End of the Week Round-Up

Sigh...where to begin...

1) NO, I do not want to talk about that Village Voice cover story. Blech. You know it's bad when the editor of one of the publications helmed by the parent company comes up to you asks what was the point or purpose of the entire article. Okay. So I talked about it. A little. Sue me.

2) For some reason, I agreed to take on a massive project and a lofty goal of selling $20,000 of ad space by October 30. After one day -- $395. Grrrrr. Wanna buy some ad space?

3) Crash is right...he is VERY cute...and he shares my love of Project Runway and Top Chef. Care to cuddle up for the season finale??? God, I'm such a flirt.

4) It's worth repeating...I'm such a flirt....

5) Workouts are going well. I know an hour of cardio four to five times a week seems excessive to some but it really gets me going.

6) Currently reading really bad gay fiction. And not, Mr. Byrnes, it's nothing of yours.

7) The situation with FwB isn't going well. He's been sick as of late and now out of town on business so we haven't really spent any time together in a long while. Maybe we should just go back to being friends with benefits rather than making a go of it.

8) Kumquats....just because......

9) I'm going to take a Tylenol PM and sleep like a baby....

10)Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.............

Got a Minute to Spare?

A friend asked me what I've been doing with all of my free time since the rugby tournament is over and I am no longer burning the proverbial midnight oil doing budgets, spreadsheets, reviewing contracts, trying to find new sponsors, etc.

Well...there's the new job. Rather than working until 5pm with the bank, I'm now out the door at 6, if not a little later some nights. Usually I would head home and pick up where I left off either at the office or the night before for the tournament. Budgeting, revising the budget, and re-revising the budget was an all-consuming process and I was consumed with making sure that we were never even close to going into the red (and I definitely succeeded there).

Then there's the workouts. I'm back at the gym and going strong. An hour of cardio five days a week, weights for four days. It's a hard commitment but it's refocusing my attention back on myself which was sorely lacking for quite some time. It's not even just the focus on the physical conditioning but the emotional side of things as well.

Part of it is the job which is a much better place mentally and emotionally. Part of is just being able to turn off my life at around 630 each night and spend an hour doing hard cardio and then push it into weights until I head out around 815-830. Part of it is because I definitely feel like I have more confidence than before. My favorite cashier at the D'Agostino's near the office told me last week that I had a "Don't sing it, just bring it" attitude.

Maybe 2007 will end on a high note after all.

30 Questions You’d Probably Never Think to Ask

Taken from another website and I decided to take the 10 minutes to answer them while the cucumber-ginseng face mask hardens and I get to wash it off....

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
Nope...not yet at least....

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?
Hell no....

3. When is the last time you went sledding?
Wow.....maybe back in North Carolina which is...egads...20 years ago!!!

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
Considering I'm a self confessed cuddle whore what do you think?

5. Do you believe in ghosts?
Absolutely

6. Do you consider yourself creative?
I think I'm pretty creative. When I did fundraising for the rugby team, I was always working on new ideas to bring in money.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
[sarcasm]Of course not. He's still looking for the "real killer" all of these years right???[/sarcasm]

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?
Jennifer Aniston if only because I could see us being good friends or something like that....

9. Can you honestly say you really know anything about politics?
I follow politics pretty well. I'm projecting a 51-49 split in the Senate for the Republicans and a Democratic takeover in the House.

10. Do you know how to play poker?
Yes, but I am BAD at it.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
Only once at New Year's and that is a night that me and my friend Lisa still talk about.

12. What’s your favorite commercial?
The Citibank identity theft commercials where it's somoene else's voice coming out of their body. Especially the "valley girl" voice coming out of the black guy working out.

13. Who was your first love?
Maybe not a true love but maybe an unrequitted love....and that would be this guy named Michael. When I got rejected by him it was pretty devastating.

14. If you’re driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around, do you go through a red light?
HELL NO. Besides I'm a REALLY bad driver.

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
Yes. And no I am not telling.

16. Boston Red Sox or That Evil Team That Shall Remain Nameless on this Blog?
Anyone but the Red Sox.

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating?
Yep...Wollman Rink is my playground....

18. How often do you remember your dreams?
More often than I realize...

19. What’s the one thing on your mind right now?
How much longer until I can wash this face mask off and feel some super smooth skin....

20. Do you always wear your seat belt?
Yes except in cabs. I know it's weird and I should but I never really have thought about it.

21. What talent do you wish you had?
Have always wanted to learn the piano.

22. Do you like sushi?
Depends on the sushi or more accurately the type of roll. BUt I have eaten it.

23. What do you wear to bed?
Sometimes my boxers or whatever I was wearing when I fell asleep on the couch....on occasion totally nothing at all.....

24. Do you truly hate anyone?
Hate is a useless emotion because the only person it hurts is you as the person you hate either doesn't know or doesn't care.

25. If you could meet one famous person, who would it be?
Vin Diesel....for a workout.....

26. Do you know anyone in jail?
No.

27. What food do you find disgusting?
SOmething my mother makes call oyster stew. It's nasty and my sister would delight in torturing me with eating it. My mother always had to make something else for me because I woudl refuse to eat it.

28. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
Behind them, in front of them, to the side of them, on top of them, on bottom of them....

29. Have you ever been punched in the face?
Been slapped a few times but never punched.

30. Do you believe in angels and demons?
Um....yeah.

Intrigue...

After reading his recent post, all I gotta say is that he definitely intrigues me. He probably had more sex last week than I did all last month....and the month before that.....and the month before that.....and the month before that......COMBINED. Then again he does have that bi thing going...

Something tells me though that he goes for men that are ever so slightly more slender than I am. Not that I'm a nasty fat fuck, but as one former flame said, "You're just a solid, barrel chested kinda guy that you think twice about pissing off...but you just want to snuggle up with them anyway because they give the best hugs...."

Either way....doesn't matter....I'll live vicariously through him....

And It's Official....

This morning, I got the final results from an MRI I had on my knees.

My rugby career is officially over. The constant playing, practice, training, etc., has to come to an end if I want to be able to walk under my own power by the time I am 40. The occasional match here and there a couple of times a year is okay but being tackled week after week coupled with lineouts and scrums is not.

Bad knees run in my family to begin with as my father has had orthoscopic surgery on both knees twice and my sister had it when she ran cross country in high school and then reinjured it sliding into second in softball. My doctor has said that I am likely to need my own round of orthoscopic surgery at some point in my life as my cartilege in my knee ain't the best either.

Sports are not totally out of the question though which is a good thing. Lower impact sports like swimming, volleyball (no diving for the ball!), or ping pong (my friend Shelly's recommendation). One friend recommended crew for me as it will help with my upper body work with not as much impact on my knees. Another friend said I should try out for the flag football league next year.

For now while I consider my options, I'm just going to continue my workout routine (which is already showing results), build up some more strength, and re-examine my options for 2007.

The Popsicle Twins

A few of notes:

1) I find it hard to believe that Phyllis Diller didn't "get it."

2) I picked up a few new techniques from watching this clip.

3) You just gotta love The Gong Show sometimes....

Wondrous, Magical Powers

I had my first mani-pedi today.

I have male friends that get these done on a regular basis but I have never taken the plunge to let someone go at my hands and feet. I really don't like people touching my feet that much since I am incredibly ticklish but I do like a good foot massage so I just kinda have to grin and bear it.

My salon of choice is right around the corner from my office and I decided to give them a try rather than to head up a few more blocks to the place that was recommended by one of my friends. Time was of the essence as this was going to be done on my lunch hour and if it ran long I didn't want to have far to walk. The spa pedicure was the option of choice (and recommended by my friends) as sure enough it was heaven.

As I'm diabetic, taking care of my feet to make sure that they have proper circulation and are well maintained is a pretty big deal. My doctor has recommended them before but since insurance won't cover them I figured what's the point? Well, after soaking my feet in the milk bath and then having Lily go to town on my toe nails to get them properly shaped and trimmed, I was already in heaven. I wasn't prepared for the scrubbing or the exfoliation or the little razor that shaves off all of the dead skin from your heels and so forth. The massage I was totally prepared for though and when Lily saw how I responded to having my Achilles tendon massaged on the second foot, she went back to the first and repeated it over there even though the timer had already expired.

The manicure wasn't as overwhelming as the pedicure and I recommend every man go get one. I feel like a god right now it was that amazing of an experience and I feel re-energized in a very weird way. I can't wait to see how this impacts my workout too.

And Back Home.....

So I am back...

I left Friday morning to fly down to Charlotte and be picked up my parents so I could attend the viewing and funeral. I kinda realized the night before that my real motivation for going wasn't for my grandmother's funeral but really to support my father as it was his mother.

I've already admitted that I didn't have the best of relationships with my grandmother so I had a much different reaction to seeing her at the funeral home versus my maternal grandmother to whom I was very close. My father broke down which was to be expected but considering that I had never really seen my father cry before it was a little emotional for me. On the really good side about it, I got to see a LOT of family members that I hadn't seen in years and reconnect with them.

THere was a bit of a humorous moment when I was asked to be a pallbearer which I had no problem with however, I read the obituary online and it said it was a graveside service so packed for a humid South Carolina funeral. No jacket, no tie. Voila! We're now holding a service in the chapel of the funeral home and then moving to the cemetary. Oh well. We pulled through and all was well. On the nice surprise of it all, my aunt (my mother's sister) showed up right before the service which was very nice to see.

It was a short trip down for me -- arriving on Friday and leaving on Saturday afternoon about four hours after the service. It wasn't my plan as my parents bought the ticket for me but I got asked by a lot of family members as to why I was leaving the same day. I was truthful with why I was heading out (I had no say since I didn't buy the tix) and everyone seemed to buy it. My parents left this morning and I'm sure there were a few raised eyebrows about that.

Really there was no need for us to stay very long. Her house had already been sold the prior year and, from what I already know, my father had power of attorney on her finances so all that will have to be paid are the funeral costs and perhaps a few lingering medical bills that Medicare doesn't fully cover. There is a bit of that "proper Southern etiquette" in a our blood but I think everyone kinda understood the situation.

I'm sure we'll get some more feedback in the coming days but for now, I'm just going to focus on my father and making sure that he's okay.

R.I.P.

This morning I got a phone call from my sister letting me know that my paternal grandmother had passed away in her sleep this morning.

My reaction to the news has left me very conflicted. I wasn't as close to this grandmother as I was to my maternal grandmother. I found my paternal grandmother to be emotionally manipulative of the family. She always had something to complain about and would pit family members against each other in order to get her way or gain sympathy. Thankfully I was smart enough to wise up to the act rather early and not give in to the emotional blackmail. I was her grandson so I did care about her and love her, but her actions made it very difficult sometimes.

I am going to the funeral this week and plans are being made for that as we speak. We're not sure when it's going to be but Saturday is a good bet. I'm sure this will all hit me later and I'll probably show a bit more emotion or feeling then. Part of me is reflecting over the summers that my sister and I spent with her in South Carolina and trying remember her as I saw her when I was young rather than the way I remember her now as an adult and the way she treated me and, especially, my mother.

I'll figure it all out somehow and will reconcile it all the best I can.

Um....Wow....

Who knew Matt Lauer had such a rockin' bod under that suit??? Can he host the entire show dressed like that???

The Return of Friend W/Benefits

So...

He's back in town.

The Friend with Benefits (aka FwB from henceforth) has returned from vacation.

We've talked a bit. Traded a few emails. All the good stuff.

Not sure where it's going between us but it's going somewhere. The truth is that I did kinda miss him while he was gone. Of course now I'm left to question if it's because of the friendship angle, the sex angle, or the potential relationship angle.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....................

Either way it's going to be a while before we see each other again as he tries to get his body clock to readjust to NYC time and try to get back into the swing of work and meetings. That's probably good since I'm still spending some time at the gym and would like to look a little better before I see him again.

Ouch...That Hurts

Well, I think I am finally seeing some results from working out. I'm also incredibly sore. I've changed up my workout routine some (okay swapped two days around) and think that it's paying off for me now. My cardio is picking up for sure and I made it through a round of cardio interval training on Thursday that left me drained -- but in that good way. Eventually I'll get back to my morning cardio/evening weights routine again but for now I'm setting down the baseline so I can build from here. I can see things are starting to firm up and that my cardio endurance is picking up.

On the downside, I'm REALLY sore which is why I adjusted a few things in the workout schedule. I did squats on Friday and I'm still sore today. Thankfully I vary up my leg stuff on my two leg days so I only have to do squats once a week which is a good thing. I know I'm never going to have the super buff bod of the majority of the guys who go to my gym and I'm really not pushing for that. I'd like to drop some extra weight, tone up a bit more, and gain some extra strength. I get the results my last MRI this week (was supposed to be last week) to check on how my knees are doing. My doc is pushing for me to quit rugby as my family has a history of knee problems and I'm starting to experience some of the same early warning signs of my sister and father both of whom have had knee surgery -- my dad on both knees twice. Basically I was warned that if I want to be walking under my own power by the time I'm 40, I need to find a sport that's not so high impact. And I like walking. It has a lot of useful purposes.

So...MRI results this week. Should be fun. For now, I'm taking a Celebrex and watching the U.S. Open.

Just a Reminder

Just remember this clip on Tuesday morning when you're getting dressed....