As you may have noticed from my narrative, I have been killing many, many, many tiny little grey cells. Along with the grey cells goes memory. I have a hazy recollection on what transpired on this day. But I did have fun! I know, as was usual this week, I awoke early and left the roommates to catch up on their zzzz's. I went downtown and ran some errands. One of the errands was to check my email. I found this place that provided internet access for 99�/hour. I was so happy to find something reasonably priced in Miami. After going through my email, I still had plenty of time left on the hour. I decided I would check my facebook account. While there I updated my status, "Douglas is having a blast with CHORUS BOYS GONE WILD! in Miami". I really didn't think much of that at the time. It was a hazy morning with mist. The threat of rain looms. By the time I start to head back to the hotel it begins to rain.

Once I get to my hotel room everyone has gotten ready for their day. The rain is starting to really pour. We turn on the television to watch the weather report and news. I am mesmerized by the handsome weather forecaster. We are especially concerned about the weather because Josh and Steve are both flying home today on separate flights. I just relax in my room because I don't know what else to do on this rainy day. Eventually, it is time to say good-bye to both Josh and Steve. They were wonderful roommates. Everything went smoothly (if you discount the whole hold on the credit card fiasco). Steve left cash for the money he owed on the room for Adrienne. Josh was using his American Express to handle his room charges. The rain continues to pour as they head out to the airport. Even the city is crying (the rain) at the fact that they have to leave.

After they leave I must have wandered around like a lost puppy. I land in the hotel restaurant. While there I plunk myself down at a table with Jonathan, Dan, Mike, and their new friend, Dustin from MCC - San Francisco Worship & Praise Team. I would have loved to have heard Dustin perform, but we were having a rehearsal at the time of their performance, ugh! It was a very entertaining lunch. Among other stories, the most scandalous was Jonathan's "Dead Boy in the Hallway" story.

Originally, Jonathan, was scheduled to make a guest appearance on this web site and tell his story directly from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Now, he is getting all shy and everything. Does he really think his mother will ever see this web site? Puh-leeeze. Since he agreed right after coming back from Miami to tell the story I didn't bother to jot anything down to jog my memory. We'll see how I do reconstructing events.

Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control Jonathan was the first PGMC member to arrive in Miami, arriving on Thursday, July 10. July 11 Jonathan is excited to see all of his friends from the chorus who all will be arriving on this Friday. He wanted to celebrate big time. Cocktail after cocktail Jonathan consumes in anticipation of all the fun he will be having. Mike Liddick and I arrive at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay. One of the first things we try to do is call Jonathan and connect with him. He is not ready to receive visitors at the moment. We play phone tag and eventually he is not returning calls. Mike and I decide we needed to dump our stuff in our respective rooms and deal with registration. I get all caught up with the events described on Day One. Meanwhile, Jonathan has had way too many cocktails that anyone of his petite stature should ever consume. For some reason he decides he needs to check back into his room. He is so impaired he can not manage to find his room key. He knows it is in his wallet, but can't seem to find it. In a drunken fit of apoplectic frustration he rummages through the wallet tossing out bills and receipts in a shower of paper. He never did manage to find that room key. What he does manage to do is pass out right in front of the door to his room in the hallway of the beautiful downtown Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay hotel.

Time passes and a woman walks down her hallway of her hotel room. She sees Jonathan sprawled out on the hotel corridor floor. Money and paper are strewn over and around his body. She is in shock and yells for her friends to come over, "There is a dead gay boy in the hallway! A dead boy in the hallway! Look he's bleeding!"
 
Her two friends join her and discover that in fact the boy is still breathing, he is not dead, and he is not bleeding. His hair has been dyed platinum blond with a tuft of bright pink jutting from his forehead. The pink might look like he is bleeding out from his forehead, but he is not. He's just shockingly gay. The woman and her friends find his wallet and get his room key. They lift Jonathan and transport him into his room and deposit him on his bed. Jonathan is still passed out. The Good Samaritan ladies leave his wallet for him to find and make their exit.

Jonathan wakes up later only to find that he is in his hotel room but with no recollection beyond his second cocktail.

A day or two later Jonathan is making his way back to his room after having enjoyed the events of the GALA festival for that day. As he approaches his room he is accosted by a strange w oman. "YOU!" She yells. "You are the dead boy in the hallway!"

"What," asks Jonathan thinking he really doesn't need to be dealing with strange psychopaths alone in some strange hotel.

"I twisted my hip trying to get you into your room. It's all your fault. I can't even walk properly because of you. You're the dead boy in the hallway. I thought you were dead." She gets her friends who helped her the other day and they reconstruct events for Jonathan. Jonathan learns that this is Shelley the lesbian and not some crazy psychopath. He thanks them for all of their assistance and expresses his concern for Shelley's injury.

The guys were having lunch. I, needing to watch my pennies, had eaten food that I had purchased earlier in my hotel room. I was just there to socialize. Dan had ordered a sizeable meal and could not finish it. I, being the vacuum cleaner that I am, finished his yummy soup. I think it was something like a lobster bisque. Jonathan and I helped finish off his nachos. It really hit the spot.

After hearing Jonathan's story, someone suggested we leave a note to Shelley to let her know things are fine and to thank her for her help. At GALA there is a message board over at the Hilton for folks to send messages. This was very handy since we didn't know Shelley's last name or know her room number. Jonathan left a very funny note for "Shelley, the Lesbian". I added the post script: "Still bleeding pink".

I wanted to see the afternoon concert block over at the Ziff Opera House because Scott H. from Phoenix was about to perform. I left my lunch time friends to head over to the Ziff. On my way I ran into Chris K. We made our way over to Ziff together. At first, we sit in the orchestra section near the stage. While there I run into Austin. Austin is sitting even closer to the stage. We chat a bit before the concert block begins. I am friends with one of his ex's (not really a big surprise). This ex-boyfriend read my update on facebook just a few hours ago. Immediately the ex calls Austin and wants to know what WILD stuff is going on down in Miami. Austin is not amused at all. He starts to get upset and laughs all at the same time that this situation is now all my fault. I'm the instigator. We both found it amusing because nothing really scandalous is happening (even if it were how is it the EX-boyfriend's business is beyond me). I return to sit with Chris. Chris gets a message from friends, Albert and Mark. We scamper up to the first balcony. At the balcony we meet Mark, Albert, and their old friend, Jay. Correction: Jay is a friend they have known for several years. Jay is not old. Mark, Albert, and Jay are known for their cabaret act "Good 'n' Plenty". Jay no longer lives in Philadelphia. Mark and Albert have done their best to continue the tradition. Today they reunite to enjoy what GALA has to offer.

As I've mentioned there are numerous musical acts that I see perform at GALA. I can not recall them all. In fact, I can't recall most of what I heard. I do know I was well entertained. Today, I stayed for the whole concert block at the Ziff Opera House.

The block started with the New Mexico Women's Chorus. They were followed by the New Mexico Men's Chorus. New Mexico Men's Chorus was one of the highlights for me all week long. They did something that was unusual. Instead of a piano, they were accompanied by a harp. They formed a semi-circle around the harp and created wonderful music. One of my favorite pieces of music was Dirait-on. PGMC has performed this Morten Lauridsen piece in the past and I would like to do it again. It is just a beautiful piece of music. In addition, they had guest performers, Mariachi Orgullo de Nuevo Mexico. Possibly, the only gay mariachi band in the world! It was such a treat to hear. It was incredibly entertaining. I wish Philadelphia had a gay mariachi band. Not only did the mariachi band play on their own but the chorus joined them at one point. New Mexico was followed by the West Coast Singers.

Scott and the Phoenix Metropolitan Gay Men's Chorus did a great job in providing audience pleasers. My favorite was the medley from Jekyll & Hyde. I'm biased. I like Frank Wildhorn music. Phoenix selected a set designed for a gay audience: Anything Goes, You Can't Stop the Beat Medley from Hairspray, and Gentlemen Choristers of Broadway. That was just a no-brainer set. I'm glad I made a point of making sure I didn't miss their performance.

Phoenix was followed by The Quire, a mixed chorus based out of Iowa City, Iowa. Anytime I hear Iowa I think of my friend, Craig. He's from Iowa and never lets anyone forget the fact that he is just a small-town, trailer trash boy at heart. What the Quire lacked in musicianship, they more than made up for in gumption and showmanship. As I said, I saw A LOT of musical acts and only a few choruses have come to stick out in my mind over two months later. The Quire sticks out in my mind. They performed a David Maddux/Eric Lane Barnes piece that was priceless. Priceless, I tell you! The Chorus Sniper is all about stereotypical figures in a gay chorus. Hysterical! It was a HUGE hit at GALA because we, the audience, are so familiar with the objects of ridicule in this song. The Quire did a great job in their body language and movement.

The concert block ended with Columbus Gay Men's Chorus. This group danced from beginning to end. When I say danced, I don't mean just sway back and forth, and raise a hand. I mean each and every chorus member was doing serious movement throughout the entire set. WOW! Columbus Gay Men's Chorus proved that you can provide excellent musicianship while performing audience friendly material. I am bright enough to acknowledge that their blend and balance was on target even though they aren't singing an operatic choral movement. Their set was all Elton John music. Just because they are performing pop music does not mean that they still don't have to have great diction, pay attention to cut offs, and create a sound of one voice as opposed to many individual voices. Columbus managed to do all of that. Each chorus member had their own individual costume that was reminiscent of Elton John in the seventies. I discovered later that each chorus member created their own outfit. Can you imagine sewing all those sequins!?! Amazing! Go to their website and buy their Rocketman CD today.

The afternoon concert block ended at 6:30 pm. The evening concert block begins at 8:00 pm. I have absolutely no recollection as to what the heck I did in the intervening time period. I'm guessing I ate. Where I ate, what I ate, I dunno.

This evening's concert block was the best concert block of the entire week. Overall, the level of musicianship was my favorite of all the blocks that I saw. The night began with the Rainbow Women's Chorus. They were followed by One Voice Mixed Chorus, Minnesota's GLBTA chorus. I love mixed choruses and this group did a wonderful job of execution. They started the night at raising the bar. It was a lot to live up to. Later in the week I got to enjoy sitting next to their director, Jane Ramseyer Miller for a portion of a concert block. I'm pretty sure I told her how much I enjoyed their performance. If I didn't I'm sure I'm making up for it by announcing it across the world wide web. San Diego Women's Chorus was next on the stage. They were followed by the Golden Gate Men's Chorus.

Golden Gate Men's Chorus was arguably the best chorus of the entire week. They made me want to become a member of their chorus. Their sound was so incredible. A-Ma-Zing! This is one of those moments when words can not describe the experience. Joseph Jennings, their director, got taken over by the spirit and had to be carried off the stage. I guess he felt they did a good job as well. Stephen P. and I were just dumbfounded.

Anna Crusis Women's Choir, my home town girls, put on an incredible show tonight. If you want to hear impeccable a cappella music, then you go hear Anna Crusis sing. Their set had great range of different music genres from traditional feminist movement pieces to the irreverent adaptation of Kinsey Sicks. These ladies rocked that house. I was so proud of them. I love to hear their sound and I'm going to work to make sure I get a larger audience for their next concert. They are that special. Also, it doesn't hurt the fact that they love me.

That's my secret girlfriend on the left.  So secret she doesn't even know that she's my girlfriend.  So secret she doesn't even know me.  Thank you to Patrick Hagerty for this photograph.

Closing out the evening was the talented Seattle Men's Chorus. I once had a vacation in Vancouver where I flew to Seattle and then rented a car to Vancouver. It was a wonderful part of the world and I was tempted to move there. Now I hear their spectacular men's chorus. It just adds fuel to the fire. There was everything to love about this group. They had showmanship, musicianship, hot men, cute men, and lots of men. They had the Seattle Women's Chorus as guest performers so I'm sure they had some hot women too. I am very good at judging people. I used to think, "Stop, judging a book by its cover". Over the years I've learned to trust my gut. My gut says that Dennis Coleman and Eric Lane Barnes would be a treat to sing with (Yes, I know I ended that sentence with a preposition. Sue Me!). Kudos Seattle! One Voice had raised the bar this evening and Seattle provided an exuberant finish.

Watch the Seattle Men's Chorus perform Sure on This Shining Night

It's 11:00 pm. What will Douglas do now? Hmmm - go to a party? That's right! Boston Gay Men's Chorus has taken over Discotekka at Metropolis in downtown Miami. I go back to my hotel room and change my clothes. I had done some research and put the location of the event on a map prior to leaving for Miami. I take a bunch of folks on the Metromover to the event. We get off the Metromover right around midnight when it closes down. After walking for what seemed a lifetime we discover that the location I had on my map was incorrect. I was leading everybody to the wrong destination. It did allow several GALA attendees to get to know each other better; among the crew was Scott from Phoenix. I just felt bad that I had lead everyone astray and we went so much further south than we needed to. It turns out the party was within walking distance of the hotel. You just wouldn't want to make that walk alone at night.

We finally arrive at the party as it is in full swing. We all are thirsty. A little bottle of water cost $7. It couldn't have been more than a half litre. I had one cocktail and I can't recall the cost, I'm guessing it was $12. That's it! I knew I was only going to have the one cocktail. Not only was the price of drinks expensive but once again it had taken a long time to be served. I am not in a good mood. I felt bad that I had let complete strangers down, not to mention my friends in trying to find the stupid venue. Now it takes forever to get a drink; and when I do get the drink I am charged an arm and a leg.

I venture into the dance area. Everyone is dancing around and having a good time. I run into Steve G. and two of his friends. They are very sweet women, but this is not the place to get to meet new people. The music is thumping so loudly it is impossible to carry on a conversation. I danced for a little bit with the three of them.

At this point I would like to make a public service announcement. Do not cock block your friend; especially, if you already have a boyfriend. That's just greedy. Then again, maybe you're just oblivious and thoughtless. But on this particular night I saw one friend of mine (who has a boyfriend) cock block another friend (who does not have a boyfriend). Shame on all cock blockers! For those of you unfamiliar with the term cock block feel free to email me and I will explain it to you.

I continue to wander around and discover a whole new area. It is so much cooler, literally. The other areas were hot and humid. I now am in air conditioning and much happier. This is another one of those venues that has multiple rooms, multiple bars. My favorite space was this big, dark, cool area where you could lounge around in. For some reason on this night I'm just floating around all on my own. I run into a few people that I know, but I don't end up sticking with anyone. This would be an incredible party if I had a boyfriend. There seems to be five different DJ's in all these different rooms. All of the DJ's I really liked and they were playing great music. Eventually, I make my way to some back room and start dancing with some folks that I know. I just felt a little lost on this night. I didn't have a good attitude to begin with. I eventually come to the realization that I am not having a good time. I should leave. I text a bunch of people that I came to the party with that I was leaving and just head on out.

I run into Miguel outside and we share a cab back to the hotel. I want to make it clear that the BGMC did a great job at creating an event. Nothing they did could have changed whether or not I had a good time. It was just the stars coming into some funky weird alignment for me. I crawl into the bed that is now all my own since Steve and Josh have left for the week. I am asleep within a matter of minutes after I get horizontal.