Christmas Eve

Here I am up way early on this cold morning of Christmas Eve.  I go to work today at 6:30 am.  I'm filling in for my co-worker Blare who is taking the next three days off to be with her two daughters.  Blare works the day shift (7 am to 3 pm.)  My usual hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays, the second shift 3 pm to 11 pm.  Yes, I am a Nighttime Person.  I work part time at the hotel on the front desk two nights a week.  I also fill in for my co-workers when they are on vacation of sick.


Years ago when I got my first hotel job at the Pittsburgh Hilton hotel, I quit after three months because I didn't want to spend a career working holidays and weekends.  For thirty-five years I worked in banking.  When I left banking I went back to hotel work, part time in 1998.  I've been working at hotels ever since with a few breaks.  It is ironic, but now I don't mind working holidays and weekends.  Obviously my priorities when I was 21 years old (living for the weekends to spend time with my friends at the bars and nightclubs) and when I was 57 years old have changed.  For the better I might add!


So, as I prepare to go into work this cold Christmas Eve on the Delaware coast I want to take this time to wish everyone a very

Hair Part Deux

Remember a few days ago when I had a hair issue with my barber?  Well, I took myself down to my barber (Dino) early yesterday morning.  He was surprised to see me again so soon after my haircut of last week.  He said "Another haircut?"  I said "No, I'm here to get more cut off the right side of my head."


Dino scrunched his nose like he smelled a skunk had just walked into his barber shop and said "Whatsa matter?"  Now here is where I had to tread very, very carefully.  One does not want to offend one's barber, especially if he is one of few remaining old school Italian-American barbers who specialize in giving old men like moi good haircuts that old men like moi can never get from the women "stylists" in those overpriced "salons."  You know why they call them "stylists" don't you?  That way they can charge you three times the price of a standard barber and cut your hair so little that you have to go back in two weeks for another "styling."  But I digress.


Yesterday I was in dangerous territory when I went back to my barber for a fix up of my choppy haircut.  There was no point in pissing him off.  I know what happened when he screwed up my hair.  He was cutting it when one of his former female employees came in and was trying to persuade him to join her at her new gig at her STYLIST salon!  OH NO!  So Dino was talking to her, defending all his reasons for staying in his barber shop at the back of the Elements Beauty Supply store in the Safeway Shopping Center in Rehoboth.  All the while he's talking to her he's chopping away at my hair.  I was in a hurry and I certainly didn't want to engage her in conversation as a potential new customer so when Dino whipped off the hair collecting apron he had around my neck, I paid him and sprinted out of his barber shop.  Under normal circumstances I would have looked in the mirror to check my haircut as I always do.  But today I just wanted to get out of there and away from that woman (no offense to any female fans of this blog.)


I told Dino "I need a little cut off here" as I motioned to the upper right side of my hair where there was major Bed Hair sticking out.  He scrunched up his nose again and said "Oh yeah."  He said "I'm sorry."  I told him "No, no.  It's my fault.  You asked me 'how do you like it?' and I said 'Okay'.  It's my fault."  Dino's scrunched up nose returned back to normal and I hopped up in his chair.  I quickly changed the subject by asking him when he was visiting his family for Christmas.  He said "I leave tomorrow to visit my son and his family."  Thank goodness.  I got through the Barber Minefield.  He wasn't pissed off.  I was getting my bad haircut fixed while at the same time allowing Dino to maintain his self-respect.

Wasn't this scenario one of the episodes of "Seinfeld?"


Hey, take a look!  What do you think?  Nice, huh?

"This is Done!"

President Obama signed a law this morning that repeals the odious "Don't Ask Don't Tell." The "Don't Ask Don't Tell" law that was passed seventeen years ago made legal discrimination against a class of United States citizens.  That law is no longer legal.  

Hallelujah! 

As a former gay soldier (U.S. Army 1960-1963) who had to lie about his sexual orientation, this is the first day in my life that I feel like a full fledged citizen of this country.  I, along with thousands of other gay and lesbians who have served in the armed forces have been made to feel less than equal to our fellow citizens since the founding of this country.  I feel so fortunate that I have lived long enough to see this terrible abridgment of my civil right come to an end.  

I came "out"when I left the Army in January of 1963.  I've lived as an openly gay man since then.  At times it has not been an easy path living my life openly gay.  For most of my career me being gay just wasn't an issue with my bosses.  The issue was whether or not I could do my job.  And that is what should be the only criteria of anyone whether they be in the service of this country in the military or private business.  I did lose two jobs because I had homophobic bosses but that was a small price for me to pay compared to many of my gay brothers and sisters.  

Right now I am feeling so elated.  Even though I'm not in the service (at 69 I'm just at "tad" too old to rejoin the Army), I am glad for those young gay men and woman who now can service their country without fear of being discriminated against based soley on their sexual orientation.  

I've only participated in two gay rights marches. The first one was the First one on October 14, 1979 in Washington D.C.  I was so nervous participating in that first national gay rights march that I didn't even take my camera.  I was pretty sure I would end up in jail for participating in that march.  

1979 Gay Rights March Washington, D.C

Look closely, I'm in there somewhere, hiding form the police

My next gays rights march was in October 11th, 2009.  I was ready this time with my camera!  This march was a lot different, I wasn't afraid of being arrested.  As a matter of fact, all us queers marching in Washington D.C. on that sunny October day was just another "event."  That's how far we have come as a country in acknowledging that gay men and women are just like anyone else except who we chose to be intimate with. 

2009 Gay Rights March Washington D.C.,

Yes, that is me in the foreground with the Goofy hat and the beads.  An old gay Army veteran in front of the White House still demonstrating for equal rights for ALL AMERICANS

Today is a historic day.  

I will always remember where I was when I saw President Obama sign into law the bill repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell.

Next up, repeal of the DOMA law.  Bill and I want to get married.  He's 82 and I'm 69.  We've been together 46 years.  He's ready, I'm ready.  And I think the country is ready.  I just hope we both live long enough to make this last wrong into a right.

Hair

The right sider of my noggin - so wrong - too much hair - uneven

Last week I got a haircut.  


Last week I got a bad haircut.


I didn't realize it until I got home and washed my hair.


The right side of my head has about three inches more hair than the left side.  What could my barber be thinking?  What was I thinking?  Do I have to check my haircut every time I leave?  Apparently I do.


I've been using the same barber for about four years.  He is an old Italian barber.  Most of my life I've been using Italian barbers.  They are a dying breed.  I don't go to stylists.  I don't need to pay a woman $45 to wash my hair and give it a half assed trim and then need a haircut again the next week.  I did that once.  All I got was the boobs hanging in my face when she washed my hair.


No, I'll take the manly haircuts that the old Italian barbers serve up.  As I said, they are literally a dying breed.  I'm hoping my 80 year old barber Dino outlives me because if he doesn't, I'm screwed.  


I've had women cut my hair.  I never got a good butch haircut from a woman.  I'm not being sexiest here, I just never, never have gotten a good haircut from a woman.  


I don't know what was on Dino's mind last week but this lopsided haircut just won't do.  I was going to wait out my haircut and live it until I go back to him for my regular six week haircut.  I can't do it though.  I'm waking up in the morning with a hair drift on the right side of my head.  I look like a dark haired Conan O'Brien.

The left side of Noggin Ron - the way it should be - I'm lopsided

Nope, tomorrow I get this fixed.  

Ron's Oasis

Ron's Oasis

Pictured is my oasis.  This is where I go to get away from the world.  My "oasis" is my bedroom.


This is where I:

• Nap
• Sleep
• Read
• Watch movies
• Read

I have a home office which was a bedroom.  That is where I:

• Pay bills
• Blog postings
• E-mails
• Internet searches
• Political activity
• Genealogy research

My oasis has four big windows.  During the cold winds of winter, on a sunny day the sun warms my oasis to a toasty 80 degrees plus.  Solar warmth is so much more comfortable than heat caused by electric, gas or a wood burning fire.  On really sunny days the warmth in my oasis will last several hours into the night.  There is nothing to match a sun warmed room after darkness falls in the early winter evenings.  To me that is heaven.

I have worked many long years at many jobs, some of which I didn't like too much(and that's an understatement).  I have lived in places where I had little or no privacy.  I have endured these hardships.  Now that I am in my "leisure years," I am so thankful that I have an oasis (which is paid for by the way, mortgage is gone) where I can retreat to at the end of the day.

A fabulous mansion with all the latest expensive accouterments is not for me.  I am perfectly happy with my wonderful, comfy and secure oasis just steps from my kitchen.  I even have my own spa bathroom (not pictured).

When I got up this morning and saw the morning sun streaming through my windows, I was reminded of just how very fortunate I am to be where I am today.  I take nothing for granted.

Nothing was given to me and I've had to work hard to where I am today but I am fortunate that I am still have my physical and mental health that I can luxuriate in my oasis every day.  

And when the end comes for me, this is where I plan to make my exit.

"Don't Ask Don't Tell" Repeal: This Day Has Finally Come

Well said. I look forward the day when my partner of 46 years and I can get officially married. We both served in the military during the bad old witch hunting days. Progress is being made because we never thought we would see the day in our lifetime that gays and lesbians would be accepted in the military. Now anything is possible.
About Don't Ask Don't Tell
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Christmas Critters

Stormy the cat

On this Christmas don't forget our Christmas Critters.  These are the thousands of cats and dogs that are living in on their own outside or in shelters.  

If you can, remember to put out something extra for that feral cat that comes around your back door on these cold days of December.  These beautiful creatures depend on us for food and shelter.  

Even better, if you plan to adopt this year,  adopt one of the many loving animals that are languishing in the animal shelters.  Many of these dogs and cats are not considered for adoption because they are too old or have a physical problem.  All of these animals would just love a warm home for this Christmas.

The kitty pictured in this blog is Stormy the Cat.  He appeared one night during a raging thunderstorm at my friend Big Bob's double-wide outside of Georgetown, Delaware.  Big Bob and his partner Jim took this big gray and white male kitty in from the wind and rain that night.  The next day, Stormy's little sister showed up.  Now Big Bob and Jim have two rescued kitties. 

Guess that they don't have now?  Mice. 

Don't forget our critter friends this holiday season!