So, in my haste, I apparently went over 10 minutes. here is the re-post, with the missing tidbits. YouTube is being stoopid lately.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Stuff I talk about:

Costa Rica Vacation
Kayaking
Tony and I
Tom got a new job
My experiences with flying to another Country

Part 1

Part 2

Costa Rica

Videos of Costa Rica

Pictures of Costa Rica:

BillieHawkins.com photos

Soniq.org photos

Billie and Tony’s trip to Costa Rica 2009 – Including Gina, Sandra and David. Went through San Jose to the ferry, then to Bahia Rica hotel.

My review: This hotel is setup similar to a camp ground/bungalow/bed and breakfast. The owners live on location; they have a friendly, get-to-know-you feel. They home cook all your meals, taking cuisine ideas from across the globe. The rooms are cozy and comfortable, and all accommodations met our expectations. They have a large variety of activities (kayaking, fishing, boating, scuba, beach front, long walks on cool beaches, sight seeing, I could go on…) I will be the first to admit, I am slightly spoiled with American living, so i had some lowered expectations going in on this trip. I expected to drink bottled water and wrapping myself in netting at night. NOT the case. Our room was clean of dirt and bug-free; the food was delicious, the weather stellar. I was told this is the ‘winter’ season for Costa Rica, but you couldn’t tell. I got a great tan, and was never too hot, and it never got below 75 degrees, so it was never cold. This hotel is just a Ferry ride from the main parts of Costa Rica; it literally is IN the rain forrest, so we were able to see monkeys and geckos and all that. The rain only came at night, leaving a full day to do what we wanted – and you can’t beat the prices. Activities are charged by the hour or by person, so we were able to budget a great vacation for a fraction of what it would have cost in America. Major and minor cities are only a few miles in either direction, or a quick boat ride to the more ‘touristy’ locations made this a perfect getaway. I could see myself wasting the whole day in a hammock catching up on a good book, listening to the birds and taking in some sun. Tip: Don’t go here if you are expecting an ‘American’ environment. This is real jungle with real living. They have full shower and toliets, but Costa Rica as a whole has not moved into a completely ‘modern’ age. To be fair to the review, the electricity did go out twice, which to me only added to the charm. It did not interfere with our events, and as a matter of fact, it was actually better to have a nice dinner by candle light. The owners were completely hospitable and met our every need as able.

(more)

Costa Rica

Videos of Costa Rica

Pictures of Costa Rica:

BillieHawkins.com photos

Soniq.org photos

Billie and Tony’s trip to Costa Rica 2009 – Including Gina, Sandra and David. Went through San Jose to the ferry, then to Bahia Rica hotel.

My review: This hotel is setup similar to a camp ground/bungalow/bed and breakfast. The owners live on location; they have a friendly, get-to-know-you feel. They home cook all your meals, taking cuisine ideas from across the globe. The rooms are cozy and comfortable, and all accommodations met our expectations. They have a large variety of activities (kayaking, fishing, boating, scuba, beach front, long walks on cool beaches, sight seeing, I could go on…) I will be the first to admit, I am slightly spoiled with American living, so i had some lowered expectations going in on this trip. I expected to drink bottled water and wrapping myself in netting at night. NOT the case. Our room was clean of dirt and bug-free; the food was delicious, the weather stellar. I was told this is the ‘winter’ season for Costa Rica, but you couldn’t tell. I got a great tan, and was never too hot, and it never got below 75 degrees, so it was never cold. This hotel is just a Ferry ride from the main parts of Costa Rica; it literally is IN the rain forrest, so we were able to see monkeys and geckos and all that. The rain only came at night, leaving a full day to do what we wanted – and you can’t beat the prices. Activities are charged by the hour or by person, so we were able to budget a great vacation for a fraction of what it would have cost in America. Major and minor cities are only a few miles in either direction, or a quick boat ride to the more ‘touristy’ locations made this a perfect getaway. I could see myself wasting the whole day in a hammock catching up on a good book, listening to the birds and taking in some sun. Tip: Don’t go here if you are expecting an ‘American’ environment. This is real jungle with real living. They have full shower and toliets, but Costa Rica as a whole has not moved into a completely ‘modern’ age. To be fair to the review, the electricity did go out twice, which to me only added to the charm. It did not interfere with our events, and as a matter of fact, it was actually better to have a nice dinner by candle light. The owners were completely hospitable and met our every need as able.

(more)

Apparently, the computer or youtube or something cut off the rest of my blog entry – so I will type up the rest in text at the end. Ugh.

Ok, So I had this dream. those who know me will recognize that I have become slightly obsessed with the Twilight book series over the past couple of weeks, so this dream will not be all that shocking. It should also be noted that I am on a drug called “Chantix,” which is a non-smoking aide, and has been known to cause lucid dreaming. It also could potentially cause suicidal thoughts, but luckily I didn’t get those over the course of the first month ‘ramp up’ period.

Real blog to follow shortly – Pridefest Pics, videos, topics.

A friend of mine told me he didn’t like Pridefest. Rather than answering, he asked me why I DID. Here was my answer, I thought I would share with you:

I love the idea of celebrating who you are, and I appreciate that I can go to an event surrounded by peers of similar persuasions, being that I was tormented relentlessly for trying to be myself in school. That being said, I really don’t like being grouped with drag queens and ‘leather daddies’ just because of my physical and sexual attraction to the same sex.  I also don’t think that it *should* be neccessary to ‘celebrate’ something that shouldn’t be a big deal in the first place. On that same note, I do think that it does serve a purpose – awareness leads to change, which I have already seen in my lifetime. I no longer fear walking down the street holding a guy’s hand, like I did oh so many years ago. Is that because I have changed as a person? Maybe. Is that because of pridefest? Partially. Is the world changing? Yes; and I think, just like slavery or women’s lib, it takes numbers and actions to bring human rights to fluition.

Topics Today:
Tom, Mom, Tony, Colorado, Good days, weird conversations.

Ok, just a minute for a soapbox rant:
As a smoker (who is on Chantix to quit), I have always been for the ’smoking ban’ – As much as I am/was addicted to it, and for a time enjoyed it, I never liked the after-effects – smokey clothes, bad breath, etc. While I still think that an establishment should have the right to choose whether or not to allow a legal product in their establishment, I think in the long run this will be a good thing. I know that may sound contradictory, but it’s how I feel.  It’s been ‘tested’/implemented  in other markets with high success rates.

My concern is, where will the smokers light up now? Will the sidewalks be littered with smokers outside the doors of every bar? What about venues that don’t have the ability to offer ’smoking’ areas like patios and such?
Personally, I almost think that the ’smoking ban’ should have been handled the same way we handle liquor. You get a permit to have your establishment ’smoking’ enabled. Just my opinion, of course.

So, I was reading through old blogs, and I thought I would revive this one. A bit of funny. Enjoy:

Ok, so, while it’s not a ‘real ‘ blog entry, I was looking over my old blog entries and found some quotes and quips that I thought were amusing; turns out, they are even MORE funny when they are completely out of context!

So, here they are, in no order:

“He totally smoked me for a fuck. ”

“HA! That’s it, Water and Diet pills until Prom.”

“Sonofabiznitch! DEVIL!”

“Last night was Chicago. I am death. I have slept a total of 35 minutes since yesterday morning. I am at work now, so sleep must not come.”

“Fluid has a new feature – they now accept credit cards! Oh what bloody hell trouble will that bring, hey?”

“I am so weirded out by all this. It’s like the whole rain and pour syndrome.”

“All I know is that when I was driving home tonight, I had this WHOLE thing laid out and planned to be very well written. Now, it sounds like I am a mesh of Shit.”

“Ugh, this is getting more complicated than I wanted. “

“91. I cannot stand having sticky hands. The idea of peeling an orange disturbs me.”

“I took tons of pictures as did Tommy (thanks!) and put them all up on soniq.org if you dare to care.”

“Lastly, I think I should say that this is really bad, but I stole m00sic videos from A0L today.”

“OK, I know it’s late (Read: early) (btw: I love that line …Read:LOVE IT) but I am awake”

“It felt like basically the past 15 years of my life rolled into like, a half-hour soap opera. “

“Speaking of which = Drama!!! = I was at the club working last night, and I feel the door open below me. “

“FUZUCK that.”

“Then, on convex, I get no less that 4 people (last night it was 13) asking things like, “Is so-and-so your boyfriend?” “No,” I reply. Poof. I am no longer needed. The prey has been found.”

“Soniq.org – That’s the Problem.”

“I mean, not crazy bad – just odd bad. “

“You see, whilst 90% of the people that looked at me and Kip picked Kip, there was 3 guys that locked with me. “

“I know there are some factors, like I have a couple ‘favorite’ bartenders – my wife being one of them! (That’s another story for another time…) “

“I feel like I have so much in my brain I could just burst (As “Break Out” by Swing Out Sister just started playing on Club 977 internet 80s radio). “

“I wonder where I am falling short somewhere else that I have this extra. It’s weird. I like it, but it’s weird.”

“I don’t have the perfect body or the biggest *ahem*; I am not the smartest person in the world (read: I am not dumb either), and I am not always graceful. “

“Gosh I talk a lot.”

“Listen, I am a realist. I know that I am a ’specific’ type. “

“Billie and a dog got a little rough playing on Sunday, and he got knocked the fuzuck out! “

“NO. NO no no no no no no! That is NOT acceptable. “

“Speaking slightly about the hotel.. It’s a little odd. It’s your standard 3 star, but we over-critique, and it’s kinda old.”

“arguably the most technologically advanced commercial aircraft in the world” (ref. SkyWest Magazine, February 2007).

“I have so. Much. Shit.”

“Not really all that much to say… while I’ve been doing a lot of drinkin’, I haven’t been doing a lot of thinkin’. . .”

OK so that’s just a taste.

Topics today:
Flight to Colorado/Denver
JR’s
Black Horse
Tracks
Dancing
Cher!
Mountains
Flight – Standby, Twilight, Sounds, Front vs. back.

A couple things I didn’t get to talk about in my video blog:

- Patrick drives like a maniac.
- Tony was a very gracious host; he got me a welcome to Colorado present. CHER AND KELLY CLARKSON framed signed photos. How sweet!
- I danced more on Saturday night than I did in the past 3 years combined.
- http://www.tracksdenver.com/ is the Tracks site
- Sunday I did get to see the mountains, and we went up about 3600 feet – I was able to see the whole city of Denver and how spread out it actually is.

BillieLog entry – discussion: Tom and I, The weekend in Madison, New Facebook, Colorado trip this weekend, rambling…

JACK: I heard you. You know, no one took me on vacation when I broke up with… what’s his face? Uh, bleached hair, tattoo, goatee… who am I talking about?

KAREN: God, I don’t know, honey. You just described a needle in a gaystack.

Ok, I just wanted you all to know that Tom and I broke up.

We really had no significant issues at this point, it’s just one of those things where we realized that, while we loved each other, there really wasn’t that fire or spark that made us IN LOVE with each other.
We are both happy about the decision, and we will remain friends. I think it was just a step that had to be taken.
There is no negative emotions or hostility, and I hope that as my friends and family, you will respect us both and not pass judgments. This decision was mutually agreeable to both of us, and if you love and support us, you will keep that in mind before you make comments or forge opinions.

Along those lines, we know how break-ups can go, and I am not trying to scold anyone, but I really hope that there isn’t any animosity or feelings that ’sides’ need to be chosen. I repeat – we are friends. I ask that you consider our break-up in the same light as you would a cancelled TV sticom. It was a good show, it had drama and humor, but the season finale solidified the ending. Remember that the main characters will always have the memories of the good times, and that, as with every good sitcom, the characters ended on a happy note, and everyone remained friends.

Thank you all for reading, and I will blog more about things; I just needed to get that on the table before the rumors fester. Rest assured, you heard it from the source, and both Tom and I are cool.

Feeling in a bloggy mood, but not really sure what to say today. Do you ever get that? I do all the time. Ok, so let’s pick some random stuff, shall we?

A little bit ago I went to Madison with my good friend Lou. It was a BLAST. I got to see a bunch of people that I haven’t seen in a long time, had a fair amount to drink, and got to hang out with some good friends.

I successfully wired my house with cat5. Ran the cables through the attic, made the holes, measured it out… worked out really well. I think my new roommate is a little concerned that they are at waist level, but it was the only way to do it with any level of convenience. Anyway, now I have the ability to run gigabit Ethernet over all my machines, and I don’t have to worry about the WIFI.

Oh! So I have to tell you what I did to Tom. Okay, so for those of you who don’t know – Tom’s phone has been dying a slow death for months now. He has a Blackberry Pearl, and well, it’s just beat to hell. He lost the scroller ball in the middle, so he can only do so much with it; then the cover to the battery broke, so he had to tape it on. So you get the point, it’s pretty much crapping out on him left and right.
Well, I was talking to BJ and Dan, and they had mentioned how they were going to sell their iPhones at some point, because AT&T coverage is just terrible in Chicago. They love the phones, but to have a phone that can’t hold onto a call is just pointless, right? Not only that, Dan works for Cricket now, so he can get a phone through them.
When I mentioned this to Tom, he was all about it. For a couple weeks now, we’ve been going back and forth with BJ and Dan, trying to figure out when or if Tom could potentially buy the phone off one of them. They were in town on Sunday, so I was able to chat them up and Dan was ready to sell the phone. I jumped at the chance and made them promise not to tell Tom. Good surprise maybe, huh?
Last night, they were back in town. They gave me the phone at 6, and then we all went to dinner. BJ and Dan were extremely effective at convincing Tom that they couldn’t possibly get rid of their phones yet, as there was so much going on and blah blah blah.
After dinner, Tom and I went home, and wouldn’t you know it, I left my phone in the car… perhaps it fell in the seat. “Tom, could I borrow your phone so I can call MY phone to hear where it fell?” *wink wink*
So, while he was getting ready for bed, I took his phone down to my car, swapped out the SIM to the iPhone, and brought it all back in. I went to the living room, and he started complaining about how the tape on his blackberry was peeled off. Ignoring that, I called *his* new phone from mine, and asked him if he could answer the phone. He picked it up, and heard my voice. Still not getting it, I walked back into the bedroom – holding MY iPhone.

Then it clicked.

So that was fun. Really, the only other thing I wanted to talk about was my dream I had last night – let me tell you, I’ve been having some weird ones.
Ok, so I was hanging out at my grandparents’ house with my cousin Theresa, and for whatever reason we were sneaking out of the house to go somewhere. We climbed out the window, and she was driving this POS hatchback, and I had my Fusion. We got into an argument as to who should drive, and if we should follow each other, take two cars, etc. I didn’t know what was going on, or where we were going, I just know that it was the early 90’s. Anyway, we get to where we are going, and it turns out that it’s my aunt’s house, and she wants to show me this new goose-neck tub and tile cleanser she bought. Since she is pretty old, she convinced me that I should help her clean her shower. So here I am wearing work clothes, spraying this blue cleanser on her bathroom walls. I made two even coats, then we had to go. Theresa was no where to be found, but now, for reasons I didn’t understand, I was driving my uncle’s SUV and we were going to get food. I remember having a key ring with like 10 keys on it, and about 30 different trinkets; a long like, around-the-neck thing, and all these sayings that you would find on a gas station checkout lane. It was just all too odd.

]]> http://billiehawkins.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/that-wasnt-a-no-youre-missing-the-central-issue-thats-a-no-i-aint-getting-any/feed/ 1 billiehawkins http://billiehawkins.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/billielog-video-post-4-8-09/ http://billiehawkins.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/billielog-video-post-4-8-09/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:56:00 +0000 Billie Hawkins http://billiehawkins.wordpress.com/?p=461 ]]>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LePTeDZPhBw

-Hair is Red, and Flat today.

-Lived at the new place for a week

-Moved to RiverWest

-Roommate is Pete

-Pete has a dry humor

-Bad Drivers!

-Cat is adjusting to the new place and warming up to Pete

-Work and learning about things to do and how to do them

-Making my own documentation

-Working out with Ryan now

-Bally’s Friends and Family 19$ a month

-Busy weeks lately

-Hoping to workout 3 times a week

-Have to remember workouts don’t change you overnight

-BJ and Dan and Chad and Mario – model workout and lifestyle

-Cooking right – not pushing it

-Smoking changes

-Blogging more often

-Visual Tour of my apartment coming soon.

Hey kids.

So this is the last week in my current apartment. For those of you who don’t have the ability to watch my video blogs, I thought I would cover some of the same ground.

On the 28^th I will be moving to my new place in Riverwest. I am moving for a couple reasons.

1. It’s cheaper. I am hoping that going back to a roommate situation will help save money and allow me to have some chance to save up.
2. I will be away from the bar. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love living there. I have a great set of friends that I get almost instant and daily access to, I have a great social structure living there. That also causes issues.
3. I drink too much. I smoke too much. The bar opens the flood gates for that. It is way too easy to just take a walk downstairs to get either. I need to not do that.
4. I will have a roommate. This is a needed step for me I think. I love living alone, and I love the freedom it affords me, but it also means that I am alone a lot. Being alone leads to boredom, and that leads to #3.
5. I think moving will help me ‘grow up’ a bit. I have been careless with money, health, responsibilities, etc. I think getting away from the temptations and easy access will help with that.

Ok, on the topic of moving, I can tell you that packing sucks. I hate it more than just about anything. But I hope that it will be the last time for a while. I will finally be saving some money, maybe to buy a home. I hope that this will be the last move until that time.

So, as for my soapbox topics: The new Facebook platform really has me bugged. I posted my feelings on it with the voter application that someone created just for that purpose. Here’s the link, and what I posted. Feel free to vote and express your thoughts!

http://apps.facebook.com/layoutvote/

I vote no for the following reasons: 1.No Status indication on the ‘home’ screen. I can’t tell what my previous status was. 2. The News Feed is now just a glorified twitter. All it shows is status updates and Application tags. 3. Poke is wayyyy at the bottom. 4. I love change, when it makes things more useful; this does not. 5. No Live feed. 6. To find anything real about anyone, you have to go to their page to see it. No changes to their profile get injected into my Home page. relationship status, pictures, events, etc. 7. Things are still missing in the feed on a daily basis. **I think that people should have a setting choice. Several layouts and as a user I can choose what i want my ‘home’ page to look like (Version 1.0, 2.0, or the new 3.0 layout.) **

Short of that, I guess life is pretty much on the level. I am excited for the new iPhone software this summer, should offer some really fun and exciting improvements. If you care to see some of the changes for yourself:

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/the-complete-guide-to-iphone-os-30-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/)e-to-iphone-os-30-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/

Ok, so what else? Well, I realized lately that I need to cut out the drinking. Over the past couple months, I have noticed that nothing good is coming from it. The night always starts out fun, and the fun always follows, but by the end of the night I am angry and bitter. As we all know, that’s never a good thing – and it’s not really justified. Not to mention there have been more than a couple of nights where I have said things or done things I didn’t mean to; I mean, most of my friends can attribute it to alcohol, so it gets brushed off, but I can not abandoned accountability for my actions. I make stupid decisions, and I could hurt people someday. Now, I don’t drive drunk or anything, but I have had instances where I have said some really hurtful things, almost to the point of being hateful and spiteful. I don’t like the person I become in those cases, and I know that no one else does either. This is why I have full intentions to turn a new leaf next month. I will be in the new place, with a new life, a new outlook, and a new roommate who will no doubt have plenty of things for us to do to keep us occupied, bars excluded.

Oh! So, about my new roommate! Well, his name is Pete, and he’s 30ish. He doesn’t smoke (that will help me to quit, I think.) He doesn’t really drink often. He enjoys soccer and tends to be a homebody from what I can tell. He works in IT/IS, so it seems like we have a good combo there. As for our personalities? Well I am not sure exactly, because I only really know him from a distance. I mean, we’ve talked and hung out socially, but nothing ever really involved. I am interested to see how it works. He seems like a pretty laid back guy, so I am guessing that it will be fine. He’s never really lived with a roommate before (other than people he’s dated) so I am guessing there will be a bit of a curve there to figure out some of the oddities (who takes out the garbage, shower schedules, food sharing, etc.)

I really think that’s all I have to say at the moment, I hope you are all having a wonderful day! And now, your moment of zen:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

It’s not an Irish song! It’s an ancient Hebrew song about… something Jewish!

Topics of this weeks BillieLOG:
Saint Patrick’s Day – Gotta have Green Hair!
Computer Woes – Hard Drive Crashes SUCK.
Moving in T Minus TEN Days – Packing is the suck.
The weather is beautiful today! Please Enjoy it.
iPhone 3.0 is coming!
Facebook 3.0 interface has something to be desired.
Tom and I are just doing great.
Tony is back in town for a couple days. Yay!
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

Part 1

Part 2

What do I talk about? Green Bay, Alcohol, Tom and I, teeth, and moving – all while driving

Hey Gurls and Bois, I really haven’t been in a blogging mood lately, but I wanted to keep you all up to date on life. Where to start?

Tom and I are still going pretty strong. We still have our days where it seems like we just don’t speak the same language. It’s slightly frustrating because I really do care for him and want to understand things. He has told me that ‘it’s the girl in him’ – as in, sometimes I am just supposed to know what he means. A typical example is something like: He’ll invite me to a party with his friends, and I won’t want to go for whatever reason. He’ll say it’s ok, and go to the party, but then a couple days later he will be upset at me, and it’s my job to just understand that he was angry that I didn’t go. My concern was that I asked several times if he minded that I didn’t go, and he would say it didn’t matter, and maybe at the time it didn’t – but on reflection, he was upset about it. So, we go through things like that. Nothing that would cause a break up or anything, it’s just a metter of understanding each other. Now, as most of you already know, I will beat a dead horse into the ground about a topic; usually it’s not because I feel like I am not conveying a point in a way that makes sense. I rarely think that people are incapable of understanding.

Lately, I’ve found that waking up is a difficult feat. My alarm goes off (3 of them total) and I wake up and say ‘ok, Billie, time to get up,’ but then the next thing I know, it’s an hour later. Thankfully, my job is very flexible. If I get in before 10, I am fine. I put in 8 hours, and since my position dictates that there will be times that I will have to stay late or work on a project after hours, it’s really easy to make my own schedule. As long as everything gets done in a timely fashion, I’m golden. This is nice, because it allows me to take longer lunches if I need to, and go to breakfast with people. Now, on that point, I have to extend an apology to my friend Lou, because I totally fell prey to my ‘just five more minutes’ syndrome. My alarm went off at 730am, and I got up, realized I didn’t have to leave the house until 8, so I rolled over. I woke up again at 815am, and got dressed. I laid back down to give Tom a kiss, and he was so warm… next thing I knew, it was 915. Totally sucked.

Ok, so I mentioned this on my Facebook, but I wanted to explain in detail. Last night was really fun, in that it was the last night of darts, and we were playing some good teams. Sherri came out and Tom even stopped out for a bit. It was very cool. We all hung out and wrapped up about 12, which was early but appropriate for us all. Just as Tom and I were getting to bed, it appeared that the bars were letting out. Not unusual, but last night was different. We started to hear screaming, and screeching tires and various other ‘not normal’ sounds. Since I live above Fluid, the noise was carried between the buildings right to my bedroom window.

Because I couldn’t sleep over those sounds anyway, I decided to investigate. It appears that there was a birthday bash at LaCage (Tempest Heat’s), and couple that with the Wednesday drag show, there was a lot more people there than usual. Now, I am going to be very delicate about how I say this, because my intention is not to offend anyone: There were a large number of people that don’t usually frequent LaCage. You can take that however you want, but really, it wasn’t the usual crowd. I can only guess that most of them were friends of Tempest and friends of Tempest’s friends. I am sure that meant plenty of straight people, as well as a large number of people who may not be accustomed to the environment that LaCage offers. That being said, I wasn’t able to recognize the vast majority of the people.

Here’s what happen from my bird’s eye vantage point: The bar let out, about 50 people hurdled out onto the sidewalk sale, and through one or more influences (alcohol, harsh words, etc), a fight ensued. This caused people to group off, take sides, fight each other, just generally behave badly.

Really, I mean, how long has it been since you’ve seen a fight at LaCage that was initiated by the ‘typical’ crowd?

So, from that fight, friends of friends started trying to wind it down, puling people into cars, stopping in the middle of the road… It was just nuts. What *didn’t* help was that the security people were trying to police the situation. On the property/sidewalk, sure I get that. But to see security out chasing after people in the streets and yelling at people that weren’t even involved, coming out of Fluid and Pint and such? I found that questionable. Whatever the case, Ann was smart and announced that the police had been called. This seemed to make people scatter, and by the time ONE patrol car drove down the street, everything was settled.

All I can say is that things like this only reinforce my decision to move. Perhaps I have outgrown the life of third ward as a constant participant, but 5 years ago, things just seemed better. I mean, really. Better crowds, tame sidewalk sales, invites to after bars, breakfast… I miss that. I don’t place blame on LaCage or the employees – they really were trying to disperse the situation. I do think that all of the businesses in this area changed when 219/Cest La Vie/Switch closed. It seems like there are so many different cliques even in our ‘little’ gay scene, when you run out of venues for each group to frequent, what’s left? They want to go out, and they end up at the same locales, and clashes happen.

People have been asking where I will be moving

So just a quickie today, because it’s Monday and I don’t feel like spending a large amount of time on this..
I got a call from my Mother last night, and she was totally bitching me out for not telling her I was moving. Ok, so I haven’t gotten around to calling her on it, but come on – I am not moving for 2 months, I just gave notice YESTERDAY… And I can’t help it that she chose not to take the computer I gave her and read my blog!
So, I get this voicemail about how she is disappointed and that she ‘had to hear it from the girls’. She also mentioned how she was told it’s a horrible neighborhood and she is scared for me and why am I doing this and I am smarter than this and she doesn’t like it. Whatever. I called her back, basically thanking her for her concern, but also telling her to chill, because it’s my life and I am not some stupid kid making a quick decision. I am doing this to better my quality of living, and I really wish she would realize that. I guess, it was a nice idea that she cared, but I feel like she turned this around and made it about her. Like, she was more mad that I didn’t tell here I was moving, vs. ‘the bad neighborhood.’
For those of you who care, here is the Voicemail:
Voicemail Link

So I guess that’s all I really wanted to talk about. Superbowl commercials were funny, BJ’s birthday was a good time (pics coming soon), and Tom and I are doing good…

Happy Monday!

To my faithful readers, you may have noticed that things have become pretty busy in my life lately. January is always a hard month, and even more so when you add the new job onto it. I apologize that I haven’t had much time to blog as of late. Let’s do one now, shall we?

OK, some status updates:
My effort to quit smoking is not going as planned. This is not an easy feat, as I am sure many of you are aware. I thought that tapering off would be the solution, and it wasn’t. I tried cold turkey, and failed. Next step? Medication. I have an appointment with my doctor to see what options are available to me, and hopefully some changes in my life going forward will help. What has been blocking my path, you ask? Well, for one, the bar. It’s too easy to get and borrow and buy and be around smoke – it’s a huge temptation. My new job affords me a lot of free time and no real structure for breaks and lunches. When I need or want a cigarette, I have full license to just go have one. I love the freedom, but I know that’s making it way too easy.
Tom has been super supportive in my effort, and he has even made some casual suggestions and shown signs of disapproval when I do light up. I find that, while it’s annoying at the time, on reflection he is just trying to help me and make sure I try to stick to my goal. Plus, he really doesn’t like smoke, so it’s a double hit. I wish that were enough, because I really think I am ready to quit.

Which brings me to my next topic. I think my bar-flife is coming to a close. Yes, it has come to that time, when the bar-boy must grow up. Last week, I was offered the opportunity to move into a 3 bedroom upper in RiverWest. It’s a great opportunity for the following reasons:
- I spend too much time and MONEY at the bar
- It’s too easy to drink and waste time better spent on other things; I mean, who wouldn’t just ‘walk down the stairs’ to get a drink once in a while?
- I will be saving about 300 dollars a month in rent.
- I will not have easy access to smokes
- I will have a roommate
Ok, so to those of you who know Pete, he will be taking one of the three bedrooms in the new place. It works out pretty well in that he doesn’t have any furniture, but has a great TV and surround. I have the furniture, but haven’t really invested in the A/V equipment. As far as the rest of it goes, we will just have to see.
So, I should emphasize that I am making it known to my current landlord, Bill, when I pay rent this month. I am hoping that he will be ok with it, as he has to knomw that a bar life can’t be for everyone forever.
I will say this though, because there was a reason I am mentioning it here first before telling him: I would like to know if there is anyone out there who would be interested in the place? I think it would be a great gesture on my part to be able to provide him with a list of potential tenants.
That being said, here’s the pics of the place:
http://soniq.org/gallery/main.php/v/Userz/billie/apartment/
Some of the benefits:
- Free heat
- Free water
- Free electric
- Off street parking
- New tub-surrond
- 1 bedroom, with office area, living room, dining room and full kitchen
- Gas stove
- It’s above fluid, in the heart of gay Milwaukee

Yeah, so if you are interested, have questions, anything like that, email me at apartment@soniq.org and I will do my best to answer whatever.

I move April 1st. I would only ask that you do not approach Bill Wardlow on this until after the 1st, because I would like the opportunity to give him notice and such. Thanks!

Short of that, not much is going on. I welcome Tony in form Colorado, we’ve been having so much fun hanging out, and Tom and I are still holding strong.

While watching Obama, I decided to multitask.

Stolen From Kari Kuhar:

Have you ever intentionally made someone jealous?
Oh yeah, but I only use my powers for the ultimate good.

Is there an ex you want to make up with?
No.

How are you feeling right now?
Like a new USA is emerging.. Go Obama!

What’s something you’re excited about right now?
Everything, because the coffee is kicking in.
What color is your room?
Bland. I should fix that.

When you shut off your alarm clock do you tend to fall back asleep?
Yes.

Are you talkative?
To a fault.

Do you have someone of the opposite sex you can tell every thing to?
Sure, Sherri is my GIRL!

Who was the last girl you talked to?
My mother, actually. Weird.

What’s currently bothering you right now?
I have nothing productive to do at work.

Are you currently frustrated with a boy/ girl?
No.

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone ?
Bill Janney

Who’s bed were you last in besides your own?
Tom’s

Can you last in a relationship for more than 3 months?
Yes.

Last time you were truly happy ?
As geeky as it sounds, I was super happy when I got my phone to do what I wanted it to do, last week, by jailbreaking it.

Do you prefer warm or cold weather?
Warm.

Does it bother you when someone lies to you?
Yes, unless it’s for the right reasons.

Do you fall for people easily?
No, I tend to reserve that.

Is the last person you kissed older than you?
nope.

Do you think you will ever get married?
IF it ever becomes legal, maybe.

Where did you first kiss the last person you kissed?
LaCage, I think .

Do you have any pets?
Oh yeah, a fatty cat named Snickerz.

Would you date someone who was addicted to drugs?
Been there, done that.

Is it easy for someone to make you smile / laugh ?
Yes.

Hold hands with anyone today ?
No.

Two feelings at the moment?
Hyper, excited (new keyboard at work!)

Do you believe ex’s can be friends?
I do, and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have many friends. LOL, kidding. Or not.,

Are you a jealous person?
Only when it is warranted.

Say your ex runs up to you and hugs you, what do you do?
Smile and hug back, but query as to why.
Have you ever lived with a girlfriend / boyfriend?
Yep… Couple times.

What do you have tattooed on you?
Aladdin
Are you taller than your mom?
Yes.

What would happen if you had a baby with the last person you kissed?
I would call the media, because it would be a miracle!

Do you sleep on your stomach?
Part of the time.

Do you get along better with the same sex or opposite?
Well, mostly gay men and women, so.. yes.
Are you happy with your life at the the moment?
Yes, mostly.

What is something you disliked about your day?
I wanted to have more money than I do.
Have you ever read an entire book in one day?
Yes.

Are you picky about who you give your number to?
Hell Yes.

If your best friend was kicked out, would your parents let him/ her live with you?
A: Yes. B: It’s happened already.

Have you ever thrown a cell phone in anger ?
Hahaha, yes. (oops)

Are you good at hiding your feelings?
I tend to go logical when I am upset, so I would say yes.

Do you have someone who you can be your complete self around?
Hell yeah, but what’s the fun in that? I am boring!

Where is your father?
In an urn on a mantle somewhere.
Where did you grow up?
OMG, pick a place… I’ve moved like 40 times.

The last thing you did?
Besides this? solved a customer complaint.

What are you wearing?
Standard biz-casual attire.

Your life?
Is good.

Last time you cried?
Next question, please.

Where is the person you gave your heart to for the first time?
Happily partnered and enjoying life.

Has anyone ever told you they want to spend the rest of their life with you?
Yes.

Has anyone ever under-estimated your intelligence?
Probably, because I have trouble relaying information at times; I like to use analogies and say things like, “you know what I mean?”

Just me showing a quick down and dirty on how I use a cool VNC server app on the iPhone..

Ok, so this blog entry really wont have too much in it in the way of stuff about me, but I do have some things I would like to share:

1. My non-smoking effort is still an up-hill battle. It’s way too easy with the bars and friends to just ‘bum’ them… I am really going to have to work on this a bit harder.
2. Tom and I are doing well, and working on saving some money for our vacation this April. Seattle, by the way.
3. Tony is in town from Colorado, and we are having a blast. He’s a great guy, and I am glad he’s become a good friend.
4. I jail-broke my iPhone the other day, again, and haven’t been happier. To illustrate this, I am going to give you a few examples of what makes it so much better and why everyone should do it:
a. It’s EASY. Run QuickPwn on your phone. That’s it.
b. Themes. I am currently using a Wall-E theme. Sound packs, icons, pictures.
c. Customized icons.
d. Transparency. On the Dock. On the Springboard.
e. Backups. Using a free app called Cylay, I have a scheduled backup of my contacts, SMS history, call history, and calendar to, get this, Google Mail, Docs and Calendar!
f. Veency. A cool little program that lets you VNC into your iphone. Useful at work so I can quick type on a full sized keyboard!
g. Intelliscreen. See the screenshots below.
h. Cycorder: Take video, with Audio. Wow!
i. Modem: Tether your iphone as a 3G modem to your computer
j. Bossprefs: Quick change settings

So I guess that’s it.. but I will leave you with this funny:

A first grade girl handed in the drawing below for a homework assignment.

—After it was graded and the child brought it home, she returned to school the next day with the following note:

Dear Ms. Davis,

I want to be very clear on my child’s illustration. It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint. I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm. This drawing is of me…. selling a shovel.

Mrs. Harrington

Topics:
New Year
Smoking
Tom and I
New Job
Snow Day
Finances

Just a quick note, then some fun:

I don’t really know why I don’t talk about him more often, but I wanted to say how proud I am of Tom. He had his Nursing Assistant test today. I helped him study last night, and I was surprised how much he retained not that I should be, the guess is a sponge of knowledge), and when I dropped him off this morning, he seemed nervous, but confident. I got a message from him a little bit ago saying that he had passed his test! I knew he could do it, and I am so happy that he is on his way with his career path. I can only hope that we are together for a long time, and that I can continue to support him in all he does. If you see him, be sure to send a hearty congrats!

Now, on to a bit of entertainment: I found this in a facebook note, and thought I would post my responses to it. I did some more training today here at work and needed a break.

Happy new year all!
Now is the time that most people make/break the resolutions for the new year. It’s been said that if you can make it beyond the first three days of a resolution, you can make it the whole term. Well, I am on Day 1 back at work, with four resolutions.
1. Stop Smoking. Okay ok okokokokok I know I have said this probably like 50 times before, and you are right, I have tried several times and failed. What you may not realize is that I have learned from those experiences every time. From what I’ve learned I can tell you that this will not be an easy process. I will be bitchy and cranky and probably relatively rude to people, especially those close to me. It will be a direct conflict with another resolution of mine, but I am hoping once the ‘withdrawals’ are over, I can focus on the other resolutions. So, that being said, here’s what I need, and what I don’t.
a. I don’t need people giving me shit if I have a smoke once in a while. This is not meant to be cold turkey.
b. Please don’t congratulate me or ask me how I am doing. It will only serve as a reminder of what I can’t have.
c. Be ready to accept forgiveness from me when I become SuperBitch 3.0.
d. Try not to judge me too harshly if the task isn’t going as well as expected. I’ve been smoking for what, 19 years now? Oy.
2. Drink Less: This one will be a challenge. I live above a bar that treats me really nice, and all the bartenders are my friends. It’s difficult to go visit without drinking and even more so because my friends like to play dice. My goal on this one is to just limit my time there, and to spend only a specific pre-determined amount of money. This way, I will drink less and still have some face-time. I don’t need to be at the bar every night like I was when I was unemployed, and with Tom it’s much easier to find other ways to occupy my time. Also, I had a doctors appointment the other day, and she said that with my family history of diabetes and cholesterol, it is ‘strongly suggested’ that I lay of the juice. Eh, I can have a good time without getting hammered, and what’s bad about drinking less? Nothing I can think of.
3. Be more tolerant of people: As I said in my first resolution, this one may be difficult for the first couple weeks. The goal for this one is focused on my level of patience. One of the things I think Tom and I have issues with in our relationship is that we are both very smart people; when we say or do something that isn’t correct, it’s just gut reaction to correct each other. This often leads to a retort or snide come back. Of course, this happens with friends too, so my personal goal is to ‘chicken soup for the retorts’ I guess. I want to get to a point where I can be appreciative of the correction instead of getting angry for being corrected, you know? I don’t know if that makes sense, but it does to me, and that’s all that matters. LOL.
4. Travel more: Plans are already in the works on this one. Tom and I have plans to go to Seattle over spring break, and I have friends in Colorado, Minnesota, and several parts of California. I hope to save enough money to spend a couple days at least at each location, solo or with Tom. I often neglect my vacation time, and if I am holding to my other resolution of drinking less, I don’t see why I won’t be able to afford the journeys. I don’t expect to get all the trips out this year, but I can only hope to make the most of the ones I can afford and have time to do.

Oh! So did you see this picture?
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1252567&l=2bcd8&id=500823074

Yeah, so apparently Mr. Janney wanted to try something new. I really hope it doesn’t last, because it’s not something that he needs to pick up, but he is a smart adult, and I am sure when he is sober and realizes what choices he made, he will re-think and choose what he feels is the right option.

I guess that’s really all I have at the moment. Tom and I are doing very well, I think, and we are taking things slow so that we can fully enjoy ‘dating’ and such without the pressure we put on ourselves last time. I really think that this will work out. Now, to the nay-sayers out there: Yes we broke up a couple times. None of you really have any idea about the circumstances surrounding the breakup, so it’s really not for you to say that getting back together was a good or bad idea. To those of you who were supportive of the break-ups and the re-unions, I thank you for being there as a friend. I know everyone has an opinion on the situation, and I respect that, I do; I just want to make sure that everyone knows that I am very happy with the decision, and like many things, I didn’t just want to give up on something that could turn out to be phenomenal. Besides, he’s hot, smart, and funny, and he makes me happy. Isn’t that the important part?

That is all.