Coke-d Out

I'm back in beautiful sunny San Diego. I really do love it here. What I don't love, are some of the marathon meetings that I'm in. And of course if you're a coffee addict, you're all set. But if you don't like your caffeine hot, then you are out of luck. So I wandered over to the little deli/cafe and got a Coke for breakfast. Yes, I know, the breakfast of champions. Bite me! I'm still jet lagged, didn't sleep well, and I need the oh so yummy combination of sugar and caffeine to make it through the meeting madness. Actually, I ended up having two, but the second was a caffeine free Diet Coke (which tasted like crap!). At lunch we drove over to Subway and I ordered a drink and realized that I didn't want any more soda. I was Coke-d out. So sad really. I "recovered", so to speak, later in the afternoon and had another crappy caffeine free Diet Coke. But now I feel really sluggish.

Oh, so I finally run into a classmate of mine (I say finally because at these meetings I keep thinking I'm going to run into someone I know) and you know I'm not being vain, but I totally look better than him. Sure he's thinner, but he definitely looks older than I do. A little worse for wear if you know what I mean. ;-)

Busy Week!

So it's actually been a pretty busy week for me. Too busy actually. I had a couple of moments where I just started to feel overwhelmed. Mainly work related, but there were some other things going on as well.

Wednesday night I want to hear Bishop Chane speak at St. Patrick's. I was late because apparently the German Embassy was also hosting a HUGE reunification anniversary party and the traffic was hellish. I ended up parking illegally but at that point I was so frustrated I didn't care. Bishop Chane spoke of what happened at the House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans. I'm still a bit worked up over that, but wanted to hear more about it. I like Bishop Chane. I think he's a good guy and I appreciate all of the hard work he's done. But I didn't necessarily like what he said that night. He said the House of Bishops just "isn't there yet" when it comes to electing/consenting GLBT Bishops or same sex blessings. And that the Anglican Community just "isn't there yet" as well when it comes to these issues. And so I had to ask, "What can we do to get the HoB there? The Anglican Community there? He didn't give me a real exact asnwer, but mainly his point is that we've got to continue to bear witness in the church and continue to do the right thing. There must have been over 40 people at the meeting and I'd say half were clergy of some sort. And I was pleasantly surprised to see the diversity of the clergy who where there. Lots of women, african americans, and obviously some GLBT in attendance. It's one of the many reasons why I do like my church.

Anyways, as I've been surfing the Anglican blogosphere I found this. It's long, and odd in places, but it really touched me. I had to close the door to my office and cry a bit when I read it. Not exactly sure why it effected me so. But I think I'm going to help build a school. It just feels like the right thing to do. I've been wanting to DO SOMETHING for awhile and I think this is it.

Swimming etiquette. So I did manage to swim twice this week. And I've got a couple of small complaints. First, I don't approve of the use of fins in the lap lanes. I will make some exceptions for seniors, or people who are injured, or something like that, but if you are healthy and in good shape, just grab a frakkin kick board and kick like everyone else. You really mess up the rhythm of the lane. Second, don't jump into a lane that already has 4 people in it if the lane next to it only has 2? I'm not sure why someone would want to purposely overcrowd a lane. But they do. Third, and yes this is kind of petty, but when you are resting at the end of a lane, try to stand either to the left or the right. Not in the MIDDLE! Anyways, yesterday I did 6x250 free with 50 breast in between. So I'm getting there.

Does anyone even believe W anymore on his "we don't torture" crap? I guess you can tell how I feel. And to contrast the awful stories exposed by the NYTimes to this article in the Washington Post about WWII interrogators. Talk about sad. Yep, it's amazing how in just a short time the W administation has tarnished America and everything she stands for. Why can't we impeach him?

Life Goes On . . .

Anyways, I'm trying to get back into a normal schedule for my life. I still couldn't drag my big fat butt out of bed this AM to go to the gym, so I paid my penance this afternoon. Bike for 30 minutes (while reading Harry Potter #3) and then lifting (biceps and back).

And I'm *trying* to do the five meals a day thing. 8AM: Oatmeal. 1030ish: Broccoli with cheese. 1PM: Lean Cuisine. 4:30ish: Nectarine. 7PM: Salad with cheese and meat. And I'm enjoying a Fresca for dessert. My goal is to try to do that all week. We'll see if I can make it.

So I interviewed one of the Borg today. Nice enough guy, but not the right fit for the position I have open. But what kills me is just the lack of interview skills he had. He gave very short answers. He acted like he didn't even want to be there. And when I asked him if he had any questions (since I was frustrated trying to get info out of him), he pretty much said no.

That is not the right answer. If someone isn't obviously trying to get you out of their office and asks you if you have any questions, here are some starter questions. Please feel free to use them:
- How long have you been at (insert company name). (speaks to longevity, career progression, company stability, etc)
- What do you like best about working at (insert company name). (give insight into future boss or co-worker, also says something about the company)
- What do you like worst about working at (insert company name). (this is even more important: will the interviewer be honest, or actually talk about the downsides of the company?)

And then use the answers to those questions to try to sell yourself. "Oh, you've been here for 7 years? That's great, I'm really looking for a company where I can dig in and really invest my time and energy in making it a success in the long run."

This really isn't that difficult, but it's really surprising how many bad interviews I've had.

Tomorrow night is the First Tuesday Happy Hour at Nellies, so I hope to make that. I'll have to adjust my work out schedule. And NO alcohol. But I'll be there. And then Wednesday I'm going to hear Bishop Chane speak about the HoB meeting in New Orleans. Should be interesting.

Oh and I must quote Sean: "turning one’s faith into a conquest meme is gaudy at best and at their worst the exact opposite of what I feel Christianity should be." What a great line. And I whole heartedly concur.

Health Care and Statues

A little random today, but bare with me.

So I went to the YMCA this AM. 30 minutes on the elliptical and then 2x500 free. I would have swam longer but I had to get back to change for church.

But while I was on the elliptical I watched one of those Sunday pundit shows and I got disgusted all over again with the Bush administration. Bush has already declared that he's going to veto the SCHIP bill which provides needed health care to millions of kids who aren't currently insured. The problem with the bill, or so some claim, is that some parents may be able to get rid of their private insurance and have Uncle Sam foot the bill. Okay, so of the $7Billion or so it will cost, some people will try to scam the system. But don't go all fiscally conservative on me when you are asking for $190Billion for the war in Iraq? We can pay for an unnecessary war, giving millions in profits to Halliburton and Blackwater, and lossing billions of dollars in the process, but we can't pay to give health care to millions of uninsured kids because some people might take advantage of the plan? Are you kidding me?

Went for a long walk this afternoon. It was a clear crisp fall afternoon and I wanted to go down to the Mall to take some photos. Well as I walked by Hotel Rouge I realized something was missing. One of the statues of Venus that are outside of Hotel Rouge was missing. Now I have no idea why you would steal a statue, how you would steal a statue (cause I'm assuming it's heavy), or what you would do with the statue once you had it. But I'm just kind of logical that way. Here's a pic of some of the statues during the snow storm we had in Feb.

Anyways, I continued my power walk down to the Mall, through the WWII memorial, down along the reflecting pool (which by the way, can the park people sweep the duck crap back into the pool? It really is disgusting), and around the Lincoln Memorial. I wanted to get a couple of pics of the big bronze statues at the end of Memorial Bridge. With the sun setting, I thought it would make the bronze just shine. The problem is that some clouds came up in the west as the sun was setting, so it wasn't as bright as I would like. But still some good pics. And yes, me likey some muscles.

YMCA, HOB, & Comments

It's acronym soup today!

So I went to the YMCA this evening. I went swimming on Saturday and Sunday, but I need to do more than just weekend swimming, so instead of lifting I came home and headed over to the Y. First I did my 30 minutes on the elliptical and then I hit the pool. 100 Breast, 500 Free, 100 Breast, 500 Free, 100 Breast, 500 Free, and 100 Breast. So technically that's over a mile. And I could barely haul my big fat body out of the pool my arms were so dead. But it was a good swim. I swam in the fast lane and did pretty well. I think if I swim during the week I need to get out of there by 7PM. I think the Masters group comes in then and they are pretty insane. Some guy clipped me (and I was in my own lane) and he was wearing the hand paddles. So my hand stung pretty hard. And did he say, "Sorry" or "Excuse me"? No, he glared and me and then kept swimming. Loser. Well, loser with a six pack abs. Hated him anyways.

So after their meeting in New Orleans with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the House of Bishops finally released their letter. The letter's okay. I was prepared to be disappointed, but I wasn't. I'm not too terribly thrilled by it either. I understand the full inclusion of GLBT folks in the church is going to take time, but it's hard not to want it now. If you see something that is just intrinsically wrong, how do you explain trying to delay correcting it? The good news is that regardless of this fiasco, and the whole drama around The Episcopal Church, I'm going to church every Sunday. It feels good to me. My church is very welcoming and inclusive. And I feel like a real member there. I'm not going to go all "Jesus-land" & evangelical here, but being Christian isn't a bad thing. We aren't all like Pat Robertson, Bill Donohue, or James Dobson.

Comments. So I do love the blogosphere. And it's not just the interesting, fun, or challenging blogs, it's the comments as well that I love. I've learned a whole lot about how the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Community work. I've learned depressingly too much about how the US government tortures people. I've read funny, sexy, depressing, and introspective things and thoughts from people in NYC to Australia. While I like to think I do a pretty good job of turning a phrase, it's a little intimidating to read some people's blogs or comments that are just whip smart or sarcastic or just downright funny. The bad thing about comments is when you go to certain sites, the hard core republican sites, the orthodox anglican sites, etc. The vitriol being spit out by some of these people is just horrendous. Sometimes I feel like I need to take a shower after reading some of their comments. I want to try to understand their position, their feelings, but I'm just so depressed at the level of hatred and disdain for those people who don't agree with them. I wonder if it's even possible to have a civil discourse anymore.

New Car

It's time for a new car. My little trip to the shop today set me back a cool G. And that's not really that cool if you know what I mean. It's been a bad year for me car wise. The maintenance bill is over $3K for this year. And the thing is that yes my car is over 7 years old, but I've got less than 62k miles on it. I just don't drive it that much. So it *really* shouldn't be costing me this much every year. Needless to say, I think it's time that Sven and I got a divorce.

I'm not sure what I'm going to buy. I only know that it's going to have to wait till next year. Maybe March. But then I'll have an idea of when the new condo will *really* be ready. And while my heart cries out for a nice little two seat convertible, I may end up doing something more mature, responsible, and appropriate. BORING!

Still sick as a dog and just tired all of the time. Not sleeping well. And I've got a huge conference next week that I've got to prepare for.

And no I'm not going to the Depeche Mode dance party thing. I'm a loser. I'm going to curl up in bed and watch some Kathy Griffin shows I tivo-ed.

Wow, I'm living now.

Spinning the Subject Wheel!

We've got a lot to talk about tonight so let's get started!

Speaking of Kathy Griffin (who's line I stole above), she ROCKED! Way too funny. She BROUGHT IT! Britany, OJ, the Emmy's, you name it. It was just too funny. Of course having a nice little buzz from the Key West Lemonades helped. And I'm sorry, but the whole bit about Barbara Walters and Astroglide almost made me want to throw up.

{Spinning the subject wheel}

I can't believe everyone is getting so worked up over Hilary's comment about Cheney. "Darth Vader"? That's probably the nicest thing you can say about him. Come on! This is the man who called some journalist a "major league asshole" and told a Senator to "Fuck Off" on the FLOOR OF THE US SENATE! Puh-lease!

{Spinning the subject wheel}

Oh, have you seen this? This is just too funny.



{Spinning the subject wheel}

If you haven't heard about the Mayor of San Diego, check this out. His speech really touched me. He's a republican I'd vote for.

{And one last spin of the subject wheel}

So I'm thinking about going out Friday night. To a straight club. Well, it's the Black Cat, so it's pretty indie/progressive. But they are doing a Depeche Mode dance party. Hello! Strangelove? Just Can't Get Enough? Enjoy the Silence? People are People? I am *SO* there. If I can stay awake long enough. This getting old thing kind of sucks.

Are You Kidding Me?

I just had surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid and I get a frakkin cold? Are you kidding me? Shouldn't I get a "bye" for all seasonal colds for atleast the next two years? Agh this sucks!

Speaking of sucking, poor Britany. Yikes that was painful. But not as painful as that kid. And no I'm not going to link to that attention whore.

So I joined the YMCA. It's actually kind of scary, but I just use it for the pool. I went swimming on Sunday. It's been years since I've done laps and it felt good. Though it did make my neck feel freaky. When I stretch my neck, I can definitely feel my scar. It's weird. Anyways one of my goals is to swim 3 times a week so I can get in shape and then maybe join DC Aquatics after Christmas. Plus I think I'd like to try to do the Bay Bridge Swim. I've got classmates who do it and I'd like to give it a try. Hey, it's something to train for, a goal.

I'm throwing a little "Life On the T List" party tomorrow evening. It should be fun. I think there may be a potential there, but we'll see. I'll be mixing up some killer Key West Lemonades with Absolut Ruby Red. Sooooooooo yummy. So we should have a good buzz before Kathy Griffin's concert. And I am so stoked to see her, between Britany, the Emmy's, and OJ, I have a feeling I may get a cramp from laughing! Should be good.

Speaking of the Emmy's, I saw the bit between Raine Wilson and Kanye West and you know what, I really like Kanye's new song.

Let's get lost tonight,
You can be my black Kate Moss tonight!

Scars

So here was the first pic of the scar. It's with the surgical tape still on it. Please don't mind the weak go-tee I'm trying to grow.



They removed the surgical tape today and discovered that they failed to remove one of the staples. Nice. Anyways, here's a clearer pic.


So . . . . what's the story behind the scar? Thyroid cancer is so boring. So I'm thinking:

1. A psycho ex-boyfriend cracked out on meth went postal and pulled a knife on me.
2. I was practicing my parkour and misjudged a ledge.
3. I was ambushed in Hong Kong by a Chinese assassin as I was trying to leave the country with the top secret plans to break the Chinese government's internet restrictions and open China up to the democratic forces of the global information grid!

So what do you think?

That Tingling Feeling!

So I woke up Saturday AM feeling a bit better. Another decent night of sleep worked wonders for me. But as I started to dig through my work emails, I noticed a strange tingling feeling on my head and hands. It felt kind of trippy and kind of cool. I actually kind of liked it, except for the fact that it's not a good thing.

So apparently when they take the thyroid out, there are little glands call parathyroids in that same area that can become disturbed by the operation. They regulate the calcium level in your body but if they become disturbed, they can go on the blink. And while I was taking a calcium pill as part of the meds I'm on, it wasn't enough. So I call the surgeon on call and was finally told to go back to WHC, to the ER, to have a calcium test done.

So I drive there. And by this time, my whole body is feeling tingly. My experience at the WHC ER room, not so much. Oh, I got into the ER pretty quickly, but I was probably one of the least sick people there, so I didn't get that much attention. They finally did the blood test and my calcium level was dangerously low. So they stuck in an IV in my and pumped me full of calcium. In talking with the attending on duty (senior Dr?), I think there was a mistake about the amount of calcium pills I'm supposed to take. It should be 3 pills, 3 times a day, not 1 pill, 3 times a day. Oops. Well that's what it said on the prescription.

Anyways, the ER room on a Saturday afternoon was really kind of sad and I started to get claustrophobic and really wanted to leave. I feel bad for all of the people there. It just wasn't good. When I was finally release, as I walked through the ER lobby, the DC SWAT team was there. Nice.

I've got a friend from out of town in this weekend so we've been hanging out. Dinner and DVDs since I'm not really up for anything else. But it's all been good.

Anyways, speaking of tingling. This gives me that tingling feeling as well but in a good way. Love Annie. Just luv her!

I'm Making Jello!!

Lime green jello to be specific.

Why you might ask? Because it was actually the best thing I ate at the hospital and it was so good, and so easy to swallow, and since I hadn't had jello in forever I thought I would make some.

The surgery was okay. I remember going into the operating room, moving to the operating table, and then the oxygen mask being put on and then I was somewhere else, after the surgery. I remember talking with SuperLawyer and then being in my hospital room. It's all kind of sketchy now. Apparently it went as planned. They also took some of my lymph-nodes since they were swollen. I'll get the pathology report next week and then we'll have to figure out a game plan based on that.

My neck hurts, as does my throat. And I've got a great scar on my neck, currently hidden by some suture tape. Thank goodness for the percacet.

My overnight in the hospital was not good. I don't sleep well on my back. And the poor gentleman who I shared a room with was not in good shape at all. He had a couple of episodes over the course of the night that required many nurses and doctors. So lots of drama. Which means little sleep. Around 530AM, one of the random doctors came to remove the staples from my neck. I'm bummed because I wanted a photo of that, but oh well.

I can't tell you how happy I was to get home and sleep in my own bed. With the percacet I can actually sleep on my side with just a little bit of pain, so that's nice.

I actually walked down to the Safeway to get the Jello this afternoon, but that I think that was pushing it. I'm still pretty weak and the heat was bad. I didn't feel to good by the time I got back to my place. But it's nice and cool in here and I'm looking forward to jello for dessert tonight!

Tomorrow . . . .

is the big day. SuperLawyer is going to take me to the hospital and wait until the surgery is over. I'll prep him on the phone calls and emails to send once it's over. Then he'll pick me up on Thursday and spend the night on Thursday. I'm assuming that I'll be able to stay home and take care of myself by the weekend.

Not really looking forward to it, but I do want it over. I'm ready to get on with my life.

The Cost of Cancer

So half of my mail these days is bills from the hospital or claim receipts from the insurance company. And I haven't even had the surgery yet or started any of the meds that I'll need to take. But to date, it looks like the cost is almost $3000. Not a lot of money in reality, but then I'm also in pretty good health and so there hasn't been anything too strange to tackle. One of the really great things about my company is our health benefits, so the only thing I've had to pay is my $10 co-pay for each of the visits.

When I was in the Navy I really didn't think about health care. Sure we all joked about Navy medicine and then just sucked it up. It wasn't a bad system. You got a problem? Come in and see a nurse, or a doctor, and they fixed you up and you never saw a bill. When I got out of the Navy I had to negotiate the health care world. It's not the easiest with the different plans, different options, and different costs.

I was watching a video clip of Mitt Romney where he got asked about health care from a waitress in a diner in New Hampshire. She had three children and a $50 co-pay. And some of the kids had chronic health care issues. No I don't think much of my $10 co-pay. That's one less drink at the Ultra-Hip Lounge, no big deal. But $50 bucks is different. Especially when you are talking about a women who's a waitress and has three children. Kind of sad really.

Health Insurance Coverage for Children. Universal Health Care. We talk a lot about these things, the pros, the cons, the costs. It kills me that people bicker about the cost of implementing health care for all Americans while we continue to throw good money after bad into that black hole that is Iraq. We can't pay for health care for America's children, but we can continue to pay for a useless war. That's really sad.

In a Funk

Yep. I'm in one of those moods.

I'm tired. Unhappy. Fat. Lethargic. Yet restless. Feel like I need to do something, anything, but can't figure out what exactly I need/want to do. I haven't been sleeping well. Again. So that doesn't help. Throw in a low grade headache for the last couple of days. And voila! I'm in a funk. If I didn't have to go into work, I would just sit in the dark in my bedroom. I almost did that this AM.

Lots of stuff in the news: Gonazales, Craig, the war, etc. I care. But I can't seem to get engaged.

I'm not sure what my damage is.

Hopefully I'll feel better by this weekend.

Ptown Pics

No surgery. I'm beyond bummed. I just want it over with. It's now resked for the 5th of Sept.

In the mean time, here are some pics form Ptown:








The Ptown Monument!














The view from the Boatslip at the end of T-Dance!














Hotties at the T-Dance.




SuperLawyer and Me at the Boatslip!
















More hotties by the pool!





















Hotties from the Carnival Parade. And if I had an ass like that I've walk around in ass-less chaps all the time!























Some of the guys from my guest house in the Carnival Parade!






Me at the Boatslip! Do you notice a trend?

If It Weren't For Bad Luck . . . . . .

So I have strep. No fever, no irritation in my throat, but I do have strep. Which means that my surgery for tomorrow is probably off. I won't know until tomorrow AM. FU&K! I am not happy. And apparently my GP talked to the surgeon on call since mine was out and said they had a case where someone had strep and when they intubated him, they pushed the strep from the throat into the lungs and then he developed pneumonia and spent a week in the ICU. So that would suck.

Speaking of sucking. 3 units in my building were broken into this afternoon. Mom may have actually seen the guy. Just not good at all!

Again, if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

Wigging Out

So I'm wigging out pretty bad right now.

I've done something to my neck/throat. It almost feels like I've pulled a muscle in my throat. It hurts to swallow, but not in the sore throat way. But it's definitely NOT RIGHT.

And of course I'm going in for surgery TOMORROW! So I'm wigging. Big time.

I'm going to my GP after lunch and hopefully she'll be able to calm me down. If something's wrong and they have to postpone my surgery, I'm going to freak.

Mom's here. She flew in last night with no problems. We're going to do a dry run drive to the hospital this afternoon. I haven't told her about the neck/throat problem yet. No need to worry her. Right?

I Don't Want To Be . . . .

I may not know what I want to be when I grow up, but I can tell you who I don't want to be . . .

1) I was at a conference this AM and I was probably one of the youngest men in the room. The DoD contracting world is full old white men. And I don't want to be that. I don't want to be doing this in 20 years. I want to work hard, and then I want to semi-retire when I'm like 50 and then go do something I will enjoy that may not pay well, but maybe will make a difference. Like go the non-profit route. If I'm still doing this crap when I'm 60, please shoot me.

2) So I've got a new person I work with in the government who is ALWAYS in a bad mood. This person starts off in the pissed position, and then it goes down hill from there. Never a smile. Never a friendly comment. Always a curt word or a snap, when there's not table banging to make their point. And if something doesn't go as planned, then more frustration displayed loudly to all around. I can't imagine being like that. Isn't it tiring to be THAT angry, ALL the time? I'm surprised they don't have ulcers by now. If you are THAT unhappy, ALL the time, then go do something else!

Ugh. Long day and Mom arrives tomorrow. I need to go de-gay the condo. I'm not totally de-gaying it, just moving the porn, etc. I'll keep the "Sorry Girls I'm Gay" poster on the fridge. She can deal.

The Burden of Beauty

So instead of trudging through the sand and marsh to get to the beach, I opted for the Boatslip again. It was a crystal clear day with a beautiful sky, but the wind was whipping. I was scared that it might be cold, but it was my last day and I was going to take advantage of it. Of course I got there early and got a spot by the rail hoping it would shelter me from the wind a bit. And it worked, sort of. So the thing about the Boatslip is that in the AM, they align the lounge chairs to be perpendicular with the water, but around 1PM the chair master (or chair Nazi as I call him) blows a whistle and everyone rotates their chairs 90 degrees to better catch the sun.

So after the chair rotation I am now next to two guys. Two incredibly hot guys. One is tall, white but with a nice tan, muscled in a swimmer type way, short hair with a little bit of grey. Just too sexy. His BF? Shorter than him, latino, dark bronze, and muscled in a good way. It's just unreal. And no, I'm not bitter. Anyways, as I sit there reading my book, I just become stunned by what happens next. Remember the study that said that you have a better chance of being fat if you have fat friends? Well I definitely believe that. I always thought all of the pretty boys hung out together, like they were all part of some secret club that only they knew the secret code word for. As I sat there, at first reading my book, but then just holding my book as I listened to the conversations. Random hot guys would walk up to the couple and just start chatting them up. And no, it's not like they knew each other.

"Hey dude, how's it going? Did I see you last night at Paramount?"
"Hey dude, great suit? Where'd you get it?"
"Hey dude, you look familiar. Did we meet at the White Party in Miami this year?"

I guess if you are hot, then you just have to expect other hot guys coming up to you and start chatting you up. I guess that's just the curse of being hot.

end bitterness.

Anyways, we haven't talked T-shirts yet. I love Ptown for the t-shirts. A couple of good ones:

"My Dick Would Make a Better Vice-President"
"MANWICH" - stretched *tight* across a huge muscled chest
"There's no need to be pessimistic, it wasn't going to work out anways."
"Sure, I've got 5 minutes."
"Define Girlfriend"
"I Don't Date Republicans"

Ptown Update!

Still here, still having a blast. And the sprained ankle is getting better! So let's see, where were we?

So on Wednesday, SuperLawyer left and it was probably good timing. The big event for Wednesday is Drag Bingo! And I don't think that's really his gig. Our whole house was going, so I agreed. But no, I didn't do drag. The theme for Carnival is Fairy Tales, so I was one of Goldilock's three bears. I just had to wear a harness, so no big deal. About an hour before the bingo actually started, we hit Commercial St to parade around. It kind of reminded me of the High Heel Races in DC where all of the contestant/guys in drag would go around and "work" the crowd. And like in DC, half of the crowd was straight, and a lot had children with them. It really was quite amusing to see. We got stoppeed several times by people wanting to take our photos.

Despite the fact that I actually won $50 during drag bingo, it really wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. Dixie Longate did such a good job entertaining us during the drag bingo on the cruise that I was expecting some fun, catty, quips to entertain us between the calls, but not so much. Plus they were on a mission. We had to be out of there by 930PM, so they were motoring. After bingo, I changed clothes and went out to drink my winnings. Well, I did have a couple of drinks.

Thursday was another glorious day in Ptown. After getting up late, I walked down to the BoatSlip to lay out in the sun. It was packed with guys in tiny little bathing suits. So nice. I'm actually getting a good tan here, which is definitely a hard thing for me. So now if I could just be tall, have a small waist, and a ripped chest I'd fit right in! ;-) Afterwards I went back to the house to change and grab my camera for the Carnival Parade. Again, a lot of people in drag and costumes walking up and down the street showing off and getting their pics taken. And yes some of the drag is amazing and some of the costumes are funny, but most of my pics were of guys in pirate outfits where they basically wore shorts and boots. The parade was kind of like a Pride parade, but with a fairy tale theme to it. We had the city council, the Massachusetts Democtratic Party ("Equal Rights are NOT a Fairy Tale", and then a lot of the shows and guest houses had floats. My house did a DreamGirls theme thing. It was cute. Jeff Stryker came by on a limo wearing some entiretly too tight pants. So there's basically no need to see that show. And still, not my thing. He does look good for his age, but between the pancake make up and the 1980's haircut, it all looks just odd.

After the parade, I went to T. Me and the rest of the town. But I've got to give huge props to DJ Mary Alice! She played a killer set. T actually went till 9 and I think I spent three hours on the dance floor. It was just so awesome. And hot. So yes I danced with my shirt off. After the last song played and they were kicking us out, I noticed a hottie giving me the eye. Of course I thought someone was behind me, but nope, he must have been looking at me. So I looked back. We did the whole exchange glances thing and then I finally went over to chat with him. We were having a good time until the lady sitting next to us turned and proceeded to hurl. So we took that as our cue to leave. We were walking back to his place when we ran into one of this friends. And I'm not sure if it was a friend or a "friend". But let's just say that I ended up going home alone.

Friday I awoke to clouds and an overcast sky. Not happy. This was my day to go to the beach. So I hung around the house and then finally decided to just walk around. But as I was leaving the house, I looked up and I almost saw the sun. So I decided to risk it. I changed into my beach gear, I borrowed a bike, and I headed out. The bike ride was okay and the ankle was feeling pretty good. I got to the trailhead, locked up the bike, and then started the walk against the tidal flats. The tide was out, so while some of the flat was wet, I wasn't wading through the water. That would come later. The walk was okay, but tiring. I finally found my spot in a little area on top of a dune, spread out my blue beach blanket and proceeded to lay out. And then it started. The attack of the bugs. I couldn't take it. After about 5 minutes of continuously slapping at flies and other bugs, I bailed down the front side of the dune closers to the water where there was a bit of breeze. The sun finally did come out and it was glorious. I sat there and basted in the warm sun and watched the guys go by. I also finished book #2, so I'm right on track from that perspective. Around 3PM, I started the hike back. But the tide had come back, so I ended up wading through most of the tidal flat. By the time I got back to the house, I was exhausted which was perfect for my massage. After the message I felt great, changed into my T dance attire and headed down to the Boatslip. Do you see a trend here? T was great. After T I did a little bit of window shopping. A storm came up with lighting, thunder, and a little bit of rain. It was quite pretty. But it passed quickly and then I headed out for the evening.