Thursday, May 1 at 3:30 AM I wake up with a stabbing pain below my abdomen.  Is it food poisoning?  Bad vodka?  No.  A kidney stone!  By 5 AM, I’m in the hospital where I spend the next 24 hours.  I am released on Friday morning without passing the stone but with a ton of narcotics in my system (sorry, folks, can’t say I enjoyed them one bit).  The stone finally passes around 3 AM on Saturday morning, almost 48 excruciating hours later.  It truly is the most painful experience I’ve ever endured in my life.  The good part is that Bryan  stays with me during most of it,  not leaving for home until late Saturday night when he knows I’m OK.  Consequently, the following week was extremely low-key.

Sunday, May 4 … Trinity Church, Cranford has a bell choir festival with our own bell choir and two other local ones.  It was quite well attended but, as I still had the remains of the drugs in my system, I can’t say I remember much of it, other than John Zebrowski’s kids being so cute and playful!

I guess what was significant about the week was the apartment in NYC.  Bryan’s ex moved out on Sunday so I guess that’s the official date for me living with Bryan.  The apartment is now officially his which means a whole new era opens up in our relationship.

As some of you know, when Bryan and I first met, we put all sorts of restrictions on relationship development.  Such as the first time we said “I love you” and when we’d move in together.  That deadline was supposed to be one year.  Well, at least we made three months!  As adults, and having previous relationships, I believe that we went into all of this with our eyes wide open.  And if we’ve changed the rule book as we’ve gone along, it’s also been with open and honest discussion.

I'm typing this at 5 pm on Wednesday, May 7 … We have already purchased a new stereo and tv (are you surprised?) and a bed.  That’s the essentials certainly!  After dinner, I will drive into the city (with a new vcr and phone, natch) and will spend my first official night with him at 201 East 12th Street.  Isn’t life grand?  Other than that, however, most of our efforts were confined to cleanup and getting the apartment prepared for painting.

Originally, my plans were to spend only three or four nights a week in NYC as I have many things going on in NJ (such as church).  But after renting a parking space across the street from the apartment, I’ve found it just as easy to drive into the city whenever I’m done in NJ.  The only night I generally stay at my parents’ house is on Thursday night.  That’s because I generally go drinking at Jim and Jamie’s house after choir practice and I don’t want to drink and drive.  So the NYC apartment has become the place I spend the most time.

Sunday, May 11 is Mother’s Day and Mom cooks lasagna at home for six of us, Mom and Dad, Mario and his wife, and me and Bryan.  It’s certainly a new world.  On Monday, Scott “Dangerboy” Reich comes to the apartment for drinks.  He’s our first guest!

Tuesday, May 13, we go to see “Austin Powers” with Joe Fiore, a friend from the Crix-List.  The movie itself has very little plot but is packed with laughs from beginning to end.  Mike Myers plays a British secret agent and also the evil Dr. Evil, both frozen since the 60’s.  Of course, I found it hysterical, since I knew all the references, but that didn’t seem to stop everyone else from enjoying it.  So I highly recommend it.

It seems silly to add this, but I come down with a sinus infection that day which lasts more than three weeks.  My doctor thinks it’s allergies and prescribes tons of allergy medicines which I don’t believe do anything and it clears itself up by the beginning of June.  However, the constant pressure on my left sinus left me continually distracted for much of May in a way that surprised me.  I just couldn’t concentrate.  Plus my singing took a major hit as I could not hear myself (something Jim Lenney, our choirmaster confirmed!).

Wednesday, May 14 … Bryan and I officially celebrate our three-month anniversary.  We’d known each other for longer, but on Valentine’s Day we had realized that this was going to be more than dating, so we use that date as our “official” anniversary date.  You may put it in next year’s calendar when you want to send us cards!  We spend a relaxing weekend in NYC, enjoying the apartment truly for the first time together.

Tuesday, May 20, Bryan and I have dinner with Ted Smith (formerly of ConEd and now working for Lotus Notes) and Frank Tedeschi.  Frank is editor-in-chief for Church Publishing Inc. (formerly Church Hymnal Corporation), the publishing arm of the Episcopal Church and knew my old friend John Hood.  We all have dinner at Borgo Antico, a fabulous Tuscan restaurant near Union Square.  Frank is a lot of fun; I hope that B and I see more of him as he only lives a few blocks away from us.

The rest of the week is quiet with a Vestry meeting on Wednesday, choir practice on Thursday and then on into Memorial Day weekend.

Saturday May 25, we paint a few walls of the apartment; yes, it’s paint from K-Mart’s Martha Stewart collection!  But before you start, let me say that it’s great paint (probably Dutch Boy for real) and we got it on sale for only $11 a gallon!  We picked up three shades of something close to celadon and I think the apartment’s going to look great in it.  Come and visit!

On Monday (Memorial Day) and Tuesday, we spend lots of time with Bill and Alice Abbate who are down with their son Zack who has just turned 3.  Bill was my old side-kick on the radio and is now the new afternoon drive announcer for his station, WBCN in Boston (as well as doing color for their Patriot football broadcasts).  Dinner the first night at a local Italian, then on Tuesday it’s the world famous John’s Pizzeria in the Village (where I once saw Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman working on the screenplay for what would become Annie Hall).  Zack is surprisingly polite, albeit extremely energetic.  Nonetheless, Bryan and I are exhausted afterward.  God bless those two parents for their patience!

Saturday, May 31 and things get busy after another easy week.  That evening we go to see “The Last Session,” a play by Steve Schachlin, someone we discovered on the Crix-List.  This is a moving musical about the supposed last day of a musician with AIDS who is planning suicide for the following morning.  We laughed, we cried.  Actually, it was pretty incredible.

We went with Charles and Cynthia, a fabulous NYC couple (he gave Richie Havens his first paid gig and she was a bartender at Tavern on the Green), and Garrett Lanzy (who drove down from Binghamton NY where he works for IBM) and his friend.  These are all people we’ve met through the Crix-List.  After a great dinner at Claire’s in Chelsea (Caribbean-styled, mainly fish) and tons of Kettle One martinis, we attend the play where we get to see the playwright who happens to be in town.

“Uncle” Ralph Taylor’s in town on Sunday.  Bryan and Garrett are still asleep but we rouse them and the four of us go to brunch at a nearby Malaysian restaurant, Panang, which is quite good.

Monday, June 2, I go off to work and Bryan goes off to meet up with his father and step-mom who have arrived in NYC on Saturday.  But because of our schedules, he’s only seen them for a few minutes on Saturday before the play and then on the phone on Sunday.  He spends a rainy day with them sight-seeing lower Manhattan (Wall Street, South Street Seaport and the like) and then I finally get to meet Dad.

The four of us join with Bryan’s boss Michelle from the bank and we all go to eat at Carmine’s on West 44th Street.  This is a famous Italian eatery which serves huge platters of food.  In other words, one hot antipasto and two entrees serves five of us with tons left over!  Michelle then leaves and the four of us go to see the Phantom of the Opera.  Well, they are tourists after all!  I find the special effects interesting and have that goddam “music of the night” riff floating in my head for a week!

On Tuesday, it’s off to work again for me and a better weather sight-seeing day for B and the folks.  At 6 PM, we again meet for dinner, this time at Pete’s Tavern (founded in 1864, the tavern that O. Henry made famous – or so it says).  Great food, tiny booths, and the final time B will see them before they leave as he and I are on our way to see Erasure at Radio City Music Hall.

At this point, I think you are all waiting for my opinion of his dad.  Dream on.

Erasure, who have barely had ten good songs in the last ten years, nonetheless put on an incredible show.  Definitely a band to see live and the songs are all pumped up.  Andy Bell, a diva if there ever was one, is the singer and has amazing costumes.  This is the “Cowboy” tour and the stage set is an old western town.  There are four back up singers (two men, two women, all African-American) and Vince Clark hiding in the background with all his electronic equipment.  There are no live musicians, Vince having put it all on disc over the preceding year.  So there’s not much for him to do other than clamber around the set making adjustments.  It’s up to Andy to provide all the action, and that he does!  Plus being in Radio City it’s an incredible night and the perfect way for B to decompress.

On Wednesday, I attend a final meeting of my Diaconate group which is sending Rowland Bonadie to his interview on Saturday.  If he passes, he will start attending a three year course of training leading to him becoming a deacon in the Episcopal church.  He’s a great person, in his late fifties, and I think he’s going to be a great asset to the church.

Well, that brings us to this upcoming weekend where we are prepared to do – nothing!  I need to rest!  Jeff Marshall will be in next Monday and Tuesday and then Jeff Berlin and his wife Robyne Tanner next weekend so we’ll be very active again.  Ta ta!

Medical news … I had been considering a change of medication from Crixivan, which had given me a lovely kidney stone, to something easier to take.  So about three weeks ago Bryan and I both made the switch to Viracept, a new protease inhibitor with less side effects and an easier dosing schedule.  So far the results are great in regards to side effects (virtually none) but I’ve still got to get a new blood test so the final results aren’t in yet.  Nonetheless, I feel very positive about this.

Thursday, June 5 is the final night of choir practice for the season.  We have the whole summer off which allows me to travel and see other churches on Sunday mornings.  This has been my first time ever singing and it’s really been a wonderful experience.  Our choirmaster, Jim Lenney, has been a great teacher for me, especially as I’ve always believed that I couldn’t carry a tune.

June 6-8 ...The weekend is very restful, the highlight being dinner at Haveli on 2nd Avenue which is an upscale, yet very inexpensive, Indian restaurant.  Otherwise, we mainly relax in Manhattan, where I am spending virtually all of my free time.

Monday, June 9 and Tuesday, June 10 … Jeff Marshall arrives for business meetings on Monday afternoon and Bryan and I meet him at our place and then take him to great southern home cooking at Old Devil Moon down the street from us on 12th between Avenues A and B.  Our plan is to go out afterwards but after a short visit to Brownies, a club featuring a very 60’s sounding band that evening, where our old friend Debbie Southwood-Smith (who works for A&M) is hanging out.  It’s always nice to see her but we’re tired and leave after only a few songs.

The following night, we meet with Jeff again, this time with his girlfriend Alli Wong.  The four of us are meeting people for dinner in honor of his sister Julie’s birthday.  Darren Hill is there (now in partnership with Jeff promoting the Royal Crowns and the Paul Westerberg singles among other things), along with Amber Clapp (say “Aaaamba”) and others.  We eat at Bona Fides, an Italian restaurant on 2nd Avenue.  Not only is the food nothing to write home about, we have to wait more than an hour between appetizer and entrée.  Needless to say, there are some pretty angry people at the dinner table.  At one point, Julie jumps up and yells, “where’s the food” leading the rest of us to break into a chorus of “happy birthday.”

Needless to say, an early night is had by Bryan and I.  The next night he and I decide to take it easy, having a small dinner at home and then a delightful walk through the Village, sampling margaritas hither and yon!

Thursday, June 12 is our choir picnic, held at Jim Lenney & Jamie’s beautiful house on the river in Cranford.  Bryan and I take my parents as Mom is donating new choir robes to us (thanks Mom!).  It’s a perfect night for a picnic and the four of us outlast everyone at the party (Dad had found new ears for his stories, particularly pigeon-holing our hosts).  Bryan and I finally get back to Manhattan almost at midnight.

Saturday, June 14, Jeff Berlin arrives with his wife Robyne Tanner.  Although they have been a couple for over a decade, they only got married last year and this is their one year anniversary trip.  Bryan and Robyne hit it off nicely (we’ve been very lucky with other couples) and we go to SoHo for drinks at Manhattan Bistro and dinner at Sanzin.  Interestingly, instead of the normal bruschetta, they serve a salmon tartare which looks in the dark like bruschetta.  Unfortunately, Jeff doesn’t eat fish and Bryan and Robyne don’t care for raw salmon.  Good for me but stupid for the restaurant.  Plus there are no vegetarian dishes whatsoever, quite unusual for this area.  Anyway, the company is wonderful.

Afterward, we try to make it uptown for the Disney Electric Parade, held in honor of the opening of Hercules.  You may have seen it if you’ve ever been to Disney World (they stopped doing it a few years ago).  We miss it by mere minutes but it’s rather exciting being with tons of people wandering the blocked off Fifth Avenue.  We settle for drinks at a little bar on 60th Street around the corner from their hotel and say our good-byes.

Sunday, June 15 is Father’s Day.  At church in the morning we have our final choir performance and are formerly thanked for our service.  After, Bryan and I have dinner at my parent’s house with Mario and Mary Kay and go back to town around 7 pm.

The following week is rather quiet.  The highlights include having Rosebud (our cat) fixed.  She responds by giving me major attitude for the rest of the week but then comes around (how could anyone resist my charm?).  On Wednesday it’s the monthly Vestry meeting.  I’m getting slightly worried about this vestry, as they would much rather talk something to death without ever making the commitment to a decision.  I think Craig+ actually has the solution without quite realizing it … prayer.  The businessman in me would prefer to take the whip to these people, but I sense that if we could just pray together for an hour, perhaps everything would just fall into place.  Perhaps a reading of the Acts of the Apostles to show them how well things can work.

On Saturday, June 21,  Bryan and I arrive in Metuchen NJ for a week’s stay.  We are baby-sitting his boss’s house again.  You may remember that we have done it once before (he has obviously done it many times) in the beginning of our relationship which allowed us to really get to know each other domestically.  Now that we have our own place, it seemed to be more of a distraction.

Nonetheless, we always have a good time together so things worked out fine.  Plus, we manage to find enough things to bring us back to Manhattan, such as Sunday and then on Wednesday, June 25 when we both take the day off from work.  After domestic visits to Home Depot and Interstate Hardwood (we are shopping for materials for extremely exotic and expensive side tables which I am constructing for our bed) we go into NYC and have another walk around the Village in another margarita tour, purchasing an incredible old adding machine (looks like an old typewriter) and winding up at Florent in the meat-packing district for dinner.  This is the type of retaurant that really comes alive at night, where waiters dress in Joan Crawford drag for the Emmy’s and where we’ll go for a wild Bastille Day party in July.

Our other dinners that week include Allegro-Tu in Metuchen (nouvelle Italian should not be attempted in the suburbs) and LAN on 3rd Avenue (nouvelle Japanese should not be attempted, well, anywhere!).

Friday, June 27 and it’s back in Manhattan; on Saturday, June 28 I am pleased to finally introduce Ted Smith to Ralph Taylor.  Both of these gentlemen have been written about before here.  Their connection to each other is David Littler, my old friend from Fire Island Pines/King Street days and now living in Los Angeles.

Ralph and David are approximately the same age and know each other primarily (I think) from Woodlark, the name of the house Ralph stays at in Fire Island.  Ted Smith knows David primarily (again, I think) from St. Luke’s Episcopal in the Village.  Although they have heard about each other for years (and believe they met once at a funeral), our dinner Saturday night is the first time they have spent serious time with each other.  Bryan and I originally were to meet Ralph for dinner and then Ted called and we just took a chance and invited him along.

Ted suggests Arlecchino (“harlequin” in Italian) on Bleecker Street.  The food in incredible and the night finishes off around midnight when the restaurant turns on the tv for the Tyson-Holyfield fight.  OK, we’re not boxing fans, but this was hysterical!  We have a table of four Australian guys on one side and a Mafia don (fat, with cigar) and his trophy wife on the other.  And we’re all screaming at Tyson biting Holyfield’s ear.  What fun!

Sunday, June 29 and Bryan and I wake up early to meet our friend Joe Fiore and his new boyfriend David Feight for brunch at Woodie’s in the west village.  It was Joe who arranged the first Crix Brunch in January which is where Bryan and I met.  So it was fun to go back to Woodie’s for the four of us.

We hadn’t met David yet, but within seconds we felt like we had known him all of our lives. Plus he bowls with the boyfriend of someone else on this mailing list (hi, Steve!) so we were able to get lots of gossip!  After brunch we all went up to 24th Street and Fifth Avenue to watch the Gay Pride Parade.  We stayed for about two hours as it was hot but not unbearable, watching the floats and making bitchy comments (who us?).

Around 3 pm, Bryan and I gave up the ghost and left for home and Yaffa’s in the East Village for gazpacho.  Bryan has recently discovered this favorite cold soup of mine so we have become devotees, following it everywhere.

Monday, June 30, Bryan joins me in the final St. Barnabas meeting of the spring season (we’re taking a break for the summer).  They have all heard about him, but this is their chance to finally meet him.  Afterward, he and I go to dinner with Gary (hi, Gary!) who has been battling some health problems but is definitely poised to see the next millennium as he is awaiting the arrival of the new two-door Mercedes!  Congrats!  We’ll be seeing him next weekend as he was once a dj and has a ton of vinyl dance records (B is happy already as he has just bought a new turntable, ah the return of vinyl).

It’s holiday time!  For the fourth of July weekend, Bryan and I decided to go visit our dear Uncle Ralph in Absecom, New Jersey.  For those without their geography books, Absecom is approximately five miles west of Atlantic City where Ralph (Mr. Taylor to you) has a great big house set in a nice rural area on approximately ten acres of land.  You may remember that we attended a birthday party there in April.

After a long drive with the rest of New Jersey’s shore traffic down the Garden State Parkway, we arrived at Ralph’s around 7 pm, in time to join his friend Bill (a local gay guy, a little younger than 40) for a drive to Allen’s Clam Bar in New Gretna.  This is one of those delightful family-run seafood joints where everything is informal.  The highlight is their son, Win, a toothsome lad of about 20 who is maitre’d (ok, a little fancy – he seats us).  Oh, yeah, the food’s good and fresh also!

Then it’s back to Ralph’s to watch Bette Midler’s “Diva Las Vegas,” her HBO special from earlier this year which I had taped for Ralph but never watched.  She’s lost none of her talent over the years, that’s for sure.

Friday, the Fourth of July:  after a late rising morning and a simple breakfast of eggs and sausages (although even that is set out luxuriously in the greenhouse) and simple lunch, we finally motivate to go out to Leeds Point, a fishing village that harkens back to the old days.  Forget about colonial Williamsburg, this is the real thing.  Of course, we must have beers in the local bar over the water (plus I had some incredibly fresh clams on the half shell, which I believe came from right below us).

Later that day and back at the house, Bill joins us again for an incredible baked ham dinner (avec Chardonnay, but of course) and then it’s off to Atlantic City to see the fireworks.  Due to traffic, we stop along the side of the road on the way but the view is great.  We then get into AC around 10 pm and take in the new Bally’s Wild Wild West Casino (Disney goes gambling) and then to AC’s pre-eminent gay bar Studio Six (nothing to write home about except that Bill attracts a rather comely young man and gets a date).

Saturday morning and Bryan is up early to catch Martha Stewart with Ralph.  I, of course, sleep!  But I am dragged out of bed by B’s desire to go antique shopping at places like The Chicken Coop (yes, an old chicken coop filled to the brim with mainly junk but we did get a great cobalt blue mirror for $15), a flea market, and a real antiques store where the prices come straight out of the book.  Pina Coladas at 1 pm and then around 3 pm it’s off to the Lesbian Pool Party.  Bill’s cousin is the aforementioned lesbian and she and her lover have a new house and are having their first big summer party.  So there we boys are amongst about 40 partying women.  But who knows BBQ better?  Needless to say, we have a ball.

From there we go directly to Wildwood, one of the most southern of New Jersey’s beaches and home of a famous boardwalk.  In fact, my family used to vacation there when I was very young and it hasn’t changed.  Bryan rode some rides although the roller coaster had a wait of almost an hour so he passed on that and he did coax me onto the extremely scary Tilt-a-Whirl (ok, I’m a wuss, but you knew that!).  If you’ve never been, it’s rides, wheels (win a beanie baby!), teens, cheap food, teens, more rides (three separate piers of them) and wheels and novelty shops, and did I mention young bodies?

We end our weekend on Sunday morning with breakfast at 10 am and a lunch of turkey tonnato sandwiches (and more Chardonnay) with old records like Ethel Merman Goes Disco, Bette Midler, and the Dream Girls soundtrack.  By 3 pm, we’re back on the road to rejoin millions of other drivers on the Garden State Parkway.

It takes three hours to get back home to Manhattan.  Bryan and I then go for dinner at the Universal Grill in the Village for gazpacho and Cosmopolitans (some kind of pink vodka drink) and then drinks at Julius, the oldest continually operating gay bar in NYC (as far as I know, and it may be for the nation as well).

Monday, July 7 through Friday, July 11 is rest time, as befitting the post 4th holiday.  Simple dinners in the East Village, our Thursday night choir study (replacing practice for the summer), and Bryan’s new pottery class are the only distractions.

Saturday morning, July 12th and the Vestry studied stewardship.  We spent most of the morning analyzing people’s reasons for giving to their church, the consensus being that it has nothing to do with money!  Now we must see how to turn this into practice.  My vestry work has often seemed to be interminable, and now we have added a bunch of Saturday morning workshops, but it’s also most rewarding.

Afterward, Bryan came in from NYC on the bus and we hung out with Jim Lenney (the choir-master) and his friend Jamie over drinks and then joined my parents for a long dinner at (what else) an Italian restaurant.  What continues to amaze (only) me is how my parents seem to accept Bryan and our relationship.  Will wonders never cease?

It’s church day on the 13th and Bryan winds up being one of the counters afterward (I was scheduled so I dragged him in).  Does he feel the intrinsic pull of the Episcopal church?  Tougher than quicksand!  Then it’s back to Jim and Jamie’s for an incredible brunch avec Bloody Marys.

July 14-17 and it's Heat Week in NYC.  Yes, it’s the famous summer doldrums in the city and we sweat it out.  On Monday, I play with my new scanner (and I do mean play, I can’t figure out how to do much with it yet), then drive into NYC for dinner at Dok Suni on First Avenue, absolutely incredible Korean food (with Korean sweet potato vodka martinis, yum).

And higher t-cells!  Yes, my t-cell count is now slightly higher than the temperature.  102 to be exact, continuing an upward trend since protease inhibitors (they had been at 4 for several years).  So that was great news from the doctor!

Tuesday evening, Jim Lenney and I drove into NYC to see an organ recital at Riverside Church, the one built by Rockefeller with the 20-story steeple (with offices in it!).  For those in the know, we saw Robert MacDonald, an organist at Riverside during the early 70’s when he was also staff organist for Radio City Music Hall, which meant a pastiche of music from Bach to Carmen and a few flourishes as well.  We got a chance to look at the Aeolian Skinner organ afterwards, as we ran across our friend Steve Ratzel at the concert.

After the show, Jim and I drove Steve downtown so I could show them my apartment and pick up Bryan.  Jim had to get back home, so we dropped him off at Port Authority and the three of us went off to Julius for drinks and burgers (yes, still some of the best in the country).

Speaking of MacDonald, I allow Bryan to pick our restaurant on Wednesday night and that’s where we wind up!  Thursday, it’s my regular dinner session with my therapist and then choir study with Jim Lenney.

Friday the 18th begins another busy weekend; Jezek Tool closes for three weeks, a perfect length for a vacation.  So how do Bryan and I start it off?  Doing nothing!  That’s right, we just lay around the house all Friday night.

Up early on Saturday for breakfast and the Farmer’s Market in Union Square and then to his boss’s house in Metuchen for a party and barbecue she’s throwing for her husband’s and son’s mutual birthdays.  Her son is about 21; I’ve never met him before but he’s big and warm-hearted — and shows me his new tattoos and the design for his next one, so we hit it off immediately.  Plus I run around doing chores for Michelle.  Most of the people at the party are relatives of hers, which means Romanian.  And can those folks eat!

We then race back to Manhattan to meet up with Gary Chefetz with whom we’re going to see the play “Gross Indecencies,” and off-Broadway play based on the trials of Oscar Wilde.  The script is taken from various writings of his and Alfred Lord Douglas, along with trial transcripts and excerpts from various biographies, all interwoven.  Eight actors play a wide variety of roles and multiple accents (except for the actor portraying Wilde).  Truly incredible — make sure you see it if you’re in NYC.  Afterwards we go to the Potbelly Stove Café on Christopher Street to eat and we’re home in bed by midnight.

Sunday, July 20, Bryan and I get up early again and take a walk down to the World Trade Center area, casually taking our time through Chinatown, Little Korea and Little Italy, finally reaching our destination (the clothing store, Century 21, which happens to be closed!) and then returning a slightly different way and having lunch outside at one of the many Italian restaurants lining Mulberry Street in Little Italy (now only three blocks long).

The entire trip takes about four hours!  After resting at home for a couple of hours, we’re back on our feet again to walk to the meat-packing district where Restaurant Florent is having a block party for Bastille Day (ok, I know it was last week, but who am I?) which benefits a housing program for positive people.  It’s an all day affair with a huge stage with crazy acts like drag queens, lesbian bands, dancers on stilts, and more.

We meet up with our friend Joe Fiore and his boyfriend David Feight (who’s lots of fun) and friends of theirs.  Florent has blocked off Gaansevoort Street with the stage at the end and long tables seating 500 people.  So of course they seat us directly up front in front of the huge speakers!  Oh, well, no conversation!  But it was lots of fun and we stayed for maybe three hours before walking all the way back home, stopping at the Monster and Pieces for drinks in the Village and then our local haunt, Orson’s, for drinks and late snacks.  And all in time to be in bed by 11!

Monday July 21, it’s a relaxation day in Cranford to work on Connections, the church newsletter and then back to NYC for dinner (Bryan made his first gazpacho) and drinks at Dick’s.

Tuesday, July 22 and I pick up Father Craig Wylie (our rector) and Jim Lenney (our organist) for a drive to the Episcopal Convention in Philadelphia where they have just elected Bishop Frank Griswold of Chicago to be our new Presiding Bishop.

Day of the Bishops!  As many of you know, I have given up following rock stars to become a bishop groupie and today I beat my personal record.  I couldn’t count all the bishops I saw!  To begin with, I had +Fred Borsch, the bishop of Los Angeles, sign his new book for me (Outrage and Hope, a collection of his personal stories – get it) which gave me the chance to mention my friend David Littler (he said nice things about you David!) and his chaplain, Tony Jewiss+.

I saw my bishop, +Joe Morris Doss (of the diocese of New Jersey) while he spoke with Craig+, +Cornelius Wilson (“of our companion diocese of Costa Rica” as I say in the Intercessory Prayers each week), and +Jack Spong (bishop of Newark and a delightful pain in the side of every Episcopalian).

As for non-bishops, we ran across John Lane+ of Virginia, a friend of George Bartley, my e-mail friend from Staunton (he says hi, George!) and Fr. Francisco Puzo, who was our interim rector before Craig+ (he’s from the Dominican Republic and is now an assistant to +Doss helping minority parishes – he’s famous for grabbing me one sermon, hugging me, and yelling “be happy” which is his catchphrase).

Jim Lenney and I also had the chance to talk to (and buy from) Frank Tedeschi of Church (used to be the Church Hymnal Corporation, now a multi-tentacled publishing house with pension plans and other off-shoots).  He was burned out from having been there all week so I’m looking forward to seeing him in more relaxed circumstances when he returns to NYC (he lives just five blocks from Bryan and I).

[The reading list:  If you’re Episcopalian and don’t have The Ceremonies of the Eucharist by Howard Galley, get it.  It contains all that you ever wanted to know about the rubrics of the church.  And the Preface contains an acknowledgment to Frank Tedeschi so you know it’s got to be accurate!]

After a long day of shopping (the bottom floor of the convention was set up with many booths with “everything Episcopalian” as it were) and sitting in on the House of Bishops and House of Deputies (where we saw Clint and Nancy Miller from our parish), we were ready for food.

But first we attended a Service of Prayer and Healing sponsored by the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition at the gorgeous Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany (a short walk through the “adult” district!).  The celebrant was +Griswold in his first service as Presiding Bishop-elect (he was joined by +Johnson and +Shimpkey, two runners-up).  Talk about a moving service!  Periods of silences were punctuated by repetitive song phrases and short readings.  At the end was an anointing and laying-on-of-hands (yes, I was anointed by +Griswold) and a dedication of a few new panels to the AIDS Quilt.  +Griswold dedicated two panels himself to two priests that he had ordained himself.  You could see him become overcome by grief at the thought of them.  I don’t believe there was anyone there who wasn’t moved by the service.

We then stopped for dinner at Thai Garden (Jim’s first time with Thai) and then drove back to Cranford where I dropped them off and drove into NYC.  On Wednesday, I painted a few more walls of our apartment, had dinner with Bryan at Spaghetteria and then early bed!

Thursday, July 24, I had work to do in NJ (at the shop and then the newsletter) and then my choir study with Jim Lenney (Bryan gets Thursday nights off from me!).  Friday it’s back to painting walls and Saturday another special Vestry meeting on stewardship.

Sunday, July 27, Bryan and I are driving to Boston to hide out at the castle owned by my college friends Bob and Joanne Vallis, at their one-of-a-kind beach house on Wingaersheek Beach outside of Gloucester, Mass.  Located on a private beach on the North Shore, it’s priceless and should be in Architectural Digest in the next couple of years once they’re done restoring it.

This house is modeled on a castle and was built by a Scotsman for his family in the late 1800’s alongside the slightly larger one he built for himself next door.  They are both situated on a promontory of private beach.  This is one of the most special places on earth and they have done amazing things with the house.  Those of you who know the house know what I mean.

We moseyed our way up, stopping in Danbury for a quick dash through Bradlees and Marshall’s (high class shoppers that we are), followed by lunch at the Traveler Restaurant Book Cellar.  This unique place is located on I-84 just before the Mass border.  The food is plain regular American, but all around are tons of cheap books (remains from libraries or homes for instance).  And with your food you get to take a book home!  Bryan got The Fat Boy’s Downfall and I picked up Bad Girl, both from the Fifties.  Quite campy!

At the oddities store next door to the restaurant, we get two copies of Life Magazine.  The first is dated April 27, 1953 (the day before my birth date) with the new Queen Elizabeth II on the cover (and Lauren Bacall inside!) and the second August 8, 1969 (Bryan’s birth date is August 12, 1969) with the moon landing on the cover.  Pretty classic huh?

From there, it’s a direct shot to the Blackburn Tavern in Gloucester which the Vallis’s purchased last year.  We stay for drinks for an hour with Bob and then go off to the castle, arriving around 8 pm just as Joanne is arriving back from Montreal where she has been for her friend’s shower.  The three of us adjourn for great Chinese food at Fortune Palace in Essex, where we get zonked on Mai Tai’s.

Monday, July 28 makes six months since Bryan and I first met face-to-face (we had read each others e-mail postings in a newsgroup we’re both members of).  We relax on the beach for most of the day (just perfect weather) having lunch at the world-famous Lobsta Land (yes, that’s the spelling) where Bryan has his first lobster roll (and possibly his last – great lobster, but he doesn’t like lobster!).

At night, dinner is at Passport in Gloucester, a small store-front restaurant.  Joining us is their friend Louie Longo (whom we’ve know most of our lives).  Louie should have a business card that reads “I know someone that you know.”  Yes, he does!  Also joining us is Jeff Berlin and his wife Robyne Tanner.  After dinner we go down the street to the Blackburn where we all consume many, many Chocolate Martinis and shoot pool.

Tuesday, July 29 we slowly rise, walk the beach and then leave the castle, walk around historic Gloucester and shop the stores.  Our major purchases are incredible:  I pick up the walking, sparking NunZilla (“Say your prayers!  NunZilla comes, breathing fiery sparks as she walks!”) and Bryan buys two old pieces of Scott tube equipment, a tuner and an amplifier, which still work.  Ah, the nostalgia of glowing tubes!

After shopping, it’s a quick lunch at McT’s Lobster House (outside on the port) and good-byes to Bob at the Blackburn.

The drive home gets us into NYC around 8 pm and then it’s off to MaryAnn’s in the East Village for Mexican and Margaritas.  But as we approach our building after dinner, we see it’s cordoned off by police.  Our superintendent has been stabbed to death in front of the building!

Death of a Superintendent:  Well, to make a long story short … he was an ex-cop, but super since 1982.  Strange man, not very likeable, two divorces.  The daughter from the first marriage had just moved in with him the week before – she had been a juvenile delinquent and just broken up with her (very big) boyfriend.  He came to the apartment and Bill, the super, went out to talk to him but the ex pulled a large knife and stabbed him to death right in front of the building.   Yes, he’s in custody now, pleading not guilty if you can believe it.  Anyway, gossip about Bill … he’d sit in his tiny shorts in the summer polishing his saddle (did he have a horse somewhere?), with a snake curled around his wrist and his gray hair pulled back in a ponytail.  And an eyewitness to the murder mentioned to me that, when the paramedics pulled off his clothes, he had “multiple piercings below the belt.”  Gee, thanks for the info.

Back to the week … on Wednesday I worked on Connections, the church newsletter (I assemble it almost entirely on my own, ask me to send you a copy) and then had dinner with the parents before going back into the city.  On Thursday, I spent the day painting the apartment (it’s getting to look gorgeous) and then drove back into Cranford for a Concert Committee meeting at the church.

Stayed overnight, then drove into NYC the next afternoon, August 1, after taking Mom out to lunch at the diner.  That evening, Bryan and I packed some sandwiches and took a lovely stroll through Central Park.  Quite enchanting!

Saturday, August 2, we went to the Whitney Museum to catch the Keith Haring exhibit and an exhibit of architectural drawings of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings that were never built.  We also got a Haring poster for joining the museum that will hang in the apartment after we get it back from the frame shop.  Dinner was at Dok Suni, the incredible Korean restaurant in the East Village.

On Sunday morning, we attended mass at St. John in the Village (that’s its name) for a Solemn Mass (incense, totally sung, etc) where we met Andrew, a nice older gentleman who just moved here from Bermuda (his lover, twenty years younger, was going to attend NYU grad school) who we invited to brunch at Woodies (the place where Bryan and I met, if you recall).

After a relaxing walk back, Bryan went to the office to do some work after which I picked him up and we went to dinner at Food Bar, the ultra-hip place is tres gay Chelsea.

Monday, August 4, it was back to Cranford for more work on Connections (don’t you want a copy?) and lunch with Mom, Uncle Frank (my godfather and Mom’s brother) and Aunt Rose, and Uncle Emil (his birthday) and Aunt Annie (Mom’s older sister and my favorite).

Drove into NYC later in the afternoon and had dinner with Bryan at Haveli, a great (and inexpensive) Indian restaurant in the East Village.  After drinks (and Bryan playing pool) at the Boiler Room, it was home to bed.

On Tuesday, I worked on the newsletter all day at the shop (even though we’re still on vacation).  Bryan came into Cranford after work as we were going to Greenwich CT on Wednesday with Jim Lenney (the organist) and Jamie to buy choir robes.  On Wednesday, we first stopped at Almy, the supplier of most of America’s religious garb.  And while I still believe that I’m not called to the priesthood, I think I might just look good as a bishop!

Afterward, we drove to United House Wreckers in Stamford where they have tons of pieces of houses, both furniture and structural.  On the way back we had multiple martinis at the Pasta Garden in Stamford (don’t bother).

Our original plan for the end of the week was to go visit “Uncle Ralph” Taylor outside of Atlantic City, but after going to Ikea on Thursday we had to cancel.  Why?  Because we found rugs, curtains, vases, lights, etc to finally complete our apartment!  So we stay home and paint and decorate on Friday and Saturday.  Please come and visit!

Friday, August 8, and in the evening, we went to the Museum of Modern Art to see the Cindy Sherman exhibit.  Sponsored by Madonna, Ms. Sherman took over 60 black and white photos of herself about a decade ago, all of them impersonating faux b-grade movie starlets.  Each picture tells a story, as if it were a still from some old movie.  Incredible.  Also there was an exhibit on French art at the end of the 19th Century, Soviet movie posters, and more.

Joining us was David Feight.  After, we adjourned to the Mayfair Restaurant, an old gay landmark on 53rd and 1st.  Thence for drinks at the GH Club (where even I was young), the Townhouse (where everyone wanted to buy B) and the Oscar Wilde (a new bar across from it).  Again, many martinis and a late night.

But we still got up early on Saturday to continue painting and finishing the apartment, breaking only for ice cream late in the afternoon.  I must recommend our dinner place, La Casalinga, a pasta joint on First Avenue.  Every bite was wonderful.

Sunday morning I left for Cranford to attend mass and an afternoon special vestry meeting on stewardship while Bryan joined Uncle Ralph and Joe’s friend David for Chinese boat races in Flushing, with an attendant fair.  I arrived back around 5 pm to join them for dinner near our house at Café Cento Sette.  And yes, we had a lazy evening after everyone left!

Monday, August 11, back to work!  (And another dinner at Casalinga, yum.)

Tuesday, August 12 is Bryan’s birthday!  He’s 28.  I picked him up after work (along with his boss, Michelle, who I love) and his birthday dinner — Sliders.  Yup, there’s actually an East Village joint that’s called Sliders that serves a mean imitation of White Castle burgers.  But catch this:  they also serve a veggie version (with carrots, cabbage and such) that’s absolutely superb!

Back at the house, Bryan opened up his presents from me (a Corinthian column, as befits his architectural aspirations, a faux-agate serving tray, six crystal old-fashioned glasses that look very Swedish, and a pediment-styled shelf for the front hall) and then some wine to break in the glasses and a late night dinner at Orson’s where they were trying out new dishes which just weren’t working.

On Wednesday, both Bryan and I took off from work as we were attending a taping of VH-1’s RuPaul show (with guests Joy Behar & Wendy Liebman, along with soul singer Kenny Lattimore) along with my brother and his wife.  Tapings are always a lot of fun and RuPaul is something else, 6’4” in flats and then a blonde wig to the sky!  During a break in the taping I was able to wave hellos to Wendy, as we knew each other back in Boston, when I was running Catch a Rising Star.

Afterward, the four of us had dinner in Times Square at Alonzo’s, an Italian restaurant.   We then went back to the apartment so that Mario and Mary Kay could see it (they’ve never been before).  After they left, Bryan and I went downstairs to the garden to attend a memorial service for our slain super.  It was very moving, attended (and led) by the tenants themselves.

Thursday, August 14 was our six-month celebration.  Yes, we date our relationship from Valentine’s Day as that was the weekend that we realized things were going to get serious.  And only two weeks from when we had first met!  It does look like we both the right decision however.  Surprisingly enough, we wound up doing nothing special (Bryan had a pre-arranged dinner with a friend) although he did buy me beautiful roses.

Friday was a normal workday, with the exception of a phone call from Mark Parenteau at work.  For those who don’t know, Mark is one of the top radio announcers in Boston and a very old friend.  It was really nice to speak with him as the thrust of his conversation was pleasure with my rising health.

Friday night, Bryan took the bus to Cranford as we were going to Trenton in the morning to look at exotic woods.  After a brief dinner with Mom, we went to the world famous Marty Shoes to get Bryan some new work shoes, then to the Cranford Hotel for a drink and then to my brother’s house (where he is missing a kitchen — they’re redoing it).

The next morning, we drove to Trenton to look for wood for the end tables that we’re building and came away with some very exotic zebrawood.  Then back to NYC where we had authentic Belgian Fries at Pommes Frites and desserts at Veniero’s Pasticceria (established in 1894) down the street from us.

After perusing the Village Voice for a movie, I happened to come upon the name of Eddie Brill, a comedian I knew from Boston, who was appearing at Caroline’s in Times Square so off we went.  The show was incredible, Eddie having gotten even better than I remembered (opener Jim Norton was also highly recommended).  Unfortunately, they serve seriously abundant drinks and I can’t say I remember much of the conversation that Eddie and I had after the show.  But I did find out that he lives only four blocks south of us, so I know I’ll see him again.  Since we were in Times Square, we took the opportunity to visit that purveyor of pulchritude, The Gaiety, while it’s still in existence.

Sunday August 14, I got up and went to Grace Episcopal Church alone.  The church is gorgeous, unfortunately, it wasn’t air conditioned on this 95-degree NYC day!  But the sermon was well thought out and we had a very nice conversation afterward.  They had to get back home, however, as they had what is referred to in Bermuda as a “visiting fireman.”  In other words, someone important, in this case the American consul-general to Bermuda (whose peccadillo I learned is younger men, giving him the sobriquet “Pakistani Annie!”).

In the afternoon, Bryan and I drove out to his boss Michelle’s in Metuchen, the house at which we have baby-sitten.  Michelle cooked up a storm of great food from the garden with which she fed us along with her husband and son Matt (in from college and sporting tribal tattoos which of course drive her Jewish mother crazy).

Monday, August 18, was another simple workday, joining my parents for dinner and then back to the apartment after a brief visit with Jim and Jamie.

Tuesday night, Bryan and I had dinner with our friends Joe Fiore and his boyfriend David at Buona Sera, an Italian restaurant on University Place, opposite the bowling alley.  David has gotten B to join his bowling team and they will be doing that on Tuesdays during the fall.  Since I’m the world’s worst bowler, I’ll play hostess while they bowl!

Wednesday, we had our monthly vestry meeting (after dinner with my parents, Mario & Mary Kay, and Frank Loyacano – the church artist who lost two brothers in a week last month).  On Thursday, Bryan made a delicious yogurt & cucumber soup with a fresh tomato salad which we had after drinks at King.  On Friday night, we went to Radio City Music Hall (with Bryan’s friend Ameen) to see “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” on the world’s largest movie screen, followed by Indian fast food.

Saturday, August 23, we returned to the Whitney Museum to see the Keith Haring exhibit again, along with an exhibition of buildings that Frank Lloyd Wright never built and some incredible works from the Whitney collection.  Afterwards, we met up with Ameen again and hit the Village bars.

On Sunday, after lunch at Patsy’s Pizzeria, we drove to New Jersey to have dinner with my mom on her birthday (along with my brother, and friends of my parents).  My dad’s is on Monday, but we don’t do anything special for it (indeed, Bryan and I ate at Kentucky Fried Chicken and shopped at Barnes & Noble!).

On Tuesday, Bryan and I joined Joe Fiore and his boyfriend, David Feight, to go bowling at Bowlmor, where B will be on their team this fall.  I actually break 70 (yes, I should have been golfing)!

Wednesday, August 27, I took the day off from work to join David in sitting in Central Park waiting to get free tickets to that evening’s performance of “On the Town” which is being presented outside in the Park.  After lunch at Due (an Italian eatery at 3rd and 79th), David and I await our boyfriends at his apartment.

How was the show you ask?  The choreographer will probably be replaced with the original Jerome Robbins choreography when it goes to an indoor theater, but the cast was fairly good, with kudos to our own lesbian comic, Lea DeLaria (yes, from Boston).  She played the cabbie made famous by Nancy Walker and was tremendous.  Otherwise, they easily could have cut some dances as it ran to three hours!  Afterwards, we went back to Due, seeing as how we’d had such a good lunch.

Thursday night, it’s therapy at Manzo’s (yes, I do dinner sessions!) while B has dinner with his ex.  And then it’s on to Labor Day weekend!  And the end of this diary.