Sweet! New Music!

Well I'm excited cuz I just found out that Jesse McCartney is coming out with a new album on May 20. I hope it is as good as his last album. :)

Jesse's got a great voice and I'm excited to see what he's gonna do. It's called "Departure" and it seems he's going to be trying new things so we'll see what happens.

If you wanna hear an interview with him about the ablum you can go here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=CSWUu3e581o.

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Home Sweet Home

Well, after numerous delays (DEN to BOS got delayed TWICE for a total of an hour and 5 minutes) I'm finally home. Now to pass out in my own bed.

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The beauty of it all

So I both like and don't like flying. What I don't like is turbulence and the idea that artificial thrust and aerodynamic pieces of metal are the only think keeping the plane above ground. From time to time I think that the idea of standing against gravity is just sheer lunacy.

On the other hand, when the plane is calmly soaring at its cruising altitude, it can be a thing of utter peace and beauty. I always prefer a window seat when possible when flying; I have since I was a child. The wonderment of looking out the window at the world below has never diminished.

I used to go up to my dad's offices in the various buildings he worked at and I would look out at the world below and look at all the people below and how they looked like ants. The cars looked like toys. Flying above the world is even more amazing.

Currently I'm flying over mountains and plains that are just covered completely in snow. The only signs of civilization are the occasional road that you can barely notice. It's amazing to just see rolling plains of white as far as the eye can see, which is pretty far from this vantage point.

It's also amazing to see the horizon and see it bend around in a circle. It truly makes you appreciate how big and round this planet is. The sun is beginning to set and it is just beautiful. Looking down at the ever changing landscape just makes you pause and appreciate the beauty of it all.

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And so it goes

Well, today I fly out from Oregon to Boston. The first real vacation I've taken in years is over. I vow to never let it go this long again before a vacation of some substance.

Visiting Sean in Oregon was a nice end to the vacation. We got to hang out and get back in touch for the first time in ages. We saw National Treasure on DVD and then went to see National Treasure 2. Both movies were pretty good.

I really don't care for United. Every single time I've checked in it's been a lackluster experience. The nicest thing I can say about it is that all things considered it could have been worse, but is that the endorsement you want your customers to have?

Today my flight got delayed out of PDX to DEN by 45 minutes. Thankfully I had a 1.5 hour layover in DEN so I'll be able to make my connecting flight out to BOS which is still listed as on time.

I really don't like the PDX airport. First off they don't check your bags at the station. You bring your bags to the check-in station, and then you have to bring them over to the x-ray scanner yourself. Given the cost of air travel is it too much to ask to have that taken care of behind the scene? Secondly, since I ended up having an extra 45 minutes at the airport I decided to get food, but most of the actual restaurants are outside of the security zone. I really didn't want to deal with the hassle of going through TSA security checkpoints AGAIN so I thankfully found a Wendy's and got food from there.

Here's hoping the rest of the flight is better than the PDX portion.

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Last Day in L.A.

So yesterday Colin and I went to the Grand Central Market where we got some fresh produce and walked around the city a bit.

After that we headed home, got lunch and I got on a conference call for the board of the Glee Club Associates, our alumni group. That went well and we got the alumni concert planned.

Following that, Kristin came home and we watched some TV, ordered pizza and just relaxed before the end goal of the evening, which was heading out to West Hollywood, or WeHo, for some fun times dancing at a gay club. The plan was for it to be me, Kristin, and two of her friends. The ladies and I were all set to go and then we had an unexpected addition of Colin being able to leave a little early from work, so he joined us.

We went to Rage which looked like it would have been perfect.... if it hadn't been Latino night. This is what you get for going out on a Wednesday. :-/ Colin and Kristin had fun showing off their fine salsa moves but we then left to move on to other venues for the evening, but it looked like everywhere else were just bars, rather than dance clubs, or just plain empty; again with the Wednesday night thing. Ahh well.

We then went home, made drinks, made cookies, and watched Project Runway, which I'm afraid to admit, I think I'm addicted to now. Damn you Kristin!! :)

So now I'm getting everything packed up to head up to Oregon today to visit my friend Sean and begin the last portion of my travels before returning home Sunday night and back to work on Monday.

I promise to try to bring back some Cali weather!!

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California Adventure Continued

So last night we went to the Santa Monica Boulevard and went around to the shops there and got sushi and gelato.

Today we went to The Grove and then to Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Also, I saw the Hollywood sign.

It was also another fun trip with Colin on his motorcycle. This time we took the freeway and going that fast was FUN! Don't worry; I had a padded jacket and helmet on the entire time. Colin takes good care of his passengers.

Tomorrow is my last full day :( I don't want this part of the vacation to end. I still have another 4 days in Oregon before my vacation ends.

I so don't want to leave this weather.

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Top Chef

So yesterday was lots of fun, and very relaxing. We basically spent the day just lounging around the house and then C and K had their friends over for dinner. They have a dinner rotation and they got it for while I was here. I had promised to make my Chocolate Raspberry Bavarian Cake which was a huge hit by everyone. Honestly it's the best I've ever made it.

Additionally I made a recent favorite dish of mine; Lemon Rosemary Chicken, Asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, and parmesan mashed red potatoes with skin still on. The dinner was also a hit. :)

Today I get to experience "In and Out" burger which I've been told is the best fast food out there, so we'll see if it lives up to the hype.

Oh and the temperature for yesterday was 75, today is 76 and tomorrow is 78. I don't know if I want to come back to MA anymore.

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Fun in the sun

So today was a nice relaxing day. Kristin and I spent the morning at Redondo beach. I didn't go swimming because the water was too cold for my liking but that didn't stop a lot of other people from getting in as well as those where were surfing. It was nice I got some sun, got some exercise running along the water and was able to relax and read a book for the first time in ages.

It's nice I'm finally getting to the point where I'm not worried about work or anything else back home and actually relaxing. Scarey, isn't it? I mean I've actually turned off email on my phone! Seriously, I have needed this vacation.

Tonight we're eating in and just relaxing. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

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Like, Totally!

So once I landed Kristin had to go back to work and Colin wasn't home yet so I entertained myself a bit until about 3pm when they all got home. At that point we just hung out and watched "Legally Blonde: The Musical" which was a recording by MTV of the Broadway production. It was hilarious.

Colin then took a nap since he had to head to work at 11 pm (he's working third shift while I'm here) and Kristin left for Choir practice. I ended up falling asleep on the couch and only woke up when Kristin returned at 9:30. After that she got Colin up and he went off to work and she and I had drinks and caught up. All in all, a good day.

Yesterday, Kristin headed to work and Colin got up around 11 am (which is super early for him since he normally sleeps until 3pm or so since he gets home around 7 am.) and then we went out and did lunch. We went to Renaldi's and got some great subs and ate them at Manhattan beach which was gorgeous. The weather was so good yesterday I was in t-shirt and sandals.

After lunch Colin and I went to the La Braya Tar Pits which was an interesting place to visit. Getting there was just as much an experience because Colin took us on his motorcycle. I think the last time I was on a bike was as a kid so this was very much a new experience and heading out on the highway for your first time can be a bit heart pounding. You can really feel how fast you are going when you aren't surrounded by the walls and windows of a car. By the time we made the return trip I was just enjoying the experience.

After the tar pits we headed out to Sharkees for happy hour that his work was putting together for the new hire program. Drinks were a two for one special and I ended up ordering twice. I'll let you do the math. :) Happy hour was also a new experience since it has been illegal in MA since '84.

The last stop of the evening was "The Stinking Rose" a restaurant known for having garlic in every dish on the menu. I had a fantastic Filet Mignon.

All-in-all a great trip so far and it's barely begun. More to come later....

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Oh my god you guys!

So I arrived in L.A. yesterday to visit Colin and Kristin. The flight left on time even with the snow coming down. The only thing that needed to be done was that the wings got de-iced. The flight was fairly uneventful with just minor turbulence from time to time. I slept off and on, otherwise I just read a book. What was really cool was to fly over the Grand Canyon and then to fly over the Rockies and to see the Pacific in the distance.

When I landed it was 65 degrees out and sunny. Much better than Boston. :)

More to be posted later...

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