Teaching is going ok, although the eldest Bueno girl recently told me I was boring. I think it had more to do with the fact she thought she was getting out of a lesson on Friday that she ended up having to do. Whats boring about a mother sasquatch being shot down in cold blood by the FBI while protecting her offspring?? Nothing I can see. I also started sessions with the Dra., since she has some sort of medical conference in New York to attend, and is worried about her accent. Soon she will be commenting about the "shahks" and how "wicked" hot it is like every other normal american. I am so glad I can be doing the country of Spain such a service.
5:41 AM |

Wednesday, September 21, 2005  
I've been having a lot of strange dreams lately. Mostly about tv shows. Maybe I am going through withdrawal since I haven't watched TV, save once, the entire time I've been here. So anyway, that check I have been waiting for they sent to me HERE to endorse, now they are sending it back to ST LOUIS FUCKING MISSOURI, THEN to my mom. fuck these people, for real. My spanish is getting a little better I think. Some girl from Galicia tried to get all up on this for two days straight. It was very odd. no means no spaniards, no means no. But seriously , how many different ways can I explain to her that I don't like the puntang? Poor girl, I think she has issues. Well I KNOW she has issues, because she is married, and chasing gay dick. Aside form that, everything is going well. The Bueno children are dilligently translating stories about Hatian zombies being sold into slavery (Thanks Weekly world News!), I'm eating well and sleeping even better. I was getting sick a couple of days ago, but I think its over and done with. This is a crappy entry, but really my heart is not in it. My heart is in Birmingham. With a new haircut, that he hates. I think it's handsome, but my opinion doesn't count for anything. In the last 45 minutes instead of writing 200 words , in spanish mind you, about problems in the world, I have been placing random comments on myspace, go looksee if you got one.

peace.
3:08 AM |

Wednesday, September 14, 2005  
I have no idea if this is even real, but if it is, why does nobody realize Pat Roberts has gone insane? First telling us to kill the Venezuelan president, and now this. Somebody please stop this man from appearing in public.


ROBERTSON BLAMES HURRICANE ON CHOICE OF ELLEN DEGENERES TO HOST EMMYS

Lesbian is New Orleans native


Hollywood – Pat Robertson on Sunday said that Hurricane Katrina was God’s way of expressing its anger at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for its selection of Ellen Degeneres to host this year’s Emmy Awards. “By choosing an avowed lesbian for this national event, these Hollywood elites have clearly invited God’s wrath,” Robertson said on “The 700 Club” on Sunday. “Is it any surprise that the Almighty chose to strike at Miss Degeneres’ hometown?”

Robertson also noted that the last time Degeneres hosted the Emmys, in 2001, the September 11 terrorism attacks took place shortly before the ceremony.

“This is the second time in a row that God has invoked a disaster shortly before lesbian Ellen Degeneres hosted the Emmy Awards,” Robertson explained to his approximately one million viewers. “America is waiting for her to apologize for the death and destruction that her sexual deviance has brought onto this great nation.”

Robertson added that other tragedies of the past several years can be linked to Degeneres’ growing national prominence. September, 2003, for example, is both the month that her talk show debuted and when insurgents first gained a foothold in Iraq following the successful March invasion. “Now we know why things took a turn for the worse,” he explained.

In order to avoid further tragedy, Robertson called not only for the Television Academy to find a new heterosexual host, but to bar all homosexuals and bisexuals from taking part in the ceremony.

He said employees at the Christian Broadcasting Network had put together a list of 283 nominees, presenters, and invited guests at the Emmys known to be of sexually deviant persuasions.

“God already allows one awards show to promote the homosexual agenda,” Robertson declared. “But clearly He will not tolerate such sinful behavior to spread beyond the Tonys.”
2:33 AM |

Tuesday, September 13, 2005  
Time zones suck. Currency exchanges suck. The fact that Saint Louis University is basically INCAPABLE of sending me my overage check DEFINATELY sucks. Randy does not suck. The random people coming out of the woodwork who think I still live in New Orleans don't suck. (FYI yall, I live in Spain.) My classes are ok, but HARD. I met with Dr. Bueno and family last night. We discussed the possibilty of my teaching his children English. I think it went pretty well. I have my first lesson tomorrow. What the hell am I going to do with these kids is what I really want to know. I have some idea, but I don't know if it will actually help anybody understand english. My school constantly smells like Fruity Pebbles, unfortunately they do not sell Fruity Pebbles anywhere, as far as I know, on this continent. Ham sandwiches they got though. Oh Lawdy the ham sandwiches they got.
5:24 PM |

Friday, September 02, 2005  
It is so strange to be so far away from everything you ever knew. Especially one one HUGE part of everything you ever knew is under military control and burning. What the hell people, help New Orleans out. Government is so dumb, get the red cross in there, some skilled volunteers, not the military. God Keep all those people until this crazy mess is figured out.

I got my bag stolen. How it happened was, I had met this kid form Massachusetts named Storm. He plays guitar in the Sol Metro stop for change. Apparently he goes around the world doing this. I'm totally jealous. He does it the way I want to do it but am way too afraid. I had to do everything the safe way, with schools and money. He sleeps on the street. It's awesome but also considering how much I am freaking out anyway the safe way, its probably better I don't live like him. Anyway I'm talking to storm , who is really pretty talented (the reason I decided to talk to him and not scowl "get a job hippy" and move on with my life), and in my quest to get over my jet lag I decide to hang out with him and his girlfriend, Helena. We go over to El Parque Bien Retiro or whatever it is, and drink wine and have beers while Storm plays guitar. We sat with the people Helena just bought some hash from and they rolled some joints. More people come over and there is singing and smoking and much rejoicing. THEN some kind of shady people come over, and really its too much and storm says "lets go over and find where that drumming is from" so we walk around the huge lake with people rowing boats in it and such and towards the sound of the djembes. There were 5 guys drumming out. Storm says they have a HUGE drum circle every sunday in this park with like 70 people. I'll probably go. Helena gets a call form her friend Ram and we decide to meet of with them. Ram looks like a mexican version of my cousin Gregory. His "not girfriend", whose name escapes, me and he were sitting by Gran Villa waiting, and we decide to go to Corte Ingles and buy some more wine. Wine is like not even 2 euros a bottle. We are laughing and joking, and then I realize Ram´s not girl (RNG) friend does not speak english, all the laughing and joking we had been doing was in Spanish! YAY! Language skills! Storm meets some street performers and they say come hang out in this plaza with us. the plaza is in the Chueca, the gay part, but there is a large mix of people sitting in it. Young, old, rich, poor, gay, straight every damn body, but the plaza is pretty big and the benches are spaced out so we pretty much keep to ourselves. Random people come up and ask for rolling papers, ALOT. Storm continually bums cigarettes of the crowd and squirrels them away in the pack Ram bought. Every so oftem Storm manages to get people to share some hash, and he licks one of the stored cigarettes and peels the wet where his tongue had just been. He scrapes the insides out on top of the rolling paper Ram had. He breaks up the ... "pollon" is the word I think they keep saying, the little nugget of hash, over the tobacco, and rolls it up. I´ve watched them do this a few times now. Ram sings Spanish songs that apparently a lot of people know, while playing Storm's guitar. Me and RNG go the chino store, but they won´t sell wine after 10. Luckily what they WILL do is send girls out into the plaza with backpacks full of beer. They wanted one euro a beer, which is rediculous. We talk them into 7 for 5 which is kind of better. I forgot to mention that Helena went home before we ever made it to chueca, she has strict parents. DNG and Storm work the crowd for more cigarettes and see if they can bribe the people at the chino store for wine. Storm doesnt like beer that much. While they do that I have to pee, so I go into the bar across the street. Ram tells me not to leave him alone, but I have to pee so bad I can't wait. I come back and DNG and Storm are back. Now is the time I notice my bag is missing. We look all around. This sucks. With the exchange rate I dont have as much money as I would like, and now I have no bookbag, no spainish dictionary, and my freaking alarm clock I had just bought for 15 euros was in that bag. My digital camera, AND the shitty disposable camer I was using to capture some great photos of my first fun night in Madrid. All gone. The photobooth pictures of me and randy. My little statuette of the virgin Mary. More and more stuff keeps popping up. To top things off, all the time we spent retracing out steps, looking to see if somebody dumped the bag, (the digital camera was the only thing worth stealing in it, so why would they cart it around?)the metro had stopped. It stops at 1:30 and doesnt start again until 6. FUCKERS! Ram thinks it was the Chilean guys we didn't share our wine with, Storm thinks it was the chinese beer girls. I don't care who it is, I just want to go home. We sit around these other people who have a guitar. Apparantly Ram and this guy know all the same songs. Storm talks to this Spanish girl who has a weird british accent who is friends with all the tranny hookers on the other bench. These two dogs run around the plaza, one trying to hump the other, forever. They don't stop. I fall asleep on Storms bag, and DNG wakes me up at 5:20. We duck into some bar and use the bathroom and nod off on the table. In Spanish bars for some reason, the bathrooms are always downstairs, away from everything. So even though the bar was packed, nobody really bothered us on those tables. Storm waited outside, and by the time we came back upstairs he was gone. We went to the metro, and DNG kissed me good bye the eurpeon way. *muah* *muah* Actually she and Helena both kissed me hello that way too, even though we'd only just met. They are taking one line and I'm taking the other. Ram gives me his number, because he wants to move out of his parents place, and says we should all live together. I think that sounds great, and on the train ride home I realize I've only been here for 4 days. Europe is pretty cool.


On a side note, I was still buzzed from the wine and pissed about the bag and wanted to say good night to Randy. When I started rattling off the things missing from the bag I started crying at the mention of our photobooth photo. It is one of the only tangible photos of Randy I have, and it sucks that its gone forever. Randy is consoling me and I'm confessing how much I miss him. And how this day was the only day I had really enjoyed myself since I got to Madrid and then my fucking bag was stolen. I told him I want to go home. How I miss him. He starts crying too because he is upset he is so far away form me when I´m upset. the phonecard died suddenly and we didn't get to say goodbye. If it had lasted anylonger I would havve reassured him I was ok, and said I loved him and goodnight. Instead I had to try to sleep with the knowledge that he was thousands of miles away thinking I was having the worst time of my life and sobbing in a foreign street at 6:30 in the morning. I don't know yet how long I am going to stay. If you ask me to choose right now, I would want to go home to Randy. But I know this city has a lot to teach me, and I haven't even been here a week, so I think I am going to try and force myself to stay a year. Who knows.
7:39 AM |

Tuesday, August 30, 2005  
I am here. In another country. I´m tired. Nobody speaks English. Well some people do, kind of. I´m tired. I am staying at a hostal run by a Hungarian lady. Its awesome. I miss Randy.
4:25 AM |

Tuesday, May 03, 2005  
I had a really frantic day, trying to secure my plain tickets for spain, organize the U-haul, conversing with two consulates offices. My day was so tense and hectic and stressful, and then on the streetcar on the way to work I saw it. A simple reminder, there next to the ad for Krystal Burger:
When I heard the learn'd astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.

Just a random Walt Whitman poem, there to inspire urban children, or bring us more trancendentalism on our daily commutes.
6:57 PM |

Saturday, April 30, 2005  
I haven't written in a while, I know. I am not disciplined enough. But since I've been locked in my apartment all day (literally locked in. We have a double-sided lock and I lost my key.) I figured I haven't got much else to do.
Everything is basically squared away for Spain. I got my passport yesterday. Financial aid is all but settled. The only thing I really need is the frigging plane ticket. As a hoot, go look up costs for a flight to Spain at the end of august. It ain't cheap.
Randy and I are more in love than ever. He came to visit me last weekend. It was wonderful. We went on our first actual date that was just he and I. We took the ferry to Algiers Point and got cokes in glass bottles. Then we went to the Hooka Cafe and he got us the expensive tobacco. Then we went to the movies and saw Kung Fu Hustle. It was really good. The day before I tried to cook him a romantic dinner at my house, but I ruined it. Randy, being the wonderful boyfriend that he is, pretended to like it anyway.
We are starting the process of moving away from this fair metropolis. It's kind of hard. I craigslisted our apartment and hopefully somebody will come and sublet it so we can be free of the oppressive lease. Moving trucks are disgustingly expensive this time of year. I wonder if I will have to adjust to living above sea level somehow.
7:00 PM |

Tuesday, March 29, 2005  
I was so distracted with the arrivals of various important persons of my life, that I have neglected to write. Now that they have all left I am compelled to do so.

Eva and Rachel, two very good friends of mine from Germany, were staying with me for about a month. At times it was a little taxing, but I feel we secured our bonds even more this time, and I was very sad to see them go.

Katie Wynne came and left so fast I scarcely knew she was there. It was midterms week for me, and I felt a little cheated.

Randy, Andy, and Josh came from Alabama for the latter portion of my spring break. Josh was really on the anti-social side. He said he wasn't feeling well. He came off a little rude and ungrateful. He and Randy got in a pretty big fight and Josh left a day early.

Andy was a hoot, and I'm glad I got to know him better.

And then Randy. *sigh* The time I spent with Randy was pure magic. He is such an amazing guy, and he only gets better. Over the course of his stay or "like" blossomed into "love" and I've never been happier. I'm in love Walter Randall Bush Jr.!!!!

Saturday the Germans left, Sunday Andy and Randy (*sigh*), and then today (Tuesday) Adriana moved back to California. I am leaving my apartment. Moving in with Bill. There are strange forces in the air. Winds of change I guess they are. Everything feels funny. Anxious. I have some pretty big decisions ahead of me. I don't know what to do. I just want to hide in bed until they are all made for me. I miss everyone. Especially my Big Spoon.
9:24 PM |

Monday, February 28, 2005  
It's all taken care of. I'm accepted. If I want and can afford to, I may spend the next 3 years of my life in Spain. This is a tough corwd, by the way, I can't beleive I got NO COMMENTS on the fact I have the opportunity to move out of the country.
2:58 PM |

Friday, February 25, 2005  
Yesterday I received a mixed blessing, in the form of an e-mail. It's amazing the emotions one can go through upon viewing one little electronic message. The subject heading was "Congratulations!". Here's how the rest of it was:

Estimado Matthew,
I am writing to inform you that you have been admitted to the Saint Louis
University,
Madrid Campus for the fall 2005 semester. ¡ENHORABUENA! This admission is
conditional, however, upon obtaining and maintaining a minimum GPA of at least
3.0 this
spring. We congratulate you on your admission and look forward to having you
study with
us in Spain.

It went on to talk bout the stuff I would need, etc.... But that's not important right now. I GOT IN! I GOT IN! I'M GOING TO SPAIN! My main goal of the last two years achieved! THE ONLY goal I've ever had in my entire life, basically. I've succeeded. ME. No one else did this for me. So why was I crying? I was crying because the stress was over. I didn't have to wait anymore. I knew. There was something else though. Now it was real. Now I am going across the ocean. Who knows when I'll be back. Now it was clear that things were going to be very different. And I would have to say goodbye to Randy. And I don't want to. I really like him you guys. I know everybody is going to say "Well you hardly know him, and you've wanted this for so long." and you'd be right. And I've thought that, and he's thought that. But it doesn't help. I don't want anything to change (well it would be great if he lives here, or I there, or both of us in the same wherever). I don't want to forget what it feels like to like him this much. And how it feels to be liked in return.

Here is the real kicker. After I flipped out for like 2 hours, being sad and ecstatic within seconds of one another, I reread the email, and the attachments. They accepted me as a visiting student. NOT as a transfer student, as far as I can tell. Which would mean I would have to make arrangements with this University about going over there, and then coming back HERE when it was over. This is NOT what I wanted. NO, not at all. I want to run away to Spain. I do not want any ties to New Orleans. Anymore ties to America than necessary. I emailed the academic advisor, but she NEVER emails me back. I am going to have to call over there. Lord knows how I am going to do that. One thing for sure though, it won't be from the guesthouse.
8:30 AM |

Saturday, February 19, 2005  
So much has happened. Um lets see Josh came two Fridays ago and I helped him surprise Collette, but then lo and behold josh hit us with a double shot and surprised me with Joey from P! Adriana and Bill's housewarming party was a huge success thanks in no small part to tequila station. My friend Misha, a foreign exchange student from Georgia (the country y'all, the country), was bombarded with gayness that culminated when I woke up next to him in a hotel bed and was trying to cuddle him. I think he is scarred for life.
Tq's art show was another smashing success (as far as being a fun place to be, I don't think he sold much art). His stuff is really good. I met his sister and her boyfriend who convinced me that going to Hattiesburg would be in my best interest because its up and coming. Oh this lady told me that she is having an art show at the same place for Cinco de Mayo and I totally want to go. Don't let me forget.
Which leads me to VALENTINE'S DAY! Randy was my first ever real valentine, that wasn't like a friend or my mom. Randy got me a dozen BEAUTIFUL roses (also the first flowers a guy ever gave me.)they came with a little stuffed bear too. I cried, cuz I'm lame. I got him a build a bear bunny rabbit, because they are his favorite. And I also mailed him a laminated photo of a human heart that I covered with stage blood. Only true like can inspire you to mail photos of organs. He is really cute, and has a great bellybutton.
I have given up the following things for Lent:

smoking
drugs
masturbation/ casual sex
coca-cola


I totally broke all those vows already (except casual sex). I didn't even make it 14 days, let alone 40. But I am going to area 51* the fact that I broke em and try and make it till Easter from this point on. Wish me luck.


*For those of you who don't know, Area 51 occurs while playing padiddle. When two or more people hit the roof AND say padiddle at the same time, it is considered an "Area 51" and nobody get a point, and it's as though the padiddle never happened in the first place.
** You may have noticed some changes in this entry from its original form. I don't want to talk about them, and we're going to area 51 that too.
11:02 PM |

Friday, February 04, 2005  
For some reason in the last few days I am become overcome with a desire to post here on the blog and also upload stuff to Flickr. I also went through all my old pictures and added tags to as many as i could. I don't know whats uo with me. I've become a picture posting fool. There is a bunch of new ones up there form new years and from when Randy came to visit me. None from when I went to visit him though. I didn't take a camera. Blah!

2:00 PM |

Wednesday, February 02, 2005  
When we last left off with me in Birmingham I had just surprised Randy at his job, and he was beaucoup excited-cited. SO then I had to wander around for 3 hours in this gigantic mega-plaza while he finished his shift. I mostly sat around/ loitered in Barnes and Nobles reading The Puritan Dilemma for my history class, and drinking up all there free ice water with lemon. Finally Randy got out of work, and we were off to the show. The performance space, called Cave 9, was nothing too great. Especially since it was an all ages place that didn't serve alcohol and you couldn't smoke in. That meant there was a lot of young kids too. Everyone was pretty cool though, no assholes. Randys friends were all nice, and Randy's bandmates were the best. I mostly hung out with Angelica by the door all night. The lineup was something this, I'm sure not sure about the order:

comrade (no link for them, I looked though)
Cinemechanica
Recovery Period
The Great American Breakdown (ditto)
We vs The Shark
and of course, Fratelli

There soooo many people (all of whom were close friends of Randy, apparently) and it was a really great show. Most of the bands were not really the kind of music I am into, but Randy really liked all of them and he is way pickier about music than me so check them out anyway. I DID really like some of We vs The Shark's stuff and I always like everything Fratelli does. And I am not just saying that either, I think they are really good. Were, I guess. =(

After the show we went to some Middle Eastern place I think called Al's or something. The guys from Recovery period were there and they were really funny. The place also has a really good veggie burger, if you are in the neighborhood. We left there and were so so so tired. We took home Randy;s friend ?Larua? I think her name was. This girl was so great, she was one of the people that stands out the most that I met. She is a clothing designer, among other things, and when we went in her house she had SOOOO much awesome art stuff that she did. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

Then it was just me and Randy. I wasn't allowed to sleep at his place because he lives with his parents, and they are slightly disapproving of his gayness, so we ended up at the Hampton Inn. That was the first time I had ever stayed at hotel with a boy like that, so I thought it was really fun. We got free toothbrushes and deodorant!

Next day we missed the free breakfast at the hotel because we slept in. It was ham and eggs too. Nuts! We checked out of the hotel and drove to Randy's house. I got to meet his mom, she is super nice. And his cat Marty. THEN we went to Michael's house to pick him up. He is Randy's best friend, and also former bandmate. He is really cool, I like him a lot. After he tried on what seemed like everything he owned and back again, we headed out to eat. We couldn't decide on a place, and we were running out of time before the civil rights museum closed, so we ended up eating at Randy's favorite hot dog place, Gus' Famous ( I know the thing says Pete's Famous, I don't know, ask Randy) The guy in that picture if you follow that link, was actually there when I went. He called me "Mustard" because that's all I wanted on my hotdog (which apparently doesn't go over well in there) Michael was "Beef and Cheese" and for some reason Randy was "Baby". The place is SOOO skinny you can't sit down. Everybody lines up, you order your hotdog, Gus gives it to you. Then you can either leave or eat there. If you eat there (which we did) you go all the way to the back wall and eat your hotdog standing up. When you are done Gus' wife rings you up and then you have to squeeze by all the people waiting in line so you can get out. It was good though.

Then we went to the civil right museum, and it was REALLY cool. I was so glad I went. We had pretty much the run of the place, but at one point we came across a black man and his daughter (she was maybe 8) going through the exhibits, and I was crying right there in the museum because she asked him "Why couldn't those people sit where they wanted on the bus?" and I just couldn't imagine being in that man's position. How do you explain to your child that people hate her for no good reason? You want to protect her from the world, but you also want her to know what to expect. It's just gross, and I hope one day all that father will have to say is "People were strange back then, I suppose."

After the museum we went to go visit Michael's girlfriend, Joy, at work. She is a whole lot of fun! And so cute! We were all supposed to eat together (yeah I was starving) but her break wasn't long enough so it was just me, Randy, and Michael who ended up going to Johnny Corino's. I know it's a chain place, but holy crap! It was so good! Maybe it was just because I was hungry, but I don't know. After dinner it was back to Randy's house so we could get some stuff to sleep over at Michael's. I said my goodbyes to Randy's mom, not before she hooked me up with a glass of wine, and it was time to party at Michaels. A bunch of people came over, most of who's names I don't remember. Codey (guitarist of the Great American Breakdown, I think?), Patrick (so fun!), and Jesse from Randy's band, a guy named Joey maybe?, Leigh Anne, and then like 6 teenage girls and some more guys. It was fun. There was gin and beer. We played The Best Game Ever! (If you don't know what it is, find somebody who does, because its real fun, but I don't know how to explain it in this format.) Everybody left, Randy and I slept on the inflatable mattress.

My last day in Birmingham was a sad one indeed. My train was late, so randy had to leave me at the station so he could go have birthday cake with his fam. (But not before he took me to Arby's. It was my first time there, and woah. I like roast beef sandwiches.) The train ride home was long long long. I ended up having dinner in the dining car, which was ok. I wanted the special, but they "ran out" (even though this guy that came in after me ordered it and got it DAMN YOU AMTRAK!) so I had to have T-bone steak. I don't like steak that much. Then I got home and I ended up WALKING all the way from the train station.

And that completes my trip to Birmingham. There was come cuddlin' and kissin' going on in there, but a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell... in explicit detail. But I sure do miss it. *sigh*

p.s. I hope you enjoy all those links. I was really bored at work.

11:54 PM |

 
This was a Myspace message I sent to somebody, but I felt like it was such good work I should share it with you all.


I am at school right now. Actually I'm a little ticked. You see, there are a limited number of computers in the computer lab ( as there are in any computer lab not containing an infinite amount of computers) and when they get filled up, you sort of mill around the door in this blob that should be a line. Well I was doing just that along with a heavy set girl who was before me when Captain Ass Face of the Ass Face Patrol busts through us and proceeds to walk around looking for open computers! Of course there weren't any or else me and Chuckles wouldn't be standing there, SO ANYWAY one frees up just then and Captain goes for it, so I use my body to pen him in between a pillar and the doorway and let Chuckles take it, because she was there first. Just then ANOTHER computer becomes free and The leader of all that is Ass Face takes the computer that is rightfully mine! What planet is this he is from where the rules of waiting in line do not apply?? I would like to reassign his head to another not pleasant location of his body. THEN I had to wait a fitful 45-60 seconds for another computer to free up feeling wronged and angry all the while glaring at CAF. I wish I could speak with his mother.

11:43 PM |

Monday, January 31, 2005  
For those of you who do NOT know, Friday was the last show of Randy's band Fratelli.They were great, and now they're gone. I had already seen them play in Baton Rouge once before, so I could not miss out on this event ( the fact that Randy is super cute and I like him a whole lot also factored into this decision making process). What's a like-smitten boy to do but hop on the train and get to Birmingham, Alabama as soon as he can. So that's just what I did. In doing so I was forced to miss class on Friday, but I had already told my teachers that I was going to a wedding (if any of my teachers are reading this, I'm sorry for my dishonesty, but it was all in the name of like) . So then it was only a matter of weaseling the right info out of Randy as to where he was gonna be, and how to get there. Ahh, yes, I forgot to mention. Randy had no idea I was coming. So with the assistance of Randy and the internet I was on my way.

First things first I had to get to the train station. I had called NORTA the day before and asked them the quickest way to the Amtrak station from when I was, and the man gave me some route numbers. SO at 5:45 or so Friday morning I dragged my half drunk/ half hungover ass to the appropriate bus stop and waited... and waited... FINALLY after somewhere between 20 and 40 minutes the bus rolled up and took me over to the corner of Broad and Washington. That's the ghetto yall, the ghet-TO. Luckily it was during the wee hours of the morning, though still dark, where the only people up were homeless or going to work. It was at this time I transferred to the Martin Luther King bus. This proceeded to take me through a good number of housing projects before finally depositing me across the street from the train station. The man who gave me this route over the phone was either a sadists or severely misinformed, as that was neither the quickest or most covieniant way to get there. I made the train with about 5 minutes or so to spare (they left a man walking toward the train luggage in hand standing bewildered on the platform even though his wife was on the train already shouting "you can just leave him!". They can folks, and they will. Be on time for them trains)

I ended up sitting across the aisle from a guy named Reggie. He seemed to think I was quite interesting, and was thoroughly amused by seemingly almost all of my actions. I know this because he verbalized it. Constantly. Don't get me wrong, he was a nice guy and all, and I was thankful to have somebody to speak to for the 7 hour trip that felt like two days ( I tried sleeping but I was way to excited to do it for very long). But he didn't really bring anything to the conversation. I had hoped to get him to give me a ride to Randy's work, because he informed me that it was not as close as I originally had thought, but he said he couldn't. I came up with several ways he could, but he didn't seem interested in pursuing any of them. THEN he gave me his number! Why should I call somebody who is so chintzy with rides? Gay boys these days. The only other part of the train ride worth mentioning is the awesomeness of such cities in Mississippi as Hattiesburg, Laurel, and Meridian. There are so many buildings that have none been touched since the 50's or 60's it seemed, I can't WAIT to go on a road trip and take pictures there.

Upon arriving in Birmingham, since Reggie was no help, I needed a way to get to Randy's job. Reggie DID tell me there was no bus to The Summit (the plaza where Randy worked) so I was intent on taking a bus that would get me close enough where I wouldn't have to pay so much for a taxi. A very kind woman pointed me in the direction of the busses and I was on my way. I bought a hamburger at a place around where I was waiting for a bus, and they were even more helpful, informing me I had to go back almost exactly where I came from because the bus depot was right next to the train station. In fact it was visible from where the woman had walked me to and pointed me in the wrong direction. It was then I found out Reggie was wrong and there was in fact a bus that went to The Summit. Randy bear here I come!

I was SO nervous/ anxious for most of this day that my stomach was doing back flips and I thought I was going to puke ( I don't think the "special sauce" from the burger place was helping any either.) I got off and walked in the direction of the department store where my guy was. Did I mention how frigging cold it was? ANYWAY, I walk in and of course Randy is standing right in front. I had pulled my hood over my head so he wouldn't recognize me, but he was staring at my so intently I was sure he knew who it was anyway. I removed my hood and it became clear that he did NOT know who I was because when he did finally realize, he looked like he was going to throw up too. He scared me actually, because he seemed less happy to see me and more in fear for his life. But after the initial shock faded, he took me around and introduced me to all the people he worked with. It was really cute, especially because he just said "this is matt!" meaning that he had told them all about me already. Its nice to be liked.
To be continued.....