Book of Jamez

55 y/o malcontent, something of a writer

Category: Vacation

  • Never Quite What I Expected

    This was quite possibly the oddest year I’ve ever had. I started out the year surrounded by a host of friends supporting me during a small crisis and ended up the year with a host of friends surrounding me during a major crisis. I’ve been very fortunate to have such good friends, family and mentors in my life… and this year it paid off.

    First, the list of Favorite Things of 2008
    Movie: The Dark Knight (Heath Ledger was spectacular and it was a great comic book story)
    Album: Evolver (John Legend) – if you buy any album this year, buy this one
    Video Game: World of Warcraft – Wrath of the Litch King (I am getting a bit bored with the game, it’s been my favorite for 4 or 5 years now)
    TV Show: CSI – lots of changes over at CSI this year, not sure if I’ll like it after all the changes are done but I’m trying to remain open minded.
    Airline: Northwest/Delta – the way they helped me in November was just beyond what I expected – Kudos to them
    Coffee Pot: I got a new one, Cuisinart and it’s the best.. I bought one for Lisa it’s that good
    Gadget: Kindle – electronic books I love this thing and I have a ton of books on it.
    Web page: Facebook – dang this thing is addicting and fun

    As per usual, every Sunday morning if we are in DC – Mark, Robert and i have breakfast somewhere before our Sunday meeting. Annie’s changed their menu this fall so we are currently looking for a new place to eat – we may have found one after much searching.

    I started out the year following up on quitting my job, I had made the decision to quit back in November of 07, and events that happened in December just made me want to hurry out that much sooner. I gave notice, a months notice and told them I’d be happy to help them out for a while until my replacement was settled in. Then I was fired the following week (yes Gary fired). They locked me out of my work station and wiped my Blackberry clean. I was resentful for a while, but most of it got out in my blog and I felt better.

    Jim DiLuigi (who was also fired, but in December) and I wasted no time, but started up Access-Ability Consultants, Inc and have been working steadily since. Its a nice arrangement and we have a lot of fun. This year we made a profit, so that’s a very good thing. We have lots of very busy days and lots of days where we have time for Charlie to send jokes or to find cheap things for Jim to buy at Heartland America. Jim is the Treasurer for Historic Takoma which provides plenty of work for both of us, but doesn’t actually pay the bills 😉

    One of the nicer things about working with Jim is his family. As a result of the new company I’ve been fortunate to get to know some very special people better than I had a chance to know them before: Ana Maria, Lisa (and Rankine), David (and Regina), Mark (and Kate) and Jim’s Mom and brother as well. I will let you know that it got a little tense during some of the political circus this year as the DiLuigi family are not all the same political party… it was fun to see some of the back and forth banter.

    I’ve tried dating this year, been on several dates with several men … yes, JUST dates. There have been some promising candidates, but I’m not going to settle for less than I deserve, why would I want to. I’m still looking and its been a lot of fun. wish me luck.

    The cats (Q and Mouse) are fine, though Q has some kind of psychological disorder – or i assume so cause the Xrays found nothing ($338 later) to tell why he wont poop in the box.

    This was a high school year, not just the faux high school reunion, I also spent time with Eric and Kelly here in DC, and then Eric and I had a great weekend at the Renaissance Fair and Baltimore this fall. Ted, Eric, Rick, Jeff, Tim… hell a ton of folks are on Facebook, so I know what’s going on in their daily lives.

    I took several trips this year.

    In April Suzanne and I spent a weekend in NY (NJ and NY really) and besides someone breaking into her car (they didn’t steal anything, and the Ipod I had bought her for Christmas was in the Jeep – we think they were looking for the GPS) we had a great time. I saw my first play on Broadway – Young Frankenstein. I heard alot about Paul (Suzanne’s fiance) this weekend, but I didn’t get a chance to meet him until December. Suzanne’s dog Destiny had been very old at this point and Suzanne had her put to sleep, it was sad.

    In May I took a trip for my AA birthday (14) I went to Ft Lauderdale, but didn’t have quite as much fun as I normally do (read what you want into that).

    In June I took my first trip to Wisconsin for Scooters going away party. He graduated high school and took off for basic training. It’s always nice to spend time with Pat and Brenda and I, of course drove down to see Ma, Pa and Rhonda in Galesville and also visited Jim’s daughter in Nashville – that was very enjoyable it was nice to spend time with Lisa, her husband Rankine and their dogs Daisy and Buddy. so of course I missed gay pride in DC again… nothing new there.

    In July I took another trip to WI, this time for my pseudo 20 year reunion. Just a few of us decided to meet up and reminisce. It was a trip to see Rosy, Ted, Eric and Jen again. I hope we do it often. It was very nice and I stayed at Ma and Pa’s for 4 days I think. I got back and the next night went to see George Michael perform at the Verizon Center with Mark and Robert – I don’t much care for concerts so that’ll likely be my last one.

    In August, Pat, Brenda and Anna (Scooters girlfriend) came to DC to visit Scooter after Basic and then make me play tour guide… they had fun torturing me. In August a friend, John Dunn, died, it was sudden, unexpected and sad. He was one of the nicest people I ever met here in DC, he was mourned by many across the area.

    In October Jim and I finalized plans to take a trip to Cancun in November, I invited my good friend Brenda to go with me and then gave her a hard time every other day. One day I called and told her that the passport number she gave me was listed as invalid… she turned the car around and headed home… then I told her I was fibbin… she swore then. lol

    So of course the day my Pa died in November (15th) I called her as she was about to board the commuter plane to come to DC for the trip to Cancun and at first she didn’t believe me … don’t cry wolf.

    My Pa dying was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to live through. I cried like I had never cried before and I still miss him. I hope that I will always miss him. I get teary and sad off an on since I found out. I don’t really want to talk about it here… again… I miss my Pa. I am trying to be a better son, trying to be a better brother by staying more in touch with Ma and Rhonda… and as a result I’m trying to be a healthier person also. I had so much support from friends when this happened, and I am so very grateful that they were there and I hope I can be there for them if a similar situation occurs.

    In December I spent 5 days for my birthday in San Diego, exploring, playing tourist and relaxing. It was the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to go back.

    The weekend before Christmas I went to Suzanne’s, met her fiance Paul and her new dog Farley. We had a lovely visit.

    That was my year, it went by entirely too fast, but overall it was a good year. The people (salads and dogs) that have moved on this year made me into the person I am today – which is a good thing.

    If you want to know full on details about anything that was written above, try looking at my blog: http://mrjamezq.blogspot.com almost everything that happened this year to me was documented.

    I hope you all have a lovely year and I hope that I may get to share just a tiny fraction of yours with you.

    love

    jamez

  • VA Beach Visit

    This weekend I returned to Virginia Beach to visit Suzanne, meet her fiance (Paul), and her new dog (Farley). I took the long way there – Jim and I drove up to New Jersey to get his mother and brother for their holiday weekend, and then dropped me off just in time at the BWI airport. This was my first visit back to the Virginia Beach area since I moved back to DC in the summer of 2006.

    When I arrived in Norfolk Suzanne and Farley were there to greet me, it was nice to meet the dog I’ve heard so much about, he’s an adorable English Bulldog. He was enamored with me immediately, proceeded to make love to my leg in the car on the way to Suzanne’s house. That was the most action I’d seen in a while.

    When we arrived at the house the music was blasting and Paul was upstairs finishing getting ready for dinner. When he came downstairs I saw that he is one of those individuals that doesn’t photograph well: he’s cuter than he looks in the pictures Suzanne has shared with me in the past.

    We headed off to dinner at a mexican restaurant where Suzanne and I used to eat pretty regularly. We were joined by Rodney (an friend from the rooms), his new girlfriend (who’s name I can’t recall) and one of Suzannes sponsee – Jennifer B I think. Dinner was nice, lots of conversation and laughter. Then Suzanne, Paul and I headed to a meeting – Paul’s not an alcoholic, but he plays with them in the Navy – the meeting was open so he was free to attend. It was a good meeting on step 8 and I’m glad we were there.

    Saturday morning when S&P went off to try to kill themselves in a body step class (Suzanne is the instructor) I watched cartoons and tried to fend off Farley’s advances, he’s a very insistent lover. When S&P returned we went off to have a quick lunch and then… shopping at the mall. The shopping wasn’t as bad as I feared, not too crowded so maybe there is something to this recession thing.

    Saturday evening we had dinner at Carrabba’s cause I love their spicy chicken soup, and then headed out to see Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, we laughed alot and I grabbed a new tag line for the holiday’s:

    You can’t spell families without lies.

    Sunday was mostly uneventful, I said farewell to Farley, Suzanne and I got manicures and then I came home.

    It was a nice, relaxing weekend and I’m glad I had the chance to meet Paul and Farley.

  • My San Diego Adventure

    I had a great time.

    Oh, you need more… hmmm.

    The flight was uneventful, I did get to upgrade to first class for a small fee, and afterward I couldn’t tell you that there is a difference on US Airways between First and Coach, perhaps they ignore completely the folks in Coach and only slightly ignore those of us in first class… I’m not sure.

    This was my first trip to San Diego, and flying into the city was a breathtaking experience. As we approached and the outskirts of the city became visible to me, there were about 7 folks parachuting into the mountain area there – as they were there our plane was restricted from being low enough for an approach to land to actually be ok, so we had to fly out over the ocean and come back around – which pleased me as I got to see the city from above twice and just loved it.

    My hotel, The Park Manor Suites, was just a short cab ride from the airport and very inexpensive. I arrived at my hotel around 12:30 p.m., checked in and headed out almost immediately to see what I could find. (I forgot I actually went to the penthouse of the hotel where they have a restaurant, and had a burger quickly.)

    I walked to Balboa Park and just wandered around exploring the area, so much to see there (museums, architecture, views of downtown, muscular men in shorts jogging… ). I discovered that walking to the zoo on Thursday was going to be the cheapest way to go, and I discovered that they have a holiday light event (Balboa Park Holiday Nights) which would mean I had no intention of sifting through crowds of foolish merriment.

    My intention was to go to a meeting on Wednesday night, but I fell asleep in my room around 6 p.m. and woke around 5 a.m. the next morning. Oh well, we all know what the road to hell is paved with.

    Thursday after drinking coffee in my room I went upstairs to the penthouse for a continental breakfast and then headed out to the zoo. The San Diego Zoo was just amazing, and I was there almost as soon as it opened to the public that day. There were not too many screaming children, nor too many people at all, I may have had the best day to go. I immediately found the Pandas and then found my way to the overhead tram…. I quickly discovered that I have a small fear of heights, but I said a quick prayer (“God, please remove the fear.”) and its not like they could have gotten me off the damn thing once it started… To foolishly confront my fear, I went on the tram again later… had to say the same prayer again too. I had a great time at the zoo, it was a spectacular day.

    On my way back from the zoo, I headed to the San Diego Air and Space Museum. I had heard someone (either in the park, the hotel or the zoo) mention something about a Star Trek Exhibit, so I wanted to be sure to check it out. It was very cool, I did simulators of a Starfleet shuttle, got beamed up and just had a very geeky time.

    That evening I had dinner at the hotel. I didn’t really care for it, but I know people that like sauces and weird food probably would enjoy the restaurant there (that would more than likely be the rest of the planet). I just wanted a good steak, and I didn’t find one… (not the whole trip, but I didn’t do a search on the net for one, next visit I’ll do better research).

    Friday I took a trolley tour (no not a real trolley, one of those buses that looks like a trolley) of the city and did a lot of shopping. I loved Sea Port Village, got a close look at some hotels I’ve only ever seen in reports (the Marriott, the Sheraton… ) and just had a pleasant walk. The “boardwalk” stroll was nice on Friday, the weather was very cooperative to my enjoying the sun and calling friends in the midwest where it snowed.

    Friday night at the hotel they have a very popular happy hour on the penthouse. I attended, but soon felt uncomfortable and left. I don’t like bars. So, no I couldn’t tell you how any of the San Diego bars were, as I didn’t go… I had considered going to the Eagle, but soon remembered that I left my boots in DC and didn’t want to go without my boots (I’m weird, yes… we know).

    Saturday (my birthday) I had a few things in mind: facial, shopping, nap… yes, I’m easy to please. I also managed to go to the Balboa Theater to see the San Diego Men’s Chorus do their holiday show. They had a special guest from American Idol, but I didn’t know her, Paris Bennet. 

    Sunday I took a Hornblower Cruise of the San Diego bay. It was great, I spent two hours on a boat touring and loved it. 
    Monday I had breakfast at the Hash House A Go Go, again (I had eaten there almost every day for breakfast – huge portions) and then went off to the air port to go home.  Monday was an uneventful day, but I still relaxed and enjoyed it…
    until, while on the plane, I spilled scalding hot coffee on myself, oh well…

  • The 20 Year Dinner

    Wow, it was nice to see the old friends who made it. I had a great time. Rosy, Eric, Ted, and Mark all made it. Rich and Brad had things come up that didn’t allow them to come. It was a nice dinner, filled with old stories, old friends and good food.

    I really hope we have a chance to do this again next year and every year there after.

  • My First Trip to Nashville

    Note that I mention “first” as I plan to go back.

    We left from BWI bright and early on Southwest (my first time on Southwest also, was fine) and landed in Nashville around 8:25 or so. Lisa took us to breakfast at the Pancake Pantry (a must visit for breakfast lines around the block to get in and well worth it).

    We then walked around a park … not that I remember the name of the park, but it was pretty and a nice walk. There was also a arts and crafts type thing there that we browsed for a while.

    Lisa and Rankine’s house is beautiful, and I loved meeting their dogs (Daisy and Buddy) who also apparently loved me (tons of kisses from dogs – don’t tell my cats). We hung out for a bit, unpacked and freshened up.

    For dinner we headed to a local restaurant and Ray Stevens (Country Music comedian/star) came in after us that was kind of neat.

    Then it was off to downtown Nashville, we went to the famous bars behind the old Grand Old Opry (I hear there is a Grand NEW Opry, but I don’t think anyone pointed it out to me.

    Then it was off the the Bluebird Cafe for song writers night, Leeroy Parnel was there and some other people… very cool.

    work is in the way right now… I’ll write more later

  • The Day From Hell

    Actually, I think it started last night with a serious headache that had me in bed asleep at 9:30… it only got worse from there.

    I went to the office like normal, and grabbed the mail to take directly to the Post Office, on my way I realized I needed cash from the Bank of America ATM which is on the OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET…. so I could go to my favorite barber in Takoma Park. I do hate backtracking.

    After the Post Office I arrive at the ATM, slip my card in and enter my PIN. I then select Withdraw from the options and “Other Amount” as I want enough cash for my trip, but also a $10 just in case I need smaller. I enter $130.00 and it tells me that I don’t have sufficient funds for that withdrawal amount… *double take*. It allows me to check my balance, which indeed shows me overdrawn by $3,425… $3,425… WHAT?!!!???

    But, I actually, stop and think about this… I know what this is, this is the Check that I used that was sent to me by Bank of America to use anyway I saw fit, the check that I discussed with two financial people before even thinking about using it to pay off a credit card debt. I even waited two days for the check to clear my financial institution before paying off the credit card (a CHASE card). Everything was fine, that was last week… Friday everything was fine.

    I enter the bank, talk to a Bank of America rep, who says he can’t help me and that I’ll need to call the Credit Card department. I go back to my office, call the credit card department and they say, indeed this kind of thing happens a lot. A LOT…. OMFG. I suggest to him that perhaps they could make the letter a little clearer. See what happened was, the promotional letter with the checks was based on my existing credit card balance with BOA.. and that had some money taken out of it already, so the check bounced… bounced I say. He and I apply successfully for a credit increase and he assure me that they will transfer the money over to my checking account in 4 – 5 business days… OMFG. He tells me the Checking Account people know what happened, as this kind of thing happens a lot…. A LOT … and they will void all my overdraft fees and such once they receive the money in the transfer. On the phone with her, she doesn’t know what I’m talking about, has no clue but says “Once the money has been transfered you’ll have to call us back, as we can’t do this automatically”…. OMFG

    I check my email and my bosses email once last time (at 2 ish) and see there is nothing pressing and leave. I take the Subway to Dupont Circle (ok… side bar: very cute guy on the escalator, nice fine hair on his arms and his legs, gray hair, blue eyes… just gorgeous… and he smiled at me… but considering that I didn’t get my hair cut I know he’s only being nice.) and go to my 2nd Favorite barber, as my first barber doesn’t take credit cards and I don’t have any cash cause I’m $3,425 overdrawn on my account and don’t HAVE MF CASH…. My barber cuts my hair and as he’s finishing up my phone starts vibrating… it’s not an email as it vibrates multiple times… it’s my boss calling.

    I call my voice mail to get the message and he needs me to send something to a Client right away, something we sent a different client that will also help this client.

    What you need to know about my boss that you may not understand unless you’ve worked for this type of guy (kind hearted, dedicated, willing to bend over backwards for a client – for special clients anyway). He has this thing he can do with his voice, a kind of desperation that motivates you to want to help this client as soon as possible, to do whatever you might be able to do to make sure this Clients needs are met. I can’t resist when he does that thing with his voice, and I am compelled to do whatever I can to help. If I can’t for some reason do as he asks for this client, I feel a sense of disappointment, not from him… but within myself. Oh, I know he somehow mystically put it there, but there it is.

    I search in my Blackberry for sent items, I remember this thing, but I can’t find it. My Blackberry’s sent items folder is set at 30 days, so I can’t get it… I start heading for the Metro to go back to the office…. it’s about 3:30.

    As I’m walking down the block, the rain starts, just a drop here or there. The wind starts to pick up and you can feel a strong gust here or there as the clouds begin to darken. I did bring my umbrella today, on the off chance it might rain…. but I know with the way the sky looks it wont help much. By the time I reach the Metro, I am soaked from head to toe, even my wallet is damp, thank God there’s no money in there as I’m $3,425 overdrawn.. OMFG.

    The Metro takes me ever so slowly to my destination, Takoma, and I walk off umbrella in hand to my office. The storm has been kind enough to knock the power out at the office and its running on the generator… I still manage to find what the Client needs, sent it off to her and then leave.

    The rain has stopped, the wind as well, and here I sit at home typing this note. I certainly hope that this isn’t the start of how my entire vacation will go… I don’t think I could deal.

  • Travel

    I’ve got a lot of upcoming travel.

    In June I go to WI for my nephew’s going away party (he’s joining the Army) and instead of being in DC for Gay Pride, I’ll be in Nashville, TN for the first time. It’s hoped that I’ll get to see the Hall of Fame and the Grand Ol Opry.

    In July, I travel to WI once again, this time for my 20th High School reunion, well kind of… I’m not meeting many of the people from high school, as most of them are a blur in my mind, but I am meeting a few friends that stand out in my memory. It will be good to see them all, and the bonus is that I get to spend time with my Ma & Pa and Rhonda.

    I was kind of hoping to get to NYC this summer, there is a Superhero fashion exhibit at the Met that might be interesting, but I’m not sure that I’ll get up that way. Does sound kind of interesting though. Maybe it’ll travel to DC, I hear shows like that sometimes do.

    There is a potential trip to Cancun this Fall (looking for good prices) with friends. Hopefully I’ll find a nice guy to date and take with me this year.

    And I’ll be traveling to San Diego this year for my 38th Birthday in December. I’ll be staying at a hotel that is very close to the Zoo and hope to do the Zoo, Sea World and the museums… maybe find a nice man to have fun with also.

  • Annual Ft Lauderdale Trip

    My trip to Ft Lauderdale was rather uneventful this year, no malicious woundings in the Metro, not falling in love with some guy I barely knew… or even lust.

    I took long naps each day, watched more TV that I have in months and got more of a tan… all in all, I had a very relaxing vacation. Considering that my last 4 trips were taken with other people, this is EXACTLY what I needed.

    The resort, Pineapple Point was stunning. The rooms (they upgraded me to a Suite) were spectacular, the grounds well kept and the service beyond compare. They saw to almost every need I had before I knew I had it. Bikes for guests to use if they wanted to, an exercise room, water in each room. It was simply lovely.

    The bad news: I’m pretty sure I was the only single guy there. Everyone else was there with their partner/lover. So it wasn’t quite as frisky a weekend as I’d hoped, but it was still nice.

  • Broadway

    So I had my first weekend trip to NYC to see a Broadway show. I took the train up, as i find it much more relaxing than the airplane. I had downloaded the movie: Starfall to watch on my way up which was very enjoyable, and there was a cute guy sitting across from me too – that’s always a bonus. I arrived around 12:30, had lunch at the Ruby Tuesday that was right near the hotel (stayed at the Newark Airport Residence Inn) and checked in early. Took a 2 hour nap and waited for my friend Suzanne to arrive. Suzanne and I had dinner at the JW Prime Steakhouse (at the Marriott at the airport) and then headed back to our suite. The two bedroom suite was very nice, though we hardly used the kitchen at all.

    The plan on Saturday was to spend the morning shopping, before we headed off for Times Square; but when we were preparing to leave we discovered someone had broken into Suzanne’s car over night, the drivers side window had been smashed in and glass was everywhere. They were apparently looking for her GPS system, which she had in the room with us. They left her Ipod, her CD’s, and DVDs all in the car, so the only loss was the window and shopping time.

    Time Square was a real treat, my first visit there and I really liked it (despite the people). I could spend a day there shopping.

    In the theater, waiting for Suzanne to arrive out of the mile long ladies restroom I swear I saw Leslie Jordan who had a recurring role on Will and Grace over the years, that was a treat in itself. The play, Young Frankenstein, was stupendous, even with two understudies standing in for the lead male role and the Inga role, it was still VERY good. Suzanne and I especially loved Igor, he stole the show.

    Saturday night we headed to a local mexican restaurant that Suzanne loves and met up with a guy that she went to high school with and his girlfriend, then it was off to an AA meeting, which was also very good.

    Sunday, Suzanne took off fairly early and I headed back in the afternoon. All in all, it was a great trip and I hope to spend more time the next time I go see a show.

  • Malicious Wounding

    Today, June 20th, I went to the County of Arlington Courthouse to testify in regards to the incident listed here:

    On May 2nd, 2007, at approximately 9:00 a.m. as I descended the Metro Platform escalator to Terminal C at Ronald Reagan National Airport I heard a man say loudly “you don’t know who you messin’ with” I looked down to see a man pounding his fist into another man near the bottom of the escalator. The victim, was curled into a protective stance (almost a fetal position), not fighting, not making any effort to inflict injury yet the man kept hitting him.

    I waved my arm and pointed to the area to try to grab the Metro Attendants attention, but he could not see clearly what I was trying to point out. As I reached the area I told the man to back away and stop hitting the other man. He hit him a few more time before the Metro Attendant arrived and he listened to him. The Metro attendant told the assailant: you need to get out of my station, get out of here. And after hitting the victim several more times he did leave the station.

    There was blood splattered and pooled on the floor and a dumb bell, I only saw him use his fists as a weapon, not the dumb bell. When the victim sat up it was clear he had been hurt, there was blood dripping from his mouth and on his clothes. The Metro attendant, placed a cone at one area to direct people away from the blood, and I placed a similar cone on the opposite side.

    The Metro Attendant then called over the Airport intercom for security to immediately arrive.

    I asked if I should stay for a statement or something, the attendant returned to his booth and grabbed a pad of paper and told me to write my name, address and phone number down. I asked the attendant why he let the assailant go, his answer: he works for the here.

    I was not a witness to what the victim may have said or done to instigate the assailant, but I’m fairly certain there was not excuse to continue hitting him. I am also no expert on security or protocols for WMATA, but I know letting an assailant go because of where he works is wrong.

    The above mentioned statement was sent to Arlington County Police Department, WMATA, Jim Graham and some others. WMATA’s response is that they have spoken with the Metro Attendant and he claims he didn’t know who the assailant was. Today, I was informed that both the assailant and the victim worked at the same restaurant/cafe within the airport. WMATA said they had given descriptions of the assailant to the police and that the Metro attendant followed procedure and did nothing wrong.

    Unfortunately the victim in this matter did not show up, his number has been disconnected and he no longer works where he did work. The prosecuting attorney asked for an extension and this matter may come up again in August or October. I was also informed that he did use the dumb bell to strike the victim, and that he was indeed in jail.

    The saddest part of this entire experience was knowing approximately 10 “human beings” walked right by while this man inflicted injury upon another human being. They did nothing to stop it, nor even help the victim.