Have you ever had one of those days when your mind is just a jumble? That’s how I’m feeling this morning. I stayed up too late (until after 10pm!) last night, so I’m still groggy this morning, since I woke at 4am. I don’t function well on less than about 7-1/2 hours of sleep.

Lots of things going on… some good, some not. Read on if you like….

I was really pleased that I was able to facilitate getting 502 people to the voting polls yesterday. I was thrilled that they had more than ample voting equipment at the state’s largest precinct and there were not any lines except during the first hour. After 8am, there was no waiting. I had anticipated over 800 people wanting rides, but when many heard that there were no lines and parking was plentiful, they either called or left a note saying that they didn’t need a ride after all. Our band of merry volunteers completed their rounds by 3pm, and we were home free. I then went to vote myself — no lines, either — though it was a madhouse in the morning.

I am delighted with the outcome of the U.S. Presidential election. It was an historic event — all elections of this nature are — but most telling was what someone I respect wrote in his local politics-oriented blog this morning, and I’ll quote:

Everywhere in America, liberals are awakening to sunrise after eight cold years of darkest night. They celebrate. They dream. But they should also reflect. Euphoria on the left is understandable given the failures of the Bush regime and the rancor of the political season. It is the latter factor that fuels the left’s sense of triumph as well as its sense of grievance.

I am pleased that our country will have a leader who promises to restore its credibility and integrity in its relationships with other countries of the world, which has been so badly damaged by the current President. Our new President-elect has made other promises, too, which if put into effect, will be great to see. But it all depends with whom he surrounds himself — and if he will listen to and act on advice from knowledgable experts. And if Congress doesn’t get drunk on power. That tends to happen when both the House and the Senate, as well as the President, are from the same party. They gotta be respectful and careful, or lose the majority.

Tell ‘ya the truth, this is somewhat of a seminal moment for me. I am suddenly feeling very OLD! Wasn’t it a typical belief as you were growing up that the President is older than you? This is the first time in my lifetime that the President will be younger than me. Man, for some reason, that makes me feel really old. (But I’m not quite trading in my Harley for a old-fart sedan, even though I did buy a “geezer-glide” this year! LOL!)

I’m also happy with the outcome of some Congressional and Senate races. It was time for ol’ Liddy to go…. as well as to keep away some radical right-wing zealots who ran, and lost, in my home state and neighboring states. But most of all, I am very happy that the walrus-tooth-headed dingbat from Alaska won’t be our country’s Vice President. She scared me to death. I have restored faith in the American People who saw through her thin veil of “soccer-mom-ish-ness” and truly felt, as I did, that we couldn’t have someone like that just one heartbeat away from the Presidency.

A down-side today is a big frustration with a mega-company that provides my telephone and internet service at home. The service “died” in the middle of the night. After two calls and 90 minutes on the phone with them, I finally persuaded them to send a service tech to my house tomorrow to try to fix it. It shouldn’t be that difficult, it really shouldn’t.

Another down-side is that today is my boss’ last day. His position was cut by the company for lack of funds. He is a really great guy, and I admire him a great deal. But the sucky economy resulted in another job loss, this time very close-to-home. Who knows, I could be next — though for now, things seem to be okay. Some co-workers and I are taking my boss out to dinner tonight.

Oh well… on to more pleasant things. I’ll be smiling a lot today, because that’s just my nature. Remember: Life is Short! Smile! (and give someone a chance to ask, “what are you smiling about?)

The close of the voting is finally upon us. I will be so very happy not to see any more of those campaign commercials on TV! The slamming, twisting, and negativity is more than irritating and annoying. Oh well, by tonight, we will be back to new car commercials.

Many states in the U.S. now allow for early voting, or voting by absentee ballot without an excuse. My state, Maryland, was lenient on absentee balloting, but didn’t permit early voting. There is a question on our ballot to allow it, and it looks like it will pass.

Meanwhile, today my co-coordinators of volunteer drivers and I have worked hard to get ready to provide transportation for seniors to vote at the state’s largest voting precinct. We have some 800 people who requested a ride to the polls ready to exercise their privilege to vote for President, Member of Congress, Board of Education, two state referenda, and two local questions. Our ballot in my county and state will be short, but incredibly important.

Polls don’t open (for the first time today), but instead, since early voting has happened all over the place, I just say that today is the day when polls will close, and by tomorrow morning, we will know the results in most races.

I’m not going to a party or event to watch returns. Returns will come in way too late for me to stay up to watch. I look forward to a positive outcome tomorrow, to bring change at the top, end the very bad policies of the current President and send him and his cronies to wherever they came from on January 20, 2009.

Exercising my constitutional privilege to vote is incredibly uplifting, powerful, and important to me. Every vote counts: go make yours count, if you haven’t already done so! You will see me in boots and leather at my precinct this afternoon when I take a break from my volunteer shift so I can vote, and then at the state’s largest precinct until everyone on our lists has voted.

Wherever we sit on the political spectrum, we should remember that we are among very few in the world with open and free elections. This is why I love my country, and work to contribute to making things a little bit better, a little bit stronger, a little bit more fair, each and every day. It’s why I volunteer, it’s why I work so much on community affairs, it’s why I serve, and it’s why I care.

Happy Halloween, folks! And for visitors from other countries to my blog who continue to be in awe or bewildered about our quaint American customs, let me explain that this is a non-religious “holiday” oriented to having fun. The holiday is focused on children, but these days, many adults enjoy it too.

It is a traditional Halloween custom to wear a costume of some sort on this date. Children used to dress up as ghosts and ghouls, but nowadays are more likely to wear a costume depicting some current character in popular television shows or movies. Some may even dress as the scariest person in current news: Pom-Pom Palin (man, that woman really frightens me!) The kids go door-to-door after dark and yell, “trick or treat.” Frankly, I have no idea what will show up at my door tonight, but we’re ready. We have lots of bags of treats to hand out.

So here’s a twist — my rather traditional, staid office will be having a Halloween luncheon today for the staff, just for fun. We were encouraged to wear a costume. Well, okay… I have yet another “excuse” to wear a favorite uniform. I have two books of citations ready to hand out: one for those not in costume, citing them for failure to share the spirit of the holiday, and one for those in costume, citing them for failure to comply with the company dress code. In the former situation, if someone not only is not in a costume but actually has the nerve to wear a suit, they will get a double fine noted on their citation!

Some readers will remember that my family has a tradition of having dinner together on Friday nights. We are not doing that tonight, so that my siblings with grandchildren can enjoy sharing the evening with them, and some will stay home to give out treats for the kiddies. Some of my nieces and nephews are planning to go to parties, as well. For our household, my partner will be watching his boob-tube while I will give out candy to the kids, then go to bed early, as usual. We are planning to rise early on Saturday, where I will give my partner his treats (that is, a really good breakfast) before I head out on a long motorcycle ride to watch pumpkins being catapulted. More on that over the weekend.

Update: My partner has the silliest sense of photo imagery humor. Click here!

Happy Halloween! Be safe and have fun!

I just love the view out the back windows of our home this time of year. I know what’s coming next, which will limit my motorcycle riding, but increase the leather-wearing!

Happy Autumn! (and scroll down to see a video that I did in the back yard during autumn last year).

Enjoying fall in our backyard retreat…

Pictured here are candles shown in a Wikipedia article about the Indian holiday of Diwali.

I am not from India, though I have been to that vast, historic, and fascinating country on four visits, the most recent being after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. But that’s another story.

I live in a wonderful community, and celebrate its richness of diversity — of its people, races, religions, cultures, etc. — any way one may classify it. My particular neighborhood is a microcosm of multiculturalism. Each household represents something different. In our little neighborhood set within suburban sprawl, we have residents who observe at least eight religions, reflect four races, range in age from 0 to over 90. Some are retirees; some are working couples. Some have parents or grandparents living at home to care for the kids. Some have small families, and some have large ones. Residents hail from more than 15 countries beyond the U.S. My partner and I contribute to the diversity as well (we’ve often joked to ourselves as being the “token gay couple”). Generally, we get along well and share our backgrounds, histories, hobbies, interests, and cultures with one another.

For example, right before Christmas, I bake a loaf of raisin bread for everyone in the neighborhood. My partner and I are both half Italian, and it is an Italian tradition to share bread at Christmas, which is the symbol of sustainment of life. We wrap each loaf in a ribbon and bring it to our neighbors, one-by-one, sharing good cheer, hope, and blessings for the holiday and the New Year.

My Indian neighbors across the street celebrated Diwali yesterday. They light candles and put them in little wind-proof holders and line their steps and walk with the twinkling lights. It’s nice to see when it gets dark. I learned that Diwali is also known as the “Festival of Lights.”

As I was preparing to leave to attend a public hearing yesterday evening, my neighbors walked across the street and gave me a box that contained home-made sweets. There I am on my driveway, in a leather jacket, jeans, and cowboy boots. I even had a Resistol hat on. They greeted this cowboy with good cheer and warm embraces. It was their way of sharing their holiday with us, as we share ours with them.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day issues of things going on at work, at home, around town, and in our tanking investments, that we fail to observe the humanity and culture right down the street, around the corner, or next door. I sincerely appreciate that my neighbors help to educate me about what they value, and that they think enough of us to prepare a box of treats to share, and explain their holiday to us.

From all the struggles and strife that I went through in developing our neighborhood, and continuing to serve as the President of our Homeowners Association (among a few other civic activities), it is things like this small action — sharing a cultural tradition — that make me feel so good, and that make me feel that all my work and grey hairs were worthwhile.

Life is short: show those that you love (or like) that you love (or like) them!

I’ve briefly mentioned my family in past blog posts, and today I’ll explain a little more. I’m the 14th of 15 kids; one mother, one father — very prolific gift of children. 12 of us are “Christmas Presents” since our birthdays are all from mid-August to mid-September. You can do the math (giggle).

Our parents loved us deeply, as we loved them. We had a wonderful upbringing, filled with love, family, good times, and great experiences. We got to see each and every state in our country from early-on. We were introduced to some very powerful people that my parents worked for or knew. I know I was very fortunate, as I read from others who explain that their family upbringings weren’t nearly as nice.

Both of my parents have died. Dad in the ’70s and Mom in 1998. But one thing they instilled deeply in us was a commitment to family. I observed how very close my father was to his huge family (actually larger than ours!), and I got to know that hundreds of people were actually related to me! I’ve got zillions of cousins with whom I remain in close contact.

As much as the kids (“us sibs”) may squabble sometimes, I affirm that blood is thicker than water. As some of my sisters- or brothers-in-law have made some comments over the years about my being gay and having a partner with whom I remain deeply in love — my blood siblings, regardless of their own personal opinion, always rise to my defense. Love prevails. Specifically, one sister “championed my cause” to help my mother grow to understand that I was gay, what it meant, and to accept my partner. Mom did that, and in the last year of her life, their bond was wonderful to observe building at each visit.

In memory of our parents and continuing through our devotion to each other, my siblings and I plan on “Friday Night Family Dinners.” These are (usually) casual affairs, hosted by one of the members of the family in their home, where we eat, talk, laugh, discuss everything under the sun, and continue our bonding. Not just my siblings, but their children, children’s children, spouses, and occasionally some of our cousins and close family friends. Not all of my siblings live in the area, but those of us who do usually make plans to participate in this Friday night ritual.

Tonight will be an especially fun night, as we’re going back to our family’s Italian roots, and having a meal ab ovo usque ad mala which in the Latin means “from eggs to apples” which was the traditional appetizers to dessert. We’re doin’ the same. Should be a lot of fun.

My sister the wine connoisseur will have various selections available. For me, I’ll have my water or ginger ale. Wish I could drink wine, but even a small amount makes me gravely sick. We will laugh, we will talk (sometimes too loudly), we will talk politics as we all plan to vote in the upcoming election, but most of all, we will actively display our love. What could be better?

Life is short: show those you love that you love them, each and every day.

PS: And it’s leather weather! Sheesh it’s gotten colder. Bet your sweet bippy that I’ll be in leather and boots tonight!

All was okay on our whirlwind trip to Pittsburgh to “redd up” my mother-in-law’s place for winter. The weather was spectacular. My partner shot me a look of “I’ll figure out a way to make this up” every time I’d hear a Harley rumble off in the distance and I would give a little whimper. Man, what a great weekend — on which to have been out riding! Uggghhh… what one does for love.

I replaced the trim on some windows and two doors. This took some rather intricate work to custom-fit new wood to old settings. I enjoy doing complex carpentry work, and I must say it turned out really well. My partner painted everything to withstand the weather and look new again. I also did a number of little odd-jobs that just needed to be done. The house, yard, and gardens look much better. My Chippewa Engineer Boots look, well, like they did some work!

After working outside, I turned to working inside, and multi-tasked. While I was preparing our evening meals, I also did some electrical repairs, too. I prefer to do the cooking, because I have a really restricted diet, so it’s best if I do the cooking because I know what’s in it.

When dinner was done, I was confined to watching DVDs that my partner arranges to be sent to his mother to keep her entertained. I was bored out of my mind, but that’s just how things are. I can’t go out (my M-I-L just wouldn’t understand and my partner doesn’t like going out any more at all). I did not have internet access, since my M-I-L doesn’t have it and I’m too cheap to pay for an air card. There’s nothing else to do but go into a semi-comatose state listening to blather on the TV (or from a movie) until it’s time to go to bed, then lather, rinse, and repeat.

I must say, though, that this was about the best visit with my M-I-L. She was complimentary, appreciative, and said thanks at least a dozen times. Believe me, that hasn’t happened before (or as much.) She actually hugged me each evening and each morning, and was genuinely pleased with the work that I had done around the house. It’s nice to be appreciated and — finally — recognized for being more than some guy who lives with her son.

The fall splendor was gorgeous on the way up bear and back as we drove over some mountainous areas, but it wasn’t quite “peak” yet in Pittsburgh. Looking at the trees helped time go by on the otherwise boring drive. I really detest being confined in a cage, and just don’t like to drive. My partner did all the driving, bless him.

Anyway, I’m home now, and am catching up on everything — email, blogging, regular mail, neighbors, community activities, etc., etc. Return to work tomorrow, then a public hearing tomorrow night. Everything will be back to normal!

Life is short: wear your boots!

No, not gowen to werk in my office, but “up bear” to a borough on the west bank of the Ahia River, just north and west of Pittsburgh where my mother-in-law lives. We will be dere fer da long Columbus Day weekend. She has a hon-do list that needs to be accomplished to redd up da place fer winner. My partner is unable to do as much physical work as he once did due to his dizabiwwity, so these old hard-workin’ Chippewa engineer boots with me in them will be helpin’ aht. Bo fus are gowen.

It’s funny, my partner ordinarily does not have a noticeable accent. That is, until he is within 50 miles of “home”. Then it all come aht.

We have lots of work to do, so it is unlikely we will be gowen dahntahn to da ‘burg. She lives o’der near Sharteers Crick. Likely, though, we will need to go to Lowes a cupple tree times, which is up bear in Robinson. Thank goodness it’s a bye-week fer da Stillers, so we won’t run into traffic as we stoowp at da Jine Igl for some pop!

Wit allsa bitzle I’ll be creating in da garden and yard, I’ll have to use plenty of worsh rags to redd up after. I’ll be cookin’ eye-talian, ahn worshin’ it dahn wit da pop we got at da stoor.

So until I return, yinz alls take care now, yinz here? That’s it, Fort Pitt!

If you don’t understand this message, “It’s a Burgh Thing”. Click here for more information.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this message is meant to offend residents of Pittsburgh or surrounding areas. It was translated using a “Pittsburghese on-line translator”. Any errors, omissions, or commissions are the responsibility of the author, and not his partner, who was born and raised in the aforementioned area.