I want an iPhone (NSFW)

Hilarious... just beware the dialog is a bit profane.

Work is bringing me back to the west coast for the second time this month.  I fly in on Tuesday and then back home to Boston on Wednesday so there won't be any time to visit West Hollywood.

I've just booked a return visit to Provincetown and will be heading there after I return from Los Angeles to spend the 4th of July weekend there. 

Happily ever after

Meet David and Sean - two guys I met on the ferry from Boston to Provincetown.  They flew in from San Francisco so they could get married since California still deems gay marriage a threat.

I had a great time talking with these guys who are spending the week in Provincetown.  They are essentially eloping because they are here without friends and family.  A wedding reception will follow in S.F. but our conversations were all about their pending nuptials.

Its sad to think that they had to fly clear across this country to be able to get married, but I'm happy that I had the chance to meet Sean and David.  When I returned to Boston today, I really wanted to say congratulations and best of luck one more time in a more public forum.

Bound for Ptown

I'm signing off for the weekend.  As I mentioned previously, I am in a Ptown state of mind.  If you happen to be there, look for me among the masses at the Boatslip.

The thrill of victory

History at Wimbledon was made after John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut in the longest tennis match ever.  Play lasted an incredible 11 hours and 5 minutes.  Both men displayed uncanny courage and sportsmanship and played like champions through out. It was an historic match that I'll never forget.  The final fifth set score was an incredible, 70 to 68 games in Isner's favor.

Ptown state of mind

I've decided to hop on the Provincetown ferry Saturday morning for some fun in the sun.  If you happen to be in Ptown this weekend look for me at the Boatslip Tea Dance on Saturday.   

Lady Gaga Medley

I first posted the Sam Tsui cover of Don't Stop Believing back in September 2009; a recent posting of this video on a blog I read indicates that it now has more than 9,000,000 views (amazing).  I really love the cover, but I fell head over heals for his Michael Jackson Medley which I posted later in the year.  After a quick visit to YouTube tonight I thought I'd post his Lady Gaga Medley which is not as creative as the MJ video, but I think he's amazingly talented and I'm a big fan of Ms. Gaga so I could not resist. Enjoy the video.



Also, something I did not realize initially is that Sam is backed up by Kurt Hugo Schneider on these clips and he too deserves accolades for his part in the making of these videos which so many enjoy. If you select the link I've included for Kurt it will bring you out to his channel on YouTube where you can hear Sam's version of "For Good" (featuring Nick Pitera) from the musical Wicked.

Sunny Weekend Syndrome

Its hot in the city this weekend. The combination of heat and sunny skies is a one-two punch that is more than most Bostonians can resist.  It results in the city emptying out; everyone who could left work early on Friday - by car, ferry or train they all left heading North to the coast of Maine, South to Newport or East to Cape Cod and the Islands (nobody in MA goes West - the Berkshires is for New Yorkers).

It is always strange to be in the city on weekends like this. I admit I have a twinge of envy and wish I could be enjoying all that Provincetown or Ogunquit has to offer, but it was not meant to be.  Did you head to the coast?  How do you spend your summer weekends? Ah well, since I can not be at the Boatslip this weekend I plan on heading to the DotOUT tea dance at dBar on Sunday.  If you are there and see me say "Hello".

TTYL

Could care less..

Consider this today's grammar lesson.  I rarely post videos back-to-back but stumbling upon this proved too much for me and I felt compelled.  Perhaps this sort of humor won't be appreciated, but I think its brilliant.

Are there any phrases in English that you hear people consistently say incorrectly that drive you crazy?  For me I loathe it when people say "nucular".  People the word is "nuclear".

Whatever whenever

Funny W Boston Hotel promo by Varla Jean Merman - a hilarious drag queen who's show each summer is a must see in Provincetown. Check out this clip.  Enjoy Eddie's brief cameo as Varla's personal trainer.

Thanks GG for sharing on your blog.

I don't care... I still love the Celtics and look forward to next season. 

One night in San Francisco

I have to say that I had a great day in San Francisco and despite being a few years since my last visit, this city still feels like a second home. Despite being a 'business trip', I did spend part of the afternoon and the evening with my friend, Jeff, who lives in SF.  I snapped the photo of Coit Tower (to the left) while on his roofdeck before we stepped out for a long walk.

Later, we had a nice dinner down the street from his house before heading out for a few drinks in the Castro (ToddX I have to say I kept my eye out to see if by coincidence I might see you strolling by on Market with an iced-tea in hand).  We walked around the "hood" for a bit continuing to talk as we always do about everything and nothing all at the same time before going to Trigger on Market.  They were having some sort of event so we walked around for a bit before ending up at Badlands (Steve - I thought of you upon entering since you commented in an earlier post about heading there.)  Here are a couple of photos from the evening in The Castro - sorry there aren't more but it t'was a work night and I left early.

The iconic Castro Theater:

Two friendly Brazilians at Badlands:

Off to San Francisco

Leaving Tuesday for a quick trip to one of my favorite cities.  Too bad I'll spend more time in airports and on planes than San Francisco.  Be back in Boston on Wednesday night.

Boston Pride - Sunday block party video

Boston Pride 2010 concluded with the Stuart Street Block Party today which started at 2pm and ends at 8pm.  When I arrived at 3pm people were still streaming in but by 5pm the block was packed with people drinking, dancing and having fun.  Organizers did a great job to help keep lines to a minimum.  I'm already looking forward to Boston Pride 2011.

Boston Pride update

Yes, that is a photograph of MA Sen. Brown who won a special election earlier this year to fill the late Sen. Kennedy's seat, but more about that in a bit.

As I mentioned below, the block party by Fritz (or the Fritz Carlton as I like to call it) was great fun despite the fact that it was mostly overcast and often raining.  After coming home to relax a bit, I went to a friend's party (thanks Alan for being such a gracious host) and stayed longer than I would have expected.  Most of Alan and Brandon's friends I recognized from around town but did not know, which made for an interesting dynamic with the friends I brought.  I'm always surprised when you bring a group of friends out and they prefer only to talk to each other.  Their otherwise reserved nature did not prevent me from chatting with a number of really nice guys.

By 11PM the conversation seemed to turn from what people had done during the parade and block party to where to go next.  The biggest party in town was at the House of Blues - I believe the capacity is ~2,000 but against my better judgement and wishes, I was cajoled into heading to Paradise.  Heading downstairs to the main dance floor I was surprised by the newly expanded dance floor. I'm horrible at providing crowd estimates, but I would guess there was 700+ guys downstairs. I tried taking some videos which I may post later but it was just to dark for my Flip to capture anything other than the music, which incidentally was excellent. My night ended with me saying good bye to the 2-3 friends who were still out just prior to closing at 2AM.

The photo above of Senator Brown, I snapped today (Sunday) while walking around the neighborhood with my camera.  Motley Boston - which I've written about before on my blog - is the storefront that has this for all to see.  I have to admit it garners a lot of comments (at least it did while I was there snapping my picture).  Here are a couple of other displays of Pride which I forgot to include in my photos from yesterday.

Boston Pride photos

The weather in Boston for the Pride Parade was cool and wet but it did not deter the crowds. I've said before - Boston Pride is tame and the parade in particular is ho-hum, but I still have fun and enjoy seeing friends and meeting people visiting from other cities.  I've included pictures from the parade and block party that just ended. Now I need to rehydrate and relax a bit so I can enjoy this evening.

Make a photo slideshow

One night in heaven - M People

This band = Pride for me. Perhaps it was the fact that I had never heard of the band until I went to gay bars. What song or band says "Pride" to you?

Boston - Pride Weekend

My weekend started with a pleasant conversation over a delicious dinner at Aquitaine with TFP. Leaving the restaurant, I thought I might call it a night, but I happened to receive a text from friends I don't see regularly saying that they would be going to Club Cafe so I decided to go and meet them.

The night turned out to be more fun than I would have initially expected. By total chance I met two handsome guys.  Eden (can't swear by the spelling) is from Turkey - Istanbul to be specific - and Fabiano is from Brazil.  Before I realized it, the friends who had introduced us had left and I was chatting with Eden and Fabiano (and their friends). 

I had a great evening and although I never got their numbers or e-mail addresses, I hope to see these guys out in the city.  Boston is either a small city or big town; depending on how you think of it so it is not exactly unrealistic to expect / hope to see these guys again.  Its Friday night / Saturday morning - depending on how you look at it and Pride weekend in Boston is off to a great start.

Its pride weekend in Boston.

Meet you at the block party.

Coffee wars

The Boston Globe has a pretty cool map that shows all the Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks in Boston.  It makes you realize how dominant Dunkin Donuts remains.  I'll stick with getting my java from my favorite neighborhood coffee shop, The South End Buttery. You can check out the map and surf the entire state by linking here.

Margaret Cho - coming to Boston

Good news for Margaret Cho fans living in Boston. According to her website and local ads that I've seen in the paper, The Cho Dependent Tour will be rolling into Boston this fall on Thursday, October 28th at the Wilbur Theatre.  Tickets go on sale starting this Friday at Ticketmaster.

Fourth time the charm?

Last weekend Rush Limbaugh got married.  Gawker had an interesting way to say congratulations.  For the record this man is opposed to extending marriage rights to gay and lesbians because he believes it would ruin the institution of marriage. How strange, I thought divorce would ruin marriage. Thanks to Iced Tea and Sarcasm blog for sharing.

Pride Week in Boston

If you've noticed a lot of rainbow flags and pink lights appearing through out the South End, its because its Pride Week in Boston.  Although Pride here is the most sedate of any city I've ever visited, it is still the largest celebration in New England and if the weather is as nice as they are predicting for the weekend (low 80s and sunny) then it should be a fantastic time.

Starting tomorrow at Club Cafe AIDS Action will host the annual Pridelights Celebration.  Traditionally held outside the BCA - last year the event had to move inside due to rain.  The program was such a smashing success they've opted to keep it there.

Definitely stop by and check out the event - it is free and open to the public and there is always plenty going on at this annual event.  Although the program is not officially part of the Pride list of events, this has been a mainstay in the Boston community for more than a decade.

Event Details:
Tuesday - 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Club Cafe
209 Columbus Avenue

And then the rain came on Sunday afternoon

One minute the sky started to darken and the next the air was filled with rain and the roar of thunder.  It was the surprised shouts of pedestrians that made me look up from my computer and snag my Flip Video.  As you'll be able to see, I don't have the steadiest hand.

A visit to the Boston Public Library

Earlier this year a couple of branches of the Boston Public Library (BPL) were forced to close and it made me realize that with the exception of random visits with my nephews, I had not taken out a book in several years.  I'm sure this is partly due to laziness (ordering books online is so much easier) and in part because I think that the way libraries are organized needs to be seriously reconsidered - but that is the topic for another blog entry.

The point I'm trying to make is the library closings made me realize if you don't support something you can not expect it to remain relevant. The library - in particular the BPL - is a beautiful place.  I'm loving the fact that I can easily return these books rather than shuffle them from closet to cabinet drawer once they've been read as I normally do with books I've purchased.  Additionally, the environentalist in me likes the library... does that ring true for anyone else?

The next time you get the urge to log on to Amazon or drop by a national chain - think about how supporting your local library not only saves you a bit of money but also sends a message that this public resource brings value and enriches your community.

World Cup interactive chart is pretty cool

A friend of mine who writes the very funny, My Quest to Find a Husband blog, forward me a link to the World Cup Calendar.  Even if you are not that into World Cup Soccer, I think that it is worth checking out the site. Its really pretty cool or as another blog I follow might suggest, wicked cool.

Jane Lynch marries partner in MA

The Boston Globe (and several other news outlets) are reporting that Jane Lynch and her partner tied the knot at the Blue Heron restaurant in Sunderland, MA over the Memorial Day weekend.  I loved Jane Lynch in the movie Best in Show and think she is brilliant as the over-the-top Cheerios coach.  My congrats to Jane and Sue this past weekend. 

Personality quiz

I know that these unscientific quizes are more B.S. than anything but it has been awhile since I've included one. If you are equally tempted and decide to take this mock-personality quiz let me know what it says about you and if you agree with the analysis. There are 12 easy questions which take about 2 minutes to answer.

Your score on this personality test was 76%

Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural lead, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

Personality Quiz
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