I'm back!

Yes, I've been away for awhile. :-) Here are some quick updates.

I spent nine amazing days down in Puerto Vallarta. Went with some friends from SF and Seattle and ran into other friends from SF and Portland that I didn't know were going to be there. And by the end of the week, we had made new friends from Houston, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Dallas... and PV, of course.

What a crazy week! I arrived around 11pm on the Saturday before Easter, met Tommy, Ken, Lynn, and Kevin, and before you could say "peso" we were out for a night of clubbing, some of us returning to the condo at dawn. That became our pattern for the week: dancing most of the night, sleeping until noon, and hitting the beach by 4pm. Perfect!

We met a great group of guys from Houston and had the opportunity to spend some time at the INCREDIBLE villa they had rented on the beach. Two elevators and eight people on staff! What a beautiful house! And such wonderful hosts.

Mid-week Danny and Aaron showed up to complete our group. We had begun to really know our way around and the rhythm of the city, at least La Zona Romantica where our condo and most of the gay scene is located.

I'd share more, but as they say, what happens in PV stays in PV. (Along with a pair of Prada sunglasses, a cell phone, and an ATM card that we managed to lose.)

MY RETURN TO SF WAS A REAL COMEDOWN... I left the club Monday morning leaving myself just enough time to shower and collect my luggage before heading to the airport. The top story that day was the Virginia Tech shooting. Yes, back to America, land of assault weapons.

Upon arriving home, I learned that my dear old friend Robert had a serious bicycling accident in Sydney and was in a coma. We were all on edge for most of the week, but by the following Sunday he had regained consciousness, and his strength and vitality gave us a good feeling that he would recover fully.

Robert is truly a unique man. I've known him for 13 years now. He's brilliant, handsome, quirky, and such an attentive host. Back when we traveled as a pack in the mid-90s, Robert was always quietly working his magic behind the scenes, making things happen: creating a makeshift BBQ out of a flower pot, keeping in touch via walkie-talkie, etc. And such an explorer... he certainly enrolled me in a few "interesting" experiments over the years. He has always followed his own path, successful not only by the common standard but also, I think by his own. He's held on to his integrity all of these years.

We're all pulling for you, Flak!!! Get well soon! xoxoxo

UPDATES

I've collected the minimum $2500 dollars I need to participate in the AIDS LifeCycle and am now halfway to my $5000 fundraising goal. I have to admit to being a little spooked about riding after Robert's accident, but I got back on my bike this week and went on a 40 mile ride with Justin. Still have plenty of training to do! If you'd like to contribute, check out my ride page.

A few updates on the mysterious loss of bee colonies across the country here, here, and here.

And also on the agriculture and food front, an interesting story on how U.S. agricultural policies intersect with the cost of food and the rise of obesity in America.