The End of Summer

We're taking a little time off this weekend since we start back to school on Tuesday. One last chance to soak up some rays and spend time with family and a few friends.

I remember my brothers and I would always HATE this time of year since we would dread having to say goodbye to the summer and all the fun we were having, and get ready for, ugh, school to start back!

We always tried to think of ways to s.....t.....r.....e.....t.....c.....h..... the time to make summer last longer, but I guess since we were totally concentrating on doing that, the time just went by faster.

On the other hand, our parents would be in such a good mood since they would finally have some quiet(er) time on their hands, instead of having three really rambunctious boys running around all the time!

Even though they never said this, I can look back now and imagine them seeing their one "bouncy" son with ADHD as counting for "five" kids! They definitely deserve some kind of award!



I'm afraid I might have sounded something like this when I was a kid.
Thanks to Becky for sending this to me.

One thing our teachers use to do when we started school in September was to go around the room and have each one of us say something about what we did on summer vacation. I think this is something all teachers were taught to do when they went to Teacher's College because Brad said he had to do this in his school also.

My mom always made sure I sat down two days before school started so I could write out some of the major things I did over the summer. Because of my attention problems I would have gone on and on about every single detail when it got my time to report. I had to narrow my list down from the 500 things I did {slight exaggeration there!} to one or two things I might share.

This is a tradition I've actually continued to this day, believe it or not. It's nice to go back and remember some of the highlights.

This summer Brad and I went to our first Gay Pride Youth Dance. We took our next door neighbor, Jake, with us where he met another high school boy. It's been fun watching them get to know each other. In some ways they remind Brad and I of what it was like when we first started dating.

We also enjoyed a long weekend getaway on Cape Cod with some friends.

Then there was our decision to start a new Relationship Tradition by scheduling a date with each other every Wednesday night. Our very own "Date Night." {*sigh*}

And there was that phone call I got from my boss asking me to meet him early the next day so he could offer me a job promotion!

It's been a pretty good summer I must say. Too short, as usual, but good.

Oh, since I have these attention problems (or "challenges" as my school counselor use to say), I just have to share this pic which was posted by ADHD Awareness on Facebook recently:

Can you spot the little kid with ADHD?

"Okay, refocus, Matty" (that's my mom's voice in my head).

To all you parents out there who have kids returning to school, enjoy (hopefully) a return to some normalcy.

We'll see all of you around the corner and I'm sure we'll have plenty of good stories about our new term.

Now it's your turn:

What one or two things will you remember most about this past summer? Any memorable vacations? Any major (or minor) achievements? Any good memories? Anything you're proud of? Anything to brag about?

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Just One Week Left

The day before I started my college career last January, I sent this email to some friends of mine:

Can I just make the following statement?

My stomach has been upset all day. There's a rain/ice/snow storm
moving through overnight. I start college tomorrow. Matty has been my rock today. I'm a big baby. I'll be perfectly fine after tomorrow's over.

That is all. Thank you for listening.

Can you tell I was a wee bit anxious?

Matt was included in the email exchanges and when I seemed to disappear for a while, he sent this email to our friends:

Bradley's on the phone with his sis getting a pep talk. I asked him
what I could do for him tonight to help him relax and he asked me if I
minded making him a bubble bath, so I'm gonna light some candles too
and join him.

Well, I'm pleased to report that I'm in a lot better shape this term than back in January! We start back the day after Labor Day (next Tuesday) and we're not expecting any snow storms and my stomach is not in knots.

I also don't think I'm being a big baby, but, um, I might still need that bubble bath with a certain someone to take my mind off any anxiety that might emerge. I also need to remind a certain tub-mate to pick up some scented candles.

Oh, wait. I think I can feel a little tingle of anxiety creeping in as I write this. Hmm. Maybe a bubble bath... with candles... with Matty... every night until next Tuesday will take care of that. It's worth a try, right? ;)

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Remember Those Summer Reading Lists?

I was talking to a friend of mine a few weeks ago about the books we've been reading over the summer and I was telling him the titles of the three books I'm currently working my way through. He looked at me like I was looney.

"Three books? You're reading three books at the same time?"

"Yeah. I always have at least three books going during the summer."

"Three?"

"Yeah. You know. One. Two. Three."

After explaining the method to my madness, I think he finally understood and decided I hadn't gone off my rocker. Well, he's always thought I'm a little off my rocker, but he seemed reassured that I hadn't done any more damage than is already there! ;-)

For some reason summer has always been a time to bury my nose in two or three books at once. Maybe this goes back to those inevitable Summer Reading lists we had to get through for school.

When I was a little kid, we had to keep a list of all the books we read during the summer and would turn it in when school began the next term. I remember my mom explaining it wasn't a contest and I had to slow down so I could take in the story being told.

Plus she explained something I've never forgotten. She said something like, "Books are like special friends. You can't show disrespect to them by rushing through the story. When a friend is trying to talk to you, you should always pay attention to what they're saying."

Well. The part of my brain that controls attention and concentration is not made like that. I tried to slow down. Couldn't do it. Didn't work. Plus I already had three or four really good friends and I could pay attention to all of them at once. I didn't see why I had to just concentrate on one friend at a time, whether they were friends of the human kind or friends of the book kind.

So when I was little and people asked me what I was reading, I would only name one book. Everybody seemed pleased with that answer but inside I secretly worried that the other books I was also reading would have hurt feelings because I didn't name them. Silly, I know. But that's how my brain worked.

Now that I'm an adult I still hesitate to tell others that I usually have two or three books going at the same time. The reason now is that I usually have to go into this explanation about yes, I can keep all the characters straight. And, yes, all the right characters stay in their own book and don't cross over into another story.

And, yes, somehow I seem to keep everybody straight, like in one book "Eric" is vacationing with "Marc" in Italy while "Eric" is still daydreaming about "Tom" back in New York while "Tom" is thinking about that time he dated "Marc" when they were in Hawaii and had that big flare-up over "Jon" when they went drinking and dancing.

Meanwhile, in another book, "Josh" is hoping "Greg" will finally realize he's really gay so "Greg" can stop pretending he has the hots for "Cindy" which will allow "Cindy" to be free to return to "Jeff" who is actually the love of her life. Then "Josh" and "Greg" can go visit "Greg's" mom "Lucille" in Wyoming who just dumped "Roger"... etc., etc., etc.

Anyway, I thought I'd share the three books I have going right now. These are not reviews since I haven't finished them. Well, the third book is one I'm rereading and I've already discussed it in the past.

Book #1: Show Me Yours, by Kaje Harper

Here's the blurb:

Josh and Trey have been friends since they were kids, but Josh moved away when they were both seventeen. Their bond has been thinned by distance, by the weight of secrets withheld and a trust betrayed. For years now they've only exchanged short emails and occasional calls, over too many miles to cross. Trey's been willing to live with that, even encouraged it. Because letting Josh get close again might make keeping Trey's secrets impossible.

When Josh shows up on Trey's doorstep with a request for help, it could well be an unmitigated disaster. But Trey finds he can't say no. This is Josh asking Trey to lend a hand. Josh, the guy who still pushes every other man Trey ever looked at to second place. So Trey's going to take the chance and say yes. He's going to grab a few days with the straight guy he never stopped loving, take what crumbs he can get, and damn the consequences. Although those consequences may not turn out to be the ones Trey's expecting.

Book #2: Zombielicious, by Timothy McGivney

Here's the blurb:

Amidst a zombie outbreak, Walt, athletic and confident, meets shy and quiet Joey, the attraction between them both instant and electric. With strength in numbers, they band together alongside fellow survivors; Jill, an ex-porn star turned nurse who's made a startling discovery about her past; Ace, a disgruntled security guard who just can't live up to certain short comings; and Molly, the fiery redhead unwilling to give up on her dreams of stardom. In this apocalyptic new world of the dead, an anything-goes attitude has become the law of the land and lust, betrayal, true love and redemption are all just a gunshot away.

Rainbow Award Winner 2011--Best Gay Debut Novel/Book
Rainbow Award Winner 2011--Best Gay Paranormal/Horror

Book #3: Clear Water, by Amy Lane
(This is my third reread and one of my all-time favorites)

Here's the blurb:

Meet Patrick Cleary party boy, loser, and spaz. Patrick's been trying desperately to transform himself, and the results have been so spectacular, they've almost killed him. Meet Wes "Whiskey" Keenan he's a field biologist wondering if it's time to settle down. When the worst day of Patrick's life ends with Whiskey saving it, Patrick and Whiskey find themselves sharing company and an impossibly small berth on the world's tackiest houseboat.
Patrick needs to get his life together-and Whiskey wants to help-but Patrick is not entirely convinced it's doable. He's pretty sure he's a freak of nature. But Whiskey, who works with real freaks of nature, thinks all Patrick needs is a little help to see the absolute beauty inside his spastic self, and Whiskey is all about volunteering. Between anomalous frogs, a homicidal ex-boyfriend, and Patrick's own hangups, Whiskey's going to need all of his patience and Patrick's going to need to find the best of himself before these two men ever see clear water.

~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~      ~       ~       ~       ~       ~     ~       ~       ~       ~ 

So, what about you? Are you reading three books at the same time?!

Or, what three books have you read so far this summer?

Or, what are you reading now? Share away!

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An Update

Hey, thanks to everyone who contacted us about what we're up to! We haven't been posting on a regular basis lately and it's nice to know many of you wondered if we were okay.

Well, we've been trying to plan some time off from work so we can enjoy the summer. We'll be away this weekend on a little excursion to Cape Cod with some friends of ours. It'll be nice to get a break from work and just relax.

Santa arriving at the beach by boat.
 National Archives of Australia

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I think in some parts of the world this is winter, which has always been a weird thing to understand! So, whether you're in a summer climate with plenty of hot blazing sun, or in a winter climate with shivering cold weather, hope you're able to take some time to relax!

Talk to everyone next week!

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Summer Plans

Hi everybody! This is Brad and I'm going to be your Blog Host for a little while.

Matty started work earlier this week and he's not exactly sure what his hours are going to be since they can vary from day to day depending on the job they're working on.

If you remember he got his old job back at the construction company where he'll be helping them update, refinish, and refurbish old homes. I gotta say he's in heaven going back there since he's definitely not your 9 to 5 office kind of guy! Put him in an office and he'll be staring out the windows daydreaming. And squirming in his seat. And getting up all the time to walk around looking for other stuff to do!

Plus I'm gonna definitely enjoy welcoming him home at the end of his day. I mean, having my very own hunky construction worker walk in the front door with that leather belt thingy they wear to carry a hammer, screwdrivers, and other assorted equipment, is, well, a real turn on! I've already gotten some "hammering" out of the deal within 5 minutes of him walking in the door -- and I'm not talking about the "hammer" in his leather belt thingy either! He's got another "hammer" he keeps hidden most of the time that's got my name written on it! ;-)

I've already gone on two job interviews myself and I have a third one lined up. There's a restaurant in the next town over from where we live that looks really promising. It's one of those restaurants that has a really nice atmosphere inside -- not too formal and not too casual. Somewhere in between. They're looking for wait staff, which I have some experience with, and I got the impression I probably got a job there, even though he didn't formally offer it to me yet. I'm going back this weekend to see him again and that's when I'll find out.

I told him I was interested in getting some kitchen experience, even though I've never worked in a restaurant kitchen, but I was able to talk intelligently about cooking and he seemed impressed I suppose. He said he would talk to his chef about it and said I would have to be flexible in my hours if it worked out. So, we'll see.

I also had an interview yesterday at this really fancy (meaning upscale, five-star) restaurant in downtown Boston. It's one of those you're definitely not going to see your average college kid frequenting! Coat and tie. Platinum credit card in the wallet (you know, the ones that advertise: "You've earned it, and now is the time to start living your dreams.").

I only got the interview because I have an uncle who knows some people in the restaurant business. They seemed really nice, but it's definitely five-notches above what I'm use to when we eat out.

It was pretty clear that they're only interested in filling some wait staff positions. When I asked about working in the kitchen, one of the managers just stared at me like a deer in the headlight. Must have thought I just got off the boat or something. He quickly composed himself and said they have an arrangement with some culinary schools (both locally and internationally, he didn't hesitate to tell me) where those students can come to get some professional experience before they graduate. I'm definitely not in the running for that, needless to say. But, if I get my foot in the door, well, that would be good.

Oh, the good news! Both of us passed all our classes with flying colors! Yippee! If you remember, I was is a constant state of nerves the whole semester. Keeping up with assignments, doing all the readings, going to all the study groups, making it to all the classes, etc.... Now I can't remember what all the anxiety was about! Well, I do, but all I can say is I'm glad the semester is over. I'm sure (keeping my fingers crossed) the next semester will be a little less nerve wracking!

I'm still continuing with my therapy sessions each week, even though I'm not in summer school. I had to pre-enroll for next semester and I had to agree do this research thing through my faculty advisor over the summer.

Anyway, the sessions are going well. I still like the therapist I'm seeing and he's mainly helping me "pace" (his word) myself in the sessions. After I finished with finals I was thinking, Okay, now I can really get into all the hard issues I was avoiding while taking classes.

Oh man, did I have a waterfall of tears talking about some childhood issues. He very firmly told me it was important to "pace" myself through all this, meaning not to feel I had to tear my heart open and spill everything out in one or two sessions! That was a great relief. Now we're going at a slower pace and it feels a lot better. He laughed when I told him I didn't want any more Niagara Falls sessions! He joked back and said if every session was Niagara Falls, he'd have to charge me for all the Kleenex!

Well, I guess that's it for now. If you'll excuse me I need to do some cleaning around the house before my construction worker comes home -- hopefully to do some "hammering" with that "tool" that has my name on it! LOL.

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