IML Time Again

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I had almost forgotten that this coming weekend, thousands of leather dudes from across the planet will be gathering in Chicago for International Mr. Leather, or “IML” for short.

What’s IML? It is the largest gathering in the United States of the leather-geared clan. Purportedly, the contest is the main event, though most attendees go for other reasons: to meet friends, feel free to strut around a major city all decked out from head to boot in leather, to have sex, and generally have a weekend of fun and debauchery.

Chicago is a great town to visit. There are lots of things to see and do. It is fairly level, so it is quite walkable. Restaurants are great, and the locals are friendly and helpful if you need directions or a recommendation for things to see or places to eat. Public transit works well, and can get you most places — including from the airport to the city for only US$2.25, which is much better than a $50 cab ride.

I wrote a blog post just a few weeks ago that explains my outlook on going to leather events. I think they’re fine if you’re single, sociable, are a night-owl, and don’t mind noise (“music” at various venues or men clomping in boots up and down a hotel hallway in the wee hours of the morning while you’re trying to sleep.)

The LeatherMart at IML is second-to-none, with the variety of vendors and gear to touch, examine, ask questions about, or to buy. There are vendors that sell things that I haven’t the slightest clue what they’re to be used for, and expressions of such wonder don’t fit within the G-rated parameters of this blog … so I will suffice it to say that if you want some kind of sex toy or to try something new, someone will have it.

My partner and I went to IML in 2007. It was interesting, and I am glad that we can say that we went and have an idea what it is like. I enjoyed meeting some guys who I had exchanged messages with about boots, leather, etc., through various on-line activities, but before this blog was born. IML is quite the experience, so if you go, remain open to experience new things, meet new people, and have fun — but by all means, guys, be safe! Sheesh, there is no “cure” for HIV infection, and “the cocktail” is not the answer. Use the head on your shoulders… (wink).

While IML isn’t for my partner and me, there are a lot of guys our age (and older) who attend every year. They love it, and we’re happy for them. It’s not an “age” thing as to why we’re not into IML (or MAL for that matter). My biorhythms don’t fit the IML activity schedule, nor do I have much of an interest in taking a bus to go to some crowded bar — even if it is full of lots of guys in leather.

My commitment to my partner (and vice-versa) drives our complete “disinterest” in activities that you can imagine happen (they actually do happen) behind closed doors among consenting adults. And finally, it costs a lot of money when you add up airfare, nights in an expensive hotel room, meals, drinks, registration, and so forth. Even if we have our own leather gear and don’t want or need to buy another thing, the base cost of going to IML if you don’t live near Chicago is beyond what we’re willing to consider shelling out.

If you ARE going to IML, don’t forget my tutorial on Air Travel with Leather Gear. This experience can help you make the best of your travel, particularly when dealing with airport security and carrying “interesting items” with you.

Have fun!

Life is short: BE SAFE!

Men’s Style Article That Is Not All Anti-Leather

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As I was surfing the net over the weekend, I came across an article on the Men’s Flair website (as of Sept. 2016, site not working) that talks about men wearing fashionable leather. While the article still makes some stereotypical comments, such as:

Do not do a full head to toe leather look unless you are going to an S & M club.

Unless you’re a rock star or work in a more liberal work place, leather pants are not suitable for the office.

Once you get past the glib stereotypes, the article has a fairly positive outlook about men wearing leather. That is a vast improvement of what most men’s style websites and magazines have said, which in my observation have been rather strongly opposed to men wearing anything more than a leather jacket.

What the article is saying is that it is okay to wear leather in reasonable amounts for appropriate environments. A leather vest with a dress shirt, or a pair of leather jeans with a turtleneck in casual settings, work well.

Some of the most cogent points the article made include:

  • Leather is a winter fabric not intended for warm environments.

  • A good fit can make all the difference between looking elegant and looking scary.

  • Men sporting the correct leather look exude confidence, strength and sophistication.

  • …[leather] can be suitable for business as well as fun, pairing leather pants with a monochromatic shirt and tie. (Though the article immediately contradicts itself by saying, “However, leather in the workplace are still not accepted.” Well, either it is or isn’t okay in business. My vote is “for.”)

  • When you opt for leather pants, ultra masculine is the way to go. Don a heavy sweater or turtleneck and blazer with black leather pants and boots. [I am shocked! A men’s style site actually recommending leather pants AND boots to be worn in public! I’m going to faint!]

  • Functional and fashionable, masculine and elegant, leather is this season’s hottest look.

  • Men purchase leather accessories all the time with wallets, briefcases, belts and shoes so it is not unfamiliar territory for most men.

  • … who can resist the appeal of that rich, earthy scent of leather?

  • … it’s time to branch out and get some leather wear that will make more of a statement.

I am pleased that some men’s style website somewhere finally had something good to say about men wearing leather garments (including boots) in public, rather than one cliché after another imposing opinion of some leather-fearing queen.

Woo-hoo! Now you have it — the style site proves it — wear your leather! wear your boots!

Life is short: (but is more fun in boots and leather).

Even Cops Have Trouble with Dehner Boots

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I posted instructions on how to break in Dehner patrol boots about six months ago, here.

It is unfortunate that motor officers, much like anyone else, just pull on a new pair of Dehner boots when they get them, rather than take the time to break the ankles properly. Photos of this post are of motor officers wearing Dehner boots. (Real cops in their actual boots.)

One of the cops whose boots are shown below told me that his boots were very uncomfortable. I can understand why. The sideways-turned bend at the shaft of the boot where it meets the foot must rub his ankle on the inside and cause sores.

Anyway, if you get new tall police patrol boots, take time to break them in correctly before wearing them. Otherwise, you’ll be very sorry with the permanent, uncomfortable results.

<==== sideways ankle break         =====>
boot shafts not wide enough for calf circumference, causing the boots to sag badly at the ankles because they cannot be pulled on all the way up, as well as the fabric of the breeches to bunch up at the boot tops because the fabric cannot fit inside the boots due to lack of adequate room.

Life is short: wear Dehners well!


Light Leather

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We had another busy day yesterday. It was raining, and while snuggling longer in bed would have been desirable, we were “up and at-em” by 6:30am. I chose to wear lightweight leather for the day: a short-sleeved leather shirt tucked into lightweight leather jeans. And believe it or not, my Wesco Motor Patrol boots are light, too. These are the lightest Wesco boots I own.

My partner and I went to the local building supplies retailer early, hoping for no crowds. We were right: the weekend warriors slept in and avoided going out in the rain. My leather protected me just fine. We bought a few more annuals for our front garden — my partner can never have enough — as well as some other things we needed.

After that, I dropped my partner off and then picked up a few of my elder buds to take to the grocery store. There they are, nice prim & proper older ladies, with this leather dude helpin’ out. A guy in the parking lot noticed and said, “I guess it keeps you dry, huh?” Yep… sure does. Feels good, too.

I escorted my friends back into their homes — very very carefully as I learned my lesson about slipping and falling (and breaking a leg) when bringing an older friend home after grocery shopping on a rainy day. Then I went to care for my elderly aunt for a while.

When I arrived home, it was time to get cooking! Woo-hoo! Home-made ravioli and tomato sauce was prepared all afternoon. My partner and I can do this smoothly and we make a good team as we prepare one of our favourite “make-ahead” meals. We enjoy eating it on days when there is little time between arriving home from work and my having to leave to go to an evening meeting. I also am giving a batch to some friends who have experienced a devastating loss — their son — who was killed in a car crash a week ago.

As readers of this blog know, I like to wear leather as often as I can, and I have no worries about wearing full leather in public. However, I don’t like to sweat. Lightweight leather works great for these intermediate days when the temperature is mild, but not excessively hot.

Life is short: wear your leather!

Civic Life in Boots

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Yesterday I attended three homeowner and civic associations’ annual meetings. I was asked to speak and give updates about various things going on in our community: the county budget and its impact on taxes we all have to pay; construction of the most expensive toll highway in the country, going right through our area (can you tell I’m not a fan?); and development projects in the area. This is what I do. This is my life. I do it as a volunteer.

… and I attended these meetings dressed comfortably in a pair of Wranglers, a t-shirt from the local university which has my state’s name on the front, and 17″ Chippewa engineer boots. Why those boots, in particular? To be honest, they were the first boots I saw in the closet this morning, and I know they are comfortable. I drove to the meetings outside my neighborhood on my Harley, so I wanted biker boots, not smooth-soled cowboy boots. The engineer boots are my newer of the Chippewa engineer boots that I own, so they look good. My older pair of these boots are kinda dirty with residual mud stains, so they wouldn’t look all that good when walking into someone’s home or civic meeting space.

As usual: not a single person of the hundreds of people before whom I spoke said a thing about the boots. No one ever does.

Life is short: contribute to your community!

Cowboy Boots Back On My Feet

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I am pleased to say that the entire range of boots that I own are now wearable again. The swelling in my formerly broken ankle is negligible. Sure, I feel a little pain from time to time when rain is threatening, but not on an ongoing basis, and nothing that a couple aspirin can’t mask. However, I sure know what it means when people who have had broken bones refer to themselves as a “human weather barometer.” I tell ya’, earlier this week it rained, and my ankle hurt. When it’s sunny, it doesn’t.

I am happy that my cowboy boots are back on my feet, which look better with dress clothes that I wear to work.

Woo-hoo! Recovery progresses!

How Heat Damages Dehner Boots

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Shown here and below are photos of boots worn by motor officers who participated in the Law Ride that was held in Washington, DC, on May 9, 2010.

Look at the areas on the side of each officer’s right boot that is inside the red circle. You will see that the boot shaft in that area is a dull gray. That dull gray area on the boot demonstrates what happens to Dehner’s Dehcord (Clarino) product when it is exposed to heat of a motorcycle engine.

I have often pointed out that such damage occurs, and now can show visible proof.

It’s kinda a love-hate thing about Dehner Boots. They style is great. The quality of the material on the shaft of stock boots cannot withstand ordinary exposure to the heat of motorcycle engines. Why? It is plastic, not leather. The change of color and loss of shine is due to the plastic slightly melting and changing its composition just a little bit. Unfortunately, once damaged, the material cannot be repaired, fixed, or restored to its once lustrous shine.

Many cops have told me that they like stock Dehner boots because they are easy to care for. A quick spray of furniture polish and a wipe-down restores the boot shafts to a very shiny appearance. All except the area exposed to the hot engine, which dulls out rather quickly. Some cops don’t care, and some do. Those who do replace their boots quickly enough that it doesn’t matter to them if the boots “show character” from such damage incurred when worn on a police motorcycle.

I have to point out, while I am a Harley guy (thus the name), this damage occurs to Dehner boots worn on a Police Harley. The other manufacturer of police motorcyles — BMW — has its engine, engine guard, and exhaust pipes configured in such a way that the rider’s boot shaft doesn’t get close to the source of heat, so the boots do not discolor like they do when worn on a Harley.

If you like Dehner boots but don’t wear them while riding a Harley, then the stock version should suit you well. They are much less expensive than the all-leather version, which costs more than twice as much.

Life is short: know your boots.

Weird Email

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I received the following email message:

Sub: hi booted harleydude
Message:
dear booted harley dude
how you doing
i got apartment
you are cool
my home phone number is 352-xxx-xxxx
my cell phone number is 352-yyy-yyyy
mail it your leather pants
your friend [name withheld]

I am rather understanding and accepting of all people. However, this message left me scratching my head. What did this guy want? Who is he? This is the first message I have ever received from him.

One would think, “aw, give the guy a break. He may be from another country.” Generally, I would give a much wider latitude in not understanding how to write in English or communicate in a first message to someone who lived somewhere else, but this guy lives in the United States (I validated it from the IP address of the sender.)

I try hard to respond to every legitimate, non-viagra-vending-spam email message that I get. But this one left me confused and, to be honest, mildly offended.

I wrote back and said, “thanks for your message. I do not call people who I do not know on the telephone,” and left it at that.

If you received such a message, what would you have done?

Life is short: resolve confusion.

Travelers Do Stupid Things

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Photo above: my view of Mt. Rainer and the Cascades after departure from Seattle

For about 20 years in my old job, I traveled about 150,000 – 200,000 miles each year, going to some 70 – 80 locations, primarily throughout the United States. Large cities, small towns, islands, deserts, and everywhere in between.

I do not work for that employer any more, nor travel nearly as much. And after airport security was forever changed after the attacks of September 11, 2001, traveling by air has been nothing but a big PITA.

But it can also be amusing if you look and don’t let stupid things other people do annoy you. Here are some things that I observed on my recent trip to and from Seattle:

  • Going through security at BWI, after a woman takes off her shoes to run them through the x-ray, she asks the TSA agent staffing the machine, “will your machine be able to show me if I need to replace the soles on my shoes?”
  • [Yuppie carrying a huge cup of expensive coffee at security]: “Hell no, I won’t give you my coffee! I ‘need it’!” (Yeah, right… just admit it, you spent US$7 on a cup of coffee and you didn’t read the signs that you can’t bring it through security. Duhhh…)
  • [very important guy in a suit to security agent]: “I don’t have time for this. My flight leaves in ten minutes!” (Well, dumb-dumb, get up an hour earlier next time!)
  • [Ding-dong trying to carry three bags onto the plane, but stopped by the gate agent demanding that he check one bag]: “No, I have to have these bags when we land. My stuff is very important! (Yeah, you’re important, too. I’m really impressed.)
  • [Guy trying to put two bags in the overhead bin when asked five times to put one under the seat on the full flight]: “I need legroom!” (Yeah, well, your convenience and comfort is much more important that everyone else’s, isn’t it?)

But everyone isn’t a self-centered jerk. I also noticed:

  • Younger, tall guy lifting bags for three other people when the plane was loading and unloading.
  • A woman sharing a meal that she brought on-board with her seat mate.
  • Two men taking a middle seat (each) in the back so a young couple departing for their honeymoon could sit together in the ransom-payment “economy-plus” seating.
  • Many displays of patience, which these days, is more necessary than ever.

As I said, traveling these days isn’t much fun, especially when people say and do dumb things and think only of themselves. When they cooperate, follow the rules, and listen, the experience is much better.

Life is short: plan ahead, relax, and think before you act.

Happiness For A Day

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Life is short: show those you love that you love them. … so I frequently end posts on this blog when I speak about my family and legion of “elder buds.”

This past Saturday, my partner and I planted some flowers in a garden outside Mabel’s condo, so she could see them from her window and enjoy. We didn’t think much of it. She said that she liked to see flowers, and all the flowers she once had were gone, destroyed by snow, eaten by deer, gobbled by weeds.

In about an hour, my partner and I pulled weeds, turned the soil over, added some compost to enrichen it, and planted some daisies, coriopsis, and our state flower, Black-Eyed Susans. Mabel loved Black-Eyed Susans, in particular. I don’t quite know how I remembered that, but I did.

Mabel was so happy. She gave each of us a big hug, a huge warm smile, and thanked us profusely. We said, “nothin’ to it; glad to help.” We washed our hands and were on our way.

Sunday morning, Mabel phoned. Once again, she described how happy she was to wake up, open her blinds, and see the flowers. She said that she knew she could call early (6:30am) because she knew I was always an early riser.

“Mabel, thanks for your call. Seriously, nothin’ to it. You made us some great casseroles when I was laid up with my broken leg. It’s what we do: help each other. Thank you for the thanks, which warms our hearts. Seeing your smile is our rich reward.”

Monday morning, Mabel’s neighbor called me to let me know that the ambulance came to Mabel’s condo, followed by the coroner. Mabel died in her sleep. That surprised me. She had not been ill, and she wasn’t “that old.” She was 78. Always bright, peppy, and full of good cheer. I knew that she had a history of heart problems, which is why she gave up driving her own car. She was afraid that “some crazy driver will cause me to have a heart attack!” She always said that with a laugh, but I sensed that she was seriously frightened.

Mabel gave up her car six months ago. I helped her sell it. Then I began including Mabel on my regular rounds of older folks who I take to the grocery store for shopping trips. Mabel was doing well. She was getting rides, using the bus, and otherwise getting around rather well on her own. She admitted to me rather sheepishly on Saturday morning that she had me take her to the store because she liked spending time with me — but she really didn’t need it. She was managing well on her own.

Mabel taught me a lot of things. She was an avid historian. I learned a lot of history of my own state, and about the U.S. Revolution. She shared information in an entertaining and informative manner, dropping in occasional lines like “Charles Carroll of Carrollton was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence when he died at age 95 — 40 years beyond the life expectancy of someone of his cohort.” She always talked like that… sprinkled scientific terminology with history. I shall always cherish what I learned from Mabel spending time in my life. Sharing with me. Being my friend.

Mabel was so very happy — for a day — the day being Sunday, the last day of her life. All because of a few measly flowers that we planted on a Saturday afternoon. Who woulda thunk?

Life is short: show those you love that you love them. Do it now… you never know.

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