I know I usually post multiple pictures on Tattoo Tuesday but this one just is unbelievable and must stand alone. Incredible work and wow! Mind-boggling as well as sexy and hot and....sorry, I started to swoon.
I believe in a person's right to "decorate" his or her body. I choose not to (that's a whole other Oprah) although I do have one piercing. That was a last hurrah before turning 40. But I digress.
How a person decorates his/her body is indeed his/her choice. We may not agree with the designs or how much they cover their bodies but we can appreciate the artwork. In this man's case, I applaud him for his positive message. Never mind that he's FREAKIN' HOT. I would love to meet him in person so I could read it myself and see what all of it says.
Back in the early 90's I met a man who was part of LA Shanti, which was an AIDS support organization. He had just had the outline of an intricate dragon tattooed on his shoulder and upper arm. I asked boldly if I could touch it and he complied....he had biceps like today's model so I admit I was copping a feel. But the raised ink on his arm was warm and erotic. He said he still was going to have the color done. I never ran into him again but have always wished I could have seen the finished product.
I do have a design for a tattoo in mind; I actually found it on the Internet. Maybe one day I'll post the picture and have my Behr Community give me feedback (I'll 'splain Lucy its meaning and all). So in the meantime, enjoy today's picture and - as always - BEHR HUGS!
Yesterday my friend swapped out the dead power supply with the new one I bought online and I now am back to full access to my many pictures saved. Thankfully it wasn't a virus or some other file-deleting problem.
The same friend and his partner had me and another of their friends over yesterday. The suburb of LA in which they live can be 10+ degrees hotter than anywhere else. And yesterday it was scorching! After D fixed my PC and F arrived, we sat around and talked until the pool was in the shade. We all got into the pool and it was very refreshing! Naturally, being all guys without any hangups, we skinny-dipped. It's the only way to go!
D had fixed a wonderful chicken salad on a bed of lettuce for dinner. It was delicious! F and M drank white wine, I was having red, and D drank water. But we all had some champagne as well. After dinner we watched the BluRay 2-D version of Coraline. Then we had dessert (provided by moi, fresh fruit with petite angel food cakes topped with all natural vanilla ice cream). We talked more and finally F and I said our goodbyes. When I got home I had been gone for nearly 10 hours! Over all it was a very nice Saturday.
BEHR HUGS!
In telling this story and especially in hindsight, I realize that it is pretty pathetic. Or rather, I acted rather pathetically. I present this now just as a rumination not so much therapy or disclosure for closure. I don't know why I'm sharing it. Perhaps it'll occur to me by the end.
A few years ago I was in a semi-good place: I had been in my new role at the bank for a year or so, I had been in my house since 2001 and all seemed "OK." The only area of my life that wasn't quite spectacular was my love life. Enter DG.I met him online - I forget where exactly - and we began chatting. He was going through a divorce, had three children and one grandchild, and he finally accepted he was gay. He sounded so lonely and so lost that I tried my best to just give advice and listen when he needed to vent. As we exchanged emails and phone calls we learned more about each other as these type of situations usually yield. Soon I found myself looking forward to his messages and calls and he even told his ex-wife about me. Well...he said he did. He even introduced me to his daughter via Myspace and she and I exchanged a few messages. She said I sounded like a fantastic guy who was making her dad happy.
He left his temporary home (due to Katrina) and started heading west, toward Las Vegas I believe, to stay with a friend. He landed in Albuquerque NM and found a job as a chef at a hotel. Things were looking up for him.
We decided that we needed to meet because - based on the common interests and mutual "like." He said a lot of things to me. I don't need to share them all but he did say he thought he could fall in love with me. Having come out of a relationship the year before with a completely shattered heart and self-esteem, such words were a soothing balm to my tortured being. Melodramatic sounding, isn't it? But that's how it felt.
He was struggling in NM: he owed money and wasn't making enough to finish the trip to NV and - in my weakness - I offered to loan him money. Not a lot. But a few hundred is what I sent. Shortly after this foolish act (although I believed at the time he needed it more than I did) he told me that he'd hooked up with a guy. And he was moving in with this guy. And he was in love with the guy. Needless to say I felt he had taken advantage of me and we exchanged a lot of heated words. I asked him to repay the loan and he said he'd think about it. Pretty much that was the end of it.
About a week ago I found the Western Union paperwork for the money I'd sent him. Oddly enough, I again thought that I had acted in good faith and trust albeit foolishly. (I actually do this a lot - loaning money to people I don't know very well. I must have SUCKER written on my forehead.) I shredded the paperwork and didn't think about it again.
Until this morning. I had an IM from him saying he wanted to make things right. He admitted that he behaved badly and wanted my address so he could send me the money. I was dumbfounded.
I thought about it and finally responded. I told him that I had let go of that situation a long time ago. I also told him that I wasn't going to be emailing him and yelling at him and telling him to fuck off as he thought I would. (Sorry, being honest here.) My final bit was to say that it wasn't necessary for him to repay the loan, that it was an expensive lesson but one I needed to learn.
He replied and thanked me. He's not found the happiness that he once gloated about. That actually makes me feel sad. And perhaps I feel a little vindicated too.
So what did I learn today? I learned that, despite any heartbreak - real or imaginary - that I did the right thing. Both back then and now. If he had insisted on sending the money I would have told him to donate it to a charity, such as an AIDS hospice or food service. And I don't say that to make myself sound righteous or generous; it's honestly what I thought this morning.
I also learned that despite the absence of a significant other in my life I'm not that unhappy. Oh sure I have my days but who doesn't? I also learned that taking the high road does bring personal satisfaction.
So that's my story. And I'm sticking to it! BEHR HUGS!!
I got a new cell phone!!
My service provider - Verizon Wireless - has a plan where you can become eligible for a "free" phone every two years. It requires, of course, a contract renewal. This is about the second or third time I've taken advantage of this.
I got the enV3 in slate blue and I'm really liking it! Although bigger than my previous phone, it is still slim and and so functional! I rarely use my cell phone for calls; usually I'm texting or accessing the Web via the online service (extra charge).
The pics are of the phone in its closed and open (or "flipped") modes. The QWERTY keyboard inside will take some getting used to since I have fat fingers. But so far I'm figuring it out pretty well. I only accidentally erased two of my contacts (it's OK; Verizon has a backup assistant feature from which I was able to obtain the erased info).
I also got a BlueTooth device - or rather something similar. I've never had one and it was so easy to pair it to the phone. Now I can walk around and talk on my phone giving the impression that I'm an arrogant asshole talking to himself!!!
The amazing thing is I ordered it online on Wednesday morning while at work and picked it up from FedEx on Thursday evening (truth comes out - I didn't post because I was playing with my new toy). Amazing service. And all in all I only paid about $30 out of pocket for the phone (retails about $160). I paid extra for the headset but it was a worthy investment, I think.
Oh and for kicks I downloaded a new ringtone (hated the preset ones): the opening guitar riff from The Who's Baba O'Riley. I'm just waiting for someone to call me!!
BEHR HUGS!!
As promised, here is the first of three updates due to my lack of posting last night and my oversleeping this morning.
As you may remember, I was rather excited about training a new colleague on a specific application that the bank uses to track its call report and pipeline. This colleague - I'll just call him R - is a handsome man: incredible blue eyes, short cropped brown hair, dimples as deep as a canyon, and a smile that is owing to either lucky genes or a remarkable dentist.
So R shows up and I thought I would be training him on my office computer but an opening in our computer room appeared and I nabbed it for the afternoon. R was very professional, flashing that million-dollar smile and giving me a firm and warm handshake as he expressed for the first time his appreciation for my time and the special attention. A-hem. The desire to wrap my arms around him and kiss him was tremendous but I did in fact remain professional and not at all sexual harrass-y.
I must extol his intellectual prowess as he quickly picked up the concepts and navigational techniques of the system. His questions were intelligent and more often than not provided the perfect segue into the next function of the system.
But alas! All good things must come to an end and so it was with my admiration for him. As he practiced what he'd learned I had to stop him and explain the errors of his entries. I started seeing him in a different light...there was a slight hint of smarminess. And he remained professional throughout the 3 1/2 hour session. DAMN HIM. I was hoping he would let his guard down so we could have a normal conversation. But it wasn't to happen. I only made one slightly inappropriate comment and I only touched his arm twice. Or was it three times? (I often touch a person's arm or shoulder to emphasis a point.)
Over all it went well and he thanked me a couple of more times. *sigh* SO adorable even if he really isn't my type (ya'll know "my" type). And the miracle is I didn't think about him once he left. So what I thought was a mini-crush developing turned out to be just professional admiration.
Oh did I mention how cute his butt looked while he walked away from me?? LMFAO!!
BEHR HUGS!!
I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! I unfortunately did not take the time last night to post and I overslept and need to scoot here in a few minutes. Tonight I will post the following updates:
*Yesterday's training session*My new cell phone*A blast from my past
Until then - BEHR HUGS!!
Ice cream.
Iced tea.
Sitting in front of an air conditioner or fan. Naked.
Frolicking in a pool.
A handsome red bear.
A handsome red bear in a pool. Feeding me ice cream. Naked.
It's only in the 80's but the humidity is stifling here in SoCal. The above is my instant gratification wish list. What's yours?
BEHR HUGS!
