Tactically Booted

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When I went to Puerto Rico, all the men who I worked with were dressed in lightweight BDUs and tactical boots.  While my Chippewa Firefighter Boots were comfortable and suitable for the terrain, they were not quite the right boot for field work.

Upon return home, I looked at the combat/tactical boots in my boot closet.  The boots that I have are “old-school” military jump boots.  I wore them a lot when I went skydiving back in the day. But honestly, those boots are hell on the feet. They are hard to wear, especially all day long in hot sun.

These days, modern tactical boots are made of a combination of materials:  leather uppers with nylon shafts, and waffle soles.  (My partner will like that part… waffle soles don’t get mud caked in them to dry out and be left in clods all over the house.  Oooops….)

I have several pairs of BDUs, or utility pants. Lots of pockets and made of a cotton/poly blend that dries quickly if it gets wet.  The material also washes easily.

So I took the hint from my colleagues in Puerto Rico. I did my homework, and selected a pair of Belleville Air Force Tactical Boots. They are standard military spec, 8″ high, and in sage green. (I didn’t want the desert tan version; I am not in the Army and I am not going on field assignment in the desert.) What I particularly like about these boots (besides their comfort) is that once you lace them up, you do not have to lace them again. Each boot has a zipper on the side which makes it easy to pull them on and take them off.

I found them for sale from an on-line military boot supplier that happened to be having a sale the day I landed on their website. I snagged ’em, and soon enough the Man-In-Brown brought them to my doorstep. A few days later, I checked the supplier’s website, and found these same boots were priced US$20 more than what I paid for them, so I truly think it was a short-term sale that I was fortunate to find.

Now I am “tactically booted” for my next field assignment… whenever and wherever it may be.  I anticipate (eventually) a trip to the far outer reaches of the United States Domain, waaaaaaaaaaay out in the Pacific.  These boots will travel well and be comfortable for all-day use on rough terrain.

I have already worn them while taking my loooooong morning walks. They are very comfortable. Almost feel like sneakers (if I knew what sneakers felt like; I have not worn sneakers since gym class in junior high school.)

Life is short:  choose the right boots for the right application!

Marriage Is Postponed

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I was deeply saddened, but to be honest, not surprised, that the bill in my home state of Maryland that would afford my partner and me, and all same-sex loving couples in my state, the ability to marry, was referred back to Committee on Friday, March 11, by our state’s House of Quivering Delegates. That action (or inaction) effectively killed it for the year.

There were many articles about this decision that appeared in various media outlets and political blogs. I also read many messages about it from some Delegates who represent areas of the county where my partner and I have our home.

The only good news, if there is good news, is that the bill was referred back to Committee, so it can come up again in the House next year and not have to be re-introduced and go through our State Senate again. Just because it passed in our Senate this year doesn’t mean that it will next year. Elected leaders change minds sometimes.

After reading through the wailing and the political stuff, what became apparent is that the reason why the bill didn’t pass our House of Delegates was last-minute pressure put on Delegates who serve a county south of us, whose population is predominantly African American, many of whom belong to organized megachurches. While this bill was never a religious matter — in fact it’s title and content called it, “Religious Freedom and Protection” because it clearly stated that a religious institution did not have to conduct same-sex marriages if it didn’t want to — nonetheless, the members of what the media describes as “Black Megachurches” became active on the matter when our State Senate passed the bill. The church members took that action as a “wake-up call” and began calling and visiting their Delegates, telling them to oppose the bill.

This puzzled me, but after looking into it, and with the help of a good friend who is much more knowledgable on these issues than I am, I learned what happened and why it happened. My friend wrote me an explanative piece which I would like to feature, below, as a guest blog post. Read on.

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I had very high hopes for a positive outcome and it saddens me that once again our rights have been denied in the name of Christianity. I have to remember that the fight for civil rights is an ongoing struggle. Thanks for thinking of me as you wrestle with this matter. As one who grew up in the black church and with family members who have been very active and have led churches, I think I can shed some light. There are several points that come to mind.

By and large, black churches are represented by evangelical denominations that focus on a literal and conservative interpretation of the Bible and believe the words written there were not influenced by those societies and are timeless.

Historically, Baptist and Methodist denominations have been most influential in establishing black churches throughout the country from the era of slavery through Jim Crow. Maryland, Virginia, and other southern states with large slave populations were fertile grounds to these denominations. In my experience, these dominations believe in a literal Biblical interpretation. Each will point to the clobber passages, the verses about Sodom and Gamorrah, and Paul’s writing in the New Testament to say that homosexuality is a sin. Combine that with the evangelical position that to be a true Christian you must denounce sin and ask God to change your sinful nature, you have a recipe that doesn’t allow room for the consideration that homosexuality is another variant of human sexuality, and no more or less sinful than heterosexuality. Once you are baptized, by full immersion, you are a “new creature” who is expected to reject your sinful past and embraces everything holy.

When I was growing up in the 60s and 70s, it used to be common practice for churches to require young women who became pregnant out of wedlock, to come to the front of the church to apologize to the congregation for ther sin. In fact, about 10 years ago a cousin my age did just that at the church her father pastored in Tennessee. It was only after she did so that she was considered to be fully repentant of that sin. I’m sure my uncle took that memory to his grave feeling that he could rest easily. So, it’s not that homosexuality is a greater sin than any other, it’s just that, like pregnancy out of wedlock, it’s readily observable, easily identified, and in the mind of the devoute, the result of willful behavior.

I give that example to show the conservative nature of many black churches in rigid belief systems that tend to make no allowance for any position that does not fit squarely into what a literal interpretation of the Bible affords. It’s not just their belief that we as gays are sinners, but that we’re unrepentant sinners that forces them to fight so diligently against our rights. They truly believe that if we just stop the sinning, there will be no need for special rights and considerations.

This rigid belief system makes them very easy prey to the exploitations of organizations like NOM, Focus on the Family, and others like them. Because, at the end of the day, this only became an issue for the black churches to become involved in at 11th hour. This is not a platform that black churches routinely focus upon. Employment, education, and adequate health care in the black community are the issues of greatest interest and need. The megachurches no doubt were willing to enter the fray given their view of the role of civil government. According to the website of Metropolitan Baptist Church, a black megachurch in that area, “We believe that civil government is of divine appointment, for the interests and good order of human society (1); and that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed (2); except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ (3) who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of the kings of the earth (4).” I’m sure the anti-gay organizations played upon this to elicit their support.

What LGBT organizations have to learn is that marriage equality will never be seen by these types of black churches as a civil rights issue until they can demonstrate that black LGBT families suffer disproportionately when these rights are not preserved.

Marriage says to my employer that my spouse is covered by my health benefits with no questions asked. Even a progressive employer might provide benefits for my partner, but as you know, they’re taxed. That represents less money for basic necessities for your family. Couple that with the fact that black households typically earn less than white households, you begin to demonstrate the unfairness that not having marriage equality produces.

I took a look at the website of your state’s LGBT-serving organization and my suspicions were confirmed. They suffer from a lack of diversity that make them appear to be an organization interested only in the rights of middle and upper middle class white gays and lesbians — a population that’s very foreign to the black church community. So, at first glance, gay marriage is not a issue of concern for the black community.

The role of the black megachurches in Maryland can be seen as comparable to the Jerry Falwell Christian Right of the Reagan era. The Maryland Delegates were no fools in not ignoring their voices. Megachurches have million dollar budgets and the loyal financial support of thousands of congregants. The black church teaches the principle of tithing. So, devout members regardless of income, willingly offer 10 percent of earnings each Sunday morning. The message to a Delegate is that he can either listen to this voice, or be replaced in the next election by someone who will. Harry Jackson has said as much in a recent statement.

So, where does this leave us? Will the black church move to a more inclusive stance? It’s doubtful as long as it holds steadfastly to its evangelical stance. I wrote to you earlier this year that I have become an Episcopalian. In addition to being a gay affirming and welcoming denomination, for the most part, the church’s history of facing and working through its race, LGBT, and gender issues is very appealing to me. There will be hope for black churches when they go the same exercise and realize that welcoming those who only look, think, and behave like you isn’t what you’ve been called upon to do. Many seem to have forgotten that those Jesus associated with were those on the fringes of society…tax collectors, lepers, non-Jews, and women. And those he had the harshest lessons for were the religious.

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[BHD back again]: I should point out that it is not “all” Black churches or clergy in my state who oppose same-sex marriage. Several brave clergy members representing those churches stood up to be counted and made impassioned pleas on behalf of those of us who are gay. However, there were not enough of them, and the majority (closed-minded) opinion won the day.

I appreciate my friend’s knowledge and insights which help me to understand what needs to be done next year. The battle ain’t over by a long shot, and some day, I will stand in a civil proceeding in my state and look my partner in the eye, and say, “I Do.”

Life is short: let us marry.

Is It Spring Yet?

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A buddy of mine who rides a Harley and lives in a state much farther north than where I live in the U.S. sends me email regularly asking, “is it Spring yet?” … then regales me with some humorous remarks about how he is enduring cabin fever. He is a regular reader of this blog, too.

Man, I’m sorry the weather remains cold and unsuitable for regular riding up there where you live. It’s been cold and wet these last days of astronomical winter in Maryland, too. However, it is warming up. I have been able to get out for at least a short ride on sunny, “warmish” weekend days. Soon enough, I’ll be riding every day.

For now, I will enjoy just getting out for a little bit, getting some fresh air, and the chance to break in some new boots.

New boots you ask? Well, it’s like this: barter and negotiation resulted in a new pair of really cool brown Chippewa harness boots with a full-quill ostrich foot and rubber tread soles delivered to me at half-price. These are the best combo “biker/cowboy” boots I have had (lately, anyway LOL!)

So I geared up in brown — brown Wranglers, my old and trusty brown Hein Geriche motorcycle jacket — and off I went. It was a “tad” chilly, so I’ll be looking for some brown chaps to match… sometime. But for now, “it’ll do.”

Life is short: take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy it — in BOOTS!

Weirdness

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I tell ‘ya, loyal blog readers, I am feeling pretty damn weird.  Let me explain.

For more than 20 years, I worked for an organization that had me traveling a lot. Mostly what I did was conduct training, give speeches, and attend thousands of meetings all over the United States and its territories. Occasionally, my work involved travel to other countries, too. Not often, but enough to make things interesting. When big disasters happened, I engaged my “cross-training” and joined responders to do … whatever … on-scene and in the trenches, getting the job done side-by-side with very hard-working people with big hearts and caring service delivery.

I left that job at the end of 2004 for several reasons, and I will not belabor the rationale here. I went on to take care of an uncle through the winter of his life until his peaceful passing. After that, I accepted a “place-holder” job which was interesting, but removed from my passion (that is, my specific field of expertise.)

I was laid off from that job in June, 2010, and I think it was for a reason (besides the funding that supported it running out.) My sweet aunt needed a lot more attention, and I had the time to care for her through her life’s winter, until her peaceful passing in January, 2011.

Meanwhile, I accepted a position in late November and I am pleased as punch to be back in my direct field, working with colleagues with whom I once worked before, and doing many things that I enjoy (again).

The thing is, this job does not have any “cross-trained response role.” That means that when a big disaster happens, like the events of March 11, I did not run to the rescue… or run with colleagues to help. Sure, it was busy in the office and I was involved with media work, but it’s not the same. Honestly, I kinda miss it.

Well, I do and I don’t. The long hours and sleepless nights in crowded and noisy conditions become harder to bear the older one gets.

I did get an offer from a major player in disaster relief to go work with them for several weeks, but my current employer couldn’t give me paid time off and I couldn’t afford the financial hit to take time off without pay. So I’m still home, watching the news and emailing colleagues and tracking what’s going on via social networks. But it’s not the same. It just feels really, really, I mean really, weird.

Life is short: manage conundrums!

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Can I Come See Your Boot Collection?

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From time to time, I receive messages complimenting the size, quality, and variety of boots in my collection. I appreciate that. Follow-up email has asked if a visit to see my boot collection could occur.

My response is, “sorry, don’t take it personally, but no.”

I do not have visitors other than family into my home, and family visits are few and far between. My partner is a very private man and detests (word selected for a reason) having people over. I will not have visitors when he is not at home. While he trusts me, having “Bootmen” come to my home is suggestive of interest in something beyond my boots. Sorry, ain’t gonna happen. It’s best to avoid anything like that.

Plus, while most of my boots are in my Boot Closet, there are others in my bedroom closets and a few other places here and there in my home. I’m not going to have someone parade through my house and look in my closets. While I have nothing to hide, a bedroom is a private space, and I don’t bring anyone other than my partner into our bedroom.

‘Nuf said. Thanks for the compliments and your interest. You can see all of my boots on my website.

Life is short: define your limits, and live within the established “house rules.”

What Is Wrong With Regular Old Email?

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I registered Booted Harleydude on several websites years ago. Some of them (Recon, for example) have internal message systems. That is, you can send another member of the site a message. Then it requires the person to log on to the site to read it.

Unfortunately, most of these sites do not notify the recipient that a message is waiting. The only exception is Blogger (host of this blog) and YouTube. Both of those systems are owned by Google, and both send a message via direct email to let me know that a comment is ready to be reviewed and approved, or a message is waiting.

I say very clearly on my Recon and other profiles that I do not check their sites every day. In fact, I probably only check them once a month. The reason why I registered BHD on those sites is to preserve my screen name. So contrary to what Recon says “the world’s largest hook-up site for men into fetish gear” — I did not join that site to “hook up” with anyone, but to share and see others in gear that I enjoy wearing and using on a regular basis (and to keep nefarious scoundrels from committing cyber-identity theft.)

Well, anyway, lately I have received some messages, such as:

  • Send me a text and let’s skype
  • Let’s chat. What’s your IM name?
  • Meet me in the chat room.
  • I have some questions about [brand] of boots

Here are some answers for ‘ya….

1. I don’t text and I don’t Skype. Sorry, but I’m not into texting and have even blocked that feature from my cell phone so I don’t have to pay for data that I do not use. Skype is interesting, but again, I do not use it and don’t see why I should. I communicate with my twin brother in France via this funny old thing called a “hard-wired telephone.” I know what he looks like. I don’t need video to add to it.

2. Gosh, I am really old-fashioned, as I do not use instant messaging at all, nor do I have time to visit chat rooms. I tried I.M., and was annoyed with it popping up during my work day. I did not want that distraction while I was working. I do not use the computer much when I am off the clock (except, perhaps, to post on this blog! LOL!) and when I am composing a blog message, I do not want to be distracted by I.M. Contrary to what some may think, I have a life and a lot of my life does not involve using a computer or surfing the net or exchanging messages with other people. I know that sounds harsh, but I’m an old fart so forgive me. (This is another way of saying that I took I.M. off my computer and do not use it.)

3. Chat rooms? They are ubiquitous now. There’s “boot chat” on hotboots.com and many others on all these various forums. Chatting on-line requires time — that I simply don’t have. Or don’t want to spend on it. My partner asked once, “don’t you want to talk with me?” He’s right — he is my main “chatterer” and focus of my attention. If I spent time chatting on-line and not with him, it gives a mixed message that I don’t want to give. Plus, honestly, I really do not have the time.

4. If you have questions for me about boots or leather, why put such questions into a tiny little text box in an on-line program’s communication box? Wouldn’t it be easier if you sent me an email and we could exchange messages? Honestly, I don’t get it….

This all boils down to my asking again, “what’s wrong with regular old email?” Am I just so old-fashioned that I am communicating with the proverbial tin can and a string?

Just wondering….

Addendum: someone sent me an email recently and I replied. I received a response two days later advising me that my email went into his spam folder. I suggest that if you send me a message via my website or this blog, to make sure that you ‘whitelist’ the domain bootedman.com so email from me will reach you without being screened as possible spam. I do not know why that happens, and it seems to happen inconsistently with various email systems — Comcast email being the worst.

Life is short: communicate via methods that work for the person with whom you are communicating.

Blog Post 1100

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Quickly enough, I have reached the 1,100 milestone for blog posts. Interestingly, five of my previous posts continue to rank highest in overall views. The data hasn’t changed much since I posted about that before.

Number One: Bulges and Breeches. Often people use a search engine to look for images from Tom of Finland, and end up here.

Number Two: Where Do You Find Masculine Gay Guys? Searching for masculine gay men is a common occurrence, and this blog post is most frequently found. It does not provide all of the answers, but addresses issues about masculine gay men that some people may not have thought about.

Number Three: How To Tell If You Have Vintage Frye Boots. There are a lot of searches for information about those classic and nostalgic boots.

Number Four: Cowboy Boots and Jeans. I am convinced: there is an obsession among many people about how to wear cowboy boots with jeans. Lots and lots of people use search engines to inquire whether someone should or should not wear jeans tucked into cowboy boots, as well as what “stacked jeans” means and what kind of jeans to get.

Number Five: Best Motorcycle Boots. Again, it is my opinion that Chippewa Firefighter Boots serve superbly as motorcycle boots, and fit the current custom and style of today’s biker.

It has been fun blogging, and I’ll keep at it. I notice what others look for, but my life is complex and fulfilling, so I blog about a lot of different things — not just leather or gay life or cowboy boots or motorcycle boots. As I was telling someone via email recently, “I have a life.” Yes, I do, and it is reflected, in part, on this blog.

Thank you, my loyal blog readers, for visiting. Come back soon!

Life is short: keep blogging!

Negotiation and Barter

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Americans as a whole tend to abhor negotiation and barter. They see something that they like, and often just buy it for whatever price is listed. Sometimes people shop around and compare prices for the same (or similar) things on various websites, but usually people “go with what they know” and buy from vendors they have dealt with before at whatever price is listed.

I admit, I have done that too. But having spent a year in my college days in Europe, living with local families and learning about life in situ, I learned a lot about barter and negotiation.

Barter: trade something of value for something considered to be of equal value. Think about it, kids barter all the time. Why do we forget that technique when we become adults? I do a lot of barter with services. I need contractors who can replace a tub in a rental house. In exchange for their labor, I have done some electrical repairs for them. Barter applies well to both services as well as goods. While I do not trade boots or leather gear, I know others who have done that and such exchanges generally have worked out well.

Negotiation: the old adage, “you don’t ‘get’ unless you ask” applies. If you see something you like — such as a leather jacket or a pair of boots — it is perfectly fine to ask the seller if he/she would accept a different price. That’s called negotiation.

One very important thing to remember: “MSRP” means “Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price.” It does not mean “final” price.

When approaching a negotiation, don’t be stupid and offer, for example, $200 for a pair of new stock Dehner boots that retail for twice that. No retailer in his right mind will accept such a low-ball offer. However, many retailers will match prices offered by other vendors if asked — and even if they do not offer to do that on their website.

I have saved between US$25 and US$200 on a new pair of boots simply by asking for a different price, and giving specifics. “That pair of boots is on sale here … ” (and provide the link.)

I have avoided turning my website (or this blog) into a sales gimmick — promoting one vendor’s products over others so that I can get free stuff or reduced prices on goods and gear. My website is a personal hobby, not a vendor forum. However, I will state where I obtained a product and how others interested in it can get it. In exchange for that, I sometimes have offered data (website visitor logs help) and asked for a reduced price on something. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I do not. But again, if you don’t ask, you don’t “get”!

A lesson that I learned (and that’s darn hard for many Americans for reasons that escape me) is “when to walk away.” That is, if you want something and you think you made a reasonable offer for it, be prepared to say “no” if you do not get the price you want.

Back in the day, that is how people bought automobiles. They would go into a dealership and get a price, then walk out if the price were too high and go to another dealer to see if that dealer would beat the first dealer’s price. Some people still buy cars that way, while others think that comparative shopping on the internet is sufficient. Remember: the listed price (including the price that appears on the internet) is what the vendor wants for the item, not necessarily what he/she will ultimately get for it (this is particularly true for automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles.)

By the way, that’s how auto dealerships fool you. They all will negotiate, but most people fall for their “no-haggle pricing” policy by stating prices on websites. Don’t be a sucker. I saved over US$2,000 on my last truck by negotiating hard for a good deal, and by visiting six dealerships in the process. It was a lot of work, but was well worth it!

Anyway, if you make a reasonable offer and can’t get it, then just suck it up and say, “no, thanks” and walk away. Most of the time, the deal ends there because most vendors either think that you’ll come back and say, “okay, I’ll pay what you want” or they simply will not negotiate.

I have some experiences where a vendor said, “no, we will not give you your price” and I said, “no, thanks.” Several days later, the vendor contacted me again and said, “do you still want this?” and I replied, “yes, but my price is [same one as before].” The vendor then replied, “okay, you can have it at that price after all.” That did not happen all the time, but more often than not, so it is valuable to learn to say “no” and be prepared to stick to your guns.

Negotiation is not hard to do, but requires some courage. Americans on the whole have become spineless in even thinking about negotiating for a price. But as I said above, “you don’t ‘get’ unless you ask” — so ASK! The worst that can happen is that the response will be, “no.” Then you are no worse off than before.

Hmmmm… let me take you to an auction sometime. That’s always a barrel of laughs.

Life is short: it’s always a negotiation.

Random Boot Shots

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While organizing photos on my computer, every now and then I see some pics from the past that for whatever reason, recapture my attention. Here are a few which have appeared on my website and this blog in the past. I am reposting them for no reason other than I like ’em.

Above, my Chippewa Firefighter Boots, which are a favorite for hot-weather motorcycle riding.

Above, Chippewa High-Shine Boots with Lug Soles that I saw on a cop in May, 2008 (this photo). I had lug soles added to a pair of them for myself. Great boots!

My old Wesco Boss Boots that still look and feel great, even after 20 years.

My newest pair of custom Wesco Roughout Harness Boots that are burgundy and brown in color. Very different boots that get many comments when I wear them.

My All American “Blue Knight” patrol boots. Very well-made and rugged boots made completely of leather.

My newest pair of Dehner Field Boots that a buddy thinks are “the bomb.” I like them too!

My Dehner patrol boots with Vibram 100 lug soles. While these boots have shafts made of that plastic stuff called “Clarino Leather” (aka “Dehcord”), they still have a classic appearance that I enjoy wearing from time to time.

A random pair of Dehner motorcycle police patrol boots that I have seen among hundreds of pairs at police motorcycle competitions.

Life is short: wear boots!

Lonely Saturday Night?

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This is just an observation.

Saturday nights must be a night for web surfing. For the past ten weeks, Saturday visitors to my website spike by about 25% (more than the daily average on other days of the week), particularly from the hours between 7pm and midnight US-ET. I hope whatever you’re finding, dudes, you’re enjoying it!

Life is short: surf the web for leather and boots!