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Dore Alley Virgin No More!
Aug. 1st, 2016 01:22 pmMy office has great timing. hey summonned me to San Francisco for the week of July 25 on annoyingly short notice, but there was a death in the family of my teammate so I was needed in the office while he tended to the funeral in Texas. And then there was the Dore Alley leather festival the following weekend, the day before I was to fly home. So everybody wins --except for Matt's dead relative, I guess.
The leather festival itself was fun, and I'm glad I was there. I felt a little out of place at first as I had packed no leather gear. Practically nothing fits anymore because of the weight lifting & gym work, but I resisted as it takes too much space in a suitcase that contained business clothes for a week. But apparently, jeans, going shirtless and wearing a baseball cap is sufficient to blend in with much of the crowd. How far can you get with just a friendly smile and a hairy chest? Well, pretty far, apparently! :-)
I knew a handful of people: Jeb, Andy, Sam, Chris, Gord, etc., so I wasn't completely on my own. The crowds became pretty overwhelming by 2:30pm so I kept pretty much to the sidelines. And I was out too long so I did get a mild sunburn despite my efforts to stay in shaded areas.
On the unsuspecting side, I got a lot of compliments from complete strangers. One guy said I was the perfect daddy. Another told me his boyfriend was too shy to say but that the BF thought I was the hotest man at the festival and would I be willing to be in a photo with him? A few others asked to take my picture, or approached me following to say that he had snapped a pic and thank me for being there. Many others grinned at eye contact or casually brushed a hand across my chest in passing, or a quick (or not so quick) grope. One guy asked if I would drop my jeans for a cock shot; anytime else, probably not, but hey, it's Dore Alley so I'm happy to please.
It's so nice when people ask to take a photo, especially when it's (IMHO) completely unnecessary: if you don't want your photo taken in a public street while doing various activities in public, you probably should question your concept of public vs private. I figure that if I'm wandering about in the street for all to see, no one needs my permission.
And it was nice to see Jo and his new girlfriend Cindy at the end of the festival and spend some time chatting with them at a nearby cafe. Jo is such a sweetheart hunk and he seems very happy right now, which makes me feel great too. And Cindy is a blast as well... I like her!
I'm glad I attended but I'm not sure I'd make special plans to do so in future unless I knew I could attend with a handful of friends. It's a bit lonely being one in such a crowd despite the sights & sounds. It would be better with a few extras.
The leather festival itself was fun, and I'm glad I was there. I felt a little out of place at first as I had packed no leather gear. Practically nothing fits anymore because of the weight lifting & gym work, but I resisted as it takes too much space in a suitcase that contained business clothes for a week. But apparently, jeans, going shirtless and wearing a baseball cap is sufficient to blend in with much of the crowd. How far can you get with just a friendly smile and a hairy chest? Well, pretty far, apparently! :-)
I knew a handful of people: Jeb, Andy, Sam, Chris, Gord, etc., so I wasn't completely on my own. The crowds became pretty overwhelming by 2:30pm so I kept pretty much to the sidelines. And I was out too long so I did get a mild sunburn despite my efforts to stay in shaded areas.
On the unsuspecting side, I got a lot of compliments from complete strangers. One guy said I was the perfect daddy. Another told me his boyfriend was too shy to say but that the BF thought I was the hotest man at the festival and would I be willing to be in a photo with him? A few others asked to take my picture, or approached me following to say that he had snapped a pic and thank me for being there. Many others grinned at eye contact or casually brushed a hand across my chest in passing, or a quick (or not so quick) grope. One guy asked if I would drop my jeans for a cock shot; anytime else, probably not, but hey, it's Dore Alley so I'm happy to please.
It's so nice when people ask to take a photo, especially when it's (IMHO) completely unnecessary: if you don't want your photo taken in a public street while doing various activities in public, you probably should question your concept of public vs private. I figure that if I'm wandering about in the street for all to see, no one needs my permission.
And it was nice to see Jo and his new girlfriend Cindy at the end of the festival and spend some time chatting with them at a nearby cafe. Jo is such a sweetheart hunk and he seems very happy right now, which makes me feel great too. And Cindy is a blast as well... I like her!
I'm glad I attended but I'm not sure I'd make special plans to do so in future unless I knew I could attend with a handful of friends. It's a bit lonely being one in such a crowd despite the sights & sounds. It would be better with a few extras.
