SUBCONSCIOUS DEATH WISH...¿OR? SIMPLY BEING REAL HUMAN...

Does it ever seem to you that death from HIV/AIDS has an affinity for men that hook up with other men? I ask this question because this year alone a few persons I know of died from this killer. I would like to think that they took care of themselves, but I know that would be a lie. SO many of them lived as if they had NO care in the world…the party does NOT stop after they get diagnose with HIV/AIDS. I suppose they figure it doesn’t matter anymore because the unthinkable has become thinkable. This saddens me to no end because it is bad enough that we are not PROTECTING ourselves from this killer, but we are proving the moral majority to be right by living/dying like this disease was sent to rid us off this planet.

As I think about the men that were lost to this disease, I often wonder, if being who they are (gay) made them feel as they are were/are THE embodiment of an unnatural sin? I sit and think about how many of them wished they could have maintained their ‘godly’ heterosexuality by wanting wives and children? I wonder how many of them freaked out in private, curled into the fetal position, crying as HIV/AIDS became their reality. How many more gay men will have to fight HARD to recondition themselves to fight against the stigma of this disease the same way Pavlov reconditioned his dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell ONLY TO FAIL?

OUR LUST FOR EACH OTHER IS KLLING US! We as gay men are fighting SO hard to end up ALONE! I LOVE fucking the next guy as much as anyone else, but I think about spooning on rainy Sunday mornings, receiving that surprise gift from that special man who knows my middle name. Life's a lot longer than just 9-12 inches and I don't want us to find ourselves preparing to die from a disease that doesn’t care about us @ all.

I am tired of us being the victim that has been robbed and beaten by my friends and my family. I am tired of us being the forgotten, the lost and the abandoned. It brings tears to my eyes to think of the men who have passed that were SO disconnected and dissociated from THE source. This brings to mind something the prophet Kahlil Gibran said,

“our pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses our understanding and much of our pain is self-chosen. He continues by saying, “It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility; for his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen, and the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.”

What I’m saying is that we can choose to go on or we can choose to give up. We make choices for a lot of reasons, but every reason we choose seeks to do one thing, it takes us further on our journey. However we as gay men play SO hard that we take ourselves to the place where we can’t adequately address our needs. We find ourselves prowling the walls between the glory holes seeking that empty, anonymous sexual contact while blocking any opportunity for true intimacy. I can see it now, the eye contact…the pulling out of the dick, it is placed through the glory hole, and it is sucked for a while…Then there's a pause, a whisper, he enters and strips…slowly turns around while the head of a dick is placed FIRMLY @ the entrance to his ass…WILL HE SAY NO, LET’S GET A CONDOM?

In the heat of the moment, he allows himself to be taken and in the back of his mind, he KNOWS he is doing something that can AND will hurt him…Or has he convinced himself that this one isolated, unprotected sexual encounter will NOT lead to his ultimate demise? Risky behavior is VERY appealing to us. The rush that it provides makes us feel SO ALIVE! When will this behavior cease? I don’t think it will cease until society STOPS beating down young gay boys mentally, physically AND spiritually. All of the negative action towards young boys INNOCENTLY being themselves causes us to grow into men that have distrust for each other.

Many gay men learned @ a very young age to be dishonest and deceitful, all to conceal their true identity, as it was deemed devilish, ungodly, or plain perverted. This behavior simply perpetuates itself throughout one's life. Before long, a person begins to believe that how they are living is "acceptable," therefore projecting their lies and bullshit onto others, who are unsuspecting and being hurt in the process. Do you see the vicious cycle? As desire turned into a need that ends up costing us our lives, we tell ourselves that we could get away with "just one more" unprotected sex act. One turned into hundreds, maybe even thousands. While I have no qualms about promiscuity, I tend to question if we TRULY LOVE ourselves? I get our need to be fulfilling in all aspects of the sex we are having, but SAFE SEX is ABSOLUTELY necessary. TOO many of us have yet to mature physically, mentally, and spiritually to the point where we can connect on a REAL level with another man. Somewhere DEEP down inside, there is a voice telling SO many of us that sleeping with men is wrong.

NO matter how much education is available to us, or how many individuals we see lose their lives to HIV/AIDS, the reality is that this behavior will continue to perpetuate itself and I am left writing entries like this, asking myself questions like what could I have done to help so and so? Why didn’t I know they needed someone? I suppose I will forever wonder if those men that passed possessed some sort of subconscious death-wish, or were they simply being real human?

TRUE BLOOD: SEASON 3, EPISODE 11– FRESH BLOOD

On this episode of True Blood the stage for the finale has been set. There was a ton of Pam, which is like whip cream on top of Tru Blood float. (My favorite line of hers was when she called Bill an ''infatuated tween.'') But I really can't get into any of it without a big, giant SPOILER ALERT so for those who haven't watched yet, please avert your eyes. And for those of you who did watch ... WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ERIC?!?!?

Let's just get right at it: The finale with Russell and Eric handcuffed together burning in the sun was pretty amazing. Eric managed to convince Russell that drinking Sookie's fairy blood would allow Russell to walk in the daylight. Since Russell is hungry for power (and still a tad off kilter considering he's carrying around Talbot's innards like they're a clutch purse), he believed Eric and was lured out into the sun only to begin baking. Like, how can they leave us hanging for two weeks? How am I supposed to get any work done? I may have to call in sick.

And poor Sookie — I mean, how many times is she gonna allow herself to get completely screwed by Bill and/or Eric? She was left bleeding to death after being fed on by both Russell and Eric with Bill just watching helplessly. I know she loves Bill, but, like, a gal's gotta draw a line somewhere. What this show needs is a relationship counselor. Or maybe they should all just go celibate. They might want to look into that ... although it probably won't make for very good television.

My one big question: Why can't Russell just drag Eric back into Fangtasia? Does the silver weaken him that much? I don't really care because it made for such good TV, but it popped into my head. From the looks of the trailers, Bill claims that both men perish in the sun, but I refuse to believe they're killing of our beloved Mr. Northman. In any case, it gave us some lovely moments between Eric and Pam, including Eric telling her, ''You know I love you more when you're cold and heartless.''

I will say that one of my favorite scenes of this episode and maybe this entire season was with Sookie and Bill in her car before they were re-kidnapped. The pair imagined what their lives would be like if they were just an average, everday couple and not a vamp and a fairy waitress. Most hilariously, Sookie said she'd be in college but then backtracked and instead chose being a real estate agent so she could be super rich. Love it.Moving on to another couple that I love, Jessica and Hoyt had a crrrrraaaaaaazzzzzy hot love/biting scene. It was so fun to see them back together and, despite a lack of nudity, their couch love scene was one of the most erotic moments so far this season on True Blood. Still, it seems like that grace period may be ending given that Hoyt's mother basically threatened to destroy Jessica by the end of the episode (and the image of her in the finale teaser brandishing a rifle seems a tad threatening).

Continuing the couple's theme, Jesus and Lafayette came down from their V high but not before Lafayette had a hella crazy hallucination. I literally gasped when he turned around and saw Jesus as some sort of Darth Maul-esque demon. I was not prepared for that. What do we think that means? Is Jesus ACTUALLY a demon? Or is there something else lurking inside him? Or is it just the V? They're clearly paving the way for Lafayette to realize he has the ability to see things when he's on V. The sequence where his various statues came to life was kind of hilarious but also totally freaky.

Sam continued his downward spiral, getting completely plastered and screaming at the patrons of Merlotte's (one of his choice statements: ''Jesus Christ, you're ugly!''). Most heartbreaking was when he mocked Terry, who's pretty much the only level-headed person left in Bon Temps. And then he and Tara decided to revert to their old hook-up buddy agreement and do the nasty. Shortly before, Tara confessed to Andy that she knew about Eggs' death. I'm still unclear as to whether she's gonna seek revenge or just keep getting angrier and angrier.

Meanwhile, Arlene and Holly grew closer and attempted to end her pregnancy through some kind of Wiccan ritual involving tea and salt from the bar at Merlotte's. The scene went on a tad too long, but obviously Holly is going to continue to play a big role next season, which, my sources tell me, is gonna be heavy on the witches. Still, Arlene thought she lost the baby the next day, but then learned it was still alive and well. So what did she and Holly do? Is she carrying a demon baby?

The one storyline that I sorta don't care about is Crystal and Jason. She's just becoming sorta annoying and always whining to Jason about her trashy family. Although I am sort of obsessed with the kid Jason found eating a dead animal a few episodes back, which Crystal revealed is her ''double cousin Buford.'' Genius. But there was this very odd scene where Jason confronted the new star Bon Temps quarterback again and it didn't seem to have much of a point, except to establish that everyone in town is on V.

What did you think of last night's True Blood? Is Eric gonna die in the finale? Will Sookie ever forgive Bill?

GOD OF THE GAPS

As Ebon Muse so eloquently put it, 

"Where the Bible tells us God once shaped worlds out of the void and parted great seas with the power of his word, today his most impressive acts seem to be shaping sticky buns into the likenesses of saints and conferring vaguely-defined warm feelings on his believers' hearts when they attend church." 

This is what atheists call the "God of the gaps." Whatever gap there is in our understanding of the world, that's what God is responsible for. Wherever the empty spaces are in our coloring book, that's what gets filled in with the blue crayon called God.

When you look at the history of religion, you see that the perceived power of God himself, among believers themselves, has been diminishing. As our understanding of the natural, physical world has increased and our ability to test theories and claims has improved, the realm of “God's” miracles has consistently shifted, away from the phenomena that are now understood as physical cause and effect.

Examples: We stopped needing God to explain floods, but we still needed him to explain sickness and health. Then we didn't need him to explain sickness and health any more...but we still needed him to explain consciousness. Now we're beginning to get a grip on consciousness, so we'll soon need God to explain...what, exactly?

The blue crayon is worn down to a nub; and it's never proven to be the right color. Over and over again, throughout history, we have had to go to great trouble to scrape the blue crayon out of people's minds and replace it with the right color. Given this pattern, doesn't it seem that we should stop reaching for the blue crayon every time we see an empty space in the coloring book?

SAID I LOVED YOU...BUT I LIED

"Said I Loved You...But I Lied" is the title of a popular song by the American pop music singerMichael Bolton. The song was co-written and co-produced by Bolton and Robert John "Mutt" Lange.

Released as the first single from his multi-platinum 1993 album The One Thing, the song reached the Top 40 in November 1993 and eventually became Bolton's seventh and most recent Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when it peaked at number six in early 1994.^[1] The song also spent twelve weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Trackschart, the singer's eighth chart-topper on this tally.^[2] The single was certified Gold by theRecording Industry Association of America^[1] and earned Bolton a Grammy nomination in the category Best Male Pop Vocal performance at the 37th Grammy Awards.^[2]

Outside the U.S., "Said I Loved You..." peaked at number two on the ARIA Charts in Australia and reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.^[3]

IN THE FACE ADVERSITY...

"When one's enemies plot to harm one, one must continue to smile in the face of adversity. In this way one's enemies will miss the opportunity for rejoicing they had so much looked forward to. They will begin to doubt their success, and that will cause them to suffer the pain they had intended to inflict on others. The ability to conduct oneself in such a way as to disappoint one's enemy's expectations enables one to take revenge with dignity and without any outward show of emotion." - Amadou Hampate Ba

[A BLOG/BLOGGER IS ONE]

[A BLOG/BLOGGER IS ONE] whose heart is informed about the things which would be otherwise ignored,

The one who is clear-sighted when he is deep into a problem,

The one who is moderate in his actions.

Who penetrates others with his writings,

Whose advice is unknowingly [sought] to unravel complications,

Who instructs his own heart,

Who stays awake at night as he looks for the right paths,

Who surpasses what he accomplished yesterday,

Who brought himself to wisdom,

Who asks for advice and whose advice is sought.

I’ve often been asked how is it that I can write about something real and profound one minute, and then slap my readers with something so sexual the next. To which I reply: Part of blogging is the expression of MY individual identity that bounds me to articulate my unique persona. I know this might sound like a load of shit (I shock myself sometimes), but I can’t help but give you what life unabashedly compels me to say/write! I’ve learned that as I embark upon the journey, I MUST take with me all the elements that surround me.

But believe it or not, I approach blogging with an open heart and a greater consciousness than myself. When I blog, I remove myself from the confines of reality to immerse myself in the intrigue of the familiar and unfamiliar…in real and the fake…in the erotic and the sensual…Every entry has the potential to touch the human soul deeply, arousing patterns of thought that might otherwise lay dormant. The release that can be derived from a blog is so UNIQUE that we MUST not dismiss the fact that what isn’t for you, CERTAINLY is useful for another.

I LOVE blogging because it requires an investment of emotion, the concentration and the imagination of myself and those who come visit. The words written here are merely a starting point for a process that takes place largely within the minds and hearts of each of us. With my blog, I try to show how our lives fluctuate when viewed from moment to moment. When analyzed over the long term, the unexpected ceases to be a source of stress and you can appreciate life NOT only for the things that are for you, but for the ones that are NOT! I get that blogging @ times can act like a sponge, absorbing the radiant of all who pass through it. However it is my EVERY intention to invigorate and NOT drain you.

My goal is to unveil your soul, no matter what the configuration, I see blogging as something that represents the circular path of our being. It illustrates the journey of all encompassing cycles of life, death, and that which lies beyond. So rather than trying to ignore feelings of shame I simply give meaning to the things about life that I feel are beautiful…I am all about reaching a HIGH level of vibration! Thoughts, emotions, intentions, choices, and actions contribute to the vibrational state of blogging; and it is in this space that each of us has been blessed with an innate need to celebrate and glorify ALL aspects life.

I know MANY would say, that my blog sends mixed messages @ times (and I am sure it does), however, I’ve come to understand that there is NO right OR wrong way to blog! It is all about connecting to our center AND accessing THE fullness of who we are as individual spirits. I am connected to the energy source of the universe, from which nothing can be lacking. SO many of us allow others to direct our paths NEVER realizing that expressing your TRUE self will help you discover who you truly are. Only I can create the blog that will make me happy, and only I can do what’s necessary to make this blog a reality.

IT IS BETTER TO BUILD SOFT BOYS THAN TO REPAIR BROKEN MEN...

How did SO many of the men on this planet become SO impressed with the pseudo manhood of acting as if they know what it takes to be a man when they have NO idea how it is done? I ask this question because MANY have said to me both gay and straight that I am gay because a female (my mother) doesn’t have it in her to teach me how to be a man. Granted she may not be swinging a dick, but the woman that raised me has more balls N’ courage than most men I know.

I’ve heard over and over how a boy needs a man to teach him how to be a man and a girl needs vice versa. I grew up in single parent home and the fact that I am gay has brought MANY to say, ‘what can my family expect from me? After all there were NO men in the home to rear me.’ Now I grew up in a household with my sister, aunt and TWO uncles (meaning men) and I still am who I am…I did all sort of ‘’boyish’’ things with my uncle, yet still I am who I am…Moreover, I have friends and family who are homosexually inclined, who were raised in homes with both a mother AND a father yet they are just like me who was raised by a female that couldn’t teach me how to be a man. I suppose we all assume things about situations that we NO idea how they came to be.

I know that when you look around today, you barely see men setting ‘manly’ examples for the ones that come behind them. Why should gay men yearn to be like straight men? Moreover, why should young boys yearn to be like them? All the hyper-masculinity, misogyny, sexism AND violence that dominate our place on this planet is just degrading who we are as human beings. I feel that a boy becomes a man through introspection and NOT by another male teaching him how to become himself. But to bring change we have to examine and understand that the world’s mind has been controlled by men who put themselves in the position to be in control (i.e. politicians and ‘religious salesmen’).

Nonetheless I smile because to ‘know’ from experience and positive wisdom is quite different than ‘intellect babbling’. Better to spend time examining the inner and seeing the results of manifestation than spending life wondering when  we as a society are going to understand that responsibility MUST be taken before blame can be cast? From where I am sitting, I’d rather a world filled with soft boys than a world with hard broken men…

TRUE BLOOD: SEASON 3, EPISODE 10 – I SMELL A RAT

On Sunday's True Blood, we found out that Sam's redneck beatdown at Merlotte's last week was not the first time he had anger-management issues. Lafayette and Jesus bonded further... over drugs. Arlene turns to Holly for advice about her predicament. Jessica is the belle of the Bon Temps ball. And Bill, Eric and Sookie need to come up with a plan, before Russell brings his crazy to town.

SAM

Sam's new penchant for rage freaks out most of the staff. Holly offers him a natural remedy that will lower his testosterone and keep his rage in check. It's a thing she does, she says, because she's a Wiccan. (Or so she says!) Tommy, on the other hand, who has never met a bad judgment he didn't like, is proud of his big brother. Not helping, Tommy!

You see, our friend Sam has a bit of a checkered past. It seems he used to be a thief. In a flashback to 2003, we see a heist gone wrong when he was double-crossed by his lady accomplice and her lover. Sam shape-shifts into the beagle to sneak up on them and reclaim his booty, but something goes awry, and he ends up shooting them both dead. Bad Sam!

NAN FLANAGAN

I love her appearances on television. That is all.

REV. NEWLIN

Speaking of appearances on television, guess who's back?

JASON and TARA

After Jason shotgun-stakes Franklin, he has a little PTSD moment where he remembers the deaths of both Eggs and Eddie the kindly suburban vampire. But Tara is all business, and snaps him out of it so they can erase the evidence of Franklin's staking.

It's a good thing too, because Bill needs him to watch over Sookie during the daylight hours. Bill tells him he might have to shoot a werewolf right between the eyes. Oh jeez, please let's not bring back that bullet-hole hallucination of his.

Jason tells Sookie that he killed Eggs, and she wants him to tell Tara the truth.

Tara is kind of anti-vampire now, and can you blame her, after everything's she's been through? This isn't good news for Bill, since Sookie's best friend no longer trusts him, and as we'll see, Bill needs all the help he can get.

Tara thanks Jason for saving his life, not aware that he's burdened with the guilt of killing Eggs. The conversation has a tender sibling quality to it — that is, until she kisses him. As if this moment couldn't be any more wrong, Jason decides to tell her that he killed Eggs. She bolts from the house, from which Sookie has also taken leave while Jason and Tara were sucking face.

Hey, guess what, y'all? There's a panther in the hizzy, and it's Crystal! At least with that glossy black coat, he won't be able to hallucinate a bullet hole in her forehead.

ARLENE

Arlene finally tells Terry that Rene is the daddy, and even though she wants to give it up because she thinks it's going to be evil, Terry says he'll raise the baby as his own. Aw, Terry. But Arlene has other plans, so she approaches Holly about getting rid of it, perhaps using one of her Wiccan remedies, methinks.

RUSSELL

OMG, Russell picks up a hustler (Michael Steger, 90210's Navid), Tony, who looks oddly tall and strikingly like the dearly departed Talbot. After their presumed tryst, Russell goes totally bonkers, speaking to Tony as if he's Talbot. Russell uses the opportunity to say his goodbyes to his longtime lover. Then he stakes Tony/Talbot.

LAFAYETTE

Lafayette has an idea to save Crystal's redneck daddy: vampire blood. It works, and he's cured. His miraculous recovery intrigues Jesus, and he wants to try V with Lafayette. So they do.

Remember when Jason and Amy took V out in the meadow and everything was like a Disney film? Well, this is different. Lala exposits that doing V with someone deepens the connection between the pair. Now there's been a lot of talk swirling about how Lafayette has some hidden powers. We've also seen Jesus' suspicious tattoo. Fittingly, their trip together shows what I'm going to call their supernatural family tree.

Things start off pretty much like Jason and Amy's trip. They hallucinate a shimmying Virgin Mary. ("You go, girl," Lala tells her.)

But then things get significant. First they meet Jesus' grandmother, who was some sort of sorceress. We see her help a local woman with fertility problems by placing an egg yolk on her bellybutton.

Then they meet Lala's great-great-great grandmother, Mae, a conjurer, as she scatters powder on the ground. During this scene, I got a headache because Lala and Jesus switched voices at least twice.

Then it's off to meet Jesus' grandfather, a scary-looking dude who practiced the black arts, and apparently he had big plans for his grandson. And then — whoosh! — they're back to reality.

But what does it all mean? Are Lala and Jesus destined to move to Vermont and open a holistic remedies shop together? Any (serious) theories?

JESSICA and HOYT

Uh-oh, Tommy has a fang fetish, and Jessica's are giving rise to all sorts of things.

Summer wants to call Hoyt "Bear." She also wants to have sex with him, if that's what it takes to close up the distance between them.

But her plan backfires, because by the hour's end, Hoyt is at Merlotte's, trying to win back Jessica. "If you knew half the sh-- I've done, it's unimaginable, and I actually like it," says the baby vamp who is enjoying finding her footing. He asks her to just tell him that she doesn't love him, and he'll leave her alone. She remains silent, but her expression remains conflicted. Hoyt storms off in a huff.

Outside the bar, snot-nosed Tommy takes the opportunity to berate Hoyt for his failure. The normally docile Hoyt slugs him square in the jaw, and the audience cheers. Tommy shifts into the pit bull and attacks Hoyt. Jessica hears the ruckus and zips outside, picks up Tommy and hurls him into the woods. Hoyt is a bloody mess, so Jessica opens a vein and offers her wrist to him. "I love you too," she says. "Now drink my blood." So he does.

SOOKIE, BILL and ERIC

"I'm a fairy? How f---ing lame!" Sookie says.

Bill relates his trip to Fairyland, and here's the upshot: The fairies believe that they were wiped out of existence by vampires. You see, vampires found fairy blood to be delectable and intoxicating. Sookie wants to know if that's why he's attracted to her. He says it isn't, and to prove it, he says he'll never feed off her again.

Eric, meanwhile, knows he is directly in Russell's sights, so he's drawing up a will, and Yvetta is a little miffed that she's been passed over for Pam, Eric's progeny, who will inherit everything.

Eric also knows that Sookie is a fairy, and further, that drinking fairy blood gives a vampire SPF protection from the sun. He also deduces that that's why Sophie-Anne sent Bill to find Sookie in the first place, and perhaps that's why she'll be next on crazy Russell's to-do list.

Sookie has another sex dream about Eric. "You know you have feelings for me," Dream Eric says. "Ew," she says. Dream Eric also tells her that she shouldn't trust Bill.

Sookie goes to see Eric at Fangtasia, and he's all doom and gloom. He says he doesn't want to die without kissing her first. So he does. "OK, I get it, I'm irresistible and intoxicating," she says, breaking off the passionate embrace. She asks him why she shouldn't trust Bill, but before he can answer, Pam barges in. "Blah-blah-vampire emergency blah," she says drily.

Now here's an interesting development. This season has marked a deepening of the parent-child bond between Eric and Pam in surprisingly emotional ways. So it's Pam who has to tell the difficult truth: If Eric were to give Sookie to Russell, he might be able to save his own life. Eric doesn't want to do this, of course, and it creates a rift between him and his progeny. She tells him at least figure out how she can use Sookie.

I'm nervous now, guys, because it appears that they might be setting up our precious Pam for some real evil-doing.

Eric appears to have heard her message too, because he grabs Sookie from the Fangtasia office and brings her down to the basement and shackles her. Ugh, remember when Lafayette was down there? ("Bucket!")

Only two episodes to go! What did you think of "I Smell a Rat"? How will Eric, Bill and Sookie defeat Russell? What connection do Lafayette and Jesus share? Will Tara ever forgive Jason? What's the next step for Hoyt and Jessica? And are things looking as ominous for Arlene and Pam as I think they are?

THE LIGHT INSIDE...

People are like stained glass windows,

When the sun is shining through them, they glow brightly and sparkle.

But when the sun goes down, and it is dark and gloomy outside;

Their true beauty is revealed - only if there is light from within.

Know people by what they are from inside;

And not by what they appear from out. 

FOOLISH GAMES

"Foolish Games" is a song by Jewel released as her third/fourth and final single, taken from her debut album Pieces of You. It was also the third single to be lifted from the Batman & Robinmotion picture soundtrack. Jewel re-recorded the single for the soundtrack to produce a more radio-friendly version, similar to her other singles "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant for Me". A verse was taken from the original lyrical liner to shorten the length of the song. The single version can be found on the soundtrack of Batman & Robin.

The song details Jewel's frustration and agony of knowing that her lover, or friend, does not care about her as much as she cares for him. The song parallel's Bruce Wayne's relationship withJulie Madison, as well as his friendship/partnership with Dick Grayson/Robin. The melodic line and chord progression of the verses in "Foolish Games" carry echoes of "Diamonds & Rust", recorded by Joan Baez.

A commercial single for the song was not issued in the United States. A re-released version of "You Were Meant For Me" contained a bonus hidden track of the single version of "Foolish Games", however, this was not noted on the back inlay of the CD single, which listed the tracks.

Jewel held the record in the Guinness Book of World Records for longest chart run of a single for "Foolish Games"/"You Were Meant for Me", which charted for 65 weeks. This record was later surpassed by "How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes in 1997 and 1998, and "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz in 2008 and 2009, with the former song spending 69 weeks on the chart and the latter with 76 weeks.

Jewel was nominated for Best Pop Female Vocal at the 1998 Grammy Awards for this song.

It is very briefly heard at the beginning of the song The Way by Fastball when the radio was scanning through FM stations.

"Foolish Games"/"You Were Meant For Me" ranked at #15 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.

AS LONG AS SOCIETY IS ANTI-GAY...

...THEN IT WILL SEEM LIKE BEING GAY IS ANTI-SOCIAL! - JOSEPH FRANCIS

THEGAYTE-KEEPER IS...