Weekend highlights

We had a typical Sat morning with me drinking coffee and watching back-to-back episodes of "Sell This House" while Spouse had his personal trainer appointment. After a light lunch on the screened porch we went to the 'Resident Appreciation Day' at Steven's property. He opened the pool (although we didn't swim) and provided food, drinks, a raffle, toy give-aways, face painting, and fake tattoos for the residents of the property he manages. Spouse & I both had a hot dog and soda and I also got a fake tattoo around my bicep. It was a little crooked and began to fade in the shower but it was fun.

Afterward we donned our swimsuits and went to the beach. It was a beautiful day and we decided to go for a long walk on the beach. We ran into Rick & Nick and then Ted & Mark as we walked. Back at home I made my bean and nectarine salad and then we walked across the street to the neighborhood block party. There was lots and lots of great food and drinks and we enjoyed eating and visiting with the neighbors. When the 'Electric Slide' came on, a bunch of us joined in on the dance, although it was a bit difficult to 'slide' on the uneven ground. Afterward Spouse & I watched TV and I actually fell asleep on the couch, which is very unusual for me. Since I was tired I decided not to go to Mandance.

Sun morning we woke up to rain. So we met up with Bryan, Thatcher, PW, Steven, Rick & Nick, and Ted & Mark for breakfast at the Long Neck Diner. They have a great all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. It was fun to relax and talk over breakfast knowing we really didn't have anything else planned for the day. Rick & Nick came home with us so Nick could troubleshoot and fix our wireless router. I had tried to reset the password but only successfully un-secured the darned thing. Within about an hour Nick reset the password and re-secured it and made sure our computers could successfully connect. The rain had stopped so Spouse & I walked the full length of the boardwalk in Rehoboth. It was cool and overcast but it was nice to get some exercise and look out onto the ocean. Back at home we relaxed and browsed online for a while, then met Bryan, Thatcher, PW, and Steven for dinner at Purple Parrot. Spouse & I are not thrilled with the food or prices there, but we joined them anyway since the others like the prime rib special on Sun evenings. Back at home Spouse watched 'Ice Road Truckers' and 'Mad Men' while I watched the MTV VMA awards.

Lady Gaga was there at the VMAs and her "Bad Romance" video won in several categories such as Best Female Video, Best Pop Video, Best Dance Video, Best Choreography, and Video of the Year. Here's a list of the winners. I was happy but not surprised, as I have been saying all along that this video is f'ing genius! She had on a different outfit/costume each time she took the stage. As she held up her long dress to walk up the stage steps she showed off those infamous Alexander McQueen lobster claw shoes:

The Video of the Year award was presented to Gaga by none other than Cher in a remake of her skimpy 'Turn Back Time' costume. She said she was the 'oldest woman with the biggest hair and the smallest outfit' at the VMAs. That was pretty funny! Overall I enjoyed watching the VMAs this year and Spouse enjoyed the fact that he did not have to watch them with me.

Crush du Jour: Robert Mauro

Friday fragments

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

My buddy Jared sent me this.Wow, looks like Mexico is really gonna get it!

On Sat we are having our annual Neighborhood Block Party. Everyone brings a dish and gathers in the empty lot across the street from our house. Jim & Barb generously provide and cook all the meat. There's music, sometimes a little dancing, and lots of eating and visiting with the full-time and part-time neighbors. I'm making a bean and nectarine salad this year.

Sun night is the MTV VMA awards. I tend not to watch them but I think I will this year, as I'm curious to see Lady Gaga.

As usual, we'll have Fri Night Dinner with 'the usual suspects' tonight, which officially kicks off the weekend for me.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Crush du Jour: Sean Sullivan

Don't ask, DO TELL your senators

A federal judge ruled that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was unconstitutional. This is a landmark ruling that will face a long and rigorous appeals process. In the meantime, we are now in a position for Congress to once and for all put an end to this discriminatory law. So, read on and call your senators NOW.

The Senate has a quick four-week session before they leave for the 2010 election. It's critical that they repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in this short window – and time is running out.

Lots of people believe that repeal is a foregone conclusion. But I need you to know: this is not a done deal. We've had to fight to the end for every victory we've won, and this is no different. If we don't speak up now, our window for repeal could close.

Anti-gay constituents are calling Senate offices with lists of right-wing lies: that open military service would increase sexual assault, trample on the religious freedom of military chaplains, and put "twisted sexual desires" ahead of national security.

We have a 100-senator strategy to make sure bigotry and deception don't win out just before we reach the finish line. It takes about 45 seconds to call each one of your senators and urge them to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" before they leave for the election. It's just as important for supportive senators to hear from us – they need to know we're counting on them to get a repeal to President Obama's desk this year.

You may never have called Congress. That's fine. It couldn't be simpler.

Before 5 p.m. ET, call both of your senators. If you don't know who they are or their phone numbers, click here. Tell each staffer who answers where you live, so they know you are a constituent. Then say: "I'm calling to urge the Senator to push for repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in the next four weeks, before the election." Most calls end right there, but if you'd like, you can add: "Americans recognize that on the battlefield, it doesn't matter whether a soldier is lesbian, gay or straight; what matters is that a soldier gets the job done. This law hurts military readiness and national security. It puts American soldiers at risk."

Be sure to calls BOTH of your senators.

IMPORTANT: After you hang up, click here to let us know that you made the call. This enables us to tell lawmakers just how many people have called.

Senate staff are accepting calls and keeping tabs on what constituents care about, so senators will know what to focus on when they return for this short, busy session.

The House has already passed a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell. This is the last step before it goes to President Obama's desk. So we need to turn up the pressure in the Senate to make sure our window of opportunity doesn't close!

Crush du Jour: Nick Ayler

Its still summer

Living in a summer resort area as we do, there is a lot of emphasis on the beginning and ending of summer. Around here the summer tourist season begins Memorial Day weekend and ends Labor day weekend.

Not only do we get folks on their week's vacation, but we also get lots of 'weekenders' who spend some or all of the summer weekends here at the beach. Since we are located within 2 hours of 4 cities, lots of folks own 2nd homes or condos here, which makes it convenient to come every weekend. Spouse & I were 'weekenders' for several years before moving here full-time.

Personally I don't mind the huge influx of tourists. Yeah, they clog traffic and create waits at restaurants, but without them the local businesses would go bust. Resort areas with little to no local professional employment NEED tourists to keep businesses afloat. Plus, I enjoy the energy these folks bring to the area. They're happy, they're on vacation, they're enjoying the beach. That creates a lot of positive energy.

It amazes me to hear so many 'locals' and radio/TV personalities who should know better make statements around Labor Day about summer being over. While the summer tourist season may end on Labor Day, officially it is still summer until Sept 22. And without question there is still plenty of summer weather in Sept and early Oct. It was 90 degrees today. Sept is my favorite month of the year.

Sometimes we have summer-like days in late Oct and early Nov called "Indian Summer". Although well into autumn, indian summer days are like gifts to this beach bum.

So until Sept 22, please do NOT say that summer is over because you'll be wrong if you do!

Crush du Jour: Stephen Leonard

Stoopid lyrics

Here's another installment of my blog feature 'Stoopid lyrics'. A song's appearance here does NOT mean I think the song is stupid or that I don't like the song. In fact, today's song is one of Spouse's favorites but not necessarily mine. To me the lyrics just don't make sense.

Judge for yourself!

Landslide
performed by Fleetwood Mac

Took my love and I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes bolder, children get older
I'm getting older too

Well, I've been afraid of changin'
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes bolder, children get older
I'm getting older too
Well, I'm getting older too

So take this love and take it down
Yeah, and if you climb a mountain and you turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide brought down
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well maybe, well maybe, well maybe
The landslide will bring you down

Crush du Jour: Tim Robards

Holiday weekend highlights

We enjoyed a typical Sat morning (Spouse went to his personal trainer appointment; I drank coffee and watched 3 back-to-back episodes of "Sell This House"). Then I called my Aunt Mary because she'd left me a voice message letting me know my Uncle John (her brother) passed away. He lived in Los Angeles so we didn't see each other a lot but I really liked him. Fortunately he came to the east coast last Oct for my cousin's wedding so I got to visit with him then. When Spouse got home we had a light lunch on the screened porch then got ourselves together and went to the beach. We had absolutely stunning weather: temperature around 80, nice breeze and very low humidity. The old adage that the weather is always gorgeous after a storm is true, even if Hurricane Earl never actually showed up here. Later that evening we had dinner with Doug & Jim on the front porch at Hobo's. I had local rockfish stuffed with lump crab meat which was to die for! We had wanted to eat at Cafe Sole but they only had 2 outdoor tables for 4 and both had just been seated, meaning at least an hour wait. But Hobo's menu is so extensive it wasn't hard to find a dozen irresistible entrees to choose from, even though we'd eaten there last weekend. After dinner I dropped off Spouse at home and went to Dos Locos for karaoke, but found there was none, so I headed over to Mandance a little early. They music was really good and it seemed everyone I knew was there. Fun!

Sun morning Spouse & I met Jason & Kevin for breakfast. Although normally crowded, the service is usually fast there, but not this time. It took us an hour and a 1/2 to order, eat and pay! Once back at home we sat and talked on the screened porch for a while. But since it was yet another stunning day we went to the beach again. Sheer ambrosia! Later that night we met up with Steven & Thad, their friend Alan, and 1 of the Bobs for dinner at Saketumi which was fabulous as always. I had the Volcano roll and the crunchy spicy tuna roll. Afterward we wandered upstairs to the lounge where a women's dance party was going on and ran into a few female friends.

Mon morning Spouse went to the gym to do some cardio and then went grocery shopping while I stayed home and cleaned the kitchen. He made a Weight Watchers-friendly birthday cake for Thad and started the chicken parmesan while I tidied up the screened porch and set the tables for Thad's birthday dinner. It was another beautiful day so I took advantage of it by going for a 45-minute walk through the neighborhood. Then I made a salad and helped Spouse get everything ready for Steven & Thad, their friend Alan, 1 of the Bobs and Rusty's arrival for dinner. We spent the entire evening/night on the screened porch and had a great time. Once everyone left we cleaned up and I watched last Thursday's "Project Runway" saved on the DVR. (Watch the videos of the Michael Costello haters!)

It was a fabulous holiday weekend, even without having out-of-town friends stay with us!

Crush du Jour: Marcus Hamlyn

Friday fragments

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

My friend and frequent blog contributor Jared sent me this funny photo: Is it descriptive of the shape or taste? Oh my...

I'm happy to report that my leg pain has subsided for the most part. I think wearing shoes with orthotics all week has really helped. I also noticed that getting up from my chair several times and walking through the house has also helped. Hopefully I won't have anymore issues with this.

A Facebook friend posted this photo which made me laugh out loud! Such dedication!

I recently discovered 'natural' peanut butter and I love it! No sugar, no salt, no ingredients I can't spell or pronounce; just crushed peanuts. I love the taste and prefer not having those other unnecessary ingredients.

Jared sent me this poignant political quip:

Spouse continues his success on Weight Watchers. In week 10 he lost another 5 lbs, bringing his cumulative weight loss to 43 lbs. And he's not starving himself either. We also continue to eat dinner out, but now he makes smaller, healthier choices. I'm so proud of him!

A friend sent me this, which although a little cold, made me laugh out loud. Sometimes people just need to be told to shut up and move on!

Last night we had dinner with our friends John & Marty at Striper Bites. Spouse, Marty and I all had the blackened tuna over penne with fennel cream and tomatoes. Dee-lish!! John had the Asian tuna with noodles. They had not been here since the garage/bath/closet addition and the expansion of the screened porch so they were anxious to check out these updates. We had a great time together, and then decided to go to karaoke! Now THAT'S my idea of a Thurs night.

The remnants of hurricane Earl passed by here today, although you'd never have known it. We had a slight sprinkle of rain and a gentle breeze, despite the recommendations to batten down the hatches. This is Labor Day weekend, a 3-day weekend here in the US, and I am excited! Although we do not have friends staying with us this weekend, the weather is supposed to be fantastic so I am hoping for 3 great beach days.

Here's wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Crush du Jour: Matthew Herrick

The state of Equality

In 2008, President Barack Obama secured the LGBT vote, promising full equality for the community. Two years later, many are critical of the pace of change. This month on IN THE LIFE, we ask if the man in the White House is an advocate for gay rights, and service members talk to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) about ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’

President Obama’s inauguration marked more than one historic first; our first Black President is also the first American President to publicly identify as an ally of the LGBT community. In his two years in office, Obama has signed presidential memorandums expanding federal benefits to same-sex partners and extended federal protections to LGBT victims of hate crimes. But so far, his administration has not fulfilled the change he promised on key issues like The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), The Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ In response to growing frustration, some new LGBT rights groups are using aggressive tactics to push for full equality.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is leading the charge in the Senate to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ She recently came to IN THE LIFE to hear from two service members discharged under the policy: David Hall, a former officer cadet in the Air Force and Julianne Sohn, a former Marine officer who served in Iraq.

Watch the full program here.

Crush du Jour: Aaron Kuban

Fashion hurts

The weekend before last I played several games of beach volleyball and had a great time. The next day I began experiencing pain in my legs. It felt like sore muscles so I immediately chalked it up to running around in the sand playing volleyball and popped a few ibuprofen.

The following day I had pain again so I mentioned it to my trainer when I was at my personal trainer appointment. He had me do some intense stretching exercises that seemed to help, temporarily. I took ibuprofen again the next day and everything seemed to be alright.

This past weekend I didn't play volleyball but I started feeling pain in my legs again. This led me to change my conclusion about the source of the pain. Now I think its from wearing flip flops so much.

See, when I was 14 I had to go to a podiatrist because of chronic foot/leg pain. It was determined that my having very little arch in my feet caused the bones to grow out of alignment. I was given custom-fitted orthotics to wear in my shoes which provided arch support and inner heal elevation and I never had the foot or leg pain again.

However, this spring I taught myself how to wear flip flops because I wanted to be fashionable. This probably wouldn't have been a big deal for most people with sufficient arches, or people who wear closed shoes everyday to work. But I've been wearing flip flops everyday, all day long, since the spring and I think my legs are finally telling me that fashion hurts.

After returning from the beach last Sat I began wearing closed, lace-up shoes with my orthotics inside. I immediately found some relief from the leg pain, bolstering my belief that the flip flops were the culprit. Sun, Mon, and Tues I again wore shoes with orthotics and didn't need to take the ibuprofen. But today, my 4th day of wearing shoes and orthotics, my legs are hurting again enough that I had to take ibuprofen.

I'm at a loss. I really thought the shoes and orthotics were the answer until today. Now I'm not sure WHAT is causing the leg pain. I'm going to avoid flip flops through the rest of this week and see how I feel. If I'm still having pain next week I'm making a doctor's appointment.

Crush du Jour: Brett Favre

Breakin' up is hard to do

One of my favorite songs to sing at karaoke is "Breakin' Up is Hard to Do", the ballad version from the 70s, not the doo-wop version from 1962. Not because I particularly identify with the lyrics which are rather sad, but because the melody fits perfectly in my voice range. The piano accompaniment is beautiful too.

I don't particularly identify with the lyrics because they are a plea to a lover not to leave, which has never been an experience of mine. But I try to imagine when I sing this song what it would feel like to utter these words and really mean them, because that makes the song sound better and more authentic.

It seems rare that the decision to split up is mutual. Most often 1 makes the decision to leave in their heart long before the conversation is had between the couple. While breakin' up may be hard to do, it happens. Its hard on the 2 who are breaking up, and its hard on those who are friends with the couple. Its sad and it hurts. But life goes on.

Several years ago a couple with whom Spouse & I were friends decided to split up. For us this was no big deal because we liked 1 of the guys much more than the other, who could be accurately characterized as a 'loose cannon'. When they split up and it became known that they were not going to remain friends afterward, we knew we'd maintain our friendship with the 1 we had always liked best.

But just recently we learned that another couple with whom Spouse & I are friends have split up. It was not a mutual decision, but they claim they will remains friends. This means that we should be able to maintain our friendship with both of them, since we didn't have a clear favorite.

But what happens if/when 1 of them starts dating? Do you invite both halves of the former couple AND the 1 guy's new boyfriend to your party? Is that disrespectful to the single guy? Might he feel uncomfortable seeing his ex with a new man, especially since the single guy did not initiate the break-up? I want to include them both but don't want to upset either.

Of course a friend wants to be supportive of the 1 who did not initiate the break-up, lending them a figurative shoulder to cry on. But how do you react if they want to speak negatively of the 1 who left them that is still your friend?

Indeed, breaking up is hard on those who are friends with the former couple.

Like the former couple, I guess I will have to get used to the fact that they aren't together anymore and learn how to deal with it. Is there a song about that?

Crush du Jour: David Burtka

Weekend highlights

The weekend started as all 'good' weekends do with Fri Night Dinner with 'the usual suspects'. We ate at La Quetzalteca and it was good! I had the enchilada trio and Spouse had chicken mole. (Yes, he calculated the WW points and fit it in.)

Sat started as all 'good' Sat mornings do with Spouse going to his personal trainer appointment and me enjoying coffee with Roger Hazzard and Tonya Meme of "Sell This House". Once Spouse got home we had a light lunch on the screened porch and met up with a bunch of buddies at the beach. It was a spectacular day with lots of sunshine, 83 degrees, low humidity, and a steady breeze coming off the water. What a fantastic day! Except that I scorched my feet on the hot sand. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store, then showered and relaxed for a bit. That evening we met up with our friends Doug & Jim for dinner at Hobo's. It was a lovely evening so we ate on the front porch. Spouse doesn't drink, but the rest of us started with cocktails, followed by appetizers. Spouse had the roasted tomato and basil panzanella soup and I had the AWESOME eggplant artichoke dip which is so good it must contain something illegal. For dinner Spouse had the chicken Buddha bowl and I had an eggplant and goat cheese quesadilla. (Menu here.) Dee-lish! Afterward we went for a short walk on the boardwalk before heading home. I discovered my friend and karaoke DJ Trelynda was working at Dos Locos that night so after I dropped off Spouse, I hung out with Tre for an hour and sang a few tunes. It was great to see her! Then I stopped in at Mandance and shook my groove thing for an hour. I still managed to get home before 1am, which was a good thing since Spouse was waiting up for me!

Sun Spouse & I both slept in until 10:30 (gasp), then had a lovely breakfast on the screened porch while we discussed how to spend our day. Although I kind of wanted a 3rd day in a row at the beach, I acquiesced to sticking close to home and tackling a few projects around the house. We made a quick run to Lowes where we bought spray paint, a medium-size pot (on clearance), grass seed, potting soil, a rosemary bush, 2 pots of basil, a pot of parsley, and a pot of oregano. Back at the ranch I spray painted 2 side tables for the screened porch while Spouse potted all the herbs. He moved some decorate rocks while I spread and watered some grass seed around the porch foundation. We relaxed on the porch for a bit, then showered and dressed for a birthday cocktail party at Deb & Greer's. We saw some friends we knew and made some new ones which is always tops in my book. Neither of us was in the mood to make dinner so we decided to eat out. After checking out (and rejecting) a possible dinner spot, we ended up back at Hobo's. The porch was full so we ate inside which was a nice change of pace. The atmosphere was cozy and quiet inside and lent itself to more conversation. It was almost like being on a date! This time I had the chicken Buddha bowl (which Spouse had the night before) and he had scallops with red curry. Again an amazing meal and a wonderful time with Spouse. TV watching finished off the night and the weekend for us.

Crush du Jour: James Clarke

Friday fragments

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

Spouse remains committed to following Weight Watchers with another 3 lb. loss this week. After 9 weeks he's lost a total of 38 lbs. He's now able to fit into some clothes he bought brand new but was never able to wear.

My friend Jared sent me this photo of an 'ergonomic' stool for men. Looks comfy!

It occurred to me this week that although our screened porch expansion was completed last month, I never posted any photos of it. So here's the back of our house and you can see the previous screened porch on the far left side.

The original screened porch was 6 feet deep and 17 feet long; integrated into the footprint of the house.

We had the porch extended in depth by 8 additional feet, so the porch now measures 14 feet deep and 17 feet long. It has a burgundy metal roof that matches the burgundy of the house trim.

Since the completion of the porch expansion we have had uncharacteristically low humidity so we have really used the screened porch a lot! We can seat 8 people at tables for a meal and 8 people in conversational seating.

We love it! Now, that's it for home additions and/or expansions. Perhaps this fall I'll paint a few rooms and in the spring we may have some mild landscaping done, but no more construction projects!

On Wed I got my new glasses. (Please ignore the weird faces I was making.)

"Turn to the left..."

"Now turn to the right..."

"Sashay, chante!" Although I wear contact lenses 99.9% of the time, Spouse really wanted me to have a pair of current prescription glasses as a back-up, and I really like these. They are very light-weight, comfortable to wear, and kind of modern.

I'm off work today. No special reason; just wanted to use up another vacation day while the weather was so nice. I had a relaxing morning of coffee, email, Facebook, and TV then tidied up the kitchen, threw some laundry in the washer, packed up a box for Spouse, then dropped off said box at the UPS store, picked up a cute T-shirt and belt (both 50% off) at Aeropostale, and then hit the beach for 3 hours. Why does the time seem to go by so much faster when you take a day off?

This summer I have spent more time at the beach than ever before and despite my usual paleness, I am getting a tan for the 1st time in years. Not that it was my goal to get a tan, but its kind of exciting to longer resemble a member of Casper the Friendly Ghost's family. Of course, Spouse is 'concerned' that I am going to get skin cancer, despite the fact that I always use sun screen and sometimes sit in the shade of an umbrella. I like the way I look with a little color in my face.

Wishing you all a terrific weekend!

Crush du Jour: Mark McClellan

Hot Coco

Last night I went to see the fabulous and fierce Miss Coco Peru perform at the Blue Moon!

This is my 4th time seeing her perform there. Last year Steven & I went, and this year Steven & Thad and Jason and I went together.

We started with dinner at Cafe Azafrain. We all enjoyed our food but we were slightly annoyed by a small but loud party nearby and the long wait for our food. Fortunately the food was really good. I had 2 tapas plates: baked goat cheese with olives and roasted peppers, and spinach gnocchi. Jason also had 2 tapas plates: fried calamari and seared scallops. Steven had the mozzarella and roasted pepper salad and pasta with wild mushrooms. Thad had the roasted vegetarian plate.

After dinner we walked up the block to the Blue Moon and waited a few minutes for the opening of the doors to the performance space. After securing seats together I went to the bar for drinks. (Cosmo for me, Malibu and diet for Jason, Ginger Ale for Steven.) At the bar I ran into our part-time neighbors from around the corner, Chris & Paul, and learned that they are living here full-time now! We shared our desire to get together soon and catch up. After returning to my seat with the drinks I saw Doug & Jim enter the performance space. There were 2 empty seats directly in front of us so they took them and we were able to chat a bit before the show started.

As beautiful and elegant as always, Miss Coco Peru entertained us with her hilarious stories, inspirational thoughts, campy musical numbers, and her unique perspective on life. Fresh, new material of course. We all roared with laughter over and over again and had a grand time!

In her closing, she announced that she would return to the stage for photo taking and selling of her DVD, something she had not done in her previous 3 visits to the Blue Moon. I was thrilled to hear this since I'd suggested Steven bring his camera, just in case.

Sure enough, after the show I got to talk to Coco!I reminded her that we had chat via email and Facebook messages over the past few years. She asked for my email address and when I spoke it, she said "Oh yes of course." Then we posed for a photo:

I purchased one of her DVDs (a drag comedy special shown on LOGO) and she autographed it for me.

It was a delightful night!!

I can't recommend this too strongly: GO SEE HER SHOW!! Check out her website for more dates and locations.

If you can't see her in person, by all means, watch her films, check out her YouTube clips, and join her Facebook fan page. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

I must give props to my buddy Steven for his awesome photo abilities. He took the photo of Spouse & me in this post (which I cropped to become my current Facebook profile photo) and the 2 photos of me and Coco above. I usually don't like photos of myself but somehow he manages to catch me in the best light, which can't be easy. Thanks Steven!!

Crush du Jour: David Allison

From another planet

Last evening Spouse & I had dinner with our lady-friends Deb & Greer. Having lived in the DC area before moving here, they are a lot like us. They love trying new restaurants and experimenting with different food combinations so we have dinner together every 4-5 weeks or so. They are our favorite foodie friends!

Last evening's dinner wasn't at someplace 'new', but rather, a place neither couple had been to for a few years: Planet X Cafe. The decor is kind of funky bohemian, with lanterns, chandeliers, leopard print and deep jewel-tone colors everywhere. We were seated at a table at the corner of the porch. How I love dining al-fresco!

Deb & I started with cocktails (of course). Deb had the Lemon Basil Gin Spritzer which she really liked, and I had The Green Galaxy which I liked as well. With its cocoanut rum and pineapple juice, it sort of reminded me of suntan lotion but I liked it. The Midori gave it the green hue.

As an appetizer Deb ordered the creamy tomato basil soup, topped with feta crumbles. One taste of it had us flagging down the waiter (whom we named Oliver; we have no idea his real name) to order another bowl for Spouse & I to share. OMG was it good!!

With precision timing our entrees arrived just as we pushed the empty soup bowls to the middle of the table. Greer had the Pasta Carbonara with asparagus, arugula, shaved parmesan, a poached egg, and pancetta. Deb had Crispy seitan with cabbage and noodles in a lime ginger broth. Spouse had the grilled Ahi tuna with scallops, roasted summer veggies, corn cake, and citrus slaw, and I had the crispy halloumi with scallops, roasted summer veggies, corn cake, and citrus slaw. As is our custom, we passed our plates around so each of us could sample everyone's meals. We were all very happy with the flavors and high quality of the food.

Then we were tempted with wonderful sounding desserts. Deb & Greer split a slice of homemade key lime pie while Spouse & I split the banana cheesecake wrapped in philo dough and drizzled with warm caramel sauce. It was so exquisite I was nearly transported from Earth to Planet X.

As always, we really enjoyed our dinner together and selected 4 more restaurants to try in the coming weeks.

Crush du Jour: David Moretti

Stoopid lyrics

Here's another installment of my blog feature 'Stoopid lyrics'.

A song's appearance here does NOT mean I think the song is stupid or that I don't like the song. In fact, today's song is one of my all-time favorites! Personally I think this song is musical genius. But the lyrics? Not so much. To me they just don't make sense.

Judge for yourself.

Bohemian Rhapsody
performed by Queen

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide no escape from reality
Open your eyes look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low
Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me

Mama just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life has just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh Didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters

Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time
Goodbye, everybody I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, oooooooh, I don't want to die
Sometimes wish I'd never been born at all

I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me
(Galileo) Galileo (Galileo) Galileo, Galileo Figaro
Magnifico-o-o-o-o
I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go. Let him go!
Bismillah! We will not let you go. Let him go!
Bismillah! We will not let you go. Let me go!
Will not let you go. Let me go! Will not let you go. Never, never, never, never
Let me go, o, o, o, o.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Oh Mama mia, Mama mia, Mama Mia, let me go
Beelzebub has the devil put aside for me, for me, for me.

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye
So you think you can love me and leave me to die
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here

Nothing really matters, anyone can see
Nothing really matters, nothing really matters to me
Any way the wind blows.

Crush du Jour: Benito Villella

Weekend highlights

Fri night after dinner I decided to sing karaoke. Since different venues have different song books, I tried a new venue and found they had a lot of songs I liked. There wasn't a huge number of singers that night so I got to sing 3 times. I also met some nice, fun people there including a couple who got married in Key West 8 years ago. They've been there 27 times! I also met a man who invited me to join the Philly Pops! It was a fun night. But something very funny happened that I didn't discover until the next day.

After finishing my 1st song I returned to my bar stool and 1 of the bartenders (Gino) brought shots to me and a pretty blond woman (there with her boyfriend). Since I hadn't ordered it I was puzzled. I looked over at the blond woman across the bar who had also gotten the shot and she said to me "You did a great job on that song!", to which I said "Thank you". We both lifted our shots in the air to each other and downed them. I decided to go over and thank her in person, and we talked for a moment about what kind of shot we'd had (Pineapple upside down cake) and she asked if I was going to sing again. The next day I spoke to the other bartender, my friend Jason, and told him how flattered I was by the pretty blond woman who'd bought me a shot. Jason looked at me funny and asked "You mean the Pineapple upside down cake shot?" to which I said "Yes". Jason smiled and said "That was from me. She ordered the shot for herself and since I had extra, I gave one to you." So, when I got the shot and looked at her, it was a complete coincidence that she said "You did a great job on that song!" She didn't buy me the shot! Then I realized that when I went over to her and said thank you, I didn't say "Thank you for the shot", I just "Thank you" which she obviously thought I was thanking her for saying "You did a great job on that song!" Jason and I had a good laugh about that!!!

Sat morning Spouse had his personal trainer appointment and I had coffee and watched "Sell This House". After a quick bite to eat, we went took Big Ella to a car show in Georgetown and met up with our buddies Rick & Nick and Ken & Don. There were 101 cars registered and we enjoyed being there despite the humid weather. Afterward Spouse took a nap and I went to the beach at 2:30 and played several games of beach volleyball with Jason and the other volleyball guys.

I'm a little stiff today but it was a lot of fun! The water was very comfortable so we enjoyed several nice swim breaks between volleyball games. I stayed at the beach until 6:30. That night we went to Saketumi for our friend Chris' surprise 50th birthday dinner. The food was terrific as always (I had 2 sushi rolls) and we had a great time. Afterward I dropped Spouse off at home and then met up with some friends at Mandance, including our friend Doug from Doug & Jim. Since Jim wasn't feeling well he stayed home, leaving me and Doug to talk, laugh, gossip, and dance the night away. It was a lot of fun. I got compliments from several friends at the birthday dinner and at Mandance about my recent haircut.

I was concerned it was too short, but everyone confirmed the opposite.

Sun morning Spouse & I met Steven & Thad and The Bobs at the beach at 11:00. We were only there about an hour and 1/2 when it started pouring down raining! We got soaked before we could make it back to the car. Once back at home we showered and had a snack. Spouse took a nap and I watched a little TV. I was in the mood for a good, crunchy veggie-filled salad so I invited Steven & Thad and Bryan & Jason to join us at Ruby Tuesday. We had a nice time talking over dinner. Spouse & I stopped at the grocery store (my least favorite chore) on the way home. After putting away the food and feeding/walking the dog, Spouse & I settled in for a relaxing night of TV watching.

Crush du Jour: Fernando Barcelona

Friday fragments

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


This little "FAIL" ditty came my way via my friend Jared.
Sometimes things don't always turn out how they were meant!

Did you hear that a new "urban gay resort" will open in NYC in the fall of next year? I like that it will remain affordable to most people. Check out more details here.

My friend Clark sent me this hilarious video about I Be-Weave Hair Salon!! You will love it!

I took today off of work, for no special reason. I've got quite a few vacation days to use up so I decided to take today off since the weather was supposed to be nice. Spouse couldn't take off because one of his colleagues was already off. I got up at 8:30, had coffee, watched a little TV, checked my email, and headed to the beach. Its not quite as fun going by myself, but it did give me a chance to do a little reading. It was pretty hot but still a nice day at the beach. After returning home I swept the mulch back into the beds again, then took a shower, got my hair cut and got the convertible washed. Then Spouse & I went to Fri Night Dinner with 'the usual suspects'. It was a fun day off!

Crush du Jour: Nir Lavi

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Okay folks, I'm gonna admit it: I got nuttin' today.

I'm taking tomorrow off work for no particular reason other than its Friday, the weather is supposed to be good for going to the beach, and I have vacation days to use. Hopefully I'll have something fun and witty to share with you tomorrow.

Crush du Jour: Tod Macofsky

Eye exam

Yesterday evening I went to my new eye doctor for an eye exam.

I wasn't that thrilled with my last eye doctor so I took a friend's advice and made an appointment with her eye doctor. Once I got there I realized this new eye doctor advertises in the local 'Letters from CAMP Rehoboth' magazine, which is nice, and that he's also a friend of Dorothy.

Upon entering the exam room we exchanged initial greetings and then he noticed that my flip flops and t-shirt were the same color. "Did you buy them together?" he asked. "No, but I intentionally wore them together" I replied. "But that's a good idea... I should open a store on the boardwalk called 'Flops N Shirts' and sell flip flops and matching shirts" I suggested with a snicker. "I'm sure it would be a hit" he encouraged. From this exchange I knew we'd get along better than my old eye doctor who didn't get my sense of humor.

After several tests he announced that I don't have glaucoma, cataracts, or any other eye issues. Next it was on to the vision test where they flip the lenses around and ask you "Is 1 better than 2?" and "Which is clearer, 3 or 4?" I always find this tricky, as sometimes just blinking will make the same lens look different. But I got through it with less uncertainty than with my last eye doctor.

My new eye doctor advised me that was adjusting my prescription and suggested a similar but new contact lens. He provided me with a trial pair and I am finding them to be extremely comfortable. Plus the prescription adjustment was just the tweak I needed for additional clarity. I feel like bursting into song "I can see clearly now..."

Once the eye doctor kissed me goodbye (just kidding) I met up with 1 of the assistants out front to discuss my insurance and product choices. According to her, I have very good vision benefits which she indicated would be better used on glasses than contacts. This was just what I needed to know, since I really wanted new glasses.

My current eye glasses (which I never wear) are at least 6 years old and 2-3 prescriptions ago. They never fit me correctly (so I never wore them) and I don't know WHAT I was thinking when I picked them out. My pupils must have been dilated or something. Did I mention I never wear them?

The assistant picked out a dozen different frame styles and had me try on each one and tell her what I did and didn't like. With that info, she selected another dozen and I did the same thing. Lather, rinse, and repeat. Such service! I eventually narrowed down the huge selection to 5 very different frames and even got the input of the doctor and another assistant. I narrowed the 5 down to 2 that I liked equally. At that point it became a question of price, and the decision was made. I really like the new, modern frames and think I might actually wear these glasses occasionally just for looks.

Since my insurance covers glasses or contacts, I will simply order new contacts online and pay out of pocket for them. My new glasses should be ready in about a week. I'll try and remember to take a photo of myself in them and post it in next week's Friday fragments.

Crush du Jour: Marc Jacobs