The Rundown

It's Halloween weekend ... hope y'all have some very creative costumes lined up. I've seen all sorts of hot messes out there but who am I to judge. There isn't a helluva lot to add this week's rundown due to the fact that I blogged on Tuesday and have been indoors quite a bit for the rest of the week.

• I learnt a few new facts about the librarian this week. Quit giving me the side eye, I want to be friends with her.
• @luvvieg was kind enough to point out how unsafe public wifi networks are especially in light of the Firesheep script that will pretty much access your cookies and therefore your logins and passwords. Protect yourselves! http://mashable.com/2010/10/28/firesheep-vpns/
• BBC's Lip Service is going to be the end of me. The DS is seriously all kinds of hotttt!
• Was watching this week's Nigella Kitchen on BBC Two (YT is a friend) and was pleasantly surprised to hear Cee Lo's FU playing. Jus saying you've got to watch some international programming every now and then.
• I am sending out a second e-slap to the Ugandan lawmakers who are vying to make it illegal to be gay. I mean what have we as gay people done to deserve your wrath?
• I've now got everybody and their mama in my job search Kool aid. It's getting a tad overwhelming.
• Happy Halloween!

image taken from churchmice.net. Please support Karl Zorowski  and his cartoon ministry.

Tuesday Beat and Tuesday Randomness

I know I know, y'all are thinking I forgot to post today's music ... well I did. With good reason, at least I thought it was a good reason. I was focused on my job search activities you see and had some prepping for this morning's activities. Good reason right? Well that and I was looking forward to kicking it with the librarian. Yes she's wifeyed up but that doesn't mean we can't be friends. I love talking to her. Today we ended up talking about Einstein's book since I'm reading it. I want a woman as well read as her dammit.

I love going to furniture stores to see how furnishings are staged. I have picked out a bed that I like [size and sturdiness do matter] in addition to a dining table that I really like [simple 10 seater butcher block top with bench seats]. See my theory on furniture shopping is whatever you buy, you have got to be able to use it as a shagging surface. I plan to shag my partner on every surface in the house - horizontal, vertical and everything in between - so sturdiness is key. Yes I said it! I want bamboo flooring. Linoleum & vinyl burn are just as bad as rug burn so that is out. Stone flooring is just too cold. When you visit my future home know that every surface has been duly christened.

Last bit of randomness ... I want to experience happiness. Really truly out of my mind deliriously happy. If I had wings I would fly kind of happy. It's been a while since I've experienced that type of happy. You lose everything and forget what it means to experience true happiness. It really has very little to do with having possessions, those I will replace in due course. It's an internal joy that I need to find within myself.

Today's beat is from the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir - I never lost my praise.
I never lost my hope,
I never lost my joy
I never lost my faith
But most of all, I never lost my praise

* image taken from http://mahalanobis.twoday.net/stories/180139/

The Rundown

Forgive me readers for I have slacked. Sometimes life happens and all your best laid plans go to hell in a hand basket. *warning: there are some rants thrown in*

• I'll kick things off by addressing a common question, what's up with the librarian? She is now seeing someone. I pussy footed [who created this expression?] it too long and she is now seeing someone that I happen to know. My lesbian circle is officially too small.
• @atlfoxy + @SweetT_ = @MySweetJazz. These two are sweet enough to make anyone diabetic. May we all be lucky enough to find such love.
• Anyone watched or read about BBC's Lip Service? It is positively scandalous. Having watched the first two episodes I'm all in. AfterEllen recaps it here and Autostraddle recaps it here. For those who've never heard of Autostraddle, it's like the uncensored AfterEllen. Their NSFW Sunday articles are chock-full of all sorts of queer delights.
• For those who watch Grey's Anatomy religiously, you probably recall Arizona's speech about Mark staring at her boobs while talking to her. Watching that clip made me wonder how often I do that, ie, start off staring at a woman's eyes end somehow end up looking at the ladies below. So I set off to do a test at a networking event. I am happy to report that I don't do it as often as I feared I did.
• Las Aparicio ended last week with Julia finally marrying Mariana. My Spanish slang count will now drop if I don't find something else to watch. Le sigh.
• In other queer news what the hell is wrong with the journalists at Rolling Stone Uganda. I am sending them an e-slap for publishing a list of 100 alleged gays and lesbians and calling for the hanging of homos. Google the story as there is a fair amount of commentary out there on it. SMH.
• Job searching is draining. That's all I have to say, no more no less.
• I was advised to tone down my English earlier this week because it makes people uncomfortable. *begin rant* Since when is it wrong to use proper spoken English? I make an effort to not use big words or speak in theoretics because I get that the message has to be tailored to the audience. However, if during a conversation you say to me "I am an avid reader of Victorian era books", I am not out of line if I respond "So what is your favorite tome?". If you've read that much Dickens et al you should know the word. As it was a mock interview, I will take the advice and dumb down my speech some more. I need to find a full time job and toned down English it is.
• The flip side of my previous rant goes out to the fine folks who for some reason or other are very surprised that I am articulate. I said I was Zimbabwean not stupid. *end rant*
• Every week I try to read a book. Last week I read 1001 Arabian nights. This week it's Einstein's Relativity Theory. This one might span 2 weeks.
• Anyway I need to rest as I have EM duty tomorrow morning in the rain no less. Should be interesting. 
• Have a good weekend folks!

Tuesday Beat: Sia - Breathe Me

Chosen because of all the LGBT teen suicides that have been taking place. To the teen considering letting go, life does get better as you grow older. High school will end and a whole new world will open up allowing you to be your fabulous self. Take it from one whose been where you are, there are happier times ahead. Just hold on til then. The It Gets Better campaign that is going on will hopefully save a life.

Boyz II Men - I Can't Make You Love Me

The Rundown

Is it the weekend already? Le sigh ... I take that back, le smile. Weather's been good to an African :).
Last week I forgot to post the rundown. Yes forgot. I was too busy playing with my niece to recall what day of the week it was. It gets harder and harder to come back after I see her.

• My inner 5 year old is loving that it's leaf stomping season. Yes I do have the propensity to act very immature on occasion. My inner teen thinks the warm weather should like totally stay.
• I would like to pose a question to those of you with non-American accents ... do you get irked by people commenting on your accent? My accent leans more towards the British side of things and people seem to feel the need to point it out to me.
• Spent most of this past week battling code. Being a free lance worker means when you get an engagement you bust your ass for a check and when you are not engaged you bust your ass for free [in the name of skill building].
• I have EM related commitments every so often and depending on what we're doing [community canvassing, office data entry, helping with paperwork, participating in drills, etc] I dress accordingly. Can somebody please tell me why I get treated differently by the same receptionist depending on what I'm wearing. Last week I had to rock my blue collar look complete with helmet and reflective jacket and said receptionist had to bring on the extra attitude when I asked if i could pick up my mail. When I am formally dressed its all yes ma'ams... like really woman, do your rough days just happen to coincide with my steel toe days?
• Speaking of women, it's breast cancer awareness month so save your partner's life by giving her a thorough breast exam ... foreplay anyone? I joke about it, but early detection will save her life.
• National Coming Out Day is on the 11th of this month. Who are you coming out to this year?
• My alma mater has homecoming this weekend. I wish the football team all the best and hope that they uphold tradition and win their only game of the season. :) Yes they are that bad.

Have a great [long] weekend folks!

Celebrating love

A friend of mine, A, got married out east over the summer and they decided to throw a reception for everyone and said reception was this past weekend.

A is more like family if I'm honest. She's seen my sister and I through a lot of hell and high water situations. She was one of the first people who twigged on to the fact that I was probably gay and struggling with it. As a sign of how bad my gaydar was at the time, it took me an eternity to twig onto the fact that she was also into the lasses.

Anywho I went home to OH for the reception [and a visit with my niece] and it was nice to see the folks who came out to celebrate their love. Family, friends and even one of her high school teachers came out and it was heartening. Several of the guests were from our college days so catching up was a treat. Speaking of guests, there was an 80+ year old woman who not only cut a rug, but also rolled up that bad boy. She was on the floor doing dances that I had only seen high school students do. I want to have her energy levels when I'm her age.

It was also nice to meet the lass who "took her away from" us as a speaker said. I like her wife if for other reason than that she makes A happy. Her wife is the sweetest person ever and my niece took to her which is a good sign in my book.

I wish the happy couple a lifetime of happiness and love. While there will certainly be bumps in the road, may the smooth patches out number the bumps.

As a side note, I really should thank A. One of the guests was a lass that I had a thing for in school [why I am suddenly blushing is beyond me]. She is the reason why I finally started watching the women's soccer matches.

Tuesday Beat: African Jazz Pioneers - Ten Ten Special

A reminder of my homeland and in honor of a cousin who turns 16 today.