After visiting Palm Springs two weekends ago, ThumbSucker has the modern house buying buzz. 2Pay just returned from Palm Springs tonight, and brought brochures with him. Tonight, ThumbSucker is in love with the idea of buying a place down there. But to buy a place down there, he would need to sell the loft.
I reminded him of something he told me and several of his colleagues who sold their homes in San Francisco. "Once you sell, you can't move back, or it's very difficult to move back."
ThumbSucker and I also got into an excited conversation about laundry. The conversation was excited in that we both were passionate, but we were not yelling. My issue is that I do not want ThumbSucker to do my laundry. He's shrunk, discolored and misplaced too many items, and it frustrates me because I've told him on numerous occasions to not do my laundry. I understand and appreciate his good intentions. But why can he not listen and just not do my laundry? I just don't get it.
Also, I have to fight for alone time. He will not let me be by myself. Sometimes I want to lock myself into a room that he can not get into just so I could have time by myself... But his insecurities won't allow this.
...
I'm tired. I'm beat. The fact is that ThumbSucker did a lot of things early on in the relationship that he has not recovered from, and this continually taxes our relationship.
ThumbSucker and I awoke, got ready, and headed directly to Disneyland, arriving at around Noon. After waiting in line for a security search and for park admission tickets, we stepped foot into the park at 1:00 p.m. Waiting in line would be the theme for our adventure at Disneyland.
Because we didn’t have too much time remaining in the day, we plotted our course, aiming to visit and ride five attractions. We went to the Indiana Jones ride, but saw the wait would be at least 80 minutes. Screw that, we said. We decided to use Disneyland’s Flash Pass system that allows visitors to come back at a later time in the day with little or no waiting. Our designated return time was scheduled for 5:50 p.m.
By 1:30, we were hungry, and opted to gouging stop number one. After a brief bite to eat, we went to Splash Mountain. We waited in line for 90 minutes. The ride lasted a total of just more than seven minutes. Regardless, we were in better spirits after the ride. Then we went to Tomorrowland, and got in line for Space Mountain, my favorite Disneyland ride. Again, after a nearly 90-minute wait, we enjoyed a five-minute ride.
Adding to the sad and long wait was smelly and rude people. Prior to this trip, the last time I came to Disneyland was in 1994 with seven high school buds. I did not remember the park attracting trashy and rude people, not to mention “larger than life.” It really is sad. A few people could not close the protective bar that restrains you into the ride as their thighs were too big.
Our spirits were replenished once again after riding Space Mountain. However, we agreed that we would leave Disneyland after the Indiana Jones ride. We grabbed another bite to eat at the second gouging spot.
We arrived at the Indian Jones ride at 5:40 p.m., and already people were pushing and showing lack of manners while in line. Overall, it was the rudeness that ruined our experience. A close second was having to wait in line. Disney really does not have an incentive to get you into rides faster. Once they collected you money for the entrance ticket, they do not have an obligation to ensure you have a good time. Instead, visitors are bombarded with over-priced junk families will eventually throw away. It’s irresponsible.
After the Indiana Jones ride, we left the “happiest place on Earth,” vowing never to return unless there was a special circumstance. After waiting in line for nearly five hours, we enjoyed a total of 22 minutes on rides. Regardless, my mission was accomplished. Never again would I hear ThumbSucker ask, “Will you take me to see Mickey Mouse?”
We drove back to Long Beach, napped, then showered, and headed out to Santa Monica. We walked along the pier and came across Pacific Park, a small amusement park on the Santa Monica pier. We purchased tickets for a few rides, and were immediately of the short-looking lines. Five minutes, max, we thought. We rode Sea Dragon, a suspended boat ride that swings you 270-degrees; West Coaster, a very modest, yet surprisingly fun roller coaster, which is the only steel West Coast roller coaster located on a pier; and then we rode the Pacific Wheel, the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel. Once again, our spirits were lifted. Even more so than from the Disneyland rides because we didn’t pay butt rape prices to wait hours for a ride. After the rides, we went to the arcade, and played two games of table hockey. This was ThumbSucker’s first time, and I felt like I was back in high school. I won the first game, and ThumbSucker barely won the second game.
We left the pier feeling good. “A weekend of amusement, a weekend of amusement” I said. ThumbSucker agreed, and thanked me for the trip.
Sunday, April 16 We woke up, got ready, packed, checked out, and headed for Tustin. I wanted to take ThumbSucker to Tommy’s Sushi. However, when we arrived, it learned it was closed. G’dammit, I should have called first to check.
We decided to drive west, to the coast, to Newport Beach in search of lunch. Goodness, it was nice. Everything looked manicured. Cars were shiny. People were blinging. I had not seen so many Bentleys, Ferraris or Lamborghinis on the road at one time. The town was packed! We drove south, passing through Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, South Laguna, and finally stopping at Dana Point. We grabbed lunch, then headed to the beach. I vegged on the sand, while ThumbSucker got his feet wet.
After Dana Point, we headed north past Newport Beach to Huntington Beach. We walked through the downtown strip and on the pier, then decided that we need to return the car and head to the airport.
Thank goodness for T-Mobile Wi-Fi. Without it I would feel disconnected. But I love (x3) Sprint’s EV-DO network. It fast compared to their older 1xRTT network. Web pages load relatively quick on my UTStarcomm 6700.
I’ve decided that I like the smartphone, but I definitely do not love it. The camera is legit with plenty of options. I like the WAN/LAN/PAN connectivity – cell when I’m outside the office or home, and fast Wi-Fi if I use it indoors. I still have not configured my Bluetooth headset as I’m decently happy with the wired two-bud headset. However, I’m not digging the speakerphone. Damn thing has given me problems toggling on-and-off. Also, I still have mixed feelings about Windows Mobile 5.0. Compared to my Treo 600, more steps are required to look up a contact, and make a call. Also, with the slick sliding keyboard I get a larger screen, which blows away the Treo 600. However, with the slide-out keyboard, I no longer can easily text message while driving or stuck in traffic. Another thing I need to figure out is sending a text message to an email address. With Windows Mobile Messaging, I can only send a text message to another mobile phone. With the Treo 600 I could send messages to both mobile and email address. Grr. But overall I’m happy with the phone. We’ll see what I’ll switch to in two years. I’m sure there will be something better than the Motorola Q by then.
What I really want is a slick, Apple-designed smartphone with durability features found with the rugged, industrial-grade mobile computers from Symbol Technologies, and a refined version on Microsoft Windows Mobile. Oh, and a faster cell network with ubiquitous coverage would be great as well.
I can’t wait for the day when I can download a Starbucks menu onto my phone, and beam/send my order directly to the barista to help ensure my drink is mad perfectly. I would create several drink profiles to order according to what strikes my fancy at the moment.
Getting back to Los Angeles, we boarded the United Airlines airplane, and were treated to the same narrow seats. However, this time we sat in Economy Plus, which gave us an extra five inches of legroom. This is noticeable, and greatly appreciated.
After a delay getting to the terminal gate, waiting for our baggage, and taking a cab back to the loft, we were brushing our teeth by 11:30 p.m.
Overall, I say the trip was a success. We drove nearly 700 miles in four days, saw a lot things and people, rode a few rides, had some tasty meals, saw the sun, and felt the So Cal heat.
It’s been some time since I last wrote, and I do not want more time to pass before I forget anything that happened recently.
Thursday, April 13 ThumbSucker turned 32... Happy birthday. We started the day extremely early, waking up at 3:15 a.m. Why? Because our flight would depart at 6:05 a.m., and Super Shuttle would pick us up at 3:55 a.m. We could have taken a cab, but they are unreliable early in the morning. And a car service would cost nearly $100 for a 10-mile drive. Super Shuttle was a deal at $30 for the two of us. And prompt it was. At the strike of 3:55 a.m., the blue van with yellow letters arrived in front of the loft building.
United Airlines customer service peeps were not helpful in the least. Then again, we didn’t expect them to be chipper at 4:30 a.m. Who would be?
At any rate, after finally checking-in, and getting through security, we waited at the terminal gate until 5:35 a.m. to board the plane. I forget the plane we flew, but it was cramped! The entire flight, both ThumbSucker and I felt like sardines. I’d say I’m not grossly overweight, but I sure wonder about larger people and how they manage to contain themselves in their seat without offending others.
At 7:20 a.m. we landed at LAX. Goodness, Los Angeles was all day compared to San Francisco’s all night weather. It was eye-piercing sunny, and mid-70s. It beat the rain we had for last three week. Nearly everyone I knew caught a cold of some sort.
At any rate, everyone, EVERYONE was chipper. Almost disturbingly chipper. I immediately remembered that we were now in entertainment industry land, not Silicon Valley.
The bus we rode to the car rental station was immaculately clean! V-Dub once told me you are expected to drive a clean car in Southern California. “You have no excuse to not clean your car,” said another friend. It’s a So Cal thing I guess. “Your car is an extension of who you are,” yet another friend once told me.
By 7:45 a.m., we had the keys to a new shiny dark blue Chevrolet Malibu MAXX, the five-door lift back model. It’s not a bad drive, but it is too slushy for my taste.
We had to kill time, so we drove north to Manhattan Beach for breakfast. ThumbSucker had a ham/onion/mushroom ommie. I had a shrimp ommie. Both were tasty.
At 9:00 a.m., I had my first of two meetings for the day. One down, one more to go.
We drove south on the 405, then south on 710 to downtown Long Beach. At 10:30 a.m., we checked into the hotel. In the parking garage, I noticed at least 20 cars with an Alpha Kappa Alpha license plate frame. I was excited, and hoped to see stepping routines. Alas, it was an old alumni gathering. No stepping would be seen.
Once we got to the room, we passed out. We were beat, so we napped for nearly an hour. At Noon, I had my second meeting. 15 minutes later, I was done. We napped longer, and woke up at around 3:00 p.m. We got ready, and went to see the Queen Mary. Damn it is a huge ship. Afterwards, we drove to Melrose Avenue. But en route we were caught in nasty, nasty traffic. Among other reasons, this is the primary reason I could not live in Los Angeles. However, I must say that at least 90 percent of LA drivers use their signal lights to indicate a lane change. I’d say the San Francisco Bay Area comes in at less than 50 percent.
We parked far from where we needed to go on Melrose Avenue, but the walking was good. We past a lot of home design and furniture shops. Goodness, San Francisco has nothing compare to selection. Heck, San Francisco doesn’t compare to New York. Does that mean we suck? Hell no. New York and Los Angeles are two extremes, neither of which I could live in. However, I could see myself living in New York before I could Los Angeles. I’m not down with fake and an entertainment reality.
So after some window shopping (because most of the stores were closed), we walked back to the car, and drove east to West Hollywood, the gay side of town. Another reason I could not live in So Cal is the gay guys have way too much ‘tude. It’s really not very becoming. It’s not just ‘tude, but super ‘tude. I can explain it. But it’s not attractive. It takes SF diva ‘tude, and blows it out of the water. So after absorbing more local ‘tude, we had dinner. I wanted to take ThumbSucker to some place nice, but everything was closed, or you had to dress swanky, or you had to make reservations months in advance. At 9:30 p.m. we were starved, and ready to eat dinnerware. We came across a snooty restaurant where everyone looked as if they recently left the spa. Incredible. We both ordered cheeseburgers and Diet Cokes. Damn, the burger was tasty. After dinner, we drove back to the hotel, and called it a night.
Friday, April 14 Today we were supposed to go to Disneyland, but because it started to rain, we drove east to Palm Springs. Palm Springs is beautiful, but hot, dry and everyone looks as if they are retired. ThumbSucker loves Palm Springs. He loves the desert. I’ll pass. I definitely could not live out here. ThumbSucker immediately tried to sell me on buying a place out there. Hell no!
We walked along the downtown strip, and came across the Prudential California Realty office. And surprise, surprise. ThumbSucker’s old work bud who moved to Palm Springs two years ago from San Francisco was there. We have the same name, and the same initials. Goodness, he bought his house in Palm Springs in 2000 for $390K, and according to 47-year-old Taggart (who doesn’t look a day past 42), it recently appraised at just more than $900K. Insane! Then again, ThumbSucker bought a 900-square foot loft for $415K in 2004, and exactly two years later it’s going for $650K. Goodness.
At any rate, we promised to meet Taggart for drinks later in the evening. We decided to stay the night as Palm Springs was dry, and we didn’t want to drink and drive all the way back to Long Beach, a.k.a. the LBC. After securing toiletries at the local Rite-Aid and a room at Howard Johnson, we were set. We got ready, and drove to Taggert’s home. I dig his place. Modern, manageable, impeccably clean and organized. Goodness, his closets are perfectly arranged. Taggart is the a priori of anal retentive. I love it! Everything is modern and Feng Shui-compliant.
Also at Taggart’s place was his buddy Paul. Taggart is pretty well connected in Palm Springs. He’s sold and bought homes on behalf of many peeps in town. At any rate, Taggart grew up in Mastic Beach/Shirley in Long Island, New York. Harriet the Spy told me about them Mastic Beach peeps, so ‘nuff said. However, Taggart is all refined. His friend Paul grew up in Manhasset. Paul and his partner split their time between homes in Palm Springs, San Francisco and Guerneville. After working at BofA in IT for years, he retired three years ago. So they travel up and down California, wherever the weather is most favorable and conducive to relaxing.
After a few drinks, ThumbSucker and I were ready to see Palm Spring’s gay scene. Keep in mind that this weekend just happened to be White Party Spring Break. But also keep in mind that ThumbSucker and Taggart are far from circuit boys, and my circuit boy clubbing days are long gone…
First, we went to Wang’s, the place to go and be seen on Friday nights. By the time we arrived, everyone left, and it was just a dinner crowd. After a couple beers at Wang’s, we left for some karaoke joint. Oh man, this was crazy. ThumbSucker and I were the youngest at 30 and 32, and had everyone beat by 25 to 35 years, easy. But as I mentioned earlier, nearly every Palm Springs resident is retired. And Taggart knows a lot of them. We met a guy who is heir to the Kellogg cereal family. Nice as ever. However, one of his friends groped me. *shudder* I felt gross, but didn’t feel like kicking his ass as I knew he was harmless. I just made a funny face to ThumbSucker to indicate that I was not digging the place. Happyrock would dig Palm Springs… He likes late-30s to 40s, muscle guys.
After that place, we walked across the street to another karaoke joint. Hey, what else are you going to do when you retire? Taggert got on the mic a few times. Damn he was good. He sang Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” and “Rocket Man,” my favorite Elton song. But he tore it up when he sang Neil Diamond’s “September Morn.” Think William Shatner, but damn good. He had the crowd going! This turned out to be an entertaining night beyond expectation. So after a few more beers, we decided to call it quits. When you’re all beered-up, there is only one thing left to do. Be responsible. That’s right, it’s time to hit Jack in the Box to make sure you have food in your stomach to absorb the alcohol. After dropping off Taggart, we headed back to the Howard Johnson.
This post is too long. I’ll continue with Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16 in another post in the next coming days. Look forward to Disneyland and Newport Beach and Dana Point.
Over the weekend I dreamt of two beetles. They both were black, but one looked similar to an Bat Ray (Myliobatis californica) and had pinchers at the front of its head. I do not recall anything else about the dream, except that they crawled around happily in search of running shoes.
So yesterday I brought The Commuter for an oil change at Jiffy Lube. I'd change it myself, but I was lazy this time. At any rate, I heard the most funny thing in some time.
Jiffy Lube service person: 2002 Suburban! Customer: Yes. *walks up to the counter* Jiffy Lube service person: The 2002 Suburban is yours? Customer: Yes. Jiffy Lube service person: Is that the hybrid model? Customer: No.
Umm no is right. Goodness. ThumbSucker and I barely controlled breaking into hysterical laughter.
"Did you know you can lead a cow upstairs, but now downstairs?" That was the text message I received at 4:00 a.m. PT this morning.
Whoever you are 408-768-6432, expect a text message in the wee hours as a friendly wake-up call. Perhaps I'll ask you, "Did you know that our presidential administration is a run by a group of 'tards?"
Today, I talked with a Canadian work buddy about the benefits of issuing a press release to more countries for broader coverage. He completely understands why we want to do what we want to do, and shared with me his outlook on the influence of ice skating-related activities. It's quite funny, really.
me: the benefit is broader exposure... so why is he cock-blocking? CanuckBE: LOL CanuckBE: that was great for a much needed smile on my face today CanuckBE: have to rush to dress rehearsal for my son's ice show CanuckBE: he's 5... CanuckBE: don't think he is gay yet... CanuckBE: next year is hockey... CanuckBE: not that being gay is wrong... CanuckBE: ciao dude
Earlier in the week, other work buds and I met with a vendor (non-Canadian). From them, I learned that one of the Google search results for WNG is for a group for gay men to meet other homos for outdoor activities... Such as hiking, biking and camping, not for idle waiting in a park in hopes of meeting momentary companionship. Sickos!
At any rate, we had a good laugh. Also, the vendor guys are not gay, at least not that I could tell by their wedding rings...
Where am I going with this? Well, I'm just glad that someone is doing a Google search before naming a product, because last year, C-Love (who I'm calling Squeeze going forward) busted us out for our line of chastity belts.
What did I say last year, Squeeze? "Cock balls! Cock balls!"
Friday, March 31 Today I had nearly back-to-back meetings, which was good because they each meeting is prep for the following week. At 8:00 p.m., I was mellow, and excited to veg for the weekend. Since I had not seen ThumbSucker in a few days, I "allowed" him to come up to the LC. For dinner, I cooked spaghetti (his overall favorite food) and broccoli.
Saturday, April 1 After lunch, we watched a matinee showing of Spike Lee's Inside Man at the Lakeport Cinema, the closest theater to Kelseyville, CA. Now that I'm more familiar with New York City, I'm excited to watch movies filmed in any of the five burroughs or Long Island. "Oh we walked past that..." "Oh do you remember that?" After the movie, we went back to the house, and cleaned up the place. I managed to pack and discard a few lingering items in the garage.
But then dinner rolled around. Neither ThumbSucker or I had not eaten pizza in some time, and I was not up for cooking. So we ordered a pizza from Pogo's Pizza. It's pretty legit. I would go nuts if there was not a decent pizza joint in the area. Pogo's is similar to something like I'd want to own when I retire. That's right... When I'm good and ready, I want to open a pizza joint. It's something that I've thought about since I was in high school. I dig the idea of locals coming to hang out, drink their pitchers of beer and consume slice after slice of damn tasty pizza. I'd offer cornmeal crust, New York-style, Chicago-style... And crazy topping... Crazy topping I say! I've not yet decided on a theme for the pizza names as I always change my mind on this. However, I will apply what I've experienced at other pizza joints. And don't think that technology would not be involved. That's right - think IT meets old-school pizzeria! So hang tight for this one.
After we picked up the pizza, we watch Cowboys & Angels, The Warriors and Beat Street. It's weird to watch The Warriors and Beat Street in that the movies were released in 1979 and 1984 respectively, and New York looked so different then. If you have not watched either move, YOU MUST watch them soon.
Sunday, April 2 After the movie marathon last night, I was beat. With the time change adding to the matter, I slept-in until 11:00 a.m. Goodness! Also, I talked in my sleep again. "Where's the tractor? Where is the tractor?" I do not recall what I dreamt last night, but obviously it must have involved a tractor of some sort. Very odd.
We packed-up, secured the house, and drove back to San Francisco, stopping off in Vallejo for lunch, and Corte Madera at the West Elm store.
In San Francisco, we went to Costco and Trader Joe's to stock up on foodage for the week, which I am so ready for! Also, I booked air, hotel and a rental car for our trip next week to Southern California. I hope I'm not making a mistake by bringing ThumbSucker to Disneyland. *sigh* He has not been to the "happiest place on Earth," and asked that I take him to see Mickey Mouse. I do not care for Disneyland, and I'm ready to kick Mickey's ass. But hey, I'm taking ThumbSucker for his birthday, and it's been 12 years since I last went.
During dinner, ThumbSucker's friend 2Pay called. 2Pay is in Vancouver for holiday, and loves it. Heck, I love Vancouver. I used to visit every Summer, but the tradition stopped the Summer I met ThumbSucker.
At any rate, ThumbSucker wants for us to move to Vancouver. "Housing is cheaper there, and you can marry me!" Uh, no. Granted Vancouver is beautiful, but I'm not interested in leaving the U.S. (eventhough I can't stand the current presidential administration). "Canada probably does not have as many crazy Evangelical Christians, and it wouldn't be culture shock for you... It's still in North America, and there are other Asians... And you can marry me. Huh, I could change hyphenate my last name. It has a nice ring to it." Uh, this is so not going to happen.
Yeah, this is not happening. But ThumbSucker is going crazy, looking for houses. *sigh*
In other exciting news... Tomorrow after my last meeting (with a partner), I am going to the Sprint store. I've had my (piece of s***) Treo 600 for two years, and it's time to ditch it! After talking with a few people from work, I am getting the Sprint PPC-6700(link to Engadget's initial write-up from CTIA 2005). It works with Sprint's built-out EV-DO in San Francisco. It has a slick slide-out keyboard. The screen is big! It runs Microsoft Mobile 5.0... I can view Microsoft Office documents - PowerPoint, Excel, Word. It has Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi for quick as F file sharing and Web surfing. So what's not to like? Nothing really... For now at least. One thing I will do is look at other plans. Every month, roaming charges rip me a new hole. Sprint lists a business plan on their website that includes roaming, so I'll ask more about this tomorrow. I'm excited.
It's raining hard in San Francisco... And it's time to hit the sack. G'night.
