It’s been a busy weekend. Friday was after-work drinks at Lookout with our friend D whom we’ve known since we were just coming out in San Jose. We met, I believe, at the gay community center down there, the Billy de Frank center, when it was on Keyes Street in a rundown Victorian. And that, believe me, was before any downtown renaissance. But we wanted to catch up with D, who now lives in Noe Valley and works for a high-tech firm near the ballpark, because he had just gotten back from the East Coast where he went to visit his mother in the hospital. Fortunately she took a turn for the better, and is now out and in convalescent care. The doctors said her condition might have been related to taking too much calcium. Anyway, D has been stressed about his parents, work, and, well D is pretty much a ball of stress in the best times, so we knew he needed some help unwinding.
Since we were drinking at Lookout, we ended up eating dinner across the street at Bagdad Cafe. Now, I used to like Bagdad Cafe but what has happened? I’m not going back, at least until I forget this visit, but I do hope they can get the kitchen and menu back on track because I used to like eating there, with the funky decor and friendly servers.
Which reminds me that R and I ate at the new Kasa restaurant on Thursday night. I hope they get everything worked out – it was so busy that the brand-new staff were quite frazzled. And given that Pak-Wan is just a short #33 Muni ride down to 16th and Valencia, I hope they get the food prep kicked up a notch as well. It wasn’t that it was bad (go to Bombay Oven on Market for that) but it was a watered down experience, and not executed well at that. But they’re brand new so I’ll check back and hope it was just opening jitters.
Saturday I attended the day-long Guy Writers’ conference at the Gay Community Center. Organized by Philip Huang and others of Guy Writers, the keynote was given by John Fisher; playwright, Artistic Director for Theatre Rhinocerous, and now teaching at Yale. The event was an opportunity to meet and network with fellow queers who write, whether prose, poetry or plays. An indie film producer / script writer participated as well.
I was frankly surprised at the number of people I met – even in this small town of Queeristan, you can’t ever claim to have run into everybody. I just seems that way sometimes, right?
I attended workshops on using spontaneity in writing, and writing for humor; and picked up techniques I will definitely be able to put to work. I came away with more contacts, and inspiration, than I went in so the time was well spent for me.
After the conference, I headed over to Corona Heights to a friends house for a combination birthday / CD-release party. Had a few too many of the wicked orange margaritas, and chatted with people like I was saying my last words and my head would be lopped off if I stopped. Very unlike me – but yes – those last Tudors episodes are still giving me nightmares.
I did find out from a friend who works at Falcon that drama a-plenty is brewing there. Or maybe has already boiled over. A coup d’etat shook the place at the end of May, with locks changed and the CEO forced out by (formerly) silent partners mid-day. Rumors are swirling about a possible move to Las Vegas. New web domains are being snatched-up. Reports are that Falcon has been hurt by subscription sites like Sean Cody. I better get my friend Erik Rhodes on the line and find out what he knows. He’s been silent on this topic so far on his blog.
We were tired after the party, so had a quick bite to eat at (Pasta) Pomodoro on 24th. I was bad and had the delicious lasagne with fontina and mushrooms. They rotate recipes every few months, and this is one of the best, so I indulged a little. But it was the small portion, which is quite filling enough. We ended up catching the new episode of Kathy Griffin’s Life on the D-List (gay stereotypes that we are) on DVR, then crashing early.
Today I managed to get out to the gym for a stairmaster climb and some weightlifting. One of these days I keep telling myself I am going to try Spinning, but haven’t gotten motivated enough so far. I managed to research and write another weekly article for Online Tech Tips, which I got a week behind on when I was visiting my Dad back in Delaware. R is now making veal meatballs and vegetables for dinner which should go well with the cool weather today.
And I am going to sign off here and try writing another episode of The Alien at the Coffeehouse.
