cgm13.net :: the boy wonder: December 2003

Last day of 2003 ... damn hard to believe the year has already come to an end. So, instead of a boring recap of what I bought (music, movies, books) and saw (television and movies) this past year that I thought was the best, I will bore you, my constant readers, with thirteen high points of my past year!

1) Became suicidal during the holidays last year. Got over it around March.
2) Performed in five shows and directed one.
3) Shaved my head in April.
4) Went to New York City and got to meet the man.
5) Paid off the loan on the Jeep. Now it's all mine!
6) Bought a Powerbook. Whoo-hoo!
7) Bought a house.
8) Visited Mitch and Jen in KCMO. Judy was there too. You guys rock!
9) Learned how to dry wall and mud. Yeah, I'm butch.
10) Bought more dvds than cds this year.
11) Rediscovered the joys of vinyl (as in record albums).
12) Hiked some.
13) Drank more.

If the past week is any indicator, the new year promises to be a lot more interesting. Hope that you (and yours) have had a good 2003 and have a great 2004.

Blargh! What a day. It's always nice (and a good idea if'n I'm your employee) to warn me of certain jobs that need to be done at least one day before said jobs are due to be completed. Especially, if you (as the boss) plan to be gone all day to Charlotte.

Hey, mom! There's this book that you really need to read ...

The "evil" returns to the mountains today. Whoopie.

Grrr!!! Must. Stop. Being. Obsessive.

Weekend/Movie Update:
A good one for a change ... especially after feeling all freaked on Friday.

Friday Night:
Had dinner, watched "Saving Private Ryan" (one of the x-mas dvds), drank some whiskey. 'Nuff said!

Saturday:
Had a nice hike on Saturday with Tom and Preston from Big East Fork up to the Shining Rocks. The trails was a little steeper and longer than expected, but, ... damn! ... the weather was so nice. You couldn't ask for a better day to be out. Alas, all the pounding on the rocks in the trail aggravated the bum knee, so now I am back to wearing the brace and popping ibuprofen for a few days. Watched "Hulk" and was really disappointed. Eric Bana's nakedness didn't make up for the weak script and Nick Nolte's overacting. Bummer!

Sunday:
Napped, went to Wal-Mart, the grocery store and the library. Watched "Lost in La Mancha" about the disastrous attempt to film Terry Gilliam's "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote." What a great documentary! Napped a little more, made dinner, drank some beer and then it was off to bed. Whoo!

Two phones calls over the weekend equals happiness.

Subj: romp of the century in real environment.
Date: 12/29/2003 7:03:08 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: "Hallie Couch"
To: Chas.
Reply-To: "Hallie Couch"
Sent from the Internet (Details)

Dear friend,
have you heard about Paris Hilton? All that has been said about her can be understood by watching her sex tape. Nowhere in the world the real video can be seen for free.Thus, be prepared to pay a small fee to solve the mystery of the century. Hope you will enjoy it.

merry christmas and happy evening at the Hilton!

Ewww! Why can't someone like Colin Farrell have a raunchy sex tape.
Mmmm! Now that would be sweet!

Mood swings. Goddamn. I hate 'em. Been feelin' buggy all day if the truth be told. I didn't get to bed last night until late and then didn't get to sleep until even later than that. I hope a recurrence of insomnia isn't around the corner. Nah. Probably an isolated "sleepless" night. Yet, somehow I can't help but think that the brick wall is right ahead of me ... waiting to be slammed into at full speed. Hmm. Maybe I am crazy ...

No matter, though. Some whiskey will take care of things.

Eeep. Since PT just called and said he's game for a hike, I guess I should decide where the hell we are going to go to. Weather promises to sweet with a high around 54 and sun, sun, sun. Snakes and bears here we come!

Mmm. Dvds for Christmas!!! What could be better?

Er ... wait ... don't answer that one.

I received "Dead Ringers" on Tuesday (a Christmas present to myself) and, man-oh-man, it is kickin'. Probably Cronenberg's best movie done up really right by Criterion. Nice transfer of the film with extra "making of" stuff and audio commentary. Sweetness!!!

Lynnette's present was my favorite of what I got ... "Duran Duran: Greatest, The DVD." Three plus hours of yummy Duran Duran goodness. There are so many nice things to say about this set. Cool packaging and fun extras (four, count 'em, four version of "New Moon on Monday"). My major complaint though would be that it's a "greatest hits" package and not a completely comprehensive look at the video career of Duran Duran. There's a great (though out of print) video album released in the early 80's that has videos for practically all the songs off "Duran Duran" and "Rio." I love the video to the singles version of "My Own Way" and would love to see it (and the others) make their way to disc as well.

All I can say in closing is ... Simon Le Bon in the "Union of the Snake" video ... uber yummy!!!

Mmm. Does this mean that BJ is now available for curbside pick-up? Heh. What a great picture!

Yes, yes. I am one of the unlucky bastards that has to work today. I won't complain too much, 'cause my job is pretty nice. Busy morning ... more on the holiday later. Hope you and yours had a good one as well.

Ugh. Feeling like the ass end of Monday. Michelle and I got together for some drinks before she jets to Italy for the holidays. Needless to say, we drank a wee bit too much ... as we have been known to do. Our trip through the grocery store for some heavy cream was quite a spectacle. Chris made rabbit for dinner and it was really good. And, no. It doesn't taste like chicken.

Back at the house, I got a naughty phone call while I was still tipsy. Hope I didn't sound like too much of a dumbass ...

Hmm. I'm thinking of the Appalachian Trail from Stecoah Gap to Yellow Creek Gap ... nearly 8 miles of woodsie goodness.

Prediction of pretty nice weather on Saturday. Appalachian Trail nearby. Hiking boots and gear gathering dust. Preston Tinsley, you had better be ready to get your ass out into the woods for a hike.

Now you can see a few pictures from a show I did called "The Diviners." If you notice, I actually had hair back in 1998. Oh, well. You can also get there via the About Page.

I sure do miss The Sisters of Mercy. A new album from them would be nice.

The view from work yesterday at sunset.

I cannot bear the way my heart has helped to keep you close.
Of you my babe, I cannot get enough.
You touch me baby. Don't be mean to me!

It's fun. It's got a nice hookie bass line. It's totally 80's. It's Ministry!
Ministry - I Wanted to Tell Her [6.1 MB]

Scratch that last post 'cause I was just a bad boy. Someone needs to take my credit cards away ...

Argh. It doesn't look like I am ever gonna find a reasonably priced copy of the Criterion Collection's Out-of-Print edition of David Cronenberg's "Dead Ringers." Whaaaaaaaaa ... I want it!!!

For Dr. Phibes' edification ... the boring (well, not that boring) weekend of Chas.!

Friday Night:
Michelle had some folks down to her place. So, while it snowed outside we were all warm and toasty inside with food and drink. Mmm. Maker's Mark really does hit the spot on a cold winter night. Late in the evening videoke hit the screen and a few of us sang a few songs. Poor Burt. He was as out of luck as I am at parties.

Saturday:
Got up and braved to snow covered roads to Asheville for the movie (see previous post) and Christmas shopping with Lynnette. The movie rocked! The traffic sucked! Lynnette bought me "Duran Duran - Greatest - The DVD" for Christmas ... but I have to wait until Wednesday to open it! I bought "Hellraiser" for myself! We ate at Outback and I drooled over the waiter that had the table behind us. Got back to the house, watched "Hellraiser" and drank a couple of beer all by my lonesome. Yeah.

Sunday:
Spent most of the day going through the extra goodies on the "Alien Quadrilogy" DVD Box Set. Made it out for a little Christmas shopping. Yeah. I am one of those last minute people. Last night I watched the work print version of "Alien³" (gonna write more on this film later). Drank four beers and went to bed. Whoo!

So, there it is. Are you happy now, Dr. Phibes?

Movie Update:
Braved the snow Saturday morning and went to the see "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." Yow! What a super movie it is. Like all the other Tolkien nerds, I do have a few complaints about the film ... too many flashbacks to "Fellowship" ... and where the hell was Christopher Lee?!?!? I was super bummed that Saruman wasn't in the film at all. On the whole, the movie kicks some major ass and I think that Peter Jackson really deserves all the thanks he can get for tackling such a monster task. Rock on, Pete!

Deja vu:
It now snowing nicely outside, and I am sipping on a cup French Vanilla hot chocolate. Mmm. French! Mmm. Vanilla!

Alright ... I'll fess up. That last post was total bullshit. But we can't have people complaining that my site is boring ... can we? And, did you notice that even in my fantasies I can't make the first move.

An Encounter (Part I):
    I am staring at the packaging for the new 25th Anniversary Edition DVD of "Halloween" when I hear a voice beside me.
    "Excuse me. Have you seen this? Is it any good?"
    He's holding a copy of "My Bloody Valentine" ... a pretty decent Canadian slasher flick from the early 80's. About my height, stocky, dark hair, eyes like a deep pool of water. Ah. No wedding ring either. Yes!
    The horror section of the dvd area at Best Buy is deserted. All the good little consumers are off looking for other things to spend their cash on. Nobody wants horror films for Christmas. Well, nobody but me ... and this cute fella standing in front of me.
    "Yeah. It's pretty good if you like slasher films. Though I must confess it's been at least 12 years since I have watched it."
    He looks back at the dvd in his hands and then starts browsing through the other movies on the shelf. Oh well. I go back to deciding if I should spend the $20.00 on a film I have already.
    Stealing the occasional glance, I still see him making his final selections. "The Brood," "Hellraiser" and "The Omen" are in the pile. "My Bloody Valentine" has made the cut as well. Sweet. It seems this guy has good taste.
    He starts down the aisle towards me. I attempt to look nonchalant ... like I haven't been checking him or his horror movies.
    "Hey, man. Thanks for the advice."
    He's stopped beside me and has put a hand on my shoulder.
    "No problem. Hope you like it."
    He gives my shoulder a light squeeze. We lock eyes and ...

Humph. We geeks who have been anxiously searching the web for the past two years now seem to have the final word on a "Twin Peaks: Season 2" dvd release (see the December 17 entry). All I can say is "Fuck you, Paramount."

It now snowing nicely outside, and I am sipping on a cup French Vanilla hot chocolate. Mmm. French! Mmm. Vanilla!

You're "straight" and over at a gay friend's house. And you know this sweet fella is stupid mad in love with you. Both of you are sitting on the couch. You feel the need to shift things around ... to "adjust" stuff (you guys know what I'm talking about). So, you stand up and "adjust" pretty obviously. As you sit back down, you make a comment to your stupid mad in love with you gay friend about how nice is is that you have just "adjusted" yourself. Now life is good.

Isn't that just the greatest story you've ever heard? Pretty funny, huh?

Ooooo. It's blowing snow outside. C'mon snow!

Wanna be bored? You can now read 101 Very Random Statements About and By Me (your super cool web guy and CGM13 World News author).

Movie Update:
I wasted 2+ hours last night. I saw one of the dumbest movies ever made. It's call "The Matrix: Reloaded." It has bad acting (Keanu Reeves, folks!). It has bad CGI ... really, really bad. The action scenes are pretty dull (ie the many fights Neo has with Agent Smith). The story tires to be philosophical but comes across as dumb and heavy-handed. Trinity lives .... what the fuck!?!?! "Reloaded" just proves that if you pad a crappy story in enough action and special effect, people will think it's good. The "twins" were pretty sweet though ...

Wow. The good guys actually won for a change! Hopefully we won't lose this one to the most evil man in the world.

I am slowly making my way through Criterion's "Wrong Men and Notorious Women: Five Hitchcock Thrillers 1935 - 1946" box set. Last night I watched "Notorious." Man-oh-man, I had forgotten just how great a film that is. This brings up my question (since we are all interactive here with a spankin' new comment system) ... how can you name the best Hitchcock film since they are all so damn good? Some folks break it down by time periods. British films. Vintage/War Years. 1950's Renaissance. Later Years. It's tough to decide. Each film has something unique and different which is what makes Hitchcock the greatest movie director that ever was (and probably ever will be).

My top five picks would be:
1. "Vertigo" 1958
2. "Notorious" 1946
3. "Strangers on a Train" 1951
4. "North by Northwest" 1958
5. "Rebecca" 1940

Probably the single greatest movie going experience I have ever had was when they released the remastered print of "Vertigo" in theatres. To finally see it on the big screen was a movie geek's wet dream. Pure heaven. So, what's your favorite Hitchcock film(s)?

I feel bummed today. Ultimately bummed as it were. I really do hate the holidays ... for so many reasons. I hope that April gets here soon. There's nothing quite like spring. Spring tricks you with warming temperatures and sunny days. Tricks you into thinking that everything is good and right in the world. C'mon mother nature. I need you to trick me into thinking I am happy.

Damn. I loves me some house music. It keeps me groovie all day long.
Everything But The Girl - Corcovado [9.4 MB]

For the record: The "comment" link has been greyed down so that it's not quite so obnoxious in the whole scheme of things. That is all.

I have decided to try a Comment System. Whoo. Depending on how things go I may keep it or ditch it. We'll find out!

I got a call last night. He's leaving to go back out of town for a couple of weeks and wants to catch up with me before he leaves. This is all well and good, but it's not necessarily the thing that should happen (for so, so many reasons.)

If I were insane, I would think:
"He wants to spend time with me before he leaves for two weeks. It must mean something!"

If I were sensible, I would think:
"Yeah. My friend wants to see me (his friend) before he's gone for a bit."

If I were realistic, I would have said:
"No. I am busy every night. We'll just have to catch up when you get back."

Needless to say, I am insane.

At least I can recognize this fact ... and that's a good thing ... right?

I have been seriously thinking about getting a tattoo. Now if only I wasn't so terrified of needles and such a weenie when it comes to pain ... the whole tattoo thing might work.

It appears that doing a comprehensive page featuring the art of Camille Rose Garcia is gonna be difficult. I have been able to come up with lots of images of her work but not a lot of information about them (media used, canvas sizes, where and when exhibited). So, the page may turn into more of a fan page ... a "here are some of her works which I really like" kinda thing. This doesn't mean that I am not gonna keep plugging away at getting more complete information. "Complete" is good.

Eeep! You know things are getting bad when you start surfing the web for for pictures of Justin Timberlake. Damn. I need a life.

If I had a dollar for everytime this stupid, slow Gateway Windows XP Professional machine has locked up and shut down programs today, I would be richer than Bill Gates. I suppose it's that super fast Pentium Processor that keeps this machine running at top speed and with so few problems ... right? Or maybe it's that super Windows XP Professional operating system that is contributing to such smothness ... right? It all goes to prove that you just can't use a lemon to do an Apple's job!

Boy, I am being a fussy little bitch today ... aren't I?

The capture of Saddam does not signal that the ends justify the means that were used. I hope the American public does not view this as total justification for the United States running rough-shod over the international community.

Plus, I was under the impression that we knew where those pesky WMD's were. Wasn't that one of the reasons that the rush to war was so fast? Now, it appears we need to ask the man himself ... "Excuse me, but where did you hide the bombs? We can't seem to find them on our own."

Thanks to Lynnette, I got to see all of "Angels in America" on HBO. Wow!!! It left me breathless.

The weekend ended up not being as busy as I hoped. Went to the party on Friday night and hung out. I had an o.k. time all things (yeah, "he" was there) considered. Saturday, Beth had her brunch and it was really nice ... always a great holiday gathering. I went home afterwards and got all bummed about spending the evening by myself. Made dinner, watched some of the dvds I had bought, wished that someone would call (nobody did), went to bed. Yesterday wasn't much better ... I laid on the couch all day staring at movies on the television. I was supposed to go to a party the Tinsley's were hosting, but I just could get my ass in gear to get there. Mid-afternoon I got that phone call I wanted. We chatted (about nothing really important) for a bit and then said goodbye to each other. I wanted to ask him over so bad, but couldn't bring (or allow) myself to do that. My reasons for wanting to spend time with him are far different for his reasons for wanting to spend time with me ... so what's the point?

Needless to say, I didn't do any of the computer work that I needed to get done. This means that I will be super busy tonight with rehearsal and trying to get some of that work done. I also didn't crack the script open to study lines.

Stupid isn't it? Really, really fucking stupid.

Gonna be a busy little beaver this weekend:
1) Lines to memorize for the show I am in.
2) Two websites and a newsletter to work on.
3) Start planning my "Camille Rose Garcia" web page.
4) Three gatherings to go to.
5) Nine films to watch on DVD.

Whoo. Y'all stay busy too ... best way to get through the holiday blues.

Damn. I really need a boyfriend or I'm gonna go broke keepin' myself distracted.
(For the Record: Hitch is the man. His films kick so much ass.)

President Bush on Thursday defended his decision to exclude countries that did not support the U.S.-led effort to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from bidding on some $18.6 billion in reconstruction contracts.

But he added that he still wants those countries to contribute to Iraq's recovery by forgiving its debts.

Asked whether the exclusion of those countries from bidding on construction contracts violates international law, Bush said, "I don't know what you're talking about by international law. I better consult my lawyer."
George Dubya on the Iraq Reconstruction Contracts

Jesus. This man is actually our leader. Depending on how 2004 goes, I might just move to Canada.

I just saw a piece of art by Camille Rose Garcia that almost made me pass out ... it's that damn sweet. So, the staff here at CGM13 World News has decided that a section featuring the art of Ms. Garcia is a must. Look for it to arrive soon!

And here it is ...
You know you want it ...
The greatest Christmas song from the greatest Christmas story ever told!
Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmas Time is Here [3.76 MB]
From "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

"seeing tons of breats and no cocks ..."
You know, it would really help if I learned how to spell and type. Jesus.

Damn, damn, damn. I wish that I had checked Criterion's website before dropping the money on the "Alien" set yesterday. Appears that their editions of Hitchock's "Rebecca," "Notorious" and "Spellbound" will be out of print by the end of the month. That also means that the "Wrong Men and Notorious Women: Five Hitchcock Thrillers 1935 - 1946" box set will go bye-bye as well.

It's about damn time they got rid of the Abercrombie & Fitch catalog. I was getting' tired of looking through it and seeing tons of breats and no cocks. Equal time, people. Equal time.

Now, if only the six beer theory were true I could have bedded "certain people" a long, long time ago. *sigh*

Feeling a little better today. The outlay of cash on a new distraction has helped some. Plus, the more days that elapse between the present and the events of this past weekend the better. Man-oh-man ... life sure is screwy. (But that's not anything that y'all don't know.)

I have been a very bad boy. Merry Christmas to me.

Feeling really tired and unfocused today. Feeling like an emotional breakdown is right around the corner.

I want to go home. I want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head and hide from the world. I want to stay that way for a very, very long time. If I am hidden for long enough then maybe everyone will forget me. Hidden from the world, all my bad vibes and dumb decisions won't hang over everything like a black cloud. They will be forgotten as well.

Retreat. Regroup. Figure shit out. Stop acting like a dumbass. Is that possible?

Argh. It didn't surprise me any to look out last night and see a full moon. What a crazy, fucked up weekend it was.

In other news:
We didn't even see a drop of snow on Friday night ... though it appears that others did.

Last night I was out buying molding for the living room at the local Lowes ... and there he was. He was walking down the isle behind me. I stopped to "check out" some of the lawn mowers and he walked on past. About my height. Stocky. Goatee. Shaved head. Strong hands. No wedding ring. I stood behind him in line ... studying the way he moved, listening to him talk to the cashier. Then his wallet was put away and he was out the door with his purchase. Probably should have said "hi" to him. Nah. My luck ain't that good.

Bush Ends Steel Tariffs
Bush's reversal on the tariffs comes less than a month after the World Trade Organization's highest court ruled that the tariffs violated global trade laws, and just before the European Union planned to launch sanctions against $2.2 billion in U.S. goods, including politically sensitive products like citrus from Florida and textiles from the Carolinas ...

The EU threatened to sanction U.S. goods, including citrus from Florida, where Bush's brother Jeb is governor and the state where a dispute over a few hundred votes gave Bush the White House in 2000 ...

Ah, yes. Good thing that ole Dubya knows how to scratch his brother's back.

SNOW SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON... AND WILL AFFECT LOCATIONS AS FAR EAST AS THE BLUE RIDGE... INCLUDING THE ASHEVILLE AREA. BRIEF PERIODS OF LOCALLY MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING. THE SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH SATURDAY... BUT MAY BECOME MORE CONFINED TO LOCATIONS ALONG THE TENNESSEE BORDER BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE LIKELY WITHIN THE ADVISORY AREA BY SATURDAY EVENING. HOWEVER... LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE... PARTICULARLY IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE BALSAMS... SMOKIES... AND NORTHERN MOUNTAINS.

Jeepers! Winter has definitely come to the mountains. Too bad they aren't call for 10+ inches. Mmm, ten inches. Sounds like tonight will be a good one to snuggle under a blanket on the couch ... watch a movie ... drink some whiskey.

It is Christmas ... and you know what that means! It's time to shower your favorite, neurotic blogger (that's me) with tons and tons of dvds. What's that you say? Low on cash? Well there's movies on the list to fit everyone's budget ... from the expensive to the cheap. C'mon and make my holiday a happy, happy one.

I feel conflicted about the upcoming movie version of Charles Frazier's "Cold Mountain." It's one my favorite books ... a beautifully written story of one man's journey from war and death back to his home and the woman he loves. The movie version looks like it's gonna take this simple story and blow it up into some sort of epic tale. Argh. They have cast "pretty people" of course (see picture above). You never get the impression that there is anything spectacular about the characters in the book. In the movie's trailer it looks like Ada has written to Inman begging him to return to her. This is a major departure from Inman's character in the book. He simply decides that he has seen enough war and was to go back to his home ... away from the death and misery that surrounds him. The trailer also hints at a lot of other "improvements" that will probably piss readers of the book off.

Yeah. I can say that I am also bitter they didn't film the movie here ... where I live. The real Cold Mountain is about six miles from where I sit right now. Seems like Romania is a cheaper place to film movies.

Oh, well. I'll probably go see it just so that I can have something else to bitch about. And, who knows ... it might actually be good.

Whee! It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed.

Not much ... just about an inch.

But ... it snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed. It snowed!!!

So, here's some eye candy for my hetero friends and all you people at work.

audio post powered by audblog

Routine:
1) Wake up. Eat. Dress. Sleep. Eat. Watch a DVD. Drink. Sleep.
2) Wake up. Eat. Dress. Work. Eat. Work. Eat. Rehearse. Drink. Sleep.
3) Wake up. Eat. Dress. Work. Eat. Work. Eat. Rehearse. Drink. Sleep.
4) Wake up. Eat. Dress. Work. Eat. Work. Eat. Rehearse. Drink. Sleep.
5) Wake up. Eat. Dress. Work. Eat. Work. Eat. Rehearse. Drink. Sleep.
6) Wake up. Eat. Dress. Work. Eat. Work. Eat. Watch a DVD. Drink. Sleep.
7) Wake up. Eat. Dress. Sleep. Eat. Watch a DVD. Drink. Sleep.
Repeat for the next week ...

So this is permanence, love's shattered pride
What once was innocence, turned on it's side
A cloud hangs over me, marks every move
Deep in the memory, of what once was love
Oh how I realized how I wanted time
Put into perspective, tried so hard to find
Just for one moment, thought I'd found my way
Destiny unfolded, I watched it slip away
Joy Division - Twenty Four Hours [4.07 MB]

If you happen to read this site and are not registered to vote ... shame on you! The 2004 Presidential Election will be here before we know it, and voting is the only way to make a difference if you are really displeased with the current leadership. Go. Register to Vote. Now!

Scattered thoughts for a Tuesday ...

We did get snow on Friday night which was quite exciting. It didn't really amount to much (about a 1/2 inch), but who cares! It snowed!!!

I feel like I am being taken advantage of on so many fronts by so many people.

Seems that we have gotten back to the way things were very quickly. Seems like I am good to keep in contact with when nothing else is going on. Seems like I won't hear a peep until Friday when there's nothing else to do. I don't want that anymore, but can't figure out how to say it without creating a huge scene where I come off like the crazy asshole.

I am supposed to be in Charlotte this weekend ... but the drain on my extra cash from home improvements (and the fact that I don't know when the roomie is gonna give me his rent payment) is making me waffle about the trip. Plus ... if'n I remember correctly ... Michelle will be a rock star with Son De Cuba on Friday night. I don't want to miss that.

I need to save money right now. Christmas is here. Judy wants me to come to Washington before Christmas. I wanna beat it back to NYC next spring and hang out some more with a super cool fella.

Snowbabies are making me crazy. They're like rabbits.

I have a new best friend.

Worldwide AIDS Statistics
People newly infected with HIV in 2002: 5 million
AIDS deaths in 2002: 3 million ... that's over 8,000 deaths per day
Estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2002: 42 million
Total of AIDS deaths at the end of 2002: 28.1 million
Total number of AIDS orphans: 13.2 million

If AIDS has started out primarily amongst heterosexuals would the totals above be as large as they are today? The perception of AIDS being the "gay disease" certainly wouldn't be attached to it then. Would that have made the response time to the AIDS crisis quicker? Would the campaign for AIDS awareness be having more impact then?

Sadly, the link between homosexuality and AIDS will always be there. This makes AIDS awareness a tricky thing (in my opinion). Heterosexuals view the disease as something that doesn't effect them. Gays now view the disease as less of a threat because the advent of better drugs. It does seem like there is a "who cares ... it won't happen to me" attitude out there. I was in high school in the late 80's and it was very much in the front of everyone's mind back then. Now it seems to have slipped into the background ... like a monster that's getting ready to leap from some dark corner. We know it's there but don't want to look. It is scary, but we have to face it to make a difference in the staggering statistics that are listed above. Safe sex has always been the answer for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Practice it. Don't be afraid to discuss it with your partner. Don't let the "heat of the moment" comprise your judgment.

Local Resourses:
Western North Carolina AIDS Project
Haywood County/North Carolina Resources