UFC (Ultimate Fantastic Core)

27 05 2007

Last night was our UFC Core party at Vicky’s house where we drank, ate, and watched the homoerotic spectacle known as UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) on pay-per-view. We also got a chance to see Jason and meet some of the members of Vicky’s secret social group.

Honestly? It seems gay just to watch this UFC stuff. I have no idea what the straight people get out of watching nearly naked guys rolling around in near simulated sex scenes. I asked Jerry about this later in the night, and he tried to explain that it’s not gay if punches are also being thrown. I think all the other guys in the room would have made similar statements if asked. If, like me, your BS meter is getting a suspicious reading from that statement, well…


This is Alessio Sakara from the weigh-in before UFC 70. Weigh-ins are indistinguishable from underwear photo shoots.


Bruce Weber directed this weigh-in of Rich Clementi


This move is actually called The Anaconda


I think this is called frottage


Another example of The Anaconda. That look of pain on his face tells you this isn’t gay.


This is what’s known as a power bottom


Honestly, these captions just write themselves at this point

I’m not going to harp on this too long, because a lot of straight guys don’t like being backed into a corner where they have to admit to themselves that they enjoy a little homoerotic display now and then. Personally I enjoyed the fight. And even though it’s an odd culture I can certainly appreciate it for what it is…soft core porn.

Note how girls are used in the background of the weigh-ins so that all those guys don’t feel completely gay for assembling to watch two UFC fighters strip down to their underwear…

So you see what I’m saying about this thinly veiled homoeroticism. I mean, I almost lost it last night when Joe Rogan started talking about how one fighter was “giving him the Anaconda from behind.” Ok.

Later in the night, some sort of tension developed about what to do after the fight was over. I’m not really sure how that started or what it was really about, but I ended up feeling a little uncomfortable about it.

Deanna and I headed back to the Governor’s Mansion where we decided to get a cab and meet Jerry out at a new bar for us called Bar Smith. It’s an interesting space next door to Burn, and we remarked how the crowd was a similar version of Scottsdale. After Jerry left just a little early due to an early work day he had planned, Deanna and I went next door to Burn where we were really surprised that they wanted us to pay $20 cover for the remaining hour that they would be open. So after nixing that idea, we walked to Seamus McCaffrey’s to have a few drinks with Daren.

So, there you have it. I’m going now to do some more UFC research…


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Core VIP

25 03 2007

Well last night was the Core event with Jerry, Vicky, and Deanna. We went to La Cage Aux Folles at the Arizona Broadway Theater, to Burn where we met Daren, Rich and Justin for dancing and drinks in our VIP cabana, and then finished the night at the governors mansion. I didn’t acually end up with as many pictures as I thought, but we all had a great time and it was fantastic as usual to see everyone!




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Core in the Pines!

25 02 2007

Well I’m sunburnt, bruised and sore…but it was all worth it, because a great time was had by all during Vicky’s Core snowboarding weekend in Flagstaff! Jerry and I were talking on the way back home in the car, and agreed that the bar is set pretty high for next time (which is my weekend). Luckily though, we seem to be out of our funk, and laughed and had fun the entire time we were in Flagstaff.


#5 and #6 took this picture of us as soon as we got to snowbowl


Deanna’s getting it


Vicky’s getting it


Jerry finally pulled down that creepy ski mask


Back at the hotel, we took a quick nap and then headed downstairs for some drinks


And then to Sakura, the hotel teppanyaki restaurant for dinner and some more drinks…


…and even more drinks


This restaurant isn’t shy with the fire effects!


Nothing special here, we were just waiting for a cab…


…still waiting for that cab


The cab driver finally showed up and took us to the Hotel Monte Vista, where we met up with my friend Chiara – my friend and her boyfriend Jaron was playing that night with his band Shawn Johnson and the Foundation


The music and energy were fantastic, and we continued to have a great time


Thanks everyone for a great Core in the Pines!


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Up at the crack of dawn

24 02 2007

Tonight I’m trying to wind down a little early since I have to be up at the crack of dawn to drive up to Flagstaff with Jerry, Vicky and Deanna for a day of snowboarding, drinking and general mischief. That’s right, it’s time for another Core! I’m really glad we’ve been able to keep up with these special plans, and I’m also impressed that we’ve been able to get more and more creative with what we do together.

February has been a really fantastic month, as I just got back from a trip to San Francisco last weekend with Rich, Justin, Philip and Bernard. Although I thought I might be pushing the limits with 3 parties in one weekend, I never really felt tired at all this week.

In fact I was so excited for the upcoming White Party in Palm Springs that I returned to my workout almost right away, never skipping a beat. Which is good, because I’m getting constant reminders that the White Party is in 6 weeks, and time is running out to prepare. I even got a White Party DVD in the mail yesterday from Jeffrey Sanker. Luckily, my new treadmill was delivered on Tuesday, and I am really enjoying using it. It was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, so I couldn’t put it out in the gym…I had to set it up in the living room for now, either until I can clear out another ajoining room, or someone comes over the house to help me move it. It’s pretty cool because it has a built-in TV and iPod dock. So while I’m running, I can either play that White Party DVD or listen to some music to keep me motivated.

That’s about all for tonight. I will just close by telling ALL of my friends how much I’ve enjoyed spending more time with them lately – whether it’s chatting, dining, working out, bar hopping, clubbing, snowboarding, or any of the other things that we love to do…the months and years keep getting better and better.

Here are some pictures from San Francisco last weekend…


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Core Fallout

18 01 2007

This morning I got an unexpected call from a core member. It seems this member thought I was mad at them, or wished them some sort of ill will, because I mentioned one of their past significant others – and how I had contacted this person to say hi on myspace. This was surprising to me, because I certainly would never be mad at this person, and certainly would not do something like this to make a point with them. I felt terrible! In fact, I thought the conversation last weekend around this was more funny than anything – but I guess that I horribly misjudged how this was going to be perceived. It was seen as mean-spirited, and I’m sorry for that.


I explained that I am online almost all of the time – and if I contact someone, or research someone, it’s not to make a point – it’s just one of the things that I do for fun. I try not to take anything seriously online, but some do (or don’t know exactly what to make of some things), and I should remain conscious of that.

We made amends, and talked about some other things. It seems the core get together on Saturday was a bit odd for everyone – and so I’d like to challenge everyone to blog about it. Not naming names, of course. But something was amiss all around. Was it because we skipped a month? Was it because we’re a bit burned out from the holidays? Was it because some of us quit smoking and don’t know how to relate to each other without cigs in our hands? Or, was it because we have so much empathy for each other that a problem with one or 2 of us becomes a problem for all of us?

One of you told me that I looked uncomfortable/quiet because we were in straight Scottsdale locations…you may be right about that. I certainly prefer to be in a more relaxed environment, and for me that usually means a gay or mixed environment. But you actually got so uncomfortable and quiet during a conversation that we had, that I felt a bit uncomfortable myself. Why is that?

Time to spill, core members.

(For those of you who don’t know, the “core” is me and 3 of my friends. I’m the newest addition to this group, but we have all known each other for at least about 10 years – the other 3 have known each other for longer than that. We get together at least once per month for a planned dinner/activity/boozefest, and we rotate who gets to choose the activity and venue. There are various other rules and traditions that I won’t bore you with, but these are the basics.)


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A weekend with all my favorite people

16 01 2007

So today I’m recovering a bit from a wild weekend with all my friends. 3 days, 3 groups of friends, and 3 different types of venues.

Friday Jerry and I went to Palazzo for Tranzylvania. After a surpisingly short and cheap cab ride, we got our drink on, listened to some music, and I took part in some traditional tai chi stalking. The crowd was much better than the last time we’d been here, when the whole scene seemed like a bad b-movie remake of the actual Tranzylvania experience.

Saturday was the core event with Jerry, Vicky and Deanna. Although we planned to go to Cafe Blue in Scottsdale, it was surpisingly shut down when we got there. So, we decided to go to Furio instead and walked in at just the right time, when the party before us had cancelled their table. We had a nice dinner and some pitchers of sangria and margaritas. After dinner, and some decadent chocolate fondue, we went to the bar at the valley Ho for fireside drinks and chat.


Vicky, Jerry, Deanna and Me at Furio in Scottsdale

Sunday was DJ Brett Henrichsen at Burn Nightclub, with Rich and Justin. While Phoenix certainly hasn’t become part of the party circuit yet, it was certainly nice to see a real DJ come to our new dance club. There were maybe about 100 people or less in attendance, and I could tell that Brett was a bit disappointed – but hey, we had a great time! After about 4 hours of dancing, I headed out with Justin and new local VIP celebrity Rich Brown.


Me and Rich at Burn Nightclub in downtown Phoenix


DJ Brett Henrichsen. Sorry the picture is so dark, but trust me he is incredibly hot and talented and I hope to meet him at a future event!


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