holiday grumble

I took Friday off for a four day weekend—so much fun in the City to be had and I was happy to stay in town (despite the double-woofiness in Chicago with the national gay rugby meeting and IML) and enjoy some wholesome SF Memorial Day/Pride Kick Off fun times, with equal time blocked out to finally, after months, to sit the fck down and just chill. 

But as is becoming a pattern for me, as soon as an extended period of pushing myself stops and I get to pause and take a moment, my body takes this opportunity to deal with whatever it has been putting on the back burner for the past two or three months.  I had four entirely necessary days off planned, which has now been entirely consumed/wasted with a nasty summer cold.  Between sleeping and sneezing I just hope I can knock this out in time for the big black tie gala opening night of Tales of the City this Wednesday. 

The tickets arrived over the weekend with an encouragement to "put your own Takes of the City take on black tie."  Great.  No pressure there either.  As soon as the pounding in my sinuses clear I'll get right on the glitter and hot glue. 

Hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

Sweet.

My super awesome and diminutive niece turned 16 in May and I flew in just in time for her family birthday dinner.  She is so non-materialistic and charmingly low key, so shopping for her can be a challenge—so after she opened her presents, I offered her a shopping trip of her choice in case there was something she really did want.  It was a present for me too as I got to spend some quality time with her and talk about her life, school, boys, what's the what these days.  She broached the topics of teen drinking and gay-friendly attitudes herself, both topics of keen interest to me.  Some of her friends, and a lot of kids from another high school, got up super early to protest outside the State Captiol against the "can't say gay" bill (can't mention any sexuality other than heterosexuality in Tennessee schools) which just passed a TN Senate committee.

I loved taking Ellen shopping, but felt awkward at Forever 21 trying to manage the "I'm your fun uncle participating in the teen fashion selection" and not looking like "creepy guy in the teen girl store in the mall."  And not looking at the high school boyfriends of these girls who were little A&F models.

Family dinners are always fun and I loved it, and how little Leland bowled past Franna and Papa John to run into Uncle Wilson's arms.

Ellen is very musical, plays piano, writes her own songs and such—and for her birthday asked for a ukulele.  Franna gave her a nice one, and reminded us that growing up, Mom used to play the ukulele all the time.  So awesome.  Had I had the known, I might have asked Seattle Bill if he could have gotten his good friend Charo to sign it for her.

Happy birthday Ellen!




And, while I'm at it, here's some mockery of the above mentioned Tennessee Republican "Can't Say Gay" nonsense:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
We're Here, We're Queer, Get Newsed to It
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Red Vic is not in the black

Word from the SFist and Haighteration, the Red Vic movie house in the Upper Haight will be closing July 25th.  I like the Red Vic, and live just a few blocks away, but realize I haven't seen a film there in years.  Rarely have their recent billings held my interest, and never on a free evening.  But still, it's so Haight.  Sad to see it go.

next time don't order the taco surprise

I felt the need to snap this image at a friend's house this weekend.  There is something disturbing about a bathroom with toilet paper and a face mask at the ready.

buzzed

A friend has just discovered the term "wheelhouse" and is using it as her new buzzword as often as possible.

If I opened a bike shop,* I think it would be called "Wilson's House of Wheels," and people could say "that is totally in Wilson's wheelhouse."



*inventory not limited to bikes. Maybe it's a coffee shop. I haven't decided.

southern comfort

I think I may be the only guy in SF who can come home to leftover mint juleps in the fridge. Nice wind down.

"Sodomy and Cocktails"

I want that to be the title of my new newsletter. Or the new blog name.

I really, really want to send this to my mom, and use it to show her how to check her e-mail and launch a YouTube video from her new iPad 2.

That, and I think this is hilarious.



I think "glory hole" is deal breaker for the mom sending.

and back to your regularly scheduled blogging

Hey Kids.  It's been a Manic May— I was back in Nashville for quality time with the parents, my niece's Sweet 16, my nephew's graduation, giving Mom and iPad 2 and teaching her how to use it, and of course the Iroquois Steeplechase—which this year was cold and wet.  Plus parties with my mo's and even a special Showtunes night at Tribe where I was joined by my awesome brothers as well as dozens of good friends.

Flash back to SF (after five hours waiting at night in the Vegas airport while storms raged at SFO—that place could really use a good steam cleaning and an exorcism, and not necessarily in that order), and I hit the ground running with all day meetings and work prep late each night...just in time to welcome Ian Hall back to SF for a fun birthday weekend including a graduation garden party, crazy Brazilian backyard barbecue, 40th birthday parties, Pups games, mint juleps, a Bad Puppy Beer Bust, two-stepping and culminating in a you-though-you-escaped-the-attention-but-I'm-turning-it-into-a-birthday-party night of 80's dancing at Trigger.

Followed by a nap.

Sheesh.

A fortnight's worth of photos are finally on Flickr and Facebook, and tales and quips will begin reappearing on the irregular blog schedule.

Right on.

TN Governor loves bigotry more than good business

In are you fking kidding me?! news, the governor of Tennessee has signed a state law overriding and eliminating Nashville's equal rights and non-discrimination ordinance, and banning any and all other municipalities from taking any measures to protect LGBT citizens from discrimination unlawful for any other group, minority or citizenry.  The backwater redneck Christianist wingnuts pretty much make up all of the non-urban areas and self-identify as both Republican and sanctimonious (not that they can spell sanctimonious mind you), and with the exception of the four urban areas, the Tennessee legislature is ruled by these King James Bible-tumping backwater bigots, aka Tennessee Republicans.

And my Nashville family continues to wonder why I don't want to move home.

Is this Spanish Inquisition in the History section or Religion?

In case you missed it, California districts, the Los Angeles Unified School District in particular, is firing as many librarians as they can legally get away with. Because librarians aren't essential to an educational system? This is appalling.

The disgraceful interrogation of L.A. school librarians (LA Times)
California Hands Out Scores of Pink Slips to School Librarians (School Library Journal)

On the topic, this just sent to me today by Alert First Girlfriend From Childhood Jessica:

Seth's Blog: The Future of the Library—in which he states his case that in the digital age, librarians are increasingly essential, not less so.

See other insulting library news.

baked

I think if I ever write a book on baking I'm going to call it "The Yeast of My Worries." Although that might already be a women's health book.

Sunshine!

I always say how much I miss warm summer nights, until I get back to Nashville and sweat and pant in the oppressive heat and can't wait to get back to our blissful, comforting fog. But I do hope a little summer sunshine awaits me in BNA. It's hard to leave the Bay on a day like this.

Hey Lady!

And a very happy birthday to my new favorite loud party man, Lady John. Or John Lady. I haven't decided, but his penchant for dropping the word "lady" into almost any expression is rather contagious and I think it should be part of his nickname.

Or something boozy. John (formerly of Boston) flew into SF this weekend from Vegas to meet his best Boston buddies for a birthday weekend of SF fun and debauchery. We were drinking doubles at the Cinco De Mayo Monster Show at the Edge when he spied a luminous cocktail in an enormous Mason jar and cried out for us to get him "one of those big blue lady drinks!"

Turns out they were basically a blue Long Island Iced Tea, and enough to drop a horse. Just what he lady ordered.

Happy birthday John!

Steeplechase will be all the buzz!

I leave at the crack tomorrow for another week of quality time with the family, and another hopefully fab Iroquois Steeplechase.  However, Alert Reader and Pseudo Sister Margaret sent me the following alert last week:  It's year 13 of the 13-year cicada cycle.  And they are due to peak on race day.

Holeeee.  If you've never experienced a cicada cycle, it's a B-movie terror.  While I generally find them more annoying than terrifying, the level of swam and noise and non-lethal attacks could send someone unfamiliar with the experience into a mad panic.  Cicadas are about two-inch long flying armored insects that emerge from ground every so many years to molt, mate, and return to the earth.  Seriously.  B-movie stuff.  And they are unbelievably loud.  The noise they make is their mating call.  And they're competitive.  They swarm lawn mowers and other machinery of similar sound/decibel level.  And their users.  They've been known to "attack"  (meh, "swam in small numbers around and possibly land on or nibble") passers by, particularly women with hair big enough to get caught in (this is, remember Tennessee) or early-teen girls.  Which was hilarious the first cicada cycle in my memory, which was in 1985 and I was in 8th grade.  Cicadas were handy tools for pestering girls, and boys would fight with them, or use the eating of one as high-stakes dare currency.

But these things are nasty.  And omnipresent.  And leave their crunchy shells—remember they are molting—everywhere.  And Dear God, you think the Grinch had it with all of the Who's noise, noise, noise, noise!    It's like the summer air is heavy with humidity and a deafening radio static.

I have yet to come up with an angle for my Nfocus Steeplechase stories this year.  I considered writing a fictional B-movie script based on events of the day, but the artists at the Anderson Group may have beat me to that punchline.

it was 80's night, oh what a night

Club 1984 moved to Mighty and now seems to have died. And Monday's 80's night Testarossa at Trigger has shifted its start time from 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. (doors open at 10 but no one is there). We sort of stopped hitting 80's at Trigger at 10:00 when Pollo stopped hosting Brain Farts trivia down the street from 8:00 to 10:00. However, last monday we found ourselves walking home and passing Trigger on a Monday just after 10:00 and thought we'd check it out.

We can always make our own fun, which we did, and as we were about to leave sometime between 10:30 and 11:00, the place filled up in a matter of minutes. So, 80's is still on, but for the younger set for whom 80s is "retro" and not nostalgia, and for whom drinking and partying starting at 11:00 on a Monday night doesn't seem to be an issue.

Oliver Twist, the face/body paint man who sets up shop in the corner—and who was a hit at my own 40th birthday party—has reappeared at Testarossa and has developed an amazing talent. So much fun!


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that's a little harsh

It may be unintentional, but this poster placement seems to suggest someone doesn't care for Tears for Fears.



I'm just sayin'.

TGIF-Mayday Weekend fun

I'm back to Nashville for next week, but here are some highlights of this weekend before I go:

Tonight/Friday:
• SFMovieBears: Thor at the Metreon
• Nasty at the Powerhouse, a filthy fundraiser for the AIDS Emergency Fund

Saturday:
• The Kentucky Derby- fix yourself a julep and find a race party!
• No more wire hangers!!  It's Peaches Christ's Midnight Mass Mommy Dearest at the Castro Theater for the film's 30th anniversary (last time was awwwwesome).
• Lockdown party
• Bearracuda at Club 8

Sunday:
• Sunday Streets
• I've got the day blocked out for a special visitor--but you tell your momanym I asked after.

Cinco!

Fun times this Cinco de Mayo.
(It's like the Mexican Saint Patrick's Day!)

Of themed gay stuff in the Castro, there's Pollo de Mayo from 6:00 to 9:00 at the Lookout, and a Cinco de Mayo Monster Show hosted by Cookie Dough at the Edge starting around 10:00 p.m. and featuring Carnitas Wilson, Gillette Thebestamancanget, Ruby Holiday, MuthaChucka, Mona Lott Moore, Dulce De Leche, Vicodonia Knightingale, and special treat, more Pollo Del Mar!

There will be DUI check points ALL OVER tonight so don't booze and cruise.  There are free cabs to take you home (directly home, not to another bar, and you have to ask about the deal first) and AAA is even offering free tows within ten miles of your home!

take me OUT to the ball game

We've become big fans of the Pups (D team, of course) and the SF Gay Softball League.  Gay softball is so much fun—it's just the right amount of competitive but not it doesn't take itself too seriously.  As one furry gay man's t-shirt read: All bears are bad news.

There is a LOT of sass on that field.  And we find ourselves heckling our own team more than the opponents.  And the chatter is almost always both bitchy and hilarious.  And the fans?  Well, we bring it.

And looking at the fans under the hot, blistering sun, you can sort of tell that it's a gay softball game...

Taint Misbehavin'

Sounds like an awesomely cheap porn flick.

The sequel, of course, would be "I'm saving my glove for you."

way better

The major LGBT news sites are noting this, and it merits reposting.  This commercial for Google/Google Chrome, will air during tonight's episode of Glee.  Can you watch this and not tear up?  Thank you Google.

This is not a commercial.

It is a prayer and a testament.



Amen.

where fashion sits

Some evenings, such as a formal dinner at the Ritz, merit looking awesome.


Have it. Brought it.

just try to get a rise out of that guy

Slightly belated, here are some scenes from a very Happy Easter which may have started with drizzle but appropriate to the day rose into a brilliantly sunny Sunday.  Thanks to Rob and Todd for hosting the hoppy happiness.

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double-date night

It's always fun to take in dinner and a show with your best fruits and our best flies.  We took the community theater production of Guys & Dolls at City College as an excuse to step out for the San Franciscan double-date: two gay guys and their best gal pals.  Or rather, dolls.

The show and the sentiment may seem rather dated, but at least the "sharing a malted" thing has been appropriately updated.

As I was still on the wagon I happily did not partake of the blue margaritas, which were so sweet it almost sent two of them into diabetic comas. However, the cactus stemware was a nice touch.  And dinner at El Toreador is always excellent.

And we took the opportunity for walk-by sleevefacing before the show:


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And finally, a "Bravo!" to my Sundance Saloon dancing partner david Richardson for his performance as the Lieutenant.

The American Conservatory Theater: You don't want an exit

Much less need one.

ACT's recent run of The Virtual Stage and the Electric Company Theater's production of No Exit was a brilliant re-imagining and carefully constructed performance that managed to turn existential into exciting.  While I am inclined to write a full and thoughtful review, the show has closed and the SF press has covered the technical and creative aspects of the show to some extent already.  And of course, they were all raves.  I learned that the Electric Company was also behind last year's tour de force which was the re-envisioning of Noel Coward's Brief Encounter.  Still, years later, I think about how great that show was.

Now I have never met her but I have a patron's love/hate relationship with ACT's Creative Director Carey Perloff.  I live in fear that the next show in my run of season tickets will be another completely inaccessible bore of a period piece with endless monologues and soporific scenes.  I adore the core company, and while Rene and Tony are so absurdly talented that they can assume any role as if it were written for them, others in the core seem to be cast in repetitive roles that I fear has less to do with the actor and more with the parts.    (Then again, Big Daddy always seems to be playing Big Daddy regardless of the show he finds himself in, including the spot he did on Law & Order I recently caught in a very old rerun.)

On the other hand, Carey Perfoff is responsible for bringing some of the best shows I have ever seen to the ACT stage.  During the receptions following the performances, audience members talk.  The general opinion is that ACT shows are hit or miss.  The misses are painful, cringe-inducing, and make some people outright angry at how not entertaining these things can be.  But the hits?  Out of the park.  I suppose that's fitting.  And luckily for all of us, the ACT stage of the past two years have seen a lot of great works.

No Exit was absolutely engaging and at times edge-of-your-seat, which is even more remarkable when you consider that it's a WWII-era existential French play about hell and almost all of the acting takes play off-stage. The expanded yet still existential role of the valet is genius, and played to perfection by Jonathan Young.  The intense feelings of being trapped, being watched, and unable to escape the constant companionship of people you don't like is played to its peak by use of cameras and video projections from inside the tiny room that is their eternal cell in the prison of Hotel Hell.

If you are unfamiliar, the point of the story, as oft quoted by my brother and shared by anyone who has ever been trapped in a crowded elevator, at the DMV, in the jury pool, or at the in-laws for Thanksgiving:  enfer, c'est les autres.  Hell is other people.

Heaven was this performance.

You may think that the three main characters were in cramped quarters with each other for their eternal torture and suffering, but the actual intense minuteness of the space was only revealed after the performance when audience members were invited on stage to look into their off-stage acting space of lighting and cameras.  There was barely room to move and I had a hard time imagining what I had just seen on screen being physically performed in such a tiny space.  Lucia Frangione, who plays Estelle, told us after the show that the actors are so close during their performance that they can feel each other's breath upon their faces.

Andy Thompson (Cradeau) and Laara Sadiq (Inez) give brilliant and forceful performances—all three actors are quite impressive and the necessities of the show require them to work exceptionally well together, both in line and blocking as well as emotion.  However I believe that Lucia has the biggest burden as her character seems to change the most during the play, and she also has some serious close-ups on those screens—down to the fine lines of her lipstick and the remarkable absence of lines from her skin.  Lucia has to be a peroxide blond for the all of the runs of this show as the camera is so tight that a wig is simply out of the question.  I'm amazed her follicles are still holding tight.

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As we do with ACT, we take our performances on the Out with ACT nights, hosted by the superlative Randy Taradash, and we enjoy meeting and greeting the cast and learning more about their shows, performances, careers and the actors' impressions of the City.  And we get to hob and nob with our other theater gays with complimentary booze which is not only a treat but a performance in itself—so much it's almost like a double feature.  So a big thank you too to Absolut for being this season's beverage sponsor.

Special thanks to Lucia Frangione for being exceptionally charming after a clearly exhausting show.  And for always being ready for her close up.


Carey Perfloff has brought to ACT such astounding works as The Overcoat, November and Brief Encounter, and coordinated such remarkable collaborations such as Marcus and The Tosca Project. Next at bat, and sure to be a hit: Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City-A New Musical.

Kevin and I already have tickets to two performances—the opening night gala, and of course Out with ACT night. Out with Tales? Can't wait!

And "the merch," a rarity for ACT, is already in.


Hats off to ACT.

cling film

Apologies for the political post, but I use this blog to vent from time to time.  And there's this thorn lodged in my brain and I need to get it out.

Seriously? Some Republicans and commentators are crediting BUSH for the Osama assassination? Let's see, he ignored the clear memo and plan from the Clinton administration regarding the pending attack, fired the smartest person in the world in anti-terror and the defense of America (Dick Clarke) then ignored the Osama threat to such an extent that a CIA agent demanded a one-on-one to say this was coming to the President's face and he was kicked out with a "now you've covered your ass," then invaded a country that had nothing to do with the attack at all, and then split (read "weakened") the military into two foreign wars that have lasted longer than any in American history and destroyed America's economy in the process. And when W could not get Osama "dead or alive," he ultimately said Osama wasn't much of a threat in the first place. Bush did not "support" our troops, just spread them far and wide and abused the fine print so many could never go home. Now we are recruiting drug dealers, borderline mental patients, and felons along with the future best-of-the-best. Except if that arabic linguist or highly decorated fighter pilot might have a boyfriend then by all means they are not worthy of service.

There is some deep cognitive dissonance at work to give the Bush administration credit for what was an amazing coordination of intelligence and military excellence, and leadership from the White House. This makes me uneasy and fearful of the mental health of presumably intelligent people. Has the propaganda machine successfully made the Republican base's individual self-worth tied inextricably to their belief in whatever they were told but never questioned? Fox "News" is really good at this.

However, almost all other reports reference the difficult leadership decisions made by President Obama, and his personal role in making this a priority and a reality.  Although I personally agree that the lion's share of the credit appropriately goes to the astounding and amazing work of intelligence agencies and the military, their ability to work together, and specifically to some Navy Seals who are so frakking awesome that they a Michael Bay film look like Merchant-Ivory.

I know the Huffington Post leans so far left it looks like one leg is shorter than the other, but they appear diligent regarding their fact-checking and source references (which as a librarian I appreciate) for their original material.

Possibly in response to the GOP's reluctance to give credit where it is actually due, the HuffPo has posted this, which does sum things up rather nicely (meaning "accurate and precise"), if not nicely for those that are unwilling to accept it.

Obama Succeeded Where Bush Failed: Osama Bin Laden Rhetoric And Reality

And regarding that "Mission Accomplished" sign eight years ago? Here's a handy timeline—from 2008 no less— with supporting links, to the many and various things the Bush White House said they really meant when they said Mission: Accomplished. Here's a hint: If someone gives you three different answers to the same question "What did you mean by that?" in as many weeks, they are all made up. And by that I mean lies. To argue otherwise is to clutch desperately, and I have to ask, why do some people need to clutch to W? Even now?

Bush I & II meddled in the Middle East politics and power to the point that terrorism was the locals' only option to fight US intrusive policies (anyone remember those chummy photos of Rumsfeld with Saddam after the US put him in power?), then W ignored the clear and present dangers, fired those that disagreed with him, failed to catch/kill Osama, got us mired into two wars (one of which now was admittedly under false pretenses and worthy of treason if not impeachment), and completely destroyed the American economy in the process. Why cling?

Oh, maybe it has to do with the gay-approving, non-pandering black guy who is smarter than they are. Or maybe it's just a simple case of "I loved Bush therefore he cannot have done wrong."

Yes, and he only hits you because he loves you.

make room

Just kidding. There's always room.

out for blood

Every time this comes up for review by the FDA, fear and prejudice trump demonstrably reliable science, and any gay person is prohibited from donating blood, no matter how healthy or monogamous or drug-free if he has had sex with another man since 1977. Last year's review came down to science versus politics, and politics won. (Adding insult to others' injury, the policy ignores risky behaviors of heterosexuals, so go ahead and share that needle before your Craig's List hookup.)

Canada, it appears, has the same problem, and the Canadian equivalent of the NIH has offered half a million in grant money to study the issue.  The problem?  No takers.

From The Chronicle of Higher Education: Languishing Grant Draws Claims of Academic Bias and Governmental Cowardice

The catch? According to the article: "They suggest this might be a case where government officials are afraid to make a politically sensitive decision and have set up researchers to take the blame."

Just something of note making it's way across the academic lists today. Thought I'd share.