Lunar Eclipse on Wed

I found this really cool pic of the lunar eclipse that occurred on Wednesday night...

Jer, Patois and I watched it from our front deck and it was gorgeous. Thanks to DPC and his New York Social Diary for this photo.

Seven Days ...

I got back from my last trip on Tuesdeay and I am in the middle of 7 days off. That rarely happens without trip trades or vacation so I am loving this wee break. It's still very warm here in Houston (90's every day) and sunny most days. Just the way I love it. Dad and Sharon on the other hand find it awful--too humid. They got back into town this week after another cross-country extravaganza and are looking great: relaxed, refreshed and full of travel stories. They came over on Wed for a couple of hours before returning to Conroe with their Avalon.

That same evening the Red Sox won the World Series in a sweep. Not that I give two hoots about that though. But Chris was sort of bummed not to get the gig for the 5th game (since there wasn't to be one). At the same time, the hubbub over his new lady friend started to raise a few eyebrows among the tabloids. Personally, I think it's great, as do all of my gay friends and most of the straight ones too.

Jer and I have been doing all sorts of shopping for him for the European tour. I am delighted to say that his new fave for fashion and footwear is Hugo Boss. The downside of that is that we can't afford to deck him out in all Boss gear. Yet. He did get a cool pair of black shoes and a sharp pair of boots from Boss though. And some great clothes for the cold weather. Everyone tells him to wait to shop in Europe--which I know he will do also.

Last night was Jer's last night at home for 7 weeks and since he didn't want a big celebration, I decided to keep it low key. Made a mahi mahi lunch (healthy) and a steak dinner (sinful). The lovely Nancy came over before dinner and we all shared the most phenomenal caviar I have EVER tasted (thanks a ga-zillion Sergi). It was imported from Georgia--as in Russia, not the southern US--and each red egg popped in your mouth. Heaven. Especially with the chilled champagne and French blinis. Used a coffee/spice rub on the filet mignons and now I know why people only use rubs for outdoor grilling--the smoke alarm went off midway through the pan-searing. Nancy reappeared before this happened to drop off a home-made brownie that she'd made for The Jeremy. There's barely any of it left today.

Shopping at the Galeries Lafayette

After a bit of a rough takeoff on Sunday and some bruising on my backside, I landed safely in Paris on Monday morning. Mika, Terri and I hopped in a cab over to the Galeries Lafayette on Haussmann Blvd. It is a remarkable department store containing almost all of the well-known European designers' lines as well as many of the French highstreet name brands.

The magnificent stained glass dome atop the glorious building is an attraction in itself and provides a very majestic canopy for the shoppers.

Little did we know that there was a fall sale going on known as 3J (three days) so the place was mobbed. We lost Terri almost immediately but started to shop ... and shop ... and shop. We had some laughs over the hairpieces and found some bargains in the skin care section before hitting the clothing levels. We met with Terri as planned a couple of hours later at the Bar a Boulles where Mika treated us to some bubbly beverages. Menswear, wine cellar and gourmet store were next and finally we all agreed that we had had enough of the crowds and the shopping.

We took a cab over to Hotel de Ville where those two did a gum run and I grabbed a much-needed espresso. For the first time ever in Paris, I took the bus!!! Terri had done it before and so she showed us the ropes, so to speak. I really liked it--much more civillized than the Metro (which I detest). We had a nice light meal at Chez Ribe, a small Grand Marnier afterwards and then back to the hotel for the remainder of the layover.

Jay's Party

Nancy threw a knock-out party on Saturday night for Jay. She went all out and spent two days preparing the deck with just the right seating and lighting as well as loads of fabulous munchies. Andrea and Lee strung my white lights all around the periphary making it look oh-so-festive and Jason provided the cake and sandwich tray.

Many familiar and new faces arrived shortly after 7 pm including Stephen, Barry, make-up artist extraordinaire Edward (a la Janet Jackson at the Superbowl, Michael (Monopoly guru), Jorge and his delightful Mom (fresh in from Columbia) and about 12 other friends of the Birthday Boy. A great time was had by all under the humid post-rain stars; much wine, Agua Caliente, bourbon and beer was consumed along with lots of the spread of eatables.

People stayed all evening, much to Nancy's and Jay's delight. I had to call it a night a little after 2.30 am as I had been on my feet all day since 6 the previous morning so I hitched a ride home with Jason and Jay. No idea when Nancy and the others called it a night ... but The Moose was just as ready for bed as I was.

Bid Results

Every flight attendant waits with anticipation to find out his/her bid results for the next month. Today was the day for us .... and I was delighted to see I held my first choice--Tuesday Paris in A-zone. I quickly called Mika to see if she and Chris got that too. No such luck--she got Tuesday Honolulu's and he got Thursday early London's. Eek. Luckily for me though, Elissa and Oscar will both be flying with me in November. Now Mika and Chris just need to trade to get on as many as possible with us. Oh yes, Kim and Andre are with me too.

Had a great lunch at Casa Manhattan with Jer. It was the first time for us there and since it was so tasty and affordable, we'll definitely go back. The decor there is sort of cool, in a Tex-Mex kind of way, but the patio will be even better when the temps cool down a little.

We sat at the center table on the left in the pic and had a waiter that looked and talked just like Stephen.

Jer dropped me off at Randall's afterwards while he went and got his SSN. He is now legal to work here in the US!!! We haven't celebrated yet but will likely have a wee get-together/celebratory evening before he heads off to Europe at the end of next week with Chris Botti.

Nancy is coming over for a bite tonight so I am going to fire up the grill and do steak and lobster. Hopefully we will see the Astros win game 7 tonight too.

Flying and Fun

Just back from my latest trip to Paris and loving the high temps here in Houston. I guess it's easy for me to handle the heat here because of the cold breaks I get each week in Paris. Went to the airport early on Sunday to meet Jer and Chris Botti off their flight in from Tampa. Couldn't make the festivities with them because of work, but certainly heard all about their fun. Chris was in town to play God Bless America at the Astros' game on Monday... and, although I am not a baseball fan, I was delighted to hear that the Astros won.

This trip was good for me, working in BusinessFirst with Mika and Ossskerrr. We met in Oscar's room in the evening and were joined by Rebecca. Mika was sporting a sexy black skirt and her new suede boots--and looked fantastic! We ate at 38 Eiffel because it was chilly. Rebecca gave us a few giggles with her repeated brain farts (including thinking that there were 5 of us at the table) but she was not amused by Oscar's teasing ... all in good fun, of course.

Talked to Jer when I got back in. He was hob-nobbing with "the guys" (Gregory, Fred and Botti), hopping in and out of Gregory's limo from one to locale to the next--loving it. He managed to get Cris Bera a ticket to the game, sitting in the front row of the Directors' Box. Mika thinks that Lilian Abigail should meet Gregory's dog, Sonny, as she would fare well with a limo-owning family. Maybe Patois Abigail should consider this also??!!

Used my wonderful new honey face mask from l'Occitane before going to sleep. The flight home was full upfront and included the infamous Ivan Boesky in my cabin. Feels good to be home now--and The Moose is on my lap vying for my attention so I'll sign off.

Busy Week

The past week seems to have flown by and hence the reason for my not having made a blog entry in a few days. Got in from Paris on Tuesday then had a few friends over for a pre-debate pizza evening on Wednesday. Nancy, Stephen, Claudia, Jay, Jer and I all thoroughly enjoyed seeing John Kerry whomp all over the drooling President Bush. Star Pizza was the perfect accompaniment to the wine we were drinking.

I left again for Paris on Thusday and had another shopping trip over on rue de Passy, this time with Elissa. We looked fabulous as we strolled the boutiques in our sexy boots, but ended up laughing at ourselves as we hobbled around at the end. We were pooped, but did not stop there. When we got back to the hotel, we hooked up with Kim Sare and another Kim from the EWR crew. Craig and Gloria stopped in for a while then they all left for dinner. Elissa and I agreed that we were too tired to eat at that point so we left for our respective rooms. Had a visit from Craig after he returned which was fun. We gossiped about the stars until about midnight.

I was supposed to go out with Kendall Scheffey when I got home last night but called to cancel when I got home. Nancy stopped in for a while and we shot the breeze and later Roger pulled in the driveway in his new Infiniti SUV. We took a spin and nattered then I fell into bed exhausted. Jer was in Clearwater with Chris Botti and those two are heading for Houston on Continental as I write. And, of course, I'm heading off to Paris again in a few minutes.

Happy Birthday, M. Ascenseur

October 9th was Chris Deas' (aka Monsieur Ascenseur) birthday and so we all celebrated it on our last Paris trip. Elissa had managed to pick up the trip at the last minute so it made it extra-special for Chris.

Oscar had us over to his room before dinner for wine and cards/gifts. The weather was rather inclement, unlike last week's trip, so we picked a nearby restaurant for dinner: Il Sorrentino. Umbrellas came in useful on the short walk over there but weren't needed for the way home. The meal was great--Chris and I ordered the house specialty of tagliatelle in a sauce of fois gras which was then put into a gutted parmesan cheese wheel, with armagnac flambeed inside and more parmesan scraped into it.

After dinner we headed back to Oscar's room for cakes and some of Chris' birthday B&B. Mika changed into her pj's before getting there, so Oscar did the same. We all laughed and took silly pictures. Andre feigned shock and disgust at the barrage of buttocks revealed to us by Chris and Oscar as they tried to gain our votes for best rear. Not sure who won, but we all cracked up over their crazy spontaneous moment. Oscar won for best male toes but Chris won for all-around best male feet. Mika and Elissa tied for best female feet and Andre won for best eyelashes. We voted on lots of topics and even competed at the "coin in the cup" game--I think Oscar won that one, beating me by a hair.

Relaxing Day Off

I had big plans for my one day off this week, but didn't do anything on my agenda. I took Jer to the airport at 5.30 am .... it was still dark when I got home. After my run, I sat outside with my coffee and noticed that Patois was face to face with a fluffy possum. It was so cute, unlike any other possum I'd ever seen. No straggly looks or wiry hair on this one. It kept reappearing for the next hour but I haven't seen it since.

Nancy rang before she went to Rice Epicurean to see if I wanted to join her. Hmmmm, sounded better than chores so I went shopping with her. We were starving afterwards so we went over to Daily Review Cafe for a salad. It was a treat to be able to sit outside without sweating to death.

Next stop, Loehmann's--just to look, mind you. We picked Jay up on the way, who was looking good in a camouflage t-shirt. Loehmann's had nothing. Except for a sweater trimmed in rabbit fur that I had to have (which, of course, was not on sale). We left there in search of a cafe-style bar for a drink. Four bars and almost an hour later, we finally found one that was open: Club Prive. Jay treated us to martinis on the patio and Nancy and I started to get very relaxed.

So, we perked things up by planning an impromtu evening on the deck--with just us and Stephen. Great evening, cool weather and a nice buzz led to a good night's rest for me.

In and Out Again

I got back from my first trip of the month yesterday and now I have to do it again today. I will take it really easy in Paris this time as I've been doing lots lately.

On yesterdeay's trip I had a lovely day with Chris Deas. We went to the pharmacy then stopped at a little brasserie for a beer and some Lucky Strikes. Very bad, I know. But this is a short-lived thing. It was rather wonderful to sit outside and enjoy the warm weather whilst indulging in other vices. We had dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant, Il Sorrentino. We were joined by Michael Haren and again, sat outside with a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. Got a small blister on my little toe from walking so much that day (we made a crepe run after dinner).

OK, off I head to the airport again......

Nancy At Continental For 30 Yrs!!

Yesterday I went shoe shopping with Nancy, who just reached her 30 year anniversary at Continental Airlines. Wow--30 yrs is a huge achievement. It seems like such a long time. She picked me up to get her new prescription sunglasses then we went looking for shoes for work, for me.

After several shoe shops, I finally found some I liked at Saks. I really wanted the Prada's but they were almost $400. Besides, would I really have liked them so much if they weren't from Prada? I decided on a pair of Stuart Weitzman's from Saks with a sexy high heel and a roundish toe with a small buckle. I will be test-striding them tonight on my Paris trip. No Prada trick for me yet either .... maybe next time--I love the new robot.

Because Nancy had plans for the evening, I decided to treat her to a celebratory anniversary lunch at Ruggles Grille 5115 after we had shopped. We had a champagne cocktail and several appetizers then split a creme brulee cheesecake. It was really a fun morning/lunch. Jer scored on the food too as we couldn't finish it all. Patois enjoyed a sampling of the tuna carpaccio, so she wasn't left out either.

Back From NYC

Jer and I got up at some ungodly hour to fly back home to Houston yesterday. He'd been in Manhattan for a week, staying at Chris Botti's fabulous apartment; I joined them on Wednesday for the album launch show (see prior post). We went for a Japanese lunch at Merikan then a quick stop at the bookstore before Chris left for California.

Meantime, Jer and I had his place to ourselves for as long as we wanted. How could we refuse?? I spent the afternoon perusing the original Loehmanns and picked out some extra clothes to wear for the evening (all I had brought was the suit that I'd non-revved up in). Came back with some steaming coffees then played chess with Jer. He really learned a lot about the game from Chris--held his own against me (although I won!!).

We headed over to Don and Darla's new place in the evening. GREAT news from them--they're pregnant!!!! They've been trying for a while so this was awesome to hear. Their place is great too, with a view you wish for and a rooftop view you don't even dream you'll ever have. We walked over to Spice for a Thai dinner then back to Chris's place.

OK, so now Jer and I REALLY want to have a place here too. Hmmm .... maybe not out of the realm of possibility in the not too distant future.