it's done

My parents went to a dinner party last night. It's an annual affair that used to involve (and center around) the kids, but as we all grew up and stopped wanting to go and moved away, we were uninvited. But the same group of parents keep having the same party at the same house. They still name it after the group all of us kids were in that gave rise to the party in the first place, even though the group has long since disbanded. This was at least the 20th annual.

I hung out with a new friend all day yesterday and had a blast...he's so quirky and creative and interesting, not to mention talented and passionate, much like my lovely friend (his boyfriend) who I miss terribly, who introduced us. It's fun to hang out with somebody who reminds you so much of somebody you really care about. I had good intentions of doing Christmas shopping, but ended up getting some black jeans, a cardigan (which everybody has been complimenting), a t-shirt, and two really awesome pairs of underwear (which only a select few have had the opportunity to compliment!) for myself. Oops! That always happens when I go Christmas shopping without a list. I end up wandering the stores, but instead of finding things for others, I find things for me. Thankfully, true to form, most things were heavily discounted. When even [______] and [______] have stellar deals, you know the economy has gone south. Also, it's basically still summer here, or at least it was yesterday. So it was wonderful to drive with the top down and lounge at a sidewalk cafe with croissants and espresso (which the barista gave us for free because he thought my friend was cute. Love it!)

(Oy, I just ran downstairs to deal with my laundry and realize I may still be a little drunk from last night. No more running.)

Anyway, this friend's place is sorta between my house and my parents' house, so before heading back to West Hollywood I decided to stop and see my grandma, and drop in to compliment my little sister on her Christmas tree. My dad found out I was in the area, so he texted to say that all the parents were begging me to drop in on the dinner party to say hi. I did, and they made a big deal of me being the only one to show up out of the 20+ kids that used to come. I didn't want to get sucked in, so I just kinda hovered around the big-ass formal dining table, chatting up the various parents, but refusing their offers to sit down and stay. I extracted myself and headed to the gayborhood with friends. There was some drama involving Katy Perry and the Hiltons and Beyonce's sister, or some nonsense I still don't fully understand, but for the most part it was a normal night out. Nothing exciting to report.

Speaking of exciting things to report, there was an earthquake on Friday night, and I felt it!

Anyway, my older sister called this morning (and woke me up) to tell me about her new car, which she was driving for the first time. She totaled her last one, so she was kinda stoked to get a much safer one. And she said, "Oh, and by the way, I heard after you left that dinner party last night, they all got into a heated discussion about Prop 8, and Dad told them you're gay."

!!!!

It was reported that my Mom is a bit miffed, but I haven't had a chance to speak to either of them yet. Well, to be more accurate, they're not answering my calls. But my dad texted a little later to say "During a discussion of Prop 8 after you left, I told the men you are gay. It was received in a very matter of fact manner. I love you and am very proud of you. Dad" No mention of Mom. I think my Dad would argue it was the same context in which my mom told a member of this same clique a few weeks ago, but I bet my Mom would argue it's totally different because Prop 8 is no longer on the ballot, so it wasn't relevant to tell more people. Anyway, it's done! That was really it. The people at that party form the core of the gossip network in my city. They have undoubtedly told all of their children by now. That was the moment my Mom was afraid of, and my Dad just went for it.

Oh, I just talked to her. She's mad because she doesn't actually care that much about these people; they're not very close friends anymore. So it irks her that they have this fun new thing to gossip about. Were they as close friends as the people she told, she would understand. But she doesn't think it's a proper topic of conversation with a bunch of acquaintances. She said "It's not like anybody talks about the sexual preferences of [another friend whose parents were there]." And my response was "YES YOU DO! You know just as well as I do that he has an Asian fetish! How would you know that if you hadn't talked about his sexual preferences at some point!?" It's the same thing...now people are talking about my penis fetish! hahahah! Oh, Mom.

The only reason it concerns me is I still haven't told my ex-best friend's parents. As I said, they're like a second set of parents, and I feel like I owe that to them. If they haven't heard already, they're sure to hear soon. So that kinda stinks that I wasn't able to show them that courtesy. But I guess I'll try to arrange something soon. I'm kinda ashamed to say it, but I don't feel as bad as I might, since they did raise a shitty son. Blah.

Anyway, good for my Dad! It's amazing to reflect on my progress. If he had told them at this party just three short years ago, I would have considered killing myself. Or him. Or leaving the country on the next flight. But when I heard this morning, it didn't register on my emotions any more than if my sister had said "Did you hear USC raped UCLA again?" Nothing. It was as if she was just reporting the news.

Taking a cue from Aaron and Adam, I am currently listening, and dancing, to:

Santogold - You'll Find a Way (Switch and Sinden Remix)

TURN IT UP LOUD!