friend of the built environment

Well, at least I know that in the event of armageddon, I should still be able to keep up on my freinds’ survival stories. Dang that internetz sure is a durable sucker. I should know, I worked with an ISP for several years that went through some pretty major (albeit self-induced) environmental crises in our time [...]

David and I watched Flashdance last night… Sometimes it’s nice to watch a movie just because of its urban eye candy. It made me ponder Pittsburgh again - my paternal homeland and probably the place I’d be most likely to plant myself if money, family and occupation were not an issue…

 
I’ve repeated it often: the [...]

Presents!
Scenario 1: Schwarzenegger vetoes and Prop 22 is declared unconstitutional within the next year and queers get to marry anyway.
 
Scenario 2: Schwarzenegger signs and the law gets declared unconstitutional, but then Prop 22 also gets declared unconstitutional and queers get to marry anyway.

 
I think scenario 2 is actually somewhat likely. AS is not very popular [...]

David and I watched Flashdance last night… Sometimes it’s nice to watch a movie just because of its urban eye candy. It made me ponder Pittsburgh again - my paternal homeland and probably the place I’d be most likely to plant myself if money, family and occupation were not an issue…
I’ve repeated it often: the debate about whether [...]

When can we start our Target Gift Registry?
Scenario 1: Schwarzenegger vetoes and Prop 22 is declared unconstitutional within the next year and queers get to marry anyway.
Scenario 2: Schwarzenegger signs and the law gets declared unconstitutional, but then Prop 22 also gets declared unconstitutional and queers get to marry anyway.
I think scenario 2 is actually [...]

I must have a positive cash flow month. There is no question here. If I do not, our bills will start backing up next month. My dream of owning a home before my 30th (30 June 07) will be thrown into jeopardy.
Be a man, buckle down, learn to live below your means. This is my [...]

A place to call “home” is something we all want. Most people seem to use the concept of location as an integral part of their own identity. It’s often what most of us spend our lives searching for: a place where we belong.

 
I grew up in Fresno, a bigger-than-it-thinks-it-is city in Central California. Most of [...]

When one is failing to communicate ones ideas, one is probably best served by ceasing to try.

I sometimes make myself out to be a bigger asshole than I really am, I think. I really like the friends I have and I think I have a lot to contribute to the relationships I maintain. I’m tripped up by my unbending desire for the world to make sense on my terms, all the [...]

Completely aside from my contemptable views on the subject…
What horrors will the coming “Aid Boom” in New Orleans do to that city? It appears that just about everything being done on Earth for the next few weeks is a Katrina benefit. I guess that means that about 10% of world GDP will go toward “rebuilding” [...]

Perhaps the reason my spoutings lately have so severely revolved around “my way or no way” ideas is that I’m not feeling entirely in control of my life right now. The existence of palpable, tangible insecurity all around me makes me lock my brain into a mode of total philosophical intransigence.

 
It’s my coping mechanism when [...]

I didn’t sleep too much last night.

 
Things are really rolling around in my head. I’m not disappointed with Charlotte, but I’m feeling incredible homesickness for California right now, and it seems to be getting worse. It doesn’t help that financially I’m in really bad shape, and finances were my prime motivator for moving.

 
I miss my [...]

I’ve decided that the coming of Fall necessitates a tiny celebration. As I’ve noted before, my preferred method is a Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Unfortunately, this persistent heat makes me wish they would have come out with the Frappaccino version this year…

So let’s see… The Gawd Squad these days tells us that Gawd sent Katrina to wipe out New Orleans because of all the fornicating fags who were about to celebrate Southern Decadence (unfortunately, it seems that Gawd failed to notice that all the fags lived on the high ground, and He just ended up wiping [...]

The idea of the educational institutions I’ve attended having some sort of lasting social or networking impact on my life is rather laughable, but I suppose I’m an anomaly…
High school only consumed 3 years of my life, and I only maintain any sort of friendship with two people from that time (and they’re rather distant [...]

“THEY/THEM”= Those that live/work or lived/worked in New Orleans or the Delta region and were thus displaced or affected by the recent hurricane(s).
“WE/US”= Those that DO NOT live/work nor lived/worked in New Orleans or the Delta region and thus probably couldn’t have cared less about what happened to those areas until a political agenda could [...]

Just when life is laying in with the sucker-punch, along comes a bit of help…

 
…I’ve just signed a consulting contract for two (non-consecutive) 4-week trips to San Francisco to do some recruiting and training. It’s going to land me with tons of extra cash (which I can use to get myself out of the hole [...]

Hey you - the one with all the “I watch Faux News and I won’t apologize” bumper stickers on your Harley helmet - yeah, you. Are you the one making this raunchy coffee every morning that I foolishly pour for myself?

 
Well, stop. It tastes like ass. It makes me lose interest in coffee for the [...]

OMG! IT’S COLD AND GRAY AND BREEZY OUT (aka “good weather”)! IT’S NOT HUMID AND SUNNY AND HOT AND MISERABLE! YAY!1!!!!!1!!ONE!!1!!1

My first trip to Panera. Yummy spinach and artichoke souffle.

The promise of not having to deal with Bank of America’s rotten errors and customer service after today.

I got in early and made coffee. Hopefully I [...]

I’m becoming more of a food snob as the years go on. In my mind, “food snob” means something different than what most people think. What I’ve been finding is that I’m far more interested in food and eating as an activity, and I’m focusing more and more on quality.

 
A lot of people who consider [...]