Sometimes the Hardest Part of Breaking Is Leaving Pieces Behind You

Kimbra — “Cameo Lover”

This is nonstop baby
You’ve got me going crazy
You’re heavier than i knew
But i don’t want no other
You’re my cameo love
Only here for a moment or two
You stay inside that bubble
With all of your trouble
In your black hole
You turn from the skies
You dance with your demise
I’ll be here when you come home

We’ve all gotta break down
Let me come and break down with you

Cause everyday’s like talking in your sleep!
Love is like a silhouette in dreams!
Open up your heart! Open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out
Everyday’s like talking in your sleep!
Love is like a silhouette in dreams!
Open up your heart! open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out of here

I’ve got high hopes baby
But all you do is take me down to depths that i never knew
You’ve got two arms baby
They’re all tangled in ladies of the black skies posing blue
Let go of your mother
And turn to your brother!
Not a long gone lover’s noose
Sometimes baby the hardest part of breaking is leaving pieces behind you

Oh we’ve all gotta get by
Let me come and hold you high, with you

Hunky Navy Boys Work Their Way Up a Lubricated Phallic Symbol

Before a boy can be considered a man he must strip down to his shorts and climb on top of other boys to reach the peak of a slippery tower. That’s been the tradition at the Annapolis Naval Academy. Who knew teamwork and discipline could be so… gay?

Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake

I used to love throwing a huge birthday party. I’ve had a glow in the dark party, a leather S&M party, an apocalyptic party. This week, for my 26th, I was just happy to share an intimate dinner with close friends. No theme. No costumes. No Facebook invite. Although JP did bring party hats for all of us to wear…

Having my birthday dinner at Suppenkuche was ideal. The German restaurant located in Hayes Valley is Bavarian Wirthaus-style with big dining room in the back and all the great beer you can pour inside an oversized glass boot.

Afterwards we walked to The Residence, a very comfy bar right off Church and Market. I had to leave after my first drink since I found myself yawning. Late twenties, and I need some vitamins.

Art Makes a Splash at The Phoenix Hotel

San Francisco had three fantastic art fairs happening last weekend: SF Fine Arts Fair at Fort Mason, artMRKT at the Concourse Exhibition Center and ArtPad at the Phoenix Hotel. For ArtPad the Phoenix rearranged the hotel rooms overlooking the pool patio and created makeshift galleries to display local art work. I love the vibe of the Phoenix so I dragged Denys to come check out the space for a Black Rock Arts Foundation benefit party on Friday night.

Bay to Breakers, or Why I Don’t Need an Excuse to Drink on the Streets

One of the first things I noticed about San Franciscans is that they simply refuse to live in a city that does not fully embrace themed public drinking en masse. We’re not talking just your typical St. Patrick’s Days, Halloweens and Prides. Beyond that, every neighborhood has its street fairs, North Beach was even converted into a real-life replica of the Candyland board game. In the fall SF hosts Love Fest and Oktoberfest by the Bay. There’s one day with drunken Santas marching down Market, the next month, drunken brides. And even a Hot Jesus Contest at Dolores Park every Easter afternoon.

The biggest of these fests is Bay to Breakers. What started out as an actual race has become a citywide, drunken attack on fashion sense – a celebration on the outskirts of the race right through to the Panhandle. The idea is to get a team of avid party people and dress like the cast of Jersey Shore or Mario Kart characters, as to be easily identified among the crowd. Cops are stationed at certain parts of the race on more of a lookout for public urination than public consumption. Nudity is legal in the city, so there’s not much more you can do to warrant being arrested under the influence.

Media: Sex and Instagram Radio Podcast with Emily Morse

Last month I went into the studio to talk with Emily Morse and cohort Menace about gay dating on Instagram, more specifically my article which had just been published on The Huffington Post. It was perfect timing to broach the topic on Sex with Emily because news of Facebook acquiring Instagram broke that very morning.

We talked about the lack of bros at Hunky Jesus (2:50-mark), male versus female circumcision (19:30-mark) and party hopping with Andy Cohen (8:30-mark) (the three of us were all at an amfAR benefit last Fall). When I visited Emily’s show, she was finally in the clear to talk about her upcoming reality TV show Miss Advised premiering June 18, so I tried to convince her to host a special screening of the Bravo show at the Castro Theatre.

Oh, we also talked tons about Instagram! The latter half of the show, starting at the 24-minute mark, was dedicated entirely to that topic.

Take Your Mama Out Tonight

A version of this post originally appeared on GayCities.com.

Following in Scissor Sisters’ musical advice, I treated my mom to a fabulous weekend in San Francisco for Mother’s Day. We started the evening with drinks at The View bar on the 39th floor of the Marriott. If it’s too chilly to be outdoors as the sun sets, this view of the of the city as the night lights start twinkling is breathtaking through those high glass windows.

Then we headed to the Castro for dinner at Starbelly, one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood. My mom got distracted by all the weekend Castro chaos (rainbow flags, leather daddies, party fliers with bare butts) that she tripped and fell right on the corner of 17th and Market. I turned around to see her on hands and knees, bowing down close to the ground. Apparently my mom thought that visiting the Gay Mecca required a similar praying position.

Denys met up with us at Starbelly. I knew my mom would be thrilled with my choice for dinner because — being Mexican — we both love jalapeños sprinkled on pretty much everything. The Starbelly pizza and spaghetti did the trick.