Go Buy Me A Beer Bitch!

So first of all I want to say that I blame FitBit.

I bought a new FitBit, it stopped working, so I stopped using it.  And then last weekend I spent like 2 hours trying to re-set the stupid thing so it would work again.  And finally success! So now I get those stupid reminders that I'm X steps away from my daily goal.    Bite me.

And so that's why I went for a walk tonight.  Because obviously the 30 minutes I did the on the stair mill didn't count (which I think is total BS).  So on a Friday night I went for an "urban hike."  And no, calling it an urban hike doesn't make it any sadder that I'm going for a walk on a Friday night.

Anyways, I walked up 16th to U St and as I turned onto U St there was a little bodega and some drunk guy was yelling at his girlfriend, "Go Buy Me A Beer Bitch".   Ah, modern love.   The guy was not cute and the girl was meh.  And drunk as well.  It's not even 10PM, should you really be that drunk?

And that's how the walk started.

It was kind of interesting as I walked through the various micro-neighborhoods tand just people watched.  Obviously U St had a plethora of hip young people, gay and straight, at the beginning of their evening.  There were just getting ready to get their game on.  As I made my way down Connecticut Ave towards Dupont Circle, we first start with the older couples who have just finished enjoying nice dinners on a Friday night.  Some older gentleman is smoking a cigar outside of Ruth Chris.  Of course.  By the time I make it to Dupont Circle, the average age has dropped to early 20s.  And very hipsterish.  Sigh.  Really?  Shouldn't there be atleast some gays here.  Then since I still am not close to 10,000 steps, I continue south of Dupont.  Where the big straight clubs are and the very young women in the very short skirts.  I finally decided that I need to head back home to use the facilities after the gallon of mint tea I had after the gym.

Still haven't met my daily step goal.

Bite me.

It's February Already?

So one month down and 11 to go.  And I'm sort of off to an uneven start on my new years resolutions.  

I did manage to go some place I've never been before:  Honduras.  As part the Big Gay Cruise we pulled into Roatan in Honduras.  It was okay.  The weather was kind of crappy so my excursion to the beach resort was kind of a bust.  I think if you are a scuba person, then it might be worthwhile to go.  Otherwise, I'm not too sure.  We also went to Cozumel & Grand Caymen (where I only got off the ship to eat and find some wifi) as well as Belize.  I actually highly recommend Belize.  Not Belize City which apparently has the murder rate of Chicago, but the islands off of Belize or into the jungle to see the Mayan ruins.  John and I went there for a week and had a blast (except when I threw my back out, but details).  

The being healthy thing is still a work in progress.  I came back from the cruise with a cold and my shoulder is still messed up, so my gym workouts are limited.  But I'm trying.  I had some very interesting moments on the BGC where I realized that I'm tired of being me.  That I want to be someone else.  Which I know is weird since my life doesn't suck that much at all.  I'm pretty lucky/blessed.  But it doesn't stop me from me wanting something else, to wanting to be someone else.  And I know I'm limited by age and genetics, but still.

Spinning the subject wheel.  I can't with politics these days.  It's all so sad and depressing on so many fronts.  And I fear the madness will only get worse.  It's going to be a long 10 months till November.

More blogging soon!

Hello 2016!

So one of my new years resolutions is to start blogging again.  And so here I am.  Of course with me, nothing is ever easy and it basically took me all day to remember the email address and password that I used to start this here bloggy thing, but I'm BACK!

So resolutions.  A good thing or a bad thing?  Personally I'm on the fence about them.  But I had an odd conversation the other night about resolutions.  I was at dinner with some friends and they had another friend there (let's call him Jim).  After some sort of depressing dinner conversation I thought I would spin the subject wheel and ask people what their New Years Resolutions were.  Easy enough right? A little light hearted conversation starter, right?

So I think I started first and said what my resolutions are (more focus on health, travel new places, blog again).  And Jim sort of interrupts me to ask why I'm not happy with myself.  And that's where the conversation sort of went off the rails.  It's not that I'm not happy with myself, in general, but that there are some things I'd like to do to make me better.  And Jim didn't want to believe me.  He stated that he was perfectly happy with his life and that he didn't think he needed to make any changes in his life.  And that's a perfectly fine answer, but for me I'm not particularly happy with the status quo so I'd like to make some changes.  Even his other friends were agreeing with me but the whole conversation was just a bit bizarro.

And I think as I approach a certain life milestone (cough, 50, cough) I think that if there are things that I can do to make myself better, to make myself feel better, then why shouldn't I be trying to make some changes.

I've seen the new Star Wars twice now and they've shown the Kung Fu Panda 3 trailer both times.  In the trailer the old master says to the panda hero:  "If you only do what you can do, you'll never be more than you are now."  And I know that sounds like a bit of cliche, but it sort of resonated with me.   I want to be more than what I am now.    

One Year Ago Today

My sweet boo.

I love you.

I miss you.

Always.

The Joys of Dog Ownership

Home early to get my hair cut.  

Walking Suki.

We've passed this dead little bird several times and never even stopped.  

But today, Suki decided that the dead bird was just ripe enough to snack on.

So I immediately try to stop her.

Prying her jaws apart to pull the dead bird out.  

And I succeed.

But yea me.  

I've got a dead bird in my right hand.

We keep walking.  I throw the bird in the trash.  

But my right hand is just covered in dead bird grime, feathers, etc.  

And the smell.

Oh the smell.

We get home.  And that's when I realize that my keys are in my right front pocket.  

In order to not pollute my pants, I'm trying to reach into my right pocket using my left hand.  

It takes a bit, but I finally get my keys out.  

I immediately go to the sink to start washing and disinfecting my hands.

As I'm scrubbing furiously, I look at Suki and say, "That's disgusting."

Her response?

She licks her chops.  

Of course she does.

*Sigh*

Upgrades, 42, and the French

I dreamed of John last night.  We were traveling somewhere, I'm not sure where.  But we had landed and were about to get on another flight when we found out that one of our upgrades had come through.  Key word, *one*.  And so we had this discussion about who should get the upgrade and finally I convinced him that he should take it.  He got on the plane.  And then I got in the back.  And then somewhere in my dream, reality started to emerge.  And I knew John was gone.  And that's when I woke up.  But I woke up with a smile.

This had actually happened to us before on some trip.  To Napa I think.  And we did argue about it and then I finally convinced him that I would be able to better enjoy our time together in Napa if he wasn't trying to recover from being stuck in coach and/or complaining about coach the whole time.  John was big.  He needed first class.  John was first class.

Went to see 42 this weekend.  Good.  But I will agree with one of the reviews I read.  Harrison Ford couldn't have overacted any more if his life depended upon it.  Good movie, but it was uncomfortable to watch at times.  The racism.  The bigotry.  I know it still exists in the U.S.  But I think it's more subtle now.  It's not in your face ugly.  And it was definitely in your face ugly back then.

There's been this talk recently about how there isn't an out gay man in professional sports yet.  There are rumors one (or more) may come out soon.  I really can't imagine that they will have to face the naked bigotry that Jackie Robinson did.  Oh, I'm sure there will be some.  But I think we are more educated now.  And we know that's not right.  Atleast I hope we do.

The French.  Seriously?  Rioting about gay marriage?  Attacks on gay bars?  Violence against some gay men?  Since when did you all become so concerned about marriage?  Aren't you all the people of mistresses and affairs?  Where is all of this anti-gay marriage anger coming from?  It just seems so surreal.  I just doesn't seem like the France I remember.  And I'm not sure I'd want to go there any time soon.  So weird.

You Left Me

I remember that Thursday night in Nevis.  Sitting on the beach.  Sipping that cheap champagne we had gotten from the gay couple in Antigua.  Watching the sunset.  And we talked about your new job.  About getting married.  Moving to Virginia so you could have your lower taxes.   Buying a house together.  The world was our oyster and I just thought we could have it all.  We both wanted it.  And I think we both deserved it. 

           On the flight back, you got delay at passport control.  With my Global Entry card, I zipped through, but you were stuck in the crazy lines and our connection was tight.  We texted back and forth.  I was flying out to Brussels the next day, so we really needed to get back.  You told me to go ahead and I said no.  I wasn’t going to leave you.  I didn’t want to go ahead through customs.  I wanted to wait for you.  I wasn’t going to leave you.  We were going to make it together.  And we did.  And then that night, after we had gotten home, after I saw you leave in the taxi heading back to your place,  you left me.  You left me here alone.  And I wasn’t ready for that.  I was ready for almost anything, but not that.  Anything but that.   You were gone and I was alone.            

Happy birthday Boo!

I love you.  I miss you.

Bird Man

So John use to complain about living in DC all the time.  His condo was right on Logan Circle and there were quite a few homeless people there so it wasn't that nice.  And apparently he was walking Suki one morning and some guy was taking a dump in the circle.

I would always brush it off by saying: "Local color!"  I just didn't think it was that bad.

But now . . . . .

So some loser has been throwing gigantic chunks of bread all around the neighborhood.  And of course Suki loves to grab them and suck them down before I even have a chance to see what it is, much less stop her.  And it's everywhere, so I'm constantly keeping her at a short lease so I can make sure she doesn't inhale an gigantic pieces of bread.

So the morning I was heading to jury duty, I came out of my condo and I say a guy throwing some bread and crumbs over the fence at the apartment building across the street.

So I walked over to him and I asked him not to do that as it attracts rats.  Which we have plenty of.

And he said there were no rats (?!?!?) and that it was for the birds.

So I said that even if there weren't rats, and there really are a lot of rats on my block because of the two hotels behind my building, I say my dog eats the bread and I don't like her doing that since I don't know what it is.

And then he said that's my problem.  And he started walking away.

Now I was stunned by this whole little episode so I maybe have raised my voices as he walked away and I said, "No, it's everyone's problem since it's littering."

Just just blew me off and told me to calm down.

And so naturally that just made me mad.

I did look it up and it is a DC Health Code violation, but it's not like I can call the cops on the guy.  The next time I see him, I'm going to video tape him and post it to youtube.

Loser.

Special Torture (Part 2)

So I head over to my Self Esteem Crushing Gym (SECG) one day last week and as I go down the stairs, I notice there is a special table set up and they are promoting something.  So they do that sometimes.  It's usually local businesses in the area.  The Bike Rack.  Sweet Greens.

But this time they are promoting Universal Gear (aka Universal Queer).  It's the go-to store for thin, hip, thin, young, thin gays.  So obviously I don't shop there.

The promotion is for their upcoming underwear sale.

So they have some half manikins (i.e thigh to torso) sporting some PUMP underwear.  I know it's PUMP underwear because in BIG BOLD LETTERS IT SAYS PUMP ON THE WAISTBAND.

Anyways, in addition to the manikins, they also have like a little poster.  It's a picture of a guy wearing PUMP underwear.  And it's a rear shot.  And the underwear is so tight and so small, the guy in the picture is showing some significant crack.  Like so much crack that I think the plumbers union would even complain about the amount of crack showing.

Now mind you, it's pretty good crack.

I mean, if my ass looked like that, I'd be sporting that look as well.

But let's face it, the underwear doesn't do that.  Being thin and young does that.

So feel free to talk to porn star look-a-likes at my SECG, but not me.

No.  Do not even try to talk to me about your underwear sale.

I'm going to do my work out and just focus on that.



 

Special Torture

So after the cruise (and yes I'll come back to that), I decided it was time to really got back to the gym.  So I signed up for a personal trainer and now I've got a perky little sweet young thing who has never had a weight problem in her life punishing me on a weekly basis.  So I've got that going for me.

Anyways, tonight was an "off" night but I still wanted to work out and I thought I would hit the pool.  My self esteem crushing gym (SECG) has two of those flowing pools where the water flows and you sort of swim in the middle?  I've used them before and they are not particularly fun, but they are good work out.  So I decided to do the treadmill for 30 minutes and then swim for 30 minutes.

Which is all good, but this required me to use the locker room at the gym.  And that's normally something I avoid.  Ostensibly because I live a block away so I can change at home, walk to the gym, work out, come home, shower and change, etc and so I don't need to lug my gym bag full of stuff there.  Now the real reason is that like most gay men I've got a healthy case of body dysmorphia.  And since half the guys at my gym look like porn stars, I've just avoided the locker room.  Why feed my body issues (so it speak).

Anyways, I braved the ripped abs and chiseled torsos in the locker room, changed into my swim suit and went down to the pools.  I got in and finagled with the controls.  You need the water flowing at a certain rate so you stay in the middle of the pool.  If you swim to slow, you ended up banging your feet on the back rim.  If you swim to fast, you jam your hand on the metal covering of the water pump.  So I get in and set it for a moderate pace.  I haven't swum in while.  So I get into position.

And that's when I notice there is a mirror below the water pump.  It's there to help you stay in the right position in the pool.  Which is great.  But unfortunately it also shows my whale-like body that I'm pulling through the water.

Really?

Isn't the exercise punishment enough?

And now I can't lift my arms.  That's normal.  Right?

Happy 2013!

Museum Man, the PI Princess and I stayed in and had pizza, St. Germaine champagne cocktails, and watched movies.  They hadn't seen Pitch Perfect, so we watched that.  Just love it.

And then The Matchmaker.  Old, but fun.

We were supposed to have our traditional New Years Day brunch, but Museum Man was under the weather.  He apparently had more fun after he left my place.

And the PIP and I decided that we didn't need to start the new year with a 4000 calorie meal.  So we skipped it.

Just as well, I wasn't really hungry anyways.

Spent the day with Suki.  Washed her beds, took her for a long walk, watched some TV.  It was a very relaxing day.

I'm looking forward to 2013!

1K Weekend

So I have a confession to make.

I'm a little bit of a mileage whore.  I'm not Flyer Talk crazy, but I do enjoy my status on United quite a bit.  And while I'm typically Premier Platinum, I usually don't make the 1K status where the really good perks are.  So I decided to do a mileage run in order to make 1K this year.

And my run?

Depart Washington Dulles at 540PM on Friday.  Arrive Johannesburg South Africa at 545PM on Saturday (after a stop in Dakkar Senegal).  Depart Jberg at 9PM on Saturday and arrive in Zurich on Sunday at 6AM.  Depart Zurich at 9AM.  Arrive Brussels at 1020AM.  Depart Brussels at 1230 and arriver Washington Dulles at 245PM on Sunday.  So basically my weekend.

Part 1:  Some where over West Africa:

So far so good.   I did manage to get a little sleep.  My persistent little cold isn't killing me yet.  Thank goodness for NyQuil.  And DayQuil.  I was lucky enough to have an empty seat next to me.  So that was nice.

There is a church youth group on the plane.  They are fun.  But they are talkers.  And even the noise canceling head phones aren't enough.   But they are nice kids.

I should be in Paris now.   That's what I'm used to.  An overnight hop across the pond and then arriving at Charles de Gaulle.

Dakkar is not Paris.  I don't have a window seat, so I can only see a little bit outside the window.  But it looks like what you expect.  A tropical feel with palm trees.  Low rise buildings.  Made from cement blocks.   When we left we passed over the ocean and the beach looked nice.

Some people got off at Dakkar.  And some got on.   I still have my empty seat.  So that's good.

The flight map is so weird.   I'm expecting Dublin, London, Amsterdam.  And instead I have Banjul, Bamako, Conakry.   Places I've never heard of.

Another 8 hours to Jberg.  We should arrive early.  I got my boarding pass for my next flight.   So that's good.

Part 2:  Africa Hot

Holy cow.    A long flight. 

So it's summer here in South Africa.   It's hot, it's humid, and like DC, they get thunderstorms in Jberg.    We had managed to dodge most of them, but as we made our descent, we hit a bad pocket.   The plane dropped a good 30 feet.  It was not pretty.  And I had the death grip on the seat handles.   One of the flight attendants broke his leg.  So it was definitely not fun.  

But landed safely, to many applause.   International transfers, cleared customers.  And I've got boarding passes for the rest of the trip. So that's good.

It's hot. Africa hot.   So I hit the gift shops for a pair of shorts and a t shirt.  I have no idea how much I paid.  350 rands?  Whatever.   I really, really, really hope I can find a shower at the lounge in Zurich.  Otherwise I'm going to be ripe by the time I get home.  

Had an iPad problem and now I can't watch my movies.   Not good.  Hopefully I can figure out what the problem is.  Glad I brought some books. 

The next flight is the worst.  10 hours.  But I struggle on.  

Part 3:  Entering Libyan Airspace

Interesting fact.   The Johanesburg airport is 6500 feet above sea level.  At that altitude, the planes can't fully load up on fuel.  They are too heavy to take off.  So for the really long flights to Washington or NYC, they have to stop some place to get fuel.  Hence Dakkar. 

The Swiss Air plane is nice than the South African Airline plan.  Maybe newer.  The business class (which is not full!) has a cool Ikea like vibe to it.

So we are somewhere over the Sahara desert and about to enter Libyan airspace.  More cool names on the map:  Kano, N Djamena, Agadez.   

So I've been to Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia, and Morocco.  And I would like to come back to South Africa some time.   But there are huge parts of Africa that I have no interest in.   I know the term "fly over states" can be condescending in the US, but I really do think there are a lot of "fly over countries" here in Africa. Nigeria? Rwanda? Angola?   Not exactly high on my list for vacations.  

I fixed the problem with the movies on my iPad.   So that's good.  Watched Pitch Perfect which was great.  And Total Recall.   It was different enough from the original to be interesting.   But it still kind of sucked,  though Colin Ferrell is still hot.  

My mission in Zurich is charging the iPad and getting a shower.   Needless to say my little travel adapter that is perfect for Europe didn't work at the lounge in Jberg.  I really want a shower.  Thank goodness I did bring some change of clothes.  

Part 4:  Mission Status

Successfully rendezvoused with the agent in Johannesburg and picked up the package.  Exchanged package in Zurich as planned.  Being followed so I am heading hime via Brussels. 

Sorry.   Watched the Bourne Legacy on the flight and I started to feel all James Bond-ish.  

No shower in Zurich.   Or in Brussels.   Oh well.  I'm almost home.

This has been weird/fun and if, and I do mean if, I do this again, I'm not going to try to do so many miles at the last minute.  This is a little bit crazy.   

Home for the Holidays

To the oxygen and humidity deficient Colorado Springs.

I went for a three mile walk this morning and I felt like I needed to carry my own oxygen bottle with me.  And have I mentioned how dry it is here?  It's pretty bad.  Plus, my Mom is cold all the time so the house is like a sauna.  So good times.

Let's see, where was I?

So I was actually in Charleston for my birthday.  Charleston is great.  North Charleston, where my meetings were is not.  It's really kind of sketchy/seedy/sad.  Strip malls, pawn shops, and payday loan places.  Kind of sad. 

The good news is that I caught an earlier flight out of Charleston so I actually got home at an early time and had drinks and dinner with Museum Man.  So that was fun.

And then I threw my little bday/Christmas party on the following Friday which was fun.  We had champagne with mixers and Barbi-tini's.  Don't ask.  And amazingly enough I didn't wake up with a hangover.  So that was good.

It looks like it will snow here Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day.  That's great.  As long as I can get my flight back on the 26th!

Merry Christmas to all!

12-12-12

If You Were Born Today, December 12:

You have a distinctly dual nature that, at your best, makes you versatile, and at your worst, downright confused (and confusing!). While a great lover of peace and harmony, you are also determined and fiery. While idealistic, you mostly have your feet on the ground. In relationships, the need for partnering and cooperating is strong, but freedom also matters to you. You are a natural counsellor, offering excellent advice. There is usually quite a bit of drama and colorful emotion in your relationships, whether it's because you bring this to the table or attract these kinds of people.Famous people born today: Frank Sinatra, Edward Koch, Connie Francis, Jennifer Connelly, Bridget Hall, Bob Barker, Dionne Warwick.

Your Birthday Year Forecast:

This is a year when you are likely closing important projects or "chapters" in your life. It's not the best year for major new beginnings. The year, in a general sense, is best used as a meditative time for inner searching. It is a time for letting go of the past in order to prepare for the new. Although the new is still totally unrecognizable, it is important to permit the necessary surrender to the unknown.

Work is solid this year, and you can see results from your efforts, or at least foresee success down the road. This gives you a sense of responsibility and a feeling of directedness and purposefulness. Traditional methods work, and thoroughness brings rewards. Practice or refining a technique is favored this year. The approach that seems to work best with this aspect is a step-by-step one, with modest ambitions and the appreciation of slow but steady progress.

You are very likely to attract loving relationships and/or new warm social contacts into your life. Your popularity increases and efforts to smooth over challenges in partnerships are more likely to succeed. It's a good period for negotiations, marriage, and business partnerships. You are more able to find others who share your values or tastes, and your charisma runs high this year.

You are able to find new insight into old problems, and your thinking processes during this period are likely to be especially original. This is a good year for projects involving technology or New Age topics. You may find more opportunities to attend meetings and other organized group activities, to communicate online, and to take part in activities involving computers, science, or metaphysics. Relationships with younger people in your life are rewarding. A subject or even a person can be especially inspiring, prompting you to explore new perspectives. Nevertheless, there can be some disappointments with friends, and it's important to keep your wits about you. Also, ignoring important details of your plans can have consequences. Aim for clarity.

Intensity characterizes your personal relationships and romantic attachments. Passions, feelings of jealousy, and possessiveness run high, and these emotions are in direct proportion to fear of losing someone. You are likely to have to deal with these emotions in yourself, but you may also need to handle the jealousies and possessiveness of a partner. You may have some tension over your personal finances, and/or need to make a large payment that necessitates changes in your spending habits. Finances may be complicated or there could be power struggles with money.

This is likely to be an especially stimulating year on social and intellectual levels. Your charisma is strong, and you can enjoy good company that reinforces your own values. Nevertheless, you are likely closing important projects. Try to tame escapist and compulsive tendencies this year.

2012 is a Number Two year for you. Ruled by the Moon. This is a year of potential companionship. It is a quiet, gentle, and mostly harmonious year that is less active than other years. Instead, you are more responsive to the needs of others. If you are patient and open yourself up in a gentle manner, you will attract both things and people. This is an excellent year in which to build and develop for the future. Advice - be patient, be receptive, enjoy the peace, collect.

2013 will be a Number Three year for you. Ruled by Jupiter. This is a year of sociability. It is a friendly time, when it is easy to enjoy life and other people. Focus is on personal freedom, reaching out to others, making new friends, and exploration. You are more enthusiastic and ready for adventure. It is likely to be a rather lighthearted year, when opportunities for "play" time are greater than usual. It's also a good year for expressing your creativity. Advice - reach out, but avoid scattering your energies.

Christmas Lights?

So I was walking Suki the other night and I noticed that the "Church" of Scientology around the block from me had Christmas lights on it.

And I was sort of like WTF?  Fairly certain that they don't believe in Christmas, God, or Jesus.  So what was the deal with the lights.

And I don't know a single church that decorates with Christmas lights.

So I texted my sister.

And her response was priceless.

"Because it's a business, not a church."

Of course.

Portlandia (Part 2)

Have I mentioned the rain?  Oy vey.  A big November rain storm hit so it basically rained all the time.  Let's see, where was I? 

On Sunday S came by and we had breakfast at a cool diner/cantina like place in the Pearl.  It was delish, but I was not really that hungry after the foodie dinner the night before.

After breakfast, we continued our exploration of Portland.  First we headed up to the Washington Park which is on a hill overlooking the city.  We went to the Rose Test Garden which overlooks the city.  There were still a few roses hanging on, but most of them were gone.  But I guess Portland is the city of roses and there are a group of people who help tend the garden who are called Rosarians.  Kind of cool.  Love the statue.  Now, I had to ask about the test garden.  Apparently they test out new hybrids of roses to see how they do before the roses enter the commercial market.  Never thought about that.  Kind of cool.  After the rose garden we drove around Nob Hill which has some just amazing homes.  Uber expensive I'm sure, but it's the really steep hills that surprised me.  Apparently they do get ice storms in Portland and I'm not sure how you would get up those hills.

After the driving tour, we headed down to PAM, the Portland Art Museum.  We kind of did the tour in reverse so we saw the impressionists first, which I loved.  But then we went into modern art.  Which I'm not a huge fan of.  Basically, if it's "art" that I think I can do, then I just don't think it's art.  Having said that, I would never create a life size statue of an overweight man sitting on a small chair.  When we first saw it, from the back, both S and I thought it was a real person doing some weird performance art bit.  It was that life-like.  When we figured out it wasn't, we couldn't stop laughing.  I shared the pic with Museum Man and he made an interesting comment.  He said: "If Marcel Duchamp can hang a urinal on a wall an call it art, then this attempt to recreate a person as realistically as possible - to the point of making the viewer uncomfortable then the artiest has achieved his or her objective."  I guess.  But PAM's special exhibit was "Bodies Beautiful" which was basically about ancient Greek art.  So I prefer my male statues to look a little bit more like this.

Dinner was another foodie adventure.  A place call "Beast."  Chantalle mushroom soup (I don't like muchrooms), a charcuterie plate that include some weird (but good) rabbit sausage, foie gras (ugh), and some weird (and not good) terrine, then a palate cleanser, beef cheek on Gruyere cheese infused potoatoes.  Seriously delicious.  Spicy arugula salad with hot almonds and goat cheese.  Yumm.  A cheese plate that include some wildflower honey.  Which as amazing.  And then a spice cake with creme fraiche and rum raisin ice cream.  I wanted to lick the bowl.  Way to good.  I did not do the wine pairing.  I think I was still in recover from the night before.

Monday was the day we were going to go to see the Multnomah Falls.  And have I mentioned the rain?  Wow.  After a great breakfast (S definitely knows the best breakfast/brunch places), we headed out to the falls.  One of the really great things about Portland is that there is so much natural beauty so close to the city.  We were basically out of the city in 15 minutes and in the country another 15 minutes after that.  We had planned to take the historic highways that sort of goes along the Columbia Gorge but it was closed.  So we ended up taking the highway which meant we only got to see 3 of the main falls.  But there was so much rain falling that there were several smaller falls cascading off the gorge walls.  Just totally amazing.

We did hike a little bit to see some of the falls.  All of the trails we used were paved which was good because it was slippery as sh!t.  But it was really great.  And the falls were unbelievable.  With all of the rain, the amount of water was just incredible.  And hearing the water hit the rocks and the water below was like a constant roar of thunder.  Totally cool.   And even though we were getting soaked, I was having the best time.  S was a real trooper to go out with me in the rain.  I would totally love to come here in the summer when the weather is nicer to go on some real hikes.  But in this rain, not so much right now.

After that we headed back to town and I took a long, hot shower.  And then I did some work, I did grad a bit to eat at a diner, but then I was back in the hotel early.  My train to Seattle was early in the AM.


Portland has potential as a possible future residence.  We'll see.     

Portlandia (Part 1)

So Portland has sort of become a fantasy land for me.  I'm not sure why, but I have this persistent fantasy about quitting my job and moving to Portland.  I'm not sure why, but it has some sort of draw on me.  And so when I had a chance to come out to Portland for a couple of days, I jumped on it.

So Portland.  I arrived on Friday to cloudy skies, but atleast it wasn't raining.  After checking into my hotel, I walked over to the Pearl District which according to Museum Man is the new hip area and where I should live if I moved to Portland.  And I can see why.  It is more industrial than my current neighborhood, but it is definitely quirky and kind of cool.   And the good news is that it has less crazies than downtown Portland.  Downtown Portland definitely had a high number of crazies.  I guess DC does too, but I just don't see them where I live.  I stopped at a local brewery for lunch.  The Rebel Hop was my favorite.

That evening I hooked up with S, a good friend of John's.  She and her BF took me out to dinner at a cool restaurant in the Pearl (I think) and then we went to this crazy dessert place that was just amazing.

The next day, S picked me up and took me on a tour of the city.  First we had brunch at a cool place just on the edge of Chinatown.  We went to the Chinese Gardens which were small, but very cool.  Oh, and it was raining now.  Not a lot, but enough to be a bit of a haze.  But the upshot was that there was no one there.  We also went over to the Saturday market area which was cool, but with the rain wasn't that impressive.  Apparently in the summer it's huge and there is live music, etc.  But it was still kind of cool.  After that, we walked back to downtown and hit the Nordstroms where I picked up a good rain slicker with a hood.  My jacket/umbrella combo really wasn't going to cut it here.

S also recommended a couple of foodie places to eat while I was here so I headed to one of them Saturday night.  But first I had 2 glasses of wine at the happy hour at my hotel.  Then I took a cab to Le Pigeon where I was told the wait was 45 minutes.  So S had told me of a wine bar called Kir around the corner.  So I went there and had a glass of bubbly.  Then I went back to Le Pigeon and had another glass of wine while I waited.  Have you counted the number of glasses?  This is all before I've eaten.  I get seated at the chef's table which is the bar that overlooks the very small kitchen.  Which was really fascinating.  John would have loved this place.  I did the tasting menu, with wine pairing.  Of course.

Now, let me be clear.  I'm not a foodie.  John was.  And I would always go along and I would always try whatever was on the menu.  I'm a trooper.  So when the waitress asked me if there was any food I didn't want to eat, I said yes, but it's not a big deal.  But she wanted to know what it was, so I said mushrooms and foie gras.  She wanted to know if I had an ethical issue with foie gras and I said no.  So she asked that I give their dessert, a foie gras profiterole a chance.  And I said sure.  Again, I'm a trooper.  So she smiled and I got ready for my tasting menu.

And the first course was steak tartare with some seasoning.  Now, I have this small issue with raw food.  If I'm at a restaurant, I sort of want them to cook my food if I'm paying for it.  Call me crazy.  But I ate it.  And as long as I didn't think about it too much, I sort of enjoyed it.  I would never order it again, but it was sort of tasty.  And I had a nice glass of wine to wash it down.  So that was the bad course.  It would have to get better after this, right?  Nope.  The second course was uni on a bed of roe.  So not only am I not a sushi fan (see above), I'm also not a caviar fan.  But it also came with a fried oyster.  So I managed to eat it and again, if I didn't think too much about it, it was pretty good.  With the wine of course.  The third course was a fish course that was very tasty.  And interestingly enough it was paired with a red wine because it had a very earthy sauce to it.  The fourth course was the best.  Beef cheek on a bed of gruyerre cheese infused mashed potatoes.  Hello yummy!  Really, really good.  And then we get to the dessert.  It was the foie gras profiterole (which was actually really good) plus a goat cheese cheesecake that was just devine.  And I had a lovely dessert wine to go with it.


Now at this point, I'm beyond full.  I'm more than a little tipsy and just stuffed.  So instead of hitting the town, I went back to the hotel and crashed.  And wow did I have some cra-cray dreams after all of that rich food.  But definitely a good time.

Orlando (Part 2)

So I guess it's fitting that I'm writing about this on Veteran's Day.

In March, I applied for a job at AFRICOM in Stuttgart Germany.  I've been thinking about changing jobs and it sounded interesting and moving back to Europe seemed like a real interesting opportunity.  So I applied and I got an interview.  It went well and then I thought, wait, what happens if I really get the job.  Would John leave his job?  Could he find a job in Stuttgart?  They *must* do patent work in Germany.  His firm has an office in Brussels.  How would all of this work.  We had several conversations, all of them speculative since I didn't have the job yet, but we weren't sure how this would work out.  And then I started thinking of the logistics of it all.  Even if we were married, would even be allowed to come with me?  DOMA would prevent him from getting spousal status.  Could he even get into the country?  Or get a work visa?  Would Germany recognize our marriage even if the U.S. didn't?  Could he even get access to the base to pick me up from work? Or use the hospital?

So many questions.  So while DADT was repealed, gay and lesbian service members (and service civilians) don't have equal rights and access to a whole host of rights and services because of DOMA.   A friend of mine asked if I was interested in joining the board of the Service Members Legal Defense Network (SLDN) who had been one of the primary drivers for the repeal of DADT.  I had originally said no, but John had recommended I do it and after the AFRICOM flailex (though I was never offered the job), I knew I wanted to help get marriage benefits for gay and lesbian service members.  If you are willing to put your life on the line for this country, then you deserve the same rights and benefits as everyone else.

So the primary reason I went to Orlando was to attend the OutServe-SLDN International Leadership Conference and the OS-SLDN board meeting.  Over the summer, SLDN merged with OutServe, the active duty GLBT organization that has something like 6000 members.  Needless to say that with John's death, I was sort of pre-occupied with other things.  So this was my first opportunity to participate in the organization and attend the board meeting.

The conference was interesting and I learned a whole bunch of stuff.  But it was the board meeting that was interesting.  The repeal of DADT meant that SLDN's primary mission had been achieved and they were now focused on getting marriage benefits for G&L service members.  However, while DADT allowed gays and lesbians to serve, it didn't allow transgender persons to serve openly.  In addition to the merge, OS-SLDN also hired a new executive director.  A West Point graduate who had served in Iraq.  Who is a transgender woman.  She is still married to her West Point graduate wife and they have three children.

Now I'll be honest and say that at first I wasn't sure how I felt about the whole transgender issue.  On the gay and lesbian issue, I was always, if the person can shoot the enemy, can fly a plane, can drive a ship, if they can diffuse the bomb, fundamentally if they can do the job.  Then does it matter if they are gay or lesbian or black or white or green or young or old or whatever?  And I guess to be honest, if that argument is correct.  And I believe it is.  Then does it matter if the person is transgender?  The answer is no, not really.

I'll also say that I can't imagine what it's like to go through what they go through everyday.  The courage and integrity it must take to live their life they way they want to.  To say no to the easy but wrong answer, but yes to the hard but right answer.

And aren't those the exact attributes you want to a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine?

Storm Center - San Diego!!

So you know how the TV stations in DC will go into hyper drive when there is a big storm in DC?  They will have reporters all over the place, even before the storm hits?  Here's Megan Smith reporting from a sanding station in Northern Virginia where the snow us due in 6 hours?  Stuff like that?

Well it's gone crazy here in San Diego.  We've gone all Storm Center San Diego.  And why?

For pop up showers.

Pop up showers?

So a little rain?

And that means you need to have a four person team reporting on it?

For rain?

Just kills me.

Orlando (Part 1)

So last weekend, Museum Man and I went down to Orlando.  It was for a conference, which was pretty interesting, but I'll get to that next.  I want to focus on the non "work" part of the weekend.

So I had to go on this trip.  But Orlando?  John and I spent last Christmas in Orlando with my sister and her family.  I had first met his aunt in Disney.  John just loved Disney and we had been there several times.  After Christmas, my niece and nephew called John "Mr. Disney".  He was just a wiz at planning every aspect of the trip.  Which parks to go to. Which rides to go.  In what order.  When (early!) and where to make dining reservations.  He didn't need a map.  He just knew it all.  He even read the Disney food blog which I called his food porn.  How could I go to Disney without John?

But I had to go.  So I asked Museum Man to go with me.  And as luck would have it, John's sister was having her bachelorette weekend at Disney at the same time, so I would get to see her and John's aunt.  So it was sort of like having John with me.

We flew down Thursday afternoon and did the shuttle to the hotel.  I loathe the shuttle.  Disney's Magical Express is really the way to go.  But we were staying where the conference was at the Shades of Green.  My sister stayed there over Christmas and called it SOG.  It's the Armed Forces hotel at Disney and it's a really good deal.  So I couldn't explain.  After we checked in (want to guess the color of the room decor?), we caught a bus over to Downtown Disney and ate at Paradisio 37.  Dinner was good and I had a couple of margaritas to get the weekend started off right!  After dinner we wandered around Downtown Disney a bit.  Who knew MM was a Lego fan.  Too funny.  Here's a pic of me getting buzzed with Buzz Lightyear.

Friday I had my conference, but Friday night we went to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Not So Scarey Halloween Party.  It was something John and I had done on our first trip to Disney and I thought it would be fun.  We got there and bee-lined to Space Mountain.  No line at all.  And I had the front seat.  John would have been so proud.  After Space Mountain, we did the Space Ranger ride where you shoot at targets.  I smoked MM.  Then off to Thunder Mountain.  After which, my stomach started to feel a bit weird.  But we headed over to watch the parade.  Which is just really awesome.  My favorite part is when the grave diggers drag their shovels along the concrete and sparks come up.  Pretty cool.  After the parade, we hit Pirates of Carribbean and then it was time for the fireworks.  Which even MM thought was awesome.

Not awesome?  The strollers.  Seriously, it's like the stroller Olympics.  I was trying to cut through Fantasy Land, but it was just insane.  And if there's one thing I've learned, is that parents with strollers can be ruthless.  They will cut you if you cross them.  Ah yes, the happiest place on earth.  Until someone with a stroller snaps.

Saturday was full with the conference and then the dinner.  Bur on Sunday we met up with John's sister and his aunt to do the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  Now the first time John and I did this, I called it the Disney Death March.  It was mid October, but it must have been 90+ degrees and it was just crazy hot.  And after 7 hours of walking, riding, eating, and drinking, I needed a time out.  And let me tell you the crap I caught for wimping out from John and his family.  Thankfully MM is allergic to getting up early and with my foot problem, I didn't feel like making it a death march.  We got there around noon and then proceeded to eat and drink our way around the world showcase.  Favorite foods?  The beer-cheese soup at the Canadian Pavilion is always excellent.  The ravioli in Italy.  The coq au vin in France.  Potstickers in China.  Favorite drinks?  The iced champagne at the champagne and dessert pavilion.  The Grand Marnier Slushy (with an extra shot) in France.  The Seven Tiki Mai Tai from Hawaii.  Let me tell you, it was all good.

It was really a fun afternoon and it was great to see John's sister and her aunt.

We were supposed to leave on Monday.  But then along came Sandy.  So our Monday flight was cancelled and we were put on a Tuesday flight.  So we stayed at SOG an extra night.  But then our Tuesday flight was cancelled and they said they could get us back on Thursday.  Thursday?  Umm, no.  So I worked with US Airways to get us to Charlottesville, VA.  And then we drove the rest of the way home.

So it was quite the adventure in Florida!