The other night I had the pleasure of attending Nichelle‘s party at Lava Gina, celebrating the arrival of Venus. She had gathered together a batch of smart, cool people, primarily women, and many lovely ladies who blog were in attendance. Some, like Nichelle, I had communicated with before, but had never met it person, and others, like LustyLady, The Brazilian Muse and GirlyNYC, I met for the first time that night. Also in attendance was Anonymous Outsider. There’s something quite unique about meeting bloggers in person — I can’t quite put my finger on it yet, but perhaps it’s the notion that each of us has a part of us that’s out there for the world to see, almost like an alter ego. But then again, just from the brief conversations I had with everyone, I don’t think it’s an alter ego, per se — maybe just a highlighted portion of each of us. The folks I met at the party were interesting to chat with, and their blogs are as varied as they are — be sure to check them out. Thanks for a great evening, and special thanks to Jenn, a non-blogger, for joining me and sharing a light dinner at Perbacco that hit the spot on a steamy evening.

As some of you know, my friend Doug has a blog called Planet Gordon — he blogs about being engaged, but from the groom’s perspective. Doug IM’d me yesterday, asking if I had read his blog. Turns out that he was concerned about a little intellectual property issue. He had designed and started selling t-shirts that say “taken,” with the notion that since women have to wear engagement rings, men should similarly display their unavailability. Yesterday, he noticed that theKnot.com, a popular wedding site, had started selling “taken” t-shirts as well, advertising them as “new.” Doug logically concluded that he might have been ripped off. Later that day, he IM’d me again with an update. Turns out theKnot had been selling thongs emblazoned with the word “taken” before Doug started his blog. You can watch the drama unfold on his blog. Although he no longer had a legal claim, Doug and I IM’d a while on the logic behind the “taken” thong.

[17:19] Me: thongs. nice. real classy
[17:19] Doug: yup
[17:19] Doug: that vagina is taken!
[17:19] Doug: hands off!
[17:19] Me: now who would be reading this thong, exactly?
[17:20] Doug: right
[17:20] Doug: imagine if someone was cheating
[17:20] Doug: she gets down to her skivvies
[17:20] Doug: and then remembers
[17:20] Doug: oh yeah! i’m taken!
[17:20] Doug: i totally forgot!
[17:20] Doug: thank god i had that underwear on!
[17:20] Me: right
[17:20] Doug: or who knows what would have happened
[17:21] Me: or better yet, she is about to take them off and some guy (or gal) says, “wait — it says you’re taken!”
[17:21] Me: I’ll stop.
[17:21] Doug: sorry, lady
[17:21] Doug: that’s where i draw the line
[17:21] Doug: the wedding ring didn’t stop me, but the panties did
[17:23] Me: right
[17:23] Me: my co workers got a kick out of that one
[17:23] Doug: thanks.
[17:23] Doug: i’m here all week
[17:23] Me: be sure to tip your waitress

and then later —
[17:37] Doug: question
[17:37] Me: one sec, wait, let me check my crotch, no — not taken

Hours and hours of entertainment. And on a semi-related note, I’m accompanying Doug and some others tonight to the Penthouse Executive Club. They’re wooing the most famous groom in cyberland, and I’m going along for the ride. Not for the boobs, but for the food — Adam Perry Lang, of Daisy May’s BBQ (and chili cart) fame, is the chef at Robert’s Steakhouse, the in-club restaurant, so I’m going to pay him a visit. A friend of mine (who is a little jealous that he can’t make it) declared it “boobies and steak” night. I’ll be bringing my own boobies, and focusing on the steak, thank you very much.