matter of degrees

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

bears, bars, building…oh, what a week it was. as most of you know, last week was that dreaded holiday valentine's day. the day when romance is forced upon us and we stuff our faces with chocolate all in the name of love. not a big fan. although it is enjoyable to watch the many that scramble around hoping to find that perfect valentine. on this day i usually make an attempt not to leave my house. i try to shield myself from the red balloons, red flowers, and red candy boxes that move up and down the bustling streets. my plan to stay indoors didn't quite work since i had a job interview. i actually forgot it was even valentine's day until i was leaving and noticed the heart shaped box on the desk. the little chocolates that filled it stare at me mockingly. i wanted to eat them all.

later that night i ended up in the stro for a very impromptu date. it was not the "wine and dine" kind of date. more like the "let's pound drinks" date. this makes date #3 with lag. so far all of the dates revolve around being at a bar. i think i'm seeing a pattern. the 440 was filled with fellow lonely hearts still looking for a valentine. then again isn't it like that every night in the bars of the stro. it was actually quite a relief not to be surrounded by happy-love couples. don't get me wrong. i'm all for happy-love couples. i just don't want to see them on valentine's. we stayed for numerous cocktails. i received a valentine's package from a stop-aids volunteer. it contained the essentials that every gay boy needs: a valentine's card, candy hearts, lube, and a condom. while outside for a smoke break i got hit on by an elderly gentlemen. i didn't have the heart to tell him to bugger off. we chit chatted for a bit, then he wondered off. after leaving 440 we stopped in at the metro for a final drink. they had snack mix there. i ate it all. i love snacks. lag bought me a pez. i was a little buzzed by then. we left shortly after that.

did i mention it was ibr [international bear rendezvous] weekend. i love when the bears come to visit. in the past we'd spend sunday at the eagle beer bust with the bears. didn't make it this year. instead i met up with kiki. we had lunch. then she showed me her awesome pad that she shares with her main squeeze. they're so cute. we debated heading down to the eagle but opted for the wildside west where we met pevil. i have mixed feelings about ww. i think i can do without all the folk singing in the patio. it felt like i was a judge at an american idol audition. there were times when i just wanted to cut them off and say "thanks but no thanks. i'm going to say no." aside from the awful music, the company was outstanding. i always have a good time with kiki. she makes me laugh. add pevil to the equation and its non-stop giggles. good times. eventually pevil's lovely wife joined us.

the bears [jbear & dbear] invited us over for dinner that night. on the menu: turkey loaf, mashed potatoes, corn, salad, and wine. everything was quite tasty. the lesbots [pevil & her lovely wife mrs.b] brought over a lost puzzle. i must say this is the first time i've put together a puzzle at a dinner party. hi, are we 70? honestly, it was quite fun. after all its really about the company and not what you were doing. although a few of them got really into it. i'm not going to name names but at one point there was some high five action happening. now that's a whole new take on puzzle making. first time for everything, i guess.

my pal, butter bean, was kind enough to cart my ass around on monday. our first stop was ikea where i purchased a bookshelf and a tv stand. pretty good for me. i had a bit of trouble at the self check out. the gun didn't want to scan. it took several tries and lots of sweat to finally get the thing to work. i still don't how i did it. the next stop was target where i bought a cube organizer to use for my "office" stuff. thanks again, bb.

as you can probably guess the last two days were spent assembling my purchases. to my surprise the ikea stuff took no time at all. i had them together by monday night. the organizer from target was another story. when i opened the box on tuesday i realized that there were no instructions. i called target. they had me call the manufacturer. after several automated voice messages i got the number i needed. they emailed me instructions. unfortunately they were not complete so i called again. another email was sent. this time it was complete. there was a small problem trying to figure out which piece was which. in the end, it all came together. my pad is getting closer and closer to being a home.

stay gold & be well…