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—– There’s no denying the price to fill up your gas tank is having an impact on your wallet. That’s a given. While we all agree something needs to be done, in the mean time, what can we do to accommodate this added expense? Perhaps we can adjust our spending to balance things out. Let me give you an example. I have friends who grumble when the price of gas goes up 10 cents. Those same people will walk by a dime on the sidewalk and not pick it up. “Why don’t you pick it up?” I ask them. “Oh, that’s just 10 cents. I don’t have room for loose change in my pockets,” they reply. I see. Well in a debit card world, I’m not surprised to hear that. Debit cards are great. I’m not arguing that point. But isn’t 10 cents the same, whether on a sidewalk or on a gas station sign? Is there a new conversion formula I missed out on?
I’ve written a number of posts about manscaping over the years. Who could forget the time I was inspired by Jesse Metcalfe and shaved off all my chest hair? Or what about the day I put a bandage over my pubes? While I still feel manscaping should be an essential part of every guy’s grooming routine, the gays are getting tired of it and now calling for a revolution: the anti-manscapers. You know we gay guys always like to rebel against what’s popular. We also get sick of starting trends and then having them stolen by the breeder boys. So in retaliation, the new trend is not manscaping. When I came across this photo, I just knew this anti-manscaping madness had to stop. Surely there’s some law banning this much hair in a region other than your head. I say we should start a collection box so we can all donate and get this poor man some laser hair removal. I shudder to see his shower drain.
Anyone want to spare a dollar?
Google knows where we live and they’re not messing around…
Our home finally made it to the Google Maps directory, after being ignored for 2 years. I guess we’re big time now. It’s kind of freaky seeing it on there. But it’s also kind of cool being able to stroll through the neighborhood on my computer.
Further down the street, you’ll find the place Petey loves to poop. This is his favorite spot. I don’t know who owns this land, but they must not care because Petey has been laying down chocolate drops for 2 years now and nobody has complained. In fact, they should probably be paying us. He has kept their property very fertile.
Oh, and look at the gas station up the street. $2.81. Wow. (Click here to see an older entry that shows we lived from 2002-2006.)
No? Neither did I. Well I forgot actually. It dawned on me out of nowhere tonight. The site was called Dreamboyz Desktops and it was hosted on a free adult server. Amazingly enough, the site is still there! I’d say it’s been at least 4 years, maybe longer. I went back and looked at the desktop wallpapers. Pretty good, actually. I have to give myself a pat on the back. I usually cringe when I look back at old work. The whole basis of the site is pretty much copyright infringement. I would find sexy photos of men or gay couples and modify them into something more artistic in Photoshop, with no prior permission from the photographer. Oopsie. Oh well, they were free wallpapers and I’d like to believe the photographers would be proud if they saw what I’d done. But the e-mail address on the site is a bit lame. “lullabyboyz”. Ack. Now that is silly. I remember choosing it because “dreamboyz” was already taken. Well I haven’t even logged in for years, I’m sure it’s shut down. Anyway, if you get bored and want to browse some hot photos for your computer, visit my old porn site, Dreamboyz Desktops. Saturday night. You’ve Got Mail on the TV. I love the 90s.
I never know what to say in the first post after I’ve had a death in the family. In the past year, we’ve buried a nephew, a grandmother, and now a father/father-in-law. There’s always a strange stillness in my mind when I try to get back into the groove of things. I should start by thanking everyone for their kind words of sympathy. It’s so wonderful that there are people out there in the world who have never met us, and yet care so much about us. Thank you. Rodney reads my blog and has read every comment regarding the passing of his father. We are both very touched by your support. I was also amazed at how many of you have went through the loss of your own parents already. I can’t imagine how any of you got through it, but I guess you all did. Well onto other items… let me tell you a strange story about spontaneous glass breakage. Ever heard of it? I hadn’t. Rodney was in the garage organizing some things today, and he picked up a glass door that used to be attached to a stereo cabinet unit. It wasn’t cracked or in bad condition. Just a piece of glass that was in the garage. When he picked it up, the glass shattered right in his hands. Thousands of tiny shreds of glass came falling like rain down on his legs, feet, and all around him. Amazingly, he didn’t had one scratch on him. Then it got stranger. The chunks of glass started “popping” in the air… It was just like popcorn. A chunk would actually lift up into the air and explode into smaller pieces, then go flying in different directions. This is called spontaneous glass breakage and it happens unexpectedly. The glass doesn’t even have to be touched. Sometimes it just explodes on its own. Pretty freaky, eh? We’re assuming it happened to us due to the heat in the garage. It was hot today, and it must have put the glass in an unstable state, causing it to explode.
January 1, 2008 - 12:30 AM The phone rang. Rodney and I were driving back home after having a great New Year’s Eve celebration at some friends’ house. We were on the interstate when Rodney got the phone call. “Oh my God!” I heard Rodney say. A series of questions followed as I listened curiously, knowing that it was bad news. His Dad had a heart attack and was in the emergency room. It was the second attack in an increasingly long history of health problems. At 68 years old, it was becoming more and more difficult for his Dad to bounce back from these episodes. “I don’t think he’s going to make it through this year,” I told Rodney. “What are we going to do if he dies?” “I don’t know…” Rodney said. (Rodney’s Dad survived.) June 10, 2008 - 5:10 PM I walked in the door of our home, a strong silence in the air. Have you ever heard a strong silence? It’s amazing how the absence of any noise can be so loud. “Ohhh Nooo!” I heard Rodney scream from upstairs. I knew exactly what happened, as a feeling of dread and disbelief took over me. I ran up to Rodney, where he was on the phone. He flipped it closed, and started making sounds… sad sounds… hurt sounds… sounds I’ve never heard from a human being. “He’s gone, he’s gone,” Rodney whimpered, putting his head down in the keyboard on his desk. (Another heart attack… this one, he did not survive.) June 14, 2008 - 2:00 PM I stared down at the floral pattern on the funeral home carpet, my vision blurring as tears filled my eyes, then clearing as they poured over and ran down my cheeks. I felt the cold air press on me from the vent over my head as soft sounds of sobbing and sniffling filled the room. Every few minutes, I’d hear an unexpected gasp as the emotions became too strong for people, and they let their pain out. Was this really happening? Was my Rodney really without his father now? The feelings were incomprehensible as I tried to understand how people go through this every day, around the world. How does anyone deal with losing a parent? I just can’t imagine it. And his Mother… never again giving him a kiss goodnight. Never again, looking over and seeing him sitting next to her. All the little things which we take for granted and think don’t matter. Those are gone. They are no more. June 15, 2008 - Father’s Day Looking at a blank computer screen, I wonder how to even begin to pay tribute to the man every one called “Pa”. It didn’t matter if you were family or friend, he was Pa. Sometimes he was even Pa-Pa. When people pass on, I know we often say the best things about them. We say “He was such a nice person” and tuck away any negative or unkind words. But really… really… he was a nice person. It’s not just a saying. Pa would help anyone out. He was always there for you. I feel bad for not saying more to him, as we often do feel regret after someone dies. I feel bad for not keeping in touch more, not spending more time with him. How silly of me to think we had forever to say these things. How naive of me to think he’d always be there. Well, since I’m incapable of putting it into words, I guess I’ll just repeat something Rodney said yesterday. “He was my hero… I want to be just like him.” Hold your Fathers tight today. Tell them everything that’s in your heart, without fear or hesitation. If you don’t have time, make it, find it. Do it.
I think I’ve finally come around to enjoying Madonna’s Hard Candy album. There are at least 4 songs on there that I genuinely love: - 4 Minutes But why does she keep saying her sugar is raw? Miss Madonna, if your sugar is raw, you need to put some Preparation H Cooling Gel on it and sleep it off like the rest of us do. Mmm-kay?
I read a lot of sites that drag out the bad news about gas prices as much as possible. You know the media… let’s milk a situation for everything we can so people are ready to kill themselves. I’ll never understand the sick fetish with making people as depressed as possible when they hear the news. I believe in being optimistic in every situation. There is always a way to improve a matter if you just put your best foot forward and give some thought to finding a solution. Let’s take a look at the topic… The Root of the Problem We’ve set ourselves up to be dependent on other countries to provide our resources, and now we’re at their mercy. On that note, let’s do a survey on where our fuel comes from. “Somewhere far away” does not count as a valid answer. Yes, the price of gas is high. But for every problem in history, a solution is found and people become stronger and smarter as a result. Our country has to find a way to get through this, and we will. I promise. A Need for Change In some crazy way, this is a good thing. High gas prices will apply the needed pressure to find alternatives. It will also force the automobile industry to stop selling gas guzzlers. There is no excuse for people to think a car that gets 30 miles per gallon is a good thing. Are you kidding me? Cars in other countries get much better mileage than that. And consumers need to make better choices too. I can’t tell you how many friends we have that buy big SUV’s because they “need the extra room for their dog”. Honey, please. Unless you take your dog out with you every single day, it is not a necessity. Dogs will fit just fine in the back seat. If there isn’t enough room, they’ll make room. Dogs are limber. As for kids… I grew up with two older brothers and when we went out with the family, the three of us were packed together in the backseat of a car. We never had an SUV. Yes, it was a bit tight. Yes, we felt a bit cranky. But we survived and there was no long term damage. The point is, you don’t need a bus to drive your kids around. Better Options for Employees I know what it’s like to drive 45 minutes to work every day. The people out there with long commutes are suffering, and I get that. But again, this is probably an opportunity for improvement. Some jobs can be done from home. I’ve heard that a lot of companies are looking into 4 day work weeks instead of 5. In addition to saving on gas, this is a wise decision anyway. I’ve been preaching that for years now. Many people work better when their work schedule is condensed down to more concentrated periods. How many people out there slack off a little during the week and save some tasks for Friday, just because they don’t matter? Wouldn’t you work better and more efficiently to get them done on Thursday if you knew you’d have Friday off? Work should not rule our lives. We spend most of our time on this earth working, and you can’t take that money to your grave with you. I think it’s a better idea to have longer weekends so you can spend more time enjoying life, and also cut down on driving. I also think people will be better employees when work is condensed down, so it’s a win-win for everyone who has that option. Optimism Goes Far I know it’s easy to be upset about these things, but optimists always find a solution. If gas prices are bothering you, take the optimist path rather than the pessimist path. There is a good chance you’ll find a way to help with your gas expenses. Most likely, whatever you come up with will make your life better for the long haul. I’m not denying that the price of gas is high. That’s just a matter of fact. Anyone can do the math. I’m just saying that attitude makes a difference with every problem.
A lot of you have asked what I thought of the Netflix Player I bought a few weeks ago… so here’s my feedback on it. The Good: Using the Netflix player is incredibly easy. When you’re logged into your Netflix account online, you can browse to see what movies are available to watch instantly. They are marked with a navy blue icon. Just add it to your Instant Queue, and you’re ready to watch it on your TV. The only thing you need is an internet connection to the player, which can be done by wire or wirelessly through your network. The clarity and sound is wonderful. I couldn’t believe I was watching a show over online streaming on the TV. The $99 price tag is perfect. The Bad: A lot of people have complained that the selection is limited. Unfortunately, the blame actually falls on movie studios that stubbornly refuse to allow their content to be made available for online rental. Netflix is working to negotiate with studios and I feel confident that they will have much more to choose from as the year goes on. They are already adding more content daily. The Ugly: I had a technical question and called Roku, who makes the product. They will be your point of contact if you have a question that is hardware related. The first question they asked me was what I was using for my wireless network. When I told her it was an Apple Airport, she immediately told me to call Apple and said she wouldn’t help me. This is inexcusable. The Apple Airport is simply a wireless router, just like any other brand. It has nothing to do with Windows or Mac, or anything like that. It’s just a box. And there’s no way Apple is going to provide support for the Roku box. Roku is the maker, and they should provide support for their product. Not Apple. Further, the Netflix Player is intended to compete with Apple TV. They have a long way to go if they refuse to help anyone using an Apple product. The Bottom Line: Crappy support aside, the Netflix Player is wonderful! It’s affordable, reliable, and we’ve been so impressed with it. We did have some troubles on the first day, but I suspect the box was in the middle of a service update. Just like Tivo, the player automatically downloads updates from the internet periodically. After being on for a few hours, it was fine and there have been no more problems.  ©2005-2008 Nathan Exposed . All Rights Reserved Meet the Cast
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