The Net Monkey

A lot has happened in 2005.

• I started a new job.
• An aunt on my father’s side of the family passed away.
• I started taking more photos.
• An old roommate moved out; two new ones moved in.
• I did quite a bit of traveling: San Francisco, Minneapolis, Louisville, Chicago, New York, Mexico, and Philadelphia.
• Got this blog organized and setup the way I want it.
• Reconnected with old friends from high school.
• Celebrated ten years of being out of the closet.
• Wrecked my old car; bought a new one.
• And, to top it all off, saw Robbie Williams’ wang.

I hope my life is as fruitful in 2006 as it was this past year. Happy New Year, everyone!

I saw Brokeback Mountain at the Landmark Theatre at Keystone at the Crossing Thursday night with Tony and Jason.

I did like the movie; however, I wouldn’t give it the groundbreaking attention that it has been receiving, as of late, in the media. I’m unsure what exactly is new here outside of the fact that you have a lot of straight people going to see it.

I don’t view Brokeback as a tool to further the gay rights cause or necessarily as a means of hurting it either. It’s a heartbreaking story: bits of which relate to moments in my past and this film will have meaning because of that. I would say that if there is any positive message, to be taken from this movie, it is to not fear being yourself. I think it is as sample as that.

Well, another Christmas has come and gone — another year about to beat the doors down.

I had a nice time with my family on Christmas. It was a little odd this year because we normally open presents on Christmas Eve, but my sister Lisa was on her way back with her husband from a vacation in Honduras. So, we ended up opening gifts Christmas Eve without her, but then did another round on Christmas Day when she was in town.

Ended up seeing King Kong last night and enjoyed it a lot.

Tony, Jason, and I are hosting a little gathering of friends tonight for games and good times. Not sure all who is coming, but I look forward to it. Unfortunately, I have a lot of cleaning to get done and it isn’t getting any better with me sitting here writing this blog entry. So, I’m off!

Title: on the way to work

Uploaded By: Dina Roberts

Damn! Yesterday was the Winter Solstice which means that Autumn has passed us by and Winter is now upon us.

I feel like I missed the Fall. As I get older, every year just seems to go by faster and faster. And I think that totally sucks!

I got this little email today.

Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2005 10:52:13 -0800 (PST)
From: Jason C.
To: Everybody
Subject: Kathy in Indy!

Who: Kathy Griffin
Where: The Hillbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis, IN
Friday, April 28th 2006 at 9:00 PM

WE are GOING. End of story.

And I only thought the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performed at the Circle Theatre. Hmm! Sounds like fun!

I need to catch up with a few things.

• Bearfest was this past weekend. I didn’t attend any of the events, but I enjoyed seeing friends who were in town.
• I’m still getting used to the new car, but I’m adjusting well. It has been a long time since I’ve actually enjoyed driving.
• My Christmas shopping still isn’t finished, but I plan to have it all done tomorrow night.
• I saw my friends Theena and Toni perform at Glendale Mall this past Monday. They’re part of a woodwind quintet and played Christmas music for all nearby shoppers.
• The company Christmas party was this past Friday. It was held at the Indiana State Museum next to the entrance facing the Central Canal. There’s a very small photoset online.
• Tony and Jason are organizing a little party Monday night with close friends. Should be nice.

Happy Holidays!

At the recommendation of a friend, I got Nice and Nicely Done by The Spinto Band. The whole album seems to be pretty good, with my favorite definitely being the second track: “Oh Mandy.”

I have no idea how I found this band, but I’ve been listening to Golden by Elkland. Their music is essentially rock-sounding synthpop (thanks allmusic.com), if you can imagine that. I would say a lot of their music is pretty current, in terms of style, but they have definitely 80’s influences.

I was looking through the news articles on the Indianapolis Star web site the other day and ran across this unfortunate story.

Original Article

“The Flower Lady” who for years sang inspirational tunes and sold roses from a wheelchair on Downtown street corners died Sunday.

Inez Powell, 61, had an apparent heart attack and fell off her wheelchair at Washington and Illinois streets at shortly before 4 p.m. She was pronounced dead at Wishard Memorial Hospital. The death is natural, according to the Marion County coroner’s office.

Cold is not believed to have been a factor in Powell’s death. A deputy coroner’s report noted Powell wore several layers of warm clothing.

An autopsy is pending, but coroners suspect Powell’s long history of health problems contributed to her death. Powell had polio at age 2 and survived a serious car crash in 1991, she told The Star in 1999.

Fearing rowdiness from college basketball fans in 2000, The Indianapolis Police Department asked Powell to bring her sweet singing voice outside the RCA Dome in hopes that she’d provide a calming influence after that year’s NCAA Final Four.

“I used to be at Illinois and Washington,” Powell told The Star. “But the police told me they’d rather have me at Illinois and Maryland (across from the dome), because they say my singing calms crowds down. They don’t riot if I sing.”

I remember hearing her sing several times. She would sit in her wheelchair at the northwest corner of Maryland and Illinois, across from the Steak N’ Shake (which is probably where I was eating dinner). I don’t exactly remember any of the music, to be honest, but I remember her having quite a set of pipes because she could be heard from at least a block away, if not more.

Anyway, It makes me wonder what other interesting stories are out there. The unfortunate thing is that I tend to just avoid the people I see every day on the streets of downtown, but I think it would make for a good oral history project, none-the-less.

Jason C. sent me this little gem via email today.

Cock Blocker

Enjoy!

Title: The Vonnegut Clock and The L.S. Ayers Cherub

Uploaded By: Jikan

Well, it is almost Christmas and I have only bought one thing — and that was something Jason C. picked up for me at Target for my other roommate.

I’m a mess, but I’ll get it all done before Christmas Eve, at least.

Title: My New Ride

Uploaded By: mattbarton77

It feels good to finally have a new car. It has been over a month since I wrecked my old, trusty Corolla, but now I’ve got something new and exciting. It has been a long time coming, at least for me.

The iPod integration rocks my world. I can control the music from the stereo head unit, which is so cool. It’s the one optional feature of the car that I had to purchase.

The best thing about this deal is that it’s a Toyota and it shoud last me a long time, as long as the electrical system stays in good shape.

Title: The Three of Us

Uploaded By: mattbarton77

My new thunder cloud metallic Scion xB has arrived. I’ll be picking it up tomorrow at 3:00 PM.

Title: Make Your Eyes Twinkle

Uploaded By: mattbarton77

I have a Secret Santa here at work. Whomever it is (and I’m sure it is a woman) left some Dove Smooth Milk Chocolate on my desk yesterday. I’ve managed to share a lot of it, but I must admit that I’m definitely going to gain a pound or two from this bag.

On the inside of the wrapper of every tasty morsel of chocolate, there is a little fortune. This one says to “make your eyes twinkle.”

Whatever.