Category Archives: The Basics

Anyone know what a degausser is? It’s a device to decrease or eliminate an unwanted magnetic field.  We use them here at work to wipe all the info off old hard drives.

For reasons I still don’t understand, the thing makes a hell of a noise.  It’s kind of like the electronic machinery in Frankenstein’s laboratory that brings the creature to life.  It’s really, really loud.  They’re degaussing across the hall.  It’s Monday morning, I have a terrible case of the fuckits and Frankenstein’s monster is coming to life right here in IT.  Need I say more?

As usual, I’m freezing my ass off.  My cold hell-with-florescent-lighting office is situated right next to the server room so I imagine that’s why this office is so cold.  I just don’t get it with all the air conditioning.

OK, here’s a question:

Why do people turn the A/C down to a temperature in summer that would be considered cold in winter and vice versa with the heater?  What’s up with that?  If it were 65 degrees outside right now, we’d have the heat up to 80!

Why can’t we just set the fucking thing to 70 and leave it alone?

It’s fucking July in Arizona and I’m sitting here wearing a sweater.

Ray and I went to Homer’s (and Sandy’s) places in Tucson to watch the 4th of July fireworks.  As usual, we had a great time hanging out with the gang.  Ray and I stayed overnight to avoid the late-night 90 mile drive home.  The next day we got up, went to breakfast and picked up a fountain we’d bought.  (We couln’t fit in in the little car so we had to come back with the bigger one.)  While we were picking up the fountain, we found another one that we liked so we’re going to have to head back up to Tucson this weekend to get it. 

After our cargo was loaded in the car, we made our way over to a little get together with a bunch of guys for some NPV (naked pool volleyball).  Yes, it’s silly, there are a bunch of naked guys splashing around in the pool but it’s still a game (or games) of volleyball and very good exercise.  My arms and legs were totally sore the next day. What a great workout.

We got home late and decided to set the fountain up the next day.  It’s made of concrete and was hard to navigate.  After lifting and positioning and all that, we turned it on.  It worked like a charm and we’re very happy with it. 

Ray decided to do a little bit of gardening in the front courtyard.  I went to clean out my fish pond to get it ready to move over to the other side of the patio to make room for the other fountain.  Ray yelled through the front door for me to come out front.  Something in his voice made me grab my camera.

This is what we saw:

A gopher snake in the courtyard.

It was about four feet long and didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave.  Now, some people may get a bit squeamish when it comes to these critters.  Ray and I think it’s cool.  Just part of living in the country.  Ray finally shooed it away and I went back to my fish. 

About 15 minutes later, I’d finished refilling the fish tank and got the pump going when I noticed this:

Mr. Gopher Snake in the back courtyard!

It was actually behind the fish tank when I first noticed the little beady eyes which means it just slithered past me while I was standing there.  Ray came over and shooed it away again.  For something that moved from the front yard to the back in a matter of minutes, it sure was slow. 

About a half hour later, I saw the snake crossing the driveway going back out to the wilderness. 

Never a dull moment here at Stolen Horseshoe.

Ray and I got home from my reunion last Sunday. During the ten hour drive, I had time to ponder the weekend’s events. I assume most reunions have people sitting around talking about the winning touchdown at the big game, making the cheerleading squad (or doing the cheerleading squad) and that one time you went to detention for ditching class. We all sat around talking about that time we swallowed a handful of black beauties, smoked a dime bag and stole someone’s car to go into Hollywood for the night.

I don’t want to go back to those times. I lived in fear everyone would all find out that I was gay (yeah, I know, they all knew) and I’d get my ass kicked. Getting your ass kicked in school is a scary reality for everyone who’s ever been in high school except at my school, it meant an ass kicking from someone with an existing criminal record who was really bad—like fucked up psychologically bad.  What the hell was I doing at that school?

I left the reunion abruptly.

You can’t change where you’re from but you can sure change where you’re going.

We’re off to Lost Angeles today.  Going back for my high school reunion.  It should be interesting to say the least.  I was permanently expelled from high school about three months into 9th grade.  They sent me to a “continuation” school.  A place for burned out kids to keep them off the street until they’re 18.  At the end of 12th grade, I didn’t have enough credit to graduate so I took the GED and got out. 

Since my school was so small, our reunion is covering a decade.  1980 to 1990.  I’m going to have to take a quick trip down memory lane via my yearbooks to freshen my memory.  I was stoned the entire time.  I don’t remember anyone really. 

The cool thing is that Mike, one of my best friends in high school, recently found me (through the reunion committee) and just happens to stop in Sierra Vista for work on occasion.  He came over earlier this week for a cocktail.  I had not seen him in over 20 years.  He looked great–actually better-than-I-remember great (sorry to put you on the spot Mike but hunky nice guys in sleeveless shirts with tattooed arms get me every time…) 

It was great catching up with Mike and he’s going to be at the reunion so I’ll at least have someone to cling on to at first.  I get overwhelmed by a large group of people (until the 2nd martini).

The really sad thing was hearing that two of the other gay kids I went to school with are dead.  AIDS–see my last post.

Aside from the reunion, Ray and I are going to see our mothers and some old friends.  As usual with my trips to LA, I’m looking forward to getting back on Sunday and laying out by the pool. 

The key thing is that I’m tan and have been working out like a madman so, dare I say it, I’m going to look hot.  Isn’t that what high school reunions are all about?  Going back and showing everyone that you’ve made it?  I’m going to stand in the middle of the room, do my best Mary Tyler-Moore twirl while throwing my hat in the air and sing, “You’re gonna make it after all…”

OK, maybe not…

I’m going to go back, satisfy my curiosity and then get the hell out of there.

From today’s New York Times online:

“More than one-third — 36 percent — of New York City men who have sex with other men and have had five or more sex partners within the past year do not consistently use condoms.”

 What the hell?  Doesn’t anyone remember watching our friends shrivel up and die?  AIDS is still here.  Not to mention all the other scary things like sexually transmitted MRSA.  That shit’ll make your dick fall off.  What are people thinking?  Is anyone thinking anymore?

It’s perplexing to see guys online with profiles talking about how they’re “POZ and healthy” and into raw unprotected bare backing sex.  Am I the only one who does a double-take here?  How could you willingly do your business inside of someone knowing full well that you have a deadly communicable disease–and that you’re giving it to them?  How could you enjoy yourself?  On the other hand, how could you be the condomless recipient and let someone leave you with a lot more than a couple of martinis and a good screw? 

My very good friend Tony died a miserable death from AIDS complications.  We don’t know what he died of because he had so many things all at once recking havoc over his body–inside and out.  It was horrifying to see a hot, healthy 31 year old man transform into what appeared to be an 90 year old mouse.   He literally shriveled up and everything that his immune system was keeping at bay slowly ate him alive.  After seeing that (for TWO years), I’m scared shitless of HIV-AIDS and try to avoid it as much as possible.

HIV is not like a disease you can live with with medication.  The medication gives you the shits, makes your belly pop out and you face cave in.  And it’s expensive!  

It’s OK to be “POZ and healthy”.  It’s OK to be a slutty slut.  Have at it, but for Pete’s sake–use the condom. 

We had a solar pool heating system installed.  The pool people came and built this low profile rack on the ground next to the house.  They connected these long panels vertically side by side to it.  Each panel consisted of several long black tubes about the width of a soda straw.  The water just trickles through them and then makes its way back to the pool.  We now get instant heat.  From the sun!  For free!

I was amazed at how well it worked.  Of course monsoon is just around the corner.  The air is getting heavy and the clouds are puffing way up high in the sky.  When you’re in the pool, it’s hard to gage just how and when to dodge the random lighting storms going on around you.  Heated or not, there not much swimming in the rain.  It’s kinda scary. 

I do love monsoon.  The scent of wet desert with crackling thunder in the distance.  Everything gets all green and the big sky becomes littered with billowing clouds.  When the sun goes down, you can see the moon, the milky way and every shooting star in the sky.  It’s very humbling. 

The summer solstice has come and gone.  This is the zenith of my favorite time of year.  It’s hot–totally hot and…I have to go sweep the pool so Ray can dismantle the filter and clean it.  Yes folks, we’re the pool boys.