The Trials and Tribulations of Senior Pals

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I keep rather busy with a voluntary job that kinda grew on me… looking after a fairly large contingent of people I call my “senior pals.” All of these folks live nearby, and my cadre of those who I check on, help out, and look after has grown by word-of-mouth. First it was my mother’s next-door neighbor, then her friend, then her friend’s friend, and so on. I sorta help out by being a “rent-a-son” where the rent is cheap (zero) and the smiles are plentiful.

However, having such a large group of friends who are significantly older poses its challenges.
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My Take on Same-Sex Marriage

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Lately, there has been a lot of news about same-sex marriage, especially in light of the state of North Carolina placing bigotry and hatred into its state constitution by a referendum that appeared on its May 8 statewide primary election ballot. Hmmm… I guess you can tell where I stand on this matter, huh?

It’s more than that, and quite complicated.
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The Job Offer

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I participate on one of the world’s largest social networks related to business, work, and employment — but I don’t want to say its name here. Let’s just say that it starts with the letter “L” and ends with “In.” Figure out what it is?

I’ve been on that site, professionally, since 2005. It provides interesting information, particularly in its discussion forums where professionals in my field share questions, insights, and ideas.

A few weeks ago, I commented in one of those discussion forums on an issue about which I have a lot of experience. I shared ideas, suggestions, and provided some insight into how people respond and think about threats caused by natural hazards.

Soon after that, someone contacted me with a request to talk by phone about that issue. He asked some good questions, and I agreed that a phone discussion would be a worthwhile follow-up, and could provide a better means of probing the matter than going back-and-forth via email.

Turns out that the gentleman who contacted me was a recruiter for a major company. They wanted to interview me for a position.
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Tarnished Tiara

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I was joking around with a buddy who writes to me regularly that my tiara is tarnished.

That was in response to something he said, “I didn’t think guys who wore tiaras did that kind of manly stuff…,” which I accepted as a joke, as he intended. We were referencing the work that I have been doing to renovate the kitchen in my home.

Yeah, it is real, manly, hard work.
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Plain Ol’ Comfortable Cowboy Boots

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Some days (or hours of some days), I choose to wear a pair of plain old cowboy boots, non-descript, not fancy, not made of exotic skins, regular heel… just a pair of plain ol’ boots. I have a number of “just plain ol’ boots” in my cowboy boot collection. Some are decades old, some are much newer, but all share one thing in common — that is, nothing fancy.
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How To Lose Weight Without Really Trying

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Like most middle-aged men, I find myself on the ongoing challenge with weight. Yeah, yeah, I know — diet, exercise, blah blah blah. Since I lost 41 pounds two years ago, I am well aware of what works and what’s recommended to lose weight. I had “only” regained five of those pounds by last December (even through Christmas!) Not bad. However, I still could loose those five extra pounds and lose more. And I did!
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Overcoming My Own Double Standard

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I have said for many years that I am open and accepting of everyone — race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, and so forth.

But I had to re-examine my opinion of myself when I realized that I was responding negatively to an invitation to attend another Spring social gala/dinner fundraiser in the gay world for a worthy cause. This time, in New York City, with the cost of tickets at various levels ranging from US$175 to well over US$3,000.

A friend (who is more on the level of acquaintance) sent me the invitation, saying, “I hope you guys will be there!” I rolled my eyes, and…
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You Have to Change Boots Again?

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Bless my partner. I love him, I really do, but there are times — even after being together for over 19 years — that he doesn’t get it.

Yesterday morning, I had to drive him to get an x-ray. No big deal; the medical imaging center is a mile away. I chose to wear a nice pair of gray ostrich cowboy boots for that trip. But that was only my first pair of boots for the day…
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Really Busy

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Sorry, I don’t have much to blog about, nor time to do it.

My partner’s illness has been exhibiting symptoms … sigh. Calming him, reassuring him, taking him to doctors, the pharmacy, and other places for tests takes a lot of time. He had a scare that the treatment he is currently getting caused a blood clot in his leg. We had to get him a sonogram of his leg to determine what was happening. Turned out to be transient, and not a clot. Whew….

They say this disease has a “voice.”
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A Biker Who Happens To Be Gay

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I mentioned in a recent blog post that I attended a biker’s conference. That event was different from something like a club run, where motorcyclists ride somewhere and party. No, this was an actual conference, with speakers, breakout sessions, and a rather demanding two-day schedule. Yeah, there was one social function on one evening — but anyone who attends any major conference knows that a social event is usually included as a part of an overall conference experience.
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