An Amaaaazing Bachelor Party!

Last year, I told you how the gays have raised the bar on grand weddings when I attended the lavish Gatsby-styled shindig that was my friends Daved and Tom's wedding (An Affair to Remember). Well, after a wonderful day yesterday, I can attest to the fact that we've also now cornered the market on innovative and awesomely fun bachelor parties, too!

This September, two very good friends of mine, Eric and Rick, will be saying their vows to one another in front of many friends and family members, including me, and to celebrate their upcoming nuptials, Eric's sister Kristen, and two of the couple's very best friends, Jim and Steve, threw them a bachelor party none of us will soon forget...  

Hi everyone! Looking forward to next Saturday! We will be meting at noon to take the 12:25 Ferry from Sayville to Cherry Grove. As soon as we hit the Grove your Amazing Race Style Scavenger Hunt will begin. (So maybe leave the high heels at home.) As part of the prep for Race we need for each of you who is coming to this part, to give us your cell phone number. Please write that here ASAP. PS - This is ALL a SURPRISE to Eric and Rick!!! SHHHHHHHH...  

This was a message sent out to the participants of the Amazing Race Scavenger Hunt, the first of two parts of this great celebratory party.  None of us really had a clue, lol, as to what exactly to expect, but Kristen filled us all in once we were on the boat headed towards the Grove.  

The rules were simple.  The members of the group were put into teams of two and given a nylon bag to match the color of the team name.  My buddy Eric and I were Team Orange,  The bag was filled with water and other items we would need for our approximately hour-long scavenger hunt through Cherry Grove.  The theme was The Amazing Race and the game mirrored all of the things found on the hit game show, with clues, road blocks, detours and even one U-turn somewhere in the middle. Our hunt would begin as soon as we got to the dock, and soon enough, it was on!

Our first task was to find a house somewhere in this small community full of crisscrossing boardwalks and dozens upon dozens of homes. There was a marker to this one, though, a sign above the entrance way showing a Good n Plenty box.  Upon exiting the boat, the frantic search was on as about ten teams ran, chased and asked people for help in finding the home.  Within seconds we were all out of breath as we followed those who'd found out the location of the famous, candy coated icon, and once we were there, we were faced with our first task, called Suck It Up.  

Use the straws provided in this clue to transfer 10 Good n Plenty candies from a bowl to a cup.  You must use suction to get the candy to stick to the end of the straw.  You may not hold the candy in your hand.

One teammate must suck up a candy from the bowl with their straw and walk it over to their waiting teammate and drop it into the cup.  If it drops, you must come back to the bowl and get another candy.  After one teammate had transferred five candies, switch places.  Once your team has transferred 10 candies, give the cup to Jim to receive your next clue.
Pretty good, huh?  You would think that with all of these gay guys and women, sucking it up would be easy, but hell no!  The race to transfer 10 candies was on and it was fierce.  I went first for our team and oh my God, was it difficult!  I actually realized about midway through that my glasses were causing me to miss the cup that Eric was holding, dropping it just short a few times.  After removing them, I soon got the hang of it and after Eric quickly got his five candies, we were on our way to our next task in no time...

The rest of the next hour was filled with all sorts of cool and fun tasks, like counting the number of cherries in a picture of a drink, solving a puzzle of the 50 states, taking a picture in the Ice Palace's famous red chair wearing a 'costume' (we got Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears and mustaches!), drinking a strawberry margarita with curly straws in a task called Brain Freeze, pulling out bones in the game Operation, and my personal favorite, proposing to a stranger in the Ice Palace using a candy wedding ring.  

As you can see from these pictures, every single person involved had a great time, and as a testament to Eric and Rick, all of the people were genuinely fun to be with. Once the race's last task, Cracking the Code, was over, it was time for a little R&R, some food and drink, at the Tiki Bar overlooking the bay.  It was a nice way to ending that one grueling, frantic, and exhilarating hour.  The party continued on throughout the evening as more guests arrived at the Grove and we all danced, laughed, and had the time of our lives.

So, as for any of you out there who may be planning a bachelor party, or any other kind of shindig, perhaps you might want to take a hint from the gays, lol.  Like the spectacular wedding almost a year ago at the Suffolk Theater, this was one party to remember for a long, long time to come.  A very special shout out goes to Kristen, Jim and Steve, who masterminded this entire unique funfest.  I can't wait till the wedding!

Here are a few more pics from this fun-filled day, taken by some of my fellow guests...Enjoy!

  

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Song of the Day - Somebody Loves You - Betty Who

time

Here's an oldie, but goodie that I am posting for my friend Michael, who's never seen it before.  It's been awhile since I've watched it and still it always, always makes me smile...and tear up just a lil!

Somebody Loves You

Awe, I'm ashamed to say that I haven't watched this video until this morning even though it's been floating around the Internet for awhile now.  If you haven't seen it, click play and watch how love is the same no matter what...

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Pride Day Song of the Day - Same Love - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay,
'Cause I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight.
I told my mom, tears rushing down my face
She's like "Ben you've loved girls since before pre-k, trippin' "
Yeah, I guess she had a point, didn't she?
Bunch of stereotypes all in my head.

Happy Pride Day!  Today is New York City's Gay Pride Parade, the culmination of a week-long celebration that's the biggest in the world.  The events in the Supreme Court this week have given cause for even more celebration, more pride, as a long, hard battle for equal rights has been won.


theatlanticwire

I remember doing the math like, "Yeah, I'm good at little league"
A preconceived idea of what it all meant
For those that liked the same sex
Had the characteristics

This will be the third time that I am featuring this song as Song of the Day in a relatively short period of time, but I can think of no better tune to represent this day, and I feature the lyrics here because they're so profound, especially coming from a straight ally who's so popular right now.

The right wing conservatives think it's a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing God, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what we don't know
And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago

I don't know

There is a guest vocalist in this song, Mary Lambert, who sings the chorus in such a way she hearkens back to the folk singers on the sixties and seventies who so often spoke out for their own causes.  Her voice is beautiful and melodic, and the words ring so true for anyone who is gay.

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change
Even if I try
Even if I wanted to
My love, my love, my love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

Then Macklemore goes on the attack against a community who's harsh rhetoric hidden behind lyrics often goes unnoticed and unspoken, who's fraternity regularly demonizes "faggots" and the like.  Like the rapper says, it's actually surprising being that this particular community comes from a place of oppression, yet their words fan the flames of oppression upon the gay community...

If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately?
"Man, that's gay" gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we're saying
A culture founded from oppression
Yet we don't have acceptance for 'em
Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board
A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it
Gay is synonymous with the lesser

It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins
It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself

thevine

The song continues with words never truer spoken.  It's advice we all need to take, no matter what our prejudices may be.  Though I've never really been the object of such discrimination personally, the fact that it happens gives me a pain in my heart, and no one deserves to face ridicule just because of how they were born, whether it's skin color, gender, or sexual orientation.

We press play, don't press pause
Progress, march on
With the veil over our eyes
We turn our back on the cause
Till the day that my uncles can be united by law
When kids are walking 'round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are
And a certificate on paper isn't gonna solve it all
But it's a damn good place to start
No law is gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever God you believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it's all the same love
About time that we raised up

So please press play. The song is really very good.  Happy Pride Day to everybody, and if you happen to be LGBT, or even just different in any way, stand up and be proud of who you are...

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change
Even if I try
Even if I wanted to
My love, my love, my love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

MACKLEMORE ft RYAN LEWIS & MARY LAMBERT " Same... by UnderProject

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Pride Week Special Song of the Day - Marry You - Glee Cast

It's a beautiful night 

We're looking for something dumb to do 

Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you...

"Love Is Love" -Barack Obama, the second-term first African American President said on the day the Supreme Court made huge strides toward equality for gay people. Its an exciting time to live in. 

Dariius Frowner - Facebook

Two years and three days ago, the State of New York made the Marriage Equality Act a reality, legalizing same sex marriage in the state.  It was a joyous occasion for many LGBT's out there, and  it came just in time for the NYC Pride Parade, which broke records for attendance.

The ensuing celebration was joyous, to say the least.  It was in fact the most joyous ever, but even back then things weren't totally right yet.  At the time, New York was only the 6th state to recognize same sex marriages, and only a couple have followed suit since.  With yesterday's ruling by the Supreme Court, both the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Prop 8 were invalidated, clearing the way for same sex couples everywhere to legally join in the state of marriage just like everybody else.

As I've been saying for a long, long time, those arguing against gay marriage have done so with religious ideologies in mind.  However, the institution of marriage has two definitions, both a religious one and a legal one, with many rights and privileges previously only afforded to heterosexual couples.  That is the one we've been after, and finally we can now stand on equal ground.

So New York City's Gay Pride Parade is this Sunday, and I'm sure that two year old attendance record will be broken, and I will be there just like I was then.  And for those who still feel strongly against gay marriage?  Just listen to the lyrics of this song and you'll see that that "something dumb to do," we can also finally do now.  So there!

[GLEE] Full Performance of 'Marry You' — 2x08, Furt from Wellington Vargas Gomes on Vimeo.

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Oppose Gay Marriage

I just caught this commercial on YouTube and I just had to share it.  Oppose Gay Marriage!


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Song of the Day - Same Love - Macklemore & Lewis, featuring Mary Lambert

rosssimmonds

Well we're back to our normal Song of the Day posts and here's one that's very appropriate for this week's showdown in the Supreme Court.  It's a new one, well to me anyway, from Seattle-based upstart rapper Macklemore, who seems to have a lot more to him than just one hit.  The song charted at #89 on the Hot 100 last July, but I totally missed it.  Check out this special song and the lyrics below...

MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS - SAME LOVE feat- MARY LAMBERT (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube from Nikki danielle on Vimeo.

Same Love

When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay
'Cause I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight
I told my mom tears rushing down my face
She's like "Ben you've loved girls since before pre-k tripping, "
Yeah, I guess she had a point, didn't she?
Bunch of stereotypes all in my head.
I remember doing the math like, "Yeah, I'm good at little league"
A preconceived idea of what it all meant
For those that liked the same sex
Had the characteristics
The right wing conservatives think it's a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing God, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what we don't know
And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago
I don't know

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
I can't change
Even if I try
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately?
"Man, that's gay" gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we're saying
A culture founded from oppression
Yet we don't have acceptance for 'em
Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board
A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it
Gay is synonymous with the lesser
It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins
It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself
When I was at church they taught me something else
If you preach hate at the service those words aren't anointed
That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned
When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same, but that's not important
No freedom till we're equal, damn right I support it

(I don't know)

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm

We press play, don't press pause
Progress, march on
With the veil over our eyes
We turn our back on the cause
Till the day that my uncles can be united by law
When kids are walking 'round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are
And a certificate on paper isn't gonna solve it all
But it's a damn good place to start
No law is gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever God you believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it's all the same love
About time that we raised up

And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
I can't change
Even if I try
Even if I wanted to
My love
My love
My love
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
She keeps me warm
Love is patient
Love is kind
Love is patient
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is kind
(I'm not crying on Sundays)
Love is patient
Love is kind

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Writing Wednesday: Music, Restaurant Week, Gay Marriage, and New Coasters

It's Wednesday, and it's been a long time since I've written one of these babies, huh?  I've been writing quite a bit lately and I just figured now would be a good time to share some of the things I've been putting out there on Yahoo and Examiner.  So check it out...

Music

My favorite topic to write about, of course, is music, and I've done several music pieces for both sites:



Gaga's Eccentric Timing as 'Born This Way Ball' Draws to a Close

I penned this one a week before she was supposed to come to New York for the show and just a day or two before she cancelled the remainder of the tour due to her injury.  Nevertheless, I did have something to say about Ms. Gaga's timing.

P!nk's Top Twenty Songs: Revised and Expanded

Of course I had to do a new P!nk piece with all this new P!nk hysteria of mine.  Besides, she's got a new album since I penned the first one of her top ten.

What Are You Listening To? Winter 2013

After having trouble with my summer and fall installments of this series on Yahoo, I returned this winter with a not-so-great lineup of current music...except P!nk, of course!

P!nk Rocks MSG with 'The Truth About Love'

In the past, this type of piece would have gone on Yahoo, but since it is timely, I had to post it to my Examiner page.  This one is my official review of the concert.  Be on the lookout for another Yahoo piece on P!nk's show coming soon!  Also be sure to check out Basking in a P!nk Afterglow right here on John's World.

Jones Beach Theater - Check out the lineup for the Jones Beach Summer Concert Series 2013.  Always exciting to see who's coming!



Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week is always a good deal, and it's a great time to get out there and try some nice fine food at an affordable price.  There are two Restaurant Week's coming up on Long Island: Hamptons Restaurant Week and Long Island Spring Restaurant Week.  Check em' out!



If you're a denizen of the Internet, then you've probably seen this out there.  The red and pink symbol is for marriage equality and it's all over the place this week.  That's because the Supreme Court is hearing cases for the first time concerning California's Prop 8 and DOMA.  A Facebook friend of mine, my pal Dita's sister, asked me my opinion on the topic and it got me thinking on the topic...again!  Check out Same Sex Marriage: An Argument in Semantics.



New Roller Coasters

Finally, every new winter I pen articles on new coasters coming out for the upcoming season and this year I penned three of them.  When I started researching the topic, it appeared there would be a lot more new ones than Ii had originally thought.  Though there aren't many, and none are coming to any of my local parks, there are some things to get excited about.  Check these pieces out:

New Roller Coasters at Six Flags Theme Parks in 2013

More New Roller Coasters Coming in 2013

New Roller Coasters Coming to Theme Parks Around the World in 2013

Anyway, I hope you've found something useful here for your reading pleasure.  I'm not sure if this will become a regular thing again or not, but who knows?  And perhaps I'll have a few personal tidbits coming up in the near future for those of you who enjoy that kind of stuff.  As always, thanks for checking me out!


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Yahoo Voices Spotlight: Gay Marriage

Since the subject of gay marriage has come up in such a big way this week, I thought that now would be a good time to highlight some of the pieces I've written on the subject.  I've said many times before that I myself am not a big fan of the institution of marriage of any kind, but I feel strongly that all people, regardless of sexual orientation or otherwise, should have the legal right to be joined together in the legally recognized union commonly known as marriage.

Why Same Sex Marriage is a Civil Rights Issue

The hotly contested issue of same sex marriage is a legal one, NOT a religious one as many would have you believe.  This piece lays out all of the rights that are afforded legally wedded couples that are denied to those unlawfully permitted to do so.  The consequences of the denial of such rights are far reaching in scope and affect many loving couples in sometimes heartbreaking ways, as you can see in Why we need same sex marriage: It could happen to you.

The Lovings and the Gay Marriage Debate

Here is a story of a time when another type of marriage was a hotly contested issue, that between people of differing races.  Yes, it's hard to believe, but one day in our history a black person could not marry a white person, nor a Latino, nor an Asian.  This tale of one couple, ironically named Loving, lived through that mess and found themselves fighting for their love all the way to the Supreme Court.

A Respectful Dialogue Resurfaces: Gay Marriage and the Traditional Family

A couple of years ago, a fellow writer and I published a series of articles arguing, in a respectful manner, all issues relating to homosexuality.  She, a Christian woman, and I, a gay man, had very different views on the subject,, and we went back and forth for weeks, making arguments and defending our stances, and the series was very well received.  This article came up after our series had concluded, but once again I had a lot to say on the subject.  (You can check out a synopsis of Becky Whittemore and my series, titled  "Understanding Homosexuality, A Respectful Dialogue Between Opposing Viewpoints," right here.

Some New York Pride as Marriage Equality Bill Passes

On June 24th, 2011, New York, my home state, became only the 6th state to legalize same sex marriage.  It was a joyous and proud moment for the people of New York, and the ensuing Pride Parade in New York City just two days later was awesomely well-attended and wonderful.   Also check out Walls Come Tumbling Down, my reaction blog post from that very historic day.

On a lighter note...

Music Suggestions for a Gay Wedding in New York

Once the Marriage Equality Bill had passed, I just knew that folks would be lining up to plan their weddings, right?  So since I'm a former disc jockey, I came up with some music suggestions for all of my LGBT brethren to play at their weddings.

Parity in Presents

This one is not necessarily specific to gay marriage, but a sort of comical rant on a condition that most gay people have had to live with since the dawn of time.  With all of those gift-giving occasions that straight people throw starting with weddings, then baptisms, showers, communions and the like, we gay people have always found ourselves at the short end of the stick when it comes to getting presents.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for....Ben and Jerry's?

I just had to include this blog post about those good old Vermont ice creamers repackaging one of their ice cream flavors, Apple-y Ever After, in support of same sex marriage.  Check out the post right here.

Well, that's all she, or rather he, wrote folks.  As always, I appreciate your visits to my little space here on the Web...have a good one!

The Lovings Image Source: blendeunity

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Why We Need Same Sex Marriage - It Could Happen To You

I've seen this video posted all day long on Facebook and Twitter, and I finally got a chance to look at it just now. I'm sitting here, wiping the tears away, having seen exactly what's wrong with this whole same sex marriage issue. If anyone who is gay marriage watches the video and still feels the same way afterwards, then I say they, not us, are sick and perverted for approving of this kind of treatment of fellow human beings.

This very real story of two soul mates who were met with a tragic ending and even further heartbreak for one of them is not an uncommon one.  People of the same sex can and do have healthy relationships, just like everybody else.  I know this because I was in a relationship with another man for twenty years, and the story presented here could surely have happened to either of us.  This issue has nothing to do with religion...Same sex marriage is a civil rights issue.  Read on after the video

   

Please check out:

 Same sex marriage is a civil rights issue

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Writing Wednesday, May 9th, 2012: Theater; Ziplining; Gay Marriage

It seems that lately my time for writing has gotten less and less, and this past week has been no exception.  Whereas almost the entire month of April was filled with posts from the Blogger's Challenge, I've gone into the month of May with dollar signs in my eyes.  That is, I've been trying to concentrate my pieces in places that earn me money, namely Examiner.

This past week I've posted three articles to Examiner, one to each title I carry there.  They're pretty "high interest" pieces, and so if you haven't checked them out yet, here's your chance:

Gateway Theater's Spectacular Summer 2012 Lineup

For those who live here on Long Island, the Gateway Theater is known for its' wonderful productions of Broadway caliber shows.  Every summer, the theater puts on several productions that are all well-received, and this year's crop sounds like a nice collection of shows.  I may just have to catch one or two...

Florida Eco-Safaris at Forever Florida

I first came across this place from a Google alert on roller coasters.  The article that piqued my interest spoke of America's first zip line roller coaster, and since I am a zip line veteran I checked it out.  Forever Florida is an expansive conservation area in Central Florida that's got a lot of zip lining...and cool sounding zip lining at that!  Check out this preview of a place I definitely want to check out next time I'm in that area, for sure!

Obama's Bold Statement a Long Time Coming

By now, most of you have heard that today President Obama finally stated his support of same sex marriage.  He's the first President to have ever done so and I say what took so long?  Politics, that's what, stupid, ridiculous politics.

Well that's all for this week.  I penned a piece for Yahoo, as well, but I'm still waiting for that one to be published.  As always, thanks for checking me out!

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