I must be getting old. We were invited to spend the night at a $4-million beach house in

[Redstone]

Rhode Island, where there would be a beach bonfire and a great view of the Misquamicut fireworks and copious amounts of absurdly expensive tequila involved.

And I said "Nah, it's really nice and cool tonight, so I'd rather hang out on the screen porch than drive an hour to get the same breeze."

(And no, it's not like we hang out with a lot of ridiculously wealthy people; we just happen to know this one because one of his business ventures is one of Mrs R's bookkeeping business clients. And you'd never know, if you saw his public persona, what a "regular guy" he is, and that he sold the majority of his interest in the business that made him rich, in order to have more time to devote to various charities, the Red Cross being primary. So the next time you want to condemn "rich people" across the board, remember that there are SOME wealthy people in this country who not only WORKED for what they made, but who also use their wealth for the benefit of others. OK?)

(Though, yes, there are still a lot of greedy rich yuppie fucks around who don't give a red rat's ass about anyone else. But not everyone who is rich is one of those, is all I'm saying.)

Redstone

[bigwillq]

1. A night on the screen porch

sounds really nice right about now.

Enjoy! :) :hi:

[Redstone]

2. Good Lord, 75 degrees in July. I'm liking this, especially compared to last weekend.

Were I in the city like you are, I'd be taking a nice evening walk. You couldn't ask for more pleasant conditions in which to do so.

Redstone

[bigwillq]

3. It was hot today though.

I was at a game that started at 4 and the sun was beating down hard. It wasn't as humid though. I am still in the office now, but I plan on hitting up downtown New Haven for a bit tonight.

I need a beer. :beer:

:) :hi:

[Redstone]

4. Ah, I remember when I moved to Connecticut in 1980 as a young, single guy, the nightlife

in New Haven was great. I'm guessing it's still good, and probably even better than it was years ago.

I remember hanging out (and playing music) in a great little place called "West of 11" on Chapel Street, and later at Maggie's on Crown Street. And the times I played at that Mexican place at the "Y" intersection on Broadway for Saint Paddy's day, when they booked me, with only my acoustic guitar and my banjo to defend me, in the middle of day-long bills of punk-rock bands...good times, those were.

Redstone

[bigwillq]

6. The scene is ok.

I've been clubbin for so long that it has started to get boring...not as many good places as there were years ago...the scene has changed...a lot of young kids, and a lot of trash.

I frequent both straight and gay establishments, and both scenes have gone downhill, imo.

I am just going to this little bar on York St. It's a gay bar, and it's a place I frequent often. It's an older crowd but I just to work there a few days a week so I know the owners and the other workers. It's a nice place to just grab a beer and chill out. They have a nice, little outdoor patio.

[Redstone]

10. I remember back then in the 1980s, there was just the one gay bar, I think it

was at York & Crown street(?); at least it was the only one I knew of, and only because I stopped in there for a beer because I was finding my way around town...big "oops" moment for me, and not for the first time; there was that bar in Daytona Beach where it was half an hour and three beers before I noticed that the guy on the barstool next to me had another guy sitting on his lap...but I stayed there for a while, like I did at that place in New Haven, because what the hell, just because I'm heterosexual doesn't invalidate people who are not so, yes?

I'm getting tired, here. Hence the run-on sentences.

Redstone

[bigwillq]

13. This bar is on York and Chapel

Could be the same bar...it's been there awhile...did you have to go down some stairs to get to it? :shrug:

It also could've been Partners, which is at the corner of Crown and Park.

I agree with ya, which is why I frequent "straight" establishments too. :) :hi:

[Redstone]

16. Yes, I think it was Crown and Park. Definitely not Chapel Street.

Redstone

[flvegan]

5. $4 million doesn't buy that much in Rhode Island on the beach.

Not exactly like an evening at The Breakers.

:P

I kid, I kid. I'm a homebody myself, so I totally get not wanting to go.

For the record, I never condemn rich people across the board. I know a few richies that do great stuff too.

[Redstone]

7. Ah, but here's the hook: The $4-mil house is his GUEST house; it's next door to his

actual house. Which is identical. He built both houses at the same time, and was going to sell the second one, but decided to instead keep it to use as a guest house.

Yeah, it's a real temptation to say "damn, it must be nice to be rich," but as I said, this is a guy who really WORKED for his bux, and is spending them for the benefit of others.

And for the record (to use your terminology) you're one of the people I would LEAST suspect would be judgmental across the board regarding any group of people. (Except for any fuckers who abuse animals.) And given where you live, I'd well imagine that you'd know wealthy folks who do good with their money.

Redstone

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. My dear Redstone!

I understand completely!

Besides, if you'd gone, then you couldn't be here, talking to us...

And I think that's the better thing to do, anyhow!

Good to see you tonight!


To change the subject...Any chance you could make it to the New York meetup? I am going. August 10th.

I most likely will not be making another trip east this year...

:hi:

[Redstone]

11. Send me details, Peg. I hadn't heard about an NYC meetup, but if you're going to be there,

I'll take the train down to see you.

Redstone

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. I will PM you...

[derby378]

9. Bonfire? Pyrotechnics?!? Dude!

I'd have gone. But then again, I appreciate the value of a quiet Saturday evening, too.

Wish I lived on the beach sometimes. Last year, ginbarn and I spent a few days in Corpus Christi to get away from work for a while. Sitting on the beach on Mustang Island, facing the Atlantic Ocean, watching the laughing gulls and scatterlings as the waves rolled in - that was one of the happiest times of my life.

Damn. Now I want to go back.

[Redstone]

14. I rented a house on the beach for four years when I first moved to Connecticut,

and damn, wasn't that great for a 26-year-old single guy.

We won't discuss the poontang component of that situation here (DU "no sex threads" rules), but I do remember the night before I moved from that house. By then I was married and had a 3-month-old baby, and I remember standing by the seawall with my (then) wife and saying "I'm going to miss the seagulls, even though they've woken us up too early in the morning so many times."

There is indeed magic about living on the water.

Redstone

[democracyindanger]

15. That's getting lazy, not old.

Not that there's anything wrong with either.

[Redstone]

17. Oh, no worries; I've never been ashamed to admit to being lazy; after all,

Mark Twain famously said (I'm paraphasing here), "It's no big deal to gain a reputation for being someone who gets up with the birds every morning; it doesn't take a lot of effort to train the birds to start singing at nine-thirty."

Redstone