Leather Vests

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A leather vest is probably the most ubiquitous piece of gear for a lot of guys — gay or straight, bikers or not. A leather vest contributes to a casual and comfortable appearance, as well as provides a little bit of warmth in coolish environments. As I say in my Guide to Leather Gear, “a good leather vest is a fundamental leather item that you should own.”

There are three types of leather vests. One of them I will not discuss here, as I don’t own any: that is, a dress vest worn with a three-piece suit. Most of those types of vests are made of cloth, anyway.

I will go into some detail about the two remaining styles of leather vests: 1) a bar vest, and 2) a biker vest. Each of these vests can have “colors” applied to them. And by that I mean patches, not dye. Any time patches representing membership or affiliation with a club, motorcycle riding chapter, or similar organization are applied (with glue and/or sewn on) to the back and/or front of a vest — that’s what’s called “club colors.” The vest is worn to illustrate affiliation with the group.

A “bar vest” gets its name because it is usually worn by guys who go to bars — that simple. It is usually rather plain and made of 2-3oz leather (rather thin.) Most bar vests do not have outside pockets, but may have a pocket on the inside flaps.

The front and back panels of a bar vest may be sewn together at a seam, or have adjustable lacing, or be connected with chains. It varies, and the choices are more stylistic preferences of the man wearing it than anything else. For example, just because a guy is wearing a vest that has front and back panels connected with silver chains doesn’t mean he wants to pick a fight. (This symbolism continues today from images held over from old “biker movies”).

Personally, I recommend getting a bar vest that has a way to adjust the fit at the side seams. Laces allow a little more room to be provided perhaps around the tummy area, get be tighter up closer to the arm pits. Chains allow that type of fit to occur naturally, where the chain may be extended at the bottom but hang in a loose u-shape at the top.

Bar vests do not have closures like snaps or buttons on the front. These vests are designed to hang open, revealing the chest. They look great on men who are in good physical shape. Bearish figures look, well — “bearish” — if a bar vest is worn alone. Often bar vests on bearish bodies hang funny and reveal a lot of the tummy, drawing attention to physical attributes that some guys would rather not have so accentuated.

Bar vests are often worn alone, but may also be worn over a t-shirt or a leather shirt. However, real bikers do not wear bar vests while operating a motorcycle, or risk being flogged by flapping leather.

Biker vests are usually made of thicker leather — 4-5oz is common, 6-7oz is better. That’s because most bikers actually use these vests as protective wear while operating a motorcycle. Thicker leather will resist rocks or other debris that may be kicked up by a tire of a vehicle in front of you. Think of it, in a way, as added “body armor.”

Biker vests also usually have rather thick seams across the back yoke — though it is possible (and preferable) to get a “plain back” biker vest if you wish to have patches (colors) applied. Often the patches on the back are large and cover a big area, and a large seam makes it difficult to apply a patch smoothly over the back. (the patches had to be blurred due to homophobia from the license holder of the patches.)

Biker vests also usually have pockets. Bikers like pockets. Outside pockets are great for keys, ride route maps, coins or bills for toll payments, and other light stuff that need to be reached quickly. Inside pockets — particularly deeper “gun pockets” — are terrific to hold a wallet, cell phone, and other bulkier items. Some vests have snap or zipper closures for inside pockets, which are a great feature to help hold valuables securely.

Biker vests also have various ways to deal with side seams like bar vests: some have lace fittings, which make it easy to adjust the fit to the body of the man wearing it. Some have chains, which work the same way that they do on bar vests, described above.

Finally, a major difference between a bar vest and biker vest is that biker vests have front closures. Some have buttons (bad, because buttons often get strained and pop off), or zippers (not so good, because a zip-closed vest restricts movement), or snaps. Most bikers choose vests with snaps on the front. He can snap the top two or three snaps to keep the vest from flying open in the wind while riding. However, closing a vest can restrict freedom of movement, particularly if the vest is tight on the body when closed.

To deal with that, many bikers choose vest extenders, which are usually 2″ to 3″ chains or leather straps that connect to the vest’s snaps on each side. A vest extender on the middle snap(s) may draw across tightly, while a vest extender on the top and bottom snaps may hang in a loose u-shape. That’s common, and actually preferable because as a biker moves his arms while operating a motorcycle, the vest will allow movement since it’s not physically drawn tight across the chest.

Vest extenders are easy to find at most motorcycle shops, leather stores, and on-line — even at places where you might not think of looking, such as auto parts dealers. They are inexpensive — usually US$2 – $6 for a set of two.

I have a variety of vest extenders. Some are chains. Some are plain leather. Some are made of leather and have a decoration, such as a Maltese Cross on the front.

By the way, I learned a lesson once. I was riding with a biker vest held closed in the front with vest extenders when I got caught in the rain. When the vest dried, the snap closures rusted. I was able to clean up the rust, but the snaps didn’t work well again. They became more loose and the vest extenders disconnected when I was riding my Harley. Thus, the lesson I learned is not to get the vest wet. If a rainstorm catches me by surprise again, I take the vest off and put on rain gear that I keep in my saddlebag.

I also want to point out that not all vests are cut to the same pattern. Some fit well and others do not — they “hang funny,” pucker at the shoulders, do not reach the waist, or have too much leather in front and not enough in back. It is important to try a vest on — try on several of them, actually. Some will fit better than others. If you’re buying on-line, then check the return and exchange policy of the vendor before shelling out the money to buy it. If it doesn’t fit or looks bad on you, you will need to be able to exchange it or return it.

Further: caveat emptor! Inexpensive leather vests are cheap for a reason. Often they are made from inferior hides and are not assembled well. I cannot recommend vests made in Pakistan. Every vest I have seen that is made in that country is cheap and of inferior quality. So watch what you may consider buying from the cheap on-line biker leather vendors.

I recommend Fox Creek Leather for the best USA-made vests and other motorcycle leather gear.

I hope you find this information helpful as you consider your next purchase of a leather vest.

Life is short: wear leather!

Red and Black Leather

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While I was in San Francisco in March, I had a couple hours free, so I decided to stop by the Mr S Leather store in the SOMA (South of Market) district. Over many years, I have purchased a lot of my leather gear from them. They make good stuff, and have quality leather. They do good tailoring as well.

I remember my first visit to that store back in 1991, some 20 years ago. The store was in a different location then. It was small and dark, and crowded too. (Actually, there were probably 3 or 4 people in the store, but it felt crowded.) Scared the bejeebers out of this curious guy. I don’t know why I was so afraid. I did not buy anything on my first visit.

However, I saw some things that I liked, so my next trip to San Francisco, I screwed up my courage and went back to Mr S. This time, I was there by myself with one employee. The guy greeted me nicely and asked what I was looking for. I told him that I wanted to look around. He let me explore.

I spotted what I was looking for: a pair of leather jeans and a leather shirt. Back then, all the leather garments that they sold were black. I picked out what I liked, and tried it on. The shirt fit fine but the jeans were too long. The store employee was very helpful — he measured my legs and asked me to give him the jeans to have them hemmed. A short while later, the jeans were returned (the person doing the hemming worked on an upper floor). I put the garments in a bag and left.

I wore those leather jeans and shirt a lot. I loved how they felt and how they looked. Subsequently, as I both became more mature and self-confident, I returned to Mr S a lot — and bought a lot of leather gear!

Since I have so much leather gear now (most of it is custom made), I didn’t think that I would see anything that I would want to buy when I visited Mr S again. But it didn’t hurt to look, and admire the gear. They carry a lot of rubber and alternative types of clothing, too, as well as tons of sex toys, and some boots. Hmmm, boots — last thing I needed (’cause I have everything that they sell and didn’t need expensive duplicates). And the sex toys — I tell ‘ya, if I weren’t the confident man that I am, I probably would have run out of there screaming. Gosh some of that stuff looks intimidating and painful. But there I go again — being judgmental about stuff that other people are interested in; just not me.

The store staff were friendly as usual, and were laid back and let me explore some more. Nowadays, Mr S carries a lot of leather gear with colorful accents, or made completely from leather in colors other than black — red, white, blue, hunter green. Their adjustment to offering colorful leather reflects both the times, and their accurate perception that some of us older guys already have all the black leather we will ever want or need, so to entice us to make a new purchase, they have to offer something different.

Then I spotted just the thing: a black short-sleeved leather shirt with red pocket flaps, epaulets, and collar, with a red stripe accent on the end of each sleeve. Wow, cool! Very different, and to me, very interesting.

Thankfully, they have different sizes of their various garments, and I found one — the only one — that was my size. I tried it on. It fit fine. Perhaps a little tight, but I know that as I exercise more this Spring, I’ll loose a little weight in the middle and also I know that leather stretches slightly when it is worn.

The shirt was marked down a little bit — I didn’t know why. The price was right. So despite having to pay humongous sales tax, I bought it. Okay, so I’ll help the local economy. (I could have avoided paying the sales tax if I bought it on-line and had it shipped to my home which is not in California.)

Now, before you go asking about signals that I may be giving, the answer is “no.” Red leather has nothing to do with the Canonical Hanky Code, where red-on-the-left means doing something sexually with a fist (maintaining my G-rated status of this blog … you can figure it out.) I’m not into that. But I do like the contrast of red leather with black leather.

To complete the look, I got a very good quality red leather tie from 665 Leather in West Hollywood, California (on-line). I’m not sure where I will wear this outfit, since I don’t hang out at leather-oriented runs or fashion shows any more. But I’ll enjoy the shirt, and wear it when I ride my Harley. I’ll also wear it on occasion when I go about my daily personal business. For example, I had this shirt on when I went to a local building supplies retailer last week. Two customers saw me and said, “cool shirt, dude!” LOL!

Life is short: enjoy leather!

Vendor Website Expectations

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Let’s face it, most sales these days are conducted on-line.  There are so many resources available, especially for comparison-shopping of pricey products. That includes (from this blogger’s perspective): boots and leather gear.

When one goes on-line to look for a product, one expects:

1. The website to have a working search tool. Being able to narrow down the list by a product number, product name, etc., is very helpful and sort of expected these days. Unfortunately, there are some product vendors who do not have a working search tool available.

2. A method to narrow down choices. If the vendor offers a large variety of styles, sizes, colors, heights, etc., of boots (for example,), then one should be able to narrow down the assortment by various key components, such as gender, manufacturer, color, style, etc. Lacking that, it becomes almost overwhelming.

3. The website to work across major browser platforms. Nothing drives me more bats than to have a vendor’s website only work on Internet Explorer and not Firefox or Chrome. Sheplers is a prime example of a poor performer on this criterion: their website only displays properly on I.E. and not others. It’s a pain in the ass to switch browsers just to accommodate the vendor web designer’s coding problems. (And if I am having problems accessing vendor websites with traditional web browsers on a p.c., I can only imagine that this problem is worse for those who use web-enabled smart phones. Just because I am smart-phoneless doesn’t mean that I do not recognize that many other people use them for on-line shopping.)

4. Web pages to load quickly and efficiently. Some vendors go nuts with Flash, which when done well makes a pretty display, but takes forever to load sometimes. While I love Northbound Leather for the quality of their products, I hate their website for its display — Flash is used way too much. The site is too fancy and frilled, and looses some of its functionality and consumer-friendliness in how it was designed.

5. Being able to tell who you’re dealing with. I want to know if the company I am dealing with is in the U.S., Canada, the E.U., China, Pakistan, or India (for example.) Most U.S., Canadian, and European web sites are fairly easy to confirm where the company is located. I have found, though, that most in China, Pakistan, or India, are not. I have to “whois” the domain of the website to find out where it was registered. And if a registration comes back as an anonymous holder, I run for the hills. (That is, I surf elsewhere. If a vendor will not tell me who they are and where their products originate, I will not do business with them.)

6. Being able to reach a human being by phone if one has questions. Some orders are complex, and some may require custom work. Having a telephone number to call as well as the hours the number is answered is very helpful. (This is another way to tell if you are dealing with a reputable vendor — you should be able to reach them by phone if you have questions.)

7. Being able to cut-and-paste text. This isn’t thought of sometimes, but from my perspective, there are times when I want to take the exact text from a website to do some research — such as the product or style number, exact product description, and so forth. Yes, I admit, I may then use an internet search engine to look up the product number to do comparison shopping. But I also compile a running list of things that I have found that have caught my eye, but for one reason or another, I will not want to order now. I get annoyed with websites that display information in a manner that prevents or blocks grabbing text from a page.

8. That shipping options and cost information are available BEFORE requiring confirmation of a purchase. Some vendors charge an outrageous fee for shipping anyway. Other vendors offer various shipping choices and options — anywhere from next-day delivery of in-stock items to ground methods (usually free to the buyer). What I want to know is what shipping options are offered and how much shipping will cost. If a vendor will charge for shipping, then I add the shipping cost into the product price so when I do comparison shopping, I can compare “apples-to-apples” (that is, what the final price to me would be.) If a vendor will not allow me to estimate shipping costs before purchase, I shop elsewhere.

9. Secure payment processing. These days, one can never be too careful when shopping on-line. A vendor must use a secure payment processing method. I know it’s not cheap to offer that service, but I will not give credit card details via the internet unless I know for certain that those details will be safe. (This website provides helpful information on how to determine if you’re using a secure site.)

10. Functional payment processing. Okay, after I enter my credit card information and other details and click “confirm my order,” I want it to work. Lately, Metboots has lost business from me because their system continued to fail and they would not answer email nor could I reach anyone on the phone who could resolve my problem. (Well, they were happy to take an order by phone, but they would not accept an on-line-only coupon. If their system is messed up and they won’t help me, then their lost business is their problem, not mine!)

11. Acknowledgment via email. Yeah, I want to know my order number and have my order information confirmed, in writing. It’s also a great idea to send a tracking number when the order is shipped, so I can confirm on my own when a package is coming and make arrangements to receive it — especially if it requires someone to sign for it. Again, nothing drives me more crazy than to place an order and have no way of knowing the order was received and processed correctly, or when it will arrive.

These are some of my thoughts — and these days, are not (IMHO) unrealistic to expect. Vendors that offer on-line sales but who do not offer the features described above have to catch up and meanwhile, not expect business from me.

Life is short: buy on-line responsibly and intelligently!

Tall Sendra Boots

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I have seen these boots for years — 18″ tall Sendra cowboy boots, made of all leather.  They have harness straps which are removable (an interesting feature.) These boots, like all other Sendras, are made in Spain from quality leather and materials with great craftsmanship in bootmaking.

Unlike most Sendra boots that have a low heel (about 3/4″ [2cm]), these boots have “normal” heels — 1-1/2″ (4cm) cowboy “walking” heels, which are a typical style and heel height of their American counterparts.

However, Sendra boots generally run small, and the boot shaft even on their shorter boots is tight. I didn’t think that I could wear them, even though I liked the style a lot, as well as the craftsmanship.

I saw them on sale, though — for about half the usual price. A good buy — if they would fit. Before buying them, I asked the store to send me the calf circumference measurement. I explained that my experience was that Sendra boots have smaller calf circumferences that other tall boots, and I wouldn’t order them if the shafts wouldn’t fit me.

The store owner responded rather quickly, and gave me the measurement. Turns out that the calf circumference was exactly equal to the circumference on both legs. I explained that problem, and the store offered to stretch the boots for me, at no additional charge. So I bought them.

The boots arrived, and they fit fine. The right boot was still a little tight, so I used my own calf stretcher and stretched that boot for a few days, and now it fits better.

I have worn the boots to work already and while kickin’ around. I have learned, regretfully, that the boots make my feet tired and sore after a few hours. I do not know why, but it seems that Sendra boots are all like that — or at least those that I own. I like the boots and how they look, but to improve their comfort, I have had to install another insole.

Despite the height of the boots and their nice stitching design, I do not wear them with jeans tucked into them. The calf circumference is still rather close. I can get my jeans into them, but the bulk of the fabric makes my legs feel squeezed — so I don’t wear them with jeans tucked into them. I like how the boots feel on my legs and do not have a “need” or reason to wear them showing the full shaft. I know how tall the boots are. 🙂

Some guys swear by Sendra boots, and others are more like me — they like the style but find them not as comfortable to wear as other boots are.

More photos of these boots are on my website.

Life is short: admire style yet remain practical.

Thanks, Bro

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Guest blog by BHD’s twin brother, J

Thanks, bro, for letting me stay at your home while I had to attend meetings in Washington, DC, this past week. As usual, your hospitality was very much appreciated — though we really didn’t see much of each other!

I would arrive home about 8pm and you and your partner went to bed at 8:30 or 9 at the latest. Fortunately, I could spend time with you in the morning before I left for my meetings. Thanks for cooking breakfast for me each morning.

Despite as busy as we both are, I appreciated what time I did have with you. You’re still “doing your thing” — caring for your senior friends, your partner, and dealing with those community affairs while working more than full time. I don’t know how you do it all.

I enjoyed seeing the family for the usual Friday night family dinner. It was great. Man, our little ones are growing up so fast! I am very happy that most made a special effort to come since I was visiting. It’s not often I get to see 70 members of our family in one place for a happy reason.

Well, that’s it for this post. Keeping it short, as I have plane to catch which will bring me back home to Paris by the time this post appears on your blog.

Thanks again — see you in August when I have month to spend with you!

Ore e sempre,

J

Nice Not To Be Missed

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I was exchanging email with a friend who was telling me that he wanted to go out for a motorcycle ride this weekend, but he had to drive out-of-state to attend his niece’s wedding. I commiserated with that unfortunate situation. This exchange reminded me of one of the unintended benefits of being from a large family. That is, it’s nice not to be missed.

Let me explain. I have mentioned before that I can’t dance worth a lick, and don’t like to be subjected to dancing if I do not have to. Further, I don’t like to be around straight people whose tongues are loosened with alcohol. Sometimes they say some things that can be downright stupid, ugly, or inappropriate in my presence. You know: typical stuff that falls out of guy’s mouths when they are posturing for the Alpha Male position at social gatherings (like wedding receptions or club banquets.)

Then I remembered what I have been doing for the last decade (or longer) since at least 1995 when my partner refused to attend any more weddings with me. He absolutely detests social gatherings, and won’t go with me (especially to wedding receptions with my family. Admittedly, those events can get rather large and loud). Going alone isn’t any fun for me. I feel like a third wheel or … worse.

Anyway, what I explained to my friend is that these days, if invited to a wedding, I decline if it is out-of-town. Traveling to an out-of-town wedding is not my idea of “fun.” It is more like an unnecessary expense.

If I am invited to a wedding that will be held nearby, then I attend the church service, then split. Yep, I’m a real party-pooper. I may show up to the church on my Harley in a suit and polished motorcycle boots, go in, say hello to the family, say my Dominos and Biscuits and all that, then once the bride and groom have left, I hand my gift to someone else who is going to the reception, mount up my iron horse, throttle up and skedaddle.

It really IS a benefit to be in such a huge family, because no one really misses me. Sure, some say they do, but they’re just being nice. Most get so drunk that they can’t remember the next day who else was there. So it does not matter if I do not go. No big shakes.

I guess I am continuing to disprove some typical stereotypes about gay men. Not all of us: 1) like to dress up; 2) can dance or enjoy it; 3) like weddings or wedding receptions. I guess I could add another: I couldn’t tell you what the bride was wearing, and I don’t give a flying frig, anyway. I guess this commentary flows from being about the only gay man I know who didn’t give a rat’s patootee about the wedding that happened in London yesterday.

Life is short: be thankful (sometimes) not to be missed.

The Juggling Act

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Man, this week has been nuts. Believe it or not, I am still recovering from jet lag from my trip to Alaska last week. Either that, or I’m reacting to tree pollen which is extremely high this time of year. The trees in our backyard forest were slow to leaf out this year due to a damp, cool Spring. But this week it has warmed up quite a bit, and the trees have “popped” with lots and lots and lots of pollen. Greenish-yellow film is all over everything. I’ve had to keep the windows closed to keep that stuff out.

My work is going well, but has really ramped up. A huge conference now to plan and conduct in early June, mandated by action in Congress. The short notice isn’t really that much of a surprise, but now I’ve got 14 – 16 hour days running up to that event. The Boss said, “we are relying on your unique set of talents.” How’s that for pressure? LOL!

I thought that was enough, but then the Super-Big Cheese — the one in charge of the whole agency for whom I work — sought me out yesterday to give me his insights on what he wants done. Man, I didn’t even know that he really knew me. I mean, he knew I was here, tangentially, but apparently last week several people advised him that I was who I was and was at his service, so Boom! Busy! Colleagues trying to be funny said, “that’s why you’re paid the big bucks.” Ha!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my twin brother is in town and is also working long days by attending a lot of meetings in the city. He arrived home the past two nights late and tired. I give him something to eat and chat for a few minutes, then head to bed. He stays up for hours, working. I see him in the morning, and have the pleasure of preparing breakfast for him before he heads out to conquer the world of his diplomatic mission.

My partner remains steady as a rock. His work is busy, but not overwhelming. His schedule is dependable and predictable. He isn’t fussing that I’m having to work so many hours this week. As he said, he figured this would happen once they got to know me at my new office and learned how I could apply my skills and talents to meet dynamic and ever-changing demands and needs.

No more travel for me for a while except from home to countless meetings related to this big deal event coming up. That’s fine. It’s what I do. It’s what I enjoy. I have an incredibly talented and dedicated group of colleagues and collaborators on whom I will rely to get this done.

Confucius said, “choose a job you love, and you won’t have to work a day in your life.” I do love what I do… but it IS exhausting!

Life is short: keep busy!

Posted in Job

Pause to Remember

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This is a brief pause to remember what happened on April 28 during the year I was 12 years old. That morning one of my older sisters came into my bedroom early in the morning to tell me that my father died.

It was a Tuesday. I had last seen my father the previous Sunday in the hospital. He was gravely ill, and I think he sensed that would be the last time he would see any of his children. He struggled to remain conscious and alert. I remember that he held our hands, one by one, and told us that he loved us, he loved our Mom, and that he wanted us to be good — good people, good citizens, and good to each other.

That Tuesday morning was hazy. I remember calling my closest friend and gave him the news. My friend went to school and told everyone else. I think one of my older siblings called the school to give them the official news and to explain why none of us would be going to school the rest of the week.

My sister took me to her house. I remember that a lot of people were there. Family, family friends, neighbors, and so forth. I dunno, it all was a daze. I knew that my father was dying, but when the death actually happened, I went into shock.

I don’t remember quite when I saw my mother next. Perhaps it was even the next day. She also was in shock. But she was a strong, strong woman. She held us close, and looked after our needs. I remember that she even took me to a store to get a suit to wear to the funeral. She even let me buy a new pair of boots to wear with it, while my twin brother who already had several suits got a new pair of dress shoes. Always looking after us kids — not herself. I don’t know how she did it.

I was discussing these memories with my twin brother who is visiting this week. His memories are about the same as mine. He said that he remembered sitting next to me for almost the whole week. We were inseparable. We both remember that our siblings — all 13 others of them — each spent time with both of us, hugging, thinking, talking about our respective memories and stories about our father. We had a lot of sibling bonding going on that week, and no sibling squabbles. I think my Dad would have been proud to know that his last wishes — that we all take care of each other and show our love and respect for one another — continued in the immediate period following his death, and to this very day. His legacy holds us close.

Our huge family surrounded us. My father was the first of his siblings to die. All 21 of his brothers and sisters and their families — aunts, uncles, cousins — came to pay their respects and did things (or tried to do things) to show that they cared. One particular cousin, closest to me in age and with whom I had fought like she were a sibling — was particularly close and good to me. I think my father’s death was a turning point in our relationship. We have been and remain fast friends and very very close.

The funeral was also a haze. The long black limos, the police escort from the church to the cemetery, the pictures in the paper and front-page news story — I have copies of those papers that we looked at last night, and I didn’t remember that well at the time. My Dad was a very well-loved man by many people, and highly regarded for his diplomatic work in Europe during its post WWII reconstruction.

I think what I remember most outside of the funeral and such was what my Uncle Joe did. Instead of sit around looking forlorn, he took several of us kids out for ice cream, then to a park to play (or swing, or whatever), and just spent time with us. Getting us out and away from the heavy feeling at home was the best thing he could do for us. He just knew intuitively what to do. No one asked him — he just did it. I sure miss him. He always took such good care of us kids, especially after my father died.

Later today when my brother returns from his meetings in the city, we both will head over to the cemetery where our parents were buried to leave some flowers (from my yard) and to reflect on a man we would have liked to have known longer than we did, but who we loved, admired, and cherished. This cemetery is just a mile from my home; I go there fairly often to reflect and to remember. My twin brother is lucky: he gets to work in the very same office that our father once did in Paris. He has photos of my Dad and various heads-of-state throughout his office. That’s gotta be impressive (and he says “daunting” to live up to that legacy.) (My opinion: if anyone can do it, my twin can. He’s the impressive one!)

Anyway, thanks for reading this brief pause and flow-of-memory. It’s never easy when one’s father dies, especially at such a young age. With the support of loving family and friends, we got through it, together. That’s what Dad wanted.

Life is short: show those you love that you love them.

Benefits of Wearing Leather Every Day

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As my partner was doing our laundry, he remarked, “there’s less laundry than usual since you have gone back to work and telecommute most days.”

I said, “yep, do you know why?” He smiled, looked at me, then came over and said, “I love to hug my man in leather.”

I wear full leather most of the time when I do not have to go to a meeting or my “real” office. Thus, fewer clothes have to be washed. And continuing with my thread of explaining how we make financial decisions, we do not bring our laundry out to be cleaned. We do it ourselves. Easier, cheaper, convenient. And since we don’t dress up much, we do not wear clothes that would have to be cleaned at a dry cleaner. Okay, there I go again with my “anti-suit” prejudice, as well as my frugality. So be it — I admit to both.

Life is short: wear leather! (and save water by doing less laundry! LOL!)

PS: Now that it is significantly warmer, the days I telecommute may find me just wearing a pair of shorts (no boots, either!) Too warm for leather and it doesn’t make sense to pay for air conditioning just to cool the indoor air enough to make leather clothing tolerable. I’d rather keep the AC off during the day and be (almost) naked. Shhhh… don’t tell the boss that a conference call I was on from home found me in that state. I am so glad (for their sake) that these calls do not have a video component! LOL!

Hey, Bro!

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My twin brother is here!  What a surprise!

He was scheduled to visit and attend a meeting in Washington, DC, in mid-April. The date of his meeting changed indefinitely, so I did not think that I would see him until perhaps this summer. He even posted a reply on this blog yesterday (to throw me off the track).

Meanwhile, his meeting got rescheduled — to begin today — and that big lug didn’t tell me! He just showed up and surprised me yesterday morning!

Yesterday, I was working at home and heard a truck on the ordinarily very quiet street. I peeked out, and saw a DHL truck. That is a freight carrier ordinarily used in Europe. My brother told me in his blog comment to expect something from DHL.

I was in the middle of something, so I finished my thought, saved it, and as I ws getting up to go to the door, the doorbell rang. I thought that it was the DHL driver asking me to sign for a delivery. I opened the door — and there was my twin brother handing me a box. Apparently he arrived about the same time that DHL did, so my brother delivered it personally. What a character, that guy!

Technically, I had the day off work on Monday, but was working anyway to catch up on a backlog due to all that travel last week. However, once my brother arrived, I said, “that’s enough for the day,” and turned the computer off. We caught up, laughed, had lunch (at home) and while waiting for my partner to arrive from his visit to his mother’s home in Pittsburgh, I prepared a home-made lemon meringue pie (my partner’s favorite).

My partner showed up about 2pm. We helped him unpack and settle in. Meanwhile, I baked some potatoes, grilled some fillets, made a salad, and enjoyed dinner with two men who mean the world to me: my beloved partner and my twin brother, my two best friends in the whole world. What a great day!

My brother will use our home as “home base” and commute to his meetings in DC this week. I will enjoy having him around. My partner likes him a lot too, so this is great for all of us.

Life is short: cherish family!