After nearly 7 years away in Baltimore, we decided to move back home, closer to family, in Western New York. My previous time in this area has always been spent in Buffalo, downtown and Allentown, so it feels a little strange this time to be living in Niagara Falls. But our new house has a view of the Niagara gorge from the living room windows, and that's a perk that makes my new location easier to accept. I took these pictures from practically across the street from our new house over the past couple of months. It's good to be home!

Paul's recent post about his wedding ring made me think of this advertisement I recently saw from Tiffany & Co. I worked for them in the late 1990s, and I am proud of my former employer for taking a stand on an issue that's important to me. It may be a smart marketing campaign, but it's also good to see them marketing directly to the gay community, because it moves us farther away from the margin and closer to normalization. I'm thinking back to when I was an adolescent, and how nice it would have been to see these things in mainstream media. It would have made me feel less alone, and would have allowed me to daydream about my future wedding and marriage one day, like most people do (and take for granted). It's these seemingly small things that add up and eventually change society's values and attitudes. It's a great way to start the new year, looking forward to the future! Happy 2015!

There's a lot about Baltimore that reminds me of Buffalo. Some of the architecture is among those things. The tallest building in each of these cities is a good example. Some of the facts:

One Seneca Tower
Buffalo, NY
Height: 529.00 ft
Floors: 38
Year built: 1974


Transamerica Tower
Baltimore, MD
Height: 529.01 ft
Floors: 40
Year built: 1973




From my rooftop patio

I absolutely love dim sum. This is some of the best I have ever had, probably number 3 on my list. The best ever was in San Francisco, and the second best was in NYC. This is from Tony Cheng's in Washington DC. If you are ever in the area around brunch time, I would highly recommend it. When I left Buffalo 5 or 6 years ago, there really wasn't a place to get dim sum, so my husband and I used to drive to Hamilton, Ontario for it. Has this situation been made right since I've been away?

We saw Neon Trees last night (in Baltimore) and I have to say it was one of the best concerts I have seen in a very long time, definitely one of the most fun. The audience really got into it, and sang along so much that at times you couldn't hear the band. The lead singer, Tyler Glenn, put on such an amazing show, crowd surfing and prancing around the stage with some of the campiest dance moves since Freddie Mercury. He was so much fun to watch and listen to. And awesome music, wow. Then I gained huge respect for him when he gave a little speech in the middle of the show that, admittedly, got a little preachy but was amazing. He wanted to explain that a lot of the songs from the latest album are about his struggles dealing with his sexual orientation and his regret for wasting all the years in his 20s, not being honest with himself (and everyone else). He urged everyone to embrace who they are and be happy with it, and then proclaimed himself "a proud gay man." He said if you're a hater you're encouraged to walk out the door, because the night was about people who wanted to sing together, dance together, and sweat together. Just beautiful...and the audience went wild. Fun times!