Promise of spring

Regardless of your location on the planet, you've probably heard me whining about the tardiness of spring. I am really, REALLY ready for spring.

Then I read Tornwordo's blog citing a recent dumping of snow, mid-April, and I tell myself I should count my blessings. At least we haven't had snow in a few weeks; just these annoying overcast skies and mid-40s temperatures that make me agitated at Mother Nature for delaying my hay day.

I love warm weather. I love taking an enjoyable after dinner walk around town, on the boardwalk overlooking the ocean, anywhere really. I'm a convertible owner, the kind that puts their top down as long as the temperature is above 55 and its not raining. I love the blasts of color from springtime trees and flowers that accompany spring's arrival. I sometimes get a little blue in the gloomy, grey doldrums of winter. I am really, REALLY ready for spring.

But today it is not spring. Its 46 degrees, cloudy, with a stray sprinkle now and then. Even the dog is 'hunkered down', asleep on her bed the way she does on the coldest of winter days.

But according to www.accuweather.com spring will arrive this weekend! On Sat it will be sunny and 64; on Sun it will be sunny and 71. Next week is looking pretty darn good, too. On Mon it will be sunny and 74; on Tues it will be sunny and 72. This is the kind of weather we should have had 2 or 3 weeks ago. But I will enjoy it when it arrives, and forgive Mother Nature for her torment.

Drag Queen name of the day: F. Ida Hammer

Newlywed's visit

I was super-excited all last week in anticipation of the Newlywed's visit!

Michael & Jamie (aka: the Newlyweds) arrived shortly after 10:00 Fri night. We showed them around the house and then sat in the living room and talked until almost 2am. They told us all about their vacation/scouting trip to Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. They really 'clicked' in Portland and feel that is where they will relocate later this year.

Sat morning after a light breakfast we went to a flea market at the Seaside Nature Center inside Cape Henlopen Park. I'd been seeing signs for it for all over town for about 2 weeks, so I thought it was going to be really good. The Newlyweds love flea markets too, but it turned out to be quite disappointing; only about 4 tables with mostly junk on them. Not that we were looking to buy anything anyway, but we were hoping for something bigger and better considering all the advertising.

Afterward we drove through the park a little, then got out and walked on the beach a little. It was bright and sunny, although chilly. Michael & Jamie had brought their kites so they quickly put them together and we tried flying their kites for a while. The wind was great, but our kite navigation abilities were limited. It was fun anyway.

Then we had lunch in Rehoboth, browsed a few of the shops, walked on the boardwalk, and returned home. We talked in the living room until almost 8, then went to the Miltonian Pizzeria & Wing House for dinner. We watched the comedy show 'Wisecrack' on the Logo channel from 10-11 and then went to bed.

Sun morning it was raining and very windy as we began feeling the effects of the Nor'easter, so it was great to have a leisurely breakfast of pancakes, bacon, juice, and coffee. We all showered and then just before noon we went to some of the outlet stores. Michael was looking for a rain jacket in anticipation of moving to Portland. All that shopping worked up our appetites so we had lunch at La Tolteca followed by ice cream from Dairy Queen, which we ate in the car looking out at the bay.

When we returned home they packed up and left shortly before 5. It was really great to visit and catch up with them. I'll really miss seeing them when they move to Portland. Joe & I will visit them, but not as often as we're used to seeing each other.

Joe talked to his mom and sister on the phone and surfed the internet while I watched TV. I watched a DVD from Netflix of a PBS show about the creation of the Tupperware company. (Joe had seen it already.) It was really interesting and had lots of vintage footage. We watched the Sopranos, Mind of Mencia, and the new episode of Reno 911, then went to bed.

As I sit here typing I can hear the wind still whipping around outside, and our dog Jordan is snoring. Don't you wish your life was hot like mine?

Drag Queen name of the day: Rhoda Letter

Sick weekend

Joe & I both had off work last Fri for 'Good Friday'. But rather than leave Thurs night for DC, we decided to leave Fri morning. That way he could give Jordan a bath and we could drive in the daylight. Plus, I didn't want to sit around with nothing to do all day Fri while Joe's family was in church.

So we left at 9:30 am on Fri and arrived just before noon at Joe's mom's house. We brought our things inside, got the dog settled, and had a little visit with her. Then I left Joe with his mom and I picked up my aunt Mary. We went to lunch at a new place (new for us, anyway) called Cafe Deluxe and had a delicious lunch. She had the tilapia sandwich, I had the grilled chicken with avocado sandwich, and we split the Gruyere mac 'n cheese. Mmm mmm good! But all morning I'd been having post-nasal drip and a bit of a sore throat.

We walked next door to the Crate & Barrel store. My aunt has been oogling several pieces of furniture for what seems like years now, and wanted my opinion on the pieces. (Side story: my aunt has always had very traditional furniture and now at the age of 63 she wants to trade it all in on more contemporary stuff. Lucky for me, I got her English tea cart and set of 3 nesting tables.) I liked almost all of the items she showed me, but I believe I audibly gasped at the high prices. My aunt likes the store because most of the furniture is solid wood and made in America or Europe. Apparently there is quite a premium to be paid for that. I think I'll stick to furniture that is partially made of wood-like products in China. Then we stopped at Trader Joe's (there are none in DE) and the regular grocery store before I took her home.

I met up with Joe at his mom's house to find that he had accompanied her and his sister and niece to the Catholic church for confession. Joe said he "sat in quiet, contemplative prayer" as his relatives confessed their lying, cursing, and cheating ways to the priest in exchange for a few Hail Mary's. His mother was returning to church at 7pm for another ritual so Joe & I met up with Kerry & Hugh for dinner. We had a great time chatting and catching up.

Sat morning I woke up a little more congested and snotty, so I took some over-the-counter pseudophedrine-something-or-other before Joe, Ev, and I went to breakfast at the Silver Diner. Later we went to Joe's sister Mary's house to visit. The kids wanted to dye Easter eggs and Joe and Mary wanted to make pizelles using the pizelle iron their grandmother received as a 50th wedding anniversary gift in 1955. They were delicious! Mary ordered pizzas for dinner.

At 9pm I met some friends at Freddie's in Arlington to sing karaoke. It was pretty crowded and there were a lot of singers, but I had a good time. My friend Kelly and I sang the Sonny & Cher classic 'I Got You, Babe' - only Kelly sang Sonny's part and I did an impersonation of Cher! (I know, how gay, right?) But the crowd loved it and we had fun.

Sun morning I was REALLY congested and felt a lot of pain and pressure in my sinuses. On a scale of 1-10, my energy level was about 2. I took more of the fake sinus decongestant along with some ibuprofen and muddled through the morning. After showering and dressing we sat in the living room and talked with Joe's mom who had just returned from Easter service. A few minutes later Mary, Eric, and the kids came in and they took Easter pictures. Joe left with them and went to the store with his sister Mary. I picked up my aunt Mary and brought her back to Evelyn's house. (Later I noted that it was the 2nd time that weekend that we'd separated in order to "be with our respective Marys".) At 4pm we went to Joe's brother Louis' house for Easter dinner. I really felt like crap, and took another dose of ibuprofen. The food was good and we enjoyed the time together.

We left Louis' at 7pm, dropped of my aunt Mary, went back to Evelyn's to get our bags and Jordan, and left at 8:15. We got stuck in a bad traffic jam on the Beltway between Eisenhower Ave and the Woodrow Wilson bridge. It took us 45 minutes to make that part of the journey. We got home at 11:15. Fortunately Joe drove home since I was feeling so poorly.

Mon I struggled to make it threw the day. Fortunately it was not a busy or hectic day, and since I work at home, it was nice to be able to go and lie down for a while between tasks. Although I showered, I never got dressed; I wore my flannel pajamas all day. Joe stopped at the drug store on the way home from work and got me the generic of Clariton-D, which had been recommended to me by Kerry who was also suffering with sinus trouble. I took it Mon evening and within an hour I could feel the difference. It really helped with the congestion and allowed me to be able to breathe with my mouth closed. I continued to take ibuprofen for the pain and pressure. Tues I did the same 'part-time' work from home, with rest periods. Again I stayed in my pajamas all day.

Today my energy level was much higher and I worked a full day. I showered, dressed, and even took the dog for a walk and took the recycling to the recycling center. That (generic) Clariton-D really works! Then I remembered having a similar serious sinus problem about this time last year, so I checked my blog. Sure enough, this exact week in April 2006 I missed 3 days of work due to acute sinusitis. (Check the April 2006 archive, entry dated April 17.)

Drag Queen name of the day: Callie Flower

Absence

I know its been a little while since my last post. We were back in VA last Fri, Sat, and Sun to be with the family for Easter. While gone I began having sinus congestion, post-nasal drip, sore throat, sneezing, and runny nose. Yesterday and today I have really been suffering with full-on sinusitus. Fortunately Joe bought me Clariton-D 24 hour decongestant pills and they are really starting to help. Hopefully I'll feel more like writing soon.

Drag Queen name of the day: June Bug

Crackle

Last year about this time the Newlyweds gave us a Victrola stand they'd gotten at a yard sale. They were trying to simply their furnishings and thought we might want to use it at our beach house as a bedside table. They were right. The curvy lines of the Victrola stand appealed to our 'glam' sensibilities.

One problem: it was a hideous shade of green with a dark faux wood treatment done with glaze. Green is my favorite color and there aren't many shades of it I don't like, but this was one of them. But we decided to use it in our bedroom at the beach house, which had a bright color pallet of orange, yellow, pink, green, and blue so we decided we'd paint the different sides and top of the piece with those colors, giving it a funky updated look.

We tried spray painting the top first with bright pink spray paint, but after using the entire can we just couldn't get good coverage. So the next time we were at the beach house I bought a can of primer and primed the entire piece. That should allow us to get a good, solid coat. But the spring turned into summer, the summer turned into fall, and the unfinished Victrola stand remained in the garage at the beach house until we vacated it in late Jan.

In the new house we decided not to use the bright color scheme in any of the rooms so I was a little relieved we hadn't spent much more time painting the Victrola stand all those bright colors. Instead, we decided to use the piece as a stand for Joe's briefcase, near the door. A new color scheme was chosen.

We decided to paint the Victrola stand matte black, then apply a crackle medium, then paint a metallic gold top coat. When the gold top coat crackled, it would reveal the black underneath. I was psyched! So we bought the paints and applied the black base and then the crackle medium.

The crackle medium said to allow 24 hours to dry, but after about 2 hours it was dry to the touch so we tried a little of the gold on the back as a test patch. Nothing happened so we decided it must need to dry the full 24 hours. Unfortunately we got busy and weren't able to get back to working on the piece for a few days. We figured it surely was dry now, so we tried another test patch on the back but nothing happened.

Thinking that we must have waited too long, we applied another coat of the crackle medium, let it dry for 24 hours, and tried another test patch. Still nothing. Frustrated, Joe decided to paint the entire piece in the metallic gold. It was... a bit much.

Now that the entire piece was metallic gold we needed to modify the plan. We decided to leave the metallic gold as the new base coat, apply a different kind of crackle medium, and then apply a top coat of rich barn red.

After applying the new crackle medium and allowing it to dry we tried a test patch of the barn red on the back. There was only minimal crackling, so according to the directions, to achieve more crackling we gave it a 2nd coat of crackle medium, allowed it to dry, and then gave the entire piece a coat of the barn red.

Once again, the crackling affect was minimal; only visible up close. From 5 feet away it just looked burgundy. Even more frustrated, Joe decided to use the left over metallic gold paint to 'enhance' the crackle. I warned him not to do it. I could visualize unnatural-looking streaks of gold paint along with the gold crackle, but he didn't listen.

I'm not exactly sure how he confused 'streaks' with 'blobs', but when I saw what he'd done I told him it looked as if a flock of golden geese had pooped on the Victrola stand. It looked horrible.

So after 3 coats of paint and 4 applications of crackle medium, I am now tempted to simply sand the piece down and re-apply the black matte finish paint and call it a day. I really liked the look of the piece in the black matte finish paint when I was painting the original base coat. It seemed to accent the curves but still remain understated. So that will be my last attempt to transform this free piece of furniture. Check back later for a progress update.

Drag Queen name of the day: Dinah Might

Dog walking

On Tues the weather was crazy-warm. It reached 83 degrees, and its still March!

I took advantage of the super weather by taking Jordan for a nice walk at lunch time. We often walk around the pond near our house, but on Tues I decided we'd walk over to Second St, the 'main street' of Lewes. I thought walking there would give me more opportunities to see/meet people. Working from home has removed much of the social element of work so I think about walking Jordan where I might encounter more people.

As we walked down Mulberry St. and rounded the corner onto Second St. Jordan decided it was as good a time as any to relieve her bowels. Unfortunately, rather than being in the grass close to the sidewalk, she was way up in the homeowners yard, near the walkway to their front door. I suppose it was my fault. If I'd kept her leash tighter she wouldn't have been able to get that far up into the home owner's yard.

Normally I am not overly concerned about where she relieves herself. Its just that Second St. is a very prestigious, desirable, and historic St. Many of the homes there are from the 1700 & 1800s, and are very expensive. Even the smallest of the few houses on Second St. will sell for over a million easily. So, although the location she chose was less than optimal, I told myself there was no need to worry about it. I always bring a plastic bag to collect her poop; we'd be gone in a few seconds. Besides, what are the chances the homeowner would even be at home, much less be outside?

Well, on that day, the chances were very high! Just as Jordan was pushing one out, the homeowner rounded the corner of the house and saw me and Jordan standing in his yard. She was pooping, and I was just standing there. I felt I should say something.

"I'm sorry. She usually goes closer to the sidewalk" I offered.

"I understand" he replied. "As long as you pick it up. You are going to pick it up?"

"Oh, of course" I responded, showing him my plastic bag covered hand. As Jordan walked away from the scene of the crime, I leaned over, picked up the poop and tied the bag closed.

"Did you get it all?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yes." I answered back. I hurried Jordan out of the man's yard as if I'd just heard that my house was on fire.

As we walked down Second St. I began wondering why the man had asked me if I'd gotten it all. Even if I'd been tempted for some reason to leave some behind, I certainly wouldn't have done that with him watching me. I just felt it was odd of him to questioned me about it, as if I were an inexperienced teenager. Then I simply chalked it up to his age. Compared to him I probably looked like a teenager.

I did learn a useful lesson from the experience: only walk Jordan down Second St. AFTER she's relieved herself in a less expensive yard.

Drag Queen name of the day: Eunice Ikle

Netflix

We joined Netflix a few weeks ago. I'd been wanting to join since last year, but because I knew we'd be moving I decided to wait until we got settled at our new address.

I love the concept: select a bunch of DVDs from their vast library and add them to your queue, arrange the DVDs in the order in which you want to see them, change the order at any time, and Netflix will send you a DVD from your queue each time you send one back. They provide you with return envelopes with prepaid postage so you never have to worry about having stamps. There are no late fees; keep the DVD as long as you want. There are DVDs in every genre you can imagine and the library contains films you can't find at traditional video/DVD rental locations. And unlike Blockbuster, Netflix does not edit the content of the DVDs.

Netflix has a nifty feature that allows you to add 'friends' so you and your 'friends' can see the DVDs in each others' queues, read and post comments about DVDs you've already seen, and make recommendations to each other.

And speaking of recommendations, Netflix has a system by which you can rate films you've already seen, either in the cinema or via rental. Based on the films you rate highly Netflix will offer you recommendations of DVDs to add to your queue. "Since you said you really liked 'Now, Voyager', we recommend 'All About Eve'", since both of those films are classics and both starred Bette Davis. The recommendations will often recommend DVDs with the same actors, the same director, the same genre, and the same topic. The more films you rate, the better the recommendations can be.

Last night I watched 'The Night Listener', based on the book by the same title by my favorite writer Armistead Maupin. I really enjoyed the book; couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the movie too, but as I have found with other books made into movies, the movies just don't capture the depth and richness of the books. And sometimes they change big things for no apparent reason, like in 'The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'. But I still enjoyed 'The Night Listener' and recommend that anyone who sees it also be sure to watch the bonus features.

Last Sat we watched 'The Sandpiper', starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. I really liked it a lot. I thought the concept of Elizabeth Taylor as a single mother who chose not to marry her baby's father to be quite controversial for 1964, the year it was made. The scenery is gorgeous too, filmed on location in Big Sur, CA. I like the fact that Netflix carries classics and older films that pre-date DVD. Most traditional video/DVD rental centers don't do that.

Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Nova

Outsiders

I’ve heard many gay people express in different ways the common theme of feeling like an outsider.

As teens their puberty often results in feelings of confusion because they are both curious and terrified about showering in the junior high locker room. They wear their towels wrapped tightly around their wastes into the shower. These teens are often disproportionately uncomfortable there when compared to their straight classmates. This leads to feeling like an outsider.

Later when in high school they witness their classmates inviting one another to dances and to the prom. Most young GLBT folks do not have the confidence or the support from their parents to invite a same-sex date to the prom. Doing so would mean outing oneself to the entire student body and most faculty, something that would equally horrify adults twice their age. They either invite a plutonic opposite sex date or, more often, forego the entire experience. Either way they know they are not like the rest, and they continue to feel like an outsider.

Then in college when their peers are dating and having sexual experiences, young gays and lesbians again feel like outsiders because they are often not participating in these activities too, at least not openly.

When the email invitation to the company holiday party arrives many gays and lesbians fantasize about attending with a same-sex date, but few wish to think about the possible career ramifications of doing so. Instead they tell their co-workers they’ve already accepted an invitation for the same date, and then the day after the party they listen over the cubicle to hear who did, said, and wore what.

Later in life when gay people finally find someone with whom they want to share their lives, hopes, and dreams they are again confronted with being different: unable to marry like their straight friends. And when they move into suburban neighborhoods populated mostly with married couples with children, again it is drilled into their heads that they outsiders; different because they don’t have children.

It seems that at almost every milestone in life gays and lesbians are reminded that they just don’t quite fit into their straight surroundings, leaving many to feel like outsiders.

Fortunately most of us learn to adjust. We stop caring so much that we don’t fit in; we embrace our diversity and claim our right to live with our same-sex partner (even if we can’t marry them) in whatever neighborhood we want or can afford. Eventually we may casually out ourselves at work and even take our partner to the company holiday party, if we’re fairly secure in our selves and our jobs. Many gays and lesbians create comfortable lives for themselves and live happily ever after. But do they ever really shake the feeling of being an outsider? I began asking myself this question due to my own recent experiences. But first, a step backward.

In 1993 I visited Rehoboth for the first time. I had just come out and had only been dating my boyfriend for 5 weeks. He and some friends were about to spend a week’s vacation in Rehoboth, and being so absolutely smitten with me, he lamented that we would be apart for an entire week. He arranged for me to catch a ride to Rehoboth with some friends on Friday after work so we could spend the weekend together. Although that weekend is now barely more than a blur in my mind, I knew then and there that Rehoboth was a special place. I knew I’d come back some day.

In 1998 I returned to Rehoboth with my partner Joe and our friends Gene and Tracy. Tracy had a few clients with homes in Rehoboth and they generously allowed him to use them off-season. The 4 of us enjoyed walking on the boardwalk, outlet shopping, and eating in many of the fine Rehoboth restaurants. We saw 2 films at the very 1st annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival without advance ticket purchase. (You know that doesn’t happen nowadays.) Gene and Tracy spoke of a desire to own a place here, which we completely understood. We returned to Rehoboth several times in the off-season with them.

In 2000 another friend, Susan told us she’d bought a vintage mobile home in Lewes, and invited us to stay there anytime. I knew Lewes was near Rehoboth but had never been there. We stayed in Susan’s ‘little trailer that time forgot’ and fell in love with it. Two years later when she decided to sell it, we bought the little trailer and looked forward to reading Letters from CAMP Rehoboth during our monthly visits to Lewes and Rehoboth. In 2004 we sold the trailer to another couple who equally appreciated its vintage charm, and purchased a townhouse in Lewes, continuing to spend at least one weekend every month there off season, and almost every weekend during season.

It was then that Joe & I began talking about the possibility of living here full-time. We thought of it like the realization of a dream. We love being close to the water, the slightly slower pace of life here, and the charm of Rehoboth and Lewes. But both of us had jobs that tied us to the DC area. What would we do for work here? We loved our house. Would we be able to find something we liked as much here? Could we leave behind all of our friends and family and once again become ‘outsiders’? We pondered these questions for well over a year.

In Feb of 2006 Joe decided to quit his job and try self-employment. Not long after that I learned that my company planned not to renew the lease on the office space that I shared with 2 colleagues. The company was planning to ask us to set up home offices. Suddenly both Joe and I were no longer tied to the DC area. We decided it was the right time, professionally and personally, to make our move. Rather than continue his self-employment, Joe got a good job working for the State of DE and moved into the townhouse in Lewes so he could start his new job. I stayed behind until our house got rented, and then we both moved into a new house in downtown Lewes in January.

So, now here we are: full-time residents who barely know anyone; ‘outsiders’ to the small and close-knit communities of Rehoboth Beach and Lewes. We still read Letters from CAMP Rehoboth religously and dream of the day when we’ll feel like locals who belong here. It’ll just take some time. In the meantime we’re meeting our neighbors, looking to get involved in community activities, and just being open to whatever new and unexpected opportunities we may find. We’re sure that one day we’ll outgrow that curious and frightened 12 year old in the locker room, and eventually become comfortable enough to leave our towel on the bench outside the shower. Outsiders no more.

Drag Queen name of the day: Verna Chelly

Shower Curtain

Thought I'd post a photo of our new shower curtain. It is a fairly heavy fabric; almost upholstery weight, which is surprising since we bought this at an outlet store for $15. The background color is dark brown and the pattern has terra cotta, gold, and lime green. We already have a set of lime green towels and I'm hoping to get a set of terra cotta towels too.

Drag Queen name of the day: Joy N. Hope

Unexpected weekend

Here’s what we had planned for this past weekend:

• Fri evening drive to Springfield, drop off the dog at Joe’s mom’s, drive to Takoma Park for our friend John’s 40th birthday, drive back to Springfield
• Sat morning take Evelyn with us to Kerry & Hugh’s in Manassas for breakfast, followed by watching the St. Patrick’s Day parade, then drive back to Springfield
• Sat evening/night have dinner and visit with Joe’s family
• Sun morning meet Michael & Jamie for breakfast
• Sun afternoon meet Greg & Gerry for lunch

However, things didn’t go as planned. The weather in the DC area and here was crazy. In DC they had rain, sleet, and snow which crippled rush hour traffic. There was a dense fog warning for the Bay Bridge, and a reported 10-mile back-up on the eastbound side. Here in Lewes it had been raining all day and was extremely windy. So we decided not to put ourselves out there in all that mess. We stayed in and planned to leave Sat morning.

After showers, breakfast, etc we left bright and sunny Lewes in the Suburban. About 10 miles up the road we began noticing an unusual sound coming from the engine. About 5 miles later it seemed to be getting louder. After a short discussion we decided to return home. The noise got louder as we drove back to Lewes, so we felt justified (instead of like sissies) for returning home. We thought about switching to one of the other cars, but realized Joe’s car has an expired Jan VA state inspection sticker on it. (We’ve not yet switched our driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations over to DE.) The passenger side door of my car needs to be fixed and can not be opened at this time. So despite having 3 vehicles, none of them were in suitable condition for the trip. So we called everyone with whom we had plans and cancelled.

Determined not to waste the weekend, we decided to do a little shopping. We returned a small product at Lowes and did some price comparing. Then we bought a new shower curtain for our bathroom at Springmaid Wamsutta (I love that store), had lunch at Mr. P’s, and then went grocery shopping.

After putting away the groceries Joe watched a little TV and I started hanging pictures. I hung 3 prints in the TV room, 3 pieces of original art in one of the guest bedrooms, and 3 more in the hallway outside of our bedroom.

Then I ironed the pillow cases and the lace top of the sheet for the top floor bedroom, and Joe helped me put the new bed skirt on, and make the bed with the new, freshly washed and ironed sheets. The guest bedroom looks great!

Sun morning we decided to hang the large mirror and 4 pictures in the living room. Due to the size and weight of these, we needed to drill pilot holes, sink plastic anchors, and screw in screws in order to hand them. Of course, all of that was after lots of careful measuring to ensure the mirror and pictures on the same wall were exactly the same height and distance from each other. Next we moved another mirror onto the mantel and accessorized with candles and framed photos. Then we hung 2 small pictures in the powder room; piece of cake. Then we hung 2 pictures and a clock in the breakfast room. Then I hung a key ring holder on the wall near the front door. Then to wrap up our day of productivity, we took the ‘extra’ TV and TV stand (previously used at the beach house) up to the attic along with 2 boxes of stuff, and put away some recent paperwork, mail and CDs.

It may seem repetitious that I keep documenting all of our unpacking, organizing, and decorating, but it makes me feel good to write and review all that we are accomplishing, and lessened some of the disappointment about our foiled weekend plans. Although I love organizing and decorating, most of the time I would prefer to be with family and friends... or watch a movie or surf the internet!)

Drag Queen name of the day: Sharon Aride

Richmond

On Mon I had to go to Richmond for a sales meeting and training. Previous posts are sufficient to describe my lack of enthusiasm for these trips, but just in case you've forgotten, I really don't like them. But for some reason, this trip was different.

I arrived Mon at 6:30 and planned to spend the rest of the evening in my room. The other team members usually go out and drink in a smokey bar. But as I was about to get onto the elevator I ran into my boss who instructed me to meet everyone in the lobby at 7:30 to carpool to a restaurant for a team dinner. I did, and on the way to the restaurant one of my team members said "So, you heard the CEO got canned, right?"

"Are you kidding?" I replied in genuine shock. As it turns out, part of the reason for this sales meeting and training was to announce that the Board had relieved the CEO, and to give us a chance to meet the new acting CEO (an executive consultant). At dinner my boss told everyone about this and suggested we think about any questions we wanted to ask at the next day's meeting. But more surprises were in store.

After Tuesday's formal announcement of the sacked CEO and the introduction of the new acting CEO, we found out that the sales team structure was also changing. No one was loosing their jobs; their products and sales areas were changing. My duties, products and sales areas did not change so this part was not nearly as dramatic for me as it was for others. They were all given a choice between 2 products and sales areas, along with 24 hours to report their decision. It was also announced that additional sales positions would be filled as soon as possible.

Later that evening the team once again went out for drinks and dinner. I thought I would stay a respectable amount of time and then head back to my room but I wound up staying out with the team longer than I expected. I was actually having a good time! I'm not sure if it was because we'd all been through such a wild day, or if it was because I finally let my guard down and just went with the flow. Or maybe, it was because the former CEO wasn't there.

On Wednesday we all met one at a time with my boss and his boss to discuss our goals and comfort level with all the changes, then worked the rest of the day from that office on our 'regular' activities. I got permission to leave at 3:30 since I had a 5 hour drive to make.

Wednesday's weather was incredible. In Richmond it was 80 degrees - outrageous for March 14. I put the top down on my car and drove all the way home that way. It was glorious! I didn't run into too much bad traffic and actually made it home in less than 5 hours.

Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Wrist

Bubble glass

Kerry & Hugh planned to visit relatives in our neck of the woods this past weekend so we made plans for them to stop in and visit us, too.

We'd seen Kerry's application of 'bubble glass' film to the bathroom window in their new addition and thought it would be the perfect solution for us, too. I asked Kerry to bring some bubble glass film with her so we could apply it during their visit.

Since we had limited time I watched, listened, and learned while Kerry did the actual application. She measured the glass to be covered, cut the bubble film slightly larger than the measurements, sprayed the window and the film with water, applied the film, smoothed out the air pockets, and then trimmed the edges to fit. She applied the bubble film to 6 of our windows and I absolutely LOVE it! The top sashes are divided into 6 panes and all of them are unchanged. The lower sashes are are not divided at all - just one large pane - and that is what got the bubble film. We did the window in our bathroom, the windows on the main floor bathrooms, and the hallway windows (which face the bedroom doors).

The bubble film looks completely authentic, like the old bubble glass from the early 1900s. Since our house is a reproduction Victorian, it is really enhanced by the bubble glass look. But what I like the most is that you still get all the natural light of the window but people can't see in. I don't want curtains and blinds on every window, but Joe insists on lots of privacy so this is the perfect compromise. And even better, you can't tell from the outside that the bubble film has been applied unless the sun is shining directly on the window. (The screens partially obscure the view.) So from the outside its difficult to see which windows have been 'bubbled' and which have not. I couldn't be happier with this!

I love it when a plan comes together.

Drag Queen name of the day: Sally Putty

Frozen drips

Today the sun is out in full force, so the snow is melting from the various roof lines of our house. Since our house is a Victorian it doesn't have gutters. Since there are no gutters the melted snow drips off the porch roof into the planting beds. Apparently the air temperature is still cold enough to cause the melted snow to freeze. These bushes looked pretty cool with their frozen drips so I thought I'd post them.

Drag Queen name of the day: Lynn Gweeney

Snow

It is snowing today. Its quite beautiful. The snow began at about 8:00 this morning. There have been times when its been light with small flakes, and other times when its been heavy with large flakes. This is our house covered in snow. They're calling for 3-5 inches.

Drag Queen name of the day: Faith N. Charity

Back to DC

We had a great weekend back in DC.

We left Lewes at 5:00 and arrived at Joe's mom's at 7:30. We said hello, got the dog situated, and then met our friends Bugsy & Roger at the Taco House. We had a great meal (as usual) and got caught up with them. They are preparing to go on a cruise to Hawaii! I'm so jealous. I've wanted to go to Hawaii ever since I was a kid when my dad got to go for a business trip and my mom tagged along. Bugsy & Roger are coming to visit sometime after they return from their trip so we can see their photos and hear about all their adventures.

Sat morning Joe & I had coffee and visited with Joe's mom and brother Frank. Frank told us about his new job, and Evelyn told us about her plans to take a cruise to Bermuda in June. After showering we left to meet our friends Clara and Susan for lunch in Fairfax.

Susan, Clara, and I all worked for the same company years ago and although we've all moved on we still stay in touch. Wed was Clara's birthday and since she just announced she was pregnant we decided to meet for lunch. We had a great time talking, laughing, and eating. They are great friends. We were there for 3 1/2 hours!

On the way back to Springfield we stopped in Tyson's at my aunt Mary's. She gave us an English tea cart and a set of 3 nesting tables that had belonged to her and my grandmother. Mary is wanting to change her decorating style to something more contemporary so was looking to rid herself of these more traditional items. Since our living room has an eclectic design I thought they would fit in well. We had a nice little visit with Mary and then loaded the furniture into the Suburban. Mary came with us back to Evelyn's and the 4 of us went to dinner.

After dinner I dropped Joe & Evelyn off at the house, took Mary back to her place, and then headed to Freddie's to meet up with a few friends. It was karoke night so I was looking forward to singing. It was very crowded and there were lots of singers so even though I was there for 2 hours I only got to sing once. It was fun to see my friends though. While there I recognized a guy I hadn't seen in about 14 years. Oddly enough his name popped right into my head so I approached him to confirm it was him. He was surprised I remembered his name and apologized for not remembering mine. Chris and I met at the Prince William County Gay & Lesbian Association in the spring of 1993. Chris was the president/organizer of the group and I began attending some of the social events prior to 'coming out'. I gave him my email address and hope he'll stay in touch.

Sun morning Evelyn, Joe & I went to Kerry & Hugh's for breakfast and to visit. Kelly, George, and Ana and her family were there as well. We had a great time talking, laughing, and eating. (Sounds familiar...) We got back to Evelyn's around 1:00 and tried to get in touch with Joe's sister Mary. Sat night she had said she'd hook up with us after we returned from breakfast. But since her phone was busy for quite a while we decided to pack up and go home. We left at 2:00 and got home at 4:30.

After unloading the furniture from the Suburban Joe put a load of laundry in the washer and we went to the grocery store to do our weekly shopping. We had dinner at home and watched TV. We went to bed shortly after 10 but I couldn't sleep so I got up at 11:15 and watched more TV. I went back to bed at 12:30.

Drag Queen name of the day: Stella Doro

Crazy weather

Last night it got very windy and rainy. I assumed it was getting colder. Yet this morning when I took the dog outside I was shocked by how warm it was. Crazy warm.

Later in the morning I looked outside and saw several birds taking a bath in a puddle of water in the street. It was so cute, I thought of taking a picture. But I wasn't sure where the camera was, and was fairly certain the birds would be finished their bath by the time I returned with the camera. But it was a cute sight to behold.

A few minutes ago I checked the weather website to find it is 60 degrees outside. March 2 and 60 degrees. But lest we get our hopes up for an early spring, the forecast for the next 5 days includes temperatures back in the normal 30s and 40s.

We're leaving in about 1/2 an hour for a weekend visit in VA.

Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Dactile

Donations

As I've shared earlier, prior to moving from our VA home we donated clothing and household items to Goodwill. I also like donating to Value Village because they will pick up the donations from your front porch.

When we were moving our stuff from the beach house to our new house we literally did not have time to sort the stuff to be donated. Everything had to be moved out of the beach house right away so it could be cleaned and made ready for its tenants. So as we've been unpacking and getting organized we've come across some furniture and other items we don't need or want. At first Joe's brother said he wanted everything, so we stacked it in a corner of the living room and waited for him to pick it up. Long story short: a month has passed and he's not called or come to pick up the stuff so I decided to donate it.

GoodWill, Salvation Army, Value Village - they're all great organization. But this time I asked local folks where I might donate items so that they go directly to people in need. Our former neighbor at the beach house is a minister and she said she would check to see if anyone she knew was in need. Another friend suggested SCAC (Sussex County AIDS Committee). They have a team of case managers who can assess the needs of their clients and put donors in touch with clients in need, so I called them too.

I'm happy to say that a dinette table and 4 chairs, a coffee table and matching end table were picked up by an SCAC referral on Wed, and a sofa, chair, and 2 twin headboards will be picked up on Mon evening by the minister's referral. Stuff in good condition that I don't need going to people who are in need. I think that's the way its supposed to work.

Drag Queen name of the day: Katie Didd

Weekend recap

Fri night we went to see ‘Reno 911: Miami’. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be that great and should be reserved for DVD viewing, and I was right. It wasn’t as good as the TV show, although there were a few funny parts. Joe was very eager to see it so we did.

Sat after breakfast we went to Bad Hair Day salon so Joe could get his hair cut. I got mine cut there 2 weeks prior and really liked the cut and the salon. The salon’s walls are black with the exception of the front wall which is all glass. In the waiting area there is an enormous crystal-looking chandelier, and on every one of the styling stations there is a smaller, lamp version of the chandelier. They play fun music and the stylists wear fun clothes. They also offer you a beverage (coffee, tea, water, wine, beer) while you wait. I told Joe’s stylist that I hoped he could cut Joe’s hair so that it gave him a ‘fresher, younger’ look since he’s had the same hair style for the entire 10+ years I’ve known him. The stylist did a great job and Joe looks fabulous!

Next we headed over to Home Depot with a gift card in hand to look for a cordless drill/screw driver combo. A very nice and competent gentleman helped us decide on one, since the prices ranged wildly. I explained I wasn’t planning to build a house with it; I just wanted a good weekend project tool. We also picked up a package of drill bits and screw heads along with a level. (I’ve always wanted a level to make picture hanging accurate.)

Next we went back to the linen outlet where we’d seen the curtain panels we wanted for the living room. (The store had 3 but we needed 4.) Last week the store manage sent an email to all stores in the chain regarding the panel we wanted, and one of the stores responded by shipping the panel to me. It should arrive tomorrow. So on Sat we bought the other 3 panels from our local store since the 4th one was on its way. When we got home I put up the 3 and they look great!

Sat afternoon we plugged the drill/screw driver battery into the charger and then drove to Dover. Although Rehoboth has the outlet malls, Dover has the chain stores like Target, Best Buy, Kohl's, and Value City. After checking out the goods at several places we headed back towards home and stopped for dinner at Meding & Son seafood. They have a gigantic ship's propeller in front of the restaurant and we've been curious about the place. Turns out the dad started selling wholesale seafood out of a pick-up truck, then opened the seafood carry-out, and then added on the restaurant. Gradually several family members have come to work with him. The food was terrific and we are definitely going back.

Sun after breakfast we mounted our replacement mailbox to a bracket, and then attached the bracket to the neighbor's existing mailbox post. We now have a fully-installed mailbox! Then we unpacked the last of the boxes. They were mostly decorative items, which is why we could function for 4 weeks without having unpacked them yet. It felt good to finally have everything unpacked – not that it’s all put away, but at least it’s unpacked. With all the boxes unpacked we loaded all the flattened boxes, packing paper and bubble wrap into the Suburban and dropped them off at the recycling center. Then we hooked up the TV, cable box, DVD player, and VCR in the 3rd floor rec room.

Later we stopped in at our neighbors Jim & Barb’s house. Jim had back surgery on Tues so we decided to bring them a basket of goodies to enjoy during his recuperation: flavored coffees, teas, cocoa, cookies, jam, and chocolates. They invited us in, gave us a tour of their house, and invited us to sit and chat for a while. They are very nice and interesting folks, and we had a lovely visit with them.

While we were visiting with Jim & Barb it began to snow. At times it snowed pretty hard, but only for a few minutes at a time. We got less than an inch, but it was just enough to give everything a pretty white covering. We both showered and then went to an Oscar party at our friends Steve & Paul's house in Georgetown (DE). Unfortunately the snow scared several people away so it wound up being just Rick, Steve, Paul, and us. But we had a great time anyway. They had decorated their house with movie memorabilia and decorations, they had food and drinks, and gift bags for attendees - just like the real Oscars!

Steve & Paul are real movie fans and have converted their dining room into a true movie theatre. The walls and ceiling are painted very dark, they have black-out shades and curtains on the windows, and they have a projection system TV that shows on a huge screen. They even have a candy counter stocked full of all your movie-watching favorite candies. They are really nice guys and we had a fun time.

By the time we left the Oscar party the temperature had risen a few degrees and it was raining. By Mon morning there was no sign of the previous day's snow.

Drag Queen name of the day: Della Ware

Long weekend

For the past several years we've spent the long President's Day weekend at the beach, and this year was no exception. Only this year we didn't 'go away' for the weekend, we stayed home, since we live at the beach now.

We decided to take advantage of the long weekend by doing some more unpacking, organizing, and getting settled. We’d gotten the house ‘functional’ so now we wanted to get it more settled.

We started by putting down the dining room area rug and then arranged the furniture until it felt right. Unfortunately that also entailed moving out a bunch of stuff that didn’t belong in the dining room to begin with. But in less than an hour the furniture that belonged there was in place and the stuff that had been removed was stacked in the walkway between the dining and living rooms.

Next we went to the 3rd floor where we had the movers put all 3 of our vintage sectional sofas. The pieces were all piled on top of each other all over the room, along with tables, boxes of vintage decorations, and the TV and TV stand. I took a deep breathe and wondered how we’d ever make sense out of this room.

It didn’t come easy. We separated the pieces of the 3 sectionals and began moving them into various arrangements. (Insert grunting, groaning, and a little bit of arguing here.) It wasn’t until about the 5th attempt that we arrived at an arrangement that worked. So we vacuumed and Swiffered the floor, put down the area rug, and sighed a huge sigh of relief.

It was after 1:00 so we decided to break for showers and then walk into town for lunch. It was very cold – only about 30 degrees – but it was sunny outside and we were up for the walk. On the walk back home I got a call on my cell from our friends Mike & Clark. They were in town for the long weekend with friends and wanted to see if we were available for a quick visit. They were only a block away so we turned around and walked back to town and met up with them. They came to the house with us and we showed them around, and then accepted their invitation to join them and their friends for dinner that night.

After they left Joe & I unpacked all of the boxes that had come from our dining room in VA. Then we unwrapped all the barware from the beach house. We grouped all of the stemware, platters, bowls, plates, and various serving pieces and began to display and store them in the china hutch, side board, buffet, and corner cabinet. To my surprise everything fit beautifully.

Sat evening we met up with Mike & Clark and the group of friends with whom they were spending the weekend: Maurice & David, Mark & Randy, Mary & Lynn, Michael & Bob, and Bill. Most of them were staying in 2 weekend rental apartments that had kitchens so they had made dinner. We brought 2 bottles of wine in case anyone wanted some with or before dinner. But first we started with cocktails. Mary made Cosmopolitans, which are right up my alley! We met all the friends and quickly got along splendidly with everyone. As it turns out, 3 of them are teachers for the same County school system for which my friends Kerry and Alex work. And one of the teachers teaches at the same elementary school where Joe’s nephews attend. A later conversation with Joe’s sister revealed that her sons both knew the teacher.

On Sun we had breakfast at the Dirty Finger and then did a little shopping. We looked for curtains at a few stores but didn’t buy any. After deciding on the ones we wanted we returned to the store to find they only had 3 panels left – and we needed 4. We did buy another mailbox, since our original mailbox was never returned. Afterwards we went to a special film screening for Film Society members like me. It was called ‘Coffee Date’ and it was really good! Then we unpacked more boxes and did more organizing. We had dinner at home and watched Rome on HBO.

On Mon we unpacked more boxes, did some laundry, and went back to the store where we’d seen the curtains. A 2nd employee checked the back stock and reported there were no more. She called another store in the chain but they didn’t have any at all. To make up for our disappointment we had lunch at one of our favorite lunch spots in Rehoboth: Café Sole. We both ordered our usuals: Turkey Stuffer for Joe (Thanksgiving dinner on a roll) and Fried Oyster BLT with Brie for me. Oh, and a ½ of a deviled egg for each of us, thank you. Now, I know that sounds like a big, rich lunch for 2 guys who claim to be watching their weight, but we decided that would be our big meal for the day. Dinner would be a smaller, lighter fare at home.

After lunch we took a very short stroll on the boardwalk. It was just too cold and windy so we headed back to the car while we could still feel our feet. More unpacking and organizing followed by breaking down the boxes and loading them into the Suburban. Joe cleaned the bathroom (because I hate doing that) and I vacuumed the 1st and 2nd floors of the house. Then we watched some TV and spent some time on the computer.

It was a really nice long weekend – thanks to the Presidents.

Drag Queen name of the day: Amber Light

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

This was mine and Joe’s 11th Valentine’s Day together. Probably like most people, we’ve run the gambit of Valentine’s traditions: a romantic weekend out of town, a fancy and expensive dinner, gifts, chocolates, cards, flowers. Each Valentine’s Day has been nice and enjoyable. It’s nice to do something different and not feel like we must keep an annual tradition just because.

After having just moved 3 weeks ago, we decided to stay home this Valentine’s Day. We’re both trying to watch what we eat, which is tricky when you eat out, and we’re also trying to watch our spending. So we bought a marinated pork tenderloin, some small potatoes, some peas and some corn and had a delicious and perfectly lovely dinner at home – just the two of us.

When Joe came home from work there was a lovely vase of flowers waiting for him. I bought dark pink astromerium, light pink snap dragons, and large white mums from the floral dept at the grocery store and arranged them in a vase. They really looked pretty. Joe is not fond of red roses, in case you were wondering.

For the past 10 years I have ordered flowers from a florist and had them delivered to Joe’s office. He loves cut flowers and getting them at the office gives him a chance to show his straight co-workers that they aren’t the only ones who can get flowers at work. Plus, I just think it’s hard to beat the feeling of getting flowers delivered to you at work. But since we’ve just moved and I don’t know anything about the quality of the florists near his office, and also to save a little money (okay, a LOT of money), I bought the flowers and arranged them myself. They looked beautiful and he loved them, which is really all that counts. Once again, it was different and it was good.

‘Different’ has sort of become our theme since we moved, and it’s not by accident. We both recognized that we could stand to make some changes in our personal lives and in our life together, and being open to something different is a key to embracing change. Joe wants to be more organized than he was before so he’s really been trying to pick up after himself more than before. He wants to be more fit and lose weight so he’s been going to a personal trainer and working out at a gym. I want to stop procrastinating so much so I have tried setting goals of productivity for myself and not allowing myself to put them off until another day. I want to be more physically active so as soon as the weather breaks the freezing point I am going to walk the dog or just walk myself on my lunch break. Living in this house is also a means of embracing change. Our house in VA had a huge basement for storage and a large pantry in the kitchen. These allowed us to store things without being organized and made it hard to quickly find things we needed. It also allowed us to keep things we didn’t need and never used. This house has neither a basement nor a pantry, so it has encouraged us to be much more organized and thoughtful about utilizing the storage spaces elsewhere in the house.

Whether its Valentine’s Day celebrations or storage – sometimes a change is good.

Drag Queen name of the day: Ginger Snap