taking the NBF to IML

Many initialisms in that title, though as a librarian, I trade in initialisms and acronyms daily. So...

NBF = New Best Friend = Jeph. A joking title bestowed, I think, by FXK. It caught on and now it's just habit to type it and even use it in conversation.

IML = International Mr. Leather. It's an annual, predominantly-gay leather fetish celebration staged at one of the bigger downtown hotels. This year it was at the Hyatt Regency, which makes me giggle when I think that one week earlier the same hotel was crammed full of medical librarians. It's not TMI to say that we were there - Conrad and I always go only to have a cocktail with our swim teammmates and to point and titter for a bit. We're tourists in that world, and beyond the cocktail, we seldom visit for long.

Conrad and I swam Saturday morning, then gathered up the NBF and Brett to get some breakfast/coffee at Whole Foods.

We had some time after that before we were due downtown, so we enjoyed the May sunshine, strolling down Broadway until we got Jeph to Threadless where he shopped some. A cab ride later and we were downtown heading to meet some of the other Smelts.

My IML photos are pretty tame - I like to keep this blog fairly family friendly. Ask Jeph to see some of his photos and videos from the exhibits - they were a little more NSFW than these ones. What follows are photos of some of the small group of us gathered for drinks up in the bar.

Dana and Conrad.

Brett and Jeph. Poor Brett, we teased him mercilessly about the Barney-purple of his t-shirt. Jeph's own Threadless shirt (You Are What You Eat) was a fitting choice for the event.

Jeph and I scope something/one out, then stand and pose.


Dana, Conrad, and me. By this point, Conrad's broken toe was very unhappy with all his walking and standing.

Frank.

Jeph, Frank, and Brett.

Howard. Not a Smelt but a longtime friend of Conrad's from San Francisco. In town for IML. Conrad didn't get to see him much because of his own work travel, alas.

Dana (background), Luis (sweating up a storm in his latex vest), and me.

Luis, sensibly vest-less. Poor guy. Fetish gear has its own issues, I guess.

Paul, who blew me away by showing up in that leather shirt - very unexpected from a man who has brilliantly coloured swim suits with flower patterns on them!

Eventually we all went downstairs, though I got Conrad back up to the couches to rest his foot after only a half hour or so. Jeph and Brett enjoyed it immensely, however, and I rather suspect next May they'll be back in town.