the Memorial Day weekend wrap-up... it was a $40 fast cash ATM kinda weekend...

This has been a BEAUTIFUL weekend! It all started with work on Friday. We've been prepping all week for a visit from our Regional Director and our new District Manager. And it went better than we ever could've hoped. They loved us. They loved our store. We really blew them away and it was obvious that we had. When the last thing the RD says to the store manager is, "Thanks, you just made my entire week", that's a very good thing.

Then I went to Toys R Us afterwards and found the new Marvel Legends action figures. I bought Iron Man, the Hulk and Captain America and they're SWEET. Massively articulated and great sculpts. I'm looking at them across my living room right now. *waves at Iron Man*

Friday night, I went out with Jonathan to the Quarter. We started off with dinner at Angeli. Then we wandered over to Good Friends for a drink and the use of the ATM. Then we spent most of the rest of the evening just hanging out and drinking at Lafitte's. Ran into Beau for a brief moment and made plans with him for later in the weekend.

Saturday, I slept late and then salvaged a Weber grill that had been abandoned behind the apartment complex next door. A bit of scrubbing and it was good as new. Then I went to the New Orleans Wine and Food Expo at the Convention Center. I had a free pass to the $75 Grand Tasting and also got my friend Robert into it. A GREAT afternoon spent tasting dozens of wines and champagnes. Robert is a lot (LOT) more knowledgable about wines than me, so having along was a trip.

I've been trying to eat out more at finer restaurants of late and one thing I've discovered while doing so is that I really like nicer wines. So, the Expo was an opportunity for me to learn quite a bit and discover some wines that I might like. A really nice moment was having Robert tell me, "you're good at this" in reference to my attempts to describe the "experience" of each wine. He's not someone to give out untrue compliments. I think I may need to take some wine-tasting classes...

Anyways, after tasting a LOT of wine, here are a couple that I'll definitely be buying (and they're all pretty inexpensive - under $20):

Jacob Creek Chardonnay
Heathfield Ridge Sauvignon Blanc (very sweet, almost tastes like a Riesling)
Heathfield Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon (this wine blew everyone I knew at the Expo away - incredibly yummy)
J Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon
King Estate Pinot Gris (especially the Reserve, but this has been a recent favorite of mine anyway)

After the Expo, I came home and took a nice nap. Can't imagine why I'd need it after a Wine Expo... and then I used the new to me grill to make some burgers.

Then back out to the Quarter with Jonathan to meet up with Robert. Drinking at Lafitte's again and then dancing at Oz. Not normally one of my favorite bars, but since all the little tweaky fags that I hate (um... sorry, Jonno) were in Pensacola, it was pretty fun. Not so crowded that you couldn't actually dance on the dancefloor and lots of cute toursit boys. I did learn that I need to get over the paranoia that I sometimes have. Early in the nite, I saw this boy continually staring at me and talking to his friend and sort of laughing. I was convinced they were laughing at the way I dance. Later in the nite, the boy walks by me and strokes my arm. So the boy LIKED me, duh. Anyways, home around 4 am...

Sunday, bloody Sunday... Got up around noon and headed to Bywater Bar-B-Que to meet Beau for brunch. Very yummy and we sat in the courtyard (gotta love New Orleans). Then we went to The Country Club for the afternoon to lay out and catch some sun. First time I'd been there during they day and I loved it. Very casual atmosphere, 95% gay, of people just hanging out, swimming, catching rays, being naked if they choose to be so, and etc. A nicely mixed crowd of older, younger, hipper, not so hip and not many divas at all. I'll be back...

After a quick shower at Beau's we headed to the Quarter AGAIN, just in time for Tea Dance at the Bourbon Pub. We bounced from there to Oz to Lafittes over the course of the nite. Beau was on the prowl for a boy. I was pretty laid back.

And then...

I met someone very interesting. I was instantly attracted to a guy Beau introduced me to. Older than me by a couple years, but dressed exactly like I would want my future boyfriend to be dressed. (um... not that I'm getting ahead of myself... seriously) He was a goofy obnoxious guy who was singing along loudly to the 80s retro videos that Lafitte's was playing, and making up his own extremely funny lyrics half the time. He had a great green snake tattoo curled around his arm onto his back. His knowledge of semi-obscure 80s dance music rivals mine. He remixes records as a career (sorta unique for New Orleans). He lives uptown, not too far from me. He's damned cute.

And he interrupted his singing long enuff to tell me that I was cute.

And then he interrupted it long enuff to offer his phone number to me. Which I took.

And the last thing he said to me when we left was, "call me."

And I'm gonna...

Now... I still have two days off of work... what to do... what to do...