Arrivederci Alaska

Hey. Well, the past few days have been fantastic, mother nature must have heard my pleas and has made the weather much more to my liking. After leaving Denali a few days ago, we headed up to Fairbanks for two days, but before we left the weather cleared up so me and my cousin went rafting, me for me it was my first time and the second for him. It was awesome! The weather was cooperating and the recent torrential rains made the river run high and faster than normal. There were about 10 or so series of rapids we paddled through and I got drenched on pretty much all of them. The adrenaline rush was worth it though.

The drive to Fairbanks took about two hours, most of which I slept through. It’s a pretty small city. The hotel we stayed at had two parts, an old section and a new building. We originally got two rooms in the old section but the rooms were crap. They were small, smelled bad, one of the lamps didn’t work and the bathroom was a hideous pink tile disaster dating sometime to the Reagan administration. My dad went to see if we could get a room in the new building which they eventually did. There was such a discrepancy between the two rooms it’s kinda crazy. They were so much nicer, cleaner, bigger and updated.

Fairbanks was even quieter than Anchorage but also pretty easy to navigate so we mostly wandered around the city. The sun doesn’t set until 2AM there and then it rises again at like 4, that really messed with my head. The weather has been fantastic though, sun and mild temps for the past few days does wonders for my mood. While there, we went to see a virtual aurora show (tourist trap), the Alaskan pipeline (pretty much a giant pipe), and the Santa Claus House in North Pole, AK (LOL). The Santa Claus House was essentially a giant Christmas gift shop but it did have a few reindeer, very sad looking reindeer, but reindeer nonetheless. One great surprise we found in Fairbanks though was some o f the best Korean food we’ve ever had. We found it on accident really, me and my cousin went bowling in this really industrial looking building complex, and next to the alley was a small Korean place. Well, we were hungry and decided to eat there and my god it was delicious. The Galbi (Barbeque Shortrib), Bi Bim Bap (Rice dish with a bunch of toppings), and 14 different kimchi and other tasty tidbits were amazing. The lady even gave us a free appetizer for eating there. Best place ever.

Fairbanks was our last stop so today was mostly a driving day back to Anchorage so we could catch our flight home tomorrow. We passed back through Denali during the whole 6 ½ hour ride (my butt hurt like crap from sitting still for so long) and stopped a few times to see the mountains and scenery. Tomorrow we have one last day so we might go visit the outdoor market again or something, nothing has been planned.

These past two weeks have been quite an interesting experience. I’ve gotten closer to nature and have met some great people. Regardless, I can’t wait to get back home. Two weeks is a long time to not see close friends, sleep in my own bed or play with my hyperactive terrier, and while I might not miss going back to the scorching heat, it’s something I have gotten used to…and after two weeks of mostly cloud cover and rain, 95 degrees and being poolside doesn’t sound half bad.

All the best,

JP

Cold Weather, Hot Guys

It continues to rain on and on and on here; what I would do for some sunshine and heat right now. Funny thing is, back at home I was about ready to start punching baby foxes if we had another 90+ degree day but now I really miss it.

I’m in Denali National Park now, literally hours away from any major city but nevertheless, it’s pretty (sorry I keep using that tired description, I’m not feeling the urge to consult a thesaurus). But there is good news on the horizon. Tomorrow my boredom streak will hopefully come to an end. I’m going white water rafting for the first time. Maybe choosing a category III and IV run might not be the wisest decision in the world for my first time but hey, it definitely beats having to spend another day sitting in bed watching reruns of CSI and House Hunters. There’s even a part during the two hour ride where you can jump into the river…we’ll see about that. I have no idea what to wear though, especially since I'll probably be soaked by the end of this.

**awesome transition, yes?**

Before I set out on this trip I had my own idea of what the North was made up of, moose, mountains, stuff like that. Well, now I think there’s something else that can be added to that list, smokin hot guys. Since I arrived on shore, hot guys seem to be on parade. Okay, maybe I could just be really…excitable at the moment but there is an unusually high number eye candy here. Day one, we couldn’t find anyplace open to eat except for a TGI Fridays so we went there. All the waiters were guys and the majority were ripped, gorgeous ones at that. I hadn’t seen that many toned biceps and well filled t-shirts since I went to the beach in the Caribbean last summer. Maybe as the temperature falls, the hotter the guys become, hmmm, new science experiment? I think so.

Things got even better today. Hot waiters abound at today’s dinner spot as well. One was a tall, swimmer looking guy, slightly scruffy with some shadow on his face. He was so damn cute, he had a little baby faced look to him, innocent but with a smile that made you question just how innocent he was. I sneaked looks at him throughout dinner whenever he passed by which was quite often. Damn, what I would do to see him in a different setting if you know what I mean. Why the fuck am I so horny recently!?

I need more sleep, maybe that’s it.

Ugh, well, the internet here in the lobby of the hotel is absolute rubbish so I’ll wrap this up.

Hope the weather is better wherever you are is better than it is here,

JP

P.S. – Oliver, I sure hope you’re not going to do anything dastardly with such confidential and guarded information. Anyways, I cannot confirm nor deny whatever your guess is. :P

Ice Ice Baby

Whoa, it’s been a while. The cruise portion is now over and now begins seven days of road tripping across Alaska.

So, an overview of the last few days…

I ate like a pig. Damn, I seriously inhaled food as if the world was going to end tomorrow and I decided on day one to throw my guilt overboard. Buffet breakfasts, long lunches and four course dinners every freaking night, ugh, pass the Tums.

Everybody was old, Japanese, or a combination thereof. There was a Japanese tour group on board and there were well over 300 of them. They were really nice though and many of the ladies wore kimonos on the formal nights which was really cool. Some of them started to talk to me in Japanese and I just stood there, blank stare and all, most of them figured out I’m not “one of them” lol. There weren’t many hot guys…Actually, the only ones that actually stood out was this tall swimmer looking guy and these Portuguese brothers who I saw everywhere I went. The older one (or at least I think he was the older one) was straight up hot as hell while the younger one was cute as anything, almost in the same way Southern Charm is boyish cute.

I did the teen program for the last time. Only about a dozen people showed up in total, (usually about 50 show up to give you an idea) but that let us become a pretty close group. They were mostly 15 or 14, only two were 16. Cool people though. There was no “Ben” for this cruise though. Given the really small size of the group we didn’t really follow our supposed daily “program” and we ended up just hanging out and playing Rock Band or swimming. On the second to last night we did karaoke and I sang “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC and “Tearin Up my Heart” by the Backstreet Boys, fuck, how did they now know I was gay lol. One thing I found really annoying though was that many of the guys kept saying “That’s so gay” or just using gay in all its inappropriate forms. I wanted to tell them off on so many occasions but I bit my tongue.

Alaska is actually rather boring, very pretty, but boring. It’s cold, rainy, mountainous and full of gift shops trying to sell you overpriced stuffed huskies and stuff like that. I mean, maybe if I were more outdoorsy and went legit hiking it would be pretty cool but I’m not that kind of guy…The sight of snow capped mountains in summer kinda freaks me out though, especially considering since I left DC, it hadn’t dropped below 90 degrees there. We did go see a bunch of glaciers and saw one “calf” a baby iceberg which is actually one of the coolest things I saw this whole trip.

Actually, this was one of the less memorable cruises I’ve been on but nevertheless, it was fun. Maybe I should stick to warm weather destinations.

Well, I’m back on land and am not paying 75 cents/min for the internet so hopefully I’ll catch up on all the missed posts, by the looks of it, I missed quite a lot. I did see that Jason Carwin has returned which is exciting for me and sure for many of you as well. He was actually one of the first blogs I followed and his blog was one of the things that had really helped my own coming out progress. So a belated “welcome back” to him.

After leaving the ship, we rented a SUV and set off driving. Today we did some exploring and we found a mall with an indoor ice skating rink, bowling alley and the biggest Forever 21 I’ve ever seen. It was department store big. Did anyone else know they had a men’s clothing section? We also found a weekend farmers market. There was an electric violinist performing there who played a bunch of pop music like “Speed of Sound” by Coldplay and “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga. It sounds so different when performed in such an unconventional way but it was brilliant. We also found a stand selling South American food which was delicious beyond reason, never expected to find that up here.

Finally, update on the college front, I’ve pre-registered for my classes for next year but I’m not holding my breath when it comes to getting all the ones I’ve requested, even less so when it comes to the time slots I requested. That’s the thing that sucks about being a freshman, you always end up with the leftovers after the upperclassmen have had their fill. I also got my first bill for the first semester’s dues….oh man lol.

Okay, so this is getting really long and I apologize so as a way to thank you for your attention, I give you the gift of asking me anything you’d like to know about me, within reason of course. I’ll answer them in a future post.

All the best,

JP

On Holiday

I'm leaving for Alaska tomorrow bright and early. I'll be going on a 7 day cruise and then spend 7 days exploring Denali and other Alaska-y places.

I'll let you know if I can see Russia from the sun deck.

Ciao,

JP

My Dream Garage

If I only had the money....

1991 Toyota Corolla (102HP)

-My practice car and the first car I ever drove courtesy of my uncle

1985 Mercedes 190E 2.3 (120HP)

-The first car I ever rode in and a car my dad owned for over 19 years before selling it.

2011 Volvo C30 T5 (227HP)

-A better looking hot-hatch

1979 Mercedes 450SEL 6.9 (250-286HP)
-The ultimate symbol of excess in the 70s and 80s, a sure to be future classic

2003 Lexus GS430 (300 HP)

-Better than the current one, fast, and bulletproof reliability

2011 Volvo V70 T6 R-design Heico Sportiv (330HP)

-Hot station wagons are so underrated

2011 Maserati Gran Turismo S (434 HP)

-Pretty, fast, and did I mention pretty? (see top)

2011 Aston Martin DB9 Volante (470HP)
-Everyone needs a fast convertible

2012 Lexus LFA (552HP)

-Only 500 made, the ultimate toy. Plus it sounds like heaven

I'll keep dreaming haha.

JP

He Proposed to Me!

I have a roommate!!!!!!

Wooo!!

We initially met over the CHARMS roommate "dating service" thing but we've talked on Facebook for a little while now. He's actually from the area which is cool. He ran cross country at his high school and plans on studying psychology. We share so many personality traits it's kinda scary lol. We both like to laugh, cook and share the same "work hard, play harder" mentality which I was really looking for, and today he asked if I wanted to be roommates.

Of course I accepted!

About my roommate, he's bi....lingual (English and French) and the other bi as well. Bicultural I mean, he's half French and half Black. He's also an only child like me. He's very athletic and plays soccer and runs in his spare time, hopefully I can try and keep up with him. And because I'm sure I've irked you enough now with this whole "bi" business, I'll let you know he's straight and has a girlfriend he plans to bring over from time to time.

I don't really want to give away too much but I'm really happy I've found a roommate at last, tomorrow is the deadline for finding one too. After tomorrow, the school matches people up.

I really could dance right now, and I think I just might :D

I hope you had a most excellent weekend,

JP

Don't Cry for Me Argentina

I'm not the biggest fan of plays, but if I do get the opportunity to see one, I'll readily go for it. I just got back from seeing a local production of Evita, the story of Eva Peron, wife of Ex-Argentine President Juan Peron who was ousted by revolutionaries before coming back and reclaiming the presidency, and I must say, it was pretty good.

I didn't have the highest expectations for these small theater productions but to my pleasant surprise it was actually really entertaining. The actors all seemed really into their roles and they could actually sing! Eva was played by two women in the end which allowed for some cool mirror-type scenes where two depictions of her could be shown simultaneously. Also, there were a bunch of little kids as well and they were really cute and show great potential for future roles and acting.

One thing must be said though, unlike Broadway productions, people who attend these types of shows aren't your general run of the mill population, instead, they tend to be....older. I swear that the mean age of the audience was in the mid 60s with many higher. One group of teenagers about my age came in and a handful of people came in with their parents like I did (including this really cute XC guy but I won't delve too far into that). The age thing isn't something I'm complaining about, but it's just an observation I made. Another observation, there were a lot of gay guys there lol. Maybe the gays liking theatre and musicals thing has some truth but yeah, they were out there tonight.

There was one distraction however and that would be one of the performers. There was a really, really cute guy (21 y/o according to the program) that was in almost every scene and I swear I spent half my time looking at him rather than paying attention to what was going on. Worse yet (or better lol) in many of the scenes he was wearing this really deep cut shirt that showed off his smooth but defined chest that made me drool. I was sitting in one of the farther back rows too but I still saw everything very clearly, and god that hottie made the play even better, even if he was just part of the ensemble.

Anyways, tomorrow is the World Cup finals and I might watch it but I'm rooting for the Netherlands.

Speaking of soccer, I think I might have found my new sports crush in the form of German soccer player Lukas Podolski. He is H-O-T.

Who are you cheering for this World Cup?

All the best,

JP

How to Boil Water

Ohhhhhhhhh my god. I've just lost all faith in my generation.

Okay...a portion of my generation. Never in my life have I witnessed an event which has caused such a deep, primal feeling of hopelessness I'm experiencing now. Okay, maybe that's also a major case of hyperbole (eek, literary device, get it off! get it off!).

But please, behold the (annotated) conversation I just witnessed -

A- can someone tell me how to boil water on a stove? and no this isn't a joke.

(Please tell me you're kidding)

Z- omg are you serious??!?!?!?

A- yes. im trying to make tea but my mom usually makes it for me but she isnt here. and i am not very good in the kitchen.
(Holy shit, you're actually serious)

A- youre prob wondering how i got into college.
(You took the words right out of my mouth)

Z- oh my lol. it is so not hard. all you do is put the water in the pan, and turn the stove somewhere between medium and high, and let it do its thing lol

A- ok thanks i know how to do the knobs to grill sandwiches yet i cant boil water. fail for me.

(Yes, almost "trying to catch a red hot iron rod with your bare hands" level of fail)

Z- i think maybe you should just not go to school and stay home lol. if you cant boil water, how are you gonna live at (undisclosed college)?? lol

(Dude, you're matching my thoughts exactly. Why aren't we friends?)

A- well im not gonna need to boil water in a dorm room. plus i have my grandma ten mins away if it ever comes down to that.
(*headdesk*)

What is going on here!?!? ack. Anyways, "A" isn't really a good friend of mine anyways so I don't really feel guilty about bashing her like I am now. Actually, now that I think about it, most of my friends don't like her either.....lol. Actually, something interesting about "A", she got a rather large tattoo of her college's insignia on her calf. Well, apparently she didn't get it at a very good shop because three months later, the tat is faded, the colours have gone from a red to a muddy brown and it just looks like a mess. whoops.

Oh dear oh dear.

All the best,

JP

This Long Distance Thing Ain't Gonna Work

It's soo effing HOT here. It was 102 degrees yesterday and slightly higher today wtff.

I've mentioned back in the past that I'm not a fan of long distance relationships or E-relationships. Constant separation might not be an issue in the short term but soon things will not work out in my mind. With this mindset I present my current situation, and the introduction of a new character into the soap opera that is my life, let's call him Peter.

A little background on Peter, he was Dutch's date to Prom. A rising senior, he lives in central Virginia and he and Dutch met at Governor's school for Latin. He rows, is quite tall and is more of a flamboyant gay than I am- he wore a rainbow bow tie and cummerbund to prom, yeah.

At prom, I never really talked to Peter too much, he's a funny guy though...in a good way. So after prom, he left for home and that was that...or so I thought.

Saturday evening via text:

Dutch: Do you remember Peter? he thinks you're cute and was asking about you today
Me: Really? like what??
Dutch: he made sure you came into conversation and wanted to know how you were doing.
Me: haha, well tell him I'm flattered
Dutch: you should talk to him, you'd be good friends ;D
Me: alright, I will, he does know we're just gonna be friends right?
Dutch: I'd imagine so

Since then I've messaged him and he messaged back, nothing much, just smalltalk. Dutch texted me back again saying Peter told her I texted him (okay...that's kinda weird) and how she's so excited we're talking. I think Dutch is a little too excited about this whole thing, way more than me at least lol. I really hope peter isn't viewing this as anything beyond a friendship, first he's still in high school hundreds of miles away and I haven't even seen him in over a month. We'll see how this pans out.

On the college preparations front, I need to get to work on pre registering for classes, I'm leaving on holiday next Friday so I need to sign up for classes by then. I really need my AP scores though since I can place out of a few classes possibly but I don't know still!! I also need to take a french placement exam to see what french I should enroll in and given I haven't spoken a word of french in almost a month, this might not bode well lol, I'm probably going to take it tomorrow after seeing Eclipse with by friend M. Mmmmmm, Taylor Lautner.

Anyways, this is getting kind of long so I'll wrap this up soon.

So I'm considering getting a nipple piercing on my 18th birthday. I've been pondering this for a while now and it's a tempting proposition. I'm not intense enough to get a tattoo and I don't want an ear piercing (or nose or lip or anywhere else for that matter). I mean, it's easy to hide when needed and it's relatively subtle. Plus, if I ever have buyers remorse I can remove it and it'll close up. Plus, I think it's kinda hot lol. Maybe my opinion will change by September but hey, that'll be quite a Happy Birthday to Me kind of gift.

Sorry for this being a rather long post so if you've made it this far, congrats and thanks.

All the best,

JP

Welcome to DC, Please Use Your Eyes.

It's weird going into Washington D.C. as a local. As the capital of the USA you'd imagine it's a big deal, and it is for most people. But as anyone who has lived in DC or it's suburbs, all the District reminds you of is traffic, rude tourists, stupid tourists, people who clog up the Metro and those who lack city-skills altogether (oh, and the center of government, nice nightlife, and pretty monuments jazz in the background). Seriously, apart from political gridlock, the most you hear about DC in the local news is that another person has gotten shot in Southeast.

Sounds pretty grim and unbelievable, but everything I just mentioned can be bundled together in what happened at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival. Now if you don't know what it is (and unless you live here you probably don't) please do read my last post to get the gist of the whole thing. I met my friends at the local metro stop and boarded the orange line to get to the national mall. The metro here runs the same way as in most major cities; we use cards to gain access to the train station just like most major cities, but people don't seem to figure it out. As me and my friends went through the gates, a group of New Jersey tourists next to were baffled by the card machine and a backlog had formed behind them. They were arguing over whether you put the card in on the top or side and which side faces where. Okay, the cards are labeled "this side up" and the machines are clearly marked as to where you put them in people, it's essentially tourist proof. By the time we made it down the escalator the dad of the group was throwing a quiet tantrum at his family and the teenage daughter was looking off into the sky wondering why the hell she's related to them. Lord have mercy! Commuters hate it when students use the metro, well, maybe I found a group that can irk them even more throughly. Stupid tourists? check.

By 11:30 we arrive on the National Mall where the festival takes place and the it's already packed. Mexico was to our left and Asia was to our right and the day was gorgeous. The only slight problem is that because it hasn't rained recently the ground has gotten slightly dry and since the trails along the sides of the mall are essentially dirt with some pebbles thrown in for fun, it can get rather dusty. Cue the dust busting water spray trucks- from time to time these glorious machines work there way down the paths and douse the ground with water to keep the dust from going airborne. You have plenty of warning when these things come rumbling down, the drivers (probably the most patient people you'll ever meet) honk at you and people begin to swarm towards the sides of the path...well, most people. I had to pleasure of watching a woman get soaked from the spray because she didn't bother to move to the side despite looking straight on at the approaching truck. She then had the nerve to go yell at the driver for getting her wet, his response? "Use your eyes next time" I almost lost it at that point. Stupid and city-skill lacking tourists? check.

Later as we sat on the steps of the Smithsonian, me and my two friends suddenly found ourselves surrounded by a group of GYLC kids exiting the museum. (So GYLC is a program that charges you loads of moolah to take you to places like DC, NY etc. but doesn't help you get into college and stuff, I know, I've been invited to that program before). We sat awkwardly as they talked loudly about how special they were that they were visiting Washington as part of the "Global Youth Leaders Conference", probably only because we were the only ones in sight that weren't wearing one of the badges around our necks. After their banter got tiring, we got up and left. In response to that annoying girl standing in front of us wearing an outfit that made her look like a $10 office secretary hooker- Girl, we live here, meaning we didn't spend $2000+ to to see a bunch of free museums and a free outdoor event, now get your attitude and fake blond hair back to Grand Rapids, Michigan and don't get lost on the metro on the way (on the other hand, please do get lost and wind up in Anacostia, then we'll see what happens). Rude, think-they're-so-special tourists? check.

By the end of the visit, we began to head back home. GYLC kids and slow tourists having annoyed me enough, one last test remained before I could enjoy some peace and quiet. As we descended down the escalators a loud voice was shouted "God dam it, move people" behind us. Joy of joys, it's frat boy and friends. Given that we too were stuck behind people and that I refuse to move for people who fail at life, I stood there unmoving and eventually we get off at the bottom just in time to hear "Fucking slow assholes, move when I tell you too" Hah, right. Frat boy and gang run towards their blue line train just as the doors close in their faces and pull away from the station. Bahaha, KARMA, BITCH. I love it when things work out like that. Rude people again? double check.

-to be fair, on the way home, the orange line train broke down and we ended up stuck in Rosslyn for a while before the next train came along, oh the joys of metro-

So, please do come visit DC, just remember a few simple ground rules. 1. Use your eyes 2. Don't make the commuters angry, you'll lose 3. Be courteous to us, and we'll be courteous to you 4. Ben's Chili Bowl will always be crowded, get over it and 5. Try not make a fool of yourself or you'll end up in the blogs of many a DC native like this one.

All the best and happy fourth of July,

JP

-Oh, and if you haven't already, please do check out the blog of fellow DC resident DC Cised

Cheap Perfume

Nothing too much to talk about so I guess I'll do a brief update.

On the Roommate search front, "Interesting guy" has stopped talking to me because (at least I think) , you guessed it, I told him I was gay. *sigh*. So most of the other guys I've contacted haven't responded even to my first message so I'll assume that they've might have already found a roommate or that they're just not using the CHARMS matching system. There is one guy I talked to and responded back, "eclectic gay" responded back to my first message. He was away on a trip or something which limited his Internet capabilities which explains why he took a while to respond back. I messaged him back with a few questions and stuff but he still hasn't responded back which has be worried slightly but whatever.

I'm headed off to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival tomorrow which is a giant event held on the national mall in front of the Washington Monument which is a celebration of international cultures with an emphasis on Asian cultures, that and a bunch of local things like wineries, local restaurants and craftspeople. I went last year in 90+ degree weather and ended up going home dehydrated and passed out on on my bed for 5 hours until I woke up at 3AM. (sounds fun, eh?)

Sorry I don't have much to talk about, things haven't too interesting unless you find watching youtube videos all day interesting. One thing that did happen to me today though which wasn't particularly pleasant is the little surprise I got at the gym today. I got on to the erg (that evil rowing machine that I love to hate) and there was an elderly lady running on a treadmill next to me, how sweet. Well, I took two strokes and then I noticed something, a smell in the air. It smelled of a mix of really bad B.O. and cheap perfume, like the industrial grade stuff you find at the dollar store. I stopped and smelled myself, I mean, maybe I stepped on some dog crap on the way in or something, well my inspection of myself failed to turn up anything. Then, it hit me, the nauseating odor wasn't form me, it was Ms. Stinky Sally running next to me. Ugh, it was bad, really bad.

Haha, well, I hope everything is going well in your neck of the woods and I hope you enjoy your summer weather (or winter if you're in the Southern Hemisphere).

Ciao,

JP