somehow, he didn't panic.

This is my dear friend Michael. Truly, one of the nicest, sincere, and sweet men I know. That smile he has on his face is real...I was following him around his apartment one day snapping pictures of him, despite his self-conscious protests (he had just gotten out of the shower when I showed up unannounced as he was trying to get dressed...it's fun to do that to him sometimes). This particular shot was my favorite...it captures the essence of who Michael is. It's not posed, it's not staged, it's just Michael being...Michael. I love it. Not only that, but he's the best drinking buddy a guy could ask for.

He is absolutely one of my favorite people in the world.

Michael lives in the Castro district here in San Francisco, and while he thinks my neighborhood is strange and foreign and hetero and scary (absolutely the polar opposite of the Castro), at least things like this don't happen here in North Beach.

Well, at least not on my block. Or my fire escape.