Pride '08 under the blaring sun

I meant to write this blog sooner, things have just been so busy around here. There have been a lot of people coming and going. Now that the bodies have finally filtered out, I actually have a chance to sit down and write.

Central New York GLBT Pride was on Saturday, June 7. This is my tenth year going to the Pride event. Donny went with me for the first time. Some of his teachers and fellow students went, as well, and he got to see them there. He knew more people there than I did! He marched in the parade with me and Jonathan, and he had a blast all day. I took lots of pictures.

The only problem was that it was so hot. Walking around in 90 degree weather all day can be tiring. We did a lot of walking, because after wandering around the Pride event for a few hours, we also went to the Youth Pride event at the Q Center. I've never seen Donny have so much fun! I'm glad he came along. Later, Jonathan and I came back to the festival to watch Sister Funk perform the last few songs of their set. Most people had gone home by then. So we went home to relax in the air conditioning. It was a fun weekend.

The beginning of this week was a scorcher. It was so damn hot. And then the storm hit us suddenly, and left just as quickly as it came. The downtown farmer's market started Tuesday, and I'm glad I went through there when I did, because if I had stayed there another 15 minutes, I would have been blown away. When I went into work, I was up on the 10th floor and there were plastic bags and things flying around. Potted plants were tossed about. People raced to save their fruits and vegetables. I feel bad for them. I hope they didn't lose too much money. What a bad way to start the farmer's market season. I hope next week is better for them.

Now the weather is nice. The sky is bright, blue, and clear, and the temperature has cooled off significantly. I guess we needed that storm to break the heat. Now all is back to normal. Not only has the weather quieted down, my apartment has quieted down, as well. I've had a lot of company lately. But at least now my apartment's clean. It looks great. I can actually have guests over now. But for now I need some peace and quiet for a few days.

And Then There Was One...

After a long battle with the management, my neighbors have finally moved out. It's been a long, stressful process, and I've been a good, supportive friend to them through it all, as I always am. It is so quiet in the apartments on both sides of me now. It's almost like a ghost town. I don't hear Chris's music in the middle of the night. No more waving goodbye to Skip when I leave for work. No more hanging out with the neighbors and knocking back a 12-pack. It was fun to actually have people to hang out with that were literally right next door. As suddenly as they moved out, there are people getting ready to move in. I hope I have good new neighbors.

Skip and Chris found a 2-bedroom apartment. It's not too far from here. I'm sure I'll help them move in. I can't wait to see their new place. Most of their belongings are downstairs in the storage room here. Skip is using my storage room. They will be moving out their stuff soon enough. As soon as their stuff is gone, I will also begin the moving process. It's time to say farewell to this tiny dump.

I'M BACK!

Hello, old friends! Happy Spring! It's been a while since I've visited my blog. I know... I've been negligent. How could I keep away for so long? The truth is that I've been a busy man. I've been cleaning my apartment and getting ready to move, although I'm not sure where. Anywhere but here. Someplace on the bus line. My neighbor and I are looking into sharing a 2-bedroom apartment. It will be easier on both of us because we can split the rent and utilities. He's a good, trustworthy friend, and also the CLEANEST person I know. He's very neat and orderly, which is a good influence on me.

I've put my music project on hold in the meantime until I can get some things done and get into a better place with more room. I couldn't possibly make music here. I barely have enough room for my guitars as it is. Also, Stacy has moved yet further away, making it difficult for us to get together. I miss her, although she is doing well. I talk to her occasionally.

I've also started dating... SSH! Don't tell anyone! My friend Jon and I have started seeing each other again. We're taking things slow and casual. Rushing into things with high expectations, and going way too fast, head first, will only lead to disaster. So I want to keep things fun and lighthearted. No pressure, no stress. It will be nice to have a companion, since my *other* companion is so far away.

Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I've done any blogging. The holiday season kept me busy. Even though I anticipate it every year, it was still quite strenuous, yet fun. Actually, it seemed like one big, continuous holiday. It started at work. I got nice gifts from a couple of the agencies at work. It was so kind of them to think of me, and I know it is an expression of their gratitude for keeping their agencies clean and for being so friendly and sociable. I appreciate their thoughtfulness and generosity. I'm grateful to have a good job with such nice people. That same evening I went to a Holigays party at a Youth Center where I used to attend a youth support group when I was a teenager. It was nice to see some people I haven't seen in a while. I took a swing at the piñata and sang gay Christmas carols (which has now become a tradition at the Youth Center). I also gave one of my paintings as a gift to the Youth Center, and the facilitator was thrilled. She said she would find a special place to hang it. At the end of the week we had a little party at work and it was a nice, relaxing day. My neighbor, Skip, also gave me a nice gift. I'm also fortunate to have such a nice neighbor.

I spent Christmas Eve with my mom, Don, and my brothers. I had dinner with my family and brought a few small presents for everyone. My parents didn't have the money for presents or a tree this year, but at least I brought them some Christmas joy. I worry about my youngest brother especially, because he's still a kid. It's unfortunate that he cannot experience the fun and magic of the holiday season as I did when I was a child. I think it's my duty to bring a little of that magic to him, to keep the spirit alive in is heart. I know he appreciated it. I overheard him talking on the phone to one of his friends who asked him what he got for Christmas, and he told them. Imagine telling your friends you got nothing at all... how horrible that would be! For me, it's not about the presents; I would still be happy if I got nothing at all, but Donny should be able to enjoy the holidays and be allowed the simple pleasures of being a kid. I'm glad I went over there and spent time with everyone, because all I really wanted for Christmas was for my family to be happy together.

The next day, my dad picked up Robert and I and we went over to Nonna's house. We had a great dinner (of course) and opened presents. My cousins had a good time playing with their toys. Tony got an animatronic parrot that moves and repeats everything you say. Nonna was teaching it to say words and phrases in Italian. I've never seen her laugh so much. We also watched the movie Ratatouille, which I missed when it was playing in theatres. After another great day at Nonna's house, I came home with a lot of food to fill my refrigerator.

That evening I got a call from Stacy. She was at her mom's house and wanted to know if she could come over that night instead of on Saturday. She came over and I got to spend Christmas with her, as well. She stayed with me for a week and a half. It was a different experience living with someone, even for a short amount of time, but it was fun. Stacy and I have a lot of fun when we're together. We stayed up late at night and listened to music, watched videos on YouTube, and sat around and talked. On New Year's Eve, I had my best friend beside me. We cruised through a 12-pack of Smirnoff, watched the ball drop, and at midnight, she was the one I kissed. I wouldn't want to ring in the New Year with anyone but Stacy. She is the love of my life. She went home yesterday, and now it's awkward not having her here. But we had a blast, and now I'm recovering and resting from my extended holiday!

Tramps like us... baby we were born to run!

On Thursday, November 15, I went to Albany with my neighbor Skip and his friend Joan to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Skip is a huge Bruce Springsteen fan, and he invited me to go to the show with him. He and I are both great lovers of music. That commonality is the reason we became good friends. We had an interesting road trip, and had a great time at the show. It's one of the best concerts I have ever seen. The energy was great. Bruce performed some songs from his new album, as well as some surprises. We danced, sang, had a few beers, and enjoyed ourselves. We didn't get back until after 2 AM... and I had to work the next day! But it was great. I'm glad I went. Here is the set list:

Radio Nowhere
No Surrender
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason To Believe
Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Candy's Room
She's The One
Livin' In The Future
The Promised Land
I'll Work For Your Love
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
The E Street Shuffle
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last To Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands

Encore:
Girls In Their Summer Clothes
Thunder Road
Born To Run
Dancing In The Dark
American Land

Wonderful Weekend

My best friend Stacy came to visit me this weekend. After a crazy week at work, I was looking forward to an enjoyable weekend. Friday night after work, I went down to the Regional Transportation Center to meet her there. She rode the Greyhound Bus. When I got there, I got a call. Stacy told me that her bus was running late. It wasn't going to be in Cortland for another hour. So I waited in the station for an hour and a half for her to arrive. I sat there and drank coffee from Dunkin Donuts and ate junk food from the vending machine. She didn't get into Syracuse until 11:30 pm. Then we had to wait until 12:15 for the next bus to pick us up at the Regional and take us downtown. Unfortunately, by the time we got downtown, there were no more Centro buses running. The last James St. bus was at 12:30, and we didn't get downtown until 12:35. So we took a cab home. We didn't get back to my place until 1 am.

Despite the unexpected delay, the rest of the weekend was great. We had a great time together. We hung out, ate, watched movies (Spirited Away and Fern Gully), and listened to music (Stevie Nicks, Heart, Siouxsie, Tom Petty, Bob Marley, and a band that Stacy likes called Broken Yoke). We also went next door to visit my neighbor Skip and hung out over there for a while.

After that, Stacy had me put highlights in her hair. She brought the kit with her. I'd never done anything like that before, so it was a new experience. I told her that I'm not a beautician and that I really didn't know what I was doing, but she was happy with the results. I told her she looked like a punk rocker, not only with the additional blond highlights, but also with the pink and blue she had put in her hair beforehand. Plus she got a new haircut (the word "bob" comes to mind) and also a lip piercing, so Stacy looked like a whole new woman!

It was nice to spend time with my best friend. I hadn't seen her in months, since she moved to Cortland. I'm glad she came to visit me. She plans on visiting one more time this year, hopefully before the S-N-O-W (a bad four-letter word) hits us real bad! Although we had a wonderful time, we didn't get much sleep. We stayed up half the night anyway, and since I had to set my clock back an hour, we lost another hour of sleep. So now I'm tired, and now it's time to retire for the night, because tomorrow I go back to W-O-R-K (another bad four-letter word)! Good night!