The 4th of July Curse

For the past several years, the 4th of July has been a cursed date in my year. Every year, it seems that no matter what I do... everything that could go wrong for me on July 4th... does. And as of yesterday until about 8:50 pm, it looked like this would once again be the case. Without going into every detail, let me just say that it seemed like the universe was committed to ruining my plans to enjoy the day in quiet seclusion.

It was on a friend's suggestion (and with the promise of free bbq), that I put on a pair of jean shorts and headed over to the Eagle around 8:30. I live pretty close by, the bar offered a decent view of the fireworks, and I figured I would rather be all alone surrounded by a bunch of people than in my apartment by myself.

Going along with the "everything goes wrong on the 4th of July" trend, there was no free bbq. :-(. Given this, I decided to just head home and see what I could of the fireworks from my fire escape (through a line of trees (see above "everything goes wrong on the 4th of July)). I was literally on my way out when Mike Dreyden waved me down to say hi.

I had seen him around at IML and Nasty Pig a few times before, but we had never really said hi or anything. I was grateful for someone to talk to, especially someone as sexy as Mike. Plus, he introduced me to his friends Tim Kelly and Nick Moretti, who were both incredibly nice (and sexy). We hung out for about twenty minutes, and I was thinking it was about time to excuse myself. I had a great time hanging with them, but didn't want to intrude. Sure enough, that's when Mike told me they were leaving to go watch the fireworks from Tim's roof (they were staying at a friend's). And then, wouldn't you know...he invited me to tag along. I was flattered, excited, and optimistic that my night may not be so bad after all.

We all headed to Tim's, and the rest of the night was actually really amazing. We all hung out with their friend Alessio Romero. We watched the fireworks, then ordered some pizza, drank a few beers, and watched HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE!!! THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW ME AT ALL KNOW THAT I AM A RAGING NERD! The next few hours were filled with unbridled geekery in the company of incredibly sexy men. It was everything I could have ever hoped for.

After our festivities ended, Mike walked me home and it was really relaxing. I thanked him profusely for inviting me out. I would have never guessed in a million years I would have spent this year's 4th of July hanging out with a bunch of porn stars talking about Harry Potter. But hey, sometimes life throws you curve balls. Either way, I think last night officially broke the 4th of July curse.

IML Date

So, it’s about time I wrote about IML, no?

What can I say, really? It was a blast. Considering how beat (sick) I was by the end of last year, I am actually a bit surprised at how energetic I felt heading to the airport on Tuesday. Part of that is doubtlessly due to the fact that I had my very own bed in the hotel that was mine and no one else’s. More than that though was the regularity of my schedule. Let’s face it: I’m a boy. I need structure. And in fact, whenever I’m on vacation or otherwise not working, I go insane. And at an event like IML, I would have not only just wandered around aimlessly, I would have over-played and really worn myself out. Working for Nasty Pig every day was definitely exhausting, but really allowed me to not get over-stimulated.

Speaking of play, most of the play I had was bondage oriented. There was only about half as much cock sucking as I expected. And in fact, the most exciting part of my trip was rather…well… romantic. Ok ok, let me explain. I met a guy. Heh. Yeah, at IML.

His name is Tony. We met at the Nasty Pig booth. He was tall (er), dark (gorgeous dark skin), and handsome (wow…). We flirted a bit, but so did everyone at the booth. It wasn’t until I saw him later at the bar that I really got excited. We talked for a bit, and I quickly learned that he was into fisting, ass play, and fucking. Not just into them: REALLY INTO THEM. Anyone who has read this blog should know how problematic that seems.

My loss, I figured. Could I have pursued it? Sure. I mean, it isn’t impossible to find other common sexual interests. But for an IML hook up, is it really worth it? I headed out to find some friends, and I swear, I kept running into Tony every few minutes. LITERALLY. We just kept seeing each other. It was like we were being thrust into each other’s way, and I finally decided to take the hint.

He asked for my number, and I told him point blank that I wasn’t into anal or ass play. If he wanted to still meet up, I would love to. But I told him if he wasn’t interested, I would completely understand. Sure enough he wanted to.

I ended up seeing him later all by accident as I was roaming the hotel. I told my friends I would catch up with them in a sec, and sure enough ended up forgetting all about them and spending the whole night with Tony. We hung out at the hotel together for an hour or so before heading back to his place. He was just so sexy, handsome, and in charge… I was swooning more than a little bit. And…on the walk back to his place, I did something super dorky. I tried holding his hand… :-(. I know, big IML no-no. As soon as I did it I immediately let go and apologized. But then he looked at me and told me I could hold his hand if I wanted to. AND I WANTED TO. So there we were, walking through the IML host hotel, holding hands like some high school sweet hearts going to the sock-hop in the 1950’s (except for, you know, the whole interracial gay couple part).

I have to admit, sometimes I surprise even myself with what a hopeless romantic I can be, and how easy it is for me to get swept away in flights of fancy. But he seemed pretty cool with my romantic side. After we got back to his place, we fooled around and it was definitely hot. But may fav part of the night may have been falling asleep on his chest.

The next day we agreed to meet up for dinner later, and as it got later in the day, I asked if we could maybe take a walk too. I hadn’t really explored most of area around the hotel, and besides I thought it would be nice to take a walk together.

We ended up going to Millennium Park, and it was, for lack of a better term, MAGICAL. There was a free concert playing, the weather was perfect, the park itself was enchanting, and there I was with a handsome stranger who I was finding more endearing with each step.

I’m not going to go into too much detail, but as the night wore down, it was becoming increasingly clear that it was nothing short of a crime that Tony and I lived on opposite coasts. We had quite a lot in common, and I would have loved some freedom to explore that. Still, we took advantage of the time we had. I really enjoyed meeting him, and I think it says a lot that the date I went on at IML was highlight of the whole trip for me. Thanks Tony.

More IML posts to come, and in the meantime, check out Tony's fisting blog: http://studfist.blogspot.com/

Hey guys

Sorry I have been such a lazy fuck lately haha. I swear I am working on a post about the whirlwind romance I had at IML. I just haven't quite finished it.

Also have some updates on Folsom and others. Trying to catch up, I swear.

Keep checking back!

World Cup

GO U.S.!!!!!

IML Recap Part 1

So basically, IML was a blast. I had a great time, met some great people, worked my ass off, and caught up with old friends. I'll be writing about all of that in the coming days, but until then...here is a little teaser...