So, the building that houses our office is single-story and U-shaped. Our office (meaning, the company's office) takes up 2/3 of the left part of the "U," and my desk has a giant window facing into the middle of the "U," so I get a great view every day of the dumpsters and the back of the other half of the building.

And, for the last few weeks, a view of a porta-potty as well, as they're doing construction on the other half of the building.

Well, there are three young guys working over there, and two of them are really cute; even better, when it gets really hot, they tend to get shirtless, so awesome for me.

Now, because it's in my peripheral vision, I always happen to notice when they head to the porta-potty. (And no, pervs, I'm not keeping an eye out for them, but I see something shiny and/or moving, and I immediately turn towards it.)

Well, just now the one not-cute guy went to do his business. As soon as he was in, the other two guys immediately ran to their pick-up truck, got in, and pulled it up to the porta-potty, slowly inching it forward until it was completely blocking the door.

All of a sudden the porta-potty starts rocking, because the guy can't get out. The guys in the truck are DYING with laughter, as am I. (Picture me sitting alone in my office, laughing like a loon. Yeah.) They finally let the guy out after about a minute. He was decidedly LESS amused.

Bryan

As some of you are no doubt aware, the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee held a hearing yesterday on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. It was the first Congressional hearing on the policy since it was enacted in 1993.

Well, times are clearly a-changin'. Not only do three-quarters of Americans now believe that gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military (compared to less than half who felt the same way 15 years ago), but the hearings have been a huge boon to those hoping to repeal the policy.

In the hearing yesterday, the main proponent of keeping the ban intact got hammered -- HARD -- by all sides, Democrat and Republican. (And, having interviewed Elaine Donnelly more than once during my relatively short tenure at the Blade, I can assure you that it really couldn't have happened to a nicer person.) Meanwhile, unlike in 1993, no one from the Pentagon came to argue in favor of the military's ban on openly gay and lesbian service members.

Really, you have to read this Washington Post column by Dana Milbanks to get the full effect... it's pretty heartening for those of us who know gays and lesbians who have served or are currently serving in the military, that this policy might finally get repealed sometime soon and we can join the 24 other countries allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in their militaries.

Bryan

Saw The Dark Knight last night in Kingstowne, with Rob's friends Brent and Nick. It was absolutely insane... there must have been literally hundreds of people milling about the lobby, plus hundreds more outside. All in all, I think about 8 of the theater's 16 screens were devoted to the Dark Knight, and they were all sold out.

The movie was awesome. That's about all I have to say about it at this point... I'll process my thoughts later. I really feel like I need to see it again, actually, to process it completely. It's a VERY full movie.

Today we slept in, and then I ran to the grocery store while Rob cleaned his house. I came back and made chili mac (which was quite tasty), and now we're watching some Weeds. Ben and Jerry are about to come out of the freezer as well.

Hope everyone's having a good one!

Bryan

Some of you might remember that my mom was fired from her job back in February. Since then, she reluctantly went back into daycare (which crushed her soul, but she had to make ends meet), but had a really hard time getting kids, and for the most part has only had one (there was a brief period where she had two, but the mother of the second one was 16, so when school let out, she no longer needed mom's services); my grandmother almost died; and one of her dogs did die. Needless to say, it's been a completely shitty five months for her.

Thankfully, FINALLY, it seems like her luck is turning around. She started dating a guy that she really likes, and today she went in for an interview at a doctor's office for a receptionist position and got hired on the spot. Even better, they are going to start her off at more than she was asking for. She starts Monday.

After her experience with her last job, she's very, very nervous about going back out into the workforce, but I told her that if she doesn't roll with the punches and try to get over that fear, she's going to be watching other people's children until the day she dies. At least this way she gets out of the house, meets new people, gets medical insurance, and eventually (hopefully) gets 401k benefits.

Now I just pray that she doesn't work with a bunch of assholes like her last job.

Bryan

PS -- Saw Wall-E tonight. Very cute. Amazing animation. Can't really see kids enjoying it, but I think adults will really find something special in it.

Being a massive Buffy and Firefly/Serenity fan, people always ask me about my feelings on the show Angel. And I always tell them that I've actually never watched the show, but that I plan on getting the boxed set one day.

Well, the Angel Complete Series boxed set is currently was the Amazon Gold Box lightning deal of the day, at $62.99 (or $12.60 per season); it normally sells for $103.99. I saw a link to the deal on Aint-It-Cool-News.com, and immediately clicked the link and pulled out my credit card. With (literally) 99% of the available sets already claimed, I managed to get in just under the gun and claim one of the last remaining deals! Right after I confirmed my order, I went back to the Gold Box page, and it said that deal was expired.

This will be mine in a few days' time:



I'm *SO* stoked!

(Because, of course, it's not like I don't have 20+ other season sets sitting on my shelf that I haven't watched yet; why not add five more? LOL.)

Bryan

(Blatantly stolen from paladincub21 )

So, a few weeks ago, Entertainment Weekly released its list of the top 100 "New Classic" films: films from the last 25 years that they consider to be "new classics." Of these:

Boldface the ones you've seen
Underline the ones you own
** the ones that would make your own "New Classics" list

1. Pulp Fiction (1994) **
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03) **
3. Titanic (1997)**
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
5. Toy Story (1995) **
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998) **
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) **
9. Die Hard (1988)
10. Moulin Rouge (2001) **
11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)**
12. The Matrix (1999)**
13. GoodFellas (1990)**
14. Crumb (1995)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990) **
16. Boogie Nights (1997) **
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
19. Casino Royale (2006)
20. The Lion King (1994) **
( Read more... )

Interesting. I think this is half-true (specifically the parts about needing to feel independent and self-sufficient), and half-bunk (I would say I'm *most* comfortable having close emotional relationships with people). Weird. But it's a meme, so take it with a grain of salt, right?

Your result for The Attachment Style Test...

The Player

25% Anxiety Over Abandonment and 55% Avoidance Of Intimacy

Take The Attachment Style Test at HelloQuizzy

I got a call from my mom last night, very upset, because she had to rush her three-year-old pug, Baby, to the animal hospital yesterday afternoon. She was outside and started having seizures. The hospital kept her overnight, but told my mom that it didn't look good.

She got a call this morning that Baby died sometime in the middle of the night.

The official cause of death is basically heat stroke. Despite the fact that the high yesterday in my hometown was only 83 degrees, with low humidity.

My mother is an absolute wreck. She blames herself. I tried to reassure her that it's not her fault, she didn't do anything wrong, etc., but right now she's inconsolable. I really wish I could be there to give her a hug. :-(

Anyway, here's to Baby, who is snorting and farting somewhere now in doggie heaven.

After taking a look at my bank statements, I came to a realization: I eat out a LOT. I mean, on one level, obviously I knew this, but it never really registered with me just how often I eat out until I sat down and totaled it up (June's total: $314.91, which... is probably on the low end for me, honestly, because it's mostly fast food-type places, and not full-service restaurants). So, in an effort to save money, and eat better, I'm going to try to go the entire month of July without eating out*. I got the idea from Graham and Terry, who did the same thing for Lent, and they said they were surprised by how easy it was after a while... they just got in the habit of bringing their lunches to work and cooking dinner for themselves.

It's going to be especially difficult for lunches, because at my company, eating lunch out is a social thing. If I'm not going out with Quentin, I'm going out with Michelle, and that's going to be hard to avoid, but I'm going to try my best.

The other benefit of this is that Rob and I are going to be cooking a lot more on the weekends, which makes me happy. :)

Anyway, it should be interesting. I'll let you know how it goes.

Bryan

* One exception I'm making in advance is that I'm going to take Rob out to dinner for his birthday, which is on Sunday. But I figure that that's totally allowed.

OK, so the cover art isn't the greatest, but I want it anyway. It comes out Oct. 14.



I'm not going to lie: Steel Will might have been my first little boy crush ever. (Whatever. Don't judge.)

Bryan

I hate shopping. It doesn't matter what it's for: clothes, food, new escort service, etc. -- I hate it. For one thing, I have ZERO patience. My general philosophy is to get in and get out as quickly as possible, but there's always SOMEONE who is going to mess that up for me. An old lady paying by check, and whose pen doesn't work. One lane out of thirty being open. Credit card machine being down. There have been times when I have literally walked out of the store without my purchase because I've gotten impatient in line.

Today, I had not one, but TWO experiences where I was about ready to punch a bitch in the throat.

The first was when I was trying to buy jeans. The guy in front of me was a talker, and wouldn't quit bullshitting with the cashier. And instead of trying to ring him up quickly, as I was waiting behind him, the cashier just bullshitted right back with him. Then the guy's credit card wouldn't scan properly. Then the receipt tape broke. Then, when they had completed that transaction, the guy realized that not all of his stuff had been rung up, so they had to go through the whole process again. He only had four or five items total, but I stood in line for about 10 minutes total, even though it literally took me less than that to find what I wanted in the first place.

Then, in the grocery store, I got in the lane of the slow old man cashier, who was very nice but was telling the woman in front of me every detail of his life, and making commentary on her purchases. "Oh, watermelon is so nice this time of year!" "Oh, I love that type of bean. You know, my wife is Colombian, and she makes this fantastic dish..." At one point, after I'd seriously hit the 10-minute mark in line, and I'd already seen another cashier check out four customers in the same amount of time, a girl about my age pulled her cart behind me, and I told her, "Do yourself a favor... go to the other line. You'll thank me." (She got out before I did.)

THIS is why people use the self-scanners. Except I refuse to do that with anything more than a basketfull, as I think it's rude to other customers.

So basically, my entire day was like this:



Oh, except I wasn't buying jewelry for my mistress. Just jeans and groceries.

Bryan

Today, Rob and I slept in until 10:30, then got up, grabbed lunch, and went grocery shopping. I now have foodstuffs that are specifically mine at his house.

We came home, I made my mac and cheese, and we took it to a birthday party potluck for one of his friends. He drove; I carried Demy (his dog) in my lap. Because his friends had a big fenced-in backyard, she got to run around and bark at everything to her heart's content.

During the party, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and it said "Dad." I showed it to Rob, and he understood, without me saying anything, why it was a big deal.

I was crabby for a big portion of the morning, as I have been for most of this week. Not at anything in particular, just at life. But he was cool. Then, tonight, when I got a migraine, he gave me the space I needed to sleep it off.

We watched Juno, and I put my arm around him when he cried at the end. Like I knew he would.

Since it's now after midnight, we've now been dating four months.

It feels good.

Bryan

Airlines are Charging for the Wrong Bags

I read this opinion piece, and I loudly concur. When the airlines announced they were going to start charging for checked bags, I told someone (Aaron or Rob, most likely) that finding overhead storage would become even more of a nightmare than it already is. As it is, I've gotten into the habit of just checking any luggage I have, even though many people typically try to stow luggage significantly larger than the small bag I use for traveling into the overhead bins. It's just not worth the hassle to me. So I check all my baggage, and just bring my book and my iPod with me on the plane, and then I grab my bags from the baggage carousel after we land. No fuss, no muss.

As it is, I doubt I'm flying anytime soon. One, I'm not paying to check my bag, nor am I going to fight with a hundred other passengers to fit it into overhead with all of THEIR stuff, too. Two, I'm not going to pay to reserve my aisle seat, which some airlines are now implementing. Three, I'm not going to get weighed before I hop on a plane when my seat is the same (small, uncomfortable) size as everyone else's. It's just not going to happen.

So, for the time being, I just won't be flying unless it's absolutely unavoidable. Rob and I have talked about going to Dallas and Austin this fall, but if we do that, we might just end up driving there... driving cross-country (or halfway, at least) is something I've always wanted to do; paying for gas in my car will be cheaper than two plane tickets (I've done the math); and it saves us the cost of having to pay for a rental to get from Dallas to Austin.

Screw you, airlines.

Bryan

Here's a clip from The Dark Knight that (kinda sorta not really) gives us our first glimpse at Two Face:

http://www.whysoserious.com/myhero/

You can't really see much, but still, I'm stoked.

Bryan

I don't watch award shows other than the Oscars, so I totally missed this performance by the current and original casts of Rent on the Tony awards. But I have to admit, it made me a little misty-eyed.



It's easy to make fun of Rent now, with its early 90s fashions and references that now seem incredibly dated. But in 1997, when I was first exposed to the then-new musical by my choir teacher, who taught us some of the music from the show and then took us on a field trip to D.C. to actually see it, it literally changed my life. By that point I already knew -- but had not yet admitted to myself -- that I was gay, and living in a small conservative town, I was terrified of that prospect. (In fact, Mrs. Oldham received a number of nasty phone calls and letters from parents who didn't want their children exposed to such deviancy; but NO ONE told Phyllis Oldham what to do in her classroom, or in life in general, so sing the songs and see the show we most certainly did. I'll never be able to thank her enough for standing up to those parents.)

Rent was only my second exposure (after MTV's "The Real World" and its myriad of gay cast members) to any sort of gay culture, and I was starving for any sort of exposure to people or characters who were different in the same way I was. After seeing the show, I immediately bought the two-disc soundtrack, and for the next six or so years, it had a permanent home in my car. (It almost always made an appearance on long drives or road trips, as Amanda can attest.) It was very safe to call me a Renthead.

Now, the show is coming to an end very soon. I've seen the show six times (five in D.C., and once on Broadway), and I love it just as much every time I see it. I own the movie -- a flawed but very well-intentioned flick -- on DVD, and try to expose newbies to it as often as possible.

I can only speak for myself, but I'm willing to bet that there are a great number of people right around my age who had similar experiences with the show. The show might be ending its run on Broadway in September, but the great thing about Broadway is that no show of that caliber ever really dies: it will live on in touring companies, on DVD, with the soundtrack, and in the cultural zeitgeist. And one day -- who knows when? -- it will become a revival, reinterpreted for a new generation of outcasts who are desperately seeking to see themselves reflected in a mainstream Broadway musical.

Bryan

Rob and I went to see "The Incredible Hulk" last night. I have to admit, between the disappointment of Ang Lee's 2003 version and reports of Edward Norton fighting with Marvel Studios to release a much longer, more introspective cut of the movie (Marvel won), I was a little nervous about the film.

So, how did I enjoy it? It was... fantastic. (What? Did you think I was going to say "incredible?")

Seriously, I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. Just like "Iron Man," I think Marvel hit another home run. The only thing that is a little jarring is the fact that it's technically a reboot of a franchise that only has one five-year-old movie under its belt, so the fact that he has a different origin in this movie than the one we saw five years ago could be a little jarring for some. (The reviewer for the New York Daily News said it well: the movie "often flashes back to a previous movie that, um, wasn't actually made; scenes over the opening credits remind us of an origin story we never saw.") But if you can get past that, I think most people will really enjoy it.

But here's the thing: people who really, really love the Ang Lee movie... probably won't like this one. Personally, I find the Ang Lee version boring as fuck. If you're like me, and you just wanted to see the Hulk smash shit... you'll really dig "The Incredible Hulk," I think.

So, what works about it? Pretty much everything. The cast is all great, especially Edward Norton and Tim Roth. The CGI used for the Hulk (and the Abomination) is a THOUSAND times better than the CGI used for the Hulk in 2003. (This one actually looks really bad-ass, as opposed to a big green gummy bear.) The scenes with the Hulk are all pretty amazing, too... you really feel the power this creature has with every punch, kick, and slap that he makes. I loved the final fight scene between the Hulk and the Abomination. Basically, it all worked for me. I'm not going to lie, the plot is pretty thin... it basically amounts to "Banner wants to be left alone and find a cure, the government wants to capture him to duplicate the Hulk for military purposes, and they pick the wrong Russo-Anglo soldier to try to fulfill that objective." But if you just want a fast-paced popcorn flick, I think you'll enjoy this.

Oh, and I loved all the little nods to the comics (and there are many), and the idea of a shared Marvel movie universe for once. Venture any deeper and you'll wade into spoiler territory.
Overall grade: A-

Been super busy this morning with work, and just happened to look at the time on my desktop and was blown away that it was 10:40 already. Damn.

I ran by the apartment last night to clean my bathroom, bedroom, and closet (which is the size of a bedroom, LOL). By the time I got home, I was absolutely exhausted and pretty much crashed immediately. (I vaguely recall my boyfriend calling me at some point after I'd already fallen into bed, but I don't recall the details of said conversation.) At any rate, I just have like 4 objects left to get out of the apartment, and I'm done. Turning the keys in Saturday morning.

Work has been awesome lately. I'm finally getting a chance to work on some exciting stuff that is mine and mine alone and I think it'll bring me to the next stage of my career here. I'm reenergized. At the very least, I'm definitely getting a chance to prove that I'm up to the task of running the show while Michelle is out for a few months on maternity leave.

Have a busy weekend ahead of me: tonight, Rob and I are going to see Incredible Hulk. I can't wait to see him. (Rob, I mean, though I guess the Hulk is a close second. Reviews have overall been quite favorable, so I'm really excited for it.) Tomorrow, after turning in my keys, I'll probably spend the day at the townhouse, getting some more unpacking done that I've pretty much neglected all week. Then, I have a work party to attend, where I'll get to show Rob off.

Sunday is the Pride festival. Honestly, I don't know if I want to go or not. It's the same thing every -- single -- year, and I'm just not feeling it this year. I think pride events, as a statement, have lost their efficacy on me. They're just big block parties with bad stage acts and overpriced food at this point, and I live too far away from the neighborhood these days to really feel a draw to the "D.C." aspect of it. But who knows? Maybe you'll see me there. Never say never.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend.

Bryan

I haven't seen The Muppets Take Manhattan in a while, but it's my favorite Muppet movie. It might have to be a random Best Buy purchase at some point.

Just something to make you smile today:



Bryan

The movers came Saturday. We had a skinny dude, an older gentleman, and one guy who actually looked somewhat like a mover, but the three of them did an awesome, awesome job. While hiring movers can drain your wallet, it's always a great investment, IMO, especially when furniture has to be moved up and down stairs. ESPECIALLY in 100 degree heat.

As soon as the movers finished up, we went and got Rob's car out of hock. That cost me $150... ugh. Still pissed about that, but there really wasn't anything we could do. They called us out on having an altered guest pass, which it was, but we didn't really have any alternative, considering all five of the guest spots up front were taken, and the office conveniently (where you get guest passes) closes at 6 p.m. It's ridiculous. I can't wait to hand in my keys and officially be done w/ that place.

The new place is very nice, and I have to admit that it's grown on me quite a bit since my initial reaction. That probably has something to do with the fact that my room ended up being a lot bigger than it looks... I was able to fit all of my important stuff in there. The only thing that is disappointing for me is that the new place's kitchen has probably less than half the storage space our old place had, so we're going to have to get very creative in how we store food, cookware, etc. I think one thing I'm going to do is put some of my stuff that I don't use very often at all -- such as my crock pot, stock pots, etc. -- in the garage, which is where I'm storing my spice rack, and then just make sure that I wash it thoroughly before I use it. Thanks to Rob, most of my stuff is unpacked, so it feels like home already. I still have a few more boxes to go through, but for the most part, it's all unpacked.

And I can't say enough how much of a help Rob was this weekend. Between helping me finish packing, to cracking the whip and helping/making me unpack, to communicating with the movers in Spanish... he was a Godsend. He didn't even lose his cool when his car was towed. Words just can't express how grateful I am to have him in my life.

Anyway, hope everyone had a good weekend. Happy Monday!

Bryan

Tonight, our last full night in the apartment, as Rob, Aaron, and I are steady packing before the movers come tomorrow morning... Rob's car got towed. Despite the fact that he was parked in a "legal" spot, and had a guest pass displayed on his rear view mirror, where it's supposed to be displayed.

Oh, how fucking fitting.

I love this apartment, and I'll miss it, but the management here has been the absolute worst that I have ever experienced. This is just one last bitter cherry on top.

Fuck you, Archstone.

Bryan

[Edited to Add: Apparently her campaign is now denying that she'll be conceding tonight, calling the AP story "100 percent incorrect." Regardless, my message still applies, and thus I'm keeping this entry up.]

Just read on DailyKos that MSNBC had a breaking announcement that the AP is reporting that Hillary Clinton will concede the race to Obama tonight. There wasn't much more to it than that, but clearly this will be THE news item of the day, regardless of whether it actually happens or not.

I know I have a lot of die-hard Clinton supporters on my friends list, and to all of them (except hokiebear2000. Because he's really a Republican.), I say this: I'm sorry. I KNOW it sucks when your guy (or gal, in this case) doesn't win. It especially sucks because we really had two great candidates this time around, both with their own sets of pros and cons, and both of whom had very committed fanbases. As I've said numerous times in the past on this very blog, I genuinely like Hillary Clinton. I think she's an incredibly tough and shrewd political player, and had she won the nomination, I would have gladly voted for her. But I also recognize that, if the situation was reversed, and it was announced that Obama was going to be conceding the nomination tonight, before I got around to voting for Hillary in the fall, my initial reaction right now would probably be one of hurt, anger, etc. -- basically, I'd be grieving the loss of "my guy." And you all have every right to do that right now. Take a little bit of time and work through it all. You're totally entitled.

But. Once that grieving is over, we ALL have to come back together as Democrats. I said it months ago, when it first became obvious that we were in for a long, drawn-out fight over the nomination, and I'm reiterating it now. Some of you might think Obama is too inexperienced for the job. Others might have a very bad taste in their mouths over the whole Rev. Wright debacle. Whatever the case may be, you have to remember that, while you should ideally be voting with full confidence in a candidate's abilities, after eight years of George W. Bush, this is not just about Obama: it's now about an administration. It's about Roe vs. Wade, Iraq, Don't Ask Don't Tell, the nomination of Supreme Court judges, and any countless number of issues that are vitally important to the vast majority of the Democratic base. And on almost all of these issues, Hillary and Obama are fairly in sync.

I've heard quite a few people say that, if Hillary didn't win the nomination, they would vote for McCain in the fall (and again, Vern, I'm not addressing you) or, alternatively, that they'd write in her name. While you're certainly free to do whatever you want at the ballots in November, remember that your vote will also have repercussions that will last for at least four years, if not for a generation or more. All we need is one more conservative judge on the bench to overturn Roe. Let me repeat that: ONE MORE JUDGE TO OVERTURN ROE. And there aren't a lot of spring chickens on that bench, know what I mean? And once they overturn Roe, what do you think will come next? Don't be surprised if it's Lawrence v. Texas -- the ruling that overturned the nation's anti-sodomy laws in 2003. Or perhaps a case that would set an anti-gay marriage precedent, thus strengthening the Defense of Marriage Act and invalidating the marriages, civil unions, domestic partnerships, etc., of gay residents in California, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maine, Connecticut, and D.C.? The IDEALS of the person sitting in that chair in the Oval Office MATTER. And if you find that you and Obama have common ground after all, then come November, we need to all come together as Democrats and send a message to the Republicans that their time in Washington is OVER.

Because after eight years of ineptitude, fear-mongering, tax cuts for the richest Americans, dragging our name through the mud in the rest of the world, Iraq, more than 4,000 dead and tens of thousands more wounded, paying $4 a gallon at the pump while all the oil companies are reporting record profits, a housing crisis that can be blamed in large part on Republican industry deregulation, and SO MUCH MORE... after eight years of all of this, enough is ENOUGH.

Vote Democrat.

Bryan

I just sent my boyfriend the following email:

Dear Rob,

Saw a Goya truck this morning. Thought of you.

Love,
Bryan

I amuse myself.

I'm in the process of updating my address on all of my various accounts, and apparently by moving to West Virg... er, Ashburn... I'll save $130 a year on my car insurance! Cuz covered wagons aren't as much of an accident risk, apparently.

Bryan

Saturday night, I said goodbye to a fantastic friend of mine, John Smith (no, seriously), aka stupidis, who is finally leaving Salisbury for the greener pastures of Austin, TX, with his hetero lifemate and the perpetual ruiner of his stories, Jessica (landbridge). We said goodbye the only way you really ought to: at a bar, surrounded by friends. The evening was a lot of fun, but also bittersweet; while I told John that Rob and I are planning to come visit them around Halloween, every time I visit Salisbury, it will feel like something is now missing. John was the one friend from high school who I could almost always 100% of the time count on to be around and to want to hang out whenever I go home. Most of my friends are married and/or have kids now, so their schedules aren't as free as they used to be. But John and I could just go to the diner or out for a few drinks and discuss for hours the current stories being churned out by Marvel and DC, talk about the gossip around town about people we knew from high school, or simply reminisce about some of the silly and/or stupid times we'd had in the past.

John Smith first moved to Salisbury during our senior year. He was a year younger than us, a junior, and... he was an obnoxious fuck. In this regard, he hasn't changed at all. He drove us all crazy at first, and we couldn't stand him. Then, slooooowly, we started to see that there was a sort of retarded brilliance to a lot of his bullshit, and, as Amanda is often fond of saying, he "grew on us. Like a fungus." By the end of our senior year, our little group of seniors had adopted him into the fold: he was one of us. And in the ten years that we've been friends, I can't think of a single harsh word that has passed between the two of us. At least, not towards each other. ;-)

One of the most amusing things about John is the way he tells a story. A very simple story -- say, about his roommate from college shitting himself -- can EASILY take two hours to tell. His stories get filled with so many tangents and off-topic beats that you sometimes forget what he was originally talking about, but he somehow always manages to get back on the right track and finish the story up. And he doesn't just tell a story: he acts it out, getting his whole body into it to illustrate just what happened. Sometimes (often times, really) you know that he's maybe perhaps exaggerating just a teensy bit, but you don't really care, because when he's on, he's brilliant, and you've got tears rolling down your face from laughing too hard.

Fittingly, there was one last John Smith story to be created on his last night in town: We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant, and then had drinks at a bar two doors down. In between the restaurant and the bar is a Burger King that is almost always completely empty. Well, John is a humongous Superman fan (hence the quote as this entry's title), and had a six-foot-plus Superman stand-up cut-out from Superman Returns that he needed to get rid of. So, after dinner, everyone in our party walked from the restaurant into the Burger King, Superman in hand, and plopped old Supes down next to the Indiana Jones stand-up, grabbed a quick picture, and ran out the other side of the Burger King and towards the bar, leaving Superman behind and leaving the Burger King employees to scratch their heads in bewilderment. Because that's how John Smith rolls.


(Photo blatantly swiped from wshcaps)

I've gotten to know Jess over the last few years, and I can't imagine anyone more perfect for John. (God help her.) She's an awesome woman, and he better know how lucky he is to have her in his life. I have an incredible love for her as well, and I think they'll be really happy in this next part of their journey together. Mazel tov to both of them.

Other occurrences this weekend:

* My mom and I saw the Sex and the City movie. I was one of, like, three guys in the theater. But I loved it, and I'm going to see it again on Thursday with some coworkers and perhaps Rob if he's available.

* Rob told me tonight that he's starting to understand my mood swings, and the appropriate ways to handle them. And he's right: when I'm being cunty, he just gives me my space, and all is good. Unfortunately, I've been cunty a lot lately. Not at him, just at life in general. Hopefully once we move, I'll be less stressed, and things will simmer down.

* But man, I love that guy. Just thinking about him brings a big smile to my face. He's definitely a keeper...

* Finally saw the new place today. My initial reaction is that it's a lot smaller than I had imagined it would be, but after stewing about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that, one way or another, we'll make it work. The one really great thing about it is the garage, which will be used for some much-needed storage.

* Did quite a bit of packing tonight. My closet is noticeably emptier than it was a few hours ago. Slowly but surely.

* It's 1:30... why am I still up? Argh. Must go to sleep. Good night y'all.

Bryan

Sheryl Crow @ Merriweather.


It'll be my third time seeing her in concert: saw her in '99 as part of Lilith Fair, and again, solo, in '03. Her current album is good but VERY political, but I hope she sticks mostly to her older, let's-just-drink-and-have-a-good-time stuff. Either way, I know it'll be a great show.

Bryan