Category: travel

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131-picsayI’m home from the cruise. It was an absolute blast. There were a plethora of observations I made on a variety of subjects that will give birth for good blog fodder in the coming weeks. For now, I’m having a busy week at work and still playing catch up so very little time to sit down and put words to screen.

It was great to see two of my besties and hang with them. Our friendships just ‘are’, for lack of a better word. It was as if we’d just seen each other the day before.

By the 5th day into the 7-day trip I was ready to come home. Mostly, as you can guess, because I missed The Pup. I won’t be doing a trip like this again without him, that is for sure. I’m glad he didn’t let me cancel the trip but I was pretty ready to be home. He was ready for me to be home too. My poor guy was pretty lonesome for me as well it seems. He met me at the MUNI station with Cooper in tow and I almost burst into tears of happiness. And I think we’re stronger than ever, if that’s even possible. hehehe

I have to go but definitely more to say later.

Cruise

I’m leaving for vacation tomorrow. My first real trip away in almost 4 years. I got to go see my brother a while back but I was also on a work trip so I couldn’t really do much or stay long. And let’s face it, doing family visits is not a vacation. hahaha

Anyway, I’m doing the Atlantis cruise to Puerto Vallarta and Cabo for 5 days. My two besties from back home are going as well. It promises to be an event. I hope those homos can survive the three of us together for 5 whole days in one place! Those two dirty snatches are just evil and I’m the only sane one in the bunch. [1]You totes believe that right?  And I finally get to use my passport for something other than a 2nd form of ID.

I’ve been planning this trip since last year and I must admit I am excited, part of me is anyway. Finances were a mess last year and I honestly wasn’t sure if it was wise to plan such a costly trip. But, it all worked out thankfully. My finances are still a bear but I’m well on top of them and even got a consolidation loan recently to tie everything together. I’ve worked OT off/on for the last few months to help pay for the cost so it won’t dent my normal budget at all.

Part of me is a tad sad because The Pup can’t go. I could have gotten him a ticket (half price even) but with his transfer being so fresh and moving into the holiday season, he just couldn’t get the time off. I’d tinkered with the idea of canceling but he forbade me from doing so. Now that it’s here, I’m glad he did. I’m excited to get away but I’m also excited to see my friends. I haven’t seen either of them in years and I truly miss their dirty snatches. I wish they both could move and live here with me. [2]Though I doubt SF would survive the event.  I’m also very happy to have a partner who doesn’t me doing it w/o him.  He is perfectly fine with me going. Besides, we’ve been inseparable since he got here, he probably wants a break. hehehe That said, I still wish he was coming along. He’s become my best friend and I just hate doing it w/o him. But as he says, there is always the next trip. And yes is right,  we’ll have plenty of time to gallivant around together over the years ahead.

I have scheduled a few random posts to go live while I’m gone. No, I will not be live blogging from the cruise. The Internet ain’t cheap and the roaming for cell service is truly astronomical. I find it ironic Tmo did away with roaming from within other countries but while on a boat I’m still hit with heavy fees. I can use my cell and data from Cabo or PV w/zero extra cost but let me connect to cellular on the boat and my goose is cooked! Anyway, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of stories and pics when I get back.

Cooper isn’t going either I’m afraid. Don’t think I didn’t look into it. No, he’ll be staying home as well. The Pup and my roomie are both around to take care of him so I don’t have to worry. Luckily, even if they weren’t around I have enough local friends I could have left him with. I would not have kenneled him. He’s come a long way since I rescued him but the idea of him thinking I abandoned him would have ruined the entire trip for me. No, he’ll be home lounging for days before he knows I’m gone. Ok, not really but I’d like to think so. hehehe He’ll miss his daddy but be in excellent hands while I’m gone.

While a tiny bit sad, I am still very excited! I’m eagerly awaiting the trip and the experience!

References

References
↑1 You totes believe that right?
↑2 Though I doubt SF would survive the event.

Trip

Moe, Bro, and his hoe….

Yet another non-Pup related post. Aren’t you proud of me?! lolol

Anyway, I am on a work trip to Nashville, TN as we speak. lol  This means I am missing part of GHHD #3 in SF. [1]Folsom St Fair I could have gotten out of the trip but my younger brother lives here in TN and drove over to meet me. I was also hoping to meet one of my long time fave bloggers and buddies, Large Tony. Sadly, timing wasn’t on our side. He had to work and I had a conference to attend. As for my brother, I haven’t seen him in almost 5 years. Since work is paying for the trip, I’m killing two birds with one stone. I also have comp tickets to the Grand Ole Opry but I’ll likely skip that. *yawn* My brother wants to go but it’s already sold out and I can’t ‘reassign’ him my ticket.

I’m staying at the Gaylord Hotel/Resort, which is freaking massive! This place covers 9 acres of land and has over 2000 rooms! The shuttle driver said they have just over 4000 employees. That’s bigger than some small cities. Lolol They have sectioned the place off into regions almost like states. lol Everything for your room is coded to your region. It is not uncommon to see people just wandering in a daze, lost and confused as to where to go. [2]Remind me to discuss the details of my rather loooong flight and my cranky arrival.  It’s gorgeous and incredibly scenic but honestly way more than I’d ever do on my own. The rooms aren’t cheap and honestly, I’d forego the wonderful scenery for a larger onsite gym and a pool that was open past 10pm. The room is incredibly generic. IMHO it’s just overkill to sell this place. It takes 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other, no exaggeration. I’m not complaining just expressing a POV. I’m sure some that come here would absolutely love every minute of it. It can be a little breath-taking for the scenery.

The trip itself deals with the project I’m currently working on. The vendor that develops our software puts on a big conference every so often to solicit interest/feedback for it’s product(s). Agencies/vendors can see it for the first time and/or provide feedback on problems or needed features. It’s basically a PR campaign but it will be nice to talk with other agencies that use the software. The vendor comped my agency this year since we are currently going thru an upgrade. Originally, it was supposed to be me and two other co-workers but both of them decided not to go so I’m solo. I like it because I can multi-task  between my brother and the conference and not feel like I’m abandoning my coworkers. lol

My brother got married a couple years ago and his 2nd son was born just two short weeks ago. It has been wonderful to see my brother and meet my new nephew! He’s took a couple days off from work and crashing in the hotel with me. An extra guest doesn’t cost anything so it all works out. hehehe I almost cried when I saw him. Even though he always seems to have reverted further into redneck territory every time I see him, I love him all the same. lol We were always the closest growing up and I have truly missed him.

I’m coming back to SF tomorrow, Saturday. I really miss home. It’s funny because I’ve been so looking forward to my cruise in November yet I get a trip away for a few days and I’m lonesome for home. Lord, I think I’m turning into a homebody. That or I’m just totally spoiled from living in SF. So many friends of friends are in town (that I want to meet) so it seems I’m definitely doing the fair on Sunday. I was rather wishy-washy at first but now I can’t miss the opportunity. The Pup isn’t coming up for Folsom. Considering he’ll be here permanently in just under 30 days, it didn’t make sense to try to squeeze another trip in. Lawd knows I miss him something fierce but sometimes I ‘gots’ to use the head vs the heart to make decisions. I seem to find ways to love him more every day and I don’t even know how. He seems to just appreciate and accept all of me. I often find I’m just overwhelmed from feeling so accepted.

Oh hell, I’ve diverged into gushing over him again. Ok, time to end this rant and head for my next seminar. I’m ‘be dun learned’ about GIS mapping configurations, VPN socket hardware/software systems, enhanced data image layering, sms/mms upcoming emergency protocols, blah blah blah. Today’s seminars actually deal with some of the meat and potatoes of the work I’m currently doing so can’t miss it.

References

References
↑1 Folsom St Fair
↑2 Remind me to discuss the details of my rather loooong flight and my cranky arrival.

Trip

I’m back from Houston. I went down for a long weekend to help my friend Trevan. He had to go in for a minor back surgery and needed some help getting up and around for a few days.

I ended up flying Southwest this time around. Of course, I’d forgotten I was flying out of Oakland instead of SFO until the morning of. I always seem to forget that when taking BART to Oakland, you have to get off and take a shuttle for the last 3 miles. It sounds simple but often this little detour adds 20-30 mins to your commute. Having to leave a bit early, naturally I didn’t allow for said additional delay and ended up being rushed the whole damn way!

As luck would have it, things went exceptionally smooth. Even though MUNI had experienced an earlier backup, they were clearing as I got to the station. Getting onto BART was equally smooth. The hiccup came when I got to the airport stop and had forgotten the shuttle. Not to mention the shuttle doesn’t take my clipper card. [1]Mass transit card that works on several different trains in the bay area. By the time I got to the the airport it was 30 minutes to my flight departure. That means my flight was boarding. I only had one bag to check and already had my boarding pass so only had to get the bag sorted and get thru security. Everyone was so nice when I asked if I could move thru the line. Not one person was contrary or rude when I asked if I could move in front of them in line so I wouldn’t miss my flight.

I ran the concourse to get there just as the B group was starting to board. I even managed to snag an aisle seat! The flight was pretty full but entertaining because an amateur baseball league was headed to College Station to compete and there was no shortage of hotties! One ended up sitting right next to me. heehee Straight as all hell but we cut up an laughed the whole way to Houston. [2]The several cocktails didn’t hurt.

The visit went fine. Trevan had come home earlier that morning from the hospital and was resting comfortably. It was good to see him. We couldn’t run around like we normally do obviously. I hadn’t really planned on anything exciting anyway. Sunday before I left, Trevan was getting a little stir-crazy so we had lunch out and met up with my buddy Darrel. By the time it came for me to leave, he was getting up/down by himself and doing much more stuff solo. He still has to wear the brace for 30 full days but I left not worrying about him.

I did get one welcome surprise though. TFA had a lay-over in Houston so I got to see him too! I haven’t seen him a couple years now and it was awesome to see him and catch up a bit, albeit briefly.

Coming home was a tad exciting. One, I didn’t realize I was flying home on 9.11. That had me nervous because I never underestimate the power of stupidity in the group setting. I got to the airport way earlier just in case. It was actually kinda slow. Everything went smoothly until someone set off the fire alarm. I’d just sat down and plugged in my computer when it went off. At first people were bewildered on what to do. When the automated voice said, “begin exiting the concourse“, everyone started moving. Luckily, our gate agent had the wherewithal to think it over and told us to wait. Then came the battling announcements from the airport proper on what we should do. One minute a male voice is telling us not to worry its a false alarm and the next minute a female voice is telling us to exit the concourse. Once again, our gate agent told us to sit tight. After about 10 minutes, it was determined to be a false alarm. This was after quite a few people from other gates had made a mass-exodus back to the front of the terminal oooh-weeee! They were pissed! They all had to go back thru security. There were quite a few gate announcements for people being called by name. I’d have totally been pissed myself.

On the flight, I got an exit row so had room to stretch. Oddly enough, I ended up next to the acting Chief of the Oakland Fire Dept. lolol She was very nice and gave me two free coupons for cocktails. 🙂 The rest of the flight was pretty smooth. There was one point where we were flying over a thunderstorm. I don’t think I’ve actually ever done that. Watching the lightening from above was kinda cool.

Anyway, I’m glad to be home. I missed my beloved SF. If you want, you can check out a few random pics from my Google Plus feed.

References

References
↑1 Mass transit card that works on several different trains in the bay area.
↑2 The several cocktails didn’t hurt.

Ho Hum

I can’t seem to get overly worked up over Gay High Holy Day #2 [1]Up your Ally street fair, formerly known as Dore Alley this year. I think it stems mostly from my schedule. I’ve been pushing myself these last few months and I’m realizing I’m a little burned out. Being the typical Aquarian that I am, I hate rigid schedules…ugh. The change of watch at work couldn’t have come at a better time.

I’m also not hosting anyone this year either for GHHD2. I think some of my excitement often comes from out of town friends who come up for the event. Seeing them excited gets me excited. Its like living in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, after awhile it just gets old. I do have a couple of friends coming up though. Chris aka Wildcuddler from twitter and the adorable Andy, both from Austin, are gonna be here.

I was originally supposed to go up to TN this weekend to see my younger brother while he is up there. But he was having drama so I decided against it. I was hoping to meet another famous blogger but he has his hands full with other stuff at the moment. Maybe after I’ve adjusted back to my old schedule, I can plan again. I have several more opportunities coming up before year end anyway.

While not unexpected or surprising, my blogging has suffered too. I don’t much mind as it ebbs and flows like everything in my life but it is a goo indicator. And you’ll get a kick out of this part, even my naughty time has suffered. Less trips to bb’s, less shenanigans at the gym, and even less online hookups. Relatively speaking, I’ve practically become celibate lately. lol If that doesn’t shock you, nothing will! Frankly, the boy has been the only real consistency in that area at all lately.

I’ll be honest, I’m irritated with myself. I didn’t realize how much my schedule was stressing me and seeing it now makes me angry. I really didn’t have a choice the last time as I got bumped off my days off but I did this time and I can’t believe I almost stayed on my current shift. What the hell was I thinking? The other irritating part is my vacation slots have to be planned a year in advance [2]We sign up once a year for all of our allotted vacation slots. We can take extra unplanned time but it is based on staffing levels which fluctuate wildly. and I’ve totally blown thru two of them already!

Lesson learned. Being off this week has been a god-send. And even though I haven’t done jack shit, it feels so good. I can slowly feel my energies returning and am looking forward to getting back on the shorter shifts come Monday.

References

References
↑1 Up your Ally street fair, formerly known as Dore Alley
↑2 We sign up once a year for all of our allotted vacation slots. We can take extra unplanned time but it is based on staffing levels which fluctuate wildly.

Chitown

I made it back from Chicago last night in one piece. The flight home was mostly uneventful. I sat next to this straight couple. The guy happened to work for a company that supplies gear to police and fire personnel. I own a pair of their boots. He was already dozing by the time I sat down but the wife was a total chatty Katy. I did come away with a nice gift certificate for free gear though!

I had a good time in Chicago. Everyone seemed dramatically surprised I wasn’t staying the whole weekend for IML. [1]International Mr. Leather Well, I didn’t go for IML, I went to see the boy. I actually booked time off so I could go, but since I have yet to replace the roomie, I couldn’t really justify spending the money. Well, free airfare and a very inexpensive hotel room made it worth while. [2]God love my friends for hooking a brother up! The entire trip cost me less than 400 bucks.

I did hit a snag when I arrived at the B&B. First, there was no one to meet me. I had to go two doors down to a bar for my keys. Not the end of the world, B&B’s typically don’t have staff running onsite 24/7. The bartender was polite enough but kept getting customers and I stood there for about 15 minutes just waiting. Then, the outside door key to the hotel didn’t work. The final straw was when he opened the door to my room. The room was so tiny the rickety full-size bed totally dominated the space. Even worse, the room was smack in the middle of the living area, shared a wall with the office, and the bathroom was two doors down the hallway. Oh no no no, uh-huh, no sir, no-ma’am, no siree-bob, this would not do! I visualized my plans of some quality quiet time with the boy going down the toilet.

Continue reading Chitown

References

References
↑1 International Mr. Leather
↑2 God love my friends for hooking a brother up!

Flight

Well I arrived safely in Chicago. Actually, I’ve been here for some time. The boy is fast asleep (he is an early riser), but I couldn’t wait until the weekend was over to share this.

I typed this at 30,000 feet on my way to Chicago. The flights were very smooth with one interesting occurrence. Flying on a friend’s buddy pass, I had to hop from SF down to SD and then a connecting flight from SD to Chicago. No biggie as I’ve flown standby plenty of times and more than familiar with the process. Anyway, the first flight was short and sweet and I slept right thru it. The second flight looked to be iffy at best and I’d already assumed I wouldn’t make it. Luck seemed to be on my side though. I made the 2nd flight w/o any hiccups. It was a very full flight but I managed to keep my seat. Even better, since it was physically the same plane I’d just flown in on, I didn’t have to reboard and got to nab a much nicer seat in the exit row. [1]Exit rows always have more leg room. duh! A very sweet young girl from the OC ended up taking the lone seat next to me. She was friendly and we chatted awhile before settling into our own little realms of preoccupation, her on her mobile device playing Sudoku (spelling?) and me on my laptop.

Now here is where it gets a little interesting. Half way thru the flight, I suddenly feel a tap on my shoulder. One of the flight attendants (a very Barbie-esque woman) was telling me a “gentleman wants to buy you a drink”. I must have given here a dirty look as she repeated herself but softer. Being pulled from my distraction, I was a little perplexed but agreed not wanting to be rude. [2]Hey, I grew up in a trailer, you don’t refuse free shit, especially liquor! lol After my drink arrives I try to discover who it is that bought it for me. The stewardess said he wanted to remain anonymous. Of course, this drove me nuts. I kept turning my head around to see if I could catch someone staring or eyeballing me. There were definitely some hotties on the flight I would have been happy to make into new friends. A random woofy guy here and there, several army boys in their fatigues, and one very striking fembot. [3]a very feminine guy

Sadly, I never figured it out. None of the afore mentioned guys gave me a second glance thru the entire flight. I’m still scratching my head as to why someone would send me a drink but not want to at least be recognized. I tried to convince the flight attendant to tell me but she held fast and clearly I couldn’t get her alone on the plane to try and charm it out of her.

Oh well, I was very flattered. She did say right up front it was a guy so I can only assume he was gay. Mysterious man, if you are out there and on the off-chance read my blog, thanks for the drink bud. Nothing goes down quite as nice as free liquor!

*

I was about to add more here at the end but the boy just rolled over and something “came up”.

References

References
↑1 Exit rows always have more leg room. duh!
↑2 Hey, I grew up in a trailer, you don’t refuse free shit, especially liquor! lol
↑3 a very feminine guy

OY!

I am back home in East Texas visiting my little brother.  He broke his leg last week so I thought I’d surprise him with a visit.  I already had a long weekend scheduled [1]I hate working Halloween and often do my level best to get it off. so it worked out good.  I had originally planned to fly down to LA for a weekend of debauchery.  Oh well, I can be a dirty slut any time. 

moby bored

The above pic is me looking pretty bored. lol  Let’s face it.  There isn’t much to do out here except hunt, fish, breed, and watch DVD’s.  Too late to hunt/fish and I sure as hell ain’t breedin’ so we sat around watching DVDs. 

Last night, my older brother, two of my cousins and their families came by for a big ole fashioned bonfire (read get drunk and talk shit around a big fire).  I usually don’t drink much but being free and in an environment where my only worry was stumbling up the steps, I figured what the hell.  

I can report malt liquor and fireside smores go well together.  Of course, my head is killing me today.  Homemade booze is good but it also packs a powerful kick.  Oy!

Hung over

You can see how hung (over) I was. hehehe  After a nice greasy breakfast and a serious in-flux of liquids I’m feeling somewhat alive again.

More later…

References

References
↑1 I hate working Halloween and often do my level best to get it off.

Mobile Me

Not the MAC version.  I am referring to yours truly.

Airplane Moby

I have no idea what possessed me to snap a shot in the airplane bathroom but it just seemed like a good idea.  My lovely phone cam is such high quality, can you tell? 

As I mentioned earlier, the flights down were a tad stressful wondering if I was gonna make it but all went fine.  Phoenix overall was great.  The short description, hot and sticky.  I also got to meet a new blog buddy, Brent, who I’ve been supporting/chastising for almost a year now.  It took the act of Congress to drag Brent out to Charlie’s.  Frank and I discovered it was his birthday weekend and were determined not to let him sulk at home. 

Needless to say, I had a blast. lol  Frank immediately ran into one of his friends named Steve.  The man was the epitome of big hairy, muscular, beefy bear.  He got a big WOOF!  While him and Frank flirted, I was left to my own devices.  A rather tall, lean fuzzy dude kept eye-balling me and before long he came over and said "hi". [1]By hi, I mean I put my tongue down his throat for about 10-15 minutes  Being a good friend, I wasn’t about to abandon my group so we arranged for some quality time later.  Of which, he flaked on.  I’d already gotten the idea he might be a bit high maintenance but a hard cock has no conscience. [2]yes, you can borrow that

Frank was feeling better and we did make it to the gym one day.  The gym was one of the Q gyms that 24 Hour Fitness gobbled up.  The Q gyms have the exact same layout no matter where you go.  I have to say, Phoenix has its share of hotties.  The crowd was very mixed with several juicy tidbits for Frank and I to drool over.  That said, I can report the shower and steam room was nothing like SF.  A practical wasteland of emptiness.  Well that is not exactly true.  There were plenty of old trolls lurking in the steam room but just not the gay kind. 

Frank opted to drive me around a bit.  I doubt I’d ever move to Phoenix but not a bad City overall.  Next time, I’d like to get in some hiking and outdoor stuff for sure. 

Continue reading Mobile Me

References

References
↑1 By hi, I mean I put my tongue down his throat for about 10-15 minutes
↑2 yes, you can borrow that

Phoenix

I’m sitting in the Phoenix airport waiting for my flight back to Houston.  The trip down was uneventful if a little stressful.  TFA allows me to fly on his benefits so I get to fly for dirt cheap however, I fly stand by.  The other downer is I have to fly thru the airline’s hub.  This meant flying from SFO to HOU and back to PHX.  Considering how much it saved me in cash, I didn’t mind at all. [1]And yes, I plan on showing him my gratitude in person

Flying standby is a tad nerve racking as you are never quite sure till the last minute if you are going to make a full flight.  Both my flights coming in were full.  The SFO to HOU flight, I made it only because the desk clerk was family [2]read gay and liked my look. (If you got it, work it.)  He boosted another passenger to first class which freed up a coach seat for moi.  Very nice of him. Two of the flight attendants were men. [3]read gay, again  The Latin one practically fell over himself flirting with me.  I was sure to text TFA afterwards and ask him what was up with all the slutty flight attendants. hehehe  

The 2nd flight was overbooked but a connecting flight was late so I once again lucked out.  I even got a seat w/extra leg room.  All of the flight crew were women so nothing to report.

My buddy Frank had hurt his back so we couldn’t do a lot but he was feeling better and we still managed to have a good time.  Apparently, Phoenix was overcast this past weekend so the temps only got into the frigidly low 100’s.

Frank & Brent @ Pei Wei

I did get a chance to meet fellow blogger and twitter buddy, Brent.  I’m not sure why he is so reserved or shy.  He warmed up to us quickly and was very engaging.  That said, Frank and I had to practically threaten him with bodily harm to get him to go out with us.  It was his birthday weekend (be sure to hop over and wish him a happy belated) and we were determined NOT to let him sit home and hide out.  Finally, he relented and we ended up at Charlie’s (Country Western bar).  Frank ran into one of his friends who was this short, buff, and hairy hottie, aka Steve.  Steve gives new meaning to the term WOOF! 

I managed to make a new ‘friend’ of my own  hehehe  Actually, he started it, I just finished it.  I’m not really sure why everyone seemed so surprised when we started kissing.  I mean, I did wait 15 minutes into the conversation to mug out.  That has to be a record or something. 

I could write more but it will have to wait.  My flight is here and there are 3 hairy hotties getting on board.  Since I’m standby, I get to board last.  I am determined to get a seat next to one of them. 

References

References
↑1 And yes, I plan on showing him my gratitude in person
↑2 read gay
↑3 read gay, again