We are the Jet Set . . . Society We are the Jet Set And that means Liberty!
Sorry for the bad 80's music, but it's been stuck in my head all day.
So I'm in San Diego for work. It seems like I've been doing a lot of travel. Paris, Charleston, London, San Diego, and this weekend I fly to Colorado, then back to San Diego, and then finally home to DC. Where hopefully I'll stay until March when I go on the cruise.
San Diego is just okay. A bit chilly and wet, but it beats DC by a mile.
Needless to say, I'm still smiling from Obama's win in SC. And the more I hear about Billary and the Clinton Restoration, the more I get mad. And now with this not so subtle subterfuge regarding Florida, it just proves that Billary has no scruples, no morals, and will resort to ANYTHING to win. And if the rules, or the laws, don't help her/them, then they will just ignore them subvert them, etc. Sounds like W and a lot of the republicans, doesn't it? I keep thinking back to a post from Andrew Sullivan. Hillary as Galadriel.
Yep, I returned from the UK yesterday. As part of the marathon logistical hoops yesterday, we transferred through Kings Cross so I had to get a pic at the entrance to the Hogwart's Express. ;-)
I had a really good time with the Doppelganger (DG). It's weird, I wasn't exactly sure what it was going to be like. But I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I managed to get some good sleep in on the flight over. DG was waiting for me at Heathrow looking as handsome as ever. We bummed around London during the day (including a quick stop at a gay store called "CloneZone"! Love that name!) and then headed out into the country in the late afternoon. And when I mean country, I mean, COUNTRY! Big farms, tons of sheep, etc. The train system is great and it really does put Amtrak to shame. We arrive in St. Neot's where he lives and it is a VILLAGE! Seriously! And of course the first night there we had dinner with some of his American friends. Chinese food of course. No one eats British food in the UK. Which was fun. And I managed to stay awake pretty late, so I was psyched.
The DP has a springer spaniel who is just precious! And who runs the house. It was soo funny. And it was good to see the DP interact with his dog, it gives you a good feeling for what the person is like.
We really didn't do much. We went to the Exchange, hit the gym, went out for dinner, etc. It really felt like we were an old married couple. No hitting the bars (what bars?), no hitting the clubs (again, what clubs?). Just dinner, coming back to his place to snuggle on the couch watching CSI while the dog laid on our legs. It was so restful and so nice.
The trip back was a haze. But that's too be expected. And I'm here for 2 work days before I head west for work. So I'm crazy busy.
Isn't that an oxymoron? But I had to ask. I wasn't going to pay $26 for two drink at the Uber-hip Lounge (aka Halo). So I asked about the new 2 for 1 drink special. And the 2 for 1 drink special is for beer, wine, and "premium rail". So I asked for a couple of drinks with Grey Goose, but was told that Grey Goose wasn't part of the "premium rail." So we settled for some lesser vodka. Oh the horror! But with a little bit of alcoholic lubrication, I had a good time chatting with Superlawyer who left after ONE drink. Hello what am I going to do with my 2 for 1 special? Why I ordered a drink for myself after he left. And then sat there and read email at the bar while sipping my cosmo. Does that make me sophisticated, or a loser? Yes, I know. A bit L.
So needless to say I wasn't thrilled by New Hampshire. I was hoping the Obama would win and shut down the competition. Give him time to build a great coalition of democrats, republicans, and independants while the republicans slug it out pushing themselves farther and farther to the right. But no HRC won. And I really don't know what to make of the the crying scene. Part of me thinks it was a cold, calculated move by HRC to show some vulnerability and provide some empathy to her hard exterior. But here's the deal. I just don't think it was real. I think she's become too good of an actor and has just played us all. Which is kind of sad really.
The funny thing? Apparently the day after New Hampshire, the Obama campaign was FLOODED with people donating money. So that's a good sign. I think he can win NV and SC. But Super Tuesday is going to be a blood match. And we all know HRC won't go down without a fight. A no-holds bar fight that will definitely hit below the belt. And do you really want someone who will do what ever it takes to win the election? Don't you want someone with ethics, and morals, and beliefs that they won't sell out?
Oh, on the Anglican front, I wish I lived in Canada! Go Canucks!!
Kind of interesting, low key weekend. Which isn't bad.
Went to the new and improved Bear Happy Hour at 30 Degrees. It was definitely odd to walk up the stairs to the main lounge floor and see some guy with his shirt off. At Titan? No big deal. Green Lantern? Ditto. But at 30 Degrees? It would be like seeing someone in leather at Halo. Anyhoo, Greekboi and I had a beer and some people that I knew came over to chat. And I did see some friends of friends. Which is always nice, but it still just re-inforces my feeling that I really just don't belong in that crowd. And I could definitely tell that GreekBoi was not feeling comfortable, so we left after one drink, went to Jacks for dinner (just okay), and then I was home by 1030PM. Hey, I'm old.
Saturday I got up and did a really hard workout at the gym. Actually I'm still a bit sore right now. As I was on the bike, I got to the end of my book and started to tear up a bit. I'm reading Hero and it's really good. Favorite line: "I had strict rules about looking at porn. First off, I wasn't allowed to think about suicide after I looked at it." Anyways, the ending was a little heart-wrenching. Biceps and back. And then 3o more minutes on the elliptical, but now I'm adding sprints to my routine. At every 3rd and 8th minute (so 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, and 28) I sprint for a minute. Go balls to the wall. Usually my heart rate gets up to 170+. When I got off the machine, it said my average heart-rate was 156 BPM! Not too shabby. After the gym, went to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Some good escapist fare. And then I went to a party at my rectors house to celebrate 12th night!
Sunday was gym (well the Y really), church, Safeway, and then home to work. Oh well. Tomorrow starts the only full week in January I'll be working. Which is going to suck, but I'll deal. Soon I'll be in London with the Doppleganger, and then in San Diego!
Oh, and I thought Obama did great in the debate and I think Hilary sounds a little bit angry and defensive. Not a good combination. I sent some financial love to Obama yesterday.
So I had a bad day at work today. Really bad. Went to a meeting and afterwards I got into a "discussion" with these guys from another company that I'm supposed to work with. And they were completely unreasonable and then, then accused me of not wanting to work together. Umm, I want to work with them as a team, but that doesn't mean they get to make unilateral decisions. That's not what a team is. And suddenly I realized that they were never going to listen to me or admit that I have a valid point of view. And I started to get mad. And that's when I just turned and walked away. In almost mid sentence. There was no point in continuing the discussion, and I didn't want to lose my temper. So I just left.
And while I detest acting that way and hate burning bridges, I just think that's the way it's got to be. It's going to make working with them difficult and I plan to continue to call them on their sh&t!
And it looks like Obama's going to win Iowa!!! YEAH! And he's kicking HRC's ass!
Last week I went out to Halo for drinks with a friend. He was meeting some of his friends and I figured meeting new people would be fun. After forking over $26 for two drinks (!!!!!!), I slowly nursed my litchi-tini and chit chatted with his friends. The conversation eventually steered itself towards the two mainstays of DC conversation: real estate, and politics. Since I wasn't in the mood to talk real estate, I figured I'd make a go of politics. I like Barack Obama.
Well, one of the guys works for a firm that has software that manages political fundraising to make sure it's FEC compliant. How's that for a great DC niche market. Anyways, he was all plugged in and he was telling me that Hillary is going to win Iowa and then the election. And I was like, hmmm, not so fast.
Here's the deal. HRC is about as plastic, and polished, and soulless of a politician you will ever find. I'm sure she's smart, and competent, and I'm all for a woman president. Just not her. I never hear her speak where I don't wonder if she really believes what she's saying, or if she's just calculated what she needs to say to win. My new friend was also telling me that since HRC's already been through the ringer, that the republican's can't hurt her. And I can't tell you how much I disagree with that. HRC is a very polarizing figure. And I'm tired of that. I'm tired of the fighting, the name calling, the mud slinging, the posturing of extremist positions (left and right) when the middle isn't that bad. And I guess when it all boils down, I don't trust her. I don't trust her with the executive powers that Bush has taken by fiat. Andrew has a great clip of Hillary as Gladriel when Frodo offered her the ring. Hilary would use those powers, not renounce them. And that scares me.
So why Obama? Because he's smart. I can't wait for the day when the US President isn't on the wrong side of the bell curve when it comes to IQ. He's articulate. No more witty Bushism that are funny, but that make you cringe on the inside. He comes to the table with no baggage. No failed HealthCare plan, no philandering husband, no trophy wife. He's not part of the political culture of violence that seems to have taken over our political process. He wants to end the war, but I think he understands the value of the military and knows we're going to have to rebuilt the Army that Bush has ground down. And most importantly, I think he has the ability to move us beyond the red state-blue state mentality, beyond liberals vs conservatives, beyond us vs them. I think he can really reach out to independents and even some conservatives and win a real majority from which to govern. Now he's not perfect. He's kind of weak when it comes to GLBT stuff, but I can deal with that. He may not advance GLBT rights, but he certainly isn't going to attack them. And no, HRC wouldn't be any better.
I hope Obama wins in Iowa, and then in New Hampshire. And then the nomination. I really think he's part of the solution to what ails America, not part of the problem.
So I got up at 0510 this morning to go the gym. I didn't go yesterday so I had some gym guilt that I needed to sweat out via the elliptical. I get up, get dressed, and bundle up as the temp has dropped over night and the TV reporter is talking about snow in western VA and MD. I walk out to my car in the blistery wind, drove to the Gold's Gym in Rosslyn and it was . . . . . . .
CLOSED!!
And there were about a dozen people huddled outside it. Now it's supposed to open at 5AM, and I'm there at 540 or so. And I'm hoping that no one's been waiting that long. What do you do if you make the gym part of your routine in the AM and this is where you go to shower and changed before work?
Anyways, I sat in my nice warm car for about 10 minutes until the guy finally showed up and opened the gym.
Well I'm back from Paris. I had a great time. I'll sprinkle some pics into this post. Time with the family was good even if there was a bit of tension in the air. I only made a couple of small waves, and not about the gay thing, but about the Episcopsal vs. Anglican thing. What's happened out in Atwater CA is a travesty and just boils my blood! But anyways, I think if you get 5 adults in a small apartment with two small children, there's going to be some tension.
Christmas was good until we went to see Eiffel Tower and my niece had a complete meltdown. Oy vey, not pretty. And my nephew doesn't help. It's odd though that they usually melt down at different times. As my sister put it, "Poor Sissy just bonked." That's the short hand for hitting the wall and losing it.
One of the things I love about visiting my sister is the funny shorthand they create. We're going to walk down the Fosh (Ave de Foch) to the Champs (Champs Elysees). Putting an obvious American take on french words and just making them funny. Anyways, my flight back rocked as I got upgraded to Business Class and it was definitely SWEET! I watched some flicks, had some decent food, and managed to sleep a bit as well. And I finished Harry Potter Book 6! So it was good.
Went back to work and that was okay I guess. There's a whole bunch of stuff going on and I really don't want to deal with it anymore. And it's only going to get worse. But, I do get to run away in January to London to visit the doppelganger, and then to San Diego for work. So I'll have some distractions.
Went to see "I Am Legend" with SuperLawyer. Good, but very scary and suspenseful. Not really my cup of tea, but it was good.
Last night, GreekBoi, another friend, and I went to Town in DC. I'm really beginning to like it. And didn't mind all of the circuit boys with their shirt off. I'm still huge, but making progress. And that's part of my plan for 2008. Yes, I know, how cliche-d. But the whole thyroid cancer thing f&*ked with my metabolism so I gained some serious weight. I've lost almost 10 pounds. So I'm making progress. But I still have a long way to go.
That's it for today. Don't hurt yourself breaking all of those new years resolutions at one time. Try to space them out a bit. ;-)
