The title of this post may draw the curious, but what I’m writing about is the balancing required in one’s schedule and interests vs. what it takes to go to a gathering of the leather-geared guys.
Leather-geared guys have gatherings from time to time, be they “club runs” or more formal events like International Mr. Leather or Mid-Atlantic Leather. These events are held in city centers and usually at bars or private clubs (though the big ones may be in a large hotel meeting room or a theater). Often, the “main attraction” such as a contest begin late at night.
What’s it take to go to these things? Well, usually one has to register in advance, which these days is relatively simple and often can be done on-line. The cost, though, can be high, depending on the event.
The day of the event, usually one has to take a “disco nap” because the event runs very late into the night and often well into the hours of the next morning. So one just has to plan to take the time to rest before going out.
Most guys like to drink alcohol at these events, and drinks aren’t cheap. Someone was telling me via email that it wasn’t unusual for him to pay well over US$50 or more for drinks on one night. (Too rich for my blood, but water or soft drinks cost just as much!)
Before going, one usually showers and cleans up (and hopefully does not apply after-shave or perfume cologne), and has to select the “right” outfit for the night. I have seen some guys obsess over “just the right gear,” changing as often as women do on the television comedy shows.
Then one has to get to the venue. For someone like me, that’s not an easy feat as public transit doesn’t serve the area, and driving in the city at any time of day or night is slow and a hassle. Then one has to hunt and hunt and hunt for a relatively safe place to park. Then one has to walk usually a long distance to the actual venue.
So one swaggers in his leather finest into the bar and elbows his way up to the bar and orders a drink. If one is the social sort, then he spots some friends and begins to yell a conversation. Yell? Well, often the thrumming boompa-boompa-boompa techno noise is so loud, one can’t hear a conversation, so if one wants to be heard, he has to speak loudly.
One stands around for hours, drinks, sees friends, and then …
… the outcome varies. For old married farts like my partner and me, we go home. We never “hook up” with other guys for other reasons. We’re old-fashioned. Some single guys (or those who play around) meet other men and leave together for … (fill-in-the-blank) … but most guys, if they’re being honest, will tell you that they go home alone.
I’ve blogged about this before, and I am saying again … my partner and I have moved past being interested in going to such events. It’s nice seeing guys dressed up in boots and leather, but honestly, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ’em all. They don’t turn my crank. I am not saying anything is wrong with anyone. All I’m saying is that the only guy who turns my crank is the man with whom I live, so going out to socialize with other men isn’t interesting to me any more. I don’t think I’m alone in this feeling, though because one can’t prove a negative, I do not know who else feels this way because I do not know who I am not seeing. (Hope the logic here isn’t too convoluted.)
I think, also, that a lot of things have changed. There are fewer leather events these days than before, probably because there is not as much of a demand. Many fewer of the Millennial generation are into leather. If they’re into gear, more often they go for the cheaper stuff like neoprene or “pleather,” but not the real stuff. The good stuff costs too much. They also are very much in love with their sneakers. ‘nuf said.
The point of this long ramble is that going to leather events isn’t like it used to be. That comfy warm bed and my snuggly partner looks much more tempting at 9pm than thinking about leathering up and going out for the night.
Life is short: enjoy your gear, wherever you may go.
