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.