highlights of a very long weekend

friday was spent lounging around with Tina, Tricia, Damon, and Tony, and Grachie eating leftovers and watching movies all day long. watched "war of the worlds", let's me just say this, dakota fanning, i'm done with you, tom cruise, been done with you, and spielberg, i'll let this one slide.

saturday on the other was another story. Tony and Damon came over early to escape the housekeeper. but they didn't show up alone, they brought Max a few play dates which included, Paco, Rocky, Charlie, and Phoebe, their four little furry friends. Max was in heaven. We decided to take them all to the dog park and let them run loose. I think they had a ball. Tony and Damon had a who throws more like a girl contest, and I think Tony won!

we ended up heading over to the boys house to hang out and have mimosa's. here we go again. Grachie was there, and her new little niece Fiona made an appearance. What a cutie. we decide to hit some crazy ass gay bar in Pasadena call Encounter. we definitely took the place over. when we walked in the door there were only about five people in the entire place. three elder queens and a brotha reading magazines and newspapers and a very butch lesbian named Michelle, who looked as if she had just walked off the court of an WNBA game. quick sidebar. Tony had been giving Damon shit for wearing his mexican pancho and wanted him to change before we left the house. Tony said it made him look like a lesbian. so when we walked into the bar, Michelle says to Damon that she really liked his pancho. we all just busted out laughing, it was the funniest damn thing i've seen in a long long time. we proceeded to to jaeger shots and hit the patio with our drinks. Michelle ended up joining us and was a riot. Shay and Carletta showed up to join us, followed by Tricia and Tina. we got our drink on and then headed back to Grachie's so that she could get ready for us to head to Long Beach. we met Sonja and Crash at some bar to listen to a band and then headed to another spot where the second funniest thing happened. Grachie ran into a guy she had briefly dated who had the gall to ask her if she wanted to date again. wrong move Johnny. Grachie read him the riot act. he'd done some pretty lame things when they were seeing each other so she read him a laundry list or reasons why she would never date him again. which brings us to the third funniest moment of the night. he actually extended his fist towards her in a what's up bro style and said it was cool. go Grachie go. the next bar was much better and we bellied up and had a few more drinks. after leaving this bar to find some after ours we are walking down the street and Tricia has gone to another world. she's dancing around the street singing at the top of her lungs, twirling around with her top falling off over her shoulders, at which time she finds this boom box in the shrubs which she places on her shoulders and proceeds to sing Sir Mix A Lot tunes. dying i tell ya, dying. where is the video camera when you need one?

holiday recap

Tuesday I had to go visit a vendor to make sure my samples are ready for the sales meeting that starts on the 1st. I really think I’ve scared this guy because he’s not as confident as he was when I first met him after starting this job. It might also be that I ask a lot of questions and expect a lot from my vendors in return, but damn. How many times to I have to repeat myself or give you the information in hard copy form for you to get what I want? I swear I’m about to lose it with this guy, he’s really nice, but the nice is wearing thin very quickly. So I drive to his office and meet my assistant there who by the way picked me up a large coffee with cream, and brought a box of donuts for me and the screening crew. What a sweetie. Anyway, since I drove in that day I was praying for some kind of luck when it came to driving home. Ya see, I was cooking for 10 people on Thursday and I still hadn’t purchase my bird yet. So after going to the vendors, driving back to work and then trying to get out of there at a reasonable time to get to the store, just wasn’t in the cards for me. It took me over 2 ½ hours to get home. I then hit the grocery store(s) to pick up the things I needed. When home, unloaded the groceries, made something to eat, and hit the sack. I will say this, I did find a fresh 24 lb turkey that I didn’t have to wait until the next week to thaw out. I strongly recommend this route.

Wednesday we were supposed to have a short day so I decided to go in at 10am and then leave at 3pm when the office closed. So I work my ass off trying to get ready for this sales meeting and get out of the office right at 3pm. Of course there was still some shopping and cooking to do when I got home so I’m praying that the traffic from the night before is not going to haunt me this evening. Are you kidding me? Another 2 ½ hours sitting on that damn freeway creepin’ along. I get to the store, pick up my last minute items and head home to start the cooking. So that I wouldn’t have anything to do but throw that bird in the oven in the morning, I whipped up my famous mac and cheese, and the stuffing/dressing, and had a glass or two of wine. What a clever idea. I can remember the days of my mom busting her ass the night before and me along with her making pies and sides for the next day. Another good nights rest is needed so I hit the sack.

Thursday I get up and start cleaning the house. Since I get up so early it’s really hard to sleep in when I finally have a day off. This of course was typical. I awoke way too early. I let Max out and tried to catch a few more zzzzz’s. After tossing and turning I decide it’s time to get up, 7am is going to be as late as I can go. Much better than 5am though. So I get to cleaning and pretty much whip things into shape. At about 9:30am I decide I’d better start getting ol’ Tom ready for the oven. I get him all washed up, and start stuffing little things into his belly, an onion, some stalks of celery, and cloves of garlic. I whip up a little rub and baste him in a little butter and then spread the rub all over him. And then I get out my most favorite trick, the oven cooking bag. Now I remember my mother getting up at the crack of dawn to get the turkey in the oven so that I would be ready by the time we were ready to eat at like 2pm. Those days are over. For that big ass bird it was only going to take almost 3 1/2 hours which fit my dinner schedule perfectly. I shoved him in the bag, put him in the roasting pan (thank the lord I found a large enough one), and put ol’ Tom in the oven. When he was finished, I took him out and placed the side dishes in the oven for their time. Folks started arriving at about 2pm and we had a cocktail or two and had some apps. Now the thing that I loved about this dinner is that everyone brought a side dish that they love. We had corn, cornbread, green bean casserole, some broccoli casserole, chipotle carrots (kick ass hot but really good), sweet potato soufflé, stuffing, mac and cheese, and my Tom turkey. Let me just say, Tom was grubbin’. Everyone couldn’t believe how moist he was. And to my surprise, the gravy turned out pretty good as well (I always freak out about the gravy). Attendees were, Tricia, Zsuzsa, Bora, Steve, Laurie Beth, Tina, Paige, Angela, Brian (doggie day care crush), and myself. I think the girls were surprised at how damn fine doggie day care was. OMG, I’m just glad he was able to make it. I think they were all beginning to think I had made him up. I got a little hello smooch, and an even better goodbye one. Brian brought a frozen shot concoction and had everyone doing shots of vodka and pep schnapps. So of course he was a hit. Anyway the dinner was amazing and we had a great evening. Can’t wait until next year.

sunday brunch to die for

i can't tell you how much i love to have sunday brunch and get a little party on. this one goes down in history. so Grach and i head over to Tony and Damon's for some grubbin' food and a mimosa. i brought over 2 bottles of champagne and a gallon of orange juice. the breakfast was great, Damon's scrambled egg concoction, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and toast. we cracked the champagne and the day began. now mind you the brunch started at about 10am. after the first 2 bottles were gone, Tony and i headed to the store and picked up 3 more bottles. while at the store my phone was blowing up, Tricia was trying to reach me. i call her and invite her and Zsuzsa over for a little party. now it's one. the girls show up with 4 more bottles of champagne and we proceed to drink them as well. now we're up to 9 bottles gone. Zsuzsa and i head back to the store for 3 more bottles. what, are you kidding me at this point. the funny thing is we are having a ball and no one is really messed up, just happy. we have a little dinner and then decide to give the boys their house back. the girls get this hair brained idea to hit The Cave. i decide that it's 6:30pm on a sunday and my ass is through, i head for home.

let's just say the interesting phone calls i receive the next morning still have me rollin'. evidently the girls went to The Cave, and stayed there until 3am. the stories will go down in history. my question is this, does the cave have a lost and found? if they do, please look for a shoe, a wallet, and a tank top.

but i tell ya, there ain't (oh yes i said ain't) nothin' like a sunday afternoon soiree. can't wait for the next one.

don't whore me out!

saturday night was completely out of f'in control. it started with Tricia and i meeting Steph at a little cantina in West Hollywood for 2 for 1 cocktails. now mind you we got there at like 5:30pm, and just let it flow. we chatted and checked out the boys and drank way too much. after we had been there for several hours Mer called and told us to meet them at the bowling alley Lucky Strike. Don't know what we were thinking but we headed over and actually started bowling. let's just say bowling when you've been seriously drinking all night is not the best thing to do. concentration levels were at a minimum to say the least. but we muddled on through. i was actually doing fairly well and i believe was winning before we called it quits and left. a bunch of us headed over to Tricia's to continue partying. the afterparty continued until way too late. i think i finally crashed at about 5:30am which was tough because of my get up schedule. so i only got a few hours of sleep and felt like abosolute shit later that day.

so i'm home laying on the couch nursing my incredible hangover when Tony gives me a ring and informs me that we are going to a tea dance and i need to be ready in 15 mins. are you kidding me, i can barely move. he informs me that he is bound and determined to find me a man and that i had better be over to his house in 15. so what do i do? jump my happy ass in the shower and get over to their house. i look and feel like crap and can barely function but i'm ret to go. Grachie comes home and we swindle her into going with us. so we get to the bar and it's a little scary. it's not like the tea dances i'm used to in atlanta. but there are a few cute guys there so i'm bound to make the most of it. then here comes Tony. just chattin' up a storm with everyone around us. he introduces me to this cute guy that's standing behind me and we shake hands. now i know it's been awhile but i like to move a little slower when meeting possible dates. Tony on the other hand chats for about a minute and then busts out with a "so you want him to take you home and fuck?" are you kdding me, we just met, litterally just met, can i get a gander before you throw me to the wolves. now this guy was cute but he was also a little to queenie for my taste. we chatted for a bit and then he said he needed to go. no shit you need to go. but ya gotta love a friend that tries to whore you out to the first one who comes along. i still have mad love for ya TC!

derailed was decast

i was so excited to see the movie derailed. i am completely and absolutely in love with clive owen i can hardly stand it. and i love me some jennifer anniston. i've seen every one of her movies and thought she did a great job in each of them until this one. first of all the chemistry between the two was a little off. JT picked up on it right away in the first scene of them together. the movie was a pretty serious drama and throughout the entire movie jennifer kept smirking. it looked as if she was going to burst into laughter at any moment. it just wasn't right for this film. but definitely have to say that clive is one sexy mofo, and a great actor in my opinion. damn!!!!!

a funny thing happened....

...on the way to work. my assistant and i were on our way to a trade show in palm springs. she had just purchased a new saab conv. so of course i made her drive. so we're chattin' and listening to music when she becomes really serious. she turns down the music and gets real quiet. then she says she needs to talk to me. so now i'm getting worried thinking she doesn't like her job or has found another one. she tells me that she really likes me and feels that we get along very well. that she loves her job and working with me but feels she needs to be honest with me. now i'm really freaking out. then she says that this is really hard to do but she want me to know that, are you ready for this, she's gay! all i could say was, omg so am i. we couldn't get enough of each other the rest of the day. we kept interrupting each others stories, and were trying to explain things we had said earlier to each other. it was a riot. i will say though, it's really nice to know i have someone i can talk to at work and not feel like i have to watch what i say. and i know she is happy. it's really strange that we both happen to be gay in such an old boys industry, but i also think that it's amazing! ya just never know.

So I had the perfect weekend

Friday night I went over to the Boys’ house, Tony and Damon, with Grachie and had an incredible meal and great wine. Those boys sure know how to do a guest up right. Tony made ravioli, one stuffed with eggplant (not my favorite), and the other stuffed with some kind of meat. Whatever it was it was both were slammin’. The lobster alfredo sauce topped it off. He then garnished the plate with shrimp kabobs and sliced tomatoes. We drank wine and chatted. The thing I love about the boys is their hospitality, but when they get tired and the night is over you know when to say your goodbye. Once Tony starts yawning I figure you’ve got about 15 mins to get your drink finished, get your coat, give them a quick hug and hit the door. Most would think that it is rude but I’ve kind of grown accustomed to this behavior. Hell, after getting up so early all week I know exactly where they are coming from. The funny thing was I had other plans anyway so this was perfect. My really good friend Andy was visiting from Portland and I was off to spend the rest of the evening with he and Tricia. Andy was in town to see his middle son participate in some sort of military commencement ceremony in San Diego and decided to stay in LA for the rest of the weekend. Andy is one of my most favorite friends to hang with. One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, and we just click. The thing I love most about him are the conversations we have. They’re always interesting and he always has a great perspective on life and his friendships. Andy, Tricia and I sat up until the wee hours trying to make sense of our lives, and everyone around us. You would’ve thought we had been commissioned to solve the problems of the world. I guess that’s what a few, very heavy on the few cocktails of vodka and cran-raspberry will do to ya. I had to stay the night and ended up leaving in the morning.

Saturday was to be a big day/night and it didn’t disappoint. I had turned 39 on Wednesday and tonight a small group of friends were taking me out to celebrate. We were to meet at Casey’s Irish Pub downtown at 7pm. I get there at about 7:15 and of course I was the first to arrive for my own damn party. Actually it was ok; you just don’t want to be the first one there. I settled up to the bar and ordered a pint of Boddingtons (if you’ve never had this beer run don’t walk to your favorite bar and try this one, you can thank me later) and tuned into the USC/Stanford game. What a complete ass kickin’ Stanford received by the way. Anyway, the bar is owned by a friend of Grachie’s and it’s really cool. Has kind of a NYC feel to it. It’s below street level with a great patio and the inside is amazing. Dark wood carved into pillars and coves with a long bar and plenty of flat screens in which to watch the games. And to top it off there were some very hot guys in there as well. All of them straight no doubt but still hot, and if I had to be there alone I figured I could check out the eye candy for awhile while trying to act like I was really watching the game.

So Grachie is the first to arrive and she saddles up next to me at the bar, and then LB (new BFF) shows up. Grachie of course wants to move a little closer to where the action is since I had been sitting down towards the end of the bar. I try to explain that the seats were filled when I got there but I don’t think she was buying it. So we pick up our glasses and move down a little. Grachie ends up sitting next to a hottie named Charlie and in no time at all they are chattin’ it up like crazy. Steph shows up and brings me a bottle of my new favorite wine Le Crema which is a pinot, and if you haven’t tried this I suggest you also run not walk and pick up a bottle. Meredy and Fritz are next followed by Tricia, Andy, and Zsuzsa, and Tom a short while later. Mer and Fritz bought me an amazing deep fryer for by famous fried chicken which I’m very excited about. Looks like I might have to bust it out this weekend for a little trial run. We are drinking up a storm and acting like crazy fools. Mer is recognized in the bathroom by some Bachelorette fan while she is in the stall, and Steph ends up trying to organize some sort of pay for used toilette tissue. Grachie’s new beau Charlie has now joined our table and everyone is thinking he is someone she met online, when in fact she’s just met him a short time ago while bellied up to the bar. They’ve exchanged phone numbers so we’ll see what happens with ol’ Charlie. The rest of the night consisted of Fritz meeting some new friends at the bar and doing way too many shots.

After we left the bar we tried to go eat at the suggestion of Grachie, at some dining car place just west of downtown. We get there, valet park, get seated, look at the menu, talk amongst ourselves, and decide to get up and walk. Why you ask? Maybe because the cheapest steak in the house was $40, and being drunk and hungry does not a $40 steak make. Grachie had been to this place before but doesn’t think she was paying so she had no idea about the prices. We laughed and probably were a little embarrassed but I look at it this way, unless I go back to that restaurant I’ll never see those people again. And if I do, so the fuck what, I wasn’t in the mood to shell out $75 for the munchies. My QP with C did me just fine. That’s quarter pounder with cheese for those that are wondering. Whipped through that drive thru around the corner from my house and enjoyed my burger in the comforts of my own home.

Got up Sunday morning and headed to the Tonglisle’s for a little mini chili cook off. Evidently there had been a little smack talkin’ about my chili being better than yours. So JT, JG, and Brit decided to whip it up and let a small group of judges make the call. To be honest they were all really good. Not that I was surprised after all the smack but I was actually quite impressed with all of them. They all had their own flavor and secret ingredients. We hung out for awhile and then I headed over to Fritz and Mer’s to visit and have taco night. The tacos were great, and it gave me another chance to hang with Andy before he left the next day. Tricia and Zsuzsa were also there. Basically we just chilled, watched football, and ate tacos. Good time had by all.

Thanks Andy, Grachie, Tricia, Meredy, Fritz, Zsuzsa, Steph, and LB for helping my have a wonderful Birthday!!! I love you guys!

39 and now seriously push'n 40

yesterday was my birthday. my 39th birthday to be exact. i can't hardly believe it let alone say it out loud. i had a great day, an awesome day to be honest. my good friend willy crack corn called me just as i was getting ready to catch the morning train. that was a song wasn't it? anyway, he called and wished me a very happy birthday, we chatted for a few minutes and said goodbye. when i got to work the phone and email were blowin' up with calls and wishes. which always makes me feel nice. my assistant brought me in a pumpkin cheesecake that was very tasty and gave me a card with a gift cert. for itunes which was also great. love my assistant, she totally rocks by the way. well wishers were stopping by all day long. then some work friends took me out for lunch and we had sushi, another of my favorites. then grachie called me and said she wanted to take me out for dinner, and tricia and zsuzsa wanted to go with us. we went to mexico city and had taco's and i had way too many marguerita's. i was ok but hurtin' a little this morning and today. so overall i had a great day, can't complain in the least. the problem lies with being 39 and not feeling it, or at least thinking i don't feel it. the years just keep ticking on by and it's a very strange feeling. i seriously feel as though i'm still 25 ready to conquer the world, but i'm not and it's just strange. the saving grace is that i'm told quite often that i don't look my age which is great that old saying black don't crack has been doing me wonders. and i guess i'll get over this issue about the #.

i think my issue really is seeded is that i'm not dating anyone and would like to be in some sort of relationship at this point in my life. i hate saying that but i really think it's true. i've been chatting very recently with a police officer lately and we'll see what comes of it. he's really hot by the way and i can't wait to meet him in person. maybe this weekend if we can get it together. i guess i just thought i'd be at a different stage in my life at this point and now i'm trying to get my pity party invites in the mail. i konw it will come when it's supposed to, i just it would hurry the fuck up an be the right time. and i think i'm still going to work on the doggy day care crush. if we can ever hook it up it might be good for both of us. between his crazy schedule and my schedule i don't know which is worse. we'll figure it out though, i have faith that 39 is going to be a good year for me on all levels. i'm going to give my best shot and see what happens.

trainspotting

I’m on the train this morning reading the new TV Guide in its new large size form. You’ve got to love a little gossip rag once in awhile. I actually love them all the time. It’s nice to flip through the pages and see what’s going on in Hollywood. It also passes the time. So if I don’t have anything to do on my computer work wise or I’m waiting on my new set of Netflix to show up, I catch up on all the Hollywood haps. Okay so back to the train. Now I love taking the train to work aside from getting up at such an ungodly hour it’s not bad. The one thing about the train however is that some people don’t realize they are sharing this mode of transportation with a lot of other people. Thank God for Ipods. There are a few regulars who absolutely kill me. What part of take it down a notch don’t they get. I’ve told the guys I work with who ride with me that one of these days I’m just going to go off, in a way that only those that know me closely can understand. Will it be in the way that I asked the woman behind me at the movies who was filing her nails as the movie was starting if she was going to do that to all ten fingers? Although she gave me a look to say “oh no you didn’t” she quickly put that file back in her purse. There are some days you just don’t want to fuck with me. I’m a Scorpio, and in the truest sense. I will give you as much rope as you need, but when I’m done, I’m done. If you happen to be on the other end of that rope when I decide to pull it in, you’d better be ready. So as not to cause a scene on the train I’ve just decided turn the volume up so I can enjoy my music and tune out the loud talkers. I will say however that sometimes that doesn’t even work. There are a few on this train that can still penetrate my ears even when I’ve got PYT (that’s my jam!) at 10. They will soon know that I’m not as sweet, quiet or as innocent as they thought.

Side bar. I’m writing this on the train right now and I believe someone has farted. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me with this! Take your lazy ass downstairs to the restroom and let that shit out, literally. Okay the air is back to normal now.

On with the story. So the whole thing that triggered this entry this morning is that while I was enjoying my new TV Guide the woman sitting behind me got up and approached me. I could see her out of the corner of my eye as she leaned in. She was very nice looking woman in her late 40’s dressed nicely and she just had a nice demeanor about her. I pulled the earplugs out of my ears so I could hear what she was saying. In a very sweet tone she told me that she was going to be making a brief cell phone call and wanted to know if I would be bothered by this. I thanked her but let her know that I was listening to music (Anita Baker by the way) and that I would not hear her anyway. How sweet was that? Just when you think people only care about themselves someone throws a wrench into the mix. It put a smile on my face. Thanks to the nice woman behind me who had the decency to ask if it was alright to use her cell phone on the train. I just didn’t have the heart to tell her that when I listen to Anita, ain’t nothing gettin’ through other than her amazing voice.