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Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. `'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door - Only this, and nothing more.'
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe First Published in 1845.
Happy Halloween
by Buzzed Beef
I mentioned last week that I was taking a second job working at my gym. Now, an update: WOW! My new schedule has REALLY kicked my ass. I knew there would be some adjustments to be made, but it has really turned my schedule on its head. Here's what my new day looks like......
I get up between 3:45 and 4:00 AM. I shower and lay my things out the night before, so I can just jump up, use the bathroom, splash my face, brush my teeth, get dressed and go. It's about a 15-20 minute walk to the gym from my apartment, but Market Street at 4 in the morning is an entirely different place then the rest of the day. I do have to pass one temptation on my walk--I must pass a supermarket with a full-service bakery and the air is filled with the warm, inviting aroma of fresh baked donuts and pastries. If you've ever smelled it, you know what I am talking about. But I keep my eyes on the prize and press on.
I work at the gym from 5 am to 11 am. I have a two hour break before I report to my first job at 1 PM. I've decided to use the two hour breaks as follows: MW and F will be cardio and tanning. Tues and Thurs I am meeting with my trainer. We have scheduled my third training session for Saturdays.
I work my first job from 1 - 6:30 PM and then I rush home to have my final meal for the day, take a shower and try to find a little personal time for unwinding before hitting the sack. I'm actually grateful I don't have a boyfriend right now, because he'd probably feel neglected.
I got a great ARM workout in today.....preacher curls, triceps pull-downs, over-head triceps pulls, and dumbbell curls. My arms still feel great! Have a safe and happy Halloween. I, personally, am staying out of the Castro.
Until next time,
Hugs (and licks if you want 'em)
No rest for the wicked.
Next month - we are off to HiBearNation present by Show Me Bears
in St. Louis, Nov 8th - 11th.
I wonder if I can trade in my frequent flier
miles for something furry . . .
It's not a party until someone breaks out the bear cocktail napkins.
Choose from Party Animal, Happy Bear Day, Bear Naked Chef or Bear-B-Q.
The purrrfect accent to the best bear parties.
Thanks to RickBear for this little slice of history . . .
by Buzzed Beef
Greetings Bears!
It has occurred to me that my last few articles have strayed away from my main focus here. Sometimes the most interesting parts of a journey are the little side trips, the tangents--but I want to get back on target here and refocus my writing to what's going on in the gym.
I had a couple of stumbles at the gym this past week--once, doing bent over rows and the second time on leg day, doing squats. I've been in a growth phase these past months, and my body has been handling every bit of weight that has been thrown at it. I'm quickly reaching that point, where to grow, the weight required is more than I have ever lifted before. So, this is my new challenge. I must now reach deep within myself and find the physical and mental focus to meet the demands of my training.
I wasn't quite prepared for that this past week on those two exercises. When I was doing the bent over rows, I found that I couldn't complete all the reps during each set. I also felt a pain in my lower abdomen/groin after completing the exercises. I am going to have to be careful because I do not want to give myself a hernia. I had trouble during my squat workout as well, but in a different way. I was able to complete all the reps needed with the new weights, but during one set I lost my balance and stumbled and had to step forward with one foot to keep myself from falling forward. My trainer assured me that these things happen from time to time and it is nothing to feel bad about--just another learning experience.
I enjoyed another new experience this week. My ex-boyfriend is a flag spinner and he made me my very own set of flags. So I went to a flag-dancing class at one of the gyms here this past Wednesday. It was a beautiful experience---a darkened room--black lights--dance music--and glowing fabric flying around the room. I realized quickly this is another one of those hand-eye coordination things I am to have to work on. But I intend to keep going and learn as much as I can.
On Friday, I was offered a job at my gym. I have been wanting to work at my gym for a long time now and the opportunity to do so presented itself and I jumped on it. I'll be working at the front desk for a few hours a day. I am hoping that it will lead to more. I am considering pursuing training and certification to become a personal trainer. I believe working at the gym will help me in that direction. Funny, I'm 35 and just now figuring out what I want to be when I grow up.
Until next time,
Hugs (and licks if you want 'em)
We survived Bear Bust 2007. It rained on the last day, but that didn't dampen this great event. To see the pics - click here.
Thank you to Brett, Virgil and all the men and women of Bears of Central Florida for being such wonderful hosts.
A special thank you to Rick of SF for all your help with the luggage. Two bag maximum? - Ugh, not for this bear.
See you next year at OctoBEARfest 2008!!
Well, we are off to BearBust2007. OK, we were off – instead we are stuck at the airport waiting for weather to clear. Nasty thunderstorms over New Orleans have delayed our flight.
There is only one non-stop to Orlando from SF, so we get to hang tight. We ran into Ken and David from Cyberbears. With a few hours to kill - we talked bears, porn, gossip, and the trials and tribulations of married life with the husbear. We cruised the eye candy and offered to make a few beefy men stars . . .
If you have to be stuck in the airport, having a few bear friends along makes the time fly by!
See ya in Orlando!!
by Buzzed Beef
Greetings Bears!
Now for the bad news: I’ve been a lazy bitch with my cardio workouts. In the last week, I’ve done cardio only once. I should spank myself for being a bad, bad bear (or if there is anyone out there who might want to help me out with that, contact me here).
Since I turned 35, I’ve decided to pursue as many new experiences as I possibly can. This past week afforded me one of those. I got to work as a production assistant on the set of an adult video shoot. I enjoyed several delicious hours of watching hot, sweaty man-sex as I helped with lights and cameras. I did not help with the action, but let me assure you there were moments when my face was mere inches from it. After that day, I realized that I am seriously in the wrong business.
Until next time,
Hugs (and licks if you want ‘em)
What do you do on a rainy Tuesday morning in October? Well, you grab some BearWash, a few of your closest bear friends and just add water.
Special formula for beards and pelt. Great for hair. No bitter taste!
Available in shampoo and conditioner - WOOF!
It's been a crazy few weeks. Last weekend, we were rubbing bellies at the Castro Street Fair, last night we launched Bears for Tots and next week we are off to Bear Bust in Orlando. In between, we've been working on the site. Things are changing. 
National Coming Out Day is celebrated each year on October 11th to commemorate the 1987 Lesbian and Gay March on Washington and the first unfurling of the AIDS Quilt on the National Mall.
I was but a young cub then, but I made the trip from NY to DC with my BFFs Carol and Lynn. it was an amazing experience, I was 24 (OMG when did I get old?) and freshly out of the military. AIDS was devastating the community. At the time, I was a community outreach volunteer for GMHC - teaching safer sex workshops at the Center on 13th Street.I remember being completely overwhelmed by the quilt. But, I also remember the magic of the candle light vigil as we surrounded the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Everybody welcomed everybody, we were one community.
A lot has happened in 20 years. I've grown older, wiser and wider. I moved to Chicago and then to San Francisco - "the holy land." Carol moved to Florida and then to Arizona with Ali. Lynn got married and we lost touch.We've made great strides along the way, sadly lost friends and lovers and lived our lives the best we could. We fought and won victories. But we are not done.
I look forward to looking back 20 years from now. We'll wonder what the fuss was about regarding marriage, we will have forgotten "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", and adoption will be a non-issue for the community. And Larry Craig will still be considering resigning.
I believe that Bear is an expression of a shift in how we view masculinity. Gay identified men are embracing a broader spectrum of beauty, and body image. Queer media and culture have for many years reflected an image back at gay men of how they are "supposed to be". Some men began to express a desire to embrace a more "natural" form of masculinity.
For many years gay men found power in embracing the image of the stereotypical images of "queens". Gay men were claiming their power by saying "it’s ok to be feminine and I'm proud to be a big old' Barbara loving, swishy fairy" I understand the power in that and I understand the power in the defiance of drag. There are some gay men who just naturally fit into these identities and should be applauded for being themselves.
There have been in the last ten years or so however a growing number of men who felt confined by these images and felt left out of queer culture, because their love of other men did not change their fundamental relationship to their own masculinity. Many of these men were doing their best to fit into the "gay-stream" and finding only misery and rejection. What are valued in the "gay stream,” is thinness, smoothness, muscle, youth, fashion, and a sexual detachment, while these men tended to display attributes of maturity, bulk, hairiness, a laid back rugged approach to fashion, and a friendliness and ease with sexuality.
As these men began to find each other and congregate, a movement grew and was called Bear. Because of many of the shared attributes, Bear men began to celebrate themselves and each other as sex-objects. This represented a huge shift in the way gay men celebrate and embrace themselves. You will find many Bears who consider themselves, loving, nurturing, caring, sensitive and sometimes able to swish it up, or decorate with style and flair. These traits were previously considered feminine and although embraced by the gay-stream, it was still considered "embracing our feminine side".
Bear takes it a step further and INCORPORATES these traits INTO masculinity, expanding the very idea of what is masculine for a gay man, and eventually I believe for straight men as well. This is what performance artist Yolanda does so expertly and why I always book him for Bearapalooza. He, (yes , He) meshes his natural butchness with what is traditionally seen as female imagery; such as makeup, glitter, fishnets, heels, and transforms them into something entirely masculine and sexy, then belts out gutsy southern fried gospel blues rock. He challenges the audience to question their ideas of what a man is.
I think the ideals and images portrayed by the Bear community are a more accurate depiction of what a man is, than what we have traditionally seen in the "gaystream". Men with many different looks today identify as Bear. Yes, we have our physical traits that embody the ideals of natural masculinity, and those men that have those are more easily identified as "Bears", however, the core ideal is embracing yourself as nature made you and embracing other men as nature made them. This is why it makes sense to include men who don't look like what some think a Bear should look like.
I admit, as a concert promoter doing shows for the Bear community, I will be careful to respect the archetypal imagery, making sure I book some guys who physically embody the traits we think of as Bear. These images are important to our pride and our celebration of ourselves, but I am also careful to always challenge those images as well, as a reminder that although there is a hot sexy look we like to celebrate, this look springs from the ideals and not the other way around.
I know many guys who are thinner, less hairy and maybe even a little "twinkie" to the eye, but are Bear to their very core, and often admire the Bear look physically. I understand that being "All inclusive" might be detrimental, and defeat the purpose somewhat, but a "Circuit Boy" who comes into a Bear space would probably not uphold Bear ideals, or he wouldn't consider himself a "Circuit Boy."
Anyone coming into a Bear space that is not of the "look" is probably there because they share the ideals, and if they do not, they need to respect their surroundings and the "creatures of that habitat". I see nothing wrong with making it known in a mission statement, what the space is intended to celebrate. I also admit that I like wearing cut-off flannel and work-boots and all the trimmings, because I like the brand of sexiness it makes me feel. I embrace this, but I also understand that its all really drag. (We are born naked, the rest is Drag - Ru Paul). Drag is not a negative thing, its playing with gender imagery and symbols of identity, and I love Bear Drag. I just think it's when we take it too seriously and it becomes a dress code or requirement that we get into trouble.
Wearing certain things and displaying certain physical attributes does display to others our choices about identity, but I am just as much a man, and a Bear, in a three piece suit or a tutu or a rainbow colored clown outfit. It concerns me that as the Bear community grows and gains more acceptance, I see hierarchies developing based upon these ideal images of what a Bear is supposed to be. I see the Bear porn industry increasingly favoring the thinner muscle Bears and move away from guys with bigger bellies.
I see younger guys frustrated at the lack of inclusion based on age, I see "play parties" overshadowing everything else at many Bear events. I am very sex-positive and I believe we should celebrate our sexuality proudly. Once of the things I love about the Bear community is the ease with which we express and share pleasure without placing restrictions or expectations on it, but what I'm talking about is balance.
Sex is a PART of who we are as men and why we identify as Bear. It is an integral part of who we are that cannot be separated but it seems sometimes that we lose sight of the whole man and focus on who he is in our fantasies or in our bed. I know a really sexy guy who has been in Bear magazines and videos and is sought after sexually everywhere he goes. Not many of the guys who fantasize over him know what an incredibly talented musician, writer, singer and performance artist he is. I think it's great that he is perceived as sexy, he has worked hard on his body image and is enjoying the attention, but I would like to see as much attention paid to his depth of talent and what an insightful boundary pushing person he is.
I can see a whole person who expresses sexuality as part of himself. To me, that makes him MUCH sexier. I increasingly see our community becoming a commodity. This is inevitable and can be a good thing to an extent, but its all about balance. It's great that we have Bear music, and Bear cruises, and Bear porn, and Bearaphanalia and Bear movies and all that. I just hope we remember that this is all a celebration and expression of something larger and more intangible.
We are changing the cultural landscape by changing our views of gender for queer people. And I believe it will have profound lasting effect on culture at large.
Freddy Freeman - freddy@freddyfreeman.com
Winner of the Stonewall Society 2005 Genre Award for "Steam"
2006 Outmusician of the Year Award Nominee
Promoter of Bearapalooza - a Celebration of Fur in Music
Greetings Bears!
For all intents and purposes, this bear took Sunday off. Although the Castro Street Fair was in full swing, I decided to skip the festivities. After Dore and Hairrison and Folsom, I was all ‘street-faired’ out. And really, when you take away the costumes and change a few of the vendors, they really are all the same—just one last “hurrah”—one last weekend to flash the flesh before Summer lets go and Winter slowly creeps in on us. I strutted all my stuff I wanted to last weekend at Folsom, so I just decided to take the day off and relax. Except for one small errand which took me out of the house, I stayed in and had a “Mike Burton” day.
I cleaned my bedroom and reorganized all my ‘stuff’. I chatted online with friends and made a few phone calls. I cooked food for the next few days and made myself a really nice supper (dinner, but we call it supper where I come from). I watched a couple of movies I hadn’t seen since I was a child. Most importantly, I took some time to look at myself and think about all the changes I have made in the last few months and where I want to go from here. It reminded me of the Joyce Carol Oates short story “Where are you Going, Where Have you Been?” In that story, the protagonist made all the wrong choices and doomed herself. I certainly don’t believe I have made any choices that have destined me for ultimate doom, but I have to question my motives.
Last weekend, I threw myself into Folsom and danced the night away and showed off like never before. It was an incredible experience feeling like a part of the crowd, like I fit in---I’ve certainly known what it’s like to be on the outside looking in. But that isn’t what this quest has been about. I don’t want to just ‘fit in’. I want to be myself, my own unique self, but the best self I can be. I don’t want to do this just to show off or fit in, but to feel as good about myself as I possibly can. Of course there’s nothing wrong with spreading your feathers and preening every once in a while—it’s a boost to your ego—a jolt of self-confidence.
Did I come to any fantastic conclusions during my private self-analysis? Nothing groundbreaking or earth-shattering, I can assure you. But I did lay my head down on the pillow last night proud of myself and self-confident, knowing that I am making the best decisions for my future and ready for a good night’s sleep---sleep that would take me into the next day, the next step of my journey.
Until next time,
Hugs and licks if you want ‘em)
There is a light breeze in the air, the sun is shinig and the bears have come out to play. The Castro Street Fair is one of the last street fairs in SF, but one of my favorites.
"Not too hot, not too cold, not quite the mayhem of Folsom - it's just right," said Goldilocks . . .
It's the kind of fair where you run into old friends, make a few new ones and tease the Bears working BOSF's Beer Station.
Castro Street was named for José Castro (1808-1860), a leader of Mexican opposition to U.S. rule in California in the 19th century.
One prominent landmark is the Castro Theatre, built in 1922 and one of the few movie palaces from that era still in operation. The theatre is home to such events as Frameline, Midninght Movie Bear Madness and more . . .
¡Bienvenido al Ultimo Recurso de Oso!
Nuestro deseo deberá crear El Ultimo Recurso de Oso. El contenido de este proyecto es creado por usted. Este sitio es escrito en colaboración por personas de por todas partes el mundo. Este sitio web es un wiki, que significa que cualquiera con acceso a una computadora Internet-Conectado puede redactar, poder corregir, o puede mejorar información a través del wiki.
La necesidad para agregar alguna información - o crear una página nueva o actualizar un existir uno. ¿Ve algo que está equivocado? ¡Guarde su pluma roja; hace apenas la corrección - no drama!
Usted es libre de agrega las conexiones a artículos y sitios asociados.
Aquí encontrarás una lista de enlaces a los principales sitios web de osos en hipanoamérica, divididos por países.
Mi Vida como un osito peluche
Esta es la historia de las peripecias y locuras de un pequeño oso de peluche que viaja con dos humanos (o se presupone que lo son) alrededor del mundo.
http://www.newbearhistory.com/enlaces/comic/comic.htm
OSOS DEL SOL is the first Latino bear club in the United States and is a social club for Latino bears (osos) and cubs (ositos) and their friends in Southern California.
¿Qué es un oso?
Un hombre gay o bisexual que resalta los rasgos sexuales masculinos secundarios: barba, vello corporal, constitución fuerte... Pero que también participa de los ideales de aceptación de la diversidad, compañía, bondad... Sin miedo a las demostraciones de afecto
El movimiento ursino es una alternativa al modelo gay imperante en la actualidad de hombres esbeltos, afeitados, depilados, excesivamente modelados... Está hermanado con los movimientos de cuero (leather) y de gorditos (chubby).
Ley de Sociedades de Convivencias se celebra en la Ciudad de México
El viernes pasado, 23 de marzo, sucedió algo sumamente histórico y conmovedor en la Ciudad de México: la unión de dos parejas lesbianas en la delegación de Iztacalco. Este acontecimiento es uno de muchos que se empiezan a realizar en el DF después de cinco años de organización, luchas políticas y manifestaciones por parte de la comunidad lésbica-gay quien consiguió la aprobación de la “Ley de Sociedades de Convivencias” por la legislatura capitalina en noviembre del 2006. Esta ley reconoce la unión de dos personas, tanto bugas como de ambiente, y les otorga algunos derechos y obligaciones semejantes a los que gozan los matrimonios, pero no todos. Los derechos de esta unión incluyen la herencia y/o transferencia de propiedad y pensiones, el acceso a seguros médicos de las parejas, la participación en decisiones de cuestiones medicas entre parejas, etc.
http://www.thecompletebear.com/InCelebration.php
Clubs de Osos de Latinoamérica
Argentina
Osos de Buenos Aires:
Otros:
Osos en el interior (Encuentra enlaces en la página de Osos de Buenos Aires)
Colombia
Osos de COLOMBIA
http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Village/6404 (antigua)
Osos de Medellín
http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/osos_de_medellin/
Mexico
Bear Mex
Osos de Guadalajara
http://www.ososdeguadalajara.com/
Osos del Valle de Tangamanga
Osos Laguneros
http://www.geocities.com/ososlaguneros/
Osos Regios
http://mx.geocities.com/osos_regios/
Osos TAPATÍOS (Guadalajara)
http://www.geocities.com/osostapatios
Uruguay
Osos de URUGUAY
http://osouruguayo.tripod.com/
http://members.tripod.com/uruguayosos/
Venezuela
OSOS VENEZOLANOS
http://ososguaros2.homestead.com
Osos de Caracas
Puerto Rico
Osos de Puerto Rico
Costa Rica
Osos de Costa Rica
Guatemala
Osos de Guatemala
http://www.geocities.com/gayguateoso/oso.htm
Clubes de Osos de España
Club de osos gallegos -
La Cueva del Oso -
Guadalkibear, la FIESTA de osos en Sevilla -
Club de osos de Madrid -
Club de osos de Jaen -
I first saw these boxers on a trip to Anchorage, AK. I knew right away there is nothin like a good bear bum!!
Comfy and roomy - these boxers are a must have in any bear home. If you must wear something to bed, it better be these boxers.
Other styles include - Animal in Bed Boxers, Bear Naked Boxers and Northern Polar Bear Boxers.
Instead take it to a tailor & have the short fly collar taken off & re-seamed, making a one inch collar band that stand up. It makes for a great Nauru, Mandarin or Quaker style shirt for a great look with jeans. Especially if you have a thick neck like I do, the stand up 1" collar band makes for a slight camouflage of that thickness & gives you a svelte look in Wranglers or the slacks of your choice. 
Sometimes, it seems like kayaking is another place where the shrimps get all the breaks. It seems like all the really cool boats are shrimp boats, designed for someone standing about 5'8" and weighing maybe 150 lbs. If you're much over that size, the selection thins out rapidly. There seem to be a lot of "extra small" boats on the market, but not many for those of us that fall into the "extra large" category.
Well, there are a few boats out there designed for the big guys and gals. Not many, but a few. I've put together this list of boats for big people. It's not complete, but probably does cover the majority of easily available "big guy" boats.
IF YOU ARE A FIRST-TIME BUYER, don't worry too much about getting the perfect boat the first crack out of the box. Get one that you can get into and out of comfortably.
Wes Boyd is a country newspaper editor from southern Michigan who's been paddling off and on for 40 years, mostly on inland lakes and the Great Lakes. His non-commercial hobby web site, kayakplace.com, has a lot of resources for the larger kayaker and much besides.
by Buzzed Beef
First (and most important of all), I am extremely happy to report that I have busted through my weight loss barrier. For weeks now, my weight had been holding around 254-255. No matter what I did, I couldn't seem to get below it. Well, I have crashed through that barrier and crashed big! As of yesterday, my weight has dropped to 240 lbs. I wish I could tell you exactly how I managed to shed 15 more pounds so quickly. I can only guess that my consistent training schedule and diet are working in tandem to give me the results I am seeking.
Second, I would like to briefly tell you about my Folsom weekend. Time nor space allows me to cover everything, but I would like to tell you about a couple of highlights. I attended the street fair and for the first time in my life, I took off my shirt in an open-air public space. I felt a bit awkward and uncomfortable at first, but luckily I was with a great friend of mine and that made it easier. As it turned out, I got my picture taken a few times and received a few compliments.
The absolute peak of my weekend was Sunday night attending an after Folsom dance party. Through an interesting chain of events, I somehow found myself dancing shirtless on stage looking down at a sea of beautiful men. The party was amazing. The music was great. The atmosphere was completely friendly, no visible signs of attitude. Everyone was having a good time. I enjoyed myself to the full. Men who I thought wouldn't give me a second glance were dancing with me, kissing me, touching me, and feeling me. For lack of better words, I felt like the belle of the ball. I felt like all the time and effort I have been putting into my body and this quest was noticed and appreciated. It was affirming, it was fuel for my soul.
As the "social season" in San Francisco draws to a close with this weekend's Castro Street Fair and we move into the holidays, I am filled with even more drive and determination to find out exactly what lies ahead on this journey.
Until next time,
Hugs (and licks if you want 'em)
(Edinburgh, UK; Oct 5)
LuckyBearWeekend.07
Las Vegas, NV; Oct 5-8)
(Hartford, CT; Oct 6)
(Buffalo, NY; Oct 6-8)
(Denver, CO; October 6-8)
(Austin, TX, Oct 12-14)
(Orlando, FL, Oct 18-21)
(Port Townsend, WA; Oct 19-21)
(Oldenburg, Germany; Oct 20)
(Fort Lauderdale, FL; Oct 21-28)
(Provincetown MA: Oct 26-28)
(Orlando, FL; Oct 26- Nov 7)
(Brussels, Belgium; Oct 31 - Nov 5)
