The Pooches and the Pea

The dogs have really upgraded from the standard Motel 6 to the Venetian suite in my bedroom over the last three years. When Cricket was an only child he slept in his crate, and sometimes in the bed. When the storck brought Ralph, it was back to the crate, then eventually a dog pillow that they destroyed about six times.

Then I found a sturdy dog bed from Target that lays next to my bed. They liked it ok but hated cuddling against the wall. Or at least in my mind they hated it. Uncle Stuart gave them a mesh dog bed that I used to pad the wall horizontally between the sturdy dog bed and the green wall separating us from the 2nd floor laundry room. Then he got them a beautiful red and gray afghan from CB2 with a paw on it.

Then...I had their image embroidered on a throw, because I am a flamer.

Excuse me a moment, Ralph is drinking from the toilet.
I feel they have it all now. Unless I can find some sort of a canopy.

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Alan's Hot Spot

When I first moved to San Francisco, back in March of 2004, I remember unpacking one suitcase, putting my bed on the carpet and running to grab my keys and my laptop, headed for Starbucks. I was 25 and newly out. I had joined a gay social networking site called Connexion and I had received a message from Alan.

I went to Starbucks and signed up for a one year pass to the T-mobile hotspot. T-mobile provided Internet service for users in Starbucks, Kinkos, AT and T stores and airports--and for $30 a month it would be my one way ticket to read messages from Alan.

Alan was listed as 5' 4" and 150 pounds. One of his pics had him shirtless and he was built like Canadian WWF legend Dino Bravo. His interests included Skittles and softball. He had Brown hair and he was 29 and looked like my aunt Judy. He was sexy but he was also nice. He LOL'ed an awful lot in our messages.

While I didn't actually go on a date with Alan until September of that year, I went to Starbucks daily to look for a message from him. I bought a lot of coffee and hot chocolate and biscottis because I felt guilty just using their hotspot. I used to go to the Wells Fargo next to the Starbucks and use their direct deposit advance to get $20 or $40 bucks to make sure I could afford these visits over that summer. Occasionally, I'd meet other guys on the site and meet up with them that night at the Midnight Sun or Moby Dicks. I accumulated $3000 in credit card debt from the time I landed in San Francisco until the moment I met Alan six months later.

We went on two dates.

And wi-fi at Starbucks is now free. I'm typing this from one now.

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Location:Starbucks West Hollywood

Fuckin Perfect Music Video, In My Opinion.

Who needs a root canal?

Big News
Coming Soon
August 5 Sacramento
August 8 San Francisco
August 10 Los Angeles

Everything will be fine

I remember working at CPK when I was in my mid-twenties, hawking pizza, pasta and more all over Los Angeles, feeling like just another waiter in LA without much of a future. I was a standup comic, and while respected among my peers, I was also niche because I was gay. So I never liked telling anyone what I did for a living because I didn't excel in my field. I mean, I was a really good waiter--but it was a glorified Chuck E Cheese in Studio City. It wasn't like I was a captain at Boa or a manager at The Ivy. I was just another guy in a fruity tie by day and a tattered beanie with a notebook by night.

I quit when I had a revelation about fitness, that I was better at motivating fat people than Jackie Warner. I retired from bringing dressing on the side and got certified, after failing my test twice, as a personal trainer. I was no Tracy Anderson. My clients were all friends, and I did not have a beautiful body either. By then I was writing a lot more, and hoped to get a book deal with my weight loss story. But I had no experience as a professional writer. Again, I lived in fear of introducing myself and my careers and aspirations. I feared being judged as not the very best in my trades. And in doing so, in not owning my journey, I didn't get better. I got bitter and put on some weight.

But before all of these jobs I worked in broadcasting. I was on the fast track beginning at 17 to run show business as an intern in country radio, then at a record label and several tv shows. I left to go lose all that weight, and when I got back in tv at 30 as an assistant--again I cowered behind my age versus title rank in the equation of success. It was rough...rough...rough. For about a year I hid behind my A.D.D.-ish 20's, and how they were shaping my early 30's.



Sometimes it sucks not being really cool and rich and respected. But at least in this picture, I'm holding the leash.

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Farewell Spin

I'm sad today. It was my last spin class. Work has gotten too busy to continue leaving so early on Mondays. But I have treasured our 30 weeks together--and I will be back someday, I promise. Thanks for being there. XOXO, Sean
Farewell Spin:
"My Life Would Suck Without You" Kelly Clarkson
"Ego" Beyonce
"Firework" Katy Perry
"Aint No Mountain High Enough" Diana Ross and the Supremes
"River Deep, Mountain High" Glee Cast
"Single" New Kids on the Block
"Raise Your Glass" Pi!nk
"Reason" Hoobastank
"Club Can't Handle Me" Flo Rida
"Fuck You" Cee Lo Green
"I Made It" Kevin Rudolph and Ca$h Money Heroes
"Thanks For the Memories" Fall Out Boy