Barbados, my thoughts

Well first off let me say this about Barbados, they have great beaches! As for 98% of the Bajon  people, well you can keep them, they don't know how to smile or what service of any kind is.
The food was adequate at best answer as far as I know, the drinks were actually alcohol, though I am sure at the resort we were at, a bit watered down! Also this is not a bargain vacation by any means at all!!!!
If you do go to Barbados,  check your resort carefully before booking and know this, there is no smoking anywhere that's covered by a roof,  watch your room and make sure you are getting what you paid for. When leaving Barbados,  make sure to wear socks as they make you take off your footwear, and pack your lighter in your stowed luggage! If it's in the carryon, they are total bitches about it and will not hesitate to just dump your bag to get at it!
It is a beautiful island with a very unfriendly people which is horrifying considering their main economic resource is tourism. Shocked was I when I couldn't even get a good morning or how are you today from any of the staff!
Being in the hospitality industry for too many years, I have never understood how people can bartender, serve tables, work front desk and most of all be a fucking manager if you can not smile or even acknowledge your guests. This to me was frustrating.
Now let's move onto the food, if you don't care what it tastes like or looks like and think all soup should be puree,  you'll be happy.  On the other hand if have tastebuds and sight left you may yankering for something better. We had I would say 3 good meals out of the 21 served at the resort. That's a pretty bad average. I had to add salt to everything and most everything was deep fried.  It was rarely warm let alone hot.
We stayed at a resort called Barbados Beach Club, it was very dated and slightly run down.  The rooms were the only good part to the hotel. Very well kept and we were one of the lucky ones, we had hot water!
It has only one bar and the bartenders all had one speed, reverse. The restaurants on property were also only one for buffet which is every meal and tea time , so you are there 4 times a day , 7 day a week and hope your not staying longer than seven day because you will know exactly what you are abour to eat each and every day there after. I can not imagine staying any longer than the seven days we were there.
As for the island , it is beautiful and seems to still be surviving, though not thriving at all. There are many buildings, businesses and homes for sale.  This is never a good sign of any country. But again I would have to say I blame this on society and the Bajon people! Tourists from around the world will only put up with shifty service and average food for a limited time. If you are going to keep charging the outlandish prices , combined with the good and the service, eventually it is going to slow down even more, and poverty will become more common.
You can go to Cuba or DominicanRepublic for a half of the cost and receive better service by people who are so happy to see you and even happier that you are there to enjoy and share their country and to support their tourism. Aldo the good in these two countries is at or above par to the Barbados.  Everything is so damn bland!!!!!
Now let's go to last night's ala cart meal, which is available 3 nights a week, not too bad up there but here's the kicker.  We had Matthew's Aunt over to the resort last night for dinner and were absolutely sticker shocked this morning when we got our bill for that.
It cost us a total of 77.15 in US dollars(153. BBD) just for her meal. Let me give you a break down of what they charged; 1/3 bowl of French onion soup  (Luke Warm) and definitely not a full bowl was $18BBD, melon salad (4 small peices of melon) was $19BBD, Pork cutlet with mashed potato, not a large serving was $62 BBD, Peice of cake $12BBD, a glass of red wine $ 9BBD, AND FINALLY THE REAL PISSER,  just for her coming on the resort $23.35BBD. THEN ALL OF THAT HAD TAX!!!!!!!

Sent from my Galaxy Tab® S2

Wow it's been a while

First let me say it has been forever since I have written here and I truly missed it at times. I honestly got into a real funk after mom passed away and just didn't want to share, talk or write at all.
So let me catch you up to speed a little.
October 14, 2015 , Matthew and I moved to Windsor Ontario from Toronto and we hadon't bought a house here and totally renovated it.it was not an easy nor fast transition for either of us from Toronto to Windsor.
On October 23rd of 2015 we lost our beloved Storm due to cancer. One of the hardest days for me and for Matt , I am sure. I still miss her everyday.
We had many struggles over the last couple years. Which we have worked hard together to overcome and accomplished that as a couple.
In April of 2016, we finally moved into our house after six long months of not living there and doing Renovations,  including a basement dig out and entire gut of the entire house down to the studs. Talk about stressful.
On April 18th 2016,  we got the call my father had passed away from cancer after a very short battle.
This was hard but also somewhat of closure as it meant I truly had no immediate family left. I now only have some cousins and stuff in my life.
The summer here was lovely and filled with gardening and landscaping and redoing and renovating another property.
Finished that in late August.  On Sept 3rd of 2016 we were shocked to get the call that Matthew's father had suddenly passed away. Another sad year first us to both lose our fathers,  as only two short years earlier we both lost our mom's.  Sometime life just socks it to you.
On August 23, we lost our gorgeous black cat and baby girl Nadja from  cancer and we're both devastated. This is when I realized who some of my true friends were and who wasn't.  Steve and Sheila who we had met on vacation in Cuba, we're soon to be out of our lives.
Noone will ever tell me it was just a cat or just a dog. If you do, I will say to you it was just time to move on.
Anyhow with all lives little twists and turns,  we are in Windsor,  a bit busy but I will do my best to write here every chance I can. Hugs and good night.  Off to finish watching my Australian open Tennis.  I should be in bed.

A Story from Years Ago

I remember years ago and School and how it was not so great for me but there are several times that stand out more than anyone will ever know.
One of the worst and most painful times for me was in Grade eight or nine gym class I believe it was. Please don't quote me on the grade, I am getting older you know.
We were outside for Physed class and playing tag team football.
For me , let me just make this perfectly clear being a young gay person in a small twon and also being a scronny little man , I was never comfortable with gym class and let me make this clear, I never showered nor did I ever change at school, if it was a gym day that's what I wore to school or I would skip that class.
Anyhow, back to the tag team football, I participated this day and was so not happy to have to play a touch sport with my fellow male classmates though I did try.
We were playing football and I remember trying to tag a class mate Brad Urichuck and I guess I missed the tag and slapped his back or ass or something and all of a sudden you would have sworn I had committed a murder, Brad and Jeff Simpson were yelling at me and calling me a fag and a girl and saying I only slap cause I am gay, this went on for a few minutes.
I eventually left that day while still in gym class and just went home. what was I suppose to do, I have all these boys who I thought we my friends calling me fairy, fag, gay, hell I didn't even know what those words were.
I just went home and hid in my bedroom and cried for hours. I don't think I was ever so sad or scared in my life and I just hated myself instead of being ashamed of them for meaking fun of me for trying and for doing my best, I was ashamed of me. Well that doesn't happen anymore!
It was one of the last gym classes I ever attended as I got mom to come to the doctor with me and he wrote some sort of  note to get me out until the end of the year.
Boys were so mean to me and so were some girls, I have forgiven but never forgotten the bullying I lived with and am sure I never will. People need to learn the most hurtful things in life are mean words and things we say.
I never went to back to school after the first semester of grade ten and got my high school diploma through correspondence courses and exams and GED exams , but I did it without all the  ridicule and name calling that I tolerated for years.

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