A Gay Couple's Journey through Surrogacy; Intended Fathers

It's official! The book has been published! Funny feeling though. It arrived from the publisher on a Wednesday. I came home from work and found a manilla envelope in the mailbox. That's it. No fanfare, no paparazzi, no parade waves to have had. But, it's out there for all the world to see.http://www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?sid=UUDD16QQADFK8PMGFBK5VJ4F2UTVCUS1&sku=5520&AuthType=4

Updates...

I haven't posted to my own blog in forever. Things have been a tad bit busy. A 2 y/o, a husband, and a house will do that to you. Here's my life in bullet format.

I have one final tonight at 5pm. Why am I not studying? I don’t care anymore. It’s a terrible, yet free, feeling. Then I’m done this semester.

I “graduate” May 18th, but have two classes left in July. Then I’m done.

I finished my internship at the MICA program. Loved it. Hated it.

I interviewed for a per-diem job and got it on the spot. I start training when we’re back from Arizona…lock down psych ward at hospital. I'm nervous. But no drugs this gig.

Speaking of AZ, we’re headed there next week for a week. We might get pregnant again. We’ll see…

We put an offer in on a house in Newburgh. Overpriced. We low balled an offer we’ll see.

The publisher sent me the first copy of my book hot off the presses. It hits stores next week. Why am I not excited?

Our new friends bob and Mark are adopting.

Our new friends S & C are trying to get pregnant thanks to a sperm donor.

I miss gaymadhousewife/phaggot. I think of him often and wonder where he is.

I miss the other blogger too. I can’t think of his name. Oh. PJS. I wonder where he went.

David and I start couples counseling the week after next.

I’m thinking of going on for my PhD or Ed.D. in the spring of ’07. We’ll see.

Cher was in NYC last week. The world is a good place. So close. So far away.

Rosie will be on the View starting in September. I thought she wanted time away from being a celebrity? Ah…..fame.

More soon. After the trip.

House Price in Newburgh...

We just looked at a 2,300 sq foot, 4 bed, 2 1/2, bath home in Newburgh, NY, on 1/3 of an acre. It sits in a development of other homes and was built in 2002. I'm guessing the original price for it was around $150,000.00 Listing price now is $409,999.00. Oddly enough, I found a sales history for it on recent home sales and it was bought last year for $353,000.00. That's a nice 10% jump, or attempted jump, in price huh? Another house in the neighborhood, very similiar to this one, just listed Friday for $398,000. What's the 10 thousand dollar difference? Beats me. It's nearly the identical house just different listing agent.

Ulster County Real Estate...

Original asking price in the fall of '05? $489,900.00. The view from the back of the house is of a tin roof from a commercial building. Beeeeutiful! Current price? $439K.

Brokeback Backlash? Huh?

I’m starting to think that I’m the only gay guy in the USofA that didn’t really think Brokeback Mountain would clean up at the Oscars. What surprises me more is that voices in the gay community are saying it was because of homophobia and a “backlash” against the movie. No one is saying, okay, it won for adapted screenplay which it deserved, but it didn’t win best picture because maybe it wasn’t, nor did the lead actors win best actor or best supporting, because, um…maybe they weren’t? Why does it have to be because of homophobia? When Oprah lost was it racism? When Cher won was it because Bob Mackie threatened to design more tacky gowns if she didn’t? Face it fellow gays; the acting just wasn’t that good.

We were probably the last four (we went with another gay couple last weekend) gay guys to see the film and I while I loved the story, cinematography, and supporting roles, I wasn’t impressed with the acting in the lead roles. They were more like caricatures to me, than characters. Jake just didn’t pull it off, nor did Heath.

I found this quote interesting also: “Yet its release and much of the publicity surrounding it serve as a reminder that while many heterosexuals may embrace the quality of the filmmaking and the story’s inherent emotional pull, there remains widespread repugnance toward homosexuality that’s rooted deeply in the hearts and minds of straight Americans, including many professed liberals and hip Hollywood types.” It’s from the Advocate.com and my jaw dropped. The movie did not portray homosexuality in a positive light. It portrayed two men – one of which, Ennis, was probably bi-sexual mores so than hetero – who deeply hurt their families because they carried on what they thought was a secret love affair for decades. The most powerful scene in the entire movie for me was when Ennis’ wife catches him and Jack embracing and passionately kissing. She was devastated. Year after year Ennis packed his bags to secretly meet Jack while his kids screamed in the background. That, my dears, is repugnant.

Beacon, NY, Real Estate

Go figure: MLS#236781. Just listed for $580G's, 4 beds, 3baths, 2,800 square feet, built in 2002 on .25 acres. Or, there's MLS #238667, listed January of '06 at $494K, with 2 1/2 baths, 3,850 square feet built in 2006 on .25 acres. What's the 100 thousand dollar difference? Nothing. The cheaper one is closer to transportation, highways, and bridges. Isn't real estate fun?

Real Estate...

I'm fascinated by real estate. Have been for months on end now. We've been looking since we moved to New Paltz last July. No luck. Prices were outrageous, but alas, New Paltz is seeing a decline in housing prices. Houses listed for $489K are now listed for $439K. One example is the person who listed her house For Sale By Owner (4bedroom, 2,800 sq, 2 1/2 bath, 2 year old colonial listed for $549K although other comps in the area were 100G's lower) has finally woken up and listed her abode with a realtor for $510G’s. Nice.
My favorite is the 3 bedroom "gentlemen's farm" originally listed in 5/05 for $899K. As of December of 06 it was down to $775K. It's now off the market. It’s gone through two realtors and countless open houses. No luck. I bet it will come back in 30 days with a new realtor and a brand new lower price of about $725G’s. I’ll bet the listing agent refused to lower the price and lost the listing. Who drops the price of their home over 100 thousand dollars? I think we're going to be renting for a little while longer.

The house that we made an offer on last August (the picture above) is still on the market. Original listing price was $465K. We offered $450K and were told by the listing agent that it was a “low ball offer.” 97% of asking price is low ball? I said to David, no, I swore to David that I wouldn’t buy that house if it was the last home for sale in all of Newburgh, New York. Gleefully, yes, gleefully, I watched as they lowered the price to $449K this past December. Funny thing is that the sellers probably feel that they ate some equity. Want some ketchup with that? If they paid 200Gs for the house 12 years ago they are lucky. Anything over 250G’s for them is sheer profit so “eating” 15G’s is wrong? No. It’s not.

Am I bitter? Yes. I am. Because it’s sheer greed. We sold or home on Long Island last year and made nearly 200G’s in profit and that was after reducing the price by 10%. We didn’t “eat” anything; we had 200G’s in equity. Sellers need to change their viewpoint as they aren’t “eating” or “losing” anything.