Last night, while watching my favorite show, The West Wing on DVD, I got my world rocked. The plot of the episode involves a day in the white house when members of the West Wing meet with interest groups that would not normally have the clout to get a meeting with with the president. One of the groups is called Cartographers with Social Concern or some shit like that. I looked up their presentation on the off chance that they were actually real and BAM. It blew my mind. Please check this out.



And check this out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall-Peters_projection

And this too
http://www.petersmap.com/

On the trip back from San Francisco Rachel and I decided to stop and spend the night in Salt Lake City. Like any fabulous homosexual, I instantly changed my connexion zip code and started looking at the local man on man scene. Also, Rachel looked up local real-estate and rental prices and shortly after that we drove around the town for a look. I’d like to recap some of our findings.

One lovely young man:
http://www.connexion.org/simpleutahboi

Two lovely young man:
http://www.connexion.org/viewprofile.cfm?id=129461

Three lovely young lady:
http://www.connexion.org/viewprofile.cfm?id=198123

Heres what I found on a web search for local homo establishments:

“Despite the anti-gay reputation of the socially and politically dominant Mormon Church, Salt Lake City is still very much an international city. With so many world-class resorts in close proximity, the denizens of the Great Salt Lake basin have become tolerant of, if not exactly enthusiastic for, the diverse cultures that converge here. Lesbigay visitors to Salt Lake may be surprised to find that Utah does have a pride parade each June and a LGBT community center. While there are only a handful of strictly gay bars in Salt Lake (generally located in less-than-savory stretches of downtown), most of the larger nightclubs are gay-friendly and often host weekly gay nights. Check "The Pillar," an alternative LGBT newspaper for event info and local news.” (http://www.saltlakecity.com/night-club-bar/gay.shtml)

We found the city planning to be far ahead of its time. It has an above ground transportation that looks like The Light Rail we have here in Denver, but appears to be far more efficient. The downtown area of Salt Lake City is very grid-like, telling any visitor that with enough effort you could learn to navigate the city with ease. And after looking at how affordable it is to live in the area, I think my search for a place to live is over. I can smell the saltiness right now.

I remember being a little kid and watching this Bruce Springsteen video where he pulls a young lady, actually it was Courtney Cox out from the audience. This was before there were thousands of music videos so it was played in fairly heavy rotation on VH1 and MTV. The point of this story is that I was fascinated with the transformation that went on. Courtney Cox was just a general admission ticket holder. In fact, she looked like the kind of girl who may have just gone to the concert because her friends were going. Or maybe she won them at the last minute from a radio giveaway. And BAM, there she is. Dancing with the BOSS. I’m having the kind of week where I would like to be pulled from the audience and dance with the boss.

My life this last year has been a lesson in learning to lessen the importance I had been placing on the life goals everyone else around me was accomplishing. College. Financial Security. Love. Friendship. Emotional Stability. Maturity. All of those benchmarks we think we need to attain to keep up. It’s a daily struggle for me to not stress about all of it. The struggle for meis trying to relax inside of a world that I feel is passing me bye.

So, now I try just to do the relax thing a little bit every day. I find mindfulness almost completely impossible, but I pat myself on the back for any situation where I was mostly present. A breath I took that I was there for. There are adults in my life, usually my parents, or maybe just a lot of adults who have stopped challenging themselves. Given up on changing or challenging.

I’m a beginner right now. A beginner at adulthood and a whole other slew of life’s offerings. That is sometimes terrifying, but I realized today that it’s also pretty great. And it’s also a release. A release that shit is going to be crazy in some aspect of my life until I die and If I don’t surrender to that to the best of my ability I’m losing time where I could more present.

Of course I stole half of this shit from a Buddhist book that I have yet to return to the library for Rachel. But a stolen epiphany is still an epiphany.

Current Mood: thankful

Today’s Topic - My Insane Mother: Employee of the Month or Just Employee?
While reading today’s selection it might be best for the reader to play some sort of scary carnival music . . . backwards. Also, maybe on a 45 record player so the sound quality is scratchy.

So, if you’ve been keeping up on my life, I’m living at home and waiting tables until I am discovered. Not sure exactly for what, but when you’re gay its this innate feeling that at least once in your life you’re going to be on the cover of a magazine somewhere. For me, that’s what connexion.org is. It’s my magazine cover.

Back to the topic at hand. Most human beings display their certificates of completion, degrees, diplomas and other qualifications on the wall of their office or place of business. But today, I witnessed the saddest thing in my home. My mother’s Wal-Mart “Employee of the Month” oak framed and engraved plaque was simply lying on the floor of her room. Which used to be my room, but we can get back to that later,

Why? Why would such an honorable tribute be simply laid on the floor for no one to see? I fixed this immediately and I set it upright for all to see. But then, MORE QUESTIONS! How does one receive such an honor?

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.

That’s the answer. Alarm clocks, ladies and getleladies. 9 of them to be exact! All battery operated. “You can’t trust the other kind,” Mom once told me, “in case the power goes out.” And then I had it. Resolution. Answers. The way to get to the top is to set 9 battery operated alarm clocks so that you make it to the Wal-Mart time clock on time.

I like to include pictures in some of my journal to further validate the script of my life. This is partially because its Sunday and Judge Judy isn’t on and I have the time. But Im also worried that reader’s will question the integrity and Ill end up on Oprah like that faggot James Frey.

Outside the Institute of Art in Chicago
Im back from Chicago. Where not only was it not very windy, but Oprah didnt make time to see me at all. Or give me money. I did see the fountain from the theme song in "Married with Children." I bought some sassy new shorts at H&M which apparently have surprise pockets because I managed to lose Ira's keys and my wallet.

As you can imagine, air travel can be a bitch when you dont have any identification so I had to travel as a "security selectee". Which im assuming is a euphemism for potential unidentified terrorist fag. This includes a vigorous pat-down from a TSA agent, ion testing of all your electronic devices, a thorough search for explosive devices in my flip-flops and a giant air-puffer that can apparently detect whether im smuggling cocaine in the folds of my arm pits.

Current Mood: exanimate

So, HAPPY 4th of July to all you tech savvy mouseheads!
Here on Genoa St in Aurora we are cleaning out the garage!
EVERYTHING MUST GO!
Space is tight and the deals are HOT!

http://denver.craigslist.org/sys/366532131.html. SOLD!

http://denver.craigslist.org/sys/366565375.html.

http://denver.craigslist.org/sys/366568848.html.

http://denver.craigslist.org/sys/366576248.html.

http://denver.craigslist.org/sys/366579567.html.

 "Pray the Gay Away" - My senior picture surrounded by Jesus,Mary and some rockin' Holy Jewelry.

In this day in 1863 the Battle of Gettysburg came to an end. My parents have the History Channel. I watch it for hours at a time. Everyday they have a segment called "this day in history".  I find this to be such a useful tool in my life. Awkward silence. (INSERT History Channel Fact) Whats that smell? (INSERT History Channel Fact) You moved back in with your parents at 24? (INSERT 2 History Channel Facts)

I woke up this morning in my parents house. This shouldnt be a suprise because my days of blackout drinking are long ago and far away. Nevertheless, I was somewhat shocked to wake up on a pile of blankets, in my underwear, surrounded by forest green carpet, 2 recliners and a faux fireplace. Did I mention they live in Aurora too. Or did the green carpet give it away?

It wasnt my alarm or the local baby bird population that woke me up this fine monday morning. It was my Mom. My mom is the bastard lovechild of Joseph Stalin and Carol Channing. "Get up!" "Get up!". As I pull the blankets off my face Im delighted to see that not only is my Mom standing at the foot of my makeshift bed, but so are my Aunt Suzanne and my eleven year old cousin Nicole. "They have come to hear your ammends" My What? "For the Wreckage" What wreckage? "The wreckage of your alcohol problem."

Current Location: Aurora Town
Current Mood: sore