Sunday, January 31, 2010

Mountain Travel Sobek – A Winner

My husband just won a contest sponsored by our favorite adventure travel company, Mountain Travel Sobek (http://www.mtsobek.com). The task was to submit a past travel resolution that would inspire others to travel the world. Here is what he submitted, which was rated the #1 resolution. The entry wins him a free travel duffel bag -- and fame J ...

"Twelve years ago, I resolved to travel in a way that would ensure my three sons would still want to come along, even as they went through the teen years. Trips together to Kenya, Tonga, Fiji, Alaska, Ecuador, Baja, the Alps, and more led to family adventures and memories galore, and to sons in their 20s who now value other cultures and peoples."

Here are several past blogger entries on MTS trips we’ve done in the recent past:

- Hiking the French Alps

http://guydads.blogspot.com/2009/09/hiking-in-french-alps-vacation-p-2.html

- Bavarian Alps hike across Austria

http://guydads.blogspot.com/2007/08/three-weeks-in-germany.html

- Trekking in Peru

http://guydads.blogspot.com/2006/08/back-from-peru.html

- England’s Coast to Coast walk

http://guydads.blogspot.com/2005/08/things-i-learned-in-england.html

Other excellent travel companies we have used in the past include REI Adventures, Bicycle Adventures, Backroads, and the gay adventure travel company, Alyson Adventures.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

No iPad for Me. Period.

My Apple Tech Toys

I don’t think I am going to run out and get an iPad. I already have a sack full of Apple techie toys: an iPod, iPhone and a MacBook laptop. I don’t think I need any thing as intimate as an iPad. The device sounds like it was named by a woman gynecologist but it is no worse than tinkle-sounding Wii. The tech specs are manly enough. It is 9.5 inches long. But at a hefty 1.5 pounds, it might be too heavy to hold with one hand and type with the other.

This is a very funny 3-year-old prophetic video about iPads from MadTV.


Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eF0y0IfpPU

I can wait until version 2.0 or greater comes out.

Friday, January 22, 2010

FarmVille on FaceBook

I laugh every time I watch this video. Just try not to say “FARMVILLE” after watching this commercial parody. I use to find it very annoying to get Facebook game updates from friends. I glad they let one hide those kinds of applications.


Thursday, January 21, 2010

Prop 8 on Trial


I am finding it very interesting and fascinating to read the live blogging of the Prop 8 trial happening in San Francisco. Several sites and Twitter feeds are reporting from the courtroom. My favorite is the Courage Campaign’s Prop 8 Trial Tickler.
There is also a very funny Twitter feed mocking the protect marriage side at http://twitter.com/protectmawwiage.
My earlier summary of redefining marriage in California.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Our 2009 Theatre "Bests"

Due to Ed's autumn cancer battle, we "only" saw 83 theatre productions in 2009.

Our San Francisco Bay Area Top Ten are the following: Playwright D.H.H. (Pun Bandhu, left) takes a lesson on the American dream from his father, H.Y.H. (Francis Jue, right) in the Bay Area premiere of Yellow Face at TheatreWorks.

Honorable Mention: "A Civil War Christmas," by Paula Vogel at TheatreWorks

10: "Call Me Madam," by Irving Berlin, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse, 42nd Street Moon

9: "Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party," by Aaron Loeb, SF Playhouse

8: "Rabbi Sam," by Charlie Varon, The Marsh

7: "Souvenir, A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins," Stephen Temperley, ACT

6: "First Day of School," Billy Aronson, SF Playhouse

5: "My Name is Asher Lev," Aaron Posner, Chaim Potok, Marin Theatre Company

4: "Macbeth," William Shakespeare, Shotgun Players

3: "Yellow Face," David Henry Hwang, TheatreWorks

2: "Brief Encounter," Noël Coward, Emma Rice, ACT

1: "In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play," Sarah Ruhl, Berkeley Rep

Our Out of Town Top 5 (out of a possible 19 seen):

Honorable Mention: "The Glorious Ones," by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, at BoHo Theatre, Chicago

5: "God of Carnage," Yasmina Reza, Christopher Hampton, Jacobs Theatre, New York

4: "Next to Normal," Tom Kitt, Brian Yorkey, Booth, New York

3: "Fedra, Queen of Haiti," J. Nicole Brooks, Lookingglass, Chicago

2: "Our Town," Thornton Wilder, Second Stage, New York

1: "Waiting for Godot," Samuel Beckett, Studio 54, New York

And of the 11 Operas we went to, our Top 4 operas:

4: "Tosca," Puccini, SF Opera

3: "Porgy and Bess," Gershwin, SF Opera

2: "Ernani," Verdi, Chicago Lyric Opera

1: "Il Triticco," Puccini, SF Opera

We actually only saw a few productions we did not like (e.g., "West Side Story" in New York and half of the ACT productions in SF). There are many, many others not mentioned above that we really enjoyed and thought were quite excellent. Our complete list of 83 shows we saw in 2009.

On to 2010, but with the caveat that it will be almost mid-year before Ed is healed completely and we are going full steam. In the meantime, there is always Netflix.

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Another Year - Another Birthday



Also born January 9th, the same day as me are:
choreographer George Balanchine,
president Richard Nixon,
singers: Joan Baez, Jimmy Page, David Johansen, Crystal Gayle, Steve Harwell, and Dave Matthews,
cartoonist Chic Young,
playwright Brian Friel,
actors: Bob Denver and Susannah York.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

New Year's Post Surgery Update

Happy New Year to Everyone:

Our 2010 is beginning with Ed's being MUCH better overall. In the past couple of weeks, we have been getting out most days to see a movie and even to attend two performances of theater. Every day for the past few, we are walking the length of downtown Palo Alto and have even had lunch downtown a couple of times. And for the first time since his surgery on November 13, Ed slept through the entire night last night without being so uncomfortable that he had to get up 1-2 times per night for 30-60+ minutes of sitting up, walking around, etc. (Hopefully, more such nights will follow.)

However, like in most home redecoration projects, we just found out yesterday that the date we have been keeping in the visionary forefront of April 1 when all this would be over -- that day is too optimistic. We visited the doctor in SF yesterday; and he discovered that what was once "a hole" in the internal suture location (leading to the cavity and recurring abscess build-up) is now "a slit." What pleases the doctor is that the healing is occurring. There is now no sign of the abscess at all, and his/our hopes are that none will reappear (knock on wood). But, the period for enough healing to occur in order to schedule the next surgery is going to be at least another 1-2 months longer. That means that the surgery we thought originally would happen in the next couple of weeks will now likely not happen until the end of March/first of April. That puts his final recovery into mid-to-late May, if all goes well.

So, we are very pleased with his current condition and the signs of internal healing; and we are sorely disappointed (but not surprised) that the total time of this process is now longer than original estimates. (See, it sounds just like news from the general contractor, right?)

One thing the doctor did offer as a possibility: If the signs of healing continue and if there are no recurrences of abscess (and thus no need for reinserting another drainage tube), then Ed might be able to return to work sometime in February for a few weeks as he waits for final healing.

So, in case you're wondering (and did not see this on Facebook), here are our holiday/Oscar worthy movie-watching results, to-date:
- Most innovative, intriguing story telling: A Single Man, Precious, (500) Days of Summer, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
- Most Inspiring and Walk-Out-With-a-Smile Producing: Invictus, The Blind Side
- Most Beautifully Filmed: Young Victoria
- Most Fun to Watch but Most Disturbing after Thinking about It: An Education
- Most Fun and Sad at Same Time: Up in the Air
- Most Fun for Action and Fantasy but Not Much Else: Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, Inglourious Basterds
- Most Enjoyable Movies Made for Adults: It's Complicated, Broken Embraces
- Most "War is Hell" movie of the year: The Hurt Locker

Again, we cannot thank everyone enough for your continued cards, messages, visits, and other acts of kindness. They mean so much to both of us.

Love to all,
Eddie (& Ed)

PS: Many of you keep asking about me, which I appreciate. I have learned much through this process. Having always been in a life-partner relationship where there was much sharing of life's duties, I certainly have found it pretty over-whelming at times to do 'everything' plus the added duties of care-giving and client-maintenance. At the same time, spending this concentrated time with Ed in our home has been wonderful in many ways; and he is so appreciative of the every day, little things I do for him, that I have actually enjoyed (in some sort of perverted way) the process of doing and planning daily special surprises for him. I am tired a lot; but compared to what many care-givers face, this has really been a piece of cake. I also have loved sending these messages. It is like I am on the couch, and all of you are my therapists. So, thank you!
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