Chasing Some New Tail

The last time I wrote about Lena I said I was going to tell her to go fuck herself. I didn’t follow through. I talked with Lena a few weeks ago. Lena apologized about a thousand times for not returning my calls. She was busy designing two new productions and building the set for a third while chasing some new tail (her words, not mine). I called Lena yesterday afternoon and we made plans to go to Cindi’s opening.

I picked Lena up and we headed over to Cherry Creek to meet Paul and Dan for dinner. After a good, but overpriced dinner, we schlepped across town to the gallery.

As I walked up to the gallery I could see Cindi through the large windows. She was stunningly beautiful in a black belted short dress with knee high black boots. Her close cropped platinum blond hair was spiked up and made her stand out in a room of bland gallery goers. Unfortunately, Marge was standing outside the gallery talking to a man as we approached. I had to walk by her with the flowers I had picked up for Cindi. Thankfully, Lena stopped to greet Marge so I was able to nod and smile as I walked by her into the gallery to greet Cindi.

Cindi’s work was clustered on the south and east walls of the gallery. All of her work was professionally framed. Cindi’s work was stellar. Most of the gallery crowd was congregated on Cindi’s side of the gallery. At one point I realized that Cindi was surrounded by a group of people that included her current boyfriend, her previous boyfriend (the chocolatier with the Tesla) with his new girlfriend and Cindi’s former girlfriend, Lena. I wondered what Mitt would think of this group. Paul, who is an art teacher and set designer, thought Cindi’s work was engaging and her color palate fresh and soothing. Cindi sold three pieces last night.

Marge’s work was hung on the other side of the galley. It was a hot mess. Cindi correctly described Marge’s work as ridiculous amateur crap. Marge’s work looked like preliminary studies an artist would create in preparation for putting brush to canvas. Paul thought Marge’s work was a testament to a fading talent and showed a lack of effort and creativity. Marge was one drink away from being trashed. I almost felt sorry for her but she brought this mess on herself. Marge was supposed to be the star of the show but she was clearly out staged by Cindi. Marge can only blame herself. She needs to get help or her life is going to end in a disaster.

Lena, Paul, Dan and I walked through the other galleries on the street. Lena was cruised by a lesbian couple who seemed to be following us from gallery to gallery. That was some tail that Lena didn’t want any part of. Lena likes her lady boner action one on one. It was time to head home.

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Happy Friday

I’m off to the gym and to the galleries tonight. The night is full of promise.

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Ridiculous Amateur Crap

Cindi called me yesterday afternoon. She was having a break down. She was at an art gallery getting ready to hang a show that her friend, Marge, asked her to be part of. Cindi thinks the show is going to be a disaster.

Marge is an artist that Cindi has known for years. Marge asked Cindi to join her show because Marge didn’t think she could produce enough work to fill the gallery. Cindi hasn’t had a show in a number of years because she put her art career on hold to run her business. Cindi started painting and making monotypes months ago. I saw several of her new works when I was at her house a few weeks ago. Her work was true to her spirit and is abstract in nature.

Marge used to be a great abstract painter and is a Tamarind master printer. Marge taught Cindi how to print. Marge’s son was killed five year ago in a tragic accident. Marge has never really recovered and is quite often drunk. Her artwork has seriously suffered and she has been showing the same work for a number of years. Cindi agreed to be part of the show because Marge told her she had rush of creativity and was producing great work.

Cindi arranged to meet Marge at the gallery at noon. Marge had dropped of her artwork and left. Cindi described Marge’s work as “ridiculous amateur crap”. Cindi is embarrassed to share gallery space with Marge because her paintings are not gallery quality work. This show is Cindi’s re-entry into to local art scene. She wants to have a successful launch and not be associated with a show that includes inferior works.

I managed to talk Cindi off the ledge. I told Cindi that Marge’s poor work will put the focus on her good work. If anything, Cindi’s work will make Marge’s look even more amateur. People will remember Cindi’s work. I hope this is true. I’ll find out Friday night at the opening.

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The New 3

I was surprised to get an invitation to the BMW launch party for the new 3-series and X1 at the dealer a few blocks from the house. I called Mike to see if he wanted to go with me. He told me Crazy Barb got the same invitation. Everybody who has their car serviced at the dealership got invited to the launch party. It wasn’t the exclusive event the invitation made it sound like. Mike said there was a private event last week for people who own 6 and 7 series models. Mike offered to borrow a new 3-series if I was serious about buying a new car since they are loaning 3 series cars to brokers. I told him to bring one by if he has one on loan but I wasn’t planning on buying a new car until next fall. I think I’ll pass on the party.

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$600

I worked out with Carlos today. He gave me the condensed version of his trip to Las Vegas between sets. Nine guys ended up going on the trip. They consumed pot brownies from one of the local dispensaries on the flight to Vegas. The guys were too stoned to do anything when they arrived but managed to rally a little before midnight. They spent midnight to 6 a.m. in a strip club. Carlos dropped $600 on lap dances in those six hours. The rest of the weekend was a blur of drinking to excess, a lavish dinner at the Wynn, bottle service at strip clubs and lap dances in private rooms. The flight home was quiet. All of the guys were still severely hung over at one in the afternoon. One of the guys slept on the floor of the jet. Carlos said the trip was great and can’t wait to go back. I’m sure they’ll be off on another adventure before the end of the year.

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Mr. Romney Thinks I’m A Victim

I’m sure you have heard about Mitt Romney’s remarks at a private reception. I voted for Barack Obama. I pay taxes every year. Last year I paid 28% of my income in taxes. Everyone I know who voted for Barack Obama paid taxes last year and will pay taxes again this year. I am not currently a government freeloader. (In the interest of full disclosure, I received unemployment benefits for four month at the end of 2008, beginning of 2009.) None of my friends who voted for Obama are mooching off the government. I am not a victim looking for government assistance. None of my friends are victims. I believe Mitt Romney is a liar.

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Rosh Hashanah Dinner

Amiee invited me to her Rosh Hashanah dinner yesterday. It was my first Rosh Hashanah dinner. The evening was like being in an episode of the Parenthood, the drama/comedy on NBC. Amiee’s mother was there along with her boyfriend with benefits, Aimee’s sister with her husband, two kids, her husband’s brother and his brother’s new girlfriend (the new girlfriend is a teacher who has replaced a stripper). Add in Amiee’s husband and her two kids and it was an evening of nonstop action. The minor bickering between sisters over their different parenting styles was amusing. The kids seem to have unlimited energy so sitting down for dinner was a challenge for them. It was a great evening but I was glad to get home to the solitude of a house with no one else there.

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Getting Out Of The House

After spending eight hours working on the spreadsheet from hell all day Friday, I needed to get out of the house. I went to gym and then stopped at the mall to buy some new work out t-shirts. After buying t-shirts I walked around the mall for a while to see what was new. I found a pair of casual wing tip boots that will be great for fall but decided I shouldn’t spend $200 on another pair of shoes. I tried on a great charcoal grey blazer that would be a great addition to my wardrobe. I decided to look around before buying the blazer. I also passed on a great winter coat because the price was almost as much as our house payment. At another store I found a really nice shirt but it was a little pricey. I thought the salesman was being a snooty dick so I left. (Why do some sales people act this way? If they had any money they would be shopping at the store, not employed by the store.) I avoided stopping in to see Chris at Neiman Marcus because I knew I would drop a bundle. I decided to head home to make dinner.

I quickly threw together a pot of chili and turned on House Hunters while the chili simmered. After dinner I drove over to RINO to check out the opening of a new exhibit at Ice Cube. It was a great show three woman show. Two abstract painters and a sculptor have put on a stellar show. The paintings were monumentally excellent. I would buy any of them but the cheapest was $3k. I ran into Jessica, a transgendered artist I know form the art gallery circuit, who always seems half drunk at the art openings. She told me I needed to check out the new sculpture show at Pirate as she teetered on her heels and split her wine down the front of her black and white blouse with the plunging neckline. She told me the sculptor was a gay man and I needed to support my team. I took Jessica’s advice and drove over to Pirate to check out the show. The main piece in the show was a light blue tailgate from an old Chevrolet pickup truck that had been hung on the wall over a white patchwork cowhide. It was an interesting show but too abstract for my taste. I did like one piece but it was too expensive. It seems like too expensive was turning into the theme for my day. I also checked out the shows at Zip37, Next and Edge which are all clustered by Pirate.

I headed home about 8:30 and watched a movie on Logo which was a rather unimpressive gay detective tale. I was in bed by eleven as was soon fast asleep with the help of Ambien. A new day was just around the corner.

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Another Corporate Cluster Fuck

It was a tough day at work. The day started with a conference call run by the new management team in Ireland. They’ve instituted a process that calls for unrealistic preparation for the test cycle. The test cycle is 20 business days, or 160 hours. I will now spend 56 hours documenting what I will be doing for the remaining 104 hours in the cycle. I have a humongous spreadsheet to fill out that is fed into a program that will track my progress. I think it’s ridiculous to spend that much time preparing to run my tests. There’s been a process in place for seven years that has run smoothly. The new process cuts down on the actual time I have to run test cases. That means the product house can’t make as many changes because my productive time has been cut by 35%. It must make sense to the management team in Ireland that came from the bankrupt company my employer bought two years ago. I wonder why they went bankrupt.

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A Proper Goodbye

Cindi and I made plans to attend Marks’s service together. Surprisingly, Cindi picked me up on time. She even went to the car wash on her way. Her SUV is usually infested with dog hair. I brought a lint brush just in case. I ended up giving Cindi a once over with the lint brush at the cemetery since she had quite a few dog hairs on her black outfit.

Mark’s service was very toughing. Several friends and family members spoke after the rabbi gave his talk. Lee, Mark’s best friend, gave a very touching and tearful send off. It was a simple service without music. Grave side prayers were mostly in Hebrew. Everyone threw dirt in the grave at the end of the service.

I gave Terry, Mark’s partner, a long hug after the service. It felt so good to comfort him. Tentative dinner plans were made for late in the month.

It was a heartwarming sending off to a man who was loved by many.

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