Buh-Bye Roommates
I hated to do it, but yesterday I had to tell my roommates to hit the road.
Parting is such sweet sorrow, and I do despise being the villain. But enough is enough. Chronically late with the rent, damaging my furniture, not respecting boundaries or personal space. Yep, this arrangement has run its course.
I hate the way it went down. I told them they had to be gone by Monday. The sensitive side of me feels bad that they are scrambling to find a new place, get it ironed out, and move their stuff this weekend. But hey, they once again were late with the rent and I was done with it.
I know it was for the best. We were all breaking the lease in September anyway. I’ve been living with Daniel since the end of May and I plan on moving my stuff later in August. But when they came to me and said they needed more time to come up with their rent, I knew I couldn’t put up with them for another month.
So there you have it. My first and last time with roommates. Ah, well. It’s one more life experience I’ve learned from. 
Modern Glamour
We’ve successfully survived our first home decorating project together.
Daniel and I painted the bedroom and I really like it so far. I’m in love with this blue. It’s called Liquid Blue from Behr, and photos do not do it justice. Not too much green in it, not too pale, not too bright. It’s the perfect blue to fit our personalities. It feels very modern.
So we got the paint done and the next challenge was finding bedding. I originally wanted a monochromatic room with many shades of blue, both light and dark. But finding blues that worked together proved to be harder than I’d thought it would be. Some blues blended in too much with the wall, others clashed or stood out horribly.
Then we came across a bed-in-a-bag set. Let me preface by saying I loathe those. They are the death of originality. I prefer the task of mixing and matching everything, even though it takes much longer and is more expensive. But this set really grabbed me. Black and white contrasting sheets and pillows with subtle hints of glitter in the details, and a sparkling accent silver pillow… all in one set.
Over the top? A little. But it felt sexy and glamorous, and hell, we’re gay, right? We both loved it and once we really started thinking about it, the possibilities were endless. We found a second spakling pillow and bought it to add to the set. Then we found a soft throw blanket that we put at the foot of the bed for the cats.
To finish it off, I already had a set of striped black satin sheets. Yeah, satin is a thing of the past, but once you get used to it, cotton sheets are never good enough. So we added those and the bed was complete. Next step will be finding some tables and lamps. We’re looking for those thick plastic lamps that seem to becoming popular again. They look like crystal but are actually just thick plastic. They have a minimalistic and (again) modern feel to them. Probably a white or silver lampshade.
Decorating is time consuming, I had no idea! I’ve never been much of a decorator. But working together as a team is very fitting for us, and we always seem to find a style we both love.
One Sick Patient
Picture it… September, 2009… A sick bachelor rests alone in his bed.
It was a miserable time. The bug that wouldn’t go away as I lay bed-ridden for nearly a week. Oh, how I loathed being sick. Worst of all, none of my so-called “friends” would come by to visit me. Bored out of my mind, lonely and quarantined to my home.
Fast forward to yesterday. The early symptoms of me being sick had started on Saturday, but I triumphantly tried to fight through them. By Tuesday morning, I could hardly lift my head to get out of bed. Daniel sat beside me with the sweetest and most genuine look of concern on his face.
I went throughout the day, finishing projects and going about life as normal. By dinner time, my head was throbbing and my face felt hot even though I was shivering. Daniel got home and insisted that I rest.
I did… Well, kind of. It seemed like every few minutes I was up doing something, and he kept following me around, insisting that I get back on the couch. It was pretty cute, and maybe even a little bit funny to me. He was “mothering” me and I found it adorable. But it didn’t seem to stop me much from doing what I wanted.
At the end of the night, he sighed with frustration and told me that I was a very difficult patient. I believe the terms “stubborn” and “too independent” were used, among other things.
I finally realized this wasn’t some game for him. He knew I was sick and was genuinely upset that I wasn’t taking better care of myself. I started taking things more seriously and apologized. I guess in my head, being sick wasn’t a big deal. I know it will pass and I know I will be fine.
But he loves me and wants me to relax. So today I’ve rested all day and tried to keep work to a minimum. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to know someone really cares about me that much. What a contrast from last year, when I was sick and suffered through it alone.
Live, Love, Laugh
They are everywhere.
Generic catchphrases for the home. Picture frames, wall-art, signs. They boldly proclaim things like “Family” and “Always kiss me goodnight.”
They are mass-produced for stores and sold by the case-load to anyone with a sentimental bone in their body. Of course consumers love them. Anyone can agree with a statement when it’s so simplified. Some just say “Love.” Well who doesn’t like to be loved? Better buy it and put it on the mantle.
In my head, I’ve always secretly mocked them. How un-original, I thought to myself. Can’t people do something more creative and inspiring to prove their undying affection?
One of my all-time favorites to loathe was “Live, Love Laugh” or “Laugh, Live, Love” or “Love, Laugh, Live.” No matter what order it was displayed it, I always thought it was unbearably cheesy. Of course I want to do those things. I don’t need a sign to remind me. I do them every day.
But I lost my breath when Daniel picked out a picture frame that said it. Live. Love. Laugh. The word “love” was symbolized with a heart instead of the letters.
He walked up to me in the store, proudly showing me the treasure he’d found. “We can put our pictures in it,” he said with a sparkle in his eyes.
Suddenly my heart melted and I put aside my critical and sarcastic views. Suddenly I saw the appeal of it. This was our love, and of course we’d want to showcase it in a picture frame.
I do live, and because of him, my life is a much happier place. I do love, and with him, I do it more and more everyday. I do laugh, sometimes hysterically and uncontrollably. He gets my terribly obscene and twisted sense of humor, and he completely understands it. He gets me.
Every time I look at the picture frame, I’ll be reminded to be a little softer around the edges.
Fourth of July In Review
Finally, a great Fourth of July!
The last few were miserable due to various circumstances. But this year was so much fun! I spent it with Daniel and his family on their farm. A baby horse had just been born that morning (see photo above) and it was so cute. I got to see it learning how to get up and walk, trying grass and water for the first time, and bonding with its mother. The horse was very shy at first, but finally warmed up to us.
Here’s Daniel with the father:
This was also the weekend of Daniel’s 25th class reunion, so I got to meet his classmates. I even wore a tie, which I try to avoid at all costs. I hate the thought of dressing up, but when I finally do it, I actually enjoy it.
And finally, I got to meet Jason. Some of you may remember his blog from a few years ago. He eventually shut it down, but we have been internet friends for about 4 years now. It was so great to meet him in person! Really funny and nice guy.
