One Creepy-Ass Weekend

This is odd: having two fun weekends in a row. My neighbour had some people here from home over the weekend and I spent much of the days hanging out with them. A little drama Saturday afternoon, but it was pretty fun other than that. But I heard a very disturbing story when I got home from work Sunday afternoon. 

Everyone's favourite eunuch, Lord Varys

Because I had to be at work fairly early Sunday morning, I went to bed early Saturday night while everyone else kept hanging out. Really early in Sunday morning - around 5am - one of the guy’s from out of town woke up to a complete stranger that none of us know rubbing his penis. This guy (the stranger) said to our friend that he really wanted to give him a blow job and our friend essentially said get the fuck out. Our friend told my neighbour (with whom he and their crew was staying) about the incident…to his disbelief. A little later he (the out-of-towner) said he didn’t feel comfortable so he went around the place just to be sure. Lo and behold the guy (the stranger) was hiding in a closet. There is so much symbolism with that particular fact. I’m not sure how the story ultimately ended, but I was extremely creeped out. I kept thinking to myself as I heard the story “Had I been awake I would have found the nearest knife and threatened to make this creeper a eunuch if he ever showed up here again.” I feel like that’s the best way to threaten a man, by threatening his…manhood. Living next door, I know where the knives are too.

It’s also very disconcerting that this happened next door to me. To be fair, I had a difficult time keeping my eyes off of this guy (the out-of-towner…he is pretty damned cute), but I had the good sense - even while very inebriated - not to lay a hand on him. This was molestation, pure and simple.

Speaking of knives, I recently acquired a very sharp pocket-knife with which to smite my enemies, so this guy better make sure not to try and take advantage of me. I will cut this bitch.

A Bloody Good Weekend

This past weekend, things happened. Bad decisions were made…and a lot of fun was had.

Friday started innocently enough. I went over to a neighbour’s place and had a drink. Then they proposed a game. They were playing an NHL video game and every time someone scored we took a shot. Every time a period went by where no one scored, we took a shot. Did I mention they were shots of cinnamon vodka? They were shots of cinnamon vodka. We did this for two games. Everything was fine for a while. I remember some other people coming by later in the afternoon. I remember who they were (they were people I knew). But at some point, the lights just went out. Apparently I was hilarious that evening, but I don’t remember. I don’t even remember the Sun setting. Everyone else who was there was going to another thing and I had to be at work at 7am the next morning. Luckily, even blacked out, I had enough wits about me to not go with them even though I wanted to. The only thing I remember before my alarm going off at 5:45 am Saturday morning was throwing up quite violently into a trashcan next my bed and then turning back over exhausted from that ordeal (keep this detail in mind, I’ll circle back to it soon). Having not eaten much on Friday was probably not a good idea either.

Then my alarm clock went off. 5:45am. I knew that wasn’t happening. I reset it for 30 minutes later, this time feeling quite a bit better. The puking probably got a lot of the alcohol out of my system. Given that the shift I had to work would last about nine hours, this was definitely a good thing. It went surprisingly (and thankfully smoothly. I got back home between four and five that afternoon and hung outside with some people. Then, it happened. At some point mid-afternoon Saturday, I looked in the mirror and did a cartoon style double take. What the fuck was up with my eye. Deduction: subconjunctival hemorrhage. In laymen’s terms (even I had to look that one up), I burst a blood vessel in that eye. When I was throwing up early in the morning, it was violent enough to pop a blood vessel in my eye. This was a personal first. On retrospect, I’m really surprised this has never happened to me before. After the initial shock, I didn’t think too much about it. I don’t even think it was too noticeable. I didn’t see it when I was getting ready for work, nor did any of my coworkers mention it at the time.

That evening I ended up hanging with the same people I was with the night before. This is where I heard I had been hilarious Friday night. Someone told me we took a picture together on my camera…which I didn’t even remember having on myself at all. (In the ensuing days, I’m pretty sure the subject of oral sex came up, but I haven’t asked whether or not it actually happened…curiosity is getting the better of me though) There were quite a few stories from their night as well, like a girl falling and hitting her head (it’s not as bad as it sounds) and when a guy tried to help her up, he fell in the mud too. Funny stories, but it’s still good I didn’t go given my work hours. I ended up drinking Saturday too, but FAR more controlled…and I actually got some food in me before starting to drink. We walked to a party a few hours later. Nothing of note happened but I had a good time. One of the girls we were with did end up making out with this really cute guy. Either she was going to get him or I would (lucky bitch, but I’m totally not bitter…). Ended up going back to my neighbour’s place and then back to mine shortly after (sometime between 2 and 3am…I think). Another early/long day (8am-4pm). I was tired at work but no headaches or anything serious.

Did I mention that Oberyn (right) is bisexual?

That night I went to a coworker’s birthday get-together at a local restaurant/bar. It was import night (half off imports). After the weekend I had, it’s a wonder that I got through the one beer I got through. I didn’t stay there too long though. The most important event of the weekend was still ahead: the season four premiere of “A Game of Thrones.” I’ll just say that Oberyn Martell is awesome and Arya Stark is the Alpha dog. It was a great start to what will be another great season and a great end to what was the most eventful weekend I have had in ages.

Epilogue: I didn't get out of bed until noon on Monday. That rest was well needed and well deserved.

MEAT!!!

About two days after Mardi Gras, I realized that I hadn't decided what I was giving up for Lent. usually I have this thought out in advance, but Mardi Gras snuck up on me this year. I thought it started March 11th, and I was off by a week. Then I noticed that I hadn't had meat since before fat tuesday, so that ended up being this year's sacrifice. It isn't a significant part of my food intake anyway so I didn't think anything of it.

Cut to three weeks later...

I want meat. I REALLY want it. Even though I didn't think much of it at the time I decided to forego it, making something forbidden makes it that much more tempting. I realized a day or two ago that I still have three more weeks to go before meat is back on the menu. That was a very depressing thought. I promised myself I would get a big, juicy burger when Lent is over. Of course that just makes me that less patient for this to be over.

The Scene at the Store

There is a major snow storm headed to my neck of the woods. In fact, as I’m typing this, the flakes are falling and have been for about an hour. It started accumulating immediately. I was mostly prepared but there were just a couple of things I wanted to get while the getting was good so I trotted off to the store.

Mad. House.

It wasn’t frantic, but there were hoards of people there. Completely understandable. There things that I found laughable and things that I found downright perplexing. I jokingly made a Facebook status a few days ago about getting prepared by making sure I had wine (and yes, I do have the wine, as well as some bourbon because…reasons). However, there were lots of people buying alcohol. The guy in front of me in the queue had two cases of beer.

On the other hand, there were people buying frozen food. Lots of frozen food. That guy who was in front of me had three frozen pizzas. Keep in mind that the forecast has my area getting 10 inches of snow give or take. It may also be a rather wet and heavy snow, so power outages are not beyond reason. What exactly do these people think they’re going to do with these frozen foods, because preparing them would be out of the question?

And of course the bread aisle was absolutely ravaged and there was no such thing as a short line. That was particularly annoying given that I was waiting with just two items.

I wish I had thought to bring my camera with me on this trip to the grocery store (it didn't occur to me until I was halfway there) because it was definitely worth a few pictures.

BELATED UPDATE: As I said, about 10 inches were in the forecast. It ended up being 24 inches officially. Outside my door was 19 inches.

Wayward Weatherman

This was supposed to have been posted two weeks ago but...things. With another storm on the horizon, it seemed to be pertinent.

Somewhere around grade three or four, I became obsessed with weather. Seriously, while boys were getting into sports, I was watching The Weather Channel nonstop. Almost everything I learned about weather I learned then. I would watch the clouds and try to predict the weather. I drew tons of weather maps. I read tons of books on weather. I even kept track of hurricane season year in and year out. This stuff came in handy. In June when I was in grade four, I was in my grandmothers room and the weather started to turn really bad. I looked out the window and up and saw a funnel cloud. Immediately I started running towards the basement. Unfortunately I (and my mother and grandmother) didn’t get very far before…let’s just say it seemed like a bomb went off. We did make it the basement shortly thereafter. Whatever it was - a tornado, microburst, or something else - it didn’t last long, but it did take out a tree in the backyard (luckily it fell so that it missed the house, otherwise…yikes). Years later, my dad would be surprised that I didn’t major in meteorology (that would have required me taking more chemistry which…no).

I was pretty much always on top of the weather. I was always prepared. The faces on TWC were very familiar, almost like old friends (damn, that sounds pathetic).

Meanwhile yesterday, it started snowing. I didn’t know that would happen. It kept snowing and started accumulating. That was a shock. At around 8:30pm, there were maybe 2 inches on the ground. I did NOT see this coming. The day before started out surprisingly warm when I rode my bike into work. Six hours later when I left (keep in mind the Sun was still fairly high in the sky), it was frigid. The temperature had dropped 20 degrees. It turns out that the morning warmth that got me to work was the high of the day.

Somewhere along the road, one of my primary interests fell by the wayside and I’m very out-of-touch with the weather. It’s strange sometimes to think back on the things that interested us when we were younger only to realize that as the years pass, those interests change, sometimes without us noticing until it is brought into specific relief by a jolting event. That makes me wonder what - ten years from know - I will have left in my past, and what I will have picked up in its stead.

Basic Audience

Tonight I watched one of my favourite films with a couple of people. You would think that I had fun given that this is one of my favourite films...right? Not so much. The problem was that one of the people with whom I was watching this film - who had never seen it - had ZERO appreciation for the film and kept voicing that. Don't get me wrong, I get that not everyone has the same taste in films that I do and that's perfectly fine. The thing is that this film is not a "lowest common-denominator" kind of film which is part of why I like it. Films like this demand things  of the viewer such as attention, thought, etc. They are not simple films. A lot of effort went into these films which actually have something of substance to say. Even though I can get this person not liking the film, the disrespect that was shown was undeserved and annoying. Basic people who aren't up to watching films that require thought should stick to the likes of Twilight. Even though there are plenty of "simple" films that I like or even love, I tend to prefer films that require functioning brain cells and have something to say, not to mention that when the various elements are put together well it just makes it even better. Luckily my love of this film is still intact (or maybe it's even stronger).

Kids these days don't appreciate a good thing when it's staring them right in the face.

Worst. Music. EVER!!!

Once upon a time, I thought that Justin Beiber music was bad. Little did I know just how bad music could be…until Friday night.

I was exposed to the worst music that I can recall hearing in a very long time. Generally, the music I listen either means something, or it is lyrical, or it is just fun and catchy. This music however…let’s just say that calling it music is a bit of a stretch. What I mean by that is that there was very little discernible music. It was just noise. Some people would call it noise pollution. Apparently my displeasure with the “music” was written all over my face. I didn’t realize that until two people at the bar asked pointed out that I seemed “unamused.” I said “It’s not my kind of music.” That was a polite way of me saying “This ‘music’ is shit and I can’t believe ANYONE finds it enjoyable.” At least with Beiber, I can get why people like it even though I personally don’t.

Not only was the music terrible, it was really fucking loud. It was like my ears were getting blitzed by the Luftwaffe. I spent a good chunk of the night as far away from the speakers as I could get. At some point in the night, someone who was rocking out to this sonic assault knocked over one of said speakers. I considered paying him to “accidentally” knock over the rest of the speakers. By the end of the night, I definitely wasn’t hearing out of my left ear (the one facing the music) as I was out of my right ear. It is nothing short of a miracle that I didn’t have a throbbing headache.

Time for me to buy some earplugs.

Hiatus Explained

My last post was on October 29th. Yeah, it's been a while.

First, I had a computer issue. I finally decided to do something about my computer constantly overheating. I bought one of those compressed air things and used it to get rid of the dust that accumulated over the years. In the process, I damaged the fan...or something. It didn't work for a few days, then it worked for a few days, then it didn't work for a few days, then it started working again and has worked since...and that's with me doing practically nothing else. Having zero engineering know-how, I don't know what the fuck happened. So that was for about a week and a half.

As for the rest of the time, I got a computer game called "Civilization V." I've been pretty obsessed with it for the past two months and still am. Seriously, hours and hours straight with only potty breaks. I've racked up 204 hours of game play (the game keeps up with that) in two months. Not only have I neglected this blog, but my political blog as well, plus exercising has suffered too. Life = shambles.

I'm back and hopefully I'll balance my time far better than I have recently. Meanwhile, during my absence, the adorable Tom Daley (British swimmer, Olympic bronze medalist) did this:

My one criticism of this video: he's looking at the viewfinder and not at the lens. Though If I looked like him, I probably would look at myself too. seriously though, I would like to point out he didn't label himself as...whatever. That is an important thing of which to take note.

Team Queer scores again!!!

Guess Who's Coming to Town

As you may know, there is a gubernatorial election going on here in the Commonwealth. It is pretty heated on both sides. Since I go into the politics of it a lot elsewhere I won't do that here. I will say this though: though Democratic nominee, Terry McAuliffe is bringing in some heavy hitters. On of them is coming to my little town this coming Monday.

Yup, Bubba is headed this way. Tickets to the event were free, but I still had to wait in line. It is a somewhat different situation because admittance wasn't guaranteed, it pretty much first come first served. I don't know, but in order to have a chance of admittance, you needed a ticket, which is what I was in line for on Wednesday morning. I got these about 30 minutes (9:30ish) before doors opened and there was of course a line. This IS Bill Clinton after all. Not only was there a line, but there was a lot of cold. At one point, it started sleeting rather heavily, and it was pretty windy. I said to the people around me "At least we're doing this for Bill Clinton and not Justin Beiber." No one disagreed with that. Well, I got my ticket finally around 11 or so, most of the waiting time was spent outside and stupid me left my gloves at home.

~

Meanwhile, tonight (Thursday...in less than an hour as of the time I'm writing this) is the last gubernatorial debate between the Democratic and Republican candidates (there is a Libertarian candidate who is actually polling at around 10%, but he didn't get invited...for whatever reason). The venue is right here in town. In fact, I was near the venue about an hour ago and I spotted Al Madrigal, a correspondent from Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," you know, the one hosted by Jon Stewart. I would have at least attempted getting a picture of him (though not with him, I guess i get a bit more star-struck than I thought), but my camera decided to die. Bastard! Given the shooting and airing schedule of TDS, the soonest whatever they are shooting tonight would end up on the show would be Monday night. I'm looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, I didn't get tickets to the debate. Tickets were open to the public Tuesday morning, but they went fast. By fast, I mean five minutes...or so I heard. Looks like I'll be watching it at home like everyone else...in like 30 minutes.

I'll make sure my camera battery is charged before the Clinton appearance. Oh man, if I ended up with a picture with him, that would be the highlight of my year.

Amazon Haul: October 2013

I went on Amazon early last week and ordered a few items. Surprisingly, I got them earlier than expected.

Geography Club. This book was written by a columnist from (what is currently called) thebacklot.com (formerly afterelton.com) which is a pop culture site geared towards gay/bi men. It is being made into a film and me being me, I want to read the book first. There is a trailer floating around the web somewhere (by which I mean YouTube). I may or may not have posted said trailer on this blog. If not, I'll get around to it. It isn't a long book. I just started it today (Tuesday) and as of right now I'm about a quarter of the way through it. So far, pretty good and not really what I expected. I have three days off in a row (today was the first) and I should easily be able to get through this book given its length and my lack of stuff to get done (the laundry is already done, thank God).

Star Trek: Into Darkness. This film came out just this past Summer. It was epic. If you are anything like me, you will feel ALL of the feels. Yeah, I cried, but I'm a sap like that. But also, who knew the guy that played Eomer could be funny (Eomer wasn't funny)?

Soapdish. This film is in my top 5. I watched it first when I was really young. I haven't seen it in years and every time in the last couple of years whenever I got stuff from Amazon, they were out of stock (because of the film's age, I can't just go into a place that sells films and find it there). This time, the stars aligned. If you have not seen it, you really should. It's a parody on soap operas and it has a stellar cast. Did I mention it's over the top and hilarious? It's over the top and hilarious, especially the twist at the end.

A Slight Eye Problem

Last Wednesday (not yesterday) I woke up feeling like there was a grain of sand - or more likely a grain from my facial scrub (gay...) - in my left eye. It hurt like Hell. I had plans for that evening which ended up not happening because of that. My eye was like Niagara Falls it was tearing up so much and my nose was running. The next day, it was almost as though nothing had happened. My eye was only slightly irritated but otherwise fine. It so it was for the next several days…until today. Again, I woke up with left eye feeling terrible. I could barely open it at all for about an hour. It was so bad that I caved and called an optometrist this morning. Luckily they could fit me in this afternoon.

Not having health (or any) insurance, this whole thing scared me quite a bit. Luckily the people there were really nice. It turns out that it wasn’t pink eye like I thought. Some sort of allergic reaction caused irritation that blah, blah, blah, *medical mumbo-jumbo* and there is a small scratch on my eye. I mentioned a facial thing I recently started using and that could quite likely be the culprit (which sucks because it was actually working on my skin L). So much for using that.

Unsurprisingly I needed some medications for this. This is where my lack of health insurance had me scared. My doctor however was pretty awesome about this. On top of being a nice guy (who is also a Lord of the Rings fan), he gave me some samples instead of me having to get relatively expensive prescriptions, though he gave me a prescription in case I needed a refill on what I had. He also knocked 50% off of the cost of my visit. Being a follower of the news, I’ve heard about health cost nightmares and that sort of thing which had me fearing this. Luckily that didn’t pan out and my eye should be back to normal in a week or two. Thank God for that. I would like to be able to make next year’s trip to Brazil AND be able to see it as well.

Good News Wrapped in Bad News Wrapped in Good News

THIS is a babe!!!

The good news: earlier this week at work I got word that someone who came in described me as "a babe." Awesome sauce. The bad news: this person is sans Y chromosome. Can't win them all I suppose. The good news: the person who relayed this message to me was a quite handsome male co-worker...who bats for my team. Maybe he was thinking what she was thinking. *mind racing with possibilities*

Since I just started there, I'm still trying to get the feel of my co-workers: who is trustworthy, who are the gossips, who are the assholes, yadda yadda yadda. It's weird how I see "a game of thrones" gets played out in life all the time. That story has permeated my consciousness in a way that few stories have. Even office politics sometimes looks like the great houses of Westeros jockeying for power. Of course it's me who is the one trying to figure out who the players are and what role they're in.

Other than adjusting to the pace, everything seems to be going well thus far. I'm making more money right now as a trainee than I was making at my last job which is nice especially given A) how much of my savings account I burned through and B) how much I'm trying to save for next Summer (thousands). It's going to be a busy week too. Some sort of a financial plan is coming together. I'll be talking to my bank some time this week. Hopefully things stay on this heading.

A Long-Shot Southward

One of the first things that caught my notice this morning was a Facebook status from a friend of mine in Wilmington, North Carolina. He is going to Brazil next Summer...when they are hosting the freaking World Cup. My response: "I officially hate you. Jelly..." I said it flippantly as I always do when I hear people going to places and events that I'd love to go to. Yeah, he invited me to go. His cousin is already going with him and he said he'd love to go with a group of people. I immediately got excited at the prospect. 

I've never been out of the States...EVER. I always though my first trip abroad would be to some place in Europe, but I would be perfectly fine with Brazil. Especially given that it is during the FIFA World Cup. Not that I would necessarily be going to any games, but even parking myself in one of the bars to see a game in that atmosphere would be amazing and well worth the trip. It's a good thing this trip isn't happening any time soon because I'd be woefully unable to go. I've already missed a big trip a bunch of my fraternity brothers made to Oktoberfest a year or two ago. I hope I won't miss this too.

I have this nasty habit of setting goals, long term and short term, and missing them by a mile and then being filled with regret. Regret, to me, is a 4-letter word, not to mention one of the worst feelings I ever feel (and I feel it on a regular basis). hopefully, not this time.

I told this friend that if I could get the stars to align, I'd be in. So I have a year to get my ducks in a row...and there are a lot of ducks. The work begins today.

Besides which, I have no intention of missing out on the opportunity for cute Brazilian guys.

Please Tell Me This Is a Bad Joke...

Enter dirty thoughts...

Names are being withheld because the person in question may read this, as may a lot of people who know him. However, if you do read this, you know who you are.

I was on Facebook the other day (like I am EVERY day) and I came upon someone who wrote something about the new Superman film "Man of Steel." I forgot what the first sentence said (it's irrelevant so who cares), but at the end of the message, he indicated that he wouldn't be watching this film because Superman/Clark Kent would be played by a Brit (the very handsome Henry Cavill) and obviously Superman is American.

WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!?

My response was pretty much the title of this blog post. Pretty reserved right? In my mind however, I lost my shit at the utter stupidity and pretense of this mentality. And then of course there is the obvious: SUPERMAN IS NOT AMERICAN, HE IS KRYPTONIAN!!! Literally, he was an undocumented alien. Even if he was American and being played by someone from another country, why the fuck does that matter? Have you any idea how many Brits, Aussies, Canadians, etc. are in American television and films playing Americans? Guess what, it's A LOT!!! Get the fuck over it.

Seriously, I hope this was just a bad joke and I'm just overreacting. If not, then I lament that there is this much stupidity in the world. *hits head against wall in frustration*

/rant

Run Rob, Run!!!

I better sleep deep tonight. 

It has been a rather exhausting and active day, more so than any day in the recent past. I have been awake since seven this morning. Over an hour later, I went for a three-mile run and actually remembered to stretch afterwards for once (I always remember to beforehand). Was pretty tired afterwards but felt okay. I usually recover quickly.

I had planned on doing something else later: riding my bike to my polling station to vote in the Virginia primary which was being held today (at least for the Democrats, the Republicans stupidly had a convention last month and came up with some very extreme candidates). However, the new state ID that I was supposed to have a few weeks ago hasn't gotten here yet and the one I have now is expired. Thanks a lot DMV. So I was thinking that I didn't have the proper stuff to go vote. Thinking this, I decided to instead go on another run, just 1.5 miles this time just after three in the afternoon. However, I ran it harder than I usually do. Instead of going on an endurance run, I went on a speed run. Before I went on run #2, I posted on my Facebook page about my voting ID issue. When a got back from the run - which didn't go nearly as bad as I thought it might - a friend got back to my Facebook post about some alternate ID options and another friend joined in. They gave me some things I may be able to use, which led me to thrash about my place looking for something to use. I ended up finding my newest voter registration card from last year which I did after moving. Side note, apparently I had my old registration card on me when I voted last November, so it's a good thing I didn't need it then. Anyway, I threw that in my wallet, hopped on my bike, and went to my precinct. The trouble was that I still only have an expired state ID. Luckily, they poll workers didn't look at that. The address on it however was not where I live now, which is where the new voter registration card came into play. It all ended up working out and I got to vote, which made my day so much better. Then I made the trek back home.

So, I ended up running three mile, then another 1.5 miles, then biking another 1.5-2 miles less than an hour after that. Hopefully, I'll be able to use my legs tomorrow.

The Good With the Bad

As I have noted many times, this is my favourite time of year. More daylight, warmer weather, more time

outside…more cute guys wearing less.

The past couple of weeks, I have spent my nights/evenings hanging outside with my neighbours and various other people. Simple good times drinking some drinks, listening to some music, sometimes bringing out the corn-hole set, having a good time while the good weather lasts. Sometimes we hit the pool too. However…

From the knees down, I’m pretty much a giant itch. I’ve been getting eaten up by bugs. Also, every time I go running, I get drenched in sweat. I don’t really mind that, but it does take me a good 30 minutes to cool down again despite drinking ice water and sitting under a fan. Far worse than that though is that for about an hour after going running, my allergies act up. Primarily sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes. It's very aggravating.

I know, some of those are classic first world problems.

You gotta take the bitter with the sweet. That’s just how life works I suppose.

Two-A-Days

In my seemingly never-ending quest to be happier with my body, I have taken a few steps of late. The last couple of days I have been exercising twice a day. Once when I woke up right before I eat breakfast. That is ab time, usually while watching the previous night's "The Daily Show" or "The Colbert Report." I found an ab  routine that is pretty rough, but doesn't take a very long time. Then I go running in the afternoon sometime between two and three. I average out at three miles, but it is not running the whole time...more like 90ish percent. Clearly I need to get back into the cardio shape that I had back when I could knock out six miles in a day. Those were the days.

I'm in the process of getting used to this routine as I've only been doing this for a few days. I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but when these waves of motivation arrive, I ride them and ride them hard (get your minds out of the gutter). I do have to say that while I feel myself getting a bit stronger, it's a bit wearing. My abs have been in a pretty constant state of soreness, though it is ebbing over time. One of the ab exercises takes its toll on my lower back which, when combined with my upright running posture (necessary for proper breathing so I can't really change it) is pretty stressful. There is also my almost constant fatigue. Before running today, I was lying on my bed for about 40 minutes half asleep most of the time. Pretty much the same thing happened the day before, except it was post run. Of course part of that is not getting enough sleep at night. Have I ever mentioned how I hate napping during the day? I've never liked it. It makes me feel like I'm wasting sunlight which, given my quasi-S.A.D., is a very bad feeling. I'm thinking it would be good if I took a day off for my body to recover and come back stronger after. Like I said though, these periods of drive can be fleeting and I want them to take me as far as possible for as long as possible.

My motivation right now is two-fold. One, the big 3-0 is around the corner and I remember saying that I would have a six-pack by then. Things haven't gone as planned (like having two pints of Ben & Jerry's in three days this past weekend at over 1000 calories a pop), but I believe the goal is still within reach. The second motivator is the warm weather. I think the cold has finally broken for the season and there are lots of fit shirtless lads about (if that sentence sounds weird, it's because I've been watching lots of British tele of late). Sometimes I see a guy and think "wow, he's hot" and "I need to go running" simultaneously. Where I live, there is a lot of that. Hopefully enough to keep me going for at least a few more weeks.

A lot of the advice I have been taken when it comes to exercise and diet has come from Insane Home Fat Loss which you can find on FaceBook HERE and you can find them on YouTube HERE. And now it's time for me to head to the grocery store and find something to eat. I'm starving.

Dreams of Steel

If you've been reading this blog over the last year or so, you know I'm a huge fan of "A Song of Ice & Fire" (a.k.a. A Game of Thrones). I'm currently watching the third season and rereading the third book, "A Storm of Swords." I have also watched lots of clips on YouTube and watched some episodes on DVD. It's such a great story. However, a problem has arisen over the last few weeks. The story is starting to mess with my dreams.

Last week, I had a dream where I was literally fighting for my life. I was on the verge of being killed by two men. I was screaming for help but no one came. I was defending myself by any means which I could...which was not much. When I finally awoke in the middle of the night, I was drenched in sweat, heaving for oxygen. You can probably guess that I didn't get back to sleep, meaning I got less than four hours that night.

The following night I had another dream yet not nearly as bad, though it was not nearly as bad. In this dream, instead of fighting for my own life, I had just heard about a family members death and was deeply in mourning. I awoke in the middle of the night again, yet not with the start of the previous night. I didn't even bother trying to get back to sleep this time, so I had a rough 48 hours (at least).

I had another such dream last night, but this one escapes my memory. I do remember, however, that it was unpleasant.

I'm almost at the end of the book and there are four more episodes left this season. As good as the story is, I need a break. It's taking too much of a toll on my sleep cycle, which is negatively effecting how productive I am during the day.

Bad King

I spent virtually all of this weekend hanging out with my neighbours and their friends. Seriously, from Friday afternoon to Sunday night, except the hours I was asleep. They had a shindig at their place on Saturday night. Apparently at some point that night, my roommate’s dog (King) got loose from our place. This has happened before and usually it is not a big deal. It kinda was this time. During his wanderings around the neighbourhood that night, he found a skunk that ended up spraying him. I didn’t realize this until Sunday morning when I was coherent again. So now, the bottom floor of my place smells bad, although not as bad as you might think. The smell has faded quite a bit, but it’s still quite unpleasant. It’s supposed to warm up a bit later this week so week should be able to open up some windows and get some air flowing. At some point the dog’s owner tried Febreezing King. He didn’t like that.

I wish I could say King probably learned his lesson, but apparently he has gotten skunked on multiple previous occasions. He’s actually a pretty smart dog. Unfortunately, he isn’t smart enough to learn to leave skunks alone.

The Walls Have Ears

A few nights ago I was hanging out with some people at my neighbours' place. I had gone back to my place to get something and while I was standing near the door with my roommate's dog (yeah, I kinda have a dog now), I heard some people through the door. And guess what they were talking about...they were talking about whether or not I was gay. I was sort of in shock and just stood there listening through the door. It was a girl (who knew I was gay) and her boyfriend (who was questioning her). I was a bit surprised because pretty much everyone in this group I had hung out with on multiple occasions including this guy. I was a bit amused being the topic of discussion. For the record,he wasn't being homophobic in any way and I wasn't really offended or mad or anything like that. I think I'm just at the point where even when it doesn't come up directly, I just assume people know about me, usually because I make a lot of offhand comments mindlessly that could be construed as me "coming out" without me actually coming out. If you've met me at least three times, I subconsciously assume you know I'm gay. This was just an interesting situation.

As I was leaving for the night sometime later, a kind of whispered in his ear "If you have a question, just ask."