December is already here and it’s time for shopping. I did some serious shopping over Thanksgiving and Black Friday, but they were all gifts to myself. I have some good news. Well, I guess bad news for some. I will be writing weekly starting in January. So if you enjoy my column then great, but if you don’t here comes more torture for you.
Seasonal relationships
Speaking of shopping, I was watching a Madea video on YouTube that said, “Some people will come into your life for a lifetime and some will come into your life for a season.” And those are seasonal relationships. And you should never mess up seasonal people with lifetime expectations. And isn’t that true? Don’t we all have those people in our past? The ones that we can’t even remember their last names, and now you look back and think … what the hell, what was I thinking? What was wrong with me? What was I going through? I must have been lonely as hell to hook up with you. Well, those are only seasonal relationships and that’s all they are. So if you are lonely for the holidays, find yourself a seasonal boyfriend but know that after your midnight kiss for NYE you have to let him go. It’s time for another season.
Happy Birthday to Bearnight
This Saturday is the four year anniversary party for Bearnight at Numbers. I started this night with DJ John Williams and promoter Chris Vance at Bacchus House, and it just keeps getting better; bringing it to Numbers last January just made the night more fun and with a lot more people. We will be celebrating with a Svedka hosted bar from 9-10 p.m. and a book signing with popular celebrity photographer Mike Ruiz. Mike will also be doing a signing of his new book, Pretty Masculine, at Rufskin Store (3944 30th St.) also on Saturday from 6-8 p.m. with some tasty Svedka cocktails. Stop by both places because it will be a blast. Also, keep in mind that proceeds from the book will benefit GMHC, the oldest HIV/AIDS prevention, advocacy and care service provider in the country. It’s also my granny’s birthday this weekend. Happy Birthday Nicole. As I’ve mentioned before we all know that when the world ends there will only be three creatures left on earth. Cockroaches, Cher and Nicole.
New Flame?
Word is that the Flame will once again close for a remodel. Under new management, the Flame will close for a couple months starting in January, but will remain open for their popular Club Sabbat nights on the second, fourth and fifth Saturdays. The new manager comes from the popular North Park bar U-31 and looks like she will be focusing on a “dive bar” style with a live band nightclub as part of it. I wish them good luck and hope this will bring the Flame back on the gay agenda.
Musical time
I am really excited to go to the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus show, YuleTube, this Sunday 3 p.m. at the historic Balboa Theatre. I am also going to try to make it to the 34th Annual Balboa Park December Nights which happens Friday, Dec. 2, 5-10 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 3, noon-10 p.m. Make sure you plan accordingly as more than 300,000 visitors are expected to attend this event. Back by popular demand is Wicked at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles from Nov. 30 to Jan. 29. It is a musical that you must see or I will revoke your gay card.
Thanksgiving dinner
I had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. Thanks for all your support with the 23rd annual Scott Carlson Dinner at The Center. Later that day, I had dinner with my boyfriend’s family and we had a great time together. It was great to be around a family environment again – one more thing to be grateful for. During our conversations some LGBT topics came up on how some conservative families become open and comfortable with LGBT couples, once they meet the right couple that live a “normal” stable life. That’s when people realize that LGBT couples can act and feel the same way as everyone else. And that brings me to my next topic.
Los Angeles nightlife and Catalina Island
This past weekend, I went to West Hollywood to visit some friends and we made it out to the Abbey and the Factory. Both clubs have been remodeled. The Abbey finally created a dance floor surrounded by booths and dancing poles; also a new bathroom and bar. It looks pretty cool and they have been packed since the remodel. The Factory did some minor remodeling by adding white fabric and leather to the walls and some chandeliers. It looks good with the lights and it was minor, but tastefully done. It became clear to me that they both had to remodel. I guess even in Los Angeles where the bars were always busy, the bad economy is making a huge impact, decreasing the number of people coming out to party. The following day I went to Catalina for some relaxation and fun. The weather was amazing for kayaking and I was lucky enough to see some Risso’s dolphins pretty close by. Great trip.
Real World San Diego
I have to say that the more I watch this show, the more disgusted I get. I am happy that this season has so many LGBT spotlights like Pride and the first military contingent at the parade, but I am very unhappy to see how stereotypical they are making all of us look. First of all, the other roommates always act as gay people being out of this planet and scary nasty people. Come on, this is 2012 and people better wake up to reality. Second, they make gay people look like they are dysfunctional drunks unable to have a stable relationship. And that’s why we all get put into this stereotypical model of cheating, angry, promiscuous drunks that do nothing but party and have sex. I know that this is dramatic and probably what will give reality shows some good ratings, but to me is just one more time when the media should be educating people and not reinforcing misconceptions about our community. Funny thing is, that I don’t remember seeing “dysfunctional” heterosexual swing couples or any other variation that happens in the heterosexual community, and to me that’s discrimination.