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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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This Is Why I Don't Like Amusement Park Rides ...
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 The headlines read ...
Six Flags closes ride after freak accident in Kentucky
Teen girl's feet sliced off while riding roller coaster in Louisville
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headline & excerpt from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Parks close thrill rides after girl loses legs
Six Flags and another company shut down eight more thrill rides Friday around the country after a teenage girl had her feet chopped off at the ankle on a Superman Tower of Power.
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headline & excerpt from USA Today
So call me a coward but after hearing about things like this it just reaffirms my fears to why I don't like amusement parks and refuse to go on most amusement park rides. I will gladly always offer to be the "purse holder" and sit at the bar below while all my friends go on these stupid rides because in the end, I happen to like my feet. I read about episodes like this happening and it just triggers my biggest fear over going on these rides.
I read a comment from a Six Flags spokesman who said "Millions of people have safely ridden this ride in our parks" Well it certainly may have been a one in a million, freak accident, but tell that to the girl who just had her feet sliced off as I'm sure she's going to feel differently. Sad, very sad.Labels: Random Thoughts
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Happy Birthday Mark
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Here's to you on your 33rd Birthday last week!
I'll post more photos and the back story to our entire Saturday evening later. Cheers.
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Digital Rights Management, Yes or No?
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 I've been thinking about this issue for some time now. I started to write this long and boring post about digital rights management, what it was and blah, blah, blah. I deleted and started again.
I think while I fundamentally disagree with the premise of DRM because I think people should have the right to do what they want with the music they purchase, I can understand why it's been put in place. It's a simply control mechanism just like everything else to attempt to keep people from stealing media. Can you honestly say that if you had the opportunity to download any music you wanted free of charge that you would actually ever pay for it? No probably not. It's human nature to want to obtain the things you want as cheaply as possible, and it doesn't get any cheaper then free.
I don't know maybe I'm a fool when it comes to this because I actually do pay for and have paid for most of the music I own. In fact I pay quite often because I tend to download a lot of music and buy numerous CDs. I will admit that I have used one of the peer-file sharing networks to try and find a particular song to preview or one that was unreleased, but once I find the song I'm looking for, I almost always go ahead and either buy the CD or pay to download the song. Sometimes even both, depending on how much I want the music. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I just have a conscious about the whole stealing music thing. It's not me. Justin and I have a good deal of cash tied up in downloaded music as well as purchased cds and dvds.
For me though the bigger reason I pay to buy music is more an issue of quality rather then conscious. I simply want a high quality copy of the music that I listen too. Trust me, in my younger days when the Internet was first booming and Napster was an underground file sharing network, I tried downloading music from other people only to find out that 9 times out of 10 I was disappointed with the quality of the song that I downloaded. Either it was cut in the wrong place, the bit rate was off, something was inconsistent with the quality or it just didn't sound right. What was usually a fervent search for someone that had a particular song I was looking for turned into a disappointment and more often a complete waste of time.
Maybe it's the fact that I just don't have the time and or patience to weed through all the junk on the peer file sharing networks anymore, or maybe it's the fact that I have a bit more disposable income these days, but it comes down to the simple truth that I want simplicity and quality, and without actually buying the original CD or downloading an official copy, you have no real control over the quality of the music, the cut positions, the bit rate, where it came from, or even what's embedded into the file.
I guess I was thinking about this lately because I read something regarding the release of Tony Moran's new compilation titled 'The Event'. I read that Tony chose not to release this CD through a major label so that he could have tighter control of what he wanted on the CD and what it was going to sound like. I think his decision was commendable because I always oppose label interference in creativity, but it really led me to question if he is taking a bigger financial risk as well since many of the major labels have DRM controls put into place with much of their music to prevent sharing and maximize revenue.
I normally wouldn't have given this too much thought, but I really do like this CD, actually I like it a lot. It's probably one of the best Circuit Dance CD compilations I've heard in a very long time, and while I had a copy of the entire CD sent to me in MP3 format, I still proceeded to purchase an official copy of my own. It made me feel good to know that I was supporting an artist and music that I truly enjoyed.
So all this has really led me to wonder if not enough people purchase this CD, will it discourage people like Tony Moran from putting out a CD like this in the future. So that question brings me full circle back to DRM. Useful or not? If you can download (steal) the music for free but there is no new music because the profit for creating and releasing music altogether has disappeared, is it worth it?
I'll just leave it at that because I know there are arguments both for and against DRM and there are certainly other people much more qualified to debate this issue then I. I'm just providing a few of my thoughts and feelings to mill over. I still don't know where I personally stand with DRM and frankly I don't really even care in the end, because either way I'll continue to purchase the CDs and pay to download the music I want. Cheers!Labels: Random Thoughts
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Weekly Update
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It's been a long week, or at least feels like it. The biggest excitement of the week was a bi-monthly visit from my sort of strange exterminator. He kinda freaks me out when he shows up at the door with rubber gloves on and his hands in the air as if preparing for surgery. I won't go there. Yeah he really does scare me. Thank god he's afraid of Berg.
Anyway, I started out the week still trying to fight off the sickness I brought back with me from One Mighty Weekend. Most likely either caused from standing in the cold rain for hours or licking random strangers on the dance floor. One really can never know where it comes from right?
One of the many lakes that surround my neighborhood of Dobson Ranch
Over the past week this cold has felt as if it was coming and then going, but then over the weekend it just came again and didn't go. I woke up Monday morning to the feeling of a sinus infection moving down into my ear, so I decided it was finally time to take all of my friends advice and go to the doctor. As expected it was a quick visit and I was out the door with a prescription for antibiotics and a decongestant. Can I get an amen? I was excited at this point.
So I swear I'll never wait this long again to go to the doctor and get antibiotics when I clearly know I need them. I lost my game of wait it out terribly this time, and even after the antibiotics, Monday and Tuesday were absolute hell for me. I finally started to feel normal again on Wednesday and then I got all the way to feeling pretty damn good today. The miracles of modern medicine. You know on a side note I was watching a show on the 100 greatest discoveries and antibiotics were only discovered in the 1940's. Can you imagine that. It's really only been over 60 years now since they've been in mass production. No wonder when I was a kid they were giving out amoxicillin like candy. They were only 20-30 years in to even having antibiotics that they had no clue about drug resistance. That's crazy stuff, but I digress.
So being sick pretty much sums up my week. Justin started back hard at the gym yesterday but I didn't want to push my luck this fast after being so sick, so I waited until tonight to go back. It felt good to be back but trying to walk down the steps of the gym with my rubber-like muscles after completing a full leg routine was challenging at best. We only have a month until the next series of parties in San Diego, so I'm going to start back pretty hard from here on out. I've taken a little time off since One Mighty Weekend, so it's now time for me to get serious again.
Berg standing along the edge of the lake during our walk
As for everything else, well I guess you could say it's going great. I honestly don't have any complaints at the moment. My company and contract work is going very well. I'm enjoying the work, and I'm especially enjoying working from home full time. I know that Berger is enjoying having me work from home as well because he spends most of the day laying next to my feet while I'm sitting at my desk working. I also enjoy being able to turn the TV or Radio on in the background while I work. If I do have the TV on, it's usually set to CNN Headline News in the morning so that I can catch some of the latest happenings in the world, and then by the time I realize I've heard the same news loop about 10 or 20 times, I finally change the channel to one of the XM Radio stations of 'The System' or 'BPM' and groove to some music to get me through the afternoon. What can I say, life is good.
A random saying from a bottle of Molson Canadian
I've actually been in the mood to read more lately. The funny thing here is that I finally realized this week, after getting my subscription to Time Magazine for over 3 months now, that it was a weekly publication. I guess I just couldn't understand why that pile of magazines kept growing so fast. I certainly haven't taken enough necessary time for myself lately to sit and read, so I promised myself starting this weekend I would take a little time out to do so.
We don't really have any big plans for the weekend. Mark's birthday was yesterday, so we're going out with a group to Fate, a trendy, local Asian-fusion restaurant in the arts district. The rest of the weekend I think is going to be spent just doing a little catch up on sleep, work around the house and then taking it easy. I'm enjoying these few weekends off before the next big hurrah. I know Philip is on his way out to San Francisco for Pride, and I have to say I'm glad I had some self control and decided not to go. I'm still a little burnt out at the moment and I'm glad I have some time off from it all.
If you haven't noticed I've also been in the mood to write and blog more lately too. Much of my posts as of late have been playing catch up with photos and information from the recent party, but going forward I will actually have some more meaningful things to say. I don't, maybe that will bore most of my readers, but I just have a lot of things on my mind that I want to get out there. So stay tuned and happy Friday. Cheers!Labels: Random Thoughts
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OMW Magic Journeys at Arabian Nights
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One Mighty Weekend Recap: Saturday @ Magic Journeys Afterhours at Arabian Nights
You know I'm still not sure what it is about afterhours, the dark music, the barely clothed men, the dark spaces, or a myriad of other factors, which makes them so appealing for me. I think I actually enjoy and have more fun at the afterhours parties then I do at the main events anymore. Mainly because I think the afterhours are about nothing more then letting loose, loosing the attitudes, and dancing.
It seems to me that most of the guys who end up at afterhours are all usually there for the same thing ... to dance, hang out with their friends, meet new friends and simply have a great time. Usually people are smiling, in great moods and willing to talk to just about anyone. It's an amazing feeling that most people will never understand.
Following One Mighty Party at MGM Studios we all changed and immediately jumped on the shuttle over to Arabian Nights for the Magic Journeys Afterhours with DJ Abel.
 
The photo above is of Justin, Troy and I. Justin was walking through the crowd and Troy grabbed him and asked where I was. Justin, somewhat startled, said I was roaming around with one of our other friends. Troy said to Justin, "You don't know me but I read Rich's Blog ... I'm Troy" It turns out it's such a small world. We later ran into Troy again and I was introduced to him and found out he lives in Los Angeles with his partner who happens to work for DJ Brett Henrichsen. They were both sweethearts and I love running into people who have seen my blog because when I do, it really makes it all worthwhile.
 
Unfortunately because it is so dark at these parties I wasn't able to take very many photos. What I did do however was take a ton of videos which really are not easy to display on a webpage. I did however upload some videos to my MySpace profile from the Afterhours on Saturday night, so you can check them out ...
With this video you can see the sheer size of these events and the number of people at them. Keep in mind these are starting at 2AM and run all the way until 8 AM in the morning with thousands of people attending.
We all got there around the same time which was about 3 AM and it was absolutely packed. I think most of us remained until around 6 AM and then our crew started to thin out a little. Justin and I stayed until the event ended at 8 AM. We met a friend, jumped on the shuttle bus back to the hotel and the rest is history.
DJ Abel is one of my favorite afterhours DJ's and once again I had an amazing night and was absolutely in awe of the music being played. I really can't say enough how much I love the afterhours parties. If you ever get a chance to attend I would highly recommend it. CheersLabels: Circuit Party, DJ Abel, Gay Days Orlando, Gay Life, One Mighty Weekend
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Kathy Griffin Live & Out To Burn
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Last Saturday night was a one night performance by Kathy Griffin at the Dodge Theatre in Downtown Phoenix. Justin and I found out at the last minute since we've been pre-occupied with all the parties, and haven't been paying much attention to what's been happening here in our own back yard. We were able to pick up some tickets and although the seats were obviously at the back of the theatre with a questionable view, we were still very happy to be seeing Kathy perform live.
I wasn't always a fan of Kathy Griffin, however as of late I've really started to enjoy her stand up act and also her TV show on Bravo called 'My Life on the D-List'.
We arrived at 7:30 PM and the show started slightly late around 8:15 PM. The Dodge Theatre was packed and we were informed that the show was sold out. That's truly quite an accomplishment for any entertainer given the size of the Dodge Theatre, it's massive.
Kathy spilled the beans on all her latest celebrity gossip, talked about her show, her life and everything in-between. Her performance was funny and actually so much better then I expected. Justin and I were worried that since we've been watching her show and seen some of her stand up on TV that we would be familiar with all her material. She is so dynamic that almost all of the material she covered was brand new. I think it's just a testament to her high creativity. The show ended around 10:15 PM and we headed over to Jerry's to continue our night.
In typical Saturday night fashion, Justin, Jerry and I quickly headed over to the Burn Nightclub in downtown Phoenix. It's been a while since I've written anything about Burn, but that's probably a good thing, because as it stands it's still our very favorite hang out, and most likely where you'll find my friends and I on any given Saturday evening.
Burn was fun, we ran into a few friends, had some drinks and danced a bit. I think we're a little burn out still from our previous schedule of parties, so we packed it in a little early and headed out around 1:30 AM. I've posted the photos below which you'll quickly see is almost like a Justin Chanley celebrity montage. That bitch has to be in every photo, I swear, that's why I love him.
  
So if you didn't notice at first in the above photo of Justin and I, you'll see that I shaved my head. "Why?" you ask. Good question even for me. I swore when I got back from One Mighty Weekend I was going to get rid of my Mohawk and shave my head for the summer. Just to try it out, give myself a fresh start. Well the bottom line is I really hate the way it looks. Ok, I really don't hate it completely, because mainly the low maintenance is worth it all, but I do hate not having any hair now. It looks alright, but it's really not me, so I'll be growing back my Mohawk as fast at my little hairs can grow. Hurry up little hairs!
 
Justin is pictured above with Steven, one of Burn's newest and hottest waiters. Steven really knows how to throw on the charm, the smile and work the boys. Hey I say if you have it use it. From what we can tell so far Steven actually seems like a real sweetheart and he remembers our names so what more can we ask for right?
I'm very excited to see how downtown Phoenix is picking up these days. From everyone walking over to the Kathy Griffin show, to the increase in the weekend crowds at Burn and the surrounding bars. Maybe it's a sign that Phoenix is starting to grow into it's role as the 5th largest city in the United States. Only time will tell, but it certainly is exciting. Cheers.Labels: Burn Nightclub Phoenix, Jerry Timms, Justin Chanley
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One Mighty Weekend: One Mighty Party
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One Mighty Weekend Recap: Saturday @ One Mighty Party at MGM Studios
Following a beautiful day and a very successful and jam packed pool party, the attendees of One Mighty Weekend adjourned back to our rooms to prepare for the next round of evening parties. First up, the official event of the weekend, One Mighty Party at MGM Studios.
The first part of the evening was a performance by gay favorite Kathy Griffin which started around 8 PM. After catching a shuttle cab with a few other cute boys from New York, we arrived at MGM Studios fashionably late around 9 PM. We just managed to catch the last few minutes of the show but because of the point where we entered we were situated in an audio dead spot so couldn't really hear much of anything.
As soon as Kathy Griffith's show ended, everyone was ushered through the MGM New York set to a dance area that was setup just in front of the giant Mickey's Fantasia Wizard hat.
   
The dance area quickly filled up. Some of our crew chose to head out to explore the park a bit and hop on a few rides such as the Tower of Terror while others like Philip, Jerry and I chose to remain at the dance area and enjoy the music.
The featured performance of the evening was that of a full orchestra set on stage accompanied by a live performance by the queen of disco herself, Donna Summer. At 11 PM, just before Donna Summer was to take stage, the nice weather took a turn for the worse and started to shower the crowd with a light mist. It wasn't anything to ruin the party, just enough to make things a little damp and make it dangerous for Ms. Summer to walk out on stage. After a quick mop down of the stage, Donna Summer carrying an umbrella and escorted on the arm of one of her body guards appeared on stage.
Her performance was absolutely amazing. Her voice sounded perfect, just as if she was stepping onto the stage back in the 1970's. She sang 'Last Dance', 'MacArthur Park' and a few other of her classics, all to the background of a live orchestra right there on stage.
Immediately following a grand applause for her performance the fireworks show kicked off and was synchronized to the background song of Xanadu by Olivia Netwon John. It was a fabulous display of explosives which lit up the cloudy Orlando night and made it a special event for us all.
 
Surrounded by our friends and new acquaintances we watched the fireworks, hugged each other and proclaimed how great a weekend this has been and it's still only 1/2 way done.
   
Following the fireworks display, West Hollywood DJ Roland Belmares. took the stage and proceeded to give us a show that would fire us all up and keep us dancing for the next few hours.
Around 2 AM, after meeting some new people, dancing with our friends, and having an all around amazing time, we packed everyone up and left the park to head back to the hotel for a quick change and onto our next event, the Magic Journey Afterhours at Arabian Nights with DJ Abel. Cheers!Labels: Circuit Party, Gay Days Orlando, Gay Life, One Mighty Weekend
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My Top 10 Hot Dance Song Choices for June 2007
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So yes it's pretty much Tony Moran month with my selections. Tony Moran's new 2 disc collection titled 'The Event' was just pre-released at LA Pride and let me tell you it's one of the hottest new dance cd's out there right now. Most of the songs on the cd are the ones that I've heard Tony spin live at the after-hour parties. The music is deep, dark, and it'll make you want to take your pants off and dance around the house. ;-)
Here's my personal selection of top 10 hot dance songs for June 2007:
01 - Put Your Hands Up - Tony Moran feat. Everett Bradley & The Drums of DJ Paulo
02 - La Muzika - Tony Moran
03 - Walk Away (EvolutionMix) - Tony Moran feat. Kristine W.
04 - Destination Calabria (Club Mix) - Alex Gaudino feat. Crystal Waters
05 - Universo Alegria - Tony Moran feat. Nicki Richards
06 - For Your Love (Peter Rauhofer Remix) - Offer Nissim
07 - Be My Boyfriend (Jose Spinnins Tribe Tec Mix) - Offer Nissim
08 - Umbrella (Rafel Lelis Club Mix) - Rihanna
09 - Beautiful Liar (Freemasons Club Remix) - Beyonce & Shakira
10 - You Get Down (Manny Lehman Inspiration Mix) - Tony Moran
There is really a lot of great new dance music out right now. I think this is turning out to be a great year for dancing, hopefully the rest of 2007 will be just as good. Cheers!
**UPDATE 06/22/2007 **
You can now preview all the tracks, and buy a copy of 'The Event' by Tony Moran, online at Pefect Beat at http://perfectbeat.com/product_info.php?products_id=294922554004
I was able to obtain 'The Event' from someone affiliated directly with Tony Moran, so I've been listening to it for the past 2 weeks and I have to say it's probably one of the best Circuit music collections that I've ever heard. This 2 disc collction is worth the purchase for anyone who loves dance music. Check it out. Cheers!Labels: Circuit Party, Dance Music, DJ Manny Lehman, DJ Offer Nissim, DJ Tony Moran
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One Mighty Weekend: Saturday Pool Party
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One Mighty Weekend Recap: Saturday @ Reunion Pool Party
We arose on Saturday morning to look out the window of our room on the 24th floor of the Buena Vista Palace and see that the rain had stopped and it was going to be a perfect day for a pool party. DJ Brett Henrichsen from Masterbeat was spinning and the boys came out in full force. What can I really say about the pool party, except that it's always fun to hang out with friends and be surrounded by so many beautiful men at the pool. Here are some photos from the event.
The View from our Hotel Room
The View from our Hotel Room Looking Down on the Party to the Lower Right
Pool parties sure have a way to bring everyone out.
The pool area was packed!
Boys, boys everywhere!
The San Diego boys ... Steve, Kendall, Stan, Tony & White Steve
Justin & Jerry
The Boys at the Bar
The reason why Dallas was fucked up all weekend!
The entire SF, LA, Phoenix & San Diego Crew
Howie & Scott from Austin, Texas
Tony, Jerry, Bernard & Other hot boys
DJ Brett Henrichsen from Masterbeat (Yeah, he's hot!)
Boy soup in the Hot Tub
Matthew & Len from Phoenix
Rodney & Mark from Los Angeles
Rich & Bernard
Hot Boys Everywhere!
Yummy in a speedo
The hotel in the background of the party
Boys everywhere. It was a feast for the eyes and the spirit. We hung out at the pool until the party ended and then headed back up to the room to get ready for the next party which was the official 'One Mighty Party' at MGM Studios. Party, after Party, after Party ... there's no coincidence why it's called a Circuit Party, it definitely is a string of non-stop consecutive parties. Next up, One Mighty Party. Cheers!Labels: Circuit Party, DJ Brett Henrichsen, Gay Days Orlando, Gay Life, One Mighty Weekend
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One Mighty Weekend: Circuit Sex & Afterhours
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One Mighty Weekend Recap: Friday @ Magic Journey's Afterhours at Arabian Nights
Well after being thoroughly soaked from head to toe at the beach ball, we all headed back to the hotel for a quick change before heading over to Arabian Nights for the Magic Journey's Afterhours party with DJ David Knapp. The nice thing about the Afterhours is that there was a shuttle bus which ran from our hotel to Arabian Nights. This meant you didn't have to drive or take a cab which was especially nice for all the boys who were already fucked up by this time of night.
We got back to the hotel and Bernard, Philip and Jerry proceeded to change clothes while Justin involuntarily passed out on the bed. I informed the crew that I wasn't quite ready to head over yet because basically I was so damn horny from all the groping of the previous party that I basically wanted some sex before I was going to do anything else. The boys obliged and once done changing left Justin and I alone in the room. Now my predicament here was that it was 2 AM and Justin, due to an unfortunate overindulgence in the chosen chemical cocktail of the evening, was completely passed out on the bed and I was left wide awake, slightly fucked up and ridiculously horny. At this point I decided to basically do what any self-respecting fucked up, horny gay man would do at 2 AM during a circuit party weekend, I grabbed my laptop and jumped online. Searching through some of the gay chat sites I was amazed at the number of people online who were in Orlando for One Mighty Weekend. It was a virtual smorgasbord of hot and horny guys looking for a quick fix.
Within no time I found OMWboy#1 who was staying just across the street and was looking to get off just as much as I was. I explained the situation to him about Justin being passed out. "What if your boyfriend wakes up he said?" "Oh no worries" I told him, "we're open and if he wakes up then he can join in too." "Cool he's cute too, we can all fuck" he said. He gave me his number and immediately headed over.
Just as I got up to go jump in the shower before OMWboy#1 arrived, Justin awoke from his self-inflicted coma. "Honey, since you're up ..." I said, " ... someone is on their way over to have sex with me, so either you can pass back out or you should probably jump in the shower too if you would like to participate." Through his half awake eye's, Justin looked at me and just said "Whatever!" as he swung his legs off the bed and headed into the bathroom to relieve himself. I smirked and quickly jumped in the shower to clean up a little before OMWboy#1 showed up.
OMWboy#1 arrived, I let him in, he undressed, I shucked my towel and we proceeded to get right to business. Justin finished showering and came out of the bathroom to join in on the festivities. I'll spare you the more intimate details, but needless to say it was exactly what we all needed needed. Once a desired and pleasantly messy outcome was reached by all, OMWboy#1 got dressed and headed back to his hotel. Justin and I jumped in the shower to get cleaned up and head over to Magic Journey's.
It was nearly 5 AM by the time we finally got off the shuttle and into Arabian Nights. The space was large and DJ David Knapp was spinning. I thought I would have a difficult time finding the boys but sure enough as soon as we walked out to the middle of the dance floor Justin and I found Philip, Jerry and Bernard dancing away.
The space was amazing, the lights were off the hook and the music was perfect. We danced for a few hours before finally deciding to call it a night around 7am and heading back to the hotel to grab a few hours of shut eye before having to get up for the next party at Noon. Cheers.Labels: Circuit Party, DJ David Knapp, Gay Days Orlando, Gay Life, Gay Sex, Justin Chanley, One Mighty Weekend
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This Phoenix Tattoo Is Hot!
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Tattoos. What can I say except that I'm absolutely in love with tattoos, and the one pictured below is, in my opinion, one of the hottest and most perfect Phoenix tattoos that I've seen yet.
I took this photo, but I have to apologize to the hottie from New York who is proudly displaying his tattoo for me in the photo, because while I was introduced to him, I cannot for the life of me remember his name. I want to say David, but I'm just not sure. I first saw him at the Magic Journey's after hours over One Mighty Weekend and I remarked to Justin about how much I liked his tattoo. It turned out that he is good friends with a common acquaintance of mine from New York who then introduced us. I told him how incredibly hot I thought his Phoenix tattoo was and since I had my camera out, he offered to allow me to snap a photo of it, which I immediately did.
I've been talking about getting a tattoo for some time now but the only problem is the fact that a tattoo is pretty much permanent, and I haven't decided on something that I'm ready to live with yet. I started this whole quest with the idea of a small tattoo on my upper arm. After several ideas and designs, I started thinking that I would rather have a larger one that went from my arm up to my shoulder. Most recently I've started to notice more guys with back tattoos set between their shoulder blades in the upper center of their back which I think is pretty hot, so I started thinking about what I would be willing to get on my back. I'm now to the mindset that if I'm going to go for it I want to go big and I want something a little larger across my upper back.
While I might not know exactly what specific design I want, everyone who knows me well knows that what I do want is a representation of a Phoenix. While I have my reasons for this, which I'm not going to discuss in this post, I just have to settle on a design. When I saw the tattoo above, I immediately fell in love with the tribal phoenix design and the size it was across his back. Now if this was some random photo I had come across on the Internet I might actually be tempted to take this in and have it replicated on my back, but since I have met the person in the photo, and with the chances that we will run into each other at these parties again being very good, I would never want to mimic a design that is unique to him. So what that said, it's given me some good ideas and maybe I will actually decide on something very soon. Cheers.Labels: Gay Life, Random Thoughts
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Justin's New Blog
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So if you're not in the know yet, Justin has decided to take a foray down the path into blog land. If you have some time, please check out his blog at
Blue Eyed Enlightenment
http://justin.cyrek.net/Labels: Justin Chanley
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One Mighty Weekend: Typhoon Lagoon Beach Ball
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One Mighty Weekend Recap: Friday @ Typhoon Lagoon Beach Ball
As all the boys clammered to get back to their hotel rooms following being rained out at the pool party, the only thought on everyone's mind was "will the Beach Ball at Typhoon Lagoon still go on?" As we sat in our room getting ready for the evening, the forecast was looking grim and the now constant downpour was clearly visible from our hotel room balcony. I think at this point everyone was concerned about the event, and even some questioning if they were going to attend or not. The only redeeming value ... the event was actually an outside event at a wave pool. We're going to get wet anyway right? So we all decided to go.
Grabbing only the essentials ... square cut bathing suit under board shorts, photo id, money and flip flops ... we headed out to the front of the hotel to grab a cab over to the park which was just a few miles away. For a short while it appeared as if the rain was almost going to stop as the downpour turned into more of a small mist. Once inside the park we grabbed some towels, rented a locker and stripped down to the bare essentials. Something which I thought was pretty cool, was when we first walked in they handed us all this small waterproof plastic container in which to put our money and other assorted things in, very handy when you're only wearing a tight little swimsuit. ;-)
Before heading into the main area of the park some of us first decided to stop and grab a drink of our chosen chemical mixture of the evening so that we could loosen up a bit. Once set, we headed down to to the wave pool. I think immediately Bernard & Philip headed off to one side of the park, while Justin, Jerry and I ran directly into the wave pool. The water was warmer then the outside air temperature so it felt nice. Justin and I headed in toward the middle awaiting our first wave of the evening.
The weather seemed like it was going to hold out for a little while. The dance floor was setup, the lights were setup, the disco ball was out and DJ Alyson Calagna was on fire. Because it was raining, I didn't take my camera, so I'm going to include a few photos from the CircuitNoise.com website from last year. The dance area setup was exactly the same as in these photos, the only difference between last year and this year is that the boy's were a little wetter this year.
 
So after spending some time in the wave pool, Jerry, Justin and I decided to head over to the lazy river, jump on some tubes and coast our way around the park in the light mist. The water in the river was warm as well which made it completely bearable and a nice escape from the cool breeze which was starting to pick up.
Soon after spending some time in the water we noticed the dance floor had started to pick up, so we headed back over where we found Philip, Bernard and the San Diego Boys dancing away under the disco ball. The rain started to pick up, but it didn't seem to affect anyone's mood. The music was awesome, the mood was intense and there were smiles on everyone's wet faces.
As people in our group would come and go, Justin and I spent the rest of the night in the middle of the dance floor. We ran into Newt, a friend from Tampa who we met at Black & Blue 2006. He joined us on the dance floor. We also ran into Matthew & Len from Phoenix, we were introduced to Jason & deMarco who were dancing right next to us, and also met a few other friends such as Scott & Howie from Austin. On my way back from the bathrooms I even ran into one of my fraternity brothers from Penn State who was in town for the weekend. He was cold, wet and headed out of the park for the evening so we didn't get much chance to chat. It's such a small world at these parties.
I would have thought that the rain was going to put a damper on things but in all actuality it just threw everyone a different twist. Soon after all the boys started gathering at the dance area the rain started to change to a pretty steady drizzle. While most people in this situation would have broken rank in search of dry cover, the party boys at One Mighty Weekend just stayed put, smiled, threw their arms in the air and continued to dance. At one point I remarked to to my friends that it felt as if we were all just standing in a shower because of the constant rain, the fact that we were standing in about 6” of water and everyone was just completely soaked with water pouring off of them. The was not a dry spot anywhere in the park. It actually still amazes me that with all those lights and cords everywhere we all didn't get electrocuted. LOL.
As it got later into the evening, the drizzle turned into a heavy downpour, the temperature dropped, and much like the Artic Penguins who huddle together to preserve warmth, the entire dance area amassed together against each other into a huddled mass of hot, steaming, practically naked, soaking wet bodies. In would would have been a very different situation if everyone was dry, this was something unusual. No one complained, no one freaked out, everyone was just happy to have someone to hug and a warm body up against them from all sides. Hot guys, hot bodies, lips, tongues and roaming hands were everywhere. In all honesty it was probably one of the most incredibly hot experiences I've ever encountered at a circuit party. It just goes to show that sometimes unforeseen circumstances can drive new and unexpected experiences.
As the crowd started to thin out we decided around 1 AM to head back to the hotel for a quick change before the next event. This was certainly not what I had expected, but was probably some of the most fun I have ever had at a party of this caliber. At the end of this party my friend and I all agreed that we would definitely be back again next year. Cheers.Labels: Circuit Party, Gay Days Orlando, Gay Life, One Mighty Weekend
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One Mighty Weekend: Friday Pool Party
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One Mighty Weekend Recap: Friday @ Reunion Pool Party
So for most circuit parties, Friday is the day where everyone arrives, gets checked into the hotel, settles in a little, meets up with friends, and prepares for the festivities of the weekend.
While that might be true for other Circuit parties it was a little different for One Mighty Weekend. Most people started arriving between Wednesday and Thursday so that once Friday rolled around everyone was already roaring to go and ready to kick off their party weekend with the Friday pool party. By mid-afternoon the pool area was filling up with some of the most beautiful men and ripped bodies I have ever seen gathered in one spot. At that point I knew this weekend was going to be different from all the other parties I've attended in the past.
What started out as a nice day took a quick turn for the worse. Right around 4 PM, Tropical Storm Barry decided to blow it's way over to Orlando and unleash it's fury of rain and winds. What was a very packed pool area turned into a ghost land as soon as the rain started and all the boys scattered for covered areas or back inside of the hotel. The weather wasn't what anyone expected but apparently something that native Floridians have always been used too. My friends and I ducked underneath one of the eves for a little while before deciding to head back upstairs to our room in the hopes that the weather might get a little better and not ruin the main event of the evening, The Beach Ball at Typhoon Lagoon.Labels: Circuit Party, Gay Days Orlando, Gay Life, One Mighty Weekend
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One Mighty Weekend: Disney's Magic Kingdom
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One Mighty Weekend Recap: Thursday @ Disney's Magic Kingdom
Bernard, Jerry, Justin and I arrived into Orlando on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning Philip arrived in from Los Angeles, and Tony and DJ (Dallas Justin) arrived in from Dallas. We had decided in advance to head out to Orlando a little early and meet up to check out one of the parks for the day before the official festivities were to begin. The chosen park for the day, Disney's Magic Kingdom.
By the time all parties were ready to head out and over to the park it was nearly Noon. The first task of the day ... find transportation which would get us over to the Magic Kingdom. We started out in the shuttle pick up area of our hotel. After about 15 minutes of waiting, a giant orange coach bus stopped, and opened it's doors. We all looked at each other and once convinced that this giant orange monstrosity with no Disney markings at all could not possibly be our bus, we waved no. The doors closed and he drove away. Apparently that was our bus and the next one wouldn't be here for another hour. Since our hotel was only across the street from Downtown Disney we decided to walk over and pick up a shuttle there. Once at Downtown Disney we looked at all the signs seeing nothing in reference to any of the parks, just the hotels only. Finally we broke down and asked someone how we could get to the Magic Kindgom and directed us to jump on a shuttle and head over to one of the hotels such as Disney's contemporary which was on part of the monorail which we could take directly to the Magic Kingdom. Voila, we jumped onto the shuttle and in no time we were at Disney's Contemporary Hotel.
 
Once at the hotel we were able to quickly jump on the Monorail and be on our way to the Magic Kingdom. What we didn't realize was that the Contemporary hotel was only one stop away from the Magic Kingdom, but in our haste we jumped on the Monorail going in the wrong direction, so we proceeded to get a nice sightseeing tour of all the hotels along the original Disney Monorail line. LOL. It wasn't too long before we finally arrived at the Magic Kingdom and ready to hit the park.
 
This was actually my first time in a Disney Park. While I've been to Walt Disney World two times in the past for conferences, I had never gotten any farther then Downtown Disney, so this was an entirely new adventure for me. While I'm not a huge Disney fan to begin with, I knew it was going to be a fun day spent with my friends in the happiest place on earth. ;-)
 
We spent the afternoon walking through the park, grabbing a bit to eat, going on rides, people watching, and just laughing and having an all around good time. All in all the lines were relatively short and the park wasn't overly crowded so it was a good time to be there. I think we spent about 5 or 6 hours in the park taking in the sights and the rides.
  
As the day came to an end we decided that we weren't going to stick around for the fireworks because after all it was going to be a jam packed weekend already, so we packed it up and headed back to the hotel for a quick bite to eat and a change of clothes before walking back over to Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island for a few drinks. Cheers.Labels: Circuit Party, Gay Days Orlando, Gay Life, One Mighty Weekend
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London 2012 Olympics Logo
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Ok I'm off on a bit of a tangent today, but I found this to be slightly humorous. Apparently there is starting to be quite a bit of controversy surrounding the newly unveiled London 2012 Olympics Logo. The reason for a new design with jagged block letters and animation was to appeal to the younger generation. The main complaint with the logo ... some say it looks like Maggie Simpson giving someone a blowjob. LOL.
What do you think? I frankly think it look ridiculous either way, I think the Olympics should have some class as a world event and not fall into a failed attempt towards becoming more trendy. Cheers!Labels: Random Thoughts
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Clearly My Life Has Been Changed Forever
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I'm back home from One Mighty Weekend / Gay Days Orlando. We left Orlando yesterday afternoon and arrived back in Phoenix sometime around 7PM.
This past weekend has been one of the best weekends in my life. I can't even begin to say what an absolutely incredible time my friends and I had at One Mighty Weekend. By the time Saturday morning rolled around we were already talking about making plans to attend the event again next year. Nothing could have prepared me for what I experienced this weekend. Having attended several other circuit parties up until this point, I thought I knew what they were all about, but One Mighty Weekend is definitely the biggest and best Circuit Party I have ever been too. Not only did I meet many new friends, but I also strengthened the bonds of friendship among my own group of friends. You have no idea of how it feels when your dancing in among thousands of barely clothed, incredible hot gay men and you all of a sudden catch a glimpse of one of your very best friends heading towards you. You both smile, you reach for each other, you hug, and you know deep in your heart you're both sharing something special. It just doesn't get any better then this.
  
There is something about the energy, the music, and the experience that the Circuit Party gives to it's participants. It's so raw and tribal. It's as if for this one moment, while your there hot, sweaty, shirtless and dancing alongside of people from all over the world, you know it's ok to be a gay man. You realize this is something that not everyone will experience in their life time and you almost feel sad for an instant at the thought.
The Circuit has changed my life forever and One Mighty Weekend will definitely be added to the list of must attend events going forward. While I'm glad to be back home, I'm sitting here tired and a bit emotional because I'm reflecting back on my experiences over the past few days and I already miss my friends. More photos of the weekend to come soon. Cheers!Labels: Circuit Party, Gay Days Orlando, Gay Life, One Mighty Weekend
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