Some people say I'm nice, some people say I'm smart, some people say I'm handsome...but other people have different opinions. The one thing I do strive to be is interesting. And I don't mean interesting as in knowing lots of fascinating facts (although I do know quite a few) but interesting as in a little on the weird and offbeat side. Now, mind you I said a little, and some of my good friends, who range from the normal to the totally off the wall, might say I'm a bit conservative in my demeanor. OK, maybe that's true, but that is because I don't want people to write me off as some kind of "kook" and ignore what I have to say. And what I have to say usually subtly hints at the absurdity of life, hoping maybe people will realize things are not what they seem to be or what they thought they were. I hope this home page can do a bit of that, and even if it doesn't, I hope you enjoy it, I know I enjoyed putting it together.

First I suppose I should tell you a bit about myself. I was born in 1954. I am originally from the suburbs of New York and still consider myself a New Yorker at heart although I have not been a resident of New York for over 30 years. I currently live in New Haven,Connecticut, USA, which is a medium sized city living in the shadow of a world-class institution, my employer, Yale University, and no I am not a professor, I work in an administative office and do not have much contact with students. (Where is New Haven? Click here for a map. )

Physically I am 6' tall and over 300lbs. Yes, that is no typo, I am big, large, chubby, fat, whatever term you feel comfortable with. The fact that I can say that here on the Web is a testament to the personal growth I have had in the past few years. And no I don't mean physical growth, although that also seems to happen over the years. I am in the process of losing it. Don't worry, chubby chasers of the world, I don't want to be thin, more like 2XL instead of 4XL.

I am a third generation Italian and have done a lot of genealogical research in the last few years, thanks to the internet. If you are interested in reading about my grandparents, their experiences as immigrants and their families, click on the "Roots" link.

I am also a gay man and very happy to be that way. I am not saying that there was any choice involved except the choice to face reality or not, nor am I saying there is anything wrong with being heterosexual. What I am saying is that I really enjoy the advantages of being a gay man. Of course there are many disadvantages, but I am not writing this to moan and groan. What I am trying to say is that having an identity that was always hidden in the closet and never socially defined (except as evil and sick) now gives me a chance to define that role for myself. I can, for example, decide for myself the meaning of romantic relationships and also gender roles. One area I have always been intensely interested in is Religion/Spirituality/Philosophy. Over the years, my Spiritual Journey has become very intertwined with my sexual orientation. To read about my Spiritual Journey, click on the "Spirituality" link.

Being both fat and gay, it is obvious that Girth and Mirth was meant for me, but like so many gay "chubs" it took me many years before I could get up the nerve to go there. For those unfamiliar with this, there are men called "chubby chasers" who, believe it or not, think fat men are the most desirable creatures on earth. By the way, there is a heterosexual version of the chubby chaser also. Some chasers are fat themselves and some can be quite muscular or slim. Girth and Mirth is a club where "chubbies" and "chubby chasers" come together in a comfortable space. A few years ago I wrote a series of articles for Girth and Mirth of New York's newsletter, The Fat Apple Review. They were called Lip from Larry, and you can read them if you click on the link for Articles. Over the years I've pulled back from G&M aside from the occasional event. I got a lot from that group but now I find I can pursue the kind of man who I'm interested in, not simply anyone who's interested in me.

I am not only a frustrated writer, but also a frustrated poet and I have included a number of original poems all written around 1976-1977. This is the first time many of them have been published, and well, as long as I am not going to get paid for this, I might as well post them somewhere where folks will read them. To read my poems, click on the "Poetry" link.

I also have some other interests, but since I didn't have much original or terribly interesting to say about them, and I did not want to create a page of only links, I have not made pages for them. Just in case you're interested (and if you're not interested, you should read this anyway, because it took me time to write it) here they are: 

MUSIC Since high school, I have been interested in classical music. Today my greatest interest is in the Baroque composers, such as Bach and Handel. In college, thanks to a roommate who played Sergio Mendes constantly, I developed an interest in Brazilian samba/bossa-nova music, especially the music of Jobim. I also like Jazz and African drum music, although I confess I don't know very much about Jazz artists.

As for me, I learned the accordion when I was young and as an adult was happy to find out that the now-stylish electronic keyboard can be played in quite a similar way. Because I have a friend who is a belly dancer, I learned to play the doumbek (a middle eastern drum) to accompany her performances.

LANGUAGES AND LINGUISTICS. My college major was Russian and I have also studied Spanish, German, Italian and Latin. Unfortunately, I am very rusty in all of them. I also find linguistics fascinating, especially as it blends with anthropology. I had the pleasure of teaching English as a Second Language to a Russian woman (now a US citizen!) through Literacy Volunteers.

I also enjoy COOKING, and OK, eating (I know you were thinking that). And did I forget to mention COMPUTERS? I am on my computer for most of my free time (OK, so would watching TV be better?). I can be found most frequently in iSpQ and ICUII as Biggie Bear, sometimes on BiggerCity chat as CTBigBear. I've met a lot of nice people on line, please check out my "Friends" link to meet a few of my Internet buddies and see their home pages. Another thing I like to do is read interesting stuff. Although I spend much time on the Internet, I have books to thank for much of what I have learned in life. To see a list of 10 books which have changed my life, click on the "Books" link.

At home I live with my partner of over 30 years, MICK, and our "daughter" PERSEPHONE the cat.

Oh, and by the way, there are some pictures of me here too, just click on "Pictures of Me" and if you want to see some really good looking guys, and find out the kinds of guys I'm especially attracted to, click on "My type of guy" .

 Thanks for taking the time to read this.

To send me e-mail Click here .