The weekend kicked off to a fun start!  Friday night I was told not to make any plans for the evening so I complied and was rather suprised by being wisked away to OC to see the touring production of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"! 

While the production was a touring company, it was quite amazing at having a full length car fly and not be able to see any of the flying rigs.  Naturally, there were several children in the audience, but it was a nice evening and a fun show none-the-less.  Overall, I give the whole production a "B".

Saturday morning I had to get to WeHo (that's West Hollywood for you non-Californians out there) to hit up a training ride with the fellow ALC cyclists.  It was a beautiful morning to do a ride from WeHo to the beach and back.  Unfortunately, it was cut short after about 3 miles into the ride where one of our ride leads had a grand-mal seziure.  It was quite frightening, but he's okay, and all of us took good care of him.  He managed to scrape his chin and dislocate his shoulder and we had angels on our side as a nurse just happened to be driving right by and saw what happened and assisted until the Beverly Hills police and ambulance got to us (within 5 minutes!). 

After the incident, the remaining riders (only 4 of us), went back to our start point and had brunch.  We were kept of our friends status along the way and everything was going to be fine.

Sunday, I got a call from a few of my friends and we went to the LA Eagle for a "Fur Fest" (that's Bear fur people!) beer bust.  It was fun, not too crowded though.  I think the 90 degree weather kept some of those bears inside or at a local beach.

That would be it in a nutshell... Next weekend is anthother trip out to San Diego for SD Pride!

Have a fun weekend y'all!

Remember the 80s!

Get ready to have your mind blown. Ready? Here we go ...

-- Michael Jackson signed his will on 7/7/02.
-- Michael Jackson's memorial was on 7/7/09 ... exactly 7 years after the will was signed.
-- Michael Jackson's two biggest hits -- "Black & White" and "Billie Jean" -- were each #1 for 7 weeks.
-- Michael Jackson's three biggest albums -- "Thriller," "Bad" and "Dangerous" -- each produced 7 top 40 hits.
-- Michael Jackson was the 7th of 9 children.
-- Michael Jackson was born in 1958 ... 19 + 58 = 77
-- Michael Jackson died on the 25th ... 2 + 5 = 7
-- Michael Jackson has 7 letters in his first and last name.

Now send this on to 7 of your friends for luck or they're gonna have 7 more memorial services.... 
                        LOL - Just kidding...

The above was ganked from tmz.com - gotta love those guys!

What a great weekend I had for this past 4th of July!

It certainly beat last years by a million times (I was alone then). 

I headed down to San Diego right after work on the good 'ol "Surfliner" Amtrak.  Got there right on time, at 7pm, picked up and wisked away to Sean's place.  It was his traditional "movie night" and there were a few others already there.  The evening's movie was the latest Nicholas Cage, "Knowing".  Okay, fun concept, fun special effects, but it went way overboard when it got to be really unbelievable and horrible when it became very 'religious'.  I won't give it away, but I'll grade it at a C- ...

Friday morning the boys took me along for a morning out to the San Diego Zoo.  It was great to see my monkey minions and get to see the new Elephant area. 

         

It was a beautiful morning/afternoon to be at the zoo too!  Bright and sunny, but not hot.

Afterwards, I was invited out to dinner and then some fun at a local drag show.  It's been a long time since I've been to a drag show and it was fun!  Some very talented fellas I must say!

Saturday morning was spent just lounging at the house.  By the late afternoon, we packed up the cars and headed down to a local trolly stop to catch the trolly to Downtown San Diego so we could board the USS Midway for an evening of fireworks in the harbor.

   

It was quite impressive to have the view of about 6 firework shows going on at the same time from the one viewing area! 

Overall, as I said before, it was a great weekend get-away!  I'll be returning to SD in two weeks for Pride.  I have a volunteer slot to do for the AIDS LifeCycle booth.  Speaking of which......

I signed up for a ride set this October called, "The Baby Dragon 180".  It's a 180 mile ride from LA to Santa Barbara and back over a Saturday & Sunday.  The money I raise will help the LA Gay & Lesbian Center's Youth programs to help the meth addicted, homeless, and psych services as well.  If you missed me on the ALC, PLEASE find it in your hearts to help me in this one!  You can get to my page at: 
www.lagaycenter.org/goto/buzzdragon

I only have to reach $1000 minimum so even the smallest of donations will help the kids of LA get the services they need!  AND YES I'LL BE RIDING THIS ONE FOLKS!

Lots of love to you all,
B

After the news this morning a question popped into my head upon recent events with Michael Jackson's death.

It was about the coverage of the BET Awards Show from this past weekend with all the elite entertainers for the African American community are out and about.  Now mind you, I did not watch the show.  I just caught the news coverage this morning and I thought, "Why does it take a death to 'celebrate' ones contribution to an art form?".  Why not celebrate their contributions while they're still alive?  And how many of these celeb's were just getting their sound bites in so not to look akward by not saying 'something' and having their faces on TV?

Another thing I found amusing was the reports from Amazon.com, iTunes, and other music sites that MJ's albums were selling out?!  Buying his albums/music now isn't going to be of anymore value than it was when he was still alive... Is it that 'lemming' effect where if one goes, the whole bunch follow?  The news media hypes it up and his music instantly becomes some sort of collectors item?!  What the..?!

Will Oxy-Clean fly off the store shelves now that Billy Mays has been taken away from us? 

Hmmmm.... What's next?

Yes, the alarms went off around 3:00 a.m. to get the four sleeping boys up and getting ready for the week ahead of them. Naturally, my freaky-self was up before the alarm went off so I tried to keep as quiet as I could and grab an early shower. By the time I was out the others were grumbling awake.



A few donuts and some coffee put a sping in our step and we were all finishing up and making sure our packing was done and we were dressed for the day ahead. As you can see from the above vid, we managed to get our gear and butts on the shuttle bus to the Cow Palace.

The bus pulled into the CP around 4:30/5:00ish and there was the typical hustle and bustle of activity going on from all the riders and roadies arriving with their gear getting loaded into thier respective trucks. After our gear was loaded I had to bid adieu to my buds as my crew had to meet up on the opposite side of the CP and start on our journey to the first lunch stop at Half Moon Bay. This was a little upsetting as we didn't get to stay for opening ceremonies.

I met up with my crew of 30 Roadies and we loaded up the vans. The ride to the lunch stop was nice as we started to get to know each other better along the way. Our ride took us along some of the actual bike route and it brought back good memories of the two rides past. It was nice to hear some of my fellow "lunchies" were previous riders as well so I wasn't alone in that aspect.

We got to our lunch stop in good time and immediately got to work after a brief meeting. It was amazing how everyone just gravitated to a job without being told what to do and did it! I elected to put up the bike parking area, signs, and more of the 'lifting' jobs. It seemed a great fit and I continued to do it throughout the week.

Our arrival:

Set up went quite quickly for the first day of working together. I think we even amazed our co-captains how well we worked together! After we were set up it was time to get into the day's 'theme'. Everyday for the week, the Lunch stop had a different 'theme' to do. Day one was "The 50s". So we all changed into our gear and went into action:

My favorite shot of the week! Someone brought candy cigaretts and we had to do this shot!


Okay, so Nick & Midori wern't "50s", but they were themed to their Sweep Van - the Bunny Catcher.


It wasn't long after we had set up that the first rider pulled in!  I would say it was about 9:00 a.m. (only 2 hours from the kick off) when he showed up!!

He refilled his water bottles, waved good-bye, and rode away! 

The afternoon moved on.  Around 10:30 the bulk of riders started to pull in and start eating.  It got crazy at times, but we all managed to keep the riders happy and fed.  We were only open until 2pm then it was time to take it all down and pack it all up! 

For the first day, it went rather smoothly.  I have to admit, being a Roadie with the lunch team is allot of work!  It's non-stop from the time you get there to the time you're back in the vans heading to camp.  You get breaks as you need them and everyone was willing to cover each other when necessary.  I think we were at campsite 1 around 5:30 then it was time to unpack, eat, and change into our night clothes.

It was nice to get to my tent space with the tent all put up and my gear inside!  It pays to have other Roadies with you who are at camp before you are!  After a good meal, the evening announcements, and some light chatter about the day, it was time to hit the sack and be up and ready by 5:30am (for me, at least).

... to be continued...

RIP Ms. Fawcett - you're a real angel now...

Saturday- Day 0 as some put it.  Up bright and early to grab some breakfast and head out to the Cow Palace for the long process of registration.  The process will almost take up your entire morning, but being a Roadie, it managed to take up my afternoon as well.

Nick, being a Sweep for the ride, picked us up from the hotel in the van and got us to the CP in good time.  We were fortunate enough to get in line for the special 'Roadie Only' safety video viewing (the first showing).  Part of registration and under the insurance contract of the ALC, EVERYONE has to see the video in it's 20 minute entirety.  If you leave to pee or otherwise, you'll have to return for another viewing from begining to end. 

Anyways, we were all in line outside waiting to go in and we started to meet up with some other riders / roadies we've met in previous years.  It was like having a huge family reunion.  As we were chattering, hugging, and waiting, the ALC photographer managed to snap this shot which was the front page shot on the ALC site for Registration day:

Yes, I am 'Comfort in a tube!' (LOL)... In the pic we have from L to R- Jack Ryan, George, myself, and Nick behind me.

We got thru the video, then proceeded to get the first of our wristbands and went into the paper registration area.  Because we were so early, we were the first group to get into the registration lines and it was eeriely empty.  We all got our paperwork in order then received our second wrist band (this is ALC jewelery for the entire week you have to keep on).  Sean had scheduled his San Diego team to meet a bit later for tent assignment so our next move was to shop the Camp Store and find Sean's bike in the mass of cycles in bike parking.

Here we are after getting everything in order and our tent assignments made:

Sean found his bike and attached his number.  I started to get misty-eyed because my bike wasn't there among the ocean of bikes and the reality of me not riding hit me. 

Fast forward to a little later in the afternoon...
After we had our tent assignments, George, Jack Ryan, and I had to attend the mandatory Roadie meeting.  The meeting is for all Roadies to get together in their respective teams, meet the faces they will be working with for the next 7 days, and get special instructions on what is about to ensue.

I was a bit nervous as I knew absolutely nobody on my team, but was enlightened to finally meet up with them. 
It was a nice site to see one of my 'Lunchies' looking like this:

My team was nestled between the Sweeps where Midori & Nick were seated and George & Jack Ryan in front of me.  So I really wasn't by myself the whole time :)

 

After the big group meeting, all the teams broke off to have their individual meetings.  It was a bit sad to know that being a Lunch Crew, I wouldn't be able to attend the opening ceremonies as we had to hit the road and be on our way at 6:00a.m. on the first day of the ride...

After the meetings were all over and we were all done with registration, it was time to head back into the city and get a good meal.  We decided on "The Sausage Factory" in the Castro so that Sean could do a massive carb load for the next day's ride.  Then it was off to bed to awake at 3:00a.m. for day one...

Here's a few miscelaneous shots from Registration day:
 Midori sports her "Hello Kitty" motorcycle helmet
Kelly is also there, looking excited to be part of the Moto Crew:

George & Jack Ryan look a bit tired after the day's activities:

Here's some online footage from the ALC ride this year!

They interviewed some of my Lunch Roadie Team!



This is why we ride....

b

It was a much anticipated Friday morning waking up to the knowledge that I would be heading out to San Francisco for the third year in a row to be part of the Aids LifeCycle experience.  I actually slept well and woke up to the normal routine of coffee, a bowl of Rice Krispies, and the last minute run around of the apartment to ensure I had everything ready for the week ahead and that I turned off the coffee maker.

Me waiting with excitement at my bus stop:

The morning was a bit overcast here in LB as I waited for my bus to the LB Airport.  My flight wasn't scheduled until 9am and I gave myself plenty of time to get there by leaving around 7:00.  I got to the airport, checked in, found my gate and just sat.... and sat.... and sat.... and sat....

... and sat, grrrrrr!

Seems the weather in SF was a bit on the foggy side (typical) and my flight was delayed for at least 2 hours (grrrrr!).  Not to worry though as I started to text Sean down in San Diego and they were also experiencing the same delays.  Looks like it was going to be a long morning! 

My flight finally started to board around 11:20.  Not really full and there were a few fellow ALC'ers on board sitting right behind me which made it fun.  We landed a little over an hour later just to only taxi right beside Sean's flight from San Diego.  Talk about timing!~  

Seems both flights were full of us ALC people and we all banded together to find the easiest route to San Francisco via the Bart/Muni line then to our hotel.  Our team this year consisted of our only rider, Sean, and three roadies; Jack Ryan, George, and myself.  George was our 'newbie' for this year and you could see he was a bit nervous, but enjoying the experience so far!

Once at the hotel we were able to check in early and finally just settle down and watch as hundreds more riders, roadies, and staff started to make there way into the hotel.  Naturally, food was on the immediate agenda and we drifted accross the street to Mels for a bite.

We didn't do any SF sightseeing today as we were just kicking back this year.  The boys went out to Mr. S to do a bit of shopping and I just kicked back at the room and took a much needed nap.  Afterwards, the boys called me when they were on their way to the Castro and Nick (the new BF) had picked me up and we drove down to meet up with them.

So we wandered up and down the Castro, did a bit of window shopping, and just soaked it all in.  We headed back to our hotel and had some dinner down the street and drifted off to a good night's sleep because it was Registration day on Saturday!

Yesterday, I went into Pasadena to meet up with Nick for dinner and I decided to get a little Apple shopping therapy in while there.

I was actually on the hunt for an extender-battery for the 'ol iPhone and found exactly what I needed.  It's a pretty nifty device that is actually a case with a lithium battery in it and you can use it as a backup battery when your iPhone decides to poop out with a flick of a switch.  My buddy, Sean, has one and has been pretty satisfied with it.  My only 'issue' with the device is that it makes your iPhone a little bulkier and heavier.  But, hell, to extend the battery life without having to search for a charger on the go, I'll take that flaw.

I also upgraded to 3.0 when I got home.  So far, so good.  The new features seem to work well although sending pictures through your text messages won't be available with AT&T until later this summer.

This weekend is going to be fun-  Tomorrow, I go see "Dame Edna" at the Ahmanson, Saturday is the SCLG (Southern California Leather Gathering) picnic, then Saturday evening is "Craft Night" at Daddy G's.  Fun all around!

Buzz out.

Dear Mayor of LA:

Thank you for the 'day of celebration' for the stupid LA Lakers and their fans. 

They win a championship, the 'fans' destroy a city bus, loot local stores, throw bottles & rocks at our police, and you feel the public should be rewarded with a 'parade'?!  I realize the city will not pay anything for the parade, but who's going to pay for the bus, the stores, and the police from the other night?!  I don't even WATCH basketball!! 

Today, your reward to the city has cost me one 1/2 hour of wages because your 'fans' decided to play on the LA Blue & Red lines and delay service of which many of us rely on to get us to work each day.  Who's going to reimburse me?  You?

The nerve!

Dear LJ,

No, I have not forgotten how to post.  It's been an extremely crazy three weeks; the week before the AIDS Lifecycle, the week of the AIDS Lifecycle, and then the week following it.  I'm still trying to catch up to life again after another year of an amazing journey down the California coast in seven days. 

With over 200 pictures to edit and associated stories as my life as an ALC Roadie, it's just been overwhelming.  Some of you may have seen more of my 'short' posts on Facebook from the road, but for those of my fans not currently on Facebook, I'll try to get more on LJ in the next few days.

Today starts the 2nd week of being home and I think I can seriously start to say I'm getting 'back to normal' (?). 

 4:30 in the freekin A.M. - ALC Kickoff

B

Well, now that I have your attention....

Yes, this will be my last LJ post from home.  In just about an hour I will be heading out to Long Beach airport to catch my flight up to San Francisco.  It's that time again, the AIDS LifeCycle event!  #8 to be exact and #3 for me to be participating in.  I'll be trying to keep posts from on the road and post pics as I get them, but that will all depend on the power of my iPhone and how often I can charge it on the road.

The bag is packed, the other is already up in San Francisco, my hair is cut, the plane ticket is printed out, and now just to fly up to San Francisco and meet up with Sean, Jack Ryan, and George.

I'm really looking forward to going and getting this all started!  So far, with the help of my generous sponsors (and a little of my own), I've raised a total of $3200.  I know I'm getting more as my Aunt in New Jersey just asked if it was too late.  OF COURSE NOT! 

Sponsors can keep it coming:  www.tofighthiv.org/goto/buzz

Thanks again and look forward to messages from the road!

Buzz

Just wanted to wish leashdog a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Welcome to the wonderful world of the 40s!!!