So Much for That...

     I won't be meeting my future kitten today.  The breeder has...issues.  To Wit, "I just dont (sic) feel comfortable selling a kitten to someone who cant give me a decent reference and has no other way of verifying who they are."  Now, apparently, this woman has 2 criteria, one of which must be met for a reference to be "decent:" a)it be from a veterinarian or b)it be on Facebook.  Well, those of you who know my opinion on Facebook will know that if that is a "decent" reference, that I am happy being positively indecent.
     My response was "I have lived and worked in the country for 6 years, with multiple co-workers and employers as references. In addition,  and more importantly, I have a member of the Clerk of the Courts from Edinburgh Chambers who was my reference for my citizenship.  I will take her reference over ANY vet.  It's your time and baby, and off course your choice. I just hope that you open your mind before you keep any more animals from a good home. "
     She DID recommend a kitten from an ad online.  The recommendation also tells something about her.  You see, I was trying to reserve her pedigree kitten.  She recommended a moggy.  Back-handed way of saying that I am not good enough for a pureblood?  I have nothing against Moggies.  ALL of my preveious cats have been moggies.  I was just going to see how the purebred Norweigian Forest Cat side of the fence was.  I guess not today... 

A New Member of the Family

   I haven't posted in quite awhile.  A breeder, looking for a reference, asked for my Facebook.  Now most of you know that I loathe FB.  Most folks who use it can't create their own emails or webpages.  But I do have my blog...out of date, but it shows who I am.

   I am going to meet her tomorrow.  Hopefully, I will impress her, and I will be able to reserve the kitten that I want.  If so, then maybe I can post a photo of wee Luidaeg.  Either way, the blog is back!

I am Running 4 Cancer....

Well, I'm not running to help cancer...I'm not running to get cancer.  I'm running to raise money for the charity Run 4 Cancer...in honor of my late Great Aunt Helen, זיכרונה לברכה.

Click on either of the links below and give, if you can.  Also, feel free to share this site.  Let's save lives and remember a great lady!

My Run 4 Cancer Page

Get Me to the JoP on Time...

   I sit here, in the airport, about to take my last flight as a single man.  This is an experience which I've alternately desired and despaired of reaching.  Still,today, I find myself with butterflies.  This experience should prove as exciting as any...

"May you live in exciting times..."

Tomorrow Comes....

     I saw "Les Miz" today...the film.  I may do a review at some point.  It has some weaknesses, but the strengths far outweigh them.  What I will say now is how I feel that this film is needed...right now.  Redemption as a gift and a choice,  loving someone, anyone as seeing the face of G-d, and finally, the surety that, even though we lose battles in our struggle, progress has been made...Tomorrow comes!

This is the lovely afternoon that I had awaiting me at The Mound in Edinburgh.  This was the setting for a blind date.  Perfect, huh? 

Below was my day today.  I spent some time outside, enjoying the kind of sun which DOESN'T come with unbearable temperatures and humidity.

How strange it is that I'm in Scotland, enjoying the beautiful sun(matched with perfect Autumnal temperatures), and my mates and family back in Myrtle Beach, are inundated with rain (surely to be followed by excessively humid heat).  I figured that I MUST rub it in!  ;-)




   Alas, I'd love to post some photos here....It seems that Blogger, in trying to "OutFacebook Facebook," has made it impossible for me to upload pics at this moment.  It all seems to be connected to their Google + (although the entire thing is a big minus in my opinion).  I can't even sign in to Picasa, because their attempt to get me to allow my photos to be displayed in my G+ profile (which I don't mind doing...) has caused a glitch.  Sigh.  More when I CAN post photos...

In the dead, dark hours after midnight, when the world seems to stop in it's place...

I sit here, in the center of a funnel.

Does the ripping wind foretell a hurricane,

Thrashing, tearing, leaving destruction in its wake?

The last storm's progeny still creep

About me, surprising in their strength.

Might one of them be that which might lift skyward,

Dropping me into lands of danger and hope.

Thrashing, scanning, soaring, I survey the storm.

Welcome to Katniss!

I was feeling a little alone here in Purgatory and bemoaning not knowing where I'd be next year (the excuse that I've used to forgo pet ownership for the last few years), when I realized that I could commit to finding a domicile which accepts cats. So, less than 20 hours later, I was bringing home Katniss from a local shelter. 48 hours later, I have ZERO regrets!

First Draft Done!

I happily emailed the first draft of my thesis to my advisor today. I don't know what to do with myself!

...but, I did treat myself by going to see "Thor," so were I to meet Chris Helmsworth, I'd know what to do with him!!

Equal Time for Dryads

A Peppy Little Sonnet About the Snow

A day full of promise, hope, and new-fallen snow

I snap into my bindings, and downhill I go

Cruising down the mountain, music in my ears

Right there in my element, outrunning my fears

From a path out of site, comes a skier behind

Think I'll ride down beside him. Don't think he will mind

For a day or forever, our paths curved as one

Cutting, each complimenting as the other one spun

But the skier, his interest, it dwindled a bit

From his inattention -a crash, and from it my board split

So I sit in the snow on this beautiful day

But my riding partner is skiing away

My source of locomotion is gone now, kaput

And which pain is the greater, my heart or my foot?

Paging Sparky

If you're out there, and you read this. Please email: phoenixlove137@gmail.com

"Writing Again" From Seanan McGuire's Cover of We're About 9

I just wanted to leave you this

One last note in your window
Before you disappear
I wanted to concatenate

The paper with the pen
With the hand that you left here
I wanted to show you
That I'm still breathing
I wanted to show you
My fingers still bend
I wanted to thank you for giving me something
To be all bitter about
It's good to be writing again

And I didn't want to wallow
So I'm writing a peppy
Little sonnet about the snow
And I think you would like it
And I guess that's what I really miss

And there's something bothering me
What I wanted to say is

Oops, I didn't mean to get all heavy
I mean, really, I am doing just fine
When I look at your picture
You are foreign to me
You are practically out of my mind
And this is the season, I thought, for all summer
And this is the reason I emptied my mind
On to pieces of paper that don't hold the answers
Just clear-headed questions
And the memories
Of warmer times

And I've sworn off of lovers
But I've adopted a cat
With paws the color of snow
And I think you would like her
And I guess that's what I really miss

And there's something bothering me
What I wanted to say is

So, here it goes this is my letter
To tell you the truth, I can't tell if I'm better
I've been thinking about the way most
Things are difficult to open and easier to close

But closure isn't something hat you get with a person
It's a plan interrupted by snow
Or a division of property

I gain that. You gain this.

And there's something bothering me
What I wanted to say is

I wanted to tell you
That I'm still
Breathing
I wanted to show you
My fingers
Still bend
I wanted to thank you
For giving me something
To be all bitter about
It's good to be writing again
It's good to be writing again

A New Decade

I find myself comtemplating what works for me, and what doesn't. I seem to view my life through the lens of Romantic Comedies...the good ones, anyway. I'm in some version of "Sweet Home Alabama," where I've left my roots and Southern friends, and now, I've come back to the South, only to be bitchy and disrespectful to the folks here. Of course, that ignores the fact that, here, I'm surrounded by bigots and selfish voters who care more for their own pocket change than for the lives of their fellows.

The future that I long for is direct from "The Family Stone," a holiday surrounded by children and grandchildren, with all that entails. That dream ignores the expense of Massachusetts living and the greater expense of having children.

The middle of the story is missing, but one thing is certain to me. It's not here. I'll be leaving South Carolina this summer. The path is set. Time to get ready for it!

In my 40th year, I've realized what I want, what I need, and what I can't accept. Now, I begin learning what I must do to find what I can accept.

Triage

I've found that a state of living in the new world is a feeling that something is bleeding from me...Sometimes it's energy...Sometimes time. I've been scrambling, trying to make it to the metaphorical ER, where I can have the wounds closed, but that's a long trip. I'm out in the field here, and I believe that I've just realized that I need some triage, to keep me going until I can reach the field hospital.

Anyone else feel similar?

Moved

Yesterday, a friend from grad school emailed me. It seems that she'd been moved by my writing on this site. I have to say that I was moved by her positive response. I intend to make a concerted effort to post more often.

One Day I'll Fly Away...

I follow the night
Can't stand the light
When will I begin
To live again?

One day I'll fly away
Leave all this to yesterday
What more could your Love do for me?
When will Love be through with me?

Why live life from dream to dream?
And dread the day when dreaming ends

One day I'll fly away
Leave all this to yesterday
Why live life from dream to dream?
And dread the day when dreaming ends...

Will Jennings

When In Rome

When in Rome,

I'll do as the Romans do.

But then, in any city,

I'll think of you.

Your dirt.

Your smell.

The bitter cold.

Radiating heat.

Art so profound as to make you weep.

Neither cheap nor easy,

Yet one of the best things in life.

The dream of millions,

You draw them all,

Chew some up, and spit them out.

Others of us

You never let go.

When Time It Stands Still...

When the things that need to be done outnumber the minutes in a day,

When the folks who've helped you in the past fade away,

When the sense of the possible isn't there,

When it's become a chore even to care,

When time, it stands still about you,

And loneliness makes your heart ache.

When dreams cause you nothing but pain,

And the lack just makes your heart break.

The youth of your face is a lie.

Yet your wisdom will not tell you why.

The ease of the past, it is gone,

And you feel yourself cast as a pawn.

When time, it stands still about you,

You ponder the now and the then.

Painful future, uncertain now,

But...Oh, to feel where you have been...

Each day facing the brutal banality,

Stuck there in sentimentality,

Within you courage to decide,

Live life or just simply abide?

When time, it stands still about you,

Each day of'ring only the same.

Gather spice and wood for your nest,

Find salvation again in the flame.

Day 50 of the Spill in My Heart

This is the largest disaster that I've ever experienced. The financial burden is considerable. I'm shuffling money around,trying to organize the cleanup. It's tough, but I'm making it happen. The tried and true industries of the past are out of commission. Innovation seems to be keeping the area alive, but alive isn't living. The folks battling the leak are a continual source of strength. Amongst the tragedy exist the odd moments of unexpected joy. They are priceless.

The hole in my heart, like the leak in The Gulf seems to resist all efforts to plug the leak. Sadly, as in BP's leak, the spew went almost unnoticed and unaddressed for too long at the beginning. When the dangers of the problem became apparent, I, like Obama, BP, and Republicans did a lot of anxious whirling. Sadly, nothing seemed to help. My tension rose, like that of the US. As vacationers flocked to new spots not on The Gulf of Mexico, I went to new places. While some were interesting. they hold no candle to where I was before.

My brain, the "CEO" which got me into this situation, is suspect. The trouble is, that he's saying that he'd "like his life back," and, that's the truth. Unfortunately, there's a #$@%ing hole in my heart and no machinery imaginable to plug it up. Capping that difficulty, the damage from the leak has damaged the fragile environment of my precious world. How can I repair that?

Buy These Now!

Many of you have heard me rave about Heather Alexander's albums. Lately, you've heard me talk about Alexander James Adams, Tricky Pixie, and S.J. (Sooj) Tucker. THEY ALL ROCK! (in common parlance)

I was on Youtube, listening to these artists, as well as Seanan McGuire. They currently take up much of my Ipod time. I went to Seanan's website ( www.seananmcguire.com ) and was lookinge over the songs of her 4 albums...longing to be able to order the fourth...The first three were offered from a run of 1,000.

...

Folks, I've gotten untold hours of enjoyment out of these CDs. I LOVE them...adore them...and I paid not a single dime for them.

Tricky Pixie was playing for the release party of Seanan's second book. I went to see TP...I bought Seanan's books as a "thank you" for her providing TP for me. What I'd really hoped for that night was the chance to buy one of her CDs, because I'd heard her name in the Filk community. The raffle ticket that I got for buying the book WON ME ALL THREE OF HER CDS! (Maybe I shouldn't use all caps there...I hadn't heard them yet. I'd only have purchased one, probably....But I F**%&&% LVE THEM!)

I had no idea what I'd found...until the last music of the evening..."Wicked Girls Saving Ourselve," when Seanan got up and sang...

At some point, my tongue hit the ground, and I forgot that I'm a gay man. I fell head over heels for her. Later, when I actually read her books, I began planning to barter for eggs, so that I can pass that brilliance on to my offspring. But you don't need to go that far. Just know that "Wicked Girls" has a print run of 1000 copies. Be worried that I have many friends.

Order yours NOW!

This Man is Incredible...May the right eyes see this.

A Call in the Darkness....

When things get too dark to see, it helps to listen. Well, this is me, listening. I listened to Fae Hollow and to the winds of change. A big change is needed. Kore and I can not do this alone. So I am calling out in the darkness and listening for an answer..........

Let me put it succinctly.........

Since the rescue of Fae Hollow with all of your loving, gracious help, Kore and I have fought, and fought but to no avail. No amount of penny pinching, going without, or borrowing from friends will get us out of what essentially is a sub prime loan that is above our financial ability to conquer in this current economy.

We thought we could negotiate for more time. We were wrong. On July 9^th, 2010, Fae Hollow goes up for auction by the foreclosing loan agent. We need $30,000 by July 1^st to stop this from happening. This is beyond our means to borrow. What we need is not a rescue but an investment partner. We need to secure the money necessary to stop the auction and someone of good credit who can co-sign or out right buy Fae Hollow in order to put mortgage payments into an affordable perspective.

What we offer in return is part ownership of 30+ acres of magical land. Fae Hollow has an incredible power of magic and healing and we want to protect that. It has always been a wish of ours to share this power with others in the form of workshops and week-end long events but we have never even gotten the mortgage under control, let alone set up the provisions necessary for this to happen.

I had hoped if we worked hard enough we could do this by ourselves. My emergence from the land of Fae has since then taught me some hard realities to the contrary.

We do not want to lose this place of music and magic. We are open to serious business propositions or ideas that could make this happen.

We have a potential plan that could start working as early as late July or August involving the workshops if we could just stop the foreclosure sale.

I’m sorry this comes at such late notice. As I said, we were trying to do this alone, and having imposed on the Heatherlands once, and personal friends more than that, we felt that we needed to do this ourselves. Against our best efforts, it has not worked out that way.

So, as we approach the longest day of the year, I bow my head and pray that the light of the Solstice will illuminate a way to allow Kore and I and now some others to steward this magical land for the enjoyment and healing of all.

Thus I call into the Darkness and listen...................

Please do not respond to this message. Contact us directly at celticougarnw@aol.com or call the Sea Fire phone line at 503.866.2988.

With love & blessings to you all,

aja

The Blog's Back!

I'm returning to you, my pretties!

Family Visit, Take III

My niece and my fiance.

Family Visit, Take II

My niece and I.

Family Visit, Take I

My mom and niece.

I'm Engaged!!!!

Happy 24th!

Happy birthday Will!

Mazal Tov Jill!

...and here I am with the new Rev!

Rev. Jill Sizemore!

Here she is...newly ordained...The Reverend Jill Sizemore (with Joshua Love).

Amen!

There Joshua goes, preaching...see Stephanie Smith in the background. You can almost hear her saying "That's Right!"

Preach It!!

That's Joshua, in a spiffy new "Interfaith" stole. He's preaching it, at MCCSF!

Creating Change Through Queer Theology

Joshua Love, in his and Rev. Nancy Wilson's workshop, from Creating Change '09 in Denver....Truly a great conference and a great workshop!

Hello!
I'm back in the Blogosphere! Firstly, those of you who subscribe to Netflix (Truly, a blessing!) should add us as your friends. We're registered under the email joshuallove@gmail.com Just add us, and we can share recommendations. I hope that everyone is well!

Much Love!

December-Happy Holidays!

Crossroads

I stand at a crossroads. I take that back. I stand at multiple crossroads. Each choice defines what I will be. Each step that I take, down each path, has a million consequences. These consequences are simultaneously equal and mor than any choice that I've made in the past. Every choice has, in a sense, created a new world and killed infinite others. These new choices however, grow in significance as the opportunities to correct them dwindle.
I find now that I can no longer stomach both beating myself up and having others finish that job. What value is a life? People with less have done more. Can a man serve two masters? Is there a balance between living to stay alive and actually living? What's the difference between compromise and giving up hope of being yourself?

Sunday in SF

Welcome to SF, Bobby G....I hope that you survive the experience!

To all of you who have been clamoring for an update, here's a beginning...
To those of you who've moved X-country, you know that it'll be awhile before I'm up to regular entries.
I'm tending bar at the Hard Rock SF...Stop in and see me, if you're in the area. I tend to work Tuesday-Friday day shifts.
I'm also looking for a bar tending gig elsewhere. If you have suggestions, please share!

The title of this post alludes to another group that just relocated to The Bay Area. Anyone know who they are?

A Peak at What's to Come...

Winter snow hits during Madeline's visit...She gets to see snow fall AND stick for the first time in her life! I'll try to get more posted soon.

My Mom's Shop in Harvard Sq., but They Mispelled It

That's "Leveta Pierce," guys.

A Sign of Things to Come

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...That's how I'll remember the night of January 26, 2008.

Now THESE Boys are Fine!

I'm Glad that I Don't Need Glasses Yet

I mean, look at Jonathan's...

Tara Enjoys Skipjacks

The meal was nice. We'd hoped to cap it off with Finale, but they had an hour wait, so we took some deserts home! Creme Brule! Yum!

Rabbit Ears

No one told me that she was doing that!

What You Lookin' At?

Two brothers, alike in so many ways...different in others. The story is not done yet...

MIT has been trying to get me to stay in the area...

They seem to have a building for me. LOL. I think that Madeline should work there. Law and Medicine are overrated. She needs to be an Engineer!

The Other Side

It does look a bit like a drunken robot party, doesn't it?

MIT's Controversial Building

Jonathan, Leveta, and Gary Pierce, and the Stata Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Frank Gehry, the designer, once said it "looks like a party of drunken robots got together to celebrate."

At Harvard Universtiy

We could be Harvard students. Madeline may be, in the future...I'm pushing for MIT, though.

Someone's Butt is Gonna Get Wet

Coffee in Cambridge

The Pierce Men

I caught a wild one!

Which Photo is best?

Looks like Madeline's made her pick!

The Family's Here-Watch Out Boston!

Mornings Are the Worst

They're so full of...possibilities.

What may happen? What might have happened overnight?

The dreams are done, for a time.

The cold outdoors awaits.

I shall return to you, Love,

When the sun sets, and Morpheus again takes me back

To our Kingdom underground.

2008

I haven't posted for awhile. I haven't really had the time. The end of 2007 was a particularly trying time for me. I lost one of the men closest to me in the world. That man will be featured in a blog entry sometime soon. That loss, combined with a misunderstanding with a friend, lead to my re-evaluating my life, particularly my life in Boston.

Boston didn't come out looking particularly good from that eval. The early soul-searching was dark, and it proved to be a lonely time. I knew that something waited on the other side of my analysis. As 2007 wound down, I made some new, real friends. The turning to 2008 truly felt momentous.

It has proven so thus far. I'd let Boston affect me too much. I'd compromised myself. I can't let that happen anymore. All of the things that I've feared will not dictate my future. It's time that Bobby G came back.

What does that mean, practically? Well, for one thing, I've had an incredibly momentous January. Incredibly momentous? What does that mean? Can't you write clearly? LOL.

Life isn't always clear. We do not see it all. Right now, I'm more scared about the future than I've ever been. The path that I was on last year is no longer good enough for me. I can do more. I will do more.

I challenge you, I ask you, I plead with you to help me. Do more. Feel more. Be more, than you have been. The world awaits, for us to repair it.

G-d bless you.

I'm Ready to Audition Again!!!

More Water Park Videos

Aunt Helen Enters The Blog

She hates photos, but she looks so good in them.

Hair Wars

There's the niece getting the better of my hair...and her's!

Madeline Rides the Bus for the First Time!

The Video Worked! More on the way!

That's my girl, Rayna. Her son, Tyler, should appear in the blog soon.

First attempt at the new VIDEO feature!

Shot at Wild Water & Wheels in Surfside Beach, SC!

Beginning the Myrtle Pics...

I'm back from vacation, and ready to tease you with some photos.....

Staff on Staff 7:Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back into the Blog!

Sure Nick's scary...but give him a break! He rode the short bus to school!

Staff on Staff 6: Lelle Has Entered the Blogging!

If I go back into show business...this one's in charge of my PR!

Staff on Staff 5: Cleveland in Da House!

...or "My friend came in from Cleveland, and all I got was this lousy pic!

Staff on Staff 4: Thug Alert!

Back in yo' cage, bitches!