Lost keys

I never heard them jingle and clink as they spilled from my bag and hit the sidewalk. I was too absorbed in my iPod as I ran home from the gym. Somewhere between Avenue A and Fifth Avenue along 12th Street, my keys and I parted ways amongst the afternoon crowds.

I’ve never lost a set of keys before. I rarely lose anything…especially not one of the small everyday objects that play such important roles in our lives (i.e. keys, wallet, iPod, cell phone, infant). My first emotion upon realizing my keys weren’t in my bag was utter and complete dread. A deep and resonating boom echoed somewhere in the distance as my heart sank. Panic came next as I poured out everything in my bag and searched for the missing keys. I knew they weren’t there…I knew they weren’t back at the gym…I knew they were somewhere in the streets of New York City. Crap.

As if on cue the rain began to pour. Perfect…rain and locked out. I felt like R2-D2 from The Empire Strikes Back when he’s locked out of Yoda’s hut on Dagobah (perhaps a bit too obscure of a reference…). I had to find my keys…so I began the 1.5 mile walk back along the way I had come…my eyes scanning every inch of sidewalk with desperation and urgency. Could I find them?

I walked all the way back to the gym…and all the way home again. Nada. Nothing. 鍵
ない！ The keys were gone.

But where? I would have seen them if they were still in the middle of the sidewalk. So did someone pick them up? A human? An animal? A sewer gnome who regularly collects dropped items and adds them to his store of people treasures in his underground lair? I had no idea…all I knew was I had contributed to the lost items of NYC.

I’ll miss you keys. You have my drug store and grocery store MVP cards that get me deals on toothpaste and tomato sauce. Sigh. Life goes on.

I'm not Mike

College friends wedding update: out of a dozen male friends from my close-knit IV group, only 3 now remain unmarried. This past weekend celebrated the marriage of Mike to his lovely LeAnne down in Savannah, Georgia. The wedding “weekend” (extending from Wednesday to Sunday for me) was an absolute blast that included many a shenanigan as well as significant and intimate conversations with old friends. Compared to my NYC life, my time in Savannah was like visiting another world…the weather was sunny and hot, the food southern and heavy, the friends straight and coupled. The love and support that exists between this group of friends is amazing though and brings us all together.

The bachelor party crew was outfitted with shirts designed by Blake that assured we would get proper attention during our rowdy bar crawl. The groomsmen wore shirts adorned with Mike’s smiling face and reading, “I’m Not Mike”. This provided the contrast to Mike’s personal shirt that read, “I’m Mike. And I’m getting married!”



As you can imagine many people in bars and along the streets were curious about our group and this gave us the opportunity to shout, “This is Mike! And he’s getting married! YAY!” There’s no better way to celebrate a guy’s marriage than to draw as much attention to him as possible.

The night was a success and included some awesome karaoke. A very enthusiastic young woman at the karaoke place enjoyed assisting us with our singing. She also sat in Mike’s lap.




Good times. I love these guys.

Spock as Marilyn Monroe

I found this bit of artwork on a wall in China Town when I was out for a sunny stroll the other day. I thought it was pretty cool and should be shared with the rest of the world via my blog. The combination of Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame and the eternally glamorous Ms. Monroe is striking and compelling in its unexpected mixing of two American pop culture icons. My general reaction was, “Oh wow! Cooool.” I hope yours will be the same.

Activist born

Some of the best teachers in life are friends…those people you spend so much casual time with day to day and end up absorbing parts of their lives through your daily conversations. Sometimes these lessons are new knowledge that enlighten you and broaden your world view…other times these lessons are more like keys that unlock inspiration and power within you…bringing out qualities that were there all along but needed stirring to awaken them.

Last week there was a rally for marriage equality and my friend Evan invited me to come and participate. I had never been a part of a rally before and felt like it was time for me to make an effort and show the world that I believe in extending marriage rights to all couples—gay and straight. While highly controversial in political circles, this issue boils down to a simple matter of civil rights and giving same sex couples the same rights as everyone else.

I arrived at the Christopher Street meeting point and saw a mass of people carrying homemade signs and umbrellas. I had an umbrella, but I suddenly felt empty handed without an expressive sign.

This was quickly amended when I found Evan and he thrust a couple clipboards into my hands and told me to follow and watch him. The clipboards held a petition that was going to be sent to NY senators urging them to sign a marriage equality bill currently being reviewed. My task was to circulate amongst the crowd and gather signatures for the petition. While simple to do, this added step of engaging with others and urging them to sign an important petition upgraded me from “rally participant” to “gay rights activist”.


I watched Evan for a few moments, and then dived off on my own. My nervousness suddenly vanished in a surge of empowerment and I began speaking to everyone I could in the crowd. The clipboards were easily passed from person to person and I maneuvered past rainbow flags to keep up with them. I found my job satisfying and also a great way to talk to cute boys.


The rally started, cheers and chants were taught, and we began to march through the streets of NYC as a mass of civil liberty proponents. People on the sidewalks and in windows along the street stopped to take photos, cheer, and wave pink boas in support.

The march ended in Union Square where speeches were given and I continued to gather signatures. After it was all over and the crowd began to filter away into the subway and streets, I felt a new sense of security about my identity and a new urgency to fight for my rights. My rally participation was about me expressing to myself that I believe in marriage equality and giving me the opportunity as an American to work towards a better more just future. I had these feelings in me all along, but it took the encouragement of a friend to get me motivated and moving.

New York is evolving me as an individual and giving me the space to become a better person. I’ve already grown so much…and foresee a continuing unfolding of good things to come.