Wow.

Thanks, Galyna. Without your help, I would have never found the words to say how I felt. Thanks so much for putting your nose in where it doesn't belong. If I hadn't already known where your loyalties lie, this incident certainly showed me. Have a wonderful life.

I've said it before, I'll say it again for those in the back who didn't catch it the first zillion times: My journal, my business. Anyone who can't abide by that one simple rule, can leave. As for the rest of you, thank you for having the maturity to not spread my business around.

We all got together to celebrate the birth of Our Blessed Lady of liquidmyst at Albasha's last night. It was a lot of fun, as usual. Everyone stayed sober, which didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. Those who came (besides liquidmyst and cremice, of course) were myself, oddlyenough77, skyana, tatecakes, virtuoso, augustus, angelus_dolorum, penguinet, and wholeofthemoon. happy_phantom37 showed up after work. It was nice. I'd never been to dinner with this many members of the gang before, and let me just say that they don't censor themselves in public for the "straight" people, which is a good thing.

skyana and tatecakes came up with the nifty idea to leave fake_accent a little surprise on her car; she was at work, which is right nearby the restaurant. So, after dinner, the three of us and happy_phantom37 went and left skyana's panties on her side mirror. 'Twas fun. I can only imagine the shitfit she had in the parking lot when she found them. :) On another note, riding in skyana's convertible was so snazzy. I'd only ridden in a convertible once before, so it was a relatively new experience for me. I want my own, dammit. ;)

After that, we all went back to the house and hung out. paranatural and chanesama came by, for a bit of Magic and Pimp. I won the first round of Pimp, but liquidmyst rallied (i.e., exacted her bloody revenge) and won the second. (Pssst: I actually let her win; 'twas her birthday, after all. Hee. Not really.) I get really competitive during games. I always have. I feel like sometimes that makes me out to be an asshole. I'm really not. :)

After that, we put on The Incredibles, during which I struggled to stay awake (because I was tired, not because I dislike the movie -- I love it) and people gradually left. liquidmyst and cremice passed out on the floor with each other, and I absolutely did not snap a picture of them with my camera phone. :) I took happy_phantom37 and virtuoso to her car at Albasha's, and then went home and slept. Ahhhh, glorious sleep; the best way to end any night out.

So . . . what's next? New Orleans is off, so who wants to hang tonight??

To carla, freckledphreak, hoppapope, kikisub, monkeylaurie, pisceslove71 (well, almost . . .hehe), powerof3, rubyredlsu, and serosion, I wish you ladies all the best on this day. Hope you're having a good one.

Now I'm going to spend some time with the best mom on the planet, my own. I love her very very very much, and am thankful for her every day. (Even with those obnoxious lectures.)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO MOMS EVERYWHERE!!

I just got out of the bathtub after cutting my grass and working at my grandmother's for a couple hours. There's nothing like a nice hot bath after some hard work, followed by a nice day of no responsibilities, followed by another nice day of no responsibilities, to bring a smile to my face. I love the weekend.

Went to dinner with fake_accent and happy_phantom37 last night. It was rather surreal, to say the least. If there had been a midget involved, it would have been just like a David Lynch film. The owner of the restaurant (who all three of us knew beforehand) held us hostage for over an hour while he shamelessly hit on Julie and rambled on about stuff that made not a bit of sense. Well, the times he referred to gay people as "Fruit Loops" and "Fruity Pebbles" were pretty clear. Nothing says class like using food products to describe people. He claims he's cool with it; however, I don't see him as remotely sincere. He wasn't making much sense, and what few complete thoughts he did manage to get out sounded really scripted, like he was trying to say "the right thing" and win us over. I also don't get how he goes off on how he still loves his ex, and can't picture being in a serious committed relationship with anyone else for a long time, then, in the same breath, asks Julie out on a date. Breeders are so weird.

Anyway, after our Twin Peaks experience, we went to Big Mike's. (The original plans to go grab some coffee were thwarted by Julie's restaurant man.) Juliet and I played games on the little whatchamacallit at the end of the bar, while Julie chatted with an old friend. After a few hours, I headed home and crashed into bed. Nice evening all around. Hope for many more.

P.S. How many people knew Michael Vartan was in To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar back in the day? I was just watching it, and saw him. He's the hoodlum that Wesley Snipes grabs by the crotch. How crazy. He's on Alias and was in the movies Never Been Kissed and One Hour Photo. He's hot. That's him in my icon. Yummy.

So this past weekend was loads of fun. Much thanks for Shellie and Joey for the use of their humble abode for most of the festivities, as well as full access to their kitchen. Love you guys!!

So Friday night was the "big-o" party celebrating Joey's birthday. Tons of people were there, and much fun was had. Some highlights include:

-"Hooter McBirdiebutt";

-a certain someone who shall remain nameless putting on a dress and a blond pigtailed wig and doing his traditional party reading of I'm My Daddy, as well as a mini-fashion show starring that person and the Other Shelly (I swear, they made me do it);

-Shannon's sexy hair, which she had just gotten "did";

-Gabby's constantly shouting "I'm not drunk" in between multiple times of staggering to the bathroom to pee, followed by being carried off to bed by myself, Randall and Shellie;

-one of the cats molesting J.B.'s shoe;

-Juliet, Jessica, and me crashing on the floor in a pile watching Invader Zim before our first attempt to sleep; Jessica and I eventually crashed about 5 a.m., while Juliet was out by 2 a.m., therefore missing everything that came after, including . . .

-the late night flight of Joey and Shellie to rescue a loved one from the clutches of the po-po's (nope, not Sam this time -- Joey's had a busy week);

-meeting the mysterious Vance at long last!!;

-taquitos, tots, and, last but certainly not least, the Star Wars fruit snacks provided by Juliet!

Yeah. So that was just Friday. Saturday, after a quick breakfast of fruit, OJ, and donuts, I went home, changed, and came back to town to meet a huge group of folks for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Fun movie. Have to read the books now. After that, Juliet, Jessica and I headed to Albasha for some Geek and Lesbian food. T'was fun. Went back home for some quiet time, headed back to Shellie and Joey's to watch Carnivale. Got to see my Julie, which always makes my day a little brighter. Late-night Taco Bell run with Juliet. Went home about 2 a.m. and passed out while watching Gilmore Girls.

Got up around noon on Sunday. Bummed around the house. Did a little laundry. Went to meet Juliet and Jessica at Ichiban at 5. (Apparently, the three of us are like the new Joy Luck Club or something.) Found a new dish: the chicken teriyaki is sublime. Yummy. Then back to Shellie and Joey's to watch Firefly. I think the Other Shelly and I may have converted our pals to be as obsessed with the show as we are. Yay!! Julie came by; she, Juliet, Jessica and I had good conversation in the carport while they smoked their icky death-sticks. Then, after a late-night run to Wal-Mart with Juliet (my friends love me because I have a Wal-Mart discount card, haha) I went home and crashed, and awoke bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning.

In short, the weekend was "most excellent", in Shellie's words. It's nice to be able to put all your cares aside for a couple of days and just sort of cut loose and have a good time with good friends. I'm so grateful to everyone (well, almost everyone; a certain person whose name starts with "J" and ends with "im" didn't really score any brownie points with me) for a great, fun weekend. What are we doing next weekend?? :)

P.S. Before I go, I want to give mad props to my girl Shannon. She got the job!!! Yay, now I have a sugar momma!! :) Just kidding. You go, woman! You earned it! I'm so proud of you.

I just bought my and Andrea's Star Wars tickets online. I also purchased two extra tickets for the showing, which is at 12:01 a.m. on May 19 at Rave. If you would like one or both of these tickets, I need either $7.25 each (the amount I paid for them) or your solemn promise that you will pay me for them when you can. NOTE: Most everybody will need to actually pay the money before I give them a ticket; only a few select people will be able to get away with giving me their promise, and they most likely know who they are. Sorry if this is bitchy, but I just want to cover my own ass.

There are two showings at 12:01 on opening day; one is sold out already. If you wish to buy your own tickets, do not wait. Obviously they're not going to last long. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you would like to go to the show, GET YOUR TICKETS AS SOON AS YOU CAN. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE, OR YOU WILL GET SCREWED. I would really like a big group of people to come to this thing; please make sure you're one of these people.

NOTE: If you are unable to get to the theater to get your own ticket, I will be happy to buy your ticket for you if you pay me beforehand. Get with me on this if you're interested.

Oh holy Lord. I just participated in the Flamin' Wing contest at Buffalo Wild Wings. The object of the contest is to eat twelve Flamin' Wings in six minutes. No water. To give you an idea of how hot a Flamin' Wing is, happy_phantom37 later told me that she once saw a guy make an old greenish penny shiny as new by swirling it around in just the Flamin' BBQ Sauce. (Had she told me this before, I would have probably had more reservations before doing this.)

Needless to say, I did not manage to eat all twelve Wings. I made it through four, and probably could have eaten more, but one of the other guys had it in the bag. I mean, by the time I did four, he was at ten. This dude was a pro. I knew I didn't stand a chance. Not even for the pair of Elton John tickets they were giving to the winner. (!!!!!) Although I gotta give props to the best damn cheering section in the place: liquidmyst, paranatural, happy_phantom37, viasaman, and penguinet. You guys rock. (See what you miss by leaving early, prepaid_lunch, princess_333, and Lindsay?? Hee.)

I'm annoyed a little. I overheard one of the girls in the winner's cheering section talking about being able to sell the tickets. I was like, "How the fuck can you even talk about selling Elton John tickets? I'd give my right testicle to see Elton John in concert." So it pisses me off. I was so hoping to add another aging-queen concert to my and fake_accent's list, right next to Cher. (Sorry, guys, Julie would have totally had dibs on that second ticket.)

Other than my burning mouth (and right eye -- note to self: wash your hands more than once after eating Flamin' Wings or don't rub your eye), life is good. School's almost out. Work's going well (I have every weekend off from now on out, can't complain about that). Okay, well, I'm gonna go shower and curl up in bed with a movie.

Feel free to comment with any "flaming" jokes you can come up with. :)

"Grandma just called and said you're supposed to go home. She said she doesn't want you here when she gets back because you've been ruining everybody's lives and eating all our steak."

Today is a good day.

Despite the new Nazi Pope. Despite the fact that I have to work tomorrow.

It's a good day because I'm alive. I have air in my lungs and a glass of wine in my hand. I have the use of all of my body parts. (some get used more than others, but so be it). I have friends and family that I like spending time with and who like spending time with me in return. I have laughed and smiled more in the last four weeks than I have in the last four years.

Today is a good day. Hope you're all having a good day too.

I just woke up from a dream about Ashley. In it, she called me on my cellphone but I didn't answer. So the next thing I know, she's following me into my house, chattering nonstop about random stuff I couldn't figure out. There's most likely some symbolism in there, but I'm not really awake enough to try and interpret it.

I haven't seen or spoken to her since December, right before New Year's Eve, in fact. I am so glad she's not around; I have wonderful friends, who are mostly sane. But a small part of me is sad about it. I guess you can't really be friends with someone for four whole years, especially as close as she and I were, and not feel sad about ending the friendship. (I can only imagine what Shannon felt after she and Lana parted ways after nearly two decades.)

I feel sorry for Ashley, in part. She's not good at making friends, and she drives the ones she has away with her bipolar and her constant need to be with them. Her parents treat her like their puppet, filling her full of pharmaceuticals and giving her the illusion of "independence" while pulling all her strings. But I can't stay friends with her out of pity. There has to be a give-and-take. You have to work at friendship. A conversation with you cannot be all about you. You have to listen to the other person too. And multiple gifts at Christmas and birthdays are not what it's about either. I'd rather have the knowledge that I have true friends who love me, and whom I love in return, than anything you could wrap in paper and a bow. And I have that now.

I am so grateful for the friends I have. Every one of them. They all bring a smile to my face and happiness to my heart. I'd like to think that they're grateful for me too. And that's what friendship is really supposed to be, not some weird sick delusion.

I'm happy. I don't need Ashley. Maybe the dream was just reminding me of that.

I have a new journal to replace the sitar_man one. It's _the_movie_guy_. There's a new review up of The Amityville Horror. I plan to put up a review of Sin City at some point; I want to see it again before I do.

Okay. So, go. Read. Friend. Comment. Enjoy. Feedback is always good. :)

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Second Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Very High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very High
Level 7 (Violent)	Very High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Moderate

Take the Dante's Inferno Test

So the weekend was . . . interesting, to say the least. Lots of partying on Saturday. Today was a good day, the first one since that day. I've been feeling totally out of sorts emotionally for the last few days, but I think everything's okay now. In fact, I'm sure everything's okay now. I had a conversation today which assured me everything was back to normal.

Okay, last week I bought The Killers' CD (Hot Fuzz), and I thought that was pretty good. Well, this week I bought Scissor Sisters' self-titled CD, and theirs is great. I seriously can't stop listening to it. It's delicious. I think "Music is the Victim" is my favorite track, but pretty much all of them are great.

Work is killing me. It's just so tedious. And it's busy all the time. Why does there have to be someone returning something every second of every day? It's like, buy what you want, and don't buy something you're going to return! Most of the customers are annoying, and I have to refrain from going off on them most of the time. I need to stop talking about going to apply at Hamilton and actually go to apply at Hamilton.

Okay, Britney's pregnant. She and Kevin "What's-A-Shower?" Federline are actually being allowed to procreate. I'm rather frightened by this news. And on that dark note, I think I'm going to say goodnight.

Y'all, this is truly awesome. It's a parody of the finale of Seven, with a toy dog standing in for Morgan Freeman, a gorilla playing Brad Pitt, and a Boohbah as Kevin Spacey. Oh yes, my friends. It's good shit. Go. Laugh. Enjoy.

Your dating personality profile: Liberal - Politics matters to you, and you aren't afraid to share your left-leaning views. You would never be caught voting for a conservative candidate. Adventurous - Just sitting around the house is not something that appeals to you. You love to be out trying new things and really experiencing life. Outgoing - You can liven up any party. You've got a way with people and have little difficulty charming your dates.

Your date match profile: Liberal - You need a person who has liberal opinions and beliefs. You are engaged by political discussions and would find a liberal viewpoint refreshing in a date. Practical - You are drawn to people who are sensible and smart. Flashy, materialistic people turn you off. You appreciate the simpler side of living. Adventurous - You are looking for someone who is willing to try new things and experience life to its fullest. You need a companion who encourages you to take risks and do exciting things.

Your Top Ten Traits 1. Liberal 2. Adventurous 3. Outgoing 4. Practical 5. Wealthy/Ambitious 6. Sensual 7. Athletic 8. Big-Hearted 9. Funny 10. Intellectual

Your Top Ten Match Traits 1. Liberal 2. Practical 3. Adventurous 4. Outgoing 5. Intellectual 6. Big-Hearted 7. Sensual 8. Traditional 9. Funny 10. Wealthy/Ambitious

Take the quiz at the Dating Diversions Site - Dating Jokes - Dating Advice