Spring Flu and trips on transit

Well it is official Matt and I are both down with the flu. I got sick on Thursday and Matt wasn't far behind on Saturday. I am just starting to recover and get better where as Matt is really down for the count.
It seems that every April I get some kind of cold and then Matt slowly follows and he seems to be sicker every year than I am and is very needy, which is fine. This year he is really coughing and sneezing and not sleeping too well.
He worries me so much when he gets sick with anything as I hate watching him suffer at all. Ever since he got back from Vancouver and ended up in the hospital for a couple days I guess I just worry about him a lot. Love my hubby.
Today I picked him up lots of medicine and neo citron and have him drugged up in bed at the moment. He has been awake every night at around 3am so he doesn't wake me up, such a considerate and loving man. I don't mind looking after him at all when he is down for the count.

In other news today I took a long bus trip to Scarborough to Lowes, I love Lowes, hat Home Depot, Love Lowes, did I mention I love Lowes. The customer service and selection and the prices are so much better then that icky Home Depot who treat people like shit and just expect you to know where the hell everything is.
Well I went there to get spray paint for the new cast iron furniture, got a really cool teal blue and as soon as it stops raining I can get it done.
I also had to pick up the last of our fence posts for the front fence. Maybe next week when it is all clear and the weather is good here in Toronto again we can get the last of that in and finish up our great little yard.
Life is good. Also picked up a few herbs today for the garden and getting ready to plant them as soon as it is warm enough. Looking forward to gardening season. And to the warm weather.
Well I will see you all soon, have a happy day and a great week.

Spring Seriously

Well after a long and very cold disgusting winter, Spring seems to have arrived, well at least somedays it feels like it. Others just suck and are cold, but we will get through this again and then summer will be here and I can get my tan on.
The last week has been spent by redoing the front side walk, creating a seating area in the back corner of our yard and digging up the garden for the first time, I do this three times every year before I plant a damn thing.
I have also got all my planters ready for herbs and flowers . Been a busy little boy. Can't wait for the hot weather to hit us here soon. Been a bit windy the last couple days but that is okay, I can deal with a bit of wind as long as we get a really nice and hot summer.
We have also been putting in the front fence, cute little iron fence all around our front yard to make it look lovely and keep all the neighborhood dogs from shitting on my flowers this year and keep our dogs in the yard when we are having martinis on the lanai.
This past week has been both happy and sad in many ways, Sad that we have seen so much death again in one week with the loss of Linda Sawatsky last Saturday, Tamara's mother, who will be dearly missed. Also our neighbor and friend Theresa Nixon who lost her battle with cancer on Wednesday and our friend Michel in Quebec who lost his mother on Tuesday. All I can say is I know what you are going through every day.
The week has been happy though as we have been doing a little bit here and there, we got to see Matt's father on Tuesday for the day and had a great visit with him, on his way through Toronto just back from Barbados and Guyana, on his way home to Vancouver. Also a happy week as both our teams are in the playoffs for now, Matt is cheering Vancouver and I am cheering Calgary, mostly for Mom as she loved it and the best thing is, Tennis has been on most everyday, so much better than hockey, sorry, just more interesting to me!
The neighborhood has also brought us many pregnant women, so it must have been a cold one this winter, we will be getting three new rugrats on this side of the street alone, all we need, so we are figuring out how long before all these kids turn into teenagers and then it will be time to sell and get the hell out of dodge. I don't mind them when they are under ten, after that until they are twenty one, I would really rather not be around.
Teenagers are way too loud and obnoxious now a days. That is all!
So not much else to say at the moment, our thoughts go out to all. have a great week and I am going to try and get back into writing here more often.
Thanks for reading, Bye for now

Thank you

In my life I have been put through hell and taken a lot shit from a lot of people over the years and still I am here, fighting and trying to be strong and the best I can be. I thank all you who made me who I am today and instead of blaming all the bad things in my life I am thankful for them as they made me a much stronger person.
Throughout school I was picked on , called many derogative names and basically ostrasized for being a little different. I am who I am and have always been. During this time I thank all the wonderful people who stood by me and stood up for me, for these are my true friends and have always been there for me, especially my mother. You are wonderful and know who you are as well.
This carried on through most of my earlier working days as well and I managed to build a great career from this and became one of the youngest General Managers by taking my anger and challenging those who picked on me and made me feel worthless and fought my way to the top to become one of the youngest General Managers in a large hotel. It gave me drive and determination to strive ahead, not to give up! And in turn it pissed a lot of people off because they didn't win and didn't get rid of me, Ha, ha. I have managed to take the negative and turn it positive and overcome this in my teens and early 20s.
I have struggled and been in both mentally and physically abusive relationships after I came out at the age of 26. I have been mugged, gay bashed(3 times) and raped. All these things made me very non trusting and judgemental person throughout my life. I have chose carefully who is in my life and valued those who I greatly appreciate. I have lost family and people I love, some just choose not to be a part of my life because of my lifestyle and others have passed away far too soon. I have had health issues, lived on the street for a couple weeks and also lived in everything from a hotel, to a rooming house to a gorgeous condo and a 6 bedroom house. Suffered my losses and had trials like everyone else in the world.
One of my greatest supporters and the person who convinced me to come out was a great woman, and one of my best friends and roommates at the time, Lori Sinclair. I owe her so much and her and I were so close for so many years with a very loving and turbulent friendship. I miss her everyday. her convincing me to be who I was and to tell people the truth grew many relationships and made others stagnant for a time. Lori and I lived in Edmonton at this time, with her then partner Jonathon.
 The thing I am saying in the end I guess is that I have had all these things happen, planned and otherwise, these things help to make you the person you are and make you appreciate what you have and use it to your fullest.
 I am who I am and I love the person I am , think of me as a bitchy, jaded or whatever you wish, I think of me as a very happy and strong man.

Letter to Air Transat Noli Tours

January 31, 2015

Air Transat/Noli Tours

Re: Hotel Villa Tortuga

Varadero, Cuba

and Air Transat Flights TS750 and TS751

Booking #15248655

I am writing you to let you know what my husband and I experienced at one of your resorts on our recent vacation to Villa Tortuga,Varadero, Cuba from January 17^th to January 24^th of 2015. Our flight (TS750) was late which I understand but on the flight the service was less than par and worse than anything we have ever experienced, my husband at one point had asked for a Corona, the response given was I don't have any, not checking or anything, asking another flight attendant, all of a sudden there was a corona.

Let me start by saying this was suppose to be a seven day all inclusive vacation and with the late arrival we did not get to the resort until early Sunday morning January 18^th. As we arrived at the resort with approximately 25 other persons we were met by only one over worked front desk agent who dealt with a long line of check ins. We were assigned a room that was adequate at best, light fixture above the tv was broken and one light in the washroom was burnt out our entire stay, despite asking it to be changed three times. Closet doors that did not open and fell off the tracks every time we tried to open or close them. Also no bottle of water in the room which we had to ask for and never received, we purchased our own at the resort store!

Our room number was 2107 and kept clean but the smell from the petroleum plant in our room caused a headache daily which did not help when dealing with some of the nasty staff at the resort.

The second of our experiences was with the 24 hour lobby bar and its bartender who was at best the worst experience of our entire vacation. Frank was his name and the first night we arrived he was busy but the man would hardly wait on anyone and stood there half the time with his arms crossed and making people wait, at one point and time he actually just left the bar for about 20 minutes. We got to meet Frank again on the Wednesday January 21^st of our vacation and we were meeting another couple for drinks before dinner, the bar was empty, I stood in line behind a young lady and there was another gentleman that walked up to the bar. The bartender Frank went to wait on the gentleman first, I told him no, the lady was here first and then me and then the other gentleman, who agreed with me. Frank the bartender then crossed his arms and would not wait on any of us. I went to the front desk and asked to speak with a manager of Villa Totuga resort and filed a complaint about Frank the bartender, while doing so, he stood at the bar, arms crossed and making everyone wait, and then as I faced the bar and the manager back to the bar, frank proceeded to give me the finger. This was totally unacceptable to me and saw by others and quite frankly put a huge damper on the rest of our vacation. I had to go and complain again the next morning to our hotel rep, Kenia, who was amazing. We received a letter and a dinner from the ala cart restaurant which we were entitled to begin with and this was there answer and as we called it, at least it was a gesture! I feel so much more could have been done to resolve this matter.

The resort was very clean and for the most part as advertised, except there is not 2 ala cart restaurants and not 4 restaurants at all. There is a buffet restaurant and one ala cart restaurant which alternates its food between Italian and international on different nights. The snack bar was not really snacks and pretty bad, closed during meal times and ran out of the sandwiches they served on half the days we were there.

Nothing in this resort resembled the pictures shown except for the pool, certain bars were never open when supposed to be and the food was very repetitive and at best warm on the buffet. The steam table rarely worked or seemed to and service in both restaurants was far below good. Most days and nights tables were not set that we sat at and drinks took forever to get at dinner and lunch.

The beach chairs were not often available and when they were they were often broken and not useable at all. Toilet paper was a luxury if you could find it all in any of the public washrooms, most days we had to go back to the room to use the washroom at least we knew that washroom was clean, public ones were rarely cleaned at all.

I feel the service at the resort was mediocre at best, with staff just there to do a job and expecting tips for nothing at all, we tip when deserved and tip well. On our last day there Saturday January 24^th we had to check out of our room at 12 noon and did not catch our bus to the airport until 6pm. According to my calculations we paid for a seven excursion with your company and did not check into our room at the resort until early January 18^th and should have been allowed to stay in our room until our departure at least.

To end our vacation with Air Transat our flight was late by two hours departing Varadero to Toronto(flight TS751). There was no explanation as to why ever! At least the flight crew on the way home were accommodating and helpful.

All and all I have to say my first experience with Air Transat was not good at all and I would not recommend your company to anyone. I have also added this to my facebook and my personal blog and talked to friends of ours who work within the media about your services and your resorts which are so falsely advertised. I do believe that a good 90% of the persons on our bus also complained at the hotel resort and their services. I will also be forwarding a copy of this to Consumer and Cooperate Affairs for the false advertising of the resort we visited. We will never use Air transat again.

Thank you