Hey guys.  Well, things have quieted down around here now that the Pride events have wound down, but it’s summer, so it’s a good time for things to slow down and get more relaxing.  We’ve treated this issue, our summer-themed issue, with that goal in mind.

We’ve gone for shorter, quicker hits in a lot of areas, and we don’t have a long article to speak of here.  We wanted to make this an easy read, something you can enjoy by the beach or while suntanning.

The articles this issue also range among a number of different areas.  They may be short, but they have a point.

Take Mette Bach’s recent ride with a cab driver.  Their discussion of their mutual love of Vancouver led down a road to a discussion over a picture of a guy getting head.  It’s a remarkable story, and she shares it with you here.

Elsewhere in the issue, Don Church and Tony Schillaci take a cruise to Rome looking for La Dolce Vita.  They find some interesting surprises, some Friends of Dorothy, and some beautiful views.

The music season is slow too, so Joshua O’Connell instead looks at some of the new songs that have hit the music services lately.

We also bring you two Out & Abouts, one from recently launched Kriola in Waterbury, and the other from an old friend, Gotham Citi, which had its latest block party at the beginning of the month.

We’ve also got a double-dose from The Bookworm, Terri Schlichenmeyer.  Along with her standard book review, she’s also provided us with a laundry list of summer book releases that you should be reading right now.

Finally, Wayne Besen tackles the recent Episcopalian Church decision to be more pro-gay and accept more gay bishops and offers his take.

As I said, we’ve got a lot of short hits that will keep your mind occupied for the next couple of weeks.  We always welcome your feedback; E-mail us at keepintouch@metroline-online.com if you have thoughts about how we’re doing, or maybe are interested in getting involved and writing something.  We welcome contributions from the community!

And as always, we thank our advertisers, who keep the magazine both free and in regular publication, and hope you’ll patronize them the next time you find yourself Out & About.