Well, I'm planning some INCREDIBLE trips in the next year - Hawaii and Washington State.... So, there will be travelogues and pix to show you the fun times and people around!
Well, as you can see OVER THERE <-, the Hawaii trip is ON and just about to happen! I can't wait.... My only FUBAR was setting up the airline tickets to LEAVE the DAY of the Long Beach Gay & Lesbian Pride Celebration Parade! I can't believe I did that! UGH! How silly of me! And, what's worse, is that one of my friends wants to come and hang out with me for the parade, but I won't be in town... But, I'll be heading for the festival on Saturday (the 17th of May) and having fun.... My mom will be joining me at the festival and we'll be seeing Pat Benetar perform LIVE at the festival! WOW! She also performed last year, but I saw Berlin with Terry Nunn and also Taylor Dayne last year, instead of Ms. Benetar..... This year, it's Pat ALL THE WAY, BAYBEE!
June, 2003.... Well, I didn't get to make it to the Long Beach Pride Festival - the travel arrangments just threw too big a wrench to overcome.... But, I will be at the LA Pride Festival (CSW) on the 21st and 22nd of June... Maybe pouring beer.... maybe in the parade... look for me....
I also joined up with the GSGRA - GLAC (the L A Rodeo folks) and am looking forward to lots of fun with them.... I've always enjoyed the Rodeo but never got to be too active with the groups, due to... Well, let's just say that it's mostly due to a chapter in my life that is closed - never to be revisited.... I also try to volunteer with the Tom of Finland Foundation, a Los Angeles area group that maintains the art of Tom of Finland and other artists with an erotic twist.... They have some fabulous works on veiw at the Foundation - look them up on the web! I'm also hoping to get more involved with my local community groups, as more people need to learn how to give back to their communities and to the organizations that exist.... Support your local groups whenever you can and help keep America strong and alive....
Well, here it is, August, and things are going along very nicely in my life, at this time, anyway.... My life with the 'boy' (larry) is coming along nicely, and things are going very well for us. We're sort of transitioning from the Master/slave type of relationship to the slightly more romantic level (lovers) and may wish to be 'unioned' soon - with all the perks that go along with Domestic Partnership Bliss... We'll see what happens.... We did a fundraiser at Hamburger Mary's in Long Beach on the 9th of August - he did a drag number but LIVE and IN HIS OWN VOICE.... Did I mention that he can sing?!? Anyway, he's been asked to perform again, and this is a whole new area that he's never tried before.... So, let's see - he's a cowboy-leatherboy-dragboy-karaokefreek-lover.... How's THAT for versatility, huh?!? Way different than my LAST relationship... he was just a ... never mind... I'm not into dishing gossip about the poor and lame....
My friend, Ms. Honey, and I have been working with others that we know from The Underground Bar (see the links page) and we're starting a new 'leather' kind of group in Long Beach... We're starting the Uniform Scouts of America (USA) - Troop Won. We are the first troop to begin with.... I know that being the first should mean ONE instead of WON, but we like the play on words, as we've WOND the right to be able to do this type of thing.... It's a very open group - no limits on Gender ID (gay, straight, trans, whatever) or kinks - just that you have to like uniforms.... But, we're taking a different tack than the Regiment of the Black and Tans or any of the OTHER, more formal style groups... We're going to follow some of the ideas of the Boy Scouts - merit badges, volunteerism, charity and donations, things like that.... Try to visit our Yahoo group - Troop_Won@yahoogroups... just do a search....
September is shaping up to be as busy as August is/was.... There is the Southern California Leather Gathering in San Dimas on September 20th... The San Diego Rodeo is on the 25th - 28th.... Plus more things just sitting in the PDA, waiting to pop up and remind me of their presence.... Wow.... Busy, busy, Busy.... I guess there really IS no rest for the wicked!
I'll keep you involved in my next update..... Thanks again for dropping by! And, hey! SEND ME SOME E-mail - let me know you stopped by!
OH MY GOD! Can you believe that it is 2004 ALREADY?!? Where has all the time flown to?!?
Well, to bring you up to speed since my last update (looks like it was September!)...
OCTOBER EVENTS:
Well, we headed oiut to Palm Springs for Halloween.... We had a GREAT time, staying at the Las Palmas Hotel. It's a REALLY nice and lush all male resort, located on the Eastern side of town, nearby the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway... The hotel is a bit on the higher priced side, but it is WELL worth the cost... While some of the 'other' resorts in Palm Springs are a bit more sexually active and charged, but there was still quite a bit great things (and GUYS!) to look at.... And the rooms are VERY nice, equipped with top of the line bedding and linens, great furnishings and just a really great place to stay. Check them out on the Web - just do a search for Las Palmas Hotel....
We headed to the 'Gay' section of Palm Springs - off of Arenas Road - on Halloween night... Lots of the bars were having costume contests, and there was a contest outside, on the streets... It was nice and crowded, just like West Hollywood's Halloween Carival is, but it was better, as there are much fewer 'lookie loos' out and about, gawking at the revelers. The bars felt a little TOO crowded at times, and there were lines to get into a bunch of them. We were dressed up as some dead pirates (think of 'Pirates of the Carribean', but with a GAY flair!). We also went out the next night, as one of the places was having a Karaoke Costume contest that larry entered into and won 2nd place. It was GREAT!
NOVEMBER
Well, luckily, November came and went without TOO much hassle.... The biggest event was that larry moved into the Long Beach condo. It's made for some times of adjustment, but we're getting along fine. Sure, it's a BIG change for both of us, and we're doing quite well. Most of the month was just spent getting used to each other and our different ways of thinking about some things....
We headed out to Vegas to spend Thanksgiving with my mom, spending the weekend running around and having a great time. Did some early Christmas Holiday shopping... Plus, I got a tree - a Christmas tree. After years of buying trees from local tree lots and having the needles fall off and also having to maintain the tree, plus having to deal with the cats eating the tree bits and then yakking them back up again... Well, this tree is one of the pre-lit kinds - with 500 of the white lights and 45 bigger round and colored bulbs. At first, I was a bit hesitant, as I was NEVER much of a fan of fake trees. But this one actually looks VERY real. When I first put it up and got it together, I was even a bit scared that it would be TOO bright, with all those lights, but once I got the garlands, ornaments and trims, it came out great. I've gotten LOTS of compliments and can't wait for Christmas 2004!
DECEMBER:
Well, since I already covered how GREAT my tree looked, I don't have to go to far with THAT! As usual, I went OVERBOARD on the decorations, with my balcony looking like a Vegas Casino (TONS of lights!), and all of the decorations inside, you'd think that Santa's elves came down and just decided to create a winter wonderland disco.... There is NO chance that I'm having a CHEAP power bill THIS time.... Ah, but what the hell. I love to decorate and light up the night
We had also gone down to San Diego and decorated the house that larry used to live in.... he still has some ties and obligations to his ex-house mate. We did a great job, with larry doing the inside (the tree) and I took on the outside.... Doc (the home owner) has 4 of the lit and mechanical wire frame deer, so I set up a little fenced in grazing area, with 2 does, a buck and a baby... It was very attractive and gave a great look to the front of the house.
JANUARY, 2004....
The saga continues... We've been doing a lot.... larry has gotten a job at a local bar (Ripples) as a cocktail server, and is making some decent tips. he's only working 3 days a week, and he's looking for more spots with other local clubs and bars.... Plus, he's still following up on his singing and acting dreams. I'm still working for Big 5, and this year looks to be another good one, full of new challenges and responsibilities....
Woodie is off right now, getting a new paint job.... The hinges on the driver's door came un-welded, and I needed to get them fixed. Well, I found a local body and paint shop (a MAACO location in Stanton, California).... The owner of the shop gave me a GREAT price for the repairs on the door hinges. He then made me an INCREDIBLE offer on a paint job.... I'm basically getting the top of the line job for a super tiny price - less than HALF of the normal retail price! I'll update you with how it turns out.... And, I will post pictures of the finished job on my Woodie page...
Well, next we're on to February.... A new month full of new promise and possibilities... Plus, my birthday is coming up soon and I will be yet ANOTHER year older! No big deal.... Oh, and I may be getting Lasik for my birthday, too. I'll let you know how THAT one turns out!
