Wine country

Today's tour took Charlotte York and me into South Africa's Stellenbosch wine country, where we had the chance to sample wine from the region's wineries. Our guide was very knowledgeable and very helpful in sharing his perspective on post-Mandela politics. I'm not sure if he expected to enter discussions about foreign aid, trade imbalances, corruption, education and integration, but that's what he got today. Thankfully, he seemed quite comfortable sharing his honest opinion and we both came away with a deeper understanding of the country's current challenges.

Our first stop was the Jordan Wine Estate, where we weren't quite ready to guzzle wines. We sipped a few, noticed how different the wines tasted from the ones we were used to, then shuffled off.

Next up, we explored the town of Stellenbosch, which was quaint and reminded us of Sonoma. Home to a university, Stellenbosch had students everywhere and we made the acquaintance of a young Texan who was studying abroad. It really wasn't a terribly interesting town to visit, but it was cute enough. We were more eager to get back to our wine experiences.

It was time for lunch and we had a very excellent meal at La Petite Ferme. In fact, it was the best meal we had since our arrival in South Africa. Even more outstanding than the food, however, were the incredible views. The acres and acres of winelands and orchards set against pretty imposing mountains.

After lunch, we journeyed on to Rickety Bridge Winery, which was okay, but nothing really special. I enjoyed the ginormous teddy bears and cuddled up to one for a photo.

Finally, we ended our tour at Waterford Wine Estate, which was by far the most beautiful winery we visited. In fact, the wines we tasted were my favorite of the day, possibly because we did a wine/chocolate pairing! It was a very nice way to end a lovely day, which we joked was a quite romantic honeymoon for us.

Mountain climbing

Internets, I'm going to be so exhausted tomorrow! The weather in Cape Town isn't very pretty today. It's cold, foggy, rainy and gray. Consequently, the cable car up Table Mountain isn't operating today.

Nonetheless, Charlotte York and I were insistent that we would hike up Table Mountain because today's the only day we had time to do this. Everyone advised us against this foolish mission. After all, there certainly would be no view from the top and the wind and rain would make for an unpleasant experience.

But we insisted that we would climb the mountain, so we hired a guide to take us up to the summit. Our guide was a very experienced hiker and mountain climber and he ascends Table Mountain several times each week. He explained to us that there are several hundred trails to take, each rated from A (easiest) to C+ (most difficult without being actual climbing).

After assessing our level of fitness, he decided to take us up a B-level trail, which we felt up to tackling. As we walked up, it was clear to me that I'm not in shape for sustained cardio workouts. I began huffing and puffing nearly immediately and I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to finish. But I kept my complaints to myself and we went onward.

For a portion of our climb, we were actually scaling vertical rocks. Our guide pointed out where footholds and handholds are and we managed to "scramble" the side of these giant boulders. To tell the truth, this was my favorite part of the climb because I got to use my upper body and it represented a break from the constant stepping up rocks.

We learned that Table Mountain is home to approximately 1,500 different types of plants, and we got to see the geology and plant life change as we climbed up the face of the mountain. Some of the plants were pretty interesting and native only to South Africa (or even native only to the mountain!).

After two hours of climbing, we reached the summimt, 1,086 meters up. Because of the dense fog, we could see only 10 feet in front of us. There were absolutely no views of Cape Town to take in and the strong winds were brutally cold.

We spent about 30 minutes eating our sandwiches and Clif Bars before beginning our descent. Because of the fog and the rain, the rocks were pretty slippery and I found myself on my ass several times. For me, it was much more difficult coming down the mountain than it was going up, thanks to unsteady legs and having to concentrate on each step.

It took us nearly two hours to return to the bottom, and when we were done, our clothes were soaked with rain and sweat. We even may have been the only people on the mountain today because we didn't see a single other person the entire time we were there and I'm really proud that we hiked the mountain under today's less-than-ideal conditions.

In the end, I'm kind of glad that visibility was so low because I couldn't look down while we scaled the side of boulders and while I followed trails that were approximately 1.5 feet wide, with nothing but a sheer cliff on the side. Had I been able to see the way down, I may not have been able to follow through on certain parts.

And I don't know if our guide was just being kind, but he told us it had been a while since he had clients who could make it up in two hours. Sometimes, he told us, it can take up to four hours, if his clients aren't in good shape.

This has been one of our better experiences thus far and I'm truly glad we were able to take this on today. I feel that I've definitely earned my dinner tonight!

To market

This morning, Charlotte York and I took some time to walk along Long Street, one of Cape Town's main drags. It was clear that Long Street comes alive at night, with the bars and the restaurants along either side of the road and the heightened level of security roaming around.

In some ways, the buildings along the street reminded me of Bourbon Street in New Orleans - maybe it was the wrought iron balconies and the ubiquitous advertisements for alcohol. But it was also clear that this area is a destination for backpackers, studiers abroad and expats, so probably not the nighttime experience we're looking for.

We did spend several hours in the Pan-African Market, perusing the arts and crafts. I ended up purchasing several wooden figures, including a nice giraffe that may or may not make it back to my home. I feel good about the overall price I paid for my items, and I was able to bargain the dealer down approximately 500 rand, which led me to believe that it was way overpriced to begin with. I'm a little uneasy about the shipping and handling, so I'll be pleased if it ever arrives back in San Francisco!

Sushiwich

For our last two dinners, Charlotte York and I pondered the menu item named "fashion sandwich." Both times, it's appeared in the sushi section of the menu and we remembered last night to inquire about it.

Apparently, a fashion sandwich is a layer of rice, a layer of seaweed, a layer of fish, a layer of rice, a layer of seaweed and a final layer of rice. It didn't sound good to either of us so we haven't ordered one.

Lucky in lodge

During our time in Cape Town, Charlotte York and I are staying at Blackheath Lodge, a quaint little establishment which we are 99.8% sure is run by a nice gay couple. There are only a few rooms in this place, and consequently, all the patrons get a great deal of individual attention.

The proprietor has helped us book tours, make restaurant reservations and seen to it that we're well situated. It's a very pleasant and homey environment to return to after a long day of sightseeing and best of all, they prepare a mean breakfast buffet!

In addition to fruit, yogurt, eggs made to order, bacon, toast and cheeses, they prepare "quiches" unlike any I've ever seen before. Instead of a pie crust, these eggy blobs are wrapped in filo dough and they're much lighter and fluffier than any other quiche I've known.

Also, there are two resident cats, a brother and sister named Lime and Soda. Lime is approximately 75 lbs. while Soda is sleek and slender. I joked that they needed a cat named Vodka, but I was informed that Vodka died. Furthermore, the cats groom each other! It's tres cute to see them lick each other's fur and nibble each other behind the ears.

Prison break

To complement this morning's lessons in apartheid, Charlotte York and I toured Robben Island in the afternoon, learning about the fate of those who dared defy the apartheid government. After a quick lunch at the waterfront, we hopped onto a ferry and made our way through the cold, thick fog toward Robben Island with approximately 60 other tourists from around the world.

Exhausted from jet lag and the day's touring, I admit that I napped through the first part of the tour, where we sat in a bus and toured the island's facilities, while learning about its history. When the bus stopped and we all gathered in one of the prison's cells, however, I was quite awake and very interested in our tour guide's story.

Our guide was a former inmate, a political prisoner who'd been arrested for the crime of "sabotage." He shared with us his experiences about spending time in isolation, the conversations he had with other political prisoners and explained how, even in prison, the inmates were treated differently based on their skin color.

He told us about the physical and mental torture he and the other prisoners had to endure, described how even in their confinement, the prisoners worked toward a future where blacks wouldn't be considered second-class citizens, and demonstrated an inpiring optimism that South Africa is due for its bright, democratic future.

Clearly, he stayed on message and the tour was interesting, if not sanitized. The other tourists furiously took pictures of Nelson Mandela's cell, but I couldn't help but think that it's sort of an empty gesture to snap a photo without fully understanding what he stands for and what he endured. It's kind of like how Naima and Keenya argued about the gravity of the experience on America's Next Top Model. Instead of worrying about capturing a photo, I think I'll read Long Walk to Freedom instead.

Township tour

This morning, Charlotte York and I joined a group of geriatric Brits on a visit to the District 6 Museum, followed by a tour of Langa Township. It was a great way to learn about some of the effects of apartheid and brought some perspective to our Cape Town adventuring.

The District 6 Museum is an installation that was apparently supposed to last only two weeks, but has been around for over a decade. Our wonderful guide explained that the Group Areas Act forced the segregation of neighborhoods according to citizens' skin color. As a result, Cape Town's District 6 neighborhood was devastated when it was declared for whites only.

All non-whites were shipped off to Townships and the area was bulldozed, to ready the land for white people to purchase. Sadly, the area never fully recovered and continues to grow, now that apartheid has ended, but it serves as a sad reminder of the country's shameful past.

Our visit to the Langa Township was pretty unpleasant, mostly because we were a tour group of approximately 20 people. Langa Township is the Western Cape's first township and our tour included visiting peoples' homes, a pre-school and a traditional healer. Going into peoples' homes was very awkward and uncomfortable, but it was definitely eye-opening to see the squalor in which people live.

However, some of the other tourists managed to make the experience downright disrespectful. For example, one older man asked to take a picture of the family living in the home we were visiting, but he insisted, "Do not smile!"

I'm of two minds when it comes to these types of tours. On one hand, it definitely feels like you're swooping in on a community, disrupting daily life and viewing people as if they're animals in a zoo. On the other hand, I know that the tourism brings light to the challenges they face and these tours in particular helped to fund pre-schools in the community.

But at the end of the day, I'm glad I had the chance to visit Langa and get out into the community, no matter how contrived the experience.

South Africa animals

On our drives today, we came across several interesting animals. In addition to the penguins we saw in Simon's Town, we came upon some antelope, a gigantic rodent that looked like a guinea pig, some ostriches, a ginormous beetle and these big spotted birds with blue heads. Yay Africa fauna!

Cape of Good Hope

Charlotte York and I joined one of those tours that picks tourists up from hotels and shuttles them around to see the local sights today. We joined a newlywed couple from Toronto and a very socially awkward prison employee from Chicago on an all-day journey from Cape Town to the Cape of Good Hope.

Our first stop was a beach right outside of Cape Town, where the jail man opted to take a ferry to visit seals. Charlotte York and I decided instead to walk along the beach and watch all the locals walk their dogs (Today is Freedom Day, a national holiday celebrating South Africa's first democratic elections.).

After our little beach trip, we went to the startlingly beautiful Cape of Good Hope, where we climbed to see a lighthouse and snapped a quick picture at the continent's most south westernly point. At each point, we alighted with other busfuls of tourists and we kept seeing one middle-aged man in particular - he of the pink socks in the brown sandals with the very short pink and black shorts featuring some sort of skull pattern.

We then headed to Simon's Town for a seafood lunch and to see a colony of South Africa's warm weather penguins, one of the trip's highlights! Finally, we headed back to town and visited the very pretty Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

When we finally got back to our hotel, we were exhausted, but we rallied and walked down to the waterfront, experienced a magnificent sunset, and had a lovely dinner along the water.

Day one was definitely busy, but a great experience seeing a lot of Cape Town's sights.

I AM part of the team

My flight between Johannesburg and Cape Town was taken over by big, strapping men dressed in identical uniforms, emblazoned with a "Stormers" logo. I learned from my driver that the Stormers is one of South Africa's better professional rugby teams and that they'd just lost a match this weekend.

Several of the players were giants. One literally couldn't walk down the plane's aisle without bending over. And throughout the ride, they kept getting out of their seats and visiting with each other, yelling over the seats between them.

I sort of wish I were a South African rugby fan, but I appreciated the chance to be surrounded by these guys nonetheless.

OR Tambo troubles

After 30 hours in transit, I'm finally in Cape Town, getting settled and ready to begin my vacay. I flew from San Francisco to New York to Dakar to Johannesburg and finally to Cape Town.

My 2.5 hour layover in Johannesburg turned out to be just enough time to get through the confusing bureaucracy and to get on the right plane. When I emerged into the customs area, all three lines (South African Passports, Other African States Passports and All Other Passports) had overflowed and it was impossible to tell where the lines ended. Consequently, I ended up in the wrong line for about 15 minutes before finally figuring out where I should be.

Once I made it through the 45-minute line, I collected my bag, went through customs, then went upstairs to check into my flight to Cape Town. At the check-in counter, the lady asked me what time my flight was, so I replied, "7:00pm" as I handed her my passport.

She checked my itinerary and said that I'd been placed on a flight that left at 9:45, but that I could pay to upgrade at the ticketing counter. So, I went to the ticketing counter to find out how much it would cost to upgrade, but they informed me that my flight couldn't be changed because I had used miles to purchase it. When I pulled out my original itinerary that listed 7:00 as my original flight, she acquiesced and sent me back to the check-in counter with a printout where she had underlined the correct flight. After a bit more confusion, I ended up on a flight that left at 6:40pm and was only 2/3 full!

I don't understand why they wouldn't just put me on an earlier flight, but I'm really just glad I got here.

Friendly skies

I'll be spending the next few days squished in a tiny little seat, flying to Cape Town, South Africa to meet up with Charlotte York for a little vacay.

See you on the other side...

Don't tell mom the babysitter's a fraud

I'm in a conference room at work, entertaining a dozen kids with the movie Madagascar 2 (playing on my laptop, projected onto a wall), bags of popcorn, candy and juice.

For an impromptu daycare, this afternoon has run rather smoothly. But why did these parents just entrust their kids to me? They obviously don't know me at all.

I do have, however, a newfound appreciation for teachers, sitters, nannies and parents.

Adventures in babysitting

You know something's wrong when your boss calls your cell phone at 5:30pm when you haven't yet left work, searching for you. Usually, it means you're staying late, and so I find myself in that situation today.

Thanks to "Take Your Children To Work Day" tomorrow, I've inherited the task of designing a "health quiz" to entertain various executives' sons and daughters who will be on site tomorrow afternoon. It seems someone forgot to plan activities for the afternoon, and now that task has fallen on me.

So I'm putting together slides with kid-like clip art, asking questions like "Which of these body parts is not a muscle?" and "Which is the healthiest snack?" My next assignment is to pick up a few Disney movies, popcorn and candy from the store and get everything set up for a movie session.


I don't actually mind performing these tasks, but I wish I had known about this responsibility earlier. And I wish I knew how many kids there would be and how old they are! If these kids are teenagers, I'm screwed.

Cat drag

Yesterday, the pink passion wig that Puppy ordered for Stefano DiMera arrived. I was shocked that he didn't enjoy wearing it.

Scorch city

Internets, I am so tired today. A heat wave has decended upon San Francisco and it truly is hot. Not just "I can't believe it's so hot in San Francisco, it's nearly 70 degrees" hot, but truly hot. Like in the 90s hot!

Consequently, I was unable to sleep well last night and I am so uncomfortable in my work drag today. I stepped outside to grab some lunch and immediately started sweating. Today is definitely one of those days I wished I could work from a park or a beach, wearing clothes that would allow me to roast my skin.

Inbreeding

The other night, Roommate J's lesbian friend said that I would be prime for donating sperm to her friend, who's itching to have a baby. I was flattered, but not so interested, so I joked, "Sorry, I've reserved it for my sister."

She replied that I could donate to several different women, but she didn't get my joke.

The cat's going to the bathroom right in back of my portrait

Tonight, I headed over to Roommates A&J's house to watch the original 1970s documentary Grey Gardens, followed by the premiere of the Grey Gardens movie on HBO.

The Roommates A&J fixed up a pretty amazing meal with four dishes, all of which contained bourbon and I finally figured out what all the fuss was about Big and Little Edies!

The current movie was quite well done and Jessica Lange was fantastic (even if Roommate A thought she was Angela Lansbury and I kept mixing her up with Faye Dunaway). Drew Barrymore was good, except her Long Island accent kept slipping into Australian, then Southern, then British.

All the lights are misty in the river

Roommates A&J were discussing current events and somehow, we stumbled upon this video, which I love because it makes me think of Les Miz, Miss Saigon and Aladdin. Yes, I am a fan of Lea Salonga. I wonder what she's up to these days.

Celeb sighting: I don't see you walking children in the wilderness

Oh yeah, Tammie Brown also performed last night. That lady doesn't give very good interview.

Celeb sighting: Camerooooooooooon

Roommate J caught wind that the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race, Bebe Zahara Benet, would be appearing last night at Badlands, so we simply had to go. I met up with him, some of his friends who were visiting and Lezzies N&P for drinks before making our way over to the bar.

Fortunately, we had the sense to ask the doorman about the appearance and he informed us that we were at the wrong location! But luckily for us, Bebe was performing across the street.

Since it was already 30 minutes after the show's advertised start time, we only had to wait a little while before the glorious Bebe showed up and performed to the Pussycat Dolls rendition of "Jai Ho." It was beautiful.

Thanks, I'll take the train

We're having a bicycle commuter event in our building lobby this afternoon. There are several organizations here, espousing the joys of biking to work, sharing tips on safety and directing clueless employees to the wealth of resources available to bike commuters.

I'm indirectly "sponsoring" this event because it promotes an earth-friendlier way to commute, but I'm not one of the employees they'll be converting to bike commuter.

As I walked by the displays, an eager volunteer started showing me all the great stuff they have, but I explained that I don't bike, nor do I own a bike. His response? "There are many places in San Francisco where you can buy a bike!" Sure, I know that. But I don't really want a bike.

No one in my office needs me arriving to work as a puddle of sweat. Nor do I wish to be smashed to smithereens by idiot San Francisco car commuters who drive while e-mailing on their blackberrys. And most of all, where would I even store a bike? On my kitchen counter?

Suicide song

While I was ordering a cup of Starbucks, the barista complained, "They have got to stop playing this music or I'm going to kill myself!" Then, he turned his attention back to me and said, "See, I already forgot your order. This song is awful!"

Once he finished taking my order and marking the cup with the proper letters, he turned to another customer who was waiting by the counter. "I'm sorry," he said, "I forgot what you're waiting on."

"Um," replied the customer, sheepishly, "I was waiting to learn who sang this song."

At this point, a tiny, lady-barista bounced out from the back and said cheerfully, "It's Amos Lee, and the song is called Colors." I giggled.

Interview tip

For the past two weeks, I've been interviewing potential administrative assistants and the candidates have ranged from young go-getters who are looking to get a foot in the door of our company to "lifers" who have served as administrative assistants for longer than I've been alive.

Today's candidate fell into the latter category and it was clear that she felt confident about her prospects. She capably described how she could get the job done and how it didn't differ from her 30-plus years of experience.

However, the woman failed to make eye contact with me during the entire interview! It was so disconcerting for me to watch her staring down at her folder and fiddling with the string fastener throughout the entire interview.

I think our search continues...

Ovo overload

My mother promised there would be "eggs, eggs and more eggs" at our family's Easter brunch yesterday, and she didn't disappoint! We gathered at my grandparents' home and made omelettes, tea eggs, quail eggs in salad, egg-dipped French toast, eggs in muffin form, quiche and approximately twelve non-egg foods as well!

Needless to say, I suffered from extended-stomach syndrome on my drive back to San Francisco, after which I met up with Mahogany Sparkle, Kitten, ChickenHawk and Lucy Ricardo for some drinks. Driving back through the city on a glorious Easter Sunday, it struck me that Easter really is a big holiday. There were folks dressed in all sorts of costumes, ranging from Jesus to the Easter bunny. One man I passed on the street wore nothing but a g-string (not sure how that relates to the holy day), and many others sported very creative Easter bonnets.

I'm sort of bummed I didn't get to spend the day in the sun in the park, but it was nice filling my belly with all sorts of delish food!

Dyona Cross

Selives is in town for the weekend, so last night a few of us went to dinner and tried to get mentioned in a follow-up to this article.

As usual, we ate too much, drank too much and acted out as much as we could, frightening the poor waitress who had the unfortunate assignment of serving us and had to be asked to bring us some grilled focaccia several times by Kitten. Conversation turned to television, drag queen names, this fool and the trip to Reno which brought Selives to town.

And in a maneuver hearkening back to my youth, I was totes overserved and woke up on my couch with the lights and television on, apparently having eaten a piece of pizza and a cupcake.

City Hall hassle

For the first time I can remember, I actually stepped into City Hall today. And it really is a beautiful building, with quite the majestic stairway.

Sadly, the reason for my visit to City Hall wasn't for anything fun, but instead, I had to pay my property taxes. Today is the last day San Franciscans can pay property taxes without a late fee, so you can imagine how busy the place was.

Well, they city wouldn't accept my payment because the partners in my TIC hadn't paid their portion yet (contrary to their claim to me) and we were supposed to pay together. So, after conferring with my upstairs neighbor, it looks like we'll have to sort through this over the weekend and pay on Monday. One day late. With a fee.

Will someone please remind me of homeownership's benefits, again?

Though his mind is not for rent

What is up with suburban American men and the band RUSH? Growing up in suburbia myself, I went through a phase in junior high/high school where all my friends "discovered" RUSH, blasted "Tom Sawyer" from their parents' cars and donned the band's t-shirts as a nod to the anti-establishment. I could merrily hum along, but I never really got past my brooding Morrissey phase to fully embrace RUSH.

The band also seems to play a pivotal role in Jason Segel's career. Last night, I went to see I Love You, Man with BoomKat and there was a scene where Jason Segel's and Paul Rudd's characters "jam out" to RUSH in a garage. For me, the scnee was eerily reminiscent of when Jason Segel's character rocks out on his basement, 40-piece drum kit on Freaks and Geeks, which I'm watching through Netflix.

There must be some sort of RUSH-lust gene that never made it into my DNA. Perhaps it was replaced by an unholy appreciation for Britney Spears.

Nevertheless, the movie was entertaining, but all these Judd Apatow-type flicks are starting to feel the same. BoomKat and I were much more interested in the splashy Star Trek preview and we not-so-secretly wished that the studio had surprised the seven moviegoers with a surprise sneak preview of Star Trek instead.

Grand old party

Hmmm... Did that last blog post officially make me a Republican?

Might as well adopt a kid, while you're at it

Internets, what is it with homeless people who spend the entire day sitting dirtily on a sidewalk, begging for money ... with a pet? If you can't make enough money to take care of yourself, how the hell are you qualified to "care" for an animal?

And do people seriously hand them money, hoping to help the pet? "That poor puppy will need food; I shall contribute to this hobo's vodka account!"

And where are our city's Animal Care and Control officers in all this?

You may wonder what set this little blog post off. Well, I just passed a homeless man, sitting cross-legged in front of the muni exit, with an illegible cardboard sign and a hat containing approximately $3.42 in change. His head was bowed and his hands clasped in mock thankful prayer. Next to him? A tupperware container with holes poked through the top containing two fugly, live rats. Rats! Grody.

Newsletter nonsense

Last week, I met a woman who is the CEO of a non-profit focused on water conservation. She mentioned to me that she was eager to connect with a certain company that funds water projects and I responded that I personally know the fellow in charge of that company's foundation and that I'd be happy to pass along information on her behalf.

I didn't hear from her for several days, so I assumed she was either busy or uninterested. But today, I found that she had added me to her organization's e-mail newsletter distribution list!

There is no way I'm going to connect her with a potential funder if she doesn't have the decency to send me a personal follow-up note. And I sure as hell am going to unsubscribe from her newsletter.

I'm gonna live forever

Recently, I caught up on the first few episodes of Taking the Stage, which is essentially a reality television-version of the show Fame. It follows five students at a performing arts high school in Ohio who sing and dance their way through the episodes and some hook up with each other and others hate on each other.

Since it's on MTV, it's has a healthy dose of Laguna Beach teenage angst and manufactured drama, reminiscent of The Hills. But what these high schoolers have that the Laguna Beach crew didn't is talent! I've really enjoyed watching them pull their performances together and the fact that they haven't spent the past few years on camera hearkens back to Laguna Beach's first season.

Add a Nick Lachey cameo (he is an alumnus of the school) and you have my newest guilty pleasure.

A word of advice

If you're a consultant, hoping to woo business from a potential client, do not keep him waiting at a coffee shop without any word whatsoever that you may be running late or unable to make the meeting.

Now that I'm back in the office after wasting 30 minutes, I'm less likely to take another meeting.

Softball Sunday

Okay, so the title of today's post may be a bit misleading, because I don't actually play softball. But when there's a beer bust fundraiser in support of a gay softball team, I can totally participate!

Puppy's roommate is a member of a gay softball team that's sponsored by both a sex club and a gay bar, so we braved the beautiful San Francisco weather and went for the all-you-can-drink-beer option. The fundraiser had a great turnout, with many gays purchasing raffle tickets for prizes such as sex toys, porn, a photo book about classical rock guitarists and iTunes gift cards. Sadly, my $3 of raffle tickets failed to win me any prizes.

The bar was absolutely packed, with most folks squeezed in the back patio, trying to get some sun and fresh air. I got to catch up with EnviroBoy, who's also on the softball team, and managed to stay relatively well-behaved.

Puppy left to meet up with his friends who were visiting from Dallas, and I found GarGar, Lezzie N, Roommate J, Blanca and ChickenHawk at another hot, crowded bar. I guess the beautiful weather called everyone out of their hiding places! After a few more beers with them (Again, I'm totes proud for not getting blasted!), I met up with Puppy and his friends and we tormented Stefano DiMera by making him wear some spectacles that they'd purchased in Chinatown.

I really appreciate Amish hair

I have no idea what she's really saying, but I love the captions!

Testing, testing

It looks like gmail is celebrating five years of service. Five years of beta! When will this product be out of beta testing?

Kitty bulimia

Since becoming a cat owner, I've learned of all these cat diseases that mimic human ones, like FIV, feline leukemia, cat herpes, and more!

Stefano DiMera seems to be suffering from a version of bulimia. It's not that he's at all conscious of his weight, but this morning, he wrapped his mouth around my finger and started gagging himself. Seemingly for fun! Weird kitty.

For the kid in me

So far today, I've indulged in four mini-Nestle Crunch bars. Why? Someone filled up a multi-gallon bucket with chocolate treats in the break room! And I have no self-control.