Life Lessons on MUNI #2 - Pay Attention to Details

One of the nice things about commuting is the fact that I get to leave the driving to someone else. This, however, is not the time for me to turn off my brain. I've been diligently calculating the fastest commute time to get to Oakland. Do I get off the bus at Montgomery or take it all the way to the Embarcadero? Montgomery in the morning and Embarcadero in the evening. Walking to the Montgomery St. BART station I've now learned that Pleasanton starts with a "P" and is not the "P" of Pittsburgh/Bay Point that I need to take.

I was trying to get to the office a little early and was in the happy place. I walked to the corner and the bus pulled up and I had a seat. Then I walked to the BART station and again, my train arrived! I was enjoying NPR and then noticed that instead of being at the 12th Street Oakland station, I was at Lake Merrit. Oops. Wrong direction. No problem. I go through the mental check in my mind to pay attention! I get to my building and when the elevator door opened ... I walk off and go to my office door, buzz in and then realize that I've exited on the wrong floor! So much for my own advice to pay attention to details!

Did I listen to myself and learn? Of course not! After a week of vacation, I left my cell phone and ... my security badge. It's happened before and the lady at the front desk just laughed and issued me a temporary badge. Life Lesson #2.1 - Don't stress about the little things that go awry!

Halloween 2006 - It's a boy year!

What are you wearing for Halloween this year? It's a boy year, and we'll be celebrating on our Mexican Riviera cruise. The theme? Princes and Paupers: A Renaissance Ball.

Click here to see my costume... you'll have to earn it!

Heigh Ho ... It's off to Work I go!

Pictures: Click to View

Heigh-ho,
Heigh-ho,
It's off to work I go

Okay, okay ... so it's true that I lean toward the dramatic. However, the new mine, also known as a Senior Instructional Designer position at Kaiser Permanente's National Compliance Office is a good place to work.

My day starts with a an extra 30 minutes of sleep, followed by a bus ride to the Embarcadero. After sharing quality time with strangers, I descend into the underworld to take BART across the bay, actually go under the bay. I crank the iPod and hope my ears don't pop before I turn down the volume at the West Oakland station. I say hey to the singing homeless guy at the top of the escalater and then observe the 24 Hour Fitness fishbowl, where people are working out at 7:30 in the morning. Odd. After the guilt trip ... I get in an elevator and head up to the 26 floor where I share an office with a bay view. Time passes and it is time to start singing Heigh-ho!

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
It's home from work I go

Goodbye Tom

In India and other parts of the world the celebration of Diwali, also called Deepavali, has just ended. Diwali is a major Hindu festival that symbolises the victory of good over evil. Lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. The festival of Diwali is about harvesting and celebrations focus on lights and lamps, particularly traditional diyas. And while Deepavali is popularly known as the "festival of lights", the most significant esoteric meaning is "the awareness of the inner light."

Central to Hindu philosophy, is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the atman. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Deepavali is the celebration of this Inner Light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness (removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance), awakening the individual to ones true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With the realization of the Atman, comes universal compassion, love, and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Ananda (Inner Joy or Peace).

There was a man who helped me become aware of my inner light. And this past weekend, I was informed that this particular light from my past had been extinguised. Tom was extreme and passionate. An addictive personality, he struggled with his addiction. When I knew him, he had turned from drugs and alcohol and had been 10 years clean and sober. He attended AA meetings religiously, was open and wanted to know every detail of my life, my thoughts and my dreams. We connected immediately after what I was to learn was standard cruising protocol. Me? I was innocent, I actually thought I knew him and after the second time I turned around, I knew that he would introduce himself. He did, in front of the Faerie Queen chocolate store on Castro Street in San Francisco. It seemed fated ... like we were supposed to meet. And for one summer, before student teaching and substituting, we had a fabulous time.

I thought I saw him five months ago. I was on a bus heading home and saw construction being done on an old laundry mat on Divisadero. The location was across the street from a butcher shop that Tom claimed had the freshest meat in town. The bus was stopped and there was a man I would have sworn was him, talking to one of the construction workers. I had my iPaq and looked up his number, found it and called. Turns out it wasn't him, he was still in Marin county bidding on a contract. We talked for a few minutes and he asked if he could call me back later. He didn't and that was the last I heard from Tom.

Tom was a burst of light and had a contagious laugh. He was shocking and inappropriate at times, which caused my consternation, but he was also my first real love and a friend. He was the person who supported me coming out to my family, the person that helped me escape South Korea, the person who helped me tap my emotional being and the person I fought with extensively. The funny thing about my memories of Tom is not that they are clouded toward the negative, but that they are fairly balanced in their extremes.

I went through pictures last night and realized how much time has passed. It is no longer 1993. I can see Tom holding my aunt Shirley's hand at Glide memorial church, encouraging her to sing "Wade in the Water Children" while dancing. This is just as memoriable as yelling at each other on the streets of Canon Beach or skinny dipping under a waterfall off the road to Hanna. And of course, I'll never forget working construction for him and having a wall of plaster come loose and hit me on the head. His reaction? "You cannot bleed on the job!" The pictures with friends, Tami, Warren, Kris, Kimberly and Shelby are things of the past. I had to step away from the flame of Tom before I ignited and burned. The intensity was too much. And now? Now I hope he can hear me say simply, Thank you. I hope you have peace, joy, and love surrounding you and that you find the atman.

I Just Came To Say Goodbye, Love Goodbye, Love Came To Say Goodbye, Love,
Goodbye.

- Mimi, from the musical Rent

Life Lessons on MUNI #1 - Tolerance

I am a commuter and I'm doing my part to preserve our dear planet for generations to come. To my sister, I say, "You're welcome!" since she and her husband have done a fine job of adding to the populace. I kind of like my nieces and nephews, so it is only right that I do my part.

Public transportation is an interesting thing. For the price of fare (dependent on age), anyone can enter a coach, trolley, tram, or cable car and be moved from one point to another. For me, I walk down the street to the corner of California St. and Fillmore to catch the 1 California express bus to downtown. Once there I jump off of the bus and walk to the stairs leading down to the BART. Then, depending on whether the Richmond or the Pittsburgh/Bay Point train arrives, I go under the San Francisco bay. I have to turn the volume of my iPod up in order to hear the NPR Shuffle podcast I download everyday.

My first couple of days, I left my house at 7:30 am and that seems to be the time when more people arrive at the corner. It's not a bad thing, but at 7:2o, I can get a seat, which makes the lurches and jolts of crossing the city more tolerable. I am amazed at the different people who use the bus. People in thousand dollar suits brush against the homeless Santa guy who smells like he washes in his own urine. And yet, with a few exception, people tolerate each other and refrain from saying anything to disrupt the morning routine. I haven't figured it out, since I've been on MUNI busses at different times and it is not always so courteous. People are polite and accepting ... we have a common goal of getting downtown to our jobs, whatever they may be.

I have a friend who is still a teacher. She rails on our society of MP3 players. Life to one's personal soundtrack is like living in a cocoon. Isolated. Solitary. I'm not sure I agree. With the barrage of people pushing and brushing against me, the sounds of NPR or a song add a surreal touch to this gathering of unlikely souls in a single moment of time. Plus, it's like watching a film where, as an audience member, you can participate vicariously. I've learned more about women who have done wrong by their men in one week, than I care to mention. Should she call back? Why didn't she see that the rocker wasn't stable? Or that the guy was just too old ... I mean, like he was almost 45! And while I may sound judgemental, I think I'm tolerant and according to Wikipedia "Tolerance implies both the ability to punish and the conscious decision not to, but makes no statement to higher principle." Hmm, I don't feel compelled to chastise the women for having conversations of the personal nature in public ... I just turn up the volume a little bit and the conversation about baldy and his erectile dysfunction go away, almost. And that, my friends is my first life lesson from MUNI.

Tourist Update (October) - The Barbary Coast Trail

Pictures: Click to view

The Barbary Coast Trail is a scenic 4 mile walk and, if you follow the guide book, a cable car ride through some of the most interesting and suprisingly flat areas of San Francisco. A series of medallions with directional arrows designate the route of the trail and with the exception of the park in North Beach are in exceptional condition. We started at the beginning of the trail at the original mint and made our way through Union Square, China Town, Jackson Square, North Beach ending the walk through Fisherman's wharf and Ghiradelli Square.

I really enjoyed being out in the sunshine but it is always enlightening to see the city through the eyes of a tourist. With our book in hand the locals asked us if we needed assistance, the panhandlers asked us for cash and we got to feel and smell the lively city we call home. I especially enjoyed having the book fill in some of the seamier details of SF. Maiden Lane used to bump up against the churches lined around Union Square and was known for its bordellos instead of it fashionable shops. We also found the fortune cookie factory and watched as two older women operated these huge machines, folding and inserting fortunes. We bought a bag of cookies for a dollar. Jackson Square was far more interesting than North Beach proper. The older buildings, remnants from the past seemed to have character though they did not have the cute Italian waiters asking if we wanted an early dinner ... trade offs!

The highlight of the discovery of the Jack Early Park. The JEP is more of a stair case to an observation deck, that if a guide book hadn't told me its location would have seemed like a private alleyway. From the bird's nest view, you can see the Golden Gate bridge, Angel Island, Alcatraz and more unobstructed. Fantastic! Overall, it is a great way to spend an afternoon.

Family Days at Disneyland

Pictures: Click to View

It is an odd thing to wear a red shirt and realize that there are many others out there that are part of the same "family." Another reminder why it is important was getting home to find someone had sent a comment on my YouTube account stating, "You shouldn't be alive gayboy!" So perhaps it is a good thing to stand in solidarity once in a while ... safety in numbers, where because the gay presence is so obvious that two girls holding hands can do so without the scorn of parents, who with the typical safety of numbers (theirs) would not hold their tongues. It sort of reminds me of the day when we ran into the ladies who wear purple hats. One or two and it would seem odd, but 30 women moving in one giant pack of purple dresses and red hats together can really impact and impress!

With the free time between jobs (me, not Frank), Frank and I decided to take a quick trip to Southern California to see Mickey Mouse and catch Disneyland's 50th anniversary. We missed the celebration by one week but got to see the new Dreams campaign and it turned out to be Gay Day at the Disneyland Resort. This is not officially sponsored by the park, just a loose group of about 30,000 people arriving on the same day wearing red shirts.

Frank looked into staying at the one of the Disney Hotels and there was no availability and the prices, in my opinion, not reasonable! Using the unemployed card, I requested that we find a more affordable (not cheap) place to stay and guess what? Bargains can still be found near the park! We stayed at one of America's Best hotels for only $49.00 a night and as fate would have our hotel room became the resting place for my brown-dual toned shoes. Our hotel, a mere 15 minute walk from the entrance of the park was acceptable, not a place one wants to spend hours and hours hanging out in but suitable. My poor feet, after two 15 hour days at the park, were in desperate need of a foot massage ... I don't know how my parents survived three kids wanting to stay until the park closed and then drove home!



I haven't been to Disneyland in a few years having had the opportunity to drop in at Disney World in conjunction with a work function. And after spending more time at Disney World, the Disneyland park is very compact by comparison. With that said, there are plusses and minuses. The new Pirates is great and the Nightmare Before Christmas makeover of the Haunted House was incredible and having two days to Park Hop between Disney's California Adventure meant that we could have Mickey Mouse pancakes and margaritas all in the same day! Space Mountain is smoother than before and has more stars. Tom Sawyer's island is on the chopping block to become a pirate island and the jungle cruise has piranhas! Add to the day all of the red shirts, our friend Eric and of course the Halloween theme ... a good time was had by all, except perhaps the Fundies who thought they owned the park.

Disney Trivia

• In the 1950s all the orange trees except for one were cleared so that Disneyland Park and Hotel could be built. That one tree is still there today, in the gardens of the Disneyland Hotel.
• Disneyland had only 18 attractions when it opened on July 17, 1955
• The streetlights on Main Street are over 150 years old. DIsney bought them for $.02 a pound in Baltimore, MD.
• The names on the second story windows on Main Street are all names of men who helped build Disneyland.
• Walk Disney wanted live animals for his Jungle Cruise attraction. Adventureland zoologists convinced him that real animals could be sleeping during the park's operating hours.

A bit of History on Gay Day

Years ago, Disneyland used to have a private party one night of the year for gays and lesbians. When the event was canceled in 1998, we created Gay Day Anaheim. We based the happening on our big sister event in Orlando, which attracts over 100,000 gays and lesbians from around the world each June.Like the Orlando event, Gay Days Anaheim is a "mix in," meaning gay people and straight people mingle together; the park is open to the general public. Also like Orlando's Gay Day, we wear RED shirts to identify one another and show our numbers.The first Gay Days Anaheim in 1998 attracted about 2,500 people. In 2005, we had about 30,000! Pretty amazing. What was once a small one-day gathering has become a full weekend event with parties, gatherings, group photos, scavenger hunts, private meals, and much more! Remember, this event isn't sponsored by Disney (hence why it's "unofficial") so if you call Disneyland asking for information about Gay Day, they will tell you that this is not a Disney event.

- From the Gay Day Anaheim website

Breaking Up is Hard to Do ...

I've struggled a bit trying to understand my physical reaction to leaving Franklin (not Frank). I've stayed in bed longer than is normal. I'm not overly motivated. I'm a bit sullen and I tried to equate the experience to Post Partem depression that was not a good analogy for me. I've kept busy, met friends for lunch, even had time to plan a date night to Oakland's Paramount Theater to see Vienna Tang. I could blame it on the weather, since the sun has refused to come out from behind the clouds for the entire week. And then the words of my friend Wayne Studer rang in my head ... that is what the Internet is for! So I went online and it looks, according to So You've been Dumped.Com (SYBD), that I need to treat this transition like a breakup and get ready to move on! According to SYBD, breaking up is hard to do, but it's something we all seem to go through at one time or another (very wise!). Breaking up seems to affect us similarly whether we are young or old, famous or not, rich or poor and irrespective of where we are in the world. Of course, the web is slightly bent for those who are dealing with being dumped and not those who did the dumping ... we go through loss too!

Here are a 10 suggestions that will hopefully help me decrease my recovery time and maybe minimize the amount of mistakes made along the way.

1. Don't try to be their firend - make a "clean break"
2. Do erase their telephone number from your mobile phone
3. Do delete their old emails and their handle from your online "buddy" lists
4. Don't sit around staring at the mementos
5. Do use a journal or notebook to vent your pain, anger, frustration & so forth
6. Do spoil yourself
7. Change your surroundings
8. Don't rebound
9. Don't listen to the negative self-talk
10. Do take charge of your life - the world is your oyster

Hmm. Number 1 could be difficult since the job and the relationships were so intertwined! SYBD recommends that it is time to go cold turkey and she's probably right! Oddly, due to the internal systems, I do not have a large number of phone numbers programmed and would have to dial the operator to chat with former colleagues. Done. On to number 3, deleting emails and buddy lists is pretty simple ... but do I want to? This is difficult. Moving on to number 4. I've started the process of moving things into boxes and organizing items that will follow me to the new office. Number 5 is a good one for me and I've been monitoring my reactions with a journal ... and I've been spoiling myself by sleeping in longer, meeting friends for lunch and taking a little trip. Done. Change my surroundings is a easy since I will be going a new direction, taking public transportation and working in a new office. Good times! Now if only someone had told my not to rebound in my personal relationships! I think taking the two weeks between jobs is a good thing ... time to recover, decompress and regroup. Oddly, the negative self-talk has diminished now that I'm in transition. It feels odd to have to prove myself again in a new environment, but I will be fine and just have to focus on the positive. And finally, the advice of SYBD is to take charge of my life which I've done!

It's My Birthday and I'm heading to New York City

Pictures:

• Click to View Birthday Pictures.
  
• Click to View New York City Pictures.

Let me begin by saying that I think our President, George W. Bush is stalking me! First in Orlando we had to sit it in traffic because he was going to drive by on an overpass and now in New York City! There's nothing like sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours waiting to leave because of the extra security! Granted the United Nations was about to go into sessions but after our flight out to New YorK on a redeye ... I was not enjoying my quality time in the confines of an American airline.

By the way, redeye's suck! This is probably not a surprise to most people, but if you are budget concious, it is an option that I've unfortunately leveraged many times for my trips to the East coast. Now, I’m not sure when I crossed the point of no return, but I will either need to win the lottery so I can fly first class or I will need to rethink the whole, “let’s have an extra day in NYC!” mentality that comes from arriving at one’s destination in the morning. We had a two stage trip to NYC through Chicago and it wasn't a good thing. We left San Francisco about 11:30pm Wed and didn't really get a chance to sleep. Frank and I scared quite a few people as we made our way down the aisle. You could almost see the little prayer bubbles rising above their heads, “Please God, I’ll do anything, just don’t make me sit between the two of them!” Smaller, older planes and Frank’s knees were touching the seat in front of him even BEFORE the midget tried to fully recline.

This trip was quite timely. I had received a job offer and had submitted my resignation the day before we left to my supervisor, who also shares my birthday. We had discussed how the news was going to be communicated and I let a few of my colleagues know in person that I would be leaving prior to the public announcement that would go out during my absence. That way, I got out of the initial phone calls and such and let the idea settle in before returning for my actual birthday with my fellow Virgos.

The Triplets

On my first day at Franklin Templeton, Elaine, my supervisor introduced me to her twin a lovely Caucasian women, which wouldn’t have been so odd, had my supervisor not been a lovely Asian woman. Hmm. There must be a story there … and they read my confusion by clarifying that they shared the same birthday … September 19! To which I added, well I am your long lost triplet! Over the past five years we’ve always gone out to lunch and got together to bring in the birthday treat for the office. After I got back from NYC, we celebrated with cake and we went to dim sum, where against my better judgment tried chicken feet. Now Elaine claimed that the process was such that the chicken feet were very similar in taste and texture to Buffalo wings. Linda was going to try one after me … but apparently I was unable to hide my shock … and I’ll just say that it is one delicacy that I will leave for others to enjoy. It didn’t help that the leftovers were left in the back seat of my car! Oy vey. But, I’m ahead of myself since I haven’t even been to NYC at this point!

New York City

This was our first trip to NYC this year and both Frank and I were excited. Our friend Steve had offered us the use of his apartment while he was in Italy. Our plans were simple, enjoy a few shows, go out to eat, take the circle line around Manhattan, do whatever we wanted to as the spirit move us and finally we we planned our visit Malle and Grandma Uzman. This was not quite as sedate as our pool vacation to Las Vegas, but it didn't have that "MUST SEE EVERYTHING" some of our trips to NYC have had in the past. It was also really nice to have an apartment close to the subway and not have to deal with other people on vacation.

The Shows

Our first show was a live taping of the Daily Show with John Stewart. It was raining and Frank bartered for an umbrella and he bought a bright red poncho (see the hot picture!) and he was not too proud to wear it. Me? I used the umbrella or endured the rain. Jet lag and rain are not a good combination and after a short nap we arrived at 3:30 and were lucky to get a spot under the awning where we enjoyed the liberals discuss all sorts of liberal topics. Who knew Bush bashing could be so droll. I’m not a good waiter (as in a person who waits). We waited 2 ½ hours before they let us in. The wait was long enough to get really annoyed with the relationships on display. One couple got into a passive aggressive fight when the girl bummed a cigarette. Turns out they had met via J Date, an online dating service for Jews. The couple directly in front of us used the time to explore the recesses of each other's mouths and while I'm not against heterosexuals flaunting their preferences in front of me ... I draw the line at people talking baby talk while doing it in public. Goochie goochie goo.

Another oddity was the fact that there was a lactose tolerance campaign going on at the same time. Support Chocolate, strawberry and banana flavored milk! I got a button and am now gratefully aware of the pain that milk drinkers have had to endure! We were suprised by the demographics of the people in line. Like I said I was eavesdropping on other conversations for 2 1/2 hours and listening to my make-out babies before they let us in. We had to go through the metal detector and then listen to the cell phone nazi yell out people who pulled out their phones for another 45 minutes before Jon Stewart came out. It wasn't run as smoothly as some other tapings.... lots of waiting without any entertainment. Our guest star was Norm MacDonald, who makes Canadians seem a little creepy, though I have to admit his line about the crocodiles discussing the fact that the Croc Hunter was done in by some fairy fish was funny.

Our second show was the The Drowsy Chaperone and as shows go, I laughed, I cried, I nearly wet my pants, though this was probably due to the fact that there was not intermission! And it also helped that we sat a mere six seats away from a legendary celebrity. Ironically, Frank had just made the comment that we had been in NYC for over 24 hours and had not had a celebrity sighting. 30 seconds later, he turns to me and says, "Check out the hair coming down the aisle." Now, I can be a little slow at times and the realist in me pops out before the brain fully engages. Soooo ... I look up and see this woman walking down the aisle with a huge afro and my first thought is, I'm glad she's not sitting in front of me. Frank told me to look again and then I realized that under the hair was the Miss Diana Ross, who I met five years ago following her concert in San Francisco and a banker's conference. Needless to say, I was happy that she sat in our row and the titters were audible. "That woman looks just like Diana Ross!" Really? We rode the escalator out with her and when it started to feel invasive, left her alone, and no, she never acknowledged our brief encounter. Sigh.

So if you haven't heard of the show, I highly recommend it! Here's what Wikipedia had to say:

In the darkness, we hear a theatregoer's lament, a prayer for the current state
of the Musical. The lights come up; we see our narrator, a rather ordinary man,
sitting in a chair in his rather ordinary New York apartment. He admits that he
is blue and in a state of "nonspecific sadness," so he asks us to escape with
him as he plays the LP of his favourite musical: Gable & Stein's The Drowsy
Chaperone, which stars among others, Beatrice Stockwell in the title role a full
fifteen years before she became Dame Beatrice Stockwell. "Mixups, Mayhem and a
Gay Wedding" reads the album cover (the phrase "gay wedding" having different
connotations in 1928). Dropping the needle on his hi-fi, Man In Chair's imagination takes flight as suddenly the recorded overture surges into a live orchestra. Soon, his apartment transforms itself, becoming the stage of the Morosco Theater in New York, and the musical comes to life around him, with characters emerging from his Murphy bed and refrigerator and sets descending from his ceiling.

Our third show, purchased at the temporary home of the TKTS booth, was Avenue Q. Avenue Q is a Broadway musical that has risqué songs about racism, Internet porn, and the difficulties of life, and all but three characters are portrayed by puppets. The show is largely inspired by (and in the style of) PBS's Sesame Street, with several characters that are recognizably parodies of classic Muppet characters. For example, the roommates Rod and Nicky are adult versions of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie, and Trekkie Monster seems to be based on Cookie Monster. Likewise, many of Avenue Q's musical numbers are in a style associated with classic Sesame Street songs. Because of its adult content and "full puppet nudity" (including graphic simulated sex between puppets), Avenue Q may be inappropriate for children 12 years of age, which with the exception of my sister's children should not share the same space as adults who paid $100+ to see a show. Broadway is not the place to begin teaching manners to squirmey little children unless the show is Disney's Beauty and the Beast or the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. I know, I know, if I had children I would have a different opinion.

Betsy, one of Frank's good friends joined us for Avenue Q. While we were waiting for her, we walked up to the box office for The Color Purple. I was hoping that the show would be on the TKTS for half price but our only time to see the show was the Sunday matinee. While waiting in line we quickly when the woman in front of us purchased 150 tickets for her church group that we would be in the minority in the theater. We got tickets so this became our fourth show, and even with a mid-town strip to button down shirts, we were under dressed in comparison to the church folks. Oprah has given her blessing on the show and I think her money! Now, the musical doesn't have the same impact as the book or the Spielberg movie, but there are some really memorable songs and the audience response to "Hell No!" was worth the price of admission.

The People

We got the chance to spend a bit of time with different people over the weekend and spent the evening with our host Stever before he left for Italy. Friday morning, we woke up and met my step sister as Frank calls her. Actually, Elira, an exchange student from Albania, lived with my folks for four years and is just like family. We met in the rain and our plans to do a little sight seeing was put on hold. It will be interesting to see how things turn out once she finds an apartment and a permanent job. After lunch in the Upper Westside we took the subway down to Sea Port and then to Little Italy for the San Genarro Festival (www.sangennaro.org/). Rain didn't make this fun, but we were in NYC.

Saturday night after dinner at the Red Cat we met Eva and Charlie at the G Bar. We found a alcove and spent nearly three hours chatting and catching up. Sunday was our day alone and we ate the Empire Diner and headed to the Circle Line where we took a boat ride around the island and got to see up close the 19 bridges and passed over 2 tunnels. Good times. And finally on Monday we headed out to Long Island to visit Malle and Grandma Uzman. The ladies had prepared a birthday lunch including a delicious chocolate cake. Pepper was quite mellow this trip and it was a really enjoyable afternoon.

And then Bush had to disrupt our flight home! What to say? It was a great trip and I can't wait until our next trip in 2007!