I hate to have to do this, but I knew it would happen sometime. I am taking a one-week break from posting on this blog.
Why?
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Gettin’ the Guys Booted
We have had a bout of rather extreme cold and snowy weather in the DC area — and we’re not alone, with the majority of the central, southern, and eastern U.S. experiencing extreme cold relative to their respective averages. Another segment of the Polar Vortex broke south again, and is the culprit to the cold misery that millions of us are experiencing. (Sorry to sound a bit geeky, but my professional side is coming out.)
So back to the situation at hand. Or should I say, situation at-foot.
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No Skis for the Harley
Yep, we did get some snow around where I live yesterday after all. Sorry, no photos, I didn’t have time to take any. But trust me, we got a whopping six inches! (15cm).
Schools, offices, businesses, and even the Federal Government were closed. However, I worked at my paying job all day from home. I don’t get paid unless I work; I don’t get “snow days” as paid time off. So I worked.
But when my ten hour work day was over, I pulled on and laced up my Chippewa Logger boots, and…
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Riding in Advance of the Storm
Yesterday was a holiday in the United States — the birthday of Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King. I had the day off work, but worked anyway. I finished helping my recently deceased sr. pal’s daughter clean up her mother’s condo, took a few more sr. pals to the grocery store to stock up in advance of the oncoming, world-ending, monumental, massive, overpowering, mind-boggling…
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Lucchese Classic Gift Boots Mystery Solved
I wrote a post the other day titled “Boots Out of the Blue” about a pair of expensive Lucchese Classic black cherry smooth ostrich boots showing up at my house with no note or method to identify who sent them.
I finally resolved the mystery of their origin.
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Kicked Butt and Took Names
This is a story about how a case of “discrimination by ignorance and delay” was resolved by a very powerful elected official who represents my spouse and me in the United States Senate. This senior Senator has a reputation for kicking butt and taking names, and getting problems that her constituents have resolved quickly.
Our story relates to challenges we faced as a newly married couple and legal recognition by the U.S. Government.
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Boots Out of the Blue
It’s funny how a “bootman” like me gets new boots without even trying.
The other day when I arrived home, my spouse said, “your boots arrived.”
Me: “what boots? I didn’t order any boots.”
Spouse: “there’s a box by the door that looks suspiciously like the same size box as what boots would be shipped in. The sender was something like ‘cowboy’ or whatever…” as he gave me that quizzical look that he gives when he thinks that I know more about something and I’m not saying.
I opened the box and pulled out…
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Positive Power
I have a number of personality traits, or quirks, that combine to make me different from many others. I have blogged about some of those traits over time.
This time, I am writing about my positive outlook on life. And with some crap that has occurred to me, as is the nature of life itself, it’s a wonder that I haven’t gone over the edge and wallowed in “woe-is-me, awfulness, shit-gone-to-hell” attitudes.
I have been estranged from some family and people I thought were friends, forced into long-term unpaid “job hiatus” or even quit some jobs, and have been crapped upon and treated poorly by some people. My one-and-only man in my life is sick again and sometimes that makes him miserable and hard to be around.
Why, then, with all the crap in the world that has happened to me, do I remain bright and positive? Why do I have a healthy, forward-looking attitude? Why do I drive some of my friends and co-workers crazy with happy-peppy good cheer? Why do I believe that there is sunshine and a rainbow after clouds and gloom?
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MAL Time Again
This coming weekend marks the umpteenth year that the second largest gathering of The Great Leather Clan occurs in the U.S., for “Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend.” Am I donning my tall black Dehners, full leather, Muir Cap, and going?
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Riding Is a Great Way to Break Caregiver Fatigue
While my twin brother is here, and he is a huge help when it comes to looking after my spouse, I still do the lion’s share of caregiving. Fortunately, my spouse has been stable for the last week, which is a good thing. However, the caregiving still takes a toll.
Besides my brother and my siblings, I have good friends who look after me. All have suggested, “do something fun for yourself and give yourself a break.”
That I did today… I leathered up in layers and went for a ride with five hearty souls. We rode…
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