Defying Gravity

I had thought I might try to go to San Francisco this weekend for the Folsom Street Fair, but I could not find a reasonably priced hotel for the night. It is not that I am so much into the whole leather scene, but I thought it would be cool to visit and see what all of the fuss is about. I suppose I will have to wait until next year-- I have made it this long without attending this event, so one more year will not kill me. I know I have made statements that I was going to settle down for awhile and stay put in PHX, but I really do enjoy traveling so much and I think it is just in my blood. Speaking of things I enjoy, it is supposed to rain tomorrow. It is such a rare occurence here that I get to see it rain, I really enjoy the opportunity to get out and play in it and get wet. Although, now that the heat is over, I am sure the rain will be cold...I will still have to stick my head out in it for at least a minute or two.



October is going to be a crazy month. I am in training classes all of this month to learn some new things I will be in charge of once all of my 'kids' have been trained after the first of the year. I also applied for an analyst position that has come open (that also comes with a nice raise and a new office), so I am keeping my fingers crossed. If things go well, I may make it back to Europe before Spring. I would love to see the snow falling in Paris, although it rarely snows there from what I hear...Actually, my next 'big' trip I am planning is flying around the world next summer. All of my friends know and I am hoping the more people I tell, the easier it will be to hold myself to it. Tentively, the plans are to fly from PHX to PHL, from PHL to CDG Paris, from Paris to Dubai (I know it is not the most gay friendly place, but I am an architecture aficianado and Dubai has the world's tallest freestanding building now--the Burj Dubais, not to mention a plethora of other architectural delights), from Dubai to Sydney, Australia. Then, I am still trying to decide--part of me would love to see Hong Kong before returning home, but I think I will be ready to just head back to LAX and then to PHX because of sensory overload after leaving Australia. I guess as I start firming up my plans, I will make that decision. Plus, it may depend on if I am traveling alone or with someone special as to how the trip goes. This trip still does not take me into Africa or South America, so I can always do that round the world trip with Asia added into it at some other time. Besides, I have entered a contest at work that will take me into Beijing this Fall (it was just for fun that I entered, but I guess my odds are better for winning that than winning the lottery). We also have our company picnic on October 6th, and we always give away several (smaller, but still fun) trips during our annual picnic. I really don't have much more time left I can take off this year after spending so long in Paris, though. After all of these training classes I am in next month, I will probably try to take my remaining days off as several 3 or 4 day weekends. I also still need to visit my mom at least once around the Holidays (I told her I would make it back to KY once more this year and I am thinking the second week of December, but who knows--it may be too cold and I am out of practice driving in snow and ice and I would hate to wreck a rental car).



Here is the photo that I took while in Paris with my digital camera that everyone seems to like the most. My friend Tonya (and her friend Lori), who joined me for the first 4 days I was in Paris have dubbed this photo, 'La tour en Rose.' Enjoy!!

The Heat Is On...

Actually, the heat is finally off in PHX. After one of the hottest summers, and the most days in one summer with temperatures over 110 degrees F., the heat wave that was Summer 2007 is finally disappearing. I think the temperature was the leading cause of some of my earlier remarks after returning from Paris where the highs were in the low 70's during the day. I really do like it here in Phoenix most of the time and 9 months out of the year, the weather is perfect. I have always had an inner streak, a gypsy side if you prefer, that is constantly looking for 'the next big thing' or for a new adventure. I have always loved traveling and seeing new things and meeting new people. Now that the heat is over in my own backyard, it is time to get out locally and meet some new faces in my neighborhood instead of flying off everywhere else.

There is a lot of truth in the theme song to Alice: Phoenix is one of those cities where you can be the new girl in town even for 9 seasons because you are always meeting new people. While at times frustrating to me, the one thing I can say about Phoenix is if you stop going out for a few months, it is a whole new group of faces at the bars and clubs. I seem to barely go out to the bars/clubs anymore, so it is very rare for me to see a familiar face--most of my free time is spent with current people I consider my friends and family. I learned this lesson in my youth: bars are usually best for meeting alcoholics. Besides, I am sure there are guys out there somewhere besides at bars/clubs who would like to meet a guy who is a little crazy at times, but is always fun to be around. (This is your hint to leave a comment if you are still reading this) Just remember, I do have a 110 minimum IQ rule--You must be this smart to ride this ride. So, if you are dorky (do people still use this word?), don't bother, but a little nerdy would be just fine. While looks are what can first attract me to a person, it is personality that keeps me attracted. It is funny that I even think that way: now that I am in my 30's, my whole outlook on dating, sex, etc, has changed and things that were once important to me are no longer important and vice versa. But, think about it--if you can't stimulate me over dinner, how do you expect to stimulate me in bed?

So as the daytime highs continue their steady decline into a new winter of discontent and the days start getting as short as the skirts worn by the ladies of the night (and some of the guys) on Van Buren, keep in mind that the temperature only has to drop lower on one side of my bedroom window. (I tend to be a very passionate person if I am with someone I like...)

Encore une Fois

I have made it back from Paris safely; while I didn't meet a nice French boy named Pascal and get hitched, I did meet several nice guys at the bars/cafe's that I had fun with while there. I guess it also helped that I studied French for 3 years in High School and 2 years in college and I could speak the language and could communicate my needs while there. I went to several museums, including the Musee d'Orsay and le Louvre and saw the Pierre et Gilles display at Jeu de Paume, also. Here is the site where you can see some of their most famous artwork and if you are not familiar with this couple, you should google them: http://www.jeudepaume.org/?page=article&idArt=257&lieu=1&idImg=379 . At le Louvre, I saw Mona and Venus of course, but I spent most of my time in the Egyptian exhibits completely fascinated at the pieces the museum had acquired over the years. I inherited part of a collection of coins from my father when he passed away in 2001, and my favorite is a 1/20 Qirsh from Egypt from the year 32A.D, but even it paled in age compared to seeing sphynx, mummies/sacarphogus and a statue of Ramses. I have also now seen 2 of the 3 Obelisks (the one in NYC and the one in Paris) leaving only the one in London to see now. The one in Paris stood originally in front of the Luxor pyramid and now stands on Place de la Concorde, exactly where the guillotine once stood that killed Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and others. Interestingly, I thought, the American Embassy is located here, too.

For your viewing pleasure, above is a pic of me on the Seine with La Tour Eiffel in the background.