I hate this date. The only date I hate more than this one is June 28th. June 28th, 1986, I got a phone call from my best friend’s boyfriend, calling me in broken speech and hysterics to inform me that she was dead. Suicide. 14 years old. I have no pictures of her, but there is one on her grave marker underneath a little brass cover.

June 30th, 2000 - my best friend Shane dies suddenly after scoring a homerun in a company sponsored softball game. He collapsed after crossing home plate and went into a flurry of seizures and respitory arrest, his blood having been toxic from medication he had been prescribed that his body was not metabolizing. I have a picture taken of him as he swung the bat - he died two minutes after it was taken. Click here to see it.

19 years. 5 years. I hate this fucking week every year. I miss them terribly and I cannot stop thinking about them, hearing their laughter, seeing them smile and a million other things I will never stop missing. I know this sounds trite and cliché, but if I could just have one more day with them, just one fucking day, I might have some peace with all of this. Instead, I have to live with the realization that I still feel broken.

Filed under: LiveJournal Posts | Brad | June 30, 2005 Comments (0)

There was a LOT of eyecandy in the way of the big, burly, furry, and general OMGLETSGETNAKEDANDNASTYRIGHTNOW hotness, but the emotional stuff I had going on overrode most of that. Now mind you, I’m a man - a gay one. It is wired into our genetics that if there is a hot guy within viewing range, our cerebral circuitry automatically gets switched to “Oh yeah, I’d hit that. Sure, let’s go. Or right here, we can fuck right here too - that’s fine. Yes, I know we’re standing on a freshly dug grave, what’s your point?” I think that’s true of all men, homo and hetero, on a theoretic level if nothing else, but the volume on our testosterone is probably a little higher than on the straighties. I say that because I don’t know any straight guys who have the uncomplicated option to get laid as much as we do, nor have as few complications negotiating before/during/after sex stuff. I make no illusions about sex. I make it clear that my heart belongs to someone already, and I’m not going to be romantic when I’m fucking. The seduction ends at agreement/consent, then on to the carnality. Or perhaps the seduction doesn’t end as much as it takes on a new energy. My personal experience, guys - based on my own personal experience. I have straight guy friends who compare sex stories with me and then end up going “you know, I really wished I liked the cock, ’cause GODDAMN that sounds like a good time - and I could never get a chick to do/be like that…” Even Maggie - who considers herself ‘heteroflexible’ - will be the first to admit that girls are great all, and if it weren’t for the whole having to go downtown for dinner part, she’d be full-on bisexual. Then again, Maggie doesn’t really like most heterosexual people, has few heterosexual friends, and is entirely bitter that she’s neither a lesbian nor a gay man.

I’ve theorized in past entries about homo/hetero sex at a more biologically/sociologically ingrained level and the differences therein. In sociology you learn that it is essentially wired into men that we need to spread as much seed as is possible. The expectation traditionally is placed upon heterosexual men to spread their seed with the intention of doing their part for procreation. The assumed lifespan of these procreative unions gives them about an 18 month lifespan, giving one time to find a mate, conceive a child, attend to it for a while, then move on to the next. That accounts for a lot of things, in particular the male tendency (or rather propensity) to look elsewhere or wander, so to speak, and our relentless drive to cruise hot people. In no way am I attempting to make excuses for the legitimization of infidelity. That’s bullshit, there are none. Whatever you may be predisposed to, you alone are responsible for your behaviour. There are all kinds of relationships and as many variables that you and your partner can agree on or not - but anything that falls outside of those parameters is a bad idea. Perhaps a polyamorous relationship works for some, an open relationship for others, and exclusivity for the rest, not that these are the only options. It is up to you to figure out what your needs are and seek a relationship (or abstain from committed relationships altogether) that helps you get your fundamental needs met. If you are already part of a relationship where needs are not getting met, you owe it to yourself and your partner to have these kinds of discussions and come to some realistic decisions about how to get everyone’s needs met. It’s only fair. You may feel neglected in one capacity by them, they may feel the same in another and neither of you have any idea because there’s no communication. Sometimes the simple act of communicating your needs and coming to some understandings - who knew - can save a relationship that is invariably headed for the doom dumpster. Kind of makes you wonder how many breakups could be avoided if people were more honestly communicative, doesn’t it? That’s a whole ‘nother topic, though.

As a gay men, I am not having sex for the sake of procreation, I default to
sex for mere pleasure and in the process do my part for population control. That responsibility is off of me. Not that I are devoid of sexual responsibility, far from it. In the advent of AIDS and other STD’s, sex has become an act that can invariably be fatal. And I’m not talking about some rough trade hustler type that might linger around a gay bar oozing sex appeal who might follow you to the parking lot, negotiate an exchange for money or maybe even a ride somewhere, offer you his beautiful, more than ample cock instead of payment, and then fuck you up before/after you get him to shoot his load. Except for the part about getting fucked up afterward, which has never happened in my case (well, almost), that’s a lot of fun a very hot scenario, IMHO. Not unlike ‘making friends’ with a drunken, horny soldier after last call. *sighs reflectively* …ah, good times…

Sex is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be dirty, and you’re supposed to have at least one moment of feeling like you’re this completely dirty, nasty, gutterbutt whore before, during, or after you come. If not, you’re not doing it right and what’s the fucking point? Rather like giving head until the point of making someone come and then stopping - I’d rather you didn’t even bother sometimes, thanks. Even masturbation isn’t about sex for me unless I’m doing it to or with someone else, and even that is just a question of degrees. To me, jerking off is just maintainance. It’s more like eating, breathing, and sleep than it is like sex when I’m alone. It’s a very self validating thing when you get down to it, you’re getting yourself off for you. Hey, no one can love you like you can love yourself. Conversely, you can’t love anyone else properly until you love yourself first if you know what I’m saying. And by the way, giving a hand job is also very hot.

Yesterday the guys I found most intriguing were the Daddies. Those gruff, rugged, slightly older and larger types that remind me of the two real Daddies of my youth. Well, one of them - the other was just for practice. Fucking HELL he was a God. Blue collar, unfussy, unmanicured. In a way, these types of men are my substitute for opiates. I love the idea of meeting a Daddy that will charge me up as much as the one in my past did. I would love that experience again. My inner logician knows that it’s a lot like that first high, though - the one addicts spend lifetimes chasing and trying to recreate but will never have again, and subsequent highs are more maintainance than actual high - not that you can’t get really high now and then, but it is all still this big let down somehow that pales in comparison. I definitely think it is a product of feeling like you’re missing something somewhere. That or the onset of midlife crisis feelings, albeit prematurely. All of my best fantasies about giving head center around these types, all stemming from those experiences, or at least one in particular. Probably an amalgam of many, but definitely one that comes to mind. That’s fodder for the ghostofaman LJ, and I’m sure that it’ll get written eventually.

The technical part of it went like this. He was a friend’s father, he was a mill worker, and had very rough edges. Total Daddy bear, but without all the bullshit pretenses and posturing. I always thought he was a great man, he was fair and knew how to be gentle when the situation dictated it. I went to him as a friend with sex questions, he answered me responsibly. Spending the night at their house once, I caught the sight of him in his bed with no covers on, in white briefs with the BIGGEST erection I’d ever seen in real life, and totally asleep. I stared through the cracked doorway of his bedroom feeling slight pangs of “this is wrong, I shouldn’t be doing this” and continued anyway. I roamed up and down the hallway, pausing to linger there voyeuristically until I either got caught by my friend (his son) or until he woke up. It was the first time I’d ever sexualized him, and I was completely turned on. That’s how it started.

Cut
to me being a rather bold teenager, now hellbent on seducing this man, and eventually taking down his defenses. Took maybe two or three weeks. Best head I ever gave was the one time I was able to make him cum, and nothing has compared to it since. Not that I don’t try. *eg* I’m not sure if it is because it was so taboo, because I was so hot for him and it was my ultimate act of prostration for that lust, or because it was clear to me that I had given him this enormous gift in worshipping him so completely and making him feel more wanted than anyone else ever had before - then going the extra mile in refusing to let him pull out of my mouth when he came, and boy did he try but I latched on and made him give me all of it. In retrospect I suppose it’s all of those things. Knowing I wanted it to happen sooner or later, I had decided that I wanted my first time taking a man’s load to be his, it was the height of the fantasy for me. I don’t think I have ever recovered from that act, either.

Fuck Lolita, that bitch knew nothing.

Filed under: LiveJournal Posts | Brad | June 27, 2005 Comments (0)

We arrived in Atlanta around 10 or 11AM on Saturday and spent the morning and afternoon getting moved into her new digs, which are beyond swanky. The entire complex she’s moved into is absolutely gorgeous, from the landscaping to the apartment layouts and the color scheme of everything inside and out. We all (, her Mom, D, and I) were worn out and very accomplished by the end of the move and decided to go down to the pool for a swim to relax and cool down. We went to dinner at this great Italian place in Kennesaw, I cannot remember the name of it. , what was the place called and where was it so we can pass it on? We went back to the new apartment just as darkness crept up and helped finish get things in order before bedtime. That was when I made the post announcing my intentions to ask D to marry me. I hardly slept at all that night and what I got was very restless from being both nervous and feeling like I wanted the moment to be perfect for him. We got showered in the morning and bid my sweet adeiu and then set out for Pride. We met Mom & Tina within 5 minutes of arriving at the train station, and all of us took the train to the Civic Center. We had been there a short time when I finally got to meet , who is so much more adorable in person than I had anticipated. A few minutes after she joined us, hsowed up. Before too long, I spotted and across the way, as well as two guys I recognized from Bear411. I also finally got to meet , whom I am certain now thinks I am completely delirious. Just before I proposed, came and joined in the fray. While waiting for the parade march to start, I finally summoned up the courage to propose. I swear, I have never been so nervous in my life!

Within minutes of him saying “yes” (SCORE!) and many tears, hugs, phone calls and text messages to let others know, the parade kicked off. The weather was wet and cool for pretty much the entire day and we weren’t complaining, it’s usually Africa Tarzan hot this time of year and Pride is always a sweltering affair. It always rains, too. No way of ever avoiding that. I don’t mind the rain either, it always cools everything down and gives perspective. Plus, it’s fun playing out in the rain with lots of other people all having a good time together. It was great fun watching the people in our group experiencing their first Pride ever, seeing their reactions to everything and the emotion that always comes along with it - especially on your first one.

>

I have to admit, I never really feel like it gets tedious or boring, I’m always excited and full of energy. There is something completely liberating about this experience, I’ve said this many times before. The comeraderie, the pageantry, the complete uncivilized debauchery, and every other element you can think of. I love when we hit Peachtree and walk past St. Mark’s, the congregation has the church decorated with rainbow flags and balloons and streamers and banners all over everything and they set up water stations and take turns running out into the crowd, giving everyone a drink and sometimes spraying them down with a water hose if it’s really hot. Always a kind word, and always said with a smile.

Finally got down to the larger part of the parade route that has all of the spectators, it was awesome. We marched with the Atlanta Bucks Rugby Football Club, and our chant was FABULOUS! Tyson would lead the chant and we’d all repeat in earnest several times over the following:

Monday is a wanking day! *make simulated masturbatory gesticulation*
Tuesday is a finger day! *wiggle a finger*
Wednesday is a fisting day! *guess what we did here*
Thursday is a fucking day! *pull fists down into pelvis, thrust hips forward, repeat ad infinitum*
Friday is a drinking day! *simulate drinking from a glass*
Saturday’s a Rugby day! *throw both fists in the air*
Sunday is the Lord’s day! *kneel on one knee*
BUT SATURDAY’S A RUGBY DAY!!

After each cycle of this, he’d scream “IS EVERYBODY HAPPY?” to which we responded “YOU BET YOUR ASS WE’RE HAPPY!”, then put our cups or whatever we were holding on top of our heads and turn around singing “La, la, la, la, la, la, la…” in a decrescendo. SO much fun! Got to the park finally and made a beeline to find , who was waiting on to give him a massage, then made the rounds for a bit. Got lunch, saw for a bit, ran into (and finally introduced myself to) , and generally hung out a bit before heading back home. The two pictures below were my very favorites of the day, so I post them in full.

Filed under: LiveJournal Posts | Brad | Comments (0)

Tomorow morning, we’re heading down to meet Mom & little sister at the College Park station. Then we’re taking the train to Pride and to meet our other friends and family at the parade march. That much everyone knows already…

What most of you don’t know yet, and I’m giving the heads up about it now so I don’t induce heart attacks on everyone is this. I’ve kept it secret long enough, more than two months now since I decided and longer than that since I’ve been considering it.

Sometime tomorrow before the parade march, between approximately noon and 12:30PM, in front of our family, friends, and the city of Atlanta, I’m going to take Damien’s hands in mine and drop down to one knee…

I’m going to ask him to marry me.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t mention anything directly about this on your LJ’s, lest he read this in the morning before we leave. Thanks guys & gals, I appreciate the love and support! Next time I post, I’m making this entry public and deleting the filter it is currently on.

Filed under: LiveJournal Posts | Brad | June 25, 2005 Comments (0)

Alright, this may be my last post before the Pride March. Who is meeting us at the Civic Center MARTA station at noon on Sunday?

Filed under: LiveJournal Posts | Brad | June 24, 2005 Comments (0)

Walking out the door on the way to Atlanta, see most of you tomorrow. We’re meeting Mom & Tina (bsby sister) at the College Park MARTA Station at 11:00ish, then heading sraight to the Civic Center station to meet up with everyone else for the parade. WIsh us luck, you’ll all get details, pictures, and video when we get back.

Make sure if you’re going to be in the parade march that you’re at the Civic Center MARTA station NO LATER than noon on Sunday. Be early if you have to be, and eat lunch beforehand ’cause we’re not stopping until we get to the park. I’ll be wearing a green t-shirt, khaki shorts, and sneakers. We’ll be right there at the train station exit, street level.

My love to all, Happy Pride!

Filed under: LiveJournal Posts | Brad | Comments (0)

Conservative Christians hold conference to ‘cure’ gays
Dr. James Dobson is the leader of Focus on the Family, which is calling on gays and lesbians to undergo “reparative therapy.”

When activists for gay and lesbian causes gather outside a church near Seattle this weekend, they will have many critical things to say about how conservative Christian institutions have treated them.

Inside Northshore Baptist Church, where Focus on the Family will be preaching that homosexuality can be “healed” by the power of God’s love, Christian counselors will be making much the same point.

In addition to “powerful stories of ex-gay men and women,” people attending the Love Won Out conference will hear “a challenge to the church,” said Dr. Bill Maier, a child and family psychologist who is one of the event’s main speakers. Another is the Rev. Nancy Heche, the mother of Anne Heche, the actress who famously married a man after living a widely publicized lesbian life with comedian Ellen DeGeneres.

Filed under: LiveJournal Posts | Brad | June 23, 2005 Comments (0)

Christian Alliance For Progress - go over this site with a fine toothed comb, it is excellent. I got teary eyed reading most of it. Thanks to for the link!

Filed under: LiveJournal Posts | Brad | Comments (0)

Rumsfeld rejects Iraq timetable
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld rejected calls by some congressional Democrats on Thursday that the Bush administration set a timetable for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. “That would be a mistake,” he told a Senate panel.

“Timing in war is never predictable. There are never guarantees,” Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Those who say we are losing this war are wrong. We are not.”

Is that so.

In other news, the Mississippi judge in the Edgar Ray Killen case just sentenced him to the full 60 years. I didn’t think they would, maybe there is justice afterall.

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BREAKING NEWS

U.S. Supreme Court rules local governments may seize homes and businesses for private economic development.

I am SO not kidding. I have no response to this, words fail me.

Even scarier, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain

In the United States, the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution requires that just compensation be paid when the power of eminent domain is used, and requires that “public purpose” of the property be demonstrated. Over the years the definition of “public purpose” has expanded to include economic development plans which use eminent domain seizures to enable commercial development for the purpose of generating more tax revenue for the local government. Critics contend (http://reclaimdemocracy.org/civil_rights/public_use_corporate_abuse.php) this perverts the intent of eminent domain law and tramples personal property rights.

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