Harvey Milk 1930 - 1978

"Every gay person must come out.  As difficult as it is, you must tell your immediate family.  You must tell your relatives.  You must tell your friends if indeed they are your friends.  You must tell the people you work with.  You must tell the people in the stores you shop in.  Once they realize that we are indeed their children, that we are indeed everywhere, every myth, every lie, every innuendo will be destroyed once and all.  And once you do, you will feel so much better."

Harvey Milk died thirty-five years ago today.  

Harvey Milk is one of my heroes.  He was an ordinary person who did an extraordinary thing, he fought and died for the freedom of gay people.

Harvey Milk with President Carter

The words he uttered at the beginning of this post was and has been my mantra since I came out of my personal closet in April of 1963.  I made a decision then not to live my life as a gay man according to others' terms but on my own terms.  Of course there was a price to pay, sometimes a high price for demanding my freedom but it was worth it.  Harvey Milk fought on a much larger stage than I did and he paid the ultimate price, his life.  

On this day before our national Thanksgiving holiday, I pause not to remember the false myth of the Pilgrims who shared bread with the native Indians of this America but one of the true heroes and martyrs for freedom in this country, Harvey Milk.  A man who gave his life for the right of all gay people to choose who they want to love without fear of social ostracization or bodily harm. A man who gave hope, as the first elected gay official, for gay people to live their lives in freedom equal to their fellow Americans.  On this Thanksgiving, I thank Harvey Milk.

Canada's Mayor

Chris Farley Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

Come on folks admit it.  You LOVE Toronto's mayor Rob Ford!  Hey, what's the big deal anyway.  He's fat.  So what?  Who cares other than the media who likes to take cheap pot shots.  Look, this guy is as honest as they come.  Check out Ford pointing out the hypocrisy of a Toronto city council member accusing him of substance abuse when said city council member was arrested himself for drunk driving.



I am thoroughly enjoying watching the prim and proper public figures from the media and Toronto city council being outraged, I say OUTRAGED that a fat man dared to not run and hide once they started to mock him.

And then there was the instance where he ran over a fellow city council woman (get out of the way woman!) for what reason I don't know but it is funny to watch.




Comedians are getting high from all the way too easy jokes making fun of a fat man and a politician. 



Remember when Bill Clinton used to be fodder for the late night comedians? Uh huh, move over Bubba! Toronto's redoubtable Mayor Rob Ford has assumed the new position to be the butt (pun intended) of the late night comedians' jokes.



But you know hat folks, Mayor Ford doesn't appear to care what anyone thinks.  Bravo for him! Even the famous anchor Ron Burgundy has got into the game.  Here Ron sings Mayor Ford's new campaign song.



Rock it Ron!

And finally, here is a compilation of the late night comedians' joke at Mayor Ford's expense.  Hey folks, you have to admit this is funny.  Sad yes, but funny. And really in the end, isn't this better than killing people in an unnecessary war in Iraq? (What did Ron just say?)

Flat Tires

Me posing make believe like I'm changing our flat tire on Skyline Drive in Virginia the summer of 1965

No, I'm not talking about a 70 year old former stripper, I'm talking about getting a flat tire in one's vehicle.

Although said photo atop this blog would indicate that I am changing a flat tire on Bill's Chevy Corvair (remember that lemon?) sans 1965, I was actually only doing my "I'm not a doctor but I play one on TV" pose.  I am proud to admit that I've never changed a flat tire in my life.  NEVER.  Why do you think I joined AAA in 1982?  Of course I've never had a flat tire since then and my dues have gone from $25 a year to now $89 a year but you know, JUST IN CASE.  

I remember an instance when I was in the Army at Ft. Meade in Maryland.  A few of my friends and I were going to take a jaunt to nearby Baltimore.  All of my friends (all four of them) happened to be gay.  Yes, that's another whole story to be told at another time but I always thought it was ironic that before I went into the Army at age 18 I was the only "homosexual" in the world.  Hey, I was from a small town and the world "homosexual" was only furtively whispered with scowled faces.  But I digress.  

So here we were on that humid August night in 1962, five light in the combat boots, taking a gay expedition to Baltimore.  About halfway there, as we were crossing a bridge whose name I have forgotten, and we hear a "flap! flap! flap!" OMG!  Our driver Doug says "Hey guys I think we have a flat!"  The rest of us; me, my friend Ron H., Sal and (yes) another Ron P. all look at each other in askance.  The term "WTF?" wasn't even invented at that time but if it was we all would have said it unison.  As it were, we all just looked at each other saucer eyed.

Finally someone (me) said "I can't change a flat tire."  Someone else (Ron H.) said "I don't know how to change a flat tire either."  Sal said "Don't look at me, I don't know how to change one either." And yes, Ron P. expressed a similar response.  Hey folks, a carload of gay guys and NO ONE KNEW HOW TO CHANGE A TIRE.  
After a few moments of stunned silence (when we realize just how GAY we were), we started to laugh.  That's when I said "I like grease on a man's hands but not mine." Similar jocular one liners were made by the others.  It really was a joke folks.  A carload full of SOLDIERS and NONE OF US knew or wanted to change that flat tire.

So I guess you're all wondering what happened to us.  Yep, you guessed it.  A car came by with two women.  WACs.  Yep, they changed our flat tire.  Don't tell anybody. 

Wac's to the rescue

The BLOGGER Meme

Okay folks!  This is what you've been waiting for. Ron's take on Dr. Spo's Blogger meme.  Here are my answers, straight from my heart and painfully and sometimes embarrassingly honest (as is my style):

What you like most about being a blogger?

Like Dr. Spo, I started blogging in 2006 to express myself and to use my love for writing.  I have since discovered new friends for which I am most appreciative.  

How many bloggers have you met?

I have met approximately twenty bloggers, most of whom I met at last year's Bloggerpalooza in Lewes, DE.

Do you ever go back and read your old entries?

Rarely.  When I do I'm usually embarrassed at what I wrote, so juvenile and self-centered.  I ask myself "What was I thinking when I wrote THAT?"

Do you share your job skills here?

No, mainly because my career as a trust operations manager is of no interest to anyone, let alone readers of my blog.  Occasionally I mention something about my present part-time job as a hotel front desk clerk but I am very careful about what I write because my blog postings are closely monitored by my co-workers and others at the hotel and associated businesses for any misstep that they can chastise me on, which they have done on numerous occasions.

Have you changed your views about anything thanks to blogging?

Yes. I am a lot more tolerant of others who have different political views than my own.  However, I still am intolerant on those who have differing social views.  I have also changed my views on every gay man and woman coming out.  I now realize that many of my gay brethren circumstances aren't as conducive to coming out blatantly as I did many years ago.

Do your coworkers know about your blog?

Oh yes!  And they closely monitor my blog for any misstep which they do not hesitate to bring to my attention.  Yes folks, I have a censoring crew at work.

What advice would you give for successful blogging?

Write what you think and feel.  Let it flow. Don't worry or concern yourself on the "proper" form of writing and certainly don't concern yourself that you're going to offend anybody.  No matter what you write, you're going to offend SOMEBODY.  The one advice that I would offer though is to be careful with throwing the cheap shots out like criticizing someone's weight or marital situation.  You don't know what is going on in their lives so let it be.

What is your opinion of aardvarks?

Absolutely no opinion whatsoever.  Except, I find men who have an aardvark profile extremely sexy.   

Do you publish everything you write ?

I publish almost all my posts.  I just let it hang out there.  I have about twenty posts in draft that I haven't  got back to and have now lost whatever momentum I had on them and probably will delete now that I have written this response. I have deleted a few posts (in a weak moment) that others took offense too, who said they were "hurtful".  I try not to be "hurtful" but I have found that invariably, as I write my honest feelings, someone else's feelings are going to get hurt or some extra sensitive reader will be offended and inform me that he (always a "he") will no longer read my blog.  So be it.

If you could make ‘three rules’ for blogging, what would they be?

1# Write exactly what you think.  Don't over think it or rewrite it unless there is a distractive grammatical error.  Let it flow.

2# Stop trying to sell me something on your blog.  I'm following one blog now from a "writer" in New York.  She thinks she is so clever (she's not) and is almost always trying to sell something.  I cannot get rid of her posts.  They always show up in my e-mails.  Rule:  don't have a link to your blog that you can't discontinue.

3# Use bigger fonts.  Come on guys (and gals), is it that hard to click on the bigger font?

Do people help you write your blog?

Absolutely not!  Some have tried (unsolicited of course).  I have lost several "friends" because I didn't take their direction.  My spouse has given up on trying to control the content of my blog.  What you read in my blog is me, rose and warts and every thang.

Who are your blogger super-heroes?

Harper's Valley - always interesting and informative and amusing. An excellent writer, this blogger consistently amazes me with the depth of his knowledge of the vagaries of life.  He specializes in movie and theater reviews (which is not my milieu) but he is such a good writer that it is one of my secret pleasures to luxuriate in his posts.

Lone Star Concerto - again, always interesting, informative and amusing. Although the writer of this blog and I have diametrically opposed political views (he's conservative and I'm a "progressive") I find him to always be totally honest and open, which I find is a rarity in bloggers.  Many of his blog posts are about him being stuck in the hell hole of west Texas (and I sympathize, believe me), he is consistently interesting although he doesn't think he is.  

On Transmigration - this is a dear friend of mine who I encouraged to write a blog to help him deal with the pain and frustration of the ending of his long-term relationship.  He doesn't write that often but when he does he also has that formula for writing a blog that draws me:  he is a good writer, honest, informative and amusing (albeit a wry, self-deprecating humor).  

Spo-Reflections - and who doesn't love this blog?  I found this always delightful blog through my friend's On Transmigration blog.  I was initially attracted because of the writer's physical attractiveness (always loved serious men with beards) but once I started to read this blog I realized that "Dr. Spo" was more than a mere pretty face.  Always insightful and helpful, I never miss his blog.  

I Should Be Laughing - One of the best written, funny, informative and honest blogs about hypocrisy both in the political realm and entertainment industry.   In fact it is THE BEST gossip blog on the Internet because it is not burdened down with a mountain of ads.  How this guy (Bob Slattern) writes for free I don't know but he is a treasure.  Only problem I have is that he is so prolific that I miss some of his postings which is my loss.  

Final question (if you dare!) :

Have you slept with any of your fellow bloggers?

Do commenters count? 

My Sunday BJ Fix

Well folks, if it's Sunday morning it's time for my "BJ fix".  Yep, BJ's is a wholesale club warehouse retail store.  Now, now.  I bet some of you were thinking of a different meaning for BJ's.  Mind out of the gutter folks, mind out of the gutter. Tsk, tsk.

I remember when we lived in Pennsylvania I used to live shop at Wegman's at the Brandywine Shopping Center.  The BJ's store anchored the other end of the shopping center.  Dick's Sporting Goods store was only a few door before BJ's.  My oh so fussy neighbor complained once that she was highly offended that her children should be exposed to "Dick's" and "BJ's" in one fell swipe every time she took the Little Darlings to Wegman's.  Tough nougies I say.  The choice of names always rather amused me.  Hey, she should be thankful there wasn't a ladies' store called "Pussy Galore".

My, my, we do get hung up on names and their implications don't we?  

Well, not to change the subject but actually I will take a sharp turn here and CHANGE THE SUBJECT - wow was it ever cold this morning.

The thermometer read 25 degrees but with the wind, think Witches Tit Time.  (What is the matter with me today?)  Damn but it was cold unloaded all those items that I didn't need from BJ's into the back of my Subaru Gay Forester.

Talking to my Canadian friend Pat yesterday, he said they were experiencing the cold winds. Usually what he gets in Toronto (his home), we get here a day or two later.  Yesterday was positively balmy as I trimmed our holly trees.  Today?  Not so much.  On days like this I actually summer because I know the really cold stuff is on it's way.  The gray days of winter.  The gray, SHORT days of winter.  God, it gets dark around here at 4:30 in the afternoon.  I'm ready for bed.

So this week is the big countdown to Thanksgiving, which I won't be doing. Then the following four weeks is the commercial craziness that is Christmas here in our western culture.  I don't consider myself a "Bah, humbug" guy but I am glad when the crazy, commercial push is over for Christmas.  I've always enjoyed a nice, quiet Christmas Eve by myself.  

I sometimes think I even channel the true meaning of Christmas which is peace and goodwill towards all men.  How about that?  What a novel idea.  Love one another instead of figuring out ways to cause harm and destroy one another just because someone isn't like you.  Man, am I ever veering off course in this blog posting.  From Pussy Galore and Dick's to love and peace on earth.  That's me, a complicated guy.  A passionate guy.  I was born to love. And after all, all you need is love.

Meandering Musings on a Fall Saturday

WRONG Post Office

Nothing exciting to report today folks.  Just a quiet Saturday.  Oh I did run into a bit of a kerfuffle trying to send a few documents to my friend Pat in Canada.  God, one would think I was a terrorist trying to send liquid nitrogen to Canada.  The guy at the post office said I needed to fill out a Customs Declaration form and the cost of mailing would be $45.75.  Obviously he didn't know what he was talking about.  I exited the post office and went to another Post Office and mailed my package of copied documents for $2.45, sans filling out a Customs Declaration form.  Yes folks, the terrorists have won.

RIGHT Post Office

That done I went to the local Food Lion and got even more frustrated trying to buy some frozen fruit (a woman with a  overflowing grocery cart was blocking my way to the frozen food doors - I think she was stunned - she didn't move for a full ten minutes) to the woman ahead of me in the checkout line who paid for her purchase with actual dollar bills and coins which she had to fish out of her purse, walled and special coin pocket (Oh God, where do these people come from?)

Holly berry tree trimming time

Once home I had a relaxing lunch of Panera loaded potato soup (loaded with artery clogging calories but what the hey?) and a hummus wrap sprinkled with feta cheese. I tried the "extra spicy" hummus this time.  I like spicy but this was too spicy.  Talk about a party in your mouth.  I felt like my mouth was in Tijuana after a Saturday night blitz. 

I AM tall enough to reach the top.

Nap time after lunch as is my usual habit.  I am a creature of habit if nothing else.  

Bill goes for the angle shot

Then, rested and unwound from the frustrations of earlier today I was energized enough to tackle trimming my holly trees in my backyard.  There is a catbird out there that's been scolding me all week because I haven't trimmed those holly trees prior to the cold coming on.  I told Bill to take some photos of me trimming the errant holly trees just to prove to everyone I do more than complain, eat lunch and nap.  I actually do something constructive.  

God!  I look more like my father every day.  He used to let his mouth hang open like this too.

Oh, I almost forgot.  I make DVD copies of the Bloggerpalooza movie and sent them out to the desired recipients (you know who you are) today.  Look for that happy DVD in the mail next week.  

"Isn't this the tree that had the wasps in it?"

Yes indeed, a very productive day in spite of a hurdle here and there.  

Now I think I'll make myself a smoothie and take in one of my Netflix DVD movies.  "Madmen", Season Six.

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

"Big Red"

Well, today is the 50th anniversary of the murder assassination of John F. Kennedy.  The TV and news media will be inundated with coverage of this generation altering tragedy which so changed the course of history in the United States.  I'm going to bypass the obvious question of the day "Where were you when you heard?" and go on to other topics, albeit trivial compared to what happened fifty years ago today.  I am so tired of hearing about it, aren't you?

This morning I returned my Ninja food processor. My friend Pat introduced me to the healthful and tasteful benefits of smoothies when he visited here a few weeks ago.  I'm hooked!  Earlier in the week I had brought a pretty food processor but I didn't think it processed my frozen berry and yogurt mix efficiently.  So of course I ran right out and brought another strong food processor (shades of Tim Allen on "Tool Time" "more power!")  

Turns out I didn't need the bigger food processor because when I came in last night from work I followed the instructions how to prepare a smoothie on my old food processor.  I followed instructions last night after I returned home from work and it worked!  Thus I had a delicious triple berry smoothie to put me to sleep.

An update on the Bloggerpalooza.  Unfortunately we will not have the use of the hospitality suite for this year's event.  However, we will make do.  Attendees can gather in individual rooms for get togethers, albeit without a kitchen or ice maker for those Cosmos.

Thanksgiving is bearing down upon us.  The stores are already blaring out Christmas music.  Even my local bank had "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" slap me in the face as I walked into their doors (without my hat and sunglasses, doff those please).  Give me a break.

Making a "withdrawal"

I am so glad I don't Christmas shop anymore.  I gave that up years ago.  As far as I know I haven't lost any friends or family members because of my non-Christmas gift giving.  And I certainly don't miss receiving gifts.  I have everything I want or need anyway.  Yes, I'm one of those people the Church Lady talks about "Well, isn't that special?"  

We're all special in our own unique way aren't we?

I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend here at Casa Tipton-Kelly.  Maybe think about putting up some Christmas candles in the windows.  Maybe start addressing my Christmas card (never too early). Maybe a nap.

Have a great day!