A while back I wrote about learning the hard way that by being a gay man, I am essentially banned from donating not just blood, but also bone marrow. I went into a tear about how I hated the assumption that because I have a boyfriend instead of a girlfriend, that must mean I have HIV/AIDS and therefore I should never ever be allowed to donate blood. Never mind that my own personal behaviors lean much towards being safe rather than being stupid, and I have been tested and know that I'm clean. I know I'm not the only one who has felt this way and want to have the rules changed, especially because I did give blood for a number of years before I came out.
So I find it extremely distressing when I start hearing the media report on remarks and reports coming from places like the CDC about new HIV infections, and the numbers are not good at all. What the media is saying is that when it comes to gay and bisexual men, they are fifty times more likely to catch HIV than those who are straight. Now one thing I could argue here is that they don't report that a comment in the CDC written report is that one reason the numbers could be going up is that more people are getting tested for HIV. However, still looking at the raw numbers, the highest groups are the ones who have had male-to-male contact every year.
Either way though, when you look at the numbers, they're not good, especially the numbers for people who are getting HIV through male-to-male sexual contact. Those numbers are going back up again after declining for a few years.
The point here is that it certainly isn't helping my cause to want to change the minds of those who help decide guidelines for things like blood donations. How can I convince them that someone like me when the numbers are coming back that people who have a similar background as I do are not only the ones who are catching HIV most often, but the number of new infections is going up?
So long as people continue to be reckless, then it's just going to give those who write the discriminatory rules and policies a justification to do so. They read these reports as well and in their minds, it tells them that it will continue to be better to do things like ban gay men from being able to donate blood because their donation will likely fail the disease screening and have to be thrown out anyway.
For fucks sake people, if you're with someone and the relations are relatively new, wear a condom, and/or make your partner wear a condom, period. Don't go off and have unprotected sex unless you and your partner both get tested and you're both monogamous. After that, if you two want to go at it raw, then by all means go for it, but only as long as it's just the two of you. Realize that only you can protect yourself from catching a disease, don't rely on a sexual partner to do it for you. Your actions do have consequences that can be far reaching and they do affect everyone.
August 31, 2009
August 27, 2009
Stepping Forward
A while back, I made much ado about needing to make a change. The first steps toward that are starting to be taken.
The biggest step(s) come from a little bit of self-realization from the other night, after a long chat with a buddy of mine on our weekly walk. For me, as much as I am attracted to a certain group of people, I just don't fit in with their "community" and I don't plug into their hive mind. I find that when I have become more involved with them, or watched other people who are involved with them, their actions become very routine, and the scope of their activities becomes limited. Perhaps to some people they need that familiarity all the time because that's what makes them feel comfortable, no matter what happens.
Thing is, it's not me. While there are some aspects of my life that tend to be routine because they do provide their own comforts, I like to go out there, try new things, and mix it up whenever I can. I find if I start repeating some of the same activities over and over and over again, I get bored and restless. Hell, it's why I've given the warning to folks that it sucks to be around me when I'm recovering from being ill. If I am laid up on the couch for too long, it makes me cranky (poor "grandma"). It's also why if I have the opportunity to do something different for an evening, I have no qualms about changing my plans unless someone else is depending on me to be somewhere.
However, I could have gone the way of just sticking with routines and not really going for the spontaneity. During part of my second year of college, I had started becoming more of a homebody because it had felt comfortable. If it hadn't been for two of my friends, I probably would have either broken out of my shell way late, or never done it at all. Of course, they were also the kind who basically said to me "Mangi, cut the bullshit, you're coming with us," and I'd be taken out to hang with them and/or with other folks as well. I'm glad they basically had the balls to do that.
Anyway, so I realize that I don't fit in with some of the groups and communities I have looked at, and that's okay, I don't have to. What I do need to do is expand my reach a little bit and look more into things that fit my passions. One part is that I'm trying to see about connecting with one of the Ravens Roosts in the area. It would be nice to connect with folks who share my passion for football and the Ravens. I will be exploring finding other groups with similar interests, but as I pointed out in a conversation with a friend the other day, it seems that I can find the organizations that are on a national level, but how about finding one that's actually on a local level?
The other thing I will be doing is cutting back my time on some of the social websites I have been on. They aren't quite meeting the standards of what I was expecting to get out of them, so why waste my time with them?
All I can do is go out there, this is not the time to retreat.
The biggest step(s) come from a little bit of self-realization from the other night, after a long chat with a buddy of mine on our weekly walk. For me, as much as I am attracted to a certain group of people, I just don't fit in with their "community" and I don't plug into their hive mind. I find that when I have become more involved with them, or watched other people who are involved with them, their actions become very routine, and the scope of their activities becomes limited. Perhaps to some people they need that familiarity all the time because that's what makes them feel comfortable, no matter what happens.
Thing is, it's not me. While there are some aspects of my life that tend to be routine because they do provide their own comforts, I like to go out there, try new things, and mix it up whenever I can. I find if I start repeating some of the same activities over and over and over again, I get bored and restless. Hell, it's why I've given the warning to folks that it sucks to be around me when I'm recovering from being ill. If I am laid up on the couch for too long, it makes me cranky (poor "grandma"). It's also why if I have the opportunity to do something different for an evening, I have no qualms about changing my plans unless someone else is depending on me to be somewhere.
However, I could have gone the way of just sticking with routines and not really going for the spontaneity. During part of my second year of college, I had started becoming more of a homebody because it had felt comfortable. If it hadn't been for two of my friends, I probably would have either broken out of my shell way late, or never done it at all. Of course, they were also the kind who basically said to me "Mangi, cut the bullshit, you're coming with us," and I'd be taken out to hang with them and/or with other folks as well. I'm glad they basically had the balls to do that.
Anyway, so I realize that I don't fit in with some of the groups and communities I have looked at, and that's okay, I don't have to. What I do need to do is expand my reach a little bit and look more into things that fit my passions. One part is that I'm trying to see about connecting with one of the Ravens Roosts in the area. It would be nice to connect with folks who share my passion for football and the Ravens. I will be exploring finding other groups with similar interests, but as I pointed out in a conversation with a friend the other day, it seems that I can find the organizations that are on a national level, but how about finding one that's actually on a local level?
The other thing I will be doing is cutting back my time on some of the social websites I have been on. They aren't quite meeting the standards of what I was expecting to get out of them, so why waste my time with them?
All I can do is go out there, this is not the time to retreat.
General Stuff
The last few days have had their ups and downs.
Monday morning was spent at the local car shop getting work done on my car. The joy of rolling over 180,000 miles is that it means that there is stuff that has to be done if you want to keep it running. In this case, it meant replacing all of the tires, getting an alignment done (it apparently did need it) and also getting the power steering flushed. In the future I have to get the oil changed but I am waiting until after this next batch of fuel injector cleaner is run through the tank. Eventually I'll have to do the 30,000 mile servicing, but that will be when I have more fundage.
I have narrowed my search down to the camera I want. After some hunting and posting to a photography forum, I was led to the Nikon Coolpix s710. It seems to be one of the few point and shoot cameras sold these days that contains a full manual mode. I want something I can easily carry to an event like football or hockey. You can also bet that the next time I go to white sands, I am going to put that camera in a ziploc bag and just shoot pictures through that!
My church is participating in the labor day parade in Greenbelt, so I'll be returning to walking in that parade after taking last year off. It should be fun, if you're around you should cheer us on, unless you're part of St Georges, then you should be walking with us ;-)
I'm going to go to Busch Gardens this weekend, weather be damned (glares at TS Danny). They're taking The Big Bad Wolf out after Labor Day, so I have got to ride it now, or completely miss an opportunity to ride the very first suspended roller coaster in the world.
Tomorrow night will be a moment of geekery. I am going to Wolf Trap for the first time, in this case to see LOTR: The Two Towers while a live orchestra plays the score. My friend BG won tickets to go so a few of us get to check that out. Hopefully the weather holds up, though they claim the show will go on, rain or shine.
There may finally be a light at the end of the tunnel for some of the things that have been requiring my focus at work. With many conference calls and such, I think we have found the issue at hand, and with much testing from myself and others, it looks like we at least can make a settings adjustment to resolve part of the issue. However, we still want to know why things broke, but that is more of a question for the developers of the off-the-shelf software that we're using. We shall see what happens with that.
Monday morning was spent at the local car shop getting work done on my car. The joy of rolling over 180,000 miles is that it means that there is stuff that has to be done if you want to keep it running. In this case, it meant replacing all of the tires, getting an alignment done (it apparently did need it) and also getting the power steering flushed. In the future I have to get the oil changed but I am waiting until after this next batch of fuel injector cleaner is run through the tank. Eventually I'll have to do the 30,000 mile servicing, but that will be when I have more fundage.
I have narrowed my search down to the camera I want. After some hunting and posting to a photography forum, I was led to the Nikon Coolpix s710. It seems to be one of the few point and shoot cameras sold these days that contains a full manual mode. I want something I can easily carry to an event like football or hockey. You can also bet that the next time I go to white sands, I am going to put that camera in a ziploc bag and just shoot pictures through that!
My church is participating in the labor day parade in Greenbelt, so I'll be returning to walking in that parade after taking last year off. It should be fun, if you're around you should cheer us on, unless you're part of St Georges, then you should be walking with us ;-)
I'm going to go to Busch Gardens this weekend, weather be damned (glares at TS Danny). They're taking The Big Bad Wolf out after Labor Day, so I have got to ride it now, or completely miss an opportunity to ride the very first suspended roller coaster in the world.
Tomorrow night will be a moment of geekery. I am going to Wolf Trap for the first time, in this case to see LOTR: The Two Towers while a live orchestra plays the score. My friend BG won tickets to go so a few of us get to check that out. Hopefully the weather holds up, though they claim the show will go on, rain or shine.
There may finally be a light at the end of the tunnel for some of the things that have been requiring my focus at work. With many conference calls and such, I think we have found the issue at hand, and with much testing from myself and others, it looks like we at least can make a settings adjustment to resolve part of the issue. However, we still want to know why things broke, but that is more of a question for the developers of the off-the-shelf software that we're using. We shall see what happens with that.
August 19, 2009
Make It Different
I need a change.
It's becoming painfully obvious that I need a new approach and scene when it comes to meeting other guys. I haven't really been meeting anyone that captures my interest, or that are actually interested in what is in my head rather than what is between my legs.
The thing is, where do I go at this point? It seems that most folks around my age are interested in going to the bars as a way to meet others, but it does get old after a while. When it comes to some of my interests, when I have met other folks, they tend to already have someone else (dammit!).
On the other hand though, the experiences I have had are helping to define just what it is I like, what I could potentially live with, and what will be a deal breaker. What I should do is begin writing it down somewhere, if only so I can compare notes and re-evaluate as I go along.
Once again though the universe gives a very strong hint that now is not the time for anything too serious. I joked to my mom the other night that every time I have a major moment of feeling lonely or frustrated when it comes to dating that then someone comes crying to me because something's fucked up in their relationship or they're having drama with someone, and all it does is make me think "This is why I'm glad to be single". Sure enough, the next day someone comes to me about some drama they were having. All right, so I get it, keep going and don't even think of settling right now. Besides, settling for the next person who has come along is what has gotten me into trouble.
It's becoming painfully obvious that I need a new approach and scene when it comes to meeting other guys. I haven't really been meeting anyone that captures my interest, or that are actually interested in what is in my head rather than what is between my legs.
The thing is, where do I go at this point? It seems that most folks around my age are interested in going to the bars as a way to meet others, but it does get old after a while. When it comes to some of my interests, when I have met other folks, they tend to already have someone else (dammit!).
On the other hand though, the experiences I have had are helping to define just what it is I like, what I could potentially live with, and what will be a deal breaker. What I should do is begin writing it down somewhere, if only so I can compare notes and re-evaluate as I go along.
Once again though the universe gives a very strong hint that now is not the time for anything too serious. I joked to my mom the other night that every time I have a major moment of feeling lonely or frustrated when it comes to dating that then someone comes crying to me because something's fucked up in their relationship or they're having drama with someone, and all it does is make me think "This is why I'm glad to be single". Sure enough, the next day someone comes to me about some drama they were having. All right, so I get it, keep going and don't even think of settling right now. Besides, settling for the next person who has come along is what has gotten me into trouble.
August 15, 2009
Making it too Easy
If you read through my entries about visiting New Mexico, you know that I basically killed my current digital camera because of taking it out to the desert and letting sand get into the lens area. I've started doing my research on finding a new point and shoot digital camera, and admittedly I am not entirely happy with what I see.
The thing that I loved about my camera (Sony Cybershot DSC-W5) was discovering its full manual mode. In that mode I had complete control over what I could do with the camera, including the shutter speed and the aperture. Prior to discovering this mode, I typically used one of the scenes or the fully automatic mode. The problem with those modes was that when I tried to take pictures of fast action like hockey games, the camera would be so busy trying to get the right light that it would set the shutter speed to be way too slow, resulting in a ton of blurred shots. It sucks when you take 50 pics, and maybe have 5 of them that are usable.
Anyway, so when I went to look today, it is with dismay that I am finding that most camera manufacturers are dumbing down their point and shoot camera models to the point that they have removed control over things like the aperture and shutter speed. What I found with nearly every single model was that I could go full-auto, I could pick some scene and it would do its own compensations, or their manual mode allowed me to control the EV value, ISO, white balance, and flash intensity, but no control over the shutter speed or aperture.
I could potentially live with only adjusting the EV value, but it's a pain in the ass to get to the adjustment because they bury it inside the menu. I really liked being able to press one button and get right to adjusting the aperture and shutter speed. I certainly needed that when I was taking pictures of the STP concert last month.
So now what do I do from here? Do I finally take the plunge and get an SLR? That would be nice, but that's a bit bulky to carry to the Verizon Center every time I want to go to a Caps game. I would rather stick with a point and shoot if I can. Does anyone know of a good forum where I can find out from other people about what kind of camera I can get? Ultimately, if I can't find what I want, perhaps I will just have to hit Ebay or Craigslist for my camera.
August 13, 2009
Argh, Stupid Archaic Rules!
Nearly 2 years ago, I essentially fired Comcast (AKA Comcrap) as an entertainment and Internet provider when I moved into my own apartment. I decided to stick with rabbit ears and DSL to get what I need when it came to services. One of my major moves was not only to use Netflix, but to get a Roku box so I could stream any Watch Instantly movies to my TV.
If you have Netflix and can't already output your computer desktop to your TV, get a Roku box, it is one of the most awesome inventions. Besides the Netflix, you can also stream Amazon Video-On-Demand videos that you have rented or purchased to your TV as well. This week they have just added a new feature. If you subscribe to MLB.tv, you can now stream the games you would watch on your computer through the Roku box. Sounds great, especially if you're say, an Arizona Diamondbacks fan, but you live in Mobile, Alabama. However, there's one problem with the service...
MLB.TV is subject to MLB's blackout rules when it comes to TV broadcasts. What that means is that local TV broadcasters get priority for showing a game, and if another channel would be showing that game or a baseball game for another team, they will be blocked out from showing that game. In this case, it means not being allowed to watch any Baltimore Orioles or Washington Nationals games online.
Here's the stupidity of the blackout rules. I can't see any Orioles or Nationals game as it is because they don't put baseball games on over-the-air broadcast TV anymore. It only comes in via cable, usually through Comcrap's dedicated sports channel, or ESPN. Since I have no cable, I can't watch games as it is, and because of blackout rules, they will not show Orioles or Nationals games on the Internet for me.
So what is the freaking point then to getting streaming games to my Roku box if I can't even see my local team? From what I hear, more and more people are cutting the cable as it is and going completely Internet, but many more say the only reason they keep cable is to watch sports. It would be nice if MLB would realize there is a market for people who want to watch any game at any time, including their local teams live.
I suppose I could mess with running my Internet through a proxy server to trick the MLB servers into thinking I live across the country or something, but then it doesn't give them incentive to change their rules if they're still getting my money for MLB.tv. I'd rather send a message by not subscribing and letting them know that until they lift the blackout rules for MLB.tv, they're not getting a freaking dime out of me.
If you have Netflix and can't already output your computer desktop to your TV, get a Roku box, it is one of the most awesome inventions. Besides the Netflix, you can also stream Amazon Video-On-Demand videos that you have rented or purchased to your TV as well. This week they have just added a new feature. If you subscribe to MLB.tv, you can now stream the games you would watch on your computer through the Roku box. Sounds great, especially if you're say, an Arizona Diamondbacks fan, but you live in Mobile, Alabama. However, there's one problem with the service...
MLB.TV is subject to MLB's blackout rules when it comes to TV broadcasts. What that means is that local TV broadcasters get priority for showing a game, and if another channel would be showing that game or a baseball game for another team, they will be blocked out from showing that game. In this case, it means not being allowed to watch any Baltimore Orioles or Washington Nationals games online.
Here's the stupidity of the blackout rules. I can't see any Orioles or Nationals game as it is because they don't put baseball games on over-the-air broadcast TV anymore. It only comes in via cable, usually through Comcrap's dedicated sports channel, or ESPN. Since I have no cable, I can't watch games as it is, and because of blackout rules, they will not show Orioles or Nationals games on the Internet for me.
So what is the freaking point then to getting streaming games to my Roku box if I can't even see my local team? From what I hear, more and more people are cutting the cable as it is and going completely Internet, but many more say the only reason they keep cable is to watch sports. It would be nice if MLB would realize there is a market for people who want to watch any game at any time, including their local teams live.
I suppose I could mess with running my Internet through a proxy server to trick the MLB servers into thinking I live across the country or something, but then it doesn't give them incentive to change their rules if they're still getting my money for MLB.tv. I'd rather send a message by not subscribing and letting them know that until they lift the blackout rules for MLB.tv, they're not getting a freaking dime out of me.
August 10, 2009
Sunday Spirituality, Dancing, and Dinner
For the first time in about five weeks, I went to church. No, it's not because I'm at odds with St. Georges, I just haven't been at home to attend. KS started a search of finding a church that was accepting of her, and she has found Grace Lutheran Church in Las Cruces. I was invited to go along, and since I had never been to a Lutheran service, I decided to check it out.
The nice thing about the Episcopal Church and the Lutheran church is that their services do follow a similar structure, so it is not like I was lost at where we were at during the service. I definitely noticed some subtle differences in worship style, but that could also be the way Grace Lutheran does things, and not necessarily the entire Lutheran Church. The sermon was definitely something worth listening to for a lot of people, a discussion about forgiveness. In summary, forgiving can mean trying to engage someone about the issue at hand, but forgiving does not mean forgetting. If there is someone who continually wrongs you, you can forgive them and learn not to engage with them again in a situation that will cause a wrong. It also means learning to let go of the residual anger behind the fact that you were wronged. If you can't do that, you haven't really forgiven the person.
After the service, I met with the priest and some of the other congregation members. Everyone seems very nice and made me feel welcome, sounds kind of familiar. I wonder if they're also the kind of people who will take care of one of their own when that person is down with illness or surgery ;-) Seriously, my dad reminded me earlier this week that his mother remarked that she was glad the people of St. Georges took care of me when I had my appendix out because that would not have happened at her church.
A few of us headed over to Break an Egg for Sunday brunch. The restaurant itself is different in that it is very movie themed. The inside lobby looks a bit like a theater box office area, and there are posters of various movies all over the place. There are TV screens playing a movie in the background (Thoroughly Modern Millie that morning), and some of the menu items are named after known movie jobs, such as The Director, The Producer, etc. The food itself was very good, though for some reason service was slow.
After brunch, KS and I headed over to the local mall to look at shoes to go with her dress for a wedding the following weekend. I had already seen the dress that morning, so I was serving as the "second opinion" for finding something comfortable for her to wear, and that could be used with other outfits in the future. We hit the payless and after looking at several pairs of shoes and sandals, we found some sandals that would look perfect for her dress and would totally rock with her tight jeans at the club.
We looked at a few cameras at Radio Shack and did some inquiries about finding some earrings to replace one that she had lost somewhere. I also met KS's cousin since we dropped in to chat at her workplace while it wasn't completely busy. I got to be filled in on some of the family drama that was going on, which believe me, if I didn't know any better, I could claim that KS and her family was Italian ;-)
We went home and watched a few episodes of stand up comedy while I napped for a bit. In the meantime I also got a call from my friend HT and made arrangements to do dinner at La Posta de Mesilla. Around 6 we headed over and met up at La Posta. If you're in Las Cruces, you should make a stop there. It's a famous place and you will see why once you've had the food. It was very good to see HT because I haven't seen her since I left for DC four years ago. Her family is doing well, and it was great to be able to catch up. KS enjoyed their company very much as well and they seemed to enjoy her. I would definitely like to get back over HT's way to see Silver City and how much it has changed because it is one thing to hear someone tell you what has changed, but it's another to actually see it.
After dinner KS brought me to the store and I went in and raided the green chile bin. Nine pounds of chiles later and I had restocked one of the main things I came for. Seriously, green chile is the one thing that I will not break my addiction to. Besides, how harmful can eating hot peppers be, they claim it's good for you in so many ways. We got back to the house and CO came over for a visit as well. We showed him Nurse Jackie, which KS got me hooked on over the weekend thanks to on-demand. I have so got to see if I can find the show somewhere online to watch. Besides that, Thor reminds me of someone I know, I just need to pull the clip and show it to them.
After watching some TV and getting laundry done, it was time for bed, since I had to be up early tomorrow to get myself to the airport and return home.
The nice thing about the Episcopal Church and the Lutheran church is that their services do follow a similar structure, so it is not like I was lost at where we were at during the service. I definitely noticed some subtle differences in worship style, but that could also be the way Grace Lutheran does things, and not necessarily the entire Lutheran Church. The sermon was definitely something worth listening to for a lot of people, a discussion about forgiveness. In summary, forgiving can mean trying to engage someone about the issue at hand, but forgiving does not mean forgetting. If there is someone who continually wrongs you, you can forgive them and learn not to engage with them again in a situation that will cause a wrong. It also means learning to let go of the residual anger behind the fact that you were wronged. If you can't do that, you haven't really forgiven the person.
After the service, I met with the priest and some of the other congregation members. Everyone seems very nice and made me feel welcome, sounds kind of familiar. I wonder if they're also the kind of people who will take care of one of their own when that person is down with illness or surgery ;-) Seriously, my dad reminded me earlier this week that his mother remarked that she was glad the people of St. Georges took care of me when I had my appendix out because that would not have happened at her church.
A few of us headed over to Break an Egg for Sunday brunch. The restaurant itself is different in that it is very movie themed. The inside lobby looks a bit like a theater box office area, and there are posters of various movies all over the place. There are TV screens playing a movie in the background (Thoroughly Modern Millie that morning), and some of the menu items are named after known movie jobs, such as The Director, The Producer, etc. The food itself was very good, though for some reason service was slow.
After brunch, KS and I headed over to the local mall to look at shoes to go with her dress for a wedding the following weekend. I had already seen the dress that morning, so I was serving as the "second opinion" for finding something comfortable for her to wear, and that could be used with other outfits in the future. We hit the payless and after looking at several pairs of shoes and sandals, we found some sandals that would look perfect for her dress and would totally rock with her tight jeans at the club.
We looked at a few cameras at Radio Shack and did some inquiries about finding some earrings to replace one that she had lost somewhere. I also met KS's cousin since we dropped in to chat at her workplace while it wasn't completely busy. I got to be filled in on some of the family drama that was going on, which believe me, if I didn't know any better, I could claim that KS and her family was Italian ;-)
We went home and watched a few episodes of stand up comedy while I napped for a bit. In the meantime I also got a call from my friend HT and made arrangements to do dinner at La Posta de Mesilla. Around 6 we headed over and met up at La Posta. If you're in Las Cruces, you should make a stop there. It's a famous place and you will see why once you've had the food. It was very good to see HT because I haven't seen her since I left for DC four years ago. Her family is doing well, and it was great to be able to catch up. KS enjoyed their company very much as well and they seemed to enjoy her. I would definitely like to get back over HT's way to see Silver City and how much it has changed because it is one thing to hear someone tell you what has changed, but it's another to actually see it.
After dinner KS brought me to the store and I went in and raided the green chile bin. Nine pounds of chiles later and I had restocked one of the main things I came for. Seriously, green chile is the one thing that I will not break my addiction to. Besides, how harmful can eating hot peppers be, they claim it's good for you in so many ways. We got back to the house and CO came over for a visit as well. We showed him Nurse Jackie, which KS got me hooked on over the weekend thanks to on-demand. I have so got to see if I can find the show somewhere online to watch. Besides that, Thor reminds me of someone I know, I just need to pull the clip and show it to them.
After watching some TV and getting laundry done, it was time for bed, since I had to be up early tomorrow to get myself to the airport and return home.
Saturday Dancing
The evening hours would bring a new experience for being in Las Cruces. KS and I went to the Hotel Encanto's Azul Lounge for what they were calling "Sexy Saturday Night." The thing about it was it was going to be a dance party for GLBT folk in the area. Since it was the first one and it was being put on by some of KS's friends, we decided to check it out.
The Azul lounge itself is pretty good, there's a well-stocked bar and plenty of comfortable chairs to sit in, along with a patio area for people to go out and chill at. There's also a small dance floor area, which became a logistical problem later as more people showed up. KS said the patio reminded her of West Hollywood bars, and the bar itself was like an NYC bar. I've only been to an NYC bar so I can vouch for that, but I'll take her word for it about the patio ;-) They also have a pretty good selection of beers on tap and bottled beer as well. I would partake in bottled Shiner Bock since it has been a while since I had any that was from close to the source.
The party itself started out well, with lots of good music to dance to. I also met a number of KS's friends and some new folks as well. As it was, I was just glad to see that there were people coming out to this thing. I also got to meet a friend and co-worker of KS, CO. CO had moved to Las Cruces from San Antonio a few months ago, which is funny considering now my parents are moving to San Antonio. Perhaps I can drag him back there to be a tour guide when I visit my parents at some date in the future. Anyway, so of course with the music, there would be plenty of dancing that night. It's been years since I have gone dancing, and seriously, I need to do it more often. Perhaps it's time to explore some of the dance clubs again in DC and Baltimore and see if I can find one that's fitting.
The thing where the party didn't quite fit anymore is that when it was advertised on the radio, there was no mention this was primarily for the GLBT crowd, so of course we got a lot of straight people coming in to party as well. It does make things a bit uncomfortable because you don't know how they're going to react if they see any same-sex dancing or PDA's going on. Eventually KS, CO, myself, and a few others decided to take off to another bar just to hang out because by then it had gotten really crowded and the music being played became a bit lame. All of us may have grown up in the 80's, but it doesn't mean we wanted to start hearing the music again, or any more Michael Jackson, especially after how much he has been (over)played in the last month.
We got to the other bar but it was closed unfortunately, so we hung in the parking lot and chatted before heading home since it was after 1 AM by then.
The thing is, I could see the Sexy Saturday Nights being a success, but we need the GLBT people to actually go out there and actually make their presence known. It would be nice to have a place to go on Saturdays in Las Cruces for them because there isn't much as it is for GLBT folks in the southern New Mexico area. I know when I was dealing with coming out, I would have killed for a place I could go to meet with other folks to socialize. However, it's not going to happen until either there's more open people in the area, or until a person's sexuality becomes a non-issue. I'm betting on the former.
Still, if they're doing it the next time I'm in town, I'll drop by and see how it is.
The Azul lounge itself is pretty good, there's a well-stocked bar and plenty of comfortable chairs to sit in, along with a patio area for people to go out and chill at. There's also a small dance floor area, which became a logistical problem later as more people showed up. KS said the patio reminded her of West Hollywood bars, and the bar itself was like an NYC bar. I've only been to an NYC bar so I can vouch for that, but I'll take her word for it about the patio ;-) They also have a pretty good selection of beers on tap and bottled beer as well. I would partake in bottled Shiner Bock since it has been a while since I had any that was from close to the source.
The party itself started out well, with lots of good music to dance to. I also met a number of KS's friends and some new folks as well. As it was, I was just glad to see that there were people coming out to this thing. I also got to meet a friend and co-worker of KS, CO. CO had moved to Las Cruces from San Antonio a few months ago, which is funny considering now my parents are moving to San Antonio. Perhaps I can drag him back there to be a tour guide when I visit my parents at some date in the future. Anyway, so of course with the music, there would be plenty of dancing that night. It's been years since I have gone dancing, and seriously, I need to do it more often. Perhaps it's time to explore some of the dance clubs again in DC and Baltimore and see if I can find one that's fitting.
The thing where the party didn't quite fit anymore is that when it was advertised on the radio, there was no mention this was primarily for the GLBT crowd, so of course we got a lot of straight people coming in to party as well. It does make things a bit uncomfortable because you don't know how they're going to react if they see any same-sex dancing or PDA's going on. Eventually KS, CO, myself, and a few others decided to take off to another bar just to hang out because by then it had gotten really crowded and the music being played became a bit lame. All of us may have grown up in the 80's, but it doesn't mean we wanted to start hearing the music again, or any more Michael Jackson, especially after how much he has been (over)played in the last month.
We got to the other bar but it was closed unfortunately, so we hung in the parking lot and chatted before heading home since it was after 1 AM by then.
The thing is, I could see the Sexy Saturday Nights being a success, but we need the GLBT people to actually go out there and actually make their presence known. It would be nice to have a place to go on Saturdays in Las Cruces for them because there isn't much as it is for GLBT folks in the southern New Mexico area. I know when I was dealing with coming out, I would have killed for a place I could go to meet with other folks to socialize. However, it's not going to happen until either there's more open people in the area, or until a person's sexuality becomes a non-issue. I'm betting on the former.
Still, if they're doing it the next time I'm in town, I'll drop by and see how it is.
Going to Cruces and White Sands
Friday morning it was time to say goodbye to Phoenix and head off to El Paso, TX. As usual, through ticketing and airport security in about 20 minutes, and the flight itself was only 53 minutes. Nothing to report there other than I spent the flight reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows since I had not read it again after reading it the first time two summers ago when it came out.
I got to El Paso and waited for KS to arrive. She picked me up and we headed off to her parents house first, where I met her mom and her step-dad, along with their dog Uggie (sp?). We had dinner at Kiki's Restaurant, where I had some awesome green chili chicken enchiladas. Ah, hatch green chile, how I have missed thee for the last three years. We then headed back to KS's place in Las Cruces, NM.
I gotta say that KS's place is awesome in where it is located. There are people who may bitch and say it is out in the boonies, but it really isn't that far outside of downtown Cruces. As I did on Friday night, we sat outside and watched the moon rise over the Organ mountains with a bit of cloud cover. It was quiet and warm with a bit of breeze outside, and the view was just beautiful. I once said before I left for DC that I would love to buy a plot of land down in New Mexico and eventually build a retirement home (or vacation home). I had sort of put that idea aside because I was convinced that maybe I had romanticized things out in New Mexico a bit too much, but after what I saw, I still want to do it. If you ever visit New Mexico and see a sight like that, you'll understand.
I got to meet the "infamous" Maya, who is KS's dachshund. She was such a little sweetheart to me, and very energetic as well. She loves having her toys thrown for her to chase, and could probably do that for hours if you let her. Once she has her toy though, she will not let go very easily. There is a picture of me picking her up off the ground while playing tug of war with her to get the toy back. Just beware that she does show her love for you by trying to lick your face and ears off ;-) She was definitely loving having her uncle Mangi over this weekend.
Over a few beers that evening, KS and I watched Moonstruck, which is a favorite movie of ours. We're also such dorks we were giggling the whole way through, and tweeting favorite quotes. Of course, not entirely knowing that Twitter was blocking SMS tweets at that moment, it was rather interesting to see all of our quoting go through on Sunday morning, including some tweets that were also supposed to go to Facebook, and showed up at the complete and utter wrong time. Anyway, so we finished the movie before heading off to bed.
The next morning, KS and I got up and took Maya on a walk before also going on a 1 mile run. The knee brace I had purchased came in handy as I had no pain, however, I do not want to become dependent on it. We came back and got our things together before driving up to White Sands National Monument since I had never been there.
White Sands was a lot of fun, besides the usual hiking activities, there is also the opportunity to go and slide down the dunes. We originally tried using some cardboard as a makeshift sled, but gravity was just not overcoming friction and so we went back to the visitors center and rented one of the saucer sleds to use. There is video of me sliding down the dunes in various ways of course. I went forwards, I went backwards, I went kneeling, I went laying down. I find that it worked best to lay down on the sled as much as possible. Unfortunately for me, I screwed up my camera out there because sand got into the it and jammed the parts that let the lens move back and forth. I'm hoping that if I can take it apart I can clean the sand out and get it working again. I'd rather not have to replace my camera because it is a Sony and they're the only freaking company that uses the memory stick for a memory card. I have no other devices that use a memory stick at this point so they'll pretty much be dead unless I buy another Sony.
Anyway, so we spent the afternoon going down the dunes and occasionally taking breaks as well because it was freaking hot out there. Between the two of us, we killed a bottle of Gatorade each, and 3 liters of water. However, it was a lot of fun and I am glad we got to do it.
I got to El Paso and waited for KS to arrive. She picked me up and we headed off to her parents house first, where I met her mom and her step-dad, along with their dog Uggie (sp?). We had dinner at Kiki's Restaurant, where I had some awesome green chili chicken enchiladas. Ah, hatch green chile, how I have missed thee for the last three years. We then headed back to KS's place in Las Cruces, NM.
I gotta say that KS's place is awesome in where it is located. There are people who may bitch and say it is out in the boonies, but it really isn't that far outside of downtown Cruces. As I did on Friday night, we sat outside and watched the moon rise over the Organ mountains with a bit of cloud cover. It was quiet and warm with a bit of breeze outside, and the view was just beautiful. I once said before I left for DC that I would love to buy a plot of land down in New Mexico and eventually build a retirement home (or vacation home). I had sort of put that idea aside because I was convinced that maybe I had romanticized things out in New Mexico a bit too much, but after what I saw, I still want to do it. If you ever visit New Mexico and see a sight like that, you'll understand.
I got to meet the "infamous" Maya, who is KS's dachshund. She was such a little sweetheart to me, and very energetic as well. She loves having her toys thrown for her to chase, and could probably do that for hours if you let her. Once she has her toy though, she will not let go very easily. There is a picture of me picking her up off the ground while playing tug of war with her to get the toy back. Just beware that she does show her love for you by trying to lick your face and ears off ;-) She was definitely loving having her uncle Mangi over this weekend.
Over a few beers that evening, KS and I watched Moonstruck, which is a favorite movie of ours. We're also such dorks we were giggling the whole way through, and tweeting favorite quotes. Of course, not entirely knowing that Twitter was blocking SMS tweets at that moment, it was rather interesting to see all of our quoting go through on Sunday morning, including some tweets that were also supposed to go to Facebook, and showed up at the complete and utter wrong time. Anyway, so we finished the movie before heading off to bed.
The next morning, KS and I got up and took Maya on a walk before also going on a 1 mile run. The knee brace I had purchased came in handy as I had no pain, however, I do not want to become dependent on it. We came back and got our things together before driving up to White Sands National Monument since I had never been there.
White Sands was a lot of fun, besides the usual hiking activities, there is also the opportunity to go and slide down the dunes. We originally tried using some cardboard as a makeshift sled, but gravity was just not overcoming friction and so we went back to the visitors center and rented one of the saucer sleds to use. There is video of me sliding down the dunes in various ways of course. I went forwards, I went backwards, I went kneeling, I went laying down. I find that it worked best to lay down on the sled as much as possible. Unfortunately for me, I screwed up my camera out there because sand got into the it and jammed the parts that let the lens move back and forth. I'm hoping that if I can take it apart I can clean the sand out and get it working again. I'd rather not have to replace my camera because it is a Sony and they're the only freaking company that uses the memory stick for a memory card. I have no other devices that use a memory stick at this point so they'll pretty much be dead unless I buy another Sony.
Anyway, so we spent the afternoon going down the dunes and occasionally taking breaks as well because it was freaking hot out there. Between the two of us, we killed a bottle of Gatorade each, and 3 liters of water. However, it was a lot of fun and I am glad we got to do it.
August 06, 2009
Bee Stings and Moving
My little brother is changing dorms this week at college because he had to live in one for the summer, but now he's moving to another one for the school year, and this was the week he had to do it. It's so that way they can get all the people who stayed for the summer all moved in before all the incoming freshman and returning students show up to move in. The plan was that my dad and I were going to go up to help him move his stuff and get settled in, along with bring some stuff from Costco that he had asked for.
Did I mention that my bro has his arm in a sling right now? Yup, he messed up his AC due to an accident at work so he's "Mr. Gimpy" right now. This is especially why he needed our help.
Yesterday my dad had made arrangements to board our dogs so that we wouldn't have to worry about them while we were gone for the day. However, during the afternoon, I had let them out to run around in the backyard for a few minutes and get their business out of the way. I let them back in and everything seemed okay, until later on when one of our dogs suddenly decided to make a mess, which usually indicates something is wrong. It was then that we noticed her muzzle was swelling up.
After a phone call to the vet, it was off to see them and find out what was going on. Even though her face had swollen, it hadn't spread to her tongue, and her behavior was still normal, besides that she was rubbing her face against the seat every so often (likely it was itching like mad). The vet gave her a shot of Benadryl and told us to keep her collar off just in case. He thought it was because she got stung by a bee, likely while trying to eat one of the plants, though we didn't find a stinger in her lip. So because now she was "sick" it meant no boarding the dogs. I would be on my own for visiting my bro. It happens.
I got up early this morning and headed up to Flagstaff. The drive itself was pretty easy since I was going the "wrong" way for traffic on I-17, plus with tunes blasting out of my MP3 player, I was good to go. I got up there and immediately the task was to get the stuff moved out of one dorm room and pack the car as full as possible. Luckily my bro was at least able to get his stuff packed up so it was just a matter of hauling it down there. About 3.5 hours later and a few trips, with a bit of help from his roommate and friends, we got all of his things moved to his new campus apartment. I would be lying if I didn't say it wore me out a bit because I hauled a lot of heavy tubs and boxes. This should make up for any fatassery I have done to myself this week with going to places like In-N-Out Burger. Now my bro gets to enjoy the task of unpacking all that crap and figuring out where it goes.
I treated him and his friends to lunch before getting them back to their respective places, though my next task was to get my bro to his dentist appointment up the road. That crazy boy has actually walked to his appointment before and it takes about an hour each way, so there was no way I was making him do that today. I sat and watched TV in the waiting room while teasing one of the hygienists since she was joking that I was his bodyguard. After he got done, I dropped my bro off back at his place and drove back to Phoenix.
Now my bro is settled in, and I am just here on the couch putting up the slightly sore feet and will probably sleep damn good tonight.
August 03, 2009
Final Visit?
Back in April, Southwest Airlines ran one of their usual screaming deals on airfare, in this case, the ability to fly from Baltimore to Phoenix for only $99 each way. So I made plans to fly to Phoenix in August to visit the parents and friends out there because I figured I could use a vacation by then. Besides that, I also used the sale to make a stopover in Las Cruces, NM, since I have not been there since leaving to move to DC just over four years ago. I was due to make a visit.
How was I to know quite a few circumstances would change between now and then?
As I sit here at the household it is myself, my dad, and two dogs in a house that looks much more bare than I have seen it in years past. So just what the hell has happened, and why is it that it could be my final visit?
In the middle of June, my mom flew to San Antonio for an interview with a hospital because she was ready to move on. The first hospital screwed up royally with her interview, but then while she was there, another hospital called and asked for an interview and she went in, interviewed, they liked her, so they offered her the job she wanted, and at the price she wanted as well.
So this last week, her and my dad drove out to San Antonio with some of her things and got her moved into an apartment. He has come back to Phoenix in order to sell this house before moving on to San Antonio as well. I hope and pray that he is able to sell the house fast because it just plain blows to have to sit around and wait for someone to buy your house before you can join your wife where she is at.
Anyway, so for me, this is likely my last visit to Phoenix for a while because when both of my parents are gone, there isn't a huge incentive for me to come over here. This area was my stomping grounds for maybe two years, and even then, it was only when I went home to visit my parents from college. If anything, I'm more likely to go to Las Cruces and Silver City simply because I have friends there. I'll miss this area, but at the same time, life goes on, and at least it can be a central location for me to stop at before heading somewhere like the Grand Canyon.
The flight to Phoenix was uneventful, a non-stop from Baltimore. The unfortunate thing was that I checked in late enough I ended up toward the back of the plane in a window seat. Most people would cheer at getting a window seat, but for me it meant less room to be able to stretch out my legs and less chance to get up and move around. On the other hand, I did get through three episodes of The Wire, and I should be able to finish a few more this week.
Most of my time so far has been spent relaxing, and running a few errands as well, but they have been more of the fun errands. I got to try some awesome Dim Sum yesterday at a local restaurant, as well as pick up authentic Italian deli meats from down the road. I've also gotten up and started running again, though I had to pick up a knee brace because one of them is bothering me badly enough it's forcing me to slow to a walk. I'm going to test it out tomorrow and see if it helps me out. I must also look up knee exercises and stretches.
Beyond that, I'm just going along with whatever comes my way. I've connected with a friend here and we'll probably be doing lunch sometime this week. Maybe I'll make some new friends as well, and perhaps that would give me more incentive to come back to Phoenix sooner rather than later.
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