![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/DCPridesmall.jpg?resize=300%2C226\")
I don’t live in a closet, but sometimes, I feel as if I live under a rock. You know, when your Spouse remains constantly ill, you lose awareness of all things around you other than him. <\/p>\nI don’t live in a closet, but sometimes, I feel as if I live under a rock. You know, when your Spouse remains constantly ill, you lose awareness of all things around you other than him. <\/p>\n
Some recent conversations with friends made me realize, though, that even if Spouse were not so ill, I still do not think much about being gay or doing… However, I was speaking with a friend at work yesterday, whose public story about going to Chicago was to see the musical “Hamilton,” when actually, he and his husband went to IML. I can understand why the public story about the travel was to see an interesting and popular musical because most people we both know wouldn’t understand IML anyway. Wink wink… I get it. <\/p>\n Then a cousin asked me if I were “going to DC Pride” this weekend and could I give him a ride?<\/p>\n Heck, I hadn’t thought about it and wasn’t aware that this event was actually this weekend. I just plain forgot.<\/p>\n Going to gay things just is not on my radar (or gaydar) any more. I really live in the most “ungay” world. I don’t have a group of gay friends with whom I socialize. Most of my social interactions are limited to my biker buddies, fire department brothers, LOLITS (little old ladies in tennis shoes who I escort to grocery stores), as well as my civic wonk friends. My spouse has no friends at all and remains Mr. Recluse.<\/p>\n Gay events do not register with me any more. (More banter after the photo… read on) I am not dismissing Gay Pride — it is important for several reasons, especially with the Bloviator-in-Chief and his cronies in office. However, I have other pressing matters on my mind and gay-anything is the last thing I would think about.<\/p>\n Life is short: maintain priorities, but warmly support (even remotely) the pride and fun for others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I don’t live in a closet, but sometimes, I feel as if I live under a rock. You know, when your Spouse remains constantly ill, you lose awareness of all things around you other than him. Some recent conversations with … Continue reading
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\n…things like attending International Mr. Leather<\/em> in Chicago last weekend, or going to Capital Pride in Washington DC this coming weekend.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/IML.jpg?resize=300%2C300\")
With as frantic and frustrated as my Spouse has been about his health, I had completely forgotten that the ump-de-dumph annual International Mr. Leather (IML) was held in Chicago, as usual, over Memorial Day weekend. Once in what seems like a zillion years ago, Spouse and I attended it (2007)<\/a>. But “been there, done that…” we would not go back. It was an interesting thing to do, but not something that we would want to do again.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Pride2018.jpg?resize=584%2C384\")
Several reasons for that: a) The Spouse’s ongoing health problems making him (and me) cranky and miserable; b) no desire to travel anywhere without my Spouse, and he can’t travel; and c) I just don’t like the guppie life, as pictured above. It’s just not me. I think these young dudes deserve all the happiness they have. Spouse and I are just in different places in our lives.<\/p>\n