We just saw Neil Patrick Harris last night at EPCOT for his very last Candlelight Processional performance this year. He was funny before and after his narration, but not disrespectful about the material. From what we’ve heard, this is an improvement over previous year’s performances.
And now for something completely different!
…on Christmas, of course! Here’s my exit strategy for this annually divisive war - let’s keep our holiday wishes to ourselves until the actual day or days of the event. That means you only wish people “Merry Christmas” on the day of, maybe also the day before Christmas itself. Same with Hannukah, Kwanza, the winter solstice, etc. etc. Now, I know what you’re thinking - what if the holidays overlap? For that, I suggest simply that you wish all that apply. If its both Hannukah and Christmas, just say “Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah.” Its so simple it just might work!
And on that note, Patrick and I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas!
A few weekends back, Patrick and I took a short trip up to Nashville, TN to attend the Loreena McKennitt concert at the Ryman Auditorium. While this trip might seem a tad extravagant, Loreena rarely tours (hasn’t toured in the US since before 1997) and has never before (since I started listening to her) performed further south than North Carolina. So yeah, this was pretty much a must.
While I had previously been to Nashville several times, this trip would be Patrick’s first experience of the city some call NashVegas. Given that we only had partial days both Friday and Saturday, I didn’t attempt to plan anything too extensive beyond the Ryman, its surrounding tourist strip, downtown Nashville, and a quick drive-by of the Gaylord/OpryLand complex. This was a mistake, though, because all of those can easily be “done” to a cursory extent in a short few hours. Even with a luxurious 4 hours of time until the concert, Patrick and I quickly found ourselves quite done with downtown Nashville in just under an hour.
So, we drove around, waited in some rather dense traffic, and with only our Garmin GPS as our guide, proceeded to seek out anything to pass the time. After only another hour or so of random driving, we eventually found our way to Vanderbilt University. It was next to its campus that we found a great way to spend at least an hour or so more - Borders Books and Music!
Why is it that I almost never leave a bookstore without having bought some new book, even though I currently have a ToRead pile that is easily an entire bookcase full? Thankfully, these days, I’m only scouring through the bargain bins looking for those gems that I had previously passed up. Of course, I found a few of those at the Borders in question - a few yaoi manga that I’ve been collecting and the new Tim Powers book, all at clearance price! Into the bookcase they go!
But I digress. After grabbing a bite at the cafe next door, we at last ventured over to the historic Ryman Auditorium. We were still about an hour early, so we could only walk around and check out the Ryman gift shop, buy a soda branded with the Ryman logo, and leaf through the various other trinkets proving to others that we were there. Loreena’s people also had a small shop upstairs, so of course we got in line and purchased a few concert items. Though I used to balk at the usually excessive prices for things like t-shirts and posters, I’ve since learned that the artists themselves actually get to keep a healthy percentage of those profits. Though Patrick wanted their tote bag (how very NPR/PBS of him), they were unfortunately out, so we left with her new concert DVD/CD and the Ryman-specific poster.
Not too long after the shopping, we finally got in to the auditorium itself. Our seats weren’t the best, but we had no problems seeing or hearing anything once the show began. I’ve attended many concerts over the years, but I can honestly say that Loreena and her band performed the most engrossing, musically proficient, and perhaps even spiritually enlightening I’ve ever witnessed personally. She doesn’t seem to tour much, but by all means catch her if you can. No opening act, just two hour-length acts full of happiness. Well, happiness by way of Celtic-world fusion music.
After the show, we decided to see if she would make an appearance behind the stage to greet the fans and sign autographs. Her program notes mentioned that this was a common practice, so I decided it was worth the potentially long wait. Thankfully, we got their almost first, because the crowd quickly grew past a number I would feel comfortable meeting with after performing a two hour concert!
When I met her, I told her of the long trip up from Florida, how she had inspired me to learn the folk harp, and asked her to sign my poster to both of us. I was a nervous wreck at this point, as expected, and concluded the brief meeting with a hug. A HUG! I rarely even hug friends and family, mainly from some long-gone awkward experience as a child hugging some stranger by accident. But I hugged Loreena, and we then quickly retreated to our car by way of the Nashville music drag.
The next day, we drove around looking at several area quilt stores. Patrick found a few interesting fabrics, some quilting notions, and gifts for his fellow quilters back home. We checked out the Grand Ol’ Opry shopping megaplex, mostly just for the shops. I was thrilled to find this huge monument to all things apples called the Apple Barn, and Patrick found some cool electric-powered tent system at the OutdoorWorld Outlet.
Our plane wasn’t leaving until 6ish, so after shopping for the entire morning, we were pretty much done with Nashville. Southwest didn’t, unfortunately, have any earlier available flights, so we drove around some more, stopping briefly by Cooter’s Place (aka the Dukes of Hazzard Museum), grabbing the traditional “meat and 3 sides” lunch at a rather rustically awful little dive, and winding up walking around the Nashville Zoo, which I did happen to enjoy more than the dreadful National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Someday, I too will have Red Pandas eating bamboo!
Nothing eventful happened on the way home, though I must admit that Nashville’s airport was pretty uninspiring in its selection of Hudson News stores and crappy food choices. We ate some reheated Uno’s pizza while watching the planes land before boarding the plane. The flight was uneventful, though we later found out it was that particular pilot’s first flight as the main pilot.
And that was how we spent our (brief) summer vacation…in April…so more spring than summer…you know what I meant.
taken from the New York Times On This Day
As previously posted, here are the shocking reveals to Four Truths and a Lie.
1) Patrick and I have been together for almost 10 years.
This is true. We met back in early April 1997 and have been together ever since.
2) My drum major outfit in high school consisted of a vaguely US Civil War-ish general’s outfit complete with a sword!
This is also true, and pictures exist (though are not currently online). It was during our production of selected motifs from the movie Gettysburg. I highly recommend that everyone try carrying a sword around at least once in their life. Not as clumsy or as random as a handgun, but an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.
3) I once played the sax naked on stage in front of a restaurant full of people.
As told here,this also actually happened. Our band hasn’t played the nudist resort much lately, but who knows, it could happen again.
4) I’m a life-long Democrat that believes in the vast power of government to help its citizens lead richer lives.
Well, here’s where I lied. I’m actually a life-long Republican who believes that the vast power of government can be abused and wrongly utilized in the attempt to “protect” its citizens. The Republican party has been demonstrating this quite effectively since Clinton left office, but before his admirable tenure, the Democratic party was usually more guilty of this than their colleagues across the aisle. At this point, though, I’ll likely remain a Republican and continue to exert my influence at their primaries by voting for candidates that better reflect my socially progressive and fiscally conservative views…well, at least when there are candidates that allow me to do that.
5) I waited in line in front of Target for almost 12 hours to buy the new Nintendo Wii.
Not the proudest moment in my 1.5-score years thus far, but documented here of the ticket I was given to exchange shortly thereafter for my Wii. This sit-in was started around 9:30pm the day before the Wii was officially released and located in front and to the side of the Waterford Lakes Super Target. My brother Jeff joined me shortly thereafter, and in spite of the long hours of boredom and temperatures down into the upper 40’s, we made it through to the end. I’m glad I did it, though, as even now in mid-March, you still cannot find easily find a Wii in the stores.
As previously mentioned, we went today to see the Gee’s Bend exhibit at the Orlando Metropolitan Museum of Art. Patrick’s quilt is displayed all this month in a side exhibit for local quilters. Be sure to check it out!
As seen recently in such exciting blogs as A Spider’s Web in Thornton Park and I Deal With It, and the movie Breach, here’s a fun little meme to pass the time. Guess which of the following statements is the lie. Answers will follow soon.
1) Patrick and I have been together for almost 10 years.
2) My drum major outfit in high school consisted of a vaguely US Civil War-ish general’s outfit complete with a sword!
3) I once played the sax naked on stage in front of a restaurant full of people.
4) I’m a life-long Democrat that believes in the vast power of government to help its citizens lead richer lives.
5) I waited in line in front of Target for almost 12 hours to buy the new Nintendo Wii.
As many of you know, when Patrick isn’t waist deep in bleeding all over his students’ tragic essays, he and his aunt Nancy spend countless hours designing, cutting, sewing, and piecing together quilts. Recently, their quilts were entered into the Cabin Fever Quilt Fair.
Though they did not win any competitions, Patrick’s quilts were noticed by members of Gee’s Bend, a quilting guild of African American women from rural Alabama known for their historic and innovative quilt designs. One in particular, Come Fly with Me (pictured to the right) was selected by Cabin Fever and Gee’s Bend to be featured as part of the Gee’s Bend exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art during the month of March.
If you can’t make it out to the exhibit, you can also check out Patrick’s quilts on flickr here and here. You can also occasionally catch him helping out or teaching quilting at Cornerstone Quilt Shop.
Please join me in celebrating Patrick’s creativity and dedication to this traditional and quintessentially American craft.
This Valentine’s past was very special for at least one reason - I spent part of it at the cardiologist. For the past week, I had been experiencing what I later found out were called heart flutters, that is, noticeable, momentary fluctuations of my heart beat. They started the day after our small, fraternal alumni gathering for the Super Bowl and persisted throughout that week, culminating in a mild panic attack at my office that following Friday.
Panic began spreading when, after a short but eventful meeting with our auditors, I started to feel as if the left side of my face was slightly numb. Thankfully, I brought myself back from the brink of having a full-blown attack, and after lunch felt much less panicked. On Patrick’s urging, though, I decided to get checked out by a doctor before the weekend. At Centra Care, they gave me an EKG, which the doctor determined was almost completely normal. Based on the information I gave him, he determined that I should cut way back on my caffeine consumption and try to let go of the stress I had been gathering that week. Much relieved that I wasn’t having a heart attack, I went home, collapsed in the bathtub (as I like to do), and played some Hotel Dusk: Room 215 on my Nintendo DS.
The following Monday, I got in to see a cardiologist, who determined that I should have several tests run. The first started right away as I was fitted with a Holter monitor in a chest halter. The technician who fitted me encouraged me to eat a full dinner, complete with a cold dessert, drink several beers, and consume more caffeine that I normally would - all in the name of science! While I completely understand what she wanted to see with these requests, I could only humor her in part - I didn’t consume as much caffeine as I probably could have. Otherwise, I went through my normal nightly routines (sans bath, which sucked), logging each time I moved about or did anything that might cause my heart to react.
And now we’re back to Valentine’s, when I returned the Holter-in-a-halter and had a echo cardiogram. The technician assured me that, though he could not interpret the results, nothing seemed to serious to keep me there for immediate further testing or treatment. I will, unfortunately, have to go back this Friday for a stress test. While I’m not worried about getting my heart rate up by using the treadmill, I am not looking forward to hanging out at the cardiologist’s office for the better part of my Friday. Oh well, such occasions do allow me to burn through my backlog of podcasts. Thank God for the almighty iPod!
Otherwise, Valentine’s Day was quiet. I picked up food from the restaurant at which Patrick and I had our very first date. We ate it at home and caught up on some television, a very homebody Valentine’s (which was quite right, thank you). The audit has come and gone at work, resulting in only my lab getting a finished (and positive) evaluation. God’s in His heaven, all’s right with the world (well, at home anyway).
As a special treat (and hopefully a start to a semi-routine new feature), I have decided to start down a path of doing some audio recordings. I’ve been taken with all of the podcast excitement lately, and having been a long time listener (first time caller) to talk radio, I want to start doing my own dabbling. I don’t expect to turn out anything amazing, but if I can at least try a few things, perhaps even starting a regular podcast or three, I’ll be happy to have spent the time.
So to start us out, here’s a poem by on of my favorite authors. Its called Strange Music by G.K. Chesterton and is read here by me. Enjoy!
Unagii’s back is bothering him again, though the symptoms are less severe than previous episodes. After getting an encouraging report from the vet on Monday, though, I’m slightly more relaxed than I was the week before. Unagii’s back condition coincided with some rather tedious and soul-suckingly-awful development at work, so you can imagine the fantastic mood I’ve been inhabiting as of late, never mind all of this talk of “troop surges” and Iran.
Here are some things, however, that have helped allow me to smile.
John Hodgman |
Patrick’s Quilting |
Keith Olbermann |
Leo Laporte |
Podcasts |
Stephen Colbert |
Enough media nonsense for now. Tomorrow all will be better. Puppies will smile and babies will wag their tales. All will be right in the world. That is all (for now).
Its been a while. Well, just over a month to be precise. Life’s kept me busy. No time to blog about my 12-hour in-line at Target to purchase a Nintendo Wii. No time to share with you the stories from Patrick and my weekend adventure in Los Angeles. Absolutely no time to discuss my feelings about turning 30 a few weeks back. No time for pics from our 10th annual Christmas party, complaints about the insanities at my various occupations, thoughts on the strange political landscape that’s emerging from the mid-term elections.
No time for any of that, but instead…this! During this time that some of us celebrate the virgin birth of our own Savior, the komodo now have their very own virgin births in December.
No, no, Patrick and I are not breaking up. We recently celebrated an important birthday for Patrick out at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, and apart from some rain on Saturday evening, a good time was had by all (that let themselves). For this post, I’m going to open up just a bit about my recent work-related struggles. I’m compelled to stay murky about some things, but I’ll try to give you at least a high level idea of why the last few weeks have been scary/sad/confusing/exciting/and quite mad.
As some of you may or may not know, I work as a contractor for government-related training activities. Nothing dangerous or remotely connected with any of the contractor nastiness you’ve undoubtedly heard about on the news, but government contractor none-the-less. A contracted employee works for a company that has had a task or series of taskings contracted to them from the government. Thus as contracted employees, we work from contract to contract without much of a guarantee of permanence. Having said that, I have worked for the same company with much of the same people on the same general tasking for the last almost 6 years. Quite a pleasant oddity.
Several weeks back, we were told by our company that our current contract was running out, and that the government had not yet announced the new contract award. As such, our company would be forced to lay us off as of a week from this past Friday. Then, true to their word, we all turned in our badges and other necessary items and were laid off as promised.
Almost an entire week passed by without any word, many of us just hanging out waiting to find out when we’d be returning to work. This was fine for me since I returned from camping that Sunday before with quite a nasty sore throat/fever that is still plaguing me somewhat as I write this. I pretty much spent the whole week in and around my bed (with a break for teaching at SCC), anxiously awaiting the official award. Finally, on Thursday, we got word that a different company won the contract but would be hiring us all on immediately to begin work that next day!
This afternoon, we met with some reps from that company, and what an awesome feeling. None of us were exactly pleased with our previous employers, but I can honestly say that all of us are thrilled with pretty much everything about our new ones. We start back on Monday, picking up exactly where we left off two weeks before.
I’m excited by the raw potential that now exists where once murky sameness pervaded. I’ve never really been dumped before by an employer, but this break-up is probably one of the best I could have ever hoped for. For now, that is all.
My good friend Jake asked me yesterday how the “pet botherer” was doing, to which I replied (I’m summing up here) “better”. As the previous post depicted, Unagii had to go to the vet last week because of his recurring back problems. Pekingese, among other long-backed breeds, are notorious for getting something called IVD or degenerative disc disease. Three years ago, he had a flare up and was first diagnosed with the problem. Then, two weekends back, his back started to bother him again.
The initial vet visit recommended non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs combined with Valium to ease the pain and help him rest enough to heal. While at first this seemed sufficient, he grew worse over the weekend, and on Monday I took him to Affiliated Veterinary Specialists in Maitland to consult with a neurologist. The neurologist’s first choice was to do surgery to remove the hardened material from the disc, but on further discussion we decided to go with the conservative, steroidal approach.
What’s really odd is that I gave Unagii no anti-inflammatory drugs that day we went to AVS, and he only had obvious discomfort that morning during the visit. Since that time (and before he started on the steroids), we’ve observed no muscle spasms in his back. Furthermore, he’s doing much better walking around and appears to be greatly improved. Of course, he’ll be spending most of his time in his kennel throughout the next three weeks while the steroids do their work, and I’m going to insist more vigorously that he use his stairs to come up and down from the bed. He’ll be a little barky, but he’ll get over it. Of course, the remaining Valium will help with that.
Apart from our animal’s health, both our jobs remain somewhat stressful, though for very different reasons. We’re looking forward to September for some relief in that department, but as of next week things will only get a bit more insane. That’s when I’ll begin teaching at UCF with my 6 hours of back-to-back classes for digital media. My plans for the two classes are slowly revealing themselves, but I’ll really need to start making decisions this weekend or next week will be absolutely miserable.
Patrick’s continuing to work miracles with his SLD students, teaching them about the greats of literature and hoping that at least a few of them retain something of value in spite of their troubled academics. Its stressful for him to have students looking up in complete apathy and (sometimes) willful ignorance. Go figure!
That’s the most of it since last we spoke. I’ll be back later with memes, maybe some pictures of the wild-man look that I’m currently sporting, or my new chocolatey cell phone.
Another weekend come and gone, and what do I have to show for it?� Well, thanks to Patrick’s insistence, I did finally get around to replacing that one sprinkler head in the front yard.� Its amazing how something can be so daunting until you’ve done it once, then looking back, how simple it was.� Next up on that list, laying a laminant wood floor in our living/dining rooms.
In other news, we watched two rather exciting pieces of visual fiction this weekend.� First up, Saturday night, Matt and I watched the series two finale of Doctor Who.� I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say that one Russell T. Davies has written what has to be the biggest, most touching, and most unembarrassed piece of Doctor Who fanfiction ever!� He has done for Doctor Who what Genndy Tartakovsky did for Star Wars in his Clone Wars animations, marry a fans wishlist of cool with what really works in visual storytelling.� I laughed, I cried, I yelled “no way”!� It was, in a word, fantastic!
On Sunday, the household went to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean in DLP at the Waterford Regal.� I was not much of a fan for the first movie, finding the acting to be fun if not cartoonish and the music to be partciularly dreadful and formulaic.� This new one is like the previous, only more so.� Thankfully, with at least the music, Hans Zimmer actually owns up to claiming his distinct music on the credits (the last one listed a member of his studio).� What I find amazing about Hans is that he really has only written a handful of original motives in his years of work which he continual reuses for that very Bruckheimer effect.� Its not that I don’t enjoy it.� I rather enjoy candy and soda and other things that, though quite enjoyable, don’t really contribute much to the nourishment of my body and soul.� If you’re really looking for a great movie score, check out John Ottoman’s score for Superman Returns.� In it, he skillfully reuses John William’s original themes, expanding and augmenting them in ways that just move soul and raise the bumps on your skin.
Lastly, I never realized just how many varieties of crape myrtle there were!� Patrick bought me a strain called “pink velour” a few weeks back, and I’ve only this weekend decided what to do with it.� After going to all three local Home Depots, the closest Lowes, and even our local nursery, I’m still searching for a friend to go with it.� I’d really like to match it exactly, but at this point I might just give up and find two that match, leaving the pink velour for some other, solitary location.� We shall see what the fullness of time reveals.� Will I find a mate for my lonely myrtle, or will I settle for two strangers?� Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion…er, sometime.
Wednesday morning, 6am, I was on a plane to DC. I had planned this trip a few weeks back, and I was dreading each moment that brought it closer. In general, I do really enjoy going to DC, but after all the stuff with my father and going down to WPB three times in the past two weeks, I was pretty much over going anywhere but home. It didn’t help matters any that the night before my flight, I was going with Patrick and some friends to see Imogen Heap at the Social. The concert got out around 12:30 after a decently long wait and opening by a former classmate of my brother’s Daniel Kiedis, but as always, Miss Heap was divine. Her live show has improved significantly since I saw her last in Philadelphia earlier this year. She even used a keytar!!
Anyway, back to DC. I had the unnatural luck of getting off my plane and to work in exactly one hour. Anyone who’s ever flown in to Dulles, or really any airport for that matter, can appreciate that waiting is the norm when traveling. On this occasion, I waited for nothing - nobody at the rental place, no traffic on the toll road, security that was ready for me. I got in to work, did my thing, and everything worked. Well, everything on my end, anyway. There’s just nothing in the world like loading up your team’s software and being able to sit back and smile when everything works the way it should. The only thing that comes close is when everything doesn’t work, but you know for a fact that its not your fault. Priceless.
Things were good enough Wednesday afternoon that I had absolutely no problem leaving a little early to go to my hotel and crash. The hotel was brilliant, only a month old, still steeped in that new everything smell. My evening was full of Lebanese food, relaxed boredom, and a little Keith Olbermann before bed. All-in-all a decent way to wind down.
The next day was even better as I managed to check off pretty much everything else on my list. Keri was due back from a business trip later that night, so I went back and napped a bit after work. We went out for Thai later that evening followed by some after-dinner belt shopping. I cannot understand why people spend over $100 for a belt, but then again, I have been told that I am quite cheap. Still, I did eventually find a decent belt on Friday at Target for a wapping $7. So much more worth it.
Work finished up early on Friday, and after turning in my rental with Keri, we went back to Arlington for dinner. I should have known better than believe that we’d find good Mexican in Arlington, VA, the capitol of pretentious dining, but it did come highly recommended. Keri and I were nauseated after only a few bites. Blech, just the memory of it makes me queasy. After retching, we drove up to Baltimore to see Tony. It was great to visit, even if it was all too brief. He’s doing really well up there and about to graduate with his masters from Peabody Conservatory. I can’t blame him for not wanting to leave that area, but Florida would be greatly enriched by his presence.
So are we bored yet? I must admit that my attention is currently split between this post and a back-to-back marathon of The Sopranos. Anyway, back to the story. Saturday we took our sweet time getting up but eventually made it out to the nearby farmer’s market. Past disparaging comments about Arlington aside, I did rather enjoy finding a farmer’s market within two blocks. I know that there’s zero likelihood of finding such a thing at our current home, but someday.
And therein lies the problem. Every time I go up to DC, I realize just what we don’t have in Orlando. I’m torn between the desire to have opportunities, excitement, and culture around every corner, to be with dear friends that I see far too infrequently, or to have my current life with family nearby, affordable housing that lets me garden, and the opportunity to work in three very seperate capacities at once. Either way, I’m not going anywhere soon. Given our current obligations, we’re not going anywhere for at least a year. Then, who knows.
Aight, I’m drifting off even as I type. Let’s wrap this story up with a quick “and they all lived happily ever after.” Tomorrow’s already here, and I guess I should sleep before it needs me. Night all.
My father is ill and in the hospital undergoing tests. I’m having a tough time dealing with this, with mortality, the potential (inevitable, really) loss of a parent. Its something that I’ve watched Patrick go through over the last few months yet still managed to keep somewhat at arm’s length. I hurt deeply for what he went through, going to tell him myself at his job that his mom was gone, seeing that sudden look of intense and incomprehensible loss in his eyes. I felt all this knowing that he must be experiencing something far worse, beyond any words, beyond any experience I could bear.
I’m lucky. I had a mostly positive and wholesome upbringing with two parents that loved me and supported me in everything. They divorced but only after I was already in college. My brother, unfortunately, had to be there in the midst of the break. It was ugly, and ultimately lingered around in various court matters until only recently. Our relationship with our father was strained, but things improved with time. Overall, in spite of these events and in light of the growing insanity in many families today, my brother and I are both extremely lucky.
As lucky as I am, I’m jealous, insanely at times, of those people out there with still young or at least old and vigorous fathers. When you’re young, there’s always so much time ahead that scarcity seems like only a concept, death just a scary possibility more than a certain eventuality. I don’t know what to expect of the future or how long I might have left with my parents. For someone who makes a point of trying to know a lot, this uncertainty of life sure generates some difficult emotions. Someday I just might be able to let it go again, to accept the chaos and let go knowing that it all works out, but not today.
As for yesterday, it would have been Patrick’s mom Jackie’s 50th birthday. We miss you, Jackie.
This is a pic from our gig last night at the George and Dragon British Pub. The night started off rather slow with only a few tables occupied during our first two sets. Given that the full British tourist invasion hasn’t yet begun, this wasn’t too much of a surprise. We’ve played for fewer patrons, so we were grateful that the people present were enjoying themselves and our music.
During the second set, Patrick and Beth arrived. Things had picked up a little, but there were still a few tables open. Then, during the third set, a whole flock of high school-aged kids showed up from strip nearby. For those of you who haven’t been to International Drive in Orlando, its basically this long strip of shops, restraunts, hotels, and minor attractions that stretches about 6 miles from Sea World to the Belz Outlet mall. If you’ve ever been to Orlando, chances are you’ve stopped somewhere along I-Drive.
So yeah, these kids turned out to be high-school seniors from Michigan (and a few from Tennessee) down in Orlando for their senior trip. They heard our music, saw a largish patio area where they could dance, and just sort-of invaded. To the owner’s credit, instead of kicking them out since they had mostly just asked for water from the patio bartender, he simply asked that they all take care of the band and the bartender. This they did, quite nicely too.
The actual patrons of the pub didn’t seem to mind them much and in fact might have hung out longer because of the instant dance party atmosphere that the kids created. After playing our full four sets, Charlie decided to keep us playing a bit longer to keep the party going. Unfortunately, the kids had to be back to their hotels by midnight, so the extra only lasted a few songs.
Yeah, playing for an audience that’s enjoying themselves and the music is definitely the way to go. Even if its fake, a happy audience makes for great music and good times. Contribute when and where you can. You’ll make some musicians smile.
Today is the 9th anniversary of Patrick and my first date. After initially meeting on AOL in the Orlando M4M room, we talked frequently beginning in March of 1997. One of my first memories of him was hearing his stories about eating gator out by the swamp where his grandparent’s lived. It may surprise you to know that this life-long Florida native has only since then tried gator, and the thought of eating that was still quite alien at the time.
We first met in person at the UCF MIDI lab where I was holding lab hours with my friend and now coworker Ken. Patrick brought his friend and ex-girlfriend Wendy along for moral support, who mysteriously disappeared once we started walking around UCF and talking. Anyway, he must have been impressed because we had our next date that Friday, April 18th.
One of the funniest/worst things people have said when we tell them how long we’ve been together is “Wow…that’s a long time!” meaning “Wow…that’s a long time for gay men!” Its not that their wrong, either. So many men, gay or straight, out there would much rather cut and run when problems present themselves. Patrick and I might not always see eye-to-eye on things, but the one vital thing we’ve learned in the past 9 years is how to get past our differences and move forward together. Its never easy, but its always important and totally worth the effort.
As Sam Keen said originally (and Patrick quoted in his card today),
I missed the cherry blossoms in DC yet again. Each year for the last few year, I’ve been sent up to DC for work around the time of their Cherry Blossom Festival. And each time, its post-blossom. Last year it was only a few weeks after the festival; this year I arrived on the last day of the festival. One of these trips, maybe I’ll make it during the festival, though more likely something will come up and I’ll still miss it.
I really do enjoy the area up here, the insane amount of food, culture, and the crazy diversity of people. Not that Orlando or West Palm Beach (where I’m from) is podunk or anything, but the greater DC metropolitan area just feels more modern, cultured, dare I say it, civilized. I’m starting to feel that if the marriage “protection” amendment passes in Florida in 2008, and the Virginia one fails coming up, I’m going to start looking for opportunities for us up here. The housing and subsequent transportation costs are still crazy high, but I’m sure Patrick and I could find something that would work.
Of course, then I wouldn’t have to worry about missing the cherry blossoms! Not to mention that Patrick and I could potentially have marriage/civil-union rights and adopt some children. You know, with all that money we’d be saving by living up here. Did I mention how expensive it is yet?
After the first night of eating much and running around DC and last night of walking around Arlington, tonight I think we shall drive around the Falls Church area, perhaps to find some fabric for the quilting elves back home. Oh yeah, and eat more. Probably Lebanese. Chow!
