Stuff

So, this last weekend was pretty low key, and that was TOTALLY fine with me. Denise and I have been so busy lately it was really nice to have some time where there really weren't a lot of specific plans.

On Friday night we met our friend Noa and her girlfriend Caity out for Sushi. We had been hearing about Caity for some time, but were beginning to doubt her existence because she was always MIA when we saw Noa. I'm happy to report she is a real person, is really nice and great to talk to. We took them to Denise's sushi place in the valley called Chiba, which is in a pretty rough looking area of town and is in a mini mall. hahaha! However, it is a family owned place and people LOVE it there, and according to everyone at the table, the sushi is amazing. Denise is kind of a sushi snob, so she is very particular about where we go. As for me, since I only eat vegetable rolls with soy paper, I really don't care where we eat because it is pretty hard to mess that up. Anyway, it was great and we all left there feeling like we would explode.

We headed off to Truckstop in West Hollywood. Truckstop is a lesbian night at HERE lounge on Fridays. There is a DJ, two bars, and every so often the bartenders (the girl ones) get up on the bar and dance to music. It is a tad cheesy and Coyote Uglyish, but it is still fun. Unbeknowst to us, it was their 1 year anniversary, so it was packed! We saw several of our friends there, and had a really great time. Eventually, Noa and her girlfriend went to get some chocolate, and Denise and I left soon after. At the door we were stopped by our friend AJ who told us that if we waited like 5 minutes, we would see Michelle (one of the promoters) get pulled up on the bar to dance because it was her Birthday. AJ was distracted for a minute, and Denise said, "Do you care?" and I said, "Not really." So we used our stealth moves to escape.:)

On Saturday we met up with our friend Laura after to lunch to go shopping. We first had to stop by William Sonoma in Beverly Hills to sit on a couch for Denise's mom back in New Orleans, to report the softness and deepness of the couch. hahaha! We walked in there with our cut off jeans, t-shirts, and greasy hair and commenced sitting. The couch we were there to look at was not what her mom wanted, but the sales people were nice and tried to give us alternatives to tell her about. Who knows what will happen, but it was quite funny being in there because everyone was so professional and we just looked like bums. :)

After that, we went to Loehmanns where no one would give two shits about what we were wearing. We browsed and tried on several things, but Laura was most definitely the winner of the day. However, I did become a Loehmanns member, so I got 10% off, woo hoo!

That night, it was off to the Normandie room to say good-bye to someone who is leaving for the UK, and then the Abbey. I really wasn't drinking too much because I have really tried to slow down after Cinco De Mayo. However, Denise was wasted. ahahah! It actually rarely happens that Denise gets this drunk, so it was pretty funny. She kept insisting that she wasn't drunk as she stared at me with her squinty eyes and swerved down the sidewalk. I got her home, put her to bed, and placed a very large bottle of water next to her which I knew she would appreciate in the morning.

On Sunday we went to Frys electronics to help our friend Jess get some things for her new apartment. Frys is one of Denise's most favorite places to go, so she was thrilled to help. After a quick stop at Target, they took me home cause I was starting to feel a bit of a cold coming on. I napped a bit while Denise went to Trader Joes, and then Corey, Phil, and Mark came over for game night, which turned into Denise teaching them to play poker. It was so fun and interesting playing with gay boys. Since we weren't playing for money and didn't designate chips as certain monetary amounts, they would coordinate chip colors and save the "pretty chips" for last. At one point, Corey bet several chips and said, "Lets make this spicy." ahaha! I bet you don't hear that too much in Vegas.

Anyway, it was a nice weekend to help me prep for our 2 marathon camping weekends coming up. This weekend we are camping in Malibu with like 40 lesbians (I'll report back how many guitars and knives there were), and next weekend we are camping in Baja with about 450 burning man people. Should be a WHOLE other experience.

Tomorrow is the 2 hour season finale of LOST and I can barely contain myself. I found a spoiler site that I sent to Denise that said they knew who was going to die, etc. I could not bring myself to look, but Denise did. She says she is not sure how she feels about the person dying. Hmm... Guess I'll know soon! Alright, back to work!

Cinco De Mayo and Stuff

As most of you probably know, last weekend was cinco de mayo, which means copious amounts of alcohol must be consumed. I must say, Denise and I fully obliged.

Starting at around 2 PM we headed out to a fundraiser held every year by a group of lesbians called, Single De Mayo (I will give a moment for the groans). haha! Actually though, it is a great event where they raise money for Teen Line, a teen suicide hot line which helps gay youth. Although it is called "Single" De Mayo, everyone can go of course.

We got to the party around 2:30 and after some confusion about the entrance fee and paying for drinks, we got in. If you are single they will take a Polaroid picture of you to place on the wall, and if someone thinks you are cute, they can leave a note for you. Denise finds it amusing every year to put a note on a friends pic just to make them think someone wrote them. I know, she's cruel. ;)

On the wall they had stickers with various sayings on them color coded. Green = single, and Red (really orange) = Not single. I chose the red sticker which said 'hung like a horse," where Denise chose "Token Straight Girl," and "Couldn't be gayer," because she loves to flip flop (not really, but I've always wanted to use that.) My friend Phil came as well, which I thought was awesome. I love Phil for that reason, he will totally come to lesbian events and not care that he is one of the few gay men there.

After that, we commenced drinking. Through the day we had vodka, took pictures in the photo studio (the party is at a photo studio and it's backlot), snacked on some chips, waited in line to pee, and caught up with some friends I hadn't seen in awhile. It was a great day.

Around 8:30 or so (yes, we were there 6 hours) we left to make a stop at the apartment to pick up our friend Corey and went off to my friend Maliha's Birthday party to yes, drink more. I really don't know how many drinks I had at her party, my memory is a bit blurry as to the remainder of the evening. What I do know though, is that I at some point completely forgot to eat anything. So, my main meal of the day had been a veggie burger (no bread mind you) at around noon that day. Yes, it was about to get bad. I passed out in our apartment hall later, and Denise had to literally drag me into the apartment while she struggled to stand up in her own drunkeness. She left me in the floor as she did got the animals and bed ready, then hoisted me in as I was passed out. She is wonderful....

The next morning, the pain I felt in my head and the gurgling in my stomach was pretty much making me wish I was dead. I laid on the couch, puked, ate a bit, still had a headache, felt sick again, stayed on the couch, ate a bit, took a nap, woke up, still had a headache, ate, felt like shit, and on and on and on for the whole day into the night. I can say I really did cinco de mayo justice. I swear, last night is the first time I have had a drop of alcohol since last weekend. Ugh

Anyway, in other news...work is busy, Immigration is still frustrating to deal with, my boss is great, and Denise and I are going to IOWA in July to visit my family. I'm very excited because I have not been home in about a year and half, which is the longest I have gone without going back. Denise has never been to the mid-west, so I look forward to introducing her to loose-meat sandwiches, pork tenderloins, Sterzing potato chips, and corning. hahaha...any more questions as to why I'm a vegan now? ;)

Finally, LOST Wednesday was really awesome but left me with SO many questions, again... So much happened that I really can't recap it all, but if you are interested here is a site I like with screen captures and forums www.humpys.net The episodes just keep getting more and more exciting, but of course, the never ending question of where this is leading is looming in the back ground. I just read that the writers have officially announced that LOST will go on for 3 more seasons, and that's it. I find that both comforting and daunting. One the one hand, it is nice to know that this show will have an end and the writers know where it is going. On the other hand, that means we are only halfway through the story! So, how are they going to keep the show interesting for that long, without revealing too much? I guess we will just have to wait and see...

Alright, it's Friday and I get to go home early! Yea! Have a great weekend!

Sorry it has been SO long since I have posted anything. I have been really busy at work and Denise and I just can't seem to keep our asses in Los Angeles, so it has been difficult to sit down and write.

One high-light of our trips was going to Sacramento to visit Denise's ex Katy and her girlfriend Becky. They are AWESOME and we always have so much fun with them. In the plethora of fun things we did, the most unusual and stand out moment had to have been when we rolled up our jeans and went panning for gold in a small town outside of Sacramento! It all began with my mother seeing some show on the Discovery channel where a father and daughter found gold in the Northern California town of Senora (I think). Ever since that day she has been OBSESSED with me making a trip up North to find our family's fortune in the rivers of California. So, while we were up there, we decided to give it a try to at least humor my mother, but I believe we all had secret dreams of perhaps actually finding something. After the day was done, we did have some flakes, but as Denise so observantly stated, we could probably get more gold out of a bottle of Goldschlager. hahaha! Still, it was a lot of fun and afterwards we went to the local Saloon to drink our sorrows away like real gold prospectors. :)

Last weekend we went to fundraiser for the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. I did an internship (or externship as they call it in law school, don't ask me why) at the Center in their legal department the summer and fall of my second year in law school. I really think they do a lot of good work, so I was willing to fork out the money (well, Denise ended up paying, but the point is I was WILLING to pay. :) to get in. There were VIP tickets for 300.00, then some tickets for 75.00, and then 25.00 tickets to get in around 10:00 for a dance party. We opted for the 25.00 ones, so we showed up at 10:00 all excited and ready to have fun. When I walked in I was shocked! It seemed like there was barely anyone there! Now granted, I don't know how many people showed up earlier for the other performances (and I think dinner), etc., but when we entered the room with the dance floor and stage, the room was not even half full.

At 10PM Leisha Haley (the actress who plays Alice on the L word) and the members of her new band "DJ'd," which meant they brought their iTunes playlist and chose different songs to play, which I thought was hilarious! The songs were great, but the crowd was a little low energy. At one point, they invited us to come on stage and dance with them. Everyone hopped up and was dancing and flailing around, which seemed to invigorated the audience until we were informed that the crowd on the stage was some sort of hazard and we had to get off the stage. Soon after they were done, a new DJ came on stage, and literally, the small amount of people who were there left. I felt SO bad for her because in my opinion, her music was great, but anyone who stayed the event went upstairs for bootie music and fully clothes go go dancers. It was a strange night to say the least....

Again, I can't really say if the venue was packed before my arrival, but my sense tells me it was not. I do not have the answer to this puzzle, but I just cannot understand the inability of lesbians to come out, get together, and raise money for a cause we all have an interest in. Every time I go to a general "gay" fundraising event, I see men everywhere and very few women. Then, even when you focus it on women like at this last event, you still have a struggle getting them there. This is likely part of the reason that most bars, events, and discussions are gay men centered, they bring out the numbers and the money. I know some of this can be explained by the inequality that still exists in today's society when it comes to pay in the workplace. It is very likely that a gay male couple is bringing in much more money than a lesbian couple. Still, we live in the Los Angeles, one of the wealthiest cities in the world, and I know there are a lot of lesbians out there with some cash.

One thing I really notice at these events as well, is most of the women that do come out, are older lesbians. What we fondly refer to as a "blazer" event, but we say that in the most lovingly way. In all honesty however, I commend these women for still coming out. I think the problem is the younger generation and what seems to be this growing apathy towards gay causes and perhaps a sense that the "struggle is over." I think living in LA, we are sort of in this bubble of acceptance and ease (not that there is not still homophobia, it just doesn't seem to be as blatant) and we forget that many people around this country still are disowned by their families, battered, and even killed for being out. Also, even in LA, there are LGBT youth and adults who have no families or friends to support them and places like the Gay and Lesbian Center are all they have. I just don't know if it is a lack of understanding...or a lack of caring.

Bottom line: come on ladies, lets just step out of our little bubble for one fucking second and do something for the good of others, without worrying if it fits in with your "image." Alright, lecture over. I will now take my lead from Leslie and the Lys to brighten up the mood:

In other news, the LOST episode was great, well, what I saw of it. Our DVR decided to go on the fritz and I couldn't rewind to see the part we missed. Damn modern technology! It was only the begining few minutes however, it wasn't as big of a deal as it could have been. ;) SO, the big news, Locke's dad is the one who conned Sawyer's (James) family and started Sawyer on his path of revenge, while ironicly taking on the persona of the one he hated. Yet another unusual castaway connection. Also, the big news is that the plane they crashed on the island in was actually found at the bottom of the ocean, and rescue sent little cameras into the sea and saw their bodies. Now, it seems they did not actually bring up the bodies, so they could be "planted" by someone or something. I'm not a fan of the whole "they are really dead and this is pergatory" storyline, so I'm hoping the explanation for all of this is much more interesting. Seeing as how the story for next week looks to be the back story of Ben and the Others, I have a feeling there is much more going on here that will be revealed. This season has really picked up and is getting good!

Alright, well, back to work. Tonight Denise and I are going to check out a new night put on by the FUSE ladies called "BAIT." It is on the eastside at a bar called MJs, which every other night is a gay leather bar...hot. I'll let u know. Toodles!

Dinah Shore 2007

Denise and I made our way to Dinah Shore in Palm Springs last weekend. We decided that we did not want to partake in the whole weekend, so we drove up Saturday and stayed through Sunday.

For those few out there who are wondering why in the world we would waste a perfectly good weekend at a golf terminant, Dinah Shore is so much more than it seems. It has become what many refer to as "lesbian spring break," or "lesbians gone wild." I must say, it deserves both those titles. The first lesbian Dinah Shore lesbian fest was, I learned this past weekend, in April 1991 and it has been going strong every year since. In general, it involves pool parties during the day and dance parties with "special guest" performances at night. However, amoungst those activities are tops flying off, alcohol being guzzled, and random sex taking place in pretty much any location you can think of. Yes, it is insane.

Actually, it was last year at Dinah Shore that Denise and I really got to know each other. NO, not in that way, we just talked. ;) Before that our conversations had been the casual bar talk and nothing else. It took Dinah to show us we had a lot in common. So, this year was in some ways a bit of an anniversary for us.

Anyway, we really didn't make up our minds about going until the last minute, so Denise could only get us a hotel about 16 miles from Palm Springs, and it was a shithole. hahaha! The box spring was exposed on our bed, the comforter had a hole in it, and it seemed some hillbilly serial killer would knock on our door at any minute, it was fun. :)

Why did we wait until the last minute you ask? Well, the main reason being is the promotors of this weekend have raised the prices to a ridiculous point. (please excuse me while i begin a small rant.)

There is the option of purchasing pre-passes to the Dinah Shore weekend. This totals over $200,00! What do you get for that $200.00? You get to enter a pool party at a hotel with a DJ and at various points live music. At night, you get to go into a section of the hotel with a DJ, go go girls, and at times live music. Basically, it is a larger version of Girl Bar here in LA and I only ever pay $5.00 to get in there. Perhaps you don't want to go to all the events, so you want to pay when you get there for activities you want to attend. To get into a pool party alone it is $30.00, and for that large Girl Baresq party, it will cost you $75.00!!!! Can you believe it?!

I just feel this is an example of lesbians exploiting the lack of lesbian centered events in the gay community. In all cities I have lived in, including LA, there are specific clubs for gay men everywhere. Lesbians are lucky to get a darkly lit bar at the end of the street, or if they are really good, a certain night just for them at a local gay bar. This is why these ladies that come to Dinah Shore from all over the country are willing to shell out major cash just to see a go go girl at a dance club and listen to Crystal Waters belt out "100% Pure Love." It really pisses me off. Obviously I realize this is ultimately a business and these women want to make money, but given all the advertisements and promotions I was exposed to over the weekend + the money people spend on drinks, food, etc. , I think these lesbians would do just fine charging, for example, $10 for the pool party and $20 for the night stuff. Lets help each other out instead of contributing to the oppression lesbians face in the world as it is people. Anyway, I digress...

After all that, what did I end up paying for over the weekend? One pool party. :) We didn't go to the pool party Saturday, cause we were late. That night, we were struggling with paying to get into a party because of all the arguments above. We entered the hotel to see just how much a pass was (we did not know the $75.00 price yet). It was chaos as everyone was rushing to see some L word thing, so we just kind of stood there looking confused. I went off to see just how much it was to get in, and when I looked back at Denise and our friend Brody they were frantically waving at me to come back. Someone had just given them bracletts for free to get into the dance party! So, we didn't pay a thing. To make it even better, our friends had a room at the hotel, so we would just go to their room to pee, refill our drinks, and walk right back into the party with a full glass. Ultimately, Denise and I were so drunk that we ended up taking a nap in the back of her pick-up truck (I know, at truck, how lesbian:) to sober up before we drove back to our hotel. It was great. The next day we went to one of the pool parties, and reluctantly paid the $30.00. We swam, we laid out, and we tried to ignore Betty who was performing on stage. Around 5PM or so was made our way back to LA to recover from the weekend. All in all it was pretty fucking fun. :)

Leslie Rocks my World!

Last night we went to see Leslie and the Lys at the UCLA Hammer Museum. She was awesome and has expanded her show to include dance routines and Internet celebrity guest stars! It was so much fun and she has so much energy it is incredible. Plus, to add to the awesomeoness of Leslie, she is from IOWA!! For the uninformed, I am originally from Burlington, IA. I wouldn't say Burlington is a happening place, but Ames, IA obviously is because it produced this genius act. Anyway, if you are unfamiliar with Leslie and the Lys, check out her web page: http://www.leslieandthelys.com/

After the show, Denise and I rushed home (as much as you can rush in LA traffic) to watch LOST. Yes, it is Wednesday again already! Anyway, it was a good episode, which was to be expected because it involved John Locke. Locke is such an interesting character because he is so attached to the island. I can understand why of course. Before the plane crash he was a paralyzed man with shattered dreams. After the crash he could walk and fulfill his dreams of becoming a bush man. Anyway, we found out how Locke became paralyzed (his dad pushed him out the window), and discovered that he doesn't want anyone getting off that island. He blew up the submarine (which really did exist) and now Jack can't leave either. No one can. John is pretty selfish when it comes to considering others (not the bad "others", just others.:) Anyway, at the very end, creepy Ben opens a door and who is behind it? None other than John's dad, all tied up and ready for a beating. Should be interesting...

Oh yea, it looks like next week someone dies, and Sun's dark side might be revealed. Tune in next week, same bat station, same bat channel.

"Thank you momma for giving me gold pants." *Leslie Hall

Home Sweet Home

When I was younger I used to think of myself as a person who was willing to crash anywhere that had a blanket and a pillow. I once told my mother that even when I was in my 80s I was going to have sleep overs with my friends (now that I reflect on that comment, it seems to make more sense.:) Anyway, as I have gotten older, I am beginning to accept that I REALLY get attached to my living space and my BED!

My friend Jess was house-sitting for her boss while he is away on set filming in Louisiana. Last week he asked if Jess could come to visit him, so we said we would take over the house-sitting for the time she was gone. So, here we are, at this peaceful, beautiful, movie lovers dream, and all I want to do is go home. I missed my bed, my animals, and just relaxing after I get home and not needing to go anywhere. We both pretty much slept like shit for all 6 nights, and I plan on going home today after work and sitting in my bed with a big smile on my face. :D On a happier note, we did take full advantage of the large projector room and screener DVDs. I FINALLY was able to see BABEL which was very good and watched LOST on the big screen in HD which was awesome. Also, I loved the kitty there, Cleo.

Speaking of LOST, it was a pretty good episode last night. It was a Claire flashback which was nice because we haven't really seen much of her story for awhile. To sum it all up we learned that she and Jack are half-siblings!! This is due to the fact that Jack's dad has trouble keeping it in his pants when he is in foreign countries. Anyway, that was a nice little revelation (and yet another LOST survivor connection) but the really interesting stuff was with Kate, John, Sayid, the French woman and Mr. Patch Man. They all find the perimeter to where the Others are staying. There are these huge metal poles which have what look like ear muffs on either side that go all around the complex. John pushes Mr. Patch Man past the barrier, Mr. Patch Man says, "Thank You," and there is some sonic sound that explodes his brain, nice... I think John pushed him to kill him because earlier Mr. Patch Man was about to tell everyone John used to be paralyzed. Anyway, the rest of the crew decide to use a large tree to set upon the metal poles to climb over them as to not activate that little brain exploding alarm. Genius! Finally, in the end they get to the Others complex in their final step to save Jack, and who do they see? Well, Jack himself playing a little game of football with one of the Others. HHhmmmmm...brain washing, all part of his plan, who knows, but it made for a GREAT ending. I must say, Kate looked PISSED!

Next week is a John episode, which is usually pretty good stuff.

No updates on the office situation....we are cutting it close.

Songstress

We went to see Patty Griffin last night...she was amazing. However, I did not go to be until after 1 AM and woke up for some odd reason at 4 AM. I am SO tired today I can barely keep my eyes from shutting. I do not have the capacity to write...I will get back to you after a nap.