It’s 5am on garbage day
I’ve been quite productive of late–sorting through all my belongings (along with leftovers from the old business). All this in preparation for a move this weekend.
This weekend. It all seems terribly whirlwind, but it’s actually been in the works a while.
I’m leaving Northside, and that is quite sad. My mom still has a place here though (and a spare bedroom) so I’ll still have a place to hang my hat in a neighborhood I love. We won’t be too terribly far apart in the scheme of things. I’ll be heading up to Centerville, Ohio – an outer burb of Dayton, forty some odd miles north.
Am I crazy? Perhaps. But I’ll be splitting bills with the fella whose company I relish. We’re wrestling with the terminology as “boyfriend” sounds lame.
Enough about that, for now.
I’m pruning 34 years of cruft I’ve been toting around. Memories pull me aside from the task at hand. Old notes, photographs, mix tapes, detritus from school projects, a card from my dad saying “Happy Birthday, Miss You, Love, Dad” and I’m trying to reconcile if I wasn’t there enough for him, or did he write this because I was simply away for college?
Ticket stubs from trips when I was first coming out. Remembering that sometimes the path was grueling.
A slip of lined notebook paper with a drawing for a homecoming float. Drawn by a fella in high school who won’t speak to me because I’m gay. How I’d like to send it back with a note and hopes that perhaps he’s done some changing too.
Alongside the stack of packed boxes is a pile of trashbags, each filled carefully so as not to break open from the weight of their contents. I will take them to the curb as the sun rises so the alleycats won’t have too mich time to get curious.
I survey progress, these boxes and trashbags – mentally playing Tetris with blocks of time and obligations over the next few days.
There is such momentum as this autumn approaches.
Good momentum.
I’m looking forward to things settling a bit, taking deep breaths, and carving out some quality time for gratitude.
13 responses to “O2”
Good luck with the move and the cohabitation. I still switch back and forth between girlfriend, partner and sweetie for my girl. Language for gay couples is tricky.
We’d tentatively settled on “my man” but that whole possessiveness of it doesn’t quite have the ring of “sweetie”
🙂 thanks for the notion!
For my situation, I prefer “special lady” or “special lady friend.” I think “special gentleman” works just as well. What about suitor? Bona fide.
Man, I watch too many Cohen Bros. movies.
Ahh, moving. Remember to breathe-a lot. Take breaks when needed to clear your head and know that things will settle down soon enough. We just moved a couple of weeks ago, but there’s a room that still looks like it needs a garage sale. Cheers~
‘My man!” hahaha – I love it.
I also love the phrase “mentally playing Tetris with blocks of time.” Is there anything you’re not good at?! 🙂
Happy moving!
*sniff* *sniff* 🙂
Yay! I’m glad to hear this and am very happy for you.
🙂
Congratulations on the move, I’m wishing you good luck but I’m sure that everything’s going to work out great. I hope that this brings you some more happiness as you really deserve it.
All the best.
You’re moving physically and emotionally. If that makes sense… Amazing! Absolutely Awesome!
I’m really going to miss you guys.
I love you.
How about “schmoopie” from the Seinfeld “Soup Nazi” episode? We actually call each other that after the joke stuck. Good luck!
It took us two years to find jobs in the same place. He calls me “Changito” which is something like “little monkey” and I call him “Mono” which is something like “big ape.”
We had built a little tract home in SW Lubbock. We had some choice in the details, but it is essentially the same as all the houses on our street. While it isn’t Northeastern NM, I appreciate the anonymity, and everything is new (and works). Rooms remained unorganized for months, as it was impossible to arrange the spaces until we lived in them for awhile. We blew a load of money on furntiture 4 months after we moved in.
I wish you and your friend/companion/partner the very best
Frank
Does manfriend sound too whorish?
I get introduced as partner, but some people think we have a business together.
I like lover (la-huv-air) because it makes our relationship sound tawdry and after eight years we are anything but.
I hope your move went well. And I hope you manage to find a little bliss with him
[insert name here].Awwww! Congratulations Chris! 🙂
I seem to enjoy the tacky phrases like “husbear” and “significant otter.” Perhaps because they make John Waters giggle, perhaps because they seem to fit.
I’ve recently taken to referring to all married couples as “sex partners” after an Agape Press article that kept referring to gay relationships as “sex partners.” I realize it’s passive agressive, but it’s worth the shock value alone.