Went to a birthday party for Anthony last night. It was a fun evening, reminding me of what it's like to go out and enjoy myself.
Anthony has a beautiful apartment near Cameron Village. The rooms were all huge and his taste in decorating is interesting and delightful. It was almost a museum air in the decor, which made perfect for mingling.
The outdoor patio was 3 floors high, and the popping of the beer and the cap bouncing around on the pavement were perfect mood setters. There was plenty of drink and smoke going around out there. It was quite festive.
The mix was eclectic. There was the woman from downstairs who had the most wonderful idea, setting aside a day of the week for just reading. The guy who was making up some of the most ingenious crap and the ghoul who egged him on. Then there was the 20 year old who decided he wanted to explore being gay, with some of the funniest things coming out of his mouth as he flirted with the hostmaker guy.
Yep, it was a fun evening.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Other State of Mind
It's been an interesting several weeks since I last wrote something. And that was kinda bland and boring if I remember correctly.
It's not that I've not been doing stuff. I just haven't taken the time to write about it. For instance, we had our local gay pride parade end of last month. North Carolina (meaning the state, sans Charlotte) has the festival in late September. The first year they did it, something like 14 or 15 years ago in July, people passed out from the heat. So it's a nice end of summer festival. I was in the parade this year.
And last week was spent in Minneapolis. It was a week in training, but I've not been there since I was 21 years old. As a matter of fact, the diary entry took place on the eve of my leaving that fantastic city. Back then I was temp duty 6 months there, far from base. I explored Hennepin back then and all of it's dens of iniquity. I tried to do that this time, but everything moved 5 or 6 blocks east. The Eagle was fun, especially playing bingo on Thursday.
Then there is the study I volunteered for at UNC. It's an alcohol cessation study of a couple of drugs. It's double blind so I have no idea if I have the real drugs or a couple of placebos. Maybe the counseling is helping too, since it's been 3 weeks since I ventured into an adult beverage. Pretty good since it's probably never been more than 2 day ever since Minneapolis or a short bit afterward.
The old house is still out there. What are the chances it's going to sell quickly in this market? Winter is looking like a good time for some fix'it chores. That damn pool needs a new liner. The deck needs painting. But already got the roof and carpet replaced.
With my nights suddenly free, there's lots of time for activities in the evenings. I've joined a gym and manage to fit it in on 3-4 nights a week. Other nights I figure out something to do. Tonight it was a visit to the bookstore, and as soon as I find a nice coffee shop nearby I'll go there sometimes. I'm kinda setting up an alternating mind/body schedule. Tonight I enjoyed reading some of Hawkings theories on the universe. And now I'm blogging.
Did I mention that I've been nicotine free for over 2 years now? Minnesota state law doesn't allow smoking indoors, including in bars. I had been there four days and six bars or grills before discovering that. How awesome is that?!?!
I think I am making great progresss at putting myself into the other state of mind ... of health and happinesss.
It's not that I've not been doing stuff. I just haven't taken the time to write about it. For instance, we had our local gay pride parade end of last month. North Carolina (meaning the state, sans Charlotte) has the festival in late September. The first year they did it, something like 14 or 15 years ago in July, people passed out from the heat. So it's a nice end of summer festival. I was in the parade this year.
And last week was spent in Minneapolis. It was a week in training, but I've not been there since I was 21 years old. As a matter of fact, the diary entry took place on the eve of my leaving that fantastic city. Back then I was temp duty 6 months there, far from base. I explored Hennepin back then and all of it's dens of iniquity. I tried to do that this time, but everything moved 5 or 6 blocks east. The Eagle was fun, especially playing bingo on Thursday.
Then there is the study I volunteered for at UNC. It's an alcohol cessation study of a couple of drugs. It's double blind so I have no idea if I have the real drugs or a couple of placebos. Maybe the counseling is helping too, since it's been 3 weeks since I ventured into an adult beverage. Pretty good since it's probably never been more than 2 day ever since Minneapolis or a short bit afterward.
The old house is still out there. What are the chances it's going to sell quickly in this market? Winter is looking like a good time for some fix'it chores. That damn pool needs a new liner. The deck needs painting. But already got the roof and carpet replaced.
With my nights suddenly free, there's lots of time for activities in the evenings. I've joined a gym and manage to fit it in on 3-4 nights a week. Other nights I figure out something to do. Tonight it was a visit to the bookstore, and as soon as I find a nice coffee shop nearby I'll go there sometimes. I'm kinda setting up an alternating mind/body schedule. Tonight I enjoyed reading some of Hawkings theories on the universe. And now I'm blogging.
Did I mention that I've been nicotine free for over 2 years now? Minnesota state law doesn't allow smoking indoors, including in bars. I had been there four days and six bars or grills before discovering that. How awesome is that?!?!
I think I am making great progresss at putting myself into the other state of mind ... of health and happinesss.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
NC Parks Survey
The North Carolina Parks and Recreation department has a survey posted asking for input as they make plans for the coming years. It's a short survey and takes only 15 minutes or so to complete. I voted for more land acquisition plus improvements to existing parks.
The survey can be found here.....
Over the past couple of years I've become a big fan of the hiking and biking trails in the area. It started when I joined the Triangle Hiking and Outdoor Group (THOG) at Meetup.com.
I love to go hiking, and the rougher the better. Well, I say that knowing that I've not really done too many of the advanced hikes. And bike riding has also become a favorite pasttime. I've done several hundred miles of country road riding, plus the greenways here in town. A couple weeks ago I went to Crabtree trails for some mountain biking and that was fun (and I'll be going back soon!)
Next summer, I think it might be time to explore more rugged terrains, plus maybe some campovers. That will give me the opportunity to sleep under the stars.
The survey can be found here.....
Over the past couple of years I've become a big fan of the hiking and biking trails in the area. It started when I joined the Triangle Hiking and Outdoor Group (THOG) at Meetup.com.
I love to go hiking, and the rougher the better. Well, I say that knowing that I've not really done too many of the advanced hikes. And bike riding has also become a favorite pasttime. I've done several hundred miles of country road riding, plus the greenways here in town. A couple weeks ago I went to Crabtree trails for some mountain biking and that was fun (and I'll be going back soon!)
Next summer, I think it might be time to explore more rugged terrains, plus maybe some campovers. That will give me the opportunity to sleep under the stars.
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