Ready for the next round

What a refreshing bit of travel. With BR safely in the care of Jordan, I was able to focus on work in California for a week and family in Illinois for a weekend. However, as the time grew closer to head back to Austin, the call from New Orleans grew stronger and stronger. "Carnival." "Carnival."

Ring. Ring.

BR: Hello?

Steve: Hi Bobrobert! Everything going OK?

BR: Fine. How's the family?

Steve: Great! Mom's doing so well, She spent the night here last night, and thinks she'll be out by next week.

BR: And Hope? How cute is she?

Steve: Adorable. A little fussy today, but that's probably just because she's not used to having so much commotion around her. Hey, I've got a question.

BR: The answer is yes.

Steve: Yes? You don't even know the question.

BR: Yes, you can go to New Orleans. But for every dollar you spend on this side trip, I get to spend one on myself.

Steve: Deal!

BR: And be sure to text me lots of pictures.

[Note to T-Mobile: Add extra 3G capacity to the French Quarter during Mardi Gras. It's frustrating to get an unusable 3G signal.]

Adding those extra two days to the trip was the best idea. Two days for myself without worrying about BR or family. I came home happy and ready to continue providing care and comfort to BR, ready to tackle more of the overdue household tasks, and ready to face whatever MS decides to throw at us next.

Birthday Week Postcards

Moet and Mentholatum

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Oh! Is there a tequila menu?

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Settling in for the flight to Miami.

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Over the Gulf of Mexico

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Ocean view at sunset

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You can't get there from here

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Late night dining

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Time for bed

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Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away

The Texas beaches won't be warming up again until March, and I didn't think it was wise to wait to get BR to some sun and surf. So after a bit of discussion, I cashed in our airline and hotel reward points and booked a three night stay at a Fort Lauderdale Beach resort. We leave right after BR's birthday.

Hospice can wait until after the new year.

Postcards

Thank you, Toronto

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, I'll say it clear,
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.

I've lived a life that's full.
I've traveled each and every highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

I had a blast! But I miss my man and must return.

To the lesbians at The Barn: Thanks for trying to sneak me in. I'll be your token male any day.

To the dancers at Remingtons: outstanding work!

To the performers at Play: Girls, you need to chip in for some A/C. That kind of heat melts away a lot of the illusion, if you get my drift. You are troopers!

To the guys from Boston: Thanks for exploring the town with me.

Postcards IV

Postcards III

Postcards II

Postcards

Wings on wheels

Richie got me thinking of some of my favorite motorcycle memories.

From 1990 through 1996, I didn't own a car. I rode a 600cc Yamaha Radian day in and day out, year 'round in Dallas, Texas. The first time I dropped the bike and injured myself, I was on my way home from work. BR and I had only been dating for a few months, and he was waiting for me at my apartment. I came in with holes in my jeans and a bloody knee. He was so sweet, running across the street to the store to pick up bandages and peroxide. I knew then and there he was the one.

Now BR always said I looked like a circus clown riding such a small motorcycle. So when our car died in 2006, I totally took advantage of it and bought a 1500cc Suzuki Boulevard C90T. No need for a car living in San Francisco.

My favorite ride became "the long way home". I worked in Palo Alto, and would take Highway 84 across the San Andreas fault to Highway 1 on the Pacific coast. Took twice as long as usual, and was quite spectacular at sunset.

This video from a fellow Highway 84 enthusiast will give you a feel for the nature of the road around the fault line.



This past weekend, I was able to take the 'zuki out for a ride in the Austin hill country with Randall from Dallas. Wicked fun!

Spinal Cord Stimulation Experience (part one)

Guilty Pleasure: Tranny Rock

I guess it all started when BR and I saw "The Ethel Merman Experience" in Dolores Park, Easter 2004. Here they are doing Classic U2 and Beatles covers.

Lazy Saturday

BR's iBot was in dire need of a "deep discharge", so he and I spent the day relaxing in bed, catching up on TV shows in the TiVo. I also made biscuits and sausage gravy from scratch for breakfast. My previous attempts at sausage gravy didn't turn out so well, so today I used a recipe from The Frugal Gourmet. The gravy turned out great! The biscuits were a little tough, but not bad for my first try.

While Gina was here, I set her up with a blog where she can show off her fantastic pieces of Batik art. Today, I noticed that she had started uploading images, so I gave her a call. We talked a bit about the blog, and then I spent some time adding a few more elements for her. I hope she likes the result.