Shuboy

the stress has broken me

2010-05-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hi. I'm broken. I thought the moving thing was going just fine, but the Epilepsy gods decided it wasn't. ugh. since Sunday, I've had 8 seizures. I'm on the "mega-meds" and I feel like I'm walking through the day in a vat of marshmallows. I sleep very little through the night - mostly fits and starts - then spend the day sitting on the couch dozing off every hour or so.
I think Boogie knows there's something wrong cuz she spends the day laying next to me, just keeping me company, not wanting anything. I'll clear my throat or cough or stretch and she'll pop up and put here little paws on my shoulder and look me right in the face like she's trying to make sure i"m okay. hysterical. comforting.
Mike's "contractor" job doesn't allow for paid time off, so I'm flyin' solo during the day. He's been a champ, though. every night, he comes home and packs another room. I've only been able to do my Dressing Arena - no small task - the TV room and two of the upstairs closets. I did help clean out the "everything drawer" in the kitchen last night... THAT was insane. Where did we get all that kitchen stuff??!?!!! Why in the world would we have FOUR garlic presses, TWO rolling pins (exactly alike), FIVE cork screws (not including that mega corkscrew that was the Holiday Gift of the Season 5 yeas ago), 3 sets of measuring spoons, 3 funnels, any number of assorted mis-matched measuring cups, and a handful of unidentifiable "things"??? madness. I went through that drawer like a ninja, killin' off stuff left and right.
Today, I've promised Mike I'm going to pack up the pantry. Also, there's a little room off of the Dressing Arena where I keep my rolling rack of outerwear... that ended up being a bit of a catch-all for random extra TVs (2?!?!!), boxes of framed photos I never managed to put out here, and unused bedding. Doesn't seem like much, but the way I'm feeling, it'll take all the strength I can muster.
Gettin' sleepy. AGAIN. ugh.

jake-phipps-hats-pendant-lights

2010-05-15T21:31:00.001-07:00

jake-phipps-hats-pendant-lights
Originally uploaded by shuboy

The WINNER for over the dining room table. I found these on some random design blog. I fell in love with the tophats. (the bowlers are cute, but... the gold lining threw me off) The blog didn't have a link to a retailer, so i had to do a bit of cyber searching. I finally found a site that was selling them. FOR SEVEN HUNDRED BUCKS A POP. Less than the Dr00g 85 Lamp, but still... I finally just e-mailed the designer directly and asked if he had a distributor. He put me in touch and they were selling them for 252 each! three will be living over the dining room table a little after they arrive in June. wooho.

85_lamps_02

2010-05-15T21:27:00.001-07:00

85_lamps_02
Originally uploaded by shuboy

first contender for over the dining room table. this is the same chandalier in the grand room at For3ign Cin3ma in SF... the price is VERY prohibitive... so...

palette

2010-05-15T21:26:00.001-07:00

palette
Originally uploaded by shuboy

this is the palette I FINALLY landed on for the new place.

Picture-15-450x443

2010-05-15T21:25:00.001-07:00

Picture-15-450x443
Originally uploaded by shuboy

thinkin' about turning this one into a print for the loft... not sure yet.

IMG_0120

2010-05-15T21:24:00.001-07:00

IMG_0120
Originally uploaded by shuboy

i didn't edit my bags...

IMG_0124

2010-05-15T21:23:00.001-07:00

IMG_0124
Originally uploaded by shuboy

did i mention I love shoes? So... with the impending move (next week - EEK!!!!!) I had to do a bit of editing... I dropped off a bunch (about a hundred or so) at Goodwill. I heard them calling to me as we drove away... "NO!!!! Please don't leave us!!! We don't want to go live with poor people!!!!"
So traumatizing.

The-Fashion-Center

2010-05-15T21:20:00.001-07:00

The-Fashion-Center
Originally uploaded by shuboy

love this. gonna have this made into a print for the loft.

Burberry-SS2010accessories6

2010-05-15T21:19:00.001-07:00

Burberry-SS2010accessories6
Originally uploaded by shuboy

I saw this bag in the Burb3rry Pr0rsum Spring 2010 show. I lusted after it. It sold out in a week. Thank Buddha for FB - I found a friend of mine who's a VP with B'burry and he ran the last one down for me.
it's HUgE and I love it.

final_bench

2010-05-15T21:16:00.001-07:00

final_bench
Originally uploaded by shuboy

I designed this table. I found the bench at UnE@rth3d in Madison. Got the blanket there too... turned the blanket into a pad for the bench. It'll look WAY groovy in the new loft.

awright already!!!!

2010-05-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

So I've been gone for awhile... busy? yeah, of course. but mostly, I think the muse has been visiting me during my facebooking sessions. I know, I know - that seems to be everyone's excuse nowadays.

I'm going to post a bunch of pics now. Pics and random musings. enjoy.

retrospective...

2009-04-13T11:38:00.001-07:00

I'm sick today. Sicker than I have ever been in a really long time... I was just on FB chatting with one of my DEARest friends. She's a mom (of TRIPLETS, no less), so she was talkin' me off the edge and offering advice on how to actually survive what I'm pretty sure is some sort of stomach flu.
ANYhow... she and I did a show together about a million years ago. I have super clear memories of just about every facet of that show. I remember the auditions. I remember specific rehearsals for the show. (I was the dance captain, so I had to be at all of them). I can recall how i FELT during certain parts of that whole process. What I didn't understand was WHY? WHY do I remember this particular show so well. There have been plenty since then. BETTER since then. More important shows since then...
I think I may have figured it out. It's probably obvious to Suz... and I guess it's obvious to me. I guess.
Heres' what I came up with: While this wasn't my first foray into theater, this was the show that launched my career. This was the show where I actually thought, "Um... I could DO this. Like a career. I could actually DO this." Kinda' makes sense.
What do you remember about it - my faithful readers (both of you - Mr. Book Police, you don't count for obvious reasons). V-Mo -- did you even see it? I imagine that you would have... or were you at that place where you could've cared less what I was up to? No judgement. If that was the case, I get it. Here's what is still stuck in my mind:
=Suz bringing an entire waiting room of auditioners to a dead (and silent) stop when she sang her first note of "Cry Me a River". Understand that this note came out of nowhere. The song starts WITH the accompaniment. No intro. No nothin'. Just you and the note. Her note was so pure, so ON, so beautiful that it could be heard through a door and over a bunch of spazzed out theater geeks waiting in the hall. I remember thinking to myself, "she's MY friend!!". Suz wasn't one of the totally ensconced theater types. she was a music major (if I remember correctly). While she did have a few theater classes, she wasn't one of the people who hung out in the "department" all the time. In other words, she wasn't expected. the people who saw her prior to the audition had probably written her off as a "nobody". I loved seeing the looks on their faces... that, "oh, SHIT! she's GOOD!!!!" look. priceless.
-Elise Pryor. I actully remember this girls' name even though I haven't seen her since college. She sang La Vie En Rose during the "Tavern Scene". She sat alone at a table downstage right. Lit by a single overhead spot. she broke the audiences' heart every night with that song.
-the 'baby ballerinas" dressed in black and white; all of them in white face. they were choreographed to move around each of the soloists in the "Dream Sequence" number... they floated in and out of the pools of light like ghosts... haunting and beautiful. already so professional at such a young age thanks to their impeccable training and preparation from Patrick.
-Bob standing in the wing opposite me before our big number. he'd crack me up every night when Caylia Ch@ik1n would hit her 'note' during her song and he'd jump around grabbing his crotch like it actually hurt him. What song was she singing????
-the feeling and the sound of the white satin robe wrapping around me and then suddenly releasing when I would do the saut de basque...
-feeling like i had a giant secret because under that white satin robe, I had on what could only be called "S&M gear". A pair of skintight black jeans; bare chested with a studded harness that went around my chest and was attached to a studded leather collar at my neck. Okay... i'll explain. The number was, "Nights in White Satin/Knights in Black Leather". The number started with the chorus boys coming out like monks singing "Nights in White Satin". I had the featured solo during the cheesy "poem"... "Breathe deep; the gathering mist..." step, step step, saute, RONDE du jamb to second position, plie, saute plie, saute to attitude, SLOW promenade; hold your leg! hold your leg!! Turn it out PERFECTLY! Keep it smooth! You MUST look like you're floating!!!!... the number transitioned into Bette M's "Oh My Knight in Black Leather", sung in a leather teddy by Maureen (who I had just done Midsummers with - she was Titania).
-hearing the song "Time Heals Everything" for the first time. It's one of my favorite songs to this day. Alisa, Shirley, and Maureen again.
-Shanna Strassberg and a couple of other people singing, "California Dreaming" during the "Dream Sequence", and being fascinated by their harmony
-the weird Ren-Faire chick KILLING Bette Midlers' "The Rose" EVERY night during the Tavern Scene.
-walking out of the rehearsal studio after rehearsing "Big Noise From Winetka" and being covered with rosin. It was even in my HAIR. (rosin is the stuff you step in to keep your shoes from slipping on the wood floor while dancing)
-Hali opening the show dressed like shirley temple singing, "I Wanna Be Bad". She looked like a doll. A doll who smoked.
-feeling weird cuz i was made to wear my S&M gear for the bows
-feeling special cuz I was made to wear my S&M gear for the bows
-being lifted by 6 of the chorus boys during concept/choreography rehearsals for the "Big Noise" number.
-that girl who stepped out of her skirt during Bill Bears Judy Garland tribute. I was onstage with her and was fascinated how she just kept going...
-Bill's vodka breath (he was the director)
-walking in 5 minutes late to rehearsals post "dorm room date" with Kirk L. feeling giddy and guilty especially after the look Patrick gave me.
-feeling like there was something more to that look that Patrick gave me. (i was right)
-seeing my mom standing up as she was applauding during the bows.
I guess i could go on... and maybe i will. there's something kinda' cathartic writing about it for me.
so Mama of Triplets... will you play along? What do you remember? Anything will do... c'mon! play along...

I like these places...

2009-03-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine sent me a message on facebook asking for some wardrobe advice. Why me? Maybe cuz he thinks I know my stuff. In actuality, I'm in a weird space wardrobe-wise. My odd space is largely due to two factors; I'm at a crossroads style wise - not sure where my style inspirations should come from because I'm getting old. reason number two is in the past 2 and a half months, I've lost about 15 to 20 pounds.
Anyhow, I started to compile some websites that I visit regularly (daily) for inspiration and ideas on wardrobe additions. I thought I share them here.

http://secretforts.blogspot.com/
I like this blog because i think the guy is around my/our age. his Head to Toe entries really hit home with me

http://acontinuouslean.com/
this is a bit obtuse, but if you read it enough, you start to get it... he's RED HOT on the blogosphere and a lot of the top websites reference him

http://www.getkempt.com/
a little more accessible and pedestrian... i look for inspiration for styling the LE mens line here

http://www.selectism.com/
dig around in here... it's really good.

http://www.wearethemarket.com/
SUPER edgy... be careful.

http://www.thepursuitaesthetic.com/
less edgy, but "be careful" still holds here

what do you think?

Boogie comes home! 1.24.09

2009-01-25T10:39:00.001-08:00

Boogie comes home! 1.24.09
Originally uploaded by shuboy

Welcome Miss Boogie Feva Sloan Montes!!!!

Oh Happy Day!

2009-01-20T04:46:00.001-08:00

'nuff said.

Donna Freeman from HGTV's Designed to Sell

2009-01-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

is the most annoying person in the history of television. PERIOD.

2009-01-02T20:32:00.001-08:00

so i'm minding my own business, driving home from work, listening to Megan Mullally in Young Frankenstein... laughing my ass off while she sings about "deep love". I pull up to a stop light and THIS is what's in front of me, fer crissakes!

I've been tagged...

2008-12-17T07:48:00.000-08:00

... I think.
Anyhow, my Sister was tagged and then she said that whoever read her post was tagged as well. Not an OFFICIAL tag, but whatever. I'll give it a shot.
17 Random things about me:

1. I can count the number of times I've exited my home withOUT styling my hair within an inch of it's life in the past 35 years on two hands. (this does not count baseball cap days)

2. I have close to 300 pairs of shoes.

3. I have over 100 bags

4. I HATE to drive (and god played this mean joke by giving me a 45 minute commute that I've been enduring for over a year)

5. I never drank or smoked until i was legally old enough to do so.

6. I have 9 pairs of glasses currently in rotation (in other words, they all have up to date prescriptions and I wear them on a regular basis).

7. i have a rediculously high threshold for pain.

8. I HATE going to the movies.

9. I judge people quickly and harshly - I'm wrong about half the time.

10. I hold a grudge - forEVER.

11. i'm INSANELY vain.

13. I'm uncomfortable in more social situations than you'd guess.

14. I once cleared a dance floor. It was one of the highlights of my life. Seriously.

15. I dislike religion. Intensely.

16. I'm easily embarrassed.

17. I've done things that would curl your hair. Some of these things I really, truly enjoyed.

Kushi Bar?

2008-11-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

Yup. We got one here in Mad-land. They serve skewers and donburi along with a handful of a la carte items like Edamame, Agedashi Tofu and chicken wings. I was all excited to go, so we went last week. It felt like Japanese Tapas... it would've worked except for the lousy service. Not being entirely sure how the whole thing worked, we each ordered two skewers and a rice bowl/donburi. By the time the skewers arrived, we were so hungry we pretty much inhaled them. 15 minutes later, the rice bowls landed. while they were good, we knew that they were not going to fill us up, so we decided to order more skewers - too bad the waitress took forever to check back with us.
Not gonna bother going back there.

Oh. My. Buddha.

2008-11-24T18:38:00.000-08:00

This bag is DEVASTATING!!! I must make it mine.
Say it with me: "Happy Birthday to Me!"

Halloween. feh...

2008-11-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

We just endured Halloween. I'm not so into this holiday. Even when we were in the bay Area, I only endured it because it meant we got to hang out with Ver and girls... oh! and the soup... Ver always made great soups on halloween and Anna would bring her home made croutons. but i digress.
This whole trick or treating thing makes me very uncomfortable. Strangers coming up to my door and asking for candy. This is begging, right? I feel embarrassed for these children. I also feel embarrassed for their parents standing a few feet behind them. If I had kids, I wouldn't do the trick or treating thing... I 'd host a party. They'd still get to do the (ick) costume thing, but they wouldn't need to go out and beg for candy. I can buy candy for my own children, thankyouverymuch.
Costumes freak me out as well. Costumes AT WORK really freak me out. I went to lunch on friday in the company cafe and there was a woman sitting alone at a table wearing a giant top hat, a black top and pants and gold shoes. I had no idea what she was, but i was mortified. I kept thinking about her getting dressed that morning... "I know! I'll grab that giant top hat that Lizzy got at that waterpark in The Dells... oh!!! and those gold sneakers I got at the outlet mall!!! THAT'll be a GREAT costume. Everyone will love it and I'll have such a great day at work!!" She didn't look like she was having a great day... she looked like she was thinking, "Why did I think this would be fun? And why didn't any of the girls want to have lunch with me? And why is that little Asian guy looking at me like that?"
Boo Humbug!

Update to "Okay"

2008-10-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

so one of my faithful fans asked for an update to my previous post titled, "Okay".
Well, THERE IS NONE.
sheesh.
I'll be in Chicago next week and I'm gonna buy my own damned birthday present!

Here we go again...

2008-10-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

tomorrow is...

2008-10-24T18:03:00.001-07:00

my birthday.

Is this creepy?

2008-10-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

so I'm at dinner last week with Matt at some place that has a German name, but serves dim-sum. I was unimpressed, but that's beside the point. At the end of the meal, the waiter brings our check and announces that a certain co-owner of my favorite clothing store, "picked up our bar tab".
I would've been really pleased except for the fact that I didn't SEE him in the restaurant. Now, I wasn't looking for the guy, but... come over and say hi if you're gonna buy me AND my guest a drink. I mean, did he wander by and see us sitting there? Did he see us on the street and wander in after us?
I'm not sure how I feel about this...

I think...

2008-09-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

...I may have "arrived" here in Madison. Case in point:
-Last night we went out for sushi and ran into one of the designers from work and the owner of my favorite clothing store
-I've been invited to a birthday party for one of the VPs at work
-I can get a same-day appointment with my hairdresser
-While walking down the street after my haircut yesterday, I ran into the aforementioned proprietor of my favorite clothing store. It was about two hours prior to the store opening and he invited me in for a little private shopping time thereby saving me the inconvenience of having to come back two hours later. i LOVE that guy...
-I also receive a fifteen percent discount at the store
-My FRIENDS receive the same discount if they're shopping with me
I'm thinking about going after a seat on the Board of Directors for the city's Arts Center - it's good to have a dream.

You KNOW who I'm talking to....

2008-09-20T14:06:00.001-07:00

Can anyone out there recommend a caterer?

A break from all the whining...

2008-08-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

We ventured out last weekend to Milwaukee where I found a replacement for my beloved Kid R0b0t. It's called H0t P0p and it's in a groovy little area called Third W@rd in downtown Milwaukee... a relatively short (and worth it) 1.75 hour drive from Mad-land. Anyhow, was thrilled to find this shop that carries my favorite little "toys". Here are my newest friends:

and

I love the way her hands peek out between the cuffs of her kimono and I love the Skull necklace on the chest of the Unisaurus.
The Unisaurus is by Joe Ledbetter - he's definitely popped to the top of my favorites list and the Geisha is from Toky0 Pl@stics. Need to make sure and keep an eye on those guys.
Anyhow... just wanted to make sure I wasn't coming off too gloom and doom.

it's been too long...

2008-08-29T05:37:00.001-07:00

Sorry for not updating for so long. I can't say that I've been particularly busy... just normal busy. Been traveling for work... NYC, Long Island, Chicago... was on the spectator boat for the start of the R@ce to M@ckinac Is. Kinda' fun. New York was great as always. got to get my shoppin' fix in (2 pairs of shoes, 1 Jack Spade bag, 1 Filson by Jean Shop Bag, some new Kid R0b0t pieces by j0e L3db3tt3r) and got to spend a day with one of my best friends. Had a great dinner at Les Halles (anthony bourd@ins' place) Most incredible steak I've ever had!!! Anyhow...
Let's see... last post was about dumpin' out my make-up case and officially retiring from theater. Since I've officially walked away from "the boards" I guess I've got a little less to look forward to. I was just think about how I used to look forward to the time of year when all the theater companies I liked working with would start posting their upcoming seasons. I'd click around their websites hoping that they weren't planning seasons filled with Tap shows... (I hate tap dancing - i can do it... i just hate it... something about it strikes me as so, um... mathematical). There would be that moment seeing a show that I was familiar with and thinking ... could I play any of the roles? would they ever consider me for one of the leads? is there enough dancing in the show to keep me interested? Who's choreographing? Do I know them? Would I want to work with them? So... none of that for me anymore. sigh.
I'm trying to think of something that could fill that void for me. Something other than shopping. Something that could give me a creative outlet with a workout. I'd go take class, but it's really hard with a 45 minute commute. Okay. No excuses. Class is the best thing for me. I'm just going to make it happen. I'm sure i can find some low-key studio in this little town... just drop in and take an open adult class... hang out in back... start slow... take it easy... just enjoy the process.
Wish me luck.

Sad...

2008-07-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

I did something over the weekend that made me sad. I emptied out my make-up case and threw everything in it away. I guess I've officially hung up my dancin' shoes. sigh.

Hahahahahahahaha

2008-06-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

http://menwholooklikeoldlesbians.blogspot.com/

I was in Seattle

2008-05-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

...just doing some work. Minding my own business. Thursday night I took the team out to dinner at a place that the DM recommended in Seattle's Capitol Hill District.

This place was INSANE!!!!! I've never seen a menu like this... amazing stuff. I had two "small plates" for dinner. The first one was - get this: French Fries fried in DUCK FAT with Fontina Fonduta and Veal Demi Glace WITH Foie Gras. Basically, a heart attack on a plate.

I would have happily died after eating this. I was transported... It was so good, I actually got light headed!!!!!
The second dish I had was the Braised Oxtail with Gnochi and FRIED BONE MARROW!!!!!!

the little golden nugget on the top was the bone marrow. they basically just dipped it in a light tempura batter and fried. sigh.
I'm off to pilates today... and I'll probably jump on my bike and go for a 300 mile ride. totally worth it.

ouch!

2008-05-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

I went to my first Pilates session yesterday. Prior to showing up, I did a little googling and found my future instructors' website. She looked exactly like what I expected. Perfect body with long, straight hair pulled into two ponytails. "Great... I'm gonna have to endure some ding-ding tree hugger to achieve my goal of being built like a gay porn star." SUPER.
I imagined the long lecture about my smoking, even longer dissertations on the evils of red meat and having to endure a look of pained ecstasy in her eyes as she extolled the benefits of a strictly nuts and berries vegan lifestyle.
I was pleasantly surprised.
When I showed up, she was waiting for me in the lobby. Her body IS perfect, but she had opted against the creepy ponytails. After leading me back to the studio, we sat and chatted for a bit. We talked about the three blown out discs in my spine, my two severed achilles and the onset of my degenerative disc disease. I discovered that we had arrived on the shores of Mad-land at the same time. We bitched about the hellish winter. I told her about my new trick of stress causing weight gain (as opposed to causing weight loss in my youth). We used cuss words. I was officially at ease.
The hardest thing about it all was getting used to the breathing - in through the nose, out through the mouth and make your tummy push out the air. As a dancer, I was taught kinda' the opposite; get air into your body any way you can and NEVER let your tummy go. Don't move it out, don't move it in. Just keep it TIGHT. So THAT took some getting used to. Actually, it was kinda' freeing...
anyhow, I won't bore you with a rundown of the whole session... I'll just say that I was comfortable both physically and mentally. I actually enjoyed it.
HowEVER, this morning I feel like I was hit by a car. I've been hit by a car, so I know what I'm talking about here.

Relax. I'm going back. I paid for a 10 class series yesterday AFTER I took the first class.
Namaste all you mutha-f'ers!

A New Shopping Post

2008-04-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

The "front runner" became the winner. Here's my new bike:

aka "Soulville" by Masi.
I went for a ride today. Who knew that m@dison was famous for its' multitude of bike paths??? Let's hope I do better with this than I did with the evil, guilt-inducing eliptical machine.

Here's what I'm thinkin'...

2008-04-27T05:17:00.000-07:00

Told you I was going bike shopping yesterday, right? Well, here's what I found:

I wanted more of a "cruiser" kinda' bike - definitely did NOT want to be one of those lycra-clad yabos with the helmet and the Lance @rmstr0ng wanna-be vibe scootin' around the Isthmus. I was going for the baggy short, Chuck Taylor, groovy Straw Fedora vibe. Bikin' on the path... enjoying the scenery... pulling over to have a smoke. Y'know, ME on a bike. I really LOVED the fact that the grips are made of cork (look closely - soooo cool), loved the light leather "saddle" (it's a SADDLE, not a seat according to Adam at the bike shop) and just loved the overall retro feel.
For some reason, Mike was totally against me getting it. Whatever... I'm getting a bit tired of his anti-purchasing tirades. I thought maybe it was because he wasn't getting a bike. So I offered to get him one too. He declined. Again, whatever.
I'm going to get it today.

Checking in...

2008-04-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

-New York was kinda' fab. Had a blast and got my shoppin' ON. The car thing was brilliant. I covered so much ground on Friday that I really didn't have anywhere I needed to go on Saturday!
-I sold the freakin' guilt-inducing eliptical machine.
-I signed up for private pilates classes starting on the 10th
-I'm going bike shopping today
-I was getting dressed last night to go out with friends and I discovered that I still have the socks that I wore at V-Mo's wedding.

Please, just ONE indulgence.

2008-04-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed the drop off of shopping posts? Well, HAVE YOU??? If you haven't, rest assured that there has been. I've made a concerted effort to curb my shopping. (Okay, the fact that I'm living in a shopaholics HELL has made it easy) Anyhow, I do a have a goal in mind. A very BIG goal. I'm hoping to achieve my goal in about a year. I'm pretty much on track.
That being said...
I got a pretty nice surprise this week. I got a raise. I wasn't expecting this. I mean, I've only been in position for 8 months... long enough to receive a review from my boss, but, like I said, I didn't think I'd get an increase. Um... I also got a bonus. OKAY, now relax. Just RELAX. I put 95% of it into my savings account. NINETY FIVE PERCENT. The old me would've blown through that bonus this weekend.
NOW... here's the thing... I've been good. REALLY, really good. I've been working hard and I got a great review from my boss. I picked up my life, quit a job that I was enjoying and jumped headfirst (with the SO by my side) into the abyss that is Madison. Moved away from my family who I desperately miss EVERY SINGLE DAY. I supported me and the SO for the first 4 months we were here until he got a job. I spend close to two hours every day commuting... more than that when it was snowing. I survived THE WORST WINTER IN RECORDED HISTORY in Madison.
I think I've earned one indulgence.
So here it is: I'm leaving tomorrow morning for New York on a business trip. I'm working on Thursday, visiting stores with the director of ops and my boss. I'm staying through Sunday (no, that's not the indulgence. even if I didn't get the bonus, I would've stayed). I'm shopping on Friday and Saturday and probably seeing a couple of shows. (no, that's not the indulgence either. even if I didn't get the bonus, I would've shopped and seen a couple of shows).
okay... enough already. HERE'S the indulgence:
I've hired a car and driver for 4 hours on Friday to take me shopping. hehe!

re entry

2008-04-05T04:21:00.000-07:00

Spent an amazing week in Puerto Vallarta with all of my favorite people.
Here we are!!!

The guy on the left in the crazy shirt is Oscar, aka my own personal bar tender. The guy up front with the serious face is Sergio, aka our brilliant chef. These guys made breakfast, lunch and dinner for our happy little troop... each meal better than the one before. ahh....
We went into town once for dinner at this place

food was okay... fun night except for the "Death March" to get there (it was about a 15 minute walk down the beach from the house).
I wore my new hat (the one that I saw R@chel R@ys' hubby wearing on the F00dNetwork:

not bad, right?
Anyhow, what a great week!!! Honestly, we could've been in Alaska... it was all about being with the people who I love the most.

Okay... you asked for it...

2008-03-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

Since the person who's checkin' my blog from my ex-employer won't identify themselves, I'm going to change up my settings. If you're a regular reader who's e-mail I do not have, or you're someone without a blogger account, you're going to be blocked in about a week. Sorry.

IDENTIFY YOURSELF!!!!

2008-03-08T07:26:00.000-08:00

SOMEone from Wi11iams S0nom@ is checking in on a fairly regular basis... who are you???

I've been shopping again...

2008-03-01T06:16:00.000-08:00

...but at least it's with a purpose. In a mere TWENTY days, we'll be leaving the snowing Land of Mad for a sunny 7 bedroom villa about 45 minutes outside of Puerto Vallarta. All of my favorite people will be in attendance. Just between you and me, I CAN'T WAIT TO GET OUTTA HERE!!!!!! Nothing against the Land we call "Mad"... I'm just a bit DONE with the whole snow thing.
So anyway... back to the shopping. Last year, I had a brilliant hat with me in PV. When we left, I gave it to the housekeeper lesbian. She was so excited... she smiled, laughed, and thanked me profusely as pictures of her gettin' her freak on in the local PV Dyke bars flashed through my head. ANYHOW, I just KNEW I had to get another hat for the trip this year. So I found two:

this one I picked up on Barneys.com. fun, right?

this next one has a bit of provenance, as it were. While watching some food network show about (gulp) Rachel Ray being on vacation in Spain, I noticed that her husband (who was prominently featured, for some odd reason) had a pretty bad-ass hat on. I checked my file of shopping sites and clicked on a site I thought would have it - no luck. BUT on the second site I clicked on, I scored it!!!

Not bad... I'm getting good at this interweb shopping stuff.

I've been stressing over a travel outfit for this trip. It's sure to be FREEZING at the very least when we leave here and when we arrive in PV, I'm counting on it being excessively hot. So... WHAT TO WEAR????? I'm thinking a pair of jeans, a lovely blue oxford, a lightweight cotton scarf and my cashmere LE jacket - drape the jacket on my arm when we hit the ground in PV and I'll be all set. BUT what shoes???? I found these during a biz trip to some mall about 2 hours away - gasp and blasphemy, they actually had a Nordstroms. As a rule, Nordstroms is not on my list of go-to stores, but beggars can't be shoesers:

kinda' groovy, no? Don't tell anyone, but I also picked up another pair of washed suede 1/2 boots with delicious stitching also by Mr. Varvatos.

I also picked up a couple of lightweight cotton scarves. Somehow, I've grown accustomed to having things wrapped around my neck - go figure. They're a bit reminiscent of those scarves you used to see on Israeli soldiers - but better cuz Reuhl did 'em.
I guess I'm pretty all set. Let's just hope I can still fit into my shorts. UGH! I just heard about the "Madison 20" the other day. It's kinda' like the "Freshmen 15", but you don't have to be enrolled in college. Neat!!!
Hasta Lumbago!
Miguelito

It's too cold to go out...

2008-02-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

...so instead I found myself thinking.
There was one person who had a huge impact on my life. More than my parents or anyone else in my family. More than my friends. I think about this person every day. I don't mean to. I don't even try. I just do.
As I thought of him today, I realized that there is only one person currently in my life who knew him. It's Susie. (Hey Suz!) Because I rarely see Susie anymore and she's got a set of triplets, I realized I have nobody to talk to about this person who started me on the greatest adventure of my life.
This scared me. It scared me because I'm afraid that I will forget him. I have no pictures of him. Of us. All I have left of him is the last postcard he sent me before he died. It's post marked January 13th 1989 and was sent to me when I lived in Brooklyn. He died about a year later.
Suz... I know you drop by here every once in a while... I know you're busy with your beautiful little tribe... but could you indulge me and maybe take a few minutes to share what you remember about Patrick? I'm hoping it will help me to not forget....

Okay, so I don't JUST shop...

2008-02-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

Grrr...

2008-01-26T19:56:00.001-08:00

I have a friend in SF. He's one of the "theater pals". While he's an extremely talented performer, his life off the stage always seems to be a complete mess. He's the one in our group that can never seem to pull his shit together. Can't hold down a steady job, moves around a lot, can't keep a girl (boy?) friend... he's handsome and charming and I always find myself concerned for his well being. A few years ago, i knew he was in yet another financial bind, so I hired him to do some work around the house. The plan was for him to install some overhead lighting in our living room. I paid him, but all he ended up doing was removing a light fixture in our dining room, moving a fixture from our bedroom into the dining room to replace it, then replacing the fixture in the bedroom. He never ended up finishing the job of doing the overhead lighting in the living room.
ANYhow... this friend called me last week and - lo and behold - he had another sob story about needing money. Now, this guy is currently engaged and when we saw him over the holidays he and his fiance were all atwitter over the wedding plans... reception at a country club, wedding dress shopping, etc. They even asked if I'd consult on the dress and shoes (she "really, REALLY wants a pair of Jimmy Choo's").
Now, neither one of them is an orphan and while i'm sure they don't "come from money", I would imagine that they'd have other options when it came to asking people for money. I guess the call caught me off guard... when he let me know that he may need to ask me for some money (a "loan"), I told him that I'd do what I could.
Well, I received the inevitable follow up call on Friday. He indeed DID need to ask for money. Now I find myself completely UNinterested in helping him out, and I'm at a loss as to just how to tell him this. I WANT to ask him what the hell is up with him and his fiance that they need to ask ME for money - I mean, even when we lived in the Bay Area, we only ever saw him maybe three times a year at the most. I WANT to ask him if he actually thinks that I believe that he'll somehow find a way to pay me back. I WANT to remind him of how I basically paid him in full for a job half done.
I WANT to just ignore his calls.
ugh.
Any suggestions?

West SYYYY-EEEEED!!!

2008-01-18T04:14:00.000-08:00

we went to dinner last weekend over in the Willy St. area... kinda' boho/Haight St.-ish. Little place called the Weary Traveller. As we were checking in with the Maitre' d, one of the patrons noticed that Matt had on a tie and decided to comment, then he noticed that Mike had a tie on as well and I guess that just threw him over the top. (Now, keep in mind that they Matt and Mike both had on jeans, their neckties were loose - more of an attempt at fun accessorizing than a lifestyle message). Anyhow, this guy just wouldn't stop...
"A tie??? A fucking TIE??? You TOO???? GREAT!!!
"Where do you guys live? Probably the West Side. (eye roll)"
"Great! Now we're going to be overrun by you Upper Management people."
At first Matt kinda' tried to engage, but when he realized this guy was nothing but an asshole, Matt immediately went silent.
On and on he went until finally he said,"They should start checking passports here!"
Now, this guy was NOT smart enough to make such a multi-level insult. I'm sure he was only referring to our being from the "West Side" BUT I saw it as an opportunity to rake this guy over the coals.
"LOOK. YOU need to shut your mouth NOW. I'm really sorry if the fact that we have full time jobs and dress like adults offends you, BUT the fact that you feel it necessary to question our citizenship in this country offends ME. Shut your fucking mouth now or I'll beat the shit out of you AND your girlfriend."
"uh... um.. wuh... um...."
"Yeah... that's what I thought. Loser."
He tucked his tail between his legs and skulked away as everyone in earshot glared at him. He and his companion were seated a few minutes later and that's the last we saw of him. Thank Buddha.

Used and manipulated!!!!

2007-12-15T04:38:00.000-08:00

The fab new gig came with a couple of strings attached. The largest string being the 45 minute commute I must endure each day to and from work. It was fine at first - absolutely NO traffic in either direction. But as some of you may know, I will fall asleep in any moving vehicle almost immediately - wether i'm driving or not. After two horrendous drives fighting sleep almost the entire way, I figured out that maybe if I get some audio books, that would keep me alert and awake. Well, it worked. I've been happily commuting and catching up on books that I've wanted to read for a very long time.
Last week, I finally finished a particularly long book and found myself in need of something new. With the weather the way it's been of late, it's been pretty hard for me to motivate to get to the local Borders. So, I'm stuck listening to lackluster local radio stations. I'm not much for music in the morning - Alice in SF broke me from that addiction... I love a good morning talk radio station... kinda' light, kinda' silly. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find anything to my liking. Ergo, lackluster local radio. Yesterday I'm minding my own business, cruising along on thankfully snow-free roads when the strains of what was sure to be a cheezy christmas song come floating through the airwaves. Having NOTHING else to do, I begin to let myself be lulled into the christmas spirit and actually start paying attention to the song. Here it is: (I'd recommend NOT watching the video and just listening so you can appreciate the hellish manipulation that I went through)

GODDAMNIT if I didn't mist up. For crissakes, what has beCOME of me???
"I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets jesus tonight"?????
Are you fucking kidding me???? I know no one who could resist that.
Happy fucking holidays!!!!

Weather Issues...

2007-12-02T05:13:00.000-08:00

We are currently "snowed in". Okay, it's a self induced "snow in" mostly because we're too paranoid to try driving in all that stuff out there. While I have only ventured out once (pics to follow), apparently the road conditions are supposed to be "treacherous" due to the fact that it snowed THEN it sleeted (still not sure what that means), THEN it rained. This combination of weather conditions leads to something called "Black Ice". While that SOUNDS like it's uber-cool, apparently it spells certain death for anyone foolish enough to get in their cars and drive. (okay, 'certain death' may be a bit strong... how 'bout 'certain ditch' or 'certain dent' or 'sho-nuff crash'?)
Anyhow, we haven't yet grown the "snow balls" to get behind the wheel of our cars so that means we're just hanging out in the house all weekend. I got a bit stir-crazy yesterday afternoon and decided that we should at least TRY to experience the loveliness that was covering our abode, so we piled on layers and layers of clothes, ran up to the second floor and out onto the deck. Mon Petit Cousin suggested "snow angels"...
I had a rough start...

but ended up pretty good...

his was good all the way around...

except when it came to the dismount...

points off for catching wind in the hood

here are some additional pics of what we're seeing from the toasty warm insides of our snow prison:

Gettit?
Today is day two of our self induced snow in... wonder what will happen when I get stir crazy again...

Pajama Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-22T17:12:00.000-08:00

So... here's the review.
A nice, strong B-.
Would've been a B if I hadn't had to change out of my pajamas to run to the grocery store.

Could've been a B+ if the bottom of the turkey wasn't a suspicious shade of pink while the top of it was perfectly cooked.

Would've been an A- if the Parade was better (very few musical numbers and I don't remember seeing a single Rockette - freakin' stage hand strike!).

Would've been an A if we were with everyone...

It was kinda' cool to wake up to snow

Hope yours was lovely!

Thanksgiving means just one thing...

2007-11-21T21:48:00.000-08:00

THE MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shut up.
Seriously, I LOVE the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. LOVE IT. I have no idea why, I just do.
Like I said, "Shut up".
You may be wondering what spectacular plans we have for tomorrow... it's officially going to be the "Pajama Thanksgiving of 2007". It's just gonna be me and him, so I figured, why bother wasting an outfit and an excessive amount of hair product?
We're gonna give making a Turkey and everything a shot... this should be interesting.
Wish us luck.

I'm back.

2007-11-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry... I've been out of town on business trips. I've been home exactly one and a half days out of the past two weeks. Marietta, Georgia and Baltimore, Maryland for those of you who need to know. Lovely little trips... five twelve hour days each in a row spent mostly running around opening a 20,000 sq. ft. store. Like i said, "lovely". Needless to say, I'm pretty freakin' beat. I can't really complain, though... it's not like I'm doing it for free out of the goodness of my heart.
Anyhow, this post has a point, i think. when I left Mad-town, the temperature was hovering around the mid to high 50s. Upon my return, the temperature is now in the mid to low THIRTIES with an occaisional dip into the TWENTIES. It fucking snowed yesterday. It didn't stay on the ground or anything, but it definitely came down.
Naturally, I've gone into panic mode over this sudden change in temperature. I'm at a loss as to how to deal with the cold weather. We went out yesterday and I had on a long sleeved thermal tee shirt, a woven shirt, a down vest, a scarf and jeans. I was fucking FREEZING. In the past three weeks, I've bought 4 winter coats, 3 down vests, two pairs of gloves and a scarf. No need to panic, I guess... I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually. I've really got no choice, do I? I mean it's either figure it out or end up a filipino ice cube.
Please send warm thoughts our way.

Holy Crap

2007-11-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

one of my peoples.

pretty....

2007-11-03T05:56:00.001-07:00

IMG_0010
Originally uploaded by shuboy

one of the perks of moving here is getting all four seasons. the weather is getting colder and the leaves are changing. I'm the first one to admit that i don't notice shit like this... but out here, you can't help but notice.
Nice.

One of these things...

2007-10-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and, for some reason, I felt a desperate need to find out IF there were other Filipinos here in Mad-Land. I honestly couldn't remember seeing any around here. OTHER Asians, sure... but no Filipinos. So, I did what any interwebber would do - I googled. Not surprisingly , several sites googled up (I didn't TRULY believe that I was the only one who made it out here). I clicked on one that seemed viable - they had a Masthead, a calendar of events, and LOTS of photo albums. Being less about reading and all about the visual, I immediately clicked on the photo album link. There were pictures of "us" performing at various functions, dancing at various functions, singing at various functions... y'know - all the stuff we're good at. I was half expecting to see pictures of "us" taking people's blood pressure and checking their vital statistics. Anyhow...
As I was clicking through the albums, I found this picture: (okay, so I did a little 'work' on it)

y'know, even without the work, you can't help but notice the looks on the guests' faces... also note the fact that there is not a single piece of food on any of their plates.
Little do they know what they're missing...

Thursday...

2007-10-27T05:23:00.001-07:00

...was my birthday.

What?!?!?!? A SHOPPING Post?????

2007-09-23T15:15:00.001-07:00

I shopped. I shopped in MADISON!!!! We may all breathe a collective sigh of relief. No small animals will be harmed due to my shopping frustrations.
This shopping trip was actually born out of true and sincere necessity. I'm planning ahead and preparing for the onslaught of my first Madison winter. I thought a winter coat was in order. So I picked this up:

this thing has enough bells and whistles on it to choke a horse. plus it has the dramatic faux fur (I specifically asked) trim on the hood.

I picked up the jacket at Context (www.contextclothing.com). it's the ONLY place in Madison to shop for me. I made a point of chatting up the owner whenever I go in. He's VERY cool and a really great merchant. Super knowledgeable about merchandising and marketing in general. Has a great point of view. Humble, yet confident. He really knows all about every garment in his store and he's great about letting you know all the features and benefits of anything in the place. While we were chatting, I asked him about shoe stores. He called it - nothing in town. While we were chatting about how it's so risky to carry shoes, he mentioned that he'd brought in a line about a year ago and it just didn't do that well. He knew I was shopping in preparation for winter and told me that the shoes he had brought in were specifically for cold weather as they were waterproof - perfect for the snow. He ran to the back and brought them out to me. I saw them, I loved them, I bought them.

groooooovy. I bought them partly because of the beautiful leather box they came in. DEE-LISH.

As he was ringing me up, he said, "Oh, I'm giving you the Context discount - gotta take care of the people who take care of us." Just like the boys at Gimme Shoes used to give me a discount in SF!!!

It's starting to feel a little more like home out here.

Ruined for LIFE

2007-09-15T04:58:00.000-07:00

Went on my first trip with the new gig... headed out to The Hamptons for a couple of days. no biggie... standard work trip. best part was we took the jet... I totally geeked out and took some pics.

The jet:

My reflecton on the jet:

My shoe on the jet:

My boss on the jet:

My driver on the jet:

My direct report on the jet:

My nap on the jet:

I'm into it, man.

A Good Day

2007-09-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

We spent a lovely day yesterday hanging out with Matt. The weather was warm with no sign of the oppressive humidity that I've been having such a hard time dealing with. Thank Buddha.
We met at the Farmer's Market at aout 10:30 and did a lap. Picked up some corn - 6 for a dollar. That was it... we headed out for brunch at some pancake house in Middleton. I immediately got sick from whatever I ate... I beg to go home to recover. couple hours later, we're back on the road. We're currently looking for pillows and a throw for the new monster couch in the living room. After a fruitless shopping trip, we dropped Matt off, headed home and I took a nap - feeling a little better from my earlier pancake poisoning.
Since arriving, we've been looking for a replacement for Tsing Tao, our go-to Chinese delivery place in SF. Low expectations abound, but that was fine as Tsing Tao was just barely acceptable. Like I said... just a go-to place for quick food delivery. Matt had given us some sort of local guide to the best restaurants in the area and we chose the #1 entry under Chinese food delivery. We placed the order when Matt called to say he was headed back to our place. The food arrived just before matt... I had about 2 bites from each of the 4 dishes we ordered. All I have to say is... I think I enjoyed my pancake poisoning more than that meal. The search will continue.
In a desperate attempt to salvage the evening, we considered going to a movie. I faced reality and admitted that going to a movie theater for me is like giving me a sleeping pill. We nixed the movie idea. Then Matt came up with the brilliant (?) idea of going to a local Indian casino - Dejope. See, Matt and I had gone to Las Vegas together a million years ago and the idea hit as we were reminiscing about the trip. Anyhow, we all looked at each other and said, WTF? Why not? and headed out. Twenty minutes later we were walking through the doors. I'm assuming that none of my valued fans have been to an Indian casino, so let me take a moment to describe.... basically, you can smell the desperation the moment you open the doors. Everyone in the place looks like they're there to make their millions to escape the lives that they've been assigned. There's gotta be something in the air... my first intake of breath put me right next to everyone in there. Thoughts of winning a b'zillion dollars at a twent five cent slot machine danced through my head. Cash out, head home, pack and move back to my beloved SF. Sigh.
I played "Big Daddy" and handed Mike a twenty (pulled one out for myself as well). We wandered around and promptly ended up 40 dollars in the hole. "Big Daddy" decided to keep the "fun" rolling and whipped out a couple more twenties... We wandered around and chose our "dream-making" machines... Mike turned his twenty into FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!!! I turned mine into A HUNDRED AND FIFTY!!!!!!!! When our bankroll dropped to 350, we ran outta that place like liitle girls running from an, um, uh... Indian Casino (?). Matt followed close behind... bitter and angry at not being able to make his 5 dollars into anything more than additional space in his wallet.
So 350 bucks won't get us retired and back to SF... but it's a start.
Mad-land it is. For now.

Oh how the mighty have fallen...

2007-09-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was difficult.
I think we all know by now that shopping plays a huge role in my life. In SF I would go shopping on weekends when I got bored. Or when I was upset. Or when I just fucking felt like it! These past weeks I've been quelling the shopping ache by going out and getting stuff for the house. Wall hangings and a desk from UnEarthed, a couch from Steinhafel's, various and sundry necessities from Target. (Have I mentioned that I've been to Target more in the past 3 weeks than I've ever been in my WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE???) Well, yesterday we had no real plans to do anything and the shopping ache was calling my name. I TRIED to make it go away by running out to Target and getting some window coverings for the kitchen. Didn't work. Then I remembered that there was a Macy's not far from the house. I thought, "Great. I'll go there. Maybe they'll have some shoes or something." Let me tell you... the Macy's out here is a far cry from the one in SF. Come to think of it, I NEVER went to the Macy's in SF. With everything else out there, it just didn't merit my time or money. Anyhow, we walked in and had to actually SEARCH for the men's shoe department. When we finally found it, it was about 75 square feet of major ugly. As I scanned the tables and displays not finding anything that even mildly interested me, I found my breathing getting shallow. I got light headed. Seriously. I really did. I was shocked and a little confused by my reaction. I was so immensely disappointed, that I was having an actual physical reaction to it. Knowing full well that this horrible little Macy's was my last bastion of shopping hope in this god forsaken shopping place, and it was coming up empty made me sick.
(I am SO not being dramatic here. I know you're all snickering, but I'm dead serious. I actually thought I was going to faint.)
I mean, think about it. The hopelessness of it all...
We wandered out of Macy's and into the small mall. Bath and Body, a Hallmark store, something called "Oriental Specialties (KEE-RIIIIIST!!!!!!!!!), Cornblooms (????), The University Bookstore. I had to sit down. And smoke. I had to smoke.
After my smoke, we went back into the mall. I could feel the desperation rising inside of me. Then I saw it. A shoe store called "Morgan's" or something like that. "I bet they have slippers." I thought to myself. "I could use a new pair of slippers.. Yeah... THAT's it. I'll buy slippers!!!". I had an old pair of Ugg slippers that I had gotten at Nordstrom's about a year ago and they could be replaced. Morgan's had a big Ugg sign in the front of the store, so I figured they might have the slippers. We went in and looked at the wide assortment of ugly shoes. The army of salespeople were helping customers describing things like how a shoe should be comfortable. whatever. I felt like screaming, "The uglier the shoe the more comfortable!! Period."
Then I spotted something. A shoe that sparked something in my memory. A spread from a men's fashion magazine. Granted, it was a spread from an OLD men's fashion magazine... but whatever. You get the picture. Okay... and in the magazine, the shoes were in a beautiful kinda' jewel tone blue... anyhow, I bought these:

I'm so ashamed.

We did it.

2007-09-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, we attended the game. No, I did not wear the Bucky Badger T. I opted instead for True Religion Jeans, a white button down shirt and a red bandanna tied cowboy style around my neck. Also wore the blue suede Jack Spade bag... yeah, a bit on the "Red, White and Blue" side, but the bandanna was such a small part of the whole outfit... well, you get the picture.
ANYHOW... Seeing as how Camp Randall is about 5 blocks away, I was coerced into walking there. Oddly enough, there were people parking for the game out in front of our house (we could tell because they had truly committed to the whole "Red" thing). It was a beautiful day (albeit a bit on the warm side) and we wandered down Regent St towards the stadium. On our way, we started to hear the UW fight song floating through the air. At first I thought it was coming from the stadium... but I figured, no, that couldn't be it... it sounded less like a college marching band and more like a cell phone ring tone. Turned out this is what we were hearing

Sorry for the poor quality of the shot... I didn't want to get too close... for some reason the little girl in red playing the UW fight song on an electric organ in her driveway (over and over and over and over again) creeped me out. I stayed on our side of the street.
As we got closer, it seemed like things just got redder and redder and redder... including the faces of the college kids partying out in front of their houses. Oh! Speaking of the houses... people who lived within 4 blocks of the stadium were actually renting out their driveways as parking spaces. One house was obviously inhabited by a marketing genius. They were charging 15 bucks for space and you get a free "Bratwurst"; ergo their sign, "Spot and a Brat - $15.00" . Sorry, I was so amused, I missed the photo op.
A few more shots of our walk as we got closer to the stadium:

and we finally arrive

We managed to make our way up to the suite. Lovely. I can't imagine attending sporting events of this magnitude any other way. Loads of food... lots of beer... they were making bloody mary's... nice.
This is a shot of what was going on down on the field when we got to the suite. Some sort of marching band thing... kinda' fun. Everyone seemed very excited. THEN, they made a big "M" for us!!!

Funny... they had their back to us... odd.
All in all, it was really fun. We actually stayed for almost the whole time. I believe UW won 28 to 21. Or something.
I thought I'd end this post with this shot to drive home the whole "Red" thing. (no, i did not alter this photo in any way)

GO BIG RED!

Go Big Red?

2007-09-01T04:53:00.000-07:00

Today we participate in what could easily be referred to as, "The Qunitessential Madison Experience". We're going to a UW Badgers football game.
On Tuesday, I got back to my office and found that I'd received an invitation to join - get this - the VP of HR and "other executives" at the opening game of the UW football season. Relax. It's not like I was the only one invited. There will be other LE "newbie directors" there. Apparently LE has a suite at Camp Randall (the UW football stadium) that they use to woo potential business outfitter customers. I reluctantly accepted the invitation. Good thing... apparently, this is a BIG DEAL. Not only is this a huge game for UW, but I found out it's a pretty big deal to get invited to the LE Suite at the stadium.
Last night after our Friday Dinner Out, we were wandering around State Street when I finally faced the question that had been nagging me since I accepted the invite to the game - What will I wear? Buddha knows that there is no shortage of UW Logo stores in Madison, so I gave in and we walked into one of them. I purchased two shirts. One for me and one for Mike. Mike went with a more classic approach to the UW logo. I decided on a ringer tee emblazoned with
Bucky Badger - the UW mascot.
Whether I wear it or not remains to be answered.

A List

2007-08-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

I'm making a list. A list of things I like here. Here it is:
•Our House.
I'm not spooked out anymore... the first couple of nights here I had trouble falling asleep because I kept thinking about the TWO doors that were so accessible to ANYone. I was positive that someone was just gonna bust in and murder us in our sleep. That's not bothering me so much anymore. Now that almost all the boxes have disappeared (thanks to Mike), the place is feeling GOOD.
*The Farmer's Market.
Shut UP. Okay, so tomorrow is only the second time we'll be going, but I'm really looking forward to it.
•Michael's Frozen Custard.
Apparently, it's legendary. We just tried it for the first time tonight. I had the Caramel Cashew sundae - vanilla Frozen Custard, caramel and roasted, salted Cashews. The whole salty/sweet thing was INCREDIBLE.
•Decorating Our House.
Having a BLAST making what we've got work and figuring out what else we need, and then figuring out where and how to get it.
•UnEarthed.
Groovy little store specializing in rescued/refurbished architectural finds. I picked up a set of 3 tin ceiling tile plaques (2'x2') that I'm putting on either side of the fireplace and just inside the front door. Also a rescued and refurbished catholic elementary school desk that had been painted red with a chalkboard finished top. GRU-VEEE!!!
•Rediscovering a sense of adventure.
Haven't felt like this since moving back to New York from Dallas... don't know anyone (except Our Only Friend in Madison, Matt), new job with new responsibilities, New House, new everything. I haven't gotten into my car not knowing where I was going in a long time - the best part about that is not caring. The whole point of the excercise is to get lost and find my way home again.
•I'm enjoying the new sense of freedom.
What I'm NOT enjoying is the "missing" feeling. I can't dwell on it... I don't name what I'm missing because it's too hard. It's just too hard.

One week later..

2007-08-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

Week one of the new job is done. Check it out. Here's what my commute looks like:

all farms, cornfields, and - apparently - soy bean fields. Rock Me Edamame!

This week at work was easy enough... went in on Monday and had my "orientation". Same old stuff... learn about the email system (completely useless as I was the only person in the group on a mac), benefits info, discount policy, blah, blah, blah.
The boss lady gave me Tuesday and Wednesday off to help with the arrival of our stuff. THAT's a whole different post...
Went in again on Thursday and had a meeting with one of the other two Directors in the department. Scary. He was supposed to go over the systems and processes in his group. Just he and I for 2 hours and then we were scheduled to have lunch together. Well, after making me wait in his office for 10 minutes, he showed up with his Sr. Manager and she did all the talking. Then he took a "rain check" on lunch with me. Nice. Two hours later his Sr. Manager "stopped by" my office and spilled her guts. "He doesn't get it", "He has no clue", "His whole team is over worked", "You seem to really gettit... HELP", etc. Charming. THIS oughta' be interesting.
Later that day, I met one of the 6 people who are going to be reporting in to me. (Interestingly enough, everyone else on my team was travelling - I guess that's why it was easy enough for my boss to give me Tuesday and Wednesday off) Great girl. Hard workin' WI stock, etc., and cute enough. Friday was a half day for me...
Seems like things are going to be manageable... The rest of the team is in next week and I'm really looking forward to meeting them.
Today is Saturday which can mean only one thing. FARMER'S MARKET!!! Woohoo. I sent V-Mo's 'right hand gal' an e-mail last night begging her for a corn salad recipe that she had made for our going away party. Got it this morning and added all the ingredients to our FARMER'S MARKET list.
Geez.. I'm jonesin' for a shopping trip somewhere OTHER THAN TARGET.
This is gonna work... no, really, it is. Don't worry.

Our First Visitors!!!

2007-08-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Auntie Linda and Uncle Jeff win for first visitors to Madison!!! We:
-showed them the new digs
-shopped
-had lunch on State Street
-shopped
-wandered up to the WU Student Union Terrace
-laughed
-shopped
-had iced coffee drinks at a cute little coffee bar around the corner from our house
-laughed some more as I retold the Susanna Pichay story ('member "Ebergren"??? okay... here's a reminder: You and I will make eets night a purse. Abree day a baygeening. Spirisss ply and our dans is unrehearse...)
-had an all around great time
I can't thank AL and UJeff enough for coming out and making us feel so welcome in this far away land.
And now, a picture on the shores of Lake Mendotta (or is it Menona???) just off of the UW Student Union Terrace:

Madison, Day Two

2007-08-10T05:19:00.000-07:00

Don't know how long I'm gonna keep up the day count...
anyhow, it's 7:20am in lovely Madison (okay, we're actually staying in Midleton, which is about 5 minutes away from Madison), and we're just starting our day. As mentioned before, we're planning on meeting up with Auntie Linda and Uncle Jeff, show them the new house and then exploring downtown Madison a bit more.
In the meantime, I'm furiously googling Filipino Food - specifically Sinigang in Madison Wisconsin. Not much luck yet, although I have found 3 Asian food markets (oddly enough, all of them on the same street). If any of you, my loyal readers, are wondering what you might need to send to us, it's SINIGANG mix.. Mamacita's, Knoors, whatever - we'll take it.
Rumor has it our cars may be arriving today... that should be interesting as I've only seen about 3 Minis out here so far.
Really looking forward to AL and UJ's visit. Can't figure out what to wear. I guess I'll just go with something comfortable - it's hot and HUMID out here. It's been a while since I've had to deal with humidity like this (it's just like NYC in the summer), and I'm trying hard not to run from it.
Eww... we went up into the attic of the new house. I guess, "eww" is a bit strong... there's really nothing "eww-y" about it except the fact that it was oppressively hot up there. We were pleased to see that the door leading up to it had weather stripping all around it. I guess that's to keep the heat/cold from seeping into the living quarters.
Sorry for the stream of consciousness blogging... just got a lot on my mind and I want to get it out there...
more to come from the AL and UJ visit.

Madison, Day One

2007-08-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

So... didn't sleep much last night - too annoyed. Was relieved when the sun came up and I could look forward to having the whole accomodations thing solved. We had breakfast in the hotel dining room. Not bad... and it was free, so what the hell?
After breakfast, we ran up to the room, packed up our stuff, checked out and headed over to the house to get the keys from Relo Lady. She was late. sheesh. But when she finally got there, all went well.
Here's the crazy part; so i'm wandering around the place, just kinda' getting re-familiarized and I head up stairs. When I get up there, I see a door that I didn't remember from our last visit. So, I open it. IT'S ANOTHER BEDROOM. What the hell am I supposed to do with ANOTHER BEDROOM???? Hysterical. The new bedroom aside, the place is bigger than I remembered. We're really looking forward to getting our stuff in there. It should be arriving on Monday or Tuesday. Lots and lots ahead of us.
OH!!! While we're hanging out at the house, my cell phone rings and it's my Auntie Linda from Chicago (Palatine, to be exact). She's calling to "check in" and make sure we arrived alright. THEN she tells me that she and Uncle Jeff are coming to Madison to visit us TOMORROW! Well, thrilled doesn't describe how I was feeling. I think I was at the point in my day that I was REALLY missing my peoples, then she calls and all of a sudden, I GOTS PEOPLES!!! I called to tell dad and burst into tears while I was telling him. The stress finally just got to me... Sigh.
Well, whatever... at least I'm going to get to see my long lost Auntie Linda and Uncle Jeff!!! I'll post pics tomorrow!

Endings and new beginnings

2007-08-09T03:29:00.000-07:00

We were packed on Monday and loaded on Tuesday. We spent Tuesday night at the Embassy Suites in Burlingame (I know. We're fancy). We had dinner with all of my favorite girls (V-mo and crew) Tuesday night. I needed to see them last before leaving for Madison... dunno why, but I just had to. I'm glad I did.
We flew out Wednesday morning and the trip was relatively uneventful except for a delayed flight from Chicago to Madison - just an hour delay, no biggie. The real excitement started when we showed up at the Residence Inn and had no reservation. Yeah... the travel office at LE managed to book our flights and a rental car but neglected to make any sort of hotel reservations. This has not been the easiest of transitions, what with the lack of communication from the relo lady and moving people and now this. Not only did they neglect to make a reservation, but the place that they assured me they HAD made a reservaton at is non-smoking. Yeah. I know. It's bad for me. But I'm not about to quit smoking during a stressful time like this. So, back off. Can you tell I'm annoyed?
I called one of the LE relo people on her cell phone last night at 10:00pm while standing in the lobby of the Residence Inn and let her know, "I AM NOT HAPPY". I mean, really, how hard is it to make sure all of our travel arrangements are taken care of???? I mean, it's her fucking JOB. She pushed the blame off on some underling then assured me that everything would be taken care of tomorrow. I sent her the following e-mail last night as I sat fuming (and not smoking) in our room (we ended up checking in - we had no choice):
L,
We will be checking out of this hotel first thing in the morning. We're meeting our realtor at the new house at 9:00am.
Please have A make arrangements for a different hotel that has smoking rooms. I made it very clear that both myself and my partner smoke.
Have A call me on my cell phone and let me know where we will be staying.
Thank You,
Mike

Short, sweet and pissed. I really hope this is not a sign of things to come...
Fingers crossed, positive thoughts please.

"August 6th, 2007 4:35AM" or "Super Freak"

2007-08-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

Note the date and time of this post... I've been up for 22.5 hours. The movers are coming at some point today (I have absolutely no idea exactly WHEN) and I've been putzing around putting things that I don't want them to touch in boxes, sealing them up and writing "Attic" on them. One would think that anything I didn't want them touching would be worthy of prime real estate in the new house, but for some reason, I want these things to be stored in the attic. Go figure. They're things like old magazines, videos and shoes. I think the stress of the move has finally gotten to me.
Oh. Here's another REDICULOUS thing I'm freakin' out about; We leave San Francisco on the 8th, but our stuff will not arrive in Madison until the 13th or 14th. We'll be staying at a Residence Inn in the interim. So... all I really need to pack is enough outfits to last me until our stuff gets there, Seeing as how I don't start working until the 13th, I have no idea why i'm so stressed over this. If everything goes as planned, I will not be needing anything more than one or two work outfits, some shorts, t-shirts and shoes to last 5 or 6 days (two of them being work days). As of this moment, I've compiled and packed 12 outfits of varying degrees of difficulty. They are each complete with accessories that include but are not limited to: a watch, a bracelet, coordinating shoes with coordinating socks, a jacket, a bag, a pair of glasses and one chapstick.
It's official. I'm insane.
And now, I'm sleepy.

Tick, tick, tick...

2007-07-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

Our time here grows shorter and the panic rises. So much to do while so much is being done for me. Movers will come and pack up not just my life, but the life I've created with someone else. They'll take everything from my beloved San Francisco and move it across the country to Madison, Wisconsin. A place where these things do not yet belong. Soon enough they will seem to meld into the new place and become part of it - just as I'm hoping we will. But I don't think that will ever truly happen.
My home is here. My family is here. I am here.

and the winner is....

2007-07-24T23:18:00.000-07:00

Who knew? I was all set to go with a loft in an old tobacco factory. I ended up with a red brick bungalo on a corner in a lovely little neighborhood across the street from a catholic elementary school. Okay.. so the navy awning over the front door makes me throw up a little in my mouth, but the interior is more than I could ask for...

like the stairway and the craftsman-like panes on all the windows

or the sun porch off the front of the house

or the yummy fireplace with the built in bookcases

or the light fixtures... this is actually a shot from the living room into the dining room and that's the "den" at the far end that has a little half bath off of it

oh yeah... it has a groovy kitchen, too.
these are all shots of the main floor. it's got three bedrooms and a master bath on the second floor. the master bedroom has a deck off of it. oh! there's a downstairs, "finished basement" that we'll be converting into a guest bedroom with a full bath.
Yeah... Madison is gonna be okay.

Update!!!

2007-07-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

She just called. We're on a "wait list" for the "loft of my dreams". I'm annoyed. The other places I liked seem to be full. I'm annoyed. She wants to show us a house. I'm intrigued.
She's coming to pick us up in 2 hours... annoyed again, but at least she's made contact.
I promise to update with photos later.

Panic

2007-07-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday came and went with no word from the relo lady. I called and left messages with the VP or HR over the weekend assuming he'd be getting in touch with me today (it's MONDAY and we leave TOMORROW morning). Although we didn't spend any time with relo lady, we did spend the day with - get this - an old friend who lives in Madison and works for Lands' End. KEE-RAZY, right? The friend is from my days with the theater in San Mateo. He worked mostly on the technical staff and occaisionally took a turn or two on the boards with the rest of us. I found him during my interview day sorta'... his name came up during a random conversation in the cafe while I was having lunch with the VP of Employee Services. Anyhow, I gave him a call last week to let him know that we'd be moving to Madison and the kid almost died. We got together yesterday and spent the whole day from brunch to after dinner cocktails with him. It was great to catch up (he came out to me) and get a little inside scoop on LE.
The more time we spend here, the more we are liking it. The weather is absolutely gorgeous ( i KNOW, winter will be rough) and everyone is friendly and courteous. All of the restaurants we've been to have been great and while the "shopping" is limited at best, I think that will be fine. Like I've said before, Chicago is a 2 hr. drive and NYC is a 1.5 hr. flight away.
Let's hope we get a call from the relo lady tomorrow....

Day One; The Househunting trip begins

2007-07-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

We were up at 4:30am and out the door by 6:30. Just getting settled in the hotel in Madison. It's 7:40pm Madison time. We're BEAT. This time we got an official smoking room. No view of the capitol building, but a lovely view of Lake Monona. Odd, it's bigger than the room we got when I flew in to interview. Has a couch and an additional TV. Really weird.
So the nice lady from the relo place has all but disappeared. I've left her two messages over the past two weeks and I haven't heard back from her... if I don't hear from her by Monday morning, I'm calling HR and raising HOLY HELL. I'm not about to do this without help. Seriously. The promised someone would be here to help us find a place and they need to deliver.
I'm feeling a bit nervous.

A'hunting we will go...

2007-07-21T04:38:00.000-07:00

We're heading out this morning for Madison to find a place to live... wish us luck.
I'll post our options later...

"Karma" or "It Pays to be Nice"

2007-07-17T22:09:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I'm changing jobs and moving to a far away place. My last day at my old job is this Friday. An e-mail went out last week and I've been truly touched by all of the calls and such that I've been getting from people. The good people have been nothing but supportive. The assholes have been, well, assholes. They're the ones who look down their noses and say, "How can you move THERE???" To which I sooooooo want to respond, "I don't know... how can you think those shoes look good on you?" Or, "I don't know... how can you think that people don't notice everytime you get a new botox injection?" Or, "I don't know... how can you continue to use a charge card to pay for your groceries so you can make your rent?"
Anyhow, thankfully I have managed to avoid an excess of assholes. One thing that has taken me by surprise is how many people have said, "You soooo deserve this!" DeSERVE? Did these people actually notice that I've been slaving away at this place for the past almost six years? Nice.
Back to my original thought. YES, I have original thoughts.
So about a year ago, one of the IT guys ran into me while I was having a smoke in the courtyard. I said Hi and he sat down next to me and we started chatting. he was having some problems with a co worker and asked for my advice. I figured I had nothing to lose so I was very frank with him and let him know what I thought. I ran into the same IT guy yesterday and we did the "I'm outta here" chat. THEN, then!!!! He said, "Do you need anything for your computer?"
"Mo, we just talked about this. I'm LEAVING on Friday."
"Not THAT computer. YOUR computer!"
"Mine? Really?"
"Of course. What do you want?"
"Anything?"
"Anything you want."
"Um... Photoshop? Illustrator? Quark? InDesign?"
"Bring in your laptop tomorrow and I'll load you up."
It pays to be nice. I'm just sayin'.

It's official...

2007-07-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Looks like we'll be the newest additions to the population of Madison, Wisconsin. We flew out to Madison last Sunday, I interviewed with Lands' End on Monday, they offered me the position of Director of Visual Merchandising on Tuesday and I accepted on Friday. My first day of work with them will be August 13th, 2007.
Pretty crazy, huh? ME in Wisconsin. Suffice to say, the offer was too good to pass up. Aside from the fact that they are doubling what I make out here, the cost of living in Madison is FIFTY PERCENT less than San Francisco (I checked it out on some Cost of Living Camparison website). The math boggles my coddled mind. Let's all just agree that we'll be sitting pretty in Madison.
Our trip there was pretty quick, but we were able to get a bit of a feel for the place. A relocation guy drove us around and showed us several beautiful condos. NONE of which was more than 250 thousand dollars. Amazing. The plan is to rent for a year or two, save some money and then buy something. The signing bonus they gave me along with my annual bonuses should put us in pretty good shape after a year and great shape after two. On top of that, the place is kinda' lovely. It's a college town (University of Wisconsin) and has that kind of vatality to it. It's also the State Capitol, so it's dressed out pretty nicely. Downtown Madison, while not being New York or San Francisco is groovy. Apparently there's been a revitalization of sorts in the Downtown area and people are moving back into the city proper. Tons of new consstruction going on and there are plenty of living options for the more "urban" types who've found themselves transplanted to the midwest.
I've got my eye on a place called, Tobacco Lofts at Findorff Yards. Check it out:
http://uli.com/Residential_TobaccoRow.aspx
it's the loft I've always dreamed of, but in this dream, I can afford it. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms for between 1500 and 2000 a month, depending on the floorplan. I have a feeling we're gonna be going with the largest floorplan they've got avaiable. I mean, if I'm gonna move to freakin' Wisconsin, I may as well be living in as comfortable a place as possible. If for some reason we can't get in (the relocation lady has ASSURED me that she'll get us in despite the fact that when Mike spoke to them, they said there was nothing available), we've got about 4 other places that are pretty incredible as options.
The fact that Madison doesn't have a Gimme Shoes, Neiman's, Saks, Bloomingdale's or Barney's will be torturous, but in the long run, will be good for me. Also, the office is "denim friendly" so that makes things much easier - i can't even begin to tell you how many times i've said to myself as I've been getting dreessed in the morning, "I wish I could just wear jeans!". On top of that, these people have seen none of my wardrobe. Virtually, my wardrobe is brand spanking new. It's like a miracle.
A miracle. Yeah... I could use one of those right about now.
Wish us luck!!! (oh... and save the "cheese" jokes.... they're a bit obvious).

Madison, Wisconsin????

2007-07-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

Um... definite possibility. Stay tuned...

Entitlement or Don't even TRY to kill my shopping buzz...

2007-06-02T18:10:00.000-07:00

While finishing up placing an order for a new pair of prescription eye glasses (caramel John Varvatos - deelish) in a shop on Filmore, a woman browsing in the shop decided that it was a great idea to ask the sweet girl helping me to drop EVERYthing she was doing to help her "find the style number" on a pair of sunglasses that she was "thinking about" buying. All this so she could go have lunch with her friends and "come back". When the girl did not immediately stop writing up my order and help her, the woman continued to say, "Excuse me. Excuse me. EXCUSE me." Finally I turned to her and said, "Can you NOT see that she is helping me right now?"
"Well, can't she just answer my question? I mean, can't she do two things at once?"
To which I replied, "I'd never presume that of anybody." and turned back to the salesgirl who was sheepishly trying to hide a smile.
The rude woman continued speaking to my back, "You know, it's a SAD, SAD world when someone can't just be nice and let someone else get a quick question answered."
I continued to ignore her as she went on to say, "I mean, why can't people be nice? Why do you have to be such a JERK??."
I considered going ghetto on her, but instead turned to her and said, "You know why this world is so "SAD"? Cuz it allows people like you to think that their time is more important than anybody elses'."
Luckily at this point one of the other workers decided to intervene and gave the woman the attention she so desperately craved. Having gotten her style number (which I'm SURE she was going to use to find the sunglasses online at a cheaper price), she turned to walk out of the store. As she was leaving, I said, "Have a nice day."
"Oh! You're reDEEMED." was her response.
"I don't need YOUR redemption." I SOOOOO wanted to end that with "bitch", but decided to take the high road.

Now... my question: What in the world could make someone feel so entitled? Was I in the wrong here?
I'm not guilt-free of entitlement. I have to admit it... I feel that I'm entitled to friendly service from a salesperson. I believe I'm entitled to an apology from a waiter when my dinner is taking too long to show up on my table. I feel that I'm entitled to turn down the offer of service from a salesperson in a store that I frequent when my "regular" salesperson is on the floor and I have the time to wait for them to finish up with someone else. I believe I'm entitled to be served when it's my turn.
I do NOT feel entitled to waste someone elses time.

Fuming....

2007-05-26T00:47:00.000-07:00

I went to a birthday party tonight. It was for a very close friend. Someone I like very much. So much so that our gift to him was a Jack Spade bag. While I was at the party, I was informed by another guest that when he first met me (apparently we had met before) I had a mullet. Also, that when we were introduced and shook hands, I said, "Owww". He also let me know that the reason I said "Owww" when shaking his hand was because i was gay and that I should be a "Man". After he let me know this in front of several of my friends, I left the party. I felt it was better to leave than to have to say the following things to him in front of our friends:
-I don't remember ever having met you before
-you don't know me well enough to speak to me
-who are you to judge me?
-maybe a new skin care regimen would help out that adult onset acne
-consider bathing as an option
-if you're invited to a birthday party, bring a gift and don't insult other guests
-your shoes are ugly
-pull up your pants
-I could buy and sell you
Yeah... i could've ripped this kid a new one turning him into a defeated, humiliated puddle but I decided to take the high road and leave. But not before being mightily repremanded by the SO. "this is not about you. you're going to ruin the party for everyone. just ignore him." I found it odd that while the scumbag insulted me the SO stood by silently. I found it odd the the SO felt that I was in the wrong for wanting to leave the party. I found it odd that at the time the SO didn't realize that I was acutally insulted by what the scumbag said.
In the SO's defense, he wasn't necessarily aware that I was taking these attacks as hard as I did. On the ride home as I sat fuming, he let me know that if he was aware he would've come to my defense immediately. Okay. I'll buy it.
I rec'd the following e-mai from scumbag this morning:

Hey man, I know i pissed you off last night at _____'s Party, and that was
>not my intention in any way. I was just telling a story and didn't realize
>that it was a sensitive subject. I thought it would be funny, and man, was i
>wrong! You're not a girl, and i don't think you are a girl, and i shouldn't
>even have used "girl" to bust your balls. Im sorry i hurt your feelings/
>pissed you off.
>
>Its awesome how i see people once every f'n million years and manage to be a
>jerk-off for those 10 seconds. Yeah im a prick. Next time i see you, drinks
>on me bro
>
>Word
>
>A

Here's my response:

Thanks for your e-mail. I'm not sure that "pissed off" is the term that I would use. More than anything I was amazed and shocked that you felt you knew me well enough to attempt joking with me in that way . To be clear, you do not know me well enough.
You referenced shaking my hand when we first met... I honestly don't remember meeting you the first time. I may have said, "oww" when you shook my hand, but I'm positive it wasn't because I'm gay. I'm very aware of your "dabbling" in same sex experience(s??), and my thought is that since you've only "dabbled" you wouldn't be aware that being gay doesn't make you say "oww" when shaking hands with a "real man" - my bad.
As for buying me a drink "next time"... thanks, but it's more than clear to me that you've got plenty of other things to spend your money on and I'm pretty sure that "next time" won't be happening.

m

Oh... I copied the host and hostess of the party as well as the SO on my response. Yeah, I guess the scumbag wasn't the only "prick" at the party.

A shopping post!

2007-05-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I've done a shopping post. Believe me, it's not because I haven't been shopping.
Anyhow, here's the latest addition to the Jack Spade collection. Delish, no?

Root Planing???

2007-05-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

JEEBUS!!!!!!
In my last post I mentioned a tooth extraction (thanks for the milkshake offer, Sus!!). So, yeah... that sucked. It sucked less the next day as there was little to no residual pain. The following week I went back for a check up - all good. The week after that I went back for a cleaning. Again. Fine. Not too terribly pleaseant, but overall, fine. After the cleaning, I was informed that I needed to return for a Root Planing. The dentist explained why I needed a root planing by showing me the following things:
a big fake mouth with retractable rubber gums
x-rays of my mouth
a slide show
2 powerpoint presentations
various and sundry pie charts
Now... I'm not one to disagree with the medical or dental community. I mean, they spent like a million years in institutions of higher education, they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on tuition to said instituions, they worked hard, they stuck it out. I watch Grey's Anatomy. I know.
So I agreed to make two appointments to have a Root Planing.
This past Thursday was my first appointment. I have one question: HOW IN THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND THE STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO GO BACK FOR MY NEXT ONE?????? This was by FAR the most hateful experience of my long, miserable life. It is Saturday and my jaw is STILL sore. I can't even begin to try to explain how horrible those two hours on Thursday were. I should've known... red lights should've gone off all around me when I was told that they need to do it over two appointments - they can't do the whole mouth in one shot.
Oh, don't worry. I'll go back this coming Thursday... only THIS time, I'm leaving with a fresh prescription for some INTENSE pain killers.

Such a loss...

2007-04-27T23:08:00.000-07:00

Michael Smuin, the award-winning choreographer for ballet, Broadway, film and television, died Monday in San Francisco of an apparent heart attack. He was 68. . He collapsed during a rehearsal with his company...
I had the opportunity to dance with Mr. Smuin in the beginning of my career. He was always so good to me... from when I first started taking class and was nothing but a bag full of potential to years later when I'd see him in New York. Patrick and I had dinner with he and his wife Paula a couple of times and we'd see him at Sally Streets whenever she'd have a party.
I remember auditioning for his production of "Shogun" in New York. We were going across the floor and as always, he was pushing everyone very hard. I came across and as I passed him, he said, "I bet you think I don't remember you, Mike. How's Patrick?". It was a bummer I had to tell him he had recently passed away. I made all the cuts at his audition and afterwards we went for drinks with his two dance captains for the show. We talked about Patrick a lot that night...
The world has lost another talented man. And like I said, he was always so kind.

geez.. finally

2007-04-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

Yes. Finally got a chance to blog. Let's see... lots has happened:
•cut off all my hair (well, not ALL... but LOTS of it)
•did it up big for V-mo's bday
•got a promotion
•went on a vacation with all of my favorite people (OOH!!! OOOH!!! I just figured out if you click the title of this post above, it'll take you to the vacay pics!!!!)
•got a tooth pulled outta mah big ol' head (it was the most disgusting thing I had ever seen in my ENTIRE life... well except for looking in the mirror the morning after I was hit by a car and splattered all over Van Ness Ave in SF - don't ask)
•converted a lease into a purchase and did NOT lose money (i'm not sure how this all went down, but that's what I was told by a very reliable, UNbiased source aka dad)
If inspiration visits, I'll add details about some of the above...
mishamad
(go ahead... ask me what that means)

The "Why is Leng Laughing So Hard Contest"

2007-04-01T10:57:00.001-07:00

DSCN0944
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

The first person to get this right will win an all expense paid trip to Broadmoor Village in Daly City.

No, that's not my "Dancin' Face"

2007-04-01T10:52:00.001-07:00

DSCN0945
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

It's my, "I'm dancin' with the star of the dance floor at my sisters' 40th birthday party Face".
Those who know exactly why my face is contorted... this one's for you.

By the way...

2007-03-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

seeing as how NObody from my family came to see Guys and Dolls... could you AT LEAST leave comments on the pics????? could ya? Huh?

A First

2007-03-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

The other day I received my very FIRST passport.
I'm oddly thrilled about this. I feel as if the entire world has opened up for me.
I'll be using it for the first time in two weeks to go to Puerto Vallarta with all of my favorite people - all TEN of them!!
Oh... the day my passport arrived, I met V-Mo for a little shopping date. Guess what I bought? Yup... a Jack Spade Passport case in chocolate brown. hehe.

me and angel

2007-03-19T22:34:00.001-07:00

me_angel
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

angel was my partner in the Havana number... so much fun working with her!!!!

rehearsal shot

2007-03-19T22:32:00.003-07:00

rehearsal1
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

just another rehearsal shot

2007-03-19T22:32:00.001-07:00

rehearsal2
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

Guys and Dolls, CCMT, Spring 2007

2007-03-18T21:34:00.001-07:00

792803536403_0_ALB
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat

Guys and Dolls, CCMT, Spring 2007

2007-03-18T21:32:00.001-07:00

185482436403_0_BG
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York

Guys and Dolls, CCMT, Spring 2007

2007-03-18T21:30:00.001-07:00

657803436403_0_BG
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York

Guys and Dolls, CCMT, Spring 2007

2007-03-18T21:29:00.001-07:00

671090536403_0_ALB
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

Final pose of the Crapshooters Ballet

i'm kinda' sad...

2007-03-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Here I am at home again. Too sick to work. (I did go in this morning to shoot a video, but my boss sent me home as soon as we were done).
I've got a show tomorrow night, followed by Friday night and Saturdady night. I'm hoping to be feeling better by tomorrow. I just want to get through at least one weekend of shows feeling GOOD.
I'm desperate for the one good weekend because I'm thinking this is probably the last time I'll be getting up on the boards. I just don't think I've got it in me to do this again - the schedule is just too much.
So I'll ask again for some good vibes... (thanks for the garlic tip, Suz!!!)
time to nap.

and by the way...

2007-03-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

I'm currently barely surviving a horrible bout with the flu. yes, that's right. smack dab in the middle of my show run, i come down with the flu.
I just did Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday matinee, Saturday Evening and Sunday Matinee WITH THE FREAKIN' FLU.
Could y'all get together out there and send some positive thoughts my way???? I'd like to do at least ONE weekend without being exhausted or sick.
Thanks!

happy runyonland...

2007-03-05T20:03:00.001-08:00

happy runyonland
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

where gamblers turn into helpful citizens

Playing with the showgirls

2007-03-05T20:02:00.001-08:00

"Mink"
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

Just some shots from the show...

2007-03-05T20:01:00.001-08:00

Crapshooters
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

This is about the middle of the Crapshooters Ballet. I'm not so tired at this point.

'member these???

2007-02-26T22:30:00.001-08:00

BGM02FE_mp
Originally uploaded by shuboy.

So back in October I blogged about wanting these boots... I convinced myself that they weren't quite right. Something about all the detail being on the leg and not getting credit for it unless I was wearing shorts. The just-under $500.00 price tag was a bit prohibitive as well.
I went shopping a couple of weeks ago to buy gifts for opening night and just happened to wander into Gimme Shoes (yeah, I know. Big surprise, right?). I'm minding my own business when I hear a small voice calling to me from the sale rack. "Hey! Remember us???"
"Why yes I do!"
"Guess what????"
"What?"
"We're on sale!"
"Oh, REALLY???"
"Yup! Turn Left over and see how much we are now!"
I walked out of Gimme with a pair of John Varvatos boots that only set me back 200 bucks.
Nice.

Showtime

2007-02-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

Well, Guys and Dolls opened last week and what a hellish week it was. The last week before a show opens is called, "Tech Week". This week is when we move from the rehearsal space into the theater. It's also the week that the technical staff gets hold of the show... set designer, lighting director, sound technicians, stage crew - the cast is puppets at their command. First tech rehearsals are spent moving from position to position while lights are focused on us. It's a long and tedious process where nobody seems to care how the cast is holding up. Day one of tech week started at 4:30 in the afternoon and ended somewhere around 12:30/1:00am. The rest of the week continued like that. I'd get up at 5:30 in the morning to get to work by 8:00 and have to report to the theater at around 4:30 or 5:00 (depending on traffic). Stay at the theater until the techs were done with us, get home around 1:00 or 2:00am then start all over again. By Thursday (Preview Night - the first in front of a real audience) just about everybody is a zombie. I really wish there was a better way of doing this...
The last time I did a show with this company (Paul in A Chorus Line), they neglected to tell us that Reviewers would be in the Preview Night audience. The only thing they told us was that the audience was a group of invited high school drama kids. I was horribly sick by that point in the process and thought, "Well... it's just high school kids... just get through it. Save your strength for the true Opening Night." not knowing anything about a reviewer in the house. Well, this maniac decided to give me a nasty review. Worst part about it was this guy didn't write for an actual newspaper, he wrote for some online site.
Lovely. So if you google hard enough, you'll find a hateful review of my performance as Paul. It's been six years since that show and that review is still floating around out there. AAARGH!