WARNING!!! The following link contains nude pictures.
You can find some pictures of me at flickr. Warning, since I am new to nudism, although most are nude, not all of them are. I've also added so pictures of my trip to Barcelona and Rome as well as pics of my gay cruises here and here. Unfortunately, per flickr's requirements, you must be both (a) a member of flickr, which is free and (b) enable restricted content in order to view the pictures.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Barcelona
I still reminisce about my trip to Barcelona last year. I am hoping that if every thing works out, that I will be able to return this year as well. I really don't want to go for anything less than a month, so figuring out the logistics of such a trip is obviously difficult. My dream is to go for a 3 month period. Complicating factors include: my job, the need to earn income and my BF and his job. That said, if I can figure out a way to make it happen, I will.
I found the following pic on flickr. It shows a street named la Gran Via del las Corts Catalanes near la Placa Catalunya near the entrance to las Ramblas. This is near the center of the tourist district, which is a must see, but frankly not amongst my favorite places in Barcelona. My personal pictures are posted on flickr here as well.
I found the following pic on flickr. It shows a street named la Gran Via del las Corts Catalanes near la Placa Catalunya near the entrance to las Ramblas. This is near the center of the tourist district, which is a must see, but frankly not amongst my favorite places in Barcelona. My personal pictures are posted on flickr here as well.
Gas Tax Holiday
Although I love to follow politics, there are certainly things about it that I hate. I talked about the absolute lunacy of McCain's idea to institute a tax holiday from federal gas taxes in a previous post. Although I am a big Obama supporter, I pretty much described all politicians as making decisions for political reasons that damage our nation.Well I am pleased to report that Obama has come out ardently against the tax holiday. Hurray for politicians that are not afraid to speak the truth and act reasonably even if it is unpopular. Of course, the same view is shared by George Bush, but as my mother used to say, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Shyness
Disclaimer: I realize that the pic is just gratuitous nudity, but I am a nudist damn it!This post is part of my Life Thoughts series that attempts to document and share my views on life and the principles that guide me through it.
I have always been a very shy person. Usually people that have met me within the past few years have a hard time believing this. They remark about how I have no problem wearing attention-drawing clothes, nearly indecent underwear at underwear parties, go nude and how quickly I'll talk with new people. All this gives people a false sense of my self-confidence in these situations. Nonetheless, the truth is, I've always been shy. I've typically done whatever was necessary to not stand out too much and spent much of my life trying to appear non-sexual. My best guess is that these were coping mechanisms related to growing up gay, but who knows.
I love to play tennis. I normally play at a park where you can easily pick up a game with someone as long as you are willing to ask someone if they'd like to play/hit with you. I recall a few times when I was hitting against the wall beside someone else that was doing the same. I wanted to hit with him, after all, that's why I went to the park, but because of my shyness, someone else would come, and they'd hit with him instead. I hate this because my being "chicken shit" caused me to miss out on something that I would have enjoyed. Whenever this happened, I would promise myself to never not do something simply out of irrational fear.
When you think about it, we'll never reminisce about the things that we DIDN'T do. We'll never speak of things we didn't do to our family or friends. Life is really about what we do. In fact, I've written a whole post explaining my belief about how relationships and things we do are the very things that most enrich us on our journey through life.
Therefore, I've reconditioned myself to not allow irrational fear to prevent me from doing what I really want or should do. As time has passed, it has become less conscious and more automatic. That's not to say that don't still have to fight a little fear sometimes, but at least I do a much, much better job than I did just a few years ago and feel that my life is more rich as a result.
Pool Party
Today I went to an SDS-sponsored nude, pool party hosted by a couple. Although Saturday had been over 80 degrees and sunny, Sunday turned out to be a bit colder and overcast. Luckily the pool and two hot tubs where heated. About 15 guys attended, conversation was very good and it was overall a very enjoyable outing.Since I moved from the Northern Virginia suburbs a couple of years ago, and got into nudism last November, I've met a lot of new people that I otherwise would not have met. Since I moved into city proper, I've had several people invite me to events that I never attended. Now it's funny because everything seems to be coalescing to reveal a sizable and healthy alternative in the area to the traditional gay bars and clubs.
I guess it should be surprising. Why wouldn't like-minded people find each other? And wouldn't such groups of people be spread through word-of-mouth and invitations with the more public groups having a web presence? Perhaps I'm only surprised to get a beginning glance at how big is the iceberg beneath the water line.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Race and Sexual Attraction
My BF and I went to Omega last night. I met an extremely good-looking white guy there who was visiting from Ft. Lauderdale. I quickly revealed that I had a BF. What made this conversation so interesting was the racial nature of the conversation. Note that I don't mean racial/bad, but rather am making a statement that we talked a lot about race in ways that are not very common for me.
As I said, he is white with blond hair and blue eyes and very cute. Honestly, if I was single, I definitely would've been interested and told him so. He quickly revealed that he loves black men. He also enjoyed Hispanics and Asians, or according to him race other than white. He used his finger to demonstrate the effect of the thought of sex with white men had on his dick. He confessed that he sometimes fantasizes what it would be like to black and having sex with a black guy.
Now, I'm not at all put off by such comments. Mostly because I think what sexually attracts us typically comes from weird and eccentric sources that would shock us all. Is it any more acceptable for someone to develop an attraction for jock-types or book-worms or even dirty feet. Than why would race-based attraction be inherently bad? Sure it could be born out of racial prejudice, but is not necessarily so. Therefore, I don't use attraction as a measure of one's prejudism since if they are prejudice, they'll likely show it in other ways rather than through attraction which is way too confusing as it is.
Anyway, back to the topic... He told me that he grew up in Indiana in an all white Chicago suburb. I was sure that like most people, he'd have no idea where his attraction to non-white originated, but he had some guesses and I was more than eager to hear them. What can I say, I'm a curious person. His first stated supposition was that his first relationship with a white guy ended very badly. Although possible, I found this improbable.
Later he offered another explanation. He went on to say how some white guys tend to feel a sense of superiority, privilege and birthright above others due to their race. He said that living in a culture that suggests that minorities are lesser prevents this from happening to minorities.
As shocking a statement as some may find this, I actually understood it completely. Not because I think it right, because I don't. Even if this is true of some whites, it would be prejudicial to assume it is likely to be true of any particular white person. Neither did I understand it because I share these feelings. However, I have sensed this same sentiment in others, although typically it is a cause for members of one minority race to only want to date within their own race since it gives that person a feeling of equal footing. I'm not saying that this is the motivation why all or even a majority of minorities only date within their race (see comments above about the inherent complexities of attraction).
What really shocked me about this comment is that (a) it is rarely expressed so directly and (b) I would never had expected it to be voiced by a white person who grew up in a predominately white community. Of course I am neither white nor grew up in a predominately white community myself, so perhaps I am not an expert in this area. However, I found it both insightful in some ways. However, in other ways it surprised me that someone growing up in a racially homogeneous community would have had occasion to contemplate this.
BTW: During a break in the conversation another guy that had overheard the conversation remarked, "you know that he's full of shit don't you?" He then implied that he just wanted to have sex and that this was just his way of making a connection. Perhaps he's right, but if true, it seems like a really risky way of trying to get laid.
As I said, he is white with blond hair and blue eyes and very cute. Honestly, if I was single, I definitely would've been interested and told him so. He quickly revealed that he loves black men. He also enjoyed Hispanics and Asians, or according to him race other than white. He used his finger to demonstrate the effect of the thought of sex with white men had on his dick. He confessed that he sometimes fantasizes what it would be like to black and having sex with a black guy.
Now, I'm not at all put off by such comments. Mostly because I think what sexually attracts us typically comes from weird and eccentric sources that would shock us all. Is it any more acceptable for someone to develop an attraction for jock-types or book-worms or even dirty feet. Than why would race-based attraction be inherently bad? Sure it could be born out of racial prejudice, but is not necessarily so. Therefore, I don't use attraction as a measure of one's prejudism since if they are prejudice, they'll likely show it in other ways rather than through attraction which is way too confusing as it is.
Anyway, back to the topic... He told me that he grew up in Indiana in an all white Chicago suburb. I was sure that like most people, he'd have no idea where his attraction to non-white originated, but he had some guesses and I was more than eager to hear them. What can I say, I'm a curious person. His first stated supposition was that his first relationship with a white guy ended very badly. Although possible, I found this improbable.
Later he offered another explanation. He went on to say how some white guys tend to feel a sense of superiority, privilege and birthright above others due to their race. He said that living in a culture that suggests that minorities are lesser prevents this from happening to minorities.
As shocking a statement as some may find this, I actually understood it completely. Not because I think it right, because I don't. Even if this is true of some whites, it would be prejudicial to assume it is likely to be true of any particular white person. Neither did I understand it because I share these feelings. However, I have sensed this same sentiment in others, although typically it is a cause for members of one minority race to only want to date within their own race since it gives that person a feeling of equal footing. I'm not saying that this is the motivation why all or even a majority of minorities only date within their race (see comments above about the inherent complexities of attraction).
What really shocked me about this comment is that (a) it is rarely expressed so directly and (b) I would never had expected it to be voiced by a white person who grew up in a predominately white community. Of course I am neither white nor grew up in a predominately white community myself, so perhaps I am not an expert in this area. However, I found it both insightful in some ways. However, in other ways it surprised me that someone growing up in a racially homogeneous community would have had occasion to contemplate this.
BTW: During a break in the conversation another guy that had overheard the conversation remarked, "you know that he's full of shit don't you?" He then implied that he just wanted to have sex and that this was just his way of making a connection. Perhaps he's right, but if true, it seems like a really risky way of trying to get laid.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
What the US Should Do About The Price of Oil
I like to follow politics and am currently routing for Obama. Nonetheless I frequently am disheartened that the political process is so... well... political. By this I am referring to the way that politicians often pander to the electorate by offering non-solutions and anti-solutions. Have you ever noticed that every time there is a perceived problem, politicians felt that must appear to be addressing/solving it.
Once such issue is about the price of gas and/or oil. McCain is now saying that he'll address the issue by suspending federal taxes on the purchase of gasoline. Not only does this not help, but actually makes the real problem worst. A major part of the reason why the price oil has increased is due to rising demand by the 3rd world coupled with diminished supply and production capacity. Certainly the war in Iraq is a contributing factor, but that's for another post.
Anyway, our decreased dependence on oil is a long-term project that will only be expedited by the economics of the situation. The current high price of oil has begun to make alternative fuel prices competitive. Taking measures to lower the cost of gas would encourage its continued use and put alternative fuel companies out of business.
The transition from an oil-based society to one based on conservation and alternative fuels will certainly not be an easy one. But it is much preferred to sticking our collective heads in the sand as the crisis becomes larger until one day there simply isn't enough available to meet even our basic needs.
Once such issue is about the price of gas and/or oil. McCain is now saying that he'll address the issue by suspending federal taxes on the purchase of gasoline. Not only does this not help, but actually makes the real problem worst. A major part of the reason why the price oil has increased is due to rising demand by the 3rd world coupled with diminished supply and production capacity. Certainly the war in Iraq is a contributing factor, but that's for another post.
Anyway, our decreased dependence on oil is a long-term project that will only be expedited by the economics of the situation. The current high price of oil has begun to make alternative fuel prices competitive. Taking measures to lower the cost of gas would encourage its continued use and put alternative fuel companies out of business.
The transition from an oil-based society to one based on conservation and alternative fuels will certainly not be an easy one. But it is much preferred to sticking our collective heads in the sand as the crisis becomes larger until one day there simply isn't enough available to meet even our basic needs.
Nudism Update
So, this newbie nudist has now been periodically experimenting with being clothes-free for almost 3 months and thought I'd post how my experiences so far have evolved my perspective.
I'll start by listing some of things that I've done so far. So far I've been fortunate enough to enjoy several cocktail parties with over 100 naked, gay men. I've been to movie nights and matinees. I attended more intimate naked dinners and enjoyed time naked in a hot tub. I've been to tea parties and of course one of the best parties I've ever been to. I've joined gay nudists groups and have chatted online with nudists from around the world including England, Germany, Spain, Canada and of course all over the United States.
As I've said before, I have learned that nudists need not necessarily stand for anything. The biggest requirement is to just enjoy being naked. I have come to realize that it is typically an over-simplification to simply state that someone likes nudity because of X (fill in the blank). As in most things in life, our reasons are typically many and varied.
Being gay and nudist may slant my perspective and experiences, but I have no real way of knowing this for sure (I tried to be a straight nudist for a day just to compare, but it somehow didn't work out). I do know this, as a friend once stated, gay nudism is frequently associated with sex or sensuality. That's not to say, that everyone is having sex all of the time, but rather that there is frequently an underlying amount of sexual tension involved. I guess this can be said whenever people gather to some extent or another though. That said, I have participated in many events where there was no overt sex, groping or anything similar and found these to be fun and non-sexually satisfying. For example: imagining playing a board game with friends, then imagining playing the same board game nude. I, and in all likelihood most nudists, would say that the later situation only enhances the fun.
Sadly, although the Washington area is rich in social groups and opportunities to go nude, I have not been nude nearly as much as I would've liked. Partly this is because, living with my mother-in-law tends to limit me to nudity outside of the home. There are still many things that I'd love to do, some of which will become more possible as the weather continues to warm. I still really enjoy nudism, so perhaps this isn't just a phase. We'll see.
Lastly, I must comment on the friends and people that I have met. I've never met so many warm, accepting and nice people so quickly. Even if I hated being nude, the relaxing of the social barriers alone might have been justification enough for me to participate. I've met great people that share openly and give of themselves. That's not to say that I've found utopia and haven't met a few people that showed a little attitude because on rare occasions I have, but this has never really bothered anyway.
Lastly, I'll ask a philosophical question since it is in nature to do so. Are people more social when they're naked or are people that enjoy nudity more likely to be social? What do you think?
I'll start by listing some of things that I've done so far. So far I've been fortunate enough to enjoy several cocktail parties with over 100 naked, gay men. I've been to movie nights and matinees. I attended more intimate naked dinners and enjoyed time naked in a hot tub. I've been to tea parties and of course one of the best parties I've ever been to. I've joined gay nudists groups and have chatted online with nudists from around the world including England, Germany, Spain, Canada and of course all over the United States.
As I've said before, I have learned that nudists need not necessarily stand for anything. The biggest requirement is to just enjoy being naked. I have come to realize that it is typically an over-simplification to simply state that someone likes nudity because of X (fill in the blank). As in most things in life, our reasons are typically many and varied.
Being gay and nudist may slant my perspective and experiences, but I have no real way of knowing this for sure (I tried to be a straight nudist for a day just to compare, but it somehow didn't work out). I do know this, as a friend once stated, gay nudism is frequently associated with sex or sensuality. That's not to say, that everyone is having sex all of the time, but rather that there is frequently an underlying amount of sexual tension involved. I guess this can be said whenever people gather to some extent or another though. That said, I have participated in many events where there was no overt sex, groping or anything similar and found these to be fun and non-sexually satisfying. For example: imagining playing a board game with friends, then imagining playing the same board game nude. I, and in all likelihood most nudists, would say that the later situation only enhances the fun.
Sadly, although the Washington area is rich in social groups and opportunities to go nude, I have not been nude nearly as much as I would've liked. Partly this is because, living with my mother-in-law tends to limit me to nudity outside of the home. There are still many things that I'd love to do, some of which will become more possible as the weather continues to warm. I still really enjoy nudism, so perhaps this isn't just a phase. We'll see.
Lastly, I must comment on the friends and people that I have met. I've never met so many warm, accepting and nice people so quickly. Even if I hated being nude, the relaxing of the social barriers alone might have been justification enough for me to participate. I've met great people that share openly and give of themselves. That's not to say that I've found utopia and haven't met a few people that showed a little attitude because on rare occasions I have, but this has never really bothered anyway.
Lastly, I'll ask a philosophical question since it is in nature to do so. Are people more social when they're naked or are people that enjoy nudity more likely to be social? What do you think?
Monday, April 21, 2008
FLDS
Ok, this post will be a little different than most of the posts here, but it is something that I've thought about just a little. Doesn't that make me an expert?
About the Texas Child Protective Services removing all of the FLDS's children and placing them in foster care... I don't like the FLDS and am generally agnostic. I understand (at least intellectually) how traumatising the group's practices are on their youngest members. Nonetheless, the basis for these removal of these children could be said about any religious or even non-religious group of people. We are a nation of laws and this one doesn't pass the smell test. Even if there is a girl within their compound that was beaten, it does not mean that all of the children are being beaten.
I guess that I must confess that I don't believe that government bureaucracies can solve all problems. And one in which that the governments across this land have shown themselves to be exceptionally inept has been CPS organizations. For this reason, I do not believe that governments should be making close judgement calls to remove children from the care of their parents. Rather, I believe that the government should only intervene when there is an extremely care and urgent need to do so.
About the Texas Child Protective Services removing all of the FLDS's children and placing them in foster care... I don't like the FLDS and am generally agnostic. I understand (at least intellectually) how traumatising the group's practices are on their youngest members. Nonetheless, the basis for these removal of these children could be said about any religious or even non-religious group of people. We are a nation of laws and this one doesn't pass the smell test. Even if there is a girl within their compound that was beaten, it does not mean that all of the children are being beaten.
I guess that I must confess that I don't believe that government bureaucracies can solve all problems. And one in which that the governments across this land have shown themselves to be exceptionally inept has been CPS organizations. For this reason, I do not believe that governments should be making close judgement calls to remove children from the care of their parents. Rather, I believe that the government should only intervene when there is an extremely care and urgent need to do so.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Tennis Catostrophy
Today was my last tennis match with CTA, the gay tennis association of the Washington, DC area. This has been my first year playing with CTA and I chose to participate in one of their singles, winter leagues. Until today, I have done quite well by winning most of my matches and tieing the rest.
Today was a completely different story. I had the misfortune to draw the leagues best player. I'm not sure if this is true, but I heard that he hasn't lost this year. Well, needless to say, it didn't go very well as I was handed my first loss quite handily. So now I am home licking my wounds. Actually, this is overstating it since losing only bothers me as long as I play and is quickly forgotten once the game ends.
My biggest disappointment is that I actually didn't even play very well. I resorted back to a bad tendency that I sometimes have to roll over the ball too much instead of hitting through it. As a result, although I was consistent, I provided my top-rated appointment many wonderful short balls for him to take advantage of.
Today was a completely different story. I had the misfortune to draw the leagues best player. I'm not sure if this is true, but I heard that he hasn't lost this year. Well, needless to say, it didn't go very well as I was handed my first loss quite handily. So now I am home licking my wounds. Actually, this is overstating it since losing only bothers me as long as I play and is quickly forgotten once the game ends.
My biggest disappointment is that I actually didn't even play very well. I resorted back to a bad tendency that I sometimes have to roll over the ball too much instead of hitting through it. As a result, although I was consistent, I provided my top-rated appointment many wonderful short balls for him to take advantage of.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Tax Hell
So I'm pretty good with numbers considering I have a degree in mathematics and have done accounting for a small business that I once operated. Nonetheless, my taxes have become so complicated over the past few years, that I've been promising myself that I'd find a tax accountant.
Well this year (as in years previous), I decided that I do it on my own for just one more year. First I did my BF's, which was relatively easy, then proceeded to do my own using TurboTax. A few of the sections were a little confusing, but I labored through it. In the end, my doubt caused me to pay an extra $50 to have it "reviewed" by an accountant. The review came back a few days later that drew attention to 3 areas. Of course these were the 3 areas in which I was expecting. The biggest thing that came from the review was that I needed more help. So after paying $50 for the review and $100 to TurboTax, I made an appointment with H&R block.
The H&R Block website allowed me to see profiles of all of their tax preparers. I selected what sounded like a Vietnamese man with a long history and who specifically specialized in some of the areas that I needed help with. The earliest available appointment was for April 15th, the due date for filing taxes.
When my appointment came around, the preparer was late and didn't see me until 10:20, 20 minutes after my scheduled start time. This made me nervous, because I knew that this would take a while. When she (BTW: it wasn't a man) realized the complexity of my return, she pleaded to the receptionist to re-assign me to someone else because she had an 11:00 appointment that she absolutely had to take. The receptionist answered that there was no one else and that she had to help me. Eventually, the branch manager was called in and confirmed this.
We started our work together and as we worked, I had to correct several errors that she made. I was also a little worried because there was a language issue as well. After a half hour, her 11:00 appointment arrived. She asked me to wait for 1/2 hour while she finished up with her next appointment and I did.
At 11:50 (20 minutes later than she said), we resumed. We worked for an additional 10 minutes then her 12:00 appointment arrived. She asked me to wait again. I repeated asked her at what time we would complete my return and all she would say is that we would finish it that day. I wanted to know the exact time because I did not want to keep waiting there for the next 12 hours. She said we had about 1.5 hours of more work to complete. I estimated that this would take all day if we kept getting interrupted and only accomplished 10 or 15 minutes of work each hour. She assured me it wouldn't take all day, but couldn't give me a specific time. I asked her to assure me that we wouldn't be interrupted again, but all she did was to assure me that we would finish it.
I decided to wait 1 more time, but as I sat in the waiting room, I wondered why I continued to wait for someone that was wasting my time and performing a sub-optimally. In the end, I took a "request for an extension" form from the receptionist and walked out.
When I got home, I filed for my automatic extension and called my company's accountant, whom I trust very much. He said that of course he'd be happy to do the work. I'm not sure how much it'll cost yet, but I'm sure it'll be hundreds.
So, after 2 weeks of work, countless time, and $150 so far, I still don't have my taxes done. At least one positive thing came out of all this, I guarantee you I won't attempt to do my own taxes next year. Oh year, I'll never, ever again go to H&R Block. At least I am comforted knowing that at the end of this process will be a nice refund.
Well this year (as in years previous), I decided that I do it on my own for just one more year. First I did my BF's, which was relatively easy, then proceeded to do my own using TurboTax. A few of the sections were a little confusing, but I labored through it. In the end, my doubt caused me to pay an extra $50 to have it "reviewed" by an accountant. The review came back a few days later that drew attention to 3 areas. Of course these were the 3 areas in which I was expecting. The biggest thing that came from the review was that I needed more help. So after paying $50 for the review and $100 to TurboTax, I made an appointment with H&R block.
The H&R Block website allowed me to see profiles of all of their tax preparers. I selected what sounded like a Vietnamese man with a long history and who specifically specialized in some of the areas that I needed help with. The earliest available appointment was for April 15th, the due date for filing taxes.
When my appointment came around, the preparer was late and didn't see me until 10:20, 20 minutes after my scheduled start time. This made me nervous, because I knew that this would take a while. When she (BTW: it wasn't a man) realized the complexity of my return, she pleaded to the receptionist to re-assign me to someone else because she had an 11:00 appointment that she absolutely had to take. The receptionist answered that there was no one else and that she had to help me. Eventually, the branch manager was called in and confirmed this.
We started our work together and as we worked, I had to correct several errors that she made. I was also a little worried because there was a language issue as well. After a half hour, her 11:00 appointment arrived. She asked me to wait for 1/2 hour while she finished up with her next appointment and I did.
At 11:50 (20 minutes later than she said), we resumed. We worked for an additional 10 minutes then her 12:00 appointment arrived. She asked me to wait again. I repeated asked her at what time we would complete my return and all she would say is that we would finish it that day. I wanted to know the exact time because I did not want to keep waiting there for the next 12 hours. She said we had about 1.5 hours of more work to complete. I estimated that this would take all day if we kept getting interrupted and only accomplished 10 or 15 minutes of work each hour. She assured me it wouldn't take all day, but couldn't give me a specific time. I asked her to assure me that we wouldn't be interrupted again, but all she did was to assure me that we would finish it.
I decided to wait 1 more time, but as I sat in the waiting room, I wondered why I continued to wait for someone that was wasting my time and performing a sub-optimally. In the end, I took a "request for an extension" form from the receptionist and walked out.
When I got home, I filed for my automatic extension and called my company's accountant, whom I trust very much. He said that of course he'd be happy to do the work. I'm not sure how much it'll cost yet, but I'm sure it'll be hundreds.
So, after 2 weeks of work, countless time, and $150 so far, I still don't have my taxes done. At least one positive thing came out of all this, I guarantee you I won't attempt to do my own taxes next year. Oh year, I'll never, ever again go to H&R Block. At least I am comforted knowing that at the end of this process will be a nice refund.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Being Black and a Nudist
A friend of mine recently asked me about the unique issues and experiences of being both black and a nudist. Well honestly I don't feel qualified to answer this because although I've been black my whole life, I have only recently been introduced to nudism. Nonetheless, I think it might be interesting to chronicle my thoughts on this topic so that I can see how the change (or not) over time.
At this point, the real answer to this question is, I really don't know. I'll start here. As I've stated before, I do love to be naked and I love to be watched. Most of the nudist gatherings that I've attended so far have had few people of color in attendance. This includes Asians, Latinos, blacks and others. For example, at the naked cocktail party there are typically less than 5 blacks (including myself) out of a total of about 120 attendees. Considering the demographics of the Washington, DC area, blacks are significantly under represented at these events. That said, no one has ever made me feel uncomfortable because of my color.
One thing I will say is that when I am at such gatherings, I do get a good amount of attention. Is this because of the mysterious sexual power of a black male dis-robed? I have no idea but I certainly don't feel like I have any special powers. I think for the attention I get has a lot more to do with the size of my dick than anything. People look and snigger, but like I said... I love to be watched. I was discussing this with my BF (he's Latino) and he assures me that he thinks that black men certainly do hold a certain sexual status in our society. I find that hard to believe, but what the hell do I know.
At this point, the real answer to this question is, I really don't know. I'll start here. As I've stated before, I do love to be naked and I love to be watched. Most of the nudist gatherings that I've attended so far have had few people of color in attendance. This includes Asians, Latinos, blacks and others. For example, at the naked cocktail party there are typically less than 5 blacks (including myself) out of a total of about 120 attendees. Considering the demographics of the Washington, DC area, blacks are significantly under represented at these events. That said, no one has ever made me feel uncomfortable because of my color.
One thing I will say is that when I am at such gatherings, I do get a good amount of attention. Is this because of the mysterious sexual power of a black male dis-robed? I have no idea but I certainly don't feel like I have any special powers. I think for the attention I get has a lot more to do with the size of my dick than anything. People look and snigger, but like I said... I love to be watched. I was discussing this with my BF (he's Latino) and he assures me that he thinks that black men certainly do hold a certain sexual status in our society. I find that hard to believe, but what the hell do I know.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Blogger Advice Needed
Ironically, this is something I have a little problem with. Usually, I get a little uncomfortable talking about myself too much, and yet I have this blog. Honestly, at times I find myself either moderating my posts or nixing some ideas altogether in the interest of not seeming self-indulgent. It's a battle with the primary goal of this blog as a place to put my unvarnished ideas and experiences versus modesty and self-restraint. To make matters worse, in order to allow this blog to be searchable via Goggle and other search engines, I had to remove the adult content warning, thereby causing me to moderate my postings even further.
Not sure what to do about all of this. If anyone who is reading this also maintains a blog or something similar, and has had to deal with similar issues, I'd love to hear how you dealt with this.
Not sure what to do about all of this. If anyone who is reading this also maintains a blog or something similar, and has had to deal with similar issues, I'd love to hear how you dealt with this.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
I Love to Cruise
I'm talking about cruise ships of the seas of course. My BF and I went on our first cruise with Atlantis Events in January 2006. Pics here. For many years, he tried to convince me to go, but I was always apprehensive about the whole thing. At the time, he was thinking of straight cruises and I had an unrelenting fear of being stuck in a mall for a whole week with all of these straight people with nowhere to retreat. Not my idea of a fun time.When I finally did some more research on gay cruises, I just replaced my 'mall' fears with new ones. Now I was afraid of being surrounded by perfect body adonises making me feel way too inadequate and uncomfortable. (side note). Finally I decided that even no-one acknowledged our existence, I would have fun because I was with my BF and we always have fun together.
So we flew to Miami and boarded the ship. Of course it was much more expensive than straight cruises, but it would prove to be well worth the cost. The ship had about 3,200 beautiful gay boys, who proved to me much more friendly than I expected. A funny thing happens on these cruises... After the first couple of days, everyone seems to relax just a little bit. People tend to shed their attitudes as well as the other social barriers that we create to isolate ourselves. The result is that it becomes a very accepting, supportive and most of all, fun experience. Up until recently, I thought this feeling of acceptance and camaraderie was unique to the cruising experience, but have also been lucky enough to discover it in nude gatherings.
Well, needless to say, the BF and I had a blast. We met a lot of people from a surprising variety of walks of life. We danced at night until sunrise. We watched shows that were entertaining and funny. We sang in sing-alongs. We basked in the sun of perfect weather and visited beautiful beaches. We swam with dolphins and petted sting rays. We watched whales and went 4-wheeling in the back woods of Mexico. As much fun as the shore excursions were, we had the most fun just being trapped in the mall. Go figure.
Since our first cruise, we've been on 2 others. One on the same cruise with Atlantis Events the following year and the other with RSVP Vacations. RSVP was great too, but we definitely liked the Atlantis Events cruises better.
We can't wait for the next cruise and are trying to decide whether to take the one next January or wait for the Solstice cruise in March '09. We love the January cruise, but unfortunately, it'll be on the same ship with the exact same destinations we've been to before. The normally vary the destinations every other year, but since we missed this year, we didn't get to experience their newest destinations. If you are on the fence and considering taking such a cruise, I'd highly recommend it. For anyone wishing to find some pictures, I linked to some here. They are not mine, but seem to be a collection that people took from a couple of different Atlantis cruises.
Nude Note: Since a central theme of this blog is nudism, I will say that on all of the cruises I've taken, there was a small deck set-aside for nude tanning. As my second, very brief, experience with public nudity, I dis-robed for a brief period. Also, we anchored at St. Maarten and had a chance to visit the nude Orient Beach. The beach was beautiful, calm and utopic. I wore a mesh thong with holds about 1 inch square. It didn't hide anything, so why I didn't take it off is a mystery even to me. I guess these were steps I took on my way to my own corporal self-acceptance.
BTW: If you go on the Atlantis Events website looking for the specific cruises that I mentioned, you will not see them yet. They are definitely scheduled, but not yet for sale.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Super Nekkid Saturday
It's Sunday now and I am taking it easy as I recline on my couch and write this. I've had a good and fun weekend and am using today as a day of rest.
On Friday, the BF and I went out to Omega to have a few drinks. I said hi to some friends and met a few new people. Mostly I remember meeting a guy with a thick Austrian accent and another guy that was a stamp collector/trader. Toward the end of the night, we met a very nice and cute black guy and had good conversation. We shared a cab on the way home.
Saturday afternoon we went to a nude cocktail party sponsored by ReNudePride. I've only been to a few of these since I am still new to nudism, but have really come to appreciate these get-togethers. This Saturday seemed like an especially good crowd, although maybe it was just me. Their must have been over 120 bare-assed guys there. As usually, the party always gets progressively more interesting as the time wears on, but I'm not telling.
After the party, we were invited to go to a friends apartment for a small, nude get-together. By small, I'm referring to about 30 guys! Anyway, this was basically an after party for some of the people from the earlier cocktail party. Met quite a few nice people there as well. After a while, "situations occurred." I had to say that. A friend once invited me over his house and warned me that "situations may occur." What a euphemism! I love it! Anyway... it was very fun and we went home exhausted.
Any normal person would've said that's enough and gone to bed after we arrived at home at 10:30PM, but we decided to go to the Green Lantern for underwear night. Even though we typically go to the same place on Saturdays, it is my favorite night out. Probably this is because I know many of the people there and, of course, get to hang out my underwear. Of course I typically wear something quite indiscreet.
All-in-all, my Saturday was exhausting, but very fun with lots of opportunities to get nude.
On Friday, the BF and I went out to Omega to have a few drinks. I said hi to some friends and met a few new people. Mostly I remember meeting a guy with a thick Austrian accent and another guy that was a stamp collector/trader. Toward the end of the night, we met a very nice and cute black guy and had good conversation. We shared a cab on the way home.
Saturday afternoon we went to a nude cocktail party sponsored by ReNudePride. I've only been to a few of these since I am still new to nudism, but have really come to appreciate these get-togethers. This Saturday seemed like an especially good crowd, although maybe it was just me. Their must have been over 120 bare-assed guys there. As usually, the party always gets progressively more interesting as the time wears on, but I'm not telling.
After the party, we were invited to go to a friends apartment for a small, nude get-together. By small, I'm referring to about 30 guys! Anyway, this was basically an after party for some of the people from the earlier cocktail party. Met quite a few nice people there as well. After a while, "situations occurred." I had to say that. A friend once invited me over his house and warned me that "situations may occur." What a euphemism! I love it! Anyway... it was very fun and we went home exhausted.
Any normal person would've said that's enough and gone to bed after we arrived at home at 10:30PM, but we decided to go to the Green Lantern for underwear night. Even though we typically go to the same place on Saturdays, it is my favorite night out. Probably this is because I know many of the people there and, of course, get to hang out my underwear. Of course I typically wear something quite indiscreet.
All-in-all, my Saturday was exhausting, but very fun with lots of opportunities to get nude.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Politics: The Wind Is Changing
OK, I've talked about almost everything else, so now I must share another passion of mind, which is politics. For most of my life, I've considered myself an independent. I know most gays are supposedly democrats, but perhaps my fundamentalist upbringing balanced this out. I was an independent because (1) neither party ever represents all of my views and (2) it seems that when governments are too controlled by one party, bad things occur.
Things have changed. I am no longer independent but am now a registered democrat. I must say this, BUSH MADE ME A DEMOCRAT. Yes, my party affiliation occurred primarily as a response to the Bush years and the deep damage that he has caused to this country both internally and abroad. Oh well, I encourage myself by remembering that we have only 8 more months to go before we can begin the process of healing.
Moving on, when evaluating the crop of democratic presidential contenders, I took my time. There were things I liked about Clinton, Obama, Richardson and even Joe Biden. I never could quite see John Edwards as president, but maybe that's just me. As time wore on, it became obvious to me that not only was Obama a serious contender, but that he was the best choice irrespective of color. I can't say how happy that makes me as a black man. It is both a testament to how far we've come as a people and a nation as well as helping to continue to move us forward to the day when we will truly be an society where we believe that all men are created equal. We may never get there due to the natural human tendencies toward tribalism, but it is a worthy pursuit that helps make this country great.
Anyway, what makes me happiest, is that I am NOT supporting Obama because he is black. I recall in 1988 when I supported Jesse Jackson. Truth be told, my vote was just to make a statement. I would never have voted for him if I thought he actually had a chance because I thought he'd make a terrible president. But Barak is different. I am voting for him because he can become president and because I believe that he is the best choice to move us beyond the counter-productive partisan bickering that has exploded beyond its normal levels in the past 10 years. I like Barak because of the message that his nomination and election would send to the rest of the world. I like Barak because of what his election would say about who we are as a country.
If Obama doesn't win, I'll be disappointed. But at least I am 100% sure that all of the remaining candidates (including McCain) would be a far better president than George Bush.
Things have changed. I am no longer independent but am now a registered democrat. I must say this, BUSH MADE ME A DEMOCRAT. Yes, my party affiliation occurred primarily as a response to the Bush years and the deep damage that he has caused to this country both internally and abroad. Oh well, I encourage myself by remembering that we have only 8 more months to go before we can begin the process of healing.
Moving on, when evaluating the crop of democratic presidential contenders, I took my time. There were things I liked about Clinton, Obama, Richardson and even Joe Biden. I never could quite see John Edwards as president, but maybe that's just me. As time wore on, it became obvious to me that not only was Obama a serious contender, but that he was the best choice irrespective of color. I can't say how happy that makes me as a black man. It is both a testament to how far we've come as a people and a nation as well as helping to continue to move us forward to the day when we will truly be an society where we believe that all men are created equal. We may never get there due to the natural human tendencies toward tribalism, but it is a worthy pursuit that helps make this country great.
Anyway, what makes me happiest, is that I am NOT supporting Obama because he is black. I recall in 1988 when I supported Jesse Jackson. Truth be told, my vote was just to make a statement. I would never have voted for him if I thought he actually had a chance because I thought he'd make a terrible president. But Barak is different. I am voting for him because he can become president and because I believe that he is the best choice to move us beyond the counter-productive partisan bickering that has exploded beyond its normal levels in the past 10 years. I like Barak because of the message that his nomination and election would send to the rest of the world. I like Barak because of what his election would say about who we are as a country.
If Obama doesn't win, I'll be disappointed. But at least I am 100% sure that all of the remaining candidates (including McCain) would be a far better president than George Bush.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
My Favorite Jeans (Update #3)
I am still waiting for my new jeans, but thought I'd post some pics of what I ordered.
Having Fun
Remember when we were kids and having fun was came so easily? What is it that moves us today? What is it that we really enjoy?
Fun. Unfortunately, I think we often get so wrapped up in the day-to-day necessities of mundane life that we forget that which came so naturally when we were young. Then we finally get a few days off of work and sometimes have absolutely no idea what to do with ourselves. Have you ever noticed how quickly some go down hill after retirement? Equally intriguing is how many times I've witnessed a person's passion help keep them young and vibrant. In a way, this really gets back to my earlier post regarding the importance of doing something. The problem is that we so often defer the very activities that most bring us joy thinking that we'll do them later. By the time later finally comes, we've completely forgotten what is we wanted to do.
That's why I think it is important for us to commit ourselves to remembering and pursuing those activities that bring us joy, fun and happiness and to engage in activities that move and enrich us every day.
Fun. Unfortunately, I think we often get so wrapped up in the day-to-day necessities of mundane life that we forget that which came so naturally when we were young. Then we finally get a few days off of work and sometimes have absolutely no idea what to do with ourselves. Have you ever noticed how quickly some go down hill after retirement? Equally intriguing is how many times I've witnessed a person's passion help keep them young and vibrant. In a way, this really gets back to my earlier post regarding the importance of doing something. The problem is that we so often defer the very activities that most bring us joy thinking that we'll do them later. By the time later finally comes, we've completely forgotten what is we wanted to do.
That's why I think it is important for us to commit ourselves to remembering and pursuing those activities that bring us joy, fun and happiness and to engage in activities that move and enrich us every day.
When Everything Is New Again
Yes, it is that time again. The time when everything around us feels new and fresh. The time when even rainy days feel good because we can't help but feel that each subsequent day will be better than the last because summer approaches.
I've always loved this time of year. I can't but help recall the warm spring days of my youth when I would stand in the outfield during little league baseball practice. For me, I think that spring will be forever associated with these memories. But somehow I don't think I've ever quite enjoyed the seasonal transition quite as much as I have this year. Perhaps it is because I have cut my work schedule back a bit and have more time to appreciate it. Whatever the reason, I find myself noticing each tree that starts budding and each flower that blossoms, and every single one brings a smile to my face.
I've always loved the warm weather. I love being able to go outside in just shorts and a tank top. I love that others have shed the vestiges of winter and have exposed their naked skin to the elements. I love that we are no longer confined separately to our homes under the night sky. I love that we have sunlight until 10 PM and that we can go for walks or play sports 'most any day of the week.
Quite simply, I love summer.
I've always loved this time of year. I can't but help recall the warm spring days of my youth when I would stand in the outfield during little league baseball practice. For me, I think that spring will be forever associated with these memories. But somehow I don't think I've ever quite enjoyed the seasonal transition quite as much as I have this year. Perhaps it is because I have cut my work schedule back a bit and have more time to appreciate it. Whatever the reason, I find myself noticing each tree that starts budding and each flower that blossoms, and every single one brings a smile to my face.
I've always loved the warm weather. I love being able to go outside in just shorts and a tank top. I love that others have shed the vestiges of winter and have exposed their naked skin to the elements. I love that we are no longer confined separately to our homes under the night sky. I love that we have sunlight until 10 PM and that we can go for walks or play sports 'most any day of the week.
Quite simply, I love summer.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Rock On
Ok, although my mind works much like a computer (except for my memory), and although I make my living by programming computers, I've never been that much into video games. I've always find them vaguely interesting and marveled that their graphics, but games have never been able to hold my interest for very long.
Recently, I was over my brothers house visiting his family (wife + 2 children) and my mom and dad, who were visiting from New York. My nephew is game fanatic and has every console and game known to man. My brother, who is 10 years my senior, told me that I had to try this game Rock Band. I had seen it played on South Park and new it was the new craze, but never really was exposed to it.
My brother played guitar and I played bass. Man was it fun. I love music (I play at guitar and piano), and found the game to give very satisfactory when the right notes were hit. It seems like something that I could really enjoy. I decided that I had to get my BF over so that I could convince him how much we need this game.
A week later, my BF and I had arranged a time that we could go back to my brother's house. When we got there, we all played. At one point, my nephew was singing, my brother on drums, I was playing guitar and my BF on the base. We were absolutely terrible, but again it was fun beyond words. My BF had fun, but vetoed putting down $500 for a new PS/3 and another $200 for the game.
Well, it has been 3 weeks since then, and I just learned some great news. There has been news that the company that created Rock Band are adapting it for the Wii (which I already own) and is planning to start selling it in June. I can't wait!
Recently, I was over my brothers house visiting his family (wife + 2 children) and my mom and dad, who were visiting from New York. My nephew is game fanatic and has every console and game known to man. My brother, who is 10 years my senior, told me that I had to try this game Rock Band. I had seen it played on South Park and new it was the new craze, but never really was exposed to it.My brother played guitar and I played bass. Man was it fun. I love music (I play at guitar and piano), and found the game to give very satisfactory when the right notes were hit. It seems like something that I could really enjoy. I decided that I had to get my BF over so that I could convince him how much we need this game.
A week later, my BF and I had arranged a time that we could go back to my brother's house. When we got there, we all played. At one point, my nephew was singing, my brother on drums, I was playing guitar and my BF on the base. We were absolutely terrible, but again it was fun beyond words. My BF had fun, but vetoed putting down $500 for a new PS/3 and another $200 for the game.
Well, it has been 3 weeks since then, and I just learned some great news. There has been news that the company that created Rock Band are adapting it for the Wii (which I already own) and is planning to start selling it in June. I can't wait!
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