Wednesday, 29 March 2006

[The Life of Shaun #40] Island hopping

I wish I would have written something before I left New York; all my happy, emotional, good thoughts about my visit there have been coated with a layer of Miami now.  My sisters took me to a cocktail party last night for the opening of their friend's newest real estate office and a guy with botox gave me his card.  Ew!
 
I had such a great time in Manhattan (and its environs, don't worry Schnookums & Petr!).  Seeing everyone again, being there, Black Party.  Nothing felt weird about being back.  Before I left London I was a little scared I might get back to New York and feel like 'Oh my god, why'd I ever leave?!', but that didn't happen.  In the same breath, though, I didn't feel like I'd never be back, either -- it's not like when I left SF and I was just done with it.  Just a nice, content feeling; I didn't feel homeless, I didn't feel invisible.
 
The saddest point I had was last Monday morning.  The day before I had champagne brunch with a few friends, followed by champagne social at my old apartment, closed with a champagne evening with Darrin.  Monday morning I became very keenly aware of all the lives & friendships I've actively disjointed myself from and it felt really lonely.  But as I went on with my day and the familiarity of New York came over me that feeling subsided and I was OK.
 
After we took off from LaGuardia I could see Manhattan off the right side of the plane (there is absolutely nothing like the Manhattan skyline) and I honestly thought I really truly love that little island.  Now I am down South on this plastic island for a few days, then back to my new home on a new island this Saturday; and I am good with that.  But I'll be back again soon.
 
Cheers,
Shaun

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Tuesday, 28 March 2006

[The Life of Shaun #39] Bienvenido a Miami!

Well, I made it to Miami/SoBe, you may all pity me now.  ;)
 
Anyway, off to cocktails - just wanted to let everyone know I arrived.
 
Cheers,

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Sunday, 19 March 2006

[The Life of Shaun #38] Beer, vodka and champagne, oh my!

First a notice -- I will be going to Phoenix this Wednesday for $2 pints, so all of you whom I won't see at other events I hope to see you then!!

The time-change thing is definitely affecting me. Friday "night" I got to bed about 7:00 and woke up at 11:00. Last night I was in bed just before 5:00 and could not sleep in past 8:30 to save my life. This is very odd because if there's one thing I love it's vodka, but not too far down the list from that is sleep. It has, however, resulted in the not-unwelcome fact that, other than the trip from JFK to Terry's, I haven't really been sober in NYC.

Mommie Dearest came up yesterday from Philly to say hello and make Mommie Dearest iced teas (similar to Long Island iced teas, but so, so good); what was that I said about not being sober again?

And on that note, just a couple hours away from going to one of my favorite spots on earth: $11-all-you-can-drink brunch at Intermezzo. Then tonight I have a champagne date with the beautiful Darrin; I can safely say I am enjoying mt trip.

Got Hot Spot pizza... it's hard to ask more from life than a good slice of New York pizza.

"Having a wonderful time! Wish you were here!",
Shaun



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Saturday, 18 March 2006

[The Life of Shaun #37] New York City

Hey all,

Just letting you know I arrived safely in New York City... got here a few hours ago! I got to Heathrow early and got an earlier flight and got in three hours early.

Always lovely to come to NYC & descend into Sutphin Blvd subway stop! And NYC was sure to give me a little taste of what I remember... an E train came right away, but it just honked its horn and drove right on through the station. :)

But fab to be here.

Xo,
Shaun

--
Shaun Coley
scoley@gmail.com
http://www.friendster.com/profiles/shaunism
London, UK

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Friday, 17 March 2006

[The Life of Shaun #36] Contact info, "The Falling Man" and New York

OK, first business; my contact numbers for my visit:

in New York --> 917-###-####

in Miami --> 786-###-####

Well, that's it for business.

Tonight on More Four (the famous Penis Week channel from many eMails ago) had a rather striking show on called "The Falling Man". And it was literally about the falling man - you all know who I am talking about, from September 11th. It was a tactful look into the jumpers of 9/11 and why they were pretty much air-brushed out of the picture of that day. In its trauma America wanted to remember the firefighters and other rescue workers, to rally around the good; but in doing so we somehow ignore and don't honor what happened there. I won't go on, but it was certainly an emotional pull back towards the city I am leaving for tomorrow.

And that's that. I am packed, save for my toiletries; I have my passport, Citibank card and credit cards; reservations and plans are made; Hot Spot Pizza and Taco Bell await me.

It's a very unfamiliar feeling I have sitting here thinking about going there. New York is the first place that ever felt like home to me. I loved living in San Francisco and, to the astonishment of most, Fairbanks. But New York is where I learned what it feels like to get to go back home after being away. So what do I feel now, going there, going "home", when it's not home anymore? I just don't know because I've never done this before.

All that said, I couldn't be more excited, I am so ready for this trip. I can't believe I get to say "See you soon!" to so many of you, but I do! So I'll say it one more time:

See you soon!

Shaun
--
Shaun Coley
scoley@gmail.com
http://www.friendster.com/profiles/shaunism
London, UK
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Wednesday, 22 February 2006

[The Life of Shaun #35] Re: Reality TV

OK, it got worse. Showed the patients having diarrhea, showed the nurses cleaning it up, and then gave a model demonstration showing how the withdrawal effects the intestines and produces said diarrhea.

It's definitely time to turn it off and go to bed.

Night!

Shaun

[The Life of Shaun #34] Reality TV

So I've always thought American TV was sinking low with some of their reality TV.  Remember "Married by America"?

Well, our Anglo TV has outdone American.  The newest reality hit: "Going Cold Turkey".  It's the live-on-TV display of three people quitting their heroine addiction cold turkey.  They're pretty much locked in rooms with nurses & cameras.  It comes complete with interviews with family members watching on screens in the studio as well as full scenes of emotional breakdowns, shivers and vomiting.  And this is episode two.

Wow.  Penis week back a few weeks ago seems so tame now.

Shaun

--
Shaun Coley
scoley@gmail.com
http://www.friendster.com/profiles/shaunism
London, UK
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Tuesday, 14 February 2006

[The Life of Shaun #33] Like sands through the hourglass...

No, I am not going to wish you all a happy VD day... just a musing. I just had a lovely dinner with my flatmate and her boyfriend, wine, prosecco, wine, wine, you know, a normal Tuesday night... ;) But as I was doing dishes I realized where I was ten years ago.

With a comfortable margin, I had left Vegas.
I was very recently finally able to throw away my fake ID (I was Mike Odynski from St. George, Utah).
I was in San Francisco - at 54 Saturn Street!
I had never been to New York.
I had a car and liked having one.
I was about to get my first real boyfriend.
I was at my third college; and still had four more ahead of me before I got a diploma.
I lived on $800/month.
And, of course, I didn't realize how good I had it.

To many of you it might be a little silly and trite, but I can't believe it's been ten years since then... come next year it's ten years since I *LEFT* SF. This is crazy to me because, in most respects, my life didn't start until I got to SF, so now it's this mile stone that gets more & more distant. And now I sit here in my flat in London remembering then and it seems so, so long ago.

But on the other side - almost everyone I had around me that was important when I left SF is still important to me now, with many more amazing people met since. So I guess in some ways it really wasn't all that long ago.

But man, ten years. Shit.

OK, *FINE*, happy VD day.

Xo,
Shaun
--
Shaun Coley
scoley@gmail.com
http://www.friendster.com/profiles/shaunism
London, UK

Friday, 10 February 2006

Another all-about

Ah, the question thing we all know so well! But I like this one more than most, so I decided to do it. I won't ask you to send back unless you want to. Feel free to add a question or two. I did. :)

Cheers,
Shaun

[Marital Status]
It's complicated...
[Shoe size] 11.5
[Parents still together] As in "roommates", yes
[Siblings] Two; identical twin sisters
[Pets] A cat, Cooper, but he lives at a boarding house in New Jersey :(

FAVORITES

[Color] Yellow
[Number] 14
[Animal] Seann William Scott
[Boy] today, Max Foster; he was sooooo cute this morning! He really makes getting up bearable.
[Girl] Kiki
[Drinks] Thank god this is a plural question... just keep water out of it and we're good
[Soda] I haven't had a Coke in days and I never have any in the fridge here. You may all pick your mouths off the floor now.
[Book] "Mother Tongue" by Bill Bryson (I've never been excited to get home just so I can continue reading before.)
[Flower] Does a sphincter count as a flower? (In checking the spelling for that I came across this --> http://www.neodymsystems.com/ring/r_img/remake/os_dnw/os_dnw_sphincter1.jpg . God I love the internet.)

DO YOU
[Color your hair?]
Nope
[Twirl your hair?] My pubes, yes, that's how I know when it's time to trim again
[Have tattoos?] Just got #2!
[Have Piercings?] None currently in use
[Cheat on tests/homework?] No, I just used unapproved study aids
[Drink/Smoke/Snort/Shoot-up?] Yes, no, yes, no
[Like roller coasters?] Absolutely
[Wish you could live somewhere else?] Absolutely not
[Want more piercings?] Not on ME, but on someone else.... ;)
[Like cleaning?] Only foreskin
[Write in cursive or print?] Print
[Own a web cam?] Not anymore, my computer's in a shared space
[Know how to drive?] Yes
[Own a cell phone?] No. I own a MOBILE phone
[Ever get off the damn computer?] Yes, as soon as the boy I was chatting with shows up

HAVE U EVER

[Been in a fist fight?] Nope
[Considered a life of crime?] If by life of crime you mean illicit drug use, then yes
[Considered being a hooker?] Yeah, but then I realized I wouldn't get to pick my clients and what fun is that?
[Lied to someone?] Hey, everyone adds an inch in their profile, so I plead the 5th.
[Been in love?] Yeah, but don't worry, I got over it
[Made out with JUST a friend?] Made out? No. Blown? Yes.
[Been in lust?] 400 times a day.
[Used someone] 395 times a day.
[Been used?] 390 times a day.
[Been cheated on?] God, I hope so.
[Kicked someone in the nuts?] Yes, but he actually LIKED it!
[Stolen anything?] Yeah, many times, and the one time I got caught was the most embarrassing, shameful event with my parents ever. NEVER happened again.
[Held a gun] Only bee-bee guns and, well, "guns"

CURRENTS

[Current clothing] For me that means pretty much what I had in 2004.
[Current mood] Coming down from drinking at lunch
[Current taste] I still like the London boys. Good thing!
[What you currently smell like] Cheap red wine & chocolate
[Current hair] Short
[Current thing I ought to be doing] Ought? My boss would say working. I say sleeping.
[Current cd in stereo] Stereo? Someone old made up this list. though I did add two Celine Dion songs to my iPod this week (shut up, we all have our shames!)
[Last book you read] All the way through.... I think "A Short History of Nearly Everything". Partially, "Eats, Shoots and Leaves".
[Last movie you saw at the theater] Brokeback Mountain and I loved it. I love it more as time passes & it sits in my head, too.
[Last thing you ate] Mac & cheese (with ketchup, of course!)
[Last person you talked to on the phone] A work guy from Philly
[Do drugs?] Not right now, but OH DO I WISH! Give me till next weekend.
[Believe there is life on other planets?] In theory, yes
[Remember your first love?] Yes, I'm still alive after all
[Still love him/her?] Yes!
[Read the newspaper?] Two a day, Mon-Fri
[Have any gay or lesbian friends?] Gay friends, yes! Lesbians don't have friends.
[Believe in miracles?] Only bad ones (what % did Bush get in 2004 again?)
[Do well in school?] #7 out of 550 in HS, honors in college
[Wear hats] Nope
[Hate yourself?] Not a bit
[Have an obsession?] Travel, friends, drinks & boys. yup, that sums me up quite nicely.
[Collect anything?] See above.
[Have a best friend?] Yes, more than one; I'm a fu(king lucky guy
[Close friends?] See above.
[Like your handwriting?] No
[Care about looks] Yes, of course I do.
[What do you do when you are bored?] Masturbate & web surf

LOVE LIFE
[First crush]
The co-host of "New Animal Kingdom" on the Disney Channel. He had such hairy arms! I still get butterflies & tingles in my joints when I think about how I felt looking at him. How intense chemical reactions are at that age.
[First kiss] Yes, I remember the sensation, but not the person. (Talking about with a boy here, so first meaningful kiss.)
[Do you believe in love at first sight?] No
[Do you believe in "the one?"] Only in 5-minute time frames
[Are you a tease?] Absolutely
[Too shy to make the first move?] Depends on how much I really like him and how much I've had to drink.

ARE U A

[Daydreamer] Definitely
[Bitch/Asshole] No, not genuinely
[Sarcastic] Without end
[Angel] I'd say so
[Devil] Yeah, let's say yes to this one, too
[Shy] Totally depends on the situation
[Talkative] Yeah, most of the time
[Sexy] Yes, I think so. I certainly do myself well in the mirror. ;)

--
Shaun Coley
scoley@gmail.com
http://www.friendster.com/profiles/shaunism
London, UK

[The Life of Shaun #32] NYC/Miami in March

Hey all,

I've changed my plans for NYC & Miami a little... I was having too hard a time thinking when I'd see everyone since the weekend of March 25 is pretty much a wash for planning anything, so I've added a few days to the front of the trip. I will now be in NYC from 17 March until 28 Mar (Friday to the second Tuesday) and Miami from 28 March to 01 April (Tuesday to Saturday). So it eases things a little. And now I will definitely be there over a $2/pint night at Phoenix - fab!

Terry, please kindly let Blake know he is welcome to sleep on your sofa these dates. ;)
Looking very forward to seeing everyone!