Tag: Brian

Washington D.C. Recap

Posted on by nolageek

Many apologies for not making timely updates throughout the last week – I never really had a chance to sit down long enough to type anything out that made sense. I’m home now… well, I’m at work. I was home long enough to see the kitties and wash my hair before I had to turn around and come up to the office.

This past week was amazing. First thing I have to say is thank you so much to my brother, Michael for getting me the last minute plane ticket. To Brian, Marshall and Julie. You really took a huge load off my mind, watching the cats like you did. Also, thanks to Mike for lending me his camera.

Mad props to my homies.

JustinI haven’t been so happy to spend time with someone in a long time, too long to remember really. Justin and I have probably talked to each other on average of once a day since we met January and being able to hug him again after all this time was such a thrill. It made the 2+ hour plane ride worth every agonizing minute. I’d do it again.

I did so much I don’t think I can remember it all, but I’ll try. If Justin or Alberto can fill in any details please feel free… I have terrible short term memory. (Probably from that one time I smoked pot… that shit’ll eat holes in your brain, I swear.)

Friday night: I got in a day early due to the flight, go me. Justin was at his production of Thoroughly Modern Millie and couldn’t join us. Alberto picked me up from the Airport and brought me to meet his friends at Recessions – an underground (literally) hotel bar near Dupont Circle. I tried not to drink for as long as I could, but his drunken friends John, Andrew and two others (James and his sister?) eventually talked me into a couple of cocktails… plus they were buying. I got home late and slept in.

Saturday: Alberto and I met Justin and Stephanie at the Cherry Blossom Festival, Steph was volunteering there and we had fun watching various displays of Japanese culture and stuff. Martial Arts exhibitions and some Japanese rock bands were present. Very cool. Justin and Stephanie both speak Japanese so Alberto and I each had our own private translator! :)

After the festival Justin had to get ready for the play that evening, and Alberto, Stephanie and I met met their friends for a birthday dinner at some mall restaurant that was very OK. Afterwards we went to see Justin in T.M.M. and we were all completely shocked at how amazing the production was. The sets were incredible, the singing was excellent and Justin looked adorable in his suit and suspenders as he tap danced around the stage. (I’m not sure he knows the extent of my ‘thing’ for suits and ties yet…. heh heh heh) Afterwards we went back to the mall for drinks. We discussed the fact that I’ve been in D.C. for two days and so far I’ve only been to bars and restaurants that were located inside of malls or hotels. Justin pledged to ‘not be as lame as Alberto and Stephanie’ (he was kidding) and he later made good on this promise.

YazuzuCase in point: the next morning Justin and I went to eat lunch at the coolest middle eastern restaurant ever: Yazuzu. The decor is inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 – one of my favorite movies ever and the food was excellent. It was even served on little space-age cafeteria trays!

I highly recommend it. Justin and I agreed that the Pita could use some improvements.. but the owner explained that he has a problem getting a consistent supply from his delivery person and he cant heat it since he doesn’t have an oven. (He heats everything with steam.) Still.. get a microwave maybe?


After that the week was kind of a blur. I visited a few D.C. bike shops, ate all the Ethiopian food I saw, did as much as I could (that time allowed) with Alberto and Justin and managed to sneak in some sightseeing between it all: The Washington and Lincoln Monuments, WW2 and Korea Memorials as well as the Native American, Holocaust and Air and Space Museums.

The metro is incredible – I want to move there just to experience a functional public transit system.


1st Infantry Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Metro

Lincoln Monument

The train ride home took almost 30 hours, as we were delayed by several freight trains. That sucked. Someone stole my toothbrush on the train. My used toothbrush. How nasty is that?

All in all I’m a little sad to be home. It was so nice to see Alberto and everyone again and a relief to know I’m not crazy for feeling the way I do about somone I met in a bar nearly 5 months ago and talk on the phone with on a daily basis. :)

I miss him already.

Justin and Vincent


Family and Friend’s Whereabouts

Posted on by nolageek

Please feel free to use the comments function to update your information here. Don’t put address or phone numbers here. Send them to me and I’ll keep track of them the best I can. Email me for more info.

T = I have a land line for them.

Julie is in Baton Rouge with a bunch of friends at a hotel. (7 humans, 2 cats and a dog in one hotel room!) She’s flying out to Virginia to stay with some friends. T

Jason, his dad, his grandfather, his two dogs and two cats stayed for the storm… they’re on their way out the city, but I’m not sure where to.
update 9/3 Jason et.al are “in Memphis going from hotel room to hotel room. We’ll have a permanent suite on Monday. Permanent. God, that sounds depressing. :P How about temporarily permanent? “

My brother Michael, as of Monday night, was in a hotel in N.O. near the airport that the airline is paying for, but they have no water or power.
update 9/1 Michael is going to Charlotte N.C. for work.

My sister and her husband are going to stay with his family in New Jersey with their dog.
update 9/1 Kay, Johnny and pooch are in New Jersey. T

J A S O N is in a “smoke filled double-wide outside Alexandria”

Stacey and John(?) are staying with parental units in Birmingham, AL. Maybe we can hook up? I love Marshall and Carlos, but it’d be nice to see someone else! :)

Gilya is in Houston, but is moving somewhere else soon. T (hotel number)

I don’t know where David (Brown) is, but I got a text message back from him, so I know he’s alright.
update 9/1 Dennis Lauscha has confirmed via txt message to Marshall that David is OK

Brian (Asbury) went to Indiana to see his parents, doesn’t know when (or even if) he’s coming back. T

Kiki and Mags are ok, but I don’t remember where they are. (sorry!)
update 9/1 Kiki is in Marksville, with her sister. Mags is in Louisville, KY with her gf.

Mark (Grapes) and his kitty are in Baton Rouge with friends.

Gina is in Port Sulfur with Family. T

Debbie and Lloyd are in Baton Rouge with thier cats.

I got texted from Dan, it seemed like he was in the Hotel. I hope he managed to get out.
update 9/1 Dan msged me that he is going to Birmingham or Houston for work.
update 9/3 Dan is going to Birmingham.
Kasey is In Nacotoches with friends (?)

Christopher (Kent) is in Texas with friends.

Mary, Earl and Marc were staying with kay and Johnny in Mississippi but are going somewhere else.
update 9/1 Mary et all were supposedly going to a Redcross Shelter

Jeffery was in Baton Rouge on Sunday and Illinois last night. Guess he’s making his way to Chicago? T
update 9/1 Jeff is still in rural Illinois. “Will stay [there] for home base”

update 9/ 1 Myke Yest is in Florida with his mom.

update 9/1 I heard from Rachelle. She didn’t say where she was.

update 9/1 Patrick Thompson sent me this: “Pallie and I are in Spring Branch, Texas with some friends. We’ve got my mother-in-law, her dog and two cats, and our two cats.” T

update 9/1 Michael Hernandez is in Lafayette. T

I’m not sure what happened to my grandmother… her nursing home was “dry” as of Monday night, but without water I assume they had to evacuate. My mom hasn’t been able to get in touch with them since then.

update 9/1 Brandon is in Jackson, LA.

Updates and whatnot

Posted on by nolageek

Well, it’s been a little over two weeks in my own pad and I’m finally starting to settle down. It was a bit overwhelming for a few days – what with the ending of a relationship, trying to keep my head above financial waters, finding a place, moving stuff over, etc… I’d like to take this time to give a public shout out and thanks to all of my friends, Jason, Carlos, Marshall, Brian, Debbie, Julie, Mark, Alberto, J A S O N, Michael, Lloyd and Brandon (as well as anyone I may have left out!) I really couldn’t have made it without you guys and gals.

I’d like to appologize to the folks at the bike project for not showing up the last few weeks. I have been in a weird zone and have just kinda fell off the planet after work. I will try to make it there soon, I promise. I don’t seem to have any contact number either, so I can’t call. :(

I’m not sure how long it’s taken me since I dont remember when the last time I weighed myself was but it was definately 13 lbs ago. :) Go lean pockets! Go bike riding!

The House is Alive With The Pitter Patter of Tiny Paws

Posted on by nolageek

Ok, so maybe not. The good news is we have a new kitty up in the hizhouse. She’s possibly even Plato’s long lost sister. If not from the same litter, she’s definately from the same ghetto cat that popped Plato out 6 months ago. (Kasey said something about catching ghetto kitty and having her fixed altered so this doesn’t happen again.)

She’s all black and, here’s the bad news, terribly scared. If you’re not actually holding her she’s hiding in some dark corner of the house somewhere. For instance, we found her trapped behind the stove when we got home from work today.

I think she’ll be ok once she realises she’s in a good home. Of course, Plato isn’t making it easy for her to realise that when he constantly bops her on the head as he walks by.

Bad Plato. :)

So we’re trying to figure out what to name her. We both like Lucy – but my friend Brian has a dog named Lucy, and that just seems kind of weird to do. I mean, if we both had pets named Lucy before we met it’d be all cutesy and stuff.. match made in heaven and all.. but to name her that after the fact just seems like I couldn’t think of anything better.

So we’re trying to think of names.

She’s all black and depressed so I’m trying to think of names she reminds me of. I’m leaning towards Wednesday. I think it’s kinda cool in a post-Addam’s Family Movie kinda way.

I’m checking out the Goth Cat Name Generator for some ideas: Nicotina, Vivesection, Decay, Willow, Lucy-Fur (ha!), AlliCat, Muffuletta (??), Entropy, Chaos, I Spit on Your Grave (huh?)

Yeah.. kinda stupid… I mean, Vivesection is a boy’s name!