Being Anti-Social

I have a confession...

I have been anti-social since November 3, 2011.

How can I pinpoint an exact date for my anti-socialness? It's simple. November 3, 2011 was the day I downgraded from my iPhone and switched instead to a Samsung Craptalaxy, Version WTF 2.0.

In layman's terms, because of an personal economic downturn <--- (this is a protected post), I needed to scale back on my expenses. One of the places we scaled back was our cell phones. Having an iPhone, while altogether delightful, is altogether too expensive. Through AT&T (and I think a few other carriers as well), owning an iPhone also means being obligated to subscribe to their data plan which comes to $30/month per phone. That's an additional $60/month on top of whatever you pay for the amount of minutes you require. At the beginning of November we were paying nearly $200/month for two iPhones with mandatory data plans. It was outrageous.

So, we downgraded to the Craptalaxy (actually a Samsung Strive) because it's one of the few phones that 1) didn't require a data plan, and 2) was free (although their definition of free includes an "upgrade fee" even though we were downgrading). This effectively cancelled all of our common social interactions that were carried out through our phones... no texting, no uploading photos, no tweets, etc.

When you've grown accustomed to having all of these conveniences, to stop cold turkey can be a bit jarring. People we'd texted often were wondering why all of their texts were bouncing back as undeliverable. There was a sharp decline in our status updates and photo uploads to the point people were asking if something happened in our marriage! Ha! How's that for crazy social correlation! I stop tweeting and that means my marriage is on the rocks!

Anyway, this past Wednesday, I was lamenting to a friend about the fact that my phone is only good for making and receiving calls. She proceeded to tell me about her phone and carrier that only charges $40/month for unlimited 4GLTE data, talk and text. Yep, you heard right... UNLIMITED. Of course, being able to wade back into texting and familiar social circles was appealing. So I checked on it. And you know what? She was right!

Not only was she right, but the timing couldn't have been more perfect. The carrier currently has a sale on the phone which provides a $50 instant rebate combined with another $50 mail-in rebate which bring the cost of the phone down to $49. Plus, by signing up two phones on the same plan, they offer a $5/month "Family Plan" discount per phone. So instead of paying $80/month for the two phones, we're only paying $70/month... for UNLIMITED DATA, TALK and TEXT.

The phone is an LG Motion which looks like this:

It's a great little phone that is eerily reminiscent of the early iPhone that I downgraded from. But it's got a powerful processor and runs all the apps I had before and then some! So, I've returned to Twitter, Instagram, and Foursquare. And now I can even log into Xanga and WordPress!

So anyway, I'm no longer anti-social. As a matter of fact, my son got me to sign up for a Snapchat account. So if anyone wants to connect with me there, my name, as you probably could guess, is MyxlDove.

One Night Stand And Other Childhood Dreams

I admit that as a kid I would often wonder about things I would do once I was "grown up". I'd see my parents and other adults have privileges like watching Rated R movies and staying up past 8:00pm. I swore to myself that I would indulge as much as I could the second my age allowed. So I made a list and I've checked off almost everything, including...

1) Having one Night Stand

I figured I wouldn't need more than one until I got married. I mean honestly, what would I do with two Night Stands? One night stand is a lot easier to manage. I see no need to complicate matters. This keeps everything simple and tidy.

2) Getting a Blow Job

This kind of work is honorable and after all the raving I'd heard over getting a good blow job, I wanted my first one to be something I'd always remember. The build up to asking for it was a bit nerve-racking. I mean, blow jobs aren't just posted in the classified section of your local newspaper. You have to know someone in the business and get a referral if you want a good one. Plus, if everything went well I figured a good blow job might lead to other opportunities in the industry... like trimming hedges.

3) Playing the field

I've always enjoyed better than average strength and athleticism. All the little girls would come out to watch the guys play little league when I was in grade school. Being the catcher, I didn't see much action. But I loved the attention just being out there would bring. So when I was old enough to actually play the field, I was super excited. I ran home and told my brothers that I was playing the field. They patted me on the back and said, "Don't let it go to you head little bro. There are plenty of other guys playing the field too."

HOW TO: Get Me Up & Bring Me Down

It's an interesting thing to wake up this morning and login to Xanga and find a blog feed full of posts about Turn Ons and Turn Offs of varying degrees of TMI. Some are downright tantalizing. Others are peculiar at best. But nonetheless interesting. Of course, it being a Friday and me feeling completely disinterested in coming up with an idea for a post on my own, I've decided to create my own list of Turn Ons and Offs.

Oh, and before I begin, I just want to say that questions regarding any of these is HIGHLY encouraged. Thank you very much.

GET ME UP

1. Legs - Shapely legs are my complete undoing. When I was younger, I was putty in the hands of any woman with exposed gams and a wink in my direction. lol Even now, the sight of beautiful legs can cause me to do a double-take.
2. Brains - Intelligent repartee will always command my attention. ALWAYS. Brains over beauty. I used to tell people that the way to my heart is through my head.
3. Hair - There's something about catching the sweet scent of a woman's just-washed hair as she passes that is very beguiling. The combination of shampoo and perfume or female pheromones is like an aphrodisiac. 
4. Teasing - I love to go a few good rounds of teasing and flirting every now and again. There are few things more enjoyable than trading risque comments and feather-light touches over shared smiles.
5. The O Face - I'll leave it at that. 
6. Singing - The sound of a woman's voice singing can add many layers to her attraction. Sometimes the voice alone can conjure its own images of beauty. Hmm... I may write a separate post about this soon.

BRING ME DOWN

1. Potty Mouth - Even though I don't use it myself, I'm not bothered by the occasional use of profanity by others. But if you "cuss like a sailor" as they say, where every thing out of your mouth is some profanity-laced prattle, I find it hard to take you seriously.
2. Smoking - This is one of the saddest turn offs because it makes an otherwise beautiful woman look repulsive to me. It's like smearing tar on the Mona Lisa.
3. Poor Hygiene - If your smell greets me before you do, we have a problem. Well, YOU have a problem.
4. Rudeness - Even if it's not directed toward me, there is never a good reason to be rude to people. I consider it a character flaw.
5. Snobby/Pretentious - If you walk around like everyone is beneath you, you'll be walking alone.
6. Crazy - Not to sound insensitive, but insanity is a huge turn off.  Unless you're talking about the workout program.

Weird Poetry

Sometimes I write just to put words down. Fully intending to come back to it later. And then sometimes, I never return. These are those.

Sad Night (taken from THIS post)
I am of a sad night
burning
betrothed to the candle holder
having an affair with the flame
Begone oh foul wind of despair!
Your momma.

The Fountain
The murder was carried out
in the garden
of love's absurdity
and the body cast
into the fountain of spite
that the world, without knowledge
might consume it in its thirst
and visit their regret
upon the generation to come.

Nothing
There is nothing to say
That hasn't but should
And will but waits
And watches but abides
While wondering and wanting
and wasting away.

I'm a relatively transparent kind of guy. Meaning, I don't mind sharing some information about my history, my family and where I work. I certainly wouldn't post my home address or social security number online. But for the most part, I will answer just about any question asked of me within reason. But there are many people who are none too keen about sharing anything remotely personal online. Everything is locked down... real name, city and state, cell number, school they went/go to, names of relatives, etc.

Why do I bring this up? Because I was listening to the news on my way to work this morning and I heard about the Colorado DOC Chief who was killed in his home after answering the front door.  I immediately began to wonder what the assailant's motivation may have been and how they found out where the Chief lived. I wondered if they were a disgruntled subordinate... maybe a recently parolee seeking revenge... maybe just a deranged person who gets kicks out of wounding or killing authority figures. Or maybe it was none of that and it was a random act of violence, a case of mistaken identity, or a jilted lover.

Maybe we'll never know.

But that line of thought also reminded me of a conversation I had a couple years ago with someone who was concerned about the fact that people knew my real name. It went something like this:

THEM: Aren't you afraid of what people might do?

(said with genuine concern for my safety)

ME: Do? Like what?

(not really understanding what they were getting at)

THEM: Well, that someone might use your name to find out where you live or work and like, come kill you or take you hostage or something.

ME: (laughing) Nah, I'm nobody important. No one cares where I work or live. If I were more in the public eye, I'd certainly err on the side of caution. But for now, I'm so far off the radar that I have first cousins who couldn't even tell you the city I live in to save their lives.

(true story)

THEM: Yeah, maybe. But still... I NEVER post my real name online. Not even on Facebook.

(as if Facebook is a breeding ground for stalkers)

ME: I can appreciate that. I just don't think my first and last name is an issue of privacy. Names are easily acquired. I can go to the grocery store and see the cashier's first and last name printed on the badge they wear. Or I can go to a city website and find out the name and office location for the director of Parks and Recreation.

THEM: I guess so. Still, I'd just rather be safe than sorry.

ME: To each their own I suppose.

It makes me wonder how concerned other people are about their privacy online. I know it's not just an issue of paranoia. Some of the concern is definitely justified. But I think that everyone draws the line at a different point of comfort.

What's yours?

UPDATE: So the consultation went well. My doctor told me that according to state law, there is a mandatory 30-day waiting or "cooling off" period before you can have the actual procedure done AFTER you've gone to a consultation. But I guess that's a "soft law" since they scheduled my procedure for April 9th. This of course, is assuming that my wife doesn't have the baby on or before that date.

Here are some other interesting tidbits of information gleaned from my appointment today...

• Have an ice pack ready at home to place over your scrotal dressing the afternoon and evening of the procedure.
• Bring your scrotal support to the appointment.
• Following the appointment, plan NO ACTIVITY AT ALL. It is strongly recommended that you stay in bed rest (with your ice-packed scrotum).
• You may wash (bathe) after 24 hours.
• Expect a moderate amount of swelling and black and blue discoloration.
• Intercourse is okay in approximately 1 week. *whew*

After many months of discussion with my wife, my F-I-L, a few friends, a couple coworkers and even an assortment of online acquaintances, I am taking the first step in my journey

toward...

what...

um...

toward... sterilization?

That sounds so... clinical and impersonal. :-/

Fact is, I'm going to the Urologist today for my consultation regarding a Vasectomy. Yep... the Big V. It's an outpatient procedure that usually takes less than 30 minutes to complete. I have to admit that this fact is in no way comforting to me. But, after weighing the risks and related experiences of others. I've decided to forge ahead.

Interestingly enough, I was referred by my primary physician who laughingly said, "In the last 10 years I've had only 3 men come to me for this type of referral!" Apparently, I'm an anomaly. I'll let you know how it goes.

I've been on Xanga for more than a decade. Over that time, many people have come and gone. What I find interesting is that out of the (currently) 1,025 subscriber I have, I'd guess that roughly 5% of them post anymore. The rest have abandoned their blogs. Which points to another interesting trend. Very few people shut down their sites. Most people just leave and never come back. Either they've forgotten their passwords, have moved to other online journals/social networks, or sadly, have died. I'm currently at 829 Subscriptions and 1,025 Subscribers. But those numbers mean very little in the grand scheme of things. The number of people I interact with and/or read is considerably smaller since not everyone is a prolific writer or even aspires to be.

So, I'm curious... what's YOUR number of Subscriptions vs Subscribers?

It's no secret that I am one very, VERY proud father. The pride I have in my children is second only to the fullness of my heart in how much I love them. I recently talked about my oldest son who auditioned for X-Factor and will be heading off to college in the fall, but now I want to share a little bit about my second oldest son, Christopher. Being only a sophomore in high school, his athleticism is rapidly approaching legendary status. This year he not only was bumped up to Varsity Football in the fall, but after football season ended and he transitioned to the track team (which he also did last year as a freshman), he was also bumped up to Varsity Track.

This weekend, we were able to get a few photos of him in various heats. To say he's well conditioned is an understatement. Christopher is a well-oiled machine. There is now even talk about him competing in the Olympics. Yeah... things just got real. lol So, here are the shots. A bit blurry because of the camera phone. But good enough to make the point.

He prays before every race.

In the starting blocks.

Dusting the competition!

Something amazing happened yesterday. Actually there were two things...

Number 1

I was among those caught in the chaos caused by a rogue user who went around flooding random Xangans with EX ratings. I was initially shocked by the fact that a few well-placed EX ratings (10 in my case) could, for all intents and purposes, shut down your site. Or at least make it inaccessible to a majority of Xanga's user base. My shock became frustration and my frustration, anger.

A few well-meaning friends (for whom I truly care) suggested yesterday that I keep the perspective that this "is only Xanga". I was far too reactive in my behavior. In uncharacteristic fashion, I allowed my growing anger to infiltrate my posts, pulses and comments in a way that I should (and do) know better than to do. And while it wasn't directed at any individual, for my outbursts, I apologize.

The amazing part is that I was brought back to my senses by the kinds words of someone (you know who you are ) who lovingly reminded me not to fail to notice the overwhelming outpouring of support given to me and many others from the Xanga community. I am deeply moved by all of you who, simply by choosing to add an A rating to my site, were really supplying me with a vote of confidence, given out of love and appreciation. I would be remiss if I didn't recognize this publicly. I aspire to nothing more than to be considered a faithful friend. Yesterday, an untold number of you proved to be that and more.

Number 2

As @buddy71 so aptly put it in his post today, "This became a community again, rallying around a common cause.  For a short time, we were all friends working hand in hand to come to the aid of members of this community."

You reminded me of why I love this place. Our vulnerabilities give rise to compassion. Despite our difference, we have grown to love the crazy cast of characters who make this place their home. We recognize and value the intense passion evident in what is written here. We revel in the highs and huddle together in the lows.

Simply put, we ARE a community.

And there is no other place like THIS place. No other blog site like Xanga. I am a LIFE member of this community by choice, not by accident. So thank you to my Xanga family for all that you do to maintain this place. I am beholden to you.

It's similar to Throwback Thursday, except it isn't.

For this edition, I wonder how many people remember this...

Yep, good ol' Xanga TV. May it rest in peace.