Monday, May 22, 2006

Oh my goodness--He's written a gay book

A person I know and I actually recently told me that the book that has gestating in his soul for 20 years has finally been born. He invited me to the reading and book signing and I grabbed the wife and off we went.

The bookstore was an independent left wing book store that is the anti-borders.

I arrived at the signing and our friend the author was sharing something from the book.

"His thighs were massive and rippled, as I gazed upon them." said Skip.

Aw hell to the naw. What kind of book is this I shouted silently. After the reading there were questions including one from one of my favorite people the author's mother

"Why didn't you write a murder mystery?"

No mama wrong question. She should have asked my question: "Why didn't you tell me you were gay? Why am I discovering this in this bookstore?"

I asked the wife--"Did you know that he was gay."

Well yeah sort of she replied. I read the book cover and I said "Oh how nice."
"It's no big deal, really. You're probably the only one who doesn't know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't always get it."

"Huh?"

"Sometimes I wonder if you are just joking."

"Huh?"

Ask five of your friends and I bet everybody knows but you.

Four of the five said hell yeah we knew.

One other just asked why?

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

There is No such thing as a Fair fight

When two people are linked together by life and love there is no such thing as a fair fight.

There is too much history, too many stories, too many promises made and too many promises broken to make any fight fair. When people argue they go for the victory even if the victory will destroy the opponent for the objective of any argument is ultimately to win.

Oh I know, we never want to hurt the ones we love, but we just cannot help it. We know too much about them. We know the things that will send them reeling and we know the secrets they keep and truths they hide often from themselves. Why? Because they are our secrets.

And idealistically when we enter a relationship we always promise that this time, there will be no secrets. But let me drop a tad of truth here, it is impossible to say there will not be any secrets. It is a part of life.

There are things we overlook to keep the relationship intact. For if we accept the fact that certain things have transpired, then we would have to break off the relationship just because.

When comes to relationships I am beginning to believe that honesty is not good policy. For every time we enter a relationship we should be given a Miranda warning.
"Everything you say or share can and will be used against you, when we get into a fight."

I don't know any thing about that movie where Jack Nicholson utters that classic line "You can't handle the truth." But I believe that should line should somehow be placed in the Biblical canon. Maybe that is why the psalmists pleads with the Lord in Psalm 25 to remember that his God is a god of mercy and compassion and he further pleads that God not remember the sins of his youth.

But I am not God.

I will remember your sins. And damn skippy, your sins are scarlett, thus I will hold them close, and I will remind of how you sinned against me. I will not only remind you of your sins I will reinvent the context and recolor your sin in the context of sins you have committed since I have known you.

For you bleeding sensitive hearts who are crying out "But we must be able to communicate and share."

One word. A word both profane and compound. Bullshit.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Decisions

A friend of mine called today. He and his wife are in trouble. Their son was accepted at three schools. He expressed a great deal of interest in College M. Meanwhile College K offered their son close to a full ride scholarship. My friend believes that in their current financial condition the son should accept the offer from College K. The wife believes that they are not doing right by the son by not giving him the desire of his heart. College M is asking them to take out a $26,000 Plus Loan. Given that together they barely reported 42,000 in income this loan will add to an already heavy debt burden on this family.

A few years ago this would not have been a problem. My friend had a six figure job and was doing well. Now, he is just about to begin making over 40. He called me after she left the house over this. The son appears to be happy to go to a school that offered him a scholarship and that is affordable, he is of course disappointed by College M but he appears to be okay with College K.

I didn't say much (in fact I said nothing) I just listened and he hung up.

What could I have said that would have helped him? I am a numbers man, so its a no brainer for me. His wife is an emotional person who feels like she has left her son short.

They are blessed to be getting anything. Their son had so-so college boards, and while he is an above average student, he is not setting the world on fire. He is articulate but not always as motivated as he should be.

The Pole Scholarship

I guess we never appreciate the power of bad acting.

May be you remember that memorable performance of Lisa Raye in the forgettable movie the Player's Club.

If you don't remember it Jesse Jackson did and in response to the alleged victim in the upcoming Duke Lacrosse Players Rape Trial Jesse is giving the exotic dancer a scholarship so no longer must she mount the pole to take Humanities or Sociology or the Fundamentals of Teaching Phonics.

Of course you all know that this single mother was trying to earn a better life for her and her child by using her "gifts" in a very special and intimate way with strangers.

And while I certainly hope that if she was raped her perpetrators are properly punished. However it is going to be a difficult case cause she was selling sex in the first place.

While I consider myself liberal I am also not sure you can have it both ways. How can you offer your body in a private party with drunken men for money and who did not hire you because you have ABT potential, and expect them to honor you?

I have been in attendance at one bachelor party in my life where dancers were present. It was truly sleazy. I may be a prude but I never wanted to see my friends get freaky and I did not nor do I believe that hangin with the fellas means violating my vows. I am no saint, but I remember talking to one of the ladies who said that she was working on her teaching degree and this helps pay the bills.

Hmmm

Let's keep this real.

Women, if you are selling it on a pole, or at a party you are self exploiting and you are putting yourself at risk. You may think this is easy money but is it really?