Saturday, September 01, 2001
September 2001
1 Sep 2001
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADRIAN!!!!!!!!
Saturday is Adrian's birthday. He doesn't know it yet, but we're headed to New York City for a couple days. Actually, I think he's figured out we're going to NYC, but what he doesn't know is that we have tix to a show on Broadway on Sunday that he really wants to see. And I may still have a surprise for him on Monday...
Anyway, everyone should wish him a happy birthday!!!! Also, he took his final at hair styling school today, so be sure to congratulate him on that, too. =)
Stories from the trip upon our return. For now, I hope everyone has a good weekend!!!
4 Sep 2001
A good time was had by all
(This is a pretty long entry. But it covers a weekend in New York City. So whaddya expect?)
Wow. What a weekend.
I fixed dinner here Saturday, then we were off to the train station. Adrian had pretty much figured out we were headed to New York for his birthday. I tried to mess with his mind by getting up when the train got to Wilmington, Delaware, but he was having none of that. We got to New York a little after 11 and headed to our hotel across the street.
We had planned to go out that night, to a party called Kurfew down at the Limelight. But Adrian's stomach was bothering him (I'm sure it wasn't caused by that wonderful dinner!) so we decided around 12:30 just to make an early night of it, and hang out with each other.
Sunday we got up and walked down to Chelsea to a little diner that Tracy had recommended. We had a great brunch, then walked through Chelsea and over to the East Village and through SoHo. It was such a beautiful day that we just wanted to walk and people watch. Of course, Adrian didn't know what I had planned for the rest of the day, only that we had to be somewhere at 3. We headed back to the hotel and got cleaned up, then walked up Broadway to the Palace Theater to see Elton John and Time Rice's Aida. What a GREAT show! The male lead was Adam Pascal, who played Roger in the original cast of Rent and whose voice I know so well from the Rent soundtrack. The female lead had an incredible voice, and the other female star was the singer Taylor Dayne. It was a very fun show, great dancing, outstanding singing, very good acting, and it was pretty obvious that the music was by Elton John; it had his "sound."
Afterwards, as is our custom, we moved toward the stage door. Unlike after Cabaret and Whoopi Goldberg's DC show, however, there were lots of people waiting, and the theater had them form a line. I'm sorry, but Adrian and I don't DO lines! That's so...straight. So we just hung out nearby and watched the stars come out to sign autographs (we weren't there for autographs, we just like to let the performers know how much we enjoyed the show). I wanted to see Adam Pascal and Adrian wanted to see Taylor Dayne, and we both got our wish. Then it was back to the hotel to drop off our programs and change for dinner (well, I needed to change, Adrian looked perfect the way he was). He had me wear one of his small white t-shirts, and I must admit, it looked pretty good. In fact, when we were at the restaurant in Chelsea (recommended by Andy...thanks Andy!) this guy (who was on a date, for crying out loud) was checking Adrian out (the guy's date, whom he was touching a LOT during dinner, was also a mid-20s Asian guy...do we see a trend here?) and before they left he asked me how long we'd been going out, and when I told him 8 months he said, "wow, that's great, you guys are really a cute couple." Now THAT was nice. I haven't heard that before. I don't know if it was the tight t-shirt or Adrian's ethnicity or something else that got his attention, but whatever it was, my ego got big enough that I could eat dessert down the street at Rafaela's. And wow, that was an amazing chocolate tiramisu cake. Sweet talk and sweet cake. What a night.
We were going to go to Don't Tell Mama, a piano bar in the theater district we visited last May, but as we were getting ready, well, things started happening and, well...we figured we should stay in, seeing as we were naked and all.
Monday was an incredible day, proof that good spontaneity takes careful planning. Or something like that. Anyway, I told Adrian that I'd be getting up early and going somewhere, but I'd be back in a couple hours. Since that meant he got to keep sleeping, he was okay with that.
So I got up around 6:30, caught a train, rode about 20 minutes, and stood in line for a little under 2 hours.
And that's how we got tickets to the US Open.
We were watching the opening rounds on TV last week when it suddenly occured to me that it was taking place while we were in New York. Since we both enjoy tennis, and we were spending hours watching matches on TV, it seemed like actually going in person would be a good idea. So Friday I called Ticketmaster, only to find that the only remaining tickets in the main stadium cost $250. Okay, NO. But I also learned that General Admission tix, good for everything but the main stadium, went on sale each morning for that day's events. And they were pretty reasonably priced.
So we went to the US Open.
Walking into the National Tennis Center, I couldn't believe we were actually there. I mean, this was the place we'd been watching on TV all week, and now we were a part of it. Very cool feeling. And very good tennis awaited us.
We saw some women's doubles. And then we saw two women's singles matches, including the #5 seed vs the #11 seed, and #8 vs #9. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I've never seen tennis like that in person. These ladies were so evenly matched, the crowd didn't seem to care who won or who lost, just as long as we got to see some really good tennis.
Then we saw some more women's doubles, a match consisting of two young ladies vs Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis. You know, the #1 and #2 ranked women players in the world. And that was pretty unbelievable.
And then we saw some men's singles, but only got to see one set before we had to catch the train back to Manhattan, pick up our bags, and head back to Amtrak for the ride home.
Adrian was suprised by all of it, which of course was the idea. I wanted to do something special for him, and he had talked about wanting to see Aida if it ever makes it to DC, so going to see that seemed like a good plan. We really enjoy going to New York together, so that would've been fun in any event. And going to the US Open...well, that was just the tasty icing on the cake. He was blown away by that, as I knew he would be. Hell, so was I. This trip wasn't just for him, it was for me, too, and I really, really had a good time.
Hmmmm...now I want some more chocolate tiramisu cake. I think another trip is in order!
6 Sep 2001
Just a few thoughts
I'm still pretty burned out after writing Tuesday's long entry about the trip to New York. So this will be a short one.
This past weekend provided further proof that, if you date me, you're going to attend major sporting events. In addition to our visit to the US Open this weekend, Adrian and I will be going to the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. And do you think Alabama Michael will ever forget attending the 1998 Peach Bowl in Atlanta? Not likely!!
For those who need lots of booze and other drugs to have a good time, I should point out that Adrian and I had our amazing weekend without a drop of alcohol. It wasn't exactly planned that way, but that's how it turned out. Of course, we'll make up for that at the party here this weekend.
A sign of age: at the Open Monday I heard someone say "Martina is over there signing autographs." I thought they meant Martina Navratilova, but of course, they meant Martina Hingas. Despite all evidence to the contrary, I guess I really am getting older.
Adrian and I joined some friends Wednesday morning at a big fundraiser for the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL) here in DC. It's a great place to help gay youth, and River recently started volunteering there. Another sign of age, I guess; such things didn't exist when I was a teen. Well, not in Omaha, anyway. Or if they did, I didn't know about it. Wait, what was my point again?
BROADBAND UPDATE: Well, thanks to some bad info from the fine people at AOL, I missed my appointment with the phone company tech who was supposed to check my DSL lines Wednesday morning. SO, they rescheduled me, which means another week of waiting. On the cable modem front, my installation kit still hadn't arrived, so I called the company, and it turns out when I ordered it 10 days ago the sales rep apparently never placed the order, because there was no record of it. However, the rep I talked to this time actually had a clue and told me I could pick up an installation kit from my local cable office. Which I did. Then I called in the activate the account. And it will take 24-48 hours to do that. So we wait. And whichever company can get their system working first gets my business. Not that they care.
6 Sep 2001
**NEWS FLASH!!!**
Yeah, I know, there was already an entry this morning, but this is important:
THE WEBCAM IS BACK ONLINE!!!!!!!
I look like crap right now, but hey, at least it's back up.
9 Sep 2001
Asian birthday boys can't handle their alcohol
Someone's asleep on the bathroom floor. Must be a party at Bill's place.
Saturday night was "The Slash Party," where we celebrated my housewarming/publication of my first book/Adrian's birthday/River's birthday/the start of the college football season/another successful Madonna tour/whatever else we could think of. We had folks wandering in and out until about 2:30. A very good time was had by all. We never had more than about 20 people here at once, so it was small enough that no one felt overwhelmed by all the unfamiliar faces, but because people kept cycling in and out (there were a number of parties going on last night) we always had an interesting mix. Very few straight folks, though; Chris and Rachel came, of course (with Rachel's especially-hot cheese dip, along with some good wine) as did Cassandra, and some friends of Adrian and his brother, but my brother and sister-in-law, Paul and his sig other, and Eric and Yolanda were all unable to come. Too bad, for as my brother said, it totally wrecked the ratio.
But we had mucho fun.
River had a bit too much to drink. I suggested that he be "cut off" because I've seen him drunk before and it ain't pretty. He kinda collapsed onto the bed after a while, but the person who gave him the drinks was the friend he came with, so at least he got to deal with getting him home. Seems fair. I think River had a very good time, though, and he met some new people that he really hit it off with, so all's well that end's well.
Adrian, however, slept in the bathroom. =) It was weird, because he NEVER gets drunk (except for one memorable episode in New York last May). But there he was, sprawled out behind a closed door. I kept making sure he was conscious, but he really didn't want me to see him like that, so he stayed in the bathroom until I went to bed. It's not like I was especially worried about him, but my contact lens solution was in that bathroom and I wanted to take them out before sleeping. He came to bed a little while after I did.
For all those impressionable youngsters out there, I should point out that neither of us advocates alcohol abuse, and in fact, we drink relatively little. And the folks who were driving last night didn't drink. And everybody's clothes stayed on. Remember, if you aren't responsible for your actions when you're drinking, you're probably not responsible enough to be drinking in the first place. This public service announcement has been brought to you by DAM -- Mothers Against Dyslexia.
Speaking of Adrian, below is a new pic of him I was thinking of putting on my website. He's not sure he likes it. Let me know what you think.
Speaking once again of Adrian, he learned this week that he passed his hair styling final last week with an almost perfect score! Today is his first day on the job at the salon.
Too bad he left his clippers at home.
10 Sep 2001
Crap Poop Heck
There was mucho confusion today between my advisor and I. We were going to meet before her class tonight, and I waited 45 minutes outside her classroom while she waited for me in her office. I didn't see her until she was walking into class.
Crap crap crap.
Then she said, "well, you just have a paper for me, right?" Um, no. Last week I gave her a draft and I was expecting her feedback on it. "Oh, did you e-mail it to me?" she asked, with a confused look. Um, no, we stood in the hallway and I handed it to her. "Oh, well, get another copy to me and I'll take a look." So, in other words, I just spent a week waiting for feedback that wasn't coming.
Poop.
I went home, printed another copy, and got it to her after class. But it still bugged me that I wasted that week. At least I was able to do some other work during that time.
A week might not seem like much time. But I don't HAVE that much time, relatively speaking. I've got about 10 months to get this dissertation finished, and this is just one step.
Heck.
11 Sep 2001
Washington DC update
Adrian and I live about 3 miles from the Pentagon. We were both home, neither of us had gone into the District yet. I sometimes do research in the Pentagon, but not today, fortunately. We can see the smoke from the Pentagon and occasionally hear military jets flying overhead. We're just hanging out here watching it all on TV, like most people in the US, I suppose.
I just wanted to post this quickly since a number of folks have called or e-mailed to make sure we're okay. More to follow...
11 Sep 2001
Washington DC Update 2
Adrian and I were watching the TV coverage of New York this morning after Tracy called to tell me what happened. I heard a plane pass by that sounded kind of low and looked out the window, seeing nothing. I told Adrian "I guess I'll be a little jumpy when I hear a plane." 10 minutes later the local station cut in with the report of the Pentagon attack. The plane had flown down a street about 2 miles from here. Apparently, that was the one I heard, but we didn't hear the explosion. We can see smoke from the Pentagon.
We heard F-16 fighters on Combat Air Patrol over the area; the first time I heard one I thought it was another airliner, but then realized what it was. We haven't heard them in a few hours, though we still here medevac helicopters and lots of sirens. I imagine we'll hear fighters "sanitizing" the area before Air Force One returns.
The fire at the Pentagon is coming under control, but it's still burning. There are going to be major casualties there once the fire is out and the searching begins in earnest. Only about 60 people have been taken to area hospitals, but from the pictures it's a safe bet that there are many others still inside, and it's doubtful they survived.
Lots of rumors have been cropping up on discussion boards, so let me put a few to rest:
- There have been no other incidents in Washington DC besides the Pentagon attack. No car bomb at the State Department, no bombings in Georgetown, no fire on the National Mall.
- The Pentagon is still functioning. Though most people have been evacuated, the National Military Command Center is still functioning. So bad guys beware.
- All members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have been accounted for.
Speaking of rumors, there are a lot of people pointing fingers at the Middle East. A lot of people did that after Oklahoma City blew up, too, and we all know what the result of that was. Everyone should chill; radical Muslims (and most are non-radical) don't have a monopoly on terrorism. I study terrorism, and will point out that there are a number of likely suspects.
More to follow this evening...
11 Sep 2001
Washington DC update 3
My friends Robert and Tim, who both fly for American, do not appear to have been working the flights that were hijacked. That's a little bit of good news on an otherwise bad news day.
There's a haze over by the Pentagon but it doesn't look like a lot of new smoke. And we haven't heard any medevac choppers or fighter jets in a few hours.
Things are calming down for the moment.
11 Sep 2001
Washington DC update 4
Local TV stations report that Pentagon officials are suggesting 100-800 dead. Tough to tell, that's based on people unaccounted for rather than actual bodies, and the area that was hit was being renovated so some people may have relocated to new offices prior to today.
Hopefully that will be toward the low number. I know a lot of people working there.
My neighbor noticed this afternoon that my newspaper hadn't been picked up, and she got worried, so she knocked to see if I was home or not. How cool is that?
With all the excitement the past few days (the party, an issue with my professor, and then today's events) I totally haven't mentioned that my friend Chad from Colorado Springs got in Sunday for a week-long visit. Needless to say we didn't do any sightseeing today!! But he definitely is getting a trip that he'll never forget.
We had a few friends over tonight because I wanted Chad to meet them. We originally thought we'd postpone it, but then figured it would be better than everyone sitting home watching TV alone. So Andy, Arlington Michael, and Steve came over, and once the pizzas arrived we turned off the TV and talked (mostly) about other stuff for a couple hours. A good idea, I think.
Our plans to go clubbing tonight have, as you might guess, been put on hold.
This has been a very strange day. Having studied and written about terrorism over the last 6 years, I've come to expect that a major terrorist event will happen someday, but when it finally happened, it's still quite a shock. There's a lot we can learn from this incident, and I will say that I take no pleasure in the fact that many of the concerns expressed in my book that was published earlier this year have been borne out. If anything, I'm a little pissed at some of the priorities our government has assigned to different threats. But that is another issue for another time.
Be careful the next few days in terms of sifting truth from rumor. The news media is full of both, and people should not get overly scared by exaggeration. Runs on a grocery store in Missouri make no sense at all. Let's be smart, let's be calm, and let's be safe.
I think that's enough updates for one day.
13 Sep 2001
Lions and Tigers and Bears (and Monkeys), Oh My!
Following the horrific events on Tuesday, it was clear what we needed to do on Wednesday.
We went to the zoo to look at the pandas. Everything feels better after looking at pandas.
I suggested it to Adrian when he woke up Wednesday, and with a sly grin and a coy little voice he said,
"I'm a panda."
I don't know why I found that so incredibly erotic, but I did. Stuff immediately followed.
So Adrian, Chad and I headed off to the National Zoo to see the pandas on loan from China, and the gorillas, and the flamingos, and the lions, and whatever else we might see.
As an aside, I know that a lot of people are opposed to zoos. I don't quite buy the argument that it's a horrible existence for them. On the other hand, I'm not to sure about the other extreme, which says they'd thank us if they could because they live much better than they would in the wild. I think the answer, as usual, lies in the middle. Zoos are very useful because they help in conservation efforts for all animals. I think humans in general (and, let's be honest, Americans in particular, more on that in a later post) are self-absorbed creatures who will not face a problem unless it touches them directly. People who have never seen a wild animal are not going to give a damn about conservation. People who have been face to face with a bald eagle, however, might find themselves more interested and even if they don't give up their career to go help wounded birds, at least they're more likely to donate a few bucks, or not vote against a congressman who tries to restrain some of the more interesting abuses perpetuated in the name of commerce. For me, scuba diving has definitely increased my interest in, and financial and time committments to, helping water-based wildlife. I think the 2-year old girl who was making faces at the baby gorilla yesterday might not grow up to be the next Jane Goodall, but at least she'll be able to appreciate the importance of animals. The creatures in the zoo are kind of like members of the US military -- people who have to give up some of their freedom and assume extra risks so that the rest of us are better off. But, as is often the case, I digress.
After the zoo we had dinner in Dupont Circle, then coffee at SoHo, then stopped in a leather store and marveled at all the bondage equipment, then we came home. What a day.
And much better than sitting around staring at the images on TV.
14 Sep 2001
Please Don't Feed the Students
As if Wednesday's trip to the National Zoo to visit the pandas wasn't enough, Chad and I went to see some more animals on Thursday.
Yes...I took him to the University of Virginia.
I remember when I was a student there and I'd run into tourists. I wasn't one of those dicks who would send them off in the wrong direction in response to their inane questions ("Hey, where's the Rotunda?"..."Um, it's the really big dome RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"). I always had a fascination with The University, and a pretty decent memory, so I would be quite the font of knowledge for any poor soul unlucky enough to ask me where the nearest restrooms were. ("Did you know that in 1819 Thomas Jefferson himself designed the toilet paper roll???") I always say I live life without regrets, but the one regret I do have is that I never tried out for the University Guide Service, which guides historical and admissions tours. I was just too busy with other activities (and there was that whole "coursework" thing, too).
So it's always fun to go down there with friends and show them around. Or be visiting The University and have a tourist stop me, thinking I'm an undergrad (I kid you not, it happened just last year...thank goodness for poor vision in the elderly!!).
It was a beautiful day, and there were lots of beautiful students about. I timed it so we would be around certain buildings when classes let out (yes, I still remember the schedule). Was I ever really that young? Probably not. I was probably more serious in college than was good for me, and as much as I enjoyed it, I wonder sometimes if I missed out on some fun. Then I remember that people from school still call me "Wild Bill" (a name picked up my second weekend at UVA, but that's a story for another time) so chances are I had enough fun.
Important Safety Tip: Throughout my career, people at work have picked up on certain stories, often from other UVA grads, and thus I've always been known at work as Wild Bill as well. This is proof that the things you do in college can follow you for the rest of your life, even if you move all over the country. Think about that the next time you're about to do something really, really stupid.
I have to wonder if Chad was a little...well, "intimidated" isn't the right word, but I don't know what is (yeah, there's that college education kicking in!). He went to a small branch of a larger state university, a commuter-school really, and missed out on the traditional 4-year college experience (actually, only about 25% of today's bachelor's degrees are earned in the traditional setting). He didn't live in dorms, he wasn't surrounded by thousands of people his age, he didn't have football games in big stadiums and student protests, his life didn't revolve around school -- I wonder if he misses that.
Must ask him. We'll definitely have lots of time to talk, as it's a good bet he's not getting back to Colorado when he's supposed to. He's supposed to fly home Sunday, but he's "non-revving" (flying for free on the domestic-partner benefits of his ex-boyfriend-flight-attendant) so he'll be at the bottom of the priority list when the airline starts flights again. It's going to be interesting to see how this works out.
We want to go to the Corcoran Gallery today, but it's inside the White House's security perimeter, so it's still closed. And probably will be for a while.
Back to the Smithsonian, I guess.
15 Sep 2001
Traipsing Around the District
On Friday I took Chad into DC and we went to the National Gallery of Art. He being an art major in college, I figured he'd enjoy it, and it turned out to be a good call. They have a very cool Jasper Johns exhibit right now, and Chad has suddenly become the newest Jasper Johns fan.
After lunch we decided to see how far we could walk down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the White House before we got shot. The answer is "15th Street." Cars can't go past 14th Street, and pedestraians are stopped at 15th. Downtown seemed a LOT quieter than usual. More cop cars and sirens than usual, not as many regular folks. All the Federal agencies are open, it just seems like people are doing what they need to do, then going home. Very little strolling about. Of course, it was also 57 degrees yesterday, which is about 15 degrees colder than the day before, so that might've explained some of it. Not everybody likes autumn, and that's what it felt like.
We headed up to Dupont and ended up meeting Tracy for coffee. He said that Richmond postponed their Pride celebration, originally scheduled for this Sunday. No big surprise, though I would have understood no matter which way the decision had gone. He seemed happier than he has all week, which is good, but I still didn't think he'd go out with us to Badlands Friday. Turns out I was right.
But we had a good time...Adrian, Chad, Steve, and Adrian's brother, and I think Chad might have been a little overwhelmed; they don't have anything quite like this in Colorado Springs (just wait until he sees Velvet Nation tonight!). I think that was the best time Adrian and I have had in a club (except for the night we met, of course!). Chad took his shirt off, and I knew that once he did he'd get some extra attention. Sure enough, he had some guy dancing up behind him pretty quickly. Chad let us know he needed some help, but when we sent Steve in to take one for the team, well, Chad didn't have enough sense to just move away from the guy. We finally decided that if he's going to lead the guy on (which is certainly what it looked like) then he was on his own. We finally got him out of there without any marks on him.
On the drive back we were talking about going out tonight, and Adrian's brother said, "so, Adrian, you gonna get your alcohol-freak on, or your drug-freak?" Now, Adrian doesn't do drugs (though his brother is known to pop something on occasion, and proceeded to talk about what he does to get stuff from other guys), and I really didn't appreciate him saying that in front of my other friends, perhaps giving them the impression that Adrian's a crackhead. His little brother can do what he wants, but I don't want him making Adrian look bad. Or am I reading too much into that?
Wow...my ears are still ringing. Ear plugs are in order tonight.
16 Sep 2001
Almost a Quorum
Saturday night we headed out to Velvet Nation, where we haven't been dancing in a while. Adrian and I were last there in April with some other friends. This time, though, was the best time we've had there together (well, except of course for that night in January when we met there!). We got home around 4, and THIS time I actually went ahead and wore earplugs. I felt a LOT better afterwards than I normally do.
My, my...clubbing 'til all hours two nights in a row. You'd almost think I was under 30.
Almost.
Saturday night was most interesting because of the mix of people I was with. There was Adrian, of course, and Chad. And meeting us there was Richmond Michael (note: I suppose I should change his name to Pittsburgh Michael, seeing as he moved there in August. But don't confuse him with Dancin' Michael, who goes to school in Pittsburgh!).
Anyway, once the Big Room opened after midnight, we took Chad in to show him around, and the four of us ended up on the dance floor for a few hours. It was kind of strange, because here were 3 people, all of whom are very important in my life for different reasons, 3 people whom I never pictured being together. It was as if different aspects of my life, past and present, were coming together at once. I suppose if one more person had been there, representing my future, why, the five of us could have made some sort of magical pentagram. Or something.
Hmmmm...maybe the really drunk guy who cut in front of me and started rubbing up against Adrian represented my future. I hope not. I don't really mind if someone does that, as long as he isn't bothering Adrian. After all, that guy can do whatever he wants, but I know who Adrian's coming home with at the end of the night. Just keep your hands ABOVE the waist, buddy!
What a fun night. Michael came back and crashed here because it was either that, drive back to Richmond, or stay with this somewhat sketchy character from his past who was trying to get into his pants. That is one of the nicest things about my friendship with Michael -- there's never been any sexual tension between us at all, so when I invite him to stay over he knows there's no hidden meaning.
Chad seemed to have a good time. He seemed startled by the cover charge, but not by much else. Once again, he was hit on once his shirt was off; no big surprise there, he's done a lot of work on his body over the years and it shows. I think he kinda liked Michael, but they're both way too shy to make anything happen, even though they ended up both sleeping in the living room.
I really wanted Chad to meet River, as they both enjoy creating digital art. Unfortunately River has been tough to get a hold of this week. I think he was very bothered by the events on Tuesday, and the fact that his boyfriend works for one of the agencies investigating stuff means he's going to keep hearing about it for a long time. Chad and I went by his place Saturday to drop off a birthday card. He was supposed to go to NYC for his birthday on Saturday (he's 27 now) as a friend had gotten tickets to a show up there, but of course, the trip got cancelled. Fortunately he made plans with another friend Saturday night, and hope we will do something this week, and of course he had the party last week, AND he and his boyfriend are doing something next week when boyfriend gets back from a trip, plus I'm sure the NYC trip will happen in the future, so he is getting the longest birthday celebration in recorded history.
We got Chad to the airport in Baltimore today, as Washington National is closed "indefinitely." We were there about 4 hours early, as was recommended to us, but the airport seemed much quieter than usual. I think a lot of people were cancelling flights for various reasons (hopefully not for safety concerns; let's face it, air travel will NEVER be safer than it will be for the next month or so!). Anyway, since Chad was travelling standby, we were happy to see people cancel. He got on board, and should be back in Denver as I write this.
I'm really glad he visited. When his partner got a job with an airline I told them they needed to use their benefits to come visit. They have since broken up, but Chad is still listed as the "significant other" for benefits' purposes. I've seen him back in Colorado a few times since I left in '97, but this is the first time he's seen me in my environment. I really wanted him to see how I've grown since we first met over 7 years ago. It's been an interetsing time.
Adrian is falling asleep on the couch, so I'm going to go put him to bed. Hopefully this week will be better than the last.
17 Sep 2001
The "L" Word
Yeah.
You know what it is.
The ultimate 4-letter word.
Starts with an "L".
It's what you feel for someone special.
What you feel for someone close to you.
What you feel when you need them in your arms.
You know what I'm talking about.
It's what I feel for Adrian.
Yeah...
Lust.
Big time.
And it's a 2-way feeling.
(What? What 4-letter "L" word did you think I meant???)
18 Sep 2001
One Week Later
I haven't written too much about the terrorist attacks last week. As it was happening I posted updates about what was going on here in DC, but I haven't talked too much about the further consequences or the effect they had on me.
I've spent the last 6 years studying, writing about, and planning for programs to counter terrorism. It bothers me somewhat that after all those years in preparation, I'm sitting here in school when it hits. I would rather be involved in the recovery and response efforts than working on my dissertation. But I guess there will always be a place for me in this arena, so I should just finish my degree and then get back to that stuff. It's not as if the threat is going away any time soon. It's just a bit frustrating right now.
I'm concerned about the response the people of this nation seem to be demanding, and that the administration seems to be promising. I am afraid that an overuse of military force could play right into the terrorists' strategy. Based on different aspects of the attack (e.g., the timing, the casualities, the targets, the lack of anyone taking credit) I think the objective of this attack was not to intimidate Americans or to wreck the economy, but instead was to provoke the US into a response that would alienate the Muslim world and turn them against the US. I would hate to see the administration or Congress (or, for that matter, the American public) demand an action that will help the terrorists in achieving their goal.
I've published a couple of articles addressing terrorist objectives, as well as a book that touches on that subject. I'm tempted to send copies to every member of the House and Senate armed services committees. I'm just afraid that they're hearing the emotion of the moment, but are not hearing a lot of objective ideas. I don't know if anyone is giving the advice I would give. So perhaps I should try to get my advice to them (or maybe have a friend send them -- it might look better if I wasn't trying to put my own work in front of them myself).
I'm going to feel even weirder in the future when travelling or in any suspicious situation. A few years ago I went through some government counterterrorism training and I really started to pay attention to little things, to the point where I got a little paranoid in a couple situations (kinda like a medical student who is convinced he has every disease he's studied about). I notice sirens a little more now. I was keeping a close eye on people at the airport Sunday. This is not good. I don't want to be thinking about this all the time.
Fortunately, I have other things to think about, like why the USB ports on my computer don't seem to be working right, thus preventing my webcam from functioning properly (notice the smooth segue from the dark and somber topic into the light and inconsequential one).
21 Sep 2001
Another Few Days Go By
BIGGEST NEWS: Adrian completed his paperwork and exit process from school yesterday. He now has, in hand, a diploma from hair styling school. YAY!!!!! He graduated with their highest honors and, perhaps most importantly, he can now earn a living and buy me chocolate.
He worked realy hard for this, saving his money and then giving up an income for a couple months so he could go to school full-time and finsih by the date he'd originally planned. I'm very proud that he accomplished what he set outto do!
I've been a bit lax about updating for the last couple days. Some folks thought I'd disappeared because I hadn't written here and my webcam is off-line. Well, no, all is well. I've just been pretty busy with schoolwork this week, plus a couple other projects, and I haven't been writing when I want to. I usually write just before going to bed, but some nights I'm just too tired. Also, after fighting with the computer for a few hours (I've had some interesting computer problems this week, which is why the webcam is down) I just don't feel like sitting in front of this damn thing anymore. And when I try to update during the day (as I'm doing now) I feel like I should be working instead.
But it's all about balance.
Yin and Yang.
Sun and Moon.
Fire and Water.
Will and Grace.
Anyway...
Wednesday night was LOT of fun. Adrian and I had dinner with Paul and Maureen. I've known Paul for about 10 years, but because we spent most of that time working together I had never come out to him until about 3 weeks ago. He's very cool with it, and they both wanted to meet Adrian, so we got together at a great little place they had found. We had SUCH a good time!!! Great food, good wine, amazing dessert, and we topped it off with cigars. Yes, cigars. I smoked a cigar. Me. A cigar. As Carol said to me, "that is SO not gay." Even Adrian took a few puffs. Ah, yes, we were manly men.
Next day we went bear hunting and white-water rafting. But I digress.
Adrian really liked meeting them. I had "prepped" him for Paul (Paul is slightly insane, which makes he and I a perfect fit). I knew Adrian had a good time because he told me later "you have much more interesting friends than I do." For my part, I let him know that, every time he's met friends of mine that I've known for a long time, they just think the world of him, and I am so proud to be able to say "I'm with him." He is an absolutely amazing guy, and I am so lucky I can't believe it.
Hmmmm...but again, I digress.
Incidentally, Adrian has a new e-mail address now: Adrian@billswebsite.com. He found that his YahooMail account was acting up, and having people send him mail through my account wasn't working (because it makes me wonder what my friends are saying to him! heh heh heh). So now he has his own which should work well.
Other than that, I've mostly been working on my dissertation proposal. I'm jumping the gun a bit, as I have to finish the Field Statement that I'm working on, but my professors are taking their time about reviewing my drafts, so I am trying to get some work done on the next phase of the process. I realize that my dissertation is much more important to me than to them, but I really need them to take a little more interest in this. I didn't pressure them over the summer because I was doing research, but now that I've written a couple drafts I need to get this done and move forward.
I'm going to spend this weekend going through the terrorism book we published earlier this year. A book publisher is interested in doing a second printing of it (the book was originally published in a very limited run for use as a textbook, primarily in government training and education programs). The publisher was interested in the book before last week's events, but they are taking a much harder look at it now. Some of it will need to be updated to reflect what has happened, though to be honest, I don't think any of the conclusions will have to change that much. In the book we make our recommendations for a strategy for combatting terrorism. Whatever actions the administration takes will not change our recommendations; we think we had some good ideas, and we wish someone would listen to us.
Of course, we wish they had listened when we first published a major article on the subject in 1999.
Or perhaps, when I wrote an earlier article on the subject in 1996.
But whatever.
Along those lines (and then I will shut up about it) I wish people would sometimes spend more time listening and thinking about what they heard than they spend talking about it. And for the record, I think that if you start a sentence with the words, "I don't understand why..." then your next sentence should start with the words "But I'm going to find out..." If you don't understand something, how can you criticize it publicly? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
OK, I need coffee. Now.
22 Sep 2001
Boo Boo Kitty Fuck*
Remember the episode of Seinfeld where Jerry and his girlfriend are just too cutesy for their own good? You know,
"You're schmoopie."
"No, you're schmoopie."
"No, YOU'RE schmoopie."
It was enough to make you gag, as their friends did when they saw it. Well, Adrian and I have found ourselves being cutesy with each other, but at least we've had the courtesy not to do it around others. I've started calling him "Panda" after something that came up last week. Adrian, for his part, told me early on that he's not a "lovey-dovey" kind of guy, but he's been getting silly and sweet with me a lot lately, with lots of silly talk and weird voices. I have no choice but to respond in kind.
After all, I can't help it if heeth a big thilly poo poo head.
* "Boo Boo Kitty Fuck" is a term of endearment used by Jay toward a woman he falls for in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. She found it somewhat less objectionable than "bitch" and "fine piece of ass." It was much funnier in context. Trust me.
22 Sep 2001
26-24
Virginia has only beaten Clemson 5 times in the last 40 years.
When I was there, they had never beaten them.
But today, they smacked 'em silly.
By a score of 26-24.
With a touchdown they scored with only one second remaining.
Go 'Hoos.
I know, it's unusual for me to have two entries in a day. But this is just one of those special occasions.
23 Sep 2001
Don't Let me Turn Into My Parents. Either Of Them.
A little tension in the apartment last night. Adrian got home about 8:30 while the game was on, and I had screwed up and hadn't put the chicken in the oven (I had planned to do it on the stove, not realizing how long it would take) so it was another hour or so before we ate dinner. I, of course, was very much into the game, yelling at certain players on occasion, and pretty oblivious to the rest of the world. I did, however, pick up on the fact that my sweetie wasn't overly thrilled. But hadn't he told me he likes football??? He, apparently, was wondering if I was aways going to be like this when a game's on.
Needless to say, in the following hours a couple thoughts ran through my head.
You know, I worked 7 hours today myself, then went grocery shoping, and managed to do two loads of laundry and clean the living room and kitchen while the game was on. And if I don't have dinner ready when he gets home, well, screw it, it's not like I'm responsible for cooking for both of us. Perfect. Stereotypical early-80s housewife. The working woman who doesn't get much help from her husband. I didn't like that stereotype then, and I do not appreciate acting it out in my own mind now.
I work damn hard all week, even spend my weekend working, and if I want to take a couple hours and watch a ball game and not think about anything for a while, I've earned that right. Okay, now we've moved on to Mid-20th Century Neanderthal Male Stereotype Number 12. I should've been drinking a Bud while thinking that.
I don't know where that stuff's coming from, but I don't like it. I don't think it's just the fact that I'm living with someone for the first time (yes, he has his own apartment downstairs, but for all intents and purposes we live together). I found myself saying "Dad things" this afternoon while driving with Andy (not about anything he'd done or said, but something I saw someone doing -- I don't even remember what it was, but I remember I immediately thought "Christ, that's something my dad would say") as we were on our way home from a really fun brunch with Tracy, Stephen, and Tracy's friend Mark from San Francisco...but I, as usual, digress.
Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, but I don't want to BE them.
And, perhaps worst of all...I don't want to admit that they just might have been RIGHT about all those things I disagreed with as a kid!!!
Oh, and just for the record...everything's cool with Adrian. We were back to normal by 11, and we talked about what happened before we went to bed. We're very good about communicating if something is wrong, and we're usually smart enough not to say something right away when our emotions might make us say something we don't really mean or would later regret. Pity more couples don't do that.
24 Sep 2001
But What If She's For Real?
During a break in the rains this evening I headed out to drop some bills in the mail. Walking back past the mall I passed a homeless lady I've seen a few times. As she was taking shelter under an awning I stopped to offer her my umbrella. She said she didn't need one, but that the Lord had asked her to ask me if I had a dollar to help her get some food. As I reached for my wallet she said, "I need you to pray with me. I'm a Catholic and I need for you to hear the Word and speak to the Lord with me, and pray so He can tell you what to do." Well, I don't just pray with anyone, and I'm not Christian, so I wasn't very comfortable with this and said "well, I'm not sure I can do that." She replied, "since I'm a prophet, I have to bring you to the Lord, and I can't take your money otherwise." Um, no. "I have to talk to Her in my own way," I told her. "Okay," she said, and walked off.
Wow. I've never been approached by a prophet before.
Cool.
25 Sep 2001
Bleh
I think I'm coming down with something, which is not nearly as much fun as going down on something.
Heh heh.
Heh.
I have felt totally crappy all day. Y'know, the basics: headache, body ache, sore throat, dizzy, eyeballs falling out...well, maybe not that last one. But it sure feels like it. Adrian thinks it's because I got caught in the rain yesterday. I'm just hoping no one put a curse on me. 'Cuz that would be no fun.
Is it true you can buy voodoo dolls that look like me on Ebay?
I had the hardest time concentrating on anything today. That really sucked, because Monday my advisor gave me the go ahead to submit my Field Statement (a major research project) to the other members of my Dissertation Committee. This is a big step for me, and I had a couple things to tidy up in the footnotes, but I just couldn't get everything done today. I want to finish it in the morning, then drop it off with my professors Wednesday afternon.
Which means I have to go to the library tomorrow and be surrounded by cute college guys. And I feel (and look) like crap.
Of course, if that's the biggest problem in my life, then I guess things are going pretty well.
[oh, and before anyone asks, yes, the webcam is acting up again. sigh.]
26 Sep 2001
It's In
Wow, how many times have I heard that before!
Anyway, I got to the library today and finished up my notes for my Field Statement. I got my papers together and dropped them of with my professors. This is kind of a big deal; I've been working all summer on my Field Statement, which is followed by my Dissertation Proposal, and finally by the Dissertation itself. I really, really needed to get past this step.
Adrian ran around with me all day. I think he was concerned because I still wasn't feeling well and he didn't want me passing out on the train.
But anyway, it's turned in. I won't be surprised if one of my committee members has me make some changes to it, but at least I know I got it turned in by the end of September, which was my goal.
I've been working on my Dissertation proposal as well. Hopefully, I can present my proposal by the end of October. That's my plan, anyway.
I've been asked to come down and speak to a class at UVA in November. Hee hee, the prodigal son returns. More to follow as it gets closer.
Speaking of UVA, Adrian and I are going down there for a football game on Saturday. And then next week, we're going to see Bea Arthur in concert.
It's all about balance, baby.
Arlington Michael came over tonight and we watched the premiere of Enterprise, the new Star Trek series. Interesting. I think it has potential, so long as it sticks to its Star Trek roots and doesn't try to become a "modern TV" piece of crap like, I don't know, Dawson's Creek or something. The writing was actually pretty good, and I think they've got a good story to tell. I gave up on Deep Space Nine and Voyager after about a year. Let's see how long this one can keep my attention.
Not that I'm a Trekkie or anything.
Heck, I don't even own any Spock ears.
I rent 'em.
27 Sep 2001
I Win
A guy hit on Adrian today.
Not at work, but in a Metro station.
Not just flirted with, but actually hit on.
He was changing trains, and noticed a guy looking intently at him. He thought it was someone he'd gone to high school with. He did a double take, only to realize it wasn't the person he thought it was. But the guy took it as his opening cue and started talking with him.
And ultimately, gave him his card with his phone number and suggested they get together sometime.
Far from being jealous or insecure about it, I think it's pretty cool.
First, because I know it was an ego boost for Adrian, and it made him feel good.
And second...because I'm the one he comes home to.
Hee hee.
I win.
28 Sep 2001
New Neighbors
Somebody new is moving in next door. Actually, I think it's two somebodies. And they're cute!
It's tough to tell exactly who's moving in; I'm not sure if one was just a friend helping the other. And I don't want to bother them while they're moving, because then I might feel compelled to help. And that wouldn't be a good thing.
I told Tracy he and Stephen should have taken that place. I told him.
In other news, I got comments back on my Field Statement from one of my professors. They are very, very minor, and I can easily address them with some quick fixes. It looks like I'm in good shape. Only one other professor to worry about.
We're off to bed early tonight, as we're going to Charlottesville early to have breakfast before the gay alumni group tailgate before the Duke game.
I love college football. Especially UVA football.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADRIAN!!!!!!!!
Saturday is Adrian's birthday. He doesn't know it yet, but we're headed to New York City for a couple days. Actually, I think he's figured out we're going to NYC, but what he doesn't know is that we have tix to a show on Broadway on Sunday that he really wants to see. And I may still have a surprise for him on Monday...
Anyway, everyone should wish him a happy birthday!!!! Also, he took his final at hair styling school today, so be sure to congratulate him on that, too. =)
Stories from the trip upon our return. For now, I hope everyone has a good weekend!!!
4 Sep 2001
A good time was had by all
(This is a pretty long entry. But it covers a weekend in New York City. So whaddya expect?)
Wow. What a weekend.
I fixed dinner here Saturday, then we were off to the train station. Adrian had pretty much figured out we were headed to New York for his birthday. I tried to mess with his mind by getting up when the train got to Wilmington, Delaware, but he was having none of that. We got to New York a little after 11 and headed to our hotel across the street.
We had planned to go out that night, to a party called Kurfew down at the Limelight. But Adrian's stomach was bothering him (I'm sure it wasn't caused by that wonderful dinner!) so we decided around 12:30 just to make an early night of it, and hang out with each other.
Sunday we got up and walked down to Chelsea to a little diner that Tracy had recommended. We had a great brunch, then walked through Chelsea and over to the East Village and through SoHo. It was such a beautiful day that we just wanted to walk and people watch. Of course, Adrian didn't know what I had planned for the rest of the day, only that we had to be somewhere at 3. We headed back to the hotel and got cleaned up, then walked up Broadway to the Palace Theater to see Elton John and Time Rice's Aida. What a GREAT show! The male lead was Adam Pascal, who played Roger in the original cast of Rent and whose voice I know so well from the Rent soundtrack. The female lead had an incredible voice, and the other female star was the singer Taylor Dayne. It was a very fun show, great dancing, outstanding singing, very good acting, and it was pretty obvious that the music was by Elton John; it had his "sound."
Afterwards, as is our custom, we moved toward the stage door. Unlike after Cabaret and Whoopi Goldberg's DC show, however, there were lots of people waiting, and the theater had them form a line. I'm sorry, but Adrian and I don't DO lines! That's so...straight. So we just hung out nearby and watched the stars come out to sign autographs (we weren't there for autographs, we just like to let the performers know how much we enjoyed the show). I wanted to see Adam Pascal and Adrian wanted to see Taylor Dayne, and we both got our wish. Then it was back to the hotel to drop off our programs and change for dinner (well, I needed to change, Adrian looked perfect the way he was). He had me wear one of his small white t-shirts, and I must admit, it looked pretty good. In fact, when we were at the restaurant in Chelsea (recommended by Andy...thanks Andy!) this guy (who was on a date, for crying out loud) was checking Adrian out (the guy's date, whom he was touching a LOT during dinner, was also a mid-20s Asian guy...do we see a trend here?) and before they left he asked me how long we'd been going out, and when I told him 8 months he said, "wow, that's great, you guys are really a cute couple." Now THAT was nice. I haven't heard that before. I don't know if it was the tight t-shirt or Adrian's ethnicity or something else that got his attention, but whatever it was, my ego got big enough that I could eat dessert down the street at Rafaela's. And wow, that was an amazing chocolate tiramisu cake. Sweet talk and sweet cake. What a night.
We were going to go to Don't Tell Mama, a piano bar in the theater district we visited last May, but as we were getting ready, well, things started happening and, well...we figured we should stay in, seeing as we were naked and all.
Monday was an incredible day, proof that good spontaneity takes careful planning. Or something like that. Anyway, I told Adrian that I'd be getting up early and going somewhere, but I'd be back in a couple hours. Since that meant he got to keep sleeping, he was okay with that.
So I got up around 6:30, caught a train, rode about 20 minutes, and stood in line for a little under 2 hours.
And that's how we got tickets to the US Open.
We were watching the opening rounds on TV last week when it suddenly occured to me that it was taking place while we were in New York. Since we both enjoy tennis, and we were spending hours watching matches on TV, it seemed like actually going in person would be a good idea. So Friday I called Ticketmaster, only to find that the only remaining tickets in the main stadium cost $250. Okay, NO. But I also learned that General Admission tix, good for everything but the main stadium, went on sale each morning for that day's events. And they were pretty reasonably priced.
So we went to the US Open.
Walking into the National Tennis Center, I couldn't believe we were actually there. I mean, this was the place we'd been watching on TV all week, and now we were a part of it. Very cool feeling. And very good tennis awaited us.
We saw some women's doubles. And then we saw two women's singles matches, including the #5 seed vs the #11 seed, and #8 vs #9. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I've never seen tennis like that in person. These ladies were so evenly matched, the crowd didn't seem to care who won or who lost, just as long as we got to see some really good tennis.
Then we saw some more women's doubles, a match consisting of two young ladies vs Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis. You know, the #1 and #2 ranked women players in the world. And that was pretty unbelievable.
And then we saw some men's singles, but only got to see one set before we had to catch the train back to Manhattan, pick up our bags, and head back to Amtrak for the ride home.
Adrian was suprised by all of it, which of course was the idea. I wanted to do something special for him, and he had talked about wanting to see Aida if it ever makes it to DC, so going to see that seemed like a good plan. We really enjoy going to New York together, so that would've been fun in any event. And going to the US Open...well, that was just the tasty icing on the cake. He was blown away by that, as I knew he would be. Hell, so was I. This trip wasn't just for him, it was for me, too, and I really, really had a good time.
Hmmmm...now I want some more chocolate tiramisu cake. I think another trip is in order!
6 Sep 2001
Just a few thoughts
I'm still pretty burned out after writing Tuesday's long entry about the trip to New York. So this will be a short one.
This past weekend provided further proof that, if you date me, you're going to attend major sporting events. In addition to our visit to the US Open this weekend, Adrian and I will be going to the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. And do you think Alabama Michael will ever forget attending the 1998 Peach Bowl in Atlanta? Not likely!!
For those who need lots of booze and other drugs to have a good time, I should point out that Adrian and I had our amazing weekend without a drop of alcohol. It wasn't exactly planned that way, but that's how it turned out. Of course, we'll make up for that at the party here this weekend.
A sign of age: at the Open Monday I heard someone say "Martina is over there signing autographs." I thought they meant Martina Navratilova, but of course, they meant Martina Hingas. Despite all evidence to the contrary, I guess I really am getting older.
Adrian and I joined some friends Wednesday morning at a big fundraiser for the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL) here in DC. It's a great place to help gay youth, and River recently started volunteering there. Another sign of age, I guess; such things didn't exist when I was a teen. Well, not in Omaha, anyway. Or if they did, I didn't know about it. Wait, what was my point again?
BROADBAND UPDATE: Well, thanks to some bad info from the fine people at AOL, I missed my appointment with the phone company tech who was supposed to check my DSL lines Wednesday morning. SO, they rescheduled me, which means another week of waiting. On the cable modem front, my installation kit still hadn't arrived, so I called the company, and it turns out when I ordered it 10 days ago the sales rep apparently never placed the order, because there was no record of it. However, the rep I talked to this time actually had a clue and told me I could pick up an installation kit from my local cable office. Which I did. Then I called in the activate the account. And it will take 24-48 hours to do that. So we wait. And whichever company can get their system working first gets my business. Not that they care.
6 Sep 2001
**NEWS FLASH!!!**
Yeah, I know, there was already an entry this morning, but this is important:
THE WEBCAM IS BACK ONLINE!!!!!!!
I look like crap right now, but hey, at least it's back up.
9 Sep 2001
Asian birthday boys can't handle their alcohol
Someone's asleep on the bathroom floor. Must be a party at Bill's place.
Saturday night was "The Slash Party," where we celebrated my housewarming/publication of my first book/Adrian's birthday/River's birthday/the start of the college football season/another successful Madonna tour/whatever else we could think of. We had folks wandering in and out until about 2:30. A very good time was had by all. We never had more than about 20 people here at once, so it was small enough that no one felt overwhelmed by all the unfamiliar faces, but because people kept cycling in and out (there were a number of parties going on last night) we always had an interesting mix. Very few straight folks, though; Chris and Rachel came, of course (with Rachel's especially-hot cheese dip, along with some good wine) as did Cassandra, and some friends of Adrian and his brother, but my brother and sister-in-law, Paul and his sig other, and Eric and Yolanda were all unable to come. Too bad, for as my brother said, it totally wrecked the ratio.
But we had mucho fun.
River had a bit too much to drink. I suggested that he be "cut off" because I've seen him drunk before and it ain't pretty. He kinda collapsed onto the bed after a while, but the person who gave him the drinks was the friend he came with, so at least he got to deal with getting him home. Seems fair. I think River had a very good time, though, and he met some new people that he really hit it off with, so all's well that end's well.
Adrian, however, slept in the bathroom. =) It was weird, because he NEVER gets drunk (except for one memorable episode in New York last May). But there he was, sprawled out behind a closed door. I kept making sure he was conscious, but he really didn't want me to see him like that, so he stayed in the bathroom until I went to bed. It's not like I was especially worried about him, but my contact lens solution was in that bathroom and I wanted to take them out before sleeping. He came to bed a little while after I did.
For all those impressionable youngsters out there, I should point out that neither of us advocates alcohol abuse, and in fact, we drink relatively little. And the folks who were driving last night didn't drink. And everybody's clothes stayed on. Remember, if you aren't responsible for your actions when you're drinking, you're probably not responsible enough to be drinking in the first place. This public service announcement has been brought to you by DAM -- Mothers Against Dyslexia.
Speaking of Adrian, below is a new pic of him I was thinking of putting on my website. He's not sure he likes it. Let me know what you think.
Speaking once again of Adrian, he learned this week that he passed his hair styling final last week with an almost perfect score! Today is his first day on the job at the salon.
Too bad he left his clippers at home.
10 Sep 2001
Crap Poop Heck
There was mucho confusion today between my advisor and I. We were going to meet before her class tonight, and I waited 45 minutes outside her classroom while she waited for me in her office. I didn't see her until she was walking into class.
Crap crap crap.
Then she said, "well, you just have a paper for me, right?" Um, no. Last week I gave her a draft and I was expecting her feedback on it. "Oh, did you e-mail it to me?" she asked, with a confused look. Um, no, we stood in the hallway and I handed it to her. "Oh, well, get another copy to me and I'll take a look." So, in other words, I just spent a week waiting for feedback that wasn't coming.
Poop.
I went home, printed another copy, and got it to her after class. But it still bugged me that I wasted that week. At least I was able to do some other work during that time.
A week might not seem like much time. But I don't HAVE that much time, relatively speaking. I've got about 10 months to get this dissertation finished, and this is just one step.
Heck.
11 Sep 2001
Washington DC update
Adrian and I live about 3 miles from the Pentagon. We were both home, neither of us had gone into the District yet. I sometimes do research in the Pentagon, but not today, fortunately. We can see the smoke from the Pentagon and occasionally hear military jets flying overhead. We're just hanging out here watching it all on TV, like most people in the US, I suppose.
I just wanted to post this quickly since a number of folks have called or e-mailed to make sure we're okay. More to follow...
11 Sep 2001
Washington DC Update 2
Adrian and I were watching the TV coverage of New York this morning after Tracy called to tell me what happened. I heard a plane pass by that sounded kind of low and looked out the window, seeing nothing. I told Adrian "I guess I'll be a little jumpy when I hear a plane." 10 minutes later the local station cut in with the report of the Pentagon attack. The plane had flown down a street about 2 miles from here. Apparently, that was the one I heard, but we didn't hear the explosion. We can see smoke from the Pentagon.
We heard F-16 fighters on Combat Air Patrol over the area; the first time I heard one I thought it was another airliner, but then realized what it was. We haven't heard them in a few hours, though we still here medevac helicopters and lots of sirens. I imagine we'll hear fighters "sanitizing" the area before Air Force One returns.
The fire at the Pentagon is coming under control, but it's still burning. There are going to be major casualties there once the fire is out and the searching begins in earnest. Only about 60 people have been taken to area hospitals, but from the pictures it's a safe bet that there are many others still inside, and it's doubtful they survived.
Lots of rumors have been cropping up on discussion boards, so let me put a few to rest:
- There have been no other incidents in Washington DC besides the Pentagon attack. No car bomb at the State Department, no bombings in Georgetown, no fire on the National Mall.
- The Pentagon is still functioning. Though most people have been evacuated, the National Military Command Center is still functioning. So bad guys beware.
- All members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have been accounted for.
Speaking of rumors, there are a lot of people pointing fingers at the Middle East. A lot of people did that after Oklahoma City blew up, too, and we all know what the result of that was. Everyone should chill; radical Muslims (and most are non-radical) don't have a monopoly on terrorism. I study terrorism, and will point out that there are a number of likely suspects.
More to follow this evening...
11 Sep 2001
Washington DC update 3
My friends Robert and Tim, who both fly for American, do not appear to have been working the flights that were hijacked. That's a little bit of good news on an otherwise bad news day.
There's a haze over by the Pentagon but it doesn't look like a lot of new smoke. And we haven't heard any medevac choppers or fighter jets in a few hours.
Things are calming down for the moment.
11 Sep 2001
Washington DC update 4
Local TV stations report that Pentagon officials are suggesting 100-800 dead. Tough to tell, that's based on people unaccounted for rather than actual bodies, and the area that was hit was being renovated so some people may have relocated to new offices prior to today.
Hopefully that will be toward the low number. I know a lot of people working there.
My neighbor noticed this afternoon that my newspaper hadn't been picked up, and she got worried, so she knocked to see if I was home or not. How cool is that?
With all the excitement the past few days (the party, an issue with my professor, and then today's events) I totally haven't mentioned that my friend Chad from Colorado Springs got in Sunday for a week-long visit. Needless to say we didn't do any sightseeing today!! But he definitely is getting a trip that he'll never forget.
We had a few friends over tonight because I wanted Chad to meet them. We originally thought we'd postpone it, but then figured it would be better than everyone sitting home watching TV alone. So Andy, Arlington Michael, and Steve came over, and once the pizzas arrived we turned off the TV and talked (mostly) about other stuff for a couple hours. A good idea, I think.
Our plans to go clubbing tonight have, as you might guess, been put on hold.
This has been a very strange day. Having studied and written about terrorism over the last 6 years, I've come to expect that a major terrorist event will happen someday, but when it finally happened, it's still quite a shock. There's a lot we can learn from this incident, and I will say that I take no pleasure in the fact that many of the concerns expressed in my book that was published earlier this year have been borne out. If anything, I'm a little pissed at some of the priorities our government has assigned to different threats. But that is another issue for another time.
Be careful the next few days in terms of sifting truth from rumor. The news media is full of both, and people should not get overly scared by exaggeration. Runs on a grocery store in Missouri make no sense at all. Let's be smart, let's be calm, and let's be safe.
I think that's enough updates for one day.
13 Sep 2001
Lions and Tigers and Bears (and Monkeys), Oh My!
Following the horrific events on Tuesday, it was clear what we needed to do on Wednesday.
We went to the zoo to look at the pandas. Everything feels better after looking at pandas.
I suggested it to Adrian when he woke up Wednesday, and with a sly grin and a coy little voice he said,
"I'm a panda."
I don't know why I found that so incredibly erotic, but I did. Stuff immediately followed.
So Adrian, Chad and I headed off to the National Zoo to see the pandas on loan from China, and the gorillas, and the flamingos, and the lions, and whatever else we might see.
As an aside, I know that a lot of people are opposed to zoos. I don't quite buy the argument that it's a horrible existence for them. On the other hand, I'm not to sure about the other extreme, which says they'd thank us if they could because they live much better than they would in the wild. I think the answer, as usual, lies in the middle. Zoos are very useful because they help in conservation efforts for all animals. I think humans in general (and, let's be honest, Americans in particular, more on that in a later post) are self-absorbed creatures who will not face a problem unless it touches them directly. People who have never seen a wild animal are not going to give a damn about conservation. People who have been face to face with a bald eagle, however, might find themselves more interested and even if they don't give up their career to go help wounded birds, at least they're more likely to donate a few bucks, or not vote against a congressman who tries to restrain some of the more interesting abuses perpetuated in the name of commerce. For me, scuba diving has definitely increased my interest in, and financial and time committments to, helping water-based wildlife. I think the 2-year old girl who was making faces at the baby gorilla yesterday might not grow up to be the next Jane Goodall, but at least she'll be able to appreciate the importance of animals. The creatures in the zoo are kind of like members of the US military -- people who have to give up some of their freedom and assume extra risks so that the rest of us are better off. But, as is often the case, I digress.
After the zoo we had dinner in Dupont Circle, then coffee at SoHo, then stopped in a leather store and marveled at all the bondage equipment, then we came home. What a day.
And much better than sitting around staring at the images on TV.
14 Sep 2001
Please Don't Feed the Students
As if Wednesday's trip to the National Zoo to visit the pandas wasn't enough, Chad and I went to see some more animals on Thursday.
Yes...I took him to the University of Virginia.
I remember when I was a student there and I'd run into tourists. I wasn't one of those dicks who would send them off in the wrong direction in response to their inane questions ("Hey, where's the Rotunda?"..."Um, it's the really big dome RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"). I always had a fascination with The University, and a pretty decent memory, so I would be quite the font of knowledge for any poor soul unlucky enough to ask me where the nearest restrooms were. ("Did you know that in 1819 Thomas Jefferson himself designed the toilet paper roll???") I always say I live life without regrets, but the one regret I do have is that I never tried out for the University Guide Service, which guides historical and admissions tours. I was just too busy with other activities (and there was that whole "coursework" thing, too).
So it's always fun to go down there with friends and show them around. Or be visiting The University and have a tourist stop me, thinking I'm an undergrad (I kid you not, it happened just last year...thank goodness for poor vision in the elderly!!).
It was a beautiful day, and there were lots of beautiful students about. I timed it so we would be around certain buildings when classes let out (yes, I still remember the schedule). Was I ever really that young? Probably not. I was probably more serious in college than was good for me, and as much as I enjoyed it, I wonder sometimes if I missed out on some fun. Then I remember that people from school still call me "Wild Bill" (a name picked up my second weekend at UVA, but that's a story for another time) so chances are I had enough fun.
Important Safety Tip: Throughout my career, people at work have picked up on certain stories, often from other UVA grads, and thus I've always been known at work as Wild Bill as well. This is proof that the things you do in college can follow you for the rest of your life, even if you move all over the country. Think about that the next time you're about to do something really, really stupid.
I have to wonder if Chad was a little...well, "intimidated" isn't the right word, but I don't know what is (yeah, there's that college education kicking in!). He went to a small branch of a larger state university, a commuter-school really, and missed out on the traditional 4-year college experience (actually, only about 25% of today's bachelor's degrees are earned in the traditional setting). He didn't live in dorms, he wasn't surrounded by thousands of people his age, he didn't have football games in big stadiums and student protests, his life didn't revolve around school -- I wonder if he misses that.
Must ask him. We'll definitely have lots of time to talk, as it's a good bet he's not getting back to Colorado when he's supposed to. He's supposed to fly home Sunday, but he's "non-revving" (flying for free on the domestic-partner benefits of his ex-boyfriend-flight-attendant) so he'll be at the bottom of the priority list when the airline starts flights again. It's going to be interesting to see how this works out.
We want to go to the Corcoran Gallery today, but it's inside the White House's security perimeter, so it's still closed. And probably will be for a while.
Back to the Smithsonian, I guess.
15 Sep 2001
Traipsing Around the District
On Friday I took Chad into DC and we went to the National Gallery of Art. He being an art major in college, I figured he'd enjoy it, and it turned out to be a good call. They have a very cool Jasper Johns exhibit right now, and Chad has suddenly become the newest Jasper Johns fan.
After lunch we decided to see how far we could walk down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the White House before we got shot. The answer is "15th Street." Cars can't go past 14th Street, and pedestraians are stopped at 15th. Downtown seemed a LOT quieter than usual. More cop cars and sirens than usual, not as many regular folks. All the Federal agencies are open, it just seems like people are doing what they need to do, then going home. Very little strolling about. Of course, it was also 57 degrees yesterday, which is about 15 degrees colder than the day before, so that might've explained some of it. Not everybody likes autumn, and that's what it felt like.
We headed up to Dupont and ended up meeting Tracy for coffee. He said that Richmond postponed their Pride celebration, originally scheduled for this Sunday. No big surprise, though I would have understood no matter which way the decision had gone. He seemed happier than he has all week, which is good, but I still didn't think he'd go out with us to Badlands Friday. Turns out I was right.
But we had a good time...Adrian, Chad, Steve, and Adrian's brother, and I think Chad might have been a little overwhelmed; they don't have anything quite like this in Colorado Springs (just wait until he sees Velvet Nation tonight!). I think that was the best time Adrian and I have had in a club (except for the night we met, of course!). Chad took his shirt off, and I knew that once he did he'd get some extra attention. Sure enough, he had some guy dancing up behind him pretty quickly. Chad let us know he needed some help, but when we sent Steve in to take one for the team, well, Chad didn't have enough sense to just move away from the guy. We finally decided that if he's going to lead the guy on (which is certainly what it looked like) then he was on his own. We finally got him out of there without any marks on him.
On the drive back we were talking about going out tonight, and Adrian's brother said, "so, Adrian, you gonna get your alcohol-freak on, or your drug-freak?" Now, Adrian doesn't do drugs (though his brother is known to pop something on occasion, and proceeded to talk about what he does to get stuff from other guys), and I really didn't appreciate him saying that in front of my other friends, perhaps giving them the impression that Adrian's a crackhead. His little brother can do what he wants, but I don't want him making Adrian look bad. Or am I reading too much into that?
Wow...my ears are still ringing. Ear plugs are in order tonight.
16 Sep 2001
Almost a Quorum
Saturday night we headed out to Velvet Nation, where we haven't been dancing in a while. Adrian and I were last there in April with some other friends. This time, though, was the best time we've had there together (well, except of course for that night in January when we met there!). We got home around 4, and THIS time I actually went ahead and wore earplugs. I felt a LOT better afterwards than I normally do.
My, my...clubbing 'til all hours two nights in a row. You'd almost think I was under 30.
Almost.
Saturday night was most interesting because of the mix of people I was with. There was Adrian, of course, and Chad. And meeting us there was Richmond Michael (note: I suppose I should change his name to Pittsburgh Michael, seeing as he moved there in August. But don't confuse him with Dancin' Michael, who goes to school in Pittsburgh!).
Anyway, once the Big Room opened after midnight, we took Chad in to show him around, and the four of us ended up on the dance floor for a few hours. It was kind of strange, because here were 3 people, all of whom are very important in my life for different reasons, 3 people whom I never pictured being together. It was as if different aspects of my life, past and present, were coming together at once. I suppose if one more person had been there, representing my future, why, the five of us could have made some sort of magical pentagram. Or something.
Hmmmm...maybe the really drunk guy who cut in front of me and started rubbing up against Adrian represented my future. I hope not. I don't really mind if someone does that, as long as he isn't bothering Adrian. After all, that guy can do whatever he wants, but I know who Adrian's coming home with at the end of the night. Just keep your hands ABOVE the waist, buddy!
What a fun night. Michael came back and crashed here because it was either that, drive back to Richmond, or stay with this somewhat sketchy character from his past who was trying to get into his pants. That is one of the nicest things about my friendship with Michael -- there's never been any sexual tension between us at all, so when I invite him to stay over he knows there's no hidden meaning.
Chad seemed to have a good time. He seemed startled by the cover charge, but not by much else. Once again, he was hit on once his shirt was off; no big surprise there, he's done a lot of work on his body over the years and it shows. I think he kinda liked Michael, but they're both way too shy to make anything happen, even though they ended up both sleeping in the living room.
I really wanted Chad to meet River, as they both enjoy creating digital art. Unfortunately River has been tough to get a hold of this week. I think he was very bothered by the events on Tuesday, and the fact that his boyfriend works for one of the agencies investigating stuff means he's going to keep hearing about it for a long time. Chad and I went by his place Saturday to drop off a birthday card. He was supposed to go to NYC for his birthday on Saturday (he's 27 now) as a friend had gotten tickets to a show up there, but of course, the trip got cancelled. Fortunately he made plans with another friend Saturday night, and hope we will do something this week, and of course he had the party last week, AND he and his boyfriend are doing something next week when boyfriend gets back from a trip, plus I'm sure the NYC trip will happen in the future, so he is getting the longest birthday celebration in recorded history.
We got Chad to the airport in Baltimore today, as Washington National is closed "indefinitely." We were there about 4 hours early, as was recommended to us, but the airport seemed much quieter than usual. I think a lot of people were cancelling flights for various reasons (hopefully not for safety concerns; let's face it, air travel will NEVER be safer than it will be for the next month or so!). Anyway, since Chad was travelling standby, we were happy to see people cancel. He got on board, and should be back in Denver as I write this.
I'm really glad he visited. When his partner got a job with an airline I told them they needed to use their benefits to come visit. They have since broken up, but Chad is still listed as the "significant other" for benefits' purposes. I've seen him back in Colorado a few times since I left in '97, but this is the first time he's seen me in my environment. I really wanted him to see how I've grown since we first met over 7 years ago. It's been an interetsing time.
Adrian is falling asleep on the couch, so I'm going to go put him to bed. Hopefully this week will be better than the last.
17 Sep 2001
The "L" Word
Yeah.
You know what it is.
The ultimate 4-letter word.
Starts with an "L".
It's what you feel for someone special.
What you feel for someone close to you.
What you feel when you need them in your arms.
You know what I'm talking about.
It's what I feel for Adrian.
Yeah...
Lust.
Big time.
And it's a 2-way feeling.
(What? What 4-letter "L" word did you think I meant???)
18 Sep 2001
One Week Later
I haven't written too much about the terrorist attacks last week. As it was happening I posted updates about what was going on here in DC, but I haven't talked too much about the further consequences or the effect they had on me.
I've spent the last 6 years studying, writing about, and planning for programs to counter terrorism. It bothers me somewhat that after all those years in preparation, I'm sitting here in school when it hits. I would rather be involved in the recovery and response efforts than working on my dissertation. But I guess there will always be a place for me in this arena, so I should just finish my degree and then get back to that stuff. It's not as if the threat is going away any time soon. It's just a bit frustrating right now.
I'm concerned about the response the people of this nation seem to be demanding, and that the administration seems to be promising. I am afraid that an overuse of military force could play right into the terrorists' strategy. Based on different aspects of the attack (e.g., the timing, the casualities, the targets, the lack of anyone taking credit) I think the objective of this attack was not to intimidate Americans or to wreck the economy, but instead was to provoke the US into a response that would alienate the Muslim world and turn them against the US. I would hate to see the administration or Congress (or, for that matter, the American public) demand an action that will help the terrorists in achieving their goal.
I've published a couple of articles addressing terrorist objectives, as well as a book that touches on that subject. I'm tempted to send copies to every member of the House and Senate armed services committees. I'm just afraid that they're hearing the emotion of the moment, but are not hearing a lot of objective ideas. I don't know if anyone is giving the advice I would give. So perhaps I should try to get my advice to them (or maybe have a friend send them -- it might look better if I wasn't trying to put my own work in front of them myself).
I'm going to feel even weirder in the future when travelling or in any suspicious situation. A few years ago I went through some government counterterrorism training and I really started to pay attention to little things, to the point where I got a little paranoid in a couple situations (kinda like a medical student who is convinced he has every disease he's studied about). I notice sirens a little more now. I was keeping a close eye on people at the airport Sunday. This is not good. I don't want to be thinking about this all the time.
Fortunately, I have other things to think about, like why the USB ports on my computer don't seem to be working right, thus preventing my webcam from functioning properly (notice the smooth segue from the dark and somber topic into the light and inconsequential one).
21 Sep 2001
Another Few Days Go By
BIGGEST NEWS: Adrian completed his paperwork and exit process from school yesterday. He now has, in hand, a diploma from hair styling school. YAY!!!!! He graduated with their highest honors and, perhaps most importantly, he can now earn a living and buy me chocolate.
He worked realy hard for this, saving his money and then giving up an income for a couple months so he could go to school full-time and finsih by the date he'd originally planned. I'm very proud that he accomplished what he set outto do!
I've been a bit lax about updating for the last couple days. Some folks thought I'd disappeared because I hadn't written here and my webcam is off-line. Well, no, all is well. I've just been pretty busy with schoolwork this week, plus a couple other projects, and I haven't been writing when I want to. I usually write just before going to bed, but some nights I'm just too tired. Also, after fighting with the computer for a few hours (I've had some interesting computer problems this week, which is why the webcam is down) I just don't feel like sitting in front of this damn thing anymore. And when I try to update during the day (as I'm doing now) I feel like I should be working instead.
But it's all about balance.
Yin and Yang.
Sun and Moon.
Fire and Water.
Will and Grace.
Anyway...
Wednesday night was LOT of fun. Adrian and I had dinner with Paul and Maureen. I've known Paul for about 10 years, but because we spent most of that time working together I had never come out to him until about 3 weeks ago. He's very cool with it, and they both wanted to meet Adrian, so we got together at a great little place they had found. We had SUCH a good time!!! Great food, good wine, amazing dessert, and we topped it off with cigars. Yes, cigars. I smoked a cigar. Me. A cigar. As Carol said to me, "that is SO not gay." Even Adrian took a few puffs. Ah, yes, we were manly men.
Next day we went bear hunting and white-water rafting. But I digress.
Adrian really liked meeting them. I had "prepped" him for Paul (Paul is slightly insane, which makes he and I a perfect fit). I knew Adrian had a good time because he told me later "you have much more interesting friends than I do." For my part, I let him know that, every time he's met friends of mine that I've known for a long time, they just think the world of him, and I am so proud to be able to say "I'm with him." He is an absolutely amazing guy, and I am so lucky I can't believe it.
Hmmmm...but again, I digress.
Incidentally, Adrian has a new e-mail address now: Adrian@billswebsite.com. He found that his YahooMail account was acting up, and having people send him mail through my account wasn't working (because it makes me wonder what my friends are saying to him! heh heh heh). So now he has his own which should work well.
Other than that, I've mostly been working on my dissertation proposal. I'm jumping the gun a bit, as I have to finish the Field Statement that I'm working on, but my professors are taking their time about reviewing my drafts, so I am trying to get some work done on the next phase of the process. I realize that my dissertation is much more important to me than to them, but I really need them to take a little more interest in this. I didn't pressure them over the summer because I was doing research, but now that I've written a couple drafts I need to get this done and move forward.
I'm going to spend this weekend going through the terrorism book we published earlier this year. A book publisher is interested in doing a second printing of it (the book was originally published in a very limited run for use as a textbook, primarily in government training and education programs). The publisher was interested in the book before last week's events, but they are taking a much harder look at it now. Some of it will need to be updated to reflect what has happened, though to be honest, I don't think any of the conclusions will have to change that much. In the book we make our recommendations for a strategy for combatting terrorism. Whatever actions the administration takes will not change our recommendations; we think we had some good ideas, and we wish someone would listen to us.
Of course, we wish they had listened when we first published a major article on the subject in 1999.
Or perhaps, when I wrote an earlier article on the subject in 1996.
But whatever.
Along those lines (and then I will shut up about it) I wish people would sometimes spend more time listening and thinking about what they heard than they spend talking about it. And for the record, I think that if you start a sentence with the words, "I don't understand why..." then your next sentence should start with the words "But I'm going to find out..." If you don't understand something, how can you criticize it publicly? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
OK, I need coffee. Now.
22 Sep 2001
Boo Boo Kitty Fuck*
Remember the episode of Seinfeld where Jerry and his girlfriend are just too cutesy for their own good? You know,
"You're schmoopie."
"No, you're schmoopie."
"No, YOU'RE schmoopie."
It was enough to make you gag, as their friends did when they saw it. Well, Adrian and I have found ourselves being cutesy with each other, but at least we've had the courtesy not to do it around others. I've started calling him "Panda" after something that came up last week. Adrian, for his part, told me early on that he's not a "lovey-dovey" kind of guy, but he's been getting silly and sweet with me a lot lately, with lots of silly talk and weird voices. I have no choice but to respond in kind.
After all, I can't help it if heeth a big thilly poo poo head.
* "Boo Boo Kitty Fuck" is a term of endearment used by Jay toward a woman he falls for in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. She found it somewhat less objectionable than "bitch" and "fine piece of ass." It was much funnier in context. Trust me.
22 Sep 2001
26-24
Virginia has only beaten Clemson 5 times in the last 40 years.
When I was there, they had never beaten them.
But today, they smacked 'em silly.
By a score of 26-24.
With a touchdown they scored with only one second remaining.
Go 'Hoos.
I know, it's unusual for me to have two entries in a day. But this is just one of those special occasions.
23 Sep 2001
Don't Let me Turn Into My Parents. Either Of Them.
A little tension in the apartment last night. Adrian got home about 8:30 while the game was on, and I had screwed up and hadn't put the chicken in the oven (I had planned to do it on the stove, not realizing how long it would take) so it was another hour or so before we ate dinner. I, of course, was very much into the game, yelling at certain players on occasion, and pretty oblivious to the rest of the world. I did, however, pick up on the fact that my sweetie wasn't overly thrilled. But hadn't he told me he likes football??? He, apparently, was wondering if I was aways going to be like this when a game's on.
Needless to say, in the following hours a couple thoughts ran through my head.
You know, I worked 7 hours today myself, then went grocery shoping, and managed to do two loads of laundry and clean the living room and kitchen while the game was on. And if I don't have dinner ready when he gets home, well, screw it, it's not like I'm responsible for cooking for both of us. Perfect. Stereotypical early-80s housewife. The working woman who doesn't get much help from her husband. I didn't like that stereotype then, and I do not appreciate acting it out in my own mind now.
I work damn hard all week, even spend my weekend working, and if I want to take a couple hours and watch a ball game and not think about anything for a while, I've earned that right. Okay, now we've moved on to Mid-20th Century Neanderthal Male Stereotype Number 12. I should've been drinking a Bud while thinking that.
I don't know where that stuff's coming from, but I don't like it. I don't think it's just the fact that I'm living with someone for the first time (yes, he has his own apartment downstairs, but for all intents and purposes we live together). I found myself saying "Dad things" this afternoon while driving with Andy (not about anything he'd done or said, but something I saw someone doing -- I don't even remember what it was, but I remember I immediately thought "Christ, that's something my dad would say") as we were on our way home from a really fun brunch with Tracy, Stephen, and Tracy's friend Mark from San Francisco...but I, as usual, digress.
Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, but I don't want to BE them.
And, perhaps worst of all...I don't want to admit that they just might have been RIGHT about all those things I disagreed with as a kid!!!
Oh, and just for the record...everything's cool with Adrian. We were back to normal by 11, and we talked about what happened before we went to bed. We're very good about communicating if something is wrong, and we're usually smart enough not to say something right away when our emotions might make us say something we don't really mean or would later regret. Pity more couples don't do that.
24 Sep 2001
But What If She's For Real?
During a break in the rains this evening I headed out to drop some bills in the mail. Walking back past the mall I passed a homeless lady I've seen a few times. As she was taking shelter under an awning I stopped to offer her my umbrella. She said she didn't need one, but that the Lord had asked her to ask me if I had a dollar to help her get some food. As I reached for my wallet she said, "I need you to pray with me. I'm a Catholic and I need for you to hear the Word and speak to the Lord with me, and pray so He can tell you what to do." Well, I don't just pray with anyone, and I'm not Christian, so I wasn't very comfortable with this and said "well, I'm not sure I can do that." She replied, "since I'm a prophet, I have to bring you to the Lord, and I can't take your money otherwise." Um, no. "I have to talk to Her in my own way," I told her. "Okay," she said, and walked off.
Wow. I've never been approached by a prophet before.
Cool.
25 Sep 2001
Bleh
I think I'm coming down with something, which is not nearly as much fun as going down on something.
Heh heh.
Heh.
I have felt totally crappy all day. Y'know, the basics: headache, body ache, sore throat, dizzy, eyeballs falling out...well, maybe not that last one. But it sure feels like it. Adrian thinks it's because I got caught in the rain yesterday. I'm just hoping no one put a curse on me. 'Cuz that would be no fun.
Is it true you can buy voodoo dolls that look like me on Ebay?
I had the hardest time concentrating on anything today. That really sucked, because Monday my advisor gave me the go ahead to submit my Field Statement (a major research project) to the other members of my Dissertation Committee. This is a big step for me, and I had a couple things to tidy up in the footnotes, but I just couldn't get everything done today. I want to finish it in the morning, then drop it off with my professors Wednesday afternon.
Which means I have to go to the library tomorrow and be surrounded by cute college guys. And I feel (and look) like crap.
Of course, if that's the biggest problem in my life, then I guess things are going pretty well.
[oh, and before anyone asks, yes, the webcam is acting up again. sigh.]
26 Sep 2001
It's In
Wow, how many times have I heard that before!
Anyway, I got to the library today and finished up my notes for my Field Statement. I got my papers together and dropped them of with my professors. This is kind of a big deal; I've been working all summer on my Field Statement, which is followed by my Dissertation Proposal, and finally by the Dissertation itself. I really, really needed to get past this step.
Adrian ran around with me all day. I think he was concerned because I still wasn't feeling well and he didn't want me passing out on the train.
But anyway, it's turned in. I won't be surprised if one of my committee members has me make some changes to it, but at least I know I got it turned in by the end of September, which was my goal.
I've been working on my Dissertation proposal as well. Hopefully, I can present my proposal by the end of October. That's my plan, anyway.
I've been asked to come down and speak to a class at UVA in November. Hee hee, the prodigal son returns. More to follow as it gets closer.
Speaking of UVA, Adrian and I are going down there for a football game on Saturday. And then next week, we're going to see Bea Arthur in concert.
It's all about balance, baby.
Arlington Michael came over tonight and we watched the premiere of Enterprise, the new Star Trek series. Interesting. I think it has potential, so long as it sticks to its Star Trek roots and doesn't try to become a "modern TV" piece of crap like, I don't know, Dawson's Creek or something. The writing was actually pretty good, and I think they've got a good story to tell. I gave up on Deep Space Nine and Voyager after about a year. Let's see how long this one can keep my attention.
Not that I'm a Trekkie or anything.
Heck, I don't even own any Spock ears.
I rent 'em.
27 Sep 2001
I Win
A guy hit on Adrian today.
Not at work, but in a Metro station.
Not just flirted with, but actually hit on.
He was changing trains, and noticed a guy looking intently at him. He thought it was someone he'd gone to high school with. He did a double take, only to realize it wasn't the person he thought it was. But the guy took it as his opening cue and started talking with him.
And ultimately, gave him his card with his phone number and suggested they get together sometime.
Far from being jealous or insecure about it, I think it's pretty cool.
First, because I know it was an ego boost for Adrian, and it made him feel good.
And second...because I'm the one he comes home to.
Hee hee.
I win.
28 Sep 2001
New Neighbors
Somebody new is moving in next door. Actually, I think it's two somebodies. And they're cute!
It's tough to tell exactly who's moving in; I'm not sure if one was just a friend helping the other. And I don't want to bother them while they're moving, because then I might feel compelled to help. And that wouldn't be a good thing.
I told Tracy he and Stephen should have taken that place. I told him.
In other news, I got comments back on my Field Statement from one of my professors. They are very, very minor, and I can easily address them with some quick fixes. It looks like I'm in good shape. Only one other professor to worry about.
We're off to bed early tonight, as we're going to Charlottesville early to have breakfast before the gay alumni group tailgate before the Duke game.
I love college football. Especially UVA football.
