I love my unemployed boyfriend

So I mentioned a few posts back that Chris recently got laid off, and I haven't really had time to process it, with all the crazy traveling. I think that actually, given that he has his severance to last him the next 2 months, and unemployment benefits, it will actually be really nice.

Him
To tell the truth, he was really stressed at that last job; the hours were bad and he hated it. It's very frustrating to be in a relationship with someone and witness them struggling against an obstacle they can't rise above, so in many ways I think this is gonna be a good move for him.

Also, with the free time, I'm kinda hoping that he'll get back into a regular fitness routine, which had fallen by the wayside with work and stuff. I know it's super shallow of me, but it's nice, right?

Also he's gonna cook for me on Wednesday! Sweet potato gnocchi, a recipe he picked up from his family over thanksgiving break!

Me
His unemployment will also force me to be more cost-conscious with my daily living, which, really, I needed. The recent travel has been AMAZING, but it really has kicked a little dent in my savings. With Chris having more free nights, and being more cost conscious, I'm hoping we will be spending more time cooking and watching movies at home, going to museums (which I get into for free), and going out drinking a little less. With the weather starting to turn cold in NYC, this is a good thing for other reasons.

The gift issue
The one big thing that really gets complicated now is the gift issue. So my 30th birthday is coming up in 2 weeks (ugh), and then Christmas is just 2 weeks after that. I was already really stressed that Chris might get me something super-extravagant for my birthday, and now I'm even moreso. Beyond that, his gift will kinda set the ballpark for Christmas gifts.

What are some good inexpensive ideas for new couples to do gift-wise? We really are not the "make things for each other" crew.

Thankful

On a day like this it's good to think about the many things in my life I have to be thankful for.

• For my Grandmother, who recently passed away, I am thankful for the sacrifices and hardship she took on in life, so that her children and grandchildren could have a better one.
• I'm grateful for the rest of my family, who have for the most part, been incredibly supportive.
• I'm thankful for my friends.
• I'm thankful to be in a relationship with someone as patient and compassionate as my boyfriend.
• I'm thankful to have a job, even though I complain about it more than I should.
• I'm thankful for the unbelievable smells of homecooked food coming up from the kitchen. I gotta go get some of that!

I'm thankful for my life. It's good to be able to sit back and say that once in a while.

Introducing the BF to the sibs

Leaving for SF tonight for Thanksgiving, and then Chris is flying in on Friday to attend our friends' wedding on Saturday, also in SF. My sibs wanted to meet him (not ready to introduce him to the parents yet), and 2 of my cousins caught word and wanted in too. I'm really excited to start introducing him to more of my family!

The one minor snag is Chris just got laid off. Like JUST last week, while I was in India. It sucks, but I'm not that concerned- he's a smart guy and I think he'll find a new job soon enough. I am just a little worried about my sibs and cousins hearing that one thing and focusing on it too much. Do you think I'm the worst boyfriend in the world if I ask him to just pretend he didn't get laid off at lunch with my family? I don't really see much downside, and it will keep the conversation from being too awkward, right?

Ugh, I'm so bad at all this.

Who's on your list?

So other than the wedding, I spent most of my time in India traveling with my old roommate and his girlfriend of two years. We somehow got on the subject of movies that were bad, and he made fun of her for liking The Proposal and I innocently chimed in that I would watch it just for the scenes with Ryan Reynolds naked. My ex-roommate paused and turned to me and said "You like him? What is it about him?"

Apparently, I had stepped in a couple-minefield of theirs, which is their "lists". I have no idea why straight couples do this, but I guess that episode of Friends where Ross and Rachel have their list of exceptionally fuckable celebrities is true in real life. So, Ryan Reynolds is on his girlfriend's list and he's jealous. Still I realized I never really think about it that often and I don't know if I have a list, but I figured I'd try to put one together. This is unordered, and completely superficial. Personality doesn't matter unless it's Christian Bale, who is too psycho to consider fucking.

• Ryan Reynolds
  
  So I know I said personalities don't matter, but in this case they kinda do. Ryan Reynolds was already pretty cute in his comedian days, and then he decided to graft his funnyman head onto a super-ripped body for some crappy action movie and blew up into superstardom and my better wet dreams.


• Jason Statham
  
  So I'm pretty sure I've already posted this exact picture here, but that's cause it's one of the hotter pictures that's ever existed ever. Jason Statham actually started out as a fashion model before moving into movies, and that's cause he's hot and built like a tank.


• Takeshi Kaneshiro
  
  So I surprised my friend's girlfriend with this one. She blurted out "I thought you weren't into Asian guys." I was like, "Uh, why would you think that?" She mumbled something lame about, "Oh, all my gay Asian friends aren't into other Asian guys." I would have been offended by her weird generalization, but this was pretty late in our trip, and I had kind of gotten used to her saying provocative things to get a reaction out of them, so I just told her I was too narcissistic to not like other Asian guys. Like I've said before, I don't know if I really dated enough to have a real type... I kinda tasted the rainbow while I was dating.
  Anyway, Takeshi Kaneshiro is sweet hotness on toast.


• Patrick Wilson
  
  I would have been on the fence about this one last year, but Watchmen sealed his geek credibility for me, so I'd totally do Patrick Wilson. He's a little bit too-all-american for my tastes, but I'll make an exception. Just this once.


• Gabriel Garcia Bernal
  
  This one comes with a bullet. There are some movies/stills where I'm not into him at all, and then there are some where he is stunning. Eh, but what am I saying, I'd do him even if he had a reverse mohawk and was covered in rat droppings.
  

So that's my list right now, but I'm probably forgetting a few. Sure there are plenty of hot celebrities out there, but the list is for people who make your breath just stop when you see them. Also, in the discussion with my friend's gf, she mentioned a lot of celebrities that I think are like "women-only". Like, I just don't think they have any gay appeal. These are like Colin Firth types. I can see how they're objectively good looking, but they just don't strike that chord there.

Shallowest post ever? Nah, check the archives.

Voyage to India!

Just got back from India! This picture is from the second out of four (yes, four) nights, called a Sangeet. This is the only night we dressed in traditional Indian attire (called a "Kurta"), the rest of the nights most guys outside of the wedding party wore western suits. To say the wedding was extravagant would be an extreme understatement. In India, parents save up for their kids' wedding like parents might save up for college here. Really, no expense is spared. It was an AMAZING, one-of-a-kind experience. I feel really special to have been a part of it.

In addition to the Kurta, they also had people doing Mehndi. Normally this is only for females, but I'm a little more comfortable bucking traditional gender roles these days, so I got a peacock on my palm. The peacock is the national bird of India, and in addition to that, it opens the door for a lot of "cock on my palm" jokes. Yeah.


So... other than that, travel around India was crazy. I saw the Taj Mahal, which was amazing, of course. In India you are surrounded by people in desperate poverty on a scale you can't even find in the US, which really takes you out of your comfort zone. It's very hard to take problems like your job and your parents that seriously after seeing stuff like that.

The funny thing about India is that you will see men on the street holding hands, and in clubs, men will dance with each other. None of these are signals of homosexuality though; in fact, homosexuality was only decriminalized in India earlier this year, and it is still a very touchy subject. I didn't really get to go around much so I can't really say what the gay scene in India is like, but from what I have heard it is still mostly underground.

Anyway, I'm exhausted! Still have one more wedding to go to this week too!

Vacation!

I'm so excited! I leave for India TONIGHT! I'm going to see a friend's wedding!

Anyway, take care everyone! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with all the blogs while I'm away, but it's tough. You guys are all doing a lot!

Happy Halloween!

This is the before picture. After 3 different parties in Chelsea, the West Village, and the East Village, all while it was kind of sprinkling, we managed to lose a few balloons here and there; I finally ended up giving the whole bunch to a girl who asked for them at the Pyramid club.

Super fun weekend, though. Hope you guys had a great time too! Looking forward to seeing everyone's costumes! Post a link to em in the comments if you got one!