left brain

Pool Party in Rio

Every American DJ is in Rio for Carnivale.  I wrote about this already but it is just hysterical how popular this party is at this point.  Tonight, we are going to a Pool Party at Revolution which needless to say has me all hot and bothered.  Just look at some of these photos, not to mention that US DJ Tony Moran is spinning tonight.  It starts at 11am and goes till 11pm, haha.  12 HOURS !!  OMG.

Carnival. Carnavale. Carnivale.

This weekend begins my first journey to Rio de Janeiro but also the last few days of my trip.  Rio is a city that I have been fantasizing about for more than a year.  The boys, the culture, the happiness, the outlook on life, the food, the energy, the parties.  I just can't wait to dive right into it all.  If all of that itself isn't thrilling enough, I am in Rio for the height of Carnivale.  The party (though I am sure you already know of) is supposedly so thrilling that the rest of the world tries to recreate it right around the end of February.  It starts on a Sunday and ends on a Tuesday, Fat Tuesday as some may also know it.  It seems that every great American gay DJ and some ambigously sexual European ones are going to be there turning up the excitement for me.  Manny Lehman, Rauhofer, Tony Moran, Tiesto, Junior Vasquez.  It should be a great time.  My travel entries definitely will be forthcoming here.. as well as MadeinBrazil.  Yes, I have teamed up with him to bring you an American boy's first time to Rio blogging experience :)  So open up a Brahma, get out some feathers, your speedo and a designer pair of sunglasses .... my return to the blogging world with my Brasilian stories is about to hit !

Carnavals Around the World - New York Times.

IF, as Karl Marx writes, religion is the "opiate of the masses," Carnaval is the amphetamine. Every year, before assuming the traditionally ascetic practices of the Christian Lenten season, places all over Central America, South America and the Caribbean Islands give the pleasures of the flesh one final, heroic run, as street parties, colorful costumes, live music, food and drink dominate the landscape. Following are some of the best places to sin while you can.

Hot Boy Friday, Brasilian style

In Celebration of Being in Brasil.  Yay!  Carneval Here I Come!

Gym Special

First things first.  I bought the new Gillette Fusion razor and have moved my other Turbo Mach or whatever (the vibrating one) to my shower for when I...well, trim the other parts.  Which is much  more exciting since it now vibrates, lol.   The Fusion however is fantastic.  It is like cutting butter.  I don't even feel hairs being removed.  It's absolutely a fantastic device.  However, I am not sure yet of the back trimmer thing since I already have an electric trimmer, lol.  And just look at it, its absolutely a stunning piece of commercial/industrial equipment.

I joined the new gym that moved into my neighborhood.  It turns out that even though I use it twice a week, I use one of its other locations 3x a week, which just turns out to be closer to my work.  So it is easier to use.  I have gotten onto some serious weight training schedule with Brian who wants to get rid of my "boy body" as he calls it.  And the other two days, I have been doing cardio on machines but starting in March, I can use their pool to do laps so I am sorta psyched.  Me, my goggles, and my speedo will I am sure turn a head at the gym's pool (since it is in the gayborhood).  So, as a special treat since I have been away, I figured I would post a picture of me, shirtless, for the first time ever on my blog. More as an photo to see how much I progress for myself.  A few of you have requested it, and more but well.. thats just wrong ;)  So, enjoy!!

Guacho

My itinerary for Rio Grande do Sul  which just so happens to be the southern most part of Brazil as well as the left over Italian speaking part is as follows:

Talian is a uniquely Brazilian variety of Italian not spoken anywhere else in the world. The emergence of Talian in Rio Grande do Sul happened because of the great variety of Italian dialects that came together into a fairly compact and specific geographical location of the state. Talian is frequently called Vêneto because it is close to the Venetian language spoken in Italy's Veneto region.

Rio Grande: Begin with a scenic drive through the countryside. As you roll through the flat Brazilian pampas, your guide will give you insight into this extraordinary part of the country, its history and culture. Upon arrival to the Estância São José, you will be greeted with local music and refreshments. After an introduction to the estância and its workings, one of the highlights of your visit will be a demonstration of the incredible skills of the gauchos. Watch as they demonstrate their dexterity while performing the Tiro de Laço (lasso both horns at one time), the Paleteada (two horsemen drive the cattle in perfect harmony) and the Chula, a war dance. The gaucho's ability and coordination in these and other demonstrations will delight you. Following the demonstration, you will retire to the main building where a traditional barbecue lunch will be served. During lunch, you will again be entertained with local music and dance. Return to the pier in Rio Grande to board your ship.

Top of my Ipod

I felt that I should share what I can't live without on my iPod, since I am now away from being able to update it every morning.  I also haven't done this in awhile but it is fun to make a shout out to a few people and get them to report on their 5 can't live without songs, and why they love them. 

• As lame as this sounds but the first song I can't stop listening to, which pumps me up for the gym, going out dancing, or just to get motivated has to be Mariah Carey's Don't Forget About Us but the special club mix by Tony Moran.  I don't know what it is about this song but like a lot of other club music, it just makes me happy.
• Fall Out Boy's Sugar We are Going Down or Dance, Dance.  Both of the songs are very cali surfer punk rock emo pop but whatever.  It's good stuff, especially to get you psyched about walking through freezing cold air to work.
• Ferry Corsten is about to come to Boston so I dug up some of his stuff (mainly his Presenting: Passports cd which is now uploaded to my iTunes) from a few years ago and have been desperately wanting to go to a rave.  haha.  Force of Gravity is one to download.  It's spectacular yet it makes me melancholic and feeling needy.
• Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah is a great song used everywhere in film and tv.  I am not sure what most recently made me pull it out of hiding but it's a great song, with great meaning, and one that will certainly make you reflect on your life.

I am.... SUPERMAN?!

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 50% Spider-Man 35% Supergirl 18% Batman 5% Robin 3% Wonder Woman 3% Green Lantern 0% The Flash 0% Catwoman 0% Hulk 0% Iron Man 0%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

New Barney's in Boston

Not sure what happened to my invite but it sounds thrilling nonetheless.  A Barney's in Boston.  Enough said.

Bostonians who receive an invitation to the Barneys New York private party, heralding the posh store's arrival at Copley Place, will encounter a scene of Bacchanalian proportions. The entertainment for the invitation-only festivities is rumored to be a veteran, chart-topping musical act, while Barneys's foppish creative director, Simon Doonan, best known for his outrageous window displays and equally outrageous one-liners, is promising a sumptuously decadent gala for well-heeled attendees. The normally chatty Doonan is unusually tight-lipped about the details of the event.  ''I just came from a 10-hour planning meeting," Doonan says with an exaggerated sigh. ''They'd have my guts for garters if I spilled any details."

The opulence of the pre-opening gala will be restricted to A-list party celebrities, blue-blooded locals, and hip jeunesse doree. But when the two-floor, 45,000-square-foot store officially opens to the public on March 10 in the space that once held Copley's movie theaters, there will be a number of celebrity amenities available to anyone who shops in the store, even those who fail to score the coveted golden ticket to the pre-opening soiree.  An in-store concierge, similar to those found in fine hotels, will be at the disposal of shoppers to help recommend restaurants or secure event tickets. Currently, only Barneys's Madison Avenue location offers concierge service. The centerpiece of the women's shoe department will be a fireplace, strategically placed to ensure that customer's toes do not grow chilly while changing their shoes. In the cosmetics department, shoppers can sniff Frederic Malle perfumes in one of two smelling columns, futuristic, phone-booth-like structures designed specifically for inhaling fragrances without environmental impurities interfering.  If it sounds extravagant that Barneys is opening its first large-scale store in 12 years with so many highfalutin comforts, consider its incoming competition. High-end shoe czar Jimmy Choo, whose designs are the Holy Grail of footwear, is finally opening his first Boston store this spring, while Italian clothier Valentino, which has boutiques around the world, is talking about a Newbury Street location.

Atlantis Cruise

As of today, the blog is once again in vacation hiatus.  I have future posted some goodies but my day to day entries will not be happening until I return.  Most likely.  I am keeping a day to day journal like I did in France in a word.doc but I am not sure if I am going to get to post it here since ship to shore communication costs are supposedly outrageous.  I will try though.  I will try to get online a few times (like also in France) to post some stuff and to try to get some pics online of the hot ass boys in Brasil.  A little of where I am going to be for 12 days, or at least I guess, what I am traveling on.

Oceania Cruises - Already Booked - My Cruise

The newest member of the Oceania Cruises fleet, Insignia is a sister ship that radiates her own unique warmth and character. Her distinctive personality shines through from the moment you first step into her newly redesigned, neo-classical lobby or Toscana, resplendent in rich new fabrics and furnishings that reflect the charisma of Tuscany. Insignia boasts decks and verandas graced with the finest teak and exquisite custom stone and tile work. To ensure the elegance shines throughout the entire experience, there is all new Villeroy & Boch china, the finest silver and crystal, and a distinctive museum-quality art collection that is an eclectic melding of traditional and contemporary, with a touch of whimsy.

Yada yada yada...  It is filled (supposedly) with 600 hot homo's.  A bathhouse on water it may be but it is a better way of getting from Buenos Aires to Rio than a small dinky plane ride.  That plane ride wouldn't include some themed parties like the White Party, dog tag army night, Brasilian Carnival warm up, or a night out in Montevideo, one of the hippest cities south of the Border.  A place where models hang on the beach and in the clubs supposedly.  So as long as it doesn't turn into SS Disaster (since I am going with my ex) or sink like the Southern Atlantic Titanic, it should a great time. 

 

Happy Valentines Day

   
Tshirt says:  Texas is for Lovers.

I was going to be all anti-V-Day and shit today but I decided that since I am a romantic and emotional (sometimes a little too much) that I should be celebrating today because love is great and special even if I don't have someone to share it with.  Valentines Day is about the celebration of LOVE itself not so much if you actually have it.  So, I am wearing this tshirt to celebrate being single and appreciating LOVE.  (it's also one of the few shirts I own that is red, lol).  Happy Valentines DAY :)

Remember that if you do have someone... they most likely are worth it ;)