BULLOG: One More

ANIMAL: Doggie in the Window

On the way back from Bonefish Willy's, I saw this middle-aged lady who apparently lets her dog drive her Lexus.
The dog was driving really slowly though. I guess they're more cautious than feline drivers (ala Toonces).

FOOD: Bonefish Willy's

(click on the picture to view the building from farther back)
Tonight I went to Bonefish Willy's for dinner. It was another expensive meal for this week, but it was by the Indian River and now I can say that I tried it (so there!). I had the sea scallops, baked sweet potato, and house vegetables, followed by a slice of skin-on granny smith apple pie. The service and the food were good... not "spectacular" but good... wait, the warm starter bread and the house salad with honey balsamic vinegarette were Really tasty.

The next time I goto BFW, I'll just order bread and a salad... Woo! Now that's a plan. But still, it'll be a while before I go out to eat -- ramen's on my menu for the next few weeks. Anyways, here are the pics (I started eating before remembering to take pictures of the food, and sorry no pics of the bread or the salad):

WORK: I'd Rather Be Pressure-Washing

I don't think that I got anything accomplished this morning. I'm still on Mountain time which means I woke up at 5:00am. I'm trying to lay off the coffee and sugar, so that's not helping. Some systems in the lab aren't working correctly it's higher-than-usual tension around the place with a LOT more negativity than I can really handle or function around. I miss the young engineers at site. They always kept the mood light; here, I'm feeling so tense. Yesterday was the absolute last day to submit KREs/KRAs (self-appraisal input), and I don't have it ready. I really don't want to do it but will submit something today. It won't be the best, but it'll be something.

My grass is long, and weather.com is forecasting rains through the weekend, so I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to take care of that. I also need to pressure wash the sides of my house, but again, when will I have time? I have an evening engagement tonight and a mostly-out-of-town schedule this weekend. And in addition, I'm trying to find an opportunity to visit a pug and be given a presentation on knives (no relation).

I find my again day-dreaming of a job that isn't so high-presure, one that I would enjoy so much it wouldn't feel so much like work... one that I would give up benefits for.

I'm going out to take a walk around the lake, then it's back on our heads.

*****
UPDATE 3:22PM EST
Things are better. Chuck and I went off-campus to get something sweet (we tried out the Ben & Jerry's by the Oaks). When we got back I submitted my "something" for my self-eval inputs (yay, one less thing on my mind). And I went to my boss to ask for more work. So what's left is two more hours then I'm free...-ish. Going to have dinner with Ernie at BoneFish Willy's, so food pics tonight, maybe.

GORGEOUS: From GENRE

In addition to one of the Bulldog ads, the latest issue of GENRE also provided this pretty picture, from Atlanta pride:(speechless, drooling)

BULLOG: Buy Me Buy Me Buy Me

Found all three of these today: a couple of them from the airline magazines and one from the June edition of Genre (guess which one...).

well... not for the entire familywe already tried that with Euchre... it didn't workyeah, but are they also 3D?

STITCH: Hotel Photoshoot

I traveled with my boss, who wasn't a big fan of my fanatical picture-taking (he didn't have the tolerance for shameless scenery/food/stitch-pictures), so I didn't have as many pictures from the trip than I could've. Still, I did get quite a number of pictures of the sky from the airplane, and of Stitch in the hotel hallway. Here are the pictures from both.

View From The Top:
Bedrooms and Hallways:

JOURNAL: Hooonk! :)

I got back into Melbourne this afternoon. The entire flight from El Paso to Atlanta, Atlanta to Florida was bright and sunny, then enter Melbourne... gray clouds. And upon stepping foot onto the airport parking lot, it started raining... not a downpour but a gentle steady rain -- the type that precedes a light afternoon thunderstorm.

I drove straight home, like a bat out of hell. It felt good to be behind my own set of wheels. When I got into the roundabout near my house, another car tried entering it as I was turning off. Oh, I Laid Down on my horn, and OH, did it feel good. I couldn't do that in New Mexico because no matter how bad the drivers there were (and there were a LOT of them), it's legal to have loaded firearms in your vehicles there. It's good to be home.

ANIMAL: Beep Beep

Before my dinner venture last night, I saw a roadrunner outside the hotel. It didn't go "beep beep" but it did make some clicking sounds.

FOOD: International Delights Cafe

Tonight was my last night of my business trip, and I had the opportunity to go exploring "the city" on my own. I decided to go try out a place some co-workers recommended, the International Delights Cafe.

[I'm way too tired to put together a decent story or description of the place, but I can say that it had a cozy atmosphere and the food was different and good, which was exactly what I was hoping for.]

I started off with a cup of medium roast coffee even though I really should lay off the chemicals.As an appetizer, I had a plate of falafal, hummus, and pita quarters.
And for dinner, I had a lamb-and-chicken kebab, served with Arabic rice and a Greek salad.This was a LOT of food. And it was a bit of splurge for me, but I figured that I survived the business trip and actually had a decent time at work today.

I spent the afternoon hanging out with the younger engineers, and they were a lot of fun -- they managed to help me not worry so much, and that made me feel a lot better about the area.

I'm really looking forward to getting home tomorrow and heading home for some extra sleep. It's almost 11:30pm, and I've gotta wake up by 3:45am, so it's bedtime. Good night. :)

WORK: The Hotel has Computers

I'm here in America's Southwest, safe and sound... well-rested and well-fed... would be a great time to actually have some work materials to look over, but I didn't bring any (oh well). Plan B: The Fitness Room. So I'm going to work it until my body aches -- or until I don't feel like it anymore. Then maybe a small salad for dinner then The Next Food Network Star before calling it a night.

Two nice, relaxing Sundays in a row!

I miss everyone in Florida already, but I'll be back a new man :)

NEWS: Goodbye Isaiah!

[Thank you ABC/Disney. I'm glad to see that true intolerance is not going unpunished. Asides, it kind of makes sense; the show really did need to get rid of some of the cast. Heck, fire some of the writers too. The show's been sucking lately with all the love drama. I'm like Christina... I WANT MORE SURGERIES! Anyways, I should either be packing or in bed.]

Losing Isaiah: Washington won't be back to 'Grey's Anatomy'
June 08, 2007

After months of speculation about his fate, Isaiah Washington, the "Grey's Anatomy" co-star who publicly used a homophobic slur earlier this year after the show had won a Golden Globe for best drama, will not be returning to the popular ABC series.

ABC News, the corporate sibling of both ABC network and ABC Studios, the studio that produces "Grey's," announced the news in an exclusive on Friday morning. A spokeswoman from ABC Studios confirmed that the studio had not picked up his option.

In the ABC News story, Washington issued an unhappy statement through his publicist, Howard Bragman. "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore," it said.

Washington's future with "Grey's" was first called into question when reports leaked out in the fall of an on-set altercation with co-star Patrick Dempsey, during which he reportedly referred to fellow cast member T.R. Knight as a "faggot." A few months later, in front of reporters backstage at the Golden Globes, Washington denied the incident, but repeated the word in the process, causing another uproar.

-- Kate Aurthur

WORK: Tomorrow's a Travel Day

I'll be gone on business for the first half of next week starting tomorrow so that means no more blog entries until I get back. Hopefully I'll bring back some pretty (different) pictures. And since I'll be traveling with my boss, Stitch may sit this one out... who am I kidding? Travel Stitch (i.e. Stinky) will be coming along.

I've heard that where I'm going, there's honestly nothing to do, so perhaps I'll be able to catch up on some sleep there. That'll be good because I'm always anxious about traveling for work -- not knowing what to expect. Heck, it'll be the best time to hit the hotel fitness room and get some miles in.

Anyways, it's a change-of-scenery, plus it'll be nice to have some built-in overtime this week. Okay, got a couple more things to pack, then it's time for bed.

VIDEO: "Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon 5

Love the music -- it just makes me move.

Oh, and yeah, I googled the lead singer, Adam Levine, and he's not gay but is gay-friendly. He was featured in a recent edition of the Advocate's Big Gay Following section. He sounds like a really cool guy.

HOME: Power Washer

This morning while in Orlando, I stopped by the tea house for some breakfast, Trace and Katie were working this morning. I had an egg souffle sandwich (bacon, avocado, alfalfa sprouts, on pumpernickel) (which was really good) and some coffee on ice to go. On the way to my car, I saw and hugged my friend Lee (not the TLR guy, not the art guy, but the flower guy), and that was nice way to start the drive back home, which turned out not to be that bad -- it was sunny and quite warm outside (I need shades) and the traffic was quick and non-pressuring.

Since it was on my way, I stopped by Lowe's in Rockledge and picked up a pressure washer for the house -- yeah, there goes my Disney Annual Pass, but it's a Needed (for the house, but I can also use it for the car (woo!)). I'm sure that after I get that chore taken care of, I'll achieve one (multiple?) feelings of cathartic relief that's also much needed (a new way of CB-ing).

DISNEY: Free Ride

On Friday, I had nice lunch with a friend over in the LBV area and my way to the tea house found myself on the road to the MK. Oh, what the heck... I used my expired annual pass to get into the parking lot at the TTC. I was going to ride the ferry and monorails while I'm here.

On the ferry to the Magic Kingdom:
I took the Resort monorail back but decided to stop by the Contemporary Resort just to look around since it's been SO many years since I've been. I love how the theme of its interior art isn't particularly "contemporary" yet somehow it still works... it's IASW-ish.

Artwork at the Contemporary Resort:
After that, I got back to the TTC only to find the lime green monorail coming in, so I rushed over and got on it to check out its 4-pole configuration, something WDW's experimenting with (yeah, I'm that much of a Disney nerd). I took it all the way around and also snapped a pic of a guy's "foreign relations" shirt.

The Monorail pictures:
So no actual park on this Disney visit but still a wonderful way to feed the need.

RUN: ~2 miles @ does it matter?

Tonight I ran for the first time in a long time. Running in the evening was good because it saved me from the dangerous sun. However, it didn't save me from the pesky gnats and lovebugs who apparently are attracted to sweaty things and who just love to fly in my mouth. Anyways, I ran from Wal-Mart to the government buildings. Was it supposed to be fun?

FOOD: Pita Pit

For lunch, my good friend Emily and I met up at the Pita Pit on the corner of US 1 and New Haven. The shop shares a building with a gas station, but it was surprisingly cozy. The decor was definitely fun, and the food was fast, fresh, and pretty good -- I had the Hawaiian on White, and Emily had the [very] Spicy Southwest on Wheat. It was kind of expensive for my taste but nice to try once with a friend... all the food have faces!!!

JOURNAL: Mom and Dad made the News

[Mom & Dad made it to the front page of today's Baltimore Sun newspaper (Health section)! -- read it down, the Chings get a mention and a quote!!!]

Spinning around town on bicycle built for seven
By Tom Dunkel
Sun reporter
Originally published June 7, 2007

"This really is the perfect ride for this thing," says Stuart Blum as he and six friends pedal his bike along the Light Street side of the Inner Harbor.

Yes, that math is correct: Seven cyclists are pumping away on one, single, not-so-solitary "Conference Bike."

Sometimes whimsy can be the mother of invention.

A Dutch sculptor/wannabe mechanical engineer created the Conference Bike. There are about 150 in circulation worldwide. Blum, a 47-year-old lawyer who collects exotic bikes, teamed with a friend to buy a used one on eBay last year for $9,000.

The group saddled up at Blum's Otterbein townhouse, bound for Sunday breakfast in Fells Point. The Inner Harbor makes for perfect riding conditions because there's a wide shoulder - and no hills. The Conference Bike is a beast, a normal bike on growth hormones: 400 pounds of steel in motion, maximum speed about 12 mph.

It looks like a poker game on wheels - three to be exact: The Conference Bike technically is a Conference Trike.

Seven people sit around a large, circular handlebar, legs independently turning pedals linked to a central chain drive. The rider in the rear seat-post position (in this case, Blum) commands the brakes and steering wheel.

"Dude, you should be in a parade," Karen Pfarr, a first-time rider, says to Blum as they cruise past startled tourists.

In a way, the fire-engine-red Conference Bike is its own parade. Crowds always form. Eyes bug out. Cameras get pulled from pockets. A contagion of smiles spreads across once-stony faces.

Everybody perched on the Conference Bike feels compelled to wave, as if they're transportation royalty out for a spin among the lumbering, lead-footed masses.

Listen to what those lowly bipeds have to say:

"Awesome!"

"Hilarious!"

"It's a great physics experiment."

"Check that out!" shouts one onlooker. "Go, baby, go!"

Something about any bicycle and its youthful connotations puts people in a good mood. Something about weird, multipassenger bikes makes folks almost giddy.

Larry Black is the founder of College Park Bicycles and Mount Airy Bicycles, and Blum's Conference Bike co-owner. "I've always been into bonding on bicycles, having gotten too little love as a kid," he says, jokingly. "The Conference Bike is the best way to surround yourself with people. It's literally a barrel of laughs."

Cindy Ching, who knows Blum through their membership in the Baltimore Rowing Club, brought her parents along this morning. Her father, Chay Ching, is an environmental engineer. He's impressed with the design of the Conference Bike, how it transforms seven sets of legs into "one power generator." He wonders if this might be the commuting future: bikepooling?

"It's amazing," Ching says as the big bike glides to a stop at the Fells Point waterfront. "You turn the flat power into rotational power. That's not easy."


Blum says the Conference Bike is a low-maintenance marvel that has the added bonus of being "grossly overbuilt." Eight feet long and 6 feet wide, it is almost impossible to roll yet steers like a dream.

"It's not a hothouse flower," he adds. "This was built to be used."

When in use, the Conference Bike delivers a surprisingly good calorie burn. After all, that's quite a pile of steel to push around. Riders do a lot of talking, but also a lot of sweating.

"It was more of a workout than I thought," says Paula Hickey, as she sits down to breakfast, shirt wet with perspiration.

Blum has chugged as far as 25 miles on the Conference Bike. He's thinking of taking it to Bike New York, the five-borough, 30,000-strong cyclefest, next spring - providing he can recruit a team of like-minded masochists: "I would need seven people that at the end of 45 miles would still be friends. Forty-five miles on this would be work."

Meanwhile, Blum is willing to rent the Conference Bike for fun jaunts: $125 an hour. But beware: Supercycling can be seductive. Ask his wife.

"I fell in love with the bike first," says Larysa Blum, "then Stuart."