Crying Wee! Wee! Wee! All the Way Home

So I try to write these blog posts because I think I have something quasi-important to say. But only quasi... I'm not that special. But every once in a while I write something because I know I was in the wrong; doing something stupid involving treatment or just about me screwing up my life in general. So this is one of those, a semi-cautionary tale, because sometimes the smallest parts of out body can be a big problem (That's what she said...).

Okay, so kind of unrelated, I got this idea from a commercial. One of my favorite commercials of all time. I'm posting it below...

So sometimes I enjoy drinking a bottle of wine. It's a good time. I enjoy trying new wines I don't know and when it comes to something bubbly or effervescent, much like my personality, I go a little overboard, again, much like my personality. So when I've been drinking I get a little rowdy and... well... enough about that. Moral of story, the other night I was drinking a little and stubbed my pinky toe, no harm no foul. And I went to bed.

Next morning, I woke up and my toe was all red, discolored, and I had a blood blister under my toe nail. "It's just my pinky-toe," I thought. No harm, no foul. And off to work I trudged.

Bad idea. By the end of my shift I could barely walk, and after popping 6-8 ibuprofen at a time, my stomach was doing somersaults. It's silly. As a mild-mod Hemophiliac I don't jump the gun to infuse right away, but I usually am OVERLY cautious about RICE. My toe is still a little swollen and hurts like hell, but I think any bleeding has stopped, even though the entire ball of my foot felt like I was walking on glass and not my fabulous metallic P.F. Flyers.

You'd think that by the time I've turned 27 I would understand how to take care of my body, it's just that sometimes, I still don't want to admit to myself that something is wrong. That I'm bleeding. That I'm not normal. It's just easier to pretend everything is fine, even though I am in excruciating pain.

So don't be stupid. Even if you've had a couple glasses of wine or are with someone you have neglected to inform of your condition, just be honest with your own needs and do what's best. And for all my non-bleeder friends out there, the same goes for you. I'm not saying make a mountain out a molehill, which my anxiety disorder causes me to do one too many times, but don't just sweep the little stuff under the rug. Sometimes you need to act upon it. Because if not, it could turn into a disaster, and the the Beyonce Beautiful kind... Just a plain old disaster.

Take it from one who knows... but that's a WHOLE 'nother post. So don't let the little piggy cry all the way home, even if he loves the pinwheel...

Until we meet again...

Born This Way

Yeah, yeah. I know. Everyone is Gaga'ed out. Her album came out to #1, she's been on every talk show known to mankind, and if she says "I was Born this Way" in one more interview I might die...

But I love her.

It's true. She's amazing. And after watching her on "The View" today, I have so much more respect for her.

Yeah, the Gays love her 'cause she's all about owning who you are and about how everyone should respect that, and maybe it is because I'm a big ol' 'mo, but it's really easy to buy into all that. But watching "The View" today, and seeing all these women, over 30, putting their "paws up" made me realize there is so much more to her message than just loving those of us who love purple unicorns...

It really is true this mantra that she sings of... We are all Born This Way.

When I was in elementary school, there was a male health teacher I had who was trying to explain the basics of genetics to a bunch of 11 year olds, and he basically boiled it down to this analogy:

"It's like playing cards. We all get dealt a hand at random, and then we all have to play the game in front of us. Some of us get some lousy cards, but doesn't mean we still can't win."

And that really hit home for me, as I sat there in class wearing my helmet. I didn't choose to be different, I just was. I was dealt a not so great card, the hemo card, but that didn't mean I couldn't do ANYTHING I wanted to, and so from that point on I decided to never let it get me down. And I haven't.

And it blows my mind that while going out to Splash and dancing my ass off to "Born This Way," I haven't even thought about it as anything more than just a new Gay Anthem. Instead, it's kind of like the new "Free to Be, You and Me." (For those of you too young to have ANY idea what I'm talking about.... click here for a YouTube Clip)

So thank you, mother monster. Although it's something I have known for a while, it's good to put it out there in a different way, so that everyone knows, that we are all Born This Way. There is nothing wrong with it. Just pick up your cards, play your hand, and come out the winner, because cards may be a lot of luck, but it's mostly skill and strategy that will get you through the hand, and win you that giant pot of cash (or, in my case, pennies because I don't have enough money to actually play in the big leagues).

Till we meet again...

Opening Number

Well hello out there in blogspot land! It is I. Anthony. I've decided that it's time to start blogging about my experiences. I'm going to be honest. I don't really know what a blog is! But I'm totally willing to learn, so PLEASE feel free to send some constructive criticism my way! :)

I feel like this first post should be a little bit about me.

I am Anthony, a 27 year old actor living in NYC, which means I wait a lot of tables. I am currently employed at 2 different restaurants, one is a world famous shrimp shack based on a very famous movie (I am using discretion on this one), and the other is a bistro in the East Village.

Great. Big surprise. An actor who waits tables. Why do you wanna keep reading? I'll tell you! I call myself... wait for it... The Hemo Homo.

Here's the thing. I am also a hemophiliac who happens to also be a homosexual. I know take a minute to let that absorb. For those of you who know what both of these things are, sorry. You're going to have to struggle through the explanations.

So I think everyone is pretty clear on what being gay is, so I won't really touch that one. It's the hemophilia thing that always gets me the scrunched up nose face with a remark like, "So wait. If you cut yourself you don't stop bleeding?"

This answer is: Yes. I stop bleeding. Here's the definition. I'll give you a minute to look over the science.

Okay, now that you're back. Here's my definition. I bleed internally. Since I have Hemophilia A, I'm missing a bunch of the stuff that makes my blood clot when I get physically injured, such as a punch (or having a giant industrial coffee pot fall on your hand while working at one of those FANTASTIC serving jobs. ugh). It's called Factor VIII (8). So basically I need medical attention whenever I get injured, and I use ice treatments for the minor stuff, and Factor 8 infusions for the bigger stuff. We'll get into all that in a later post. I don't wanna scare you away TOO soon.

So you can imagine the wacky and zany antics that can occur when you combine this genetic anomaly to the crazy world of gayness. Let me tell you... hilarity ensues.

So there we are. The Hemo Homo. Please feel free to tweet me (@anthonyromeo) questions at anytime. I would be MORE than willing to answer anything you wanna know. And follow my blog. Sometimes it'll be informative, or funny, or hopefully both.

Buckle up everybody, because this is going to be one bumpy ride.

Till we meet again...