The Dooryard

Words that drive me crazy

I'm innocently sitting at my desk editing an interview that someone else did, and I come across this word: "optionality." As in, "there's a lot of optionality." This drives me bananas. People seem to have completely forgotten how to speak, making up ridiculous words that either aren't words or shouldn't be words. What the person meant was "options" - instead, he came up with "optionality." Oh, brother.

Another one I can't stand is "historical." "Historic" is all you need - the "-al" at the end of the word does nothing to the word, except to make the person using it sound stupid. Yes, historical is a word - but, it's a bad word, just like optionality.

Please, people, let's start talking with intelligently and concisely. We rip various people in the media spotlight for sounding less-than-genius when they talk; let's start living by our own criticism.

Lance comes out

Yay Lance! Nsync's Lance Bass is coming out of the closet in People magazine this week, after much speculation, and an entry about his trip to Provincetown on this blog, over the last month. Good for him. He's at a place in his life where he can have a positive impact, and coming out can have a positive impact on him. One of his Nsync-mates, Joey Fatone, has some positive things to say about it, which is cool.

Says Lance in the article: "The thing is, I’m not ashamed – that’s the one thing I want to say. I don't think it's wrong, I'm not devastated going through this. I'm more liberated and happy than I’ve been my whole life. I'm just happy."

And I'm happy for you!

Gold at the Gay Games

I returned from the Gay Games in Chicago on Sunday night with a gold medal from football. It was an incredible week. It felt like I was gone for a month. We've got tons of notes, and over 400 photos so far, over at Outsports - so be sure to take a look.

The tournament for me was the most special I've been in. For one, my team won the first Gay Games gold in flag football since 1994; and the next time they might possibly hold flag football at the Games would be 2014 (they only have football when it's in the U.S.). Plus, my team was incredible. Completely drama-free. Everyone on the team just fit nicely into a role and everyone was completely happy to play that role. It was really special.

I got to play with former NFL lineman Esera Tuaolo. He taught me a ton, and I'll be writing about that later this week.

Against the hometown favorite Chicago Flames, I took a nasty blow to my calf on the last play of the first half (a 40-yard pass that I tapped away just in front of the end zone). I was hobbled the rest of the tournament but I played through the pain. My calf is still swollen, painful and is now yellow, black and blue.

Gay Games in Chicago

Finally, it is here. What promises to be an incredible three weeks of gay sports in Chicago and Montreal.

Tomorrow, I'll be getting on a plane headed to Chicago for the next week. So, updates will be scarce on here. But, you can check Outsports.com where we'll have daily updates with photo galleries, news and notes from the Gay Games.

Also, we're having an Outsports party Wednesday night at Crew Bar + Grill - and everyone is invited. Please, stop by and say hi!

I'll be playing football for Team Outsports. I would say we're one of the favorites to contend for the title; which means absolutely nothing. Esera Tuaolo and Corey Johnson are on my team; both great guys whom I really look forward to playing with.

So, if you're in Chicago for the Gay Games, please come by football or our party at Crew Bar and say hi.

An Angel Wears Prada

You hear so much about how important the actors can be to a movie, but so rarely do you see one of them really transform a project. Meryl Streep's performance in The Devil Wears Prada is one of those rare performances around which an entire movie is built. It's no big surprise; Streep is first of all actors, ahead of the likes of Katherine Hepburn, Jack Nicholson, Laurence Olivier, Bette Davis, Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman, with 13 Academy Award nominations under her belt, and I have no doubt that this movie will build her record.

While her timing is incredible, the glances of her eyes startling, it is the humanity Streep brings to "the dragon lady" that is so fascinating to watch. She allows just a glimmer of Miranda Priestley's vulnerability in several scenes, leading up to the character's final reckoning over the course of the final 30 minutes.

On the flip side, Anne Hathaway brings absolutely nothing to the main character, Andrea/Emily/Andi. I'm getting so tired of these young actresses walking through roles (Natalie Portman in Star Wars; Kate Bosworth in Superman Returns; Hathaway here). I'd much rather watch a much less pretty and much older actress actually earn her money in some of these roles. Hathaway brought no arc to her character whatsoever; it was so bad that the ending seemed out-of-place and misguided. I actually got angry at the ending, which I should have fallen in love with (I'm a sucker for redemption stories).

Still, Hathaway can't undermine the wonderful performances poured in by virtually everyone else in the cast, highlighted by Streep and Stanley Tucci.

FINAL ANALYSIS: If Hathaway had brought anything to the lead role, this could have been a 10; but the other performances are so strong, the movie still shines. 9 out of 10.

Mandoo

There's a great little Korean restaurant in the neighborhood where I work called Mandoo Bar. Their specialty is little dumplings they call "Mandoo." I know they're not very good for my waistline, but I can't help but get them once or twice a week for lunch. I've teased the host that they must put some secret addictive ingredient in there; she smiles but doesn't deny it! Mool mandoo - boiled pork dumplings - are my favorite.

The beauty of Provincetown II

While I looked at a lot of buildings in Provincetown, I also focused on the elements of what makes the place so beautiful, from the oily water lying in the marsh to the flowers to the trim on the buildings, basking in the light of the sunset.

Painter John Dowd years ago began capturing the way the light dances in Provincetown. I don't know what it is about the place, but the light of the waning sun changes the look of the place more than anywhere else I've been. I could have taken hundreds of pictures of the edges of the buildings at sunset. Unfortunately, the golden hour lasts only an hour, and I had my camera out only one afternoon.

Photos after the jump>>

To me, Lance Bass is out

One of the biggest problems, if not the biggest, we're facing in acquiring non-discrimination and marriage rights for gay people is gay people. Not necessarily you and me; but other gay people - the closeted ones. Every time a well-known person comes out of the closet, it helps our cause. Unfortunately, so few of them have done it. Instead, they stay in the closet, fueling rumor and speculation, building the notion that being labelled gay is bad.

Take Lance Bass, for example. There have been rumors about him being gay for years. Hell, I just assumed that after he appeared on two episodes of Kathy Griffin's show last year that he was waaaaay out. But, the mainstream press won't touch that one because he hasn't held a press conference at The Abbey to declare he's gay. Blogs and Web sites have been tossing around the rumor for a while, especially with the number of times he's been seen in public with Reichen Lheihmkhuhlh. But, because he hasn't called a press conference, "upstanding" reporters just won't touch it.

Well, as far as I'm concerned, he's out. He has made a public statement. In Provincetown this past weekend, I saw him with Reichen and some other super-gay friends at the Atlantic House. The A-House is a gay bar. In fact, the last straight person to step foot in there was Anderson Cooper.

The next day, I saw Lance at a general store with Reichen and the little gay friends. Other friends reported seeing him at the A-House other nights.

If you go to Provincetown, and go to a gay bar, out in the public where hundreds of people can see you (even if you are wearing an Adidas hat pulled down to your waist), you are OUT! If you're going to take advantage of some of the freedoms that gay people before you have opened up for you, you are OUT!

Disclaimer: I did not see him touching anyone's dick. And even if I had, that wouldn't mean he isn't like 25% of the straight guys out there - "experimental." But, did I see him in a gay bar in the gayest town on the gayest weekend in America? Yes. Have I heard other stories beyond the one I've told here? Yes. Have I outed him here? No. He has outed himself. And good for him! When he finally embraces it (hurry up already!), it will have a positive impact on all of our lives.

Namecalling from the left

In the last 24 hours, I have heard some Elitist Leftists call conservatives, or call me for my conservative viewpoints: hack, crazy, wacko, wingnut, troglodyte, racist, hateful, and tyrannical. If nothing else, I'm starting to reject liberal philosophy because it's boring. It seems to be simply based on namecalling and telling other people their wrong. Ho-hum.

The beauty of Provincetown I

The beauty of Provincetown, to me, is the quaintness of the place. Actually, it's what makes all of New England so beautiful. While California has its majestic coastline and Colorado has its towering mountains, everything about New England is smaller, quieter, more charming.

I took my brand-spanking new camera to Provincetown and spent a couple hours strolling the West End on Monday evening looking for some of that beauty. I think I found it.

More photos after the jump>>