06/23-0627 Long Weekend again - And We Have Such Pride

(DX) Friday at Gym and watched World Cup on the monitors and hung out for a bit with DJ Smokey and gave him a copy of my Pride Mix CD. I made my way through the streets and stopped at Duane Reade to hit up the ATM and activated my new Click card from Chase. After a walk over to 6th Avenue I was there in front of Splash and the long line for Pride weekend. Of course I walked right in, got IDd and then headed downstairs to the bar and gave a gift CD to the bartender. The DJ for Splash was Alex Lauterstein with his annual FuturoPride party. I Saw Rick and Sean at the back bar, danced to "That First Tribal Feeling". The place was packed and the heat was on as it seemed the AC was not up to keeping us cool so we had to visit the downstairs bar frequently as well as hang out at the front to cool off. I kept touching my friends with a cold hand on the back of the neck after holding my icy drink for a while (bad circulation, cold hands, nice in a hot club) Later on around 2am I Visited the DJ booth and gave the DJ a gift CD, (same Same Diva Madness for Pride of course) and saw Beto Sutter coming from upstairs. Saw DJ Escape and picked up a rough cut CD of "Aint No Other Man" which was played at the club that night, mixed by Escape. Stayed until 3:30 and was able to get a taxi right out front.

Saturday
(SSTMS) I hung out at home and watched DVR programming. Russell was down in Atlantic City and arrived back in BK around 4:30pm. Dinner was ordered around 8:30pm and had a delivery dinner of chicken caesar salad. The Jimmy arrived around 10:30 and we headed out before 11pm to try and beat the crowds. We did not beat the crowds. We had moderate traffic all the way in and once we got over to 10th ave and circled through the neighborhood we found no parking so we ended up using the lot on the corner of 10th and 20th street. We had picked up tickets for the pride party at Roxy the previous week so after saying hello to doorman Derek and giving him a gift CD (Summer NTrance) we headed inside and waited for the Jimmy to get through the cashier and come in. Sean and Rick were also in attendance even though I had not expected to see them but the house party they were supposed to attend had been cancelled and they did not want to go through the weekend with no party. The opening DJ of the evening was DJ James Anderson who was channeling Peter and his own classing playlist. I danced to "Solid Textures" and kept my shorts from falling off when the knot at my waist came undone while in the middle of the song on the back speaker across from the stage. Peter came on around 2am and proceeded to continue in the vein of high energy beats but it was not as deep house as his last visit as the atmosphere stayed light and very fun. The place got ridiculously packed and stayed that way until far after 4am. We stayed until 5am and since Russ had lost his shirt it was up to me to flag down a taxi. We walked over to 9th avenue and after a few minutes we were able to flag down a car to take us back to BK. Once returned to the neighborhood we retrieved the car and headed back out to get breakfast at Mickey D's. Two bacon and egg biscuits later we were through with breakfast and ready to end the night.

Sunday
I rolled out of bed at 1am and did not want another breakfast so I just hung out for a bit before we headed out and then went shopping at Fairway. The weather was too unstable and windy to BBQ on the roof so we broke out the George Foreman Grill and cooked the steaks in-house. Surprisingly they cooked very fast and though the outside cooked faster than the inside they definitely came out well done and we enjoyed the pasta salad and potato salad Russ had picked up at the market. The dinner was good and finished early. Around 10pm we had a taste for ice cream so we headed out and picked up double scoops at Baskin Robbins 31. The guys on 9th Street and 5th ave have the service down pat so we headed to the nice guys and was in and out with no stress. Back home I finally watched the Hex episode on the DVR from the previous week. I like the series but the show is so uneven between a fast beginning and then slow throughout. I like the characters though and am waiting to see how the series progresses. I showered around midnight and got the outfit and all accouterments ready. Watched late night programming and finally left the house at 1:30am.

(SSTDX) Down the street at the car service I waited 10 minutes for my driver to show up. The guy had issues with english and talked the whole way to the venue in spanish on his phone headset. He kept interrupting my music phone listening by asking me for my street address of my destination. 28th Street (Two Eight) is not too difficult to remember but he almost dropped me off 4 blocks away. After I finally arrived and made my way down the block to the front of the Crobar. The ALEGRIA was in full swing and it was only 2:05am so after the security check and the ticket surrender I was upstairs and back down into the party. Plenty of people and the floor was in full heat. I stayed on the stairs for a bit with a few of the guys I knew from Roxy and then headed to the bar in the prop room and got myself a drink. Now I know that the bartender who was less busy was also charging more for Red Bull so I wasted 2 bucks I didn't need to. I headed back out into the party and walked from the top to the bottom and surfed past the back of the main floor bar a few times but besides the rude people and the people trying to pick up passers-by there was not too much to be seen. The stage was filled with random people from the audience first but by the time I jumped up on stage it was cleared for the next performer. Some woman came on stage eventually in white chaps and pasties and a six-shooter in each hand and danced like a high chick for a few minutes before leaving the stage. Shortly afterwards Jeannie Tracy came on stage and sang a song I don't remember but was ok. Immediately afterwards we heard the "Cha Cha Song" and all cheered and thanked her as she wished the party people well. Around 3:30 I returned to the overpriced bartender and got another drink and then after another circuit of the stairs, upstairs and lounge bar as well as a water bottle full of VAAM-Power I was good and decided on one more drink before the drink cutoff so picked it up at 3:50 from my new bartender who gave me the 6 dollar Red Bull and then proceeded to take off the shirt, tuck it in the shorts, put my hat in my pocket and put on the glasses. It was party time at 4am. Another stage show was put on with bodybuilders and a pose down on stage. A lady bodybuilder came on and danced centerstage (topless no less) with the guys continuing to pose around her for a bit before they stepped down and the party continued. The theme for the night was Stronger with the giant steel model on stage and the giant letters suspended over the dance floor. I took some pictures throughout (I have to stop being lazy and set myself up for photoblogging) and even got my friend Bob to take a pic of me while I was on the dancefloor watching one of the performances before I got too sweated. I proceeded to dance with the crowds for a bit before stepping up onto the one box I knew I would not be evicted from around 6am and dancing at the front corner of the dancefloor in front of the lounge balcony. I lit up my hands and the two lovey types finally felt upstaged and left the box to me so I proceeded to keep both hands lit and dance full speed as DJ Rosabel (Ralphi Rosario and Abel) played the 2004 mix of "Free" which whipped the crowd into a frenzy. After getting nice and sweated up I stepped down and headed back to the bar and picked myself up some more Red Bull. I was feeling the energy of the music and though the late hour meant the crowd on the stairs and on the edges of the dancefloor was finally letting up, even with the new arrivals from 6am coming in I was able to hang in there and have much fun until around 8:15am. I finally pulled on my shirt and walked out of the club and down the street. I made my way over to 9th Street and down to 23rd Street where I felt there was more traffic and finally got a driver to take me to BK. He of course got the ride to be as pricey as possible by driving cross town off of the main streets and 7 dollars later we arrived at Bowery and headed downtown to the Manhattan Bridge. I listened to tunes on my phone and finally made it back home just after 9am. Another night out under wraps and 6 hours of partying to end my Pride Weekend parties. A good one was definitely had.

Monday and Tuesday were pretty much just resting and recuperating while watching movies on TV and daytime programming. The time was well spent in my opinion as my body needed the rest and it was nice to just veg out and watch the simple TV of weekday afternoons. Tuesday evening Russ and I were invited to an age 2 B'day party for the kiddies of Bruce and Jody. A quick ride over to the village and finding a good spot right on Christopher Street and we were able to walk down the street and head on up to the apartment. The place of course was packed with friends, more kids and a dog. We said hello and had some finger food and chips and talked with the peeps. Phil arrived shortly afterwards as well as Sheldon and later Jeffrey. I had myself one drink a Sprite with some Sapphire Scotch. Russ wanted to get going before it got too late so we said good night to everyone and headed home. We picked up some Mickey D's on the way home to get the dinner out of the way and then it was time for my final night before going back to work the next day (Boo Hoo).

I will say the weekend was a success. Everything went as well as I could hope and while I had no true moments of extended abandon dance wise I still had some high points and good memories and I even took some pictures. I was wondering if I would be attending any more big events and with the way the weekend went I am sure I would do it all again. A Great time had by all.

06/16 - 06/19 - Celebrate the Weekend, Hang with Family and of course Friends

I took a vacation day for Monday so I was looking forward to a 3 day weekend. since by B'day was going to be midweek next week and next weekend was Pride I was going to take this weekend as my B'day weekend. Since I probably would not have time tomorrow I got the haircut and clean up out of the way on Friday after dinner. In order to be nice and rested up for the rest of the weekend I stayed in on Friday Night and watched TV and DVR programming and went to bed around 2 AM.

Saturday I woke up around 10am and got cleaned up and dressed. Thankfully it was overcast so I was not as sun hot as it could have been to start the day off. Showered and dressed I also wore the "Pedro's Got Your Back" shirt for the first time. I always thought it was too tight but since I was going to be on the sidelines at a BASL Softball game it was situation appropriate. We got over to Manhattan via the Brooklyn bridge and then up 6th Avenue turned off through the village over to Hudson and down Christopher Street to park next to the Jimmy, Ty and Jonah and the rest of the guys at the Dugout. We waited just a little bit for Dave V and Barbara to get there and then we were off. The rest of the team was supposed to be meeting us at the field. Dave rode in the car with us and we all talked on the way to the field over through the Lincoln Tunnel past Giants Stadium down the Garden State and down to Bloomfield NJ. The rest of the Buddies trickled in and we were able to field a team to play at Noon. I made a trip over to the check cashing place and picked up quarters for the meters (never know when they are going to come around to give tickets). The first game with the Cruisers was all downhill. Donnie arrived late and did not play at first and our outfield suffered and our infield was not in synch. With hitting only in the first inning our team was left far behind and decided to let the run rule take over and and the game before it could in just 5 innings. After that was over I filled up the meters and then came back and 4 of us went to lunch at IHOP. No wait for once and we put in our order as Russ, Ty, Barbara and I ordered our lunches. Donnie joined us shortly afterwards and I after the food arrived Russ had a burger and I had salad and chicken fingers with fries. After we settled up it was back out to the field and to play the Barbarians. This time the team held it together and took the lead and held it. After coming from behind and taking the lead it was all a matter of defense. Behind the fielding and great play on the infield from Barbara and the rest of the team we took the game winning vibe over to the other field and played Paul and the rest of the Rage and were able to keep the came close and then hold them off until the 7th inning and the game was "ovah". Despite some team drama at the beginning of the day and wishing Steve's partner well as he was recovering at the hospital (causing David, Rick and Steve to arrive late to the game) the day ended on a slightly higher note and we headed back to the city and gave Barbara a ride to BK as well. We discussed music, spanish, work and living in the city before dropping her off to visit friends on 9th Street. We headed on home after ordering chicken caesar salad for dinner. I got myself ready. All of CD copies of "Summ Diva Madness" ready and while Russ took an after triple-header nap. I put on the new Ecko white with colorful design shirt I had bought earlier in the day in NJ. Love that tax free clothes shopping. Gigi and Ana arrived around 10:10 pm and we hung out for a bit as I finally was able to give them the gifts I had bought over the last few months. The Tetris DS, The R&B & Rap CDs, and even some Neutrogena moisturizer that I had been using since the beginning of the year. Also some calcium and glucosamine chondroitin for moms. We left without Russ who decided he might meet us later but later messaged to say he wouldn't be coming out.

(SSTRTN) We made our way down the street and over to the car service and waited for 10 minutes while for car service. We saw a family hide the guy in the walker near the building and when they finally got a passing car service to stop the guy came out of hiding and 4 people climbed into the car. Shortly one of my familiar drivers came in and me and my sisters got in and we were off. There was a little traffic going towards the promenade so I talked the driver into getting off at Atlantic and he headed through the heights and then to Tillary Street before heading onto the Brooklyn Bridge that was slow going across but then all the traffic headed onto the FDR and we were in the open space and down past Park Row and over to the West Side. In the car we discussed the kids, music and work before the driver dropped us off at the corner of 18th and 10th. We made our way past the line and I said hello to Doorman Derek, gave him a copy of my Pride CD "Summ Diva Madness" and then headed inside Roxy. We rushed to the bathroom for Gigi who had neglected to go before we left the house and said hello to the bathroom attendant on her cell phone in the ladies. Back outside we said hello to Jose at the front bar and then ran into Erica (gave her a gift CD also) and she took us to the back where barman Louis was and bought us all a round for my b'day. Back at the front we soon headed to the back and brought Gigi to the smoking area where Ana and Erica compared breasts and we were all having fun until the H.A.M. came outside to have a smoke (means Hot Ass Mess by the way). We headed upstairs and hung out for a bit but I was really surprised that after a good start DJ Escape was off on a tangent for a while. I had heard Moth and "Jade" soon after we got in but for a while it was electro and strange beats before he brought it back. Around 1:30am he played Stroke and segued into a vs. with Be Without You mixed against Stroke and it was on from there. We also heard a throwback hit with Whitney Houston and "I Learned from the Best" and then while the girls were upstairs for a bit he played Rihanna and "Unfaithful". I visited upstairs briefly myself two different times over the course of the evening, the first time we danced to "Don'tcha" and on the second time we came upstairs looking for Red bull when the place mysteriously ran out. I ended up buying a Sprite and tonic for the friend of Erica and after saying hi to Rick and Sean I headed back downstairs for the rest of the night. After the shaky beginning I was all into the music and was there all the way till 4:20 am when I was dancing on the speaker near the door to Veronica and "Someone To Hold" which he cut off before it got to the good part. I also debuted the star lights with the fiber optic but of course seem to have lost them so I could not find them on Sunday.

We left the club after that last song and walked over to 10th ave and picked up a cab heading to the the NYU area and picked up a half a pie of pizza at Ben's Pizza. Gigi of course declined as she just wanted to go to sleep. We then finally caught another taxi and headed home to arrive at home around 5am. Night over and party time had by all.

Sunday delivery breakfast, Gigi and Ana going home just after noon (Gigi worked in the morning) and headed out to the Folsom Street East Fair on 28th Street around 5pm. The Jimmy picked us up and we then headed to the lower east side to pick up Darren and then headed up and over to the street fair. Saw a live performance by a blonde girl with a pretty good voice singing mixes by Ralphi Rosario "Sanctuary" and another mix I did not know. Soon after the boys finally met up with me in front of Crobar and we all walked into the place to find Michael from Boston had finally moved to the city, (just here for one week) and was already working at Crobar for the street fair. We said our hellos and then headed back outside to drink out front as we watched the people on the street in their leather going to and fro. We also saw Quincy who was wearing samples of his Mind Fetish line and who hung out with us for a bit before heading off with his friends down the street.

Soon afterwards we made our way to the Eagle (saying hi to Rich in the fenced off area) around 7:30 and made our way upstairs to the roof deck to hang with another Mike from softball whom I had last hung out with in Dallas as we reminisced about walking through abandoned, homeless infested parking lots as we walked between the hotels in Dallas during the world series two years ago. We stayed at the party until around 10pm before heading out to the street catching a taxi back to BK and then heading over to Mickey Ds for some late night burgers at the drive through. Thankfully since I did not have to go to work the next day I stayed up until around 3am before finally going to sleep.

Thank goodness for a day off. Finally finished watching the DVR episodes of "Charmed" and the final 7th season. All's well that ends well, though I will say that despite the usual high production values of the serious the "Buffy" ending was a better finale. The rest of the day was spent just resting, watching TV and cartoons.
Before Russ came in from work and we ordered Chinese food from Uncle Liao's. The weekend was long but not long enough. Next weekend I will enjoy the four day weekend and try to stay with my always be prepared motto and enjoy the weekend all over again.


Gym
Splash

06/09-06/11 - The season begins, The Return of DJ Mike Cruz, and the premiere of VAAM

Friday was a nice gentle close to the week. No hanging out, just staying home watching TV and DVR programming. I had my Hostess yellow cake with chocolate icing nicely refrigerated after midnight and stayed up until just after 2am. Russ woke up from some crazy dreams and couldn't go back to sleep right away so I stayed up longer than I wanted watching TV but after he went back to sleep I decided to go to bed too.

The Weekend begins on Saturday really. I got up and Russ dropped me off at the Post Office to pick up a package I had but after I had waited on the wrong line for 20 minutes and was told I had to wait at the end of a line with 30 people I said "Freak This" and headed outside and went to the branch before heading back home. I could not believe how many people were in the post office but since I do everything online and use UPS for all of my deliveries I guess because I don't need another passport anytime soon I stay away from the hokey little post office in my neighborhood and just go to the big one next to the World Trade Center whenever I need anything. After I stopped at the Met supermarket picked up some Rice Krispies I headed back home and watched kiddie TV. I enjoyed an episode of "That's So Raven" that made me giggle (as always). I watched some DVR programming (Charmed, and Adult Swim Cartoon Network cartoons) and caught a later afternoon nap. Russ returned from his softball games (won 1, tied 1) and since I had eaten leftover italian dinner (sweet sausage and red sauce) Russ got his own McDonald's lunch and then he took a nap while i continued watching TV. I eventually got up from napping myself after having gotten tired searching music on Beatport and then it was time to order dinner. I had my chicken caesar salad and then began my evening preparations. I did the haircut, shower and got dressed. I then hung out for a bit waiting for the arrival of the rest of our posse of the evening. The Jimmy and Stephen showed up around 11pm and we stayed in the house discussing sports and television until 11:25. We all piled into Steven's Explorer and headed into the city.

(SSTRTN) Steven took the Battery Tunnel and we got into the city fairly quickly. We parked the car on 20th Street and made sure the spot was valid and then I headed down to the club at 12:10. I said hello to Doorman Derek and then headed inside saying hello to Iyesha at the wristbands before heading to the coatcheck and checking my jacket. Once inside Roxy I said hello to Louis and Cathy after getting my first bottle of water and then did a quick circuit of the club to see who was inside. The DJ of the evening was DJ Mike Cruz who had been here just 2 weeks ago. I wondered if he was going to be able to improve on his last visit since he had done a good job of keeping the crowd engaged despite the almost unknown vocal and tribal tunes. This time however I knew what to expect and reveled in it. I will say that the VAAM energy powder that I mixed in with my Gatorade really does work (I can't wait to have it Pride Weekend). It is supposed to give you endurance and energy and I will attest that it definitely did. When the songs came that I knew I was right in there dancing. I took to the stage for the Mike Cruz mix of "Glamorous Life" and danced again for "8 Letters" which I had never heard the mix of without the Celeda "Let the Music Use You Up" mixed in. I said hello to Quincy and his friends as he showed off his new clothing line "Mind Fetish". I spent time talking about vacation plans with Iyesha out front, the crowd moving to and fro with Stephen and as 4am approached I told Cathy I planned on dancing after I got my last drink. I did just that in fact after telling Russ that I would be able to leave in another 15 minutes I danced for a bit and then danced some more after the DJ played Ceevox and "Imagination". I finally decided to call it a night before it got too late and before Russ fell asleep after he was waiting on the couches near the bar. I picked up the HX and Next magazines and headed outside to the taxi which we were able to pick up right in front of the club. I said goodnight to Derek and told him I would be back the following week for my b'day as he is a Gemini also. The ride home was quick and painless and I was able to give the driver point to point directions until we turned the corner in front of the building and piled out. Good night once again.

Sunday I woke up around 10am and then fell back asleep until around 11:30am. After breakfast I had determined that I was going to do more with my music this weekend and not just play computer games and browse the internet. From the time I spent making new CDs I was able to make two new mixes, "Black Ice 3, Unreleased" and "Summ Diva Madness" which I figured would fit right in with pride and feeling fun and happy as we near the latter half of the month. After I finished the second CD we finally headed out of the house and went shopping over in Red Hook. The Fairway wasn't as packed as the previous weekend since I guess everyone does their biggest shopping near the first weekend of the month. I was able to get through the store without too much trouble and we picked up meat for hamburgers and made sure we had the fixings for our day to day stuff as well. Back at home the George Foreman grill was used as it was too windy to barbecue on the roof but the burgers came out nice and grilled and the side dish of macaroni salad and we watched some TV before heading out to pick up McFlurries before watching DVR taping of "Footballer's Wives" That show is so crazy. Crazy good. Anyway the evening drew to a close and I finished off my night watching DVR programming and MTV before heading to bed.

I look forward to the rest of the summer with my VAAM energy drink (made from Japanese Hornet babies) and have plenty of travel and good fun awaiting us with the summer. Much music, friends and fun await.

06/02-06/04 All About the Saturday and Much Ado about James

Friday Night was another Rain out for Saturday but the night at home was a nice rest after another long week. DVR programming and another restful Friday Night.

Saturday Morning I awoke and enjoyed delivery breakfast. Russ was invited out to the gym by his work buds so I decided to come along for the ride and workout again on a Saturday, especially since I had missed my Thursday workout. We arrived in the city amidst the rain and Russ found parking right in front of the Post Office on Church Street and we made our way over to the gym and I began my workout. The rest of the guys arrived shortly after, Pete, Nathan, Gary and Russ all did their workouts while I did mine. Of course, the weekend means my workout is abbreviated and I finished first. I finished soon enough that I said Hi to the guys and then headed across the street in the rain to J&R to window shop. I ended up sighting some nice hard drives for my apple and the Desktop PC along with some nice games for the Mac for when I am on vacation. Of course with no credit card in my wallet I ended up just heading back with no bags and then hanging with the guys while they finished up their workout. Half of the group wanted to go for brunch and half of the group just wanted to go and do whatever. I was up for whatever and we ended up piling into the Murano and going to Bubby's for brunch. The wait was less than 5 minutes and we had a table for the five of us and we all sat, considered our options and then ordered our meals. I had a bacon cheeseburger and was very happy with the meal. Not as good as The Good Fork but still a very burger and with no detractions to the meal. We chatted about food, things that get on your nerves at home and other random thoughts before Gary picked up the check and we headed back out to the Murano and the parking garage where Peter was parked. We dropped off Gary and Peter and then took Nathan up the East Side past Houston to his neighborhood and dropped him off before heading back to BK. Surprisingly despite the good night of rest Friday Night I was more than ready for a nap after that workout and nice meal. I was tired heading back and I was tired after a little time on the computer and caught some shut eye before waking up and getting ready for the eve. All cleaned up and raring to go I was set early and remembered the vitamins, the Advil and the other random accouterments that I need for a successful night out. The Jimmy arrived at 10:45 and we hung out for a bit after discussing some of the NBA Finals and how the Mets were doing.

(SSTRTN) I did not have to wear a jacket, so no book and no Gameboy DS but I just chilled in the back on the drive into the city and we headed across the Manhattan Bridge down Canal Street and over to the West Side. We got there fairly quickly but with trucks on 18th Street we had to head further down the block and parked right next to the Spike. We hung out for a bit before I headed down West Street and headed over to the Roxy. I said hello to Derek, handed him a copy of "Lighter Dayze" and made my way inside past the list guy and then had a confused moment at the wristband girl as I fast forwarded to the ticket guy and almost handed her my ticket. She forgave me and told me that as often as I go I should know better. I then headed on inside after saying hello to the Lady in Coat Check. I then was inside the club gave a copy of "Lighter Dayze" to the DJ James Anderson who was at the bar picking up his own drink before heading back to the booth and so began my night. I spotted Sean and Rick and talked to them for a bit and re-introduced them to Russ and the Jimmy. I forgot to stretch as well as I had been after I got my first drink and ended up suffering for it during the work week. The music was very complex and James did a very good job of engaging the crowd once he had them. However except for a Madonna mix of "Sorry" and later on during the Kevin Aviance performance he kept Kevin onstage for a curtain call by playing MJB and "Be Without You" I really did not get to dance to anything I recognized. Just when I thought I heard snatches of songs that I could not wait to dance to he would cut the songs off and play something tribal but still unknown. I stayed until 4:15 am but felt that the DJ tried to hard to be a good DJ but did not really care about the crowd as the mood waxed and waned regardless and the unknown music lost him a lot of people by the time I decided to give up on the night and leave at 4:20. Russ and I headed out, I picked up both magazines and he picked up a taxi for us almost right away. The days are getting longer but the nights stay the same as we headed back to BK in the dawning light. Another Saturday Night and I am feeling more inspired to do my own music thing than ever.

Sunday morning and we enjoyed delivery breakfast once again and watched some DVR programming before heading out to Fairway to buy some groceries. I had talked to Denise about the place and could not wait to have her over for a Rainy Saturday for shopping but today it was just Russ and I. We headed straight over and found a parking spot in the back of the lot before heading inside. Once I got the last shopping cart that had been retrieved from the lot (you slow you blow) I was inside and Russ was picking up organic Orange Juice. I thought it just looked separated and so I was going to stay with Tropicana myself. We picked up the sweet sausage and all of the fixings for Tomato sauce but the place was sold out of soda (Diet Coke) since a guy had come in the day before and bought 20 cases. (some party). Anyway we picked out our own express line and I picked up the final items before we headed back out to the car. We took the back exit from the lot like we were supposed to and then drove down the cobblestone street and past the school before heading back over to Van Brunt and back home. Russ said he would pick up some soda tomorrow and we still had a bottle at home. The dinner came out smashing and I was able to use the leftover sausage to put into the de-sausaged sauce and put the leftover away for use for Tuesday dinner. We watched the season finale of the Sopranos and then I DVR'd "Footballer's Wives which was back for another new 9 episodes. After picking up a McFlurry for each of us we were back inside and watched the shocking episode where one of the babies gets suffocated by the fat little dog. Afterwards Russ went to bed but I watched Little Britain and some DVR programming and then G4/TechTV before finally going to bed before it got too late.

I have been really tired lately which I think is stress from work especially since I am fine on the weekends. I have tried to do something at home worthwhile and not just come home and vegetate but I have been so busy. I am looking forward to a great summer though and can't wait to see what happens. A lot is going to happen. I just hope it is all good and I can do something to make it all memorable. The DJ landscape is getting kind of bleak and I think my moment is coming... Hope I can take my chance when it comes. (That's Right, You go with your bad self.)

05/26-05/29 - Shopping, Barbecue, and 3 Nights Out

The first night of a long weekend and I was ready for whatever, I decided against going to the gym and thankfully I did need my energy on Friday Night. After delivery dinner of Pot Roast it was time to clean up and get ready to head out as Russ and the Jimmy wanted to go to Krash. After haircut, shower and quick change I was ready to go and see what was up in the city. We didn't rush out but left the house around 11:20 and headed into the city.

(SSTXX) I sat in the car and waited through the trip and arrival to a spot on 18th Street near Park Avenue. We hung out for a bit and then walked up the street to get in front of the club 12:05. We waited on the line for a bit, I always hate the line in front of Krash/Club Deep as it is total chaos. The VIP Line takes just as long as the regular line and even though I know the promoter I have to wait behind the velvet rope until the finally deign to show me attention. Once inside we get all of a $2 discount for entry and then we are inside. Thankfully we can forgo the coatcheck because it is absolutely gorgeous outside so no jacket required. The party was a little less packed than it had been before the closure 2 months ago but still enough people in the room and on the dance floor. The place slowly filled as the emcees wandered through the crowd and we got our drinks from the usual bartender Dave at the far end from the dancefloor but in the middle of the room. The 2 doubles and my drink meant that we started off with a $50 bar bill to start and so the night began. The crowd slowly filtered in but never got to the hectic state it was at during the winter. I told Russ and the Jimmy that I had seen Ed earlier in the day while going to lunch and then right after that I saw him heading downstairs looking for one of his friends. He said he would see us when he came back upstairs and after a few minutes of conversation and hanging out he came back upstairs and we hung out for a bit. We even headed over to the dancefloor and danced with the crowd for a bit before I finished off my drink and headed back to the bar for more. No matter how many DJs they have in the Krash lineup they all play all a lot of the same music (I did not need to hear 'Ina de Ghetto Remix' again). I gave a Pop CD to Dave and the Diva Mix CD to Ed and I was over with the gifts for the night. We stayed for a while though and finally said goodnight to Ed and the Jimmy at 3:30 and headed outside. Russ waved down a taxi right out front of the club and we were headed back to BK.

Saturday we awoke to delivery breakfast and the final finish of my Dr Natura, so no more minty orange shakes for me in the morning. After breakfast and watching some television, it was out of the house to go shopping. The Fairway supermarket was calling once again and we needed some more food to barbecue. We found a spot, picked up a shopping cart, and then headed inside. We avoided the brunt of the traffic jams by just knowing where we were going this time and we picked up some more steak, marinade sauce, and some other foods. The place was much easier to navigate on Saturday than Sunday and we were up to the checkout and outside without too much trouble. The roof dinner on Sunday was beef on shish-ke-bob with onions and peppers and of course it was still fresh from when we bought it last week. They took a little longer to cook but along with some Sabretts and salad we were ready for dinner. Of course the barbecue was great and we soon headed back down to the house and watched some more TV. DVR programming and then later the movie programming I was fine and ready for later after cleaning up and getting ready to head out. Russ decided to stay in as he had been out Thurs Night and Fri Night and then 11:15 finally rolled around and I made sure everything was set and I stepped out.

(SSTRT) I headed down the street to the taxi stand and was shortly joined by an available driver that could take me into the city. The ride was quick and I directed my distracted yet quick driving driver down Park Row South and across to the West Side. Despite the language barrier he got me to 18th Street and let me out to head on over to the club. After handing the "Pop and Ride" CD to Derek and him thanking me for some cool down music for the rest of his weekend, it was on and into the Roxy to see what was up. The line out front was big and the crowd was inside as well even at the earlier hour just after midnight. Bartender Louis was away but Cathy directed me over to Jose who made sure I was well taken care of with my drinks and Red Bull and Gatorade over the course of the night. Af first I did not see anyone else to hang with but I was OK as DJ Mike Cruz played up to the crowd with his own signature blend of tribal beats and vocal remixes that despite the fact I did not know the beats I did know the songs and the crowd responded just as if it was Peter back in the day. The unfamiliarity of the music meant I had my pick of boxes to starting off with the box across from the stage in the asian section and then the box next to the stage overlooking muscle beach. After I had taken off my shirt to dance I was back at the front bar and sighted Rick and Sean across the bar and we chatted for a bit before heading upstairs to the Crystal Room and danced to two Madonna songs before I was kinda over the slow music and dancing to "Express Yourself" before heading back downstairs to the main party. I danced some more with the crowd and then back to the front and got my last drink at 10 minutes to 4am and I was over to the box near the door for almost a whole hour of dancing, I stayed in the groove for another hour and finally left the club around 5am. Picked up both of the magazines and then walked over to 9th Ave and was able to flag down a taxi without too much trouble. A good night and then a great rest.

I finally woke up on Sunday just after noon and enjoyed another delivery breakfast. Russ was invited out to go workout but I stayed in as I felt the two nights in a row of hanging out and one more to come I could not spare the energy to workout. DVR programming and some time spent moving music around on the computer and the afternoon rolled by before Russ returned from the gym and we went to pick up burgers at Wendy's. After the burgers were retrieved and back at home Russ dug into his side salad and I dug into my fries and Big Bacon Classic. Besides 60 Minutes there was nothing much new on for Sunday Night so it was more browsing on the computer and waiting for the later hour. The evening would be off to an earlier start as the Jimmy arrived around 9pm so we could head out of the house around 9:30.

(SST)Out of the house and up the west side we traveled through mostly light traffic to arrive at the 28th Street and surprising find a parking spot on the first turnoff from 10th Ave. After we left the car we made our way down to the Eagle and past the crowded corner with street people and police and in front of the bar with barbecue as we headed inside the bar. We went straight up to the roof, said hi to Richard from the team and then into the crowd on the roof. The crowd was happy and ready hang out and we stayed there for a bit talking with friends and taking turns going to the roofdeck bar. We made a circuit back downstairs after leaving via the back stairs and then after viewing the sparse crowds in the rest of the place we headed back up to the roof for one more drink. The music was good as usual but since you can't dance at Eagle I was ready to move on as midnight was approaching. We said goodnight to the Jimmy at 11:30 and headed outside to grab a taxi right out front.

(VC) The ride across the city and down to E11 Street was not too bad and then we were out walking the last block and then over to the club. We had not been to Webster Hall in a few years but after a short wait on the line out front we headed inside and paid our $30 to the cashier, received our gift CD and we were inside the XXL Party. Thankfully the nice weather meant we did not have to deal with coatcheck and we headed around the bar to see what was doing. On the first floor we looked in on the Rock music room and saw two bear guys dancing in the dimly lit room who had the floor all to themselves. Their enthusiasm in the empty space made me happy enough to giggle and I headed to the first bar to get myself something to drink. Most of the bars in the place were set up very inconveniently with some strange bar girl taking your order and another girl bartender actually pouring the drink at an inner bar. It was kind of like a waitress that you had to approach. I guess it lets them handle all the drinks with just one cash register but it still sucked when the girl barely knew english and you had to tell her your order twice. Before I headed upstairs I saw Joe the blogger bringing beers back to his friends but was never able to say hi as he had disappeared into the crowd of bears when I came looking for him later. Drinks in hand we headed upstairs to the large dance floor and saw that Ultra Nate was already on the stage singing her hits such as "Free" and "New Kind of Medicine" before the music continued. We did get to hang with with Dave and Rick for a bit before they finally left after having been at the party since the beginning (Dave volunteered to help w/ the Bingham Cup). The unknown DJ played a lot of older hits with a classic vibe but not the Frankie Knuckles vibe but more like the old LPs that you had to blow the dust off of to play. The crowd still were doing their best to enjoy themselves and then Barbara Tucker took to the stage to singing her hits "Beautiful People" and "I Get Lifted". It was like going to church on the dance floor but it really slowed the party down (performers at 3:45am and some people had been at the party for 7 hrs). Despite the happy crowd members who became bear backup dancers the mood did not really pick up after that. The party promoter guy thanked everyone for coming out (smaller guy than I thought from the picture but very cute kilt) and the party continued. We hung in with the party until 2:45 am but with the music rolling on at the same stately pace and no high points in sight I danced next to the stage on one of the platforms after taking pictures of the acts and we left happy with the weekend but disappointed it was not better than it was.

Monday I awoke to delivery breakfast once again and waited throughout the afternoon just hanging out and watching television before finally heading up to the roof at sunset and cooking the steaks on the barbecue. This time they were flipped just right and the macaroni salad as a side dish was excellent as we watched the beautiful sunset in between the thunder showers that passed before and after we went up. Back in the house we watched television and the end of the weekend rolled up quickly. The weekend was good but it could have been better.
Until next time, only 4 days away. Peace.