They give you a reason to update when you have nothing to say. :D
What curse word do you use the most?
All of them. Heh. I guess I probably use the F word the most.
Do you own an I Pod?
Nope.
What time is your alarm clock set for?
7:20am
What color is your room?
Paint wise? White. Such is the joy of apartment living.
Flip flops or sneakers?
I prefer sneakers, but these days I'm mostly wearing flip-flops. Sneakers and capris is a fashion statement I'm not willing to make.
Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?
Take it.
What was the last movie you watched?
I watched Secret Window on tv yesterday.
Do any of your friends have children?
Several of my online friends do, and my sister does.
Morning bird or night owl?
Night owl.
Do you ever take medication to help you sleep better?
Yes. Usually at least twice a week. Just OTC stuff, or melatonin.
What CD is currently in your CD player?
At home and work: various 311 cds (going to a concert this weekend)
In car: I think Coldplay.
I listen to my Sirius more than my cds these days.
What kind of milk do you drink?
I don't drink milk. But I use skim on my cereal.
Who was the last person to call you on the phone?
My mom, pretty much the only person who ever calls me.
Are you nosey?
I can be.
Are you shy around the opposite sex?
I'm shy around most people, regardless of gender.
Do you own any band tshirts?
A couple. I think they're all 311 shirts. I never wear them.
What is your favorite salad dressing?
Ranch.
Do you cry a lot?
Yes.
Who was the last person to text you a message?
T-Mobile telling me what the new Caller Tune is for July.
Desk top or lap top?
Desktop, but thinking of buying a laptop.
Do you have any tatoos or unique peircings?
Yes. A tattoo around my ankle, and a sort of unique piercing in my ear.
Would you ever date someone with tatoos?
Yes.
Is sex before marriage wrong?
Not in my opinion.
When was the last time you slept on the floor?
Hmm. Probably the last time I slept over my friend Tracy's house. This was back when she still lived with her parents, so maybe like 6 years ago?
How old will you be at your next birthday?
26 *sigh*
Do you like cottage cheese?
I use it in lasagna, but don't eat it other than that. I guess I like it ok.
What will be your next big purchase?
Possibly the laptop. If not that, I have to lease a new car in February.
Last wicked fun thing you did?
My trip to San Francisco. :)
Monday, July 31, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Drunk emailing
You know, drunk emailing can be great. When you are drunk, your inhibitions are lowered and you feel free to say things that you normally wouldn't. Tonight was that way for me. I am not normally an overly mushy person. I like my sarcasm. I like to keep my distance, while at the same time hoping that the people I love know that I love them. Tonight, I laid it all out for certain people to read. I let them know what I was really thinking and feeling. It felt good. The people that I've emailed tonight are my best friends, and I knew I could say anything to them, and they would read it, and understand. To those that I emailed tonight, I thank you. I thank you for being the type of friend that I felt I could share my deepest thoughts with. I thank you for letting me be so open, much more open than I am with my own family. I may not always say it (when I'm sober. LOL.) but you guys provide me with such comfort and acceptance. I love you. I don't know where I'd be without you. *hugs*
*cracks open another beer* Who else wants an email? *grin*
*cracks open another beer* Who else wants an email? *grin*
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Supply lovin' dork
We got new phones in the office today. I am so excited about them. I get to program all the quick-dial numbers and make up a little excel template for the directory. They're so nice and new. And they have silver on them! (Duh. I picked them out. Like I wouldn't get a phone with silver accents.) Oh! And I got stackable trays for my desk. Now that pile of paper that I always have on the corner of my desk has a home. *dorkily basks in new office supply glow* Sometimes I miss working at Staples. :D
In other news, I'm getting, hm, what's the word? Fed up? Discouraged? Yes, I guess discouraged best describes how I'm feeling about my diet. I think I'm doing really good with my food choices, but I'm not seeing the results I want. I keep gaining and losing the same 5 pounds. Today I have lost 9 pounds, but who knows what the scale will tell me tomorrow. *sigh* But I will press on. I have to do this.
Not smoking is pretty much a breeze. I think about cigarettes every once in awhile, but I've never gotten an urge to go and buy a pack. I have had very few cravings. I think the fact that I only smoked for like 2 years instead of 20 is making it easier for me than most people.
I was feeling really down yesterday (mostly because of the diet thing) and so I cheered myself up by watching videos of Benji from So You Think You Can Dance. I love that freaking show. He is just so adorable. He makes me smile. :)
In other news, I'm getting, hm, what's the word? Fed up? Discouraged? Yes, I guess discouraged best describes how I'm feeling about my diet. I think I'm doing really good with my food choices, but I'm not seeing the results I want. I keep gaining and losing the same 5 pounds. Today I have lost 9 pounds, but who knows what the scale will tell me tomorrow. *sigh* But I will press on. I have to do this.
Not smoking is pretty much a breeze. I think about cigarettes every once in awhile, but I've never gotten an urge to go and buy a pack. I have had very few cravings. I think the fact that I only smoked for like 2 years instead of 20 is making it easier for me than most people.
I was feeling really down yesterday (mostly because of the diet thing) and so I cheered myself up by watching videos of Benji from So You Think You Can Dance. I love that freaking show. He is just so adorable. He makes me smile. :)
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Hesitantly hopeful
I am not a hopeful person. It seems like every time I get really excited about something or hopeful about anything, it always falls through. It doesn't work out and it's a huge letdown. So, I try and keep myself from hoping. That way, it's not such a letdown when something doesn't work out, and if it does happen to work out, it's a nice surprise instead of something I was expecting. But sometimes I can't help myself. The hope gets through, and it scares me, because with hope comes the fear of the letdown. Right now? I am hopeful. I've made a couple changes in my life over the past 2 weeks, and I'm really hoping that they work out. I wasn't even going to mention these things because I didn't want to congratulate myself and then end up failing. Again. But right now I am feeling proud of myself, so I'm going to go ahead and pat myself on the back (*pats self on back*) and I'm going to hope. I'm going to hope that this time things will be different. This time I will stick with it.
Oh. I suppose you might be wondering wtf these things are that I'm rambling about. Heh.
1. I quit smoking. 12 days so far. And you know what? it hasn't been that bad. I really think I can keep this up.
2. I've changed my eating habits. I don't want to call it a diet, because diets don't work. If it's going to work, I'm going to have to change. It's probably going to take me over a year to lose all the weight I want to, maybe longer, and I don't want to be on a diet for over a year. I just need to change my eating habits. I'm eating breakfast now, I eat a salad for lunch, and a healthier dinner. I allow myself a free day on Fridays because I don't want to deprive myself. That's what gets me in trouble-- feeling like I will never have my favorite foods again. So I'm not going to worry about that. I will still have my favorite foods, just not every day. So, yeah. I've lost 8 pounds. *big smile* And yes, I've dieted before. Yes, I've lost weight before, and it always comes back. But this feels different for some reason. I feel like I can do this. Oh, I hope I can do this. I have to do this, because I cannot stand to be this fat, ugly person anymore. I hate this person. I don't want to be this person anymore. It's got to work. It's got to work. It's got to work. It's got to work.
*waits for letdown*
Oh. I suppose you might be wondering wtf these things are that I'm rambling about. Heh.
1. I quit smoking. 12 days so far. And you know what? it hasn't been that bad. I really think I can keep this up.
2. I've changed my eating habits. I don't want to call it a diet, because diets don't work. If it's going to work, I'm going to have to change. It's probably going to take me over a year to lose all the weight I want to, maybe longer, and I don't want to be on a diet for over a year. I just need to change my eating habits. I'm eating breakfast now, I eat a salad for lunch, and a healthier dinner. I allow myself a free day on Fridays because I don't want to deprive myself. That's what gets me in trouble-- feeling like I will never have my favorite foods again. So I'm not going to worry about that. I will still have my favorite foods, just not every day. So, yeah. I've lost 8 pounds. *big smile* And yes, I've dieted before. Yes, I've lost weight before, and it always comes back. But this feels different for some reason. I feel like I can do this. Oh, I hope I can do this. I have to do this, because I cannot stand to be this fat, ugly person anymore. I hate this person. I don't want to be this person anymore. It's got to work. It's got to work. It's got to work. It's got to work.
*waits for letdown*
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
I left my heart in San Francisco
The final chapter is done. Enjoy!
Oh boy. Where do I begin? Well, my trip started on Thursday evening when I drove to Glow’s house in Pittsburgh. The weather on the way over was horrible! It was storming very badly here in Cleveland, raining buckets with thunder and lightning. It didn’t seem like it was going to let up, so I decided to get on the road at about 5pm so that I wouldn’t have to drive in the dark. The first hour of my drive was pretty scary. Everyone was pretty much doing 40mph on the highway. Water was covering the roadway at several points, and I think I hydroplaned once. But once I got into Pennsylvania it cleared up and the rest of the drive was fine.
Once at Glow’s, we just hung out and watched some tv and a really freaky movie (The Hills Have Eyes. WTF?!) and ate gelatis from Rita’s. Mmmm. I had watermelon. It was so delicious. *drool* I have no idea what time we went to bed. Maybe 1-ish? We woke up at 7am, got ready and drove to the airport. Thank goodness that my mom had decided to look up pictures of the planes we were taking a few days before, because if I had walked onto that tiny ass 32 seat plane without knowing it was that small, I’m quite sure I would’ve freaked out. At least I was prepared, and it was only a 90 minute flight. Our flight attendant was a bitch. Other than that, the flight was uneventful. We had a stop in Milwaukee and had to change planes. This plane was normal size. Phew. This flight was our longest of all, at 4.5 hours. I rented a personal dvd player thingy and watched some music videos and an episode of Family Guy. Then Glow plugged her headphones into the dvd too, and we started watching The Ringer (a movie with Johnny Knoxville). About halfway through the movie they announced that they would be collecting the dvd players so we didn’t get to finish watching it then. I figured we could just rent another one on the way home and finish it then. No big deal.
Then we were in San Francisco. Yay! We called Carey so that she could come pick us up, and we hung outside waiting for her and smoking a cigarette. She and Michelle drove up and we hugged before tossing our luggage in the car and starting our adventures. First up was a tour of the area where Carey grew up. We drove by her parent’s house (they weren’t home. Or so she told us. I think she just didn’t want them to meet us. *grin* We did see the guy who mows their lawn though. Glow waved at him. I think he ignored her. LOL.) Then we drove to the mall so that I could go to the Bare Minerals store. We don’t have those in Ohio, I have to buy my stuff off QVC. I bought some foundation and mineral veil, a blush (poppy), and an eyeshadow (bordeaux). While I was deciding on what colors I wanted, everyone else went to get a drink and a pretzel. Mmmm! That pretzel was gooo-ood. We don’t have Wetzel’s Preztels here. Man! No Rita’s, no BM stores, no Wetzel’s. Ohio sucks!!
After the mall, we went to Carey and Michelle’s house and got the tour. I really like their house. There’s so much cool stuff to look at, and it’s just a very relaxing place to be. We got our pictures taken in “the chair” and then we freshened up and headed out to dinner at The Stinking Rose where we would be meeting MM. I guess it was supposed to be a surprise that she was coming, but Carey spilled it. *whacks Carey* We took the first of many rides on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and then walked what felt like 10 miles to the restaurant. Now, I’m sure most of you have seen the pics of me. It’s an understatement to say that I’m not exactly in shape. LOL. Plus, my legs are about 3 inches shorter than everyone else’s, so I was taking 2 steps for every one of theirs. Gah! I thought I was going to die. I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to keep on walking, but I did and we finally arrived at the restaurant. We went to the bar and ordered some drinks while we waited for MM to arrive. I kept watch on the door because no one else was sure that they would recognize her. I knew I would because I’ve spent countless hours staring at her pictures. *dreamy sigh* *giggle* She walked in and I recognized her right away. She is just beautiful. Truly gorgeous. We all gave her big hugs and then sat down at our table. I really have no idea what everyone talked about. That Long Island Iced Tea was strong! Heh. It was all a jumble of laughter, drinking, smooching (I was MM’s first girl kiss! Woohoo! *swoon*), and more laughter.
After we finished our meal, we weren’t ready to part ways just yet, so we went in search of a bar to have another drink. On our way there, we passed a sex shop, and of course we couldn’t resist going in. LOL. Glow gave me advice on which vibrator I should get (I didn’t get one), Carey fingered latex stuff, apparently so did Glow, and some random guy who was in the store wanted to get in on the fingering too. LOL.
and MM blushed. She’s so cute. :D We found a bar to hang out in, where more laughter and drinking took place. Before I knew it, it was time for MM to go. *pout* I didn’t want her to leave. It felt like we had only been hanging out for like 10 minutes. I love MM, she is so sweet and cute, and I hope I can meet her again very soon. I gave her 2 big hugs, and then she was off. *sniff* After that we caught a cab (Yay for cabs! My blistered feet thank you!) back to the BART station, and then went back to Carey’s house. We smoked, drank and giggled until about 3am, a full 24 hours after Glow and I had gotten up. Heh. Was this the night of the floating chair? I can’t remember. Despite what anyone says, I still maintain that Carey’s side of the room was on an incline and her chair was floating. LMAO.
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On we go to Saturday. We woke up and drove down to the Wharf district for some sightseeing. After we parked, we decided to see if we could get on one of the cruise ships that were docked at the pier. Luckily the first one we went to had a cruise that was leaving in about 15 minutes, so we bought our tickets and waited to board the Harbor Princess. :)
It was very windy and chilly aboard the ship, and of course I hadn’t thought to bring my jacket. Duh. But it was actually nice. I like chilly weather, it’s better than being too hot, IMO. It was also very foggy. I couldn’t even see the Golden Gate Bridge until we were almost right under it. Heh.
The cruise was very cool and I enjoyed it muchly. It had beautiful views of the SF skyline, and lots of neat little landmarks that I knew nothing about.
After that we walked along the pier and peeked into a few shops. We were looking for a restaurant that no longer exists. *rolls eyes at Carey* *grin* So then we decided to go to Johnny Rockets for lunch. It was so good. I had a root beer float, which I haven’t had in forever. Yummy. After stuffing ourselves we walked along the street and went into some souvenir shops. I bought a couple of shot glasses, a few keychains, a magnet and a pin. I don’t know what I was thinking, because I didn’t buy anything special for my nephew, and I didn’t buy any t-shirts, which I am pissed about now. I had a total brain fart. I just wasn’t thinking. *rolls eyes at self* Oh, and along all these walks we saw a bunch of cool street performers, like the silver men that Glow posted a pic of, and drum players and palm readers (Carey is afraid of them).
We had planned on taking a ride on the cable cars next, but it was getting late and we needed to go back to their house to get ready for Michelle’s cousin’s birthday party. So we headed home, but on the way I saw a sign for Lombard Street and I made Carey go there. Ok, I didn’t make her, she offered and I said yes because I really wanted to see it. In case you don’t know, Lombard Street is the crookedest street in the world. It winds down a hill, so of course in order to go down the hill, you have to go up the hill. A very steep hill. *giggle* Glow was flipping out. There was a line of cars waiting on the hill, so we were stopped a lot of the time. She hated it when we would start to move and the car would roll backwards a little bit. I admit that I don’t like doing that either, but I wasn’t concerned. I figure Carey is used to driving on hills and stuff. Oh, speaking of Carey driving: SHE’S A FUCKING MANIAC! *grin* But so is everyone else driving there, so she fits right in. After going down Lombard (which isn’t as long as I thought it would be) we started the drive home. Kind of. *snort* Carey was driving around the city and she kept missing the entrance to the highway, so we’d just keep driving. We got a nice tour of the city that way. Michelle was getting pissed, but Carey claims she knew exactly where she was going. LMAO.
We finally got back to the house, freshened up, and we were off again to visit with Michelle’s family. They were all very nice people and they made Glow and me feel welcome. We drank some yummy rum punch-like stuff and hung out for a couple hours. We sang Happy Birthday to several different people. I had no idea who I was singing to, but I sang anyway. :) Carey got out on the dance floor. *giggle*
After 45 minutes of goodbyes (LOL) and the infamous meat theft (we stole buns and silverware too) we were off yet again, this time to meet MTW for some drinks. Yay! MTW is such a sweet guy. A brave guy, too- to meet up with 4 insane chicks that he met online. LOL. And he gave us candy! Yummy sour candy, which I am still enjoying. I think he commented that he remembered I had once mentioned that I like sour candy. I got nervous and skeered that he was stalking me *giggle* but really I think he’s just super attentive and considerate. We talked and laughed and drank (seems to be the theme of the weekend) and after way too short of a time, we said our goodbyes. :( That is my one regret about the weekend—that although we met lots of peeps (3 more coming up tomorrow!) it seems like we hardly spent any time with them. The weekend just flew by! *sniff*
One more stop on our Saturday itinerary The Pink Party!! This is just a huge street party in the Castro.
We came up from the underground BART station and there were just people everywhere! People as far as the eye could see, just hanging out in the streets and partying. It was awesome. Everyone was so friendly, just chatting with us and being cool. We met Carey’s brother and a couple of his friends. Carey’s brother is a cutie!
As is his friend, um, Jim? The guy on crutches, I think that was his name. He was very cute. Too bad he’s gay. LOL. Carey’s brother was super drunk. How do I know? He kept saying “I’m sooooo drunk!” LMAO. I’ve been known to do that from time to time also. *giggle* Oh, and he also tried to hit on a mannequin. Ha! And when he was introducing Glow to his friends he kept calling her Bo. *snort* So she just told him to make it easy on himself and call her Ho. Heh. We went into a bar and got some super-size cosmos. I think they were probably 32oz. cups. LOL. People kept coming up to us and asking us where we got them. I was going to make a sign that said “Want this drink? Go to the bar with the go-go dancers in front and go upstairs!” As Glow mentioned, the building we were standing in front of had porn being projected onto it. That was fun to watch. *grin* I had a great time there, just people watching and talking to nice strangers. Everyone was so friendly. I wish we could’ve stayed longer, but we had to go so we could catch the last BART train. *pout*
Note the size of those cups! (and I'm not talking about bra cups, sickos)
And so home again we went, and we, of course, drank and laughed and talked (and smoked. *waves to Nookie*).
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Alright, on to Sunday. Time for Pride! Yay! We woke up really early and got ready to head out. 2 of Carey & Michelle’s friends were coming with us, so when they showed up (late) we all said quick hellos and we were off. Once we were on the BART train, I got to talk to Cathy and Letty a bit more. I wasn’t sure about Letty at first. She is one of those people who makes comments totally deadpan, and you’re not really sure if she’s joking. But then the gum incident happened. *snort* Letty was offering everyone gum and we asked what flavor it was. She said “I don’t know. It’s NEW!” So Michelle took some, popped it in her mouth and said “Um. Bubblegum is a new flavor?” Turns out that Letty didn’t even look at what she was buying, she just saw NEW! and grabbed it, not realizing that the only thing NEW! was the packaging, not the flavor. LMAO. We laughed at her about that for a good long time (like all day). After that, I felt much more relaxed around her and knew she was someone I could joke with. Cathy at first was pretty quiet, but let me tell you, by the end of the day (and the end of the booze) she was a wild woman! She was so funny. Every once in awhile, she’d just look over at me and go “JEN! WOOO!” and I’d laugh at her and give her a “WOOO!” back. :) I liked meeting them, and seeing who Carey and Michelle hang out with IRL. It gave me a chance to really see them in their lives, you know? Very cool.
We found a spot to watch the parade that was very close to the action. Only 1 row of people standing in front of us. Once we’d found our spot, we let Ginger know our coordinates and waited for her to come join us. And then there she was! I was sorta nervous about meeting Ginger just because she’s a bit intimidating. She’s so smart and clever, I didn’t want to seem like a total dork around her. LOL. But I shouldn’t have worried. She’s a totally cool woman and I never felt stupid around her. Well, not any more stupid than I feel around anyone else at least. Heh. She also has very soft boobs. They were pressing into my back during the parade. *giggle*
Finally it was time for the parade to start. We could hear the roar of the Dykes on Bikes, who kick things off, in the distance. At this point I started to get a little emotional. I had been looking forward to this day for so long, and here it was. I couldn’t believe I was really standing on a street in San Francisco with my “internet” friends (I don’t really think of them as internet friends. Just regular friends, but it does add to the wonder of it a little) and getting ready to watch the Pride parade. It was overwhelming and I got a little misty eyed. But then I told myself to stop being a crybaby dork and dry it up. LOL.
We stood and watched the parade for about 90 minutes. We saw lots of interesting people and some very touching moments. From the Dykes on Bikes (women on motorcycles) to the Mikes on Bikes (men on bicycles *snort*) to the SF Cheerleaders to the clog dancers. Grand Marshalls, men on stilts, party boys dancing on a float, drag queens, the balloon people (so cool!), it just goes on.
By far the most touching scene was all of the little kids walking proudly with their gay parents. This is when I full on started crying. I was so happy that I got to be a part of that experience. Seeing all the little kids, big kids, babies, etc. all with signs and smiling and waving to the crowd, it was just beautiful. I was crying so much that I didn’t even get any pictures. Heh. But I still remember my favorite signs. One said “LOVE makes a family” and another said “Live and Let LOVE”. That’s what this celebration was all about. People just wanting to be able to love who they love, without shame or fear or disgrace. One day… I hope.
After watching the parade for awhile, we decided to start walking over to the (Civic Center? City Hall? I’m not sure what that building was. I think it was City Hall.) where we would camp out for the rest of the day. We plopped down and Carey got the beverages flowing. Yum! It was pretty hot and very sunny. The top of my scalp had gotten fried the day before on the boat cruise, so I was glad that I had borrowed a hat from Carey or else I think my scalp would have turned into one giant sun blister. Ew.
We just hung out on the grass there, our asses got completely soaked from the wet ground, and had drinks, people watched, and chatted. Ginger bought some butterfly wings that everyone tried on and had their pic taken. Heh. It was so cute to see Ginger sitting there in her wings, with just a contented little smile on her face. :)
A little while later, Catt showed up. Yay! I think she greeted us with “Whaddup bitches!” Ha! She also had her friend Jayne with her. (her name is not really Jayne, btw, which threw me for a loop. LOL.)
Um. I wish I could say something about Catt, but honestly, I think by this point I was pretty drunk and I don’t even remember if I talked to her! LOL. I mean, I know I did, but I don’t remember what we talked about. I know I stole some of her soft pretzel. Oh, and of course I remember the prairie skirt incident that you all have heard about. *grin* But I don't need to remember talking to Catt to know that she is a sweet and funny girl. I knew that already. :)
I think it was around 6:30 that we decided to pack up and leave. Which was perfect timing because my bladder was about to burst and I do not do porta-potties. I went to Woodstock ’99 for 4 days and only went to the bathroom twice. *shudder* We walked to the BART station (thankfully a very short walk. if it had been longer, I would’ve peed my pants.) and there we had to say our goodbyes to Catt and “Jayne”. :( As is the theme of the weekend, I was sad to see them go because I felt like we didn’t get to spend very much time together. *pout* The rest of us (oh. heh. Ginger had left earlier in the day, right after Catt arrived.) went back to the house to hang out. I jumped in the shower immediately because I felt hella-gross from sweating and sitting on the wet ground all day. Then we ordered pizza. Mmmm. Pizza. It was very, very good. Cathy and Letty left a short time later, and we all just kinda sat around. We were all exhausted and I ended up falling asleep in Carey’s recliner at around 10:30. At 11, Michelle rounded us up and we went to bed. Our last night in SF. *sniff*
Monday was just a day of packing up and saying goodbyes. I didn’t like Monday. *kicks Monday* Carey and Michelle drove us to the airport *sniff* and we said our goodbyes. *sniff* Lots of hugs, kisses, “I love yous”, “thank yous” and of course, tears from me. I didn’t want to leave at all. The time had gone way too fast and I didn’t know when or if I would ever see Carey and Michelle again. :( I want to thank them both again for showing us such a wonderful time, inviting us into their home and just generally being awesome people. I love you guys!
The trip home was kind of stressful. First of all because we had to wait in this long line to get our boarding passes (we had printed them on the computer for the trip there. much easier!) and even though we had arrived in plenty of time, we were nervous about making the plane. But then the line started moving, and we had our boarding passes and our baggage checked in plenty of time. We even had time for a cigarette, but of course we were in silly California where smoking is forbidden. *rolls eyes* More stress came when our plane was late taking off, and so by the time we landed we only had 10 minutes to make our connecting flight! Ack!! We rush off the plane, out into the terminal. We find our gate, it’s behind glass. We can’t find a door to get in. The clock is ticking. We discover that when we exited the plane, we should not have gone through the door into the terminal (I’m probably not using correct airport terminology, but you get my point) but that if we just would’ve turned right instead of going straight, we would’ve been at our gate. So now, we have to go through security, again! Ack! 2 minutes left! Double ack! But, our flight had been delayed, so we were fine. :) When we finally boarded, we found ourselves upon the best plane ever. It was super nice, with extra wide and cushy seats and plenty of leg room with foot rests! Plus, Glow finally got to sit by the window, so we were happy all around. We decided we would only fly on that type of plane from then on. Um. Except I don’t remember what type of plane it was. A Boeing #some number#.
We landed in Pittsburgh around 10pm, an hour later than expected. *yawn* I was ready to say goodbye to airports forever! We picked up our baggage and trekked to the car. When we were leaving, Glow says “Hm. I’m not sure where my phone is. It’s probably in my purse.” I waved goodbye to Pittsburgh International Airport, hoping to never see it again. Total jinx. *sigh* We drive about an hour to her house, and only then do we think to actually look for her cell phone, instead of just assuming it’s in her purse. Surprise, surprise, it’s not there. I use my cell phone to call hers, and we hear nothing. Not in the purse, not in the backseat, not in the trunk. It’s lost. Gah! We went and picked up some McDonald’s and drove to her house while deciding what to do. Call the airport? Hope that someone found it and turned it into lost and found? Or go back to the airport tonight and try to find it? After some thought, we decided that she probably dropped it in the parking lot and it would be best if we went back and looked for it. I think it was probably midnight by this time. Back we go to the airport, back through the parking lot. I had remembered exactly where we were parked, so I called her phone again. And we heard it! Whatever weird song she has programmed for me started chiming up from under the car we were standing next to. And there was the phone, under the car, in a puddle. How lucky that we found it, and it had no damage from being wet, and hadn’t been run over. Yay! And so once again, we left the airport. I didn’t wave goodbye this time. Didn’t want to jinx again. LOL. We got back home for good around 2am, 4 hours after we had landed. *snort* Can you say tired?
The next morning I woke up, showered, and got my stuff packed up. After hanging around for awhile and eating enormous egg sammiches (yummy!) it was time for me to make my way home. What an experience it had been! One I will remember and treasure forever.
*big hugs* to everyone who was a part of the journey. You all made it so special and I’m glad I got to meet all the people I did, even for the short amount of time we had. I hope to meet each and every one of you again. And thanks to everyone who read this. I hope to meet you all someday, too. :)
*group smooch*
Oh boy. Where do I begin? Well, my trip started on Thursday evening when I drove to Glow’s house in Pittsburgh. The weather on the way over was horrible! It was storming very badly here in Cleveland, raining buckets with thunder and lightning. It didn’t seem like it was going to let up, so I decided to get on the road at about 5pm so that I wouldn’t have to drive in the dark. The first hour of my drive was pretty scary. Everyone was pretty much doing 40mph on the highway. Water was covering the roadway at several points, and I think I hydroplaned once. But once I got into Pennsylvania it cleared up and the rest of the drive was fine.
Once at Glow’s, we just hung out and watched some tv and a really freaky movie (The Hills Have Eyes. WTF?!) and ate gelatis from Rita’s. Mmmm. I had watermelon. It was so delicious. *drool* I have no idea what time we went to bed. Maybe 1-ish? We woke up at 7am, got ready and drove to the airport. Thank goodness that my mom had decided to look up pictures of the planes we were taking a few days before, because if I had walked onto that tiny ass 32 seat plane without knowing it was that small, I’m quite sure I would’ve freaked out. At least I was prepared, and it was only a 90 minute flight. Our flight attendant was a bitch. Other than that, the flight was uneventful. We had a stop in Milwaukee and had to change planes. This plane was normal size. Phew. This flight was our longest of all, at 4.5 hours. I rented a personal dvd player thingy and watched some music videos and an episode of Family Guy. Then Glow plugged her headphones into the dvd too, and we started watching The Ringer (a movie with Johnny Knoxville). About halfway through the movie they announced that they would be collecting the dvd players so we didn’t get to finish watching it then. I figured we could just rent another one on the way home and finish it then. No big deal.
Then we were in San Francisco. Yay! We called Carey so that she could come pick us up, and we hung outside waiting for her and smoking a cigarette. She and Michelle drove up and we hugged before tossing our luggage in the car and starting our adventures. First up was a tour of the area where Carey grew up. We drove by her parent’s house (they weren’t home. Or so she told us. I think she just didn’t want them to meet us. *grin* We did see the guy who mows their lawn though. Glow waved at him. I think he ignored her. LOL.) Then we drove to the mall so that I could go to the Bare Minerals store. We don’t have those in Ohio, I have to buy my stuff off QVC. I bought some foundation and mineral veil, a blush (poppy), and an eyeshadow (bordeaux). While I was deciding on what colors I wanted, everyone else went to get a drink and a pretzel. Mmmm! That pretzel was gooo-ood. We don’t have Wetzel’s Preztels here. Man! No Rita’s, no BM stores, no Wetzel’s. Ohio sucks!!
After the mall, we went to Carey and Michelle’s house and got the tour. I really like their house. There’s so much cool stuff to look at, and it’s just a very relaxing place to be. We got our pictures taken in “the chair” and then we freshened up and headed out to dinner at The Stinking Rose where we would be meeting MM. I guess it was supposed to be a surprise that she was coming, but Carey spilled it. *whacks Carey* We took the first of many rides on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and then walked what felt like 10 miles to the restaurant. Now, I’m sure most of you have seen the pics of me. It’s an understatement to say that I’m not exactly in shape. LOL. Plus, my legs are about 3 inches shorter than everyone else’s, so I was taking 2 steps for every one of theirs. Gah! I thought I was going to die. I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to keep on walking, but I did and we finally arrived at the restaurant. We went to the bar and ordered some drinks while we waited for MM to arrive. I kept watch on the door because no one else was sure that they would recognize her. I knew I would because I’ve spent countless hours staring at her pictures. *dreamy sigh* *giggle* She walked in and I recognized her right away. She is just beautiful. Truly gorgeous. We all gave her big hugs and then sat down at our table. I really have no idea what everyone talked about. That Long Island Iced Tea was strong! Heh. It was all a jumble of laughter, drinking, smooching (I was MM’s first girl kiss! Woohoo! *swoon*), and more laughter.
After we finished our meal, we weren’t ready to part ways just yet, so we went in search of a bar to have another drink. On our way there, we passed a sex shop, and of course we couldn’t resist going in. LOL. Glow gave me advice on which vibrator I should get (I didn’t get one), Carey fingered latex stuff, apparently so did Glow, and some random guy who was in the store wanted to get in on the fingering too. LOL.
and MM blushed. She’s so cute. :D We found a bar to hang out in, where more laughter and drinking took place. Before I knew it, it was time for MM to go. *pout* I didn’t want her to leave. It felt like we had only been hanging out for like 10 minutes. I love MM, she is so sweet and cute, and I hope I can meet her again very soon. I gave her 2 big hugs, and then she was off. *sniff* After that we caught a cab (Yay for cabs! My blistered feet thank you!) back to the BART station, and then went back to Carey’s house. We smoked, drank and giggled until about 3am, a full 24 hours after Glow and I had gotten up. Heh. Was this the night of the floating chair? I can’t remember. Despite what anyone says, I still maintain that Carey’s side of the room was on an incline and her chair was floating. LMAO.
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On we go to Saturday. We woke up and drove down to the Wharf district for some sightseeing. After we parked, we decided to see if we could get on one of the cruise ships that were docked at the pier. Luckily the first one we went to had a cruise that was leaving in about 15 minutes, so we bought our tickets and waited to board the Harbor Princess. :)
It was very windy and chilly aboard the ship, and of course I hadn’t thought to bring my jacket. Duh. But it was actually nice. I like chilly weather, it’s better than being too hot, IMO. It was also very foggy. I couldn’t even see the Golden Gate Bridge until we were almost right under it. Heh.
The cruise was very cool and I enjoyed it muchly. It had beautiful views of the SF skyline, and lots of neat little landmarks that I knew nothing about.
After that we walked along the pier and peeked into a few shops. We were looking for a restaurant that no longer exists. *rolls eyes at Carey* *grin* So then we decided to go to Johnny Rockets for lunch. It was so good. I had a root beer float, which I haven’t had in forever. Yummy. After stuffing ourselves we walked along the street and went into some souvenir shops. I bought a couple of shot glasses, a few keychains, a magnet and a pin. I don’t know what I was thinking, because I didn’t buy anything special for my nephew, and I didn’t buy any t-shirts, which I am pissed about now. I had a total brain fart. I just wasn’t thinking. *rolls eyes at self* Oh, and along all these walks we saw a bunch of cool street performers, like the silver men that Glow posted a pic of, and drum players and palm readers (Carey is afraid of them).
We had planned on taking a ride on the cable cars next, but it was getting late and we needed to go back to their house to get ready for Michelle’s cousin’s birthday party. So we headed home, but on the way I saw a sign for Lombard Street and I made Carey go there. Ok, I didn’t make her, she offered and I said yes because I really wanted to see it. In case you don’t know, Lombard Street is the crookedest street in the world. It winds down a hill, so of course in order to go down the hill, you have to go up the hill. A very steep hill. *giggle* Glow was flipping out. There was a line of cars waiting on the hill, so we were stopped a lot of the time. She hated it when we would start to move and the car would roll backwards a little bit. I admit that I don’t like doing that either, but I wasn’t concerned. I figure Carey is used to driving on hills and stuff. Oh, speaking of Carey driving: SHE’S A FUCKING MANIAC! *grin* But so is everyone else driving there, so she fits right in. After going down Lombard (which isn’t as long as I thought it would be) we started the drive home. Kind of. *snort* Carey was driving around the city and she kept missing the entrance to the highway, so we’d just keep driving. We got a nice tour of the city that way. Michelle was getting pissed, but Carey claims she knew exactly where she was going. LMAO.
We finally got back to the house, freshened up, and we were off again to visit with Michelle’s family. They were all very nice people and they made Glow and me feel welcome. We drank some yummy rum punch-like stuff and hung out for a couple hours. We sang Happy Birthday to several different people. I had no idea who I was singing to, but I sang anyway. :) Carey got out on the dance floor. *giggle*
After 45 minutes of goodbyes (LOL) and the infamous meat theft (we stole buns and silverware too) we were off yet again, this time to meet MTW for some drinks. Yay! MTW is such a sweet guy. A brave guy, too- to meet up with 4 insane chicks that he met online. LOL. And he gave us candy! Yummy sour candy, which I am still enjoying. I think he commented that he remembered I had once mentioned that I like sour candy. I got nervous and skeered that he was stalking me *giggle* but really I think he’s just super attentive and considerate. We talked and laughed and drank (seems to be the theme of the weekend) and after way too short of a time, we said our goodbyes. :( That is my one regret about the weekend—that although we met lots of peeps (3 more coming up tomorrow!) it seems like we hardly spent any time with them. The weekend just flew by! *sniff*
One more stop on our Saturday itinerary The Pink Party!! This is just a huge street party in the Castro.
We came up from the underground BART station and there were just people everywhere! People as far as the eye could see, just hanging out in the streets and partying. It was awesome. Everyone was so friendly, just chatting with us and being cool. We met Carey’s brother and a couple of his friends. Carey’s brother is a cutie!
As is his friend, um, Jim? The guy on crutches, I think that was his name. He was very cute. Too bad he’s gay. LOL. Carey’s brother was super drunk. How do I know? He kept saying “I’m sooooo drunk!” LMAO. I’ve been known to do that from time to time also. *giggle* Oh, and he also tried to hit on a mannequin. Ha! And when he was introducing Glow to his friends he kept calling her Bo. *snort* So she just told him to make it easy on himself and call her Ho. Heh. We went into a bar and got some super-size cosmos. I think they were probably 32oz. cups. LOL. People kept coming up to us and asking us where we got them. I was going to make a sign that said “Want this drink? Go to the bar with the go-go dancers in front and go upstairs!” As Glow mentioned, the building we were standing in front of had porn being projected onto it. That was fun to watch. *grin* I had a great time there, just people watching and talking to nice strangers. Everyone was so friendly. I wish we could’ve stayed longer, but we had to go so we could catch the last BART train. *pout*
Note the size of those cups! (and I'm not talking about bra cups, sickos)And so home again we went, and we, of course, drank and laughed and talked (and smoked. *waves to Nookie*).
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Alright, on to Sunday. Time for Pride! Yay! We woke up really early and got ready to head out. 2 of Carey & Michelle’s friends were coming with us, so when they showed up (late) we all said quick hellos and we were off. Once we were on the BART train, I got to talk to Cathy and Letty a bit more. I wasn’t sure about Letty at first. She is one of those people who makes comments totally deadpan, and you’re not really sure if she’s joking. But then the gum incident happened. *snort* Letty was offering everyone gum and we asked what flavor it was. She said “I don’t know. It’s NEW!” So Michelle took some, popped it in her mouth and said “Um. Bubblegum is a new flavor?” Turns out that Letty didn’t even look at what she was buying, she just saw NEW! and grabbed it, not realizing that the only thing NEW! was the packaging, not the flavor. LMAO. We laughed at her about that for a good long time (like all day). After that, I felt much more relaxed around her and knew she was someone I could joke with. Cathy at first was pretty quiet, but let me tell you, by the end of the day (and the end of the booze) she was a wild woman! She was so funny. Every once in awhile, she’d just look over at me and go “JEN! WOOO!” and I’d laugh at her and give her a “WOOO!” back. :) I liked meeting them, and seeing who Carey and Michelle hang out with IRL. It gave me a chance to really see them in their lives, you know? Very cool.
We found a spot to watch the parade that was very close to the action. Only 1 row of people standing in front of us. Once we’d found our spot, we let Ginger know our coordinates and waited for her to come join us. And then there she was! I was sorta nervous about meeting Ginger just because she’s a bit intimidating. She’s so smart and clever, I didn’t want to seem like a total dork around her. LOL. But I shouldn’t have worried. She’s a totally cool woman and I never felt stupid around her. Well, not any more stupid than I feel around anyone else at least. Heh. She also has very soft boobs. They were pressing into my back during the parade. *giggle*
Finally it was time for the parade to start. We could hear the roar of the Dykes on Bikes, who kick things off, in the distance. At this point I started to get a little emotional. I had been looking forward to this day for so long, and here it was. I couldn’t believe I was really standing on a street in San Francisco with my “internet” friends (I don’t really think of them as internet friends. Just regular friends, but it does add to the wonder of it a little) and getting ready to watch the Pride parade. It was overwhelming and I got a little misty eyed. But then I told myself to stop being a crybaby dork and dry it up. LOL.
We stood and watched the parade for about 90 minutes. We saw lots of interesting people and some very touching moments. From the Dykes on Bikes (women on motorcycles) to the Mikes on Bikes (men on bicycles *snort*) to the SF Cheerleaders to the clog dancers. Grand Marshalls, men on stilts, party boys dancing on a float, drag queens, the balloon people (so cool!), it just goes on.
By far the most touching scene was all of the little kids walking proudly with their gay parents. This is when I full on started crying. I was so happy that I got to be a part of that experience. Seeing all the little kids, big kids, babies, etc. all with signs and smiling and waving to the crowd, it was just beautiful. I was crying so much that I didn’t even get any pictures. Heh. But I still remember my favorite signs. One said “LOVE makes a family” and another said “Live and Let LOVE”. That’s what this celebration was all about. People just wanting to be able to love who they love, without shame or fear or disgrace. One day… I hope.
After watching the parade for awhile, we decided to start walking over to the (Civic Center? City Hall? I’m not sure what that building was. I think it was City Hall.) where we would camp out for the rest of the day. We plopped down and Carey got the beverages flowing. Yum! It was pretty hot and very sunny. The top of my scalp had gotten fried the day before on the boat cruise, so I was glad that I had borrowed a hat from Carey or else I think my scalp would have turned into one giant sun blister. Ew.
We just hung out on the grass there, our asses got completely soaked from the wet ground, and had drinks, people watched, and chatted. Ginger bought some butterfly wings that everyone tried on and had their pic taken. Heh. It was so cute to see Ginger sitting there in her wings, with just a contented little smile on her face. :)
A little while later, Catt showed up. Yay! I think she greeted us with “Whaddup bitches!” Ha! She also had her friend Jayne with her. (her name is not really Jayne, btw, which threw me for a loop. LOL.)
Um. I wish I could say something about Catt, but honestly, I think by this point I was pretty drunk and I don’t even remember if I talked to her! LOL. I mean, I know I did, but I don’t remember what we talked about. I know I stole some of her soft pretzel. Oh, and of course I remember the prairie skirt incident that you all have heard about. *grin* But I don't need to remember talking to Catt to know that she is a sweet and funny girl. I knew that already. :)
I think it was around 6:30 that we decided to pack up and leave. Which was perfect timing because my bladder was about to burst and I do not do porta-potties. I went to Woodstock ’99 for 4 days and only went to the bathroom twice. *shudder* We walked to the BART station (thankfully a very short walk. if it had been longer, I would’ve peed my pants.) and there we had to say our goodbyes to Catt and “Jayne”. :( As is the theme of the weekend, I was sad to see them go because I felt like we didn’t get to spend very much time together. *pout* The rest of us (oh. heh. Ginger had left earlier in the day, right after Catt arrived.) went back to the house to hang out. I jumped in the shower immediately because I felt hella-gross from sweating and sitting on the wet ground all day. Then we ordered pizza. Mmmm. Pizza. It was very, very good. Cathy and Letty left a short time later, and we all just kinda sat around. We were all exhausted and I ended up falling asleep in Carey’s recliner at around 10:30. At 11, Michelle rounded us up and we went to bed. Our last night in SF. *sniff*
Monday was just a day of packing up and saying goodbyes. I didn’t like Monday. *kicks Monday* Carey and Michelle drove us to the airport *sniff* and we said our goodbyes. *sniff* Lots of hugs, kisses, “I love yous”, “thank yous” and of course, tears from me. I didn’t want to leave at all. The time had gone way too fast and I didn’t know when or if I would ever see Carey and Michelle again. :( I want to thank them both again for showing us such a wonderful time, inviting us into their home and just generally being awesome people. I love you guys!
The trip home was kind of stressful. First of all because we had to wait in this long line to get our boarding passes (we had printed them on the computer for the trip there. much easier!) and even though we had arrived in plenty of time, we were nervous about making the plane. But then the line started moving, and we had our boarding passes and our baggage checked in plenty of time. We even had time for a cigarette, but of course we were in silly California where smoking is forbidden. *rolls eyes* More stress came when our plane was late taking off, and so by the time we landed we only had 10 minutes to make our connecting flight! Ack!! We rush off the plane, out into the terminal. We find our gate, it’s behind glass. We can’t find a door to get in. The clock is ticking. We discover that when we exited the plane, we should not have gone through the door into the terminal (I’m probably not using correct airport terminology, but you get my point) but that if we just would’ve turned right instead of going straight, we would’ve been at our gate. So now, we have to go through security, again! Ack! 2 minutes left! Double ack! But, our flight had been delayed, so we were fine. :) When we finally boarded, we found ourselves upon the best plane ever. It was super nice, with extra wide and cushy seats and plenty of leg room with foot rests! Plus, Glow finally got to sit by the window, so we were happy all around. We decided we would only fly on that type of plane from then on. Um. Except I don’t remember what type of plane it was. A Boeing #some number#.
We landed in Pittsburgh around 10pm, an hour later than expected. *yawn* I was ready to say goodbye to airports forever! We picked up our baggage and trekked to the car. When we were leaving, Glow says “Hm. I’m not sure where my phone is. It’s probably in my purse.” I waved goodbye to Pittsburgh International Airport, hoping to never see it again. Total jinx. *sigh* We drive about an hour to her house, and only then do we think to actually look for her cell phone, instead of just assuming it’s in her purse. Surprise, surprise, it’s not there. I use my cell phone to call hers, and we hear nothing. Not in the purse, not in the backseat, not in the trunk. It’s lost. Gah! We went and picked up some McDonald’s and drove to her house while deciding what to do. Call the airport? Hope that someone found it and turned it into lost and found? Or go back to the airport tonight and try to find it? After some thought, we decided that she probably dropped it in the parking lot and it would be best if we went back and looked for it. I think it was probably midnight by this time. Back we go to the airport, back through the parking lot. I had remembered exactly where we were parked, so I called her phone again. And we heard it! Whatever weird song she has programmed for me started chiming up from under the car we were standing next to. And there was the phone, under the car, in a puddle. How lucky that we found it, and it had no damage from being wet, and hadn’t been run over. Yay! And so once again, we left the airport. I didn’t wave goodbye this time. Didn’t want to jinx again. LOL. We got back home for good around 2am, 4 hours after we had landed. *snort* Can you say tired?
The next morning I woke up, showered, and got my stuff packed up. After hanging around for awhile and eating enormous egg sammiches (yummy!) it was time for me to make my way home. What an experience it had been! One I will remember and treasure forever.
*big hugs* to everyone who was a part of the journey. You all made it so special and I’m glad I got to meet all the people I did, even for the short amount of time we had. I hope to meet each and every one of you again. And thanks to everyone who read this. I hope to meet you all someday, too. :)
*group smooch*
Friday, July 07, 2006
Handwriting Meme
I know I'm supposed to be working on the rest of my SF trip post (is anyone really that interested? Glow and I are writing pretty much the same thing) but Survey had this on her blog and I really wanted to do it because I think looking at other people's handwriting is fascinating. So everyone has to do this. Mmmk?
Get a piece of paper and write this sentence on it: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. This sentence contains all the letters in the alphabet. Sign it, and then take a picture or scan it and post it in your blog. It's that simple.
My writing is pretty childish, but I kinda like it. I cannot write in cursive. Well, I can, but it looks stupid. So I always print everything.
It's a little blurry, but you get the idea. Oh, and this was written on a regular white piece of paper, but when I edited it to crop it, the enhance feature gave me this purty background. Neat, huh? :)
Get a piece of paper and write this sentence on it: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. This sentence contains all the letters in the alphabet. Sign it, and then take a picture or scan it and post it in your blog. It's that simple.
My writing is pretty childish, but I kinda like it. I cannot write in cursive. Well, I can, but it looks stupid. So I always print everything.
It's a little blurry, but you get the idea. Oh, and this was written on a regular white piece of paper, but when I edited it to crop it, the enhance feature gave me this purty background. Neat, huh? :)
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