Circus, here we go again

Jorgie and Antonio, my fraternity brothers from Santa Barbara wanted to hit up Circus on Friday night and invited me to come along. It was great pre-partying with Jorgie at a hotel, it gave us a chance to catch up. He just returned from Hawaii not too long ago and his tan looks amazing! He's doing really well and he seems very happy, which I love. He's definitely shining. Antonio and his boyfriend showed up to prep-arty as did Alex who, once again, caved in to peer pressure and decided to join the drinking fun.

Have you ever noticed how rushed everything seems when you drink? So much went down in such a short time. I run into Joe and reminded him of last weekend when he got drunk and told me off. Once again, he delivered. He got drunk and told me off. Not a good pattern but I love the guy just the same, but I refuse to be his drunk punching bag.

Of course it wasn't long before I lost my friends. Alex where'd you go!? As usual I was making the rounds at Circus, greeting friends, meeting new people, catching up with acquaintances and buying a drink in between.

I ran into Mikey who I haven't been a really good friend to. I haven't made the attempt to communicate with him. The thing about Mikey is that he's an over-achiever. The guy is amazing. He has a beautiful daughter and still busted his ass off to earn his BA and Master's degree. Mike's always been a go-getter. He's the perfect, guy hard working, attractive, a great outlook in life, driven and kind. I need to hangout with him more, not from guilt, but because I love the guy. I've known him since 1994 and since we reconnected in 2002, he's remained a source of motivation. Mikey: thank you for being my confidant and a source of inspiration!

Marty. Marty and I have been bumping into one another these last few rounds at Circus. Every time I see him I want to give him the biggest hug. We weren't the greatest friends to each other, but there was a lot of love there. He's got this great energy about him and he makes life so much more fun. If you know me, then you know how pissy and irritable I can get, especially when things don't go to plan, but that's life and Marty helped me understand that to some degree. I took our falling out very hard but maybe it's what needed to happen for me to realize that I genuinely love and care for the guy. We're having dinner in the next week or so, I hope things go well, I know there's a lot we have to talk about. Like, who he fell in love with recently...that was some drama last night.

Alex's fraternity brothers are fun guys, especially Anthony. We had a fun conversation and he made a wonderful impression. I'm glad him and I finally had an opportunity to talk. I'm so glad Alex has great guys in his life.

Dedan was there too. Our exchange was a brief wave of the hand. I haven't really heard from him lately and God knows I've tried to communicate with him. I keep wondering if it was a short-lived friendship that just suffered a sudden death, I sure hope not. He's a great guy with an awesome heart. Him and I became close a few weeks back. We swapped a lot of stories and I'm hopeful that we'll have more stories to share in the near future.

If you're reading this then you've noticed I've been mentioning Alex quite often. He's been my best friend for the last month or so. We're always going out and having a blast! He's grown a lot, especially his butt. It's a wonder he doesn't tip backwards. Alex paid me one of the nicest compliments last night. He told me that I have an amazing circle of friends in my life. I thought about it for a quick second...YES! I really do! Damn, I'm so damn lucky! Two anaps to all my friends, especially those who I got to see last night!

Jorgie, thanks for the room and especially for that gift you brought back from Hawaii for me! Now I can clutch the pearls next time someone says something shocking!

Art immitating life?

Time to start doing crunches...Ok, I'm starting Monday.

Pride of Mexico: Priscila Perales, Miss International 2007

Introducing Priscila Perales, Miss International 2007



You can learn about about this International Beauty Queen at
www.priscilaperales.com

Espiki espanich

Bigots in America. The sad part is, some people really do treat hired help this way. Maybe it's not this extreme out in the open, but the mentality is there. Let's hope that this type of comedy helps people be less narrow minded.

It's a great short sketch. Enjoy and share!

Quote

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.
-Robert Fulghum

A friend's grandmother recently passed away. I sensed something tragically wrong before he actually told me what had happened. It's more than just a passing he had to endure. Death is hard enough without having to deal with complex family feuds that make it next to impossible to mourn peacefully. I'm not the best listener, but I felt an emotional connection and internalized some of his pain. I felt compelled to try offering some comfort and so I read him a quote that I came across online. These simplest of words ring basic and true to what's important to me in my own life. The quote inspired me and I can hope they brought him some comfort.

Rain rain, thank you, come again

Rain is the perfect. I enjoy everything about it. I love the way the rain smells during and after. The sound of rain droplets hitting rooftops is especially delightful. The smell and sound make the day peaceful and oh so soothing. Most people hate being out in the rain but not me, I even like getting caught in the rain. Unexpected rainfall is always welcomed. Even back in 8th grade, anytime it would rain I would head straight to this quaint comic book store in Old Town Pasadena, find an empty corner and read some comic books. It seemed to perfect. Life, just like our weather seems so much more complicated now. It's much tougher to enjoy the rain, the news seems to think there's either too much or not enough of it. I'm not nor have ever been a sunshine and warm weather type of person. Give me cold, cloudy, windy, and rainy weather and I'll be happy. You might even find me at a bookstore, reading the latest issue of Newsweek in some corner of the store (but secretly reading The Adventures of Superman). Thank goodness for all the rain we've gotten in 2008, it's been a huge blessing.

Must-see Hillary video!

Change is coming, a chance is here. Do your part to create change.



This year, the most experienced candidate for president with proven leadership and courage happens to be a woman. I firmly believe there's a national campaign to keep this woman from getting elected to the highest office in the world. She may not be as eloquent as Senator Obama, but she can deliver solutions through action.

Best drag performance ever!

This is by far the best drag performance ever! Wonder Woman and Superman getting their groove on to the fullest. Not only is this performance jam packed with a lot of choreography that's delivered with lots of energy, but they also perform some pretty amazing tricks.

I need a hero too!

Club Papi @ The Factory

This past Sunday, Alex convinced me to roll with him to Circus which didn't sound too exciting until I heard the voice mail Ryan left me that same day letting me know that I was on the guest list for it. Circus sounded good but I wanted a bit more excitement so after reading a Club Papi flyer for their event at the Factory that same night, a detour might be the very thing to entice us both. We decided the the Factory would be in our cards only if we'd be in the first 150 people to get in for free and we made it!

Only one drink into the night, Alex decides to break his lent promise (yet again) to give up alcohol and well, that's all I needed to hype up the night. Yeah! Alex is fun sober and under the influence, but it puts my mind to ease if someone is also drinking and keeping up with me. It's a lot more fun to have a drinking buddy to keep you motivated! A few drinks later and it was obvious to us that we'd be staying at the Factory for the long haul and it was so worth it.

I saw many familiar faces that night, DJ Manny, Freddy (without Mikey), Limo, some Gammas (Alex's Fraternity brothers) and some NAKs (my fraternity brothers): Jason and Edgar, but that's as far as my memory takes me. I met Freddy through Mike and I don't think we really hit it off at first but more recently he's been one of the people I most enjoy hanging out with at clubs. He's got great energy to him, he's fun and we have a few things in common, at clubs anyway, ha ha.

I wish I remembered more but we did check out Crystal Waters who sang her smash hit "Pure Love (100%)" which was an amazing moment. Unfortunately, these two straight girls that were there that night exclusively for the Janet raffle didn't win, but alas, they were fun to hang out with and I got to show off some Janet choreography to them, ha ha, oh man, what an ass I must have been.

To date or not to date

Can you have a future if your past is present?
-Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City

I don't understand myself. There are numerous reasons for why I don't think I'm ready to date. For one, I think I may be numb to life. Secondly, I think that I withhold too much. Third, I'm a runner, when things get serious and intimacy presents itself I turn into Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride and head for the hills.


Alex and I have been hanging out a lot recently. We were discussing our current state of relationships and although there are some commonalities, I've realized that I'm way to jaded. There's an emotional release that I feel I must experience in order to let go of various emotions that have been amassed over the last couple of years. I think 2006 was the last time I cried. I've tried everything, drinking, watching sappy movies, talking about this with friends, reading, and God knows what else, but nothing seems to work.


In discussing this with Alex, he think I may be putting way to much emphasis on the release as an end point instead of focusing on the process of healing itself. Does anyone else feel this way.


Let me be clear, I am happy with life. I have amazing friends, a great job, rewarding involvements, and I've done a great job of getting out there and participating in life. This tension has little to do with my present. It has more to do with an accumulation of small things that I've either never gotten over or unresolved matters that I may have to face.


Alex suggest it, I suck it up, grab life by the balls without placing any pressure or expectations on any situation or anyone with the sole intention of meeting new people, adding a new experience to my life, and having a beer. Is he right?