Won't You Be My Neighbor ?
by Matthew Chase

Here we are a week later, and things here on the mountain are just as crazy if not worse than last week! I hope that everyone had an absolutely wonderful holiday whether cuddling with a loved one or drinking your sorrows away with a group of single compatriots. Personally I am not a fan of Valentines Day; it just seems a very un-inclusive holiday. Especially for the single folk out there. I spent the entire evening working here on the mountain and while quite dull it was not a waste of my time… I was earning money after all! Me and romance however, are not agreeing. At least not just now anyway, but I have faith that someday I will find myself happily in love, with all the benefits and drawbacks that go with it. For those of you curious about my last relationship, we both moved in different directions and decided to part ways. It was sad, but necessary for each of us in order to grow and move forward. So, onward and upward, as my friend Nick says, so we will move forward with this week’s article.

OH! A quick side note, for those of you interested in what happened after my article “El Bandito”. The vet called me the day after I brought him home and told me that he had not received any of his shots, and that he needed to get them and to bring the dog back through the snow to pay them fifty bucks for shots he hadn’t received on time, so I told the vet to stick it and I would get his shots at the local vet in the town I lived in, thank you very much! I thought it might give a few of you a giggle to know that the vet was not on the ball. But bandit got his shots and we lived happily ever after!

motherangelica.jpgOk then, that’s done, let me see, what to talk about… How about we chat a bit about neighbors, the good, the bad, and the frighteningly ugly! I have bounced about Vermont for just about I’d say 15 or so years and I have lived among many weird people and also some very scary very NORMAL people. I recall living once with a wonderfully accommodating yet DEVOUT elderly catholic woman, who would wake every morning at 4am to have her morning prayers with the nuns on ETWN, at least I think that’s the religion channel.

She was very sweet, and totally clueless about my orientation, and that suited me just fine. I recall one day being invited to join her and her family for dinner, arriving at the table and being surprised to see an old flame of mine sitting across from me. It was uncomfortable, and he acted as though we were strangers so I played the part well and after dinner I stepped out to smoke a cigarette, and found him there on the porch with one himself. In hushed tones he told me that he knew who I was, but that his family did not know about his extra curricular activities. I understood completely, however it did make me a bit sad, to not have your family know who you are deep inside seemed very lonely to me. I suppose I was lucky that I knew and told my folks about my orientation when I was about ten years old. I grew up with a loving and caring support ring about me, and they knew who I was deep inside and I knew that I was loved for all that I am and all that I could be. Looking back it may not have felt much like that at the time, but I was very, very lucky to have parents that could accept and move away from the fact that I was a budding little queer. Thus, allowing me to grow into the unique individual that I am.

I also once had a really neat and handsome next door neighbor named “Buster” it wasn’t his real name I suppose but that man was one of my early crushes, he and I bonded by watching “Jerry Springer” every morning while drinking beer on my days off. He introduced me to the “Playstation” game console and the wonders of “Final Fantasy VII” we had a lot of fun adventures, and he was the first person I ever leaned on to cry that was not related to me. He also introduced me to the hilarity of porn in fast forward. (A funny thing to see, people actually ‘doing it’ LIKE bunnies!)

bunnygirl.jpgFunny enough there was a crazy couple that lived in the apartment below Buster, who were the epitome of crazy! I recall one evening the two of them got intoxicated and were yelling at one another when the woman decided to hide out in my home! She ran upstairs and into my living room and locked the door behind her! Her husband came up and pounded on the door until the blue lights were seen on the street. That marks the first time I have ever had to deal with a policeman in my home. He managed to get the squatting crazy lady out of my home and peace was restored soon… Goodness; sometimes those memories seem like yesterday, and other times it seems like a lifetime ago.

I also rather recently have been suffering from a crazy neighbor that does things only an insane person seems to do. Among other things, she parks her car on the front lawn despite the fact that she has been told repeatedly not to, from what I know from my rental company, she has not paid her rent in months, yet recently purchased a new car, and when the noise is a little loud, instead of politely calling or coming to the door to ask that the noise be kept down she simply calls the police for a noise complaint, a half hour after the town “Quiet hours” begins. Seems a bit excessive eh? Anyway enough of that as with everything in life time will heal it all and it will be over. I won’t have to deal with them again! Hehe!

I think I have had one neighbor or roommate that I truly feel I could live with again. That would be the now infamous JaWa. He and I had many adventures together, and we lived really well… Our friendship has been a weird and marvelous session of give and take. What one of us needs, the other seems to have in gross amounts, so that when one of us needs a place to live, the other has the car that will bring us both to work. When one of us had a glass of milk, the other seems to have the perfect cookies to go with it. It is funny sometimes how it seems to even out over time. Anyone else have a friend like that?

In closing for the week I would like to remind us all that everything comes to an end one way or another, whether as a happy ever after, or as a tragic and sad parting of ways, Either way we continue to move forward, and that’s what “Time marches on.” means to me. I hope you all find happiness in the coming week, and don’t worry about me, I’m a drag queen what do I know?

Matthew needs a new neighborhood. Archives

Comments

Dude! Crazy squatting neighbor ladies? That's kinda wierd. However, fast-forward porn is the bomb.

--------------


"It is funny sometimes how it seems to even out over time. Anyone else have a friend like that?"

I recently lost a friend I thought was very much like that. Turns out the person I thought would always be there for me through thick and thin, in fact betrayed me for his own selfish reasons, which will always be a mystery for me. You have to be careful for the people you trust with your heart. Someday they may hawk it without telling you the truth of where they misplaced it.

--------------


Yes, But the good and the bad seem to even out over time, Which, heals all wounds, or so I am told, and have come to believe. Did it occur to you that maybe they weren't being selfish? Maybe they had other reasons for what may have happened, but that you might not have bothered to actually ask? I'm sorry you seem to feel hurt at this time, my heart goes out to you!

--------------


Actually the person I was betrayed TO, recently informed me of said person's "reasons" for betraying my friendship & trust. I now understand why he did it, but it doesn't change the fact that my trust was betrayed by someone I counted on and trusted very much. My issue is that when asked for the truth, I was bold-face lied to not once, not twice, but 3 X! And when I gave said person one last chance to tell me the truth, when I was still willing to forgive and understand, I was told that I was "ridiculous".

Time does heal MOST wounds. I'm not mad at said person. I'm not even angry anymore. I've even forgiven what he did and his misplaced reasons for doing it. Right now, I'm disgusted and dsappointed in said person. He turned out to have a mean, horrid side to himself that I never suspected.

I used to think that he was the most pure-hearted person I knew, but I've now leared tt even he has succumbed to treating people that he cares for like shiite.

and i'm not hurt. I've moved on.

--------------


Since we both work for this magazine, I'm not going to gt into this with you here. I you want to discuss anything with m, you need to call me and apologize first. Util then, please don't bring our personal issues to our workplace. Thank you.

--------------


You two... Are ridiculous.

--------------


I just am confused about the entire thing. Guess you two need to call each other and get the issues out on the table instead of the rudimentary arbitration.

--------------






eXTReMe Tracker