August 2009 Archives

It was a nice weekend jam-packed with gayness, starting off with the Donna Summer concert at Coney Island with Joe and Jeff on Thursday. The crowd was HUGE, and we had arrived late because I had to have some Nathan's hot dogs and cotton candy beforehand. I heard at least six songs I recognized, and her voice was still good and the band was tight even though we couldn't see much from where we struggled for a view. After that we went out to the Gym Bar for a few, which caused Joe to wake up late and be all upset that he didn't start blogging in time on Friday. I take partial responsibility for the disturbance in the gay blogosphere that day...heh heh.

I headed out Friday to get to the Pines on Fire Island early to await the housemates, including host Darth Jersey, Skwurl, Chad and a few others. My duty was to prepare the house with firewood because they all have arthritis and their joints flare up when it gets cold. For the most part we drank and drank and ran around in our underwear and went to Cherry Grove for SuperSummerSnaxx hosted by hunky Duane on Saturday night. I crossed paths with Eric and Asaf more than a few times and Eric was kind enough to explain the subtleties between high, low and medium 'tea' cocktail gatherings in the Pines: "I must warn you that no tea is served..." he cautioned.

The weather was blustery and wet through Saturday, but the skies cleared up by the end of the weekend. So much for Hurricane Dennis. On Sunday I tried to go for a swim but the surf was pretty violent and I didn't want to break my neck so I settled with checking out the guys on the beach and some frisbee with Skwurl. I planned on staying through the day and sent off my housemates that evening on the ferry:

I was left to my own devices on Sunday night, but that is a story to tell another day...

I hadn't planned on it, but I have another beach weekend in the works, this time off the shores of South Carolina. Naturally, another tropical system is brewing in the Atlantic.

Go here for hurricane updates.

After a long hot week of hoofin' it all over town lookin' for rental units, on Saturday I came across two nice rental options in shared living situations. One was very tempting with a huge walk-in closet, a jacuzzi tub and access to a deck, albeit rickety. The second one was just a block down from where I used to live at 5th and T, with a roomate/landlord from Wisconsin who claims to be out of town a lot. While the guys in the first place were nice, I got a better vibe from the Wisconsin guy, and the room is on the second floor - with natural sunlight! And a gas fireplace although I doubt I would use it much. While chatting with the latter possible roommate, I noticed a sheathed katana sword on one of the kitchen stools:

Jimbo: "Are you a ninja?" Points at sword.
LL: "No, that belongs to my current roommate."
Jimbo: "Aww damn, I was hoping you were a ninja because ninjas are totally silent."
LL: "Yeah but if I really was a ninja you wouldn't know it. And if you did I would have to assassinate you in the night."

So I won't ask too many questions or else ninja landlord will kill me in the night. While I've only gotten an e-mail confirmation, I think my references will pan out. This will mark the first time in four years I will have an above-ground unit, so there won't be any more basement unit horror stories in the future.

I otherwise spent the weekend catching up, deleting about a hundred house prospecting e-mails, and enjoying not checking Craigslist housing ads every hour.

A few weeks ago I took a big hit from behind at rugby practice that fucked up my shoulder. In rugby it's illegal to tackle a person who doesn't have the ball anymore (I passed it long before the hit came), and especially dirty to hit them from behind as you don't have any options to break a tackle or a fall. Especially a hockey check out of frustration when the coach was explicit that the scrimmage in practice was not to be full throttle. In the span that I was out, the ref called a foul, I got up and started running, but I don't remember much of the above and my arm hung limply at my side for the rest of the practice. A week or so later I have a hard time raising my left arm above my head, so I went to the doctor on the advice of several people who said I should make sure it's not a rotator cuff injury. Thankfully the doctor thinks it's just inflammation and not a tear, but I'm avoiding weights and practice for a while until it starts to feel better. But the above habits are major stress relievers, and the combination of not being able to work out and moving anxiety has caught up to me. I didn't get much sleep last night.

Fortunately I'm heading out of town to NYC and Fire Island this coming weekend, first to see FREE DONNA SUMMER with Joe.My.God and Aaron at Coney Island. The rest of the weekend will be spent at the beach, my first "real" holiday of the remaining summer. I am told the combination of seeing Donna Summer and going to Fire Island in a single weekend will make my Gay Card status irrevocable even if I have sex with a female after going to a NASCAR event.

For those of you still in town, I hear it's time for Homo/Sonic again, The New Gay’s flagship alternative queer dance party at the Black Cat (1811 14th st., NW) on Friday, August 28. It's going to be a great way to end the summer party season with of the best music you might ever hear at queery dance party. As always, Homo/Sonic is coe-ed, trans-inclusive and straight friendly. They'll play a fun mix of danceable music, including retro/80s, indie rock, and requests. Doors at 9:30. $10. All Ages.

The housing search continues...this afternoon I looked at a place in a nice neighborhood just a block off of Connecticut Avenue on California Street. It's sorta Adams-Morgan-ish. Quiet block with professionals, but a dingy, dark basement unit that smelled and had appliances from the late 60s. I have a hard time with apartments - I don't like the feeling of people all around me, and you're more likely to have problems with roaches, flooding, and all those other things dependent on the people around you. I prefer homes.

But there are still a few options to see, and recommendations are coming in. Tomorrow I'm looking at another place a block from where I am now, and on Saturday I'm checking out a place close to where I used to live on 5th and T, NW. Of course now it's a nice neighborhood, but not so much when I lived there before. Most areas where I used to live are nice now, it's my tolerance of bad neighborhoods that has dropped.

I've gotten rid of my beloved pond irises and lilies to simplify my life and make the move easier. They went to a good home though, to an established couple enthusiastic about outdoor water gardens. Now that school is over I need to start reducing other crap as well. It builds up quickly. Oh yeah, I passed my last grad school class with an 'A', and a cumulative GPA of 3.5. Not bad for someone who was on academic probation in undergrad. Just goes to show when you have the will you can do it, and my work experience also helped in applying concepts to my coursework. I should get the diploma for my MS in Management with a public affairs emphasis in October. I could have taken three more classes to complete an MBA, but they were all finance-heavy. Some people can't sing, some people can't dance, and I can't add or calculate costs of goods sold. Someone else will have to do that when I eventually rule the world.

Last week I saw District 9 with friends. Highly recommended. If I can watch a movie on opening night in a busy theater without having to go to the bathroom or yell at kids on their handheld devices, you know it's a good film. It's sci-fi in the best way, where it's really not about the aliens - it's about humans. The aliens are just a device to tell a good story about how people work. The story is engaging, the action entertaining and the lead actor is great in showing how a normal person would react to an abnormal situation.

Short links from some of my Twitter posts: Washington state minor league baseball team Everett Aquasox have a treefrog for a mascot and tie-dye jerseys. I love CarbonfreeDC's festive logo that suggests the colors of the MetroRail lines - including Purple. Australia Wallabies dreamboat rugby team give a shout-out against homophobia with the Sydney Convicts.

Damn, this summer went by too fast. Kids are going back to school and the cicadas are already singin' their song. While I knew there wouldn't be many adventures early in the season, I still feel like I haven't experienced it yet, and now it's all hot and sticky out. But in about a week I'm heading up to New York to see Donna Summer (for free!) with Joe.My.God, then off to a quick weekend at Fire Island with Skwurl and Darth Jersey. There may be another foray to the bayous on the South Carolina coast with Skip the Evil Veterinarian as well.

I haven't seen the Fox TV show 'Glee' yet, but friends are raving about it and I like this clip from the show:
Plus Jane Lynch (Best in Show, 40 Year-Old Virgin, Role Models) is in it and she makes anything she's in hilarious. She plays a butch coach type, which she'll undoubtedly play to the hilt. A pilot for the show already aired, and the series premiere is on Sept. 9.

Current hysterics about stuff made up by the health care industry and the Republicans bring to mind three personal experiences that I want to share (oh yeah, and the actual debate over the actual bill being proposed too):

• One year I made the mistake of playing rugby without health insurance. DUMB. Don't do it. Today the team does not recommend playing without health insurance, as we don't want to keep doing endless fundraisers for your reckless ass when it gets slung up in the hospital for six months. Plus, there are potential accidents in rugby that no fundraiser could cover. Just do your team a favor and don't do it. When I had to visit the hospital after a strike to my temple made me bleed all over creation, the final bill came to about $100 per stitch - somewhere around $900 out of my pocket just for a deep cut. It wasn't very easy to pay out of pocket at the time. (P.S. - practice has started, and where are you? Your only excuse for not playing should be lack of health insurance.)
• Another time when I was unemployed I opted for the sucky half-assed insurance-lite available as a post-employment option. Such plans are not worth the trouble or the money, believe me. About all they covered was radiological fallout accidents, alien experimentation, or your heart spontaneously exploding. Everything else was pre-existing and they wouldn't cover it. Even if providing coverage for allergy medicine that would ultimately reduce the chance of sinus infection which could lead to a bad lung infection. They made me fight for every inch of coverage otherwise, and when you're unemployed, you don't have the time or the energy to fight, and such companies know that. The unemployed don't have the time or resources to wrestle with policy or to speak with the manager. Good coverage does not take much of your time, but bad coverage does. But good coverage is expensive for your employer and bad coverage is cheap. You do the math.
• Finally, when my oldest brother came to visit last year he brought with him a giant pustular boil on his ass. Aside from the inconvenience of having my brother soaking his ass in epsom salts all day in my house, we had to go find a public medical clinic up in Columbia heights. He had the convenience of being able to visit the place for treatment during the day, but what if he had to work all day, had no leave time, and had to get to a night job? His lifestyle in the Portland, Oregon area allowed for flexible visitation to public clinics, but not everyone has that flexibility.

I think I can summarize my points by saying that good health coverage is a matter of convenience, and the current inflexible and expensive set of insurance systems are inconvenient and/or too expensive for most Americans. Chris would argue that we don't have a right to a nationalized system of health coverage. I think it's something our country can do, but the system needs to be implemented to the benefit of the patient, not the industry. At this time most of the convenience lies in the talons of the health care industry.

And all I have to say about this fabricated "rage" at town hall meetings is: 1.) I'm in public affairs and communications, and I know a poorly-delivered talking point when I hear one; 2.) Nearly everyone I see who is "enraged" is an old white man who is probably just pissed off that a black man is making decisions for a change; 3.) In the rare instance a reporter actually scratches the surface of the situation a little and questions one of these "Patriots," inevitably it's found that he's currently or was formerly tied to the health insurance industry; 4.) If you're feeling guilty because you spent our future away in the glory of "The Greatest Generation," just STFU and let us make some financial decisions for a change. You've had more than enough opportunity and you fucked it up and spent our future on your vacation home. The people we voted for are now in charge and they are finally trying to make some good changes to a very flawed system.

So sit down and shut up, and let us fix this mess you made. We'll be changing your diapers some day soon anyway. And thanks for the multiple crises - we hope you had a good time on our dime.

This week I turned in my last paper for the final class required for my MS curriculum. It felt good...really good...like taking a crap that's been up there for almost 5 years. That's how long I've been taking graduate-level classes at the rate of one class per semester. Taking two was out of the question while trying to balance work, rugby and a social life. The courses were interesting and I learned a lot, and am now ready to shift gears. As in downshift and enjoy my Sunday and Monday nights again, free of assignments and papers and such.

After I plunked the paper down on the instructor's desk I walked across the campus on my way to treat myself to some bubble tea. On the way I took a cell phone pic of the Kermit the Frog statue, where he sits chatting with his friend Jim Henson. Henson was an alumni of the university where I took my classes. I expect to pass this final course and graduate, but won't receive my diploma for a while. I don't want to do the whole cap and gown thing - just send me the degree and transcript and I'll be fine.

So now that's done, I'm doubling my efforts on a housing search. Everyone else has scored some good places to live, but my vast and usually reliable DC network has failed me this time. Either no one is renting or everything is taken. It's really sad that a responsible, tidy, employed guy approaching 40 can't find a place to live in this town. Would you rather have a sketchy meth whore burning down your house, or a 20something Jennifer puking on your carpets after a night out at Adams-Morgan? Skip says I need to buy, but I'm not ready and I don't have a down payment, so it's renting for me until then. And I'd like to avoid a rental situation that would prevent me from building up savings, but that cycle of expensive city life can keep you from getting ahead like that.

But I will not stop whining about what a shithole Shaw is or my rental search until y'all help a blogger out! There has got to be a landlord out there who would love to have a renter like me who can keep a garden alive while they're gone.

There is progress on the Dark Crystal sequel, tentatively named The Power of the Dark Crystal. I found a blog that covers it all, but they don't mention whether or not Andrea Mitchell will star in it this time:

There was a brutal beating on the 400 block of Q Street, NW early Sunday morning around 4am. As of Monday morning you could still see a congealed puddle of blood in front of 426 Q (not a suspect property), and blood on the pointy granite stones of the fence in front of the homes:

Fortunately I was still in the mountains camping, but neighbors say early Sunday morning they were woken up to the sound of curses, shouts and the dull thuds of a man being beaten, but it was difficult for the neighbors to see who the attackers were. Saturday night and into early Sunday morning, the usual gang was out partying on the western half of the block.

We don't know who the victim was, but according to neighbor reports from the shouts of the attackers he was not from our block. After the commotion, EMT and DC police arrived, who later reported a man was assaulted during a robbery in which his wallet was taken. The victim suffered a laceration to his head and is expected to recover. Regardless, it was a violent altercation in the early hours following a very festive night on the western end of the 400 block of Q.

Some neighbors fear the victim's friends might be back for retaliation. Hopefully the officials that we contacted and hope are on the case can prevent further violence from occurring again. It all went down three doors down from my place - what a thing to come home to after having such a nice weekend in the mountains.

If anyone has information about this assault, please contact the DC Metropolitan Police Department at (202) 727-9099.

I hit the Shenandoah River just in time to avoid our upcoming heat wave in the region. I'm glad I did:

It was a good bunch of folks and the river was remarkably cool and fresh. The campground was somewhat near the Shenandoah National Park and Front Royal.

We were treated to several long and tight sets of 80s and 90s covers by the all-grrrl band 'Wicked Jezebel.' I highly recommend them, especially with cheap beer.

G.I. Joe dreamboat Channing Tatum says:

"Let's go have a beer on the White House lawn."

May I join you, Chan?

The character Shipwreck from the franchise will not be featured in this summer's live-action film interpretation, but with sequels there's always hope. I had a crush on Shipwreck, probably because he was the only guy on the team with a beard.

John Quincy Adams is Tweeting from 1779! Word. Learn more about JQA at Twitter handle @JQAdams_MHS. This innovative mashup of past and present is brought to you by the Massachusetts Historical Society. A young museum visitor pointed out to curators that Adams was ahead of his time, writing his diary sidebar comments in short quips - perfect for the 140 character format allowed by Twitter. The diary entries track Adams' voyage to Russia. Two hundred years after Adams' journey began, accounts of his trip and his ensuing work as the first American ambassador to Russia will be chronicled daily on Twitter.

Have you noticed bluebirds tend to look drab these days? Researchers have found out 'feather-eating bugs' are dulling the birds' plumage.

I'm gettin' outta Dodge this weekend for a trip just outside the Beltway on Saturday and Sunday on the banks of the Shenandoah River on a private farm about 10 miles south of Front Royal, VA. It's put on by the LGBT-friendly FAB Festival and online camping group Gay Outdoors.

While the weather has normalized by DC standards to our regularly scheduled sogginess, the weather outlook for the weekend looks promising. At the very least it will be cooler out west towards the mountains.

First off, here's a trick that will save you some dough if you're on Manhunt in these financially trying times. Let your account subscription run out. Inevitably about a month later they'll e-mail you and offer you a deal for $20 for three months, which is substantially lower than the "right now" fee for the same period of time. Sure, you have to sacrifice some time without Manhunt, but you'll probably survive. Not like it's all that effective for hooking up anyway...

I am aware everyone who is anyone is on Grindr these days but I don't have a goddamn iPhone and I'm not getting one just to see if some horny queer is a block away from you at any given moment. So STFU about Grindr and your goddamn iPhone. I don't want to hear about yer goddamn iPhone or its apps.

Yes, even I have to resort to trying to hook up with guys on an online service, although if it makes you feel better it doesn't seem to work any better than in real life. In real life I walk up to people and say hello and they're terrified and they run away. Online I say hello and get no response. Considering you are not allowed to say hello to other gay men in public here in DC, meeting guys is a frustrating situation.

This weekend a guy flaked out on me and tried to excuse himself by messaging me an hour later with a cutesy folksy Palinesque 'wink!' message sounding something like "Oh I guess I missed you! Tee hee!" Dudes: I am OK with a change of heart or plans that went awry, but let me know ahead of time. Do not waste my time, I am a busy man. Give me the respect and consideration you would (or should) give other people (like your partner or friends?) and let me know if you have to cancel. I'm OK with that, but when you waste my time you incur my wrath. Fail. You suck, you are a flake forever in my book. I have no time for rude little children.

I've been observing some strange new practices on there lately. The newest thing to say on your profile goes something like this: "Tested negative as of 07/14/2009." Well that's great and I'm glad you're getting tested regularly and know your status, but it shouldn't really be an issue if you're always playing it safe, right? Like you quoting when you got tested negative shouldn't make me want to immediately open my legs and let you walk right down my halls with no latex because I'm so sure that you're HIV-. Stating when you've been tested negative is about as reliable as you telling me you're HIV-. Either way I am never 100% sure you're actually neg, right? I guess if posting a statement comforts some people then fine. I hear some guys even have the home testing kit ready for when tricks come over. That's kind of paranoid and sexphobic if you ask me. I wonder if these new behaviors are a result of the young'uns not having the HIV education some of us old people got when we were coming out? So maybe since they're uninformed they tend to worry about the wrong things?

Translating some of the profile language is also fun. Here's how I read some phrases:

" Mild to wild... " This means WILD and he will beg to take your load.
" Curious... " This means he wants you to tie him up and beat him silly.
" Likes to cuddle " This means he won't kiss and he will cry after he cums.
" 'sup buds..." This guy is dumb.
" Normal guy here, like to kick back and have some brews... " Bottom.
" 100% top here " If he needs to say that he's probably a bottom too.

"Clean." So what exactly do you mean by that? You pick up your laundry or wash your hands regularly? And if you're implying being negative for some disease, again, how do you really know what anyone has? At some point one has to deal with the fact that we live in a world full of bacteria, viruses and multicelluar parasites, all of whom want to live with you intimately. Every time we trick we open ourselves to new possibilities in living with new diseases, but that's the risk we take. We also risk several other diseases walking down the street, but that doesn't keep me from leaving my house either. It's just that certain habits (like looking both ways or wearing a condom) will keep you safer than other habits.

Although I will leave my house more often now that I let my account lapse. Until the next discounted membership offer shows up in my e-mailbox.