Brit Boy Update

Alright, I know I am rather delayed in an update about Brit Boy. He's come to the states, gone off to Cuba for a fortnight, returned to spend the past weekend with me, then ventured off to Portland while I'm with my family. There are so many things I could blab on about, but I'm not sure I really know how to put these things into words. Things have gone exceedingly well, and I will just say two things about our time together thus far...

1) WOW!!! The connection we shared in the desert has not diminished. Nor, actually, has the fabulousness of the sex. *grin*

2) He thinks the way I prepare my tea is treasonous. I keep trying to tell him that my countrymen committed treason against the crown a few centuries ago, but he can't get over the fact that I like to put half-n-half... or on those really decadent moments real cream... in my tea. For me, milk just won't cut it.

So, things are going well. I'm with my family for one more day, and then it's off to San Francisco to join up with Brit Boy for New Year's Eve. We'll see what kind of shenanigans we can get ourselves into out there.

It's cold up in here...

It's been a little over a decade since I've had to deal with seriously cold weather and snow, but here I am, holed up in my mom's house in Kansas City, KS, while snow keeps fluttering to the ground. Big fat chunks of snow. It's really rather pretty, and I'm enjoying watching it fall on the evergreen trees and collect on my mom's deck. From the warmth of the comfy chair, with a cat resting on my legs and a nice warm cup of tea on the table beside me.

I did venture out for a bit earlier today, but still having my left leg bound up in a brace from my accident is causing me a fair amount of limping and instability. Not the best way to really experience the snowy outdoors.

You got your chocholate in my peanut butter...

There seems to be a pattern to the manner in which I recover emotionally from bodily injury. Years ago when my right hand was smashed in a boating accident and it was thought I might have nerve damage or loss of some motor skills, I found myself sitting in bed, jar of peanut butter in one hand, King-Size Hershey bar in the other, dealing with my pain.

Last year when I broke my pelvis and Latex Guy and my sex life was less than desired due to the many constraints on my ability to move, I often found myself with a jar of peanut butter in one hand and a milk chocolate bar in the other, consoling myself.

The last few days while I've been recovering from being hit by a truck (by the way, there is some truth to the statement "I feel like I just got hit by a truck"), I've gone through two and a half fabulous chocolate bars and about a third of a jar of peanut butter. Brit Boy made some fabulous choices in chocolate bars before he left for Cuba. Too bad he wasn't around to enjoy them.

Maybe this is why I always gain a few pounds after I injure myself.

OW!!!!

While Brit Boy was here last week we went underwear shopping. After perusing through several different brands and styles, I selected a nice pair of dark blue C-IN2 briefs with Sling-Support. What is "sling support," you might ask? Well... it's a way to lift and support my natural... er... assets. I had heard about these at a party and was definitely intrigued. See, I've noticed a bit of discomfort at times while riding my bike around town, specifically in the scrotal area. I wanted to see if these things could support my goods.

I can say that when I put these puppies on, I was all sorts of supported. I actually felt a little uncomfortable with how prominent I was. I mean... I wasn't sure that I really liked having my goods on display like this. But, they definitely did the job with helping me avoid a bad case of crotch soreness.

That is, until I wore them to work the other day.

I'm just sitting at my desk going through some emails when I do a little scratch. Which is immediately followed by an intense pain of the scrotum. I shift. I adjust. To no avail. In fact, I only make the situation worse. It's like someone has taken a clothespin and clipped it to my jigglies.

I run to the bathroom, rip open my pants, pull down my underwear and disentangle my meat and potatoes from the elastic band sling-support.

I need to find a better way to protect my assets.

Bicycle experiment... on hold.

Well, my bicycle experiment... is on hold right now.

Today, I got hit by a car. By a Ford Explorer to be precise. I rolled over the hood, hit the windshield, was upside down for a bit, and crashed to the ground. My bike... is trashed. A large portion of it, actually, has been bent in half.

I spent the better part of the afternoon at the county trauma center. After about 20 X-rays, a Cat-Scan, and some general poking and prodding, I'm okay. I have some serious road-rash and from about my mid-thigh to my ankles it feels like I'm on fire. But I have no broken bones. Thank god for my week-old helmet.

I. Am. Doomed.

I started a new job on Monday. I'm still working in downtown Austin. I'm still associated with the legislature... just in a different fashion. And apparently it's a job where I need to be reachable in many different ways at all hours.

I was given a Blackberry today.

I don't know how I feel about having this thing attached to my hip. Vibrating every time I get an e'mail. Going off when co-workers begin some IM chat conversation about where we're gonna go to lunch. My boss sending me messages when he gets into the office... at 6:30am.

I have found myself checking it frequently. Making sure that I'm not missing anything from my boss. Gotta ensure I make that good first impression.

There's a reason they call it the Crack-berry.

Early... riser.

I've been teaching a 6:15am yoga class lately as part of some kinesiology grad school program at The University of Texas. Thankfully, it will soon be over. However, there has been a very nice thing about getting to campus before the sun rises.

Both the Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC cadets do their morning PT at the gym at 6am. I think I could definitely become a... solid... um... supporter of the military.

3 Days, 11 Hours, 8 Minutes

...till Brit Boy arrives.

Mind racing? Yuppers.

Excited about seeing him for the first time in almost three months? You better believe it.

Nervous about our connection, especially given that he is now a single man? Words cannot express the butterflies and knots in my stomach. (Oh... and yeah. I didn't write about his break-up. Not my place to. But no... I was not a home-wrecker.)

He arrives this Friday. 8:40pm.

Hopefully it'll be sometime Wednesday before I can tell you if it's going well or not.

Red Dress Party

It was called a Red Dress Party.  Everyone was to wear a red dress.  And, for the most part, people did.  I wasn't originally in the mood to go to a party.  I had spent the day twisting people into pretzels and working in the yard.  I was t-i-r-e-d.  But I was told that it was a party being put on by a bunch of Austin burners, a group of people that I was intrigued about, but had yet to be introduced to.

For the most part, people were... nice.  I was introduced and friendly, party-style conversation ensued.   Where are you from?  Oh, you've been to Burning Man?  Who do you camp with?  Oh really?!?

But behind some of the conversation, I could sense something.  There was some discomfort.  My friend Sarah and I were in a room, chatting with a straight couple.  After my introduction, they never once looked at me.  I made several contributions to the conversation, but eye contact to me was never made again.  They soon leave.  

Another guy walks in and starts chatting with us.  We're all sitting on the bed, facing one another, but he seems so much more interested in talking to Sarah.  This, actually, is not surprising.  She's a very pretty, very flirtatious woman.  To let her have her fun, I'm only making intermittent contributions to what is being said.  I'm just sitting on the bed, listening, swinging my legs slightly.  I accidentally hit this guy's leg with one of my swings.  Just a tap.   While she's still talking about something, he quickly looks at me like I slid my hand up his leg into his crotch.  He stands up, turns his back to me, sits back down, and commences to talk only to Sarah.  I take the hint and excuse myself to the bathroom.

I enter another room, and am called over by a friendly man who I later find out went to my high school alma mater.  He's sitting in a group watching two bare-breasted women engage in activity fitting a poem by Sappho.  As I sit down next to my fellow alumnus, the circle closes behind me, leaving the two Jesuit boys outside.

Near the end of the evening, I'm outside with Sarah and her husband, chatting with a group.  One man is regaling the group with drunken and debaucherous stories.  At this point, I'm rather over the people at this party, but I continue to be civil and social.  My friends apparently like these people so I'm not going to make a scene.  I leave for a second to refill my drink, and as I return, one of the group pulls the circle in tighter so that I have to stand behind them, as an outsider looking in.

As we're leaving, my friends tell me that I should really consider going to Flipside, the regional Burning Man event outside of Austin.  They tell me how I'd love all the fun times that are had with the people there.  The people that I just spent the evening with.  I smile, nod, and tell them that I'm much more focused on my chosen family with which I attend the main Burning Man festival.  My family that is inclusive, loving, open-minded, and accepting of all that come through our beaded curtains.

Bicycle Experiment: Week 1

I've started an experiment. An experiment to reduce my reliance on my car. To reduce my consumption of motor vehicle fuels. To reduce my carbon footprint.

I'm riding my bicycle around town instead of using my car for most of my transportation needs.

After one week, there are a few things that I've noticed.

My world here in Austin is very small. Part of this is due to me having a pretty standard routine and traveling the same paths day in and day out. I have now started using alternate paths, and coming to know the neighborhoods around me much better.

Austin has some hills, yo! Now, My San Francisco friends will scoff at me, but still... these are pretty fun. And a little daunting at times.

I've found that I'm much better at grouping errands together. There's more involved in just popping over to the store if you're on your bike.

Riding to work in the morning really wakes me up. I've been so much more alert when I start work. My co-workers don't know what to do with a chipper and energetic morning me. They're so used to one that simply grunts and shuffles his feet until about 10am.

and finally... my caloric intake has skyrocketed. I swear, I don't know when I've ever been eating as much as I am right now. And I'm still slimming down.