1. Although the reboot of my dating life took off in July, August seemed to turn up the heat even further (and no, still not getting any). I know this sounds pathetic and really callow, but I dated a Jewish person and as I expected, we were in sync. He was a really cool guy and also a fellow Virgo, so extra extra cool.
2. My friend Jeff scored a free ticket for the Barnum and Bailey Circus at the American Airlines Center through his job. I hadn’t been to the circus since I was 4. It was awesome! I was more enthralled and riveted by the performances and tigers and elephants than I expected. Must see the circus more often.
3. Stacy graduated from grad school and held a celebratory graduation/going away party at Perry’s Steakhouse and Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Dallas. It was a night of elegance and amazement. And of course, we showed the snooty-booty class what was up on the dance floor.
4. Stacy’s parents insisted that I go with her on her move to California. And you know, I can’t resist a road trip so I obliged. It was relatively painless and we got there quicker than I ever have going out west. We ended up going to Carmel after unpacking and shopping for her place.
5. Carmel is a ritzy, European-influenced beach town full of vintage Ferraris and Lamborghinis as well as European eateries and bistros. The houses there made me dream. You could see children playing in the open-window living rooms, nice cars parked in the driveway, ready for a photographer from Better Homes to shoot it. Maybe one day I will end up settling down in a house like that.
6. While I was in California helping Stacy, I met up with someone. We got to know the MCT bus system. We basically had a full day of awesome and adventure exploring Monterey Bay. We walked the pier to watch seals, sea lions, and pelicans feed. He played music on his baritone ukelele while I filmed. There’s an amazing amount of details that I would love to document to fawn over in the future, but it was the greatest day ever. From 10am Friday to 10am Saturday, at the San Jose airport when we said goodbye not wanting to see each other go. I was in a dream state all the way back to Dallas.
7. AND THEN PANIC!!! Raio, my MacBook Pro, caught a kernal panic. I immediately went into freakout mode (despite Apple forums insisting not to) because I hadn’t backed up in months. 6 hours of trying and hoping desperately, I took Raio to the Apple store I trusted. It was an ordeal that lasted about a week but felt like an eternity. After getting Raio back with a brand new hard drive, the old hard drive that had all my files on it was MIA.
8. After a few calls to the local Apple store and Apple depot (HQ), they said they would try to track down my old hard drive, but it was most likely wiped out by now. But lo and behold on Monday, I got a call from a confused Apple employee at the local store, saying my old hard drive had been shipped to them. I dashed straight over to pick up my old hard drive, and clung to hope that it would at least let me access my files. It did. We’re good.
9. I decided to have a regrouping staycay in downtown Dallas at the Adolphus Hotel, where I realized even 4-star hotels have curious stains on room chairs. The Adolphus is also next to the AT&T Dallas HQ, so of course the WiFi was incredible. I uploaded vlogs with record speed. Speaking of which, Vlog Every Day in August happened this month. As usual it added stress but it was great to see familiar faces again.
10. Towards the end of August I noticed on two occasions that I still struggle with insecurity in both the self-image and emotional responsibility realms. I bought super low-cut prep shorts that showed off more than I’m used to showing. I was constantly pulling them down to no avail. But I got the greatest services and warmest smiles from people, so I don’t know why I was trippin’. As for emotional responsibility, I’m used to major people in my life blowing up and blaming me for why a situation went awry. Immediately I take responsibility for my part, but also their part. I take on all the guilt, regret, and sadness. It wasn’t until the dust cloud settled from a recent event that I realized—wait—there were two people involved in that situation. Why am I beating myself up so much? It was a pattern I grew up with that happened a lot with a parent and a former lover when they were super upset and needed someone to take it out on. To make the situation dissipate, I would just say “sorry” profusely to get back to the calm and cool. With a recent event, I decided it would be incredibly irresponsible to let someone emotionally s*** on my happiness. I’m learning correct emotional accountability and to own who I am—inside and out.

Despite photo #10 sounding kind of sour, August was a great month. It was a mixed bag, though, and I’m glad I found the hole in the bottom so I can get myself into sultry September to the autumn rain and of course, my birthday.

How was your August?