AFriendlyFace

Awwwww YAY! I'm smiling because I love Mondays (weird I know), and it'll be Monday soon!

Ohh, Krista! Let's meet up early before the gathering and go shopping for our "convention outfits"! LOL, I think we should hit a spa too so that we'll be properly relaxed I'd definitely vote for Dallas...that is unless you guys wanna do it in Houston To me this sounds like a very good idea! That sounds like fun, plus Kanaye already suggested the perfect transport for that option! Seriously, I'd definitely go if I had enough notice and if it were anywhere in the Southern region of the U.S. If it were anywhere else in the U.S. I might go if I had the notice and availability. If it were out of the country, I'd love to go, but would need alot of notice...and probably still wouldn't go Great idea though Kevin

That was well-written, informative, and quite sad. In some ways I feel almost as though that could have been my fate as well. Thank you for posting this, Beastkid! Take care all and have a great day! Kevin

Hi Luc! I'm still amazed that you guys have worked out a system that allows him to shift while you operate the clutch at all! Yeah, technically that's impossible unless your hand remains completely immobilized since all muscles pull. I'm sorry, yeah I bet that is hard! I'd have trouble too, I only know where the keys are in a "physical" sense rather than an "intellectual" sense. I guess I'd have to like sit there and pretend to be hitting the keys properly in order to figure out what was where. Anyway, I do have a simple suggestion: get a black sharpie and write the correct letter on all the keys. Well, normally I'd leap to the squirrels' defense since they're my 3rd favourite animal - and they're awfully cute - but this time I'll just point out that it's possible that some malicious bird is actually to blame. I hope you feel better, Take care! Kevin

A very good article indeed, Graeme. I had a comment/question about the article though: That doesn't make sense to me! There's no way that nearly 50% of the ads in the US last year were specifically about or directed towards gay people (and I certainly wouldn't expect them to be given that our numbers are no where near 50%). So unless "gay-specific" means something else in this context than what I'm intuitively assuming I'm completely nonplussed. Also: That actually seemed like a good thing to me. What I mean is that the reciprocal of that is that two in three people in the GLBT community don't change their behaviours at work! That's actually much higher than I would have estimated! That should mean that 2/3 of the GLBT community are not only out at work, but also not altering their behaviour at all! Quite impressive if you ask me. Heck, I myself am out at work, and yesterday I still changed out of the clothes I initially put on because on second thought I decided my outfit was a little too "fabulous" for work. So you might say I'm one of the "one in three" who does change his behaviour. Actually though that wasn't my only consideration, I was also thinking that the outfit would work better on Sunday when I'll attend a couple of gay functions and then go into work, but it'll be "casual Sunday" and we can basically wear whatever (the outfit in question is actually quite dressy, but it'll probably still go over better on the "anything goes" day). Anyway point is, if 2/3 of gay people are comfortable being out and behaving completely normally at work, I think that's cause for celebration. Have a fantastic day all and take care! Kevin

yeah that definitely helps alot! On my last birthday I got carded for an R rated movie...completely made my year

Ohh, that was amusing! I've never heard of this guy before, but I think I might start reading his blog from time to time.

well either way it's nifty...lol and it's always news to me either way! Thanks for telling us, Beastkid!

WOOO HOOO!! YAY for Jamie!!! Congrats to you, Dhruv, as well! LOL, James! How sneaky of you! And me? I'm smiling because despite evidence that this was going to be a rough week it's actually turned out quite delightful and I feel like I've really "landed on my feet".

May your day be delightfully happy and may the coming year bring you the peace and prosperity that you deserve! Have an awesome birthday! Kevin

Happy Birthday!

I'm celebrating Wednesday! I think I may have had too much celebratory wine though

They say the sexiest thing someone can wear is a smile

I know not what episode to which you refer; however, I've seen more than my fair share of similarly themed Sci-Fi. I agree with you, Luc. At least I think I do. Basically as I see it, how I define how I am is all that really matters to me. How I define who others are is all that really matters to me. Perception is reality. If every time I read your words I visualize them coming from a kindly, middle-aged, Islamic woman, then to me you're a kindly, middle-aged, Islamic woman who thinks and feels as you think and feel. It doesn't really matter that you're not a kindly, middle-aged, Islamic woman - at least not to me it doesn't - because your being a kindly, middle-aged, Islamic woman has little to no bearing on the way I view your thoughts, words, and feelings. (well it might if I tried to view it through that particular lens, but the essential point is that what I think you are is all that really matters in my perception of you). So who am I (to me)? I'm an amalgam of many different things, some physical, some emotional, some intellectual, some spiritual, but essentially I am what I say I am (to me at least). So it doesn't really matter if I'm something else if I believe that. Who am I to you? Only you could answer that question. Anyway fascinating concept to explore. Thanks for bringing it up. And don't worry I don't really view you as a kindly, middle-aged, Islamic woman...to me you'll always be a talking, orange chair with a wonky leg and a comfortable cushion. :wacko: -Kevin

WOW That about sums up my thoughts about the conversation I had this afternoon with a friend of mine. So basically I stayed very close with two of my friends from high school. One of course is my girl Claire, the other we'll call Sandra (not her real name but I feel as though I ought to carefully protect her anonymity). Anyway, Sandra and I went to the same university and kept in touch throughout college (and since we've graduated). Now obviously I was already out to Claire (she was the first person I ever came out to, and she's also a lesbian herself, and quite possibly the reason I've always liked and trusted lesbians so much in the first place). Sandra on the other hand I'd never come out to. Now basically coming out to Sandra felt like the main thing I needed to do with terms of bringing my past in line with my future. See I pretty much figured that apart from a few family members (in fact the cousin I've been mentioning in recent blogs is pretty much the other main person I need to come out to), the other people from my past, however dear to me, probably weren't going to be playing a big role in my future. I've sorta been feeling like a jerk and a liar for not coming out to Sandra though. I always pretty much figured it would be okay, the only thing that was really stopping me was that 1) it felt like it should have already come up long ago, and 2) it's still awkward to just randomly throw into a conversation when randomly mentioning it isn't appropriate (as it might be with someone you don't know as well). Now if you think this blog is about me coming out to Sandra you're completely wrong. See the last couple of times I've talked to Sandra on the phone she kept saying "I really need to talk to you about something, but it's something we'll need a lot of time to talk about". So she kept not telling me because one of us wouldn't have the time necessary to go into it. Also, recently when I was talking to her I intuitively knew that she wanted to tell me/bring up whatever it was but couldn't because her roommate was in the room. Now being your standard, run-of-the-mill, self-absorbed human being I naturally, and foolishly assumed that whatever she wanted to discuss was about me. I also was thinking "I bet she's heard rumours about me being gay and wants to confront me". Not the case. See Sandra was in this long-distance relationship. She'd met this guy on the internet when we were kids and through all the years they'd stayed in touch. Well semi-recently - about 2, maybe 3, years ago - she called off her engagement to this guy she'd been seeing since we were in high school, and when she did, John (also a made up name) was there to comfort and support her via the internet and phone. Well as you can probably imagine things developed further between Sandra and John and she eventually decided to go and visit him (he lived several states away) on vacation. Well they had a great time, hit things off really well, and started up this long-distance relationship. Whenever one of them had some time off they'd go and visit the other, etc. Well last winter John started acting distant and saying that he wanted to end things with Sandra. But since then they'd patched everything up and were doing fine. I'd never found out what was wrong though...till today. It turns out that that John had a secret, a big secret! John wasn't Sandra's boyfriend...John was Sandra's girlfriend. John was actually Jane (another made up name). When Sandra confronted John, John finally fessed up (over a text message no less ). So yeah, WOW! I have no idea how Sandra could have handled such a thing! It turns out they even had been..."intimate" on several occasions. Apparently Jane had a very realistic, attachable dildo, and against all odds had successfully duped Sandra (honestly I don't even want to try to figure out the logistics). Jane also claimed to have a "back problem" which necessitated the wearing of a back (and front) brace, which effectively kept her boobs hidden. Anyway that was seven months ago and they're still together and doing fine. In fact Jane is finally going to move down to Louisiana to be with Sandra. So I asked Sandra what was going on with their relationship, and how she was able to basically get past not only the whole "whoa! I'm in a gay relationship and I didn't even know it" thing, but also the MAJOR deception. And she said "well, she's still the same person I'm in love with on the inside" In all the years I've been friends with Sandra (we met in elementary school) I don't think she's ever made me so proud as when she said that. Anyway, in all honesty I'm not sure just how much I approve of the whole thing...I mean obviously I don't have any issues with lesbianism lol! But WOW what a massive deception! On the other hand I can tell based on what Sandra says that Jane did all this because she was 1) in love and 2) scared of what would happen if she told the truth. Anyway, naturally I took the opportunity to throw in "hey, while we're making revelations, I'm gay". And naturally it wasn't a big deal, nor was it something we even discussed very much given the other topic. I feel really badly for Sandra. She and Jane have no where to turn for support or acceptance. Jane's family, who Sandra has met, have no idea. Sandra's family already strongly disapproved of John because of the whole "they met on the internet thing". To make matters even worse and more complicated, apparently when Sandra's mom met John she did suspect that John was Jane, and she even confronted Sandra about it. She even said something to the effect of "it's okay that's it's a girl, but not this girl, and either way I want to know". Unfortunately this was at the time that Sandra really didn't know that John was Jane and she got really defensive and emphatic etc. It's also bad because either way they never liked John/Jane, and as Sandra pointed out when they find out the whole truth they're really going to dislike her because she lied to Sandra. The only person besides me who knows about Jane and Sandra is Sandra's cousin, who found out because she was uniquely tied to Jane and Sandra, because she too had met Jane online at the same time. Unfortunately Sandra's cousin is VERY unsupportive and also doesn't accept Jane and Sandra's relationship. Sandra's two best friends have major religious issues with homosexual relationships, and apart from myself the only person Sandra could think of that would probably be okay with it is one of the before-mentioned friends' boyfriend. Unfortunately while he probably wouldn't care (and I know the guy, he does seem like a really laid-back, cool dude), he probably wouldn't be able to keep it from his girlfriend (who in turn would probably end up not only unsupportive but blabbing the whole thing to Sandra's family/other friends). So yeah, I'm feeling majorly sorry for Sandra and Jane right now, I'm also still just really...shocked. I mean I had met Jane too, and heck I should have a really good eye for noticing people in drag, but nope, I was completely fooled. Anyway, I just can't get over how awesome it is that Sandra's just completely thumbing her nose at society, her upbringing, and even her previous perceptions about herself to be with the person she loves. For the most part I guess I do approve of their relationship since they've overcome so many obstacles and as Sandra so eloquently put it "I just don't see why anyone else's opinion should matter anyway. If I'm okay with what happened and what's going on, and I'm happy I don't think it should matter to the people who are supposed to care about me". (yeah of course I'm paraphrasing since that's a pretty long quote and I wasn't exactly taking notes, but that's the gist of it). I've also always loved the idea of someone falling in love with someone against all odds, and not of the gender they tend to fall for, simply because they love the person. In many ways I think that's the purest kind of romantic love. I once read in this book about gay relationships about this gay male couple that was in love. Neither had ever realized he was gay until he met the other, and neither has ever had feelings for or attractions toward another male. They're only gay in reference to each other. I think that's really awesome and amazing, and if that holds true for one of my friends I'm really happy for her. I'm also happy because she said that despite all the drama and stuff going on (and lets face it, this could almost be the plot line for a soap opera), she's "never been happier". Well that and I'm really happy that I finally came out to her, and even more honoured and flattered that she trusted me with this revelation.

Hey Nick! WOW! I think that is an extremely insightful thing to point out! That hadn't occurred to me at all, but I think you really might be on to something! (on both counts!) Thanks, Nick! may your day be half as wonderful as you are Kevin

Hey Ieshwar!! Awww thanks I definitely do feel much better WOW! What a wonderfully sweet thing for you to say!! I actually got to talk to Megan today! They're doing good! They're all moved into their new place (though still unpacking), and they both start their new jobs Monday! What a very wise thing to say. I definitely agree with you about not living your life for society! At the same time sometimes I think I'm not a particularly well grounded, realistic person myself. *shrug* I guess one must always fight for the balance. Anyway take care and have an awesome day! Kevin

aww thanks, Tob Hey Jamie!! Aww, I dunno, if EVERYONE loves me, but I think that's a pretty nice thing to say I suppose a more pragmatic side of me would agree with my cousin (and you)...I guess I'm just not quite ready to turn in the fairytale though. I think everything will turn out just fine...it usually does in the end Thanks for the kind words Have an awesome day! Kevin

So I did really well on moving day. I didn't cry once all day, and we were just about finished. In fact I was literally trying to tape up the last box. Then it just sort of hit me that this was the last box, then the stupid tape got stuck to the roll, and it was the final straw, and I just started crying. All in all the day wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be though, and we made plans to see each other for Christmas and next summer. I've also been spending time with other friends and I think stuff's going to be okay. I'm a bit...ambivalent about stuff at work though. My manager abruptly and quit unexpectedly quit and there was a big shake up as a result. On the plus side I was assigned to the team of the manager I wanted, but on the down side our team was pretty much completely destroyed and I'll no longer be working directly with any of my former teammates, including the one I was getting to be fairly close with Still, I guess everything's going to be okay, and I'm always talking about how I like change *shrug* My cousin was in town the last few days. Her best friend's parents live in Houston so she was visiting with her. It was nice seeing her, but the other day we went out to dinner and she did say something that made me a bit sad. She said, very casually, "I'd never date someone poor" It just struck me as horribly elitist and all around closed-minded. I don't know where she gets off saying stuff like that anyway. By all accounts I had a more "preppy", potentially snobby background than she did and I'd never even think of entertaining such notions. On the other hand she's a less romantic "love oriented" person anyway. I remember the other thing she said a few years ago that made me sad was when she essentially said that someone was a fool to make a major sacrifice for love. Apparently it just wasn't very "practical or realistic". *sigh* I suppose my family, like all others, has it's fair share of issues and downfalls. Still, she's also had a more difficult life than I have, so I guess I have no right to fault her priorities. Anyway, I have some major cleaning up to do before bed, and I have to be up early, so I'd better get on that. Take care all and have an awesome day Kevin

awww thanks, LC! Don't worry about me, I'm definitely going to be okay. And yes, I definitely plan to stay in touch with my friends!!! Thanks for your kind words -Kevin

Awww Don't say that dude, you're a cutie! Remind me a bit of that kid from Home Improvement

It wouldn't let me view this. Said I wasn't a member. That is very heartening! Yuppers, you're right! Leave it to you, Colin, to point out the positive side of all this -Kevin

Dude, that article rocked! I loved this quote: Thank you for posting this -Kevin

You are adorable, dude LOL, I'll agree with the others: all the guys in the pic are quite hot. But yeah, seriously, all half-naked and painted. LOL, does it make us optimists since we describe them as "half-naked" and not "half-clothed"?