An awards show

The Oscar nominees are out.

So are the Razzie nominees.

Guess I should do a 2016 awards show too.

Stay tuned.

Coming Soon to a 664 Area Code near you.

And no it's not Montserrat, it's Tijuana.

Housemate's dad is headed back in February, and the timing is probably perfect because housemate has one tragic flaw that drives me nuts.

It seems that he has one and only one reaction to when he doesn't get his way / things don't go according to his plan.  He throws a temper tantrum hoping that if it last's long enough, people will do things his way just to shut him up.

I am reminded about the song by Adrian Belew called, "Oh, Daddy," where one of the lines is, "Don't hold your breath, because you may turn blue." and that is the theme of my responses when doing something so that he HAS his way is not feasable.

Oh, and this is why he isn't getting his way this round.  Daddy is coming to town and he doesn't want anything to do with him, even though he does work for him as an independent contractor.

And that brings up what I am pondering.  After I said, "Bye," after my Dad said, "Leave and don't ever come back" I froze my posterior off in Denver, moved to San Francisco, went through three relationships and embarked on an interesting career path.  I think I learned a lesson there, but after seeing and knowing the facts and circumstances of why housemate and his dad have such a poor relationship, I wonder if I learned MY lesson the easy way by seeing what might have happened had I not left?

Either way, I do realize that I did the right thing.  In the end that may be all that matters.

Another View of the Subject

I remember a discussion somewhere in alternative sexuality land where someone asked how to tell someone they were interested in that, "I don't want to be A slave.  I want to be YOUR slave."

I was reminded of this through an encounter in online dating land today with someone who would love to have me send him a slave application.  I don't know what will come of it, but I think I will send him one because he made a valid point this morning.

I told him about the fact that I spent five years taking care of Rick in his demented state.  He responded by stating that I deserved someone to serve me in light of what I did for Rick.  I never looked at it that way, but I also see his point for a few reasons.

Besides taking care of Rick, I think I may have lead a rougher life than most.  And if not taking care of Rick, I have spent a lot of time struggling to take care of myself.  Maybe those circumstances make me intrigued about the idea that someone would serve me.

Anyway, it's something to think about.

KTY LIED

Right now I am listening to Steely Dan belt out Dr. Wu from the album Katy Lied.

I am playing it for another reason, but I am also thinking about a particular car I saw when I first moved to San Francisco.  It was a blue Audi 80 or 90, I don't remember which.  The plate was, "KTY LIED."  After about two years the car disappeared and there was no replacement car with the plate, and no replacement car with the plate.

I always wondered whatever happened to the owner of the car.  And wouldn't it be funny if I saw the plate in the Coachella Valley.

I'll keep an eye out.

Cash flow

Somehow, it is finally starting to improve after the beginning of the year.  I wish it would improve faster.

I just need a little more work and I will be happy.  It is a slow process, but I will get through this one.

Anyhoo, I am now pretty sure that I will either split my time or base myself in SD.  Details later.

Anyway, tomorrow it's off to Indio to run one errand and then SD on Thursday to run a few more.

But here is what I really want to talk about - picking your battles.

You see Canadians, French and others are now whining that they were barred from entering the US because they told the immigration people they were going to the Women's March to protest.

Did these people really think a US immigration officer would let someone in the country to protest against the US government?  Sorry.  No nation in their right mind would allow something like that.  It would be like me telling an INM officer in Mexico that I was going in to protest their government.  I would not be let in and rightfully so.

Pick another battle.

See ya tomorrow.

What I am Not Getting Right Now

It is a dark and stormy night.  A guy who is two miles away and housemate wants to have sex with him to the point where he is paying for an Uber to get him to the house because the prey does not have a car.

I don't get it and here are some of the reasons I don't.

• It was a lazy afternoon in Desperate Hot Springs.  I didn't want to deal with the trophy housemate dragged in via Uber from Hemet (I think.)  I chatted someone up.  He shared with me his fantasy.  I was game to play along.  I took a city bus to Palm Springs to go play with him and I had a great time.  Later that evening, I had a second encounter with someone and headed back to downtown Palm Springs on The Buzz Bus.  Yes I was buzzed.  Ultimately I headed back in an Uber only to learn that the trophy was into PnP.  I think I talked about that one before.
• It was a drizzly night, and someone who wanted to sleep with me was in LA at the same time I was.  He asked if I could come over while I was on the 304 Rapid on the way to WeHo.  I said, "Yes," opened up the LA Metro App and altered my trajectory to within a block of his place that was Culver City adjacent.  Two taps of my TAP card later, I was at his place.
• I met up with a friend who occasionally lets me spend the night in his casita in San Diego.  He lives in a neighborhood with restricted parking and offered me a parking pass.  I giggled because I didn't drive there.  I took the Trolley to SDSU and walked the rest of the way.

You get my point.  Also there is an official reason why I keep the driving to a minimum (it keeps the blood pressure down because I have to walk to and from transit stops.)  I don't expect to have to pay to get someone to a first date.

I guess others do, and I have to be serene about it.

More to come.

A post script.  The guy did not show up.  More on that topic later.

Discovery Channel

Not the network, the song.

The refrain is, "You and me baby ain't nothing but mammals, so let's do it like they do it on Discovery Channel."

The first time I heard the song I was with Rick in The Midnight Sun in San Francisco.  It was accompanied by a video of animals doing same.  Prude that he was, Rick dropped his jaw at hearing the song and seeing the video in a bar.

The second time I noted the song was on a bus headed towards beautiful, Hermosillo, Sonora. I gotta first explain that it was obvious that in the driver's heart, disco never died.  He found a station that played this song, and he cranked the volume up and grooved to it on the way to the Hermosillo bus station.  I had a giggle over what Rick would think about that.

And I just heard it and had another laugh at both.

I am blessed for having both experiences.

Switcheroo

I'm self employed, so today is a holiday at my job in honor of the Presidential Inauguration.

I didn't watch it, but noted that the now Former President is on his way to Palm Springs as we speak to go on a brief vacation with friends in Rancho Mirage.  This meant seeing fighter jets on patrol this morning as I went to check my blood pressure.

It also makes me wonder if I will see the Obamas when I trek to Wal Mart.

And the reason for the title.  to make up for lack of a post yesterday, I am posting on a holiday.

On to the next round.

Summertime and the Living Will Be Easy (I Hope)

It now looks as if I will NOT be spending the summer in the Coachella Valley.

Which means I have a summer bucket list that may be ambitious.

It includes:

• Another round of LA Pride
• Another round of Tijuana Pride
• Going to the Del Mar Fair.
• San Diego Pride
• Tie up loose end trip to Guatemala
• Open Pandora's Box in Florida
• Making a decision on where to plant roots

We'll see what gets accomplished.

Did I mention Karma is speaking to me?  An apartment I am interested in in Tijuana advertised it is available on a week to week basis.

In other news, housemate in Coachella Valley figured out who I am interested in having a sexual relationship with.  I think he has a clear idea of what turns me on, and might qualify as a wing man.

So, life is getting better now.  I am happy.  More happiness to come.

Houston Has the Oilers, The Greatest Football Team

We take the ball from goal to goal like no one's ever seen.
In the air and on the ground, we're always in control
'cause when you say the Oilers,
You're talking Super Bowl.

Yes, I know that it apes the Miami Dolphins fight song.

Although I fled Houston, I knew why many Houstonians said, "Go, Oilers;" when Bottom Line Bud Adams announced that he was fleeing to Nashville.  The result is the Tennessee Titans.  The other result is that I had no problem joining the contingent of San Diegans who belted out, "Go, Chargers;" when Mr. Spanos said he was going to move the team to LA and become the LA Chargers.  But that's another story.

One cousin moved to Dallas.

Another cousin married a Cheesehead and got wrapped up in that vortex along with their kids.

I am a recovering Broncomaniac who has officially lapsed.

I had fun today telling the first one that there is always next year, and hoping the other one sees a good result in Seattle next week.

I'll let you know if I get to see the Super Tazon in Mexico.

At the Half Way Point.

Soooo, we are now a little over the half way point.

It has come down to making one of three decisions.

I take up permanent residence in the Coachella Valley

I continue to split my time between the Coachella Valley and San Diego / Tijuana.

I take up permanent residence in San Diego / Tijuana.

Right now the first option is a no go.  I'm having a really hard time making friends out here and that is really not good for me.  The housemate is a good guy as is the dog, but a social life is lacking.

The second option is one of the two reasonable case scenarios left.  I would be willing to pursue it because of the roommate and the dog, but I need some quality time. Also, let's face it.  My sex life is better there than in the Coachella Valley.

The third option wins out on cost and the fact that I am having better sex in that bi national glob I really enjoy being in.

Details and logistics to be worked out over the next six months.

Why I am drinking sparkling wine.

I don't know if this counts as a milestone in a year celebrating milestones, but had Rick lived, this weekend would have been our 25th anniversary.  I was in one of those moods to break out the Spumante and have a glass (or three) to celebrate the milestone.

One person I knew would have probably said, "25 years.  OK one gay year = seven straight years.  OH.  MY.  GOD."

But that was not meant to be, so I am now memorializing both that and the fact this weekend marks 12 years since his mother passed away.  That was a weekend to remember in that Rick's Precious Sister decided to issue the diktat that I was persona non grata at his mom's funeral.  Although no one was surprised, it was still upsetting and set the stage for a truly ugly situation where I had to carry out orders that Precious Sister was not happy with.

But that is another story.  Right now I am reminiscing about this relationship and one other.

The housemate and I went out on Thursday - the anniversary of the Amante's death.  The Uber driver was from - Guatemala.

Talk about Karma.

Catch up part 2

I was only one behind, but here is the post that will have me all caught up.

Seems as if everyone in the house wants to be a completely lazy you know what today.

No one is in the mood to work.  Honestly, I just wanted to stay in bed all day and were it not for the fact that the dog needed to be let outside, I probably would have.  Just a strange day all around.

But now it is time to play catch up and finish stuff that was slowed down during the new year, so here we go at it.

OK, let's start to play catch up.

I realize I am a little behind, so I will start by writing catch up posts.

This is going to be a hard weekend for me.  Two years ago today, I saw my amante dressed up in a cheap suit rosary in hand in an open casket.  It was distressing to see a man I knew for four years and loved for one of them in that state.

Let's face it.  34 is way too young to die.  The sad thing is that looking back, I should have seen it coming in December 2013 when we spent our last night together.  One of the things he said was, "I don't believe in angels anymore."

I responded by saying that I did believe in them, but what I did not believe is that they come down in the form of someone all dressed in white with a halo and wings.  I believed that angels took all forms and could enter the United States from Guatemala illegally.

He cried in my arms and said, "Now I know how much you love me."

I felt he really was my angel sent down to look after me during a rough time.  I was saddened when my angel was taken away and that he was sent off in the way he was.  I cried a lot and drank a lot that night.  It broke my heart that he was dead and I no longer had my angel with me.

I spent a long time thinking about it, and I still miss him terribly.  I also know why it will be my turn to be the angel - I'll be paying something forward.

Oops, missed a day

I'll make it up by double posting.

Right now I am wondering when I will get my Wal Mart gift card.  You see, when I am in the Coachella Valley, I am a Wal Mart frequent flyer.  They have a survey every time I get a receipt and I respond in the hope that I will be successful in the drawing for a gift card.  Yes, I know my purchases are tracked, but I want the gift card.

That said, here is the reason why I am a frequent flyer there.  I'm lazy.  I like one stop shopping for motor oil, and a few bottles of wine like I did on one of my recent trips there.

I also do a lot of shopping at the Wal Mart in Tijuana and in San Diego.  I found that the one in National City is a great place near the doctor's office to grab lunch. The doctor was impressed that they sold decent sandwiches there.

So, I now have to figure out what the next post will be.

While I Wait for an Email

Let's take a moment to celebrate Mercury is going direct right when we approach the first full work week of 2017.

After a slow Holiday Season, things are starting to pick up.  I will be plugging away at writing, editing following up and conference calls before being confronted with another short week.

This year's plan is to work harder at getting more work.  The funny part of my horoscope for 2017 is the prediction that in the next to eight months someone who I would want to be serious about relationship - wise will be in the picture.  It also mentions making a decision on May 25 and expecting results December 3 more or less.

I wonder who the former prediction will play out.  I suspect that Mr. Right will live in San Diego or Tijuana instead of the Coachella Valley as I seem to be doing better making friends there.  Then again, we all know that things play out in their own strange way so who knows what will happen?

Anyway, the email has arrived, and I can pick up where I left off workwise.

Hope your week goes well.

Happy Saturday

Soooo, what do I post about.

Glad I got through another holiday season.

Work going better.

And I realize, I forgot to send out a bill.  Better do that now.

18 Months Later

Wow.

It has been 18 months since Rick passed away.

I really didn't want to work today.  I would have much rather spent time reflecting on the aftermath.

I think I have progressed over the time.  I still think of Rick and miss his perspective on life.  That said, I still haven't planted roots somewhere in SoCal or Baja.  That might be something to work on this year. I think the ultimate determination will be if I can make friends in the Coachella Valley.  I am finding it really hard to do so, and have promised to do a better job of trying.  With that said, I am not burning my San Diego bridges any time soon.

Also, I still reflect on how little I miss San Francisco.  It was a home for a long time and overall a good run.  That said, I am into my new life so much I do not pine for The City.  I also don't scream that I was displaced through gentrification like everyone expects me to.  I now believe it was making the decision to leave San Francisco when Rick died that makes me think this way.  I also think it was a good one in that I am now in a relatively good place.  I could be doing far worse.

That said, I still miss him.  I know he is noticing what is going on in my life and sometimes wonder if he is comparing notes with the amate.

With that said, it's on to the next milestone this year.

Doing The Lido Shuffle Because ...

I saw a really bad piece of performance art.

A colleague of mine performed a song she wrote about doing pirate radio when she was a he.

Good news - she looked fabulous.

Bad news - the performance left a lot to be desired.

I think a little practice will make things better as the stage presence itself was commanding.  But afterwards I enjoyed grooving to Boz Skaggs singing the Lido Shuffle.

Time to Celebrate!!!!

First off, happy 2017.

So far, the year has been good.  I took some time off for R&R and actually went out with my housemate on New Year's Eve.

So, why the title.

Well, in light of a Trumpocolypse, 2017 probably doesn't look good for many.  I am one of those as a Gay Latino widower.

However when politics is put aside, the 30th anniversary of a major milestone in my life is this year.  What is really interesting is while I was in bed with someone a few weeks ago I realized that this year ALSO is the 25th anniversary of another milestone.

So for me, this is a double jubilee year.  I am celebrating accordingly.  I will also document and share this year through almost daily blog posts.  No postings during Shabbat, Yom Tov Days, Yom Kippur or US Holidays.

Here is to a year that is more fun that the past few of them!