Thursday, October 7, 2010

Friday, October 1, 2010

It Gets Better

There is a recent project that has taken way online called the It Gets Better Project which was started by syndicated sex columnist and author, Dan Savage. This project is aimed towards young gay teens t let them know that despite the ridicule and bullying that they could possibly be going through now for being gay, that life gets better once you leave school and they won’t have to go through life being tormented forever. This has come to light in more recent events of gay teenage suicides happening all too regularly now. It seems every few days I see or hear another story of a gay teen killing themselves because of the harassment they endure from other kids.

I do plan on making one of these videos once I can collect my thoughts on what it is exactly I want to say. Even though I had it pretty easy in school, I would be lying if I said I was never picked on, physically hit, or called a faggot by some asshole in school. The weird part was, it seemed people knew I was gay even before I did. As early as middle school people would pick on me and call me a faggot or homo. I honestly don’t think I admitted to myself that I was possibly gay until the middle of high school. So it appears those middle school jocks have amazing gaydar and are probably off sucking a dick as we speak.

Nonetheless, here are two videos from the It Gets Better Project. One by the founder Dan Savage and his Partner, and the other by a Bear named Michael. Ill post mine once it is created.



Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Not in Million Years

Would I do this job...

One Reason I Love Facebook

There are plenty of reasons to hate and/or love Facebook. I can talk about the horrible Farmville status updates to the new "Checking In" feature. But last night when I took a gander, a friend of mine from my middle school years tagged some photos of me and friends which brought back a flood of memories. If it wasn't for Facebook I probably never would have seen these.

Check out my awesome bowlcut!


Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Clip from the New show Louis on FX

Not sure how to describe the video but watch the whole thing. Its from a new show that is going to be on FX. Looks like it could be worth tuning in for. Language is NSFW.

Songs of the Second

Atrocious Video, great song!


Music for your Leather Bondage Dungeon

Can I Puhleeease Get Some Salad Bar!


Hello ol faithful readers. I haven’t blogged in more than a month which is the longest I have been away from you all. But I am back, and feeling rejuvenated enough to begin blogging on a regular basis. I got the extra push from a certain Podcast who requested I get back to my regular blogging. So Thanks Gerry for the kick in the ass. I got some good shit to write about again, so hopefully you all will invite me back into your wonderful gay little lives again.

So lets start off by celebrating quite a feat that I didn’t even realize I accomplished until about 2 minutes ago. On May 11th 2010, I wrote/posted my 500th blog entry. I am sad that I didn’t realize it until now, as we could have all celebrated together and somehow included little Greyson Chance whom the blog post was about. But nonetheless, as long as I recognized it, that’s celebratory enough for me. A congrats would be nice from you all too.  I am also approaching my 3 year blog anniversary, in the coming days, so look forward to a nice ol nostalgia filled post for that one!

Ok…pause…break…back to the present. Over the weekend, I attended my first bachelor party for one of my very good friends. I was extremely excited because I was hoping that it would be like the movie “The Hangover” however, it actually turned out to be anything but that. It was supposed to be fun as I figured most bachelor parties are, but this was just a dud. It started out by 12 of us guys going to a baseball game to see the embarrassing Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Philadelphia Phillies to which we lost 12-2. I don’t really get baseball to be honest. Unless you are playing it, it is the slowest and most boring game on the planet to watch. I am even on a softball league currently, and that is even somewhat boring. Luckily, we only sat through about half of the game before we bounced and went to have some dinner. Now let me preface the rest of this boring story with that fact that I was under the assumption that our little party would be going to a strip club at some point in the night. I was highly looking forward to this since I haven’t been to one in about 5 years. So the idea of looking at possibly hot naked chicks thrusting their dirty STD filled vaginal cavities in my face was something to look forward to. I was especially excited to see a certain stripper dance move called the Salad Bar. Whats the “Salad Bar” you ask? Well, basically a girl does an upside down split with her legs in the air and her vag and beef curtains directly in your face. Hence the “salad bar”. Kinda really gross, but also kinda fun. So anyways, the whole time we were at dinner, I just wanted to finish our food and head to the titty bar. However, as I would soon find out, that was not in the cards for me. Basically after dinner was over, no one wanted to go to the strip club except for 2 people. My boyfriend and myself. Yeah, the two gay guys wanted to go stare at tits and pussy more than the straight guys did. Ummm, confused much? So we ended up going to a little bar leaving at 2am and everyone going home. Fun.

Call me a traditionalist, but I thought going to a strip club was like mandatory in the straight guy bible on Bachelor parties. Is the new male the tanned, hairless, pussies that I see walking around the streets in their Ed Hardy clothing?! What the hell! What happened to the masculine man that once was. Straight guys now more than ever are even gayer than gay guys!!! For example…

Me: Hey man, are we going to see some tits tonight?!
Gayish Straight Guy: Not unless they’re my girlfriends.
Me: Come on man, it’s a bachelor party.
Gayish Straight Guy: Sorry I respect women.

What is happening to this world!!! I’m sorry, when and if I ever have a bachelor party, I want balls and tits being slapped off my face! I want a man’s hairy ass and a woman’s ass bouncing in front of me as I wave a dollar in the god damn air. That’s what the bachelor party is all about! But what do I know? Maybe the new refined male is what I should now be modeling myself after. I will start to tan on a daily basis and have more product in my hair than a 40 year old Italian woman. I will shave off every single hair on my body in efforts to look more feminine than biggest queen in West Hollywood. This is the new male. I don’t like it, but I guess I will have to adjust.

Sigh.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

In the Meantime

I know I have been remiss from my blog. I believe I say that every other blog post or so now. No excuses really. Writers block has set in quite a bit. That and I guess I just havent had much to say lately. So in efforts to keep my readers coming back, Ill post cute pictures of my Italian Greyhound puppy Bonsai and his friends!!



Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010

Not Myself Tonight

The video for Christina Aquilera's new single premiered and as much as people are bashing it, I kind of like it. Sure some of it has an essence of Lady Gaga to it such as the latex fetishism clothing. But honestly, I think the video is edgy, sexy, and definitely kinky. All my favorite things :). Take a look. Definitely NSFW though.

Say Hello.....

To the newest member of my family. I'd like to introduce you to my Italian Greyhound puppy, Bonsai!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Monday, April 19, 2010

The New iPhone!!!


So apparently, someone from Apple when to a bar in Redwood City and accidentally left the prototype for the new iPhone there! Check it out here.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Obama Orders Hospital Visits For Gays

I heard about this first last night on Facebook. The fact that I learn whats happening in this country through Facebook is kinda weird, right? Nonetheless, after countless accounts of gay couples being discriminated against during the most heartbreaking times in their lives, the President has finally issued an executive order to prevent this from happening any further. The fact of the matter is, there is no law in several states that required hospitals to allow gay couples to be with one another during critical times in the hospital. Of course, those are also the states that are generally Red conservative states. Surprised? Powers of attorney do not always work as demonstrated in the video of the article. Its kinda crazy that something like this needs to be ordered by the President but then again, when you look at all the people who whole heartily hates gay people for whatever religious or (un)moral upbringing, this is what needs to happen.

When I first heard about this and read the articles on the various news sites, I thought to myself, how can anyone be against this. This is simply about human compassion and allowing others to see their loved one when it matters most. No one should be denied this right. So I read through the comments on the articles on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. Well, I guess I shouldnt be as surprised as I am, but I was quite shocked at what I found.

Now everyone knows that MSNBC is a more liberal news station, CNN is more moderate, and Fox News is far right. While I do watch all 3 channels and read all their websites, I do feel Fox News is the most biased. Their viewer base is generally pretty conservative and you generally run into your uneducated red neck here that hates the gays, liberals, and anyone who doesnt believe in their Christian values. And the comments in Fox News's article about Obama's order definitely show this. On MSNBC and CNN, the comments were all fairly positive with a few people stating their displeasure with this order. Which I would consider normal. However upon reading the comments on Fox, basically every comment was pretty hard for me to read. They were so hate filled against this measure and against gay people. For every ten negative comments there would be one positive one. Most of the people who commented, clearly uneducated on the topic, kept stating that Power of Attorneys should prevent anyone from being denied visitation rights. However, Obama issued the order, because this does not always work as clearly shown on CNNs article. Fox just so happened to not give any specific examples of when this happened as to further the ignorance of its loyal viewers. *Rolls eyes*

So I posted some of the negative reaction that is being thrown about on the Fox News article. Sometimes these are hard to read because these people are indirectly talking about me. As much as I wish everyone could accept me and who I love, I know that will never be. I surround myself with people who are accepting and love me know matter what. So I sort of put myself into a bubble and sometimes forget that people out there would put a bullet through my skull if it were legal on the simple fact that I am gay. Fox News puts me back into reality when I go to their site and read what they and their viewers have to say. Just take a look...

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richardhyytinenArizona
i suppose thats aweful dying of aids. your partner should have the right to pull the plug.
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 8:55 AM
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jcback
We don't need Obama mandating again. Pretty soon, it will be like China mandating how many children each Chinese family is allowed to have. Is Mao a hero to Obama too? God saves America.
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 8:47 AM
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honeybun
I say get them an island somewhere ship them out to the island and set them free to do as they want. the GAYS that is.
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 8:05 AM
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getacampsiteNew York
a whole bunch of twisted people who want to do weird stuff to one another have more rights then I do, good job Obama what other filth group you going to give more rights to? pedofiles allowed on playgrounds next?
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 7:52 AM
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monkey0137
This issue is FAR greater than gay visitation - this is a new incursion by the dictator Obama using the link of federal medicare and medicaid funding to justify intrustion into state and private rights, much like the transportation department would deny highway funding to states that do not toe their line on speed limits and the like. FRIGHTENING. Obama "mandates" like a dictator. With this logic there is NOTHING the federal government - Obama- cannot dictate in our lives. NOTHING.
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 7:23 AM
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windwalker0001
Why does queers think they need special rights , just to make a scene, never have seen a hospital deny visitors and if they aren't immediate family they don't deserve more rights than normal people, where does it stop , they should have same rights as anyone else and no more follow the rules like we all do , what is this country coming to, next thing is making all the illegals have rights, ship them back and if obamma was half the president he would like us all to think he is he would start with his aunt and set an example so we can believe him lets get back to normal world people
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 5:38 AM
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wonderif
How about for farm animals, and dogs with an affinity for peanut butter?
Friday, April 16, 2010 at 3:27 AM

Monday, March 29, 2010

Ricky Martin's Coming Out Letter

He finally announced today what the world already knew. He sure did it eloquently though. His letter posted on his website is below.
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A few months ago I decided to write my memoirs, a project I knew was going to bring me closer to an amazing turning point in my life. From the moment I wrote the first phrase I was sure the book was the tool that was going to help me free myself from things I was carrying within me for a long time. Things that were too heavy for me to keep inside. Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And this is something worth celebrating.

For many years, there has been only one place where I am in touch with my emotions fearlessly and that's the stage. Being on stage fills my soul in many ways, almost completely. It's my vice. The music, the lights and the roar of the audience are elements that make me feel capable of anything. This rush of adrenaline is incredibly addictive. I don't ever want to stop feeling these emotions. But it is serenity that brings me to where I'm at right now. An amazing emotional place of comprehension, reflection and enlightenment. At this moment I'm feeling the same freedom I usually feel only on stage, without a doubt, I need to share.

Many people told me: "Ricky it's not important", "it's not worth it", "all the years you've worked and everything you've built will collapse", "many people in the world are not ready to accept your truth, your reality, your nature". Because all this advice came from people who I love dearly, I decided to move on with my life not sharing with the world my entire truth. Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage. Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions.

If someone asked me today, "Ricky, what are you afraid of?" I would answer "the blood that runs through the streets of countries at war...child slavery, terrorism...the cynicism of some people in positions of power, the misinterpretation of faith." But fear of my truth? Not at all! On the contrary, It fills me with strength and courage. This is just what I need especially now that I am the father of two beautiful boys that are so full of light and who with their outlook teach me new things every day. To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where born with. Enough is enough. This has to change. This was not supposed to happen 5 or 10 years ago, it is supposed to happen now. Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment.

These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed.

What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. The word "happiness" takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution.

I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.

-RM
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As they say, the truth shall set you free...Welcome to the club rockstar!

SGF: Othello

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Song of the Second

The song comes from one of my all time favorite albums. I mentioned it on here maybe a year or so ago. The band is called Angels and Airwaves. The album is I-Empire and I literally love every song that is on it. This song is called Rite of Spring and the lyrics are quite powerful. The chorus lyrics really speak to me...

If I had a chance for another try,
I wouldn’t change a thing
It's made me all of who I am inside
And if I could thank god
That I am here, and that I am alive
And everyday I wake
I tell myself a little harmless lie
The whole wide world is mine

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Life Check


After receiving the bad news of not getting the new job, I was pretty devastated. I kept it cool for the most part and put on my smiley face for everyone, but inside I couldnt have been more broken up. I hated talking about it, and it seemed as though thats all everyone around me wanted to talk about.

Its now been a week since I got the bad news, and I have had lots of time to reflect on everything. I am in a much different mind frame to say the least. As much as I wanted the job and the new house. I am content for the time being with my current job and my current residence. And the fact that I do have a job and do have a roof over my head makes me grateful.

I am also grateful that I have health insurance....My nice segway into the healthcare reform debate. Well, it passed, and honestly, I think this is the beginning of something good. Do I think this is a perfect bill, with absolutely grand outcomes for all of America, No. However, I think it is something we can build on and fix things along the way. You cant reform something as large as the entire Healthcare industry and please everyone. The more I read about it and inform myself of the facts and am able to dig through both the democratic and republican smut, here is what I can conclude in an extremely generalized fashion. This bill is going to give people healthcare that didnt have it before. I think good healthcare is something that everyone should. It shouldnt be a luxury for Americans. If I have to pay a little more in taxes, and have a little more taken out of my paycheck so that people who live down the street for me who cant afford the high cost of health insurance, why not.

The Golden Rule applies as usually does, and when i was without insurance for several years, I wish someone would have come to me and offered to help me out. Especially when I got sick and had medical issues, and got bills in the mail that made me sick to my stomach. I was in college and had no insurance and because of preexisting conditions, my premiums were too high for me to afford. But apparently some people think that is ok. Some people think, Ive got health insurance, who cares if you do. And its a shame. Its also a shame that scare tactics and outright lies were spread in order to create a backlash. But that is the type of government we have. This makes me feel as though we are just like every other government in the world.

And thats my rant.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Waiting Game is Over


Well I finally heard back regarding the job. And it is now official that I didn't get it. :( This upsets me greatly as I was led on to believe that I had in fact basically got the job. Luckily, I never told my current boss that I was leaving. Apparently, this company had decided to reorganize this particular group and instead of filling the role I interviewed for, they were going to shuffle some things around internally so that they could save the money on hiring someone else. This really pisses me of. After 3 interviews and a full day worth of testing, they tell me afterwards, that they no longer need someone to fill this role. Wonderful! I really didn't want those vacation days anyways that I had to use. Not!

So the house hunting is being postponed until further notice as is getting a dog. :( I was really looking forward to both of those things too. So I guess it is back to the job search for now. Hopefully, something will come around soon.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Stressin

I have been a little stressed as of late. The bf and I have been looking to buy a new house and have working with our real estate agent for the past few weeks to find “The One”. We have has a few pitfalls starting from the beginning. It seemed as though as soon as we found a house we liked, someone else snatched it up before we could make an offer. And the one time we made an offer on a house, someone else made a much higher offer, so we lost it. We have also raised the amount of money we initially wanted to spend on a house by quite a bit. Actually like 1/3 higher because we realized we wouldn’t find want we want in the price range we initially were looking at. However, we are going to look at 3 more houses today and I am thinking we may have found “The One”. And as luck would have it, it is at the very top of our price range with even higher taxes. But I guess we will need to start making some financial sacrifices to get what we want.

All of this would probably be fine and dandy, with me getting a new job and all, except for the fact that I haven’t heard anything back at all from the new job in over a week. On Friday I called to get status on what was going on, no one answered so I left a voicemail to call me back. No one did. So I yesterday I sent an email, and I have yet to hear back. Because of this, I am pissed, and quite disappointed. I am pissed because they don’t have the decency to get a hold of me to let me know if I am no longer in the running to get the job or not when they led me on to think that I actually had it. And of course I am sad because I really wanted it, and even more wanted to get the hell out of my current job. In light of this, my income will not be getting higher, which was factored into the whole house buying thing. It was agreed upon that the bf and I would split the cost of everything 50/50, however, since I do not have the new job anymore, I simply cannot afford to pay for half of everything. It’s quite depressing.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Sassy Gay Friend - The Sequel!!!

Videos, videos, everywhere, with no posts to read. Yeah yeah, I know. Works been crazily busy as has been house hunting and party planning. I'll catch everyone up this week. Until then, watch Sassy Gay Friend 2!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Jesus Christ on a Cracker!


Jesus must of been watching over me lately because I was informed today that as long as I pass a behavioral test given by HR, I will be extended an offer to work for the company I have been interviewing with! They have agreed to pay me the salary I requested which is a huge increase than what I am currently getting paid, work is more rewarding and challenging, and my future boss seems pretty cool.

Yay for me! Because I got this job, I will also be hosting a Jersey Shore party in celebration of my new job. So excited I could scream!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

She's a Stupid Bitch

I know I am copying a lot of these videos from another Blogger, but they are way to good to pass up.

What Kind of Planet Am I On?

Monday, February 22, 2010

Friday, February 19, 2010

Start Your Weekend Off Right with This...

Round 2

Well I am not sure if it was the expensive suit I wore, my previous work experience, my positive attitude, or my hand written Thank You cards I sent following the interview, but I have made it to a second round interview for the job I want. At least I think it is an interview.

I received an email from the administrative assistant asking me when I could come in next week to talk to the Head of the Department. And that was basically it. The email didn't have the word interview anywhere and because of that the bf thinks that this meeting is one where they will offer me the job and discuss salary/benefits. However, I by no means want to get my hopes up and also not go in prepared so I am going into this thinking it is another interview. So hopefully the bf is correct, but I cant go into this overly optimistic.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Interview - Update

Many of you readers personally sent me messages and comments wishing me good luck on the job interview I had this week. I want to thank all of you for your kind words. I am happy to report that the interview went great and I truly don’t think it could have gone any better. What was expected to be roughly a 30 minute interview turned into almost 2 hours. I clicked really well with both of the people who interviewed me. I interviewed with a woman who would be my manager. She was an extremely good looking young lady with a great sense of humor and even better hair.  I also interviewed with the VP of the department who also seemed quite young to hold the position he has. So as a said it went really well and I am optimistic about how they felt about me. The bad part is that they were going to be interviewing another 5 people after me as I was the first candidate to be interviewed. They are supposed to make an offer to someone before the end of February. Now I just have to sit and wait.

MTVs Real World - Good Role Model



Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Monday, February 15, 2010

Job Interview Butterflies


I have a job interview today, in just a few hours actually. I am extremely nervous because I really want this to go well. I really want it to go well because I was told by my manager that the opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia is basically gone. They are taking two people from my department, and they are only going because they have been here the longest. Seniority sucks. I am the newest person here so I basically get screwed on everything. The thing that really bites my ass, is that the people that are going suck at their jobs. They are slow, always behind, but because they have been here longer, they get to take this opportunity. I work my ass off to prove myself and stand apart from the slackers here, and there are no rewards for that.

Hence why I really need this interview to go my way. I already had a phone interview which went really well, and I guess this part of the interview is all situational questions. Which I hate! I can tell you what I do on a daily basis, I can tell you the all the training I had, and I can also tell you why I am a good fit for the job. But when you ask me to recall a time I had to deal with a situation that I can barely remember from years before, I sort of have to come up with BS.

So I guess we will see how it goes. I have been going over situational questions online and trying to figure my answers for them. People that are close to me say that have a good feeling about this interview, so I am saying positive without being overly optimistic like I tend to get. I will let ya all know how it went.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Alexander McQueen RIP

The crazy fashion designs of Alexander McQueen will be no more as it has been reported he has committed suicide only a few days after the death of his mother just a week ago.

I had not heard of McQueen until recently when I heard he had designed many of Lady Gaga's outrageous outfits. So I Googled him and watched some of his runway shows which are unlike any I had ever seen before. And since I also have a love of the weird and odd, I was instantly hooked on him. He clearly had an interesting take on fashion and truly fused art and clothing. He stepped outside the box and was definitely a visionary. I am sure he will be remembered in the fasion community as such. Take a look at his odd designs and amazing choice of music for his shows below.



Wednesday, February 10, 2010

$5

Yesterday on my way home from work, I was sitting in traffic and I saw a homeless man with his cardboard sign doin his thing covered in the relentless falling snow. I see this man almost daily standing there next to the busy street waiting for someone to be generous and give him some money, food, or whatever it is he really wants. I obviously dont know what his story is. I dont know how he became homeless. I dont know if he takes the money people give him and to spend it on alcohol, drugs, or food. It may be because I almost always try to give people the benefit of the doubt or generally see the good in humanity, but if he was in fact going to spend the money on food, or on clothing to stay warm in the frigid weather, I could spare a few dollars to give this man.

So thats what I did. I looked in my wallet and found $6. I initially pulled out my $1 bill to give to him and looked at it while I left the $5 bill inside my wallet. At that moment the song What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong came on, and something about it made me put back the dollar bill and take out the $5. I rolled down my window and waved the guy over to my car. I gave him the $5 and said "Try to stay warm out here." He looked down at the money and looked at me in shock that I was giving him more than just my pocket change. He thanked me a few times, put the money into his pocket, and walked slowly away as I drove off. So hopefully that man did buy some food or used it on something good.

I rarely see homeless people in Pittsburgh being given money. However, the other day, while sitting at a stop light, a new 3-Series BMW stopped at the light. An older woman with short blonde hair sat in the driver seat, with a sky blue sweater wrapped around her neck like you see preppy people do in the movies. Next to her car was a homeless guy holding his sign, and she rolled down her window and gave the guy money. Watching something like that really stuck with me. I really enjoy seeing people doing things to help out one another. Whether its shoveling snow off of an old persons steps, holding a door open for someone, or giving a homeless man money, it really beholds what part of life should be about. Helping out other people for no benefit is what everyone should try to do. Its these little things that I like to think are infectious. Once I saw that I wanted to go and do something kind for someone else. Its generally is something I always try to do.

These ads pretty much sum it up...



Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Opportunities

Seasons Greetings! Sorry for not writing in such a long time but I have been trapped by several feet of snow that landed over the weekend. I am now also bracing for approximately another foot of snow that is supposed to start falling in a few hours and into tomorrow. Also, please note that I HATE HATE HATE snow. There is not one thing I actually enjoy about it. So as the lord would have it, I have been in quite a "mood" lately as its frigid outside and I have to stomp my way through the frozen slush. However, I have been quite lucky since I have yet to slip and fall outside as I have seen so many others have. Knock on wood.

Having a bit of luck also has spewed over into my professional life as well. I found out yesterday morning that there may be an opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia to work with one of my company's big clients. Go ahead and Google KAUST. Thats our client. It is quite interesting. So anyways, this opportunity would last roughly 2-3 months and definitely has its perks as the pay is higher, and all expenses are paid while on site. The downsides however are that you live in a hotel without a kitchen, its in the desert basically, I would be leaving everyone I know and love for that period of time, and it is quite a hot spot for terrorists. But you know, just non-important stuff. Please take note of the sarcasm.

Another tid bit of luck I have had also came about yesterday. I landed a job interview for another company with quite a large pay increase and it is closer to where I live. Its for a similar type of role that I am currently in, but has progressively more responsibility. My interview is next week, so I will tell ya how that goes. Hopefully better than my last one...

I have been feeling a little down in the dumps at my current job lately, as my best buddy there, left for another job opportunity. So my self described Work Husband divorced me for some other hussy. Damn him.

I also may have mentioned this prior, but not sure, but I joined a softball team here in Pittsburgh. And we have possibly the best team name ever...The Raging Homers. Thats funny right...It all part of a gay softball league. Even though I managed to talk my straight ex work husband and his straight best friend to play. So it should be quite interesting.

Thats all folks. Have a great week!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Going Viral

I came across my love for marketing when I was a Junior in college. By then however, I had already declared my major for Business Management and if I wanted to switch majors, I would have landed myself another year in college. So instead of majoring in Marketing, I minored in it.

One of the latest ways to promote something is viral marketing. This new way of marketing increases brand awareness through the use of social networking and many times through online initiatives. Great examples of this would be movies such as Cloverfield and District 9. And perhaps the greatest use of this would be in relation to the TV show Lost.

I have come across some new viral videos online that have sparked my interest. Not only because this is an obvious use of viral marketing but also for the artistry in the videos. Some are claiming that this it to promote the return of Christina Aguilera or Goldfrapp. Whatever it is though, its definitely interesting.







Monday, January 25, 2010

Bend Over And Take It

Two Pittsburgh guys started a podcast somewhat recently that I have found and I recommend checking them out as it gave me a good laugh. Its called Bend Over and Take It on itunes. Check it out!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Song of the Second

Fusion of hip hop and techno...Definitely a hit!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

In the Northside of Pittsburgh

There is a home across the street from where I live that houses a family that appears to very poor. They have several children, I would say between the ages of 5 and 13. They are your stereotypical “ghetto” family in a sense. They have a few broken down cars in their driveway that sit on 20in chrome rims, sheets instead of curtains in the windows, a couple of Pit bulls, and have been known to blast their loud hardcore rap music with windows and doors open late into the night. This house constantly has a flow of random people streaming in and out. My neighborhood was once full of these families, however, a revitalization of this part of Pittsburgh has driven most of them out. They are one of the remainders on our street. Their house looks to be in shambles from both the inside and out unlike the other houses that surround it. I’ve never really had any contact with these people other than a few times when they either asked for some change or a light for their cigarettes. Both to which I declined to give.

However, over the course of the summer, I would see the children walking towards their house with buckets and milk jugs full of water. I would see them drop them off and their mother would be waiting with several more of them to be filled up. Since the summer, I have probably seen this happen at least two dozen times. So it became clear to me that they do not have running water in their house. This greatly saddens me when I see kids living with parents who obviously cannot afford to take care of their children.

When I left my place this morning at 7:30 to go to work I was expecting it to be just like every other morning. Nothing exciting, sit in traffic, arrive to work late, etc. However, once I walked out of my place and looked across the street I noticed one of their younger children, probably no more than 8 or 9, with several buckets and small cereal bowl, and he was filling the bowl up with water and then pouring them into the bucket. The shocking thing was that he wasn’t getting the water from a spicket, he was dipping the bowl into a deep puddle in their dirt driveway where water had collected from melted snow and rain. I stood silent and watched as this boy who was only wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt in 30 degree weather looked around nervously as if embarrassed to be seen. I watched as the dirty brown water was carefully poured into the bucket so none of it spilled or splashed out. In that moment, I almost forgot I was in Pittsburgh, and thought I was in a third world country where water is a rarity. As I walked to my car, I could see him look up at me and stop in his water gathering. He appeared to be taken back as not expecting to see someone watching him. I waved my hand as to say hello and he did the same. I got in my car and watched as he bent back down to continue to the process. I sat and watched while tears started to form in my eyes. I was just blown away from what I just witnessed. I then called my boyfriend whom is a guidance counselor at a school and informed him of what I saw and asked if this would warrant calling CYF – Child Youth Services to investigate this family to see if their home is suitable for children to be living in, which from what I have seen, definitely is not. He said he would call.

As I pulled out of my garage, and drove off to work, I wondered how a family could ever let their children live a life like that. How you could wake up every morning and ask your child to go get water from a dirty puddle to bath or wash clothing in. I think it is downright disgusting and pitiful. I am not sure if what I did was the right thing or not, or how else I can assist these kids. But I am happy I did something. It may not have been a lot, but I at least made an effort. This is much more than this child’s parents are doing.

I spoke to my boyfriend and was informed CYF was called and they will have an investigator visit the house within the next 24 hours. I hope something good comes of it.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Google is Bad for America


I recently came across an article that contained some pictures of the inside of the Google headquarters. As I clicked on each of the pictures to embiggen them, I realized just how not fun my job or work environment is. And then as I thought more about it, no other company is probably quite like Google. The idea of "You work best when you are having fun" is not something that is implemented by most, even though it really does make sense. Its disappointing and depressing.

I come to work each day with my dress slacks, shined up shoes, and dress shirt as designated by company policy. All god damn day I am uncomfortable. Every hour or so I have to re tuck my shirt in my pants since no one has yet to invent something to keep a dress shirt tucked in. I have to take off my shoes because Kenneth Cole has yet to make a shoe that is actually comfortable. And you know who I do this for? No one. I see the same people everyday and they all look as miserable as I am. Why does a company enforce a dress policy that inhibits people to not be comfortable. most companies operate this way. There is really no point to have you get all dressed up as you just sit in your cubicle all day answering phone calls and emails, but we will keep doing it just in case someone important, one day, far in the future, comes to pay a special visit to little ol me.

Barf.

So now anytime anyone who is in a similar predicament as myself looks at Google and their fancy schmancy slides, nap rooms, and game rooms, try not to get too depressed. Because most of America is suffering just like you.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Welcome 2010!

My first written post of 2010 isnt going to be amazing. I feel as though I have lost most of the creativity I once had with this blog. Or when I think of something witty or creative to write, I normally don’t find the time or am too damn lazy to actually sit at the computer to type it out. I am going to however make every attempt possible to write more.

So since I last wrote, not much has changed. The holidays were just ok as was my 11 day vacation away from the office. I didn’t do anything very exciting and simply stayed up late watching tv and woke up the next day just before noon on most days. I spent a few days with my 3 younger brothers and parents which was less than exhilarating. I know when I am getting old when I cant stand being around my younger brothers when they are running around the house beating each other up. Their ages are 10, 14, and 16. They are too loud and have too much energy. They make me feel old. I did take them on a little outing and treated them to see Avatar 3D, which at that point I had already seen it in Imax 3D. Yes, I thought it was as amazing as most people claim. So if you haven’t seen it yet, you must, and you also must see it in 3D. Definitely worth it.

The Steelers didn’t make it to the playoffs sadly. So football season for Pittsburgh has come to an end. I do although enjoy this because that means less traffic I have to deal with since I live near the stadium. Here is me at my first Steelers’s game which I attended this year!
The bf and I have finally decided what type of dog we are going to get whenever it is that we get one. At first I was set on getting a miniature dachshund. Then I fell in love with the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. However, for different reasons we have ruled both of those dogs out and decided on an Italian Greyhound. We decided on this dog because not only do they have very limited shedding abilities, but they are also good with children, and they like to snuggle up to people because they get cold so quickly. I have also decided that I want to litter train the dog. This will be better for the dog as we can let it roam the house while we are both at work as well as prevent me from having to wake up early to take it outside in the cold to pee in the morning. Best idea ever, right? The bf doesn’t think so, but this is a must, so there is no room for negotiation on this.
Now as for new years resolutions, I have the same ones for the most part every year. I kind of completed mine from last year. I gained the weight I wanted to. However, it wasn’t completely the type of weight I wanted. I gained a total of 30lbs since last January. This time last year I was a whopping 140lbs. I am now tipping the scale at just over 170. My resolution was to reach 165lbs. However, I wanted to gain it in muscle and not fat. I failed with that one. I think I gained both though. So I cant be too displeased with myself. I also wanted to grow some more chest hair. Which also happened. All naturally too! So thats fun! Here is me one year ago…
And me now…
So I will take that 30lbs that I gained and be happy with it. Now its time to trim the fat and muscle up the arms and chest.

See For Yourself

This is possibly the funniest thing I have seen in a while...