Opening The Vault: Part Seventeen

After you go away to college, there’s always a readjustment period when you return home. Getting used to being under my parents’ roof again was especially difficult during the summer following my junior year in London.

Thankfully, I had the welcome distraction of my California-based long-distance love Mark (a.k.a Sparky). A visit from Sparky in July left me yearning to see him again.

Given the newness of both my romance and my return from London, Dad had his reservations about me taking a trip to the West Coast. Thankfully, Mom helped convince him that he had nothing to worry about. I now Open The Vault and take you back to August of 1994…

August 8, 1994
New York, NY

Dear Diary,

I commented on the weather and asked Dad about his next game of golf. He smiled as he puffed away on his cigar, knowing I had more than meteorological matters on my mind. As if on cue, Mom came in and asked what we were talking about.

With a voice like butter, Mom began to tell Dad the real reason for our conversation. She was just about to do so when he interjected with--

“I know -- she wants to go to California.”

My heart sank when he added—

“Didn’t we say that she’d done enough traveling for awhile?"

Mom concurred but gently added that this time, I would pay for my plane ticket instead of using frequent flier miles from our family account.

“What are you -- attorney for the defense?” Dad quipped.

California Here I Come: A visit to the West Coast to see Sparky was on my agenda during the summer of 1994

After Mom exited, Dad asked when I was planning to go and where I would be staying (I opted not to tell him I would be staying with Sparky). He reached behind him and pulled out the form that would procure me a free miles-earned airline ticket.

Upon receiving the good news, I couldn’t wait to tell my sweetheart. I left a message for him and later, he called back.

“I want to hear you say it,” he said adorably.

“I’m coming to California!” I exclaimed.

“You’ll be on my turf now,” he said.

“Yeah,” I answered quickly, “But you’ll have to deal with my scruples [about remaining a virgin]!”

* * *

August 12th, 1994

I just spoke to Sparky. He had been trying to reach me all day. I was tickled pink to hear this because I had tried HIM to no avail the night before.

He said he is “very excited” about our relationship and that, since his visit here last month, his thoughts about me are “more of a constant thing.” I know exactly what he means.

* * *

While Sparky remained on my mind and I looked forward to seeing him on his ‘turf,’ I had other things to contend with on the local front – including a well-intentioned Granola-type beau who had me missing my California love even more.

Coming up…Tina Turner’s return to NYC and farewell festivities for a beloved exiting colleague and friend.

California Dreamin' in NYC

Last night, my friend Bobbi and I attended the launch party for California Dreamin’, a new calendar shot by travel writer and photographer Mark Chesnut.

Mark and I got to know each other earlier this year during an action-packed press trip to Costa Rica hosted by my Hilton client. I was excited to celebrate Mark’s latest venture – and to get the inside scoop on the stories behind the calendar.

California Dreamin': One of 12 hunks photographed by

Mark Chesnut in his 2009 calendar

Over drinks at Barrage, an intimate gay bar in Hell’s Kitchen, Mark told me the calendar’s title is more thematic than literal. The hunks of the month were actually photographed in a variety of destinations ranging from Buenos Aires to Brooklyn. It’s a credit to Mark’s talent that he’s made the shores near Coney Island look so pristine.

Bobbi and I had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. December, NYC native and sweetheart Steve Interiano. We weren’t surprised to learn that Steve works out 3-5 times a week to maintain his buff bod. Exercise is a hobby, he said, pulling out his PDA to show us more pinup-worthy images from the photo shoot. It occurred to me that it might be time to reexamine my currently non-existent relationship with the gym.

After picking up our goodie bags, Bobbi and I strolled over to Italian bistro Amarone. Over a shared plate of tuna carpaccio and two yummy plates of pasta (orecchiette in marinara sauce for her, spinach fettucine bolognese for me), we talked about wine tastings, charitable social events and the many other reasons we’re excited fall is here.

California Dreamin' is part of Men of The Americas, Mark’s ongoing project documenting a variety of male beauty from across the hemisphere. I’m all for it.

To order California Dreamin’, visit http://www.10percent.com/. For more info about Mark’s photography, head over to http://www.markedwardstudio.com/.