Holiday Party

Having just lit my menorah for the first time in WeHo, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Happy Hanukkah and a Merry Christmas!

The holiday party that I co-hosted last weekend turned out to be a fun night and a great learning experience. Our friend’s feedback has been very positive and we have already started to prepare for our next party, A Spring Fling. (our working title)

What was learned from the night was:

-My type A, slightly perfectionist personality was very evident as co-host.
-Parking was a nightmare for some of our guests.
-The drinks which were a concern, turned out to be great.
-The decorations were awesome.
-Our friend's feedback on the night has been very positive.
-Don’t wait to decorate for your party until the day of, especially when you stayed out past 3:00AM that morning.


And here are some photos of our venue:

No on 8 Gala

Last night the Gala that I first told you about in the "I'm Flattered" post took place. What a great night. The celebrity gala was held at the Skybar at the Mondrian hotel on the Sunset Strip. The event was a sell out! We had over 600 people in attendance, both straight and gay, who attended to have a good time and show their support for the “NO ON 8” campaign. I’m pleased to report that we raised a significant amount of money. :-)

I am pleased that I was able to contribute in a significant way to the success of the event, but at the same time I am selfishly a tiny bit disappointed that I wasn’t able to really enjoy the event. I led a group of about 35 volunteers whose role and responsibilities were vital to the number one reason why the event was held. The event went from 6:00PM until 10:00PM, and based on the initial schedule our job should have been done by 8:45PM. Unfortunately, the mayor of Los Angeles was late and screwed up the whole schedule. (to his credit the mayor did make up for his tardiness in a big way when he arrived) Subsequently, I had no time to really mix and mingle and I only got a chance to meet a few guys. (However, many of the young volunteers who worked for me were cute and I do have their phone numbers....hmmmm) One guy who I met on Friday, and then got a chance to speak with more in depth last night was Evan Wolfson . He is a prominent civil rights attorney who has been instrumental in the marriage equality issue for over 25 years. It was great to talk with a guy, who was called one of Time magazines most influential people in 2004, who has had such a profound and positive impact on so many people's lives throughout his career.

Here are some pictures from the event. The first is mine and the rest are from wire image.

General Gala Pictures



Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Eric McCormack and Loni Anderson (Will and Grace, Burt Reynolds)

Dana Delany (Desperate Housewives)

Heather Tom (Bold and the Beautiful)

One final note to add is the song that was on my sat radio when I pushed the start button after receiving my keys from the valet at 11:00PM. The song is below and I thought it fit the fight for Prop 8 and the evening beautifully. Here in California that day is today, and I hope and pray that day continues on November 5th.

Bob Sinclar-”Together”

Under Pressure

I’m at the gym yesterday and I found a new time when there were a lot more hotties there. (at least on Monday) Anyway, yesterday was chest and back day. My second to last exercise were dumbbell rows.

I would like to think my form was a bit stricter with my straight leg providing more balance by being spaced out further, my ass in the air, and a nice arch in my back. Anyway, what was so funny was that right after I started this exercise, Under Pressure from Queen w/David Bowie came on my IPOD. I almost lost it as I thought it was so funny noting the position I was in on the bench and my lack of action since I arrived in WEHO.

Then I get home and learned that my younger sister and brother in-law would be making a quick visit to see me and my brother in-law’s sister in LA this Friday. I will be picking them up at the airport and bringing them to my apartment. We will then all go for dinner Friday night. Clearly I don’t know what will happen but this Friday may be the moment of truth. My plan at this point hasn’t changed. I still would like to come out to my parents first when I return to Phoenix in September. So I do not plan on initiating any conversation with regard to my sexuality, or lack thereof at this point, on Friday but I have decided that If they ask me if I am gay I will respond with the following:

Yes, I believe I am gay. I am not 100% certain because I have not fully experienced being with another guy, but I believe that I am and have always to some degree been attracted to other guys. I have only fooled around with another guy once at this point and we did nothing serious. I decided to move to West Hollywood to give myself the space and allow myself the strongest opportunity in living an honest and free life while figuring out just who I am. I have not told you up to now, and I wasn’t planning on telling you this weekend because I am not 100% certain, but since you asked, I told myself before I moved here that when I crossed the Colorado River I would no longer lie. I still need more time and until I am 100% certain I don’t intend to tell anyone else. So you MUST keep this conversation between us. I know that will be difficult for you SISTER, but it is very important to me that you do. I am hopeful that I will be able to be more forthcoming and open with everyone else by the time I return to Phoenix for my visit in September.

I am looking forward to their visit and am hopeful that things will go well on Friday. I have NO concerns about my family accepting or loving me any less, and would be surprised at this point if they didn’t already expect it. Especially my sister and brother in-law. Nonetheless, I am prepared and ready for this discussion on Friday but I hope it doesn't occur. We shall see.

Now if I can only find a cute guy in the next two days. Now that's PRESSURE!

Queen w/David Bowie-"Under Pressure

What's your address?

Last night I had dinner with my parents. About 15 minutes after I arrived my mom asked me for the address to the new place. I told her that my address wasn’t changing as my mail from Phoenix would be forwarded. She then asked me what city I was going to live in, Hollywood or West Hollywood? (I told my sister about two weeks ago that I found a place in Hollywood) She said others were asking. Up until this point I have been kind of vague. I believed, although it may be my own perception of what West Hollywood means, that if I admitted from the beginning that I was moving to West Hollywood then that would certainly have given away my big secret.

(Backing up a second, the only people that know, or who I have told, that I am moving are my immediate family members and the four guys mentioned earlier in the Loose Ends post. All of my friends who received my email in the Runners, take your mark post simply know that I will be traveling.)

Early on I told my family that I was moving to LA. After my visit there a few weeks ago, the location was then narrowed down to the West LA, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills area. So for my mom to specifically ask and mention West Hollywood was quite interesting and a bit surprising. For a brief second there I was going to ask her who was asking, and who are you telling that I am moving, and then I said to myself I don’t care anymore. I told her that I was moving to West Hollywood and that was the end of it. She didn’t probe any further, but I have a sense that if she doesn’t know about West Hollywood or it’s demographic makeup now, she will most likely learn about it from whoever was asking.

Despite this unexpected surprise of a question, I believe this is how I ultimately wanted it to happen. For my family and friends to assume that I was gay before I had to tell them. With this thinking and the steps that I have taken in learning more about myself and changing my life, I am not sure if I should be ashamed or proud of my measured way of coming out.

Oy Vay

I am pissed! I have a trip planned to San Diego for this upcoming Memorial Day weekend and I couldn't have been happier. Until late last night that is. This trip has been part of my master plan and it has been booked and paid for now for over two months. Well, late last night I got in a fight with my



clock/radio. It looks very much like the one above and I've had it since I was a little kid. Unfortunately, the clock/radio won this fight, but I will win the war. (do I hear Goodwill) Anyway, as I was heading off to dreamland with the clock/radio sleep function on, the reception started to go so I tried to move the clock/radio from one side of the bed to the other in an attempt for clarity. Well, the plug got stuck on something so I had to yank it. haha The second time I yanked on it from a lying position in bed, my grip on the clock/radio was lost. The clock/radio crashed down on my mouth and chin and busted my lip and bruised my chin. YES!!! That's just what I needed. The results are a swollen, busted, and bloody lip, a 3/4" cut going from where my flesh meets the top lip, wrapping all the way underneath to the inside gums. It's almost a straight, vertical line. However, I am pretty lucky as it appears I did not injure any teeth.

So what does this all mean? My hopes for next weekend are shot. I was really looking forward to my trip to San Diego for progress on my journey and to kiss my first cute guy. As of now, the only thing I'm going to be kissing is my pillow. My trip now will have to focus on the other reasons for visiting; relaxation and checking out Hillcrest. Despite my apprehension and feeling of terror in stepping forward, I did not plan for this to happen.

So why? At this point, I believe it was a sign to let go of the things that I've held onto since I was a kid. In this case, my clock/radio. With the help of



I am hoping it heals healthy. But will it heal in time?