Change of Name.

Earl and I are back home feeling quite relaxed and ready to take on the upcoming work week. Our little camping excursion afforded us the luxury of getting rid of some best forgotten stress. I’m ready for on-call and I’m eager to work on some projects around the house I’ve been formulating in my head for the past couple of days.

I’ve decided to let my .Mac subscription lapse when it runs out in September. I’m not really using it except for instant messaging purposes, save for the photo albums currently on the .Mac webservers. They are getting moved to jpnearl.com over the next couple of weeks. I’ve changed IM names on AIM and iChat to bluemarvel37 (even though I’m 38 now!). So if you don’t see me on AOL, it’s because I’m using the new screenname.

16 July 2006 by Geek 0

Weather or Not.

I believe that all meteorologists should stop fooling the public and come clean about the profession. They should just admit that they roll the dice from an abandoned Yahtzee! game and bank that the fates will turn up the right combination to match Mother Nature’s plan for the day.

The weatherman has been saying that this weekend was going to be “picture perfect”, both at home and here at camp.

A quick glance at Doppler shows our home in the midst of a thunderstorm and it’s been raining here at camp.

Let’s face just face facts and stop kidding ourselves. Mother Nature is going to do what she wants, when she wants and where she wants. There’s no telling what’s on her mind. We may think that we’re going to be high and dry for the weekend, but that’s where she’s shows a sense of humor. “Let them be showered for a bit.”

I guess it keeps us humble.

15 July 2006 by Ponderings and Musings 2

Fun In The Sun.

It was 10 years ago this weekend this weekend that I first saw “The Rosie O’Donnell” show. I can always remember the occasion because it was I camping at the time AND Diedre Hall was on the show and she didn’t want to talk about playing ElectraWoman back in the mid 1970s. I had always been a Rosie O’Donnell fan since her Star Search appearance and was delighted at the prospect of her talk show. Today I still enjoy Rosie by reading her blog. I can’t say that I’ll probably watch The View though just to see her. I guess I’ll have to settle for the blog.

Earl and I have done just about nothing today and it really couldn’t be any better. We lounged at the pool a bit where I huddled in the shade with another fair-skinned red head named Andrew. He and his lover Oscar are down here for the weekend. They’ve been together for 12 years. We enjoyed a nice chat with them and look forward to spending talking more as the weekend moves on.

It’s good to meet like minded people from time to time.

It is HOT today with the temperature in the 90s. Thank goodness we’re in the woods where we can enjoy some shade from the trees, a cold beer or three and some relaxation.

It’s good to reset the stress counters from time to time.

14 July 2006 by Fun and Games Dept 0

Only At Hillside.

Earl and I have set up camp here at Hillside Campgrounds in Northeast Pennsylvania. We are here until Sunday. The weather is perfect, the birds are singing lovely little tunes and there’s just enough people here at this gay campground to keep the area feeling populated, but not too overcrowded.

I fired up my PowerBook to write the first of my daily blog entries and lo and behold, there’s wi-fi here. In the middle of the woods. At a campground. For some reason, I’m not surprised. And as you read this, you probably shouldn’t be surprised that I brought my PowerBook along camping. I always bring my PowerBook along whenever we travel because you can take the geek out of the city, but well, I’m sure you understand. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my camera USB cable along so I can’t share pictures until we get back home. I guess we’re roughing it after all.

Our campsite is in an area called the “Landing Strip” in that it looks like a long landing strip carved out in the middle of the dense woods. Instead of runway lights, there’s rainbow flags lining the roadway. Come this time tomorrow there will be a good number of campers and tents lining the roadway as well.

I was a regular here at Hillside back in the mid 90s, as “first Earl” and I had a permanent campsite that we used quite often. Ten years ago this weekend, “my Earl” and I celebrated my birthday together for the first time here at Hillside. It’s a birthday that I will always remember, because it’s one of the first occasions that Earl showed how much he really cared for me by throwing me a small birthday party. We didn’t come to Hillside many times after that until last year as we tended to just keep to ourselves and do our own thing. I also learned that year how much Earl doesn’t really like camping in a tent. Hence, our pop-up camper.

This year we’re here again on my birthday weekend and are keeping it to just the two of us here at our site. We’re looking forward to making some new friends and perhaps seeing some old.

As I write this entry, I realize that ten years ago I wouldn’t have dreamed about writing about camping at a gay campground in my blog. I guess I really have grown over the past ten years.

It’s going to be a great weekend!

13 July 2006 by Geek 3

38.

Earl and I are readying ourselves for our long camping trip this weekend. We’re planning on leaving for Hillside around noon today.

It’s good to have comp time from on-call.

I turned 38 today. The phone has been ringing off the hook with well wishes from my family this morning. It certainly does make a boy feel loved! I took a moment to take a look around me, at myself and at all that’s bubbling about in my life today and decided that it’s all good. I have no regrets and no complaints at all. I probably could work up a rant if I wanted to but I’ll save that for another time.

13 July 2006 by Ponderings and Musings 1

View at Work.




View at Work.

Originally uploaded by macwarriorny.

Here’s a picture of my view at work. Being an IT person that works in the Network Operations Center of a telecom company, you’ll notice that I took a picture of my computer screen. That’s because I look at my computer screen all day long.

Hence, my view.

In the very upper left hand corner of the picture you may notice a window. It looks out into the lobby, where I get to see every person that leaves and arrives by elevator. Maybe I’ll take a picture the next time I see some good eye candy.

The other reason I took this picture is because I succumbed to societal pressures and decided to keep my cell phone account and Earl bought me a new cell phone for my birthday. It’s a Motorola Razr in stunning black. I love it. Text away!

12 July 2006 by Flickr 0

New Experience.

I did something this morning that I have never done before. I overslept. And I didn’t just oversleep by 15 minutes or so. No, I overslept by 1 1/2 hours.

I woke up when I should have been leaving for work.

So I rammed around the house, in a surprisingly bemused mood by the whole thing, and was only 20 minutes late for work after all was said and done.

12 July 2006 by Ponderings and Musings 0

Short On Fashion.

Earl and I are revving up for a long weekend camping at Hillside Campgrounds. Hillside is a private campground for gay men. We’ve been there several times in the past and I’m really looking forward to going there this weekend. However, I am nervous about one particular thing.

I want to wear jean shorts.

It’s my understanding that jean shorts have become a serious fashion faux pas over the past couple of years. I fail to understand why. They’re comfortable, they’re functional and I feel good in them, but there’s this unspoken feeling that I’m wearing something akin to a mullet around my waist.

Now I’m going to say right here and now that the mullet is the stupidest looking haircut known to western civilization, and yes, that includes my mullet in the mid 1980s that no, you will not see a picture of the aforementioned hair tragedy. But jeans shorts? What’s wrong with them?

They go well with my flip flops.

11 July 2006 by Fashion Concern. 1

New Memories.

I was feeling inspired by this blog post. The summer air was very warm with the temperature hovering around 80 degrees, even though it was almost 9:30 on a steamy July night. Lightning danced across the sky in panoramic 360 degree splendor. The flashes gave a hint to the storms that would surely be arriving in the middle of the night.

Earl and I had just finished up a wonderful meal with my family at a restaurant not too far from my grandparents’ old house. I’m in the driver’s seat of my 21st century idea of a “muscle car”, my 2005 Acura RSX Type-S. The windows are down, the sunroof is open, Earl is in the passenger seat and his hand is resting on my right leg, it’s natural spot whenever we travel.

The green sign shines brightly along the Thruway, letting us know that we have a bit of a ride ahead of us as it proclaims “Utica 42 / Albany 128 / New York 276”. The windows are down and the summer winds fill the car as we move at around a tame 70 MPH. We could easily go faster, but then the moment would seem rushed. The lights of airliners landing at Syracuse Airport are neatly spaced apart, a couple thousand feet up and parallel to the roadway. I’m still fascinated by their orchestrated landing as the pilots simply listen to the instructions of an air traffic controller that only knows them as a sound in his earpiece and a blip on a radar screen. Lightning continues to dance around the sky, but Mother Nature can’t keep up as we continue the journey home, we eventually win the race this time.

Earl stares at the roadway ahead, somewhat lost in thought, undoubtedly thinking about work and what the rest of the week entails. Even after a decade I live in awe and completely amazed by this man. I amuse myself secretly by making gestures with my left hand down by my left leg. I smile slightly knowing I’m making various shapes with my fingers that can’t be seen as I enjoy the darkness that has engulfed the car. It’s a little game I’ve always played since I was a small child and will probably play until it’s time for me to leave this life.

“One Of These Nights” by the Eagles blares from the car speakers courtesy of a CD burned just for an occasion such as tonight; a CD inspired by similar rides I had as a passenger as a child; a CD saved for moments such as these. “One Of These Nights”, a classic song with a musical quality rarely found in today’s pop music world.

A wonderful meal. A lot of laughs. A loving family. The love of my life.

The perfect night.

10 July 2006 by Fun and Games Dept 0

About J.P.

Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.

Weird? Eccentric!

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