Awesome Adventures
By Katt McLean

Kayaking in Upper Newport

Awesome Adventures in November will have us kayaking in Upper Newport Bay. The date will be Saturday, November 9, at 10:30 a.m. We will meet at Southwind Kayaking Center. It's an awesome way to get yourselves grounded before the holidays and explore Mother Nature in your own backyard. We'll learn about the plants, birds, geological features and history of Newport Bay during three hours of gentle paddling through the Nature Reserve. An interpretive naturalist will be one of our guides.

The cost is $46 per person, which covers all gear rental, water-safety instructions and guides. RSVP to Katt or call me at (949) 235-7821 for more details.

Gourmet Group
By Vincent B. Croome

OFF TO THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY!

At our last adventure, Chef Joseph did an outstanding job. He kept us laughing and informed while preparing our "Around the World in 80 Tastes" evening. He showed us how effortlessly one can prepare a Japanese dish. One would think he was trying out for the Food Network Show, "Iron Chef". The next course was a quick trip to Italy. The last course brought us back to the Americas. Let's hope he makes more appearances in the coming year.

Forget your diet for the month of November! We are all off to the Cheese Cake Factory in Fashion Island. If you have never been, now is the time to go. We will be meeting there on November 10 at 7:00 p.m. for dessert. Please RSVP to either Vince or Joseph by November 3. Being on time is most important. The restaurant will not seat us until everyone is there. By the way, there are other restaurants in the mall for dinner, why not come early, dine and afterwards join us for dessert? Well, why not come early and wonder around the mall, with the many stores and the holiday season fast approaching, why not get some ideas?

With the New Year coming, I would love to hear some of your ideas for future gatherings. Maybe there is something special that you would like to learn or have Chef Joseph prepare? Please let me know at Vince or call (949) 497 8115. We welcome everyone into our little group. All that is needed is a hearty appetite.

Great Conversations with Gays and Lesbians
By Marc Feller

In The Spirit Of Things

Spirituality ... what is it? How does it affect our lives as gay people? How does it relate to organized religion ... if at all? These questions furrowed nine thoughtful brows at Great Conversations With Gays And Lesbians on Wednesday, September 25, at the cozy apartment of ever-lovin' LO member Deborah Lazaroff Alpi.

Though I am a hardheaded evolutionist, I fully accept the existence of transcendental experiences, sensations of oneness with the Universe, of the submergence of self in something immeasurably larger and more powerful. I think everyone has had one or more encounters with the spiritual in this sense. Even orgasm has some of the same features. Where do they come from?

For myself, I am content to attribute these sensations to the firing of neurons in a particular way. And why not? My entire experience of the world is a matter of neurons firing, but that fact doesn't make the world any less real. So the question is whether I have to believe in a force, or a power, or an entity external to myself in order for my experiences to qualify as "spiritual." That is, where does faith enter the equation? Thus I told the group that I sometimes feel the warm nearness of my ex-lover Nate, who died in April, and that I speak to him as though he were beside me. These moments are profoundly moving and profoundly peaceful. Some would say that his spirit (whatever that may be) is actually hovering over me at these times, and that I really am conversing with the dead. Others would suggest that it is merely wishful thinking on my part, a semiconscious act of self-deception in which a complex of emotions is served up by the nervous system in order to calm and comfort. I incline to agree with this latter group.

But are these experiences nevertheless as real and as believable as any others I've had? I can accept them as actual on that basis, regardless of their origin. May I claim that they are also spiritual? I think so. I think the source doesn't matter. I think it's possible to take a scientific and even a skeptical view of the world and its workings, and at the same time leave open the possibility of transcendence. Both are essential aspects of human nature. To deny either is to deny an important part of ourselves. Why walk on just one leg? So if there is a Universal Power or a deceased friend that wants to communicate with me, I'm listening. If there isn't, I'm listening anyway. And what I hear is beautiful.

Great Conversations With Gays And Lesbians is a regular monthly activity of Laguna Outreach, held on the fourth Wednesday of every month in a member's home or other pleasant venue from 7:00 p.m. until nine-ish. We share a potluck feast, then tear into a topic of interest to GLBT folk. Call me for information, (562) 434-1580 or e-mail Marc. I need host homes and I always welcome topic suggestions!

Ladies' Home Theater
By Lindsay Hart

Men and Women Do it Together in November!

Just a video, silly! Men's Video Night and Ladies' Home Theater will be co-hosting "But I'm A Cheerleader". See below for all the fabulous details.

Call Lindsay at 949-497-5798 or email Lindsay for info.

Men's Video Night
By M. Cap Capeloto

MEN'S VIDEO NIGHT WOMEN'S THEATER GROUP: TOGETHER AT LAST IN NOVEMBER

My dears, my dears, we have been talking about it for years and it is finally happening. The men and women of LO will be together for a Video Night. But, more on this later. Let me tell you about our very successful September Video Night. In September, Men's Video Night showed "The Object of My Affection" and the crowds went wild. About 14 hot guys showed up. The food, the film and the conversation was fabulous. Strike up another huge success for our very popular video night. In October, Men's Video Night was dark as I was hopefully winning in Las Vegas.

But this month we will show, together with the women, the very fabulous and the very gay-friendly "But I'm a Cheerleader." This is a film of equal interest to both men and women. And are we proud to show it! It is a very funny film about a "Gay Reparative" Center which really doesn't work! Duh! This momentous occasion will take place on Friday, not Saturday, November 22nd. Place of this groundbreaking event will be my home in Santa Ana. Time: 7 p.m. Please bring a potluck dish of your choosing. Also, if it is warm, the spa will be open. If it is cold, it will be closed. This is the one time that bathing suits will be required!! For directions, clarifications, RSVP, or just to talk to a hot and horny old man, call Cap (me) at (714) 957-0546 or cell phone (714), email me at or e-mail me at Cap, or visit my website hornyoldman.com (just kidding).

Next month (December) we will be dark again as LO devotes all its energies toward our Holiday Party that will be held on Saturday, December 14th. However, coming up for Video Night will be some really hot films. Damn, those gay films just keep coming. We will be showing "Green Plaid Shirt," "Hit and Runway," and in January the very hot and the very provocative "Macho Dancer." This is a Philippine film that celebrates the beauty of hot Asian men! Let me tell you, if you are a gay man, and you like Asian men, hello? You will be very happy with this film. You know there is a fine line between art and porno. Well, I do not feel it would be appropriate for LO to show porno, but my dears, this is as close as it gets. You won't want to miss January Men's Video Night.

For information about video night please call me (Cap) at (714) 957-0546 or (714) 313-2069 or e-mail me at Cap. I look forward to hearing from you hot guys out there!

Women's Social Night
By Nancy Pearl

It is Turkey Time, it is Newly November, it is time once again for Women's Social Night. This month brings us to Nancy's house in Laguna Niguel, on Saturday, November 23. Yes, it is the week before Thanksgiving, so come prepared to celebrate the season and try out your favorite recipes before you bring them to the family gathering. I have heard rumors that lesbians cannot cook. I don't believe that. Come and disprove those nasty rumors. Bring on the goodies. If this lesbian "cook" gets ambitious, a turkey might get cooked on the grill...........yum!!!

The festivities will begin around 7 p.m. Members are free and nonmembers are $5.00. I will keep you posted via the newsletter and the website about 2003 events. Please RSVP for information and directions to Nancy at (949) 363-8199. See you soon.