As I've mentioned before, I've stopped really doing any journaling because I've been both lazy and really not having much to journal about.
So what's happened since my last post? Not much... I've managed a wonderful trip up to SF two weekends ago to finally see Eric in his own home. He lives up in Concord and during my visit we only saw the City on my way from and to the airport. It was really nice to be up there and not going into the hustle and bustle of SF. Concord is a very nice and quiet place and it was good to just relax. Although, Eric did take me on a tour of the Berkley campus where he currently attends school. We even hit their art museum and just wandered.
In about two more weeks Eric will be making a visit down this way and we'll be doing some fun at Disneyland.
Work has been pretty stressful, but it seems to be calming down a bit as the holidays approach. They're even making us "flex" days until the end of the year because the joint is in the red. So this means I get a few extra days off (so far 3). Then we're closing early at the holidays an extra day.... This will mean I get practically a week off during Thanksgiving. I've tried over and over again to get a flight to Cleveland to visit my mom & stepdad, but the fares are ridiculous to afford it. I've opted to go up North and visit with Eric which is much more affordable.
And there it is.... an update.
Next weekend is Halloween and I'm not doing much of anything except a Zombie bike ride on Saturday and a little get-together on Sunday. Oh, and I'll be off on Friday as my first of three flex days...
Laters!
Like I mentioned before, LJ has become a spammers dream and I can no longer 'support' and pay into a system that gives me nothing but senseless messages (most of them in Russian).
Anyways, off my perch and onto better things...
The month of July has been filled with fun and challenges. Eric has been staying with me since he got out of school for summer break and we've been growing more and more closer with each day. It was my plan to use his 'off' time from school to see how much more I could get out of a great and steady relationship. It's also giving me insight to my personal growth to having a 'room mate' again (so to speak). There was a natural adjustment period to have someone actually living with me, but overall it's been great. He'll be going back to SF a little later this month to start his new semester and I'm already making plans to go up over the Labor Day weekend.
Last month, I took him on a surprise adventure into LA where we had a great dinner and his first live experience with the Cirque du Soleil's show, "Iris", at the Kodak theatre. The show is still in previews until September and I managed to get tickets for the opening weekend of the previews. Overall, the show was fantastic and full of visuals utilizing camera special effects and great music by Danny Elfman.
Because it's still in it's "infancy" there were a few 'hiccups' during our performance that would only be noticed if you're a Cirque junkie like me. I can definitely see the overall spectacle becoming better by the time the show is officially open in September. I'll be sure to go back to see it (it's got a 10 year contract run right now) after it's officially open.
Work has been the same as always. We actually finally relocated our offices to a new area. Finally, after about 4 years it actually got past the planning and became real! Our space is smaller, but we are managing and are the first Administrative department to get fancy new cubicles as opposed to the 'hand me down' furniture that circulates in offices with budget issues. I received my annual review and as expected it was an average, but well complemented one. I did manage to get a small increase in pay and my new boss has some fun plans for me to grow.
Now moving forward into the year, I'm hoping to get some time to get to Ohio for the holidays and visit my mom. She's been doing well since her surgery and I really need to be out of California for a short while for some R&R.
Back to my morning...
B
- Mood:
cheerful
This year was the year of the 'newbie'. By this I mean there were allot of 1st time riders which made it exciting to see (and hear) the expressions when they encountered some of the more 'challenging' areas of the ride. I was proud to be a Training Ride Leader to my wonderful team, Team Long Beach. Everyone did great and there were no major injuries to anyone on the team. As for me, I did just fine! I rode all 550 miles of the ride although this year was a bit on the 'cooler' side with the weather. I even got the opportunity to rub elbows (and get a snapshot) with Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester from 'Glee'). It seems that her wife was riding the ALC for the first time and I even got to meet her at closing ceremonies.
When I arrived in SFO on Friday morning, it was already cold and dreary. There was even a good rain shower Friday night which ran into registration day on Saturday. There was fear that the ALC would have an ugly kick-off on Sunday as the threat of rain (and some thunder) was in the forecast. Needless to say, the weather did clear up enough on Sunday to give us a cloudy start, but no rain.... That is until later in the evening while we were all in camp.
Rain came in around 9pm and it was kind of nice as the sound of the drops hitting the tent had relaxed me and put me to sleep. I think it had stopped late in the night as we awoke to a sunrise to start day 2, the 107 mile, day.
There were a few route 'changes' this year, but nothing really significant from previous years. In fact, some of these changes made it for an easier ride at times.
I was surprised at how 'easy'(?) I found riding the ALC. I mean, after 5 years, I think I've gotten used to it and there was none of the anticipation you experience during your first and second years. It was a good feeling and made the ride go by so fast!
So now it's over. Another year of fundraising, training, tears, and laughter have gone by and life resumes. I had a major heart to heart talk with my mom before leaving for the ride and made her the absolute promise that I will NOT be participating with the ALC for at least one year. She had asked me to do this as she worries about me and my health and wants me to enjoy more of life without the stress of the ride. I know I've said this before and had a change of heart and wound up signing up, but this time it's for real. There's no harm in it and my Team here in Long Beach understands. I'll still ride the bike and participate in some of the century rides in the area, but the ALC is not on the list. Besides, it would be nice to put my focus elsewhere even if that focus is just on me for a while.
There it is in the perverbrial nutshell. Another year (year 5 for me) of the ALC come and gone in a blink of an eye. Now time to move forward and start living again minus all the training...
B
- Mood:
complacent
This is a copy of a "Feedback" I sent to LJ staff.... Wonder if I'll get a response:
I just wanted to inform you that I am NOT renewing my 'paid' account after several years of posting because of the consistent spamming that has been occuring from unknown 'commenters' to alot of my postings. There seems to be absolutely no control to prevent the annoying posts and blocking or complaining about it doesn't seem to work either.
I've enjoyed using LJ since I started about 5 years ago, but enough is enough! I think it's unfair that I have to 'privatize' my own LJ just to try to avoid this spamming. I find it almost humorous that when my account was expiring, LJ offered an additional two weeks extension. This was almost like trying to cancel AOL years ago when they would do the same thing just to keep you.
I truely hope you find ways to rectify the consistent spammers so we can enjoy LJ as it used to be.
Sincerely,
B
- Mood:
annoyed
Anyways, life goes on and I'll post here on occasion, but not as frequent as I have in the past. I will, however, do my best to keep up with everyone's postings as much as I can.
There's some good news lately... Just a few days ago I was blessed with reaching my Aids LIfeCycle minimum of $3000. I'm actually slightly above it right now and it took an enormous weight off my shoulders as we are less than 30 days away from the actual ride! Within the next few weeks I have to manage to get myself a new sleeping bag, get my eyes examined, participate in the Long Beach Pride festival & parade, have Eric with me for Memorial Day weekend, ship my bike up to San Francisco, work 3 days, and end up on my flight up to SF on 6/3! Oy!
Thank you, to all my LJ Donators for keeping with me these past 5 years! This WILL (and a huge promise to my mom) be my last ride. I know I've said that before, but it's really something special to know I've been making a difference in lives. However, after 5 years I think it's time to 'pass the torch' and make way for a new rider to take my spot. Will I return sometime in the future? That's up to the Universe to decide. Over my "off" year(s), I'd like to do a bit more traveling and focus on Eric & my relationship as we've been growing strong over the past few months.
Yes, Eric & I have really grown well together. I'm on cloud 9 with him and I'm really looking forward to the future.
So there you have it. I don't know what a non-paid account here will hold as far as my posting, but we shall see...
G'night!
- Mood:
optimistic
- Mood: cheerful
I have learned that if I don't talk about HIV, to prevent it from spreading, who will?
I will stand in line with my closest friends for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and to use the bathroom. I will ride side by side with them for the same cause. I will spend a week sleeping in a tent, eating in a tent, and showering in a truck. I will make over two thousand new and interesting friends while raising public awareness of HIV/AIDS. I will laugh out loud and cry with them. I will dedicate a week of my life to improve someone else's. I will do things with my body I did not think I could do. I will boldly show the world how strongly I believe in this cause. I will ride my bicycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise awareness and money in the fight against HIV/AIDS. I am a California AIDS/LifeCyclist. I am a HERO.
Will you help me in my cause? Will you help me help those who cannot afford the luxury of living life without the fear of where their medicines will come from, who will care for them, who will give them a chance at life that some of us take for granted?
PLEASE provide me the chance of riding for those who can't. All I want is your sponsorship(s). My goal by May is $5000 and I know with your help, I can achieve it!
I ride because others can't. Sponsor me today- www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzz
- Mood:
hopeful
- Location:United States, California, Long Beach
- Mood:
silly
Yesterday was the official release of the iPad2 and after work I stopped by our local Wal-Mart just to see if by any chance of the gods they would have them. As fate would have it, they did! No lines, no fuss, no problem. I am now on my 4th Apple product. Ever since my first iPod that I bought about 6 years ago (still have it too), then the original iPhone which was upgraded to the 3G then eventually iPhone4 (my current one), then my iMac which I adore to no bounds (sooo much better than Windows PC), and now the iPad2.
Yes, I'm a guy with a gadget fetish. When you look at the big picture of things, it's nothing more than an grown man's play-toy. Did I need one? No. Did I want one? Yes. No logic as it's just something that I can enjoy. Some of the benefits are that I can 'carry' around movies on the go, dork around with games, e-mail (not that my iPhone can't), and just be stupid with it. I was wise enough to only get the Wi-Fi version as I didn't want to pay the extra for the 3G / WiFi version and on top of that, you have to pay for the data plan.
So far, I'm enjoying it. I like the fact that it's lightweight and thinner than model 1. The camera(s) on it are not the greatest, but who wants to carry around a tablet to take pictures?
It's funny how fast I was able to get one of these too! As some of my FB friends were commenting, most Apple stores were sold out of them as fast as they went on sale. I only went into the Wal-Mart because I noticed the other day that they were selling Apple stuff (iPods, iPhone, iPad) and figured that a Wal-Mart would be the last place any of the 'hardcore' Apple fans would have ventured into. So the gamble paid off and I'm a happy Apple person.
There's allot coming up in the next few months with my ALC training, fundraising, and also Leather events....
So until I get off my lazy duff and post again-
CHEERS!
*** I'm still only 1/2 way to the minimum of my ALC ride-
Can you spare $10 or $20 a month for 10 months? It's easy and 100% tax deductible!
www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzz to be one of my heros and sponsors!
Last weekend was a holiday one for me so I flew up to SF to be with Sir for the time. I took an early flight up to Oakland from Long Beach on Saturday morning and it was a very wet arrival once I landed. I don't think I've ever been in SF during the rain and this was no sprinkling! Once I landed it was just nothing but the wet stuff that lasted all day and through the night. Sir had arranged a place to stay up near Twin Peaks at one of his friends. It was settled up high above the city with a beautiful view of the downtown area as well as the bay & Oakland across the way. Well, that was only visible once the rains stopped.
Naturally, after the rain it was just plain chilly the rest of the weekend. I think it managed to do one more shower the night before I left, but it cleared by morning.
Sir took me all over town. We managed to catch some of the China Town antics of the Year of the Rabbit celebrations, took in a great Italian dinner in Little Italy, wandered down by the bay and had ourselves some hot fudge sundays at the Gheradelli center, and even did a small bar crawl to see what was up with the IBR. Needless to say, it exhausted me! So much so, I didn't feel well on Sunday after all our running around and just had to take a good two hour nap to recover.
I was really happy to be away from home for the weekend and especially happy to be in the company of Sir. Although it was a marathon of running around and seeing sights, I was content.
After coming home on Monday evening, it was back to the grindstone at work for me. My workmate had gone and got married while on her two week vacation and this past Friday my boss had a staff meeting that will be changing my work a bit. For starters my hours have gone from 6:30 to 3:00 to 7:30 to 4:00. It's nothing that I'm surprised to hear. I was expecting to have my hours changed for some time now since my last boss has left. It gets me an extra hour to get things going in the morning anyways.
My boss also has changed some of the way my workmate and I do our jobs. As we used to do our things based on alphabet (she the first half and me doing the latter), we've been told we now have to do things based on departments. This didn't settle well with my workmate as she noticed her census while with fewer departments was higher than mine (I'll have more departments to worry about than she). I swear, people get freaked out at the slightest changes without fully thinking about the big pictures. Anyways, we'll be implementing these changes starting on Monday and after we've cleared out our latest month of work. I'm excited to see how this works out. In a way, I think it's my boss's backhanded way of telling my workmate that I have far too many side projects going on and have to take on the lower census to compensate.
So moving on to this weekend. This morning I'm leading a 30 mile training ride from here to Balboa Island and back. It's a ride I enjoy and have lead in the past. The last time I set this ride up, my bike had seriously blown a tire and there was absolutely no way for me to do it. Luckily, my fellow ride leader stopped by and took the bull by the horns and lead the ride for me. So this time, I'll be actually doing it! It's supposed to be at least dry today. Maybe on the chilly side, but we should have a good ride.
It's less than 100 days from the ALC too! I can't believe how fast a year goes by! I'm not quite 1/2 way to my minimum of $3k and quite a bit away from my $5k goal. Getting sponsors this year has been quite a challenge, but I've had a few surprises. At this point, just to make the minimum will satisfy me. If you or anyone one can spread my webpage to can help, PLEASE feel free: www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzz
So it's coffee time and then some breakfast before getting into gear to ride out (although I have about 3 hours to go)....
Much love my readers...
B
- Location:United States, California, Downey
- Mood:
awake
Today's icky weather which is supposed to last through the weekend.... Oh joy.
Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.
First MAL (MidAtlantic Leather) weekend in DC- It was a good time in cold weather. It's been years since my last visit to MAL. In fact, it was when it was at its old venue. This year was at a new hotel just down the street from the Capitol building. Being in a new hotel brought some strange rules set by the hotel. Personally, I think they 'over did' it with these 'rules', but I think they were throwing caution to the wind without knowing what to expect. The crowd was also a bit subdued as well and I think it's attributed to the fact that the hotel security was all over the place keeping watch on us in the lobby areas.
Regardless of the rules, it was good to meet new friends and see the others who I've not seen in quite awhile.
Moving on...
"Hair" at the Pantages was great! I was so happy I was able to share it with a good friend of mine and we enjoyed the show from our orchestra seats. I only wish I could have seen it again before it left LA. Although dated, the music and energy of the cast was incredible! I liked it much better than the movie version as they did change the story line in the film production and cut some good musical numbers.
Earlier this month, the world had lost a good person to her battle with illness. I won't go into details as it's not my place to do so. Just know that she will be missed and I was very heartbroken. I'm just amazed at her strength to have been with us since her diagnoses years ago. My heart to her family.
Up do date now... This weekend I traveled out to Palm Springs to partake in my 4th Tour de Palm Springs ride. This year was my first time to tackle their 102 mile ride and it was quite a challenge! I even took part in the 'recovery ride' today which was only 12.5 miles. Yes, my ass hurt! This was the first time since last year that I've put in 100 miles in two days. Although there wasn't much wind, it was enough to make some of the riding a bit icky and the long stretches of desert riding with no shade gave you no mercy! We started at 7:15 a.m. and finished at 4:30 p.m. so it was a long ass day! I was also amazed at how many of my fellow ALC'ers were in attendance!
Well, that about sums up the last month or so of not LJ'ing. Tomorrow is Valentines day and I'll be heading up to SFO on Saturday morning to spend a wonderful weekend with Sir.
I've also made a challenge for Valentines Day to get 14 donations of $20 or more by midnight tomorrow! So if you want to be part of it, please go to my ALC webpage and share your love! www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzz to help!
LOVE to you my friends!
Buzz
- Location:US, California, Long Beach, Los Angeles, E 1st St, 1266
- Mood:
disappointed
- Location:34.0905,-118.2848
So much has happened over the last month (not to say the 2010 year too). Celebrating 44 years of life, being collared, having someone special with me the last two fun-filled weeks, seeing "Next to Normal", going crazy at work.... It's all in my previous posts and you can read them if you need.
Now that we're officially in the new year, I can start to focus into 2011. Some of you have your resolutions you've made, I tend to just call mine goals. This is my final year riding for the AIDS LifeCycle. I know I've said that before and then got caught up in the whirlwind and ended up signing up again, but this time (my 5th) will be the last for a bit. I really want to focus on seeing my mom again and taking a vacation in 2012 in the summertime to Europe (most likely London again). The past 5 years have been wonderful with the LifeCycle, but I'm finding it more and more difficult to raise the sponsorships each year. I'm also feeling extra pressure this year because I'm not at the level I was at this time last year with my fundraising.
So to the future: This month I will be at MAL in two weeks for a fun-filled weekend with Pug & Sean. I have several friends who will also be attending whom I haven't seen in years and it will be good to catch up with them. I'm also looking forward to meeting up with new friends from FaceBook and here in LJ!
Upon return from the MAL weekend, I'll be seeing "Hair" at the Pantages which I have been looking forward to since it was announced it was coming to LA. February has a booking already set for me to partake in the 100 mile "Tour de Palm Springs" bicycle ride. This will mark the 3rd year in a row for me for doing this event, the first time actually pulling off the 100 miles (previously only doing the 55 mile option).
So far, that's my calendar. I usually keep it open because I really have to be training to work my stamina back up for distance riding. June is only just over 5 months away and I need to make sure to keep myself in shape to pull off the 565 mile ride from San Francisco.
I'll let this be the end of this LJ for today. I just needed to get my thoughts out before I forgot to pop them here.
Thank you all for being here and reading on my ups & downs of the past few years. I really appreciate all the comments as it only shows me you're looking :)
Cheers for the new year to all!
B
- Location:Home, for now...
- Mood:
geeky
To a happy New Year......
Cheers-
Buzz
- Mood: complacent
As most of you know, I'm in my 5th year participating for the AIDS LifeCycle event. It's the amazing 7-day bicycling journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles to bring awareness that HIV/AIDS is still out there and killing our friends and family members! There are those who wake up everyday without their medicines or seeking treatments because they simply cannot afford it. There are those who wake up without anyone there to comfort them when they need it most. There are those who do not have a friend in the world because of the stigma of having HIV/AIDS. And there are those who are waking up in an hospital ward wondering if they will make it another day and be home.
I'm not riding to simply bring awareness to the road and to all those who may see me on my bike during the event. Riding is only part of it. Another is to put out posts like this online, thru e-mails, and thru open discussion to rid the 'stigma' that simply because you have HIV/AIDS you are in a 'locked' death sentence and there is no hope. There are thousands living with HIV/AIDS who are unaware they are because they are afraid of being shut out of life. I'm here to say "Don't be afraid! Get tested! Get treatments! Live life to the fullest!"
There is a common courtesy shout cyclists say to each other just before safely passing. It's "ON YOUR LEFT!". This is to make the rider(s) ahead know I will safely be passing by them as I continue to my destination. Consider this message as my "ON YOUR LEFT!" to you. My signal to you to be aware, to be safe, to care enough to let me by and know that I took the time to care back. As I pass you I will acknowledge you with a nod and a huge "Thank you!" because you understand.
Please help me spread my words this year with a simple sponsorship. Consider it your voice "ON YOUR LEFT!" to the rest of the world.
To a happy and safe New Year ahead,
B
www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzz
- Mood:
content
Today, 12/23 we were to have a 1/2 day here at work. Well it seems that went out the window because my boss is sick and there isn't anyone here to hold the place together. This morning started with an argument with a co-worker because she wouldn't listen to me and now she's completely shut me out of anything. I can take that as a 'silver lining' at times, but it has trickled to another co-worker and now BOTH of them are acting stupid. I totally missed lunch today because I was expecting to be going home now.
I'm totally NOT in any form of cheer right now because I'm starting to feel that everything is just collapsing around me. If I dare say anything, they'd get all pissy about it. I didn't ask this to happen! This shit is totally not worth any of my time and energy. I just want to crawl under a rock and pull in the dark with me. I'm tired of being everyones punching bag and it's not the good punching kind.
Merry frickin Christmas to me.
- Mood:
pissed off
So far, it's been a snuggle-fest for me as Sir (Eric) has been with me since the 15th. So far I've taken him to Disneyland in the rains (this past Saturday), but that's it. I do have special plans on Christmas Eve (actually afternoon) and we've been informed Thursday will be a half-day here at work. So it's looking good. We even braved a walk in the morning rain on Sunday to see "Tron- Legacy". I liked the movie and would give it a "B". But if you didn't see the original "Tron", you may be a little lost at what's going on even with the flashback scenes.
After the New Year Sir will be going back North to start school and I'll be trying to fill the void of not having someone with me at home. There are plans of going up to visit and attending various Leather events in the next year, but until then...
This rain with the holiday is also making me a bit blue. I'm still upset I won't be seeing the 'sandbox family' for New Years, but I can't rectify the circumstances behind it. Although I won't be alone for the holidays, it just won't be the same without some family involvement after all these years. I feel empty inside because I'm one to be surrounded with family/friends during this time of the year. Seeing the faces of my family and soaking in the basking glow of love and friendships can lift the spirits to such highs, it makes you forget all the low points of the year.
Sure, I have Sir with me, but it's something that eats at me and makes me ache; almost alone and insignificant. I wish people would talk to me so I could understand, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards. I just have to deal with it as always (hence the insignificant feeling).
I'm really missing everyone now; my mom, my friends, my family. I cherrish each and everyone in my life. I hold no grudges.
If I don't post until after the holidays, I want each of you to reach out and hug someone you love. Remember they are the most important people in your life.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, etc, etc....
B
dirty
I'm pleased to say that December 24 already has something special lined up! I can't say what as there are eyes that may see this posting and ruin the surprise. I'm excited about it! More on it later on.
In the meantime, my annual trip to SD is off. Needless to say, I'm really saddened I can't go, but my nature is to make people happy even if it means making sacrafices as hard as they may be. No need to go into detail as it only upsets me more. I've come to terms and that's all I can do. I'm sure alternate plans can be made and still enjoy the start of the new year on a positive note.
I've signed myself up for 2011's Tour de Palm Springs bicycle ride! I'll be pushing myself to doing the 100 mile route as I've only done the 55 miler twice before. So what's an additional 45 miles? We'll see. I'm excited and my doctor is very happy I've been keeping myself active since my 2008 bout with pneumonia. Speaking of which, my latest visit (yesterday) was very good! No need to return until June of next year!
Upcoming events for 2011 include, but are not limited to, MAL in January, the Tour de Palm Springs in February, and other events yet to have dates... I'm really looking forward to the new year with a very special guy in my life right now.
Happiness to all my LJ readers for an exciting New Year!
B
- Mood: mellow
Friday after work, I went to meet up with Eric who came out to visit for my extended weekend. It was so nice to have someone special just hanging with me during my weekend.
Saturday was spent just being at home, watching movies, and being together. Eric wanted to make me dinner so I was fine with that! We had a nice dinner and then watched a god-awful, but funny / campy, movie, "Starbooty". The movie is the creation of Ru Paul so you really know where it was going! It was just over the "R" rating as there was plenty of full frontal on the men! If you want campy, schlocky fun, this movie is a good one for the giggles and popcorn.
Sunday, my birthday, was very special this year. Plans were for us to go out to LA to the Eagle for their "Harry Sunday Harry" afternoon bust and I invited a friend along. Prior to going, Eric gave me a birthday present that made me extremely happy. As of my birthday, I've been collared. Natrually, there was lots of open discussion and we mutually agreed on specific terms. I had a very special spark get reignighted and it felt real and natural, no hesitations. I can't say that I saw this coming, because I didn't. Eric and I have been seeing each other since October and it was a natural progression into the next step(s) into our relationship. For this, I am extrememely thankful to him and will only continue to be his Cub in every way I can.
We took Sir out to WeHo so he could do some shopping around and photos. I was quite surprised at the changes going on in WeHo as businesses which were there for what seemed forever, were gone and new ones were being put up in their places.
The event at the Eagle, overall, was pretty tame. There wern't a whole lot of people there, but we had a good time. I'm not sure if the event just didn't get enough advertising or it was the weather. About mid-way through the early evening it poured rain and it continued through the night. Dinner was spent at the French Market and then we rowed our way back to Long Beach.
I was fortunate enough to have Monday off from work and Sir and I went to the movies to see "Burlesque". I have to say, I wasn't expecting much of the movie, but for a matinee it was entertaining. I kept getting a mix of "Caberet" and "Chicago" with its styling. The story was pretty predictable and there are plenty of one-liners which will be quoted for years to come. Overall, I'd give it a B. I did hop onto iTunes and get the soundtrack as the music was something I'd listen to and enjoy.
So waking up this morning, I made sure Sir had directions to get himself to Amtrak this afternoon as he'll be going to visit a friend of his up north for a week before returning to Long Beach and spending the rest of the month with me. Now it's back to work.... ugh... I suppose I have to make a way to pay bills because they aren't going to pay themselves!
Thanks for reading...
Respectfully,
Buzz
- Mood: giddy
This Thanksgiving, I traveled out to Vegas on my own. It's been about 10 years since I've gone out there on my own and I actually had a good time! Although my first night there I wasn't much of a 'winner', but it did improve as the days went on.
I stayed for the first time at the Mandalay Bay and I have to say I was rather impressed! The room was large (almost the size of a small apartment) and was very comfortable. I can't say it was peaceful as there were tons of families (with children) all over and in the halls. The plus side is that it really didn't matter to me as I slept and was rarely in my room during the day anyways.
I did do some gambling, won around $500, tossed a bunch of that back to Vegas, but it did pay for two shows while I was there.
I headed out in the 32 degree morning weather along the Strip and found one of the discount ticket places to see what was up. After some thought, I decided to take in the only Cirque show I haven't seen, "Criss Angel- Believe" for Thursday night and then "Phantom" at the Venetian on Friday night.
The Criss Angel show was an absolute bomb for me! I've seen this guy on TV several times and he has that 'dark' side with his tricks, but on stage he sucked! None of the illusions were anything worth remembering with except one. The only saving grace for his show was the Cirque troop who were basically his backups and comic relief. I have to admit going into the show it was pretty well designed with the stage, but beyond that I would really say "save your money".
Friday night was better when I went to see "Phantom". I have seen the Broadway production way back when it first opened in the mid-80s with the original cast (Sarah Brightman, Michael Crawford) and have seen several touring productions here in LA. So I had expectations to this one as they spilled a shitload of money in the theatre and production. They also managed to cut the show down to just over an hour and a half production. It was all live, with complete orchestra and the theatre design was spectacular, not to mention some of the special effects they couldn't do in the Broadway production. I really recommend this one for you musical theatre buffs even if you've seen it elsewhere.
This was taken from my seat in the mezzanine after the show was over. As you can see, it's very elaborate and you can only see the bottom half of the grand chandelier which was an amazing piece of work! It's actually 4 separate pieces in the beginning to only fly around and come together as the one.
As the weekend went on, I managed to win and play and lose and play and win some more. After it was all over, I call it 'even'.
I flew back to LA bright and early on Saturday and then made a beeline to Upland to visit with Pug and two of our friends visiting from Phoenix. We had a great time together and had a fabulous fondue dinner at a place called the Hip Kitty. it was a fondue restaurant and jazz club. Was fun and kitschy and the live jazz band was great.
After dinner we headed out to LA for a few hours to congregate at the LA Eagle. It's been quite a long time for me to be there, but it was good to find a few friends there.
Sunday was spent just hanging out with a trip up Mount Baldy's top where the snow was.
Yes, it was cold too! But beautiful
Then we came down the hill and went out to see "Tangled". Overall the movie was fun and I would definitely give it a solid B+!
Now it's back to work, we're going though a major accreditation audit, and the stress levels have skyrocketed! Thank god I have a long weekend coming up as it's going to be my birthday on Sunday and I turn the big 44! Help me celebrate and sponsor me at my LifeCycle Ride: www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzz in lieu of flowers and cards :)
Love -n- stuff,
B
- Mood:
sleepy
What's your favorite city or town that you've visited? Why do you love it?
First question listed was submitted by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1){kind=small}
roguetheelf. (Follow-up questions, if any, may have been added by LiveJournal.)
London, England!
I've been there three times and always find something facinating and new. I would love to live there!
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- Mood: creative
iPhone 4 Headshots...
I came home yesterday to some really nice muted light coming in from my front door at home and had to take a few headshots.
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- Mood:
cold
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- Mood: amused
Since the weekend of Gay Days at Disneyland, I've sort of met up with someone I've known for years but really never stayed in touch with. He was an aquaintence of my friends so we really only saw each other in social Leather gatherings. I invited him to join us back in October for Gay Days and since then we've been keeping in touch more often. He's actually spent two weekends with me so far and I couldn't have been more happier!
Is this the start of something more? Only time will tell. We seem to have allot in common and have connected well with our Leather paths. I know I've been keeping a low profile as of late with my involvement with the Leather Community and it was for my own good. I needed to step back and just focus on my health and take care of me. It's been a bumpy hiatus, but I've seemed to manage. Now that Eric has stepped into the scene, he's given me a spark to rekindle the flame (no pun intended).
We already have plans for him to return for another visit during my birthday weekend and I've even been granted a 3-day weekend from work so I'm really happy! What we will do is up to the Universe... There is good prospect ahead, I'm just going to take it one day at a time.
On the flip side, I'll be off to Vegas next week Wednesday for a mini-getaway 3-night trip. I've been wanting to go and I felt I was adult enough to just go on my own. Nobody will be with me (although there is an open invitation to anyone interested to join). I've booked a room at the Mandalay Bay, a place I haven't stayed at before, and staying thru Saturday afternoon. I hope to take in a show, but I'll wait until I'm there to book anything that extravagant.
So I better get back to work....
Buzz out
- Mood: bouncy
After work, my commute was no party. My train managed to pull out of LA and get one stop when an irate passenger caused us to stop and never move. According to the conductor's announcement, her supervisor wasn't letting her proceed, the police showed up, and we were transferred into the next train (about 30 minutes later). I had to be back home to get my friend Eric who was paying a weekend visit too.
Well as fate would have it, Eric was also running late and was delayed about 90 minutes. I managed to get back to LB about an hour later and took advantage to make a pit stop at the local Game Stop store just to see if the new Kinect was available for my Xbox360. This is a new game controller that allows you to play special games without the use of any handheld controls. It has facial & vocal recognition and is pretty cool once you start playing. Anyways, I did get one and an additional game.
I got my butt home and waited for Eric to show up. He finally arrived around 8:00 (but was orignially supposed to be in LB by 5:00) and we went out for dinner. I had to make it a short evening because I had a training ride to lead on Saturday morning.
Getting up on Saturday was the typical routine when I have a training ride to do. I had breakfast, made coffee, got the gear on, and pumped up the tires. About 5 minutes after pumping up the tires there was a huge "BANG!" in my kitchen. It seems the front tire decided to blow out. When I went to change it (after saying quite a few cuss words), I noticed a hole in the tire which really made me mad because that meant I couldn't ride at all! A replacement is going to be around $80 and the local cycle shop wasn't going to be open in time for me to get to the ride. So I frantically made phone calls to my co-training ride leaders to find someone to take charge and pick up the route sheets from my place. Luckily, I managed to get one of my co-trainers to help out and it basically worked out (for them at least). Well, this only meant I would have more time to spend with Eric for the day.
With the extra time, we went out and walked over to the Long Beach Museum of Art. It was one of those places that's just down the street but I've never been to. I was glad we did. It was really nice, local, and we took our time. The featured exhibit was handcrafted wood works which were amazing (see pictures).
Well, the monkey isn't made of wood, but c'mon.... it's a monkey! The museum's rose gardens were especially nice as well:
The rest of the weekend was spent just with Eric and being crazies with my new Xbox attachment. We had a great time together and it was nice to have someone spending the weekend with me.
This coming weekend is Palm Spring Leather, but unfortunately I couldn't find anyone to go with. So I'll be spending time at home and getting my tire replaced. Two more weeks and I'll be off to Vegas!
Fighting HIV one mile at a time...
Sponsor me!
Buzz out
- Mood: cheerful
My boss of almost 3 years has been 'released'. Actually, they gave him a decent package and an option of either resigning or letting Administration 'dissolve' the position he currently has (Vice Director).
We suggested he let them 'dissolve' the position that way it's a lay-off and he'll be eligible for unemployment on top of his severance package.
So my average here in the 6 years I've been employed with this place is one Director per year. The new Director is really nice, but we'll see how long she's here... Our jobs are safe for the time being. It's a new adjustment we have to endure and the headache of explaining (or trying to) what happened to our old boss. Ugh!
Well, here's to keeping your jobs and much luck to my old boss on his new adventures....
B out
The TRL crew:
I did a quick 20 minute makeup job for my zombie look:
It was a short, but sweet ride. We got lots of compliments on our outfits. I also managed to get a flat along the way so, like a good TRL, we had a quick impromptu training on fixing a flat. Luckily it was my front tire and it was a small puncture flat, no major blowouts like last time.
So next Saturday will be my ride to Balboa Island and back. A good paced 35 miler that I'm sure some of the ALC veterans will appreciate as it's a faster pace.
I'm off...
Buzz out
- Mood: cheerful
Just a few shots of a beautiful LA sunrise this morning.
That is all
Buzz out
www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzz
Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.
Happy today because I booked my flight to DC for MAL in January! This will be the first time returning to DC in about 4 years!
Really excited!
Www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzz
Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.
- Location:US, California, Los Angeles, Santa Monica Blvd, 4412
- Mood: giddy
It started out innocently enough with my mom paying me a visit here in California. I can't remember much of what happened after she arrived, but the part that really got me was that I started to chat with my mom about 'adult' toys. I had made it a point to tell her that I've always seen the Fleshlight, but never tried one.... So my mom did what a mom would do; she took me out to an adult store (unknown location) to get one.
We arrived and this store was the size of a typical Sam's Club or Costco, it was HUGE! Me, like a kid in a candy store, wanted to explore. I excused myself from my mom's company and told her I would meet up with her in a bit (time length unknown). So I went about on my merry way finding all kinds of aisles of toys, contraptions, costumes, and oils... I ended up finding the 'video' area where there were these strange video booths which were semi-private. Like a moth to a light, I went in and started wasting quarters like they were going out of style and watching the action going on in the booths next to mine. This whole time, my mom was out shopping on her own.
Never did our paths cross again. My dream was rudely interrupted by my alarm clock and I was awake with only this part of my dream still intact in my memory.
Mind you, I have one of the most coolest moms around! I've taken her out to Leather events and we've openly discussed my 'lifestyle' (as she likes to call it). But a line has to be drawn when it comes to being an exhibitionist in front of her... I'm kinky, but not THAT kinky!
For this dream, I blame my drug....
Buzz out
- Mood:
distressed
Two weekends and no updates. Well, I suppose if you think of it, no news is good news?
Let's go back in time (*insert Judy Tenuta here*)- Weekend of the 15th: My friend Eric came up from San Diego on Friday evening. It was nice to have the company spending time with me. As I posted previously, we got up bright and early on Saturday morning and headed up to Universal Studios.
It's been years since I've been to the Studios and it was Eric's first time, so I opted for special "Front of the Line" passes for the two of us. I am so glad I did get those passes! As the day went on, the park got quite the crowd. Having the passes got us, duh, to the front of the lines in everything without as much as a 5 minute wait. The park was all decked out in their Halloween spirit and all the new attractions were a blast, including some of the newer shows.
We spent the entire day there and left just before 6:00 (closing time). We managed all the attractions and some of them more than once.
Sunday was spent home, just kicking back and enjoying each other's company. We went out for a walk along the beach and had a good lunch along the way. Unfortunately, Eric did have to return to San Diego and did so around 7pm.
As the new week trudged on, Southern Cal was blessed (?) with lots of rain. You would have thought it was February around here with the way the weather was behaving. I was afraid it was going to lead into the weekend and I was at least half right. Waking up on Saturday to the sounds of rain was relaxing, but it meant no getting out. I didn't mind, it gave me a chance to catch up on my Netflix. It cleared by Saturday night and Sunday morning was simply beautiful!
I got on my cycling gear around 7:00 a.m. and headed up to the start point of Team Long Beach's training ride as I was one of the Training Ride Leads. You couldn't have asked for a more perfect day for cycling! We had about 10 riders to come along our 26 mile trek of Long Beach. I felt great as my total ride was 36.5 miles for the day.
The rest of the afternoon was spent home doing laundry, napping, and watching TV as usual and today I'm feeling quite rested.
So this weekend is Halloween weekend. I have absolutely nothing planned as far as going out, let alone even having no costume. We do have a planned "Zombie" ride scheduled on Sunday morning/afternoon, but that's about it. Let's hope the weather gets dryer...
That's all for now. I think I've burned your eyes enough with my ranting.
Buzz out!
- Mood: cheerful
