Quadra

If you’ve been following me on twitter, FB, +1, Foursquare, etc, you know I was down in Houston this past weekend for my friend Trevan’s birthday. He does a big shindig every year with 3 of his other friends to celebrate their mutual July birthdays. With the passing of one of the guys, they decided this was the last year for the big event. I didn’t get to go down last year so I had to make it this year. [1]Even though I couldn’t really afford it. Ain’t credit grand? On top of being the last year, one of our mutual friends, Michael W, came down as well. Its easily been a decade since all three of us have been together.

Trev and Mikey knew each other about a year or so before Trev and I met. The three of us have known each other for right at two decades now. Needless to say, it was great to catch up and see them. Trev and I always have fun together and when you throw Mikey in the mix, it promises to be a fun-filled occasion. So naturally, I had a blast. heehee

Being a special occasion and a much needed pick me up, I had a lot to drink. There was the pool party on Saturday w/open bar followed by the big birthday celebration itself that night…more drinks. lol   Sunday was brunch at Baba Yega’s….endless mimosas. Dinner at Barnaby’s. After dinner, you guessed it, more booze at a couple of the local bars. lol Oh but I ain’t done yet. My flight home was delayed by two hours. I promptly made friends with my row mates. We proceeded to buy each other drinks thru our 4 1/2 hour flight (courtesy of a 20-30 minute holding pattern once we actually go to SFO). Oh yes, we had a blast. Thank the stars I didn’t have in-flight wifi cause the updates might have been NSFW!

Anyway, seeing them brought back a lot of memories of our times together and in general. Mikey and I were talking one night and he asked if Trevan was the only reason I still came back to Texas. My answer, without any hesitation was yes.  It actually surprised me a bit because I kind of always thought I’d have ties to the area. It struck me now that my little brother has moved up to Tennessee, I haven’t really felt drawn to go back, other than to see Trevan. I have other friends there [2]including my new in-person friend Darrel from twitter. Hi Darrel! lol and this is no discredit to them but I’ve known Trevan a long time. If he moved away, I doubt I’d go back much at all. Oh, I’d still get back at times but the frequency would be greatly diminished. My point of this sort of off topic rant is I made the right choice to leave. I have absolutely no regrets and every time I do go back, the reminders seem to be that much stronger.

So, I’m on vacation for the rest of the week. Nothing else planned other than detoxing. I ate so much Whataburger I’m sure I need a few extra days of cardio not to mention purging the remnants of the gallons of booze I consumed while there (and en route back).

References

References
↑1 Even though I couldn’t really afford it. Ain’t credit grand?
↑2 including my new in-person friend Darrel from twitter. Hi Darrel! lol

404 Error

So for some unknown reason, my last post about Google’s new +1 service isn’t allowing comments and is throwing a 404 page when you try to post a comment. I have no idea why its doing that. lol Anyway, if you have a gmail account (that is public) and want an invite when they reopen them. Comment here instead since I can’t seem to fix.

+1

I was lucky enough to score a beta invite to Google’s new +1 (plus one) aka Google+. [1]Thanks to several blog buddies who sent me invites I’ve been using it several days now and already I like it way better than Facebook. First and foremost, if and when you ever decided to leave Google+, you can take all your data with you. I’d love to see you try that w/FB. Mind you, some of the features are very similar just with different names. Friend groups are called Circles for example.

Visually, the layout is very user-friendly and easy on the eyes. I found it very simplistic and uncluttered. One might say too uncluttered. Of course, being in beta that is understandable. Anyway, if you’ve ever used Facebook, you’ll find some familiarity to it. Overall, it’s a much nicer interface. Navigation is super easy as well. While everything isn’t 100% integrated, its very easy to bounce around to your gmail, calendar, contacts, youtube, buzz, etc via the ever present in-page toolbar that is common to most Google sites. Your news feed aka Stream is pretty straight-forward and easy to navigate as well.

My personal opinion is that integration is going to be key for Google+.  Right off the bat, you get the option to merge your existing picasa account when you sign up. The two services worked seamlessly together. Changes/additions/deletions in picasa showed up immediately in +1. You still have to do most of your editing/organizing thru the picasa site directly. I expect that will change over time. Google has focused on tying a lot of their services together and +1 is obviously going to become the hub of that integration. Not to mention, you have easy access to your main Google dashboard right from the site via the afore mentioned toolbar.

The chat function is called “hangout”. You can chat with up to 10 people at once, with or without video. I encountered one bug while using it but I think it had more to do with my cheesy laptop cam. Otherwise, it worked as expected.

Privacy is much easier to use. For some this will be a big bonus. Beyond the option to take your data with you if you leave, every section can be customized to your liking. It’s a simple right click on the section to customize settings. Some are auto-shared, others are not. I found it very intuitive. You can immediately make changes. It also respects your settings from picasa as well i.e. public vs private albums.

A huge bonus for me was the mobile app. Its currently only available for Android devices but I read an iOS version is coming as well as a mobile website. The mobile app is equally simple and easy to use. It had one feature which I fell in love with immediately. You can set you Android device to automatically upload your pictures and/or videos from your phone directly to the site. You can upload all your existing media as well as auto-upload any new media you acquire. Even better, the upload directly is automatically marked private. This is obvious for so many reasons but I appreciate the fact that they realize every pic I take with my phone isn’t always fit for “public” consumption. heehee  Sharing is expected and made easy but it isn’t forced on you like Facebook does.

There is a new feature which I’m still getting used to called Sparks. Its basically like their tag service which lets you set a saved search option that constantly updates. In other words, if you like all things Android, you can set a Spark that updates constantly from across the web with any references to Android. You can set it to be as detailed or vague as you want. Basically, you save a key word or phrase and it will update for you continuously. I currently consume most of my news via my phone’s RSS app but this might be a nifty feature for those who don’t utilize their phone for reading.

People are already incorrectly referring to it as a “Facebook killer.” Hardly. Facebook is firmly entrenched into our way of life. And I don’t think Google is under any illusion it will kill Facebook. That said, this won’t be a failed venture like their Wave Project. Google’s only failure here would be to let the service languish as it has for a variety of other beta projects in the past. Its obvious Google has big plans for this new service and if I’m right in my thinking, it will quickly become a portal for all things Google and social networking. Even in beta, its off to a huge start. Done properly, it will become the competitor that the doomed mySpace used to be. Competition would encourage FB to actually respond to more user feedback/complaints. A good thing in my book. Both FB and Google have huge user bases, of which often overlap, so I can’t either killing off the other.

Of course, being in beta there are a few cons. I think many of these will change over time. The biggest being you can only auto-add friends via your current list of Google users. You can manually add/invite others but that is very time consuming. There is currently no option to add friends directly from your twitter or Facebook accounts. You can search your hotmail or yahoo email, but I don’t use either of those so that didn’t help me at all. There is very little integration outside of other Google services. You also can’t import or export to/from twitter. You can pull an RSS feed of your stream but that’s sort of a workaround.

As mentioned, the service is off to a roaring demand. In fact so much in demand, inviting others has been turned off a couple times already. If you’d like an invite, make sure your email address (preferably a gmail one) is included with any comments below.

PS. I’m sure you noticed, I added the +1 icon to my blog posts as well. click, click, click!

References

References
↑1 Thanks to several blog buddies who sent me invites

Hip Hop

If you’ve been following me on twitter or Facebook, you know Spike hasn’t been doing so well the last few days. He woke up the other morning and his hip was really bothering him. Poor thing, while he was trying to pee (lift his leg) he lost his balance and fell down. It would have been comical had I not been so sad. He turned and looked at me like I’d done something to him. It took him a few minutes to realize he was having issues. I promptly freaked out, got really upset, and almost started crying. [1]Yes, I cry. I’m a typical Aquarian in that I’m very emotional  He got thru it and I actually carried him upstairs. Not because he couldn’t make it on his own, I was afraid he might irritate his already unsteady hip.

Hip dysplasia is a very common ailment for English bulldogs and Spike being almost 9 (in just 2 short months) I guess its good that its taken this long to manifest. All of Spike’s siblings have passed away already according to Apple guy. I guess it was only a matter of time before Spikey succumbed to something. Luckily, he seems to be on the mend. He is limping a lot less and we are massaging and stretching his leg daily. At this point, we’re only trying non-invasive treatments. I’ve put him on a glucosamine regimen that he will remain on permanently, either thru his food or treats. I’m hoping rest and supplements are enough right now as I don’t have a lot of extra cash at the moment. If this doesn’t work, I’ll look at steroidal/arthritis supplements as well. It seems in Bullies dysplasia and arthritis go hand in hand.  Often the dysplasia increases the arthritis symptoms.

As I mentioned, he is doing better. I’ve been keeping his outside walks very short and he seems to be responding. He’s been putting more weight on it and walking around more and more like normal every day. We broke out his heating pad again [2]under his bedding to help keep his him warm at night and during his many naps. Keep your fingers crossed by the end of this week he’ll be almost back to normal. Sadly, this means he won’t get to go on as many walks. He loves to go out and I’ll have to come up with ways to get him out w/o overworking his hip. I have no problem getting him a red Flyer wagon and dragging him around in it. lol He would totally love it too. The problem would be keeping him in it. His eagerness and excitement is unabated and he loves attention.

I’m not prepared to think worst case scenario right now. I’m still shocked at how attached I’ve become. I grew up on a farm. I raised livestock and pets and never felt this much angst. The very thought of losing him drives me to tears. I love that damn dog and my life just won’t be the same without him.  And no, I have no desire to replace him now or later. If and when he does get to that point there will be absolutely no discussion of replacing him.

References

References
↑1 Yes, I cry. I’m a typical Aquarian in that I’m very emotional
↑2 under his bedding

GHHD

Well gay fans, Gay High Holy Day #1 (aka Pride) is here. This weekend promises to be a doozey as the weather is nice. Instead of blathering on about the need for gay holidays, pride, etc this year I thought I’d just wish everyone a happy and safe Pride weekend. I figure if you don’t know by know why we still need such events, your obviously living under a rock somewhere.  Whether you’re out in a major way or just going about your daily life, take a moment to look back on how far we’ve come and the road still ahead.

I’ll be out and about. I don’t have any concrete plans other than the Pink party on Saturday and the festival on Sunday. I’m sure shenanigans will ensue at some point but you know I’m not one to gossip. Lol   I’m dirt poor at the moment but thankfully the event is mostly free. I won’t be doing any big parties or that sort of thing.

So as I said, whether you’ll be tooting it up or having a quiet evening at home, reflect for a moment and be proud of who/what you are. Know that you are not alone and that across the country you’re brethren, who were born ‘a little different’ just like you, are celebrating our freedoms.

Have a safe and happy Pride weekend all.

Pinch Me

Jimbo had a rant about fake bloggers the other day on his blog so I thought I’d weigh in. I must admit, its been a long time since anyone called me a fake here. I guess partly because I don’t blog as much as I used to. I also post so much of myself online, you have to be a bloody idiot to think I’m a fake. lol  I’ve blogged before about fakes but I figure its worth repeating.

Anyway, I got a kick out of all the outrage that people were blathering on about. Really? You’re shocked that someone is posing as someone else online? You obviously don’t get out enough. Yeah, I get why people are upset but you have to temper that with a bit of reason. People effin’ lie! They’ve been doin it for centuries and this new fangled interweb thingy just makes it that much easier. I liked that Jimbo ranted about the old AO-Hell [1]my moniker for the ever shitty AOL. The only company that I ever said has customer service worse than AT&Tdays. The fakes back then were fast and free and it was almost an art form to be able to separate the real from the fake. With a little bit of patience and objectivity, it really is easy to spot the fakes. Let little ole me edumacate you in the process. (I’m referring to personal blogs of everyday people.)

Rule #1 and the most important axiom to follow. As my maw-maw always said, ‘believe none of what you hear, and half of what you see.’ That just means if it sounds to good to be true, it usually is. Or at the very least, you should proceed with caution until you know for sure.

Pictures are a tried and true give away. People who chronicle their lives thru blogs naturally enhance their blogging thru pictures/videos. Pics/videos also evolve over time as people do. This is a big one for me personally. If I stumble over a personal blog with no pictures of the blogger, I’m already wary.

If the blogger has to go to great lengths to convince you they are real, they probably aren’t. I had one faker try to use me as ammo once because we had interacted online for awhile. I guess he thought I’d vouch for him. Considering I’d never met said person and only seen one self-pic, I took him with a grain of salt. When he tried to drag me into the blog war, I quickly let him know I wouldn’t be vouching for anyone I’d never seen in person. He then tried to act all hurt. Bless his heart.

Disclosure: I myself got suckered once, big time. I’m happy to admit it. I got hoodwinked partly because I wanted to believe the person was real. I ignored some of the small cues that gave it away. In the end someone else, out of bitterness which I also didn’t approve of, exposed the fake. It would have come out eventually but the way it did was messy and had a very nasty ripple effect.

So there you have it. If you can use my methodology above, you’ll have a hard time getting suckered.

To be fair, I still read a couple blogs that I know are fake. I find the blog( s ) entertaining and as long as they don’t hurt anyone, who am I to judge? [2]One of them I’ve been reading almost as long as I’ve been blogging. And no, don’t ask me cause I’m not trying to stir up drama for anyone else.  And at the end of the day, that is the final distinction for me. If someone perpetrates harm then I’m having none of it and all for exposing them for the liars they are. But I also realize not everyone is comfortable being themselves, even in an online scenario. We have artists/authors who perform under alias all the time.  Omission is still lying. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning lying. Its pointless and often leads to grief. But I also don’t act all self-righteous every time I discover someone is a fake. Nor do I go on a witch hunt. I wish everyone was as bluntly honest as I am but sadly, it just ain’t so. I live/act how’d I’d like the world to be but I also realize I can’t control others.  For you few long time readers, you know I’m all about distinctions. Some distinctions, however subtle, are the most important.

References

References
↑1 my moniker for the ever shitty AOL. The only company that I ever said has customer service worse than AT&T
↑2 One of them I’ve been reading almost as long as I’ve been blogging. And no, don’t ask me cause I’m not trying to stir up drama for anyone else.

Learn-ed

I took an instructor development class a couple weeks ago as part of my CE [1]continuing education requirements for work. I bring it up because there was a hottie in the class that I totally kept staring out. Totally straight but oh mah gawd was he hawt!

He turned out to have a bit of an ego (naturally). Ever notice how you can pick up someone’s body language and they don’t realize they are doing it? That’s called body leakage. [2]Get your minds out of my gutter He kept giving little signals that he was annoyed during his critic sessions. I know the instructors picked up on it because they always seemed to go overboard with trying to reassure him. hehehe

Anyway, I actually learned some things. I’ve always considered myself a good instructor but I did learn a few things that I think will definitely help. Some of the techniques seem obvious now even though I’d never really thought of’em before. The hands-on was excellent and I thought the critics of me were dead-on. One being I have a habit of speaking really fast. I often reinforce my teaching but speaking fast can often leave someone behind when they are struggling. 

On the other side of the coin, I will say some of the instruction was a bit too PC. It seemed to put instruction ahead of behavior issues. Not sure I agree with that. I can understand the fine balance  between the two and keeping an unruly student involved but at some point no amount of instruction will overcome a student’s negative behavior.

Anyway, it was a nice break from work even though I had to be up at butt-thirty early in the morning for class. By Thursday, my brain had pretty much shut down. Thankfully, it was all mostly hands-on at that.

References

References
↑1 continuing education
↑2 Get your minds out of my gutter

Fibber

Ever have someone lie right to your face? Even better, the person has no idea you already know their lying? lol  Then when you confront them, they make pathetic, out-of-character excuses that are hysterical.

I’d love to hear stories on similar cases.

Decade

So I’ve been in SF 10 whole years now. Wow, does the time fly! I mean it seems just like yesterday that I was making the pilgrimage to SF. I can scarcely believe it. I can remember packing up my little U-haul and heading West. It was a sunny (read “hot”) afternoon. I’d just come home from a very nice and somewhat tearful going-away party at my old job. My friend Michael had flown down to help me drive back. I said goodbye to my friend/roommate Trevan and took off for greener pastures never once looking back. I knew instinctively that I’d never be back [to live there].  I can also remember what a mess I was too. You few very long time readers can attest to that. Speaking of, I’m pushing 7 years on this here blog-thing. lol

To say I was a free spirit back then was an understatement! I moved around a lot as young adult. I never seemed to find myself. I honestly think without even realizing it I was looking for a place to call home. I never stayed long in one place and putting down roots was something to be avoided at all costs! I can remember one rather abrupt relationship I had gotten myself into. I woke up one day and thought to myself, ‘what the hell am I doing here?’ Of course, I’d moved for a guy. We met at a club and two weeks later I was moving into his trailer. [1]Did I mention I was a mess? lol Six months after that, I realized I wasn’t happy with him, my location, or my dead-end job. Had it not been for the sex I doubt it would have even lasted that long. I promptly up and moved the next day, albeit without his knowledge. The great thing about having no roots is you have very little to worry about when you move. Needless to say, I didn’t always make the best decisions back then either. Years later, I did make amends to the guy. Not that it mattered, he had quickly replaced me with someone younger and ditsier two weeks after I left. Clearly, he wasn’t all that heart-broken. Anyway, I think that was the first time I’d realized that a lot of the drama in my life was self-induced.

I admit my world view back then was somewhat limited. I was very naïve and had no clue for the most part. lol I acted on instinct and desire. But like it or not, Houston did have some roots for me. It was always a safe-haven when my latest attempt to “find myself” fell apart. It wasn’t until I moved to SF that I actually felt like I wouldn’t need it anymore. Don’t get me wrong, there will always be things about Houston, and the South in general, that I miss but SF is home for me now. Who knows if it will stay home but that’s definitely a topic for another day. Of course, we either have till October 2011 or 2012, depending on which nutjub is prophesying our destruction next. Regardless, I’ve been here 10 years and still feel very much at home.

I look at the person I was then and now and I’m amazed in the differences. The blog has helped so much I can’t even count the number of times. That and learning to look outside my little box and be proactive vs reactive. Ironically, I still look to the future with a sense of wonder. I don’t see my life as locked or unchangeable. While I do get a bit bogged down at times, I still see the future as something to look forward to. I think on some level, I used to be afraid if I ever settled down I’d become boring. Luckily, I’ve learned boring and stability do not have to be the same thing!

References

References
↑1 Did I mention I was a mess? lol