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Steve Speaks Postings for April 2007

I HATE MY GUTS...SOMETIMES

Posted: Monday, April 30, 2007


I hate my own guts.

My ammended guts, that is. My stapled guts, that is.

Sure, a few years ago, the statement "I hate my own guts" would have had some deeper, more emotional, self-destructive meaning for me (and to be honest, those impulses do surface occasionally these days), but for the most part, I'm referring to the constant struggle I have with a food addiction and a body that won't let me act on it. Let's take last night for instance, shall we?

So, I'm chatting with a friend of mine out west after I just wolfed down a few mouthfuls of Chinese food. Thank god the phone crapped out, because a few minutes later I found myself praying to the porcelain God, relieving myself of what I'd just eaten. This happens sometimes with people who have had gastric bypass...the eyes are bigger than the stomach, you eat too much in one bite, and BLAAAAARRGH... all of it comes flying back up. Needless to say, I've spent a lot of time getting over my fear of puking.

Oh, this blog is taking a lovely turn, isn't it?

I was planning on getting right back on the phone with my friend, but for some reason... there was a little piece of SOMETHING that just wouldn't come up.... I couldn't get it to either. I spent the next half-hour or so heaving myself hoarse trying to puke up what amounted to a piece of chicken... not a big one either...nothing that has ever gotten stuck before, but last night, it got stuck. Yay.

So, while gastric bypass surgery and a rigorous workout routine have helped me to change my body completely ... I continue to have issues with food. Just different issues.

Eating is a chore now; not an obsession... and while surgery can kill the CAPACITY to overeat, it can't kill the ADDICTION to overeat. Which brings me to my next point...a lovely concept called 'Addiction transfer'. If you saw People Magazine a few weeks ago, you know what I'm referring to. It's the concept by which an addiction manifests itself in a new fashion when one method of compulsive behavior is rendered useless. In layman's terms, it means that people who have gastric bypass surgery often leap-frog onto other destructive behaviors once they can't eat. Shopping, Gambling, Smoking, and Alcoholism top the list (at least in the People article. Guess which one I chose to burden myself with? You don't get a nickname like "Martini Steve" shopping for trinkets on Ebay obsessively. Yes, booze. I don't think I qualified as a 'full-blown alcoholic' because I never got to the point of drinking every day, but when I DID drink, I was drinking WAY too much and falling asleep at inappropriate times...or causing problems...or acting inappropriately. Once I realized it was time to change, I made a decision to fix myself...again. I tossed out all the booze in the house. ALL of it. Not a drop left. Got myself into a few meetings with people of the same ilk, and viola! Over three months now without a drink. I still have a lot of work to do, but I feel pretty good that I kicked another addiction's ass.

The bitch about not drinking, however... is that I'm now left to FEEL. I don't like FEELING. You see, nothing eliminates feelings like a few bottles of Pinot Noir, a few Martinis, or a half dozen Jack & Cokes. I am not a big fan of feeling. Especially feeling BAD. I have no choice now. I need to feel some things that I have been putting off for a while. Pain, loneliness, insecurity, fear, guilt, and anger are great emotions to deal with when you can't turn to the bottle to numb them away anymore (sarcasm mode off). I have been feeling a lot of these emotions lately, and I'm getting better at dealing with them. I have no choice. I either learn to deal or go back to drinking...and I'm really enjoying not having hangovers.

You don't realize how much damage your own self-destructive behavior does to others until you've exited the fog for a few months. It's upsetting to know how much pain I caused some people....and almost caused others. The good thing is that it's ALL fix-able. I can repair it. I might not be able to do it instantly, but over time, I will make ammends for past mistakes. Even though all relationships may not heal, and new ones may lead me in a new direction, it's all good. I'm not worried. I have a lot more control now than I used to.

Maybe I don't hate my guts so much after all... Hell, without that surgery, none of thise soul-searching would have even happened. Eh, my guts ain't so bad.

Emotion(s) while posting: confident

Posted by stevec at 7:01 AM

I'M A COWBOY...ON A STEEL HORSE I ... WAIT, NO I DON'T

Posted: Thursday, April 26, 2007


Of course I had to kick off this entry with a stupid BON JOVI reference to being a Cowboy and riding on a 'steel horse'...why? Because I'm in Nashville... Music City...and there's more cowboy hats and leather boots than I can shake a proverbial stick at. I almost bought (and may still buy) a black cowboy hat with flames on it. Believe me, it took every fucking ounce of restraint I had NOT to buy it. The biggest deterrent was the fact that the extra-large one didn't fit on my fat head. My buddy Brad said "That looks like a migraine waiting to happen", so I opted not to get it. I still might go back and get it for the sake of having yet another article of flaming clothing.

I'm staying about 30 minutes outside of Nashville proper, and even though it's beginning to get developed like every other suburb in the country (mini-malls with Best Buy, Target, Panera Bread, and Borders Books), it's still very peaceful here. People move at a much slower pace and are much friedlier down south. Plus, the cost of living is SO much cheaper here. I could sell my place in Jersey, take the proceeds and buy a 4000 square foot castle with a pool and boat dock on 3 acres, and still have money left to redecorate. You could really get spoiled here.

I tried to extend my trip, but I can't get a flight out until the middle of next week, and the hotel I'm at is overbooked through the weekend, so I'm stuck leaving tomorrow. That leaves me with a week left to find a new destination. If I can swing it, I might jump on another plane and go somewhere else to see another friend I haven't seen in a while. I just don't want to waste my vacation sitting at home, doing what I normally do when I have free time -- WORK. Ugh.

I really needed this break though. I can't tell you how much calmer I am down here. I need to come here more often.

Emotion(s) while posting: happy

Posted by stevec at 12:24 PM

MELLOW IN MUSIC CITY

Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007


Day 2 in Nashville. Yesterday was B U S Y. From the instant I got off the plane at the airport, to the minute I finally passed out last night around 11pm, I didn't stop moving. I must have driven over 200 miles yesterday total, running around, seeing my best buddy the doctor, and trying to find reasons NOT to go home. Holy crap, I love it down here. There's a distinct difference in general attitude of the people in the southern United States, and that difference is speed. People in this part of the country aren't in such a big fat fucking hurry to get everything done. In New York, you have to operate at a breakneck speend 100% of the time, and the odds of burnout are substantial. In Nashville, you can operate at about 1/10th that speed and you're still moving at a good clip compared to the rest of the folks here. This place does wonders for someone like me, who is constantly in a state of frenzy.

I am pretty proud of myself too; I must have been at three different bar/restaurant places with my buddy Brad yesterday, and I didn't have a single drink. I think I drank 37 diet Cokes all night, but no booze. None. How's that for a guy who used to be nicknamed 'Martini'? Eh? Oh fuck it, I'm proud of my little accomplishment.

Today started out with (what seemed like) a gallon of coffee, my pile of vitamins, and a trip to the local gym to burn off some of that... Diet Coke. So far, so good. I don't know what is on tap for today, but I'm going to try to see some family and take them to dinner. Hopefully, I won't mess that up. How could I? I don't know... sometimes it's easy for me... especially lately. You ever try like hell to make the BEST decisions possible, and do all the right things...but STILL, in the process of doing so, still manage to fuck up and upset some people? I can't possibly be the only person who does that. Despite all of the stupid drama in my personal life, I'm trying like hell to do the right thing from day to day. Some days are great. Some days, despite all my best efforts and intentions, I know I've fucked up and pissed off someone who I didn't want to piss off. I wish I knew how to stop doing that. It's not like I'm enjoying feeling that once again, I've disappointed someone.

Emotion(s) while posting: confused

Posted by stevec at 11:58 AM

SOUTHBOUND BREEZES BLOWING...

Posted: Tuesday, April 24, 2007


After going back and forth with myself for a while, I finally decided to GO somewhere for my vacation from work. I'm off to Nashville, Tennesee for a while to get the hell away from the Northeast and (hopefully, God willing) cool my jets.

I'm not quite en route to decompression just yet; far from it, actually. You see, I HATE traveling. LOATHE it. The process of packing, uprooting myself and getting on a plane for several hours just infurates me to no end. Now that I don't drink, I can't numb or sleep away this experience either. It's all stress for me. As I type this, I'm sitting in the President's Club in Newark International Airport eating an apple and drinking coffee, waiting for my flight to board.

Now, once I get wherever I'm going and finally settle in...I'm fine. I'm a joy to be around (generally speaking. it really depends who you ask). The actual 'travel' part of traveling is where I go loopy.

But I digress...back to Nashville. I wasn't planning on going, simply because I could not afford the trip. Taxes fucking killed me this year, and it's taking every ounce of frugality to make this happen. I need it though. I equate so much peace with being down south. There are some people with whom I am very close down here, and I never get to see them as often as I'd like. The pace is also much, much slower down south. I mean, I'm used to going 100mph in 100 different directions with my job, so when I get down to Tennessee (a place where I couuld very well see myself winding up in my old fartness), it doesn't take long before I'm immediately operating at 1/10th the speed I normally operate at.

I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay down there when I get there. This could be a long stay or a short one for me. There is always that possibility that I'm not going to want to leave once I get here though...which, in all honesty, might not be such a bad idea.

I'm not leaving without a new pair of boots and a cowboy hat. I need to change my look up anyway.

Emotion(s) while posting: excited

Posted by stevec at 5:29 AM

ANSWERING MORE DUMB QUESTIONS

Posted: Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Oh my... I fell for it again. I wasted time on another dumb questionaire. 

1. The phone rings, who do you want it to be?

- The state lottery commission. They'd be calling to tell me I never have to work again because I just won a $380 million lottery.

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?

- Yes. I return it to the parking lot. Five feet from wherever I parked, with no consideration for the retarded man who has to collect them.

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?

- Hmmm... social setting... that's the thing you do with other people... umm, yeah.  I listen.

4. Do you take compliments well?

- Never used to, but I'm getting better at it. Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a bitch.

5. Do you play Sudoku?

- What the fuck is Sudoku?

6. If abandoned in the wilderness, would you survive?

- Yeah, I would.  As much as I have thought about just giving up, my survival instincts are too strong, and there are too many people I love, and I need to make sure they're OK.

7. Do you like to ride horses?

- Got kicked by one once. Gonna take some convincing to get me anywhere near one again.

8. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?

- Yes. Sleepaway camp, day camp, boy scout camp, you name it.  My parents wanted me elsewhere.

9. What was your favorite game as a kid?

- A fun little game called "how far will the coke bottle fit in your hiney today" that my Uncle made up.  That, and "Let's stare at the babysitter's tits until we get a boner"

10. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was married, would you go for it?

- Loaded question. Pass.

11. Have you lied to get out of a date?

- Yes.  "No honey, I didn't have to work. You just annoy the shit out of me, and I'd rather not listen to you complain all fucking night."

12. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you?

- As long as that religion doesn't hinder one's ability to be a sexual deviant.

14. Use three words to describe yourself?

- determined, obsessive, insecure.

15. Do any songs make you cry?

- Lately, a bunch of them are making me sad.  Anything about the beginning/end of a relationship or the loss of a loved one.

16. Are you continuing your education?

- Spiritually, behaviorally, Emotionally...growth and learning opportunities everywhere.

17. Do you know how to shoot a gun?

- yeah, my father used to take me shooting out in the woods when I was a kid.  My mom hated that.

18. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you would grab?

- A fire extinguisher. Then the phone...to call the Fire Department. Sheesh.

19. How often do you read books?

- I'm reading three at the moment. All self-help.

20. Do you think more about the past, present or future?

- The present. I try very hard not to focus on the past. I can't change it. The future hasn't happened. It's all about living life today and worrying about one day at a time.

21. What is your favorite children’s book?

- I don't remember much about being a kid.

22. What color are your eyes?

- Dark brown

23. How tall are you?

- 6'1"

24. Where is your dream house located?

- Someplace quiet, safe, stable.

25. Do you have a secret fetish?

- Yeah, a few too many.  No, I'm not telling you.

26. Have you tried sushi?

- Yes. Loves me some tuna sashimi.

27. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth?

- Yes. Of my crotch.

28. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?

- Years ago. the one by my house is always crowded. Puerto Ricans love the endless salad and bread sticks, apparently.

29. When was the last time you were at Church?

- My cousin's wedding. I was in it.

30. Where was the furthest place you traveled?

- Majorca, Spain's largest Island...when I was a kid. On vacation for my folks.

31. What was your favorite job?

- The one I'm doing now. Most days.

32. Do you like mustard?

- Yes.  The Spicier the better

33. Do you prefer to sleep or eat?

- I used to LOVE to eat, and that's how I got myself up to 400 pounds.  Now I try to sleep a lot more than the usual four hours a night I usually get

34. Do you look like your mom or dad?

- My father... yeah. Him.

35. How long does it take you in the shower?

- To bathe?  probably about 15 minutes.  To obsessively shave all of the hair on my arms and pubes?  Probably closer to 30.

36. Can you do the splits?

- No, but last week I had the shits.  Fucking food poisoning.

37. What movie do you want to see right now?

- 300. I still haven't seen this F-ing movie.  I want to.

38.If you could fast forward your life would you?

- There's a little period I'd like to get passed right now, so yes... I would.

39. What did you do for St. Patty’s Day?

- Chilled with my dog.

40. Do you think The Grudge was scary?

- Fuck yes. As my shorts, which were rapidly filled with brownies after watching that fucking movie.

41. Could you relate to a character in Mean Girls?

- What the fuck is 'Mean Girls'?  Oh God, another chick question.

42. Do you own a camera phone?

- Yes. I take pictures of my dog.

43. Do you have an “ex box” with pics and letters from past?

- Holy shit. I'm filling out a questionaire intended for women.  What the hell is wrong with me today?

44. Was your mom a cheerleader?

-  No, but my father has called my mother a "C***" a few times

45. What’s the last letter of your middle name?

- “n”

46. Do you like your middle name?

- I fucking LOVE it. I go by my middle name. Parents didn't want me being called 'junior'

47. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

- about four usually. I'm trying to take naps more.

48. Do you like care bears?

- Holy shit. Another girl Question.  How did I get so deep into this without realizing... trudging on...

49. What do you buy at the movies?

- Tickets.  Diet coke sometimes

50. Do you know how to play poker?

- Nope

51. Do you wear your seatbelt?

- If it didn't mean getting a ticket, I never would, but I don't like getting pulled over so I do.

52. What do you wear to sleep?

- boxer briefs

53. Anything big ever happen in your hometown?

- Yeah, I left.  I heard there was a parade. Actually, it's a snooty haven for McMansion owners

54. How many meals do you eat a day?

- my trainer wants me to eat six times. My stapled gut won't allow it.

55. Is your tongue pierced?

- No

56. Ever meet anyone you met on the Internet?

- Yes

57. Are you single?

- Um, hmm. No?

58. Do you like funny or serious people better?

- Funny people.  Take your serious and shove it up yer fanny.

59. Ever been to L.A.?

-  Sure did. Don't like it.

60. Did you eat a cookie today?

- No

61. Do you use cuss words in other languages?

- Yeah, my trainer is Honduran. He taught me a bunch. Workouts are fun when you can spew latin vulgarity

62. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?

- I used to download obsessively. iTunes is so much easier.

63. Do you hate chocolate?

- Eh, not a fan of sweets

64. What do you and your parents fight about the most?

- We barely speak. Less time to fight.

65. Are you a gullible person?

- Everything you see on the internet is real.

66. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy?

- No, I don't.  I really LIKE having someone in my life, and would love to wake up next to someone I love, but codependence is unproductive..

67. If you could have any job what would it be?

- Extreme wealth and retirement

68. Are you easy to get along with?

- Oh, Incredibly.    Hey, where'd everybody go?

69. What is your favorite time of day?

- Just before I go to bed.  Sleeping in on the weekends..

Emotion(s) while posting: embarassed

Posted by stevec at 5:32 AM

TERRIBLE AWFUL NO GOOD VERY BAD...MORNING.

Posted: Monday, April 2, 2007


Mondays suck. This is not new information. Everyone knows it. The weekend is over, and you're dreading waking up and going to work for one more week. Waking up at 3am is no picnic either...the body never acclimates to it. Monday morning tiffs don't help to make the beginning of the week any easier.

Now, the OLD me would have dwelled on this little altercation all day, obsessing over it, and figuring out ways to remove all of this person's teeth with pliers and/or shattering this person's temple with a hammer. The NEW me...the me with a few new tools for living life on life's terms (some new lingo I've been learning)... is trying to let it go and move on. I don't need the fucking stress in my life, so I need to take some deep breaths, let go of all this nonsense and move on. I need... NEED to focus on today, and not spend so much time freaking out about what has happened in the past or what hasn't even happened yet.

Some days I just hope for a fresh start. Maybe I just need to reset. I'm not talking about a mental reset where you go home, go to sleep, and then wake up refreshed. I'm talking about packing my shit, getting the fuck out of Dodge, and starting over. New town. New faces. New me. It's not so much running away as it is getting a fresh perspective.

I'm sure later on I'll feel differently, but today I'm kind of ...blah

Emotion(s) while posting: angry

Posted by stevec at 5:27 AM