The MAXReport is a monthly newsletter published by Men's Associated Exchange and mailed to more than 900 members and friends. This online version contains most of the articles from the printed newsletter as well as post-publication updates.

For a free copy of the printed MAXReport, call the MAX Information line at  442.1994.  Be sure to indicate you learned about it on MAXOnline.

The next Planning Committee for the MAXEast TGIF and other Eastbay events will be held at the home of Jim Harrod in Oakland on Monday evening, January 4th at 7:00PM. All East Bay MAXers are invited to join the committee. The first East Bay TGIF will be held on the 4th Friday of January in Walnut Creek. For more information about the meeting, contact Jim at  540.1257 or by email at jharrod aol.com. For general information about MAXEast contact Gil Rose at  735.1333 or by email at millennium_mktg hotmail.com.

MAXParty is hosting a game night every month. Our first is rolling out on the afternoon of January 10th. Bridge lessons will be available to those who have always wanted to learn but never got past Go Fish. Teams will form in accordance to your level. In addition to bridge we are expanding the night to include a variety of other games including Scrabble, UNO and Trivial Pursuit just to name a few. What is your favorite? If you have a home, a table and chairs or a good board game or two, dust 'em off and let us know. To get involved call Jim Boey for bridge at  387.0378 or John Coleman for games at  207.5843 and may the luck be with you!

Learn to safely explore and deepen your erotic potential by joining A&E on Saturday, January 16th, for Body Electric School's "Awakening the Body Erotic." Using touch, breath work, movement, and ritual, this one-day, clothes-on workshop is designed as a gentle, hands-on introduction to massage and men's erotic activity. In the workshop, director Colin Brown's staff will teach men to feel more self-assured in their bodies and their erotic interactions with other men. The all-day course is $85 for members, $90 guests. To reserve call Bob Owen at  626.5439.

MAX will host its annual town hall meeting on Sunday, January 17th, from 3:00PM to 5:00PM. At this meeting, VP Finance Mark Sweeny will give an update on our financial situation and our chairman Rick Sneed will give our state of the union address. There will be no impeachment hearings. The meeting will be held at the Swedish American Hall, 2174 Market Street (at Sanchez) adjacent to Café DuNord. All are welcome. For more information contact VP Admin Norm Dito at  337.7975.

After extensive remodeling, Jack's restaurant, which has been a part of San Francisco history since 1864, reopened recently to wide acclaim. At 7:30PM a three-course gourmet meal will begin with their famous Celery Victor or a salad, an entrée of lamb, chicken, salmon or pasta, and dessert. Jack's is located at 615 Sacramento St. near Montgomery and the cost of this delightful dinner including tax and tip will be $65 for members and $70 for guests. You can make reservations online at MAXEvents or by calling Bill at  431.2928.

That's right! Mark your social calendar for the 4th Friday of every month. An East Bay Max TGIF will be held on the other side of the pond. Following up the success of MAXSouth, we hope to see both the City boys and an expanding East Bay population attend our monthly mixer. We've lined up an exciting location in Walnut Creek for our first function.

Join us on January 22nd from 6:00PM to 9:00PM at Scott's Garden, 1333 N. California Blvd in Walnut Creek. Just a walk from the Walnut Creek BART station and with valet and street parking, this location offers great ambiance and central access to restaurants and the gay night life of Contra Costa County. (There are three gay clubs in Walnut Creek itself, you know.)

So meet other gay men under the twinkling lights of a Victorian greenhouse and help make MAXEast a success from the start! Bring an old friend or meet a new friend on January 22nd. For further information contact Gil Rose, MAXEast chairman at  735.1333 or email Gil at millennium_mktg hotmail.com. See you in Walnut Creek!

It's easy to order an expensive glass of wine in a restaurant, but what about serving wine on a regular basis in your home? MAXForum will be presenting a seminar on wine do's and don'ts. You will learn the way food and wine should work together, and how you can judge the value of wine.

We will be tasting different varieties of wine in a discussion format led by fellow MAX'er Paul Mugnier, a Bay Area wine connoisseur well known in the local wine industry. The event will be held on Saturday, January 23rd, at 7:00PM. The cost is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Call Mike Barsul at  331.1850 to reserve your spot and get the location. Mail your check to the MAX address with "wine seminar" on the memo line.

Ahoy mateys! On January 24th, MAX is heading out to the high seas. If you're bored with the bear scene or want to play Captain Nemo for a day, come with us to find a whale! We'll provide you with plenty of pills, and I mean motion sickness ones, and bring you on a spectacular journey from SF up the Marin coast with guides from the Oceanographic Society. A brown bag lunch will be provided. This will be one trip you won't forget -- we just might find a little mutiny along the way. The cost is $65 for members $75 for guests. You can reserve online at MAXEvents or contact your MAXParty boy Brian Christensen at  337.7719 to reserve your spot.

Put your cares away and rise above it all on the last Friday of January at the Starlight Room of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. This 5th Friday TGIF, sponsored by the Outreach Committee, is always a memorable event. Enjoy meeting old friends and new with a panoramic view of the city shimmering below in all its glory. A $5-$10 donation to benefit the MAX general fund will be collected at the door. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres will be served and a cash bar available. Mark your calendars for Friday, January 29 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. No need to RSVP. Call Jim Acker at  595.1987 with any questions.

A&E has great orchestra seats for Ballet Trockadero at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley for 8:00PM Saturday, January 30th. These talented all-male dancers in tutus and frocks combine high art and high camp in hilarious parodies of classical works from Swan Lake to Giselle. An optional dinner near the theater will precede the performance. Tickets are $40 for members and $45 for guests. These seats won't last long so call Bob Bolton at  282.8453 and let him know how many you need, whether they are member or guest tickets, and whether or not you wish to join us for dinner. Then send your check to MAX for the show tickets, with Trockadero on the memo line.

It's back, this time with a new twist. Every month, on the last Sunday, MAX will sponsor a pot luck dinner at a member's home, followed by a classic movie. It all starts January 31st with All About Eve at the home of Jim Myers. In February we're showing The Women (do you remember your lines?) and coming in March our first Joan Crawford birthday tribute drag-a-thon sleepover. We need hosts and creative chefs. Call Jim Myers at  864.8349 for directions and menu theme.

Due to the great time 40 MAXers had at last year's Tahoe trip, MAXSports has decided to do it again! This year's event will take place February 5th through 7th. For $80, you get two nights lodging (double occupancy), breakfast and parties both Friday and Saturday night. Dinner will be done "Shasta Style". This year we will be skiing at Northstar-At-Tahoe and Alpine Meadows. Discount tickets will be available, if we get 20 or more people to go to each resort. Each condo has three bedrooms, one with a queen, one with a double and one with two twins. Please specify what type of room you would like, as they will be assigned on the basis of when MAX receives your check. Even if you do not ski (and you know who you are), this is still a great trip! The condos are located at Incline Village, close to the Lake, shopping, gambling, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and more. It's an easy and inexpensive way to spend a fun-filled weekend in the mountains. For those of you who would like to have a bed to yourselves and don't mind being the last to bed and the first up, there are a limited number of sofa beds available for $70. For more information and to reserve your spot, call Steve Kleine at  337.7975. Then, send your check in to MAX with "Tahoe Take Over" written on the memo line. You can also reserve online at MAXEvents.

San Francisco's newly renovated City Hall is just about finished, and MAXForum is taking a tour of the beautiful new building on Saturday, February 13th, at 11:00AM. The tour will be led by fellow MAXer and City Hall insider Jim Haas. This promises to be a very special opportunity to get an inside look at one of the City's most remarkable buildings. The cost is $5 for members, $8 for non-members. Call Mike Barsul at  331.1850 to reserve your spot and get logistical details.

MAXParty is calling all you single MAXers out there! You asked for it, you got it: a party just for you. (No couples need apply unless you want to help clean up.) Don't make any dates on Saturday, February 13th; we'll do that for you. We will supply all the evening's food, booze and festivities including our version of the Dating Game hosted by the fabulous, the one and only Phil Walker. Mark this one down on your calendar. MAXParty has all the info. More to come, Cupid's watching you!

Join Max at San Francisco's new ice skating rink at Yerba Buena Gardens, which is located at 750 Folsom between Third and Fourth Streets. All levels of skaters are welcome, from novices to Olympic wannabes. Practice your triple toe loops, try pairs skating, or just keep from falling. Guaranteed to be more fun than Disney on Ice. We will meet at 7:30PM. Optional dinner afterward around 8:30PM. Admission is $6 plus $2.50 for skate rentals. Call Jim at  522.5607 for info and reservations.

You found him, now how do you keep him? MAXForum presents "Cooking for your Man" on Saturday, February 20th, at 6:00PM. How about improving your cooking skills with MAX member Mark Cecil, who is an extraordinary cook schooled in New Orleans and Europe, and who kept his man for over a decade!!!

In a very interactive hands-on presentation, Mark will teach you how to prepare the perfect meal in your own kitchen. So as long as you don't date the same man twice, you will look like a genius after this event! The cost is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Please call Mark Cecil at  752.9851 before February 17th to make your reservation and get the location. Mail your check to the MAX address with "Forum Cooking" on the memo line. Come prepared to roll up your sleeves and COOK!

The highly-acclaimed New Century Chamber Orchestra will perform the world premier of Kurt Rohde's "Minerva's Pool" at 8:00PM at the Herbst Theater (401 Van Ness) in San Francisco on Saturday, February 20 at 8:00PM. Many of you will remember Kurt as the talented viola player at the MAX "Afternoon Musicale" at John Newmeyer's home in October. Also included on the program are Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #3, Elgar's Serenade in E, and gay composer Benjamin Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings. Tickets are only $20 for members and $25 for guests. For information and reservations for the performance and an optional dinner beforehand call Bill Denton at  626.5899.

Do you remember hot pants, the Village People and Roller Disco? MAX does, and that's why we're sparking that long-shelved memory and lacing 'em back up to round the rink once more. On February 24th MAXParty is heading down the Peninsula to the Rolladium in San Mateo for Gay Skate Night. It's Ladies' Choice all night, because the DJ will only be taking requests from MAX members! Rollerblades are permitted, but just try doing your Hamill Camel in them. Contact your MAXParty boy Brian Christensen at  337.7719 to get all the info.

The New Year brings an exciting new change to TGIF. Over the next several months, MAX is pleased to welcome Tanqueray Malacca® Gin as the Official Host of TGIF. In addition to hosting a special Tanqueray bar (with a special discounted drink) at the City Club events, Tanqueray will also underwrite the placement of two ads each month in the B.A.R. promoting TGIF and MAX. Under the sponsorship agreement, Tanqueray will host nine TGIF events starting in January and running through May, and then another three TGIFs at the end of the year.

"One of the major issues facing MAX is exposure," said Chairman Rick Sneed. "I am always amazed at the large number of gay men that I talk with who have never even heard of MAX. By partnering with Tanqueray, we can use the new ads to introduce MAX to thousands of potential members and generate a host of new faces at TGIF and other events. This is really exciting news."

Tanqueray's sponsorship is part of a new corporate sponsor program that was initiated last year by MAX. "By working with premium products such as Tanqueray MAX is able to enhance and add value to our activities while reducing the cost of producing events," said Sneed. "This enables us to keep our event fees down when the costs of producing events are going up. It really benefits our members." Tanqueray is the first of several TGIF sponsors MAX hopes to recruit over the coming year.

This Halloween, 14 MAXers whisked themselves off to Key West for a long weekend of drinks, dancing, and debauchery on Duval Street! Here are some of the highlights:Bill Stewart, Mark Sifling and Nathan Heibeck chatted up the flight attendant on the way to Miami and scored a free bottle of champagne AND a whole duffel bag full of little airline boozes. We needed a gurney just to get them off the plane!The accommodations! We had two houses in the heart of Old Town, but one of them was definitely the more FABULOUS of the two. It was a first-class private sanctuary with an outdoor dining room poolside, in a courtyard surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. There was a separate guest house that had a bidet which was rumored to have been very useful, what with all those go-go boys passing through.

Every night -- go-go boys! These were some of the tastiest boys imaginable and they were up there EVERY NIGHT swinging their stuff around. You could put yourself in the poorhouse keeping their attention, and it looked like there was a race to see which MAXer would get there first. By all reports, Bill Stewart and Phillip Dudley were the clear winners.

FantasyFest! The Key West answer to Mardi Gras is a parade with amazing floats! Beads became currency and people would do anything you asked if the beads were good enough. Bill and Phil threw beads to the cheering crowds for 2 1/2 hours -- they both had arm cramps, but could still throw money at the go-go boys till 4:00AM.Naked snorkeling! Six of us took a nude gay cruise out to the reefs for some snorkeling dans le buff. Our two hot crew boys, Ellis and Junior, set the tone by shucking their wraps as soon as we passed that special bouy. Ellis was the cover boy for the gay Key West activity guide, so we were among stars. Glen Shannon was a jellyfish magnet and looked like Flipper in an iron lung.

Other highlights: The meth lab next door ("It smells like mothballs over there!"); "Don't Let Your Dog Shit in Front of the Gate"; Camille's conch chowder; "Throw some damn beads already!"; "What's that stuff on your forehead? EWWW!"; and finally, "That's penetration, that's extra." Game Night

Forget trawling Marin or Pacific Heights for the good stuff -- MAX is planning a major garage sale in the spring! The money from this sale will go directly to MAX. So hang onto those items that you've probably had for a while anyway, because we will need them. More information to appear in the next couple of months. If you are interested in helping coordinate this fun time, please call Norm Dito at  337.7975.

Usually, I buy frozen juice in cans. After Gamma Mu's Fly-In last month, my partner Bill and I found ourselves with an extra four gallons of orange juice, and we just finished it yesterday. Today, I'm trying to figure out what I can get done without any "juice" in the house – or the office. PG&E said the power would be back on in 45 minutes, then by noon, now they say mid-to-late afternoon. It's a feeling of being adrift, this business of being juice-less. It's kind of scary in a way. It's hard to know what to do next.

This morning we had cranberry juice with our vitamins. And now I'm using the laptop instead of the Pentium II with the 17" monitor. It's just not the same. No orange juice. My computer out of commission. No juice. No power. No direction. It's a feeling of being adrift, this business of being juice-less. It's kind of scary in a way. It's hard to know what to do next.

Where does your juice come from? What gets you started in the morning and what keeps you going throughout the day? What is it that motivates you day after day? For some, it's the pursuit of success in a career, or building up that retirement nest-egg, or providing for a family, working toward a goal, or continuing on a spiritual journey. Whatever that "juice" is for us, it's important stuff, and it's vital to our well-being that we know what it is. Being without it, and not knowing that -- is truly scary. Our worst times in life are when we are cut off from what matters most to us -- and don't realize it until it's too late. Whether you're a devotee of New Year's resolutions, or prefer to deal with what may come – let me urge you to figure out your "juice." Find that motivating life force that gets you started and keeps you going. Know where your "juice" comes from, and celebrate it!

A major component of my "juice" is community-building -- creating spaces for people to come together sharing fun and fellowship, caring for and supporting each other. MAX is an important community-builder for me, and I hope it is for you, too.

All the best to you in 1999!
Rev. Bob McGrath
Membership Committee member

Join MAX as a CoupleStarting this month, MAX is now offering gay men an opportunity to join MAX as a couple at the special dues rate of $125 per year. In the past, individual partners had to join separately at $75 each. "As a gay organization, it is imperative that MAX recognize our members who have entered into a formal relationship with a partner," said Chairman Rick Sneed. "The gay community is asking our government, our employers and all other organizations to accept and recognize the concept of domestic partnership, so it is therefore only proper that MAX set an example by recognizing our own members who are in a committed relationship."

To qualify, members must be in a formally acknowledged relationship. Each member receives full MAX privileges, but the couple will only receive one copy of the newsletter and regular MAX mailings with both of their names on the same label. If for some reason the couple splits, the newsletter and mailings will be sent to the first name on the label at a single address. Couples who are currently members and meet the criteria above can renew their membership as a couple on the date the first member in the relationship reaches his renewal date. That date will then becomes the effective renewal date for both members. Members who are in a relationship with a non-MAX member can expand their current membership to include their partner by paying the $50 difference. If you have any questions, please contact Membership Director John Piane at  387.4287.

Published monthly, the MAXReport is the official publication of Men's Associated Exchange and is included in membership. It is mailed at the end of each month from San Francisco.