A New Beginning

It has been a while since I last posted. Time goes quick. I've been busy with my new life. It is hard to believe that a year ago I would have had no idea that I would be running my own business and to have found a special guy to share my journey with. It is definitely a new beginning. I can only imagine what I will post a year from now.

But I'll try to post other stuff til then. :)

6 years ago

I was assisting a truck driver unloading a shipment for me. Alex, my receiver, was coming over with a pallet jack when she walked up and said, "Some plane has hit the World Trade Center." Along with her and the truck driver we assumed it was a little Cesna type plane that accidentally hit the building. However, when I got back to the shop and saw all the guys just staring at the TV that I began to think it wasn't a small plane. I started watching in confusement when I saw the second plane hit. For a split second I thought I was watching some scene out of a movie, then a replay perhaps til I realized it was the second tower that got hit.

We all stood around staring at the TV trying to take in what we had witnessed. I remember vividly as some time went by I saw a puff of smoke spew out of one of the towers when I said, "WTF, it's going to go down". And it did. I felt everyone's heart not only in the shop, but in the country and around the world drop into the pit of our stomachs. This could not be happening. But it was. It wasn't until when the second tower fell that it finally set in this was real. I was not having a nightmare, I was living one. I was not the only one experiencing it as I saw grown men begin to cry. Sure it may not have been a bawling but they fought back the tears as much as they could while wiping their eyes and finding a private place to think and refocus.

I will never forget that day as I'm sure no one else will either. However, I do believe good over evil and good always win. With sacrifice. We will continue to move on, we will continue to learn and we will continue to teach all the knowledge and good that we have in this world. We must do it for the victims and the survivors. We must do it for the human race.

But I have one question, why is this man still alive and not behind bars?



I chose the skyline picture above as it reminds me of the many times I have seen it in a TV show. Giving me a glimpse of what NYC looked like.

I did it...

I resigned from my full time job at the happiest place on earth to persue my own dream. Reagle Beagles Etc mobile pet grooming has come to life. I remember the moment when this idea popped into my head. I was down in Boca Raton visiting Kay and bringing her new baby, Chloe 5 years ago.

Chloe was one of the pups from Eda Mae, the Queen of the Beagles. At least that is how she thinks. Chloe was the third in line when it came to birthing order. She looked like she had a Batman costume when she first first came out. So I initially called her Batgirl. Alas, Kay came over the next morning, looked at all 5 pups and immediately picked Batgirl. It was then she got her real name, Chloe. :)

Across the street from Kay's unit I saw this lady in a trailer grooming a dog. I was intrigued. So I went over to check it out. I asked the lady what exactly was this as I had never seen it before. "I'm a mobile pet groomer" she said. Well, after about 5 minutes of talking with her it immediately came into my head.



Reagle Beagles named after my beloved beagle pups in order: Names given from their parents and the nicknames I gave them when they were born so I could differntiate them in order. Their names come from their appearances at the time.

Leopold:Ace (of Diamonds)

George: Space

Chloe: Batgirl

Emma: Helmet Head

Barkley: Tattoo

Since their birth over 5 years ago, I have finished grooming school, worked a year with another mobile groomer, got my own mobile unit built (with the help and support of family and friends that I thank very much :) and am now in business. I've seen the demand and it's going to be a job. A job I'm looking forward to.

As Walt said himself, "If you can dream it, you can do it."

Wish me luck.



More to come...

Your Youtube Show 4TD: Who's Johnny?

That is the infamous mystery still to be solved. An answer we will most likely never find. However, in my investigation I have found a few suspects. To keep up with the new times, I decided to narrow it down to 6 nominees... uh suspects... and let YOU vote who Johnny is.

To refresh your memory here is a recap of what happened.


So just who is this Johnny? What was it about Johnny that would make the Homecoming Queen do what she did?

Suspect#1: John Wayne
Motive: Wanting an encore for his seductive moves.


Suspect#2: Johnny Carson
Motive: WTF stole his clappers.


Suspect#3: Johnny Depp
Motive: He's Johnny Depp.


Suspect#4 Johnny Johnson
Motive: With a name like Johnny Johnson...just what is in those overalls.


Suspect#5: John Lennon
Motive: Reality check.


Suspect#6: Geek with braces
Motive: Unknown. But looks suspicious.
No video available. Hmmmmmm interesting...
However, the pic at the top of this post is a composite from witnesses.



It is now up to YOU. Out of the 6 Suspects above, who do you think Johnny is?

If you were gay...

When I go to New York City this is on my must see list. The last time I was in NYC, it was 1997. My partner and I at the time stayed with a friend of a friend's apartment. Never met him before until he opened his door for us. Johnny Tartaglia he was. He was working for Sesmae Street. We were puppeteers from Orlando meeting with what would be a new Jim Henson in the making. A great guy and kind friend he is. Haven't seen him since but thanks Johnny.I hope to run into you again someday. (disclaimer, this is not Johnny in the video but I came across this and it reminded me of him if I can find one of him I'll switch it out.)

Shall I resign?

I have not been active in the Mormon church since I turned 18. I managed to survive the brainwashing that was being instilled in me since I was a kid. The whole time what was being taught to me I just kept questioning it even more. And the answers I was given were a bunch of bs. The answers I was given were those from man and not from God.

Well, 20 years later I received a letter from the local bishop. I'm not sure how to respond or if I even want to respond at all. A part of me does not want to give them the satisfaction of banning me from God's existence. Because I do believe in a high power, call it God if you want. However, being told that I should forfeit my baptism just kind of makes me chuckle.

What do you think? Here's what was sent to me, I have blocked out the names due to privacy.

Troy -------,

Please let me introduce myself, my name is Mark ------ and I am currently serving as Bishop of the Bumby Ward, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As such I have responsibility for stewardship over the members of our ward. To that end I am trying to determine your feelings and intentions regarding the chuch.

Since you have not been involved with the church for an extended period of time, I would respectfully like to know your desires regarding church membership. If it is indeed your attention to no longer be affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; then please indicate so in a short handwritten note and return it to me in the self addressed envelope. Please be advised that by taking this action all blessings and convenants pertaining to your baptism will be forfeited.

If I do not hear back from you soon, then I will assume you wish to continue your membership. To that end I will gladly start reactivation and fellowshipping efforts on your behalf. It is my desire to honer your wishes in this matter and with your help I will know how to proceed.

Sincerely, Bishop Mark --------


I feel like I'm being asked to resign.

Caution: Time Warp ahead. Destination, 1987. It's going to be a lmao kinda ride.

4 days til my 20th high school class reunion. Join me as I go down memory lane, it's going to be a lmao kinda ride.

It'll be wicked, a term that was popular back in the day. ;)

Queer Duck

I just came across this surfin' the TV. Why haven't I heard of it? It's on one of the Showtime channels that I rarely watch. But I'll be watching more now. It's hilarious especially the episode of Gay Day Happy Land that I'm watching right now. How ironic.

Find your listings and more here.

Open Thread - 20 Years Ago and A Fish Out of Water

It was twenty years ago when I was officially out of the nest. I was just beginning to discover myself after living a "normal" life in high school. My 20 year high school reunion is next week and I cannot wait. I had a great time in high school. However, I was living the life of a straight teen so I tried to play the part as best as I could. It will be interesting to see if any classmates are either surprised that I'm gay or it was just a secret we all knew but never talked about.

Regardless if they figure it out or not, I will be there with my pride ring on and I will dedicate the song "I'm Coming Out" from Diana Ross as we do have an 80's theme going. ;)

Going to be even stranger to see me old high school girlfriend. I already know what her answer would be, "So that's why you wouldn't french kiss me."

However, the first french kiss I ever did get was from another girlfriend in my senior year. (ladies man, yeah lol) It was homecoming night and we were in my Mom's black 1985 Thunderbird. We were in the parking lot of Wag's, a Denny's type restaurant, waiting for other friends to meet us from the dance. Jessica and I had been going out about a month by then and I figured it was appropriate to let her wear my class ring. That's what you were supposed to do back then. Needless to say, I handed her my class ring and she jumped down my throat like a fish out of water.

So, what memory do you care to share from 20 years ago?

7 Up

The Space Shuttle Endeavor seen from my front porch here in downtown Orlando

.

We are students looking not only for answers but for new questions too. Knowledge is power.

Full Circle..Thanks Troy

You know that old saying, that stuff comes back in a complete cirlce? Well, it has happen to me a lot lately especially now. I was in a bar last night looking for conversation or something and I ran into an old friend. We had a great time hanging out. Flirted a little ok a lot, talked a hell of a lot and then parted our ways. It wasn't until today that the significance hit me. His name was Troy. Same as mine. He was there because he was heart broken after he got dumped by someone he loved just recently. And I sat there trying to tell him don't dwell on it and you just got to move on.

That is exactly what I have been doing for the past year and a half. Dwelling on him, my ex. I'm ready to move on, I got other goals to accomplish and I've wasted too much time and money feeling sorry for what I lost. It's time to find something new and continue this life's journey. I'm ready and looking forward to it.

Goodbye Ed.

Thank you, Troy and you will get through it!

Best kiss on TV...

I thought it was great and funny. If we have to slowly show them that it is not a big deal, I don't mind if it is 2 straight guys playing the part. And I must say, it was hotter than Ennis and Jack.

See the clip here, haven't figured out how to post the video here yet.

Watch out, Tinky is going to make you gay!!

Poor Tinky, he's just a cuddly purple character trying to make a living. A guy in Poland thinks otherwise...you can read all about it here.

Charles Nelson Reilly

Ahhh, the sense of humor and game shows he brings back memories to me is priceless. And one I would call a pioneer for breaking the boundaries that needed to be broken.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/28/reilly.obit.ap/index.html









Here here to Charlie.

Jimmy Carter tells it as it is...

and I couldn't agree more.

Bush the worst president in history...

You can read what he says of Dubya here.

Gay or Straight?

Just came across this before going off to bed. I haven't looked at it all, so I'll update my thoughts later.

http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/68/gay_or_straight

The beginning of the Armageddon?

The wingnuts are in deed starting to shake in their pews.



http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/17/giuliani.dobson/index.html

Ugly Betty season finale

I don't recall ever seeing a season finale tearing me up as much as Ugly Betty's. It truly is a great show. If you haven't seen it, I'm sure the reruns will be going on this summer. And I love the West Side Story amage they gave to this episode. If there is a gay agenda, it should be a required viewing for everyone gay or straight. :)

It's raining

It's a beautiful thang. Thank God, we need it. It's been so dry. It also gives me an excuse to work on this blog. I think I am starting to figure out how this site works. Well, it depends if there is a picture in this post that will let me know if I have accomplished something.

Ode to Big Daddy

A big friend with a beard
With a smile from ear to ear
You'll always be here


I ran into an old friend this past weekend and learned his partner and best friend of 27 years had passed away back on Feb 20. If you ever wanted to see what true love is, all you had to do was to look at them together. It's hard seeing someone lose their loved one, one especially like Jim. He was a truly genuine awesome fun loving wise old gay man. Love ya, Big Daddy as Sandy would say, you'll always be right here.

After hours open thread...

I can't tell you the last time that I have actually closed out a bar. But I did tonight for the first time in a long while. Trying to stay up past 11pm is a task at times. I think I hear my pillow calling my name right now.

When was the last time you closed a bar?

The Incarnation of Pta Part 1

It was Valentine's Day back in 1987 when it all began. I was a senior in high school. A couple weeks prior, a flyer was posted(on an actual bulletin board) in the band room for parade auditions at a well known theme park. Me and a few friends who had no dates for that day decided to go audition for the heck of it. I had no idea what to expect as it was my very first audition.

The auditions were what they call a cattle call open audition. Ever seen the people in line for Amercian Idol? Sorta like that but maybe only a couple hundred people instead of thousands. But it was just as exciting. After waiting in line and filling out all the forms I was proceeded to the rehearsal hall. This is where the staging assistants taught us a little dance routine to a tune like Zip a dee doo da. Yeah, you should know the theme park by now.

They had us go in groups of four crossing the dance floor to that neverending tune. With my two left feet I managed to smile my way to the to other side only to be asked by one of the casting scouts, "How tall are you?"

How tall am I? Well, being short at 5'5" and a 1/2!! I assumed she wanted someone taller so I said 5'7". She told me to go back to the bleachers. Fearing I was being sent to the rejection side of the hall I nervously sat back down. But faith would have it, they had asked for those on the "rejection" side to do the routine again.

So with another group of four, I stumbled my way while smiling to the other side fo the dance floor. Again, the casting director stopped me and asked how tall I as. Stuttering I spouted out "Oh, 5'5" 5'6 maybe?" She looked at me rather confused and then pointed to opposite direction than before. I was in.

Well, not really but I did make it back to the call back auditions for the next day. Needless to say I was hired to be a Royal Page of the Blue Fairy and other characters. I remember on the way home that day telling my friend Dawn ( who was the only other person hired in our little group) that I heard there was a park in Tokyo, wouldn't it be cool to work there? ......tbc

You know that old saying, be careful what you wish for? Well, I'm glad I said it and you will have to wait until my next post for the continuation of The Incarnation of Pta. Blogging is more work than I thought and I gotta keep you guessing anyways? Right? Plus, the story gets very cosmic in a weird spiritual sort of way. Stay tuned!

Introduction

Hello World!! Welcome to my window, I hope you enjoy your visit here. Upon http://joemygod.blogspot.com/ 3 year anniversary today I was inspired to start my own. I'm a happy out 37yr gay man enjoying this rollercoaster ride called life. I don't have kids to pass down my stories but I know their are many kids at heart out there that would love to hear some of them. At least I hope. I also will like to use this blog to point out my views on life and all that comes with it may it be political, religious, educational or just plain fun. We may not always agree but we can agree to disagree. It's so less violet.

Hope you come back and see where this blog goes.