“I’ve got a Pride column due tomorrow and I have no clue what I’m going to write it on,” I said to my friend Mike as we were standing on Blacks Beach.

“Have you ever done one on Blacks Beach?” Mike offered.

I shook my head no and explained: “It’s gotta be more of a question to pose. Kind of like on ‘Sex and the City.’”

Standing there puzzled, I looked around the beach and saw guys wearing everything from board shorts to, well, nothing at all, and then I looked down at my hot little Aussie Bum swimsuit. I looked up at Mike and said, “Is less the new more?”

I was still debating my idea of less or more while we were sitting on the beach enjoying some pre-mixed cocktails, so I decided to eavesdrop on a few of the conversations that were going on around me. I overheard a very hot blond boy who was wearing a sexy camo squarecut say he found the swimsuit at The Crypt (swimsuits and leather in one store – what more can you ask for?). I’m not sure what prompted the conversation that I was hearing, but I came in just in time to hear the cute blond boy say, “If the guy is 6.5 or under, he’s the top, but if it’s over that I’m the top.”

Maybe I’m not the only one who thinks less is the new more…

After the beach and a cool shower, I decided to cap off the night by having a quick bite at Martinis Above Fourth with my friends Andrzej (no, that’s not a typo, it’s just Polish) and Josh, who both happen to be from my hometown of Fresno. Andrzej went with the popular Pomegranate Martini, while I wanted the refreshing Strawberry Drop and Josh, well, he wanted a dirty one. As we sat down at a cocktail table with our drinks, Josh mentioned that he wasn’t wearing underwear and might be flashing the people behind him. This prompted me to bring up that I always wear underwear. And I don’t know if it was the martini talking or not, but I pointed out that I have a bit of an underwear fetish.

“It’s like a little wrapping on a nice package,” I pointed out.

Andrzej nearly knocked his martini over as he blurted, “I normally just tear the wrapping paper off my packages – who needs it?”

I think at one point or another I have established that I am indeed a huge dork. Going to Comic-Con the weekend before San Diego Pride has become a form of therapy for me because seeing all of those people at Comic-Con makes Pride seem downright ordinary, and I don’t feel like a freak.

After three hours of battling crowds on the floor of the ’Con, I decided to cut my losses (and take the new toys I had purchased) and get the hell out of there so I could do something more productive with my day. I went home and got ready to go to dinner, after which I would see the fabulous Kathy Griffin. (I saw the 8:00 p.m. show, but I heard the 10:30 p.m. show would have made a great episode of her Emmy-nominated show because whatever could go wrong at the theater did go wrong… and it wasn’t her fault!) As I was walking down Fifth Avenue after I had left Comic-Con, I ran into my own personal idol… yes, the hot blond guy who happens to be the brand manager for the Transformers (this is that dork thing I was talking about). I stopped and talked to him. And, no, he is not gay, but man I wish he was.

I quickly called my friend Alex, who turned over a new “nice” leaf and gave me a ride to the convention so I wouldn’t have to battle for parking. I think he was surprised to hear that I was leaving Comic-Con so soon.

“Dude, my day is complete,” I explained as I continued walking down Fifth Avenue. “I met the guy who is in charge of Transformers. Really, can it get any better than that for me?”

So it is official: I’m moving to L.A. And while I’m excited about the prospect of a new city and new people and new places to go, I am also incredibly nervous because I have lived in San Diego for 13 years. I like knowing that I can go see Nicole call Bingo while dressed up like a nun every Wednesday night at Bourbon Street or that I can catch Coco’s It’s Raining Men wet underwear contest at Bacchus House on Thursdays (like this week, which will feature hot Falcon exclusive Derrick Vineyard, whom I adore). There’s also the fact that I have two music choices every time I go to Numbers on a Saturday night.

High on my list of priorities in the move to L.A. was finding a place to live, preferably close to the office because I want to have a short commute. Thanks to craigslist, I found a cool guy who was looking for a roommate to share a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with a courtyard area for my dog KC to run around and play in. It was perfect on paper, but I had to take a day trip up to L.A. to meet the new roommate and see the place. The bedroom had less space than what I’m used to, but the good points by far outweighed that.

While I was in L.A. with my best friend, Brian, we stopped at The Abbey to get a mojito and a bite to eat. While we were enjoying our cocktails, I got a text message from my buddy Jason asking me if I was going to take the place, to which I responded: “The guy I am going to live with has a fucking Thundercats tattoo! Of course I am going to take it. It’s perfect!”

So what does all of this have to do with Pride? A lot because I have less time to do more things. For example, my buddy Steve was trying to coordinate which of the Powerhouse Productions Pride parties he and his friends would be going to. The lineup features Friday night’s Harbor Cruise and the Pride Ball with DJ Brett Henrichsen, Saturday night’s Circuit Daze with Manny Lehman and, of course, the legendary Zoo Party on Sunday, where Phil B. and Tony Moran will be spinning, and Kristine W. will be making an appearance.

“So which parties are you going to?” Steve asked me one night while I was fixing him a drink.

I explained my predicament about not going to any of the parties because I was just too busy getting ready for my move. If I was lucky, I would make it to Rich’s where my favorite DJ, Kimberly S., will be spinning at Salvation Pride on Saturday night.

He was stunned and didn’t know what to say, so instead he tried to change the subject: “Hey, is it too late for me to order dessert?”

Which prompted me to look at him and say: “Are you crazy? Ordering dessert this close to Pride? Think about your abs, man!”

So the wild roller coaster ride of Pride is about to begin for everyone. And for me that’s just the beginning because I start moving the week after Pride. I need more time to do what I want, but I find myself with less and less of it as every day passes. Less most certainly is my new more right now. This busy weekend, when time is of the essence, I think it’s all about knowing when to cut your losses and how to make snap decisions. Whether it’s deciding to go with a guy with a hot tattoo, knowing when you’ve had all the fun you can have, or whether or not the guy you hook up with meets your “top” criteria, no matter what you do, work with the time you’ve got and have a good time doing it!

Wednesday, Aug. 2, is my last night behind the bar at Martinis Above Fourth, and I’m having a big going-away party that night. We’re open until 11:00 p.m., so please come by, say hi, have a cocktail and make it one hell of an end to a great time bartending at a great bar!