Little Frida's Coffee Shop

I don't know what year Little Frida's closed, but in the late '90s it was one of my havens. I would make the trek from Irvine to West Hollywood just so I could sit in Frida's, have a cup of coffee, and write in my journal in a place where I felt I wasn't alone.



I wonder where the queer youth hang out now?

Los Angeles Dyke March

Coming into my queerness in southern California was filled with so many wonderful experiences...

Corcoran Gallery of Art

I don't think I prefer any one medium of art over another--they each give a different type of energy to their subjects. And, even within a medium, there are many differnces to each work.


Though I saw both these exhibits on the same visit to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, they gave me a distinct experience.

I need to remember to visit the Corcoran's website more frequently and keep an eye on current and coming exhibits.

Gay Men's Chorus of Washington DC

Okay, I confess that I haven't been to a Gay Men's Chorus of Washington DC show since this 2007 performance of "American Carols," but they are a great group, and the show is always entertaining!

Days 13 & 14

I did some long overdue research about nearby community recreation centers, and then promptly got an annual membership (good at multiple locations). So far, I've been a member for two days, and I've gone to work out twice. Now, if I can only keep it up!

Split Screen, or Fortune

I can't remember where or when I came across this fortune, but I do know that I've had it for a while. It's been on my desk, on my monitor (yes, I actually own a desktop!). I used it for inspiration when I was still working to complete my dissertation, so I'm not sure why I've kept it these two years since.

I'm finally going to let it go...

As Brent Hartinger writes in Split Screen: Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies:

Before you can introduce a new beginning, however, you must first finish what you were already doing, and that means you must clearly and definitely have...the end (p143)

American Visionary Art Museum

A couple of years ago I finally took a trip to the American Visionary Art Museumin Baltimore, Maryland. (There is still SO much more of Baltimore that I have yet to explore.)

The museum is fabulous and I highly recommend visiting it!

One of the exhibits I saw was "The Marriage of Art, Science, & Philosophy" featuring, among other artists, Dalton M. Ghetti. Ghetti creates miniature masterpieces on the tips of pencils.



Images of his work are amazing, but seeing his creations first hand is surreal--you can't imagine how they could be created, and yet at the same time, these wooden pencils are so familiar (well, at least to those of us who are old enough!)

To order postcards of Ghetti's work, go to Ghetti's website.

To find out information about current exhibits, find Ghetti on Facebook.

Days 8 - 12

Day 8
Another record-tying day of heat! Stayed home and went through yet more boxes of files (still even more to go before I'm done). Finished reading Split Screen by Brent Hartinger. I enjoyed Hartinger's previous books in this series (Geography Club and The Order of the Poison Oak), but wasn't captured by the brain zombies that seemed so prominently featured by the subtitles of this third book. I'm glad that I finally got around to reading it--the way that the book is split into two was really enjoyable, and effectively demonstrated how our "shared" experiences are both common and different. And, I thoroughly enjoyed how this split narrative highlighted Min--I hope to see more of her in the future.

Day 9
Explored the online training courses available through work and completed one unit in the "Introduction to Word" training. Started reading Chris Beam's novel I am J. Spent a lot of time lounging around!

Day 10
Worked. Headed downtown to catch the Capital Pride Parade and met up with some friends afterwards to extend the celebration.

Day 11
Worked. Spent some quality time at home with my boo. We lost power just as we were about to cook dinner, so we headed off to our favorite sushi restaurant, MoMo Sushi in Alexandria, VA


Came back just after power was restored, and got to see most of the Tony awards, though we did just miss the opening by Neil Patrick Harris :(

Day 12
Had a fitful night and ended up sleeping in until almost 9:30 a.m. (which is like getting up at noon for us morning folks). Spent the rest of the morning in a haze/daze. Still, I managed to complete some on-line training ("Introduction to Excel" and "Introduction to Access"). Then, gently spurred on by my boo, I went on an afternoon bike ride. I rode out 5 miles on the W & OD trail, turning around at East Falls Church. The ride out wasn't too tough, though I did constantly feel as if I were going so much slower than all the other bikers. It was only after turning around to head back that I realized that there was a slight uphill grade!

The other excitement was caused by my failing brakes. My rear brakes weren't working great at all on my last ride, but I still went on this ride without doing anything about it. I WILL ALWAYS CHECK OUT MY BIKE'S CONDITION BEFORE GOING ON A RIDE IN THE FUTURE. I figured that as long as my front brakes were working I was good to go. So, when I realized during my ride back (downhill) that my front brakes were hardly doing anything to slow me down, let alone stop me, well, it was BAD. I got home safely, though more by luck than design.

Needless to say, as soon as I got back home I googled "how to adjust brakes on a mountain bike" and did some DIY bike maintenance. My google search had a bunch of results, but I started with this video, followed by the free tutorial from bicycletutor.com, and the brake diagrams from bikewebsite.com.

Afterwards? Made enchiladas (re-fried beans, spinach, bell peppers, and onions) for dinner.

Day 7

Day 7
7:30 a.m. dentist appointment. Going to the dentist is probably not on most folks' list of things to do during summer break, but given my impending lack of health insurance (due to said summer break) it was the perfect time. Followed by a quick trip to the dry cleaners and other errands, then back home. Staying home is also probably not on most folk's list of things to do during summer break, but I've always been a homebody. Finally finished reading Chad Millman and Shawn Coyne's The Ones Who Hit the Hardest: The Steelers, the Cowboys, the '70s, and the Fight for America's Soul. ISBN 978-1-592-40576-3



As I was walking to the circulation desk to check out my library items, this book caught my eye from its place on the nearby "New Books" shelf. While I've read several autobiographies and biographies over the years, I've never really read sports non-fiction before. It presented an interesting mixture of historical story-telling and is definitely a genre I'll keep my eye on.

I'll spare giving a full review of the book--those can be found elsewhere. I will say, however, that it drew an interesting picture of a sport, a city, an industry, and a time in history that showed me things that I hadn't seen before. Like all other books, the viewpoint it offers is a partial one, though one I imagine that many Steelers fans, Pittsburghers, and sports and history buffs would gladly add to their existing frames.


Later in the day I spent some time in the kitchen, making both quiche and lasagna.

Another good summer day.

Summer 2011, Days 1 - 6

I officially started my "summer break" last Thursday.

It's a break in so far as instead of working six days a week at two different jobs, I'm down to working two days a week at just one job--at least for the next two months.

Some folks think it's great to have such time off, I think they forget that it also means that I earn considerably less during these two months. So yes, it's time off, but with a price; though one I willingly pay.

Lots of folks ask me, "what will you do with all that time off?" It's a question that strikes me as strange because of the rhetoric/dream about retirement as this (ideal/idealized) period in life when after having worked for so long we are able to do things we weren't able to. Financial realities show us that this kind of retirement has not always been available to all, and continues to be so. In full awareness that I will likely work past the age of retirement (whatever that standard might be in the next thirty plus years), I'm trying to take advantage of the time I have now to do what I can.

Day 1

Went to the local public library, and did some summer closet cleaning that resulted in a trip to drop off donations to Goodwill. Made one of my favorite recipes from the Moosewood cookbook I just checked out of the library!

Day 2

Took advantage of my groupon deal for Jack's Boathouseand kayaked on the Potomac River for an hour. Visited the blood drive being held locally and tried to give, but proved too dehydrated!

Day 3
Worked.

Day 4
Worked. And, took my bike out for an afternoon ride on nearby trails (Four Mile Run and Mount Vernon Trails).

Day 5
Another trip to Georgetown, starting with a leisurely walk (while waiting until noon) and then to Jack's Boathouse for another hour paddle on the Potomac. Followed by a trip to Trader Joe's.

Day 6
A morning walk around the neighborhood, time reading one of my many library books, and much needed clean up of files on/around my desk. Oh, and catching up on blog posts!