Fish Out of Water

When I was asked to run the 4-mile leg of a 'teamed triathlon' this fall, I hesitated. I wasn't worried about the running part; I started running recreationally back in college. Now I do an average of two miles at the gym (to keep my lithe figure, of course). I was worried about the competitive aspect.

No one likes to lose, and I've never handled it well; I used to beat myself up if I did - I had to be the best! At everything! Ah.. the mental self-mutilation to compensate for being in the closet; I remember it well.

I've since come out of the closet and accepted the fact that there are people out there that are better at some things than I am; but why put myself in a position to lose if I can control it? Same reasoning applies to why I don't gamble.

In spite of my 'avoid competition' mentality, I decided this time to go against my fears and participate in the triathlon. After all, I'm about self improvement, mentally and physically (duh, I knew I went to the gym for some reason), and that's how I'm approaching it. (Plus, I was assured that my team was doing it recreationally.)

Friendly competition isn't so bad, and neither is losing, as long as you can turn it into positive motivation and forgive yourself for things that are out of your control.

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Today was a perfect day for a jog. I had a 4-mile training course planned out that involved the Williamsburg Bridge. Everything was fine until I started to ascend the the bridge. That's when I realized that the allergy pill I took right before wasn't such a good idea: I was having trouble breathing. As a result of the medication, my nose and mouth started to dry up causing my saliva and phlegm to congeal in the back of my throat and sinuses, blocking up my airways.

Determined, I focused on the Black Eye Peas babbling about their humps in my ears, breathed hard through my mouth, and made it to the other side without stopping. Victory!

I basked in the glow of my accomplishment, enjoying a light breeze, before turning back to face the bridge and realizing I was only at my halfway mark. And since my body was still trying to suffocate itself, I decided taking the train would be in my best interest.

Star Gazing

One great thing about my soon-to-be-ex job is that it's in Tribeca; and even better is that the Tribeca Film Festival ticket booth is only a block away. It starts today! There's definitely some films I want to catch. Did you get your tickets yet? You can buy them online¹, though some of the popular films and times have sold out of advanced tickets².

Being gay, I was 'naturally' drawn to all the movies with gay themes; it's almost compulsory, as if I had to watch them all to make up for the lack of homo-sex education taught in school (both officially and unofficially). So I'm seeing Fat Girls this Saturday. Some other movies were sold out, but I might take a chance at the door.

And being gay, I had the innate talent³ to run into and recognize (and then to quickly avert my eyes to avoid being labelled as the lunatic celebrity fan that I am) the two ugliest, hot actors⁴ in Hollywood, probably in town for the festivities: Mr. Bacon and Mr. Hawke.

Oh, Mr. De Niro. Come out, come out, wherever you are!

¹ It didn't matter to me, because I have to purchase the tickets at the box office to get my 'downtown residence discount' (not to rub it in or nothing).
² Don't fret! You may still be able to get Door Tickets by queueing 30 minutes before the show.
³ Or it could have been the fact I was walking around Tribeca during my lunch hour. Who knows?
⁴ You know what I mean, but I'll be damned if they're not f'ing talented!

Dear Nature

Dear Nature,

Wind, rain, and a 20 degree drop in temperature? Must you be so dramatic for my last week of work? Be kind and give me a nice, warm send off, okay? Love you like a fat kid loves cake!

Peace and chicken grease,
Jase

It's my last week at my current job. I still can't believe it. This place is like my second family. (Almost) everyone here is nice, kind, and a pleasure to work with; and I've become comfortable in the work situation (which almost always raises warning flags) - one of the reasons why I think the change will be good.

I start my new job next Monday. I know, it's no rest for the weary; so in the meantime, I find time to have fun at work!

Feast of Fools

So last Thursday I went to meet up with some guys that run a modest lil' podcast (out of Chicago) who came to New York City for a meet and greet, hosted at the Starlight Bar and Lounge. You might have heard of them, Feast of Fools, also known as the #1 gay podcast in all the world! Over 200 shows under their belt and counting!

Okay, so they're not so little, and not at all modest; but they are definitely hilarious! And in person, these guys are nothing but genuine, nice, warm, and welcoming - what the hell are they doing in New York City again?! (Just kidding, don't kick me off the island!) By the way, if you get a few drinks in them, they're even more entertaining.

So if this is the first time you've heard of them, put in those earbuds and download a show or two (why not start with one they did on their trip to New York City)? You can thank me later. In that nice, special way, of course.

My FOF Pics on Flickr (now with more pics!)

Brokeback Bunnies

No, I'm not talking about this parody. I saw this marvelous pair of chocolate bunnies at Jacques Torres' Chocolate Haven, inspired by Brokeback Mountain:

I'm still trying to figure out which one is Jack...

What Easter Means to Me

Hm... that's about it.

Just Need A Visual

It's nowhere near original, and I've definitely heard it somewhere else before, but the following conversation (that started about my leaving) really took place during lunch. Read more [+/-]

Female Co-worker: "I really sucks that you're leaving."
Me: "I know, but what are you going to do?"
Female Co-worker: "Who else am I going to get help from? It's so hard talking to those tech people. It's like they have ass-burgers or something."
Me: "Haha. Ass-burgers?"
Female Co-worker: "Yea! It's a disease, like autism. Like when you ask them a question and they answer like a robot, void of all emotion."
Me: "Oh! Asperger! I really thought you said ass-burger!"
We both crack up.
Female Co-worker: "Haha! Hmm.. I'm not even sure how that would work."
Me: "Don't get me started!"

But it was already too late; ass-burgers had already started floating around in my head.

Like A Whaa..?

With all the business (and busy-ness) going in my life, I just wanted to take a moment and say, "Hi", "I'm thinking of you", and, in the words of Miss Ronnie, "Miss you like a retarded kid misses the point!"

This post was brought to you by the first sixty pages of Tuesdays with Morrie.

Changes

It's official. At the end of the month, I will be leaving my current job for another. And going through the deliberations for the past week put me on edge that I almost crapped my pants.

On the one hand, I needed to move on (and the job offer I got was good). On the other hand, I felt really bad about leaving all my co-workers.

"At least you gave us a months notice; that really says a lot about a person."

That's what my boss said after I built up enough courage to tell him the bad news. I was a nervous mess, but he was understanding and very supportive. As we continued to talk, I couldn't help but continue to apologize for leaving; they were really good to me.

"Don't worry, you'll live." I hope so. And thanks for the memories.

Second Drunken Mishap of the Year

Flying high on Sapphire and bass-heavy latin-arabic beats at Le Souk for my roommates' birthday bash, I closed the tab on our table, putting down what I thought would be a generous 20% tip. After all, we had a reserved table in the VIP area and there were plenty of guests we brought in.

I didn't realize how generous I was until we were in the cold, sobering air and I looked at my receipt; they had included a 20% gratuity! Yes! That means I bumped her tip up too 44%!

Now, it wouldn't have been bad if the bill was $100 or even $200 dollars, but this was a club, and the Grey Goose itself was $300, the Bombay Sapphire $250. I am so not joking. You figure out the rest; I need all my concentration to stop myself from banging my head against the wall.

No wonder the waitress was so grateful; I know I would be to any (and every) drunk big tipper.

The night was a blast and I wouldn't change a thing (err.. except maybe the tipping part). If so inclined, check out the debaucherous pictures here.

Summer Lovin'

There must be a lot of summer lovin' going around because I just spent the whole day celebrating peoples' birthdays! It must be the heat that puts people in heat.

Anyway, Big Birthday wishes to Jess and my roommate!