There is a meetup group that is definitely worth checking out for LV local burners. They have having monthly gatherings that are definitely worth checking out. The last one has some detail on a previous entry. The guy who setup this group is the DJ from the live show that I may have said was ABSOLUTELY FRIGGIN FANTASTIC… not to over state it at all.

This last week was wrought with anxiety. They laid off 2 people at work and my health benefits were taken away; all of this in order for me to keep my job. There is little doubt my head could have been on the chopping block with the cut backs going on. My company has a customer who are recruiters all across the United States and Canada. Recruiters are dealing with a glut of unemployed workers walking in their doors. Which means they don’t really need the software to find elusive candidates if they are walking in.

It’s logical from this side. The software answers a problem for a lot of recruiters, but on the other hand, if their problem is less of a problem then we have an issue. Besides that, a lot of the client base can barely turn their computers on let alone use a spidering tool to find them. ugh…

So, my job is web design and interactive media. I am an internet freak. Lock, stock, and barrel. I also have social networking profiles in so many places… but I am too spread out. ha ha ha…

Here are some links I want to share:
– my new group
– The Vegas Burners for the burning man stuff locally
– My Burningman Journal

Yeah.. as much as I try and build friendships and relationship I might be trying too hard. Uhm… yeah. This is how I deal with my midlife crisis. Order one box of crackers, please!

Stress factor Ultra Fucked
Yes, in the last week there are a lot of foundation elements that exist in my life that are on rocky soil. It started with a download from Mozilla for their browser. The update totally fucked my browser and it appears that it corrupted my Microsoft Money AND my Microsoft Visio.

I reinstalled the Browser, but I had to buy Microsoft Money again because I could not find the original software. I am screwed on Visio. So, after I thought I got it all back in shape turns out I cannot boot this stupid machine in Normal mode. Ugh! It is an old machine.

My job is frustrating me. They let 2 people go and my health benefits have been cut so with the way the economy is going the writing seems to be on the wall. Not sure. But want to feel better about where I am at here. God just get me through the holidays and through to another job if this one vanishes.

Beyond that… so much seems to be going pear shaped. I need to get my ducks in a row and I feel like I am climbing a sandy slope. I felt that way a little before all this stuff… but damn! Seriously… I could just snap at any minute. Ugh!

I sound so dramatic. Considering my anxiety level yesterday I am just dipping my 3 oars in the water. A web site I have been working on for 3 months is going live today. Now, a bunch of these doofs are making changes like you would not believe.

KILL ME!

11/15/08 The Las Vegas Burners got together in the desert for an awesome party. It was a pretty big one, because there must have been 500 people there. It did include some people from some other groups that joined the show. Hiker group, ravers, and some other one as well.

Apparently meetup.com is a good source where a lot of these people came from. The yahoo group is good too, but there is also meetup.

I got to Kingman Wash by 3pm and there were few people. Turns out a lot of the people were out on a boat trip. A few boats brought people to the show there. One of these boats was pretty amazing. Soon the crowd began getting larger and before long it was time to chow down for Chilistock. I was a little eager to please in this case. I spent way to much money to make a “Seafood Chili” which technically was a chowder. Hmph!

I had a lot of fun. Not many gay people there, but a few pretenders from what I saw.

This pic and others are on the burningman blog. See bm2009 in the top menu.

This is the other side of the story. I ended up going on my own because I had no idea what I was walking in to. I was going to the Burningman Chilistock party put on by the Las Vegas Burners. Little did I know until later that this included several other groups as well as a bunch of Ravers (aka Eye Candy).

There was a chili pot luck and I spent too much money trying to over impress. Sucks… I made a seafood chowder that got a luke warm reception. My fault.

Getting passed that… the music started soon with DJ Damien who was supreme! I wore a sarong instead of regular clothes because I wanted to be comfy. Basically naked from the waist down. Covered though!!! It did get cold so I wore a fleece jacket. I was comfy.

Yes I got felt up on the odd occasion and yes I may have flashed a person here and there, but I was cruising nicely! One guy that I somehow bonded with was a straight guy who was drunk off his ass playing on a stripper pole. At one point he caught the edge of his foot in the edge of the burn barrel and cut himself. He was too wacked to know what happen; none the less he was banned from the pole.

Well, because I was watching out for him one of the organizers put me in charge of his ass. He heard the conversation and thank god he respected me enough to be cool. He was into this drunk chick with a nice rack; she was someone who had a handful of my junk at one point. Well – straight guy – and I ended up in several lip locks. But he sent miss-nice-rack to heaven in his tent later that night.

The music lasted all night long. It was amazing. My sleep was less amazing though… ha ha ha ha. But all was well.

Later Sunday I ended up meeting John-John and some other guys for a movie and dinner. Perfecto! I wish I had more friends at the event, but I got to know a lot of people on their terms. Cool!

So, my social life is slowly improving and I am slowly making some connections outside of my tight little circle. It’s nice, but this city is so full of sick people it is hard to stay afloat…. or to keep from becoming one of them.

I have not been dating. I can’t even remember the last “date” I was on. I guess that says something unto itself. I stay open to meeting someone cool, but no one is willing to get to know me. last night was an interesting example…

There is this guy whom I have exchanged a couple messages with and he seemed to be cool. We were a non-stop missed connection. Given the way I run my life it is not a mystery why I never have time….

I digress…

So, he goes into this list of personal and extracting questions about me … asking when I hooked up last and this and that and I answered him… well he made all kinds of assumptions right away. Whatever. I told him how turned off I was, but I could see where it was coming from. He was putting his baggage on me because of a recent bad relationship he was in… whatever. I might give him one more chance, but we will see. He won;t last because he already has an agenda.

Fuck your agenda! If you come to me with a hidden agenda then we both lose. I am going to be single as long as I live here dammit… part of me wants someone pretty badly. But I am okay if not.

xo

There is a base for making a Risotto that you can take in a variety of directions in order to extract different flavors depending on any additional dished you are serving with it. Risotto can be an entree unto itself.

Get yourself some Arborio Rice; it’s a short grain white rice from Italy.

1 cup rice
1 oz olive oil
2 T butter or margarine
1 handful fresh chopped onion (fine chop)
1 clove shopped garlic clove

4 cups stock (or 1 cup white wine and 3 cups + stock*)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 cups cheese (Asiago and/or Parmesan usually)

You will have to almost continually stir because this will allow the rice to release it’s starches and help the thickening process. Altogether the process should take about 30 mins.

Start heating a skillet with the oil and butter allowing them to start getting hot. Drop in the onions ,garlic, and rice but do not let it brown. Add liquid in small amount like about ½ cup at a time, not to cool down the pan, but to let the liquid dissipate between each add. At some point the rice will be plump and in a thick liquid. Taste the rice to make sure it is done, if not continue adding liquid in small amounts and stir. Once the rice is cooked, add cheese and stir until it is melted and the risotto will become very creamy and somewhat loose. Serves 2 or 3 easily.

*I like using a vegetable stock, but beef or chicken can be good depending on if you are adding a meat to the dish.

NOTE A Options
• Chopped Lobster: once I cubed up a couple lobster tails and added it at the point of the note. Lobster and Shrimp cooks fast so add it when the rice is mostly cooked.
• Beef or Chicken: I might recommend adding one of these meats after the rice is finished by setting it on top
• Vegetarian: Toasted Pine nuts is a good option, or sliced and sautéed baby bell mushrooms.

There is some important information on a ticket pre-sale for Burningman starting that is next week. Nov. 11th there is a 260. pre-sale, but according to the tickets section on Burningman.com it might be advisable to wait until January. An update will be posted on the same page 12/12 alerting people to the way the ticket prices will be tiered. They discount tickets for some people with income issues and other reason. Again, all the key information is on the Burningman Site [slash] tickets … < click there to see!!!

This is a conversation I have had with the same person for 5 years. He is a closeted married guy that I know and is just so confused. Note how he decribes himself as a Republican? This is why gay&republican is just all wrong.

[07:31] CLOSETGUY: morning….how was your weekend?
[07:31] Tuiel: good morning… nothing special
[07:32] CLOSETGUY: same….just hung out with my friend, helped him move, etc. He had me busier than the last Hebrew slave on pyramid building day!
[07:32] Tuiel: good, some real work will do you good. ha ha ha
[07:32] CLOSETGUY: he did buy a Madonna ticket for helping…so we’re going on the 16th…woohoo!
[07:32] CLOSETGUY: leaving the wives at home
[07:33] Tuiel: fags
[07:36] CLOSETGUY: what?
[07:36] CLOSETGUY: why?
[07:36] Tuiel: texan without a clue… ha ha ha… madonna will let you queer heart soar, mary
[07:37] CLOSETGUY: oh plz….
[07:37] Tuiel: how does closet-wife not look at you and say something like: “I love you and out naughty adventures babe, but you are a homo.”?
[07:37] Tuiel: out=our
[07:38] CLOSETGUY: because I like madonna?
[07:39] Tuiel:
madonna
abba
[07:40] Tuiel: tell me you love mariah carey and then you are al set
[07:41] CLOSETGUY: hate her….too ethnic
[07:41] CLOSETGUY: My favs are Madonna, Erasure, Abba, etc
[07:41] Tuiel: black you mean
[07:41] Tuiel: ha ha ha
[07:41] Tuiel: ha ha hahah a
[07:41] Tuiel: oh my hell… I am too funny
[07:42] Tuiel: Erasure – WAY GAY
[07:42] Tuiel: when will you come out of the closet mary elizabeth?
[07:43] CLOSETGUY: Erasure is not gay….
[07:43] CLOSETGUY: jeez
[07:43] CLOSETGUY: although, I did go to the True Colors Tour
[07:44] Tuiel: ARE YOU INSANE? Are yu just pulling my rope??? 8====O …huh? Erasure IS gay
[07:44] CLOSETGUY: but left…Margaret Cho was too crude
[07:44] CLOSETGUY: I went with my friend and his wife and closet-wife
[07:44] Tuiel: you walked out on margaret cho?
[07:44] CLOSETGUY: but I couldnt handle the bush bashing
[07:44] CLOSETGUY: yes
[07:44] CLOSETGUY: she was foul
[07:44] Tuiel: you are just wrong
[07:45] Tuiel: wrong!
[07:45] Tuiel: wrong!
[07:45] Tuiel: wrong!
[07:45] Tuiel: wrong!
[07:45] Tuiel: wrong!
[07:45] Tuiel: wrong!
[07:45] Tuiel: wrong!
[07:45] Tuiel: wrong!
[07:45] CLOSETGUY: look, he’s ex-navy, and Im a republican at heart. I cant sit and listen to someone talk that badly about our president and his wife’s pussy
[07:46] Tuiel: wrong!
[07:47] CLOSETGUY: yes she was….so we left
[07:47] CLOSETGUY: but erasure was awesome
[07:47] CLOSETGUY: so was Cyndi
[07:47] CLOSETGUY: love her
[07:47] Tuiel: man. you are just wrong

Camp registration: I wanted to have a camp to register on the Playa… and I thnk I have the ideal name for it too!!!! meanwhile, I discovered a list of names from last year here: click

And here is one of the best photo essays I have seen: BritCamp