Monthly Archives: October 2010

Paint Me White

I finished installing the fascia on the eaves and the soffits today. That was a real… chore.

And now the painting has begun. I got about 95% of the first coat on today.

Painting...
Painting…

Of course, it’s supposed to rain tomorrow, and then all next weekend. Maybe I’ll get this “little” project done one of these centuries.

And I’ll be so glad when we order that dumpster to get rid of that big pile of trash mostly off-camera….

Until next time...
Erik

Some Random Trivia About Me… Meme

I managed to fill this out between clients at the studio today. There’s some good stuff here. 😉

But first, a gratuitous picture of moi!

Opening…

Do you get regular massages?
Not any more. I used to regularly, back when I was a licensed massage therapist over a decade ago. Wow. It’s been a while.

Do you have an answering machine?
No, but I guess the “modern” equivalent would be voice-mail, which I do have.

What cuss word do you use the most?
I don’t regularly cuss. At least externally.

Are you underweight or overweight?
Personally I think I am overweight. But if I could replace some of the fat I have around my tummy with muscle I’d be better.

Can you see your veins?
Yes. At least the ones that aren’t covered with tattoos.

Favorite…

Soap?
Dove White bar soap.

Fruit?
Carambola. My mouth waters ever time I think about it.

Kind of red meat?
Human. Kidding. Or am I?

Fish?
Not a fish guy. (I don’t eat at the “Y”!) But when I do have to eat seafood, it mostly has to be fried.

Candy bar?
Reese’s Cups.

Have You Ever…

Eaten a whole bag of potato chips?
Yes. Bags of several sizes even.

Eaten lobster?
Twice. I didn’t like either variety I tried.

Climbed a mountain?
Yes. In high school I went to Mt. Dora (some of you might get that joke). But when I worked in North Carolina at BSA Camp Daniel Boone I did it regularly.

Been skydiving?
No. Why jump out of a perfectly good plane?

Been water skiing?
Once. It did not end well. And it’s not a horse I care to get back up on.

Do You…

Wish you could change something about your life?
Well, duh. Really? Does anyone out there actually not have one little twinge of regret over something?

Like your nose?
It’s a nose. I’d like it if it was less pudgy, but oh well. I guess there’s always MJ’s plastic surgeon if I need it.

Like salt and vinegar chips?
Yes.

Eat salsa?
Yes. With chips.

Own a boat?
No. If I want to waste money, I’ll just drink.

What Is…

A small thing that people let slide but that actually has dire consequences?
Using their cellphones during the movies. One of these days that’s going to be bad for a lot of people when I finally go postal. I bet there’s an app for that.

Your most macho trait?
I never considered myself macho. At least my definition of “macho”.

The longest relationship you’ve ever had?
My current relationship with the Husbear. Thirteen years and counting.

Your most embarrassing thoughts?
Like I’m going to write them here. Then it wouldn’t be just me who was embarrassed.

Your most shameful moment?
I could write an entire blog post about that. Maybe I should.

This/That…

Bath/Shower?
Shower. If I wanted to sit in dirty water, I’d go swim in a lake.

Markers/Crayons?
Both. I use them regularly.

Pens/Pencils?
I prefer pencils. I can erase my mistakes. Which is oddly ironic considering what I do for a living.

Jelly/Cream Cheese?
On what? Cream Cheese on celery is really good. Jelly not so much.

Bagel/Toast?
Toast, Texas, French.

Firsts…

First credit card you had?
I finally got around to burning the paperwork for it a year ago or so. I don’t remember who it was with, but I got it in college. MISTAKE!

First loan you got was for?
A motorcycle. In college.

First paycheck was for how much?
I don’t remember. That was soooooo long ago.

First time you had stitches?
I was young. I fell off the stairs on the trailer we lived in as a kid and sliced my chin open.

First time you went to the hospital for something?
Probably the above related incident.

Lasts…

List everything you ate in the last 24 hours?

  • 4 chicken nuggets;
  • a chunk of pepperjack cheese;
  • some olives;
  • a tub of mustard potato salad;
  • rice chex, dry;
  • jr. breakfast burrito from Sonic;
  • 4 chicken nuggets;
  • 4 more chicken nuggets;
  • a few mini Hershey chocolate bars;
  • a chunk of cheddar cheese;
  • a whole lot of diet soda.

I have such a healthy diet, don’t I?

Last thing you used a credit card for?
I don’t currently have any active credit cards. It’s either cash or my debit card.

What was your job previous to the one you have now?
My resume says: “Advanced Systems Engineer, ISD Workstation Engineering. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.” You can read the love here.

Last thing you celebrated?
Define “celebrate”. I’m just happy I wake up most mornings.

Last time you were at a sports bar?
This past Monday. My regular beveraging evening with my buddy, Mr. Farmer.

Finish…

My greatest weakness is…
Crushing on men who end up being straight. Or bottoms.

I wish I was…
More testosterone-y. It really does affect everything.

Three things I wouldn’t do for a million dollars are…
Off the top of my head, I can’t really think of anything I wouldn’t do for a million dollars. I’ve done a lot for a lot less.

The oddest thing I’ve ever put in my mouth is…
That answer to this question is soooooo relative to who is reading this, isn’t it? Does my fist count?


Stolen from YvesPaul at Melodramatic Diary of a Cynic.

Until next time...
Erik

So Much Porn

Question for you. Now that we live in a digital age, what do you do with all that old, non-digital porn that you have laying around? Old magazines, video tapes, etc. Do you give it to the needy? Donate it to the Boy Scout’s book drive? Re-gift it as an Xmas present for people you hate? Or stick it in random friends’ mailslots? (Hmm, that last one might actually be funny to do. Especially those straight friends I have out there. 😉 )

Not that I have a *lot* of old, non-digital porn laying around, mind you. I’m just curious.

Until next time...
Erik

Keeps Going, And Going, And Going…

The siding is done! Well… almost done. I still have to install the soffit, which I don’t know if technically that counts as siding. But it involves me up on a ladder, so I’ll call it siding. And gutters too. I need to install those as well. And then paint. Must paint.

We also finally have the back door installed. We haven’t had a back door on the house since May 9. Seriously. No door at all. Just a big, gaping, lack-of-security hole in our house. I’m so glad that’s corrected now.

20101012110638-IMG_3382
A bathroom with a view. (click to see it bigger on flickr)

After that, I get to start playing with all that “fun” insulation.

Until next time...
Erik

National Coming Out Day

Today, October 11, is National Coming Out Day:

National Coming Out Day is an internationally observed civil awareness day for coming out and discussion about gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual and transgender (LGBT) issues.

Being “out” means a lot of things depending on who you’re talking with. As people get to know me, most figure out that I’m gay. It’s not something I typically hide. But being gay is just one piece of the puzzle that makes up me. If people won’t accept me as a person for the example I live by, then why bother adding anything else they obviously won’t be able to deal with? I sometimes think people are so busy looking at the puzzle pieces they don’t see the whole picture.

Besides being gay: my earlobes are unattached, I’m predominantly right-handed, and my second toe is longer than my big toe. All these traits though are what make me… me.

Living life could be so much easier on this planet if we really followed one simple truth: treat others as you would want to be treated.

Joe at Joe.My.God. asked some questions on his blog that I would like to answer here. I guess I turned them into a “National Coming Out Day Meme”.

Who was the very first person you came out to?
Oddly enough, I would say myself. At least in my way of thinking. Before I could even come out to anyone else, I had to come out to myself. All those years of denying who I really was to satisfy those around me: my family, my “friends”, my religion. When I accepted the truth about all those thoughts and feelings that I inherently knew to not be wrong, that was the moment I came out to myself.

How’d they handle the news?
All the years of confusion caused by the brainwashing of religion. Years of denial of who I really was. The moment I realized all of their “truths” were lies, I wept.

What about your parents?
They didn’t take it well. They went all “Bible” on me. And still do to this day.

And since they say coming out is a never-ending process, who was the most recent person you came out to?
One of my tattoo clients. We were talking while I was tattooing him. He used the word “faggot” in a derogatory manner (not that I think there’s a way to use it in not such a manner). I told him a “faggot” was permanently marking his body. Which eventually led to a good discussion of the use of such words and the harm they cause. I think he realized the error of his ways. I think.

How about you? If you’re gay, how has your “out” experience been? If you’re not, have you had a friend come out to you? How was that experience for you, and for your friend?

Until next time...
Erik