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Hello I'm Rich Brown and this is my personal website and blog. I'm just your simple, average, down to earth, professional, out gay man and aspiring circuit boy, living in Phoenix, Arizona with a few things to say while trying to find my place among all the scary, conservative, religious nuts in this sick and twisted world.
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Hungover and On My Way To North Carolina
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I haven't posted this week because it's been a really busy week and at the moment I'm sitting here a little hungover at the Phoenix Skyharbor Airport waiting for my flight to Charlotte to start boarding. I'm on my way to to the east coast for a week long business trip which will take me to Greensboro, North Carolina for a two days and then up to Norfolk, Virgina for a two days before returning to Phoenix on Friday. It's going to be a quick trip so I won't really have much time for anything but business, however as always I've brought my camera and I will have internet access, so chances are that I'll try post something from there.
So last night Justin and I went over to hang out and have dinner with Mark and Andrea. I should have known it was going to be a bad night after we finished that first bottle of wine. Dinner was wonderful and we had a really fun time before I had to come home and pack. Packing drunk is an interesting experience and it's even more interesting the next morning when you unpack just to see what you actually packed when you were drunk. LOL. Alright well I'm going to make this brief because my flight is going to start boarding. Cheers.
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Friday Nights Are For Drinking
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I'm really starting to enjoy going out on Friday nights more now rather then on Saturday nights. It seems like when I blow only a Friday night, it still leaves me the rest of the weekend to relax and get things done around the house, but if I blow a Saturday night then most of Sunday is usually wasted and I don't get as much done around the house.
Last Night
Justin, Mark, Andrea, and I went up the street to a place called Streets of New York Brewery to grab a bite to eat and have a few beers. It was a pretty nice place with an outdoor patio that faced some water and a greenbelt. We sat around and engaged each other with some highly educated (how our beer bongs were constructed in University) conversation over Fish & Chips and several in house brewed, Pale Ale delectables. Around 1 AM we headed back to our place and sat out poolside for a few additional drinks before calling it a night. It was a nice mellow evening and a good way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
Last Friday
Justin and I met up with P.B.Loco Anthony, his sister Lynda, Bruce and Tracy for cocktails at Amsterdam.
 
 
As you can see from the pics above, we were missing the other half of the P.B.Loco Boys since Keith was on a business trip to India. Lynda's husband Travis was also on a business trip, however I think Lynda more then made up for the two missing boys because she was walking around sporting the P.B.Loco Girls with that blouse on! A few passer by's turned quickly to catch another glimpse and comment. I personally had to go in for a closer inspection of the P.B.Loco Girls ...
I don't know what it is with gay men and breasts, we love them! Well, we love them in an accessory sort of way, not a sexual sort of way that is. Anyway, as usual the place was packed and we even ran into a few friends like Chad (left) and Chris (right) who were there with a friend from New York. It's always great to see them out, we're going to have to start hanging out with them more.
After Amsterdam we all made the trek up to Charlie's to catch last call and do some dancing. While we were there, our suspicions regarding a hot boy from our gym were confirmed . Just the night before Justin and I were debating if he was gay or not, and alas here he was at Charlie's shakin his booty on the dance floor with some boys. He saw Justin, smiled waved and said hello, so it was apparent we all recognized each other. Around 4 AM we packed in it and headed for home. It was a fun night all around.Labels: P.B.Loco
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White Party 2006 Part 8: Final Post & Thoughts
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So this is my last posting of what has turned into pretty much White Party month for my blog. I know I've probably bored all of you with the multitude of Palm Springs White Party 2006 postings, but it really was a big thing for us, and each event was so different that I didn't want to post all the pics at once and overwhelm everyone.
Final Thoughts (Please Read!)
When I first started my postings about the White Party Weekend I was thinking that my final post would be some deep philosophical thoughts about my experience. I think that was mostly prompted by the sadness we all felt once it was finally over. I'll have to admit that it took almost two full weeks to finally come completely out of the depression that was cast upon us by the end of the weekend. Those of you who have ever been and participated fully in a Circuit Party of this nature will understand exactly what I'm talking about. On my first day back to work after the WP weekend, the very first question a former Circuit Party-going co-worker asked me was ... "So has the depression set in for you yet?" He couldn't have hit it more square on the head. Fully expecting the 'Blues' after a party weekend, I was not fully prepared to deal with the 'coming-down' experience that I was left with after the White Party Weekend. I think it was a combination of the separation anxiety from friends along with the end of having had the freedom to be open, comfortable, uninhibited and completely true to ourselves for the whole weekend.
As I said in a previous post it was a truly life changing and eye opening experience for my friends and I. I couldn't have felt any more comfortable or happy being around so many of my fellow gay party-goers who were also enjoying every moment of the weekend. There is just such a ritualistic, tribal, and almost communal quality to this whole thing that I've never been privy too before. You just can't begin to describe what it feels like to be enveloped by the dance music and surrounded by a sea of people who don't have a care in the world at that moment. It really opened up our senses to see that it's possible to put yourself into an environment where you can be completely happy, relaxed, emotional, and not have to deal with the normal discrimination, prejudice, and hate that coincides with being a gay man in a straight world. It's like being shown a small preview of what paradise really can be like. I can certainly understand the appeal of why people return to these events year after year.
We've already decided that we definitely want to go back again next year and we're planning on continuing with more parties year. June takes us to the Colossus Party in San Francisco, July takes us to the Circuit Daze & the Zoo Parties in San Diego and then October possibly takes us to the week long Black & Blue Party in Montreal. Hopefully it's going to be a great year, and just the beginning for us as we head down this path.
I would most certainly recommend to other gay men that you really have to try something like this at least once in your life. If not a circuit party, at least an all-gay cruise or an all-gay resort vacation. The experience will open your eyes and change your reality. I'm so glad to have been able to finally attend the White Party Weekend, and more importantly attend it with my partner and best gay-friends. Based on what I'm taking away from this experience, I'm really looking forward to what else the future will bring for us.
Thanks for putting up with all my White Party 2006 posts, I hope you've all at least enjoyed the photos I've posted. If you have any specific questions for me about any of the photos, the events or the weekend please feel free to leave me a comment or shoot me an email directly to rich@cyrek.net.Labels: Bernard, Circuit Party, Justin Chanley, White Party, White Party Palm Springs
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White Party 2006 Part 7: Insider Information
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Just as the weekended started off with our arrival on Friday it ended with the Closing Party on Monday morning. We managed to drag ourselves to all 9 parties on the schedule, and let me tell you it was quite a feat.
FRIDAY
12PM-06PM Friday Pool Party (Wyndham Hotel)
10PM-04AM The Inferno (Wyndham Hotel Ballroom)
03AM-08AM Inferno After Hours (Heaven Night Club)
SATURDAY
09AM-06PM Saturday Pool Party (Wyndham Hotel)
09PM-05AM White Party (Palm Springs Convention Center)
04AM-10AM Climax After Hours (Wyndham Hotel Ballroom)
SUNDAY
10AM-04PM Sunday Pool Party (Wyndham Hotel)
03PM-10PM Sunset T-Dance (White Party Park)
09PM-08AM Closing Party (Wyndham Hotel Ballroom) VIP tickets are sold in advance, but if you don't want to spend the $390 on the VIP pass ($320 in advance), you can buy tickets to the individual events at the hotel. While this may seem like a good idea, it's usually not because when you're at the party you get caught up in the moment and end up going to almost everything anyway, so it then turns into a more costly event then if you would have just gotten the VIP pass in the first place. If you plan on attending three or more of the events, it's simply worth it to just get the VIP pass.
The White Party VIP Pass, a photo of mine below, comes complete with VIP card, VIP gift bag, separate VIP entrances with no-waiting express entry to all the parties, and in/out privileges to most of the parties. In my opinion it's the only way to go.
Once you get to the party, the WP staff will take your VIP Pass, punch a hole in the spot for that particular party, and then band you with a wrist band. This keeps you from handing your pass to someone else and allows you to be able to come in and out from the parties.
While it was a lot of fun to get very little sleep and dance our asses off all weekend, I'm not sure I would do all the parties again. We made it a point to hit everything up this year so that we'd know exactly what everything was about, and for that I'm glad. Next year we'll still get the VIP pass, but I think we'll skip the Friday and Saturday after hours to get a few additional hours of shut-eye.
[TO BE CONTINUED NEXT POST]Labels: Bernard, Circuit Party, Justin Chanley, White Party, White Party Palm Springs
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White Party 2006 Part 6: Closing Events
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This is the last posting of party photos from the White Party 2005 Weekend. Sunday may have been the final day of the party weekend, but it was nothing less then packed with events. I would have to say that Sunday was probably one of my favorite days of the entire weekend.
The Sunday Pool Party
We awoke at 10:30 am to the booming sounds of dance music right outside of our room. The Sunday pool party was a little less packed then the Saturday one, but it was a good day to go down and hang out in the pool.
We swam, played with the balls (beach balls that is!) and stayed at the pool party until around 4 PM and then headed back up to get ready for the Sunset T-Dance.
The Sunset T-Dance
Going from 3 PM to 10 PM I've heard in the past from friends that the Sunset T-Dance is one of the must-not-miss events of the weekend. Held at White Party Park, only a blocks walk away from our hotel, it's an amazing outside party right at the base of the mountains. We arrived around 6 just as the sun was beginning to set. Spinning was DJ Manny Lehman who is one of my personal favorites. He really knew how to get the crowd moving.
 
 
As the sun set the crowd pushed their way to the side stage to a closer view of Anastacia's performance.
 
 
 
Anastacia performed a few songs and took a little time to speak to the boys at the party before wrapping things up around 9 PM. Immediately following her performance the sky was lit up with fireworks behind the Ferris wheel for the next 5 minutes. We had another hour left before the party ended and everyone would head back to the hotel for the closing party.
The Closing Party
The final event of the weekend was The Closing Party, an amazing 11 hour dance marathon in the Wyndham ballroom. This turned out to be probably one of my favorite events of the weekend. Starting on the tables was DJ Kimberly S and she was absolutely out of this world spinning some really great music that kept the crowd moving and cheering for hours. Kimberly handed off the turntables to DJ Brett Henrichsen of Masterbeat at 2 AM and as always, Brett's unique style carried the crowd happily into the wee hours of the morning. We were all so completely exhausted by this point but it was the culmination of an entire weekend of amazing people, music and fun that kept us going. The room was packed and the sweat was pouring off of everyone. I only have a few photos, because I spent most of the evening enjoying the music and dancing the night away with my friends.
 
 
 
Bernard, Justin and I stayed until nearly 6 AM before we finally threw in the towel and called it a night. This was surely going to be one weekend we were never going to forget.
[TO BE CONTINUED NEXT POST]Labels: Bernard, Circuit Party, DJ Kimberly S, Justin Chanley, White Party, White Party Palm Springs
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I'm Alive
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Thanks for all the well wishes to get better. After a few days of rest I'm alive and feeling so much better now. I'm sorry to say that I think I passed my sickness over to Andrea and she's NOT very happy about it. But as I told her today, what fun are things like this if you can't share them with friends. She's only on the achey body part, I told her to keep an eye out for the mustard colored diarrhea and stomach cramps and then you'll know to strap yourself in for the two day ride that's just about to start.
I think Berger is checking out himself in the reflection of the water
Anywho, I still have like two posts left from the White Party weekend with photos I wanted to post, and some photos from LAST friday night when Justin and I went out with the kids. I should have some time to get to that tomorrow so check back. I hope you guys all have a great weekend.
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Down and Out with the Stomach Flu
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This weekend was spent out on Friday night with Anthony, Lynda, Bruce & Trace (photos to be posted soon) and then Saturday with doing things around the house like taking care of the yard, cleaning up, rebuilding the master bedroom closet that fell in a few weeks back, etc. Sunday Justin and went to Target, the gym and then came home and had dinner.
Just after dinner my stomach started to cramp up and I started to feel pretty shitty. Justin and I started watching some tv, but I decided pretty quickly that I need to go to bed. Needless to say I woke Justin up around 3 AM with the sound of me hurling in the bathroom. I felt like shit, my stomach was cramping, I was dizzy, had diarrhea and just not having a good time at all. At first I thought I had gotten food poisoning or something. I immediately ran thru my head what I had cooked, what could have been bad, but Justin had the exact same food I had eaten, so we were both baffled. For the next 5 hours I spent on and off in the bathroom before Justin headed to work and I was finally able to lay down and get some sleep. The dizziness carried on through yesterday evening and I was finally able to eat some soup last night. I decided to stay home again today, because I'm still a little dizzy and not quite able to fully function yet. Anyway that's my story for the past two days. After talking to my Mother, apparently there is this Stomach Virus going around right now? Yeah for me. Ugh.
So in the mean time while I'm sitting here trying to recover I might as well do the MEME I've been tagged with by Persian Guy. I'm appologizing up front, because I tend to be very wordy and have a hard time being concise with these things ...
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If you could be any person in the world, who would you be, and why?
Prince William. Wait was this question who you would be or who you would want in bed? LOL. J/K. Can you actually imagine the amazing opportunities that are available to Prince William in this world just because of his family heritage, not to mention the fact that he could get laid by pretty much anyone he wants. Ok ... yeah I know that's so vain and unsophisticated but I know you've all thought it too. Don't lie, you have.
Describe a place you remember from your childhood.
The woods behind our house. Growing up in a rural area in Pennsylvania I used to spend many of my summer days just wondering the trails, climbing trees and enjoying the outdoors. Hmmm ... maybe that's also why I enjoy sex outside so much too. ;-)
How did you meet your closest friend?
Well we came pretty much attached from birth, but I think we formally met when I was 5 and we were in the bathtub together ... oh wait you don't mean 'that' friend.
Fortunately I have many close friends from different parts of the country, however my closest friend would be Mark. We met on our first day at work for MicroAge. We were a few cubes apart and found out we both just started that day. We started talking only to learn that we were both from Pennsylvania and Mark's childhood friend was actually my little brother in our fraternity at Penn State. We soon became great friends from that day forward.
What is something you do well?
Over analyze things. I get that from my Mother. I tend to over-think, over-analyze just about everything. I couldn't tell you how many times Justin has had to tell me to stop worrying about something. I think I'm getting better with that.
What would have happened if you didn't leave the house this morning?
Well actually I didn't leave the house this morning because I'm home sick but I have quite a bit of flexibility with my job and I work from home several days per week, so there are many days I don't leave the house. I'm committed enough that I can work from home, and the days I'm not working I like to enjoy doing things around the house and catching up on my Tivo'd programs.
If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I enjoy traveling and have been through much of the United States, and a few countries in Europe, but the truth is I would love to visit the Middle East. I think there is so much beauty, culture and history in that part of the world that it would just be amazing to see but unless things change that would make it safer for Americans to travel to that region, I will probably never willingly plan a trip there.
What sets you apart from the crowd?
My eye and my smile. I don't know. I don't think I'm really that memorable at first glance. I like to laugh, enjoy myself and have fun. I try not to take too many things very seriously, and I don't go out of my way to stand out in a crowd. If anyone would notice me, it would be because they either caught me staring at them, or saw me in a group of friends having a great time.
What do you want to be remembered for?
For being a good person and hopefully doing something that made a big difference for someone's life in this world.
What is the nicest thing you have done for someone?
I rescued Justin from the slums of his room in Daly City and floor model rice cooker. J/K. I try to do nice things for people all the time. Although if you ask Justin he'd probably say I'm a dick all the time. I really don't think he has a very high opinion of me, but that's just me.
I don't think there is one incident of 'niceness' that really stands out in my mind, other then helping to take care of my father before he passed away and now financially helping my Mother with her needs.
What is the greatest lesson you've learned so far in your life?
That you really can pay off credit cards faster by taking advantage of the 0% APR balance transfer offers. Geez, I'm on a roll today.
This is one of those Philosophical questions that I have a million answers too. I've learned so many lessons in life, that I don't know which should be classified as the greatest. I would probably say I'm still learning the greatest lesson in life, and that's to just be myself and be true to myself. Anyone who has grown up gay has learned very early on that it's easier to pretend to be who you aren't then deal with the reality of who you are. I'm only now starting to feel comfortable in always being who I am and not giving a shit about what people think. I really believe that everytime we pretend to be something we aren't, or even attempt to change ourselves to be something someone wants us to be, we sell a small piece of our soul and our overall happiness in life. It's just something I'm not willing to do anymore.
Would you spend a found $20 bill?
If it was just a random find, I would consider myself lucky for finding it, hold onto it for a while and then probably spend it. If it was lost by someone or given to me by accident I would return it. I cashed out a coin machine voucher once at the grocery store and the casher wasn't paying attention and actually gave me $100 more then she was supposed too. I started counting it as I walked away, immediately stopped, walked back and gave it all back to her and asked her to recheck it. As easily as it could have been for me to walk out of the store that day with $100 extra in my pocket, I know she would have most likely lost her job and I'm just not that type of person. I believe what comes around goes around and in the end I always try to be a good person.
What is your favorite day of the week?
I love Saturday because it's usually the first day of the weekend, Justin and I can sleep in late, and I know that I don't have to go back to work the next day.
How old would you be if you didn't know your real age?
Probably mid-20's. Mentally I think I feel and act more like a child now then when I was at University, and physically I feel quite a bit better too. I think real age tends to be irrelevant over the long term.
Name some things you are thankful for.
Strong erections is really what comes to mind here first. Actually I'm thankful for my supporting and loving partner Justin, our incredible families and friends, our sweet little Berger, our house, my education, science, medicine, computers and most importantly, every new day I have in this world.
What was your favorite childhood toy?
Tough question. I was a [slightly][spoiled] only child so I had a bunch of toys, but honestly nothing really stands out to me as ever being a favorite. I mostly enjoyed my time playing outside and honestly playing with myself outside. I guess you could say that Mr. Winkie was probably my favorite toy since we used to play together all the time back then. :-P
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Well that's about it. I was in a little bit of a comedic / sarcastic mood today, so read and enjoy. I'll be posting some more pics soon.
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