Walt Disney World, August 7-14, 2010

This is a little late in getting posted, but better late than never, right? I spent a week at Walt Disney World with my friends Lara and Jonathan and their daughter, Olivia. We had a great time! Here are a few of the pics that I took with my phone while we were there.

Lara and Olivia outside World of Disney.

Rain!! So much rain!

A successful Princess breakfast!

Fireworks at the Castle on our first night.

Getting ready for Epcot!

Spaceship: Earth at Epcot.

Captain EO is back!

More rain! This time at the Haunted Mansion.

Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom.

Lara and I got to see Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba!

Hollywood Studios.

We got to ride the Star Tours ride one more time before they refurbish it.

Jonathan and Boba Fett!

A day at the circus

My wonderful friend Tanya invited me to hang out with her and the clowns after the show. How could I refuse?



We stumbled on an art show right across the street from the arena.

Photo du jour

OK, today you get a twofer from my latest trip to Chicago. I'm trying out a new app on my iPhone, so you may be seeing several of these types of photos coming across here soon.

Magdalene Sculpure by Dessa Kirk

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago: my continuing love affair with a city 1/8-1/10/2010

So, an almost picture-free trip this time around, but I spent last weekend in Chicago visiting Chad. There was some concern as to whether I was even going to be able to make it out of Michigan due to the snowstorm we had the night before (7 inches or more when all was said and done), but by Friday afternoon the sun was shining and the roads were clear, so I ventured off. The main reason for the trip was to try to get tickets one more time to see The Addams Family before it left it's pre-Broadway run, and well...

So, we lucked out and got the last 2 tickets that were together for the Saturday performances. We were hoping to be on the other side of the stage than we were last time, as these were limited view tickets, but alas we were on the same side as before, but it was fine as the show is spectacularly good, we didn't really care. We were just glad to have been able to see it one more time before it left Chicago.


Now, to back up just a little, Friday night Chad and I went out to Big Chicks after he got home from work and met his friends Christopher and Ryan there and had a few (too many) drinks, danced the night away and a good time was had by all!

Fast forward again to Saturday and after the show, Chad and I had dinner at Qdoba, stopped at the Apple Store and then wandered back to his place and watched The Hangover, which ended up being significantly better than I anticipated it being (I'll post thoughts on that eventually). We tried to watch Tron (Chad has never seen it) but I only made it about ten minutes in before I fell asleep, and Chad only made it about halfway through. We had had a late night/early morning afterall, so sleep was a priority!

Sunday morning, Chicago Mandy met us at Tweet for breakfast and then drove us around on a couple of errands as it was SO FREAKING COLD and she didn't want us walking around in that kind of weather. I have the most wonderful friends!

A more or less whirlwind trip this time around, but still a much needed break from the real world and a much needed Chicago and Chad fix. Next trip: February 19-21, 2010 for the MoSaI OMNImax Film Festival.

Chicago: my continuing love affair with a city 11/18-11/22/09 (and a little extra)

OK, so I had so much going on these last couple of months that I really fell behind on updating here, but better late then never, right?

In October, S had her annual Pumpkin Carving Party, which is always quite a bit of fun and a good way to start getting in the mood for Halloween. She usually hosts it the Sunday before Halloween, so we can all take our pumpkins home to have them for the big night!

Mine is the one with the witch hat.

Feeling a little wicked for Halloween.

My mom and I went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Nov 2. I don’t know if anybody is familiar with them, but it has to be the strangest combination of music I think I can come up with: hard rock, headbanger Christmas and classical music. But it works. The guys all wear tuxedos and they are playing electric guitars and have long hair and thrash around on stage playing reworked versions of Christmas carols and then classical pieces. It’s so bizarre, but so much fun at the same time.



My mom went to Florida to visit family for a couple of weeks after that, so I stayed at her place to watch the dogs while she was gone. That first Thursday night, I met David Wroblewski (who wrote The Story of Edgar Sawtelle which I own, but have not read yet), at Nicola's Books. That was fun. I love getting to meet authors. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera that night, so didn’t get a picture with him. The last Tuesday night that I was staying there, I again went to Ann Arbor, this time to meet James Dashner and get his book, The Maze Runner, signed. Again, no camera so no picture. **Note to self: ALWAYS CARRY YOUR CAMERA!



My friend K came into town on Friday 13 as she had a conference the next day in Lansing (she lives in Lapeer, which is just about an hour away), so she was going to stay at our place that night since I wasn’t home at the time. She, B, S, and I went to see the new animated version of A Christmas Carol. I read the book every year around the holidays, so I can say that I was pleasantly surprised by how close they stayed with the original book. They changed just a few aspects of the story to make it move a little quicker, and to show off the fancy-pants 3D technology that they used to make the movie, but these new bits really didn’t detract too much from the story.

C and I and some friends at Banana Shpeel.

C called and surprised me with tickets for us to go see the dress rehearsal of the new Cirque du Soleil show in Chicago, Banana Shpeel. I had already been planning on going down to Chicago to see the parade that lights the Magnificent Mile for the holidays anyway, so I just went down a few days earlier to see the show. I honestly have to admit that I was really shocked by how bad the show is. I honestly didn’t know it was possible for Cirque to make a bad show. I’ve seen almost all of their shows, either on TV or live, and I’ve been amazed by all of them. Well, I can say that I was amazed by this show, but NOT in a good way! It was their take on vaudeville, and they have never done a show like this before, and you can tell that it just didn’t come together for them. People actually left during intermission, and C and I both were glad that we didn’t have to pay for the tickets; all he had to do was be one of the first 100 people at the theater the week before with a banana and he got 2 tickets to the dress rehearsal. I’m glad that I got to see it, so I can say that I saw it, but I am still surprised by how bad some of it is. Oh well, they can’t win them all the time!


Thursday night C and I were able to able to get tickets to see the new Broadway production of The Addams Family, starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth! This completely made up for Banana Shpeel. We laughed from the time the curtain went up to the time the curtain went down. It’s a pre-Broadway preview of the show, so there is a chance that they may still change some of the show by the time it makes it to NYC, but I can’t imagine what they’d want to change. It was all so well done!


Friday, the Disney Store was unveiling a new window display for their upcoming animated film, The Princess and the Frog. They were really making a big deal about this window, and there was talk that Oprah was going to be coming down to take part in the unveiling (she never showed). Jim Fielding, the president of the Disney Store, was there however, and after all was said and done, and after al all the hoopla that they were making over this window, the crowd that had formed was expecting something really amazing. When they finally pulled the curtain and showed us what the big deal was about, it can all be summed up in the words from the woman right behind me, “Really? That’s it?” It’s pretty and all, but the way that they were going on, it just seemed like it was going to be something SPECTACULAR, and all it ended up being was a cutout of Tiana, the new princess, and an example of all the product for sale in the store. I’m sure Oprah is really glad that she didn’t come down for that!

After C got out of work (he works at that Disney Store), our friend K came into town and we ran back to his place so he could change and then we went to one of the bars in Boystown to catch a drag show, Snow White and the Drag Queen Who Stole X-Mas, which was hysterical!


C had to work Saturday afternoon, so K and I wandered around the city, and when she found out I had never been to Navy Pier before, we decided to head down that way and wandered around there for awhile. C got out of work early, so we ran back to his place so he could change, and then turned right around and went back down to the Mile to see the parade that Disney puts on to light the Mile for the holidays. C’s friend came along with some of his friends, so we had a nice little group down there to watch the parade. They had some of the Disney characters there on floats, and a couple of big balloons (like the Macy’s parade), some of the celebrities who are in the area for shows and whatnot, some marching bands from local schools and Santa, of course, so overall it was a good time. C has been trying to get me down there for the last couple of years to see it, so it was nice to finally be there.

C hadn’t seen A Christmas Carol yet, so we walked back down to Navy Pier and watched that at the IMAX theater after the parade.

Sunday morning, C, K and I went out to have breakfast at our favorite restaurant, Tweet, which is conveniently located just around the corner from C’s apartment. After breakfast, it was time for me and K to start packing to head home. It was a non-stop whirlwind of a trip to Chicago this time, but worth every minute of it!

Chicago: my continuing love affair with a city 8/15-8/16/09

I took a very quick trip to Chicago August 15 and 16. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra was performing Beethoven's 9th at Millennium Park, and it was the final outdoor performance of the season and I wanted to see it. I took the afternoon train into Chicago, and instead of taking the time to drop my one bag off at C's, I decided to spend the afternoon at Millennium Park until he was done with the Air and Water Show. I had started reading Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain on the train, and wanted to finish it, so found a nice shady bench right in front of the bean. While I was sitting there, 2 female police officers came and joined me on the bench, one on each side of me, to catch a slight respite from the sun. I couldn't pass up the opportunity, and told them both that I was feeling very protected at that particular moment, to which one replied, "It's our job, to protect and serve." I told them they were doing an admirable job and thanked them very much.

I out aside my book for awhile to people watch, and observed the gays being restless as they were staging a "kiss in" so that everyone could see that we can be normal in public. Of course, carrying around Pride flags and making sure that everyone in shouting distance is watching them kiss isn't exactly normal behavior on a day to day basis, but us gays do like to be flamboyant! After they left, I got to watch a group of ladies doing a choreographed dance with brooms to someone playing the saxophone, and as soon as they finished their one dance, they left. These are the moments that make me love Chicago even more.

The Air and Water Show was also going on, so we got to see some of the jets flying over the city. You could always hear the jets before you could see them, and since no one ever knew which direction they were coming from, everyone would just stop and look up in whatever direction they were walking. I wished that I had gotten a picture of the people, looking up in every which direction, hoping to catch a fleeting glimpse of the jets as they soared passed.

I wandered up Michigan to the Magdalene sculpture, which never ceases to take my breath away. I took a few pictures of her in her summer finery and turned back around as it was coming up on time to meet C and his friend J at Bella Bacino's for dinner. We had a delightful meal (as always) and C recommended that we make our way to Millennium Park so that we could make sure that we could secure a viewing area. I'm glad we followed his lead, as the lawn area was already beginning to fill up, and there was still almost 2 hours until the concert starting.

The concert was sublime. Even though we couldn't see the orchestra, to be able to lay there on the grass, watching the sky darken as night covered us, the stars just beginning to twinkle, the city as a glowing, magical backdrop... I couldn't ask for a better evening. These are the nights that make me want to live there that much more.

Scenes from the CTA

On the bus ride home with K and C from the Museum of Science and Industry for the Harry Potter Exhibition, there was a family with kids who were clearly having a good day, kicking their legs, talking, laughing, joking; being kids on vacation. At one point in their frivolity, apparently one kid expressed their excitement a bit too much, as the entire bus hears, from the mother, "So help me, God, if you kick me one more time I'm going to ground you with hot sauce in your mouth!"

Ah, the joys of parenting!!

Scenes from the CTA and NICTD South Shoreline

On my last trip to Chicago, I had the unique pleasure of witnessing several types of crazy on the public transit to, from and in the city.

On my way down, apparently the shock of Michael Jackson's death had not completely worn off on one fellow traveler, as we all had the shared opportunity to listen to the greatest hits of the King of Pop all the way from Michigan City to Millennium Station. Normally, this would not be allowed by the conductors of the train, but maybe they were commiserating in the despair, as they said nothing to the person in question. Lord help me for forgetting my earphones that day!

On the return to Chad's place the evening I was there, apparently some rider invaded the space of his fellow traveler, who proceeded to drop f-bombs as loud as she could so that the entire train could hear that he was invading her space. Instead of simply moving to another empty seat (of which there were many), we were subjected to her colorful use of profanity (far be it from me to judge, as I can drop f-bombs left and right just as well as the next person, but sometimes there is a time and place for it, and screaming it so the entire train car could hear was not one of those occasions). As we were exiting the train, both the screamer and the screamee were exiting with us (of course, this would be their stop too!) and he tried to exit using the door far away from her, and she chased hm down, telling him if he was going to follow her, she was going to call the police. I wanted to point out to her that she was the one doing the following now by chasing him down as he was trying to get away from her, but I felt that that would not be to the best of my health, so I refrained.

On my ride home from Chicago, some poor fellow traveler received a phone call right after we left the city, with what must have been some very upsetting news, as she cried the ENTIRE WAY BACK TO MICHIGAN CITY. The. entire. way. And no matter the amount of consoling her boyfriend tried on her would help the poor girl. I don't like to be mean, because if I were to ever receive bad enough news on the train, lord knows I'd probably be a wallowing mess too, but at that point, I just wanted the poor dear to suck it up and take it like a man!

Ah, the joys of public transit. At least it always allows for some free entertainment!

Chicago: my continuing love affair with a city 6/29-6/30/09

I played hooky from work this past Monday and Tuesday to spend the day with my Chicago husband C and go to the Broadway in Chicago free Taste of Chicago concert. We got to see performances from Mary Poppins (fantastic), 101 Dalmatians (terrible), In the Heights and Girls vs Boys (both forgettable), Young Frankenstein (lots of fun) and Jersey Boys (predictably fun). Our friend Liz got us VIP tickets, we got to have a cheesecake tasting beforehand (it was the Taste of Chicago, after all), and made friends with a cute little gay couple who sat in front of us. Overall, for a free concert, it was a delightful time. Afterward, we wandered down the Mile so that I could pick up a new power cord for my laptop (thanks Sophie!) and then had dinner at Friday's.

The next morning, we wandered down south and had breakfast at Yolk (Tweet is closed on Tuesdays, and this was a fine substitute) and then wandered over to the Shedd so that I could see the newly Re-Imagined Oceanarium. We had a fine time there, and I can't wait to see the finished product when they get the new multi-species Oceanarium show going. We decided to go to the Art Institute of Chicago next so that we could see the new modern art wing (well, I think C wanted to go home, but I asked and he agreed - it's good to have a friend who is a member of all the museums in town). The new wing is gorgeous! If you haven't had a chance to make it there to see it yet, I highly recommend it. Even if you are not a fan of modern art, I would recommend visiting the new wing just to marvel at it's own beauty (even me, a huge supporter of the arts, can sometimes find modern art challenging - I mean, 5 pieces of plywood, nailed into a box, painted white and topped in beige carpet and labeled Bench does not a piece of artwork make). We wandered back to C's place and then back downtown so that I could catch the train. A quick dinner at Qdoba ended this adventure and I was on my way back home.

A quick trip this time, but still, as always, I love the city that much more. Here are some pics from the trip.


Photographic proof that C can have his picture taken without making a goofy face.


The view of Millennium Park from the new connecting bridge to the Modern Wing of the Art Institute.


Pictures from the Shedd.






A random shot from Michigan Ave right by the Hard Rock Hotel.



You'll have to excuse the quality of some of these pictures. Until my contract with AT&T is up in December and I qualify for the lesser price on the new iPhone 3GS, I have to suffer with the craptacular quality of these pictures from my phone.