It’s probably not a good sign when you wake up on a Monday morning and look forward to going to bed on Monday night. When that’s the highlight of waking up, there’s something amiss. It’s not like I don’t have things to do or that I’m unhappy or anything like that. Quite the contrary; there’s plenty on my plate and I’m a very happy guy.
I just need a little more sleep. The transition from weekend to weekdays can sometimes be a tough one.
So today I’m sitting in the Jeep and enjoying the sun for my lunch hour. Yesterday I treated myself to an unsweetened iced tea from the Dunkin’ Donuts near home but today I have opted to not do such a thing. Bottled water is the beverage of necessity this lunch hour.
You can see in the picture above that I’m smiling. Observant people will also notice that I am wearing my Ubuntu shirt at work today. I love the feel of this shirt and it fits me well. I opted to wear my Ubuntu shirt today because at any moment, the latest version of Ubuntu, 12.10 or “Quantal Quetzal” will be released to the masses. For those unfamiliar with Ubuntu, it is a Linux distro, or a version of Linux. It’s actually one of the easiest distros to install and it gives the user all sorts of functionality at no cost. Web browsing, email, office applications, chat… all of it is free of cost. Heck, even the operating system can be downloaded at no-charge.
I have been wanting to switch back to Linux full-time for a while now. Some will roll their eyes and say “I thought you loved Apple!”, but over the past year or so, the things that are suppose to “just work” have required a lot more tinkering and futzing than something that “just works” should and I can’t really justify the extra cost of getting something that “just works” when it doesn’t. I’m tired of spending money on new version of software and the latest and greatest app. The thing that bothered me the most was that a monitor that was purchased in early 2012 was not compatible with a MacBook Pro that was purchased in 2010, even though the connectors look the same. The monitor plugs in, but there’s something in the magic tube there that doesn’t let the monitor work with that incarnation of MacBook Pro. That’s when I said, “enough is enough”.
I’m using quote marks a lot in this blog entry.
So I have opted to go back to Linux full-time and become a Linux crusader again. This makes me happy. And that is one of the reasons as to why I’m smiling today.
So last night Earl and I joined the gym again. We are now card carrying members at Planet Fitness. A 24 hour, seven day a week gym is the only way to go. Can’t sleep? Go run on the treadmill. Need to relieve stress? Go run on the treadmill. Reality television blaring on the tube in the living room? Go run on the treadmill.
I was a little hesitant to join Planet Fitness again because we had a little bit of a falling out when their accounting system couldn’t handle two men sharing a checking account (only one membership would debit the account properly, the other one just accumulated late charges) and there was some yelling involved to get it all settled. I thought we might be banned for life. So I took the safe approach and signed up online where the website looked particularly flashy but not very technically savvy, figuring I could get my membership in without setting off the alarms. I was right! There was no one from the Planet Fitness security force ready to escort us out when we picked up our membership cards last night.
While I prefer to workout at the very least at home or better yet, riding my bike along over creation, the weather is getting to where it’s not going to be practical for much longer. So we need the gym to fill in for the snow-laden months, plus I can work on building up some muscle once I reach milestone 4. (I reached milestone #3 today and I’m quite happy).
Last night Earl and I walked side-by-side on treadmills and it was quite enjoyable. I am looking forward to heading back there again tonight.
I found this article on Lifehacker to be quite interesting. I thought I would share with the class.
When we were growing up in the mobile home, Mom often watched “Soul Train” on the black and white television in the “dining room” (the original living room before the addition to the trailer) after we were done with the Saturday morning cartoons (and Shazam/Isis and ElectraWoman and DynaGirl). From an early episode of “Soul Train”, from 1972 here’s “I’ll Be Around” by The Spinners. It is still a very awesome track. You can hear samples of “I’ll Be Around” on Michael Moog’s “That Sound”, which was released in 2001.
I opted to take the “really hilly route”, as I like to think of it. It’d been a while since I’d ridden up a few of the hills I found along my route but it was a good workout for the arms and legs and I felt a good sense of accomplishment after the climbs.
When I go for a bike ride I tend to ride north and/or west, especially at this time of year. Riding up into the small villages of Holland Patent, Barneveld and Remsen seems like a natural for autumn; the leaves are gorgeous as they change to brilliant colors. The scent of fireplaces and wood stoves fill the air and there’s just a feeling of coziness as I ride by the historic, rural houses. It’s the same feeling I had when we lived in our first house together. That house was built in 1854 and had the fireplaces and the type of kitchen that just begged to be filled with the smells of baking cookies. It’s probably odd that one would feel cozy on a long-distance bike ride, but that’s exactly how I felt yesterday.
Yet another reason that this really is my favorite time of year.
So today was the actual anniversary of our wedding. Earl and I celebrated throughout the day after a good night’s sleep here at the Lodge at Turning Stone Casino and Resort.
My first order of business was an 80 minute Arnica Muscle Repair massage at Ska:ná, the spa here at The Lodge. My spa experiences have been limited to the Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa at Disneyworld and today’s experience made the House of the Mouse look rather mediocre. My appointment was for 1:30 p.m., but I was urged to get there early so that I could do the traditional Balancing Waters Ritual. This involved a visit to the steam room, a cool shower, a visit to the sauna, another cool shower, a ride through the whirlpool and then a dip in the mineral springs pool. The mineral springs pool was the only co-ed part of that experience and the only place where a bathing suit was mandatory. For the first time in my very brief spa history, I did the rest in all sorts of nakedness. It was kind of cool.
Katherine was my very capable massage therapist today and she worked magic working the knots out of my muscles in various areas of my body. The Arnica Muscle Repair massage is designed to energize the senses, promote circulation and relieve muscle soreness. It did all that. The lingering pain in my left hip from my cycling fall last week was gone by the end of the 80 minute session. I felt absolutely amazing and the most centered I have felt in a long while. I enjoyed a few more of the spas amenities before heading back to the room, where Earl had ordered a light salad from room service for my lunch.
We then walked around the grounds a bit and relaxed before getting all dressed up and heading to Wildflowers, the five diamond restaurant here at The Lodge.
At Wildflowers we were taken care of by a very capable staff that included Michael, Alex and Timmy. Everyone wished us a happy anniversary. There were even personalized menus waiting for us on when we arrived at the table!
The dinner was magnificent. It was kind of cool eating in a restaurant where everyone there was dressed for the occasion. We don’t do that often enough. I told Earl that I was lucky to be a guy that’s comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt or in a suit. He agreed.
Near the end of our meal, Room Service was working behind the scenes to leave a smaller version of our wedding cake in the room so that it was waiting for us.
It was delicious but we decided we liked the original wedding cake better. We then did some gambling in the casino where I promptly lost some of the money allotted for that sort of thing before I announced I was headed back to the room. Earl gave me the cute bear eyes, asking if I minded if he played some blackjack. Of course I don’t mind at all, so that’s where he is right now. The longer he’s gone, the better chance that daddy is going to get a new pair of shoes. w00t!
Cub has joked that Earl and I tend to celebrate a variety of anniversaries. There’s the anniversary of our first date, the anniversary of when I told Earl I loved him for the first time, the anniversary of when we moved in together and the anniversary of our commitment ceremony at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia. This weekend we are celebrating a new anniversary, and that’s the anniversary of our legal marriage. One year ago tomorrow Earl and I exchanged our vows in front of family and friends at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in the lovely hamlet of Verona, New York.
We have returned to the scene of this commitment to spend some time together this weekend.
We are staying at The Lodge. I am told that this is a five-start resort. The folks here are quite friendly and quite good at the whole hospitality thing. The music is playing as I type; the music being part of the turn-down service. Our slippers and bathrobe await. I’m ready to get comfortable.
Earl and I have reservations for our official anniversary dinner tomorrow night; tonight we opted to eat at the steakhouse on the property. The dinner was quite good, though probably too many calories. The conversation with my husband was effortless as it should be and we proudly told our server that we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. She brought us desserts with a candle. I thought that was nice.
Gambling at the casino is not high on the priority list for the weekend, but we are doing a little gambling and I’m currently up about $50 from where I started. I can’t complain about that. Earl has done better and he decided to stay a few moments longer while I type this blog entry. He asked why I cashed out early; I told him that I was adding to the computer fund because I’d like to get a new laptop one of these days. He just smiled knowingly.
I was chatting with my friend Sandy at work today and she couldn’t believe that Earl and I had been together for 16 years. That’s a long time in this day and age! I told her that it feels like forever but it also feels like only yesterday when I first went crazy over this gorgeous redheaded bear. I fell head over heels for him in 1996 and I’ve done it every morning since that life changing day.
My life has never been better. And this is the weekend to celebrate the reason for that.
I think the wine from dinner is making me a little sappy.
This blog entry is a repost from this day in 2005.
Today is National Coming Out Day, the day in which closeted gay men and lesbians are urged to come out of the closet and announce to the world, “yes, I am gay.” The tradition is led by the Human Rights Campaign, which has designated this day to show others that there is a huge support mechanism for LGBT folks.
National Coming Out Day started in 1988, three years or so after I came out to myself and started peeking out around the closet doors. Who am I kidding. I had always known of my attraction to the same sex. It was late in 1985 that I actively began admitting it to myself. I’m not going to go into my whole coming out story this year. If you’re interested in the sordid details, feel free to read last year’s Coming Out Day entry.
I just know that someone, somewhere is doing a Google search on being gay today. Perhaps he lives in a country where he could be shot for his homosexuality. Perhaps she is being forced to marry a man because that’s how she was brought up, when she’d reallly like to marry her female teacher or pal from high school. You’re afraid. You’re afraid that you’ll be shunned by your friends, disowned by your family and burned at the stake at the next neighborhood barbecue. And I’m sorry you feel that way. The world is a scary place and there’s a lot of ignorance in the world. But know that you’re not alone. Know that while there is a lot of hate and negativity out there, also know that there is even more positive energy, love and acceptance, often in places that you wouldn’t expect to find it. We know that you didn’t *choose* to be gay, regardless of what others may say about that fact, and we know that you don’t have to live a certain lifestyle simply because you’re attracted to the same sex. Do what your heart tells you to do. Do what feels right to you. If you’re not ready to live your life “out loud” and admit to everyone and anyone that you are gay (I can just picture Billy Bob stopping Thelma the hairdresser on some rural street and saying “I like those queer boys!”) then just do one thing today, actually go ahead and do two things. Look at yourself in the mirror and be honest with yourself. Look at yourself long and hard, reach for your true inner feelings, without any masks, without any fear, without any worries of reprisal. Then say it out loud. “Yes, I am gay.” Then follow it up with “And that’s o.k.”. It’s a baby step. But you’ll feel better for being honest with yourself. Allow yourself that dignity today.
It was recently announced that we have an Olive Garden and a Moe’s being built not too far from home. I’m excited about the Moe’s; I have been to one only once or twice but I remember being able to eat relatively healthy and the food being good. It’s not Chipotle, but it’s a good substitute.
I’m kind of surprised that Olive Garden is coming to the area. With the very large Italian population in the area, Olive Garden always felt that it would not be worth their while to compete with the locally owned Italian restaurants. They must have changed their minds when they saw the hotels going up in the area and figured that folks would want familiar.
I like Olive Garden once in a while. Many shriek that it’s basically “boil in a bag” food but I’ve had some boil in a bag food in my day and I found it quite good. I’m always chided for the fact that I will eat just about anything that is put in front of me; perhaps this skill works to my advantage at Olive Garden. I do like their wine, though. Now that I think about it, I seem to best recall the beginning halves of an Olive Garden experience.
Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.
Weird? Eccentric!