Okay so I log into my Facebook this morning to find a 'Friend' request from a name I had no clue of who it was. My rule of thumb with Facebooking friends is that if I don't know you, you're not somewhat related, or you have no common friends with me, you're not going to be included in my friends listing. Naturally, without knowing this person and checking their common friends list, I declined the invite. Then a Facebook message pops into my in-box from this person.

It seems I actually AM related to this individual. She's my middle brother's ex-wife which would make her my ex-sister-inlaw(?). The message only gave the names of my neices & nephew and said they were on Facebook and would like to 'get to know their uncle'. I found this really amazing that #1, she actually FOUND me on Facebook and #2, that after all these years she's finally communicating with a realative with whom she's NEVER met. I didn't know how to handle this.

This person (and I'm not being rude because, technically, she is a complete stranger to me) comes out of the blue, semi-introduces me to my blood realatives, and asks me to say "Hi" to them.

My response to her e-mail was cordial and I simply stated that my brother chose NOT to include me in his life after I moved away. He chose to NOT introduce me to his wife (let alone, get invited to his wedding), chose NOT to tell me about the birth of his kids (I only knew from my mom). I did, at the birth of their first born, send a nice gift, but only got zilch in return (not even a "Thank You"). So I washed my hands from my brother. I told her that I wouldn't feel comfortable communicating with the kids as they really DON'T know me and it's only NOW about 15 years later, that I'm getting any word.

I did feel a bit guilty about my response. But in the 'big picture' of things, I just don't feel comfortable or connected to them to really start any relationship. I guess I would feel differently if the message had come directly from my brother.

So what's a Thanksgiving without the guilt or little family drama?

To add on:
I just got a e-mail message from a distant Uncle. I sent him a message about my Gramm's passing and he said he's not looking forward to the "fireworks" at the funeral (which is tomorrow). It seems this will be the first time since my Gramm's 80th birthday that ALL the brothers and sisters are together again. Mind you, this was 9 years ago...... OY!

I should write a screenplay!

Have a happy gobble-day ya'll!
Buzz
www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzzbunny

Welcome to it:

About an hour ago, I was informed my Gramma Chud had passed away this morning (afternoon for the East Coast).



Like the little fighter she is, she managed to stay with us a few days more than the Hospice Care workers gave.

Good bye & Love you Gramm!

Just got my H1N1 vaccine.....

Okay, it's pretty strange to think that one year ago today I was here at work, but not for work. Today marks the day I was an inpatient here at the hospital in ICU with pnumonia. My visit lasted a good 6 days in ICU and 4 more in regular patient care.


Me a year ago... in ICU

Me Today:

I have to say, I'm very glad I'm in good health today! The experience and life change that happened one year ago for me has really made me a different person. My focus for this coming year is to do everything I can to help others in more need than myself. I really think I do have a heart of gold as I'm a extremely giving person and love all my friends. I'm not bragging here either, it's just fact.

Here's to staying out of the hospital as a patient and here's to good health to the year ahead!

Buzz out...
www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzzbunny

This morning I received some family news (of my Dad's side)....

My grandma (aka Gram Chud), who was diagnosed with cancer about 3 months ago, may not be with us after today.

My mom called me this morning to give me the news that the Hospice care had given the sad news to my Aunt.

Yes, I'm saddened, but I was not close to my gram in my adult life. This is attributed to the distance my dad had placed between us. I only have my childhood memories of staying with her in the summers during summer vacations from school. My dad would take us there almost everyday to spend with her as he was at work. I think my gram is the last person on Earth who still has one of those original cardboard cutouts of Santa Clause holding a Coke (circa 1950s). Strange how that's one memory etched into my mind right now.

We always teased her that she was too 'pickled' to really get sick (gram loved her vodka!). Alas, time & cancer have caught up with her and I only wish her a peaceful journey where she may join the loves of her past.

I was also informed by my mom that my all loving father hasn't done ANYTHING in way of caring for my gram nor has he even bothered to come visit her during her illness. To me, this is no big surprise. Unless there's any financial gain involved, my dad's m.o. is to just be a total ass.

Thanks to the invent of Facebook, I've been in touch with all my younger cousins back East and they're more supportive than my gram's kids are...

To you, sweet Grandma Chud, much love to you and my apologies for being so distant. May you be guided by loving angels....

Your grandson,
Buzz

I've hit that wall in the month where all my projects and files are complete....  Which means, I have absolutely nothing to do but sit at my desk and look busy...

I hate it when it's like this because I can't really do anything productive or even surf the web effectively...

I think I've already hit all the sites about Paris I can, I've even started looking online for gift ideas for the holiday, what can I do?!

Another thing that makes this ultra-boring is that this month is the last of the year for me with regard to my work.  We don't have any committee meetings in December and my case load for January is only seven files strong (and almost completed!).  Thank the gods I have my vacation next month!  Speaking of which, we were just told yesterday our offices will be officially CLOSED from Wednesday thru Friday for this Thanksgiving (usually, we're closed only on Thursday & Friday).  A sign of the times of the economy; the hospital saves money by operating only the patient care jobs.  This is great because I fly out to Phoenix Wednesday evening anyways and the extra day off gives me no pressure to rush home from work to get to the airport!

At least the Christmas music playing on my iPod is making things rather calm here :)

Buzz out

Had a wonderful suprise this past Friday when Nick took me out to Pasadena for a bit of fun.  He didn't tell me what was in the plans, but it included a nice dinner at PF Changs and finished up with a walk accross the street to the Pasadena Civic Center.

We went to the Civic Center to see a live taping of the NPR (National Public Radio) program, "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!".  MInd you, this is one of my favorite NPR shows to listen to as I never miss a show.  To put it in a nutshell, the program is a quasi-quiz show of the current events going on in the world.  There's the host, the score-keeper, and a panel of three others usually consisting of celebs and/or media people. Oh, and they always have one special guest on the show. It's also quite funny!  Friday's show was no exception and was very funny with their special guest being Mr. George Takei (Mr. Sulu from the original "Star Trek") as the theme of the show was "Family Values".

The theatre was packed (about 3000 people) and we were quite close to the stage.  An hour show took about two and a half hours to get through and it was worth every minute.  We were told that the episode we were taping was called an "evergreen" episode.  This meant that the subject matter wasn't specifically 'dated' and that the show would only air as a 'filler' when there wasn't a regular taping. 

The rest of my weekend was spent catching up on my Netflix and resting as much as I could (I'm still fighting my cough).  Needless to say, I have my three-month follow-up visit with the doc tonight to go over my last blood workup so I'll be sure to see if the coughing is any concern.

Okay, I really should get back to work.....
Buzz out

It's finally Friday and considering I was out of work Monday & Tuesday sick, I'm doing okay.

I still have a cough which is managable, but the fever is gone and has been since Wednesday morning.  I do have a follow-up visit with my infection doc this Tuesday and I'll be sure to give him the update.  Hopefully, I'll be over this by then.  I find my coughing is more severe in the mornings after I wake up.  I suppose it's all the congestion that builds up while sleeping.  Nothing a good hot tea, coffee, and cough drop can't handle.

With Thanksgiving coming up, not to mention my one year of being here in the hospital with pneumonia, and my travel plans to Phoenix that weekend.... I really don't want to push myself and get anyone else sick or making myself worse.  So this weekend will be spent home, resting.

There's way too much at stake with the holidays coming up and especially the big Paris vacation next month.  Repeats of last year are NOT an option!

Lord, in the next few weeks so much is happening around me-
-Phoenix for Thanksgiving
-Birthday & "Mary Poppins" the following weekend
-Packing & flying out to Paris on the 10th
-Paris/London until the 21st
-Christmas
-New Years
-Recovery

And I still haven't done ANY shopping for the holidays!

What I did for Halloween weekend-

Stayed home, sick.  Seems I got a bit of a chest cold that put me out for the weekend and two days off work.  I'm feeling better now and have my regular doc check-up coming this Tuesday, but it really threw a wrench into any fun.

Spent most of the time sleeping and catching up on my Netflix.

Some excitement, no?

Ugh

Ganked from my LJ fan, joebehrsandiego

Neat freak? – Oh hell no... I like to call it my organized mess
Gym bunny? – I prefer doing my exercise outdoors (rollerblading, cycling)
Computer geek? – Admittedly, yes. But I know of others far more geeky
Online Cruiser? - Yep
Online porn? - Isn't that what the internet is for? Porn? Listen to Avenue Q!
Sci-fi geek? – Not a geek, but enjoy a good sci-fi flick!
Comic book geek? - No
Fantasy geek? - Depends on who's it is!
Fabulous cook? – A wiz with a microwave! Hot Dogs & Mac and Cheese count?
Showtunes? - Totally! 
Opera? - No, but I think it's pretty
Midler? – "Look up my ass and see if my hats on straight"... 'nough said
Streisand? - Eww-eww-god-eww!
Cher? – Depends what she's up to
Madonna? – Yep
Pull off drag in public? – Only on Halloween
Pull off pants in public? – I was aquitted!
Able to quote fabulous movies? - Define "fabulous"
Witty repartee? - I have my moments
Fashion-forward? – Fashion-comfortable
Well-groomed? – For a guy with no hair, not much to groom!
Perfect hair? – What's hair?
Musclebear? Nope, but you know any single ones?
Good dancer? – There are moments...
White Partier? - Egads, only did that circut once!  Never again!
Disco bunny? - I enjoy the music
Bathhouse buddy? – It's been awhile
Bareback? – Not while in the convent
Complicated mixed drinks? I like my mixed drinks
Wine connoisseur? – I enjoy a good reisling
Fine dining connoisseur? – When I can afford a night out, mm-mmmm!
Potluck “make” or “buy” ? - This is a trick question to find out if I can cook, isn't it?
Green thumb? - No
Judgmental queen? - Just what the world needs, a judicial queen
Pride colors? – Not anymore
Buy Perfect gift for perfect occasion? - Perfect in my judgement
Interior decorating? - Gack, no!
Protest queen? – No
Sew/knit? – I can manage a button or two
Dated Leigh Chapman? – Who?  And I'm not about to Google it

.... Well, the Cirque du Soleil at least


Yesterday, I did a little 'therapy' and managed to snatch up two tickets for the latest touring Cirque show, "Kooza", here in Santa Monica.



Usually, I don't go to the Cirque shows during the week but I had to as this one is almost completely sold out during the weekends already.  So I managed some 10th row seats in the center and got Nick after work to go along. 

As you can see above, the sunset was absolutely amazing in Santa Monica and the weather was warm last night.  The show, naturally, was a sell out.  I think there were only individual seats available in sparse areas of the arena.  We even had one of the Hilton sisters sitting two rows in front of us!

********************  
The view from our seats (Hilton not included):

My personal review: 
The Cirque is still the tops in its venue! This round, the Cirque manages to get back to it's grass roots and entertain with the acts and not rely on any cheesy big sets and/or glitzy costumes.  The show ran 3 hours and was intense from begining to end and absolutely hilarrious with it's moments of the clowns.  There were jugglers, a pick-pocketing funny guy, a double high-wire act, a 'ballet' on a unicycle, a dog that needed some house-breaking (Oh the furries will love this one!), acrobats without any fear, and even some contortionists who seemed to not have any backbone whatsoever!  Yes, I gasped at several times with some of the more death defying acts and no nets to catch the performers!   Simply astounding.

Now to wait unitl the next tour, "Ovo" ...

B

Not bad for 40 people raising money for the Baby Dragon 180!

That was our total funds raised by Saturday evening (day 1, dinner time)!

Yes, it's all over.... All 191 miles of it (somehow an additional 11 miles got thrown in).  The two day adventure was a huge success and rewarding to know I still have it in me to ride every freekin mile with more hills in two days than in a full seven day ride.... Whew!

It was nice to see more of the California countryside, the sights, the sun, the roadkill, and the wonderful 'natural' smells which surround us.

The early morning sunrise in West Hills was beautiful at 5:30, even with the 60 degree weather:

The group energy was also on a high as this was the first time this ride has been done as a Center sponsored event.

To start, we were told there would be no road markers along the route (the ALC has arrows at various points to keep you on track).  This made it for an ultra-exciting ride as we had to completely rely on our travel sheets (and iphone GPS for those of us with them).  The ride started down a terrific downhill to get the wind in your face and a few bugs in the face, but after that it was all up... and up... and up...
    PIT 1, Day 1:

There were familiar roads we traveled on from the AIDS LifeCycle and an amazing uphill battle on Grimes Canyon.  It was even more fantastic coming down as the road was extremely twisty and I picked up speed at around 40mph.  I could have easily gone faster, but I wasn't about to wipe out on my first day. We had tough head-winds in Ventura and even a ride along the 101 freeway traffic for about 2.5 miles and lots of ocean breezes as we traveled along the beaches.  There was another 2 mile climb later in the day that would put the Evil Twins to shame.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect!  It started off a bit cool and got up to around 92.  I had a newbie rider pacing me (god help him) for a good majority of the day.  I didn't mind as he kept me company along the way.  I even somehow convinced him to sign up for the ALC 9!  Go me!  I did, however, miss riding with my cycle-buddy Sean.  He just couldn't do this one :(

Day one was finished in Santa Barbara and I managed to pull into the hotel at around 4:30pm.  I was really shocked to find out that I was also the 11th person to check in!  I was floored!  I didn't think I was in the front pack at all!  After checking into my room, I grabbed a quick shower then headed to a refreshing salt water pool and jacuzzi!  Bliss!
 Day 1 finish= TIRED!

Dinner was at 6:30 and it was all carbs and the announcement of our achievement... After dinner, I went right to my room, popped an Ibuprofin, and drifted to sleep by 8:30.  We had to be up and ready by 6:45 on Sunday to start our 88 mile journey back.

Sunday's route was shorter and had a slightly different course coming back.  I had lost my bike computer within the first 2 miles of the ride and I never realized it until someone mentioned they saw something fall off my bike near the begining. 

With the shorter route came some more climbs.  There were some nasty ones, but not as bad as day one.  I managed to ride every inch and I'm surprised I wasn't too tired after it was all over.  It was really fun to see our names written in chalk up the final hill as we pulled in...
 

And once again, my pacing had us pulling in around in 9th place!! 

Overall, it was an amazing journey.  I did have that post-depression after I got home, but I'm getting over that as I'm getting back to my regular ways.  So this really shows me that I'm still in good shape for not riding great distances since my last ALC ride two years ago! 

Thanks again to all of you who have sponsored me and this event!  Now onto the "Big" one...  ALC9!  Yes, I signed up! 
www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzzbunny

The rides continue....
B

 

Oy veh.... This time tomorrow I'll be well on my way to Santa Barbara on the bicycle!  Today's weather is picture perfect and quite warm, ala typical Southern California style.

The latest stats on my Baby Dragon 180 are that we have approximately 40 riders who have raised $50k for the LA Gay Center's Youth programs. 

For those of you on my Facebook friends list, watch for my postings from the road!  I'll try to squeeze in a LJ entry along the way...

Wish me luck!

B