-Good morning everyone, and welcome to our Tuesday edition of the blog. We are Steve (35) and Warren (62) and we live in northern Minnesota – in the Duluth area.
We are really glad that you have found us on the net, and that you taken the time to read our daily life blog.
-Out in the backyard this morning we have clear skys with light frost like snow and 18 degrees above zero. It’s cold out there – I stuck my head out the back door to let the dog back into the house after doing his business.
Today’s northland weather forecast is:
Partly sunny. Scattered flurries in the morning. Highs 27 to 32. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest 10 to 20 mph.
The ill winds of late fall and early winter are definitely upon us here in Minnesota.
-It took most of the morning and half of the afternoon … but I was able to get our dog “Buddy” to start eating some food and drinking some water … and by mid to late afternoon he was up on his feet walking around just a little bit.
His eyes still look kind of like he is sick … but he is wagging his tail and he is eating some food. It’s actually kind of strange – but he is not particularly hungry for “dog” food – but instead he is hungry for “human” food.
So I drove over to the McDonald’s and got him two plain hamburgers … and by evenings end – he had eaten both of them, plus part of a small cookies.
So the good news this morning is that our dog … “Buddy” is moving around and he is looking and apparently feeling some what better. I looked back at our old records and “Buddy” came to live here in May of 1997 … when he was about six weeks old.
Now, eleven and one half years laters … he’s still with us and hopefully back on track to recovery.
-Steve and I had a slight difference of opinion … but it was good to find out from him that our “bumpy spots”, spoken about in yesterday’s blog – were the results of a “mood” he was in.
He told me a few things last evening … and by the time we went to bed, he seemed to feel better about himself, me and us. 
which was good news.
I know we all have our “moments” in life and that try hard as we may – we are not perfect – no, not one of us.
Steve loves me, I love him – life moves forward and I’m thankful for every moment we have together.
He’s my answer to prayer – from God and I truly love him.
-He’s still fighting for you … President-Elected Barack Obama has stated he does not support gay marriage, but he believes gay couples should have the same rights as straight married couples, only under a separate institution of civil unions.
Obama supports the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. Obama says federal law should not discriminate against gay and lesbian couples.
-I thought this was so good, that I had to borrow it from Men’s Health Magazine:
1. Drink more OJ. Researchers at the University of Alabama fed rats 200 milligrams of vitamin C twice a day and found that it nearly stopped the secretion of stress hormones. If it relaxes a rat, why not you? Two 8-ounce glasses of orange juice daily gives you the vitamin C you need.
2. Put a green dot on your phone. This is your secret reminder to take one deep breath before you answer a call, says Susan Siegel, of the Program on Integrative Medicine at the University of North Carolina school of medicine. Not only will you feel better, but you’ll sound more confident.
3. Spend quality time with a canine. Yours or someone else’s. According to research at the State University of New York at Buffalo, being around a pet provides more stress relief than being around a two-legged companion. As if we needed a study to determine that.
4. Go to Starbucks with your coworkers. Researchers at the University of Bristol in England discovered that when stressed-out men consumed caffeine by themselves, they remained nervous and jittery. But when anxious men caffeine-loaded as part of a group, their feelings of stress subsided.
5. Shake it out. When you’re facing that big-money putt, shake out your fingers, relieving the tension in your forearms, hands, and wrists and shifting your focus to the only thing you can control: your preshot routine. You won’t think about making–or missing–the shot, says Alan Goldberg, Ed.D., a sports-psychology consultant in Amherst, Massachusetts.
6. Bring a radio to work. And set it to the blandest music station you can find. According to a study at Pennsylvania’s Wilkes University, Muzak lowers your stress levels at work, while also reducing the risk of the common cold. We knew Celine Dion had a purpose.
7. Shut up and smile. Freaking out about a speech? Smile, look at the audience, and keep quiet for 2 seconds, says T.J. Walker, president of Media Training Worldwide. It’ll slow you down and create the impression that you’re relaxed and in control. The audience will then feel more comfortable, leading you to actually be relaxed and in control. Now start talking. Unless you’re a mime. In that case, as you were.
8. Talk with your hands. To keep calm in a job interview, rest your arms on your lap, with your elbows bent slightly, and have your fingers almost touching, says Walker. This will keep your body relaxed, which will keep your tone conversational.
9. Run fast Bike hard. Punch the heavy bag. And we don’t mean your mother-in-law. A University of Missouri at Columbia study found that 33 minutes of high-intensity exercise helps lower stress levels more than working out at a moderate pace. What’s more, the benefits last as long as 90 minutes afterward.
10. Hit the sauna after your workout. In an Oklahoma State University study, those who combined sauna use with group counseling had greater stress relief, feelings of relaxation, and sense of accomplishment compared with those who only had their heads shrunk.
11. Remember the lyrics to your favorite song… …name at least 30 states, or assemble the All-Time Band of Guys Named James (the James Gang doesn’t count). In other words, give your mind any all-consuming challenge, as long as it has a definite finish–unending problems cause more stress, says Toby Haslam-Hopwood, Psy.D., a psychologist at the Menninger Clinic in Houston.
12. Lay The Journey to Wild Divine. It’s a CD-ROM game that works like this: Three biofeedback sensors worn on your fingers sense your stress level and translate it into your ability to perform tasks such as levitating virtual balls or controlling birds in flight. The more you play, the more mastery you gain over your emotions. Go to CreativeLivingInstitute.org for more information. It sells for about $150.
13. Find a breathtaking view. Now take a breath –and a good long look. You’ll walk away from the brink with a sense of context and a bigger perspective, which will make the 5,000 things on your to-do list seem less daunting, says Allen Elkin, Ph.D., director of the Stress Management & Counseling Center in New York City.
14. Imagine you’re on. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire When dealing with a screaming child in a car or any other acutely stressful situation, ask yourself how long you could listen to it if someone gave you $100,000, suggests Elkin. Suddenly, it’s not so awful, is it?
15. Say you’re sorry. What, now the kid is screaming on a crowded airplane? Immediately apologize to everyone around you. By acknowledging that you may have made a mistake or hurt someone else, you can help clear the air, and that will reduce your stress level, says Charles Emery, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at Ohio State University.
16. Forgive. Now someone else’s kid is screaming on a crowded airplane? And the mom is too wrapped up in this week’s People to do a thing about it? Let it go, says Carl Thoresen, Ph.D., a psychologist at Stanford University. Realizing that you can’t control someone else’s behavior is difficult, but it’s one of the best ways to destress.
17. Add trees to your commute. Even if it takes you out of your way, it may make your ride less stressful. An Ohio State University study found that scenic drives were more calming than those involving strip malls and endless, disheartening asphalt.
18. Water a plant. It’s nurturing, it doesn’t take up much space, and for 10 seconds, the world is not about you, which can be a huge psychological relief, says Elkin.
19. Ditch the dingy shower curtain. And hang up something in a cool color like green or blue. According to Leonard Perry, Ph.D., an extension professor at the University of Vermont, cool hues are more soothing.
20. Schedule medical tests for early morning. Rather than spend the entire day anxious about an afternoon DRE, get fingered first thing in the a.m., when your cortisol levels are already naturally elevated, says David Spiegel, M.D., medical director of the Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine.
BONUS: Meditate. Researchers at West Virginia University found that 35 participants who underwent “mindfulness meditation” saw a 44 percent reduction in psychological distress over 3 months. Just sit quietly for 10 minutes a day and focus on your breathing.
Those are just so darn good, we couldn’t help but pass them along to you guys this morning.
-When Steve and I were out at the gay bars in Minneapolis and St. Paul last weekend, we noticed that there were very few guys out – as compared to last summer – as an example.
Then as I thought about it – I realized it is probably the economic times in which we live. After all, drinks are not cheap at bars. I mean a beer can run from $4.25 to $4.75, and hard liquor can be $5.25 to $7.00 per drink. Now that gets kind of expensive.
Then it also dawned on me, that with the increasing enforcement of DWI’s or DUI’s as they may be called … guys just can’t afford to go out to a bar, have a few drinks and get arrested for DWI or DUI. First time offense, you lose your license ($780 reinstatement fee), new driver’s test plus court fines and costs – can mean some real money out of a guys’ pocket.
So is the economy and risks of drinking and driving getting expensive? You darn right they are!
So guys … my old motto is simply this, “Take care of No. 1″ in other words … “Yourself”.
-As long as we are dishing out advice, here are 15 facts you didn’t know about your penis:
1. Smoking can shorten your penis by as much as a centimeter. Erections are all about good bloodflow, and lighting up calcifies blood vessels, stifling erectile circulation. So even if you don’t care all that much about your lungs or dying young, spare the li’l guy.
2. Doctors can now grow skin for burn victims using the foreskins of circumcised infants. One foreskin can produce 23,000 square meters, which would be enough to tarp every Major League infield with human flesh.
3. An enlarged prostate gland can cause both erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. If you have an unexplained case of either, your doctor’s looking forward to checking your prostate. Even if you’re not.
4. The average male orgasm lasts 6 seconds.
5. The oldest known species with a penis is a hard-shelled sea creature called Colymbosathon ecplecticos. That’s Greek for “amazing swimmer with large penis.” Which officially supplants Buck Naked as the best porn name, ever.
6. Circumcised foreskin can be reconstructed. Movable skin on the shaft of the penis is pulled toward the tip and set in place with tape. Later, doctors apply plastic rings, caps, and weights. Years can pass until complete coverage is attained. . . . Okay, we’ll shut up now.
7. Only one man in 400 is flexible enough to give himself oral pleasure. It’s estimated, however, that all 400 have given it their best shot at some point.
8. There are two types of penises. One kind expands and lengthens when becoming erect (a grower). The other appears big most of the time, but doesn’t get much bigger after achieving erection (a shower).
9. An international Men’s Health survey reports that 79 percent of men have growers, 21 percent have showers.
10. German researchers say the average intercourse lasts 2 minutes, 50 seconds.
11. Turns out size does matter: The longer your penis, the better “semen displacement” you’ll achieve when having sex. That’s according to researchers at the State University of New York, who used artificial phalluses (ahem) to test the “scooping” mechanism of the penis’s coronal ridge. Next up: curing cancer.
12. The penis that’s been enjoyed by the most men could be that of King Fatefehi of Tonga, who supposedly deflowered 37,800 women between the years 1770 and 1784—that’s about seven virgins a day. Go ahead, say it: It’s good to be king.
13. Better-looking men may have stronger sperm.
14. No brain is necessary for ejaculation. That order comes from the spinal cord. Finding a living vessel for said ejaculation, however, takes hours of careful thought and, often, considerable amounts of alcohol.
15. The most common cause of penile rupture: vigorous masturbation. Some risks are just worth taking.
Just some good common sense information … that we all should know.
-On December 10, 2008 the gay community will take a historic stance against hatred by donating love to a variety of different causes.
On December 10, you are encouraged not to call in sick to work. You are encouraged to call in “gay”–and donate your time to service!
December 10, 2008 is International Human Rights Day.
-My partner Steve worked most of the evening, while I laid on the bed and watched television. What was he working on? His blog … Steve On Sinema.
This is perhaps one of his best posts to date … and I am not going to steal any of his “thunder” but instead let you go right to his post … and read it for yourself … My First Time – Crypticon 2008.
It’s a great post – and done so “professionally”.
Good job pal … and great reading and it’s kind of “spooky”.
-Prince stands out against gay marriage … and when I read this, it made me sick!
“So here’s how it is,” Prince began, “You’ve got the Republicans, and basically they want to live according to this.” He pointed to a Bible.
According to a post in Minneapolis Star Tribune, Prince recently stated in an interview, “But there’s the problem of interpretation, and you’ve got some churches, some people, basically doing things and saying it comes from here, but it doesn’t.”
Prince then went on to say this about Democrats, “They’re, like, ‘You can do whatever you want.’ Gay marriage, whatever. But neither of them is right.”
When asked for his views on gay marriage and abortion, Prince tapped his Bible and said, “God came to earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was, like, ‘Enough.’ “
-Popular singer – Elton John says,
Elton John, spoke recently about proposition 8. Elton talked about how in December of 2005, that he and his partner David Furnish had tied the knot in a civil partnership ceremony in Windsor, England. Elton clarified their legal status saying:
“We’re not married. Let’s get that right. We have a civil partnership. What is wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word marriage.”
Elton made his comments on Tuesday at the annual benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Elton continued:
“I don’t want to be married. I’m very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership. The word ’marriage,’ I think, puts a lot of people off.”
“You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships.”
To my partner – I love you pal … “I’m not perfect, but I’m worth waiting for”.
-Until next time…
Posted by romach on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 9:56 am
None of us are perfect buddy but that’s what makes us all interesting. That’s what makes us all work that little bit harder to try and be happy. I love reading about you guys. I see a lot of my hubby and me in you two. Your last line just floored me! Such a nice way to end your post. I hope you both have a lovely day!
Posted by urspo on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 10:46 pm
advice #4 about sharing coffee works better with tea!