The 29 days of Black History Month ended with a fantastic weekend! I was in the street every night from Thursday to Sunday hanging out with the folks from here and yonder and I had a great time!
Something else has ended, too - I finally got a new camera! YAY!
It's been a while, I know, but I really had to concentrate to do this. Blogging so personally seems so 2003 now, but I haven't abandoned this blog. Just trying to think about where to take it from here to make it more interesting for you and more challenging for me. Anyhoo, here's the Weekend Update:
Thursday: NYC Photobloggers @ the Apple Store
Apple Store Soho's grand staircase; in a Gothamist family moment, Jen snaps a picture of Jake
Now, I knew what to expect. There relatively aren't that many Black bloggers, so of course, there are even fewer Black photobloggers. Still, all in all it was very interesting - and fun. Philippe, Alvin and I accounted for about 50% of the Black people in attendance, in a crowd that was easily over 100. People seemed to have a really good time meeting each other and hopefully learned a little about creating their own photoblogs. With some tweaking, this will really be an exciting and informative event. I'm looking forward to the next one - maybe even participating, if they'll have me. I will most definitely be rollin' in with a posse.
me and big bruh Al; Glenda, James and Virgil of The Pink Teacup
Afterwards, I hung out some more with my cousin. We ended up at Old Reliable, The Pink Teacup. I tried to make a meeting out of it to discuss plans for his blog and discovered several Wi-Fi connections there! YAY!
Friday: NYU Poetry Slam & Day-O Shenanighans
Tim'm makes the young girls think; Julian Curry and Anacaona (I think) Kraal 'Kayo' Charles deserve the love they got, but they didn't deserve all of it
I'm gonna get to know Yolanda Kae Wilkinson and la belle Felice Belle much better.
Friday's plan was to hook up at Day-O with out-of-town visitors Eric and James. Which was cool in and of itself, but there was another that I didn't want to miss, Mr. Tim'm West. So I went to catch his performance at NYU's Kimmel Center. The crowd sure didn't give him the love that they gave the men who they perceived were heterosexual, but Tim'm gave those young girls what they needed. They'll realize that in about 8-10 years. Everyone on the roster was brilliant, thanks to Felice Belle. Standout: Yolanda Kae Wilkinson recounting a Valentine's Day telephone call. "Um, I need you to stop fucking my husband!"
Carl, Bernard, Al, Philippe and James; Doughboy (I think) Dutchboy, Ryan, Corey and Tim'm
After the show, we did eventually hook up with the others at Day-O. That experience is what it is. I was cool with my Summer Chill and my friends.
Saturday: Booty Bouncin' @ 667
Philippe and Bernard shakin' booties
Philippe, Ryan and I headed out to Brooklyn to neighborhood (well, not ours) haunt 667 to hear Mr. Mark Simmons mix it up. Once we got in, I soon found out that it was now a girl party on Saturday nights. Didn't matter much, though - we headed to the dance floor as soon as our coats were secured. Eventually Bernard showed up with James in tow and we were all on the dance floor. I enjoyed the tunes, but Mark didn't really turn me out. I'll have to collect another time ... *grin!*
Sunday: NYC BlogFam Brunch @ BBQ
House of the Onion Hat, BBQ; Lynne, Larry and Steven giving FEVER on 72nd Street!
We'd been taking about it for weeks, sometimes with lots of spirit, sometimes barely, but it finally happened on Sunday! Earl, Ronn, Eric, Madison, James, Steven, Philippe and Lynne (and not-yet-bloggers Larry, Wan Chuan and Ryan - no kiddie table for them!) showed up. While we were waiting outside, I got a little nervous wondering what we would talk about, there being no agenda or anything. It wasn't warranted, soon we were all chatting like old friends. A lot of it, of course was about blogging - who found who through who, how we each got started, personal blogs vs. not-so-personal blogs - but there was a hefty amount of convo that wasn't about blogging at all. After we had enough grease and liquor, we headed out to the sidewalk and continued chatting about gay marriage and other stuff before we headed in our separate directions.
lovely tropicalesque drink; it's just us
This really has me SO psyched up about Chicago in June! I think it's just amazing how we can sit in a room with people we've grown to love mostly by just reading each other's words, people from different walks of life and from different places. People that we would never know otherwise. It really is a beautiful thing.
All I have to say is: Hot-Damm! You inspire me to go out and start photoblogging away. Too bad I’m too poor and tired lately.
We so need to make Juneteenth in Chicago a reality. As much as I enjoyed Sunday with the NY BlogFam, we need to expand it and finally meeting some cool peeps in person would be the end of it all! I’m hoping the next NYC get-together will see the sisters and a few shy brothers come out. Like Bernard T. and PatCH and Tracy…
Man where are the sisters in NYC? I don’t even know other than Tracy. There are a few younger girls who I could invite.
These pictures make me remember how comfortable and relaxed I felt with you folk. And to think, I’m really an introvert. :-)
But on the real. I can’t wait for Junteenth either. We have to make sure it happens.
Wow..im glad I came Donald. The pictures look very good…i cant even comment on mine. :)
you are a damn good photographer to boot…enjoyed hanging out with you and Phillipe—mus tdo it again in the future.
yes i need to get to know Felice and Yolanda too, ok? theyre just that fierce. :)
all in all it was a great weekend…and the guy sitting at my table in the second picture you took at Day-O is DUTCHBOY, not DOUGHBOY (and he’s very cute too…just to put that out there).
Ryan
you guys look like you had such a wonderful time. i’ve been hesistant to meet people. i’m thinking i need to come out of my shell. you’re photos are fantastic.