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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As much fun as chewing on broken glass

So I ate broken glass tonight...

I went to see "Mojo and the Sayso!" tonight and got to see another fantastic M. W. peformance. I swear they are really on a roll this year. Hat's off to Cara for a job well done and to Dom for a FANTASTIC set. Seriously, go see this show.

As for the glass, rest assured it was sugar glass and it really was yummy.

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And in other news

Well it's been a while since I've posted anything to really update people on what's going on in my life (aside from the random Country music post which I think has had more comments than any other post in the history of my blog).

So what's new, eh? Well let's break it down by the various typical areas:

How's work?
- Work is going well. I'm very adjusted these days handling the Blackboard system and that's going well. The SharePoint deployment has taken off like wildfire this year and has kept me VERY busy thus far. I've managed to get several projects started and completed so I feel like I've accomplished a lot in the past year. Hopefully this will translate into a fantastic review. :)

How's the personal life?
- Things are going well. I had a great time with my friends at my Tree Trimming party back in December and then I had a great New Year's party. Honestly I think it was one of my best. I had a ton of people attending and I think I set the bar for next year. I also hosted my division's holiday party and that was a great time had by all. It was a great showing from the IT/Library folks and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

I'm already invited to 4 weddings this year and already in one of them as a groomsman for my friend Chris. Last year was 5 total invites, and of that I attended 4 and was in the wedding party for three of them. Also, two of them were destination weddings. This year only one is a destination. I need to start setting aside a "wedding budget". With any luck this year will be the end of weddings for a while, it's getting exhausting. :) I've attended an average of 3 weddings a year since I graduated in 2001.

I'm also taking a 10 day vacation out to the west coast and will be visting Colin and Kristin in LA and then my friend Sean in Portland. With any luck my friend Nick will be able to come visit from Seattle.

Additionally I've been elected to the Board of my Condo Association and I've been elected Greek Alumni Council president. I'm such a glutton for punishment :).

Finally, I had an awesome time at Mezcal Monday night with my colleagues and then I went out for kareoke with my friend Janelle and it was SOOO much fun. After nailing a Sinatra song, one of the regulars declared a "Frank-off" and in the end I won. It was a blast.

I think that's pretty much it and this has been a very long post so I'll add more later if I think of it and I'll try to post more often.

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Colin, what have you done to me...

Ok, today I was listening to the radio and heard the latest single from Cascada, a German dance music trio. The song was "What Hurts the Most", and as I listed to it I realized I had heard it before. As I found myself listing to this high-tempo dance/techno song, I ended up thinking, "Damn, the country version was so much better." (The version that I'm refering to is the Rascal Flatts version.)

Have I truly fallen that far? Does this mean I have to say I like country music now? What have you done to me Colin! This is totally your fault. :)

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