Sir Andy Liu
Mid-Atlantic LeatherSIR 2008

Press Time Update!! – as we go to print, I am pleased to report that Mr. Capital Pride Leather 2009 – Matt Bamford, was just sashed as Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2010 (MAL – www.leatherweekend.com)!! Expect a full write-up next issue!!

01.14.10 – And here we are… officially into 2010. Someone I trust said to me, “just because the cliff is there doesn’t mean you have to jump.” And I guess truer words were never spoken. Sometimes in our quest for control, we feel the need for action to be taken, and at times it is best just to let things be for a while. Of course, easier said than done, right? I’ll warn you now, this Column is venturing into some uncharted territory this time around, so strap yourselves in!!

Why did I mean by that? We’re going to talk fitness! As in MV Fitness (www.mvfit.com – Full Disclosure, MV Fitness is an Advertiser in Baltimore Gay Life (www.baltimoregaylife.com)) located at 1016 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD – 410.878.2990. So, by now most of you think I am off my rocker, and the rest of you probably think I am selling out. Au contraire! Those of you that know me personally know I don’t give my endorsement or recommendation easily. And to answer what the heck is a gym doing in a Leather Column? Honesty, I would like to fit into my Leathers better. Be it age or gravity or years sitting behind a desk, I am starting to notice that armbands are a little looser, the arm holes on my short-sleeved shirts are bigger, I need to take a deeper breath when I put my pants on… you get the idea. So I rang up Andrea Shelby, General Manager, who was wonderful and got everything in order for me. At the door the first time I walked in was Chelsea, who was so friendly, and then I met Den Burdette for my orientation. Now you may have seen Den before, since he’s the one in MV Fitness’ ads here in the paper. But as stern and mean as he looks in print, he’s quite affable in real life. And right off the bat, you can tell he sincerely cares, and wants to help you achieve your goals. No schmoozing, no unctuousness, just a real concern for people’s health and well-being. What impressed me immensely was that Den is also realistic in his approach with people, and realizes that some of us have some bad habits that we’re probably not going to get rid of. So instead of saying no more X, Y, or Z; Den is more like, what if we cut back a little on X, try not to indulge too much in Y, and let’s talk about Z next week. So definitely not a dictator when he talks to you. Now working out with him, that’s a different story. I have had a couple of different sessions and classes with Den now, and I can say the man means business. To give you a better idea, I was pushed to the point physically where I had to give the man my safety word (but didn’t use it!)! But to be clear, that was because I was pushing myself that hard. While Den is definitely firm in his directions, he never forces you to do anything that you can’t or don’t want to do. Den is always encouraging and never demanding. In fact, that’s true of all the other Personal Instructors at MV Fitness. Den and Donavon Israel both run their own Fit Clubs (go to www.mvfit.com for all the details), and every week they do Tag Team Fit Club, where they combine their classes and teach one class together. And while participating in this particular class, again, I noticed the instruction was firm but they both walked around and corrected postures, encouraged enthusiastically, and knew when to stop pushing. You can read both men’s bios and see their certifications on www.mvfit.com under “personal training.”  MV Fitness’ facility is something that you have to see for yourself to fully appreciate the beauty, and in an “Ally MacBeal” moment, the locker room / changing area is unisex! I’ll leave the staff to explain the nuances of that one to you. But it works, and on top of all the positives so far add individual and private restrooms, individual and private showers, all the fluffy (small AND large) towels you can use, never a line for equipment, being dead center (kinda) between the Hippo (www.clubhippo.com) and the Phoenix (1 West Biddle Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 – 410.837.3906) and everything else in the vicinity and you have a winning combination. So go check out MV Fitness, ask for Den, and mention “Flogger Tales” or Sir Andy and he’ll give you a free consultation with no obligation!! 

For the fun portion of this Column I am going to introduce you to CODE DC (www.codedc.com), if you have not been going already. Brought to you by Sir David Merrill and Jacob Nathaniel Pring, CODE is a monthly gear / fetish party that is in Washington, DC at the EFN Lounge (efnlounge.com) on the second floor, the first Saturday of every month. So January 2^nd I zoomed down the road to our Nation’s Capitol. Being that I had never been before I decided to be incognito and just blend in with the crowd and observe the night. And what a night it was! Absolutely hot men in all sorts of gear from Leather to rubber to neoprene to uniforms to sports gear, it was a little piece of kinky heaven here on Earth. I know, some of you may say, “wait! Leather is a Lifestyle!” To which I would agree with you, on one end of the spectrum. At the other end is where Leather is a kink / fetish, meaning you love the way it looks, feels, smells, you put it on to misbehave and then you take it off when you’re done. And this spectrum (and everything in between) is what makes Leather so special, because it is what you make of it. But back to CODE, not only was it hot men in gear, but a Barber and a Bootblack on duty as well! So you can get your boots done and get a trim (and tip generously for a job well done as they are not on CODE payroll)! Also, Sir David and Jacob have set up play stations (not the video kind) where hot, kinky, S/M demo’s happen. And if there is not a demo going on, partiers are highly encouraged to play themselves. Just keep the naughty bits covered, please. Sir David and Jacob spent the bulk of the night greeting everybody and making sure everyone was enjoying themselves. The atmosphere was definitely easy-going, as everyone was chatting with everyone else and mingling around. What’s really nice about CODE is that it is 18 years or older to enter, and 21 years or older to drink. The hours flew by since I didn’t even notice it was time to come home to Baltimore by how much I was enjoying the night! If this sounds too good to be true to you, check out www.codedc.com where you can check out the dress code (strictly enforced!), admire the pictures of the action at previous CODE’s, and plan your own journey to CODE! February’s CODE will be on the 6^th in Washington, DC, and in an effort to spread the joy, CODE is taking a field trip to Philadelphia, PA on the 13^th.   So check out the website, and go! I highly recommend it!!

Being back home, Saturday the 9^th saw the Holiday Party for C.O.M.M.A.N.D., M.C. (www.commandmc.org) at the beautiful home of Mike Soderman and Marty Trenchard. As you’ll recall from last year, Mike & Marty are the ones who always open their home and pool to anyone who needed a place for an event or gathering, whether a Fundraiser for a current Titleholder to a plain ol’ pool party thrown by on of the local Leather / Levi Clubs. These two give and give, and never expect anything back, so “bravo!” you two! The party was a blast with good food, good drink, and great conversation with great friends.

For those of you that may have marked their calendars, Chesapeake Leather Awareness Pride 2010 (C.L.A.P.) settled in on the weekend of March 26^th-28^th of this year. Just in case you missed it, C.L.A.P. will be from March 26^th-28^th, 2010. The weekend will start with an official Meet & Greet & C.O.M.M.A.N.D., M.C.’s (www.commandmc.org) Black & Blue Ball Fundraiser on Friday, March 26th at 10pm at the Hippo (www.clubhippo.com), $7.00 per person. Proceeds will benefit charities to be announced. The afternoon Mid-Atlantic LeatherSIR / Leatherboy / Leatherwoman / Community Bootblack 2010 Contests & Show will take place at 1pm on Saturday, March 27th at the Hippo (www.clubhippo.com), $20.00 per person.  Sunday afternoon (March 28^th) will the Victory Party / Kinky Karnival sponsored by F.I.S.T of Baltimore and Washington, DC; the ShipMates Club of Baltimore (www.shipmatesclub.com), and Leather-Skills.com. This will be at the Hippo (www.clubhippo.com), $7.00 per person. Proceeds will benefit charities to be announced. This weekend will offer something for everyone! There’s a dance! If you’re interested in but were shy to try come to the Kinky Karnival! And last but not least, come celebrate the awesome Title year that Mid-Atlantic LeatherSIR 2009 – Sir Ky Eaton, Mid-Atlantic Leatherboy 2009 – boy Eddie Ortiz, Mid-Atlantic Leatherwoman 2009 (1^st one!) – Cowboi Jen, and Mid-Atlantic Community Bootblack 2009 – Brandon Riley have had! And come see who will be sashed the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Titleholders!!

And with all of that goodness in your care, I will excuse myself to go pack for Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL – www.leatherweekend.com, not to be confused with the preceding paragraph). By the time you have this Column in your hands or on your screen (http://www.baltimoregaylife.com/columns/leather/flogger_tales/index.shtml) we will have sashed Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2010. So look for all the news in the next issue of Baltimore Gay Life right here in this Column!!

So, please look at the Calendar of Upcoming Events, and I hope to see all of you soon, in Leather, out and about, and having an awesome time. With all of that, be kind to yourselves, each other, and practice random acts of kindness!! 

Calendar of Upcoming Events

Every Sunday – WOOF! Philly / LAID – (www.laidsaturdays.com or www.woofphilly.com) – 1416 Chancellor St – Philadelphia, PA – 5PM to 2AM - $5.00

01/30/10 – BHT (Brother Help Thyself - www.brotherhelpthyself.org) Grant Reception and Show – the Hippo (www.clubhippo.com) – Baltimore, MD – 1PM to ?

01/30/10 – The ShipMates Club of Baltimore (www.shipmatesclub.com) Bar Night – DC Eagle (www.dceagle.com) – Washington, DC – 9PM to ?

02/12/10 – 02/13/10 – BLADeaf / GLAD-E Run (www.bladeaf.com) including Mr. & Ms. Baltimore Deaf Leather / Leatherboy / Bear / Cub Contests – Baltimore, MD – check website for times and venues

02/13/10 – Scarlett’s Bake Sale – DC Eagle (www.dceagle.com) – Washington, DC – Time and Details TBA

02/20/10 – The ShipMates Club of Baltimore (www.shipmatesclub.com) Bar Night – Baltimore Eagle (www.thebaltimoreeagle.com) – Baltimore, MD – 9PM to ?

03/26/10 – 03/28/10 – C.L.A.P (Chesapeake Leather Awareness Pride) – Mid-Atlantic LeatherSIR / Leatherboy / Leather Woman / Community Bootblack 2010 Contests + Black & Blue Ball + Kinky Karnival – go to www.hookerandboys.org for details

04/15/10 – 04/18/10 – International Ms. Leather 2010 (IMsL – www.imsl.org) – San Francisco, CA – Go to www.imsl.org for details, volunteering, times and venue

04/22/10 – 04/25/10 – Cleveland Leather Awareness Pride (CLAW – www.clawinfo.org) – Cleveland, OH – check website for Registration info, Volunteer Shifts, time and venues

05/28/10 – 05/31/10 – International Mr. Leather 2010 – (IML – www.imrl.com) – Chicago, IL – check website for details, time and venues