Melee

Back at the Kingdom (the most wonderful place on earth) one has to wonder why everything is an emergency. You would think that dealing with children, in a medium sized business, things would not get to this state of panic. Coming to work here I thought that my big challenges would be, 1 kids, I never really liked them, 2. My brother in law and by default my sister. I have actually come to like children in small doses, the confusion that surrounds my brother in law is amazing.

Part of what is going on at MK is consolidation of two buildings into one, moving desks chairs, chalkboards, and books from one building into another. Simple and straight forward, but because everything has to be done on the cheap. "I know this guy, his brother lived down the road from us in Guyana he can move the chalk, then there is so and so's husband that will move math books he is from Trinidad but he is a good one...".

Did I say that the move is only one block. In my mind and maybe that's why I don't have any money I would have just paid the money and had someone come and move the crap and be done with it.

On the receiving side the renovation are entering the 3rd month, with the new tile coming up already, paint put on so thickly that doors will no longer close, and the list goes on. Through it all, Desmond is the smart one, everyone else is stupid. It was smart to undergo the renovation of a school with no general contractor, it was smart not to have plans submitted to the city before starting work, the list goes on. What all of this creates is an atmosphere of panic, even the kids can sense the confusion, like the boogie man in the closet, they all, and we the staff here, are waiting for that monster to jump out and scare us, like someone screaming fire in a theatre.

Martini

I was thinking about a good friend of mine, West Coast Bob and It brought back a memory of a night when we both lived in Chicago. As best as I can remember it, it was around Christmas and my birthday, and a friend was having a holiday party, at a bar, that was an open bar, (I love the open bar). I decided that to maximize the free booze I would have martinis. I am not a liquor pussy, and have had many a martini in my life so what's the harm. I remember Bob looking at me, with disapproving eyes when I said "come on lets all have martinis!" No one took the bait but me. Fast forward a couple of hours and It was my own private party, or at least I was the host. I would have had a conversation with a lamp. There did come a point that night that I knew it was time to leave. But where was my coat? Forget my coat, what bar was this again, and how do I get home from here. I pleaded with Bob and Matt to get my coat from coat check, they both just cast that knowing smile, thinking "I know Michael, he's not that bad off, and anyway you dance with the devil (devil=martini)..." As I try to process how to get through the crowd to get my coat and get out of there I'm still in party mode, chatting with strangers, enemies, bartenders, and sofa pillows. I have a fuzzy memory of getting into a cab but the next real memory I have is waking up, at home (thank god) alone, (thank god again?) in bed nude. When I wake up nude, I know that heavy drinking was involved, (once I woke up nude with a Checkers Cheese Burger wrapper and a pickle stuck to my forehead ah youth). I thought Jesus I left my coat, I love that coat, I go into the living room to see my front door ajar, my clothing and coat in the doorway keeping it form closing. That was my last open martini bar, but not my last martini.

Monday

So with one week left before I return to the Magic Kingdom, back to slavery, I was set to start off my last week of freedom with a healthy dose of TV watching. Oh yes, primetime in the daytime. Two episodes of ER then Judging Amy, NYPD Blue and 2 hours of law and order. However the Dish Network had a different plan. Last night after 6 feet under, thank god, the signal went out. Not a big deal because with the Dish that happens whenever its going to rain. In my gut though I felt like something was really amiss. Like the feeling you get late on a Sunday, that dread about work, bright and early Monday morning. I ignored it and went to bed, hoping that the storm clouds would pass and that TV would be mine in the morning. But no, no smiling Matt and Katie this morning.
So I call the Dish folk, I have been chatting with them lately anyway, seeing if they were going to carry LOGO, (they are not) and seeing what penalties that I would incur if I switched to Direct TV which does carry LOGO. My political stance, I want my Gay TV. Could they be messing with fags TV all over "we'll show them, they wont get LOGO or anything else, we'll cut them off right before Queer and Folk".
Anyway after endless prompts I speak to a nice lady in India, that informs me after many steps here that someone needs to come out and assess the problem. That the earliest time would be Thursday and that it will cost me, $99!
So much for a week of TV, no primetime in the daytime, no endless channel surfing,
what's a boy to do?

I guess post to his blog.

Moody

Moodiness is a good thing. For years I thought, god Michael you are a moody guy, bordering on being a bitch. Truth of the matter my moods are nothing more than a defense mechanism that I have come to hold close to my heart. Its gotten me this far and have no reason to dismiss it now.
What is being moody? Good question, for me it really is just shutting down, I'm really good at doing that in a crowd. A perfect example would be a month or so ago I was going to a queer art opening, I had a great dinner with a friend and off we went. The invitation came from another friend of mine that I have known for years, his work was being displayed there. The second that I saw the gallery my mood changed to bad. Had a great time at the opening, and had a great time afterward, but I bet $50 that if I went in all happy and everything, I probably wouldn't.

Moody is also speaking your mind (read Martyr and coming soon Martyr part 2). I understand why someone might think that I'm moody when I speak my mind, if they don't really know me anyway. The thing is that I am not generally an opinionated person so when I do, look out "he's in a bad mood".

I'm just a guy with a sunshiny disposition, with an occasional storm cloud.

MetroCard

Having a friend in New York I rode the subway allot last week. It reminded me how much I love trains. When I was a kid I would beg to ride the subway. The best family outings for me were when we would go to my aunts house in The Bronx. Almost riding the #2 train end to end.
The thing about the subway here in New York is that it really is the great equalizer, almost everyone rides it at some point. I still notice little things about the trains, like that the new "smart cars" are made in Quebec. Or that the scrolling signs on my train recently changed, now saying that the #3 is not only the 7th ave express but its also the Eastern Parkway local (gentrification its the hood).
When I was a kid I would act like I had someplace to go, but just ride the trains, like a mole person, never coming above ground but going all over the city.
The trains are a great place to people watch, since most people don't make eye contact on the trains its easy to look at folks. Some of my fashion statements made when I was in high school were discovered in the subway.
it seemed so natural to me to ride the subway to High School, I was a little disappointed that I didn't get into Bronx High School of Science not because it was a better High School than Brooklyn Tech, but that Tech was just a 15 min ride on the train and I didn't have to change lines.
A guilty pleasure of mine when I travel is ride the subway of what ever city I visit, some folks go to museums, its the trains for me.
One of the great disappointments of Chicago, for me wasn't the weather, it was the fact that I was so underwhelmed by the "l" there.
Guess that just makes me a simple man with simple pleasures = boring?

Madness

I have a good friend in town this weekend and decided to play the good host and take him around. Its the right thing to do of course and I will also dip my feet, or at least a toe into gay New York life after over a decade of being away from it. I have been out a few times before this weekend but to a bar here or there in the EV. With company in town I felt thatto give him that total NY experience we needed to do Chelsea (mistake #1). He likes to dance and I know that as a good host I need to get over myself, bite the bullet and head on out and cut the rug with the young and beautiful. If I can avoid looking at myself in any mirrors I can get through the night right? I love music , I used to live to go out and dance, so how bad could it be? Very bad.

After little research we settled on Splash (mistake #2). I can't even go into the grizzley details, lets just say Friday night is called "Tribe", and the usual cast of characters were there, our shirtless friends, our friends with the flags, glo stick boy, with his better half lazer pointer man. All of this not new to me could have been bearable, IF the music was good. When did a good house music song stop having lyrics? It was beat after beat, not a word to be heard (hence the name Tribe). I wanted to stick hot pencils in my ears. Every other second all I wanted to do was have a cigarette but alas no even that has been taken away.
Its at moments like that when I can truly feel along in a crowd. Everyone else seemed to be having fun? Along with my bad house keeping skills, did I loose the disco/party gene as well, whats next my snappy fashion sense?