ATL Diaries: My First Pride...Part II

This past Sunday, as a part of Atlanta's Black Gay Pride weekend, all the ghey's gather together to socialize and meet up with friends and Twitter followers from all over the country at Piedmont Park. Since I wasn't doing anything else, I met with on of my Twitter buds and went to the park and checked out the scene (my first time at the park also). It was...a sight to take in. Shit just got real. I was in this great big crowd of my peers, people who are just like me. Well...some of them. Some of them were just ratched, cooned out, and over the top. They were just doing the most. But it was all good...kinda. I did meet up with a couple of my favorite tweeters from my hometown of H-town...all of us rocking our Sperry's. Wouldn't have it any other way. Met some others too. It felt strange but good to be in that environment. And yes, I did give some hugs, although that was kind of hard for me to do. My "Animal" shirt was very popular too, lol.

Then Labor Day (Monday). I was planning to go out to some place called Prime but my job kicked my ASS! I really saw no purpose me going in to work but my main supervisor said to do so. I only had to do ONE shuttle run which was the very first run at 7:10 in the morning. Normally, in my spare time, I would help in the restaurant and the front desk is like my back up position. Why did my other supervisor have me, dust mopping the lobby then wet mopping, vacuuming AND picking up trash that includes cigarette butts and beer bottles in the parking lot? If the main supervisor was there, I'd be straight chilling at the desk. By the time I left, my feet were aching so bad like Cicely Tyson had spent 8 hours in the cotton fields. Got home and fell out, knocked out on the couch. Ain't heard a phone ring or a text alert...till my coworker kept calling me repeatedly. We went out to Atlantic Station, walked around and had dinner and drinks at Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro. Yeah, we cut up and got personal, basically she became my new best friend. Then I went home and went back to sleep. The place called Prime didn't happen. Not even mad after the day I had.

ATL Diaries: My First Pride...Part I

So I went out last night. I thought I’d be staying in for the 2nd night in a row this weekend when one of the biggest black gay pride events are going on in town but fortunately (and unfortunately) my cuzzo’s “fam” called me and asked if I wanted to hang out. ‘Course I said, “SUUUUUURRRREEEE!!!” They named me the designated driver. Mind you I’ve had like 4 Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktail Downhome Punch and Four Loko Lemonade. So basically I’d been drinking almost all day. And I still was going to drink at this party. Cooked, watched the UT v. Rice game, got my outfit together then realized around 8pm that I’d forgotten to get my uniforms from the cleaners that closed 3 hours earlier. The cleaners, to make matters worse, is directly across the street. I mean, literally, I can look out of my window right at the place. Even worse? They’re closed today…AND, thanks to the holiday, tomorrow. I fricking work tomorrow and Tuesday!!!

Oh, well, back to last night. Okay, so the “fam” arrives and we head out. Nice house in a nice neighborhood, I don’t even know if we were still in ATL. (We were) The party wasn’t much of an environment that I’m used to. We go get our drinks (I had four Coronas and 3 mixed drinks all night), they go off and mingle while I’m off to the side trying to take it all in. I tell you, the eyes that would not stop staring. It was like they were HUNGRY. Dudes did come up and speak and stuff. One thing I found out. The gheys love to hug. I’d rather shake hands and be done. As the night went on, I started to loosen up and danced a little bit. One of my people was pretty much wasted. I’m talking stumbling, slurring, can’t stop laughing, hungry ass wasted. Had to take him to the car for a minute, lol. But he was STILL pulling numbers. Got 3 of them in my phone since he left his in the car, smh. Back in the party, after all the drinks, I’m still sober. Him…smh. He kept having to check up on me but really, we had to check on him to make sure HE was alright. 

I "think" I saw Marquis Phifer at the party. Dope dude from LateBoots.com. He looked exactly like him but I couldn’t really be sure. He was a little more thicker, as in buff/meatier (did I say “meatier”?) than Marquis and he wasn’t dressed like only MP can dress. Didn’t seem like his type of environment. Does MP have any tatts on his arms?

Should’ve sneaked a pic….

Anyway, we left about 3:30 and got back to my place. Boy was falling out on my floor and in the parking garage…smh. Thankfully, he didn’t vomit at anytime. Now I gotta pick up my cuzzo from the airport in 3 and a half hours, sleep some more and go out again later today. This is becoming an interesting weekend.