Thanksgiving has been less and less of an event as years go by. It started as a huge gathering of my fathers side of the family where we all catch up with each other. Now my grandparents are gone, and father is rarely in the country for thanksgiving or for his birthday which is around the same day. Now the dinner feast is just one family and a couple of uncles and cousins. I go each year because if I didn't then I would only see this part of my family for Christmas or not at all.
This year a few anomalies have cropped up, both are birthdays. My father may actually be in town for thanksgiving and his birthday and so I want to be able to celebrate them with him. The second is that it is my girlfriend's grandfather's 90th birthday that weekend, and she has invited me to go with her to Mexico City to celebrate with her and her family.
I have not been to Mexico in many years and Mexico City is where the Girlfriend grew up, so I very much want to go with her. I decided to approach this decision directly and e-mailed my father about his birthday. He said that I should go, and that if it were his choice he would go himself. That makes half of the decision but now comes the financial part. I have recently booked a eastern Mediterranean cruise and done an expensive car repair. The thought of buying another plane ticket does not thrill me. I very much want to go, and probably will but now I am watching my carefully constructed savings crumble before my eyes.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Vacation Planning
I called up a travel agent today. I am planning cruise on the eastern Mediterranean to include Greece, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt. It is a big trip and not cheap to do, but it could be amazing. I am apprehensive about the trip however, because of my reasons for going.
Those of you who read this blog already know that I have a new girlfriend. I think about her constantly and have a need to spend as much time with her as I can. The feeling is mutual and we do whatever we can to meet up as often as we can. So as you have probably already figured, I am going on this vacation with her. I am a little scared of this commitment so soon in our relationship but I am more excited for the vacation and time we will spend together.
She had already booked the trip, and I am getting the same package, so it will be 'our' vacation instead of just hers. I have never been to any of the places we will be going. It will be an Adventure.
Those of you who read this blog already know that I have a new girlfriend. I think about her constantly and have a need to spend as much time with her as I can. The feeling is mutual and we do whatever we can to meet up as often as we can. So as you have probably already figured, I am going on this vacation with her. I am a little scared of this commitment so soon in our relationship but I am more excited for the vacation and time we will spend together.
She had already booked the trip, and I am getting the same package, so it will be 'our' vacation instead of just hers. I have never been to any of the places we will be going. It will be an Adventure.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Plays
I really hit the theater this weekend; my girlfriend and I saw three shows.
The first was on friday in Los Angeles. It is called Chasing Monsters, and was about an alcoholic and his inability to escape the cycle he was stuck in. It was an ugly play about a horrible part of life. In its way it was effective, but It was not the kind of thing that I enjoy watching.
Second was Saturday night in San Diego. My girlfriend and I drove down to the gaslamp district (which is apparently the cool part of town) and watched the Reduced Shakespeare Company do the complete works of William Shakespeare in 90 minutes.The show was hilarious. We had both seen it before, me in London and she in Mexico City. Before the show we had a chance to go to a local pub called The Tipsy Raven, and after the show we walked around the district a little lost but enjoying it. We really needed the laughs after the show we saw on Friday, and the night was a boatload of fun.
We spent the night in San Diego with a friend of mine and on Sunday we headed on back to LA via Downey where we watched Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel. I don't wish to trash the actors who did a good job, but Carousel is a shitty play. From the first scene I kept asking myself why the characters were doing what they were doing. The play is a tragedy but with completely unsympathetic characters, so when everything comes crashing down you don't care. The plot lacked subtlety, and the characters lacked depth. I spent the entire time snickering with my girlfriend and our other friend about how bad the play was. I fell a little bad about the people in front of us (there was nobody behind us) but if they could ignore the shittyness of the play then perhaps they could ignore the rudeness of my commentary.I could go on and on about the problems with the play but I would rather just put it behind me.
Probably the best part of the play was after the intermission and before act II, an older woman came on stage in a dress that belongs in an early 90s prom. Her expression and body language added a sense of silly enthusiasm to the event. She had this finishing school sense of delicate humor and propriety that when combined with her out-of-place fluffy dress made the whole situation giggle-inducing.
I have been to more plays in the past month than in the previous two years. I look forward to continuing the trend but at a slower pace.
The first was on friday in Los Angeles. It is called Chasing Monsters, and was about an alcoholic and his inability to escape the cycle he was stuck in. It was an ugly play about a horrible part of life. In its way it was effective, but It was not the kind of thing that I enjoy watching.
Second was Saturday night in San Diego. My girlfriend and I drove down to the gaslamp district (which is apparently the cool part of town) and watched the Reduced Shakespeare Company do the complete works of William Shakespeare in 90 minutes.The show was hilarious. We had both seen it before, me in London and she in Mexico City. Before the show we had a chance to go to a local pub called The Tipsy Raven, and after the show we walked around the district a little lost but enjoying it. We really needed the laughs after the show we saw on Friday, and the night was a boatload of fun.
We spent the night in San Diego with a friend of mine and on Sunday we headed on back to LA via Downey where we watched Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel. I don't wish to trash the actors who did a good job, but Carousel is a shitty play. From the first scene I kept asking myself why the characters were doing what they were doing. The play is a tragedy but with completely unsympathetic characters, so when everything comes crashing down you don't care. The plot lacked subtlety, and the characters lacked depth. I spent the entire time snickering with my girlfriend and our other friend about how bad the play was. I fell a little bad about the people in front of us (there was nobody behind us) but if they could ignore the shittyness of the play then perhaps they could ignore the rudeness of my commentary.I could go on and on about the problems with the play but I would rather just put it behind me.
Probably the best part of the play was after the intermission and before act II, an older woman came on stage in a dress that belongs in an early 90s prom. Her expression and body language added a sense of silly enthusiasm to the event. She had this finishing school sense of delicate humor and propriety that when combined with her out-of-place fluffy dress made the whole situation giggle-inducing.
I have been to more plays in the past month than in the previous two years. I look forward to continuing the trend but at a slower pace.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Dancing at 2:00am
I am going to go back and describe last night's dance lesson again because in re-reading what I wrote about my day, there is no poetry or beauty in the description. Hopefully this is better.
It was 1:30am and we had left the bar behind. Karaoke was accomplished and it was getting late. My girlfriend's friends were ready to go and so we left. Out on the street we hugged our goodbyes and I told all these strangers, these new friends how nice it had been to see them and that I would see them "next time."
Now came the hard part of the night. Since she and I live almost an hours drive away from each other we always come and leave again in separate cars to separate directions. We were faced with the unavoidable goodbye. I was parked closer so we walked to my car and then we drove to hers.
At this time of night, the streets are empty of people and cars. The noise of the city has died down and even the sounds of the nearby freeway are hushed. She was parked in the lot of a nearby office building and so I drove over to her car and parked in the next spot over. We had the entire parking lot to ourselves. It was one large empty space with white lines and a wash of orange light, and us.
There we sat in my car with the radio serenading us with the sounds of a vaguely Latin band that I had heard of though a friend's wife. The moment to say goodbye had come and neither of us was ready or willing to say it. We sat and talked a little, we kissed a little, and we were silent a little. There was talk about what we each had planned for the next day, we mused about the karaoke songs that we had sung or heard at the bar, and there was talk about when she would teach me to dance.
I sat there looking at her smile, at her eyes and knowing that the affection that was clear on her face was also clear on mine. I asked her when we would make time for her to teach me how to dance and as always, we just shrugged it away as "sometime."
"Why not now" I asked her.
She smiled and said "sure"
"I don't know if you are serious" I said tilting my head to the side and smiling."Lets do it!" I turned up the radio and got out of the car.
"Are we really going to do this?" she said getting out of the car as well with a big smile.
So there in the lights of the parking lot and with the privacy of 2:00am she pushed and pulled and spun and danced me. I stepped and danced and stumbled and spun and turned and all the time I touched her and held her and we were together and alone.
Finally after about an hour spent in the parking lot dancing and kissing and dancing some more, we could no longer put off what was inevitable. I had to go east and she west. We held each other for another long moment and parted.
It was 1:30am and we had left the bar behind. Karaoke was accomplished and it was getting late. My girlfriend's friends were ready to go and so we left. Out on the street we hugged our goodbyes and I told all these strangers, these new friends how nice it had been to see them and that I would see them "next time."
Now came the hard part of the night. Since she and I live almost an hours drive away from each other we always come and leave again in separate cars to separate directions. We were faced with the unavoidable goodbye. I was parked closer so we walked to my car and then we drove to hers.
At this time of night, the streets are empty of people and cars. The noise of the city has died down and even the sounds of the nearby freeway are hushed. She was parked in the lot of a nearby office building and so I drove over to her car and parked in the next spot over. We had the entire parking lot to ourselves. It was one large empty space with white lines and a wash of orange light, and us.
There we sat in my car with the radio serenading us with the sounds of a vaguely Latin band that I had heard of though a friend's wife. The moment to say goodbye had come and neither of us was ready or willing to say it. We sat and talked a little, we kissed a little, and we were silent a little. There was talk about what we each had planned for the next day, we mused about the karaoke songs that we had sung or heard at the bar, and there was talk about when she would teach me to dance.
I sat there looking at her smile, at her eyes and knowing that the affection that was clear on her face was also clear on mine. I asked her when we would make time for her to teach me how to dance and as always, we just shrugged it away as "sometime."
"Why not now" I asked her.
She smiled and said "sure"
"I don't know if you are serious" I said tilting my head to the side and smiling."Lets do it!" I turned up the radio and got out of the car.
"Are we really going to do this?" she said getting out of the car as well with a big smile.
So there in the lights of the parking lot and with the privacy of 2:00am she pushed and pulled and spun and danced me. I stepped and danced and stumbled and spun and turned and all the time I touched her and held her and we were together and alone.
Finally after about an hour spent in the parking lot dancing and kissing and dancing some more, we could no longer put off what was inevitable. I had to go east and she west. We held each other for another long moment and parted.
Why Not?
Today was quite a bunch of fun.
I went to the presentation of a house to one of my girlfriend's co-workers. She had fallen on some serious hard times and Habitat for Humanity built her ,and ten other families, new houses in Glendale. It was amazing to see what people can do for each other if we all pull together. The task of building eleven houses is monumental but with the hundreds of volunteers and donations from companies it became a reality. I really need to volunteer with them some day,
After the presentation, Girlfriend and I headed back to my place because a couple of my friends that she hadn't met yet were going to come over and play a game of Warmachine against me. She met them , we had lunch and then she left to hit the driving range. The game of Warmachine was intense. It was a 3-way battle that came very close by the end but I prevailed. The game lasted longer than we expected because of the close end and by the time it was all done, I got a call from Girlfriend again asking if I wanted to go out to the karaoke bar she was headed to.
I bid my friends farewell (it was 11:30pm anyway) and hit the road to what happened to be a gay bar with karaoke. We sang "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira and Wyclef Jean and then after hanging out for about an hour we were done with the place.
I drove Girlfriend to her car because it was across the street and down the block in the parking lot of an office building and when we got there we lingered not wanting to say goodnight. Well, one thing lead to another and we wound up kicking on my radio with some Cat Empire CD's and at 2:00 in the morning I got a dance lesson in an empty parking lot with only the sounds of my car radio and the freeway for company. She showed me the basic steps for merengue and cha-cha, and some other bits and pieces here and there. It is a different mode of movement than I am used to but I have fun dancing with her. I look forward to when I will be good enough that we can go out dancing.
Today has been an exercise in doing things that are fun and not holding back. I almost backed out of the Warmachine game because after my recent move I couldn't find all my pieces, I could have backed out of going to the gay karaoke bar for any number of reasons, I could have not turned up the radio and gotten out of the car for the dance lesson (she didn't think I was serious about the lesson). I am getting better at not holding back, at not being afraid to do something new and unusual.
Life is good.
I went to the presentation of a house to one of my girlfriend's co-workers. She had fallen on some serious hard times and Habitat for Humanity built her ,and ten other families, new houses in Glendale. It was amazing to see what people can do for each other if we all pull together. The task of building eleven houses is monumental but with the hundreds of volunteers and donations from companies it became a reality. I really need to volunteer with them some day,
After the presentation, Girlfriend and I headed back to my place because a couple of my friends that she hadn't met yet were going to come over and play a game of Warmachine against me. She met them , we had lunch and then she left to hit the driving range. The game of Warmachine was intense. It was a 3-way battle that came very close by the end but I prevailed. The game lasted longer than we expected because of the close end and by the time it was all done, I got a call from Girlfriend again asking if I wanted to go out to the karaoke bar she was headed to.
I bid my friends farewell (it was 11:30pm anyway) and hit the road to what happened to be a gay bar with karaoke. We sang "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira and Wyclef Jean and then after hanging out for about an hour we were done with the place.
I drove Girlfriend to her car because it was across the street and down the block in the parking lot of an office building and when we got there we lingered not wanting to say goodnight. Well, one thing lead to another and we wound up kicking on my radio with some Cat Empire CD's and at 2:00 in the morning I got a dance lesson in an empty parking lot with only the sounds of my car radio and the freeway for company. She showed me the basic steps for merengue and cha-cha, and some other bits and pieces here and there. It is a different mode of movement than I am used to but I have fun dancing with her. I look forward to when I will be good enough that we can go out dancing.
Today has been an exercise in doing things that are fun and not holding back. I almost backed out of the Warmachine game because after my recent move I couldn't find all my pieces, I could have backed out of going to the gay karaoke bar for any number of reasons, I could have not turned up the radio and gotten out of the car for the dance lesson (she didn't think I was serious about the lesson). I am getting better at not holding back, at not being afraid to do something new and unusual.
Life is good.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Too Many Books
Taken in a loading dock behind a library. I wonder by what process these books were selected to languish here?
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