A Different Thanksgiving

If you had told me a few years ago that I would spend a Thanksgiving outside of a football stadium, I would have said you were crazy.

I would have had to eat those words.

Last summer when the Ravens announced their schedule, I saw that they were playing the 49ers.  This was right after the news that Jim Harbaugh (Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh's brother) had been hired as a Head Coach of the 49ers.  I was on Ticketmaster the morning tickets became available to the public and in my search for games, I decided for fun to try and see if I could get tickets to the Thanksgiving game, or Harbaugh vs Harbaugh as I was calling it.  Well no upper deck sideline tickets were available, so I decided to try for the corners.  There were tickets available so I snatched them up.

That was in July.  The working plan in mind was I would likely spend Thanksgiving with my cousins in the morning and then head up to the game that night with CW.  Of course life doesn't always go according to plan, but it can come up with something more interesting.

A month or so ago I went to a bull roast fundraiser for one of the Ravens Nest organizations and I made friends with a few folks at our table.  I ended up talking a lot with CS and of course, being fans, you make sure to keep in touch with them, especially when you belong to one of the best fanbases in the NFL.

So then it turns out that CW has a conflict, and some of my cousins will be out of town, plus I was asked by some other friends if I could dogsit for them so they can go visit family for Thanksgiving.  All of that adds up to I'll be in Baltimore anyway, but now I need someone to go with me to the game.  So I check with a few direct friends, they can't go, so I put the word out on Facebook that I have an extra ticket to the Harbaugh Bowl (as it's now being called).  CS sees it and is interested, so we're set up to go to the game.

Now we get to the plan, CS knows other folks at the game, so I will be tagging along with her as we tailgate before we head on in.  I hear there will be turkey and all of the fixings, so my Thanksgiving will be spent in the parking lots outside The Bank, then going in to watch what should be a hard-hitting game and football at it's finest.  The Harbaugh Bowl is the first time in history that two teams are playing where they are coached by siblings, and now it's a Thanksgiving game on top of that.

There will also be no doubt that I was at that game, thanks to the planned FanCam: http://www.baltimoreravens.com/News/Articles/2011/11/Press_Release_-_Ravens_FanCam_Coming_to_MT_Bank_Stadium.aspx

You know I will make sure to be in my seat by 8 PM.

So anyway, It should be a fun Thanksgiving, even if it's non-traditional.  I can't wait.  I hope everyone I know has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

GO RAVENS!

Pennsic Fun

Since last Saturday I have been camped out up in Pennsylvania for Pennsic XXXIX. After a few years of hearing about it, I finally made my way up to experience one. At the very least it would mean a week of camping, and I do love to camp.

Shore Leave

To continue making 2010 the year of the con, I attended my third con this year, this being Shore Leave 32 up in Hunt Valley, MD.  I had a very good reason to go this year, especially for a first time.  Back in February when the Shore Leave folks were doing pre-registration at Far Point, I read the flyer and discovered that Edward James Olmos and Katee Sackhoff (Adm. Adama and Starbuck) of the new Battlestar Galactica were going to be there.  On top of that, one could have a photo taken with them.  Since BSG was one of my favorite series, I made sure to sign up that weekend.

The State of the Date

This entry has been a long time coming.

Last summer I took a complete break from the dating scene.  I decided that after basically being attached to someone every single summer for the last four years that it was time to do something different since for once I was single.  So I went and did my own thing, pursued my own interests, and it was a lot of fun for myself.  I also learned a number of things about myself along the way, with the primary one being that my interests don't always run in line with most other folks.  Later on, as I got into the fall and actually extended this self-moratorium, I became aware that one of the groups I had identified with for a few years was a group that I did not fit in with, and I would never really fit in with, and yet, I was okay with that.

Latest Pictures

I am finally playing catch-up on all of my pictures and uploaded a bunch tonight to Flickr.  You can either start here, or click on one of the pictures below to jump* through and see whatever you want to see.


St. Georges Oktoberfest


King's Dominion


Washington Capitals


Baltimore Ravens


White House Christmas Tree

I hope you enjoy viewing these pictures :-)

*Photos will start at the beginning of the set and may be different from what appears here.

Another Haunting

About a week before Halloween I'm online and I get a message from a bud I had met the previous month during the Labor Day weekend.   He was looking at going to King's Dominion's Halloween Haunt and wanted to have a buddy go along with him.  I figured it sounded like the opportunity for a good time, so I agreed to go.

Saturday morning, MX picks me up and we drive down to KD, getting there around 11 AM.    Now unlike my last trip during the Halloween Haunt, they were running two cars on each of their coasters, so lines were a lot shorter this time.  It also had been raining earlier in the day, so things were a bit damp.  There was a bit of worry about the weather because it was going to rain later that night.  However, we were going to make the best of it.

The first ride was on Dominator, which was a blast.  Then it was off to Volcano.  MX remarked how much you actually stay up around the top of the mountain before coming down.  There is some truth to that, so if you're afraid of heights, you might not like this coaster, but then again, you might not be much of a fan of roller coasters either.

Next it was Avalanche, then onward to Back Lot Stunt Coaster, and Flight of Fear.  This weekend they kept Flight of Fear open as a coaster until 4 PM before closing it to make it into one of the haunted attractions that evening.  We then hit up the drop tower, which again, that is the sort of ride that truly will scare me.  Anaconda was on the agenda, and for whatever reason, it seems like it was running slower than usual.  I wonder if that coaster may eventually go the way of the dodo, though that might be difficult because of its location.

Moving onward after stopping for lunch, the next ride was on Shockwave before hitting up Grizzly.  Walking back to go on Dominator again, we stopped and rode Scooby Doo's Haunted Mansion.  I will be curious to see what they're going to do with most of the kids area next year when it's all converted from Nickelodeon and Hannah Barbera to Peanuts.

From Dominator it was back over to ride Drop Tower again.  It was while waiting in line there that we'd end up making some new friends for the evening, S and T, who were a (straight) couple from Richmond.  They were at the park on Twilight tickets, and hadn't attended a haunt before.  Once I started telling them about it, T's eyes lit up, she was all about going to do the scary stuff.

So we hung out for a bit and then the haunt stuff started.  Hit up Club Blood and then the Toxic Dump before walking over to see if there was a short line at Volcano.  Unfortunately when we got there, it had started to rain again, so they had shut down the ride.   To get out of the rain, we hit the alien themed haunted house.  After getting out of there the rain had calmed a bit, so we went over and hit up Volcano.

After stopping for dinner, we took a ride on the Crypt and then walked over and hit up the Slaughterhouse haunt.  Now let me just say here that basically MX doesn't do the scary stuff so well, at least when it comes to the surprise scare, which is what most of the houses are.   When it came to the groups, it was in the order of T, S, MX, and myself in the houses, since the two braver folks had to bring up the front and rear of the line.  It did make for a different experience with some of the scary folks, considering I was usually the leader of the group the last time I was there.

Moving onward we headed for Dominator.  Now I figured because of the rain driving folks out, we would have a short line, including for the front, which was fine because I needed to pee by then.  However, fate decided to fuck with me this night.  As we're in line, it starts to rain again.  Being the diehards that we are, we stayed in line, while others left, so it got us rather close to the front.  However, it would be about 15 minutes before the rain would stop enough to get going again.  I hate that I had to do this, but when it came close enough to our turn, I walked across to head for a bathroom because I had to pee so bad by then that I don't think hitting several G-forces of turns would have been a good idea.  Oh well, it's not like I won't be riding in the front of Dominator ever again.

We then tried to hit Blackbeard's Revenge, but due to the rain, apparently it made that haunt muddy and possibly unsafe for folks.  So I led us over to Maze of Madness, but that was closed as well.  This was probably because by then it was 11:45 and the park was going to be closing in 15 mins.  MX and I ended up saying our goodbyes to T and S and headed to the nearby hotel where we had gotten a room for the night.  It was a good idea because we were both tired.

The next morning, it was get up, have breakfast, and then head back to DC.  Thanks to the time change, it meant getting back just before the football games started.  Overall it was a fun time this weekend, and I got to hit a few more of the haunt attractions as well.  MX said he had a fun time as well, despite some of the haunting stuff.  Now the season is over, but there's always next year for me (yay season pass!).

Oktoberfest

Tonight St. Georges had their annual Oktoberfest celebration, and while this year it was different, the differences were a lot of fun.

To start with, we had a bigger spread of food, there were potato pancakes, red cabbage, sauerkraut, bratwurst, bockwurst, pork tenderloin, German potato salad, onions and cabbage, pickles, and bread. I don't think there was anyone that was left unsatisfied this evening, and in fact most of the food was gone by the end of the event.

We hired a musician who regularly plays over at Blobs Park for entertainment. I didn't see much dancing, but we did cheer and appreciate the music as it was being played. He helped out later with our raffle that we had put on with lots of prizes.

There was also a bingo game held this evening, and it was fun, though I didn't win (dammit!). The silent auction went decent, I won some mini beer steins. However, I think the auction might be better suited for Mardi Gras.

The big thing for me though was to sit and catch up with some folks I have not seen for a while. A number of us have been busy lately with stuff going on in our own lives that we've missed seeing one another at services or other social events. So I always like it when I have the chance to sit with folks again.

Overall, a great party, I wonder what we're going to be up to next.

OutQ NEM Meetup

So as a part of the National Equality March this past weekend, there was a planned meetup of those who listen to SiriusXM OutQ. Several show hosts and producers were planning to be down at the Helix Hotel in DC and would make an appearance at the hotel bar. Frank Decaro, Doria Biddle, Mr. Greg, and Michelangelo Signorile were the line-up, and while I had met Mr. Greg previously, the other folks were people that I had wanted to meet for various reasons.

If you're a regular listener to OutQ, then you know of the (in)famous CR from PA. We have met up several times, and this time was no exception. When he arrived in town he gave me a call and I met him and his friend Eric down at the local Silver Diner for a late lunch. Afterwards it was off to the Metro to get down to DC. If you're a local, you already know that Metro was all screwy this weekend due to track work. Luckily our destination was on the Red Line, and it became to our advantage to transfer at Ft. Totten in order to get down to Dupont Circle.

We arrived at Dupont Circle and the first order of business was to hit the local liquor store because we figured we'd butter up one of the hosts with booze (Yes we're that bad). CR knew that Doria loves Chopin Vodka so he picked that up, and I picked up Vampyre Vodka as something different for her to try. After the booze run, it was a walk to the hotel. I saw along the way just what 15th and P has turned into, though it really can't get much more gentrified. There were also protesters outside of a new house that the Scientologists were opening up. I would have taken pictures of them, but I think it would have freaked them out. They were wearing masks as it was to avoid issues the the Scientologists.

The three of us got to the hotel and found our way to the lounge, and it was early enough that we were able to get a table together. Drinks were ordered, there was chatter, and plenty of clock watching as well. The lounge would then get very crowded with other listeners who were also showing up. Eventually I got up and noticed that arriving in the lobby were Frank and Doria.  I pointed that out to CR and we both headed to the lobby.  I said hi to Doria and she immediately recognized me as "Mangi in Maryland."  It probably helped that I was wearing my Haloti Ngata jersey as well.  I then met Frank as well, and I got to watch CR's reaction as he met Doria.  It was all classic.

A few minutes later Michelangelo Signorile arrived as well and of course was immediately mobbed just like Frank and Doria.  I eventually got back to my bag and returned with my copy of Queer in America for Signorile to sign.  Of course he was more than happy to sign it for me.

About 20 mins later, I saw a woman I would immediately recognize the minute I heard her say "darling."  It was the very well known Tori in DC, someone that I have heard call in to Frank, Michelangelo, and Derek and Romaine for many years.  A few years ago I missed seeing her at pride, so I didn't want to let this opportunity slip away.  I must say that she is very charming and fun to be around, we enjoyed chatting with one another.  Later I saw her husband, and clearly she has good taste in men ;-) 

Most of the night would be spent talking with other listeners, getting pictures, and of course, hearing what the hosts had to say.  I was there for about four hours with folks before finally leaving since we were getting hungry (none of us had dinner).

BTW, if what Doria tells me about men is true, I might have to consider a move to L.A.  Below are pictures from the meetup, click on Frank and Michelangelo to see them all.

Renn Faire, 2009

It's the fall season here, and that means it's time for the MD Renaissance Faire.  I decided to make my trip down that way this past weekend, and boy did I have some fun.

This year I finally caved to some insistence from some folks I know who work there and I borrowed some garb to wear.  To really do something different, I went dressed in a kilt, peasant shirt, and boots.  Did I wear that kilt authentically?  Maybe....maybe not ;-)

So I got to the faire and met up with RP, BMc, and MR since we had all decided to meet and hang out together throughout the day.  I also knew that RB, DB, and TB were going to be there as well.  We got inside and I ran into RB and DB and we talked before they headed off to catch one of the shows.  We stayed and watched a play about St. George.  Then it was onward to hit a few shops, have some drinks, and catch some more shows.  TB called and was unable to make it due to a massive water main break in Dundalk that meant he was going to be working.  Tough break for him.

There was one shop I stopped in and the girl there insisted that I needed to try on some of the vests there.  I admit I did look good in them, but they were priced out of range for me.  There was also this really awesome leather and suede cloak there.  Again, if I had money to burn that was one thing, but not at this point.  Moving on we eventually got down to where the Lingamore Cellars was doing a wine tasting.  I have a list of a few things I want to buy.  I must recommend the Mountain White as it was very very tasty.

For lunch it had to be a turkey leg for me.  That is just faire tradition.  I also was daring to buy a skewer of fried macaroni and cheese and share it with the group.  It actually wasn't bad at all, I might have to consider buying it again the next time I am there. 

After lunch it was wandering around some more and catching some shows along the way.  I also ran into JS and his new BF as well.  Then later on I ran into one of my supervisors from work and his family.  MR remarked later that it seemed like I knew everyone at faire.  It's probably due to the eclectic group of folks that I know ;-)  Part of the day was also spent chatting with JG and LB at their respective shops.

Eventually in the later afternoon, after finding a hat and awesome vest at the faire.  RP, BM, and MR had to take off from the faire.  I went and met up with RB and DB and their group and we hung out at the Whitehart until the faire closed.

After our respective goodbyes, I headed over to Crofton and met up with JG and LB for dinner with other faire workers.  It's always fun to show up to a restaurant still dressed in garb, kind of gives the waitresses a start.

Once again, faire was fun, even if my camera croaked in the process, stupid battery.  I'll remember to carry the spare next time.  At least I got some great pictures.

Enjoying It

This past Friday has certainly been an exercise on how doing something different can pay off.

I had the day off on Friday due to having to move my AWS day around from the holiday.  I pretty much used it to be lazy, at least until the night time.  A group of folks in Baltimore were heading out to the Little Havana restaurant and bar, and I decided I would check it out, as I had done this a few months ago for a similar event at the Bay Cafe.  The bar itself is nice, has a nice deck with a view of the harbor.  Seriously though, they need to put some fans in that place.  With about 100 of us showing up on top of their usual clientèle, it did get hot in there, and there was no breeze coming off of the water to help.  Someone I talked to that evening did mention that the place does a good brunch so I might have to consider checking it out some weekend.  At least I was also able to find a good parking spot off of the Key Highway, and I lucked out in that the meter maids must not have been bothering with the meters that night because I knew I was pushing my luck with the one I was parked next to.

Anyway, so the main part of the evening for me was to chat it up with a number of folks because I was on my own for this event, so it was an opportunity to meet new people and see what came of it.  Luckily when it comes to Baltimore, the people are friendly so it's not difficult to get in on the conversation.  I met some great people while I was there, and I was just glad to see that plenty of us showed up, despite the holiday.  The payoff would come later that evening in that I got an invite to a pool party on Sunday, yay!

If there was one thing that I would say kind of detracted from the evening, it was having some people who would forget a rather important detail about their own lives.  Now I am a friendly person, and I do get flirtatious, and there are people who respond to that.  It's one thing if I'm flirting a bit and you tell me that you're attached to someone.  I'm not going to get bent out of shape over that because you're being real with me.  However, if you're giving off the signals and hints that you're very interested in me, and then I find out through other conversation with you or someone else that you're attached, and you didn't tell me this before, all bets are off motherfucker.  If you're willing to conveniently hide something major like that, who knows what else you're not telling me.  Yes, I did have that happen last Friday, too bad because he was cute.  Hopefully it doesn't reach the point where I have to start asking any cute guy I meet if he's attached because that's just tacky.

Either way though, I had a good time, and I'll definitely be heading to the event next month again, if not just spending more time at the Baltimore bars in general.

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.

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.

Pride Activities

This weekend was DC pride, and it was a rather busy weekend, but totally worth it.

Saturday morning I dropped by CT and RE's house to pick up the postcards that we were going to use for the booth on Sunday, and also helped them get some things set up for the parade later that afternoon. The beads were strung up and loaded into the truck and such, and we were good to go.

I rode to Dupont Circle on Metro to meet up with other folks at St. Thomas. Of all the weekends that Metro could have chosen to do track work at Dupont Circle, they picked the worst possible one with the pride parade on Saturday. I am sure I was not the only one who got stuck having to get off at Farragut North and then waiting for another train to get to Dupont Circle. Not smart on the part of Metro.

The picnic was fun, got to meet a number of new people along with hang out with a few folks from church while having some yummy food. Later in the afternoon we walked over to the parade area to get the truck set up and wait to get ready to go. Bishop Chane was there since he was riding in the parade with us (isn't it awesome to have supportive folks at the higher levels?).

Eventually the parade kicked off, and there was a great crowd of folks there all along the route to cheer us on. We were waving flags, carrying banners, and of course, throwing free swag. The popular item...bouncy balls. It is a bit of a pleasure to bounce them towards the crowd and watch folks scramble for them. I also handed out a number of postcards advertising St. Georges. Perhaps some folks will see them and decide to drop in for a service.

We all got to the end of the parade, and a few of us dropped into Thai Tanic for a drink (Chang (sp?) Beer is awesome BTW) and the big discussion was how much we enjoy being in the parade because of seeing all the people who do come out and watch and cheer us on. You tend to forget just how far the distance is or that you've walked a long way holding a banner to the point where you should be hurting, but for some reason, it just isn't there as you see everyone yell and scream as you go by, especially when you also see familiar faces. I think it's why most of us keep on doing the parade year after year, even if we don't participate in other pride activities.

After Thai Tanic, I decided to head home. I was tempted to head to another bar where I knew there was an event going on, but by that point I was tired and sore, so it would have just not been my thing that night. I might have also considered taking a nap and doing Blowoff later, but doctors orders have said no dancing yet. Oh well.

Sunday morning my plan was to go to 8 AM service and then head down to Pride, but it didn't work out that way. My front door of my apartment jammed, and so basically it was the landlord and I working first to get the door open, and then get the doorknob replaced because it turned out the latch had frozen so the doorknob was not pulling it back anymore. At least I was able to get out eventually the morning.

Went over to the festival, got the booth set up with a few other churches, and started working and chatting up folks as the festival got underway. Eventually RS and GS stopped by to bring water, and I brought GS over to the booth while RS parked the car (GS had broken her foot so she was using a wheelchair to get around) and I talked with one of my friends from college. It's kind of funny how our lives have mirrored one another. She came out, I came out, I converted to being Episcopalian from UU, and she did the same about a year after I did. So she's like my female doppelganger.

After being at the booth for an hour and a half, it was time to wander the festival. JS had arrived with Aiko so I was hanging with him before TB and his friend JX arrived. We all wandered the festival for a while before JS took off and TB and I explored the booths and chatted with folks we knew who were there. Later on we got lunch with CT and RE, but not before making a bit of a scene with one of the folks at my booth because I was walking around shirtless by then. It was pretty funny for various reasons.

After lunch it was getting close to 4 PM and I was beat and TB had to head back, so I decided to head home anyway and put my feet up. It was when I got back to Greenbelt that I realized my phone was missing, but at least I got it back later, as I explained in my last entry. I decided to break out the foot spa and soak my feet because between walking 2 miles of the parade and then several laps of the festival, I think they were ready to secede from the rest of my body.

So another year of Pride down, my fifth one actually. I definitely had a good time and I am thankful for all of those who came out to walk or ride in the parade, and who came to cheer us on at the parade as well. I was also glad to see folks at the festival that I knew and could chat with. Plus I'm grateful someone who knew me found my phone :-D

Weekend Update

After spending Friday night tagging items for my churchs yard sale, I was back Saturday morning to lend a hand.  It went very well for us, I ended up being surprised at how much stuff had already been sold in the first half hour of the sale before I got there.  The only snag we ran into was that we didn't have our supplies to sell hotdogs, oh well, next yard sale.

I drove up to Baltimore to meet up with DB and RB to watch the final rugby game of the season with Chesapeake.  The team did well enough to win both games against the NYC club they were facing.  DB and I got to do some catching up while RB took pictures of the game.  Unfortunately thanks to all the rain and the port a potties that had not been cleaned out the week before, the field had some funk going on.  I hope by now that Don's Johns have shown up and taken care of them, blech.

After the games we went over to Mums and had some Boh with the teams before heading back to DB and RB's place.  They had plans that evening to meet up with a friend so I headed off for home, and that is where things went to hell.  I was getting onto MLK Jr. Blvd when traffic basically came to a dead stop.  There was a wreck at the intersection with Baltimore St.  Fine, okay, yeah, it happens, but oh no, we weren't done yet.  Two intersections down at Lombard St. was another wreck, and that one was bad enough to close two of the three lanes.  It took me half an hour to get through it because there was no place to detour.  By the time I got through there and out of Baltimore, I was good and pissed off, vowing that if I was going anywhere that evening, it would be either by someone picking me up, or by Metro.  I ended up chilling out at home that evening since some potential plans fell through.

Sunday I got up and went for an early morning run.  I need to start doing more cardio exercise because I can tell I am starting to get out of shape otherwise.  I went to church and had one of the shared worship services with St James.  One of these days I need to explain this whole deal with St James right now.  After church I used my time to tackle some housework that had been neglected, including vacuuming, dusting, and mopping.  I picked up a steam mop recently to help with keeping the floor clean, it is easier than dealing with a mop at times.

Hung out with some buds in the evening and ended up watching Any Dream Will Do on BBC America.  I hate to admit it but I actually liked the show.  What was really attractive about it was that the judges who give their critiques actually have been working with the contestants during the week, so you will often hear them talk about how this person did one thing during practice when working with them, but then they didn't hear it during the performance.  We'll see what happens with this show, but it's not like I'll know because I am still giving Comcast the middle finger.

Football Fest and Game

Just over a week ago I was in Baltimore attending the Ravens Spring Football Fest at M&T Bank Stadium, and it was a blast to be at.

I got there around 1:30 because I knew it was going to be packed.  Luckily, parking was very easy since the football fest started at 3 PM and most people had not arrived yet.  I parked and walked around part of the stadium to see where lines were.  I got into the line to sign up for an autograph session.  At 2 they opened up the line and started giving out the wrist bands.  I managed to get one of the last bands to get the autographs of Jameel McClain, Le'Ron McClain, Brian Johnson, and Matt Lawrence at 5 PM.

Then it was time to get in line to get into the stadium, I walked, and I walked, and I walked because by this time the line was almost halfway around the stadium.  Eventually I reached the back of the line, and then the ticket office door next to me decided to open up and let us in.  I got inside and walked around to get familiar with where everything was.  I went to the team store and picked up a few items at discount, then went to the rummage sale.  I picked up a framed picture of Joe Flacco that was autographed by him.  I brought the stuff back to my car before heading inside to explore some more.

I came back and walked around, exploring booths, picking up free swag before I made my way down to the field.  It was a blast to walk around and actually be on the field with all of the fans.  I snapped several pictures of what was going on before eventually heading back up to get to the autograph session.  I got to my section and sat and chilled while the draft was being shown on the jumbo screen.  Got up later, got my "What's Our Name?" poster signed, then headed back to the field to see if I could catch a locker room tour.

By the time I got back down there, the tours were over because the Columbia Ravens vs Mascots game was about to start.  The mascots for the University of Delaware, Papa Johns Pizza, Baltimore Blackhawks, Washington Nationals, Washington Capitals, and of course, Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens were playing against a junior football team.  It was fun to watch because of course wacky things do happen.  I will say don't mess with Slapshot from the Caps, he sacked one of the players pretty good.  Of course the kids won.

After that I watched a hot dog eating contest where one of the SFF staff members managed to win by eating something like 23 hot dogs in 5 minutes.  At that time the Ravens made their first pick of the NFL draft, drafting Michael Oher (T).  It was around 6:30 and things were winding down there, so it was time to take off from the stadium, but my day wasn't quite over yet.

A deal the Ravens had going on with the Orioles was that if you bought a ticket to the SFF, you got a ticket to the Orioles game that night.  Of course I went over to watch baseball.  The seat I had was decent for a $5 seat, however, things were hellaciously busy at the stadium.  It did take a while to find an usher to direct me to my seat and such.  I got through about 6 innings of checking every so often to see if the lines for food had gone down.  That didn't happen and I was starving by then (plus we were losing by 5) so I decided to take off for home.

So the SFF was a blast and such, I would definitely do it again.  I should have pictures up sometime this week.

People Can Be Crazy

What do you do when you watch someone cockblock themselves?  Do you observe and mentally make notes so you don't do the same thing in your own interactions, or do you say something to the person?

It's just something I have noticed both times that I was out on a Friday night.  Someone I knew was working to get the attention of someone else, and right when all is going well, they do something unexpected to completely sabotage their chances.  Then they're wondering why they're not getting laid that night.

I admit, in one situation I called a person out on it, saying their actions were pretty stupid, and in another one someone already was on them about their actions so I didn't have to say anything.  Still, one wonders when it is and is not inappropriate to say something.  Not just in a situation like this, but in a number of situations that can occur in our daily lives.

Shamrock Fest Pictures

The pictures are up from Shamrock Fest, click the beer above to see them all :-)

ShamrockFest 2009

Last Saturday I went to my first ShamrockFest, and boy was it a blast.

TB and I met up with RB, DB, and CA in Bethesda and had lunch at Cosi before hopping on the Metro to go to RFK Stadium.  We got there about 15 minutes before the gates opened, and the lines were already pretty long.  What was funny is that the line for the VIP entrance was way longer than the other one.  It made me wonder just how limited the VIP tickets really are.  Then again, I got to buy VIP tickets at one of the lower prices so I really cant complain about that eh?

We got in, got our mugs, and immediately headed over to get the beer.  Luckily even though Budweiser was a sponsor, Bud was not our only choices, I was able to stick with Bass and a local brewing company that had "Shamrock Ale"  It had a familiar taste, but I couldn't place my finger on which brand of beer it was.

Despite the cold and rain of the day, there were still a lot of good performances to watch.   A lot of U2 songs and Irish themed songs were played.  The only band I was really there to see was Mr. Greengenes, and they rocked as usual.  TB really got into them so I'll have to keep an eye on their schedule to see when they're in town.

Between sets on various stages, we all hung together and chatted about various things throughout the day, including comments on some of the crazy clothing that other folks were wearing.  I can't really talk though as I had on a bit of a provocative shirt as well, but it was found to be funny, so it worked out nicely.  Only one or two people didn't necessarily get it, others asked where they could get one like it, I told them I made it myself, which I had.  DB had thought about getting CA a shirt that says "Fuck Me I'm Irish" but couldn't find it in her size in time.  Then we saw that a number of people were wearing them at the festival so in a way it was better that she didn't look like a whole bunch of other people.

The booths were fun to explore as well, I ended up picking up a silver Celtic Cross and TB got a silver shamrock to wear.  We also got a few biz cards of other businesses that looked like fun to talk to later.  There was a leather journal that was beautifully ornamented, but the leather was dyed hot pink...not really my color, or RB's color either.  Perhaps one can be found in that same pattern, but in a dark blue or dark purple.

Eventually as the day wore on and the sun went down, it started to get cold due to the rain.  TB and DB took off a bit early to head back to Bethesda and wait for the rest of us because we wanted to see Flogging Molly.  Well about 30 minutes after they were supposed to start, we gave up and walked to Metro as well.  We rolled back into Bethesda and met the others at Harp and Fiddle in Bethesda for a drink and a quick bite.  Eventually it was time to get home, considering it was about 11 PM when all was said and done.

Overall it was a blast of a day.  If it had been warmer I would have stayed longer, but it's how it goes.  TB enjoyed himself and we both enjoyed hanging out with our friends.  They like him, so it's a good sign ;-)  I definitely plan on doing it again next year.

Mardi Gras

Saturday night was my church's Mardi Gras party.  It's one of our big fundraising events and it is a lot of fun since there's dinner, drinks, music, and a silent auction as well.  People donate items or services to the auction and you never know just what you may find from year to year.  Two years ago I took home a basket of kitchen type items, including candles placemats, which I still use today.  Last year it was a fondue set, which I have been bad about using, but that may change shortly in the future.

This year, especially after getting TB excited about going to Mardi Gras with me, we both worked on building baskets of items for the silent auction.  We decided to create baskets of items where people could give themselves an at-home spa day, the thought being that since the economy is down and folks don't want to spend the dough on going to the spa, they still want to be able to pamper themselves.  So running with that idea, we started looking at items and throwing ideas back and forth, and ultimately we came up with two baskets, one for a couple, and the other for a "single" person.  I put single in quotes because it was designed for one person, not for someone who is single.

Ultimately the baskets we came up with turned out very nicely.  For the couple, there were two towels, a manicure kit, a facial mask, cucumber mint candles in holders, port wine, two wine glasses, Godiva chocolates, and massage oil.  The single basket got one towel, one wine glass, the manicure kit, a sea salt and eucalyptus body scrub, a sugar cookie candle with a marble holder, a slightly smaller box of Godiva chocolates, body lotion, and a bottle of port wine as well.  One could definitely spoil themselves for the day with this stuff.

In the afternoon, TB and I went down to the church to help decorate and set up for the party, and we brought along a friend of his, BB to help as well since he had the weekend off.  Setup was fairly easy since there were other folks there as well, plus a few of them had wanted to meet TB anyway.  I helped get some decorations up, got the stereo hooked up for music, and then helped finish blowing up balloons for the tables before all was said and done.  TB and I then headed home to change into our costumes for the festivities in the evenings.

In true Mardi Gras fashion, we both had masks for the event.  TB had a green man mask that he wore along with a shirt that matched in a similar pattern.  I wore the dragon shirt my parents gave me along with a tiger mask.  They definitely were noticed at the party :-)  We all mingled for a while before having dinner.  Dinner consisted of a buffet of bruschetta, jambalaya, fried fish, stuffed mushrooms, and salad, along with soda and wine for drinks.  For dessert there was bread pudding with rum sauce.

After dinner we mingled out in the hall and bid on items for the silent auction.  I shamelessly promoted our baskets in between looking over and making a few bids on some things I wanted.  As tables started closing out, that's when things got exciting for a few items that people were hovering over.  A bidding war started for the cider, a week vacation at a house in Maine, some jewelry, and the couples spa basket.  It was fun to watch and see just what people went crazy over.  When the night was over, I walked away with a beaded nametag necklace, a bin of Super Nintendo games, and a basket which had the theme of the stained glass at the National Cathedral.  TB walked away with a homemade prayer shawl for his aunt.

Besides the auction, there was the mingling as well, especially to see some of the folks I had not seen in a while.  Everyone seemed to like TB, which was a plus as well considering that some he had met before from attending service, but others were meeting him for the first time.  He and BB hit if off well with one of our members to where there's talk of getting together for a wine party or even a game night with a few of the other church folk as well.  I'd say they like him ;-)

Finally the festivities were done, we all stayed to help clean up before going home.  Now to just plot for next year's silent auction, we have ideas already *evil laughter*

Wow...What A Weekend

This weekend was full of trying new things.

Friday night I met up with JS and his partner BX since I hadn't seen either of them for a few months.  The night was fine, had a home-cooked dinner and played cards and caught up on what had been happening in our lives.

Saturday I ran some errands in the morning before heading to the bar to watch the Ravens play against the Titans.  As usual there were very few Ravens fans where I was at.  There was one guy who had placed a bet for the Titans, so he was being rather obnoxious every time the Titans made some sort of play in their favor.  Unfortunately for him the tide would turn late in the fourth quarter and the Ravens won, 13-10 :-D.  Joe Flacco has now made a name for himself being the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games.  I hope he can make it three, and then four with a Superbowl win.  This week we will face the Steelers, that will definitely not be easy.  There is some controversy about whether a delay of game penalty should have been called on the Ravens in the 4th, and to that I say STFU and quit whining.  Last week the same thing happened in the Dolphins vs Ravens game, but no one bitched about the Dolphins not getting the penalty.  This just continues to prove that non-local media give no love to the Ravens.

After the game I went down to Cheverly to see TB since we had plans to go to Baltimore and meet several of his friends.  We drove to Baltimore and went to their apartment, which clearly was an old townhouse that was converted.  It was very well built and TB was just all over how nice it was; he says he'd like to live in a place like that one day.  We first went to the Phoenix bar and had a few drinks before heading over to the Baltimore Eagle.  I had never been to the Eagle so that was something new for me.  I ran into another guy I had been talking with online who was a fellow Ravens fan and of course we couldn't shut up about the game.  TB and I hung out for a while before heading back home from Baltimore.  It was definitely fun to try a few new places that night.

Sunday morning TB and I got up and went to church.  In a classic blunder of mine, when I was setting my alarm clock, I managed to put my clock an hour ahead so we got up and got out the door before noticing that we were an hour early.  Oh well, we had a good laugh at it and it meant time for us to go grab breakfast before the service.   He enjoyed the service and the people that were there, and he would like to go back again.  After the service we picked up some groceries and headed to his friends house in Cheverly to hang out and watch the games and play with the dog as well.  We ended up going to the dog park in Bowie to let her run around and she was just all over the place; there is probably some greyhound in her.  After about an hour and a half we headed back and hung out before I headed back home (TB is probably back in Bel Air by now for work).

It was a great weekend, and I'd gladly do it again.