HERE'S TO THE WORLDS' BEST FRIENDS

Well I am here typing away on Pete's computer in beautiful Schenectady (Skin-eck-ta-dee), New York, pondering my time spent in Orlando, Florida. I can remember the night, some three months ago in May, mulling around this hairbrain idea of having a so called Southeast Bloggers' Gathering. I had been getting so many comments, emails, etc. from bloggers and commenters visiting my newly established blog. Some of them were beginning to feel like family. So in a passing conversation with Pete, I threw out the idea of this gathering and asked him if he'd meet up with me in Florida should the Florida bloggers be up for the call. And so I shared the idea with Spider, whom I' had been emailing and just starting to speak with on the phone. Without any hesitation, Spider welcomed the thought and promised to convey the idea to those bloggers he was meeting in Orlando. The positive response snowballed from there.

And now, the long-awaited event has come and gone. This is my second blogger gathering in the past four months, the last being in San Francisco where I spent time with the likes of BrettCajun, Moby, Homer, Kel, Dan, Chad, and Brandon. This go-around I spent time with 6 totally different personalities, Spider, Hypoxic, Sorted, Derek, Cola Boy, and Pete. If I were asked to compare the two events, I couldn't because they were two totally different experiences, each unique. When I went to the April SanFrancisco gathering, I was perhaps a bit more cautious and admittedly focused on getting to know one particular person. Those S.F. relationships have since grown proportionately as some of those individuals have become better acquainted with me through the blog I established after the Bay Area event. However, my Orlando experience was far more relaxed. I knew well in advance that the people I was to meet would be true to their image in every imaginable way. These six men, Spider, Hypoxic, Sorted, Derek, Cola Boy, and Pete, are in every essense of the word...FRIENDS! They are what I envision as my family of choice. While I know each of them has uniquely different views on issues, I know that they will always accept me for who I am and how I chose to live my life, even if it may fall a tad outside 'perceived gay norms.' For that element of welcoming and sense of comfort I am eternally grateful. To our Orlando hosts, Spider, Sorted, and Hypoxic, thank you from the bottom of my heart for an experience that will be cherished for the rest of my life. Thank you for the incredible time spent at Island of Adventure, for the evening at Savoy's checking out all the hunky waiters/dancers...ugh!, for the airboat trip, for the tour of the city, for the KANSAS concert in downtown, for the numerous meals at all your local hangouts, and for that special 'Ribs and Martini' dinner at Sorted's condo. You guys ROCK as hosts! Hell...Orlando ROCKS!

So where does that leave things? Pete and I arrived in his hometown yesterday, Tuesday. We were greeted with rain but I don't ever let that stop things. Pete was most gracious in giving me the grand-overview tour of Albany and Schenectady. The arhictecture and neigborhood developments are so different from Orlando ~ old brownstones, older brick buildings with remarkable cornice detail. Again the desinger in me was taking over...I have already been planning the urban redevelopment and revitalization of Albany...hehehe! We finished my first day by hitting Cornell's Italian Restaurant in the Little Italy quarters of Schenectady~ a fitting way to end the day. Tomorrow I am not sure what we are doing but those plans are in the hands of Pete, my New York host. I can't wait!!