The SF Ballet Opening Night Party

Amidst an otherwise dreary evening of San Francisco rain in January, I found myself at the opening night of the San Francisco ballet. Let me clarify, I wasn't at the actual ballet performance, I was at the after party -- looking at the decor. City Hall, where the party took place, is one of the possible venues that The Macy's Parade & Entertainment Group is looking at for the after party of the SF Passport Presents Glamorama fashion show. Macy's Inc., being my current employer, is why I was invited to the party.

The decor was stunning. The food: horrible. Having previously worked for McCall's (the catering company that put on the event) I was embarrassed that upon eating the sushi I contemplated what I would do if I got nauseous due to food poisoning. What's more, on more than one occasion I vogued for McCall's to replace Taste Catering as the Passport catering company – clearly my opinions were out of post-college pubescent loyalty to a good paying employer. 

To the defense of the catering world, it was 10pm and McCall's did put on a sit down dinner prior to the ballet performance. Therefore, food wasn't a priority at 10pm; alcohol was -- and McCall's effectively got the room intoxicated. After all, I did spend most of my catering days as a bartender for McCall's and it was an enjoyable work experience.

Aside from the food and decor of the event, the people in attendance: swanky. The dresses were over the top and Waspy alcoholic men were at every corner. My amazing date and coworker, Jen Lu, was quick to the dance floor where dancing in an overly decorated City Hall corner couldn't be more fun.

Consistent with my mission at any major event, I met a boy. I've always thought of high-end events as a filtering mechanism for the rif raf often found at douchebag bars. I went to the party to enjoy myself while expanding my knowledge of acceptable event decor schemes -- especially given today's grueling budget conscious event environment. The 29 year old boy, "Matthew", was an exciting addition to the evening -- let's hope something becomes of the phone numbers that were exchanged. Even then, I'm happy to say that I'm more optimistic of San Francisco's gay scene since having met a beautiful boy at the ballet opening night party. For those of you still getting to know me, realty is clouded as I attempt to live a hopeless romantic fairy tale called event planning.

Until next time: www.twitter.com/dsisson

Macy's 63rd Annual Flower Show: A Bohemian Garden

The 63rd Annual Macy's Flower Show begins today at the Union Square location. The show is FREE and lasts until April 18th. On Sunday the 19th, all the real flowers used in the store will be sold and the money will go to charity. This years theme, “A Bohemian Garden,” transports customers to a magical fantasyland of enchanted forests and storybook castles inspired by the historic countryside of Prague—the true Bohemian city.

For two weeks, Macy’s Union Square will be transformed into a captivating wonderland of enchanted forests, magical marshlands and settings inspired by castles and bright and pastel color palettes. Mystical creatures like fairies, unicorns, wood nymphs and fireflies play and hide in unconventional presentations of thousands of spring blooms, lush greens, and oak, maple and manzanita forests. Hand crafted bejeweled Easter eggs inspired by Fabergé, landscape murals commissioned by a local artist, rabbit topiaries and candy garlands complete the exquisite kingdom.

Fairies are everywhere!

Below is a chandelier that is inspired from a trees root system.

You'd think we were in a recession...not when it comes to corporate marketing!

The Macy's Flower Show takes place in NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minnesota and San Francisco. Believe it or not, San Francisco has the best show. After all, we are the best when it comes to all things green!

The enchantment of “A Bohemian Garden” continues in Macy’s exterior windows on Stockton and O’Farrell streets. The heart of the store’s corner window is a spectacular tree that grows jewel-encrusted eggs. Butterfly rainbows, peek-a-boo fairies, richly colored peacocks and twinkling fireflies complete the captivating scene. Other exterior windows feature curious hideaways like a private marshland with a magnificent queen swan, a magical spider in a web, a gazebo covered in climbing vines of wisteria and jasmine, and roses, water lilies, orchids, azaleas and rhododendron.

(Exerts of this blog post taken from the Macy's West Flower Show Press Release available at: www.macys.com/pressroom)

Pets: How much is too much?

Death is part of life and everyone has his or her own coping mechanism for dealing with such a tragedy. Residents of San Francisco take this to the next level: The Presidio of San Francisco Pet Cemetery. Don't get me wrong, I love pets like Kibble (see below) and I'm sure she made a great lap dog. Nevertheless, pets are not humans and in San Francisco -- as is the case in other places as well -- I'm flabbergasted at the degree to which humans treat their pets.

I've beaten to death the phenomenon of dog parks in San Francisco. Whether you're looking to get laid or hoping to fill some seats at a dinner party, you can always find a friend at a dog park -- right after they bend over and pick-up some dog shit. Pets are a great way to meet people; however, when pets replace the need to be in a relationship with another human, this is the slippery slope that makes me skeptical.

I'm not an animal hater. I like dogs and love to ride horses. (See, I'm not a hater.) However, sometimes I find animals serving as the glue binding an otherwise failing relationship or better yet, unlucky attempt at finding a compatible mate in this jungle called life. And yet, as humans, is it necessary that our soul mates be another human? My opinion: yes.

Humans bring to the table something that animals cannot. Life needs to be shared with somebody else -- a human whose level of appreciation stretches beyond tail wagging or licking its caretakers fingers. The problem that arises is that pets fulfill the emotional void in a human-to-human relationship faster, more economically and with less obstacles (potty training being the most difficult). I'm not referring to children here -- which is a whole different scenario -- but more the relationship between a single human and their pet.

Taking this one step farther, there are some people who argue that humans are capable of having an emotional and even physical relationship with an animal. Entirely avoiding the discussion of bestiality, I do think it's possible to have an emotional relationship with a pet, but nothing on the level that which can be achieved in a human relationship. Therefore, while I understand the need to mourn the death of a pet, I do think it's important to keep in mind that a pet is nothing more than a less evolved mammal that hardly deserves the attention it already gets in San Francisco: too much.

Wedding Photography on Baker Beach

I always knew that wedding photographers took photos of brides on Baker Beach. After all, with the stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean right in front of you, what's not to love -- or be loved.

Seeing as deep down I aspire to be involved with the paparazzi, below is an incredibly unnecessary documentation of a wedding photographer taking photos of a bride blinded by the illusion of true love.

A new adventure

March 2009 marks one year that I have lived in San Francisco. I created "Out & About: San Francisco" after experimenting with two previous blogs. I enjoy writing in this blog, documenting my adventures here in San Francisco as I experiment with different writing styles. However, it's time I transition into a new project: a television show.

I'm posting this on my blog because I'm hoping to utilize this form of communication -- an online community with an international perspective -- as I attempt to write something I've never done before. Writing in a blog is similar to writing in a journal; however, writing a television show, with characters and plots, this is totally different. I hope to continue posting pictures on this blog, but I also plan on using this page as a forum to share ideas. Hopefully, as I begin posting ideas about what to include in the television show (about San Francisco -- more on that to come soon), friends and followers of this blog can also provide their input. After all, the more opinions and different perspectives I garner in the brainstorming phase, the stronger the script. My ultimate goal is to discuss gay culture on a level that can be easily identifiable to any gender, demographic or religion.

As I begin this exploratory phase, I find myself looking back at the escapades I've had in my lifetime. Friends, we've had some wicked crazy rides. Now, I'm hoping to share those adventures, experiences and always entertaining outcomes. Join me as I embark into the unknown and attempt to make something out of nothing. After all, what the hell else am I supposed to do with my free time? I'm told we have one year before we get out of this recession. What better time to start then now.

Missed Connections

Anytime I'm walking around, no matter what the circumstance, it's an opportunity to meet somebody new. We can only gain from the experience of meeting someone new. Not everyone we meet delivers the kind of stimulation we desire -- like a homeless person asking for money. Even then, interacting with a complete stranger is exciting. After all, isn't the prospect of the unknown what keeps this sometimes repetitive and monotonous life entertaining?

In an effort to meet as many new people as achievable, I'm exploring every possible form of communication. The most standard way of communicating is through people we already know. For example, a friend introduces you to their friend and suddenly you've met somebody new. While the reasons we meet new people may vary, we are still utilizing human interaction to connect us with somebody new. Why limit ourselves to the methods of social interaction utilized by those that came before us? We have the technology, let's get out there and use it to our advantage.

Those of you who know me personally, I'm always asking friends of friends and everybody else in between if they know any single gay men. In my defense, while San Francisco is a city densely saturated with gay men, meeting new and interesting personalities on a level beyond a cordial exchange of information is rare. While my expertise lay in San Francisco's homosexual social scene, meeting new people (gay or straight) is challenging for everybody. Knowing this, how do we meet promising strangers in San Francisco?

Missed Connections is a feature on Craig's List that allows complete strangers an opportunity to communicate after the fact. What this means is that walking past somebody anonymously, looking at someone in the eyes with interest, these no longer need to be mere acts of expression. There is now hope for reuniting an otherwise missed connection.

Last week, running on the treadmill at my gym, it just so happened that the person running next to me was an attractive male whom I've seen before. How do I express interest with this person? Because we're both running on a treadmill and wearing headphones, the opportunity to get to know one another -- on a level beyond casual glances -- is limited.

Intrigued by the idea that I was humanly incapable of connecting with someone physically in my presence, later that night I went to Missed Connections on Craig's List. This is what I posted:

24+ male running on the treadmill next to me at Club One (Sansome) - m4m - 23 (financial district)Date: 2009-03-02, 10:34PM PST

You're a 20 something year-old male, muscular, you were running next to me on the treadmill. I never talk to anyone when I'm at the gym. Nobody does really. You seem like a quiet guy. I'd like to get to know you better.

My "Missed Connection" took place at 6:30PM and I posted on Craig's List around 10:30PM. By midnight, I received the following email:

hey -
i randomly searched for club one on craigslist and saw your ad - i doubt I'm your man but thought I'd give it a shot - i always wondered if anyone actually found anyone via missed connections!

so, i don't really want to tell you who i am just out of sheer embarrassment of being exposed on the Internet, but i AM a 25 year old male who sadly spends more than his fair share of time at club one... let me know your mystery man's stats and I'll tell you if i fit the bill :)

After a few email exchanges, this person (Chris) was actually a member of a different Club One in the city. Nevertheless, this attempt at reconnecting on a technologically evolved level is exciting. People, at least in San Francisco, are beginning to utilize more abstract forms of communication.

Like any form of digital communication, a learning curve exists for new users. As a result, advanced forms of communication and networking -- texting, Craig's List, online dating/chat rooms, Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, etc. -- are only able to evolve as quickly as they become user friendly. Likewise, the social stigma surrounding progressive forms of communication, this is a sociological conundrum whose factual base is yet to be fully determined.

San Francisco is a relatively small city with a strong technological influence. The gay social scene is even smaller so reconnecting with a "stranger" can very easily become a new friend with enough degrees of separation. Craig's List, based out of San Francisco, is undeniably influenced by the city's social tendencies. Missed Connections, therefore, while it might seem odd in any other city, here in the Bay Area, it's hardly something that should be stigmatized. The sooner we embrace new forms of communication the faster our society will evolve into a more advanced culture. Of course, this is coming from somebody who considers a more "advanced" society as one where I'm not single.

Hot boots

I saw these boots on my way to work this morning. These boots are hot.

Steaming Without Being Steamy

I love steam rooms. Always have, always will. There's something about that wet steam, the way it enters your lungs while soothing your aches and pains. It sounds, so, well, homoerotic. That's the point. Steam rooms, at private gyms in San Francisco, are a place where just about everything imaginable takes place. While I've seen a lot, I'm by no means a participant, persay.

Don't get me wrong, I'll enter the steam room. But when some guy is laying on his back, wearing a small white towel and looking at you with sexually suggestive eyes. This can be overwhelming for someone like myself, steaming after I shower, before I shave -- as recommended by the worlds beauty experts to prevent razor burn!

After weeks of looking at just about every gym in downtown San Francisco, I made the decision to sign-up with Club One. It's a wonderful gym, located right off Bart at the Montgomery Street station. Competitive in price with surrounding gyms in the area, Club One has some great features -- including a steam room.

What I've discovered in my two months at this gym is that more happens in the steam room than one would think. Literally. I always thought this was a place to steam; after all, it's a room reserved for steaming. However, behind the doors of the steam room, more happens than catches the eye.

Since having my revelation, my epiphany or whatever else friends like to use at moments like this in my life, I can confidently say that my visits in the steam room are now shorter. People get the wrong idea about individuals who stay too long in the steam room. Considering how long it took me to find a gym, I'm in no hurry to be on bad terms with the clientele. That is, even if I want to steam without being steamy.

Medical Marijuana Dispensary

At 1884 Market Street, medical marijuana is dispensed at convenient hours. A friend of mine lives close to this location, so I witness who walks in and out of this place regularly. Seeing as I'm from the Midwest, a marijuana dispensary remains an issue of interest. I don't care how long I live out here, it's going to take me a while before a dispensary of marijuana -- an otherwise illegal place, reserved for drug dealers in college -- becomes just another stop on the way home from work.

Bart Station Advertisements

Creative advertising is plastered all over San Francisco's Bart Station walls.

Montgomery Street Bart Station:

Emirates (above) transformed the pillars at the Montgomery Bart station into palm trees. People who work in the Financial District get off at the Montgomery station so it makes sense that international travel is being advertised.

Pepsi Company (above & below) has littered the walls and pillars of the Powell Street Bart Station. While I wonder how much this advertising space costs, I'm more interested in how a soda pop company has mimicked the savvy media plan used by our new Commander and Chief, President Obama, during his campaign. The world is falling apart, nobody has any money and if are going to buy something, make it a Pepsi! Why? Because we use bright colors....

16th & Mission Bart Station:

I apologize that this photo is so dark, but it was 6AM and I was half asleep on my way to the gym. Nevertheless, the ambiguity surrounding this advertisement remains strong. What is being advertised? Who is paying for this ad? What are we suppose to think?

Whenever something like this appears randomly, I often think it's the work of a secret cult -- aka the environmental movement. I'm sort of joking, but at the same time, the green movement works in mysterious ways.

Gay Sex Is Sin -- Repent!

“Christ saves from lust and demonic bondage.” This is the fine print under the bold letters stating that “Gay Sex Is Sin” and “Repent.” I saw this sign as I was walking through Union Square in downtown San Francisco. Whoever this guy is – from Cincinnati according to his sweatshirt — he chose quite the city to be advertising his views on morally appropriate sex.

Whether or not gay sex is a sin, I know that Jesus Christ would not approve of this public display of social intolerance. It’s religious fanatics like this man that unfortunately make the line between the Christian right and the liberal left more pronounced.

Seeing as I’m always trying to find the flip side to everything, I have another theory. Perhaps this guy who thinks “Gay Sex Is Sin” is really a closeted homosexual that can only get aroused through gay intercourse. His coping mechanism, holding up a sign that condemns homosexuality, is his last chance at proving to God that he is not gay – even if he swings by the gay bath houses from time-to-time when he’s drunk. As a society we are quick to judge people without knowing where they are coming from.

I wonder how many homosexuals, probably thousands, walked by this sign with negative thoughts brewing about this bigot in a green sweatshirt. Throwing a bucket of paint at the guy was the first thing that came to my mind. And yet, as a gay community, if we looked at the situation for the perspective of a potentially troubled and sexually frustrated soul, it’s surprising how quickly our anger turns to sympathy.