Friday, June 26, 2009

Image by MyEyeSees via Flickr

Today was a shopping day. Actually it was supposed to only be a quick trip to a spiritual bookstore run by the American Theosophical Society. Anyway, I had a fun time browsing through the books on mysticism, Buddhism, American Indian beliefs, etc. Then there were all kinds of pretty rocks that were supposed to promote different things. I swear I was tempted to buy rhodocrosite so I could get my love life in order. (I wonder if it really works, definitely couldn't hurt.)

I ended up buying a book of meditations on the words and actions of Jesus. This should be interesting. I also bought a bible with direct Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic translations. Again, that should be interesting.

After finishing with my spiritual journey book shop, I figured that while I was out it would be good to buy some gulf shirts. I've only got three I can wear, and wearing the same ones over and over again isn't good when going on a date, especially since all three are old and should be tossed. So off I went. First stop...Burlington Coat factory. I found some there, but they all were made for a 20 something year old. Although they're cool shirts, I don't think they were quite me. Purple with medieval devils is not my idea of high style. Plus what they had in my size was quite limited.

Next stop.....Manny's. Forget Manny's. It was nothing but old men shirts. hmmmmm Then I tried Target's, but again, their selection was rather limited to horizontal stripes. And yes, we all know what horizontal stripes look like on a large guy. Not pretty.

Finally I found a Rochester Men's store. Inside was a slew of Ralph Lauren Polo shirts in every color of the rainbow. I was like a kid in a candy store. I'll take the raspberry one, brown one, baby blue one (because we all know I look awesome in blue), and one of these really sporty ones.

Yes, it was Nirvana until I hit the cash register. Hmmmmmmm As I watched to total hit the troposphere, my wallet began to sing rather loudly. "Are you f***ing nuts!!!" Well actually, yes I am. I hate clothes shopping so I figure if I'm going to go, I'm going to do it once and it will last me a few years. That's my thought and I'm sticking to it.

So now I have enough shirts to last me a while and I can wear them this weekend. Here's to my first Pride Fest experience. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get lucky. Hmmmmm I think I'll wear raspberry for the occassion. It's not cherry, but it's close enough. Hugs to all.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson via last.fm

Today has been a very quiet day. Really not much has happened except for finding out that South Carolina's Republican Governor has had a year long affair with a mistress in Argentina. Which brought to mind a couple of questions...

1. How does one go about having an intercontinental affair and no one know about it? Especially his current wife? I mean it's one thing to be having a fling with the girl next door or someone even accross town. That I can imagine being easy to hide, but how do you hide plane tickets, passport stamps, hotel room costs, etc? I've heard of the addage "Where there's a will there's a way.", but this truely boggles my mind.

2. How does one link hiking on the Appalachian trail to horizontal mombo in Argentina and not tell anyone? Maybe it's the "getting back to nature" tie in. Or maybe he just decided his body needed a different type of workout. Even his staff thought he was hiking the trail to relieve the stress of the latest state congressional session.

3. Did he really think he wouldn't get caught?

I read that Farrah Fawcett succumbed to her battle with cancer and Michael Jackson died today. I wish their families strength and peace. I also wish them well on their next journey.

On that note.....here's to a quiet Thursday. Pizza guy is here!!!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Image via Wikipedia

Grocery shopping,

I hate grocery shopping. Yes, I know it is a necessary evil and one that can't be avoided unless I eat out everyday, which is not about to happen. I had a simple grocery list: milk, eggs, onions, mushrooms, granola bars (yum), coffee and a broom to sweep off the balcony. Not much by grocery list standards.

So I timed myself. First stop, Aldi's. To get 3 gallons of milk, Larry is a milk fiend and only drinks whole milk (yuk), sugar, eggs, onions and mushrooms took me all of 10 minutes. Getting through the check-out line took me 35 minutes. Yep, 35 minutes of staring off into space wondering why they would only have one cashier with a line stretching around the store.

Even more annoying at Aldi's is the fact that you have to deposit a quarter to use the grocery cart and then have to pay for bags. I had forgotten my bags, so I ended up trying to squeeze everything into one bag I purchased. Seeing that as a futile attempt somewhat akin to putting a 300 lbs. body into a size 30 pair of pants, I decided to leave the milk "free range." Yes, I got the quarter back at the end of my tour, but it's just the idea that irks me.

Next I was off to Jewel's, which is accross town. Jewel's is the shopping market preferred by Larry, the room mate. God forbid I just go to Dominick's which is just down the street. (It's supposedly owned by the Mormons and we all know shopping there is going to implant some deep desire that we all take multiple wives and live in trailor compounds.) Actually I hate Jewel's. The way it is laid out makes absolutely no ryhme or reason. But there I was.

So I grab my cart and promptly get damned near run over by a speeding elderly gentleman who seems to be on a mission of great importance. Well, it's either of great importance or he's trying to out run his memory and gather everything needed before the Mrs. has a coronary. I head for the granola section, which you would think would be close to the cereals and breakfast bars. No such luck, it's in the potato chip aisle.

Anyway, it takes me 25 minutes just to grab o.j. (not the trial guy), granola bars, coffee (which is in the spice aisle), and a broom. Pretty fast until I hit the express checkout line. Ok, I am convinced that either Americans can't count or they can't read. Possbily both. In front of me was the same elderly man who was running the Indy 500 with his cart loaded with items. Yes, loaded. I'm not sure how he did what he did so fast, but damn that was some impressive shopping.

The cashier looks at him and then looks at the sign. A gesture totally lost as he gazes at her with an absolutely clueless face. So there I stand, reading the latest in gossip. 20 minutes later I'm heading out the door. By the time I got home it had taken me an 1.5 hours to do the little list.

Mind you, it's not the time, because frankly I have nothing but time. It's the idea of having to do battle and run the marathon everytime I go. And they say we come from a long line of hunters and gatherers. Maybe that's why I'm gay; my gene pool were more the "let's eat out" set.

Till our next shopping trip...

Monday, June 22, 2009

Image by sonictk via Flickr

Today I decided that the little iPod ear plugs had to go. Every time I put them in my ear they 1. fall out or 2. make my ear sweat like crazy. Although the sound was great, they were just too uncomfortable.

So we, Larry and I, went to Best Buy. No luck, they had only 2 sets of over the ear headphones. I wasn't about to pay $180 for a set of Bose and the other was a $12.99 set designed for children. Which would explain why they were labeled "children's headsets". Finally, truth in advertising.

Off we went to Micro Center. For all you computer geek wannabes, Micro Center is the Shangri-la of computer stores. They have everything you could ever want and more. The array of hard drives, laptops, cables, modems, programs, etc. is staggering. Like I said, a veritable cornucopia of computer stuff.

I moved around the store, probably looking like Hansel and Gretel after they discovered their breadcrumbs were eaten, trying to find just plain headphones. I walked up one aisle and down the next zeroing in on my prey. Eureka! I found the aisle. Before me pegged like pins in a map were no less than 150 choices of headphones.

Headphones with skulls, headphones with built-in microphones, head sets with removable ear pieces that can be color coordinated to your ensemble. Big headsets, little ear plugs, this maker, that maker. I was completely overwhelmed. For 45 minutes I stared at the different headsets wondering what was the difference. How could choice A be that much different than choice B?

So, being the kind of guy I am, I quickly eliminated all the in-the-ear plug types. Great, that left only 80 choices. Next, eliminate all the ones with microphones because lord knows I'm not going to be talking to anyone while listen to my iPod or watching a movie. Now we're down to about 60. Now I could discard all the headsets that were less than $20. I figured if they're under $20 bucks they can't be that good. Now were down to 10.

Dilemma....I've narrowed down to 10, well make that 9 because I wasn't going to pay $300 for a set of Sennheisers. I'm staring at 9 headsets not knowing which one to get. I could go and try to get some kid who looked like they knew everything there was to know about this stuff or I could just wing it. But if I'm going to spend $40 on a set of headphones, they had better be pretty decent. Instead of looking ridiculous and asking for help, I opt to just stand there and stare. Yep, staring is good. Staring makes you look like you know what you're doing. And if you're pacing and staring, then people ignore you all together; you've got it under control.

So I try to narrow it down to 3 pair. I couldn't even do that. This one has this kind of base output and watts per ear. The other one has this much. I was sweating like crazy and quite frankly getting irritated by the whole choice thing. Finally my room mate walks up and sees my face. He actually starts laughing. "What's wrong with you?" he chuckles. "Look at all these choices and I haven't a clue which are any good." I respond. Without batting an eye he walks over and grabs a set of Sennheisers. "If it was me, I'd buy these." he says. Knowing that Larry is a music major, has a music studio, plays 5 instruments, I kinda take him for his word that he knows what sounds good.

Is there such a thing as having too many choices? I don't know, but I do know that I rely more and more on what my friends say about a product. If I don't know anyone who has one, then I probably won't buy it either. And that is my choice.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Image via Wikipedia

Happy Father's Day

I awoke this morning with the excited anticipation of getting a phone call from Ian. Once I looked at the clock, I realized he wouldn't be calling me anytime soon, as it was already 10:00 a.m. his time. For those who don't know, Ian works from 11:00 p.m.until 7:00 a.m. and at 10:00 a.m. he would have already been asleep.

So I decided to check my email, which is part of my normal waking up routine. In the email was a beautiful card from John, in the Philippines, (Thank you John), and a card from Ian. I opened the card from Ian to be greeted by scenes from Star Wars with the "galaxy far away" titles flashing through. Whoever thought of making a father's day card from Star Wars was pretty inventive. I never pictured Darth Vader as a realiable example of fatherhood, but there was the proof right before my eyes. It instantly brought a smile to my face.

Then I read the note Ian wrote at the end. Please bear with me as I share this with you:

"If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember: You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. I'll always be with you. I love you dad!" Ok, that was enough to bring me to tears.

As a Dad I have tried to set the example of what a loving father should be to his son. I have been critical even when my heart wanted to praise him, I've been stern although I wanted to laugh, I have corrected him when all I wanted to do was cry with him. Being a dad is never easy. There's no manual. There is only the one hope that a true dad has; that in spite of everything he does or fails to do, his child will grow up to be a loving, strong, independent, and good hearted person.

I have witnessed this with my son. In spite of all the dreams that I had for him; he has followed his own drummer. He has grown into the man I had hoped he would be. He is strong in his convictions, loving in his actions towards others, committed to doing what he knows is right and yet understanding and accepting of others who do not see things his way. He follows his dreams with the passion of an artist. And above all, he is true to himself.

Now, if he could only remember to call me more often, I would be a happy man.

On the lighter side of my day......I saw four goldfinches today. Yes, count 4 of them. Ok, that may not seem like much, but I haven't seen a goldfinch in over 10 years. When I was a child I would always be delighted to see their flash of yellow dancing in and out of the tree branches. They were rare sights in New York and Maryland, so to see 4 of them today really brightened my day. I raced to grab my binoculars in order to get a close up view. (God, I love binoculars) Lord only knows what my neighbors were thinking as I was focusing in on the birds. At this point, who cares....I saw 4 goldfinches!!!

Saturday, June 20,2009

Today is clean-up day in the neighborhood. Actually, I live in a pretty prestine area with lovely parks to walk in, tree lined streets with well kept 1960's houses and manicured lawns. So I bet you're wondering why clean-up day?

Last night we were hit with a wet microburst. For those who don't know, a microburst is similar to a tornado without the convergent winds. In other words, a very strong down draft that hits the surface and spreads out in straight lines. A wet microburst is accompanied by heavy rains.

At about 5:30 p.m. the clouds got extremely dark. It looked like the sun had set, but obviously was too early in the day. Next thing I knew it was pouring down in buckets. The last time I saw rain like this was in Florida where it rains so hard you can't see out the windshield. There was generalized lightening everywhere but no bolts or chains.

Out of the south/southwest the winds instantly picked up to between 75 and 80 mph. The large maple trees were blowing and bending like crazy. Suddenly many of the branches on the south side of the maple tree directly in front of my apartment snapped off and went airborne.

I stood on the balcony, not thinking I would get injured, until I saw a huge flash of light not more than 500 yards up the street. The transformer on the corner of Fairview and 59th Sts. blew sending us into darkness. For over 8 hours yesterday we were without power. Not fun on a Friday night or any night for that matter.

At 3:00 a.m., after having fallen asleep at 9:00 p.m. I was very uncermoniously awakened by the power coming back on. Suddenly the lights popped on and so did the fire alarm. Let me tell you....it works!!! It was the most deafening and obnoxious sound I have ever heard. Worse than some of the contestants on American Idol, and I thought. For another 30 minutes this ungodly sound went off. Instead of leaving the building, I just packed up my smokes and relocated myself to the balcony. The sound wasn't muffled at all, but hey, it was cool and I needed to smoke.

My room mate and I couldn't get back to sleep immediately. In fact, neither did most of the building. So we sat up chatting and loading our cell phones into our lap tops. I will admit that by 7 a.m. I was ready for a nap.

So today is cleanup day.. Sweep the dirt and debrees from the balcony. Go to Homo Depot to buy some battery laterns, and then off to Borders. Itty Bitty Book Lights are fabulous when you can't do anything else but read in the dark. While I'm there it's always good to check out what's new in books. Ciao all....happy reading.

Friday, June 19, 2009

I really don't have much to write today. Yesterday I went to the orthopedic specialist for a follow-up on my ankle. After poking, prodding, bending, pushing, pulling, twisting, and rotating she decided she needed e-rays. After standing there in the most un-natural positions, left foot pointed out - right foot pointed in at a 90 degree angle, she comes back to tell me I may need surgery again. Apparently the tendons running on the outside of my ankle aren't anchored properly and are still very loose which is pulling on the bones. Thus the intense pain and swelling I keep getting. Lovely news. So now I have to wait for an ultra-sound to tell her exactly what's going on. Today, I can barely walk. What fun!!

It's raining here, again, and they are calling for severe thunderstorms and flash flooding. I have been cruising the internet looking at houses for sale in various areas of the country. It's amazing what is out there. It's also very cathartic in the way that it takes my mind off my foot for at least a few minutes until I move it in a way that it doesn't appreciate. Then it's OUCH!!!

So, I'll be making the post rather short. I feel the pain meds kicking in, so I'll be off to la-la land soon. Hugs to all.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Image by katherine of chicago via Flickr

Think of Norman Rockwell, James Stewart in It's A Wonderful Life, Judy Garland in Meet Me In St. Louis. The common thread, small town America. Stately Victorian homes surrounded by manicured green lawns and pristine gardens. Streets lined with mature Oaks, Maples, Dogwood, Beechwood, Poplar, and other trees providing a green canopy and dappled sunlight. The sidewalks are wide providing plenty of space for kids to run up and down the street on all sorts of pedaled vehicles.

Today I joined a friend for coffee in downtown Clarendon Hills. This part of Illinois is filled with small suburban towns that have grown around the railroad depot. Many have retained their Victorian charm and have tried to create little down towns that lure shoppers and others wanting to walk and talk.

Clarendon Hills is such a town. The brick station in the center of town takes you back to when riding trains were what Americans did. The platform has directional signs one pointing to the metropolis of Chicago with all it's wonder and the other pointing to the next little town on the tracks. Standing in the station one can feel, what was at one time in our past, the hustle and bustle of men in suits being waived off to work while women in dresses and kids in their clean shorts and shirts are anxiously trying to get away for a day of fun.

In the middle of the intersection of Prospect, Main, and another street was an ornate wrought iron and brick pavilion. It sits on a beautifully manicured lawn with 2 large Maple trees and some wonderful smelling flowers. I observed two ladies there talking animatedly as the other people walked past them on their way to the various shops lining the street. Both were lost in their conversation as if the world outside them did not exist.

One one side was an Ace Hardware that beckoned people in with brand new garden tools, windsocks of various bright colors, and boxes of petunias and pansies. It reminded me of an old hardware store in my hometown where the floor was wood, the air smelled of oil, and tools of every size and purpose hung from the walls. Nails, screws, nuts and bolts were sold, not by the box, but by the pound. A place where the men hung around talking about their latest projects, what was the best tool to use, and of course who had won the ball game.

Next to the hardware store was an ice cream shop that was filled with bowls of alluring candy, bins filled with tubs of ice cream of all sorts of exotic flavors, mango mint, green tea and honey, vanilla with wild strawberries, and of course the normal flavors like a dark sinful looking chocolate or a strawberry ice cream that was more strawberries than cream. Watching the adults inside I could see their eyes light up with the idea of trying a new flavor and kids staring at the candy jars, and inevitably, talking about which candy was their sugar rush of choice.

Across the street was a little restaurant with a worker busy setting up the outdoor tables and chairs waiting to beckon the evening strollers for a gastronomic feast. There was also a little shop where you could create wonderful bathrooms and kitchens. Yes they were esthetically beautiful, but even more beautiful was the simple, elegant, and utilitarian designs. There was also a salon that was filled with people getting their hair cut and styled all the while they were talking animatedly or reading the magazines about the latest styles or persona happenings.

I sat with my friend at a coffee shop that was at the south end of this vignette. From there under the natural umbrella of a large Oak tree I sat and talked and watched people go by. The scenes that played out before my eyes brought a peace I hadn't had in many a year. Lost in my thoughts and conversations, I realized that outside this world of peace and everyday life, was a world of turmoil, a world of people fighting for equality, and a world of people just making their way as best they can, but all that seemed so far away at the time.

For two hours I was taken away from being jobless, worrying about my living conditions, and all the aches and pains I had been experiencing. I was transported to a time where there were such things as simple pleasures. I was reminded that there are good things in life that are free. Watching the pure joy of kids as they race up and down the sidewalk, people taking their dogs on a leisurely stroll, waving hello to a total stranger and having a great cup of coffee with a good friend.

Yes, there is such a thing as small town America. It hasn't disappeared in spite of the large malls and shopping complexes. It hasn't become extinct due to the Walmarts and Targets. It may not be much, but it's there, and for a brief moment one can be taken away to a whole new world of possibilities.

Time for another iced venti americano with room please.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Image by Joey Yen via Flickr

What is with me and dates? Today I was supposed to meet with the orthopedic specialist regarding my ankle. Yes, it's been giving me problems lately; so you would think I would have made a point to be there. I even had the calendar in my handy dandy new cell phone(LG Voyager) set up with the appointment and a reminder so I wouldn't be late.

Here's the glitch. I received the letter from Worker's Comp. last Thursday. Yes, it clearly said my appointment was on the June 15th. So I counted the days. Thursday the 11th, Friday the 12th, Saturday the 13th, Sunday the 14th, and Monday the 15th. So what did I do? I set the appointment for Tuesday the 16th. I even set it with a 2 hour reminder. It is beyond me how I managed that one. But, anyone who knows me knows that unless you give me a specific day and date, I will somehow manage to mix it up. It's inevitable.

Quite frankly I would miss my own funeral if a day and date weren't given to me ahead of time. So, I arrived today all ready to have my ankle yanked, prodded, pulled, bent and twisted every which way possible, only to be told "Mr. Roberts your appointment was yesterday." I was so embarrassed. Here we go again. I pulled out the letter to confirm my humiliation.

No problem, we'll reschedule. How's Thursday at 8:30 a.m.? Great. I'll just put it in my handy dandy cell phone calendar and all will be well. Yes, I even set the reminder. Now to set the GPS to find the new directions. We all know how that will go.

P.S. The picture is my beautiful LG Voyager. I love my phone. I'm so connected.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Isn't it amazing how the stupidest things will start a large debate. Today Larry and I went grocery shopping after running errands. I had to pick up the normal things like bread, milk, half-n-half, etc. Larry wanted to get the makings for Chicken Fajitas that he's going to take to his friend. Oh, news flash.....Larry has found himself a wonderful man that he is very smitten with. So we look for the ingredients.....peppers....onions......chicken.....Fajita seasoning. The glitch, the store only carried one type Fajita mix. It had a picture of beef fajitas on it. Larry got very upset and said we had to go to another store. I, at that point, had had enough of shopping and just wanted to go home. I looked at Larry and said Fajita mix is Fajita mix. It doesn't matter if it's chicken or beef, they are the same spices. He wasn't buying it. Nope, he was adamant that only chicken fajita mix would be good in chicken fajitas. So we went to the other store where I looked at the ingredient list of all the fajita packages.....I even tried to show him....they were the same. His response, "The ingredients are used in different proportions." How can you argue with that logic? It doesn't say how much of this or that was included, but because it had the word and picture of chicken on it, it was somehow different.

Which brings me to today's thought. The Republicans are now gearing up all their energies to combat the latest Democratic plan for health care reform. The President is proposing a $313 Billion dollar overhaul to our medical system. In the scheme of things that may sound like a hell-of-a-lot of money. But if we're talking universal health care for all Americans, this is just a drop in the bucket.

Right now Americans have the most expensive health care system in the world. Right now at least 50% of Americans can not afford the health care they have. Right now over 30% of Americans have no health care. Many of the elderly have to choose between medication and food or other necessities.

Next to the oil industry, the insurance corporations have the largest pure profit margin. Considering that most Americans who have insurance have to follow the insurance rules on what is covered and what is not covered, how can having a universal health system from the government be any different? The truth is, the insurance corporations are heavily lobbying the Republicans, because they know that a universal government sponsored insurance plan would drive them out of business. They don't give a rats ass about the public's health or how much medical costs have sky rocketed, they care about their profit margins.

Wake up Americans!!! Just because the packaging has different words or pictures doesn't make it different. Government sponsored health care isn't going to be any worse than insurance company sponsored health plans. We already have it.....Medicare/Medical. Many children are covered by law under government sponsored health plans. It's time we stood up against big corporations and did what is wise not what we're told to do by the Republican party naysayers.

If every other civilized nation, i.e. Canada, England, Ireland, Germany, France, etc. can cover their citizens with adequate and quite good health care systems, then we should be able to also. If we all contributed up to 3% of our pay into a government health care system, every American, and then some, could have free top notch health care. Considering what we are paying now to insurance corporations for health coverage, we would have a significant savings in our weekly pay.

It's time we stop believing the packages and start reading the ingredients. That goes for our government also. Now, it's time to go make fajitas. Chicken or beef, your choice.

Happy Flag Day!!! It is a glorious day here in Chicago. The sun came out, there's a slight breeze in the air, and it is wonderfully warm. I almost broke a sweat outside. Today Larry and I went to a picnic. A bear BBQ. No, we didn't grill and eat bears, but rather had a circle of guys who identified themselves as bears. It was an interesting crowd. Most were my size with beards and a ton of body hair.

What was really hysterical about this all American BBQ was a jello made of all the colors of the rainbow flag. How gay is that!!! Even funnier was listening to these big burly men talking about movies, shopping and quite frankly everything but really butch topics like sports, etc. That just proves you can't tell a book by it's cover.

Yesterday I was feeling pretty depressed. The sinus infection was driving me insane and the cloudy, rainy, cold day just didn't help the cause. So I spent the day downloading Eureka and listening to "cry in my beer" songs. Thank God for country music in this aspect. Nobody does a "cry in my beer" song better than a country music singer. So I sat here balling my eyes out feeling very sorry for myself.

Then I got the bright idea that I needed to purge myself on paper. Yep, me who can't write a decent poem if my life depended on it, would spill my guts on a blank sheet. Now, no matter how bad things get, I can never just write something to be writing. It has to be cathartic, healing, powerful.....and above all artistic. Yeah right. I'll let you be the judge of that.....
In the End...

In the end when time has flown,
The flower blooms and then its gone.
When youth was brilliant as the sun,
Time stood still so we could run.

When life was measured not in years,
But through our laughter and our tears.
To sing and dance was all we knew,
A measured beat the latest groove.

We saw our child as he was born,
A witness to a marriage torn.
And when our child was fully grown,
Our dreams fulfilled our futures sown.

Our youth has left us far behind,
Leaving creaking bones and fragile mind.
Remembering back to years gone by,
Love had left with tears to cry.

In the end when time had flown,
Our dust was borne by a wind that's blown.
Our memories in the hearts of some,
An enduring legacy that's left to come.

Move over Robert Frost and please pass the ketchup.

Until next time.....Eat up everyone.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Today I received my follow-up appointment with an orthopedic specialist. It's about time. Back on October 31, 2007 I decided to dress up like Elton John, his early years, for Halloween. The costume was awesome......Silver sequined pants, bright pink long sleeved shirt, and a green sequined jack trimmed in pink. Quite the ensemble. To finish off this look I had a large pair of round black glasses with crystal trim, a red long haired wig, and a pair of Zebra platform shoes. The shoes also had clear acrylic heals with water and fake goldfish in them. They were a hit.

Now mind you, I'm not the most coordinated person in the world so walking on platform shoes all day was a real treat. I managed to do so with a certain modicum of grace. But I must admit, my legs and feet were KILLING me. I don't know how women and drag queens do it!!!!!

At the end of the day, after the Halloween Party at work, I decided I had had enough of Mr. Zebra Shoes. Off they came. On went my sensible no skid no slip work shoes. I finished putting the pumpkins out for display around the hotel when I stepped in a small wet spot on the marble floors. Very ungracefully I went down and my ankle decided to do a 90 degree turn. OUCH!!!

The outcome was shredded ligaments, tendons, and a ripped apart ankle. I went through 3 months of physical therapy after wearing a cast for 6 weeks. When that was obviously not working, I had to have surgery to repair the damage, a year later in October. Since the surgery my ankle has been killing me after standing any length of time or walking. The last doctor I saw thinks arthritis has set in. What fun. This really sucks.

So let's hope good news about treatment will be forthwith on Tuesday. I'll keep you posted.

It's Saturday here. It has been pouring most of the day. I read in the Chicago Sun Times that this has been the coldest and most wet Spring on record. Just my luck. You would think with all this rain my allergies would be all but non-existent. Not the case. I have a wicked sinus infection due to allergies. So if anyone knows a good cure, please share with me. Obviously Zertec D, although it is keeping me breathing, isn't good for a sinus infection.

So, I'm off to buy Kleenex. Ciao.

Friday June 12, 2009

Adventures with GPS: Today I had to go to get my prescription sunglasses fixed. So, I loaded the information into my handy dandy cell phone GPS. Everything was great until my room mate decided he needed to get his haircut immediately. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem, but in order for him to get to his appointment on time, he first had to pick up his car from the shop. That is where the glitch came in. I had already set the directions, so the lovely lady on GPS started giving me directions. 3 "recalculating directions" later my phone got a message that said, "Do you still need directions?" Obviously this was caused because I hadn't obeyed any of her turn directions driving my room mate to pick up his car. At one point the lovely lady was completely confused by my directions and lack of following hers, that she kept telling me bad traffic ahead.

Well, I dropped my room mate off and was headed back in the correct direction. By now the lovely GPS lady had calmed down, knew I was going in the correct direction, and I was well on my way. That is until I missed the exit I was supposed to take. Loudly and quite clearly perturbed, "Make the first safe and legal U-Turn." Very unceremoniously at that. Instead of being able to make a u-turn, I turned left and was able to drive into a grocery store parking lot where I could make a safe u-turn. By now GPS had completely given up. When I got back going in the direction I should have been, I get the nice lady telling me the exit is on the left. I was half expecting her to say, "Idiot, your other left."

Finally I got to where I needed to be with only one small glitch. GPS does not work well on roads that surround a shopping mall. I turned into the Oak Brook Center Road and was immediately told to make a u-turn and my destination was on the right. Great, I made a u-turn (inviting many horns and subtle gestures from fellow drivers) only to discover I was now facing the road I just came in on. No destination. So I made a right. At this point GPS kept saying I was at my destination. I completely circled the mall thinking it was one of the stores facing out from the mall. No such luck, it was on an interior walkway. I love GPS.

On the dating front: Today I had lunch with a wonderful man. I had met him once before for dinner, so today it was a lunch date. We met at the same place and even sat at the same table. How's that for romantic! I am completely in awe of this man. Great looks, rocking body, thoughtful soul, well spoken, and very educated. We commenced to have a very in depth and often passionate debate about the Catholic Church's stance on homosexuality and the bible. I was challenged and exhilarated. He, on the other hand, had the look of a deer in my headlights. I think the in-depth nature of our conversation was a little, just a tad, more than he expected. Funny how these things happen. Trust me, the topic of conversation was not exactly on my agenda when I agreed to meet him. I think it evolved as a tangent from something else we were talking about.

Note to self: Deer in headlights look means change the topic of conversation. Quickly.

That's it for today. God, I hope he calls me back.

Thursday June 11, 2009

It's been raining here off and on for the past 4 days. So the mood is a bit, how can we say, ugh! That's it, UGH!!! I've been perusing the newspapers online since it's been too soggy to venture outside. Actually I was too UGH to go outside.



1. Republicans are claiming foul play because the Democrats have set a date for the commencement of Sotomayer's confirmation hearing. They are saying because of the amount of opionions she's issued it is unfair to hold the hearings so soon. Normally it takes somewhere between 40 to 45 days to get a confirmation hearing, which is not enough time because of her tenure sitting on the bench. Oh, it get's better, apparently the Republicans can only read 6 of her opinions per day, which according to them, would take until January 20, 2011 to get through all 3500 plus cases she's presided over. What's even more interesting is that she was being considered for the nomination 11 years ago, and close scrutiny, by the then Republican led Senate, found her record to be impeccable. Nice ploy guys.


2. New York gets the spotlight this week for dumb politics. Apparently 2 of the Democrats defected to the Republican camp because they didn't like the direction the Senate majority leader was taking the party. It's even better, one of the defectors now becomes the pro-tem leader of the Senate. To stop the vote, the Democrats have locked the Senate chambers and are now engaging in a game of keep away with the keys. What's that saying about the similarities between boys and men?


3. Miami city counsel has unanimously voted to extend insurance rights to the gay partners of city workers. Yes, equality marches on even in a state that is majority homo-phobic. Kudos to them for doing what is right.


4. Sara Palin........The bright star of the Republicans. She's now in a war of words with David Letterman over jokes he made about their 18 year old daughter. Ok, the jokes were a bit jaded and quite frankly not even funny. But she has gone ballistic over them. Obviously her plan of attack was not exactly well thought out. I agree 100% that no joke involving someone's underage daughter would be funny, but he wasn't talking about the younger daughter. He was talking about the 18 year old who obviously didn't know how to say NO. Not to mention, the jokes were directly aimed at the ex-governor of New York and the baseball player (Rodriguez). She completely misses the point of the joke and has a staffer write letters to Letterman, who in return reads them on her show. Point, her feined outrage just becomes more fodder for the joke machine. Smooth.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

I was reading 365gay.com today. Well, actually I read it everyday. I'm not sure it's actual news, but reading the comments are always interesting. Normally, more interesting than the original stories. There are times that I am truly amazed at the ingenious and often very bitter names some of my fellow gay men come up with for their opponents.

This got me to thinking about the whole equality movement on a whole. This time I wasn't thinking in terms of what is fair or equal, but in terms of the polarization taking place between the opposing sides. I am continuously amazed at the acrimonious rhetoric coming from both camps . I can't help but wonder if this is really going to solve anything.

We all know that the religious Evangelical Protestant Church, the Mormon church, and the Catholic Church are avidly opposed to any type of equality based on gender identity, sexual orientation, etc. They're deep rooted biased is based on their literal translation of the bible and of course their picking and choosing what Levitical Law they should follow. I also believe it is deeply rooted in their fear of loosing control over their "flocks" as people realize that all their religion does is promote discord and disingenuous interpretations of what God has made for mankind.

My issue is with their complete disregard for Paul's letters. Paul clearly stated that Levitical law was no longer necessary. It was through faith and faith alone that one would be "saved." Paul also made it possible that our religion would be able to grow and change as people became more educated and enlightened. Pretty powerful stuff. This doesn't diminish the power of God or his relevance, but in fact shows that God knew from the beginning the course of mankind and the progress man would make towards equality and social justice. So if you haven't read Paul's letters, please go back are re-read them with an open mind and eyes.

On the other side we have the GLBT population who are vehemently opposed to anything religious in our government. Yes, our great Constitution gives us the freedom to practice our individual faiths according to our conscience. It also allows those who choose not believe to be able to be free of religious persecution. The fact that the forefathers of our country believed in a society that was built on the conscience of man and not the dictates of a church are overlooked by the conservative right.

Right now there is a backlash in the GLBT community towards anything religious. Why, because the churches are interfering in the legal and political process. While this is nothing new, what it shows is just how impossible it is to separate religion and politics in this country. With petitions being signed before and after services at churches, large donations to block equality from the Catholic and Mormon churches, and the constant barrage of negative condemning rhetoric coming from the churches, the overwhelming feeling is that they should no longer enjoy the liberty of being tax exempt organizations.

The bottom line is, there are so major hurdles left in the march to full equality. But, it's not going to be done through name-calling, libelous rhetoric, or minds closed to communication. Neither side is going to win as long as there is no dialogue. Going through the courts may win the laws and force equality, but true equality comes from people's hearts and minds. Maybe we should be looking for common ground.

The million dollar question is.....How do you find common ground with religious extremists?

Monday, June 8, 2009

Dear Mr. President,
A year ago I wouldn't have given you a dime for your candidacy for president. Why, because I didn't feel then you were a man of your word. Somehow you won the Democratic Party nomination and I found myself supporting you. I listened to your acceptance speech and every speech since then in hopes that my initial reaction was wrong. I heard you say that you were going to seek the repeal of DOMA and DADT policies. I rejoiced when you claimed that you were going to unite the country again after 8 years of division and dissillusionment.

Today I read that your administration stated before the Supreme Court that DADT "is rationally related to the government's legitimate interest in military discipline and cohesion." To say I was shocked is an understatement. You have done exactly what I had feared from the beginning. You made promises and "feel good" speeches with absolutely no interest in making your word your bond.

My father always raised me with the ideal that a man is only as good as his word. What does this say about you? Does discrimination of any sort really help this country? Are you playing politics with our national defense? My father also said when one set of people are subjugated by the majority all people lose. Freedom bought at the expense of downtrodding a certain people, whether by race, religion, creed, national origin, sex, or sexual orientation is no freedom at all.

Wasn't the same argument used to keep African Americans from serving their country? Wasn't it the same argument against women? Or even the Japanese during World War II? When are we going to learn from past mistakes? Mr. President, I truly hoped you would be a man to rise above politics and do what is right for all Americans. Obviously our country hasn't perished because African Americans, women, and Japanese Americans serve in our military. Trust me, the military won't fall if GLBT Americans are allowed to serve in the military.

Now to drive the point home, I am a veteran. I served my country proudly for 4 years. I was and am gay. At no time did my sexuality interfere with my ability to do my duty. In fact, I am a recipient of the Army Commendation Award. When you have people like Capt. Jame Pietrangelo, Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer, and others being discharged due to this policy, isn't this a drain of the type of people we need in the military for security purposes and for the purpose of maintaining the stability and effectiveness of the military? What of all those wasted dollars training them to be the best just to be discharged for a policy who's time has run out?

Mr. President, it's high time you started fulfilling your campaign promises. You should know discrimination of any type has no place in an enlightened society. Put aside your politics and start doing what is right. Start being a man of your word. I'll be rooting for you!

Sunday June 7, 2009

I love new toys. This week I finally got to the 21st century and turned my ancient cell phone in for a new LG Voyager. Even the name of it conjures up exciting destinations and adventures. All in a cell phone!!!

I now have a keyboard that quite frankly is too small for my fingers, but I've discovered the joy of thumb typing. It's hysterical. I can now see why so many teenagers are addicted to this. In case this wasn't enough, I now have t.v. / mp3/ and am able to search the web. I feel so connected.

Yeah, right. So far I've learned how to text, make calls, receive calls, and change the dreaded factory installed ringtone. I've tried searching the net. Key word.....tried. It was so confusing, I decided that I'll stick to surfing the net with my handy laptop.

Ah.....I have discovered the joy of GPS!!! GPS is wonderful for regular intersections. On Friday I went into Chicago to have dinner with a friend. I got to an intersection at which the lovely lady said I should turn right. Which right? There were six streets coming together into a large cluster f****. So I turned right and immediately got "recalculating route". So I took the new route, which led me up to another cluster f**** intersection. Again I took the wrong right. By the time I got to my destination I think the lovely lady had just about had enough of me. Her parting words , if I had been able to hear them, would have been get a map, I quit.

I thought I had struck gold when I bought my iPod. As usual, my son laughed when I excitedly told him about the toy I bought. Leave it to kids to put the right perspective on things. He informed me he had bought a new iPod Touch. Touch? I have spent countless hours loading cd's and shopping at the iTunes store, to be told my iPod is old news. Ah well. Technology marches on even when the rest of us are barely walking.

Ok, so I'm not exactly 21st Century. But hey, points have to be given for at least trying to get there.