Gina Bruce

What a motherfucking year it's been

2008-10-29T13:32:00.002-05:00

I seriously doubt anyone even reads this thing anymore. I am so ashamed that it's been so long since my last post. Closing in on 10 months.

Chalk it up to losing my identity in a relationship that wound up teaching me a lot but ultimately breaking my heart twice. I am trying really hard now to mend the wounds and find it in my heart to not be angry and bitter. But it's hard. I'll get there, but.... it's hard.

I hope if any of the old skool peeps are still checking here for updates that everyone is great. I will try to reach out to you - and I think I'm ready to start sharing more of my world again. It's somewhat therapeutic for me.

Peace, love and hairgrease.
GBoogie

New Year - New Hopes

2007-12-27T18:29:00.000-05:00

I don't even know how many people even read this thing anymore. I've been so bad about updating, I'd imagine not very many. But at any rate, I figured while I had a spare 30 minutes at work (which is highly atypical), I'd post a little update.

Work is quiet for once, which is nice and I've actually been off quite a bit over the holidays. My family was all in town for a visit which was quite nice. We got to just hang out a lot. Drank a bit, ate a lot. It was nice. I even got to spend some very good 1:1 time with my older brother and I was touched by the deeper connection we shared this visit. We have always gotten along, but as we get older, our relationship continues to deepen which is very nice. My mom was a little more relaxed than her visit last year, she had shed a few pounds, looked great, was in good spirits and seemed to just really enjoy herself moreso which was a joy to see as well.

My bro and sis-in-law bagged 12/20, my mom 12/23 and my bro and his partner 12/24, leaving me all alone to tend to my pup and their two as well. Their successful co-mingling is recent and makes it possible for us to watch the dogs for each other and also if I'm going to just hang out a bit at theirs, then I can bring Chucklet along and she gets to see some peeps and pups too. It's a win-win as far as I'm concerned.

As you might well imagine, it was a bike-y christmas for me - I got some really cool stuff all the way around, from butt butter, to really cool safety lights (Frogs), a Camelbak (<-- link), sport/cycling sunglasses (with interchangeable lenses!!), a new jersey, rad socks, etc. And I got some cabbage too, which for me is never a wrong answer.

Things with the guy are still really great as well. He's been off work this whole week and we turned a Monday cook-dinner-and-spend-the-night date into a sort of 2-day mini no-travel escape. We hung out at my brother/his partner's beautiful home, cooked, watched movies, had Christmas morning breakfast treats at my sis-in-laws' house, shopped sales a little bit and just shared the largest amount of time together continuously that we ever have to date. He brought me gifts (not necessary but so generous!!) that were sweet and thoughtful. It really felt like we were on a mini vacay together - a bit like paradise only without the beaches and sunsets. :) I enjoy him and our time together SOOOO much. And for once in my life, I'm taking it at the right speed. It still feels weird to be going "slowly" and I sometimes get squirrely about it, but I know it's right for right now. And he feels the same.

I am going down to SoCal for NYE to see my buddies Philip and Craig. That should be fun. We will chill out and also go to a party on 12/31 that a friend of theirs is having in Beaumont, CA. It'll be nice to get away just for a few days!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwaanza or whatever you celebrate. And I wish everyone a safe, healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.

Loving you bitches,
XOXOXO
G Boogie

that goddamned diamond commercial

2007-12-15T01:29:00.001-05:00

The whole town is talking about it. Well, I'm talking about it and the whole town's listening!

But seriously - I'm a sucker for marketing and I am in love with this song. It's so sweet and his voice is great. Check it out - newly available as a single on iTunes or check out his page in music on myspace. (<-- link)

Artist : Landon Pigg
Title : Falling In Love At a Coffee Shop
-----------------
I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you
Yes there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you.
I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down
I want to come too

I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you

No one understands me quite like you do
Through all of the shadowy corners of me

I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop
I love so much
All of the while I never knew
I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop
I love so much
All of the while I never knew

I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you
Yes theres a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you.
I've seen the waters that make your eyes shine
Now I'm shining too

Because oh because
I've fallen quite hard over over you

If I didn't know you, I'd rather not know
If I couldn't have you, I'd rather be alone

I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop
I love so much
All of the while I never knew
I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop
I love so much
All of the while, I never knew

All of the while , all of the while
It was you

I'm fully mad...

2007-12-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

at half and half. Yes, the milk product. I'm over it and its big bag of bullshit.

Let's look at a timeline, shall we?

Sat, 12/8 - purchase a pint of half and half (Lucerne brand for those of you in the know) at the SafeGay, around 2pm PST. The sell-by date is 12/20/07 (NEXT Thursday).
Fri, 12/14 - open said pint to cream up my first morning cup of coffee. This is the initial opening/use.

I ask you, I say to you, "hey..." - should I be receiving tiny bits of curdled cream floating atop my coffee from an unopened, seemingly unexpired milk product? I don't think so... BUT I DID.

This happens routinely with half and half in my life. Why? I never did anything to the milk industry. I'm a faithful small-time consumer of things creamy and delicious. Why the curdling conspiracy.

I go for fat-free or low-fat food items when I can (and where there is no huge trade off on extra sugar to replace the missing fat). But half and half in my coffee is one place where I do not. Perhaps full-fat half and half just has a really poor shelf life and I need to accept that those dates are bunk on the carton. Can't be trusted. Because fat-free half and half seems to have a half-life akin to Uranium or something. That shit never seems to turn. But I look at regular and it chunks up before my eyes.

Or is there a dirty secret about Lucerne of which I am sadly unaware?

-Creamless in San Fran

Another generic, lame-assed post

2007-12-04T18:25:00.000-05:00

Ugh - I can barely find the time to update my training blog 3 times per week, get to work, have a social live and still sleep. But to be honest, besides my training (there's a whole blog about it) and the holidays and the guy (yes, I guess you could say we're dating, but definitely settling into a bit of a groove and still a ton of fun!), there's not time for much else.

My bro and sis-in-law are coming into the country for the holidays at the end of next week so that will be great to see them, along with my mom who will be here as well.

How are all of you - what is everyone doing for the holidays?

And for those of you who are Jewish - Happy Hanukkah (begins tonight at sundown...)

How, I ask, can you not love this?

2007-11-25T01:23:00.001-05:00

Gobble, Gobble

2007-11-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

Hey Party-Peoples -

I couldn't let the tryptophan-induced holiday (<-- link) go by without a quick hello. I'm up AWFULLY early as I'm going to bang out a easy little 21-miler this a.m. with my buddy JT. You can read all about it on my training blog LET'S RIDE, CLYDE (<-- link).

But I'm staying in town, hanging out with my extended family of homos... the brother, his partner, the partner's lezzy sis, her lezzy lover (who also happens to be the same JT mentioned above and my cycling buddy/guru/mentor of sorts), and my other newest cycle buddy, Jerry Seinfeld (sorry - inside joke).

The new job has calmed down a bit - thankfully. Of course, I don't know that it could have gotten much busier.... good grief.

Things with the guy continue to progress nicely. He's an awesome fella and we have amazing chemistry. I'm having some primo moments with him and they feel right. Let's leave it at that.

Oh yeah - and if you come across the Packers @ Detroit on Thursday (on Fox, 11:30am Central), give a shout for Brett and the boys. :)

And just one more thing - I guarantee if you think about it - you are FAR more fortunate than most. I know I am. Sure, I could stand to lose 20 pounds. Sure, things might be a little more fun for me if my rent weren't so steep. Sure, a lot of little things have some wiggle room for improvement. But I have a beautiful family, world-class friends, a good job, a roof over my head, an awesome dog and cat to care for, my health, a promising new guy and hey - we've all got each other.

So how's a bout stopping a minute, and giving your sincere gratitude into the universe, or to God, or to whomever you want. But give it.

XOXO
GBoogie

hey now...

2007-11-07T00:20:00.000-05:00

So I've been a little quiet on this front. Truth be told, all things are really going well. But my new job, which I like quite a lot, just happens to be on a much higher pace. I did ALL of my posting before from my old job at the Big 4 accounting firm. Boy was life easy then!

At any rate, I thought I would check in and give an update.

I've been having some really good fortune lately. Or I guess if you look at it another way, I am coming into my own and am getting some of the good stuff I deserve. =)

Work is going well, my training for ALC7 is going well and I've met someone that I am getting to know a little better to see what potential lies ahead for us.

No worries, just not a lot of time to post and most of you who are my friends I manage to keep up with you day in and day out on IM.

I'll try to be better about posting - but be well!!

Dating Tips From Rho

2007-10-30T22:40:00.001-05:00

1. Be attractive.
2. Don't text.
3. Don't be unattractive.
4. Don't poop.

I don't even know....

2007-10-29T14:52:00.000-05:00

Let's Ride, Clyde, Part Deux

2007-10-29T08:56:00.000-05:00

So even though I barely find time to post to my original blog here, I've started a sister blog. Crazy, you say. We can't even depend upon you to post here - how can you keep up two?

Well - my companion blog is going to chronicle my training escapades in gearing up to ride in AIDS LifeCycle 7.

You can get there by going to www.letsrideclyde.blogspot.com (<-- link)

TO DONATE TO THIS WORTHY CAUSE - PLEASE VISIT MY FUNDRAISING HOMEPAGE

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

screw the italian, i'm going jewish...

2007-10-17T16:09:00.000-05:00

'sup, bitches?

2007-10-12T16:16:00.001-05:00

don't know if I'm back or not. Just sayin' hi.

Please Stand By

2007-09-16T17:16:00.000-05:00

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 21

2007-09-12T14:52:00.000-05:00

VMA is NOT OK

2007-09-10T17:49:00.000-05:00

So last night before I watched another exciting epi of Big Brother 8, me and my brother watched tivo'd VMAs. I'm going to be real honest with you. There's no love lost on Britney for me, personally. I think she's pretty much a big idiot and have been saying ever since news broke that she was getting ready to pop out the 2nd half of irish twins (<-- link) that she won't really be making any sort of a real comeback. Not not soon. I mean, NOT EVER. Stick that bitch with a fork... she's done. But last night was such a delicious affirmation of that. Here's some pics from last night. I'm calling them pictures of "fat Britney".

Now granted, yeah - she looks a helluva lot better in that sparkly bra/panty set than I would. But, this is your comeback? Her number began with , "It's Britney, bitch!". It ended with a universal "Bitch, please!"

Now here are some photos of what IS hot...

Alicia Keys was HOT:

Rihanna was SUPER HOT:

Save the Umbrella, ella, ella, a, a, a... save the world:

And the closing number was smokey:

Even though there were some gems of hotness, this broadcast was largely still just a hot mess.

i can't take it...

2007-09-09T12:52:00.000-05:00

So C got home to Rome from Sardegna this weekend. And he sends me pictures. It hadn't dawned on me until I opened this picture that I'd never seen him clean-shaven. YIPES. He literally takes my breath away. =)

But then he is also ravishing with a beard and being silly on the beach

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

Lollipops

2007-09-02T20:28:00.000-05:00

Ok - I couldn't stand it - so I went to Sports Basement today and spent another almost $500 on additional supplies, but got lots of goodies: padded bike shorts, two cycle jerseys, a bento box (for storage), chamois butter, a light for cycling at night, and these beauties:

They're my shoes, and then in the second picture the top piece is the actual pedal and the bottom piece is the cleat that is attached to my shoe and where I "clip in" to the pedal. I'm going to keep track of how many times I fall over trying but unsuccessfully clipping in and out. It's inevitable that it will happen. But they will increase my efficiency and speed... WOO HOO.

I'm definitely going for a ride tomorrow. The weather has been CRAZY fantastic this weekend.

UPDATE: So I didn't get out for a ride today, b/c today was all about organizing and cleaning my apartment. It was WAY overdue. But I did get the pedals put on my bike and got out in for about 30 mins in a parking lot near my house to practice clipping in and out of the cleats. I ate pavement twice. I can only imagine how ridiculous it must look to passers-by who don't know anything about cycling. About a month ago, I would have thought it funny. "look at that dumbass, he's just slowing falling over...!" Twice. That's not that bad. But I have lots more practice to go...

oh and another thing?

2007-09-01T18:05:00.000-05:00

Everyone has been telling me how long it was going to take to get my passport... I applied in person at the Rincon SF, CA post office on Thursday, 8/23 at 2pm PDT. I was advised since I paid for expediting that I would receive my passport on or around 9/22. I paid to expedite because without, turn around time is 10-12 weeks and that could possibly preclude me from being able to travel on Thanksgiving. You know, just in case I have an international destination for that week....I'm just taking precautions. ;) So suffice it to say that the arrival of this yesterday (yes, only 8 days after I applied, thank you very much): makes planning to go HERE: that much easier! But it also begins to make this seem like a bit of a need as well:

You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

Getting in gear.

2007-09-01T17:42:00.000-05:00

So today I got up on some of this:

I tooled downtown to the water and rode the Embarcadero out to the Aquatic Park next to Fort Mason, which for those of you who don't live here is just about two miles east from the GG bridge. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was an awesome ride, traffic wasn't too bad and my knees don't hurt (...so far...) I purposefully only rode as far as I thought I could go and get back comfortably and I also intentionally kept it flat. Today was about going a greater distance. Imagine my delight when I tracked/measured my route and saw that I had ridden 10 miles! To date my longest ride had only been 2 miles... so 10 is a great improvement given that I'm not supposed be hitting 10-15 miles per week over the span of 2-3 rides by mid-October. I'm STOKED!

And now I'm jonesing for these:

Well maybe not this specific type (there are many...who knew?) but I am definitely going shopping tomorrow for clipless pedals and shoes and cleats. WOO HOO!

But first I'm hitting the Labor Day weekend sale at Bloomies and then seeing the Nanny Diaries.

All of this brought to you by the much-welcomed final end to the softball season and a give-back of my weekends.

Peace out and Happy Labor Day, bitches.
LOVES IT.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

-------yawn!--------

2007-08-29T08:46:00.000-05:00

Maybe something is wrong with my "gay gene"... I've been a mild fan since her early days abut in the past few years have really tired of her. I even gave up tickets to see her most recent tour in NYC at MSG solely because she was turning off the a/c. Come on bitch... preserve your voice? What's to preserve as you don't really have one left and even when you did it wasn't that good!

So here's why I'm yawning - I ran across this over at Big Daddy (<-- link) He hits the nail on the head: she's a littel [er... alot?] late to this sylistic party. blech.

It's gonna be a bit...

2007-08-28T19:06:00.000-05:00

Hey bitches!! Just wanted to let you know that it may be a week or so before I post anything substantial (other than some fun humorous items). Having just started a new job and trying to manage three different time zones now across the world between my brother, my east coast peeps and the italian, life is pretty interesting.

Thank God softball has officially ended. It ended up being one of the highlights of my year but I am also quite glad to get my weekends "back".

But, before I sign off... I should tell you that at a softball tourney this weekend, I had my personal season highlight. In softball, the length of time a game is allowed to go is limited. If time is called but it is the top of a new inning, the inning must be completed so that both teams have the same number of opportunities for at-bats.

So picture this... time had been called in the top of an inning when we were playing defense. So we would get our final at-bat as a team in the bottom of that inning. When we went to bat, we were down 11-9. We scored 2 runs to tie at 11-11. When yours truly takes the batter's box, we already have two outs... and for the tourney, it was a 1-1 rule: every batter starts out with a count of 1 ball and 1 strike.

I took a ball.
I took a strike.

So now my count is 2-2, the score is tied and my team has two outs. FUCK!

The pitch comes and I knock the HELL outta that ball for a good solid line drive single. But that was all we needed - it was enough for my teammate Horacio who was on Third base to make it home... giving us the run we needed to WIN the damn game.

yeah.... I rule! ;0)

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

Mommy is FLYING... ALRIGHT!

2007-08-27T23:19:00.001-05:00

Yes, go ahead caller. I'm listening...

2007-08-23T08:13:00.000-05:00

So with this past weekend's events, I've been left a little shaken AND stirred in a lot of different ways. And all of them good. I truly believe any experience that causes you to think and learn is a good one. And I'm surely thinking and learning about myself the past few days, yessirreebob.

I had a friend (B) over last night. He and I had been dating for a couple of months but I recently decided we were better suited to be friends. He wanted to take me out to congratulate me on my new job but I had so many around-the-house chores to take care of that I asked if we could order in and catch up while I did laundry and putzed around. Being out of it last weekend, gone this coming one at a softball tournament and then starting the new job on Tuesday, life is piling up all around me... YIPES!

But, as usual, I digress...

So I told B about Carmelo and the whole weekend...in great detail as I have with a few of you (Bunky, Dminmem, BigSir, Stack, Rev. Brown, etc. Syn and Moby, I owe you a deep-dive (heh....that's funny) so you'll get yours in the end (I kill me!)). He was a bit taken aback and amazed but also a little jealous. And of course, he agreed like everyone has how fucking cute C is. Because he is. I mean, sure, I'm biased a teensy bit, but... whatever.

And we talked about the emotional pitfalls of a situation like this. And he made the same very valid points everyone makes. I get them. But me and a friend were talking yesterday and I repeated a question to him that I've posed to most of you about this and then he quite clearly made a wonderful point as to why that question carries validity.

The situation is that me and Carmelo live a GREAT distance apart. Very true. The odds of this "working out" (whether that means a torrid global love affair for a few months/visits or even something greater) are not stacked in our favor. BUT, the question is, "why not?" Just because he lives in Italy and I am in the US, "why can't it happen?" I'm not saying it will, but why do we have to accept that the current geographical circumstance will be the permanent one?

So then the point is made to me yesterday in a conversation with my friend Auntie P as to why this question becomes valid. I live in a major metropolitan city which is definitely skewed in my favor with the concentration of gay men who also live here. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a fag. Seriously. And here is where I may lose you based upon your philosophy of love and "the one". I am not entirely sure how I feel about "the one" concept. I think likely there are two, maybe three people in the world living at this time that are BEST suited to be my partner in life. I think what makes one of them become "the one" are things like chance, timing, location, attraction, etc. Factors... But given all that chance I do think the universe pushes us in directions, helps to guide us in the right direction. Sometimes it is quite subtle (or maybe we just aren't listening) and sometimes it is as subtle as a bull in a china shop. All this said, just because I'm in a large gay area, why does that mean that one of these two to three people is living here in San Francisco at this very moment and that I will meet him? Sure, the odds are better that I find someone to share my life with here as opposed if I were living back in Alabama. But do you take the bet just because the odds go from 1,000,000:1 to 500,000:1? True, your odds just doubled but, as my ex used to say, "the odds are good, but the goods are odd."

So who is to say that one of those few people doesn't right now live in Rome and at this very moment is not vacationing beach-side in the Milazzo area of Sicily, telling his sister all about me and our adventure thus far? Who's to say that the universe didn't push me into that random bar that I NEVER go in last Thursday? Who's to say it didn't also push him into that same bar (which is decidedly NOT a tourist attraction bar!) a mere few hours after he put foot on SF soil for the first time in his life so that we could meet? Who's to say I'm not listening?

All I can really say is that I for one am tired of asking "why". It's about time I start asking "why not?"

To those of you who have voiced some concern over my being careful with my emotions in this situation - I do appreciate it. But just know that although this all does sound very Nora Ephron-esque, I am listening VERY intently. This situation could be about me finding my life partner or it could be about mending and teaching my heart. But in the end, whether I take an Italian lover or I walk away having learned something about myself that I didn't know before...and I walk away with a heart more open and more capable of true love than it ever has been before, do I really lose?

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

blindsided

2007-08-20T09:34:00.000-05:00

Life can be so interesting some times....

Meet Carmelo. 31, the face of an angel, a Fashion Designer, speaks fluent Italian, originally hails from Sicily.

Problem? So far the only one I can see is that he lives in ROME.

We are currently under negotiations to see if we can maybe meet in New York in the next 4-6 weeks and then go from there...

!!!ALERT!!!ALERT!!!ALERT!!!

2007-08-16T09:50:00.000-05:00

I need everyone to stop what you're doing, immediately go find a mirror and make sure your eyebrows aren't fucked up. If they are, for God's sake, FIX THEM, bitch! If not, congratulate yourself on a job well-done.

Ok. Now you can resume your regularly scheduled day.

WRONG

2007-08-14T17:15:00.001-05:00

i've seen this video before.. I've seen every video.

2007-08-09T18:40:00.001-05:00

tig 'ol bitties

2007-08-08T19:01:00.000-05:00

There's a girl in my office whose boob is as big as my head. It's crazy.

ALC7, BITCHES!

2007-08-08T17:17:00.000-05:00

Start your "Support Gina" piggy bank now, bitches... is all I'm sayin'.

because now THIS is happening:

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 20

2007-08-07T16:19:00.001-05:00

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 19

2007-08-07T14:26:00.001-05:00

niiiiiiiiiice

2007-08-05T20:51:00.001-05:00

And have you ever seen a hotter puppy fashion model?

got it!

2007-08-05T20:38:00.001-05:00

Bought my bike, bitches. More pics to come....

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 18

2007-08-03T18:15:00.000-05:00

i just threw up a little bit in my mouth...

2007-08-01T18:16:00.001-05:00

...over THIS (<-- link)

the emancipation of gina

2007-08-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that it has already been one year (today!) since I ended my almost five-year relationship and embarked upon changing my life into what I want it to be.

One year later, where and what am I?

-living in kick-ass San Francisco (West Coast RULES!)
-still chillin' with my girls Lucy and Charlie
-missing my Right peeps, but diggin' my new Left ones
-volunteering
-softballing
-funner
-funnier
-self-confident
-still clean
-smokeless (one year 10/2/07 y'all)
-NOT sober (hey, I get to keep one vice!)
-HAPPY
-ready for __________

What a difference a year makes!

One love, 0ne Gina, 0ne Boogie...
XOXO

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

umm...yeah. Not really surprising.

2007-07-31T01:23:00.000-05:00

You Are 43% Pure

You're not so innocent... in fact, you're quite unpure.
You have seen and experienced a lot. And you're no worse for the wear!

The 100 Question Purity Test

Thanks David! (<-- link)

beef...

2007-07-30T20:30:00.001-05:00

No - not the kind you're thinking. The title of this post is as in "I have beef"... with this video.

Sure - I get the whole "I'm breaking OUT of porn into something more legitimate".
Sure - I get the whole "I have talents other than power-fucking 8 gaping bottom sluts".

But do I have to applaud you just because we are both gay when you put mindless, artless crap like this out there? UGH. He has a decent voice, but the song is unintelligibly simplistic, the lyrics are too "wordy", and for about 20-30% of the song he is singing very noticeably out of tune. WTF? Didn't you mix this in a studio before releasing it? If they could zip Madonna up 4-5 keys for Vogue some 15 or so years ago (and they did!), can't they course-correct some pitch wobbles here and there in today's electronic world?

And don't even get me started on:
1. the really god-awful editing
2. who the fuck is the random dude who magically appears in the alley?

manage your duckets

2007-07-30T17:29:00.000-05:00

Larry gets home late one night and his wife, Linda, says, "Where in the hell have you been?" Larry replies, "I was out getting a tattoo." "A tattoo?" she frowned. "What kind of tattoo did you Get?" "I got a hundred dollar bill on my privates," he said proudly.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she said, shaking her head in disdain. "Why on earth would an accountant get a hundred dollar bill tattooed on his privates?"

"Well, one, I like to watch my money grow.
Two, once in a while I like to play with my money.
Three, I like how money feels in my hand.
And, lastly, instead of you going out shopping , you can stay right here at home and blow a hundred bucks anytime you want."

Larry is currently recovering in a private room at Davies Hospital.

shoppin'

2007-07-28T16:33:00.001-05:00

Starting my bike search for ALC7 y'all. Start saving your pocket change to sponsor me!!!

Crowded up in this bitch

2007-07-27T10:39:00.001-05:00

The F(uck me on) Market is oddly crowded for a Friday!

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 17

2007-07-26T10:24:00.000-05:00

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 16

2007-07-25T17:37:00.000-05:00

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 15

2007-07-25T17:29:00.000-05:00

oh shit.

2007-07-25T08:19:00.000-05:00

Now I'm gon' hafta move! (<--link)

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 14

2007-07-23T16:48:00.000-05:00

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 13

2007-07-20T13:05:00.000-05:00

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 12

2007-07-19T18:59:00.000-05:00

Design on Someone Else's Dime

2007-07-16T11:29:00.001-05:00

So I had a store credit at Room & Board from when my couch was so severely delayed/etc. way back in Nov-Feb timeframe. Then Bunky gave me an R&B gift card for my birthday. Well I finally went and spent it this weekend with my Mom and Big Sir in tow - so it was fun to buy myself something for free. Even better when I got a floor model with very minor flaws for 20% off!

It looks awesome and is on a dimmer - tres chic!

Then since moving to SF, I've become more interested in photography. And I have had not a stitch of ANYTHING on my walls since moving in. While at R&B, I bought three basic black frames, complete with mats. I had a series of close ups I took in some lime trees at our most recent Palm Springs rental house (former home of Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, btw!), so I had Walgreens print 'em up and hung them last night in my kitchen. If I'm not careful, my home will soon look like a bona fide adult with some semblance of good taste lives there!!

Now if I could just get Charlie to get interested in re-decorating her little boudoir.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

Sara Bareilles in San Francisco - Gravity

2007-07-15T01:38:00.001-05:00

OMFG - this is so incredible.

Happy Friday the 13th, Bitches

2007-07-13T13:26:00.000-05:00

and remember....

being recognized

2007-07-13T13:18:00.000-05:00

So my big gigantic employer recently awarded all 40K+ US employees with 4 extra days of personal time off in appreciation for good performance in our most recently closed fiscal year. YAY US!

They asked us to submit photos of what we did with our extra time off - so I submitted a few photos from my ALC6 experience and they chose one... see below!

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 11

2007-07-12T13:56:00.000-05:00

absolutely...just keep it off my face.

2007-07-10T01:53:00.001-05:00

THIS IS NSFW - Watch with headphones!!!

because it's your problem, not theirs...

2007-07-09T20:04:00.001-05:00

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 10

2007-07-09T17:25:00.000-05:00

great gift idea for your friend's child

2007-07-07T13:04:00.000-05:00

If you have a niece or nephew (or the kid of a friend), maybe you should consider giving them this as a present....

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 9

2007-07-05T18:32:00.001-05:00

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 8

2007-07-05T18:19:00.000-05:00

late to the busstop

2007-07-05T16:00:00.000-05:00

but then again - what's new?

Ok - I JUST saw this. Yeah, I'm sure everyone else and their goddamned grandmother have already seen it... but it was fun.

Can I be Yook Sin Lee in that scene where her husband is boning her in the opening? He's yummy and has a really nice piece. Too bad she couldn't get her piche off...

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

happy 4th bitches

2007-07-04T21:07:00.001-05:00

Pacifica, only 15 mins out of SF proper. Niiiiiiiiice.

Happy 4th, Bitches

2007-07-04T19:03:00.000-05:00

Fun at Pacifica - just off Highway 1, about 20 minutes south of San Fran... We drank beer on the beach and watched the sun set. Simple. Fun.

I dunno what's up with him. What I DO know: He's nice. He's fun. He's goofy. He's cute. We'll see... :)

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

112 y'all

2007-07-03T20:37:00.000-05:00

Bitches, it is HOT up in here.

112 at 6:3o pm PDT in Palm Springs.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

What's more fun than Cartoons on a Friday?

2007-06-29T16:04:00.001-05:00

Not a whole fucking lot!!

So this first one is funny, because clearly the person spinning is #1) crazy and #2) has a little bit of a latent wish to be Lynda Carter changing into Wonder Woman...HOT. But here's what I have to say -- rather than drag out a moment, make sure you are filling your life with quality people and if they are important to you, stop making excuses. No one is TOO BUSY to do something that is important to you. Life will pass you by and then where will you be? Wrinkled and wondering, WTF? Where did it all go? SPEND TIME WITH THOSE YOU LIKE AND LOVE. TAKE PICTURES TO CAPTURE THE MOMENTS. LIVE LIFE.

and now this one just b/c my bitch 'Zanne said it reminder her of me. LOVES IT.

I'm spending the long weekend in Sunny SoCal, bitches - so keep it sexy, safe and have some fun. Spend it with people you love - I am. But I can't be everywhere at once, although in some twisted way I do love most you bitches that I know that read this shit. Because you're all some crazy motherfuckers. HA HA HA.

Life is 90% what you make it...so make it GOOD.

Peace - I'm up out this B-yatch.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 7

2007-06-26T13:01:00.000-05:00

well I'll be a sonofabitch

2007-06-26T11:41:00.000-05:00

You know how sometimes the most obvious things RIGHT in front of your face are the things you don't think of?

Umm. Yeah... I'm a dumbass. I didn't take DMINMEM.... (<-- link) and yet he and I speak pretty much daily. Yeah - I'll say it again - I'm a dumbass.

D - please do pieces of eight for me, puddin'. I nub you! :)

GBoogs

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

Pieces of Hate, I mean, Eight

2007-06-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

Ok - so Synrgy tagged me as one of his Eight... I am just now hearing about this - so that tells you how out of the loop I guess I've been. So I don't know what's harder - my eight things that no one knows about me (are there even 2?) or the eight people I'm going to tag.. DAMN YOU SYNRGY, DAMN YOU TO HELL!

JUDY!

Ok - first for my eight pieces:

1. I have no clue if I believe in monogamy for me.

2. I can't take a 5-minute errand to the copy room at work without my iPod.

3. I seriously regret having never played sports when I was younger.

4. I secretly yearn to settle down with a Southern man as my husband.

5. I irrationally fear octopus and squid, especially the ginormous variety (be they pictures of real ones, video, tattoos, whatever)

6. I miss my father on a daily basis.

7. I am constantly thinking about what my next tattoo will be (and where will it go?)

8. I only recently learned how to love myself. But the point is, is that I finally did. :)

Now -I'm going to be lazy and not hyperlink my 8 tags, but here they are: Rev. Brown, Flakey Bikkit, TP (3guys, 2k9s), mokos de conejo, gabey, big sir, bunky, the shandyman.

There - may I please be excused now?

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

SF Pride - Sins Style (this one's for you, Rhoda)

2007-06-25T21:39:00.001-05:00

So this was my first Pride in San Francisco. I had a nice mix of personal frivolity along with some good volunteering both for ALC and my softball team. I also got to make out with a super hot muscleboy a lil' bit, so that was moist.

Here's some pictures of us at the fundraiser - along with our sister team and all-around drinking buddies, the SF Thunder. They are an awesome group of guys, almost as kick-ass as my teammates.

More on ALC booth later.

This was a booth at the festival. Still not entirely sure what it is all about. But I like it....

Here's me making out with the Cuervo poster in our booth. No, this is not the muscleboy to which I refer playing tonsil-hockey with earlier. That one was REAL, bitches.

Our Ladies of Perpetual Thunder: Chuck, Judy1 and Judy2

Here's the Lady Standridge modeling the front of our super-sexy new practice/fundraising t-shirts, made in large part possible by the fine lesbotronics at QUEER REPUBLIC TEES (<--link) And here is the back of the tshirt, modeled by Flipey.

HOT.
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 6

2007-06-25T18:53:00.001-05:00

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 5

2007-06-25T18:52:00.001-05:00

pride

2007-06-22T16:42:00.001-05:00

So I was curious. So I opened PowerPoint - you know, the Microsoft Office product. I chose : Edit / Insert / Picture / From ClipArt. Then, in the search term field, I entered "gay".

/ENTER

Here's a sampling of what I got:

But I happen to think THIS (<-- link) is WAY MORE GAY.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

2007-06-20T12:25:00.000-05:00

GUESS WHAT?

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 4

2007-06-18T18:23:00.001-05:00

Save Myself

2007-06-18T11:45:00.000-05:00

One of my teammates on ALC6 and one of my new friends, Terry, made a Ride compilation of songs and sent it to each of us who wanted one. The songs are ones we heard on the bus or that Terry overheard people singing in camp or just ones that evoke some of the beauty of human spirit that the ride builds and shines.

I still get so overwhelmed when I think about my experience and as I write this post, I'm bawling my eyes out. I truly wish everyone could experience the joy and compassion I did. If you could your life would be forever changed. But the awesome thing is that you can. Get up, get out and go volunteer. Find the light that is within all of us and then shine it on all you meet.
But I digress (as usual)... So the whole reason I wanted to post is to share the lyrics of my favorite song from Terry's CD - "Save Myself" by LeAnn Rimes. This is how I feel about my life. I hope it is a sentiment and philosophy you can relate to.

I want the truth when the world is lying
I want to live or at least die trying
I want to share my soul cause it heals me every time
I want to scream when there's fear inside
I want to run when I gotta free ride
I want to shed my skin if I feel the urge to fly
I will fall on my face too bruised and broken

To save myself I don't want to save myself
I just want to live out loud feel the rush that's all around
I light the flames to feel the burn trouble everywhere I turn
there's freedom in the lessons learned and beauty when the loves returned

I want to breathe like it's my first breath
I want to bleed when I'm put to the test
I want to dig down deep and find out who I am
and I will love like a love lost too scared and open to

Save myself I don't want to save myself
I just want to live out loud feel the rush that's all around
I lite the flames to feel the burn trouble everywhere I turn
there's freedom in the lessons learned and beauty when the loves returned

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 3

2007-06-15T11:48:00.000-05:00

Cameo Hint

BBCS Vol 2 / Epi 2

2007-06-15T11:34:00.001-05:00

Rough Rider

2007-06-13T09:40:00.001-05:00

Yep - that's me, waiting to get my ATV to rip-ass around the Pismo Dunes yesterday. It was CRAZY amounts of fun. I almost launched over the handlebars about 4 times. But luckily I'm in one piece. But dang do my back and shoulders ache today.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

-Gandhi

I can't believe its over...

2007-06-11T09:41:00.000-05:00

The really bad picture is of my darkened hotel room in LA taken from my treo. I can't believe its not the inside of my tent at ALC6 in some campground.

I can't yet put into words an accurate description of my experience that will mean anything to those who have not done the ride. What I can tell you is that this has been the second most important decision I've made in my life ... the first being my move from NYC to help care for my dying father some 10 years ago.

I can also tell you that I made friends in the span of 7 days that I plan on keeping for the rest of my life. Everyone was so wonderful but some of the standouts were Randy, Nicole, Ruby, Blake, George, Joe, Jim.

And to the people I now consider part of my family...Philip, Terry and Stacie, I LOVE YOU!!!!

No computer for another few days - so that's prolly all for now.

More on ALC6 and BBCS Vol 2 coming soon.

Love yourself.
Love each other.

-GBoogie

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

-Gandhi

I can't believe its over...

2007-06-11T08:50:00.001-05:00

The really bad picture is of my darkened hotel room in LA. I can't believe its not the inside of my tent at ALC6, in some random campground.

I can't yet put into words an accurate description of my experience that will mean anything to those who have not done the ride.

What I can tell you is that this has been the second most important decision I've made in my life ... the first being my move from NYC to help care for my dying father some 10 years ago.

No computer until at least Wed next week - so that's prolly all for now.

Love you, love each other. More on ALC6 and BBCS Vol 2 coming soon.

-GBoogie

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

I can't believe its over...

2007-06-10T09:28:00.001-05:00

The really bad picture is of my darkened hotel room in LA. I can't believe its not the inside of my tent at ALC6, in some random campground.

I can't yet put into words an accurate description of my experience that will mean anything to those who have not done the ride.

What I can tell you is that this has been the second most important decision I've made in my life ... the first being my move from NYC to help care for my dying father some 10 years ago.

No computer until at least Wed next week - so that's prolly all for now.

Love you, love each other. More on ALC6 and BBCS Vol 2 coming soon.

-GBoogie

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Gandhi

LET'S RIDE, CLYDE

2007-06-03T01:48:00.000-05:00

Well... after talking about it, begging for donations and a few good cries over the overwhelming generosity of folks like my friends, family and my blog family, AIDS/Lifecycle 6 kicks off tomorrow. Me and Bunky finished packing around 11pm tonight.

Day 1 looks roughly like:

4:15 am - wake up
4:45 am - cab arrives
5:00 am - arrive for gear bag in-take
6:00 am - opening ceremonies
6:30 am - ride-out
7:30 am - board bus
9:00 am - arrive Camp 1 - Santa Cruz
4:00-9:00 pm - serve dinner for day 1 to all riders, roadies and staff

Yeah - a long day. But I can't wait. After dinner in the Castro this evening, we had to stop in Walgreens for some last minute items. We kept running into riders and roadies (we all have matching flourescent orange and yellow ride ID bracelets on that we must keep on for the duration of the event) and its like we're all a big pseudo-family already. The camaraderie is phenomenal.

Any way - now its almost midnight and my available sleep window is getting smaller by the moment and I still need to shower before hitting the hay.

Here's a pic of our route over the week in case you're interested.

I'm sure it won't be a surprise that I won't be posting until I'm back in SF almost in the middle of June. But be good to yourself, be good to others and think of me and the nearly 2,499 other riders, roadies and staff members of SF Aids Foundation and LA Gay & Lesbian Center as we make our journey south in the hopes of one day ending the senseless pandemic that is Hiv/AIDS.

One Love,
Gboogie

BBCS, Vol 2 / Epi 1

2007-05-30T16:49:00.000-05:00

They're baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

2007-05-30T16:47:00.000-05:00

T minus 7 days

2007-05-16T11:43:00.000-05:00

and counting, bitches...

Gina's At Bat on the Berfday

2007-05-01T12:30:00.000-05:00

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

tired and sick, sick and tired

2007-05-01T12:08:00.000-05:00

What's this fun picture, you ask? Its a picture I snapped with my Treo this morning at 8:40 a.m.

But, Gina, you say, that looks like a business office elevator. You also say, at 8:40 a.m., in a business elevator, shouldn't your arrow be pointing up, on your way TO work?

I say to you, I say, No. Not in my world this morning. I was in the SanJo yesterday (12 hours and a two hour commute by car, this time) and had my work laptop with me. When I arrived at work this morning, I was elated that I was so early!

Fat lot of good it did me... As I realized that I had left my laptop AT HOME.

So I say to you, I say, Hey.... that down arrow at 8:40 a.m. is me going BACK home (30 mins) to get my laptop and then commute back to work again (another 3o mins).

Trust me when I tell you, if I could have, I would have just stayed at home and called in sick.

I'm hurt. Somebody call the WAH-mbulance.

thirty-six on 4/29, y'all

2007-04-28T18:04:00.000-05:00

At my birthday dinner on Friday with family and closest SF friends, one dear friend asked me:

"...what does 36 look like for [Gina]?" - to which I responded:

"athletic [in a clean boxy space]. it starts off fat, but ends skinny. single. outdoors. it starts off slutty, but ends in dating. the mouse movement is gaining momentum. learning. growing. hopeful."

Happy Birthday to me, bitches!

5 Simple Rules to a Successful Gay Life

2007-04-28T17:59:00.000-05:00


1. Get a man who helps around the house, cooks and cleans up.

2. Get a man who can make you smile and laugh.

3. Get a man who is faithful and who does not lie to you.

4. Get a man who is a good lover and likes to be with you.

5. It is very important that these four men do not know each other.

739

2007-04-24T15:57:00.001-05:00

A treo shot from Giants Stadium on Saturday with Big Sir - my first SF game, SWEET seats thanks to a friend at work... and I got to see Bonds crack his 739th career homer for the Giants' only score. They beat the Diamondbacks 1-0.

fasten your seatbelts, bitches...

2007-04-16T18:43:00.000-05:00

it ain't easy...

2007-04-16T17:05:00.000-05:00

I've been turned on to a great song... so now I'm sharing it with you:

Sideways - by Citizen Cope:
You know it ain't easy
For these thoughts here to leave me
There's no words to describe it
In French or in English
Well, diamonds they fade
And flowers they bloom
And I'm telling you

These feelings won't go away
They've been knockin' me sideways
They've been knockin' me out lately
Whenever you come around me

These feelings won't go away
They've been knockin' me sideways
I keep thinking in a moment that
Time will take them away
But these feelings won't go away

I was discussing the meaning of the song and my perception with "someone" the other night. He was telling me he feels like it is a somber, not-so-happy song. I think the music, the tone, the quality of this dude's voice - sure, not super happy/fun like an up-tempo Kylie Minogue frothy hit. But I also think it is not necessarily melancholy.

Listen to it. MANY times. God knows I have. I LOVE this shit. But I feel like its merely someone describing how he can't get away from a strong feeling about someone. He can't shake it. His feelings are throwing him for a loop.

But is that necessarily a bad thing?

I don't think so. I'm trying to feel my feelings instead of manage them in my brain. Its fucking scary. Terrifying actually. But the exhiliration and just plain old fun I'm experiencing lately is pretty awesome.

height and saturation

2007-04-16T16:53:00.000-05:00

I decided I needed some beauty (other than me, of course) at my desk. So at lunch, I tooled out with my work girlfriend Alejandra and we bought flowers.

They're real pretty:

I only hope their beauty comforts when when I get yelled at by my manager. Because in prepping my flowers for their big debut, I spilled about two-cups worth of water right on top of my laptop. Thankfully, they have already performed a shell-swap and all is good with the world for Gina's harddrive.

HOWEVER, when IT sends the water-logged shell out, I have to fess up to the water spill, with repair costs of roughly $600-800 hitting my manager's budget. Booooooooooo!

only 4.99!

2007-04-13T17:55:00.001-05:00

Unless you want us playing in the nude...

2007-04-11T08:50:00.000-05:00

if you live in SF and are queer or queer-friendly, come out and help us make some paper:

Defend SOMA

2007-04-05T13:24:00.000-05:00

I normally don't post items like this, but if you are a new reader and live in SF - please read and take action if you want to help.

THANKS!

Forwarded from Matt Consola:

Hello All:

For those not aware of what has been going on in the South of Market, Jim Meko, who holds a seat on the city’s Entertainment Commission and is chair of the SoMa Leadership Council, has been trying to rid SoMa of The Eagle & The Hole in The Wall (who is currently owned by the same two people), The Lone Star, as well as prevent newer events like The Hairrison Street Fair. He is currently winning his battle because this issue has been getting little press until yesterday’s article in The SF Bay Times. Below is a great article from The SF Bay Times' Don Baird. I urge you all to voice your opinions loudly and quickly, whether in person or in an e-mail. The hearing is Thursday May 10th. If we stay quite, a huge part of our community, our history and our legacy will be lost forever. Please post to your blogs, e-mail your friends and mobilize before it's too late.

If you would like to voice your opinion or concern on this matter letters can be sent to: President Dwight Alexander, San Francisco Planning Department, 1600 Mission St. Fifth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103

Letters should be short and to the point, and I urge you to send them soon. The hearing on this matter is on May 10, beginning at 1:30 pm in Room 400 at City Hall.
ThanksMatt Consola

Are We Losing The Eagle and The Hole in the Wall?
By Don Baird

I’m a former resident of South of Market, where I resided upstairs from a popular bar on Folsom Street for 10 years. Though I moved from the neighborhood about five years ago, I still work in SOMA. For over 12 years I’ve worked at two popular bars that I consider to be fine establishments run by exemplary employers who have enriched the vitality, community and fun of a neighborhood known for its vibrant active gay nightlife for decades. In the mid ‘90s, when the AIDS epidemic had taken its toll on numerous gay businesses and the nightlife was dwindling in the South of Market area, a new bar appeared and rapidly rose to popularity, bringing new life to the neighborhood with a simple festive attitude, and the re-introduction of rock and roll music as the featured style of music in a gay bar. That bar was The Hole in the Wall Saloon, and it unquestionably brought the whole South of Market bar scene back to life, achieving a world renowned reputation as the San Francisco gay bar to go to and a bar truly unlike any other anywhere. As an employee, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told this over the years.

When the owners of the Hole in the Wall Saloon later acquired The San Francisco Eagle, they brought new life to that historic meeting place for our extended gay and leather communities as well, maintaining its regular Sunday tradition of money-raising benefits for various community groups. And during a time when artists and musicians were being forced out of this city by high rents on both rehearsal spaces and homes, and as live music venues in San Francisco began to fold, the Eagle started presenting live music on Thursday nights, rapidly becoming a sanctuary for local and touring bands. This lent some hope and positive energy to a daunted scene, and Thursday nights continue to create a friendly space where many bands love to play.
I feel like I’ve said all of this before about these bars, but I’m saying it now to lend a bit of background to a current situation faced by the Hole in the Wall. Owners John Gardiner and Joe Banks recently bought a property on Folsom street with plans of relocating the Hole in the Wall. The bar’s current location is a rented space in a structurally problematic building, so they want to move the business to a new space which they own and can design and plan from the floor up to suit the business they created. This process requires attaining construction permits, zoning approval, proper business and liquor licensing and specific permits for operation, all of which the owners have methodically and legally set about doing.

As soon as these processes were set into motion, a certain SoMa resident and business owner who holds a seat on the city’s Entertainment Commission and is chair of the SoMa Leadership Council, seems obsessively bent on squelching every effort of this relocation and anything having to do with the Eagle and the Hole in the Wall. His name is Jim Meko, and he has launched an all-out campaign against both establishments, nit-picking through the history of both bars for the slightest infractions in the past, inventing permit violations that had never appeared or occurred to the business owners or authorities, organizing other neighborhood residents to parrot his complaints and submit requests for discretionary reviews and motions to reject the transference of licenses for the relocation, not to mention personally berating John Gardiner and Joe Banks, characterizing them as “bad bar owners” and urging attendees at a neighborhood meeting, “Do not trust these guys!”

Speaking as one of 21 current employees of one or both bars, I would like to point out that these “untrustworthy and bad bar owners” have without fail provided a safe, sane and systematic place of employment for over a decade for many of us. They have also provided all of us employees as well as a few of their partners with full health insurance coverage, paid vacation time, and an annual employee retreat. This sense of allegiance has prevailed since the opening of the Hole in the Wall and has built a place of employment that goes well beyond just that. As far as bars go, you would be hard-pressed to find another one that treats its staff as well or a staff as committed and loyal. I think these simple facts speak volumes on the characters of Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Banks, and their integrity as bar owners and businessmen.
The statements made by Jim Meko resemble the reaction of someone throwing a temper tantrum in the face of things not quite going his way, like a child who isn’t going to let anyone else have fun unless it is done his way. These statements are also slanderous, untrue, and indicate that there are probably many more off-the-handle, uncalled-for falsehoods where that came from. It really makes one wonder just where all of this negativity and obsession are truly coming from.

But it doesn’t stop there. This man seems to want to stanch and harass any sense of fun, community, history or freedom to convene in the entire South of Market area, especially if it has anything to do with the Eagle or the Hole in the Wall. For someone who has resided in SoMa since 1977, when Folsom was known as “the miracle mile,” why has Jim Meko endeavored to continue the down-sizing of that miracle mile into less than a block of gay businesses, primarily the ones which people historically choose to go to have fun and enjoy themselves?

As a person who holds a seat on the entertainment commission, what portion of this city’s population is this man representing in his obvious and merciless attacks on these businesses? He certainly doesn’t have the people who work there in mind at all, the ones who would soon be without jobs. This clearly doesn’t concern him. Nor does he consider the numerous organizations that have relied on the Eagle as a meeting place to stage benefits for fundraising, and this is a very long list representing several facets of the community. Then there is the gay community who enjoy going out to bars, and you can’t deny their existence and history, but it seems one man is actively trying to do so.

His influence doesn’t simply stop with SoMa. He has tried to curtail similar businesses in several San Francisco neighborhoods from North Beach to the Castro, and has actively battled with the organizers of The Hairrison Street Fair, the newest annual SoMa-based event drawing a large international Bear subculture to the area, causing them to relocate a few blocks down when he wasn't able to get the event cancelled completely. [He has also currently battles with the owners of The Lone Star, Castro St Fair, My Place and other night life establishments and fairs that require gaining licenses on a yearly basis.] Is this the city that San Francisco shall become, void of any sense of nighttime revelry, drinking and the enjoyment of music? That’s clearly the intention of Jim Meko, that and perhaps some local political position that will ensure his power to more effectively continue destroying the nightlife culture, and dare I say the gay culture and community of this city. Who would have ever thought a gay man would want to do that to San Francisco? Are we our own worst enemy?

Though the battle at hand currently involves the relocation of the Hole in the Wall, you can tell by this individual’s selfish blind determination that he’s dead set on doing anything to interrupt and harass the operation of any endeavor involving Gardiner and Banks. In doing so he is attacking one of the qualities that has made San Francisco a desirable destination for gay people everywhere for decades, and definitely one that keeps many residents here and many visitors returning. The demise of the Hole in the Wall would indicate a change in San Francisco that I would have never anticipated, and the beginning of the end of a fine and spirited nightlife unlike any other. I don’t think our city is willing to say goodbye to this institution or this ideal.

If you would like to voice your opinion or concern on this matter letters can be sent to: President Dwight Alexander, San Francisco Planning Department, 1600 Mission St. Fifth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103

Letters should be short and to the point, and I urge you to send them soon. The hearing on this matter is on May 10, beginning at 1:30 pm in Room 400 at City Hall.

Breaking up on re-entry

2007-04-04T11:35:00.001-05:00

Oh what a cruel way to come back to work... SanJo right on the heels of a fab moviestar weekend in PS and then fantastic #4 last nite.

Seriously

2007-04-03T08:32:00.001-05:00

This was in the display window at a jewelry store on the main drag in P.S. So is it more gay that they have a Barbie bust? Or more gay that they are showcasing a tiara? Either way, you gotta love any town that is THIS gay!

don quixote

2007-04-02T19:18:00.000-05:00

I don't know why but I am fascinated by these new-fangled windmills:

when the sun does down...

2007-04-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

...you come back from Joshua Tree (pics to come later, as they are on another camera - and I should warn you - our internet research led us astray... we were limited on time and unable to motor through the entire park. The frickin' thing is HUGE - and it will require another trip to get pics of actual Joshua trees. I can't really talk about it. I'm a little bummed.). Then you go eat a yummy Austrian inspired meal for birthday celebration. Then you come back to your movie-star digs and do a hot tub soak followed by a cold plunge into the pool. You then alternate the hot cold sensation, all the while enjoying the stars above and the luxurious firepit next to the pool/tub: