Quid Pro Quo?

One of my neighbors has been nominated to be the next ambassador to two European countries.  I’m sure the private fundraiser held at their house in 2019 had nothing to do with the nomination.

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The Have and Have-nots

After getting my booster shot yesterday after work, I hit the gym before meeting Bruce at a gallery opening.  Upon entering the gallery we were greeted by the owner and the manager.  Scotch was offered but we both declined as I had a few stops to make and Bruce was stoned. 

Bruce advised the owner he wasn’t going to buy the sculpture on loan on his rooftop deck but fell in love with a more expensive sculpture. Bruce decided to pass on the sculpture for now as he’s dropping $5K on weekend in P-town with the new boyfriend.  He said he needed to economize, which means flying commercial. 

As we were leaving the gallery, Bruce asked me if I wanted to come over and help paint his media room.  Seriously?  I was wearing a linen shirt and summer bucks. He offered to loan me a pair of pants and suggested I could paint shirtless. I declined the offer as I had other openings to attend. If Bruce can afford a pricey weekend in P-town he can afford to hire a house painter. 

We parted ways.  I headed to the co-ops while Bruce drove home.  The co-op openings were a mixed bag, but mostly positive.  I ran into Miss Y who was with two ultra-chic lesbians who looked like they just walked off the runway of a cutting-edge fashion show.  They were friends of Miss Y’s live-in girlfriend who was out of town on business.  Miss Y bought a sculpture which will be a nice addition to her collection. 

After the co-ops, I met Miss Y and her posse, which had grown in size, at a new gallery in the Golden Triangle just a few hundred feet from The Art Hotel.  The gallery has a DJ and a bar.  It’s owned by the nightclub next door which financially supports the gallery.  A huge pride flag hung in the window of the gallery. It was a welcoming sign.  The crowd was definitely more upscale and well-dressed than the co-op crowd.  The art was stellar and expensive.  I didn’t see anything under a grand and most were over 5.

I called it a night a little early.  I bid adieu to Miss Y and the fashionista lesbians.  I was feeling really fatigued.  Perhaps it was booster shot side effects.

I walked by The Art Hotel valet on the way back to my car.  There was a Jaguar SUV and a McLaren waiting to be parked.  I passed the DAM with its Gio Ponti building sitting dark after a $150m renovation. The reopening this fall has been monetized with a series of splashy events.  Next, I encountered a row of tents pitched on the hell strip in the block before my car.  Expensive art, $200k sports cars, and a pricey art museum renovation yet there are people living in tents just a few blocks from the Capitol.  It’s becoming a city of the have and the have-nots.  How sad is that?

The drive home was uneventful.  Ferdinand arrived home as I pulled in the driveway.  Moments later a G-Wagen blocks my driveway.  It’s Mike.  He knew I was out and about because he was tracking me on Scruff.  He wants to go for a drink.  I use booster shot fatigue as an excuse. I skip my usual Friday night candle-lit bath. I’m in bed a little after 10 headed to dreamland.         

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Number 3

Got my booster shot today. One of the few times in my life being HIV+ was beneficial.

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From Adventure to Death

Friday night’s adventure was an interruption of my normally repetitive life.  The rest of my weekend was filled with errands, house chores and a gym visit.  I doubt anyone wants to read about a trip to Costco or repairing the irrigation system.

Mike called on his way to work this morning to let me know Larry died of lymphoma.  Larry was a guy who was part of a crew who hung around my friend Bill’s pool in the early 90s.  Larry could best be described as body by God, brains by Mattel.  He looked great in a Speedo.  The crew split up after Bill died.  Some continued to party while others quit the scene to concentrate on careers and a few others died. I lost track of Larry after Bill died.  I heard Larry moved to Palm Springs to work as a cater waiter.  Our paths never crossed again.  Larry was working at one of the swank suburban country clubs as a bartender when he died.  The country club hosted a memorial service for Larry on Sunday which Mike attended.

Mike then told me about a man who committed suicide in front of his neighbor’s house last week.  The man, who did not live in Mike’s neighborhood, poured gas over his truck and himself, got back in the truck and set himself on fire.  One of Mike’s neighbors watched in horror as the man stumbled out of the truck on fire and collapsed on a lawn.  Mike was not home at the time.  He arrived home just after the body was taken away.

Mike’s cul-de-sac of affluence and serenity has been devastated by this horrific event.  The police investigation discovered the man was involved in a domestic dispute with a woman in an adjoining neighborhood.  The woman was hospitalized.  The man chose Mike’s neighborhood to kill himself. 

Friday night was fun and exciting while Monday is quite gloomy so far. 

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An Art Adventure

Bruce invited me join him for the First Friday Art Walk.  We met at the sister gallery of gallery where he bought his last painting.  He was invited to come early to preview a new exhibit.  He currently has a $10k sculpture on loan on his rooftop deck from the gallery. Bruce showed up in double monk strap Ferragamo’s, Hermès sweater and Maison Margiela pants.  I was decidedly more casually dressed in J.Crew.  Drinks were immediately offered.  I had water while Bruce enjoyed a beer. 

After touring the exhibit, the curator, who used to live in Denver but now has a primary residence in Amsterdam and farm in Portugal, opened a bottle of apple cider produced on his farm.  The cider was too sour for my liking but I drank it as the curator was very proud of his product.

We left the sister gallery and drove over to the main gallery.  Thankfully, a parking place had been reserved for Bruce.  Parking was scarce due to the First Friday art crowds.

The gallery manager showed us a few paintings in the back room from our favorite artists.  There were some stellar works.  Bruce texted a few pictures of the paintings to his new boyfriend who lives a few states to the east.  A $20k painting was put on hold.  Bruce thinks it will be perfect for the new house his father is building.  Framing decisions were made for his painting which is still on exhibit.  We left with sufficient damage done.

Our next stop was a clay gallery a few doors down.  I introduced Bruce to the owner.  She gave him a tour and made artist introductions. Bruce purchased a ceramic bowl which needed to be glazed and fired.

Further down the street a stop was made at another high-end gallery.  A $5k painting was put on hold. It’s by the artist who painted the painting Bruce gave me for Christmas.

We wandered around a few of the other galleries.  Nothing was appealing.  We enjoyed the street scene while we wandered back to have a second look at the $20k painting.  Street tacos were picked up a block from the gallery.  Bruce conversed with the vendor in Spanish tipping her $20 on a $15 purchase.  There would be no pricey post-art dinner at his favorite restaurant.

Back at the gallery we had dinner at a long table on the gallery floor while a few people wandered around the gallery.  Shots of Scotch were offered.  Interesting conversation with the gallery manager flowed effortlessly while we ate. 

Soon it was time to close up shop.  We bid farewell to gallery manager before hopping into Bruce’s car.  Bruce invited me back to his house to smoke pot and relax on the rooftop deck.  I declined the offer as I had been up since 5.  I didn’t want to spend the night at Bruce’s house or have to Uber home.  Bruce dropped me off at my car by the sister gallery.  We parted ways after another art adventure.

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