I want things - many things, but I just don't want other people to buy them for me. When I want something I go out and get it - it is now better to give than to receive (dirty minds some of you - really) - and I'm sitting around thinking: what do I get for the people who work for me, what do I get for nieces and nephews and what do I get for the siblings? Anything at all? Oh what a quandary I find myself in.
on - who doesn't love a scandal.
For me I know what I want and that is to complete my wardrobe with all of the essentials of a well dressed man. Details gave me the book and I've had a wonderful personal shopper who has been building my wardrobe for years. Add to that a stylist and I can't help but look good - even though I'm much more comfortable in a Lacrosse shirt and jeans. I should explain that looking good doesn't mean that I've become "more" handsome (that sounded vain) or anything like that; rather, it simply means that I'm better put together than I used to be. Some say that the clothes make the man - and that could be true - but could it be that clothes don't really matter when it comes to the man and that I'm completely wasting my money? Who knows.
Then comes the question about what I do for the holidays. I'm off so don't have to talk to the masses - I like saying that. But where do I go when the rest of the world is gathering to be together. I'm actually looking to get away! Do I go somewhere fantastic that I've been - like Nevis where the temperature right now is a beautiful 80 degrees with sun or do I do what I think I want to do and visit Europe and spend some time in the snow? I hate the cold, but I do look good in cashmere and I have a great cashmere coat that I bought from Mr. Ferragamo a few weeks ago when I saw the temperature was going to drop into the 50s and going out in this coat is just a statement that I like to make. Oh - that is not me in the picture (duh) - like I could be a model.
So the biggest questions for me are both selfish and non-selfish: do I do Europe or somewhere warm? Do I base the vacation destination on my wardrobe and what I think I look
good in or do I do a little bit of both? These seem like super unimportant things, but I have three weeks to fill and when I fill them I want to make sure that I'm doing it right. There is a place I want to visit again and that is Prague - I love Prague. The last time I was there I was able to have a fantastic Queen Latifa time - remember that movie? If you didn't you have to rent it - Last Holiday - she thinks that she's dying so she spends all of her money for a wonderful vacation and has the time of her life and realizes that she was not living at all. Good film - not Oscar stuff, but the things that make you smile are seldom the things that make the people at the Academy smile. Ever notice that? Award season is right around the corner so I'm wondering about that too - who is in who is out.
My next vacation is going to be to Israel so it goes without saying that I'll go to Israel over the course of the next year - I do it so often that it is like a recurring appointment, but it has been quite some time since I've dropped everything and just jetted off to Europe or somewhere fun to order room service and relax. That is my kind of vacation, but traveling is such a hassle. I do have the Blue Star Jet thing that I could use, but I'm one of those guys that saves up my miles to use only in an emergency - like when I need a flight that I can't get on. If you don't have a jet membership - I suggest it because it makes life easier and instead of sitting in an airport waiting to get somewhere (where the wait in the airport is longer than the flight itself) - I'm thinking - "save miles you may need them one day" - it is not like a hurricane is coming to southern CA, but if I used my miles on Blue Star I'm sure there would be an earthquake that I'd need to escape and a G5 can take off on a much shorter runway and American Express will always be there to help pay for it if need be. Gosh, I love AMEX... they can do anything.
The good news is that I've got my room for the "big night" and even have the car on reserve. Now I just need to wait for my tickets to arrive - oh what will I be invited to? I feel like I need a visit from the Ghost of Chanukah Future.
Speaking of that - Dickens would be rolling in his anti-Semitic little grave if he saw the version of the Christmas Carol that me and some of my colleagues put on at our annual Christmas party yesterday. Oh what a disaster, but it was fun. I forgot how great this time of year could be because it has been so surrounded by tragedy over the last few. First, a few years ago, came the death of a sister, then came yet more struggles with my back and this year I'm struggling, really struggling, with the death of a friend that I was not ever able to say a proper good-bye to. Katie's story is below, but I think about it every single day. I've also got "having fun" on my mind because sometimes I feel like having fun is a luxury that since some of my friends cannot have that I shouldn't have either.
I used to worry about the issues that divide us - things like sexuality and income, and we had a really hard time coming up with what to do: do we go straight one night and gay the next or do we just do straight without any consideration of gay? Do we go cheap or do we go more expensive and then I supplement the meal or activity for those who cannot afford it? It is a delicate balance because you don't want people to feel bad that they cannot afford things, but at the same time I don't want to eat at Outback Steakhouse when I could be sitting at Ruth's Chris or Mortons (the latter is my favorite chain), BUT my favori
te steak in the whole wide world is Mastro's Steakhouse on Canon in B. Hills.
There is nothing better when it comes to a steakhouse and I say anywhere that was good enough for Sinatra is good enough for me. I say that a lot - good enough for X = good enough for me. It is almost like I'm remembering David Hume from my days as an undergraduate so many years ago. I did love philosophy class and I have to admit that I was damn good at it. Good thing it is one of my majors.
Meanwhile, I sit at the precipice of a decision: to travel or not to travel; to be frugal or not to be frugal. I'm probably going to end up doing the latter and I have over 300,000 British Airways frequent flyer miles to use before February (many of which I earned by using the Concorde when she was flying - boy that was an amazing plane, but 13 hours to London is such a long time once you've done it in just a few), but what can you do when you just don't know where you want to go? I guess I could flip a coin, but do I really want to do that and risk not going to the right place OR do I just stay home for three weeks?
I've never actually done that before. I could shuttle between LA and Del Mar and play at the beach house and play in town for a few days at a time. I'm also thinking - do I take the dogs there and back or do I leave them at the pet hotel? I want to take them with me.
They are such good boys and they keep me company. I would miss them for almost a month. With gas prices as low as they are I should really drive as much as possible and with more than 500 horse power I should definitely take advantage of them and drive as much as possible.
To hell with global warming - it snowed in Houston and New Orleans! Talk to me about global warming when it actually starts to warm.
I would be remiss if I didn't talk about Chicago politics. Not because I live in Chicago or even care about what is going on in IL, but I find it delicious when political scandals rock America. They are fun - they are what I find almost as entertaining as Notre Dame football! Well, not so much this year since USC beat them in my own backyard, but come
on - who doesn't love a scandal. We should have known that Governor Blagojevich was dirty (outside of the fact that he is out of Chicago politics) - good Lord look at his hair! Far be it from me to talk about bad hair - I pay $6.50 for a haircut from Frank at the barber shop, but look at that. There is something dirty about a man who has that much hair, is governor and cannot get someone, anyone, to help him with it.
His chief of staff was willing to go to jail for him in order to sell a seat in the US Senate, they're bought anyway aren't they when it comes down to it, but he couldn't say to the guy - hey Guv - your hair can use some work.
orange and she was just chewing in the most disgusting way. I was watching as the Cheetos fell out of her mouth when she chewed and she just brushed whatever fell onto the forms of the people she was waiting on onto the floor.
THIS is just one of the many reasons that I do not find it unreasonable to have a Queer Eye episode for public servants. Ever been to the DMV? What are those people wearing. Oh, and I've noticed this over the years too.
WHY oh why are public servants (not the elected officials, but the people giving us our licenses and things like that) so fat? Is there a rule that says you MUST go and eat your way through the day?
I was getting my license plates from the DMV and the lady behind the counter (I needed new plates because for some reason I did not qualify for a mail in routine - don't ask me why).
So, I'm standing in line hoping that I do not get the lady who is munching on Cheetos - her fingers were
orange and she was just chewing in the most disgusting way. I was watching as the Cheetos fell out of her mouth when she chewed and she just brushed whatever fell onto the forms of the people she was waiting on onto the floor. Of course, and almost out of spite, I was blessed to stand next to her. There is nothing more disgusting to me than HEARING people eat. It is fine for me to see it during lunch or something, but there are things that bother me: people biting their nails or, worse, their cuticles (hello: even a cheap manicure at a strip mall is only like $10 - get them done right) and then there is the sound of eating. Oy gevalt I cannot tolerate that sound.
Anyway so after the Cheetos lady adjacent was finished with me I got my renewals in the mail and began to wonder - is it time for a new car already? Do I need so many cars? I mean I am no Jay Leno, but I like cars and this one has three stickers on the year thingy which means it is time for a new one. So I go car shopping. You'd think that car dealers were going out of business or something - oh wait - they are, but when I pulled up to the dealership to see if I wanted to take the next step into the next car I began thinking that I'm as unsure about the new car as I am about my Christmas vacation.
Do I want a really super fast car, as opposed to the already fast car, that I'll never be able to open up on the freeway? Do I want a gas guzzler because I feel better with a lot of car around me and do I want to continue not buying American? The only one I can say with certainty is that I will never ever buy an American car so that is not a problem, but the rest of the questions are too difficult to answer so I go shopping for something easier - stuff.
Just stuff. I fill my life with stuff and am empty on real things. I know that sounds kind of backwards, but I'm thankful for the people in my life, and I hope they know that, but when it comes to stuff how much can one guy buy? I need to be able to share my whole life with someone and it is driving me insane that I cannot do that with someone full time yet. One day I will - at least I hope it is coming. I'm closer to 40 than I am to 30 and even being in your "mid-30s" is supposed to be like your 20s, but for me there is no difference. One guy at Jose Eber even asked me if I wanted to color the gray out of my hair. Do I want to color the gray.
Maybe...
No comments:
Post a Comment