Kissing Kamal

You know I love me some Idris.  In case you missed this interview from the talk shows yesterday.  Enjoy.

A lot of my women friends on Facebook have linked to or talked about the recent relationship advice post on the site Divine Caroline which is titled, “If A Man Wants You.”  The post passes on sage advice about not getting stringed along by a man, not putting his needs before yours, etc. etc.  You can read the advice post here.

Now if you’re a woman and you need to hear that kind of thing, or think it’s good advice to pass on, then have at it.  I’m all for people waking up to the reality of their situation and if this is something that helps, then great.  But as a gay man, I read the advice and the overarching thought running through my head was, there is no way in hell this ish applies to gay relationships. Read more…

I’ve been away from the blog for almost a month and the first thing I notice is that the traffic spiked through the roof while I was gone.  I’m glad so many of you liked the last post on Douchebags of Grindr and I promise that the story will continue very soon.

Why the absence you ask?  In short, writing is hard.  And as I’ve written about before (read here), writing a reality blog is even harder.  Finding time to sit down and write lately has been a challenge, but I hope to change that going forward by incorporating a newer style of writing into the blog.  Look for shorter posts that relate a thought, idea or story about dating, in addition to my regular vignettes.

And yes, I will continue with An Episode in Dating but I just want to remind folks that this story is not happening in real time.  In fact, very little of what I write happens in real-time given my self-imposed rules against writing about situations directly after they happen.

Also, please continue to keep your topic ideas coming.  As you can tell by now, I’ve been on plenty of dates and chances are that I’ve been in the same situation before.

And now on with our show …

Actually, I don’t have anything to say on Congressman Weiner unless it comes out that he was tweeting Chi Chi LaRue.  BUT if my Grandma were alive, she’d say something alright; and it would go something like this:

Now I done came out of the comfort of my house while my stories are on, because I heard you all talking in the street about that Congressman Weiner, and I’m telling you, that you need to take that hypocritical foolishness someplace else and from in front of my house.

I see you little Elliot Spitzer, and while you may think I don’t know who you are, I know you and know you ain’t worth shit; out there in the streets running around them fast gals who’ll open their legs for any man.

And you, little Donald Trump.  You think that anybody on this block done forgot the time when your wife moved out and took half your things with her, cuz you fooled around on her with the gal who became your second wife; who up and did the same thing to you too?

That’s right.  I know all you hypocrites and I’m telling you right now, as God is my witness if you boys don’t get from in front of my house with your foolishness, I will come off this porch and beat you till you run home and tell your mommy!

xoxo,

-Kamal

Yesterday’s post of An Episode in Dating sparked a lot of feedback from some loyal fans, so I want to take a moment to address that and also discuss some issues I deal with in writing about reality.

I had a feeling that the post would raise some eyebrows, and the comments I heard boiled down to: were those Matt’s actual emails and how could you re-post them on the internet?

Yes, the emails I posted yesterday were from Matt.  The reality of what I do, which is different from other blogs, is that I don’t narrate experiences to you verbatim or as they happened.  I reserve the right to make edits for the sake of being concise, but without changing the true nature of the experience or what was actually being said.

The “emails” I used in yesterday’s An Episode were a summary of an email thread that was longer than what was actually represented.  Technically it went exactly like: I don’t think we should do X because of A, B, and C. But I think we should because of D, and E. But what about C and D?  Okay, I apologize and agree to not do B and C.  Fine, but I’m doing A.

Confusing isn’t it? Which is why I edit. Read more…

BUtterfield 8

The passing of Elizabeth Taylor reminded me why I love her so much as an actress.  One of my favorite Elizabeth Taylor performances was her portrayal of Gloria Wandrous in Butterfield 8.  I like it for all the reasons that any gay man loves a performance by a strong actress. It was cunning, with the right amount of sultriness and a little camp thrown in for good measure.

But in reading Wikipedia today and browsing other articles on her movie career, I was reminded that Taylor’s adult film roles were mostly portrayals of loose women and home wreckers without many scruples.

For me, it was Taylor’s ability to breathe life into these characters that made them so endearing and made me love her more as a fan.  But when I step outside of the movie theatre and look at these roles in the light of love, dating and relationships, I can’t say that I find much merit in acting the way that Taylor portrayed these women on screen.

When looking back on Taylor’s life, I’d rather look to her personal romances for cues.  Now granted, she did steal another woman’s husband, but overall, her marriages and romances represent someone who lived life with an immense passion and celebrated the emotions of love instead of putting it into a box, to be checked off on a list of wants for an ideal mate.

RIP Liz Taylor.  May we all love even a fraction as much as you did.

Designer Tom Ford and his partner, writer Richard Buckley, describe their 25 year relationship in the latest issue of OUT magazine.  It’s a great article and a testament to their relationship.  You can read the full piece online here.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) did a feature on a new Dutch TV show Uit de Kast (Out of the Closet) that looks at young men and their real struggles coming out of the closet.  I have to admit, while the show is in Dutch with no subtitles, it is very easy on the eyes and you can get the gist of what’s going on.  Story and video here.

And from the DADT front, two service members recorded this video to show their support for the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.  As they say on their Youtube page, “From two heterosexual service members, we both have no problem with the repeal of DADT. I would much rather have a military populated with gays than a military populated with bigots.”  While the fight to repeal DADT is over, I still think this is a funny video to watch.  Enjoy!

Hi folks!  First off, let me thank all of you for pointing your web browser my way for the past several months.  Either you guys really like my posts or I have very gracious friends.  Either way, please keep reading and hitting that Like button to help spread the word about my blog.

Because you’ve been very loyal readers, I wanted to let you know that my publishing schedule is a little behind.  You may recall that I started a piece last week about my date with a guy who has an STI.  Because I’m all about truth, I’m waiting for my doctor to approve the medical information presented in the follow up post.  Please look for it sometime next week.

And finally, I’ll be taking a break from the cold temps of DC for a land of more enjoyable weather next week.  No, I will not be vacationing in the land of Promiscuity, but I will be somewhere poolside and plan on posting in between drinks.

xoxo,

-Kamal

I came across KatieKutthroat’s Needles and Pins shop on Etsy via a post on My Modern Met.  Her cross stitch shop is a self described one stop shop for de-motivation, insulting and just plain vulgar cross stitching.

I fell in love with the Whore Island piece and had to have it.  It sits prominently displayed in my kitchen, although some of you have joked that I should move it to the side of my front door.  Anyway!  I asked Katie about a discount for Kissing Kamal’s Favorite Things and she asked me if I wanted to see her cut a bitch.  This fierce chick doesn’t give discounts but her stuff is very reasonably priced and she also sells do it yourself kits for those who need something for those long Metro rides home.

You can visit Katie’s shop here.  Two more pics after the jump.

I’m wrapping up Kissing Kamal’s Favorite Things of 2010 today with one more favorite thing and an awesome discount!

xoxo,

-Kamal

Read more…

Pattee & Jim holding Judy garland

I went to a Tree Trimming party this past weekend hosted by Jim, Stephen and Greg and came across this punningly awesome holiday decoration made by Pattee Ryan.  Pattee refuses to take full credit for the idea, telling me that it sprang from the minds of Jim, Robyn and herself.  They were sitting around talking about all things gay and Christmas when Robyn chimed in “Uh, HELLO, Judy GARLAND.”  And just like that, a star was born.

I gotta say, I’ve been to some gay, gay, gay, gay, gay holiday parties over the years but I have never seen an actual Judy garland.  If you ask nicely, Pattee might make you one for next year.  More pictures after the jump. Read more…