Long Weekend

This weekend was a three-day weekend for me, and it was certainly a busy one.

Unless you don't live in the area, or you're just plain vanilla, then you know that Mid-Atlantic Leather was held this past weekend. I have never been to one here, and I planned on making this years my first one to go to. The difference is that I had someone to go along with me, and a nearby hotel to crash at.

Friday night JH picked me up from work and we headed over to the lobby to hang out with the others who had shown up. JH really is the one who knows folks since he's come into contact with many of them during his years as a planner for DC pride, and as I learned, he did help out with MAL one year (which he vows never to do again after 2 weeks of 20 hour days). So the lobby is packed, and it makes for great people-watching for JH and I. The one thing I do notice is that it is clear that a lot of these guys already know one another to various degrees, and for me it makes it really hard to talk to someone new because I become afraid I'm going to break the flow of a discussion or get that look of "Why the fuck are you here?"

Anyway, I did get to meet a few of JH's friends, including K, who came up from South Carolina, and briefly met EDJ. The one we ended up talking quite a bit with was DJP since it had been a while. I enjoyed a lot of what I saw because it seemed like anything and everything was there. The only place I didn't care for? The smoking tent. I've noticed that since September, my sensitivity to cigarette and cigar smoke has gone way up. After getting out of there, we met with C from Chicago, and he was being a bit of a prick that night. He just barely meets me and two minutes later he's saying that I look like I'm angry, then he makes a backhanded compliment about JH's weight. Just one of those roll your eyes and run with it kind of things.

Eventually we took off back for JH's house because I certainly needed some rest after a long day at work before heading to these events.

Saturday morning we got up and headed back to the hotel along with JH's roommate. The vendors were out with their various wares at the exhibition hall. I picked up a vest and some other implements. I tried on a pair of leather pants, but it turned out they didn't fit me. I think they could have been incorrectly sized because they were supposed to be a 34 waist size, and they were practically painted on to the point of being uncomfortable, yet when I would later try on some shorts at another vendor that were 33 in the waist, they fit perfectly, go figure. JH bought a harness for himself which looks pretty damn hot on him.

JH and I went and checked into a nearby hotel where we were staying and rested up a bit before heading out to get some dinner over at Annies. We came back and changed our clothes before heading back to the lobby for a while. Later we shuttled over to Apex for the Recon Fetish dance. I was kind of surprised that there weren't as many people there, but it was nice to actually be able to walk across the dance floor, and to not get this look of "What the fuck are you doing here?" which the usual clientèle of Apex just loves to give me when I walk in there...maybe that's why I don't usually go there. The musical guest did not impress me at all, I could barely hear him, he really didn't do much on stage except shuffle his feet back and forth, and according to JH (he knew about the guy because he shot a video in Ft Lauderdale) those leather pants were stuffed. Eventually we shuttled back to the hotel and crashed, which was sorely needed after a night of being out.

Sunday we got up and had breakfast at the hotel before grabbing a few needed items from our respective houses. Went back through the exhibition hall again and I bought a pair of shorts, and a harness. The harness purchase was not something that was planned since I was actually measured for one a few months ago, but the person who was making it seems to have fallen off the face of the Earth. I was just looking at some for fun, but there was one that I ran across that I really liked, and I bargained with the guy a bit and got some arm bands thrown in for cheap as well on the deal and ended up purchasing that. I ran into a friend from College Park who was down there, and with him was the (in)famous David Phillips. He's actually a rather nice guy to talk to.

JH and I headed back to our hotel and watched the games and napped, since there were plans to be out at another late-night dance. Most other folks at this time would have been over watching the men compete in the leather competition, but JH doesn't care to watch it, and neither do I. I know I would have been bored. Football is more fun to watch :-D

JH and I got into our gear for the nights dance, which in this case was wrestling singlets. Our night would start off at J.R.'s which was simply just to freak out the twinks by showing up, and to take advantage of $2 Skyy cocktails all night. A good way to avoid paying for overpriced drinks at 9:30 club. We got over to 9:30 and got to listen to some great music and do some dancing. Around 3 AM we took off and grabbed a late night dinner over at Annies, where of course we got some looks from the non-leather folks that were there, but as one other patron observed, it looked like one of those folks was going to go home with some new curiosities to explore.

Later that Monday morning, JH and I checked out and headed home to our respective homes. I've used the day to clean up a bit, get rid of some crap that was hanging around my house, including unused Christmas decorations. I also got some leather cleaner and cleaned up and oiled my gear and my leather jacket as well. I know with some good care, this stuff will last me for years, and I intend to take very good care of it.

This weekend was great overall, and it also cemented some things in terms of the relations between JH and I. We enjoy our time together and apart, we have lots of common interests, and now it looks like there are things we want to explore together. Something tells me we're not going to be bored :-D No wonder we're falling hardcore for one another.

Still, what is up with this really cold weather, at least throw us some snow if it's going to be like this!