Wonder Woman

I've been meaning to ask you about Wonder Woman. What's the allure? Is there some specific gay attraction to Wonder Woman? I've seen reverent references to her on a few gay blogs. (Hello, GayProf) Superman says "It's Linda Carter! Of course there's interest." Honey, that's a straight man's reason. For me, I'm envious of her waistline.

What about you? Is Wonder Woman near and dear to your heart? If so, why?

New Post

I'd like to post something new here. However my thoughts are scattered and I don't have anything specific I can say without spending a lot of time and thought writing it all out. There are issues I want to address, places my brain is going that need some illumination. I don't want to spend the time doing that this evening. I have other things to do.

Superman and I are going camping next week. We'll be at a much higher elevation and a more northern latitude. Checking the weather forecast for the area I see that high temperatures are predicted to be a good 15 degrees (F) lower than what we've had around here this week. If the humidity is commensurately lower, I will be extremely comfortable. We are leaving the children here. I have high hopes for a lovely time.

We will not be entirely alone. It's a group camp out with a loose association of people with similar interests. Mostly it's Superman's area of interest. I sort of go along for the ride. You know how I feel about groups of people, right? We've discussed that here a few times. This association is big on togetherness. Camaraderie. All for one, one for all, I've got your back, etc. These are noble concepts. It works well for a group such as this. But, um, I don't feel comfortable that close to most people. And as far as I can tell, none of them is gay. You know how I'm all about the gay these days. So I am eager and hesitant to go on this adventure. I hate when I'm of two minds about stuff. It's complicated.

The best thing for me to do is put on my happy face, sit down with this lovely group of people, and find the similarities. I must get to know the individuals, learn what motivates him or her. I should reach outside my present area of concentration (some might say obsession) and connect to each person where our similarities collide. That would be the noble thing to do. That would be the grown-up thing to do. I should work on that attitude between now and Wednesday when we leave for the camp. Yep. I sense a need for chocolate. I'll add that to the list of necessities for the trip.

Well, what do you know? I seem to have found something specific to talk about! That often happens when I open this application and start moving my fingers across the keyboard.

Happy weekend, everyone.

On the other hand, Mama sometimes sends some good stuff

This was in my inbox today.

I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me and we all could use more calm in our lives. By following the simple advice I heard on a Medical TV show, I have finally found inner peace. A Doctor proclaimed the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started. So I looked around my house to see things I'd started and hadn't finished and, before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of shhhardonay, a bodle of Baileys, a butle of vocka, a pockage of Prunglies , tha mainder of bot Prozic and Valum scriptins, the res of the Chesescke an a box a chocolets. Yu haf no idr ha fkin gud I fel. Peas sen dis orn to dem yu fee ar in ned ov inr pece

Sappy Crap from Mama

Have I mentioned this before? My darling Mama likes to forward email to me. Sometimes she sends genuinely funny stuff. Most of the time it's sappy crap. Today's offering: sappy crap. (Bet you guessed that from the title of the post, huh?) Check this out-

Think about this for a minute...
If I happened to show up on your door step crying, Would you Care?
If I called you and asked you to pick me up because something Happened, Would you come?
If I had one day left, to live my life; Would you be part of That last day?
If I needed a shoulder to cry on, Would you give me Yours?

This is a test to see who your real friends are or If you are just some one to talk to you when they are bored .
... Life is lonely without FRIENDS.
It's 'world best friends week'. Who is your best friend? Send this to all Your good friends. Even me, if I am one of them. See how many you get back. If u get more than 3 then you really are a lovable person...

O M effing G! I left it almost exactly as I received it. It's hard for me to resist editing. But half the effect is the bad punctuation and poor word choices. I had to minimize that last bit because it's so lame, but I wanted to include it for reference to the pathetic.

But here's my point, and this is how I replied to Mama.

Think about this for a minute...
What do you know about me? What would I do in these situations?
If I happened to show up on your door step crying, Would you Care?
If I called you and asked you to pick me up because something Happened, Would you come?
If I had one day left, to live my life; Would you be part of That last day?
If I needed a shoulder to cry on, Would you give me Yours?
I do this for strangers! What would I do for friends? For family?! Yes, Mama, I will take care of you to the best of my ability.

I sorta kinda hoped she would get the message that I really don't need her to send me this kind of thing. I don't think she did. She replied within 5 minutes with "I knew I could depend on you! I love you too. "

Eh. Whatever makes her happy, I guess. I've certainly given her enough grief over the course of my life. I can humor her in this small way. And I really do love my Mama.

Blogger Validation

It being Monday, yesterday was of course Sunday. That happens all the time! I mention it because I want to tell you about my special day yesterday.

I got to meet Birdie yesterday!! It was wonderful! Especially in light of last week's unpleasantness it seemed particularly important to touch another blogger flesh to flesh. That sounds kinda kinky. It didn't go that far, really. It was a completely PG rated meeting (for language and adult themes.)

We talked about you. Were your ears burning? We compared notes, shared insights, traded favorite URLs that we didn't already have in common. It was almost geeky, the two of us sitting at this little table in the lobby of a hotel, both laptops open, peeking at each other's screens. (Do I really sound kinky tonight, or is that just my impression?) We laughed a lot. We talked a lot. We only had six hours together, but I could easily have kept talking to her for many, many more hours. I hope we get a chance to do that again. I have so much to say to her, and so much I want to hear from her.

There is digital photographic evidence of our meeting. I just don't have it. I forgot my camera. :(. The pictures are on her camera. When she sends them, I might post one.

Inasmuch as I am real (and Superman says I am very real) I can vouch for the reality of Birdie's existance. Birdie has met Joe, I have met Patrick, so I now have validation-once-removed for Joe, and Birdie has validation-once-removed for Patrick. By extension, Joe and Patrick are validated-twice-removed to each other. This is getting complicated.

It is good. The relationships I have made online are important to me. To make these connections in the physical world as well enhances the relationships. It is good.

Of life

I am going to tell you about a garden. Please picture in your mind what I try to relate.

It’s a large garden, planted mainly with flowers. There are a few trees, mostly ornamental yard-sized trees, nothing huge and towering. A well worn path meanders through the flower beds, almost like a maze. But unlike a maze the purpose of this path is to lead you to discovery, introducing new avenues to explore if you wish. You gaze at your surroundings. To the left, to the right, and up ahead you see a plethora of flora. What? Flowers mostly. Some on tall stalks swaying in the gentle breeze, waving their colors. Some in clumps and mounds, close to the ground, reaching out to tickle your toes with tendrils of green, or multicolored petals like brushes dipped in paint.

Choosing a path, you set out slowly, walking gently as you seek the rhythm of the place. Colors explode in your field of vision at every twist in the trail. The scent of fresh earth forms a base against which the unique smell of each plant reveals itself in concert with its neighbor. This is nice! The sunshine runs around the shadows of clouds above and the leaves of the taller plants. The light entices you to increase your pace.

And oh, the colors! You see lots of green, a lot of greens. Reds fade to pale pink on this stalk, but burst like fire over there. Did you know there were this many shades of yellow? Where does yellow become orange? It doesn’t matter, because it’s all so beautiful. There are dark colors on leaves and blooms, funny shades of gray and burgundy you didn’t expect to see on a plant. Blues and purples peep through buds, or splay large and lustily.

Some you like, some you don’t. “Well,” you think to yourself, “I suppose someone likes that strange looking thing, but I wouldn’t plant it in my garden.” Along the winding way you are distracted by a foul odor. That clump of decay is disgusting! Moving right along, you choose a path that looks and smells more promising.

Mostly it is a good place. You like it here. “I could spend a long time discovering the secrets of this place,” you think to yourself. There is enough variety to keep you interested and entertained.

As in all of life, there are detractors. Let’s call them weeds. What is a weed? I have heard it said that there are sixty definitions. For me, a weed is a plant out of place. ~Donald Culross Peattie. Possibly, but some of this stuff is obviously weed. The weeds seem almost as varied as the desirable elements.

Let’s look metaphorically at weeds. Let’s say for the sake of this discussion that among the many weeds here is one type of weed that is particularly deceptive. It looks quite beautiful. It grows rapidly and the breeze readily disperses the small seeds in a wide swath. However, we discover that the weed has an adverse effect on the plants beside it. It’s time to remove this weed.

The weed first entered this garden a while ago, so it has gotten into lots of places. Some of the specimens have grown large, and very close to some valuable flowers.

Removing weeds can be a tricky proposition. They should come out without uprooting other plants. The smaller stalks of this weed come up easily, and where the roots intertwine there isn’t a lot of shared space. The adjacent plants lose some ground, some nutrients, a bit of their foothold on the earth, but recovery is rapid.

In places where this weed has grown tall and strong the neighboring plants are deeply affected. As the weed is yanked from the ground it takes with it a sizeable chunk of dirt. In some instances the flower has spread its roots almost intimately within the roots of the weed. Sometimes the flowers lean on the weed for support, or a vine uses the seemingly stable stalk as a trellis. The valuable plant is left vulnerable, threatened, feeling deeply the loss of what should have been a strong companion.

I suppose some of the smaller, younger flowers will suffer much, depending on how close they were to the weed. This may affect their growth significantly. More mature plants will also suffer, of course depending on how much they relied on or were affected by the weed. The strong ones will quickly regain their stability, the additional access to air and sunlight compensating for the losses.

Tonight it will rain. At times soft and gentle, occasionally with bursts more forceful. Wind will whip the leaves against each other, moving the rain in and away from our garden. The water levels out the holes left by our weeding. The rich rains nourish the ground from which our plants absorb nutrients. The dust, the dirt, the detritus fallen on the flowers will wash away.

There will be tears of rain on some of the plants when the sun lights our garden in the morning. As the light and warmth increase, our tears will dry, our leaves stretch out, our buds will blossom. And life goes on.

I can't resist sharing this bit of spam

I know we recently reviewed my latest favorites from my spam folder, but I saw this tonight (it slipped past the filter and landed in my inbox) and, after reading the entire sentence, I couldn't resist sharing.

Malwin STERN to jason 11:54 PM
For 6 months and now my penis is immensely longer than federal.

Longer than federal? Not just longer, but immensely longer. That is the message in its entirety.


In other news, Shamanism is the newest trend in spirituality.

Yes, I said Shamanism. The helpful, spiritual sort of thing that can put you back in peace and harmony with the universe and make your wises and desires come to life...

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Quotes

Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.
-Winston Churchill

I am confident that given enough time and opportunity Sproing would be able to break a one foot cube of hardened steel, and claim it was an accident.
-my Superman, after watching the young boy break yet another kitchen implement

Progress

What is today, Wednesday? Right. Well, on Monday evening Superman and I had "the talk" with C and S. Knowing it would be stressful for them, I convened the meeting outside and suggested they get their cigarettes.

This of course is one of the issues. Did I show you this before? That's all their crap, and this isn't all of it. This is the front patio, right there in the front of the house. This isn't all of the mess, either. I told S a month ago to clean up the trash they'd left around the front stoop. Lots of fast food containers and stuff. He did. He put it in a plastic grocery bag and left the bag there on the grass beside the steps. AARRRRRRGGHHHHHH!

So we discussed the messiness and general lack of respect for persons and property. Superman told them it's going to stop. Now.

We also set up a payment schedule. That's where they pay us, not the other way around. We've put out a lot of time, effort, and cash on these guys over the past two years. I don't regret it at all. But it's time for some adjustments. Their rent of $50 is due the 21st of August, one month from Monday. On 21 September they will pay us $75, and in October, $100. At the end of October we will reevaluate the situation and see if we need to make changes. Superman and I will at that time decide if the rent keeps going up $25 each month. I didn't want to set things too solid too far ahead.

This is about growing up. This is about shouldering more responsibility and working toward independence. We are making these demands now because we love them. I have known ever since before Light was born that the duty of a parent is to work herself/himself out of a job. It is not healthy for young adults of C (20) and S(18)'s age to be so dependent on their families. C will be a junior when college starts in late August. He has a job now, but only works 2 days a week, and I don't think those are 8 hour shifts. He might have 8 to 12 hours of work each week. He wants more, but right now that's what the manager is giving him.

S dropped out of high school last fall, his senior year. He has had a couple of jobs, but nothing recently. The first job he quit, but I don't feel too bad about that. He was working fast food and his manager was treating him unfairly, not giving him the tools he needed to do his job and blessing him out because he didn't do it right. We aren't sure exactly why she singled him out for mistreatment. We suspect she disliked him because he was gay, white, or male. Any of those qualities, or maybe the combination, was very likely her excuse. Whatever. He quit.

The other job loss I fault him for. He was waiting tables at IHOP and was pushing the envelope of acceptable behavior, primarily in his non-working hours. He and his friends would hang out there when he wasn't on duty. It got ugly, and not only is he no longer working there, but he and C are banned from ever entering that store again. He's an idiot. He's a teenager.

For the past 6 months or more he has not worked or been in school. We've encouraged him to get his GED or go through adult ed and get a diploma. He pretends to work on the GED thing sometimes. He says if he had $50 for the registration, he'd go take the GED test now. But as for now he just lays around all day playing card games, goofing around on the computer, and sleeping. We told him Monday that he needs to work. Now. Quit pussy-footing around. Get out there and work to find a job. Because $50 is due in my hot little hand in 4 weeks!

They are falling behind in their payments to other creditors, too. The cell phone service was cut of Monday, C discovered during our conversation. They have a credit card (the fools) and are behind in that payment. C started to protest the rent idea, saying "Do you know how much we owe other people right now?" It was hard for me to do, but I was psyched for it. I said "It doesn't matter. That's what being a grown up is all about. Yes, it's hard. Make it work." He protested "Yes it does matter!!" No, you are missing my point. Yes, it is important for you to pay your debts. If things aren't working out financially right now then you need to change what you are doing. Get an additional job if you can't get the hours you need at the current job. He likes the job he's got, and doesn't want to leave it. He wants to work it more!! But maybe he'll have to get another. And S certainly needs to get off his ass and help make a living here. I suggested S readjust his standards about what kind of job he is willing to do.

The whole discussion went better than I had feared. I was calm, loving but firm. Superman kept his cool. Neither of the boys freaked out. C is the more responsible of the two, and he takes it more seriously than S does. He didn't get over emotional. S really needs to feel the heat on this one, to get motivated to break out if his sedentary ways. I'm not sure if he felt the fire.

I feel very good about the whole thing. Now we need to maintain our firm stance and follow through, all of us. Your prayers are welcome!

Directions

Go here immediately and watch the video clip. Seriously. I mean it.