I am planning to go to my state’s Capitol next week and the week after to appear before a state Senate committee to testify on two bills. The first one, which is a perennial issue for me, is on a bill to ban using hand-held communications devices while operating a motor vehicle. In short: a “cell-phone ban.”

While I was speaking on the phone yesterday with my district’s Senator who is sponsoring this legislation, I asked, “should I show up in my biker leathers?”

He laughed, and then realized I was serious, and said, “sure… that would be different.”

I know that most people who show up to testify on various legislation pending before our state’s General Assembly are attorneys, and many of them are registered lobbyists. They are paid by various interests, such as the wireless industry, to show up in their bland, boring pin-striped suits and wingtips to take positions on bills. They aren’t really interested in the legislation, but on what they are being paid to say.

I am a different kind of person. When I show up, it is because I truly care about the issue about which the legislation is addressing. My position on a cell-phone ban remains solid: make using a wireless communication device while driving a primary offense, and give some teeth to the resulting penalty for the offense.

Why do I care so much about this particular issue? I witnessed a riding buddy get creamed on the road by a cell-phone yapping SUV-driver. The crash happened right before my eyes. I could have been me…. worse, it was someone I truly enjoyed riding with, and worked with as a local community activist. Now his voice isn’t by my side when we engage our elected officials. I am doing this for him, as well as for myself, and for all bikers out there who are in peril from thoughtless people who believe whatever they have to say on their damn phone is more important than paying 100% attention to operating what easily can become a lethal weapon.

So yeah, I am a different kind of “lobbyist.” I am not being paid by anyone to be there. I am taking leave from work to go to our state Capitol and express my concerns to our elected officials. And I’ll be there in leather — for a reason. It demonstrates that bikers are a constituency, too. I won’t be representing my club or any organization. Just myself. Because I care.

This is what is truly wonderful about our country — our right to petition the government for redress. Our right to speak freely about our concerns. Our right to freely elect representatives in our local, state, and federal legislative assemblies and then persuade them to support legislation that addresses concerns of us commoners. That’s one reason why I truly love this country. Right or wrong, good or bad. Engage, cajole, persuade, extoll, speak up. That’s what it is all about.

And today, I go to the funeral for a dear friend to say goodbye. I worked hard on his campaign to get him elected to local office. (This is another way I engage as a civic activist: supporting good people for public office.) What a sad day for his family, and for those of us who loved him. Godspeed, my friend. I’ll sure miss you.

I wore my black leather jeans with the blue stripe on the side yesterday. I like these jeans; they are very comfortable, and are made of thick high-quality top-grain cowhide. They were made custom for me by Northbound Leather of Toronto, Canada. My partner got them for me as a Christmas present in 2005.

I wore these jeans throughout a busy day, where I prepared some pasta and beef dishes for the week ahead. I also made a home-made apple pie, with a home-made crust and fresh apples that were on sale at the grocery store. (I wonder where they got fresh apples to sell for $0.68/lb this time of year???)

Between cookin’ up stuff in the kitchen, I visited my friends who fell on Saturday. Both are doing fine. (No mention of the leather. It’s no big deal to those who know me.)

Later, my partner and I went to a big-box electronics retailer to get an HD Tivo — not that I really care much, but my partner wants it so he can download movies and watch programs he records in HD. While I was at the store, a guy came up to me and asked, “What cop outfit are you with? Those are Dehner boots, right? You ride? What cops around here wear leather?” He was dead serious, and seemed to be very interested in the leather jeans, the boots, and the guy in them.

My partner stood to the side and watched. I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was quite amused.

I answered the guy’s questions honestly, and said that I’m not a cop, but I do ride a Harley. I also confirmed that despite what both he and I might like to see, no motorcops in the area wear leather breeches or pants — or even leather jackets. Just boots. He said, “oh” and shrugged.

He smiled, thanked me for the info, and then noticed my partner behind me. He asked, “is he with you?” I smiled, and said, “yes he is. He’s my partner!” The guy’s eyes lit up as he said “hi” to my partner. He thanked me for answering his questions, and bid his farewell. The conversation and encounter was kinda fun. It’s nice to enjoy wearing leather when we’re out and about, and have these chance conversations.

My partner and I braved the bone-chilling cold and took Metro to DC and walked to the Green Lantern bar on Saturday afternoon to attend the Hotboots party held during MAL weekend.

Unfortunately, a bartender at the venue told me that “cameras weren’t allowed.” This was after I had been there for an hour and had taken about 30 photos of guys in boots — with their permission. Nonetheless, the bartender was afraid that someone seeing a camera flash might scare him away, and thus he doesn’t want to lose business. (That’s what he told someone else who tried to reason with him about his self-imposed rule and his crappy attitude.)

What the bartender didn’t see was how many guys entered the bar and left because they didn’t have ID with them. The bar enforces a 100% ID check. If you don’t have acceptable ID with you, you’re turned away. So the bar lost a lot of business, and I doubt anyone else would leave just because they saw a camera flash. And sure, if anyone told me that they didn’t want their photo taken, I would not do that.

UPDATE: A buddy who is a citizen of Australia told me that he tried to come to the party, but got there a little late. When he presented his Australian identification, he was turned away. He was told that they only accept passports from people who do not have U.S. driver’s licenses. What a crock of bull. That rule is self-imposed by the Green Lantern. I know from working with the various local police agencies that foreign official identification that shows proof of birth date is acceptable. The nut-case at the bar invented his own version of what is acceptable, or not, despite what the local police say. How awful!

There is banter on public internet boards about my problem with taking photos at the bar. One person suggested that due to observations about ongoing problems with the District of Columbia, that perhaps MAL should be moved out of DC to another venue. That ain’t gonna happen: MAL is “owned” by the Centaurs, which is a club based in Washington, DC. Of course they will hold their signature and money-making event in their home town. They’re not going to move all of MAL just because one bartender down the street has a crappy attitude and someone who wasn’t even registered to attend MAL had a problem.

Further, what we have to remember is that the Hotboots party is held at the same time as MAL, but isn’t sponsored by MAL itself. Without an official connection between MAL and this party, no one from the Centaurs will attempt to persuade this bar to change its self-imposed rule.

Instead, I’ll do this:

• Vote with my boots and not patronize this bar. I’m sure they could care less if I don’t show up any more. But if enough people don’t patronize a bar whose representatives have “attitude problems,” then perhaps they’ll get the message (or close due to lack of business).
• Remember that cameras aren’t allowed in this bar. Okay, fine, that’s their rule. I don’t have to go somewhere if I can’t do what I enjoy, which is to take pictures of guys in boots.
• Make this the last time that my partner and I will go into DC during MAL weekend. As I have said before, we’ve long lost interest in going to that event.

UPDATE: I seriously recommend for anyone to avoid going to the Green Lantern bar. While there are few establishments in Washington, DC, that are “leather friendly,” this bar has proven to be among the most unfriendly-to-anyone place there is, and does not deserve patronage. Close the damn joint. My opinion, but it’s just awful, awful, awful, and the gay community should either force a change in management’s narrow-minded operations, or just cause it to shut down for lack of business.

Okay, basta. There are lots of other and more worthwhile things to which to devote my time and attention.

It’s time for Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend in Washington, DC! Get out your gear, condition it, shine your boots, and come on out! MAL is reported to be the second-largest leather fetish event in the United States, after “International Mr. Leather” (IML) in Chicago. We attended IML in May 2007 — and once was enough. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt and the boots shined.

I used to, once upon a time, look forward to this weekend to hang out with other guys in leather. Now that I’ve been essentially married for more than 15 years, going to fetish events is not something that my partner and I are interested in doing any more.

However, we do plan to go to the Hotboots party today at the Green Lantern, then head home.

I’m sure the guys attending MAL are finding their leathers useful and practical, ’cause it sure has been darned cold! In fact, in honor of this “Leather Weekend,” (and just ’cause I like to wear leather regularly), I’ll be “BLUFfed” up. (For those not familiar, BLUF means “Breeches, Leather, Uniform Fetish”). I will be wearing my leathers all weekend as I go about doing things at home with my hunky partner, and being involved on Monday on a day of community service in honor of Martin Luther King’s legacy.

Life is short: Wear your leather!

I’m sure this title will undoubtedly grab attention from the leather community — those from around the world who visit this blog, and locally around DC who are arriving for Mid-Atlantic Leather. I thought I would post a pic of me in my warmest motorcycle jacket. This Taylor’s Leatherwear Jacket is made of thick cowhide leather (9-10oz), and has a Thinsulate® lining. I definitely require a thick lining with temperatures in the single digits this morning!

This jacket is a traditional motor officer style, and even has a badge holder on the left front. It has great maneuverability when I wear it while riding my Harley. But not in these frigid temps! The bike is warm and toasty in the garage — and like me, is longing for Spring. (Or at least a day above 40°F [4°C]!)

Also shown are my oldest pair of thick leather breeches, which are fitting me again now that I’ve continued to lose weight from eating light meals with smaller portions, giving up those Cokes (ooops, slipped at a meeting the other day, but otherwise, I’m drinking water), and swimming weekends at the University.

This photo is actually one of the first that I posted on my website when I first created it, back in 2005 before having on its own domain.

I’ll be wearing the red-striped leather breeches and this Taylor’s jacket with a newer pair of lug-soled Chippewa Hi-Shine boots to the Hotboots party at the Green Lantern on Saturday afternoon (that is, public transit and weather permitting and provided my ever-antisocial partner still wants to go.) But as I’ve said before, this is the only MAL Weekend event we are going to. Honestly, leather fetish events don’t interest me any more. Been there, done that, got the t-shirts and the boots shined. So many once-a-year leather queens … well, basta. After that, my hunky partner and I will come home and snuggle in our leathers and boots.

Before closing, let me give a special shout-out to a buddy who is celebrating his half-centennial today! Happy Birthday, Robert! May you have a wonderful day, and for those of us who read your blog, we’ll love you with all our hearts.