Travels
Where did November go? It seems like I completely skipped the month and somehow have ended up in December. Scary how quickly time can pass when you are busy. Of course, I am starting to freak out just a bit over the fact that it is December 7 and I have done very little Christmas shopping and no Christmas cards or other activities (other than going to holiday parties) yet. However, I am sure I will come through – somehow, it always seems to get done.
So, I have been traveling – both for fun and for work. I wrote about the big trip to Brazil with the boyfriend (at least I wrote a little about it). It was a pretty amazing trip and via our friends that live down there we were able to see a glimpse of how the privileged class in Brazil lives. Overall, it was a pretty relaxing trip and I was surprised at how I was able to disconnect from all of the stress that I had built up over work.
Our time in Brazil was spent sitting by the pool, taking snorkeling trips, lengthy dinners with our friends (those Brazilians sure do know how to gab), and reading. I managed to catch up on my many many magazines (I have learned never again to take up an Airline on a frequent flyer mile redemption offer – miles for magazines) and completed the book “A Million Little Pieces.” The book was a very disturbing read, but I was drawn to it as it dealt with someone hitting rock bottom (a drug addict), and recovering. Not sure why I am drawn to those stories (I wrote a piece on this long ago), but this one also caught my eye due to a creative cover (a hand covered with those little balls that are in time release medicine capsules) and the fact that it was an Oprah Book Club book (funny how I view that as some type of golden seal of approval).
Post-Brazil, I jumped right back into the craziness of work and the trip and its lazy days now seem a distant memory. I am not sure how much I wrote about this, but my new company shipped me off to St. Paul, Minnesota a week or two before Thanksgiving. As I have indicated in the past, they seem to like me and had indicated in a subtle way that there was a position in St. Paul that they would like to consider me for. So, the trip was a bit of an interview and also a chance for me to check out a little bit of the area.
It was definitely cold. When I left the OC, it was 85 degrees (Santa Ana’s were blowing in) and when I landed in Minneapolis, it was 10. I first stepped into the cold that night and found it almost refreshing – like an old friend that I had not seen in a long time. However, the next morning bought a bit of reality into the picture as I started my walk to the office. The first block or two were ok, but the wind picked up and my ears were stinging (as I had no head cover) and all I wanted to do was be back inside.
Unfortunately, I did not get to see much of the Twin Cities as work was busy (imagine that). However, I was happy to see some great architecture, very nice people (almost too nice), and a bit of culture. All of this in St. Paul, which is considered the more dowdy of the two sister cities – so, I imagine/hope Minneapolis is even better. Of course, the one thing I found sorely lacking was diversity in regard to people – I saw white and black and not much else. It is always a little odd to see such a lack of diversity when you become so used to seeing the colors of the rainbow each day in California.
Whatever the case, I left thinking I could potentially live in this area and was actually a little excited about the prospects of starting all over again from scratch (plus the fact that I could afford a kick-ass house there helps as well). Not sure what will come of it as it sounds like the company is also talking to other internal candidates, but I figure my current situation is not bad, so it will not be the end of the world if it does not materialize. I also realize if it is offered to me, I need to do some serious soul searching as the boyfriend has indicated he will not move.
Enough on Minnesota and the possible job offer. I am currently sitting on a plane flying back from Ohio. Yes, I have become quite the road warrior. This was another work trip. We were in Kettering, Ohio, which is near Dayton. It was horrific. I now understand why Ohio went red in the last election.
A large team of us went out for this meeting and the culture shock was pretty amusing. Of course, our hosts were gracious and we appreciated that, but the main dinner the other night was unbelievable. All day they indicated excitedly that we were going to The Chop House. Now, I have been to a Chop House in Chicago and it was a very high end steak place. I enjoy a good steak every now and then and was very much looking forward to a martini followed by filet and all the good stuff that you can order ala carte with it.
This was not the same Chop House. This was an upgraded Applebees next to a strip mall. The California contingent was horrified. I hope we did not come across as elitist – I think it was ok as most of the snickering and jokes were done outside of earshot of the hosts. Ultimately, it became fun as we kept coming up with joke after joke – “Bob I think the potato skins are coming.”
However, the whole thing made me realize how different that part of the country is. We live in a bubble in California. My major take away from the trip was – if a job offer were to come from Ohio, I would politely decline. God only knows what being gay there would be like.
This has been a long post, but I have not written in a very long time. I still have more travels ahead (fortunately all personal). In a few days, I head to Hawaii to run the Honolulu marathon – an event I have been training for the past 6 months. While the thought of getting on a plane again does not sound appealing to me, I know I will enjoy myself once I get there. Finally, shortly after Christmas, I am gong to head back to the snowy and cold middle part of the country and spend some time with my family in Chicago.
So, not sure how many more posts I will be able to produce between now and then, but I will try my best.
So, I have been traveling – both for fun and for work. I wrote about the big trip to Brazil with the boyfriend (at least I wrote a little about it). It was a pretty amazing trip and via our friends that live down there we were able to see a glimpse of how the privileged class in Brazil lives. Overall, it was a pretty relaxing trip and I was surprised at how I was able to disconnect from all of the stress that I had built up over work.
Our time in Brazil was spent sitting by the pool, taking snorkeling trips, lengthy dinners with our friends (those Brazilians sure do know how to gab), and reading. I managed to catch up on my many many magazines (I have learned never again to take up an Airline on a frequent flyer mile redemption offer – miles for magazines) and completed the book “A Million Little Pieces.” The book was a very disturbing read, but I was drawn to it as it dealt with someone hitting rock bottom (a drug addict), and recovering. Not sure why I am drawn to those stories (I wrote a piece on this long ago), but this one also caught my eye due to a creative cover (a hand covered with those little balls that are in time release medicine capsules) and the fact that it was an Oprah Book Club book (funny how I view that as some type of golden seal of approval).
Post-Brazil, I jumped right back into the craziness of work and the trip and its lazy days now seem a distant memory. I am not sure how much I wrote about this, but my new company shipped me off to St. Paul, Minnesota a week or two before Thanksgiving. As I have indicated in the past, they seem to like me and had indicated in a subtle way that there was a position in St. Paul that they would like to consider me for. So, the trip was a bit of an interview and also a chance for me to check out a little bit of the area.
It was definitely cold. When I left the OC, it was 85 degrees (Santa Ana’s were blowing in) and when I landed in Minneapolis, it was 10. I first stepped into the cold that night and found it almost refreshing – like an old friend that I had not seen in a long time. However, the next morning bought a bit of reality into the picture as I started my walk to the office. The first block or two were ok, but the wind picked up and my ears were stinging (as I had no head cover) and all I wanted to do was be back inside.
Unfortunately, I did not get to see much of the Twin Cities as work was busy (imagine that). However, I was happy to see some great architecture, very nice people (almost too nice), and a bit of culture. All of this in St. Paul, which is considered the more dowdy of the two sister cities – so, I imagine/hope Minneapolis is even better. Of course, the one thing I found sorely lacking was diversity in regard to people – I saw white and black and not much else. It is always a little odd to see such a lack of diversity when you become so used to seeing the colors of the rainbow each day in California.
Whatever the case, I left thinking I could potentially live in this area and was actually a little excited about the prospects of starting all over again from scratch (plus the fact that I could afford a kick-ass house there helps as well). Not sure what will come of it as it sounds like the company is also talking to other internal candidates, but I figure my current situation is not bad, so it will not be the end of the world if it does not materialize. I also realize if it is offered to me, I need to do some serious soul searching as the boyfriend has indicated he will not move.
Enough on Minnesota and the possible job offer. I am currently sitting on a plane flying back from Ohio. Yes, I have become quite the road warrior. This was another work trip. We were in Kettering, Ohio, which is near Dayton. It was horrific. I now understand why Ohio went red in the last election.
A large team of us went out for this meeting and the culture shock was pretty amusing. Of course, our hosts were gracious and we appreciated that, but the main dinner the other night was unbelievable. All day they indicated excitedly that we were going to The Chop House. Now, I have been to a Chop House in Chicago and it was a very high end steak place. I enjoy a good steak every now and then and was very much looking forward to a martini followed by filet and all the good stuff that you can order ala carte with it.
This was not the same Chop House. This was an upgraded Applebees next to a strip mall. The California contingent was horrified. I hope we did not come across as elitist – I think it was ok as most of the snickering and jokes were done outside of earshot of the hosts. Ultimately, it became fun as we kept coming up with joke after joke – “Bob I think the potato skins are coming.”
However, the whole thing made me realize how different that part of the country is. We live in a bubble in California. My major take away from the trip was – if a job offer were to come from Ohio, I would politely decline. God only knows what being gay there would be like.
This has been a long post, but I have not written in a very long time. I still have more travels ahead (fortunately all personal). In a few days, I head to Hawaii to run the Honolulu marathon – an event I have been training for the past 6 months. While the thought of getting on a plane again does not sound appealing to me, I know I will enjoy myself once I get there. Finally, shortly after Christmas, I am gong to head back to the snowy and cold middle part of the country and spend some time with my family in Chicago.
So, not sure how many more posts I will be able to produce between now and then, but I will try my best.
posted by The Random Gay Guy at 12:57 PM
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