I guess you can best describe the 99 cent store as a place that sells the cheap crap no other store wanted. You walk in at pretty much any time when they're open, and you'll see dozens of people milling about the aisles, contemplating whether or not to buy the sundry merchandise on the shelves. There's housewares, there's cookware, there's small stationary items, there's grooming supplies, there's food, there's even a small amount of computer stuff. Sure the quality of all of it is not the greatest, but hey, it's only a buck, and there are many, less productive, ways to squander a dollar.

Shopping at a store like a 99 cent store is best described as an adventure. There's no definite inventory, only items they usually have, and those rare items that they get when a retailer goes out of business, or a manufacturer decides to discontinue a particular product. Brands mean nothing, and image means even less. Lots of coal, though there are the occasional gems - even things like USB cables have been known to show up amongst the Burma-Shave razors and copies of OJ Simpson's book.

It's occasionally shocking at the walks of life you'll see in the typical store - everything from the single mom on food stamps, to the blue collar hero, to the SUV-Driving Yuppie Scum, to the Mercedes driving millionaire. It's above all else, a place for trinkets, a place to get those things you want, but don't immediately need. Truly, truly a wonderful place to observe humanity.

Watched "Gone in 60 Seconds" last night. Not the crapfest with Nicholas Cage, but the original, low budget one with H. B. Halicki. Great mindless entertainment, that is. Went out for a drive of my own as well, down to the harbor. It was eerily quiet down there, no trucks rumbling past. Usually there is always activity down there, but due to the lockout, nada.

I guess the most important thing right now is the fact that I'm moving to Albuquerque in a couple months. Starting to say goodbye to LA, starting to ready myself for a different lifestyle. This city's just gotten too expensive, too difficult for me to live in, so I'm gonna be loading up a U-Haul, and heading east. More details, such as where in ABQ I'm moving to, etc, will be coming closer to the date, though it looks for all the world like it's going to be a pretty inexpensive move.

Next in the list is that I found a real cutie, a guy who is a damn brilliant writer, and a real sweetie. He's in Denver right now, which makes it tough at times; I'd love to be able to go out to a movie with him, or even sit around and talk for hours. Phoning helps, but there's still the missing physical portion which I desire. I've got to keep my hopes up, though, because I know that soon enough, I'll be able to wrap my arms around him again.

Finally, there's ordinary city living. Still employed, fortunately, and hanging in there. Just got a couple more months of that, though. Got both my ears pierced, left one about a month ago, right one 5 days ago. Left one is wonderful, I love it, right one is still kind of tender; the piercing lady seemed to be new, and was having trouble with my ear. Though it should heal well, I hope. I'm already contemplating my next piercing - Nipple, cartilage, or navel; comment if you want to help with this decision.

Well, I guess before I tell where I am right now, I should probably tell where I've been. You can read the vitals on my info page, this is about what's going on in my head. I guess I could start by stating that I am a nonconformist. Life has many paths, and if possible, I usually try to take the one that's a bit less traveled. I love to explore, to see new places, to meet new people, and expand my horizons. Most importantly, I want to see everything life has to offer.

I also try to be a compassionate person. I want to be the person you can talk to when you're down, that you can ask advice of. I try to have a soft shoulder to cry on, to be a sounding board, to show that the world is not a terrible place.

I know, I know, everyone says that kind of stuff, and you're probably wanting me to get to the good stuff already, like sex. Alright, I'll be upfront with you. I am not straight. I guess that's all I can say with regards to more traditional meanings of sexuality. Through my contacts with people, I've found that what is between a person's legs matters little about what kind of person they are. I'm much more concerned about at person's mind - what their hopes, their dreams, their ambitions are. Besides, male and female are rapidly becoming arbitrary labels anyway. It may sound odd to some, but I long for the day that one chooses their sex to match their emotions, instead of being forced by society to "act like a real man" or "be ladylike". Will it happen in my lifetime? Probably not. But I feel it's a goal worth attempting to reach.