Furgasm weekend
Despite my earlier hesitations about this weekend, I did have a pretty fun weekend. I think it had more to do with all the people that I got to meet and hang out with than the actual events itself (but, the events were pretty fun in and of themselves as well).
Friday
After work, it was pouring down rain. I was not looking forward to making the walks that I was going to have to make home. As luck would have it, Robbie just happened to be near downtown and called to see what I was doing. He picked me up and we made our way back to my place. We talked and chatted online and then grabbed some dinner. He had plans to meet somebody out at the bars (it was Furgasm, after all), so we made our way. I called Jim and we made plans to meet later in the evening. We hit Shooters, which was having a drag show that was nice. I ran into Shannonmasoncub and Chris, _decibel_'s boyfriend, there (it's been ages since I've seen Chris out, so that was good). After watching the entire show, we made our way to On Broadway, which was supposed to be the host bar for Furgasm. Well, by time we got there, it was pretty vacant. I mean, I saw a few bears here and there (including the very sweet garybearcmh, but I'm guessing everyone else was either back at the hotel or at another bar. Well, Jim finally arrived and we decided to hit the after-hours party.
Jim and I arrived at the hotel first, with Robbie making it there soon afterwards. We were a little early (afterhours means after hours, like 2:30am), but they let us in anyway. There, I got to meet Phil cmhphil and his boyfriend, Don, who is a friend of Jim's. I had been reading Phil's journal for a while and saw all that he has been through. It was so great to finally meet him and to get a hug and kiss from him. He's very nice and sweet and I hope that he continues to be happy. I also got the opportunity to finally meet William shelbycub. He's delirously funny and quite the card! He's much funnier in person! Sooner rather than later, things picked up and Jim and I made our way to the play room for some fun. Robbie left soon after arriving as he didn't want to attend at this time. I'll leave the rest to your imaginations, as I don't like to kiss and tell. I will say that Jim and I did leave around 4:30am or so with smiles on our faces, despite the hour.
Saturday
I slept in. After getting up in the afternoon, I jumped online and got ready for my evening plans. Besides Furgasm, I had been invited to a friend's "housewarming" party. Tony--a wonderfully funny, crash, and just simply amazing guy--had been renovating his downtown apartment for almost a year and it was now presentable for viewing. And what a viewing it was! Some excellent food and great company all around (and some kick-ass rum punch ~_~). He (and his boyfriend Brady and his sister) had been working on the place for months and it was gorgeous. It's two floors, with more entertainment type things on the lower floor (living room, kitchen, sitting room, etc) and the living quarters upstairs. Each room had a great style to them and it was good to finally see the (un)finished product. There were pictures from what the place looked like before Tony moved in and it's a 1000% improvement on that. Tony and Brady both mentioned that there is still some little improvements here and there to do, but that it was officially done for now. Tony's taking a month off the renovations to just relax and enjoy the fruits of his labor. We'll see how long that lasts. ;-)
I left the party after 10pm and headed over to On Broadway for Furgasm. The Best Beard, Belly, and Butt contest was supposed to be happening about that time, so I decided to get over there. After arriving, I soon ran into several friends of mine, including Clay and Rick, Derek_decibel_ and Chris, William shelbycub, and Robbie. William was set to be the host of the contest, but there was no clue as to where all the judges and contestants were. So, it wasn't going to start on time (no surprise there). Later on, I found that adorable and "straight" Wayne cachorro34. Meeting him was quite pleasant. He's very cute and fun to hang out with (he's also very touchy-feely which is fine with me!). Anyway, the contest soon started (about an hour or so late). My friend Gary garybearcmh won Best Beard (Congrats to him!) and local otter Garrett won Best Butt AND Best in Show. Jason, a cutie cub from IN, won Best Belly. As soon as the contest was over, most everyone else got on the bus and headed off. Of course, this would be the moment that Jim finally arrives. We hung out there for a while and I danced a little with Jason and others who stayed behind. Joel, one of the cast members of Evita, showed up as well. It was good to see him and to say goodbye. He left soon after arriving and so did we, deciding to go on ahead to the afterhours party. Just like last night, we arrived a little early (see cachorro34's post about that LOL), so we sat around and talked for a while. It was a good night as well. We left after 5am this time, feeling good but definitely tired.
Sunday
This was a catch-up day. I did wake up late, but got some things done that I neededto get done. Jim and I were supposed to head to a dinner/fundraiser for CSF, but his rehearsal ran longer than it was supposed to (and he was definitely pissed with that), so I chatted online most of the day and made a few phone calls. I also reflected on the weekend's events.
As I said before, I was hesitant about what this year's Furgasm would bring. I did have some fun, and I am sure others did, but at the same time, it did seem a little disorganized. The organization itself is that way. I do not know how other events went, but the contest only showed me how awful bad planning can get. Furgasm when I first moved here (back in 2002) was more fun. There was plenty to do (especially at the bars) and there appeared to be more people. I do not know how successful this run was, but I hope that it was (usually runs are fundraisers for charity organizations). I may have to rant more about this later. For now, though, I need to head off. It was a pleasure meeting everyone that I met this weekend and hope to see you all again sometime. I had a blast!
Friday
After work, it was pouring down rain. I was not looking forward to making the walks that I was going to have to make home. As luck would have it, Robbie just happened to be near downtown and called to see what I was doing. He picked me up and we made our way back to my place. We talked and chatted online and then grabbed some dinner. He had plans to meet somebody out at the bars (it was Furgasm, after all), so we made our way. I called Jim and we made plans to meet later in the evening. We hit Shooters, which was having a drag show that was nice. I ran into Shannonmasoncub and Chris, _decibel_'s boyfriend, there (it's been ages since I've seen Chris out, so that was good). After watching the entire show, we made our way to On Broadway, which was supposed to be the host bar for Furgasm. Well, by time we got there, it was pretty vacant. I mean, I saw a few bears here and there (including the very sweet garybearcmh, but I'm guessing everyone else was either back at the hotel or at another bar. Well, Jim finally arrived and we decided to hit the after-hours party.
Jim and I arrived at the hotel first, with Robbie making it there soon afterwards. We were a little early (afterhours means after hours, like 2:30am), but they let us in anyway. There, I got to meet Phil cmhphil and his boyfriend, Don, who is a friend of Jim's. I had been reading Phil's journal for a while and saw all that he has been through. It was so great to finally meet him and to get a hug and kiss from him. He's very nice and sweet and I hope that he continues to be happy. I also got the opportunity to finally meet William shelbycub. He's delirously funny and quite the card! He's much funnier in person! Sooner rather than later, things picked up and Jim and I made our way to the play room for some fun. Robbie left soon after arriving as he didn't want to attend at this time. I'll leave the rest to your imaginations, as I don't like to kiss and tell. I will say that Jim and I did leave around 4:30am or so with smiles on our faces, despite the hour.
Saturday
I slept in. After getting up in the afternoon, I jumped online and got ready for my evening plans. Besides Furgasm, I had been invited to a friend's "housewarming" party. Tony--a wonderfully funny, crash, and just simply amazing guy--had been renovating his downtown apartment for almost a year and it was now presentable for viewing. And what a viewing it was! Some excellent food and great company all around (and some kick-ass rum punch ~_~). He (and his boyfriend Brady and his sister) had been working on the place for months and it was gorgeous. It's two floors, with more entertainment type things on the lower floor (living room, kitchen, sitting room, etc) and the living quarters upstairs. Each room had a great style to them and it was good to finally see the (un)finished product. There were pictures from what the place looked like before Tony moved in and it's a 1000% improvement on that. Tony and Brady both mentioned that there is still some little improvements here and there to do, but that it was officially done for now. Tony's taking a month off the renovations to just relax and enjoy the fruits of his labor. We'll see how long that lasts. ;-)
I left the party after 10pm and headed over to On Broadway for Furgasm. The Best Beard, Belly, and Butt contest was supposed to be happening about that time, so I decided to get over there. After arriving, I soon ran into several friends of mine, including Clay and Rick, Derek_decibel_ and Chris, William shelbycub, and Robbie. William was set to be the host of the contest, but there was no clue as to where all the judges and contestants were. So, it wasn't going to start on time (no surprise there). Later on, I found that adorable and "straight" Wayne cachorro34. Meeting him was quite pleasant. He's very cute and fun to hang out with (he's also very touchy-feely which is fine with me!). Anyway, the contest soon started (about an hour or so late). My friend Gary garybearcmh won Best Beard (Congrats to him!) and local otter Garrett won Best Butt AND Best in Show. Jason, a cutie cub from IN, won Best Belly. As soon as the contest was over, most everyone else got on the bus and headed off. Of course, this would be the moment that Jim finally arrives. We hung out there for a while and I danced a little with Jason and others who stayed behind. Joel, one of the cast members of Evita, showed up as well. It was good to see him and to say goodbye. He left soon after arriving and so did we, deciding to go on ahead to the afterhours party. Just like last night, we arrived a little early (see cachorro34's post about that LOL), so we sat around and talked for a while. It was a good night as well. We left after 5am this time, feeling good but definitely tired.
Sunday
This was a catch-up day. I did wake up late, but got some things done that I neededto get done. Jim and I were supposed to head to a dinner/fundraiser for CSF, but his rehearsal ran longer than it was supposed to (and he was definitely pissed with that), so I chatted online most of the day and made a few phone calls. I also reflected on the weekend's events.
As I said before, I was hesitant about what this year's Furgasm would bring. I did have some fun, and I am sure others did, but at the same time, it did seem a little disorganized. The organization itself is that way. I do not know how other events went, but the contest only showed me how awful bad planning can get. Furgasm when I first moved here (back in 2002) was more fun. There was plenty to do (especially at the bars) and there appeared to be more people. I do not know how successful this run was, but I hope that it was (usually runs are fundraisers for charity organizations). I may have to rant more about this later. For now, though, I need to head off. It was a pleasure meeting everyone that I met this weekend and hope to see you all again sometime. I had a blast!