Friday, March 27, 2009
OK, OK
You're probably getting a little tired of the Parade of Hotties being more of a Parade of Brazilians. The tattoo on this guy's arm is in Spanish, so I seriously doubt he's Brazilian! Not that Latino is a stretch for me...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
California
OK - here's a little info about my trip. San Fran was lovely, the weather was cooperative, if a wee tad on the chilly side for a palm-tree environ. But 60 / 65 is nothing to complain about relative to Massachusetts for this time of year!
I applied at Macy's. Takes like 45 minutes. First thing in the morning I get the rejection. Wow... Checked out Craigslist and found a couple possibles. Sent of a resume. Never heard back. Sigh...
So, did some shopping. Nauber is fond of the A|X, so I got him a shirt.
Mykael had given me a $20 to pick up some Japanese candy, so I took a walk down to Japantown and perused the IchibanKan.
But the main excitement of the trip was heading out to Yosemite National Park for the weekend. Brad had booked a room at the Lodge at the Falls (the reservation lady said the other hotel, Ahwanhee, was booked), so Thursday he ditched work at lunch and we drove out. He would get excited every time he saw a waterfall. Every time. Even if it was the same waterfall we had just seen 30 seconds earlier.
(Click photos to see full size. Scenery shots are better in full size!!)
This being the "Lodge" and the "Falls" mentioned in the name; specifically, this is Yosemite Falls (upper). When we were checking in, the clerk asked what room we wanted. I couldn't think of anything else to say, so said, "One with a good view." Our room overlooked the bike path. Spiteful... Brad was displeased with the hotel. Kind of like a Days Inn painted brown. With lots of warnings not to leave anything in your car (bears) or not to leave your windows open (raccoons). We only saw deer and squirrels, though. Dinner that night was good. Brad was lusting after my cobbler after he tasted it and felt it was better than his creme brulee. The blueberry martinis were yummy, too.
Went for a little hike the next morning. Ended up at Mirror Lake.
(Click to see full size!)
On our way back, we saw more rocks, and trees, and trees in rocks, and rocks in trees, and butterflies, and babbling brooks. All of a sudden we come across a clearing with a big building in the middle.
I asked if this was the Ahwanhee. He said it must be. I said let's go check it out. It is gorgeous. Compared to the Lodge, this place was stunning. It is a AAA Four Diamond, and on the national register of historic sites. Brad said he should talk to them about hosting conferences, so he can score some points at work. While chatting up staff at the front desk, Brad mentioned we would have stayed there, but they were booked. The desk clerk, Joshua, said they were nowhere near booked. Made a few computer entries, and a quick phone call, and we were 'upgraded' to stay there that night, for substantially less than would have been charged. Brad said he would buy Josh a drink as a thank-you. He said he'd accept. We ended up having several drinks that evening at the lounge, then he joined us for dinner. This dinner was excellent. Brad was happy with his pineapple tart, so I had my tiramisu in peace. Our waiter was a big homo, and Brad even made a suggestive remark at one point, but we were not exactly able to figure out Josh. He had a staff party to go to, so eventually he left, but texted Brad right away to thank him for the lovely evening, and the drinks / dinner. Brad started getting excited. They've texted a few more times back and forth, though I recommended Brad not get too needy or crowding. I thought the best plan of attack was for him to pick a weekend to go visit, call reservations to book at the Ahwanhee (which Josh already said is booked through the peak summer season) and then when he can't get a room call Josh for help. If the response is "Stay at my place!" then he's in. If the response is "Well, let me check if there's anything at the Lodge..." then he is NOT in.
But it would be cool to go back and have a guide there who knows the real ins and outs, and where to go, and when, and how to get there. He mentioned that most of the really cool stuff is off the paths, so most tourists never see it.
Brad wanted to go to the Half Dome, but the snow isn't gone yet, and the paths at the top are closed until about the first of May, so we only got to see it from the tourist paths.
We were also told that the falls had just started flowing about two days before we got there, as the snow-melt kicked into high gear. We ended up picking a good time to go in some respects, and the trip was quite - uhh - fruitful, even if we didn't get in as much hiking as expected.
And one last bit of advice, if you are booking flights to San Francisco, and plan on using public transportation to get to and from SFO, remember the BART train does not start until 8am on Sundays. I ended up taking a cab because I was not aware.
I applied at Macy's. Takes like 45 minutes. First thing in the morning I get the rejection. Wow... Checked out Craigslist and found a couple possibles. Sent of a resume. Never heard back. Sigh...
So, did some shopping. Nauber is fond of the A|X, so I got him a shirt.
Mykael had given me a $20 to pick up some Japanese candy, so I took a walk down to Japantown and perused the IchibanKan.
But the main excitement of the trip was heading out to Yosemite National Park for the weekend. Brad had booked a room at the Lodge at the Falls (the reservation lady said the other hotel, Ahwanhee, was booked), so Thursday he ditched work at lunch and we drove out. He would get excited every time he saw a waterfall. Every time. Even if it was the same waterfall we had just seen 30 seconds earlier.
(Click photos to see full size. Scenery shots are better in full size!!)
This being the "Lodge" and the "Falls" mentioned in the name; specifically, this is Yosemite Falls (upper). When we were checking in, the clerk asked what room we wanted. I couldn't think of anything else to say, so said, "One with a good view." Our room overlooked the bike path. Spiteful... Brad was displeased with the hotel. Kind of like a Days Inn painted brown. With lots of warnings not to leave anything in your car (bears) or not to leave your windows open (raccoons). We only saw deer and squirrels, though. Dinner that night was good. Brad was lusting after my cobbler after he tasted it and felt it was better than his creme brulee. The blueberry martinis were yummy, too.
Went for a little hike the next morning. Ended up at Mirror Lake.
(Click to see full size!)
On our way back, we saw more rocks, and trees, and trees in rocks, and rocks in trees, and butterflies, and babbling brooks. All of a sudden we come across a clearing with a big building in the middle.
I asked if this was the Ahwanhee. He said it must be. I said let's go check it out. It is gorgeous. Compared to the Lodge, this place was stunning. It is a AAA Four Diamond, and on the national register of historic sites. Brad said he should talk to them about hosting conferences, so he can score some points at work. While chatting up staff at the front desk, Brad mentioned we would have stayed there, but they were booked. The desk clerk, Joshua, said they were nowhere near booked. Made a few computer entries, and a quick phone call, and we were 'upgraded' to stay there that night, for substantially less than would have been charged. Brad said he would buy Josh a drink as a thank-you. He said he'd accept. We ended up having several drinks that evening at the lounge, then he joined us for dinner. This dinner was excellent. Brad was happy with his pineapple tart, so I had my tiramisu in peace. Our waiter was a big homo, and Brad even made a suggestive remark at one point, but we were not exactly able to figure out Josh. He had a staff party to go to, so eventually he left, but texted Brad right away to thank him for the lovely evening, and the drinks / dinner. Brad started getting excited. They've texted a few more times back and forth, though I recommended Brad not get too needy or crowding. I thought the best plan of attack was for him to pick a weekend to go visit, call reservations to book at the Ahwanhee (which Josh already said is booked through the peak summer season) and then when he can't get a room call Josh for help. If the response is "Stay at my place!" then he's in. If the response is "Well, let me check if there's anything at the Lodge..." then he is NOT in.
But it would be cool to go back and have a guide there who knows the real ins and outs, and where to go, and when, and how to get there. He mentioned that most of the really cool stuff is off the paths, so most tourists never see it.
Brad wanted to go to the Half Dome, but the snow isn't gone yet, and the paths at the top are closed until about the first of May, so we only got to see it from the tourist paths.
We were also told that the falls had just started flowing about two days before we got there, as the snow-melt kicked into high gear. We ended up picking a good time to go in some respects, and the trip was quite - uhh - fruitful, even if we didn't get in as much hiking as expected.
And one last bit of advice, if you are booking flights to San Francisco, and plan on using public transportation to get to and from SFO, remember the BART train does not start until 8am on Sundays. I ended up taking a cab because I was not aware.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Not Fair
I missed last Friday's Parade post, so to make up for it, I will include three pics on this one.
Nauber was surfing the brazilian websites again, and stumbled upon a blurb about Lance Bass dating a Brazilian guy. Turns out this is his second. Personally, I always thought Lance was fairly unattractive, but he has similar taste in men to me it turns out!
For review, when he first came out, he was with reality TV hottie Reichen
Last year, after those two split up, Lance started seeing a Brazilian model named Pedro. Not the best one I've seen, but I wouldn't throw out of bed...
That didn't last too long. But the 'zilian bug must have stuck. Now he's been seen with this Gustavo. I said I didn't understand what all these guys keep seeing in Lance Bass, and Nauber said it was Gustavo's chance to get his name and picture on blogs and magazines. Well, happy to oblige, I guess. I found one without Lance...
Nauber was surfing the brazilian websites again, and stumbled upon a blurb about Lance Bass dating a Brazilian guy. Turns out this is his second. Personally, I always thought Lance was fairly unattractive, but he has similar taste in men to me it turns out!
For review, when he first came out, he was with reality TV hottie Reichen
Last year, after those two split up, Lance started seeing a Brazilian model named Pedro. Not the best one I've seen, but I wouldn't throw out of bed...
That didn't last too long. But the 'zilian bug must have stuck. Now he's been seen with this Gustavo. I said I didn't understand what all these guys keep seeing in Lance Bass, and Nauber said it was Gustavo's chance to get his name and picture on blogs and magazines. Well, happy to oblige, I guess. I found one without Lance...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
I Know You
Saturday night, Nauber and I met up with Michael (turns out it's spelled Mykael) and went to party in town. It was supposed to be an "Autie Mame" party, in honor of his larger-than-life eccentric aunt coming to visit, but she had grander plans, and was unable to make it. It ended up being a lot of college professors the host works with, and homos the host met at the bar.
We had just arrived, put our jackets in the bedroom, and came back downstairs. Walking in the door was Nish, with his friend Eva, and some Asian girl I did not know. Said hello to him, then headed into the kitchen. Nauber was hungry, because Ronny and I had stopped for a quick bite to eat at Wendy's, and he refused to partake. They had a couple cheeses, some hummus, tons of wine, and brought out a tray of what looked like empanadas. Nish wandered into the kitchen, followed by Luther. So, I said hi to him, as well. Nish started reaching for a baked good. I warned him that they looked like empanadas and were probably filled with beef. He found someone to ask, and yes, there were either ham or beef, so Nauber grabbed one, but not Nish.
Next time I turned around, I saw Nish walk past, followed by Manny. It was a reunion of sorts with all the local friends I haven't been keeping in touch with very well lately.
Monday morning I headed into Boston a little early, and left my car near Lance's house, and we had breakfast together before I headed to the airport. Sadly, I don't think I'd seen him since I left my car at his house for the Hong Kong trip back in October.
And now I'm in San Francisco! Have already looked through the want-ads in the Chronicle (which may shutter soon), and there were only like 50 postings in the entire Sunday paper. Not a good sign, at all. But am also visiting with my friend Brad, who I have not seen since we took the cruise as guests of the C.D. back in 2001.
We had just arrived, put our jackets in the bedroom, and came back downstairs. Walking in the door was Nish, with his friend Eva, and some Asian girl I did not know. Said hello to him, then headed into the kitchen. Nauber was hungry, because Ronny and I had stopped for a quick bite to eat at Wendy's, and he refused to partake. They had a couple cheeses, some hummus, tons of wine, and brought out a tray of what looked like empanadas. Nish wandered into the kitchen, followed by Luther. So, I said hi to him, as well. Nish started reaching for a baked good. I warned him that they looked like empanadas and were probably filled with beef. He found someone to ask, and yes, there were either ham or beef, so Nauber grabbed one, but not Nish.
Next time I turned around, I saw Nish walk past, followed by Manny. It was a reunion of sorts with all the local friends I haven't been keeping in touch with very well lately.
Monday morning I headed into Boston a little early, and left my car near Lance's house, and we had breakfast together before I headed to the airport. Sadly, I don't think I'd seen him since I left my car at his house for the Hong Kong trip back in October.
And now I'm in San Francisco! Have already looked through the want-ads in the Chronicle (which may shutter soon), and there were only like 50 postings in the entire Sunday paper. Not a good sign, at all. But am also visiting with my friend Brad, who I have not seen since we took the cruise as guests of the C.D. back in 2001.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Neighbor
I don't know about you, but I've never had neighbors like this. Then again, it has been a while since I've lived somewhere that attracts people like this! Monday I am flying to SanFran in the hopes of finding a job, or at least breaking through the wall a little better. Who knows, maybe I can live in a city with actual cuties running around.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Disney '09
Friday morning (Feb 27) I flew with Nauber to Tampa, FL. Smooth travels, we hit Tampa about 30 minutes early. We were staying at his friend Cida's place. She said she lives in Tampa, was at home, and was leaving at that exact moment to come get us. An hour and a half later, she showed up. Got in the car, and over an hour later got back to her house, which is not IN Tampa, but in Brandon. This is YahooMaps version of how to do this, but she drove through downtown instead. On the way, I saw a restaurant called Sweet Tomatoes - The Salad Buffet Restaurant. Nauber LOVES salad, so I pointed it out. Guess where we had dinner! It was very good. They are nowhere near MA, but if you are lucky enough to find one I do recommend it. We ended up going there again Sunday morning to try out their brunch. It was OK, but if you don't feel like salad at 10am, then maybe not worth it.
Saturday we went to the Florida Aquarium. I'd rank it better than the NE Aquarium. We had lunch/dinner at a little plaza nearby that was hosting a Gasparilla festival. They apparently love pirates in Tampa. We then headed to Ybor City, the historic neighborhood of Tampa, which also turns out to be home to the gay district, nicknmaed Gaybor City. Turns out that night they were having an event called Southern Exposure - The Nation's First Gay Carnival. It was a little weak, but a nice attempt. They also had RuPaul performing at a gaybar next-door, and Kat DeLuna at the gay club across from there.
Sunday we went to the Strawberry Festival. Basically a state fair. Carnie rides and fried foods on sticks, 4H kids showing off livestock, and tacky craft items for sale. Oh, and strawberry shortcake EVERYWHERE. And for those who haven't been to a state fair event in a while, they now have Deep Fried Pepsi. I looked it up, and HERE is a quick explanation. From there, Cida dropped us off at Disney's Pop Century resort. We were given a double room; Nauber wanted a king, so the reception clerk said they would have one opening up on Tuesday. I did go back Tuesday, and we changed rooms. That also moved us from the 70's area (no pool) to the 50's (with a pool). Not that he ever used it, but Nauber was happier to be next to a pool. Part of the reason, though, was that we had some cool weather that week. Sunday through Wednesday was in the 60's. Thursday was like 72. Friday hit 77, and Saturday was 79. Now that we've left, this whole week should be in the 80's, according to the Weather Channel. But it kind of didn't matter, because as we were checking in, they informed us that Typhoon Lagoon has been closed for a while for refurbishment, and would not be available the entire week. We did have Friday planned as our waterpark day, so we did spend the whole day at Blizzard Beach.
The Illuminations show at Epcot was cut back. It's about half a long, and much less fire. Kinda borin'. We were at Hollywood Studios (they renamed the old MGM park) part of Monday and Tuesday, which are apparently the two days a week they do not run the Fantasmic shows, so we missed that. The Magic Kingdom fireworks, however, seem to have been maintained - that was still a good show. We spent more time at Epcot than anywhere else. Most of the rides Nauber found boring, but he seemed to like Soarin (wanted to move to CA) and Space Mountain. We had sit downs at Epcot's Coral Reef, France, Morocco, Japan (TeppanEdo), and Germany (a buffet it turns out), MK's Tony's Town Square (much better than our pick last year - Liberty Inn or something like that), and the Wolfgang Puck at Downtown. Somehow, we kept getting stuck with lousy waiters. Nauber liked the food best at Morocco, but that had the worst of the waiters, so we tipped him less than suggested. You would think now that they get tipped independently from the dining plan they would be better servers, but it seemed worse than last time. The "show" aspect at TeppanEdo seems to have been scaled back as well; it was more of a cook the food and move on experience.
It turns out Nauber is a methodical vacationer. Guidemap and time schedule in hand, with a pen, he made sure to hit everything. Maybe next visit there, he would be able to relax and enjoy spontaneously, but this was a mission. And he put Ronny and Cris to shame. He has nearly 1200 pictures, and even deleted around 200 that didn't turn out well. He bought a lot of $3 or $4 souvenirs and was nabbing as many of the free buttons that he could.
As we took the Disney shuttle back to the airport when it was all over, he said he didn't want to leave. When we dropped him off at home he said he would miss sleeping next to me, too. I guess that means he liked it! We caught a lot more of the shows and saw more of the little out-of-the-way touches, so I guess his methodical mania had its up-side. We did sneak kisses whenever possible (Tom Sawyer's Fort and the Haunted Mansion provided some good dark corners)!
When I have a chance to load the pics onto my computer, I'll post a couple. The hard part will be sorting through them all to choose only a couple!
Saturday we went to the Florida Aquarium. I'd rank it better than the NE Aquarium. We had lunch/dinner at a little plaza nearby that was hosting a Gasparilla festival. They apparently love pirates in Tampa. We then headed to Ybor City, the historic neighborhood of Tampa, which also turns out to be home to the gay district, nicknmaed Gaybor City. Turns out that night they were having an event called Southern Exposure - The Nation's First Gay Carnival. It was a little weak, but a nice attempt. They also had RuPaul performing at a gaybar next-door, and Kat DeLuna at the gay club across from there.
Sunday we went to the Strawberry Festival. Basically a state fair. Carnie rides and fried foods on sticks, 4H kids showing off livestock, and tacky craft items for sale. Oh, and strawberry shortcake EVERYWHERE. And for those who haven't been to a state fair event in a while, they now have Deep Fried Pepsi. I looked it up, and HERE is a quick explanation. From there, Cida dropped us off at Disney's Pop Century resort. We were given a double room; Nauber wanted a king, so the reception clerk said they would have one opening up on Tuesday. I did go back Tuesday, and we changed rooms. That also moved us from the 70's area (no pool) to the 50's (with a pool). Not that he ever used it, but Nauber was happier to be next to a pool. Part of the reason, though, was that we had some cool weather that week. Sunday through Wednesday was in the 60's. Thursday was like 72. Friday hit 77, and Saturday was 79. Now that we've left, this whole week should be in the 80's, according to the Weather Channel. But it kind of didn't matter, because as we were checking in, they informed us that Typhoon Lagoon has been closed for a while for refurbishment, and would not be available the entire week. We did have Friday planned as our waterpark day, so we did spend the whole day at Blizzard Beach.
The Illuminations show at Epcot was cut back. It's about half a long, and much less fire. Kinda borin'. We were at Hollywood Studios (they renamed the old MGM park) part of Monday and Tuesday, which are apparently the two days a week they do not run the Fantasmic shows, so we missed that. The Magic Kingdom fireworks, however, seem to have been maintained - that was still a good show. We spent more time at Epcot than anywhere else. Most of the rides Nauber found boring, but he seemed to like Soarin (wanted to move to CA) and Space Mountain. We had sit downs at Epcot's Coral Reef, France, Morocco, Japan (TeppanEdo), and Germany (a buffet it turns out), MK's Tony's Town Square (much better than our pick last year - Liberty Inn or something like that), and the Wolfgang Puck at Downtown. Somehow, we kept getting stuck with lousy waiters. Nauber liked the food best at Morocco, but that had the worst of the waiters, so we tipped him less than suggested. You would think now that they get tipped independently from the dining plan they would be better servers, but it seemed worse than last time. The "show" aspect at TeppanEdo seems to have been scaled back as well; it was more of a cook the food and move on experience.
It turns out Nauber is a methodical vacationer. Guidemap and time schedule in hand, with a pen, he made sure to hit everything. Maybe next visit there, he would be able to relax and enjoy spontaneously, but this was a mission. And he put Ronny and Cris to shame. He has nearly 1200 pictures, and even deleted around 200 that didn't turn out well. He bought a lot of $3 or $4 souvenirs and was nabbing as many of the free buttons that he could.
As we took the Disney shuttle back to the airport when it was all over, he said he didn't want to leave. When we dropped him off at home he said he would miss sleeping next to me, too. I guess that means he liked it! We caught a lot more of the shows and saw more of the little out-of-the-way touches, so I guess his methodical mania had its up-side. We did sneak kisses whenever possible (Tom Sawyer's Fort and the Haunted Mansion provided some good dark corners)!
When I have a chance to load the pics onto my computer, I'll post a couple. The hard part will be sorting through them all to choose only a couple!
Fill-in
Here's a pic to fill in for last Friday's Hottie on Parade spot. In honor of being at Blizzard Beach waterpark at Disney World, with 77° temps and lots of sunshine, here's a cutie enjoying a pool. And just to calm your fears :), you will be relieved to know that while in Tampa, we found a swimsuit that Nauber liked and I felt was appropriate.
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