tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53839872009-09-25T23:09:52.493-04:00beware the big fat giant irish headKayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.comBlogger691125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-80042138056319387542009-01-15T17:10:00.005-05:002009-01-15T18:00:06.314-05:00

I have been conspicuously (and by conspicuously, I mean in my own mind) from the blogosphere for a while now. I start blog entries and then forget about them. I wonder what there is to say that anyone could possibly care about. I still get comments on old blog posts and start writing but lose interest. Facebook and Ancestry.com have tightened their grip on me.My friend Michelle invited me to join

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-81534956281644796162008-10-11T09:45:00.004-04:002008-10-11T10:13:08.519-04:00

I try hard to not look at my 401(k), but I can't help it. Even after putting most of my meager fortune into fixed income, I watch it spiral downward each day like a banker on his way to meet the pavement. Thankfully I'm not anywhere near retirement, but I do wonder what the markets will look like when I get there. I don't play the stock market, since I've proved time and time again that I'm no

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-49448247784628800952008-08-19T22:00:00.000-04:002008-08-24T14:47:41.476-04:00

"Beyoncé" is not a trannie or a drag queen!

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-11509085974409510292008-08-19T21:40:00.008-04:002008-08-20T02:53:41.258-04:00

I was beginning to think camp was dead. But it's not; it's just different.I'm old enough to remember pre-AIDS camp. Back then, "camp" was synonymous with "gay." "Gay" meant "underground." "Underground" meant "immoral." Camp was subversive, dangerous, even anarchical. It defied description and categorization. You just knew something was camp. If you were not on that wavelength, camp meant nothing

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-49708114936816509752008-08-12T23:20:00.005-04:002008-08-13T01:16:47.425-04:00

In the final scene of Love, Actually, hordes of hot, smiling people swathed in flattering lighting and fresh makeup come bouncing off planes into Heathrow, and it makes you think, "Damn, international travel is sexy!"In Rome, Dublin, London, Singapore, Tokyo, Vancouver, and even Paris, I've never had problems figuring out where I need to go. The arrivals halls are usually well designed, with

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-74632120603306650452008-08-09T23:39:00.003-04:002008-08-10T20:08:47.568-04:00

Luis took me with him on a real estate listing today to a six-story building in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, the neighborhood I was born and raised in. When I saw the building again, it brought back to me an extraordinary incident that happened there, coincidentally 33 years ago to the day, an incident that for me symbolized the end of my innocence. I vividly and fondly remember my childhood

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-81178157665997450482008-08-09T12:38:00.005-04:002008-08-09T13:25:13.142-04:00

Love's a bitch, ain't it, especially when the object of your affection is an inanimate object. When it comes to Apple, I'm willing to endure its considerable deficiencies: sucky battery life, shoddy hardware, quirky software. Apple screwed up with the MobileMe debacle, but even Steve Jobs confessed that Apple wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. And yes, Apple lovers were promised shiny apps

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-28015897300647493162008-08-01T23:59:00.003-04:002008-08-03T19:14:10.631-04:00

With endless debate about same-sex marriage swirling around us, Luis and I have managed to build a nice life together over the past 10 years. He has health insurance through my employer, and we have tons of paperwork to protect us in case one of us gets sick or dies. Yeah, we still don't have the same protections as our parents, but I can't say we're hurting. If you really want to show your

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-60895150148557760022008-06-23T10:49:00.009-04:002008-06-26T17:05:55.577-04:00

We started getting a little weepy as we had our last glass of Prosecco at a wine bar at Fiumicino Airport. The last 2 weeks of vacation seemed like a dream, and the 9-hour flight ahead was a little too jarring a dose of reality. Usually after a vacation I'm content to return to my familiar surroundings. But in the past year or so, I have becoming increasingly restless and discontent with living

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-26392815637186743882008-06-19T20:08:00.002-04:002008-06-19T20:12:31.418-04:00

MoneyTimeCaloriesIn the real world, the first two would just about have run out, and the last one would have multiplied exponentially.But that's only if they counted, which they don't.

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-37462979388165690752008-06-18T18:16:00.009-04:002008-07-04T13:01:54.039-04:00

More photos of the trip so far:PompeiFlorence and FiesoleTuscany, Umbria, and Marche

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-39628756216871571102008-06-15T04:28:00.003-04:002008-06-15T04:30:31.872-04:00

I realized that blogging on this trip was an ambitious idea. There aren't enough hours in the day to write and experience all this beauty. This is our last day in Furore. Today we're going to Pompei and then on to Luis's mom's in Umbria. Not sure how many wireless opportunities there will be, but keep checking!

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-68122837587422753522008-06-13T03:09:00.003-04:002008-06-13T03:12:46.840-04:00

Photos of the trip so far:RomeAmalfi Coast 1Amalfi Coast 2Off to Capri today!

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-78740422191630699732008-06-08T23:59:00.000-04:002008-06-12T17:48:48.898-04:00

Rome has many virtues, but efficiency is not one of them. Our flight arrived without a hitch, but the pilot landed at the wrong gate ("I misunderstood," he announced) and our bags took almost 2 hours to appear at baggage claim. Our host at the bed and breakfast, Giampaolo, called us twice to make sure we hadn't missed our driver, Dario. Dario is a native Roman, in his late 20s, very cute, shaved

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-10111261576169672952008-06-06T18:58:00.006-04:002008-06-06T19:26:59.007-04:00

We're sitting in the Martini Bar at JFK, having cocktails and eating bad sandwiches before our flight. Before our car even arrived we had a glass of wine at the corner bistro. It's important to be relaxed before starting vacation. The car arrived on time, and we hit no traffic on the way. We got to the airport in 45 minutes. No waiting line. We zipped through security. No drama. It's still almost

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-12867825668581800532008-05-30T20:48:00.003-04:002008-05-30T22:23:18.604-04:00

Exactly one week from tonight the bf and I will be boarding a redeye to Rome. Thankfully the euro is beginning to slip a little. That means a Coke will cost $3.00 instead of $3.25. The last time we were in Rome was about 5 years ago, for only one night after a trip to Siena before we flew home. We got lost driving and went 40 miles before stopping at a gas station and finding out we were going in

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-78956346166877512812008-05-11T23:43:00.003-04:002008-05-13T23:36:26.905-04:00

I called mom earlier this week to see if she wanted to have dinner on Mother's Day. "Oh, hon," she said, "it's not worth it. You can't get in anywhere, it's so expensive, and the food's not all that great."At least she won't have to worry about restaurateurs knocking down her door to promote Mother's Day meals.In most families, a statement by your mom to this effect would be construed as

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-3908891907430467652008-04-12T00:43:00.006-04:002008-04-13T00:26:10.628-04:00

I wasn't in the mood to go to the gym tonight, but it was our first beautiful Spring evening. Plus, I vowed this year to take better care of myself. The past few months were dark and wretched. I let the stress of my job knock me to the ground and stomp all over me. I ended up with a nasty virus--or some kind of illness--that TKO'd me for 3 whole weeks. A chronic hacking cough, fatigue, and

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-78577020789572312992008-02-23T01:47:00.004-05:002008-02-23T01:55:53.620-05:00

I was all ready to dive back into blogging again when I got an invitation from my friend Michelle to join Facebook. So I did, and now I'm totally hooked. But that wasn't enough. Oh no. I accidentally dropped Luis's iPod Nano in the toilet and killed it. I felt terrible, even though it was my Nano to begin with. So the next day I went to the Apple Store to get him an iPod Touch, and well, next

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-28363717623459472892008-02-14T11:18:00.006-05:002008-02-14T12:39:07.860-05:00

I had lunch with mom a few weeks ago at Hinsch's in Bay Ridge, one of the truly last bastions of the Brooklyn of my teens. After the wood paneling was installed many decades ago, Time had one last burger there and decided never to return. Whereas I like Hinsch's for nostalgic (and, admittedly, camp) reasons, for Mom it's a comfort zone where she can be with people like her--aging, freshly

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-39691278559411799442008-02-13T22:54:00.001-05:002008-02-14T11:13:45.708-05:00

This is my first blog entry of 2008. It's not for lack of things to say. It's that Winter has seduced me into its Downy-fresh lair, where food, drink, and napping are bountiful. In Winter's comfy den of flannel sheets and fluffy pillows, I can have as many chocolate bars, Stellas, and episodes of "Family Guy" as I want. Winter lets me relax in a warm, cosy chair for hours on end. It doesn't care

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-5326347598225901872007-12-29T23:42:00.000-05:002008-01-27T23:45:48.037-05:00

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-596976616032066102007-12-28T23:40:00.000-05:002008-01-27T19:49:13.887-05:00

On the drive from London to Stansted Airport, the soothing, articulate voice of a BBC Radio 4 announcer read a string of random words that seemed to go on forever: "Viking North Utsire...southeasterly in North Utsire at first, otherwise southwesterly, 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later in Viking. Rough or very rough. Rain. moderate or poor...South Utsire...variable 4 becoming southwest 4 or 5,

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-11394357454776158872007-12-27T19:38:00.000-05:002008-01-21T12:35:51.681-05:00

This is only the second day since our arrival that it's rained. It hardly ever rains when I come to London, so I don't know why there's such a hoo-ha about London being rainy. I suspect it's a myth Londoners like to perpetuate to keep tourists away.It's been 12 days since my last workout, and my new diet of alcohol, tea, meat, and chocolate is working just fine. I feel lighter than when I left

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383987.post-66507023874890090812007-12-26T21:07:00.000-05:002008-01-08T14:00:41.909-05:00

I was excited about being in London on Boxing Day, and so to celebrate I planned a sparring session with a friend, but it didn't work out, so we had lunch instead and threatened to kick each other's asses another day. I was disappointed, because I assumed that on Boxing Day people took to the shops and boxed each other over sale items. When I went to Oxford Circus later that day, I found that

Kayo Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074409359234729324noreply@blogger.com1