Adventures in Gastronomy

I’m exhausted. This weekend began what will be a long series of very active weekends. Randy held his 6th annual Re-Gifting Party on Saturday night (with 23 people in attendance). Two of the guests are friends from the NYC area and they stayed with us for the whole weekend.

And that’s great…I really like both friends and really enjoy their company. But after entertaining them and having fun until after 3AM on Friday, then again until after 1AM on Saturday, I was pretty tired. Then last night was the Super Bowl so we attended an Anti-Super Bowl Party where we watched Barbarella and (most of) a documentary on the leather scene in Los Angeles.

Now I’m beat. It’s a good thing that I’m only working a partial week this week (we fly to San Francisco Thursday night).

Oh, and I fared a bit better at the Re-Gifting party this time around! I came home with a lava lamp (though, instead of lava it’s got glitter in some sort of transparent gel). I’m looking at it now from my desk in the office. So relaxing…

February 2nd, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

Tomorrow night is Randy’s 6th Annual Re-Gifting Party. Apparently, in Randy’s pre-Karl world, this shin-dig developed into a very special event for many people. The concept is simple: take that gawd-awful gift you received and have no use for, wrap it up, and attend a Yankee Swap. At the end of the night, people will have had enough wine to create a decent enough buzz to not feel horrible about going home with a package of tighty-whities. Or a Foghat poster.

I’ve already warned the attendees that I’m regifting the dreadful “gift” I received at last year’s Re-Gifting Party. Oh yes, I’m sharing the love…for the second time.

Actually, the festivities will begin tonight. Like I said, this party seems to be the big “to-do” in Randy’s world. Two friends from NYC are arriving tonight and staying with us for the weekend – all to attend this party. One of these friends has come from NYC for 6 years just to be here!

The pic above is of me from the party two years ago. I desparately wanted that Lucy head for myself, but some damn lesbians got it in the end.

I went home with matching single-stem pewter faces. I’m still bitter.

January 30th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been three days since my last (blog) confession).

You know you lead a boring live when three days pass by and you still can’t think of anything worth blogging about. The new cable/internet provider is working out well. The weather has sucked and makes me want relocate…immediately.

And that little fact shocks me. For years I would complain about the heat and humidity of summer and prefer winters. Seriously…even when winter came around I’d tell people that I prefer the cold over the heat. But in recent years, my aging body seems to disagree with the New England climate more and more.

Even more frustrating is that it seems I’m more prone to slipping on ice than I used to be. I’m not sure if it’s a matter of this being a harsher winter than most, or whether it’s because my 5+ year old work boots have lost their traction, or (most likely), because of a decrease in balance as I get older. I’ve not fallen yet…but walking around just feels more risky than it used to.

Ugh – I’ve become my father.

January 29th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 6 Comments

I hate bartering. It’s the one thing I despise about traveling the world; in different cultures, it’s not normal to haggle on prices of things. It’s not me. Tell me the price of something, sell it for the same price to everybody else, and everything is great.

I resent the fact that I could be sitting on a plane next to somebody who paid half what I did (though, with Randy’s and my smarts, we are probably more often than not the ones in the cheap seats). I resent car dealers and real estate brokers trying to sell you on things you don’t need, and I resent Comast for being such dicks.

A little over year ago Randy worked from home so he had the Comcast Triple Play (phone, internet, cable). When his job changed, he no longer need the home phone. He asked to drop the phone but keep cable and internet. Their response: the price would go up!

UP!…to use less service!

So we played a little trick and he called as a potential new customer. They offered him a cheaper rate with free installation. So, we canceled the account under his name and signed up under my name.

Flash-forward one year and my 1-year promotional rate for cable and internet (which had hovered in around $90) expired and the rates jumpted to nearly $140 for just cable and internet….and we don’t subscribe to any premium channels).

I called to see if we were eligible for any promotional deals and they said no, but if we want to get phone service, they’d give us phone, cable, and internet for $114. WTF? What is it with them giving you a cheaper rate only if you use more of their services. I don’t get it. I can have two products of $140…but I can have 3 products for $114? Shouldn’t is be the other way around?

Anyway, Randy called RCN and they did the opposite. They went all out to give us the cheapest rate possible. We are getting the exact same TV stations we had before (actually, it appears we’re getting even more HD channels), DVR, an extra cable box for the bedroom (free), free HBO for 3 months, free installation, one month of free service, and no contract. Oh yeah…and it’s all costing us $72/month.

That’s HALF the price of what Comcast was offering.

Now, I still hate that haggling is involved. I’d be happier if RCN offered that rate to everbody who calls for service. But I suspect they don’t. But at least they didn’t act like the monopoly Comcast is and essentially say “this is what you’ll get, and you’ll like it.”

Oh, RCN did the switch the next day and the service/reception has been great. So far, so good.

January 26th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 14 Comments

Randy had one of his employees pop by last night for conversation and drinks. I’ve met the guy once or twice before, but this time he was bringing his boyfriend of 3.5 years (who neither Randy nor I have met). And seeing them together made me realize how lucky we have it.

You see, there are different types of relationships. I’d say the easiest relationship would be of two employable American heterosexuals of the same race and religion. In that instance, there is less resistance from society, family, and the government. But things gradually get more complicated with each additional difference. For example, going from easiest to most difficult:

• heterosexual, American, employed, same race and religion
• heterosexual, American, employed, same race, different religion
• heterosexual, American, employed, different race, same religion
• heterosexual, American, employed, different religion, different race
• heterosexual, different nationalities, employed, same religion, same race
• heterosexual, different nationalities, employed, different religion, same race
• heterosexual, different nationalities, employeed, different religion, different race
• homosexual, American, employed, same race and religion (and perhaps living in the northeast)
• homosexual, American, employed same race and religion (living in the deep south).

…ok, I’m getting tired, but you get the picture here. With each different characteristic, it can make the most basic foundation of a relationship less secure.

So imagine the following scenario for Randy’s friend last night:

• He’s gay and employed
• He’s a French citizen, but living and working in the U.S, with English as a second language.
• His boyfriend is gay (obviously), unemployed, and nearly a decade younger.
• The boyfriend is from Taiwan, only allowed in the U.S. for 4 months per his visa, with Taiwanese as his native language and limited English skills as a second language (and even worse French language skills).

I can’t imagine trying to make a relationship like that work, yet they’ve managed for over 3 years. Because of our immigration laws, only heterosexual spouses or blood-family members can move here…so cohabitating is out of the question. The economy sucks so travel to the other side of the world regularly to visit each other is out of the question (especially with one of them unemployed and living with his parents). Then there’s the racial, cultural, and religious differences in their families (and from society).

Yeah, I think Randy and I have it pretty good, even if I am a damn yankee.

January 22nd, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: Comments Off on Having It Easy

Things are different now. After 8 years of the Bush/Cheney machine, yesterday ushered in a dramatic change. At least, that’s what I hope.

I feel like I’m the only person in the country who feels this way, but I don’t see President Obama as the second coming. I can understand people’s frustrations over the previous administration. I agree that we desparately needed a change. But at the same time, this blind faith people seem to have in Obama concerns me. He hasn’t done anything yet, but people seem to believe he’s the best thing that’s happened to this country since apple pie.

Because of things he promised during the campaign, people seem to think he’s the man to cure all problems: war, economy, social issues, terrorism. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he won. But I can’t recall another president in my lifetime coming in with such high expectations and, to me, that only means one thing: it’s setting him up for failure.

When people realize that things won’t change over night, that the wars won’t end as soon as they’d hoped, that the economy isn’t back on track within 90 days, I think people will turn on him. They’ll jump to conclusions that he’s not up for the task, and Romney will start his “told you so” campaign for presidency in 2012.

I really do hope President Obama succeeds in implementing all of the changes this country needs. But I’m realistic enough (or pessimistic enough) to accept that he will fail at things. And I can accept that.  I mean, come on, he’s becoming president under the worst conditions since FDR! I just hope everybody else can understand that failing at one thing doesn’t mean failure as a whole. I’d rather he fail at trying to keep a promise, than to simply break the promise completely. And I REALLY hope people stop treating him like a panacea. He’s not. Nobody is.

So Mr. President, if you’re reading this, I’ve got your back. I’m rooting for you, I’m cautiously optimistic, but I’m not on the “Obama is the Best” train just yet. I’ll give you some time to prove yourself first.

January 21st, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 2 Comments

Randy managed to get me to go to the gym on Saturday. And then on Monday (MLK Jr. Day) I did 45 minutes on the Wii Fit. And I’m feeling it today. This time, as a result of the aerobic hula hoop exercise, it’s my back that’s hurting.

It’s not a familiar pain. The few times my back has hurt in the past it’s been toward the top and was a result of sleeping wrong. I’ve also been known to get lower back pain as a result of my horrible posture.

But this time, my back aches like my chest or arms might ache after working out at the gym. Now I can’t tell if the ache I feel is a result of doing things incorrectly, or whether it’s muscles in my back that I never knew existed actually being used and strengthened. Or both.

Pain aside, I had a great long weekend. Friday night and Saturday night were game nights. And Sunday, during the 1-3 inches of snow that turned into nearly a foot, Randy and I had a fabulously lazy day catching up on the DVR.

Now it’s Tuesday, I’m back at work, and there’s a rumor out there that some sort of political event is taking place later on today.

January 20th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: Comments Off on Doin’ It & Doin’ It & Doin’ It Right

I’m not sure what happened last night, but I managed to surround myself with politically charged material on the television. First, I was watching my stories on the DVR. When the episode ended, I caught a glimpse of a show called “Wife Swap.”

From what I’ve gathered from the handful of times I’ve stumbled upon it, this title basically says it all: a two families swap wives for two weeks. During the first week, the new wife lives by the existing house rules. On the second week, she gets the call the shots an managed the household how she sees fit. In the past, they’ve always tried to use opposites (a southerner swaps with a yankee, white swaps with black, christian swaps with atheist (or satanist). Last night’s was interesting….they swapped a born-again, holy-rolling Christian with the wife of a Theologian (he had a Ph.D. from a divinity school).

Anyway, the part where I popped in caught my interest so I rewound it and started from the beginning.

I won’t go into too much detail, but the born-again house was S-C-A-R-Y! The father called himself the “gate keeper” because that’s the role the bible gave him. His wive wasn’t allowed to work because the bible says she must obey and serve. The gazillion children (actually, I think it may have been 4 or 5) were all raised to believe their job is to serve…except the boy who is being bred to, well, breed and take control of women.

I felt so bad for the “new” wife stuck in this house. When one of the daughters opened up to her and said that she wants a family someday, but also would like to be a doctor so she can take care of people, the father found out and took the daughter out of the house to save her from the corruption. He even admitted that he brainwashes his kids because that’s what Jesus wants.

My blood was boiling.

Anyway, when that ended I went back to live TV only to find Governor Patrick doing his state of the state address. Blah, blah, recession. Blah, blah, cutting back on services. Still, I don’t think he did a bad job. He injected a bit of humor from his own childhood in poverty where his grandmother called them “broke” and not poor…because broke is temporary. I wish more politicians would add personality to their speeches.

Which brings us to what immediately followed the governor….President Bush’s final speech (YAY!). All this speech did was remind me of a) how long these past 8 years have been, b) how horrible he is at speaking, c) how old he has become, and d) how stupid the American people have been to re-elect him. I will be nice to stop hearing him preach about everybody being equal and democracy for people in other countries (Iraq, Iran, North Korea) even though he did his damndest to the opposite in his own country (gay rights).

Anyway, after all that I needed some fluff so Randy and I watched American Idol. Especially during the open auditions weeks, I tend to prefer that sort of reality TV to actual reality.

January 16th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 3 Comments

BRRR -it’s cold in here. There must be some Toro’s in the atmosphere. I said “BRRRRRRRRR”! (my gay friend should get that reference…or any cheerleaders reading my blog).

Actually, I didn’t find it all that bad this morning. Perhaps it was the lack of wind, but for the coldest day of the year (or possibly the past few years) my walk to the bus and the subsequent wait were not all that horrific.

Granted, I was wearing work boots, long-johns, jeans, t-shirt, outer shirt, ski jacket, scarf, gloves, and 180 ear muffs…so that may have a bit to do with it.

Hard to believe just over one week ago I was wearing a swimsuit and lying on the beach. Harder still to believe that I was doing that only 1,400 miles or so away (not too far in the scheme of things).

The coldest morning I can recall was when I lived in Salem and took the commuter rail to work everyday. The train station in Salem is located on a body of water…where wind can whip up and beat you down. As always seemed to be the case when weather was extreme, the train was late so I waited and waited and waited in temps hovering around zero with a painful, bitter wind chills well below zero.

When it’s really cold, my eyes tend to tear up and drip down my cheek (I guess you could call it crying). And, as with most people when it’s bitter cold, my nose will run. That morning in Salem was the only time I can recall both my tears and snots freezing up on me. I could flick the solid tears off my cheek. And as I began to notice what felt like rocks in my nose, I’d scratch the tip of my nose and snot icicles would fall to the ground.

Did I just admit that?

January 15th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 5 Comments

So over the weekend Randy and I went to the gym. It was my first time going in over a month, what with the holidays, that nasty cold I had before Christmas, and going on vacation for 11 days. But we went on Saturday.

Then on Sunday we worked out using Wii Fit. I used Wii Fit the day before Christmas for the first time and though it felt easy at the time, I recalled noticing the pain the next two days. Well, 18 days later I used it again. The first positive I can note is that I’d lost weight (just 4 pounds or so…but I’ll take it). My BMI also went down slightly, too.

But I worked out a bit more this time around, exploring new exercises in the strength, yoga, and aerobics sections.

OUCH!

There’s this hula hoop exercise that was fun at the time but, damn, I’ve been in pain for 3 days. I’m not sure if that means I was doing it wrong, or whether it means that it’s doing its job. Either way…

OUCH!

Now Randy wants to go to the gym again tonight. Where’s the love?

On an unrelated note, Yahoo! News today had the following headline: Most American Pet Owners Want Obama’s To Adopt a Mutt

Who cares? Why do “news” agencies conduct such silly polls non-stop? Who cares which president you’d rather have a beer with? Who cares what housewives thought about Michelle Obama’s election night dress? It seems that with 24/7 news coverage available now, they just grab any headline they can and run with it. I think I miss the days when you just had the morning news, noon news, 6 o’clock news and 11 o’clock news (the latter three being a concise 30 minutes long).

January 14th, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Author: snarl . Comments: 1 Comment