Easily the GAYEST birthday I've ever had.

Certain portions of this past weekend seemed like I was trapped in a John Waters movie. (which is strange, but very interesting.) It started off when my friend Catherine came to visit this past Saturday. She is the wife of my good buddy Nick, who visited last weekend. We went out for a nice outdoor lunch, complete with beautiful moderate weather. We decided to check out Navy Pier, a Chicago amenity I had not yet experienced. The following images came from this journey. Several beers were consumed and much adventure ensued. (this was actually the least gay part of the weekend) (not that gay is bad.. hell, you'll see.)








So that was Navy Pier, pretty awesome. Catherine called it "magical" several times, which I would have to agree with. After this fun but exhausting voyage, we got something to eat and hit the hay. But the next day would hold many colorful surprises. You see, Sunday was gay pride day, and a celebratory parade ran RIGHT OUTSIDE MY FUCKING HOUSE. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. We hit the parade, cameras and tallboys in hand, and boy did some photo opportunities arrive. Here you go.










Uh, wow. Quite a sight to behold. Just when I though I was about gayed out for the day, Stacy, Zach, and Colleen called and said they wanted to take me out for the eve of my birthday to a surprise location. We got in a cab and we pulled up to a place called "The Baton". Its a female impersonation bar. But dude, it was hilarious. These dudes put on quite a show. Especially this particular character, Ginger.



After this unusual activity, Stacy headed up a pilgrimage to Trader Joe's for some Karaoke. Birthday shots were consumed, and eventually, just aftering turning 27 fucking years old, I sang Neil Diamond's immortal "Shilo". (which you may be hearing right at this moment.)

The next day, on my birthday, I relaxed my balls off. It was awesome. Woke to a call from my friend Jim telling me that Steve Malkmus was doing a live performance on KCRW on "morning becomes eclectic". Thanks for the birthday performance, Steve!!! I went and got some delicious sushi and returned to find "Imagine" starting on HBO. I received many thoughtful calls during the course of the day as well, which ruled. It was a pleasant day. As the evening crept upon Chicago, I took the train over to Stacy's and ate pizza and watched "The Fearless Freaks", a kick-ass movie about the Flaming Lips.

Now I sit typing and sipping beer. Tomorrow I leave for a six day family trip to New York. The moment I set foot in New York, I am heading to a David Byrne concert in Central Park. Not a bad string of days here!

Thanks for reading.

Shilo