On Christmas Day

A white Christmas, a hot guy and a fireplace is what I wanted for Christmas this year.

Well, I didn’t get a white Christmas, but I did get some snow early this month. Chicago was covered all in beautiful white and soft cashmere. It was good for the eye, soft for the touch but not warm. It was cold as snow.

A fireplace is so rare in Chicago. So I didn’t get that either. It is hard to find a one bedroom place with fireplace to actually work. If you are lucky enough to find one, it has to be cozy and charming as a hot guy can be.

Hopefully I will be able to see and maybe rent a studio condo very soon. It is located in one of the greatest luxury vintage buildings in Chicago. It used to be Lincoln Park Palace. A gorgeous building of stone, granite and marble, with imposing lobby and a golden vintage open elevator sits right at the corner of Diversey and Pine Grove. It is very close to Belmont Harbor, once a great port of a beautiful small town North of Chicago. Today is the border between Lincoln Park and Lakeview. A simple, stone-carved plate marks the name and the long history of the building: Brewer House.

What I got for early Christmas is the cutest, sweetest and funniest guy I could possibly find in Chicago at this point. He is charming and nice, a great person and wonderful personality. For as far I could know him, he is what I think I need now. I had lots of experiences for a short time, all with fun and emotions. It is something I didn’t feel in a long time. Not even working on a big design project with Storehouse or on my own. The new house I start working on in Atlanta and the Buckhead condo are far from the excitement to get to know this guy. After all, he is also in business. And he has the name of a great Prince. Did I finally find my other half? Only the New Year will tell.

Some dreams come true and some not. It is HRH that belongs to a court, a Royal court: my heart to him.

Time for Carols

Every Friday night in December, the Cloud Gate in Millennium Park is the scene for carols concerts.

I missed the gay Men Choir but I went to see at least one of the concerts.

This past Friday was Chicago Mass Choir. Gospel music and rhythms filled up the air very quick and soon everybody around started to shake, move or sing along.

I let the music penetrate my body and I closed my eyes. I heard a powerful women’s gospel voice with high notes, changing very easy from high to low. I almost could swear was Deborah Cox with her hit “I took my problems to the dance floor”….

When I listen to the words, the strong woman was singing “I need God’s power”. She was so right. She wasn’t heavy but her voice was all over the place, asking around who needs power. “Who needs power right now?”

Windows of my life

Chicago is not New York City for sure. But Manhattan it’s just the name. Magnificent Mile is also a proper name, but for Chicago.

It comes with Macy’s and all the wonderland Christmas windows. Not only the kids, but also I enjoy watching Mary Poplins and the stories behind. Great “mis-en-fenetre” (the other French similar with mis-en-scene but the window version) colorful stories with mechanical puppets make you think that we are around Christmas. Great things happen this time of the year, not only around us but in your life. Deep inside us something is born again every year.

Back to the kid in me, I need to think about the dark entry ways or empty houses on Barry Street, old attics in New Orleans, back alleys and staircases in New York, parking lots or back seats in Atlanta… These are different kinds of displays and not quite shiny as Macy’s windows. But they are windows of my past and I need to make sure I remember their presence in my life and deal with them. The good part is that they are fun. Is good to have fun and enjoy it.

Maybe I should just leave my eyes enjoy the windows and the mind to reveal once more the past the present. Maybe this way the future will shine.

Tomorrow will be a great day. I am going back to Macy’s windows.

Ice skating

I will probably never can say figure skating but at least I can try ice skating. The Millennium Park ice skate ring is free and open this time of the year. You only have to pay to rent some skates if you don't own any.

The fun is also free, the music, the lights and the cold. But you can cross few blocks away to State and Lake and H&M or Macy's are there. Buy some good clothes and go back on the ring. Make sure is not a dress you are buying, honey. Leave it for when your husband is there so he can pay for it.

Warm up at Starbucks when they want you to move out of the ice, for maintenance. Too bad Carry – Boy is not there and also the view is kind of straight. But if you get a significant one or at least a trick -one, the story can improve. I only had a friend and you can see him. The trick lives across the park.

But that’s the sauna story, for another time!

Free ride in Chicago

I had another tip idea and I guess I shouldn’t let it go. So I am going to share it with you.

Chicago is a great city for public transportation. It has the EL train that runs in all kinds of colors one could believe they were trying to put the gay pride colors on the map. Red, blue and purple lines are mixed with brown, orange, green and even off-white. Let’s not forget about the little project, the new born baby, the PINK line! Some people just named their new born London or Roberto, or others just stick with Woody, not as-new-born anymore!!!

Than you have the buses. They run express, direct or just “old people” buses. Newer or older style, they come in red or just black letters. The fancy downtown ones have single digits, but the more people they carry and the far out they go, the digits on the number go up. Most of them are non-stop, 24/7. So it’s great to move and go, no matter where in the city your trick may be.

Just in time for the holidays they have the green trolleys, the street cars.

If you like something more… real, you have to try METRA. This is the big boys toy, the real train. Runs in and out… of the city, what do you think? The size is the same, don’t worry… all long and can fit well, ready for all kind of challenges!

For the New Yorker inside you stick your hand out and a taxi cab will give you the ride. Just make sure you know in what direction you use your hand. Always stay with the flow. If they run up and you want to go up, stay on that side. If they go down, you know what to do. Just let them go and enjoy it! They won’t turn, so why should you worry? There is always a next one, ready to take you up on the spot. Or should I have said pick you up? Nobody does that kind of job on the street anymore. For that now you have the internet.

A short visit to the Sports Authority will give you good deals on bikes, skates or just snickers. You can run on a different speed. Same thing, but a different kind of pleasure!

These all cost money. The train, the bus, Metra, your cute hot bike or the “Olivia Newton John like” roller blades are not free. But we all have Ipods and we all like to listen to the music. And here comes the tip of the day: if you want a free ride, just plug in your Ibutt (or Ipod), get your headsets on and working. Start walking along a main avenue. Soon a car will slow down or even go around the block and come back again.

It’s all about you at this point; and your needs. I only needed a free ride. But it was convertible (and I converted into something else, who those who don’t understand my two-faces humor!!!

Design tip of the day!

Few tips I can give out are more than priceless. Design tips are very welcome for more and more people.

Maybe I should start the “design package” membership. That will draw people for the package rather than the design itself so I am not sure if that’s a good idea.

One of my best friends, Scott has a on-going advice for me: “Say no!”, I can hear him saying. With such a membership I will beat the locker room, sauna and even the bench press from any gyms. But also it will be very difficult to listen to Scott anymore, and eventually do what he’s saying.

To make it clear, listen to all these women willing to do “everything it takes” to look pretty. Too bad they realized it too late. They try everything from cosmetics and face lotions to face lifts, breasts lifting and buttocks. When there is no male around, they want to get it.

When you don’t have customers, you want to do some “packages”, discounts and membership deals. The bigger, the better of course.

If you never heard about GEROVITAL go online and google it out. You will be surprised how good and wonderful this “Romanian miracle” works. It does take part in the package. I am using it almost every morning when I wake up early enough to have time for such things. When the night is a little busier, I am getting in on the natural way. No need for …extras!

Do not ask me to bring you some from Romania. It is not recognized by FDA, I think. They don’t agree with the idea and the results of Prof Ana Aslan. She discovered the formula and used it since. Just try it, like a good tip, part of the package.

Chicago has all kind of beautiful, charming and vintage places. There are mainly two ways to get to know them and even see or live there. One is the apartment / condo hunting. The second is better, I believe. It takes you right to the target and involves design. Don’t let your mind go dirty.

For the beginner that never came into a Storehouse location, one of the first design steps is a home visit. You get in touch with your customer, after you hunt him (or her, but better him… hmmm), set up an appointment and show up for the home visit…

The best surprise you have when you don’t know the customer. Either you skipped the “hunting” process or you just don’t care.

I have large experience with vary places around Chicago. I should start to name the neighborhoods so you can learn something. My portfolio (or discount package if you wish) is based mainly in East Lakeview (in or around Boystown and the lake coast, called LSD or Lake Shore Drive). Also there is Gold Coast, the beautiful Chicagoan Riviera that looks like the Romanian Black Sea Coast, rather then the French Riviera. Further South (before you get to HOTlanta) you will find the Magnificent Mile (or Streeterville) with the skyscrapers “full of“ architecture and the fancy 1 Mile shopping strip (or 1 Million shopping spree for you trust funds accounts). Once you get into the Loop you should probably know how to slide; in and out, without glide! Don’t worry about the direction, just keep it straight… unless you are gay! Deep, hard and fast keep it to the side down to the …park. The Millennium Park, that is.

One would say I have plenty of business… Design tip of the day!

HYDRATE at HY-Drag

There are very ingenious people around us. Their mind can work more than most of us can see or think of. This way their ideas become very interesting and lots of fun for the others around.

Look to the funny commercials on TV. We all like to watch the Superbowl, but not for the football of course, excluding the football players we all have some fantasies about sometimes.

The idea that generates these commercials is a big secret and doesn't get released only few days before the event.

You watched Queer as Folk, the well-desired , well-groomed HBO TV show. Brian is the simbol of what a mind can do, in marketing or in the Babylon's (aka Backstreet) restroom.

On the other hand you have the gay guys that invented the "code" back in early 70's to help them out to communicate. Ingeniousity and necessity was the key to create the hankey code, the collar code or "how-to-get-that-guy-in-my-bed" code. This last one wasn't that clever back in time, since we call them tricks today, less words than in the past. Some of them are clever enough to memorize and remember all these codes or better, even to use them.

The city of HOTlanta didn't start in Franklin's office. It was born in Dick-hater (Decatur), at Hairy-Dick (or Heretic) or at Crack-street (aka Backstreet). Let's face it. This is a collective effort to put Atlanta on the map, as the 3rd largest gay community in the country compared with its own population.

If you look at the absolute number, CHI-town is way better. Chicago has these people that created and opened the bar called "Hydrate", my inspiration for today.

If you play with the letters (but not the balls) you get HY-drag, HIGH-drate or many others and you can figure out the fun.

Good enough, my two-doors neighbor is coming home. I could hear on the hallway. Yes, she had a show tonight. Hy-drag review! Hydrate yourself, it's hot ... inside your pants!

Disco Brunch

Still winter and cold outside. But indoor is warm and the boys are coming one by one to keep me busy… or I go find them.

Not too many clubs, except the Mini bar that opened the Wine bar. This is such a nice, cute, funky and well designed space. Tiff, you would love it! Too bad I don’t get all my friends up here so we can all enjoy it.

17F (or -9C) in the day feels like 10 or worst, 8 when the wind is blowing. You better be hot or ready to put on your warm gloves, hat and scarf. Probably will drop a little more in the next few days.

I took some pics of boys (two of them) but I guess I won’t post them here. They expressed their concern that the pics won’t end up on a website so I guess I need to respect that.

The days are so gorgeous when the sun is up and shining. A friend from Alabama came up here to visit and told me this city is great. This is his first time in Chicago and he’s already in love. I’m just reading somebody else’s mind when I hear him saying that….

Everybody should take time to come and visit here. Christmas season is wonderful. No need to go to New York. Macy’s, Lord and Taylor, Marshall Fields are all competing with the most original, traditional or fashionable mirrors. People are strolling to admire them, juts like the customers in the Storehouse showroom on a bad day. Watching or “just looking”.

So don’t think too much. If you have kids or if you don’t just come and you’ll enjoy great time and superb memories.

You can meet that cute young smiley guy at Disco Brunch on Broadway. He’s wearing the leather pants and the yellow hankey is coming out of his back left side pocket. If you don’t know the language, just ask Kurt. He’s willing and available.

(OMG! I just realised what yellow means. I guess is gold, not realy yellow! How did I miss it? I better learn all these codes so I don't waiste the chance again!)

Chicago Lakeview East

AIDS Day!

December 1st is time to observe International Aids Day.

I'm sure you al do the best you can to support this cause.

Thank you!

VIVAT ROMANIA !!!

If you didn't know, today is Romania National Day!!! December 1st 1918. Just like 4th of July!

HAPPY ROMANIA DAY! VIVAT! CRESCAT! FLOREAT! (that's Latin, just so you know... lol)

It is winter and I’m back! Just like the snow storm, traveling from the South.

I returned to the usual life schedule and boys in Chi town after a good time in the Deep South (not a Southern Decadence!).

As I traveled to find the Falcon Studio boys getting at it on a very original style, I had to put on my pull-over, scarf and warm jacket one by one. 30 degrees are not like 70 and the snow that came reminded me of a long winter in my childhood. Christmas tree candies and the fresh smell of Christmas sweet bread are mixing in with boys juice and hot ripped flesh stomach at the gym. Not sure which one is giving me more goose bumps but I’m sure I do like them all! If it’s about the colors, I’ll stick with blonde and blue. Sometimes I can close my eyes to some nuts or (pre)honey…

It is so yummy to be winter again. Why worry about getting down to low 20’s tomorrow and for the next days? We always like to go down, so why worry now? I’m hot, cozy and try to stay that way. Plenty of neighbors will help me out, just like my friends from Atlanta if they’re willing to travel here.

I’m glad I got to see as much friends as I could; and make new ones. It was very interesting that I met again atlantaboy.com . He was the last person I saw in Atlanta before I left for Chicago last time. He was the first person I met this time also. His name is Zach and he’s a blonde cutie, as happy as I am.

Spending time with my family, my niece and my lovely nephew took a large part of my time there. I found all my beads collected from the two NOLA big events, Southern Decadence or Mardi Grass. They were hanging around my nephew’s neck. It wasn’t my niece to play with them, but him.

It supposed to be a warmer then usual winter here. I know Scott is happy, waiting on the big event: the snow storm that devastated the Midwest like 20 some years ago. It feels so good to see and play with all that white stuff! We all like it!