A “Judy Downer” $%$

             Open Diary is again messing up. So much for navigating the site and noting a bit. Hopefully this entry will post this morning.

My good friend Judy called last night. I’ve written of Judy here on my journal in the past. Judy’s real name is Gary. I’m not sure if it is a natural progression or just a Gay custom for guys to have female nicknames to be used in private company. Joe gave me the nickname of Orlando Darlena which sends me into spasms of laugfher whenever we get going. Just typing it out has me laughing.

Gary got his “Judy” name about 25 years ago. To give the condensed version of the story: Gary, Rob, Dan, and Joe were all in Joe’s car trying to navigate to a camera store before it closed. Gary was in the back seat moaning and groaning as was his habit. Joe was driving and the song, “It’s Judy’s Turn to Cry” was on the radio. Joe had enough. He told Gary, “You are crying more than Judy in that song. If you don’t shut up, we will call you Judy from now on!”

Instead of shutting up, Gary wailed out, “I hate the name Judy, I’m not a Judy!” The rest is history. From that time on Gary has become Judy. Judy unfortunately has evolved from a close, fun, eccentric friend to being a depressing downer who drains my positive energy away.

When Judy lived in Lockport, NY we all had such good times and parties. However there was always an undercurrent. Judy had lived in the vibrant gay culture of Columbus, Ohio. Bad life decisions on his part ended him up in Buffalo, NY where he joined my circle of friends. This is not to say we weren’t vibrant, but Buffalo always fell short of the Columbus Judy knew. He never seemed really happy.

We got to know many of Judy’s friends of whom Judy was very possessive. One close friend of Judy’s was Tom. What a sweetheart. Tom gave me a box of gas light parts that he salvaged from an old house in Columbus, OH back in the dark ages. The reason Tom gave those gas lights and parts to me was he knew I would put them to use. Sure enough the set of gas electric lights in the dining room are from that hoard. I always think of Tom when I light them.

I learned later on that Judy was furious that Tom gave me that stuff. Judy’s reasoning was: he knew Tom longer then I did, so he was entitled to that gift. He had no use for those lights and parts; he just wanted to add it to his hoard of junk.

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mily: ‘Bookman Old Style’;”>Judy began to really change when he hit his 50th birthday. His whole demeanor just turned so depressing and dark. Judy and I share such a common history, I can’t just cast him aside, but if I had caller ID and saw that he was calling last night I would not have picked up the phone.

That phone call just brought me so down hearing him moan and piss. I’m thinking he is facing his mortality. Basically he was saying how nobody will ever remember him when he is dead. He has the idea that the only way to live forever is to be the founder some kind of charity or something.

I made the mistake of saying how in my journals, those I keep online and in books will serve as evidence I existed for future generations. He poo-pooed that in how nobody would ever read my paper journals and my on-line writings will die with technology changes. Thank you for the uplift Judy!

Finally I tried to break off the conversation telling him he brought me so far down I needed to watch an Episode of “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” on the youtubes to get cheered back up a bit.

You think that would have ended the conversation… oh no… In Judy’s mind I’m a major part of the problem.

OMG… it just dawned on me typing this out. Back in the early 1990’s Judy was one of my first friends to have a computer. He was on the cutting edge of technology in those early computer days. Now in 2013 he claims to be computer illiterate. Judy is so stuck in the denial of the future he has pretty much shut down.

When I said I was going to pull up some shows on the youtubes Judy went ballistic. I should be buying the boxed sets of these shows I want to watch and then they would be a higher quality. I kind of lost it and brought up the fact, “Why should I go and spend all that money for something I’ll probably only watch one time?”

Then he went off on how the “audiophiles” of the 1950’s demanded such quality from recordings and stuff reproduced today can’t come close to what was recorded back then. Same old Judy… things were always better in the past.

I love to look back into the past, but that is not where I want to live. I’m sure this has been said before, but I want to live for today, but keep my eye on the future.

Judy… your wailings brought me down, but through the magic of the youtubes my spirits were revived watching an episode of the now ancient Burns and Allen TV show, and a hysterical Ma and Pa Kettle movie. These old shows had me laughing so hard my stomach hurt. Oh Judy, how I wish you could find some happiness and really laugh again.