(e:Anne) has observed our reactions to relationships. I would advise you not to necessarily take everything we say to heart, because almost all of the time we are just stroking our own egos. Personally, I like to vent, I sometime slip into drama queen mode, and my sense of humor is such that on occasion I make my point in the most cynical, shocking fashion possible.

Nobody here is an expert in relationships. Almost all of us to a person are utter failures at this. Nobody here is going to be mistaken for some enlightened soul either, and knowing that it is easier to just take everything with a boulder of salt, and learn what you can from their experiences. From me hopefully you can learn to not let one crisis ruin a few years of your life.

As far as the feeling of being in a great relationship is concerned: I have only felt this one time, out of many girlfriends, and my experience was that it was a lot better than any drug I have ever tried (which, I guess is only 2, not including the booze, but you get the point). It was euphoric, and seeing as I am biologically wired to have a difficult time feeling euphoric, the days when I was happy with her were honestly the happiest days of my life. I couldn't wait to see her, I couldn't wait to spend time with her. I cared about her at least as much as I cared about myself, and when you get to the point where your ego is muffled, you know that you really love them.

Some people go through life never having that experience, so even though it ended in tragic failure, I feel really lucky to have at least felt that once in my lifetime. My main problem now is my long list of negatives, and the fear of what would happen if some of them were exposed. Right or wrong, we are expected to be flawless, and that doesn't just stick for guys either. I think I can be the best boyfriend in the world but just not yet, and until someone either says, hey Jason, it's okay, I accept you anyway, or until I have had enough time to be alright with the rejection, I am probably going to remain single.

The thing about the dating game is that it can be so incredibly shallow and dehumanizing. You can read all about it on e-strip, with people on both the giving and receiving end on occasion. (e:Anne), there is plenty you would be happy to be missing out on. I hope if you can take anything from us, it is to have enough self respect and are objective enough to know what a good and a bad situation is, and act appropriately. You can avoid a lot of messes, and avoid unnecessary suffering that way.

I'm filibustering again.

Everyone by now who isn't hiding in a cave should know of the sub prime lending crisis, and the infusion of cash to keep the banks afloat. A credit crunch is brewing, and it affects all of us.

I saw this link on Drudge this morning. The article speculates that this credit crisis is spreading to the credit cards. Check it out:



I know that last year, when I pretty much was in veg mode, I screwed up big time in this regard, and I am taking my medicine. Because so many people are losing their mortgages, etc, and defaulting on cards, now I wonder if it will be more difficult to fix the situation if banks are making their requirements more strict, and lending less money to people overall. Oh yeah, this could just be a rumor, but I read a link yesterday that said Housing prices are going to fall for the first time ever. This is not good.

I suppose it is time to just accept that America in general lives beyond its means, and we are given every encouragement to live this way, starting from Day 1 of college. Got to have that new car, that 50 inch plasma, those expensive hobbies. Anyone ever notice when a store opens anymore it is almost invariably upscale? What about new housing downtown? All upscale. Does anyone save money anymore? Does anyone realize the SS bubble is going to pop in our lifetime? Everyone wants to live a champagne lifestyle on a faygo budget. Not good. As a result we are getting nickle and dimed to death, and neglecting our future.

Nowadays I live pretty much a meager existence. I'm pretty low maintenance. Old car, clothes from a few seasons ago, haven't traveled in a while, rarely if ever dine out. My entertainment needs (got to have good cable and internet) and my rent (Yeah, I live on the strip) are the most expensive parts of my lifestyle. I don't need the newest clothes or the hottest sunglasses or the VW Jetta. I grew up blue collar, okay, and so I would straight up feel like a girl if I had those needs. Go ahead and read MSN style tips - they pretty much tell you to be a chick.

Sigh. I'm filibustering again.

Well people, just thought I would follow up on our local boy Neil Haskell.

First, I have to clear this up, I have never watched and will never watch the show. Dance ain't my thing, but I root for the local peeps whenever possible. I saw on Yahoo today that another person won it. =(

I figure even though our local guy didn't win, he probably will be able to parlay this into something lucrative. Probably some more Broadway gigs. Who knows. Good for you, Neil!

Oh, how wonderful! Today we find out that our very own Ho sisters have a pseudo-relative running for a seat in our district against Michael LoCurto!

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm sure LoCurto is a nice guy. I saw this little man the other day at Willie's chatting outside with Kevin Gaughan, who is strangely intimidated by my aura. Either that, or he knows from experience what it's like to be a little tipsy. Anyway, LoCurto gets his money and direction from Unions and Sam Hoyt's people apparently, yeah yeah. Independent my ass.

It is not a matter of who can do the best job for the city, but rather who can do the best job in the battle of factions in the Buffalo Democratic party. Thanks to the impotent resistance from the GOP in our city, we enjoy the kind of corrupt one-party control that we in America have become accustomed to across the board lately!

Check out this link talking about "Jennifer" Maglietto, among other things.



Her name is actually Jessica, and I feel a smackdown of epic proportions coming down on Geoff Kelly from Bruce Jackson's Spelling Nazi stick. You don't even know who she is, but yet you feel like we should trust what you have to say about her. Jennifer, Jessica, Jane, whatever - all those blonde bimbos look the same! Am I right or am I right?

I'm going to have to side with Ms. Maglietto here, and not only because I find her to be exceedingly scrumptious. No no, I hear she works for the city, and I need dental benefits, plus perhaps a cushy no-show job in the future, so I'm going to have to do something QUICK. Seeing as my car is still in the shitter, and I am broke as a result, now is definitely the perfect time for me to make my move.

So, Jess, I can call you Jess right? You can call me Jay. Hell, you can call me anything as long as you do it with a smile. Listen, I think you should do a meet the candidate forum, specifically one on one with me. I want to hear what you think, what you believe in, what your vision for the city's future is, and then decide whether or not I will vote for you before asking you ou...I mean suggesting another candidate forum meeting. I am totally NOT a liability, I promise! I'll quit everything for good, as long as you give me some of that sweet, sweet rhetoric.

Oh, hehe, that whole "You're not a Democratic" thing. I know. I know. I don't know whether or not I can vote for you in the primary, or if it is against the rules, but you've got my vote if you make it through. We can be like Carville and Matalin, except we would not both look like men! Cool! Just think it over, and get back to me whenever you feel comfortable.

xoxoxoxoxo

Jason

For three years, I have been on this site, using rhetoric as a means to an end, sometimes to make a point forcefully, other times to give the soft touch to an issue that commands some delicacy.

By now, anyone who has been reading me, or anyone who has ever met me face to face, should know exactly what the shtick is. I am not so naive or presumptuous as to assume that any of you are like your blog, because we use it in different ways. For me, it's a way to blow off steam and have fun. 85% of it has always been tongue in cheek.

Now, just because some of you don't get the shtick, does not mean that I am open to you policing what I write. You know how I feel about that. I don't feel the pathological need to police what I feel are bullshit, nonsense opinions, otherwise I would quickly suffocate every single post I see that even has a whiff of politics involved. I leave you alone most of the time. I'm a live and let live kind of guy nowadays.

So, please, for God's sake, leave your embarrassing "Grow up" and your assumptions about what kind of women I attract, or comments about what I honestly think and feel locked up in the basement where it belongs. I don't particularly give a shit, respect, or lend any credibility at all to that, for good reason. Most of the time I'm just doing what I always do, use rhetoric as one of the many tools in the bag to get my point across.

I'm trying to be diplomatic here, and not resorting to dropping a 2 ton verbal sledgehammer, which I most certainly will do ad nauseum if this bullshit persists. I have opened myself up completely two times when it comes to women, once with a letter to my friend Janine, which I promptly deleted the day after when I was horrified that I wrote it publicly, and the second time being a recent letter I wrote targeting my ex Nicole, which was dripping with grief, when I addressed my disappearance from her life completely.

I know damn well how women behave during dating - I DATE WOMEN. I know that the generalizations do not apply, and I know that people who don't date women will never get the jokes I make about the dating game. I know that what I write is not technically correct. That's not the point, and it never has been. If I want to blow off steam, just like the rest of you do when you talk about what people are wearing, what they should be driving, what they should be cleaning with, who they should be voting for, why guys keep on disappearing from their lives, then I am going to do it.