rustle

My timber-frame bed and memory foam pillows.

That would be Dave.

"...I wish you a brave new year, All anguish, pain, and sadness Leave your heart and let your road be clear." All the best, brothers and sisters.

Haters gonna hate. In my state, less than 5 years ago, a guy was dragged to his death behind a truck just because he was black. It's no longer important to me that everybody know who and what I am.

A couple of months ago, I ran into a co-worker in the grocery store, and introduced her to my partner. It seemed ridiculous not to, since he was right there with me. I went to a Christmas party at his art gallery as his guest. All of our personal friends know about us, and we all joke about it. One woman's husband was working as a security guard, and I told him I had a thing for guys in uniform. To come out at work, I'd have to make my personal life everybody's business. I resent hearing them drone on about a sporting event or their kids as a distraction. No way I'm gonna do the same thing.

Scotty, a lot of people's reactions depend on their social context. When I was 19, it was 1976. Gay sex was illegal, the U.S. military actively hunted down and prosecuted gays, you could easily be fired for it, and get blackballed, unable to provide a reference to a prospective employer. Churches didn't want you, schools didn't want you, the army didn't want you, employers didn't want you. Families would disown you, or at best, you'd be the dirty little secret nobody talked about. The only refuge in Texas was a gay bar, and the cops would raid those, and take everybody downtown to get a nice blemish on their records. People who know anything of my private life know I'm gay. Most of the people at work don't know, 'cause I keep them at arm's length. Old habits die hard, although now, it's more 'cause it's none of their business than out of fear. Dad died when I was 9, Mom knew, but we never discussed it, my brother and sister know. There's a CBS documentary called The Homosexuals. http://vimeo.com/61123970. I suggest you watch it.

I saw a similar cut on a guy who had multiple piercings. On him, it looked great. The guy above? Uh-uh. His head (not face) is too round for the cut. On another note, guys with a baby face should not try to pull off a stubble beard. If you want to try it, though, do it while you're young, and can, w/o looking ridiculous.

In high school, I once got a bronze lizard.

A lava lamp (I've wanted one since the 60s), Light Blue cologne, a game set (NOT video games), a new compass, a Tree pocket knife, and a package from my sister. My sister's husband passed away a few months ago after a long illness, The package she sent me contained his favorite shirt, ever, and a tie. The shirt is one I'd given him in 1974. The tie bears little images of flashers in trench coats. The shirt was touching; the tie made me laugh my ass off.

Jeremy, at times, we have to live our lives in spite of what we're going through, and those around us, and find or make a little pleasure in small things. Laugh, and sing, and dance. It honors those we remember. Merry Christmas, methodwriter85. May it be a good one for you.

Merry Christmas, Wayne. No matter how brief the break from work, no matter how few decorations you have up, no matter how many expectations you or others have that go unfulfilled, I wish you the peace to step back, take a breath, and find the joy in a moment, a passing glance, or a kind word. All the best to you and yours. The clock and the calendar turn, and the sun will rise again, longer and stronger each day. May your spirits rise with it. love, r

For me, too many is when long sleeves and long pants don't cover them all. Too many is when you see multiple tats in one glimpse, and they don't relate to each other. The more ink, the more important it becomes to have a consistent style to them. But this is coming from somebody w/o any body modifications. I wouldn't mind, if I could decide on something to live with the rest of my life.

Sorry, I misunderstood. That's what happens when you get your tabloid news second-hand.

It doesn't bother me that the guy hates gays, or that he spouted off some back woods fundamentalist hatred. What bothers me is adults of voting age, in politics, who know nothing of the constitution. Freedom of speech is no guarantee you will have a job after you spout off. There is no constitutional right to a TV show. Some of the people who've been most vocally opposed to him getting fired strongly advocate personal responsibility. Note the irony.

smh that is all

I'm with Sasha. Weird. As for Chuckie: Don't like his politics. Don't like his "acting." Hate the crappy dye job on his beard.

Sasha's lesson has larger ramifications. It's not just: Can you live with killing and butchering animals for meat? Where does anything come from? Is it endangered? Does harvesting it deplete something? Can and should it be managed? If we pave this area, will it prevent the aquifer from recharging adequately? The interconnectedness of life and stuff is difficult to teach as a whole.

Does muppet taste good with raspberry chipotle sauce?

The real lesson here is that no conscious, moral act is easy. Life as a vegetarian is a challenge. So is slaughtering and butchering your own meat. Of course, your lesson fails to examine the third option - to buy meat from a grocer's without regard. Still, I admire your balanced approach. If I were in your class, you'd be my favorite teacher.

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!!!!!!!!!!!! DUDE, educate yourself right now! Please! Rent Becket, and settle in. I recommend you cultivate an appreciation of great acting. (I would recommend Laurence of Arabia, but it's a very long film, and most young folks don't have the patience for it.)

you're dead to me, too

Can Nana take an attorney with her?

I hope it's been a good one.

We're goin' camping with the dogs. Family's not close, and they can't put up with the dogs. Friends have their families. It lets some folks off the hook, us included, and gives us a way to just relax in this, the season of chaos.

You know, Graeme, I'll never understand this. And I'll never understand what it's like to live in Tom Daley's skin or in his head. There are lots of things I'll never understand. I'm OK with that. What I do understand is that you're both apparently great guys, and you both appear to be happy with your lives. That's what's important.