Halloween-ie!

Oh Halloween! How much do I love thee? So many fun memories from so many fun, amazing nights!

2007 - Indiana Jones
This was our first year at Chris' annual Halloween party. We had so much fun! It's so hard to believe, but I barely knew this amazing group of people!

Looking for adventure!

Me and my new friend (and her girls).

Our group of ruffians (Vicky Pollard, Pirate Wench, Army Guy, and Indiana).

2008 - Mormons

Kind of a lame-o costume year, but we managed. Thus began a theme of going in a group for costumes, even if this group was 2. 

Can we tell you about this new religion type thing?

She was the 'it' girl at the party in 2008...

Take me home!

2009 - Stray Cats (or The Cats Who Couldn't Make it on Cats)
This was by far one of the best Halloweens EVER! The makeup was a blast to wear, I got to channel my best Tom Brady, and I got into a fight with a tree (it won). 

Tom Cat, Hello Kitty, Liza Meowie, Snagglepuss.

Kisses, or purrs?

Getting closer to that fight with the tree.

2010 - French Courtiers
First rented costume...we were either obnoxious or amazing (depending on what mood you were in). Note how Phil is our older brother...

Oh mon dieux!

Au chante

Bisous!

2011 - STAY TUNED! It's going to be amazing!

Back to school!

If you're too school for cool... Kyle's least favourite line from Pink's awful song, "raise your glass" or whatever it's called always makes me shudder. Then, I think about school.

I've been thinking a lot about back to school this past week.

I used to loathe/love the last day of summer. No more suntanning, cards, tubing, wakeboarding, mischief. Time to wear the new clothes and crack open the new note books and pens. It was over and beginning all at once.

Side note: does anyone else remember wearing the new jeans and shirt to school only to realize that it was still 30 degrees out and sweat stinks...a lot?

Tomorrow is the first day. The first day back. The first day of the last year of their education. The firsts could go on and on.

For me, it's just another day now...

But, all this baby talk and raising a family talk has got me excited again for the inevitable (I hope, we hope) first day of ... kindergarten, school, elementary school, middle school (I shudder at that thought), high school, and post-secondary school.

I can't wait to walk our son/daughter to school on their first day. I can only imagine how much fun it was for my parents to do that with me. I remember being excited, but I don't know if I actually was...maybe I want to remember being excited and I was in fact, terrified. Regardless, I still remember being walked to school...being shown the way.

I hope that, this time, I'll be excited for them, even though I'm sure I'll be terrified! I can't wait to show them the way, as best as I can.

I can't wait for their first day of school, whenever it is.

I'll be the proudest dad on the block. Well, we'll be the proudest dads on the block.

Happy Pride

This past weekend we celebrated Victoria Pride. It's always a lot of fun getting together with our friends and our community to celebrate what makes us special and (oh heck) FABULOUS!

We started the weekend with a selection of gin and tonics at a BBQ with great friends, followed by a drag show and dancing at Paparazzi; we finished up with the pride parade and festival.

One of my favourite parts of the parade isn't the floats or the ridiculous costumes, it's the walk from the parade to the festival. It feels more like a march, not in defiance, but in true celebration.

The last float is always from a nightclub and it's playing the stereotypical (and awesome!) music you'd expect to hear at this type of thing. Everyone is happy, waving to friends, and secretly pointing to others and saying, "I KNEW he was gay," or, "I didn't know they had a kid AND a dog!" There is something empowering about walking with this group of people.

In fact, I always choke up a bit around the halfway mark. It's humbling to me.

This is what I see when I look ahead, behind, and around me:

Thousands of Victorians of all shapes and sizes, ranging from happy young singles to happy (wiser?) married couples with their kids and dogs in tow. It doesn't matter if they're gay or straight, married or not; what matters is that they are there for a good time AND to celebrate that, yes, some of us are different.

It's always fun and it reminds me that it's not just okay to be gay, but it's actually a tonne of fun being out and PROUD. I'm lucky to live in a community that, for the most part, celebrates its diversity. I have a group of friends, family, and co-workers that not only accept, but embrace that I'm gay.

So, happy pride to all of you!

You look FABULOUS!

oprah@oprah.com

Today was the day to say goodbye. I won't write much here.

I was a fan, not an ultimate viewer. I made a conscious effort to watch most of Season 25. I grew to truly appreciate her as part of my week; my day. Prior to this year, I watched it off and on.

I have a lot of respect for her. Blending the woman with the brand, Oprah is second to none.

I'm sure she's not perfect. In fact, I know it.

But, she has given a lot of herself.

She has inspired me over this past year to become more comfortable with myself, my life, my position, and my beliefs.

She's part of the reason why I started this blog.

Today, I posted this quote on my Facebook page and on Twitter:

"I hold true to the belief that everyone has a story to tell, and from every individual's experience there is something we can all learn."

Farewell Oprah.

Google Goes Gaga

And...I love it.

I did drink the kool-aid. I use chrome (ie9 couldn't handle blogger) and I love it. I listen to Gaga and I love it.

Call her the new Madonna. The next Britney. I love her zany costumes. Her stage presence.

Her joie de vivre.

But, most of all, I love her music. It makes me happy. It makes me want to sing. To smile. To laugh. To perform Halloween numbers with my word: "chin(s)" written in big black lettering on my white t-shirt.

I realized the other day when I posted this video on Facebook that I don't deal well with angry or mean people. I know those of you reading who know who I am are thinking, "is he serious?!"

Yes.

Although I might be one of those angry, mean people from time to time, I realize that I need to at least TRY be more happy and less angry.

So, what's the connection to Facebook and thinking about mean people is that often - around my friends especially - I'm afraid to tell people I like something because I'm worried they will either tell me things like (and I paraphrase):

• Really? You like Oprah. You know she's in love with Gayle.
• Lady Gaga?! Seriously? I'm so over her. Lady Blah Blah should be her name.
• Glee? You still watch that stupid show?
• Coors Light? What are you? A girl?!

Yes. I love Oprah. I love Gaga. I LOVE Glee. And, sometimes an ice cold Coors Light hits the spot the way nothing else can.

These things, and many others, make me happy. Very happy. They help me FEEL. They help me deal with the bad stuff all around us.

So, you know what?

No more backing down when you're mean or angry towards me when I tell you I like something. It's time I tell you without being afraid about you might say.

Are you ready?

Paws up!

It Gets Better

It does get better.

This commercial aired during the May 3 episode of Glee on Fox.

Amazing. Or, if you're really hip and trendy, am-ah-zing!

What should I say? OR What do you want to be when you grow up?

What should I write?

That's a problem I've been having for about a week now. I spent all this time making my blog look like I wanted it to - I think I achieved that - but not much time narrowing down what I wanted to write about.

A co-worker told me to, "think about where you want to be in five years and make sure that what you write about now is something you want people to see then, not now."

That was a good point, but it also made me think. What do I want to be when I grow up? Or, better yet, what did I want to be when I grew up? Now that I'm 30, I kind of feel like I have grown up.

I'm happily married to the love of my life. We own a condo (i.e. mortgage), have fabulously great friends and family, and I work at what I feel is my 'dream job'.

I've spent such a long time trying to think about what I wanted to be when I grew up that I kind of grew up without noticing.

Now, that doesn't mean I'm 100% mature, close to death (I hope!), or have achieved everything I had planned. But, it does mean that for the first time in a long time, I'm happy. I'm happy and proud of who I am and who I have become.

As my dad said when I came out to him (he's a man of few, but very meaningful words), "are you happy? Because as long as you are happy, I'll be happy. That's all I will ever care about because I love you and I want you to be happy."

Guess what, dad!? I'm happy, and I like this feeling.