Hittin' the road

Well, I'm off on another road trip to Richmond. Our company is planning a major product update so everyone's coming in for training on Wednesday. Should be an interesting day!

Crush du Jour: Valerie Yukov-Yan

Weekend highlights

As usual, Sat morning Spouse went to his personal trainer appointment and I had coffee and enjoyed several back-to-back episodes of "Sell This House". Once Spouse returned home and showered, we headed out to run some errands, have lunch, and drive by the beach. It was in the low 80s and lots of folks were out on the beach in the swimsuits. I wanted to be one of them! After returning home Spouse took a nap while I cleaned loaded/ran the dishwasher, emptied the recycling, and took the PT Cruiser for an oil change. When I returned home I decided to wash the PT Cruiser and the SLK. It was a bit challenging since our spray nozzle broke and I couldn't get it off of the hose. That evening we met up with Steven & Thad, Thad's sister Robin, and Aurelio for dinner at the Miltonian Pizzeria & Wing House before heading over to the Milton Theatre to see the documentary "The Art of the Steal". It was very interesting!

On Sun we picked up Rick & Nick and went to Sam's club. Spouse & I don't have a membership but Rick & Nick do, so sometimes we go with them. We had several things in mind to look at but didn't buy much. Later that evening we went to Steven & Thad's for dinner. We brought salad and bread because Steven made one of Spouse's favorites: baked rigatoni with meatballs and sausage. It was de-lish! Afterward we hung out and talked and laughed a lot. We had a very nice time.

Crush du Jour: Manny Rios

Friday fragments

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

Work has been crazy-busy this week. I've worked through lunch and past 5:00 too many days. So unfortunately I have not been collecting tidbits to share in Friday fragments. Sorry to disappoint, but hopefully the fact that I'm still providing you with a Crush du Jour will help to make up for it.

Crush du Jour: David Gregory

"If I had a hammer...

...I'd hammer in the mornin." And hammer I did!!

Yesterday I volunteered at a Habitat for Humanity homesite. My job was to hammer 4' x 8' sheets of styrofoam insulation board to the exterior of a 2-story duplex. So I did a LOT of hammering. It was hard work but a lot of fun too.

The weather was great; in the low 80s and sunny. I worked in the shade for 1/2 the day, which was nice.

Surprisingly I was the only 1st time volunteer at the site. The other 7 volunteers seemed to be 'regulars' who have worked on several HFH sites over the last year or so. By looking at them they appear to be retired. I really admire these men for spending a day every week doing this kind of volunteer work.

A great thing about volunteering for HFH is that you don't have to have construction skills or experience. The site coordinator or other volunteers will teach you how to do the work. They were also adequately concerned with safety and volunteers' comfort. Since shingling the roof was also on the day's agenda, I was asked how I felt about heights. I responded that I wasn't afraid of heights, but was afraid of falling. So I was not selected to shingle the roof, but I did have to climb a ladder and skaffolding several times to nail the insulation board to the upper section of the house. I felt uneasy when I had to lean off the side of the ladder, but also felt like my discomfort was for a good purpose. I was doing something that contributed to a new, modest home for someone needy.

I encourage everyone to consider spending a day volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. You'll be glad you did.

Crush du Jour: Roger Paiva

Cinco de Mayo

Hey everybody! Today is Cinco de Mayo!!!
So forget about the left-overs you were going to have for dinner tonight, and head on over to your local Mexican restaurant for something muy sabroso!
And while you're at it, why not enjoy some Coronas...
margaritas...
Dos Equis...
or Tequila shots!
Please celebrate responsibly and ride home with a designated driver, take public transportation, or take a cab.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!!!

Crush du Jour: Brett Fahlgren

Its about time

This month, IN THE LIFE explores what it means to grow old as a gay person in America – how a generation once at the frontlines of establishing the modern LGBT movement finds, in what should be their golden years, new challenges living life openly gay. IT’S ABOUT TIME highlights the leaders spearheading a national effort to protect the rights of LGBT senior citizens and care for our elders.

AGING IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT
According to The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, over 3 million LBGT people are over age 65. While seniors are protected against age-based discrimination by “The Older Americans’ Act,” the lack of LGBT specific protections can drive our pioneers back into the closet when entering long-term care facilities. Disturbed by this trend, some activists and visionaries have taken matters into their own hands by creating safe spaces for our elders.

A CONVERSATION WITH… Jennie Chin Hansen and Michael Adams
AARP President Jennie Chin Hansen and SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders) Executive Director Michael Adams discuss the unique needs of LGBT seniors, and how their organizations build constituencies and communities dedicated to advocating for elders’ rights and quality of life.

REEL TO REEL: Edie and Thea; A Very Long Engagement
After a 42-year courtship, Edie and Thea are finally getting married. This tender documentary memorializes a life-long romance set against a backdrop of cultural change. Directed by Gréta Olafsdóttir and Susan Muska (The Brandon Teena Story), the film draws on a wealth of photographs, creating a touching mosaic of these two women’s lives—a tribute to the enduring power of love.

It’s About Time will begin airing May 1st. To watch a video preview click here. To find out when it airs in your local area, to stream or download it, go to the IN THE LIFE website.

Crush du Jour: Charlie Vargas

Weekend highlights

Wow, what a weekend!

We arrived at Spouse's mom's house in VA about 9:00 Fri night. Shortly thereafter 2 of Spouse's (deadbeat) brothers arrived and stirred up a bunch of family drama. There was plenty I wanted to say but decided to keep my mouth shut since none of the drama directly involved me or Spouse. Sat morning Spouse & I took his mom with us to our favorite store Home Goods, and then we had lunch. Spouse's sister and daughter came over for a brief visit, and then Spouse & I got ready for my cousin's daughter Sarah's wedding.

It was close to 90 degrees and the wedding was outdoor (in my cousin's beautiful back yard) so we were thankful that the ceremony was very short. The reception was in a community center that used to be an old schoolhouse. It was simple but elegant and beautiful. Spouse & I really had a wonderful time, and enjoyed meeting some new people like Eric & Suzanna:

who are friends of my cousin Inez, the mother of the bride, and Steve her husband. What a surprise to find that Eric was raised in a small town in DE! Here is me and my cousin Inez:

Spouse thinks she and I look a lot alike but I don't see it. It was especially nice for me to be able to reconnect with several of my family I haven't seen in many years. Here's me and my cousin April, Inez's sister:

and me with April's daughters Micah and Chelsea:

The last time I saw these young women was 14 years ago when Micah (left) was 9 and Chelsea (right) was 11. And below are my cousin Inez (mother of bride), my aunt Rosie (grandmother of the bride), me & Spouse.

Scattered around the reception room were many framed photos of the bride and groom, which I thought was a nice touch. Also, on the wall near the entrance/exit there were bulletin boards with several copies of a dozen or so photos of the couple, with a sign indicating guests were to take home which ever photos they wanted. And speaking of photos, in the foyer there was a treasure chest full of funky hats, leis, sun glasses and props. A photographer encouraged everyone to put on something crazy and pose for a wacky photo. Spouse put on a shiny red patent leather floppy brim hat and I put on a bright pink fur hat, we posed with our backs to each, giving the photographer our best 'pimp' look! The photographer will place all the photos into a special album for the couple. I loved this idea!!

Here are Sarah and Bryan being toasted, just before cutting the wedding cake:

Since the wedding colors were black and white, I wore off-white pants with a black shirt with white polka dots and Spouse wore the opposite: black pants and a white shirt with black polka dots. It sounds super-gay, I know, but I think we looked really nice. Click to enlarge this photo to get a better look at our polka dots.

Sarah's new husband Bryan got 'welcomed' into the family with a hilarious skit performed by Sarah's parents and siblings to the song "Welcome to the Family".

The lyrics are almost as funny as the skit!

Sun after breakfast we took Spouse's mom to Target and then relaxed for a while. At 3:00 we met up with Spouse's sister and her family, Spouse's brother (not a deadbeat) and his wife, and 1 of Spouse's deadbeat brothers at Taco House for an early Mother's Day dinner. (We will not be with his mom on Mother's Day.) Our food was wonderful as always, but it was very warm and humid on Sun and the a/c at Taco House was broken! They had the door open to allow a breeze to come in and set up a fan while someone worked on the a/c unit. We had a nice time despite the heat. We all returned to Spouse's mother's house and visited for a while, then Spouse & I left at 6:00, arriving home at 8:30.

Crush du Jour: Burack Ozcivit

Friday fragments

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

We went to see yet another condo on Wed. I was kinda feeling like I needed a day off anyway, so when this condo came available we decided to take the day off and meet our realtor to see it. Its in a great bldg with garage parking, controlled access, pool, and lots of other amenities. However, it is a short sale with a crazy-low asking price so we know there will be multiple offers and that it will take 3-4 months before the seller's lender will approve the short sale. We've been avoiding short sales until now, but because this bldg is very desirable (ie: will be easy to rent) and the unit is so large, we submitted an offer.

I really couldn't care less about American Idol anymore. I haven't watched this season at all. This seems odd to me because I am a singer and I used to be into AI big time. But the show has soured for me for a couple reasons. There's entirely too much talking from judges. This was true even when there were just 3 judges, but now with 4 its even worse. In an hour show there appears to be about 11 minutes worth of singing. Most people I know who still watch the show record it with their DVR so they can fast forward through everything but the singing, which is a good idea. Maybe next season.

Spouse & I are heading back to VA tonight. On Sat we are going to my cousin's daughter's wedding, which will be held outdoors. After a week of unseasonably cool temps, its supposed to be almost 90 degrees on Sat!! But it will be wonderful to see Sarah get married and to reconnect with my aunt and uncle (the bride's grandparents), my 2 cousins (the bride's mother and aunt), and my 2 cousin's children whom I haven't seen in years. I have no idea if any of my immediate family will be there.

We'll be celebrating Mothers Day this Sun, a week early. Since we'll be in town for the wedding, I suggested we celebrate Mother's Day with Spouse's mom and family a week early so we wouldn't have to make the trip back to VA 3 weekends in a row. (We're going back the weekend of the 15th for Spouse's brother's 50th birthday party.) To avoid last year's Mother's Day disaster, Spouse & I made reservations for Mother's Day dinner at the Taco House! This guarantees we'll have delicious food and wonderful service.

My friend Don sent me this video and story about a soldier and his buddies in Afghanistan who have made their own music video to the Lady Gaga/Beyounce song "Telephone". Its great!

Crush du Jour: Daniel Ross

Promising advancement

'Landmark' cancer vaccine gets FDA approval
By Elizabeth Landau, CNN
April 29, 2010

A vaccine treatment for prostate cancer has become the first therapy of its kind to win approval for use in U.S. patients.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Provenge, a novel technique for fighting prostate cancer, on Thursday. The treatment involves taking a patient's own white blood cells and using a drug that trains them to more actively attack cancer cells.

"It's a landmark in the sense that it would be the first approved cell-based immune therapy," said Dr. Nina Bhardwaj, director of the tumor vaccine program at New York University Langone Medical Center, who is not involved with Provenge or its maker, Dendreon Corp.

"It's a major conceptual advance; it's a modest therapeutic advance," said Dr. Christopher Logothetis, prostate cancer researcher at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Logothetis testified to an FDA panel in 2007 about the drug, but has no financial ties to Dendreon.

"This is a significant improvement in survival, and is more significant in that it is a new way of treating prostate cancer," said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, in an e-mail.

Because the treatment makes use of the patient's own cells, it does not cause the severe side effects seen in chemotherapy, Penson said. The main side effects seen for Provenge were flu-like symptoms, such as chills and fever, lasting one to two days.

For the entire article, click here.

Crush du Jour: Albero Ochoa

Hump day

Its Wednesday, hump day, and I really don't have much to say, so I'll leave you with this image
...and wish you Happy Hump Day!

Crush du Jour: Zach Johnathan

Don't PUNish me

Those who jump off a bridge in Paris are in Seine.
A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.
Dijon vu - the same mustard as before.
Practice safe eating - always use condiments.
Shotgun wedding - A case of wife or death.
A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy.
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play.
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.
Reading while sunbathing makes you well red.
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two tired.
What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead give away.)
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.
She was engaged to a boyfriend with a wooden leg but broke it off.
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
Local Area Network in Australia - the LAN down under.
Every calendar's days are numbered.
A lot of money is tainted - Taint yours and taint mine.
A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
He had a photographic memory that was never developed.
A midget fortune-teller who escapes from prison is a small medium at large.
Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.
Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
Acupuncture is a jab well done.

Crush du Jour: Octavio Garate

Weekend highlights

I mentioned on Fri that on Sat we were taking a day trip to Philadelphia with Steven & Thad. Wow, what a day!!

We left at 9am and got to Philly about 11am. We started with a driving tour that allowed us to see much of the beautiful downtown architecture.
Thad lived in several neighborhoods of Philly so he had a tremendous knowledge of many of the original and current uses for the lovely buildings we saw. We also drove by several historic landmarks such as the Liberty Bell, Joan of Arc statue, William Penn, and many museums and "free" libraries. I thought it odd that the signs all referred to the libraries as free, since I was not aware that any libraries charged admission.

Much of our time was spent in Center City, but we also drove through other places such as the Italian Market in South Philly, Antique Row on Pine St, Fairmount Park, Manayunk, and several beautiful residential neighborhoods like Washington Square, Rittenhouse Square, and East Falls. We passed by the house where Grace Kelly lived.

Then we were ready for lunch. Steven & Thad picked the lovely French creperie Beau Monde where we got a table on the patio. The weather was perfect for outdoor dining.
I had a delicious crepe filled with grilled chicken breast, leeks, olives, goat cheese & lemon butter. It was amazing. View their menus here.

Next we headed to Termini Brothers Italian bakery for dessert, a favorite of mine & Spouse.

For almost 90 years Termini Brothers have been making incredible Italian baked goods such as canoli, cakes, biscotti, and cookies. When you walk in the door you feel as though you've been transported back in time. Notice the black and white tile floor, the pressed tin ceiling, and the bakery cases made of wood and glass.

When you're ready, a woman dressed all in white places your selections on a stainless steel cookie sheet, then ties up your box full of goodies with twine. Spouse & I each got a canoli to eat right away, a box of assorted Italian cookies, some assorted biscotti, a package of pizzelles, a caramel pecan bar, and a dark chocolate macadamia wheel to take home. OMG - I can not even BEGIN to describe how delicious this stuff is!!! But why take my word for it? They will ship to you!

We went inside several antique, vintage, and one-of-a-kind art stores along Antique Row, then continued our driving tour.

Our next stop was a surprise: Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Prior to moving to DE, Thad was a project manager for the company hired to furnish and decorate the Phillies stadium. I once referred to this part of his career as "sports decorating" and it stuck. So Thad arranged for us to have a private tour so we could see his "sports decorating". Our mutual friend Joe (who lives outside Philly) met us there.

Not just the stands, but we also got to tour many other private/VIP areas the general public never sees, such as the Diamond Club, players club, hall of fame, and more. Although I know little-to-nothing about baseball, it was exciting to get a 'back stage', 'behind the scenes' tour. We looked all over for the plaque acknowledging Thad's contribution to the beauty and function of the stadium, but couldn't find it.

Next the 5 of us went back into the Gayborhood again to Giovanni's Room, one of the few remaining GLBT bookstores. It was colorful and cramped, just as you'd expect. There was a reading going on upstairs so we kept our visit brief and quiet. But while there, Steven opened up a magazine and saw a guy with whom I played beach volley ball last summer!

We walked next door to Mixto for dinner. It was an attractive brick and wood restaurant that felt cozy despite its large size. I started with a Mojito, then had Bandeja Tipico for dinner. Its description puzzled me: seared steak, crispy pork rind, arepa, avocado, rice, fried eggs, beans, and maduros, so I had to try it. I thought the ingredients would be all mixed together sort of like paella, but they weren't. Each ingredient was placed on the plate individually. It was quite unusual and tasted fantastic!

Our last stop was to have dessert at Max Brenner Chocolate from the Bald Man. The name alone was intriguing, but once we looked at the dessert menu, I knew I was in heaven. I was way too full from dinner to eat a full dessert myself, plus I knew I'd have a terrible time trying to decide on just one, so I told Spouse to pick whatever he wanted and we would split it. He chose the Munchies Waffles (page 2) which were perfect, and coffee to wash it all down. There is nothing quite like good quality (high cocoa %) dark chocolate. Its like truth serum to me.

We bid our friend Joe goodbye and headed back home. Steven and Spouse sat in the back since we knew they'd be asleep in no time. Thad and I chatted all the way back to DE. We got home at 11pm.

We had a terrific day and really enjoyed everything we saw and ate.

Sun we both slept in (surprise), had lunch and ran some errands. Later we went to a potluck at Deb & Greer's which was nice. We watched a little TV before turning in early at 10:00.

Crush du Jour: Marcello Baca

Friday fragments

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

As planned, when I arrived in Richmond on Tues evening I had dinner at Nacho Mama's. I was disappointed to learn that Raul was not there; he was working at the other location. However, just as I was finishing my meal I saw 2 friends from work walk in the door. Long story short: Raul was on his way to meet them, so I joined them at their table. Raul arrived and we all had a great time!


Wed evening I met up with my friend Bill for dinner. Bill and I went to high school together and were in the famous vocal jazz and show choir "Dominants". (Think "Glee".) We had a great time catching up on the highlights in each others' lives, and he also drove me through the lovely neighborhood where he bought a house last year.

My friend Michael sent me this funny video which demonstrates one of the many dangers of wearing your 'pants on the floor'.

What do you get when you combine Philadelphia and Serendipity? Phillydipity!! I'm excited because tomorrow Spouse & I are going with Steven & Thad to Philadelphia for Phillydipity day! While not exactly serendipitous, we had several places of interest to see and several wonderful places to eat on our list for the day. Steven & Thad have lived in and around Philly so they are "in the know", don't you know. Should be a great day.

Have a terrific weekend!


Crush du Jour: Max Bolton

Knock, knock...

Who's there?

A celebrity, about to come out of the closet on May 5.
By Jennifer Vanasco, editor in chief, 365gay.com

Howard Bragman’s gay publicity machine has set up the talk show circuit for a mysterious big coming out.But who will it be?

Zap2It says the celeb is booked for People, the View and several other talk shows. Guesses have been everyone from Anderson Cooper to Ryan Seacrest to Queen Latifah.

Says Zap2It:
“In the past Bragman has helped NFL defensive lineman Esera Tuaolo, LPGA star Rosie Jones, WNBA star Sheryl Swoops and retired NBA center John Amaechi come out. He also orchestrated the plans for former “Party of Five” Mitchell Anderson, “Married with Children” co-star Amanda Bearse and aided Dick Sargent of “Bewitched” fame to come out on Entertainment Tonight. Most recently, he planned Chaz Bono’s announcement of a transition from woman to man and got the news about Meredith Baxter being a lesbian out before tabloids reported her taking a lesbian cruise. ”

Whether it matters, of course, depends on who it is. Queen Latifah or Anderson Cooper would be huge. Some C-list celebrity trying to make a comeback? Not so much.

Crush du Jour: Danny Young

Just in case anyone forgot why marriage equality really matters

I am in an all-day training session today, but wanted to make sure you were aware of this.

This is SO WRONG!!

Sonoma County CA separates elderly gay couple and sells all of their worldly possessions

iled by: Kate Kendell
April 17, 2010 4:00 PM

Clay and his partner of 20 years, Harold, lived in California. Clay and Harold made diligent efforts to protect their legal rights, and had their legal paperwork in place--wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives, all naming each other. Harold was 88 years old and in frail medical condition, but still living at home with Clay, 77, who was in good health.

One evening, Harold fell down the front steps of their home and was taken to the hospital. Based on their medical directives alone, Clay should have been consulted in Harold's care from the first moment. Tragically, county and health care workers instead refused to allow Clay to see Harold in the hospital. The county then ultimately went one step further by isolating the couple from each other, placing the men in separate nursing homes.

Ignoring Clay's significant role in Harold's life, the county continued to treat Harold like he had no family and went to court seeking the power to make financial decisions on his behalf. Outrageously, the county represented to the judge that Clay was merely Harold's "roommate." The court denied their efforts, but did grant the county limited access to one of Harold's bank accounts to pay for his care.

What happened next is even more chilling.

Without authority, without determining the value of Clay and Harold's possessions accumulated over the course of their 20 years together or making any effort to determine which items belonged to whom, the county took everything Harold and Clay owned and auctioned off all of their belongings. Adding further insult to grave injury, the county removed Clay from his home and confined him to a nursing home against his will. The county workers then terminated Clay and Harold's lease and surrendered the home they had shared for many years to the landlord.

Three months after he was hospitalized, Harold died in the nursing home. Because of the county's actions, Clay missed the final months he should have had with his partner of 20 years. Compounding this tragedy, Clay has literally nothing left of the home he had shared with Harold or the life he was living up until the day that Harold fell, because he has been unable to recover any of his property. The only memento Clay has is a photo album that Harold painstakingly put together for Clay during the last three months of his life.

With the help of a dedicated and persistent court-appointed attorney, Anne Dennis of Santa Rosa, Clay was finally released from the nursing home. Ms. Dennis, along with Stephen O'Neill and Margaret Flynn of Tarkington, O'Neill, Barrack & Chong, now represent Clay in a lawsuit against the county, the auction company, and the nursing home, with technical assistance from NCLR. A trial date has been set for July 16, 2010 in the Superior Court for the County of Sonoma.

Crush du Jour: Tommy Haas

Hittin' the road

I'm hitting the road just after lunch today to go to Richmond, VA for work. My presence was requested yet again for another all-day training session on Wed. Since the training starts at 9am and because it takes 5 hours for me to get there, I'm leaving today and staying overnight at the Sheraton next door (where we get a special rate).

I'm kind of excited that I will having dinner tonight at Nacho Mama's! As you may recall, I had a fun time there last month thanks to the owner Raul. Rather than checking into the hotel and going to dinner with my colleagues (yawn), I'm going to have a stroll through eclectic Carytown and then have margaritas and tasty Mexican food at Nacho Mamas.

Tomorrow evening (after the training) I am meeting up with my old high school friend Bill who lives in Richmond. Bill came to visit us back in Oct when Lisa came from NYC and we really had a fun time. I'm glad for the opportunity to spend a little more time with Bill.

Crush du Jour: Adel Jordan

Weekend highlights

Sat morning while Spouse was at his personal trainer appointment I went a yard sale to benefit the Cancer Society. I found a few things I couldn't live without (picture frame, acrylic paints, candle) and was glad the money went to a good cause. I also supported them by purchasing 2 donuts!

Once Spouse returned home and showered, we went out to lunch and to the grocery store. It was bright and sunny so we had the convertible top down as we ran a few other errands. Our friends Kerry & Hugh were at their place in Ocean City so we took advantage of the nice weather and drove there to say hi to them and to deposit some checks at our bank. (Unfortunately the ATM near our house that accepts deposits was removed so we have to mail deposits or drive to Ocean City.) It was a nice surprise to be able to stop in and see them.

It was our turn to host Movie Night so at about 7:00 our movie night friends showed up for snacks and drinks. Then we watched "Precious". To our surprise, none of them had seen it! Everyone liked it except Spouse, who felt the character of Mary (Precious' mother) was "unrealistically cruel". WTF??? I thought Mo'Nique (Mary) and Paula Patton (Miss Rain) did outstanding jobs. However I felt the execution of the story could have been a lot better. Good films build emotional peaks and valleys several times throughout the film, but I found this one to be a little 'flat' in its delivery. But I thought the story itself was great and could make very a very interesting sequel.

Sun morning I painted this Mark Rothko-inspired painting for my friend Thad.
We took it with us to brunch since we knew we'd see him there, and gave it to him just before we left. I was very pleased that he liked it. I found out this morning that he hung it up as soon as he got home.

On Sun we attended Bob's birthday brunch at Saketumi. There were about 15 of us there, and we all had the Sunday Brunch Buffet which was just as fresh and delicious as the dinner entrees always are. We had a very nice time.

When we returned from brunch we found our friends Kerry & Hugh at our house. They decided to stop by on their way home so they could see our garage/bathroom/closet addition. We showed them around and visited for a few minutes. What a nice treat to see them twice this weekend! When they left Spouse & I changed clothes and went for a walk on the boardwalk. The weather was significantly cooler than Sat so we wore jackets, but the sun felt good as we walked along the boardwalk and looked out onto the ocean. We skipped dinner since our brunch was so filling, and watched some TV. I felt tired so I went to bed uncharacterically early, at 9:30.

Crush du Jour: Craig Archer

Friday fragments

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

Never short on funny or topical stuff to share, my friend Jared provided me with this button.

Rather poignant, wouldn't you say?

Speaking of gay, our friends Rick & Nick got married last Fri in Washington DC. They applied for their license on the 1st day it was legal to do so (in March), but had to wait until April 9th to be married by a Justice of the Peace. Although their marriage isn't recognized here in DE yet, they decided to get married in Washington DC and then send a copy of their marriage certificate to the (gay-friendly) Governor of DE, reminding him of all the revenue DE is losing by not legalizing same sex marriage. Rumor has it that if the Governor is elected for a 2nd term, he will legalize same sex marriage. After getting married, Rick & Nick had dinner at Austin Grill where they saw this mural:

This 1959 Cadillac 4-door looks just like Big Ella except for the color. It was very sweet of them to think of me and take these photos!

And speaking of cars, we made our decision and after work yesterday we purchased this 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited Edition.

The color is called Inferno Red, and its highly metallic. Its especially beautiful in the sun. I like that its the Limited Edition with the polished chrome wheels, fog lamps and rear spoiler.

The red dash is pretty cool, too.

We really thought we wanted another Honda CRV, but a couple things made us change our mind. The one Bryan got at the auction was my least favorite color combination: graphite grey exterior and black interior. The CRV was not priced especially well, while the PT Cruiser was. Both are 2006 models but the CRV was double the price of the PT Cruiser. The PT Cruiser has all the features of the CRV except all-wheel drive, but also had features the CRV did not have like a jack to plug in an mp3 player. But the biggest factor was the mileage: 49K on the CRV, 16K on the PT Cruiser, for 1/2 the price. We're quite happy with our new car!

Last night was the end of the 12 week team trivia tournament. Our team did not win, but we did come in 4th place, which is the highest place you can be without winning! It was fun, but I'm kind of glad the tournament is over. Now we can go back to playing team trivia for fun.

All you dog lovers out there will enjoy this cute video and this one too.

Some people are worried about invasion of their privacy from the new airport scanners. Now I understand why:

We are hosting our Movie Group tomorrow night. I'm disappointed that I didn't return our current DVDs to Netflix in time to get the film I really wanted to show. But I got "Precious" from one of those Red Box DVD rental places, which I hope the group will enjoy. It is sure to provoke conversation afterward.

Sun we are going to our new favorite restaurant Saketumi for Bob's birthday brunch. A good brunch and a good time should be had by all.

Have a terrific weekend!

Crush du Jour: Trevor Adams