About two years ago, I wrote a blog entry about going blonde again. I never did it.  I’m toying around with the idea again.

Is it age appropriate, or will it just make me look super-gay? Keep in mind that picture was taken in 1999 and I was 27 years old. Would that fly today?

I got a message from a very dear friend today, asking me if I would still be supporting the republicans after they didn’t help pass the bailout today. She meant it in jest, but it got me thinking. My response, via Twitter was simple.

I’m okay with it. The market needs to learn a lesson, and we should push for real reform if we’re going to spend that much money.

Yes, the market is in turmoil. That’s what the market does. Does it need an infusion of cash? Absolutely. Does it need $700 billion from the taxpayers? Probably not.

First of all, polls are saying that most Americans are opposed to spending that much money to bail out private corporations, and I applaud any elected representative who did what their constituents wanted. That’s the way the system is supposed to work.  And if any elected representative went against the will of their constituents, then I hope they get voted out of office. As Josiah Bartlett (from the West Wing) reminded us, we do have term limits. They’re called elections.

And then Senator Obama wants to protect Main Street and not just Wall Street…

I could go on about people getting in over their own head, but I’ll spare you that. I didn’t apply for a mortgage a few years ago when I wasn’t sure I would be able to swing it. I still haven’t. I’m probably in the best financial shape I’ve ever been in, and in this market, there is no way I could get a mortgage. Is it fair for someone who can’t pay their mortgage to keep their house when that house could be mine? Keep in mind that I’m in a position to pay that mortgage. Yeah, that angers me. 

I did see something today that made me laugh…

Sarah Palin has given Americans something they haven’t had in a very long time: a reason to watch SNL.

Here is the bottom line… There are people much smarter than me trying to figure this out. I hope they get it right. The last time the Bush Administration got legislation pushed through at lightning speed, we got the Patriot Act. Do we really want to do that again?

I found myself curled up with three Pugs on the bed last night. From the bottom of the picture going up, it’s Buddy, Reggie, and Brutus.

I’m in a bit of a funk these days, and I’m not sure why. As one friend put it, I sound like the grass is always greener. I’m just not happy with a lot of things right now, and I’m not sure why. This has been going on for about a week. Maybe it’s the change in seasons. I don’t know, though. I love this time of year. Summer is so brutal for me that the fall is a welcome respite.

The fact of the matter is that things are going exceptionally well for me right now. I’m gainfully employed, doing okay financially, have Reggie, and I’m having a great time with the chorus. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but it’s been a great deal of fun.

And Josh is coming to see me! I’m very excited about this. For the first time since I’ve lived here, I’ll get to show him around Boston and introduce him to my friends. I think we’ll go apple picking.

Last night was a bit of a disappointment. I was talking to my dad and asked if my mom had told him that I was singing with a group. He said that she hadn’t, but you could hear the approval in his voice. Then I told him the group I was singing with, and his voice went cold. I said that my mom didn’t sound too thrilled, and he told me that he wasn’t either. I have to say that really hurt. My parents have always been supportive of everything my sister and I have done. Except this. My parents don’t like the whole gay thing, and it’s not something we discuss because I know it bothers them. I just don’t know the right way to approach this. From my perspective, their the ones with the problem. I’m sure they have a totally different perspective.

Today was my neuropsych eval. It was long and exhausting, both physically and mentally.  Some of the memory recall was incredibly tough. I think I did okay, though. My followup appointment is next Wednesday afternoon.

Beth and Paul came over Sunday night and Buddy and Brutus with me for a few days. They’ve got some things to do, and the boys are always welcome at Uncle Mike’s house. We cooked a glorious dinner. Beth and I make one hell of a team in the kitchen.

Sleeping with three Pugs in the bed has been an adventure. At one point last night, I woke up with no blanket, yet all three of the boys were nice and curled up under the blanket. Tonight, we use an extra blanket.  Jason, my upstairs neighbor, will be feeding and letting the boys out tomorrow night while I’m at rehearsal. He’s in for an adventure.  And somebody peed on my couch today.  I’m willing to bet money it was my own who did it.

Anyway, tomorrow is a long day, longer than today has been, so I’m going to bed early. That is, of course, if the Pugs will let me.

Last night was my second rehearsal with the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus. First, I had dinner with my “chorus buddy” who is like a mentor to help me get a feel for what I’m getting myself into. We ate at one of my favorite places in the south end, and we discovered that we have mutual friends.

Rehearsal was fun. Long, but fun. The music is getting more challenging, and still I’m enjoying it. After rehearsal, a large part of the group went to Fritz for a few drinks. I could only stay long enough for a beer since I had to get home and be up early for work this morning. I got to hang out with some fun people, and that’s been the best part of all this.

I was talking to someone who is originally from the south, and we got talking about Paula Deen, and he was telling me how he used to eat in her restaurant all the time before she was famous. And he was telling me about his experience meeting Julia Child. How cool is that? At one point, I found myself in a huddle with a bunch of guys talking about another one of my passions, Project Runway.

I won’t be going to Portland for my birthday now. That weekend is the chorus’ annual fall retreat in Ogunquit, ME. I’m really looking forward to that. Christopher, my “chorus buddy” and I already have our accommodations set. I’ll be going up early on Friday to make a stop at the Stonewall Kitchen Company Store since it’s on the way to Ogunquit.

Tickets for our season are already on sale. That’s just a little intimidating.

I’ve been a fan of the San Francisco Gay Men’s chorus for a really long time. I first heard of them when I went to the Castro Street Fair in 1997. I was in San Francisco for the Lotus Developers Conference. That was my first trip to San Francisco and my first exposure to a gay men’s chorus. They had a booth, and I bought ExtrABBAganza, which had just come out.  A few years later, I bought Naked Man.  When I heard “I Come From Good People”, that was the moment I knew I wanted to be part of a gay men’s chorus.

I’ve been digging through some of my gay music and movies lately, getting in touch with my inner homo, and at some point today, I came to a realization: I’m incredibly fortunate.

Had I been born just a few years earlier, I would have been part of a generation of gay men who were losing friends at an alarming rate to the AIDS crisis. A big chunk of a generation was lost due to an epidemic that just ravaged the gay community. Ask anybody a few years older than me, and they can name the friends they lost to AIDS. So much of the gay movies and music deal with the loss of friends and lovers to AIDS. I came out in a time and place where I wasn’t exposed to that loss.

Don’t get me wrong. I lost a few friends. In fact, I lost a friend from high school to AIDS. The worst part is that I didn’t know until college that he had died. I had met a guy, and he had a picture over his fireplace, and I commented that I had gone to high school with Michael. That’s when he explained that he had died of AIDS. I hadn’t seen him in years, and knowing that I’d never see him again didn’t make it any easier.

Medical science has come so far in the past 25 years. Testing HIV+ is no longer a death sentence. Today, we celebrate the friends who are surviving and still with us. And we practice sex in ways that hopefully prevent the spread of this disease.  HIV and AIDS is still a serious threat to not just our community but the world as a whole. I hope that my generation and the generations to come don’t lose sight of just how awful this disease was.

That said, I think I’m in touch with my inner homo.

It was seven years ago today, September 11, 2001, that the world changed forever.

I don’t think any of us will ever forget where we were when we heard the news. And for some, it’s the memory of where they were when they witnessed what happened.

And I hope we never forget.

I didn’t win the eBay auction, so I’ll not be going to San Francisco this weekend. That’s okay, though. Reggie and I will be going to the Salem Pug Meetup on Saturday morning.

Today, I did something I’ve wanted to do for a few years but never had the guts to do. Until now. I auditioned for the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus.  I haven’t sung in public since my sister’s wedding ten years ago. Needless to say, I was terrified. I think I didn’t audition before because I was afraid of sucking.  Apparently, I don’t suck because I’ll be singing with them for the 2008-2009 season.

I have to say that this was an experience unlike any other in my life. Having never sung with a group that large, it’s a bit overwhelming. I’ve never been surrounded by such amazing harmonies by a large group. Better yet, I was part of that. There is something about the fellowship of music that just lifts the soul. The rehearsal was long, 7-10 pm, and I really enjoyed it. I met some great guys, and I felt pretty good about my voice when we were done.

Only one word can describe tonight’s experience: wow.

Now it’s time for bed. I have a system upgrade at 6:45 tomorrow morning.