Why have you come here?

There have definitely been eras in the lives of Azzarb & the Elusive Mr. b.

1980: the year we met and became partners; more work than fun, lousy winter weather.

1981: the year we moved to DC.

The early 80's were the "decadent, "chemically-induced non-stop party" years. It was the creation of the "Trident Int'l DC "Empire". It was also during those years that Mike W. & Brad almost ceased to be partners.

The late 80's were the "attitude adjusted frequently dancing" years. The Empire grew & continued.

The early 90's were the "slightly tilted event-planned" years; they were also the stressful years, due to changes in health, plus the loss of friends by a dreaded disease. This was the pinnacle of Trident Int'l DC; we hosted a run, drafted by-laws and traveled to various events as a group.

1995-6 contained the "PROZAC" wars; plus the disillusionment & disappearance of Trident Int'l., DC.

1997 to the 2000 was not easy; there have been serious health issues, and many emotional, philosophical, spiritual & psychological problems to handle.

2001: a year of change & many subtle & radical changes...a national tragedy, and the end of 'business as usual'.

2002...major changes to life as we knew it...a new beginning.

But, in my opinion, Brad & Mike W. are stronger, wiser & more foolish individuals. That is, of course, my opinion.

Peace, Mike W.

...Cocktails in the rotating "Sundial Room" at the Peachtree Plaza, in Atlanta; the intriguing design of the MARTA stop below that structure...amazed at the number of people that could fit in a hot tub at the Clarion hotel in Detroit...being presented with a very large restaurant bill at Mr. P's, a meal we were invited to; this was the first & last time we were stung by gay club politics in DC! We learned how to play by the 'rules' of this game and how to be the winner!...having a bear lick dead flies form the car's grille (we weren't going to say "No!", were we?)...Marco Lopez...So many men, so little time!...the "Shoe Tree" on the tertiary road from Palm Springs, CA to Parker, AZ...our first pool party in the DC area...having METRO extend the Orange Line when we returned after our cross-country trip...getting stuck on the "Big Bad Wolf" at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA; the ride just stopped, and we just waited...You call these grapes; they taste like Fresno! (this was a miniseries in the 80's which starred Carol Burnett)...Mike W. as the 'benevolent dictator' of Trident Int'l, DC...watching the GW Parkway disappear in a river of water due to a very wet spring...Erasure...Bill Arnold and When Will I See You Again , Color My Love or Don't Play with Fire!...also, coined the phrase; a Bill in a china shop!...overhearing a comment at the Grand Canyon; Just as I thought, another big hole in the ground!...overstuffing ourselves at "Casa Maria" on the waterfront in SW DC...the "Torrid Tuba" award (you have to see it to believe it!)...having an employee work after hours, not tell anyone, then set off all the motion detectors & fire alarms, which resulted in the police arriving at the building; then waiting for said employee to leave in order to reset the entire system...after a long, sleepness night of camping, eating at "Johnny Appleseed" in New Market, VA. The waitress asked whose side were we on (there had been a re-enactment of a Civil War battle). We looked at her and said, The Losing One!...being at "Ground Zero" on the Fourth of July, and returning home with a souvenir...the effects of Viagra...12/31/1980; while working at the Holiday Inn, a woman who had drunk too, too much alcohol, shouted to us, Don't hang up that [pay] phone! I've got to take a leak!...Eric from Atlanta!, Good God, but good sex!...seeing ourselves on TV!...Kusum Taneja & Octavia Goodwin...'Crepe Cod', isn't that awful!...the impromptu Y2K party at the home of John & Jan (and, at the time, soon-to-be Constance)...at the DC Eagle, provided a complimentary cigar after a meal..."Tales and More Tales of the City"...the unicorn...our fifteenth anniversary celebrated at the Landmark Restaurant in Provincetown, MA; the next year the food & service went downhill (new owners, penny pinchers)...

...driving through towns in Wyoming with populations of 6, 8, 13 & 37; many times there were more buildings than people...Camelot 3000...Brenda Gamble...there is a brick in an Old Town Alexandria, VA sidewalk with our names on it (we contributed to the Olde Towne Renovation Committee)...the evening with Ron Aldersen that was, the evening with Mike Byrne that wasn't!...how to escape eastbound interstate traffic in Chicago, use the toll bridge!...the Plain Brown Wrapper with "Aunt Pitti-Pat!"...the walks past the power plant by day & night...Frank Herbert & Dune...Amanda Lear, a man and a woman...judging a "Leather Sabbath" contest...FFA/GSA...the "French Quarter" at 808 King Street...Lou Ritz...calling up the credit card companies, notifying them when & where we would be on vacation, and still not allowing us to make any purchases until we spoke to them again, confirming that we bought the items mentioned!...Peter Johnson's bed (our friend in Atlanta), complete with eye-hooks to attach a sling!...having the Datsun get a hole in its muffle in the middle of PA, where no one could fix it; driving very carefully home and getting stuck in a back-up, thus driving very slowly &/or "coasting" past the police patrols...visiting Natural Bridge, the Grottoes & Luray Caverns in VA... pouring bags of mulch on the outside wall at the corner of our house & Grace Webb's; this was in an attempt to stop water from leaking into the basement; it did not work!...the Selby Hotel in LA..."Baklava, anyone? (from Robbie at Keelhaul)...to the expanding DC suburbs: "Thus far...and no farther!"...screwing around in the back yard one hot afternoon...12 Inches Dance Records...taking a passenger ferry to Martha's Vineyard, and using mopeds to tour the island..."Your Love", "Guilty" & "Angel Eyes" by Lime...Captain Kid in Woods Hole, MA...Patrick Cowley...on a group outing to Deer Park Lodge in MD, Steve Arnold bashfully took a leak by lifting the car hood up; but all of us watched the "waterfall" through the space between the hood & the dashboard; then discovering a rest area less than a mile up the interstate...

"We are dead and this is Hell!"...

listening to the same Alan Parsons CD over & over because every one had a defect in a different part of a song...enjoying a melting chocolate dessert in a non-airconditioned hotel room in Atlanta and again outside of Charleston, SC...touring the Capitol & the Mall with the Simpsons; the next year we were "van-sitting" their vehicle as they vacationed in Florida; we also did a midnight tour with a friend from New Bedford, MA and his lover...