Mot's blog

2009-07-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

Tornado 1 Train 0

Saw this on Gizmodo. Yikes

Of course - then i spend 2 hours watching tornado videos on YouTube. So much for doing any laundry. It is a wonder I manage to feed myself.**

**Mr. Eric would chime in here than if he did not do the grocery shopping, I would probably starve.

I remember as kid - they told us in school that upstate NY could not have Tornados because it was too hilly. Another one of those precious nuggets of baloney.

2009-06-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

GayStreams!

My Friend Cristian had told me he was interested in coming up to visit the our campground after hearing about all the construction follies from last summer. Right after getting back from NYC, I found out the campground was hosting an Airstream Rally at the end of the month so it seemed like a perfect time for a campout. Cristian pulled in on Friday afternoon and as it so happened - there was a single spot in the Airstream row left for him to pull up his 1970 Airstream and join the fun. The Gay Airstream clan quickly too a ~shine~ to my straight friend on a novel visit to the campground and welcomed us to happy hour! Saturday was a trailer open house for everyone to check out the Silver wonders and Cristian stepped up to the plate in style with his camper dutifully decked out in Tiki and vintage memorabilia.

The owners of the campground Steve and Doug also happen to collect Vintage Trailers among their many other pursuits and had all three on tour including a vintage Argessy and a Beautiful sister trailer to Lucy and Desi's in the famous movie "The Long Long Trailer"

Besides the tours, the weekend included more deck construction, a BBQ with the new Grill and a nighttime Bocce game! More pictures, including the trailer tours at my Flickr Site ==>

2009-06-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

We are Jones Cousins

.. I really cannot recall the last time we all traveled together. Always seems like somebody's got somethin' else goin' as some would say.

The Jones tribe made most excellent hosts as always as we took the time to tour around Phoenix before our cousin's Mary's wedding. Besides the Botanical Garden, we hit up IKEA and a Bead store along with the standard set of Jones parties and all the requisite merriment. Our Arizona and California cousins are fully equiped for silliness and revelry.. so when we are all together...it is critical mass time.

We finally had an opportunity for a family portrait. I love the picture - yet find it a bittersweet reminder we are supposed to be a tribe of six.

Wherever Mom is now - I know we gave her a couple of good laughs over the weekend. - Tom

2009-06-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

Time for a little Chihuly

We stopped by the Phoenix Botanical Garden while we were in town to check out the desert flora and the Dale Chihuly Exhibit. Simply stunning. My brother Jim correctly noted how the artist was capturing within the glass the intensity and contrast of the desert flowers against the rather bleak desert landscape. More pics on my Flickr Site -->

2009-05-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

Daytrip to Prescott

While in Phoenix visiting my friend Alex and his boyfriend Steve, We took a day trip up to Prescott to walk around. Very nice little town. Many good antique junk stores.

2009-05-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

NYC2009

Another fun weekend in New York with friends for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. I drove in Saturday morning and went on a hunt to find a flea market i had previously visited but struck out. Apparently the 25th street flea market is not the one i remember. I also struck out finding Irreplaceable Artifacts in the Bowery as well - but I did manage to find Olde Good Things on 24th. A great place and they have a bigger place in Scranton PA! This year we stayed at the Hotel Chelsea. An interesting place - part funky Art hotel, part gritty youth hostel. We hit up Trailer Park on Saturday right next to our hotel before heading downtown. We hit a few good parties at BlueDot and Design Within Reach before grabbing dinner at the NotsoSpectacular Chinese Restaurant.

Sunday we headed to ICFF. A good show this year - lots of good fireplaces. Sunday night was the closing party at the 414 gallery in the Meatpacking District. Our friend Matthew Weatherly has several pieces at the show. A fun party and they even served SnowCones! Yummy! After the show we walked to a nearby restaurant and met up with my friend Colleen and her husband. A very fun night.

p.s. - i was lazy with my camera - so i borrowed many of the pics from my friend Cristian. When Cristian is not playing photographer - he is a busy and soon to be Famous Furniture Designer.

2009-04-24T19:22:00.001-07:00

Happy Holidays!

Just finished uploading all[?] of the photos from our party last December. Our friend Gerry Szymanski, proprietor of Cyanotype Photograpy took all the great photos. You can see the batch on my Christmas Photoset on Flickr. But here are a few collages to click on. A very fun night.

2009-04-23T15:46:00.001-07:00

Family Communion

Jim and Grace had everyone over today to celebrate Grace's first communion. Jim was snapping away with his Nikon - so i am sure he will have much better pics.

This was **supposed** to be our "Arthur between the Doubting Thomas's" - however one Thomas was not so doubting....

2009-04-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Time for Brunch

Eric and I got together with friends this morning for some fabulous brunch downtown. Zahra and Jennie took us to Simply Crepes at the Downtown Rochester Public Library. Brunch was not just simply crepes, but it was definitely Yum Yum. We arrived right as they opened and enjoyed a nice quiet brunch in the new section of the library. I ended my brunch with a dandy Creme Brulee Oatmeal cup. So good i almost forgot to use a utensil.

2009-04-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

Easter Glass Work

We took some time during the easter weekend to work on a window. I told Kristin it is not a good project unless you bleed, so Kristin happily obliged.

2009-03-25T09:48:00.001-07:00

(Notso) Best Toy I never got

Ok - Saw this on line today. sCaRy! What was it last year with the Chinese toy Aqua Dots that had elements of the Date Rape drug in the plastic? Geeesh.... beginners.

Contents below!

The set came with four types of uranium ore, a beta-alpha source (Pb-210), a pure beta source (Ru-106), a gamma source (Zn-65?), a spinthariscope, a cloud chamber with its own short-lived alpha source (Po-210), an electroscope, a geiger counter, a manual, a comic book (Dagwood Splits the Atom) and a government manual "Prospecting for Uranium."

2009-03-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

Time for a little reflection

Eric and i stopped over to see Jimmy and Grace last night. To commemorate his new kitchen - some new IKEA Medjal Cookpots were just the trick

2009-03-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

People you meet on the train/ plane.

As I mentioned in an earlier post - Eric and I made fast friends with our neighbor on our flight from Chicago. Cindy and I spent alot of time looking at her photos of Mexico. Very neat. Eric
made friends with the plane staff and managed to extract $60 worth of wine from the airline and was in a good and loud mood. He entertained Cindy quite a bit [ along with people around us]
The subject of Facebook came up and we discussed with Cindy about exchanging emails. After our plane landed, we walked with Cindy and helped with her camera bag until we found her family in baggage claim. Our friend Lynn soon found us and soon we were all talking with each other. After some hugs, we wished Cindy and her family off and we headed to Venice.

I had to laugh Friday after our return. The New York Times had a traveling article about riding on the long distance Amtrak trains. The author's experience completely mirrored our own. I will be the first to admit that in certain settings - I go into antisocial mode and really do not care to speak with anyone. i expected the train trip to be one of these times, where it would really be just Eric and I and the rest of the train could for all means, be empty so far as I was concerned. BUT IT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE.

Amtrak (1) Tom (0)

Amtrak touts the train trips as a social experience and they are right. “There Are No Strangers on a Train.” One way the train facilitates this with group dining. You are seated in groups of 4 - so naturally Eric and I were eating meals with new people 3 times a day.

I was not looking forward to this actually.

My experience has been one of initial greetings and then people across the table start doing the math on Eric and I and then get all rigid and stiff lipped. Not that i really care what anyone thinks, but it gets really tiring.

Our first dinner sorta followed the script. We sat with a couple from Fullerton who were very nice. They were on the way to Colorado Springs. The gentleman's father had just passed away and they were going to the funeral. The man spoke about how much he liked train travel but I really did not feel like they had much to say to us and I kept my best to keep the conversation going. The whole .. ask nice questions and do not expect any reciprocal interest in return game. Which was basically most of the dinner. Finally I inquired about the man's line of work and he replied he was a traveling salesman for a musical instrument distributor. From there the conversation picked up a bit and Eric and he discussed types of drums and symbols. The man was clearly impressed with Eric's knowledge and started to loosen up a bit. So the dinner ended up on a slight upshot.

[insert whimpy rant here ]

It would good to reflect on the dinner as a positive [ which it was ] but again - I do not have the energy any longer to help strangers with their Gay comfort level. I realize it is good to alter people's impressions and stereotypes - but it is like a tax burden straight people never have to deal with.

I should not complain. At my last job over the course of my first five years, barriers were knocked down and even the most conservative of my coworkers managed to set most of their bias aside and admit that they respected my work and actually liked me. But all that extra barrier breaking charm routine - takes a lot of energy and effort.

Things are much better these days I freely volunteer. But still.... 3 weeks ago in a lunch meeting at my new job, my inquisitive boss managed to ask out loud in front of everyone "so you are going with your girlfriend?" [on the trip] and I promptly put him off his track telling him that I was going with my partner Eric.

[ the whole rest of the room already knew ] but somehow the room got quiet as i replied.

So you can understand the antisocial mode sometimes. Which made the rest of our trip on the train a bit of a surprise. Our next morning breakfast we sat with a couple told us all about their anniversary trip and as it turns out - they lived in a town next to my hometown. and they knew my brother-in-law's nephew. Small world. It was really interesting.

After lunch, I spent 35 minutes in the lounge talking to 2 Amish famers about green technology and politics. [ seriously] The next day[?] in the lounge while I Photoshopped, an Amish group started singing for 35 minutes[?]. Eric did not quite care for it. I thought it was interesting. Though Eric's recording of it on his cellphone - does sound rather creepy.

Of course our dinner that night took the cake. We sat with an older couple on their way back from Albuquerque. They went for a visit and during the visit - they decided to move to the area and managed to buy a house! They were on their way back home to pack their stuff. These folks were definitely on their own reality plane, but it was a really good one. They also kept asking Eric and I if we were actors. And told us we looked liked actors. We tried to pop that bubble - but that did not happen. Mrs. went on to tell us later she would look for us in the movies but she figured we might change our names because movie stars do that.

I really want whatever cough syrup this lady was drinking. OF course - during the dinner conversation, we asked about their line of work and [ ta da] does the man tell us he is

an Elvis impersonator.

....and after spending 30 minutes with them, Eric and i did not even skip a beat. He even said he did Roy Orbson. Which I could totally believe. He even pulled out pictures for us.

You cannot for pay for this kinda of alter reality. Their sense of optimism was wonderful. It must have been through the train. Earlier that day Eric and I were in the lounge listening to a man tell the steward that he was moving his family to Phoenix and he just got a new job as a forklift operator at $16 a hour. He was very enthusiastic.

Then he mentioned that he has 11 children.

It must have been in the train tap water or something. I shoulda drank more of it.

At the end of our trip, we spotted our friends at the platform and exchanged hugs and wished them the best in New Mexico. Mrs. by now was referring to me as Tommy and told us that they would be looking for us [ in the movies?]

So despite my ranting, i think the train shaved off a layer or two of my antisocial jade. And still makes me smile.

2009-03-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

Left turn at Albuquerque

Our train had a 2 hour stop in Albuquerque along the way. So Eric and I hopped off the train and took a walk downtown to take a look around.

2009-03-08T10:38:00.001-07:00

All Aboard!

The Southwest Chief pulled out of LA at sunset and Eric and I settled in to our room before dinner. The first class rooms are very nice and probably the only way either of us could manage to spend 41[?] hours on a train. The room has a large picture window to watch the scenery change along with 2 bunks and a private bathroom. If the room gets boring, the observation car and lounge are open pretty much the whole time. Sleeping car passengers get a attendant service - so we were allowed to pick all our meal times.

2009-03-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the Train

Eric and I got the station early before our departure and I took some time to snap a few pics of the station and one of the trains. Beautiful place. Reminds me that there was a time when train travel was much more prominent transportation and hopefully will be again someday.

This is the old main concourse inside the station. Current people traffic in the station apparently does not merit its use, so it is blocked off. Hopefully one day that will change.

2009-03-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

Last of LA

Some snips of Venice and some shopping outside of Union Station before our departure from Los Angeles.

Before we left Venice, Lynn and Robert took us to a local design furnishings showroom to check out a store I liked called Twenty Gauge. They refinish old steel furniture with a modern twist. Love their stuff. I hope to take an old steel tanker desk and make it a bathroom vanity at some point. The showroom had some other cool idea as well - including this old scoreboard as a wall hanging. COOL!

We also stopped at a street vendor outside the trains station to pick up a blanket for the train trip. I had many naps planned.

2009-03-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

Bleu the Wonder dog

We met Bleu on our last day in Palm Springs. I think he is an ambassador for the Orbit Inn where we were staying. A beautiful dog, very attentive in his duties at the inn. He gave everyone an initial nice greeting and welcome and then quickly resumed his focus on his ball or orange. His owner reported that Bleu likes swimming in the pool but is not really allowed to do so at the Inn. It was clear that Blue was looking for an excuse to swim but mindful that he was told not to. So... to our surprise... when Bleu was invited to take a step out on a floaty, he did so with remarkable skill. What appeared to be a momentary exercise before the dog took the plunge..turned into a 12[?] minute long display of canine dexterity and focus on retrieval of the toy of the moment - an orange. Bleu never did take a swim...but impressed us all with a great walk on the water.

2009-03-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

A Trip to the Salton Sea

I read last year a bit about the Salton Sea in California. A strange story of a large lake created by a dike failure in 1905. ... with a 356 sq mile lake as a result.. It became a tourist destination and development area at one point. [ 1940's?] The lake itself is slowly dying now and much of the development is abandoned[?] leaving strange apocalyptic sites to explore. We headed down Sunday morning to look around and came across this former public beach/playground and a former beach side resort. Strange eerie place. I felt like i was in a scene from planet of the apes.

2009-03-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

Palm Springs 2009

We took off to Palm springs around 11:30 and arrived at the Orbit Inn
before any other guests. A GREAT PLACE. It took Eric and I maybe four minutes to decide we loved the place and want to go back. A modernist 50's style place, all restored and furnished in jet set 50's furnishings by famous designers. I can see why our friends Cristian and Patricia love the place so much.

The party was a surprise, so after several other of the guests arrived early, we started plotting the best way to surprise our friend Cristian. I have an iMovie to work on for that. Palm Springs was a great place all around. i always have heard much about it, but this was our first visit. Eric and I started thinking about our future telecommuting jobs and retirement plans along with looking at real estate listings. [ This is a great time to invest......]

More shots of Palm Springs

Of course.... i think housing in Syracuse should probably be our priority.

We were in Palm Springs for Cristian's 40th birthday party along with a group of his friends and family that I had always heard about but never met. It was alot of fun to meet everyone and doing another round of "What were they thinking?"

2009-03-05T16:37:00.001-08:00

Welcome to LA 2009

Eric and arrived in LA Thursday around 5 after a long flight. US Airways managed to make the first part of our trip somewhat interesting. I initially choose seats when i made the reservations a couple of months back. I picked the seats behind a bulkhead to give us some extra leg room but the airline had other ideas. The day before our departure, i logged on to find that USAirways had strangely forgotten about my seat selections and instead had Eric and i seated at opposite ends of the plane. BUT ALL WAS NOT LOST - the airline had a new feature! Whereas I could chose from the remaining seats and pay an extra charge for what was free months before. So I bought the Schnooker - and plucked down $30 bucks extra. On our departure from Chicago - it turns out the airline sold us a seat already occupied...... SO after a couple of dirty looks at the steward, we were offered free drinks for the flight and we moved over to make room for our new friend Cindy. We actually had a very fun time on the flight discussing Photoshop and looking at Cindy's photo collections from Mexico. Eric entertained the immediate vicinity of the airplane after 5 wines and took to using his outdoor voice quite a bit. Meeting Cindy proved to be a foreshadow of the new people we met along our trip.

Lynn and her boyfriend Robert took us to a 50's style cafe the next morning before our departure to Palm Springs. We started the "what were they thinking" photo game.

2009-02-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

Reunited.

Last week I blogged regarding a lost song from childhood, convinced that due to obscurity - it was lost forever. BUT NOT TRUE. I often forget that this blog can, and is read on occasion by a unknown visitors from cyberspace. Apparently, while doing a lyric search, my new dear friend Jo - stumbled across my blog and the small snippet of lyrics i had typed from my distant memory...

And what-do-you-know - JO correctly identified this missing song and provided a link for me to purchase it on iTunes! It now happily sits in my collection and I have forwarded it to family members to share in the reunion joy. Eric quickly found a rather colorful gentleman from Ontario - who is also a fan of the song and decided to prove it on YouTube.

Enjoy! I am and so is this guy.

2009-02-05T15:26:00.001-08:00

Best toy I never got

OK - I REALLY wanted one of these baby's! Some may think that my yearn for a girl's toy at such an early age was some kind of sign. They would be wrong.

My keen interest in this toy was centered squarely on the concept of Food Production.

I was a hungry kid - and just the idea of making cake in my bedroom without the need [ or permission] of a parental unit was an Amazing concept.

Never got the Easy-Bake. But by 7th grade i had moved into the REAL KITCHEN. Mom did not seem to mind me pulling out her old Betty Crocker cookbook and making ALOT of cake.
I just had to have it all cleaned up before dinner time. I did not waste my time with anything savory. Just cake. and cookies. and pasteries. And alot of red food dye.

The Cake Baking phase died out thankfully - but I still have an embedded love for Kitchens.

2009-02-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

Best toy ever

I had a Close and Play just about the time this commercial came out. I am not sure if I asked for it or not - but it was love all the same. If you see in the video - the white knob on the front - that's a volume knob. If you wanted extra volume - i think turning the knob drove the needle down harder on the record. Cleaver idea. A couple of plays with extra volume and voila! - you get a box full of black shavings! cool!

I had a very special source for records. The Dry cleaning man. Yes - back in 1972[?] the Dry cleaning man [ along with the milk man..] delivered right to your house. And the dry cleaning man also brought old promo records from the AM radio station in town. WEBO! So I had a special psychedelic colored record box full of records of songs nobody wanted to hear.

I had one favorite record. "You keep me hangin' on" - you've heard it before?

No you haven't.

Despite the title similar to a Supreme's[?] song - this one was completely different.

"You keep me hangin' on...

You keep my love so strong..

You keep me

hangin'

hangin'

hangin'

You keep my love SO strong......"

The record got some major airplay in the house over the years. It became even MORE entertaining when Kristin and I figured out that if you put my electric record player on the Neutral setting - you could play the record at whatever speed your finger could spin the record. If you swung around the play arm - you could play it backwards.

That's right! Al Gore may have invented the InterWeb,

but I invented record Scatchin'!

It always turned into one of those events where an 8 and 7 year old are laughing so hard - their tummies hurt big time. And Mom would yell from the kitchen to STOP WHATEVER WE ARE DOING because it is sure to be BAD if we are laughing that hard.

I have searched for the record - but alas - it was a promo.

A promo that never saw a dime -0

So I think all 43 copies of the record are resting in landfills now. Sigh.

UPDATE!!

While I have never been on to rely on the kindness of [ internet] strangers, a visotr to my blog this week - Jo - correctly identified my long lost song!

2009-02-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

Snuggy!

I knew this was coming. Eric and I mock this every time we see it. Eric is threatening to buy a couple as Xmas gifts next year. I have an even better idea for next year - but I am keeping it under my hat.... for now. Sorry for the off color language - but it's funny and true.