Odd Years
Does the symbolic number of a year affect our lives?
I don’t know if this really holds any truth to it, but I’m under the impression that my best years are odd numbered years. I was born in an odd year, 1981, and it seems like great things seem to have always happened in odd years.
- In 2001, I met Rodney.
- In 2003, I graduated from college and started a thriving career at a design firm.
- In 2005, I moved to Tennessee to be closer to family.
- In 2007, I quit my day job and started doing my own design work full time.
I suppose this is all in how you look at it. I can point to negative events that happened in any of these years too. I think it’s fair to say that all years have their share of positive and negative events, which shape us into wiser people.
Maybe it’s more accurate to say I seem to have more milestones in odd numbered years. Even numbered years seem to be about planning. Odd years are about taking action.
I can’t wait to see what 2009 brings.
Happy New Year everyone!
Katy Perry “Thinking of You”
One of the year’s most popular artists is surprisingly talented.
Okay, I made a mistake. I owe an apology to Katy Perry. I originally thought she was just a one-hit wonder, and she kind of bothered me. Her first single “Ur So Gay” seemed homophobic. Her next, the huge summer hit “I Kissed A Girl” also bothered me because I thought it was sending the wrong message. She made homosexuality seem like some perverted fetish… something college kids do when they’ve had too much to drink. It also kind of irked me that there was no girl kissing at all in the video.
By the time “Hot N Cold” rolled around, I’d come to love her music. I get it now. She’s a fag hag. She’s not homophobic, and perhaps she’s been around gay people for so long that she doesn’t even realize that her music could be misconstrued. A true fag hag can joke around with her gays and they understand that she loves them. So okay, you fag hag, I love you now.
Her fourth video, “Thinking of You”, is surprisingly deep. It has love, tragedy, drama, all rolled into one. The video features Matt Dallas (cough… homo… cough..) and has a vintage theme to it. You can see it here:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=49905719
But now the plot thickens. It seems there was a different video originally shot in 2007. It’s very interesting. In the end, she murders her boyfriend by stabbing him in the back and is covered in blood. Wow. I’m glad the video was re-shot because it has a more developed storyline. Still, it’s worth seeing the original for the surprise ending:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=26305099
Archie Is No Longer Jail Bait
David Archuleta is finally legal. He turned 18 on December 28th.
So for all you homos with a twink syndrome (you know who you are), it’s okay to publicly admit you have the hots for him. Now that the whole world is his oyster, it’s time for David to decide what kind of homo he’s going to be when he grows up.
I’m going to guess he’s a sugary romantic at heart, probably writes love poems in his journal and waits for his prince to come and whisk him away on a white horse. David is traditional in that way. I think he gets a nervous case of flatulence on his first dates and he’s saving himself for that special someone.
What can I say? I’m good at reading people.
But wouldn’t it be a hoot if he were secretly an aggressive leather daddy with a fisting fetish? I can just see him all Criso’d up telling some guy in a sling to “take it like a man”. What a sight that would be!
In other news, last month I wrote a post about David stating that his official website said it was “coming soon” even though David had a full length album available in stores.
So how did they rectify the situation? With a Ning page! That’s right. Ning. If you’re not familiar, it’s a wannabe MySpace site that kind of blurs the lines between forum and blog. This is as good as it gets. Come in 2nd place on American Idol and you’ll get your very own Ning page. Hiring a real web designer to build a real web site would just be too much effort for Jive.
Anyway, happy birthday David and have a great new year! You can handball all the men you want now. Please send us photos.
The After Christmas Post
Hello all! I hope you had happy holidays.
After almost a week away, Rodney and I are back in Tennessee and getting back to things. I must say it’s been an introspective week. We’ve come to terms and are facing the grim truths of how we feel.
Rodney and I, as well as my parents, have all agreed we no longer enjoy Christmas. There is a long list of reasons why, and as much as I’d like to go into detail, I think it would only come off as whiny when I really don’t intend to be.
I guess the short version is that it’s just not the same. Our family is shrinking. In the last 2 years, Rodney has lost his father, I’ve lost my grandmother (Mom’s side), and Rodney’s nephew passed away. Family traditions are waning and all that’s left is a fake smile as we are reminded of Christmas past, when we had happier times.
The funny thing is I can’t name one thing that went wrong this week. We had good visits with many family members, spent quality time, ate good meals, have some laughs, shared some hugs. If this were a movie, everything would seem just fine.
But there is an emptiness we feel and we discussed it with my parents. All 4 of us feel it, so it can’t just be coincidence. None of us are sure if we will ever be able to move on and enjoy the holidays. We feel like we’re just going through the motions, doing what’s expected, but none of us really feel the way we’d like to feel (or used to feel).
So I guess this is something we’ll need to work on. The human spirit is always a work in progress, right? It’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one who feels lost, and maybe as a family, we can all lean on each other to find our way in the dark.
In the mean time, Rodney and I are both ready and waiting for the new year. It’s a symbolic opportunity to shed any burdens from 2008 and get a fresh start.
2009, here we come.
Let the Eating Begin!
Well it’s that time of year again. On Monday afternoon, Rodney and I will be going to see our family in Illinois for Christmas.
Forget the holiday spirit — I’m in it for the food! Chocolates and cakes and pies and cookies. Ooh, and cheese wheels, can’t forget those. Mmm cheese wheels. Oh, and fruitcake! Why does fruitcake have such a bad reputation? I love fruitcake. Don’t re-gift it… mail it to me!
Happy Holidays, travel safely, and I’ll catch up with you all in a week. 
Bush’s Crazy Spree
If history has taught us anything, when Bush opens his mouth, you can expect to hear something crazy.
For the sake of everyone’s sanity, I really thought he was going to spend the last month of his term quietly, as he did during the elections. Hasn’t the guy done enough damage?
Today he said that “there can be no debate about the results in keeping America safe” post 9/11.
Hmmm…
Okay, yes, I do agree that there have not been any terrorist attacks since 9/11. But saying that kind of makes it sound like we get attacked every day, which we don’t.
And who was in charge on 9/11? Oh yeah, he was.
So were the victims of 9/11 just test dummies? There are mountains of evidence that show he was forewarned of the attacks before they happened.
And speaking of “safe”, how exactly would you classify the response time on getting help to Hurricane Katrina victims?
Reporters and volunteer rescue teams were on the scene immediately. What the hell took him so long?
I really don’t like writing posts that are bitter and infused with negativity, but we’re talking about human lives here. I understand that sometimes humans make mistakes, and a President is human, just like anyone else.
But this guy has consistently made poor decisions and displayed bad judgement while running this country.
Bush has started some weird campaign where he’s trying to go around the world to convince everyone that he’s really a good guy.
That’s kind of rubbing salt on barely healed wounds, don’t you think?
Jesus and a Feather Boa
I love this photo that I saw on DudeFlesh. The guy has a drawing of Jesus on one wall, and a feather boa on the other.
What else could a guy need?
A Shoe to the Head
Throwing a shoe at George W. Bush doesn’t even begin to make up for all the damage he’s done as our President…
But it sure is a good start. I can’t get enough of this video! If you haven’t heard, an Iraqi journalist threw both of his shoes at Bush today, missing his head by just a few inches.
Photo from The Huffington Post
Winter Wonderland
It started with icy sleet in the afternoon, and by early evening, the whole town was covered in snow.
I love the snow, especially now that I work from home and don’t have to drive in it. I heard the sound of children laughing and playing outside my window, and it reminded me of when I was a kid.
What is it about snow that puts children in such a good mood? It’s cold and wet. But it sure is fun! Best of all, when it sticks, there is no school the next day. When I was a kid, the first thing I’d do when I got back inside was run to my parents and ask if they’d heard any news about school closings.
Just writing this takes me back to simpler times. I grew up in the midwest and we really had some big snows. School would be out for days. I’d get up at the crack of dawn and go play outside in the neighborhood. We lived on a sloping street and we’d walk to the top of the street with our sleds and ride all the way down, picking up fast speeds before the grand finale down the block. Weeeee!
Now the ground is covered in snow. It’s only about 2 inches high, but the ice seems to be really thick on the street. I enjoy looking out the window and seeing freaked out drivers swerve all over the place. Don’t you silly people know that the regular speed limits don’t apply on ice? 
When Rodney was outside earlier, he said he saw a tiny set of footprints. As he followed them to investigate, a rabbit jumped out at him and hopped across the street. Poor bunny. I bet he’s cold.
Speaking of which, it’s hilarious to watch our dog Petey go outside in the snow. There’s that initial shock as his paws sink down into the snow, and that look of “What the fuck?” on his face. Then he sort of hops around trying to find a dry spot, but there is none. So he just pees quickly and runs back inside.
Good times. I love a snow day.
Penis Eater
In some cultures, it is considered perfectly natural to cook and eat animal penises.
I don’t think there’s really any way to ease into this video, so here goes… cooked animal penis:
