Dude Looks Like a Lady

For my Halloween costume this year I went to a party dressed as a naughty nurse. I learned many thing during my adventures as a cross-dresser. First, I am not an attractive woman. Perhaps it's my 230 pound frame or the massive amount of body hair. Secondly I learned that people like to stare at freaks. On my way to the party I got a honk from a bus driver, and people in the bar couldn't help but stare at my rack (or put their face in it), so much so I had to yell at several people exclaiming that I am not a piece of meat. Also I won the costume contest at the bar. I actually won the third place DVD of 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' but the first place always goes to a group (this year 'Deal or No Deal'). But if more people would have paid attention to grand finale during which I won the one-man wet T-shirt contest, I think that I would have drawn the cheers to catapult me into first. My final lesson is was that a bra is a powerful thing. After the party was over, I tossed my bra onto my roommates bed. When he arrived the next morning with the girlfriend, I had to diffuse the situation when he couldn't quite remember if the girl he brought home the previous night had left a memento. But when explained that I left my bra on the bed as a joke, it was perfectly clear (after some more explaining).

Phone Recovery

As I sprinted towards the turnstyle, I plunged into my pocket searching for my wallet. The train rumbled overhead as I sprinted up the stairs, taking two at a time. A quick step onto the train, 'doors closing,' and a sigh of relief ... I made it. I patted my side to make sure I had all my possessions: keys, iPod, wallet, phone? I retraced my steps scanning the floor of the car to no avail. 'Ok, I'm going to be late for work if I turn back, but if I loose my phone it will cost me hundreds.' Same drill down the steps, up to the platform onto the opposite platform. Off the train down the steps, back towards my house, taking a walk I usually don't take until several hours later with my eyes plastered to the shadowy ground, seeing nothing. It's gone, back to the train. Arrive at work, pick up the phone, dial my number. "Hello, did you find my phone? How can I get it back? Okay, I'm meet you then." Phew, that bullet dodged.

Holding My Honey Hostage

I just finished a standoff with my landlord. I have explained my homebrewing activities in the basement so many times I can't even guess. But I don't think that they are very smart, since they keep asking me annoying and pointless questions, like 'what is my goal in brewing,' which still blows my mind. But this encounter started when I noticed that a small jar of speciality honey was missing from the basement. I sent out an email to the tenants asking if anyone has seen it. A couple days later the landlord sent my roommate an email requesting to talk to the 'guy who's brewing beer in the basement.' I ignored the request for a couple of days, hoping that she would just leave me alone. But after three more emails, I sent a very straight forward message stating that I was tired of explaining myself and told her that if she had my honey I'd like it back. She responded by saying that she 'possibly' had it and since she's been landlording she's never encountered anything like this and after reviewing my lease, she had nothing else to add to the conversation. Her ignorance already gave me a good indication of that. Today, her husband returned the honey to me and gave me a confusing warning that if I leave my stuff out that people will take it and that includes him. That's when I learned that my landlord may likely steal from me.

Mo' Money

I just got a raise and it really put me in a good mood. Then I started to remember what happened when I got my last raise. With increased income comes a new budget. Right after I got my last raise it seemed like I had so much money. I was putting all my new income into my savings account in addition to the usual amount I saved. But as I got used to my bigger check, I started to spend pretty much all of it. I think I saved more money last year with a smaller paycheck then I have this year with a larger one. It's very true that the more you make, the more you spend. I thought I would have more self control and would be able to restrain myself, but it is so easy to fall into that trap.

October Heat

Looking back at my October blog from last year, I noticed one called October Snow. It was written on October 12th. It retells the story of a snowy 25 degree October day. I found this so interesting because of what a difference a year makes. Yesterday temperature in Chicago reached 88 degrees to set a historical high. It was so hot in fact, the Chicago marathon had to be cancelled about 4 hours in because some 300 plus people were hospitalized and one person died. Quite a contrast to 361 days ago when Chicago had it's earliest measureable snow ever. Maybe there is something to this global warming thing. I mean a 63 degree increase in one year. Is it going to be 151 degrees next year?

Death of a Dog

I found out last night that my parents had to put our family dog to sleep. The news was more upsetting to my sisters than it was to me. Although her death is sad, I just did not find myself that upset about it. I don't know if my reaction is caused by the fact that I knew it was coming or because I really don't have a whole lot of emotional attachment since I moved out a couple years ago or I am just a emotionless robot. Either way I have seemed to avoid my grieving period. Perhaps I will be more sad when I go home next and she is not there and the news becomes real. This is yet to be seen. My personal reaction aside, I think it is better to think about the good times rather than dwell on the loss. After all, death is an important and inevitable part of life. Without death, the baby in my previous blog could not have life.

Invetiable Failure

After extreme excitement for a team who was swept by the worst team in baseball a week previous and an incredibly lame pep rally, Cubs fans felt the same as they have for the last century. After taking only three games to be knocked out of the MLB playoff by Arizona, you could see the disappointment (but not surprise) in Cubs fans all around the city. But after all they really shouldn't be surprised, Cubs failure is inevitable. At one point during the game the Cubs were down by two and had the bases loaded with only one out. You could feel the excitement mounting as the bar was about to explode with cheers. I was even mockingly cheering to the surprise at everyone sitting at my table. I merely explained that I liked to add to the excitement before the inevitable disappointment. No more than 30 seconds later the Cubs hitter grounded into a double play ending the inning. It's what Cubs fans have come to expect'

Birth of a Baby

My coworker had his first baby today and it really made me think about how much a new baby will changes someone's life forever. I had this thought when I first saw the baby girl's picture. She is a cute baby (as most are) but looking at the picture I began to think that she was now his life. Every decision he makes over the next couple of decades will have to be made with her well being in mind. Even the smallest decisions will be drastically different to make, not to mention large decisions. Right now any negative impact of a decision I make only comes back to harm me. But a bad decision on his part could drastically change the life of an innocent baby. His freedom of choice is greatly limited by caring about his new baby.