IPOD
RADIO
In other news, I have a new potential crush.
At least we'll see how things go when I return home.
Despite that whole last deal not working out the way I'd hoped... it did have the effect of waking me up. I think I said this before.
But new potential crush = good thing. And this time, she's a Rhode Island resident.
At least we'll see how things go when I return home.
Despite that whole last deal not working out the way I'd hoped... it did have the effect of waking me up. I think I said this before.
But new potential crush = good thing. And this time, she's a Rhode Island resident.
So last night I went to a little party in Los Angeles. Mostly consisting mostly of Angela's gay friends. It was a fun and also interesting experience. Plus we had food, drank wine, and watched "Juno" outside on the wall with an awesome digital projector. Better than going to the movies, and I actually hadn't even seen "Juno" yet. Really enjoyed that too.
Awful lot of helicopters flying around L.A. however. That's peculiar.
Honestly though, great night. I can understand why Ang likes living out here. Very gay-friendly area. A lesser man than myself might have felt uncomfortable with it all. But I'm secure and all that. It was a blast.
Awful lot of helicopters flying around L.A. however. That's peculiar.
Honestly though, great night. I can understand why Ang likes living out here. Very gay-friendly area. A lesser man than myself might have felt uncomfortable with it all. But I'm secure and all that. It was a blast.
"Sideways" touring was outstanding. I spent hundreds on a dozen bottles of outstanding wine.
On Monday we're heading for Vegas. Then Wednesday night I'm taking a red-eye back to Providence and it'll be time to obtain a new job and get back to reality.
Angela has introduced me to "Dexter". Dammit... as if I needed another disturbingly brilliant addiction...
On Monday we're heading for Vegas. Then Wednesday night I'm taking a red-eye back to Providence and it'll be time to obtain a new job and get back to reality.
Angela has introduced me to "Dexter". Dammit... as if I needed another disturbingly brilliant addiction...
So today Angela and I are in Solvang, California where we'll be doing some winery touring & tasting. We've got a shuttle all arranged to remove any potential drinking and driving. Some spots from the movie "Sideways" will be on the itinerary. We'll actually be staying at the Windmill Inn tonight as well... same place Miles and Jack stayed on their trip. Tonight dinner will be at the Hitching Post.
I'm pretty excited, this should be a lot of fun. Eventually I'll get some pictures posted.
In other life events of Eli, I joined Match.com. Some years ago I did a round of internet dating and it wasn't so bad. With my profession, meeting folks is the difficult part. I'm inclined to think that with introductions out of the way, I can work around my difficult schedule. Who knows. I guess I'll see how it goes. Despite the thing with the girl from high-school not quite working out the way I'd expected, it at least showed me that I was still alive.
I'm pretty excited, this should be a lot of fun. Eventually I'll get some pictures posted.
In other life events of Eli, I joined Match.com. Some years ago I did a round of internet dating and it wasn't so bad. With my profession, meeting folks is the difficult part. I'm inclined to think that with introductions out of the way, I can work around my difficult schedule. Who knows. I guess I'll see how it goes. Despite the thing with the girl from high-school not quite working out the way I'd expected, it at least showed me that I was still alive.
Funny how quickly things can change in just a day.
First the good stuff (or at least mostly good). It's been great re-connecting with Angela. We've been best friends since high school but have periodically gone through chunks of time where we've fallen out of touch. (And honestly I only have two people I'd categorize as "best friend" status. I realize it's supposed to be a solitary thing, but one's a guy and one's a girl and honestly I get a little something different from each perspective. It works for me). So regarding Angela, we both have lives with plenty of stuff going on and... well... who knows why we've occasionally fallen out of touch. There isn't really any valid excuse for not staying on contact with a best friend, but it's happened once in a while. Explaining it would take more time and effort than I'm willing to invest in a daily blog. But whenever we finally catch up again, it always seems like no time has passed. The friendship continues as if it's only been a day rather than a few years since we talked. Anyhow, she lives in Long Beach, California. I have been here in the area for a couple of days now. Today we took the ferry to Catalina Island. It seems like a cool place. I currently have slightly mixed feelings about the accommodations. She booked this trip prior to knowing that I'd be coming to visit her. It was intended as something of a writer's retreat with a very slim budget. The "cabins" are very close to the kind of living arrangement I used when I was a lifeguard & camp counselor in my late teens and early 20s. There's electricity in each tiny box, but the bathrooms, showers, kitchen area is separate and shared. Still okay, in the spirit of adventure... except that this seems to be school vacation week. So the whole place (including all surrounding units) are filled with rowdy kids. Like I said, I've got mixed feelings. Is this what I would have booked for myself? No. I'd have a private room with running water and air conditioning. But can I live with it? Sure. It'll be fun regardless. Just not what I'd have set up... yaknow? But as a spur-of-the-moment thing it's going to suffice.
When we return to the mainland on Saturday, we're headed for wine country. While I haven't seen the movie yet, we'll be doing our own version of the "Sideways" tour... visiting areas (vineyards, wineries) showcased in that film. We're spending Saturday night in Santa Maria and Sunday night in Santa Ynez (I think). So there'll be nice full service hotels this weekend if the next few days of "roughing it" are genuinely rough. But I'm probably exaggerating, honestly. And it's surely a hell of a lot cheaper than staying in a hotel every night. Doing that would significantly reduce the duration of my stay anyhow. So it's all good. Besides, the bottom line here is catching up with Angie.
Oh, and incidentally I finally figured out who the actor was that was at the Magic Castle last night. I actually didn't recognize him from what is undoubtedly his more widely known part in NYPD Blue. Nor did his famous brother or father instantly jog my memory. Nay, it was a random conversation I was having with Angela about (of all things) aliens. And I found myself explaining the basic premise behind the television series "Stargate SG-1". Well, around season 5 of that show, a spoof was introduced. In the spoof, there was a show within the show that made fun of the entire Stargate premise. It was called "Wormhole X-Treme!". I'm a big fan of Stargate in general. One of the bigwigs of the show is Peter DeLuise. NO -- that isn't who was at the Magic Castle. But back to the spoof Wormhole X-Treme... the actor who played the part of the "star" of this spoof show was Peter's BROTHER Michael DeLuise. And Michael DeLuise was there at the Magic Castle where I was in attendance last night. Mystery solved.
But on to the bad news portion of my day. I can't really remember if I'd mentioned this previously but one of my sisters (Becky, who is 31) and her husband have been trying for a couple of years now to have a baby. After much failure and money spent on fertility programs, this past Christmas she announced she was pregnant with twins. Several weeks ago they came to the difficult decision to reduce her pregnancy down to one. Baby "B" had a whole slew of problems that made his prognosis for survival very slim. Then the last couple of days she's been having contractions. She's still something like 12 weeks shy of her due date. Today she was admitted to the hospital and they had to deliver. Previous indications was that Baby "A" was perfectly healthy. But today's delivery was brought about due to bleeding. I honestly don't know all the details, because everyone I talk to has been close to hysterics and I'm just getting information second-hand anyhow. But apparently the prognosis is not favorable. It's horrible. And heartbreaking.
And I have bad news of my own. In comparison to the above, it seems insignificant. But things in our lives are all about perspective. So in my own selfish little world, this one is causing me pain right now. My last couple of blogs have mentioned Cameron. A girl I knew in high-school who I didn't date but was certainly at least attracted to. She contacted me via Classmates and over the last few weeks we've gotten to know each other a little bit as adults. There's been a bit of a spark, which I am pretty sure has been mutual since she invited me to come visit. But the situation remains complicated. Because not only is she a single parent who got divorced two years ago, but her ex-husband and the father of her daughter was killed. So there's no dad. Perhaps understandably there's a laundry-list of insecurities that can develop in a 5-year-old when something like that happens. I was the first guy that Cameron let meet her daughter. But despite that going incredibly well, it seems to have really worried her. She's so protective... so cautious about what emotional experiences to expose her daughter to. Her worry is the fallout of what would happen if her daughter got a close personal tie to someone and for whatever reason the situation didn't work out. Or perhaps it would work out but... we live far away and thus my availability is limited. And it seemed clear in the email that I got today that she was feeling hurried. Not by me... trust me when I say I've been reserved. But it's also true that due to the distance factor combined with the knowing each other from way-back-when, we did move from a simple email to a weekend meeting in a very short period of time. That seems to have made her question her own readiness for another serious relationship. She feels the circumstances are rushed. I don't disagree, but I didn't create this.
Because frankly, a serious relationship is probably what we were considering. I'm not sure how you date someone casually given all of the above mentioned obstacles. How do you "just date" when any trip to get together is such a production? And how do you not include your child when it's a more-than-casual situation? I guess the bottom line is she feels overwhelmed for both her own reasons and her instinct to protect her child from any more pain in her life.
So the reason this all feels so painful to me is that she's the first woman who really ignited any chemistry in me since my divorce. And that's been some years now. It's not that I was disinterested in dating, but rather than I just wasn't willing to waste my time on a situation that didn't make me feel a spark. If nothing else, Cameron has convinced me that YES, I'm still actually capable of those feelings.
But nobody likes to hear the "I'm not sure I'm ready" line. So I'm really in the dumps.
Anyhow, I'm trying to convince Angela to join Suicide Girls. I'm a bit out-of-the-know as far as this goes but I've always considered SG to be a very gay-friendly website. Right? I mean... I think she'd really find it cool for all the same reasons I do. And it isn't just the boobies.
First the good stuff (or at least mostly good). It's been great re-connecting with Angela. We've been best friends since high school but have periodically gone through chunks of time where we've fallen out of touch. (And honestly I only have two people I'd categorize as "best friend" status. I realize it's supposed to be a solitary thing, but one's a guy and one's a girl and honestly I get a little something different from each perspective. It works for me). So regarding Angela, we both have lives with plenty of stuff going on and... well... who knows why we've occasionally fallen out of touch. There isn't really any valid excuse for not staying on contact with a best friend, but it's happened once in a while. Explaining it would take more time and effort than I'm willing to invest in a daily blog. But whenever we finally catch up again, it always seems like no time has passed. The friendship continues as if it's only been a day rather than a few years since we talked. Anyhow, she lives in Long Beach, California. I have been here in the area for a couple of days now. Today we took the ferry to Catalina Island. It seems like a cool place. I currently have slightly mixed feelings about the accommodations. She booked this trip prior to knowing that I'd be coming to visit her. It was intended as something of a writer's retreat with a very slim budget. The "cabins" are very close to the kind of living arrangement I used when I was a lifeguard & camp counselor in my late teens and early 20s. There's electricity in each tiny box, but the bathrooms, showers, kitchen area is separate and shared. Still okay, in the spirit of adventure... except that this seems to be school vacation week. So the whole place (including all surrounding units) are filled with rowdy kids. Like I said, I've got mixed feelings. Is this what I would have booked for myself? No. I'd have a private room with running water and air conditioning. But can I live with it? Sure. It'll be fun regardless. Just not what I'd have set up... yaknow? But as a spur-of-the-moment thing it's going to suffice.
When we return to the mainland on Saturday, we're headed for wine country. While I haven't seen the movie yet, we'll be doing our own version of the "Sideways" tour... visiting areas (vineyards, wineries) showcased in that film. We're spending Saturday night in Santa Maria and Sunday night in Santa Ynez (I think). So there'll be nice full service hotels this weekend if the next few days of "roughing it" are genuinely rough. But I'm probably exaggerating, honestly. And it's surely a hell of a lot cheaper than staying in a hotel every night. Doing that would significantly reduce the duration of my stay anyhow. So it's all good. Besides, the bottom line here is catching up with Angie.
Oh, and incidentally I finally figured out who the actor was that was at the Magic Castle last night. I actually didn't recognize him from what is undoubtedly his more widely known part in NYPD Blue. Nor did his famous brother or father instantly jog my memory. Nay, it was a random conversation I was having with Angela about (of all things) aliens. And I found myself explaining the basic premise behind the television series "Stargate SG-1". Well, around season 5 of that show, a spoof was introduced. In the spoof, there was a show within the show that made fun of the entire Stargate premise. It was called "Wormhole X-Treme!". I'm a big fan of Stargate in general. One of the bigwigs of the show is Peter DeLuise. NO -- that isn't who was at the Magic Castle. But back to the spoof Wormhole X-Treme... the actor who played the part of the "star" of this spoof show was Peter's BROTHER Michael DeLuise. And Michael DeLuise was there at the Magic Castle where I was in attendance last night. Mystery solved.
But on to the bad news portion of my day. I can't really remember if I'd mentioned this previously but one of my sisters (Becky, who is 31) and her husband have been trying for a couple of years now to have a baby. After much failure and money spent on fertility programs, this past Christmas she announced she was pregnant with twins. Several weeks ago they came to the difficult decision to reduce her pregnancy down to one. Baby "B" had a whole slew of problems that made his prognosis for survival very slim. Then the last couple of days she's been having contractions. She's still something like 12 weeks shy of her due date. Today she was admitted to the hospital and they had to deliver. Previous indications was that Baby "A" was perfectly healthy. But today's delivery was brought about due to bleeding. I honestly don't know all the details, because everyone I talk to has been close to hysterics and I'm just getting information second-hand anyhow. But apparently the prognosis is not favorable. It's horrible. And heartbreaking.
And I have bad news of my own. In comparison to the above, it seems insignificant. But things in our lives are all about perspective. So in my own selfish little world, this one is causing me pain right now. My last couple of blogs have mentioned Cameron. A girl I knew in high-school who I didn't date but was certainly at least attracted to. She contacted me via Classmates and over the last few weeks we've gotten to know each other a little bit as adults. There's been a bit of a spark, which I am pretty sure has been mutual since she invited me to come visit. But the situation remains complicated. Because not only is she a single parent who got divorced two years ago, but her ex-husband and the father of her daughter was killed. So there's no dad. Perhaps understandably there's a laundry-list of insecurities that can develop in a 5-year-old when something like that happens. I was the first guy that Cameron let meet her daughter. But despite that going incredibly well, it seems to have really worried her. She's so protective... so cautious about what emotional experiences to expose her daughter to. Her worry is the fallout of what would happen if her daughter got a close personal tie to someone and for whatever reason the situation didn't work out. Or perhaps it would work out but... we live far away and thus my availability is limited. And it seemed clear in the email that I got today that she was feeling hurried. Not by me... trust me when I say I've been reserved. But it's also true that due to the distance factor combined with the knowing each other from way-back-when, we did move from a simple email to a weekend meeting in a very short period of time. That seems to have made her question her own readiness for another serious relationship. She feels the circumstances are rushed. I don't disagree, but I didn't create this.
Because frankly, a serious relationship is probably what we were considering. I'm not sure how you date someone casually given all of the above mentioned obstacles. How do you "just date" when any trip to get together is such a production? And how do you not include your child when it's a more-than-casual situation? I guess the bottom line is she feels overwhelmed for both her own reasons and her instinct to protect her child from any more pain in her life.
So the reason this all feels so painful to me is that she's the first woman who really ignited any chemistry in me since my divorce. And that's been some years now. It's not that I was disinterested in dating, but rather than I just wasn't willing to waste my time on a situation that didn't make me feel a spark. If nothing else, Cameron has convinced me that YES, I'm still actually capable of those feelings.
But nobody likes to hear the "I'm not sure I'm ready" line. So I'm really in the dumps.
Anyhow, I'm trying to convince Angela to join Suicide Girls. I'm a bit out-of-the-know as far as this goes but I've always considered SG to be a very gay-friendly website. Right? I mean... I think she'd really find it cool for all the same reasons I do. And it isn't just the boobies.
So this morning I'm having a smoked salmon omelette with capers, onions, and peppers on the waterfront. Eating on board the Queen Mary is far from a bargain, but I'm relying on my local friend for transportation and she's got things to take care of this morning. I don't mind in the least, because despite being a $26 breakfast, simply taking in the experience of a hotel on a cruise ship that's 70+ years old is just really cool. I read mixed reviews about this hotel before booking a couple of nights here... but I've been pleased. It seems clear to me now that those who were critical of the Queen Mary stayed here for the wrong reasons. If someone is expecting a modern hotel with all of the latest in amenities, they would surely be disappointed. The QM is a floating museum. It seems to me about as close as one could get to re-living what it might have been like on ships such as the Titanic. It's slightly more modern than that (1930s), but you can draw enough parallels to make it really interesting.
The Queen Mary shows her age. She seems to be constantly in a state of renovation. She could use paint in some places. She has signs of age everywhere. Her plumbing and electrical systems leave a bit to be desire. But if you're interested in the history, or you really enjoy the incredible art-deco style (lots of exotic polished wood, glass, brass), she really has charm. She is also reported to be haunted (although I slept quite soundly without any supernatural molestation).
Moored next door is an old Soviet submarine. I'm about to take a tour once I finish breakfast and this blog update. There are also a couple of different tours available on the QM herself.
I'm expecting a leisurely day today. I haven't had any difficulty adjusting myself to the time difference. I was rather tired by 9pm last night, but I feel fine already today. Chalk that up to my trucker lifestyle, perhaps. Odd hours are par for the course. Tonight we are heading for the Magic Castle. This is a special treat, because it is a members-only place. You can't ]i]just go. So I feel special. It'll be costly I imagine... but again -- to experience something your typical tourist (or even local resident) rarely does, I consider it worth the expense. I'm not particularly interested in magic, frankly. But I appreciate it for it's entertainment value. Illusion is, after all, what L.A. is all about.
On Wednesday we're heading to Catalina Island. I'm considering this the relaxing retreat portion of my trip. I haven't the foggiest idea what I'll be doing there. Part of me wishes I'd taken along my folding bicycle (though I'm certain there will be some to rent as well, if I am so inclined). Frankly a few days to do nothing-in-particular sounds pretty good right now.
We'll return on Saturday and head north into wine country. I think we'll plan a do-it-yourself "Sideways" tour. Google it. I haven't seen the movie, actually. Angela tells me I should. But hey, despite not being familiar with that I am delighted to have a couple days worth of wine tasting and vineyard touring. Delicious! I may have to send some bottles of my favorites home.
I'm yet unsure whether or not I'll be including another visit to Cameron on my return trip. I'd surely like to, but it is dependent on some circumstances. That should be figured out within a day or two.
The relationship potential here is extremely complicated. I may get into a more detailed explanation at some point in the future, but I'm not entirely sure if I feel comfortable putting HER BUSINESS up on my public blog. Suffice it to say that despite her daughter really taking well to me this past weekend, that combined with the long-distance aspect really throws a legitimate monkey-wrench into the works. I'd like to make it work, regardless. It would be a shame to deny strong chemistry when you find it.
So that's it for now from LA-LA land. I've taken a few pictures and will be taking more. I'll update to include those once I get around to downloading them off of my phone.
~Eli
The Queen Mary shows her age. She seems to be constantly in a state of renovation. She could use paint in some places. She has signs of age everywhere. Her plumbing and electrical systems leave a bit to be desire. But if you're interested in the history, or you really enjoy the incredible art-deco style (lots of exotic polished wood, glass, brass), she really has charm. She is also reported to be haunted (although I slept quite soundly without any supernatural molestation).
Moored next door is an old Soviet submarine. I'm about to take a tour once I finish breakfast and this blog update. There are also a couple of different tours available on the QM herself.
I'm expecting a leisurely day today. I haven't had any difficulty adjusting myself to the time difference. I was rather tired by 9pm last night, but I feel fine already today. Chalk that up to my trucker lifestyle, perhaps. Odd hours are par for the course. Tonight we are heading for the Magic Castle. This is a special treat, because it is a members-only place. You can't ]i]just go. So I feel special. It'll be costly I imagine... but again -- to experience something your typical tourist (or even local resident) rarely does, I consider it worth the expense. I'm not particularly interested in magic, frankly. But I appreciate it for it's entertainment value. Illusion is, after all, what L.A. is all about.
On Wednesday we're heading to Catalina Island. I'm considering this the relaxing retreat portion of my trip. I haven't the foggiest idea what I'll be doing there. Part of me wishes I'd taken along my folding bicycle (though I'm certain there will be some to rent as well, if I am so inclined). Frankly a few days to do nothing-in-particular sounds pretty good right now.
We'll return on Saturday and head north into wine country. I think we'll plan a do-it-yourself "Sideways" tour. Google it. I haven't seen the movie, actually. Angela tells me I should. But hey, despite not being familiar with that I am delighted to have a couple days worth of wine tasting and vineyard touring. Delicious! I may have to send some bottles of my favorites home.
I'm yet unsure whether or not I'll be including another visit to Cameron on my return trip. I'd surely like to, but it is dependent on some circumstances. That should be figured out within a day or two.
The relationship potential here is extremely complicated. I may get into a more detailed explanation at some point in the future, but I'm not entirely sure if I feel comfortable putting HER BUSINESS up on my public blog. Suffice it to say that despite her daughter really taking well to me this past weekend, that combined with the long-distance aspect really throws a legitimate monkey-wrench into the works. I'd like to make it work, regardless. It would be a shame to deny strong chemistry when you find it.
So that's it for now from LA-LA land. I've taken a few pictures and will be taking more. I'll update to include those once I get around to downloading them off of my phone.
~Eli
So far, my weekend in the Youngstown, OH area has been great. Believe me when I say there isn't anything particularly interesting here, but that's pretty much irrelevant. I came here to see Cameron, who is a girl I went to high school with. She was a freshman when I was a senior. She was also on the swim team the year I was the team captain. We never dated at all... though there was this one kiss...
Eighteen years later, I got a second one yesterday. I'm hoping for several more today.
She has a great daughter. And the fact that I've even met her puts me several steps ahead on the trust scale. That's actually really saying something.
I haven't done a whole lot of dating since my divorce. A bit, but honestly nobody really sparked anything for me, and I wasn't willing to put forth any half-hearted effort. This is different. I feel like the swim team captain all over again.
Eighteen years later, I got a second one yesterday. I'm hoping for several more today.
She has a great daughter. And the fact that I've even met her puts me several steps ahead on the trust scale. That's actually really saying something.
I haven't done a whole lot of dating since my divorce. A bit, but honestly nobody really sparked anything for me, and I wasn't willing to put forth any half-hearted effort. This is different. I feel like the swim team captain all over again.
On Friday I'm flying in to Pittsburgh then driving into eastern Ohio to meet someone. A high school friend that I haven't seen in nearly two decades. And she's hot. I'm rather excited at the prospect.
Then on Monday I'm flying from Pittsburgh to Long Beach to visit another high school friend. She's more like a sister. But I haven't seen her in a few years and it'll be great to catch up. I'm spending a couple of nights on the Queen Mary. That oughta be interesting. Then a couple of days on Catalina Island. After that... who knows.
Eventually I'll need to get another job, of course. COBRA is way too expensive.
Then on Monday I'm flying from Pittsburgh to Long Beach to visit another high school friend. She's more like a sister. But I haven't seen her in a few years and it'll be great to catch up. I'm spending a couple of nights on the Queen Mary. That oughta be interesting. Then a couple of days on Catalina Island. After that... who knows.
Eventually I'll need to get another job, of course. COBRA is way too expensive.
Despite today being my last day at my current job, I just ordered a new laptop. I couldn't resist. The sales were just too good to pass up. I'd been giving serious consideration lately to joining the "Mac" crowd, but when all was said and done, there are still currently too many advantages FOR ME to change. The Dell machines offer features I simply cannot get on a Mac, such as an internal Verizon broadband modem, for example. I guess that means I'll be selling my current laptop in a few weeks.
If you're curious about Product Red and the fight against AIDS in Africa, click here.
I'm also going on vacation. Got a friend in Los Angeles I haven't seen in years, so I'm heading out her way the weekend after next.
Not sure which new job I'll be taking yet. I'm currently leaning towards the luxury car deliveries though. $72,000 is simply too good a salary to pass up.
Nixon's new set is really outstanding. I love it when a set tells a story rather than just... shows a bunch of hot posing.
If you're curious about Product Red and the fight against AIDS in Africa, click here.
I'm also going on vacation. Got a friend in Los Angeles I haven't seen in years, so I'm heading out her way the weekend after next.
Not sure which new job I'll be taking yet. I'm currently leaning towards the luxury car deliveries though. $72,000 is simply too good a salary to pass up.
Nixon's new set is really outstanding. I love it when a set tells a story rather than just... shows a bunch of hot posing.
