Hold up, slick, and get that ego in check!

A healthy bit of confidence is a good thing.
But some people take it just a bit too far.
I'm a pretty confident fellow, but I know where confidence ends and egomania begins. And I've made some definite moves to make certain I don't lean too far over the fence into "egotistical valley."
Now what I'm about to write relates to all people, but since this blog is focusing on Asbury Park's gay scene, that is who I'm going to reference in the following paragraphs.
It blows my mind that there are some gay men who think that just because you talk to them, flirt with them or toss a little attention their way that you would simply die if they didn't give you a kind word or two in return. Life for me would just end if they didn't talk to me ... or so that's the way a few of them act.
I've held discussions with a certain bartender in the city, and although he's interesting enough, it's not like he's the only conversation in town, so to speak. He's a good-looking fellow, I won't take that away from him. But he's not the cat's meow. And he really doesn't know anything about me, because whenever I'd sat down and hold a discussion with him, it was, pretty much, all about him.
Hey, I'm a good listener, and it's one of my better characteristics - all modesty aside.
But this guy seems a bit too egotistical in his assumption that I would fall all over him just to hear a kind word fall from his lips.
I don't really speak to him anymore, but whenever I do see him around town - more often than not he's two or three drinks past drunk - I just want to say to him, "Hold up, slick, and get that ego in check!"
If this particular bartender wasn't enough, there are more of these creatures lurking around the corner.
Another guy is a nice enough fellow, but I think he's trying his hardest to hold onto a past youth and make sure he still has "it". Well, I'll give him his props, too - this guy is good-looking, but he could get some tips from Rachel Zoe or Kenneth Cole in polishing off his choice of style and fashion.
But like I said, he's a good-looking guy and he's kind of sweet. But I've hung out with him a few times in the recent past and every time he sees me, he acts like he hasn't seen me in years and wants me to jump up and down and do cartwheels for him. You know the look - he's a condemned man who's eating his last meal, his request is a steak dinner, and I'm a Porterhouse!
It's kind of cute because he initiates the flirting session ... that is, until he acts aloof and gets awkward when we start to hold a conversation. Truth be told, I flirt a little too much sometimes. But when I speak (okay, subconsciously flirt ... okay maybe consciously) with this guy, he acts shy and retreats like I've just proposed marriage. Well if people don't want others to flirt back, they should not flirt at all.
But I've finally figured this guy out. He likes attention, but thinks he deserves the attention. He's trying to be a player who feigns innocence. He knows exactly what he's doing, and that latent egotism doesn't look cute any longer. I just want to say to him, "Hold up, slick, and get that ego in check!"
This particular fellow can steer clear of me from now on. Because if I see him coming in my direction, I'm gonna bust a move in the other direction.
And holy cow ... I love some of the straight guys who hang out in gay establishments. I love it how they feel so comfortable around us "homo-sexicals" (as Shirley Q. Liquor would say ... look her up if you want some hearty laughs). But I've run into one young gentleman who's straight - he must be, 'cause he keeps telling everyone, right ;-) And he just gets a kick out of gay men flirting with him.
We're not flirting with him; we're being friendly! Please, I wish this young gun would get it through his head that gay men are not always trying to pick up straight fellows. Sometimes we just like to be nice to people, and make them feel welcome in our environment. (Wow, "our environment" makes it sound like we live in a village far away from other human beings, huh? I've got to find another way to phrase that!)
But to this particular straight fellow, I just want to give him a little advice ... "Hold up, slick, and get that ego in check!"
Now I'm not saying that I am innocent, either. I flirt too much and play coy a little too often.
Right now I'm in a situation where absence of disinterest has led someone to think my feelings are a lot more than friendship. I've told this person that we are friends, but as we've had some relations in the past, I think this fact is lost on him.
And I, myself, am guilty of letting my ego get the better of me and letting things slide way too long. I thought my intentions were evident, but perhaps I have been experiencing my own brand of egomania. But I did clear the air with him, and I shudder to say that I am realizing that he still may not be getting the point. I guess only time will tell, and I'm going to behave myself.
So to myself, I just need to say, "Hold up, slick, and get that ego in check!"
Good news, though. I'm in the beginning stages of a new relationship with a smart, intelligent, successful man who, thank goodness, does not live in the Asbury Park area. I like Asbury Park, don't get me wrong. But sometimes this city seems almost incestuous with people in the gay community playing their own brand of square-dancing with the people in their lives.
And this new guy wants to start hanging out in Asbury Park with me more often. I don't mind and I want him to become acclimated with the city a bit more. But from what I've seen with so many people over the past few years, you bring your guy around and you'd better keep an eye on others. Because they just might pounce on him. And it's not like gay men can walk around holding hands, letting all other men in the city know to back off 'cause this guy is taken already.
Oops, is that my ego talking ... or my self-esteem taking a beating?
Don't take me too seriously, good people. It's just my words and words can't hurt, now can they? :)

Being gay didn't stop mom from loving me

"Wake up all the doctors make the old people well. They're the ones who suffer and who catch all the hell. But they don't have so very long before the Judgment Day. So won'tcha make them happy before they pass away."

Right now my mother is fighting for her life in the hospital from a serious illness. And this particular line from one of my favorite songs, "Wake Up Everybody" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, has consistently been playing in my head.
To be honest, my mother has had to struggle through years of poor health, and when I think of that song, it just makes me cry.
For my mother, it's touch-and-go, and despite the fact that the prognosis isn't so great, it's good to see that our family is rallying around her.
I love my mother, but I don't always get the chance to see her while living such a good distance from her, and not to mention the fact that I'm a workaholic. It's no excuse, so I'm not trying to use it.
But watching my mother lie unconscious in her hospital bed, I can't help but recall the day I told her that not only was I moving to Asbury Park, but I was gay. See, I wrote a novel about a young man being forced to choose between his sexual orientation and his strong desire for a life in the ministry. And I wanted my family to know that our lives would eventually be open for the public to read about - for better or worse. I just knew my mother would blow up and curse me out for writing about our lives, but she didn't at all.
My mother didn't express upset or disappointment, but just the opposite - she said "No matter what, I'll always love you!"
Now that was a bit of a fairytale moment, because some mothers just don't accept their sons' sexual orientation. As I was sitting in my mother's hospital room this afternoon, not knowing what to say to her (the doctors said that although she's not conscious, she could still hear me), one thought kept creeping through my mind.
A really good friend of mine is going through a struggle with his mother, and I really wish his mother would show him unwavering support. He's one of my "Asbury Park boys", and trust - a "sometimes naive, see the world through rose-colored glasses, trust faithfully and sometimes foolishly" type of gay man like myself needs fellow gay men to keep me in line. I consider this person like a brother and I've only run into a handful of gay men in the city who I can legitimately say that about. Two of them who are partners are my "golden girls", one is a bartender at an establishment I frequent, one's a co-worker, and then there's the one who I'm talking about. These people have my back - no matter what. And they all will tell me if I'm doing things foolishly or just going down the wrong path with any of the men in my life.
But I digress ...
My original point - I know sometimes it's difficult for parents and siblings to accept that their loved one is homosexual. But something my mother said to me, I'd wished some other families would express the same sentiment to their gay family members. She said that I'm the same person who she raised and loved; being gay doesn't change that at all.
So I guess sometimes, despite the fact that families don't want to accept the truth, it's not going to stop the truth from coming out. And with one of my "Asbury Park boys", I'm waiting for the day to come that he says to me that his mother has finally realized that he's the same young man who makes her laugh, drives her nuts, loves her unconditionally, and loves life without apology!
I guess I could have said to my unconscious mother in the intensive care unit that I thank her for allowing me to be myself without sticking her nose into all aspects of my life and making things more difficult for me in the long run. My mother and I have had our difficulties over the years, but the one thing she could have been difficult about - her youngest son being gay - she didn't let it faze her.
One thing I want my mother to get the opportunity to do is something I've been able to do myself - forgive. My mother hasn't forgiven my father for things they've gone through in their married life. I want her to have the chance to do that.
For myself, going through this difficult time with my mother's hospitalization has given me the chance to look at my own failed relationships and find forgiveness. I was holding on to a bit of anger over my last relationship's demise, and I just needed to have an opportunity to forgive and forget. Now forgetting will take a little longer, but I finally forgive. I was able to let my ex-boyfriend help me deal with a situation with my mother from the past, so I would not hold onto any feelings of upset. I really never knew he'd be able to help me come to terms with the emotional distance between my mother and myself.
I hope my mother gets the same opportunity ... and actually takes the opportunity to make peace with my father.
My mother deserves that chance to find forgiveness in her heart.
It makes things a lot easier.

The good, the bad and the ugly!

Not for nothing, but I think on Monday I actually was privy to the good, the bad and the ugly.
I feel slightly scandalous thinking it, but nevertheless, it's true.
I was at one of my favorite bars in Asbury Park, Georgie's, and it was a bit of a crazy night.
I'd just had dinner over at my own, personal "golden girls", and I decided to stop by the bar to unwind, so to speak. Unwinding for me is a martini, a song for karaoke, and possibly a cute guy paying some attention to little 'ol me.
Well I got all of that, and more ... or less.
First I'll start with the good.
It's a really good thing that Georgie's has reopened their kitchen (with a new chef) and is serving food. It's sort of a blessing for someone "blessed" with my hectic schedule. Some nights my busy schedule never afforded me a place to eat a meal prior to having my first martini. By the time I usually got a chance to eat, all the decent food spots had closed, and I had to drink on an empty stomach (I know, I know; you should never drink without eating first. That's what my mother always told me).
Now I can feel at ease having my much-needed martini, and still having the opportunity to eat some food, too! So good job, Georgie's!
Now I'll detail the bad.
Well, it's not all that bad, but for a gay man (or this gay man), when someone wears the same shirt as you, it's a tough blow. Yes, I'm shallow when it comes to my clothing. I don't like to see other people wearing the same clothing as me, and let alone a close-knit bar where you can't really go to a spot where that person won't eventually end up also.
I'm sorry to say that I didn't feel comfortable because I wasn't "standing out" in the crowd. Well, I was standing out in the crowd, but not necessarily in a good way! Geez, it looked like I had my twin brother of another color standing right across the bar!
Yes, it was a little funny ... Hell, it was hilarious, I must admit. But I'll get some therapy for my neurosis over that head-trip of mine - not wanting anyone to wear the same clothes as me. Well, at least - in my eyes - I wore it better!
Now for the ugly.
It wasn't really ugly, but it sure came close!
Now I don't mind a guy hitting on me. In fact, I relish it usually.
But in this particular case, it really got on my last nerve! This guy (who was also drinking a martini or four) started clinging to me. I tried to just go with the flow and be kind. He wasn't my type at all. An aside: I don't have a type at all, but I still know this guy wasn't even in the ballpark.
But he kept trying to make his moves, and since I didn't want to be rude, I just let him hang out with me. A lesson I learned, especially from this encounter, is that you should definitely cut off a potential suitor if you truly feel that the suitor has no potential! I'll know better from now on.
So after I went outside for a minute to figure out if I wanted to stay or go, the guy came outside and sat right next to me, put his arm around me and said something so offbeat, I couldn't contain my disdain.
"If you don't pay more attention to me, I'm gonna go over to that guy and start talking to him," are the words that dripped out of this fool's mouth!
So the gentleman in me literally jumped out the window, and after dealing with him pestering me for the hour prior, I decided to let him have it.
So my response to him was, "You've got two legs and a mouth, so you'd better get to steppin' over to him, 'cause I'm about 55 minutes past being tired of you!" Of course, I said it with a smile, just so he wouldn't think I was a total jerk.
BUT IT FELT SO GOOD TO SAY IT!!
He immediately tried to backpedal and say he was kidding and he didn't want to stop talking to me. But I didn't let him off the hook, and took the opportunity to escape.
Too subtle???
See, this is the stuff I have to put up with ... and all I wanted was a martini! But that martini I had after I gave that guy the 'ol heave-ho was the best damn martini I'd had in a long time!
That is ... until tonight. :)

You always get as much as you give

Tonight is the Mayors Ball in Asbury Park.
I think everyone who is lucky enough to attend this event is beaming. I think it's probably one of the biggest events of the year.
But, of course, I'm Cinderella ... not able to go to the Ball.
It wasn't for lack of trying, though. I did try to get a ticket; after all, this is not only a fancy, show-what-you've-got event - it's probably one of the biggest events where the gay community can come together (as a non-gay event) and dance and be happy. Really, who at this event would stop any of us from showing love and feel comfortable dancing with your same-sex significant other in a fancy, dressed-up affair.
After all, the host of the Ball - the mayor - is openly gay himself. It's a positive thing; this was one of the reasons why I wanted to attend this affair so desperately.
But, alas, all the tickets were sold out. And there were none available; the place was filled up.
Of course, I did just discover that a friend of mine scored a ticket or two. But then, I guess it's all about the connection. I can't really hate; I just don't have it like that, I guess - not just yet! But Cinderella's time will come.
I think I really wanted to go because I just needed to feel, well, like I was special. Right now, I don't really feel extremely "special" in my gay surroundings.
Don't get me wrong - I know I feel love from my fellow comrades. Some of them just don't really know me or what I'm all about. Most do always see me out and about in the city. They see me dancing up a storm at Club Paradise; singing karaoke like a crazy fool at Georgie's; making the rounds at Swell; and sipping a martini and eating my steak dinner at The Harrison. In addition, you'll catch me eating a really great meal at Bistro Ole sometimes, or stopping in Tides Hotel for a mojito or martini as well. Or enjoying good conversation with the staff - and a great-tasting calamari dish - at Munch (owner Ken does a great take on calamari, it's the best - in my opinion).
So when I say "special", I'm not saying that I feel invisible or obsolete. That's not it at all! You'll always see me around the city somewhere, and usually laughing infectiously and smiling like a Cheshire cat.
I have my best friends in the gay community, and also those who have taken the time to get to know the"real Eric". I love them and would never trade any of them (and they know who they are).
But a big part of people not knowing the "real Eric" is probably my own fault. When I'm out, I'll usually just mind my own business and sit back and examine the scene before loosening up and showing people I do indulge in great conversation. And once they discover this, it's golden for everyone involved.
So for some reason, it would've been great to go to this Ball. Because I just needed to dress up in fancy clothes and strut my stuff. But I guess I'll just have to read about it after the fact.
I need to start giving as much as I want to get, I guess, because in turn, you always get as much as you give!
But I've found that people assume I want more than they do out of a relationship. And okay, dressing up and attending a fancy function with a special gentleman on my arm is exactly what I want! A few guys in the very recent past assumed I wanted more than they did - just because I wanted to hold a conversation with them and not just kiss constantly and make out. Don't get me wrong - I don't mind that at all; but I do like to talk as well. So could you imagine going to a fancy Ball with one of them?? I could just imagine their impending panic attack and scuff marks on my hardwood floor as they retreated and darted out my front door, never to return!
I don't need a boyfriend or partner. I just want someone who I can attend a gala with, who I can go to the movies with, who I can sit down with and have an intelligent conversation over dinner at my favorite restaurant, and who I can be intimate with as well ... but we don't need to call it a boyfriend, significant other or partner.
Maybe I just don't like labels. But I want it to be open relations where the guy in my life can enjoy the company of other guys, because I am very driven in my career and other interests and things I like to do on my own.
Boy, how did I get from feeling like Cinderella not invited to the Ball, to feeling like Superfly who wants all the guys in the city to fall into his web? :)
But I digress.
What I'm saying, I guess in a long-winded way, is if you are going to the Ball tonight, have a dance in honor of Cinderella!

Hello gay Asbury Park! I'm here!

I'm not sure how my new blog will go over within Asbury Park's gay community. But some things just need to be addressed, and I guess this is as good a place as any.
Yes, this is my first entry in my new blog. And although I've probably lived in Asbury Park less time than a lot of the other gay community members. But in the short number of years that I've lived here, I've discovered a lot about this city.
For a good number of people, it's probably a "shocker" that I'm part of the gay community. But up until recently, I think it's become pretty clear to a lot of the people who were oblivious that I'm part of the gay community.
I'm fine that people know my sexual orientation now. I've never actually been secretive about it; but then again, I've never flashed it like a huge neon light, either.
But living my life in the gay scene of Asbury Park, I've found that some people are true blue, some are phony, and then some are just trying to play the game. It's that way in every community.
I've been trying to play the game as best I can, but I have to admit - I don't really have the stomach to tolerate it. Some gay men are, for the most part, are just after one thing. I'm more than that, so it's been difficult to merge myself in to that situation. But trust me ... I've tried my best.
Now this is going to sound conceited, but it's not meant to be ...
People do respect me, I'm happy about that. But when most gay men see me, they think the obvious - good looking guy, gay, pretty decent body and who cares if he's smart ... I just want to have sex with him.
But I think people are surprised to find out that I'm more than just a body; I have a mind.
And I think some men are disappointed to discover I'm a smart, gay black man.
Okay, enough about that stuff.
I want to make a mark in this community; I want people to look at me with respect.
I've made some great friends in the gay world. Two of my close friends who I spend a predominant amount of time with are partnered, but they always make me feel like I'm their brother. And that makes me happy. I've made good friends with a lot of people in the LGBTQ community. I wouldn't trade them for the world.
Trust me ... I'll discuss these people in my life a lot more in following blog posts. Trust me.
But for now, I just wanted to introduce myself and give a rundown on what the gay community is like.
Just like most everyone else, I've experienced heartache and sorrow from a relationship or two with men in my life. (I'll go into more detail later)
I've witnessed some crazy stuff over the years here in Asbury Park's gay community ...
Gay community members bitch-slapping one another;
Gay community members tossing drinks in one anothers' faces;
Gay community members deliberately hurting each other;
Gay community members hating and disparaging one another.
I'm not sure why, but I'm hoping that I can find out why this all happens within a community that is supposed to be so very unified and loving to one another.
DON'T GET ME WRONG ... A lot of members of the gay community do act civilized and loving to one another, and I totally love to see, well, "the love".
But the ones who act the fool - they know who they are.
But for better or worse, hello gay Asbury Park! I'm here!