Category Archives: The Basics

This afternoon I had lunch with my friends Collen and Kerry.  I forgot the name of the restaurant because; A) They took me there and B) I had two–TWO–glasses of wine!

Lunch was fantastic and so was the conversation.  I am quite fond of Collen and Kerry.  They both make me laugh.  Colleen was kind enough to let me try on her hip and cool sunglasses.  You can see by the totally unflattering photo that I am not meant for the world of hip and cool.  Fortunately, I have been grandfathered in by my two friends.  At least for the time being.

After lunch, I stopped by their office.  We all used to work for an Internet consulting firm back before the dot-com bust.  When Zefer (the comapny we worked for) went under, most of my colleagues went over to this new little start up called Orbitz–yes, I’m still kicking myself in the ass for not being a part of that movement. 

Anyway, they showed me around the office and what looked like the command center of the USS Enterprise.  I saw several people I knew just casually walking through the halls.  I am so glad I am able to keep in contact with my old Zefer buds (Even though Marie claims she was sick–she went out drinking the night before.  Whatever Marie, I know you’re just trying to break up with me.)

I’m having a great time in the city.  I forgot what it was like to be an urbanite.  Perhaps I’ll do a little shopping and take in a movie before I meet up with my friends for drinks and dinner this evening.
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This just in:
I was relying on free WI-FI hot spots to blog from around town.  I was impressed to see that Caribou Coffee and Cosi both had free WI-FI available for the public–unless you’re gay.  I can understand both establishments freaking out and blocking some of my gay chat/profile sites but at Caribou, I could not even check up on one of my favorite blogs. 

Sorry Jimbo.

Well, here we are at the airport bar.  There is a storm brewing and we’re hoping to get out before it hits. 

The first thing I noticed was the WALL of television sets.  They’re everywhere and for someone with no television reception (by choice), it’s quite the sensory overload.  Ray and I can’t even carry on a conversation without the distraction of some newsflash accompanied by all sorts of attention getting graphics. 

Did I mention the dork in the booth next to me with the phone thing in his ear is going on and on about imported beer?

At least there’s a lot of airport eye candy…

Ray and I are off to Chicago today and will be there for the rest of the week.  I’m going to bring the laptop and attempt to blog remotely. 

I totally can’t wait to see old friends, eat good food and party.  There is a group in particular that I used to work with at an Internet consulting firm called Zefer back in the old dot-com heyday.  I am always especially excited to see the Zefer peeps.  One of them–Kerry, who is Welsh (what is it with me and cute Welsh men?)–created this great site called ClubFly. 

ClubFly is a free beta web-based application that helps you to find gay venues by entering a zip code or city name and getting the results fast in a mapping format. Tags help to categorize the venue and users can add their reviews.

You can even get driving directions!

This is perfect for someone like me going back to Chicago because I’ve not been there for over three years and have no idea where the new gay bars and clubs are.  It’s also great for traveling to a new destination.

Thanks Kerry!

Ray had a couple of appointments this morning so I rode my bike to work.  It was awesome driving in but even better going home.  I took the long way home over the Hereford Road bridge.  The sun was low, the shadows long and the road had nice curves on it.  This is definitely a great place to ride.  I only saw one other car on the road. 

I ride a 1988 Suzuki Katana 1100.  It weights about 550 pounds and can go up to 150 MPH–not that I ever go that fast.  I’d like to get a street cruiser someday as opposed to the *crotch rocket I have.  It’s a little tiresome on the wrists leaning forward for a long time.  Not that I’m complaining.  This bike does just fine.  🙂

*In Latin terms: Crotchus Rocketus.

Labor Day usually signifies the end of the summer season.  It did in Chicago anyway.  The lifeguard stations along the lake shore would close up the following Tuesday and the leaves would start turning justlikethat.

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, the Mexican Generals would attempt to take over Stolen Horseshoe (as evidenced in the photo on the right).  This is our sign that summer is coming to an end.  The other obvious clue is a lack of clouds.  The Monsoon is now a thing of the past and all the green grasses will quickly become gold.  At least here it’s a gradual process as opposed to the Midwest where the season changes as fast as you can turn on an air conditioner.

Ray and I had a nice holiday with the exception of receiving news that my uncle has been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis and has been informed to make arrangements. 

Make arrangements?  How do you pack for a trip like that?

It’s hard to see your elder loved ones get old and face the inevitable.  Hearing my mother’s stoic voice over the phone as she was about to lose another one of her siblings is just a reminder that life is something that should be savored and respected. 

My uncle smoked until the heart attack a few years back.  I smoked too.  It makes me wonder what sort of damage I’ve done that I can look forward to in my later years–my later years that seem to be careening towards me at an accelerated rate.

My uncle Bob had has a nice life.  He got to see his children grow up, and a few years back, he became a great grandfather.  He celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary and made it to the family reunion last July.  His spirit and character will continue to live on through his children. 

The mesquite trees have brilliant red seed pods this year.  Ray said he did not recall them being so colorful, like shiny ornaments on a Christmas tree.  The pods also signify the end of summer, but they are a reminder that life is indeed cyclical and before you know it, the days will be getting longer again. 

The ultimate realization that everything in life has a cycle is a gentle reminder that helps me deal with saying goodbye to my uncle.  The sun sets and rises.  The leaves fall and the seeds grow.  When I think of losing my uncle, I take comfort in knowing that someday our paths will cross again.

Huw and Eric came down to visit from Phoenix.  We had a fabulous time eating delicious treats and drinking Cosmopolitans while splashing around in the pool.  It was fun showing the guys around Bisbee and the weather was in full cooperation. 

Huw is Welsh and has a great accent that I have to bite my tongue to keep from imitating.  Eric is American and charmingly droll.  We spent hours conversing about everything under the sun and laughing at Eric’s stories–mostly the ones involving his sister. 

The guys frequently travel to London and since international travel is not in my near future, it’s my surrogate experience to hear their stories of where they’ve been and friends they’d visited.  As our conversations continued, I sort of realized my life has indeed slowed down as a result of leaving Chicago.  Ray and I don’t just jet off anymore.  It’s not that easy.  For a split second, there was a pang of sadness.  It quickly subsided when I realized, we live here at Stolen Horseshoe and were getting our euro-travel fix through our guests.  I had forgotten how much I missed fellowship with other gay men until a couple of them showed up at my doorstep.

We had a fun time visiting with Huw and Eric and look forward to seeing them again.