A few years later, I changed jobs to work at a university — my alma mater. I managed training programs and also returned to being a student when I worked on my Master’s and Doctorate. I enjoyed commuting on various Kawasakis throughout my tenure in that position. Again, none of those bikes had any secure on-board storage, so I was happy when I made the connection with someone in the maintenance department who let me park my bike next to his shop, and I could store my jacket, leathers, and helmet without having to cart that stuff all over campus.

After working there for a significant time, I topped out at the level of available challenge, and got another job with a major non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC. I tried commuting on my motorcycle to work, and most days, it was okay although I really didn’t like dodging the city traffic which always cut me off and otherwise made me think they were out to kill me (and all bikers.)

During my tenure with that organization, my office was moved several times, including to locations in northern Virginia. Commuting to work via motorcycle — by then my 1994 Harley — became routine. The only thing I hated was the traffic on the notoriously slow Washington Beltway for my 33-mile one-way commute. Yuck-o! I was fortunate that I only had to be in my office but one or two days, on average, every week. I traveled a LOT in that job — some 40 weeks and 70 trips per year. That travel saved me from having to endure that awful commute on the Beltway — or made that commute more acceptable since I didn’t have to do it as often.

I completed my work in that job in 2004. I took a year and a half to care for my elderly uncle in the winter of his life through his peaceful passing at home. Once I got his affairs squared away, I found another job at another non-profit organization in Washington, DC. For that job, parking out of the question and I had lost patience with trying to commute in city traffic. Instead, I rode my motorcycle to a Metro station where I could park it for free, and then commuted via the Metro into and out of the city. That commute was tolerable, but expensive and often disrupted by an increasingly unreliable Metro system.

Fortunately, in 2010, I was “headhunted” for a position which is located in the downtown of my hometown. I have had periods of “off time” in that job, but that was a good thing as my “off time” was exactly when I needed to care for my spouse during the worst of his illness.

Anyway, I have returned to work full-time in that job, which I love to do. Nearby motorcycle parking is free due to legislation that I championed back in the late ’90s. Who knew I would benefit by it? Sweet!

Riding to work has its hassles with the unexpected rainstorms, cage-drivers who don’t look where they are going and who yap on the phone or use a mobile device while driving to send text messages. But the freedom and flexibility of commuting via motorcycle is a wonderful feeling that can’t be met any other way.

Life is short: Ride your motorcycle to work!

I had been thinking about switching my blog to its own domain — what some people erroneously call a website — for a while before that, but it was easy and comfortable to remain with Blogger which was working fine until “they” changed it. I like it so much when “they” make changes that “they” think are better. Not.

Anyway, those changes to Blogger’s GUI were the tipping point for me to buy the domain bootedmanblog.com, put it on a web host, install WordPress, and start blogging there. I reviewed various blog engines or platforms that would allow me to write and create my blog and decided to use WordPress. How has it been going? What have I learned?

It was quite a learning curve to switch blogging platforms. There are so many things you stumble upon that you have to do and that “they” don’t tell you about (at least directly.)

I learned that I had to install several “plugins” which are snippets of code that do various things — like affect how my blog appears to viewers, display my images, and most importantly, capture comments for evaluation and redirection as spam.

I learned very quickly that blogs hosted on WordPress are quite vulnerable to spammers, most of which are nasty little automated programs that troll the internet 24/7 and attempt to post comments with links. The links go to nefarious websites that probably would introduce malware, spyware, and kidnap your first-born. Gosh those things are awful. Plugins I use capture all of those attempted comments which at first glance, seem to be flattering and innocuous. All of that — gone, gone, gone — after I click on “bulk action — delete permanently”.

I moderate all of my comments anyway. That means that whenever a real person posts a comment, I am notified. I read it then decide whether to approve its posting or not. A great thing about WordPress comment moderation is that it also allows me to edit comments. I do not do that often, but being a stickler for the proper use of grammar, spelling, and capitalization, I may make adjustments to correct someone’s errors. (I have a strong pet peeve against using “u” for “you” and “ur” for “your” and other forms of “text-speech.”)

I learned that it is easy to avoid advertising from appearing on this blog — I refuse to get in bed with advertisers. Their paltry pittance in what they offer for revenue sharing is not worth the aggravation to my readers for exposing them to a constant barrage of ads.

A pleasant thing I learned is that the hate-mongers and homophobes don’t comment. Good. They can continue to harass gay people elsewhere; not on this blog.

I have also learned that one has much more control over a WordPress self-hosted blog. As my skills and comfort increased with self-taught coding and technical matters, I have been able to implement them, make adjustments, try new things and if they didn’t work, take them out — quickly, efficiently, and easily.

Another thing I learned is that I have to change my password often to a random “strong password.” I can tell from logs that many attacks on this blog platform are made by neer-do-wells who, if they gain access, could wreak all sorts of havoc.

I also learned, much to my delight, that this blog is indexed by the major search engines quickly. I see that various posts that I write appear in the top 10 rankings of some searches on various keywords. I knew that Blogger-hosted blogs did that, since Blogger is owned by Google and Google still is the most frequently used search engine. But I am pleased to see that Google ranks this blog well for some topics about which I write.

One last thing I learned is that it is quite risky to post photos of the joy of motorcycle riding in January, lest I get beset with a plague of locusts cast upon me by a biker buddy who lives in the Great White North. (Snow melted yet, S?) LOL!

Blogging well requires work. You have to keep up with it. Not only with new content posted frequently, but also with the behind-the-scenes maintenance, spam detection and removal, and other administrative work.

Blogging with WordPress on your own hosted domain isn’t for the faint of heart, but it is not that difficult to do. There are a lot of helpful videos, instructions, guides, and a user forum to help. Or, you can do what I do — when I encounter a problem or have a question about how to do something on this blog, I enter “WordPress xxx yyy” where “xxx yyy” is the issue about which I want to know more information. When I do that, I get a helpful result.

Thanks for reading!

Life is short: keep on bloggin’

To prove my point, following are random shots that I took of the boots on bikers who showed up at an event that my motorcycle club sponsored yesterday. These are real, honest-to-goodness, hard-core bikers. Not wannabes. While some of these guys are a billboard for a certain brand and are wearing cheap Chinese-made overpriced boots that carry a certain well-known motorcycle brand name, they all demonstrate what I am talking about.

These boots are what I was wearing — Wesco harness boots.

Life is short: wear boots and ONLY boots when you operate a motorcycle.

Then I thought about it, and with decidedly differential consideration that some people are overly affected by what they see on the internet, I just had to laugh.

Yeah, go ask a biker wearing harness boots if he’s gay. If you don’t get a punch in the face, you may be lucky.

Hundreds of bikers belong to my motorcycle riding club. Most of them are straight and if any of them are gay, they’re in the closet.

The thing is, harness boots are very common motorcycle boots, and in my area of the U.S., of the bikers I see on any given day or on any ride I go on with my club — more than half of them wear harness boots.

Why? It’s easy to find cheap harness boots. Perhaps cheap boots do not have much quality, but they present a typical masculine biker boot appearance. Square toe, usually black, rugged-looking construction.

So why the thought that only gay guys wear harness boots? Because there are a lot of videos and images that gay guys post on the ‘net about harness boots — or doing things while wearing harness boots, such as wearing leather, smoking, or walking in the mud. We’ve all seen that stuff. But the volume of images (and video) on the ‘net of gay guys expressing their enjoyment of harness boots is huge.

Think about it, when was the last time you saw a straight guy posting about how he “loves” his harness boots, or produces a video where he demonstrates his fetish interests while wearing harness boots?

This question is asked, then, by someone who has jumped to a wild and inaccurate conclusion based on what he sees on the ‘net.

Answer to the question: No. Even “hell no.” Most gay guys wouldn’t be caught dead in boots. The gay rainbow has many colors, and the range of colors who prefer harness boots is small in comparison to the range of gay men who choose to wear other footwear.

Thinking about it, I could ask, “do only straight men wear sneakers?” I would be just as dead wrong on that one as this question is.

Life is short: separate reality from the unreal influence of what you see on the internet.

Hi, call me “Motorman.” I am a motor officer who serves on the local PD where BHD lives. He has been on my case for months to write something for his blog about what I feel like when citizens ask me questions.

Here goes. What is the most frequent question I am asked?

“Where is?” … for some reason, almost everyone thinks I know where everything is. Not just street names, but things like, “the nearest bathroom” or “where I can buy a plunger?” Sometimes the questions are annoying, but I just suck it up, smile, and give the directions as best I know. But if I don’t know, I’ll say so.

Because I do a lot of traffic enforcement, I am also asked a lot about “tickets” (we call them citations). Why someone got a ticket for some infraction, or if I know how to appeal a ticket without going to court, or where Officer XYZ lives. It’s all part of the job — I refer them to Court. And hell no, I won’t give the home address for any of my fellow officers. Are you nuts?

Next frequent questions are random — like, “do you know my cousin who is a police officer in ______ (some distant county in another state?)” Yes, ma’am! I know all the cops in the whole USA! Yeah, right.

… or “do you like to ride a motorcycle?” You’re asking a motor officer? Um, yessir! It’s what I trained for!

I also get a lot of questions like, “do you ride in the rain?” or “do you ride when it’s cold (or hot)?” or “do you get to take your motorcycle home?” There is a lot of interest in the motorcycling aspect of my job. Quick answers: (rain) — sometimes, if caught by surprise or we have a mandatory escort such as for a funeral; (cold or hot) — we don’t ride when it is unbearably cold or if there may be ice. We also don’t ride if it is excessively hot. We have patrol cars assigned to us to use when we don’t ride our motors. Some of us are allowed to take our patrol cars home between shifts, but our police motors are kept parked at our District Station.

I am sometimes asked about my uniform and boots — but not what you might expect. The most common question I am asked about the uniform — “is that uniform hot?” Our uniforms are black. The boots are black. The bullet-proof vest is also black. Yes, then — especially in the full sun — the uniform is hot. One reason why I like to ride to enjoy the “natural air conditioning.”

I guess I couldn’t get by with writing for BHD’s blog without talking about the boots. Most frequent question I get about the boots — “where did you get those boots” or “can civilians wear boots like yours?” I get my boots from a vendor who provides a cop discount. Most vendors have about the same prices — the cop discount seems to be the “at-cost” price from the manufacturer, so the cost to me is about the same regardless of where I buy them.

Yes, civilians can wear boots like I do. BHD does, and so do a few others. The boots look and feel great and are made for motorcycling.

What do I think about the boots? They’re all part of the uniform. No more. No less. BHD hates it when he sees me off duty and I am wearing sneakers.

Thanks, BHD, for the support you provide to me and our Department. See you on the next ride!

Sheesh… see for yourself. Idiocy reigns supreme!

It is one thing that he does not care about his own safety, but it is also evident that he does not care about the safety and well-being of his passenger.

Life is short: wear sturdy over-the-ankle BOOTS and LONG PANTS when riding a motorcycle!

Here are a few photos… great ride!

Our escorts… local motor officers:
Ready to ride. I am fourth back after the officers leading us.
Several of the professionals who led us took a moment for a photo with me at the staging area.

Some of the boots on the cops:
Are these gaiters or puttees?
He takes care of his dress instep Dehners:
Life is short: support your local cops and enjoy the ride!

Obviously, since I forgot about it, you may wonder what my spouse and I think.

First off, we think the event is fine for those who like large gatherings and certain kinds of music, arts, crafts, and “rainbow everything.” We don’t. Especially my spouse who thinks that if there is more than one person in the room, it’s a crowd, and for me where I think a rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon caused by the physics of refraction. (Okay, okay, don’t shoot me — I know very well that the rainbow illustrates the great diversity of the entire gay community.)

We appreciate that the event appeals to the masses. We have learned that we are not among the masses to which this event appeals. We don’t like the music (noise), drag shows, parades, or the, let’s say, “more ostentatious” displays of “all things gay.”

My spouse and I are quite comfortable in our own skin (or for me, the skins of cows), and enjoy living our quiet, suburban life among our neighbors, friends, and family. That’s it. We are no different, no better, no worse than anyone else. We do not need a weekend each year to “celebrate being gay” or to feel comfortable with our sexual orientation. It is what it is. We are who we are, take it or leave it.

Our state granted us the right to marry, which we did on April 4. Yea! for obtaining recognition from our state and our legal rights and responsibilities as a married couple. But does that drive us to want to go to a Pride Celebration?

… not really. We are proud for who we are as people, integrated with the greater society among our fellow Marylanders. We are proud of what we have accomplished, of our values of honesty, integrity, and faithfulness. To us, the feeling of pride we have in ourselves as productive people is most important. And thankfully, we don’t need a day or a weekend to feel this way. We feel it each day of the year.

What will we be doing instead of going to the Pride Festival on Sunday?

My spouse has some work to do for more home maintenance. I will be riding with a bunch of these in a charity fundraiser motorcycle ride:
Frankly, I prefer the motorcycle ride than hanging out with large, boisterous, crowds.

Life is short: have pride in who you are every day!

When my spouse’s physical illness was at its worst for six months last year, he developed what I thought was a permanent perception that it was his “lot in life” to remain sick, always be in pain, be fatigued, and unable to live life as he knew it.

I kept focusing on the positive — small steps, little things that were good. I pointed them out and always focused on the bright side. On days when there was no bright side (many of those days, unfortunately), I would sing a stupid song, or tell a silly joke, or wear a funny hat, or make strange noises. I might crawl on the floor and pull on his leg. I might bring him some flowers or balloons. I always looked for ways to brighten his mood, his day, and his outward perceptions.

Believe me, that took a huge amount of calling on my faith. There were days when I was not even sure I could hold myself together. It was damn hard sometimes.

But when things got real tough, I would lean on my faith, my twin brother, my other siblings, and my close friends. Sometimes I needed to scream (privately) or cry or vent frustration and anger.

Sure, I may project a happy-peppy-bright personality, and generally I am that way, but I am human, and I know that I cannot always be that way. Outwardly with my spouse — always. Inwardly with myself — not. Without my foundation of faith and the strong support of my family and close friends, I never would have been able to remain sane.

Well, here we are. My spouse is admitting that he is feeling better.

Has he recovered? Not completely. He may never completely recover.

But with the change in mental attitude and more positive thinking, I truly feel that he is definitely on the mend.

Thanking my faith, my brother, my siblings, and my close friends. But most importantly, I thank my spouse for saying what I have been longing to hear for some 19 months: “I am better.”

Woo-hoo!

Life is short: have faith and be positive.

Here are the latest “can” questions — as in “can I” or “can you” … well, you “can” but the real question is, “do you want to?”

Q. Can big men wear leather?

A. Yes. But big men should know that leather does not hide the “big.” In fact, leather that is straining at its closures (waist, belt, snaps, zippers) is obvious and does not look good. If you are a bigger guy and want to wear leather, then purchase leather fitted for your current size — not what you wore ten years ago.

Q. Can men wear leather pants?

A. Yes. I do regularly and no one … NO ONE … says a word, including several elderly ladies who I take grocery shopping each week.

Q. Can you wear leather and not be a rock star?

A. Yes. See above (I am NO rock star! LOL!)

Q. Can I take boots with me while traveling in the carry on baggage?

A. Of course you can. Boots may take up room in your carry-on that you would rather have for something else, like books to read, a laptop computer, tablet, or other electronic time-passers. As for me, I always carry a complete change of clothes in my carry-on bag because I have experienced my checked bag being lost by the airline on three different occasions. But boots are not on the TSA prohibited list, so you can put boots in a carry-on bag if you want to.

Q. Can I wear brown cowboy boots with a navy suit?

A. Yes, and no one except you will notice or care.

Q. Can I wear my cowboy boots in the rain?

A. Well… yes or no. It depends on what the boots are made of. If you have regular cowhide leather boots that have been properly treated with polish or leather conditioner, then your boots probably will not be damaged if you wear them in the rain. If you have boots with exotic skins with scales (snake, lizard, alligator), then do NOT get those boots wet. Once scales get wet, they curl and will not “uncurl” when they dry.

Q. Can you wear a black cowboy hat with brown boots?

A. Yes, and no one except you will notice or care.

Q. Can you wear cowboy boots to work in the mud?

A. Well… yes or no. It depends. Leather boots can withstand mud better than boots made of other material. If you have really cheap boots made of plastic (that’s what “man made materials” means), then even better. Do not wear boots with exotic skins or fancy stitching or bright colors in the mud–the skins will be damaged beyond repair and the colors will be muted or turned mud-colored. Remember, boots originally were designed to be worn in all sorts of conditions — rain, mud, snow. When you’re done muddin’: clean off your boots, let them dry naturally (not using a fan or blow-dryer), and treat them with good quality conditioner.

Q. Can you wear cowboy boots with white jeans?

A. Yes (more applicable, I think, for women than men.)

And best of all –

Q. Can you wear boots on your feet?

A. Yes, absolutely! So much better than wearing boots on your head, hands, or …

Life is short: wear boots!