In about a month I’ll be in Chicago for IML (the International Mr. Leather contest) – and I might even attend the contest… 😉

Seriously, it’s a big, huge 5 day orgy with lots of leathermen at a major hotel. It’s my first time going so I’m not completely sure how it will go… My concern is that there will be more ass to fuck than I could possibly ever get around to. I mean I only cum once or twice a day… Still, it will be fun.

Part of me would love to host a bottom boy and watch him take loads all weekend, but that’s not exactly easy to arrange. I mean lots of guys will say they want to do it, but how many will actually follow through? And it’s a big commitment. What if we don’t really get along all that well?

So I think it’s more realistic to just hookup with bottoms that I find there and see how things go. Still, I’d love to whore out a bottom boy and watch him take dicks and loads… Maybe I could do that with a few guys… Like a different slut each night? So if any of you guys are interested, contact me… Just to be clear I’m partial to younger, shorter, thinner guys…

The other thing that’s going on is that the guys from Bareback That Hole (and soon Felch That Hole) will be filming that weekend. If you’re a top and interested in fucking either Fred Mayer or Jack Manhole, get in contact with Ricky Raunch (rickyraunch@hotmail.com) and tell him you heard about it from rawTOP. I intend to give Fred Mayer a load (on film) – should be fun…

I’ll be bringing my video camera and shooting some amateur stuff for here. If you’ll be there and want my load, one of the best ways to make sure it happens is to tell me you’ll let me videotape it when you contact me. Same thing goes if you want me to whore you out… Let me videotape it and I’ll be a lot more interested…

Now I just have to figure out whether I’ll drive out or fly. I like road trips and if I drive it would be two days each way with a stop in Cleveland at Flex (a huge complex with a bathhouse and a hotel, among other things). But that’s 1600 miles of driving and $250 in gas… I would get someone to drive with me, but what if I don’t like them? I’ve had mixed experiences with ride sharing…

The other issue is what to wear… I went to David Menkes Monday to figure out what what my options were (I’ve gotten too big for a lot of my leather gear). [Hint, there’s an old pic of me on that site…] I tried on some used chaps and vests he had lying around, but nothing really fit properly… I’m going back for a fitting next week – going to have him make me a pair of chaps and a vest… BTW, if you’re considering leather clothing – always have it custom made by someone like David. It’s better quality and about the same price as you’d pay for “decent” stuff at a leather store.

IML should be a lot of fun… I’m looking forward to how much ass I’ll get to fuck…

Gay Demon is one of those big gay porn portals – and one of the better ones with an excellent reputation…

So I’m happy to report that this blog was declared a Gay Demon “Editor’s Pick”. But best of all the editor said some really good stuff about me…

Wow. As far as personal sex experience blogs go, RawTop could possibly take the cake from what I see. Your host is a seriously well hung stud who lives to empty his thick wads of cum into willing participants. … if you like your anal fun raw and sticky, heaven is only a click away.

While this site might do better if I were more controversial and people hated my guts enough to mention me on mainstream sites, I’m happy to take the slow and steady route and shoot for a friendlier audience…

Another thing I picked up from Joe. My. God. – Manhattan Mini Storage has always known for their “out there” ads, so it’s not surprising their latest campaign lets their customers choose from a bunch of charities and part of what they pay Manhattan Mini Storage will go to that charity… These aren’t just “safe” charities like the Red Cross. On their short list of 5 NYC charities is The NYC Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project…

The other charities range from a NYC animal shelter, to meals on wheels to Planned Parenthood, to one to stop the use of carriage horses in Central Park (I’m not so sure about that one – I grew up with horses and think any problems can be handled through regulation, but it just reinforces that they charities aren’t just major, “safe” charities…)

Thank god we’ve got businesses like Manhattan Mini Storage here in NYC. Even with all the gentrification and whatnot happening here, New York still stands for something. It’s a bastion of liberalism and diversity. Which is the reason why fags an dykes feel comfortable here…

If you like to PNP and bareback, and you’re in NY City, and you’re ambivalent about what you’re doing, then I’ve got a research study for you…

The other day a researcher from CHEST contacted me and told me about a study he’s working on that’s looking at the relationship between “club drugs” and sexual risk taking. They’re testing two different approaches to counseling people – seeing which approach is more effective. The study just involves some computerized surveys and some one-on-one counseling. I was in something not too dissimilar a few years back that was a really good experience for me…

Here’s a blurb from them about their study…

We are interested in talking to men about their sex lives and drug use. No judgments. Earn up to $340 for your time.

If you are eligible for the study, you will be asked to visit our office, located in Chelsea, for an initial appointment. There are separate phases of the study that you might be eligible to participate in. If you are eligible and do all study visits you can earn up to $340 for your time.

For more information, please call (212) 206-7919 x302.

ABOUT US: We are a group of researchers from CHEST, the Center for HIV/AIDS Education Studies and Training. We’re affiliated with Hunter College of the City University of New York. Our research team includes gay, bisexual, and straight men and women and community representatives who play lead roles in this study. We have been doing research with the GLBT community for more than a decade.

NOTE: Any information about you is kept strictly confidential. We are not affiliated with the New York City Dept. of Health, Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), or the Police Department. This is strictly a research study being conducted out of Hunter College. For more information about us, please visit www.chestnyc.org

The good part about research studies is their opinions are pretty honest and factual. They’re not getting paid to change you, but to watch and study you. They do have an ethical obligation to encourage you to engage in risk reduction, but no one’s going to lose their job if you don’t take their advice… Nor is anyone going to lose their job for telling you something other than “use a condom every time or else”. They’re not about dogma – they’re about research… That makes all the difference and it’s the reason why their statement says who they’re not affiliated with.

The study I went though a few years ago was really pretty good. It was nice to have someone to talk to about my fears and concerns. The fact that CHEST would even ask me (of all people) to promote their study says a lot about them. They’re not hostile towards the bareback community – they won’t frown or scowl at you if you’re honest with them and tell them you just spent the weekend being a cum dump with the help of your friend Tina.

At the same time I do get the sense that they’re hesitant to be promoted here ’cause they have people watching them who might find the association a bit odd or inappropriate. But it’s not odd at all – sites like this are where they’ll find some of their best research participants. If they filled their study who guys didn’t take any risks, they’d have a hard time drawing conclusions – they need you guys for their study to succeed.

When I was talking to the researcher on the phone the other day one of the interesting things he said was how people’s attitudes have changed about studies. My generation and above volunteered for studies because we saw people dying and we wanted to make a difference. These days people don’t see their friends and lovers dying so they don’t really feel the need to be in studies.

But there really is a need for studies like this – drug use (especially meth) is a real problem in our community and it’s fucking up people’s lives. I know, I know some of you can control it, but a lot of you can’t. Or you think you can, but you’re no fun to fuck ’cause you’re so tweaked that you’re messy and distracted. A lot of you need someone to talk to about it – someone who’s not going to freak out on you – someone who will just accept you and help you think through the choices you’re making, and what you’re options are.

Now, I really want the research community to realize that they should be working with people like me. So if you call them, when they ask how you heard about the study, say you heard about it from rawTOP. If you’re too embarrassed to say that you can also say you heard about it from “Richard”. (Get it – the nickname for Richard is Dick – I’m a top… Seemed appropriate.)

The other day PigMaster told me I was responsible for about 4% of the traffic on BarebackRT and I’ve sent him hundreds of new registered users (the actual percentage is higher since people clear the cookies in their browser). I’d like the researchers to have a similar realization – that it makes sense to work with the bareback community. That we can be their allies, not their enemies…

So, if you have issues with sex and drugs, and you’re in NYC, give CHEST a call…

I’ve never been big on phone sex. When guys ask for my number I’m really clear the only reason they should call me is ’cause they’re lost and can’t find my place, or they’re running late, or something like that. I don’t want to chat. I want to fuck.

So I saw this video mentioned over on Joe. My. God. and thought it was too funny…

Middle of this week I felt an itchiness “down there”, Thursday I saw discharge… UGH! Here we go again. It was less than 6 weeks ago that I went through this. I really don’t need this again, but what do you do? I guess in a way I should be happy that I’ve got visible symptoms and can get it cleared up quickly.

The timing was too perfect – I’m 90% sure I got it from the guy the townhouse guy had me fuck. I also told the 20-year old I fucked briefly about it, but I doubt it was him, or any of the other guys before him. It’s theoretically possible, but far more likely it was the first guy.

So, having been busy with work, I wasn’t able to get to Callen-Lorde to get things cleared up until this weekend. I noticed on their website that it talked about a Saturday morning walk-in STD clinic, so I figured I’d give that a shot. Having been to the free clinic the City runs, I was prepared and got there early – absurdly early. I was the first one there. And I waited and waited. When they officially started seeing patients an hour later it was just me and one other guy waiting to be seen. There must be times when it’s busy, but today wasn’t one of them.

There are a lot of good things about Callen-Lorde, but today was one of my best experiences ever. The staff was in a super happy mood. There was zero hassle – they asked what the problem was, and gave the fix with zero judgments (unlike the last time)…

So, I’d highly recommend trying out the Saturday clinic if you’re in need of their services or just want to get checked out…

One weird thing though… Later in the day I saw two of the guys who work at Callen-Lorde walking down the street. Didn’t think anything of it ’cause it was right near Callen-Lorde. Then a few hours later we’re in line at Uniqlo buying t-shirts (another recommended spot), and who’s behind us in line? The two guys from Callen-Lorde, plus another friend. Weird coincidence, eh?

And speaking of STDs and coincidences, right after I picked up my pills at the pharmacy I got an e-mail from the big dicked top who was at the gangbang telling me one of his fuck buddies tested positive for syph, he was being proactive and warning the guys he’d had sex with. Personally, I think that was a bit of overkill. There’s no saying he had syph… Personally I would have gotten myself tested before notifying people I’d had sex with… But he was being really responsible about it (he even contacted the bottom before contacting me)… I give him great marks for being upfront about it…

And as always guys… If you’re fucking around a bunch – get tested for STDs regularly and treat things quickly. If you find you have something, let your partners know. If they have a problem with you telling them – they’re idiots… Stopping the spread of STDs makes everyone’s sex lives better!