The iPod Cometh

Whohoo! I just placed an order for my very first iPod! I got the 20GB, fifth generation, color screen one. It'll have my name and cell phone number engraved on the back, too, in case I lose it. I also ordered the workout armband (sorry iRiver 128MB player, I love you, but you're over two years old now, time to upgrade). It should be here in a week!

Now I have to buy a digital camera, and I'll be all set for Argentina!

Well, except for that whole place to stay thing.

Bits & Pieces

I don't think this is going to have a theme, hence the title "Bits and Pieces."

- As I was walking to work on Wednesday morning, a random question crossed my mind: "did I make my car payment in September?" I suddenly started thinking back to the week where I pay all my bills. I honestly couldn't remember executing the electronic check. It was confirmed when I got to work that morning when I had a voice mail from the bank asking me to call them. Yikes! I was embarrassed, since I never, ever forget a bill. I may be late, but I never actually forget. Since I park on the street, though, it'll be tough for the repossession team to find my car if they ever decided to do so. Mwahahaha!

- I found out just a little bit ago that my building has seven floors! I never noticed before; I would have guessed five. Someone told me to go to the sixth floor to find something I needed, and that's how I found out: the elevator buttons.

- It's grey and slightly raining today in DC ... kind of like Seattle or Boston on an average day. Blah!

- I'm going to Charlotte tomorrow for a day o' meetings, then staying that evening on my own expense. Saturday is the wedding of one of my college roommates, so it's nice that I was able to plan my work trip around the wedding and avoid having to buy airfare on my own (which would have meant that I probably wouldn't have gone). I lived with Jeremy for two years, and he's a great guy. He is, however, the one friend that I have that had a little bit of a difficult time with the whole gay thing when I came out. He didn't cut me off, but he was visibly uncomfortable when we hung out the few times after I told him. He and I lived in Atlanta at the same time for three years and never hung out, never spoke a word to each other. I never held any bitter feelings per se, but the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth (since everyone else I knew either supported me immediately or came around very quickly). Still, I knew he was a good person, so I didn't write him off. He and I have kept in touch since then, and once I received the wedding invitation, I wanted to try my best to attend.

I've missed the weddings of lots of college friends ... most actually, mainly due to conflicts ... and that's something that I regret. My other college roommate, Ben, who I adored and still think highly of, had his wedding scheduled for the same weekend as Emory's alumni weekend last year. A colleague's daughter was graduating from medical school the same weekend, so her reason for being absent trumped mine. I had planned on attending my friend Rich's wedding in NC, but then they decided fairly last-minute to have a small ceremony at someone's home. They also moved the wedding to Memorial Day weekend, when I already had a trip planned with other friends. I couldn't really cancel my trip without tremendous expense and disappointment, so I missed the wedding. A couple of friends have gotten married in far-flung locations (way upstate New York, outer Cape Cod at the hight of tourist season), and at the time I didn't have the money to attend. I think they understood, but still, I felt bad.

-I leave for Argentina in about a month, so I have got to get some accomodations booked. I'm going to lease a furnished apartment for a week, which will cost me less than a motel room and also provide a kitchen. I can rent a studio in a nice 'hood there for $200/week. How about that? The reservation process is a bit weird, though. None of the leasing companies take credit cards, you have to send your deposit via Western Union (which I have never used before), and then pay the balance upon arrival in U.S. dollars. I'm sure it's legit, as I have a friend who's done the same thing before, but still, I'm so used to booking things online and using my AMEX. I know, I'm just a spoiled American!

I've decided to stay in Buenos Aires all week instead of splitting my time with the wine country. That'll save me $250 for a roundtrip plane ticket to Mendoza, plus I can be leisurely in B.A. I can always take a ferry over to Uruguay for the day if I decide that I want a day out of the city. Though I've been told that I could easily spend a week in B.A. and not get bored. I'll be content just wondering the barrios and watching people live their lives; I'm not much for touristy stuff, anyway. Though I will go to some of the requisite sights, sinc it'll be my first time in town.

-UGH, San Francisco alumni, write me back!!!! I've sent a bunch of emails to them trying to book appointments for my four-day work trip, but they are quite sluggish to respond. I need 12 appointments to justify the trip, and right now I only have three. At this rate, I'm going to have to spend a day or two in Silicon Valley to make the trip worthwhile, and I don't want to have to rent a car and/or change hotels. Plus, Whit will be with me, and it'll be much better for her to hang out in the city all day instead of in the suburban office park world of Silicon Valley. We'll see what I figure out.

Okay, enough randomness for now.

No Pain, No Gain

Whew! I'm sore and tired from the gym this week, and it's just Wednesday. I ran for the first time in months on Monday afternoon, though I did run on a treadmill. My foot did just fine, though my knees felt tired on Tuesday. Hopefully I'll be ready to run outside before too long (once I buy new running shoes). Yesterday I had to struggle to get through my weights workout; I was a little surprised, but not shocked given the fact that I'd been gone to L.A. for a week without access to anything but cardio equipment.

It's also been a struggle to stay fouced on my workout since the blonde bombshell has come back to town. There's a guy who typically works out at the same time of day that I do. To say that this guy is attractive is a little bit of an understatement. Even Jamie, when he came to visit, said that he was "hot to the point of being distracting," which is an accurate description. Thanks to a little research (via the student facebook and online resources), I have learned that he is, in fact, a graduate student, either three or four years younger than I am (I can't remember exactly), and family (as I had presumed). I've seen him outside the gym a few times, and he's even a preppy dresser! Of course, he hasn't once looked my way, but then he doesn't really chat it up with or look at anyone. I have always eschewed the notion that I couldn't date someone because they were "too pretty;" however, I may have found my first candidate. So, blonde bombshell, if you're reading this blog, email me!!!

I spotted another lust object at the gym yesterday for the first time. This guy looks vaguely like the guy who played the brother of the main gay character in Six Feet Under (I didn't watch the show, so I don't know anyone's name). Only slimmer and hotter. He's probably 6'2" - 6'3", brunette, quite toned, and has a slight sprinkling of grey hairs on the sides and back of his head. Without the greys I'd think he was a couple years younger than me, but the grey may place him to be my age or a couple of years older. Unless he's one of those early greyers. He was dressed pretty cutely (state themed faux-vintage t-shirt and non-baggy blue shorts), almost too cutely to be straight, but then it's always hard to tell in gym clothes. Plus, I haven't been watching him for months like I have the blonde bombshell. Still, if I see this guy again, I'll have to name him ... he's that hot. Plus he wasn't dressed like a Beastie Boy or one of the Gotti kids. Score!

Roll With Me Henry

Suddenly, and inexplicably, I have developed a craving for sushi. I first had sushi roughly five years ago on a business trip, but only tolerated it. I didn't hate it, per se, but it was certainly not something that I was going to order or pay for on my own. If it was served to me at a party, fine, but that's about it. In subsequent years I have eaten it from time to time, but never really thought, "damn, this is some great shit, I need to eat this more often." I've gotten regular grocery store sushi, Whole Foods sushi, non-sushi-restaurant sushi, and japanese restaurant sushi. Suddenly, once I touched down in L.A., I thought, "hmm, I could go for something light. Let's try some random sushi place." The place I randomly chose in Silverlake on Hyperion Ave was so good and fresh that I had to have it again. And in a move akin to Mexican food, I actually ate sushi for both lunch and dinner tonight. The place I ate at tonight, Sushi Mac on Sawtelle Ave, was essentially a bare-bones sushi place where all items were $2.50 each. Cash only. Canned/bottled beverages. No booze. There wasn't a huge amount of variety, but everything was fresh and very well done. I had spicy California rolls, eel rolls, scallop rolls, and California rolls topped with a little shrimp tempura. All great ... I especially like the crunch of the tempura. It reminds me of when I used to get the crunchy eel rolls from Publix when I lived in Atlanta.

L.A. has a sushi place on nearly every corner. They're like nail salons in Atlanta or shitty overpriced restaurants in DC ... you can't miss them. In DC's Union Station's foodcourt there is a sushi place that is always busy. Now I may have yet another option for lunch near my office! Goooooo SUSHI! Go, Fight Win!

The Name's Taylor, Not John

So I'm out here in L.A. ... did you see me in the audience at the Emmys last night? Yeah, I didn't think so. I didn't even watch the coverage, but I did make damn sure to stay away from the area around the Shrine Auditorium yesterday.

I flew out a day early for a little fun and relaxation. I don't know why, but I had a hard time sleeping Friday night in anticipation for my Saturday morning flight. It was kind of like Christmas Eve ... weird. I guess b/c I haven't traveled as much for work recently, and I haven't been to California for a while.

You know, God bless Los Angeles. I know it gets a bad rap from a lot of people, and it certainly isn't the prettiest city in the country, but damn, it's just cool and has a great vibe. It's also quite dynamic from 'hood to 'hood. Sometimes I think I'm in a Latin American country when I'm here, as everything in certain neighborhoods is written in Spanish. Sometimes it feels more Asian, with some neighborhood signs written in an alphabet that I cannot discern. It's got bling-bling, hipsters, surfers, rockers, ghetto, glam, and even senior citizens. Plus, as a fan of mid-century architecture and style, L.A. has an overabundance of vestiges of this time period. Art deco which pre-dates WWII, too.

So ... Friday night I go out. First to Akbar in Silverlake. If Little Five Points in Atlanta had a gay bar, this would be it. Total rockstar types cavorting around in here mixed in with some hipsters and regular California types. Fun, though. I then made my way to another part of the same neighborhood to Faultline. I gather that this is normally a leather bar, but that particular evening there was a special theme night of your typical indie/britpop/old school music lineup that has emerged to counter the typical gay-boy dancey-dance music that's out there in abundance (and I love, I might add; I like both types quite well). The crowd was akin to one at the Heretic for those Atlantans who have been there (yes, Victoria, you, too). There was a guy dressed like Anthony Kiedis in the later years up on a stage lip synching to all the music ... very interesting. I did have a first that night. Two actually. I met my first bartender that I actually tipped extra for simply on looks. Wow ... this guy was smokin' hot ... face, bod, mojo, he had it all. It also didn't hurt that all he was wearing was a black jock strap and black leather boots, so the body thing was pretty easy to confirm.

So I'm hanging out, talking to a few randoms, and this guy and I make contact and begin talking. He's cute, roughly my age, dressed like me, etc. We talk for about 20 minutes. I even buy him a drink. Soon thereafter he asks, "so, do you have an expense account when you travel?" Expense account? Who asks that? I reply, "I work for a university, what do you think?" It turns out this guy is a fo' real 'HO! A hooker! A hustler! A gigalo! Excuse me, a "masseuse" (or "model," right Whit?). I had met another one of his friends a few minutes ago, and it turns out that they share the same occupation. "Do you think I look like the kind of person that needs to pay for sex? Yeah, I don't do that," I reply. It was like a switch was flipped, and his interest in me quickly abated. At first I was pissed at myself, thinking that I missed some sort of warning sign that I was talking to a workin' girl. How could I have wasted so much time talking to a whore when I could have been talking to someoene else? But then, that feeling quickly morphed to some sort of humor, like a "this is one for the books" kind of humor. Ugh, I bought a drink for a prostitute! At least it was just a Miller Lite.

An Entry From Home

I'm blogging less and less from home, probably because I'm not home that much. I didn't get home tonight until 9:45, and I came straight from the gym, where I came straight after work. I went long at the gym, but I did a great weights workout PLUS I did 30 mins on the elliptical machine. I don't normally do cardio when I do a longer weights workout because I'm too wiped, but I made myself. After all, if I can lose ten pounds right around my middle, I'll be looking really fly. I can pull off my new Penguin trousers (they don't have beltloops and fit very slim-ly), but if I ditch 10 on the scale, then I'll be quite happy. Of course, that takes discipline not just in the gym, but with what/how much I eat (tougher). Tonight I had a little bit of light shredded cheese with my freshly-made salsa and Whole Foods chips. That was it. I didn't eat anything else. I wouldn't consider that very healthy except for the fact that just two days ago the salsa was fresh ingredients. Sooo ... it's kind of like eating a salad, right (chips nonwithstanding)? Still, I'm trying to eat less per meal (which is VERY tough).

Since I was trying to post a pic of me and Jamie on Monday and had to settle for Peaches & Herb, I decided I'd make good and post one. This is the the most recent one that I can find, which is of me, Victoria, and Jamie at Grant Central Pizza in the East Atlanta Village back in December, 2004, just before I moved to DC:

Wind Beneath My Wing

I have a new obsession, at least for the next 24 hours. One of the blogs that I read from time to time had a link to a website for a lady named Wing. She apparently is a Chinese immigrant to New Zealand, and apparently she has decided to pursue a career in music. I don't know how long she's been in the biz, but she's got several albums out. You can preview a few songs per month on her website, http://www.wingtunes.com/.

Do so, right now.

I have ascertained that this is real. I didn't want to believe it at first, but I think it's actually the real deal. Apparently she's so famous (in some circles) that she was featured in an episode of South Park earlier this year, when some of the boys decided to start their own talent agency. Folks, this is like a vocal train wreck: you just can't stop listening to it.

Keeping with my tendency to go overboard and obsess when I find something with which I am fascinated, I have found another website that features even more mp3 clips of her songs: http://www.smokecds.com/cd/36764.

Go listen to some, right now.

Apparently, she has a thing for Mariah Carey songs. I've listened to "Hero," "Dreamlover," "Vision of Love," and "Endless Love" (presumably the remake by Luther Vandross and Mariah, not the original by Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross, though, admittedly, it's hard to tell). One thing I can't figure out is why "Vision of Love" is featured on her Christmas carols album. I guess that's why she's in the entertaiment business, and I'm not.

As she only plays in rest homes and hospitals in New Zealand, I suppose I'm doomed never to hear this Kiwi songbird.

OMG ... she even has an entry in Wikipedia!: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_(Singer). I have GOT to find her single of Highway to Hell ...

Reunited, and it Feels So Good

Jamie came this weekend, and it was like old times; as Forrest Gump would say, "we was like peas and carrots!" The really nice weather was a good backdrop for the weekend. (I couldn't find a pic of me and Jamie on my work PC, so Peaches & Herb will have to do.)

I had to work Friday, but I took off around 2:00 (since my boss left at noon for the day). Friday evening was fun; we went to Hamburger Mary's for dinner (since it's just around the corner from my house), drank at the house, then went to Chord's birthday party at Local 16 before stops at JRs and Halo. Halo's ground-floor addition opened up on Friday night; I had no idea it was going to be until I got there. It's really pretty and blends in well with the upstairs. Highlights of the evening: some guy walked up to Jamie and started making out with him at JRs, then just walked away; Jamie also befriended an acquaintence of mine named David (and by befriended, I mean, they made out in the bar and then "went for a walk"). I did my normal chatting and roaming routine. I do have a new phone number under "dialed numbers" with a MD area code, but fuck if I know who's it is. I went home and passed out, so when Jamie tried to get in the building, I didn't hear the phone ring. Fortunately, David housed him for the evening.

Saturday was the Clemson/Maryland game; my first trip to Byrd Stadium and Jamie's third. We took Metro out there, and it honestly was easier than I had imagined it to be. The game was pretty sloppy, but Clemson pulled it out in the end. Saturday night we went to Banana Café on Barracks Row (quickly becoming one of my favorite places to eat in DC), watched some football at the house, and paid another trip to Halo. A much more tame and scandal-free night.

Sunday was a sad day, since Jamie had to leave on a noon flight from National. After I dropped him off, I decided to pay a visit to the outlet mall in Leesburg, convinced that high-end outlet shopping would brighten my day. It did help, a little ... cool, plaid Penguin pants and a DKNY t-shirt from the Saks outlet, tan suede loafers from Kenneth Cole outlet, and some plain fitting v-neck t's from Calvin Klein. Topping it all off was lunch at the Bell (it's amazing how my life is filled with such contrasts).

I didn't have much to do on Sunday afternoon, and I started feeling less than fabulous. I missed Jamie so much after our short, but wonderful, time together. I have been fortunate to meet a lot of people here in DC since I have moved here. I argueably know as many people here now as I did in Atlanta after 5.5 yrs since I've been much more socially aggressive and assertive here; however, I don't feel that sense of closeness with anyone here yet. While I know that the friends that I have made are good people, I still very much feel like an outsider looking in. Replying calls/texts are not top priority with my DC friends, and I haven't quite reached the comfort level with any of them where I can just call them up randomly and invite them to do ... nothing. That's something I miss about my friends in Atlanta; being able to just hang out and enjoy each other's company without having to have any set plans. We'd just lie around, crack jokes, make fun of people/things on TV or in movies, and make even the most mundane errands enjoyable. Granted, it took a solid two years before I had even a semblance of comfort with my friendships in Atlanta, and I'm way ahead of the game in DC when comparing the two experiences.

I don't know, I guess I'm just feeling a little blue. Very few good things in life come without any sacrifices; I knew that I'd be sacrificing the harmony of my personal life, at least in the short term, to advance my career. I have been quite fortunate to have the opportunity to have such an interesting job. The longer that I've been at G'town, then happier that I have become in this job. I really need to stay here for four more years so that I can see through relationships that I am building with specific alumni (as well as to become vested in my retirement benefits). Unless I'm completely miserable in my personal life, then I'm likely to not leave until the end of the decade (GOD, that sounds so far off!). Hopefully my friendships here will move to the next level sometime soon.

At least I have a trip to Atlanta planned for the weekend of Sept. 24 ... yippee!

Bad Taylor

I had a horrible lunch today ... cajun chicken tenders and fries at the Irish Times down the street from my office. It was good, and the weather was perfect, though (my colleague Ely and I sat outside). At least I've had two strong cardio workouts this week ... and I'll try my best to find a salad with my name on it tonight for dinner.

Jamie gets here in just a little bit! I told him to come to the office from the airport so I can show him where I work and introduce me to a few of my co-workers. We can also work out after I'm done for the day ... lord knows I need to do so today.

The Visual

This is the picture that was supposed to go with the previous entry, but Blogger wasn't cooperating. So here it is.

I'm the tallest boy, and my cousin Laura is the girl. My friends Trey and Josh are in the pic.

Let's see, Trey is a recruiter for the Army in the SC Midlands, Josh works for a bank in Nashville and writes country music, Laura is a police officer in Greenville, and me, well, I'm "fundraiser to the stars" ... amazing where life takes us all.

My Blood Runneth Orange ...

The weather here in DC has been quite enjoyable over the past several days. The humidity is down, the temps are warm (not hot), and the nights are mild ... almost cool. I seriously get excited when I walk out of my building and feel the cooler, dry air envelop me as I embark to wherever I am going. It means fall is coming. Fall is tied with Spring as my favorite season. I honestly cannot say that I prefer one season over the other. I've thought it over numerous times (ususally prodded by some self-survey circulated to me via email), but the fragrant air and energizing warmth that comes with spring are just as enjoyable as the soothing cool and warm smells that are ushered in with autumn. Granted, living in a new city in a new part of the country could change the dynamic of the seasons, but only time will tell. DC's spring was nice and pleasant, and I have every reason to believe that fall should be just as enjoyable. If this recent weather is any indication, then thumbs up so far!

The turn from August to September also signals the start of yet another college football season! Yee-haw! College football is argueably the only sport about which I get excited. Why college and not NFL? I don't know exactly. College football offers a special kind of team spirit, pageantry, allegiance, and cameraderie that I've just not found to be present in the pro world. Of course, I'm a son of the South, where college sports rule. Years ago the only pro teams were in Atlanta, and even those teams where latecomers in the world of sports. Years before the Braves moved to Atlanta and the Hawks and Falcons franchises were created, fans cheered heartily for ACC, SEC, and Southern Conference schools. Even after pro sports took up residence in the South, the teams were dreadfully bad.

My relationship with college football is a bit different than some other peoples. I grew up only 30 miles from the campus of Clemson University, and my father attended Clemson. My dad is a big sports fan, so naturally I had a lot of exposure to sports growing up, despite not being overly interested in personally participating. As young children, my cousins Laura and Jennifer would join me on Saturdays at our grandparents' house while our parents went to the games. We would wear our bright orange Oshkosh overalls every gameday, too (orange overalls can occasionally be seen on grown men attending Clemson games to this day). As we got older, we were allowed to attend the games ourselves, and there was hardly a Clemson home game that I missed from the age of 11 to 17. I even made it to a few of their bowl games, too, which were always a lot of fun.

When it came time to go to college, though, I felt the need to need to "go away" to college rather than stay close to home. That's what ultimately led me to Wake Forest. However, my heart still stayed with Clemson, and I have since found many ways to maintain a close bond with the school (many of my closest friends are graduates of Clemson), and I am still a die-hard Clemson football fan (cheering against them only when they play Wake, and even that's not a guarantee depending on what's on the line for both teams).

However, this is my first football season living outside the South, and that fact reared its ugly head this weekend. Clemson was hosting Texas A&M in its first game of the season. It was supposed to be a great game, and it was to be televised at 8:00pm on Saturday. I had a party to go to that night, but it wasn't until later. I turn on the TV, and what do I find? Notre Dame at Pitt!!!! AARGH!!! It's regional coverage, and, of course, Notre Dame and Pitt are going to be a bigger draw locally than Clemson and Texas A&M (don't get me started on Notre Dame and their undeserved attention). I checked in on the game at my party, but I didn't get a chance to know the final outcome until I woke up Sunday morning to see that Clemson won with a field goal at the 0:02 mark in the fourth quarter. What a great game! Now I just have to worry about what other great games I'll miss this year thanks to my 20005 ZIP code.

Not this weekend, though! Jamie is coming up, and we have tickets to the Clemson at Maryland game! Yippee!