October 2004 Diary
Fourth Quarter 2004 Diary
October 2004 Diary
10/05/04
It was a bit of a hectic weekend. Too much to do, and not enough time to do it.
I have a number of home maintenance projects going that kept me working at home Friday, but I was able to get away by mid morning Saturday to get to the boat by noon after a few stops for groceries and boat parts.
I cooked some hamburgers for lunch when Scott arrived about one o'clock. I needed to check a few things on the port engine that I was concerned about, so I started doing that after lunch. One of the things that bothered me was that it back fired sometimes when I started it, so I checked that the ignition wires were connected properly in the right firing order. They were, so then I started checking the spark plugs to see if they were OK. I found one that was cracked and one that was the wrong type. I replaced them, then started the engine to see if it ran any better. It seemed to run smoother, so we took it out for a test run. I was able to get it up to cruising speed, which was an improvement.
We planned to go to Ripples for Katt, then go to Busters restaurant for dinner, and stay there for dancing. I started getting ready, and changed my outfit three times before I finally settled on my new plum outfit. By the time I was satisfied with my look, it was too late for Ripples, so we went directly to Busters.
We had a nice pasta dinner, then went into the bar room and found a table by the band. We had a ball dancing and listening to the good music and comedy from the band. We left during their last break of the evening.
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We went to the Observation Bar Sunday afternoon for Chris and Lisa. I think I had too many bloody mary's that morning, because I was a bit tipsy by the time I had my second martini at the OB. I had fun dancing as always though, and I got Scott to dance to the slow ones. We left at six o'clock when the music stopped.
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I had cooked a Pot Roast dinner at home on Friday night, and had a lot of left over that I brought to the boat, so we had that for dinner. Scott had to leave by nine o'clock, because he had to work Monday morning.
I stayed on the boat until Monday. I removed the port engine carburetor to take to Harpurs for overhaul. It was the only thing on that damn engine that had not been overhauled. If that doesn't work then I will have to have the boat hauled out and the propellers checked.
10/12/04
It was a long and eventful weekend. Friday night at the Observation Bar, Saturday night at Busters, Sunday at Chris and Lisa, and Monday sobering up from the weekend.
I got a late start Friday, because I didn't know if Scott or anyone would be out Friday night. He was taking classes at work and didn't know when they would let him go. He called me before lunch and said then they told him he would be finished at his normal quitting time and would be coming to Long Beach, so I had lunch and left for the boat.
I am sorting through my closet to see what fat clothes I can get rid of. I hate to toss some of them because they are still nice, but the Salvation Army and the "out-of-the-closet " charities will make good use of them. I pulled three of my suits that just don't fit right any more and gave them to the Salvation Army. I still have way too many dresses and suits in the closet that are too big, so I need to do more culling.
I heated up some frozen left over spaghetti sauce from last weekend, and cooked some spaghetti for dinner when Scott arrived. We got dressed after dinner, and went to the Observation Bar about ten o'clock to dance to James King's rendition of Elvis tunes. James does more of his own singing style lately, instead of impersonating Elvis or Tom Jones. He also isn't dressing as Elvis much lately.
My crazy friend John P from Illinois was at the Bar when we arrived. He was in town to run in the Long Beach Marathon. He does the 13 mile half Marathon. Last year he wasn't able to finish because he was up most of the night drinking and whoreing. I asked him if he was going to do that again this year, and he said "no I am not going to bed at all this time".
We had a good time dancing, and didn't drink too much. We left sometime after midnight.
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. We went to Ripples at six when Katt starts her gig. The place was empty, and Katt was happy to see us. I guess everyone was watching the Dodger baseball game. We stayed until about seven thirty. Some people were starting to come in as we left.
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Michelle was going to Busters with us that night for the entertainment. and we were dressed in time for her arrival. I drove to Busters.
. Busters was crowded, but we found an empty table in the side room where we could still see the band. We were able to move up to the main room close to the dance floor during their next break. We danced quite a bit and had a ball. We stayed until they flashed the light and told us that they were closing.
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Sunday morning was the Marathon. We were having a late breakfast when John P and his friend Steve showed up. John actually finished this year, and proudly showed me the medal he got for finishing. I made them a bloody mary to celebrate. John was feeling good, and regaled us with the story of the party they had earlier last week when he first arrived. He had booked a limo to take them bar hopping, and ended up with ten people in the car after picking up some girls along the way.
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Scott and I took a walk to the Pike after John left. The Pike is a new commercial and residential development near the marina, and the convention center. It is built on the land that was an amusement park called the Pike many years ago. There are a number of restaurants, a night club, an arcade, bowling alley, a movie theater, and several apartment/condo buildings. There are still quite a few empty commercial buildings.
We went to the Observation Bar for Chris and Lisa after lunch. They are starting to draw a good crowd for a Sunday afternoon. John P and a girl, and Scott and I were the only ones dancing though. We stayed until they quit at six.
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I made beef goulash for dinner. I made enough to feed more than us two, but it keeps well and I like it for lunch.. Scott left for home about nine. I watched some television and went to bed about eleven o'clock.
Monday morning, I called Harpur's to see if he had put my port carburetor together, and they hadn't. He said that it was an automotive carburetor and wasn't legal for marine use. I have had the boat for about thirteen years, and hadn't had any problem with it until recently. It must have been swapped with the original marine carburetor before I bought it. Probably by the same dock bum hired by the previous owner and that screwed up the electrical system. I told Harpur to put in a new marine unit.
I left Long Beach and got home in time for lunch.
10/18/04
This weekend was different. It was depressing, weird, fun, and wet.
I had to come home Sunday night for a dental appointment Monday morning, so I went to the boat Friday morning to get my weekly three days of R&R.
Tom Harpur installed the new marine carburetor Thursday, but the starter solenoid froze in the on position when he started the engine to adjust it. That burned the ignition resister, so he had to replace the resister and the solenoid then adjust the carburetor. I planned to run that engine when Scott was there Saturday to see if it ran any better.
The first thing I do when I get to the boat is to turn the fresh water pump and water heater on. The pump usually runs for a few seconds to build up the water pressure, then shuts off until a faucet is turned on. This time it ran continuously. When that happens it means that either the water tanks are empty or there is a leak in the water lines. This time it was a major leak in the cold water line where it had fell against a rotating sea water pump. No big problem I told myself. All I need to do is cut the line where the hole is and put in a piece of copper tube for a patch. Problem; no 3/8 inch tube and no hose clamps small enough. OK, I told myself. I just need to unfasten the hose where it is connected to the supply tee, and insert the stump of the hose I just cut. Problem; the fitting needs a special ring that goes around the hose, and I don't have one. OK, I tell myself. I will just go to go to a West Marine store and buy the ring and fitting. So, I go to the store, and they do not have anything close to what I need. I find some fittings that look like I could cobble something together to get water on the boat temporarily at least. I go back to the boat and find that nothing except the small hose clamps work. To end this tale of woe, I ended up getting the hose temporarily clamped on to a short nipple of the supply tee, and was able to shower and get ready for the night.
I had a dinner date with Ruby for Friday night. I picked her up at her apartment in San Pedro and we drove to Rolling Hills to a very classy restaurant that she had been to recently. I can't remember the name of the place, and that's all right because I never want to go there again. The food was over priced. I guess they figure that if you serve small portions, the customers will think it is special. I started with a bowl of Lentil soup, and had a jumbo shrimp entree. The food was OK, but nothing special. My dinner, a martini and a glass of house wine was $60 with tip.
We wanted to go somewhere lively, and the Run Away Bay was close by so that's where we went after dinner. My friend Chris plays in the band there on Friday and Saturday nights. The place was packed with standing room only, but we finally found a table in the bar room with a view of the dance floor. The crowd is in our age range, and Ruby attracts men like fly's to honey. The problem is she doesn't share, and never introduces the guys to me, so I was left sitting alone for much of the night. I was asked to dance by one nice, good looking gentleman, but that was only for one dance,
There was a single lady about my age at the next table, and she had a harem of three young guys that she was buying drinks for. I thought to myself, "is that how I am going to be as I grow older? Needing to buy my love". I became very depressed, and told Ruby that I wanted to go home. We left early.
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When we got back, we helped set up for the big dock party we were going to have in honor of a couple that was leaving for the south seas on their sail boat at the end of the month.
Boris and April, the couple that are leaving are the nicest people on the dock. They were the first to acknowledge my new gender and call me by me chosen name, Marianne. Boris helped me get my new GPS software loaded and operational earlier this year. Boris is a Physician.
The dock party was a blast. The food was pot luck, and I brought some wine. All of the old timers on the dock know about my transition. Most accept me for what I am, but there are a couple that insist on being real ass holes about it, and contiue to call me Bob. I met some new people that didn't know about my sexual back grond, or if they did, didn't mention it to me, and refered to me as Marianne, and she, her, etc..
Boris and April were overcome with all the love that was being shown to them. The grand finaly was two cakes that had photos of them on their boat at Catilina. There is some kind of process that allows the photo to be baked right on the cake, and it is edible. The party ended at about dusk.
We didn't feel like changing clothes to go to the Queen Mary aor Busters that night, so Scott and I just had a snack for dinner and stayed snuggled on the boat with a copy of "Return Of The Jedis", and then to bed. A rain storm hit just as we were going to bed so we would have been very wet if we had gone anywhere.
 Boris and April |
 with the card we all signed |
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The rain held off long enough for me to BBQ some Fillet Mignon on the back deck. We had the Filets, mashed potaos, and BBQ beans for dinner. We left for Van Nuys to get Scotts car just as the rain started again. Scott had parked at the fly away lot and took the Metro to Long Beach.
I got home about ten.
10/26/04
Scott's School Bus job is really getting to cut into our weekends. He had to take the High School Cross Country team to a meet near Ontario Saturday. He left for the bus yard in Thousand Oaks at three o'clock AM and didn't get back until after five PM. He did manage to get to the boat by seven thirty though. We were going to meet Michelle at eight thirty and go to Busters for dinner and dancing. He had time for a beer, a shower, and a change of clothes.
We had a nice dinner of Baby Back Ribs at Busters, then went to the Bar Room for the music by the Flyers. The room was packed, but we found a table. We couldn't see the band from where we sat, but we were close to the dance floor. We had a lot of fun dancing.
The crowd usually thins out at the Band's midnight break, then we can move to the front of the room, but no one left this night. We stayed for a while, but didn't close the place like we did last time.
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We went to the Observation Bar after lunch. Chris and Lisa were great! They are getting a good following now. The dance floor was full by the time they quit at six o'clock.
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I grilled some Salmon steaks for dinner. Scott left for home about nine. I went to bed soon after. I spent Monday morning sorting my clothes into four piles; big stuff to go to charity, summer stuff to take home for storage, clothes that need washing or dry cleaning, and outfits that fit and are OK to wear. It became clear that I was deficient in tops, slacks, and skirts, so I went to the Lakewood Mall for a shopping trip after lunch.
I started at Pay for less to check on shoes. You can never have enough shoes, and I didn't have any boots. I found a nice pair of boots, and a pair of pumps. The boots have a four inch heel, but I think I can handle that because the boot provides a lot of ankle support.
I went to the Robinson-May next. I was tempted to buy a new leather jacket, but nothing really appealed to me that was in my price range. I bought a couple of tops that display a little cleavage, and a pair of jeans. I didn't see any skirts that I liked. I stopped at the J.C. Penny store for some panty hose on my way out of the Mall.
I went to the Marina Hof's Hut on PCH for dinner on my way back to the boat. They have a back room bar and dinning room that caters to adults as opposed to the Family restaurant in front. It serves good home cooking at a reasonable price. I had a martini and a glass of wine with my pot roast.
I went back to the boat to close up and left for home about eight o'clock.
11/05/04
It was a wonderful Halloween weekend. Scott was a cowboy and I was his senorita on both Saturday and Sunday nights. It was like the song goes "save a horse, ride a cowboy".
Scott arrived at the boat Saturday in time for lunch, then we went to the Mall to do some shopping. I needed some new sweaters, and I found three at the Robinson-May.
We drove to the Money Tree for dinner Saturday night. Our reservations were for 8:30, but we didn't get there until after nine. We got a late start because it took me longer to get my costume together than I had planned. The big issue with my costume was if I should wear my old red pageboy wig. It looked OK, but it smelled of "boat" because it had been in the closet for so long. I sprayed it with Vanilla Fields Perfume until it reeked, and wore it with my black senorita outfit with a strapless bra so I could wear the top off the shoulders. I accessorize it with a black pearl necklace and a rhinestone belt.
The food at the Money Tree was much better than the last time, because the owners were back. The restaurant was crowded, and we were late, but the owner's wife recognized me and got us a table soon after we arrived. The Jazz group was great, and we lingered a while before going on to the Lodge.
There was no street parking within a block of the Lodge on Lankershim, or it's side streets. We went over to Vineland and found a lot near the Colony Inn. Its a block and a half from the Lodge, which isn't bad, except you have to cross Lankershim where there is no cross walk, and it's six lanes of traffic. We just started across the street, and everyone stopped to let us bye, so we got to the Lodge in one peace.
The Lodge was packed! We pushed our way to the bar, and ordered some drinks from Roxy. I looked around and spotted Sherryl a couple of stools down. It took her a minute to recognize me with my red wig on. She looked great. We had a short conversation. I was looking forward to being able to talk to her more later, but she was gone by the time I made a tour of the place to see who else was there.
It was late by the time we got there so the DJ was playing the usual 4-4 beat music. I danced some, and we just had a couple of drinks before we left, because Scott had to drive us back to Long Beach.
The scariest part of the trip back was getting across the street from the Lodge to the car.
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We went to the Observation Bar on the Queen Mary after lunch. We wore our Cowboy and Senorita outfits. Everyone liked my red hair wig. I guess I am going to have to wash it and wear it again occasionally. We enjoyed dancing to Chris and Lisa. I limited myself to two Martinis because we were going out later that night.
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We were still in our costumes. We found a table close to the dance floor where the KARIOKE is set up. Scott picked a couple of songs that he wanted to sing and submitted them to the Operator. He was about eighth on the list. we had a couple of drinks, and danced some before he got up to sing
His first song was "Mama Told Me Not To Come". He likes that one because it has the line "my girlfriend was passed out on the floor". He plays that to rub it in to me about getting drunk in San Diego one night. The song is OK with me, because I like to dance to it.
He did his second song about an hour later. It was "Wonderful Tonight". That was appropriate because of the lines referring to the "Lady in red" and I was wearing the red wig. Everyone got on the dance floor to dance to this, and I danced up to him and gave him a big kiss. One of the other girls there thought that was so sweet that she took a couple of pictures of us with my camera.
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11/09/04
Some weekends seem to be over too quickly. This was one of those.
Scott had to take the High School Volleyball team to a tournament Saturday. He never knows when he will be finished on these trips, because it depends on if the team looses and goes home, or wins and moves on to the next level. The team lost fairly early in the tournament, so he was able to get to Long Beach by six o'clock.
We had dinner, got dressed and on our way to the Queen Mary by nine thirty. There was a Pop concert in the Queen Mary event park and the place was full of Punk Rockers, bur we were able to work our way to the VIP parking lot and find a good spot close to the ship entrance.
James King was performing in the Observation Bar. He is changing his looks to be less of a Elvis impersonator, and is growing a mustache and beard. It took us a while to get a table because the place was packed. All the regular patrons of the OB said hello and welcomed us back. We had been staying away on Saturday nights for the past couple weeks because of the ghost and shipwreck thing that was set up for Halloween on the ship. The crowds and the parking was bad for the whole month of October.
We Had a good time dancing to our favorite tunes, and stayed until the Last set.
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Sunday afternoon, we went back to the Observation Bar to enjoy Chris and Lisa. There was a group at the table next to us that were celebrating a birthday, and were very drunk. The birthday girl kept falling down. They were fun though.
We went outside to toast the queen at the six o'clock horn. Its fun watching the others reaction when it goes off. It is very loud in the OB.
We stayed for a while we finished our drinks, then started to leave, but it had started to rain. Everyone at the Concert were leaving and we could see a traffic jam trying to get out. We decided to stay on the ship and have dinner in the Prominade Cafe.
It was almost nine o'clock by the time we got back to the boat. Scott had to leave because of work Monday, so we did a quickie and said our goodbyes.
I went home Monday noon.
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11/15/04
It was a busy week, and weekend. I had a lot of fun, but boat problems continue to bug me.
Scott sang at the Cowboy Palace Wednesday night, and I went there to cheer him on. I wore my new boots with a pair of boot leg blue jeans and a red sweater. The boots have a four inch heal, and I can't walk in them very well yet let alone dance, but I managed some Texas Two Step.
Scott's performance went very well, and he got a big round of applause. I had some wine and enjoyed the show.
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 at the Cowboy Palace |
I get together with my old friend Heather for lunch once in a while to get caught up on what is happening in her life, and dump some of my troubles on her. Heather has stayed in drab for over a year now, and doesn't have any desire to dress at this time.
We had lunch together at noon Thursday. Heather was in drab and I was en fem. I asked Scott to come by the restaurant about one o'clock to meet my best friend, then Scott and I would go to the Reagan Library after Heather went back to work. Scott has read most of my diaries, so he knew what Heather looked like, but he told me that the man he met didn't look anything like that pretty sophisticated lady.
The Reagan Library was crowded, so we had to park on a street a couple blocks away, then take a shuttle. There was a troop of men and women in Civil War costumes giving demonstrations shooting canons, gatling guns, and rifles because it was Veterans Day.
I enjoyed the library. They have displays of Reagan in his youth, and movie career, as well as his political years as Governor of California and President. We stayed a couple of hours. I forgot my camera, but Scott had his film camera, and I will post his pictures when they are available.
I plan to have a boat party during the Holiday boat parade in four weeks, and there are a lot of things that have to be fixed by then, so I went down to the Marina on Friday to get some of those done. Scott had a rare weekend off, and planned to come after work Friday night.
I spend Friday afternoon checking the batteries to find out which one the three was keeping the voltage low. One of them had a blown out side, so I removed that and set it aside to get a new one later.
It took Scott almost four hours to get to the boat after work using public transportation from Van Nuys. The main problem was the freeway traffic from Van Nuys to LAX via the bus. I cooked some steaks for dinner, then we went to Buster's for dancing. We really enjoy the musical entertainment by the Flyers group there. They have been performing at Busters for twenty five years.
The place was packed, so we ended up in the side overflow room again. We had a good time dancing, and singing along with the crowd. We left early though, because we were both tired.
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The first order of business Saturday morning was to buy a new battery and install it. We did that, and started the engines to charge it. Unfortunately, the port engine's starter wouldn't stop, and we had to stop it by turning the battery switch off. That is something you don't want to do, because it can ruin the alternator. The problem with the starter turned out to be the ignition switch.
This weekend was our one year anniversary, and we had a dinner reservation at Sir Winstons on the Queen Mary to celebrate. We got there early to have a drink at the Sir Winstons Bar before dinner. We haven't been there in a while. It was nice to see Alan, the bartender again. The dinner was excellent. They have restored some of the traditional service ritual which makes the place unique in Long Beach.
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We went to the Observation Bar after dinner and danced to James' music. There was no tables available, but one of the other regular customers invited us to share their table.
We had a good time. James played all our favorites. We left after midnight.
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We needed to take the boat out for a waste pump out Sunday, but needed to replace the bad ignition switch first. We drove to the Marine store, and got the switch, then went to find a post office box so Scott could mail some bills that he forgot to mail earlier. I was stopped by a Long Beach police on the way back to the boat. The officer said that I had cut him off when I made a left turn. I wasn't aware that I had did that. I gave him my drivers license and he went back to his cruiser to check me out. I wish I could have seen his face when he looked at my license. The picture is Marianne, but it still has my male name. He gave me my license back, and told me to watch it next time. I was so happy he didn't give me a ticket. I think he was in a hurry to get somewhere else and didn't want to mess with a transsexual.
We were able to replace the switch, then start the engines to take it out for the pump out.
We went to the OB after lunch to be entertained by Chris and Lisa. There was a good crowd there again, including two Birthday parties. They weren't as drunk as the group last week though. One of the Birthday groups were from Catalina, and they had an excellent singer that sang with Chris and Lisa for a couple of songs. She performs at a Cafe in Avalon. I hope I will be able to get Avalon this year.
We stayed until six o'clock when Chris and Lisa stoped.
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I made Spaghetti for dinner, then we took a nap before packing up and heading home. I took Scott to his car in Van Nuys, and went home
11/22/04
I have been going crazy over the endless boat problems lately. I want to go to Catalina after Thanksgiving, but just as I think everything is ready, another problem pops up. The alternator that I thought was broke tested OK. The Excitation wire to it turned out to be broken, so I replaced it and reinstalled the alternator.
I thought that the only problem left was the valve cover leaking oil. Avalon will kick you out if you discharge oil into the Harbor. I asked my mechanic to fix it and he met me at the boat Friday to put a new gasket on it. We tested the alternator and everything seemed to be in working order.
Scott came to the boat after work Friday night. We had dinner on the boat and went to Busters for dancing. We enjoy the Flyers that play there on Friday and Saturday nights. Their routine is fairly consistent, but they put enough variety in to keep it interesting.
It was crowded as usual when we got there, so we had to sit in the side overflow room until a table became available in the main area. We stayed until their last break.
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We went shopping at the Robinson May in the Lakewood Mall Saturday morning for their "early bird" specials. I bought a cocktail dress and a new belt. I wanted to get an evening gown for the GNO Party on the fourth, but they didn't have anything that appealed to me.
My friend Robin called me when we got back to the boat, and I invited her to come by for a visit. I hadn’t seen her for a long time. I was amazed how much she has changed during the past year. She is now full time, and is scheduled for GRS in June. She looked great!
Scott and I planned to have dinner at the Reef, then meet Michelle at the Observation Bar later. We invited Robin to join us.
We arrived at the Reef early enough to spend some time at the Bar. Scott and I had our shared prime rib as usual, and Robin ate a whole one by herself. She is a tall healthy woman, but carries her height well.
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Michelle was waiting for us in the Observation Bar. The only empty table was way in the back of the room, but we took that anyway. We had a blast visiting, dancing, and drinking. Our friend Lisa's band was playing, and she was great as usual.
We stayed until the last set.
It had started to rain a little but we were able to get to our cars and be on our way during a break in the weather. It didn't start raining again until we were safely in the boat. There is nothing like the sound of a gentle rain on the cabin roof to enhance a good nights sleep.
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It looks like there will be no voyage to Catalina this week.
Michelle called to say that she wanted to go to the Observation Bar with us for the Sunday afternoon music, dancing, and drinking party. I asked her to come by the boat so we could go together in one car to save the $8 parking fee. I normally don't have to pay for parking because they stop collecting before we leave at midnight, or if they are collecting at the entrance for a special event, I tell them I have a VIP Parking pass, and they let me in free. We have to pay for Sunday afternoons though.
Lisa wasn't playing with Chris this Sunday. Chris had a keyboardist playing with him instead. He said that Lisa would be back next Sunday.
It was a pleasant afternoon of dancing and enjoying the music and the view of the Harbor.
We left soon after Chris quit at six.
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The three of us decided to go to Hamburger Mary's for dinner, and a little dancing and singing before going home. We stopped at the marina, so Scott could get his suitcase and car, because he wanted to leave for home from there. I also needed to be home Monday morning to finish my thanksgiving shopping.
I was tempted to try one of Hamburger Mary's hamburgers, but I saw what monsters they are, and decided to have a Pastrami Sandwich for dinner instead. I had a couple of glasses of wine before the KARIOKE started at eight thirty, then I had another one, and decided that I better not drive home that night.
Scott was first up for the KARIOKE and sang a couple of ballads. We danced some. Michelle is a good singer but she didn't want to do it that night. Scott was going to sing again, but the waiting list got too long, so we decided to leave. Scott went home, Michelle drove me to the boat and went home, and I crashed after a fun weekend (except for the boat problems).
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I wanted to see how bad the Alternator problem was Monday morning, and checked on the batteries to make sure they were OK, then ran a temporary wire to the EXC Terminal with a volt meter on it, and started the engine. The regulator seemed to be working, because the Alternator output stayed at a steady 14 volts regardless of the speed like it is suppose to do.
I took the alternator off anyway to take to the shop. I called Harpurs and told him what had happened, and he said that he would try to find out what else to test, and come over to see if he could find the problem. I went home.
11/30/04
Thanksgiving was family time, and I spent it at home, but Friday through Sunday was party time.
Scott joined me at the boat Friday afternoon, and we went to the Observation Bar Friday night. There was a new band playing that wasn't bad. They played a lot of our favorite dance music, and we had a good time.
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Scott and I started cleaning the boat Saturday morning in preparation for the boat parade party in two weeks. He did the venetian blinds, and I did the walls and head.
It started raining that afternoon, so we didn't do anything to the exterior. I was concerned about the rain, because we were going to go to the Sky Room to celebrate Scott's Birthday. His BD is actually today, but he was going to spend it with his family.
It was cold and a bit misty when we went to the Sky Room, but they have valet parking and a covered entrance to the building. We arrived a bit early so we could have a drink at the bar, but we didn't have to wait long.
Our dinner table had a beautiful view of the harbor lights, and the food was great. We really pigged out with salad, pasta, lamb, apple dumpling, ice cream, wine and Champaign.
The band played mostly forties and fifties music, and we loved to dance to it. The decor in the Sky Room is art-deco, and everything there is up scale.
We usually go to the roof patio before we leave, and we went up there, but it was too cold and windy to stay for long, so we went back to the boat.
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Sunday was sunny, but still windy and cold. The wind calmed down by noon, but the boat was still not operational to take it out. Harpur's had the alternator fixed but hadn't installed it yet.
We went to the Observation Bar later in the afternoon. I didn't wear a wig because I get tired of the same thing week after week, but that was a mistake. My hair is getting so thin in the back that it doesn't look right anymore. I am going to have to get extensions, or transplants if I don't wear a wig.
Chris and Lisa were playing at the OB. There wasn't many people there though. I guess it was due to everyone going shopping that weekend. There was a couple of girls at the next table and we shared the dance floor with them until it was time for the music to stop.
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12/07/04
Tis the season to be jolly, and I try to do my part. Saturday was the Girls night out Holiday Party at the Best Western Mayfair. Thank you Charlotte, Terrisha, and Michelle for putting it together. It was a blast!
I finally found a gown Friday morning at the Lakewood Mall's Robby May. It's a black Velour long gown with Sleeves than can be worn up of off the shoulder. I love it!
I did some lawn dairy Friday morning before I went to the mall, then spent a few hours searching for the perfect dress, and accessories. One of the things I needed was a waist cincher without snap hooks that show through the tight tops that I have been wearing lately. I found one for $30, but it turned out to be worthless, because it doesn't have enough boning to keep it from rolling up.
Scott took the Metrolink, and MTA to Long beach Friday night and I picked him up about seven thirty at the Long Beach Transit Mall. We had dinner on the boat, then went to the Queen Mary Observation Bar to listen to James King do his Elvis stuff. We had a good time.
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Saturday, I packed my suit case with Lingerie, and makeup, etc., for the GNO Holiday party. We were going to stay at the Mayfair that night. It was raining a light rain, so we couldn't do much out side on the boat. It was a typical Southern California rainy day commute to down town; slow and nervous.
We checked in to the Mayfair about five o'clock, and set up our bar in the room. It was the first time that Scott has been at this hotel, so we did an orientation tour of the place.
Naomi and Heather came to the room before the party started. They stayed for a short time, then went down to the Ball Room to get a table and save a place for us while I finished dressing.
We got to the Ball Room about eight o'clock. I remembered the last time I was in this room was when Hope got Married there. That wedding party was great. I still have the center piece from our table on my coffee table on the boat.
Terry, Michelle and Charlotte were signing people in at the front desk and taking pictures. They are such giving people. They did a great job setting the party up. The ambiance, food, and music were all great. Thank you for a wonderful time girls.
Scott was a hit with the all girls. there was one other male SO there, but Scott was the charmer.
We had expected a late night party in our room, but Heather and Naomi left fairly early, because they didn't want to drink and drive, and no one else was interested either.
I was finished drinking early as well. One more gin and they would have had to get a baggage cart to take me back to the room.
We said our goodnights and retired to the room.
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The Mayfair has good food, but they close the Breakfast kitchen at nine thirty, so you need to get up and down to the restaurant early if you want to eat there. We made it to the dining room by a little after nine..
There was one other T* girl there in the restaurant when we arrived, and another came in a little later. I shouldn't criticize, because I am no fem Pixy, but both of these girls might have just as well hung signs around their neck advertising their situation. The other patrons and staff were making fun of their dress, mannerisms, and voice.
Scott had to take the 12:30 Amtrak train back to Simi Valley to help his parents set up their Christmas decorations, so we checked out and I drove him to Union Station a bit before noon. I went back to the boat.
I went to the Observation Bar to see Chris and Lisa after a late lunch. Their birthdays are within a few days, and they celebrated together with a bunch of friends that were there. I sat at the bar to talk to Evon, and a couple of drinks. I left early and went back to the boat for a nap.
I was feeling restless after my nap, and didn't feel like having dinner alone on the boat, so I went to the Reef for dinner. I had a drink and some small talk with Bryan, the Bartender at the bar, then had a salmon dinner in the restaurant.
I still didn't feel like going to the boat alone, so I stopped at Hamburger Mary's to listen to the KARIOKE for a while. It was fun. I stayed for an hour then went home to the boat and crashed.
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I came home about noon.
12/13/04
Party, party, party this weekend.
Scott took the Metro to Long Beach after work Friday night, and I picked him up at the transit mall. He just had enough time to shed his uniform, shower and get dressed for our nine o'clock dinner reservation at the Reef.
We partied after dinner at the Observation Bar. Lisa's group was playing, and there was a fun crowd there. Everyone was in a Holiday mood. We stayed until one.
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The Shoreline Marina Boat Parade was scheduled for Saturday night, and I invited a bunch of friends to watch it on the good ship "My World".
The party started at four o'clock, and the plan was to leave the dock about six, and sail to a viewing position on the parade route. It was relatively warm, and there was little wind, so we could just drift about like we did last year.
The last of my guests arrived a little after six, and I was about to start the engines to leave the dock, when a fog bank rolled in. I turned the VHF radio to the channel that was being used by the parade officials, and learned that the fog was especially thick in the harbor where the parade was to form up, and start. The parade was canceled. That was a disappointment, but by this time my party was well underway at the dock.
I had not had any booze yet, because I needed to be driving the boat sober, but I poured myself a stiff one when I heard the parade was canceled. We all had a good time eating home made Chilli, snacks, and drinking various libations. The last guest left about midnight.
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Sunday morning was clear and bright, so we took the boat out for a spin. The boat ran fine.
The L.A. Gender Center's yearly Holiday party was Sunday afternoon at the Abbey in West Hollywood. The party started at three, and we got there about three thirty. There were not as many people attending this year as in the past, but there were many of my friends there.
I had a glass of wine, a martini, and a coke. The party was officially over at six, but we stayed for a while before going to the Cafe D' for dinner.
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Robin and Monique joined us for dinner. I ordered a martini, but managed to spill it before I had taken a sip. I think that there was still some alcohol in my system from the past two days, I felt OK, but I my hand-eye coordination wasn't too good.
After dinner, I drove Scott to his car parked at the Fly-Away lot in Van Nuys, and went home.
12/21/04
I don't know why, but I often get depressed this time of the year, however I know exactly why I was depressed this weekend; my honey wasn't with me. His father was in the hospital, and he needed to support his mother. His father probably won't be well enough to go home for a few more days, so Scott may have to stay home until after Christmas.
I went to the Observation Bar Saturday night by myself. I sat at the Bar and just enjoyed the music and Evon's conversation. The room was not full while I was there. I left early though, and it probably got crowded later.
I wanted Katt to meet the manager of the OB on Sunday, but he is quitting at the end of the year, and is on vacation until the 31st. I had a chance Saturday night to tell him a little about how I thought the OB could use a Friday, Saturday or Monday afternoon combo when the cruise ships are in port there. I think Katt could draw some of the passengers that are just getting off the ships, and staying at the Queen Mary. He thought that might work, and I should bring it up to his replacement.
Katt and I did go to the OB Sunday afternoon so she could see what the venue looked like. I introduced her to Chris and Lisa, and they invited her to sing a song. Katt did a song and was great. We stayed until six, then went back to the boat. I cooked a steak for our dinner. She left after dinner and I had a few more drinks and crashed.
I came home Monday afternoon.
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12/25/04
Jennifer's Trio was playing at the Crown Plaza Hotel on Thursday night, and a bunch of her friends went to support her. It was great! The room was packed, and everyone really enjoyed their playing. She got a standing ovation when she quit at ten o'clock. The Hotel's Entertainment Manager was impressed with the full house and the money that was being spent as well. We are hoping that she will be able to have regular gigs there.
There was Michelle, Naomi, Scott and I at one table, and Layla, her Daughter, and her Boyfriend at a table next to us.
Michelle, Scott and I went to the Queen Mary's Observation Bar after giving out congratulations to Jennifer.
We arrived at the OB about eleven o'clock and stayed until closing. There was a Jazz duo playing, but I didn't think they were very good. Maybe it was just that we were so impressed with Jennifer's performance, that these guys paled in comparison.
Scott was able to stay the night, but we both needed to get home Friday.
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