Nature boys

WEDNESDAY
- Head over to Mike's after trying to leave my house for a while, but there was a lot going on
- We do dinner at BJs
- Big appetizer platter with the avocado things were yummy
- BJs didn't advertise their happy hour on their website, which was sad, and we paid full price for beers
- Stop at Target and browse
- Buy a cartful of clearance stuff that included more than 12 bottles of wine for less than $3 a piece. We looked like alcoholics and the slow checkstand lady was talking about how we were her new friends with all that wine.
- I get a moisturizer cream to appease Mike since my skin is always so dry and flaky (eew)
- Watch SYTYCD
- Bed about 11

THURSDAY
- Up about 7
- Shower
- He has some work stuff to work on
- Hang around until 12:30 or so watching TV and playing on my iPad
- Take off to get a haircut
- Head home because my dad calls to say it looks like I got some sort of concert tickets in the mail, and indeed I had. They were for some drummer I had never heard of, and would have taken advantage of them
- Head back to Mike's about 5, which was fine for him since he had a dentist appointment at 4
- Talk about what we've been up to in the past 5 hours or so
- Dinner was a spinach pasta he made with some yummy bread
- Watch SYTYCD and NY Housewives
- Bed about 1

FRIDAY
- Up at 7
- Shower
- Play around on iPads/iPhones/try to rebuild my iPhoto library
- He suggests we go somewhere since his friends canceled on dinner this weekend, which we had known about and been planning on for 3 weeks
- He asks where to go
- He asks what's in Visalia
- He asked if I still wanted to go up there
- I said we'll go to Visalia and then on to Sequoia National Park
- He agreed and booked a hotel, then car
- Talk to my parents and tell them where we're going... of course mommy is concerned that it is so last minute, that it is so far away, the usual.
- Pack real quick
- His neighbors are outside and we chat with them and he introduces me
- She is a former teacher and he is a firefighter- I knew that much- but it was cool to chat with them. She is about to go back to work, but with the economy, she was worried. She gave me some good info about good school districts.
- Head to the airport for our car rental, a Kia Soul. We had a lot of soul this weekend in it. It was like an awakening
- Head up 57 to the 210 to the 5. Slow traffic on the 5. He talks about a house he went to see in Santa Clarita when he first moved to Cali
- Shake and rattle... the car made lots of noises, which prompted Mike to hit various places with his hand to stop that. It would be a nice economical car for some people..............
- Go to the outlets in Tulare. Stop at Skechers and see nothing, but Mike suggests the Vans store... he doesn't own a pair of Vans. Shoes were buy 1 get 1 half off... and they had my lovely green shoes. Mike said I could get the half off pair and we would each get 1. He vetoed my green shoes saying "not with me around," but I got some blue jean fabric shoes. Should be fun...
- Head on to the hotel in Visalia
- Go to the Brewbaker Brewery that we had read a lot about on the internet... the brews were um... fruity and grainy. The beer was no bueno. Mike got the sampler platter and I got their sequoia red. We first had to wait 20 minutes for a table, then when we got the table it was upstairs, which looked like an old fashioned country restaurant and not a bar, which took away from the ambience. Oh, and screaming kids everywhere. The food was so-so.
- We talked about funerals as my mom wondered why I wasn't going to attend one with her on Saturday. We talked about difficult funerals, how he would rather go to a viewing than a funeral because he thinks funerals are for close family, but I argued the opposite that it was for anyone acquainted with the family as most that I have been to have been that way. He talked about how long it had been since he was at one, he asked how my grandma's funeral was and I told him about that whole situation with my aunt in Nor Cal. He told me he wants to be cremated and wants to make up a will shortly just in case he were to die and he made me think about how I want to be buried... lol... it was a morbid conversation.
- Head to Wal-Mart for antacid since he thought beer was giving him heartburn and how he was thinking he would have to start giving that up
- Go to the movie theater... that's the thing to do on a Friday night in Visalia
- See BAD TEACHER... she was a bad teacher... many inaccuracies in that movie that teachers would definitely be fired for... I watched it with a critical eye as I felt that with our previous conversations I'd have to defend the teaching profession, so I was watching it from that view
- Head back to the hotel where we watch the godawful Letterman with Lady Gaga and snack on Chips Ahoy
- Then we fool around and it was a lot of fun tickling and more
- We fall asleep about 1:15

SATURDAY
- Up at 8:30
- Shower
- Gas up the car... small tank in it
- Head to Panera
- Panera was waaaaay out of the way... like 5 miles and the nav gave us a crazy route to get there
- Head to Sequoia and talk about the beautiful scenery and a teacher I used to have/my former boss who lived on the outskirts of the park
- Sequoia was a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG windy road and Mike was crazy with those turns. He told me to look at the yellow line as he drove and asked if I was doing ok
- Saw the worlds largest trees. See pic below

- Get lost on a path... well... not lost... just out of our way thanks to his supposed expertise in sign reading... now had we gone my way we would have been back at the car sooner as I'm an expert sign reader, but I got my exercise... a good mile walk
- Take lots of photos in the trees and Mike basically took over camera duties, which was fine
- Drove through the park and tried to stop at their lodges for a drink, but they all closed at 2 or 2:30, and it was 2:40... boo! Would have been nice to sip a beer or something there...
- Played in the snow at the 7,000 foot level. First he took pics of me playing and told me to make it look like I was throwing a snowball at him, and I couldn't resist, and had to throw one. I hit him in the leg pretty nicely. He threw one at me, but it didn't hit me, and he didn't throw it as hard. Hey... lol... I didn't know.

- Go out the other side of the park- the Fresno side
- Drive to Fresno
- Make a few comments about how those cows would look so good cooked, which I got hit for
- Stop at a Starbucks in Downtown Fresno, have a passoin tea, play on our iPads
- Look for hotels or something to do
- Paso Robles was 2 hours away
- Lots of bad, expensive hotels
- Go down the 99
- Look for food in Bakersfield and find a basque restaurant... google it... find out it is a cuisine of some Spanish/French people in the Pyrranes Mountains and they're very isolated. The food was family style it said
- Drive into big industrial area
- Food starts off pretty well with bread, cabbage soup, hot sauce. More food comes- salad with some sort of meat, tomatoes. Next course was our entree- I chose tri-tip and he got a fish. Fries, Baked beans, and green beans came with that. Dessert was almond fudge ice cream. TOOOOOO MUCH FOOD, but the first few courses were good. We want to try a basque restaurant here in the IE now.
- Leave restaurant at 9 and let Heather, the nav system, guide us home
- She leads us out the 58 to the 14 to the 138 to the 15 and then back into the IE... we got the scenic route
- Back at 12am
- Watch TV a little

SUNDAY
- I always wake up about 6 and then doze/fall back asleep... I did and Mike got up or made some real loud noise to wake me up and I flung myself out of bed/out of my sleep about 8:30
- He handles a few things he has to do while I shower
- Go to Jamba Juice for oatmeal and Starbucks for a passion tea
- Mike talks about all of the sugar in that and I reassure him that it is ok... oh... and it is artificial sugar... lol
- We drive up to Idyllwild just to see what there is to see... long way in and a lot of dry brush... definitely not the Yosemite of Southern California like their website says, so we pass through quickly. Touristy town as Mike termed it.
- We head down the 74 and into Hemet
- Stop at Chilis for a margarita and onion straws
- Mike says he wants to try to get to Palm Desert via the 74, so I direct him and tell him how to get there
- He tries to argue with me that I didn't tell him we have to drive back through Idyllwild, but I did, at least twice
- He said he wanted to take the 79 to get there and he didn't want to do the 74. I informed him you can't get there
- So we do the 37 mile trek to Palm Desert, and it was scenic. We stopped a couple times at lookout points to get pictures of the Palm Springs/Palm Desert valley... it was a nice triP

- End up at El Paseo and his favorite Banana Republic where we both do about $100 in damage each on winter clearance (SWEATERS!)
- Walk across the street to our favorite seafood place for another margarita, mussels, and crab cakes. It was sooooo delish!!! The margarita was a bit salty, which was hard to drink at first, but the food was good, as usual
- Head back to his place
- Watch our Sunday night favs like Housewives of NJ, Watch What Happens Live (poor Vicki!)
- Eat a cookie from the batch we got at Fresh & Easy the other day
- Bed about 10:30
- Watch Frasier until we fall asleep

MONDAY
- Up at 7:15
- The light was shining in my face a way that made me have to face the opposite way of Mike and he tried to run his hand through the light to create a shadow to get me to turn to see what mischief he was causing
- Shower
- He has some work to do and I play with my computer and the cat. Apply for yet another job.
- Stop at Starbucks as we prepare to take the car back to the airport
- Car to airport
- Listen to Rosie talk about the Building 7 conspiracy with the World Trade Center. Gonna check that out. Mike knew about it being that he's from that area and heard Rosie talk about it for years
- DRive around his neighborhood looking at the houses in the middle of nowhere, and the school in the middle of nowhere, literally
- Take off about 12:15 to reunite with the family and my mom isn't even home! She was the one who wanted to see me, but she's out lunching with the teachers

Hustle and Bustle

Friday
- Met Mike at 4:30 after work
- We went to Happy Hour at TGI Fridays. I needed it. Thursday felt like Friday making it an extra long week. The electric lemonade pepped me up and refreshed me.
- Talked about commuting, traffic, and dumb people who commute 100+ miles a day and have a worn down BMW.
- Went to Best Buy to look at iPad accessories and he made me jealous
- Went to PetCo and realized that Mike lost his invisalign retainers, so he just started a new pack
- Bumped his new iPod playlists which included soft hits like this:

- Back to his house where we watched Idol. Still on a Scotty love affair. His voice is unique and different than what is out in country right now. His version of Montgomery Gentry was awesome. He is "in it to win it!" Random LOL's with Mike about "in it to win it"

So here's my Idol predictions... fingers crossed... America did right voting Jacob home last week.
Haley is voted off this next week. I just don't like her, or her personality. She should have gone home weeks ago.
The final 3 are James, Lauren, and Scotty. I predict James will win. My vote would be for Scotty or Lauren, however. Lauren has the southern charm and can cook. Scotty is really shining. I love his facial expressions. James is alright- I don't see him having radio hits that I would listen to because I think he'd go heavily into that whole rock thing, but he has the unique look and appeal to girls that works for him. His singing is so-so, and as witnessed with his version of "Without You" this week he has a tendency to get too emotional and has the emotional appeal for people that makes him popular.

Saturday
- I didn't sleep well. It was not a restful sleep and I slept very lightly- woke up many times.
- Woke up and fooled around
- Mike made an egg, cheese, and salsa frittata with bread
- Watched 2nd part of Idol... thank goodness Jacob is gone!
- Went to Oak Glen to see what goes on there when it is not apple season. Shared my memories of going there with my family as a kid. Spent maybe 30 minutes there and just walked around. There wasn't much.
- Talked about evangelical churches like Saddleback in the OC and I explained the Harvest Crusade
- Stopped at Gourmet Pizza Shop in Redlands, which was really disappointing. Mike and I both talked about how flavorless it was, the sauce on both of our pizzas were awful, and we both only ate a slice of our pizza. I had been there twice probably 7-8 years ago and it wasn't bad- maybe my taste buds had changed- or maybe the quality has declined. He blamed me for a bad choice.
- Stopped for Mike to get coffee, Marshalls, and Joann Fabrics... I may be making Mike curtains... woo! Show off my sewing skills because I am on a quest to be "more gay than I already am"
- Back to his place for some pasta and more TV
- Off to Old Navy and Michaels
- Went to steakhouse we went to a few weeks back for new appetizers that were pretty good- bruschetta, delicious crab cakes, and oysters. The souffle was to die for.
- Drove home in the convertible rocking out to Adele and our favorite song

- Talked about Mother's Day, gifts for our moms, work, how I don't get paid during the summer, etc.
- Back at his place we watched a movie on Netflix called "The People I Slept With," which was ok
- Bed about 11
- I fell asleep about 11:30 after my sleeping pill knocked me out... I didn't get a goodnight kiss

SUNDAY
- Up at 7:30 and headed home to see mom

Grabby Grabby

Bullet wrap up for the weekend

FRIDAY
- Spent the day at home waiting on an electrician to fix the power outage I created
- Texted Mike as he was heading home from his business trip
- Agreed to meet about 5
- 5 turned into 5:30 as I ran into my mom trying to leave the house/helped my dad get new surge protectors and left my house at 4:45
- Get to Mike's and watch some DVR stuff like American Idol
- I don't tell him the controversy about Pia and keep my mouth shut since I thought it was impossible to not hear who was voted off
- He asks what I want for dinner and I say something with cheese... Italian... or pizza... or Italian
- He makes me pick... I tell him of a pizza place in a city or so away and he tells me
- We head over there in the rain and find some street parking only to go in the restaurant and we are both turned off by the idea of order your food, then get a table, and us, only being a party of 2 would have to eat with a big party... who knows what we were going to talk about
- We stop at a couple potential eating places- a Mexican food place that was packed and no tables available, which wasn't cool
- Finally he tells me to call the pizza place my cousin raved about that he said was ok
- Ordered an onion and mushroom pizza... it lacked and needed something else
- Ran around trying to find the Red Box with Phillip Morris... it wasn't at Stater Brothers like the Red Box app said
- Ended up watching his Tivo in the evening
- Bed about 11:30... I initiated sex which was really weird for me... but he gave me hints he wanted it

SATURDAY
- Woke up at 7 or 8... pretty early
- Went to Farmer Boys for breakfast... he had never been and was convinced it was a burger place since it has hamburgers in the name on his sign... he would have never gone
- I drive and he treats
- He was impressed overall... totally unhealthy, but delicious
- He had an egg sandwich with lettuce, which he was apprehensive about, but liked the crunch
- Talked at breakfast about the legal battle between my aunt and my family, his dad's situation which is somewhat like that
- In the car they play Enrique Iglesias' song "Tonight I'm Loving You" and I asked if he heard the explicit version, the real version, "Tonight I'm Fucking You." He hadn't. I showed him the video with the nude girls. The song made sense...
- Back to his place to look for something to do... we decide on going to a performance of Evita in Rancho
- He takes me to a steakhouse just off Route 66 that he took his parents to a few years back when he still ate meat
- It is sooooooooooooo disappointing to go to a steakhouse and to not eat meat... let me just say
- Ate in the bar where it was half off everything... good stuff... tasty cosmo, an artichoke (although flavorless- sadness!), stuffed mushrooms, roasted garlic and bread
- Service got really slow so no dessert
- I shared family photos with him from my iPhone- what my parents looked like- he said my dad looked like an insurance representative and my mom was nothing like he pictured
- What's crazy is his parents are about 5 years younger than mine and are more hippy than mine - and mine aren't
- He didn't have family photos... talked about how his family isn't into photos really
- Talked about Easter - though a very Catholic family his family never celebrated
- I told him about the big Easter spectacle in my family
- Talked about how birthdays are big whereas his mom sometimes forgot his... I have his birthday gift... so excited!
- Went to Pink Berry for dessert since I convinced him ice cream is best on cold days
- Then to Evita... got to our seats right as the curtain rose
- I was disappointed with the horrible Spanish, but we had good seats, and they made the show make sense, which if you've seen the movie you may agree with my opinion it is hard to tell what is going on
- I've had Evita stuck in my head all weekend since.... don't cry for me Argentina
- The production was just ok- marginal
- Back to his place where we watched TV in bed in case we decided to get up early to go to the Pasadena Rose Bowl for the flea market
- We watched TV... some show about the relationship between the British parliament and US government
- I initiated again and was more forceful when we did it...



SUNDAY
- Up at 7... he swore he was in a different time zone
- Dressed and went to Panera for breakfast - his original idea was Jamba Juice, but the Jamba Juice we were at didn't open until 9 and Panera was next door
- Went to the flea market in his city... it was interesting
- Argued with Mike over chickens and vegetarianism
- Back to his house
- We decide to go to Ontario Mills for Marshalls and Victoria Gardens - I drive
- He looks for luggage since his wheel broke off of his carry on
- We stop at TGI Fridays for fries, spinach dip, a long island for him, and electric lemonade for me
- Talked about cruises, my family, my parents want to go on a cruise, who is liberal and conservative, who drinks and doesn't drink, who could loosen my parents up on a cruise
- Talked about my sister being anti-drinking, how I have drank around my parents a few times, how he didn't drink until later in life
- Wander through the mall and stop in Sephora for moisturizer for me. He teases me about being gay.
- While walking around he could barely keep his hands off me either tickling or poking me
- Stop at Ralphs for mussels, shrimp, and bread
- Back at his place it is nap time
- Watch "Serial Mom" and nap to it
- My nap wasn't that relaxing
- Wake up and Mike makes dinner for us- boullabaise from Food Network
- DINNER WAS DELICIOUS
- Caught up on Real Housewives of Orange County, the NBC restaurant show
- Mike thought both times I ran to the restroom- once during the NBC restaurant show and once before bed it would be a good idea to hide outside of the bathroom and scare me. The first time he did it I came out of the bathroom and he was on his knees on the floor and yells BOO!!!!! I get down and wrestle him. Later, I used the bathroom before bed and I heard him running up and down the hall, and I wasn't paying attention- I thought he was in the bedroom. I come out and he is around the corner from the bathroom, comes out, attacks me, yells BOO! He chases me into the bedroom where I grab him and don't let him go.
- Bed about 10:30 since he had an early flight

MONDAY
- Woke up about 2:30am and tossed and turned most of the night... oh, and the cat decided to be an attention whore
- 5:55 is wake up time
- Shower and dress, then say goodbye about 6:40
- Get a text at 6:40 from my cousin telling me I was invited to her birthday weekend in San Diego... only problem is with AT&T I got the text 2 days late... I WAS MAD
- Got called to sub at 8. I subbed elementary school.
- Chatted up The Guy this afternoon after work
- School tonight and my goal is to be done with my masters minus revisions by this Thursday

Final Spring Break Wrap Up

Thursday
- Subbed @ my middle school - great day! The teachers I subbed for love me and I was done by 10:45
- Ran from post office to post office and finally to city hall to get my passport - $200 later, many hours of frustration and running around, and many forms later I have applied for my passport
- Met my cousin at 1:45 to catch up over lunch at Rainforest Cafe
- Food was ick and waaaaaaaaay overpriced, but conversation was great
- Saw Mars Needs Moms
- Mike texted me and we decided to meet up after my cousin
- He had to run to the store, so I killed time in the mall, then headed to his place
- He made his fake out for me- vegetarian pulled pork and mashed squash/white potatoes
- I made dessert of white chocolate dipped strawberries
- Yay for a fellow white chocolate guy!
- Watched American Idol and was much relieved to find that Casey was saved
- Played around

Friday
- Played around even more when we woke up
- Mike had to work, but he gave me the computer and I spent some time looking at weekend happenings, Huffington Post, CNN, NPR, and facebooking
- When Mike was done with work he asked me to look up Yosemite and said we should go there, spent about an hour looking at that, checking out road conditions only to determine Sequoia may be a better option... he was hesitant since he'd never been
- Looked at Phoenix, Vegas, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara
- My vote was SLO
- Snacked on Michelob and CPK frozen pizza while we planned
- Mike got sucked into work when he had to book all of his travel for the next few weeks, then change some reservations he had already made
- We talked about our want to visits as far as travel- mine include México and Spain. His include Poland, Ireland, and a few others.
- Decided about 7pm when he was finally done to go to the Mexican place we went to a few weeks back to see what busy looked like
- Los mariachis were fun and there was a group of 12 of them
- We sat in the bar and I translated la música
- A Mexican band came on after and everyone made their way out to dance
- Fun times sitting, talking, and eating... expensive times... 2 drinks, enchilada and taco plate, shrimp salad, and guacamole and $80 later...
- Back at his place we watched some of his Tivo
- Fell asleep to "Inception"... bad movie.
- I felt like all arms as the 2 of us were trying to cuddle... I couldn't get comfortable and seemed like my elbows and arms were in the way when I was trying to cuddle up to Mike

SATURDAY
- Woke up and he was working again
- I watched TV while he worked
- He said we needed to go where it was warm, which meant Palm Springs
- We decide on a happy hour at The Palms Steakhouse, which didn't open until 4:30
- The Mexican place across the street was busy, which meant no margarita for us
- We decided on a taco and Corona at Fishermans... soooooooooooooo hit the spot!!!
- We walk up and down Palm Canyon/Indian Trail
- Stop in Gaymart for my cruise attire
- Fun times seeing Mike inside that store... lol... he's very modest... he went there for me... hahaha
- At 4:30 we head over to The Palms
- I order an apple martini because I was transfixed by the dry ice in the drinks

- cheap drinks there
- ordered mussels and their chiles... the chile was good, but I was still hungry and wanted another 2-3 of them
- Head over to Camelot to see Lions
- Lots of oooing and aaahing and feeling sad for lions
- It ended on a downer
- Mike added me on facebook while we were at the theater... a big step... got some comments on it from friends... lol.
- He teased/made fun of me for a few things related to my facebook page
- Talked about desserts we could eat heading home... must be sugarless... he's on a sugarless diet until our cruise... that's how he loses weight
- Belted out the hits like this... they always play this when we are in the car

As well as Sugarland's "Stuck Like Glue"!
- Tried to find the Stater Brothers near my aunt/uncle's house for dessert
- End up at the Ralphs my cousin works at as he is getting off
- I text my cousin that I met up with at Rainforest the other day to hurry up over to Ralphs, since she frequents this location
- Ralphs had no fresh fruits like blueberries, strawberries, or blackberries, so we go down the street to the other Staters
- We end up with yogurt, berries, and cool whip
- Mike has me text my cousin about the pizza place in the area and asks her thoughts... she raves about how great it is... Mike differs in opinion
- We get back to his place and my cousin invites us over... but we are already at his place
- She texts me asking when i'm free and what Disney pass I have so that Mike and I can go when the family goes
- We watch some "Restaurant Nightmares"
- Bed about 12am and Mike laid on the side so that I could cuddle up to him... so sweet... we stayed that way almost all night

Sunday
- Woke up at 9 and poked each other/played with the cats
- Mike began by showering, then cleaning the shower, and doing laundry
- I showered and then played on my phone while he did that and entertained the cats on the bed
- Spent the day watching "House Hunters," "Sell It," and the other fun HGTV shows
- Discussed cruises... he wanted to go to Canada, but that week is one of the busy weeks usually for me subbing and I don't want to miss making any more money as the end of the year is nearing
- Finally decided on a Mexican cruise to Ensanada
- Booked the cruise
- Got really annoyed at my new Southwest Credit Card that isn't worth shit now that they have changed the new points program
- Methinks I'll be dumping that card for a different rewards card... hopefully American Express... they have some pretty sweet rewards, but fulltime employment must come first
- Excited about the possibilities now that I'll have my passport... Spain... Mexico... Canada
- Headed home about 4 to meet my aunt, uncle, and cousin for dinner

Giving So Cali some love

Great weekend, as always!

Friday @ 11a.m.
- Met at Mike's
- he canceled his afternoon calls to meet with his new coworker who needed some training help
- we drive down to Laguna Beach
- walk to a ritzy hotel on the water for drinks
- we decide not to do lunch there since it was too unhip
- Mike drinks a bloody mary
- I order a sangria with fruit and his coworker follows
- she was such a sweetie - very well versed and knowledgeable, fun party type too
- Mike fills her in on company policies and procedures
- she paid for us since it was a company lunch/expense
- Mike informed me this is why I need to go to all of his business lunches... lol
- we go across the street to Watercress (I think that's the name) for a trendy lunch
- we share ahi tuna and watermelon skewers, and our respective salads
- I eat a warmed shrimp salad
- the business started here and Mike helped her with some database stuff
- sit there for a few hours while they work and she wanted to treat me to dessert for being soooo good
- she tries to help Mike and I find a hotel for a romantic weekend
- We decide on the hotel down the street from the restaurant
- go to the hotel about 3:30 and turn on the tv
- watch "Old Christine"
- we both fell asleep until about 6 cuddled, him holding me in his arms
- woke up and got ready
- Walked to a Belgian restaurant called Brussels Bistro
- the waiter from there was our water earlier who described every succulent dish with great detail
- I heard the descriptions of how he described a paella to a party a few tables away, turn around, take a look, take a second look, then tell Mike
- He laughs in amusement
- He asks our waiter if was the same guy worked at the restaurant we were at earlier- he said yes
- walk all around Laguna and walk along the beach - lots of talk about cupcakes, good foods, and family
- go to the movies to see the mediocre "PAUL"
- out of the movies about midnight - walk along the streets back to hotel
- we both make out and more ensues... we were both very horny

SATURDAY
- woke up about 9
- went to the bakery down the street for disappointing scones
- go back to hotel and head out
- we drive down PCH to Dana Point
- see Mike's favorite restaurant on the water in Dana Point
- Continue driving on the 5 south past San Onofre and we give our assessments to each other about the state of the nuclear plant, earthquakes, and the ocean
- before we know it we are in San Diego - he asks me where I frequent in SD and I tell him (Hillcrest, Fashion Valley, Mission Valley, etc.)
- We go to Coronado Island - I had never been and Mike was surprised
- Walk around Hotel Del Coronado and get a drink in the bar
- I have a Red Trailer Ale or something
- We only spend an hour there since parking was $3 an hour
- I got the parking and Mike got the overpriced drinks
- Drive back to his place
- Mike asks if the 5N hits the 10 and I tell him it does
- As we're driving up the 5, he corrects himself and says the 15
- I said we were going the wrong way, but take the 78 and it cuts over
- I told him he needed to be specific on his freeway choices and I wasn't lying the 5 does hit the 10, but would be an extra hour + to go that way
- Stop in Vista for Target bathroom pitstop and Famous Footwear
- Mike gets some shoes at Famous Footwear perfect for summer... some blue Converse
- Mike said no to me getting a pair of red Levis shoes that were comparable to the Vans Casuals except that they were an ugly red
- He said any other red would have been fine
- The shoes were only $15
- Mike said if we fooled around enough we could make it to the nice hotel in my city for appetizers
- We get to the hotel and sit at the bar- the stools are too high, but we move around and find a nice spot
- Order yummy ahi tuna pizza, onion rings, and a nice glass of white wine
- Mike reads a story about a possible Cali earthquake this week and I tell my extreme fear of earthquakes... he laughs... he eggs me on and I play it up... but seriously... earthquakes scare me to no end regardless of size
- back at Mike's we catch up on American Idol and give our commentary
- We go to bed about 12

SUNDAY
- woke up and played around
- shower
- Mike makes us breakfast of toast and eggs
- we watch a couple other DVR shows
- About 1:30 Mike suggests we head out to get lunch
- We go to a Chinese restaurant that was old looking and reminded him of the east coast Chinese restaurants
- He deemed the food as perfect for a lunch and dinner menu
- wonton soup, tea, eggroll, rice, and main course - just like Chinese restaurants should be
- Mike pays since I got dinner at the hotel last night
- Stop at Big Lots and Target
- In Target he gets "Edward Scissorhands"
- Back to his place we put the BluRay in and it has no English volume
- Mike does a firmware update and some investigating online to find he didn't have some option on the TV causing an error
- whodathunk the error with the disk?
- I get to experience Edward Scissorhands and Mike scans all of his documents in the computer for his taxes... he's so organized
- We also watch "Mars Attacks"
- Mike makes us dinner while "Mars Attacks" is on
- makes a tomato and mushroom sauce for ravioli and a glass of white wine.... yum
- We watch Real Housewives of OC
- He talks about the excessive product placement
- Also mentions how the OC housewives bought their cars at a USED car dealer... whodathunk?
- I tell Mike I'm amazed by his knowledge of the OC and that brought the show to life, but saddened and shattered my views of living large in the OC
- He laughed
- Watch What Happens Live on Bravo
- Bed about 12am

MONDAY
- Woke up about 6:40- managed to sleep through night
- 7am alarm goes off
- Mike checks his flight info
- shower
- Mike suggests McDonalds for breakfast, so we go to the one in the next city over instead of the one by his house
- I buy breakfast
- Mike warns me to not use elevators this week
- I tell him I had no plans and was planning on sleeping outside too so that the house won't cave in on me
- back at Mike's place he puts collars on his cats with nametags
- I joked at his earthquake preparation
- He said that was in case of any emergency while he is away - I said it was earthquake prep and he relented and acknowledged it was
- play with ihs cat while he packs
- Mike tells me bye and warns me to stay out of elevators... I told him to stop rubbing it in
- Get gas at 7-11... ugh... I hate 7-11 gas, but my light was on
- already not getting great mileage
- $3.94 a gallon is so not the biz
- home by 11
- Talk to mom and tell her about my adventures
- We go to Costco and Olive Garden
- I treat my mom to Olive Garden
- Talk about my masters thesis and my sister's tantrums over the weekend
- My mom made chicken and baked potatoes for dinner
- I'm headed off to school now...

Wining and Dining

Friday
- Ikea with my mom for my TV stand- a late birthday gift
- Get home, unbox it, decide not to build it
- Check the mail and have a box of delicious cookies waiting for me. Open, eat, drive home
- Text Mike and decide on a time to meet for dinner
- We meet at 4
- Go out in Mike's new car
- Drop the keys to his old Aztek off- he texted me Thursday night he found the super deal he was looking for
- Rave, ooooh, and aaaaaaah at his car
- Discovered we are both big Adele fans

- We also like Sugarland, Journey, and other 70s
- He played his newly downloaded/newly released Lady Gaga song "Born This Way"
- Drive out to Victoria Gardens for dinner- we were going to go to Joe's Crab Shack, but it was all fried stuff. Thought about Candelas, Yardhouse, and the Italian place, but all had a long wait.
- We settled on the sushi place. The sushi place was alright. Nothing to rave about. The fish wasn't as fresh as it could be. Poor service at the sushi bar. The sushi was sliced too thin. Tried the paradise sushi- salmon and mango and a cream cheese, spicy salmon, and something with calamari egg and yellowtail.
- The bill was $9 and Mike knew that was wrong. He was paying. The waitress didn't seem to care Mike was being honest, that we spent more than that, and just walked off when he tried to hand the bill back. They'd already ran his credit card. We were thinking of doing a dine and dash as several minutes had passed since we had tried to reconcile the bill, and she was nowhere to be seen, but she flagged us down as we were walking out.
- Go to see the new Jennifer ANiston and Adam Sandler flick, JUST GO WITH IT- It was cute, Jenn was good, and this may be Adam Sandler's best in my opinion. Mike wasn't impressed. I'm not an Adam fan, but I could tolerate him.
- Went back to his place to watch American Idol
- Went to bed about 12:30
- He sucked me off before bed.
- Cuddled in each other's arms most of the night

SATURDAY
- Woke up and played around some more
- Showered
- Brought in my overnight back Mike encouraged me to pack
- Mike made fun of me and was critical of the knicks I made while shaving. I hate shaving. I have the most sensitive skin.
- Decided to go wine tasting in Temecula
- First time wine tasting- I stuck to mostly white wines- the fruity ones. Only one was acceptable. The rest were not great. I sampled one of Mike's that was a really honeysuckle flavored sugar overload that he wasn't fond of, but I liked. It was different!
- Lunch at the Spicy Pickle... yuck for tasteless pasta salad and flavors that just don't work on a sandwich
- Listening to Lady Gaga and Adele again

- Back to his place to watch Oprah's Season 25 Behind the Scenes
- Took off at 4:30 to meet my mom, Linda, Dennis, and Mel for the hockey game tonight that Linda had tickets for
- Suite at the Ontario Reign game- lots of good food- shrimp, pizza, artichoke and spinach dip, and more shrimp
- Reign won 6 to 5 in overtime - Crazy game that was really bad through the first period, but after the fight, the team was suddenly energized, and had a come from behind win
- Assembled my TV stand when I got home
- Now I'm thinking of bed
- Palm Springs tomorrow?

Eating out

Thursday Night:
Mike texted me about 12:30, but it was 2:30 before I got to the message since I was in class. He invited me to dinner at a local Mexican food place with his friend Candy. I didn't have plans- we said we would meet at 6:30, but that later turned into 7. I heard all about Candy and Mike's excursions over the past several days including Hearst Castle, Disneyland, and some Top Chef's restaurant in LA. The restaurant was awful. Hearst was interesting. Disney was pretty good with the exception of Tower of Terror where Candy was so scared. We talked about all of the "flair," or Disney pin collectors. We had to spend $100 at this Mexican food place since Mike had a restaurant.com gift card. We did a round of drinks, the main courses, and then dessert. Our total was $101, so then after the gift certificate it was about $24 a person. The food was not good, although Mike and Candy were of differing opinions.

Saturday Afternoon:
I ran around Saturday morning with Linda and my parents. We went to the bank, a cafe down the street we had never tried that was disappointing. Mike texted me asking if I was still going out to Palm Springs with him and Candy. I texted back yes.

We meet at his place at 2 and drive out there. We stop at the A&W Rootbeer outside of Casino Morongo for rootbeer floats. We get out to Palm Springs about 3:30 and spend about 30 minutes driving around lost, trying to find the couple whose house we were going to. These were good friends of Mike and Candy whom they met and took a couple cruises together with. I am sitting in the back of the car laughing hysterically to Mike's horrible Spanish. Calle, or street, he pronounces it as cal-lee. Mike swore the condos we were looking for were white, but there were no white condos on the street we were passing. Candy said it was probably dark when he was there last. Mike didn't deny that. We finally found the condos after peering in old ladies windows and discovered the condos were beige.

So I meet Mike and Andy- former Disney workers, an attorney, and a school administrator. Mike, Candy, Mike, and Andy talk about the cruises, cruises they took recently, and things like that. We talk about the weather here and New Jersey where Candy lives. We debate about where to eat dinner- Fisherman's Market, but one person didn't want fish or tacos of any sort. The dark place, Wang's of the Desert came up, a Chinese food place. Roscoe's and Dinks also came up. Candy said she didn't want Mexican, and we told her how anti-Californian she was since any true Californian would never turn down Mexican food. Mike, my Mike, mentions how great Cipolline Italian on Palm Canyon is. We all pile in Mike's car and head on over. We hear all of the Disney stories about the submarines and other rides. The restaurant itself was alright. The service left much to be desired. The food was alright, but with most Italian, I can make better at home. Andy and I talk during dinner un poco- el habla Espanol también y nosotros estamos gringos- hablamos de los ventajas especialmente en la escuela. We both speak Spanish and talk about the advantages, especially in the school setting. We go back to their place and drop them off. Everything sort of trailed off...

Mike joked we should go meet his boss who lives in Palm Springs and how shady he was. Candy vehemently protested. Mike called the boss, and Candy gave me the lowdown. I'm sort of glad we missed that one... LOL.

We decided to go bowling. We tried to go to Morongo, but there were 1000s of people. We ended up at an AMF in San Bernardino. It was pretty fun. We did the cosmic bowling. It wasn't quite 10p.m. when we arrived, so we sat in the bar drinking. I had a Dos Equis. We got our balls. I got a 14 pound ball and Mike did too, but later he went back to an 11 pounder. LOL. He said to bowl he needed alcohol. He kept us well supplied. Un dos Equis turned into cuatro Dos Equis. WOW. I'm not sure the alcohol helped us bowl better, but let's just say the 3 of us were very touchy feely, and were probably disturbing the "white trash" family next to us. 2 guys and 1 black girl all touching and feeling each other. The most drunk moment probably had to go to me- and I wasn't drunk- I was a little tipsy, but one of the white trash kids screamed, I turned around to look, and my ball went falling backward. The best I bowled was a 96. The best Mike did was a 122. Candy did about 83.

After our little adventure Candy wanted In-N-Out. Mike harassed her about wanting and needing that. We sang along to the songs on KOLA 99.9. Candy said The Commodores sang "September," and we got into an argument. I told her it was Earth, Wind, and Fire. She thought someone weird- I want to say John Mellencamp sang "Wild Night," but I informed her it was Van Morrison. I informed the 2 of them I had KOLA as my #1 preset, which made me a pretty good source in music. Then Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons came on with "December 1963," and again I knew who sang that. Candy got her burger and got her Ben, Ben was the sweet man helping us in the drive through.





We get back to Mike's and I use the bathroom in his room. When I walk out Mike throws me some pants and so I change into them. We watch Candy dance 3-4 Michael Jackson songs. Mike sits on the couch next to me and he takes the controller and plays one of the backup dancers just moving his arms, and does pretty well. Shortly after we head to bed. It is 1:20a.m. We sleep pretty well. I did have an icky coughing spell in the middle of night. We wake up to Mike's alarm and tickle each other and some other things.

We shower and get dressed. Mike asks if I'm wanting breakfast. I said sure. We drive to McDonalds and talk about teaching and the primary grades. We go to Wal-Mart also for a few things. Candy is up when we get back due to Mike's false alarm where he left without her. He makes her food while we watch "Red." I had every intention of going home before the movie, but instead we head to CPK. The one in San Bernardino closed down apparently, so we drive out to Victoria Gardens. Candy drove. Mike has a business trip he is leaving on tonight, and Candy is taking him to the airport. He wanted to be sure Candy could drive his car. She was having a few issues, but she managed. I guided her to Victoria Gardens. At the Pizza Kitchen the topics of conversation included: child leashes, how high maintenance Candy is/isn't, and locking your bedroom door. Mike offers to take us to Cheesecake Factory for dessert. I have the most disappointing tiramisu cheesecake.

When we finally get back to Mike's I use the bathroom and then take off so he could get ready for his trip.

A wrap up and bringing you up to date

Christmas was awesome!
It actually felt like Christmas this year! I think it was the cooler temperatures and rain that helped. Christmas Eve we opened up gifts. I picked some great gifts for people. I also received from great gifts. I had that whole giddiness that a little child has when it comes to Christmas. It was truly exciting!

Went over to my cousin's house for Christmas. No major drama between the people who did and didn't do Secret Santa- a few people like my Aunt S, did say there are some people who aren't playing by the rules, but then everyone was ok. The food was sooooo good. We had ham, prime rib, ambrosia, fudge, my dad's cheesecake, mashed potatoes, shells and cheese, rolls, 4-5 salads, 7 layer bean dip, onion dip, lots of assorted veggies, boysenberry pie, harvest pie, and much more! Lots of great conversation- everyone was excited for me finishing my credential.

I'm seeing someone
I met him recently on adam4adam. We had been chatting since probably September, and finally met about 2 weeks before I went to Orlando. He is 34, 6', brown hair, and is from NJ, but has lived out here about 4 years. We are both on the introverted side, both very caring and concerned. We both like oldies, pop, rock, and yes, even country. His name is also Mike.

First meet in November: We hung out at his place where we chatted and watched Oprah, How I Met Your Mother, and Jeopardy or something to that affect.

2nd meet sometime after I got back from Florida: We hung out at his place watching TV. We talked for a while and cuddled on the couch. I had to leave about 10:30 because I was tired and it was a school night.

One Date: We went to Chilis for dinner, talked about school, work, and things like that. Then we headed to his place and watched Food Network's Top Chef.

Another Date: We went to an Italian eatery over near his house that was very good. Everything was homemade. After we went to the movies and saw "Burlesque." We had time to kill beforehand, so we grabbed drinks at a bar next to the movie theater and talked about Christmas. We drove back to his place in the pouring rain and fog, singing Christmas carols. I spent the night and we just cuddled most of the night. In the morning we took turns showering, then he made eggs, hash browns, and bread for breakfast. We watched "My Best Friend's Wedding" before I headed home.

Mike has been texting me all week. He is in NJ snowed in. He was supposed to fly back Monday, but the flight was canceled. He was staying with his parents for a week in NJ. We played around on cam together the other night. He asked if I had New Years plans. I said I didn't. He asked if I wanted to go to a party with him. I said sure. He then texted back it was in Santa Barbara and at his cousin's house. Oh. Ok. Um. Ok. I said yes. So I guess that's what I'm doing New Years Eve. We are leaving Friday night and coming back Sunday morning. Hmmmm

Home from a movie

First off, new blog layout. I'm not sure I like it. I have had the same blog layout since I began blogging. I guess I changed it to appease a couple readers, but I was also really annoyed that everytime I have signed into blogger the past couple days the messages about changing the blog template keep popping up. Maybe I'll keep it, maybe I'll change it back, but we shall see...
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In other more exciting business, moving away from the house keeping stuff, I'm home from a movie with Foot Fetish. I hadn't hung out with him in MONTHS; I'm thinking it has been since August or September. He has been soooooo busy with school. He's been working on 2-3 big projects, and had to do some sort of senior project. Anyways, he hadn't even been online for weeks. I saw him reemerging the other day, so I chatted him up, and he told me about this, his sort of boyfriend he met that screwed him over as far as school goes, and the whole 9 yards. I hit him up today and we decide we should go to dinner and a movie. He finds out his parents are bringing dinner home to him, and so I eat the meat my dad is cooking. We do go to the movie, which turns out being Shrek at 9:40. It was a good movie. My first 3D movie outside of Captain EO at Disneyland. I'm just not that big of a moviegoer. Back to the movie, though.I like all the Shrek movies. I love the pop culture and nursery rhyme references. Lots of laughs. We chatted in the parking lot a few minutes after, and agreed we will hang out again soon. We better. I still owe him dinner from him buying me those shoes. And I did wear the shoes for him tonight.

Keeping busy

I have been managing to keep myself busy doing something everyday of break so far...

Sunday:
- Hung out at home
- Grocery shop
- Hiked up a mountain in the area with my neighbor Lindsay

Monday:
- Running errands- dry cleaner, Target
- Did week 1 reading for my online class
- Cleaned with my mom- I cleaned the linen closet- not fun
- Gym

Tuesday:
- Voted
- Grocery shopping again to come home and experiment... I made this delicious cookie. It is healthy, no? It is healthy in my mind.
- Sex and the City with Darla - it was so great to reunite with my 5 favorite girlfriends, Darla included. We had a blast, and of course I think SATC fans loved it. I wasn't a fan until I took a class in college on the show, and now it fascinates me on so many levels, especially the writing and way the story is told. Any thoughts on the movie? The wedding part at the beginning didn't seem to fit in my opinion, but it was the PC thing to do, and I was glad to see the 2 finally married.


Wednesday:
- Dealt with SBC when the technician came out- for about 5 hours we had no link retrains, but incredibly slow .5mbps internet. - The slow internet and retrains still persist.
- Linda helped me out in the afternoon with paperwork I have to submit to the state
- Dinner with my mom and her at Sizzler

Thursday:
- Gym
- Working on the paperwork Linda got me started on that I have to submit to the state
- Have school later tonight
Update: My Thursday night class is taught by a teacher my dad used to work with. Soooo funny! Names came up, I mentioned my dad's name because we were mentioning how we were named, he asked if my dad was the one who used to work at X school, and I said yes. I scored lots of extra points... haha

Friday:
- Working on the paperwork I have to submit to the state again as my advisor wants it turned in by Saturday or Sunday at the latest.

Plans for next week:
- LA Pride...? maybe? Dennis probably won't go, and The Guy has no want to go
- Hang out with Gonzo
- Hang out with my best friend from Mississippi- he'll be down in Carlsbad
- Do my assignment for the online class
- Plan to hang out with Darla again

Dog sitting

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Month of Birthdays and other parties

So many birthdays this month!

I was at Mal's birthday party on Friday night. She had a little get together at her house. It was mainly her family, myself, my mom, and another teacher from school.

Friday night is Darla's birthday. We are going to Yardhouse.

Sunday night is The Guy's. We're going to one of the most expensive restaurants in his city with I guess about 20 of his friends.

I'm busy with Linda planning a surprise birthday party for my mom. My mom has never had a surprise party before, but Linda thinks it would be a good idea after the attendance clerk had one this past year, and how shocked she was. It really brought everyone together who was transferred after the whole transfer veteran teachers incident last year at school. I went out Tuesday morning and visited BJs, Olive Garden, Marie Callendars, and a few other restaurants. Settled on a barbecue restaurant since we could get the best pricing. Linda is insistent on getting the invitations. She'll deliver them to the teachers at the school we work at, and I'll deliver them to the teachers and her friends at her new school, and emphasize to them it is a secret. There will be 16 of us- my mom, dad, sister, Linda's hubby, Linda, and 10 teachers. I am going to Costco to order a cake, and Linda will pick it up. The party will be on a Thursday night, and Linda and my mom go out already on a Thursday night to eat, so this shouldn't be too hard to fool my mom. I'm excited.

I have a big retirement from work that my mom and I will go to. 8 teachers/staff members are retiring. I love these people to death. I have grown up with them, and all of them are near and dear to my heart. I will miss all of them.
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Went and saw "Kick Ass" with coworker Eddy last night. It was pretty kick ass... I guess... it was predictable...
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I am booked to sub nearly everyday this month. There's all sorts of end of the year planning, a possible 3 week assignment for a teacher who is having surgery, the usual IEP meetings, and Linda has federal jury duty- that works different than regular jury duty where she can be called in for 3 weeks, and has to report the first 3-4 days I guess.
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Este guero is going to attempt to make some homemade carne asada por Cinco de Mayo. The recipe I'm going to use needs to marinade 24-48 hours, so I'm going to do it tonight, then I'll have it ready to take to work on Wednesday por Cinco de Mayo.
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I have a break at the very end of this month for school. I want to go to Disney World. I asked all of my friends (Gonzo, Darla, Dennis, etc.) and nobody wants to go. I am tempted to go on my own, especially when Disney is offering up to 30% off on their hotels. It would be cheaper to split the hotel room, though. We shall see. I do have a couple blogger friends in the FL area that it would be fun to see and hang out with. Must book ticket soon.

La Misión: Parte 2

LA MISSION

I saw La Mission con Dennis este afternoon. We both really enjoyed it. I think for me with the negative reactions and isolation I've felt from my mom in coming out recently made this movie all the more touching in my eyes. I also watched this looking at people I know in the latino community, and this reaction was not unnatural. It was very authentic. Jesse was pretty cute, and my heart just hurt to see him shunned by his dad in the movie. I did cry in the theater.

La Misión

I want to see this show that just came out called La Misión starring Benjamin Pratt. It is a small independent film that deals with growing up in a latino neighborhood, homosexuality, machismo guys, and more. I'm really interested in seeing this since homosexuality is so taboo in the latino community, and this is what I have studied in college.



Growing up in the Mission district of San Francisco, Che Rivera has always had to be tough to survive. He's a powerful man respected throughout the Mission barrio for his masculinity and his strength, as well as for his hobby building beautiful lowrider cars. A reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, Che has worked hard to redeem his life and do right by his pride and joy: his only son, Jes, whom he has raised on his own after the death of his wife. Che's path to redemption is tested, however, when he discovers Jes is gay. To survive his neighborhood, Che has always lived with his fists. To survive as a complete man, he'll have to embrace a side of himself he's never shown

Younger date

He was a hottie!!! Throughout the date he reminded me of Spinner from Degrassi as far as body frame and looks. Date had darker hair, though, and a faux-hawk, and his right ear pierced. He sort of has that want to be bad boy look going on.
(Spinner is the blond guy in the video below)


We met at TGI Fridays where we spent a great deal of time talking about work and special ed. He talked about how people often say how gross it is he works with those kids, or how they don't understand. He did the majority of the talking and I could hardly get a word in- a change from when we'd chatted on the phone or internet. We talk about him living in Oklahoma, how he wound up out here. We talked about his family and mine, and outness. A couple times he said he felt really awkward, but I don't know if that was just nervousness or not.

The service was awful at Fridays. 3 waiters said they'd take care of us, and only 1 did. The 1 who did take care of us only got us drinks and brought the check. Oh, and when he brought the check he asked 3-4 times who had the sizzling chicken and who had the steak, and he gave us the wrong checks. We traded, then he mixed the cards up, so even though we straightened it out, I was charged for what I didn't order. Oh well.

After we eat we run outside into the rain and debate what to do. I said movies, but there was nothing I really wanted to see, and he agreed he doesn't like movie dates. I told him the rain sort of took away from things we could do. I was thinking mini golf at the local amusement park that was just down the street. He said we could go back to his place and watch a movie. I follow him back to his place. We watch "Zoolander" and since the heat hasn't kicked on in the house we both lay under our own blankets. Suddenly we are cuddled up next to each other, holding hands, rubbing each others arms, and talking about little stuff like music, how he felt awkward earlier, how we were both so cold, how we were both having a great time, and things like that. As "Zoolander" came to an end he was getting very tired and could hardly stay awake. We called it a night. We hugged and I took off.

Hopefullly there is a 2nd date...
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After the date I went to the big teen hangout and ran into a bunch of people I really didn't care to see. I was there to find 8 books for an annotated bibliography for schooll. I ran into Max's cute friend Jesse, one of The Mike's friends Randall and his girlfriend, a few other guys I've seen at the local gay club. Jesse was checking me out and following me around in the store somewhat. I got everything done and left as quickly as I could.
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I get to the car and get a call from a half drunk Darla asking me where I was and that she and Eddy had been drinking for hours already. I told them I was on my way, despite being very tired at this point. Oh well, it was only 8p.m. I am at the Mexican food place within 10 minutes, ordering a house margarita, which was pretty darn good. Lots of good stories. Told all of them including Eddy about my date, but he still seemed in shock and kept referring to my date as "she." Starbucks afterward where they were all pretty much tired. Then to Eddy's to watch an episode of Law and Order. All of this before midnight.
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Sunday Update: Date just wants to be friends, but that's ok.

Doggie dick and more

The Guy called me about 12p.m. Friday, which was surprising. I had actually been planning to call him to see if he would proof my paper since I didn't necessarily want to show my mother who is my primary editor when it comes to my papers. My mom picks up on grammar mistakes I don't. So he said Jeff was coming over at 3 and they were grabbing some salmon from our favorite quick eat, healthy food place. He asked if I wanted to come over, I said yes, and he told me to come anytime.

I get to his house at 1:30 and he is on the phone with work or something because he didn't go in. He told me he was finally successful in setting up a Mac Mini as a backup drive where he can store all of his music and play iTunes movies from. He was very excited, and I was too, I think it is neat all the stuff he is always trying. We watch some show on his media server stationed in the office on Apple TV in the living room. It was a show about the 60s and Vietnam with several musical solos where characters would sing Beatles songs. It was about a guy from Liverpool who comes to the US to find his father, then winds up with a group of hippies, and then in the end is deported back to Liverpool. During the movie we made lots of comments about the movie- we sang, we made comments about the wardrobe, and other things. It was kind of a long movie that dragged on. (Does anyone know what it was called btw?).

Jeff still hadn't shown up by about 4p.m. and tuvimos mucho hambre. The Guy and I went to pick up the food ourselves. We also stopped at the bank so he could deposit some checks. The Guy tells me how he gave Josh the ultimatum. He has told him for a week that his phone has to be ported from The Guy's account or it will be turned off at 8a.m. tomorrow.

We arrive back and Jeff comes a few minutes later as we are piling food on our plates. They were out of potatoes so instead we have couscous, pasta salad, and a delicious spinach salad. The pasta was not my favorite. The couscous were quite good. The chicken was good. I decided to do chicken instead of salmon, and hit the spot. It was my first time having that. Jeff brings his dog, a little pomeranian or something, and he eats standing up at the counter in the kitchen talking on the phone. We try some random drink supplement for joints that Jeff brought and make small talk while Jeff is in the midst of chatting on the phone.

During this time it was funny that The Guy's new husky was laying with his head down on the tile floor and Jeff's dog would come over and raise his hind leg (because he is a male dog) and let The Guy's dog lick his little pomeranian penis. It was hilarious. We confirmed that there were 3 gay dogs in the house, and yes, all the dogs are males. It was so comical to watch. Later, as The Guy was getting ready to leave, he made a comment about that, "don't do anything I wouldn't do, like lift my hind leg and let the husky lick at my dick."

The Guy took off about 5 to go to the gym while Jeff and I stayed. Jeff played WOW and I worked on my paper for my class. The Guy texted once to make sure the dogs were ok. Then he called twice. Once Josh sent a text asking why The Guy had "changed" and why he was so "different," which really shut The Guy down. He was then sick to his stomach, nearly in tears, and we just reminded him he is doing the right thing and Josh is getting a free ride off of The Guy. While he was gone I chatted with Max, a guy he hooked up with once, and then saw at a bar in my city, and thinks he is my type. He told Max to add me last weekend on facebook and so we chatted. Seems like a cool closeted guy who goes to college in my city.

Jeff took off about 8:30 and The Guy arrived back at 8:35. He told me how worried he was about leaving the dogs alone. He told me about what he texted Josh and how Josh was totally avoiding everything. Josh just texted saying Jeff was behind this. The Guy again just laid out how Josh is distant and there is no reason to continue their friendship.

The Guy and I had been talking about TVs because I finally have the money to buy one I want I plan to do so. I showed him a couple I had in mind. He suggested we go to Best Buy. The Guy found a couple he wanted. He found a $2000 LG for his bedroom to upgrade that one, and was close to, but found it for $1600 on Amazon. We talked to a guy in the home theater department and he showed me some TVs that were good for the price and I took a picture of their price tag so I know what I want. I will wait until probably around Christmas when the prices may go down even more. I also want to see the Black Friday ads. The Guy asked 3-4 times if I thought he should buy the TV and he had told me earlier in the evening my job was to say NO because he is trying to save more, although he is not doing a good job with it.

While at Best Buy Josh was texting that it was past 9p.m. and he didn't know where the AT&T store was, and it was closed, so The Guy texted him he has until the weekend is over and that's it. Hopefully that stays true.

The Guy and I went back to his place and talked about random little things. I told him Max had been messaging me and we talked about random things. The Guy asked if he was free, and the thing that went to my mind was he would invite him over, threesome, you get the idea. We also talked about Linda. I told him everything I just said in my previous post, and he was amused, and thought I was doing pretty good avoiding her. We talked about cleaning. He told me how he loves Jeff, but everytime he comes over Jeff leaves a trail. In The Guy's sink Jeff left a plate half full of food, which I would never do, The Guy pointed out. He said that he thinks how our moms teach us to clean shows a lot about how we do things and pick up after ourselves. Though The Guy may not always do it, he sees a ton of dirt in his place that others may not. He said I probably do too because my mom is a home ec teacher and she has probably drilled me over and over about how to clean. I admitted she had. Any holiday used to be cleaning day. The Guy showed me his dirty base boards, the corners and crevices in his walls, the tops of surfaces in the kitchen, the blinds, and all of the areas with tons of dirt. We agreed we both know how to clean. We talked about how The Guy is using the pet hotel again, and how he trusts me over all of his friends to pet sit, but 3 days with new pets is difficult, plus I am still forgiving him, so he hasn't earned any dog sitting points with me. I joked that it was fine if he had asked because we are speaking again, but also for me it is close to work. It is 12 minutes from work as opposed to 30-45.

The Guy wanted to get some sleep about 10, so I wished him a good trip, and took off.

Random Tidbits from my life

- My mom finally told Linda that her mom had died last Saturday. She wasn't going to, but somehow in conversation it came out. Thursday was an especially difficult day. My mom broke down while calling me on the phone. I have been doing better as the week progresses. I think Linda wasn't going to tell because it would upset Linda, but also Linda has dealt with tons of loss and her thing would probably be very concerned, then let's move on because you've got to- just a guess. My mom also didn't bring it up because there is not much she can- other than what we've done legally- but she told me she isn't really crying because she's so happy grandma is in a better place away from my aunt. Not thrilled about this weekend.
- My mom and sister spent some time watching LOGO last night. My mom realized it was the gay channel when she kept seeing "Boys Gone Wild" ads. They were watching a show called "The Killer Condom." My dad later joined them in watching it. They deemed it was one of those you just had to watch because the title drew you in. Me, I passed, I equated it to watching porn with my family. No. It was pretty hilarious. I heard nonstop laughs from the living room
- I helped out a former teacher, Mr. B, with Back to School Night. He couldn't be there, so he made a video to show to parents, and all I had to do was play it. I just gave a little introduction each time and it was pretty unintimidating, even though I was talking to adults, many much older than me.
- I am finding more than any other time I have a lot of confidence. I mean using last night as an example, or subbing, or giving presentations. Easy deal. I don't mind public speaking- I never have- I just seem to have a new confidence (as much as I hate my voice) where I am less shy.
- Hung out with Chris Sunday night. Went to Target and the Olive Garden. We saw The Informant. Very Austin Powers like is what I told him with the music. We both were expecting something different and Matt, Matt, what happened? We were not turned on by Matt Damon's character.
- Been chatting with Chris a lot online. He was having a hard night Wednesday over the breakup. Last night he was too, and told me he was sad I wasn't there to watch NBC Thursday Night with him. I said next Thursday I'll make sure to be. We somehow got to talking about enjoying each other's company. The conversation got sexual in nature. I was the bad boy in this and told him well, I really like his penis. He asked if I really did. I said mhmmmm and as we chatted we talked about enjoying spending time with each other and then I told him I really liked him. I wanted to throw it out. I did.
- I am going out clubbing at the gay club in my city with Gonzo, Marci, and Viv from work tonight. Not sure Marci and Viv know about me being gay. Should make for an interesting thing when they find out. I don't know if they know it is a gay club or what Gonzo has told them.

Our antibiotics would battle it out

The Guy and I both are on antibiotics this week. You may remember we didn't hang out Tuesday because of his bronchitis and my sinus infection. I'm still on the antibiotics and so is he. He feels fine, but he is still experiencing painful chest coughs.

I called him about 1 today. I tried to talk to him 4-5 times yesterday as he was out jogging. Probably not the best thing, but he hadn't eaten healthy and felt fat. He was also sick. He called about 2p.m. and I talked to him. He told me about being sick all week, I told him about my week, and stuff like that. Josh called last night. After he said that he broke down and became uneasy. He asked what I was doing and I said nothing. I was at home enjoying the aloneness. I told him my dad had been home the past 3 weeks. He has been off work because his blood pressure was so high the doctor put him on a mandatory leave. It was nice having my dad home to an extent, but it became intrusive. Picture Mrs. Doubtfire cleaning, vacuuming, cooking, plus yardwork, and secretary. My dad would come in my room and say, "I'm running the vacuum, want me to vacuum yours?" It was nice, but um.... well... I missed my space. He said well, I should come over. I agreed I could because I do have a pretty good immune system and I'm still on antibiotics.

Get to his house about 3:45. He asked me to stop by CVS to pick up his happy pills. I get them and they didn't make a fuss, which surprised me. He called while I was there and told me they didn't have the cough syrup he needed. He did want Robitussin DM. I looked and couldn't find it for the longest time. Someone put the lone bottle on the Alka Seltzer making it hard to find. I found Robitussin CM. I also found generics like Saratussin or something like that. He said "screw those" and I joked how I knew he wanted the full effect brand name. Then he wanted to know the flavors. They aren't listed on Robitussin. The only thing I taste about Robitussin is it tastes nasty. I buy the big giant bottle since it is on sale and take off.

Get to his place and say hello, then he goes to open up the Robitussin. He takes some while I go to the bathroom and he tells me it tastes bad. He said I was going back later for his doctor's cough medicine she prescribed. I laughed at him and his complaints.

We sit down and watch some movie that was a wannabe Kung Fu thing with Chinese people. The Guy joked how he could totally speak Chinese and said random jibberish and told me how it was right. I told him he was so good. He agreed he was and had the inflections down.

We make small talk about things going on. I tell him about seeing Aaron and how Aaron thought my friend Carl was cute. I told him how Carl is butthurt that I am not interested in him and how he is calling me giving me drama. We joked how we should both go out drinking and smoking (NEITHER OF US SMOKE- JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR) to calm down and how we both have differences in guys we like, but we still can have a commonality. Case in point when we were looking at hot guys on myspace later in the evening. I thought one was hot, he didn't, but we always found a few we agreed on.

I talk to my cousin Kat who calls while I'm sitting on the couch. Rumor has it I'm graduating. She wasn't the first to know. She wasn't going to be. She is a distant relation- my aunt's extended family. She wanted to know what I was doing, when, she wants tickets, wants to know if there was going to be a big party. I said low key to my parents. My parents want to do something big, but basically with the economy and things like that we agreed low key. I have a feeling we'll wind up with a big family party, which is ok, but not what I planned. I love how I'm not the one planning my graduation and she is the one who wants to, or finds it important to know. The Guy bascially laughed and sided with me- go small because of the economy.

Zach calls while the movie is on about 5p.m. since he just got off work. The Guy told him about the one guy he really liked at the club I was at last week. The Guy went Thursday night. I was actually going to be there then with Carl. Anyways, this guy hasn't returned his calls. He talked about Navar and then some guy MIke he has also fucked that are potentials. Navar is only 19. He was texting him back and forth also. Anyways, he told me about the Josh thing. Josh called to say how he has no reason to apologize and calling was apologizing. He has been through so much. He used the line that "if The Guy really knew him, he would know what Josh wanted." The Guy was civil and basically Josh has turned to pot, smoking, drinking, broke up with Jackie, is hanging out with his 1 gay friend, went to 2 gay bars, and still doesn't know if he is gay, but doesn't think so. The Guy just encouraged him to get counseling. The Guy talked about how well he handled that and listened to Zach's guy stories. The Guy talked about how strong he has been (because of friends) and how he took action and assessed the situation, is in therapy, has a new trainer, and stuff like that.

Shortly after Zach is off the phone Josh texts. He goes crazy. I can see it in him. He tells me how he knew it was going to happen. So instead we look at pics of Navar on facebook since The Guy friended him. He had 250 pics we went through. Then we played stalker looking for the Mike guy, or maybe his name was Nate. Anyways, we looked for him. The Guy did name searches, area searches, then friends who might know him on myspace. We went through several friend pages looking at hot guys, and one of the guys THe Guy knows is dating/married to a hot guy named Steve I went to high school with who I always knew was gay. We talked about how small the gay world is and everyone knows everyone. I saw that with how The Guy knew this friend, who was married to Steve, who knew a bunch of guys The Guy did, guys I had seen on myspace, out in clubs, or stuff like that. Fun times. We do that for probably an hour. At the end I show him my myspace on my iPhone so he can see the 2 guys I'm interested in.

While all of this is going on we're watching "10,000 BC" and The Guy talks about how the music is from King Arthur's Court, how it is such a typical movie with a father figure, a dad relationship, and the typical jungle stuff. We made some funny reference. I wish I knew what was going on, but suddenly the white guy being chased by all the animals, main character ended up in a group of natives. The Guy said it is like "The Jeffersons." Then he started singing the song or something, then suddenly they were up in a hut or something and I said, "that's the deluxe apartment in the sky." He agreed. Then the guy took some food and ate it. He said, "oh yum," or something like that. I said "Florence!" in my best George Jefferson voice (because Florence is the maid who was always being yelled at by Mr. J). That was pretty funny.

I swear "The Jeffersons" is one of the best shows because it is so applicable to everything, it is in pop culture everywhere, and things like that. I know 3-4 times before The Guy and I have also sang or done random things like this related to the Jeffersons, but they're cool.



So The Guy asks if I will run to CVS. I said sure. I drive up there, park, go in, and they laugh when I am back at the pharmacy. They didn't refill his prescription, though his doctor called it in. 15 minutes they said. I texted The Guy and said "Are you hungry? I'll bring dinner- my treat." It was my treat for all of his help with my computer a week back. It was my treat because I haven't paid for dinner in a long time since it has been Jeff and I there most of the time when we are hanging and The Guy is volunteering to pay. I ask where to go since The Guy texts back "healthy." He names places at my requests and I told him to decide. I go to a sandwich place he mentions. He wants a turkey sandwich with no mayo, no cheese, but avocado. I order that for him and a roast beef with arugula for me. The woman who helped me was a little Chinese lady who was just so sweet. She was asking me how I was doing, and just really sweet. I get the food, then drive back to CVS. I talk to The Guy on the way who decided he needed candles larger than tea candles for a new candle holder he bought. He changes his mind 5 minutes later when he calls me again when I'm at CVS.

I get the food and prescription, then go back to his place. He is vacuuming and cleaning up. He has lit candles. He wants to feel better. His house smelled like Vicks Vapor Rub all afternoon. It wasn't bad. Anyways, we sit down and eat and watch Bill Maher. Sarah Silverman is on. She's the one fucking Matt Damon. She just broke it off with Jimmy Kimmel, by the way, again. So he eats the salad and half of his sandwich. He then does his testosterone shots while I finish eating. We stand around and make random talk about stuff. Then he decides he is tired and wants to shower and go to bed. We were going to hug, but then realized we need to keep our distance.

I thanked him for everything and he thanked me for picking up the prescriptions. I left about 8:15p.m.

I hope this post makes some sense- I may have been smoking some pot while typing it. Nah. I'm just scatterbrained right now, mind is wandering, nerves, thoughts, horniness, worries, stress from school, and things like that are all contributing factors.

An outing

I just happened to sign onto connexion last night- just for the hell of it and I clicked on the chat icon to see who was on. I saw The Guy's photo. It was about 6:00p.m. and that to me sent numerous signs. One- he is lonely because he rarely signs on that. Two- he is probably having a hard day. Three- Something probably went on with Josh.

So this told me a couple things and I figured I'd call him up to see how he was doing. I get in the car to go to the gym and dial his number. He asks what's up with me and I tell him about school and my nicotine addicted professor. He asks if he can call me back later about 5 minutes into the conversation and I said sure. I hadn't heard from him in about 45 minutes, but still wanted to talk so I shot him a text that said I hoped to talk to him later and see him soon. He called me back saying he hadn't forgotten about me. He told me how difficult things have been. Josh was outed the other night by a friend of his and Jackie. Backtrack for those of you who haven't been following closely. The Guy has a major crush on his trainer Josh, whom is presumably straight, and has a girlfriend named Jackie. He told me that Jackie was told and broke up with Josh immediately. Now Josh feels extremely guilty and nonetheless is feeling really bad about himself and possibly hurting himself. Josh's mom is extremely worried and is getting him in to see a therapist today. The Guy has spent the weekend trying to be there and support Josh, yet he was feeling alone last night and needing support, so that's where I came in. He said he was getting a massage from a guy at 7 and would be done about 9. To call him about 9 and we'd hang out.

I call him at 9 and he told me to get over there about 9:45. I said that sounded good. I get over to his place and the door is locked. I knock, The Guy doesn't even hug me and goes back and lays down under the covers. He tells me he is watching a new show called "Law and Order." There is a brief pause in telling me that where he gives me a moment to see what it was and I chuckle. I use the bathroom, then come back and sit on the couch. We chat and his eyes are red. He tells me what is going on with him and Josh. Josh texted him that needing to be alone thing early in the morning, then texted him after dinner when he got home, and that was it. The Guy was worried, wanting to text him, and things like that. We both agreed that was great for a guy wanting to be alone. The Guy talked about how worried he was that he'll lose Josh. I reassured him I doubt he would because he is a tremendous support for Josh (especially with dreams and ambitions) in ways that Jackie isn't. Josh has been pulling back from The Guy lately. Josh told The Guy in a text "he needed the day to himself." He also has stopped calling The Guy "cutie," "sexy," and other flirty terms. We discussed all of this laying there on the couch, him laying down, and me sitting at his feet. We watch 3-4 episodes and he is dozing off throughout some of the episodes. We talk a little about me and my therapist. I told him if anything it is helping me to view my sister in a more negative light and distance myself from her. Another thing that is helping me not worry about everything/feel alone is to make myself busy constantly. It isn't like I sat around before, but finding a way to make sure I'm doing something at every moment of the day. If I'm watching TV I'm reading a book, something like that, so my mind won't wander.

The best line that probably summed everything up was that it isn't about The Guy- it is about Josh. Josh comes into the picture because this is probably a huge turning point in his life. Him being outed was probably his last chance to be heterosexual and Jackie was his last chance to be heterosexual. Now he is going to be seeing a therapist and talk about his feelings, as well as other problems he is facing.

After the "Law and Order" ended on the Tivo there was a show on called "Meet The Spartans." THAT WAS HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE. It looked to be a parody of a lot of TV shows and video games, but it was terrible. We watch the last 15 minutes of that, then since it is 12:45a.m. he decides he should head to bed. We stand up, hug each other, then he thanks me for coming out.

I get home about 1:15 and as I'm driving home encounter the strangest thing. As I'm about to descend into the canyon below where I live I see the sky over in the southeast is lit up in green and there were green flashes. I tried to take photos of it on my iPhone unsuccessfully. The green "cloud" was about 50-100 feet wide it looked. It flashed just like lightening. As I drove out of the canyon and climbed the hill I noticed how the power was out where I live and everytime there was a green flash the street lights flickered. Was it a transformer blowing or something? I dunno. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I hung around in the driveway when I got home to see if I could see it again, but it didn't happen. I did hear 3-4 emergency vehicles as I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep, so maybe it was something?