Sooooo-ooome wheeere, ooover the rainboooooow......

This is what I saw as I was leaving work today; probably the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen!

But last week was just a crappy week. Things seemed to be going all right enough early on, but I was starting to have a pretty strong allergic reaction on Thursday morning. Tree pollen, maybe Cedar... my nose started running, it was disgusting. My face, every part of it started itching intensly.

And then I started sneezing.

Not demure little "atchoo, 'scuse me" sneezes, but these great huge explosive sneezes where people jump and wonder if a bomb had gone off. And when they turn to the source of this noise, they would see me looking dazed, red faced and rather un-attractive.

I went into work on Saturday morning, but I knew I wasn't going to make it through the day. There was no way I could wait on customers. Even if I could make them believe that I didn't carry the new bird flu and that I couldn't infect anyone...

So I did something that I never do. I went home to get some rest and left the work to the other people on my team. Remarkably, the store survived, we did good business and no one died.

O.K. So sue me! Once and a while I forget that I am doing retail, not brain surgery and that the fate of all mankind does not rest upon my shoulders exclusively. I am sorry, but I will be mother and pour tea, and claw you to pieces if you try to hurt my babies. Ah, in the end, I suppose it's all ego, ego, ego, but then why else get up in the morning?

Hehe.

Oh yeah, the other work thing. The guy who I had just hired as cheese specialist and totally expected to promote to Associate Team Leader, the guy who would take care of things while I was in Ireland in March, told me that his last day would be February 26th.

What!? What tha fuck? Ten days before I leave for Europe!

Well, he's married to an English woman and she's brilliant, I like her. And she's just been offered a job that that she really wants; it's something that she's trained for and it's in her home town, Manchester. Those of you who have been closely following this narrative in a linear fashion, will have already noticed that Manchester is in the U.K., not in New Orleans. So he's going there with his wife and her family has found him a job there as well. And because he is married to an English woman, he can work there right away, at least after paying a little penalty of 200 pounds or so per year. (btw, that's English money, not lbs. I know there's a way to make that money symbol and I could figure out how after a while, but really, how many times is this going to come up in this journal?)

Anyway you cut it, he's leaving. I have to hand it to the people I work with and for. Not one of them said, "well hey, you'll just have to cancel your trip!" We are working on how to make it work. (And remember that rant in the beginning? Yes, its' still true. The world will not come to an end if I leave for 12 days.) But, I do worry about putting my team through a lot of stress. On the other hand, while I'm off and collecting vacation benefit time, all the money the team would have been spending on my labor goes into the pool, which will be split amongst them at the end of the period. The bitterness they might feel at my deserting them will probably be ameliorated by a hefty increase on the monthly gain sharing check. And who knows? I might actually find someone to do fill the position before then.

So, I am not cancelling out on the Ireland trip. (Unlike some people that we will not name here because we love them no matter how much we are cross with them and want to spank them very strongly!)

The people at Neal's Yard of London, (famous cheese exporters to the states) will be setting up some visits for me, and those two other faithful companions, massy and pebbles, to several farmstead cheese makers in Ireland. Alright. This may not be everyone's idea of an amazing time, but for me, it's nearly as good as it gets! I want to go to Ardrahan Farm and talk to Mary Burns and see her very unique herd of registered Fresians, (the oldest registered herd in existence) and see how they make the wonderful washed rind cheese that we sell. And I want to visit Louis Grupp, who makes Cashel Blue, who I met in San Fransisco last summer, and see how he makes that cheese.

And, of course, I will take pictures and lots of notes, because a few weeks later, I'll be giving a presentation to our South West Specialty Team Leaders meeting in Colorado.

Ah! So you thought that this trip was just a frivolous vacation? Bwahahaha!

Actually, it's all going to be fun. The fact that it happens to fit in with my work is just a big plus. It's all part of why I am happy to be working again, to be working for a company where my passion for food is highly valued. And when I get back, I will tell customers about my trip; I will tell them stories about the cheeses that I saw being made.

You know, they love my stories. They buy the cheese, take it home and they love the cheese! They come back to hear another story... and I always have another story, I work very hard to make sure that I do.

It's what I do.

And I'm pretty good at it.

-d.

The final evening...

I found out that zilla had left! Shit, pussy and goddam! I thought he was still with us.

But he was not.

Still we went to GC's place and Doc was there! Nice to see him.


Then we all started up to that big house on the rim. We got to that place, just like last year, and we went in...

The house was the same and actually, the same guy owned it! luca talked to him. He told luca that he liked this house all right..

but that now he preferred his house in Palm Springs!

Can you imagine having a 12 million dollar house that is just extra, like you prefer some other place....





Pebs would know...





you can leave your hat on.


yee-ass baby. hehe.

Tuesday

We met Alex at the Blue Moon. He told us that he had been kept awake all night! All that noise. coming from the wanking room next door all night, he said. It kept him up, he said. hehe.

We all had lunch right around the corner at a nice place. a cheap local place and then went to the strip...

We went to meet Pebs, and saw the fattest Elvis impersonator in the world in the lobby of the Barbary Coast; the man was huuuuge!

After that we went to the Bellagio so we could see the lil' exhibit they had there about some English house... it was O.K.

After that, it was time for coffee...



Alex had found a cake!

Then we had coffee.



Then we went to Fremont Street the old gambling street!

Four Queens will get you a big....






Then we met at the New York, NY Casino. We were going to the Zoomanity Show, but we had some time to kill, a bit of gambling, and dinner. While we were waiting to get together, I won $160 and zilla won $100 and luca won $30. We all felt so lucky.

We alll ate at this Italian restaurant, it was nice enough.

Then we went to the show, Zoomanity. The show was a kind of modern burlesque show... the gurls were most healthy. There were gay boys who mooked on each other... and a beautiful midget, one which we all admitted that we would do... haha.

Red Rock

Yes, indeed, this huge desert valley was so beautiful as Pebs, Alex, Chris and luca... and I with my camera looked on!

Breath taking...!




But, soon enough, da sun come down and we got freezing cold...










So, it was Monday night and we went to GC's and Bok's place for a party.

And met up with Tristan, aka Denver...







Yeaaaa! Zilla! Posing with Pebs and the F- you, F-you etc. tee shirt. Ya just got to love the man!

So, that Sunday nite...

We all met on that bridge in front of the Venitian and then went in, and up to one of the upper floors, where we eventually found one of the hospitality suites: the one for the "Good Boys Gone Bad" party. Yikes!

We all got in to the party, and right away, I saw Brandon

of of "Party With Brandon" Fame, a local boy from New Orleans.

We all introduced each other and then went off to get drinks.

We all settled down to talk and I met Tristan for the first time...

, but there were distractions...


Some people were on the couch.... (i.e. pebs, Bok, and...)




At one point in the party, I noticed that things had quieted down in the other part of the room. Everyone was standing on their toes taking pictures of the other side of the room.

OMG!

There was a "porn-formance" going on! Yup. They were doing it. (luca got some pics... and asked my if they were porn, hehe, and yes, they were.) You won't see them here, but I have them....


After this lurid party, we went to the Gypsy, that gay club and watched a very good drag show. We went there because ETinNYC had landed and we were happy to see him. After that, we went home to luca's house of pies.

Vegas, Day One.

So. I got off work and took my scooter to the place where they were going to do the regular maintenence while I was going to be out of town. Then I went home and sort of crashed. Got up and started to pack, then noticed that the film "The Women" was on teewee, and I watched that, enjoying every minute. Then it was eleven o'clock and an had barely started to pack. So I packed a bit and then went to sleep. Got up about three hours later and finished packing and called a cab for the airport, and got on a plane.

Once we were up in the air, the gurl next to me put on her headphones and started "dancing" in her seat.

This was a four and a half hour flight to SFO, and this gurl is going whack! Just when I was about to call the stewardess, the movie came on and she settled down. And I took a two hour nap. This was a free flight; so I flew over Vegas to San Fransisco and then flew back...

But our stop in SFO gave me a chance to have a Pete's Coffee White Mocha and stare a bit at the local airport scenery.



I finally arrived in fabulous Las Vegas!

As I was collecting my baggage, Alex popped up and gave me a big hug! A minute later, luca was there complaining about having to put in that extra 25 cents in the parking meter... hehe, but you just got to love him! I was so happy to be in Vegas with my friends!

We had lunch and then headed out to luca's "House Of Pies", otherwise known as his home now, in Vegas.



After that, we took Alex to his place at the "Blue Moon Resort" and a very gay resort... where Alex posed by the waterfall... (freezing his ass off by the way... it was soooo cold! hehe!)




Luca and I made our way to the bridge at the Venetian for the "traditional" meeting of the GayCams guys. As usual, it was a warm and happy meeting.


But then we went to this party...




..and everything got crazy...

Well, Christmas was alright...

We had a good enough time next door at Robert's house.

But this holiday is not my strong suite; lately I just don't do it well, and this year was no exception.

I got through this Christmas by the skin of my teeth.


And then once again Robert took me to a party, this one in the heart of the French Quarter at a very lovely house. One that I have covered here before... but this time...



...at midnight, we all went out into the street and looked up to the sky and watched the fireworks... with some amusing chums! hehe.




But a bit later!



We had all visited Lafiitte's, both upstairs and down, and we were slightly wacked.

We finally got home.... (Richard, Robert and I)

Happy New Year.

durlx





OMG! Vegas is next!!!!!