Just when I've thought I've seen it all

I was at a local 5K (running) race last night to do the 1-mile walk that they also had before the 5K. I did the walk since I'm not yet back to running a full 5K and a group of us were all going. Anyway, the walk and the run went well - people running, people cheering, a post-race party in the parking lot afterwards at the restaurant that sponsored the race, a good time was had by all.

We ate at one of the tables in the back of the parking lot, and as we were cleaning off our table to leave, I saw a guy in jeans and a dirty t-shirt carrying a bottle in a brown paper bag into the parking lot from the sidewalk. I thought to myself that he seemed a bit out of the ordinary. It was hot, so even if one was not running in the event, shorts would have been appropriate. And that bottle in the bag. The restaurant was not a BYOB, and they were serving beer and margaritas in the parking lot, so it seemed strange that he was carrying a bottle to the place. There were some kids trying to keep another kid from getting out of one of the port-a-pottys and I lost track of the strange guy.

Once we reached the crowd in the main parking lot, a couple from my group went one direction and me and another went a different direction. A few steps later I saw a mass of 2-4 guys in a tangle in an apparent fight heading our way. We got out of the way and watched them later fall in a big pile on the ground, lot of yelling and punching. A few of the guys in the crowd go over to break things up. I saw a guy with blood pouring down his head. Then I saw the strange guy pop up from the ground. Then I hear someone say they saw him break a bottle over the bleeding guy's head. A minute or two later the cops and medics show up and mop things up.

Very unusual. In the 20+ years of attending races, I've never seen a fight at one. I think runners are the most peaceful and courteous folks you'll ever meet. I mean, when I watched the 1st and 2nd place runners cross the finish line almost at the same time, it seemed to me that they were thinking "You first", "No, you first", "Only if I have to". Something else must have been going on with the strange guy and the race just happened to be there. Oh, and this was one of the few times I didn't have my cell phone on me to get a picture.

Allrighty now, I've found how to combine my love for Minis and lingerie...

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/24/agent-provocateur-mini-clubman-sells-for-70k-on-ebay/

As promised, here's pictures of my 1998 Honda Accord's historic event:Little did I know that when I parked my car with 99,999 miles on it, a storm came thorugh that night and brought down a huge tree limb from my neighboor's tree. Missed the car by *that* much.
Hooo Haaa!!!

Still going!

And this past weekend its exhaust system heat shield fell off.

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Evening and here are the Rules:

1. Link the person(s) who tagged you.

2. Mention the rules on your blog.

3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours...
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them…
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I was tagged by Evening. Her blog is private so I won't link it. For those of you who can, then you know how to get there. For those of you who can't, believe me, its like heaven!! Oh, those legs!! I'm still a bit giddy after visiting her blog.


2. The rules are up there.


3. Six Unspectacular Quirks. I actually self-tagged me over at Randi's, so I'm just re-posting here with some edits:

1. I'm 41 and I still like to watch Speed Racer cartoons.
2. I take pictures of odd things - like my car's speedometer at 99,999 miles, 100,000 miles, and 100,001 miles. That just occurred over the weekend. I need to post the pics here.
3. I've only worn khaki or black pants to work (except jeans on Friday) for almost 10 years. I wonder if anyone has noticed.
4. I have a hard time drinking my homebrewed beer if there's only a couple bottles left in the fridge because I don't want to run out. Yes, I can and do brew more, but no two batches are ever the exact same.
5. When I visit blogs and read comments, I'll click on the women commenters that I don't know to see if they're hot. Can't say I've been let down yet.
6. I have rules for a lot of insignificant stuff, like how my closet is organized. Pants on the left and only hung on hangers with the cardboard tubes. Shirts on the right, long sleeves separated from the short sleeves. And non-work shirts go on the left side next to the pants. T-shirts are rolled and put in the cubes that separate the left and right sides. Clothes fresh from the laundry start at the very outer ends and work their way in towards the middle.

4. & 5. Tagging others. This is something I don't usually do. However, Evening tagged me and her womanly charms are working their magic on me. So, if you're reading this and you haven't already posted your 6, post them and let me know that you've done so.

Okay, I realize I've not posted in a couple weeks. I've been having one of those "I have nothing to post that's interesting, and I have lots to post that's not interesting" kinds of weeks.

Good News: I went for another MRI of my leg last Thursday and the radiologist said that there is no sign of the stress fracture. Yahoo!! I see the orthopedic surgeon on this Thursday for the official word. I haven't resumed running yet, just cycling and walking. I'm itchy for a run.

TMI Tuesday #139
1. What's your favorite color of lingerie? I like to wear black if I'm going to wear the whole outfit - bra, panties, garter belt, and stockings. If its just individual pieces, white for bras and colors for panties. Oh, you mean on her! White.

2. Do you have a porn collection? Yes. Several years of Leg Show magazine (I think I posted a picture of them a while ago), a few DVDs, and gigabytes on the computer (mostly pictures).

3. Do you have any fetishes? And how! I have a thing for wearing women's clothes (mostly undergarments), and I love women's feet and legs, in or out of hosiery and heels.

4. What is your favorite place to have sex? Hotels. I think they were made just for sex - the big king-size beds with lots of pillows, the lounge chair, the big mirror in the bathroom - all there just perfect for sex. And just the thought of knowing that there are people in the rooms on either side of mine, as well as just outside of the door, that could hear, or be heard, is kind of thrilling.

5. Do you like to scratch, bite, pull hair, etc? Do you like having it done to you? I like a good spanking.

Bonus (as in optional): Do you think the number of sexual partners you've had is below average, average, or above average, and how does that make you feel? Not sure what the average is these days (guessing 5?), so I'm below average. I didn't really "sow my wild seeds" so to speak when I was younger. I sometimes wish I would have, but at the time, there really wasn't anyone I wanted to sew them with. That's what living in a small town in Indiana was like.

I saw this meme over at one of Macabre Girl's blogs:

Wednesday Weirdness #6

1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? An astronaut or a race car driver. I remember seeing one of the Apollo landings on TV, and my brother and I always had space-themed birthday cakes when we were kids. I still want to be both!

2. Do you put ketchup on top of your french fries or on the side to dip in? If you don't use ketchup, what do you use? If you don't eat french fries, what's wrong with you? (Ok so that last one is just a joke. Kind of. *wink*) I put it on the side to dip it in. Sometimes I'll dip them in mustard, or even mayo.

3. When was the last time you had phone sex? If you've never done it, why? Two Saturday's ago, so that would be May 24th. I had some time alone, really needed to get off, and made the call. Its always more fun when someone else knows what's going on.

4. When was the last time you made someone cry? What did you do to make them cry? Can't remember the exact date, but it was a few weeks ago. I was over at the neighbor's house where there were a bunch of little kids playing. Me and one of the fathers were playing "run the bases" with them (he and I played catch and the kids would try to run from one person to the other and not get tagged out). He threw one a bit low and as I tried to catch it before it hit one of the kids, I knocked him over and the kid started to cry. It would have been worse if he was hit by the ball.

5. How often do you sing in the shower? Only when there's someone else in the bathroom that I can annoy.

6. Have you ever cooked dinner or any other meal naked? If not, would you? I'm sure I did at some point in the past.

Its time to play TMI Tuesday #137 :


1. How old were you when you first kissed a boy? You mean like a romantic kiss? Haven't yet, and no plans to do so in the immediate future.


2. Who would play you in the movie of your life story? I'd like it to be an animated move, kind of like Akira, and my character would be voiced by Mike Meyers.


3. What is the number one thing your love/hate about gay people? Love: Their sense of style. Hate: The whiny lisp some gay men have. I mean, not even women talk like that. And as a crossdresser, I sometimes think being gay would be an advantage - many people assume all crossdressers are either bi or gay, so they would then just say "that's ok for him to dress like that since he's gay."


4. If you could legally get married to "the fella" - or any fella - would you? No. I may be a crossdresser, but I'm not gay.

5. Have you ever worn short short shorts in public? Yes. I've a pair of white short shorts from Express that I occasionally wear when I crossdress in public. I also used to have a couple of pairs of rugby shorts that were very, very short. They were the most comfortable things to wear. And that's the trouble with Land's End these days - they don't sell the rugby jerseys that they used to back in the '80's. Man, I loved those things!


Bonus (as in optional): Who is your favorite blogger? That's a tough question to narrow down to just one, so I won't. Each of the bloggers that I've added to my list of links on the right have something that I like. I don't just add links for the hell of it. I can't say that there's any one blogger that I've connected with on some deep existential plane, and I haven't met any in real life. So if you're on the list, you're a fav! Some are not on as they've taken down their blog (come back Feetman!), or have made it private and I haven't been allowed in (that girl from the UK that lives out west now, can't remember her handle). And there are a few not on the list because I do know them in real life and they know nothing about the side of me that posts here (mostly running and beer/homebrewing friends).

My half-naked legs!

Arrrgh! And I'm not even a pirate. Its just been one (or many) of those months. I haven't posted anything remotely pervy in a long time. Not that I haven't have many pervy thoughts or yearnings, I just haven't written about them. It seems that lately those pervy thoughts are getting stronger and stronger. Last week, Fred, a good blog friend over at Everyone Has A Bad Side! wrote a very good story with me as the main character. It combined my love domination, humiliation, and crossdressing right on the head! Thank you, Fred! I could really go for something like that right about now!!

As you may or may not have noticed, I've been adding a number of new links under "Feeding My Fetishes" over to the right. As I've been surfing various blogs and then on to either the links they post or to the blogs of commenter's, I've been finding new places that tickle my fancy. One such blog, Breathplay A Lovely Little Fetish Blog, includes many fetishes, not just breath play. It was there that I saw this link to a bondage scene that included water. While watching the various video clips, I wished that I were in the girl's place. To be tied up and played with, pleasured and pained, teased, dominated, and humiliated - oh what an experience that would be!! It also reminded me of this.

And its not just that. I haven't been crossdressing much lately. I did some on the two business trips earlier this year, and it was limited mostly to the inside my hotel room. Although I do wear panties every day. Some of the new links include blogs about crossdressing and/or humiliation. I feel the need to go shopping to buy women's shoes, shirts, shorts, and bras, panties, and hosiery. And then to have the opportunity to wear them out somewhere in a more androgynous way (or not). If I could only go New York City for a few days...

Saturday was the day to go to New York City for the day. First, the Museum of Natural History. This is outside the planetarium.
Then on to the dinosaurs!


Central Park:
A beer at Hearland Brewery in the Empire State Building. Would have taken the trip up to the top of the building, but it was a 90 minute wait.
And finally, a stop at Toys R Us at Times Square to see the Mach 5!

The meeting with the CEO went very well yesterday, much better than I had expected (although there were no cookies...). There were about a dozen folks from various departments, none of them in upper management. He's a very down-to-earth person, not the lofty, starched-shirt, cuff-links kind of CEO that I'm used to. He spoke very straight forwardly, answered our questions, and also shared our opinions of what's broken in the company. I think we all left there with a much better understanding and respect for him. My only contact previously were through teleconference quarterly result meetings with the entire company. Now if he can get the rest of management between him and me to have similar meetings, then things will really start to change.

Somehow today I was picked (along with 8-10 other folks) to have a "Round Table" discussion with the CEO of the company. Its some sort of program to increase communication between upper management and us folks on the bottom rungs of the ladder. I'd rather not go - I'm not one of those brown-nosers that would love an opportunity like this to kiss-up to the Big Boss. Seriously, what would I have to say to him that would end up making any difference to me or the company? My boss or my Director would have been much better candidates to go. Oh well, have to get going. I hope they at least have some cookies in the corporate board room...

Random Notes for Monday:

Speed Racer: Went to see the Speed Racer movie on Saturday. I give it a "Great flick!" rating with the caveat that you'll either love it if you are a fan of the original cartoon series, or you'll hate it if you're unfamiliar with it. The movie is very cartoon-like in the sense that no laws of physics are obeyed. It is an imaginative world. Its a "retro futuristic" world. Since it was produced by the Wachowski brothers it is very much action-packed in a Matrix-y way (pun intended, let me know if you got it).

Leg Update: The stress fracture is getting better. The orthopedic surgeon said I can stop wearing the fracture boot and start doing some walking and cycling unless I experience any pain or swelling at the fracture site. So far I've only had time to walk, and things are OK. I'm still using the bone stimulator and taking calcium/Vitamin D supplements (me thinks I should have started taking the supplements months ago). I go back for another MRI in a few weeks that will identify the healing progress. I'm on a committe at the local running club to plan the club's fun runs during the week. The meetings make me antsy - I'd love to run them, and I can't until the fracture is completely healed.

Studying for the GMAT Exam: I finally started studying for the GMAT. It’s amazing how much algebra I've forgotten since high school and college - a very humbling experience. The Data Sufficiency seemed to be the easiest while I was taking the review test, but that's where I did the worst so far.

Mini Cooper Obsession: Since BMW started manufacturing the new Mini Coopers I’ve been in lust with them. I’d like to replace my Honda Accord some day with a Mini Clubman. The Honda just passed 99,000 miles over the weekend and its 11 years old. My tentative plan is to keep it until I complete an MBA (contingent on doing well on the GMAT first), so another 2-3 years. It still looks good after the wreck last year (the repair shop did a great job) and runs great with gas mileage as good as when it was new. As good as it is, the wreck pretty much removed all of its used-car trade-in value, so driving it until it dies is a good idea (which could be a lot longer than 2-3 years). Anyway, I’ve been spending too much time at the Mini website and at North American Motoring obsessing about a new Mini.

Pardon the lack of unique posts lately. Not much going on these days. My stress fractured tibia is still healing. I go to the doctor next week, and he'll probably send me in for another MRI. A friend suggested that I get lots of sunshine as that helps the body produce Vitamin K which is needed for the body use calcium to mend broken bones. However, it seems like Mother Nature is against me in this regard. We've had a few warm sunny days lately, and I've been indoors at work during them. The weekends have been the cold, rainy days, so I'm inside. Argh!

TMI Tuesday #133

1. Early bird or night owl? These days I'm an early bird. I think its the lack of meaningful exercise that brings sleep on earlier. In college I was a night owl.

2. Where was the first place you ever had sex? A hotel room on the bed. It was one of these old, grande hotels that they don't build anymore. Its still there and was refurbished a few years ago and looks very nice.

3. On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you? (1 is lowest, 10 is highest) I'm around a 6. The stress fracture has me bummed out. Its keeping me from running and doing other things that I like to do. I'm also kind of bored at work. Things are slow and its tough to get people in the other groups to do things that I need them to do so I can do my work.

4. Are you more submissive or dominant? submissive, Ma'am. I haven't been properly dominated in a long time. Argh!

5. Do you believe in love at first sight? Sure! I do believe that it can happen under the right circumstances, and it has to be a mutual occurance. Its much easier to fall in lust.

Bonus (as in optional): Describe your bed time habits. What side do you sleep on? What do you usual wear? Any night time rituals? I head off to bed around 9:30-10:30PM. I usually sleep in a t-shirt and boxers. Brush teeth, go to the bathroom. Lately I also strap on the bone stimulator around my tibia. I have to wear it 10 hours a day, so I'll put it on between 7:35-8PM so it will finish around 5:35-6AM as I get up at 5:35AM. Sometimes I'll read a little bit or listen to my iPod Shuffle.

Earth Day, Election Day (here in Pennsylvania), and ...

TMI Tuesday #132

1. Pancakes or waffles? With or without toppings? Chocolate chip waffles with butter and real maple syrup.

2. They say, "Way to a man's heart is through his stomach." What is the way to your heart? A beautiful pair of legs, heels, stockings, and a nice skirt to show them all off. And don't be afraid to raise that skirt a little higher!

3. Have you ever gone to a topless/clothing optional beach? If yes, did you participate? Yes, about 15 years ago in St. Maartin's. None of us went top- or bottom-less on purpose. I went into the ocean with one of the girls. Her one-piece had a halter top, that, when she was hit by a big wave, came loose and she was then sitting topless in the water with me standing about 10 ft. from her. I was thinking "Do I help her up? Do I help her get her top back on? Do I cover her with my hands?" I had just met her and the other folks I was with the day before, so I just did the gentlemanly thing and looked away while she put the top back up. Anyway, I didn't have my glasses on, so I didn't get the perfect view of those lovely ta-tas.

4. What song reminds you of a previous relationship (for good or bad)? Any song by Cheryl Crow. A friend who I wanted to date kind of looked like her. She was hung up on an old boyfriend at the time. Looking back, I'm glad it never went anywhere.

5. When, where and with who was your best kiss ever? That's a tough question as they've all been good.

Bonus (as in optional): Does anyone not currently in a relationship with you have pictures or you or your body part(s) that you would prefer that other people not see? Actually, the only pictures that I rather not have people see of me are on my Flickr account, all without a face, so anyone who know me in real life wouldn't know they are of me.

Here he comes! Here comes Speed Racer!

I don't usually make political posts here at this blog, but the events of the past week have moved me to do so.

I'm sure you've all been watching The Colbert Report this week so you know that he's been taping it here in Philadelphia. If you haven't, come on! Get with the program! Don't tell me you watch the FOX news channel...

Anyway, Stephen has been here all week and he's been casting Philly in a pretty good light in only that special way that he can. I've always wanted to meet him. Among his guests were Mayor Michael Nutter, Governor Ed Rendell, and Ben Franklin. I've met all of these people before, and since they met Stephen, I sort of met Stephen vicariously through them, right?

In the Philadelphia Inquirer today, there's a story about the Democratic presidential candidate debates that were held here Wednesday night. I didn't watch them (I'm trying to keep my sanity). The story reported on the mountains of criticism ABC has been receiving over the moderators' questions. Well, duh! What can be expected by either the media or the candidates themselves? They should have had Stephen Colbert moderate the debate. I think a lot more people would have watched it (at least I would have).

And this past week we've received campaign calls from both Democratic candidates. The call from the Obama side invited us to a reception with a cash bar at a local country club. A similar call from Hillary's camp came as well. "Bah!" I said to both of them when I heard this. Did they really think we'd go to a political rally that has a cash bar?!?! Don't they realize my vote can be bought with a free bar?!?! Obviously neither candidate is in touch with Pennsylvania politics.

I'm just a jaded voter. I see how all of the candidates raise tens of millions of dollars to campaign. For what good is it?! That's a lot of money that could be used to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, help with children's' education, or at least buy me (and all of you) a beer. Does all of this money spent on advertising and campaign staffs really help us choose the best candidate? Not likely. The English have a pretty good system - limit the amount of campaign time allowed before the election. I mean, how well are any of the candidates that are in Congress representing their constituents while they're on the campaign trail?

The Anchor bar and gift shop:
A selection of the beer:
The brew kettles:
Hops!! And that's quite a treasure with hop prices as high as they are today.
That's where they're at - DeHaro and Mariposa:
A spider at Fisherman's Wharf. There's one like it at the Philly Art Museum.
Alcatraz! from Fisherman's Wharf:
Fisherman's Wharf
A self portrait:

I'm writing this on my Palm while I'm in the air on my way back to Philly.

As I thought, we finished our work early and rescheduled our flight back on Thursday in the early afternoon. As we ate breakfast we spoke about what we'd do with our time in the morning. My boss said he had to get some sourdough bread for his wife and wanted to go down to Fisherman's Wharf to get it. I half-heartedly suggested we go to the Anchor Brewery if it were along the way. I circled it on the map just in case.

I was driving and lucky for me my boss isn't much of a map reader. As we made our way north on Highway 101 we ended up going towards the exit for the brewery. "Mariposa Ave., isn't that where the brewery is?" I asked him. "Sure" he replied. "Let's just take 5 minutes to see if we can find it," I said as I exited the highway. A couple minutes later we were standing outside it. Nice old building.

We went in and I was hoping that the gift shop was open. It was and it was just a small display case next to the tasting bar. We each bought a baseball cap and thanked the bar tender for allowing us to show up not knowing if they were open to the public at the time. He must have liked us as he said he'd give us a quick tour. Jackpot!! He told us a quick history of the brewery and that they bought the copper brew kettles from Germany and allowed us to walk right up to them. I was in heaven! Next we saw the room where the open fermentors are located, then the room where they store the various varieties of hops. Amazing!! After a brief glimpse of the bottling line and the other open-top fermenters we headed back to the tasting bar. I figured we'd be leaving as we weren't there as part of a regular tour, but the guy gave us a few samples much to my delight! After chatting about the brewery and the Philly beer scene, we thanked him and left.

We then headed up to Fisherman's Wharf to get the bread. Lucky for us traffic was light and we made quick work of buying some bread. Looking at the time we then were in a bit of a panic to get down to the airport. Just as we pulled up to a red light as we drove through the city to hook up with 101, we witnessed an accident just ahead of the car in front of us. A car either sideswiped or ran perpendicularly into two folks on a motor scooter. It was hard to tell as the scooter was on the far side of that car, and the car next to me was blocking my view up the road. The car's driver stopped and got out to check on the man and lady lying on the street. Looking around I saw about 6 people on cell phones calling (I assume) the police. Three people went over to help the victims. The man was wearing a helmet and took a minute or so to get up. Unfortunately, the woman(?) didn't have a helmet on and was not moving at all. We thought about pulling over to help, but there were now a good handful of people helping and we didn't fully see it occur. We were both in a state of shock as we turned the corner to head to the 101 on ramp and on to airport. I'm still stunned. I hope the woman is OK.

Now I'm on the plane and heading home. The question I ask to myself is this: should I be telling the story of the accident just like any of the other events of this trip? I kind of feel guilty (if that is the right emotion) retelling it to the few people I've spoken to so far.

Anyway, thank goodness for podcasts! I downloaded a bunch of beer-related podcasts before these last two trips. Good stuff and a good way to pass the time on the planes and trains. Although some of the folks that make these tend to ramble and go off subject quite a bit more than network radio shows.

More random thoughts from this trip:

• We ate a BJ's Brewhouse Monday night after we checked into the hotel. Good brews and good food. The porter was yummy, and the Imperial stout potent, just as they should be.
• The hotel room is pretty cool! We're at the Marriott. Good luck: I'm in a a room with a big flat-panel TV. Bad luck: I didn't realize until Tuesday morning that they forgot to put out one of those little bottles of shampoo in the room, and I didn't bring any. Soap and the little bottle of conditioner did an okay job for the day.
• This part of California (just south of San Francisco) is pretty cool. The people are very nice and the weather is great.
• We ate at Jack In The Box for lunch yesterday. They don't have them in the Philly area, and my boss hadn't been to one since he was a kid. Better than McD's, but I ate enough calories and fat to last me a couple days, lol.
• We ate a Carpaccio's in San Mateo last night. The mahi mahi was delish, as was the Anchor porter on tap.
• I think we'll end the trip a day early as work is going faster than we thought.
• Someone told me that Desmond Tutu was on our flight from Philly to SFO on Monday.
• I'm tired. I don't sleep well on trips. The jet lag, the hotel sounds, and the strange bed all have something to do with it. As might be the porn and masturbation that I was doing to pass the time once I got back to the room. If I had only brought the video-out cable for my laptop, I could have hooked it up to the flat-screen and watched porn on it.

Very random thoughts for today!

I'm writing this on my Palm while I'm in the air on my way to the San Francisco airport, then on to the hotel in San Mateo, and finally to work tomorrow in Menlo Park. I'm not sure when I'll be able to post this as I just realized that I don't have the cable to download it to my laptop. I might be able to use the IR link possibly at the hotel. I'm sitting in the middle seat on a crowded flight. Not lucky enough to have two models on either side of me, but no behemoths either.

I rode the train to the airport this morning. I like riding the rails despite the recent higher-profile crimes in the news lately. It's interesting to people watch as we all go about our day. One new thing I noticed today as I was riding the train facing backwards: the old Fleer Gum building is alongside the rails in the city. I had heard it was in Philly and never knew where. The sign is in good shaped, but the building is a bit run down.

Saturday we were at a local church's Night At The Races. The only thing I won was a door prize of a bottle of Tia Maria, a coffee liqueur. Anyone want to come over and help me drink it?

The guy with whom I'm traveling (note the correct use of the preposition, Lisa, if you're reading. LOL!) suggested we eat dinner in 'Frisco on the way to the hotel (aren't I cool for using that nickname? Not!). Good deal! Hopefully I'll get me some of that sourdough bread, chocolate, and beer for which the city is famous (did you see that one, Lisa?).

I'm on a US Airways flight. They charge $5 for special headphones to watch the movie. What a rip! American let passengers use their own and watch the movie for free, or purchase a reusable pair for $2. This raises new and troubling questions that are often baffling and perverse.

Enough writing for now. Time to read or sleep. Reading material:
-"ISO Guideline 17025 General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories" (which will then lead to sleep)

-"The GMAT Information Bulletin" (another snoozer)

-Joe Sixpack's Philly Beer Guide". I highly recommend this and Lew Bryon's "Pennsylvania Breweries" for anyone interested in PA beer. Little known Philly beer fact: There are more Belgian varieties of beer available in Philly than anywhere else in the States.

I'm going back to Cali

"Heels tall, bikini small,
She said she liked the ocean."

No, no, no, not like that at all! I'm going to San Mateo, California next week on another business trip. Its proximity to San Francisco is appealing, so hopefully we'll get there for dinner one of the nights. As usual when going to a new city, I go to The Beer Mapping Project to see what's available in that part of the beer world. In San Mateo there's a BJ's Brewhouse at the mall. Per their website they don't brew on premise, but it will be worth checking out anyway. In Palo Alto there's a Gordon Biersch brewpub which also looks good and received some very good reviews for their food on Beer Advocate. San Francisco has 7 brewpubs (too many for this trip) and is home of Anchor Brewing. Anchor is one of my all-time favorite breweries - all of their offerings are fantastic. The Steam, Porter, and Christmas Ale are my particular favs. Hmmm, tours are available only by reservation. I wonder if I'll have a free afternoon to take one....?

Shamelessly taken from the movie's webpage.

The Lockheed Martin Blimp Hanger, Akron, OH

The Lockheed Martin Blimp Hanger, Akron, OH
Originally uploaded by SheenV

While I was in Ohio over Easter, we went to the Hoppin' Frog brewery in Akron. Just across the street was the Lockheed Martin blimp hanger. Its H-U-G-E! I always thought it belonged to Goodyear as the Goodyear plant is on the north (opposite) side of the hanger. Not until I started researching the hanger did I find out that it actually belongs to Lockheed, and that the Goodyear hanger is further out in the countryside of Akron.

And the Hoppin' Frog beer is Good! Very small brewery, very nice folks that run it, and tasty brew!

If you were looking for an April Fool's post here today, well then, April Fool's! There's none here. lol So on to ...

TMI #129:

1. How are your March Madness picks doing? or What is your favorite event? I didn't pick any this year since my Buckeyes didn't make it.

2. What is the best April Fool's joke - EVER? Still waiting for it...

3. Valentine's Day - bogus holiday or romantic holiday? A little bit of both. Real because its a good day to remind all of us to be romantic lest we forget. Bogus because of all the trappings of the commercialization of it.

4. If you made any New Year's Resolutions have you broken them yet? or What have you done lately to make yourself a better person? No resolutions. Better person: I'm volunteering at my parish every month, I did a science presentation for the parochial school kids, and I'm volunteering to help organize a 5K running race this month.

5. If you believe in 'regret', what is your biggest regret? If you don't believe in 'regret', what do you call 'errors in judgment' or 'missed opportunities' in your philosophy of life? I call them regrets, but its tough to say if any of them are the "biggest". What may seem like a big regret today might actually be the biggest (or least) significant event had I made the other decision. Do I regret causing that car accident last year? I sure do. But suppose it did not happen. What then could have occurred? Maybe someone may have hit me, or the person I hit could have been hit by someone else only worse. Or nothing at all. I would not be the person I am today without it, not that it was something that I would want to happen had I known beforehand. Throw me a rope, I think I'm in too deep today...

Bonus (as in optional): Tell us about four things about yourself, one of which isn't true.
Argh! I did this one once at a training session as an ice breaker and I had a hard time making up a convincing lie. Sorry if these are incredibly dull!

1. I'm left handed.
2. I'm the youngest of four siblings.
3. I have the same name as someone famous.
4. I don't take checks or credit cards - cash only!

Smut Meme

I saw this over at Unspeakable Axe and thought it would be interesting. The Q&A comes from Isabella. Here are the rules:

“You’re welcome to post it on your blogs. You must call it the Smut Meme (obvious reasons, I’d hope), you must link to me in the title, and you must tag 2 people, and link to them as well. Oh, and you must post this little blurb of instructions at the beginning, like I’ve just done. Got it? Ok then. The idea is to pick one or the other, even if you prefer neither. I’ll go first. If you want to play along you can answer the questions in the comments.”

1. Chocolate or Whipped Cream: Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate!! If you doubt me, go back to my Valentine's Day post.

2: Leather or PVC: Leather. It obviously has a natural feel to it, and it retains a person's scent better (as in leather shoes).

3: Outdoor Sex or Indoor sex: Indoor, better temperature control, no bugs. Never had outdoor sex, not that I don't want to. But not on hard rocks, or dirt. Can I bring an cushion?

4. In the Jacuzzi or In Bed: In bed. The jacuzzi is good for fore- and after- play!

5. Bad Sex or No Sex: No sex. I'd rather do it myself than have bad sex.

6. Dominate or Be Dominated: Be dominated, please!! I'm so much the sub, Ma'am.

7. Thigh highs or Body stocking: Can this be stockings and a garter belt? Feet, legs and hosiery are three of my fetishes, and stockings do so much for all three!

8. Fast or Slow: Slow. Let's make it as long and pleasurable as possible.

9. Rough or Gentle: Gentle, and tease me as long as you can!

10. Bite or Suck: Suck, it feels sooo much better.

11. Role-play or Reality: Tough one, and Reality wins. Its much more erotic.

12. Dirty Talking or Dirty Talking To: Dirty talking to me. I'm not much for saying dirty stuff, I think I'd sound too funny. A dirty-talking woman is a real turn on.

13. Edible panties or No Panties: No panties if only those two choices. I'd prefer that we're both wearing panties, maybe a matching set!

14. Spanking paddle or Barehanded: Barehanded as it is much more personal.

15. Landing Strip or Kojak: Landing strip - something to see through the sheer panties!

16. Multiple Sessions or One Good Fuck: Multiple sessions.

17. Moaning or Screaming: "Hopefully she is moaning and I am screaming." as Axe said it best!

18. Older WoMen or Young WoMen: (I added the "Wo" to the original question) I've always gone for older women, and still do. However, now that I'm 41, it does seem kind of kinky to have someone half my age dominate me.

19. Three-way or No Way: Three-way for sure! A Mistress, a female sub, and me would be the best combination. I thought about two Mistresses, which would also be cool, but it would be better to have two subs serve Her, and She would have us do all kinds of kinky things for Her pleasure.

20. Swing or No Swinging: No swinging for now. I've never tried it, and have been interested in it. However, it has to be with the right people in the right situation.

So I have to tag two people? Argh! Ok, the last two people to visit my blog came from Shay's and Dark Lady's blog. So if Shay and Dark Lady visit: Tag! Your it!

Pocket has this great post about panties!!

And Stephen Colbert will be here in Philly from April 14-17!!

(I tried to imbed the video, and it won't work.)

Flickr Update

I have a Flickr account, and I just realized that many of my "public" pictures were not being displayed as I had the permissions all wrong. So if you care to see them, here they are!

There are other "private" photos in there too. You need to be a Flickr member and I need to allow you access to see them. I'm afraid most people won't find them interesting, and might just be a bit put out by them.

TMI Tuesday...

1. In the midst of a hangover have you ever promised to "never drink again?" How long until you broke that vow? Nope, never have. I don't get that drunk very often. Its probably been at least 15 years.

2. What is the stupidest thing you have ever done while drinking (or not if it is really stupid) but thought it seemed like a good idea at the time? I'm usually a quiet drunk, so after a few drinks I just sit down and fall asleep. Well there was this time in high school when I called this girl a bitch... And once when I was in college I tossed my cookies in my bed. The next day I realized that I could have choked and died in my sleep that way. Pretty stupid!

3. On a scale of 1-10, where do you rate green beer? I won't even try it to rate it!

4. Have you ever kissed someone you shouldn't have (drunk or sober)? Yes. After my last day at work a few jobs ago, the folks from work took me out for some drinks. A buddy gave me a ride there, and then one of the secretaries gave me a ride home. Now I had the biggest crush on this secretary. She often wore dresses, hosiery, and heels - things that push all of my buttons in a good way. She was married, and off limits, so I could only look. Anyway, she drove me back to my apartment and gave me a hug and a peck on the cheek. Well, her touching me and the scent of her perfume did me in. I gave her a hug back and a closed-mouth kiss on the lips. Then I realized that I crossed the line. I apologized profusely. After I went in my apartment, I realized that I should have had her friend drive me home - the friend was a sex dynamo and probably would have jumped my bones!

In a related story, one time we went out for lunch - her, two other women, and me. As we walked from work to her car, her thigh-high stocking started falling down. She grabbed it and said she'd have to stop at the drug store to get a new one on the way to the restaurant. I sat in the passengers seat, and watched her take her shoes and stockings off before we started driving. Good heavens! She had put her shoes on the console between us, hiked up her dress to her thighs, and pulled them down! The sight of her legs, her feet, and her shoes so close to me - I was in heat! She put the stockings on the console while she drove. I was thinking to myself how I could take them without anyone noticing. But no, she grabbed them, put them in her purse, and said that her two daughters would like to play with them. I had something else in mind...

5. What is the stupidest thing you have ever seen a drunk do (besides driving a car)? Toss a toilet tank lid out the 10th story window.

Bonus (as in optional): How do you cure your hangover(s)? Water, rest, and more water.

I was at the Sixers vs. Spurs basketball game Saturday night - Sixers won! Of course, I was there to see more than just the game...

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Originally uploaded by SheenV

I had my picture taken with Gabrielle - note our matching footwear:

And here are the Sixers Dance Team in action:

Disneyland Day 3:

At the seminar on Monday the rep from Disney told us that they have a company that actively searches the Web for new info on Disney that people write to see what they say. So it is very possible that they are reading my blog. Cool! They really do a great job at customer service. Here are some more pictures:

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Business Trip to Disneyland, Day 1:
-My morning flight out was cancelled, then rescheduled to 4:55PM. Not happy about this. Will arrive very late in California.
-No porn at the Philly airport. Since when did airports not sell porn? Argh! I wanted to get a Hustler. Not that I like some of the crap they put in their magazine - I just wanted the free DVD that comes with it. Maybe I'll pick it up in Chicago for the connecting flight. Nope, we landed too late for that.
-I practically ran to the connecting flight, just made it. Everyone on the plane, then the co-pilot says that the pilot had a flat tire on the way to the airport. We leave 1 hour later.
-I get to the Orange County airport at 10:30PM. I have to wait until 11PM for the next shuttle to the Disneyland Hotel. While waiting I see a pretty blonde in one of those long sweaters that are in these days. But, she's wearing leggings, so no skin exposure.
-Not sure if you've ever been to Disneyland (or Disneyworld), but there are many details to remind you where you're at:

Donald Duck in the wallpaper in the bathroom:

Mickey hands holding the bathroom lights:

Mouse ears on the toiletries:

Day 2: The seminar starts off well. Meet lots of people. See more mouse ear details:
My rewards for participating in the discussions:

It is here!! It is here!! The long wait is over!! Start your drinking!! Click on the picture to take you to the website that lists all of the week's activities. If you're a beer enthusiast, and you live close enough to Philly drive in for one or more of the events, please do so. And drink responsibly.

Or, if you're one of the unlucky beer enthusiast (like me) and you'll either be out of town (as I will be) or live too far away, please responsibly partake in your favorite beer and think about all that is good and wonderful about beer in this day and age. There are more breweries & brewpubs in America now since before Prohibition. There are more choices of beer types available than ever. Try something different than the same-old, same-old that you've been drinking, be that Bud, Coors, Miller, or your favorite micro-brew. Sure, the prices are up due to the hops shortages that are cursing the world this year. A few won't hurt your wallet too much.

Yes, I picked (or should I say "they" picked) the wrong week for a conference in California. Hopefully, I'll be able to find many of the West Coast brands that I haven't seen here on the East Coast. I've scoped out a couple of brew pubs within driving distance of the hotel, but I'm not sure I'll be able to get to them. Hopefully, either the hotel will have a good selection in their bar, or a bar close by will. (You know you have a beer problem when the first thing you do after booking your flight is to go to The Beer Mapping Project to see what's around. (It used to be a running problem when I'd go to the USA Track & Field site to find running routes, until my stress fracture occurred.))

Humor me with pictures of you and your beer while I'm away. I'll try to do the same.

Argh! Time to buy yet another appliance - the refrigerator in the basement died last night. It was the one that the previous owners of my house left when they moved, so it was over 11 years old. It is just used for beer, water, juice, anything too large or spillover from the main fridge. It had been on its last leg for some time now, and I wanted to buy a new one when I bought the clothes washer.

However, the refrigerator manufacturers and appliance stores seem to be in a conspiracy against me. I want an Energy Star qualified, top-freezer, white fridge that is between 18 and 21 cubic feet in volume. I checked the Sears website - all of the Kenmores had low ratings due to noise. Nothing else there that fits the bill. Lowes and Home Depot had some that did, until I hit the "Availability" button and discovered that they are either not available or won't be until April. Same story when I checked again today.

If you work for a major appliance company, please read this: I want to spend some money! Make something that I want to buy!!

Anyone been to Anaheim, CA? I'm heading there next week for a conference, and possibly Menlo Park. Anything other than Disneyland to see?

On to TMI Tuesday!

1. Under what conditions would you kiss a stranger? Almost any! lol Seriously, there'd have to be some attraction, even if it were just a peck on the cheek. I'm not one to let just anyone get into my space without some attraction. Nice perfume - check, pretty face - check, nice legs - check, low-cut shirt or high-cut skirt - check. I'm easy to please.

2. Who was the last person you sent a text message to? If you’ve never sent someone a text message, is there some reason? I've never texted. Why text when I can call?

3. When was the last time you deliberately surprised someone? Its been a few years. It was her 40th birthday. She thought we were just going over to a friends house for swimming and grilling. I think she was more surprised at who was there than the party itself.

4. How often do walk somewhere (hopefully, other than the mailbox)? I used to walk or run everyday until the stress fracture. I had another MRI two weeks ago. I should have called the doctor the day after I had it taken, but I did some walking on the tread mill last week and finally called him yesterday. Bad move. The fracture is not completely healed yet. There is some soreness, but no swelling, so I don't think I screwed it up too badly. More rest for now.

5. What were the longest and shortest durations of your romantic relationships? Longest: 15 years. Shortest: a few weeks.

Bonus (as in optional): What is missing from your life? Time. There's so much I want to do, and there'll never be enought time to do it all.