Is that I found out it can basically be divided in three parts.
The obvious part is The Strip. To me, it feels like an over the top monument to mass tourism. Nothing but crowds, crowds and more crowds going through an environment that can best be described as artificial. I guess it's fun, but I stayed at another part of Vegas - Downtown.
Downtown is much more intimate. It actually feels like a larger version of Reno. But the vibe of the Fremont Street Experience is actually enjoyable and the light shows and bands are something else. Three stages with either DJs or live bands at night only add to the fun.
And there is the rest of Vegas. I went to where the amante lived and got to see a land of desert and strip malls. He basically lived in a little box on the desert with a bunch of others. It was an interesting trip, and I think the only reason why I did it was because I wanted to see where he lived.
I also concluded Vegas is a nice place to visit (or change planes, but McCarran International Airport is another story for another time) but I think I could not do it alone.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
One other character in my life
Dateline - Las Vegas, NV
This story started about five years ago.
At the time, I had a job in which the only reason why I was working was because I was getting a paycheck, and there was a bar called the Esta Noche in San Francisco where I had a nightcap before I got home.
I met a guy who worked in a Chinese Restaurant in Daly City who joked that he wanted to open one in his native Guatemala. We chatted when we saw each other and exchanged phone numbers, spoke a few times on the phone and that was about it.
I then got a new job and my commute pattern changed, but I did see him on a few occasions and we even has one brief sexual encounter.
He then moved to Las Vegas.
Around Thanksgiving 2013 he was back in San Francisco at the same time Rick's dementia was advancing.
We hung out and got to know each other better and I fell in love with him. He also introduced me to his family on New Years Eve.
He then briefly returned to Las Vegas for a court hearing and afterwards returned to San Francisco. He was toying with the idea of returning, but ultimately decided against it. We got to spend quite a bit of time together during 2014 and, yes, there was a sexual component to the relationship.
Unfortunately for him, he lost his case to stay in the United States, and heavily medicated himself. To make matters worse, he did not take the medications he was supposed to take and passed away in January of this year.
So, why am I writing about having an amante?
It's a long story starting with Rick saying, "You can have a boyfriend if you want to," after admitting to pulling a stunt that was extremely hurtful to myself and others. I don't know what motivated Rick to admit to pulling said stunt, but the admission was shortly before he was initially diagnosed with dementia. He pretty much figured out that what he did was a major dealbreaker, and was engaged in bargaining to keep the relationship going.
With the dementia diagnosis, however, I decided that the right thing to do was be the Anti - Newt Gingrich and be by Rick during a time where he ultimately was unable to take care of himself.
Don't worry, the story will probably develop.
So, why am I in Las Vegas right now.
When he talked about going back to Las Vegas, he asked if I would visit. I always wondered what kind of tour I would get from him, and I guess I'm here to try and figure that one out on my own.
More later.
This story started about five years ago.
At the time, I had a job in which the only reason why I was working was because I was getting a paycheck, and there was a bar called the Esta Noche in San Francisco where I had a nightcap before I got home.
I met a guy who worked in a Chinese Restaurant in Daly City who joked that he wanted to open one in his native Guatemala. We chatted when we saw each other and exchanged phone numbers, spoke a few times on the phone and that was about it.
I then got a new job and my commute pattern changed, but I did see him on a few occasions and we even has one brief sexual encounter.
He then moved to Las Vegas.
Around Thanksgiving 2013 he was back in San Francisco at the same time Rick's dementia was advancing.
We hung out and got to know each other better and I fell in love with him. He also introduced me to his family on New Years Eve.
He then briefly returned to Las Vegas for a court hearing and afterwards returned to San Francisco. He was toying with the idea of returning, but ultimately decided against it. We got to spend quite a bit of time together during 2014 and, yes, there was a sexual component to the relationship.
Unfortunately for him, he lost his case to stay in the United States, and heavily medicated himself. To make matters worse, he did not take the medications he was supposed to take and passed away in January of this year.
So, why am I writing about having an amante?
It's a long story starting with Rick saying, "You can have a boyfriend if you want to," after admitting to pulling a stunt that was extremely hurtful to myself and others. I don't know what motivated Rick to admit to pulling said stunt, but the admission was shortly before he was initially diagnosed with dementia. He pretty much figured out that what he did was a major dealbreaker, and was engaged in bargaining to keep the relationship going.
With the dementia diagnosis, however, I decided that the right thing to do was be the Anti - Newt Gingrich and be by Rick during a time where he ultimately was unable to take care of himself.
Don't worry, the story will probably develop.
So, why am I in Las Vegas right now.
When he talked about going back to Las Vegas, he asked if I would visit. I always wondered what kind of tour I would get from him, and I guess I'm here to try and figure that one out on my own.
More later.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Conversation piece.
One of the things I bought last month before I left was a laptop backpack from Costco.
The bag itself does double duty as a weekend case for my clothes and last night I crossed the border at Otay because I missed the last MTS bus in San Diego headed toward the Iris Avenue Trolley Stop and decided, "What the hell."
A woman noticed the bag and how well I could handle it on my back. I thanked her and then asked for advice on how to get to Centro once I entered Tijuana without spending an arm and a leg. She gave me an earful on how expensive the cabs right at the border are and then the low down on how to get the bus (which I did.)
But I do find it interesting that the laptop bag was the conversation starter.
The bag itself does double duty as a weekend case for my clothes and last night I crossed the border at Otay because I missed the last MTS bus in San Diego headed toward the Iris Avenue Trolley Stop and decided, "What the hell."
A woman noticed the bag and how well I could handle it on my back. I thanked her and then asked for advice on how to get to Centro once I entered Tijuana without spending an arm and a leg. She gave me an earful on how expensive the cabs right at the border are and then the low down on how to get the bus (which I did.)
But I do find it interesting that the laptop bag was the conversation starter.
Friday, August 28, 2015
On not missing San Francisco
While I am waiting for someone to show up for a phone conference, I have a quick second to write.
Yesterday, I discussed not missing San Francisco with my shrink. I find it amazing that after 24 years there, I leave and don't miss it one bit. In fact I am glad to be outta there. Some of it may be the fact that The City has changed a lot since I moved there, but the shrink helped me figure out that one in that my last year there turned out to be a very difficult one dealing with all that went with Rick's strokes, and the fact I had dealt with his dementia for four years. As you may suspect, it was a very rough time and that is probably one of the factors in my not missing San Francisco.
Anyway, I am glad to have gone south even though there is still a housing bugaboo to get over. And that has set me to thinking that because my time is my own and my work portable, I should do some traveling.
That plan is a work in progress.
Yesterday, I discussed not missing San Francisco with my shrink. I find it amazing that after 24 years there, I leave and don't miss it one bit. In fact I am glad to be outta there. Some of it may be the fact that The City has changed a lot since I moved there, but the shrink helped me figure out that one in that my last year there turned out to be a very difficult one dealing with all that went with Rick's strokes, and the fact I had dealt with his dementia for four years. As you may suspect, it was a very rough time and that is probably one of the factors in my not missing San Francisco.
Anyway, I am glad to have gone south even though there is still a housing bugaboo to get over. And that has set me to thinking that because my time is my own and my work portable, I should do some traveling.
That plan is a work in progress.
Monday, August 24, 2015
One Week Later
Last Monday was my last day in San Francisco.
Right after I turned in the rental van that got as much stuff out of my apartment as possible for donations and shipment down to here, I got on the first BART Train out. It headed to Fremont and I picked up the VTA to San Jose and took the Coast Starlight the next morning to LA and the Pacific Surfliner from LA to San Diego.
I'm finally starting to exhale now. Honestly, I don't think I could have stood living in San Francisco for one more day. Anyway, the work space is set up and the storage space is set up. All I need now is to set up a place to live until October when I go to Texas for a reunion and Mexico for a heritage tour.
I am starting to work again, and for the first time in a long while, I am actively soliciting clients. That is a good thing in that I had put it off for so long while Rick was dying.
As I am getting used to my new surroundings, I also shed a few tears while I spent the weekend in Tijuana. I got my Sanborn's fix and had dinner in a really nice Italian restaurant. I think Rick would be jealous if he found out that Saturday, I decided I want to live in a condo or apartment BECAUSE, I don't find any thrill in buying a lawn mower.
Right after I turned in the rental van that got as much stuff out of my apartment as possible for donations and shipment down to here, I got on the first BART Train out. It headed to Fremont and I picked up the VTA to San Jose and took the Coast Starlight the next morning to LA and the Pacific Surfliner from LA to San Diego.
I'm finally starting to exhale now. Honestly, I don't think I could have stood living in San Francisco for one more day. Anyway, the work space is set up and the storage space is set up. All I need now is to set up a place to live until October when I go to Texas for a reunion and Mexico for a heritage tour.
I am starting to work again, and for the first time in a long while, I am actively soliciting clients. That is a good thing in that I had put it off for so long while Rick was dying.
As I am getting used to my new surroundings, I also shed a few tears while I spent the weekend in Tijuana. I got my Sanborn's fix and had dinner in a really nice Italian restaurant. I think Rick would be jealous if he found out that Saturday, I decided I want to live in a condo or apartment BECAUSE, I don't find any thrill in buying a lawn mower.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
33 Hours to Go
Although there is so much to do, the SF Chapter in my life ends in 33 hours.
Although I am looking forward to the next chapter, I am amazed at the amount of work that is left undone. The goal now is to complete as much of it as I can and what I cannot do regarding getting everything out I cannot do. Wish me luck. I need it.
I took a brief trip to San Diego to set up a mailbox. And that leads me to introduce a character in this saga. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Precious Sister. She and Rick basically fought over the course of 68 years over everything. To make matters worse, when he put his order in to do something in San Diego, for some reason she put the kibosh on it and the outings she took him on were things along the lines of buying a lawn mower at Home Depot. I went out last Sunday night and wound up at Rich's where they had (drum roll please) Stripper Circus.
Something tells me Rick would have had more fun at that extravaganza than trolling around Home Depot.
Although I am looking forward to the next chapter, I am amazed at the amount of work that is left undone. The goal now is to complete as much of it as I can and what I cannot do regarding getting everything out I cannot do. Wish me luck. I need it.
I took a brief trip to San Diego to set up a mailbox. And that leads me to introduce a character in this saga. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Precious Sister. She and Rick basically fought over the course of 68 years over everything. To make matters worse, when he put his order in to do something in San Diego, for some reason she put the kibosh on it and the outings she took him on were things along the lines of buying a lawn mower at Home Depot. I went out last Sunday night and wound up at Rich's where they had (drum roll please) Stripper Circus.
Something tells me Rick would have had more fun at that extravaganza than trolling around Home Depot.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
The Switch is On.
As part of my move to San Diego, I cannot take my City Car Share membership with me as they do not serve the area. So I set myself up with Zipcar.
So far, it has worked out well. I have been able to mitigate the higher cost of using Zipcar by getting prepaid cards at my friendly, neighborhood Costco. I also like the wider variety of vehicles available (even though they are a little larger and harder to park -a major consideration in San Francisco.)
Zipcar also has a feature that would drive Rick nuts if he were still around. The phone app does double duty as a key fob, which means it serves as the remote for the car. It happens to be my favorite feature!
And speaking of phones, I still have a land line. The phone attached to it does little more than make a phone call (and that is difficult to find!) Rick always rolled the eyes in the back of his head when I used some kind of app on my phone, and say, "I am taking care of x over the phone." He was expecting some sort of conversation rather than taps of a screen.
That said, he did appreciate it when I could show him pictures of last year's Castro Street Fair which he could not attend due to his recovering from a stroke.
So it's on to finishing going through everything.
So far, it has worked out well. I have been able to mitigate the higher cost of using Zipcar by getting prepaid cards at my friendly, neighborhood Costco. I also like the wider variety of vehicles available (even though they are a little larger and harder to park -a major consideration in San Francisco.)
Zipcar also has a feature that would drive Rick nuts if he were still around. The phone app does double duty as a key fob, which means it serves as the remote for the car. It happens to be my favorite feature!
And speaking of phones, I still have a land line. The phone attached to it does little more than make a phone call (and that is difficult to find!) Rick always rolled the eyes in the back of his head when I used some kind of app on my phone, and say, "I am taking care of x over the phone." He was expecting some sort of conversation rather than taps of a screen.
That said, he did appreciate it when I could show him pictures of last year's Castro Street Fair which he could not attend due to his recovering from a stroke.
So it's on to finishing going through everything.
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