Meredith’s Boundaries

[ This post is dedicated to DJ ]

At some point, you have to make a decision.

Boundaries don’t keep other people out. They fence you in

Life is messy. That’s how we’re made.

So you can waste your life drawing lines, or you can live your life crossing them.

But there are some lines — that are way too dangerous to cross.

Here’s what I know. If you’re willing to take the chance. The view from the other side?

Is spectacular.

[Grey's Anatomy, "The First Cut is the Deepest" Air Date: 04/03/2005]

Dallas to Oklahoma in 111 Miles

Monday, September 11, 2006

Yesterday Keith and I decided to do something a little different during my time here in Dallas. We drove to Lake Murray in Oklahoma to attend “Willow Swish” which apparently is a weekend long camping expedition for gay men and women from these western states. Strangely enough we found out about it while shopping at, what I've come to find as the gayest Kroger (Stop and Shop for you East coasters) ever -- in the Gayborhood of course. There we met a guy wh. based on our shopping selections, thought we might be camping this weekend too (we were in the paper isle). This (cute) guy told us about the event being held at this lake about 2 hours north from downtown Dallas. (Little did I know that Oklahoma was so close to Dallas!) There were expected to be about 300 people from TX, OK and other neighboring states so we thought if the weather was good on Sunday, we’d go. And we did.

Of course we were out late (or is it up early?) Saturday night, so we got a late start but made it to Lake Murray in the mid-afternoon. As was the case, most of the campers had left by then but it worked out perfectly in my opinion. Lake Murray is rather large, and very beautiful. We explored the western and eastern bottom most tip of the lake (it took about 20 minutes to drive from the west shore to the east) and to get to the camping sites situated on the lake. To get there it required us to off-road, we were both glad that Keith had a 4-wheel drive (mini) SUV.

We got to the lake and it was completely deserted. Keith packed a lunch, I packed the towels and other sundries, and so after a 2 hour drive (and a bit of getting lost) Keith, Lucy Lu (his pug) and I piled out of the car 20 feet from the shore of this gorgeous, pristine, fresh water piece of earth. We spread a towel down on the dusty ground (it’s dessert like) and I immediately tore off all my clothes and dove in. The lake was muddy, and dropped off very quickly. I couldn’t even see let alone find the bottom of the lake -- and I was only 10 feet from the shore’s edge.

After 4 days of busily exploring every corner of Dallas — the local Gay scene including the many clubs, shops, restaurants, and neighborhoods, not to mention the Counting Crows/Goo Goo Dolls concert we attended Saturday night (it was amazing, thanks Keith!) this pristine, deafeningly quiet, refreshing, and scenic jaunt was exactly what I needed. It was a moment to be remembered.

And incidentally, I can’t imagine a more fitting place to spend a bit of 9/11/06 than in a peaceful place as Murray Lake, OK.

30,000 Feet and on to Dallas

Thursday, September 7, 2006, 11:35 am EST

I just woke up from a great nap. Strangely, both flights this morning were nearly empty so I was able to stretch out and sleep. Which is a good thing because I was up at 1:00 packing for this trip to Dallas, and the lovely alarm went off at 4:30 so I could get my ass to Logan. So I’ve slept most of the morning and am now feeling a bit refreshed.

I’m off to visit Keith Birtwell (see pic) who has lived in Dallas for 6 years working in Radio, but who is about to sell his home and uproot his life and change careers into TV. We met 3-4 years ago online for the purpose of sharing a room at the Florida Round-up (12-step conference for gay men and women held each year in Miami).


Keith and I hit it off right away, but our friendship seriously took hold this Summer after he came to visit me in Ptown for Bear Week. We bonded around breakups (we both had been with our partners for the last few years) as now being single girls (with bruised hearts) in Ptown we provided the appropriate mix of support and kick-in-the-ass-back-to-reality that one needs when your overcoming a lost love.

But Bear Week in Ptown was just the beginning – Keith came back for Carnival, made possible by the fact that he’s been laid off from his Radio job -- and similarly my spending 6 weeks (from Bear week to Labor Day) on the cape this summer (the first time I've ever been able to spend that kind of time out of the office and working remotely part-time).

So Keith and I officially crossed the line into ‘Best Friend’ status, and so I’m on a plane to Dallas using FF miles for the first time in my life to go see his life there before he moves to NY, Chicago, or my favorite, Boston. He’s an amazing, energetic, sometimes forgetful, caring, one-of-a-kind guy. He’s the real deal, if you know what I mean. And FUCKING FUNNY. (See Shoes.) Ah, and as he’ll likely read this he’ll say, “You didn’t include HOT” so for you Keith -- he’s a very handsome, sexy, double take, HOT (Top) man…. But you would have seen that from the pic above (even tho, as he states, in that photo I’m looking like the Daddy.)

As the good friend that he is, he has planned some fun activities for us including the Counting Crows / Goo Goo Dolls concert this Saturday night, he’s appropriately spread the word to all his did-I-mention-hot friends of my pending arrival, accompanied by the sightseeing, dinners, friends-over-for-movie-night, and visiting my first gay Cowboy bar. In fact I’m sure we’ll be visiting a few clubs while I’m in Dallas / Fort Worth area to taste the local flavors, if you will.

It’s funny, as if it weren’t for Keith I’d likely have never visited Texas. It wasn’t on my radar screen of gay friendly places to visit (yes, everyone knows about Austin) and certainly being the home of GWB it’s not exactly high on my list. But Keith will make it fun, memorable, and certainly full of laughs.