So. I said that when I had more energy, I'd talk about my New Year's Eve. Suffice it to say that it was quite memorable.

Mike and I went to Wet, a gay male strip club in DC, to meet his friend, Ben. Wet is also the club where Mike's (straight) best friend, Doug, strips. It's all very complicated.

So we went, and it's the type of place where there are all sorts of gay men, the young twinks, the in-denials, the professionals, the family men who probably realized they were gay after the wedding. There is a mirrored shower where the dancers periodically pull a Brian Kinney. The bar is also a dance floor, so much so that if you sit with your back to the bar, you may end up with a dancer's stuff right above your head. You can't help but see penises everywhere.

The dancers are all very social-- they mingle when not on stage. One in particular was so sweet and enthusiastic, chattering earnestly about Wicca when he saw my pentacle. The next minute, he was on stage, winking and smiling. I did my best not to encounter Doug's stuff, as that would have just been too weird. Talking to Ben was a hoot, but the place itself wasn't too enthralling to me-- I think the female body is where it's at. Penises are simply odd little critters. Which is funny with me dating a man and all.

So. There was an amateur dance contest. And after a decent amount of Jack & Coke, Mike was persuaded to enter. The boy shook his money-maker, people. He even did a naked surfer-dude dance. I broke two noisemakers I was cheering so loud (and yes, we are a fairly strange match). My boy took it all off and won himself third place. He should have gotten second place, but the judging was all sorts of botched. This pissed Doug off immensely.

On the ride home, I asked Mike why he did it. He replied because his friends were cheering him on and he got a kick out of it. And now I think he understands where I was coming from. The night I stripped, it wasn't about me being unhappy with my relationship. It was about being goofy with my friends and having a great college story. And that's it. He was very hurt when I stripped because so many people saw my naked body, but for me, nudity just isn't an issue. I'd be a nudist if it weren't for winter and pervy old men. I'm completely comfortable with myself. For me, it's who I let have access to my body that is the real issue, and he knows he is the only one who can touch me. So, I suppose we're even, and the issue can now be properly buried.