Thursday, May 28, 2009

Big John's Big 5-0 Birthday Party

Big John of the infamous Big and Little John had a party to celebrate Big John's 50th. Here are some pics, with video inspired by none other than "Fiddler on the Roof."








Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Let It Be

Saturday, May 23, 2009

A Memorial for a Friend - Wayne Hedrick

One of my dear friends and an active member of the Asians and Friends Chicago board, Wayne Hedrick, passed away last month. We held a memorial at the Gerber/Hart Library last week and about 20 friends and co-workers attended. Many helped bring food and refreshments and populated a little memorial table of pictures and beloved tokens. What follows are photos of that day and video testimonials.



Who knew Wayne was so Marilyn? Come to think of it, he did like to stand over open grates in the sidewalk.




Testimonials for Wayne

The testimonials at Wayne's memorial last week at the Gerber/Hart Library in Chicago were so touching. It was quite an eye-opener to see different facets of a person. We had different people from work, his condo board and then I contributed for Asians and Friends.


Wayne had an impact on everyone who lived in his building. This is Karin giving us insight.




Deidre spoke of his generous heart.




This is Amy.



Ann spoke of a "Thelma and Louise" trip that was quite funny. I was not able to capture all of it, but the sentiment is here.



This is my "gay and bizarre" contribution to the memorial.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Faux-mo


I've been in Dallas the last few days at a technology conference for convenience stores. It was held at the Gaylord in Grapevine, Texas. This is the main foyer. Very Texas.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Angel and Roo

My trip to North Carolina had us meeting with the executives of a convenience-store chain called "Kangaroo." Interviews went great and my fellow editor and I felt priviledged to be meeting with one of the industry's most successful merger-and-acquisitions leader. It was a rewarding career experience.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Sunday on a Saturday

Last Saturday I saw Big Noise Theatre's production of Sunday in the Park with George. The end of the first act was stunning. As everyone assembled into their places as elements of the famed painting, the effect "made me weep" (I'm so weak).




Then last Friday was a night of drag as I went to see a friend in Snow White and the Seven Drag Queens. It was definitely a night of camp without a tent.


Friday, May 08, 2009

More Karaoke, Surprise!

Here are a couple of pictures from Robert's birthday party at none other than Sidekicks last week. Looks like I found me a hat! And what am I doing with Peg's husband? Am I trying to cop a feel?


Thursday, May 07, 2009

Memorial for Wayne, an AFC Board Member


Asians and Friends Chicago will hold a memorial gathering for Wayne Hedrick, 63, a longtime board member and active participant in the organization’s social events until his passing last month.

The gathering will be held Saturday, May 16, 2009 at the Gerber/Hart Library, 1127 West Granville in Chicago from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information call the Asians and Friends Chicago hotline at (312) 409-1573.

Mr. Hedrick was an avid reader and movie enthusiast, as well as a licensed clinical professional counselor. He is survived by brothers Sidney Hedrick and wife, Viola, and Roger Hedrick and wife, Sharon, as well as a niece and two nephews.

Asians and Friends Chicago is a social organization for gay men of Asian descent and those who are interested in Asian cultures. It will celebrate its 25 anniversary year this fall.

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Gay Mahjong

Success! Asians and Friends Chicago started a mahjong night at the Wild Pug bar, which independently started a "Gaysia" night the last Thursday of every month (since this past January). Well, we advertised and held our first one last month and only got four people (two of which were the bar owners) and a couple of stragglers. Well last Thursday, we had 16 people! Some came to just observe, but we had three different sets of games going, so we were very, very pleased! The bar owners have agreed to have us keep going on a monthly basis to see how big we can go. Asians and Friends owns eight mahjong sets, so we'll see! The more the merrier!




Friday, May 01, 2009

Arizona Stops by Chicago

A co-worker of mine, Kay, who works in Arizona, stopped by our office in Oak Brook to talk about our annual Retail Leader of the Year dinner. Last year, I got to M.C. the presentation as an Alistair Cooke-type "Great Performances" host. This year, I'm writing the story about our chosen retail leader and helping with the video presentation.



Here's a shot of me from last November's retail-leader presentation. The ceremony was held in Chicago during the annual convenience-store convention. This fall's convention will be in Las Vegas.