The TBRU Wrap-Up you've all been waiting for... (part two)

[eggwards]

More stuff about the past weekend. sorry that this is getting so long, but it's important to me.


Friendships grow on the next episode of TBRU Icon...



First, two notes. One. "Cock Chugging." This became my phrase of the weekend. I had never heard it before, and it just made me laugh. Bob sprung this on me the first day, and it stuck. Where are you staying? Cock-Chugging Central. What's so-and-so doing at the Eagle? Chugging Cock. Of course.


Two. Thursday and Friday, the group that shared our hotel was the American Association of Christian Counselors. I'm sure they couldn't have been more thrilled when a large group of hairy, big, gay men rolled into the hotel. They had several books for sale in the lobby, though I never saw them all, I recalled one about dealing with Jews, so I'm sure there was a de-gaying book somewhere. Many of the big-haired ladies and their husbands gave us some quizzical looks. (I'm sure the women were concerned the men might convert - hee!)

The joy was when I was asked by one of them, with John blithwulf in tow as we were getting ready to go to lunch, what the bear event was. Please don't ask the new guy. How in the world can I explain what this is besides a big Cock-Chugging good time for a bunch of big homos? The problem is that I'm really nice, and they could sense it. (John later said that I looked normal, no leather, piercings or tattoos. I was less intimidating than many of the others) How could I tell them anything so terrible? I just said it was a bunch of friends getting together here in Dallas. He bought it, to some extent...but I really didn't want to talk to him anymore. I was really not comfortable with that, and where the whole discussion might lead (God loves you, look at the new bear...if we can single him out from the herd, we can get him...come back to the fold, sinner, Blessed Be!). What the hell was he asking the Icon for anyway! Away with you!

Lunch - Black-Eyed Pea in the Gayborhood, with Chris oakleycub, John blithwulf and Glenn hot4latin. Mmm, Chicken fried steak and Mac and Cheese. Here's the only time we commented on the war - since it was on the TV's. After that, we went to pick up Bob bobaloo and Paul knepbearwho had been out at a Weight Watchers meeting where Paul had lost seven pounds! Still, they were hungry so lunch for them and over to Zeus for comic book shopping. We dragged Jamie supercub with us, too. Richard dedagdawas happy to see us, even though most of us didn't by anything, except for Bob who picked up several Masters of the Universe toys. So many that we had to go the post office and ship them to LA for him.

Back to the hotel to just hang out until the Vendor's area opened up. I didn't realize it till later, but because Bob was performing at the Bear Game Show on Saturday, his room was a little nicer than most (with two King-sized beds, as opposed to my two queen-sized ones). So we all flopped on the beds and talked, again. I was really enjoying John's sense of humor and his answering all my Furry questions. 

The vendor's area was really disappointing. There wasn't that much there to shop for, and the BearFilms.com booth hadn't opened yet (for which I'm sure Larry lfkbear, excuse me, Luke Ryder, must have been grateful for) There were some interesting "Extreme Bear" shirts that I liked, but by the time I was ready to by on Sunday - they were already gone.

I was tired, and I wanted to lie down for a bit. Since John and I had been hanging around, I told him I was heading up to my room. Then I got some guts...and asked if he wanted to come along! Oh yeah! It was fairly innocent *blush* but we had slipped away for a bit and cuddled. Yea! After a while, we got a call from Cruise Director Matty mattycub stating that the gang was going out for dinner.

When we got down to the lobby. All eyes on me. look at the new guy, who just disappeared with the hot bear.

Then Sean mooch asks, in all seriousness, "What's up with that New Bear Icon Stuff?" Uhm, < Icon> It's a joke.< /Icon>

More food.  Many, many people. Dinner was to be at Good Eats, close to Zeus comics. I drove John, Paul and Bob - notice a trend here? There we met up with...here we go, James jamesbeary, Kevin buzzwords, Kenny pridekill, Bruce enigmacub, Clint clintswan, oh goodness, I'm forgetting several people, Matty, Larry, Glen, Skye cristalskye who had brought David gadgetguyand Rick, John txredneck who had brought Rob robcelt. I think that's most of you.

While we waited, this lady comes up and asks (grabbing by TRBU tag from my neck) what we were there for. I nicely told her it was a fraternity function. It worked, and she wished us a good time. Now if I had told her about the Cock-Chugging...

Chris had to go run and pick up Derek decibal from the airport. I had some great Chicken Pasta...then it was off to the Welcome party at Throckmorton Mining Company.

From what I hear, TMC is totally different from the Montrose Mining Company in Houston. It's a dance bar. There's a big floor there. We got there just in time for the events to start. Yadda, Yadda, Yadda. There was a comedian, and he was all right. I've seen better. Then, off flips the lights, out come the Bears and on comes the fog machine. John and I had been watching all of this from the balcony. He could tell that my eyes were wide open. I had never seen anything like this. Shirts were coming off and literally hundreds of men were getting their grove on. Look, it's Jamie and Chris - and then their shirts - gone. 

I had been in a dancing mood for some time, but I had to watch the dynamic...the flow of it all, first. Besides, it was incredibly crowded. It was going to take a major effort to get out there. I could also tell that John wasn't going to dance. Still...here's an opportunity. Chris is out there, and you can dance with him. As I make my way to the stairs, I spot Skye and tell her that I was going to dance, implying that I'd like her to come with me. She encouraged me, but had that look in her eyes that said "there is no way in hell I'm getting into that mess." Any other night, and she'd be there on the dance floor.

It takes a bit, and I throw myself through a lot of people to get there, but I get out to the middle of the floor, and kiss Chris. Immediately Jamie pulls Chris up onto one of the boxes in the center and starts to dance with him.  Well, I'm in the middle of a pack of bears and totally lost. I don't know any of these people. I feel very uncomfortable, but after a couple of minutes of just lightly dancing out there, I just stole some strength from the old inner Icon, and said hell, I'm going to dance, no matter who's around.

After a few minutes, Chris comes back, and we're joined by Matty Richard and Derek. They start playing some old school Madonna, Whitney, Pet Shop Boys and Frankie Goes to Hollywood...songs I know and love. We're singing and dancing along, and Derek is hitting these high notes that you would not believe he's not known as decibal for nothing.  Chris encouraged me to take my shirt off, but I wasn't budging. I'm not ready to be shaking my groove thang, and have everyone else see belly shaking around, too. Despite all of the hot bodies around me, and the fact that I had a long -sleeved shirt on (it was cold outside) I was staying shy.

They started playing a whole bunch of song snippets, but not the songs themselves, which totally sucked as you found you wanted to here the whole song! So we all got bored. I went to look for Bob and Paul and John to see what they wanted to do. I couldn't find them anywhere, and was worried. I followed Derek and Chris around, meeting some others around. (And there's Buzz and Kenny again...hmm.) This one big burly bear turned to Chris and I and complemented us (though I'm sure he was more interested in Chris) and gave us his room number - geez!

Still, traveling through the bar, it becomes clear that the guys have already left to go back to the hotel. We had danced for a couple of hours and they were a bit bored, so they took the shuttle back. Several of us caravanned back to the hotel and made a beeline for Bob, Paul and John's room. We must have had 10 of us in there, and we were just shooting the shit. Bob told us about the Game Show he would be hosting tomorrow. And there was some long talks about LJ drama and the Dallas Bears. I was starting to think about bed, and the party was breaking up - after we ate all of the cheese and crackers that had been brought in the complementary basket from the Sheraton, with a bottle of Merlot (because Bob's a rockstar, baby).

Well, I kind of lingered to talk to John, and Bob and Paul worked on turning in...and some how it just seemed natural for me to stay the night as well. I don't know how it happened, or how I seemingly got the message that it was OK, but I crawled into bed next to John. Hmm. It's still unusual to me to have someone else in bed, but John and I fit well. It was nice to finally rub my hands across the red hair covering his chest. We talked for a little while, and he made some puns, and I'm sure I nervously babbled on.

Eventually I pulled my arm around him, and we fell asleep. Mmm.

 
(More coming later...geez, this was only day two)

Comments

[aadroma.livejournal.com]

It's still unusual to me to have someone else in bed, but John and I fit well.

Awwwww~ ^_^ I'm so glad you got to meet him. He's an amazing, comforting man. And he makes for a wonderful teddy bear. Ne?

I love reading this from your PoV! Now if you'd just gotten JOHN to dance too ^_-