Happy 4th of July in Boston!

Above: Me on the Cape, photo taken by Zach's Nanny Lois aka Button.

It's the last day of our 10 day trip in Boston and I am ready to go back to San Fran! I do have to say I did have a blast in Boston, but I don't miss living here at all!!

Above: Boston

We arrived in Boston last week and we were at Paul's nephews wedding, pictures of the wedding can be found below. The we had a family gathering the day after the wedding which was nice and we also saw some old friends. It was great to see everyone, I miss our old Boston brood - but it seems like more and more of our Boston friends are leaving Boston as well.

Above: Me, Patrick and Paul - we had a great visit with our friends Patrick and Frank.

Above: Paul, me and Frank in Cambridge Mass.

Above: Boston Boys! (from left to right) Jim, Charlie, Me, Paul, Kevin & Jack.

Above: Me and Kevin.

Above: Kevin, Me, Jim, Charlie and Paul at Flashes in Boston.

We then headed to my cousin's house in Western Mass. My cousin and family had not yet met Zachary yet so I was excited for them to meet him. We had so much fun at my cousins house, I really enjoy being with my cousin, her family and my aunt and uncle. Great people!

Above: My cousin Nic and Me.

Above: Me and Zach taking a dip in my cousins pool.

Above: Chicken Fights!!!

Above: Zach having fun with my cousins children, Duffy and Cooper.

Above: My Aunt Laurie and my Uncle Bernie playing a game of golf.

We then headed to the cape with Zach and spent a few days there with Zach's mom Carrie and her family, again another great few days of rest and relaxation - truly a wonderful time.

Above: The beautiful Cape house we stayed at.

Above: The Cape Clan - Ciara, Me, Paul, Zach, Carrie, Button and Iggy.

Above: Beautiful Zachary!

Above: An inviting pool at the Cape House.

Above: Like father, like son...

Above: Me at the Cape.

We then ended our trip with an awesome 4th of July cookout at Paul's family's house. It was a great time in Boston and I am sure we will be back in a few months!! Enjoy the photos!

Above: The Johnsons and the Sarsfields.

Above: Me and Paul's niece Hailey enjoying our Friendly's ice cream!!

Above: Zach and Paul eating their sundaes!

Above: Zach waiting patiently for the duck boat tour to start.

Whitney Houston - I Didn't Know My Own Strength - New single

Whitney Houston is my favorite singer of all time. She is hands down one of the best singers ever. I have always been a fan of hers and really have been rooting for her to have a major comeback - well it is here. Her new single from is called "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" leaked on the web and I am pleasantly surprised. The song is an old school ballad that could have easily been on anyone of her albums from the 80s or 90s. The lyrics really are a great way for Whitney to express where she has been and where she is going. It's a very inspirational song and for a woman that has been in the industry a long time it's nice to see her not using cheap lyrics and a slutty image to sell record. for instance, Mariah Carey who is 40 has a new album and song coming out a week before Whitney and Mariah's album cover looks like she is on the street corner and the lyrics to her new song sound like it was written by Hannah Montana. Mariah has nothing on Whitney - Whitney is in a league of her own and Mariah will never be in the same class - ever.

Above: The trash bag that is Mariah Carey can be seen on her forthcoming album cover above - yikes! Bad photo shop job.

The big question has been can Whitney still sing? Yes, she can but the voice that made her a phenomenon is gone, forever. Her voice is deeper, raspier and not as crisp BUT Whitney is 45 years old (46 in August) and like any great singer (Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews) the voice does age as well. Even if Whitney had taken care of her voice as well as other divas it would have aged. For instance, Whitney's cousin Dionne Warwick had a very clean crisp voice when she came out in the early 1960s, when Dionne had a huge comeback in the 80s her voice was much deeper and raspier. Now, if you listen to Whitney's new song, her voice is still better than most female artists on the radio today, there are only a few that can sing better right now (Leona Lewis, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys & Celine Dion). Whitney can still sing and she sounds great, she just has a more mature voice.

Above: Whitney Houston recently in LA preparing for her long-awaited comeback!

Whitney's new album, I Look to You, drops on September 1st and I am looking forward to buying it. I am hoping it's a solid album and does well for Whit. I am praying for a major Whitney Houston comeback!! Take a listen to her new single below. It should be on iTunes in a few weeks.

Michael Jackson

Above: Michael Jackson before and after. He looks great on the right - what happened!?!?

I am sure about everyone who has a blog has blogged about the death of Michael Jackson. I never would have thought one of my biggest idols growing up would die at such a young age.

Paul and I were on an airplane flying to Boston when it happened. The first headline we saw was that MJ had a heart attack - my first thought was he is faking or it isn't as serious as the media is trying to say it is. Then it said he was in a coma and then I was like - ok MJ maybe you took too many meds and then the news reported he had died. WHAT!?!?! I know many people are saying that its not shock - but it was a shock to me. I mean he was only 50 and even thought he was on a ton of meds so are more than half of Americans. I was totally floored by his death.

Above: Best selling album off all-time.

I do think it's a shame the way his life ended up with all the accusations of abuse, his strange transformation from a black man into a white woman and his lack of anything music worthy in over 10 years.

Above: At his peak.

At any rate - I will say that he is the most important male musical artist of my generation. He is the Elvis of my time and I am still in shock over it. I remember I first started getting into Michael Jackson at the age of 8 when the Thriller album came out - I wore it out. I would roller skate in my basement to his songs. I had posters, jackets, puzzles -- you name it if it was MJ I had it.

Above: Legacy.

I am hoping Jackson is remembered for his artistry and not his weirdness. He was one of the most talented artists ever.

My top ten fave Michael Jackson Songs:

He was one of my fave pop artists and I am not ashamed to admit I had all of his albums mostly in vinyl! As corny as this is - here are my top ten fave MJ songs:

1. Man in the Mirror (1988) - The words to this song are powerful and moving and i still love this song today - in my opinion the best MJ song. It made you look at yourself and see what little thing you could do to change the world. Make that change!

2. Ain't No Sunshine (1972) - It's hard to believe MJ sang this song with so much emotion and passion at the age of 13 - he may of not been the first artist to record it, but he sang it the best.

3. Rock with You (1979) - Such a great feel good end of the disco-era song. Just a taste of things to come when he released this song.

4. Wanna Be Startin' Someting (1983) - "Mama say mama sa ma ma coo saw." I remember when this song came out my two brothers and I would laugh ourselves silly listening to that verse and jump on our beds having pillow fights. So much fun - a moment in my life I'd love to rewind to.

5. Billie Jean (1983) - Probably one of the best songs of the 80s and it really started my fandom of MJ at the age of nine.

6. Black or White (1991) - I like this song, but I laugh thinking about it now - especially when a born black MJ turned white is singing "It don't matter if your Black or White" --- apparently it did matter...

7. Smooth Criminal (1988) - I used to love this song, still do, great dance song - would love to just rock it out to this song right now.

8. Thriller (1984) - Just for the historical video alone.

9. Beat it (1983) - Moonwalk.

10. You are Not Alone (1995) - This is probably the last song that Michael recorded that was good, after this song he really didn't record anything worth listening to.

Wedding Photos

Above: Me, Paul and Zach at the wedding. My new favorite picture:-)

This past Friday Paul's nephew got married - it was an amazing wedding. Zach was asked to be the ring bearer in the wedding it - this was Zach's first wedding. He was so damn cute in the wedding!!! Anyway, I wish the bridge and groom, Ashley and Andrew, all the happiness in the world. I took over 300 photos - half of them are on Facebook BUT I selected my top 20 photos I took at the wedding. Enjoy:-)

Above: This is one of my favorite photos I have ever taken. I couldn't have planned this picture.

Above: A beautiful shot of the bride and groom.

Above: I was watching the wedding party walk away and though - no one ever takes a photo of the wedding party from the rear view - I love the look of this photo.

Above: Zach in a tux was priceless - he looked like a little man.

Above: Bride Ashley talking to Zach - love the candid moment.

Above: My favorite wedding party photo.

Above: The groom and the bride entering the sea of guests.

Above: Three beautiful ladies!

Above: Me and Zach dancing - he's a great dancer!

Above: Zach hated the tight collar and his cousin Jake was trying to ease his discomfort.

Above: Such a beautiful photo.

Above: I love photographing Zach - his face is so amazing.

Above: Me and Paul:-)

Above: Everyone looked amazing.

Above: Zach taking the time out to wave to the camera.

Above: Stunning.

Above: Paying tribute to Michael Jackson.

Above: Growing up too fast!

Above: Again, growing up too fast - before we know it - it will be cousin/niece Hailey's wedding!

Boycott Perez Hilton - Support Dustin Lance Black

Above: Perez and Me back in 2008.

Ok - it's about time that Perez Hilton's 15 minutes of fame were up. Recently, Perez Hilton felt the need to bring down a positive gay role model and drag him through the mud. Dustin Lance Black is an openly gay male who won an Oscar for best screenplay this past year for his story on Harvey Milk. Dustin is not only an inspiration for the gay community by bringing the story of Harvey Milk to life, but he's also an inspiration for being an openly gay male that won and Oscar. I am inspired by Dustin for bringing to life an amazing story about a gay hero! Dustin has been an inspiration to the entire gay community young and old.

Above: Dustin Lance Black

So why would Perez choose to exploit nude pictures of Dustin having sex with an old boyfriend? Why would he choose to glorify it and drag a gay role model through the mud when the gay community is lacking role models?? Because frankly, Perez Hilton, is a piece of shit. He's a miserable human being that could only wish he was having the hot sex that was depicted in the pictures of Dustin Lance Black. Perez's miserable existence is exactly why he chose to lash out at Dustin. Think about it, who would have sex with Piggy Perez?? NO ONE! Perez may be rich and famous, BUT he doesn’t have what money can’t buy and that's love and respect.



Perez has dragged Dustin through the mud, and he blames it on the fact that Dustin never should have taken sex photos, - who the fuck cares!! Most people have sex Perez -- we know your not having it but exploring sex with your husband, wife, partner or whatever is a fun thing to do. Many couples gay and straight have fun taking nude pictures or sex videos of each other - it's sexual exploration that is encouraged to spice up a couple's sex life or just to increase the enjoyment of it. It's encouraged and millions of people have done it. This is something you don't understand because you have never had it - I often wonder if you have even ever had sex.


I am asking everyone to boycott anything related to Perez "Piggy" Hilton. Don't buy his crap, don’t go to his pathetic blog, and don’t support anything he does. He's worthless and there is no reason to support his hatred. Why do so many losers who don't have a life (i.e. S.J.) feel the need to drag people that do have a life through the mud - plain and simple they are jealous of that life they wish they were living!

Videos Clips from Paris!

Check out some video highlights from our trip to Paris!

Paris

Above: My favorite picture of the entire trip - this picture sums up Paris.

Here are a few photos of us when we were in Paris last month. I wish we had a bit more time to explore Paris - it was beautiful!!! More photos can be found on facebook.

Above: Me awake for 24 hours and still going!

Above: Booksellers

Above: An amazing piece of architecture.

Above: A street in Paris.

Above: Paul in front of a store names "Paul" - they sell perfume I think.

Above: Notre Dame Church

Above: Beautiful view.

Above: Stormy skies were a brewing.

Above: Entrance to the park and marketplace.

Above: The Louvre

Above: Entering The Louvre.

Above: My favorite statue outside of the Louvre

More Photos from Greece

Above: Me and Paul enjoying a brewski in Greece.

We took so many photos of Greece I couldn't possibly put them all up on the blog. I selected some of my fave -- you can see more on my Facebook profile. Was a trip I will remember forever.

Above: The most southern tip of Athens.

Above: This is me looking into the Mediterranean Ocean before I am about to dive into the amazing clear blue water.

Above: A shot of what the many outdoor dining places look like in Greece.

Above: Paul next the an enormous flower pot!
Above: Me hamming it up with the mannequins.

Above: A cute photo of Paul waiting for our beer and food.

Above: Enjoying a huge stein of Heineken.

Above: A view of the Temple of Hephaestus.

Above: The amazing Temple of Hephaestus.

Above: A line of ancient statues inside the Stoa of Attalos.

Above: An amazing statue, even though it's hundreds of years old it looks alive to me.

Above: One of my favorite shots I took on the trip - The Pillars of the Stoa of Attalos.

Above: Me next to a statue of Aphrodite.

Above: Me admiring the amazing view.

Above: Peace.

Above: One of the statues into the entrance of the ancient marketplace.

Above: Me getting some rays inside of Hadrian's Library.

Above: Paul inside Hadrian's Library under an impressive archway.

Ancient Greece

Above: Me in front of the Parthenon.

Paul and I are still in Greece, I wanted to post some photos on here. We have ben in Greece for almost a week now and it's truly an amazing place. Just walking around the city and and exploring the ancient city and realizing all the history that this great city holds.

Above: An amazing view of the Acropolis from the city of Athens.

Above: At the Acropolis, this is the Stoa of Eumenes.

Above: The entrance to the Acropolis, Propylaea.

Above: Another shot of the full entrance to the Acropolis, Propylaea

Paul and I went to the Acropolis and viewed the ancient ruins and just marveled at the amazing artistry that went into these fine pieces of architecture. it's funny to compare what the Greeks were doing hundreds of years before Christ and what the Indians were doing around that time as well...no comparison and even as years went on the Indians still had the primitve teepee and totum poles and here the Greeks and Romans were producing these outstanding pieces of work and several are still standing tall today.

Above: The amazing Parthenon.

Above: Side-view of the Parthenon.

Above: Paul at the Parthenon.

Above: Paul admiring the Parthenon.

It's really been a trip of a lifetime and has opened my eyes even more to different cultures and ways of life. Enjoy a fraction of the photos we took - there are more on my facebook page if you are a friend of mine, you can view them. I will be posting more photos on the blog shortly.

Above: My favorite - The Old Temple of Athena on the right and the left part is the Erechtheum.

Above: These beautiful pillars decorate the porch of the Old Temple of Athena.

Above: The amazing Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

Above: Entrance to the Temple of Zeus, Hardin's Gate.

Above: A view from the Acropolis looking down at the Temple of Zeus.

Above: Temple of Zeus with the fortress Acropolis in back of it.

Above: Look at how grand the Temple of Zeus is! I look so tiny next to it.

Above: A fallen pillar at the Temple of Zeus.

Above: A view of the city of Athens from the Acropolis.

98th Bay to Breakers San Francisco 2009

Turner & Paul celebrating finishing the race!

Paul ran in his first Bay to Breakers today with temps already in the 80s by the time the race started at 8am - heatwave in SF right now! Zach and I went to watch our first Bay to Breakers - we missed seeing Paul run in the race by seconds but Zach and I still had a blast watching the wild people run the race in costumes, masks and naked! Only in San Francisco! Check out some of the pictures from the event.

Above: Zach at Bay to Breakers.

Athens, Greece

Well, it looks like Paul and I are off to Greece in two weeks!!! I am so excited. I have never been out of North America so going to Greece in a few weeks is going to be an amazing adventure that I am going to never forget! I really never thought I'd make it to Europe before the of 50, glad I am doing it while I am in my 30s. Growing up I loved geography, still do, and I did a report on Greece once and ever since then it was the place I wanted to go to the most all my life. My mother was the same way - she always told me she wanted to go there more than anywhere else and that if I ever went to send her something from Greece. I may just send her something with no explanation to see if she remembers our talks many many years ago about Greece and that report I did ( with her) that we had so much fun doing together.



It's going to be such an amazing adventure and I know I will be overwhelmed with the whole trip. I will be taking pictures and video from the trip non-stop so I will be posting many updates from the trip here. So stay tuned.

I really would love to go to Europe with Zach someday when he is a little older - I'd love to see him explore the countries and really get into it. Someday!:-)

Stinson Beach

Above: A picture I shot while driving of Stinson Beach.

This past Saturday Paul, Zach and I went to Stinson Beach in Marin County. I have been wanting to go to this beach for a long time now and we finally made our way to the beach that everyone has been recommending we go to. Zach has been there before with his mom and grandparents so he was familiar with all it's beauty.

Above: Stinson Beach from afar.

Above: A rocky view of Stinson Beach.

The trek out to the beach was about an hour - lots of traffic and the long windy road to get there was unlike any road I have driven on. It had so many twists and turns in it I really thought we were going to go over the edge! There were very few guardrails and the drop was a straight drop right off the cliffs - pretty scary.

Above: The long windy road we took to get to Stinson Beach.

Once we arrived at the beach Zach said he wanted to go home and Paul was already grumbling because he hates the beach - but I was determined to get everyone in great spirits and loving the beach on such a beautiful day!

Above: Peaceful.

Above: Zach excited to be at the beach!

Above: Me trying to get Zach into his swimsuit.

Above: Zach.

Above: Zach is all smiles.

It worked! We all had an awesome time at the beach and it was the most beautiful beach that I have been to so far. The water was ice cold but we all managed to get a little wet. The beach to me is such a relaxing and surreal place for me. I could spend hours on the beach just listening to the water and running my feet through the sand. I am not a sun worshiper and I do wear SPF 70 when I go out in the sun, not because I burn - I do tan but I don't want to look like a piece of leather. I lathered up Zach with SPF 70 too and told him he will thank me someday for having nice skin when he is older:-) hee hee!

Above: Zach and me testing out the cold water.

Above: My favorite picture from our beach trip - Zach and Paul running away from the icy waves.

Check out the amazing pictures from our day at the beach. For those of you on Facebook, there are many more pictures to view.

Facebook is a Blog Clog

I love looking back on my blog posts over the past 2 plus years + of blogging, but I have noticed that I am blogging much less and I blame Facebook for that. Facebook, in essence, is one big blog but you reach more people and interact with people more instantly, unlike a blog where people have to take the time to research and read it.

I love Facebook, I have reconnected with some people from my past that I never imagined I would be in touch with. People from elementary school, lost family members, high school bullies, you name it I have reconnected with them. These people have now become a part of my daily life and no my every walking move on Facebook. Good or bad? I still have not decided. Has Facebook messed with the future? Was I really suppossed to reconnect with my 1st grade crush?

I am going to try to blog more since I find blogging more as a scrapbook of my life and Facebook as more of the now, living in the moment.

So I am blaming Facebook for my lack of blogging:-)

Britney Spears - Circus

Last Sunday night, I was taken to the Britney Spears "Circus" concert by one of my best friends Ryan. We went with two more of our close friends Will and Evan to San Jose and were all pumped to see Ms. Spears. On our way there, we talked about what Britney songs and albums we like. I am not a huge Britney fan, I was in my early 20s when she first hit the pop music scene and I really liked her when she first came out. She was energetic, perky, had great dance moves and was wholesome....well maybe not so wholesome...

Above: Britney in her early days - before the madness started.

The show opened with the glorified stripper group, The Pussycat Dolls. They were pretty good, the lead singer could sing and they were entertaining. After they were done the stage needed to be assembled for Britney's arrival and we decided to get some grub at the concert. The people at this concert were mostly young girls between the ages of 18-30. Some of these girls were "raised" with Britney and it showed, for the most part the girls looked trashy, overdone and sloppy. It was kind of scary to visually see the sea of what Britney had inspired. Not good. NOT good.

Britney's "circus" was about to begin and I have to say, I was really excited to see the troubled pop star in all her glory. I am a huge fan of celebrities and we had great seats so I was cheering and clapping. Then from the ceiling comes Brit herself looking as beautiful as ever with long blond locks, an amazing figure that I am sure she worked hard to get back and a perfectly made up face. She looked amazing!

Above: A shot I took from the show.

After her first few songs, I realize that she was lip syncing, which was upsetting since her vocals are not great to begin with - I figured she should be able to sing live for some of her songs. Nope. She lip synced the entire show. Oye! Not only did she lip sync but she seemed a bit lost on stage and not fully into it. Her amazing dancing days were gone - her feet never really moved from the ground and most of her movements were her upper body and hands/arms swaying around. The flips, kicks, squats and twirls were no where to be seen, that's I wanted to see - her "Hit me Baby One More Time" days are gone.

Above: Brit when she lost her mind and shaved her head. I like the look - I have thought of doing the same thing!

The show was entertaining but I couldn't help feel a bit of sadness when leaving the show. I feel bad for Brit in a way....ten years ago a young girl hit the pop scene and became an overnight sensation. I feel it never should have happened or maybe it should have stopped after her first CD. I don't feel Brit is living the life she wants to live even though she is rolling in the dough. She seems lost, scared and still spiraling out of control even underneath all her newly in-shape self.

Time will only tell what will be in store for Brit - I will go out on a limb an predict that she will not be where Madonna is today at 50.

Getting Married

All my life I never understood why people spend thousands of dollars on a wedding, I always thought it made more sense to have a low-key wedding somewhere that was affordable and take all those thousands of dollars on the wedding you were going to spend and invest it in a house. I still agree with this theory.

Getting married is something that has never crossed my mind. Growing up gay the thought of two men marrying was not even a thought. Even with all the gay marriage scandal going on now - I still don't think or feel the need to marry Paul. We have a great relationship, the best relationship I have ever had - I don't feel that marriage will benefit or detract from our relationship.


Yesterday, out of the blue, Zachary asked me, "Are you going to get married?" I chuckled and wondered where this conversation was going to go. I said, "No, I don't think so" and I asked "Who would I marry!? He looked at me and said "You could marry Daddy!?" I was floored and then he went on to say that a woman can marry a man but a man can marry another man too. Paul and I looked at each other and couldn't believe this was coming from a five year old. It wasn't coming from "a" five year old it was coming from an incredibly smart, in-tune, sensitive and observant 5-year old - Zachary. He's an amazing kid!

I then asked him if Mommy and Iggy should get married and he said " Oh yes, they will get married" :-) He said it very matter of factly!


Paul and I had talked about when Zach gets older if he will accept us and our lifestyle. I have no doubt that Zach will, even before he educated us on another man being able to marry another man. It truly is amazing to have a child in your life - Zach has taught me more about myself and helped me grow more than any professor, teacher or book could. He has taught me more about myself than any person I have met in my life. All this at the age of five! Who knew!?!

Boston comes to San Francisco

Above: Korland, Will & Michael at Dolores Park in SF.

Last weekend we had a few friends come in from Boston & Seattle and it was great seeing them. A few of them had never been to SF before so we were excited to show them the place we now call home. It's funny -- after you're living somewhere for a period of time you can take your surroundings for granted and forget the beauty around you - I try not to do that, but the hustle and bustle of life and work can cloud your vision.

Above: Me & Paul at Lands End.

This weekend with our friends in town confirmed for me how much I love this city and all it's beauty. There's no place like it and I can't imagine living anywhere else again. Remind you, I said I would never leave Massachusetts just two short years ago.

Above: Me in Paul's tattoo, "The man in the maze of life."

Having our friends in town also reminded me that as I get older how much I am valuing friendships, true friendships. We all talked about how we first met and how me orchestrating a small game night back in Boston when I was friendless helped bring so many people together - including the three friends that were with us this past weekend.

Above: One of the most beautiful bridges in the world, Golden Gate Bridge.

We bonded with our friends even more and I know that Korland, Will and Michael will be our friends for life. It's fun to look back on the journey's we have with our friends. I look forward to the journey's we will have in the future.

Above: Me with the boys.

Above: Paul with the boys.

Disturbia: Rihanna & Chris Brown

Above: Rihanna after she was physicllly assaulted by Chris Brown.

The Rihanna and Chris Brown incident happened about a month ago now - I haven't posted anything about it - the whole incident made me very angry and I was curious how the incident would play out. I feel like I can comment on this issue for a number of reasons:

1. I am a huge fan of Rihanna, I think she is the modern day Madonna, her music is fun, unique and I love her image and unique sense of style. Rihanna already has five number one singles under her umbrella and she is only 21 years old.

2. I am also a fan of Chris Brown's music, he is a very talented artist, can dance his ass off and his music is a positive change to the negative and degrading r&b/rap that we have heard in he past. He has an amazing year in 2008 and was labeled by Billboard magazine as artist of the year ( ironically Rihanna was the #2 artist of 2008).

3. I was in an abusive relationship for many years and the issue of domestic violence really hits home to me on many levels.

Above: Me when I got involved in my first relationship.

This issue with Rihanna brought me back to when I was young, naive and in love. My first love was someone much older than me and I thought he was the best thing ever inside and out. I remember the first physical incident that had happened to me when I was with "Danny." I was sixteen years old and living with "Danny" and attending high school at the time. We had been together for several months now, our apartment was a 15 minute walk from my school. A male friend of mine, that I had known since elementary school, saw me walking and asked me if I wanted a ride, I accepted. He dropped me off in front of my apartment, but before I went upstairs I chatted outside the car with my friend. When I finished chatting I went upstairs and I saw "Danny" sitting on the couch very silent and starring at the wall. I didn't pay too much attention to it and started to take my school books out of my backpack to do my homework.

I heard "Danny" ask me who the guy was that dropped me off and I didn't think much of it and said " Just a guy friend." The next thing I knew, Danny grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and picked me up in the air. I remember my feet were dangling in the air and I was in shock at what was going on. Danny said to me "Don't you ever let me catch you with a another guy in a car again!" and he threw me into the corner of the living room into a hanging shelf. My body hit the shelf and wall and I crumbled to the ground. I couldn't believe what was happening, this wasn't "Danny." I started to get up from the ground and as I did I said to him "What the hell do you think you're doing!" He came to me all wild eyed grabbed my homework paper I was working on and shoved it into my mouth saying "Don't you EVER raise your voice to me again!" and continued to shove the paper down my throat.

I was crying as I spit the pieces of paper out of my mouth. I was in shock and still a bit out of breath from being thrown against the wall. That night when he fell asleep, I left the apartment and walked to my mothers house. I knew I could climb through the window of my old bedroom - I had only been away from the home that I grew up in for about 5 months. I crawled into the window and my room was still pretty close to how I had left it. I locked the window once I was inside and I crawled under the covers and cried myself to sleep.

After that incident, I snuck into my mom's house from time to time, since I really wasn't welcomed there since I came out about my sexuality, and I stayed at friends houses until Danny was waiting for me after school one day with gifts and saying how sorry he was and how much he loved me and how he would never hurt me again. I believed him.....that relationship latest 10 years...10 years of living in an abusive relationship feeling I was not good enough for anything better, believing that the man I loved would never hurt me again, believing he would change, believing the abuse would end. It never did...it ended with me almost dead. The pictures below are of me from 2000, the year I left "Danny" - these pictures were taken one week after I was brutally beaten, these photos are after one full week of healing.

Above: I am glad I still have this photo - reminds me how thankful I am I got out of a terrible situation.
This photo was a week after I was brutally beaten.

So, back to Rihanna -- as Oprah said "HE WILL HIT YOU AGAIN!" I have no doubt about it. I really hope she takes this incident and turn it into something she can educate young adults on. This is a serious issue in society and it needs to be addressed. I mean it's still a huge issue with women being abused maybe someday people will take awareness that it does happen in gay relationships as well.

Above: This photo shows the back of my head, notice the right side of my head in back of my ear how swollen it is. I have permanent hearing damage in my right ear.

So to all the Rihanna's (female and male) out there that think they are stuck and have no way out of an abusive relationship - there's hope - I am celebrating my 8th year of being out of an abusive relationship and have been in a happy, healthy and loving relationship for 4 1/2 years now. There is hope, help and no one - NO ONE - deserves to be beaten or hit in a relationship of any kind. No excuses.

Sushi

Above: Best Sushi place in San Francisco, Warakabune.

I never had Sushi until I moved to San Francisco - I was always scared of it. When I moved to SF, Paul was hooked on Sushi so I decided to try it. Paul tried to get me to eat these massive pieces of raw fish and I gagged - I couldn't do it -- then I discovered "Sushi" - the items on the menu that are cooked or all vegetables and I loved it!:-)


Another person who shares the same passion for"Sushi" as I does is Zach. No most 5 year olds would run away at the sight of Sushi -- can you imagine a young Paul Johnson eating Sushi - I think not! Carrie takes Zach to eat Sushi from time to time and so does Paul and I. He loves it. We recently took him to our favorite Sushi place in SF - Warakabune where you sit at the Sushi bar and watch the boats of Sushi travel around the bar and you grab the tiny Sushi plates you like.

Above: Giving the camera his Sushi eye.

Check out Zach eating at the Sushi bar - photos are a bit blurry taken with my iPhone. Also, check out the Sushi Zach made himself in school! Pretty creative huh!?

Above: Zach made a sushi roll out of foam and paper.

Above: Dipping the sushi...

...going in for he kill...

...YUMMMMM!

Letty Lynton 1932

Above: Letty Lynton hangs proudly in our dining room.

I am super excited to finally frame my original Letty Lynton movie poster from 1932. This is such a rare poster as is the film. This movie poster is from Sweden and it was never displayed - it was kept in a tube for years and years never to see the light of day. I purchased it last year and was shocked at the pristine condition of this movie poster that is 75 years old! The color is still as vibrant and rich as it was when it was first printed, there are no folds, tears or holes in this poster -- it's so rare to find a movie poster this old in this condition.

Letty Lynton is probably in my top ten favorite movies of all time. It was a huge hit in 1932 and it spawned one of the biggest fashion crazes ever to hit Hollywood. It really was the first time a clothing designer (Adrian) and female star (Joan Crawford) combined together as a team to crack out outfits that woman from all over the world wanted to wear. The film sadly was sued for copyright infringement in 1938 and was pulled from circulation. The film has never been available to the general public, but the film has survived and rumor has it -- its been preserved and waiting for the expiration of the copyright - which is in 2012. I hope this movie sees the proper attention it deserves and people can see what a great film it was and is.

Above: Joan Crawford, at he peak of her beauty, pictured in a publicity photo from the film Letty Lynton.

Joan Crawford said -"If there ever was a retrospective on my film career (Letty Lynton) is the the film I want them to show.

Above: Matt and Matt conversing over a Hurrell photo of Joan! HA!

35

Above: Me and my girl Shannon!

This past week I celebrated my 35th year in this world -- I have to say this was on of my best birthdays and I love the sound of 35 years old!:-) So far, the 30s have been the best years of my life and I am really looking forward to this coming year. My birthday was on the 26th and Paul, Ryan and Zach had a great b-day surprise for me when I got home from work! There was a huge Happy Birthday sign in the living room, my favorite Chinese take-out, yummy cake and very generous gifts! It was great. I honestly don't feel 35 - I am not even sure what 35 feels like, but we were all talking about what it will be like when Zach is 35 and I said, "Oh I will be 65 when Zach is 35"...ummm I am not going to rush that birthday:-)

Above: Paul, Me and Zach ringing in 35!

Above: Zach looking cute as ever.

Above: Ryan, Me and Zach - getting ready to dig into that cake!

Above: Where's the ice cream!?

Last night, we had our first party in our new home. It was a birthday/housewarming party and we had a ton of new and old friends at the party. Fun was had by all! Thanks everyone for the cards, gifts and well-wishes!

Above: Matt, Mark, Paul & Ryan at the house party.

Above: Aldolfo, Me, Kyser and Ryan enjoying a few drinks.

Above: Joe and Paul, Joe is hoarding all the beer!

Above: Darrin, Jason, Cody, Jay and Me laxin' on the couch.

Above: Aldolfo, Troy and Paul.

Above: Paul and Michael all smiles.

Above: PARTY!

Blue Ribbon Winner!

Above: Love this artsy picture of Zach waving his blue ribbon in the air.

Zach has been religiously going to swimming practice every Sunday and loving swimming. This past Sunday, Zach went to his swim class and was told he completed the list of requirements in order to win a blue ribbon!! See the list below:


Zach was so proud of his blue ribbon - he was beaming and showing it off and placed it on the refrigerator and was so damn proud of himself. It was so cute to see how proud he was of his accomplishments. He brought the blue ribbon to school today and told all his friends he was a REAL blue ribbon. LOL

Above: Does it really get any cuter than this!?

Above: Blue Ribbon Winner!

Academy of Friends 2009 Oscar Gala

Above: Me and David all tuxed out!

I enjoy watching the Oscar Awards - always have - and I usually watch them at home with friends and chat about the winners and root for certain films to win. This year we were invited to a black tie event presented by the Academy of Friends called "A Night of Superheros Villains and Divas - sounds like they are describing Joan Crawford!

I went with my good ole pal Ryan - Paul was not able to attend - we had a blast making our way to the event in the pouring rain - it's been a monsoon here in SF lately. I have to say the event was rather impressive - it was a huge venue with hundreds of people all dressed to impress. I rented a tux - it was not the one I wanted - but it worked for planning at the last minute.

Above: Me and Matt - I look short compared to his 6'5 frame!

Above: The event was so well lit - it was beautiful.

Our friend Richard got us VIP tickets and we mingled with the VIP'ers. there were so many people, a vast silent auction and they were raffling off a car! Pretty cool event with tons of booze and amazing food/snacks. it felt like we were at the Oscars!

Above: Me and Ryan were the belle's of the ball! Peach & Daisy!

Above: An amazing performer on stilts the entire night!

Above: David and Matt are all smiles.

Above: Glinda the good witch!

Above: Awesome art sculpture.

Above: A night to remember!

Break-In

This past weekend has been interesting...Paul and I were looking forward to a nice long weekend with Monday (Feb 16th) being a holiday and Zach was with his Mom and Nanny all weekend, we were going to have a lot of time on our hands. So we decided to finish up the new apartment and on Saturday morning we headed to IKEA to get some last minute picture frames and such.

We had a great time together selecting some nice finishing touches that would really complete our new apartment - on Valentine's Day. I even saw a few co-workers there and we chatted about our similar purchases and how good the cinnamon buns smell when you leave IKEA.

Paul and I headed home after leaving IKEA, but we decided to stop at a sandwich shoppe in our new neighborhood -- we waited a good 15 minutes for two sandwiches to be made and I was losing my patience, I just wanted to get home, eat and then get on with the rest of the day.

We got home and carried a few of our purchases up to our place .. It was 2:15 in the afternoon. We came through the back door and entered through the kitchen. I noticed that the kitchen window was slightly open and the shade was extended over the sink. I thought it was funny since that window was almost impossible to open. I headed into the living room and noticed right away something was wrong and someone had been in our apartment. My work computer was gone, they ransacked my workbag with many of my personal possessions in it and Paul's laptop was gone as well.

As my eyes searched the place, Paul and I heard the gate downstairs to the building slam shut and we realized that the burglar was still in the apartment when we came home and they fled out the front door. I ran down the stairs to see if I could see anyone running..but it was too late. I called the cops and landlord and we dealt with the logistics of it all.

Having your home violated really sucks especially after just moving into a place, but I have to say I am thankful no one was hurt and we stopped the burglar from getting anything else by coming home when he was in the house. The police were great and with the details of the robbery we have a strong lead to who the person is.

At first, I was really bothered, pissed, angry and all..but it only lasted a few hours and didn't let that incident stop me from doing the day-to-day things in life. Just another one of life's tests and yet again, I passed:-)

Home

Above: No, it's not a Pottery Barn catalog...it's our new home!

We have been in our new home one week and we have made a lot of progress with decorating the place. I have to say that this is my favorite home ever! I just love this place - it;s so beautiful and we have decorated it so beautifully so far - we still need some art on the walls and small stuff, but the big stuff is done. Pictures to come of the bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen!

Above: Living room.

Above: Another view of the living room.

Above: Zach loving his new home.

Above: Dining room/office.

Above: A view of the apt. coming from the kitchen.

Above: Ryan and me showing Joan her new home! Ha!

Above: I was lucky enough to find a really cool rug for the living room.

Above: Me and my bug eyes!

Above: Dining area.

Above: Zach helping put together the new TV stand.

Above: Zach looking like a carpenter AND a plumber!

Above: Home.

Sidewalk Stencil Art

Above: Our new home in Lower Haight.

We are finally all moved into our apartment and living in Lower Haight in San Francisco. We are still exploring the Haight district of SF. So far I am lovin' it. Our old neighborhood, Noe Valley was a bit more middle to upper class families. Lost of kids in strollers and families walking around and on the outskirts of the heart of the city. The Haight is much closer to all the action and the people are interesting. I have seen such a variety of different people walking around the Haight - yes, there are many of the potheads that made the Haight what it is known for, but I like it. The vibe is positive, fun and energetic.


One of the things I noticed walking around our new neighborhood are sidewalk stencils. I walked by a bunch several times and thought, these are really cool and took some photos to share. Check em out! Stay tuned for more photos from our new place all decorated:-) I should have been an interior designer!:-P