Shayne's Week Four, Five and Six: Fitting it all in

Alright, I admit I'm lame. I haven't posted for two weeks. After the New York trip, life picked up speed at an exponential rate and I'm finally starting to breath again. With that said, let the blog begin!

Week 4- NYC!
So I try to make it to NYC at least once a year. This was actually my third trip this year, but totally different than ever before. I went up to be with TJ and Tony but also to get away from Orlando for a few days. I made no plans, had no expectations and just wanted to escape. So what was so awesome? Waking up, taking it easy, going into the city and doing whatever came up. Tony and I walked through Central Park in 30-degree weather, sliding around on the ice. We went to a gay bookstore, ate hummus and walked the streets of Astoria. TJ and I even saw the Chinese New Year parade in China Town. It was a great trip and the perfect balance of fun, excitement and relaxation. Oh yeah, and if that's not awesome enough, we watched part of the Super Bowl from a gay bar. You haven't lived until you've seen the boys go crazy for Jennifer Hudson singing the national anthem!

Week 5: Gasparilla
So my intended awesome event for week 5 turned out to be not-so-awesome. My friend and I made our way over to Tampa for Gasparilla, the annual Pirate event. What I soon found out is that it was founded on Pirates, and developed into a giant frat/sorority party. We decorated half-gallon jugs with bling and puffy paint, filled them with our favorite libations and took to the streets at 8am. Ugh... never again! I failed.

Week 6: Going at it alone.
For years I've been wanting to prove to myself that I could go to a bar by myself. I can handle restaurants but I wanted to go to an actual bar. You know, sit on the stool, chat with your neighbors and bartender and watch the TV screens. So yesterday I did just that. After the longest 5 days I've had in a long time, I had a moment to relax. I was wound up from a school presentation and just wanted a glass of wine. But at the same time, I didnt feel like calling up the army of friends to go out so I drove right to the new lounge by my house. There were only about 6 people there and it was kinda chill. They were playing old movies on the TV (Lassie if you are interested) which entertained me until the guy next to me started a conversation. Who knew "nice tie" could start an hour long dialogue! By the end I was BFF with the bartender and got to know the owner. It was kind of like Cheers but classier...and gay.

Well there you have it...3 weeks of awesomeness in one run on sentence.