love.

marvel at my tech craft and dispair

audio cable: $9

ipod nano box: $0 (well $150, but at least an ipod came with it.)

glue gun, scissors, screwdriver: $0 (i had them laying around.)

too much time on my hands: $0

resulting ipod nano dock for my stereo system: priceless

uhm, there might be a problem here.

tonight i purchased my 9th pair of birkenstocks.  the 13th pair i have owned in my lifetime, it all started with mocha bostons (i wore them with white sweat socks in high school, very un-trend-setting).  i also had a pair of green pvc birk clogs waaaayyyy before the crocks (also turned heads in high school, not always in the best way).

oh, and just a little plug here, this is my favorite business to purchase birkenstocks from:

http://www.simplybirkenstock.com

the stores and site are run by a great couple, and they are based in new hampshire, so any sale is tax-free.

birthday

my mother’s birthday was this past weekend, so guess what that means?

that’s right!  funny story!

so i call my mother and this a how the conversation goes:

me: hi, happy big 6-0.

her: no, 5-9.

me: oh come on, just embrace it.

her: no, i am 59. (she says in an annoyed tone)

me: no 60.

her: 59.

me: you know, usually one would want to stop at 39, not 59.

her:  i was born in 1949.  i am 59.

me: um . . . oh.  what?

the conversation continues.  yes, in fact my mother is 59 and not 60.  and now she is a pissed 59 year-old.

there’s more . . . my sister called me at work today to tell me that my mother called her last night.  here is how that conversation went:

her:  how old am i?

sis: 58.

her: no, i am not 58!

sis: how old are you then?

her: 59!!  your sister said i was 60!!!

all i have to say about that is at least my sister got it wrong too.

broke down, yo.

yep.  i did it.  in a moment of great weakness i put my head on liz’s lap and uttered the word “nano.”  within hours we were firing-up the computer and downloading itunes.

in 2005 we purchased mp3 players, a couple of samsungs at about $90 each, i had convinced liz that the ipod was overpriced and most any other mp3 player could provide us with years of happiness.  they did, but lately i have felt like the samsung has been greatly lacking (as liz has been pointing out for the past three years).  and i have wanted more because i have been listening to music so much lately (due to my current bout of depression).

“gay like my dad”

(this post has been a long time coming)

in college i started to realize that i was not the only person in my immediate family with homosexual tendencies, it began to dawn on me that maybe this was a trait passed down to me by my father. the big “ah-ha” moment took place as i was sorting through the mail at my parent’s house, and my fancy (if you will) was caught by a catalog, international male, addressed to my father.

the models in the catalog were young, very fit, attractive men with no body hair to speak of and sporting very vibrant clothing. as i was scanning the pages, reading the descriptions of items called “fancy sunglasses,” “swashbuckler shirt” and “the bodyshaper underwear,” i began to question my father’s sexuality.

i would rifle through my fathers pile of catalogs and “periodicals” (men’s health, wine enthusisit) and take international male to school with me. i would show the catalogs to my friends, and we would roll around laughing at the photos and descriptions like:

Gauze Caftan
Think of all the occasions you have to wear such a comfortable piece of clothing: the beach, the pool, Sunday mornings at home, late at night. Oh the comfort. Made from a lightweight and airy cotton gauze. Loose, full sleeves. Deep cut neck. Side slits. Machine wash. Relaxed Fit. USA.
An International Male exclusive.

and:

Tinello Faux Chinchilla Hooded Jacket
Incredibly soft, warm and stylish with realistic chinchilla markings. Zip-front closing. Acrylic faux fur with polyester lining. Dry clean. Imported.

my friend kathleen and i would have entire conversations about how funny the descriptions are, almost ten years later we still joke about it. paul t. and i started to regularly speculate that my father was really a gay man, and after he would come-out i would have enough material to write a book . . . at some point we decided that this book would have a children’s counterpart i would call “gay like my dad,” focused on helping children deal with the repercussions of living with a closeted gay man.

my father owns plenty of clothing from international male, and trust me, you would be able to spot an “international male exclusive” from across the dance-floor of your friendly neighborhood gay bar.

my father’s penchant toward silk and spandex led to childhood trauma. the variegated-florescent-leopard-print speedo my mother forced my father to stop wearing when the fabric started to look worn in the early ’90’s, the biking shorts, the button down silk shirt printed with martini glasses he wore at my high school graduation, the list could go on and on . . . the jewelry he wears is a post in itself.

my father is not really gay, although you wouldn’t guess that if you saw him with his soul-patch, i later learned the term “metrosexual,” this is a better explanation.

“gay like my dad”

(this post has been a long time coming)

in college i started to realize that i was not the only person in my immediate family with homosexual tendencies, it began to dawn on me that maybe this was a trait passed down to me by my father. the big “ah-ha” moment took place as i was sorting through the mail at my parent’s house, and my fancy (if you will) was caught by a catalog, international male, addressed to my father.

the models in the catalog were young, very fit, attractive men with no body hair to speak of and sporting very vibrant clothing. as i was scanning the pages, reading the descriptions of items called “fancy sunglasses,” “swashbuckler shirt” and “the bodyshaper underwear,” i began to question my father’s sexuality.

i would rifle through my fathers pile of catalogs and “periodicals” (men’s health, wine enthusisit) and take international male to school with me. i would show the catalogs to my friends, and we would roll around laughing at the photos and descriptions like:

Gauze Caftan
Think of all the occasions you have to wear such a comfortable piece of clothing: the beach, the pool, Sunday mornings at home, late at night. Oh the comfort. Made from a lightweight and airy cotton gauze. Loose, full sleeves. Deep cut neck. Side slits. Machine wash. Relaxed Fit. USA.
An International Male exclusive.

and:

Tinello Faux Chinchilla Hooded Jacket
Incredibly soft, warm and stylish with realistic chinchilla markings. Zip-front closing. Acrylic faux fur with polyester lining. Dry clean. Imported.

my friend kathleen and i would have entire conversations about how funny the descriptions are, almost ten years later we still joke about it. paul t. and i started to regularly speculate that my father was really a gay man, and after he would come-out i would have enough material to write a book . . . at some point we decided that this book would have a children’s counterpart i would call “gay like my dad,” focused on helping children deal with the repercussions of living with a closeted gay man.

my father owns plenty of clothing from international male, and trust me, you would be able to spot an “international male exclusive” from across the dance-floor of your friendly neighborhood gay bar.

my father’s penchant toward silk and spandex led to childhood trauma. the variegated-florescent-leopard-print speedo my mother forced my father to stop wearing when the fabric started to look worn in the early ’90’s, the biking shorts, the button down silk shirt printed with martini glasses he wore at my high school graduation, the list could go on and on . . . the jewelry he wears is a post in itself.

my father is not really gay, although you wouldn’t guess that if you saw him with his soul-patch, i later learned the term “metrosexual,” this is a better explanation.