“My Journey is just beginning”

Someone I consider a friend has just started blogging. Robyn is the spousal unit of the coolest and best manager I had during my years at the OGRE. She has just been diagnosed with cancer. She has started blogging to keep her friends and family informed on her journey, as well as educate and help others along the way.

I ask you to please check out Robyn’s blog, My Journey is just beginning, and send her the love, support, and encouragement that I know you, my readers, can.

Until next time...
Erik

Decadent Ducks Raise Funds for HIV/AIDS Organization Food For Friends

The Husbear and I have traveled to New Orleans for Southern Decadence every year since 2003 (except for 2005 when Katrina rolled through). For the last few years we have gone as part of the Decadent Ducks, and will do so again in another week!


click to see pics from all our Decadent adventures

While the following is is not something I normally would post, Troy, the head of the Decadent Ducks, asked so I will.

Decadent Ducks Raise Funds for HIV/AIDS Organization Food For Friends
Hurricane Gustav put a damper on the 2008 Southern Decadence festivities, but a dedicated group of “ducks” are heading back to New Orleans, determined to make up for lost time. The Decadent Ducks, a gay travel and social network, will return to the French Quarter over Labor Day weekend for their 12th year of revelry. The Ducks, led by Bennington, Vermont resident Troy Richardson, anticipate over 350 of their group members to attend the 36th annual LGBT celebration this year.

In addition to various events and parties scheduled throughout the weekend, the Decadent Ducks are putting their numbers to good use by joining Southern Decadence XXXVI Grand Marshals Tittie Toulouse and Paloma in raising money for Food For Friends. The Food For Friends Program of NO/AIDS Task Force has been supplying groceries and home-delivered meals to HIV-infected and -affected individuals in the greater New Orleans area for 12 years. The Ducks will host a silent auction and raffle during the course of the weekend and will donate all proceeds to the program.

“The people of New Orleans have always welcomed us with open arms and treated us with tolerance and respect,” Richardson explains. “I can’t stress enough how important that is, especially in this day and age, when the gay community seems to be under attack so often. That means a lot. We’ve been very lucky, and we’re really excited to be able to give something back.”

More than just a travel group, the Decadent Ducks have evolved into a close network of friends from all over the world, and they credit New Orleans for fostering and inspiring their spirit of camaraderie and friendship. With last year’s event cut short, the group is looking forward to this year more than ever. “There’s definitely a greater sense of anticipation this year,” Richardson says, with a smile. “We didn’t get the full experience last year, so we’re hoping to make up for it. I didn’t even get my beignets and cafe au lait last year! We can’t wait to get back!” The 700 Club (700 Burgundy Street) will be acting as the official bar of the Decadent Ducks all weekend.

Discounted hotel rooms with the Ducks are still available. To learn more about the Decadent Ducks or Food For Friends, visit the official website at www.decadentducks.com.

Until next time...
Erik

A Poisoned Apple

The Husbear has been craving an iPhone for a long time. So I finally broke down, broke his contract with Sprint, and surprised him with an iPhone a few weeks ago. He’s been raving about it ever since. “It’s so simple to use,” he says. It must be, if he can use it without asking me to many questions on how to do this or that with it.

I have to admit: it was easy to set up. Ordered it online from Apple. FedEx delivered it to my doorstep. I opened the box, plugged it in to my computer, and walked through activation with iTunes. Simple.

After playing with his phone for a few days, I went and did the unthinkable. To me. After years of having several Windows Mobile devices (first my Motorola Q with Alltel, then my Motorola Q9c with Sprint) I purchased an iPhone for myself.

Those around me have known my vehement opposition to and ridicule of all things Apple. Not because I’m a “PC” (which I am!). I grew up building computers. That’s what made computers so interesting to me. The ability to build, modify, and play with all sorts of components of my choosing. And I could load almost any OS (Microsoft’s or others) on any hardware I put together. For me the opposition to all things Apple stemmed from their closed, proprietary technology.

So the last few days I’ve been trying to put into words the reason I switched.

I think the biggest reason for me as to why I went with the iPhone: a centralized location to find applications (at the App Store), and the fact that so many companies seem to be offering only iPhone-based applications and services.

I’ve easily found application replacements for everything I did with my WinMo device without having to search all over the Internet for them.

Had Microsoft done the smart thing years ago by creating a centralized application store, I think WinMo would have done extremely well outside the business world. Now they’re attempting to do just that. To late, in my opinion.

I still feel dirty for having taken a bite of the Apple. I’ve been assured by some of you out there who follow me on Twitter that the feeling will pass. I’m sure it will. But it’s still an odd feeling to have the “enemy” sleeping in my house.

Until next time...
Erik

Yes or No (the MeMe)

Nothing lets you know I’m still alive but slightly distracted like filling out a MeMe.

Me

The following MeMe was absconded from Alexander at Voenix Rising.

Feel free to ask for clarification of these in the comments section if you so desire….

Rules:
1. You can ONLY answer Yes or No.

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks—and believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming nothing is exactly as it seems.

Now, here’s what you’re supposed to do: Copy and paste this into your notes, delete my answers, type in your answers and tag as many of your friends as you’d like to. Or not.

The “Exam”:
Kissed any one of your Facebook/Myspace/Twitter friends? yes
Been arrested? no
Kissed someone you didn’t like? yes
Slept in until 5 PM? yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? yes
Held a snake? yes
Ran a red light? yes
Been suspended from school? no
Experienced love at first sight? no
Totaled your car in an accident? no
Been fired from a job? no
Fired somebody? yes
Sang karaoke? yes
Pointed a gun at someone? no
Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? yes
Kissed in the rain? no
Had a close brush with death (your own)? no
Seen someone die? yes
Played spin-the-bottle? yes
Sang in the shower? yes
Smoked a cigar? yes
Sat on a rooftop? yes
Smuggled something into another country? no
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? no
Broken a bone? yes
Skipped school? yes
Eaten a bug? yes
Sleepwalked? no
Walked a moonlit beach? yes
Rode a motorcycle? yes
Dumped someone? no
Forgotten your anniversary? no
Lied to avoid a ticket? no
Ridden on a helicopter? no
Shaved your head? yes
Blacked out from drinking? yes
Played a prank on someone? yes
Hit a home run? no
Felt like killing someone? yes
Cross-dressed? no
Been falling-down drunk? yes
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? yes
Eaten snake? no
Marched/Protested? no
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? yes
Puked on amusement ride? no
Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? yes
Been in a band? no
Knitted? no
Been on TV? yes
Shot a gun? yes
Skinny-dipped? yes
Gave someone stitches? no
Eaten a whole habeñero pepper? no
Ridden a surfboard? no
Drank straight from a liquor bottle? yes
Had surgery? no
Streaked? no
Taken by ambulance to hospital? no
Passed out when not drinking? yes
Peed on a bush? yes
Donated Blood? no
Grabbed an electric fence? no
Eaten alligator meat? yes
Eaten cheesecake? yes
Eaten your kids/siblings Halloween candy? yes
Peed your pants in public? no
Snuck into a movie without paying? yes
Written graffiti? yes
Still love someone you shouldn’t? yes
Think about the future? yes
Been in handcuffs? no
Believe in love? yes
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? yes

Until next time...
Erik

Questions asked, Responses delivered

Because as of late I have been brain dead when it comes to writing anything blogworthy, in my last post I asked for questions from my readers. Here are answers to all of the questions I have received up to this point.

The first question comes from cb:
How do you feel about having sex with friends— especially if the friends are bloggers?
Up until a few years ago I saw no issue with having sex with friends. As I get older, many of my friends are more like family—which would make things a little weird for me. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t or haven’t. I do live in Arkansas after all!


A question from homer:
Which blogger would you like to design a tattoo for? And what would the tattoo be?
I would love to design a tattoo for every blogger I know! (This is me not singling any one blogger out.) Everyone should have at least one large tattoo! As for what it would be—that really depends on the individual’s tastes and wants.

Since you asked the question Homer, I think a pattern from one of the pottery pieces from one of your digs or a replica of an actual shard you found would be both an interesting and personal tattoo. And it would have a story.


Next we have a few questions from Urspo:
1. Friends – is there a lost friend you sorely miss?
I’m not sure what this says about me but I’d have to say “no” at this point in my life. I’m sure as I write this I will jinx things, but I have not lost anyone close to me in a permanent fashion. Sadly I know that will change as my years progress.

2. Sex – how often do you get some (I know this one is nosy; pardon. I am taking a survey as I no longer know what is the norm. please feel free to say ‘sorry, not this one’)
I’d have to say on average I “get some” 1.5 times a week. If the Husbear had his way it would be one or two times a day. Unfortunately for him, I’ve never had much of a sex drive at all. I can go months without sex. I know, I’m weird.

3. Music – do you have any interest in another culture’s music, such as say… the Japanese flute?
There are certain sounds that are specific to other cultures, but I really think music extends past cultural boundaries. There are some instruments from other cultures I find extremely interesting to listen to: bagpipes, the sitar, the Tubulum, the ukulele, the biwa, the banjo.

I also like the sound produced when you hit the support wires that hold up power/telephone poles.

4. Religion – rather, what spiritual practice do you have?
I used to “have” my parental unit’s religion because it was taught/forced upon me as a child by them, the church and the religious-run schools I attended. As I began questioning/discovering my sexuality I also began questioning the things I was taught about religion and God. All of which has left a bad taste in my mouth for anything with a hint of spiritualism to it.

5. Love – what works for you two? You both seem happy/well so what is the secret?
I don’t know if there is a secret. I think it’s been written about for years. For us it is both communication and trust. When we don’t have one or the other, things get difficult.

6. Blogging – do keep it up.
I’m working on it.


Questions from Terry:
1. Friends: How many true friends do you have? Example: How many would you pick up from jail at 2am?
I don’t know that I’ve ever thought to really count. I guess a true friend would be one who would pick *me* up from jail at 2 AM. But I would probably pick up anyone I knew from jail if they called. I’m just that kind of guy.

2. Sex: Are you a cuddler, munchie hungry or ‘off to sleep’ after sex?
Typically none of the above. I tend to be wide awake after sex.

3. Music: What music ‘speaks’ to your soul?
It varies depending on my mood. I’m very mood driven when it comes to music. There’s not much I don’t listen to, as those who have heard my “Super Shuffle” playlist would tell you.

4. Religion: Do you meditate in any form or fashion?
I don’t consciously meditate. I do tend to drift off from time to time in thought (or lack there of), which is probably the closest thing I do in the form of meditation.

5. Love: What is a deal breaker for you?
Physical abuse.

6. Blogging: Do you see blogging for a long time?
There was a time I did. These days I’m not so sure.


Question from rg:
5. Love – Do you remember your first boy/boy kiss and how it felt?
I’m assuming by kiss you mean something other than a brotherly peck on the cheek. Yes, I remember. But it was more man/man than boy/boy. It was also the moment I knew 100% that I was gay. Not because it was a kiss between two men. But because it internally answered a question for me that I had been beating myself up over for more than a decade.


Questions from Ben:
1. Friends – What is more important friends or money?
Friends are definitely more important than money. Both, however, are a necessity in the world we live in.

2. Sex – Given the chance, who would you] drop everything to have sex with?
I have a short list. In my head.

3. Music – What would your life be like in song?
I don’t know if this is what you meant, but I’d have to say Green Day’s “Jesus of Suburbia/City of the Damned/I Don’t Care/Dearly Beloved/Tales Of Another Broken Home”. All 9 minutes and 8 seconds of it. The mood, the theme and the feel. Give it a full listen.
[mejsaudio src=”http://erikrubright.com/media/tunes/MyLifeInSong.mp3″]

If I had to actually write a song that fit my life, it would more than likely never be performed at karaoke bars. Lots of percussion. Probably a few cannons fired here and there. Some outer space-y wah-wahs. A choral accompaniment chanting ominous tones in Latin. Something similar to the aural pleasure that would occur if John Williams composed while taking acid surrounded by projections of large, colorful, mutating Rorschach inkblots.

4. Religion – Is there something out there?
Religion (to me) implies a belief in a higher “power”. I won’t say there’s not “something” out there. I’d be close-minded to not think that there is the possibility that some entity of a higher intelligence exists out there. It’s a big frakin’ universe and we’re on just one little speck of dust in it. Now as for the beings that choose to believe those entities are “god” and devote their life to worshiping that entity, I am currently undecided on them.

5. Love – What is one thing you love more then anything?
My Husbear.

6. Blogging – What is next for the blog?
I wish I knew the answer to that. I never considered myself a “normal” blogger as compared to many of the blogs I follow. And I don’t feel that I’ve found whatever “it” is that I should feel the need to blog about.

Until next time...
Erik

Be Careful What You Ask For, Part II

It’s been over a year since I last did this so I guess it’s time. Especially since I have run out of things to say myself as of late.

Ask me a question about each or any of the following categories (or anything else) and when enough questions have been submitted I will post an answer to what I consider to be the best question from each category:

1. Friends
2. Sex
3. Music
4. Religion
5. Love
6. Blogging

I am undecided if I will answer the questions in the comments section or just do a post for each. I guess that depends on what and if any questions get asked.

Until next time...
Erik