Veterans Day

 

-It is Wednesday … the 11th of November, 2009.

-Out in our back yard it is 28 degrees and cloudy this morning.  Today’s northland weather forecast for our part of Minnesota is calling for: Decreasing clouds. Highs 47 to 52. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph.

Color weather radar does show a narrow area of rain west of the Duluth area, in about north central Minnesota at this hour.

-Not a lot going on in our lives … as of yesterday.  Steve worked, had lunch with two of the gals from his office; and I just hung around home and did my thing.  I did get out and take some photographs, and took a short drive around the area.

Other than that .. it was relatively quiet for both of us.

Steve was feeling like he was getting sick last night .. perhaps a cold or something like that.

Hopefully, whatever was bothering him – will have gone away by the time he is ready for work today.

-In other news, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement at Tuesday night’s Salt Lake City council meeting in support of the city’s proposed non-discrimination ordinance.

The Mormon Church donated a fair chunk of the money used to help pass California’s gay marriage ban last November.

“We are not anti-gay, we are pro-marriage between a man and a woman. And there’s a huge difference between those two points,” Elder L. Whitney Clayton, of the Presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy told KSL News.

The church issued a statement saying it “does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights or probate rights.”

The proposed ordinance would offer protections for same-sex couples in medical care and hospital visitation, in addition to housing and employment protections, and insurance rights for a partner.

-Next week, on Wednesday – Steve and I leave on a brief vacation … on our way to Cincinnati, Ohio … for a Horrorhound Weekend Convention.  Steve is very much into “horror” movies .. I am not .. but he wanted to go, and last year we went to Indianapolis, Indiana for one – so next week we head out for another one.

Cincinnati is about 790 miles from where we live – and we are driving.  Hopefully the weather will be decent, and we won’t fun into any early winter or late fall snowstorms going out of coming back on our trip.

-That’s about it, for this Wednesday…today is Veteran’s Day.  Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states across the nation.  Thank you to the men and women who served our nation in the military over these 200 plus years – giving of their lives for our freedoms today.

Here are some of the things that will be closed today, in the Duluth area: Post offices in Duluth and Superior; St. Louis County offices; Duluth and Superior city offices; Minnesota and Wisconsin federal offices; Minnesota state offices; Superior schools; Duluth and Superior library branches; Western Lake Superior Sanitary District facilities; and Fond du Lac Reservation tribal offices.

-Have a great day and enjoy this 11th of November.

Sweeter As The Days Go By

-It’s the 10th of November, 2009 – good morning.

-Here in Minnesota and out in our back yard we have 32 clear crisp degrees this morning.  Today’s northland weather forecast is calling for: Sunny. Highs 52 to 57. Northwest winds around 5 mph becoming south in the late morning and afternoon.

It’s looking like a gorgeous fall day here in Minnesota.

-Yesterday, Steve had to make a visit to his dentist for some dental work … he ended up having to wait about two hours – which I think was longer than what he had expected.  When he came home last night – he really wasn’t in a very good mood – his mouth was sore, he was uptight – I guess it was just one of those days.

We watched some TIVO’d shows on television .. and both of us were tired by bedtime.

Beyond that, Monday was pretty much a routine day for both of us.  I did laundry and a few things around the house – but nothing to exciting.

-It doesn’t pay to use the wrong language … The Kansas City Chiefs pro football team released controversial running back Larry Johnson on Monday, the day he was due to return from a suspension. Johnson had been censured for questioning coach Todd Haley’s credentials on Twitter, where he also used antigay slurs against a fan before turning the vitriol on journalists.

The announcement of his dismissal was brief, according to Fox News.

“A two-paragraph statement from the team Monday simply listed Johnson’s statistics and announced his release,” reported Fox News.

Johnson was 75 yards short of breaking the team’s career rushing record.

-Steve is up and in the shower … it’s 6:27 a.m. here and I’m having a bowl of Special K cereal and skim milk – I’m back to “counting those calories” to drop some pounds.  Not my favorite activity – but one that I must do or strive to do.

-Tomorrow … I am having lunch with an old work associate … Bob has been a friend for over 30 years, having the same type of profession that I had.  We’ve (he and I) have been trying to get a group of us “retired” guys together every few months for a luncheon – but, my old boss just has been dragging his feet at getting back to me and accepting my invitation.

My old boss was a “tinkerbell” when he was working (a guy who goes from thing to thing, person to person, job to job .. i.e., all over the place) and I guess nothing has changed in his retirement either.  Great guy – just to darn busy doing nothing … to sit down and relax.

Anyway..I’ll be having lunch with him tomorrow in Duluth.  I’ve invited Steve to join us on his lunch break .. hopefully he might be able to get away.

-Around the world…according to sources, José Sócrates, the Prime Minister of Portugal, has been busy developing a new government after the elections in September. Part of that new government is equality for the country’s LGBT citizens. On October 23, Sócrates stated that legalizing same-sex marriage will be one of the new leadership’s first changes.  Portugal is now ready to legalize gay marriages.

Good for them .. we’ll be doing that here in the United States in about 3009…at the rate things are moving in this country.

-Have a great Tuesday … enjoy your day … no matter where you live on this planet and remember to smile.  Life is good.

Steve’s is just about done in the shower … I’ll be in there myself in an hour or so … We’ll see you tomorrow.

Great Partner Great Love Great Weekend Great Fun

-Oh it’s Monday morning … your tired, I’m tired, Steve’s tired … holy cow it’s time to get up and get moving.

Good morning and welcome to our blog … It was a fantastic, beautiful weekend for Steve and I … in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The weather was perfect, the occasions and events we attended were perfect, everything just seemed to go good for the two of us.  It was fun to get away.

-Out in our back yard this morning we have 43 cloudy degrees … Today’s forecast is for: Mostly sunny. Highs 48 to 53. West winds 10 to 15 mph.

Looks like a great Monday to go back to work.

-Here are some of the things we did on our weekend away:

• We stayed at the Double Tree Hotel on west I-394
• Played bingo at the Minneapolis Eagle and won the opening and closing games
• I won the opening game of bingo and a big $17.00
• Steve won the jackpot that evening (which could have been as much as $1,000.00) but he didn’t quite make it .. however; he walked out of the Eagle with a nice $99.00 that evening
• Slept in til about 9:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday
• Steve attended the Crypticon convention at the Sheraton Hotel in Bloomington
• I went shopping at the South Dale Mall while Steve was at Crypticon
• We were up in Roseville on the opposite end of the Twin Cities…to the new movie theater at the Rosedale Mall. We saw the movie “The Men Who Stare At Goats”.  This movie – except stupid, dumb, funny in a way, goofy, crazy – but it was a way to kill an hour and a half
• We were also on the northern side of the Twin Cities to a place called “Biff’s Sport’s Bar” for Steel Heart concert.  The food at Biff’s sucked, very poor quality
• Saturday evening we had pizza at Cossetta’s in St. Paul and it was just awesome
• We were at the Xcel Energy Center to watch the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars play hockey, with Minnesota winning 3 to 2.  Steve was able to get some great seats 15 rows off the ice for $75.00 per seat
• We bummed around the Mall of America

-Saturday night, we spent the end of the evening at the Minneapolis Eagle .. having a couple of drinks, talking and just “man watching”.  Saturday night was “underwear” night in the “Underground” bar .. we went down, but there was no way I was going to strip down to my shorts and waltz around … I think I kind of disappointed my partner – which made me feel bad … but I’ve got a few extra pounds and I wasn’t really ready to share them with anyone.  Steve saw some hotties that he liked (I wondered what he saw in those guys) but … I guess “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” … and it left me in a kind of a funk.

We were sitting then in the Eagle portion of the bar and I just realized how “out of sync” I was with what Steve liked in men and what I was seeing in the bar area in some of the men.

Now don’t get me wrong … there was nothing wrong with these men .. they were human beings just like Steve and I – but, I was not like them.  I’m 63, not 23, 33, 43 or even 53 – and I don’t have a body like some of those guys – I’m not Mr. Muscles, Mr. Lean Cuisine, Mr. Tight Jeans, Mr. Anything – I’m just me … and I just got slammed to the floor by what I was seeing around me.

For about 45 minutes … I just was so down … I guess it was realizing the “beauty of these men” and my lack there of … and wondering if I was always pleasing to my partner Steve.  What he saw in some of these men, was not what I was – and it bugged the heck out of me.  Am I ugly  -  NO!

Every other time we’ve been at the Minneapolis Eagle/Bolt/Underground – I’ve been able to stand my own ground – but Saturday night for that last hour that we were there – I was down and in a crappy/sad mood.

I’d see the guys that Steve thought were “hot” and I wondered … what the heck am I?  Except for this one moment, the entire weekend was great – but it was a reality check for me … realizing my age and body make up.  It was a bummer.

We returned to our hotel around 1:00 a.m. and went to bed … never really saying anything to one another.

-Sunday morning we slept in until about 10:20 a.m. or so, then got up and showered and left the hotel by about 11:30 a.m.

Our Sunday lunch/brunch was at a place called the Blue Door Pub on Selby in St. Paul for burgers!

The burgers were excellent .. and so were my fries and Steve’s beer battered green beans.

The whole meal for the two of us with beverages was $25.00, and well worth every single bite.

If you haven’t been there – by all means try the Blue Door Pub.  You’ll love there food, as we did.  We think it is better than The Nook in St. Paul for burgers.

Oh my gosh, talk about great food.

-We left the Twin Cities around 3:00 p.m. or so and stopped when we got to Duluth in Canal Park at the Cold Stone Creamery for a cup ice cream before we reached our home .. it was the end of a truly relaxing and wonderful weekend for the two of us.

Last evening we caught up on some TIVO’d shows … Amazing Race and Survivor … and both of us were in bed around 10:30 p.m.

-It was good to get away, it was good to come home – but the best part was being with Steve and the two of us just having a great weekend away .. doing nothing special, but enjoying some great events and each other.

I’m thankful to the good Lord for my partner, his love, his caring and his friendship … without him, my life would truly be nothing.

So … today it is back to work for Steve and I’ve got some laundry to do around here and some clean up … that will take care of both of our daily schedules.

Here’s hoping you have a great Monday … we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

On Vacation

-Hi guys…we are on vacation today, Saturday and Sunday – and we will be back on Monday, November 9th, 2009.

We hope to see you here.  Take care and have a great weekend.

Work For Equality

-Thursday is here … the 5th of November, 2009.

Good morning and welcome…

-30 degrees outside this morning with clear conditions.  The forecast for our area is: Partly cloudy. Highs 37 to 42. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph decreasing to around 5 mph early in the afternoon…then becoming south late in the afternoon.

The weekend is going to be relatively nice with temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s .. sunshine will prevail in the area.

-This afternoon around 1:45 p.m. or so, Steve and I leave for three night in Minneapolis, Minnesota … We are taking in bingo tonight at the Eagle’s Club on Washington, Friday night a concert on the north side of the metro area just off Highway 65, and Saturday night the Minnesota Wild hockey game at the Excel Energy Center in down town St. Paul.

We’ll be headed back home on Sunday afternoon from our “weekend vacation” away.

It should be a nice weekend to get away and to enjoy one another.

-Last night at the Target Center, the Celtics beat the Timberwolves … 92 to 90.  It was not much of a game, as Boston barely won.  The first string seems to be lacking … ability the past two nights.

-My old high school coach died on November 2nd … he was a great guy, and became a mentor to many students.  On many occasions I would see him out in the public after his retirement and it was always a pleasure to visit with him.  He was a model for all students in the day.

You’ll be missed coach…

-There is not much that can be said about the defeat in Maine this week – except to get involved in gay events that support the process of equality for gay men.  Whether it be in your small city or large metropolitan area – get out, write letters, donate money, volunteer – do what ever it is that you can do to help each other … to that gay men in this great nation can once and for all have “equality” as do their fellow citizens.

It’s a must do situation.

-There won’t be any blog Friday, Saturday or Sunday – as we will be on vacation – but we will return on Monday morning, November 9th, 2009 – the good Lord willing.

-We’ll see you then…take care.