while i was away for the holiday, my friend, smokestack, stayed in bungalow 425 [read: my apartment] to watch my cat. he also took on the challenge of rearranging my apartment- giving me a new home outlook for 2009. i had very little idea as to what he was going to do, but was very excited for the change.
after a week of cleaning and shifting things around, i now have a more spacious and comfortable living space:
smokestack did an amazing job! moving one of the couches to the bedroom and changing my home office set-up gave way to an obscene amount of open space in the living room (although you may not see it in the pics). so much so, that he was also able to make a little dining area- something i definitely didn’t have room for before. (you can see the “before” pictures here)
in the bedroom, the addition of a couch offers a nice lounging space in which i can write or hang out. it’s perfect for when i want to get away from the living room without having to go to bed.
in addition to that, he also dramatically reduced the clutter around the entire apartment by collecting all the thing i had laying around that i wasn’t really using before. after i went through all the junk-getting rid of things i no longer wanted or needed- i was astounded by how much more comfortable my apartment was. there is definitely something to be said for keeping things simple.
i liked my apartment arrangement before, but i absolutely love it now! i have room to dance again LOL. and i can also invite people over without them having to crawl over shit to get around. thanx a bunch, smokestack. you really did me a solid!
i made it back to the nyc safe and sound after a surprisingly quick red-eye flight last night. although i’m very excited to be back in my very own apartment (which looks amazing after the re-arrangement), i must admit that despite not being in the christmas mood in any way, shape, or form when i arrived, i had a pretty nice time in lala land visiting family, and actually had a very merry christmas.
most of the week at home was spent painting several rooms of my mom’s house. in the beginning, i really wasn’t looking forward to it, but as i got into a grove of paint-on, paint-off, i found myself having much more fun than i anticipated.
on christmas eve, my girl myra hit me up and invited me to a hommie holiday party somewhere close to beverly hills. after three days of painting, i was definitely down for some drinking and good ole tomfoolery. i was told that there would be a gift exchange, so i practically ran to the mall to find something cute and creative. i headed straight to walmart- a perfect choice in these fund-receding times- and walked around amongst the crowd looking for something that struck my fancy. i’m not very good at randomly buying gifts for people- especially people i don’t know; so i was a bit nervous that i would choose something dorky that would garner “what the fuck?” side-eyes from the other party goers. on my second revolution around the store, however, i struck gold! i found a really nice stone zen relaxation fountain perfect for any coffee or bedside table. and it was only $20.00. score!
(not actual fountain, but you get the idea)
as is always the case when i hang with myra, the party was a blast! most of the attendees were people i went to high school with; giving me the chance to get reacquainted with some old friends. there was food, lots of laughter, and, courtesy of myra’s boyfriend, a very tasty spiked eggnog. as for the gift exchange, we chose to play the old “unwrap or jack” game. each person who brought a gift picked a card, and one by one in order (1-9) we made the choice to either unwrap a gift, or jack someone for the gift they chose- leaving the jacked person to open a new gift. i prayed that i would get a good number (anything but #1, really), and was elated to have picked #7. the first gift unwrapped were a pair of men’s massaging memory foam slippers. every guy in the room (including myself) oohed and ahhed at them. they were undoubtedly the gift to jack, and i wanted them…bad!
more and more gifts were unwrapped including a large bottle of patron, a small bar set, and, of course, the fountain i bought. over time, my the slippers were jacked at least three times before my card was up. my turn finally arrived, and without hesitation i jacked them from someone who had only just gotten them a few seconds earlier; leaving him to open a hannah montana playset. sorry buddy, but there’s nothing but sun in california. you didn’t really need them, lol. that left two more people. #8 jacked the bottle of patron. good. #9 scared the shit out of me though. he had been eyeing the slippers the whole time, and everyone agreed that the two best gifts of the night were the slippers and the fountain (yay, i picked something awesome). as he eyed both gifts, i clutched my box tight in my arms, and almost jumped for joy when he finally settled on jacking the fountain instead of the slippers. words can’t even express how excited i am to wear them all winter long:
christmas day at home with the fam was just as fun! my dad came over and cooked a brilliant breakfast of salmon cakes, eggs, sausages, grits and croissants. we all stuffed ourselves silly. so much so, we didn’t get around to the tree until late afternoon. opening gifts is always fun with my family. my dad and i are usually pretty quiet in our receiving; my mom and sister quite talkative- either yelling in excitement, or in my sister’s case, asking “you kept the receipt, right?” (my mom is infamous for buying out of style clothes for us). in the end, we all wracked up some pretty good stuff:
my dad got a new razor and sweater
my mom, a very nice box-set of cards, an iPod, and hand and foot warmers (she’s always cold!)
my sister, a much needed (and rather large) set of cookware, and crock pot
(*she didn’t want her picture posted)
and me, my favorite cologne (black walnut), and wii music game (so stoked!)
yes, indeedee! it was a very merry christmas!
in addition to all that exciting merriment, there was the very inspiring aforeposted candelight church service and griffith park light festival. the latter sounds incredibly amazing- and it should have been- but it suffered from a tremendous lack of variety and creativity. just about every light scene was prefaced with a huge fixture or lighted banner reminding us that we were viewing a light “spectacular” sponsored by the department of water and power. it was less than wickedly cool and only warrants the following as a memory:
all in all, i had a very merry christmas holiday. i appreciate the time i got to spend with my family, the gifts i was able to receive in this oh so difficult time, and the inspiration i got from attending church. because of it all, i am able to end 2008 on a good note- with a smile on my face and joy in my heart. i hope your holiday season was just as enjoyable!
long time readers of evolution of a man will know that i am quite the fan of pornography. at 16, in an effort to learn about and awaken my sexuality, i took it upon myself to explore west hollywood- the gay los angeles. after school, i visited several adult bookstores and theaters in the area, and at one establishment in particular- the tomkat theater- i saw my first skinflick and gave my first blowjob. as i grew older, going off to college and eventually moving to new york, i always thought fondly of the theater, and visited it whenever i was in los angeles.
yesterday, feeling particularly horny and nostalgic, i decided to pay a visit to the sexual palace of my youth. it was there as it always had been, but under new management had been changed from the tomkat theater to the pussycat studs theater. on top of that, instead of 1 large movie screen, the theater had been renovated to include 4 rooms- each playing a different movie. noice!
after paying an increased entry fee of $18 (damn this recession) i took up a place on the wall, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness, and watched a bit of the chi chi larue- directed movie that was playing. throughout the theater there were guys walking in and out of all of the rooms cruising each other something serious! most of them were old enough to be my dad, or even grandfather. i very much so felt like the youngest person there, although i’m sure i wasn’t. either way, after about 10 minutes of watching guys cruise each other and play with themselves, i realized that i didn’t belong there. it became increasingly apparent to me that although i love to watch porn and get off, i don’t need to do it in a theater full of old men. i’m in a different place now, and quite frankly, am above having to resort to such tactics. i felt dirty. not ashamed… just dirty. once i came to that realization, i quickly got myself off (i wasn’t about to let this visit go to waste) and left. i’m fairly certain that i won’t be returning.
it’s so interesting how quickly and vastly we change as we get older. i have some very nice memories of tomkat (ones that i’ll remember forever), but pussycat studs just ain’t for me. it’s time to move up, move on, and experience sexual escapades that don’t leave me feeling like a dirty old man. so long tomkat… i appreciate all the good times, but i’d be lying if i said you’ll be missed!
the christmas holiday is fast approaching; and tomorrow, i will be heading home to los angeles. i was feeling so good today after getting a haircut and shave, that i just had to make a video. 2008 was definitely a test for me, and i plan on pushing ahead and working my ass off on the road to success in 2009! i’m scared, but i’m very ready for the challenge.
[sidebar: someone once put video make up on me for an interview. i tried it myself and apparently went too far. lesson learned.]
as i mentioned in the clip, the most immediate switch-up will take place next week in my apartment. i can’t wait to see how my friend rearranges everything! peep the current set-up below:
i’m actually very excited to see what he comes up with. i could really use some upgrading in my living situation.
it seems that the universe is trying to tell me something. after spending months feeling incompetent and sorry for myself, every day this week i’ve gotten call after call from friends telling me to wake up and snap the fuck out of it!
all out of brotherly love, i’ve had my life handed to me in so many ways, and from just about everybody, but my friend, the oneironaut, said something to me this morning that really hit home. he was simply checking in on me, and ended up getting a full dose of me boo-hooing about my life. he listened, sighed, and then gave me some medicine. there were many things that he said to me- all in truth as a brother would tell them- but there was something in particular, that struck the hardest:
“… you’re lazy…anything that requires more action that you’re prepared to give…you give up on.”
that statement took me right to the unnecessary excuses and procrastination that have kept stagnant the last 4 or 5 months of my life. i’ve gotten very little work done because i’ve been sitting here scared to try anything; and when i do, i crumble at the first obstacle or test of will (no pun intended). all i could think was, “when did i become so lazy?” like, seriously. i was NEVER this lazy before!
in my spirit, i feel a bit of a loss of the joie de vivre that i prided myself by earlier this year. the candle is flickering now, instead of burning bright; and i need to revive that spirit. it’s high time i muster up some drive and determination, and follow my dreams full out!
the oneironaut gave me some really good advice. baby steps. rome wasn’t built in a day; nye media won’t be either. i’m in my crawling stage now- on the brink of a new year- and today, with my sights set to the sky, i reach for the coffee table top, take a big breath, and begin to pull myself up…
usually, i’m a big fan of snow- especially the first snow- when i’m inside. but today, there are huge flakes in large numbers falling from the sky outside my apartment, and all i can say is, “meh!” it’s the first real snowfall of the season, and my only response to it is an unaffecting side-eye glance at mother nature. i guess it’s really time to dig out the thermals and big jackets, now!
i hate being cold. someone please turn the sun back on!
last night, when checking to see how little money is in my bank account, i noticed a ccbill transaction that i KNOW i did not make. i went directly to ccbill.com, entered my email address and credit card information into the form provided, the screen told me that there were no subscriptions for that card and email. immediately, i started screaming fraud!
this morning, i called my bank to inquire about the debit from my account. they really couldn’t do anything except put an investigation on the debit; however, they did suggest that i call ccbill to figure out who took the money. it wasn’t a large amount, but in these times… every dollar counts! i spoke to a lovely lady by the name of crystal over at ccbill. she took down my credit card and email information, and after about a minute of digging, she saw that there was in fact a debit made from my account yesterday, but it was from a different email address- my mac.com address. i never use my mac.com account, and i couldn’t imagine why or how it was connected to ccbill. crystal then told me two things that irked the hell out of me. 1) the debit transactions have been taking place montly since march, and 2) the payee was some random porn site that i haven’t been to in a long time. i was heated- at myself, mostly- but heated nonetheless.
basically, what had happened wuz: back in march, i did some browsing on the site, and signed up for a $5.00 3-day trial subscription. i was led to believe that the trial would end and disappear unless i contacted them to keep it going. after the second day, i became disinterested in the content and stopped visiting the site. unfortunately, they kept my membership going, and have been charging me for a full subscription since march. apparently, my mac.com email address auto-filled into the email field when i entered my transaction information; and so not only was i being charged for a subscription (which i don’t use), but all payment correspondence went to my mac.com inbox (which i don’t check). after hearing all of that, feeling a bit embarrassed when crystal noted, “yes, it was a subscription to a, um, chocolatecreamfactory.com…,” i instructed her to cancel the subscription and erase the mac.com address immediately.
needless to say, i want to beat somebody’s ass right now. but of course, i must take full responsibility for not paying attention to detail and fully cancelling the subscription when i decided i was no longer interested in the site. *sigh* i just had to suck it up, and add it to the increasingly long list of lessons learned in 2008. oy vey!
manage your online subscriptions, people! don’t let that “trial” bullshit get you, too!
will on December 30th, 2008
