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.

To Be Absolutely Ridiculous

Take Me to Cher’s Old House

Last night GayCities asked me to represent them in a cocktail contest at the Lookout sponsored in part by the Palm Springs visitors bureau, Alaska Airlines and Stoli vodka. As a judge, I had three bartenders mustering up all their mixology skills trying to impress me with a signature cocktail plus a bonus round of surprise shots. The winning bartender got a free trip to Palm Springs! Also on the panel and sitting on either side of me, funny lady BeBe Sweetbriar and Paul Miller, owner of Truck and Rebel.

Two of the signature drinks were made with a recently reaveled Stoli flavor, jalapeño — so that was a nice change of taste. All the bonus shots just tasted like medicine to me, but by that point I was rather drunk. While waiting for new rounds of drinks, I talked to equally woozy BeBe about her new single which is dropping soon, just in time for Pride. After the scores were tabulated, I was glad to see that James from the Lookout won the big trip. How can you not root for the shirtless guy who requires his signature drink to be shaken vigorously?

Love in the Time of Text Messages

“Levithan crafts a love affair as sharp, funny and sad as any you’d find in an epic novel… The Lover’s Dictionary isn’t about how lessons were learned, and in what order—it’s a documentation of facts, memories, war wounds. And anyone who has been in a romantic relationship will recognize themselves in Levithan’s lovers, from the tiniest details of merging bookshelves and quiet afternoons to the largest anxieties of sexual inadequacy and romantic reciprocity. Levithan’s rhapsody is just that: an ode to desire written as an account of the traces such desire leaves behind.”

—Jessica Freeman-Slade, TheRumpus.net

Music Is My Boyfriend

Skullcandy is getting ready to unveil a completely redesigned and newly engineered line of headphones, and I got to play with them and test them out before the big launch next week. Words, obviously, cannot replicate the listening experience but the Hesh 2.0 (above) and the Aviator (below) were my favorites.

The new line of Skullcandy headphones go on sale starting this Monday, May 7. Music lovers should definitely ch-ch-check them out!

Excerpt: Risky Behavior

“Have you engaged in any risky sexual behaviors lately?” Billy asked.

“Doesn’t all sex come with a risk?” Wilde had a point. He had learned that not every risk involving sex manifested itself physically, diagnosable by a blood test. Some risks compromised things closer to the core.    

Excerpt, Confessions of a Boy Toy

I’ll Build a Rocket and I’ll Fly to Space, Just So That I Can Touch Your Picture Perfect Face

Charli XCX — “I’ll Never Know”

I took a look into your ocean heart
And ever since I stumble through the dark
I’m like a moth attracted to a flame
‘Cause since we’ve met you know I’ve never been the same

Oh I’m like a tiger but in black and blue
‘Cause all my bruises running all for you
I wonder if you’ll ever known my name
I wonder if we’ll ever, ever meet again
What if I see you alone on the pavement?
Will my heart freeze? Will the sun melt down my bones?
‘Cause when I think of you my fingers are quicksand
I want to hold you close
I’ll never know

I’m searching deserts and the morning skies
Just to stare into your diamond eyes
I’ll build a rocket and I’ll fly to space
Just so that i can touch your picture perfect face

I wonder if you’d do the same for me
Or would you stay there and just let me be?
And all my blood will drip the color gold
‘Cause that’s the love that runs for you within my soul