Maple Syrup

Well it's official. I was going back and forth over where I wanted to travel for my birthday. After thinking it over, I decided on Toronto. To tell you the truth, I haven't planned exactly what I'm going to do once I'm there. I may need to make a trip to Border's and find a Toronto guide so I can come up with some ideas. I know I do want to check out the nightlife of course. I assume I'll want to hang out downtown. Maybe I'll check out the Toronto Eaton Centre, which is reputed to be the busiest mall in Toronto.




I'm stoked too because I was able to book a 4-star hotel for $66 a night on hotwire. I just need to figure out whether I should rent a car or not. So much to learn in so little time.

I am looking forward to this though. I'm basically an open canvas. If anyone has any hot ideas for what I can see or do while in Toronto, feel free to let me know. I'm there from the 10th through the 13th of October.

Where I've Been?

Continuing my map theme, I actually found this cool website where you can highlight every state you've been in. In doing so, I realize I've already been in over half of the 50 states of the US.


visited 26 states (52%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Like this? try: Google Chat Bot

To chart your own course, go to the Visited Countries webpage. They also have a world map. Hopefully someday I can fill that up...:-)

Arrows On A Map

My 37th birthday is in a few months and typically since I'm still working at the place I was supposed to escape years ago (but we won't talk about that), I usually take my birthday week off to travel.

Last year of course I traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii.    That was a total blast aside from the head cold I had to endure on my flights.   I swear the last half hour of landing were the most excruciating.   If I were a baby, I'd be crying my head off.    And Norris aside from the regular 15 minute rainouts and a nasty burger I had, the rest of my trip was much better.   I can't believe I didn't blog about the rest of it.

2007 now that I think about it, I didn't go anywhere for my birthday.  I was seeing Rock of course and I remember that month being particularly rocky.  

2006 was the year I found myself going to Raliegh, NC to be a wallflower followed by a few days in Vegas with an associate I no longer speak to.  (Gosh maybe looking at my past trips wasn't such a good idea...*LOL*)

In 2005 I flew to Seattle.   That was a funny trip especially my time spent with Jerome.   It was  a blast overall I remember, especially at Muckleshoot Casino.    Chaka-chaka-chaka Khan.

I honestly don't remember what I did in 2004.   That might've been a stay home year too.   I do know I flew to Denver at some point in 2004 for a silly rendevous but I don't think it was my birthday weekend.

In 2003 I flew to Vegas for my birthday.    That was my first trip to Vegas and that was definitely a nice time.    I met a guy and his partner for half a day while I was there and spent the rest of my time going up and down the strip.

So where am I thinking of going this year?   I have several possibilities:

Albuquerque, New Mexico -  At first I'm like what the hell can you do there.   Rock actually suggested that as our possible first trip when we were together.    We wound going to New York, of course and having a wonderful time.    Honestly I can't recall what they're famous for.   I remember seeing they had some annual hot air balloon event, which will pass by the time I visit, if that's where I go.    Every city has something famous, right?    I'll find out.   But it would be a totally different adventure to go there.

New Orleans, Louisiana  -  I believe if I go there around my birthday, the area will still be in Hurricane season.     But I've always wanted to go there and felt bad that I didn't prior to Katrina.     But Eugene went this year for a conference and had a blast singing karaoke at some bar on Bourbon street.    And you know I wound up finally going to Honolulu due to Eugene's going.    I'd love to try some authentic cajun food and it'll be interesting to see the area post-Katrina.

Phoenix, Arizona  -   This was another place that I've always wanted to visit.   All the folks that I've talked to said that Phoenix is boring.   But for some reason I want to see it for myself.   There was a guy that used to follow my blog (not sure if he still does since I've fallen and gotten back up only to have to fallen again and again multiple times...*LOL*) that moved there a year or so back.    If I do decide on Phoenix, I may have to look him up.

Las Vegas, Nevada -  Yeah I've been there twice before but there's something about the "sin city" that is such a draw.   And maybe this time I could step away from the sin and check out the  Grand Canyon.

Altanta, GA -  I've been to Atlanta before a couple times as well.    One of my old college friends that I came out to recently lives there and if I recall, his birthday is also sometime in October.   It'd be cool to visit him and also hang out with Norris.

Decisions.   Decisions.   Maybe I should think international too...like maybe Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver.   I guess Canada's on the brain.     There's time to decide.

Boston Milestone

As I was driving near my neighborhood, I ran into the most interesting display that I had to photograph. Basically someone living at this house turned 50 and it was decided that this milestone needed to be advertised to everyone. My rear view mirror is kind of blocking part of it but basically the display says Carol IS 50 and further in the background are a bunch of bras that were hung on a clothesline along with a sign that says "We Support You".

I thought it was funny but I'm hoping nothing like that happens to me when I turn 40, which is actually just a little over three years away. Wow...I'm getting old.

I mentioned a potential boyfriend in a post last month named Colin. He's a guy that I met back in May when I was visiting Eugene in Boston. So Hemingway last weekend I flew into Boston to spend more time with Colin. I took Friday off and took a 8:35AM flight to Boston. Colin was going to pick me up at the airport. I was hoping to be able to nap during this flight but I was stuck sitting next to two chatty Bettys who were carrying on with each other about their respective activities. To try and drone out their chatter, I put my Ipod on.

I arrived and made my way towards baggage claim. My first mission was to try and find a restroom. There was a couple on route to baggage claim but I figured I'd find one near baggage claim to go to. I made my way through the airport maze and then headed downstairs to bc. As I walked down there I saw a sign for the restroom but I had to go up some stairs to get to it. Needless to say I was annoyed. I stood there contemplating climbing the flight of stairs when Colin sneaked up behind me and we hugged. He handed me a Dunkin Donuts ice tea and mentioned that I walked right by him just near the down escalator. I guess I was so focused that I looked right past him.

So Hemingway we went up the stairs, I took care of business, and then we made our way towards the parking garage. He needed to pay for the ticket via a machine and we entered an elevator. We wound up having the elevator to ourselves and Colin promptly reached over and we started kissing. Part of me was thinking there were probably cameras watching us but I went along with it. I detected what tasted like a cigarette in his breath but I didn't comment on it, instead I was relishing on the overall excitement of the illicit moment.

We made our way to his olive colored Jeep (a color that I love) and that was where I saw his pack of cigarettes. One thing I'm not crazy about is smoking and it can be a big turnoff. Unfortunately his profile didn't mention anything about smoking which honestly I would've likely eliminated him from my dating pool. But Colin slipped by my radar and I got to know a lot of things about him since we spoke daily that appealed to me. So I was conflicted.

I mentioned the cigarettes to him and he stated that he was trying to quit, which I guess is a start. I let it go for the moment as we made our way out of the airport. He reached for my hand and was holding it at various points while he was driving (Awww!). His Jeep was a stick shift so he occasionally needed that hand to change gears. As soon as he was done, he promptly held my hand again (Awww!). The pattern repeated....change gears, hold hands, change gears, hold hands.

He asked if we should go to lunch first or drop my luggage and then go. I decided on the former and we wound up going to the same sushi place where we had our first date. The sushi was delicious but I wasn't particularly fond of the waiting staff. It honestly felt like they were more attentive to Colin than myself. I guess I should get this out now....he's another white guy. (And no Rock didn't sour me to black guys...I still got love for the brothers...it just so happened that I've been meeting a lot more white guys lately.) I didn't make a fuss about it though especially since Colin paid for the meal but if I was paying for it, I'd definitely make a point of giving the minimum of tips.

Afterwards Colin needed to run a couple errands, including getting some liquor for a couple friends (including his ex) that would be stopping by Sunday. So we took care of the errands and aside from one funny incident (we found a walkie-talkie that a Sam's Club employee left in the lot...Colin played with it and contacted a store clerk, who wondered how he stumbled across it), the shopping was uneventful. Well...I was perturbed when Colin attempted to purchase an entire carton of Marlboro Lights (yeah that's gonna be an issue) but other than that it was uneventful.

We went back to his place where he was greeted by his two cats (they were friendly though only on their terms...*LOL*). They ran away when I walked in and I could imagine them thinking about what Colin drug in...*LOL*. Hemingway we decided to spend a lowkey evening where he would make a home-cooked meal (a major plus). He asked me to invite Eugene over so the two of us could catch up and then we could watch a movie. Eugene, being the peculiar individual that he is, declined the invite. But it was fine.

We entertained ourselves watching TV, making out, having sex, and him getting the vegetables and meat ready for a homemade chicken veggie soup w/ rice. I fell asleep afterwards as we were watching Knowing with Nicholas Cage. So ended Friday.

Originally Colin and I were thinking about driving to Connecticut and visiting Foxwoods Resort Casino and staying overnight. But Colin mentioned that he had some discount he wanted to use and couldn't do it online or over the phone. He mentioned having to drive down there in person (an hour and a half drive) to do so. But as the weeks drug on (since our first meeting in May), I had a feeling Colin changed his mind about the resort, even though I was still kind of excited by it. He was making up excuses for not getting it taken care of. I finally stopped asking about it. I got that confirmation that we weren't going there days before when he suggested spending a day at the beach instead (the weather was going to be nice for a change....Boston like a lot of other areas haven't had much of a summer).

I was okay with the idea. I honestly needed to brush up on the little swimming skill I had that I was sure faded away. Plus he claimed there was a gay section of the beach and I knew I wouldn't mind seeing a few hard bodies.

So Saturday morning we made our way to Ogunquit, Maine, which was just a little over an hour drive from Boston. Colin boasted that Ogunquit actually attracts quite a number of gay and lesbian folks and a number of gay/lesbian owned businesses, including a bed and breakfast, existed.

We got there early enough to get decent parking and there was a bit of a crowd, though it was predominately hetero. Colin the night before had made some sandwiches and bought some chips, pretzels, cherries, and water, which he packed into a cooler. The cooler had wheels which he used to drag it along the parking lot. Once we got to the beach, we grabbed one end of the cooler and carried it along the beach(that was so a couples thing...*LOL*). There were already a small crowd gathered at the "straight" section of the beach. We walked past that and got to what Colin called the "gay" section, which was actually empty.

We settled near an open area and laid out our blankets and gear. I was wearing some speedos, which surprisingly looked good on me. Luckily I didn't have much of a bulge. We chatted, laid out in the sun for a bit, and I ate a sandwich with some chips. The eye candy was few even though I did catch a hot guy who seemed to be purposely posing.

The wind started picking up and unfortunately sand started coming all over me, even though I hadn't moved from my blanket. A bit over two hours after we settled in, Colin and I decided to pack it in. And no I didn't get to go swimming.

Of couse as we're leaving, all the hot gay guys decided to show up. Colin made a joke that they would leave within ten minutes after getting sand in their hair.

Ogunquit as you can imagine didn't have many blacks floating around. I may have ran into two other black folks the entire time I was there. Colin and I walked around town but didn't stop anywhere in particular. We wound up walking along this long pathway along the shoreline. It was really nice and I admit having thoughts of making out with Colin at various private alcoves that were hidden along the path. But I kept those feelings inside as we continued the walk. We saw a trolley and hopped on it as we made our way back to where we started.

On route back to Boston, we stopped at an outlet in Kittery, ME. We went to Old Navy to get a couple t-shirts and I stopped at a Casual Male XL to get some shorts for my dad. I was trying to stop at one in the Detroit area when I last visited my parents but all the ones in Michigan for some reason were out of business. So when I saw it I immediately knew I had to go there.

Colin expressed feeling extra tired when getting back. Eugene had actually suggested us meeting him and a guy he's been dating at an Italian restaurant that night. I admit I was stunned that Eugene suggested it since when I had mentioned possibly getting together with him and his guy days before, he nixed the idea saying he didn't want it to seem like we were on a "double date". Colin however wasn't up to going and while a part of me was disappointed that we wouldn't be able to (I would've gone but I don't drive stick -- aside from being fucking lost -- and his date was actually picking him up so he didn't want to have him get me), a part of me was actually glad. I get annoyed with Eugene at times because he always wants to control outings and who meets who. We've gotten into arguments in the past because he wouldn't introduce me to his friends since he concluded we wouldn't get along (and a possible fear that I might "out" him since my masculinity index is so low according to him). But this entry isn't about Eugene and his pigeonholing so let me move on.

Later Saturday Colin offered me the chance to do some laundry (basically his clothes with a bit of mine). His laundry room also happens to be his kitty litter room and his smoking room. I sighed as I saw a pack of cigarettes and his full litter box. I actually decided to clean the litterbox after starting the laundry. (Yeah I'm that type of guy...*LOL*)

The plan Sunday was for me to spend the day with his friends hanging out in Boston and going to their favorite gay bar. Before meeting his friends, Colin had wanted us to go to the gym to work out. But I forgot my sneakers believe it or not so we didn't go. So instead Colin was being the good host making sandwiches with leftovers from our beach outing and also warming up the rest of the soup from Friday.

So two of his friends arrived, the first of which wound up being his ex. The story there was that he and his ex were dating for three years and living together but the last two years they lost interest and basically had a nonsexual relationship. Their friendship in contrast grew to where they consider each other to be close friends. His ex actually moved to his own place last month.

So I met Colins-ex who actually seemed like a nice guy. He's a smaller framed guy of South American descent. I found out that they both worked at the same place (which is an independent living facility for older folks). Colin's managing one of thier kitchens and has under him some managers and chefs. (It explains his love for cooking) Colins-ex works as a manager in a different kitchen from Colin. Needless to say a lot of their conversations centered around their job.

Colin's other friend showed up ten minutes later. Frankford was a quiet yet mischievous heavyset guy who Colin stated was his best friend. I found out that Frankford was responsible for bringing Colin and Colins-ex into their current jobs. He wound up being laid-off by the same company a few years back. So a lot of the conversations continued to center around their job.

I was quietly observing the threesome and noticed there were a couple moments when Frankford and Colin would disappear to the laundry room. I sighed as I smelled a bit of cigarette smoke.

We all left Colin's condo and headed out to Boston in Colin's jeep. Since Frankford was big, I let him ride up front with Colin. We made our way to Boston and walked along part of historical downtown. We passed an H&M store and Colin insisted on going in to find some clothes. I was combing through some of the clothes but didn't find anything that appealed to me. I felt a bit bad for Frankford since there really weren't any clothes in his size. Eventually Frankford and Colins-ex went outside while Colin continued shopping. I joined the others outside as Colin went to pay for his items.

We made our way to Boston Commons and walked along the park. Not wanting to drag his bag around to the bar, Colin went to his car to drop off his bag. I tagged along with him while the others waited for us to return.

Eventually we made our way to Fritz, a popular gay sports bar in Boston. The highlight of the afternoon was seeing how Colin wound up socializing with other folks in the bar. He seemed to clash in particular with a queen-type guy who also looked to be having a crush on Colin. I also counted about six trips Colin and Frankford made outside to smoke cigarettes. (Yeah that's gonna be a running issue I see...*LOL*).

We ended the evening with a trip to Fire&Ice (I'm feeling a slight TeenaMarie/Rick James moment here), a grill and bar place where you pick the food items and they cook it right in front of you. Colin had what I considered a klepto moment when he chose to pocket a small sea salt grinder because "he didn't have one at home".

My flight was scheduled for early that Monday at 6:50AM. We prepared by turning in as soon as we got back from Boston. It was around that time that my body chose to have a pain in the shoulder. I told Colin about it and he said that he would give it a massage. I thought that was nice but instead he wound up giving me an Icy Hot patch. (*LOL*)

As we were getting to know each other, I learned that his birthday was on the 16th. Since I knew I wouldn't be in town for it, I decided to get a gift for him ahead of time. He mentioned being a huge fan of the Golden Girls (something that he has in common with Eugene and a lot of America...*LOL*). He had all the seasons of Golden Girls except for Season 4. He was looking to get it at his local Best Buy but they never seemed to have a copy. So I decided to get it for him for his birthday. I presented it to him just before we went to bed. He was pleasantly surprised and thanked me for the gift.

We went to bed and we woke up around 3:30 AM to get ready for the airport. Traffic wasn't too bad for 4AM...*LOL*. We had one last quick kiss upon arriving at the airport and parted ways.

Overall it was a good visit. Colin and I got to know a bit more about each other. Weighing in the pros and cons, I would say that the pros outweigh the cons (despite the huge one). I'm interested in getting to know him some more but am also keeping my options open.

Deja VooDoo

My gosh...this year is going by so fast. Wasn't I supposed to give a blow by blow on my trip to Hawaii? You know, the trip of all trips.

Well thanks to some bad luck, I almost didn't make it to Hawaii. The night before my trip (which took place on October 16 - damn can't believe it's almost a month ago...sigh) I had called American Taxi and after going through their automated system, I made sure that it was set to send a taxi to my home at 6:20 AM, in hopes of catching the 6:44 Metra train to downtown. So I get up at 5AM and get myself ready for my taxi. 6:20 comes and goes and there's no taxi. Usually American Taxi is good on sending a taxi on time. I wait ten more minutes and no taxi. So I call the dispatch and they claim that no such order came through on their automated system but they would send a taxi in the next twenty minutes or so. My goal with catching the 6:44 Metra was to be able to get to Union Station by 7:30 AM. From there I would catch the CTA Orange Line and take it to Midway, where I would board my flight, which left at 10AM.

By the time the taxi came, it was around 6:56AM. I was hoping I would get to the Metra in time to catch the 7:06 AM, which would get my to the city by 8AM. I wound up missing the train and rather than wait for the 7:20AM, I made the taxi drop me back at my place and I wound up driving myself. In hindsight, it might've been better to pay him $50 to get me to Midway since my parking fee for Midway was $98 by the time I got back from my trip.

So Hemingway I drove myself to the airport and despite a bit of traffic on I-55, I managed to get to the airport by 8:30 AM. Besides dealing with the transportation fiasco, I also had to deal with a last minute cold that decided to creep on me. I was so pissed off that I had to deal with a stuffed nose on top of everything else. So since I didn't have any cold medicine, I overpaid for some Contac Cold & Flu medication. I ate a couple breakfast bars and popped a couple pills.

It didn't help much and I wound up with some terrible sinus pressure during the last twenty minutes of my flight to Denver. If I were a baby, I would've been balling my eyes out on the plane. It was terrible.

My carrier Frontier airlines has its hub in Denver and apparently my connecting flight to Seattle was scheduled to depart 30 minutes after my Denver flight arrived. Needless to say I was afraid of being left behind. My flight to Denver did arrive on time but of course it took almost 15 minutes to get out. So I'm racing to get to the other gate after trying to look on the big screen for my flight info. I just barely made it to the other gate in time as I was one of the last passengers to enter the plane.

Save my sinus pressure, the flight to Seattle was uneventful. To top it off, I wasn't seated next to anyone of interest.

But I was definitely grateful for making my connection. Luckily my flight to Honolulu wasn't for another four hours. So that gave me time to get lunch at an overpriced airport restaurant called The Mountain Room. The server was friendly as I ordered an overpriced burger and fries along with some lemon water, mostly chewing on the lemons in hopes of my cold going away. No such luck.

So after the high caloric meal, I killed some time walking around the terminal and eventually picking up some NyQuil pills and more water. My plan was to take the pills and fall asleep on the six hour flight to Honolulu. I wound up instead taking a couple more Contac pills before boarding my flight.

I did manage to get a couple hours sleep and woke up in time for some more sinus pressure. Before landing, the airline had us fill out a survey for why we were visiting and if we bought any plants or animals along. It's definitely recommended to leave Fluffy at home, unless you want him put to sleep.

So after getting my luggage, I got in line to hop on Robert's Shuttle, the cheapest way to get to your hotel. There were 13 other couples or groups (yeah I was the only solo person on the bus...a common theme throughout my trip...*LOL*) on the bus and of course the hotel I stayed at (Hotel Kapiolani) was the furthest hotel from the airport, hence I wound up being the last stop, a hour and twenty minutes later.

I was actually able to snag a very good rate (albeit for a very small room) of $65 a night online. Eugene had recommended the hotel to me since he stayed there on his second trip (lucky bastard) to the island. The nice thing about the hotel is that it's within walking distance of the beach and numerous restaurants and shops along the island.

As I mentioned the room wasn't all that great but since I wasn't planning on spending my life in the room, it wasn't a big deal. So by the time I checked in, it was close to 11PM Hawaii standard time, which was 4AM Chicago time. I was completely stuffed and was desperate for some Chicken soup. I was hoping I would find something quick but since I didn't, I wound up going to ABC Store (which are on every other street) and getting a $3.79 can of Progresso soup. I realized that I didn't have a spoon so I walked a few blocks to a 7-11 where I picked up a plastic spoon and purchased some Ajax soap.

My plan when getting back to the hotel was to warm my soup on the coffee maker. Ghetto I know...but they didn't have a microwave in the room. So I washed the coffee maker with the Ajax soap. Not having much experience with coffee makers, I thought it'd be fine just to fill the bowl with the soup and warm it on the maker. I later realized that I would have to run the soup (at least the sauce) through the filter. There was no way I was going to do that, though. So my meal for the night was some semi-warm chicken soup. Yum.

I ended the night popping a couple NyQuil in my mouth and calling it a night. So ended my first night in Hawaii. Aside from my cold, I felt this great sense of joy and thanfulness for making it alive to Hawaii and making one of my travel goals a reality. I went to sleep with the knowledge that tomorrow would be a good day. More later.

Aloha Oahu, Aloha Chicago

Sigh...I'm back in Chicago and as of today, back on the job. I want to give a blow by blow detail of my trip to Hawaii but am not feeling up to typing anything right now. I promise to share soon, though.



In other news...
I feel so bad for Jennifer Hudson's family. According to some reports, it's speculated that they found her seven year old nephew shot in the back seat of an SUV. Truly sad.

And apparently there was a plot by some skinheads to kill up to 88 blacks and ultimately an attempt would be made on Obama's life. What a twisted world we live in. There's so many nutjobs around. It's stories like these that make me question having kids of my own (aside from the special hurdles I'd have to go through to have one). Crazy.

It's Your Birthday

I officially turn 36 today. Yay! I'm also off from work today but it's no rest for the weary. Today I need to prep for my upcoming Hawaii trip. I have to run a few errands today, including stopping at the post office and buying a couple last minute knick knacks. I need to pay a few bills before I leave too so I don't get any nasty threats to cut off service while I'm on vacation. I also need to get some laundry done today and most importantly, keep my latest attempt at getting a cold at bay. Can you believe that? It's like the universe is conspiring against me. But gosh darn it (Hi Sarah Palin.) I'm going to fight this attack because I'll be damned if I get sick during my vacation.

The nicest thing about this vacation is that I don't have to worry about work for at least a week. I tried to extend my time off until the 29th, but that caused a stink by the business, so I had to cut it short a few days. Bastards. But I plan on enjoying my week not logging in or thinking about work. Who knows? Maybe all the issues will magically go away by the time I get back. Yeah right...:-)

Hemingway Rock and I met at a half-way point last night to have dinner. It was the same area we met last year around that time. We were even going to meet at AppleBee's but I decided to change it to Lone Star. So other than a minor quibble over time of meeting, the dinner went well. I had a combo 6oz sirloin with salmon, which wasn't half bad. Later after dinner we hung out in his car and he gave me the movies Saw and Saw IV, since I'm a big horror movie buff.

As we sat in the car, I couldn't help but think of my upcoming trip and wish Rock was able to go along. Unfortunately circumstances with his job and cash prevented him from going. But he told me that he wanted to spend more time with me, which would be a good thing since after almost two years together (our anniversary arrives next month), we still don't hang out nearly enough. We're nowhere close to even contemplating moving in with each other. To tell you the truth, there have been times I wanted to end things since it doesn't feel like we're progressing. And I've given up trying to encourage more time together. So I'd like to hope that Rock's wanting us to spend more time together wasn't just lip service.

So Hemingway let me get ready for my trip. Hawaii, here I come!

Hawaii-E Bound!

Aloha!

The Misfits aren't the only ones having fun in Hawaii. Yours truly will be heading there on October 16th for a few days of rest and relaxation. Hawaii has been a fantasy trip of mine for the longest. It's surreal that it's become a reality. What drove me to go was not only the decent fare but the fact that my bff Eugene is Hawaii-bound for the second time (lucky bastard). He's going for his close college friend's shot-gun wedding in September (which he's opposed to but that's another story) after snagging his own bargain price. I knew when he said he was going for a second time that there was no way I could pass up not trying to go on my own. So I did some research and after contemplating pulling the whole "MegaBus" to another city deal to get a slightly cheaper fare, I wound up getting a ticket at Midway that with transportation costs would actually cost me a few dollars less.

So the ticket is purchased. The only thing I need to do is survive my project from hell, which is supposed to be done end of September.

I have to now plan some excursions (though I'll definitely be putting in time to work the tan). Woo hoo!






Aloha!

Funny Apples Part III

Okay....I'm going to have to wrap up my New York tales with a quickness. Relative quickness. You know how I type. It's going on almost a month and I may want to blog about something else. In case you need to catch up, here's Day 1 and Day 2.

Actually before I hit New York, I must say I've been impressed with this Half & Half website that was put up by the show's killer CBS Studios. They have numerous pictures of the cast, episode guides for all four seasons, and a schedule for when those episodes appear on syndication. They even have clips from select episodes. I'm not sure how long the site's been up but I must admit I'm impressed with the detail behind it. Of course it doesn't make up for its cancellation but at least I can see episodes (hopefully they're not cut up too bad) again.

So Hemingway Day 3 started just like Day 2 did. We hit the subways. Our destination this time was Coney Island. Rock wanted a lot of this trip to be all about me since I've never been to the Big Apple. Coney Island was the one place that Rock totally desired to go see. Our driver that picked us up at the airport among other folks Rock's talked to warned that Coney Island was run down. Rock himself heard rumors that Coney Island would close at the end of 2007 season, which made seeing it all the more important.

So we took the long, long ride to Coney Island. We got there and it was as Rock's detractors told us it would be. We walked around and enjoyed the surroundings anyway. It almost reminded me of a smaller scale Venice Beach or Boardwalk. If Coney Island were to close, I could totally see some developer or two buying up the land and putting up high rises or condos there. I would think they'd definitely want to take advantage of the ocean front. We wound up capping our short visit to Coney Island with a stop at Nathan's Famous. We shared some fries that were to die for.

Soldier and I were trying to schedule a time to meet today as well. We came up with the possibility of meeting after our visit to Coney's. Unfortunately that didn't work out. Neither did the other times we suggested for Day 3. Sigh.

So Hemingway while making our way back to Manhattan, Rock had a caffeine attack. He just had to have a cafe latte at Starbuck's. So we stopped at the one near our hotel. Rock wound up not really liking it. I think they rushed his order since it was such a crowd at the tiny Starbuck's.

We chilled at the hotel for about an hour before heading out to the nearby Empire State Building. On route to the Empire, we wound up randomly stopping at this movie poster store. The workers there were really nice to us as Rock made his selections. I mostly window shopped. *LOL*. They put Rock's posters in a giant movie tub so instead of lugging the tub to Empire State, we decided to take it back to the room.

So now we're off to Empire State Building. The journey to get inside the building was annoying. The staff there was pimping item after item that supposedly would make the tour more enjoyable. For an extra fee, you could even pay to bypass the long, long lines. I couldn't help but wonder if they got a commission each time they sold an item. So eventually we get to the top floor. I have to admit it was really cool seeing everything from up above. We even got a view of our hotel building.

So that's that. Didn't I say I was going to make this quick? Guess I lied.

After Empire State, we made our way to Barneys of New York in New York. Rock really wanted to go there and do some shopping. He particularly was on the prowl for a certain set of loafers he saw advertised in the Chicago Tribune. He didn't find those loafers but he found a snooty salesman that assumed that both of us were just window shopping. But his snooty ass lost a sale when Rock wound up buying a pair of pricey sandals from another salesperson. Actually had Rock not bought something, I may have bought something just to show him.

So Barneys is like six or seven stories, right? So Hemingway Rock wanted to check out some of the men's clothing up there. I followed him and both of us were scoffing at some of the prices. $2500 for a leather bomber, $275 for some faded t-shirt, $425 for a dress shirt (I think it was Armani...*LOL*). A black (gay) salesman came up and asked if we needed help. Rock started this conversation with him and eventually both of them were going on and on. I didn't think I was doing the 'you better stay away from my man' stare, but apparently Rock insists that I did. I think I may have been more annoyed that the conversation was going on longer than normal and I wasn't really part of it but just standing off to the side.

Okay...fast forwarding a bit. Rock wound up calling an old friend of his that lives in New York and wanting to see if he wanted to hang out with us. The friend did. Rock and Stoney met up and they immediately were one-upping each other in witty satire. It was a bit hilarious listening in as we were walking up and down Manhattan.

We wound up hanging out in the gay part of town....Greenwich Village I believe. We hit a couple bars and a hip-hop club. The highlight of the evening was my getting hit on by an older dude. Rock and Stoney were at the bar getting drinks while I stood off to the side waiting for them. I happen to spot a basket of condoms at the table and decided to grab two. (I didn't want to look like a slut like they treat you at the health clinics and grab two dozen...*LOL*) So after I grab them and discreetly put them in my pocket, I feel someone's hand lightly grab my wrist. I look up thinking it's Rock but it's the guy. We chat a bit and I casually mention that I'm with Rock. He doesn't seem to get the hint until Rock himself finally comes by and places himself strategically between us. I did feel a little sorry for the guy as he tried covering up and later talking about his dead lover.

Overall Stoney showed Rock and me a good time that night and I got to see some of the gay life in New York. New York has some hotties in the house. After stopping at a late night greasy spoon at some point, we wind up getting back to the hotel after 2AM. So ends Day 3.

I woke up on the final day with the worst heartburn and a bit of an upset stomach. It took Rock and I a bit longer to get ready. Luckily both of us had the foresight to pack mostly earlier Day 3 so we didn't have much to pack. Rock wanted to go to the gift shop and get some last minute souvenirs. I was still feeling a bit off so I stayed in the room.

Eugene called me moments later and we were chatting it up while catching each other up on our respective weekend's. I forget about how Eugene's weekend was...*LOL*.

Soldier and I also talked that morning. He was actually on his way to the hotel and wanted to meet Rock and I for breakfast. I couldn't believe it. Even though I didn't harp on it much in my entries, I was excited that Soldier and I were finally going to meet. We've gotten to know each other over time and it was just nice putting a face to a voice. Most of you know what a cool guy he is. Meeting Soldier in a way was like meeting other New York bloggers since he's met most of the New York crowd.

So the highlight of our meeting actually took place after breakfast. Rock excused himself earlier so Soldier and I could talk "blog stuff". We do that and as we're leaving the hotel diner and walking back towards the lobby, Soldier fills me in on a little secret.

When I first headed down to meet Soldier, I noticed that an older lady was sitting at the table with him. The fact that she sat with him threw me off from identifying him initially because I was under the impression that he was coming by himself. So Hemingway he does eventually come up and introduces himself to me. I noticed after we introduced ourselves, he went back to the older lady. It made me think that maybe she was a relative or something that came along for the ride. But I thought nothing of it, despite the fact that she didn't join the three of us for breakfast.

Okay...build up done. So Hemingway Soldier confides in me that the lady (who was actually a stranger) asked him to ask me if I would take a shower with her for $20. I know I was looking good, but damn. Of course I would've never done anything like that, though if it was some hot guy, I may have to stutter a 'no'...*LOL*. But $20 in New York wouldn't even get you a decent lunch. She was a bit behind the times on the going rate there. Needless to say, it was a funny way to end my meeting with Soldier.

On that note, Rock and I checked out and eventually made our way back to the airport. I felt a bit ill (I think I had a stomach virus or something) on route but otherwise the flight back was uneventful. And that in a nutshell (yeah right) was my trip to New York. The End.

Funny Apples Part II

I guess I see why Fredrick was a one-hit wonder...*LOL*.

If you didn't read about Day 1 in New York, check it out.

Now that you're caught up, let's get to Day 2 in the Big Apple. This was the day Rock and I would first navigate our way through New York's Transit system. I'm not going to lie. I was a bit intimidated by the NY subway system. I've heard years back that people could be downright rude down there and push you out of the way. From the New Yorker, the stations nearest to us was 34th and Penn Station (lines A C E) and another block was 34th & Penn/7th Avenue (lines 1 2 3).

Rock and I had tickets that night to see Wicked at Gershwin Theatre. So we thought our first trip on the train should be to figure out the best way to get to Gershwin. We had a handy guide with the entire transit line and concluded that the best route was to take line C or E to 50 street. From there it would be a quick little walk to the theatre.

We went down to the station and went to the ticket kiosk. Looking through the options, we decided to purchase the all day pass for $7. Each. We each had to get our own pass because the all day pass could only be used by one person. I guess that's done to avoid one person giving multiple folks free rides.

Fortunately the system wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be. Actually it's really neat how interconnected a lot of the different lines (goes from A through Z, and 1 through 9...*LOL*) were. As long as you knew if you needed to go Uptown or Downtown, you were set. Rock and I quickly figured out that we would need to go Uptown to get to our stop.

Oddly enough, I remember having that Obama Girl vs. Guiliani song in my head. I think it was the fact that the video was shot in New York bought it to mind. I kept expecting Obama Girl to pop out any minute. Actually I was a bit surprised not to run into any type of celebrity. It would've been wild if Miss Holiday (miss ya still girl) or any of the NYC bloggers crossed paths with me unawares. A certain blogger from Montreal I found out was in the area and we did try to make plans to meet on Day 2. But all attempts that day failed.

But Hemingway...we got off on 50th street and familiarized ourselves with another part of New York...Broadway. We eventually found the Gershwin theatre and kept the location in mind when it would be time later on that evening to see Wicked.

Our next stop today was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Just like museums past, there was just too much going on there. You know I couldn't remember every exhibit. Nonetheless Rock and I had a good time traversing the many floors of the museum and checking out the artwork. One of the cool things the MoMA had was the free audio listening devices. For a number of art pieces, you would look for an associated number, type it up on the audio, and a blurb on what you're looking at would play for your listening pleasure.

The one art piece that seemed to draw both Rock and my attention was this large abstract art piece that was in the center of the room (unfortunately I don't have a picture of it) that in essence were like two pyramids both connected by their tips. The larger of the two pyramids was on the bottom and reminded Rock of the Great Pyramids. The other upside down pyramid seemed reminiscent of the Washington Monument (except it was cut off about half way). That piece happened to have an audio associated it and we both were stoked when the observations we made were confirmed by the speaker.

We later stopped at the MoMa gift shop, where I purchased a few postcards that I plan on putting together in a frame. Rock did some souvenir shopping for folks in his life.

Our next stop was a trip to Harlem. Since Bill Clinton moved his headquarters to Harlem, I've heard that Harlem has gone through a lot of changes. As we exited the subway station for Harlem, I couldn't help but notice the differences between mid-Manhattan and Harlem. One thing they both had in common were all the street vendors were out selling their wares.

It was mid-day and time for a late lunch. Rock wanted us to lunch at Sylvia's, Harlem's Queen of Soul Food. Actually the last time I recalled having a semblance of soul food was when I went to Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in LA (and that was a while ago). I definitely looked forward to the lunch. We had to ask a couple locals for confirmation on Sylvia's location but once we got there, it was all good.

Rock was excited too because it wound up we were sitting not far from Sylvia herself. She was sitting with members of her family I'm assuming enjoying some food. Sylvia was quite the pioneer when she started her restaurant over 45 years back and it was cool seeing she was enjoying the fruits of her labor. Sylvia came over and chatted with both of us and gave some general life advice.

It wasn't long before we received the food ordered. Rock had ribs, mac n cheese, and spinach. I ordered fried chicken and waffles (don't laugh...*LOL*) with a side of sweet potatoes. We also ordered a pitcher of lemonade. Everything tasted great and needless to say we were both full.

Before heading back, Rock and I decided to walk along some of Harlem's neighborhoods. A lot of the homes reminded me of the apartment buildings seen in the TV series Women of Brewster Place. A lot of the buildings on this particular block seemed vacant but were being rebuilt. Rock decided to take a closer look at what we thought was a vacant building. As I looked from a safe distance, I saw from the open window that a ceiling fan was running in the back and I saw someone stirring about. A young guy came towards the door and I wasn't sure what he was doing but it looked like he was making gang signs. I freaked out but Rock was all calm saying that he was just admiring the brownstone building. The guy didn't say a word, which freaked me out even more. I motioned for Rock to back away and Rock eventually stepped back but didn't show any of the fear that I did.

After that incident, we continued walking down the rest of the block and made our way back to the subway. It was a good thing we were heading back to our hotel because the soul food I had eaten earlier was doing a number on my stomach and I needed relief. *LOL*.

We later got ready for another subway trip to Broadway to catch Wicked. Since we had been in the area earlier that day, we knew where we needed to go. Despite knowing that, we wound up taking a wrong train. Luckily we were able to divert our way around the system and even wound up getting off closer to Gershwin itself. It was totally cool.

Wicked was off the chain. I was amazed how they were able to take what was defined as an evil character from the Wizard of Oz and make her human. Plus they were able to subtly incorporate various pieces of the original movie into their play. For example, we learn how the cowardly lion and tin man came about. I think what resonated for me was how the other characters teased Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) because her skin was green. The obvious connection to racism resonated inside me and I actually teared up (but no tears fell this time...*LOL*) when it seemed Elphaba was going to die from the hands of Dorothy.

I'm definitely glad that Rock and I had the opportunity to see the play. We both were humming parts of the song Defying Gravity as we made our way back to the hotel for the night. We also had an AWW moment when we said that us meeting each other "Changed us for good".

So just before getting back to the hotel room, we stopped at a food vendor to get some chicken kabobs (we hadn't eaten and didn't feel hungry since our lunch at Sylvia's) and we then stopped at a liquor store to get some rum to go with our cokes. We rewatched the conclusion to Team America and shortly afterwards went to bed.

So ends Day 2. More to come.

Funny Apples Part I

Rock and I recently completed our first major trip together. We spent several days in the Big Apple. I know last year I blogged that I wanted my next trip to be to Hawaii after hearing Eugene singing the praises of it. But I want to spend a week there not a few days so for now Hawaii's been scrapped.

I truly enjoyed New York and I believe it's brought Rock and I even closer together. We acted as a team throughout our three days. He really went out of his way to make sure my trip was enjoyable. I really wish we were still on vacation.

It started with him picking me up at 5:30 AM. I cracked up because as he was pulling up towards my garage, my next door neighbor was leaving his house. Rock mentioned that the neighbor gave him quite the stare. Maybe he thought I was having an early morning rendezvous. Though what was my neighbor doing leaving his house that early. Maybe he had his own rendezvous? Hmmm.

But Hemingway...we made our way to O'hare. We went to one of the kiosks at American Airlines to check in and wouldn't you know an opportunity came for us to upgrade our seats to 1st class. It was only an additional $180 total. Rock asked if I wanted to take the upgrade. I hemmed and hummed ever so briefly before saying yes. After we checked in and made our way towards the gates, Rock mentioned that with his credit card membership, he had access to enter the Admiral's Club. The Admiral's Club is considered the VIP waiting area. They have free beverages (alcohol extra charge), pastries, and plush chairs to sit on. We made our way to the area and waited for our flight in style. Rock said that he knew he had it but had never taken advantage of it before. So it was a nice experience for both of us.

The pampering continued as we made our way to 1st class. They served free alcohol. Rock drank about three glasses of rum and coke to calm his nerves. Rock jokingly told me one of the rules of 1st class is not to make eye contact with the coach folks. Other benefits of first class included a continental breakfast and of course being among the first to deplane when landing. During the flight, Rock pulled out his portable DVD player and we watched Blades Of Glory, which starred several Saturday Night Live alums. The movie was freaking hilarious. It made the plane trip even more enjoyable.

Rock surprised me further by hiring a car to whisk us to our hotel, which for this trip was Ramada's New Yorker. As we walked towards baggage claim, a guy stood out along the side and had Rock's last name on a poster board. It was so cool. I watched as other passengers looked at Rock and I curiously all the way to the car.

We got to the hotel around 1PM and since our room wasn't ready yet, we couldn't check in. There were quite a few guests in a similar predicament. Fortunately there was an area where we could drop our bags off until we could check in. We did just that and took our very first steps into the streets of the Big Apple.

The streets were littered with so many folks. Men and women, young and old, many nationalities, many looks. New York truly is what's coined as the melting pot. I admit I was a bit overwhelmed by it all. Rock made me feel a bit more anxious when he told me not to keep my wallet in my back pocket.

We stopped at Village 38 for a quick bite to eat. It was interesting hearing various New York accents. This one lady was barking loudly on the phone for directions somewhere. The person on the other end I assumed couldn't understand her so she wound up asking Rock to speak to the person and get the information.

After lunch, we continued making our way around the neighborhood and spied a nearby Duane Reade (they're like cockroaches...and yeah I saw a monster in one of the underground subways..in NY) for our water and toiletry needs. There were dozens of gift shops and other knick knack paddy wack stores. Not to mention all the people.



We eventually checked into our tiny room. Luckily at least the door didn't hit the foot of the bed. I assume that would happen if we stayed at a 2-star hotel. The room was adequate for our needs as Rock and I immediately lounged on the bed. We were tired.

About thirty minutes later, Rock gets a phone call from a guy that he hasn't seen in years. Jerrod lives in Tennessee and just so happened to be in the New York area at the same time. Rock mentioned the exact area where we were and Jerrod took the subway over there to meet us.

So the three of us are making our way to Time Square. I can't help but think of Hiro's scene when he first time travels himself to New York. In case you're wondering what I'm talking about, it's NBC hit show Heroes. With all the cult following of the show (check out some of the mob scenes of people waiting to meet the cast), it's the 21st century's new Star Trek. Twenty years from now I bet they'll still have Heroes conventions. Scary...*LOL*.

Hemingway Jerrod and Rock were catching up with each other on their lives and such. We went to Virgin's store to check out their merchandise, killing at least 30 minutes there. I swore I saw a plain clothes security person lingering nearby. He didn't seem to really be looking at merchandise yet was standing in the same spot. I purposely remained in the same area for several minutes until Rock and Jerrod (who seemed oblivious to what I suspected was going on) were ready to leave. We eventually made our way to Madame Tussaud's wax museum. There was a lifesize figure of actor Morgan Freeman in front of the museum. Admission price was $28. I was a bit dismayed because I forgot my camera. Rock was hinting that we go back and get it, though Jerrod needed to leave us soon to get back to his part of town. Since admission was so high and I probably would want to take pictures of some of the wax figures, I decided to go along with Rock's suggestion.

So we all went back to the hotel, Jerrod christened the bathroom, and then left to head back to his part of town as Rock and I made our way back to Tussaud's. It was quite the sight seeing all the various celebrity wax figures. Rock and I took quite a few pictures posing with the different celebrities. Rock even posed with "The Rock"himself, both of them giving "The Rock's" signature brow look. The most hilarious part was seeing the Jennifer Aniston figure standing off by herself looking at the Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt figures. Just before leaving the museum, Rock inquired about the Beyonce figure. According to the guide, Beyonce would've been there but she was currently under repair from numerous hair pulls & body tugs. I guess it's nothing like getting close and personal to a wax figure.

We decided to dine at AppleBee's nearby. I began to experience more sticker shock upon looking at the food prices. A turkey burger that would normally cost $11.99 in Chicago cost almost $19. Various entree prices averaged at least $5 higher than it would at a Chicago AppleBee. One thing for sure. I probably wouldn't go out as much as I would if I lived there. I realized too that I probably wouldn't be all that happy living in New York. It's a nice place to visit definitely, though.

Rock and I were talking about our day. He mentioned that he kept insisting we go back and get my camera because he had a feeling that Jerrod would want one of us to pay his admission. He said that Jerrod was in the habit of always crying broke yet always wearing the latest fashions. I imagine keeping up with fashion trends would make one broke...*LOL*. Rock wasn't really feeling up to paying an additional $28, which I understood.

We eventually made our way back to our room where we capped off Day 1 with another DVD Team America. Actually about halfway through the movie, Team America was watching us. Rock and I were knocked the fug out. I woke up just in time to see part of the climatic end before the batttery in the portable player went out.

More on the trip soon.

Aloha Detroit

Today's entry is jam packed with information. I jump from topic to topic quite randomly too so apologies in advance. I'm off from work today due to some plumbing work needed on my toilet. It started out as an innocent fill valve that needed to be replaced that turned into a slightly more complicated job where everything but the tank itself was changed. But it's finally fixed, which is a relief.

Moving on...

I wanna go to Hawaii! Eugene's back from his vacation/reunion with an old college friend. He's been ranting and raving about his time there. The hiking, the sports outing, the dinners, the visit to the former BayWatch set, the luau parties. Sigh. It sounds like so much fun. He also talked about the Samoan men, who are oh so hot! I got a taste of some of the men watching last Sunday's Extreme Home show on ABC where they were helping this large Samoan family that recently lost their father. The oldest son....hot damn! He was smoking hot!!! All I could think of was how many women (and men...if he swings that way) were going to be hitting him up after the show.

Oh yeah....I did have a brief encounter with a Samoan-like man on my return trip back from L.A. earlier this year. You know, the guy that offered me his nuts.

I totally want to go to Hawaii next year. In fact I think I want it to be my next trip. I need to start saving.

So does anyone have the hook-up as far as timeshares or places to stay that won't break the bank? Heh...it's rhetorical but I'll take donations.

My Thanksgiving holiday was okay. As usual I wound up helping my parents out during my trek. I took my Mom on some shopping errands and helped hook up a new computer for my Dad. The latter proved to be frustrating since we couldn't get the sound working. I felt bad too because I was feeling frustrated over not being able to figure it out and my Dad thought I was frustrated because he was asking me for help. What was frustrating too was that his last CPU (which is actually his second PC) lost the sound and was only operating on Safe Mode. I even cleaned out the hard drive using the recovery CD he had and it still would only work in Safe Mode.

So it was strange that the new CPU (which actually was on clearance at Micro Center) also was acting up on sound. So it got me frustrated mainly because I wanted to have the answer to why it was acting up but couldn't figure it out. In the end just before I made my trek back to Chicago, we drove back to Micro Center and exchanged CPUs with a newer one. That did the trick. I was so relieved.

My Dad has so mellowed out. Years ago he would've smacked me upside the head for my frustration. It's also cool seeing how patient and sweet he is to my Mom. They truly care and love each other in sickness and health. His arthritis is creeping up on him, which slows him down some. He's contemplating leaving the job he semi-retired from years ago completely. But he has so many financial concerns. I try to help when I can but wish I could do more, including moving them away from our ghetto neighborhood.

My Mom is such a J. Actually I think she's an ISFJ. She's on her own schedule and likes things to be done right away. It's a constant source of conflict that my older sister Tasha and her have. My Mom's from the school that if you see something that needs to be done, you do it right away. But Tasha is more from the school that it'll get done when it gets done. Tasha is extremely sensitive too and can get riled up over the smallest things (though I can be guilty of this too at times as my F is strong). Needless to say there's a lot of conflict going on.

Part of the conflict too is that I know Tasha on some level is frustrated that she's still living at home. Years ago she fell into the credit card trap and was forced to file bankruptcy. A lot of the debt was forgiven but she still has to pay some of it off. So she's been struggling with that.
Though how much she's struggling with that is unknown (even to me).

That unknown is what frustrates my parents. They're wondering when she's going to get things together. She's basically living rent free and only pays for phone, electric, and gas. I believe the water bill is combined together and my Dad pays for it.

Tasha has mentioned to me recently that she's started saving money in a interest bearing account and hopes to increase what she's saving once she's done paying off one of her bills. She's hoping that within two years that she'll be able to move into her own place. But I don't know if she's told my parents that so I kinda hinted about it, which eased their minds a little bit. But I know the conflict will continue.

Bringing things back to me...it is my blog, right...*LOL*...Hemingway! I almost came out to my parents this weekend. Before going to Detroit, I chatted with Sally, who makes it her mission everytime we talk to ask if I told my parents yet. But it wasn't because of Sally. Just like with Sally, I've been feeling like I want to get it off my chest. I even went to the cemetery visiting a former colleague/friend that passed six years ago (I'll have to blog about her sometime...but both Sally and I knew her from our previous job) to do some soul searching. I wound up calling FordRock (and I'm totally gonna have to come up with another alias for him...but let's see if he's still here in the 07...*LOL*) while in the cemetery and we had a nice conversation about it. He made the point that the timing for my reveal probably wouldn't be ideal considering it's the holiday season and the association of it being that holiday when I came out. And yeah, yeah, yeah, arguments could be made that there never is a good time. But I think he actually had a point so I put it off for now.

My rational for telling is that I'm tired of always being on edge wondering when I'll get asked about my dating life. Also the fact that my Mom asked me earlier this year about my sexuality makes me think that I need to confirm it. I think the short-term risk is worth the peace of mind I gain from just putting it out there. It'll probably be in 2007 sometime when it happens. I'll keep you posted.

Moving on...the family also decided to do Secret Santa this year despite last year's fiasco...*LOL*. Like last year, though, my Mom and Dad already discussed who they had. This year I picked from the hat my Mom. She's tough to shop for because she's very conservative, plus I don't know the first thing about women's fashions (despite being gay...*LOL*). But I definitely want to get her an actual gift and not a gift card like I've been doing before. I'll think of something.

I topped my return trip yesterday with picking up a speeding ticket from officer cutie (who I actually found was featured in an article cracking down on speeding motorists) that I'm totally contesting. And no it's not so I'll see officer cutie again, though that'll be gravy. I feel like I was entraped (and yes that's the wrong terminology). Coming into Indiana from Michigan, the speed limit is initially 70 mph. As officer cutie entered I-94 (from Exit 26 I believe), he was trying to get over in front of me in the middle lane but I was maintaining a constant speed so he wasn't quite able to. I finally slowed down a bit so he could get over. So everybody around me suddenly slows down as he makes his way to the left lane, which was amusing. I myself was a bit guarded but at the time the speed was 65-70 mph so I was focusing on maintaining that speed. I wound up passing officer cutie since he slowed down to 55. I was constantly looking at my rear view mirror at his car while trying to maintain 65-70. So this goes on for a couple miles and all of a sudden he gets over and turns on his sirens to pull me over.

I was livid. About 1/4 mile ahead of where I was pulled off, there was a speed limit sign that said 55 mph. Officer cutie pulled me over because I was going 70 mph. He seemed to have an attitude with me saying that I should've been driving slower knowing that he was nearby. I then went off saying that I was going the speed limit, which was 70 mph. I told him that I didn't see a sign saying it changed to 55 (with the exception of the one that was 1/4 mile ahead) and he said that it changed 1 or 2 miles back. I think that's a bold face lie, though, because if that's the case, why didn't he pull me over a mile or two back. So Hemingway he wrote me a ticket. I have to call some number to get the fine and court date if I want to contest (which I plan to). That means I'll have to take time off from work. Maybe I'll make a day of it since I always wanted to go to Michigan City, IN, which is near the speed trap Portage, IN where I got pulled over. I'll probably have to spend the night before at a hotel since I can't see myself trying to fight traffic (and possibly getting another speeding ticket...*LOL*) driving an hour and fifteen minutes to Portage.

At this point I am aware that I may have to pay more if I'm found guilty but at this point it's principal for me. Plus maybe I'll get to see officer cutie again...*LOL* Whatever.

Assuming I'm forced to pay the ticket, this will be my first one in nearly three years. My last one was given at...you guessed it...Portage, IN.

I hope you guys had a good holiday.

Dancing Queen

Dancing Queen - ABBA

You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen

Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for the place to go
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing
You come in to look for a king
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the music's high
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...

You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine

You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen

You're a teaser, you turn 'em on
Leave them burning and then you're gone
Looking out for another, anyone will do
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...

You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine

You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen


That pretty much summed up my Saturday night. I was literally a dancing queen (gotta love the gay terminology...*LOL*) at the Generator. It's not often I get the courage to put myself, ummm, out there on the dance floor. But put myself out there I did. I met Spades and his buddy and his hook-up date there and we danced for nearly two hours. It was wild. Winifred (yeah didn't think I'd see him again...*LOL*) even made an appearance and said hi to Spades and myself. Apparently a birthday isn't the only thing we share. It truly is a small gay world. Hemingway it was cool.

Oddly enough I became really obsessed with the singing group ABBA, thanks to seeing Mamma Mia! while in Vegas. Great show by the way!!! A must see.

As soon as I got back from Vegas, I bought their compilation CD and have been playing their songs non-stop for over two weeks now. Somebody help me.

I'll be really brief on the trip since I did run off at the mouth about my Raleigh trip.

Spades did wind up meeting me in Vegas. He was quite the homosexual metrosexual (if that made sense). I never seen a guy with so many bathroom products. I only had travel size toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrush, comb, and soap with me. That took up probably less than 5% of the bathroom space. Good thing I guess since he took up over 70% of it.

The room we had was adequate. I think I liked the Wyndham better.

We had a real nice time and I realized that we'll probably be really good friends. I could definitely see us traveling together again.

I didn't get to see Toni Braxton in concert but I did buy some mugs and stuff from the Toni Braxton store in Flamingo. So that was nice.

I lost $110, which wasn't bad for me. I had a brief lucky spill in Keno (at Harrah's) winning about $80 dollars, but I quickly lost that.

That was my trip in a nutshell.

RC's Caravan - Part II

If you missed part one of my trip in Raleigh, please go here.

So Hemingway RC, J-Cool, and I were making our way to their boy's townhouse with plans for the group of us to go clubbing. Their boy I dubbed E. Lynn because of his slight resemblance to the famous author greeted us at the door. We came in and parked inside his nicely furnished living room and ate our dinner.

About ten minutes later, Doog made his way into the house. We exchanged greetings and he informed the group that the lights inside the caravan were still on. I went to investigate and was utterly clueless as to why the lights were staying on. While figuring that out, another car pulled up. I didn't see who it was (not that I'd recognize the person) but they made their way inside E. Lynn's house.

I eventually got the lights to stop flashing inside the caravan. No clue how. I went back in the house and was introduced to Barry. From what RC told me, it was a rare occurence that Barry was able to hang out with them because he runs his own business.

So Hemingway we're all just chatting. E. Lynn's sister (though I wasn't clear on their relationship and was making a wild guess) came inside and kept the group in stitches.

As I sat there observing along the sidelines, it was interesting seeing the group dynamics. That particularly was evident when any of Janet Jackson's songs were playing on the entertainment system. Most gay men are totally in love with Janet. Doog was no exception. When some of the group were making cracks on Janet's singing ability, he quickly defended his beloved Janet. He took offence as if they were slaying him. E. Lynn's sister cracked me up when she compared Janet to a knat that she wanted to swat everytime she hears Janet's voice. I could tell Doog wanted to smack her but wouldn't since E. Lynn's sis I bet could kick his to next week (despite both of them being "big").

But it was all done playfully. I got more of E. Lynn's sis candor when she found out that we were eating BoJangles. She warned that BoJangles would keep me in the toilet for hours afterwards.

E. Lynn himself seemed to be quite the comic, especially with the facial expressions he made as the group gossiped about folks I had no idea who they were talking about. He even went so far as to pour himself a double of what he was drinking upon hearing some incredulous news.

It was decided since the caravan could take up to seven folks, that we could all roll into that at the club. About twenty minutes later (approximately 10:30 PM), we all piled in. Doog and J-Cool were already fussing in the middle row.

RC mentioned that there was one more person that we needed to pick up to complete the Caravan. The guy lived in the same subdivision as E. Lynn. I got directions from E. Lynn to get through the maze of homes that looked the same to me.

It was time. I watched in awe as Tyrese (my competition for America's Next Top Model) sashayed (literally...*LOL*) across the street. He was fierce. He was fashionable. He exuded confident. He hopped into the back 0f the Caravan and I heard E. Lynn cracking up about not wanting to see Tyrese's butt.

As we drove, Tyrese made a request to stop at an ATM for money. I was driving along with some directional navigation from RC. Doog was being a back seat driver asking me if I was okay driving. He bugged a couple times until we reached the bank.

When we parked, RC and J-Cool kept insisting that Doog drives since the club we were heading to was over an hour's drive away. At first I was reluctant because I mean if something happened to the caravan, it would be on me. But at the same time I was not as familiar with the area as the rest of the guys and I wasn't really keen on driving that long. I also imagined Doog would get more annoying as time wore on. So I put it in God's hands and relinquished control to Doog.

We eventually reached the club, which the guys affectionately called "The Trailer Park". There was a long ass line outside and it was almost like we rolled in like movie stars to a premiere the way folks were looking. Upon learning that it was my actual b-day that morning, Tyrese questioned why the group would bring me to a "trailer park". The late night air was chilly as the seven of us made our way to the back of the line.

As it is in every line, there were folks that were cutting and trying to get in ahead of everyone else. Mostly drag queens, though. Eventually we made it inside and RC paid my way inside the club.

I pretty mark parked myself in a stool nearby various members of the group. Everyone was pretty much doing their thing in the well spaced out club. I didn't see anyone I was interested in chatting with. I do admit I was noticing how handsome Barry when he bought me a drink. We chatted for a few minutes about general stuff before he went off on the prowl. E Lynn also bought me a drink later on before getting his prowl on.

Meanwhile I was still parking myself in the same stool. That's one thing about me. I tend to find a spot and stick to it. Eventually Tyrese came back and he was keeping me in stitches giving me blow by blow details of what fashion atrocities everyone was wearing in the club. He also mentioned how he could tell everyone was watching him. He later took off his sweater, told me to hold it, and grabbed RC on the dance floor, which was actually a few feet away.

The stool where I sat was situated next to an open trash can. Several club patrons came up and would throw their beer bottles in the can, which would clank each time the bottles met.

Eventually all the guys moved to a different section of the club while I remained in my stool. Later on RC came by and directed me towards the area where the most of the group was standing.

About thirty minutes after that, the stale smoke was starting to get to my eyes and I was ready to go. Fortunately it was almost closing time as well. Tyrese made his way back to the group shirtless. Moments later, the lights came on, signaling the end of another evening out on the town. We didn't have to go home but we had to get the hell out of dodge.

It was a bit after 3AM as we made our way back to the caravan. I myself was walking with Tyrese, who was chatting about the evening. Eventually most of us were in the caravan. The only person missing was J-Cool. Several of the guys, Doog in particular, was becoming rather impatient. Someone spotted J-Cool in the parking lot getting his mack on with some dude. This went on for about ten minutes. Doog was shouting outside the window for J-Cool to hurry it up. I was a bit tired myself so the sooner we got back the better.

J-Cool eventually made his way back to the car, with his prospective date following him. They were still chatting but eventually they exchanged numbers & we made our way out of the club. Doog was all moaning about how hungry he was. He made an attempt to stop at a Krispy Kreme's but they were closed.

Doog was pissy but seemed to accept that he wasn't going to have any food. (Sidenote: If we were in Chicago, there would be plenty of late night breakfast diners to stop at.) It was after 4AM when we arrived back at E. Lynn's place. Everyone parted and I was left with RC and J-Cool as we made our way back to the hotel.

RC had to work at 5:30AM that morning. (There's no way I'd be clubbing that late if I had to work early...*LOL*) So he came to my room to shower and get ready for his job. By the time he left it was a little after 5AM. I myself finally went to bed and woke up around noon.

I pretty much spent most of Sunday by myself hanging around Raleigh. RC, ever being the great host, called me while I was getting breakfast/lunch at a local Quizno's. He gave me the number of another one of his friends that he said was miffed because he was out of town and didn't get to meet me. I told RC I'd call him.

After lunch and while making my way to Brier Creek Commons, I contacted Eugene. The two of us got into another one of our debate/arguments about whether the guy (and I) were looking for a booty call. I fueled Eugene's suspicions when I said that if he's hot and that's what he was looking for, maybe I'd give it to him. He already thinks I'm fast (then again everyone's fast compared to him). But in reality I knew that wasn't my intention.

I wound up not calling the guy until a couple hours after doing some mostly window shopping. When I did call I got his voicemail so I left a message. He called maybe twenty minutes later, had a brief convo, and that was pretty much it.

RC and I later in the evening went out to dinner at Chili's. It was a cool dinner. We had an amazing conversation about the other guys and how even though they were all different, they managed to befriend each other.

Tyrese was of course the supermodel of the group. RC describes him as the guy who has a meticulously clean home. Tyrese pays attention to every detail of what goes where and prides himself on showing it off to his friends. As a tidbit, RC mentioned the reason why everyone waited for him to come outside and hop in the van was because if they came in the house, Tyrese would go into art director mode and give a one-hour tour of his home.

The handsome Barry I learned was a business owner who makes his own furniture. He designs different styles for various other businesses and is responsible for making his own furniture in his home. RC recalled a visit where he got to see the plush theatre style seating that he made for his movie room. Because he has his own business, it's rare that he gets to hang out with the core group.

E. Lynn I learned was a pretty analytical type person. He's good at solving other folks problems. He works as an insurance adjustor at a big insurance company where he gets to hear about all kinds of issues. When the work week is over, he's the first one that wants to get down and party, no doubt to take his mind off work.

Doog I learned is a control freak. From what RC told me, he's the go-to guy whenever the group wants to take long road trips. He prides himself on knowing in advance what's going on and is more comfortable when things are structured. Part of the reason RC and J-Cool kept insisting that Doog drive was that if he wasn't driving, he would be bitching every other minute about my driving style.

J-Cool's personality can be described in one word. Chill. He's the happy-go-lucky type that's down for whatever. He's more of a night owl and usually starts his day after noon. He has the uncanny ability to attract guys to him without even trying. At the trailer park, for example, J-Cool was pretty much just sitting around like I was. But he's able to turn on the charm when needed and have several guys wanting to give him their digits.

RC is the mother hen of the group. I can see this because he was the one that was constantly checking in on me to make sure I was okay. He's usually the mediator whenever other members of the group fight, particularly J-Cool and Doog. He tends to be a bit of a martyr, choosing to help others before himself.

I made a comment that RC always keeps telling me how the guys (J-Cool and Doog) keep asking about me but I question why the guys in question can't call me themselves. He smiled and told me that he fell into the role of being the middle man for everyone.

If I had to give a quickie Myers Briggs letter assessment for each of the guys, these would be my guesses.

Tyrese - ENTJ
Barry - INFJ
E. Lynn - ESFP
Doog - INTJ
J-Cool - ESTP
RC - ESFP

Of course those are wild guesses.

Hemingway I debated on whether to get a Molten Chocolate Cake or not. RC had a feeling I was counting calories (I alluded to buying some calorie counting book before) and told me that I shouldn't since I'm on vacation and to enjoy myself and not worry about the fat. So I ordered it to go. RC paid for dinner, which was nice.

I spent the rest of the evening in my hotel room watching Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, and enjoying the cake. Just typing about it makes me want to order another one. *LOL*.

Monday morning RC came by the hotel to help me check out. He followed me to the Thrifty where I returned the car. We then had breakfast at Cracker Barrel (my 2nd time at that particular one) where we were summarizing about the weekend and my upcoming trip to Vegas.

He later dropped me off at the airport and we said our goodbyes. An hour or so later, I was boarding my plane, heading off to "sin city". So ended my weekend in Raleigh.