Wednesday, April 11, 2012

April 10th, 2012: End of Splash Saturday?; Easter; Photo Shoot Fun


It’s late Tuesday night and I am wide awake, at the end of my 4th day of vacation, and at least I can say I’m in a writing groove at a good time.  I briefly contemplated going into the city clubbing tonight, but since I’m trying to save my pennies, I thought better of it.  It’s been eons since I’ve gone to Splash on a Tuesday…always a fun night there, but I figure at least I’ve got the whole summer ahead of me for that.

So far, vacation’s been the usual for me: disorganized.  I hate to admit it, but my life runs much more smoothly when I’m working.  I cook dinner, I work out, and I get a lot of stuff I need to do done, but when I’m off I’m a complete mess!  There’s something to be said for routine, that’s for sure.  I will see "Hunger Games" before the week is out, though, dammit!


End of Splash Saturday?

On Saturday night I went to Splash.  Though it’s been my hangout for a couple of years now, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be going there on a Saturday night.  The last couple of times I went there, the place was clearly losing business.  I know I haven’t talked too much about it because I haven’t been there yet, but it’s evident that XL in Hell’s Kitchen is the new hot spot in the city, as far as big gay clubs are concerned.

I’ve stayed away from XL so far mostly because it’s more expensive than Splash.  Unless you’ve got a membership card, the cover charge is $15, which, to me, is a little steep just too get into the place.  With a card, it’s $10, which is what the former charges.  Mine is on its way and I have a feeling that once I go to XL, there may be no turning back.  From the looks of things, XL is packing them in every Saturday night and it seems they’re taking Splash head on during the week, as well, with their Rock-It Fridays, Cabaret Mondays, and the all-new 20-Something Thursdays.

Splash is undergoing renovations at the moment, most likely in response to their sudden, overpowering competition.  The whole downstairs was closed on Saturday, sans the restrooms, and the previous Saturday I had been there there was no deejay.  It’s always sad to see a favorite hangout die down…I remember back in the 80’s when Crystals in Smithtown was literally wiped out of business just a couple of months after Thunders opened up down the road. 

I don’t think that Splash will go under, by any means.  After all, it is a city institution and though the crowds are not what they had been, they’re still there.  It seems like the boys at Splash believe, or at least hope, that once their renovations are complete, the crowds will come back.  I’m not so sure, but we’ll see…

Easter

This year’s Easter was one of the better holidays I can remember in recent years.  There was no drama, no arguments, and dinner was actually delicious: roasted pork, with gravy, potatoes, broccoli and all the trimmings.  My sister Gina brought out a family friend, sort of, which was a really pleasant surprise.

Anthony is the elder son of Jenny, my sister’s BFF.  Jenny and Anthony spent many a holiday with our family over the years and they were both always great company, but since Jenny married awhile back we haven’t seen her or Anthony in a few years. 

On Sunday, Anthony asked my sister if he could come and so this awesomely polite and sweet young man was our surprise and welcome guest for the day, which was nice.  The last time I’d seen him, Anthony was probably about 13 years old and like six inches shorter than he is now at 17.  I feel old, lol.

Photo Shoot

One of the funnest things I’ve done so far this vacation was a photo shoot with my pal Laura Kim yesterday.  LK has a great eye for photography and every once in awhile we’ll get together for a meal and a shoot.  I’ve been wanting to update my photos for the various sites I write for, as well as for business cards I’m planning to order, so yesterday we finally got the chance.

My bud just moved into a house in Jamesport, which is spectacularly charming in it beauty and peacefulness.  She’d been scoping out spots to take photos, places where flowering trees are at their most beautiful this time of year, and so we headed out. 

I want to state right here and now that there is no way on Earth that I would ever make a good model.  Besides the fact that I don’t have ‘model’ looks, I simply cannot do a genuine smile when my photo’s being taken.  For whatever reason, once I know the camera is about to snap, I inadvertently make these weird faces.  It’s good for a lot of laughs, but not so good for the photos I’m trying to get.

Then of course I get silly, too, which doesn’t help matters either.  After returning to LK's house from these two beautiful spots…(the magnolia tree in a pasture was something out of a movie, and the beach just as nice!), I really got silly.  I played an 80’s, boom-box-carrying doofus, cap backwards and all, I took lessons in web-spinning from a life-sized Spiderman figure, and I got downright willy-nilly on a bed full of poofy pillows. 

Anyway, it was all great fun even though only about 5 or 6 of the 80-something pictures she took are usable.  Here are a few for your amusement:


See what I mean about the weird faces?


Steel Magnolias


Wrong flower for the Lotus position, huh?


I like this one!


LK's idea...


Fun Fun


Yeah boyyyyy!!!!


I love Spidey!



My photographer...



Image Source: Tracy Young


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