Hmmm interesting notes from the long Columbus Day weekend....take note of how odd my life was in the past few days...

Friday night

Bought loft bed. With delivery and installation it came to around $600 for the mattress, frame, and cover. I opted for the six foot high pine over the seven foot birch. Please remember this fact as you will need it for the Sunday night portion of this entry.

Went to Bed Bath and Beyond with my roommate, Dan. Dan just loves to shop. He would stop to look at something and say, "Oooh, let's get this for the bathroom," or, "Oooh, let's get this for the kitchen." Each time I was like..."I have that already. I just need to unpack it later." It was during this trip that I realized that I still had a lot of crap left over and I really do own too much. Promised to do more condensing. Spent another $110+ at BB&B for a free-standing wardrobe, a lamp, and other sundry products. Still need to buy a mirror, a rug, and the over the door ironing board that I promised myself. Next paycheck.

Saturday

Rugby match with the Gotham RFC. I woke up late and then had to lug my bag of laundry down three blocks and over two. As I had not done laundry in a while the bag was rather full. 45 pounds full. I was in shock that I had not done laundry in that long.

Got on the subway to go to the match. Needed to change trains at 168th Street but I got so involved into eavesdropping on the two girls talking about how they liked to have a certain sexual act performed on them that I missed the stop and had to get off at the next stop, transfer to a downtown train, and then to the train to take me to the match. Let's just say that there is a reason why I am gay and these two women confirmed it for me.

Rugby match -- Gotham played their hearts out and put a lot of pressure on their opposing team. They didn't win but they played really really hard. (Incidentally, my first real practice with them is tonight.) At the post match drink-up at the Eagle, I put my massaging skills to the test and got a marriage proposal from our female coach. One guy did take his shirt off in the middle of massaging him. I could get to like this team.

On the subway ride back, I was treated to music from a mariachi trio, a hip hop acrobatic duo who thought that gymnastic stunts on a crowded subway train were in order, and a blind accordian player. All of this on one train.

Sunday

Woke up insanely early and started to take things down to the trash area in the basement in order to make room for the new loft bed. By 9:00, not only was my bed, headboard, and bed frame downstairs, but I had already pushed everything to one end of the bedroom to make enough space for the guys to build my bed.

Waiting ensues.

At 2:30 the bed arrives. The guys claim that my phone is out of order. Yet when they do a test call from the guy's cell phone it works like a dream. Serious doubts that they tried to call. Then they said that the door buzzer wasn't working. I find that hard to believe since the delivery people made it in just fine the night before. Also one guy had majorly bad body odor and one guy kept asking if I was a student.

Loft bed installed. Decide to try it out. I quickly learn that I cannot lay on my back and hold my arm out straight without hitting the ceiling first. I am about two, maybe two and a half, even more possible three feet, from the ceiling. At least I now have a use for the tap lights I bought eons ago and never used. I would rather use those than turn on the ceiling lights and have to get off the bed each time to turn them off and on. Thank God I got the guard rails.

Walking back from the laundromat, I hear people yelling in their lobby. One person is telling the other how stupid they are and I swear if I heard gunshots I would have packed up everything and moved on the spot. On the next block, someone tried to hand me a religious pamphlet. Mind you, I'm lugging a bag of laundry with me at the time and don't have a hand free. When I try to pass by them, I get called the devil. I've been called worse.

First night of sleeping in the loft bed. Weird experience. Barely slept. Odd having the ceiling THAT close to your face. At least I don't hit it when I sit up in bed.

Monday

Woke up and spent an agonizing hour trying to remember whether or not I had the day off. Then I decided that I had it off after I realized that I got paid on Friday and I would have been paid on Monday had I not had the day off.

Found the weirdest blog so far -- two grannies giving advice. And ya know...they give good advice.

Went to the Sports Authority on 34th Street only to realize that it's no longer there. I spent about half an hour walking around the area looking for it since I wasn't exactly sure where it was. Then I realized it was closed to make room for a new H&M. Went up to 42nd Street remember that a Champs Sporting Goods store had opened there only to realize that it was still under construction. Finally gave up and went to the internet cafe on 42nd Street to look for a Sports Authority online. Between buying shoes, shorts, shirts, etc., I plunked down another $200 for rugby gear. I forgot the mouthpiece though so that's today's lunch trip.

On the way back home, I got to hear about a couple and their impotency problems and how her husband will not go to the doctor to get Viagra because he's embarassed about it. Gee. Just what you want to hear.

Went to have burgers at McHales (the best burgers in Manhattan) with my friend Amy. On our way to the subway, we were warned by a subway savant to stay away from the "funny grass." On the subway, I was then serenaded by a pair of drummers with their bongos and brought back memories of "Conga" by Gloria Estefan...

Hopefully there will be some normalcy now..