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X-posted from dragonabsolut's original post X-posting on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Friendfeed to make sure it reaches all the people who have been requesting information On Monday, January 25th, we lost our dear friend, Christopher Carpenter. With an extroverted carefree way of life, Chris brought together people from all walks. His friends will never forget his zest for life, and his joy in splendor and spectacle. In honor of our friend's passing, we invite any and all to share with us an evening of remembrance, respect, and most of all, celebration of his life. We will gather at Cal Anderson Park on Saturday at 6pm, February 6th, 2010, dressed in our finest and most outlandish attire. Our gothiest gothic, our raviest rave and our dragiest drag. Chris loved larger than life style and fashion, and we know he would expect nothing less than a fabulous affair in his name. We shall pay our respects, share our stories, some tears, and perhaps even some laughter. At around 7pm, we will begin a pub crawl at CC Attles, on 15th and Madison, for those interested in sharing a drink, and maybe some more laughter. We shall make our way down the Pike/Pine corridor, and end our walking wake at Rebar. Please join us in this celebration of our memories and love for our departed friend. All are welcome. Also, in lieu of flowers or memorial gifts, we'd like people to consider donating to the Capitol Hill Alano Club, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable meeting place for members of the LGBT community in recovery. They can be found on the web at capitolhillalanoclub.org. Tags: chris, memorial, memories, wake
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Chris' mom emailed me his obituary this morning.
"Christopher M. Carpenter, 27, formerly of Geneva, IL died suddenly Monday, Jan. 25, 2010 in Seattle, WA.
He was a graduate of Geneva High School and employed by Tully’s of Seattle, WA. Christopher loved books, music, art, his family and friends. He will be missed by all.
He is survived and cherished by James & Diane (Van Daalwyk) Carpenter, Geneva IL maternal grandmother, Eunice (Robert) Van Daalwyk, Kimberly, WI; paternal grandmother, Agnes (Lawrence) Dorn Carpenter, Columbus, OH, sisters Kimberly (Nicholas) Petit, Elburn; Colleen (Dan) Markwood, nephew, Sam Markwood, niece, Maggie Markwood, Fishers, IN
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Lawrence & Margaret Carpenter, Columbus, OH and maternal grandfather, Robert Van Daalwyk, Kimberly, WI.
In lieu of flowers, memorials to Lazarus House, 214 Walnut St., St. Charles, IL 60174. Church service on Sat., Feb. 6, 1:00 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 320 Franklin St., Geneva, IL."
Seattle services will be announced tomorrow when we finalize everything, but right now I suggest keeping Saturday evening from 6pm until late available.
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Old Apartment: Moving in December was a bad idea, but that was when the lease was up so that was when it happened. I have yet to complete moving, but 90% of my stuff is now at the new place. I think I'm going to head to the old place tomorrow (hopefully) and at least organize the rest of my stuff, clean he apartment, and have it all ready to be moved. It appears I'll probably need to rent a van for a couple hours which is annoying but I've got to do what I've got to do. I'd love to be completely moved prior to the New Year but I work every day until then and my energy has been really low from work stress and holiday stuff. We'll see.
New Apartment: The new place is coming together. I haven't put my bed together yet or build my shelves, but I have unpacked about 6 boxes and partially unpacked more. Right now I'm in the process of washing all the dishes since they were packed in newspaper and stuff. Plus they haven't touched an actual dishwasher in over 3 years so a good washing is needed. I will be going through all my kitchen stuff and eliminating any duplicates I have and trimming stuff down. I'll likely be trimming a lot of stuff out in general and minimalizing my space. I was once a hoarder but the need to have 'stuff' has diminished and my desire to have a cleaner simpler home has increased. This goes along with my earlier post about donating a bunch of action figures/toys. anything that has been in a box for 3 years will likely be donated or dumped. I love the apartment community I'm in. Everyone is really friendly and says hello when they pass you in the halls. Walking to work is an awesome way to wake up and actually be somewhat alert when I get to work, plus the added exercise is good for me. It's more than I wanted to spend on a place, but it was exactly what I was looking for.
Work: I'm still pretty stressed at work. I feel I'm pushing forward on a project while getting lots of push back for no logical reason other than other departments don't pay attention to me. I wouldn't care so much but the boss man wants stuff done that requires other people to do stuff. The main driving force of the project has time lines that are pushing my time lines out further. I guess this is why I never wanted to be a project manager or be involved with projects like this. I play well with others but I get really annoyed when others don't play well with me. Other than the project, my normal work stuff is going pretty awesomely. I'm learning more stuff and I'm great at what I do.
Finance: Money is tight. I paid the for Nov/Dec rents by myself at the old place, rent and move-in costs at the new place, as well as still trying to have a decent xmas. I was forced to pull some money out of my 401k to make it through and at this point I'm basically broke again. I have last month and deposit that I should be getting from the old apartment which will make things all better, but it is unclear when that money will reach me since I'm doing this weird hand-off to friends instead of the normal move-out process. My tax return will be pretty significant as well and I plan on moving some debt around to lower interest cards and lowering my monthly bills significantly. I've cut cable and Internet partially for this reason as well (and because there is a few open wifi connections I can use at the apartment, and the shows I mostly want to watch are available on the network/cable websites). It doesn't help that I'm paying more for rent and no longer splitting bills. Financially this move was needed since I couldn't afford the old place myself and it was unclear when Joe would be working again, but where I moved could have been much cheaper to try and save money. If I was smart, I would claim bankruptcy right now and wipe out my debt.
Life: I really don't have much of one right now. All my free time is being utilized on the move or subsequent tasks associated with the move. I'll probably be doing something for New Years, though I don't know what. And I have a birthday or two to celebrate coming up. I did do some friends and family things for xmas which was good. There is a strong likelihood that I will hermit myself for awhile and enjoy being my myself. My life could use a break from the constant parties and club nights.
Health: What health? Seriously. After the move both my hands (though the right is more so) started getting tingly feelings and numbness to the point where it is sometimes kind of painful. At night occasionally it will wake me up in pain which doesn't help my already poor sleeping conditions with apnea and insomnia. I'm under the assumption that working in the computer industry and being an at-home geek plus the added stresses of moving heavy and often awkward boxes and items has exasperated to the point I will need to see a doctor. Though, this happened 3 years ago when I moved out of the apartment with Tommy and Joe and it went away on its own - it just wasn't this intense. I don't know if it is carpal tunnel syndrome or if it is muscle stress or pinched nerves.. hot water and massage has helped though. On the flip side of health, I have started walking to work as previously mentioned. I have also not had a cigarette since I moved or had any drinks (other than at my parents for xmas). I'm not trying to cut back really, it just happened that way since I'm being less social. I think January will be detox month with some specific exempt dates. Detox month is long overdue. The weight thing is what it is. I'm probably heavier than I ever have been which I can't begin to describe how depressing that is. One reason I moved to the place I did was so that I can add walking to work back in to my life, but I also have a gym in this complex which makes it easier for me to go to. When things calm down a bit I am going to start a routine.
I think that does it for now. Time to listen to some Brian Eno style drone music on Pandora, read a book, and fall asleep. I have work again at 6am :(
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I always hear about the dates of Gay Bingo to late to go or at a bar where I don't remember to write it down. This year I am destined to go to a couple of them. Here is the list of dates and some info for those interested. http://llaa.org/gaybingo2010 Gay Bingo Season Dates and ThemesJanuary 16 - Boot Camp Gay Bingo: Gay Bingo Loves a Man in Uniform February 20- Racy and Lacy Gay Bingo: Discover Gay Bingo’s Secret... March 20 - When in Rome Gay Bingo: Et Tu Bingo? April 17 - Biker Babe Gay Bingo: Strap in for a Wild Ride! May 22 - Blue Hair Gay Bingo: Still Not Your Grandmother’s Bingo! June 19 - Beach Blanket Gay Bingo: It’s the Wettest Wildest Game in Town! DOORS OPEN AT 6:00 P.M. AND THE EVENT BEGINS PROMPTLY AT 7:00 P.M. Regular tickets are $25 per guest and can be reserved to accommodate almost any sized party. To make reservations to attend Gay Bingo, email gaybingo@llaa.org with the month(s) you would like to attend.
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I listened to the message while trying to read along and I understood what he was saying mostly, but Google Voice doesn't. His volume goes up and down a lot and has a slight mid-west accent which seems to throw off the system. Here is the translation from Google Voice. Basically it's Chris inviting me to Turkeyday dinner and telling me about some guest and what they are cooking and other events they are going to. I have plans for most of this weekend but i'll txt him later. I just thought this shit was really funny.
Hey Kyle, it's okay, I'll try and set of Texas 5 because I can't say anything and trying to get the first floor send out that I can talk so but setup. Yes.
Anyways, and you and I are making a Thanksgiving Dinner and give me a call when you get a timeline if you gonna be in town and you decide if you can do it right or we're gonna cook dinner and get ready so late.
We've got like cheaper like twigs and a result of some your random crap and a lot of dude so. Ralph there's anything if you with your car and it's kind of closed already things, but we're gonna be home book and then Eric and then he's all excited because originally two types of mashed potatoes and you certainly gravy. Yeah if you get in on the and see if you can guest.
It's going. Michael, who would like would really need. When I first moved here. Decatur Illinois is 19. Billy pop up with the girls and I was like, obviously, gag, so I thought it anyways. I'm trying to use it sent to you later because you talk to you and you weren't 26.
Anyway, so so that's a gravy to get a Kramer songs but certainly done in Irvine Solutions, mashed potatoes, specials and and well you can. Crap. If you think. So if you're hungry at all servicing your family.
I know you're gonna do the about my niece and I would love to see him probably going to hang on a contract cut him off the figured so, give me a call and I love you and bye.
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Dustin and Garet ( dust_monkee and uglyfuzzy ), who I go camping with every year to the Big Gay, Gay Camping Trip in Vantage, have been blogging on their site scenicboys.com (may not be safe for all work environments) for just over 3 years. It's photos and videos from their camping/hiking trips, often times meeting nature with nature for a few scantily clad photos hanging from trees, swimming in the rivers, or warming up near the fire. I love the site since it features lots of my friends having a great time. I'm sure quite a few people like it for the cute boys (me too!). Regardless of why you enjoy it, I have to say their most recent post makes me so proud of them. "We are pleased to present our first book, titled ScenicBoys The Photography of Garet and Dusty" ... "instead of selling them outright, we're offering our books in exchange for your donations. Send us an email, or stay tuned for more details about two non-profit organizations, and how you can support them (and us!) in exchange for a book of your own."Just more reasons to love those two. I'll let my blogspherian friends know more details when I have them. [EDIT] Details on how to get the book are now up at ScenicBoys.com! [/EDIT]Tags: scenicboys
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I'm about ready to move and decided that the majority (90%+) of my DVD collection doesn't need to go with me. Plus, I could use the money right now. So, if you live near by or we see each other relatively frequently (read: I'm not mailing any or going out of the way to get them somewhere) feel free to look over the list and let me know if you want any. On Wednesday this week I'll be taking them to work to be sold on our little mailing list.
http://0bpm.net/forsale/ |
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