Heading East

So the much anticipated/much dreaded family reunion is here. I flew out from Oakland today after almost missing my flight due to a late taxi. I flew Skybus Airlines, the new low cost start up based out of Columbus. It is modeled after Ryanair in Europe and it felt really similar. They fly brand new A319s which are decent aircraft. The legroom was a little tight, but the tickets are dirt cheap. The first (approximately) ten seats on the flight are $10 and then the ticket prices go up from there. I paid $60 for my seat, but that still seems quite reasonable. They charge you for everything. $5 to check a bag, $10 to be in the first boarding group, $2 for a soda or a bottle of water. All in all, it worked for me. Nobody really has any service these days anyway. Why pay for something you are not getting? I have been working almost every day lately, kind of getting burnt out. I am glad to have a few days off. I met up with my friend Suzanne for lunch yesterday and then went out to Pac Bell Park for Law Enforcement night with the Giants. Union City put together a fun rowdy contingent. For one reason or another, I had never attended a baseball game at Pac Bell Park until last night. Barry Bonds had the night off, so that was kind of sucky. It was a nice send off before heading to one of the flyover states. (Definition of the phrase flyover states: An airline term used by snobby east and west coast flight attendants. Sample conversation between a passenger and a flight attendant. Passenger "What state are we flying over?" Flight Attendant "I don't know, it's one of those flyover states. You know, the ones you wouldn't want to stop in, so we just fly over them.")

So I arrived at my hotel in suburban Cincinnati late. I crashed out and awoke to a loud clap of thunder early Friday afternoon. I was definitely no longer in northern California. I finished up my last quiz for an online class I have been taking and puttered around until my family arrived around 5 PM. My mom has been trying for several days to convince me to attend this Cincinnati Reds baseball game that my family had tickets for. I stood my ground as the last thing I wanted to do was go to a baseball game. Especially when there is lightning, thunder, and rain. (San Francisco was a different story. I wanted to see the stadium, it was a work thing, and pretty much an excuse to get drunk.) The family took off and did not report back in tonight, so I am assuming they made it back safe and sound. I went to the movies, but the selection was limited. (Nothing with subtitles for twenty plus miles around!) I ended up seeing Adam Sandler's I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. It was an Adam Sandler flick. It was not great, it was not horrible, just typical and predictable. (It was not as good as Big Daddy Mike!)

All in all, the next couple of days will prove to be interesting with the family. On Monday, I am headed over to Louisville, Kentucky to touch base with an old high school classmate. I am then headed to Dayton to check out the Air Museum at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Finally, I will be headed to Pittsburgh to check out my alma mater Pitt and the city I spent a very formative and memorable year in. I head back west on Thursday.

I also finished Harry Potter Book 7 (Deathly Hallows) on the plane trip here. JK Rowling is a fantastic and clever writer. She did a great job in wrapping everything up. I would have to say that I enjoyed Books 4 (Goblet of Fire) and 6 (Half-Blood Prince) better than 7. Throughout Book 7, there is an epic struggle between good and evil and a lot of people get killed. I would be interested to hear what you all thought of the book. My sister, my brother, and I go back and forth after we have read each book and discuss theories. My brother is convinced that with the epilogue JK included in this book, she is setting the stage for another series of books. I hope if she does this that she takes a long break in between. The emotional build up to this last book was palpable and I do not fancy being nervous for another ten to twelve years and anxiously awaiting a fresh series of books.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend and I will write some updates next week.

Cuidate.

Friday the 13th

I have had writer's block as of late. I have started about four different posts, but none of them seem interesting or expressive enough. So I am forewarning you, this post will be kind of a weird combination of observations. I have been an observer more lately than a participant in many ways.

I am headed to Ohio in a couple of weeks for a family reunion on my mother's side of the family. Big, loud, overwhelming...that aptly describes my family. When we all get together, it is chaos. I suppose I prefer smaller gatherings to the larger ones. (I am the youngest of 24 cousins, the majority of whom are married with kids. Add uncles, aunts, and various others, it is a gaggle that shows up to these.) We do this every three years and it is usually a good time. I very much like spending time with my siblings and that is the real reason to attend. My family is spread from Japan to New England, so it is rare we get the opportunity to hang out as a group. Truthfully, I am not thrilled about heading to the Buckeye State for several days. If we could convince the majority of the family to meet in Hawaii or something, I would be much more down for this. But no, we always end up in small back road type hick towns in New York or Ohio. Anyhow, moving on. You will hear much more than you ever wanted to know about Ohio in the coming weeks, fear not.

So I hung out at Peets in the Castro the other day. I am taking an online course through a local community college. The best part about it is you download the lectures into your iPod and listen to them wherever you want. Very cool. So I am sitting down in Peets and taking down notes. Suddenly I get the feeling that someone is staring at me. I look around to find not one, not two, but three different guys give me the stare. There is something about the way gay men cruise. It is like a heat seeking missile. They seem to have some kind of internal sensor. If you show them even the slightest bit of a smile, their targeting system locks onto you and they move in for the kill. Truth be told, nobody was cute at Peets that day. A few older guys and then a couple of guys that were not my type. As I made eye contact though, it struck me that all of the men had a certain look in their eyes. It was the same look that dogs in a pound give you. Dogs in a pound know the scorecard. When you come into the kennel areas, they all jump up and down, bark, paw, sniff, and are doing whatever they can to catch your attention. There is a recognition in any dog's eyes that if they do not get out of there with a person and soon, they will be faced with the other reality. Too many dogs, not enough owners. That was the same look I saw in the men at Peets. It struck a chord with me. San Francisco is one of the most gay friendly cities in the world. There are thousands and thousands of gay men that call SF home. Still gay men tend to be flaky and long term relationships are the exception rather than the rule. As I am recently out of a relationship, this was definitely on my mind. Truth be told, I am independent and I do not know if I am meant to be with one person for the rest of my life. I have had two to three significant relationships in the past eleven years and have kissed a lot of other men in between. As you grow older, you become less willing to compromise and more set in your ways. This is an undeniable fact. The whole boyfriend/partner game is always a struggle for me. When I am with someone, I usually end up wanting a way out. When I am single, my energies become focused on trying to find a partner. Then I get a new guy and the ugly cycle starts again! Probably the worst blow to gay man's self esteem, the girls on Sex and the City all ended up paired up in the end. Com'n, throw us a bone! If you think about this much (and I do...), there are no good examples of older people who made the choice to remain single. Of course, you then move on to what it is about yourself that makes you unable to be successful in a relationship. I would definitely choose to be single versus being in a bad relationship. Still, the hungry eyes from Peets gave me pause. In a few years, will that be me sitting in Peets like a lonely puppy saying, "Pick me! Pick me!"? I hope not.

So I have been casually dating a guy since May, no commitments or anything. He lives in the Castro, works downtown, sweet guy, and we have been enjoying each other's company. I am still feeling the aftershocks of O's departure and I doubt I will be able to get into a serious relationship anytime soon. The healing is still ongoing. Speaking of O, he showed up Pride weekend as only he can do. Last minute notification, change of plans five times, mixed signals, and no radar contact since. Through the grapevine, I have heard that he is dating a friend of a friend in So Cal. Small world. Que sera sera.

Kathy Griffin's show on Bravo has been nothing short of magnificent this season. Set your DVRs if you have not been watching. She is truly one of the funniest people out there right now. Her hosting of the Gay Porn awards in San Francisco was one of her best moments yet. She walks around the Castro before her show and the queens go insane. So so funny. Speaking of D List Bravo celebrities, who do I run into at Daddy's one night last month? Jesse from Workout. He was there with his drunk sister. He is not all that in person. Not sure what he was doing up here.

Finally...We are at the one week count down for Harry Potter Book 7. I should try and reread the first six books this week, but I am busy with work from the online class. I am not going to dress up or anything, but I will be in line next Friday night at midnight waiting to purchase my copy of Book 7. This sounds really geeky, but I am going to say it anyway. Harry Potter books bring the citizens of the world closer together. JK Rowling never predicted when she was poor and a single mother in Scotland that she would go on to become a billionaire, the richest woman in the UK, and the head of such an enormous franchise. All over the world, people know and love this series of books and are anxiously anticipating the finale to this long adventure. In our lifetimes, there will never be another series like it and these books will stand the test of time. Harry Potter books are available in 42 different languages and they are something that people around the world can share in and relate to. Football might be a close second, but people from the United States have little interest or patience for soccer.

Ok everyone. Hope you have a great weekend. Cuidate.

Passing Time

I have been working on a couple of blog entries, but I am struggling with the verbiage. To be truthful, it is my feelings that I am struggling with. More on that later. In the meantime, I will answer some random questions.

1. If you had to run a marathon, how many miles do you think you could last?

If you are talking about how far I could run, then I could make it about 5-6 miles before walking. I could definitely walk/run 26 miles though.

2. What is life's greatest mystery?

How do you strike the right balance in a relationship between wanting to be with someone and wanting your space and independence.

3. What is your favorite flower?

Hard one. I love flowers. Either orchids, tulips, or gerber daisies depending on my mood.

4. What do you generally sleep in at night?

T-shirt, boxers, and socks.

5. If you created a new flavor of ice cream, what would it be?

Peppermint Mocha.

6. What celebrity makes you glad you are not a celebrity?

Paris Hilton.

7. Besides a cat or dog, what animal would you want as a house pet?

Tropical fish. As long as I can pay someone to clean the tank.

8. Which of the following do you feel yields the greatest benefits - extraordinary wealth, strong friendships, true love, or a loyal, loving family?

Strong friendships.

9. If you wanted to test the limits, how many slices of pizza could you consume?

I am going to say 8 before puking.

10. What natural disaster would you be most frightened of?

Tornado.

11. What is your favorite soft drink?

Vanilla Coke.

12. What one person would you trust with your most personal possession?

Christi.

13. If you could dis-invent one thing, what would it be?

Speakerphone.

14. What makes you want to vomit?

Broccoli.

15. What is your favorite kind of doughnut?

Cake doughnut with chocolate frosting.

16. Who do you wish gave you more attention?

Ricky Martin.

17. If you were nominated for a Nobel prize, what would it be for?

Peace, bringing people together.

18. What American city does not deserve a place on the map? Why?

Lawton, Oklahoma. Brown, dry, boring, ugly place.

19. What is your most admired athlete of all time?

This is such a broad category. I always had a thing for Steffi Graf.

20. What is the most common compliment that people give you?

I am funny and not politically correct.

21. If you could be an expert in any one subject, what would it be?

I would be an concert pianist.

22. What three words come to your mind when you hear the word white?

Boy, edelweiss, and sugar.

23. What is your average bowling score?

I have NO idea and I am scared for those of you who know this off the top of your head.

24. How much money would you like to be making in ten years?

$150,000 a year.

25. If you were to give yourself a creative title for your personal business cards, what would it stay?

An intelligent man with a wicked sense of humor and a mighty short attention span.

26. What do you consider the most noble field of medicine?

I am not sure I consider one more noble than the other. I would consider the men and women of Doctors Without Borders to be the great humanitarians.

27. What is the biggest advantage of being small?

Actually being able to fit in a coach airline seat.

28. What person have you always wondered whether or not they liked you?

John Bruce from Memphis.

29. If you could add one feature to your cell phone, what would it be?

A battery that would stay charged for a month.

30. Where would be a terrible place to find yourself tomorrow?

A Saudi Arabian prison.

Hope you all had terrific weekends. Cuidate.