Wish Jeans, Milk, and Being Bitter (-ly Cold)

So I'm still alive. Still sick. Of course. But still alive.

My trip to San Diego got canceled, but that's probably a good thing. There's lot of work for me to do here. And the whole logistics of it all really sucked. My flight back was supposed to be on Saturday (yesterday) with stops in Denver and Boston. Yep, apparently trying to fly into DC over the MLK/Inauguration weekend is a serious haze.

So, the diet and exercising is working. And I'm now actually managing to squeeze my still fat a$$ into my wish jeans. You know, you buy the jeans wishing some day that you'll be able to fit into them. Well my wish has come true. Sort of. I still need to lose some more weight, but I'm making some good progess. And how long ago did I buy these jeans? I'm not sure, but they are 2(x)ist jeans and I don't think they even make them anymore!

Finally got a chance to see Milk. It was really good and I'm not a huge Sean Penn fan, but I think he did an amazing job. The whole story was just amazing. I will say that what I thought was particurarly interesting is that back in 1976 (?) during the Prop 6 effort (where they wanted to ban gay teachers), the established gay and lesbian groups were pushing a message that was focused on human rights but didn't actually use the word gay. It reminded me of the arguments in the aftermath of a Prop 8 where the leading GLBT groups did the same thing. They didn't actually use the word gay, or show gay couples in there advertising. And that was a huge mistake. To be effective, you need to make it personal. It's one thing to say that you're going to ban gay marriage, but when you've going to say that you're going to prevent your Uncle and his partner of 10 years from getting married, it turns it from an abstract concept to a very personal reality. Personally, I think the anti-prop 8 groups needed to run commercials like this:



Anyways, since everyone else is doing, I'm going to also. Dayum it's cold out there!! It is just bitter. In theory it will warm up a bit before the Inauguration. Even making it into the 30s would be good. Superlawyer and his kids are going to camp at my house on Monday night and then we're going to get up at the crack of dawn to head down to the Mall. I haven't decided whather I'm going to watch today's festivities on TV, or brave the cold. I'm still trying to get over this cold, so maybe staying in will be a better option. Anyways, stay warm everyone!

Snotty and Sniffling

Yep, I'm sick again. As is quite typical on my trips to Paris, I usually get sick a day or two after I get back. And while I usually blame the walking & talking viral factory that is my niece, I actually think it was my Mom this time. So I've been trying to lay low for the past week or so to try to recuperate.

Christmas in Paris was good. Ish. Five adults and two children does cause some interesting family dynamics. But I think it went better than I thought. And while the weather was pretty cold, atleast it didn't rain much. So we did managed to get out of the flat every day for little adventures or the daily chores.

Let's see, Christmas highlight? I have to say that it's my niece listening to my iPod and singing along to Pink's "So What" at the top of her lungs!

"So so what?
I'm still a rock star
I got my rock moves
And I don't need you"

Just too funny and too cute.

And the trip back rocked! I got bumped to business class (thank you United!) and the flight got in an hour early!

I stayed in on NYE. Museum Man and I watched a movie and had some kirs. Nothing too wild. Though we did have an exceptional brunch at Fahrenheit at the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown with the Glamazon on New Years Day. We had several cosmos and we were feeling pretty toasty by the time we left about 3 plus hours later. Definitely a good time.

Started the new gym routine yesterday. It's been three months since I started at my self esteem crushing gym and I need to mix up my routine to see some new improvements. And like any gay man, I normally ignore my lower body. Well, with the cardio I do, my lower body is fine. But I finally decided to add some legs to my routine. Plus I'm mixing up my other workouts. I want to lose 15 pounds by the cruise in March. So that's the goal!

Plus ca change . . .

. . . . .the more they stay the same.

Had a good time at my bday/holiday party. Too good of a time. Well that and Museum Man mixes a mean cosmo. I was pleasantly inebriated by 10PM, and then over-imbibed by midnight. Needless to say it was not a good night, nor a good morning. I pretty much spent the next day in the fetal position. Now I remember why I don't drink alot.

And then that night was my company holiday party. And after skipping last year, I had to make an appearance. It was good, thought I'm not sure it's really fun to be the only sober person at your company holiday party. I did manage to escape and make it back home by midnight.

My office has moved to Ballston. So I'm dealing with the new commuting challenges. It's not too much of a haze. Our building is sweet. Though I was really hoping for an improvement in the climate control. They haven't "balanced" the system yet and I've been in my office freezing. Not fun. On the plus side, there are a lot more eating options. Which considering my diet status, is not necessarily a good thing.

Off to Paris on Friday PM for the holidays. The rentals flew out Monday night so they got to see my niece and nephews holiday concerts. That whole work thing kept me in DC till Friday. Oh we'll I'll be gone a week and that's perfect!

Previously On All About Trey

Our hero had just returned from a fabulous trip to Mexico tanned and rested only to be thrown into the chaotic fast paced drama he calls work.

Well -ish. I have been busy. And in sort of a good way.

Let's see, on the good news front, I've either lost 20 or 30 pounds depending on what you take as the starting point: my "normal" pre-diet weight, or the just got out of the hospital weight from a year ago. So that's good.

And I'm loving the new clothes I'm discovering in my closet. Even more amusing is that some of my 34 inch waist pants are loose, and some of the 36 inch waist pants are tight. It really is just insane and depends on the cut. But I'll deal.

Oh, and I went in for my CAT scan and I'm officially cancer free after one year.

So all good news.

Currently in No-f&ck. Yeah, I know, my fav. And it's just a torrential downpour out this evening, so I stuck with the crappy hotel restaurant food. I should have just gotten wet, the food was really that bad.

Let's see, I'm forgetting something . . . . . oh yes, now I remember.

My birthday is tomorrow!

And I'm loving this song right now:



And I gotta give some props to my sister as she was loving Lady Gaga in September before it was hip. Though she does live in France, so they get all of the good stuff early.

Captain Cardio and Cold Showers

So I've recovered from the gluttony of Thanksgiving. I'm back to my pre-Tday weight. So that's good. But I've had to overdose on the obsessive compulsive exercise I've been doing. Which basically means I'm doing 2-a-days. In the AM, I'm at my self esteem crushing gym (SECG) at 545AM for some cardio and core work out. And then after work, I go back to lift and do more cardio. Cardio is my friend.

However, cold showers are not. I usually bundle up in the AM, go work out, and then come back home to shower and change for work. But one of the "features" in my condo is that the hot water heater also feeds the heat, and in the winter, the systems doesn't work so well. Even without the heat on in my condo, the water never seems to rise above tepid in the winter. Which is oh-so-enjoyable after you've walked back in the cold from your gym. So, my new, new plan is to lug my work clothes to the gym and use the showers there.

And that works. The locker room at my SECG is really nice. Very high end and they have nice shampoo and product from the hair salon that's part of the gym. And more importantly, there is plenty of hot water. Unlike at my old gym, while they do have TV's on, there is no volume. Only some very soothing tranquil music that really does seem to relax me as the hot water courses over my body. So it's been working for me. ;-)

Thanksgiving Weekend Purge

And no, I'm not talking bulimia. I've tried that and it just doesn't work for me. Though, after the gluttony that was Thanksgiving Day, I should re-think that option.

No, what I'm talking about is my annual tradition of cleaning out my closets and getting rid of things that don't fit or that I haven't worn in a year. Plus it gives me the opportunity to clean up my closets and chest of drawers. So the good news is that this year, I'm actually getting rid of clothes that don't fit because they are too big. Yeah! While I'm still fat, I'm less fat than I have been in a long time. So that's nice. And the beauty of the purge is that I get to discover clothes I bought years ago and haven't worn because I couldn't fit into them. I was kind of depressed that I only had one pair of decent jeans. And voila! I found a great pair of black jeans and then some jeans that are sort of low rise jeans that actually work on me. So that's a pleasant surprise.

The results of the purge? Four trash bags full of clothes that I dropped off at Goodwill today. My closets look great and are stuffed with clothes any more.

Since we (Museum Man and myself) ventured into the Commonwealth to go to the Goodwill drop off, we decided to brave the crowds at Tysons. And it wasn't as awful as I thought. I did pick up a couple of things. Museum Man is a bit of label whore, and some of that rubbed off on me. But while I did buy a Diesel and Hugo Boss shirt, I got them both on sale.

Tonight if my energy levels stay up, we're going to hit Town. Should be fun.

A Thanksgiving Blessing

A blessing for each
A blessing for all
Now let abundant blessings fall

Upon the present
Upon the past
A rain of blessings that will last

Never forgotten
Never unknown
God’s blessings find you and lead you home

Healing your mind
Healing your heart
Healing your soul so you won’t be apart

Bringing you peace
Bringing you love
Bringing you solace from heaven above


Deep in your heart God’s love will abide
Deep in your heart – like a nightlight inside
Deep in your heart, you’re safe in this light
So close your eyes tight
And rest well this night

PV Pics

I'm playing hooky from work (well not really, since I'm working from home) and thought I would post some pics from my trip to Puerta Vallarta. I've still got a bit of a tan left, but with the cold weather we've had lately, it seems like PV was another lifetime ago.

Reclaiming Hope

So I marched in my first gay march yesterday. I've been to Pride before and never really felt like marching in a Pride parade. Sure I'm out and proud, but marching really isn't my thing. But on Saturday I took part in the National Day Of Protest against Prop 8 and for gay marriage.

Saturday AM, I hit the CVS and bought a poster board and some markers so I could make my own poster. In my not so great handwriting I wrote, "Equal Rights For All. Fight Hate." And then Museum Man and I took the metro down to the Mall. We got off the metro at the Smithsonian stop and then walked the rest of the way down the mall, and I was carrying the sign so everyone could read it. As we made our way to the reflecting pool, I could see the crowd that was starting to form there. We finally made our way there and kind of blended into the crowd. It was really an interesting experience. A very great, positive vibe. A little disorganized to be honest, but there was something real, and hopeful, about it. Lots of great signs. The gays are pretty funny. But the crowd wasn't just gays and lesbians. There were tons of people (I've heard 3000) there, gay, straight, black, white, young, old, etc. It was really amazing. So techincally it wasn't really a gay march. It was a march for equality.

After some cheers and some speeches, we started to walk down the mall. While the weather had been warm and partly sunny earlier, big heavy darks clouds had rolled in. But still we marched. Down the south side of the Mall towards the Washington Monument. Carrying my sign, I jointed in the cheers. "Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Prop 8 Has Got to Go." And it made me think.

Why I am marching for Prop 8? What causes me and hundreds of thousands of people like me around the country who don't live in California to come out to protest and march for the rights of gays and lesbians in California? I think we are there trying to reclaim a little bit of hope. First Vermont with civil unions. Then Massachusetts with marriage. Then California. Despite some setbacks, the forward progress for equal rights was happening. It was only going to be a matter of time before other states (thank you Connecticut!) would follow suit. So to see the people of California give in to hate, to fear, and to pass Proposition 8 was just a body blow to our collective hope for equal rights across the United States. If any state should support equal rights, it would be California, right? But no, the people of California lost sight of the inalienable rights of all citizens to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This march, and the hundreds like it around the country were just our way of reclaiming hope that equal rights will come some day. That we can make it happen if we work together. If we show the rest of the country that we won't settle for second class rights.

Despite the pretty torrential downpour, we walked around the Washington Monument, up 17th St, and then over to LaFayette Park in front of the White House. The group was pretty big and stretched for several blocks. And we walked for quite a bit. And despite the rain, I think the positive attitude of everyone who marched was just amazing. And despite the traffic jams we caused, I only saw people waving or honking in support. Nothing bad or negative. It was really a remarkable afternoon.

Oh, best signs:

• "More Gay Marriages = Less Gay Sex. Happy Now?
• If I Can't Marry My Boyfriend, I'll Marry Your Daughter.
• Single and Bitter, but Still Support Marriage.

Dan Savage is made of The Awesome!

Love him!



And he was HILARIOUS! on Colbert!!

The Gift of Hope

Love this:

Bear Island, Twinktown, and Sunset Swims

As I write this entry, I’m somewhere over the middle of the United States, en route to Chicago and then eventually back to DC, hopefully before midnight.

Yes the vacation is over and I’ve already cranked out some of my monthly reports on the plane. Yes, that is a big L on my forehead. But the vacation was a blast. So much fun, so much quality downtime. It’s a good thing.

So we had a pretty decent size bear contingent on this trip. And if you could hear the rise cheering, then you could tell they were doing shots. Oy vey, did they like their shots. And you don’t even want to know what was in the shots. One of them was Daddy’s Milk. It was beyond foul. And they would use an inflatable raft as a drink barge to take the shots out to the middle of the pool where they would all congregate around a slightly submerged little island. It was just below the water level so you could lay there on your back and most of your body would be underwater, but your face, etc would be above the water. This little submerged island became Bear Island. And the bears even went so far as to move several lounge chairs, little plastic tables, and even some umbrellas to provide shade. Look, they may be bears, but they are still gay, and you know how the gays love to decorate.

In response to Bear Islands, the twinks felt like they were being left out, so they create Twinktown. Just a grouping of lounge chairs where all of the twinks would hang out. They were the ones with the Obama-Biden signs at the pool on Tuesday. So they created new signs that said Twinktown. So yes, Twinktown was across from Bear Island. Look, on an Atlantis vacations you get all types and everyone gets along. It really is one of the great, but strange things about Atlantis vacations. It seems like everyone checks their egos at the door and everyone is nice to everyone. It really is very warm and friendly. Whether you are a twink or a bear, or somewhere in between.

Despite predictions for rain on Thursday and Friday, it was sunny and gorgeous both days. We really did have spectacular weather the whole time we were there. Friday afternoon was the last T dance. It was amazing. The theme is tropical wear, so lots of people in sarongs. Yes, even me. And dancing in a sarong is a bit challenging. But do-able. Some great music again. Love T dance music. As the sun began to set, the crowd moved down to the beach with their drinks and their cameras. I took a number of great photos as well. When the sun finally set, I handed my camera and my sarong to a friend and ran into the ocean, plunging into the warm gentle water and just reveling in the amazing experience I had this past week in PV.

I Know Hope

Looking back at yesterday, I still get chills.

Several times during the day, I slipped back to my room to get my internet fix of news, updates, etc. Love me some Andrew! He was a rock and the stories he posted from readers across the U.S. caused me to well up with emotions more than a couple of times. Hoping that you're going to see something as spectacular as we saw yesterday, and actually seeing it happen just bordered on the surreal. And I've apparently invested a lot of my emotions in this election as I was tense, proud, worried, hopeful, inspired, saddened, and exhilarated as the night progressed.

I went body surfing in the crashing waves around 5PM here in PV. Great waves, and they wore me down. I was physically and emotionally exhausted by the time I parked myself in front of the large TVs in the lounge.

I plugged in my laptop as well so I wasn't completely trapped by CNN. I could get coverage from a number of sources. And I was drinking. If there was a time to drink, it was then. Vodka and cranberry. And the waitress kept bringing it. When the polls closed on the east coast, it was game on. And slowly over the night, the lobby began to get crowded. When CNN made the first projection for Obama, the crowd roared. And it would only get louder as the night progressed. I was also checking on Prop 8 in CA and Ammendment 2 in FL. I can't tell you how many times I pressed the refresh button on my browser to get the latest numbers.

The cheers for each new state called for Obama continued to grow louder as more and more people crammed into the lounge, or hung out on the patio outside. The highlights? Liddy Dole getting her behind kicked in NC. When Virginia was finally called for Obama. When Colorado was finally called for Obama. And of course when the polls closed on the west coast and CNN called the election for Obama. The raging cheers and screams of joy crashed around us, and I think around the world. What a truly spectacular night.

Needless to say by the time Obama gave his fantastic speech, I was just exhausted. I was spent and would have cried if I wasn't surrounded by a whole bunch of guys.

While America faces many problems, I really think we've got the right President to address them.

I know hope!

The T in T Dance Stands for Turtles?

Okay, it's amazing down here. Yes, the flight was a haze and getting through immigration was seriously insane (think early voting type lines), but it so nice down here. Warm, sunny, the resort is beautiful. I'm on the 7th floor looking down on the pool, hot tubs, the palm trees and then out to the beach. It's just so spectacular.

So I'm trying this new thing. I'm trying to be more out going and try to meet new people. And it's not really working for me. Last night I got my first clinger. He was nice enough looking, a little bit older, but with some nice salt and pepper hair. Unfortunately he was drunk. Not an ugly drunk, but he just didn't realize the he was so drunk. And while I appreciate being called "hot", after the sixth slurred time, I'm beginning to think that hanging out with you is a bad idea. And I *hate* being the bad person in this situation, but seriously, you're trashed. GO AWAY! Anyways, to escape him, I ended up going to sleep early.

This AM I got up and did my workout at the gym. It was packed, of course, but I managed to do an abbreviated routine. Then it was pool time which was great. I heard a great new adjective to use to describe the muscle men: overbuilt! Isn't that great. Mind you, I still think they are uber-hot, but it is a great word. And there are several overbuilt men here. Just yummy.

Today was the dog tag tea dance. Loved it. I had brought a flight suit to wear, but it was so hot I decided to just wear my cammie shorts and no shirt. I can almost get away with it. Almost. Anyways, great music. Great time. Blazing hot in the sun and I'm just drenched in sweat from the dancing. So I decided to head down to the beach. I'm already cover in salt, I might as well dip into the ocean. So I ditch my shoes and walk out to the beach. The sun is setting and even though there are clouds blocking the view, it's still just so pretty. And I'm there sort of wading in the water. And then it happens. I start to get depressed. I really would love to have someone I care about with me at times like these. It's just so beautiful and I want to share it with someone. Well, to make sure I didn't slip into a pity party, I decided to go back to the dance and let the music take me away. As I go back to my shoes, just a foot away, six little sea turtles have crawled out of the sand. They are valiantly tryingt to get over a small sand ridge and they are just miles away from the water from their perspective. Of course I freak out a bit. I call one of the waitresses over and ask her if we should take them down to the water. She called a security guard so they could record the location and number of turtles, and then a group of us carried the turtles down to the water. They were small little things and struggling a bit to get out of our grasps, but we made it to the water and then released them! So we saved 6 baby sea turtles today! By this time, all thoughts of a pity party were gone and I went back to dance one last dance.

Love This!

Change is Coming!

So I went down to Judiciary Square on Thursday AM to vote. I guess I went down in 2006 (?) to do early voting and it was a piece of cake. Thursday AM, not so much. I got there around 820AM. Ten minutes before the polls even opened and the line snaked through the rather big lobby atleast five times. It was just insane. As I waited the line, got longer, eventually snaking out the door, to the street, and then down the block. But it was all good. Half the people were hunched over their crackberries doing work (um . . . . guilty). The other half just stood there quietly or softly talking. It was pretty orderly. I voted! But I didn't fill out the whole ballot. For the races I didn't know, I just left them blank. I did NOT write in Carol Schwartz. There was a news camera there and apparently the lines were on the news Thursday night. And I guess after I left, they added additional electronic voting booths. So that's good.

The CAT scan went fine. I think I almost fell asleep. I'll get the results after I get back from Puerta Vallarta.

Since I failed to get my guilty beach reading earlier in the week, I walked over to Lamdba Rising to grab some books. And while I know it's Halloween, I just haven't been thinking about it much. So I saw lots of costumes. Some good, some bad. Some need to cover more skin. Tight short shorts and a muffin top are not a good look on anyone.

Anyways, Happy Halloween!

Go Vote!

Know Hope!

Adios!

Porn Star Playground

My gym that is. Or to be a bit more honest, my self-esteem crushing gym. I swear there must have been a dozen guys who looked like they just walked off a Titan or Colt movie set. Clothed of course. Big, muscled, short haircuts, a little bit of scruff going. I'm surprised there wasn't a little trail of drool across the floor as I went about my work out. Sure, some people may see it as incentive, or examples to aspire to. Not me. It just reminds me that I'm fat. Well, less fat than before, but still fat.

Oh, but I'm hot. Radioactively speaking. I took the iodine pill today so radiation is coursing through my body looking for any cancer cell. I go in for a CAT scan on Friday. Should be fun. Not. And that will be my fourth trip to the hospital this week. Enough.

On Saturday I'm off to Puerta Vallarta with the gays. I can't wait. And while I'm fat (see above), I'm less fat that when I went last year. Plus I was off my thyroid medication last year in prep for my quarantine procedure, so I was also really tired and run down. So I should hopefully have a better time this year. Have laptop, will travel. So I'll be doing a little bit of work, but hopefully not too much. But still, all I want is a beach, a pool, and someone to bring me a cold beverage while I read my books!

Endless Pool and Phone Banking

So I went to my self esteem crushing gym (SECG) twice today. Yes I'm a glutton for punishment, but we knew that. Anyways, I went there this AM to try the endless pools. You know those little mini pools where there is a current you swim against and you basically stay in the middle. So two things. One, it's not as easy as it looks. You've got to get the speed of the current correct or you'll be too close, or too far back and run into the wall. And I don't know about other people, but the speed I swim freestyle and the speed I swim breast stroke are NOT the same. So that was kind of weird also. Plus, while I don't use my legs much in a regular pool, they sort of trail behind me and aren't an issue. In the endless pools, my legs starts to sink, so I'm not completely parallel in the water which makes swimming kind of awkward. Anyways, my point is: it's not easy.

I guess my other thing is that the beauty of swimming is the weightlessness you feel when you are swimming. Say you've a little bit on the large size, in the pool you feel weightless and you don't really think about how fat you are. So there's this illusions of not being fat. Well the endless pool has a little mirror on the bottom of the pool. Ostensibly that's supposed to help you maintain the correct position in the pool. But really what it does is destroy that illusion of weightlessness when you are forced to look at the large amount of flubber you are pulling through the water. So not right.

After the gym and doing some chores, I limped down to the metro and went out to Ballston to phone bank for Obama. Another great experience. The vibe in the room was great and it was just packed with people. On a rainy Saturday afternoon. And such a great mix of people. Old, young (there were some teenages with their parents even!), black, white and everything in between, gay, straight, etc. It was just great. And the Obama campaign has got a great system going.

Know Hope!

Sprained Ankle, Cockrings, and 150K Makeovers

Oy vey.

So I went to a church thing Thursday night. Had a good time. It ended just before 9PM so I thought I would join MuseumMan for a drink at the Duplex Diner. Well, as I'm walking down U St I step on some cracked pavement and sprained my ankle. Big time. And partially fall into the bushes which I'm sure kind of freaked out the very nice couple in front of me who realized that I wasn't going to mug them when I started to say "F#@k!" Repeatedly. Anyways, I managed to make it to Duplex which is quite the happening spot for the A listers on a Thursday night. We saw Andrew and his husband.

I stayed home from work today since I could barely walk, but I was fairly productive. And at 5PM I decided to risk going to the gym. I love my self esteem crushing gym and I've gotten into a good routine. And I've lost some weight. So I'm not going to let something minor like a sprained ankle stop me. So I lifted (yes I hobbled across the weight room floor) and then did the bike. It sucked, but I dealt with it. My ankle is still throbbing a bit. I plan to hit the endless pool tomorrow. We'll see how at goes.

Oh, cockrings. So I'm now used to the whole cockring poolside. Wearing a cockring under your swim suit lifts the goods and make them a bit more prominent. And so when I'm on a cruise or at Ptown, I don't even think about it. Well much. But I think the new thing is to wear your cockring to the gym. All I'm saying is that there are some pronounced packages being displayed in gym shorts and sweats being worn by the guys at my self esteem crushing gym. Oh, and I think I'm beginning to see a trend in the guys at my gym. I think the muscle bears are taking over. And not so much bears in weight, but with the facial hair. I suspect that Resluts will end up being the twink gym and my SECG will be the muscle gym. And let me tell you how upset I am about that. ;-)

Wow, $150K on clothes? That's just insane. Though the Valentino jacket is amazing. I kid! Seriously, if I had $150K to blow, I'd hop on a plane to Brazil and hire the best plastic surgeon in the country. I'd have everything done including that procedure in Gattica where they made Ethan Hawke taller. I've be 6 foot tall, with a 50 inch chest, and a 30 in waist. Hey, you have to have a dream. The only procedure I'd recommend for Sarah Palin would be a lobotomy, but I suspect she's already had one. And I can't let it go, $150K for clothes? Really? WTF were they thinking? Can she just go back to her tanning bed in Alaska and leave us alone?

Know Hope

Via Andrew:



And this is just inspiring:

"Here's an early voting story from a medical student in Evansville, Ind.:

I squeaked in just before the 7pm deadline to find two very frustrated poll workers and a line of a couple dozen people, due to problems with the computerized voting system not accepting people's driver's licenses. It was taking about 7-10 minutes per person just to get the computer to accept them as valid and to print out their ballot, causing very long delays.

For me the most moving moment came when the family in front of me, comprising probably 4 generations of voters (including an 18 year old girl voting for her first time and a 90-something hunched-over grandmother), got their turn to vote. When the old woman left the voting booth she made it about halfway to the door before collapsing in a nearby chair, where she began weeping uncontrollably. When we rushed over to help we realized that she wasn't in trouble at all but she had not truly believed, until she left the booth, that she would ever live long enough to cast a vote for an African-American for president. Anyone who doesn't think that African-American turnout will absolutely SHATTER every existing record is in for a very rude surprise.

There were about 20 people in front of me but remarkably not a single person left the room without voting over the 2 hours it took to get through the line."

Know hope! And VOTE!

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

And just admit you're drooling just thinking about it. ;-)

Yes, I've cooked this evening. No there is not a tear in the space time continuum. I'm in DC for a whole 2 weeks so I thought I would actually buy groceries and cook! I had the bacon wrapped meatloaf at a restaurant in No-f&ck and thought I would try it out here. I've cooked it once already and it was okay. I made some small changes this time, like pre-cooking the bacon, so we'll see how it works out. That's dinner tomorrow night.

Yep, I've been doing the no/low carb thing and it's working! I've lost over 10 pounds! I'm almost afraid that I'm going to jinx myself, but even with some trips I've managed not to loose the bubble and keep a focus on the diet. But I'm also exercising again. The foot problems are gone and I am now able to work out again.

I love my new gym. I call it my "self esteem crushing gym". Seriously. It's where all of the A list hottie gays are going now. And do I need that? No. At 0530 when I've rolled out of bed and make my way to the gym I do NOT want to see pretty people. It's like punishment. It's just not fair. But I've been going and I'm almost back into my old routine.

And my little home improvement effort is complete. Check out the new and improved living room. Can you say sweet?!?