauce for?"
"Do you sell underwear?"
"Excuse me, do you work here?" (note: I wear a green apron with our logo on it while I work)
"I don't have my glasses and I am getting a colonoscopy. Can you read the ingredients for me?"
"How do you eat this cereal?"
And, by far, my favorite:
"Ohhh, you should know, where do you keep the Chinese food things? You know, those mandarin orange things."
Ahhh... nothing makes me feel better than having my disdain for our society justified. Later.
My local gym's satellite radio system has been on the fritz for a couple of weeks now. To help alleviate the silence, the gym has been playing a different radio station every day. Today, they had the local R&B station on. Specifically, they had the morning show for the local R&B station on. A lot of the topics were based on or about the Hurricane Katrina disaster down South. One of the topics that they were discussing was how the Katrina disaster and others around the world (ie: London bombings, Spain bombings, plane crashes) were due to society's spiritual divergence. It was interesting to hear the radio personalities avoid specifically naming any type of spiritual transgressions but you could tell they were referring to people who "did not follow the bible."
Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and all other weather-related disasters can be tragic when people are forced into distress. But, is this because "god" is trying to tell you to lead a "better" life? Uh, no. Strong winds are not brought on by inter-racial breeding. Flood waters are not caused by homosexual behavior. Volcanic eruptions are not caused by pedophiles. To think that praying harder is going to stop hurricanes from hitting the gulf coast is absolute imbecillic. Why not just do a rain dance in the Sahara? Or say 20 more Hail Mary's so that the San Andreas Fault vanishes?
A lot of the people who called in to give their "2 cents" basically had the same conclusion: the disaster was brought on by us. I found it very disheartening that people believe that they could have stopped Hurricane Katrina. And by following "god's word". There were a small group of callers who insisted that there was nothing we could do when it came to the weather. One went on to say that knowing that a hurricane could cause such damage, why wasn't the government more proactive in creating some sort of plan (like better levees, better evacuation plans, better recovery plans). Why indeed? Oh, because it busy creating Iraq.
Weather atrocities happen all over the world. Every year, parts of Asia get flooded because of monsoons. Every year, parts of Africa have zero rainfall. Do people survive and live on? Yes. Are they at fault because they don't follow "god's word"? No. Why do we, as Americans, always have to bring it back to doing "god's bidding"? What if I don't believe in a god? Is it my fault?
As a global community some of us are so caught up in "god's word" that we let it rule our lives. We deny people basic human rights because "god says so." We create animosity toward other societal groups that do not affect us because "god says so." We spend our time concentrating on trivial pursuits rather than improving our infrastructure. We hurt, destroy, and kill others because "god says so." And here I thought your "god" was supposed to be self-less and loving.
I wish people would open their minds and educate themselves. Because as is said, "god helps those who help themselves." At least, that what they say god says so. Later.
