Blue-Black in Black on Brown

I was scrolling the internet at the gym yesterday when I came across an interesting item. No, I wasn’t looking at men online. It was article in The Economist about the relationship between Grace Jones and Giorgio Armani. Grace was a pioneer in the collaboration of singers and fashion houses. Grace attended Armani’s 1981 Fall/Winter Samurai fashion show. The show was a critical, but not, commercial success. Grace contacted the Armani office in Milan seeking access to the garments. The garments were perfect for Grace. So perfect she wore one of the jackets on the cover of her Nightclubbing album. Who knew you could read about Grace Jones, an icon in my life, in The Economist?

Jean-Paul Goude, Blue-Black in Black on Brown, painted photograph of Grace Jones wearing Giorgio Armani.

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What Is Wrong With Him?

The man I work for can be called odd at best. He still works from home in the afternoon because he doesn’t want his adult children (18 and 21) to be home alone. Every month he schedules a 30 minute meeting with each of his direct reports to discuss any issues that may need to be addressed. I’ve mastered the art of discussing issues with the man. I know not to bring up certain issues as he doesn’t want to help resolve the issue, but rather, assign you an action item to find a solution. He wants to know about the roadblocks but doesn’t want to be actively involved. He will, however, take credit for the resolutions.

My monthly meeting was held on Friday. We were both working from home so the meeting was held over on his multimedia conferencing bridge. After the standard obligatory greetings, the man asked about a painting on the wall that is in view of the camera. I talked briefly about the painting detailing a little about the artist, her representation and chosen medium. The man used the artwork as a launching point to make the call about him. He left his home office to retrieve the only “original” piece of art he owned from the second floor of his house. I still had audio as he was using a headset. I had to listen to him describe his walk through his house up the stairs to the second floor and the return journey to his home office. Next, he tried to get the painting in the best possible position for the laptop camera. His brother painted the picture of his toddler daughter years ago. This launched a monologue describing his brother and his artist abilities. He went on and on and on. The whole time I’m reminded I’m on camera by seeing my image being transmitted to him vie the PIP. I had to keep an interested look on my face while I’m thinking I don’t give a damn about his brother, the mediocre artwork, or the description of his family dynamics. I reminded myself to smile and nod. I really didn’t have to comment because he talked and talked and talked.

As the call neared its scheduled end, he asked if I had any pressing issues I need to discuss. I claimed no pressing items as I was ready to put a gun to my head. He ended the call as I had no issues to discuss.

What a freak show! The man talked for 25 minutes about the painting, his brother, his family dynamics and the painting’s provenance. The purpose of the call was to be about work topics I wanted to discuss. Instead it was all about him which was typical of his behavior. What is wrong with people like this who constantly turn conversations and meetings into platforms to talk about themselves?

My team lead advised me before the call that the man wanted to discuss giving me more NPI and M&A responsibilities, which I would be happy to take on. Instead I had to listen the man talk about himself, his brother and his family. The things I do to keep that paycheck coming in every month. I think I’m more of corporate whore than a slave.

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I’m Glad I Left

The client I worked for last year was ordered to cease operations in New York State for failing to live up to the terms of its merger agreement with another cable company. The company has been given 60 days to handle over its operations to another provider. The state has rescinded the approval of merger.

I knew the company was a mess when I worked there. I was so glad to leave. Is it bad to feel happy about their misfortune?

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The Next Victim

The owners of this house have decided to tear it down and start over. They were contemplating an extensive remodel and addition, but instead, have decided to scrape it off. They’ve lived in the neighborhood for twenty years and plan to finish out their lives in the new house. At least it’s not another spec home.

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One Year & $4m Later

This two-bedroom house sold in March of 2017. It was torn down in July of 2017. One year after demolition and $4m later ($989k for the old house and another $3m for demolition and construction of the new house), the new house has been completed.

It’s a four-bedroom, two-story dwelling with a little over 6,000 square feet. The house is a lot bigger than it looks in the picture. The owners moved in a few weeks ago but I have not met them yet. They are both orthopedic surgeons so I’m sure they can afford the house.

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The National Juried Show

A few pics from the National Juried Show at Pirate Contemporary Art:

Mary Holm, Restless, collage on canvas, $600.

Daniel Gerard Mlynarek, Skylight, oil on canvas, $2,300.

Hugh Daly, Lighthouse, acrylic on canvas, $2,300.

Victor Proulx, Suzi’s Step, oil on canvas, $5,000.

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Art & Party

Mack and I hit a few galleries on Friday night. Louis Recchia opened a new exhibit of pointillism paintings at Zip 37. I always find his work entertaining and amusing.

Louis Recchia, Rainy Day in Paris, acrylic on canvas.

Louis Recchia, Rising Tide, acrylic on canvas.

A stop was also made at EDGE Gallery to check out Candace Shepard’s new works. It’s a great show and worthy of a second look. The final stop of the night was Pirate Contemporary Art to have second look at the juried invitational show. There are some great paintings in this show.

Candace Shepard, Naturally Inclined To Act, acrylic on wood.

Last night I went to the hot husband party. At least that’s what I call it. It’s hosted by a communications director and her artist husband. The party is mostly professional women with high-paying jobs who have hot husbands. It’s always a great time. The food is tasty, the booze flows, pot is passed and the conversation is always entertaining. Last night was no exception.

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What A Week!

It was another tough week at work. A product was released earlier in the month that was not ready for market. The software development was not completed. The company laid off the product manager a few weeks ago. The product manager neglected to tell the launch committee or the new product manager the product was not ready. It was like a fuck you for laying me off.

My house guests left early. It was an odd visit. There has to more to life than hooking up with guys. The relentless online search of Grindr and Scruff was annoying. It would have been nice to have a conversation without them scrolling through images on their phones. They take having an open relationship to new level.

My brother accused my sister of embezzling from the family trust. It was a situation that got out of control. It concerned a bank account my mother hid from my father so that it would not be included in the trust. This was typical of my mother. She was always stashing money away in case she needed it. My sister was the beneficiary on the account. My father asked my sister to close the account. My sister closed the account and kept the money. My brother had a fit when he found out. My dad called me to tell me he was sending me a trust payment equal to amount in the bank account. He had already given a check to my brother. I told my father to keep the money as I did not need it. A few days later a check arrived for $3,600. I can understand my brother being upset if the amount was in the six figures but, to me, a four figure amount is not significant. The money is not going make a difference in my life, or my brother’s life, but it will for my sister who continues to struggle financially. My brother is still upset that my father supported my sister for four years while she was unemployed. It didn’t matter to me. It’s my father’s money and he can do what he wants with it. I just know that if I ever needed financial assistance my father would send money. That’s a good feeling because my father and I don’t have a great relationship.

On the bright side, it’s Friday and I’m headed out to the galleries tonight.

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A Tough Week

It’s been a tough week. The software delivery went out the door and fell on its face. The offshore testing team missed a plethora of outages. The software engineers worked overtime to fix the issues. My team lead volunteer me to test the fixes as there is no faith in the ability of the offshore team to recognize new issues. After several long days, the updated software was delivered last night. All is well so far today.

It’s a shame the company doesn’t invest in an onshore team who understands the product and knows how it should be tested. There is a lot of talent available locally, mostly in the form of associates who had been laid off from the company. Sadly, offshore contractors are cheaper. Is the offshore labor pool really cheaper when you factor in the time and effort to redeliver a software package, and the damage to the company’s reputation for quality products? One could argue the offshore team is really more costly in the long run.

I’m knocking off early today. I plan on hitting the gym and taking care of a few last minute preparations as my house guests are arriving tomorrow. They were to arrive today but their flight from Paris was cancelled. They were booked on a later flight but will miss their connecting flight. They will overnight on the east coast. Their delayed arrival means I can check out a few gallery openings tonight.

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Disappointment Drive 22

I never started the car on this drive.

A guy pings me while I’m online. He fits my desired demographic, meaning he’s around my age along with being HWP. We chat back and forth. The conversation flowed. He’s only been out for short time and wants to get to know a guy before the big bang. He asks where I live. He’s just across the creek, a few blocks north of the mall. He wants to get together to see if we click. I remark that based on my experience most newly out guys usually shy away from poz guys. I can see he looks at my profile again. He responds by telling me he didn’t realize I’m a poz guy. He wants to stay DDF and doesn’t want to risk getting infected. He withdraws his invitation to meet. I wanted to ask if English was a second language for him as my profile clearly states I’m HIV positive undetectable. I also wanted to give him a lecture on what undetectable means. Instead, I followed Shelly O’s advice and took the high road. I wish him good luck with his quest and told him to play safe. The Internet doesn’t need another bitchy gay man doling out snarky comments.

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