Well, it’s another blazing Monday and the start of a brand new week. I’ve got four weeks left in my first summer off and I just know they’re gonna go by sooooo fast. Normally by the time summer ends I’m ready to go back, but I’m not so sure about this year. I had a really busy weekend, which worked great for distracting me from the issues of my house. Here’s a little recap:



An impromptu barbie and then off to the Grove



Since our friend Rose has been in town for a party, we all decided to go to Cherry Grove on Saturday night. He hadn’t been there in years and so we planned on spending the evening there. I had had a barbecue the night before and I had a lot of leftover food, so I invited Rose, Blanche and Dita over for a pre-Fire Island barbecue. It was a nice start to a really fun night.



We all headed out on the 7:20 from Sayville and got to the Grove a little before 8. The weather wasn’t as nice as it had been in previous weeks, but that was okay. Though we started off at the Ice Palace, we soon headed to Cherry’s because they were hosting a 1971 class reunion of what looked like mostly straight people. They were playing disco music and we were hard pressed to find any guy-guy or girl-girl couples.



I know it brings money to the place, but straight people have enough places to go without invading our territory. It seems that every year the place attracts more and more straight people, and honestly it’s annoying that what’s been our summer playground for years and years is slowly becoming an unrecognizable shadow of its former self.



Fun and Creepers at Cherry’s



In all Saturday was a really fun night. We were joined over there by Eddie’s sister and nephew, who were both very pleasant, and the good company made for an enjoyable evening, despite the rain that came for a short time. My new buddies Lisa and Laurie were there, and eventually they joined our circle of dancing fools. Even Rich, who has two sore feet and doesn’t always like to dance, was wiggling and giggling all night long with the rest of us.



One creepy aside to the evening were these two guys, Alfonse and Billy, who used to be a couple back in the day, but are now best friends who often go out together. I remember Alfonse from back then. He was one of those classically good-looking guys who turned heads wherever he went and his looks haven’t waned. I never caught his eye, or so I thought until Saturday. Apparently he did notice me.



“I had the biggest crush on you twenty years ago,” he whispered in my ear on the dance floor the other night.



“Gee, then why didn’t you ever say so back then,” I thought. Call me cynical, but I’m not so sure I believed him. I found out on Saturday, as did my other friends, that Alfonse is a very forward acting sort of creeper who seems to take whatever he wants without asking. Though he had done so once before a couple of weeks ago, what he did on Saturday was ten times worse. Almost from the moment he said that to me, he started groping and feeling his way around my person like he was feeling for a ripe melon in the produce section at the supermarket.



The groping and kissing and hugging continued as he and Billy came over to our group and Fonzi plied similar moves towards my other friends. What a creeper! I’m actually glad he never told me about his “crush” back in the day!



Dinner and dance therapy in the city



Last night I met my friend Ivan in the city for some dinner and dancing. At first I was planning on just dinner, but dance therapy is still in order, so after a nice Thai dinner and some good conversation, we ended up at Splash. We were supposed to try this place downtown called “Greenhouse,” but we missed the open bar at ten and since it’s really expensive there was no other place we could think of to go to dance. We promised to make a date to go, though, before the end of the summer. I heard it’s hella cool!



Splash was alright, for a Sunday night. We got there during their weekly Amateur Strip Contest, which was okay. A funny thing was that the drag queen hosting the show was the same one from the Sea Tea the week before and this other really strange dude from the ride was there, too. He’s a tall, bearded, leather daddy kind of dude, with sparkling high heeled pumps and green, glittery makeup. Only in New York!



Anyway, once the show was over and a winner had been announced, they opened up the dance floor and Ivan and I danced our asses off for the next hour and a half. Mission complete! All was good and now it’s Monday morning and the distractions are gone. Now it’s time to think…



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Happy Thursday everyone! Today looks like a gorgeous day outside and I think I am finally going to hit the beach later as long as I can get the writing done that I want to get done. It’s so hard sometimes because I get so distracted by all that is the Internet…Facebook, Y!CN, my blog, etc., etc., etc….. Oh well here goes nothing…

Hangover?

At the moment I have a bit of a hangover, you know headache, tiredness, a little queasy. I don’t usually get hangovers, but for some reason I guess I drank a little too much last night, but at least I can remember that it was a good time…

Mr. Gay Long Island at Circus

For the second straight week I went to Circus Wednesdays at the Lizard Lounge and I think I’m getting addicted. Their promo for last night was a contest for “Mr. Gay Long Island” and boy was it packed! It was the first time I can remember such a good crowd at a Long Island gay bar on a weeknight since I was in my twenties and it was nice to see.

One of the reasons for me going last night was to see my new buddy Ozzie, AKA Ruby Diamond. I hadn’t seen him since his barbecue on Friday and I kind of missed him. Anyway, it was his job to get people to sign up for the contest and he was having such a hard time at first that he asked me, lol. There was no way! I’m way too old to compete with those guys even though I look better now than I ever have, and besides I am way too shy. Once I watched the competition, however, I think that maybe I would’ve placed third.

In all, four guys threw themselves into the mix for the title of “Mr. Gay Long Island” and the winner turned out to be the only logical choice. He was a guy named Julian who was adorable and sweet and had lots of muscles. I knew as soon as he got up there that he was going to be the winner. The other three contestants consisted of a cute twink that used to be a go-go boy at the Bunk (I believe his name was Keith if I’m not mistaken), an average, everyday kinda guy like me, and a grandpa. Yes, you heard right, a grandpa!

Grandpa had been dancing up a storm earlier with a hefty woman, shirtless and getting all bump and grindy with her. It was a spectacle, to say the least, as many of us standing around the dance floor were watching with “OMG” smiles on our faces. The dude was definitely drunk as a skunk and I was surprised yet not so surprised to see him in the competition. When it was his turn to shake his thing, Mr. Grandpa dropped his drawers, much to the horror of everyone watching. I was just a little embarrassed for him.

In all, it was a really fun night. As I said before, Lizard Lounge is a beautiful place on the inside and all of the people that work there, including this cute new bartender Chris, seem genuine and friendly. I ran into a guy I talked to once named Orlando, who is directing a staging of the musical “Rent” at the Patchogue Theater this month. Some of his cast members came along and performed three songs from the show, which was marvelous. I also ran into this girl I met earlier this summer on Fire Island, Paola. That was a really nice surprise as we recognized each other immediately and gave big each other big hugs. She’s going to the Grove on Saturday so I’m looking forward to shaking it up with her again.

I’m almost sad that in a month or so I won’t be able to go to Circus Wednesdays anymore, because it’s a school night. I know that I’ll be going there for the rest of the summer, though, because a good time’s a good time, ya know? After what’s been going on this week (and I know my friend Rich will get a chuckle out of this), I needed it!

Here are some photos from last night...the grainy ones are from my iPhone and the good ones I stole from Circus' FB photo album, which you can check out here.



The four contestants...cna you guess which one is a grandpa?




And the winner is....Julian!




This is Chris, the new bartender at Lizard Lounge...apparently Ruby got him to take his shirt off finally after I left...:-(




The cast of Rent.




Jay taking photos of the competition. Can you spot me in the crowd?




My girl Ruby doin' her thang!

Thank You

Once again I want to give a big thanks to all of you, my readers, for checking in with me here and again. I woke up this morning to find that this blog has hit the 50,000 page view mark! I’ve been getting between 500 and 700 hits per day on this site and I am both humbled and excited at the same time. Here’s to another 50,000!

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Today is Thursday, almost the end of another summer week and we just keep rolling along fast. It hasn’t taken me long to fall into the stay-up-late/wake-up-late mode, I’ll say. I think the earliest I’ve gone to sleep this week has been around 2:30 AM, and that was early. The only thing I don’t like about it is that I’m missing my mornings, because that’s when I usually get a lot of writing done. Now, by the time I write and post my “Song of the Day,” I’m lucky if it’s noon, and then it’s either keep writing (which I need to do) or get stuff done. It’s a daily struggle, lol.



Circus Wednesdays

A few weeks ago I mentioned this guy I met that night I went to Alfie’s Bar in Patchogue. His name is Ozzie and we became friends of Facebook soon after we had met. I actually mentioned this a little this morning, but Ozzie is also a drag performer known as Ruby Diamond and he’s the weekly hostess at Circus Wednesdays, which I’d never been to. I promised Ozzie I’d be there, dressed in pink (they were having a “Pink Party”), and I was.

I have to say I was really impressed with the place. All of these years I’ve passed it by and never gone in, I never would have guessed it was so nice. The décor, the atmosphere, the bartenders…all stellar, and the crowd had quite a few familiar faces, too, though like many Long Island bars, the clientele is pretty clickish. Jay Antonio, the guy who runs the place is an awesome guy...he came over and introduced himself, bought me a shot, and I could tell that he's really intoo his clientele and they all like him a lot, too! Of course, being Ruby’s guest got me in with the cool crowd, and I have to say I really enjoyed myself. Thanks Ruby…I think I may just become a regular on Wednesdays.

Splash Thursdays

Oy, I’m starting to think that maybe I’m going out too much! Well, last night wasn’t expected, and I did stay later than I thought I would have, but at least I slept late and I’ll be okay for going to Splash tonight. This will be the second week I’m actually going with somebody. Yes, through all the craziness of my week, I forgot to mention that last week I met my buddy Laura Kim and her friend Michael at Splash. It was totally unplanned and totally a blast (except when the dancer who was dancing on the bar above me knocked my drink over three, count em’, three times!).


A cool Cam Wow double shot of the show at Splash last Thursday


Me and LK

Anyway, tonight I am going to Splash with my friend Paul, who actually asked me earlier in the week if I’d be going tonight. Since I went last week, I wouldn’t ordinarily be going, but I kind of turn him down a lot, so I said okay. We’ll see how it goes…I’ve spoken of Paul before, and we’ve had both good and bad times together there, but now I think things will be okay. I've come to like him more the more I get to know him and I think we have a good understanding of one another. He and I are definitely in a better place than before, for sure!

Uninspired Plans

I’ve got more tentative plans all the way through Monday, and none of them are etched in stone. A couple of them, with guys, are making me a little apprehensive. I tell ya, I just don’t know about guys anymore. I’m starting to feel like no one out there is really worth it. It seems every experience I have with a guy always ends up in a negative way…either I’m not really interested, or there’s that one thing that makes it seem like it’s not worth even trying, and then of course there are the ones who like me, but the feelings are not mutual. I'm getting a lot of those lately!

As I said, two of my tentative plans are with potential guys, and I hold no real excitement for either. Not the guys, necessarily, just the situations….I dunno, I’m starting to believe that I’ll just know the right one when he comes along and that I should never expect anything from any encounter with anybody. I guess in that way my experience with "him" taught me a couple of good, but hard lessons.

He was the first person since Joe that I knew…I don’t know how, but I just knew I wanted to “hang” with for awhile. It’s inexplicable really, but it wasn’t attraction or sex or what he did specifically or anything like that. I guess it was just the connection that we had at the time that made me not want to think about anyone else.

Then of course, there’s what happened in the end. When it ended the first time, I was completely shocked, and then after the second time… I guess the rejection was a little dose of reality that hardened me a little, and it’s going to be a long time before I trust in a relationship with anyone.

So these two experiences, I guess, have shown me their value in the lessons they’ve taught me. For now I feel as if I’m just going through motions with guys. I’m just playing it day by day and we’ll see where the weekend and the rest of the summer take me… In the meantime, I just know that when the right one does come along, if he does, again I'll just know it, but hopefully next time the feeling will be mutual, so I've got to be very aware.

Doctor, doctor

My good buddies are happy to know that after months, okay years, of bugging me, and months after I stated on this very blog that I would start taking care of things, health-wise, I finally made two appointments with doctors I’ve really needed to see for a long time. I had my first one yesterday, and now I have to go for a colonoscopy, ugh! Just what I was afraid of, but…my next appointment is on Tuesday and that one I’m kind of looking forward to. I will keep you posted.

So that’s my story for the past and the next few days, for the most part. Hopefully I’ll get back soon enough so that I won’t have so much to say and keep you reading so long, but I do appreciate the page views! Have a great evening!

Here's a photo I found on the Internet the other day that I thought was cool...


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I always wanted to spend one whole night on Fire Island, but not this way. It all started innocently enough, but in the blink of an eye I found myself facing six and a half extra hours on the Island of Fire. It was the fitting end to one of the strangest nights yet in Cherry Grove…

Lesbians at the Terminal

I pulled into the ferry terminal about ten after eight. Before I even reached the ticket booth, my friend Laurie called me over. I almost gave her a call earlier in the day to see if she wanted to go, but I never got around to it, so I was glad she was there. At least I’d have someone close to hang with if I needed. She was with Lisa and another girl named Laura and they were soon joined by about six or seven other women.

“I hope it’s not ladies night,” I joked to Laura, chuckling as I said it. (Even though I said it jokingly, I was really hoping it wasn’t so.) She laughed as we boarded the 8:20, me and about 11 lesbians. One of them said that the moon was going to be full and from all of the buzz around the terminal, I had a feeling it was going to be somewhat of a wild night.

New Friends, A Punch-Drunk Weirdo and a Photographer

Once we got over to the Grove we all headed out to Cherry’s, which was pretty packed. I went off on my own here and there, dancing as I usually do and meeting new people. As usual, the majority of the crowd was women, some of them straight, and a lot of them gay. I danced a lot with this young girl who reminded me a little of Lady Gaga. Her outfit was a sequined bikini top and a black skirt, with a denim jacket over it. She was hella cool!

Of course I had my usual share of strange admirers. Most notable was this really strange older woman who was fascinated with punching me. Yeah, that’s right, I said punching!

She was a light-skinned black woman who had to be in her 60’s. She had white hair and I couldn’t tell if she was straight or gay, but as I was dancing she just came up to me and started punching me in the stomach like she was Mohammed Ali getting a workout with a punching bag. She punched me in the stomach, then the back, and even the sides. For about two hours I couldn’t shake her. Everywhere I turned she was right there punching away and every time she did so I moved away from her. I‘d like to say I have to learn how to just call these people out and tell em’ to leave me alone, but who am I kidding? I’m 46 and I don’t think things are going to change now…



I did a Google image search for "punchy lesbian" and this is what came up, lol.

I also met two women, one of their names was Tonya on the side of the dance floor. Her friend, I forget her name, was straight and although I think Laurie took a liking to her, she was clearly eyeing me. That’s when I hightailed it away from them. It’s too bad because Tonya was really cool and I think that maybe we could’ve hung out sometime.

Then there was this photographer, a black dude in a matching red outfit. I was dancing shirtless in the corner of the dance floor and he was sitting at one of the tables near the water. I had noticed him earlier, but when I saw him this time he had a professional camera in his hands and it was pointing right at me. For the next ten minutes or so he kept taking pictures of me dancing. I asked Laurie if I should go and say something, but by the time that happened, he packed up his bag and left the bar. I followed him, but quickly lost him in the crowd. I’m a little afraid of what’s gonna come with those pictures.


This is pretty much what I saw...

Lesbian Drama

One thing that lesbians are known for in gay circles is drama, and I got my first taste of it last night. I don’t want to get into details, but let’s just say that there was a three-way love interest involved, periods of silence amongst the lesbians, and lots of drunken moments. I did my fair share of trying to patch things up and smoothing them over, but they all left on the 11:30 and I don’t know how it all ended. And that was just the beginning of this strangest of nights! To be continued…
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Happy Monday! Not to tease you or anything, but it’s so nice not to have to worry about what day it is anymore, at least for the summer. Monday, Hump Day…whatever…it’s all the same to me and I love it! Anyway, it’s a beautiful day once again, summer life after another beautiful weekend…



The Grove Saturday

On Saturday evening I ventured back once again to Cherry Grove. After returning to the city during the week it was nice to go somewhere close by, and besides the weather was absolutely perfect! I hopped on the 8:20 ferry and I was off. I stopped for a slice of Cherry Grove pizza before heading to the bars and this really nice dude who works there gave it to me for a buck fifty, just because I had a great smile! It was the beginning of a fun night.

I went to Cherry’s at first and was surprised to see that there were only a handful of people in the bar. It was weird because as I said it was such a beautiful night, but even the ferry wasn’t that crowded. It was strange, but once again I saw my friend Michael and we hung out for a little bit. Apparently the weekly drag show at the Ice Palace had started a little early and that’s was the reason for the small crowd at Cherry’s, which got really busy later on.


The lifeguards all aboard

Lifeguards!

When I had first gotten to the ferry terminal I saw this group of nice-looking guys. I didn't realize it until the ferry started moving that they were Fire Island lifeguards, who were going to the Grove to try and raise money for an upcoming competition in Cape May. One of them got up from his seat upstairs on the ferry and solicited donations for their cause. They were selling lifeguard t-shirts and such and they were going to have a 50/50 raffle in all of the bars.

Of course, with gay people there's always a little naughtyness, and one dude from the boat asked what else he could buy with his money. With that, another lifeguard jumped up from his seat, lifted his shirt and said, "I'll give ya a lap dance."

"Oh my, we've got abs!" I Facebooked right then.

The dude had what looked to be a ten-pack. I couldn't help but smile at how cool these obviously straight guys were. It turned out that I saw them again dancing at Cherry's with each other and pretty much everyone else. I donated my $10.


The lifeguards whooping it up on the dance floor

All in all it was a fun night, with of course a lot of dancing and a lot of sweat. I actually left a little early because Saturday was also the opening night for Alfie’s Bar in Patchogue, which I told you about the other day.



Alfie’s Guys Night Out

Well, I can’t really gauge how the first night at Alfie’s was because I didn’t arrive until 2 A.M. By that time, there weren’t many people left, but from the chatter going on I think the guys were pleased overall with the turnout. I did stay until the wee hours, not really sure if I wanted to reveal my identity to George, the owner, for whom I penned the piece on Examiner. In the end, he never recognized me and I didn’t say who I was. I’m not really sure why, but who knows???

I did meet this nice guy named Ozzie who was very chatty with me. He told me he was a drag queen at several place on the island and I could definitely see that. I forgot his handle, but I know he performs at Circus Wednesdays, so I may hit it one of these days. Ozzie was a character, funny and sweet at the same time. Hopefully I’ll see him again and hopefully I’ll get to Alfie’s earlier so that I can give it an honest review. They’re having a White Party next Saturday so we’ll see…



Cherry Grove in the Daytime

I’d almost forgotten how nice Cherry Grove can be during the day, as well. The place is so beautiful. Being over there at anytime feels like you’re on a vacation even though you’re just a few miles from home, and the daytime has a whole different feel to it that the night. There are no cars and no roads, only boardwalks through a little town of bars, restaurants and gift shops. Then of course there’s the beach…I think that maybe I will hit it the next, or the first, time I make my way to la playa (I need to go...someone told me the other night that I was really white.)

Anyway, yesterday I planned to spend the day with my good buddy Laura Kim, who just turned 40 a couple of weeks ago. She and I hang out every now and again, mostly for a bite and some chit chat, and I wanted to treat her to a meal for her birthday in a special place. We’d been to the Grove together before and so she was up for it as well as I.

I can’t say enough how beautiful the weather was, clear, sunny skies, warm temps and beautiful views. We’d both been really hungry once we got over there on the ferry so we headed to Cherry’s Restaurant, overlooking the Great South Bay. We were seated for Sunday brunch in the cushiest chairs I’ve ever sat in overlooking everything below. Even though breakfast was not on our minds, the breakfast choices on the menu sounded delectable and so that’s what we ordered. LK had poached eggs with crab cakes (not my thing, but they looked good) and I dined on steak and eggs, which were out of this world.


The view from brunch at Cherry's Restaurant

After brunch it was time for one of Laura Kim’s favorite pastimes (mine, too!), shopping. We hit all of the gay shops in the Grove, she trying on a dress or two and I buying a cool muscle shirt. It’s funny but of all the times I’ve ever spent at the Grove I never went shopping. It was obvious, though, that LK has because she knew the guys in the shop at the Ice Palace, who were absolutely giddy when they first saw her.

After a few rounds of window shopping, we had some ice cream, which I’ve been eating too much of lately. I couldn’t resist the “Moose Tracks” with the peanut butter cups inside and LK had some black cherry with Oreo cookies in em’. Yum!


Pina Colada!

Burlesque at Cherry’s on the Bay

By that time I was ready for a cocktail and I suggested we hit Cherry’s. That was where the real fun began! Laura Kim and I chatted, mixed and mingled at Cherry’s for a few hours, having fun all along. At 5 P.M. they had a burlesque show featuring a guy and a girl doing several R-Rated numbers in front of a largely unappreciative crowd.



Me and LK with our cherries

Really, they weren’t very good, although there were moments of fun in their show. The gal did a few comedic renditions of songs like Rebecca Black’s “Friday” and other such camp, stripping layers of (some very cool!) costumes along the way. The dude mostly stripped, in a burlesque sort of way, with some theatrical movements and props helping him out. At one point, Laura Kim mentioned, to my agreement, that we’d seen way too much of his ass. Really, the whole thing was a little over the top and the crowd weren’t enjoying themselves too much. In fact, by the time we’d left, most of them weren’t even paying attention.

The audience participation portions of the show, which I always hate, had one fun spot and another moronic one. The more enjoyable of the two came in the form of a cute twink, whom the dude in the show dubbed as the New Go Go Boy. The poor guy was stripped down to his skivvies and at one point the guy from the show even yanked them down, giving all a quick glimpse of his buns. He took it all in stride, though, and for me at least it was the most enjoyable part of the show.

Next came the beer drinking contest. Two members of the audience, one guy and one gal, were chosen to drink a beer from the crotches of our hosts. It was everything everyone hates about these types of shows, idiotic and stupid, but the worst of all was the last skit we saw.


The beer drinking contest...pretty much the only pic of the show I can share with you...

It was the dude’s turn to entertain (?) and he came out with a large lollipop to the sounds of the song “Candy Man,” by Sammy Davis, Jr. He did his thing, slowly peeling off portions of his costume right down to his g-string underwear, and that’s where it got downright disgusting! During the number, a couple of strippers came into the audience passing out Hershey Kisses, which were a little soft from the sun. As they did so, the dude peeled one and ate it, then grabbing his stomach with a painful looking grimace on his face. That was when he revealed his buttocks once again, spreading his cheeks to reveal the melted chocolate caked all over his crack.

“Let’s go,” I said to Laura Kim.

Without a word, we got up and left, headed for the ferry. It was a disturbing finish to what was otherwise a pleasant day at the Grove. LK and I came home and we made a tray of my world-famous mac and cheese, with spicy pepper jack, filling ourselves happy on what I must say was my best ever.

Well, folks, that’s all the time we have for today. As always, I am forever grateful for your readership and I hope that you enjoy my little space on the Web. Here’s a video of another “Candy Man,” one I like, by the Mary Jane Girls. Enjoy!




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How perfect! Today is Monday, May 30, 2011, Memorial Day and it’s overcast and a bit rainy. After three almost perfect days of beautiful sunny weather, the one day I need to stay inside and get things done it’s crappy out. I know it’ll probably ruin some barbecues and other holiday events and I’m sorry for anyone wanting to enjoy it, but as for me, the cloudy skies are a good thing.



A Night at the Grove, Part 2

Sunday of both Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekends are THE days to get to the Grove, for whatever reason. I think that yesterday was the most crowded I’d ever seen it, which is probably not really a good thing…it was still fun, though!

What is usually a whole little crew of us that goes on Memorial Day Sundays turned out to be just Blanche and I. My friend Rich had other obligations and at least three others were feeling under the weather in one way or another. At first I thought maybe that it wouldn’t be as fun, but as it turned out, Blanchie and I had a great time together.

As I said, the place was crowded! Everywhere you turned there were people. For much of the night, it made dancing very frustrating, but it’s to be expected on a beautiful holiday weekend. As is the norm, these days are the days where you see people you haven’t seen in a long time, and some you even forgot you knew.

Fire Island Characters

There was Lisa, a real character who, when she saw me, gave me a big hug and kiss. “Where do I know you from?” I asked.

“Religion class,” was her response. Then I remembered that we had met at the Grove last year and had the same conversation. That religion class was during the 2nd grade! I have no idea how she could have remembered me, even from last year, because I had very little recollection of her from last year’s conversation, much less religion class in 2nd grade!

And then there was Vim. Vim is this absolutely beautiful, absolutely cool chick I met at the Grove last year. She kind of reminds me of that Malaysian rap chick, MIA, but prettier. She smokes the same cigarettes as I do, Djarum Black, and she’s got a friend Eric who asked me out a couple of times. Of course we met on the dance floor early on last year and we would see each other often and share a chat or a dance. I had forgotten all about her until I saw her.

Vim was alone and waiting for Eric to get there. When she left me, she promised me a dance, but I never saw her again. No worries, though, cause I’m sure I’ll see her again.

Stephen, the best bud of my bud’s niece Erin, was there too. He saw Blanchie and I on line waiting to get into Ice Palace and came right over to us. We hung out with him for awhile…poor dude had been at the beach all day and was literally burnt to a crisp!

I saw my sometimes buddy with whom I had that terrible night at Splash a few weeks ago. We’d made amends since, though we really haven’t caught up in awhile. What a cutie he is! I don’t know, but I kind of have a soft spot for him. Whatever social skills he’s lacking, I just chalk it up to his age, but deep down, he’s a really nice, cool person. I first saw him on the dance floor at Cherry’s and he flashed me a big smile when he looked my way. We shared a dance or two and some chatter, and then he was off with his bud into the night.

Michael, whom I had seen the night before was there, as were the other Michael and Christian. I kind of feel bad because I met someone last night and it all happened right in front of Christian, whom I was flirting/dancing with. I’d seen Christian around for a long time now and I find him attractive. I never was the kind of guy to pursue others, but if he had ever asked me out, I would’ve gone. He never did, so our relationship has always been simply flirtatious, until we finally spoke the night before.

I Met a Guy

Anyway, back to the guy I met. I was dancing on the dance floor right in front of the elevated stage at Cherry’s. Christian was in front of me, on the stage, and to his right was a guy named Matthew. Matthew was adorable and we were smiling at each other a lot as we danced. Before you knew it, he was dancing right up to me and after that, he had all my attention, lol.

It’s a shame, because after only a little while, Matthew and his friends had to catch the ferry back to the island, so we didn’t have much time to talk. As his friends dragged him out of the bar he grabbed my hand and dragged me along with him. (It was cute how he did that!) We exchanged #’s before he left and I later found out that he had to leave because he had a flight this morning. I hope we connect when he gets back from wherever he is!

Back to feeling bad about Christian…a little later on, Blanchie and I went over to the Ice Palace and we saw Christian and Michael again. I walked over to chat with them…Michael was chatty, but Christian just walked away without a word. He was obviously annoyed at me. That really sucks because as I said yesterday I would’ve loved to be friends with the two of them, but now I think that’s over. He probably hates me, but I guess I can’t worry about it. Hopefully we’ll get to mend some fences soon…

Blanchie

I’ve said this many times before, but for whatever it’s worth my best buddies Blanche and Dita don’t like to go out too often. I guess since I missed out on being single in my twenties, I’m catching up for it now and since they’ve already done that, they don’t feel the need as I do. I was a little reluctant going over with just Blanche because I know that I like to roam around and mingle and I wanted him to have a good time. I even gave him an out, telling him that he didn’t have to go if he didn’t want to or that he could leave me there if he wanted to go home early. I was afraid I’d be leaving him too often and that he wouldn’t have a good time, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised.

He knew a few people there, too, and was able to do his own thing here and there and still have fun with me. At first I don’t think he was having the greatest time, mostly because of the crowd, but eventually his plans to leave at 11:30 changed when his night did. He and I had a lot of fun together and I was actually thankful to have him around because he had to ‘save’ me a few times from some of the leeches on the dance floor.

Touchy, Touchy

I don’t know what it is, but why do people feel that just because you’re shirtless they are allowed to touch you? I’m really shocked at the amount of people who took the liberty to put their hands on me just because I had my shirt off. At one point I went to the bar to order a drink and this creepy guy felt the need to grab my nipple with one hand and my butt with the other as I leaned over to talk to the bartender. I wish I was the type to slap his hands away and say something nasty, but that’s just not me. All I could do was look away and walk away….grrrr!

I’m telling you, my nipples were touched so many times last night they started to hurt after awhile. The worst was when I was dancing alone and this older dude who had been staring at me made a move the moment I turned my back on him. He put one arm around my waist and again, touched my nipple with the other. Thankfully Blanche was within sight and I mouthed the words “help me” to him. Thanks Blanchie!

I can only imagine how girls feel when these leeches take liberties such as they did with me, a 46 year old guy. These guys (and sometimes girls!) are nothing but creeps.

Anyway, the rest of the night was spent dancing, of course and having a great time. I’m glad it’s Monday because I’m gonna need the week to recoup from the last two nights over there. I think it’s gonna be a great summer! Thanks, as always, for reading!

Here’s a little Fatboy Slim:

Right about now, the funk soul brother….






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Well it’s Monday afternoon and the third time I’m giving this post a try. Another weekend has come and gone, but that’s okay, though, cause summer’s right around the corner and I’ll have plenty of time to sleep and relax then, lol. It was a pretty good weekend, albeit a tiring one…



Macy’s Private Men’s Sale

This weekend was Macy’s semi-annual private men’s sale, which is usually the time I buy most of the clothes I have. This sale is the best Macy’s has, as it’s the one sale that I know of where there are (almost) no exclusions. Since I normally like to buy designer clothes, this one’s always a win-win for me, and so every time they have one I take the opportunity to get to Macys. The problem is, at first they used to have them two, maybe three times a year and now they’re running them way too often, luring me in almost bi-monthly with the promise of 25% off.

I wouldn’t normally bring up a shopping excursion such as this, but I experienced once again something I’ve written about before. In the article Invasion of the Men’s Department: Who’s to Blame?, I discuss an issue that has plagued me for years. Every time I go shopping for clothes, I always seem to have to fight with women everywhere, at the clothes racks, the underwear department and yes, even in the fitting room. It’s a pet peeve that never ceases, and I experienced it once again on Saturday.



After gathering some new frocks to try on in the Inc., Ecko and Calvin Klein areas, I headed off to the fitting room to try everything on. I hopped into a stall near the entrance and started to change. Within moments I heard a couple right outside my door.

“Is it okay if I come in?’ a woman’s voice whispered.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” her apparent boyfriend answered.

My blood began to boil as the woman stood right outside my stall, making the usual commentary on the clueless male shopper. I had wanted to scream “no” in answer to her question, but that’s not my style. The two of them continued on in his little fashion show as if there were nothing extraordinary about it.

“Ooh, that makes your butt look hot!”

“Nope….I don’t like the color.”

“Those are too long.”

As this went on I was screaming inside my head. I so wanted to tell the woman to get the heck outta there. If I were to walk into the ladies fitting room while she was trying things on, I’m sure she would have freaked out and the authorities would’ve been called in.

When I was done, though, the young, pretty woman gave me a smile and all I could do was smile back and think “bitch” under my breath. Nah, this wasn’t worth fighting for, but still: grrrrrrr!!!!!

Splash/Ritz Saturdays

After resting up at home on Friday night, I headed out to the city one last time before Fire Island summer weekends start next week. (Not that I won’t be going into the city anymore, just not as much, which I’m thankful for, especially with the price of gas these days.) I got off to a late start, but that was okay because I beat the midnight deadline when the Splash cover doubles from $10 to $20.

Splash was great fun from the get go. It was more crowded than usual and the music was smoking. I’m not sure if it was just because I was in a good mood or what last night, but I was just having such a good time dancing and talking with people I really could’ve stayed at Splash all night. I did have one uncomfortable moment when this dude kept grabbing me on the dance floor around the waist every time I put my hands in the air, but I handled him okay and escaped downstairs to my favorite bartender.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned him before, but there’s this guy who works downstairs behind the bar. I have no idea how he came to be my bartender, but he is. Now all (or most) of the bartenders at Splash are good looking and their uniform is a pair of skivvies, and this dude is no exception. He’s tall, sculpted, beautiful, and a heck of a nice guy. I’ve been going to him for months, but I have no idea what his name is, lol.



Anyway, as I sat at the bar for a drink, this really big, shirtless dude came and sat next to me. We exchanged a glance or two and just as I thought to myself that he really should put his shirt back on, he turned to me and asked me if he looked gross. Being the good liar that I am, I told him that he wasn’t and turned back towards my drink. The dude then leaned over the bar and whispered something to my bartender. All he did was shake his head and the guy walked away.

“But your face is…” the bartender said aloud once the dude had moved away. He turned to me and smiled. Ah, we had a moment, lol!

Wild Night at Ritz

As I said earlier, I was having such a good time at Splash I really could’ve stayed there all night, but at around 1:30 I had a sudden urge to go to the Ritz. I have yet to have a bad time there and I guess I was just curious enough to check out the scene. All I can say here was that I’m glad I went, because I had one of the best times in recent memory. For the first time in like forever, I was up and dancing with these two guys when suddenly the lights went on and the music stopped.

At first, I thought it might be a raid or something, but then I realized it was 4AM. The bar was closing and it was time to go home, but not before spilling out on to the street and chatting with the guys I had been dancing with earlier. By the time I got home, it was almost 6AM. I can’t wait to move into the city!

Out Magazine

This month’s Out Magazine features two of my favorite female singers. Cover girl and piping hot songstress Adele sat down for an interview with the gay periodical’s Aaron Hicklin on the eve of her current US tour. The interview is a great read and the photos, by photographer Perry Ogden, are slamming, especially the cover shot. Click the pic below to check it out:



The other singer featured in the June issue is none other than Robyn, who played such a big part of my life just a few short months ago. The talented Swedish pop star talks to Out’s Noah Michelson about her very un-pop-like approach to being successful, as well as her popularity within the gay culture. It’s another great read!



It’s too bad that lately I no longer listen to either of these lovely and talented young ladies. I’m afraid their music, although absolutely wonderful, brings up too many painful memories for me and I can’t help but hit the ‘next’ button whenever one of their songs comes into play on my iPod. Maybe one day I’ll listen again!

Well, I think I’ve said more than a mouthful today and I’m going to finish up with a new semi-regular feature. I recently published a piece on Y!CN called Retweeting Great Quotes on Twitter for Both Inspiration and Followers. It features some of my favorite things about Twitter: great quotes. Since there are so many great quotes tweeted each and every day, I figured I may just have to share a good one or two at the end of my posts. Today I share two quotes that I believe in wholeheartedly. Hopefully they will give you inspiration:

“Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it and let it become you and you will find great things happen for you, to you and because of you.”

@InflictTheTruth

“Life is too short so kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly.”

@OMGloveislouder

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post and once again, thanks for reading! Enjoy Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep':





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Well it’s Sunday evening and another weekend has come and gone. Thankfully there are only a few weeks left of school and so it isn’t all bad. Of course, the weekend went by fast…it always does, and for me usually it’s filled with chores. Even though I try and do a lot during the week at night, there are always bigger jobs waiting for me on the weekend, sigh!

Da Bunk Fridays

On Friday night I went to the Bunkhouse for its weekly ‘Da Bunk’ Fridays and I ran into an old acquaintance of mine from years past, a girl named Laurie. Laurie was a girl who once worked with my friend Marcia and though she and I were never really friends, we see each other once in awhile and shoot the breeze. Apparently, Laurie isn’t doing too well these days. She didn’t say much except that she was single again and I can only imagine that it was recent from the way she was acting, all depressed and quiet. I wondered what she was even doing there.

Anyway, Laurie had a friend with her, a loudmouthed, wacky old lesbian who was very talkative. She wasn’t too friendly at first, but then as Laurie got quiet, she got more and more talkative with me, and she was telling me stuff I didn’t want to hear:

“Uh, ya know, I’m so horny tonight, but it’s too bad cuz I’m menstruating…”

“Ewwwww,” I thought to myself. I really didn't want to go there!

“….ya know, she needs ta have a good time (referring to Laurie)…get er mind off things, ya know?’

On and on she went. Thankfully the music was loud and it was hard to hear her. Still, she was literally backing me into a corner there for awhile, moving closer and closer to shout in my ear as I moved further and further back. I was so frustrated…all I wanted to do was cruise the dance floor and do my thing, but I just couldn’t lose her.



Thank goodness Laurie finally told her she wanted to go home and so they left me to my own devices. The rest of the night was pretty good, though, even though the ratio of women to men was greater than I would have liked. The deejay was definitely on with some great music and I danced it up later than I have in awhile at the old Bunk, but eventually Laurie’s friend caught my eye once again back by the bar. Apparently she hadn’t had her fill of the place and came back alone for more. I hightailed it outta there before she could see me!

Splash-Ritz Saturdays

I think I’m starting to form a new habit on Saturday nights. I start out at Splash and then work my way back to the Ritz afterwards. I did it that night with Ivan, and I did it again last week. I ‘m so thankful he introduced me to it because it’s a great place to dance and even though I didn’t plan on going there last night, the music at Splash absolutely sucked and so…

The Ritz is very unlike Splash. The people are unpretentious and the venue is very intimate. The crowd is good looking and friendly and the deejay has absolutely rocked every time I’ve gone there. His setup is right near the dance floor, so he’s right there rocking with the rest of the crowd to the music. Maybe one of these nights I’ll have to just skip Splash altogether and go there!

So that’s my weekend, in a nutshell. Not your typical weekend for a 46 year old, huh? What can I say, I love to go out and I love to dance! Just like Kylie says, “Now we know life is hard, so we’re living for the weekend.” Just five more days….Peace!

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Tonight is a very special night at Gation Saturday’s in Levittown. Every Saturday night, Long Island Hotspots puts on one of the hottest gay parties on Long Island, and tonight hopes to be one of their best. On hand to perform their new single 'Push It' live for the always happening crowd at Gation is the fast and funky band Jessie and the Toy Boys.

Jesse and the Toy Boys will be the opening act for Nicki Minaj and Britney Spears on the upcoming “Femme Fatale” tour, and fans of Britney will certainly love the pop-dance-electronica sounds of this entertaining group. ‘Push It’ is one of those songs “that sticks to your brain long after you’ve heard it for the first time,” lead singer Jessie Malakouti says in a recent interview. With a guest rap interlude by hip hopster Yelawolf, this one has all the makings of a dance club smash.

Regretfully I won’t have a chance to make it down to Gation tonight due to other commitments, but if you’re a Britney fan and you love to party, get yourself down to Gation tonight and check out what’s sure to be a rockin’ blast! In the meantime, check out ‘Push It,’ by Jessie and the Toy Boys:




For more on Gation Saturdays, check out their Facebook page here and the Long Island Hottspots page here for more on their weekly Gation Saturdays and Da Bunk Fridays.

To check out more on Jessie and the Toy Boys, check out their website right here.
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Well it’s Sunday evening and we’re on the cusp of another work week. At least the weeks are growing short and summer will soon be upon us. I’ve put in for a couple of summer teaching spots, but the way things are looking I’m not counting on it. I’ve made contingency plans to not work at all and enjoy the whole season for a change, so we’ll see what happens. Maybe I can really start doing some serious writing then!

The Weekend

I’m feeling very blah this evening…all day as a matter of fact. It’s because I didn’t sleep very much last night, or this morning I should say. After yesterday’s disappointing discovery and ensuing bit of anger, I soon realized that this was probably going to be a good thing and went about getting ready for my evening out.

Yesterday I mentioned my new friend, Ivan, whom I was going to meet last night at Splash. It turns out he doesn’t usually go there on Saturday nights, but prefers to go to another club in Brooklyn, one which I believe ‘he’ now frequents since our breakup. Ivan came to Splash especially for me and the night turned out to be a blast. We danced and stuff for a couple of hours, but eventually he was getting tired of the place. He at first suggested that bar in Brooklyn, but I didn’t want to chance it, especially yesterday. So we headed uptown towards Hell’s Kitchen, the newest gay hot spot in the city, and a new bar for me called the Ritz. I loved it!

The Ritz is a tiny place, with a cozy bar area out front and a crowded dance bar in the back. The crowd seemed a little more local than what you see at Splash, and the music was definitely more rocking. We made our way through the very crowded dance floor towards the very back, where we danced together on the stage. We jammed to Britney, Gaga and Madonna, and the deejay threw in a couple of great mash-ups. There was no Kylie, much to Ivan’s disappointment, especially since he put in a request.



He and I danced til the wee hours of the morning, having a great time. The Ritz was a lot of fun, different than Splash, and I think I’ll definitely be back there. Afterwards, we took a slow ride back to his place, making a pit stop for a snack and some coffee. We got to talk and know each other’s stories a little better. I really enjoyed it, but I just know that for me I have to take things slowly, which isn’t hard of course because we live so far apart and have different work schedules. We’ll just have to see where things take us…

So I got home shortly after 6AM. The sun was already coming up, giving me a quick notion to go down by the water and take what I’m sure would have been spectacular pictures. I didn’t have my camera, of course, and the iPhone 3 doesn’t take good photos, so I just went home. Alas, the reason for the blah, tiring day.

I started a little spring cleaning and did some shopping. The weather was gorgeous, but unfortunately my energy level wasn’t enough to get me outside in the yard. There’s always the afternoons and next weekend!

I’ll leave you here with a Kylie song. Ivan and I are going to see her on Tuesday and I’m really excited about it, though not as excited as him. (He’s by far the biggest Kylie fan I know!) So this one’s dedicated to Ivan…one of my favorites…enjoy “Fever”:





By the way, a very Happy Birthday to my good friend Fran!



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