I added to my album the photos from my spread as 1st Runner-Up for Metro Weekly's 2006 Cover Boy of the Year contest, As I posted previously, I'm very proud of the pics and the article that accompanied them. Not bad for a guy who had two dozen brain surgeries, spent six months getting control of his body back, a couple years that followed trying to self-destruct, and nearly a decade coping with HIV after being infected over a decade already. While I treasure this little victory for fellow Leather folks, Bears, and other Queers who don't fit the pretty images focred on us by GLBTQ media, I desperately wish that the dozens of friends lost during the Dark Years were here to share the joy.