Thanksgiving: What I’m Thankful for

I originally wrote this piece in a notebook back in September, and I had wanted to publish it for the Canadian Thanksgiving (yeah, they copied us, big time.) I had mentioned this to Chris as I wanted us to both publish on the same date. He did here and I forgot about it. Anyway, here’s my unedited list from September. Not too much has changed, but I don’t think that I would word things exactly the same now. What I’m thankful for: 1. I am in decent health as are my friends and family 2. I’m surrounded by caring friends and family 3. I have a steady job and I can pay my bills 4. I have had some amazing opportunities 5. I live in a great city (safe, reasonable prices, etc.) 6. I live in a democracy where I can state what I want and believe what I want 7. I am challenged in my life 8. I am not bored 9. I have some roses to smell and tomatoes to pick (in my yard.) 10. I live in a stable government with checks and balances I had some notes below the list. “People complain a lot about things and never really take the time to appreciate the things they have.”

Weekly Roundup

COLD HEARTED MOTHER, NATURE – It has really begun to get cold here in Cincinnati. The last few days have been approximately 45 F (or 8 C.) I think weather enthusiasts and “professionals” are thinking it will be a cold winter. LITHUANIANS AND LATS DO IT LET’S DO IT, LET’S FALL IN LOVE - I’ve been re-planning my wintertime vacation. I’ve totally changed my plans; it takes forever. Specifically, I spent 1 hour 15 minutes with Travelocity as my flight from Vilnius to Riga was not going through. The transaction was problematic as Baltic Air apparently would not accept my non-Latvian credit card. I guess I should apply for a Latvian credit card like the rest of the work just for these specific cases. AH, CAPITALISM – I’ve begun my Christmas shopping, but I’m realizing there are several people who will be receiving coal this year. Has any body come across a reliable website for purchasing discount coal? Specifically, I’m looking for reasonably priced, fuel efficient and environmentally responsible coal. Designer shades is a plus. Let me know. ‘TIS THE SEASON – While I like the holiday season, I hate that I’ll likely be back peddling a bit on my dieting and work out. I was away from the gym for two weeks because of my wisdom teeth removal and Thanksgiving. Still I’m going to really try to push myself in December. DECORATING FOR ST. NICK – While I may be ridiculed and tormented for not complying with the requisite Christmas tree, I decided to decorate in my own way. I arranged my fireplace for Saint Nick (without the help of a certain fashionista friend, I might add...) I hope Saint Nick delivers.

Thanksgiving Pictures!

It's been a busy weekend. I thought I would take a moment to share some pictures of Thanksgiving. Enjoy! http://homepage.mac.com/mattvant/PhotoAlbum11.html

Thanksgiving, 11:17 pm

What a great day! The weather was beautiful and the house was filled with fun people and some amazing eats! We ate around 4:00. A bit later due to the fact that we somehow blew a fuse in the kitchen and it took a bit to locate the issue. We all worked together well and got most of the items on the menu prepared! Everything tasted great. I was a bit proud of the turkey. It just fell apart--was very tender and moist. A have to say it was one of the most enjoyable Thanksgivings in recent past!

Thanksgiving, 10:17 am

THANKSGIVING Happy Thanksgiving! It’s 10:17 and I’ve already accomplished getting 1.5 hours of work done (including a needed conf. call with Warsaw,) baked banana bread and now blogged! (Don't ask about yesterday. I was up until 11:00 shopping for today!) It’s flurrying here in Cincinnati! I’m so excited (partially because I don’t have to drive.) There will be 9 of us eating here this afternoon. The partial menu is as follows: HORS D’OEUVRES Cheese ball & Crackers Shrimp cocktail Veggie tray MAIN MEAL Turkey Dressing Broccoli with cheese Corn casserole Mashed potatoes Stringbean casserole Candy yams Cranberry sauce Salad w/ dressings Dinner rolls Banana Bread Macaroni salad DESSERT Cookies Kentucky Derby Pie Hummingbird Cake Pumpkin bread Ice Cream Kevin will be serving a variety of martinis and there will be ample beers and wines from across the world. Should be fun! A reason to gather and be thankful!

Weekly Roundup

Glasses – Since I had an unexpected large amount of Flexcomp money (since April of the year,) I decided to spend the money on some fun glasses. Three new pairs, not including replacement lenses for my “old” frames. Good I was able to spend the money, I was debating on much more “creative” ways of spending such as “fun,” “replacement” prosthetic limbs or perhaps a “seeing eye” Chihuahua. Mouth – Finally, my mouth is almost healed, although still painful. An acquantaince told me that things come in three and asked what the next thing would be. I smiled and said, “my tattoo.” SHOWIN' MYSELF – Tomorrow is my first day back to my downtown office in a week and a half.

Playin’ in the Dirt

Because of my swollen face, I’ve chosen to work the week from home, to reduce the staring. OK. I’m a bit vain. Anyway, my home office is in the front of my house and a large window faces the street. It’s allowed me to get a good view of men gettin’ down and dirty—building the middle school across the way. This week, for some reason, has brought about a sense of nostalgia. Although I don’t remember having specific toy trucks, I did enjoy playing in the dirt, with trucks and other construction vehicles, just as other boys. Watching this construction is interesting and fun. Not only because the machines are neat, but also I’m seeing things progress. There are occasionally interesting workers, too.

Berlin Wall Picture: Travels (Childhood Inspiration and Dreams)

A couple of weeks ago, I was going through some old pictures. As a teenager, I was an amateur photographer. I found a picture that I really liked, that I immediately scanned and made into a “backdrop” for my work computer and my Powerbook. (Click on the image to download the ZIP’ed backdrop image.) Can you guess where the picture was taken and when? It was taken over 16 years ago! Yep. Berlin Wall, 1988. I can’t say that I had a real wonderful childhood or teenage years, but I can say that I had some amazing opportunities to leave Boston, and travel as a kid. TRAVELS When I wasn’t at http://www.campaldersgate.com/ Camp Aldersgate in Rhode Island, I spent summer months at friends’ farm in Wisconsin. My mom and dad loved to subject my sister and I to patience tests, I like to call “family vacations.” My first international stint was a road trip via car to Montréal. We camped at a campground overlooking the St. Lawrence seaway. We also did road trips within the state of Arizona and over the border to Nogales. We went to New York and many other places within the Northeast United States. My first venture outside of the US came in 1996. At 15, I joined a youth exchange program between two churches in two cities (Reading, Mass. and Ilsede, Germany.) In 1996, both my sister and I spent about a month visiting the Nidersachsen part of Germany, while staying with a German host family. The highlight of the trip was a week-long trip to Berlin and East Berlin. We actually had day visas to hop the border, under the iron curtain. It was a really amazing experience. When I went back to Germany in 1988, with the same exchange program, I took my camera and took approximately 15 rolls of film in just one month. These pictures are a part of history. I’ll post some additional pictures soon! THEN & NOW These trips to Germany, and especially East Berlin, filled my imagination and were a strong influence in my hobby and career interests. For example, as a teenager, I dreamt of being a spy, with a small, self designed computer, that would help me to steal secrets during the cold war. I dreamt of decoding these secrets and those behind the ‘curtain. Who would have thought the cold war would be over and that I’d be a tri-lingual corporate IT project manager, who, with a 14” HP laptop in hand, creates reporting solutions to help salespeople make better strategic decisions.

Swollen

'Nuff said..

Weekly Roundup

BOY GAMES – On Saturday night, I sponsored game night. There were seven of us and we played Uno Attack, Blackjack and Cranium. We had an interesting array of drinks, some of which were “ethnic.” (Ask Chris, as he got the prize for the best technique.) Chris is also good at “Combat” (Atari 2600 game.) OLDER AND WISER – So now that I don’t have my wisdom teeth, am I wiser? I do know that I am a bit swollen. I’m hoping that I don’t have dry sockets. It’s a bit too early to tell, I think. So far, it’s not been too painful. NORMAILITY – Besides the wisdom teeth being pulled, the last week was a real normal week. I’m back to the gym and I’m back to the same weights I used before going out on disability for my tonsils. My work has really been busy and taken a lot of time effort. As mentioned, my energy level is way up. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE – There are a lot of things for me to look forward to in the future. I’m kind of a happy guy.

Tooth Fairy

Reluctantly I put my teeth under my pillow last night, after my successful wisdom teeth removal. I woke up to see if the tooth fairy had come. To my surprise, I woke up to see that the tooth fairy had, in fact, come under my pillow.

Wisdom Teeth

Hooray for pain! At 2:45 pm today, I get to have my wisdom teeth taken out. Question: If I leave my wisdom teeth under my pillow, will I be "visited" by tooth "fairies?" Question: What will they offer?

Beekeeping: Part III -- Police Report

Officer Issaacs of the Cincinnati Police dropped by to collect information about the theft. He has passed the information on to an investigating officer, who, in turn, will contact me in a couple of days. I'm now kicking myself that I didn't file a police report for his break in on July 18!

Beekeeping: Part II -- Stolen Bees!

I looked into my backyard to check on my bees and the bees and all the boxes had disappeared! Aparently, Mark Paul, my ex and an avid reader of this blog, had taken it upon himself to tresspass into my yard and take my bees. (Although these were built by him, after 6 months sitting in my back yard, they became my property. He had no right to enter my property and take anything without my permission. Period.) This marks the third time he has trespassed (5/5, 7/18 and 11/11) and the fourth time he has outright stolen from me.

Beekeeping

I had ordered a bee smoker a few days ago so that I could check on the bees. It came today, so I put on sweats, sweatshirt with hood, gloves and goggles and headed to the hive. Good news was that they were tame and I didn’t get stung. Bad news, no honey. At first glance, I noticed that the honeycomb was empty! Something had already taken the honey. Upon further inspection, I saw that there were slight remnants of moth cocoons/webs. Yuck!! My ex was the expert on bees and I kind of inherited them and the interest in them. What likely happened was that the hive became weak, possibly because of mites (even smaller insects that live on bees) or some other reason. Something then stole the honey then the months moved it. Larvae moved around the hive. I saw one of them. Really gross. It probably would have been fine if I had robbed them many, many months ago. This is one of three hives; the only one that had enough “boxes” for me to “rob.” The middle of the three hives was disturbed by my messing with them. I am confident that they will survive the winter as they seem pretty strong. Well, it will be a bit of a mystery until I’m able to talk with a qualified beekeeper. Trust me, ‘t’wont be my ex. I won’t say another word to that “opportunistic ,not nice person.” Anywho. There’s always next year! I will have honey!

Beer goes with… Almost Everything!

“What would you like with your pumpkin pie? Milk?” Kevin asked. “I’ll take another Labatt’s, please,” I said, smiling. “Beer?” “Yeah. Beer goes with everything.” I thought back to a very special family memory from my family reunion, back in 1998. For over a dozen years, my family has gathered , for our family reunion in Rockport, a small town on the Massachusetts coast. This was a fun reunion. Everyone was in good spirits and my cousins and I sat, catching up on our lives, sipping beer. We were eating desert or snacks or something (for such a memory, you’d think I’d remember the specific thing we were eating. Anyway, my cousin Scott and I were eating something and drinking beer. Someone said, “That doesn’t go with beer!” I explained that I thought just about everything went with my malty foamy friend. We then brainstormed things that did not go with beer. “Oysters.” I vehemently disagreed. I love beer and oysters. Alas, oyster shots in Annapolis… “Chocolate.” “Delicious,” Scott said. Several different foods came up. All of which sounded ok with beer. “How about spoonfuls of mayonnaise?” “I have never heard such a ludicrous discussion in my life,” chimed in my grandfather. Spoonfuls of mayonnaise did, in fact, sound gross to me. But I guess we would try it. We were needing some empirical evidence. So, I got a few spoons, we went to the fridge and grabbed the mayonnaise container. Scott and I had a nice spoonful of mayo with the beer. No. Doesn’t go. Not so much.

Weekly Roundup

OK. This week has probably been one of the most emotional roller coasters I’ve had in a very long time, I feel a sense of unity and love. POLITICS/ELECTION – Obviously, I’m extremely happy about Article 12 being repealed in Cincinnati. It was a blemish and an embarrassment to the city of Cincinnati and I’m glad it’s something of the past! POLITICS/ELECTION II – In 11 states conservative politicians put gay marriage issues on the ballot. This brought out conservative voters in droves, who, in turn voted for George W. Bush. Nice job, Republicans! Congratulations on your strategic victory! FUN FUN FUN! On Tuesday night (Article 12 Victory party!) Wednesday (Chase’s birthday—belly button shots, too many shots) and Saturday (Kings Island, Ken’s Birthday party, Shadowbox Caberet.) I had a lot of fun with friends! DATING FLOPS – I had a rather unsuccessful date on Friday with a man who lied about his age/looks/etc. He was dull and the date was a comedy of errors worthy of an episode of the gay version of “Sex in the City,” once we decide to air this variant. BAD HAIR = WESTWOOD – I went to Target this morning and wished the fashion police were there. It wasn’t so much that the clothes, but the HAIR. WOMEN OF WESTWOOD: GO TO A STYLIST. RATTY, THREE TONED “MUDFLAPS” WEREN’T EVEN “IN” DURING THE 1980s. If money is the issue, I’d be more than happy to chip in, as you’re an embarrassment to womankind. FRIENDS – My group of friends is one notch closer, after today. While I won’t write the details, but let’s say our family is having a collective hug.

Blogs: Recent Material

There is some really good blog material published in the last week! Both Chris and Shane have some very thought envoking posts! Also, this letter appeared on Andrew Sullivan's blog, which makes you think, as well. "We are often caught up in a moment to see how good we really have it. I am one who believes that civil marriage is the ONLY way to have equal rights for gay Americans in the US. That said I am not the least bit surprised with the losses in all 11 states -- I expected it! We live in a wonderfully diverse country, and I know that some do not appreciate my "lifestyle", but that has not hindered me from having a satisfying life. There are many forms of bigotry and hatred, we just can not allow those fears to blind the path to success. I am now 45 years old -- If you would have told me back in college (1980) that I would be living openly as a gay American, with a successful career and a wonderful partner of over eleven years - I do not think that I would have thought that possible. Social change is a gradual process-- different in every society - push too hard and you get "don't ask don't tell" - or the hateful "Defense of Marriage Act" - and now the the current losses. John Kerry or the Democratic party is not the place that gay America should be placing all their faith in the future -- they will surely be disappointed. Bill Clinton signed 'don't ask don't tell" twelve years ago! - A huge setback. I for one, am very grateful for the social freedoms that I have, and look forward to the expansion of them that will naturally come in the future. I have nothing but optimism on this front, and fully except to see civil marriage in my lifetime."

The Bible and Marriage

(This is from an email I received a while back. I've checked the bible. These are legit as researched by from Rev. Alison  Hyder.) The Presidential Prayer Team is currently urging us to: "Pray for the President as he seeks wisdom on how to legally codify the definition of marriage. Pray that it will be according to Biblical  principles. With any forces insisting on variant definitions of marriage, pray that God's Word and His standards will be honored by our government." This is true. Any good religious person believes prayer should be balanced by action. So here, in support of the Prayer Team's admirable goals, is a proposed Constitutional Amendment codifying marriage entirely on biblical principles: A. Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women. (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5) B. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21) C. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21) D. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden. (Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30) E. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State, nor any state or federal law, shall be construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9) F. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10) G. In lieu of marriage, if there are no acceptable men in your town, it is required that you get your dad drunk and have sex with him, tag-teaming with any sisters you may have. (Gen 19:31-36)

New Map of North America?

Glenn sent me this today. Clever, eh?

Daily Protesting: Activism in the Gay Community

(Sorry to sound preachy. I'm just wanting to help redirect anger in a productive way!) Several friends have shown their disappointment with 11 US states losing ground on gay marriage and the fact that Kerry will likely lose the presidency. On a national level, it was not a strong year for the rights of gays and lesbians. I jokingly suggested to a friend last night that we need to “protest.” He agreed. So, I suggest we all protest! Protest by doing small things in our lives to promote our community and investing in ourselves! Our disposable income continues to grow and, where many do not have of children, some of us also have disposable time. NOW IS THE TIME FOR US TO GET INVOLVED AND HELP OUR GAY BROTHERS AND SISTERS. What we have learned is that the vast majority of people in the US do not care about us. Now, more then ever we need to help ourselves! What can we do? - Be a role model. Have straight people look at you and say, “Wow. That is a person that has their shit together. S/he is an asset to our community, a good person and someone that I like to be around. The fact that s/he is gay is irrelevant.” - Come out of the closet. You’re a great person and you deserve to be able to share all of your life with your colleagues. While you don’t want to force your values on them, share yourself. When you open up, people will open up to you and good things happen! (Caveat: this is not possible for all people. Don’t endanger yourself or your career!) - Bring out your gaiety. God made you the way you are and likely gave you a special talent (such as Kevin’s uncanny sense for design and fashion.) Find out what that talent is! Embrace it! Help others! - Promote the elimination of AIDS/HIV in our community. We to be educated on the disease and know that it is not something that one wants! If you are positive, be honest and make good decisions. We need healthy, long lived people in our community! - Reach out to gay people of the opposite sex. Solidarity, sister! Although some prefer satin and some prefer flannel, let’s come together for our common goals. We have so much in common. Let’s talk! - Live and worship in straight communities. When people get to know us, they realize just how great we are. - Fight for the small things that make us equal. For example, if partners do not have the right to be in the ambulance of their partner in an emergency situation, let’s fight to change that. - Pull out of United Way and other general purpose organizations. If you are going to give to non-profit organizations, don’t diffuse your dollar. Have it go directly to the needs of the GLBT community by giving tax deductible to causes that affect us directly. - Reach out to others. There are people in our community who need emotional support. Between insecurities, family issues, stresses and drama, we all need support at times. Identify when someone needs help, and ask them if they would like to lean on your shoulder. (Caveat: if you are a person who needs support constantly, look at yourself and find ways to grow so that you, too, can help others.) - Promote others’ career development. Know of someone who needs help with their resume? Hear about a job opening in your company? Let people know about it. - Frequent gay establishments. Get a directory for businesses in our community and patronize them. The trickle down effect applies to our community as well. - Get involved! Seek out opportunities to promote gay causes. Volunteer your time, be it at your yearly pride parade or HIV/AIDS organization. Oh, it makes us stronger and promotes good karma, too! The goal is for us to be a strong, affluent community of caring individuals. When we are strong then we cannot be hurt. When society sees us as people, then good things will follow!

REPEAL OF ARTICLE 12

THANK YOU, CINCINNATI! ARTICLE 12 WAS REPEALED! Approximately 65,082 Cincinnati voters showed support for the repeal of Article 12! THANK YOU FOR PROMOTING A MORE TOLERANT, UNITED CITY!

Long Day

After returning from the polls, Chris and I went to the repeal Article 12/YES on 3 party downtown. Lots of attractive people and fun with all of the volunteers. We were all very tired and so I went home. As of now, repeal Article 12/YES on 3 is up. 55% for, 44% against :) As of now, Florida swung red and Pennsylvanis swung blue... It's up to Ohio and Cleveland... Who knows? Going to sleep for a while.

Brrrrrrrrr

The weather turned cold and rainy. My fingertips are frozen (they’re white?) My clothes are completely soaked from being out in the rain and I’ve got the sniffles. So, was it worth standing out in the rain to promote Issue 3? You bet! I really enjoyed talking with people and between Jason, Karen and I, I bet we talked with, and partially influenced, at least a dozen voters. Who knows how this will go, but I’m glad I did my part to help out and help despite the conditions. There was a little bit of drama. One person was told to go to hell. Another person was told that “lesbians suck.” But, all and all, I think people were sympathetic. We’ll see!

Anxiety: Local Election Issues

OK. I have a little bit of anxiety about the election, most specifically because of some local issues that are up for grabs. I talked with Chris who was at the polls distributing information on YES on 3. (In case you don’t know what it is, read this Blog Entry) He said the opposition for YES on 3 is present and is stopping at nothing to spread misinformation. At the poll station that he was at, there were African American and other minorities picketing outside, holding up signs that said “Save Civil Rights, Save Marriage, No on 3.” I cannot tell you how much this infuriates me. More unethical tactics by the CCV. I don’t have a good feeling about Issue 3 passing. And it makes me feel guilty, like I’ve not done all that I could to help out in terms of time and money. (Still, I will be volunteering, passing out info and talking with people, at the polls from 4:30 to 8:00 pm tonight.)

Election Day

My update from a guy living in a Catholic western suburb of Cincinnati. At about 6:45am, I dove to the polling spot, which is about a mile from where I live. As I got through the first light, a light ran began. It’s about 66F (19C.) Not the most ideal conditions for getting people to vote, but at least it’s not snow. The parking lot for the church was almost completely full which was barrier #2. I spotted someone pulling out and found a place to park near the back. As I walked toward the entrance, there were several people lined up who appeared to be handing out brochures. The first to greet me was a pleasant, educated woman in a poncho, holding an umbrella. She said, “Vote YES on 3” and offered me some information. I smiled and said that I would be doing her job later in the day. (There were no signs of the hateful opposition.) The polling station was kind of chaotic as there were 5 districts represented, and no markings that a.) you had to go to know your district letter and b.) you had to get into the correct line based on said district letter. In terms of demographics, most people were over 40. There was an even mixture of blue and white collar people. Very few young people. Very few minorities. ------------ I think this day is kind of exciting. See, everyone has their own set of values which they have assembled from interactions with their family, friends,from education and other environmental factors. On election day, YOU, as a US citizen are allowed to speak these values and let the government know who YOU want to represent YOU, how YOU feel on certain issues, etc. In the past, I’ve been of the opinion that voting should be something private, because it does reflect one’s values. So, while I’m not going to say how I voted, I will tell you that I did vote one person off the island.