Leia's Visit to Charlotte

For those of you that don't know, my superfriend Leia came into Charlotte this past week for a client visit. What follows is a recap of the short week's events as I tried to share as much of my Uptown Charlotte experience as I could.

Day One
I picked up Leia at the fabulous Hampton Inn and we went back to my hotel at the Westin Charlotte to have some Ketel One & 7s in the lobby at Bar 10. We spoke about various personal, but extremely hilarious topics before heading to dinner at a neighborhood pub called Alexander Michael's in the Fourth Ward. There we ate and discussed our first "fight" as a "couple". Unbeknowst to me because we'd never dated or gone out, I apparently had some duties and responsibilities that I did not fufill during a mountain biking trip in Winter Park, CO. Hmmm...curfew? Go figure.



After that, we went over to Dixie's Tavern. Apparently this turned out to be a Steelers bar as evidenced by the tons of fans in black & gold watching and screaming at the screens around the bar showing the Steelers - Chargers Monday night game. Leia cut off the circulation in my wrist and I had to go back outside to the doorman to get my wristband cut off. The place was pretty full with more and more people streaming in as the night wore on. This being Leia's first night in Charlotte, we cut it a bit short and I dropped her off back at her hotel, which leads us to...

Day Two
Leia met me downstairs in the hotel lobby around 8:30 pm and we went to eat some casual, rustic Italian fare at Coco Osteria. I tried to talk her into joining me for a drink at Connolly's on Fifth, but like most girls, she turned me down so I walked her back to her hotel. Needless to say, I took her the long way and when we started doubling back, that wasn't a good idea on my part and we started "arguing". Laughter aside, she made it back okay in time for...

Day Three
Leia ditched me to have dinner with the client and a co-worker at Rí~Rá. I arrived at City Tavern just around the corner about 7:30 pm to join a roll-off party for three members of my project. I'd never been there before. We had a bartender named Jennifer and she was awesome as well as...well...see the photo below! Leia joined us with her co-workers and we hung out there amidst appetizers, drinks, and Irish Car Bomb shots.



Afterwards we headed off to Therapy, which is known for its Wednesday nights and great courtyard for people-watching. We got a great table outside and hung out there and enjoyed drinks and sight-seeing. At one point, I was nominated to introduce myself to another table (see results in the photo below).



Around midnight, the guys elected to change venues so we picked up and headed over to a pub called Connolly's on Fifth. Once there, we set up anchor and Leia and I separated from the rest of my group. I switched to water and Leia stayed with beer (HER choice!).



Finishing her beer we moved off to a corner to continue chatting. There Leia happened across a full glass of beer that someone had abandoned, which she adopted for our own--most definitely a poor choice of judgment. Continuing on unabated with a new glass of beer we had some of the best, most personal discussions I've ever had with someone else until we were kicked out around 2:30 am. After that we walked back to the Westin where we looked at some old photos before walking her back to her hotel around 3:30 am. Returning back to my room, realizing that I had not really eaten anything I enjoyed a MOJO BAR before "sleeping".

Aftermath
Waking up the next morning, I realized that I was going to be in trouble. Although I was not feeling too bad, I knew someone else would. And, sure enough, later that afternoon I received a text message. The following is an excerpt of that very message:

"Dont like you right now"

Needless to say, I cannot express how happy I was to have Leia come visit me even if it was for a short time and even if she will not speak to me for a while. :) I've definitely felt detached from everyone as I've been traveling since May. Add to that the fact that Pete & Jenn moved away, it's been a bit difficult for me personally. And it was good to have someone come visit me in my new "home".

Thanks Leia!!! ;)

A Farewell Fiesta for the Pete & Jenn

On Friday, September 7, my friends Kristian & Quince hosted a farewell party for Pete & Jenn, two awesome people! They, along with Max, Rocket, and Suby, headed for the rocky mountains of Colorado on Sunday. :(

I still remember meeting Jenn, Meredith, and Leia three years ago during a 12-mile Dallas FIT run. We were on the back side of White Rock Lake when Jenn asked me if I had any good stories. Following the end of the run and first introduction, she invited me to join her along with a host of friends, including Pete, Lynden, Meredith, Saul, Cathy, Elyse, and Brian, for breakfast at Cafe Brazil where Jenn inquired as to whether I was gay or straight. At this point, Leia was making excuses to not hang out with us. I'm sure that there was a tiny voice in her head warning her to stay away from me in particular. Whether or not that tiny voice is correct is yet to be determined.



Little did I know then what that would have turned into. Since then I have met some of the finest people I have ever known--we've run together, dined together, biked together, camped together, and, last but not least, partied together. I cannot say enough about what awesome people they are and about how they've impacted my life.

I look forward to many more adventures together, but, in the meantime, Pete & Jenn, you will truly be missed...

Love you guys,

toshi

First Person Cervical MRI Experience

On Thursday, September 29, I underwent a cervical MRI to help diagnose pain, numbness, and tingling in my left arm.



I left work a bit early to drive to the Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital in Charlotte, NC. Prior to entering the MRI examination room, I removed all metal objects and bling. As I entered the room there was a loud, intermittent, chirping noise. The radiology technician assured me that that was from hydraulic pumps circulating liquid nitrogen to keep the magnets cool. Somehow that was not very reassuring to me. He gave me earplugs and told me that I should try and keep from moving or swallowing, if at all possible unless the MRI is "quiet" for recalibration as it was now to which I replied, "You mean that this is quiet?"

As soon as I lay down on the table I experienced quite a bit of pain in my upper back and shoulder. I'm not sure how long the entire procedure took. There were about 3 - 5 sessions ranging from approximately three minutes to about ten minutes. While not claustrophobic, the pain I was experiencing due to my neck/back followed by the various loud noises caused my breathing to get a bit out of control at times. I had no problems with opening my eyes and seeing roof of the MRI chamber a mere inches from my face. However, I had to resort to playing mind games--99 bottles of beer and others to keep the pain in check (as best I could) and to keep what was left of my sanity. After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally pulled out. I don't think I could have taken much more. In a nutshell (and I mean that, literally), it sucked. I'm not even sure if it would've helped had I had a hot, female radiology technician performing the procedure. On the contrary I had a rather large fellow named Richard. Of course he was extremely nice and helpful.

Personally I think that the MRI exam goes like this...the actual procedure takes about 10-20 seconds. MRIs are truthfully highly unreliable machines. The actual banging you hear is the radiology tech pummeling the side of the MRI with a pipe wrench to get it to work properly.

October Pint Nights at the Ginger Man

Pint Nights are every Tuesday starting at 4 pm. If you buy the beer of the day you get to keep the logo glass.

October 4th - Blue Moon glasses
October 11th - Young's glasses
October 18th - Mix & Match glasses
October 25th - Bass glasses