January 26, 2008 - Peoria Illinois

I�ve been to Peoria three or four times before and it pretty much bored me to death. I generally looked at my trips to Peoria as time spent in isolation, reading books, or cruising the internet in my hotel room. Oh yeah, once while surfing the internet I was interrupted by the sound of roaring engines out my window and discovered an air show taking place. That was the highlight of my trips to Peoria.
Well that all changed this trip! Kris , an Online friend of mine, turned me onto Lissa in Peoria. I looked for her profile online to give you a link here bout could not find it.
Well, the first day there was a tough and long one for me so by the time I got a hold of Lissa I was far too tired to get all dolled up, but figured I would at least go meet her in boy mode. When one friend goes out of her way to get you in touch with someone, and then that person goes out of their way to make time to meet you, you can�t just say �Sorry, I�ve had a tough day and don�t feel like it!�, at least not if you hope people will go out of their way for you in the future. So, in drab mode I grabbed my will power and headed out to a place called �Elbo Room� in downtown Peoria. This place was made with me in mind and has Karaoke every night. While most definitely friendly, it is not a gay bar. When I arrived there were very few people there and I was chatting up the bar tender, a cute adorable woman. I doubt she had any idea at that point that I thought her blouse was almost as cute as she was! There we are chatting when in walks this tall woman. I kept looking at her and wondering if she might be Lissa but I really didn�t think she was TG so I kept quiet for a while. Then I noticed her looking around like she was looking for someone also so I gave it a shot.
�Excuse me, you wouldn�t be Lissa by any chance would you?�, I asked.
She gave a little laugh and agreed that she was, and that was the start of three nights of fun in Peoria! Turns out she is also a musician, also likes Karaoke, and is just bold and brave as hell. We have a LOT in common and chatted for pretty much three nights straight.
Well, the next night we returned to the same club, this time with me wearing something a lot prettier than blue jeans!

I love this skirt! It's long and pretty and soft of hugs your legs as you walk. It just looks and feels pretty! There was snow and ice all over outside, and a ramp entering the bar from the parking lot and you should have seen my entrance � the very definition of grace and beauty. I came in the back door, every head in the place spun to look at me, and then my pretty snow covered little high heels and I went skating down the ramp! I kept to my feet but just barely. So much for a classy and dignified entrance.
Lissa and I both sang a lot that night, and even though it�s not a �gay� bar, everyone was just cool and neat as hell. Lissa sings VERY well and I just had a ball.
So the next night we decided to do dinner. We met again at �Elbo Room� as it was someplace we both knew how to find. Just as my feet hit the ramp my memory kicked in about last nights entrance, but it was too late! Once again I skated down the ramp like a skier on the slopes! Fortunately, this time there was only one person there � another cute bartender.
�That�s the second time that damn ramp has tried to kill me!� I told her with a laugh.
We went to dinner at a place called �Po Boys�. It was sort of a Cajun place that sort of replicates a New Orleans street all indoors.
The real cool thing is they have live jazz/blues music. Both of us being guitar players, Lissa and I were both impressed by the quality of the band. VERY good music and a good performance.
Oh, and not one person so much as gave us a odd look.
From there we went to a place called �Mad Dogs� where they also do Karaoke. Unlike �The Elbo�, this bar was very clearly a gay bar. Lissa kept stressing that I had to be careful if I came there alone as the bar right next to it is most definitely NOT friendly so be damn sure you go in the right door! We stayed there most of the night and left it at about 1 to return to the Elbo Room where we had left Lissa�s car. We hung out there for about an hour and it was fun as hell watching all the beautiful people there.
Every where we went, and I mean everywhere, at least 3 or 4 people came up to Lissa and hugged her. It seems that Lissa knows everyone in Peoria!
I had a blast and now have gone from dreading time spent there to very much looking forward to it. The next time I go, I�m taking a guitar and Lissa and I are going to jam!