I'm Back

Wow - so I didn't think it would be almost three months since I last posted, and my last post was so angry. Sorry to keep all of you waiting. It's nice to know that so many of you actually do read it. I had no idea until I stopped posting! So, here's my last few months sped up!

Thanksgiving - good times with friends. Great turkey. I made TWO types of stuffing - one was traditional w/chestnuts - the other was Jalapeno cornbread stuffing with chorizo sausage and pine nuts - delicious. We ate a lot, drank a lot and played fun games.

Christmas - home to visit the folks for 6 days and Kurt went off to Michigan to see his family. Had a good time, did a LOT of visiting, etc. Ate a lot.

New Years Eve - I flew back here.

January - I had a final interview for and accepted a new job as Director of Student Services at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine - www.actcm.edu. I'm very excited. It's more responsibility, more variety, and more in line with my interest in holistic health. I finished up at the Academy of Art on the 28th and I start my new job on the 9th.

I had a massage special that meant I had a LOT of business in January, which kept me very busy. The month generally flew by, but I helped celebrate some friends' birthdays, attended a Golden Globes party, and recognized Australia day with my friend Matt who has finally moved here to SF.

Oscar season is upon us. here are movies I've seen in recent months with quick reviews:

Doubt - liked it on stage better but I thought it was a good adaptation. All of the actors were good.

The Reader - depressing but good. A little slow in the end but very impactful.

The Wrestler - I get why Mickey Rourke is getting all the attention. He was great and it was very hard to watch the movie in parts, but the movie overall was just standard. And Marisa Tomei is topless for a large part of it.

Slumdog Millionaire - See it. Made me alternately cry, laugh and cringe.

Milk - See it. I also cried. Sean Penn is great and it was very motivating movie for me.

Curious Case of Benjamin Button - visually, it was great, but I don't get the Oscar hype. I liked, but not loved it....except for Tilda Swinton, who I always love.

Frost/Nixon - surprisingly, I liked this one a lot. Who knew a 2 hour movie about an interview could be so entertaining?

Quantum of Solace - not as good as the first Craig 007, but entertaining nonetheless.

Valkyrie - I hate admitting I saw this given that douchebag Tom Cruise is in it. But it was actually pretty good, except for Tom Cruise.

There are plenty more I want to see and wish I'd seen but top on that list is Revolutionary Road and Gran Torino.

I think that's it for now! Coming up in February:

My long to-do list for the break between jobs - will I get it all done?
Motorcycle Safety School
Wicked: The Musical
Blowoff: A Dance Party
Valentine's day reports
Oscar 2009
Tales from the Muni commute to my new job (there will be many!)

See you soon!

I'm Back!

Hey hey hey everyone! So, what a week! Kurt and I traveled back to the east coast to see my family last Saturday. We flew Virgin America, which I still love despite that they fly into Dulles. But it was cheap and I love that when you want food, you just order it on the screen in front of you and they bring it to you. The seats are comfy too.


So, we arrived Saturday evening and had dinner at Fuddrucker's on the way home. I love the buns there! I think mostly because they are grilled with butter. Yummy. We got home late where my sister, Amy, was waiting to meet us. She had not met Kurt before (my parents did last summer when they visited here) and was anxious to do so. We chatted for a while before heading to bed.



Sunday, Pete, Daisey, Kurt and I went to Fort Delaware. It's a Civil War fort that was used as a POW camp for Confederate soldiers. When you take the tour, all the people you meet act like it's 1864 so it's really quite educational and interesting. It looks like a castle because it has a huge moat around it and it's on this island that you can only get to via ferry. So, you can see why it made a good prison. We ate the worst hot dogs ever at the concession stand there, but Kurt did get singled out to help with a reenactment of firing a cannon. He got to scream out all the orders to the other "participants" and give the command to fire. And he got to wear a fun hat! That night we went to Amy and Cecil's (her boyfriend) house for dinner. A very yummy dinner of smoked bbq pork roast and mac and cheese. Yummy.

Monday, we went fishing on Cecil's boat, but only caught three fish. Stupid fickle fish! You never know when you're going to catch any. It was windier than we had wanted, but it was still a nice day just relaxing on the boat. That night, Daisey made my favorite Chicken Pot Pie for dinner.

Tuesday, we went to Rehoboth Beach to shop a bit at the outlets (I got some new luggage which is going to be my Christmas present), walk around the boardwalk, eat some Thrasher's Fries (yum again) and have dinner. We headed back home that night and my friends XL (Jon) and his wife, Cathy, stopped by to visit. It was great to see them.

Wednesday, it was back to the airport, but we did meet up with Seth for lunch on the way at Macaroni Grill. He met us halfway, we ate, and then he drove us back to the airport. Thanks, Sethie! Daisey only cried a few tears. I think she's getting better :-)

I went back to work briefly before Kurt's friend, Rodrigo came in for the weekend. We had some great meals while he was here at Conduit and then at El Dorado Kitchen when we went to wine country. Sonoma was great even though I was designated driver. We rented a little Mini Convertible through zipcar which was a lot of fun, but I got a farmer's tan! Curses! The rest of the weekend, we shopped, ate, drank, and went to a street fair.





And then Monday, I had to go back to vacuuming and work and teaching math class :-(

But it was a great trip overall. I was reminded of what a wonderful family I have. They are so openminded and accepting - the true definition of unconditional love! And it was wonderful to see friends I hadn't in a while. And it was great traveling with Kurt, as always, and spending time with his friends, who are also incredible. I hope you enjoy the pictures from our adventures! I know I need to figure out how to arrange them better!

The Weekend

This past weekend was a good one. Friday night, Kurt had a car for a work meeting that day so after work, we went to Target and Trader Joe's to do some shopping. We also moved the microwave from my office to his apartment. I never use it in my office and he needed one.

Saturday, we went to breakfast, the gym, and then to do a bit of shopping for Kurt's niece's birthday present. She's 8 and really into bugs and I think that's so cute - a budding entomologist! So, Kurt bought her a framed beetle (not of the John, Paul, Ringo, George variety) from a really interesting store on Valencia. This beetle was very colorful and different. The store has all sorts of "curiosities inspired by nature" according to their sign. I forget the name, but will try to find out and post it. I then had a client and later that night, we went and saw the Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. My score: 2 stars (didn't like it). Don't bother, people! I had not seen the previous two but generally, this was a simple story, acted poorly in parts, and with bad, bad dialogue. Still not as bad as the Happening, however.

Sunday, I watched a friend in the marathon, had brunch with other friends, went to the Chihuly exhibit at the DeYoung (highly recommended), and then Kurt and I had dinner with our friend Pablo. All in all, a good weekend, but because it was so packed it went by way too fast!

So long, Sethie!

Seth, after giving California a good 3 year try, has decided to leave and go back to the East Coast. We had lunch yesterday to say goodbye. I'll miss him even though I didn't see him that much. I probably saw him more in the last two months than I did in the previous year! Safe travels, Sethie. And remember to text every day so I know you're not lost (or dead! eek!) on your cross-country drive.

Gay Retreat 2008

So, for the past three years, a group of friends and I have gone up to the Russian River for a weekend just to relax and enjoy time together. The Russian River, for those of you not on the West Coast, is an area up in Wine Country that's very rural and lots of people have vacation homes up there. Anyway, we use the home of some friends of ours who are generous enough to allow it. This year, since the house was larger, we expanded our group to include four more friends: Todd, Rand, David, and Alan.

We grilled burgers, sat in the pool and hot tub, drank some M. Night Shyamlemonade (again, DO NOT SEE THE AWAKENING) and played games (Trivial Pursuit, Smart Ass, Loaded Questions, and Celebrity). Overall, it was a very relaxing weekend, although it could have been a bit warmer. I can't believe it's July already. Summer's going too quickly.

Weekend Update

The weekend was really good. Friday night I had people over on the roof for a party. The weather was beautiful and we snacked on some chips and nuts and had white sangria, cranberry vodka iced tea, and beer. It really was a great night and I'm so happy the weather cooperated. Here are some pictures. Kurt has more on his camera, so I might add some later.








































Saturday, Kurt and I went to lunch, then I had a client. A trip to the gym and then out that night and met up with our friends David and Alan. Sunday, we went to the gym and then met other friends for brunch and to see "The Happening". My score: one star. DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE! It was bad. Well, it started out interesting, but then went no where and the acting and dialogue was bad. This is the last time that M. Night Shyamalamadingdong gets my money. And I mean it this time.

The Rocker

So, Wednesday night, my friend Seth drove up from Santa Clara. He had free passes to see a movie called "The Rocker" about a has been drummer in a heavy metal band who, 20 years later, joins his nephew's high school band. My rating: "C". It wasn't horribly unwatchable, but it wasn't very good either. It comes out officially in August. Seth said it best with his description "It was like a Saturday Night Live skit drawn out into an hour and a half". And it was. It had plenty of extraneous filler, some unneeded gross-out humor, and a lot of watching a sweaty Rainn Wilson of "The Office" fame drum with his mouth open. I would suggest waiting for DVD or multiple airings on TNT if you ever feel the need to watch it at all. It did have some funny parts though, my favorite being this quote from Howard Hesseman of "WKRP in Cincinnati" fame: "There are two things I don't trust in this world: Cell phones, since they give you brain cancer, and marionettes." It's really random, but I liked it.

Anyway, then Seth and I went to Mel's Diner and caught up one on one which we hadn't done in a long time. He's moving to Washington, D.C. in a month, and although it makes me sad, I think it's the right decision for him. Not that he needs my validation or the validation of anyone else for that matter!

And today was Summer Semester Orientation. Five hundred new students! I had to go to work at 7 AM, so I'm beat now. But I always love the first day, particularly since they are all students. It's fun to look at how they dress. Some of them think they have to look unique, or super put together, or not put together at all. We play "guess the major" based on what they wear, which is fun. But it is really exciting to see how pumped they are about starting a new pursuit. That's what keeps me working with students...there is always a lot of energy.