It's 4:38 in the morning and This Man is wide awake, thanks to the fucking cricket that has mysteriously found it's way behind my wall unit and somewhere inside my TV (I think). Needless to say, that bastard has been chirping since 9 o'clock when I first laid down to bed and hasn't stopped since--except whenever I would go over to the area where I think it is.
Awake and pissed, I figured I may as well blog otherwise I'd be tempted to go over, rip open the back of the big screen and find this noisy fucker!
ARGH! And to think, I have to be up in about 2 hours!
This sucks.

Mahalo

I've realized that lately my posts on this blog have become more and more infrequent than This Man would like, but what am I supposed to do--make shit up.
I don't think so!
So this morning, sitting at my desk with all the lights out and only the gurgle of the nearby fish aquarium to annoy the hell out of me, This Man got to thinking about some of the things that I'd learned or realized since the last time I blogged (which was just about 2 weeks ago). The list was pretty long, but somehow I've managed to compress it down to about 10 major things. Also, while mentally working on my list, This Man also managed to get rid of some of the pics that have been in my camera for god only knows how long so there'll be pics also.

Here's the list.

1. Never, ever sneak off for a wank while wearing anything marked "Dry Clean Only". You're almost guaranteed to get spunk on it (and who wants to explain to the lady at the cleaners that it's actually Man Milk that's on your new D&G tee shirt).
2. Even though The Dutchman and This Man were headed down a path of destruction (he's the second person ever to break my heart), I'm actually content being friends with him. I figure since I couldn't have him as a boyfriend, then having him as a true friend couldn't be all that bad.
   
3. For my buddy JS, I'm sorry that it had been damn near 6 months since we'd last seen each other. Last weekend was great; this week has been exciting and I know there's much more fun to come .
4. I know there was a time when This Man was glad to no longer be stationed onboard a ship, but lately I've found myself missing that comaraderie that comes with being stationed with 300+ men and women and out to sea (even if it's only off the coast of our homeport).
   
5. This Man has learned to never trust the guy that calls my phone, leaves a long descriptive message and doesn't bother to leave his name or phone number, only to find out that I can't remember who it was that I gave my number out to in the first place.
   
6. Going out to a bar on a weeknight beats the weekend crowd HANDS DOWN!
7. Next time, This Man will buy tickets to see Fiona Apple the moment that they go on sale. (She's coming to the House of Blues next week--the show sold out the day I was supposed to get tickets--UGH!)
8. Broke, low on cash and bored out of your mind? Head to the local pool hall and play a few games--even if you suck.
9. "Maintain Circuit Discipline!" I just miss saying that. (it goes back to Number 4 and doing my job in Radio).
   
10. Even though I may not realize it, I have more to be happy about or thankful for than I let on.

Mahalo

Looking back at this pic now, that young cute guy was in his right mind when he said hello and struck up a conversation with This Man even though I was totally oblivious to the fact that he was clearly flirting. See what I miss out on even when I'm at the baggage carousel at the airport.

(This picture was taken this summer and if you don't know who that lil' handsome fella is by now, start reading my blog from the beginning.)

I found this picture last week and had to blog about it.

Before I became the thirty one year old, father of one, "Daddy" to many, friend to few, harsh, in-your-face and that's- the way it's gonna be, asshole- jerk who loves great shoes, overpriced jeans, wanking off and hot men, fag about town. Way before the obsessive compulsive disorder, the take D to soccer practice on Tuesdays & Thursdays, the numerous deployments to the Middle East and finally figuring out what everyone was laughing at behind my back (and sometimes in my face).
I was this guy.
This fresh- faced, almost 21, vulnerable, straight outta Texas, thought he knew everything boy who, apparently, liked flannel, getting hammered and letting some dofus sailor take a picture of him throwing one back.
This picture was taken on February 8, 1995. I'd been in the Navy for just under one year and was yet to deploy overseas for the first time (that would be in May 1995). During a port visit down to San Diego from Washington State (years later, This Man would move to San Diego), some buddies and I ventured down to Tijuana (my first and last time going down there) to do some heavy drinking and girl-chasing (months later, This Man would end up married to you-know-who). We ended up in a club called Peoples on Revolution Avenue smack dead in the party district of TJ. Since it was also college weekend, there were more students from San Diego in town than there were locals. It was Arabian night at Peoples and everyone that came in was given a flourescent colored rag and string to tie on your head (hence the outrageous head gear). Though I can't recall what that was that I'd chugged down in the pic (Long Island Ice Tea?), I can say that I remember some parts of this night. It was heavy drinking, a bunch of groping, tequilla poppers and some lewd behavior that This Man doesn't care to rehash. It was a bunch of sailors, crammed into a shuttle van trying to get back to Naval Air Station North Island before curfew. The night also was a bunch of drunks from an aircraft carrier fighting and one poor girl who just couldn't hold it. And finally it was staggering down the pier and up the brow--to the wrong ship!
It was good times, baby!
So staring at this picture for a while and with a big grin, This Man got to thinking about that guy and how he morphed into This Man. It's been quite a journey but whenever I think about it, I wouldn't change one thing.


Mahalo