The Big Gay Power Hour

So I have a yearly tradition with my group of friends. We love watching the Superbowl, but we became a little bored with it. So I had the grand idea 4 years ago to bring back an amazing college tradition I had with my friends called "Power Hour". This was "The Big Gay Power Hour" for obvious reasons.

It's a shot of beer every minute for 60 minutes. Sounds relatively easy right? Well when we did the Powerhour in 2010, it was not so easy for some of us. Although over the years, and the amount of beer we have consumed, it has generally never been a problem to finish. So where should we start?

Introductions! The people this year are members of our new 2012 Fire Island house. Matt, Jason, Effie, Pat, TripB, myself, and of course Dan was fashionably late - per usual. We hedged our bets that the newbies - Pat or Effie were gonna drop first. In fact our friend Chance tweeted that Effie would be down for the count in no time, which resulted in Effie and the quote of the night - "Don't come for me!". I am getting ahead of myself. Let the festivities begin!

So yeah the first 20 minutes are a piece of cake. We had some dip to munch on, and Jason's power hour mix that had a combo of sad Adele songs and French New Wave pop. I kid, I kid. It was a mix of his most current uploads, and well Adele. He bought an app that made it easy as pie to navigate through the next 30 minutes. What did the beer tower look like in the beginning?

Still not even close to what it should look like after we get done with this hour.

In these power hours the conversation can often get ridiculous depending on how drunk people get. Since it was our Fire Island house we were talking about summer and the song of the summer. Matt said he called that awful J. Lo song last summer, but we were all stuck on what was gonna happen this summer and what would be hot. Everything was going great until...

Yup just as predicted Pat dropped out. Granted he did just get 5 ribs broken a couple of weeks ago, so we let it slide.  Although what I won't let slide is this...

Yup TripB does this position look familiar? You had the same position two years ago and what looks like a fascination with wearing striped sweatshirts to Power Hour. He rubbing his stomach like it was buddah. See it gets to you especially when you get past half way through. You can feel it bubbling up inside of you and the burps come. It kinda feels like that scene from Willy Wonka when they just can't stop belching.

So yeah at 38 minutes in, some people were feeling it...

Another 10 minutes go by, and now we are at 50 minutes in. You can't stop at this point, because honestly what's the point??

Oh god, the pressure. The beer. The burps. The catty conversation. The wishing I hadn't eaten so much bean dip. The amount of not trying to spoil the superbowl by avoiding Twitter and Facebook. The anticipation of Kelly Clarkson singing the National Anthem. All of these pretty much hit me in the last 10 minutes, but nonetheless I sucked it up and finished the last shot of beer.

Horray! I finished! I didn't spit up this year. Did I feel like I was going to give birth to a beer baby? Yes, but it was all worth to feel that last final shot go down my throat and feel the glory of....well I guess being able to drink 5 beers in an hour. It's the little things people.

Late Nights and Shoegolf

Check out the guy in the tie who is way too ecstatic about shoegolf. Also how does anyone play a round of shoegolf in a dress like that Miss Vanessa Hudgens? Seesh.

My Weekend In A Nutshell - Feb 3

So this weekend was a WHIRLWIND. Let me tell you. I almost wouldn't have remembered much of it if it wasn't for modern technology!

We got real cultural on Friday night at our friends art show. We were dressed up, having intelligent conversations about art and stuff, and drank champagne (as you do at classy events).

Which of course lead to this after going to Boxers for our friend Jason's birthday. Yes these are heels and socks on a man. I have such classy friends. Night 1 of going to Bartini was a hell of a lot of dancing.

Jocean and Ben came over and we watched "Rules of Attraction" - YAH!

Continued our Horror Movie Saturday tradition with "Paranormal Activity 3" - BOOO!

We got some noodles from our favorite place - Xian Famous Noodles...soo good. Went to a game night with the usual suspects, and played a really interesting version of "Telephone Pictionary" which will surely make an apperance at future game nights. Night 2 of Bartini was less dancy fun and then I took a strange cab ride home way too late. Twas an unusual way to end my night, but the whole day was crazy. Bowling happened on Sunday and I got a 131 and 129! A far cry from my usual goal of trying to beat 100.

Then of course we had our 4th annual Superbowl tradition of THE GAY POWER HOUR!

So I could go on about how amazing Madonna was (she wasn't that amazing) or how much I loved Kelly's bangs and version of the national anthem (I loved it hard), but honestly the Power Hour is one of the highlights of the Superbowl for me. Not the wings, funny commercials, or hot football players in tight pants could trump 60 shots of cheap light beer in 60 minutes.

And that folks was my weekend. Exhausted? So am I.

A Little Kelly Goes A Long Way

So I saw Kelly Clarkson on Saturday, and she was all kinds of amazing. She had me dancing, she got me singing, and she even got me a little teary eyed (her cover of "I Know You Won't" is just one heartbreaking lyric after the next and god does she sound amazing and deep on it). Although there was nothing better than a stripped down version of "Never Again".

I would say this was probably my favorite part of the concert and one of the most unexpected ways I ever thought this hard rock go fuck yourself anthem would go. It sounded like a completely different song. The reason I loved the old version was because it was such an angry bitter I have the upperhand song. Now it sounds almost *dare I say it* sweet and tender? I know, when you have lyric "When you're in bed with her, think of me", but with just a piano, it changes the whole tune...literally. Well the show was nothing short of great, and I would go see Kelly any time she comes around. Mainly because I love that she sings live, but mostly because she is the true original and one of the most talented artists to ever win or participate in American Idol ever. Sorry Carrie, I still love you too!

Idol is BACK!

In honor of the return of Idol tonight, I present you with one of my favorite Idol performances of ALL TIME. Ms. Syesha Mercado finished third on the seventh season of the show, but this number still holds up as one of her best performances, if not, one of the best of the season. One Rock and Roll Too Many is never enough!

Chinatown: After Dark

In case you were wondering what happens in Chinatown after dark, or what the last 5 minutes of my walk home look like. YES, that is the Manhattan Bridge.

Chasing Puppies

Should I give up, or do I just keep on chasing puppies even if it leads nowhere? F'reals nothing provides me more fun than chasing my sister's dog and making it go wild. You see if there is one thing you should know about me is that I love to tease. The dog, well, it loves to run. A lot. Even in circles in a hotel room at my sister's wedding. You can see the special guests Laura laughing in the bed, TripB giving me serious eyerollage, and my sister ordering folding chairs on the phone. SPOILER ALERT: When I play dead in the end, I am not really dead. Just pretending!

Happy New Year Y'all

Father Time is wishing you A Very Happy 2012!!!

Well it has come to that point again, a new year, new beginnings, blah blah blah. Personally 2011  had lots of highs and lows, but like all things we must put it behind us. It's time to take all those lessons you learned last year and apply them to this year. I certainly learned my fair share of lessons, and well gosh darn it, I plan on using all that knowledge I gained and plan on applying to myself this year. I made a few resolutions and one of them was to cook more. So guess what I did??

Yup I made my first casserole ever and it was THE BOMB. I actually impressed myself and it was sooo easy. You will be seeing lots more of these in the upcoming year. One of my other resolutions is to stop worrying about this...

Yup I am ril scared this old apocalypse thing is gonna happen on Dec 21, 2012 at 11:11pm, but we can't start worrying about the unknown right? Right? Sigh....

Idol Musings

So I may or may not have been reading spoilers about who makes it to the Top 42 on Idol this season (HEY! Don't judge me!) but one of my favorite contestants from Season 6 (Jordin Sparks season for those not in the know) Baylie Brown makes to the Top 42 this round! I loved her and it's funny I remember her from almost 6 years ago and she didn't even make it that far. Anyways, she's back, she's a little older, her voice I am sure has matured, and I could not be more excited. She's cute as a button, and she is very Carrie Underwood-esque. She has to be 10X better than that Lauren Alaina chick, and I bet she knows all the words to the National Anthem. Just sayin'

Holiday Madness

In all of the holiday party craziness that has happened as of late, I had to share with you a couple of candid and hilarious shots of us.

I don't what disturbs me more: Bex's sinister look, or the look that Craig is currently evoking. It is pain? Is it pleasure? Is he choking? Also what is that thing in his mouth? Doesn't he know he can choke on that thing??

Well this is certainly a candid picture of TripB. It's almost like he didn't even know the camera was there. Ok who are we kidding he ALWAYS knows when there is a camera around. He looks dashingly handsome in his bowtie, per usual. Also what is he doing snooping through the cupboards for?

It all makes sense now. I know that feeling of shame.

So with the holidays fast approaching I wanted to send everyone this high-larious card to say "Happy Holidays" from our little group of friends better known as the BANDITS.

Murder Mysteries

Whenever you go to a Murder Mystery dinner you should always make sure to pack your oversized glasses and fake Virginia Slims because they obviously aid in helping to solve the case.

Also dressing in your newsboy cap and our host calling you "Pee-Wee Herman" helps as well! Whatever it was, we figured out the Murder Mystery and had a blast. The food...notsomuch, but the company was divine!

A Very Bandits Christmas

Happy Holidays.

Love,

The Bandits

A Real Tree-t

6 short days until I get to see this sight again. Yup, been counting down the days until I go home for Christmas like it's my job. I am so thankful my mom always gets a "real" tree since we were on a "fake" tree kick for a while. It just makes our living room smell like fresh pine, which is one of my favorite smells in the world. Well that and the smell of movie popcorn at a theater, which is like heaven to me.

It's Cookie Time!

Ho Ho Ho. Happy Holidays.

Last night we had our (I don't even know how many years we have been doing this, so I am going to take a guess) 3rd Year Cookie Decorating Party at our friend Craig's. It was so much fun to just decorate cookies, listen to Christmas Music, and drink some wine with friends. Oh yeah there was chili too which was damn good.

Look at all of those holiday gems that were made with such tender love and care! Thankfully this guy didn't show up....

Oh man, that would have sucked.

So a majority of the cookies above I decorated. So you have your Siamese Christmas twins cookies, your penis shaped one, lots of crazy stars, a tree or two, oh and this one.

So I never said I was a dessert chef or anything, but I attempted to make a stocking with my intials. Although the end result looks more like a big ol' sperm and two seahorses kissing. Yup, not exactly SM, but I guess it's close enough.

This cookie however was the most creative and best assembled in my humble opinion. Does it look familiar?

Yup - A Clockwork Orange. It's creepy yet so creative, I heart it so hard. Plus the green cane next to him? Genius. Fun times all around and it was such a success. Why was it such a success? It's probably because for the next week or so I have lots of cookies to munch on while getting into the holiday spirit.

Oh Christmas Tree

There is no Christmas Tree more grand or seen by the masses more than the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. It's truly a sight to see and every year it absolutely gives me the same feeling I had when I first saw it as a child: breathtaking. I really look forward to seeing what they do with it every year, and now that I live in NYC I have the pleasure of seeing it whenever I want. Usually this is a lot since I work about 5 blocks away, but it just wouldn't be Christmas without seeing it.

A Very DC Holiday Post

Yes it feels like Christmas! I have been obsessed with the Destiny's Child Christmas album lately. Between that and Michael Buble I don't know which my iPod is more sick of. My favorite on the album is Winter Paradise because let's face it, I am a sucker for an original Christmas song. Can Beyonce do any wrong, even with that crazy blonde look she is trying to pull off? I still don't hate Kelly's red streaks. Or her acting turn in Freddy Vs. Jason. And Michelle, well at least you're pretty and usually get a solo on most DC songs. I said "most" cause you know Beyonce always gotta be front and center. Sho' nuff.

Santa Baby

Because at the end of the day don't we all need a little urban Santa in our lives? This Santa lives in front of my aunt Irene's house in Western Mass, and I simply love it so much. Every Christmas Eve I look forward to seeing it greet me at the door.

Show Me Glove

Leather gloves on men. I can't tell whether I love it or absolutely hate it.

Goodbye Fire Island, For Now

Well I guess I better cash this bank in. Last Monday Fire Island's main center of town - The Pavilion, High Tea, and Low Tea were burnt to the ground in a fire that destroyed so many places I have spent the last 3 summers.

Some time after 9pm last night, a fire destroyed part of Fire Island’s famed Pavilion complex, including La Fountaine, Sip N’ Twirl and the Bistro. Hundreds of Long Island firefighters responded to the call, which Pines co-owner Andew Kirtzman says is now out. The Pavilion, originally constructed in 1980, was razed and rebuilt in 2007 by former owner Eric von Kuersteiner. It was renovated again in 2010 when Kirtzman and his partners took over as new owners.

I don't even know what to say honestly. It's crazy to think that next summer when I go back for my fourth straight summer to vacation, we won't have the Blue Whale to look at when the ferry pulls into the dock. We won't have Middle Tea to dance in on Saturday nights. I keep hearing they are going to rebuild it before next summer, but alas it will never be the same. I don't even know how they are going to be able to do this in less than 6 months, plus with the addition of winter hitting us so soon, it just makes me wonder what will 2012 in Fire Island be like? It will certainly be different, that's for sure. Who knows if they will try to replicate it like nothing happened or they will try to do something new. What I do know is that all of the memories I have of all these places are just that, memories. It's heartbreaking yet perhaps a change will do Fire Island good? Perhaps they will come back bigger and better. Maybe they will finally be able to fit all those gays in Low Tea, or maybe it will just be an empty space come next Memorial Day which is our first weekend in the new house. Whatever happens, I will cherish all the fun times I had there with friends and will always always remember that nothing is forever. Even Fire Island.

What the Hell: Halloween Costumes?

I just saw this photo and a variety of questions peppered my mind as I stood dumbfounded anyone would ever dress like this.

Is it Halloween?

Is that the Monsters from Monsters, Inc?

If you are going to dress your daughter in the same hideous outfit, why does the dog get off scot-free?

Who wears Uggs anymore, nevermind putting Uggs on a shirt?

Are you smoking Meth?

Even your daughter is hiding her face in that outfit from the paparzzi, so why are you proud of your outfit?

Do your handcuffs really have pink fringe that matched the pink fringe on your boots?

Where do you even purchase these outfits? Hot Topic?

Are you sure it's not the monsters from Monsters Inc?

It's like a weird hybrid of the two.

Whatever the reason is, it's not enough to leave your house looking like that. Especially if you were on a show about Teen Moms doing stupid things, many of which did not include dressing your daughter to look as ridiculous as you in pink fur ugg boots and rainbow skirt.

I feel most sorry for the dog.

I Know You Won't: The Duel

You don't have to know me very well to know how much I love Carrie Underwood (if you don't let me show you a little headband). She is flawless in my opinion. Her voice is spot on, she is drop dead gorgeous, and her songs just make melt. I love her sad and painful song "I Know You Won't".

She just has the technical perfection that is unmatched by any artist live. She always hits every note with searing speed and makes it look so effortless. Can anyone hit a note longer or as strong as she can?? The last note on this literally sounds like she can go on forever. I can't sing, but watching her sing makes me want to sing, or dance, or cry, depends on my mood. Although I recently came across Kelly Clarkson's version of it, and while I dig Carrie's version, Kelly's literally knocked me over.

There is something about the emotion behind the song, and the softness in her voice that makes this version better in my opinion. There is a certain pain in her voice and I just feel the lyrics more than I do from Carrie. Maybe there is something about being technically perfect on this song that sort of takes away from the amazing lyrics and hurt that comes with accepting the fact everything is not going to be alright. I like the buildup more from Kelly, and when she goes for those power notes I just feel the same way I felt when I saw her on American Idol, in awe. I also like that Kelly is covering a Carrie song. They are both the best people who won Idol in my humble opinion and I would listen to either of them in concert any day of the week. But in this case I have to give Kelly the props where props are due. She rocked it out, gulp, better than Carrie.

Welcome to My 30's

If this face doesn't say it all! Last night I had a wonderful birthday dinner with a group of closest friends. We had some wine, we laughed, and I cried toasting some of the most important people in my life. As you can tell from my face, I have been quite emotional since entering my 30's. I am ready to embrace my age because you are only as old as you feel. And I feel 29.

Things I Have Learned Since My Last Birthday

Wow, I am still a little in shock that I am going to be turning 30 tomorrow. It's exciting, scary, but overall just another day in my life. I am terrified yet so ready to embrace the next chapter of my future, but completely nervous of what that future may hold. What I can tell you is what I learned over the last year:

I am way more active that I ever thought
So when I was growing up I played baseball, soccer, and basketball. While I wasn't completely crazy about any of them, I eventually took the academic route in high school with the likes of journalism and student council taking over my social life. Since moving to NYC I have become obsessed with dodgeball. So much that I play in a straight and help run a gay league. I have slowly added 2 bowling leagues to my plate and a kickball league. Currently I play sports 5 days a week, which if you would have asked me 10 years ago I thought I would be this athletic as I got older, I would have laughed in your face and then eaten a mozzerella stick. It's healthy for me, it keeps me moving, and I have made some of my best friends in these leagues. I would say that it does take up a lot of my time, but in the end it's still fun for me.

I am WAY more competitive than I need to be
Whether it's a sport, a game night, or even in life, I always play to win. While that might be great when you are on a team with me, I can imagine it's highly annoying when you are playing against me. I get loud, I get crazy, and I get angry. I am trying to really work on this in the new year because I have to remember it's just a game. It's not life or death. Sometimes my competitive side gets the best of me, and I really need to control my emotions and keep them in check. Even if it's over something stupid like a game of beer pong, I need to remember that sometimes when you lose you actually win in the end.

People Can Change
I have heard the saying "A tiger can't change it's stripes". While I think that is true to a degree, I think if you want to change you absolutely can change who you are. If that tiger wanted to be a lion and got some dye for it's fur it can change it's stripes. The problem is they have to want it bad enough. I have recently decided to make some changes in my life to better it in the long run. I realized the life I was living wasn't the life I wanted to live. It kills me to think of everything I wanted over the last year suddenly doesn't matter. All those things I thought I wanted couldn't be further from what I really truly want in my life. Sometimes that wakeup call may never come for some people, but if you really stop and think about what you want - you have the opportunity to make that change. I want to make the change. No one else can make you change  for you if you don't want to change yourself. You have to believe in yourself first and foremost, and if you have someone else to help you believe in you that goes a long way.

My Family Is The Best
They have always been there for anything I needed and they are my biggest support system. I have a very large and very close knit family. We always are there for each other, and recently they have proved to me how amazing they are. They threw me the best surprise party at home, and completely showed me how much they love and care for me. Without them, I don't where I would be today. They have made me the man who I am and for that I am ever so thankful. They always know what to say and have the best judge of character when it comes to friends or boyfriends or whatnot. Also they accept me for who I am. I never have to pretend or be something I am not. I know they will continue to be there for me in the future and I will continue to love them until the day I die.

Never Let True Love Slip Away

Real true love comes around only every so often in life. You may not be expecting it, and you may not be ready for it, but when it happens it consumes you. What I have learned this year is you should never let it go. It is so rare to meet someone you click with instantly and totally gets you that when you find that person you need to always make them your priority. I found a really amazing and special guy who completely came into my life and turned it upside down. We had our highs and we had our lows, but at the end of the day I had a boyfriend and a best friend at my side. I was too selfish with my emotions and it eventually tore us apart. I came back after a lot of self reflection recently and realized I had screwed up one of the best things I had going on in my life. I made the mistake and now I am paying for it. When you find someone you love and you hold dear to your heart make sure you always tell them how much you love them. Make sure to send flowers just to remind them that you care, because one day you may not get the chance to. Little things go a long way. My heart may be broken at the moment, but sometimes we need to hit rock bottom before we can climb our way back to the top. I have never been so much in love before him, and I have never felt this much emotion for anyone so I know it must mean something. I hope one day we can hit the restart button and try to find the love that we both shared so passionately. I know it's not going to be today or tomorrow, but I am hopeful that time can heal all wounds. It's a painful but beautiful thing to realize everything you ever wanted, you already had.

Eurotrip Summary by Ben

Yup - Ben is trying to sum up our time in Munich. He is trying to think but his brain may be a little fried.

A Eurotrip To Remember

So some friends and I went to Europe for our 30th birthdays and it was an amazing experience, but it was also really exhausting. We saw the sights, drank our fair share, and took in the European scene. We started in Amsterdam, and since I lived in the Netherlands back in 2000 it was quite lovely to go back and see a land I once called home.  

So let's start out with the view from our apartment.

To die right? We stayed in a beautiful apartment, but it was tiny! Although this view makes up for sleeping on a "pullout couch" which was like basically a cushion.

We rented some bikes and rode along the canals and hung out in a park outside the Van Gogh museum. It was hilarious and fun, and I have never laughed so hard seeing Ben on the back of our bikes trying to get to the train station.

We had such good luck with the weather. It was beautiful the whole week!

We slowly made our way from Amsterdam on an overnight train to Munich and crashed Oktoberfest in the crazy and most insane way possible. Also we drank a lot of beer.

The steins of beer were out of control and they were expensive yo! Brian had his captain hat on and was ready for duty.

So we drank and sang and some of us even wore leiderhosen!

Dan is cute and festive right? Did I mention that we also rode some rides too??

Oktoberfest is sorta like The Big E but with more rides and lots more beer. Plus people barking at you in German sounds really scary at times. Sadly I lost my wallet on one of the rides, but eventually found it the next day! Huzzah!

I feel the same way about the person who stole my money out of wallet Der. You could not have hit the nail on the head any closer.

We visited an amazing Olympic Park that was just amazing to see in person.

Also amazing was this character from an 80's sitcom who was on the trip with us....oh wait that's Ben? Funny!

This was our awesome crew who drank with us in Munich. They also lent me money and bought me beers when I needed it. Without them I would have been thirsty and broke. Lovely bunch.

After Munich Jocean, Straight Mikey, and I went to Berlin and when we got there this amazing sunset greeted us.

We stayed in the East Village type of neighborhood in Berlin and were surrounded by earthy musicians who didn't look like they showered very much. Was I in the East Village? I will never know.

I got the chance to visit a film studio where we shooting one of the films I am working on. It was great to see the process and to understand the filmmakers intentions. I loved seeing our Berlin studios and meeting some of the crew and seeing the sets. Truly a once in a lifetime experience.

The whole trip was a once in a lifetime experience. The memories and friends I made on this trip will last me for a lifetime. On the way back from the trip I had a nice long train and plane ride to really reflect on my life. I am turning 30 this week and it gave me a chance to put things in perspective. I know now how I want to live the rest of my life, and without this trip I don't think I would have had a chance to think about what I wanted in my future. I think this trip not only helped me to understand how to travel and drink and sleep less than I have ever have before, but it taught me a lot about myself. It taught me that even when you think you know what you want, you always can change your mind. We all have to grow up sometime and after this trip I think my time is now.