It sure was a busy week last week. Not only did we have the first-ever World Baseball Classic at Petco Park, downtown was a sea of green for the St. Patty’s Day celebration on Friday. It was also the opening of the San Diego Flag Football League season, and the boys were out partying the entire weekend, starting with a show at The Brass Rail on Friday night, then a soiree at Flicks on Saturday night with nine league contestants in the wet underwear contest, followed by brunch at Martinis Above Fourth on Sunday and more partying at Hamburger Mary’s afterward. So they didn’t play any games due to bad weather – what the heck! Moving from sports guys to leather guys, Buster was selected as the new Mr. San Diego Leather at Rich’s on Saturday.

Rick Ford celebrated his birthday in grand style with a large cocktail party at his home last Saturday. Seen there were Ben Dillingham, Julia Legaspi, Al Best, Bill Beck, Chi Chi LaRue, Robi Cox and Dr. Greg, Ann Garwood and a host of other guests, all of whom enjoyed champagne and/or exquisite hors d’oeuvres, including succulent stone crab claws. There was even a harpist, and Aaron, manager of Bacchus House, played jazz selections on the baby grand. The next day, Bruce Abrams hosted an intimate party in his beautiful Bankers Hill backyard in honor of Nicole Murray-Ramirez’s election as chair of the Human Relations Commission. Mayor Jerry Sanders made a special appearance, and other guests included state Senator Chris Kehoe, Todd Gloria, Chris Shaw, Gay & Lesbian Times publisher Michael Portantino, City Councilmember Ben Hueso and George Biagi. Guests feasted on a buffet catered by The Caliph’s Sherman Mendoza and brought filled Easter basket for the annual GLBT Community Children’s Easter Egg Hunt, which is scheduled for April 16 at Trolley Barn Park.

And speaking of the Easter Egg Hunt, more baskets are needed to ensure the event is as successful as it has been in previous years. Last year, over 400 children attended the festivities. All families with children ages 1 to 12 are welcome. The hunt will commence at 2:00 p.m. with light refreshments, ice cream and popcorn. The event chairs this year are former Imperial Court de San Diego monarchs Emperor Chris and Empress Lala, who can be reached at (619) 794-2777 for donations and basket pick-ups. Or you can drop off baskets at The Center, which is co-producing this event with the Imperial Court de San Diego and Family Matters.

Tonight (Thursday, March 23), don’t miss the first-ever appearance of Falcon Studios exclusive Roman Heart in San Diego, when he appears at Bacchus House for the It’s Raining Men wet underwear contest. Roman, who just won the Best Newcomer award at the recent Gay Video News awards, will be dancing, getting wet, signing pictures and giving away DVDs, calendars, T-shirts and lots of other goodies. The fun begins at 10:00 p.m., and you get $1 well drinks all night. Don’t miss this “talk of the town” show tonight!

The ultimate spring break party, the White Party, is scheduled for April 14-17 in Palm Springs. Brought to you by circuit party impresario Jeffrey Sanker, the fun begins on Friday with a pool party at the Windham Hotel (the host hotel) with DJ Josh Peace from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. Then it’s Inferno at the Windham from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. which features DJ Eddie X, a live performance by Falcon Studios star Mark Dalton and Chi Chi LaRue spinning at the VIP Rascal Lounge. There is also an afterhours party at Heaven from 3:00 to 8:00 a.m. with DJ Kio Kio for the energetic bunnies. Saturday starts off with the Pool Party at 9:00 a.m., which will feature entertainment, contests, performances by Tiffany and Kim English, and DJs Casey Alba and Phil B alternating. The main event, White Party: Revolution, begins at 9:00 p.m. at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with a performance by Rosabel and featuring DJs Ralphi Rosario and Abel. Climax Afterhours is back at the Windham from 4:00 to 10:00 a.m. with DJ Paulo. Sunday’s Pool Party starts at 10:00 a.m. for those early risers, and will feature DJs Kathy Valenti and Jose Luis, followed by the Sunset T-Dance: Under the Big Top at 3:00 p.m. at the White Party Park, with a live performance by Billboard dance chart artist Anastasia. Then DJ Manny Lehman heats up the desert, which culminates with the firework finale. As if that’s not enough, the Closing Party, an 11-hour marathon at the Windham from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., with DJ Kimberly S and Masterbeat DJ Brett Henrichsen, along with DJ De Leon in a second dance area. Passes to the three main events are $250. Empress Passes to all events including private lounges and VIP gift bags are $395. Both passes are now available at www.jeffreysankerpresents.com or by calling (800) 494-8497. And please don’t wait until the last minute for hotel reservations, or you’ll end up in Hemet, which isn’t very pretty.

This past Sunday, the new restaurant Saigon on Fifth, located at the corner of University and Fifth avenues, had their grand opening reception. Patrick, the great chef formerly with Taste of Szechuan, has finally opened his new restaurant, which is devoted to Vietnamese fine dining. Over 100 guests flocked to this beautifully appointed space and sampled traditional and fusion Vietnamese food. Seen there were Rick Kerman, Ron Ferrero, Big Mike and my “MacDreamy” Preston. I shared a table with my editor, Russell O’Brien, and his friend Brian, and we sampled a few dishes from the extensive menu. The new space has a very welcoming water feature right up front that includes a statue of Buddha, and has outdoor seating in the front and garden seating in the back. There is also a lounge area near the bar, and they hope to offer a full bar. I had the chance to sample Patrick’s concoctions three times last week, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Sea Bass (either slow-cooked in a clay pot or in red curry paste sauce). The 360 Degrees Filet Mignon was outstanding, as is the Imperial Roll and Chicken with Lemongrass. Also outstanding was the Saigon Love Boat, which is a seafood mix that is braised in a rich sauce with black beans and basil. Patrick also makes great soups with rich soup bases. Try the Crab and Asparagus Soup or the Chicken with Bean Thread. Saigon on Fifth is open for lunch and late dining, and there is underground parking.

A lot of friends of mine do not own a home phone and use a cell phone as their primary phone. When I moved to San Diego, I decided that a cell phone was all I needed – until those times arose when I lost my cell phone, left the charger at the hotel or just lost reception. Then I panicked that I was suddenly unreachable and I couldn’t call anyone in case of emergency. I’m not tech savvy, so VoIP is like Latin to me. But my friend Allan came to the rescue and educated me on the advantages of “voice over Internet protocol,” which is having a phone system connected via your Internet line. All I needed was an adapter, which is connected to the cable modem and in turn connected to a regular phone – all at great savings. I can make unlimited local calls and I get 1,500 long distance minutes all for just the $14.95 basic residential value plan. Now all I need is the cheapest plan on my cell phone and I’ll have the basic assurance of a backup phone online. There are many more features available, like voicemail to e-mail, three-way calling, anonymous call rejection, call waiting and caller ID, as well as other add-ons like keeping your current phone number and having access to a call center and a fax line, and many others too confusing for me. If you want to know more about the online phone system, call Allan at (619) 822-2777 or e-mail info@ammertech.com.

You, too, can be delivered into the next generation of communication services at a much lower cost than your existing landline phone service.

City Attorney Mike Aguirre will speak on Thursday, April 6, at the San Diego Uptown Rotary meeting taking place at Terra Restaurant. The meeting begins at 7:00 a.m. Terra Restaurant is located at 1270 Cleveland Ave. #K in the Uptown Shopping Center in Hillcrest. Phone (619) 293-7088 or visit http://sdurotary.org for more information.