16 posts tagged “san francisco”

First off - GO TO A GEORGE MICHAEL CONCERT!! Even if you don't really care for him... GO!! That was seriously one of the best shows I've ever seen. And knowing I paid $25 for seats, when a woman next to me paid $250, was wonderful. (from what I've seen, the "$25 for 25 hrs" sales are happening the last Fri before the performance)

The sole negative was that the stage was a little low for the amount of floor seating they have. I was probably 30-40 rows away from the stage and spent most of the concert craning my neck in order to see between other people. I just need to make sure to buy different seats for any future shows at Honda Center (section 210 & equiv - first level, directly to the side of the stage, appear to be best).

And I need to dance less - I felt the shooting pain of my knee popping in/out of joint at least 20 times. But I still kept dancing - it was that good!

There was no opening act. George Micheal went on a 8:45 and ended at 11:30p - with only a 20 min intermission. The sound was incredible. The lighting and videos (on the giant monitors) were great. And nearly tripping over Dita Von Teese (and several of her burlesque friends) while walking in didn't hurt matters either - especially when she was featured in the video that accompanied GM's rendition of "Feelin' Good" and I could tell the people near me, "THAT'S who I was telling you is here!" I wanted to take a pic with her but thought it might be tacky to ask - especially cause she was with friends.

I knew very little of George Michael's music but still had a fantastic time. So much so that I'll be buying most of his music this week.

I got home around 12:30am and immediately repacked for SF. I reset the alarm clock for 8am and went to bed around 2am. An airplane woke me up in the morn and I figured it was about 7:55. I decided to roll over and check. Nope... 8:15. Alarm didn't go off because I forgot to turn off the "weekend" option. It's pure luck that I actually woke up then, rather than 11:30. To my complete surprise, I left my house and headed to LB airport on time. I had a hard time finding parking but finally stalked someone and got their space. Then I freaked out because I lost my parking ticket and didn't want to end up charged for a week when I'd only be there for 30 hrs. 10 min of searching later, I decided I had wasted too much time and had to go catch my flight. Which turned out to be 30 min late. (I found the parking ticket when I got back from SF.)

I got to Oakland/SF without event and met up with Secret Agent Scotch. in the Mission district, around 1:30p. For a variety of reasons (including the fact that my knee REALLY did not like walking in SF), we had a relatively mellow weekend. We went to the apt (just as great as she has described it!), had lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall burmese place (kinda scary to look at but really good food), saw Sex & The City (she liked it; I picked it apart), had breakfast-for-dinner at Mel's, then went back to the house for talking and "partying". I got to see the wedding outfit and had a moment where it sort of took my breath away (Steve, you are a lucky lucky man!). I had a great time with the infamous Rudy - he's incredibly cute and fun (and got bonus points for snuggling in bed with me in the morning). We slept in on Sun and got up shortly before PapiChulo and friends came home from their "bachelor camp out". Papi seemed disappointed when he learned that we hadn't done something adventurous the night before and I was left wondering if I should have forced us to go out. I dunno... tough call. In the theme of "bachelorette", we later went to Good Vibrations and left with... books. (I found some flavored lube that I wanted but it was in 4oz bottles and the limit for carry on luggage is 3oz.)

Despite tons of planning, we lost track of time and the BART was behind schedule and I, once again, was running for a plane - the last of the day - that I expected to miss. And, once again, JetBlue WAITED FOR ME. Literally. The gate was empty except for 2 flight attendants who immediately asked, "are you Leenda? We've been holding the plane for you!" Ditto when I got on board. As soon as I was seated, the doors were closed and the plane departed. I was highly embarrassed and originally feeling "WHY do I keep doing this?" But I later realized it's because leaving SF at 4 in the afternoon does not feel right. But 6p is the last flight of the day so, unless I change airlines & airports, I can expect this trend to continue.

Dear JetBlue, you rock!! Thanks for continuing to accommodate my buttlagging! And please bring back terra blue chips as the inflight snack on your planes. kthxbai.

By the time my flight landed, my knee was fully pissed off (it does not like being bent/sitting; nor the 2 flights of stairs in Scotch's home) and I had to hobble to my car - eventually using my crutches to get around inside the house.

I was EXHAUSTED by 8p and got to bed a little bit "early" (11-ish), slept well, and headed to the chiro before work today. He adjusted my knee but it still feels awful - can't support my weight and is clearly swollen. Since Scotch and I really didn't do much walking, I'm extremely disappointed that it affected me so severely (now my L foot is also screwed up from trying to compensate when the R one couldn't hold me). I think it's finally time to schedule an orthopedic referral.

And that was my weekend. A bit of an expensive version of "just hanging out" with a cool friend - but I really did enjoy myself.

Now I am hours behind at work but not stressed about it. I could really use a nap but it looks like I'll be at work till around 10p. So I guess I should go start doing something in the hope of getting caught up. Ugh. Paychecks are nice but working sure harshes my buzz.

Happy end to the first 1/2 of 2008!!

I can't believe how nicely my little 30-hr vacation fell into place. As usual, no problems at Long Beach airport. I was there with plenty of time to spare (it takes roughly 10 min to go from parking your car to sitting at the departure gate, and that includes checking in)... but it turned out that my flight was running late by almost an hour. I had picked my departure time pretty much at random and consider myself damn lucky that I selected a time that, even with the delay, didn't impact my ability to check in to my hotel and still make it to the Cirque show on time.

The weather in SF was not nearly as cold as I expected but dusk was just hitting so as soon as I got to my room (Hotel Maxwell) I layered up for the night out (wisest tip: tights under jeans). About an hour later, MissScotch called from the lobby. She's a pretty in real life as she is in her pics and twice as nice as she seems in her posts. I was amazingly relieved to find that, though gorgeous, she wasn't a 5'10" supermodel bitch.

We headed out and had a celebratory glass of champagne at a nearby restaurant/bar... my first drink since Sept 29. Certain not to be my last!!

We hailed a cab and headed off to AT&T Park and, after some confusion, hoofed our way to the Grand Chapiteau for the show. After a ridiculously long line, and posing for a souvenir pic, we got to our seats just in time for the pre-show.

The acrobatics in Cirque du Soleil's "Kooza" were AMAZING... seriously some of the best & most difficult stuff I've seen performed. The contortionists were simply ridiculous - bending their bodies all sorts of ways that should not be humanly possible. Have you seen the video of the freaky bendy European gymnast? She may have been one of the performers. I'm not sure. But that's how bendy they were (though a gazillion times more artistic).

There was a solo trapeze act (one trapeze & one artist) that was fairly death defying. The high-wire performance involved 4 artists on 2 high wires - though most of the time was spent with 2 or 3 artists on the higher wire. They used no safety lines, which I've never seen Cirque do before, and one performer very nearly took a serious fall (while I've seen "stunt" slips in some of the shows, this one looked like a genuine accident). He caught himself by his hands and I thought he was going to steady himself and drop to the floor - but he pulled himself back onto the wire and redid the stunt.

At intermission, we got drinks (I wanted champagne but this show didn't offer it), wandered around the shopping area, and checked out the photo taken of us as we came in. It was not good. But still, it was a fun night so I was gonna buy a copy - figuring a single would run $7 or $10 and was worth it for the "cheesiness" factor. But oh noooooes. The smallest "package" sold was two 5x7s... for $25. Big fat pass!!

The 2nd half of Kooza started with The Wheel of Death which was simultaneously spellbinding and scary as hell. The audience was gasping in fear early in the performance and it grew to screams as the artists just kept taking it up another notch - adding somersaults and flips and all other manner of moves that should not be performed on rapidly spinning tandem wheels - especially with no safety nets or harnesses. I simply don't have words to do it justice.

There were many more acts that I don't remember (the "balancing on chairs" act was not performed) - which is not to say the acts and show were not good. In fact, just the opposite - it was so much, and so good, and so overwhelming that it's hard to pick out specifics from the overall impression of "OH MY GAWD - I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE DOING THAT!!" I'm especially happy that it made a good "first Cirque" for MissScotch.

After the show, in the parking lot, we ended up overhearing the most insanely funny conversation involving British accents and the repeated use of the words "hamsters", "gerbils", and "porn". Scotch and I made sure to stay near that group, to hear whatever snippets we could - and I found myself longing for a way to make these strangers my new BFFs... as they were clearly warped in just the right way.

Scotch suggested that we go dancing in the Castro and we headed to Badlands where, surprisingly, I had never been before. $2 cover... that's TWO dollars. Score!! And they had coat check... double score!! And I used their ATM and got an extra $20 (I assume someone before me didn't take all their bills)... TRIPLE SCORE... MEANT TO BE!!

Scotch had a bartender instantly fall in love with her and he made our drinks strong all night. We got our drunk on (HOW many lemondrops did we consume? Was it 1,000?!?) and our dance on (note to self, do NOT wear tights under jeans to a club!!). The gay boys loved Scotch and eventually got around to noticing me too. Some guy told me he liked my "rack" - which made me laugh cause there were girls with much more substantial offerings right next to me. Another guy just kept saying, "You're trouble!!" to which I would earnestly reply, "Yes. I am!"

I think MissScotch and I were considered some cute/fun/flirty lipstick-lesbian couple and, because we were clearly having a BLAST - both grinning ear to ear - we attracted a lot of positive attention from the men.

Of course, it was all over way too soon. Outside, Scotch impressed the hell out of me (as she did all night) by spotting some guy trying to jack a cab in front of her, yelling, "HEY... LADIES FIRST!!", mostly as a joke but causing the guy to actually apologize and move out of the way so she could have the next taxi. Soooo cool - that would never work for me!! She caught her cab and headed off into the night - back to home & her boyfriend (she lights up like Christmas when she talks about him. He REALLY is the luckiest person alive!!) - and out of my IRL life. Awwwww.... queue sad music.

Twenty minutes later, still standing on the corner but now with no cabs in sight (normal for bar closing), I remembered that I hadn't eaten all day and ran into Walgreen's to pick up snackage (I originally tried a pizza place but it was way too crowded). I headed back outside, finally caught a cab back to my hotel, showered, scarfed a little food, loaded up on pain pills (I guessed, correctly, that my knees would be hurtin today), and CRASHED.

The morning came way too early (fortunately, as always, NO hangover for me). Just before checking out of the hotel, I called Sean to see if he wanted to shop with me but he was still in recovery from his night out (Tori Amos concert) so we agreed I'd stop by in the afternoon. I headed to Chinatown and bought waaaaaaaaaaay more silk stuff than I had planned - some for charity, some for coworkers, some for me. I didn't even get what I actually went for - dark blue silk table runners to turn into curtains (I've been thinking of the design for over a year now. The runners are gorgeous and only $10 each - though, if you go to one of the stores at the "official" Chinatown entrance, the exact same runners are $99 each). The shop didn't have enough blue ones in the store so I'm supposed to order them by phone next week so they can pull the needed stock from the warehouse. On a fluke, I ended up in a leather store where I'm sure I paid more than I should have for a long leather coat (the price was totally reasonable but I think it's normal to haggle down - which I don't do). But I really liked the feel (VERY soft leather), cut and style - and am happy with the purchase so that's that.

I got to Sean's around 2 or 2:30 and he was zombified - watching TV while trying to recover from a cold & his night out (his friends said he went into mean drunk status so I'm glad we missed each other) while gathering energy to go to another concert tonight. We talked a bit, watched some TV, and he fell asleep. I was hoping he'd drive me to the BART station, saving me a lot of commute time, but his friend didn't arrive when expected so he couldn't leave and I had to take the bus.

I allowed 2 hrs for the airport commute and check in (I expected it to actually take about 45 min). Like last time, I missed a bus by less than 5 min and had to wait 20 min for the next one. By the time I got on a BART, I remembered that the ride into SF had been MUCH longer than the "20 minutes" Sean drilled into my head - more like 45 minutes - and that I still had to catch the airBART connector to the airport, which would be another 15 to 20 min. A quick number crunch later, I realized that I might miss my flight home - and it was the last flight of the night. I began to freak but quickly accepted that I had no ability to change whatever outcome was ahead and that I might have to buy a ticket on another airline (maybe even to another airport) or spend another night at a NoCal hotel.

A few minutes shy of 2 hrs after leaving Sean's (so much for the 45 min theory), roughly 10 minutes before my plane was scheduled to leave, I arrived at Oakland airport, ran to the JetBlue counter, and was told that my flight was closed. But, because JetBlue KICKS ASS they made some calls, "reopened" the flight, and checked me in. (VirginAmerica never would have done that!) I ran to the security check point, had an asthma attack, and fast-walked to the departure gate (naturally, the farthest one), silently cussing Sean and myself, and feeling horrible that a plane was being delayed because I didn't plan well (allow THREE hours!!) and am too fat to hustle. There were MANY stares as I boarded, huffing and wheezing, sucking on my inhaler, and sounding about ready to drop dead. The attendants instantly handed me a bottle of water - though what I really needed was an oxygen mask!

As I sat down and started hacking up my lungs (side effect of the asthma & inhaler - I'm sure everyone thought I was giving them TB), I watched 4 or 5 other people board over the next 10 minutes and I wanted to kick myself (and the counter attendant) for the earlier running. But... I'd made the flight, had a great seat (first row, window, empty seat next to me), and got to watch "30 Rock" and "SNL: Best of Will Ferris" on the in-seat TVs and laughed for most of the flight home. (note: I read that JetBlue is going to be adding in-flight WiFi next week.)

This getaway turned into one of my best/favorite vacations ever!! Short & packed with good experiences, it left me satisfied, never bored, and looking forward to doing it again.

Bonus: For those of you who wonder what MissScotch is like in real life, all I can say is: She's everything you ever imagined... and more... times 1000. GREAT things are in store for that woman!!

So, it's settled - I'm still flying up to SF tomorrow afternoon but am now arriving home at 7p Sat instead of 9p Sun.

The Maxwell Hotel (in Union Square, part of the same chain as the Hotel Diva, which I loved) said a one night stay is not a prob and let me cancel Saturday night. And since Fri was $40 cheaper than San, that saved me some good cash.

I don't understand how I managed to only pay $35 for my flight change when the website says the fee is $40 ($50 if you do it by phone) - but I did and I'm happy for that surprise. I'll take it as "a sign" that it was the right decision.

Note on the flight change: I tried to pay with my Visa card and got a pop-up for the "Visa Verification" system - where you create a password that is forever tied to that card for online transactions. In the past, there's always been a way to say "no thanks" and continue your purchase. But this time it was mandatory. I have a problem with that because, years ago, I enrolled in that system with another card and was never able to use it online again because I forgot the bleepin password and the system didn't allow for forgotten passwords.

I called my bank and was told that because it's a Visa "feature" there's no way to opt out of it. I purchased with my AmEx instead.

Perhaps Gawd is trying to limit my online shopping?!? If so, it will be successful - I refuse to use that verification system - I don't need yet another password to remember. Now back to our story...

So, no stress about trying to stay up all night, getting to the airport by 6am, figuring out where & when to meet a shuttle, or wanting to stay in the city but not having allowed myself any time to do so.

This will be fun. Just enough time in SF to want more. But not so much that it drains my bank account. I can live with that.

Since Sean is sick, and is going to concerts Fri, Sat AND Sun nights (I just learned this a few minutes ago), the revised plans are definitely working out for the best. We'll have a teeny bit of time together Friday evening and option of meeting up late Friday night (though I don't expect that to happen). I'll get to see Cirque - with GREAT company - and buy her drinks to drown her current annoyance. I won't have to worry about schedules or house keys. I'll have time for a meal and shopping on Saturday, possibly with Sean, then will be back on BART around 4pm to head home.

As an added bonus: I should be back in Long Beach a little after 7pm and could make it to the last home in the Long Beach Holiday Progressive Party (but probably won't do so).

So... now that details are worked out, I need to stop stressing, get off my ass and get dressed (3p and I'm still in pajamas), run errands, and PACK (a big benefit of the no-sleep turnaround trip was that it meant no packing). Though, I guess I really only need to pack a change of undies - anything beyond that is optional (what do I care if people recognize me wearing the same outfit for 2 days!?!)... so I should probably quit tripping about that too.

I'm taking today through Monday as vacation days from the office. Sooooo needed (so overdue)!!! I've been feeling generally "icky" for the past week or two and, specifically, "not in the mood" for the work.

Date selection for this mini-vacation is based around flying up to SF, tomorrow, to see Cirque's newest show, Kooza. Original plans (last August) were to meet up with my newly single (separated) friend Richard and have a long overdue reunion. Having not heard from Richard in months (other than 1 phone call while he was at work - which consisted of him putting me hold while he took tech support calls, till I finally hung up), a couple weeks ago I opted to give the extra ticket away (to Vox's fav hottie) and have been looking forward to our meet & greet ever since (including plans for consuming my first booze since September 29).

As I expected, after 3 or 4 months of no contact, Richard finally tried to contact me on Sunday to work out plans for Friday. Since he didn't reach me (I was at the Toys4Tots party), said he'd call back. I didn't listen to the message till Tuesday... and noted there had been no call back. I sent him a txt stating that, due to lack of contact, I'd given the ticket away. No response from him. I'm sure he was stunned to find I'm no longer the insecure chick who sits around waiting (for 4 months?!?!) for people to contact her at the last minute to finalize plans. I'm now the grown woman who goes with the plans that work best for her. You drop off the face of the earth? Don't be surprised when you find I didn't put my life on hold to hunt you down and get your okay before revising my schedule.

So... the tix/show situation appears all worked out (for the better, I might add). But that left my "housing" situation.

Since I originally expected Richard to drive down from Sacramento and probably spend the night, I made hotel reservations for us. As that plan started looking less & less likely, I contacted Sean about crashing on his sofa (in order to save me about $250 in hotel fees). Sean repeatedly told me it wouldn't be a problem - but something nagged at me so I didn't cancel the hotel. Sure enough, as the month progressed, it turned out that Sean has someone staying with him - on the sofa - while that person is between homes. The plan was for her to spend this weekend somewhere else - doing a "test run" of living at that somewhere else - so the sofa would still be available for me. Those plans were confirmed as of Monday but I still had a nagging so I still didn't cancel the hotel reservation.

Yesterday, I sent a final-final-final confirmation request to Sean... and found out weekend plans for his temp roommate were back to tentative. The friend/roommate was supposed to be checking out the other living situation last night - to confirm staying there this weekend - and Sean said he'd call me at night to tell me how it turned out.

Around 11:30pm, I realized I hadn't gotten a call. I assumed no news = bad news (note: MAJOR pet peeve... people saying nothing rather than saying no). I called Sean and followed up with a txt msg. Haven't heard back yet. I'm assuming the sofa isn't going to work out and that he feels bad so he's avoiding telling me. Even if Sean's other guest isn't going to be at his home, he may want to have a weekend to himself - or not to deal with the hassle it's going to be for he and I to connect Friday (he's also going to a show that night so we have a very small window of time for meeting up, exchanging a key, and going about our separate plans for the night). I don't mind if he doesn't want, or can't have, another guest. As I said in my message to him, he's not responsible for my accommodations. Though, either way, I'd REALLY like a confirmation call. I hate that feeling that I'm going to get locked into the hotel (24 hr cancellation policy) only to have him call an hour later and say the sofa is free.

But, frankly, I've expected things to go like this. Not through any fault of Sean's but because my life seems to be playing "most inconvenient/uncertain option" games with me these days. Perhaps I'm supposed to be learning to make decisions without all the details. Or perhaps Life just likes screwing with my savings account. I don't know.

So... now I need to decide whether to keep my hotel reservation (I have till 2pm to cancel), at $110+taxes a night - or to rebook my flight home. My current reservations are for 2 nights at the hotel and flying home on Sunday evening. But now I'm thinking of just staying up all night Fri and coming home Sat morning. The flight change would cost me $45.

I'm not sure what my options are for staying up all night. I was thinking I'd just hop a BART back to the airport and hang out there till a 6am flight but it just dawned on me that BART doesn't run all night. I'm certain a taxi would be an obscene fee. So that leaves trying to find something to do in the city (all night dinner?) and a slightly later flight - something after the BART is running again. Hmmm.

I considered 1 night at the hotel, still returning on Sat (overall savings of about $60) but I believe the hotel has the standard, weekend, 2-night min policy. So that option is out.

I can't decide which is more (or less) appealing - 2 nights in SF alone** in a hotel with no specific plans (additional cost $220 plus taxes, entertainment & food); or a less-than-24-hrs turnaround trip just to see Cirque and meet the #1 Most Popular Voxer (additional cost $45; savings [room & misc] = roughly $300).

**although I'd still have the option of seeing Sean, experience indicates that if I stay at a hotel we will end up spending a couple hours, max, together. He'll want to party all night Sat while I'll choose to sleep. I'll want to meet for Sun brunch but he'll be "in recovery". Plans just won't coordinate. That's the way it goes.

Decisions... decisions... I have about 6 hrs (4 of which should be spent sleeping) to figure it out.

Sean is MIA - didn't come home last night. I was smart of got a key this time - so it's actually working to my favor. Otherwise we'd have just satin his house all day. Weather is Beautiful! I went to S workout - it was so-so. Now wandering Marina area solo. This is my treat - Ghiradelli choc mousse cake from Circa - a restaurant I really enjoyed at the corner of Filmore & Chestnut.

Too bad I wasn't drinking - Sunday 11-3 features bottomless Mimosas for $9.

Got hit on. Young guy. I should be flattered. I was only annoyed. I ain't YOUR 2am last-call woman, Deck!

I don't smoke. I don't drug. I stopped drinking 3 weeks ago. I have a workout in 10 hours. I'm the only person in the group who isn't flying on pills or speed. Why am I at this after hours club with these peeps?

FedEx: When it absolutely, positively, has to be delivered while no one is home to sign.
They did "final attempt" on my stripper pole today - at 2pm, despite my note, yesterday, of "PLEASE ATTEMPT DELIVERY BEFORE NOON". The office said that I do NOT need to sign in person. Apparently the driver keeps checking the wrong signature box. But his computer notes said that despite 3rd attempt today, he's going to try again tomorrow. I'll leave the signed slip on my door and, with any luck, he'll attempt delivery before I leave or will toss the pole into the backyard - and I'll be the proud owner of a spinning, removable, X-pole by the time I get home. Won't have it installed for another... week? month? year?... but at least I'll own it.

Yesterday started with lunch with my boss from several jobs ago. That was fun. We get along really well but haven't been in touch for awhile. Some personal drama has him making a bigger effort to contact friends so it was nice to see him and reconnect again (and the free restaurant lunch - really good baked tortellini - was nice too!).

By 2p yesterday, my thighs were completely locking up from Monday night's workout. That was a REALLY good class... both warm-up and routines were done in a style that was completely new to us - and lots of fun. Plus it was a really small class (4 students) so we got lots of 1:1 attention with our instructor, Megan. My quadriceps continued to freeze up throughout the day and, when it came time to leave work, I literally couldn't walk down the stairs like a normal person. It hurt so bad that I got the giggles - and finally figured out that I had to bend over, grab the rails about 3 steps below me, then zombie-drag my legs down the stairs... repeat. Still hurts today... but that "good hurt" that means they're building strength.

I enrolled in an S Factor makeup class for this Sun afternoon in San Fran. Me, the person who hates exercise... choosing to skip free time, and not party on Sat night, in order to work out - while on vacation. Yes, S is that addicting!! But I totally forgot that I have my regular workout on Monday night... so I'm gonna be a freakin MESS come Tuesday! in other news: I learned that my vid of the Instructor Demo at the Enchantment party is a huge hit with students & instructors.

This morning I had a pre-work dentist appt. I was NOT in the mood and, wisely, popped a Xanax ahead of time... which has left me relatively brain dead. When they weren't drilling my teeth (ranks right along vacuums as the most annoying sound in my world), I was falling asleep. And, 4 hrs later, still am.

First they put on my perm crown - which went relatively smoothly. Then they did a preventive maintenance filling on the tooth below. But that didn't go quite as planned - the dentist found fractures that indicate a crown might be needed there too. Since I've had zero pain, he decided to go ahead with the filling - saying we'll have to watch the tooth but the filling should be enough to save it. Unfortunately, that brought my expected $88 copay to around $250.

I'm now up to approx $8,000 US expeditures in less than 30 days... most of it on bullshit... and I still have the $2k medical bill to deal with. That's it - I give up - Debt wins!!

You know what bothers me most about this? I spent all year planning to give about $3k to Justin Rudd's charities... and now I don't have it, or even $500, to give. The same thing happened last year (I think). I guess I'll just have to hope to make it up at '08 tax time (I always give him 1/10th of my refund).

Sooo... with all that mental & financial stress, I did the only appropriate thing... blew a wad of cash on fancy chocolates, fancy cheese ("No Woman", from Beecher's in Seattle... gawd, that stuff is GOOD), misc fancy snackies, and a fairytale pumpkin (which I'll probably give to a coworker) at Bristol Farms. Stress relief through shopping... works every time. Ahhhhhhhh!!

Last night I packed for my 48-hr getaway to SF. I sent the FGNs my flight info (in case my plane crashes - so they'll take care of the cats) and one wrote back that VirginAmerican has seat-to-seat txt messaging.... what fun (though I'm mainly still looking forward to the blue/pink interior "nightclub" lighting during flight)!! I wonder if I can moblog from a plane?!?

My planned SF activites are: Arrive around 3:30p Sat. Possibly hit Chinatown for some inexpensive silk table runners to turn into curtains ($99 at one store but $12.50 at a store directly across the street!!) and misc tacky souvenirs. Stroll a bit while Sean is at his work thing. Cafe Deluxe for the 10pm Wet Spots (and Lil Minsky's Burlesque) show. Maybe a bar. Sean's sofa. Sun, noon, S Factor workout. Maybe a run to Grumblebunny's fav cheesesteak place. Head home around 10a Mon. Chill in between - probably shopping in Castro or Union Sq. I told work that, despite landing at LAX at 1pm Mon, I probably won't bother to go in. With traffic, I wouldn't to the office till at least 3pm and then have to leave at 7:30p for workout. I could do a 1/2 day but "Fuck it" seemed like a MUCH better plan!!

Tomorrow, Thurs, is erotic-painting posing night but I think I'm going to skip it this week. Work's going to get hectic starting tomorrow afternoon and I'd rather not stress about having to get done by a certain hour to get on the freeway in time to meet Eban. If I cancel, I can work late or, if that's not required, enjoy a night to myself.

I just called the hospital about the $2k collections. My contact there said the good news is that the $2k is not what's in collections - and she's going to send me a new statement this week. I'm really eager to know what the hell came to $25,000... just how much were those juice boxes and never-changed gown/bed-linens costing me?!?

Turns out that the collections issue goes back to Pacific Hospital (the one that grossly misdiagnosed me as having the flu - despite lab results that cleary indicated diverticulitus or appendicitis - thereby causing me to delay treatment and end up in ER instead of simply getting some antibiotics & bedrest) - and a $254 bill that I paid in full in May. Apparently the hospital never bothered to notify the collection agency... so they're still pursing me and have poxed my credit for something that was resolved 5 months ago. I just tried to call the hospital's AR dept but had to call a 2nd remote office, fight a voicejail system, get hung up on a few times, dial extensions at random, finally get a human, and be told the woman I need to speak with (apparently only 1 person in the entire office can help me) "works early" and I should call "much earlier in the day"... even though I work late and that's not convenient. She suggested vmail. I said I want a live person. She repeated the "works early..." BS so I hung up on her mid-sentence. Fuck them. I'll deal with it later. I cancelled home voicemail service so at least I don't have to worry about any more annoying messages.

On a much brighter note, I just checked my back account and Sony Parts FINALLY refunded my money for the bogus parts they shipped to me (and I returned a month ago). That's about $80 in my favor. HURRAY!!

Have I mentioned that I decided to lay off booze for awhile? I really only did it because I realized I was drinking more and more, and every night of the week, out of boredom... which seemed like a bad path to be on. Well, in less than 2 weeks I lost nearly 10lbs and my stomach/digestive health has massively improved. I think the health benefits are temporary (they've existed much longer than I've been drinking) but the weight loss was a great suprise. I suspect it's a combo of reduced empty-calorie intake, reduced bloating, and the fact that I'm eating less because food is staying inside my body MUCH longer - keeping me full/satisfied for an entire day instead of 10-15 seconds. It's win:win:win... for now. I've even managed to stick to water while at 2 different bars. But we'll see how I do in SF. Though I feel tons better health-wise, I've confirmed something I already knew - life is really boring when you're sober. Or, more accurately, a lot more stuff seems a LOT more interesting when you're buzzed.

And there's my boring week in a run-on post.

Here I is!! (nod to, I believe,The Little Rascals)

Hello peeps!! I've been out in the "real" world. Dunno who started the big fuss about that place!

Starting to catch up... has anyone else noticed a suspicious lack of posts about Vox meetups after they happen? Well, I have - so I shall forewith reconcile my portion of that.

The March 16 BayVox Meetup:

Hmmm. Well. Not what I expected. That's not a bad thing.... more of an "I see room for improvement - even if most of it is my own fault" thing.

I got to my hotel room around... 4? My long-time friend, Sean, decided to come by and take me shopping. We stopped in so I could meet a very travel-weary CupCate & Iain (and see their suite) before heading out. While at the mall, I decided a MAC makeover would be fun - not at all worrying that it would make me late for the meetup. Things I forgot or didn't realize/consider ahead of time were:

1.       The drinking started early at the Vox office

2.       The meetup started early (I don't know by how much but I know the sun wasn't out at 7p, the schedule start time, but is captured in a couple picks at the restaurant)

3.       Straights don't operate on "gay time" - so 1 hr late for an after work thing was a lot to many people (who were leaving, or had already left, as I came in)

4.       The meetup space was designed to hold maybe... 10??... people comfortably. We had at least 30 in there. Good turnout - bad design.

·          Note: this would be my sole critique of improvements not focused on me - even though I know it's the result of a lack of RSVPs and most of the group members playing "I dunno, where do YOU want to meet?". If not for Karen reserving this spot, I believe we'd still be looking for a place to meet!! So, props to Karen, and absolutely no disrespect intended to Deborah, ElectricFirefly, nor anyone else who made the meetup possible in the first place. But I still wish we'd had a larger space.

5.       The stairs to the meetup space were designed for acrobats who walk on pointe (completely un-secured banister and VERY narrow steps)

6.       Heat, including that of a hot day in a traditionally cold city and that associated with baking pizzas, rises (as in, to the 2nd floor meetup space)

 

I saw Mena on the stairs as I came in, said hello, and was completely confused by her total lack of response (rather more of a "deer in headlights" gaze). I now realize it was prob a combo of Voxer overload, heat overload, and desperate desire to focus on not falling down the stairs (no easy trick - as I would soon learn myself).

CupCate and Kristen were EXACTLY what I expected from their posts [this is good] - but even more so in real life. I applaud CupCate and Iain for not being cranky bitches all night (not even remotely so!!) after their long flight and being awake for more than 24 hrs.

Combining the heat with being late and how insanely crowded it was upstairs (the designated meetup space) made it difficult (for me, anyway) to meet/talk with people. It seemed that as soon as a convo started, I'd have to move to let someone through and the next thing I knew, I was too far away to resume the convo.

I eventually ended up at the base of the stairs, not eager to walk up them again (because it would mean another death-defying trek down) - which was convenient to talking to people as they left (hi, WarpedReality - I'm still using IE!!) AND to order drinks (bar was downstairs - as was the waiter for most of the night).

I talked to a couple who were with the meetup but weren't wearing tags - so I have no idea who they were (I'm HORRIBLE with names). The guy is a Voxer, planning to post art. The woman didn't Vox yet but took lots of notes on my comments. If you're out there - you guys were nice, please say hello.

I had a passing convo with Abject where I mentioned knowing his blog via someone else's hood. He guessed it was his wife, Deborah, with whom I also had a passing convo - but I still think it was somone else who had him in their hood. A female, who's vox name started with an "A" who was, ages ago, on the Explore page (cause that's a big clue, huh?). Anyhooo... thanks to being able to rename our pages, I now have no idea who I'm thinking of (despite searching to see who has Abject in their neighborhood). Abject & Deborah were both outgoing & friendly. I didn't really notice Abject's massive amounts of ink in person - I was more focused on his piercings (note: I highly respect both).

I was happy to see PantsParty in real life. Bummed when I learned that the infamous Rudy hadn't been at the 6A headquarters (so CupCate and Kristen didn't get to meet him during their tour). And love that Clamhead looks like her avatar.

I talked to a nice guy from Vox marketing... J.D... T.D... J.T.?? initial dot inital!! (did i mention names+me=horrible?). Nice guy. I think he said he posts jokes. I can't find him now.

I met Gladys - who made a wonderful impression on me because she's nice & outgoing - and I actually got to talk to her for more than 2 seconds!!

I was terribly happy about getting a Vox tshirt & sticker before they disappeared. I was even happier about finding a stash of pins & zipper pulls after the meetup broke up!!

When the meetup ended, with most people heading home or to karaoke, Kristen and her hubby (who's name I don't use only because he doesn't Vox... yet) decided to stay behind and have some food. Not being one for karaoke (I know I don't have a singing voice - why force the issue?!?), I decided to stay with them, got directions for the karaoke bar, and polished off the last of the beer as they ate. Plans were discussed of me taking Kristen to a gay bar but eventually settled on Kristen & hubby going back to our room while I tried to find the karaoke party.

I actually remembered the directions correctly but had Kristen & hubby drop me at the wrong corner of the right block. I checked out a line for a bar but it was not the correct one. I walked the other direction (which was correct)... alone... at night... in 5" heels... in a not so great neighborhood... not spotting a bar. After having a bicylist think I was hitting on him for asking if he knew the location of The Anti-Social Club*, I took refuge in the middle of the block as only I would - in a gay sex shop. The employees didn't know of the bar. I called 411 but they had no listing. The store employees directed me across the street to their straight sex shop... where the employees knew the neighborhood far better. But they didn't know of the club either - so I killed time, debating what to do next, browsing sex toys (bought the handy 3-in-1 keychain/flashlight/vibrator as a souvenir of the night!!), listening to the sounds of X-rated films in the back room, and having a good laugh as I was loud & obvious while the 3 male customers in the store were being all secretive & pervy.

I finally left the store, walked the rest of the block to the corner and caught a cab - at what I now know was directly across the street from *ANNIE'S Social Club - which was probably 3 doors from the 1st sex shop I entered and contained the Voxers with whom I wish I had been able to par-tay. Oh well... guess it wasn't meant to be.

Sean took me to The Cinch - a gay bar around Post/Polk (I think). We had a fun night out - despite, literally, THE WORST DRAG SHOW EVER - and I returned to the hotel room around 3a. I'm a light sleeper so when someone stirred around 8am, I decided it was time to wake up (sorry Kristen - I'm sure you wanted to kill me).

There were plans for me, Kristen, her hubby, CupCate, and Iain to meetup for breakfast on Sat but that turned into noon & lunch. While we coordinated, Kristen's hubby pointed out that it felt like the ground was moving - which he felt far longer than the rest of us. I had fun making fun of that - till later that night when I headed up the street to buy a soda and felt like I had vertigo (or was having some REALLY good drugs "peak") while standing at the store's checkout counter. It felt more electro-magnetic than moving... which turned into a fun little "Lost" moment for me as I imagined the countdown timer had run out.

Anyhooo... back to lunch... our meal was cut short as I was running majorly late for my walking tour of SF. However, the company was fun and time spent together was fun - especially the good gossip (no, I will not share - so don't ask) and the fact the 4 Voxers had the exact same meal, grilled cheese & french fries, at CupCate’s suggestion. I didn't get a "proper" goodbye CupCate or Iain - which is just as well as goodbyes make me weird - and cause I hope to see them again. Regardless, I will probably forever think of CupCate when I see Grilled Cheese on a diner menu!

Kristen and her hubby went home around 7pm and my Sat night was spent low key – adapting to my latest health issue: Sciatica, which caused insane pain from my right butt cheek (your welcome for the imagery) to my right heel. I believe my body may be on a quest to be a 1-person walking medical dictionary.

Sun was spent enjoying a delicious brunch with Sean and friends at Ramblas, in the Mission District. Followed by drinks at a well-hidden rooftop bar a few blocks away. Then drinks at Moby, in the Castro – which, as we stepped out of the taxi, I remembered that I HATE. I don’t know what it is about that bar but the men there do NOT like me. The classic moment at Moby (this trip) consisted of: I overheard a guy mention his age while talking with some of my group. I heard him say “37” and said, “oh, I’m always the oldest & fattest in bars, so you have nothing to worry about.” He asked my age, I told him, he said, “No – I said I’m FORTY-seven. So you’re not the oldest. But you ARE fat.” It was not said with humor. I might expect that from a 20-something queen, but not from a 47yr old business man. Whatev. Like I said – for some reason guys in that bar do not like me.

I would like to mention that in stark contrast to my last trip to the Bay (here, here and here), Sean was a WONDERFUL hostess. I believe the trick is to not stay at his apt - so we both have more freedom. And, for that, I once again highly recommend the Hotel Diva (and the entire Personality Hotels chain) - check TravelZoo for the best rates!!

In our next episode: How Boo saved all my kitties’ lives.

I'm not a big St. Pat's person so I'm checking GoldStar Events for other unusual things to do on Saturday. Anyone know if either of these is worth the time/money?

[what is vox's problem with crashing IE if I try to cut/paste?!? and also with not letting me paste stuff from the clipboard? Here's a jpg instead]