This is Why I am Single - Frieda the 13th: A Bad Date

 

I think you might remember that I cited my drag personas and one of the reasons that I'm single.  Well, here's more to that argument; Where am I going to find a guy who not only has the patience, but the willingness to go along with ridiculousness like spontaneously shooting a short film, with no script, plan or fake eyelashes?  Okay, smarty, I hear you asking who helped me shoot this one and I'll tell you!  It was muh former DAB, Brett Freedman.  We are no longer dying alone together, 'cause he up & got married (There's an entire entry or three on it)  Anywho, Brett & I decided to shoot this while we were in Big Bear to celebrate 4th of July with Muh DAB, Dennis Hensley.  No script, no idea that we wanted to shoot a short film.  It started off as a fun photo shoot, then we decided we wanted to make a movie.  With that in mind, the beginning of this is a few stills with hard to read graphics (I'm a Gay of a Certain Age! I can't be expected to get the vertical format down on the first shot!), but we git moving pictures soon, enough.

Please enjoy this little Amuse Bush (not really any bush or nudity in it) en lieu of a Valentine floral bouquet!

Gay of a Certain Age - WeHo Pride 2025 Day 2: Part 3

As a Gay of a Certain Age, I learned long ago that one should strive to live in the moment.  Enjoy the thing while it is happening. Still, sometimes I can get a little caught up in "Capturing the moment" and before I know it, the moment is over.  Well, that's what happened with this parade! Before I knew it, it was over.  If you go by your watch, you would probably say, this was not a short parade by a long shot!  But there I was, taking pics of everyone around me and when I turned back to the street, it was full of revelers heading for their bars of choice.  I didn't let it throw me, though, Dudley immediately got the gang moving and I thought, "I still have more pictures to take!!

Here are some of the folks I saw on the way to Dudley's bar of choice.

So happy!

We just walked past Micky's, so I guessed that was not where we were heading.  I did get a few shots of the Micky's dancers as we made our way through the crowd.

We traveled west a little bit more...

and finally landed at Mother Lode.  Personally, that is my favorite of the Downtown WeHo bars.  It's the one that still feels like a neighborhood bar in that four-block cluster of clubs.  There are a few that are not far behind in favorability (Gym Bar) and others that I still need to give a chance (I have not been beyond the outdoor patio at Hi-Tops).  Anywho, Mother Lode is where I feel comfortable.  Apparently so does Dudley, as seen in this pic here.

As comfortable as he was, Dudley had to give up his perch to make room for the dancer.

And what a friendly dancer he was!

From where I was standing and enjoying the revelry with friends (very near my dear dancer) I could see the happenings on the street.

I could also make sure my dear dancer was getting his due...

When it became clear that this dancer guy wasn't going to ask me to marry him, Dudley decided it was time to move on and we hit the street.  What sights we had to see!  My favorite was Daddy Smurf.

This guy was so happy he was dancing in the street! What's under that tiny skirt? You can see on the jump page (Link below)

I love going out with Dudley because he is a great influence.  He is very gregarious.  That means he'll go up and talk to people that I only think about approaching.  His gregariousness has served him well.  He seems to know a lot of people.

I wanted to ask this guy where he got that fabulous Chinese Take-out bag.

Dudley would have asked. 

See? Dudley knows people...

And they love him!

We had to get a pic with a Drag Queen!

Eventually, everyone peeled away and it was just me and Dudley.  I didn't want to, but I broke the news that I was old and tired and had to head home.  He understood and went his own way as I walked back to my apartment. I didn't mind that I had to go past Micky's dancers, again.

I enjoyed the sights on my walk home and still only thought "I'd like to know that guy" instead of talking to any number of hotties, cuties & friendlies.  I guess I was too tired to follow Dudley's example.  C'mon, if I didn't just say "Hi" to THIS guy, I've got a problem! Maybe this is a thought for a different entry on "This is why I am Single".  Anyway, maybe I'm being too hard on myself. Look, he was on his phone! I was right not to interrupt him.

I certainly had a full day and look forward to next year's WeHo Pride parade.  Who knows, maybe I'll be in it!

See more sensitive pics after the JUMP

Eat Me

P.S.

This is why I am single

 

This Is Why I Am Single - The Unflattering Shot To The Heart 2

 

It happens to everyone on social media, every so often, but this one is so egregious, I just had to share...

You might remember that time I posted about my photographer friend, Dusti Cunningham, posting a pic of me from an event where I was squished awkwardly between two people... if not HERE'S a reminder.

After that, I made peace with the fact that I can not control every image of me that appears in social media.  I also made peace with my less than International Male model body and the many angles by which it can appear to be larger or weirder in places than it actually is... 

Even that didn't prepare me for this horror...

Speaking of horror, it all started with me popping over to the Ace Hotel theater to see THEY/THEM

with muh DABs, Dennis Hensley & Glenn Gaylord.  It is a horror movie with a twist, wherein maybe the LGBTQIAs aren't the victims we're used to seeing. (Mini Review: While it didn't break any new ground except for turning the tables, and isn't a bold new take on slasher movies that some hoped it might be, it was an entertaining enough gathering of Dead Meats and kills, much like the many other slasher movies it means to emulate.  It could have been gorier, but I thought is was alright.)

Anyway, it was a the OUTFEST closing night feature and the theater was abuzz with film makers, the movie's cast (including Kevin Bacon) and a bunch of gays. One of the gays there that I know was Greg Hernandez of GREG IN HOLLYWOOD.  We shared our excitement for the movie we were about to see and caught up on recent stuffs and then Greg snapped and posted this pic...

Now, I'm not angry or upset with Greg for posting it... I just thought it was worth mentioning how unflattering it is.  First, there's the harsh shadows and highlights, offering no forgiveness in facial features or body bumps.  Then there's the indeterminant look on my face, like I was puzzled to be happy... The pièce de résistance has to be the "Bun in the Oven" appearance of my tumtums.  I know I have a belly, and sometimes I have the presence of mind to suck it in when there's a camera pointed at me... in this case, I scooted up to the edge of my seat, but turned & slouched a little back to keep from blocking Dennis in the picture and, apparently, carried a child to term.  I look like I'm pregnant, along with the boobies for feeding.   Honestly, I'm not fit, but this is a bit exaggerated because of the weird way I contorted my body for this shot.  I see this and ask myself, how am I ever going to find someone who's attracted to me, if I keep forgetting my America's Next Top Model challenges training??

Was this really my best shot this week?  UGHHH!

Again, I'm looking at this with humor, because if we take this social media stuff too seriously, we could really fuck ourselves up obsessing over every post that includes us, that we can't control.  I try to choose to enjoy the moment and worry about secondary factors, later.  Like 3 hours later, when I see the photo and OOF, it hits me like a punch in the ample gut! ..but in a good way, like in the movie DODGEBALL.  Also, if this pic scares off any potential suitors, then so be it, who needs someone who's gonna obsess over their images AND mine, to boot?  Ain't got time for that nonsense. 

Meanwhile, I posted this pic,

Which Greg might have said he found quite flattering,  You're welcome!!
I hope you get a husband, a rescue pup,  a subscription to Hulu/Disney + and a fancy house on a private beach with great lighting from this picture, GREG!!!!!

(That may sound mean and resentful, but wouldn't it be neato if you actually did?)

This Is Why I Am Single - Words With Fish

As a Dying Alone, one of my favorite pastimes is playing Words With Friends with friends.

Sometimes I play Words With Friends with friends' friends.

And I've actually met people through this game, like Dan from Melbourne, who's my friend Dennis Hensley's friend.

We played the word game for a year or so, then I met him in Melbourne when I went to Australia.  We had a great time!  ...Except a few hours after I ate a glutenful bun at Huxtabuger...

It wasn't their fault. We went there specifically because they had gluten friendly buns, but in the excitement and gabbing I forgot to order the bun... It's a messy story you really don't need to read about.  The point is, I met Dan on Words With Friends, then I flew across the world and met him in person.  If you would like to see other delicious Australian men I met/saw in Australia, click here.

All that is to say that I'm open to meeting new people, even on a game platform.
Cut to me seeing I have a message from a new opponent named John W Nicholson.  He was a very friendly Military man who was playing with me all the way from Saudi Arabia!  Somehow he figured I was gay and confessed to being gay, himself, which isn't easy in the Military.

Of course, the first thing I did was look him up on the Facebooks.  He had a page.  Then, I Googled him and he popped up right away.  I read his story.  I thought this had a slight chance of being real.  One of the things that kept me in was that his English was exceptionally good.  I conversed with him as I would any single gay guy in the Military.

The second set of texts confirmed my suspicions.  He got too friendly too fast, hoping to prey on my Dying Alone loneliness.  I decided to have fun and continue with this Catfish game... and the Words With Friends 'cause I was winning.  (Disclaimer: I'm one to talk about grammar & spelling, please excuse my errors in texting - I have fat, impatient fingers) (Also, if you're having trouble reading the texts, click the pic and it'll enlarge)

 His English skills also plummeted, so I figured this was a team;  someone well spoken to get 'em on the hook and another to keep 'em on until it's time to reel them in. Anyway, I decided to find out, once and for all what his deal was, so I began to tease.

I wanted him to know I am frivolous with this newly won money!

I liked that he didn't seem to mind that I totally ignored his texts that gave away his game too soon.

 I was really having a fun time.

Then I turned into that girl in Kill Bill,
O-Ren Ishii: You didn't think it was gonna be that easy, did you?

That damn Wikipedia page!!

I was amazed that he thought that there was still a chance for this visit to happen.
So why not give a little more hope?

Then, I got bored and deleted him.

It's interesting to me that people fall for these "too good to be true" connections so often.

Can't people tell right away that the compliments and kind words are not real?

Who pops out of the blue to tell you they like you??

Or are some of these guys real?

I thought the This Is Why I Am Single was because the only guys who hit me up are fake guys, but it might actually be...

This Is Why I Am Single; I'm immediately suspicious of anyone who shows interest in me.

I'm totally right about this one, but I have probably scared off a few guys who were actually into me because I refused to believe it was real.  Actually, I think there's a good chunk of my friends I made work hard for the friendship because I found it difficult to believe that they really liked me and valued my friendship.  Wow, THIS is the big reveal for me- not that this Gay Military Guy is a Catfisher, but that I could be scaring away the all wrong fish!

That's just awful.

Well, apparently I have some work to do on myself, so I'll leave you with this...

Real John William Nicholson Jr, if you're reading this and you're really gay, hit me up.  I think you're cute.

This Is Why I Am Single - It's A Match!

Yes, I'm still on FU Cupid.  Hoping for a match and I finally got one!

CLICK

Fuck You, Cupid!!