I went to LA. It was fun!

I'm still kicking it. Still posting photos to my Photo Gallery. Still in grad school and still doing ok. This blog needs an update.

DC: We're Closed.

Alternate captions welcomed.

Gorgeous wedding gown: Check.
Stroller with dyed poodle: Check.
Gold slippers: Check.
Dyed beard: Check.
Parrot on head: Check.
Fuzzy ankle accessory: Check.

While the stroller counts as having something "roller", I don't see any disco.

One of the benefits of living in Brooklyn is the possibility of great views of Manhattan. I suppose this applies to NJ as well, but the bridges light up so beautifully at night. The tunnels are less photogenic. Note to self: bring your big boy camera to George's rooftop around sunset one day.

Yes, Facebook is killing blogging. With one stupid meme after another, apparently. I do find the status updates are easy and it's nice to have all my peeps centralized. We'll see what becomes of this place once the eventual redesign takes place. *VIRTUAL POKE* (you know who you are)

Busy in the lab. Busy having fun. Busy with family. I've been to North Carolina and San Francisco this month - and even Brooklyn!! Photos from recent Blowoffs are online. San Francisco. Southpaw in Brooklyn.

Inauguration weekend in DC was a crowded zoo full of exotic tourist species from around the USA and the world as it turns out. My first taste of the crowds on the National Mall was bearable for Sunday's concert (only broadcast on HBO). Walking home I realized that everyone was covered in dirt from the trampled lawn. I wonder how long it'll be until they just lay down field turf.

Luckily, I scored a silver ticket through a former HMB member, and Tom got one last minute as well. We set off early and attempted to take Metro but bailed after spending 15 minutes to travel one stop. 4.5 miles later we had arrived at the biggest line debacle ever witnessed by mankind - except for those peeps in the Purple Tunnel of Doom.

A crowd of 1.5 million people stood silent as Barak Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. That feeling was worth all the cold and crowds and anxiety about getting there on time, and a stark contrast to the crowd's mood the rest of the time. Apparently we stood in the snarky section because every time Cheney was shown someone nasty was shouted. Darth Cheney... Sith Lord... Dr. Evil... And when they showed George W. Bush each time the crowd sung, "Na, na, na, na... hey hey hey... goodbye!" That was pretty much super-awesome!

Also, in case you don't subscribe to the RSS feed: Blowoff Photos from the weekend!

Halloween. Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Year's Eve. Grad School. Living life sometimes interferes with writing about life and uploading current photos. Oh, and then there's Facebook, the biggest time-waster of all. Ups and Downs abounded but I'm still on the plus side of things. I spent Thanksgiving in Boston and Christmas and New Years in DC. A good deal of time was spent enjoying my friends over drinks and food and great conversation. Lots of smiles.

Photos from December Blowoff at the Highline Ballroom in NYC are online now.

Things are a bit slow there because I'm having a ton of Internal Server 500 errors. Wendy has mercifully agreed to re-brand this blog anyway so I'm hoping she can solve my issues in that arena.

Hope. 2009. :)

I'm one of the lucky people (sorta) who doesn't have to choose President's day or Columbus day - I don't get holidays per se - every day is the same. Friday night was super busy with 2 birthday parties and an engagement party at which to make appearances. Saturday we dined in celebration of Joe's Birthday. Sunday rolls around and all the peeps with Monday off from work are excited to be around. It was great to see my friends who always work Saturday night out and about. Dugout. Eagle. Missed Truck Stop.

Blowoff started up right at 11:59 PM and it was a fantastic night. Bob and Rich spun great sets and Nick's video just keep getting more amazing. The crowd was extra sexy with many new faces. One of the best yet! As per usual - Photos Photos Photos!

Love you Joey. Mean it. Now stop $!@#%ing!

Tom booked us on a Business class itinerary flying United Premium Service from JFK to SFO. I'd never experienced anything except for coach and steerage class until this trip and I was very impressed! The PS flight was special by design. They served champagne prior to takeoff and it kept flowing after takeoff. The flight attendants were pleasant and the level of service was very high. Getting there truly was half the fun!!!

Thursday and Friday we mostly did touristy things like visiting Fisherman's Wharf, climbing up to Coit Tower, Chinatown and Union Square. We even rented a ZipCar and went to IN-N-OUT Burger in Daly City, followed by a stop at the crazy dog beach. Hundreds of dogs running about off-leash was unexpected but really fun. We didn't spend a lot of time atop Twin Peaks due to loud Eastern European tourists, but it was nearing time for happy hour.

Friday and Saturday we kept it really gay. Happy Hour. Askew Grill. Hit the gym. More Happy Hour. The main event was Blowoff at Slim's. This being the first event in San Francisco, the crowd didn't really know what to expect but I think they were pleasantly surprised. Peeps danced until closing and I know many kept the party going at the End Up afterward. Everyone had a great time and I suspect they'll be bringing their friends to the next one in November. Sunday we regrouped and congregated for Beer Bust on our last night in town. I kept running into random out-of-towners that I knew. NY, DC, LA, SEA, and MSP were all represented.

The flight home was very good, but not quite as nice as the outbound leg. I connected at IAD to a regional jet back to LGA. A special treat was flying right over Manhattan and passing by the bright Sept. 11th memorial lights. I snapped a quick photo but it doesn't do it justice. If only I were more prepared.

I'm in San Francisco until Monday. Tom flew us out here on United Premium Service Business Class. It was out of this world. I'm ruined forever when it comes to flying. Tonight is Happy Hour in the Castro. Saturday BLOWOFF! Sunday is Beer Bust! The weather here is warm and sunny and I couldn't be happier.

If you're here, come out and say hello!

New York City this summer has the brilliant idea to close down Park Ave from 72nd street all the way down to the Brooklyn Bridge and allow only pedestrians and cyclists access to the street. It's called Summer Streets, and it's BRILLIANT! Joe and Father Tony have already posted their reviews and photos. The bright blue skies of early morning slowly filled with fluffy white clouds by the time we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. I waved at America's Next Top Model Cycle 8 winner, Jaslene who was filming something on the bridge. Starving, we ate lunch at 5 Front with the slowest, greenest waiter in the history of New York service employees. Bouncing along the cobblestone streets was a bit of a challenge, but we were rewarded by excellent views of Manhattan, quaint high-end shops and the sad beauty of urban decay and renewal. Our trip took us near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which has long been allowed to decay behind the US Navy's brick-and-iron walls. Haunted houses are easy to imagine, even though some of the formerly beautiful Victorian homes have large trees growing out of their second floor windows.

We huffed and puffed our way through the Orthodox Jewish area of Williamsburg. I don't think our shorts or exposed arms were appreciated by the black-coated residents but on we went to Long Island City and eventually back across the Queensboro Bridge. Mercifully there was no line at the bike shop when I returned and dropped off my wheels. Home for a quick shower and 5 minute nap - not long enough - before meeting Roadhead and Heather for dinner. I managed to flirt my way from a 45 minute wait down to a 3 minute wait (thanks Jennifer! love you!) at Momofuku Noodle Bar and then drop into Pinkberry with no line. At this point Heather pretty much demanded to be taken to a gay bar, so off we went to Nowhere. Then Beauty Bar. Then BACK to Nowhere!!! What a fun night - but now my wallet is empty.

In other great news, BLOWOFF got a nice article on Advocate.com. Good news for Bob and Rich. Also a huge ego boost for me, since I took those photos. Be sure to click over to page 2. Thanks guys!

Back to the lab. Cells need feeding and experiments need to get done. Night!