Happy summer everyone! It’s Sunday morning of Memorial Day weekend and I’ve finally got a few minutes to sit down and write. It seems like God has smiled down upon us this weekend because after what seemed like weeks and weeks of rain,, the past three days have been spectacular weather-wise. The sun is shining, the temperatures are warm, and it’s a great weekend to celebrate the start of summer.
At the moment, I’m feeling absolutely giddy about life. I guess it’s a combination of the great weather, the prospect of being off for the summer, and finally being able to stick around more here on the island rather than schlep into the city every weekend. Whatever, I’m feeling awesome and I deserve to have a great summer after the shitty winter I’ve had.
Moving DayYesterday was moving day for my buddy Rich. After five-plus months of wrangling and waiting over selling his old place and buying a new one, his ordeal is finally over, thank goodness. The whole thing threw a wrinkle into the weekend’s plans because he was actually supposed to move last week, but it’s no biggie, really.
The day started out rough. Blanche and I had to meet Rich at 8:30 so we could go and rent the U-Haul. I was chatting with a guy online the night before for over three hours…until the wee hours of the morning, which wasn’t smart, I know. So by the time I got to Rich’s, I had only had about 3 hours worth of sleep. Needless to say I pooped out early.
Anyway, the move went as smooth as a move could go. It was funny, cause all I could think about in my head as we went along was my upcoming move, whenever that may be. Blanche moved around three years ago and it was the same three of us doing it, and here we were yesterday doing the same for Dita (Rich’s alter-ego, lol). I guess it will be the same when I do mine, although going from a house on Long Island to an apartment in NYC won’t be as easy as either of their moves. I’m lucky to have not one, but two friends that we each know will always be there for each other. My breakup with Joe thankfully brought me back to this, and I consider myself fortunate.
Back to the Grove, finally!After the move, I really wanted to go to the Grove, even though I was tired. I had helped Rich the night before, as well, and never made it out, though I could have considering how late I stayed up anyway. We finished early enough so that I could take a power nap, which I did, and I made it to the 7:20 ferry.
I’m so glad I went because I had one of the best times I’ve ever had over there and I’m still basking as I prepare myself for another day out there today. Though I went alone, it didn’t stay that way for long. Throughout the night I’d end up meeting and conversing with old acquaintances and made some new ones. Between the two main bars over at the Grove, Cherry’s was definitely the place to be last night, so that’s where I started out.
I’d seen this couple on the boat that I’d seen before. A really adorable guy whose name escapes me (only because I didn’t hear him when he told me what it was and I was embarrassed to ask him a third time) and his girl friend, a cute dark-skinned Dominican named Paola. Anyhoo, I’d actually danced with them at the Bunkhouse a few weeks ago and I saw him at Splash not long after that, but we never spoke, just danced. I ended up again right near them on the dance floor and before long we all got to dancing, chatting, and having a good time, but not before I met Evelyn.
Happy 50th Evelyn!Evelyn is a black lesbian from Virginia. I met her on the dance floor early on as she was making somewhat of a spectacle of herself with some very strange, albeit energetic dance moves. People around her were watching and chuckling (including me!) as she flitted about, clearly enjoying herself and not giving a damn about who was watching.
At one point she came over to me at the side of the dance floor and pulled me on with her. Being the happy-go-lucky kind of guy I am, I went with it. She and I danced and had a great time chatting as we did. Yesterday was her 50th birthday and when her family and friends asked her what she wanted to do for it, she told them she wanted to come to Fire Island and let loose, which was exactly what she did. She’s originally from NY and she misses it here very much. I’m glad I got to help her celebrate her birthday for the time that I did. After I lost her, I never saw her again for the rest of the night, but wherever you are, Happy Birthday Evelyn! I hope you had a great time!
Spreadin’ JoyThe rest of the night was pure joy! I did a lot of hanging out with my two new friends. Paola actually met a really cute straight guy (whose name also escapes me, lol) that reminded me of a very young Nicholas Cage. He was as sweet as sweet can be and I enjoyed his company, as well. They weren’t the only ones to come along last night as there were plenty of other people who would bring me joy, as well.
At one point I ran into someone I met last Memorial Day Weekend. His name is Michael Lavers and he’s a professional writer. At first, he and I seemed to have some potential, but that was lost somewhere through the summer. He met someone since and has been dating the guy since last August, I believe. His boyfriend lives in DC, so Michael was alone last night. (Michael lives in Brooklyn, but covers Fire Island for a website called The Edge, so he’s always there.)
It’s been a long time since I’d seen Michael, and it was nice to have a friendly chat and a couple of dances together. He regaled me with stories of recent trips to Chile and Hungary and I..well I, I don’t know if I regaled him with anything, but it was fun.
In between all of the dancing and merriment, I also ran into these two guys I know, but never really knew. They were always at the Bunkhouse when I used to go and we’ve shared dances and some shots, but never got to talking. There are actually three of them, but only two were there last night. As it turns out, their names are Michael and Christian and they’re as cool to talk to as they are to dance with and I think I may have just made some really cool new friends for the summer and beyond, perhaps.
The remainder of the evening was full of great fun. I danced and flirted with so many people I can’t remember them all, but all I do remember were all of the smiles that met mine the whole night through.
I rode home with my new friends on the ferry and it was a festive atmosphere the whole ride. At the other end, we all said our goodbyes and parted ways. I hope I see them all again…maybe even today. Sunday is always the busiest day on a three-day weekend, for whatever reason, and I’m sure there will be more stories to tell mañana.
Workout!I have to add something, and I hope I’m not sounding too narcissistic, but working out is definitely worth the sacrifice. Being Italian and thus very warm-blooded, lol, I sweat a lot! So not long after I started dancing I had to remove my shirt, which I have never been able to do in public before. I was always embarrassed about it because of my weight, so I always used to suffer through a soaking wet t-shirt all night.
I am no longer embarrassed by my body…in fact, I’m kind of proud of it and I have to say that when I do, it gets me a lot of attention that I’ve never ever had in my whole life. Both women and men were coming up to me as if I were some sort of magnet and it felt really good. (This 24 year-old, beautiful black dude even asked me out…we exchanged numbers, so we’ll see if he calls.) So for anyone who’s reading this and doesn’t like the way they look, I highly recommend getting into shape. It does wonders for your ego!
A shirtless photo of me at the Grove from last year...kind of embarassing, but oh well!Well, of course I’ve written way too much as always. For any of you who’ve read this far, I want to thank you for finding an interest in my blabbering. Here’s another video by the Venga Boys to finish things off. This one’s called ‘Going to Ibiza.’ It’s another silly, campy song that’s just plain fun. It’s funny, because when I first heard it, I thought they were saying “we’re going to eat pizza,” lol, and it’s what I sing in my head whenever I hear it. Enjoy!
