Fudge Covered Chicken

 Dom and I recently completed a road trip that started in Mackinac Island, continued into Frankenmuth, and concluded in Detroit.   Dom did mention in the past that he's always wanted to visit Mackinac Island and Frankenmuth.   So we decided to do just that.

I went back and forth particularly over which hotel to stay at in Mackinaw City.    It's cheaper staying off the island than on the island.    Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel for example has rooms that at minimum set you back over $1200 a night.   Maybe if Blackberry stock ever gets its act together I'll splurge on staying there.   But I'm not there yet.

So I wound up booking a room at Clarion Hotel Beachfront in Mackinaw City.   The draw to the hotel was the indoor hot tub that some of the rooms offered.   Also the hotel is off the beach which boasted a ocean side view.

The pictures made the place look appealing but the reviews did not.   Of course I didn't see all the reviews until after I booked it.   I chatted with my sister Trina who reminded me of how the hot tub jets would get grimy and lots of sludge came out of it.   She suggested I get some kind of hot tub cleaner to clean the tub prior to using it.  I tried to get a refund but it was non-refundable so I was stuck.

I took 07/18, 07/19, and 07/21 off from work to accommodate the trip.   Dom and I left Thursday mid-morning and made our way to Mackinaw City which was almost 6 hours away.   On Interstate I-196 we hit bridge construction after bridge construction.   At each point, lane travel was reduced from two lanes to one.   Of course a bunch of idiots decided to cut near the merge point.   I hate people.

Our route took us to a couple of rural back roads.   Dom was disappointed he didn't see any cows along the way though there were plenty of horses.   We finally arrived at the hotel and I quickly checked in.  Parking near our hotel building was very tight.   I managed to find one spot relatively near the building we were staying at.

We thankfully were staying on the 1st floor and I was glad there was a ramp since Dom has mobility issues now.   The room was very dated (the decor was from the 70's) and it had a very musty smell.   But we did have the ocean view.   We opened the screen door and directly by us was the beach.   We kept the door open a little bit to try and get the musty smell out.   It never really went away.

The hot tub was right next to the bed.   Originally Dom and I talked about just soaking our feet in the tub but it did not look particularly inviting.    Thankfully it was drained at least.   Also I didn't see any bugs which was a relief.

We had a lackluster dinner at a combo O'Reilly Irish Pub/Dixie Saloon.   The food was expensive and lacking in quantity and taste.   There was a family at the bar with babies and kids crying.   This is at the bar where they serve alcoholic drinks.   Needless to say if we ever make it back to Mackinaw City, we won't be going there again.

Afterwards I dropped Dom back to the hotel room while I ventured off to Mackinaw City's local casino.  It's a small casino called Odawa Casino.   There may have been 500 games in all.    It was less than a mile from the hotel so that was nice.   I didn't win any jackpots but I did like that they had some older Aristocrat games that I can't find anymore.    It was a good distraction at least.

Friday morning we just ate some snacks that we packed for our trip and then made our way to Shepler's Ferry which would take us to the island.    We just missed the current shuttle that was taking folks from the parking lot to the ship.   But it was only fifteen minutes more till the next shuttle arrived.

The ship itself had two levels, one on top and the other below.   We opted for the lower level and had our own row right at the front of the ship.   It was a quick 20 minute ride to the island.

We slowly made our way around the island, checking out random shops along the way.  I spied at least 4 different fudge shops.   Mackinac Island is famous for their fudge so I knew I would have to get some and get extra for my sisters.

Dom was holding his own.  It was a bit of a walk around the island but we eventually made our way to the Grand Hotel.   It's a $12 fee per person to go into the hotel itself but they reduce the cost of the buffet by that amount.   The hotel is amazing.   There's really no words.   The buffet was excellent as well.   It was $65 per person.   Interestingly enough they're currently having a sale if you book your stay for 2026 early.   Rooms were going for $440 a night which is a huge discount from the $1200 a night.   You would have to stay in May or June when the weather may not be as nice.    Maybe it's something I'll consider for 2027.

Dom really did love the island.   He even kept saying he wouldn't mind moving there.   

We timed it pretty good for the lunch buffet since it opened at noon and we got there at 11:45 AM.   There was a lady by the door that was part of some other group that was hosting an event there.   She kept talking like she was in charge.   Another group of ladies came in as well.   Dom earlier happened to take a picture of the ladies.    We all greeted each other once more.

So they took off, unbeknownst to us, that we had to register for the brunch.    The other lady that was by the door made a mention that we may have to register.    Dom stayed at a bench while I walked by the registration which there was a small line now.   The three ladies were ahead in the line and I couldn't help but give them the side eye.     One of them b's could've said something to us.   But it was okay.    Dom and I got a great seat by the windows and we were there early enough to enjoy the buffet.

Afterwards we walked around the outside of the hotel and then we had to make our way back to where the ship docks were.   Before going there I stopped at a couple shops to get some fudge and soap.    At one of the gift shops I spied some lilac soap that smelled nice.   Apparently lilacs is a thing in Mackinac Island.   

I purchased a couple soaps and a holder for ourselves.   As I was waiting at the register, I spied this hot beefy guy that was in the shop with his girlfriend/wife.    He stretched briefly and raised his massive arms.   While doing so I couldn't help but notice his sexy belly.   It briefly reminded me of a random memory I had when I was 12 or 13 and I went to Mackinac Island with my grandma and our church congregation.    I remember I was playing frisbee with a couple folks.   I remember having the frisbee thrown at me and it flying over my head and landing further away.    Hemingway when I ran to get it, this sexy beefy shirtless bear picked it up and he nicely handed it to me.    It was then that I cemented my attraction to bearish guys.   Obviously I was 12 or 13 at the time so nothing was going to happen there.   But the thought made me feel things inside...LOL.   

So yeah back to present time, I was admiring the beefy guy nearby.   The cashier came out eventually and I paid for my items.    As I  was leaving, he and I exchanged glances.   If only...LOL.    But it was a nice moment.  I shared the experience with Dom who got a good chuckle out of it.

I wound up stopping at two different fudge places to get fudge for my sisters and their respective spouses.    It was then time to make our way back to the ship.    We were back in Mackinaw City and then on the road to our next stop Frankenmuth.

If we do go back again, I would probably stay at St. Ignace, which is another city off the island.  I've read that the hotels are nicer there.   I believe they even have a casino as well...LOL.

So the next hotel we stayed at was the worst of the three.   It was a Baymont in Bridgeport/Frankenmuth.    We noticed how ghetto the clientele and some of the hotel staff were.   Thankfully at least we had a room with a higher toilet seat which made it easier for Dom to get in and out of.    Next door to the hotel was a Cracker Barrel.    Dom was definitely feeling the walk from earlier and wasn't up to venturing out.   It was probably for the best since I wasn't really hungry.   Cracker Barrel was okay.

Dom was still tired the next morning when we made our way to Frankenmuth.    I really wanted us to try the chicken and suggested a place to get a light pastry to tide us over till lunch.   Dom vetoed the idea though and wanted a bigger breakfast.     We wound up going to a pizzeria that also serves breakfast called T'Dubs.   I ordered an omelet with hash browns and was disappointed that the omelet was burnt in some places and the hash browns were not memorable.    Dom was tired and just wanted to stop whereever so I went along with it.

We did see the clock show at Frankenmuth Cheese Haus and he found some blackberry jam to purchase while I bought a Dubai Chocolate bar.    It was my first time buying a Dubai Chocolate bar which is all the rage on Tik Tok.   It was $17.99 bar called V-gift Pistachio.   I did enjoy the crunch and taste of the chocolate.   But it's something I would probably buy sporadically.  

Afterwards we drove a mile to the Bronner's Christmas world.   The shop sold everything Christmas.   It was a sensory overload.   It was good to experience it once I guess.    Dom wasn't overly impressed.  

Dom did ask me if I wanted to go back and get some of the famous German chicken to go that we could have at the hotel.   I thought about it but I wasn't feeling having my car smell like chicken for several days and then eating cold chicken later.     The moment had passed. 

We drove another hour and some change to our final hotel, the Hampton Inn in Madison Heights, MI.   This one wound up being the best one of the three, with the only annoying thing being our room door bouncing back and making noises every time someone slammed the stairway door which was next to our room.    I wound up putting my bag next to the door which helped reduce the noise.

Dom was not wanting to go anywhere, opting to remain in the room.   I picked up dinner at the sports bar called Twin Peaks.   Apparently the attire of the women working there is similar to Hooter's where their boobs and butts stuck out in skimpy uniforms.   I ordered some wings and a burger for Dom which we both enjoyed.

I later went to the nearby Meijer's to get some more water, plain donuts, small salads, and a Cherry Garcia ice-cream to enjoy in the room.

Sunday morning we checked out and then I drove to Trina's place and then Tasha's.   It was good for Dom to see them since it was about three or four years since he's been.    Tasha's in-laws were in town due to Abe's Grandmother passing away at 107.   I got to interact with them and deal with some crazy but that's family for you.   

We headed back home Sunday evening.   I put about 1000 miles on my car between the various stops.   It was a pretty good trip and I'm glad Dom finally crossed two more cities off his bucket list.   

Moore Than Alright

 

Dom and I had a great time attending Chante Moore's concert in Joliet's Rialto Square Theatre.   The inside of the theatre itself was very beautiful with interior architecture that reminds you of what you'd see in Italy or Spain.   We had good seats near the front of the stage which allowed me to take some great pictures.   Dom hadn't heard much about Chante before even though I have played some of her stuff here and there over the years.   But he was thoroughly impressed and enjoyed the performance.   

Chante puts on a great show and her band also did their thing as at various points in the show as she gave her bandmates a chance to shine.   Chante sang a lot of her hits from her first two CDs and others from her other CDs (8 in total).   She also sang a couple songs from her forthcoming album which will be her 9th.   She also has two additional albums that she did with her ex Kenny Lattimore.

There was one song I prayed that she wouldn't sing called Bitter off of what I call her "attempt at being more urban" project Exposed.   I winced everytime she sang the N-word in her recording of the song.    But Chante knows most of her audience and did sing it.   But instead of saying the offending word, she had the audience sing it.   I couldn't bring myself to sing that but I was singing along to everything else she performed.   She also did snippets of other artists songs like Tevin Campbell's Can We Talk, Quincy Jones In The Garden, and El Debarge's All This Love among other songs.   Overall we really did enjoy the show.

The journey getting there was interesting as well.   Since the show was in Joliet, which was about an hour and some change from us, we decided that we would eat something beforehand.    Dom of course had a hankering for Chinese so to appease him I tried to find some places along the way that served Chinese.   I looked primarily in Matteson, IL since our route was mostly along Lincoln Highway.   

I found a place but surprisingly Dom turned it down after not liking how the food looked in pics.   So we decided just to do a random stop (which I knew would mean a fast food place but it was alright).   Dom spied a Subway and we decided to stop there.

We ordered our subs, I did a 6-inch and the bread looked like it was smaller than that.   Dom opted for the foot-long.   We decided to eat inside the restaurant.   Fifteen minutes into eating this "homeless" guy came in begging for change.   Dom immediately went into attack mode but I foolishly thought I would give him a dollar.    I didn't have anything but a $5 but of course the guy was like I have change.   So he puts change on the table and after I give him the $5 he proceeds to take the change back and saying that he's homeless.  

All I could do was laugh and say 'ok, you got me' as he proceeded to walk away.   I resigned myself to being conned but treating it as my "good deed" for the day.   Dom did try to stop it but I had to be foolish.  I saw the Indian folks in the restaurant looking in at us from the back area.    They clearly had that character come in before.   We also couldn't help but notice they had a bunch of chairs strategically placed to block direct access to the restroom.  I'm sure they've had issues before with non-paying customers wanting to use the restroom.   Needless to say that is the experience of doing and patronizing business in the hood.  

It also reminded me of how blessed I am.  I don't know if I would survive out here in these streets hustling to try to make a buck.   I am blessed that I managed to hold a job and was able to save and find an affordable place to live.  Aside from my blood pressure, my health is fine.   My old car is still running fine.  I don't take any of that for granted.

As we drove on, I was annoyed as I saw other places that we could've stopped at to eat that would've been better.   But the Subway did provide sustenance so it was alright.

Parking itself was another issue.   It was mostly street parking with a few garages sprinkled in.   After circling the streets a couple times, I decided to park at the local casino Harrah's garage.   I did freak out when walking out of the garage as I saw a sign mentioning towing cars away that weren't patronizing the casino.   But Dom told me it'll be alright.   I did feel bad because Dom and I had to walk a few blocks to get to the theatre and Dom isn't able to walk as quickly.   I did wind up walking back to get my car (which thankfully was still safely parked in the garage) and resisted the temptation to go to the casino.   I then picked him up from outside the theatre.

We decided to visit the IKEA in Bolingbrook the next morning so we stayed at a local hotel in Bolingbrook for the night.    I got us a handicap room so we had a higher toilet seat and wider hallways to make it easier for him to navigate around.

The next morning I went to pick us up some continental breakfast to enjoy in the room.   I got us some Belgian waffles and a banana which tided us over till we left for IKEA which was 15 minutes away.

Dom saw a Michael's craft shop in the same area as IKEA so of course we had to stop there first.   Well Dom did and I was along for the ride...LOL.   We then made it to the IKEA just after 10am.   There weren't too many folks thankfully as we went through the aisles and ultimately spending just a little over $200 on various knick knacks and snacks.   We even stopped for some Swedish meatballs and mixed veggies for lunch in their cafeteria.

We then made our way back home but not before I made a quick stop at a Sunrise Health store in Lansing, IL to get Ice Cream For Bears, a natural brand of ice cream that is only sold in a few select stores.    Then we made it home.   

Thankfully I have a day off from work for the Memorial holiday so that gives me one more day to relax before getting back to the work grind.

Almost A Wrap

 My trip to Detroit thankfully was uneventful.   I was Abe's Secret Santa.   He made it easy for me by requesting several baseball caps.   He's a cap person.    Trina wound up being my Secret Santa and she got me a three month subscription to Universal Yums.   They send out a monthly box with treats from a different country.   Dom discovered the company a few years back and we enjoyed a box or two from various countries.   The box actually arrived at my home on the 24th (guess it was good that I stayed home a day) and I decided to take it with me.   She also ordered Mariah Carey's 2020 autobiography that I had on my wish list.  I started reading a bit about Mariah's early life.   She's had it rough but she managed to use adversity to eventually make a name for herself.

Tasha brought over dinner for our Christmas meal that as always was delicious.   We spent the evening watching trashy, badly acted Tubi movies.   

Eugene and I hung out for a bit grabbing lunch at Sweetgreen restaurant, an organic outfit that serves environmentally sustainable meals.   After lunch we went shopping at Nordstrom's (well I did...LOL).  I picked up a new jacket for me and some shirts for Dom.

I decided to drive back home on Saturday after stopping by the cemetery to see Mama and Papa.   Trina, Tasha, and I shipped in to get a bed of flowers for their tombstone and also a wreath for our "Grandma" and hubby as well as "Grandma's Dad" who we knew as "Uncle".  I tried to look for "Uncle" where I thought he would be but had no luck finding him.

My Sunday was spent doing laundry in the morning and then a quick trip to Meijer's in the afternoon and a side trip to Chipolte's for our dinner.

I managed to irritate my nose this morning using the CPAP machine.   I wound up going to the office even though I wished I could've stayed home.  I found myself blowing my nose and sneezing all day.  Fun times.

My New Year's Eve is going to be a quiet one.  Dom and I will keep a low profile enjoying some steak and shrimp (well I will enjoy that).   The plan is to ring in the New Year watching one of the countdowns and praying the crazy folks don't shoot bullets at our house.

It's so hard to believe 2024 is coming to an end.   I will say that I am glad that I continued to blog about various events that have happened throughout the year.   With this post I'll have made 50 entries which is 10 more than I made in 2023.   The big highlight for me workwise was getting my promotion, which was my first promotion at a job since 2006.   Work has been nutty as usual but I'm pushing my way through it best way I know how.    I was happy that Dom and I managed to take a couple trips this year, one related to my work and the other related to his hobby.   It is nice that we were able to travel together and try to enjoy life.

For 2025 I do hope I continue to work towards paying off our mortgage.   At the same time I need to start thinking about getting another car.   I hate the thought of a car note (it's been nice not having one for a couple years) but I know Dom has a hard time getting into my Passat.   I'm thinking about the mini-SUV's like the Subaru Forester or the Mazda CX-5.    There's a few other crossover SUV's that I'm looking at as well.    I'm going to have to try to juggle that with getting the mortgage paid off.   I hate to replace one bill with another but I know it's about time to think about it.   I've been blessed that my Passat has been hanging in there since March 2014.    Cars are so expensive these days as well.   We shall see.

Perhaps my stock Blackberry may help me in achieving one or both of the financial goals.   They've had some good news in recent weeks that seems to have helped the stock recover some.    Their product QNX may finally be ready to start making the stock profitable again in 2025.    They plan on featuring QNX heavily at the upcoming Las Vegas held Consumer Electronic Show on January 7, 2025.   I'm very hopeful that things will be looking up there.

Here's to a happy, healthy 2025 for us even with the uncertainty of America's future.   

The Holiday Shuffle

 I was "roped" into driving to see Dom's Mom and family this past weekend.   I hoped Dom would drive but his minivan currently is in need of a thermostat replacement and he didn't want to risk the 4 hour round trip drive.   To be honest Dom scares me when he drives especially when he starts getting aggressive.  I do know it's in defense of the crazy drivers out there but he is constantly yelling and swinging his hands in frustration which gets me riled up.   I really wasn't feeling driving but I find it less stressful when I drive.    

On the flip side he freaks when I drive because he feels like I don't react quickly enough to cars breaking.   I'm aware of the other cars and do react in time but in his mind I cut it close.    What it comes down to is that neither of us are in control when the other person is driving and that is scary.   As much as I didn't relish driving since I'll be more driving in the near future, I felt it would be better if I did the driving.   

I caught a really bad cold last Wednesday as well.   Part of the issue could be that I'm not getting enough sleep as Dom reminded me.  I have been commuting to the Chicago office three days a week and typically I force myself to get up by 4am (alarm goes off at 3:50 am) and then I'm out the door before 6am so I can catch the Southshore train to get to downtown before 7:30am and in the office before 8am.   I then make every effort to leave the office by 3:30pm so I can catch the 4:05pm Southshore train that manages to get me home around 5pm.   I need to go to bed before 10pm but typically I go to bed or fall asleep watching TV after 11pm only to have to repeat the cycle (though for the days I work home I get to sleep an extra 2 hours if my bladder doesn't wake me up around 4 to pee...LOL).

My schedule has been rough on my body and of course I'm in my 50's.   That and the flip flopping weather has wreaked havoc on me and most likely led to my cold.

So I was recovering from my latest cold and didn't want to spread anything to his Mom who's currently battling cancer.   I was starting to feel better last Saturday when we originally was planning to visit but decided to just do a half day trip on Sunday.   I also decided to wear a mask while visiting.

Dom's sister Marie and her family including all the grandkids and great-grandkids were already at Dom Mom's house when we arrived.   For the most part the visit when well though the addition of the great-grandkids was taxing on Dom's Mom.   The great-grandkids were 7, 4, and 2.   For the most part they were behaved but they are a lot of energy.

Marie's husband and daughter bought back KFC for a late lunch.   After the family did some quick gift exchanges, their brood took off for another house and a "pizza" party leaving Dom and I to be alone with his Mom and Lexie (Dom's younger sister Marina's daughter - R.I.P.).  Marina's other daughter, Ava and her partner Ronnie were at work.   They both work retail at a small Mom and Pop store so have to work all kinds of hours.   I don't miss my retail-like days at Amazon.   At least I didn't have to deal with customers...LOL.

Dom's Mom calmed down a lot once the great-grandkids left.  She was stressing seeing them moving and hoping about.   Basically it was too much stimuli for her to handle.   They were well behaved for the most part but kids are kids.   It was much quieter once Marie's family left.

We stayed for another 2 hours before Dom and I headed home.   Before doing so we made a dinner stop at Chili's where we both ordered various combo meals that were filling.   I wanted to get a molten lava cake so ordered that to go.

So now I am prepping myself for the longer drive to Detroit.   I was originally planning on going today (12/24) but decided last night that I needed today to relax.   I worked from home yesterday but the new process the company is pushing on us in handling customer issues has been stressful.    In a nutshell they are turning my role (Tier 2) into a Tier 1 role.

As a Tier 2 engineer, cases that I received are either ones created previously by the customer or it was after they "chatted" with a Tier 1 engineer to get the additional details.   Tier 1 engineers typically "chats" live with the customer initially to get details of issues which if the Tier 1 is not able to resolve, gets a case created that gets passed to the Tier 2 engineer (me).    Now they are wanting us to "chat" with the customers as well in the hopes of getting issues resolved faster.   If I were a Tier 1 engineer, I admit I would be worried about my role.   Hell even as a Tier 2 I'm concerned.

As I mentioned previously, they have closed an office which resulted in a number of engineer roles being removed.   Plus the company has no plans to hire for additional engineers in 2025.   Again that's why I am trying so hard to focus on cutting costs in my home.   Then who knows how truly fucked things will get once Trump and his cronies get into office less than a month from now.   That's all the more reason to get my personal house (which includes Dom) in order.

So getting back to work, I just needed a day today to relax and recover before venturing out again to Detroit.   I now am planning to go on Christmas Day.   Thankfully the weather looks like it'll cooperate for the most part, including the typically risky weather locations of New Buffalo and Kalamazoo that I pass through.

I plan on staying till either Saturday or Sunday.   It'll likely be Saturday as I'll want to have Sunday to relax and prepare for my work reality next week.  I also will be working from Detroit on Friday the 27th.   I'm praying that it won't be too busy.   We shall see.   

The Fall Of The River

 I spent last weekend in Fall River, MA visiting my friend Eugene.   Eugene's gone through some life changes since I was last in the area.   He's become a tenured professor at his university sometime in 2021.   Also after living in a number of different apartments, he finally became a homeowner last year.   So I got to see his new place.   He's in a townhome and at one point he had a roommate.   His former roommate Demetri was a student of his whom he befriended once the semester ended.   At one point they even messed around with each other.   But now they've maintained a great friendship.   Demetri moved out earlier in the year and is living back home with his father while in a relationship with another beau.

Eugene filled me in on the latest guy that's tickled his fancy.   It's a guy that works at his local post office that he recently befriended.   Apparently he's been working there a number of years and they've been playing a game of cat and mouse for years.   Things came to a head when the postal guy and he chatted extensively in the main hallway.   I got to meet him while in town since Eugene wanted a chance to chat with him again.   Only thing his he had no reason to be there so he had me buy a book of stamps.   Luckily it just so happen that he was free so I got to briefly chat with him in person.   He kind of reminded me of actor Terrell Tifford.   I forgot to look to see if he had a wedding ring.   But hopefully Eugene figures something out there.

So Eugene finds himself almost in the same situation that I was in when I lived in my old townhome.  He's the only black person in the building.   He's already been a rebel as well.   The association requires each resident to give a copy of their key but he refuses to do so.   He's also had some interesting encounters with some of the neighbors.   I don't miss being in that situation.   Interestingly enough there's a large Portuguese population that lives in Fall River.   He also does not live too far from Providence, Rhode Island, which we went to check out the Eagle leather bar. 

I also got to meet Demetri and his partner Aiden at Legal Sea Foods in Boston.   I've been to Legal Sea Foods once before way back in 2004 when I was in Providence, RI for a co-worker/friend wedding.   So that was actually over 20 years ago.   How time flies.

Demetri was definitely a yummy guy and I laughed how when Eugene went to the bathroom how Demetri and I quickly agreed on Eugene's flaws.   It was the same ones when I talked to his other friend privately.    Anyone who knows him has to take it or leave it when it comes to Eugene.   Basically Eugene always thinks he's right about every situation and thinks he single-handedly turns things around in every situation.   He can be a bit of a know-it-all at times too.   But he does have mostly pure intentions.

Demetri's partner Aiden seems like a cool guy too.  Interestingly enough Aiden also has a Salesforce connection so he knew what I was talking about when I mentioned the product.

Surprisingly Eugene didn't push too many of my buttons this weekend.   Usually he does something that he knows will set me off.    But this trip wound up being a nice one.   We may see each other next week while in Detroit.   This New Year's Eve he'll be in CA instead so I won't get to hang with him in Chicago even though I hadn't in a couple years due to various life circumstances.

Funky, Funky CGMC

 Last Friday Dom and I took the train to downtown Chicago and continued our annual tradition of seeing the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus perform their Christmas show at Harris Theatre.   It was a much colder night than last year so I bundled up.   Dom decided to don a Santa cap and since he has a long white beard already, he was ready to play Santa.    Of course he got the attention of several different folks.   The most touching one was from a lady who approached him during intermission.   She mentioned that her father used to play Santa Claus and seeing Dom bought back memories.    They were enjoying a conversation before she requested taking a selfie with him.   Then there was a young lady with a group of ladies that engaged Dom while we were waiting for the train home.   She seemed a bit "white girl tipsy" but was otherwise nice.   Then there was a little boy on the train that of course noticed Dom and asked for gifts.  The scariest encounter was a random man who sat near Dom and I while we were killing time at the Metra waiting area before going to the theatre.   He seemed to be wanting to ask for money and kept throwing hypothetical questions at Dom which Dom cleverly answered.    He was creepy though but thankfully we were able to get away unscathed.

Dom does seem to have a knack of attracting perfect strangers to chat with him.   I've witnessed it countless times when we hang out together.   Part of it is some of the clothes he wears like his numerous "math" shirts and of course with his white beard, he's Santa all year long.   I find myself staying in the background while folks engage him and seemingly not notice me...LOL.   But it's all good.

In other news if all goes to plan, I will be traveling out to Boston in a few days to hang out with Eugene.   The original plan was to see the movie Joker: Folie a Deux.   But Dom was telling me that the movie hasn't done that well.   The report I've seen confirms that they barely made back their initial investment.    I originally was supposed to fly out to see it on November 6th but Eugene had a last minute conflict that forced me to reschedule.   So it may not be playing anywhere in Boston when I arrive.   But if not I'm sure it'll be streaming somewhere either on Hulu or Peacock.

It'll be good to hang out with Eugene even though I'm sure he'll do something to drive me bonkers.   That seems to be his lot in life.    That's why it's good we'll only see each other for a few days.   I do hope I get to meet his handsome roommate though.   We shall see.

Defying Sanity

 The sounds of Wicked have been ever present in my ear.   Dom's been excited by the upcoming theatrical release of Wicked this holiday.   A lot of the doll community has been buzzing about this latest incantation.   So of course to prepare for the release I've been hearing the theatrical songs from Wicked over and over.

There have also been dolls made just in time for promoting the upcoming movie.   Of course Dom's been on top of ordering those and even had me trolling for one at our local Walmart.   They did not have the specific one he wanted so I was off the hook.   But I imagine when the movie comes out, Dom will see it multiple times like he did when the Barbie movie came out.

So Dom and I are currently in Reston, VA for the doll convention that he won a lottery for the right to pay for.   I still don't understand that.   I'm basically on my own in the area while he goes to the conference since it would've cost just as much for me to attend and there's nothing I would enjoy.   There's no doubt Wicked will be the talk of the convention.   Dom did say he's not planning on buying anything since he's already pre-ordered the main items that the conference is promoting.   Hopefully he sticks to that plan.

Since I'm not far the Metro system, which serves Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, I plan on spending the next couple days hanging out in D.C.   I believe there's a casino somewhere in the vicinity that I went to before when we were last in D.C.   So I may check that out again.

I will say our trip to the airport (which we left the house at 4:15 AM) and ultimately getting to the gate proved to be one of the smoothest experiences at an airport I've ever had.   Ironically it was because of Dom's current state with needing a cane.   The security line was miles long but when we got to the first leg, an employee took pity on Dom and moved us through the line.   Then TSA was so fast as we passed through guards with canines verifying that we weren't carrying drugs.   Then there was no having to take out our laptops or our shoes.   I even went through the regular scanner which was a good thing since the t-shirt I wore was a bit snug and I didn't want to bare my belly when lifting up my hands.    But alas it went off because of my belt.   But it was no big deal.   The agent just had me hand her the belt and had me walk again.   To top it off once we were past the security checkpoint, the gate we needed to go to was right in front of us.   We couldn't ask for a more smoother transition through.   Dom thankfully was able to pre-board since he needed more time.   All-in-all it was a great journey.    We'll see how it is going back.

Marking Us Safe From Our Trip To New Orleans

 Dom and I made it back safely from our half week in New Orleans.   Overall it was a great trip.   My conference was fine.   I met a couple folks which was cool.   I learned a bit more about some of the different Salesforce products like Mulesoft.   Mulesoft is a platform that's used to connect completely different data and system sources where information is required to be passed between areas.   The food provided by the convention could've been better though I wound up missing the opening outing at a restaurant called The Court Of Two Sisters.  It was a lovely space from what I saw and when I checked it out from those who attended as well as their website.   I liked it so much I told Dom that we had to try it for ourselves.   

Getting there itself was an adventure.   The hotel we stayed at decided to have a fire alarm set off just as we were getting ready to leave.    That meant the elevators were out of commission and we had to walk 8 flights of stairs down.   

For Dom it was extra challenging since he's not able to move as fast.   There were a crowd of folks behind us as we slowly made our way down.   To top it off we had to walk to the restaurant which was a little over half a mile from the restaurant.   Dom and I slowly trudged down the street and he had to stop a couple times since his hips were getting sore.    Just when he was wanting to give up we saw the sign.

Once there he needed to sit for a bit in the waiting area to catch his breath.  There was a group that took all the front area to sit.   They finally were seated and Dom was able to sit.   We made reservations for 8PM but there was still a small wait.   Finally the host (who was a sexy MF - he almost reminded me of singer Kenny Lattimore) called my name and directed us to our seating area.   

The food was good but very expensive and tiny appetizer portions.   Par the course these days.  Dom even made another friend in our waitress.  It's so funny how folks seem naturally drawn to him.   Our first night in New Orleans a random lady came over to compliment him on his shirt and tell him he could play Santa Claus which of course Dom told her he has...LOL.   It was hilarious and it took her a few minutes before noticing I was there.   Too funny.   

There was no way Dom was going to make it walking back to the hotel so I tried to do a Lyft.  The first Lyft driver drove right past us and eventually Lyft tried to send a second driver.   After fifteen minutes of foolishness from Lyft, Dom wanted us to look for a taxi instead.   As luck would have it, a taxi happened to drive by and we were able to direct it to stop for us.   I cancelled the Lyft and we made the short via taxi drive back to the hotel.

The rest of the conference was okay but I will admit I was feeling a bit out of place at times.   Thankfully I was able to use my hotel room for refuge.   And oh my gosh, I saw a fat mouse scamper against the wall in the great hall where the conference was hosting an awards dinner.  At the time I was sitting by my lonesome at the table so I was the only one that saw it but that was quite a shock.

I also got to enjoy my casino hobby a little bit with the Harrah's not being too far from the hotel.  They shook me out of $90 which wasn't that bad.

We also got to try beignets at two different spots, the infamous Cafe Du Monde and also Cafe Beignet.  I will say I think I liked Cafe Beignet's beignets a little better.   They don't drown them in as much powdered sugar as Cafe Du Monde does.   They are a little more dense than Cafe Du Monde as well but they were great.

We managed to walk a bit around the French Quarter after taking a scenic trolley ride around town.  Eventually we had to find another taxi to take us back to the hotel as Dom was not going to make it.  Ironically we wound up finding The Court Of Two Sisters and half a block away, the same waitress that served us was heading to her shift there.   Dom and she chatted for a bit which was cool.   We eventually found another taxi a block away who was able to take us back to the hotel.

Overall it was an enjoyable trip.   I'm glad we managed to get through it unscathed.   Even the house was safely found after I forgot to set the timers for the lights.   Next adventure for us is the first of two concerts in Shipshewana, IN.  

Beignet Time

Dom and I are just days away from our trip to New Orleans.   I'm nervous about attending a work conference mostly solo.   I do know one or two people that will be attending, including one from my company.   But I anticipate spending the majority of my time alone.   It'll be a time to try and force myself to be social.

Not only am I nervous about the conference, I'm also nervous about the flight.   There have been a lot of mishaps being reported on the news regarding planes.   In 2024 alone, there have been nearly a dozen reported cases.   Our flight going to NOLA has been changed several times.   The latest change has our flight leaving almost 4 hours later than I planned.    The positive though is that the flight they put us on is now a direct flight.   So at least we don't have to worry about rushing to hop on another plane.

I looked ahead at the weather and it looks like it's pretty much going to be raining all four days that we're in town.   And it's still going to be in the 90's.   I guess as long as there's no tornadoes or hurricanes in the forecast, we'll be good.    I am excited though to read that we'll be in NOLA during their Restaurant Week.   I'm hoping Dom and I will be able to try out a couple of the spots and hopefully for a discount.

We both definitely want to go to Cafe Du Monde and get some beignets.   The last time I was there and had a beignet, I believe was in 2010 (or it may have been 2009).  Nope looks like I went to Toronto in 2009 so definitely 2010 because 2011 was when I went to Spain.   Sadly it doesn't look like I blogged about my NOLA experience.   It was around the time my interest in blogging waned.   

Thinking back to my last trip, the highlight of the trip was my solo dinner some place I've since forgotten and winding up getting a free ticket to House of Blues to see The Neville Brothers perform.  The story there was that I was sitting at the bar (because the restaurant was packed).   There were two ladies sitting nearby and separated from me by a seat.   That seat later got filled by this other guy who spent the majority of his time chatting it up with the ladies next to him and then trying to have me be his wingman.   Of course he didn't know I batted for the other team...LOL.  It ended up apparently he had extra tickets to House of Blues and it just so happened that The Neville Brothers were performing.   He wound up inviting the ladies and myself to House of Blues.   Talk about being in the right place at the right time.   I remember one of the ladies whispering to me that they were glad I came along as well.   We all eventually separated once we were at the venue.    But I was elated to see a free show.

I already know the lines to Cafe Du Monde are going to be insane but it'll be worth it to get those fluffy, sugary pastries to enjoy.   I am looking forward to making new memories with Dom.

Back To Reality Yet Again

 My time-off at work ended just as fast as it began.  I barely got through my first day back but I pushed through it.

As far as my time off, I unfortunately wound up catching a bad cold right on my birthday.   I was still slated to go with Dom to see his Mom and his niece Ava.   We went back and forth on whether I should go or not.   Dom wasn't keen on driving alone and while I didn't feel like going, I did wind up going in the end.

I kept a mask on for most of Sunday while visiting.  We bought some Wendy's and later on Ava cooked a beef manhattan.   As the evening wore on I was feeling more congested.   I barely was able to sleep that night from being so stuffy.  Luckily I was able to find some original flavor Listerine and some small disposable cups and I mixed some Listerine with water and gargled.   That helped me to breathe better and I was able to sleep.

Unfortunately a few hours later I woke up with a bad sore throat.  I helped Dom go down his parent's basement to clear out some items that his Mom was looking to get rid of.    It was lunchtime afterwards and Ava made a chili for lunch.

As I sat down to eat I started to feel nauseous.  I went to the bathroom and stayed for a minute but it went away.   So I went back and took another bite and felt nauseous again.   This time I began to feel the motion of throwing up.   I ran towards the bathroom but I could not stop the sea of vomit that was coming out.

I felt embarrassed as Ava came with wipes and paper towel to help me in cleaning up the mess, which fell all over the bathroom floor and sink.   I tried to get to the toilet but the lid was closed.   After about ten minutes I was able to clean off most of the vomit.  I ate some saltines and pretzels later that day, not feeling hungry at all.

After a few more hours we left his Mom's and headed home, not before Dom assisted on stopping somewhere to eat.   I was worried about having a repeat vomit performance especially since I still wasn't feeling hungry but I did manage to eat some turkey chili of all things at Panera.   Dom wound up having some kind of asian broccoli dish.   He drank what he thought was lemonade but learned today that it was actually an energy drink with more caffeine that coffee.   He shared an article about a young lady who had a cardiac event hours after drinking the same drink and dying.   The family is suing Panera.   Scary stuff especially since Dom is not a fan of Panera though he was the one that suggested it due to them possibly having some soups.

He also was thinking I should probably not go to Milwaukee.   I slept on it and decided to go.  I felt better that morning and didn't have a sore throat.    Plus I didn't want to lose the money I spent on the hotel.   But it reminded me that I should occasionally consider paying for insurance in case I am not able to go so I don't have to worry about it.

I had a good time at Potawatomi.   The casino actually let me play for a bit.   At a couple points I was up almost $300.   But of course it was easy come, easy go.   That's the life of a gambler.   Thankfully I only lost $160.    Though that doesn't include the money I spent on breakfast/lunch or dinner.

As expected the guy I was supposed to meet was not able to meet me.   He was nice enough to chat a bit at least and I think he was telling the truth.   Knowing that we would likely not meet at all, I tried to hedge my bets while there and find another hookup.   That was no dice though.   The ones I wanted ignored me or took too long to respond.   There were a few that reached out that I wasn't interested in.  Murphy's Law as usual.  I tell you it's almost impossible these days to have a decent hook-up.   These guys play way too many games.    It doesn't matter the location, it's the same bullshit.

But I still had a good time overall.   It was just nice getting away from work for a bit.

I learned when I was heading back that Dom's Mom wound up catching my cold.   Of course I didn't want her to be sick though a part of me wondered if it was payback for obit-gate...LOL.    I did talk to her this past weekend and thankfully she's starting to feel better.   I do love his Mom despite everything and do not want anything bad to happen to her especially of my doing.

I am looking forward to Karaoke this Friday at our church.   I already have a few songs in mind, namely Madonna's Live To Tell, Pussycat Dolls Hush, Hush, and Ralph Tresvant's Do What I Gotta Do.   Maybe I'll do a few more if time permits.   

Milwaukee Cheese Trip

 I'll be turning 51 in a couple days.  Time continues to march to the beat of a fast drum.   I decided to take the next 6 days off from the job.   I spent part of my first day off going to catch the latest Saw movie Saw X.    The theatre I go to now has it where you can pick the seat you want to seat on.   I picked a corner seat in the theatre hoping it would be a quiet spot.   Unfortunately I failed to realize that a family would choose seats nearby.   It was a bit annoying especially with the Dad take kept yapping.   But thankfully they quieted down when the movie started.

I was falling asleep during part of the movie but it picked up once the protagonist started targeting a group of folks because they were scamming folks of money on snake oil treatments for cancer.   I was pleasantly surprised to see actor Michael Beach make a cameo.   The handsome brotha is almost 60 years old and still has a banging body which he showed off in the movie.   He's definitely aging like a fine wine.

Dom just so happened to have time off next week from school.  So he wants us to go see him Mom this weekend.   It'll be my first time seeing her since the obituary-gate incident.   I'll admit that while I wasn't as upset learning that his Mom didn't want me to be mentioned on the obituary, I still am feeling a certain way.   Dom forced me to chat with her briefly last week.   I was cordial of course but talking to her brought it back to the forefront.   I guess I'll be fine seeing her.   I just will have to try not to think about it.

Afterwards my plan is to do a staycation and travel to Milwaukee to stay two days at the Potawatomi Casino hotel.   I haven't been to Potawatomi since sometime in 2010 or 2011 when they used to allow smoking.   Thankfully since Cov-Id they have joined the list of casinos that ban smoking in the main casino hall.   So at least I won't have to worry about smelling like an ashtray.   It's actually part of the reason why I now avoid the Indiana casinos for the most part and stick to Four Winds in New Buffalo, MI.

There's an old family friend who happens to live in a town 30 minutes outside of Milwaukee.   She is a nun that used to tutor Tasha and I when we were in grade school.   She visited our old Church growing up but lived in a monastery in Wisconsin.    She used to write the family letters and I remember my Mom would force my sister and I write her back.  LOL.  Eventually we stopped writing each other.

I had reached out to her back in 2021 because I had thought about visiting the Milwaukee area and remembered that she lived there.   I was slightly offended when we finally chatted because the first thing she asked was if something had happened to my Mom or Dad.  I'm guessing my former Pastor may have mentioned something about my Mom passing away.   I just didn't like the way she asked and felt like if she knew about it, she could've led with being sorry to hear about my Mom passing.

But that was a minor hiccup.   We chatted for about 30 minutes catching up on our lives.  She mentioned having to care for an ailing older sister of hers.  I felt like she was being judgmental when I mentioned being with Dom who I wasn't married to just yet.    But I might've been projecting that.   Anyway I am going to see if I can visit her while there.  I believe she's in her late 80s though she won't tell her age.  I haven't talked to her since that time so I'm hoping she's still around though I haven't seen anything online about her passing so I'm assuming she still is.

I also chatted with this one guy on one of my social networking sites.   But my luck with meeting guys has been dismal so I'm not holding out on us meeting.   He already made some excuses about having to work late and needing to take care of his mother.   So we'll see.   Maybe I'll win a birthday jackpot.   That would be nice...LOL.

It is nice getting a break from work.  I won't lie though I still logged in today just to check out on some of my work I left behind.   But yes I know it'll still be there when I get back.

Happy Birthday to me!

Life Line Updates

 The stone that has been plaguing me still has not come out.   But I haven't been in any pain.   Oddly enough I feel like the stone may be stuck in my urethra.  I noticed the last two times I jacked off when I get to the point of ejaculation, it almost comes out but seems to get stuck near the tip and then it trickles out.   My pee stream seems okay though.   I don't know.   I'm hopeful maybe I've reduced the stone some.

I also finally got around to taking the blood and urine tests that my new primary doctor ordered last month.   The good news is that I'm officially HIV neg.   I was a bit nervous after my encounter with Lansing Bae in March.   A few of my other tests came back as expected.   As usual my HDL cholesterol is low.   LDL is below 160 at least though my triglycerides were slightly elevated.   My bilirubin is high which it has been for years so no shock there.  There are more results that I'm waiting for but I'm hopeful everything will mostly come back normal.

The same day I was taking my tests, I got a call from Dom's niece Ava.   Unfortunately Dom's dad was found on the floor in the bathroom around 4am passed out.   It ended up he had a clot in his brain which likely caused the floor.   He still is too weak for surgery so he started on hospice care this past Monday.   We originally was planning to visit the family later that day but it was cancelled.   Not a great Father's Day weekend.

Dom decided to forego the doll convention in Atlanta this week due to the fear of being out of town if his Dad or Marina took a turn for the worst.    I wasn't too keen on going to Atlanta since I knew Dom would want to buy more stuff from his enabler and he already owes her so much money.   Plus I would have to be the one that was mostly out of pocket.  I stayed impartial though as Dom made the decision on his own to cancel going.   

He was able to sell my package to another person that wasn't able to go and with most of the money, he got a new laptop which was needed.   I was hoping he'd think to put the rest towards paying his debt.   But of course he didn't go there.   Oh well.

I talked to Sally about our situation and she told me that I needed to add a budget item for Dom and not go over that monthly budget.   I spend an average of $400 a month for Dom's expenditures (mostly to cover the joint account when his Paypal orders come through and threaten to overdraft the account - don't want them taking money from the mortgage...uggh).    So I figure I should budget $500 a month for Dom-related expenses.   

I didn't talk about my recent visit to see Mitch in prison.   The road trip to get there went fine though it was long.   I worked from Indianapolis the day before and then I drove up to Cincinnati and stayed overnight near Belterra Park Casino.   I wound up having dinner at a Cambodian restaurant in a town called Fort Thomas.   That wound up being pretty tasty and par the course, I left a donation with Belterra.

The next morning I made the trek to Charleston, WV which was about an hour away from where Mitch's prison was.    Before heading there though, Dom reminded me about Jungle Jim's International Market.    We went there back in 2017.    So I made a slight 20 minute detour to check it out and bought a few goodies for us.

Then it was time for the three hour and some change trek to Charleston, WV.   I got to the hotel about 30 minutes early so I wound up stopping across the street to a Rural King.   I was a bit freaked out because I didn't see anyone that looked like me.   I needed to pee so bad though so I went into the store, which kind of reminded me of a Menard's since they sell a lot of home stuff but also had random items like clothes and snacks.

I pretended to look at some clothes afterwards before hightailing it out of there.   I remembered as I got in the car I saw a sign for a casino called Mardi Gras that wound up being half a mile from the hotel I stayed at.    That hotel wound up being packed and the room wasn't the greatest, it had a musty smell to it, the shower had a slow drain, and unfortunately since it was packed, I dealt with noisy folks nearby, including kids who decided to run up and down the hall and play hide and seek behind a lounge chair that was conveniently outside my room...LOL.   I didn't get a chance to do as much in Charleston, WV as I thought I would but my impression was that I wouldn't go out of my way to visit here again.

So the visit to Mitch went okay.   It's quite the process when visiting.   You have to fill out forms (that apparently change each day) and then there's all these rules about what you can wear (though thankfully most of them applied to women, i.e. no short shorts, revealing tops, etc.).   I made the mistake Day 2 of bringing in a hooded jacket which was a no-no.   Thankfully I could put it back in the car and come back in.    Then you have to get stamped on the back of your hand with a marker that you need in order to verify that you didn't switch with any prisoner upon leaving (though I can't imagine anyone willingly switching places with a prisoner...LOL).  I guess if you were visiting an identical twin...but even then the guards are watching so I can't imagine they'd allow both parties to go in the bathroom and switch clothes...LOL.  

Mitch was definitely happy to see me.   It had been a little over 5 years since we last saw each other.  The chatter around us was quite noisy but we were able to catch up on life.   Overall he seemed to be adjusting to things.   The prison allowed them in recent months to have an I-pad so he's able to buy movies to keep himself entertained.   It does help pass the time.   

The highlight of the visit for Mitch believe it or not was the opportunity to have microwaved chicken sandwiches and cookies which the visitors pay for with small change we're allowed to bring.   He was looking forward to Famous Amos cookies but unfortunately the machine they were on was malfunctioning.    So he settled for some sandwich cookies in a different machine.

Mitch offered me up a cookie.   They were extremely unappetizing to me but to appease him, I took one.    For him though, it's a treat. 

I wound up visiting him for about 2 - 3 hours both Saturday and Sunday.  He was mentioning the possibility of transferring to a prison closer to his family.   But he was leaning against it since he didn't know what the new place would be like and he was finally adjusted to being at his current location.   I totally understood his reasoning.   He knows what to expect at his current place and things could be worse at the new location.

He is thankfully almost at the tail end of his 11-year prison sentence.   He has less than 5 years to go.  It was bittersweet saying farewell to him and I hated the long ass drive back home but I was glad I got the chance to see him once more.

London Bridge Calling

 Dom and I have talked in the past about moving out of the United States and living in London.   I've only been to London once via Heathrow Airport when I took an overseas vacation to Spain in 2011.   But Dom has been there a couple times ages ago and fell in love with it when visiting.   He has a couple doll friends that live in the outskirts of London and he's always talking with them about the area.

London could definitely be a great spot to immigrate to as it would present more opportunity to visit other European countries via mass transit.   I do worry about not having any friendships there and the older I get, the harder it is to connect with folks.   But I'm sure there are options to increase the social circle.

From reviewing resources, it looks like the easiest option would be for me to get a Work Visa to work in London.   Those are usually good for a couple years and then I would just have to renew it.   My company does have roles in the UK which would make the situation great if I were to find a role there and interviewing goes well.

Everything of course is preliminary.   I would definitely miss being near my sisters and the few friends and acquaintances I have.   I would definitely have to adjust to a different way of living.  At least though the language barrier would be nonexistent.

I plan to update this post with links related to moving to London.  

Some resources:

https://www.aladyinlondon.com/2022/01/how-to-move-to-london.html

https://theportablewife.com/living-abroad/moving-to-london/moving-to-london-from-us-7-things/

https://www.movehub.com/us/international-moving/united-kingdom/london/

https://wise.com/us/blog/moving-to-uk-guide

Hiding the Nail File

 My travel plans for May include a visit to see my friend Mitch who is in the back half of an 11 year prison sentence for soliciting a minor.    As I said previously he was unfortunately the scapegoat in a sting where the minor in question apparently also was involved with other older men.   Mitch never even met the minor in question but because he made suggestions on how to act sexy on camera, he was charged with making a video among other charges.

So it'll be my first time seeing him since my only visit to the prison back in 2017 when he was a few months into his sentence.   I recall there were a few ground rules I had to follow.   I couldn't bring in a phone or wallet in the visiting area.   They did provide lockers for visitors to put their personal items in.   Also there were certain colors or styles of clothing that couldn't be worn.   I can't remember exactly what they were but Mitch will remind me prior to the visit.   Even writing letters to Mitch required different rules in fear that contraband may be mailed to the prisoners.

I am looking forward to seeing him.  I know it's been a rough go.   He's told me stories about how the guards intimidate the prisoners.   Of course the food is nothing to write home to Mama about.   It is a prison though so it's not going to be the Ritz.    But I know he's looking forward to the day he can get out.

I had hoped that when Covid started becoming rampant that he may have been released early like some prisoners were.   But that didn't come to pass.   From what he said, any options for an early release is gone due to the nature of the crime.

So the prison is almost 7 hours from me.   My plan is work from the Indianapolis office that Thursday and then begin traveling towards the prison after work.  I plan to stay overnight in Cincinnati, OH and then continue traveling to Charleston, WV where I'll stay for the next two nights while visiting Mitch.  I'll then make the trek back home Sunday early afternoon and hopefully get home by Sunday evening.

I have to figure out how to entertain myself during the trip.  I plan to stay near a casino resort while in Cincinnati.   I still have to figure out where to stay in Charleston.   The area is a historical area so I look forward to checking out some touristy stuff while there.

It's crazy.  I never thought I'd be visiting anyone in prison.  I do consider myself blessed that I never found myself in Mitch's situation.   I pray that I never have to experience what Mitch has.   I truly feel so sorry for him and always feel guilty when talking to him about my problems.

Nothing too much going on otherwise.  I did get a small bonus check from work which I'm pretty much spending on paying down my debt.  I am excited since I am on track with paying my major credit card debt off by June billing cycle.   Hopefully I can hang on to my job a bit longer to try and save up some cash.

I'm also overdue for a doctor's visit and I need to schedule my first colonoscopy.  I dread the doctor visit because I'm losing my battle with my blood pressure and feel like now that I've crossed 50 I'll wind up being placed on blood pressure medication.   I've fallen off the gym wagon again and really need to get back to it.   I did at least go for a little walk today around the park since the weather was nice.   But I really need to get into an exercise program.   

San Diego Rebound

 With my work life finally on track, I decided it's about time I take a vacation.  Well actually Dom and I had a few mini-vacations here and there over the years.   But I mean my first real travel on a plane type vacation.   The title of the blog says it all.   I'm planning a trip to San Diego for my annual birthday trip (which hasn't happened in a few years).   It'll be my first time on a plane since my trip to San Francisco in September 2018.    While in San Francisco, I chatted on my "favorite" social media hookup site (LOL...sarcasm) with a cool gentleman that was visiting San Francisco for a conference.    I was there for my final work project with a previous employer.    David and I had a great connection and planned to meet up for a nightcap.   Unfortunately we couldn't get our schedules to mesh due to our work obligations.    But we wound up having something better.   We developed a great email friendship that has carried on for almost four years.

David is a married college professor that's based in, you guessed it, San Diego.    He and his wife have a great marriage minus the sex.   So we share that in common.   They also have an adopted nephew with special needs that they take care of.   He shared with me how they helped him get in a program that helps him with developing skills to be productive.   David himself has a side gig as a magazine merchandizer at various stores.  It helps keep him fit.

I shared with him my life stories of working at Amazon, the loss of my parents, Cybersecurity bootcamps, Salesforce trainings, and job hunting.   He was always there with encouragement to keep going no matter what.   So when I was thinking about where to travel, I knew I had to go to his hometown to finally meet David in person.

My last time in San Diego was in 2012 (a little over ten years ago) hanging out with a former acquaintance I nicknamed Magic Mike.   I stayed in the La Jolla neighborhood at that time.    This time though I plan to mostly reside at the Sycuan Casino Resort in the East County neighborhood though hopefully I can take some side excursions while there.   The plan is for David to meet me one evening at the Steakhouse at Sycuan.    He's also hoping we can hang out for a bit during one of my other days in town.   We may even have that nightcap.   We will see how that goes.

Overall I'm looking forward to enjoying some time traveling even if it does hurt my wallet short-term.   Who knows though?  Maybe I'll finally win a huge jackpot to pay for it all.   One can dream, right?

Bama Jamma

My friend Sally if you remember from my older blog lost her job in November 2007 and has been juggling things since then with two jobs combined that paid less than her single job.   It's been seven years of sweat, tears, and fears.    There were many times I've helped her emotionally and financially whenever issues crept up.   It's been a crazy journey for Sally culminating to a recent hysterectomy over the summer due to an incompetent primary physician who failed to diagnose her fibroids.   Sally did get another IT job in 2012 but that only wound up being a temporary job for five months before she was let go again.    Luckily she had still held on to her retail job so at least she wasn't totally out of work.

 In the midst of all that craziness, a long time friend of hers who I met a couple times when she lived in Chitown in the late 90s, recently became a IT manager for a major bank in Alabama.   Dara had a couple openings for system analysts in her group and wanted Sally to interview for one of the positions.    The timing of the position perfectly coincided with Sally's recovery period ending.   There was an initial phone interview with Dara herself but Sally would need to fly to Alabama for a second interview with Dara and a couple of her teammates.    Sally of course didn't have the funds to get a ticket so a few of us chipped in and got the ticket for her.

The interview went well but for whatever reasons things seemed to be dragging with HR.   Dara kept assuring Sally that the HR rep would contact Sally with info on what to do to get the background check going.    Then Dara needed to have a separate meeting with her manager since that manager was on vacation when Sally was in town.    Sally had to also provide an updated resume to that manager.

Things continued to drag for another week and even though Dara assured Sally that the job was hers, Sally didn't trust 100% that to be the case due to two past times where she supposedly had the job and then the rug was pulled under her.   One of those times there was even an offer letter presented so in her mind she didn't want to get her hopes up.

But finally she got the official offer and word that the job was hers and she would be making about as much as she made in her former job before losing it.   Needless to say it was a mad rush for me to help Sally pack as much as she could before needing to head down to Alabama.    She also had a pet that she wanted to keep but wouldn't be able to take with her initially.    Thankfully one of her cousins came through and was able to drive her pet to Detroit to her Mom.

I wound up helping her load up her car and splitting driving duties as we made our way on the 11 hour trip to Alabama and ultimately Dara's home in Birmingham.   It was a bit of a surreal experience, both of us excited about her new opportunity and amazed at the timing of it all.

We arrived in Alabama at 1am on Thanksgiving morning.   The three of us chatted for a bit before turning in.    Thanksgiving Day was spent with lots of Dara's family as well as her boyfriend.     We all definitely had a lot to be thankful for this year.

Friday morning we went for a quick breakfast and then Dara took Sally and I for a quick trip to the corporate office as well as a downtown trip and tour of Kelly Ingram Park, located in Birmingham's Civil Rights District.    We took a moment there to reflect on the experiences blacks went through in the 60's in the fight for basic rights.    Structures of the dogs and firehouses used to confront demonstrators were present throughout the four acre park.   It's a reminder that we've come a long way though in some ways even in 2014 and beyond, we have a long way to go.

Before I knew it, it was time to drop me off at the airport for my return flight to Chicago.   I said my goodbyes to Dara and Sally.    Sally and I kept our emotions in check.    But I teared up a bit on the plane ride thinking of not having Sally in Chicago anymore.   We've been friends for over 19 years and shared a lot of good and bad times together.    But I'm so happy for Sally.     One of her friends told her that it was fitting that things came together exactly seven years from when she lost her IT job.   In the Bible there are many references to sevenfold and seventh.   For example in Genesis it took seven days and nights for God to create the world.    On the other end of the Bible in Revelation, there are seven angels to the seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpet plagues, seven thunders and the seven last plagues.

I look forward to visiting Birmingham a little more often in my future.

Speaking In The Buff

I'm currently in Detroit visiting my folks for the holidays.   I took my typical route to hit the city this time of year. It started with a 4:30 AM wake up call.    I still was packing up to the last minute while getting ready for my 5:30 AM taxi.    My new taxi company, 303 Taxi (replacing the less than stellar American Taxi), was at my house ten minutes early.

It was a rainy morning as I was taxied to my local Metra Station.   My driver was lazy not even getting out of his taxi (guess he didn't want to get wet) to help me with my luggage.   But despite that I gave him an extra buck since he was extra early at my place.

After getting my Metra ticket from an extra humorous attendant, I sat down in the bench and waited for the train that would whisk me to Union Station and my Amtrak train which was scheduled to leave at 7:20 AM.

As I sat waiting I couldn't help but overhear the various conversations going on around me.   The most riveting one was between the attendant himself and another lady who I only knew was a teacher.

The big discussion was on whether teachers should be allowed to have firearms in the classroom.    The debate of course is going on everywhere in light of the Newton, CT school shooting tragedy that happened last Friday.    The teacher was against the measure imagining a trigger happy teacher that may decide to shoot an irate student.   The humorous attendant was leaning the same way.

It's interesting though because whenever tragedies like the one in Newton, CT happens, that debate always seem to come up.    And as usual I can see both sides of the debate.  

There is talk of banning semi-automatic weapons is in full swing.   I would support a ban of these weapons as I don't understand why regular folks would need a semi-automatic weapon.   But unfortunately even banning it won't completely eliminate the problem.   Just like with drugs, if folks want them, they will find ways to get them.   Also coming up with a banning takes time which would give those who want a semi plenty of time to stock up before the ban takes effect.

In the meantime I'm thinking as long as a teacher or whomever in the school administration has proper training on handling a regular gun (with required annual re-certification), there shouldn't be a reason for not having some kind of protection available.    As long as risk is mitigated (unfortunately you can't truly eliminate it) against a student or anyone with nefarious intentions stealing said weapon, I'm thinking that allowing handguns for protection isn't a bad option.   But yeah that's definitely a debate of the ages.

So Hemingway my Metra train arrived and I reached Union Station just in time to hop on the big long line boarding Amtrak.   As usual some folks had to be slick trying to cut the line.    It's a wonder there isn't more fights at the station.  

Thankfully I got my own row once boarded.   Typically I wind up having to share a row as more passengers are picked up along the way.   But thankfully this year I had my own row the entire 7 1/2 hour trip.    It's funny how Amtrak from Chicago to Detroit is always late when it comes to arriving in Detroit.    This year was no exception with a 49 minute late arrival.

My Dad picked me up from the station within twenty minutes.   I'll be remaining in the city till the 28th.  

So in the meantime it's time to me to reveal Truth #1 in my "Two Truths and a Lie" game.

Without further adieu, Truth #1 is:



"I hired a man to clean my house in the nude."

Yes it's true.   I saw an ad almost two years ago from a man advertising his services.   Basically he will clean, repair, or assist in anyway whatever you need done to the house.   And he would do it in the nude.   He showed me pictures of himself of course.  I have to say he keeps himself in pretty good shape.  

Besides the nice views of watching him clean, he offered a rate that was $20 cheaper and an hour longer than my current Merry Maids.   Plus since there is no middle man, he gets the entire amount of cash, so I don't necessarily have to tip extra though I will actually give him a gift card in addition to his rate when he comes over next time.

He's helped me so much in the time I've had him.   In addition to cleaning he's helped me install a replacement toilet (including picking up the new toilet at Home Depot...and yes he was clothed in public...*LOL*), replace a faucet, install a new light fixture, flip a mattress, and help put together a giant 36 X 48 frame I bought for a blow up of one of my skydiving pics.

I really appreciate having him actually.    He told me that he just enjoys the freedom of being naked around the house.   I think he allows his clients to touch him or what not but I've actually pretty much kept things hands off except for an occasional shoulder tap.

It turned out too that he bowls at a gay bowling league that I joined a few years back.    It's a once a month league that meets on the first Saturday of the month.   So we get to socialize briefly at the alley as well.   And since I don't know if everyone knows about his extracurricular activities, I don't discuss that with him.

So yeah that's the first truth.   I'll reveal the other truth in another post.  

Careless Fun

Hey Ladynay.   It was so cool seeing your comment on my last entry which seemed so long ago.    How you know those were my legs?    Ok fine...they were.     My legs are meaty but the angle of my camera made them look smaller....*LOL*.   That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Hemingway I got back from San Diego last week and overall enjoyed myself.   I stayed in Jose's condo in a comfortable aerobed that he bought for guests.    I got to see the town, visit a few casinos, and some bars, including the Redwing Bar & Grill I mentioned.   I tore the house down with my rendition of Careless Whisper.    It was really sad having to go back home.   I definitely want to go back again.

Here are a few pic highlights.

San Diego Bound

My friend Jose in December got a job offer in San Diego to work at a pharmaceutical company at director of their Human Resources department.    It's a six month job assignment that is perfect since he gets to spend his winter away from frigid Chicago.

Those benefits weren't immediately realized though as Chicago has had unseasonably warm weather for most of December and part of January.   Of course that changed last week with the Midwest's first batch of wintry mayhem.   And today we're expected to get anywhere from 3 to 5 inches.

So Jose told me that I could come visit him anytime while he's up there.    So I took him up on the offer and will be flying there on Valentine's day.    With my remote job, I can work from anywhere as long as I have an ethernet connection.    So I'll be working from his apartment in San Diego on Wednesday and Thursday.    Then I took off Friday and Monday.   So the great thing about that is that I'll have all of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to enjoy the sites of San Diego.   I fly back to Chicago Monday early afternoon.



So I need to get an itinerary ready for things to do.    I'm sure I'll want to hit a beach while I'm there to check out the hot guys.   There is this one beach that has a gay section called Black's Beaches.    It sounds like a bit of a hike to get there though, based on one reviewer's comments:

"Once you arrive at the Torrey Pines gliderport, you've reached the main (intermediate) trail. It's the easiest to hike down (none are easy to hike up, so be sure you're prepared for a workout on the way back), but it also drops you in the middle of the straight section of Blacks Beach. Like many nude beaches, mostly nude men who aren't in shape run around naked, but a few hot guys (and even fewer women) can be seen as well. Many more guys are found in the gay section about a half mile north. It can be reached directly from the advanced trail, which is merely a dirt path at the north end of the parking lot north of the gliderport. This trail is even harder to climb back up, without the assistance of ropes, railroad tie steps, etc. that are found on the main trail."


But it might be worth it to get to the promised land.   And actually Jose lives not far from there.   Depending on his location, we might even be able to walk there.

Of course there's the gay bars.   Jose and I have pretty diverse tastes in guys.    He likes them young and twinky while I like them beefy and bearish.    So coming up with a bar that we both agree to might be a challenge.   But probably not.    With such bar names as The Brass Rail, Pecs, Urban Moe's, and Bourbon Street (a shout out to New Orleans no doubt), hopefully there'll be something between the different bars for both us to enjoy.    I especially wouldn't mind hitting Redwing Bar & Grill as they have a karaoke bar for me to get my sing on.

And then there's the San Diego Zoo, which apparently have sleepovers where you can spend the night there.   Not sure I'd want to but that's an interesting option.

I can't forget about the casinos either since I'm such a casino whore.   There's Pechanga Resort, Harrah's Rincon, Barona's, and Viejas.    Assuming Jose tags along, he'd want to check out some of the steakhouses that are housed there.   The websites of all the main casinos make their restaurants sound so good.

So much other things to do.   There's different parks like Balboa and shopping centers to visit.   I could even go parasailing.   I'm definitely looking forward to my trip and to get away from the crazy weather in Chicago.