Journal Entries for Friends of Cassandra Kim

When I was five years old, I over heard my older foster sisters (10 and 12) talking about going to a "Teddy Bear Picnic". I was so excited. I imagined that the Teddy Bears came to life and played with you. I begged them to let me come along but they wouldn't let me.

Finally, I resorted to the tried and true method of little brothers everywhere and implored my foster mother. She told my sisters that they HAD to take me and they relented. Or so I thought...

With my radio flyer tied inexpertly to my tricycle (which was still wobbly from my failed re-enactment of the Monkee's opening credit trick where they rode mopeds down stairs) and my favorite Teddy Bear snuggled securely for the ride across town, we pedaled to the corner of Weir Street.

At the very moment that we reached the corner, my sisters, with some pre-arranged signal, sped away on their two wheeled bicycles.

I yelled and I cried, but the tears made it impossible for me to see where they went.

I rode my tricycle down the alley behind our house and crawled into the wagon with my Teddy Bear and cried and cried and cried.

From that point on, I hated them and I never forgave them for depriving me of my chance to go to the Teddy Bear Picnic.

Fast Forward 33 years, and my lovely girlfriend Lynne informs me that there is an opportunity for us to volunteer with Nationwide Children's Hospital at the Teddy Bear Safari at the Columbus Zoo. You'd better believe that I jumped all over that.

This is probably my favorite volunteer gig to date. Seeing children of all ages with their teddy bears. Eyes full of wonder as they help their furry little friends get check ups and vaccinations.

Truth be told, I wasn't ready to quit when my shift was up. They had to tell me repeatedly that I could go, and finally, Lynne had to drag me away. I would have stayed all day if I could.

I didn't get to create many happy memories when I was a child, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let another child miss out on that opportunity.

To commemorate this awesome day, I bought a new teddy bear, and I even got her a friend. Without out further ado, let me introduce you to Flo (IceFlow) the polar bear cub, and her best friend Xavier the cephalopod.

I've been rather lax in posting and I'm a little behind so here are photos from our trip to Cedar Point last weekend.

[photos]

Nate, Lynne and I drove to Cincinnati for dinner with Deb and Tammie. Jasmine was going to come, but Rocky was sick. I understand completely.

We had a lovely meal at a Thai place. We were completely full and getting ready to drive home. We were in fact in the car, when Lynne suddenly shouts "KITTENS!"

Playing around the dumpster, were five of the most adorable kittens you will ever see. We went over to the dumpster while they scampered around. On the side of the restaraunt, someone had erected a little shelter and their were clean plates scattered around.

While we were investigating, the owner of the restaurant and his daughter came out. It seems the mother had abandoned the kittens (or perhaps she was hit by a car or something), and the kittens had been motherless for about five days.

The owner, and elderly Thai man had been trying to get them into shelters, but Cincinnati apparently has weird rules and they hadn't been able to find people to take them. (Go ahead and say it, an asian place where kittens weren't being used as food...) anyway...

We decided that we need to rescue them and at least bring them to a shelter in Columbus.

I currently have five kittens playing in my basement.

Here's the deal. We'd like them to find homes. The Shelter is OK, but ideally, if there is someone out there that would like a kitten, now's your chance. FREE to a good home.

I've posted a photo gallery to weaken your will.

Seriously, just go an look. What could it hurt? ehh? ehh?

[cuteness]

We are taking them to the shelter tomorrow around four pm, so you don't have a lot of time to decide. Seriously, they can't be more than four or five weeks old, they've already had rough lives. Wouldn't you like to give them a happy home?

[clicky-click]

For some reason, gay people and their friends are often in the service industry. Bartenders, waiters, stylists, airline attendants. You don't take advantage of these relationships per se. It just makes your life easier.

One of my "Shopping Friends" Kelly, works at Phia in the Short North. Last week, I took k8e in for her first "Big Girl" salon visit and Kelly harped on me to come in. I cut my own hair, I do my own eyebrows, I really don't need to go to a salon...

or so I thought.

I went in this morning and got the "New Customer" Discount. $25 for a cut, eye brow wax, facial, hot towel and scalp massage.

WOW. I don't know why I haven't been doing this for years. Seriously. My best friend Michael always went to Salons and I chided him for wasting his money. I never understood. I would get a manicure while he slipped away into the bowels of the salon. He was always perkier and happier, but I thought it was just because he had spent a lot of money, not because he had been pampered. I get it now.

So here's the deal. Call Phia. Ask for an appointment with Kelly, and tell them that Daniel Frederick referred you. You'll get $10 off your first visit, and more importantly, "I'll" get $10 off "MY" next visit.

Seriously. I need to do this once a week. I feel like a million dollars. This needs to be part of my Friday ritual.

Please please please. Help me get a facial.

Oh, and for those of you who know me, I still giggle when I say the word "facial".

When I was about fifteen, I discovered the incredible joy of cross-country bicycling. For four years, I competed on an amateur level in Centuries and Double Centuries all over the mid west (a century is 100 miles). I was good, never great, but I did it because I loved the feeling of getting out on the road with the wind in my hair. It's one of the reasons I started shaving my body, and still do to this day.

In 1989, I entered the Marine Corps, and except for occasional stints with mountain biking, I never really got back in cycling.

Thirteen years ago, after seven different knee surgeries, the Navy finally decided they couldn't fix this broken Marine and gave me a medical discharge. Over the years, I've tried running, swimming, pilates, a dozen things. For some reason, I never got back into cycling.

This last week, I've been walking about three miles a day looking for our missing cat Trouble. I've spent each day sweating and generally feeling awful, but each day seemed a little easier.

Today at Target, something got into Lynne and I. I can't say what it was, but we suddenly found ourselves packing two brand spanking new Schwinn bicycles into our car.

After about an hour of tinkering and adjusting our bicycles, we heading out for the bike paths by the Olentangy River.

I don't remember feeling like this since 1989. Wind rushing past my face. Leg muscles pumping as I shitfted gears and climbed a hill. The smooth effortless thrill of pushing myself faster and faster.

I've found something that I lost. I can't believe that I didn't miss it. I'm not going to give this up again. I'm not going to ever give away something that makes me feel this good again.

I've been craving Chicago Deep Dish Pizza for a while. Lynne took me to Pizzeria Uno over by Tuttle, and it was good, but not great. Then Sarah told me about Fabian's on High Street. I've driven by this place a dozen times and hadn't thought twice about it.
Some people have a preference for the style of Pizza. New York Style, Chicago Style, Midwest Style (which is apparently small, tasteless and cut into fucking squares).
I tend to like it all. Good New York slices of pie can't be beat, but sometimes, you just want a nice stuffed deep dish Chicago Pie, and Fabians has it. Seriously. I haven't had a deep dish pizza this good since I was last in Chicago.
And apparently no one knows about them. The place was mostly dead. Some regulars at the bar and maybe two other couples eating pie. I actually had a chance to talk to the Chef. I complimented him on his pie and told him I would tell everyone I know, which is why you are here now
If you love Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza and need a good local place, go to Fabians. If you've never had it but are curious, get your butt there.
Seriously. It's a bit more than regular pizza, but you can generally only eat two pieces and that means left overs. I'm eating a slice right now. MMMM. It's just as good as it was last night.
So get your fucking asses there, try it out. If you like it, make sure you tell EVERYONE you know. I can't always drive to Chicago for good pie, and now I don't have to!

My 20 year High School Reunion is coming up (yes, I graduated when I was 8. Shut up). Anyway, I was wandering around the reunion website and I stumbled upon my 5th grade self.

Seriously. I don't even remember this one. 5th fucking grade. Sheesh.

My best friend from Elementary School Julie Blosser, and my best friend from Junior High School, Beverly Farmer, have convinced me that I should go to our reunion.

Get this. It's a kegger in a field. Seriously. It's August 2d, so I still have time to back out.
I still have this nagging feeling that next year, there may be a memorial float for me in pride.

"Beaten to death by red necks"

Making some major changes to the site. Why does IE 6 have to suck so much?

The nimrods from "Expelled " have a MySpace page. They were actually dumb enough to put up a poll "Should the theory of Intelligent Design be taught in schools?"

Please go vote and let them know that you think.

http://www.myspace.com/expelledthemovement