Following The Pi'd Piper

TESTING! one...two...three...

2011-01-14T07:09:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone. Just thought I'd write a small post to see who is awake.

Anyone? Anyone?

Bueller?

Wedding Picture of the Day

2009-07-26T06:31:00.001-07:00

It was Bike Week in Gettysburg when we had our ceremony and it turns out that the bikers had fireworks right down the road from where we were. Everyone ran outside to watch. It was rather spectacular!

Wedding Picture of the Day

2009-07-20T04:28:00.001-07:00

Wedding Picture of the Day

2009-07-19T05:55:00.001-07:00

Wedding Picture of the Day

2009-07-18T05:34:00.000-07:00

More 2 Come

2009-07-16T08:39:00.001-07:00

Coming Down To The Wire

2009-07-07T05:18:00.000-07:00

Here we are just four days out from the wedding. We are both pretty stressed despite the fact that everything is coming together quite nicely. I can't imagine what it would be like if we were having a huge To Do and had twice or three times as many things to worry about. We both wanted the day to be simple and fun and the sort that we will remember always. I think it will come to that before it's all over. Neither of us are feeling too hot these past few days. Lauren has been nursing an ear ache and I've been dealing with fatigue and other various symptoms on the carousel. In fact, last night when we got home, we both headed to bed where we "napped" until almost nine o'clock. We got up and ate some cereal for dinner and then crashed for the rest of the night. Hopefully tonight will be better.

More on Crowbirdie Beads

2009-06-23T10:36:00.001-07:00

Lauren makes lampwork glass beads. Here she was this morning making a few beads before work.

Here's a closer view of what she's doing. Yes that's FIRE!

Tattoo Flash

2009-06-23T07:13:00.001-07:00

Heroes and Villians #12

2009-06-23T06:19:00.001-07:00

HERO #12: Captain James T. Kirk. Why Him: Whether tangling with Romulans, Kingons, or the wrath of Khan, Star Trek's Kirk (William Shatner) is never anything less than cool. Most Heroic Move: Repeatedly saving the Federation's bacon; acing the Kobayashi Maru scenario. Biggest Weakness: Freaky Alien Babes.

Villian #12: Norman Bates. Why Him: In Psycho, you get two homicidal maniacs in one Mama's boy (Tony Perkins), with a split personality and enough emotional baggage to fill a freight train. Most Evil Move: Shower-cide. Least Badass Move: Being not just a transvestite, but a dowdy transvestite.

2009-06-22T13:41:00.001-07:00

Gay Pride Festival in Baltimore

2009-06-22T04:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Lauren and I drove down to Druid Hill Park in Baltimore for the annual Pride Festival. Even though we got there early, we had to park pretty far from the event and I forgot my cane. We had a fabulous time and saw/met some old friends. We bought a few things and ate some food. We watched some drag queens givin' it up and signed endless petitions and what not. Then my energy was up and we still had to make the long trek back to the truck. Lauren is the best when it comes to these things. She patiently sat down with me on the various benches along the way so that I could rest in between. Finally we made it back to the truck and then eventually back to the house where we crashed in a lovely late afternoon nap.

Crowbirdie Beads Studio is Born

2009-06-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

Homeowner's Blues Part Two

2009-06-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

As if the lite fixture wasn't enough, we woke up yesterday with no water. As in no water anywhere. None coming out of the faucets, not flushing the toilets. NONE. We had to call a water guy to come and get him to take care of the situation to the tune of $1000. This is gonna put a delay on the car I was supposed to get for Rob this week. But all ends that ends well. So if I have to wait an extra week for the car it would probably just mean I'd have an accident in it the first week. So things are good here.
I have a day off from Ma and it's absolutely lovely.

Homeowner's Blues

2009-06-14T09:02:00.001-07:00

So Lauren and I were minding our own business, sitting in the dining room, enjoying each other's company when suddenly we heard a crash. We turned around in time to see one of the big ceiling lights in the kitchen come crashing down from the ceiling in a spark-filled waterfall. The fixture had filled up with water and the weight had caused the light to fall from the ceiling. You can't tell by this picture but it's about 4 foot long. I got busy moping up the gallons of water on the kitchen floor and Lauren set out calling roofers to see who could come out on a weekend to see about the hole in the roof. We'd been getting storms all week so it was a natural assumption to think that we had a hole in the roof despite the fact that the inspector had been to the house the day before and deemed our roof good for another 15-20 years. Yesterday the roofer came out and got up into the attic and had a look-see, but couldn't find anything. The only other thing we had done that had to do with the attic space was turn the air conditioning on. So he suggested we try that. Sure enough, about an hour into it's being turned on, water started dripping from the ceiling through the hole. Turns out the air conditioning unit in the attic is having a bit of condesation problems. BIG ones. So we know what the problem is now and can get it fixed, we just don't have to do it immediately. The house is shaded by lots of trees and we've been lucky to have a good breeze blowing most of the time. We really only turned it on to make sure it worked. And it does. And then some!

In other news, things have been too newsy to write it all down here. I haven't been feeling all that well lately but there's been so much going on I haven't had the opportunity to treat myself to some time off to rest. This is having a devastating effect on my physical well-being, I think. Mostly we've been busy with moving the stuff that's already here (Lauren's stuff) to where it's supposed to go and moving my stuff (little by little) IN period. NOW we're just 27 days out from the wedding so we're starting to get busy with that. I can't wait until the week of July 11th. First is the wedding and then we have a week off to just hang out and enjoy each other. Can you spell HONEYMOON? I rode my scooter down from Rob's yesterday (Littlestown, PA to Manchester, MD) which took about an hour. It was a grand adventure and I'm looking forward to doing lots of riding this summer. It's such a blast and it relaxes me on top of it.

I hope to get into a more regular round of posting once things die down a bit. Haven't been around to many journals lately, sadly, but at least I'm not coming to mine, either.

Hope everyone is well out there in J-Land.

New Colors in the Bedroom!

2009-06-02T08:47:00.001-07:00

MJ-TV

2009-05-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

2009-05-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

Heroes & Villians #13

2009-05-21T12:07:00.001-07:00

Hero #13: Foxy Brown. Why Her: In the '70s, it was nothing short of revolutionary for a supersexy female vigilante (Pam Grier) to demand payback from every scumbag who crosses her path. Most Heroic Quote: "You just take care of the justice, and I'll handle the revenge myself." Copycat Descendant: Rapper Foxy Brown.

Villian #13: Frank Booth. Why Him: Blue Velvet's Booth (Dennis Hopper) is a monstrous, gas-sucking unleashed id who dares you to identify with him. Best Accessory: Creepy oxygen mask. Most Evil Move: His nitrous-fueled, mommy-issued assault on Isabella Rossellini. Please don't make me describe it in more detail.

More Tattoo Flash

2009-05-21T09:14:00.001-07:00

More Tattoo Flash

2009-05-21T08:20:00.001-07:00

More Tattoo Flash

2009-05-20T14:29:00.001-07:00

The View From Our Front Porch

2009-05-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

New Tattoo Flash

2009-05-19T07:52:00.001-07:00

2009-05-19T05:55:00.001-07:00

The House

2009-05-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

Well Folks, the work on the new house has officially begun. There is lots of cleaning, scraping, smudging, painting, and arranging to do. We're hoping to have things ready enough to start moving stuff in on Sunday. My only regret about things is that I've been spiraling downward with fatigue lately and so it limits how much I can help. I'm either working on something or I'm sleeping. Lauren has been extremely patient with me in that regard. I do what I can and then I rest. She, of course, runs circles around me. At any rate, it's still great fun.

And can I just say how much I LOATHE wallpaper?????

Heroes and Villians #14

2009-05-15T20:18:00.001-07:00

Hero #14 Will Kane. Why Him? In High Noon, Gary Cooper's retiring lawman faces down a killer and his goons despite being deserted by the rst of the town. Most Heroic Move: when Kane's last ally gets cold feet, he tellss him to go home to his family, and then refuses the help of

the teenager.

Villian #14: Annie Wilkes. Why her? As Misery's cheery psychopath who imprisons and tortures her favorite novelist, Paul Sheldon, for killing off her favorite character, Kathy Bates is an unsettling mix of Skeaky Fromme and June Cleaver. Most evil move: Breaking both of Paul's ankles with a sledgehammer ,than calmly saying, "God I love you." Least Badass Move: Use of the words "cockadoodie," "dirty bird," and "oogie."

MJ-TV

2009-05-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

More Tattoo Flash

2009-05-13T06:49:00.001-07:00

We Got The House!

2009-05-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

No sooner than we got home with the rings that Hank called to tell us that that bank finally came through and approved our contract on our house. We could be settling as soon as this Friday. Wish us luck!

The Rings

2009-05-12T12:29:00.001-07:00

2009-05-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

Ectoplasm in Gettysburg & The Downward Spiral

2009-05-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

First I'd like to draw attention to the picture on the left here. I took this in Gettysburg a couple of weekends ago (the weekend I was so sick). As is typical of photos taken there, this one clearly shows ghostly ectoplasm on the left hand side. So common is this phenomenom that it's difficult to get pictures without it. Gettysburg is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the United States. The two women in the picture are Lauren and our friend Cleo.

The bad news is that I've been progressively feeling worse since that day in Gettysburg. I believe I'm cycling down into a bad bought of fatigue and various other sundries. Last night I met Lauren in Westminster where we took Geiko (the gecko) to the vet. My legs gave out and we had to leave my car there over night. She dropped me off this morning to pick it up. The morning is definitely my best time of the day. And it doesn't last long. I'm trying to take good care of myself because I've got a wedding coming up in which I am a major participant. I might have to sleep that entire day but I WILL be awake for the ceremony. Even if it kills me (which would rather suck).

Heroes and Villians #15

2009-05-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hero #15: Dirty Harry. Typical day on the job: Beating up scum on the streets of San Francisco; denying miranda rights. Weapon of choice: 44 Magnum, "the most powerful handgun in the world." Catchphrase: "Go ahead. Make my day." Personal Baggage: Wife killed; estranged from mankind.

Villan #15: Snow White's Queen. Why her? In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, she sets the standard for all Disney villains to come with her homicidal need to be the fairest in the land. Most Evil Move: Demanding a hunter cut out Snow White's heart and deliver it to her in a special box. Copycat Descendants: Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent, The Little Mermaid's Ursula, 101 Dalmatians' Cruella De Vil...

More Tattoo Flash

2009-05-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

Rings and Formal Wear

2009-05-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The wedding planning is moving right along. I was fitted for my tux. I'm wearing the colors of the guy on the right with a long tie like the guy on the left. Yes, I'm wearing tails. I had Lauren with me and her face lit up with she saw this and so that's why I went with it. There were so many styles to choose from and I'm glad that there was only one that made her lite up. The green we chose matches her dress perfectly.

In other wedding news, we ordered our rings! We should get them sometime this week and I'll post a pic as soon as I can take one. We went with black titanium with a white gold band down the center. Very cool!

I haven't been feeling too hot lately. In fact I was throwing up all day on Sunday when Lauren and I went to Gettysburg to meet our friend Cleo. I didn't want to ruin the day (even though I was), and hung in tough. It was a gross day though, all things considered.

The Bead Show

2009-04-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

Ma and I headed down to Gaithersburg, MD, to The Bead Society of Greater Washington's Bead Bazaar. Lauren was in the show and so we went down to support her and check it all out. Ma, of course, had a fabulous time. She loves jewelry and there was plenty of that for her to look through.

Lauren and her friends were really the only people doing sculptural pieces, as most of the show was regular geometric beads, so hopefully they will do well. Lots of people stopping to look and ask questions. And there were quite a few buyers as well. Ma bought a bird from Lauren and I bought a goddess bead from her friend, Cleo. I'm going to carry her in my pocket.

Progress On A New Picture

2009-04-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

2009-04-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

Keeping the Home Fires Burning

2009-04-20T05:10:00.000-07:00

Since I've dropped below the radar, I have fewer followers, and fewer comments, but I'm cool with that. It feels like I've moved from the big city to a cabin in the woods. I'm rather enjoying the peace and solitude of writing for just a select few. However, I would like to say that if you know of anyone who is looking for me, you can direct them here. I don't expect that will make much difference as I'm sure that most everyone out there has forgotten all about me by now. But just in case, I wanted to put that out there.

It's a lot different here than in was at From The Edge of Dementia. I think I needed this change. I'm starting a new chapter of my life and needed a space to reflect that.

Yesterday was what I would call a really good day. I felt physically better than I have in a long, LONG time. Good days like this are rare so I'm happy that I got an opportunity to enjoy it and spend time with my lady love. Today, not so good. On the BAD SCALE (0 being fabulous and 10 being horrible) I'm at about an 8 today. It goes along with the rainy ickiness outside...

Heroes and Villians #16

2009-04-20T04:45:00.000-07:00

Hero #16: Jack Bauer. Typical day on the job: Defusing scary bombs; interviewing terrorist suspects "the hard way." Weapon of choice: Bare hands (for his patented Jack Bauer sleeper hold). Catchphrase: "Dammit! We're running out of time!" Personal Baggage: Wife killed; estranged from daughter.

Villian #16: Hans Gruber. Why Him? Just because you're evil doesn't mean you can't be civilized about it. Alan Rickman's upper-class Die Hard baddie remains the tip-top of slick 80s-action-flick Eurovillains. Most Evil Quote: "Mr. Takagi...won't be joining us for the rest of his life." Best Accessories: His two suits from John Phillips, London. "Rumor has it Arafat buys his there." Biggest Weakness: He could talk about men's fashion all day!

My Two Favorite Girls...

2009-04-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

Last night I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and when I came back in, this is what I found. Dot, of course, was pretending that she was sound asleep so I snapped a pic before calling her bluff.

Today Lauren, Ma, and I went down to the house we've got the contract on to take a better look at things and maybe come up with a battle plan for how we're gonna approach movin' into the new place. There will be a ton of cleaning to do as we don't expect these people to leave the place in any sort of state of clean as they don't really keep the place up while they're still living in it. We walked around in the yard for the first time and there is just trash and junk all over the place. So we have our work cut out for us. But we met our new neighbor on one side and she's great. So that's really cool. There is a big farm directly across the street from us and we LOVE that. Makes us feel like we're more in the country than we actually are.

On the way home we stopped at an ice cream stand and I got my first snowball in probably 15 years! It was FABULOUS. All in all it's been a very fine day.

Tattoo Flash

2009-04-17T04:38:00.001-07:00

A Day In The Woods

2009-04-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Lauren works for an accounting firm. She's in technology. The day after tax season is over her office is closed for the day. So we took advantage of the situation and went to Coduras State Park for a hike with Dot. As you can see, she almost got eaten by a giant carnivourous tree. But I saved her. She's my girl, after all.

Dot had a fabulous time swimming and has been sleeping on and off since she stumbled in the door. Turns out we were all out of shape.

My Newest Addition

2009-04-16T05:16:00.000-07:00

2009-04-15T11:45:00.001-07:00

Heroes and Villians

2009-04-15T09:02:00.001-07:00

Hero #17: Nancy Drew Why her? The first female hero embraced by most little girls, Drew lived in an endless summer of never-ending adventures and unlimited potenial. Best Accessory: Flashlight Copycat Decendants: Scooby-Doo's Velma, Veronica Mars.

Villian #17: Michael Myers Why him? When he terrorized his first teens in 1978's Halloween, he left a trail of blood that unstoppable movie psychopaths are still following. Best Accessories: A big freakin' knife and customized Captain Kirk mask. Copycat Descendeants: Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger.

Dollar General Store Adventures

2009-04-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

More Tattoo Flash

2009-04-14T07:09:00.001-07:00

Easter Peep

2009-04-12T04:44:00.000-07:00

More Sketches

2009-04-10T11:18:00.001-07:00

Heroes & Villians

2009-04-09T13:42:00.001-07:00

Hero #18: BATMAN. Why him? The brooding Batman is the paradigm for gadgety, nonpowered superheroes. And Christian Bale's Dark Knight acts as the ultimate war-on-terror hero --and cautionary tale. Best Accessory: Batarangs. Because they're called Batarangs.

Villian #18: GORDON GEKKO. Why him? All the oily dudes responsible for today's economic meltdown and your decimated 401k? Meet their Wall Street role model (Michael Douglas). No bonus for you, Gekko! Most Evil Quote: "Greed...is good." Least Badass Move: Getting outsmarted by Charlie Sheen. Best Accessories: Trouser braces, hair gel by the pound, and shoebox sized cell phones. Biggest Weakness: Wiretaps.

2009-04-09T09:29:00.001-07:00

The First Buddy Picture

2009-04-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the first "buddy" picture featuring Dot and KiKi. Yep, KiKi is right there on the bed. Dot's been ecstatic about having something new going on. And KiKi has definitely waved the goodwill flag.

Sorry for the shortness of the last entry. I've just been a walking zombie for DAYS. However, the deed is done now. There is nothing else left at the farm. Lauren is officially moved out. Even though she used to spend quite a few nights a week here before, there is something fabulous about waking up and finding her beside me every night... Waking up with her every morning... having our little "hardly awake" chats... cuddling. It's the BEST.

I need a day of rest today but Ma wants to get a couple of store lists out of the way before the weekend so we can rest up for Easter. I guess that makes sense. She's got an infected leg so I don't think it will be a terribly long trip. That leg will eventually hurt too much for her to think and we'll be a headed home before you know it.

Lauren is now back into the tax season rat race. This will go on until mid week next week. Then we can back to wedding planning again. HOORAY!

Anyway, wanted to stick my head in and 'splain where I've been and what's been going on. Zombie. Coma. Etc.

Go! Go! Go!

2009-04-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

Lauren is officially moved in, along with her three kids (kitties) KiKi, Sylvester, and Ash. Dot and KiKi have already hit it off great. They even took a nap together today.
Today is Ma's birthday. She's 85. And she's dealing with the new additions to the household quite nicely. She's already rearranged the toothbrushes.
Will write more soon.

Late Night Musings

2009-03-31T00:14:00.001-07:00

I took a pajama day today (or I guess it was yesterday by now). I needed it after trying to keep up with everyone moving Lauren out of her house and into storage. Pushing myself isn't a good thing, I know. And ultimately it's probably making my condition worse. But on the other hand I WANT A LIFE. A REAL life. I see Ma, 85 years old, who has so much more energy than I do and I wonder what I'll be like at that age. So I push. And then I pay for it. I paid for it today. It was nice to have a day of rest. Especially when I've got to get back to pushing tomorrow. Lauren moves in on Sunday so there is much to be done to get ready for that. I am so excited for her arrival so I know it won't seem so bad, but I do know it will get me in the end. More pajama days in the future.

Drawing has helped me tremendously. Whereas music pumps me up and saps what little energy I have, drawing relaxes me and helps me to conserve my energy. I know I'm still learning and have a long way to go but it's fun and makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something of value. Still, I can't do it for long stretches at a time.

So right now I have to lay back down. I just popped awake and thought I'd blog a bit before sleep took me back over.

More Flash

2009-03-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

Heroes & Villians

2009-03-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

Hero #19: Atticus Finch. Why Him? In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, and in the movie with Gregory Peck, Atticus transforms quiet decency, legal acumen, and great parenting into the most heroic qualities a man can have. Copycat Descendant: A Time to Kill's Jake Tyler Brigance.

Villian #19: Alex Forrest. Why Her? You can't ignore her --Glenn Close's woman scorned from Fatal Attraction is every straying man's loco nightmare. Most Evil Move: Boiling the bunny. Biggest Weakness: Wives who stand by their man. Copycat Descendants: Rebecca De Mornay in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Drew Barrymore in Poison Ivy.

Mobile Entry

2009-03-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

Howdy Folks! I'm making this entry from Lauren's house. She's packing up her fragile beads so I thought I'd take a few minutes to stick my head in and say hey. I've been here since yesterday helping her move some of her stuff to the storage unit where it will all rest until we hear something about the house. I got to meet her brother and sister-in-law yesterday so I've officially met the family now. They were a tremendous help and afterward we went to get sushi. I think I made a pretty good impression. I hope I did anyway. It's hard to tell when you're dealing with people who don't have a lot of experience with gay people. I was my normal, charming self. That's the best I can do.

Anyhow, there will be more moving of things today and a trip to Micheal's (big craft store) and then we will head up to godforsaken Hanover to have dinner with Ma.

I hope everyone is having a groovy weekend. Talk soon.

2009-03-28T06:55:00.001-07:00

Heroes and Villians

2009-03-28T03:55:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since we've had some fun around here so I thought I'd start another countdown. This one, as usual, is courtesy of Entertainment Weekly magazine. We're going to countdown the top 20 heroes and villians. So let's get started!

HERO #20: Sydney Bristow: Why Her? Jennifer Garner's hotsy, butt-kicking double/triple/multiple agent on Alias helped launch show creator J.J. Abrams into the upper tier of thriller auteurism.

Best Accessory: Any spandex clothing item, preferably red.

VILLIAN #20: Jack Torrance. Why Him:

Driven mad by the isolation of a haunted hotel, Jack Nicholson's disturbed novelist in The Shining is an argument for the benefit of crowds.

Most Evil Quote: "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just gonna bash your brains in. I'm gonna bash them right the fuck in!"

Least Badass Move: Enjoys typing.

Weakness: Poor at mazes.

Almost Forgot

2009-03-27T06:35:00.001-07:00

Here's the female cardinal I drew in my first class. Not bad for the first time out drawing free hand...

Workin' on the Invites...

2009-03-27T04:45:00.000-07:00

Last night, Lauren and I tried to print out our invitations to the wedding. They came out great except they aren't quite centered and we can't figure out why. Our test sheets worked perfectly. Anyhow, here is what they look like. Thought you might like to see.

Also, we finally got registered. We went with myregistry.com. It's a really cool site that lets us pick stuff from anywhere instead of just one store. It seems easy for the user to use it, too. Just type in either of our names and away you go. Turned out we needed a night of distraction from the craziness of the move (now just 13 days away).

Hope all is well out there in the world!

First Class Under My Belt

2009-03-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought something like this wouldn't have killed me. I had a blast, drew a cute little cardinal, and was told to practice, practice, practice!
I even had time to stop in the tuxedo shop next door to the Arts Guild. Turns out they didn't blink an eye so I think maybe I might talk Ma into going up with me tomorrow to get fitted for my tux for the wedding. That will be one more thing out of the way.

Drawing Flash

2009-03-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

I've made some changes in my life plans. I mean, besides the house and the marriage. I've decided to discontinue at Kaplan University and transfer my credits to the local community college so I can take art classes. I'm finally coming clean about doing something I've been wanting to do forever and that's be a tattoo artist.

I start a colored pencil drawing class tonight at the Hanover Arts Guild.

Here are some pics of the tattoo flash I've been working on. I'm having a very good time of it and feel like I'm finally moving in the right directions in all aspects of my life. I think proposing to Lauren really got me on a road of taking my life back despite how shitty I feel physically so frequently. This is something that is relaxing and fun.

The bank did the appraisal. Now we're waiting for the lender to do the appraisal. You'd think that they'd split the cost and do one appraisal. Some of the goofy shit that's gone on since we started looking at houses has just amazed me. But anyway, we are making progress.

However, the bank has changed the settlement date for Lauren's current house. She has to be out by April TENTH. That's only 15 days away. I think it's pretty safe to say that we won't be able to get into the new house in 15 days. So we've got some finagling to do. And then we get to plan a wedding!

Zero Percent of Everything

2009-03-24T03:40:00.000-07:00

We were driving along in the car, Ma and me, when she said this:

"I love this new Progresso Soup. It has zero percent of everything in it!"

I thought about this for a few seconds. Gee, I thought, The picture on the can certainly looked like it had plenty of things in it. Then Ma continued...

"But it's got 649mg of SODIUM!"

"Well, Ma," I said, "It's got to have SOMETHING in it."

In other news, still waitin' to hear about the house. The bank supposedly wants a quick sale. Doesn't feel that way at the moment.

The First Day Of Spring

2009-03-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

Well it's here! The first day of Spring! It's always a happy time of year even though Spring isn't my favorite season. In fact, it's my least favorite for some reason. I think it's because of the pastel colors and the bunnies. I hate pastel colors. And bunnies everywhere (other than the real ones in the back yard) get on my last nerve. I never did get the bunny/resurrection connection. Still it means that the weather will be warming up and the world will get green again (except for where the pastel colored eggs are hidden). So I say HAPPY SPRING, everyone!

Last night Lauren and I went out to dinner to celebrate the selling of her farm. We still haven't heard anything about the contract we put in on the other house but these things take times. At the very worst, Lauren will just have to move in here for a bit with her three cats while we find the another perfect place. Anyway, we ate seafood and drank wine and dreamed of our new place (wherever that may be) and watched the phone (which was laying on the table) in case Hank (our agent) called.

He didn't.

Buying A House

2009-03-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we put a contract in on a house last night. It's about 20 minutes from Ma's front door. It's a cute rancher with a finished basement and we're both really excited about it. So keep us in your prayers please that the bank doesn't sit on the contract and will want a quick sale like we do.

PS: We don't get to keep all the stuff in it.

Deteriorating Health & Pushing Through

2009-03-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

It's crazy right now to be sure. I haven't been feeling well for about 4 or 5 days but have been pushing myself anyway. Trouble is, it's takin' it's toll. I've been walking with my cane for the last two days. Tomorrow I'm staying in bed all day if it kills me.

Tonight Lauren and I are going to look at a house. She did get a contract on her place so we're in high octane mode tryin' to find a new place. We looked at a bunch of places over the weekend and nothing panned out. Most of them were kinda wrecks. However, our agent is very excited about the one we're gonna see tonight so we're excited, too.

Ma and I went to Penny's to look for a wedding dress for her. No luck. While there I bought a couple of new hats in Spencer's. One is an Indiana Jones hat. Lauren said to wear it tonight because we're going on an adventure. Sounds good to me.

Anyway, that's why I haven't been writing much lately. I'm not feeling well at all. And I'm busy on top of it trying to push through the fatigue and live anyway.

It's not working so hot.

Life Just Got Really, REALLY Busy...

2009-03-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

As if planning a wedding during tax season weren't enough (Lauren works for an accounting firm), it looks like perhaps my girl's house may have sold. What's happened is an interested couple have put a couple of offers in. They wanted to settle in 30 days (which they won't get) and they want the chickens (on which they've scored). Even though nothing has been signed and there are still details that need working out, Lauren and I have immediately gone into house shopping mode (see picture above, one of the few we have our eye on) just in case. This is proving to be a bit tricky as it's all about location, location, location (with the right price tag attached, of course). Right now, Lauren is in Westminster which is about 35 minutes from here. We're looking for a place in between here and there. Someplace closer to Ma but not too far for her to drive to work. I might be getting married but I still have responsibilities to Ma. The closer we live to her the more nights I'll get to spend at home with my wife. It's all about the balance, man, and I love the girl. Wanna spend EVERY night with her. Hey, I'm gettin' MARRIED.

The good news is that Ma really loves Lauren and is taking our commitment to one another as seriously as we are are. Since the Life Line got installed she hasn't had any objections to me spending time at Lauren's house (see picture at left). Last week, between us, we spent four nights together. I feel like I've actually got a life for the first time in six years.

On the wedding front we're moving right along. We've got a photographer and Lauren has picked out and arranged to have her dress made. I'm not allowed to hear anything about it until I see her in it, but I do have fabric swatches to take with me when I get fitted for my tux. It looks like this week we'll be making catering decisions.

So that's the news for now. More comin', naturally.

Welcome!

2009-03-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

Howdy folks, and welcome to the new blog. I say “new” blog because I had to abandon my old one. My sister had found it and was reading it and causing me all kinds of troubles. I’m not writing here to be judged so I thought I’d pack my lesbian U-Haul and (figuratively speaking) move to a new country. To my old readers, thank you for coming along to help me unpack. To my new readers, thanks for signing up for the adventure.

For you newbies, I’ll give you a brief history and catch up. My name is MJ, I am 47 years old, a lesbian, and engaged to be married on July 11th. I currently live in godforsaken Hanover, PA with my 84 year-old Ma who I take care of. I am aided in this endeavor by my 7 year-old border collie, Dot. I am a singer/songwriter who spent 10 years in Nashville, TN doing that very thing. For the last three years I’ve been struggling with an undiagnosed brain disorder which carries with it symptoms similar to MS. Not every day is a good day, but I try very hard to make the best out of all of them.

The love of my life is Lauren. She is the beautiful redhead who has stolen my heart. She’s 37 and a lamp work glass bead maker. She is kind and gentle and patient and understanding. We are both Pisces’ and have turned out to be amazingly compatible.

I think this pretty much sums things up in a nutshell. Ok, well it’s a little more than would fit in a nutshell. Surely if I rearranged the words, though, they would fit in an eggshell.

I’m looking forward to speaking my true mind here. I hope to share stories, humor, video, music, and all sorts of fun things. So follow the Pi’d Piper and see where we end up!