It started as a simple idea in my head one Sunday afternoon. I had been taking french lessons for one year and could read and write french pretty well but I was terrible at speaking (still am) the language. I also had a notion of moving to France. From that Sunday afternoon…LOOK at what we have created. Welcome to French Soiree.com

…and I do mean “WE.” WE have met every Thursday for 52 weeks. Through rain, snow, heat waves, holidays and transit strikes…whether we numbered 30 or 3, we continued to meet. Our email distribution list numbers 350 ACTIVE opt-in participants, and NOW we have our own web site! This could not have happened without YOU. Because of you, our membership has swelled, and a lot of deep sincere friendships have been formed.

So…. a little history. I was out of a long-term relationship…you could say that I had been married (not formally) and subsequently divorced. I had a lot of time on my hands, and work was not fulfilling. The only thing that was fun at that time was my weekly french lesson. So, since I have always had the desire to live and work in another country (I’ve come very close twice) and I had nothing to hold me back, I made a plan to move to France. I also decided to re-enter the dating pool. Quite frankly, I was not interested in dating per se, but I wanted to meet real cool people and build a social network.

I did the on-line thing for some time and ABSOLUTELY HATED IT! I found out that people were not interested in just meeting people. There were always some ulterior motive. I also hated the fact that many people required a picture first before they would grant you an audience. I found this very distasteful since I felt that I was immediately being judged upon my image opposed to my personality. That is something that goes very much against my grain. I believe everyone can bring something to table besides their appearance.

Thus, after tiring of the nuts…I thought; “Why not create a french conversation group where people can meet face to face, get to know each other and let things develop from there!”

People have asked me; “Why did you want the group comprised of gay and bi-sexual men?” There are, I guess, three reasons; First (and I HATE labels) I can’t say that I am gay BUT I can’t say that I’m straight either! Having been a professional singer and then a stripper (many moons ago–I just love the stage!), I have had the priviledge of meeting some VERY dynamic men and women in the creative arts/entertainment fields. Since I deal with “suit & ties” all day and crunch numbers, I wanted to have that “comfortable” atmosphere…that creative spirit, wild type of vibe. Second, it seemed as if there were no alternative venues for men to just really meet outside of the “bar atmosphere”, or one geared towards sexual hook-ups. Third, (from a marketing perspective), “If the boys love it…the rest will follow!” …and that is exactly what has happened! We have everybody now. I now call this group “The wicked & the weird.” Good stuff!

How did we find Au Coin Du Feu? Well, some woman who calls herself Susan Anton (really!) placed an ad on Craigs List stating that her husband has a french restaurant that has some dead time, and would a french language group like to meet there. GREAT! We now had a place to meet. The rest is history! To this day I have yet to meet this Susan Anton. I for one do not believe that she exist. I mean…really… Susan Anton?

So, how did I cull our membership? Well, I wanted people like myself. One who wears the suits & ties during the day, and is prim & proper BUT who wears the leather & chains at night. You know, the deviants! (I’ll have you know that I attend church service most Sundays and I sing a mean Amazing Grace! ) …Anyway, what better place to find the fun and the freakish–Craigs List! Since that time, word of mouth and other marketing has gotten our name out there! We are now, and have always been, a great group of people!

The memories of the year…. the one & two o’clock mornings, the dancing on the tables, the leather g-string on and on! All done in good CLEAN fun!

Now, we move to our next level. Our web-site.

Our web site will help us. This was created for you–not me. Its a place for you to shine, to display your work, to develop clients, to develop a following. Many people have been discovered from web sites. Matt Drudge and Kevin Sites come to mind. It is also a place for everyone. We will have news, weather, resources etc… So get ready…its only going to get better!

Then we will sell it and have a HUGE party ….. : )

Happy Anniversary French Soiree! There is more fun to come! As I always say, “If you come once…you will come again! I Promise!”

G

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope each of you had a great holiday, as I was fortunate to be able to enjoy a 4-day weekend, and gorge myself on ham (no turkey this year) and stuffing, gravy and cherry pie.

I always seem to make my analogies based on sports, as that was how I learned a lot about life’s lessons. Playing baseball, tennis, football and basketball from childhood on, I learned about taking calculated risks. If something works time and again, it will likely work once more. Maybe not the next time, because we need some variation, but when you need that one extra step, go back to what works.

My beef is about the 49ers, the San Francisco football team, who lost on Sunday because the coach played scared - having more confidence in the other team’s defense than in his own offense. His rushing attack was moving the ball on their last drive. The Rams could do nothing to stop them.

So there they are: 4th down and literally 2 inches to go, inside the 5 yard-line, up by 1 point. There is under 4 minutes left in the game, and if they get a 1st down and go in for the touchdown, a victory is essentially assured, as they would be ahead by 8 points, assuming the PAT.

Instead, the defense-minded coach decides to play it safe, and kick a field goal, going up by 4 points. This meant the Rams would need to score a touchdown in the waning minutes to secure a victory. It also showed he believed more in the Rams’ ability to stop his offense, than in his offense to move the ball 2 inches.

My point here is two-fold: When you come to a fork in the road there are choices. Play it safe and wonder what-if? Or, if the risk is calculated, and what you need to get done has worked repeatedly, why not take that risk and enjoy the rewards that will likely follow?

Of course there is the possibility for failure, but when you are not risking the grocery money on a dice roll, why not go for it? This website or most others that we visit on a regular basis would not be here if not for some sort of risk. As Steve Winwood once said, “While you see a chance, take it!”

P.S. A hearty congratulations to Bob in Dallas who wrote that he was able to celebrate Thanksgiving wholeheartedly this year after landing a new job after being out of work for 6 months! Bob said that being 62 years old made it tough, but he never stopped in his pursuit. Awesome, and thanks for sharing!