Still Here....

I just realized that I hadn't posted in a week so I thought I'd post a few blurbs about what I've been doing. First, I spent 2-3 days reeling after those meat packing plant workers in Nebraska won the Powerball lottery. My office mates and I played and we only won $7 bucks which we re-invested into the next lottery.

Sunday I worked 3 events at my part-time job and still managed to get to church. The last two days I haven't been feeling too well which is probably a result of not getting enough sleep. So last night I went to bed at a decent hour, (11:30pm) which allowed me to get 7.5 hours of sleep. Thus, I feel better and you find me here this morning.

One thing I will say is that I'm turning 37 on March 13th and I'm already starting to notice minor changes in how the body deals with stress, lack of sleep, etc. Nowadays my body says, uh-uh homie, take your ass to bed! lol... So, I'm learning to listen to my body because I want to be here a long, long time. Take care of yourselves and have an awesome day.

peace always,

strong

March Madness!

Well people I've done it again. I promised myself after last summers fiasco in Chicago that I would never travel with either of my best friends again. I mean as much as I love these dudes, we just don't do well traveling together. This has been proven on more than one occasion over the years.

So what do I do? I opened my fat trap and now one of my best buddies is traveling to Miami with me to celebrate my 37th birthday with me and my family. Hopefully this time things will go a bit better because we're renting a two-bedroom two-bath condo which will give us both our own space. My best friend smokes and he snores like crazy which I can't stand. Other than that, we're inseparable. lol...

My weekend was pretty interesting. Friday night after work I went out with a few co-workers and we had drinks and dinner. It was a fun time. I didn't realize how much vodka I had consumed until I got home and was on the phone with a buddy and couldn't stop laughing until 30 minutes later! (Fortunately, I walked to and from the restaurant). Saturday I went grocery shopping, cleaned up the apartment, did some laundry and washed dishes. You know, the stuff most people hate to do. Sunday I went to church and afterwards went out to eat with some acquaintances. Overall, it was a nice relaxing weekend. And that was that.

Jensen Atwood from Noah's Arc

I was dilly-dallying around on Google and stumbled across a slew of sites where folk are debating whether or not Jensen Atwood from Logo's "Noah's Arc" series is gay, straight or bisexual. I say what does it matter people?!? First and foremost he's an actor. If he was playing a 'straight' character would you question his sexuality? I doubt it! So, let's enjoy 'Noah's Arc' for the ground-breaking black lgbt show that it is and stop the bickering and in-fighting. Afterall, we don't want to ruin a good thing now do we?

Oh what a night!

Well folks, today was payday and there's nothing like payday in a working man's life. I bought a new pair of jeans and a couple pair of sunglasses and for some reason felt like a new man afterwards.

A buddy called and asked if I was interested in joining him and his partner to see a movie called 'Tsotsi'. He didn't know much except that it was a foreign film about life in an African country. I agreed and tried to round up a couple of extra folks to join us to no avail. I met them at the theater and let me tell you the movie is gripping from the opening scene. Afterwards, the film producer was there for a question and answer session. Check out the website at http://tsotsithemovie.com/. The soundtrack is banging and I'm hoping to find it online soon.

peace always... strong

O Cupid, Where art thou?

Valentine's Day 2006 and the only card I got was from my mother. Guess I should be glad about that. If no one else in this world loves me, my mother certainly does. (Thanks Mom!) :o)

I love myself and generally find myself content with that. Of course, I'm human and periodically ache for human companionship. However, I'm 36 soon to be 37 and I'd be glad if love came along, but I now know that I can survive just fine on my own.

peace to all, and remember to always love yourself.

Restoration...

This has been a truly refreshing and enlightening weekend. Unity Fellowship http://www.ufc-usa.org/nation.htm has opened a Philadelphia church. I love Unity and am going to become a member at the earliest possible opportunity. Check out the website at the link above and you'll see what I mean.

I also got a chance to hang out with some acquaintances this weekend that may develop into friends. This is exciting as I have been hoping to make some local friends for quite some time.

I feel blessed, refreshed and uplifted. I'll keep you posted on my growth in Unity Fellowship Philadelphia.

Life On The Other Side of The Rainbow...

Wassup people?!? I was just sitting here thinking about the various aspects of black gay life. There's the Noah's Arc (see http://www.logoonline.com/) glamorous, lots of friends and socializing group....and then, there are the rest of us. I won't say that I don't have any friends because I do. The problem is my two best friends live in far-away cities. Locally, I have only casual acquaintances. Lots of them. But no one that I really connect with like my out-of-town buddies. Making friends in the City of Brotherly Love has been nearly impossible. Whenever I think someone wants to be my friend they always seem to have some alterior motive. (For example, they are attracted to me and don't have the balls to just come out and say it. This has happened several times).

Recently, I've hung out a few times with this interesting acquaintance I met at my part-time gig. He's in his 40's and had a heart transplant a few years back. That I find very intriguing. Also, we both have a love of fine restaurants, architecture and art. He's a cool guy and I actually enjoy hanging out with him. I'm just glad to have someone to hang out with who has similar interests and can hold a conversation without using Yo! or 'nahmean every fifth word!

Maybe I wasn't meant to have lots of friends and be a socialite, although secretly since I was a kid that's been my dream. I do get out often enough and I take several vacations a year, but someday soon, I'd love to have 2-3 buddies just to hang out locally with and shoot the breeze after work sometimes.

peace always,

strong

Friday!!!

I caught myself feeling mildly depressed at times today. A client called me a prick twice in one conversation and I promptly told him to call me when he wasn't being a potty mouth, then hung up on him. Then I realized that I hate my new job already! Ouch! That sucks after 3 months of training. Anyways, I'm determined to do at least a year there so that I can transfer into a better position. Besides, I want this company to pay for my Masters degree, so I'll hav to bite the bullet for 2-3 years minimum.

After work I met up with an acquaintance and another couple and we went to a gallery exhibit with 3 up and coming artists. We got to talk to the artists and enjoy their company. It was quite interesting. There was lots of free wine and finger foods so I got a nice buzz which helped me forget the stress of the work week. My buddy picked up a contemporary piece that the gallery allowed him to pay for in installments. Way cool!

Tomorrow is a busy day so I'll say goodnight.

Wait A Minute!!!

So wait, I forgot to tell you guys the update on "Just Another Day In Paradise.." from 02/04/06. The guy finally got back to me about going to lunch with him. So, I was a little excited but wondered why it took him a full week to get back to me. He emails me and asks me what I'm doing for lunch and I mention a local lunch spot. Then he shoots back an email asking if he can join me for lunch. Now, this whole thing is a lie because I typically go home for lunch since I live 2 blocks away from the office. Anyways, lunchtime approaches and I'm ready to go and he says "Wait, we have to wait for....". WTF?!? I finally thought I was gonna get dude alone for an hour and he invites his regular lunch buddy. Needless to say I went and was totally deflated. I tell you, I give up for now!

Access Denied....

So, some guy reads my blog and sends me an invite to join some xclusivity.com website. He sends me a 'bypass code' which is sort of an invitation to join. I submit a picture and my membership must be approved by the members. Needless to say, I was intrigued. Shortly after submitting my pic I get an email stating that the current members must approve my pending application within 12 hours and that I would receive email notification.

So today I come home and check my email and this is what it said...Unfortunately 12 hour has passed and your profile has not been accepted by the current members.X-clusivity is key,X-xlusivity Staff . Wow! Now that's interesting. I had already anticipated that I wouldn't be admitted and I wasn't sure why. But it's ok. Actually, even if I was admitted I probably wouldn't have fit in with the members there. I've never fit in anywhere really, so what's new?!? I'm my own man and I'm proud to stay that way. It was nice of the fellow to extend the invite. Thanks dude.

The Beginning of the End...

So today I had the brilliant idea of posting the link to my blog on a couple of Yahoo Groups that I belong to. Some of these groups have thousands of members, so this should spice up the responses I get on my blog. Afterall, I enjoy expressing myself, but it would be great to have the feedback of others. So bring it on , the good, the bad and the just plain ugly. (Lol...) I'm ready for it all. Welcome to the world of Strong.

Just Another Day In Paradise...

It's hard for me to complain about my life. But I do it anyway. I mean I'm tall, not bad looking, well-educated and have not one but two great jobs. Yippee! Guess what, I don't have a buddy or two just to hang out with and party or chill with. Also, I have no dating prospects whatsoever. Sometimes, I think there's something inherently wrong with me. I started a new job recently and have been watching this guy for about 3 months now. (He's been watching me too). I asked him to go to lunch last Monday and he never got back to me, except to say "Oh ok". WTF?!?!? I've tried befriending folk from church to no avail as well. The only people that seem to want to hang out with me are the single women at work who want to date or try to 'convert' me. Help!!!

Lovehappens.com

Ok, so it's only been a few days since I swore off the dating sites. But hey, a guy gets lonely, know what I mean? So, I stumbled across this site called lovehappens.com. Hopefully, I'll meet better quality men on this site than I did on this last one. I've jut completed my profile, so wish me luck.

strong