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Wayne, don't hide. We know where to find you, and we've got cupcakes with your name on them. Happy Birthday, dude. (And don't listen to Lugh harrassing you about your age.)

What is it they say about baseball caps turned backwards?

I take the little bottles of shampoo, and the hand soap. They're consumables, and figured in to the cost of the room. Everything else is off-limits. Besides, I travel light, and don't want to pack linens or a mattress.

A church that won't welcome all people with open arms and open hearts isn't the type of social group I'd want to belong to. If anybody can be excluded, then everyone can be.

Thanks, Joey. Really glad you liked it.

Back in the day, I was a chickenshit, and uncertain, so I wasn't out. I majored in drama; it wouldn't have been a huge deal. Most of my friends were artistic, creative types. It was a commuter college in a major city, with an active gay community, and 18 was legal to drink. AIDS and herpes were unknown, it was the end of the Sexual Revolution, when promiscuity was a virtue, but I was painfully shy, or I'd have died before I hit 30, like a number of people I knew. I was always glad to educate somebody who wants to know "what it's like," and I've had a few of those conversations, too. My mom regretted a few questions she asked, but appreciated the answers after a while.

Thanks, Andy. Glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading, and for the feedback.

Thanks for reading, and for the feedback.

Thank you. The crocodilian gods smiled upon us. Again.

Thanks, Mark. The ripples were moving too fast for a canoe to overtake them.

For some reason, bugs aren't so bad around rivers in Texas as they are in some places, unless you stumble into yellow jackets.

Thank you. It was a long time coming.

Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.

The River The sound of water flowing. Ronnie finally breathing quietly, nestled in my arms for warmth. Summer nights in Texas are still chill when all you’ve got to keep you warm are a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I’m surprised he’s able to sleep at all, but fatigue finally outweighed all the apprehension and fear, and it’s hours ‘til dawn yet. Not for the first time, I wish for the moon to shine, or the clouds to part, so we’d have some light, just to see where we are. If this were a campin

Just a little more adventure than expected.

Dayumn!

Ya know, this is an issue I've had for years. A culture of fear has overtaken us. Our politicians have manipulated it to their advantage, and the detriment of society. Compare the fear-mongering after 9/11 to the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. After Pearl Harbor, Americans were encouraged to "be vigilant." After 9/11, we were introduced to a color-coded warning system with no practical purpose other than to ratchet up the fear. How differently should we act act when there's a green alert vs. an orange one? What specific steps should we take? Look at how Israel deals with terrorism. They don't let it prevent them from living their daily lives. They train their security forces differently to deal with situations, and develop plans, policies, and procedures to minimize the risk or inconvenience to the public. The same fear-mongering exists with regard to child moelsters. Really, there are probably no more of them out there now than there were 30 years ago. We just hear a lot more about it. We've all heard statistics about children propositioned on-line, but did you realize the vast majority of those propositions are from kids, and not some aging perv in a darkened room? If not for the internet, most likely, kids would be propositioning each other the same way they used to - in person. Online, it's easier to say, "Ewww."

I firmly believe that every man who can raise facial hair should do so at least once in his life. It's part of being relaxed in your own skin.

"There is nothing done in the darkness which will not be brought into the light." The more I read of this, the more sense it all makes. I suspect Paterno did as much as he could without getting fired or killed. As sick as the pedophilia makes me, the riots bother me more, that they would support anyone implicated in this.

Never tried it in Europe, but in several places in the U.S., hell, yeh! It's the best way to find quiet and solitude in nature.

Congratulations, dude! I hope you have the best day ever.

Take a pen, so you're self-sufficient. Wear a watch, but don't look at it, unless someone asks what time it is, so you can be helpful. If you normally read the Wall Street Journal, scour it for articles specifically relevant to that company's business. Be prepared to discuss. Same for other publications. Lots of people can do "the job." Not many can relate it to what's going on in the outside world. Think big picture. When you talk about yourself, make it relevant to the discussion. Leave out the reenactment last year of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, unless you met a financier who provided serious insight into an issue that comes up in the interview. Play down the party boy image. They know you went to UT. Body language: look at your hands. What are they doing? Are they flitting around like butterflies in heat? Clenching into white-knuckled catatonia? If your hands and feet are relaxed, the rest of your body can follow. A good interview is FUN. It's an exchange of ideas and philosophies with friendly and interesting people, and you are one of them. Best of luck, Yang. You should do just fine.

Damn! I'm late to the party again. Happy Birthday, BB. I hope it was a great one. Uhm...any cake left?

Simple couples costume - a pair of dominoes, the double six and the six-three. Every time we get together, we score.