Rob and I are on our whirlwind tour of Texas. We are in Austin now after Houston and San Antonio. Rob had a good conversation with the University of Texas today and they suggested he finish his undergrad at Sac State. So, we’re in Sac for a while at least!! I know that makes some folks happy. But, we’re loving Austin. It’s like we’ve died and gone to Texas. It’s a very nice place and the real estate is comparitively cheap. We’re loving the fellowship we’ve met here and of course the liveliness of the music and art here far surpasses any place we’ve lived. But I start my job at the Internship and Career Center at UCD soon – so no worries. We’re in California NOT Texas.

We’ll be home this weekend and we’ll tell you of our adventures when we see you 🙂

Going to Texas next week to see friends in Houston, San Antonio and Austin. Rob and I are looking forward to our Honeymoon Tour of Texas so be sure to check back here for tales of our escapades and of course .. pictures.

We love you, will miss ya, and we’ll see some of you soon.

Ciao.

The bombing continues in Lebannon. While President bush’s policy of silence continues likewise.

I agree that no country should have its soldiers kidnapped and that no terrorist group should be given free reign to terrorize its neighbors, the level of destruction is simply now too great.

At some point the world should look and see how devastating this campaign is going to be to a fledgling democracy. I hope someone, anyone intervenes and asks Israel to stop their campaign. It’s clear that they have made any point they set out to make about reprisal.

It will take years and years to repair this infrastructure. And, human life that’s been lost already is irreplaceable. Please Mr. Bush. Say something. For a change.

Well. After 8 months, I FINALLY got a job. Well. As I said, to my closest friends.. sometimes I looked hard.. and sometimes.. well.

But all that is neither here nor there, because I couldn’t be happier. happy happy happy.

I’ll be back at the University of California – working in campus at the UCD Internship and Career Center. A great place to be. So – yippee. I’m planning a celebration trip to TEXAS. So, if you’re from there, be looking for me in meetings.. soon.

Had a great time at the North Hall picnic. And, I have to say – as I’ve already let the committee know – they did a great job. I wasn’t sure the change in location was going to work. For years we’ve had it at a smallish park where we had our own area. Moving it to a big park didn’t turn out to be as problematic as I thought it might though.

Here’s two lovelies enjoying the day. Including the little dog we nick named Sister Patril, because those ears are wide enough that if a little breeze came along.. this pup is taking flight!

All in all – a greatttt time.

Well, it’s been far too long since my last post. And, since I didn’t want you all to think I’d been hanging out doing nothing – nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve been busier than I’ve ever been. Mostly doing program and social stuff (certainly not employment work!).

But, I’ve been having the summer of my life! Here’s Bunny and J hanging out at Pride 2006 in Sacramento. We had a parade this year and Bunny along with his partner Ginger drove their fabulous ’66 Buick and we had a great day.

UCD Student Angelina Malfitano was lost in a car accident this week. Angelina was an AMAZING outgoing student who worked in the LGBT Resource Center on campus.

She was bright and bubbley – even as a Freshman. She was such a friend to the LGBT Community and an advocate for equality on campus. As she matured in her studies she took on the role of organizer, being a focal point for Lavendar Graduation and working on her Thesis putting together a history of the LGBT Community in Davis.

She was such a hardworker and so full of life. It’s always so tragic when someone like Angelina who seemed to just be getting her wings is cut short of her flight. I was just coming to know her as an amazing woman and it’s just so very sad that she’s gone.

I’m sorry that her collegiate career, in these last days of her studies, was so busy and she was working so hard that we couldn’t coincide our schedules for me to take her to her favorite “Applebees” to chat and catch up. My thoughts are with her family, and those closest to her.

So, I searched for the perfect place for us to go to after the event. I didn’t want to just go ‘home’ after such a wonderful day. I had one major requirement. It must have a bathtub that was two die for. One we could soak away the day and talk about every detail Rob wasn’t privy to during the planning phases.

We booked the Sterling Hotel. If you’re ever in Sacramento and want one of the most romantic getaways.. this is it. Annie, our good friend recommended it. It was heaven. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

It was a lovely spring day and I went to my recovery meeting and saw my Sponsor. He asked what I was doing the next evening. “Nothing” I said. “Great – would you like to go to a baseball game?”

Yikes.

This is one of those drawbacks of having a straight sponsor. Never did any of my previous ones ask me a question like that. I did go with one to a a fashion show in San Francisco once. That was fun.

To be fair – I actually DO like to go the baseball game (NOT the same as watching it on TV) – so I agreed.

We were driving to the stadium and Greg and Mike were in the front seat talking about the game. I was in the backseat looking out at the afternoon traffic thinking.. Did I bring my sunglasses? Did I bring the sunblock? Did I bring my hat? Check, Check Check. Oh. Did I bring the binocculars? (Those players have great tushes).

I giggled to myself but was brought back to a snapping reality when Greg and Mike started talking about how some lucky fan tonight was going to get to throw out the first pitch. What?

Now, I’m not one to shy a way from a public spotlight. Gosh knows, sometimes I’ve run over to plug the thing in, so it will illuminate on me brightly – but the thought of being singled out and having to stand on the pitchers mound with all those fans screaming or chomping their hotdogs looking at you… well. Let’s just say, I’d rather have my brows trimed by a weedeater.

Thoughts of ballpark fans having beer coming through their nose as they witness the ball lobbing from my hand to a few inches in front me, going.. “Hey! He throws like a girl!” brought back too many memories of true embarassment from little league. Always last to bat, always last picked.. always looked down at by the coach who made a wince when he saw it was my turn to hit .. “maybe you’ll get walked?”

But Greg and Mike pointed out it was 5 Millionth Fan Night. Whomever was the 5 Millionth to cross the thresh hold of the gate was going to be bestowed this historic (well historic for Sacramento) honor. Whew. That was close. At least I knew no snide-practical-joke-playing agent of baseball humour would walk up to me thinking.. “let’s ask HIM.. he looks like he’d throw like a girl”.

As we crossed the parking lot I nearly smudged my nice baseball outfit on the dirty Ford Explorer next to us. We walked across the asphalt and to be completely truthful, I’d completely forgotten our discussion about the 5 millionth and was on to other thoughts.. like.. how awful it would have been to get smudged by that dirty car or.. mmmm HOT DOGS. (Love me some hot dogs.)

I handed my ticket to the agent for scanning and looked upward as I crossed the gate to see what the section was in relation to my ticket but I was being jostled as the Mariachi Band struck up, confetti rained down upon my head and reporters and photographers came running from every direction.

Oh no. Oh my God no. Please say it isn’t so. What are the chances anyway of all these thousands of people.. no, it’s fair to say MILLIONS of people – could I be destined for the privlege (or punishment?) of being forced to publicly humiliate myself from a pitchers mound.

The world seemed slow motion, and I saw folks running my direction.

Only – to push me out of the way to stick the microphone in the face of the woman behind me – Number 5 Million.

Yes. I was 4,999,999. OH THANK YOU JESUS.

I enjoyed watching her throw the ball. She did a great job. I wassss alittle jealous watching her parade around the field on the back of a Corvette convertible. THATTT I would have liked. And, she didddd get free food, season tickets anddd free round trip tickets to hawaii. But, whateverrr. A pile of gold wouldn’t have encouraged me to trade places..

And, after the game began and the Rivercats won, and we gathered our things to leave.. the Jumbo Screen lit up and the Field Announcer asked for the owner of a Ford Explorer to please report to the Information Booth.

It seems he won the dirtiest car in the ballpark contest and was bestowed the honor a free car wash from the local chevron station. Mmmph. I left the ballpark mortification-free. But, someone didnt.

I was putting together Rob’s bash.. and of course, there had to be music. I wanted representation from both our cultures (Mexican, I and He, Scottish)

So the guests had both! Mariachi and Bag Piper. Kinda weird combination huh? Well… maybe so are we.