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There are many bad things that can be said about MySpace. There is the unbearable sound of blaring music when you go to someone’s profile, the annoying use of backgrounds that I can’t even read the text on, the spam messages from “hot girls who just want to have a good time”, and last but not least… glitter graphics. But the one good thing is that everyone and their mother has a profile on there. This makes it extremely easy to re-connect with people. I’ve tried similar sites, which are cleaner and more easy to navigate, but MySpace continues to be a place I go to when I really want to find someone. Last night, a girl popped into my head at random. I hadn’t seen her since I was 10 years old. In fact, I hardly remembered a thing about her, other than her name and that she looked very much like the character Claire from Six Feet Under. I hopped over to MySpace and found her within 60 seconds, and was able to catch up on her life as an adult, her husband and their cat. I was even able to read her passionate views about the world… all of which I agreed with. She was exactly the person I thought she’d be. It’s rare when that happens. I sent her a message, we began catching up, and it was like the 16 years in between hadn’t changed a thing. Amazing. So for all its negative points, I am so glad MySpace exists.
I live for moments like this… A phone conversation with our 6-year-old niece: Niece: Guess what? Me: What? Niece: I accidentally found one of my Christmas gifts! Me: You did? Well what is it? Niece: A pink phone! (Very excited) Me: And how did you “accidentally” find this pink phone? Niece: I looked in the right bag. —— HAHAHA! That’s one way to find out what you’re getting.
The first trailer for Sex and the City is out. I’m really looking forward to seeing it. I miss that show. Those were good times. Is it too late for a Golden Girls movie?
It’s a question that major networks have been asking for years, as the entertainment medium continues to take on a new life through the internet. People are now watching their favorite shows on their computers, iPods, even cell phones. This has created a new sense of urgency for the studios to keep up with the demands. I used to laugh at the idea, thinking there was no way I would watch a show on my computer. But like many people, my daily habits have changed. I now spend at least 12 hours a day at my computer. The first half of the day is spent doing work, while the remainder is spent doing leisure. As the cold winter months are upon us, people are more likely to spend excessive amounts of time at their computer than they do during the summer months. In recent months, I’ve found myself watching more TV shows online, whenever they are available. It’s an awful habit of trying to do way too much multi-tasking. I can respond to e-mails, read blog posts, all while having my favorite show playing in the corner of the screen. Hulu is a new and ambitious website project by NBC Universal, which includes popular shows from NBC, FOX, Bravo, FX, Oxygen, and more. NBC Universal recently severed its 2 year tie with Apple’s iTunes Store, which used to be the exclusive carrier of this content. Up until recently, Apple had the largest share of online content and they were king. But it looks like Hulu is about to crush them in the TV arena, and crush their competition too. In October, Hulu launched a beta site, which was only available if you had a private invitation. I added myself to the wait list, and this morning, they finally granted me access. I have to say… WOW! They have a huge library of free TV shows available, full seasons. They even have older shows, which are only available on DVD, like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Dragnet. All of this content is free, with only a few commercial breaks that are 30 seconds. That’s very livable. Best of all, they can be viewed in my web browser without any downloads or add-on software. I’m impressed. The speed is excellent, the quality is really good considering it’s streaming media. I think Hulu has just set the bar very high for the future of television. And while many people might gawk and say there’s no way they would watch shows online, you might change your mind when you see some of your favorite shows from today, as well as 40 or 50 years ago are just a mouseclick away.
Can a chocolate chip cookie ever be healthy? If it’s organic, it’s at least healthier. Rodney picked out some organic cookie mix, and I was very relieved to read on the front that it said “Vegetarian”. I usually like to include raw beef, which is very high in fat content. So I was happy to see they’re now making cookies that don’t have meat in them. They also don’t have trans fat. I’m not completely sure what trans fat is, but I always hear about people trying to get rid of it. I don’t know why so many people are prejudice against trannies. If they only took some time to get to know them, I think they’d like them. I am accepting of trans fat, bi fat, and all other fats. But these cookies didn’t have them. Okay, in all seriousness, a side by side comparison did show that these “organic” cookies were healthier than regular ones. Another huge plus is that they are whole wheat. Store bought cookies are usually made with enriched flour, which sounds fancy, but is really bad. It’s basically been robbed off all its healthy ingredients. That’s why you shouldn’t ever buy white bread. Anyway, I mixed up the cookies, which was interesting since I’ve never made cookies before (true story). This is how it all started:
The dough tasted good, but wasn’t as sweet as regular cookie dough. I suppose that’s a good thing. Then I took little measuring spoons and scooped the dough out into 16 balls. Aren’t they just the cutest things?
15 minutes later and I had oven fresh whole wheat, meat-free, organic cookies. They were delicious and mildly healthy. They didn’t last long, but cookies never do in our house.
So that’s the story of my first time baking cookies. Rodney usually bakes them from scratch, but I felt quite proud of myself for a job well done. (Okay, okay… shuddup. I know a 5-year-old could have done it!)
So I hear you’re working on being the gay white male Oprah of blogs? Yep, I’ve wanted to for awhile now. What the heck is the gay white male Oprah of blogs? Well… I used to say I wanted to be the gay white Oprah. But Ellen Degeneres filled that spot…. well, kind of. Ellen is funny, Oprah really isn’t, at least not on purpose. When Oprah does the deep bull-dyke voice, she is hilarious. Oh, and also when she calls her vagina a “vajayjay.” That never gets old. But Oprah and Ellen are both on TV. You get mad if you have to put pants on to leave the house. In fact, you wear your pajamas when you do leave the house, and you refuse to go anywhere that doesn’t have a drive through. This is true. That’s why I added “of blogs” to the end of the title. With the internet, I don’t have to wear pants. Just look at my blog header. So why do you want to be like Oprah? Or Ellen? I love both of them. They inspire humanity. They are intelligent, strong willed, and compassionate. They help make the world a better place. And they are both minorities, who would have never made it 50 years ago. I always like a story of triumph. Mmm-kay… that’s all true. But how are you going to change the world with your pants off? I’m not sure yet, I just know I am. I’ve always known I would. I want to reach people, and that takes work. But little by little, I think I’m doing it. I think I’m reaching people. Somehow, someway, I think I help make people happier. So what’s this big news? Well, it’s big news to me. The publisher of Out & About, Nashville’s GLBT newspaper, has become a friend of mine in recent months. He didn’t know about my blog, because I usually just tell people about my business website. But I finally decided I knew him well enough to share it with him. So he came here and read through it, and really liked my writing. He told me he wanted me to do some writing for the newspaper, but all the sections are already filled with writers. However, the newspaper also has a quickly growing online website, which has unlimited growth potential. He asked if I would like to write a section for the newspaper’s website. Now I just need to find a topic and a theme. I have a few ideas, but Jerry (that’s his name) suggested I ask the readers of my blog what I should write about. So now I am. I value your opinions. I want it to be different. The basics are covered- they have news, entertainment, opinions, etc. Jerry suggested I write an advice column, which I’d really enjoy. A sex advice column would be fun, but then I would eternally be pegged as “that sex writer” and I don’t want that. That’s not Oprah worthy. How about something inspirational? Something that helps people be happier, more successful, more satisfied with life? That’s a broad net to cast. But I also want it to be a little edgy sometimes. Something that people would read and say “Damn, that Nathan is pushing the envelope. I’m going to forward this to all my friends.” Okay, readers! What are your thoughts? Keep in mind that whenever a new article is published, I’ll be posting something here about it. So it needs to be a topic people enjoy and could stomach on a regular basis. Hello? Am I even in the room anymore? Sorry, I got sidetracked talking to the people on my blog. Help me become the gay white male Oprah of blogs! What are my strongest writing abilities??? I’m leaving now… Thanks for listening.
You know I LOVE taking polls… Regarding birth order (original post): As for poor ol’ fruitcake (original post): And now for a new poll… How much will you spend on gifts this Christmas?
Presidential elections are tough to predict. Historically, you can take all the public polls you want, but the results can still surprise you. So many people are easily swayed. We don’t have firm feelings, and (in all honesty) most of us are a little superficial, which makes us vulnerable to falling for what we see on the surface. There might be a candidate that we don’t completely agree with, but if he or she says the right things, they can still win us over. I’ll give you a perfect example. I had decided that, without a doubt, if I had to vote today, it would be Hillary. Then I saw a segment where Barack was a guest on The Ellen Degeneres Show and he was so lovable. Like your typical tool, I was won over by him and even considered jumping on his bandwagon… all because of a talk show. But that’s typical. There are a million other people out there just like me. We think we know what we want, and we’ve done all our research and feel passionate about a candidate. Then someone else whispers sweet nothings in our ear right as we’re walking up to the booth, and everything is changed. Rodney and I have very differing opinions about this election. I feel that America is ready for a Democrat and that Hillary is going to win by a landslide. I really believe that. But you have to keep in mind that my environment mostly consists of other gay people, with liberal views, and all I hear is “Hillary, Hillary, Hillary.” On another end of the spectrum, Rodney believes Rudy will win. He works in the sales department of a hotel, and he talks to many types of people all over the U.S. He thinks that a good chunk of America is still very conservative, racist, and even sexist. With Hillary and Barack being the obvious front runners for the Democrats, Rodney feels that Americans will stick with the white male Republican, where they feel safe. He makes a good argument. He’s not saying that’s who HE would vote for. He’s just saying that’s what he honestly thinks of people. And I have to give him credit — working in the hotel industry does expose him to many types of people that I never cross paths with. Rodney does have a better opportunity to get insight into what’s going on in the “real world”. So does all this idle chatter matter? Experts say that historically, elections always take an unexpected turn at the last minute. We’ll see…
Sometimes I do more listening than talking. When I go to a social gathering, I remain quiet and study the other people in the room. I pay attention to their mannerisms, their words, their stories. If you want to know if someone is happy, all you have to do is listen to them talk. The longer they talk, the more they confess. You could be a total stranger, and they’ll tell you all about their failing marriage, their stressful job, or the oceans of debt they’re drowning in. Right now, as we’re right in the middle of the holiday season, we get to escape to a fun filled land of love and cheer. It’s the one time of the year when everywhere we go, we are barraged with symbols of hope and peace… and happiness. If only every day could be like Christmas. But soon the New Year will be upon us. We’ll be faced with the dark uncertainty of January. I’ve always dreaded that month. It starts out with such optimism. You make your resolutions, your promises to change. Two weeks into it and you’re back to your old habits, it’s cold out, the sun goes down at about 4PM, and there is just a sense of dullness in the air. Well, at least that’s how I feel about it. The good news, however, is that 2007 has been a remarkable year for me. I’ve actually exceeded most of my resolutions that I made at the start of the year. I quit my miserable day job, I started working for myself, I strengthened my relationship with Rodney, I improved things with my family, and I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. I have to give myself a little pat on the back for a job well done. So when 2008 comes, I will embrace it with open arms. I’m actually kind of excited about the possibilities as I ponder the new resolutions I will make for the coming year. Yes, I’ve accomplished plenty. But we must always move forward with new goals. How else will we grow? And for you other bloggers out there… I’ve been observing you. I’ve been listening to your story even if I’ve remained silent. I’ve witnessed your ups and downs, your accomplishments and failures. Some of you choose to look on the bright side, and see life for all the wonderful things it offers. Other continued to wallow in self pity. You change lovers, change jobs, change locations, and you’re still just as unhappy as you were at this time last year. So I ask all of you, bloggers and readers alike… Are you where you want to be? If you aren’t, why not? Will your friends and family be subjected to another year of your pity party, or will you take the bull by the horns and choose to have a happier life? Remember that happiness is only what you perceive it to be, nothing more and nothing less. It’s a choice, a mindset, an opinion. It’s sometimes a hard pill to swallow, but only we can make ourselves happy. We can’t blame anyone or anything else. The paths we take are with our own free will. I doubt anyone held a gun to your head when you got onto that rocky road. But if you have had a gun held to your head, please accept my sincerest apologies. I hope your new year is filled with more happiness than you could ever dream of.
I just read this great post from Lewis’ blog, and it gave me chills. I love it when I read something that gives me chills. That’s my body’s way of saying it really felt what was being said. Lewis wrote… —– “When Mama was home we never turned away anyone who came to our back door asking for food or a drink of water….One day the lady from the next farm came to visit, and Mama commented on how many tramps she had helped that week. Mrs. Bacon said, “Well, I’m thankful that they never come in my yard.” The next time we had some of the vagrant visitors, Mama asked why they had stopped at our house and not the others. After some hesitation, one of them said, “Ma’am, we have a set of symbols that we use, to show the attitude of each family along the road. the post on your mailbox is marked to say that you don’t turn people away or mistreat us.” After they were gone, we went out and found some unobtrusive scratches; Mama told us not to change them.” — Jimmy Carter, An Hour Before Daylight So, I’ve been considering today who it is that comes to my back door. Not literally, but figuratively. Are there “symbols” on my mailbox that indicate that people are safe to ask me for help? Do I welcome those that struggle? Those who may need a hand up. Being the philosophical soul that I can lapse into from time to time, it’s a perfect time of year to be introspective and ask these questions that deserve an answer. Do I turn people away or mistreat them? I’m afraid that the answer hasn’t always been as positive as I’d like it to be. But the road of life still runs in front of my house. I hope that the next person who shows up at my back door will receive the help that they need. —– Thank you, Lewis.  ©2005-2008 Nathan Exposed . All Rights Reserved Meet the Cast
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It’s been awhile since I posted a “Conversations with Myself” segment, an idea I borrowed from 
