Ooh Oooh Ooh Ooh Oooohhhh......

I got a New Attitude.
Hey Everyone, the brace came off last Wednesday!!! I really enjoyed the two days without them. What sucked is that I went back Friday to get my retainer for my upper teeth and my permanent retainer for my lower teeth.
In those two days my teeth started moving back, so the orthodontist told me to wear my retainer that day. Luckily, I was given a retainer that looks like invisalign, which was kind of cool. What wasn't cool was when I woke up the next morning and felt like I was donkey punched in the face. Not nice.

Friday, hey.....or something.

I made it through an other month and while I could say it was lackluster, I'd prefer to say it was a great month. I WAS a great month, I have a home and not only that, but I was able to help someone who was about to be in my postion. I am so grateful for the fact that someone helped me and I was able to help someone else. I am also grateful that I can type very fast, so that it doesn't take very long to write my blogs.
Last weekend, I was shopping with my mom to get stuff for the house and she decided she wanted a new bed set. She saw something that was a chocolate brown and light blue and decided that was what she should have. Well, what we saw ran about $200 bucks, so she decided to get curtains instead. It was a total score because we found some one clearance for about $20 a panel. She got those, but we got the wrong size, my dad measure our sliding door from the wrong place. Well, we went back the next day and had to go to a different store that had the length we needed. Once we found the curtains, my mother decided to see what bed sets they had on sale. We ended up find a bed set she wanted for $30. Serious. I even got one too, but not in the same color. I also decided to try Kinoki foot pads. Yeah, I know, I'll let you know if they work or not.

We've Moved In

So this week, we finally closed on the house. I'm so happy to no longer be homeless. It's a great feeling. I'm also very happy to be around my parents again. I started a new workout regimen, P90X. It's pretty darn awesome, I think it's really going to whip my butt into shape. I did yesterday's and today's workouts and I'm excited to see how I look come September. I feel so good about myself having some the two workouts.

On a side note, I've gone to lunch with my friend Mike, a few times. Mike is a friend of mine who's had some pretty bad luck in the last few years. It came up in coversation that he looked up an old friend who had once emailed him to tell him they would no longer be friends. I mentioned how that happens to him more than with anybody else I know. It's like his friends are in third grade telling him they don't want to be his friend anymore. Mike is a 52-year old white gay male with a body that must have been carved by the hand of God. He's not obvious about his sexuality, in fact, if I didn't know him so well, I would doubt he were gay at all. Mike is regular guy. He enjoys fitness and loves exercising.
On Tuesday, Mike was telling me that a straight friend of his was starting a new "business opportunity." I told him it sounds like something for which I would see a paper sign by the side of the road that sits about 3" above the ground. "Work from home!" One of those things. Mike said that he was glad we were going to lunch because it got him out of his friend's presentation. He said he'd told this guy that he couldn't meet him because he was meeting someone else. The guy told him to bring me along. Mike told the guy that he didn't think I would be interested in it. He was right.

Anyway, Mike later sends me the following email (I did get his permission first):

Hi Alfonzo,
I'm beginning to think everybody in the world is a little crazy. You know my friend Jason that wanted to talk to me about "getting rich quick" and wanted to involve you this moring over lunch? He comes over my house about an hour ago. It tuns out he's involved in a multi-level marketing scheme. A pyramid. You sign up to this "Bio-Gen" company, which only exists online, and give them your credit card number. They automatically enroll you for a $60 deduction for a bottle of "colon-cleaner" or some other odd health pill that you're required to buy and gets sent to you each month Now your job is to sign up 3 people. They sign up 3 people and you get a $1,110 Visa prepaid card every month. That's your commission. If you sign up more than 3 people they take out $120 from your account and you get a VISA card for $2,000 minus $120. But they are only gift cards. You can't withdraw cash out of a gift-card, which is what I tried to tell Jason.You can't invest that money in a !RA account. You can't take it out for cash in an emergency.
He got mad at me and said "Are you trying to tell me that you can't use a VISA card with $1,100 on it each month to buy things? I told him, no, frankly the money would be much more beneficial to me if it were cash in my account. I earned it. Why can't I have it that way? And what company makes me pay "them" each month before I get my commissoin check? I can't pay my mortgage with a credit card. I can't pay my utilities with a gift card, etc.. I can't invest that money or pay down my bank loan. It's like buying one of the credit cards in a grocery store as a gift for someone. That's nice and all but not useful unless you have something specific to buy with it. AND it's all taxed 50% at the end of the year!
Jason, got real mad at me. I could see his face getting red. He unplugged his computer, told me I was so skeptical and negative he doesn't know why he even bothered coming by! Then he slammed his laptop shut and stormed out of the house without even saying a word. It is me! I'm convinced! I'm going on Oprah or Dr. Phil to talk about my unique human experience in my ability to alienate people.
My question is this: Can I count this experience as another kiss-off email from a friend like I'm so used to getting since it was in person and not via email??? LOL.! Man, I give! I'll tell you this...the more I'm around people the more I love my dog = )

MIKE

My Response:

I think you attract wierdos.

Can I post this on my blog?

I Only Waited a Week This Time

The week is finally over and I am so glad for it. We are surprisingly not going out of our minds with our upcoming swimsuit issue. Everything is lined up and in order, including the swimsuits and models. Everything is running so smoothly.

Last weekend my clutch went out, I think. I would step on the gas and the car was very slow to get moving. I'm thinking it's only going to cost like, $200 to fix. I was WRONG! Try $550! Oh well, life goes on, but I had to find a car I could drive in the meantime. Luckily my very good friend Tony offered to let me drive his car until I get mine fixed (he never god rid of his old car). It's pretty good on gas, so I have something to be greatful for.

More GOOD NEWS! My mom signed the title paperwork on her house today and she can probably get the keys to the house on Tuesday! I'm so glad because she's really been stressing out staying at my brother's house. I only lasted three days there before I finally went nuts (the kids are so loud). I now see how people can go crazy and kill an entire family. I feel a lot better because this was a huge stress on my mother, and the house is REALLY nice. Granite slab countertops, 8ft high doors, upgraded hardware, 42" cabinets. It's amazing! I will be so happy to be back with them again. To be completely honest, I really started to miss everyone.

I have my new haircut. After watching it grow out of control, my mom finally couldn't handle it any more and cut it (maybe she was just bored, a combination of both?). Anyway, I'll have a new picture up as soon as I can.

Have a great weekend and keep you outlook positive!

Sorry, I know It's Been a While, Again

I haven't been very good about writing lately, but I've been staying with a friend of mine since my foreclosure and he doesn't have internet access at home. I'm also not the type to go and hangout at Starbucks just to use the internet. Could be that coffee gives me gas and I don't drink it very often so there's not the option of sitting there with coffee. Anyway, my parents (who lived with me) are in the process of buying a house, and believe it or not, it's even way nicer than the one we moved out of.
The last month has been kind of strange, Rick (the friend (I'm staying with), has been really good about me staying in his house, but his rabbit hasn't been very happy that I've taken his room. This weekend, Rick's sister came to visit from Colorado. She and her husband are very nice people and I really enjoyed chatting with them. Still, it's a little difficult being in someone else's house.
After three weeks apart from my family, I started to miss them a lot. I ended up spending the better part of last weekend at my brother's house, where my mom and dad are staying in the meantime. My mother is starting to feel really stressed out about being in someone else's house. I really don't blame her and to be completely honest, I miss her the most. I am at my older sister's house today because she was in an accident this morning and that's where my mother's been.

On the bright side, things are looking up at work and since I've last posted, I've finished reading the first five books of the bible, which were written by Moses. I've also read Joshua, Judges, Ruth and started reading I Samuel today. I've really learned a lot about my readings. I've found that God does not expect us to be perfect, but he does expect us to try. I just wish my trying was more effective.

Long Time No Hear

I actually wrote this blog on Monday, but didn't post it until now.


Today, Buddy (the editor where I work) mentioned something about sending some magazines to Ted (our former editor, who now works for GLAAD). The last time Ted called, I told Buddy to ask Ted why is it the first time I hear anything from Ted in months is when he wants something. Ted, of course, was on the phone when I said this and I said it loud enough for Ted to hear me say it. Today, I mentioned Ted never emailed me the address to send the magazines. Ted said that Buddy told him I got all bitchy about it. I told Ted that he knows me and that it was only 25% bitchy and the rest was smart ass. I also told Ted that he would have to email me directly and not tell someone else to ask me to do it.

Here is a bit about the weekend.

Last Friday was my best friend Gary’s 30th birthday. Now, he can’t talk about how he’s younger than me, because now he is in his thirties, too. So I went and met him and Chris and another friend of theirs before the Margaret Cho show. I didn’t get to see her because I didn’t know if I’d have the money for the tickets at the time. I also had a friend who worked at Chase Field find out if he could get them for free. He forgot to do this. I missed Margaret and that sucks.
I and Joseph ended up going to get something to eat. He was happy because he found another job and starts on Tuesday. After we ate, we met Gary at Amsterdam. Chris was not with him. Apparently they had a disagreement and Chris took off walking. They had they had both been drinking and were not in their right minds (if they in fact have “right minds”). Later I get a call from Gary that Chris left him walking at 7th Ave & Southern. I was on the way from Amsterdam to Cellblock and had to turn around and go pick Gary up. By the time I got to where he was, he was about a half mile from someone’s house where he wanted me to take him. I thought I might kill him. I told I already drove all the way from downtown because he wanted a ride home and that’s where I was going to take him. Then he told me that he’s just going to turn and go back to where he was. I told him then he can get himself there, FROM HOME. At the intersection of 27th Ave & Baseline he told me he was going to get out of the car (I have a ’98 Mitsubishi Eclipse and he was in the back seat, this was impossible) and he motioned for the door. At this point I turn around in a very paternal voice I told him, “SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP AND I DON’T WANT TO HEAR A DAMN WORD FROM YOU UNTIL WE GET BACK TO YOUR HOUSE.” I didn’t think that would work, but it worked. Unfortunately it made Joseph VERY uncomfortable. It made me feel a LOT better.

I'll Miss You Grito

Monday, I had to be completely out of my house. I had to move all my things by myself because my parents were already done moving everything else. I really am ok over losing the house and I've really been able to keep my head on straight. I was until my told me my dad isn't going to want the dog at the new house they move to. Then my brother told me I couldn't keep the dog at his house (you're welcome for those months you lived at my house rent free and didn't work).
I ended up trying to find a home for my dog on the very last day I had to be in the house before it went up for auction. So we tried my aunt who said she wanted a dog before, but they said they couldn't take him. Then we tried a friend of my mom's who kept mentioning her brother in law who really wanted a dog, but when we asked them, he had to check with his wife and apparently, they didn't want him.
My brother's girlfriend ended finding out that her sister in law wanted a new dog because the one they had wanted to attack their baby. My dog wouldn't do that, so it sounded like a good fit.
I wasn't there when they came to get him at my brother's house and it's a good thing I wasn't because I probably would have broken down and started crying. Since then it's about the only thing that I've been upset about with the whole situtation. Last night, I finally had that breakdown. I tried to sleep, but woke up a couple of times. I'll miss my dog quite a bit, but I take comfort in the fact that he has a good home.
On the bright side, I'm really in a position of freedom where I have essentially nothing tying me down.

HOORAY FOR FREEDOM!