Tawdry Talk

I woke up at 07:00 and quickly showered, dressed and made a mad dash out the door to the 21-Hayes to Fourth and Martket Streets, where I transfered to the 9-San Bruno heading south to Daly City and the Cow Palace. Why, you ask, would anyone do such a silly thing on a Saturday morning? Well, my loverlies, today was Day 0 of the AIDS/LifeCycle!

The safety video, then breakfast with some of the other veteran massage team members, then hanging at the picnic table that Team Bear commandeered to sell t-shirts and to write checks for riders who were still a little bit short of donations. The great thing about Team Bear this year is that we were able to have several thousand dollars available to give away to riders who were in need. Partially because of our own fund raising efforts, and also because the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence gave us a $4500 check last Monday at our Lone Star Saloon beer bust.

At 14:00 all five hundred fifty roadies met for the big roadie meeting, and after all the usual speechifying, we broke up into our respective teams. There look to be around 25 massage therapists this year, and the team captains did a good job in creating a schedule that seems very workable. We ended up with forest green t-shirts this year, which are much better looking than the ugly heather gray shirts from last year.

Once the meeting was over, my tent-mate, Thilo, and I headed over to tent assignment, and we got our tags. As massage team roadies camp “off the grid,” the only thing we need to know is that our truck is “D” for loading our gear.

I can’t find my camera, which is freaking me out a little bit.

I have one more load of laundry to do tonight before I head to bed. The opening ceremonies start at 06:00 and the ride-out starts at 06:30, but that takes at least an hour, and then we’ll wait around a while before we get on the buses and head to Santa Cruz to start our work.

Wish me luck, and see you all in a week!

Tonight at the Eagle, Team Bear held its big send-off dinner, Sub-Zero. Pete King threw together a fantastic dinner of steak, a delightful Alfredo with mushrooms, giant-sized veggies, corn on the cob, a beautiful salad that had craisins and maple glazed pecans, and cheesecake brownies for dessert.

I got there in time to catch my breath and be the donation collector at the head of the buffet. It was really great to be able to greet each person and welcome them to our dinner party. I love doing that sort of thing.

After dinner, Pete got up and said a few words, then Sister Mary Juanita High gave a short blessing of the crowd, and she was her usual kitschy, elegant self. Her habit tonight was every elegant and beautiful. Sister Uma God was giving a short sneak preview of one of her red dresses.

After hanging at the Eagle for a while, Sister Mary gave Sister Uma and I a ride home, seeing as we live on adjacent blocks of Fell Street.

I have stuff to do still before I sleep. But tomorrow is Day 0 - Orientation Day.

Oh, crap. I’ve been sitting here at home getting ready for the ALC, and I brain-farted about my 1pm client! I haven’t forgotten an appointment in years!

I am going to be in Los Angeles for the end of the AIDS/LifeCycle on June 7th and 8th. My plans so far involve going to see patrock and the rest of the Fat Bottom Girls at the LA Eagle on Saturday night.

If you feel like you want to hang out, O Mighty LA Peeps, now you know.

In other news, I am only $205 away from $1000 in my donations for the AIDS/LifeCycle! If everyone reading this contributed even a tiny amount, I could make that level. Please donate today!

Hot Chicken Salad with Mayonnaise is just about the grossest thing ever!

I am so done with talking about the LJ Advisory Board election.

Let’s braid out hair and talk about boys!

On Sunday, I made a very brief visit to the Eagle and Lone Star busts to make an appearance before heading over to the Bench And Bar for The Team Bear Send-off Party. I got my massage chair set up in a lovely location, and almost from the get-go, I was fairly busy. Ended up massaging for three-and-a-half hours and raised $208 (well, technically $216, but I bought a cocktail before I turned the cash in to Pete) for Team Bear! Hooray!

The party overall raised around $1300, so that was groovy. Team Bear has raised over $100k through individual fund raising efforts as well as group activities like beer busts and parties. The final total will be known shortly. It’s not too late to make a donation to the AIDS/LifeCycle via my donation page! Any donation, no matter how small or large, is tremendously appreciated.

We had a band perform, ejector, and if you get a chance to see them live, I urge you to do so - they are the next Erasure/Pet Shop Boys… and they’re local San Francisco guys.

After that, Pete, Aaron, Zack, Jessie and I went to Mel’s Drive-In on Mission back in San Francisco. They were all going to be going to Sanctuary, but after the meal, Zack and Jessie headed somewhere, and Pete, Aaron, and I went to 440 for a nightcap. Not too long after that, though, everyone was tired, and we said goodnight. I got home around 02:30 and was asleep by around 03:00. A fun evening.

Monday was the last Team Bear fundraiser of the season - a beer bust at the Lone Star. Fortunately, I didn’t have to work it, but I did have a few beers, socialized, and announced the final raffle of the evening, so that was fun. After the bust, Pete, Aaron, Sister Uma God, and I went to Ali Baba’s for Mediterranean food. It was moderately groovy, but I don’t really have to go back.

Go vote for Jameth now! Thank you.

Has anyone ever gone to the Timberfell Lodge in Tennessee? What about the Deliverance run? Any thoughts?

Time for a quick recap of the past few days:

• Friday

• Worked out at the gym with Jason, then had lunch with him at askew grill.

• Went to SFO to pick up my rental car for this weekend’s activities.

• Drove down to Pacifica to see a good buddy for a long-overdue play session.

• Drove back from Pacifica and got some breakfast.
• Got home and slept a little while.
• Tried to find the numbers for a beer bust I hosted back in December for Team Bear, but couldn’t find them.
• Went to the Edge to support Team Bear’s fund raising activities - bought the beer bust and a Team Bear Athletic Supporter t-shirt. Had a single beer.
• Wrestled around with Jason on the sidewalk outside the bar, gave him a couple of piggyback rides. Apparently, it scares gay boys to see two men engage in physical play like that.
• Jason and I went to In-N-Out in Daly City for his first double-double. Dropped him off at home.
• Went to hang out with Pete at his place for a while to debrief on the beer bust, and other stuff.
• Came home and crashed out.