Weekend highlights

Sat morning I went to real estate school, somewhat nervous because I knew that I would be taking my math final that day. We covered the last short chapters in the math text book, then the instructor gave us a short review. We took a 15-minute break, then took the final. Fortunately it was only 20 problems, but they were all word problems. I completed the final and left the school by noon, feeling relieved but unsure.

When I got home Spouse & I went to Rehoboth Beach for a late lunch at the Green Turtle on the boardwalk. Its a 2nd floor restaurant with killer views of the ocean. We sat in the bar area at a table with an unobstructed view. This is the actual view from the restaurant's balcony:

I think the spectacular ocean view made the food taste better! Afterward it was a bit too chilly and windy to walk on the boardwalk as we usually do, so we walked the streets of town, peeking into some of the stores we'd not been into in a long time. Although cool and windy, it was sunny so it was nice to be outside. After returning home Spouse took a nap and I watched some shows on the DVR.

Later that evening we met up with Steven & Thad and Thad's friends Matt & Stacy for drinks. Thad, Matt and Stacy have known each other since high school. Since it was Matt's birthday weekend, they came to Rehoboth Beach for a birthday getaway. We enjoyed meeting them and had a nice time chatting over drinks. Then the 2 of them went to dinner for Matt's birthday, and Steven & Thad and Spouse & I went to dinner at Dos Locos. I ordered the Mexican Plate which I knew was too much food, but I wound up taking home a 1/3 of it for later. We had a good time.

Sun morning I went to real estate school to take my law final. I'd done a good bit of studying on Thurs and took a couple sample tests online on Fri so I felt pretty confident I would do well. Our instructor gave us a review for about an hour, we took a short break, then sat down to take the final. It contained 100 questions, of which there were only 3 or 4 I wasn't too sure about. Again I was done and out of class by noon. After arriving home, I ate the leftovers from the previous night's dinner from Dos Locos. Then I got an email from the math instructor advising me that I had passed yesterday's math final. Whew!! That was a huge relief, as the math final was the one with which I had the most concern.

That evening we went to Steven & Thad's for an Oscar party. Our friends Chris & Jason, Rusty, 1 of the Bobs, and Rick & Candy came as well. It was a potluck and everyone brought great food! Spouse brought cheese tortellini with panchetta and peas in a blush sauce, a special request from Thad. We ate and drank and socialized, then sat down to watch the last of the red carpet coverage and critique the celeb's gowns. We all agreed that the Oscars show itself was rather boring. I thought Anne Hathaway did a perfectly fine job keeping her energy level up, but James Franco seemed like he'd been awake for at least 72 straight. And the writing (the banter between celebs presenting) was just awful. None of it was funny and the celebs were crashing and burning. It was most likely the least interesting Oscars I've watched. Thank god we had good food and friends to make the night fun!

Today I heard from the law instructor: I passed the law final. This means that next Sat I will make my final 160 mile round trip drive to real estate school to pick up my certificate showing I passed the real estate course. That certificate will allow me to then sit for the state and national boards exams. I can't believe the 8 weeks of school have passed so quickly! It seems like yesterday that I started school, yet I'm done now. But I'm looking forward to taking (and passing) the state and national boards soon so I can start working as a licensed real estate agent.

A new chapter in my life is beginning.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too important to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

Here's a funny rendition of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, courtesty of my friend Alan.

Did you hear about the woman who attacked her roomate over a box of Thin Mints Girl Scout cookies? Now, I could see it if they were Do Si Dos, but Thin Mints?? Really???

My friend and frequent funny foto contributor Jared sent me this.

Its really heartwarming, isn't it? The knowledge that chili cheese fries are always there for you...

Now, for the opposite of heartwarming, here's something REALLY depressing: I was 11 years old when Justin Bieber's FATHER was born. Sweet baby Jesus...

Jared also sent me this crazy 'ad'. Click to enlarge it and read the text.

Oddly enough, I've owned 4 Hondas in the last 25 years.

Watch this hilarious video and then do your part!! I did, and it felt great!

This coming weekend is my last weekend of real estate classes! I'll take my math and law finals this weekend, and then provided I pass them both, I'll get my certificate on the following Sat, March 5. (I present the certificate when I sit for the state and national board exam.) But I'm nervous about the math and law finals. There's so much info that could be on them; its hard to know what to study.

One of my facebook friends posted this and I just had to swipe it. Love that hair!!

Spouse had a slight set back at his Weight Watchers weigh-in last night. He gained a 1/2 pound. I suggested he not worry over it since he already knew the reasons for the gain. He spent a day and a 1/2 with his family last weekend and didn't stick to his program, and he only worked out once that week. I'm sure he'll lose that 1/2 pound plus some next week.

Sun evening we're going to an Oscars party at Steven & Thad's. Spouse & I never used to watch awards shows, but now we attend or host awards parties for nearly all of them. Its fun! I don't know why we didn't do it before.

Here's wishing everyone a GREAT weekend!

Weekend highlights

Fri evening we heard back about the offer we put that condo last weekend. All 4 offers were rejected by the bank! The unit is a foreclosure and needs some work so we bid low. Apparently so did the others and the bank was not satisfied with any of the offers. The listing agent told our agent (and the others) that we should resubmit with our "best and final". Spouse & I discussed it at length, and then on Sat we raised our offer. Hopefully we'll hear something by the end of this week. We would really like to fix up this condo for a rental.

Sat morning Spouse went for his work out, and then we had lunch and did some looking around at Home Depot. We wanted to cost-out the products we'll need if we get the condo so we could have a closer idea of the final cost. I also bought a thatch rake, and when we got home I went to work on a dirt pile that was left in our yard when the new driveway was poured. It was sunny and almost 50 degrees so it was pleasant to be outside doing yard work. Then I rolled some large chunks of granite around to make a 'fence' along the street. Later that night we met up with Steven & Thad, The Bobs, and a few other friends for dinner at Saketumi. We've really come to like it there. The food is good quality and delicious, the service is great, and the interior is sophisticated and beautiful. I had Panang Chicken Curry (same as last time) and 3 Cosmos (hiccup). I didn't order the 3rd one - someone it just magically appeared on the table in front of me! Far be it from me to let a Cosmo go to waste, so I enjoyed it and gave Spouse the car keys.

Sun morning we met Steven & Thad for brunch at the Long Neck Diner, then stopped at the grocery store on the way home. Spouse started making a mixed berry cobbler while I fired up Big Ella and took her out for a little exercise. It was sunny and nearly 60 degrees, which practically screamed "convertible weather", so after putting Big Ella back in the garage, Spouse & I went for a drive to the beach in the new car with the top down. Later that night we took the cobbler to Steven & Thad's Oscar party/potluck. Neither of us are big into watching awards shows, but its a LOT more fun to be in a room full of gay men and critique the stars' clothing, hair and make-up. Surprisingly, we stayed until midnight when the show finally ended. (I thought Spouse was going to suggest leaving earlier.) Even more surprising was that once at home in bed, I couldn't fall asleep. My mind just wouldn't stop and I was awake until sometime after 2am. When I got up this morning I felt like I had a hangover, even though I'd consumed no alcohol.

How come the weekends always pass by so quickly?

Crush du Jour: Charles Kelley

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

Only a few lumps of snow remain as a reminder of the blizzards we had nearly a month ago. This weekend the temp is supposed to reach 50 degrees so I imagine the remaining lumps won't remain much longer.

My friend Jared sent me this, which made me laugh.

Speaking of the Tea Party, have you heard about the Coffee Party? Cooperation, not obstruction in government. This makes a lot of sense to me.


Sun evening Spouse & I are going to an Oscars party at Steven & Thad's. Neither of us are big into watching awards shows, but for some reason its a whole lot more fun doing it with others. Its also a potluck, so that will make it extra fun!

My friend Jared sent me this little gem, too!


Have you read about the "open-carry" movement targeting Starbucks? It seems that Starbucks originally said guns were not allowed in their stores so the open-carry folks taunted Starbucks by arranging meet-ups at Starbucks locations with other gun-toting members. Starbucks eventually gave in. For the life of me, I don't understand why a regular citizen (not a police officer or security guard) would want to walk around in public witha gun on their hip. What is the purpose? It seems to me that these people may be overcompensating for low self-esteem, in which case they need a therapist, not a gun. Or maybe they are victims of physical and/or mental abuse who feel they need to show a gun on their hip so people won't mess with them. Again, a therapist can help with that. I'm all for people having lots of personal right, but not when they endanger the lives and safety of others. In my opinion, having regular citizens walking around with guns is like having toddlers walking around with steak knives.

This is how I sometimes feel:

I am going to Richmond again for work next week. I'm hoping to meet up with fellow blogger Kelly this time. Unsure of how much time I'll have to post while I'm gone, I've created some stuff in advance to keep you occupied and entertained.

Have a great weekend!!

Crush du Jour: Nick Wolanski

Oscars

Last night we attended an Oscar party at our friends Paul & Steve's. There were 12 of us. We had food and drinks, watched parts of Barbara Walters' interviews with Anne Hathaway, Mickey Rourke, and Hugh Jackman, and speculated on who/what will win. We had a great time.

Although 3 1/2 hours long, I thought the Oscar show kept a pretty good pace. The delicious Hugh Jackman had a great energy level that kept the show from feeling heavy.

I really liked the way they presented the 'best actor' and 'best actress' awards, having 5 past winners enter the stage simultaneously, then describe and announce the current nominees. It really gave the award presentation some extra impact.

One thing I will never understand is why most winners feel the need to ramble off 20-30 peoples' names they need to thank in their acceptance speech. WE DON'T KNOW THESE PEOPLE, so to us it basically sounds like the teacher from the Peanuts cartoon talking. Blah blah blah blah blah. Why not just offer one big 'thank you' to the academy and to everyone who assisted in the production? This would significantly shorten the program, and leave more time for the more enjoyable parts, like performances of the nominated songs.

But there were 2 acceptance speeches I felt bear repeating.

The 1st was from Dustin Lance Black who won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for 'Milk'. His heartfelt and emotional speech was inspiring, not only to me as an out gay man, but undoubtedly to all the young gays and lesbians watching last night, as he assured everyone that equal rights on a Federal level would soon be a reality. Click on his name to watch it.

The 2nd was from Sean Penn who won the Oscar for Best Actor. He took the opportunity to shame those who voted yes on Prop 8, and then stated his belief that all Americans, including GLBT folks, deserve equal rights. Click on his name to watch it.

This was probably the most enjoyable awards show for me in a long time. What did you think?

Crush du Jour: Alban Wurm