Missouri loves company...

It has been a bit since I verbally threw up online. My apologies for those that anxiously await notification that I have updated this blog with fascinating tidbits from my extremely exciting life, but it has been a bit of a madhouse here at work. :)

We have entered the notorious (well, notorious for Immigration lawyers) season of H-1B filings which must, MUST be in the fedex box on Monday, March 31, 2008 to arrive on the doorstep of Immigration on April 1, 2008 in the small chance that your application sneaks in and is picked for H-1B eligibility. I can't remember if I wrote about this last year, but at the risk of repeating myself, I will provide a brief explanation. H-1B is a temporary work visa which is available generally for 6 years (but must be renewed after 3). It requires a bachelor's degree, a job offer, and approval by the Department of Labor. The government allows about 65,000 H-1B applications to be accepted a year, last year, something like over 300,00 people applied. What this means of course, is many people did not make it in, and that the 65,000 spots were taken up in the first day! So, this is why it is so important that your clients application be there on the first day that they can apply, to try to increase the chances of getting picked. Of course, all our clients waited until the last absolute moment to tell us they wanted to apply, and I have been scrambling around the last week or so trying to track down clients and their employers to get all the needed documents compiled and organized into a neat little package to be mailed out. Today, I will finally finish my last ones.... phew!!

So, that is why I have been a bit M.I.A. lately, but do not worry, I am back to once again take precious moments away from your day to tell you about what's going on with me!!

Back tracking a bit, a few weekends ago Denise and I made our way to St. Louis for my grandmother's (nani as all the grandkids call her, which I invented as a child cause I'm a genius) 80th Birthday. As it turns out, Vince was going back to St. Louis that same weekend, AND his mother had booked the EXACT same round trip flight as us! We discovered this information late one night while discussing coordinating a ride to the airport, and we were all extremely excited (and perhaps a bit worried that this might be some omen for disaster? well, maybe that was just me). Anyway, we were able to finagle it so that we all sat together on the way there AND back. We watched movies, got drunk, and as I said, I think pretty much had more fun than anyone else on our flights.

As for our actual time in St. Louis, it was great, but too fast as always. We stayed the whole time with our friends Kate and Joe which was really nice because (1) they are just awesome, and (2) we could escape family for awhile and just chill for the night.

We arrived Thursday around 5:30, picked up our rental car (which was a PT Cruiser... Denise's FAVORITE ;), dropped Vince off, deposited our things at Kate and Joes, and went out to Thai food which was amazing and SPICY!

Friday Kate and I took Denise around the city to various high-lights. We went to lunch at Blueberry Hill (a famous restaurant where Chuck Berry still plays!), later went to a Bissingers chocolate bar which was amazing but also a tad sickening at the end, and finished with a coffee at Coffee Cartel, an old hang out of Vince and I back when it was more gay (before those damn straights took over;). One other thing was that day, it was FUCKING COLD!! It was so cold in fact in prompted deep discussions about why midwest winters just seem to be so biting cold. It is like pins are hitting your skin as the wind blows against your face. It is definitely unlike the cold we have here in the West. St. Louis was definitely much colder than Tahoe, even though there was like 3 feet of snow in Tahoe and it was just as cold temperature wise. We decided that it must have something to do with the humidity in the air, but what do we know... anyway, moving on. That night, we went to see the movie Juno for a low key outing event. The film was cute, but I think I had just heard too much hype for it to live up to. Also, I had a bit of an issue about the way they approached the idea of abortion, and the way the clinic was portrayed. I heard an interview with Ellen Page where she discussed this briefly, but I still don't think her explanation was convincing. Still, Ellen Page was adorable and the characters were well written, so as far as movies go I felt it was pretty successful.

Saturday was the big day. The party was at a community center in an area called Shrewsberry and started at 3PM, so we got there around 2:30 or so. It was supposed to be a surprise party, but I guess there had been a few slip-ups, so she was a bit suspicious. However, when she entered, I think she was shocked at the amount of people that were there. She started to cry when she saw me, which of course made me cry, and it was a love fest all around. The party was nice. Lots of catching up. My brother was there with his wife and little boy Brendan who is so cute and smart, but was having a hard time not throwing a fit every time something did not go his way. I got to see my cousin Rachael who I have not seen in many years, which was great. Also, my other cousins Angela and Laura were there, and Denise and I spent most of our time talking to them and catching up. They are really amazing girls.... seem much more together than I was at their age. My aunt Marcia brought some wine, so there was actually some alcoholic beverages at the gathering (my family usually has dry parties), which was nice to cut the nerves a bit. The room was only reserved until 8:00pm, so we wrapped it up around 7:30 or so. I was tempted to go back to my Nani's to hang for a bit more, but I thought it was time for a break from family, since we would see them again tomorrow.

Instead, I took Denise to this lesbian bar called "Novaks" in downtown St. Louis. I had heard they had moved to a new space since I had been there and it was much nicer. Well, the rumors were true! The Novaks I knew was this small narrow bar that had a small triangle stage at the end for the periodic Drag King show (which is why to this day I cannot hear "It's gettin hot in here" without seeing a drag king gyrating his hips in a girls face). The place it has moved to is a really cool warehouse type space with exposed ceilings, red brick, and a large round bar in the middle of the room. In the back room there are plenty of pool tables and draw poker machines because that's what the les's like to do in the midwest. We were actually given a pleasant surprise when we learned that there was a drag queen/king show that night, AND even more surprised when we saw once again how cheap drinks are there!! 4.50 for a rum and diet! However, the thing which eventually drove us out was all the smoke. St. Louis has yet to institute the no smoking in doors policy.... COME ON people, get with it!!!

Sunday was the Science Center with the my Nani, mom, Jeff and Sara, Brendarn, Denise and I. Brendan was SO excited to go there and see the dinosaurs. However, I'm not sure he realized that the dinosaurs there are animatronic, which means they move and roar. The closer we got to them, the more he freaked out, and eventually had a melt down. We decided that perhaps it was in our best interest to explore other areas of the Science Center, which was a lot of fun. Towards the end of the day, we made it back to the area where the dinosaurs were, my brother tricked Brendan into getting in an elevator which deposited them downstairs right where the dinosaurs were. Brendan realized he had been tricked, was pissed for a second, but then cautiously made his way closer and closer. We even stood under them to show him that our heads were safe below the T-Rex jaws. He actually ended up getting pretty close, and I was proud of him because I don't know if I would have done that at his age (I was afraid of Halloween until I was like 7, and don't get my mom started on the story of me screaming in the bank at the moving dolls in the window). After the Science Center we stopped by the Zoo to take pictures of this incredible metal sculpture of animals they recently added to the outside of the walls. When Brendan was told we were only looking at the outside of the Zoo and not actually going in, he decided this was yet another reason to loose it. He recovered after he saw the sculpture and some horses in the park, but it was pretty obvious it was time to go home.

We all went over to my Nanis' for conversation and Pasta House take out. It was good, but I barely ate any because I knew we were going to the most amazing Vietnamese food in a few hour with Kate, Joe and Vince, so I wanted to save my appetite. At about 7:30 we said our emotional goodbyes (it is always so hard for my mom), and met everyone for dinner at Pho Grand. The meal was fabulous as always, and I have decided we must try to eat there at least once whenever we get back to visit. After we went for ice cream at Ted Drews (a famous custard stand there) and decided that all we wanted to do was sit on the couch and watch embarrassing videos of me in my youth, and watch the penguin surfing move which I can't recall the name of right now, which we did.

Monday we said a sad goodbye to Kate (Joe was at work), and departed for the City that is Los Angeles. It was a lovely little trip, and I can't wait to see everyone again. We are thinking B-town for Christmas, but that always involves a brief stint in the Lou, so we will be back again soon to the gateway to the west!!! oxoxox

ps: hopefully i will post some pics later

Lesbian Turkish Oil Wrestling

Yes, you read the heading of this post correctly. Denise, myself, and friends attended an event put on by the producer of the L word, Ilene Chaiken, called FYKE which featured lesbian Turkish oil wrestling. Let me just say that one more time... Lesbian Turkish Oil Wrestling. Really, it had been my great pleasure all week to tell people I was going to such an event because when else in my life am I going to get to say that!!

Now, I decided to do a little research on this type of wrestling just for my own edification, and found that making it a match between women seems to be Ilene Chaiken's twist on the event because in Turkey, it only involves men. An episode of the L word featured Turkish oil wrestling between women at "she bar" hosted by the character Dawn Denbo, climaxing in a drag down, oil filled, smack down between Dawn Denbo, her lover Cindy, Molly, and Shane. The oil wrestling I attended on Saturday night was a sort of cross promotion for the L word and the constantly referenced online site called ourchart.com.

If you would like a more in depth exploration into the history of oil wrestling in Turkey, here is a link to it from the extremely accurate wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_oil_wrestling

When I google imaged Turkish oil wrestling, I was given countless images like the one below.

I can see why I was told by someone that this sport is very popular among gay men. However, as seen from the photos above, this is nothing like what I saw Saturday night.

Before I get to the actual event, I must say that on Saturday day, Denise, Noa, Shannon, Vince, Justin and I went on a BEAUTIFUL hike in Eaton Canyon back to a waterfall. It was a gorgeous misty and foggy day, and the green hills around us just came alive. We had done this hike once before, but it was last summer when everything was bone dry and the water was nothing more than a trickle. After all the rain we have had this year, the water was gushing down from the waterfall and forced us to negotiate over rocks, climb hills, and balance on trees in order to traverse the water back to the falls. It was a wonderful day and I was so overcome by the beauty of nature. Any LA people reading this blog, I TOTALLY recommend this hike, but do it soon before the water starts to get sucked up by the blaring sun.

After enjoying the beauty of nature, I was ready to enjoy the beauty of two women soaked in oil wrestling. haha! I had to say it....

So, we all arrived at the venue a little before 9:00 PM. The email sent out by the promoters said that between 9-9:55 they would sell tickets for 10.00, but after that they went up to 20.00. Although I was excited at the prospect of telling people I had attended lesbian Turkish oil wrestling, I was not really willing to pay 20.00 for that prestige. Also, we had a feeling the later we were, the less our likelihood of getting tickets became, and from what I heard the line was like as the night went on, we were right!

We were in line waiting for them to open the doors, which they finally did at about 9:15, but this was long enough for us to be subjected to the really annoying lesbians who think they are more important than everyone else so they MUST be on some list or be able to cut in line. Ugh... annoying. However, we got in without any issue and went straight to the bar after dealing with all the egos outside the door.

For hours lesbians just kept pouring in through the door, crowding around the wrestling ring set up in the middle of the room. Denise, Noa, Shannon and I were able to secure a spot at the front of the ring, but we paid for it by a number of shoves, squeezes, and smelly armpits. Finally the event started with an introduction to the sport by Michelle Wolff (you will only know her if you watch Dantes Cove on the HERE network) and the host was Elizabeth Keener (aka: Dawn Denbo on the L word, and the sister of Catherine Keener who I LOVE).

They introduced the wrestlers and began the first match. Oil was dumped out of a bucket onto the ring floor, and they got down to it (and I mean literally down). In all honesty, it was more fun to say we were going to lesbian Turkish oil wrestling than to actually watch it. People were shoving you the whole time, it was likely that oil would get on you if you were too close (and I liked the shirt I was wearing), and one of the wrestlers was not wearing a great outfit and as a friend of mine so politely stated, "her ladies were falling out." After the first match, we decided we would just hang out with friends and people we had not seen in a long time, and catch some of the matches on the televisions provided.

The rest of the night was really the best part. I saw many friends who I have not spoken to in months, took lots of pics (well, Denise took lots of pics), and even made a few videos. Cybill Shepard's daughter, Clementine Ford was in attendance who is also staring in the L word this season. She is SO cute in person, and as Denise said, she could be the exception to the monogamy rule. ;) haha! I gest, I gest. I also spotted Ilene Chaiken in the crowd inspecting her creation and seeming quite pleased.

At one point in the night I was trying to sneak between Elizabeth Keener and Clementine Ford who were getting their pictures taken by a fan, and Elizabeth Keener playfully bopped me on the head, so that was pretty cool. :)

So folks, lesbian Turkish oil wrestling just turned out to be an entertaining springboard into a really fun night with friends and those I have lost touch with, which is completely fine with me.

Birthday Weekend!!!

So, my official Birthday was February 17, 2008, and this was a big one according to most, 3-0. Yes, tis true, I am no longer a youthful sprite in her 20s, but am now a responsible adult in her 30s... at least that is what "they" say, but I say shit balls to that! I feel absolutely no different today than I did a few weeks ago, and I have come to question whether we humans ever truly feel like "adults," whatever that is supposed to mean. So far in a limited poll I have secretly been conducting, NO ONE ever feels their age or sees themselves as "grown-up." I think this lends support to the age old cliche's of "age is just a number," and "your mind is always more youthful than your body." Just my humble opinion and take on entering a new decade of my life.

However, the purpose of this post is not some soul-searching pursuit into the deeper meaning of my life as a 30-year old, but is instead about what I did for my Birthday weekend!! Woo Hoo! On Friday, February 15, Denise and I once again traveled the familiar I-5 to Sacramento, stopping at our usual haunts and eating a lovely dinner at "My-Way."

We arrived at Katy and Becky's around 10PM, and we all geared up for our trip the next morning to TAHOE! I had never been to Lake Tahoe, but Denise is always professing its' beauty and insisting that we must go. The moment had finally arrived. Becky had found a cabin for us all online that accepted pets (yes, we had 3 dogs with us), was large enough for 4, and most importantly, had wifi. :) After a slow start Saturday, we made it to our cabin in the mid afternoon. It was SO nice. Two levels with a master bedroom and bath. Katy and Becky were gracious enough to allow Denise and I the pleasure of sleeping in the master bedroom since it was my Birthday. There wasn't much time for snow play, so instead we went out to dinner at a local sushi restaurant. Things started out splendidly, but progressively went down hill ending in bad service and REALLY bad sushi. In repayment for our wasted time and damage done to our stomachs, Katy took 2 cute wasabi/soy sauce bowls from our table. It was justifiable and I will say that in a court of law, under oath, but will not reveal my current profession.

That night we sipped on some wine and sneaky peaks while playing poker, which I won!! Yea! There is some sort of magic that happens with me and poker up north.... Denise, another argument to add to your list of reasons we should move. ;)

Sunday it was my day of birth, and SLEDDING!!! We bought some cheapy 5 dollar pieces of plastic, and took them to a nice hill we discovered, which we had all to ourselves. Now, the snow at that point in Tahoe was probably 2-3 feet deep... maybe more. So, as you would walk over hardened snow, there would be weak points where your whole leg would just fall right through. It was hilarious watching each one of us try to climb up the hill, while constantly falling into the snow. The day was filled with plenty of sledding, exploration, and a near death encounter with the waters of Tahoe, all of which is caught on tape.

After a bit more sight-seeing, we went back to the cabin to make ourselves presentable for dinner. Becky had read a really good review for this local Thai restaurant, so we decided to give it a try. When we arrived at the place, there was a 40 minute wait, so we decided to pass that time at a bar next door. All I can say is, the food was totally worth the wait...mmmmmmm. I ate every last bit which is rare for me, and I was totally paying for it later.. and so was everyone around me. ;) That night we played Cranium back at the cabin, again with wine and sneaky peaks. I really just felt like staying in for my Birthday and hanging out with my lovely peeps (also members of the peeps club I might add). It was a wonderful Birthday and a great way to celebrate 30.

Monday it was time to pack it up. After lunch at the marina and some running/play time for the dogs, we made our way back to Sacramento. We kept the rest of the day pretty chill, since we were all exhausted from our snow play from the day before exacerbated by too many sneaky peaks. ;) Tuesday we stayed for lunch and thrift store shopping, and resigned ourselves to the fact that we needed to get on the road back to LA.

I had such a wonderful Birthday month. So many great surprises and happy times with my friends/people I love in my life. It was the perfect way to celebrate another Birthday and my entrance into my 30s. Can't WAIT to see what 40 brings.... but I guess I'm getting a tad ahead of myself. Ta ta!

Birthday Surprises and More!!

So, last weekend I was given a Birthday surprise like no other. In reality, my Birthday is February 17, but we will be sitting by a fire in Lake Tahoe at the cabin we have reserved with Katy and Becky on that day. woo hoo! Anyway, I had been struggling with when exactly to do my Birthday celebration in Los Angeles. I finally decided I would have it the weekend we returned, that way it could be a sort of combo Birthday/Vince and Justin house warming event. I had told Denise last Friday, and she said, "Sure, tell Vince and Justin."

On Saturday morning I had to arise at 7:30 AM (ugh) to go to a CLE class to keep my license current. It was an interesting topic, but I was way to sleepy of all this law jargon so early in the morning. After that, I met up with my friend Jess for lunch and pedicures. She had also requested that I PLEASE go with her and some friends to pick out bridesmaids dresses for an upcoming wedding. I actually could not imagine a more miserable activity, but I agreed since she is my friend. :) After two bridal shops, an annoying sales woman with an unattractive habit of agreeing with EVERYTHING anyone says, another with an attitude, and 5 hours of sleep, I was useless and wanted to go home.

I arrived at home about 5:30, and needed to be in the shower by 7:00 to get ready for dinner at 8:00 with Laura, Noa, and Shannon. I used my hour or so of time to try to nap. At 7:00 Denise and I were rushing around to get ready, and as usual, I was ready first. So, Denise asked me to take the dog out to pee before we left. I begrudgingly agreed. Of course, Baron was awful on the walk! He was pulling, jumping at every person that walked by, would NOT go to the bathroom. I just kept pulling, yelling, and getting more frustrated by the minute because I knew it was after 8:00. Finally I took him in, and he was pulling me up the stairs like a madman. I was SO pissed. I opened our apartment door, and said, "Get in there!" At that exact moment the lights turned on and everyone yelled, SURPRISE!" I was completely shocked! I can't imagine the look of horror that was on my face. I had NO idea and was feeling schizophrenic due to my quick emotional switch from angry to flabbergasted to happy and releaved.

It was a wonderful surprise and very well coordinated by Denise. It was perfect that Vince and Justin live next door, so everyone could hide there until I walked Baron down and rush next door. I later saw the evite later and her orders for everyone to just indulge me if I mentioned any Birthday plans, just as she had done.

I had such a great time and realized once again how lucky I am to have all these wonderful friends in my life. I got so many great gifts, but the highlight was the 80 GB ipod people pitched in to get! I was SO shocked. My little ipod Nano barely turned on anymore, and I had been needing a new one, but 80 GB??!! I don't know if I will ever fill it up, but I will sure try. ;)

On Sunday, we decided to ignore the utter chaos that was our house, and go to the Gentle Barn!!! Shannon and Laura accompanied us, and it was such a great day. A young boy greated us to get our email addresses. When asked if we needed to make a donation, he said "You don't have to but it is very nice of you." haha! The animals were SO cute and friendly. There were only a couple of horses that seemed skittish, but all the other animals allowed you to pet and feed them. Above are a couple of pictures Denise took. The horse I am petting is in the Clydesdale family, and it was HUGE (although Shannon said they were actually small, but they were big to me!) They had shiny red hair and blond wavy manes. I read later that they use these horses to make a hormone supplement for women with menopause, and haven't stopped even though there are many synthetic types available. :(

I think it is amazing what these people are doing and deserve lots of money and support!

After we went to a famous local diner, and then made our way back to good ol Cahuenga to help Vince and Justin move a few large items. That night was all crashed on the couch with bloody marys, a wonderful dinner created by Denise, and watched Rock of Love 2. What a great way to end a great weekend. ta ta ya'll!!

My Down Stairs Mix-Up

So, first order of business...LOST!! We are two episodes in this season, and has already put our brains in tail spin (get it, tail spin, their tail section spun onto the island...whatever, it's clever. :). They have introduced 4 new characters who may or may not be good and who may or may not be there to rescue them. We found out last night that their real mission involves Ben, the malicious leader of the Others, and they don't seem to like him very much either. We have seen a flash forward for Hurley (but not as forward as the season finale last season), and learned that 6 people get off the island (they are calling them the Oceanic 6), 3 of whom are Jack, Kate, and Hurley. Hurley tells Jack that they need to go back to the island, and that they need to help the others who are still there, whoever that may be. Jack is still adamant they are not going back. What happens to make this Jack turn into the obsessed Jack (obsessed with getting back to the island) from the season finale is a HUGE mystery and I cannot WAIT to find out. Every Friday I look at LOST blogs to see what people are saying about the episode from the night before, and today they were all abuzz with some GREAT theories. If anyone has any ideas to share, please comment. What is probably so exciting about this show is it is full of mystery, and forces our brain the bend in ways that is rarely done with television. Although, my brain does bend to figure out why anyone would eat bull testiles just to go on a date with someone, but it's not quite the same.

Moving on, last weekend my friend Noa celebrated her Birthday with karaoke/bowling. Whoever decided to combine these two highly entertaining pastimes is a genius. We bowled for 2 games each team. The funniest moment for me was realizing the Phil has this cute gay swish when he bowls, which is a crack up because in other aspects of life Phil is one of the "least gay acting" of our gay friends. It's nice to know there's still a little flame in there somewhere.

After bowling, it was time to take karaoke by storm! Pretty much everyone went up to do a song, except Shannon and Denise (chickens!). Vince and Carmen were karaoke virgins, but they each surprised us with their performances. Vince did a rambunctious rendition of "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics, complete with ass slapping and scarf flailing. Carmen belted out "Love is a Battlefield" by Heart, which had all of us hopping and dancing around like the bunch of Lesbians that we are. The next day I was still signing "Love is a Battlefield" in my head, and Denise was suffering from the ailment known as "bowling arm."

Saturday we were in Santa Monica and had a great celeb sighting. Ellen Paige from "Juno" was at Wholefoods. She is SO cute and little. She is truly a "pee pee." She looked like a little lesbian too, but you didn't hear that from me cause I ain't one to gossip.

This weekend I think Denise and I are going to try to visit the Gentle Barn. It is a great organization that rescues Domestic and Farm animals, as well as helping abused and at-risk youth. Denise and I were reading some of the animals stories last weekend, and we were both sitting there with tears streaming down our faces. Here is the link to their website http://www.gentlebarn.org/ I'm ready to pet some animals and give them some money.

Have a GREAT weekend ya'll!!

VOTE!!

If you live in a state that is holding a Primary Election today, GO VOTE!!!! We have to become more active in our political process for things to ever change. Not only will you feel good about yourself for partaking in a right so many fought to gain, but you get a cool sticker as shown above! :) Thanks!

One More LOST Item

After I published my below post, I saw this on Yahoo!!

http://tv.yahoo.com/slideshow/214/photos/1