I Miss City Life. =(

Don't get me wrong, I love Phoenix. It is a great (fledgling) city. There is great potential here. Downtown is practically blossoming before my eyes.

But.

I miss living in the chaotic order of a real city. The bustling of constant movement and the reassuring peace brought by the hectic throb of its inhabitants. I miss being able to take the metro places or even just walking down the street to my favorite restaurants or bars to meet friends for a bite to eat or a few drinks. Phoenix does not nor may it ever have this. It may not be written in the stars for this desert metropolis.

Let me fill you in. Some of you may already know this. Phoenix has some of the most beautiful weather in the country. The problem is it is only between October and April. The few remaining months of the year can leave you running from your air conditioned house to your air conditioned car, just to drive half a mile to the store. The summer heat is definitely an acquired taste. It took me two whole years to finally get acclimated. I do not mind the heat, but even the most seasoned resident cannot stand it for more than 10 minutes. How can anyone be comfortable strolling down the street to maybe meet friends or go on a date when you are a big sweaty mess once you arrive? True, they are building a light rail throughout the valley. But personally, I do not think it will meet the needs of a city trying to become something of a New York or even a San Francisco. Only one line is planned (more are,at least, under study), and I feel a light rail is going to see fewer riders than had they chosen to install a subway. It is just a tad frustrating.

Furthermore, I am still unsure about this surge in downtown residential construction. Granted, there are more high rise condos popping up everywhere, but the pricing of said condos are completely out of whack. Come on, who is going to pay $600k+ for a tiny-ass condo that is barely a 1 bedroom. Some of my worries have even come to fruition with numerous foreclosures of the first round of condos to become available, and they were not even the pricey ones.

I don't know. I guess I am just a city boy at heart, and having just visited New York City (the City of all Cities) certainly does not help. I just wish Phoenix, in all its wondrous infancy, grows up and not further out (like Los Angeles) without tearing itself apart.

Think Thin, People!

*sigh*

Approved: Nasty Pig Briefs

An Unplanned, but Definitely Deserved Review.

I recently purchased a pair of the newly released briefs by the brand Nasty Pig. Originally, I bought them because I thought they were hot looking and the waistband was definitely suggestive. When they were delivered in the mail, I did not wear them out right away. I decided I wanted to wait until I went out to the bars or dancing to try them out.

Having just returned from my trip to New York City with Rich, Philip & Jerry, I have plenty to report on these undies!

For starters, they are really hot. I love the cut, fit and look. I received plenty of compliments on them, as I had them poking out the top of my jeans, while dancing my ass off at Stereo NYC (to the point that my jeans were practically falling down). Someone even (jokingly) asked if the name on the waistband was the brand or my nickname. Besides looks, they are some of the most comfortable underwear I have EVER worn. This is coming from the person with 2 dresser drawers full of underwear, so I am pretty well informed when it comes to new and popular styles. The Nasty Pig briefs are one of most well constructed pairs I have come across and the quality of fabric is top notch. They held up after a 12 hour dance marathon and felt like a fresh pair when I arrived back at our hotel room the next day.

If interested in a comfy and stylish (IMO) pair of low-rise briefs, I recommend you give Nasty Pig a try. They also come in trunks and jocks, which I will have to check those out too.

I am even more interested in their line of jeans, now. I wonder how they would be to wear out dancing.

Official Website: Nasty Pig

Where I Purchased Them: International Jock

Open Door Policy

So, I know this is my first official post and I really should ease myself into it before getting too deep with the topics. This topic has been coming up a lot lately, so I have been wanting to talk about it. Anyway, here I go...

Open Relationships. Not a very mainstream ideal, but they certainly do exist. They seem to be more common in the gay community than the straight community. Either that or us gay men are just more inclined to be open and public about it. The concept of the open relationship is not new to me by any means, as I have been in one with Rich for many years. I will go on record with saying that they are not for everyone. At times, they can be frustrating and with added leg work, but they do that their advantages.

Like I was saying, the subject has been brought to me an uncanny amount of times, lately. I have been asked about how they work, seen shows on TV talking about them and even in print articles. It seems like it is being brought to the forefront.

A local news show did an expose on what they called 'swinging' here in the Phoenix Metro area. Granted, this particular topic was more focused to the straight community, but it was being talked about, nonetheless. They talked about how it was happening under all of our noses and what you need to know about what your neighbors are doing. It even went as far as having the shadowed-figure interviews. This made me quite perturbed. Why does it matter what people are doing in their own private lives? How does that affect anyone else? This point-of-view is along the lines of constantly being interrogated about my relationship and how my inquisitors could never be in a relationship like that and does not understand how one can live it. Hey, I didn't ask for your opinion. I gladly offer any information about what I think it is all about to help those that are curious about having one for themselves, but I do not need to take the beratement from the rest who can't deal with something that has nothing to do with them.

On another note, I recently read a rather interesting article in Out Magazine. It talked about gay men in committed relationships who then pursue another relationship. They are not cheating, but taking on boyfriend in addition to their husband/partner. All parties involved are aware of everyone else. Now, I had always wondered if this happened, but never heard any evidence. I don't think I could do it myself, at least at this point in my life and relationship. Hell, I have my hands full as it is!

I guess I should probably get to the point of all this. I feel that open relationships are more than just having the opportunity of sexual activities outside of one’s committed relationship, but it is also a mind set. It is being aware of a different way of life that is not confined by religious or social prejudice. I think someone who is either in an open relationship or is accepting of them are somewhat enlightened. They know that humans are still animals and have urges they have to deal with when it comes to sex. We are made to have multiple partners. The pairing of modern time is from what is expected of us to do not what our bodies are telling us it wants. Granted, I am sure there are plenty of people out there that have no issue with wanting to be with no one else other than their mate, but I am sure at one point they had the stray thought or hormonal surge to think of someone else.

I love my partner. He loves me. We both know that we are not going anywhere. But we also know we are humans, even more so males. We are driven by not just our minds and judgment, but our hormones and instincts. Our relationship has evolved into something more than most will ever experience. We can go have our own adventures and know that we have our mate, our best friend there at home, when we return. We encounter new experiences and then share them with each other. It is quite hot, actually.

You can say what you want about my relationship, but I know this is better than being in a monogamous relationship. We don't have to worry when the other is going to cheat, because we cannot cheat on each other.

We know where the other stands, and luckily it is right next to each other!