Assuming the past continues ... DC + PS 2016

[gallahadesquire]

I've been a member here less than I've been a lurker, and I think I lurked whilst HooBoy was still with us ... certainly, while "Meetlocalmen.com" was still associated with this site.

 

My problem: To grow the cajones to meet the folk in DC, followed by the folks in Palm Springs.

 

Problem specifics: I was undergoing some psychological therapy in about 1996, for a breakup that really ruined my faith in me, mankind, and the number 42. One day, the Psychologist looks at me and says:

"You're shy!"

"No shit, Sherlock," I said.

"How long have you known?"

"About six weeks."

So, of course, I went into a field in Medicine where I had to meet new people every day and take care of them under some of the highest stress of their lives.

 

Being brought before a cohort of my peers, being semi-naked in the pool, trying to have the right bon mot during or after dinner ... scares the bloody bejesus out of me. Especially since a psychiatrist I know told me that I was a raconteur, and that I hadn't told any jokes in several months.

 

I'm going to give the get-togethers a try in 2016, but I'd like y'alls help: Any and all suggestions are welcome.

And I've never figured out the tactics to these things: Is it BYOE; are they just social; or are there free for alls?

 

Enquiring minds want to know. And there certainly ARE Men out there I want to get to know, if only for a few hours.

 

Sign me - Alexandre Portnoy (well, no, not quite that extreme). PMs always enjoyed.

[+ RyanDean]

Gallahad! Great questions and good for you for asking...

I was a newbie at this year's PS gathering and wasn't sure myself how things worked. But it proved to be really relaxed and totally fun.

 

Based on my experience of this year's PS shindig, and on what I heard folks say about DC & Chicago, the forum meetup events are mostly "just" social. BYOE is definitely an option, but is by no means an expectation. In PS, where "clothing optional" pool time is not uncommon anyway, there is potential for getting a little nekkid and a touch frisky. But, again, that would be entirely up to you. (Speaking for myself, I did not take a dip into those waters -- nekkid, frisky or otherwise -- but was happy to "supervise" as others did.) Playtimes happen independently or discreetly, though I have heard tell of "demos" taking place in tandem with the DC gathering...

 

But you should totally go to Palm Springs in 2016 if it happens, Gallahad.

Just let one or two forum-folks know in advance that you might need a bit of help in the icebreaking department and everything will fall happily into place, I'm sure.

 

Feel free to PM me if you like.

[+ Robster]

I'll give you the same advice I recently gave to another forum member who was nervous about attending the PS weekend for the first time. (And who wound up having a great time) Just relax, and be yourself. The guys who attend are the nicest, sweetest men you could ever hope to meet. And as for being semi-naked in the pool, there are plenty of guys who attend who stay fully dressed the whole time, and never get in the pool. It just depends on what you're comfortable with.

 

In my experience, some of the escorts who attend are pretty social, but I definitely wouldn't say it's a free for all. Some BTOE, some hire during the weekend, and others don't. Again, it just depends on whatever you're comfortable with.

 

I'm really glad you've decided to go. I look forward to meeting you!

 

Rob

[JDXXX]

I'll give you the same advice I recently gave to another forum member who was nervous about attending the PS weekend for the first time. (And who wound up having a great time) Just relax, and be yourself. The guys who attend are the nicest, sweetest men you could ever hope to meet. And as for being semi-naked in the pool, there are plenty of guys who attend who stay fully dressed the whole time, and never get in the pool. It just depends on what you're comfortable with.

 

In my experience, some of the escorts who attend are pretty social, but I definitely wouldn't say it's a free for all. Some BTOE, some hire during the weekend, and others don't. Again, it just depends on whatever you're comfortable with.

 

I'm really glad you've decided to go. I look forward to meeting you!

 

Rob

 

Hi gallahadesquire,

 

Robster, I hope you wont hate me for this, but do wanna show my respects unto you, buddy. . LOL. Don't hate me too much...

 

gallahadesquire - Who Robster was referring to was ME. LOL. Yes, I was a MESS about going to the Palm Springs event due to a lot of reasons. Due to some of the horror stories I heard about these type of events was one thing, plus the fact of me bringing a woman for the 1st time, and not sure how that would turn out was another, but thanks to Rob, with his compassion and support, he was able to help me through that fear, and as it turned out, like he said, it was amazing. Everyone there was so friendly and awfully kind, sweet, and welcoming(even though at the pool party some of us was naked, and having fun, but in a good/safe way). LOL. .

 

Listen to, Rob as he is absolutely, positively, 100% correct to just relax, and be yourself. As long as you do those steps he advised - you'll be fine - just he advised me, and it worked. .

 

Thanks to this wonderful man's help and advice - it got me through a hurdle I wasn't sure I'd would overcome, but took a deep breath, and crawled through it, and guess what - got past the finish line - full throttle.

 

Thank you, Rob again for being such a great life coach and encourager to those of us who are nervous and unsure in attending the unknown as you knew what you were talking about, BIG TIME! You're advice and guidance is appreciated more then you can ever know. .

 

I do encourage you, Gallahadesqire, go to both the Palm Springs Event, and The one in DC in 2016, as you gonna find everyone there will welcome you with open arms(and this is speaking from experience as I was where you are now), and make you feel loved, and comfortable.

 

What both Ryan and Rob said to you is true, and only speaking from experience on both sides of the coin on attending these functions. Also, what Ryan advised you was right on the mark as well. Listen to these guys. I think Ryan, Rob(along with others who'll chime in they're thoughts to you), will be of great influence in making your first time at these events as comfortable, and as informative as possible.

 

Again - thanks to Rob's advice, it was the BEST event I attended in a long time. Well worth the anticipation and the wait for sure, baby.

 

Looking forward to meeting you in 2016!!!

[+ Robster]

Of course I don't hate you, JD. I appreciate everything you said, and I'm really glad I was able to help, and that you had such a good time!

 

Rob

[JDXXX]

Of course I don't hate you, JD. I appreciate everything you said, and I'm really glad I was able to help, and that you had such a good time!

 

Rob

 

Thank you, sweetie. Definitely appreciate you, and all you've done for me as had a BLAST being with there with you, Socalguy, and all the other attendees there. If it wasn't for you shaking me out of that fear like you did, I wouldn't have made it probably. LOL. Looking forward to being with you guys for next year's adventure as the Saga continues in 2016.

[+ purplekow]

Well, I think that if you attend DC and or PS you better make sure you have saved up for extensive psychiatric visits, because you are going to hate yourself for not attending sooner. I do not think one can control the direction the party goes but you can always what you do. Hypothetically, you do not have to tie an escorts hands behind his back with a borrowed tie and then guide his hands into your pants while standing in the restaurant parking lot. And I am sure Robster will confirm, that you do not have to get naked in the pool and float around on a raft waiting for assorted men to use you as the goal for ring toss. Some of our more angelic posters, sat in the shade, sipping drinks and discussing politics. So, you come, you have fun in the manner you want to have fun. You expand a horizon or two perhaps and you meet some nice men and if you are lucky, Oliver will slip you the tongue.

[+ purplekow]

By the way, DC had very little nudity in the restaurant the the meal costs were more or less evenly divided among the clients and it came to about $50 for lunch which was about 3 hours. Hell, my guess is you would have been willing to pay $50 to judge the Better Ass Contest between Draker and Amir or to stare googly-eyed like a 50's teenage girl at the incredibly handsome Brandon Steele.

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

Gallahad - I was uncomfortable attending the DC event and passed up on going in 2014, but finally got the nerve up and attended this year's event. If you go and are just yourself, I think you'll find as I did that the veterans of the events make an effort to make sure the newbies are comfortable. There will be all kinds of opportunities to do whatever is in your comfort zone. The nice thing is that you can pick and choose how much you want to partake in the weekend's events.

[+ RyanDean]

Oh Purplekow! It's been I don't know long since someone called me "angelic"!

[+ purplekow]

Oh Purplekow! It's been I don't know long since someone called me "angelic"!

Well you seeed like a slice of heaven to me. Though if you note, I did not say you guys were angelic, just more angelic than the debauchery going on around you.

[+ Charlie]

When Lucky and I started the Palm Springs Weekend back in 2005 (Hooboy was still alive at the time), the idea was simply to get together a few regular posters on the site, to meet one another in person for a social weekend. Only one person brought an escort, and no escorts came on their own. We met at a restaurant for dinner on Saturday, followed by a visit to the local theater, and on Sunday afternoon Lucky hosted a party at his home, which a few more posters who hadn't been there the night before attended. The next year, more posters attended the whole weekend, Lucky invited a few SoCal escorts, and Oliver offered to host the Sunday event at his place, which was very nice because he had a pool. Each year the event got larger, and after Daddy was persuaded to come from Seattle in 2009, lots of escorts from other parts of the country decided to join in. Since Lucky dropped out, Oliver has generously taken responsibility for the whole affair, and all thanks are due to him as the host. This past weekend was the biggest yet, despite the initial uncertainty whether it would take place at all, and the rescheduling from the usual date in Feb. or Mar. to May.

 

Through it all, the main purpose has remained the same: it is a social event for posters, their guests, and escorts. It is not a sex party, there is no paid admission, no professional entertainment. As long as you inform Oliver or his agent that you are coming, so he can plan, you are welcome to come alone or with an escort. You can stay wherever you want, attend whatever parts of the weekend you like, and dress or undress any way you are comfortable for the events. You will fit right in, even if you don't feel up to playing the life of the party role. So try it.

[whipped guy]

Thanks guys... I have had the same questions and concerns. I have always wanted to attend one of these events... and was told it would be fun... but it never seemed to be in the cards as I was always somewhere else... This year when I could have made it and would have wanted to escape the ravages of the north east it was postponed to a time when I had already made plans to be in FL.

 

So keep this thread going... I always enjoy reading about what transpires during these things... but this thread is giving a bit of extra insight into the proceedings... so perhaps one of these days things will all fall into place. I'm not a big pool person, but who knows I might throw all caution to the wind, get naked (except for a touch of leather), jump in, and get those leather arm bands soaking wet! It might be all so liberating!

[+ stevenkesslar]

Sign me - Alexandre Portnoy (well, no, not quite that extreme)

 

Portnoy's Complaint (1969) is the American novel that turned its author Philip Roth into a major celebrity, sparking a storm of controversy over its explicit and candid treatment of sexuality, including detailed depictions of masturbation using various props including a piece of liver.[2] The novel tells the humorous monologue of "a lust-ridden, mother-addicted young Jewish bachelor," who confesses to his psychoanalyst in "intimate, shameful detail, and coarse, abusive language."

 

Dear Alexander:

 

If you are at all like your fictional alter-ego, don't worry. As Charlie says, you'll fit right in. Although as far as the piece of liver goes, I don't know how I'd feel about seeing THAT at the bottom of the pool. You might want to leave the food selection up to Epigonos.

 

Seriously, I've been to the party 6 years in a row, and it is always a blast. It's a little like a therapy session, or hiring an escort: what you get out of it depends on what you put in, both literally and figuratively. But you're surrounded by pro's and people who are interested in and experienced at creating an environment that is welcoming and accepting and fun.

 

It can be BYOE if you choose but it is not BYOD: Bring Your Own Drama. I think part of the reason it works so well every year is that its a bunch of people who are in one way or another just interested in revealing themselves for who they are and having a good time. And they do. To be entirely accurate, every year part of the fun is that I hear about some little psychodrama that occurred in some room or some bar somewhere. As anybody who reads these reviews knows, there is such a thing as revealing yourself and not having a great time doing it. The great thing about a party is that if you feel psychodrama approaching, or you don't feel comfortable, you just move on to the next friendly face.

 

For whatever reason, it's always great therapy for me. Back to Portnoy: Lust? Humor? Masturbation? Intimacy? Shame? Coarse language? Shit, I say with these things, the more the merrier. You can never get enough!

 

Hope to see you next year.

 

Dr. Spielvogel

 

P.S. Not that it matters, but I'm one of those weird people who actually like liver.

[mike carey]

That's good to know Charlie. I particularly appreciate the background on what was originally intended, and that it retains that character. As I posted on another thread I was not sure that it was my sort of thing—and was promptly reassured that it could be—so had been hesitant about going. The follow-up discussion has given me a much better idea of how it runs, and has been further reassurance. I'll certainly think about future events! I have just ordered a new passport (unrelated to this) so I won't be able to use that as an excuse.

[+ stevenkesslar]

When Lucky and I started the Palm Springs Weekend back in 2005 (Hooboy was still alive at the time), the idea was simply to get together a few regular posters on the site, to meet one another in person for a social weekend....Each year the event got larger, and after Daddy was persuaded to come from Seattle in 2009, lots of escorts from other parts of the country decided to join in.

 

By the way, since it hasn't been said by anyone, THANKS to Lucky and Charlie, Daddy, and Hooboy, wherever you are, for getting something good going, and keeping it going.