Jason's Room

Planning & Prepping Packages

As my previous post illustrated, I've been busy assembling, packaging, and mailing packages to our various nephews and nieces each month this year.

Towards the end of this past January, I noticed myself getting depressed,... and it kinda scared me.  I remembered the bout of depression that I had struggled with during January of the previous year, and certainly didn't want to deal with THAT again.

With that in mind, one day, I found myself turning into a Toys R Us, thinking "Let's focus on the kids... That makes you happy, right?" and I began a shopping spree which lasted several days and several miles, collecting specific items for Valentine's Day packages for each of them.

Between my boyfriend and myself, we've got ten little boys and girls in the family, and I made sure to send something for each of them... Older boys (around 5 or 6) got materials to assemble personalized Superman Valentines for their friends.  Older girls (the same age) got Disney Princess Valentines and Horses.  Younger children (the ones younger than four) got a stuffed animal and stickers, and everyone got enough heart-shaped candy to gorge themselves silly.  :-)

Additionally, during my shopping adventures, I began noticing how certain retailers were trying to get rid of certain toys in stock... and how I could take advantage of it.---You see, this summer is going to be HUGE for the toy industry.  Just think about the movies coming out: Spiderman 3, Fantastic Four 2, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Shrek 3, another Harry Potter, a Transformers movie,... This summer is going to be crazy!

With all of these new toys coming in, retailers have had to slash prices on their old stock to make room for the new stuff,... and I've been there to snag the deals.---For example, one toy store had a ton of leftover merchandise from the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie,... and so, I kept a watchful eye... and sure enough, one day, I walked in, and their Pirates of the Caribbean action figures were marked down 80%!

And I'm sorry, but... Johnny Depp ain't gonna look any different in this next movie than he did in the previous one.  (Jack Sparrow is Jack Sparrow is Jack Sparrow.)  And from the perspective of a five year old?---Do you see where I'm going with this?---So, I bought five of them and packed them neatly in our storage closet... to be removed and sent out in late May... just as the new movie hits the big screen.  :-)

After all of the Valentine's Day packages were put together and addressed, I began a quest for little St. Patrick's Day gifts,... including shamrock stickers, little plastic leprechauns, chocolate gold coins,... and even candy snakes (since, according to legend, St. Patrick drove all the snakes from the island of Ireland).

And as you might guess, my next shopping adventure involved items for personalized Easter baskets (which were sent out this past Friday).---Screw those "pre-made" Easter baskets on the top shelves of almost every store.  MY Easter baskets held more toys and candy than any of them... AND in the long run, actually cost less!

Animatronic lambs that softly "baaa" when you give them a their milk bottle, wind-up bunnies and rubber ducks with rabbit ears on their heads,... Sports-themed baskets with eggs shaped like soccer balls and basketballs, including stickers with different sports teams and chocolates to match...

But as I said, the "Easter packages" are now gone from our house,... mailed and en route to various little children all around the country.

So, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter,... You might be wondering "What's next?  There's really no major holiday coming up until July, right?"

Wrong.---May 4th is next,... and items are already purchased...

...for the premiere of Spiderman 3. 
;-)

Monthly Holidays (for Nieces/Nephews)

Busy, Bothered, & Bathing

I thought I started this work week on the right foot.

I had gotten a full 8-hour night's sleep on Sunday night.  Before going to bed, I had set out and ironed my clothes for Monday, and I'd set goals (3 for each day of the week) to accomplish along with my regular responsibilities.

On Monday morning, I bounded out of bed at the first beep of the alarm clock, ate a bowl of cereal in the kitchen, made the bed (an unusual morning occurrence for me), and ran out the door ready to take on the day.  :-)

Unfortunately, by the end of Monday night, I had only accomplished ONE of my three major goals for that day.

Well, no big deal, right?  I could simply tackle the other things on Tuesday, correct?

Wrong.

Remember, I had already set three goals for Tuesday in place,... and thus, now, on Tuesday, I had FIVE things to accomplish,... and again, I finished *sigh* only ONE.

Therefore, on Wednesday, I had SEVEN tasks to finish, and... by this point, I was becoming overwhelmed.  Accomplishing tasks began taking even longer than they should, as my entire being would just shutdown at certain points, buried beneath the defeatist thinking of "I've got too much to do. I've got too much to do.  I'll never get all of this done!  Why even try?  Why even bother?  I'm such a loser.---Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah..."

Which brings me to today.

Although I started the day typically disappointing myself by not accomplishing everything that I had planned, I'm beginning (every so slightly) to "almost-kinda-but-not-really" catch up on my list of goals.  Oh, I'm not nearly as far along as I'd like to be, but... at least, I'm posting something today, right?

*Ugh*

To be five years old again... when my biggest concern was taking a bath...

Still truckin',
your jason

Time Flies

Today, I received an email which informed me that this past Wednesday was my two-year "blogiversary,"...

And um,... well, I guess I missed it.

My boyfriend informs me that I "really haven't done two years worth of blogging," as I recently took a couple months off, but... this is my 478th post, and... that's not too shabby, right?

Oh, I know I'm not the greatest writer in the world,... and I never tried to make this space any type of news or gossip source.---I'm not looking for fame or fortune, I'm not working through an issue online, nor am I blogging to keep in touch with friends. 

I just do it because it's fun, and... it's been a nice place to save pictures, ideas, and memories,... while inadvertently sharing them with some wonderful people whom I've grown to know and love.

I'm reminded of what super-granddaddy blogger Bradford Shellhammer told The New York Blade back in September of 2005:

"Blogs, before anything else, are fun... They allow people to create. And I think that's a wonderful thing. Just don't expect me to read the crap."

*heheh*

And that's kinda been my personal mantra.

"Create.  Have fun.  Don't expect people to read my crap."

So, on March 21, 2005, I wrote my first post for "Jason's Room," and now, two years later, I'm happy to report that I'm still here.  I'm still happy, and I'm still more grateful than you'll ever know.

How much longer will I last?  I don't know.  The answer changes day to day, week to week.  (I remember when I thought it was a big deal that I'd blogged for one month!)  We'll see.

Regardless, the past two years of doing this have been incredibly enlightening, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

all my love and thanks,
your jason

Holy Hair

Having reached my hair goal (which I set last year), I've decided to see how long I can let it to grow.---Recently though, it became obvious that I needed to go to the barbershop to at least "clean it up" a little.

Getting a haircut when you're trying to grow your hair out can be gamble.  After you've worked hard to grow the hair, some stylists will cut off more than you'd like,... taking you back to square one.  However, I've been going to the same stylist in West Hollywood, Max, for a few years now, and I trust him.  So, earlier this week, I sat myself down in his chair.

"Wow, Jason," he said, "It's been a while."

"Yeah, I know... I haven't been here in two and half months."

"Soooo... What are we going for today?"

"Well, I'm want to continue to grow my hair longer."

"Longer, huh?---Well, what is your general goal?"

"Well, um... I kinda embarrassed to say it,... but my boyfriend came up with a phrase which, although it sounds silly, kinda accurately describes how I'd eventually like my hair."

"And that is...?---Go ahead and say it, sweetie.  We're all friends here."

"He said... He said that what I'm going for is... 'Jesus Hair'."

(At this point, the stylist began laughing,... and quickly stopped when he saw me staring at him with a straight face.)

"Hahah---Ahem---So, it's... *heh*... 'Jesus Hair' you're going for..."

"I know, I know... It's not particularly 'cool' or 'hip', but... I'd like to see if I can do it."

"Well, everyone is certainly getting their hair cut shorter and shorter these days, and so, it'll make you... different..."

"And by 'different', you mean 'different in a good way', right?"

(The stylist didn't answer and quickly made himself busy brushing my hair.)

"Listen, Max... Think about... um... Pirates of the Caribbean, ya know?  Orlando Bloom had long hair and nobody said anything bad about it."

"Well, no offense, Jason... But you're not---"

"The next words out of your mouth better be 'a pirate'."

"Arrrrg..."

*Sigh*

Well, as asked, he only trimmed a little off the ends on the sides.  So, my hair is still long,... and hopefully, going to get even longer,... despite other's objections.  We'll see what happens...
;-)

New Gay Pimp Video

New soft-core-porn/music-video from Jonny McGovern.
Not really "NSFW," but enough if you're worried about it

I know.  It's trashy.---So. Am.  I.  ;-)

Cry Me A River

If you saw last night's American Idol,...

I know what you're thinking...

So, just go ahead and ask it...

The answer is...

No, this wasn't me.

JUST because I have the same tastes as a thirteen year old girl doesn't mean that I am one!  (Although I will confess to trying on those same pair of jeans.)

But SHE might have been the reason that I didn't get to see the show!

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the little girl and her family only had tickets for the show's rehearsal prior to the actual broadcast,... but when Idol producers saw how psychotically overwhelmed the girl was, they invited her and her family to stay for "a ringside seat of honor at the final taping."

While this was going on, Anthony and I were shivering in the cold outside of the studio, wearing our little blue wrist bands to prove that we were supposed to go in,...

And when we were finally just a four people away from the door, a crew member came out and said that, due to "unexpected VIP's," there were no more seats available.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Now, I'm not a HUGE American Idol fan, but... I'd rearranged my day for this,... not to mention stood outside freezing my balls off for 90 minutes.---I couldn't help it.  I was a little disappointed.

The good news?  Because of waiting and being denied, we were "guaranteed" seats for a Tuesday show next week or the week after.---However, I'm a little bit wary of being shut out again...

Maybe if I blew-dried my hair big, tanned my skin dark, and tried to squeeze my fat ass into some 27-inch waisted jeans, I could pass as...

Aw, who am I kidding. 

He'll probably be gone by then.

Plus, that's just my usual preparation for going out on Friday nights anyway.
;-)

I'm On TV Tonight (Sorta)

Have you been watching American Idol?

Yeah, me neither.

But apparently, everybody else in the universe has been watching it (based on their outrageous ratings each night).

Well, I'm about to walk out the door to go sit in the audience for tonight's show.

At the very least, it should be interesting to see how they sound in person and then to compare it to how they sound on TV.

Look for me.  I'll be the guy with long hair in the audience,...

NOT the guy with long hair on stage.  ;-)

An Irish Charlie at the Chocolate Factory

Every year, on the day after St. Patrick's Day, I usually have two things:

a throbbing headache...

and an empty wallet.

And I hadn't even been anywhere Irish!

So, I decided that this year would be different.

For weeks prior to the holiday, I planned... I researched... Like a runner preparing for a marathon, I prepped physically and mentally.---And on Friday night (St. Paddy's Day Eve), I didn't even go out.  I stayed home... and after a full dinner (with an additional vitamin regime I developed), I hit the sack at an impressive 10:30pm.

The next morning, I bounded out of bed like a kid on Christmas morning.  The day had finally arrived!  I gleefully chomped down two bowls of cereal, shaved, showered,... took some B12 & B6 vitamins along with Taurine (an amino acid that's good for your liver),... threw on some new clothes purchased specifically for the occasion,... and as my designated driver (my beautiful boyfriend) drove us to our first location, I drank a large bottle of Gatorade (to bulk up on electrolytes).

It. Was. ON.  :-)

At 10am, I sipped my first pint of Guinness at Molly Malone's, an authentic Irish pub and one of the first taverns in Los Angeles to be re-licensed after Prohibition.  The place was still crowded with folks who had been there for the opening at 6am... which, although enticing, I had purposefully missed.---You see, those folks would never make it long past lunch time,... and I was in it for the long haul.  *heheh*

My friend Dan had come with us, and we were also joined by friends Terry and Jon.---We drank more Guinness, ate Irish stew, corned beef, and boiled potatoes,... and I paced myself.---Around noon, an older man, wearing a kilt and traditional Irish garb, began playing bagpipes,... The Minstrel Boy, Wearin' O the Green, Come Out Ye Black n Tans,... and as the result of my research, I knew the words to every song!

After a while, my boyfriend drove us home to park the car for the day and stroll down the street to Fubar which had opened at 2pm just for the holiday.  (They're rarely ever open earlier than 6pm.)

We briefly stopped on our walk to the bar...

...so my friend Dan could do his impression of the green dividers recently installed in an intersection.  *Ha!*

Fubar was... beautiful... and fully decked out for the holiday.  They played traditional Irish music and even had songbooks, so (if, unlike me, you didn't know the words), you could sing along.

The bartender even wore a cute Leprechaun outfit, just for the occasion.

Yes, a pretty, half-naked boy serving me beer.  It couldn't get any better than that, right?---It did.

More friends (who I had alerted to Fubar's early opening) began spilling in... Dudley and Gary...  Anthony, Jon, and Chris.---Chris had been told to wear green for the occasion, however...

...no one had told him to wear pants.

After an afternoon of drinking, the hunger pangs returned, and so, Dan and Anthony and I strolled down to Hamburger Mary's for some grub around 5pm.---Trying my best to keep to the Irish theme, I only ordered french fries.  When questioned about my order, I simply replied, "Have ya ever heard of the Great Patatah Famine, did ya?  And do ya know what it was about?---PATATAHS!" and that usually sufficed.  :-)

After eating, we walked back to our house, where my boyfriend had returned several hours before us.---He said he wanted to go see a movie, and our friend Dan agreed.---I did not.  So, they left for the 7:30pm showing of 300, and Anthony accompanied me back down street to ole Fubar.

Knowing that Fubar would have "entertainment" at 9:30/10, Anthony and I wondered whether there'd be Go-Go Boys dressed as leprechauns... or just full on midgets,... and we discussed the merits of both.---The decision was clear:  We wanted midgets.  (Come on.  It's West Hollywood.  If I wanted to lust after half-naked boys while sucking in my gut and feeling bad about myself, there were numerous other places we could go. *wink*)

However, when the hour arrived,... regular, abnormally-hot Go-Go Boys (not even dressed in green!) took the various stages, and I decided to go outside for a smoke.---While there, the guy in charge of Fubar's afternoon Irish music approached me, thanked me for being so supportive, and handed me two golden "free drink" tickets as a token of his appreciation.

I ran inside to show Anthony!---I felt like Charlie in "Willy Wonka"!!!`  I had a golden ticket!  I didn't know whether to use it or to FRAME it!---Unimpressed, Anthony said I could have his ticket, as he'd decided it was time for him to go home.

So, after we said our goodbyes, I went back to Cody, the bartender at the back bar, and presented my ticket for a free drink.  Afterward, Cody made an additional drink and asked me to hand it to the Go-Go Boy dancing in the back bar area.  A few minutes later, bartender Cody (obviously concerned that few people were tipping the dancer) handed me a dollar bill, and said, "Hey,... go tip him with this, will ya?"

Okay.  Now, I was not only getting free drinks at my favorite bar in the whole, wide world, but ALSO having bartenders give me money to tip hot, naked dancing boys!---After shoving the bill in the dancer's crotch, I decided it was time for me to go home and crash,... as the evening could NOT get any better than that!

The next morning, I woke up... with NO headache or hangover (an impressive feat, after approximately 14 hours of continuous drinking!)... and then,... the moment of truth:  my wallet.  Had I spent all my money?

The answer: Yes.---But my wallet wasn't completely empty.

Between the dark, empty folds of my wallet was one small, gleaming golden ticket staring up at me.

No headache and my wallet wasn't empty!

Mission accomplished.  ;-)

Returning to My Room

So, um...

Hey...

Sup...

Howyadoin...

Cool?

Cool.

So, um,... are you going to a SuperBowl Party?

What?---Oh.---Well, then...

What about the Academy Awards?  Any pesonal picks?

Huh? Really?---I missed that too, huh...

Wow, I haven't blogged in a while.---Oh, nothing's been wrong, and to be honest, I really haven't been "too busy."

I just... haven't been blogging.---That's all.

Sooo...

HEY, we just had St. Patrick's Day, right?  RIGHT?!?

Okay, okay, okay... Gimme a minute, and I'll upload my pics from this past Saturday, and tell ya about how I drank for fourteen hours... and didn't wake up on Sunday with a headache.  *Ha!*

Later Gator,
jason