Baltimore ... The wrong end of town

One of the last thing Preston and I did on Sunday, before I feel asleep for about an hour, was to take a tour of a very very poor neighborhood. It was kinda scary since we were the only white people there and people kept on looking at us.

But the houses were terribly dilapidated. For blocks and blocks there are houses like these in the pictures that are boarded up, burned out, littered with rubbish, you name it. We drove past a street with people running down the road, and we were not sure what from or for what reason. So Preston put the foot on the gas and we got away.

This is only on the outside of the main city area. It only took us 10 minutes to drive back past Preston's appartment in Mt Vernon, which looks like this.

This is Mt Vernon, one of the nicest areas in the Baltimore City Limits.

So yeah, now I can say I've been in the hood....

I'm a gig whore

YAY! I FINALLY MET ANOTHER CANADIAN!!!! This weekend Preston played for Lancaster Symphony Orchestra in Philidelphia, about 1 hour and 40 minutes north of Baltimore. It was a cute town, with lots of art and stuff. The Orchestra is pretty good for a small town, but not as good as some of the others Preston has played for. They played John Williams, some crap local composer's work (which Peterson and I laughted at, big time), and The Planets, by Holt. It was great to hang with Peterson. We laughed at all the funny locals and had a few beers. We danced for a few hours at a seedy Mt. Vernon gay bar, and passed out cold, rushing around to get to Peterson to the airport and get back up to Lancaster. We got totally stuck in a rainstorm. See video on the next post.
This is Peterson trying to get Preston to love him, but not really ... is that bad? doodooodooooodo?

Peterson, trying to play it straight. HAHAHAHAHA!

Our little Asian!

Today we took our IB classes to Black Friar's theatre in a little town west of Richmond called Staunton. We saw King Lear.

It was amazing in that the actual theatre was modeled after the style of the Globe Theatre in London. We sat on benches as you can see and the stage was simple and they relied mostly on the text without major sets or anything. Only a few props and some increadible costuming set the scene.

The acting was supurb and for the first time, I think I like King Lear. It was very funny and rather than seeing it as purely a tragedy, they portrayal highlighed the satirical nuances that push it into the realm of comedy. Perhaps a tragic-comedy ... but fricken hilarious.

I've got lots to post about, but haven't had a lot of time.

Life is great, and I've taken some pictures of the fall leaves that I will be posting really soon.

This weekend I'm going to Baltimore again. Preston has gigs, and we are hanging out with Peterson and I can't wait.

Elcetion Day! History in the making?

Check out Jimmy and David's YouTube "Obama Switch" there are five and it's freaking hilarious.

We are praying and crossing fingers that the outcome today with be Obama! At 6am when Polls opened at our school, there were cars parked everywhere and lines for miles. Well this is the rumour - I was asleep and managed to get to school by 9am. What an effort. But by then there were few cars, which also goes to show just how many staff were here on time.


Tonight we are having Reyes, Katie and Vodka are going to throw a party to watch the election count down. We intend to be so blind drunk that we don't even remember who the President is the next morning, and have to get online etc. Who knows who will hold the future of the USA in their hands for the next session. People say if McCain gets in, there may be riots. Some students are paranoid that if Obama get's in he will be assassinated. Well that is how the Americans do away with anyone who is forward thinking and challenging 'the norm'. What a time in history!

So Australia, even if you can't vote - pray! do what ever you know to do to get this man elected.

Our gym where it's all happening.

Goodmorning Baltimore!

So before the Fire-drama -

I scooted up to Baltimore to see My Love - My Life. I thought I was getting good at freeways, but unfortunately I took a wrong turn that cost me an extra 25 minutes. But getting there made it all worthwhile. I got to sit in on his quartet practice and grade papers to beautiful music. Then we got some dinner and cooked it up at the apartment.

We went of a few drinks at Balvedeare, which is this cool Gothic style building around the corner from his apartment. It was Halloween night and everyone was partying. The band was dressed as the Wizard of Oz, the lead singer was Dorothy and he looked as though he enjoyed every minute of it. Some costumes were lame, others, like the Star Wars crew were amazing, as they entered the bar with light sabers ablaze.

On the street we saw some hidious drags, but my favorite (to laugh at) were some real GAYshas. HAHAHAHA! I won't tell (brag) about the rest of that evening.

We got to New Hope church in Fulton and it was really cool (but we got there 15 minutes before the end) ... But it was really cool .. ummm.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing with Jimmy David and Joy. Haystacks and eventually Cupcakes at some cool boutiquey shop.

Preston played a concert in a Synagogue for Baltimore Chamber Orchestra which went well. The best part was that they played the work of some contemporary composers, Matthew Quayle and Jonathon Leshnoff. The Quayle was nice but as Preston said - it was a bit too much of a quote of Barber's Adagio for Stings, but the interesting thing was that this guy "Mr. Smith" from the Fauxharmonic Orchestra has this wii that he was using to conduct a computerised orchestra.

Ok well.. it wasn't interesting, after about a minute it was dead set borning. There was no vibrato and it was clear that even if he really can conduct (and I wouldn't know) the orchestra lacked any kind of warmth, depth ... dare I say soul. Well it was a computer so of course it didn't have a soul, so case in point - thumbs down.

BCO came out and performed the same Adagio and it was immeasurably better.

Anyway here's another cool pic of My Love, My Life - it's from the weekend before but it's real cute. And he is so talented, my chest is all puffed up and proud.

Burned Apartment

Last night while I was unpacking from my blissful weekend with Pres, sirens were whining and I thought to myself "Shut up!!!" I was also checking facebook and was about to call Marcella to hear about her opening night performance in Beauty and the Beast. I all of a sudden snapped out of my own little world to hear someone shouting "FIRE! FIRE!" I opened my bedroom door to find my apartment was filling with thick black smoke. I grabbed my computer and ran to the front door wearing only jeans, a singlet and my socks. I flew down the stairs as Firemen rushed toward me, one of them carrying some kind of steel bar. Everyone was yelling and the sirens were flashing. 5 fire trucks and 30 Fire-Fighters.


I went out into the car park and looked back, the apartment complex billowing with smoke, most of it coming from 1B. The fire-fighters were trying to break open the door and the pumps were started. I was shaking, wondering if everything I owned, all my important papers and things were about to be destroyed. I ran to Katie and Reyes' house but they were out, so I ran over the road to Leonor.

When we returned the fire was out, and Amanda, from 1B was sitting on the curb crying. The fire had started in the laundry cupboard and spread through the most of the apartment. It was so hot in there that it melted all of their appliances including their TV and their Computer monitor. The fire was mostly contained in their apartment but had burned upstairs into 2B and causing some extensive smoke damage in 3B. The smoke in my apartment had come through the Ventelation system. and up the interior wall (the one we share for our laundry facilities).

Amanda was watching football, and at half time, decided to shower for the second half. As she took her attention from the TV she saw smoke coming through the cracks in her bedroom door. When she opened it, the apartment was full of black smoke. She grabbed her dog and evacuated through the rear sliding door in the lounge room. A man helped her get the dog out and they called the Fire Department.

We were stuck outside for about 2 hours, and today they have been in to try and chemically remove the sickening smell. It's even in the suit I'm wearing that was hanging in my closet.

So drama in the Lane! But we are all safe.

Halloween (What the?)

I haven't had a chance to update in a week because of School stuff, and I felt a bit sad at the beginning of the week. I was fine by Wednesday, but it was all just a bit overwhelming.

Preston and I stayed the weekend at Chesapeake Beach and walked the beach and stuff. Preston did the most amazing thing and came all the way from Maryland to Richmond to help me register my car and then we both drove all the way back again. He had to play in church today.



Preston's recital was supposed to go ahead this month, but he has been able to put it into the next semester since he has so many other performance commitments this month.



It was the weekend before Halloween and the locals were out in full spirit. There were children happily digging graves and their parents constructing giant puppetry; Bats and Ghouls and Spiders ... and shit. Aparently the most freakish of all the exhibits, even more freaky than the video below were the two men in love walking along the boardwalk. Yes folks, my first public "shame" as an out gay. three 10 year old kids laughted and kind of screamed, one had some kind of fit on the side of the boardwalk as we returned from the end of the pier. But the best of it was the 'parting of the red sea' on the 8 metre wide boardwalk. Some actually got off the boardwalk because they were so afraid of the creatures. And then a "sick queers" shout out from an african american youth, who was obviously trying to get the girl he was with to sleep with him. So we instantly remembered that we must have been in McCain territory and are crossing EVERYTHING that he doesn't get into the White House tomorrow.

I was a little shocked and Preston was quietly outraged. Everyone else was out for a walk, holding hands and enjoying the sun, but it's clear what kind of world we live in. Perhaps that's why I felt a bit low at the beginning of the week. But I'm well over it now.

Check out this video to see who our competition was for most freakiest creature of the day.




But we made our own fun!

Richmond - Strolling the Canal

The city or Richmond has much history, and I have no idea what any of it means, so I'm lucky to have someone with me like Preston who can read and give me the abridged version. I'm interested, but my ADHD gets me every time. So this plaque above begins a moving walk out along one of the old bridges that helped to evacuate people form the city during the fires, and commemorates the freedom Richmond gained in 1865.

Preston and I walked to this point on Brown Island (where the Richmond Folk Festival last weekend) along the canal system built by George Washington because the river isn't usable for transporting goods. (that's the lame Phil version)

It was perfect and sunny and romantic and ... stuff. So relaxing and freeing. We found a few cool things, mostly involving locations where we could take pictures of ourselves. Richmond is a very accommodating place. This weekend was a taste of what it might be like to live together permanently and both of us really liked it.

We had a real sleep in this weekend on Sunday. And had yummy coffee and then cleaned the house. We talked to Sallee for ages and then Preston briefly met my sister (who is living in England) on Skype. Loving technology. We eventually busted our arses out of the house and tried to find Shockoe Bottom but didn't really make it. But where we walked from on East Carey St was really nice.


Here he is. The man on my dreams in the real. So charming, accomodating, forgiving, passionate, easy going and ready for anything. We are having so much fun and he's my best friend, companion and lover. We're looking after each other Mum, don't worry...

So cute - he finds fish everywhere - and some of them were quite impressive. The water was clear to the bottom, and for a city fairly polution free. At the end of our walk we found a brewery for a beer and it was under the influence of a nice Pumpkin Ale, it was figured I can be debt free in 3 years. Fricken ya!

YEP I'M IN LOVE!

Ice Hockey & Hooters

Impressing the lady behind us.

"Go the Gays"

Katie and Jane are rockers from way back

My bubba's surprise this weekend was an Ice hockey game, even though it was the lame Richmond demonstration game, we had a great time, with Katie and Jane... aka Fergi and Di. There was a fat man belly dance at half time in the stand opposite (to the Macarina), three fights, 5 shots from the canon, a retarded guy banging on the persplex barrier who was kicked out by the cops, and a sower arse lady sitting behind us who apparently doesn't like two men holding hands. HA! She was just jealous of me.

So yeah.... fun times.

A fun chat with SAL

I miss Sallee so much, she is living in England, but she is Canadian and we are bestest friends from Australia. Sallee has an amazing voice, which she is excercising in this picture. She can chirp like a bird. And when she finally gets around to selling herself (and I mean both ways) she will be famous and finally be doing what she was born to do... (and I really do mean both ways .. *cough*). Americans know how to do things big, so while the kids were out of the room - as in I didn't have a class, I had a BIG OL' SKYPE CHAT WITH SALLEE! and it was ... nice. XO

Leonor's Shoes

WE might not have much money for food, but Leonor knows how to spend her last few bucks. In fact the last $70 was spent on these shoes, which she discovered this week don't really fit her... but they are fabulous. Wouldn't you say?

PSAT Today!

I have to supervise the PSAT today. Its a practice for students who will sit the SAT exam for college. The government is so generous and they've made it free. Don't you love it? How noble and kind they are to give something away. HA!

I am mindful now as I write that this is all really quite boring and no one is going to want to keep reading my blog if I keep reporting on silly little did bits. So I'll try and keep the pictures interesting. And feel free to leave your comments if you like.

I am looking forward to taking Preston somewhere for a surprise this weekend. It's exciting and he really wants to know what it is. I'm building it up and building it up, in order to disappoint him. But the best thing about him is that is never disappointed. He is so fun. We have fun doing very little, and it's great. I'd best get some marking done in this boring time of testing. You should see the look on some of their faces, some are already over it. HA... don't blame them.

Ice cream and Day Spas

Meeting Sonia.... and standing outside of a day spa I intend to go to for a week one of these days with my beautiful beaming partner in life and everything else....

Katie and Reyes are not lesbians, they are house mates and I love them!

They are my new brother and sister... we are family - yeah yeah!

Tapas - a touch of Spain.

My friends/family here are mostly European. If you asked an American where that is, you might laugh. Adan's students think that because he speaks Spanish he must be from Mexico and they are very confused when he says that he has never been there. But Reyes, and Leonor are the new women in my life. (sorry Mum, not like that.), and Katie from England is my sanity amongst all this "gadadadaddada falalala thelos comelargo si come ni estame no?" etc etc.

So Tapas in the land of the Fan in Richmond. It was lovely and rich and satisfying and dirt cheap (great for me). Finally a touch of real culture, even though the decor was kind of ... American, it was real Spanish cuisine and great company.

Povo weekend tops em all...

Well what a wonderful weekend. Preston came a day early and I got to kiss him goodbye as I went off to work on Friday. Sweeet action!

We are both still pretty poor so we made the most of home cooked vegies, only I burned the baked potato when we went to get wine. It had been a long day. We didn't eat until about 11:30 and that is never good. The next day we went to an SDA church for kicks and had yummy salad and turkey 'samiches' for lunch. Then off to check out the meet with Sonia, a friend of Pres. She is a really beautiful person and we all enjoyed yummy local icecream on Cary St. The Richmond Folk Festival, which was pretty good in my opinion, not that we saw all that much of it, was the next stop We got pretty lost getting there, and stumbled upon some interesting areas on the south side of the city.

I joined Blockbuster video store and we hired a few and got some make it yourself (in the microwave) popcorn and came home to our bottle of wine. Which helped us sleep until 11am the next morning. YAY to a beautiful sunny day and a cooked breakfast.

It's sucky to say goodbye on Sundays, but this one wasn't quit so hard. We are finally adjusting to the idea that we get to see each other very often now that we are not so far away. And I think I must be adjusting to my new life and really starting to embrace it. Last weeks days with the Henrico English team, made everything feel much more settled. I'm keeping just in front of my IB class, and have resolved that I actually can't write entire units that far ahead. It's all just a process that I hope to avoid next year by being super organised now.

It's starting to cool down these days, and I can't wait to see what winter brings.

A lot less 'debbie downer' days, and I'm glad. I'm having a great time, and could not be happier.

Getting into the groove

This is Leonor and I on a very hot and stinky day!

Well I've been here for about FIVE WEEKS now and still haven't been paid. Preston and I are both bled dry, but we still find the energy to smile about it. My new found Spanish friend Leonor is in the same boat. She only had $100 left and decided to spend it on a $70 pair of shoes, and she looks foxy in them.

I find it hard to like my year 10 class for a whole period, but there are tiny glimmers of hope, it's just most of the time, I'm too sleep deprived, hungry or run off my feet to notice. I'm sure very soon we will realise that the hate we feel for each other really is love and it will all work out.

I'm missing Aus more than ever. A wise colleague of mine who migrated to the US from Argentina says that you never stop being home sick, but you learn how to deal with it. I think that will pretty much be my experience. I really miss my Coast crew. Irreplaceable. The Melbournites, and the boys from the Shire. My workmates at St Peter's... Man I miss my job... But it's all worth it.

I won't bore you with the soppy romance, but it's so much better than that and just have to report that I couldn't be happier in that department, and it makes living here all the more barable.

In fact it's not bad living here at all. In fact, when I feel more settled, I'm sure I will actually love it. I'm getting used of the roads. Peston came here last weekend and we found THE BEST Gelato shop. I've had 8 different flavors already. This weekend I'm going to go to DC and hopefully get to see Jimmy and David (Preston's mates), and have a great time running around the Smithsonian again. Or meeting the President. It's my goal. I'm going to see if I can get all the way into the oval office just to say 'hi' from all my mates in Australia who are 'huge fans'.

Well enough crap. As you can tell, nothing much has really happened. That's because I'm always fucking working!!! God Bless America.

PS I'm even getting fatter. And you should see how fat some of them are! Woah. You ain't seen fat until you get over here. I've seen some drinking diet coke for breakfast!

The Smithsonian

I have a cool house mate. He is kind of funny looking though


I saw cool art on the weekend at the Smithsonian with Preston Jimmy and David. I got to see Monet, Da Vince, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Van Gough. Freaking Brilliant.

And this cool one
So driving is fun, teaching is great and shit for 7th period. But what can you do. Adan is funny and we went to the gym tonight and did a cycle class. I'm still sweaty, and tired and so I ate Ravioli from a can. It was crap. I'm tired and will write something more later.

But I can drive on busy roads .. so there.

PS check out this fat lady - there are heaps of them here...

I think she is on her side for a reason...

Landing in the US

Well I'm off to a great start. We were only an hour late leaving Sydney on United Airlines and after 13 hours had barely made much ground, landing 40 minutes late. So running through customs to get my connecting flights only to find that I now incurred a 10 hour delay was less than pleasing.

I was delirious when I landed so the immediate excitement was suddenly clouded with the realization I was now a long way from home. The culture shock therefore was immediate for me. Everything everywhere smelt sweet: bubble gum floor polish, and overpowering air fresheners in the bathrooms. I went to order food and didn't know what I could get that would be remotely healthy.

I managed to get myself a free room at the Marriott hotel where I got to shower and sleep for a mere 2 1/2 hours before hauling ass back to LAX to go through damn security. Which did take a long time.

I now had to fly to Cincinnati, but got to sit next to a cool guy from New York who is a concert pianist and doing the same doctorate program Preston is doing, but Manhattan School of Music. So I wasn't fast asleep, we danced in our seats to Madonna, which made the time pass nicely. Oh and a girl fainted while waiting to go to the bathroom.

I finally got to Raleigh in North Carolina and Preston was there to scoop me up. It was very romantic, and surreal that finally our dream had come true. It's still very hard to believe. We sorted out all my stuff with VIF (the organisation that sponsored me to come to the US) and I found out that instead of going driving through the lush countryside in a convertable and making out with Preston, I had to take a driving test (on the other side of the road) and hadn't slept for nearly 50 hours. The Columbia girl I had to go with nearly killed us, but we both passed - God bless America.

So Preston and I hung out all week in the fulfillment of our dream and I met some of his friends and he met my mate Cameron from Aussie and we stayed in a Bed and Breakfast and it was ....
I am loved and loved and loved some more. I'm so lucky.

After we had got out stuff together in NC we drove up to Virginia to Richmond, my new home town. Adan from Spain and I agreed to share an apartment and have moved into a community called Breakenridge. We decided on it because it had a red door (and that is a sign). Its great but we only really have lounge room furniture and not much light. My bath leaks water all over the floor and down into the apartment below, but other than that it's great. There are shops in all directions and I don't even know where to start.

I've already been to Baltimore to see his apartment too. It's so cool to be here with him. Walking in there felt strangely familiar. All the mornings I've called him when he was waking up in there, and the nights I'd talk to him as he was falling asleep. I got to meet Jonny for sushi which was fun until I really need to take a leak, and eventually gave in to pissing in a corner in the carpark. I just had to.

We have a key to Mark and Renee's place and they are awesome. The first time I met Mark, he waited up for us to arrive and we stayed up talking for ages. Renee is such a sweety and it's great to make those connections with those who are close to Preston.

He has been so supportive of this move. And through a guy who is a family friend, I've managed to buy a cheap car. It turns out to be a Volvo station wagon. Silver. So now we even have semi matching cars. And it matched yours too Gabbie!!!

Over the long weekend, Preston came to stay (which was spectacular needless to say) and we went to Kroger's grocery store to do some shopping, but I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't find what I wanted and everything seems so expensive that we left the cart in the isle and fled the scene with a mini ceg of beer and a frozen pizza. I also got my hair cut and it's lop sided.

I've discovered Wallmart is my friend. And that's where I'll do most of my food shopping me thinks. Ok well with Hurricane Hanna approaching, I will sign off and grab another beer out of the fridge. It's stinking hot and I need one...

I'm off to Washington DC to be with Preston this weekend so if we die, at least we will be together. See ya, nice knowing ya.


I also got to meet Jimmy, David, Joy and Mark. Some more friends of Prestons. Joy made us a great lunch. That's where we were going when I was driving Preston's car in this vid.

Loving that man of mine...

"Picture this: You and me, years and years from now, cruising along some highway with the top down, stereo blasting, the wind whipping our hair. What ever we want to do, we do it. No agenda, no schedule, nobody else to worry about. We travel the country buying silly t-shirts and sending postcards, stopping to try roadside cafes in search of the world's best pie. No hurry. So rush. We relax in the comfort of a lifetime of companionship.

You and me.... lovers, friends, partners on this road of life."

Only Just Begun

Hey folks, I've decided to keep a blog of my new life in the US. I have lots to say already, but it's past 11pm and it's become apparent that teachers are overworked and underpaid here, so need all my energy to get through to lunch time without peeing or eating. Loving it though and have great kids but more on that later.

Stay tuned...