This morning was fine. No hangover, pounding headaches, or toilet bowl worshiping session. The only major problem was that I felt like I woke up inside the movie "The Hangover” (which if you haven't watched yet you should; It's GREAT!). Spoke with TheBoys this morning and apparently they have as little recollection of the after 6pm hours as I do. This got me worried because the one thing that’s still haunting me is the image of that shirtless cutie from the bar named Rob (I think!) and how much of a fool did I act. Did I really just caressed his back like it was all good? I would like to send my sincerest apologies to shirtless guy for what ever I did. This whole situation is completely out of character for me.
The other thing that is still nagging me is this whole “monogamy” thing that Mr.Writer27 dropped on our conversation. It was something that stayed with me because while we were talking I found myself intrigued by him. Successful, handsome but extremely young for my taste, albeit more mature and grounded in level headedness than 43 year olds I’ve dated. Something about this kid was getting under my skin, talking with him just made me want to know him more. The way he would look me straight in the eyes almost exclusively while talking about things to us (The Boys & I); maybe this part was just in my head? Perhaps Mr. Writer27 was not engaging me instead I was engaging him and feeding my morning drunken delirium? After all he is closer to TheBoys' age and is friends with them; could he be interested in a ChubbyBear?
As one of TheBoys pointed out asking about Mr.Writer27, “Do you like him? He’s young for your taste. Isn't he? And he just said he’s not monogamous. Would you want to deal with that?” All this was what got me thinking about gay relationships and their dynamics. I know that gay men are getting married, adopting children and trying to live “normal” lives these days. But are we following old, traditional, “straight” rules of monogamy? Am I just not up to date with the times of "open relationships" and still just an old fashioned 36 year old fuddy duddy? It’s hard for me to really know at this point because I’ve been single for so long now and have only dated few guys in that time. Am I still single because I’m afraid to commit to the whole monogamy ideal? Or am I just so wrapped up in its non-insistence in my single life that I do not want it?
“All this will not be resolved in the first 100 days of this year. Nor will it be resolved in the next 1,000 days, nor even perhaps in my lifetime on this planet. But let us begin to figure it out.” I paraphrase but you get the point. Maybe I should try to speak with Mr.Writer27 and do some more investigative research into the situation. It’s quite possible that the whole connection with him was not all in my head and that he very well may be interested in a BigBear. Could this be the brewing of my real life BearCity like romance?
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
It Was Only BRUNCH…What Happened?!?!
This morning I was out to brunch with TheBoys on Lincoln Road and in true Miami style we started to have a few drinks. (It was after Noon when we started.) My inhibitions were lowered and we were talking about all kinds of topics. Soon enough we were talking up a storms. In came this cute guy into our chatty group and some how he drops the bomb that stayed with me the rest of the day. “I don’t believe in monogamy…” he said, and being that he’s in his late 20s that did not come as a surprise to me. By 3pm we were finished eating, drinking and ready to head to Ocean Drive for Art Deco weekend.
As we said bye to our new friend, I could not help and think to myself where I stand on this point. As we approached The Palace we noticed the Drag Show was on because the crowds were blocking the street in masses. So we decided to stop by for another drink which just made me more obsessed with the thought. We hung out there for a bit while we finished out drink. By this time my back was killing me pretty bad. We’d been going for about 6 hours non-stop now, dancing and walking and dancing some more. I decided to do something that on hindsight was not very smart and took my back pain medication. After 15 minutes my back was feeling much better and we decided to leave and head back to The Palace for a little while before heading home. But before we stopped at David’s Café for some cafecito to keep us going a little longer since it was 6pm already.
Five hours later I just know that… I met Rob, eat some Greek food and… not much more. I guess my back medication and drinks do not mix well. It’s close to midnight and I home in bed just thinking… “It was only BRUNCH…What Happened?!?!” Since tomorrow is MLK Day my friends have the day off, unfortunately I do not so I’m hoping this ends well without a hangover. Tomorrow more about this and the nagging question on monogamy that started it all.
Oh yeah! I wish I knew for sure Rob was the cute guy by the outside bar without his shirt on. Humm… remember him smiling at me when I touched his smooth back. Hopefully I was respectful and didn’t make a fool of myself. That guy has the best smile and is super cute. Off to dream about Rob now.
As we said bye to our new friend, I could not help and think to myself where I stand on this point. As we approached The Palace we noticed the Drag Show was on because the crowds were blocking the street in masses. So we decided to stop by for another drink which just made me more obsessed with the thought. We hung out there for a bit while we finished out drink. By this time my back was killing me pretty bad. We’d been going for about 6 hours non-stop now, dancing and walking and dancing some more. I decided to do something that on hindsight was not very smart and took my back pain medication. After 15 minutes my back was feeling much better and we decided to leave and head back to The Palace for a little while before heading home. But before we stopped at David’s Café for some cafecito to keep us going a little longer since it was 6pm already.
Five hours later I just know that… I met Rob, eat some Greek food and… not much more. I guess my back medication and drinks do not mix well. It’s close to midnight and I home in bed just thinking… “It was only BRUNCH…What Happened?!?!” Since tomorrow is MLK Day my friends have the day off, unfortunately I do not so I’m hoping this ends well without a hangover. Tomorrow more about this and the nagging question on monogamy that started it all.
Oh yeah! I wish I knew for sure Rob was the cute guy by the outside bar without his shirt on. Humm… remember him smiling at me when I touched his smooth back. Hopefully I was respectful and didn’t make a fool of myself. That guy has the best smile and is super cute. Off to dream about Rob now.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Design In The City: The Wary Meyers Way
The most important element for me in decorating these days is to get style while being conscious (or green) in the choices you make. Getting a new piece does not always have to mean acquiring something of “NEW” manufacturing. In fact, some of the best choices are those that give NEW life to great pieces (or even places). This ideology is embodied by The Wary Meyers (John & Linda Meyers) and everything on which they work. You’ve heard of the “Power Couple” this is a POWERFUL Creativity Couple.
They have a great book called, “Wary Meyers' Tossed & Found: Unconventional Design from Cast-offs” which is how I was first introduced to this husband & wife team that shares many of my visions of great design. There are numerous projects they have worked on featured in the book. Things they have literally found tossed on the street and they have turned it into something cool and useful again with some creative reimagining. Their visions have inspired me to search out my own reimaginings of my own pieces of which I’ve grown tired of, helping me to find the NEW life still within them.Here are some of my favorite redesign projects from this creative duo, as well as some interiors they designed:
Friday, January 14, 2011
In The City Reviews: Eden Massage & Spa – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Trying to come up with topics to write about, it hit me that there were two more types of sections that I could start writing about. (Woohoo! The ideas are coming! The ideas are coming! The ideas are coming...to me!) Yesterday I wrote about GROUPON in the first new sections “Links In The City” and the follow up is the introduction to the second new section. “In The City Reviews” will be reviews about places "In The City" I visit. This can be anything from a restaurant/bar to show, from a repair shop to flower shop, a found recipe to new wine, and anything in between. It will be candid reviews about anything that inspires me to share with you. No I don’t plan on making this my venting arena/section (OK! Okay, sometimes it will be.)
This introductory review is for a place I found through GROUPON. The Eden Massage & Spa in Fort Lauderdale was feature back on July 12, 2010. The deal was great for $35, you get either a 60-minute Swedish massage (a $65 value) or a 60-minute deep-tissue/sports massage (a $70 value). “Just what this BigBear needs some R&R!!,” I said to myself. The voucher would not expire for six months. Surely I would find a moment to go relax and decided to buy 2 vouchers to make it TWO relaxing moments.
Fast forward 5 1/2 months to Tuesday, December 21st and I still had not used even one of the vouchers. I needed to FINALLY treat myself to that long needed “deep tissue/sports massage” and would give the other to a coworker as a surprise gift. Otherwise I would loose the money spent on them. So I called that afternoon, scheduled the appointment for the following week with who I find out during the call was the new girl in the office. On Thursday to be safe, as I always do, I call to check and make sure that my appointment was all set for next Tuesday. SHOCKER! The new girl messed up and didn’t correctly set up the appointment for me. The woman on the phone was unapologetic about it because "all the GROUPON people had waited until the last minute to book and use their vouchers."
I was not happy; not only did that ruin my plans BUT it ruined the surprise for my coworker. She is a working mother of three (plus a step kid) and never gets time to herself. Because she really needed and deserved it I even recruited her supervisor to help me make it all happen by letting her go home early that day so we can make it to the appointment. It had been a difficult series of planning by several people to make sure that she would still be able to make it back home at the same time as always for her kids.
“But she told me there were two therapists available for that time and I told her to write me in. She even took my number to have the therapist call me back to confirm,” I explained. Told the woman about the scenario of when I set the appointment. It was no help; she was not going to be able to do anything for me. Upset with the situation I just wanted to set an appointment and get it over with already. So I asked to speak to the person in charge, “I’m Grace, the owner. The next appointment is not until next year.” I reluctantly took the appointment, which was for this past Sunday evening, then invited my girlfriend P to go with me.
When we arrived, P & I were a little skeptical about the place from the minute we pulled into the parking lot. Parking was a bit confusing because there were meters inside the parking lot in front of the spaces closest to the building. Not sure what that’s all about, but we took a spot on the other side where no meters were present and walked the whole 30 feet over to the building. The place was not sketchy or anything, just not your typical BIG Fancy Spa kind of place. Once we found the spot it was a small office space in the plaza's courtyard. As we walked in the front door I could hear Sarah Brightman playing softly.
We waited about 5 minutes in the small reception before someone came out to greet us. Big smiled through the small window the woman greeted us, “Hi! Sorry was with a patient, please fill out this form. We are running a little late.” P & I sat there filled out the form and planned what we would do after our massage for dinner. After 5 more minutes, as the first of two patients that were inside left, another big smiley face (albeit a bit shorter than the previous) comes to the window. “Hi! I’m Grace, sorry for the wait. We are finishing up and will be with you in a few.” Two minutes later, I’m asked to come in by Grace who leads me to a low light room, asked to take off my cloth and lay on the massage table be face up.
Being that I’m a BigBear, I was not expecting this to be any good because there is no way this short little woman is going to get deep enough to loosen up those deep knots. What happens next is an amazing lemongrass scented 1-hour deep tissue massage. Grace’s hands are MAGICAL! Her technique is really great and well balanced. I was glad about it because I really needed that massage. When the hour was up my whole body was relaxed and relieved. Back in the lobby, my friend told me how amazing her therapist was too. In the end, Eden Massage and Spa really came through, and both of us were really blown away by the end results. Guess the old saying is true, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
BEAR-ssential: If you are looking for a big, fancy, beautiful decorated place to walk into and relax; where they give you a locker, a robe and serve you cucumber sandwiches with flavored waters; and the price you pay reflects all these extra amenities then Eden Massage and Spa is NOT the place for you. But if you are looking for a place where you are simply paying for a GREAT massage experience without the expensive-fancy extras, then this is the place for you. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a great massage without frills. I’ll be returning there soon as a FULL paying customer and will report if there is a difference.
This introductory review is for a place I found through GROUPON. The Eden Massage & Spa in Fort Lauderdale was feature back on July 12, 2010. The deal was great for $35, you get either a 60-minute Swedish massage (a $65 value) or a 60-minute deep-tissue/sports massage (a $70 value). “Just what this BigBear needs some R&R!!,” I said to myself. The voucher would not expire for six months. Surely I would find a moment to go relax and decided to buy 2 vouchers to make it TWO relaxing moments.
Fast forward 5 1/2 months to Tuesday, December 21st and I still had not used even one of the vouchers. I needed to FINALLY treat myself to that long needed “deep tissue/sports massage” and would give the other to a coworker as a surprise gift. Otherwise I would loose the money spent on them. So I called that afternoon, scheduled the appointment for the following week with who I find out during the call was the new girl in the office. On Thursday to be safe, as I always do, I call to check and make sure that my appointment was all set for next Tuesday. SHOCKER! The new girl messed up and didn’t correctly set up the appointment for me. The woman on the phone was unapologetic about it because "all the GROUPON people had waited until the last minute to book and use their vouchers."
I was not happy; not only did that ruin my plans BUT it ruined the surprise for my coworker. She is a working mother of three (plus a step kid) and never gets time to herself. Because she really needed and deserved it I even recruited her supervisor to help me make it all happen by letting her go home early that day so we can make it to the appointment. It had been a difficult series of planning by several people to make sure that she would still be able to make it back home at the same time as always for her kids.
“But she told me there were two therapists available for that time and I told her to write me in. She even took my number to have the therapist call me back to confirm,” I explained. Told the woman about the scenario of when I set the appointment. It was no help; she was not going to be able to do anything for me. Upset with the situation I just wanted to set an appointment and get it over with already. So I asked to speak to the person in charge, “I’m Grace, the owner. The next appointment is not until next year.” I reluctantly took the appointment, which was for this past Sunday evening, then invited my girlfriend P to go with me.
When we arrived, P & I were a little skeptical about the place from the minute we pulled into the parking lot. Parking was a bit confusing because there were meters inside the parking lot in front of the spaces closest to the building. Not sure what that’s all about, but we took a spot on the other side where no meters were present and walked the whole 30 feet over to the building. The place was not sketchy or anything, just not your typical BIG Fancy Spa kind of place. Once we found the spot it was a small office space in the plaza's courtyard. As we walked in the front door I could hear Sarah Brightman playing softly.
We waited about 5 minutes in the small reception before someone came out to greet us. Big smiled through the small window the woman greeted us, “Hi! Sorry was with a patient, please fill out this form. We are running a little late.” P & I sat there filled out the form and planned what we would do after our massage for dinner. After 5 more minutes, as the first of two patients that were inside left, another big smiley face (albeit a bit shorter than the previous) comes to the window. “Hi! I’m Grace, sorry for the wait. We are finishing up and will be with you in a few.” Two minutes later, I’m asked to come in by Grace who leads me to a low light room, asked to take off my cloth and lay on the massage table be face up.
Being that I’m a BigBear, I was not expecting this to be any good because there is no way this short little woman is going to get deep enough to loosen up those deep knots. What happens next is an amazing lemongrass scented 1-hour deep tissue massage. Grace’s hands are MAGICAL! Her technique is really great and well balanced. I was glad about it because I really needed that massage. When the hour was up my whole body was relaxed and relieved. Back in the lobby, my friend told me how amazing her therapist was too. In the end, Eden Massage and Spa really came through, and both of us were really blown away by the end results. Guess the old saying is true, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
BEAR-ssential: If you are looking for a big, fancy, beautiful decorated place to walk into and relax; where they give you a locker, a robe and serve you cucumber sandwiches with flavored waters; and the price you pay reflects all these extra amenities then Eden Massage and Spa is NOT the place for you. But if you are looking for a place where you are simply paying for a GREAT massage experience without the expensive-fancy extras, then this is the place for you. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a great massage without frills. I’ll be returning there soon as a FULL paying customer and will report if there is a difference.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Links In The City: Get Your Groupon!
Occasionally there are links that for whatever reasons are cool and worth passing on. In this NEW section I want to do just that pass on to you links that are of interest to me and that I think you might enjoy. First one I’ll introduce is GROUPON.COM because I’ve found it to be a great city dwellers deal finder for local things. Groupon is FREE TO JOIN and available worldwide. There is a specialized sites for most cities around the world. Surely your city has it’s own page of “deals of the day.”
For those who have never heard of Groupon, a quick intro.Groupon negotiates great discounts, usually 50-90% off, with popular local businesses. They send the deals to thousands of subscribers in their free daily email, and that sends the featured businesses a ton of new customers. As they say, “That's the Groupon magic!”
How Groupon Works
1. Get It - Check your email, Facebook or Twitter feeds for daily deals on cool local businesses.
2.Share It - Groupons are more fun when used with friends. Pass along deals by email or broadcast them to your social networks.
3. Enjoy It - Print the voucher or bring it up on your mobile device, then present it at the business to get your deal.
If you are intrested in signing up, please use my refferal link here, so that I may get Groupon credit for you signing up. It’s not like I’m asking you for money, just give credit where credit is do.
Now…Get your Groupon! Get your Groupon! Get your Groupon!
For those who have never heard of Groupon, a quick intro.Groupon negotiates great discounts, usually 50-90% off, with popular local businesses. They send the deals to thousands of subscribers in their free daily email, and that sends the featured businesses a ton of new customers. As they say, “That's the Groupon magic!”
How Groupon Works
1. Get It - Check your email, Facebook or Twitter feeds for daily deals on cool local businesses.
2.Share It - Groupons are more fun when used with friends. Pass along deals by email or broadcast them to your social networks.
3. Enjoy It - Print the voucher or bring it up on your mobile device, then present it at the business to get your deal.
If you are intrested in signing up, please use my refferal link here, so that I may get Groupon credit for you signing up. It’s not like I’m asking you for money, just give credit where credit is do.
Now…Get your Groupon! Get your Groupon! Get your Groupon!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Not Feeling So Hot for 1.11.11-11:11 (Part2...not #2)
Yesterday was a horrible day. After posting Monday’s entry I went off to bed, only to wake up a couple of hours later rushing to the bathroom. And that’s where I spent the rest of the time until I wrote yesterday’s entry, returning soon after to the thrown. I’m spearing details as you all know what this means… I had caught viral gastroenteritis (otherwise mistakenly known as stomach flu).
Little did I know I was part of the big trend of the day. It seems it was a popular there was an article about it in Bloomberg Businessweek. Or if you are a conspiracy theorist you just suspect they are in on it. Not only that I was hearing about all the people who had it including a few people in my office whom I had not seen since last week.
How does something like this get around so fast and to numerous people? I could not believe how many people had it. Then again when there is an outbreak of anything in the City, it spreads quickly. The important thing is to learn how to prevent the spread of illnesses. The best method to do so is to wash your hands correctly. If you are out and about and have been coming into contact with shopping carts, store counters, restaurant tables, public transportation hand bars, and other public areas remember to wash your hands when you get home (or keep a hand sanitizer with you on the go; but remember it must have at least 60% ALCOHOL to be effective).
Hummm...does this count as a PSA?
Little did I know I was part of the big trend of the day. It seems it was a popular there was an article about it in Bloomberg Businessweek. Or if you are a conspiracy theorist you just suspect they are in on it. Not only that I was hearing about all the people who had it including a few people in my office whom I had not seen since last week.
How does something like this get around so fast and to numerous people? I could not believe how many people had it. Then again when there is an outbreak of anything in the City, it spreads quickly. The important thing is to learn how to prevent the spread of illnesses. The best method to do so is to wash your hands correctly. If you are out and about and have been coming into contact with shopping carts, store counters, restaurant tables, public transportation hand bars, and other public areas remember to wash your hands when you get home (or keep a hand sanitizer with you on the go; but remember it must have at least 60% ALCOHOL to be effective).
Hummm...does this count as a PSA?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Not Feeling So Hot for 1.11.11-11:11 (Part1...maybe?)
What a day it’s been already and it has just begun. I’d plan to write something about today at this time (albeit it’s not a special moment) because it looks cool for the entry to have that entry stamp. But I’m so sick, weak and have no energies to write anything too long. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Hope y’all understand. =(
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
