4 Month Recap
I haven't really posted about what I've been doing since December. Time to play catch-up. So, here's a post that covers the last four months.
Last year was a year of travel, which took a lot of my time and spare cash. But, this year, my plans were more personal and closer to home. With the extra cash, I planned to do a few things for myself and put more money into investments.
So, the first thing I did in January (the 11th to be exact, so I don't forget the date) was to have LASIK surgery. The procedure went well and the recovery period was fairly short... about four hours of stinging immediately afterward and about two weeks of very dry eyes. The most difficult part was sleeping with shields taped over my eyes and not rubbing them at all for two months. But, the result is amazing. I now have better than 20/20 vision in both eyes. It is truly an incredible thing how far we've come. For the first couple months, I was having some difficulty watching theater productions or movies in which I was sitting in a dark area watching something well lit. By the end of the production, my eyes would be a bit blurry and tired, and I was really afraid that would persist. But, it has since gone away, so I'm very happy.
Since the beginning of the year, work has been taking up a lot more of my time. I used to go into the office about 9:00 and leave around 4:00. Lately, I've been putting in many more hours working, both in the office and at home. I am heading up a project that is viewed as the biggest product for my company this year. And, with the company having just filed an S1 with the SEC, it probably holds even more importance. While the added pressure is a bit nerve-racking, it also means much higher visibility for me throughout the company. Career-wise, this could be a huge step for me. [fingers crossed]
The absence of my colleague, Catherine, has also been felt by me at work. We have been very close since I started working at my company. But, she left for another position late last year. Though we still keep in contact and have regular dinners together, I miss seeing my work buddy everyday.
At the end of January, I took Buddy to see A.C.T. San Francisco's production of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, which many of you may remember as Madonna's Broadway debut. I didn't get to see Madonna's performance, but, from the reviews, she wasn't particularly well-received. I wish I could speak more highly of Jessi Campbell's portrayal of Karen in this version. But, Matthew Del Negro was pretty good (and hot) as Bobby and Andrew Polk was outstanding in the role of Charlie. Overall, it was well worth seeing.
In February, I went to two shows with Buddy. The first was the San Francisco Ballet production of Adolphe Adam's Giselle, choreographed by SF Ballet's own Artistic Director, Helgi Tomasson. Giselle is one of the quintessential classic ballets, with its tragic theme, flawed heroine, intrigue, and opportunity to get 20+ ballerinas on stage all dancing in unison. Often considered to be one of Tomasson's greatest choreographic achievements, it is both dramatic and technically challenging. Giselle is definitely a must-see for ballet patrons and Tomasson's version is one of the best.
My second performance in February was Carrie Fisher's one-woman, autobiographical stage show Wishful Drinking, at the Berkeley Rep. Carrie Fisher chain smoked (blaming this on the "writer", who has insisted that she must) and downed glasses of Coke Zero (her drink of choice since going off the bottle) throughout this satirically hilarious look at her life, past and present. Highlights of the show were a lesson in a topic to which she is intimately near, Hollywood inbreeding, and her donning of the iconic Princess Leia "bagel" wig while reminiscing about how that role has affected her life. It was truly a hilarious performance, worthy of the standing ovation she received.
For my birthday on March 6, Perry and Buddy took me to my favorite restaurant, [the no name restaurant known as] 2223. After dinner, I got to open my presents from Buddy... an awesome Dickies jacket I'd been eying, some of my favorite underwear (always a perfect gift for Dad), and a cool Gama-Go t-shirt. (He knows me so well.) :-)
On Valentine's Day, I took Buddy to see Margaret Cho at the Warfield. She was hilarious, as always. Also hilarious was her opening act, Kelly [Liam Sullivan] of Shoes and Let Me Borrow That Top fame. (See if you can catch the cameos in the second video. Hot!)
At the beginning of April, Buddy and I went to the International Salute to San Francisco Ballet, which featured performances from The National Ballet of Canada, New York City Ballet, and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. Matjash Mrozewski's A Delicate Battle, with its juxtaposition of stifling period-dressed women, men in modern business suits, and freely dancing performers in innocently white unitards, was a metaphoric look at relationships and modern society. It's themes of sexual morality were obvious, but the performance was well executed and enjoyable.
The second piece was George Balanchine's Duo Concertant, a pas de deux set to an Igor Stravinsky (with whom he worked often) score, that highlights an on-stage pianist and violinist as the dancers alternate between dancing and simply standing and listening to the music. Though Balanchine is often considered the foremost contemporary ballet choreographer and the dancers performed the piece well, the piece is, in my opinion, not a highlight in Balanchine's body of work and the performance was overshadowed by the flanking pieces of the evening.
The last piece to be performed was Jean-Christophe Maillot's masterpiece of androgenic dance, Altro Canto, set to baroque-esque vocal and instrumental scores by Claudio Monteverdi, Biagio Marini, and Giovanni Kapersberger. The combination of the chosen music with a black stage seemingly lit by moving candles suspended in mid-air set a ritualistic atmosphere that only served to heighten the sensuality and often animalism of the dancers' movements... 19 of them, males and females dressed in various costumes that transcend their genders (designed by none other than Karl Lagerfeld). Men danced with women, women danced with women, and men danced with men, sending me the resounding message through movement that we are all part of one greater whole. There is a part of the piece in which a male and female couple perform a "touchless" pas de deux, an intimate dance between a man and a woman in which they never actually touch. Watching this dance was so moving. I wanted them to touch so badly. I felt like needed them to touch. And, at the end, when they finally do, it was like that moment when you hold someone for the first time again after you've been apart for so long it hurts. In that moment, the dancers seemed like two people who have lived and loved their entire lives together who finally, in their waning years, come to truly understand each other. This was by far the most amazing dance performance (not just ballet) I have ever seen. I feel so grateful to have gotten this opportunity. But, I also almost feel sad that I can't imagine seeing anything better for the rest of my life. It was truly a performance I will never forget. And, judging from the uproarious applause the performance received, I'm not the only one.
On April 18, some colleagues from work and I went to one of the last races that will be held at Bay Meadows Racecourse before it closes for good on May 11. Plans are moving forward to demolish the track that has stood in its site since 1934 to make room for office developments. I'm glad I got a chance to visit this historic landmark before it closes. And, I was also pleased to have left the track a winner for the evening, even if it was only 30 cents net.
April 24 was STOP AIDS Project's annual Dining Out for Life event. Buddy and I showed our support with dinner at my favorite restaurant, [the no name restaurant known as] 2223.
This past week, I've been very busy. On Tuesday, Buddy and I went to see Program B of the San Francisco Ballet's New Works Festival. Unfortunately, coming off the incredible performance of Altro Canto, this evening of dance seemed pale in comparison. However, there were some good performances and it's always nice to see such progressively modern ballet.
Wednesday evening, I went to a workshop at the SF Citadel given by my favorite writer of erotic fiction, Laura Antoniou, whose Marketplace series of novels has been a regular source of entertainment (and fantasy) for me. The workshop, entitled "The Way of It: Establishing and Maintaining Protocol Within Relationships", served to reaffirm and remind me why I was attracted to the D/s lifestyle in the first place. I mainly went in order to get a chance to meet Ms. Antoniou, and was glad to have also picked up some new tips along the way.
On Thursday, I invited little Josh to dinner at Soluna and a performance of Celtic Woman. Of course, we chatted about the new man in his life, Christopher, over a delicious dinner of Australian Grass-Fed Filet Mignon and Grilled New Zealand Lamb T-Bone Chops (how fitting). It is so obvious that this boy is in L-O-V-E, and I am so happy for him (and Christopher). Though the show teetered on the edge of saccharinity, there is no denying the beauty of these women's voices in harmony or the entertainment value of the sprightly fiddler, Máiréad Nesbitt, as she flits barefoot about the stage, bowing and fingering her instrument. (Was that naughty sounding?) Still, I had a great time getting to hang out with Josh a little, since so much of his time has been otherwise occupied of late. :-P
So, with that comes to close another four months. I am truly grateful for all of the special people and things in my life. I look forward to what the rest of the year has in store.
*EDIT*
I can't believe I forgot two great gifts I got from Buddy. The first was the Cake concert on New Year's Eve. Second was the special IBR Kathy Griffin concert in February. Both were fantastic and I couldn't have asked for better company. Thanks, son.
Last year was a year of travel, which took a lot of my time and spare cash. But, this year, my plans were more personal and closer to home. With the extra cash, I planned to do a few things for myself and put more money into investments.
So, the first thing I did in January (the 11th to be exact, so I don't forget the date) was to have LASIK surgery. The procedure went well and the recovery period was fairly short... about four hours of stinging immediately afterward and about two weeks of very dry eyes. The most difficult part was sleeping with shields taped over my eyes and not rubbing them at all for two months. But, the result is amazing. I now have better than 20/20 vision in both eyes. It is truly an incredible thing how far we've come. For the first couple months, I was having some difficulty watching theater productions or movies in which I was sitting in a dark area watching something well lit. By the end of the production, my eyes would be a bit blurry and tired, and I was really afraid that would persist. But, it has since gone away, so I'm very happy.
Since the beginning of the year, work has been taking up a lot more of my time. I used to go into the office about 9:00 and leave around 4:00. Lately, I've been putting in many more hours working, both in the office and at home. I am heading up a project that is viewed as the biggest product for my company this year. And, with the company having just filed an S1 with the SEC, it probably holds even more importance. While the added pressure is a bit nerve-racking, it also means much higher visibility for me throughout the company. Career-wise, this could be a huge step for me. [fingers crossed]
The absence of my colleague, Catherine, has also been felt by me at work. We have been very close since I started working at my company. But, she left for another position late last year. Though we still keep in contact and have regular dinners together, I miss seeing my work buddy everyday.
At the end of January, I took Buddy to see A.C.T. San Francisco's production of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, which many of you may remember as Madonna's Broadway debut. I didn't get to see Madonna's performance, but, from the reviews, she wasn't particularly well-received. I wish I could speak more highly of Jessi Campbell's portrayal of Karen in this version. But, Matthew Del Negro was pretty good (and hot) as Bobby and Andrew Polk was outstanding in the role of Charlie. Overall, it was well worth seeing.
In February, I went to two shows with Buddy. The first was the San Francisco Ballet production of Adolphe Adam's Giselle, choreographed by SF Ballet's own Artistic Director, Helgi Tomasson. Giselle is one of the quintessential classic ballets, with its tragic theme, flawed heroine, intrigue, and opportunity to get 20+ ballerinas on stage all dancing in unison. Often considered to be one of Tomasson's greatest choreographic achievements, it is both dramatic and technically challenging. Giselle is definitely a must-see for ballet patrons and Tomasson's version is one of the best.
My second performance in February was Carrie Fisher's one-woman, autobiographical stage show Wishful Drinking, at the Berkeley Rep. Carrie Fisher chain smoked (blaming this on the "writer", who has insisted that she must) and downed glasses of Coke Zero (her drink of choice since going off the bottle) throughout this satirically hilarious look at her life, past and present. Highlights of the show were a lesson in a topic to which she is intimately near, Hollywood inbreeding, and her donning of the iconic Princess Leia "bagel" wig while reminiscing about how that role has affected her life. It was truly a hilarious performance, worthy of the standing ovation she received.
For my birthday on March 6, Perry and Buddy took me to my favorite restaurant, [the no name restaurant known as] 2223. After dinner, I got to open my presents from Buddy... an awesome Dickies jacket I'd been eying, some of my favorite underwear (always a perfect gift for Dad), and a cool Gama-Go t-shirt. (He knows me so well.) :-)
On Valentine's Day, I took Buddy to see Margaret Cho at the Warfield. She was hilarious, as always. Also hilarious was her opening act, Kelly [Liam Sullivan] of Shoes and Let Me Borrow That Top fame. (See if you can catch the cameos in the second video. Hot!)
At the beginning of April, Buddy and I went to the International Salute to San Francisco Ballet, which featured performances from The National Ballet of Canada, New York City Ballet, and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. Matjash Mrozewski's A Delicate Battle, with its juxtaposition of stifling period-dressed women, men in modern business suits, and freely dancing performers in innocently white unitards, was a metaphoric look at relationships and modern society. It's themes of sexual morality were obvious, but the performance was well executed and enjoyable.
The second piece was George Balanchine's Duo Concertant, a pas de deux set to an Igor Stravinsky (with whom he worked often) score, that highlights an on-stage pianist and violinist as the dancers alternate between dancing and simply standing and listening to the music. Though Balanchine is often considered the foremost contemporary ballet choreographer and the dancers performed the piece well, the piece is, in my opinion, not a highlight in Balanchine's body of work and the performance was overshadowed by the flanking pieces of the evening.
The last piece to be performed was Jean-Christophe Maillot's masterpiece of androgenic dance, Altro Canto, set to baroque-esque vocal and instrumental scores by Claudio Monteverdi, Biagio Marini, and Giovanni Kapersberger. The combination of the chosen music with a black stage seemingly lit by moving candles suspended in mid-air set a ritualistic atmosphere that only served to heighten the sensuality and often animalism of the dancers' movements... 19 of them, males and females dressed in various costumes that transcend their genders (designed by none other than Karl Lagerfeld). Men danced with women, women danced with women, and men danced with men, sending me the resounding message through movement that we are all part of one greater whole. There is a part of the piece in which a male and female couple perform a "touchless" pas de deux, an intimate dance between a man and a woman in which they never actually touch. Watching this dance was so moving. I wanted them to touch so badly. I felt like needed them to touch. And, at the end, when they finally do, it was like that moment when you hold someone for the first time again after you've been apart for so long it hurts. In that moment, the dancers seemed like two people who have lived and loved their entire lives together who finally, in their waning years, come to truly understand each other. This was by far the most amazing dance performance (not just ballet) I have ever seen. I feel so grateful to have gotten this opportunity. But, I also almost feel sad that I can't imagine seeing anything better for the rest of my life. It was truly a performance I will never forget. And, judging from the uproarious applause the performance received, I'm not the only one.
On April 18, some colleagues from work and I went to one of the last races that will be held at Bay Meadows Racecourse before it closes for good on May 11. Plans are moving forward to demolish the track that has stood in its site since 1934 to make room for office developments. I'm glad I got a chance to visit this historic landmark before it closes. And, I was also pleased to have left the track a winner for the evening, even if it was only 30 cents net.
April 24 was STOP AIDS Project's annual Dining Out for Life event. Buddy and I showed our support with dinner at my favorite restaurant, [the no name restaurant known as] 2223.
This past week, I've been very busy. On Tuesday, Buddy and I went to see Program B of the San Francisco Ballet's New Works Festival. Unfortunately, coming off the incredible performance of Altro Canto, this evening of dance seemed pale in comparison. However, there were some good performances and it's always nice to see such progressively modern ballet.
Wednesday evening, I went to a workshop at the SF Citadel given by my favorite writer of erotic fiction, Laura Antoniou, whose Marketplace series of novels has been a regular source of entertainment (and fantasy) for me. The workshop, entitled "The Way of It: Establishing and Maintaining Protocol Within Relationships", served to reaffirm and remind me why I was attracted to the D/s lifestyle in the first place. I mainly went in order to get a chance to meet Ms. Antoniou, and was glad to have also picked up some new tips along the way.
On Thursday, I invited little Josh to dinner at Soluna and a performance of Celtic Woman. Of course, we chatted about the new man in his life, Christopher, over a delicious dinner of Australian Grass-Fed Filet Mignon and Grilled New Zealand Lamb T-Bone Chops (how fitting). It is so obvious that this boy is in L-O-V-E, and I am so happy for him (and Christopher). Though the show teetered on the edge of saccharinity, there is no denying the beauty of these women's voices in harmony or the entertainment value of the sprightly fiddler, Máiréad Nesbitt, as she flits barefoot about the stage, bowing and fingering her instrument. (Was that naughty sounding?) Still, I had a great time getting to hang out with Josh a little, since so much of his time has been otherwise occupied of late. :-P
So, with that comes to close another four months. I am truly grateful for all of the special people and things in my life. I look forward to what the rest of the year has in store.
*EDIT*
I can't believe I forgot two great gifts I got from Buddy. The first was the Cake concert on New Year's Eve. Second was the special IBR Kathy Griffin concert in February. Both were fantastic and I couldn't have asked for better company. Thanks, son.