Some Cathcing Up...

It’s been over a month.

Valentine’s Day was great.

Parker and I are doing better than I ever though possible. Definitively, this has been the best relationship of my life. His birthday is next week, on March 1 and I have some surprises in store. I will share them after his actual birthday because I am sure he frequents this site.

When I started this blog, the entire premise was dedicated to my having three roommates in a four bedroom house. Currently, I have one roommate, who comes and goes and is in the process of purchasing his own home. Chris is doing very well for himself. His internship with PriceWaterhouse and Coopers developed into an actual job. Currently studying for his CPA exam, Chris has a very bright and prosperous future ahead of himself.

Joe is in Orlando, living with his lover, Robert. They have been together well over a year now.

And of course, Aaron moved back to Los Angeles in November. Still not talking to each other a great deal. I assume he is well.

That’s the premise of the blog. If you read the first couple of entries, you will also see that Aaron was in the process of mentoring and possibly adopting a foster child, Little Joey. Well, a large part of my month-long hiatus results from Little Joey.
When Aaron left, he left Joey. I committed myself to being a constant in Joey’s life. He spent the holidays with me and I purchased him some new clothes. Not only did I assume responsibility for Joey, but also so did my close friends (The First Family). Double Dees bought Joey some gifts, our friends Sean and William took him into their church (The Power Center) and Uncle Fe Fe even began classes to adopt him.

Dealing

It’s been almost a week since I was burglarized and a detective will come on Thursday to survey the home and take fingerprints. It may not make a difference, but I was insistent that an actual detective come out and take fingerprints. I have very little hope of regaining my stolen items, but I do want to see the police do their job.

I am a public employee as well. If I don’t do my job, people suffer. The same thing is true of law enforcement officers. If they sit on their asses in police cars, cruising men4now and adam4adam or wait on the side of the interstate for speeders, thieves and other criminals have a free ticket to rob, steal, and pillage through my shit.

As I have gone through this event, I have experienced a range of emotions. Shock, relief, disappointment, sadness, anxiety, and anger: all plausible reactions.

Parker has been supportive.

These fools done got me, shawty!

Yesterday my home was burglarized.

I came home from work, late as hell as usual and I noticed that my front door was open. My first instinct was, Damn… Did I leave the door open? I walked into my house and noticed that my television was gone. I was then like, Damn, because I left my door open, my television was stolen.

It did not occur to me that someone had broken into the house until I went into my ransacked bedroom and realized someone had broken into my home and went through everything I have in search of whatever was of value and they took whatever was of value.

My wall-mounted, 52-inch television, surround sound stereo, ipod, laptop, and ENTIRE DVD collection- all gone.

I feel violated. My home does not feel like a home at all, now. It feels like anxiety and apprehension and dread.

I asked Parker to spend the night with me but he told me he couldn’t because he had a job interview the next day and wanted to make sure he was well-rested.

New Year Follies

The new year kicked off with hilarity.

While we are nine days into 2008,I would be remiss if I did not share my New Year’s experience.

While many people across the country have made watch-night service an annual tradition for starting the New Year since 2000, this was my first year going to a watch-night service. I, along with some of the first family (Uncle Mallory, his lover Mitchell, Cousin Douglas, Cousin Rodeshia, and Double Dees) attended Tabernacle Baptist Church in Downtown Atlanta.

The service was lively and, while it should not have been, funny.

The church girls cut up (Cousin Rodeshia included). One girl even pulled out a homemade tambourine with mini-tambourines attached. Shake your tambourine, girl gone get your Jesus in!

Testimonies abounded.

“I just wanna thank the lawd for 2007. While it was a hard year, and lawd it was hard, I done made it through. My lights was off, my gas was off, and my water was off. I had to cut the water on outside down the hill every night after the water department closed and turn if off every morning before going to work. I done finally got my water back on, and praise God, I have not got no water bill in three months!”

While I understand and empathize with the financial difficulties displayed by this young lady (okay, it was a young man.. um.. er.. it was really a young lady) the fact that no water bill has been mailed in three months is a major problem. The Atlanta City water department is going to get him right together.

After church, I met up with Parker (who is somewhat opposed to organized religion) and we went to a house party off Cascade Road. The party was hot (especially since there were no other free parties getting any buzz that night) until the homeowner (a little drunk) started waving a knife and telling the kids to get the hell out of his house. To be fair, a drunken partygoer who was regurgitating in a black bag was the impetus for the party’s conclusion.

After the party, a group of us caravanned to downtown Atlanta to eat at an all you can eat diner where the gratuity was high, the waiter was slow, the manager was ruder, and the first family ruder.
All in all, the night was one hot mess and we all know how much fun those messes can be.

This Christmas... I am broke as hell!

The holidays are here and the money is low. This year was difficult financially for me and for many of the people I have spoken to. Throughout 2007, numerous friends lost jobs and altered their lifestyles. I cannot help but wonder why 2007 was such a difficult year, financially?

The worst thing about my lack of holiday money is that I made more money in 2007 than I have ever made in my life.

I realized last year that I wanted 2008 to be an important year in my life. I realized in order to have the year I wanted in 2008, I would have to make sacrifices in 2007. I did some of that but life definitely hit hard.

I splurged on two big vacations (Puerto Rico and New York) and wasted money on an exorbent birthday party.

In 2008, I am going on a diet- a debt diet (and for those of you who have seen my increasing ass around ATL, a conventional diet as well). I hope to do more with less. In have plans for 2008 and they all involve discipline.

On a positive note, I have purchased all of my Christmas gifts (thank you MBNA- now Bank of America). A clear credit card is a holiday must. I know, I know… I will suffer next month, but hey, the debt diet has yet to start.

The Great Gatsby is alive and well

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 classic, The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway, the disillusioned narrator states, "There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams — no through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion…" After attending the grandest party of 2007, I realize I may have done in my haste for love exactly what Gatsby did in his quest to win Daisy’s love.

On Saturday, Brock and Zolton hosted one of the best parties of the year.

Brock and Zolton are gay black Atlanta socialites who embody the American dream. Close friends of Uncle Mallory’s lover, Michael, I was fortunate to bond with both Brock and Zolton in mountains. Married eight years, both men are professionals and investors and they live in a beautiful home south of Atlanta.

The sprawling home was ornately decorated for the Christmas party. With four fully decorated Christmas trees, a full bar, an impressive gym (that included a sauna and Jacuzzi), I was floored at the home and the life the two men have built together. Eight years apart in age, I felt an immediate connection and wanted Parker to attend the party. I was impressed and I knew Parker would be equally impressed.

Parker spent the day with his family, who came up to shop from South Georgia. I could not wait for Parker to arrive at the party. When he finally arrived, he looked less than enthused. As I gave him a tour of the home, he carried himself in a lethargic manner. I asked him if he could see us living in such an extravagant home and he told me he could not see that far into the future. It made me realize that there may be no future for us.

As much as I love Parker and as much as he claims he loves me, I am not foolish enough to think that this relationship could not end on a moment’s notice.

I actually decided to commit to Parker at my birthday party. Every time he met someone, he introduced himself as Parker, Corey’s boyfriend. This was a huge step for him and it made a huge difference to me. I realize now that perhaps, like Gatsby, I allowed myself to get carried away with a dream.

As Emily Dickinson said, “Hope is the thing with feathers, That perches in the soul, And sings the tune--without the words, And never stops at all…” My hope is that this will last, but again, my hope may prove as fleeting as a twenty year old’s love.

Living Just Enough for the City- December 4, 2007

The Big Event of the Week:
Let’s Get Lit 2007 (Reygan’s Annual Birthday Party)
A great party hosted by a gorgeous guy, this event will be filled with the who’s who of HOTLANTA. Everyone I know is invited, so this may be the biggest party of the year.
Date: Friday, December 7, 2007
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Information: While I received an evite, the event is open to invited guests of invited guests. Find a friend who’s going and get there if you can.

Set the DVR for: America’s Next Top Model, Cycle 9! I simply cannot get enough of Tyra and the girls (Ms. J., you included honey.) While Heather was my early pick, Selicia is my hands down favorite. I think Chantal, however, will walk away with the win. Whatever the case may be, there are four more episodes so tune in and let’s dish the dirt.

Reviews are in for: This Christmas and it sucked. I am actually blogging about it soon.

The most recent CD that got my money is: Alicia Key’s All I Am and I must say it is a solid effort. Everyone is gah-gah over this young man and I must say the CD was worth my coins. It is not, however, worthy of the high praise it is receiving. Keysha Cole’s CD Just Like You was much better.

Something Considered: Mark Twain said- “Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.” As I look to how I am going to make my life a better life, it is important to consider who I am choosing to be in my life and what role they play. I urge you to do the same with your life and with those you allow to be a part of it.

Must Read Blog of the Week: http://thecynicalones.blogspot.com/ This blog is laugh your ass off funny! I promise that anyone who reads it will want to bookmark it for future reads.

A New Blog to Visit: http://pimusique.blogspot.com/ Interesting. Let’s just leave it at that…