Meet the Parents

This past week and weekend, Sam and I ventured East to his hometown of Woodstown, NJ to surprise his Mom for her birthday. It's a quaint, colonial town with beautiful homes built in the 1800's settled within rolling hills and the trees were all bursting in the autumnal colors. Every other home was either decorated with harvesty/G-rated Halloweenesque scarecrows or McCain-Palin signs (just about as many Obama signs as McCain ones are in SF).



I saw his high school, the main street, the bedroom he grew up in (if those walls could talk), watched his dogs go Michael Vick on each other, but the best part was watching his Mom's face when Sam walked thru the door. She had no idea we were coming and she was so happy to see him for her birthday. It was a moment. Sam's parents are just as charming and witty as their son. Did anyone have a doubt? His Dad, by the way, makes a mean Shepherd's Pie.

Woodstown is part of the woodsy outskirts of Philadelphia. I have never been to the city of Philly so it was a treat for me to take in the history. Being from Los Angeles, I have no real concept of American history that dates back beyond the 1940's. We did a few touristy things, did some shopping, mingled with the natives before squeezing into our Useless Airways flight back home. Another great trip, fun time.



Pictures are here.

It's all about the love

Yesterday was the annual Lovefest. It was a packed scene of DJ's, electronic music, hippies, shirtless dudes, boobies, pixies, and fairies all mashed against each other thumping to the beats and feeling the groove on a sunny San Francisco afternoon. It was fun, but very crowded - and very young. I felt old - kind of like the same way I feel when I walk into an Abercrombie & Fitch. Regardless, Sam and I shook our butts to the beats.

Pics are here.

London pics

Are here. I know you wish you were with us.

Goodbye, London

Well our London trip is over. We had an amazing time, met some cool blokes, did some shopping - correction - did a lot of shopping, walked until our feet liquified, and now after the transatlantic flight back to the states, we are waiting for the final leg from Boston to San Francisco. Even though we got first class across the pond, we are tired and ready to come home.




It was an amazing trip with my amazing boyfriend whom I fell in love with all over again. Indeed we passed that crucial traveling together test. No arguments, lost tempers and fussiness (which is usually me when I don't eat) was kept at a minimum. I am already looking forward to our next trip.

Once I am home I'll post more pics.

Sticky and Sweet and 93,000 people

Day #2 in London wrapped up with Madonna at Wembley Arena. An impressive building built to hold over 100,000 people - mosty men given the fact there are virtually no W/C for women and rows of troughs to piss in. Even with the stage set-up on one side, there were 93,000 people there to see Madge. Our seats were not very close (the pic above? 10X zoom) and the sound did not match the screens or the stage - clearly the speed of sound let us down. From what we can tell, it was a great show.

She started with some numbers from her current album, Hard Candy, which isn't one of my favorites. But as the show went on, the concert took into its own. She hit my favorites, including Ray of Light (above) and Hung Up and sensing she was wrapping up, we left....along with a few thousand others. Word has it once she finished her finale apparently way past the neighborhood curfew, people queued for two hours to get on the tube back into the center of town.

Overall, a great experience - but we were too far away to get the most of it. Either way, we can say we saw Madonna at Wembley. Next time, we'll go for a game and pack it in with 99,998 screaming drunk sports fans, giving "sticky and "sweet" a whole new meaning. Booyah.

London, day #1

Well, we wrapped up day #1 of our trip to London - on Sam's 29th birthday no less. So far it's been an exciting and awesome trip.

First we were able to fly in first class (thanks David!) to Heathrow. And the hotel, the Hilton Waldorf (thanks hotel points) is in the center of the mix - within walking to Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. We celebrated Sam's birthday by shopping at Fred Perry, Harrod's and Ted Baker. Way gay, right!





Tonight we wandered around Soho and mingled at Compton's, on Old Compton Road.

Tomorrow - the London Eye and we'll be even gayer by seeing Madonna at Wembley.

Having fun! I know you wish you were with us!

Holiday

Tonight Sam and I go on holiday. We'll be redeyeing to the East Coast and then to London. Fuckin' A.

It's been a long time since I have travelled intercontinental. The last time was in 2005 with David to Peru. That was an awesome trip but tonight will be Sam and I's first international wandering together. And even though the trip will be a short one - we are back on Saturday - we'll have plenty of fun.

On the agenda - we'll not only try and spot the queen above, but also this queen when we see her perform at Wembley Stadium. She will probably be extra-British that night. Aside from that, I'll be dragging Sam all over town - Earl's Court, the London Eye, the Tower of London, Harrod's, Soho, Covent Garden....

Any suggestions?

Weekender

I love three day weekends. The intent is to rest up. The reality is - it never happens.

This weekend was a busy one too. Friday I checked out lofts and went to the City with David. Saturday I played tour-guide with my 20 year old nephew in town on a north-south road trip. We did Pier 39, the Golden Gate Bridge, and after getting Sam, we ended up watching Pineapple Express. Hysterical.

Sunday was the Hairrison Street Fair - a day of mingling with our friends and making new ones.

Today was the official day off. We attempted Grey Whale Cove but high tide blocked access to the clothing optional side of the beach. Tonight I am resting up for the week ahead - have a business trip. Next week- London.

Yay!!

Today Sam and I have been together for 7 fantastical months!! Hooray for us!

Outside Lands is out...

It sounded so promising. Radiohead. Beck. Jack Johnson. Primus. Wilco. Cake. Rock and roll meets eco-festival in Golden Gate Park. Sam and I looked forward to this for months.

It was a bust.

Outside Lands, SF's first crack at a music festival in Golden Gate Park failed on so many levels. Sam and I went tonight and got there early to size up the grounds and make our way to one of the stages to see Beck. What happened was that Beck's stage was on a downhill slope so nobody could see him perform. The masses started to moan and as we made our way toward the main polo field, the crowd of thousands who were trying to move from the Beck stage through a narrow path started to push down fences and scattered to get away. It was a bitchfest and clusterfuck.

Things looked up when we positioned ourselves for Radiohead on the main stage. They started promptly on-time but periodically the sound would simply go out. After this happened a few times, we decided to call it a night. We weren't the only ones - there was a steady stream of disgruntled fans all agreeing with us that the festival wasn't really planned out all that well.

It's too bad too. I scored on parking - two blocks from the park. We won't be returning for the rest of the weekend.

I guess I am a cool boyfriend

As much as I tried to be secretive about a trip to London for Sam's birthday, I inadvertently admitted that the big surprise part of the trip is tickets to see Madonna at Wembly Stadium. The concert is Sept. 11, 2008. And this is a good day to mention this as she turns 50 today.

I am a big fan of Madonna and this will be my 4th time seeing her in concert, 6th time seeing her live. The very first time I saw her was on an airplane when "Holiday" first came out. She autographed a barf bag for me. Do I still have that barf bag? Lost it. I then saw her first perform on the "Whos' That Girl" tour at Anaheim Stadium; second time was "Blonde Ambition" at the Los Angeles Forum; the thrid, "Confessions" tour in San Jose; and then once at a cool club in L.A. called Club Louie during her Sandra Bernhard phase. Now I'll add Wembly Stadium to the list.

I am looking forward to the trip. It's mostly going to be free as I am using frequent flyer miles and hotel points. I love London (have been many times) and know we will have a blast. How jealous are you all?

Another funny man

Continuing our comedy streak, last night Sam and I saw Patton Oswalt at Cobb's Comedy Club in North Beach.  Patton had me laughing so hard I was squeaking.  His brand of humor, unlike Bill Maher and Kathy Griffin, is more self-depreciating - and he sings the song of the fat and miserable of America.  One of his more famous bits, about the KFC Famous bowls, is hysterical.  

North Beach was jumping.  I haven't been there in awhile and it was packed, mostly with tourists from faraway lands speaking French, German, Russian and Elven.  I can see what is keeping the lights on in San Francisco at night - the strength of the Euro against the anemic dollar is bringing throngs of Europeans here to buy Gucci bags, iPods, sourdough bread loafs, and clearly, tickets to comedy shows.  

Once we got past the lesbians slopping kissing each other and the "McCain 2008" car filled white old people, we piled into the Camry and headed to the Lone Star and ran into Aaron, James and Adrian.

Being lazy

This past weekend was the annual pilgrimage to the Russian River of gay men of all shapes, sizes and degree of hairiness known as Lazy Bear.  Initially established as the anti-pretty boy gay event for those of us who aren't gym toned with a 28" waist, waxed and perfect, it has evolved to include both the former group and the latter group.  This was my second year and I had an absolute blast.  In spite of the name, I wasn't very lazy.

Sam and I ventured north Wednesday night and settled into a small rented house in an adjacent township to Gurneville (Lazy Bear ground zero) known as Monte Rio.  It's a David Lynch-esque type of town where the movie theater is in a temporary corrugated metal shelter and the local artisans specialize in homemade soap and crystal meth.  The house was cute and we rented it with another couple, Dan and Bill, from Phoenix.  Aside from sleeping and eating Lucky Charms, we were mostly in the Lazy Bear mix back in Guerneville.

I won't recount every detail, but suffice to say we never slowed down except to sleep.  I am surprised to see how many people I knew up there - so many friends both old and new initially met from on-line mingling but most from Sam. I don't think I have ever kissed so many bearded faces in my life.  The weekend was festive, sunny, and an excuse to be as half dressed as much as possible.  And because the weekend celebrates the "bear", those gay dudes who don't give a fuck about waxing and carbs, Sam and I ate and ate and laughed and mingled and danced a little in our underwear (what can I say? When in Rome...).  Sam and I have a lot of fun together.  God, I love that man.

I did approach the weekend with a certain expectation of being lazy. I even brought a book picturing poolside quiet time.  What was I thinking?  As Sam always says: Gays can't do anything without a 4-4 [disco] beat.  Not so quiet.  Oh well. The weekend was a recipe of permeating disco, laughing dudes of all sizes, bulging speedos,  hot tattoos, the requisite gay summer camoflauge cargo short,  and the smell of coconut tanning oil and hamburgers grilling.  I've never had so much fun by just being lazy.

For more Lazy Bear pics, click here.

Doin' a 180

180 days.  Today Sam and I mark our 6th month anniversary.  Damn, what a great ride.

We met as most boy-boys do these days - via the interweb machine.  Using it's mystical, magickal ways of connecting people, we started chatting on-line and decided to meet in person at gentleman's establishment of socializing and spirits.  We've been virtually inseparable ever since. And I must say, it's a blast.

In the past six months we have done a crazy amount of stuff together - day trips to Marin, Santa Cruz, Fairfield; weekend trips to Gureneville, Boonville, Monterey; concerts of Limbeck and Jimmy Eat World (twice!); the comedic acts of Chelsea Handler, Nick Swardson (complete with an encounter with Kato Kaelin, which is a whole other story in of itself); in addition to dinners with friends, a wedding, movies, and plenty of trips to McDonald's and Wendy's.   We ain't slowing down either with more concerts, performances and trips in the next few months.  Life is good.

Six months isn't a long time, but the personal growth I have experienced from meeting Sam has been intense. I have found myself to be a more trusting, better man through this and look forward to my personal evolution in the times ahead.  Isn't that the best thing about finding someone?  How they make you feel and grow about yourself?  In the end, the best way relationships flourish is when each member of the unit finds personal growth within themselves and can do this with their chosen hand-in-hand along the rocky road of life.  

My hand is in Sam's.

Happy anniversary Scampers. I love you.

Rock steady

Last night Sam and I saw Jimmy Eat World at the Fillmore in San Francisco.  Needless to say they ROCKED the house.  This is Sam's favorite band and his 14th time seeing them live.  In the almost 6 months of being with him, this is my second live Jimmy show and I must say their performance last night topped their gig in San Jose.  The Fillmore is, well, the Fillmore where all the rock greats have performed and sent their fans into music nirvana.  Jimmy did just that to us and the rest of the fans who were, at various times: screaming, taking pics with their iPhones, taking pics with their non-iPhones, drinking, texting, singing along, dancing, smooching and occasionally, toking.  It was packed house and aside from the messy drunk kids invading our personal space, a perfect night.

Hearing them on the radio is one thing, seeing them live is another.  Check them out and go see them. I said "now!"