Aman About Town

LA Mr. Gay Contest Video Clips & Pics

Had an awesome time at LA Mr. Gay! Just finished posting pictures and 4 video clips from the event:

Here is the link!

And a clip of the results:

More pics and video at Aman-About-Town.com. Enjoy!

Legendary Ladies Share their Superhero Fantasies at Hard Heroes

[Source]

The above clip features Leawyn and Justice from LuckyLegendary telling me their superhero fantasy. On Sunday we were at MJ's for Hard Heroes 4, a benefit for Being Alive LA, where I was one of the featured artists.

More clips and pictures from the event coming soon. So check back!

Two-Fisted Fetish Weekend! Toonfetish BBQ, Kizuna, Morecock, and Hard Heroes

Gearing up for Comic-Con, I'm involved in two hugely fun events this weekend. So if your weekend can take this much action from both ends (Friday and Sunday) I invite you to come along!

On Friday Rick Castro and I are throwing the Feed Your Fetish Barbecue at the Antebellum Gallery. It's the closing celebration for the Toonfetish exhibit that is up right now. I promise it will be a sizzling summer soirée. We're screening "Kizuna" the first gay anime (yaoi), and Joe Phillips' adult cartoons "Stonewall & Riot" and "House of Morecock!" Suds 'n wieners will be served. (Click the image above left for details.)

Check out my previous Toonfetish videoblog and photoblog for more about the event.

On Sunday I'm one of the featured artists at the Hard Heroes party that Instigator Magazine is putting on at MJ's as a benefit for Being Alive LA. I went to the last HH party, and these are tons of fun. Lots of hotties in spandex... if that's your thing. And really, who isn't in to that?! (Click the image above right for details.)

Sketch Painting: Demonic Trevor

When I was chatting with Trevor and Sean the other day about Sean's DemonicSex book and got it into my head to do a little sketch painting of Trevor as a demon. Wanted to re-interpret his tattoos and re-interpret "demon."

ART: Reception for "REALization" at S B London Gallery

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Each collection at S B London builds on the one before. Here's a clip of the artist and industrial designer Stacie London sharing her thoughts on it. Also a shot of Stacie and friends at the opening reception for "REALization" the exhibit of industrial art currently running.

If you watched the clip, yes Shelayna did make it there after all. There she is with me and Lesley, and there's a shot of the forms from the new collection. The piece in the background is from "TRANSformation," the previous series.

[Check out more in my Art Opening photoset on Flickr.]

ART: Patrick Williams Reception at Monkeyhouse Toys

[Source]

Here's a clip of me chatting with artist Patrick Williams at the opening of his solo show, "On Polymer Seas," at Monkeyhouse Toys in Silver Lake. "The work looks at the plastic divide between humans and the world at large..."

Above are some examples of his work, acrylic on stuffed cotton and on canvas. Check out the rest of  my Monkeyhouse photos.

The 1980s - Joanie's Retro Party and a Video

You can see the rest of the pictures in this set here.

Joanie had a Retro 1980s party at her place for some friends. Here she is rocking some Like A Virgin style.

I wore Z. Cavaricci pants. Remember those! My look was something like Urkel meets Prince. You can see the rest of the pictures in this set here.

Being in a retro mood, I just re-watched "Making Love Out of Nothing at All," and it has got to be the most awesomely bad video from the 1980s!

It is almost a parody of everything I remember about the music videos that came out of that decade: the clothes, the hair, the bad acting, the cheesy special effects, the melodrama and meta-theatricality. And to top it all off... they throw in a fog machine and lasers in the end. Watch if you dare!

LA Gay Pride '07 Pictures

This year the grand marshal was former professional basketball player, Jon Amaechi,  an author, activist, philanthropist and all-around cool guy! He is founder of the Amaechi Basketball Centre, "an initiative to enthuse youth and their communities."

I was moved by the members of PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays). They were carrying signs that said: "God Blesses Us With A Gay Kid." How awesome!

Of course there were the requisite hotties! Here on the Micky's fire truck. I spotted my friend Zu with The Life Group's contingent. He's in the blue tights walking beside the float.

And I ran into tons of friends including Eddie Hibbs (aka Sister Erotica), amazing artist Miguel Angel Reyes, model/myspace-celeb Daniel Miagany, and writer Chuck Kim who is working on "Heroes" these days. It was a colorful day to say the least! To see all the pictures and who else was there, visit my LA Pride '07 flickr set, or just view the slide show:

Go to this photoset to see who's who!

Birds, Gas Mask, Piano Bars and Dancing

Can I just say how much I love living in Silver Lake! Some photos from a regular Saturday afternoon/evening tooling around my neighborhood with friends.

 

Our co-worker Rebekah had an art show at her place. This painting had a real live bird in it. Is this cruel?

Paul got a great deal a gas mask at Eastside Mercantile which is going out of business. Later that night I went to hear Sonji Kimmons perform at The Other Side piano bar.

 

Up near Bekah's place we came across this awesome vintage cadillac. I caught this moment between Rod and Lumi dancing at Akbar.

See all the photos from this set here.

The About Town Rundown - 6/15/07

Tonight I'll be going to the John Pham art opening at The Secret Headquarters.  Pham's work will be on display through July 15th.

John Pham is a Xeric Foundation grant winner who is best known for his Manga meets Indy styled Epoxy comic book anthology. Epoxy has been featured in XLR8R and Publishers Weekly and was named "the Best Comic of 2003" by THE FACE (U.K.).

As long as the gays help with chores, let 'em marry! From NY Times, "Bid to Ban Gay Marriage Fails in Massachusetts" -

One woman had “asked me to put it on the ballot for a vote, but since then a lovely couple moved in,” [Senator Gale] Candaras said. “She said, ‘They help me with my lawn, and if there can’t be marriage in Massachusetts, they’ll leave and they can’t help me with my lawn.’ ”

A little too attached to his clothes? Judge suing D.C. dry cleaner chokes up in court while recalling lost trousers: "A judge had to leave the courtroom with tears running down his face Tuesday after recalling the lost pair of trousers that led to his $54 million US lawsuit against a dry cleaner."

Batman's new costume revealed! But Dlisted asks the important question: "Where is the package?"

The controversy over whether or not George Bush's watch was stolen in Albania never seemed to be completely resolved. Some footage indicates it was stolen. Other footage indicates it wasn't. You decide.

On the tube:

• Admit it you do have a crush on Obama
• Some clips I shot at LA Gay Pride '07. Mmmm...country dancing!
• An iPhone fan vid from ViralMedium.
• Cute guys gets back at telemarketer with Judge Judy Soundboard

"Toonfetish" Erotic Art Opening Reception

I kicked off Gay Pride '07 weekend with the opening reception of "Toonfetish," a collection of gay erotic illustration put together by Rick and Glen Hanson at Rick's Antebellum Gallery in Hollywood.

It included art from Glen and a host of hot international illustrators! I ran into a bunch of awesome folks: Justin Hall, Steve MacIsaac, Steven from PinkMafiaRadio, Sean Platter, Miguel Angel Reyes, Squeaky Blond, Drewbird, Hollywood Ken, Rich Thigpen from Prism Comics,  and Foxycotton.

Dax Savage performed, backed up by Drewbird. (I hadn't seen either in ages, and just happened to be wearing a leather cuff designed by Dax.) Afterwards, a bunch of us went to The Eagle LA for a little post-party.

You can see all the photographs (with captions) from the event here.

Go to this photo set to see who's who!

More pictures and clips from LA Gay Pride '07 coming soon. Check back!

Sketches for my "Originating Circle" Display

I'm in a fun course called Wisdom Unlimited, and one of the first projects is to create a visual display of everyone with whom we interact on a regular (weekly to monthly) basis. (This includes people we interact with only via email or on the phone, and also everyone from our close friends to our dry cleaner.)

It's not an illustration project and everyone else used photographs, but I wanted to draw people, and I'm finding I got a lot out of doing so. For one thing, spending the time to draw them, is sort of a metaphor for the fact that having any single person in your life involves some sort of investment in time or mental energy.

What I also became aware of is that there are people I consider close friends that I couldn't include because I don't interact with them on even a regular monthly basis! Some may say that that's just how life goes; however, what it made me realize is that there are only a finite amount of people we will know and interact with in our lifetime, and we really do have a choice in determining what that looks like.

Anyway, as I said, this is a work in progress, so I'm adding people as I go. For example there only about 5 or 6 people depicted with whom I interact only online, and I need to complete that section of it. (The total number of people to be included based on the criteria of the assignment is 50 to 100.)

Ferret vs. Jalapeno Pepper

Funny or cruel?

Funk Vampire and Red Boots Parasol

LA Mr. Gay - Superhero Art by Aman

As part of the Grand Prize for the LA Mr. Gay Competition, I was asked by producer John Michael Beck to do a portrait of winner Jimmy Waters as a superhero!

Fun project, and everyone was great to work with. Special thanks to Prism Comics for setting this all up. Those guys rock!

"Glen Hanson" - Sketch Painting 1/12/07

Glen Hanson once urged me to spend a little less time on the internet and a little more time creating art. So the other day when my internet was out I figured it would be appropriate to do a quick sketch painting of him. Ironically, here I am again on the internet, posting it!

Thtrollin' on a Thunday in Thilverlake

This past Sunday, I discover a new place for brunch, El Cid. This Silverlake hangout is well-known for it’s flamenco nights, but who knew it serves a fabulous brunch to a largely labia-lovin’ clientele that all swoon to the sounds of Jerrie Thill & Friends! Jerrie is an awesome, octogenarian jazz drummer. She’s also very open to ‘guest vocalists,’ saying “If I’m workin’ everyone’s got to work.” My friend Daniel gets up for an impromptu rendition of “I’ve Got The World on a String.”

Later on, strolling through The SL, I run into fellow Harvard-Westlake alum, Darren Stein, at that cool new, perpetually-packed gelato place on the corner of Sunset and Hyperion. He is working on a treatment for a reality show he is pitching to VH1 with Clint Catalyst. The SL is a pretty cool place to stroll, especially with all the new stores and galleries opening up. I know, as an artist, I should be down on gentrification, but as a property-owner I can’t help but being pleased by it too. Does that make me a sell-out?

Greg says I should replace ‘hiking and yoga’ and my list of “Interests” with ‘strolling and napping’ because I love those things more. It’s true these days. So after strolling we go back to my place and take a nap. Afterwards we stop by Mae Ploy for dinner. Mae Ploy has no atmosphere, but great Thai food as opposed to the over-rated Rambutan Thai down the street. We also notice that there are a lot of bears there. Are the husky gay men all moving south now? This is the crowd that was more prevalent down near Sunset Junction back in the day.

We are amused that after giving our order to one waitress, another comes by and says: “I will follow your orders.” How’s that for service!

Get us out from under... Wonder Woman!

Now for a little post Comic-Con fun involving everyone's favorite Amazing Amazon.

Wonder Woman and Batman argue over oral sex:

Some more invisible fun:

 

Put on your iPod and spin around the house to these two remixes of the Wonder Woman TV show theme song:

The '98 Wonder Woman Dance Edit and The Kitsch & Camp Mix

These goodies and more were posted on The ‘About Town’ Forum where there is a brilliant Wonder Woman discussion going on. Here is an excerpt from Suzette Chan’s comments:

Good points about the positives and negatives of Perez's reboot. I do think she was conceived as a warrior -- that's what Amazons were in legend -- by Moulton, though with his particular spin on feminism. His Wonder Woman's strength was in restraint, signalled by her lasso and her defensive bracelets, while Perez, who also set out an overt feminist vision, chose to involve more outward, modern militaristic trappings.

The advantage of the Moulton version is that she can have an aspect that keens and has weaknesses like a human, but shows power by restraining that: her having a secret identity was an intrinsic part of all that. But the Perez version has led to to a monolithic-type, fascistic character who is so unweilding in carrying out her annointed purpose, she's not a relatably human character, and worse, bores the piss out of me.

Click here to go to that discussion.

Pictures from Comic-Con '06

While going through my pictures from Comic-Con, I really got how amazing, wonderful and self-expressed the friends I go once a year to see there are!

The pix are now up! (I did this as quickly as possible so feel free to add tags and email me names etc. for captions.)

Here is the link to the entire set.

And a few favorites:

 

 

 

Aman does Mr. Gay LA prize!

I'm part of the Grand Prize for Mr. Gay LA!

Or rather, he will recieve an illustration of himself as a superhero by me! Here's the video of them announcing it along with the winner:

Video courtesy of Steven at PinkMafiaRadio.com

"Majestic" at Bobby Trendy Design

The other evening I was at at MAJESTIC ~ an evening of fabulous couturie designer creations by MERLIN CASTELL and stunning artworks by modern abstractionist MAURICIO SARAVIA

Joanne, Bobby, me and Jonathan
Greg & I flank Mauricio Saravia	Models!

Unsafe For All Ages

I did this piece for "Prism Comics: Unsafe for All Ages 2006" limited edition book.

It's for the back cover. There isn't a press release yet, but you can check out PrismComics.org.

It's pretty much my first "erotic" piece. Not something I usually do, but that's what they asked for, and it was a lot of fun to do.

And I was reading Wicked at the time, so perhaps that explains the green skin. Though, if you link this to my previous sci-fi piece with the mohawk guy, I think Star Trek's Orion "slave girls" may have informed this piece as well.

"Brokeback Planet"

The piece of artwork I did for the Prism Comics 2006 Edition Guide was featured in their press release! Please check out the article and the full-size image here.

I'd been watching a lot of Buck Rogers with the guys from work so I did something along the lines of the old Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, pulp, sci-fi posters.

Fool For Love

Yesterday, I found out that two friends of mine are getting married! The surprise email appeard on my desktop like a little present. I suppose that's why I love the holiday. I believe in Love, the same way little kids enjoy Christmas because they believe in Santa Claus.

As far as holidays go, Valentines Day lights me up. All day yesterday, I had a smile on my face and song in my heart. (Specifically, Willie Nelson's new song "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other".)

A lot of my single friends were frustrated or depressed. And non-single friends felt anxiety and pressure, complaining that the holiday was "fake." But if we give up all the baggage we've attached to it, it's just a day to celebrate Love, and how lucky we are that it exists.

Hands

I like hands.

Well... it's actually a bit more specific than that. I find an angular Thumb Metacarpophalangeal Joint to be quite aesthetically pleasing.

That would be the joint connecting the Thumb Metacarpal bone to the Thumb Proximal Phalanx bone and overlapped by the tendons of the Flexor Pollicis Brevis and Extensor Pollicis Brevis muscles.

Where Have All The Turkeys Gone?

My father and I have lunch together every week at a small Thai restaurant. This week we stay in and have turkey and the usual Thanksgiving dishes.

Since 1998 we have tried to perfect the art of doing Thanksgiving for two, but despite our efforts he is always left with turkey sandwiches for a week and an almost complete left-over pumpkin pie that he takes to work on Monday.

This year, I pass on the turkey since I have given up red meat and poultry. He tells me I am not missing much and confesses that he does not like turkey. He never has. All this time we've been eating it because it's just tradition.

And I don't like it either! So for eight Thanksgivings in a row the two of us have sat across from each other eating turkey because we think that's what the other one wants to do. It's a quandry, because if we have Thai, it will feel like any other week. Perhaps next year, we'll volunteer at a shelter or mission like we always propose.

Now he is taking a nap, and I am sitting in his yard watching the leaves and grass catch the afternoon sunlight. I call three friends, each of whom lost a parent this year. The first Thanksgiving after losing a parent is always strange.

Rose and Blanche Go To San Diego!

Everyone expects my story of Comic-Con International to be about hosting The Big Gay Dinner, meeting with friends and colleagues I see once a year, exploring the night life of San Diego, having drinks at The Hyatt until all hours, wheeling, dealing, schmoozing, and shopping. That is a fun tale. But this is not that story.

For me the story of visiting San Diego once a year for "Nerd Prom" is about Brian, who does not even read comics. So it is a wonder why he always looks forward to going.

We head down to San Diego early on a Friday afternoon. Bri Bri drives. (I call him that because his partner of 7 years is also named Brian.) Bri first came down with me a few years ago to offer friendly support when my book debuted, won an award, and I spoke on some panels. The next year he helped me out when I threw a party called "The Big Gay Dinner." Ever since then, this has become our yearly trip to catch up.

After an arduous six hour trek down the 5 Freeway, we arrive at The Sheraton where Brian is put up by his company. We settle in, change, ogle three Air Force pilots who are checking in, and meet a friend to go out for dinner. The main focus of tonight for me is being at the Hyatt, the heart of "Nerd Prom." There the other industry folks gather for a schmoozefest that lasts well into the night. My senses overload, and I hop from group to group, running into old friends, making new ones and catching up.

Brian follows along, making charming small talk and dutifully taking pictures whenever I have a photo op. He does have to tear my away in the end, and even while trying to leave, I keep running into more people. We finally make it out to the car that Brian has thought ahead to park nearby.

On Saturday, I am caught up in a number of panels I need to attend. This year, more of my friends are on them or organizing them. By the time I find myself in the third one, I realize I have forgotten to eat and am starving halfway through the hour. When it is over, I find Brian outside. He has brought me food and chides himself for neglecting to remind me to work a meal break into my schedule. He has bottles of water for my friends as well.

On the night of The Big Gay Dinner, my inner obsessive-compulsive, anal-retentive, control freak always threatens to break out. Brian manages to keep it in check. He gets me out of the Gays in Comics panel before I linger too long in socializing. As we leave the convention, he runs ahead to makes sure things are in order. "I don't know what I'd do without him," I say to the friend who has been walking with us.

"Yeah, I wish I had a best friend that balanced me out like that," he muses.

"Oh, we're not best friends," I quip. "We're just the best we could do." On the surface, Brian and I have very different interests now. Life can go in so many directions over the course of a decade. We grow apart from friends and drift back together. Sometimes the people we end up being closest to seemed the least likely at the start.

Brian gets me back to the car to change. He is an expert at changing in cars. At the restaurant, he charmingly enrolls the waitresses into making the dinner flow smoothly, wrangles the guests, and still takes time to buy me a drink to calm my nerves. I breathe for a moment, and we raise a glass to toast each other. "Here's to Rose and Blanche," I say.

The dinner goes off successfully. As the guests are leaving, Brian assumes the role of cameraman again and takes pictures of me with most everyone there. He stays until everyone is gone, takes one last shot of me with the owners of the restaurant, and we head out. Many of my guests have gone up to Hillcrest to party at Bourbon Street. I am torn and ponder going to the Hyatt. Brian offers to drop me off at there, but in the end we head uptown instead. He reassures me that I have made the right choice, and I have no regrets.

It is a much later than on the previous night that we arrive back at the hotel. The friend crashing in our room is quite a big guy and logic dictates he should get the single bed. It is Brian's hotel room, and I know he would prefer a bed all to himself, but without being asked, he lets me have my own bed to spread out and sleep in peacefully.

I hear our friend toss and turn in the bed next to mine. And on the other side of him, sleeping on his side facing the wall is Brian. He breathes heavily. It reminds me in a comforting way of my father when on trips in my early childhood, I shared a room with my parents. Or perhaps that is just a trick of the air conditioning.

Sunday afternoon arrives sooner than I expect. The Con is shutting down, and I stop at a booth to chat with a friend and pick up some last minute items. Brian remembers something I wanted from the Prism comics booth. "I'll run and get it for you," he offers, and he is off.

Later he returns and also has with him a Master Replica light saber given to him by one of his licensees. It is one of the expensive versions that almost sold out at the convention. I wouldn't have bought myself one, but thanks to Brian end up as the owner of this much coveted toy. At heart, I have always been a spoiled only child, and I wonder if I will still get special treatment when Brian and his partner have their own children.

Before leaving San Diego we stop by a bar called The Hole. Phil and Stephen, two friends of mine, pencillers who were at Comic-Con, are there with their boyfriends. Our friend Jack, who is driving back with us is a crowd favorite, and we soon lose track of him. I have a compulsive habit of matchmaking when it comes to friends. I always try to set them up with someone, knowing full well that I will see much less of them once they have eventually coupled off. This is what makes Brian so unique. Although he has a partner to whom he is quite devoted, he is never more than a phone call away.

I am waiting for a call to see if I still have some last minute business to do before leaving this city. The evening stretches on, before all the loose ends are tied up, and we begin our journey back to Los Angeles. Jack has had a quite a few beers and sleeps soundly in the back seat.

I am tired, but stay up and chat with Brian who takes driving duty again. We spend the time chatting. And on the Interstate 5 he teaches me how to use the exit lanes to cut past all the traffic.

---

For pictures from San Diego, The Big Gay Dinner, and Comic-Con click here.

Go here for the story of MoCCA, the convention I went to in New York.

A Tale of Two Cemetaries, Part 1: Hollywood Forever

It is the weekend of Independence Day, and I am on a mission to help free my friend Kin from his independence, by finding him a husband. To that end, I have invited him to one of the best places in Los Angeles for such an endeavor, the Hollywood Forever Cemetary. Every Saturday night in summer, the urban intellectual hipsters of Hollywood, Silverlake and various parts of LA converge for Cinespia, an outdoor viewing of a classic film. Picnicker's gather on the green facing a large mausoleum which will later serve as the screen for a celluloid classic. Tonight it is Pee Wee's Big Adventure.

But the scenes that play out in the dark on that stone backdrop are secondary to "The Scene," which begins about two hours before the movie starts. First there is the waiting outside at the entrance in a long spiral line, which offers a chance to scope out other attendees. Once inside, the green quickly fills up with blankets, candles, pillows and plenty of food and wine. Everyone pushes their picnic blankets to within an inch of their neighbors.

We must find a suitable location, perhaps near a friendly group of moviegoers. The air is much cooler inside the cemetary, and we can no longer see the setting sun, just a rim of orange light under the fading blue sky silhouetting the lines of trees that encircle the grounds. We have the good fortune to meet up with some friends of mine and tag along with them to a space their companions have staked out. A DJ spins urban grooves, and everyone mingles and mixes with their friends and the people they hope to know better.

Kin has arrived in top form. Aside from looking just right in a sporty, layered, casual yet sophisticated get-up, he has done what in these circles puts one ahead of the game in urban husband hunting, he has brought food. That he made himself. From scratch!

Now the first choice I have for him does not pan out. Although I once went on a few dates with this prospective candidate myself and therefore know he would be a perfect match for Kin, I find that he now has a boyfriend. I did not expect this, because in this world 8 months seems the limit on a "solid" relationship. If I were a betting man, I'd say three for an "average" one, so chances were good that he would be single by now, but this is not the case. I urge Kin to offer his deviled eggs and home-made pesto to someone else.

The two of us take a whore tour (or fruit loop) around the place to peruse the selection. I run into someone else I've dated, who again would be perfect for Kin, but Kin is not into him, and this one's dubious relationship with an "on-again-off-again-sort-of-ex-boyfriend" makes him a less than ideal match. I decide I must start fresh. Why go for "dated" when there is so much "dateable" around?

The problem is that too many people have already coupled off. The cycle is simple. In February, Valentine's Day convinces everyone that they need to be in a relationship. Soon it is Memorial Day, and pool party season commences. The selection and interview process has begun, and your application is being procced whether you are ready or not. Within weeks it is Pride Weekend, and most of the offers have been written. Now by this time of year, the 4th of July, the season of hand-holding has begun. I do not see anyone on the street that is not holding hands with their new boyfriend. This will all last until Labor Day. In September, most will realize it was just a summer fling and the inevitable break-ups will occur. Then in October folks fantasize that they want someone with whom to spend the holidays, and on Halloween, that great gay national holiday, the entire cycle will start anew.

It is not long before we run into more people I recognize. A friend comments that I seem to know just about everyone. This is not the case, as I don't think I meet more people than anyone else. I just never lose touch with anyone. And I'm not opposed to keeping aquaintances indefinitely whereas many dismiss acquaintances if they do not soon grow into friends.

Soon it turns a bit dark. June bugs fly stupidly into our faces. Maneuvering around gourmet kabobs, wine glasses, makeshift lanterns, and cheese boards becomes difficult. Although we have met a lot of people, there is no definite connection for my friend. Still, the simple joy of walking around on a summer night, sipping wine, surrounded by people and looking just perfect in a striped oxford shirt and sporty pullover satisfies me greatly.

But Kin made pesto. From scratch. He even roasted the pine nuts! He deserves more than casual small talk over sesame crackers and sushi from Trader Joe's. In the end all is not lost. We run into my friend Steve, who is here with a friend, and one of his friends has some friends that are not there but are going on the Atlantis cruise that Kin is taking in the Fall. This is successful enough for a first venture, and Kin and I, having enjoyed ourselves here immensely, resolve to do this again.

Oh, and the movie is good too.

Video Game Nostalgia

It's amazing the things we file away and forget about that sometimes return and hit us with a wave of nostalgia. Out of nowhere, I just recalled "Krusty's Fun House" a video game my roommates and I used to play in college in the '90s.

It can now be played online at one of many sites like this one. It got me thinking about how simple life was back then, that time, the comraderie, those friends.

I'll see some of them this year at our 10th reunion. Some of them have just had babies. They live all over the country. They've gone on to different careers, lives, loves. I guess it's not really the game I feel nostalgic for, is it?

Brian's Birthday

Last Thursday night we are out celebrating my friend Brian's birthday with dinner and drinks at O-Bar. I mount a Monty Python's Life of Brian poster and set it at the head of the table. We don't stay for Smack afterwards which is the Thursday night club at O-Bar. Instead, we go to Motherlode and meet up with another friend of ours. Afterwards, we stop by Micky's. Brian does love the strippers.

I hear Brian's favorite song "Since You've Been Gone" playing and rush him to the dance floor. Cheesy as it is, this is a catchy song. All of a sudden everyone on the dancefloor is singing it at the top of their lungs. At that same moment I see, Damon, Brian's favorite stripper and an old acquaintance of ours get up on the go-go box. The moment is like something out of "Not Another Teen Movie."

Brian and I go over to Damon who is thrilled to see us and squats down to give us each a hug. There is a line of men waiting with their dollars wondering how much you have to tip a go-go boy to get him to hug you...

Porn Bread

I wonder just how inappropriate it would be to take suggestive, adult themed treats to a bake sale... Only adults would get the joke anyway. And who could resist a" jizz covered" happy-face cookie. Check out the Porn Bread site.

More Signs of the Apocalype on Ebay

Nothing has encouraged me to take up the domestic arts so much as Ebay. Just months after the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese raked in the cash from Golden Palace, the "Unmolested Camel-Toe Bagel" makes its appearance. I'd link it, but the offending image of an orifice-like breakfast nosh has been pulled from the auction site.

I'm starting to wonder if a new hobby might be in the works, poised to overtake scrapbooking as the latest arts & crafts craze. I'm not saying that the Virgin Mary Grilled cheese was intentionally fabricated, but it did strike me as an art object that could be duplicated with a few simple tools one might find in one's local hobby store.

So who's to say that this highly suspect and clearly non-kosher bagel was not the result of several attempts to create food with the apparently tantalizing appearance of genitalia? If I put on my oven mits and get creative, who knows what I could create and pass off as miraculous in time for the holidays!

Oh, and as for the attached picture, it's also on Ebay. I figure it's what I'd ride if I were a superhero...!

On weather and weird genitals...

Los Angeles does have seasons, despite what East Coasters say. Today is one of the first of many beautiful, breezy spring days to come. Not that I didn't love all the rain we've had this year. It's either global warming or my father's theory: secret government satellites that control the weather.

I'm off to a pool party up in the hills or Encino, a cocktail party in the hills of Echo park, and then Matthew Bourne's "Play Without Words" at the Music Center.

Though I've been watching The Surreal Live III marathon while getting ready. Adrian Curry and Christopher Knight's budding romance is strangely addictive. I hope Vern Troyer does get to bang one of those Playboy bunny stripper girls they're always sending his way. The Go-Go's chick has turned into a fab fetish deva. As for Joanie Lauer, recently, someone showed me a picture of Chynna's steroid-enhanced clitoris online. There are some things you really wish you could scrape out of your brain...