Please Turn Off All Electronic Devices, and Enjoy

I don't even know how they did it, but with my direct flight into Orlando last night, it only took 1 hour and 45 minutes... and despite being full of Disney-anticipating rug-rats, it was one of the most pleasant flights.  Having recently switched from US Scareways to Southwest airlines, I just love everything about them, from their plush gates and computer stations, to on-time scheduling, to the bag of Cheez-its you get in-flight. 

Having booked my car through Hotwire, I got a great deal ($99/week), but was a little worried about whether they were going to give me a Radio-Flyer wagon or a wheelbarrow, but I actually got a Nissan Sentra with only 2200 miles on it.  After an easy drive from Orlando to Daytona, I arrived at David's house, which is absolutely gorgeous.. with cut-out windows and skylights and multi-level rooms (even Mike Brady would be jealous) and even Mossy Oak hanging from the trees... and we sat up for hours catching up. 

When I moved to Philly at age 20, I busted out of my shell when I turned 21 a few months later and started going out to gay bars a lot.  That's where David and I met... and we became fast friends.  A few years later, he moved to the D.C. area and then down to Florida.  In 2004, my ex, Greg, and I flew into Savannah and drove down the coast to Miami and we stopped for a visit.  It's amazing how the friends that you make along the way in your life, you keep, through moves and life changes, etc.  We were able to pick up where we left off and seemed to have a lot of the same life experiences over the years.

I have found my second home (Barnes and Noble), which is right across the street from the Daytona 500 Speedway... (and to my straight friends, I know, wow!! ... NASCAR.  To my gay friends, the whipping around of the cars makes for a nice breeze to provide that 'pouty but slightly wind-blown' look that Linda Evangelista can only hope for in a Vogue shoot).  Anyway, it's supposed to be 95 degrees today, but with the heat index, it's supposed to feel more like 105.  A little unlike the 105 degrees in the dry deserts of Las Vegas that I experienced (where the heat wraps around you and hugs you like your grandmother would, gently kissing your forehead and offering you a slice of pie and a birthday card with a dollar in it), this heat wraps around you, and then tries to smother you like your creepy Uncle Harold would do while you were asleep, all the while simultaneously and unappropriately trying to fondle you, leaving mental scars that a three-session-a-week psychiatrist can't unravel, even with a cocktail of a few mind-altering meds and some shock therapy.  And............ ok, I'm back from that tangent.

Tonight, we are going to a local Tex-Mex place where it apparently 'happens' on a Tuesday night... and tomorrow, we head for Disney.  A friend of David's is getting us a free stamp to get in, saving us about $85.00.  Epcot is set up to look like various European cities, each with it's own cuisine and decoration to match, and I'm looking forward to back-packing through it, doing a lot of tasting.  In a little while, I'm going to take a drive down the beach... I can't wait to see the ocean.

Miss you, Jesse  :)