Tippecanoe

Few things are better than a lazy afternoon spent paddling downriver in a canoe. The better things require less clothing or more food. Chris kept threatening that his Native American alter ego (post title) might appear - I thought my family was the only one with native ties - but I think it was the fear of mutually assured destruction that prevented an appearance. Next year (or maybe late this season) I need a proper camping weekend revolving around a little boat.

Simplicity

I believe in free will. I've never believed in fate. I don't like the idea that I'm not in charge of my actions and decisions. I don't subscribe to religion, unless you count the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Why am I on this train of thought? Because I think I've really found something special with Chris. And not because it was supposed to happen, or because it was inevitable or some other nonsense. I think it was just one of those chance events where you happen to be in the right place at the right time. If we'd met years ago, or years from now, we probably wouldn't have been open to the opportunity, or not available to explore it. I definitely think I've found someone who is on the same path that I am. Or at least in the same neck of the woods.

IIRC

I left the Honda family earlier this year, after driving them exclusively (and largely without complaint) since 1993. The biggest repair I had over those 17 years and 3 cars was replacing the starter on my Legend at about 150k miles. A replacement was about $50 from a junkyard. Miss that car...sniff. Anyway.

After test driving at least a dozen cars this past January, and seeing what kind of deals I could get - or not - I wound up with a 2005 Pontiac Vibe (aka Toyota Matrix)...so far, it's been a good experience.

Well, it looks like there may be a recall coming for mine...this was announced today for Corolla and Matrix models from the same model year as my Vibe. I probably won't be far behind, since the same parts are under my hood.

I have noticed an occasional hard start issue when the engine is warm. It's more of a long cranking period than a refusal to start. I wonder now if that's an indicator of the defective ECM...some owner's forums have talked about this issue, the remedy is apprently an ECM swap. Will they include the Vibe in this recall? Guess I'll find out!

Update...yup.

Cycles

Ouroboros


This symbol signifies so much in our current society. Park 51 is funded by a major stakeholder in Fox News...the biggest cheerleader stirring up outrage over the project. With the laundry list of things that we have to face and handle today, not after the next election cycle, it's really frustrating to see the discourse circling around such a non-issue.

Case of the Mondays

And another weekend slips from imagination into memory. Fairly low-key...Chris and I went to a dinner party friday night hosted by my friend Jeremy and his euphemism Dale. Indulgent food, and fun people to chat away with for an evening. Saturday we went to his company picnic, at the home of a coworker of his. The place is called the Agler House...formerly a stop on the Underground Railroad. Very cool place, with more history within its walls than half of the city combined. Saturday we were cajoled into going to the big Homo block party...one thing I like about Chris is that he eschews crowded scenes about as much as I do. But it was good to see a few friends, and enjoy the Fabulous Johnson Bros in concert...their lead singer Aaron is so very easy on the eyes. The talent on hand for the stage shows was apparently all brought by them, as the quality of the acts went on a steady decline from there...the rain didn't send people home, but one memorably miserable act caused half of the attendees to run for the hills covering their ears, us included. At least it was free.
Sunday was again low key...eating and napping were big events. Nice. We went to a going away party in the evening for Paul, who I dated back in the late 90s. I was relieved that Chris wasn't hung up about going - acutally he was the one who remembered it last night. It was a nice little gathering, we just stopped in briefly for a drink and to say hello/goodbye to Paul and his husband. Paul said he still owed me from our parting of the ways...not sure how he intends to make good on that. Shrug.

Anniversary

Today would have been mom and dad's 44th wedding anniversary. Now THAT was some hair.

Resolve

Now with extra stain fighters.

I just realized that today marks 5 months since I decided to break the cycle and stop smoking. I bought my last pack on March 19...once that was gone, that was that. I would bum one occasionally or have a puff from somebody's here and there, almost always when drinking. But that stopped after several weeks.
I wasn't a heavy smoker by the standards of the International Chain Smoking Institute, but since stopping I have noticed more lung capacity, and I no longer cough disturbing looking things up in the shower each morning. My skin also looks better, and I feel a lot better about myself without my conscience nagging me that I know better. And, I have an extra $20 or so in my pocket each week. Which isn't much, but that covers most of my lunch budget.

It's been a good year - got in shape again, stopped my nasty vile habit...progress!

Hump Day

Another...wednesday? I think. This week has been a blur for some reason, not in a bad way. You know those memories of big events in your life - the irst time you rode a bike without training wheels, or the first time you propelled yoruself through the water? And that warm feeling you get inside when they happen? I've been feeling like that for a couple of weeks now. And I like it. A lot. Staying grounded, but I feel like I'm starting a journey here with Chris. I'm being more optimistic about it than cautious in my mind lately. It's not that I really expected anything to develop, but it's happening on its own. That's something I was never good at in the past - I always had a tendency to put the cart before the horse, and rush into emotional/romantic situations before I knew if this was even somebody I could sit in the same room with for more than 90 minutes. We've spent a lot of time together in the last several weeks, and we've used that time to get to know each other. I appreciate him on many different levels - not just for one or two aspects, or purely for physical reasons. And I don't have to subjugate my interests, or delve into them on my own when I get a free moment - he and I do share a good number of common interests, which is a rare thing indeed for me. I can be myself - what a concept.
Usually at this point I'm finding out if this person is worth my time and effort, and if there's anything here worth pursuing. Signs absolutely point to yes. Feelings of falling in love have been brought up. That's generally a good sign. :)
He told me I'm nearly off probation, so I guess that means I can stop holding in gas or something.

Friday already?

Had a fun, pretty full week. I went to Hocking Hills last night with Chris and a few friends to check out the Perseid metoer shower...was pretty good for once - clear, not ungodly hot, relatively bug-free. Such an amazing event to witness...and it's free. People who say there's nothing to do need to step outside once in a while.
Tonight, having a little cookout wit the group from last night...nothing big, but trying a couple new dishes out. One thing I like about entertaining is it lets me have a little fun in the kitchen and experiement...plus, it's hard to really know how things come out when you're the only one tasting them - and it's fun to watch people enjoy what you've thrown together.

Poetry

I've been perusing a lot of poetry lately, my interest ebbs and flows...it's as if once in a while you get a need that only it can satisfy. I've tried my hand at it, but it's difficult for me to focus down to a central theme...besides, there's enough bad poetry clogging up the internet tubes already.

Anyway, the line "Time is the fire in which we burn" has haunted me for a long time since hearing it in a movie. I finally tracked down where it came from - a 20th century poet named Delmore Schwartz...the poem it comes from, "Calmly We Walk Through This April’s Day" is very good. Enjoy. And now I have a new poet's work to explore.

Summeriffic

Well, Chris' week, while not turning out 'good', didn't turn out as badly as it could have been. At least the agonizing is over for him.
We carried on and had a great weekend. Chris stopped over Friday night, we met some people for happy hour, then went to my place and watched Friday the 13th Part VII...the one with the guy who kills people. I'm too much of a pussy to be a follower of horror films, but I think I made it through without too much mental scarring.
The rest of the weekend was beautiful - the weather was perfect, so we spent it outdoors...visited Granville during the day, then had a cookout in the evening with a few friends - I made salsa and he made some incredibly good strawberry and peach shortcakes, then bummed around the Gallery Hop. Sunday was low key, a little hike and a quick movie at home were the highlights.
I have to say I'm getting very used to spending the weekends together with him. We share a lot of common interests, and we enjoy a similar pace to life - I generally leave my weekends unstructured, he seems to enjoy that approach too...so we usually just do whatever comes along, either on our own or with others. Ideal. I used to wonder whether we were spending too much time together on the weekends...now it feels like it's never enough.

Thoughts

Chris is having one hell of a shit week. His company is undergoing a sudden restructuring, brought on by outside events. So this week has been a constant stream of bad news and uncertainty for him.

I imagine there's a certain level of queasiness that goes along with that. I probably shouldn't have made him Indian food for dinner last night. There's certainly an ancient proverb warning against it.

Today should be the last round of announcements. Here's hoping the day turns out all right.

Atmospheric Discharge

I had dinner with Chris in the evening, and we went outside to try and see the Northern Lights, which are supposed to be more energetic than usual this week. Bupkis. But a few hours after we went to bed, the most incredible lightning storm erupted and seemed to stay directly overhead for a while...the lightning flashes and thunder were almost simultaneous. So very cool. Would have been cooler if it wasn't at 3am, but it's hard to schedule these events.
And still enjoying getting to know Chris. It usually takes me a while to warm up to people, preferring to get a sense for how they think and operate first. But he seems to like me. I'm still taking it one day at a time with him, but I'm cautiously optimistic about how things are going. I'm also catching myself smiling at random intervals, which is entirely out of character for me.

Ice Caves

This is sad...a little girl was killed over the weekend by falling ice at the National Park I visited last month up in Washington.

Whirlwind weekend

This weekend was sort of a paradox. Set out to be a relaxing, do-nothing kind of weekend, but actually packed in a decent amount of activity, between gym, hanging out with friends and an afternoon cookout. Yet it was still very relaxing. Not a lot of activity mind you, but enough to qualify as being out and about. The Goldilocks level, I guess.

One thing I've really enjoyed this year has been getting to know Chris' group of immediate friends in town. I'm not a terribly social animal, so making new friends is generally a rare experience. They seem to operate at mroe or less my same speed, low maintenance guys that eschew drama and are perfectly happy just enjoying a summer day together, talking about whatever floats into your head...or just savoring a moment, like a nice day out in the sun. My kind of homos. Drama and gays seem to go hand in hand quite a bit, needing to know everybody's business and discussing it ad nauseam, never really getting any deeper than that outer layer of social gossip. It's refreshing to meet people who are comfortable existing outside of that realm.

With Chris, it's funny...sometimes I wonder if he thinks we're seeing too much of each other, for example by hanging out all weekend. Then he'll make a statement on Sunday night like 'So do you want me to finally get out of your hair?' - he's wondering the same thing about me. I know right? Little things like that are so endearing.