Hello, my name is Harlow: Boy, does it suck to be me… Find out why
Fly on American Airlines? Don’t be surprised if we bump into each other. No, I will not strip for you in the first-class lavatory. I only do that mid-cabin on long-haul flights, where the merlot runs freely like the Swallows of Capistrano.
Translation: I hit a status wall with Continental and am now transferring loyalty to AA in an attempt to gain ex-plat status by the end of this year. It shouldn’t be too tough, but it does mean doing a whole lot of flying in the back of the bus. While AA has been pretty good with the upgrades, I’ve gotten nice and familiar with the emergency exit rows on their Super80.
The only downside to this arrangement has been the need to fly through DFW on a steady basis: An airport with terribly high traffic and air traffic controlers who clam up at the mere sight of rain. Bad combo that makes for some very long email sessions in the Admirals Club.
My New Dog Status: I think I’ve gotten the only dog in the world with IBS (yes, that’s irritable bowel syndrome for those who haven’t seen the million or so commercials for it on Lifetime Television). If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was doing it to stay svelte for his summertime walks in the park. He is, after all, a beautiful canine. He and Nicole Ritchie share the same hair stylist.
If you’re on Yahoo360, why not add Marlowe as your friend? Click here.
Haley finally got voted off American Idol and it seems that fan-favorite Mindy Doo also got the boot this past week. Doesn’t look like Blake stands a chance against the steel lungs of Jordin Sparks. I’m guessing we see Blake in gay porn in less than a year. Just a prediction (based on some very reliable word-of-mouth).
Hyatt Place, Hyatt’s new W-like concept hotel, is a piece of crap. I had a night to myself, so I decided to see what this whole ‘tech’ feel would be like for a Hyatt and luckily, there’s one that just opened in San Antonio.
Well, the plasma didn’t get the advertised 20 HD channels, the wireless connection was down, the lobby was still under construction (as were all of the front facilities) and the bedding could only be described as something straight out of Buchenwald.
I’ve seen hostels in Europe that offer better thread-count sheets than this place. I’m serious: It was terrible and I ended up leaving before the night was over, thus vanquishing my fantasy of ever being a tried and true road warrior who’s company only puts him up in 2-3 star properties. I wouldn’t make it an entire week…
I ended up getting a free weekend pass from Hyatt, good at any of their properties worldwide for the trouble. Anyone want it? I don’t think i’ll be using it anytime soon.
‘Pulse’ on HD-DVD is fantastically frightening. If you’ve got a surround-system hooked up, it’s what I would consider a reference-quality DVD and uses the rear speakers to their full extent. Over the weekend, I broke down and also ordered a Blu-Ray player from Dell.com, so now I feel confident that no matter who the format war winner might be, I’ll be alright. Hopefully in the next few weeks, I’ll have a full report on the Samsung BP-12000, one of the very few second-generation Blu-Ray players on the market right now.
Website O’ the Moment: VeryFunnyAds. Sent to me by an always-eagle-eyed amigo, it looks like this website is a perfect waste of both time and your employers salary.
ATKOL forums (one of the oldest and largest gay message centers on the web) has re-opened their sex-for-hire board, adding to the already overflowing selection of escort message centers out there. ATKOL’s is one of the oldest, but without much discussion so far, only time will tell if this granddaddy can make it back to the top of the heap.
BIG CONGRATS to the always-sexy Jason Carter for his very successful ownership and production of Miss Gay Highland Park U S of A recently in Dallas. With 15 Minutes being a proud sponsor, I was unable to attend, but thanks to the always-delightful Brandon Baker, a full write-up can be found HERE. Look for 15 Minutes to also sponsor the upcoming Mister Gay Highland Park U S of A and you can bet there will be pics-a-plenty.
Blackberry 8800 who? Fuggetaboudit… I’m getting my tech groove on with the new Blackberry Curve in 7 days and counting down. A full-QWERTY keyboard AND a 2.5 megapixel camera? Be still my beating heart.
It’s official: Virgin America is up and running! Say goodbye to cramped design, unflattering lighting, worn leather seating and the endless loop of ‘King of Queens’ on those horribly small LCD screens overhead. This is a whole new way to fly (and rumor had it that they’re partnering up with Continental for mileage earning). I’m sitting here at this very moment holding a picture of Richard Branson and listening to Berlin’s ‘Take My Breath Away.’ Ah, bliss.
Hate knowing that all of the best restaurant reservations are tougher to get than Kathleen Turner away from a bottle of Bombay? Fear no more: PrimeTime Tables. I’ve used this table-scalper service in the past with outstanding results. Try getting into New York’s Del Posto on a same-day request (and a weekend no less). Not gonna happen. PrimeTime negotiated the deal for me and I was sitting pretty an hour later with my confirmed 7pm reservation. Good stuff.
Katie Holmes Update: Yes, she’s still tied up in the basement at night while Cruise throws random pieces of meat for her to gnaw on…
I’m addicted to the idea of…. TWITTER. An addictive web application that asks users to continually answer the question ‘What are you doing?’ via mobile phone txt message, IM and the world wide web. A fast and easy way to keep up with someone without meandering through a long, long, long blog posting. *ahem*
WTF are you thinking Delta? Do you really think that a good in-flight entertainment system will make people forget you’re flying airplanes that are mostly held together with Gorilla Glue and Phyllis Diller’s old wigs?
None of this trip would have been possible without the connections and good-advice of the guys at GayTravelBrasil.com. There couldn’t have been a more informed, friendly and knowledgeable staff of people about the ins and outs of gay life in Rio. If there was a party to attend, they knew exactly where it was and how to secure the very best spot. From arranging transportation to your hotel to procuring impossible tickets, Carlo and his crew have the inside track to make your South America trip a memorable one.
Just click on the links below for the Carnaval/Rio pics…
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I spent a long weekend in London not too long ago, taking in Equs and History Boys on the West End (one great, one not-so-great) and getting a chance to eat at The Woosley. Stereotype aside, London has one of the most exciting dining scenes around at the moment, with a massive choice in culture and flavors. Sure, the exchange rate is the pits, but it’s tough to rationalize afford ability when you’re eating some truly amazing steak tartare.
The Gilbert & George show at the Tate Modern was fantastic. Their work reminds me of the cultural grandstanding of a young Keith Haring. A pretty large compilation of their work was on display and it was always nice to see a great diversity of ages enjoying it.
I’m headed to Las Vegas (shocked you are, I’m sure) next week just after the holiday weekend for some downtime. I’ve booked a room at the Wynn, a day at their spa and plan on holing up for most of the time in-room, with only an occasional trip to the gym or yoga class. This should give me sufficient time to catch up on the upcoming Presidential race and important straining matters like who has a more expensive haircut: Hillary or John Edwards. I’d also like to do a ‘who wears more make-up’ comparison as well.
I’m going to eat eggs and corned beef hash at the Peppermill.
I plan on laughing openly at Tony Danza in The Producers.
My friend Vanessa has graduated to emcee in Zumanity, so I’ll try to catch her one night. Alan, the ‘little person,’ will ask me out to Gypsy that night.
I may take an hour nap on the monorail.
I will walk out of Diesel at The Fashion Show Mall with a smile on my face.
I’ve seen the town enough to know that doing the usual tourist thing (smoking, drinking, gambling, all too much) leads to needing a vacation from your vacation. On this trip, I’ll be quite happy to just normalize while not having to worry about making my bed everyday.
Self-snap in London
So, I updated my Google Gallery with new pics and will be uploading some additional Carnaval video, as well as some shots from London. Look for an upcoming trip report on St. Croix (one of the most beautiful and unspoiled spots on the USVI’s) too. I had the chance to water-land in a small plane on the island and drive from one end to the other. Amazingly beautiful. It reminded me a lot of New Zealand in that it’s very green, has beautiful water and everything had a very un-touched look about it.
If you’re a blogger or simply a MySpace user, i’ve found a pretty decent site for free add-ons of the interactive variety. RockYou is a great spot on the web to pick up easy-to-add widgets that make your page more shiny than Perez Hilton’s forehead.
You can also count on an Eye Candy post-up before I head to Las Vegas. I’ve got some great yet-to-be-used stuff in the archives, so keep an eye out for the usual grouping of head-turning hotties.
BN
‘If you can read this, you’re not the President…’