Return From Blog Break

Two weeks ago I thought I was about to die, because Ryan and I came down with Strep Throat the day before our vacation;  It was not pretty, but we managed to pull through.  Luckily, we were still able to make our trip to Corpus Christi to visit my parents.  And what a breath of fresh air that was.  We went to Port A, did a few shopping, and ate and ate, and ate. LOL.  My mom's carne guisada and fresh tortillas were to die for.

When we got back to Houston, Ryan and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary by having dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant in The Woodlands, Pallottas Italian Grill, watching a movie, and shopping.

Of course, as with any break, world events continue and trying not to write about them, or share my opinions was difficult, but I managed to stay off my blog during this time off.   

To close, I'd like to pray for those in Oklahoma who endured those awful tornadoes.  I cannot begin to imagine what this is like and I pray they will find solace in knowing many people love them.

My New Shirts Came In!

As you know I'm a big supporter of our environment.  But I'm also a big supporter of anything made in the U.S.A.  

In my humble opinion, helping our country succeed should be on everyone's list.  

Check out my new "Made in the U.S.A." shirts! I got one of each color!!!!

Wow, It's so nice to be able to wear small and extra small again! :-)

BLOG 3,000 and Counting.....

Wow, I can't believe I've hit another milestone.  This is my 3000th blog post.  And I want to use it by reflecting on my 1000th post, titled "BLOG 1,000 and Counting.....".  I originally posted this on my old MySpace blog account, and in it I shared some predictions to my readers.  Was I right about any of them????

I wrote the post on December 15, 2007, a year before the 2008 Election.  I was an ardent Hillary Clinton supporter during the primaries, and ended up voting for Barack Obama in November.  I gave an account as to how many justices would be retiring, how it would be harder for us gays if Huckabee or Romney were elected and the importance of the 2008 election.

So without further ado, here is that post...

1,000 BLOGS

and Counting.....

As I embark on another journey to blogland, I hope to accomplish so much more in the coming New Year.  And as we reflect on the past and focus on the journey we have taken together this past year; there's one, very important topic, that will mark my 1,000th celebration.

Throughout the year I have blogged about gay marriage, the environment, health issues, love, politics, religion, how to seduce straight boys , comedy, sports, romance, hot guys and even more hot guys.  The list can go on forever because I pretty much covered everything.  And throughout this journey on MySpace I have met so many unique people who made a difference in my life and have built new friendships along the way.

Gay or Straight - we are all one and the same - people with hearts, a soul and a mind.

After going through all your messages and suggestions - 17 of you brought up the subject of our nation and it's current situation and what I thought of it.  Some of you mentioned Obama, Ron Paul, Rudy Guiliani, Mike Huckabee and Hillary Clinton.  But the most important thing that caught my attention was, "Hey Peter, where do you think you'll be in the next 8 years as a gay man?"  And to tell you the truth, it really scares me.

I'm scared to face reality as we see it today. 

The fact that our world is deteriorating is unimaginable.  But its the fact of knowing that our kids will have to endure the pain and suffering that comes with a dying world that scares me.

The fact that we will see three supreme court justices retiring within the next 8 years is incomprehensible.  I can't imagine a world where every ammendment can be overturned to suit a party.  Or a law made to suit their own needs or beliefs.

The fact that as Republicans and Democrats we cannot resolve the issues that face our nation is unbelievable.  When will there ever be common ground?

In honor of those who read my blogs everyday and to those who sent all your messages requesting I talk about this

Today's 1,000th Blog is about...

...the Upcoming Election

The world we live in today is not an easy one.  Many of you have have read my blogs or heard me talk politics before and I've stated my positions very clear in the past.  But if you're gay and still trying to find yourself, it is very important that you pay attention.  Nothing against my conservative friends, because I have many; but if you vote, please vote for a Democratic candidate.  It is so important that you do, because unfortunately, the way the system works today, for gay people this is the only route we can take.  There are only two Republicans that I can think of that I wouldn't feel uncomfortable with if they became President; and that is Rudy Guiliani and Ron Paul.  They have far more liberal views than the other Republican nominees.

If we elect Mike Huckabee or Mitt Romney as our next President, we are in for a world of hurt.  Not only will these two individuals make sure 3 neo-conservatives are elected to the high court, our nation will change dramatically over the next 4 years and beyond.  We are looking at a President far worse than Bush could ever be.
This election is important, if not, the most important election of our time.  Most of us will look back on this election and wonder if our decision was the right one.

Read about your candidates and this election every chance you get.  You may not find politics important, but it is what this nation and this world is based upon.  It is no longer just about religion, it is about our future.

You may find it boring or ridiculous, but what will you do if you get arrested and placed in prison for having sex with your partner?   If the Sodomy Laws were overturned, having sex in the privacy of your own home would be a crime, moreso for the gay man.  And if you're father is a farmer, which mine is.  And he only makes 80,000 a year, he is not allowed any subsidies.  Why?  Oh because they only go to the farmer that makes 600,000 a year.  What ever happened to helping the low-income farmer?

Don't even let me get started on Education.  No Child Left Behind should be scrapped!!!   And you may not realize it, but as I was watching Boston Legal the other day, I learned that we are 2nd to the last in education around the world, with Mexico being the last.

My sister (Democrat turned Republican), says that the only reason I would vote for Hillary or any of the Democratic candidates is because of the gay thing.  And you know what, I'm proud to say that it's all about the gay thing.  Because we would be demoralized in this country if we voted any other way.  I wish that Republicans didn't have such a harsh way of dealing with the gay issues, because I really do like some of them.  But it isn't all about the "gay thing".  It's about so much more.  It's about women's rights, healthcare, the war, our economy, education - the list goes on.

I can list all the issues that affect us and what this election represents, but if I did, this post would be never-ending.  It has been a pleasure blogging throughout this past year and I hope to continue doing it for some time.  Thank you for all your support, friendship and comments and hope that even though we may not agree on certain issues we still understand one thing.

We are all human.

[Why Vote?] [2008 Election - First Time Since 1952]

Vote

- it may be the single, most important thing you will ever do.

 

Thank you for reading my blogs and the many messages you have sent me.  I hope to still be doing this by the time I reach my 2,000th Blog.

-Peter

And that was how I concluded my 1000th blog post. It's crazy how much has changed in the last 5 years, and for the better. There's not enough space on this blog to write how much President Obama has helped Ryan and I over the last 5 years, but suffice it to say, it's overwhelming.  Maybe I'll save that for when he leaves office and Hillary becomes President. :-)

My Life-Changing Journey by Peter Flores

In July of last year I went to see my doctor, because I needed my prescription re-filled.  Two years ago I was diagnosed with Hypertension and had been on hypertensive medication for almost a year.  After having some blood work done he told me that my cholesterol levels were borderline and if I didn't do something about it - he would need to start me on another medication.  I was thinking to myself, "I'm one hot mess!"

I wasn't depressed or anything.  I had a very happy life - I still do.  I just loved food, I was content with who I was and I had everything I could ever want - a wonderful husband, family, pets, a new niece.  But I needed to do something about my health.  Unbeknownst to my doctor, I had also been checking my blood glucose levels - they were not good at all.  In fact, they were terrible.

I still remember the day as if it were yesterday. It was a bright and sunny, Monday morning, and all I could think about was the family I had lost due to heart attacks or strokes.  I sat and cried for 10-15 minutes, because I didn't want this to happen to me.  I didn't want to make my partner, Ryan hurt for the choices I made in life.  It was on this day that I embarked on My Life-Changing Journey.

Suffice it to say, with the help of my partner, Ryan, My Fitness Pal, and the good Lord above I achieved every goal I set out to accomplish.  And I achieved them weeks and months ahead of schedule.  By December I had lost 50 pounds, and I'm currently on my way to losing 15 more.  I'm at 63 pounds lost today, my glucose levels are normal, and in July I go see my doctor again.  Boy, is he in for a shock. LOL.

To say that I do not feel better about myself is an understatement.  I feel more energized and enjoy doing the things I did when I was younger, like running, biking, swimming and working out.  I started going to the gym in December so losing weight is not as easy, because I'm turning all that fat into muscle, but I see the results and love the way I look and feel.

Time flies by too quickly, we need to make our choices now, not later.  We can all say, "we only live once so make the most of it." But it doesn't do us any good if we're 6 foot under - earlier than we thought we would be.

My Gay Agenda

I thought this image was humorous, but I had to say something about it...

Yeah, so we've heard it all before.  We gays have an agenda.  All gays want to force homosexuality down people's throats, molest their children, keep people from saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays, and we all have AIDS.

Seriously?

Yes, we have an Agenda, and I can tell you right now, it doesn't interfere with your lives.  We don't want to know what you do in the privacy of your own home. We don't want to take away your marriage licenses, or sleep with you.  We don't have a desire to molest your children, actually the likelihood that it's one of your family members (who's straight) is a more plausible answer, considering statistics show that straight people molest children more often than gays.  Hell, look at all those teachers (straight women and men) sleeping with their students.

As for the AIDS issue, this shouldn't even be one.  AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease that can pass from male to male, female to male, male to female; Either way you look at it, it is not a "Gay" disease.  It's your disease too.

And finally, the Christmas thing is actually a religious nut idea, nothing really to do with gays - I just through it in there to be funny, because we're blamed for everything.  Republicans, like Sarah Palin think non-christians are out to take the Christ out of Christmas.  What does it matter? I say Merry Xmas (and yes I used an X), and say Happy Holidays too!

What a Hot Mess: Gaming at Wal-Mart

You see, this is what happens when you sit around all day doing nothing.  What a Hot Mess! 
 
Thank God I did nothing but play outside when I was a child.  But then again, we didn't have the luxury of online gaming and consoles to keep us inside. Or is this truly a luxury?

Look, maybe I shouldn't be so judgmental with this, because I've lost 61 pounds over the last 8 months.  But I did this in my later years and "I" chose to eat the things I did. When we were children, parents made those decisions.  They told us to go biking, or play at the park.  As a matter of fact, we did have a game console... It was ATARI, but this game in a box didnt' define who we were.  We wanted to play Superman and Wonder Woman, and run around all day long.  I know, it's the little things in life that made us happy. LOL.

Cocina De Don Pedro: El Cook Book

It's official.  I have finally started my Cocina De Don Pedro: El Cook Book blog.  It's a work in progress so you'll have to be patient with me. LOL.  I used the same template as my BLADE 7184 blog so that the transition from one blog to the other could be consistent.

I have transferred all the recipes I recently posted on BLADE 7184, along with an old recipe from 2011.  I am also working on a recipe index, where you'll be able to search by a few ingredients or recipe names.

El Cook Book's header consists of an Owl with a Chef's hat, donning an apron and holding a forked sausage.  It's quite humorous.  I have also added a quote very dear to my heart - a dedication to my mother.

I will be placing a "Cocina De Don Pedro: El Cook Book" logo on BLADE 7184, and it is currently accessible by clicking on the tab in this blog's header.

Thank you all for putting up with my ridiculous blogging on BLADE 7184, and hope you enjoy my Cook Book blog as well.  Please feel free to contact me at cocinadedonpedro@gmail with any questions or suggestions you may have.
                                        - Peter a.k.a. Don Pedro or Blade7184

Spring Blog Break

Hello my fellow blog readers, I've been going non-stop for almost a year now and haven't taken a break.  I'm exhausted, my brain's exhausted, hell everything's exhausted. 


I'm going to take some time off from Facebook and BLADE 7184.  I hope to return refreshed and re-energized to do what I love most - writing and posting these ridiculous blogs for you.  I probably annoy most of you, who knows?  Lol.

While I'm off, I'll be working on mine and Ryan's Koi Pond and doing some gardening, but most importantly I'll be spending more time with the person I love most.  Blogging takes a lot of our "togetherness" away, and I would like to spend more of that with him.

Please feel free to catch up on any of my past issues or topics by using the Google search bar right up there /\/\/\, clicking the logos on the right or left hand side, using the "Favorite Categories" links, or simply "Search Blade7184 by date."

Hope you have a wonderful Easter, and don't go fooling anyone, we know you love Obama.     

~ Peter aka Blade7184

Raining for Time

If there is any indication that rain and daylight saving time affects one schedule, today is the perfect example.  Geez, it's the afternoon in Texas, and I have yet to blog about one issue or topic of the day.  But it's a good thing;  Every now and then we need a little break - a little rest.  I will blog for the remainder of the week, but after Saturday, I will be taking a one or two week break, depending on how I feel.  

Ask any Blogger and they will tell you - it's time consuming, exhausting, and it takes most your day or evenings.  In my case, I have to blog the day or night before so that everything posts in a timely manner the next day.  There are times, like breaking news and such, where I'll immediately stop for the day to blog about the event, but that's far and in-between.  In either case. Hope you enjoy your Sunday.  And if you're in Houston, Texas - enjoy the rain... :-)

Our Forever Home Goal

If the slideshow below is any indication that we are so ready to move out and buy our forever home, this is it.  Over the weekend someone stole some stepping stones from our yard, and I swear, I was about to lose it.  I can't count the number of times our home has been vandalized over the past 6 years.  I always come close to buying a surveillance camera, but I keep telling myself 2 more years, 2 more years - LOL - the time we will be leaving our subdivision.

Ryan and I have spent the last several weeks looking at homes and figuring out what kind of house we want our forever home to look like, and I believe we found it.  This is the home we want to have built; if not, buy one that looks just like it.

Two and half years may seem like a long time, but it's a goal we will definitely succeed in.  For nearly 7 years, Ryan and I have been working on a set of goals, and we've managed to accomplish each and every one.  There have been setbacks (of course), but we've gotten up and followed through with each of them.

In August of this year we will be completing another goal, with our our next goal focused on that home you see above.  As for the remaining goals in our life, as in marriage and raising a child, those are next in line.  I just wanted to give you, my friends and family, an update on our future hopes and dreams.  Dreams we will accomplish, Lord willing.

Isn't This The Truth? How Many More Versions?

I don't blog about religion much, because a lot of folks want to get rude and nasty, instead of discussing the issue at hand.  But since I found this great picture I had to say something :-)

I wanted to be a preacher growing up, and well, we all know how that turned out.  But one of the many questions I was asked during High School was why there were so many different versions of the Bible.  In the English language alone there are over 60 or so.  It's a sad reality, but it's true.  Most Christians will tell you that instead of saying versions, you should say "translations".  But I'm going to argue that point, because you can't keep saying there are many translations when the Hebrew and Greek text that it was originally written in has been changed to reflect a different meaning.  That is not a translation, that is a version.  Translation is the taking of a word or sentence and converting it from one language to another, like from Spanish to English or from French to German.  We know there are many translations, because not everyone can read Hebrew or Greek.

For example, here are three different versions of 
1 Corinthians 5:9

I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators.

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people

I did write to you in the epistle, not to keep company with whoremongers

Really?  Whoremongers?  I'm sorry, but these do not constitute three different translations, these are three different versions of a verse translated into the English language.  So which version is the right one?  

Yeah... my thoughts exactly.  

And then you wonder why so many people are exhausted over religion.  Its up to you to decide, do some research, but most importantly have faith.  As to why there are so many different versions of the Bible?  I'll leave that up to God to decide which version we should've been using.  Look, I'm gay, I believe in God, and most importantly he made me in his image.  Take with it what you will, because I'll be judged according to Him, not by you.

It's Purely Animal - Issue No. 49 - Inside Every Good Dog Is A Great Dog [video]

Princess

This is my most treasured issue of "It's Purely Animal" yet.  

If you've never been a pet owner please don't ignore this post, hopefully it will make you understand why pet owners treasure their pets so much.

When I got my first precious and lovable chihuahua I never understood what love for a pet was until two years into my relationship with my previous partner.  My dog comforted me when things were going so very wrong in 2003, and then again in 2005 - I never thought I could recover.  Princess was there by my side and understood my pain when I didn't think dogs could even feel.

Dogs do feel - they understand you and they are there for you when you need them most.  It reminds me of a quote I read once, "Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them - filling an emptiness we don't even know we have."  And it's true.  When I felt so empty and had nothing else to live for, she made me smile, made my day every time I came home, and fulfilled my life in more ways than she could ever imagine.  After 9 years with me, she died in 2009 and to this day I still cry when I write or think about her.

Duchess

Ryan and I still have 4 chihuahuas in our household, Princess' niece, Duchess, her two great nieces Lady and Puffs, and her great nephew, Nacho.  While I thought nothing could ever replace the void left behind by Princess, Duchess has taken her spot in her own way.  Lady, Puffs and Nacho hang out with Ryan the most, and rightly so, those are his little "miracle" monsters. But that's a whole 'nother story.  

Last night, Ryan and I were watching Glee - it was a tearful episode.  And as usual, every time I start to sniffle or shed a tear, Duchess will instinctively come up and lick the tears off my face - she doesn't like to see me cry.  She will also defend me against Ryan when he pretends to lift a finger and scold me. It's the most amazing feeling ever, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

From left to right: Nacho, Puffs, and Lady

Watch this awesome, awesome commercial from Purina, because I truly believe it, "Inside every good dog is a great dog".

Obama Sign Thief

I'm not sure if I ever shared this story with my BLADE 7184 readers, but now is as good a time as any.  My friend Guillermo text me last night, and sent me this lovely picture. LOL.  

The Reason for my laughter is because in 2008, when Barack Obama was running for President, Ryan and I posted 2 Obama signs on our yard.  In the middle of the night someone stole them, destroyed them or whatever the hell they did with them.  Needless to say, I was pissed!  Yeah, yeah, they're just signs, but it was our yard and our property.

I went on Ebay and bought 100 or so in a package and for the next several weeks, every time a sign was stolen, I'd place a new one on the yard the next day.  It was getting so ridiculous that the moment we left for work, they disappeared.  

So one night I hid in my car with a video camera and watched as a car slowly drove by.   A passenger (who of course happened to be white - probably a teabagger) started to creep out of the car, when they spotted me.  They quickly made the corner and sped off.

Let's just say, our signs were never stolen again.  That was four years ago, now it's 2012 and the Tea Party has dwindled away.  Maybe there's hope yet. LOL.

"I Love You" Tattoo For Ryan and I

Ryan and I do not have any tattoos, but if we were ever to get one, this would have to be it.  We are coming up to our 7 year anniversary in May, and I think this would be a wonderful thing to do.  Provided I talk to him first, of course. LOL.  I love you my sweet Ry!

No Offense To Your Name, Susan G. Komen, But Your Sister F*cked It All Up!

Most of you may remember my status update from yesterday evening, and rightly so.  I'm pissed.  One, because I've worked in Breast Cancer Research for over 9 years and second, because I was right all along, and I never should have contributed to this fallacy.

Yesterday evening I stated this on my Facebook wall:

"I've always believed that the Susan G. Komen Foundation was nothing but a huge corporation out to get poor people's money and rich companies' contributions. At the same time, with a political agenda. Who knew I was right all along? So much for helping women with breast cancer. Screw you Susan G. Komen. Screw you! The sad part out of all this... you had to use the name of a woman with breast cancer as the name for your corporation." - Peter Flores aka Blade 7184

Well... last night someone hacked into Komen's website and did this:

"Help us run over poor women on our way to the bank"

And rightly so.  I've had an aunt die from breast cancer and have bought countless of "pink" items - do you really thing all that money goes to breast cancer research?  It does not!  But I bought them anyway in support of this foundation.  Not anymore!!!  

I will be looking closer at what I'm purchasing, and will even donate to Planned Parenthood to help women fight this disease.

Hurting women for political purposes is the worst thing you could have done Susan G. Komen, the worst thing.

Pray For Our President's Death

People often ask me why I'm not harsher towards Republicans in my blog.  And I tell them, because I want to believe that most Republicans are not this way.  At least the Republican people I know or friends I have, are not this way.  As a whole, I think the Republican party is heading in the wrong direction.  And a lot of it has to do with the hate and animosity towards our fellow Americans.  Most of the Repub friends I have, believe in the conservative principles of the party, yet have liberal views as well.

But I'll be honest, It's getting harder and harder to listen to the amount of anger and hate most Republicans have towards our President.  And quite frankly I wouldn't want to belong to a party that would deny another American the right to marry, or deny an American the right to pursue happiness.  I wouldn't want to belong to a party that constantly spews hateful rhetoric or tries to throw religion down our throats.  I wouldn't want to belong to a party that wants to strip my grandparents out of their health insurance that's been working so well for them.  And I wouldn't want to belong to party that boos a gay soldier who would've sacrificed his life for them.  The list goes on.

I wrote this blog today, because of something I read this morning.  It was an article on Kansas House Speaker Mike O'Neal.  Last Friday, he asked his fellow Republican House members via email to pray for our President's death.  That's right, not only is he using God to wish death upon a president, he's advising them to take a knee and recite Psalms 109.

"Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow."

Seriously? Why does it have to be this way?  And this is the same man who sent out a previous email saying "Michelle 'Yo Mama'".

I look at Senator John McCain's wife and daughter, Cindy and Meghan McCain, and wonder if Republicans will ever be like them.  Can they ever be like them?  And the answer, quite frankly, is NO.

The Pasta Fork

Now why didn't I think of this before?  Lord knows every time I think of an invention or patenting something, someone else takes my idea. Case and point, I love sour pickles, but I also love the juice.  So I came up with an idea to create "Pickle Sickles" by pouring juice into kool-aid type frozen containers (you know, like mom used to make when she would make us popsicles over the summer?). Then, whenever I'm in the mood for something sour, I pull out a Pickle Sickle and enjoy.

But you will never guess... Ryan and I went to Wal-Mart while we were visiting my family in Corpus Christi over the summer and I about died when I came across a package of "Bob's Pickle Pops".  Really?!?!  Pickle Pops!!!  They weren't even that great.  I bought two bags, because I needed proof that someone stole my idea.  I showed my friends and they all laughed, because I always ate my invention in front of them while we were watching our shows.

I currently have another invention in my head, but I'm not telling anyone until I'm done with it.  Lord knows, this too will be popping up somewhere.  But hey, until then buy a pasta fork. LOL.

Back To The Real World

photo courtesy of David Kozlowski

Ryan and I took a mini-winter break to the flatlands of South Texas near Corpus Christi, and visited my family over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.  It was a much needed break, and so well worth it.  We arrived at my Mom and Dad's around 4 in the afternoon on Saturday and stayed until Monday afternoon.  We didn't get home until 5:45 PM, yesterday.

On Saturday, my mother was making Tamales when we walked in.  For those who have made them before, you know it takes a long, long time to prepare and cook them.  She worked on these for two whole days, in between spending time with us children, and our niece.

After posting a picture on Facebook of my mom and a huge pile of tamales she had just finished cooking, everyone started commenting that they were coming over. So we did end up visiting with old friends and family from our younger years.  It was nice.

Other than the disappointing loss by the Texans on Sunday afternoon, everything else was great.  My sister dressed up our niece in a Texans Cheerleader outfit Ryan and I had bought her for the game, and she looked absolutely stunning. LOL.  She wore it for her uncles despite the backlash she would receive from her Dallas and Eagle fans.  My sister and brother-in-law Luther are Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles fans respectfully.

We didn't get to see Luther until late Sunday, as he was deep sea fishing with his Dad.  They caught 70 lbs of fish!

On Monday (yesterday), Mom also made a huge breakfast for us. She made fresh homemade tortillas, refried beans, papas fritas (fried potatoes), bacon, sausage, and Eggs.  Luther, Vicky and Lily also came over to have breakfast with us before we left.  Overall we had a great time and appreciated all that my mom did for us.  I will definitely have to do something for her, or send her something for all the hard work she went through.  Regardless if she says it makes her happy doing it for her babies.

I'm glad to be back and will blog as time permits.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pre-scheduled blogs that will post automatically. So please stay tuned...

Peter aka Blade 7184

MD Anderson Cancer Center's HMB Will Meet It's End...

Wow, a part of history will be going down in Houston this morning.  

At 11:15 AM, the implosion of the Houston Main Building in the Medical Center area will be taking place.  A building I visited several times over the past 4 years.

The building formerly known as the Prudential building before the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center purchased it in 1972 was the first high-rise in Houston outside of Downtown.  It was built in 1952, and has meant a great deal to many Houstonions.  I've only lived here 10 years, but I can tell by reading some of the stories online, how much the building meant to them.  

Looking at its rich history, the building at once had beautiful landscaped courtyards, swimming pools, tennis courts, and the building itself was made of limestone and steel.  Many people opposed the demolition, more-so the preservationists, but it would have been too costly to repair the already sinking building, and MD Anderson decided in 2002 to demolish it.

How the building affects me?  Well, I work in the Dan L. Duncan building, previously called CPB (Cancer Prevention Building).  The building is a few feet from the HMB, and was only two years old when I started working at MD Anderson.  I had the honor of taking classes in the HMB building, and completed my database training in there as well.  It was a lovely building, and it was even more lovely, because you could feel the history when you walked in that building.  This morning will be bittersweet, because a building I literally walk by every day will be gone tomorrow morning when I head into work. [source]
  
From the MD Anderson Website:

MD Anderson's Houston Main Building (HMB) was opened by Prudential Insurance Co. in 1952 as its southwest regional office. At the time, the 20-story office building was Houston's tallest building outside downtown.

In 1974, MD Anderson purchased the 500,000-square-foot facility, which included 22.4 acres of land and a surface lot containing hundreds of parking spaces. The University of Texas officially named the building the Houston Main Building in 1980.

The acquisition of the building allowed executive and other administrative offices to move from the hospital to HMB to accommodate the expansion of clinical space.

Over the years, MD Anderson updated and renovated some floors to support specific functions, and the expansive parking area was used for new construction.

The last employees moved out of HMB March 2010; the building was officially closed April 1, 2010. After its closure, contractors began the interior demolition and abatement of the building.

The master plan calls for the site to serve as the home of a new clinical building that would connect the Dan L. Duncan Building and the Lowry and Peggy Mays Clinic.

Existing terraces on Floor 2 of these buildings will extend to the new facility, forming a courtyard above five floors of underground parking.

If you click on this link, you'll be able to watch the demolition live, 15 minutes before the event.

Our 2012 Milestones - Happy New Year!

First and foremost, I want to thank God for another wonderful year of my life.  I believe in His awesomeness while others will have you believe otherwise.  

Being gay is a gift from God, and I truly believe He wouldn't have allowed my mother to carry me to full term if He was the hateful being some Christians portray him to be.  Thank you God, I love you!

Thank you for allowing me be with the man I most admire in this world, my partner Ryan.  He has been my sole companion for the past 6-1/2 years and I could never have asked for a better person in my life.  The year 2012 is going to be a huge blessing for us.   We will reach two milestones we have never faced in our lifetime.  

First and foremost, celebrating our 7 year anniversary - something we both have never done.  My two longest relationships were each 4 years long, and I never would have imagined that the third time around would have been a charm.  And a charm he was.  I love you Ryan!  Just goes to show that meeting someone online and falling in love is possible. 

The second milestone in our lives will be in late June or early July when Ryan and I will officially be out of credit card debt.  Now, this may not seem like a big deal for most of you, but for us it is.  Since we've been together we have amassed over $60,000 in credit card debt.  Don't get us wrong, we don't regret spending any of it, there was good in all of this.  We wouldn't have what we have today, if we didn't have the use of a credit card at our disposal.  The majority of that money was invested in the remodeling of our home and the purchases we made throughout the years to make our home beautiful inside and out.  In either case, to say we will not shed tears come June or July is an understatement.  This is a big deal for us.  We will shed tears, because for the first time in our lives every bit of cash we garner from work will go towards building our future home, our eventual marriage and fulfilling our dream of spending the rest of our lives together.

I would also like to take this time to wish a Happy New Year to our loving families, both of who support mine and Ryan's relationship, our dear friends (you know who you are), the readers of my blog, my co-workers, and to all the people on Facebook who have taken the time to say hi, wished me happy birthday, and became friends with me even if they had no clue who I was. :-)

May God Bless all of you in 2012!  Happy New Year!

-Peter aka Blade 7184