Photo Session with Jon

An amazingly hot, young man, Jon has just relocated to Edmonton from the Maritimes. Ironically, he works at Abercrombie & Fitch where he could well be the very type of model the company uses in their advertising.

Proud new parents ...

Here, in the land of many strollers, Dustin and I are happy to announce that we are the proud new parents of:

A 20-inch iMac and an 80G video iPod. Hehehe
(As if you could imagine us raising anything other than someone's blood pressure.)

Bravo!

Thanx to Dustin, and his student discount, we have expanded our cable TV subscription to include the full package. As a result, I was able to watch a very relevant program on Bravo TV tonight: The Art of Nude Modelling. It is a six-part documentary on homoerotic art with a heavy emphasis on photography and included substantial footage from nude sketching classes in NYC at the Leslie Lohman Gallery (where I've exhibited) and also had an interview clip with one of my favorite photographers Evergon, who I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing back in the 90's, and whose work I have hanging in our living room (the shot above & below is a detail of the polaroid transfer taken at night with reflection.)

BASH'd!

Had a wonderful opportunity to photograph the talented writing/acting duo Nathan Cuckow and Chris Craddock in their new play, BASH'd (a gay rap opera), in its closing performance at The Roost.

Not only was I very impressed with the performances but the script, music, and direction were all tight and the subject matter was powerful, moving, and funny.

I'm sure we'll be hearing more about the success of this innovative two-man musical in the future, but until then ... here's a few photos from the show. And if you want to hear some of the music, check out their page at the link above.

Little Superstar

I double-dog dare you to only watch this once!

Albertine (Charbonneau) Mortimer

My grandmother, Albertine (Bertha) was born on October 3, 1900 which would have made her 106 years old today. Born in Hull, Quebec, she was the 13th of 14 children (no need in mentioning that they were Catholic with those numbers) and outlived all her siblings. I am probably related to half the province of Quebec as one of her brothers alone had 10 sons.

My grandmother was the person I was closest to in all my childhood and teen years. I have endless, warm, loving and often funny memories of her. I think in many ways I draw my sense of humor and daring from her. She was the first person to teach me french although she disliked Quebec francophones immensely especially after the rise of the seperatists movement. As she would often say, "They can all go to hell." Once I was older, we had many existential conversations on God, religion and the possibility of an afterlife -- which she firmly did not believe in. Her philosophy was that our hereafter was that the moment we stopped breathing we created room on the planet for another to be born and consume the air and space we had once occupied. A very simple and finite belief.

It has been 25 years now since she died but my connection to her and the relationship we had is as strong today as when she was alive. I miss her and her deep baritone voice immensely. For my own selfish reasons, I sincerely hope there is a place where energies, who once knew one another, go to reunite. Albertine is someone I would definitely like to "see" again.

THE BEST ADVERTISING - money can't buy

All About Ass

Life is all about ass;
either you're covering it,
laughing it off,
kicking it,
kissing it,
busting it,
trying to get a piece of it,
or behaving like one!

This was sent to me by good friend Jennifer Katz, who truly knows what a total ass I can be. Ha ha ha.

Spent the morning having coffee at Naked with my dear friend, Poopsie Too aka Val Brandt (formerly Val Jenkins) who was briefly in town from Vancouver for a wedding. I have the great fortune of being friends with this talented lady who's company and stories are always completely enthralling. There is never a dull moment when you are in the presence of Val. She is truly one the brightest crayons in the box.

white roses

my gift from Dustin

Year One

Celebrated our first year together today.
This is so much more than I could have ever hoped for.
I love you Dustin.


photo by Rob at Buddy's

Men of Talent

Was honored to be included amongst some remarkable photographers on a website, entitled Men of Talent that features the work of erotic photographers that specialize in the male nude.

The site adminstrator, Cindy Graziano, a very sweet lady who ironically happens to be my Canadian neighbour living in Saskatchewan, made the original selection of images to showcase, I added a couple extra images of new work for a total of 10 photos.

Take a look for yourself by clicking here.

A Thousand Thank-yous

Happy to report that Dustin and I completed the AIDS Walk for Life this sunny and warm afternoon and together we raised $1,000 in donations -- all of which were collected too! So I'd personally like to thank: Jenny Ling in Calgary, my parents Frank & Mary, my friends: Ryan, Brad, Denny, Ben, Ruby Slippa, Twiggy, Joel, Charles, Andrew, Michael, Scott, Kumsorntha, Tanya, Godiva, Steven, Kelsey, Darryl, Chelsey, Nathan, my co-workers at Buddy's: Sean, Chris, Joe, Denis, Lizzie and my partners at Starbucks: Stephanie, Julia, Christi, Justine and Amanda, for all making generous pledges.

Not only did we finish in under an hour, we were also total media whores while we were walking (we were right behind the HIV Edmonton banner carriers) so we were photographed by magazines and a couple TV stations. If I find anything online I'll post it.

Beating around "The Bush"

As anyone who knows me, or reads this blog, knows I absolutely, positively, detest GEORGE W. BUSH (read: I hate the fucker) and will happily find time to pass on any condemnations of what history will show as the United States of America's all-time worst President. So for today, here's a little Bush-bashing for you to enjoy:

George W. Bush goes to a primary school to talk to the children in order to drum up some much-needed positive PR. After his talk he asks, "Do you kiddies have any questions?" One little boy puts up his hand and George asks him his name.

"Stanley," responds the little boy.

"And what is your question, Stanley?"

"I have 4 questions: First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support of the UN? Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more votes? Third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden? Fourth, why are we so worried about gay-marriage when 1/2 of all Americans don't have health insurance?"

Just then, the bell rings for recess. George Bush informs the kiddies that they will continue after recess.

When they resume George says, "OK, where were we? Oh, that's right, question time. Who has a question?" Another little boy puts up his hand. George points him out and asks him his name.

"Steve," he responds.

"And what is your question, Steve?"

"Actually, I have 6 questions. First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support of the UN? Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more votes? Third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden? Fourth, why are we so worried about gay marriage when 1/2 of all Americans don't have health insurance? Fifth, why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early? And sixth, what the heck happened to Stanley?"

And on that note, how can you not like a guy like Hugo Chavez!

UNITED NATIONS - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took his verbal battle with the United States to the floor of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, calling President Bush "the devil."

LIFE is good

First and foremost, I am looking for pledges for the AIDS Walk for Life here in Edmonton that I will be participating in on Sunday, September 24th. And there's no excuse for not making a donation/pledge, I can accept cheques, credit cards and I can also have HIV Edmonton bill you regardless of where you live. So dig down in those pockets and make me feel like I'm walking for you too!

On a secondary note, I got promoted at Starbucks yesterday to Shift Supervisor (well, once I complete my interview and training) which is quite funny because I haven't even been there my initial trial 3 months yet. Oh well, it'll mean more dollars, and I work with a great group of people, which is all good. The promotion means a 4 hour per week increase (for a total of 24 hours/week) so that'll work out ok too.

I'm enrolling in a Photoshop (specifically for photographers) class at NAIT starting next Wednesday for 5 weeks - it'll be the first classes I've taken since finishing college many years ago, so I'm quite excited. Plus it's all software stuff I've learned myself so it'll be good for me to hear how a professional does it and what tricks they have up their collective sleeves.

Speaking of school, I went to Grant MacEwan College (which is just at the end of the street from our apartment) with Dustin yesterday and we joined their Sports and Wellness Centre. Since I'm alumni it was very reasonable, and now I can get back to the gym and into better shape, since I haven't really been since I left Sherwood Park in May.

I figure I might as well start doing some things for myself instead of just feeling stranded here in Edmonton like I'm missing out on everything (read: life back in NYC).

Five Years Ago Today - 9/11

Five years ago today, I awoke to a phone call from my parents, back home in Edmonton, checking that I was somehow safe from planes and falling buildings in NYC. The ensuing 48 hours, sitting glued to my television set, were the most emotional, helpless, and traumatic moments of my life. I was able to tear myself away briefly to go up on my apartment rooftop in Harlem, some 8 - 10 miles away, and shoot off this one photo. That was all I could bring myself to take.



I will never go see movies like United 93 or World Trade Center, the experience to this day is still too raw. Tears, sorrow and grief remain just below the surface.

The only footage I have been able to watch to date, was the extremely provocative "The Falling Man" which will have an encore broadcast tonight on CBC Newsworld. This show perhaps best encapsulates the profound human tragedy that occured during that most photographed day in history.

A tribute to Willi Ninja

I didn't know Willi Ninja all that well but our paths crossed on numerous occasions and I had the opportunity to photograph him (the above photo was taken in June 2006 at the club Love just before he was hospitalized) frequently in his natural habitat -- the nightclubs of NYC. Sadly, he died a few days ago on September 2nd, and I wanted to pay tribute to one of the true legends of vogueing who I first saw on Malcolm McClaren's video "Deep in Vogue" a song that I loved dearly. I will miss the snap of Willi's fan and the fierceness of his presence.

Deep in Vogue
This has got to be a special tribute to the houses of New York
Le Beija, Extravaganza, Magnifique, St. Laurent, Omni, Ebony, Dupree.
In my black tights just throwing shade
Doing this dance that some queen made
I remember the first time I saw it,
Told my brother to put me up on it,
It wasn't easy no 1, 2, 3
It takes a long time to learn to be free
But here I am Vogueing pretty
In some club deep in this city
Deep in Vogue, Deep in Vogue
Imagine runway modeling, in freeze frame
At the ball that's what they call Vogueing
Vogueing is a challenge dance
Instead of fighting you take it out on the dance floor
10!, 10!, 10!, 10!, 10!, 10!, are there anymore!
Sometimes on a legendary night
Like the closing of the Garage
When the crowd is calling down the spirits
Listen, and you will hear all the houses that walked there before
Deep in Vogue, Deep in Vogue
The House of Extravaganza the House of Dupree
Who the hell are they?
They're nobody, except when they're in that little ballroom

Malcolm Mclaren - Deep in Vogue

featuring the legendary Willi Ninja

Poisoned

After battling months of what felt like chronic fatigue, both Dustin and I woke up Monday morning beyond groggy (which lasted a good hour) and decided, after continued urging by my friends: Jennifer; Deb; and our recent houseguest from NYC, Marcos; to call the gas company and find out whether we did, in fact, have a gas leak.

Arriving almost immediately, the inspector confirmed what everyone had suspected. Our gas stove was so carbonized that it was producing carbon monoxide gas. So since we had moved in we have been being slowly poisoned. Thank god we sleep with a window open, or it could have been one big long sleep.

He seemed a little shocked that we couldn't smell the leak (but we honestly didn't) and shut off our gas. So now we wait, without a stove, for our landlord to remedy this situation.

Ironically, when our neighbour, Sarah, came over, we related the story to her and she said; "Thank god you looked into it, I used to tell the guy that lived in the apartment before you that I could smell gas all the time and he should get it checked." He obviously never did.

On a positive note, my energy level was almost immediately restored. It feels quite refreshing to wake up and feel like I've actually slept.

Hi ho, hi ho ...

I feel like I've been neglecting my blog, but lately all I seem to do is work -- running from one job to another and not leaving any time in my life to do actual photo shoots (or anything else for that matter). Don't get me wrong, I like what it's doing for my bank account but I feel like something integral is missing in my life -- obviously, my art. I will have to work on adjusting my time or maybe I just need to get hypermotivated to squeeze in the odd shoot between jobs. On a happier note, it looks like I will be licensing a series of photos to Adavanced Communications out of NYC. I'll post those as negotiations are finalized.

A personal photo

This photo is perhaps one of my most personal photos of recent. The stairs outside my very door seemed to be a perfect metaphor for my life.

Are they going up or down?

Are they leading to somewhere or from somewhere?

Isolated. Alone. Motionless.

Sombre, colorless, yet with light and brightness from above.

Hell, maybe it's just a photo of a location where I'll shoot some nudes in the future. Hehe.

Book 'em

Happy to report that it looks like Cleis Press will be using another one of my photos featuring model Eric Martinez for an upcoming book entitled Hot Cops - Gay Erotic Stories.

Marcos and camping

My good pal, Marcos(in the photo above), arrived from NYC on Friday and joined Dustin and I for a the Western Canadian Pride Campout at Pine Trails campsite near Pidgeon Lake.

I was hired by one of the organizers, Leon, a good friend of Dustin's, to shoot the entire weekend so that they would have good images to post on their website. So addition to getting some great shots of the campers, in costume, playing games, mudwrestling, dancing by campfires, and the Northern Lights, I had a really fun (and relaxing) weekend.

Another Reason to Hate George W. Bush

You must see An Inconvenient Truth. This powerful documentary just reaffirms how corrupt George W. truly is and what a total puppet he is for the major oil companies and big business in America.

I truly think the world would be such a different place right now had Al Gore won the election that Bush and his brother, Jeb, fixed in Florida.

Also see Who Killed the Electric Car as a companion piece to this incredibly clever and disturbing film. Not since What the Bleep Do We Know!? has a film provoked me like this.

Once any enlightened individual sees An Inconvenient Truth, it is impossible not to be called to action. The United States must be stopped from destroying our world!

Between the covers

So the other day, Dustin and I were walking by Audrey's Books on Jasper Avenue and their window display was a selection of books that dealt with fetishism, bondage and domination, etc. which reminded me that the book that I licensed a photo for the cover artwork to Cleis Press should be out at bookstores by now. We went in and checked on the title, The Love of a Master by John Preston, and couldn't find a copy. However, in the process, I came across another book, Hot Gay Erotica, which had another of my photos as the cover artwork. I had sent them the image but never heard back as to whether it was going to be used. So this was a pleasant surprise -- my second book cover.

Decision made

Well after several nights of unrestful sleep due to my subconscience working overtime regarding the offer to manage Buddy's nightclub, including an actual rehearsal of me speaking to Jim Brown, the owner, where I woke myself up actually talking in my sleep, I've decided I can't accept the job. The time commitment is just too great and managing would preclude me from doing what I love most -- photography and travelling. Jim was very gracious and understanding when I went in this afternoon to speak to him. Of course, I'll be staying on as a bouncer/security and have asked him if I could take over the job of getting the Buddy's website up and running.

And speaking of photography, a local and quite prestigious magazine, called Alberta Venture has approached me to quote on shooting some events and editiorial for them. A door closes, a window opens. Funny how things work that way.

This made me laugh continued -- see also June 28th

Just received this from my homegirls, Shelly and Kate, in NYC. You bitches rock!

Cancer
(June 22 - July 22) -- 69

This is the sign that needs to be cuddled. They may believe that they were born in the wrong period or century. They DWELL in the past... Victorian ... Roman ... Medieval ... you name it. They usually will only fuck at night...come to think of it...they fuck better at night anyway. Maybe its because they are ruled by the Moon. This is a sign that is looking for TRUE love...I mean REAL TRUE DEEP LOVE ... that 'Romancing The Stone' frikkin 'Wuthering Heights' kind of love. They probably cry at the end of any Jane Austen flick. They want to be swept off of their feet. They really do deserve it, too. They are constantly dumped on by previous past fucktard ex-lovers that think they own them. Sometimes Cancers pick the wrong guy/girl and get beat up or emotionally hurt. Why? They think its what they deserve. Which is bullshit. They are wonderful people. They love water sports (jacuzzis/pools/showers/saunas/bathouses...) They want to be comfortable while fucking ... oh sure the foreplay may have had you bent over a barstool ... but when you get home they want comfy couches, beds, fluffy pillows, anything soft and fuzzy that is not a pet. Cancerians also have a horrible tendency to misplace their clothing. Highly exhibitionistic. They live for oral...as long as it tastes good. Karma Sutra honey dust is a good start ... mints ... ice cream ... anything with sugar ... fruit. Don't rush them they smoulder. But when you get started, be ready for a long night. They like to play with ice cubes, too. Also nipples are a BIG thing for Crabs ... they all secretly wish to get their nipples pierced. Can be submissive highly. Masturbation is where they get their bonus points at.
Be warned: They like 'em YOUNG...so you better be ready to dress up like an animation school boy/girl with a whip to keep 'em.

Decisions, decisions, decisions

Because I miss so many aspects of my life in NYC, I have been trying to keep myself as busy as humanly possible. While the call for photography is greatly diminished here in Edmonton, I have been working as Security/Bouncer at Buddy's, a local gay club, on the weekends and working at Starbucks (in addtion to getting paid, I get a free pound of coffee every week and a 30% discount on all the lattes I drink - hahaha) during the weekdays.

However I was dealt a completely unexpected turn of events last night. Jim Brown, the owner of Buddy's/Woody's and Steamworks, offered me the position of Club Manager of Buddy's. I am in a complete quandry as to whether I should take the job or not. It's a lot more responsibility and I am certain it will detract from me doing photography and could also greatly affect my time with Dustin. Suffice to say, I am weighing the entire situation out. I am interested though and gawd knows I have spent most of my adult life in nightclubs in one way or another. However, hours, responsibilities, time off, (and money) will decide all this for me. I meet with him again tomorrow on these very issues.

The Real Booty - Disney takes home your dollars

Dustin and I saw a matinee of the highest grossing movie of all time, Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest which was fun and all but nowhere near as good as the first movie, The Curse Of The Black Pearl. Johnny Depp was his usual flouncy, mincing, comedic pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, but some of the special effects were so bad (especially with "the Cracken" the legendary monster which looked like big calamari to me) that it was reminiscent of an old Godzilla movie. And the ending is such a nasty-ass typical Hollywood cop-out in it's worst form -- a so-called shocker which only leads as the start-off point for the next sequel. Boo, boo, hiss Disney.

What I'm really looking forward to seeing is Amy Sedaris in Strangers with Candy. I saw her on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and she was absolutely hilarious. I thought I was going to lose it when Ferguson asked her if she had pets:

"I have a rabbit, a house rabbit. I'm in a rabbit society and I have a badge, and I go into people's homes and rabbit-proof their houses and teach them about hay, and I'll clip their litttle rabbit nails, and everything. And I do a follow-up call. I live alone.

"I can talk about rabbits until I'm blue in the face. The poop is caper-sized. It'll spruce up any salad. I like having a prey animal around because they're always afraid they're going to be eaten, you know, and I like to relax them. I do give them massage. With full release.

"Rabbit people -- well, rabbit guys are different. They have rescue stories, and you know, the high-waisted pants, always talking about saving rabbits. They're not my type.

Back in School

This has been a long week as I'm back in school or so it seems since I accepted a position with Starbucks and have begun their very extensive and thorough training. I guess there is a reason why it is a Fortune 100 company. There benefits package is absloutely amazing (which becomes a major selling point when you are a freelance artist) and hell, I even get a free pound of coffee every week. I would have never thought of applying at Starbucks, although I am a frequent and habitual customer, if it hadn't been for my friend, Jennifer, who one day when we were sitting at the Starbucks in Sherwood Park announced that if she was ever to give up teaching she would go work for Starbucks. It got me thinking and now that I've settled in my new apartment with a Starbucks literally less than a block away, I figured why not! So if you're in downtown Edmonton, stop by the Jasper Avenue and 109 Street Starbucks and say hello, it doesn't matter if I'm working, chances are I'll be there for coffee anyways (for my NYC friends this will replace Big Cup for me). Ha ha ha.

Superman Super Dull

Went to see Superman Returns this evening and even with all the hi-tech special effects at their disposal all I can say is ... YAWN. The only highlight for me in the entire film was Parker Posey, who I had the wonderful ocassion to seeing in NYC getting out of a cab, drunk as a skunk, and falling on her ass on the curb as she tried to make it to her apartment door.

Now I don't want you to feel bad for me because this story doesn't have a completely unhappy ending, you see the show I took in had a small child (most likely a crack baby) screaming bloody blue murder through the latter half of the film. The screeching made its cresendo right at the closing scene so that you could not, even if you wanted to (yawn again), hear the dialogue. So promptly, as the credits rolled, I found the cinema manager and demanded a refund for myself and the people I endured this two hour waste of time with. Needless to say, my request set off a chain reaction and I do think most of the audience saw Superman Returns for free. Insert evil grin here.

Ride 'em in the Rockies

Thanx to my pal Alan, who drove us down to Calgary, I had a fantastic weekend at the Canadian Rockies International Rodeo (can you say Brokeback Mountain) with Dustin, made only better by getting to hang out with two of my favorite pals, Vic and Luc from Comox, BC. And of course, our first time rodeo experience would not have been complete without personal tourguide, Daryn (host of our ficticious reality show; Extreme Bender). The weather was hot, the crowd was hotter -- who would have ever thought that you could see that many cowboys in pink western shirts or watch grown men put panties on goats! I'm sure you'll find us there again next year.

This made me laugh

Your Birthdate: June 28

You have a Type A personality so big it makes other Type A's shrink away in shame. You never shy away from adversity - and you love to tackle impossible problems. Failure is not an option for you, and more than a few people are put off by your ego. You tend to be controlling, and you hate leaving anything up to chance. Your strength: Your bold approach to life Your weakness: You don't accept help Your power color: Bronze Your power symbol: Pyramid Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

And just because this meant so much to me on my birthday, I am transposing the card that Dustin gave me:

I Love Our Life
I Love You
I've needed you
and found your arms around me,
Laughed with you
and seen clouds disappear,
Leaned on you
and felt your strength surround me,
Shared rough times with you
and felt no fear -
Believed in you
and seen my trust rewarded,
Dreamed with you
and seen my dreams come true ...
Loved you
and seen every day grow sweeter ...
Each day I've found
more happiness with you.

Forever us baby ...
Happy Birthday,
My Love

Your man
Dustin

Happy Father's Day

As so often is the story with most gay men I know, my Dad and I got off to a rough start. He was a hard-working truck driver born and raised in rural Alberta and I was kid who tended to gravitate to the arts, wasn't skilled or even that interested in team sports (god knows, I tried), with a love of big city life and all the speed and action that was inherent in that. So to say the least, we did not see eye to eye. To make matters worse, I was a moody, confused, teenager who chose to shut down at times of confrontation rather than work towards communicating. Fortunately I've changed that behaviour in my adult life. For many years we just didn't have very much to talk about or share. But in recent years, I'd have to say that since coming out to my parents, he has been extraordinarily understand and accepting -- I wonder now if our history would have been different if I had been brave and confident enough to discuss my sexuality much earlier on. Regardless, we are at a wonderful place now and have a relationship that many men (regardless of their orientation) do not have with their fathers. I'm very lucky to have a Dad that is supportive, loving and interested in my life. So today especially, I want to say I love you and Happy Father's Day.

My father, Frank
Sherwood Park, 2003

Gay PRIDE

Kevin Aviance at The Roxy, 2001

Rather than tell you of all the cool parties I went to as part of the Pride celebrations, or show you the hot men that I met and photographed, I thought the following incident was much more important to relate to you as what "Gay Pride" means to me.

Each June, the month of Gay Pride, the number of hate incidents against the gay community increases. It could have happened to anyone of us, but this year, it happened to a personal friend of mine and one of the world's beloved dance divas and Billboard recording artist, Kevin Aviance. On Saturday, June 10th at approximately 1:30am, Kevin Aviance was beaten up by four young assailants in the East Village of NYC. They threw a spray can at Kevin, knocking him to the ground; and then punched and kicked him - all the while screaming that they were going to "kill the faggot". Kevin suffered a broken jaw, fractures in his arms and legs, and many bruises. After surgery at Beth Israel Hospital, Kevin is now home in stable condition. His jaw will be wired closed for at least two weeks. Afterwards, he will need to begin physical therapy. Doctors have told us it will be several months before he will be able to perform again. I've had the pleasure of knowing Kevin since I first moved to NYC in 1995, he is an amazing presence in the clubs and on the stage. He depends solely on performing for his livelihood. Without the ability to work, he will lose everything. He also has mounting medical bills and unfortunately, no medical insurance. Today, you can make an immediate difference with a donation to the "Kevin Aviance Dance for Love Fund". Your generous donation will provide Kevin with much-needed assistance toward his medical bills, rent and food. Please help! Every dollar counts. Donate by clicking here and send money to: kevin@kevinavianceworld.com or you can send it to Kevin Aviance World 115 East 57th Street, 11th Floor. NYC, New York, USA 10022. Thanks you!



Needless to say, I was deeply disturbed by what happened to Kevin but in trying to turn this horrible event into something that I could learn from, I decided that this year, more than ever, it is incredibly important to be and stay visible! Support your local Gay Pride events, especially the rallies and parades where by sheer number we show those who would hate us, oppress us, and hurt us; we are here amongst them and we are strong. Our basic human rights depend on it.

Question:

If you are pampering yourself, does that mean you are able to wear disposable diapers?

I Don't Believe it (not for a second) ...

... but do this:
click here
and maybe, just maybe, I'll get a free ipod.
But I doubt it.

AND ON THE HOME FRONT:
Had a minor flood in the evening as it was one of those rainstorms where if it didn't start to relent, I was going to send Dustin out to start building while I collected 2 of every animal. In retrospect, as so often the case, it was hilarious that Dustin came in and just off-handedly mentioned that we were so flooded out in the back that he had to come around to the front door and that was flooded too. Surprised by the comment, I was even more shocked when he followed it with "So what kind of spaghetti sauce should we have?" and proceed into the kitchen and started cooking. I flipped. In a panic, after opening the front door and seeing that the water was literally at the lip of the door frame, I said "Stop cooking and call the superintendent." Anyway it all worked out okay. The super responded immediately and a plumber was there to snake out the drains within the hour. But the best part of the story is that we have really good neighbors (Sarah, Peter and Donnie) who formed a bucket brigade shovelling the rainwater with their dustpans into mop buckets and carrying them off to divert the flood. Still it was more excitement than I needed. The joys of a basement suite. And on the bright side; at least I know that the floors are properly cleaned now after I mopped them down with bleach after I got home from working Security at Buddy's at 4 a.m.

What the Curtains?

If it wasn't for venetian blinds, it'd be curtains for all of us.

I know it'll probably sound like some sort of domestic dementia but I had a great day today with Dustin as we shopped Ikea for all kinds of stuff for our new apartment, including several sets of curtains. My favorite impulse purchase was an aluminum toilet seat while Dustin's was a box of multicolored bendy straws. I have to say that the place is shaping up beautifully. Now all we have to buy is a new sofa, bedroom suite, flat screen TV with wall bracket, a stereo, and new area carpet for the living room. Hardly anything really. Ha ha ha. One thing we don't need is art, between all my old religious art and my homoerotic photos we have enough stuff to cover all our walls and then the next-door-neighbors too.

One corner of the apartment, by the front door

Happy Birthday Dustin!

Happy Birthday baby! I love you and hope that the year ahead is filled with dumptrucks full of joy, adventure, and the realization of your dreams.

Calgary Pride and Photo Shoot with Scott Bolton

Dustin and I headed down to Calgary yesterday with our pal, Ian, who was up in Edmonton bartending at The Roost for Mr. Edmonton Leather. All of us had only got a few hours sleep from the afterparty at Boots but we managed to hit the road for 8 a.m. so that we were in Calgary in time for the parade. Now, not wanting to sound jaded or arrogant with my big city attitude, but after seeing NYC's Pride parade for the past 10 years (the procession goes on at least 4 hours) what I saw was just pathetic. If you had sneezed you would have missed it. What I'm even more afraid of though is that Edmonton's is in all likelihood going to be even worse.

The assembly of the crowd at Olympic Plaza was substantially more impressive but the real fun was spending the afternoon/evening with Dustin and Ian at The Eagle which was jammed to capacity (still pale in comparison to some bars I've been in back in NYC).

Then we met up with my buddy, the sexy, the handsome and the talented, Scott Bolton, who was in from Vancouver. He is the marketing director of Interactive Male phone lines and had the busiest booth (with the exception of the beer tent) in Olympic Plaza but we had talked online and he was able to spare an hour or so to do a shoot with me. Scott and I had originally met in Vancouver, when I was on my way down to Mexico. Not only is he a total stud but he's a total sweetheart too. We weren't able to shoot back then but we vowed we'd find a way at some point in the future. And this was it. Since it was already getting dark, we decided to go back to his hotel room at Hotel Arts, which was fashioned somewhat to resemble the W Hotels in NYC, and made for the perfect setting to shoot him. I'm waiting for Scott to see the photos since it was his first totally nude photoshoot and then I'll post a shot or two. I'm hoping at some point this summer/fall to get to Vancouver to do another shoot with him and possible a couple's shoot with his partner, Dan too.

Photo Shoot with Bo Ladashevska (International Mr. Leather) at SteamWorks

What a stroke of good luck, my getting back from NYC in time to attend and shoot Mr. Edmonton Leather and Bo Ladashevska being here in Edmonton on his first official visit as the reigning International Mr. Leather (IML) 2006. I had talked to Bo, who's from Montreal, online previously about possibly doing a shoot when he visited NYC but that never transpired. So it was very fortunate that he had a few hours to shoot with me at the local bathhouse, SteamWorks. We shot in the "jail" theme room and then followed up with a short session in their gorgeous showers. Both sets of photos came out incredibly well. I'll post more later of Canada's very first winner at IML, held in Chicago.

Useless Trivia

Q: How many people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year?

a) 1
b) 100
c) 1000

Answer: one hundred (which is 99 more dumb people than I would have guessed.)

Back online

I have not had a moment or the internet connection to publish any new posts until now.

I flew back from NYC to Edmonton on Thursday, June 1st (more on the actual flight later) and spent the next 4 days working my butt off during the nights and spending the days moving into the new home with Dustin. Things are absolutely great -- we both love the apartment (it's starting to shape up nicely), and very happy to be living together. Of course, we've had a few moments already, like Dustin shattering our toilet the first day when he dropped the lid on the tank (he was trying to turn our toilet bowl water a pretty blue) and another moment would have to be how Dustin was surprised to hear that I collect religious art and was perplexed by the idea of having Jesus staring at him from our walls. But those were just moments. As was waking up this morning to find handpicked flowers waiting for me - he's such a good man and here, he tried to tell me he wasn't a romantic.

As of today, we finally have everything completed - place is painted, cleaned, power, cable, internet are all hooked up and the essentials moved in and unpacked. So we are going to take some time to ourselves this afternoon and since today is 6/6/6 we are going to go see the remake of the movie "The Omen" (one of my personal fave classic horror movies) which opens today.

FOLLOW UP: The Omen was as dull as Grade One student's pencil after practicing their ABCs. Stick to the original, it is a lot more suspenseful, even if it is dated. SPOILER: The best part of this uninspired remake would have to be when Mia Farrow (who gave birth to the devil's son herself in the cult/horror classicRosemary's Baby) shows up to apply for the Nanny's position after the previous one has hung herself.

I See Dead People

Tonight I saw 26 dead people. I thought I would be totally disturbed but to my surprise it was oddly fascinating and I learned a lot about myself.

Photo Shoot with Reavis

A Memorable Memorial Day

Had a jam-packed day, photographing my pal Ryan from Toronto then hustling him down to Port Authority to catch a bus to Newark airport, followed by meeting with my client Steve Salehman to deliver his prints from the very provocative shoot I did of him in 2003, and then I spent the rest of the day reconnecting with my very dear old friend, Shelly - oh yeah, almost forgot I also ran down to Chelsea to do photos for NEXT of the 2nd Annual Tattoo Contest at WOOF, how apropos considering how many tattoos I've been shooting in my studio this past week. I met the very handsome and sexy Australian,Ian Jopson, who I one day hope to get up to my studio to do a shoot, as you can see for yourself he has great ink.



Photos of Steve Salehman, 2003

Only in NYC

So I'm dragging my sorry ass home at 4:30 in the morning in Harlem, an area that most people would be terrified to walk through even in the daylight hours, and I pass by some tiny little woman, who is drawing deeply on a cigarette she's just mooched off another passerby and she says, "If somebody is messin' with you, I'll fuck them up, so c'mon put a smile on yer face. Say cheese!" At which point, I couldn't do anything but turn back and smile. She hollars at me "That's better." Then I cross the street and two black men are on the sidewalk talking to one another, and one stops his conversation as I pass by and says "How's it going brother." And finally, as I turn the corner up to my street, a crack head, who can barely walk, staggers past me and greets me with "Good morning" to which I reply the same. Hardly what you'd expect from the more dangerous elements of society, but that's the New York City I know and have come to love.

Photo Shoot with singer Michael Todd

"Flight of the Phoenix"

Had the distinct pleasure of meeting singer/composer/makeup artist/renaissance man Michael Todd today and documenting some of his bright and colorful tattoos as part of my on-going project. Not only is he an extraordinary artist but he's an incredibly personable individual too, if felt like I had known him for years. In fact, we are almost certain that we crossed paths back in the day when I was a club promoter and he was one of NY's legendary club kids. Hell we even have some friends in common, like a certain gorgeous lesbian bus driver.

Check out his website and listen to some of his music, I'm sure you'll be as impressed as I was. He gave me a complimentary CD (insert big smile here), I'll let you borrow it if you're real nice. On second thought, buy your own copy -- he deserves the support!


It was definitely a photo shoot about the birds and the bees
and the flowers and the trees ...

Photo Shoot with Derek Agile Jones

After a frenetic morning of running all over Manhattan -- dealing with the landlord to pay rent, get an extra key cut (costs $25 and takes 5 days), and to get the leaky bathtub faucet fixed, dropping my photos from the Harmonica Sunbeam Benefit off at NEXT magazine, and finally to buy bulbs for my new lighting fixture -- I did a wonderful shoot with Derek, a talented and delightful man with incredible definition and the remarkable ability/discipline to hold very difficult yoga positions.