loving in Gainesville, Georgia

Hey kids.

Just a few secs to say hey from Gainesville, GA. I'm here for Jeff and Carolina's wedding and it has been really lovely so far. (That's pronounced Carol-EE-na, she's from Columbia.) I'm going to try to get a disco nap before the wedding.

Jeff's buddies have been awesome company, and make my drinking look like tea time. Which is good, cause it's getting messy. And Justin and I wound up walking a mile in the wrong direction lost "downtown" trying to find our way back to the hotel last night.

New BFF Liz.

Lovin' Cousin Jeff.

And Lovin' Cousin J.P.

My kind of bar.

Fun at the Monkey Barrel late, late, messy, messy.

Town Sqaure(s)

And my drinking buddies.

Stories to follow (I know I know, I still owe Steeplechase wrap ups. I've been busy.)

The hotel has no water in the freakin pool, but they do have wifi. Photos are up in the Gallery and sets soon to be reloaded to flickr. Update: Edited photos now in threesets: The rehearsal dinner night, the lazy Saturday afternoon, and the wedding reception.

enough already

It's like anything "hip" being said by Katie Couric (e.g. fashizzle)- if she says it, it's no longer hip.

I am so tired of hearing this word. In a display of lead-based-made-in-china toys,


"Ginormous" is now established in the lexicon. And now that it's been used in a Walgreen's display of cheap toys, let's hope it's jumped the shark.

remiss for my misses

Last Thursday night was another crazy 80s night at the Cat Club. James and The Maidens wanted a foray and whom am I to decline.

A perfect opportunity for them, Kevin and Sharon joined too,

and it was Fred's birthday dinner so we also got Fred, PeeDee, Shilpa, Marlon, and Scott Hunt. On the high of a new job offer (and running from the old one like a horse from a burning barn) Coco dove into the messy pool with us.

And I say messy as it had been a while since I had a wild night out, and since James was driving I let it loose.

Which was unwise as (1) I got silly messy and became "that guy" on the dance floor who spins and swings and lifts girls over his head, (2) at $8+ a cocktail, and buying rounds, four hours of drinking and dancing got way too expensive.

But the drinks were also poured by Mr. Big Arms, and that pleasant bit of eye candy dulled the pain of the price point.

I did get to meet and have some quality messy time with the rest of the Maidens, and it was nice to let loose and get my dance on and drink on and just devolve into a puddle.

The next morning I could tell I was a dancing fool as every joint hurt and my feet were pretty non-functional. I am so not 27 years old any more. Ouch. With the morning hangover and revelry recollections came a little bit of shame. I was so glad I was in a straight bar. I might have been the least of the mess. And I don't have to worry about seeing those people again.

We stayed until close, and it was nice to have a night out where I could just let everything go. And get some fun silly 80's dancing on.

I have been remiss in not blogging about this for a week, and all due shouts to the Maidens at the G!

Nicole, next time we do the lift.

Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

Full messy, messy Flickr set. But I have to post this kissy montage before I go. Cracks me up:

the delicate dance

I uploaded a YouTube video last night but I think it looks kinda bad. And tends to go on a bit. It's a response to a friend who sort of lives his life on YouTube so I thought it was n appropriate medium for a reply. Watch below if you like, but I think it comes across better in print. And I certainly looks slimmer in type.

Basically I got a text message from a friend returning to New York from a visit to his family in Texas. He was rather upset and disappointed in his family's lack of acceptance of his life and more importantly, the love of his life. But what he said in the text message was he wanted to talk to his parents about drawing the line. What I perceived in this was a typical "returning home to boundaries issues with the parents." It turns out it's more serious than that but that was my initial reaction and hence the reply.

Over a decade later and it is still a delicate dance when I go to Nashville and stay with my parents. There are topics we stay away from, and sometimes boundaries have to be clearly defined. It helps that I started recognizing this issue and set some ground rules ten years ago. We don't have any real issues any more, but it still gets tricky when I talk about the parts of my life that are particularly "gay."

The photo annual I sent them has been put out of sight of children and passers-by.

Looking back, I realize I tend to avoid long one-on-one periods with either Mom or Dad, because then I get trapped into topics like why I don't go to church anymore or what is my "long term career plan" and other perfectly appropriate parental topics but nothing I want to talk about. They never ask about my love life, but they never did that with my sibs either so it's not so much a gay thing as they think that's a boundary to respect.

I can't help but dwell on the idea than it about 36 hours I will be trapped in a car with them driving an hour and a half, each way, from Atlanta to Gainesville.

I'll just want a roadie and a nap.

So, anyway, at work yesterday I was thinking about the absent-grown-child and parent dance a lot, and it was even a topic in a long meeting. The interesting thing there is I got to hear about the dance, and openly declared boundary setting, from the perspective of the parents of grown children.

And so now here is my advice, such as it is, for speaking openly to your parents on topics you'd rather argue about.

On generally being treated like a grown up:

Right Way
I recognize that the last time I lived in this house I was 18, and I think we're in danger of reverting to old behaviors. I am not a child anymore and you're going to have to remember not to treat me like one. In my time away, I've grown and become who I am today. And I'd like you to get to know who that is.

And I'd like to know who you've become too. How are things with you?

Wrong Way
How about a little less nagging and a little more shut the hell up.

Wrong Way
I'm sorry, can I go in the back room or are your flying monkeys back?

Right Way
Mom, I'll always be your baby but we are not mother and child any more. I'm a grown-up and there are going to be some things we disagree on. Strongly. So to keep us both happy there are going to be some topics that are just off limits: my weight, my career, and dear God politics. And I won't ask you why you're hiding Oreos in the laundry room. Anything else?

Wrong Way
If I had thought this much eye makeup would make me look cheap I wouldn't have put it on.

On the "Gay Stigma:"

Right Way
It really shouldn't bother you any more. People everywhere are learning the truth more and more: Being gay is common. More than that, it's a fact of nature. And coming out is an act of honestly, and that should be applauded. Besides, having a gay son is cool now. Soon everybody will be wanting one.

Trendsetter.

(Should your parents not be your birth parents, you can call them "early adopters." Talk about gay adoption!)

Wrong Way
(also known as "what I said.")
Seriously mother. If you are that bothered by your 'beauty parlor" you should just embrace the fact you have a gay son— It's not like I don't know 20 fags who couldn't do a better job with your hair.

On fashion:

Right Way
Mother, I have grown into my own man and along my voyage of self-discovery I have developed my own sense of style. I grant you, fashion is contextual, but I and my personality are part of that context. Even attending the same event, what is appropriate attire for you and yours is likely not appropriate attire for me. My cultural distinctiveness is evident in how I present myself, in the vocabulary of fashion as well as speech. Just as your look is yours, this look is mine.

Wrong Way
(And again, what I said—I was in my late twenties)
I am a "fashionable" young man living in San Francisco. You are a sixty-year-old woman living in Nashville, Tennessee. You may ask for fashion advice, but you may not give it.

Once I was coming home for a black-tie function and chose to wear the dress shoes so I wouldn't have to pack them—a fabulous pair of square-toe Kenneth Coles, black, shiny, high ankle.

"You can't wear those shoes with a tuxedo!"
"Mother, never criticize a gay man about his shoes."
>awkward silence for more than a block< "What does 'orientation' have to do with shoes..."
"Mom, gay men are so tied fashion I could make three phone calls and have hemlines rise so high the whole world would be your gynecologist."

On drinking:

Right Way
I don't find the devil in it. I respect your decisions and I just ask that you respect mine. And I've decided I'd like a cocktail.

Wrong Way
...because it's been cooped up inside all day and now I have to take my liver out for a walk. Trust me, if I don't there's going to be a mess in here you don't want to clean up.


On religion (or the "Gay Stigmata"):

Right Way
If you have an issue, that's an issue with your relationship with God. My relationship with God is just fine. Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so. The rest is just theater. I respect your faith, and all I ask is that you respect mine.

Wrong way
Oh please, Jesus was so gay. Even his mother was Mary.

Right Way
There is a voice in the wilderness crying, and it is crying out for me. I'm preparing my own way for God: the valleys shall be exalted, and the lofty hills made low. We're just preparing different highways.

Wrong Way
Seriously, a single Jewish man in his thirties hanging around with the same dozen guys all the time. For Heaven's sakes the man invented Easter brunch. I'm surprised there isn't a parable about loaves and cantaloupe wedges.

Right Way
C'mon Dad. If you are having some conflicting feelings about homosexuality and religion, have a little faith. God is love. The rest of us are not here to add any criteria.

Wrong way
I did not make the Baby Jesus cry!

On significant others (and of which I have zero experience):

Right way
Mom, Dad, I do love you. And I do love him. In all the ways that matter, he is my family. And I expect you to love him too, if not for the simple reason that he loves me too. I understand this is not what you always imagined for me, but I do hope that you had always wanted me to be happy. He makes me happy. It's okay to mourn the death of what you imagined, but it's important to celebrate the joy in what has happened instead. You've always wanted me to be happy, the only thing that is different is that what makes me happy is something unexpected. It's not bad, not at all. It's something else, and it is better than good.

Wrong Way
His c*ck is huge.

Right Way
I love him, and he completes me. He is my family. You may have given me a life, but he is what makes me alive.

Wrong Way
Don't make me choose between the two of you. I got you with the whole getting born thing. I chose him.

The Really Wrong Way
Seriously. Like a baby's arm holding an apple.

Don't fence me in.

Give me land lots of land with the starry skies above.

books is pretty

It looks impressive, but it ain't for readin'.

The home library as decor.

Decorating a home library is a tough task, especially if you are short on books! Then again, not everyone is fortunate enough to have a few hundred hardbacks on hand. Considering that even the smallest of home studies requires a substantial number of volumes, the cost of filling a few bookshelves can really add up!

That is, of course, unless you consult with a decorative book dealer. As merchants who deal specifically with ornamental books, decorative dealers know exactly how to fill bookcase space with the greatest of ease. As ornamental book merchants, we at Book Décor are well-versed in the art of decorating with books. Our Danish printed, European imported books are sold specifically with interior design in mind.

Hard and leather bound volumes can be ordered by size or color, but don't expect any of them to be in English.


Why Patrick! You didn't tell me your aunt was literate!

far, far away, in many, many ways

It's going to be a raucous weekend in San Francisco.

Sure, the Memorial Day holiday happy time is just fading, and already we're headed into June and the intensely colorful, vivid, and celebration of life lifestyle that the Bay Area has to offer.

But first, a little salacious before we slide into Pride.

In case you missed last Sunday's events, ranging from rodeo barbecues and Canaval to the Masturbate-a-thon, this weekend has some wonderfully typical SF fare.

The AEF San Francisco County Fair in Golden Gate Park. Benefiting the AIDS Emergency Fund, the County Fair will feature all sorts of local entertainment, celebs, carnival rides, great music, great food, supper happy fun time, and of course a large dancing stage hosted by the Sundance Saloon.

And as noted colorfully in Susan's The Original Fag Hag's calendar: two underwear parties.

The first is hosted by Bearaccuda, a first- and third-Saturday party for bears, cubs, and other wildlife, with free massages, great tunes, tasty snacks, and friendly guys. And spinning is one of my favorite DJs: BoyShapedBox (his self on flickr).

And for those with bodies less "the Bear" and more "the BJ", there is the underwear party at 550 (where Sundance Saloon meets on Sundays). It's billed as- Underworld with DJ Josh Peace: The world's largest underwear party returns for 1 night only, with 1,000 boys in briefs. Or as the Original Fag Hag puts it: "Then there's the alternative. Lots of smooth, muscled boys in sexy manties in a sweaty dark club with lots of dirty little spaces…"

Take your pick. I'm torn from fitting in at one and drooling over the other.

Of course, I don't have to decided, because I am going to be far and away very far and away from the likes of these events. The closest I'm getting to a gay underwear party is getting up at the butt-crack of dawn to catch my flight.

Friday moring dark and early I'll be taking the N-Judah to BART to the SFO Bart Station to take the shuttle to SFO to get a flight to Atlanta, where I will take a cab to the outskirts and wait at a friend's vacant house for my parents, who are diving the five hours from Nashville, to pick me up, from where we'll drive together the 90 minutes to Gainesville, Georgia for a cousin's wedding.

Because after 12 hours of travel, three trains, a plane, and a cab, what you really want to do is be stuck in a car with your parents for an hour and a half.

Whee.

Y'all go have fun.

And in anticipation, I'll try to get around to-- finally-- posting the Steeplechase wrap ups!

it cleans, it shines,

it riddles my liver with boozy goodness.

Oh Vodka, is there nothing you can't do?

Shilpa Patel points out the 10 green and alternative uses for Vodka (via MSN's Go Green), and now a review of a tasty sparkling vodka.

Now you and your cocktail can be bubbly. And if you are like me, tasty.

From Cool Hunting:

Among the many new sparkling vodkas recently introduced to the market, only Camitz has the taste and quality that pushes the concept out of the realm of mere fad. Using a carbonation process that captures the C02 released during distillation, the air trapped in the Swedish vodka doesn't alter the taste, which in and of itself is on par with other premium vodkas on the market. We also love the visual appeal of its champagne-like bubbles that make for a similarly delightful sipping experience. A cork stopper, specially engineered to pop when opened, draws on champagne's language as well.

cell phones have hidden dangers

Sure, some folks say that talking too much on a mobile phone will give you a brain tumor.

But that might be less dangerous than microwaving one.

Club Jackson LIVES!

Update from Barney!

Just signed with an apartment here in Wellington. Very nice 2-bedroom studio. Based in a suburb called Petone (lance don't laugh). Petone is a cute suburb of Wellington, kind of like a Berkeley is to San Francisco (Romo, don't laugh). Lots of cafes and hip and young crowd based there escaping the expense of the city. Its a short bike ride to my job and also just 10 min down the freeway to the city. Very happy with it. I move in on Saturday and have a weekend of shopping planned especially for essentials like a bed. But would believe you know it, the apartment is situated on Jackson Street!! Too Funny!! I think it will be named 'Club Jackson Sud'!

l lost memes to meth

I know it's all over the internets, but I am still loving this Weezer video.

outrageous fortune

smart (ass) cookie.


Via xkcd.

Do it again.

Again and again!



Music video by Dennis for Again and Again by The Bird and the Bee. Last December the iTunes Music Store featured a cool Christmas track by The Bird and the Bee as the free single of the week. I loved it. It's nice to sample something else.

And this uber-cool Mac OSX viral video has totally put Dennis Liu in the spotlight, as it were.

How do you measure up?

From the WIRED gadget lab--


Measuring jugs that give you some food for thought whilst you measure out your ingredients.

Some of the gradations are equivalent to:

• as many grains of flour as people on the planet
• volume of one human breath
• amount of table salt in a large human
• volume of body cells that die on a good day

Click to embiggen.

burning sensation

Fires continue to ravage the Santa Cruz mountains.

For PeeDee's sake, let's hope it hasn't melted the bacon.

Is it insulting or is it funny?

I think it's funny.

Best Indiana Jones gay joke (is it really a gay joke though?) from the SF Metblog:

The Castro Theatre is showing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull!
No, not that kind of crystal.

The clever Mark Pritchard continues:

Judging from the widely-disseminated publicity photo (left), the film “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” has something to do with a rugged older man initiating a pretty young boy in a leather jacket into the mysteries of a deep, dark hole, making it perfect for the Castro.

AT&T announces better 3G by iPhone 2 time

AT&T is also claiming that the improved 3G network will have speeds comparable to home wifi service, but Wired reports doubts that seriously:

AT&T Confirms High Speed Rollout In Time For iPhone 2.0

AT&T has announced that it will have completed a country wide rollout of its HSUPA 3G service by the end of June. We're guessing that a little voice from Cupertino might have been hurrying AT&T along. You know, just like AT&T boosted EDGE speeds last year on the iPhone's launch day. Just saying.

The network offers theoretical speeds of 1.4 Mbps down and 800Kbps up, which AT&T claims "will be as speedy as logging onto the high speed Internet service that many consumers enjoy at home."

We're not sure exactly who those poor customers are, or how they could possibly '"enjoy" speeds like that, but if AT&T keeps spending at the $5 billion-a-year rate it is now, we should expect to get a real mobile internet just in time for the iPhone 3.

By the way, I love that critics have swapped the AT&T globe logo for the Death Star.

Doctor Who?

Doctor JONES!

Just got the tickets for Friday. James and I will hit the Badlands 2-4-1 happy hour first. (God help him. He just got a haircut and is lookin' all hot and shit. The fags'll be all over him.)

So excited. I keep whilstling "Dah da DAH da, da da dah..."

Coco gets a new job!

I feel the need for an obligatory "job" joke here, like a "Coco gives a job that doesn't require a warm towel afterwards" sort of joke. But it's the end of the day and I'm all out of innuendo.

So congratulations to Coco! She needs more money to keep up with our socializing. I like a little sugar with my mama. M'kay?

Coco Flores, Co-Captain, Team Wilson

the ones under your eyes though,

those are free.

American Airlines to charge extra for bags.

The Bush Administration and TSA has screwed Americans and the airline industry so much more than any terrorist attack ever could.

whatever, boyfriend

News outlets are coving the announcement that George Takei (Star Trek's Mr. Sulu) is going to legally wed his partner now that the California Supreme Court has ruled that they have the right to do so.

I think that's great.

But "Mainstream" media never cover gay civil rights issues well, especially when it comes to equal access to marriage law. But even the coverage of a retro-popular actor's wedding announcement is bothersome.

Typical headline: Star Trek's Mr Sulu, George Takei, to wed boyfriend in Californian gay marriage.

Seriously, if the guy is in his 70s, and has been all but strictly-legally wed to his partner for more than 20 years, is "boyfriend" really the best word here?

It makes it sound like they are going steady and he just got pinned.

I thought there could be only one?

Are they really going to remake Highlander?

(from Alert Reader James Hass.)

Bi the numbers

James and I have just been IM'ing about last night's event. He invited me to the Farallon Literary Review launch reading, which was very nice and I'll blog about that later. James has a semi-regular lunch group at The G, all female, whom he refers to as "The Maidens," shortened from their original designation, "The Lunch Maidens." The Maidens made it to the launch/readings as well (James is an Associate Editor of The Farallon Review and was a reader last night.)

I had only met one Maiden before, Michelle, who totally hat and sundressed it up and looked fab for the Kentucky Derby. It was nice to meet two more of the foursome. I liked them. They liked me. I feared I would be a let down as they have been eager to meet me for months. James tells typical stories about me, and they think my name, Wilson Hardcastle, is so dramatic I must enter rooms with declarations. Or perhaps a cape (I've done both).

From the IM:

J: -they all loved you
Me: - they are all sweet
J: -it was sweet them all to come
Me: - James' Maidens
..... - sounds like a band
...... - or some sort of cult
...... - polygamist
J: -that's what they wanted me to do for b2b with them, as you may recall
Me: -right!
J: -apparently there were a lot of them at the race!
..... -a lot of polygamist themed running groups
Me: -how many tigers?
J: -tigers?
Me: -like the zoo mauling
J: -ah!
Me: -I saw a photo of one and thought that was clever
J: -man, you've been going for dark lately, what with the SoCal costume and all
..... -good idea tho
Me: -it's a result of gay+age=clever/dark
..... -or bitter/dark (clever but overly dark, or bitter over dark)
..... -it's just the math
J: -is that the equation?
..... -good to know
Me: -don't even start me on our 'square' roots
..... -(i.e. most of us were geeks)
..... -and the 'imaginary numbers'
..... -would those be the drag shows?
J: -prime #s are booze
Me: -or the happy hours
Me: -only in queer math are the prime numbers 2-4-1


I'm thinking there could be a whole riff on gay math. Feel free to submit your own.

Me + Jack(Daniels) = Fun • 4ME/guys+N!(thedark)

Me plus Jack Daniels equals fun times for capital ME all over guys in the dark.

tips for drag queens

I should not be surprised that there is a blog for every topic.

From The Reverse Cowgirl, a post about stripper shoes, and the one-stop web shops for all of your stripper footwear needs. I imagine if they make such shoes is large enough sizes, they are hits with the drag queens.

These in particular should appear on a drag stage near you as soon as possible:

You've seen goldfish in the platforms before. These have a slot for tips.


The Reverse Cowgirls's post:

The other day, Dacia had a post on Naked City featuring Vegas themed stripper shoes with a stack of dice for a heel and a bunch of poker chips rattling around in the hollowed out Lucite platform underneath the toes. That sent me wandering around Funky Pair, your one stop shopping spot for stripper shoes. There, I found a series of seven-inchers that transfixed me. These ones have a slot in the hollowed out part under the toes. For men. To put their tips in. I find this fascinating and genius. The ones pictured here spell it out for you. There's others with a mouth for a tip slot, a money slot if you're really thick skulled, a butterfly slot for the romantic. I love the thought of the women walking around on money. Of course, if that's not your style, there's always the mudflap girl who lights up or disco balls.

suburban outwitter

It seems that the alternative/slacker/hip youth chain Urban Outfitters is actually owned by a super-conservative right wing billionaire who donates to all sorts of nasty anti-freedom, anti-gay, pro-war causes, donated/donates heavily to Rick Santorum and his ilk, and is compared to Dick Cheney.

Via Towleroad, an article in This Is Money that reports that his business plan basically depends on his hipster youth market never finding out who he is.

It's time to pass this little tidbit on to college campuses.



(Image ripped from junglescene.com.)

bring on the popcorn

The new Indiana Jones movie opens this weekend, and it will be showing at the beautiful Castro Theater. The Castro rarely shows first runs, and this renovated Victorian theater is just the most freaking awesome venue to relive the Indy experience (note my eighties tone coming out). The James and I are getting tickets—provided it's not already sold out.

I love films. I love movies. Hell, I got a master's degree in the hopes of landing a gig as an archivist for a film studio. And for every Citizen Kane, I love the "stuff your face full of popcorn while shit blows up for 120 minutes" movies too.

Sweet.

And loved the Iron Man debut. Might have to take that one in again.

To wit:



Bring the summer movie season ON.

better than a thousand words

I don't know where this originated, but it just speaks volumes. It's like an entire tragic novel in one snapshot. Say it with me now: WTF?


Via Why That's Delightful, who adds: Cracked ran a caption competition and the winner made me laugh out loud: “A threesome’s a threesome.”

To me, it looks like what Kevin describes as a typical family gathering before his grandmother passed.

For all I know Kevin took this photo. Kev?

Final thought: I love how granny is cooling her head with a beer can as she vomits into the trash can-- in the middle of room no less. (And I am guessing this is a motel room.)

Shai-Hulud, Great Maker

Via Neatorama, YouTube footage of what some are calling a "sand geyser" in Saudi Arabia:

...a 9-meter (~30 feet) tall sand fountain or geyser near the city of Al Ahsa. Notice that the sand doesn't mound up, as if there is a giant hole underneath that just churn up the sand particles.

Obviously, it's a spice blow.

Send in the harvesters.

And walk without rythm while you're at it.

Blessed be the Great Maker.

SF runs hot and cold

SF enjoyed a wonderful heat wave last week. I forgot how much fun SF is in the warm sunshine, long daylight hours, and warm summer nights. Granted, it's easy to forget as we only get like three of these a year. The fog is back with a vengeance and it is ass-cold over here now. And visibility remains choked.

Last week any place with outside seating was packed. During the week, we enjoyed a few after-work cocktails at Zeitgeist.

The rest of the week was full of summer sun fun with dancing in the streets to celebrate the ruling on marriage equality midweek and general happy to be out revelry day and night in the Castro.

Saturday night, Kevin and I took his new fab friend from acting class out to the Mission for dinner at Luna and a guilty pleasure of theater.

Kevin and I had so been looking forward to the dramatic playing of movie version of The Bad Seed.

It's part of a live-theater series of B movies: The Killer Bs! So. Much. Fun.

Oh my God it was hilarious.. So superbly acted, and they played it so straight it was amazing. The movie is so melodramatic, that in live action it is even more campy. And so awesome.

Especially with the crazy-talented Sean Owens, who stands at 6'2" at least, as the little blond sociopath in pigtails.

And for my trio, we were delighted to learn that the Dark Room theater turns an encouraging blind eye to bringing your own "refreshments" into the the show. (They even provide bottle a bottle opener and recycling bins.)


Sharon was such a joy to meet and she is totally PLU. Expect to see more of her in the blog.

Kevin was kind enough to drive us around town, and on the way home we stopped for one last round at Marlena's and enjoyed another really fun alternative show.




Marlena's does have the best free show in town. The Rendez-Vous closed a couple of years back, and Trannyshack is closing in August (note: neither of those shows were/ are free). The Cinch's shows are just tragic (I once had to hoist a bad drag queen on my shoulders so she could retrieve her wig from the rafters.). Marlena's is a great neighborhood bar with some really dedicated live entertainers. The bartenders are cool, the drinks are strong, and the crowd is always mixed with a healthy dose of masculine. I think I'll be hanging out here more often. And oddly, it's also the local hangout for the rodeo folks. I've agreed to co-chair fundraising this year, so I'll be spending more time with these folks anyway.

And speaking of running hot and cold, Sunday was the annual Bay to Breakers race.

I usually join friends for cocktails and a viewing of the craziness, but with the rain and fog and the cold and the DearGodItsEarly O'Clock, I happily rolled over in my soft sheets and went back to sleep. The San Francisco Chronicle has some photos over here.


And there's the flickr cluster.

yipes.

Brace yourselves kids. This part gets a little scary.

From a certain Alert Reader, whose department's male members put together a drag farewell show for a retirement party.

Now that's a send off.

Patrons thought s/he was a hired professional. Feel free to comment.

And this in my mail box this morning from Alert Reader Sinclair Kelly:

Caption: Remember when your mother warned you not to take candy from strangers? She meant this guy.

True confession: If I had a rocking torso I would so wear a harness like this to Dore. No fishnet, wig, or feathers though. That would be tacky.

Barney gets a lift

in more ways than one.

Dear Friend of the Blog Barney moved back to New Zealand at Christmastime and has been enjoying the southern hemisphere summer spending time with his family, playing with the kiddies, working in the garden, and sipping cocktails at his parents' place overlooking the beach.

Not so bad a way to spend the "winter" months.

Barney just accepted a faboo new job and is in a mad dash to relocate to Wellington. I can't wait to visit. As part of his whirlwind relocation, Barney bought a car.

I can't believe it.

In all the years I've known him I've never known him to drive.

As far as I know, this is Barney's only relationship with autos:











Congratulations Barney!

get the portable defib kit

because it's snack time for Alert Reader Paul Day.

ARPD ordered a couple of boxes of the maple syrup and bacon lollipops but has not reported on their yumminess/cardiac clogging.

As far as I know, he has not yet borrowed the car to go to Santa Cruz in search of Marini's and their chocolate covered bacon.

Mmmmmm.

What can we expect next? Malted lard balls? I know there's a market.

(And hey, I'm not judging. I bought several cases of the Big Mo's. But one can never have enough Big Mo's around.)

Celebrate good times, c'mon

I had mixed reactions yesterday with the whole marriage ruling thing. I was really surprised how much it affected me emotionally. I was happy, but then I got myself way too worked up over the backlash from the haters. I am so sick and tired of the lies and hypocrisy of these people, and I am tired of being abused by them just for my capacity to love. The religious right needs to STFU because Jesus is all about love and said nothing against gays. Marriage defenders should STFU and take a history lesson about marriage. That's a history of "tradition" that is unconscionable to defend. Focus on the Family types should STFU as this protects and values families and children. Equality of citizens and freedom of religion are the founding principles of this country. All citizens should have the benefits and obligations of citizenship. Supporting marriage equality is an act of patriotism. It's just that simple.

So, that being said--

I sat at home in the heat for about an hour last night deciding what to do. By 7:45 I decided I needed to join the festivities in the Castro, and I am so glad I did. There were a couple of hundred people there when I arrived around 8:00. The sun was still shining and it was still hot. The police had barricaded the streets, and Energy 92.7 had set up a truck with speakers and Trevor Simpson was spinning and endless array of happy, celebratory, and lovingly-thematic music.

Many of us had roadies.

This early crowd though was at least half families-- lots of loving couples, lots of hand-holding, and lots of families with children. Sometimes it was enough to make me tear up.




Several people commented that they were impressed that they could throw together such a street party in only four hours. I was less impressed as we had heard for weeks that the ruling would most likely be in our favor, and the announcement was scheduled. Even so, it's not that hard to trow up two barricades and drive in a sound truck with a generator. But still, it was so very nice to have.

I arrived alone but quickly found many friends. I forgot it was a Thursday and ran into several Sundancers who asked (obviously) "You're not at Sundance tonight?" I realized I hadn't been since Ken died, and honestly a part of me was still worried about dealing with those who did not appreciate my blogging of the event. David O came over for Derby Day and said that he liked what I wrote, but also blanched a bit as I was clearly saying out loud what a lot of people were thinking but dis not want to admit or hear out loud. However, three people--three-- each came up to me in the crowd last night, unsolicited and independent of each other, and told me how much the loved what I wrote. I felt so much better about it and hope to get back out to Sundance this Sunday, as long as it is not God awful hot. But back to the marriage equality celebration-

Several hours later the music changed to typical house stuff which was considerably less fun than the lyrical and poppy party songs from earlier. The crowd had grown immensely. It was about the size of Pink Saturday. Huge throngs. So much fun.

And a bit messy.

I ended up making out with an ex I hadn't seen in four years. He just turned 30 this week. I don't know what to add to that.

I thought about taking my camera in case something was blog-worthy, but I didn't want to carry yet another thing. I did snap some pics with my phone (Motorola L7/SLVR). Not the best quality, but you get the idea. Those above are from early in the evening before the absolute masses/messes.


If you want more, go play around flickr. I am sure there are many sets.