Even before I fly to Toronto, I'll be away for a week. I'll be finding myself in the Washington, DC area.
I have a week there, centering around a 3-day seminar in Reston. Everything is now confirmed, and I look forward to meeting some great people.
I'll be shooting for a dinner with Karen Bradley and Dick Bell of Democracy Cell Project; they had played gracious hosts back in 2005, and I'll be happy to hang out with them again. In the meantime, I'll spend a Sunday in Arlington, where the local Unitarian Universalist congregation's LGBT ministry is run by a very lovely lesbian transwoman, who had contacted and befriended me through Facebook late last year. Back then, there was a 7,000-mile gap, as I was in South Korea, but now I get to bridge that gap and strengthen the friendship (and explore the LGBT life in Arlington).
Also, between this trip, the Toronto trip, and a double Elite Qualifying Miles promotion at United Airlines, I'll have 18,000 EQMs toward the 25,000 required to retain my Premier status next year. The other 7,000 should easily be made up if I make a quick trip to Europe or the Far East later in the year. I'm finding the perks of elite status to be more rewarding than possible free trips, when it comes to frequent flier programs, so I'll play the game as well as I can.
Looking forward to the trip - and to adding to my social life.
23 April 2009
19 April 2009
Back at it again
Somehow I decided to get back into the simulated airline business.
I'm in a new game world, running from March 1995 to March 2011. (Goddess help me when the fuel prices spike in 2008.) I am keeping the goddess theme - except that I'm now based in Athens, and I honor Athena rather than Kwan Yin. Athena is the goddess that I like the most (though Aphrodite is a close second).
Air Athena's first plane was a 767, which I immediately sent to London and New York for some great cash flow; I hope it helps me build up a solid regional European network fast for a good, stable income. Later on, I'll squeeze in a flight to Los Angeles, if only to capitalize on the popularity of Friends and get my favorite modern-day Greek Goddess, Jennifer Aniston (who has qualities of both Athena and Aphrodite), on board for an advertising blitz. (As Greek Orthodox extremism, unlike Korean-American Christian extremism, is not an issue in Los Angeles, I won't have to pull Athena out from Los Angeles the way I pulled Mercy/Kwan Yin out.)
Currently it's late April 1995, and in addition to flying a BAe 146-300 on domestic routes (including Lesbos - I am one hopeless dyke), I'm about to start building a fleet of Fokker F100s to serve Continental Europe.
I hope the lessons I learned, when I ran the Airline of Kwan Yin into the ground the last time around, will help me with this game (and the real world).
Update 21Apr09 The game had a fatal bug and had to be reset (some people were getting 10 planes after ordering just one, ending up with 20-aircraft fleets when I was patiently waiting for my third plane). And the reset had to happen while I was at an all-day conference; by the time I could do a thing about it, three weeks had already passed, and I had already been taxed despite zero activity. I had to withdraw from the game - though I have full refunds. I'll return to a future game, where I do look forward to carrying the spirit of Athena or Kwan Yin again.
I'm in a new game world, running from March 1995 to March 2011. (Goddess help me when the fuel prices spike in 2008.) I am keeping the goddess theme - except that I'm now based in Athens, and I honor Athena rather than Kwan Yin. Athena is the goddess that I like the most (though Aphrodite is a close second).
Air Athena's first plane was a 767, which I immediately sent to London and New York for some great cash flow; I hope it helps me build up a solid regional European network fast for a good, stable income. Later on, I'll squeeze in a flight to Los Angeles, if only to capitalize on the popularity of Friends and get my favorite modern-day Greek Goddess, Jennifer Aniston (who has qualities of both Athena and Aphrodite), on board for an advertising blitz. (As Greek Orthodox extremism, unlike Korean-American Christian extremism, is not an issue in Los Angeles, I won't have to pull Athena out from Los Angeles the way I pulled Mercy/Kwan Yin out.)
Currently it's late April 1995, and in addition to flying a BAe 146-300 on domestic routes (including Lesbos - I am one hopeless dyke), I'm about to start building a fleet of Fokker F100s to serve Continental Europe.
I hope the lessons I learned, when I ran the Airline of Kwan Yin into the ground the last time around, will help me with this game (and the real world).
Update 21Apr09 The game had a fatal bug and had to be reset (some people were getting 10 planes after ordering just one, ending up with 20-aircraft fleets when I was patiently waiting for my third plane). And the reset had to happen while I was at an all-day conference; by the time I could do a thing about it, three weeks had already passed, and I had already been taxed despite zero activity. I had to withdraw from the game - though I have full refunds. I'll return to a future game, where I do look forward to carrying the spirit of Athena or Kwan Yin again.
13 April 2009
Toronto confirmed
I have my flight and hotel confirmed and paid for.
Looking forward to a great long weekend in Canada's greatest city (and arguably one of the greatest in the world too).
Looking forward to a great long weekend in Canada's greatest city (and arguably one of the greatest in the world too).
10 April 2009
New Travel Plans
Up until now, my mother has tried to discourage me from "excessive" traveling, saying that I should travel only enough to relax from the stresses of work, and no more than that. But now, it's becoming clear to many, including her, that my travels are a source of inspiration and learning for me, and the more I travel, the better. My only limits are my money flow and my time allowance.
I am going to squeeze in two more quick trips, with minimal impact on my work schedule and only moderate impact on my bank accounts.
Memorial Day weekend should see me in Toronto; although I haven't made reservations yet, I will soon, and I am seeing some very good prices on air-hotel packages. I already have a favorite hotel in downtown Toronto on Yonge Street, near all the big-ticket attractions and close to mass transit. Air transportation will be a choice between Air Canada (nonstop convenience) and United (lower fares); both airlines will offer me Star Alliance frequent flier perks, though many of my elite-level benefits kick in only for United.
And based on Toronto Tourism Bureau's website, it looks like I'll be in for a treat - Toronto is, after all, Canada's answer to New York and Chicago, two excellent cities in their own right. It certainly will be wilder than Vancouver, itself a great city but a bit small/cozy for my tastes. Toronto will certainly also be way up there next to Seoul and Hong Kong - two cities that really entertained me last year - while at it too.
Late June should see me visit San Francisco, to attend the annual gay pride parade. I had boycotted the 2000 parade, due to the preponderance of the U-Haul driving lesbians (U-Haul had just overcharged me $1,200 a year earlier) and the white liberal political correctness (which, unfortunately, is still an issue). But as it turns out, I had to leave the Bay Area soon afterwards, and never got a chance to attend San Francisco's pride parade again. I'll certainly make it up this year. If anything, it'll be a great photo op - whether it's topless dykes on bikes, legally married beautiful dyke couples mad as hell over Prop 8, or muscular studs in leather thongs. While there will also be another pride parade in West Hollywood a few weeks earlier (and I might attend that one too), the right thing to do would be to attend the greatest one of them all, in the gayest city in America.
San Francisco will be done as a road trip. It'll be Gwaneum One's third visit to the area, and second to San Francisco itself. For the parade itself, I'll take BART into the city, but for other things, Gwaneum One will see some duty in San Francisco. In preparation, I'm taking the dealership-provided license plate frames off; while I don't mind the dealership itself, a Hyundai from Los Angeles is certainly a reminder of the theocrats of the Korean-American community who got Prop 8 passed (and therefore probably fair game for vandalism). I'll put on blank frames instead, and let the vanity plates themselves do the talking. My goal, as stated numerous times before, is to carry the good spirits of the fair-minded South Koreans, rather than the theocratic extremism of the Korean-Americans.
Eventually, I'll have to go to Europe too, probably in the fall. That also necessitates taking a week or so off from work. I'll see what I can work out. With some luck, I might even remain an elite-level United Airlines customer in 2010.
I am going to squeeze in two more quick trips, with minimal impact on my work schedule and only moderate impact on my bank accounts.
Memorial Day weekend should see me in Toronto; although I haven't made reservations yet, I will soon, and I am seeing some very good prices on air-hotel packages. I already have a favorite hotel in downtown Toronto on Yonge Street, near all the big-ticket attractions and close to mass transit. Air transportation will be a choice between Air Canada (nonstop convenience) and United (lower fares); both airlines will offer me Star Alliance frequent flier perks, though many of my elite-level benefits kick in only for United.
And based on Toronto Tourism Bureau's website, it looks like I'll be in for a treat - Toronto is, after all, Canada's answer to New York and Chicago, two excellent cities in their own right. It certainly will be wilder than Vancouver, itself a great city but a bit small/cozy for my tastes. Toronto will certainly also be way up there next to Seoul and Hong Kong - two cities that really entertained me last year - while at it too.
Late June should see me visit San Francisco, to attend the annual gay pride parade. I had boycotted the 2000 parade, due to the preponderance of the U-Haul driving lesbians (U-Haul had just overcharged me $1,200 a year earlier) and the white liberal political correctness (which, unfortunately, is still an issue). But as it turns out, I had to leave the Bay Area soon afterwards, and never got a chance to attend San Francisco's pride parade again. I'll certainly make it up this year. If anything, it'll be a great photo op - whether it's topless dykes on bikes, legally married beautiful dyke couples mad as hell over Prop 8, or muscular studs in leather thongs. While there will also be another pride parade in West Hollywood a few weeks earlier (and I might attend that one too), the right thing to do would be to attend the greatest one of them all, in the gayest city in America.
San Francisco will be done as a road trip. It'll be Gwaneum One's third visit to the area, and second to San Francisco itself. For the parade itself, I'll take BART into the city, but for other things, Gwaneum One will see some duty in San Francisco. In preparation, I'm taking the dealership-provided license plate frames off; while I don't mind the dealership itself, a Hyundai from Los Angeles is certainly a reminder of the theocrats of the Korean-American community who got Prop 8 passed (and therefore probably fair game for vandalism). I'll put on blank frames instead, and let the vanity plates themselves do the talking. My goal, as stated numerous times before, is to carry the good spirits of the fair-minded South Koreans, rather than the theocratic extremism of the Korean-Americans.
Eventually, I'll have to go to Europe too, probably in the fall. That also necessitates taking a week or so off from work. I'll see what I can work out. With some luck, I might even remain an elite-level United Airlines customer in 2010.
09 April 2009
Blog Against Theocracy
Being based in one of the worst theocracies of the Western world means that this online annual event has more importance than ever. I'll make sure to post something important and worth sharing.
Blog Against Theocracy
Blog Against Theocracy
07 April 2009
Some developments
Word has it that Iowa and Vermont have legalized gay marriage, and the District of Columbia is close to legalizing it. Iowa did it via a court decision similar to California's, while Vermont did it by a legislative override of the governor's veto. As I look back to the freeways of Southern California, where Latin American and Asian theocracy rules supreme, I am more reminded than ever that despite the talk about all the evils that the white people and their imperialism spread throughout the world (including Christian theocracy itself), the whites do have one good trick up their sleeve - respect for individual happiness, which they discovered during the Renaissance (their own way of overthrowing theocracy). I am also reminded more than ever that California, which is fast approaching Hispanic majority, will not be re-legalizing gay marriage anytime soon, unless the whites can somehow translate their individualist mindset into conceptual terms that the immigrant cultures can understand.
I found myself so fed up with Southern California and its theocratic culture, in fact, that I had to make a last-minute getaway to Las Vegas last weekend. Nevada, despite the Las Vegas anything-goes attitude, can still get theocratic at times, due to significant Mormon influence; nevertheless, I found Vegas to be far more to my liking than Southern California. Despite California's reputation as the "vanity plate capital of the world," I found that Nevada actually had more vanity plates - and more fun-loving ones at that too (compared to the theocratic crap that usually qualifies for vanity plates in California). Even when it came to my own vanity plates, I felt that they fit right into the Vegas landscape; at least, my plates were referring to a non-theocratic goddess, though Kwan Yin isn't exactly a sex symbol, unlike someone like Aphrodite.
More on driving around Vegas, indeed there were tons of obscenely expensive cars around (try renting a Ferrari convertible for a nighttime cruise on the Strip). The most obnoxious ones, however, were huge SUVs (not limos, but private vehicles) splattered with Christian theocratic messages. And needless to say, they always came with California plates. More reminder that California is a far-right theocracy, plain and simple, despite the ridiculously liberal makeup of the state government. I was glad that even though I was driving a "lowly" Hyundai, it was the one Hyundai that fit right into the vain Strip streetscape, with more attitude than even the Crapsler 300, the favorite of many rap stars.
I went to Vegas for the Mystere show, one of the numerous Cirque du Soleil productions now on the Strip; the show itself was a dud IMO. However, I did fairly well at the blackjack table, and also managed to do a bit of shopping. I ended up with an American Apparel shirtdress that's really tailored like a nice men's dress shirt; it's also quite short, and it'd indeed be a mere shirt if it were any shorter. I guess people will now start asking me when I suddenly turned heterosexual, as it really does look like I just got out of a boyfriend's bed and borrowed his shirt. (Of course, I wear the shirtdress with my favorite double-female-symbol necklace, to put the questions to rest once and for all. I'm still a notoriously hardcore dyke.)
Hoping that my own life picks up sooner than later. I do think going away to a saner place more often will really help. In addition to my great car, I also need to remind myself that I am an elite customer at United Airlines, and that I must take advantage of the perks while they last. I'll certainly be frequenting the United website quite often to price some itineraries, once I have some schedule worked out. (I'd love Europe, especially!)
I found myself so fed up with Southern California and its theocratic culture, in fact, that I had to make a last-minute getaway to Las Vegas last weekend. Nevada, despite the Las Vegas anything-goes attitude, can still get theocratic at times, due to significant Mormon influence; nevertheless, I found Vegas to be far more to my liking than Southern California. Despite California's reputation as the "vanity plate capital of the world," I found that Nevada actually had more vanity plates - and more fun-loving ones at that too (compared to the theocratic crap that usually qualifies for vanity plates in California). Even when it came to my own vanity plates, I felt that they fit right into the Vegas landscape; at least, my plates were referring to a non-theocratic goddess, though Kwan Yin isn't exactly a sex symbol, unlike someone like Aphrodite.
More on driving around Vegas, indeed there were tons of obscenely expensive cars around (try renting a Ferrari convertible for a nighttime cruise on the Strip). The most obnoxious ones, however, were huge SUVs (not limos, but private vehicles) splattered with Christian theocratic messages. And needless to say, they always came with California plates. More reminder that California is a far-right theocracy, plain and simple, despite the ridiculously liberal makeup of the state government. I was glad that even though I was driving a "lowly" Hyundai, it was the one Hyundai that fit right into the vain Strip streetscape, with more attitude than even the Crapsler 300, the favorite of many rap stars.
I went to Vegas for the Mystere show, one of the numerous Cirque du Soleil productions now on the Strip; the show itself was a dud IMO. However, I did fairly well at the blackjack table, and also managed to do a bit of shopping. I ended up with an American Apparel shirtdress that's really tailored like a nice men's dress shirt; it's also quite short, and it'd indeed be a mere shirt if it were any shorter. I guess people will now start asking me when I suddenly turned heterosexual, as it really does look like I just got out of a boyfriend's bed and borrowed his shirt. (Of course, I wear the shirtdress with my favorite double-female-symbol necklace, to put the questions to rest once and for all. I'm still a notoriously hardcore dyke.)
Hoping that my own life picks up sooner than later. I do think going away to a saner place more often will really help. In addition to my great car, I also need to remind myself that I am an elite customer at United Airlines, and that I must take advantage of the perks while they last. I'll certainly be frequenting the United website quite often to price some itineraries, once I have some schedule worked out. (I'd love Europe, especially!)
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