Where Am I?

Well I know that I'm back in Washington, but it's hard to tell sometimes. The weather in Sydney was pretty nice the whole four days I was there, and the weather is pretty nice here. The days are longer here, that's true.

I guess the fact that I'm "away from home" now is getting a little bitter taste to it. I will soon be making my own home, but it's still a way off. At least today I reserved the moving truck.

Monday

I saw the shoulder specialist today and things are not ideal. I have an unusual weakness in my infraspinatus. Abduction - moving my arm away from my side - is what is affected by this. It is stronger than at my last checkup, but definitely lagging behind the improvement in the other muscle groups. 

The weather has been pretty sweet the whole time I've been here, and I leave on Tuesday the 24th. Qantas is having industrial action by its engineers and 18 flights will be cancelled on Tuesday. I doubt if mine will be one of them, but we'll see.

Why the title, "Monday?" Because it sure feels like it. Leaving my family is just plain not easy. 

Saturday in Sydney

It was, like most Saturdays, spent doing chores. Supadog got some brushing; we both cut each other's hair. I went through a lot of the stuff I still have here, and we packed up the work computer equipment that is still here and took it to Fedex-Kinko's. Four forms for each box later, and we were able to escape.

Then we went to the gym. It was the first time for both of us in a long time, so we took it pretty easy. Situps, biceps, some kind of chest machine, and triceps. It was my first time since the surgery for some of these exercises, so I kept it really light. The chest exercise was more of a stretch than anything, and it felt really good. No shoulder work: still too early for that.

Monday the 24th is the three-month follow-up for the surgery. Wish me luck!

The carrots are better

Just arrived in Sydney earlier today and all of it comes back into the present. The carrots here are definitely better. Vishnu made some juice and it all came back to me. Also, it's warmer than I thought it would be. The flight was every bit as long as I remembered.

Earlier this evening, Vishnu, Fannie the Supadog and I went to a gallery opening that a wonderful friend had over on Burton Street. Mel is the proprietor of Kookaburra Kiosk and she had some amazing stuff. What struck me was the mirror art - she had painted some kool patterns on floor length mirrors and other glass. 

The crowd was diverse and Supadog was joined by Mel's two canine kids. A great start to my tiny visit.

All good thoughts return to Vishnu

Jeans to G Star Raw to Vishnu
Shirts, too, for the same reason
Rainbow to Hawaii to Vishnu
Biking to the ride to Manly to Vishnu
Airplanes to travel to the return to Vishnu

The bittersweet of life takes me to Vishnu
(and makes me smile my Happy Buddha smile)

Roos to Vishnu
Kookaburras too
Cockatoos
Gums and plane trees
They all go to him

Dancing? That’s a serious subject. The tribe won’t want me to discuss it: the sacred snoopy dance

Sitting to patience to Vishnu
Waiting to thinking to anticipation to laughter to Vishnu (all almost simultaneously)
Dogs to Supadog to Vishnu
Mobile phones to phone calls to Vishnu

Music has two paths: Gotan Project to Vishnu. Zero 7 to Vishnu. (Actually there are a lot more, too many to describe here)
Even some people, some he doesn’t even know, they just go right to Vishnu

Style straight to Vishnu
Kindness IS Vishnu
So is honor
Respect
Love
Joy

Bad things don’t return to Vishnu
They are in their own bad space
They fester, then wither
and disappear

Everything good returns me to Vishnu

Pale yet sunburnt white middle-aged gay men for Obama

Today was the big Capital Pride Festival, where some 200,000 folks show up, walk around the booths, see some great entertainment, and feast upon the eye candy.

It seems like every GLBTQ organization had a booth there, plus a lot of straight organizations as well. The politicos have their booths, and the Obama booth was easily the most crowded. I volunteered, and my happy task was to get one hundred to people to sign a petition to show their support for the man. I ended up with 101. It took about 3 1/2 hours: I'm not a hard sell kind of guy. But it was fun and worth the effort.

Even though I put on sunblock, I got red (hence today's title). It was interesting human interplay. Lots of people came up to me, asking to sign. Honest to God. Really refreshing.

While it was hot, it was not humid, and there was a breeze just about the whole time. The sun though was unrelenting. After about maybe 2 1/2 hours of this, there was a point where I must've become a little dehydrated, because I was just not thinking very clearly. When I realized what was happening to me and I mentioned it to one of the guys signing on, he went and got me a bottle of water! And he wasn't hitting on me! Seriously, it was just one of those events that rekindles your faith in people.

After I handed in my petitions, I walked around a little. Throughout the day, I saw a lot of my friends, which was really great. Some knew I was back; a lot didn't.

Before I came home, I went to a bike shop and bought a helmet. Yay! Definitely down on the brain damage thing.

The other great news is that my niece is coming down to DC for Independence Day. I'm a lucky guy to have such great family.

Pride Parade

Today I signed a lease on a place in Logan Circle near 12th & M St NW. Fit almost all my parameters: one bedroom, English basement, gas appliances, close in, relatively inexpensive. It's great.

This evening, I did my first Obama event. I walked with a group of about 60 supporters in the Capital Pride parade. The support from the crowd was impressive: all along the way, people were clapping and cheering, yelling our chants, asking for posters, all kinds of support. It was really touching and exhilarating at the same time. What's more impressive is that it really started raining around the middle of the route, but people stayed and cheered. It was really fun.

After the parade, a group of us met at a restaurant / bar and hung out for a while. Good group of people, really dedicated. Interesting mix: all kinds of genders and races and ages. I stayed a while and then walked back to where I left my bicycle. Right then, V called. We ended up talking a while...

Return

I bought tickets yesterday to return to Sydney. I leave next week; I'll be there less than a week. I am going to get my three-month checkup post-shoulder surgery.

It's expensive - over $1700 for a return fare - but that is about the best price one can get. I fly Qantas from LAX to SYD, which is just so much better than United.

Of course I am excited about it, but at the same time not so excited at all, as I already know that I will be there only for a short time. Still, it's better than no trip at all.

Alive and more alive part 2

Monday, I rode to work, and along the way, dropped off an application for an apartment that I saw Saturday in Georgetown. Riding makes me so happy. When I was a graduate student here a long time ago, I had a stint as a bicycle courier one summer. Easily the most exciting job I ever had. Since I was paid by the job, I went as quickly as I could (as did all couriers). It was very dangerous: in that short time working, maybe 10 weeks, I ran into a taxi and grazed a pedestrian. Cut my arm pretty badly hitting the taxi, but didn't get hurt or hurt the pedestrian I grazed.

I was much more of a hot dog then; but I still run red lights whenever no cars are coming on the cross street. I don't go down one-way streets the wrong way: that's something I never did.

So, back to the present. At lunch I rode to see another apartment, and then a quick ride home, and then back to work. Of course, I rode home.

How do I explain the feeling I have when I ride? It's freedom, it's speed, it's the wind in my face, it's a competition with myself. It's being part of the world. It's an expression of thankfulness for my continued good health. It's loving the world, and all its ups and downs and smooth roads and potholes. The head winds and tail winds. The smooth roads, the gravel, the alleys, the streets. Feeling the sun and the shade.

Alive and more alive

I bought a bicycle today! A Cannondale that is better than my old Gary Fisher. Found it on good ol' craigslist for only $300. It rides really well. I'm happy.

Test riding the bike today was the first time that I've been on a bike since before the surgery. I didn't even think about it until I started to get on the bike. It turns out that it's not a problem at all. I went around the block - Sunday was a scorching hot day - and the owner was impressed with the speed. I felt so alive.

A day in the life

I woke up, got out of bed, but didn't drag a comb across my head. Not enough hair. I did go downstairs and had a cup, and then went to the Lollygag for the Cure. Each year, a group of friends all walk to celebrate life, and in memory of friends or loved ones lost to breast cancer. It is a huge event, more than 70,000 this year. We met up at 7:45 at the East Wing of the National Gallery - located here.

The morning started out completely gray, nearly foggy. It was muggy but not yet hot. The haze stayed around until about 9:00 or so when the sun finally burnt it all off. We walked 5 kilometers; Lisa T ran the course this year. You go Lisa!

It was 10 AM before we all finished: it was the lollygag for the cure, not the walk, not the race. Everyone was going to get together for noshing but I had to see an apartment in Georgetown at 10:30. I got there just as the guy was opening up the building (near 27th and Q NW), and all of the apartments were the best I've seen in terms of what I want. I got an application and need to fill it in this weekend.

From there I walked "home" (near 9th & S NW), and along the way, got breakfast at McFU, and saw another open house. This was a completely renovated building, really nice, but a little outside my price range. Went home and did some laundry, and by 2 PM went to two more open houses. One was a basement apartment in the Dupont Circle are, really nice, but it had many people looking at it. Still I will put in an application for that one as well - it really had everything I need.

The other apartment was similar, but updated and way overpriced, $600 per month higher. By now it was scorching hot. I went to Trader Joe's to get groceries, came home, made the bed, and took a nice long nap.

The weather in the day in the life: typical global warming Washington. It got up to 98F or 36. It was hot and I spent much of the day walking around in it. The high on Saturday matched the record that was set in 1999.

It was pretty sunny all day, once the haze burnt off. I was wearing a tank top so now I have this cute tank top sunburn.

After the nap, I woke up and remembered that there was a Cyndi Lauper and B-52s concert tonight at Constitution Hall. I checked craigslist, made a few calls, didn't reach anyone. By now it's 7:30 (the concert started at 6:30; the startup was Tegan & Sara, then Regina Spektor) and I doubt I'll get to see anything. I text the lord of the universe and he calls me. We're just catching up, talking about our days in the life, and I get a call on my mobile. One of the craigslist people called me back; he's at the concert and has the extra tickets still. V understands that I need to go: I'm there in time to see the B-52s and Cyndi. Fave lyrics:

B-52s: Roam ... "Around the world the trip begins with a kiss"

Cyndi: Girls Just Want to Have Fun ... "I want to be the one to walk in the sun"

They both played new stuff and classics. The True Colors Tour is the name of the event, and it's a fund raiser for the Human Rights Campaign. Cyndi looked incredible; Fred did too. The concert had an incredible ending. When Cyndi went offstage after her encore, everyone is still clapping and cheering and hooting. Then all of a sudden, this giant balloon comes out of one of the entryways near stage left, just a few feet from me. Then another, and another, and more, and soon there are twenty or more giant balloons all bouncing around the concert hall. It looked a little like this (photo from another concert), but there were DOZENS of them:




Everyone who performed then came out and sang "Everyday People" ... what a great show! Thanks to everyone who played! Thanks to the craigslist guy! You made my day!

Apartment hunting

I've been back two weeks today. Time has flown by. Between the 50-hour work week and catching up with friends, I'm looking at apartments. There are a few websites I'm using to help:

craigslist - free classified ads, simple search feature
apartmentratings.com - great site where tenants rate apartments and their managers
apartmentshowcase.com - the online version of a monthly magazine of apartment ads put out by the Washington Post
apartments.com - a commercial search website, affiliated with the Washington Post. Yucky search feature.

There are some real estate and rental management websites that I've been using as well. I've probably seen 12 or 15 places. I want a place close in, but I've already eliminated Capitol Hill and Waterfront. Focusing now on Logan Circle, Dupont Circle, and Woodley Park.

Between it all and visiting my brother in the country north of Baltimore, I have not had one day to myself. It's all good, though. V and I talk pretty regularly. I've gotten some nice reimbursement checks related to my shoulder surgery. The weather is getting a little sticky, but hey, it's summer in Washington.

The good thing about work is working with two interns in our office. It makes my day. Today we went to a seminar on the Hill about food security. It opened their eyes. Jim McGovern led the seminar, which was attended by Jo Ann Emerson, Earl Pomeroy and Jerry Moran.