It's Family Week

I am hosting a fund raiser. My first ever!. August 17th in Provincetown. It is to benefit The AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod of which I am a Board Member. $50 per head. $90 per couple. You are invited … read and download the invite at my site. There is an RSVP required. If you can’t make it, please send in a donation. Its amazing how many gay men in their early 20’s are now being diagnosed with HIV and even more alarming…men in their late 30’s and 40’s. We need to increase awareness and education, so please, at least send a donation. If you can’t make it to the event, send in what you can. Ok, that’s my plug ... but very important. It is still an issue…borderline revived crisis.

Provincetown, Provincetown, Provincetown. This is the land of one week affairs, men from all over the world and long distance relationships. It’s also family week and sure as there is sand on the beach, strollers have invaded Commercial Street. The diversity of our community is welcoming though and I for one, like the sound of kids crying and parents’ punishing ... as long as I’m not involved and its not in close proximity. The Splash Event didn’t seem to be a big smash, however, the verdict is still out. It was its first year and we’ll see how it grows. There seemed to be more attractive men in town last week then anything else.

It was by far an interesting week. After a fun Sunday evening with John in Hyannis for Linda Eder and Steve Tyrell, and a full workday on Monday, I headed to East Boston to visit Luiz. I haven’t left the Cape since late March so it was a bit weird leaving the island ... but necessary for the sanity. Monday night Luiz prepared a birthday dinner for his friend Vanderlei. Tuesday was a spent working from Luiz’s East Boston loft. We went to see Dark Knight after he got out of work and then to the North End of Boston for dinner. Here’s the culture shock. Holding hands with a man in Boston still gets stares and finger pointing. It’s a strong reminder to me that once I leave Provincetown it’s an entirely different world. Wednesday we checked out the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Museum of Fine Arts. I used to work in The Fenway and grew a bit nostalgic for the past, but that passed quickly. Thursday I took the 9AM ferry back to Ptown. I had to run to the train from his loft in the morning in order to catch the ferry. Someone I once knew wrote a song about that and I thought how odd it is that people come in and out of our lives. What a weird reminder. But taking the Blue Line (subway) during rush hour was a little too strong a reminder of my corporate days in Boston and frequent trips to New York last year. I was on the train with my bright blue suitcase, flip flops and Ptown attire surrounded by glum faced commuters in corporate drag. Once I boarded the boat and we lost sight of land I shook off the stuffy energy and was relieved to know that home was just a bay away. I think I’ve become a gay Jimmy Buffett ... there’s a gig for me.

I contracted a summer cold while in Boston and was miserable for a few days while working. No energy for Tea Dance or too much else. I did however, run into many people from my past. Friends from long ago who were here for their week long vacations. Seeing most of them before I went to Boston, they were happy to be here….ecstatic. Then I saw them a week later at the Porch Bar, Friday night with long faces. Drunk and sad at the fact that it was their last chance to grab some fun before heading back to the drudgery of everyday life. Sorry guys, but I’m sure glad I’m out of it.

Enough idle chatter ... here’s what’s going on in town.

Sewer issues in the west end, north of Bradford Street on and around Snows Lane are having residents seeing red. Initial plans for the sewer expansion have become complicated due to the need for special pumps at a not so special cost to homeowners.

There have been graffiti artists on the run. He or she has been tagging buildings and cars throughout Ptown for the past few months. Police have arrested four people in the defacement and expect more to come.

A number of people have been fined for being nude on the beach. Taking the suit off will leave you with a $75 fine if caught. Be careful! The old “look around and make sure there is no ranger” doesn’t work anymore. Rangers look from a distance with binoculars and get you on the way out! You may want to use more than sun block to cover those delicate areas.

Well, that’s it for this week. Thanks for reading and if you’d like me to post anything or if you have a comment, please email me at mike.dubour@verizon.net

We changed our "Table for Three" night to Sunday. This week, Rich, Mike, John and I ate at my favorite, Fanizzi's in the east end (click here). I loved my meal, but unfortunately this wasn't unanimous.