Appliances - Who Needs 'Em? We Do. Dang It!

Today I am getting a fridge, stove, washer, and dryer from the good people of Lowes who incidentally outsourced they're delivery services to a third-party company.  Total cost?  Roughly $3700.  It's still cheaper than the $10K I was countered with during home negotiations for the used appliances already in the home. 

I have to move all of the boxes in the laundry room before they are to arrive around noon.  Then hopefully they show up on time.  Then hopefully they don't damage anything getting them into the home.  Fun times are ahead of us!

A Fresh Start To the Rest of My Life

Today I moved to Crown Point, IN after a 12 year tenure in Chicago, IL.  I am exhausted after coordinating the move with a huge gang of 12 people.  We got help with truck driving, child care, storage, and painting.  I am sure I am forgetting other things people did for us but whatever it is, I am sure was well done and received.

What I am truly moved by is the amount of support I received from people.  I hate moving (who doesn't?!) and for me to ask people to help takes a lot.  The fact people practically threw themselves at us for help is remarkable to me.  I guess I am a bit cynical with help as I've had to be rather self-reliant to accomplish goals; however, having people genuinely want to me help me was really refreshing and heartening to see.

So, to Hugo, Charles, Jim, Amy, Mitch, Wil, Aaron, Teresa, Loren, Tim, and Anthony, thank you for all of the work you did today and for renewing my faith in friendship in general.  I am indebted to you graciously and wholeheartedly :)

Bromancing The Stone

In anticipation of moving out to IN, I've suddenly felt the urge to strengthen my male relationships.  I'm pretty much a ladies man in that I gravitate hanging out with women a lot more than men.

It's kinda been that way my whole life.  Some of the impetus behind that is that I hate having to compete with people for attention (yes, I know...ME WANTING A LOT OF ATTENTION?! :) )  I hear girls talk about it all the time as to why they don't like other girls - "They're catty and bitchy when other women get around".  The same is true with a lot of men.  When alpha males get around each other, it turns into a big cage match of overcoming their own insecurities at the expense of others around them.  I feel into that sentiment quite easily.  So, instead of head-butting my fellow actor/musician/pole vaulter, I just avoid those situations where competition will be the outcome.  I run into the arms of my lady friends and gab and gossip about things like who they're dating, my family, and they occasional "Did You Hear About XYZ" topics.  I've always been a mama's boy at heart as well and have plenty of daddy issues as well which I think contribute to my social idiocy.

It's time for me to grow up a bit and tackle my fears of male relationships.  I've successfully done a ManDate a week for the last month and have reconnected with some people I haven't seen in years.  I'm learning that I'm more secure in some areas of my life while still childish in a lot of others.  Hopefully I can make these gatherings non-events in my mind because it'll just be the norm moving forward.

Relationships As We Get Older

Currently I'm trying to strengthen a friendship that has been strained due to multiple reasons (distance, non-communication, basic social retardation).  I had a pretty good conversation with that person over a few hour period and began working through a lot of core issues we had.  I felt like we broke a lot of ground and we have a lot of potential to kickstart an era where we get along much of the time and actually connect.

After reaching out a couple of times in the last 10 days, I finally put my pride to the side and got blunt on the last voicemail I left. I said, "I've been waiting patiently by th phone for you to call me back.  So, yes, I want you to call me.  Call me.  Call me. Call me. Call me. I want to talk to you."  I think the time for hinting heavily is over in this relationship.  I have to be blunt until we have an lexicon of understanding between us where subtlety can be used.

I feel a bit juvenile in my train of thinking ("Oh, that person should know what I mean") but I realized that many of us are not used to having to work a bit harder to maintain/build relationships. We can't read each other's minds and some people aren't as sensitive as I am in reading into things. 

It got me thinking about my own issues with making new friends as of late.  I still have practically 0 male friends in Chicago.  I've reached out a few times to a few people but it seems that I can't do much follow up.  Perhaps it's the alpha-male in me not wanting to compete with others or just ineptitude in making connections with guys.  I'd like to have more male friends but not sure as to how to a) make them and b) foster them into viable connections. 

Perhaps I need to find new male friends who can be just as candid and blunt as I am with my old ones :)

OK...So...I Like Netflix...

I have to admit that after a very long time of holding out on getting Netflix, I really enjoy it.  I've caught up on a ton of movies and TV shows that I previously shunned and I get access to shows that aren't easy to find on bootleg websites.

So, I like Netflix.