Category: happenings

more tattoo, tetanus shot pain, and reflections on losing a loved one

Getting tattooed tonight… not looking forward to the pain, but I am very anxious about getting it done; the design is so cute. I can’t wait. I am worried that it is going to hurt like nobody’s business because of the all over the body pain I have been experiencing since I got a tetanus shot on Monday.

They said that I would be a “little sore”, but it literally feels like someone stabbed me in the arm, and that my arms and legs are in a vice. I just feel extremely uncomfortable in my skin right now. I hope that the pain from that subsides, and I really hope that it doesn’t make the tattoo more painful (which it sometimes can).

Other than that, there isn’t a whole hell of a lot going on with me right now. I am pretty much in limbo zone, trying to get these vaccinations squared away for going back to school. I will be glad when it is finished, and I can find out about my acceptance and all that fun stuff. I have to admit that I am excited about going back to school, but there are two things that are worrying me; I am worried that I won’t do as well as I want to, and I am stressed about the amount of time it is going to take to finish my degree. I just wish I could dedicate 100% of my time to it and knock it out… but we work with what we have, right?

Finally, last night I was watching Kathy Griffin’s My Life on the D-List, and it was a pretty sad episode, because her father died, and she was very distraught by his death. At the risk of coming across as somewhat heartless, I found that I couldn’t relate to what she was feeling; even though I felt bad for her, and as a result got upset myself. What most people would have probably felt during the episode would have been about how they would feel (or did feel) with regards to their own father’s death; but again, I didn’t relate. I had nothing. This is not to say that I wouldn’t be sad if my dad did die, but I just didn’t feel anything when the thought crossed my mind. Again, at the risk of coming across as heartless, I really don’t think that his death would affect me that much, mainly because of how distant my parents have become over the past several years. I talk with them maybe once every two months, and it is always me calling them for whatever reason (asking about when I had chicken pox for my vaccinations sheet was the most recent). The distance may or may not be a lack of caring, but at this point, I have stopped trying to fix it, and instead am learning to just deal with it. They are who they are, and if they wanted to be involved in our lives more, they would be.

See, here is where I am coming from: I had an 8 minute conversation with him on Father’s day, 75% of which I have heard every time I have talked to him on the phone in the past couple of years (they are coming to visit in the fall, he misses us, blah blah blah). Now, I am not saying that I don’t appreciate the sentiment, and that I don’t love my father, because there is nothing farther from the truth, but I honestly feel an empty place inside me where these deep feelings for him “should” be. Will that change? Probably not, because I know that he doesn’t “approve” of my “lifestyle”, and he and my mother keep their distance with expert skill. If things could be different, perhaps I would have identified more with Kathy, instead of simply feeling bad for her loss. Perhaps one day, I won’t feel that emptiness, and will fear the death of my own father, but for now, it isn’t something that particularly bothers me, especially because of his continued absence in my life. I remember being little and one of the things I worried about the most was losing my mother or my father, and as time has progressed, those fears have been hushed so significantly, that they simply aren’t there anymore. I have become numb to that fear, and I honestly couldn’t tell you if I would even feel anything at all. It is strange how your relationships can change so dramatically, especially when you have little or no control over those changes.

I guess that’s how it goes sometimes. Nothing to feel bad about, really, I guess I am just reflecting. I am feeling sort of reflective with Pride weekend coming up and all, and the show just triggered this lack of a reaction, really. Just thought getting it out there would make sense.

Totally shifting gears, who all is going to be out and about during Pride? We should be having a tent, so please, stop by and hang out!

it’s all about promotion, baby!

Two HUGE promotions today folks… are you ready?

First of all, I want to promote the intensely amazing news that Sara Bareilles‘ single, Love Song, is the free download of the week on iTunes!!! This is great news, because it will definitely give people an opportunity to discover her amazing talent for free!! I hope that this will garner the sort of attention that it has for many people whose singles were featured there in the past.

Click on this banner to take you to iTunes, where you can download the single Love Song for free!! (but hurry… it’s THIS WEEK ONLY!) I know you will love it (!!):

Additionally, there is a special pre-order deal going on right now; if you order her upcoming debut CD, Little Voice, over at the Sony music store, you can get a free hand-numbered lithograph of either the lyrics for the amazing song Gravity, or for the aforementioned single, Love Song! I went ahead and ordered mine, and I can’t wait for it to get here!! The CD comes out on July 3rd, so pay attention to this amazing artist, because she is going to be huge if there is any justice in this world!

The second promotion I want to blog about today, is the grand opening of the new tattoo shop, Ink and Dagger Tattoo, owned by my amazing tattoo artist, Russ Abbott. Russ did the amazing half-sleeve that I have, as well as some other work, and I can definitely say that he will be the one that I go to, in order to get any future work for me! He’s amazing! He’s actually doing a piece for me tomorrow, which you will just have to wait and see when it is complete. I will be dropping by the shop to check it out tonight, and I am so excited for him, that he has his own shop now! If you are in need of an amazing tattoo, look no further than Ink and Dagger Tattoo in Decatur, GA, because both artists at the shop (Russ and Malia) are top of the line, and will give you a work of art that you can cherish for the rest of your life.

Whew! Now that is a lot to be excited about!! Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday, and make sure you check out these people I am promoting… you will love them! I certainly do!

MIKA @ Center Stage ATL June 16, 2007

Last night, we had the amazing pleasure of seeing the amazing MIKA at Center Stage. It was a sold out show, and MIKA more than delivered.

The show was amazing. MIKA is an amazing performer, and totally has the talent that he displays on his record. I was blown away with how awesome this 23 year old (!!) is. I will definitely keep my eye out for when he is in town again. Great show!

The opening act, Natalia, wasn’t really my style. I could have done without her. Additionally, between her and MIKA, there was this weird round of break dancing, which was kind of out there, and really went on too long. It got annoying.

There was this really odd gentleman who was to our right, up in the seats section, who had staked a claim on a handicapped person’s space, who literally performed routine after routine for the people in the crowd. It was quite entertaining, and made us wonder what he was on; because it was probably some good stuff.

The show was also taped, so that was kind of interesting to have this huge camera boom over our heads and in our faces all night. Perhaps I will be on a DVD some day. Who knows…

Overall, the show was awesome, and it ended (as you can get a feel from this picture), with the performance of Lollipop, with the whole band coming out in furry animal costumes. Once the song got going, these huge balloons filled the arena, and there was even a huge blast of confetti shot into the air. It was pretty amazing.

I guess I really can’t say enough positive things about the concert, and if you weren’t there, you certainly missed out. At least do yourself a favor, if you haven’t already, and check out the amazing MIKA! You won’t be sorry!!!

let’s keep it simple today, okay?

First of all, I wonder why people like this even bother seeing movies like Fantastic Four in the first place? Don’t they know that it is actually supposed to be a total cheese-fest, eye candy movie that is based on a hokie, silly, comic book? I don’t get why people are so disappointed by movies that they know they won’t like… why go see them? With that being said, James and I went and saw Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and we both really liked it.

I have to say this about the movie: if you share anything in common with the writer of that review, steer clear, because you won’t be able to just sit back and enjoy the show. Additionally, if you didn’t like the first one, again, stay clear, you won’t like this one either. While I didn’t think that it was the best movie ever, it was certainly entertaining, and I had a good time while watching it. The special effects were fun, and the Silver Surfer was amazing. I can’t wait to see what the spin-off franchise has in store for him. All in all, I would totally see it again; and I will get it when it comes out on DVD. I would have to give it between 4 and 5 stars, so I will just give it 4 ; seems fitting, doesn’t it? Again, if you don’t have the ability to just enjoy something for what it is; a special effects driven, silly, comic book, eye-candy film, this movie isn’t for you. With that being said, why waste your time watching it, and then go on to bitch about it? Go see something else. I know that there are plenty of those like me that will see it and will actually enjoy it, and we are the people the movie was made for anyway.

While I was getting the link for F4:RotSS, I totally stumbled on the page of the guy that plays the Silver Surfer, and noticed that they are currently filming Hellboy 2!!!! ROCK! I loved the first one. Can’t wait for that! I love my comic book movies; which probably stems from my rather large comic book collection that I still have from when I was younger… Either way, I love this surge in comic book movies; especially in this day and age with the special effects they can do. Anyone else say Thundercats? Yeah! We can hope, right?

Finally, I noticed that Kelly Clarkson is cancelling her tour, due to poor ticket sales, and I can’t say that I am surprised. Based on what we have heard so far, things don’t look good for our favorite Idol. I have to say, I have tried really hard to get into her new song, and I have even given the album more than a few lessons, and overall, it isn’t what I was expecting from someone who wrote such a beautiful song with Because of You. I know that she wants to “do her own thing”, but I really hope that she does listen to the professionals that are trying to help her have a long career… I don’t want to lose the Kelly that I love! Let’s hope we can put this album behind us and move back into greatly produced pop, okay? I say this, because you know how flawless you are, Kelly, you don’t need to prove anything to us! I’m routing for your Kelly!!! I won’t give up on you just yet, okay!

Hope you all have a great weekend… James and I have the twins 4 year old birthday party tomorrow before we head out to see MIKA at center stage. That is a concert I am totally excited about!!! Expect pictures in the future!!

reconnecting and wow, time flies

It all started yesterday morning; I got several emails and comments from an old friend from college, one who I haven’t seen or spoken to in years. I was so shocked, because this friend was such a close friend, and when I moved away from college, we fell out of touch. I know now, that it was because of several changing aspects of my life (I came out right after college, which was MOST of the reason I just went forward, without looking back) that led to rapid changes, and leaving old friends behind; but that doesn’t mean that I ever forgot about them. And hearing from her was such an amazing surprise.

It was amazing to hear how much things have changed (she got married and has 2 kids!) in the last 7 years, and it really makes you realize how quickly things can shift and change, as well as how quickly time flies. We ended up talking on the phone last night for the first time in years, and it was as if we had seen each other the day before (but with more stories, of course); and it was great! There are very few people in your life that will have an impact on you, and Vanessa definitely had a huge impact on my life (as well as Beth, whom I am looking forward to reconnecting with soon too! Email me!). While I do regret that we lost touch for so long, I must say, that reconnecting is probably the best thing ever, because it clearly highlights that there is no reason for us to lose touch again. We have to hold onto those special connections in our lives, and this is a very good reminder of how important it is to do just that.

I was seriously on cloud nine last night, because it was amazing to reconnect with someone that I am so close to, even though it has been years since we have seen each other. I also makes me reflect on the changes and choices we make in our lives, and it makes me want to stop for a moment and think about how some of those changes have affected me, and my connections with others. I can honestly say that there are very few people in my life that I would truly consider “best” friends (I know that best indicates one, but I have a few, alright!), and I am just in shock that I was lucky enough to reconnect with one of mine. (Thanks Vanessa for contacting me!!) This blog, if it has served no other purpose than to give me room to share my thoughts and opinions, I can definitely say that it has provided an opportunity for me to reconnect with someone very special to me, that I haven’t seen in years.

How awesome is this world that we live in, that even though time, distance, hundreds of miles, several years, and everything in between can separate us for whatever reason, that sometimes, if we are lucky, we can come back to what matters most to us at some point in the future? Thank goodness for the internets!! You have served me well old friend!! And thanks to Vanessa for googleing me! I am just elated to day, ya’ll… That’s all I can say really; I am just happy to have been lucky enough to reconnect with a great friend, and I totally look forward to making sure that we don’t lose touch again!

john’s housewarming gift



john’s housewarming gift, originally uploaded by duanecmoody.

I painted John a painting for a housewarming gift. It looks quite smashing above his bed.

I am glad that he liked it! I will get a better picture of it soon and add it to the paintings page. Till then, enjoy it here, or on flickr!

Hope everyone’s weekend is going well! Last night was John’s housewarming party, and it was a blast; even though we were 1 hour and 45 minutes late because I literally painted up until the deadline. I am just glad I could get it finished!!!

happy birthday, to you!

the perfect manToday, I want to take a minute to post a special birthday post about someone who is extremely close to me; my man James. Today, he is 29 years old! He said that he felt he was getting old, but I just laughed, and told him that he was just getting better with age.

James and I have been together a little over 3 and 1/2 years, and I am so glad to have someone so special in my life. This week has been all about him, birthday week as we have been calling it, and I have been showering him with gifts and surprises for his big day.

Tonight, we plan on going our for Thai food (as he informed me of this morning), followed by he and I taking in a drive-in viewing of Pirates of the Caribbean (even though I would much rather see Knocked Up with that cutie Seth Rogen). Really, the whole goal is just to make him feel like his special day is all about him; and to let him know how much he really means to me.

I love you baby! Happy Birthday, James!

reality tv, fire drills, and little bags of poop

With all of the “good” programing over, and the summer programming kicking off in full swing, I find that there are less and less “real” shows to choose from, and more reality tv options that keep popping up on my television. There’s the good, most notably, Kathy Griffin’s My Life On The D-List, which started season 3 last night. I LOVE Kathy Griffin, and I was elated to know that her show was coming back, because it is a side-splitter, and definitely the best that reality TV has to offer; she is a brilliant comedian, and her show always has me in stitches. But she is an unusually bright light in the otherwise dark realm of reality tv. I don’t see myself watching many of the other shows, because they don’t peak my interest. Kathy is definitely the cream of the crop.

With that being said, I probably will find myself tuning in to shows like So You Think You Can Dance? and America’s Got Talent. I will admit that I got sucked into SYTYCD last year, although, I haven’t gotten pulled in yet this year. I will probably end up watching it because there is nothing else on, which is the main reason I find myself watching reality TV in the first place. That makes me think that they should call it “America’s Got Nothing Better To Do Than Watch, Because There’s Nothing Else On”, rather than America’s Got Talent; that title seems more fitting to me.

With the little good and all the bad things that reality TV represents to me, I do want to mention a great documentary that I saw last night on Logo. It focuses on the life of a handful of gay men in an extremely small, rural town. While they considered the small town home, because they had grown up there, they pointed out how there were few options for meeting someone, as well as the obvious discrimination for being gay. While they pointed out that it was significantly diminished, they didn’t feel comfortable being as “out” as many gay people in larger cities are, and even mentioned the fear of being hurt or killed due to the fact they were gay. While I know that all of us gays are susceptible to such retaliation because of who we are, it really had me question why you would want to live in such a small community (the one in the movie had a population in the low hundreds), if you could live somewhere more open? I guess it is an “to each their own” situation, but it just isn’t one for me. They seemed genuinely happy, and they managed to find partners and friends and stuff, and that made me happy. I just don’t see myself living on a farm in Idaho any time soon. But good for them.

On a different note, there was a fire drill at work today. While me and my friend Deb got out of the building practically first, it literally took everyone forever to get outside, and group with our monitors so that all could be accounted for. I would really hate to see what would happen if it wasn’t a drill; I fear that it wouldn’t be a pretty site. Let’s hope a drill is all we have to worry about. At least it killed a good hour of my day.

Finally, on an even more different, and definitely more disgusting note, when I was driving in to work today, I noticed a man walking his dog, and carrying that signature bag of poop that many dog walkers can be seen with. I have a dog, and I don’t mind being a good dog owner and picking up after him, but I’ll be damned if I am going to walk around with a bag of poop just swinging in my hand. Gross. That is probably one of the grossest things to me, and that is probably the main reason that we just let Sydney do his thing in the back yard wherever he pleases. This boy does not do bags of poop, okay? Yuck. I don’t know why, but I just felt compelled to share that information.

my bright, shiny, tattoo idea



Red Panda (Ailurus Fulgens), originally uploaded by Edgar Thissen.

James had a stroke of genius last night when I asked him if he had any ideas for my tattoo; a panda bear with bamboo. Now, it sounds simple, but I built on that idea, coming up with something that I am truly excited about.

See the little fella pictured here? That is one of the most unique animals in the world; the red panda. This little cutie is what I want. But that’s not all; I want a red panda, atop bamboo stalks, perhaps in a “crouching tiger, hidden dragon” style. Maybe a panda-ninja. Either way, I want it to be more realistic than cartoon, and I think that this is something that Russ can totally rock out. I have seen some of the sick designs that he has done with off the wall ideas like this, and I hope that he will be enthusiastic about what I have chosen.

Now, since it was an epiphany type decision, I am going to sit on it for a bit, but I am honestly excited every time I think about it. When I started thinking about things I wanted tattooed, I was thinking about something like I got when I got my half-sleeve; things that meant something to me, or represented some part of me or my life.

This little guy is perfect, because the panda (both giant and red) represent conservation and the preservation of endangered species internationally. That was one of the ideas I was looking at trying to represent, so I am totally excited. I love animals, and this one is just too cute. I really hope that Russ will be into this, and I am excited to see what he could come up with.

More details to come when they are available. I hope that everyone is having a great week; despite how insanely hot it is. At least it rained a little bit this afternoon… Which is interesting, because I never thought I would care about such a thing. I guess getting older does that to you. Oh well…

well, it’s monday…

And there isn’t much going on. So, here are some different thoughts that I have been thinking about this morning:

I was talking with my grandma on the phone this morning, and she is a hoot! She can make laugh at any time. I always love hearing her stories, and her dealings with people. It is weird to me how people will treat someone though; people are consistently rude to her, and I just don’t get it (especially since she is so much fun and so nice). Even her own son won’t stop smoking for 5 minutes to have her around, and since she can’t stand the smoke, they don’t see each other very often (even though they live within spitting distance of one another). People are just how they are, I guess, and sometimes, you just have to say fuck ’em, and do your own thing. She and I talk about that a lot, and it is something that I really treasure that we share; we love each other, and try not to focus on those that just want something from us, or expect us to be something that we are not. She loves me for who I am, and I really appreciate that, and cherish it. I am very thankful that I have such a great relationship with her, because other than her and my cousin, I don’t really consider much of my family, actually “family”. Sometimes, you have to build your own family from what you have; and even though I only feel close to two, that’s two that I can definitely count on.

I was thinking about (i.e., I definitely want to) getting another tattoo. I want something on my left calf, above the ankle band tattoo that I currently have there. I thought about a Japanese dragon, but the more I think about it, the more I want something kind of unique. I called Russ, and he has some open spots this week, and his new shop opens next week, but I think this week would be too soon; especially since I don’t have a firm idea of what I want. Since I am wracking my brain in trying to decide what I want, I have a question for all of you: If you could get a tattoo of anything in the world, what would it be and why? Don’t worry, I won’t steal your idea… that is, unless it is a good one! LOL No seriously, I want to hear your ideas. And none of this “you have too many tattoos” silliness, because you can never have too many.

Other than that, I had a pretty great weekend, hanging out with friends, and just enjoying life. I feel like I am starting to worry less about things that are out of my control, and really find myself focusing on being happy with what I have. I am applying to Perimeter for some classes in the fall, and that has given me this sense of purpose that I didn’t think would come from such a small step. I finally feel like, for the first time in 4 years, that I am moving forward. And that makes me happier than you could know. Let’s just hope we can keep this momentum going!