sluggobear

San Diego Pride is upon us! It promises to be an awesome weekend. If you're going to be in town, here's some helpful information.

There are THREE main events you should know about:

• Parade. Happens only on Saturday at 11am. Free. Many people walk the parade route and then proceed to the Festival. Meeting place, RSVP and details:
  http://SluggosList.socializr.com/event/Jul18Parade
• BearNight. Dance party at Bacchus House. Happens on Saturday night. $5 cover charge. RSVP and details:
  http://SluggosList.socializr.com/event/Jul18BearNight
• Festival. Happens BOTH Saturday and Sunday. You must purchase a ticket to get in. Some people go in on Saturday after the parade. On Sunday we'll be meeting-up for an awesome afternoon in the park. Details are here:
  http://SluggosList.socializr.com/event/Jul19Festival

Once inside the Festival, there are TWO entertainment stages you should know about:

• Pride Green Stage (aka the main stage.) Located near the main festival entrance.
• Over 21 Music Stage (aka the "21+ Stage" or the "Pride Rock Stage.")

In addition, there are TWO dance venues you should know about:

• Pride Dance Floor.
• HiNRG Dance Tent.

Here's the agenda for Sunday afternoon at the Festival:

• 12:30 - Meet for drinks (Pride Dance Floor)
• 1:00 - DJ FunkyBear Martin (Pride Dance Floor)
• 5:00 - The Bird and The Bee (Pride Green Stage)
• 6:00 - The Bobbleheads (Over 21 Music Stage)
• 6:30 - Shiny Toy Guns (Pride Green Stage)

You may also be interested in these acts, though we don't have official gatherings for them:

• Fans of Jimmy Century - electro group (like "Goldfrapp meets Dee-Lite!")
• Spekrfreks - cool electro (and it's a pair of handsome Latino bears!)
• Rio - Duran Duran cover band
• Future Villain Band - offers a mix of rock, rock and rock with influences of rock (features a hot bear named Glen!)
• Jordan Reimer - Acoustic and indie-pop with amazing vocals
• Berlin - Playing hits like "Take My Breath Away" and more
• Midnight Radio - live rock tribute to Hedwig and the Angry Inch
• Radio Star - offers a modern hard rock spin on 80's new wave

General tips for the weekend:

• Be ready for lots of walking... stay hydrated.
• The forecast is looking quite warm and sunny. Wear sunblock!
• Bring cash for tickets, food, drinks, souvenirs, etc.
• Parking can be a real bitch! So be ready.
• Once you're inside the Festival, there is no additional charge for entertainers and dances.
• Don't forget that a good chunk of University Ave and 6th Ave are closed to car traffic during the parade.
• You might save yourself some time by buying your Festival ticket online (requires a credit card), or along the parade route (which may only take cash.)
• The Festival doesn't sell-out, so there's no definite requirement to get advance tickets.
• The lines for beer gardens can sometimes be LONG. (If they're still doing the wristband system, get a wristband EARLY, even if you don't plan to drink early.)
• There's no smoking allowed anywhere in Balboa Park (by city ordinance).
• Be prepared for a long return trip back from the Festival... it can be very hard after a long day outside. Believe it or not, the best option may be to use the public bus. It's easier than you might think, and Route 11 may take you exactly where you need to go! Here are some other options to avoid a long walk: 1) Get a cab. 2) Hire one of those bike-rickshaws. (BE CAREFUL, they can be pricey; they often charge per person; and a gratuity is usually expected. So be sure to agree on a price up-front. 3) Park somewhere between the parade and the park. 4) Use the free shuttle; check the website for more info. (You might have to transfer to another shuttle to get "all" the way back to the parade starting point, but hey... it's free!)
• In general, please be careful. Don't venture around unaccompanied, especially at night. (As you may know, there have been some incidents on Pride weekend in the past.)
• If you plan on catching The Bird and The Bee, or Shiny Toy Guns, I recommend bringing a blanket to claim your spot.
• The Festival has restrooms, food and drink available.
• There's a free, guarded bike lock area near the entrance of the Festival.

As you may have heard, Festival tickets will be $20 per day this year. There will not be 2-day discount tickets will be available at the gate. Some thoughts:

• If you want to try and get free admission into the Festival, there may be a few last-minute volunteer positions available. E-mail me ASAP for details.
• Active duty military with ID get into the Festival free.
• Students 16-24 with ID can get tickets for $10 at the gate.
• If you can't afford to pay $40 for Festival admission, consider going for just one day, instead of two. (I would suggest attending the Festival on Sunday instead of Saturday, due to the exceptional entertainment lineup on Sunday.)
• If you think you can spring for a 2-day ticket, just know that you'll be supporting the community in a big way. As an added bonus, the weekend will be chock-full of bear entertainers: SpekrFreks, The Bobbleheads, and Future Villain Band; plus we'll get to groove to the musical stylings of DJ FunkyBear Martin and DJ Bulldog Mike Castellanos.
• Tickets are considered charitable donations, and are tax deductible.

ADDENDUM: Added July 16, 2009

• Festival Tickets are considered charitable donations, so they are tax deductible.
• There are some last-minute volunteer positions available. Volunteers are admitted into the Festival free-of-charge. For information, e-mail volunteer@sdpride.org
• If you're planning to go to Bear Night on Saturday night, I suggest arriving early to avoid a line.
• I heard some people are going to Top of the Park on Friday night. If you decide to go, I'd (again) suggest arriving early to avoid a line.
• Active duty military with ID get into the Festival free. Children 15 years and under are admitted free when accompanied by a parent or guardian. For seniors (60+) and students (16-24 with current student id), the cost is $10 at the gate. Student tickets are only available at the San Diego Pride Office and the Festival Ticket Gate. Senior tickets are available at the ElderHelp and the Pride office.
• I mentioned Bus 11 is a good way to get home after the Pride Festival. Note that due to road construction, it is traveling along 4th and 5th Avenues instead of 1st Avenue. (That's actually closer to the Festival, yay!) For more information, check-out:
  http://www.sdmts.com/Bus/detours/SDPrideMTSBusDetours.asp
  http://www.sdmts.com/RouteFiles/images/maps/view/11.gif
• There was a miscommunication, DJ Bulldog Mike is not spinning at the Festival this year; instead he'll be playing his tunes at The Hole. If you plan on going to The Hole, arrive early to avoid a line. (See a pattern yet!?)

Feel free to forward this to your friends!

You're thinking about going to San Diego Comic-Con in July. OMG, so many questions! Where to stay? What ticket should I get? So here are a few of Sluggo's tips for Comic-Con.

Passes

• Register now. Comic-Con calls it a "membership" or "registration;" it's easier to just say "passes." Whatever you want to call 'em, buy 'em now, because they will sell-out, and they do not sell them at the door.
• Plan when to go. The 4-day passes are already completely sold-out, so if you haven't bought your tickets yet, you'll need to buy individual passes for the day(s) you want to visit on. Each pass is only good on the specified day. The geeky-geeks are almost certain to hit the Con hard on Wednesday night (preview), then Thursday, Friday and Saturday. (Often they're so worn-out they never make it to the Con on Sunday!) As far as day passes go, Saturday usually sells-out first.
• What about this Wednesday night preview? You can only get into the preview if you're already registered for a 4-day pass, or if you do a volunteer shift. (Or if you're a mucky-muck, or an industry professional.)
• Volunteer. If you're feeling poor, consider volunteering for a three-hour shift; you'll get free admission on the day you work (plus admission to the preview.) I've actually decided to do this myself.

Lodging

• Check-out Comic-Con's official hotel list. It includes hotel names, prices, distance, parking fees, and whether or not they're served by Comic-Con's free shuttle. You can find the list here.
• Be ready to settle. You want a good hotel, in a good location, for a good price, right? Well, the odds are stacked against you this time, and you'll probably need to make some compromises. (Hotel prices are jacked-up for Comic-Con weekend.)
• Book your room now. If you wait until the last minute, you'll be kicking yourself. Right now you can probably find decent rooms, in decent locations, for about $139+ per night. As the Con gets closer, the prices may go up; and if you wait too long, finding a room could be difficult.
• Try bidding, perhaps. If you're adventurous, use Hotwire or Priceline's Name-Your-Own-Price. You may save a few bucks, but you won't know the name and exact location of the hotel until after you've pre-paid. (The other catch: because it's such a busy weekend, you may not save as much as you normally would.)
• Shop around. You may be surprised to find that websites have varying prices, sometimes even for the same hotel and room.
• Be aware of quirks. It's a busy weekend, and a few hotels have special restrictions on check-in and length-of-stay.
• Ask about parking fees. If you'll have a car, ask whether your hotel charges for parking. Many of them do.
• Know your neighborhoods. Here are some areas that you might be considering:
  
  • Downtown and/or the Gaslamp Quarter - If you can afford it, this is definitely the most convenient place to stay for Comic-Con. Fun nightlife, and the area is quite walkable.
  • Old Town - Easy access to the trolley. Fun, walkable neighborhood, if a bit touristy. Still it's a great spot to stay in, so I recommend it.
  • Mission Valley and Hotel Circle - This is where you'll probably find some (relatively) decent prices and name-brand hotels. A handful of them are located near trolley stops; otherwise you should plan on having a rental car (or friend or taxi, etc.) This is a very retail-oriented area. (Two malls, lots of chain restaurants, etc.) Most of it is not very walkable. Examples of somewhat-affordable hotels that are in good locations: Doubletree Hazard Center, Courtyard by Marriott, Town & Country and The Handlery.
  • Hillcrest and North Park - These are San Diego's "gayborhoods," and a lot of us locals live here. While it's a convenient and fun area to stay in, there really aren't many hotels here (and definitely no name-brand hotels.) If you're dead-set on staying in the gayborhood, I might suggest the Park Manor Hotel (an older hotel, gay-owned) or the Sommerset Suites. They aren't particularly super nice, but they are clean and they are very conveniently located. The gayborhoods are very walkable, with fun nightlife, and easy access to buses that go downtown. (Rooms at these two hotels start at about $200+ per night for Comic-Con weekend.)
  • Coronado - It's a real nice area but it can be quite expensive. If you're lucky enough to be staying near the San Diego Bay Water Taxi, you're golden; you can take it to the Con each day. Otherwise you'll probably need a car.
  • Point Loma, Mission Bay, Sea World, beach areas - You might find some good hotels near the water. You'll most likely need a rental car.
  • Anything beyond - If the hotel has an address that doesn't actually say "San Diego, CA" on it, you will need a car. (To save a few bucks for parking, consider driving to a Trolley station and riding the Trolley to the Con.)

(Note: my hotel suggestions above only apply to Comic-Con weekend. They'd be a little different for other times of the year! And hotels are usually more affordable than the prices I've mentioned.)

Getting here

• Get a lift from the airport. You're probably flying into San Diego International Airport, also known as Lindbergh Field (its abbreviation is "SAN.") The airport is located very close to Downtown San Diego. If you just need a lift to your hotel, maybe ask a friend to pick you up. Or take a taxi; you can expect to pay about $10-$15 to get from the airport to downtown, or to other areas like Mission Valley and Hotel Circle. Taxis will cost more If you're going any farther than that. If you need to save some cash, consider cheaper options like the Cloud 9 Shuttle.
• Take the train. If you're coming from Southern California, take Amtrak! It stops right downtown.

Getting around

• Know where you're going. Comic-Con is held at the San Diego Convention Center, located at 111 West Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101.
• Decide whether you need a car. If you're staying downtown, I strongly suggest not renting a car (unless you plan on taking trips away from the Con.) If you're not staying downtown, this question will just depend on how close you are to a transit route (or whether you have local friends, or whether you just want to use cabs to get around.)
• Plan for parking fees. If you're going to have a car, be ready to pay $15 to $25 per day for parking near the Convention Center. You may have similar parking fees at your hotel, too. This is especially true if you're staying in Hotel Circle, Mission Valley, Old Town, Downtown/Gaslamp, and some other neighborhoods. Be sure to find-out first!
• Be ready for traffic. During peak times, downtown will be -packed with cars and buses. The only way to really avoid auto traffic is to take the trolley.
• Use the free shuttle. If you're lucky enough to be staying at a hotel on a free shuttle route, by all means, use it!
• Use the trolley. Quite simply, the San Diego Trolley system rocks. It's cheap, clean and it travels directly to the Convention Center; you're practically dropped-off right at the doorstep. There's even a special event trolley schedule just for Comic-Con. The catch is, you need to stay at a hotel near a trolley stop, and that's not always easy to finagle. If you want to try, I might suggest staying in Old Town if possible.
• Use the bus. Lots of public bus routes travel downtown. You can get an all-day transit pass for $5, which includes unlimited rides on area buses and trolleys. (Just be sure to have a nice crisp $5 bill ready when you board for the first time each day.) Do yourself a favor: skip the lame-ass MTS website and just use Google Maps to look-up transit times. San Diego's bus and trolley schedules are fully integrated with Google Maps; you can even access them on the iPhone! Just be sure to arrive at the bus stop early... our buses are sometimes known to arrive 7 or 8 minutes early (or 20 minutes late...)
• Ride with the locals. If you know a 619'er who's going, consider tagging-along with 'em. For the last two years, we've taken the bus to the Con, and it's worked-out well.

At some point in the future, I'll write about other tips (where to eat, stuff to do, etc.)

(Locals or Comic-Con "veterans," feel free to correct me or add your own tips!)

WOW.

This is so surreal for me.


Salt Lake City No on Prop 8 Rally from Reid on Vimeo.

Prop 8 was a huge loss for us. But this is not the end, just a setback.

So now what do we do?

From Wikipedia:


We're traveling upwind, and we've been zigging for a long time. Maybe it's time to zag.

Given such a great disappointment, it's easy to react quickly. But stop... we need to think... and then we may even need to re-think. Paul Hogarth says (emphasis added):


Our initial reaction has been angry. There's been a flood of "fuck you's" (Twitter, LJ, Facebook, blogs like Suck my Dick, California!) There's been de-friending on LiveJournal. There's been blame-throwing and flame-throwing. (Even before the election, my friends were flipping-off Yes-on-8 supporters on the street.) All along, we kept chanting the same thing: "hate! bigotry! discrimination!"

While "hate and bigotry" may describe a portion of our opposition, they don't apply to everyone who voted in support of Proposition 8.

Let us take some time to listen to our opposition. Rod Dreher says:

Sadly I'm in agreement with this statement. Our community is hurt beyond words. But right now some of us are probably seething at the notion of "an honest reckoning of why Prop 8 won." People, we need to dissect this. We need to examine the scene of the accident. Instead of chanting "hate! hate! hate!" we need to ask ourselves: what can we do to convince our fellow citizens that this inequality is wrong?

In order to win the game you must understand your opponent. I fear that many of us don't understand the opposition at all. NOW CALM DOWN. I did NOT say condone or excuse them. I did not say their actions are justified, nor did I say we shouldn't be angry. (We should.) All I said was that we need to better understand them.

The worst thing we can do is tell them to fuck-off, or dismiss them as insane fucktards.

From an essay (unrelated to Prop 8):


A lot of blame has been thrown at groups (blacks, old people, Mormons, San Diego County residents...) There are people who feel strongly about the matter... on both sides. And for many, no amount of campaigning would change their minds. But there's a big group of people in the "squishy middle." Maybe they heard both sides, and likely voted based-on the fear that was sold to them. We need to speak to these folks and convince them that "no one is free while others are oppressed."

And we need to evaluate how effective our campaign was. What really worked? (Something tells me it wasn't lawn signs or rallies.) Where did we fail? For one thing, we should've more effectively countered the slime that was thrown at us via television ads.

And some of us, myself included, need to ask ourselves if we did enough. (Yup, I donated to the campaign. I spoke with my family about it. But I didn't take any time to talk about it with my non-gay friends, co-workers and fellow citizens. I'm now regretting that.)

More soon.

(This is only tangentially related to Prop 8...)

Many of you know I used to be a member of the LDS church (commonly known as the Mormon church.)

For a period of time, I went through a program designed to help gay Mormons overcome "Same Sex Attraction," also known as SSA. We were told that if we had faith, worked very hard, and believed... that God would help us triumph over our desires and become straight. (Never mind the abysmal success rate of the program, but I digress.)

I just discovered this interesting little nugget on the church's website:
Aha! So let me see if I read this right. You can fight and fight all your life, pray, have faith, do all the right things, but you still might be gay until the day you die!?

I can't believe people actually believe this bullshit.

Brian & Steve, the stereotype-defying gay couple from The Sarah Silverman Program, have been named as two of Metro Source NY magazine's "People we Love."

Freakin' cool.

Straight Kansan insists on flying rainbow flag
http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?coll=news_articles&sernum=2006/07/26/5&page=1

Happy Pride 2006 this weekend San Diegans! (And everyone...)

If you ever need a drag name, how about Nicorette Sheridan?