Gandalf

I am sorry to hear about your loses. I cared for my dad for his last few months. Changing his diapers and my grandsons one after the other. But good times in a weird way. I probably got closer and found out more about him in some ways then I had before. The day he died I came home and realized that while I had been focusing on my Dad I had not been aware that my dog had been failing and I ended up having to put him asleep the same day. Again condolences and best to you as you go thru these rough times. Life does move on. I joined GA thanks to your stories and have found a wonderful community here during some strange times in my life. Pax Steve

VIV, Happy Un Birthday, Or Happy Belated Birthday. Glad it was ok. I feel like a broken record here at GA cause I like so many of you writers. I am always wondering when is the next SOOTB coming along. And have been enjoying your blogs. Have a great year as a person and a writer. Pax Steve

Yup your are a positive part of my time here thanks to your participation and comments on the board. Pax Steve :2hands:

OOps forgot to put in that part of coming home is cause i am so addicted to all these stories and blogs and shit and want to be back stateside where staying connected and maybe even meeting some of you can happen. I met some people from another one of my interests last Nov. I flew to Chicago to do it. Everyone was even more interesting and caring and intelligent than I was expecting I couldn't believe it. I think we can pick out the wheat from the chaff on line fairly well although I would always expect a few surprizes and be safe in meeting anyone. Pax.. Steve

Gay Marriage has always given me the gut reaction: Been there done that. I had some good years married and a beautiful daughter who has been so supportive of my being whatever I am. However I also have been in a long distance relationship with my partner since 1991. We were also lovers for several years from 1968 to1972(jeesh Allan don't shoot me if i got the dates wrong). I live in Maine and we have a legislature that passes gay rights bills which then get overturned by referendums so who knows what will happen there. He however lives in Vt. so we could have a legal relationship as well as our longstanding one. I am leaning more toward considering that over time just cause it would make a statement to society. When he and I were dancing at my daughter's wedding in MA in May I really wanted to have something more formal. That I have kinda left him for much of the last 2 years while pursueing this silly sailing dream makes some formality a bit more important in my mind on the other hand if our relationship can withstand all it has since we were silly 20 year olds then what could anything else mean. He by the way is a lay minister in small town Vt. and every sermon he delivers has a gay aspect to it. His mother wishes he wouldnt do it everytime but his parishoners seem to love it when he gets to speak. I think he has had a lot to do with showing people that being gay is just being a normal person who happens to love the same sex. I have totally lost my thread. I just now it is about 100 degrees here in Sevilla and since the wedding I really want to put this boat trip on hold and return to my partner and foster kids and neice and nephew i raised and thier children and spend some time being a family gay guy... before I come back for more of this adventure. Pax all. Steve S/V GANDALF :ranger: Sevilla Espagne..

What a hoot you guys are.. Nick great comeback and story. Kevin of course you are spot on as my boat neighbors would say. Ah fantasy and romance... who can ask for more. Pax Steve sv Gandalf still in Sevilla.

I am really sorry about your arm and the hit and run.. I tell everyone that sailing across the ocean was really safe compared to riding my bike around Sevilla where the scooters go every and any direction and on the sidewalks(of course I do too on my bike but I am special lol..). Soundsl like your decision to leave gets reenforced constantly. Pax Steve sv Gandalf still in Sevilla

to digress a bit from Gaydar.. Glooph it is cool to hear your story. I had a roomate by sophomore year college who I was sure was gay even though I wasnt admitting I was. Turns out he wasnt but we are still great friends. His friend and I became close and at one point we were wrestling then became lovers for several years. We were known in the History Dept at school as the Midnight Cowboys. I later decided to not be gay( there is a trick let me say) Raised foster sons, brief marriage and beautiful daughter then got sober came back out and have been back in a long distance relationship with my old college partner since 1991. Gaydar, I was in a meeting here in Sevilla last fall and talking about my life but very gender neautral and copesetic but afterward this guy came over and had picked me out as gay. By what i didnt say. Also he also was married, divorced etc so wasnt distracted by that stuff. I sure dont have much of it though.. Pax, Steve

I actually connected with a therapist who was really fun to have as I was coming out in one of my incarnations. Go with the flow. Give it a chance but trust your instincts. Guy sounds like a bit of a powerhouse but then it might be a fit.. Pax and good luck.. Steve

Good luck on your presentation. I am glad that the landlady thing also worked out. I know stuff usually works out if I keep in the here and now, the day, etc but i forget it almost instantly and then i read about stuff like what you are doing and remember to take a deep breath and allow life to happen.. I have been really uptight tonight about some probably bad financial decisions and also flying back to Spain tomorrow. Reading your post may allow me to get some sleep before i start my 29 hr marathon return to Sevilla. Again good luck and thanks.. also really liked Chap 15. Pax Steve

Hi Dave, Early on I was impressed by how well you understood the effects of abuse on the victim and clearly you continue to hit hard in this area as to several other authors such as Vance. Wow it is so painful to watch someone as emotionally stuck in these spots almost as painful as the physical battering. Living in a foreign country myself I empathise with the stuff you are going thru but also am really pleased to watch all the movement you have in your life; wrapping up the degree, moving on, moving period, and discovering that you are indeed a talented writer. How cool. Pax Steve S/V Gandalf, Sevilla