I really don’t know what to write about. Nothing much is happening at work. There are no new job prospects. I am going to Washington, D.C. next week, but only for a very short business trip. I’ll write more about that next week. It’s just kind of boring around here. It’s summer, and it’s not even that hot. I’m sure it will get hot, but the humidity has been fairly low, making it fairly pleasant. I have my annual evaluation at work today. It’s not going to mean anything because my job is coming to an end. So it’s pretty much just a procedure and that’s it. So, really there is not much to talk about. It’s just a lot of boring shit.

One of my pet peeves about Vermont is the beards. Nine out of ten men here have beards. I don’t mind a little scruff or a neatly trimmed short beard, but what I can’t stand is a shaggy unkept beard. My grandmama (God rest her soul) hated beards even more than I do. I can at least take a neatly trimmed beard; she couldn’t. She even said there was no way Jesus had a beard, because she just didn’t like beards. She was funny like that. While nine out of ten men in Vermont have beards, the majority of them have bushy unkept beards. Some even rivaling Duck Dynasty beards. To me, it’s just disgusting. I like a man that is clean cut. A little scruff is okay on occasion, but I’d prefer a man to be clean cut. I may have a little stubble if I’m not going anywhere and don’t shave for a few days, but mostly, I shave everyday. Bushy unkept beards are a sign of laziness when it comes to personal hygiene, and I like a clean man. So, there you have it. My rant of the day.

Now the guy in this picture, I could definitely take. He may not have the slim cut body that I normally feature on this blog, but he’s still cute. I love the nipple piercing, and he obviously likes cats. I even like his moderate hairiness. Yes, I could definitely go for him.

Let us never forget the sacrifices of the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Sometimes, we just need a pretty picture to get us through the day. I have a dental appointment this afternoon, and a doctor’s appointment tomorrow afternoon. I’m not looking forward to either one. So, I just need a pretty picture to get me through the day, and the picture above is just pretty to me. It remind me of a dear friend I lost, but instead of crying now when I think of him, I have fond memories. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

The other day, I overheard someone say that they “don’t believe in homosexuality.” What does that actually mean anyway? We aren’t something mythical. We aren’t ghosts. We are real, so there is no believe it or not. Homosexuality exists. I and many of you who read this blog attest to that fact. The thing is that what he really meant to say is that he doesn’t believe that homosexuality is a moral lifestyle. First of all, there is nothing moral or amoral about homosexuality, and second, it is not a lifestyle. It is a sexual orientation. This guy had it all wrong. He didn’t know what he was talking about. Even in liberal Vermont there are still people who feel this way, which is amazing to me. But it doesn’t matter what state or even country you live in there will always be those people who believe that homosexuality is wrong. One day, maybe that will change, but I’m afraid it’s a long way away.

I made dinner then read the rest of my assignments for class and afterwards fell promptly to sleep. I must have been more tired than I realized. I didn’t wake until after 10 pm. So I wrote this and went back to sleep.

Yesterday, I got in my car to go buy groceries, tried to start my car, and all I got was a clicking noise. I don’t know much about cars, so I called my dad. He said it was likely the battery. Luckily, my neighbor had jumper cables. This I know how to do. So I hooked the jumper cables up, she started her car, and then I tried to start mine. More clicking noises ensued. I also tried my little jump starter, but that didn’t work either. I finally broke down and called a coworker, who I know works on cars and asked for help. He agreed that it sounded like the battery, so he came over and we took the battery out. He took me to the only parts place open on a Sunday in this area, and I bought a new battery, the last and only one the parts place had that would fit my car. So we went back and put in the battery, I said a little prayer, and my car started up. Once it started I needed to drive it a little bit so, I went and did my grocery shopping.

By the way, I just paid off my car this month. Something was bound to happen.

P.S. Neither the neighbor or coworker comes close to resembling the guy above.

There are so many things to say, but I don’t know where to start. First, I want to thank everyone for their compassionate comments yesterday. It’s so hard losing a friend, and though he’d been very sick for years, there is no way to prepare yourself for the loss of a friend.

Second, if you’ve never experienced clinical depression, then you are very lucky. It’s more than just being sad. A constant sense of hopelessness and despair is a sign you may have major depression, also known as clinical depression. Some of the symptoms might include:

• Fatigue or loss of energy almost every day

• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt almost every day

• Impaired concentration, indecisiveness

• Insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) almost every day

• Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities nearly every day (called anhedonia, this symptom can be indicated by reports from significant others)

• Restlessness or feeling slowed down

• Recurring thoughts of death or suicide

• Significant weight loss or gain (a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month)

If you are feeling these symptoms, please talk to your healthcare provider and seek help. You can’t understand until you try therapy or medication how significantly different you can feel. It is possible to live a normal life again.

Third, and this is random, I chose the picture above for no other reason than because I find the guy sexy. I love his green eyes that go perfectly with his green shirt. I love the almost smile on his face. He’s just beautiful to me.

Finally, there are a myriad of other things I could talk about, but I’m gonna leave it at that.